CO129-302 - Public Offices - 1900 — Page 662

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detaining this vessel, which

should have been treated as a pub-

lic vessel of the United States

and as consequently not bound to

comply with the provisions of the

local law of the Colony while in

Hongkong waters.

I have accordingly the honour

to convey to Your Excellency the

sincere regret of Her Majesty's

Goverment at the action of the

Colonial authorities in the matter

and I trust that the instructions

which have now been despatched to

Hong Kong will prevent any pos-

sibility of a recurrence of such

a regrettable incident.

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