4
120 THE HONGKong governMENT GAZETTE, 4TM FEBRUARY,
proclamation inviting an increase of settlers, in
which it was said that all Chinese, residing in
Hongkong, would be treated in accordance with
their native customs and so forth, whereupon
people far and near were delighted to come, and the Colony of Hongkong showed thenceforth
signs of improving in prosperity from day to day,
That now, however, Your Petitioners are in-
formed that His Lordship the Chief Justice after
the trial of a case of purchasing free persons for
purposes of prostitution said, in the course of his
judgment, that buying and selling girls for do-
mestic servitude was an indictable offence, which
put all native residents of Hongkong in a state
of extreme terror, all great merchants and wealthy
residents in the first instance being afraid lest
they might incur the risk of being found guilty
of a statutory offence, whilst the poor and low
class people, in the second instance, feared being
deprived of a means to preserve their lives (by
selling children to be domestic servants),
That, moreover, there obtains in China the
practice of infanticide, in the case of female infants,
which would be extremely increased if it were entirely forbidden to dispose of children by buying and selling, and further, people thus. deprived of a means to keep off starvation would, it is to be feared, drift into thiefdom and brigandage,
That Your Petitioners, considering Your Ex- cellency's habit of solicitude for the sufferings of the people and of sympathy with their feelings will surely not allow poor people who have no helper to be left awaiting death with tied hands, humbly beg that Your Excellency, in merciful consideration for the feelings of the people, forego the carrying out of a measure bringing distress upon the people and lay before Her Majesty's Go- verminent their prayer that, in applying the pro- visions of the law to the Chinese practice of buying sons for purposes of adoption and girls
for domestic servitude, a point be stretched in dealing with the case, but that the purchase of
free people for purposes of prostitution, and the
kidnapping and selling of persons from hand to hand be severely punished, when both poor and rich in the whole Colony will be greatly indebted to your Excellency's favour for ever and ever,
That Your Petitioners further beg to enclose herewith a statement of the case under ten diffe- rent paragraphs which they respectfully submit to Your Excellency's consideration,
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will .ever pray.
P. Strictly speaking, this petition should have been signed by all the traders in Hongkong, but in view of the urgent and pressing nature of the case the Committee feared to incur the long delay which would be caused thereby. It was there-
fore resolved at a public meeting that the under-
signed fourteen members of the Committee, should append their signatures on behalf of the
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1880.
買女老綠家務繁冗分操作之勞幼時教養兼施長大卽行婚嫁任其自便無核苦工
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王章而貧苦小民又恐求生無路華人素有溺女之風若禁地買賣則此風必從而愈甚且糊口無資恐流盜賊切念
大人關心民惻隱爲懷不忍無告窮民東手待贴伏乞 鑒諒輿情不行櫌民之政代為申奏
朝廷請將華人買子立嗣買女爲婢因例波及之