and advancement, without fear or favour of the Colonial Office or of local opinion. It was publicly stated (April 5, 1870) even at that time that 'the measures which proved the most beneficial were precisely those on which he met (on the part of the public) with most difficulty.' At the meeting of the Legislative Council (March 30, 1870) previous to his departure, the Chief Justice (J. Smale) expressed the sentiments of the whole community when he eulogized the Governor on the great success obtained by his able and vigorous policy and stated that Lady MacDonnell had, by her urbanity of manner and kindness of heart in extending gentle courtesies to all, filled her exalted station so that no lady, who had ever presided at Government House, left the Colony more or more generally regretted than Lady MacDonnell. On the same occasion, the Hon. H. B. Gibb, speaking also on behalf of the other non-official Members of Council, endorsed the eulogy pronounced by the Chief Justice. During the absence of the Governor, Major-General H. W. Whitfield, ably seconded by the Colonial Secretary (J. Gardiner Austin), administered the government of the Colony. Sir Richard returned to his post on 8th October, 1871, and remained at it to the close of his administration.
During his whole tenure of office, Sir Richard had no questions of a diplomatic nature to deal with, apart from those which grew out of Hongkong's relations with China. The first case of this class occurred immediately after the Governor's arrival, when the S.S. Prince Albert, owned by Kwok Acheung, the popular comprador of the P. & O. Company, was seized by the Chinese Customs officers (May 26, 1866) on the ground of her resorting to a port on the West Coast not opened by Treaty. Although Sir Richard, who considered the action of the Chinese officers to have been illegal, could do but little to obtain a modification of the sentence of confiscation, as H.M. Consul at Canton (D. B. Robertson) had acquiesced in that decision, yet he obtained the release of the vessel on payment of a fine of $4,000. But the spirit and energy which Sir Richard displayed on the occasion gained him considerable popularity. He was more
