Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in
1842. The one redeeming feature of this
inhospitable island was the deep, sheltered harbour and it was not long before
Military Barracks, Government Offices and Merchant Houses were built.
 |
| The Praya, Hong Kong |
Over the next 150 years Government
officials in Hong Kong produced mountains of paperwork relating to their policy
decisions and administrative duties - most of which involved copious
correspondence with the government back home in Britain. The Colonial Office
paperwork now resides in The National Archives at Kew.
 |
| The National Archives, Kew, London |
For decades everything was copied
meticulously by the clerks of the various departments whilst back in Whitehall
the reports were registered and comments/replies collated. At the end of the year these bundles of
correspondence were bound into heavy leather volumes.
The volumes themselves are
categorised with the main area being General Correspondence. Additional volumes
contain correspondence with various other Government Departments such as the
Crown Agents or War Office. The final
section relates to correspondence from private individuals with letters being
filed alphabetically under the surname of the individual.
If you are interested in consulting this correspondence then it is the CO 129 series that you will need.
If you are interested in consulting this correspondence then it is the CO 129 series that you will need.
