3.
17
me to telegraph to the Government of Hongkong to be good
enough to accord him general facilities. No formal reply
has been sent to this communication, but the Director General
has been privately informed that I understand that his object
in sending Mr. Chen to Hongkong is to endeavour to come to
some arrangement with the Cantonese authorities, but that I
am quite unable to say, in view of the circumstances of the
case which are well known to the Director General, to what
extent the Government of Hongkong will be prepared to afford
facilities to Mr. Chen (sce enclosure 2).
5.
In conclusion I have the honour to add that Hr. Ince,
the local representative of the Eastern Extension Telegraph
Company, called recently at dis dajesty's Legation to deliver
ɛ message to the effect that he had been instructed by his
Head Office in London that, while they were prepared to take
over the operation of the Chinese Telegraph Office in Hongkong
(preferably at the request of the Ministry of Communications,,
they saw no necessity for making any special arrangements with
the Canton authorities.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) MILES LAMPSON.