713366-1866-GOVERNMENT-NOTIFICATION — Page 1

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 23rd JUNE, 1866.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

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The Practice of sending Cheques to the Treasury in payment of Crown Rents and of Local Taxes, aving greatly increased of late, Crown Lessees and Rate Payers are reminded that a Cheque is not a al Tender, and are further informed that the Officers of the Treasury do not hold themselves Asponsible for the loss or other miscarriage of any Cheque in transitu either to or from the Treasury.

Colonial Treasury, Hongkong, 8th June, 1866.

No. 64.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

FRED. FORTH, Colonial Treasurer.

By direction of His Excellency SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B., Governor, by and with the Advice of the Executive Council, and in continuation of Government Notification No. 59 of 20th Ultimo, the following Rules for the receipt of Silver Bullion into the Mint of Hongkong are published for general information.

1. Tenders of Silver Bullion will be received at the Mint between the hours of eleven and three daily, Sundays and Holidays excepted, provided they are made in duplicate on a printed form, copies of which will be supplied on application at the Mint.

2. Tenders of parcels of Silver Bullion weighing less than 5,000 oz. will be declined.

3. All Bullion found on Assay to be unfit for coinage will be returned to the importer, who must

pay an Assay fee of $1 for each Assay.

4. Parcels of dollars, or other small pieces of silver intended to be tendered for coinage may be pre-melted in the Mint before being received or assayed. Should the Bullion prove unadapted for coinage, it will be returned to the importer, who must pay, in standard silver, the pre- melting fee which will be calculated on the gross weight, unless the parties tendering it prefer defraying the cost necessary to raise it to Standard. Such cost to be estimated by the Master of the Mint.

5. When the Bullion shall have been assayed by the Mint Assayer, the amount of the standard value will be communicated to the importer. On receipt of the importer's acceptance of

the Mint Assay Report, notice will be given to him of the date on which the new dollars due to him will be ready for delivery.

6. The seignorage on Silver Bullion coined into dollars will be (when charged) two per cent. 7. The pre-melting charge will be per cent.

8. Bullion brought to the Mint to be pre-melted will be considered to be in the custody and at the risk of the importer, to whom every facility will be given for securing and storing it, until it shall have been melted and afterwards weighed at the Mint scale.

9. Consignments of New Coin will be issued to importers in the order in which their parcels of Bullion entered the Mint preceded or accompanied by the tender prescribed in the first rule.

By Order,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 2nd May, 1866.

No. 65.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

W. T. MERCER, Colonial Secretary,

In consequence of the great interruption to business caused by the influx of Visitors to the Mint, His Excellency The GOVERNOR has been pleased to order that from this date til further notice the Public (except persons actually having business there) will not be admitted to that Establishment.

By Order,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 3rd May, 1866.

No. 72.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

W. T. MERCER, Colonial Secretary.

Whereas by reason of an accident to the Rolling Machinery of the Mint, and the illness of some of the Staff on that Establishment, it has hitherto been found impossible to coin Dollars as rapidly as was at first expected,-His Excellency SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B., Governor and Commander-in-Chief, by and with the Advice of the Executive Council, is pleased to direct that the period of One Month for free Coinage of Bullion and Dollars, as fixed by the 2nd Clause of Government Notification No. 59 of the 20th April, shall be and the same is hereby extended from the 7th June to the 7th August next.

By Order,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 15th May, 1866.

W. T. MERCER, Colonial Secretary.