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purposes, and that an increase to its numbers is hardly likely to add to its efficiency to any appreciable extent. As Hong Kong is to remain a Crown Colony no useful purpose would be served, but on the contrary a considerable amount of needless irritation would be caused by balancing evenly the unofficial members and the officials. But having regard to the fact that, in the absence of the Governor, the Officer Commanding the Troops will in future administer the Government, I consider that it would be of advantage that he should be a member of the Legislative Council, and if he is added to it, I am willing to add one unofficial member to the unofficial bench. Who the latter should be and what special interest, if any, he should represent, I leave to the Governor to determine, I may observe, however, that the
Chinese community is the element which is least represented while it is also far the most numerous, and that I should regard as valuable any step which tended to attach them more closely to the British connection, and to increase their practical interest in public affairs,
6. As regards the second point, namely, whether
or not an unofficial element should be introduced into the Executive Council, I would observe that, whilst most of the larger Crown colonies possess one or more Municipal Councils, subordinate to the Colonial Government, in Hong Kong there is no such institution. Moreover, it seems impracticable to alter this state of things for this reason, among others, that the Colony and the Municipality would be in great measure co-extensive, and it would be almost impossible to draw the line between Colonial and
Municipal matters.
This being so, in my opinion the most practical
course is to recognise that the Colonial Government is discharging municipal duties, and that on that account
representatives of the citizens may fairly be given
a