CO129-116 - Sir MacDonnell - 1866 [11-12] — Page 358

356

and minutely into the details for improving the War Department property in Wargstang; of these cv v AD O of the most important the recommendation that the privilege we possess should be exercised, of reclaiming ground from the 31 W hauler frontage; this plan he considered would be a most desirable and economical internal arrangement; a copy of this later was forwarded on to the Secretary, and this day be the Colonial Лё the 29th of that month o leiter on the subject was addressed to the Duke of Newcastle, then the Secretary of State for the Colonies, by Mr. Mercer the Acting Governor of Hong Kong: the matter was again referred to by Sir H. Robinson in a communication addressed to Mr. Fortescue dated 15 July (not 186'3, the a new "anò, but presumably 1863). The question has been frequently discussed in correspondence with the Colonial and War Departments on former occasions.

The accompanying copy is of a letter from Lieut. Col. Lovell R. E. also clearly shows that his communication to the head of his Department in England dated 2nd July 1866, was merely a continuation of a subject which had been frequently brought to the notice of the Home and Local Authorities in the usual way. In fact the paragraph to which Lieut. Col. Lovell refers on the subject of the valuation of Messrs. Pattlein's property, which the valuers, (of whom the Acting Colonial Surveyor General was one) declared