104 Gun 1st Rate Ship of the line.
Launched 14th September 1825 in Portsmouth
Arrived Hong Kong 6th January 1858
Sold 1875, replaced by HMS Victor Emmanuel
In Harbour c1868:
Other Hong Kong receiving ships prior to HMS Princess Charlotte were:
HMS Minden
HMS Alligator
Any others?
Here's another photo of HMS…
Here's another photo of HMS Princess Charlotte:
Three receiving ships
Here's a photo of HMS Princess Charlotte and two more hulks. One of these could be HMS Victor Emmanuel, the other HMS Melville.
The commodore and governor crack jokes
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 16TH OCTOBER, 1897
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION. No. 435.
The following Correspondence is published.
By Command, J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 16th October, 1897.
(Commodore to Governor.)
"TAMAR" AT HONGKONG, 11th October, 1897.
SIR,
I have the honour to submit that I am prepared to give the figure head of the old Princess Charlotte, which is now in a somewhat lonely and unfrequented place by the signal gun at Victoria Peak, a home in the Royal Naval Yard, if it should meet the views of Your Excellency that she should be transferred to more frequented locality.
I expect that before very long the figure head of the Victor Emanuel will be plated in a prominent position in this establishment, and it would seem fit that a Royal Consort should be provided for him. Provision is made in the yearly Naval Estimates for keeping these interesting relics of the past in a state of preservation.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your Excellency's obedient Servant,
SWINTON C. HOLLAND, Commodore.
His Excellency Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON, G.C.M.G., Governor of Hongkong.
(Governor to Commodore.)
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 14th October, 1897.
SIR,
In reply to your letter of the 11th instant, I have the honour to state that I have no objection to the union in the Naval Yard of the figure heads of the Princess Charlotte and Victor Emanuel, but I trust that no objection will be raised on behalf of His Majesty to his proposed Royal Consort on account of Her somewhat mature age.
I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, WILLIAM ROBINSON.
Commodore SWINTON HOLLAND, R.N., A.D.C.
This notification was also published in the Hong Kong Daily Press, 1897-10-18 with the introductory sentence
The commodore and governor crack jokes
After reading the two letters, I do agree - but I'm still wondering that these reputable gentlemen make jokes in the official Government Gazette.