Despatch 83/171956.
Inclosure No 3 in
Janelling 18 July, 1858.
Report by Mr May
16
Copy
W. 117.
220
Chief Magistrate office, Victoria,
Hongkong, the 27 July
1855.
In reply to the questions propounded
by His Excellency the Governor in
your letter, No 342 of 27th June. I have the honor to say, - That I cannot bring myself to see
that it would be a desirable measure to
recognize the practice of gaming
as a social
necessity, or to treat it as an incurable
disease, by licensing public gaming houses,
or deriving from them a portion of the
Colonial revenue.
2. I presume that the advocates of
such measures reason thus, That this vice has taken such fast hold of the
The Honorable W. T. Mercer,
Colonial Secretary.
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