CO129-265 - Public Offices & Others - 1894 — Page 443

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Regd. No. 3,327.

Sir.

GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON.

16th January, 1894.

C.0.

1013

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17 194

435

est

217232/43

With reference to your letter of the 3rd instant, rela-

ting to damage reported by the Governor of Hong Kong to have

been done by a heavy sea to a portion of the Mail conveyed

by the Steamer 'Rosetta' on a recent voyage from Singapore

to Hong Kong, I am directed by the Postmaster General to

acquaint you, for the information of the Secretary of State

for the Colonies, that he has communicated with the Penin-

sular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company on the subject.

The Company forward two statements in regard to the

matter, one from the Commander of the "Rosetta", the other

from their Superintendent at Hong Kong, from which Lord Ripon

will see that the occurrence was entirely accidental or that,

if more damage was caused than was absolutely unavoidable,

this, according to the Commander's report, was due to the

Mails having been left lying on deck by the Mail Officer

attached to the Hong Kong Post Office.

As regards Lord Ripon's enquiry whether the Packet Com-

pany could not provide less exposed Sorting Rooms, the

The Under Secretary of State,

Company

COLONIAL OFFICE.

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