Sir,
Victoria,
Houghing, April 22nd 1846.
In returning to you the accompanying Report of a trial held at Chow Chow and their accomplices, with the opinions and sentences of His Excellency the Governor on some of the parties, I am desired to request that you will instruct the Assistant to the Chief Magistrate in the Chinese Department, to ascertain and report through you under whose authority, Tong Afei has set himself up in this Harbour as a Head Salt Weigher and how long he has been acting as such,
The Governor observes that the said Tong Afei states in his examination on the 15th of last month that no one sells Salt until it is weighed, that there is no other weighing Establishment here but his, that he does not record the names of the Captains of Junks who deal with him, and that he is ignorant of the name of the Captain (and apparently of that of the vessel too) of the Junk out of which a part of the stolen Property and two of the Thieves were recovered.
The Governor considers that a person of the class of Tong Afei is a much more dangerous member of Society than even a common Thief, and as it cannot for a moment be supposed that any Salt Junk could have entered this Harbour and remained at anchor near his Establishment even for an hour without his perfect cognizance, he is to be informed that unless he gives the fullest