1849

BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

TILLC.C. 133

STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS. 113

ut all to be relied on. For instance, in those tables no notice whatever is taken of the export of opium, but I am assured by many well-informed gentlemen that the retail export trade in this drug may be estimated at 300 chests per month. Should this estimate be correct, and presuming a chest to be worth 500 dollars, we have at once a retail export trade in one article amounting to 1,800,000 dollars annually.

HONG DOE

10. The fixed revenue derivable under this head at the close of the year 1849 Crown Landas. was as follow

£.

Mercantile firms Private individuals Chines

•

4,968 15 21

4,634 2 104

•

1,646 5 31

Total £11,249 3 41

being 1417. 58. 51d. above the amount for 1848, notwithstanding a loss to Government to the value of 4231. 78. Id., caused by a reduction in the rental of three lots, and the surrender and resumption of 12 others during the past year.

11. At the commencement of the past year a considerable reduction was made Police.

in the police force, as already reported to your Lordship; and I am glad to say that I believe it to be sufficiently strong to answer all legitimate purposes.

I enclose herewith three Returns, one showing the number of persons appre lended in 1848 and 1849 respectively, and the others the criminal cases tried in the Supreme and Admiralty Courts during the last year respectively. From the two latter your Lordship will remark, that out of 143 persons committed for trial during 1849, 71, or one-half of the accused, were tried and convictal; whereas, in 1848, out of 223 persons committed, only 60, or less than one third

of the accused, were convicted.

I also annex an abstract of the number of civil cases disposed of by the Chief Justice during 1849, as well as Returns showing the amount and description of business that has been performed by the Court of Petty Sessions, and in the Chief Magistrate's Office respectively during the same period.

that I 12. In conclusion, my Lord, it affords me gratification to be able to say believe the colony is improving in every respect, if I may be permitted to judge

by the increase to its inhabitants, and by the numerous Chinese houses that have been erected during the year, as well as by the contentment that appears to me to prevail throughout the entire native population and Europeans generally. The revenues of the colony certainly do not advance as I could desire; nevertheles, I consider that if a revenue of 23,000l. to 25,0001, can annually be raised without the imposition of taxes either on the trade or on other objects, which would require in their collection an interference with the liberty of the inhabitants and an expensive and venal crowd of subordinate officers, as much will be procured as can be reasonably expected from a population under 30,000 souls. "The Blue Book shows that the expenses of the colony are in course of diminution, and your Lordship may confidently rely that whenever proper opportunities offer I shall not hesitate to take advantage of them with the view of making the receipts and disbursements more nearly approximate than they do at present; nevertheless, I would respectfully add, that I think, seeing that the trade of China benefits the British Exchequer and Indian Government conjointly to the extent of upwards of seven millions sterling, an expenditure on the part of the mother-country of from 12,000 to 15,000 annually to uphold the establishment of a colony which is the seat of the superintendent of trade, with whom rests the responsibility of con- serving and improving that trade, ought not to be considered excessive.

I have, &c.,

J. G. BONHAM. The Right Hon. Earl Grey,

11.

12.

14.

15.

&c.

SIR,

Enclosure 1 in No. 15.

REPORT of the SURVEYOR-GENERAL on the Public Works executed during the Year 1849. Surveyor-General's Office, Victoria,

19th January 1850, I HAVE the bonour to lay before you, for the information of his Excellency the Governor, my Antal Report upon the works that have been undertaken during the year last passed; and

upon the general state and repair of all civil roads and works upon the island.

Enel 1 in No. 15

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