76. So far, therefore, the ground is cleared for placing the prison system of Hongkong on a sound basis. To do this, however, it will be necessary to build a new gaol on the separate system. The existing gaol is in the town of Victoria, surrounded by houses. It was built in 1863. It is unsuited to the wants of the Colony, and its structure is defective. Plans for re-building the gaol on Stone Cutters' Island, on the site selected, sixteen years ago, by Sir Hercules Robinson, have been prepared.
Piracy.
77. Piracy in the waters of South China has steadily declined, and may, indeed, be said to have almost ceased, as compared with the early days of the Colony. Her Majesty's Navy have done much to bring about this result, but the numerous Chinese gunboats in the neighbourhood, and the revenue cruisers of the Chinese Government, have contributed also to its suppression.
78. What Mr. Gutzlaff states in his life of Tao Kwang should not be forgotten, that piracy was hardly known in South China when this Emperor was able to exercise full authority. The weakening of the native Government, consequent on the Opium War, and other foreign wars, enabled piracy to spring up again. As the Chinese Government has regained strength, the traders have been protected and piracy has declined.
Police.
79. When Sir Arthur Kennedy assumed the Government of Hongkong in 1872, the Earl of Kimberley instructed him to take in hand at once, and endeavour to reform the Police Force, which had become utterly demoralized from various causes, such as the temporary establishment of the Gambling licence system. He lost no time in dealing with it vigorously and thoroughly. He found it necessary in one year to strike over one hundred men off the roll. He set his face against recruiting any of the European members of the force in Hongkong, having seen that discharged sailors, and men of that class, made very indifferent constables. He entered fully into the question of constituting a large contingent of the force of well-conducted Chinese.
80. Owing to the good offices of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, he was able to obtain from the United Kingdom a trusty and respectable body of men, and to establish a system by which the Crown Agents, from time to time, select recruits to fill the vacancies that occur. The local Government is much indebted to the Crown Agents for the care they have shown in selecting these men. His Chinese branch of the force was also chosen carefully, and it has turned out to be a valuable instrument in the detection and prevention of crime. The Sikh contingent he likewise improved. The consequence was, that on succeeding Sir Arthur Kennedy, I found a Police Force of Europeans, Chinese and Sikhs in Hongkong superior in its personnel to any Police Force I had ever seen in Her Majesty's Colonies.
81. At present, the Police Force has a strength of 610 Officers and men, not counting 52 coolies. The 610 consist of—125 Europeans, 314 Chinese and 171 Sikhs.
82. The good condition in which I found this Force has been maintained by keeping in view the admirable lines laid down by Sir Arthur Kennedy. In 1878, I found it necessary to establish a two-thirds night duty system, and in the following year, on the recommendation of a Committee of the Legislative Council, alterations were made in some details of administration. In 1878 and 1879, substituted steam-launches for the comparatively slow row-boats of the water police, from which the quick native sampans so often escaped. These changes have all worked well.
Supreme Court.
83. Having observed in the records of the Supreme Court a few cases where Chinese had been sentenced to death who were subsequently pardoned on the ground that they were innocent, and that other miscarriages of justice had occurred, apparently from defective interpretation, I invited, in 1877, the Judges and members of the Bar to favour me with their views as to the interpretation in the Supreme Court. They agreed in describing it as deplorably bad. The Chief Interpreter was a Portuguese gentleman, who, in the words of the Chief Justice, "cannot interpret the written language of China," and who "is unable to express himself in correct English." The others were Chinese, who received small salaries and did not know English very well. None of the Judges knew Chinese. Neither the Attorney General nor the Crown Solicitor nor any of the Bar, except Mr. Ng Choy (who was called in 1877), knew Chinese. The Registrar and Deputy Registrar and the Sheriff were equally ignorant of the native language. The Juries were composed of foreigners who, in nineteen cases out of twenty, did not understand a word of Chinese. And yet, in the majority of the criminal cases, the prisoners and witnesses were Chinese who knew no English, and the bulk of the property disposed of by the Court in civil cases was Chinese.
