538
Report of the Acting Attorney General
upon
Ordinance No. 4 of 1872 entitled
"An Ordinance enacted by the Governor of Hong Kong with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, to make Provision for the Branding and Punishment of Criminals in certain cases."
The object for which this Ordinance was passed is fully expressed in the Preamble:
Two great difficulties are encountered in dealing with crime in this Colony (1) arising from the lenity of punishments as compared with the severe penalties exacted by Chinese laws and (2) the difficulty the police find in recognizing old offenders who