REGISTRY OF SHIPPING.
16. Twenty-three new vessels have been registered and twenty-five vessels have had their registers cancelled during the year. These, with a few transactions such as Mortgages, &c., is a small amount of work for the whole Registry of Hongkong, China and Japan.
17. With so little work in this branch of the Departinent it seems strange that it should be found necessary to make Shanghai a port of registry. Instead of the whole of the open ports in China and Japan performing their ship registry through Hongkong; they will under the contemplated change have to perform it through Shanghai, which appears a questionable advantage, seeing how far Canton, Swatow, Amoy and the Japanese ports are froin that port.
18. The amount of fecs collected under this head for the year is $491.
MARINE MAGISTRATE'S COURT.
19. There are fifty-one per cent fewer cases than appeared in 1872. This is partly due to the shortened period of the stay of ships in port and to the smaller number of vessels arriving; as also in part, to the new system of hard labor introduced into the Gaol.
EXAMINATIONS FOR THE POSTS OF MASTERS AND MATES,
UNDER ORDINANCE No. 17 OF 1860.
20. Of forty-five applicants under this Ordinance, thirty-six obtained Certificates and nine failed in showing themselves qualified.
MARINE COUrts, under ORDINANCE No. 11 or 1860.
21. Three of these Courts have been held during the year.
22. One to enquire into the circumstances attending the casualty to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ship Bokhara, which struck on a sunken and unknown rock in the fairway of vessels navigating the Tathong Channel.
23. One into the circumstances attending an accident which happened to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ship Madras when off the Southeast end of Namoa Island.
24. The third enquiry was into the circumstances attending the alleged loss of life on board the Steam-ship Glenlyon while on a voyage froin Singapore to Hongkong.
SEAMEN.
25. 6,046 scamen were legally discharged, and 6,154 seamen were shipped during the year.
I have the honor to be,
The Honorable J. Gardiner AUSTIN,
Colonial Secretary,
JONGKONG.
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
H. G. THOMSETT, B.N., Harbor Master, fc.
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