The delay in taking over the New Territory at the back of the Kowloon peninsula has been the cause of some disaster. Instead of getting a Chinese proclamation signed by the Viceroy, in the name of the Emperor, placarded up in the towns and villages of the ceded territory announcing its transfer to the British Government, and then issuing a proclamation under the hand of the Governor of Hongkong stating when possession would be taken and promising to respect the rights of individuals who submitted to the constituted authorities, the Colonial Government went quite the wrong way to work, sending over officers to make all sorts of arrangements, such as the building of matsheds and making other provision for the accommodation of officials, before they had asserted British authority or possessed any material force to back them up in case of attack. The consequence was that some mischievous persons, whether small officials or not I cannot say, got. placards posted setting forth that the British were
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.