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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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gentlemen, however, thought that a matter of this kind, which had originated with the Secretary of State, and which had been announced by Her Majesty's Government to be "definitively settled," differed from the ordinary cases submitted to the Council for deliberation, before reference home, and they accordingly felt themselves bound to give effect to the decision of the Supreme authority without regard to their own convictions. With a view, however, to prevent the Home Government being misled as to their opinions by their votes, a Resolution was agreed to by eight out of the nine members present, and recorded on the minutes, to the effect that in the opinion of the Council the Colonial revenues cannot fairly be charged with any contribution towards the military expenditure rendered necessary by Imperial requirements in China and Japan. This opinion was based upon the same grounds as those adopted at the public meeting upon the 23rd ultimo, that the maintenance of troops in Hong Kong is no longer necessary for the. security of the inhabitants, or for the protection of any other purely Colonial interest. The only dissentient to this resolution was the Acting Chief Justice, and he stated that he believed his opinion was not shared by any other resident in the Colony.

10. I may mention that the justice of calling on all Colonies to contribute as far so they are able towards the cost of the military defence of local interests is here acknowledged to the fullest extent, but it is simply denied that troops are required in Hong Kong for any such purpose. And it is further maintained that this Colony would proft by the withe drawal of the troops far more than it gains indirectly by their presence, inasmuch as the commercial development of the place would then be no longer obstructed by the retention in a limited area of the most eligible and valuable sites for commercial purposes as military reserves. If these were let the public would derive vast convenience, and an annual revenue would accrue to the Colony estimated at not less than 10,0001. a-year.

11. To sum up the whole question then, it will be seen that throughout the entire correspondence which has been published, his Grace the Duke of Newcastle justifies the demand solely upon the ground that the presence of Her Majesty's forces is necessary for "the security of the inhabitants and trade of Hong Kong." In opposition to this view, the local Government, the Legislative Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and the entire foreign community have now deliberately recorded their opinions, which are founded on local experience, that the presence of troops here is unnecessary for any purely local object; and it rests with Her Majesty's Government to decide what weight should be given to these local representations.

12. I am bound to add, that I believe the Legislative Council is unanimously of opinion that if Her Majesty's Government is determined to enforce the demand, it would, under the circumstances which I have explained, be better and more constitutional if legal effect were given to such a decision by a permanent Order in Council, as nothing can be more calculated to bring the function of legislation into contempt than to require the local - Legislature from year to year to enact a measure which by a majority of eight to one it concurs with the entire community in pronouncing to be both impolitic and unjust.

I have, &c. (Signed) HERCULES G. R. ROBINSON,

The Right Hon. E. Cardwell, M.P.,

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P.8. September 10, 1864-With reference to paragraph 5 of this despatch, I beg to add that while the mails are being made up the accompanying letter from the Chamber of Commerce has reached me, which I beg to submit for your information.

A Chinese deputation, also, composed of twelve influential and wealthy native residents, has just waited on me, begging me to forward by this opportunity the accom- panying Memorial, addressed to you by 540 Chinese merchants, shopkeepers, and land- owners in the Colony. The deputation informed me that if time had permitted, the Memorial would have been far more numerously signed, as it conveyed the sentiments of the entire Chinese tax-paying community. Observing from the translation of the Memorial which was handed to me by the deputation, that it was simply a petition against any further taxation being imposed for the maintenance of troops, I inquired of the depu- tation why if troops were necessary for the security of the inhabitants they should not contribute their fair share to such expenditure. The members of the deputation explained that the memorialists considered that the maintenance of a garrison here was unnecessary for local purposes, as the people were quiet and submissive, and not addicted to acts of turbulence or revolt, but they felt it would have been unbecoming in them to my so in their Memorial, as it was contrary to Chinese custom and rules of propriety for humble supplicants to extol themselves-meaning thereby, as I understood them, that reasonable exception might have been taken to a memorial against the maintenance of a guerison from the very people against whom only the troops could ever, by possibility, be locally used; and that they had accordingly thought it better tasta in dealing with the question to content themselves with showing that the expenses of living here were already vary large, and that further burthens would seriously interfere with the growth of the plass.

H. G. R. R.

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