ing steam launches, which provides the number of passengers they are allowed to carry. The ferry steamers plying between Victoria and Yow-mali. tee are licensed. I cannot remember the tonnage of all the launches. The document produced is a hill of sale of the Potan, transferring the vosseli from Augustine Heard to the Company. It comes from the Harbour-Master's office. It gives the tonnage as 663.69. There are blank spaces both in the bill of sale and register. Supposing those banks to be filled in, if she had the spaces, it would considerably augment her net tonnage. Applying ↑ the rule for steam launches to these large steamers
a much larger number of passengers might baj carried in them I should say. There is no practice in the office of registering a vessel's tonnage in parts of three tons each. The register is always I given in one sun.
By Mr. Sharp-The blauk spaces referred to by Mr. Brereton are in every register. Some. times they are filled up and sometimes not, according to the circumstances. It is simply the form. Some of them are filled up in the case of the Kinshen, which considerably increases her tounage. Had there been similar space in the. jother steamer no doubt it would have been
meutioned.
Inspector Matheson said-On the 17th fustant, in consequence of instructions received, I sunt four boats between the P. and O. and Canton wharves and gave them certain instructiona. When the Canton steamer Kinshan arrived
I was standing on the wharf. I saw her ap- proach through the junk anchorage. No one got on board of her there. The police boats were stationed there to keep people off. No one got on board when she arrived except a fowi coolies with the Company's uniform on. There I were several constables on the wharf to pre- vent people going on board, and no one "did got on board either from the shore or water i side. There were police boats on the water side. People knew what was going to take place, and no attempt was made to get on board. There are three gangways I stationed myself at the main gangway, Inspector Lindsay was at the for- ward gangway, and P. C. Campbell was at the after gangway. I proceeded to count the passengers. I had two constables and a porgeant. on the gangway to assist me in preventing the passengers making a rush, 1 counted 898. This did not include the crew, as far as I am aware. I saw the crew afterwards on board.
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I
am quite sure I am accurate in stating the number of people who passed the gangway. I received similar instructions with reference to Powon on the following day. The same precau. tions were taken with reference to her as with reference to the Kinshan I was on that occasion stationed at the midship gangway. I counted the passengers in the same way as on the day before. 481 passed the gangway. I had parti cular instructions to be careful in my counting,
By Mr. Brereton-I saw the buil of the Kin- shan first as she entered the jank anchorage, about a mile and a half distant. Some of the people I counted coming both from the Powan and Kinehan might have been members of the crows. It is asual when a steamer enters the harbour for hor to be surrounded with boats. The gangway I was at was abont dft, wide. The other Inspector and Coustable who kept count stood at the other gangways. The Kinshun and Powan hoth had junks on each side as they ap- proached. I will not undertake to say that from the time the hull came in sight no one got on board. I could not say that no junks went along- side before the steamer rounded the point op- posite the P. & O. Ofices.
P. C. Campbell deposed that he was ou daty at the Canton Wharf, and had everyone, except the Company's servants and the police, alenrud off the wharf before the steamers arrived, and no one else allowed on, Ho saw the steamers when they were abreast of the cailors' Home, or alont there, and was sure no boats went alongside, He was stationed at the after gangway, and counted 547 passengers leaving the Kinshan, On the Powan he was stationed at the forward gangway and counted 236 passengers. These numbers, he believed, did not include any of the crew. No one was allowed to go on board again after leaving the steamers.
By His Worship-He had been on special duty · at the wharf for about four years and went on board the steamers every day. After the pas. sengers were out there were about the usual number of people left on the steamers.
By Mr. Brereton-He knew most of the crew of both vessels. He could not say there were
not any of the crew amongst the persons he counted as passengers. There was a bend in the harbour before the P. and O. wharf. As far as he could judge when he first saw the vessels they were abreast of the Sailors' Home. He could not say whether any boats went alongside before they reached there, but none went along- side afterwards.
By Mr. Sharp-The steamer does not come from the direction of Green Island, but almost across from Stonecutter's Ieland.
Inspector Lindsay said-From certain justrue- tions received on the 17th instant, I took a party of constables to the Cauton Wharf and placed them so that no person could come on. There were also some police boats guarding around and placed in the fair way of the Canton boat. I first saw the Kinshan on that day when she was near the Cap-sing-moon coming towards the wharf. I lost sight of her shortly afterwards antil she was nearly opposite the Sailors' Home, and I then kept sight of her nutil she arrived at the wharf. No boats with the exception of the Police boats got alongside. When the Kinshan was swinging round at the wharf I told the capi- tain that I wanted to count the passengers. Captain Bonning then asked me how many gang- ways I should like, and I replied three. When the vessel was moored two ganzways were put put on the lower deck and ono from The main deck. I was stationed at the fore gangway. Inspector Matheson and P.C. Camp. bell were at the other gangways. I had two lukongs with me to koop the passengers hack in case they came out too quickly. The passengers came out slowly. I counted on the rangway thes I was at. 578 passengers. The gangway was then shipped to the main deck and three more passengers came ashore, making a total 576. No persons went on board from the shore with the exception of coelies with the company's bats on, I did not conub these men when they came ashore, Whilst I was counting the captain came to my Igangway two or three times as did also one of the officers. I also assisted in conating the passengers from the Pawan on the following day, when I took the similar pescautions as I did on the day previous. I was stationed at the after gangway of the Fainin. I counted 632 pas- songers and had no difficulty in doing so. On the 15th I was on board the Ichang when her passengers were being counted.
Mr. Brereton objected to that question as it was irrelevant and bad nothing to do with the Kinshan.
His Worship concurred with Mr. Brereton, Cross-examined by Mr. Brereton-The reason
I say that the Kinshun was off the Sailors' Home is that I have seen the steamers come in so often and I judged the distance. The inter- vening time from where I first saw her until the I second time I saw her was about half an hour. I cannot say it any Chiuamen got on board the Kinshan during the time I lost right of her. It might be possible. I believe there are foar wens. ways to the Kinshan, and I think throw to the Pown. I counted the passengers singlely and i noted down every hundre. I do not kan Soy
of the crew, and it was possible that some of them might bare passed out amongst the po
sengers,
By Mr. Sharp-I cannot say at what spel the Kinshan was coming in.
P.C. Paterson, P.C. Harper, and P.C. Zwart, in charge of police boats on the days in question, gave evidence to the effect that no persons got on board the steamer or left her before she ar- rived at the wharf.
Leung Aking, a passenger on the Riushan said the vessel was crowded with passengers. It was very hard to walk about on account of the crowd. The vessel stopped at Whampoa and passengers came on board there in two large boste; there might be a hundred in each boat. He did not see any passengers land there or anywhere else before reaching Hongkong. When in the Cap-sing-mun asteau-launch came alongside, but witness could not say whether any of the passengers got into the launch. When she got into the harbour she was sarreanted by several polico-lats. No one got ou to the steamer.
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By Mr. Brereton-He was near the gangway when the steamer left Canton and he remained there all the time. No one asked him to take note of all these things.
Mr. Brereton asked the witness if he were not
to be paid for what he was saying.
Mr. Sharp objected to the question.
His Worship thought the tone in which Mr.
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