TNAG-0616-FCO40-764-Policy-of-UK-on-status-of-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 156

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布政司署 BY BAG

港下亞

HKK oudsur i

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

*** OUR Ref.:

* Your Ref.:

INDEX

- 3 OCT 1977

DESK OFFICER

T J DAVID ESQ

PA

10.

REGISTRY

Action Tuken

0% Em

HONG KONG & GENERAL DEPARTMENT

F CO

Sear Tim.

UNEQUAL TREATIES

37

GOVERNment secCRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

26 September 1977

Y- Pse and descual Apt

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if they can help with I ・the enter & resubmit

30/%

Letter to HK 1/10

Occasionally I am asked by visitors to show them the texts of the Anglo/Chinese treaties on which (we reckon) that the existence of Hong Kong is based. I have close at hand a copy of the 1898 Convention governing the lease of the New Territories, but I do not seem to be able to find any text of the Treaty of Nanking (1842) under which the island of Hong Kong was ceded in perpetuity to Britain, or the Treaty of Peking (1860) under which the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island were similarly ceded. (I have noted that, according to the Hong Kong Research Project pamphlet "Hong Kong: A Case To Answer",

A Case To Answer", there was some ambiguity in the wording of the Treaty of Peking.) No doubt there must be some copy of these treaties buried away here, although it is quite difficult to dig out any early records because of the disruption caused in the archives by the Japanese occupation. I am therefore turning to you to ask whether you could possibly, as a favour, let me have a couple of copies each of the 1842 and 1860 treaties. Perhaps Research Department or the Library or F E D may have them close at hand, if you do not.

2.

Thank you very much for sending the up-to-date departmental lists and I agree with your comments about sending amendments at four monthly intervals.

The trouble is your service is so good that it encourages me to ask for more!

REF.

(38

You

Chass

(C DS Drace-Francis)

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