British policy toward Bermuda, now its most populous colony, will remain the same in the wake of Hong Kong's return to China, a British civil servant said yesterday.

Alp Mehmet of the Foreign and Commonwealth office, made this statement as Hong Kong was handed back to China after more than 150 years yesterday.

Hong Kong's six million inhabitants were handed back to China with the lowering of Union Jack yesterday.

Now the total population of what remains of the British empire has shrunk to less than 200,000 people.

This means that only a few tiny countries will have a British governor -- once the symbol of British imperialism on every continent in the heyday of the empire.

But Hong Kong's departure will mean nothing extra and nothing less for Bermuda.

Mr. Mehmet said:"I don't know that it will make any difference. Hong Kong and Bermuda have totally different circumstances.

"As long as Bermudians wish to remain British they will remain British. As I understand things it was only fairly recently that there was a referendum to that effect.

"What has happened in Hong Kong will have absolutely no effect on any of the other remaining colonies.'' Along with Bermuda, the remaining British colonies are: Pitcairn Island, the British Antarctic Territory, St. Helena, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, the British Indian Ocean Territory, and South Georgia and South Sandwich.

A Reuters news wire report yesterday quoted an unnamed local resident as saying, "There's a serious awareness that Bermuda is now the biggest and most prosperous part of what's left of the empire.'' NEW ERA -- Fireworks cast a glow over Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour yesterday just before the colony was handed back to China, marking the end of 156 years of British colonial rule. -- Reuter ---- Full story on Pages 6, 7 and 8