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COPY. J. No. 1540.-
Sir,
ENCLOSURE /4.
13
13859
Hongkong, 24th. June, 1898.
re. Ahrens.
With reference to previous correspondence
in the above matter, I have the honour to inform you that, 80- cording to instructions which I have received from Berlin, my Government is not in the position to undertake the repatriation of the above named individual..
The Foreign Office in Berlin, in declining
to do so, only adopts, as I have been informed, the same consider- ations upon which the British Government, requested by the Prus- sian Authorities to repatriate a lunatic British subject, recent- ly refused to comply.
The arguments of your Government in this instance as well as in previous cases were that it could not, as a matter of principles, grant the repatriation of a British subject because the English law did not provide the legal possibility of ridding the country of a Foreign destitute subject and therefore excluded reciprocity, and moreover because the maxin, frequently adopted in previous cases, had to remain in force that every State had to take care for destitute foreigners resident in its terri- tory.
Under the circumstances I regret being
unable to do anything further in the matter.
I have etc.,'
(sd.) Dr. F. C. Rieloff, Imperial German Consul.
To
The Honourable
The Acting Colonial Secretary.
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