As für as he was aware, Lord Cranbourne proceeded, the Council which was an international body, had not yet issued any statement regarding its attitude to the points raised. The British Government had not been consulted regarding the course to be pursued by British members of the Municipal authorities.
It was not within the power of the Council, Lord Cranbourne stated, to deport people except By legal process. He had no information when ther the Council had removed any Chinese officials.
The authority of the Municipal administration, he explained, was derived from the Land Regulations, by which the power for peace, good order and government was delegated to the Council by the Chinese Government.
The precise extent of these powers was a matter of interpretation, which, in the first place, was the responsibility of the Municipal Council.
In the present exceedingly difficult circumstances, it was his opinion, that it would not be proper to attempt any such interpretation in advance of the Council itself.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.