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I had received intimation from the Secretary of State for the Colonies that a special act for Chinese Emigration was before Parliament, but this has never, up to the present date, officially reached me.
During the past week, however, the Chinese Passenger Act, which had, by the last Mail, reached a private person in this Colony, was forwarded to me by the gentleman into whose possession it had come.
I found that by the last Clause it would in other Colonies be considered in force from the 1st instant, and accordingly, seeing that the London Gazette of 17th August last duly notified that this act had received assent, I resolved to publish the Royal Assent to the act at once, and declare it law for the future, even though I had no intimation from the Colonial office that the act was formally passed, and no Copy of it had reached me from the Secretary of State.
However, for a period of about six weeks, the Government of this Colony has, of necessity, been unable to supervise, regulate, or in any way interfere with Passenger ships sailing from this Port, and it is with reference to some of these ships, which left for Adelaide in the beginning of the current month, that I have to trouble your Excellency with the present communication.
I beg to enclose a letter from a respectable American firm.