DIEU
ET MON
DROIT
Kee
Government House, Đông Phong.
25th July, 1929.
4
26
(2)
61127/29
My dear Grindle,
Your letter of the 26th June, No.62855/29,
must, I think, have crossed my despatch, confidential (4)
to the Secretary of State, dated the 31st May. In any
case, you will find in that despatch a full expression of my views concerning the recent correspondence about the
draft commercial treaty with China.
In my opinion, the Foreign (ffice does not
sufficiently realize that the Governor of Hong Kong is not
an individual representative of British authority, as is
His majesty's Minister in Peking, but is the head of an
administration composed in this Colony very largely of
Chinese. The Governor, moreover, in all important matters
must act in concert with his Executive Council, on which
there are both European and Chinese unofficial members,
with the Legislative Council, and especially, if he is to
be supported by the Chinese community, with the three
Chinese unofficial members of Legislative Council. It would be, I venture to think, quite ridiculous for the