bute to Kobayashi, reflecting the views of
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The Crown Colonies and British Protectorates which are chiefly concerned in the matters to be discussed by the Conference are Hong Kong, the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States, and Weihaiwei.
In the Straits Settlements a Commission has been appointed by the Governor to investigate the question, but no report has yet been received.
The attitude of His Majesty's Government towards the Opium Question, with special reference to the opium divans in Hong Kong and the Malay Peninsula, was made the subject of debate in the House of Commons on the 6th May last, when the policy of His Majesty's Government was explained by the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies. A report of the debate is annexed.