COPY.
Sir,
23017
Rrce
127
Ref 9 Jul 02!
St. Paul's College.
Hong Kong, 20th March, 1902.
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your Excellency's letter, which reached me on the 17th inst.
in which you ask me to reconsider my decision with regard to my
retirement from the Education Committee.
I regret to say that in view of my departure
from the Colony at an early date for England it would be use-
less for me to retain my seat on the Committee.
Some three or four weeks ago I had hoped that,
as the Committee were in the main agreed as to principles, it
would be possible to draw up the Report before my departure.
When however I found that the other members of the Committee
wished to introduce changes which seemed to me to be very injurious, I felt that this would be impossible. To remain on the Committee and to dispute the clauses on which we differed would, I found by experience, take too long. To pass the clauses, and then draw up an independent Report would, I felt, be inconsistent. I considered therefore that my only course was to retire,
and at the same time to indicate what I considered the best course to adopt, instead of drastic "Reforms" to be recommended by the Committee for the improvement of Education in Hong Kong viz: (1) the appointment of an Inspector of experience in Education (2) the training of masters and teachers, and (3) the
alteration
His Excellency,
Major-General H. J. Gascoigne, K.C.M.G.,
Acting Governor,