1
COPY.
No. 222.
Enclosure 1.
sir,
27
*King Alfred" at Hongkong,
26th. December, 1907.
have the honour to acknowledge with
thanks the receipt of Your Excellency's confidential letter of the 24th. instant, in which you were good enough to furnish me with a full expression of your views in regard to the suggestion made by the Consul-General at Canton, that the friendly legisla- -tion of the Hongkong Government in the interests of China should be withheld.
2.
I note and fully understand Your Excel- -lancy's reasons for deprecating such course of action, except as a last resort, following on the rupture of friendly rela- -tions, and I do not myself believe in the efficacy of threats; but as the main object of our increased patrol is to afford that protection to British Trade, which the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce asked for in July, 1906, and which the Chinese local Authorities have hitherto failed to provide, it did occur to me that, if the Viceroy was reminded of the friendly offices of the Hongkong Government and that the Colony was directly in- -terested in the speedy settlement of the questions at issue, it might possibly help matters.
3.
I will inform His Excellency the British Minister at Peking and His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General, Canton, of Your Excellency's views regarding the latter's prom -posal and of your suggestions as to the alternative measures
that might be taken.
I have etc.,
(sd.) A. W. Moore,
Admiral and Commander-in-Chief.