A
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 23RD JULY, 1881.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 256.
The following despatch and enclosures are published for general information.
By His Excellency's Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 23rd July, 1881.
No. 1161.
621
FREDERICK STEWART,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 22nd June, 1881.
SIB,-Having laid before Governor Sir JOHN POPE HENNESSY your telegram of the 20th of April, I was directed by His Excellency to telegraph in reply, that the information you required would be transmitted to you, and that His Excellency's Government was carefully watching the Chinese Emi- gration to Australia.
2. You wish to know under what auspices the Chinese Emigrants are leaving China for Australia. An answer to that question is to some extent furnished by the printed papers I have the honour to transmit herewith, relating to the Chinese Emigrants that went to Sydney and other Australian ports in the Glamis Castle.
3. Before signing the licence, the Governor called for an independent examination in addition to the statutory examination of the Emigration Officer. You will observe that the examination of a few of the proposed Emigrants by Dr. EITEL, the Acting Chinese Secretary, was a very searching one. The Governor is of opinion that the facts elicited by Dr. EITEL, as well as those obtained by the Acting Registrar General and myself, may be taken as applying generally to the class of Chinese Emigrants proceeding from Hongkong to Australia.
4. His Excellency desires me to enclose, for your information, a copy of the local Ordinances which, with the Imperial Act 18 and 19 Vic., Cap. 104, prescribe and limit the Governor's powers in this matter of Chinese Emigration. The printed papers relating to the case of the Glamis Castle will enable you to see how the Emigration Ordinances are worked. The enclosed correspondence of the year 1878 relating to the S. S. Mecca, and of 1880 relating to the S. S. Meath, may also be of interest. to the New South Wales Government.*
5. I have the honour to enclose a list of the steamers that left this Colony for Australia with Chinese Emigrants or passengers since the 1st of January this year, and a list of those at present announced to sail for Sydney.
The Honourable
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY,
SYDNEY,
New South Wales.
I have, &c.,
FREDERICK STEWART,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
* Some of these papers have been published in the Government Gazette, Nos. 32 and 38 of 1880, and No. 18 of 1881.