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Order in Council means His Majesty's Supreme Court for Hong Kong, which probably means, if strictly interpreted, merely one Judge. (See Section 2 of Ordinance 5 of 1901.)

2. If it was intended to make the "Full Court" the Court of Appeal from the Wei-hai-wej High Court, it would appear that an amendment in the Order in Council would be necessary, providing that appeals from Wei-hai-wei shall be heard in the "Full Court."

43

11. As regards the purchase of postal orders by the fleet, I should be glad if advantage could be taken of Commander Gaunt's greater knowledge of this subject to double the number of postal orders asked for in my original estimate.

I have, &

A. R. F. DORWARD,

Major-General,

Commissioner.

། ། ། ། །

mwimmim

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

6

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

I have, &c.,

HENRY A. BLAKE,

37119

Governor, &c.

38589

COMMISSIONER SIR F. DORWARD to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.

SIR,

(No. 14.)

No. 61.

(Received November 4, 1901.)

Wei-hai-wei, September 18, 1901. In accordance with paragraph three of your despatch, No. 21, of 2nd August,* I have the honour to submit my views on the points raised in Commander Gaunt's memoranda of 19th and 20th July on the administration of Wei-hai-wei.

2. With regard to the question of administering Liukungtao independently of the rest of the territory, I have the honour to refer to my despatch, No. 11, of 22nd June,t in which I have dealt with this subject at length.

3. The proposal to appoint a Chinese ex-naval officer as District Magistrate for the mainland is not, in my opinion, a feasible one. It would be most difficult to guarantee the integrity even of a man with European education, and, moreover, the majority of the Chinese foreign educated officers are men from the southern provinces to whom the local dialect and customs prevailing in this province would be practically unknown.

4. The present system under which the native population on the mainland is dealt with by an Assistant Commissioner having a knowledge of Chinese, has worked satisfactorily, and is, in my opinion, preferable to that proposed by Commander Gaunt. In this connection I would recommend that a cadet be appointed here as Secretary and Financial Assistant, who would acquire a knowledge of Chinese locally, and so qualify himself for eventual succession to the post of Assistant Commissioner.

5. As regards the control of a mining population, I am of opinion that the 'question is not an urgent one, and could wait until such a population has formed, and until it has been shown that the present means of policing are insufficient.

6. I am unable to concur in the remarks made in paragraph four of Commander Gaunt's memorandum regarding the employment of the Chinese Regiment as police, and I feel sure these remarks would not have beeh made had Commander Gaunt had a closer acquaintance with the police work done by the regiment during the past two years.

7. No officer of the regiment has, under the present arrangement, any police jurisdiction, and the duties performed by the regiment in this connection are confined to giving support to the orders of the civil powers when so requested by the latter.

8. The system has worked well up to the present, and my experience here does not enable me to support Commander. Gaunt's view of the relative values of the Marines and the Chinese Regiment when employed on police work on the mainland. 9. The approximate population of the territory has already been given in my despatch, No. 6, of 1 April, as 123,750; that of the walled city of Wei-hai-wei is usually taken as 2,000.

10. With regard to the Post Office estimates, it will be noticed that I have valued the competition of the Indian Field Post Office with the local branch of the Hong Kong Post Office at only ten pounds per mensem, i.e., at less than a quarter of their monthly revenue, which was forty-two pounds. This low valuation was intended to make allowances for the decrease of revenue consequent on the withdrawal "of the Field Force.

-No.32.

† No. 46.

‡ Not printed.

No. 62.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE (HONG KONG).

· [Answered by No. 77.]

(No. 370.) SIR,

Downing Street, November 5, 1901. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 373, of the 18th September last, suggesting an amendment of the Wei-hai-wei Order in Council, 1901.

2. I am advised that this Order in Council is only concerned with the Supreme Court of Hong Kong as the Court of Appeal for Wei-hai-wei; whilst it is provided by Section 18 of the Supreme Court Ordinance, 1873, and Sections 594, 595 of the Code of Civil Procedure, that the Supreme Court of Hong Kong, as a Court of Appeal, must be the "Full Court." It would therefore appear to follow that appeals from Wei-hai-wei must necessarily be heard by the "Full Court," as defined by Section 2 of the Civil Code.

3. Under these circumstances I have some doubt whether any amendment of the Order in Council is required. I have to point out, moreover, that under Section 79 of the Wei-hai-wei Order în Council, the Supreme Court may make rules with respect to the hearing of appeals from Wei-hai-wei. There seems no reason why a rule should not, if necessary, be made providing that such appeals shall always be heard by the "Full Court."

4. I shall be glad to learn your views, and those of your legal advisers, these points.

41559/S.

SIR,

No. 63.

upon

I have, &c.,

J. CHAMBERLAIN.

COMMISSIONER SIR A. R. F. DORWARD to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received November 25, 1901.)

[Copy to War Office, November 29, 1901. L.F.]

(Secret No. 18.)

Wei-Hai-Wei, October 12, 1901.

WITH reference to your "Secret" letter of 16th August,t on the subject of the establishment of a Civil Police force on the mainland, I have the honour to state that on the withdrawal of the Chinese Regiment there will be a tendency towards increase of crime in the Territory, as the present absence of it is largely due to the sense of security the presence of the Chinese Regiment gives, and the deterrent and preventive effect it exercises on lawless characters and criminals.

2. I am anxious to avoid the establishment of a Civil Police force if possible, and, perhaps, if the three Companies proposed as the Military,gamison of Wei-Hai-Wei were stationed on the mainland, it might be avoided. Now that the fortifications have been stopped, there is, as far as I know, no military reason for the retention of a garrison on the Island, which is inferior to the 'mainland as a military training ground, and as a recruiting station. More than ample barrack accommodation exists on the mainland, and very little on the Island. Neither can it now be advisable to keep Naval Stores

.9641

No. 60.

↑ No. 41.

F.