Conclusion

And so we come to the end of the story which started with the Seal of the Chief Superintendent of Trade in 1841. We have seen how the famous harbour picture (not, unfortunately, painted by an oilman in Wapping) first appeared in the Victorian Seal in 1842 and how it appeared in different form in the first flag badge in 1869. We have then followed its development in various seals and flags until the adoption of a full achievement of arms in 1959. From that date, the days of the harbour scene were numbered, and the new armorial bearings took their place in the flag badge in 1959 and in the public seal in 1962. But despite all these developments, the spirit of Hong Kong remains unchanged and indomitable. And it might therefore not be inappropriate to finish this short story by recalling the motto suggested by Sir Richard MacDonnell in 1869:

CAELUM NON ANIMUM MUTANT