84. To remedy this defective condition of affairs, I appointed a European gentleman, who had been born in Canton and educated in England, as oral Interpreter to the Supreme Court. I also
•
76. So far, therefore, the ground is cleared for placing the prison system of Hongkong on a sound basis. basis. To do this, however, it will be necessary to build a new gaol on the separate system. The existing gaol is in the town of Victoria, surrounded by houses. It was built in 1863. It is unsuited to the wants of the Colony, and its structure is defective. Plans for re-building the gaol on Stone Cutters' Island, on the site selected, sixteen years ago, by Sir Hercules Robinson, have been prepared.
Piracy.
77. Piracy in the waters of South China has steadily declined, and may, indeed, be said to have almost ceased, as compared with the early days of the Colony. Her Majesty's Navy have done much to bring about this result, but the numerous Chinese gunboats in the neighbourhood, and the revenue cruisers of the Chinese Government, have contributed also to its suppression.
78. What Mr. Gutzlaff states in his life of Tao Kwang should not be forgotten, that piracy was hardly known in South China when this Emperor was able to exercise full authority. The weakening of the native Government, consequent on the Opium War, and other foreign wars, enabled piracy to spring up again. As the Chinese Government has regained strength, the traders have been protected and piracy has declined.
Police.
+
79. When Sir Arthur Kennedy assumed the Government of Hongkong in 1872, the Earl of Kimberley instructed him to take in hand at once, and endeavour to reform the Police Force, which had become utterly demoralized from various causes, such as the temporary establishment of the Gambling licence system. He lost no time in dealing with it vigorously and thoroughly. He found it necessary in one year to strike over one hundred men off the roll. He set his face against recruiting any of the European members of the force in Hongkong, having seen that discharged sailors, and men of that class, made very indifferent constables. He entered fully into the question of constituting a large contingent of the force of well-conducted Chinese.
80. Owing to the good offices of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, he was able to obtain from the United Kingdom a trusty and respectable body of men, and to establish a system by which the Crown Agents, from time to time, select recruits to fill the vacancies that occur. The local Govern- ment is much indebted to the Crown Agents for the care they have shown in selecting these men His Chinese branch of the force was also chosen carefully, and it has turned out to be a valuable instrument in the detection and prevention of crime. The Sikh contingent he likewise improved. The consequence was, that on succeeding Sir Arthur Kennedy, I found a Police Force of Europeans, Chinese and Sikhs in Hongkong superior in its personnel to any Police Force I had ever seen in Her Majesty's Colonies.
81. At present, the Police Force has a strength of 610 Officers and men, not counting 52 coolies. The 610 consist of-125 Europeans, 314 Chinese and 171 Sikhs.
$2. The good condition in which I found this Force has been maintained by keeping in view the admirable lines laid down by Sir Arthur Kennedy. In 1878, I found it necessary to establish a two- thirds uight duty system, and in the following year, on the recommendation of a Committee of the Legislative Council, alterations were raade in some details of administration. In 1878 and 1879, substituted steam-launches for the comparatively slow row-boats of the water police, from which the quick native sampans so often escaped. These changes have all worked well.
Supreme Court.
I
83. Having observed in the records of the Supreme Court a few cases where Chinese had been sentenced to death who were subsequently pardoned on the ground that they were innocent, and that other miscarriages of justice had occurred, apparently from defective interpretation, I invited, in 1877; the Judges and members of the Bar to favour me with their views as to the interpretation in the Supreme Court. They agreed in describing it as deplorably bad. The Chief Interpreter was a Portuguese gentleman, who, in the words of the Chief Justice, "cannot interpret the written language of China," and who "is unable to express himself in correct English." The others were Chinese, who received small salaries and did not know English very well. None of the Judges knew Chinese. Neither the Attorney General nor the Crown Solicitor nor any of the Bar, except Mr. Ng Choy (who was called in 1877), knew Chinese. The Registrar and Deputy Registrar and the Sheriff were equally ignorant of the native language. The Juries were composed of foreigners who, in nineteen cases out of twenty, did not understand a word of Chinese. And yet, in the majority of the criminal cases, the prisoners and witnesses were Chinese who knew no English, and the bulk of the property disposed of by the Court in civil cases was Chinese..
.
.
84. To remedy this defective condition of affairs, I appointed a European gentleman, who had been born in Canton and educated in England, as oral Interpreter to the Supreme Court. I also
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