CO129-385 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 4

for Risky

Could you

stir up

the 2.0. privakely Br

In any further communica- tion on this subject, please quote

No. 34175/11.

and address-

The Under-Secretary of State,

Foreign Office,

London.

3

CO

3226EIGN OFFICE

4

October

REC Desc 5 OCT ||

1911.

The Shells

Both the h.D. au stil

arwaly

back before next work.

and will not be

I have hold the

18. Dight that the matter is creyent & the

Abbs wil stir up the #-Ep

retume

Wait

Soon a

8.5h.17/1

alone

Sir:-

I am directed by Secretary Sir E. Grey to acknow-

You

ledge the receipt of your letter 27466/11 of the 29th.

of August, enquiring on behalf of the Governor of

Hongkong whether the Royal Letters Patent of October

22nd, 1866, are still in force.

Sir E. Grey is of opinion that these Letters Patent

are not in force at present, but, as the point is not

altogether free from doubt, he suggests that the

question might, if Mr. Secretary Harcourt is not satis-

fied, be referred to the Law Officers of the Crown for

their Report.

I am to add that the Letters Patent would have

remained in force in the case of prisoners who were

sent to undergo imprisonment in the Colony under the

provisions of the Order in Council of 1865, but it is

e Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.

understood