No. 102.
Hongkong.
C
Government House
Hongkong, 11th March, 1904.
336
Sir,
45571
03 With reference to your Despatch No. 33 of the 23rd January last, I have the honour to remark that in the cases referred to in paragraphs 3 and 5 the Admiralty appear to me to be in precisely the same position as a Marine Lot-holder. The latter cannot reclaim in front of his lot without permission of the Government nor can the Government reclaim or sell to others the seabed in front of the Marine Lot without compensating the Marine Lot-holder. Nor does it seem to me to follow that because the Colonial Government gave away many years ago Marine Lots to the Admiralty and War Department in Victoria, that it should now give away also the seabed in front of those lots.
2.
There would seem to be some misapprehension concerning the land referred to in paragraph 4. I enclose a tracing of the area of seabed referred to. It lies in front of a public road. It has not yet been reclaimed and several applications have been received from time to time from private individuals to have the area put up to auction. There is no doubt that it was competent to the Colonial Government to sell
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
ALFRED LYTTELTON, K.C., M.P.,
8cc.
800.
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this