70
"I find in this Colony that the Chinese, though the Colony has been established about forty years, as yet know little or nothing of English. I have been here nearly four years. During that time
many trials have taken place in the Supreme Court, criminal and civil cases, both tried by juries, because in the Ordinance under which juries are summoned it is provided that they sit on trials and cases. Though the majority of the inhabitants are Chinese—and some are of the largest rate payers—the majority of the inhabitants being Chinese, very naturally the vast majority of the prisoners tried are Chinese, and a considerable quantity of the property disposed of by the verdicts of juries is Chinese property. Nevertheless, I do not remember in the whole course of those four years to have seen one single Chinaman on the jury. Why? The jury list comes to be submitted to the Governor and Legislative Council, out of several hundred names upon that list I suppose there are not more than half a dozen Chinese. And so it is through every department of the Government, whether the administration of the law or the various departments under the administration; I find this same difficulty in all.
Soon after I came to the Colony, in the year 1877, an appointment was vacant in the magistracy, a Clerkship worth £200 per annum. For this clerkship, a knowledge of English and Chinese was necessary, that is, translation from English into Chinese and from...