CO129-374 - Public Offices & Others - 1910 — Page 181

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Mr. Wilson has been doing in China during the past ten years is well known and fully recognised by everyone

throughout the world who is interested either in Horticulture

or in Forestry. Mr. Wilson, who is personally well known to

me is a man of great ability, much enterprise and strict

probity. He is an extremely competent horticulturist and a

good botanist; he possesses much charm of manner and the

successful issue of his many hazardous journeys in Central

and Western China afford sufficient evidence of his

physical vigour and of his tact in dealing with men. If it should prove possible to secure the services of Mr. Wilson in the Botanical and Forestry Department the appointment

would in my opinion be the best that could possibly be

made in the interests of the Government of Hong Kong.

4. I have, however, to explain that Mr. Wilson has recently returned to China on another mission on behalf of Arboriculture in Europe and America and his precise where- abouts are not at present known. I have taken steps to ascertain what his address may be and if I succeed in obtaining this I shall at once communicate it to you to enable compliance with Sir F. May's suggestion, should it, under the circumstances, still be His Lordship's desire to give effect thereto.

5. It is probable that Mr. Wilson is now somewhere in Western China. On this account considerable time must necessarily elapse before a reply can be received from him. But the appointment of Mr. Wilson to the vacant post is so desirable that this inevitable delay should not be considered an obstacle to the transmission of Sir F. May's offer. The desirability of the appointment is indeed so great that I am induced to submit a further consideration.