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the Viceroy has written a strong letter to the Tsang
Shing and Tung Kun Kagistrates, a copy of which only came
into my hands this morning. This was apparently only
recently ismed; why it was not sent down at the time of
the appointment of the Viceroy's deputies I do not know.
The facts are that for months past, notwith-
standing repeated applications from myself to Wei Han
and from him to the Viceroy, the latter has refused to
take vigorous sction. Both deputies have recently told
Boothby that they know that the Magistrates named bere
have sided with the people and ignored entirely the inter-
ests of the railway.
Many months ago I took the matter up strongly
with the British and hinese Corporation and, I was led
Sir John Jorian was appealed to, in what munner
to suppose,
* do not know. There has been a tendency to hush things
up, and indood I myself advoonted this six or eight months
ago, thinking that we might worry through.
I believe this railway has been referred to as
working smoothly under a model agre ment and so forth.
The