CO129-130 - Sir MacDonnell - 1868 [4-5] — Page 151

5

148

Your Grace's dispatch, No 164, of the 26th

December last, covering

communication

hom the Imperial Post Office hom which

it

appeared that in concert with the

I

Treasury the general arrangemento suggested by Maep'? Rea and Mitchell and approved by myself had been sanctioned, and immediately communicated this, usult to Sir Rutherford Alcock despatch of the 27th February.

5.

I received tivo

Alcock in the enclosed

days ago

the within

Post Office

17575/67

Enclosure Not

Enclosure No

reply from fir Rutherford Alsock, who Enchame [52

appears not to consider himself bound by the arrangements adapted by Her Majesty's Government, and conceives that

any

instructions which bonsular Officers might receive from this Government

should first

be

seen by him that he might judge of their profaiety. to I need scarcely say that, looking

to the distance of

"Pekin, any fucposal

to send by that route instructions

affecting the

ce

the simple postal duties of

Consular Officers

than

mearer

to

Hongtong

entirely defeat the

Bekin would entirely

objects proposed by her Moujesty's

Government, and which I should have

both fir Rutherford and

imagined

Myself

out.

were bound to apist in carying

7.

I cannot gather from Sir Rutherford's

to

communication whether he

means

prohibit "ad interim" the bonsular

Officers from acting in conformity with