CO129-517-5 The visit of the Duke of Gloucester to Hong Kong 2-5-1929 - 23-5-1929 — Page 23

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гору.

ENCLOSURE No.5.

Gentlemen,

I thank you most sincerely for the welcome you

have extended to me on behalf of the British and Chinese

Communities of Hong Kong, on my arrival here today. I am

indeed glad to have this opportunity of visiting Hong Kong

which the courage and enterprise of British pioneers and

British merchants have converted, in less than one hundred

years, from a desolate island into one of the most important sea-ports of the World. I am particularly glad to be here at the present moment, as this Island is the point of our Empire nearest to Japan, and the Mission, with which His Majesty the King-Emperor has now entrusted me, is a mark of

the traditional friendship that unites us so closely to that

Island Empire.

You have lately been passing through very

difficult times, and I hope that you will allow me to

congratulate you on the courageous manner, and on the spirit of loyal co-operation, with which you have faced those

difficulties, and which have enabled you to live and carry

on your business in safety, while China has unfortunately been a prey to Civil War. The prosperity of Hong Kong is intimately connected with that of China, and I know that the

internal difficulties of China have had a serious reaction

here; but I am, I hope, justified in believing that we can now look forward to a new apoch of peace and prosperity in that great country. No one will welcome the early arrival of that epoch more sincerely than the British and Chinese

Communities of Hong Kong, whose interests are so closely

interwoven and with whose continued close co-operation we

may hope to see a further expansion of Hong Kong's

prosperity.