in the event
back to Hongkong.. of the Agreements, in its present form, be repudiated by the Importers. Beyond this he could
If out that
not well go. He pointed
&
the contract is made with
the Importers of the Emigrants and
"their assigns"
#
and that under
these words the labourer may
be
transferred from one Master to
Master, or even sold by auction, as is said to be the case in
Cuba. It is true that the same
words occur in the contracts
made in China with the same Agents recruited
for the
Colonies. But there is, as he
points out, no analogy
between
the two cases-
477
one, this
Government sees that every
precaution against abuse is
Enforced. In the other it is
powerless
and has not the
means
of
interfering
or becoming acquainted with the treatment of the Emigrants.
But as for
the direct
or indirect responsibility of the Colonial or Home Government
in this species of Emigration
is concerned, no questions
can in future arise, should Her Majesty's Government
have decided, in accordance
with the Earl of Clarendon's views, to prohibit the Emigration...