And I should like to ask M. Fleming consult his council as to whether deportation should not be extended to cover such cases. Calling attention at the same time to the concluding words of S. Marquee as to starting a Chinese Society to ship off persons of this class.
The increase in the number of paying patients in the hospital is good evidence that D. Atkinson is appreciated and we should comment on it in acknowledging interest among other points, such as the increase of absence of epidemics and the increase of general disease.
C.Pd 16 Oct.
The question of patent medicine should be raised - but, I think, by Mr. W. du Tax who is about to return from holiday.
K. 19/10
Also on 17 Oct., M. Lucas wrote (594/14107.77) also on the subject.
When I was at Shantou (Swatow), mendicant vagrants from Canton were simply shipped off to their homes. The only difficulty was Haiphong's (i.e., the Governor of Haiphong's) interference with that practice, which was taken under Order 8 of 1858 (Dec. 23, 1858) and 28(9) - which latter Ordinance is repealed by Dec. 10-8 of 1882. I am apprehensive that in order to get to the bottom of the question, the Dept. will have to examine the correspondence which closed with the despatch No. 277 of 25.10.
M. Branston referred to Lord Carnarvon's despatch No. 3, January 1878, par. 31, which deals with the expatriation of mendicants and the proposal for the retention of the power of sending them back to the mainland.
Deportation generally forms the subject of 96'/11-79 and 80, on which there is a long minute. The view taken by yourself and others was that the power should be retained but be sparingly used.
The Ordinance on the subject is 2/81.