5.
77
10. The suggestion has more than once been made
that registration should be extended to include adopted daughters as well as mui-tsai, and this proposal is again put forward by the writers of the letter under review. It is not a proposal that I should care to adopt without
the most careful consideration. As the law stands to-day
the onus is placed on the adopter of showing that the girl is a foster daughter and not a mui-tsai, while the powers of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs with regard to the guardianship of such girls are clearly set out in
the women and Girls Protection Ordinance. So far there
has been nothing to show that the fiction of adoption is
being used to evade responsibilities imposed by the laws
relating to mui-t sai, and there would appear to be at
the moment no necessity to take action on this particular
ground.
11. In conclusion I cannot but feel that I should
be justified in entering a protest against the continuance
of these unwarranted attacks upon the colonial government
by irresponsible persons who are not in a position to
verify the truth of information derived from what is
evidently an unreliable source. This controversy has I
submit shown that an accusation of "lack of balance and
weakness of thought" does not come well from Lieutenant
Commander and Mrs. Haslewood.
I have the honour to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient, humble servant
Governor, &c.