CO129-190 - Governor Hennessy - 1880 [10-12] — Page 41

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Correspondence as to Admission to the Museum.

No. 1143,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 19th September, 1879. Srn,-I am directed to draw your attention to the Notice regarding the admission of Europeans and Chinese to the City Hall Museum, a copy of which has been placed in His Excellency's bands, and I are to express His Excellency's hope that the distinction which it shows to exist in the opportunities afforded to Europeans und Asiatios of visiting the Museum on all days of the week alike, may be discontinued. His Excellency will otherwise find it necessary to discontinue the annual grant of $1,200 at present allowed by the Government to the City Hall, I have the honour to be,

HI, L. DENNYS, Esq.,

Curator,

City Hall Museum.

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

(Sd.)

W. H. MARSH,

Colonial Secretary,

City Hall, Hongkong,

September 30th, 1879.

SIR, I have the honour to acknowledge your communication dated the 19th September instant. In reply I am directed to inform you that the matter therein referred to will be discussed at the Committee Meeting fixed for Tuesday next.

I have the honor to be,

The Hon. W. H. MARSH,

Colonial Secretary,

$c., sc.,

$0.

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

(sd.) H. I. DENNYS,

Secretary.

City Hall, Hongkong,

October 13th, 1879.

SIR,I have the honour to inform you that your despatch of the 19th September referring to the notices posted at the City Hall Museum about the admission of Chinese and Foreign visitors, was laid before the Committee of this Institution at their monthly meeting held on the 7th instant.

2. I am directed to state that the Committee extremely regret the concluding paragraph of your letter, but that, having very fully cou- sidered the point raised by His Excellency the Governor, they are unable, notwithstanding the alternative, to see any reason to alter a regulation which was originally framed in the best interests of both classes of visitors and which has worked most satisfactorily for a period of over five years.

3. The Committee cannot avoid the conclusion that His Excellency has entirely misapprehended both the intention and practical working of the rule in question, which, though worded as if a hard and fast line were observed between differing nationalities, is in reality only availed of to prevent collisions between the lower classes of Chinese and the answering strata of Europeans.

4. It was further found that to allow the female portion of the Chinese community to visit the museum it was necessary to entirely exclude both European and Chinese male visitors on one morning in each week; and although this has been objected to as unduly favouring the native community it has been found on the whole to work well.

5. The proportion of Foreign to Chinese visitors is as 1 to 7, but the funds from which the building was erected at a cost of $96,000 (besides subsequent repairs making in the whole about $100,000) were ex- clusively provided by the European, American and Parsee inhabitants of the Colony. The library and museum have, moreover, been almost entirely formed from the voluntary gifts of the foreign (as opposed to the Chinese) community. A subscription of about $1,500 represents the total aid of the latter towards a building which with its contents may be roughly estimated as worth about $150,000, to which must be added a long term of insurance premia. In consideration of the grant in aid of $1,200 per annum from the Government the Committee threw the entire building open to both foreigners and Chinese alike, reserving to themselves simply the right of making such regulations as would

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