No.1234:
Sir,
Enclosure No. 2 to Despatch No. 97 of the 12th March, 1903.
331
Commander-in-Chief, China Station, 21st February, 1903.
In reply to your letter No. 313 of 15th instant as to the firing of salutes on Sunday, I am directed by the Vice-Admiral Commander-in-Chief to say that the Senior Naval Officer present has no authority over Foreign ships of war in the waters of Hongkong and that it would be contrary to well-established international procedure for a Naval Officer to make representations to Foreign Navies as to their methods of carrying out ceremonial observances.
I am to add that the Vice-Admiral fully concurs with His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government as to paragraph 2 of your letter, and believes that the only way of ensuring the discontinuance of saluting during the time mentioned is by making a Harbour Regulation to that effect, observing that such Regulation if made would probably have to be promulgated amongst Foreign maritime nations by diplomatic means.
I have etc.,
E. Harrison Smith,
Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief.
Honourable
The Colonial Secretary,
Hongkong.