Richard made, shortly before he left the Colony, an order (February, 1872) to the effect that no fees whatever should be charged for any ecclesiastical service connected with St. John's Cathedral.
The principal events of the social life of this period were the festivities connected with the visit to Hongkong of H.R.H. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and particularly the opening of the new City Hall, the foundation stone of which had been laid on 23rd February, 1867, by Sir R. MacDonnell. For weeks, preparations had been made for the Duke's reception, on the basis of a programme devised by Sir Richard and published in the Government Gazette. From the moment when H.M.S. Galatea arrived (October 31, 1869) with the Duke on board, until 16th November, when he finally left the Colony, Hongkong society, both foreign and Chinese, was revelling in incessant festivities. Immediately on his arrival, the Duke landed privately and dined at Government House with the Governor and Admiral Keppel, his former chief. Next evening he privately attended a dinner given by the Hon. W. Keswick at the mansion of Jardine, Matheson & Co., and then inspected incognito the illuminations, fire works and dragon processions, which kept the whole town in a blaze of light till the early morning. On 2nd November, three hours before the time fixed for the official landing of the Duke, Admiral the Hon. Sir H. Keppel, K.C.B., whom the Colony had honoured with a farewell-banquet as the embodiment of the true British policy in China, having to leave for England, came down at 8 a.m. to embark at Murray Pier, when, to his surprise, he found there a barge manned by the officers of the Galatea who rowed him to the mail steamer, the Duke himself at the stroke oar and Commodore Oliver J. Jones acting as coxswain. At 11 a.m. the Duke landed with due ceremony at Pedder's Wharf, attended by Sir H. Kellett and his two equerries. Sir Richard, having formally bid him welcome, conducted him in great state to the City Hall which the Duke opened and inspected. Some 300 gentlemen were then introduced to the Duke, who graciously replied also to four addresses presented to him, viz. by
