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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH JUNE, 1881.
that I was justified in recommending the Queen to appoint a Chinese member on the Legislative Council in a Colony where so much of the com- mercial life is conducted by the Chinese--where the wealthiest merchants are Chinese-where the Chinese possess so much property where they are the permanent inhabitants, and where nine- tenths of the Government revenues are contributed
by them. We have, I am happy to say, a repre- sentative here of the old house of TURNER & Co.,
and a representative of the great house of JARDINE,
MATHESON & Co., and the official members of the
Council, they also represent something more than
the Government; so that, as far as this body is
concerned, it has, I think, every requisite a legis-
lative body should possess for the proper conduct
of public business. And that is one reason why
I regard the progress this Colony has made as
natural and safe. It has not been the doing of
any one man. It has been brought about, in fact,
by the community, and under the watchful eye
of the legislature of the Colony.
I may, perhaps, take this. opportunity of saying a few words upon a subject which has, no doubt, sometimes attracted your attention, and that is the allegation made that during the four years of my Government of this Colony, I have too much encouraged the Chinese. Now, I believe that the duty of a Governor in dealing with a community such as I find here, is to avoid what is popularly called encouragement of any body, or of any class, but to simply hold the balance evenly between all men.
And that is what I have done. Coming
here with a few years' experience, at the other side of the China Sea, of the Government of a Chinese community, I very soon after my arrival was waited on by some Chinese gentlemen of Hong- kong, who frankly told me their position in the Colony. They pointed out to me that there were certain restrictions, some laid upon them, others attempted to be laid upon them, to which they objected, and they asked me, at all events, to assist them to this extent,--not to allow undue or unfair restrictions to be laid on the Chinese, but to give them that same equality and fair play that they thought they were entitled to with all other subjects of the Queen. I was not in the Colony many weeks when there came under my notice one, most serious restriction that was about
to be laid upon them, and which, after consulting them, I was able to prevent. Three days before I came to the Colony, a proposal was made which would certainly have had the effect of preventing an influx of Chinese, and probably would have driven a good many out of the Colony. It was made after Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY left, three days before I arrived, and it was submitted to me because it was assumed a certain amount of force
would be necessary to carry it'out. The Colonial Secretary himself had great doubts as to its prud- ence, but he submitted it to me. It was called
Rules and Regulations with respect to Chinese
graves.” It was to apply solely to the Chinese. requested the Colonial Secretary to get ten or a dozen of the most respectable Chinese that he and the Registrar-General knew, to come to me and
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局制度要立規條使定例局得所當需者以便辦 局員所係居官者亦不獨代國家辦事已也故本
業原係華人所有久居港地者無非都是華人且 華人者不少港内殷商巨賈亦是華人况本港產 聲名之,行之人卽渣甸洋行者其餘本局一切 人乃使全港凡有服事 皇后之民一體治理不有此分彼也初本部蒞任僅及數旬見有人欲 本港國餉華人所輸十居其九幸本局內亦有歷 港而後曾幾何時即有華人拜謁本部堂他剖心而言香港華人被人若何看待者他云本港立例 年久經開創洋行之人卽丹拿公司亦有大有不足以服人心有經已立定者有適欲新立者他懇本部堂大加援手毋使立不公之禁令以窒碍華 諒必無有能謂非出大公至當者因木港貿易屬 語以解明之照本部堂以爲凡督理如此藩地者權衡百姓必須均平毋於一族之人有所偏袒此乃 本部堂奏請 皇后恩准立一華人爲定例局紳 有謂本部堂蒞任以來四年間鼓勵華人過富比語諸公諒或聞之稔矣本部堂乘此機會或可說數 立極重規條本部堂卽與該華人酌量廢止按本部堂任先三日有某官提舉新例浸假該例頒行 本部堂所爲者本部堂未蒞港時曾數年間治理南洋相向之藩地一區在彼亦有華人者且溯自蒞
之華人一二十人携見本部堂 其穩固也亦職是之故按此事非一人能使之然但因必須强人遵守誠恐滋生事端且輔政使司亦疑該法未善故將呈本部堂該規條名日華人墳 其興旺 = 實裝使之然而亦未始不由定例局 墓規條乃專爲華人而立者本部堂卽飭輔政使司會同華民政務司邀集凡彼所熟識有聲望體面 公香港漸興之事照本部堂意見乃自然而來者 必使華人裹足不來且席捲而去也該例乃有某官於堅制軍解任後即本部堂蒞任先三日所陳者
從華