Evening shanties and packhouses of Hutam, or would they in these times of difficulty, build new palaces on Shameen? What advantages had Canton? Ships must be towed up the River; Canton was a day further from news by mail or from the coast. You might as well open a European store at Mount Davis or Causeway Bay. Did more than one tenth part of the goods imported into China from Hongkong at present pay duty? If it all had to go to Canton in foreign bottoms it must all pay duty; and often squeezes as well. Would home merchants direct their consignments to Shanghai in preference to Hongkong because they had to pay a dollar upon the remittance of account sales? And what was to become of the property in Hongkong? Would the owners of £8,000,000 worth of property run away from it because of the Stamp Act! (cheers and laughter). Mr Sharp equally ridiculed the idea of the Banks or Insurance offices going to Macao, which besides being out of the jurisdiction of British law, was the home of the trade, which Englishmen should leave to Macao coolie brokers and crimps who lived on the inhuman traffic in blood. (Mr Sharp was here interrupted by hisses from several persons on the floor of the Court.) He concluded his speech by directing against the said coolie brokers and crimps, the Divine denunciation, "whose getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his days and in the end be a fool,"—(general cheering).
The CHAIRMAN: You do not wish to put any resolution before the meeting? Mr SHARP: Not at all (laughter).
Mr C. R. Bosman rose and said that Mr Sharp's speech was quite irrelevant to the question at issue, which was whether any further steps should be taken in the matter. The Governor's reply had been forwarded home, and to leave it unanswered would be to admit all that it contained. His Excellency had said, for instance, that the memorialists did not represent the whole community, because they did not represent the Chinese. But His Excellency had received a Chinese deputation separately. Again His Excellency did not reply to their objections against the principle of a Stamp Act. It was not to the $120,000 that they had to pay that they objected. The colony had no control over its own expenditure; the Governor had the control in his own hand, and if they admitted the principle contained in this Stamp Act, they might have to pay five times as much as what was now wanted (cheers). Money had been squandered by the Surveyor General's department. Look at the Gaols and Stonecutter's island! They might have confidence in the present Governor, who might not exceed a fair expenditure; but he might be changed, and therefore they ought not admit the principle of the Stamp Act. Everything in this colony depended on the freedom of its trade. Macao might be made a harbour. The business done here might be done at any other port in China. Hongkong was simply a port of call, and if they once admitted the principle that trade might be taxed, he did not know what they should do (hear). His Excellency had said that the value of the memorial was impaired because it took no notice of his letter to Mr Whittall. That had nothing to do with the question. The memorialists objected to the principle of a Stamp Act, but the letter said nothing at all about that, begged to move that a committee be appointed by this meeting to draw up a memorial to the Secretary of State for the colonies, in answer to the Governor's reply, such memorial to be signed as numerously as possible (cheers).
The motion having been reduced to writing, the Chairman asked if any one would second it. Another pause occurring,…
Mr BARNARD, barrister, came forward to make a few remarks, his appearance being greeted with mingled laughter and applause. He said he had been but a short time in the Colony, but being likely to remain here for some time, and feeling as one of the community, he felt justified in coming forward to make a few observations (laughter and applause).
The CHAIRMAN: Are you going to propose an amendment? Because if you are not, I had better put this motion first.
Mr BARNARD: But you have not got it seconded yet, therefore I thought I might speak. (laughter).
The CHAIRMAN admitted that the motion was not yet seconded.
Mr BARNARD resumed. He had presumed this was a public meeting (a laugh). Mr Sharp had very properly put it that the other meeting was a one-sided one. Probably the interest he was taking in this matter might be against his own interests, but he must say that he agreed with the principle of the Stamp Act and he wished to make a few observations on it (cheers laughter). He said that the Stamp Act was the very best thing they could by any possibility get (ironical cheers and laughter). He did know that, though probably no one would agree with him (laughter and interruption). If they would give him a few minutes hearing, he would state as succinctly as possible (renewed noise). Well, if they were determined not to hear him he would stop (cheers). With regard to the stamp act, he saw they were afraid they were going to lose business by it. He did not think so; but he did think the Governor had acted wisely in thus raising funds. Englishmen did not like to be taxed, but what was the best thing to do when you wanted money?—(a laugh). We wanted certain funds; we must have money to keep up the colony, or it would remain stagnant. Well, which was the best way to get it? With most people throughout the world, a stamp tax was the most popular—(a laugh). What other tax could they put on? Would they like an income tax? Would they like increased taxes on property (a laugh). Capital was the thing that should be taxed; and if a tax was not put on capital it must fall on something else (laughter). With regard to what Mr McDouall had said about the Oriental Bank, about what an enormous sum of money they would have to pay under the stamp act—now really and truly they would have to pay nothing of the kind (much laughter). Then Mr McDonall was labouring under the impression that there would be a stamp on cheques. But what if there had been? It was the party who drew the cheques who would have to pay the duty—not the Bank. But all the Bank managers are interested parties in this question; for it was their shareholders here and elsewhere who would have to pay on their note circulation—those who live in England, in Scotland, and in other parts of the world (cheers). They would have to pay that tax; and who was in a better position for paying taxes than those who were rich (cheers and laughter) Tax those people who had the money. What was the use of taxing the poor? You could not get blood out of a stone (much laughter). Tax the shareholders of rich institutions like the Banks and the P. & O. Company. It was absurd to say that the trade of the Colony would be stopped because of the Stamp Tax. They might as well expect it to stop a mighty river.
Those palatial residences could not be removed—those magnificent houses of business could not be transplanted. It would take too many years to do that—(a laugh). In twelve months after this act came into force, they would see nothing so bad about the tax. Why one gentleman, indeed the most respectable gentleman in the Colony (loud cries of "oh oh," and "name, name"). If they would allow him to be heard (laughter, and cries of "name"). Well, Mr W. B. Gibb, and Mr Dent (oh oh). He had not intended to give their names; but he was speaking to those gentlemen the other day, and they said "We do not object to the principle of the Stamp tax, but we don't want it for this reason, that it will give us a great deal of trouble, and we shall be obliged to have one or two more clerks, and they are very expensive gentlemen in this community" (loud laughter).