TABLE B.-Return of Inquests, 1880.
Europeans and Americans Chinese Total Years Number of Committed Cases Convicted and Punished Discharged For Trial at Supreme Court Men Girls Boys Men Women Boys Girls ABSTRACT of CASES brought under COGNIZANCE at the POLICE MAGISTRATES' COURT during a period of Ten Years, from 1st January, 1871, to 31st December, 1880, inclusive. CASES, HOW DISPOSED OF, AND THE NUMBER OF MALE AND FEMALE PRISONERS UNDER EACH HEAD VERDICTS Committed to Prison or detained Ordered to find Security Punished for Preferring False Charge Total pending Orders of His Excellency the Governor to be of Good Behaviour, and to answer any Charge Punished for giving False Testimony Accidental Death M F M F M F M F M F M F W F M F' M F Homicide 1871 6.400 6.148 678 2,405 148 1 28 114 16 1872 9,950 11.185 999 2,426 294 197 1873 1878 9,187 8,810 1,852 1,798 266 1874 8,079 6,696 1,135 1,661 269 101 1875 1870 8,055 6.749 800 1,632 281 95 1876 9,100 2,815 688 1,744 500 118 1877 9,288 7,386 572 1,965 364 209 1878 9,100 7,186 1873 7,009 5,758 628 361 1880 7,098 5.592 252 2,126 251 1,900 189 1,776 200 135 187 170 28 271 171 176 190 174 192 98 230 201 72G 40 29 32 92 111 23 8 13 Murder 14.099 37 10 10.983 Suicide while Insane Manslaughter 8,665 Natural Causes 8.713 1.2 Do. 9.402 in Gaol 9,745 No Jurisdiction 9,630 Over-dose of Opium 8.193 2 8,126 Killed by Accidental Wounds 15 3 4 3 3 1 350 Total 25 7 6 1Magistracy, Hongkong, 19th February, 1881.
[No. 4.]
NO CHOY, Acting Police Magistrate.
TABLE C-Return of Burials without Inquests, 1880.
Reason why no Inquest was held Europeans and Americans Chinese Manilamen Total Men Women Men Women Boys Girls Very much decomposed; sex not ascertainable Found on Shore 18 14 7 18 Found in Harbour 87 No suspicious circumstances 31 4 1 13 State of Body decomposed 21 25 60 26 33 3 & 2 42 1 39 40 6 Post Mortem satisfactory Total 133 2J 63 R 46CORONER'S OFFICE, Hongkong, 21st February, 1881.
SIR, I have the honour to forward herewith, for the information of His Excellency the Governor, Returns of Coroner's Inquests, &c. for the year 1880.
Table A gives the total number of all cases, from which it appears that there were 60 inquests held in 1880 and 102 in 1879, while the number of burials without Inquest were, for 1880-133, and for 1879-104; the total number of cases coming under the observation of the Coroner being 193 in 1880 and 206 in 1879.
Table B gives the number of Inquests held, with the Verdicts obtained, nearly half being "Accidental death.”
Table C gives the number of Burials without Inquest, with the reason why none was held. It will be seen that nearly half of these were decomposed bodies and concerning which there was no evidence, all but one being unknown.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
C. B. PLUNKET,
Coroner.
By his Deputy,
G. S. NORTHCOTE.
To the Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D.,
Acting Colonial Secretary,
HONGKONG.
CORONER'S INQUESTS.
TABLE A-Return of all Coroner's Cases, 1880.
Inquest Held Buried without Inquest Nationality Men Women Boys Girls Total Men Women Boys Girls Very much decomposed; sex not ascertainable Total Europeans and Americans 36 11 3 2103 8 Chinese 56 42 19 1 39 9: 1 Manilamen 40 6 131 1 Total 41 11 5 3 60 43 5 ** 89 40 6 133 Total for 1879 63 7 17 15 102 34 3 37 22 8 104G. S. NORTHCOTE, Deputy Coroner.