C. O.
16240:
RECY
REGO 12 SEP 85
13
No. 28.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.
PAPERS RELATING TO THE PURCHASE AND DETENTION OF CHILDREN, KIDNAPPING, AND SO-CALLED DOMESTIC SERVITUDE IN HONGKONG. The following documents have been laid before the Legislative Council by order of His Excellency the Governor.
By Command,
W. H. MARSH,
Colonial Secretary.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 4th February, 1880.
C. S. O. No. 1216, Received 24th May, 1878,
PETITION FROM TSANG SAN-FAT.
Tsang San-fat begs to report that, on the 29th day of the 8th month last year (5th October, 1877), owing to stress of poverty, he gave away his little daughter, aged six years, and named SAM A-KIN, to LEUNG A-TSIT of the MAN-wo shop, the understanding being that LEUNG A-TSIT should find her a husband when she grew up and should not send her away to other ports. On the 10th of this month, one of petitioner's partners, A-SIN, came and said that LEUNG A-TSIT was in a day or two going to take away the little girl to another place.
On the 12th, petitioner went to the shop and taxed him with this, and he made some excuse as to the effect that there were going to be great disturbances in Hongkong, but in reality, he was simply making a plausible excuse to cover his real intention of selling the little girl.
Your petitioner therefore begs that he may be prevented from carrying his design into effect, and that Police may be sent to the Dock to arrest him.
To
The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary.
&c.,
&c.,
&c.
C. S. O. No. 1233. Received 29th May, 1878.
PETITION FROM LEUNG A-TSIT.
LEUNG A-TSIT, aged 50 years, living in the MAN-wo shop at the TAI-KOK-TSUI Dock, wishes to place on record a case in which he is likely to be cheated.
Your petitioner, who is a native of Ka Ying-chan, has now for a long time been doing business at Tai-kok-tsui.
On the 29th day of the 8th month of the year Ting-chan (5th October, 1877), a man named TSANG SAN-FAT made an arrangement with your petitioner by which he, being unable to support a family, handed over to him his little daughter LAM A-KIN, aged 6 years. This was done through the instrumentality of a man named WAN A-CHEUNG. The little girl was to become your petitioner's daughter, and was to be brought up by him, he paying twenty-three dollars to the parents for the expense they had been put to in rearing their daughter. On the other hand, it was arranged that when the girl grew up, the privilege of finding a husband for her should devolve entirely upon the foster parents and should not concern in the most remote degree the actual parents. On this understanding, the girl was taken to your petitioner's house, and a regular deed of transfer was drawn up.
The parent TSANG SAN-FAT is now, however, intriguing with a view to extorting money from your petitioner, and threatens, in answer to repeated remonstrances, that he will find out a way of doing it. Your petitioner therefore appeals for protection against impending calamities.
To
The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary.
To the Attorney General.
&c.,
&c.,
&c.
MINUTE BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR.
The parties to these two petitions (1216 and 1233) appear to acknowledge being concerned in an illegal transaction.
J. POPE HENNESSY. 29th May, 1878.