THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH FEBRUARY, 1880.
151
If we have a number of pupils here who understand English thoroughly, these young men wing up as British subjects will certainly be as much entitled as any persons in this community to part in our public affairs and to attain to any position as mercantile men or as officials that any town of Hongkong can aspire to.
Of course you are all aware that the number of British subjects in this Colony is now limited to hee who have been born under the British flag. This Colony, unlike other Colonies of Her Majesty's no maturalisation Ordinance, but it has been represented to me by some of the fathers of that is, by some of the leading Portuguese, and by others in Hongkong, that it would be have a naturalisation Ordinance. Their views have been laid by me before Her Majesty's t; and, in a few months perhaps I shall be able to say whether or not it will be possible I to become naturalised British subjects. It was, indeed, in this school, two years ago, 1 first to the idea of reviving our Volunteer movement and I now see present a good many n connected with that movement,--one of them an English gentleman, Mr. Justice FRANCIS, lways been interested in this school and who was recommended to me for a Captain's Com- by the suffrages of his brother Volunteers. No doubt there are some here who cannot yet In novement, whatever interest they may feel in the Colony, because they are not British ba am sure they share with their children and friends loyalty to the Crown.
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tulate the Christian Brothers on the success of this their first examination under the ali scheme. With the exception of what I have mentioned about English Composition, the I have no doubt that, next year when I may have - the Examiner has been most satisfactory.
ry of distributing prizes here, I shall be able to notice an improvement in that important
fducation.
has
is now. I think, the third or fourth time within the last two or three months that it has me hat to say a few words at schools or in connection with schools in this Colony. Not long the friend of mine who is present (the Honourable P. RYRIE), Dr. EITEL, myself, and bd at St. Paul's College to assist in inaugurating a high class Church of England and hed which will be principally for European boys. That school, I am happy to say,
Last week I had the satisfaction of 1. and it will prove, I believe, a success. distribution of prizes at the Central School; and it was only a day or two ago that, my friend Dr. EITEL, I met twenty-six teachers of our other Government schools, given, to the children of twenty-nine schools, and rewards to the most efficicat wension I found the interesting fact that in one native school where the Govern- be optional whether the boys should learn English or Chinese, they all being Chinese, yone attending the school it ultimately turned out that in the cases of sixty, the ted that the boys should learn nothing but English. They thought that as far as t, their children would learn enough of it at home, and they felt the great object of Logs to a Government School was to have them learn English. I had much pleasure sotne of those boys. I found them able to speak English pretty well; they were evidently y progress. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, the state of education in the Colony is thai Her Majesty's Government have sanctioned a modification of the grant-in-aid schieme All classes have now all classes and all denominations can now obtain the benefit of it.
The chief education difficulty that I found existing here on my arrival hus boon by Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH'S wise decision. What seemed to me to be another grave Government scheme of public instructions in Hongkong--too much Chinese teaching and English teaching--is being gradually removed. I believe the scheme as it is now worked is and useful scheme and will, in time to come, give a sound English education to the youth okay-----(Applause.)
Another address, thanking His Excellency and the visitors for the interest they evinced in the
, war den read by Master G. JouGE.
Mr. BILLIOs then said-Your Excellency and your Lordship,-I am highly gratified and I feel obliged to you for the encomiuins you have thought fit to bestow upon me, but I think I derve or merit them, as in my belief I have done nothing more than what any citizen is in sad to do for his fellow-inhabitants. I can only hope that men of means and capacious hearts Laward to back up the little beginning I have made by helping to augment my little contri- and thus create material support for advancement of earning in the Colony (Applause.) 1 gentlemen, when I came here to day I hardly expected that I should be called upon to on the subject now before us. The praise lavished on me has compelled me to speak, and allow this opportunity to pass without stating a few facts connected with the advantages this bus conferred on the community. I landed in the island in the year 1862. The firm wid ved for a short time had preceded ine by a few months. On their way to China they were was a dearth of clerks here, and they therefore thought it prudent to bring along a Portuguese with fhen from Singapore. This gentleman left the house after the laps of a few months, rooling the fino in question to again import another young man from Penang. When i business operations on my account I engaged a Portuguese clerk at $75 per month. This copyist, a mere drawer of figures and letters. He was more a nuisance than a help In the busicst of times, whenever it was found necessary to put a low words of English
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