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earliest information should have been sent to me,- it need not
have been of an "àlaruist" nature, but would I presume have
put me in possession of the Tucts as known, and the inferences
drawn from them (whether 'alarmist' or otherwise) by the British
Consulate. You obuerve in paragraph 7 that 'seeing that you
have personally to answer for the due protection of British
life and property within your Concular district
ought to have been caused regret that carly information had not
been supplied surely it was yourself'. That is a question
beyond my province, I as of course only concurred with the
matter as it affects this Colony and it was immaterial to me
whether the information reached me direct from your locum tenons
or through yourself. For my own part I hold it to be a part of
my duty to keep the General Officer Commanding informacd of any
disturbances in the neighbouring part of China, and I should
render myself liable to censure were I to neglect to take steps
to ensure that full information reaches me.
By the prompt and very capable action of adairal Li
who apparently displayed qualities which cannot always be rea-
koned on in China the disturbance was quelled, and the poten-
tialities which it at first undoubtedly posseceed can be mini-
mised by pointing to its abortive results; but the action which
you state in your later despatch that the Viceroy has taken appears to indicate the gravity which he attaches to the matter.
The object however which i ha in view in addressing the Secre-
tury of State was to deal with a general principle, which this
matter merely precipitatod. The relations between Hongkong
and the British Consulate at Canton are probably without any
close parallel elsewhere in the Empire, and though (as I bald Lord Crewe) the courtesy and assistance which i have at all times received from lis Majesty's consul at Canton leave nothin
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to