the Eastern and the Western districts. The centre will comprise the entire Government portions, extending from the Harbour Master's hill on the west to the extreme limits of the Military Cantonments on the East. The Western and Eastern Districts on each side will contain the whole of the Commercial Community and settlers in the City of Victoria.
In these two districts Especially it is proposed that Commissioners shall be appointed under the seal of the Colony, with authority to carry out plans for the lighting, the police, the roads, and the sewerage of the town and with power to assess the inhabitants for the necessary outlay. Government will thus be relieved from an invidious, as well as difficult and troublesome duty, and the work will probably be done more effectually and with greater satisfaction to the inhabitants.
417 I have studiously laboured to avoid the chance of offering any check to the commercial prosperity of this new Colony by laying taxes on its trade. To the circumstance of being a free Port under British protection, Victoria must owe its future growth and magnitude, if destined to supersede Canton, which I hope may some day be the case. The single exception to the rule of perfect freedom is the very trifling harbour due of sixpence per ton on all European merchant vessels, which is only a sixth part of the Tonnage duty levied in the Chinese Ports. Instead of a rate per ton on vessels it is proposed that the Chinese junks shall pay a registry tax.
With a view to obtaining a correct