Directory_and_Chronicle_1889 — Page 994

bers.

170

CHARTER OF THE COLONY OF HONGKONG.

Unofficial Mem- such persous, not exceeding five in number at any one time, as are immediately before the receipt of these our instructions in the Colony unofficial members of our said Council, or as we may from time to time appoint by the like instructions or warrants to be unofficial members thereof.

Unofficial Mem-

bers to vacate

'Every unofficial member of our said Legislative Council shall vacate their seats at the his seat at the end of six years from the date of the instrument by which end of six years he is appointed.

from the date of the Instrument of appointment. Provisional ap- pointments.

Provisional ap- pointments to be reported.

Additional Ine- tructions of 28th

revoked.

"If any member of our said Council not holding one of the three offices mentioned in this Article shall die, or become incapable, or be suspended or removed from his seat in the Council, or be absent from the colony, or if he shall, with permission of the Governor, resign his seat by writing under his hand, the Governor may, by an instrument under the public seal of the colony, appoint in his place a fit person to be provisionally a member of the said Council.

"Such person shall forthwith cease to be a member if his appointment is dissallowed by us, or if the member in whose place he was appointed shall return to the colony, or shall be released from suspension, or shall be declared by the Governor capable of again discharging his functions in the said Council.

"The Governor shall, without delay, report to us, for our confirmation or disallowance, through one of our principal Secretaries of State, every provisional appointment of any person as an official or unofficial member of our said Council. Every such person shall hold his seat during our pleasure, and the Governor may by any instrument under the public seal of the colony revoke any such appointment."

II-We do hereby revoke our additional instructions, of the 28th January, 1878, day of January, 1878; and the following Article shall be substituted for Substitutes new the aforesaid XIIIth Article of our instructions of the 9th day of April 1877, and may be printed instead thereof in any copy hereafter to be Instructions of made of our said instructions, viz:

Article for

Article XIII. of

9th April 1877.

Precedeuce of

"XIII.-The members of our Executive Council whose offices are Members of the mentioned in the IIIrd Article of these instructions shall take precedence Executive,

of the other members, and shall, between themselves, take precedence according to the order in which their respective offices are mentioned in the same article (except tha the said military officer, if he be below the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in our army, shall take precedence next after the person lawfully discharging the functions of Attorney-General of our said colony). The other members of the Executive Council shall take precedence among themselves according to the priority of their respective appointments; or if appointed by the same instrument, according to the order in which they are named therein.

and Legislative Councils.

Provisional »p« pointments to

"The official members of our Legislative Council shall take preceder.ce of the unofficial members, and the official members shall, between themselves, take precedence according to the order in which their respective offices are mentioned in the XIIth Article of these instructions. Official members of the Legislative Council who are not the holders of offices mentioned in the XIIth article of these instructions, and unofficial membe 8 of the Legislative Council, shall take precedence between themselves according to the priority of their respective appointments; or if appointed by the same instrument, according to the order in which they are named therein."

III. The power which by Article IV. of our said instructions of the Executive Coun. 9th day of April, 1877, is vested in the Governor of provisionally