proceedings before the Japanese tribunal and of his own communications with
Authorities and their Japanese
the
American advisers. It will be seen that on one occasion at least he considered that the times were not telling
the truth in respect to their having been kidnapped at Macao.
But perhaps the most interesting of the inclosed papers, in a general point of view, is Sir E. Hornby's memo of what he saw at Macao in respect to the engagement of migrants. In consequence of the continual remonstrances of our Government, the complaints of the Chinese Authorities, and probably more than all, the outrage taken by Chinese mobs on the Macao camps, new regulations for the management of Rancoon's examination of intending migrants were established in 1868 by Senhor da Souza, who had been recently appointed Governor of Macao. An printed copy will be found in my Export of 6 Nov. 1868. The story told by
the settlement.
549 migrants in the Maria entirely inconsistent with those regulations which, if carried out in good faith, would make it almost impossible that any migrant could be embarked at Macao without his own consent, without having his destination and the nature of his contract explained to him - but of course any regulations, however well they may look on paper, may be reduced to a nullity by not carrying them out, and this appears from Sir E. Hornby's account to be the case at Macao.
But this difficulty follows on any remonstrance from our Govt to the Portuguese authorities, who point to their regulations, which they say are as stringent as those under which Emigration from Hong Kong or Canton is carried on, and who are wont to answer, unless we can prove, that their regulations, however good in theory, are in practice evaded - and except by producing Sir E. Hornby's similar testimony, it is not in our power to prove this. So long as the Govt of Portugal were really anxious to put down the abuses at Macao,