1 F A J 4. 88 hmigracits a space superficial feet instead of of 12 13- Expengues bras tw as prescribed by the Deparques Act 1882, the Tonnage Check Hongkong practically disregarded - and the number of Emigrants that a ship might carry limited by the space available alone. This seems to have continued till January 1855 when the Lieutenant Governor directed the Emigration Officer to enforce the Passengers Act, being, however, to continue to ships that had been already taken up the relaxations previously allowed.
It was under this provision that the William and Martha, which sailed on the 5th February 1855, carried so large a cargo of passengers. It can scarcely be held that this explanation is satisfactory. Considering the abuses which had occurred in Chinese Emigration and their fearful results, we should have expected that the Government of Hongkong would have been peculiarly careful to enforce all the restrictions which the Law had provided for the protection of these Emigrants. One can scarcely observe that
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