In looking through the old records of land allotments one is struck by the fact that while there was a Land Office (one of the oldest Government institutions of the Colony) in 1841, and property had already been occupied then, the regularised assignments are not dated until 1843, and the actual confirmatory grants are mainly dated 1845. The oldest rent-roll (which, incidentally is in a remarkably good state of preservation) was apparently written up in 1845, and based on the titles obtained in 1843. One is moved to delve deeper into this question, and examine what happened when the first settlers arrived.
The explanation for the two-year hiatus is that no proper titles were actually obtained, and indeed for a time it was not certain that Hongkong would be permanently settled.
The old chronicles show that originally various merchants had purchased land from Chinese squatters here, but the titles thus passing must have been extremely insecure. It was not until June, 1841, five months after the British occupation, that Captain Elliot issued an official advertisement of sale by public auction of the annual quit-rent of 100 lots of land, having water frontage, on Saturday the 12th instant (June) as also of 100 town or suburban lots." This must have been the first effort to regularise the tenure of the seafront and Wongneichong and Sookunpoo plots, for residents who had obtained land from the natives were told at the same time that they would have to establish their titles, and in future, such transactions would have to be carried out through a Government official. It is not intended here to enter into detail about the differences of opinion which arose. The Crown reserved some of the lots offered; and in later sales we have it alleged that something of a "ramp" was engineered, to the utter indignation of certain leading merchants. The prices obtained were certainly unusually high in cases, and a few holders who were affected practically dispossessed had the sympathy of most of the community. The matter went eventually to Parliament, and dragged on for several years.
In 1844 we find Sir Henry Pottinger, the first regular Governor, declaring that even Captain Elliot's sales were not a good title, as the first Administrator had not been armed with any authority to dispose of public lands. In fact Captain Elliot had indicated that the titles were to be temporary, for his first sale was subject to a short tenure; though the purchasers optimistically expected to get perpetual leases.
In 1843 the Government indicated that it would only grant 75 year leases, which led to strong protests, and the matter went before parliament in 1847, when Mr. A. Matheson was one of the spokesmen for the Colony's land-holders.
The earlier steps to regularisation of title were the appointment (in 1842 and again in 1843) of Land Committees, in the first case largely military, and at the second instance, mainly a Government one, to enquire into the rights respectively of the original Chinese holders and the European settlers.
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