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association with the Li family enterprises and at times had been their spokesman. Neither their experience, nor his own, deterred him from agitating for a consul.
As an example of the dangers to Hongkong's security to be expected if a Chinese consul were resident, a correspondent, signing himself “Englishman,” recalled certain events in Ho A-mei's past.
At one time A-mei held the position of chief clerk in the office of the Registrar General. At that time sensitive information had come to the knowledge of the Chinese authorities in Canton,
Suspicion was directed against the Registrar General's office. The Registrar, Mr. Cecil Clementi-Smith, in order to clear himself, had to make a formal deposition that he was not responsible for the information leak.
Shortly after, Ho A-mei resigned and went into the service of the Viceroy at Canton.
The impression the writer wished to convey was that A-mei was in some way responsible for certain confidential information getting to Canton. He, however, assured his reader, with the following: “I do not venture to assert that he abused the confidence placed in him, but did he ever succeed in tracing who it was that had this clandestine correspondence with the Canton authorities?”
The implication was that the Chinese in the employ of the Hongkong Government could not be trusted. If they were not trustworthy, even more dangerous to Hongkong's security would be the presence of Chinese officially employed by the Chinese Government.
All the alleged evils of Ch'ing officialdom would flourish in Hongkong under the diplomatic patronage of Great Britain.
Neither the arguments for nor against the appointment of a Chinese Consul for Hongkong were ever tested by history, as there
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association with the Li family enterprises and at times had been their spokesman. Neither their experience, nor his own, deterred him from agitating for a consul.
As an example of the dangers to Hongkong's security to be expected if a Chinese consul were resident; a correspondent, sign- ing himself “Englishman," recalled certain events in Ho A-mei's past.
At one time A-mei held the position of chief clerk in the office of the Registrar General. At that time sensitive information had come to the knowledge of the Chinese authorities in Canton,
Suspicion was directed against the Registrar General's office. The Registrar, Mr. Cecil Clementi-Smith, in order to clear him- self, had to make a formal deposition that he was not responsible for the information leak.
Shortly after, Ho A-mei resigned and went into the service of the Viceroy at Canton.
The impression the writer wished to convey was that A-mei was in some way responsible for certain confidential information get- ting to Canton. He, however, assured his reader, with the follow- ing: “I do not venture to assert that he abused the confidence placed in him, but did he ever succeed in tracing who it was that had this clandestine correspondence with the Canton author- ities?"
The implication was that the Chinese in the employ of the Hongkong Government could not be trusted. If they were not trustworthy, even more dangerous to Hongkong's security would be the presence of Chinese officially employed by the Chinese Government.
All the alleged evils of Ch'ing officialdom would flourish in Hongkong under the diplomatic patronage of Great Britain.
Neither the arguments for nor against the appointment of a Chinese Consul for Hongkong were ever tested by history, as there
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