CO129-127 - Public Offices - 1867 — Page 597

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From E. C. BAYLEY, ESQ., Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department, to the

Secretary to Government, Punjab,- (No. 3945, dated Simla, the 27th August 1867.)

I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th instant, No. 1195, with the enclosed printed copy of the correspondence of the Government of the Punjab, on the subject of the entertainment of Police for service in Hong- Kong.

sion.

2. In reply, I am directed to state that the Governor General in Council observes with considerable regret that his wishes with regard to the return passage of the men, in the event of dismissal from the force, have not been carried out, and he is unable to understand what satisfactory explanation can be given of the omis- In my letter of the 6th of March, it was distinctly stated that the Governor General in Council did not approve of the condition of forfeiture of return passage proposed by the Government of Hong-Kong; and in my subsequent letter of the 20th idem, the grounds of the disapproval were explained and an alternative arrange- ment was proposed, which the Government of the Punjab was requested to offer to the men who might volunteer for the service. His Excellency in Council now finds that, notwithstanding these instructions, men have been permitted to enlist for service in a foreign country without any proviso for their return in case of dismis- sal. His Excellency in Council does not for a moment suppose that the Government of Hong-Kong would permit a policeman, enlisted from India for their service, to die of starvation, whatever might have been the cause of his dismissal from the service. Still a distinct proviso, in accordance with the wishes expressed by His Excellency in Council, should have been inserted in the conditions of service, and until this point had been arranged, the men should not have been permitted to leave the Punjab. A copy of a letter addressed to the Hong-Kong Government on the subject, is forwarded herewith for information.