"to ascertain as far as possible the date of arrival in the Colony of prisoners committed between the 7th of September and the 30th of September.
I think the date of arrival in the Colony should in future form part of the Prisoners' Gaol record":
(Signed) N. E. SELBY
September 28, 1876.
In consequence of this Minute, Mr. J. J. Francis prepared a Return of 232 Chinese prisoners who had been received into the Gaol between the 7th and the 30th of September 1876, with the date of their arrival in the Colony as far as it could be ascertained by him. A good many trivial cases, such as "having no pass" or "unlawfully plying chair for hire", or "sitting idle", or "no licence", or "fighting" - the prisoners had been discharged on payment of a fine or the completion of a few days imprisonment, and a record had been kept of the date of arrivals.
I beg to enclose this Return for Your Lordship's information. During the period covered by the Return, between the 7th and the 30th of September 1876, some 23,000 Chinese availed themselves of the cheap fares from Canton. Of the criminals committed to Gaol in these 23 days, the Superintendent was able to ascertain the date of arrival in the Colony of 144; - and of this