CO129-007 - Sir John Davis - 1844 — Page 215

230 Athens

Hongkong, 31st October, 1844.

To His Excellency the Governor of the Colony of Hongkong and its Dependencies, and the Honorable Members of the Legislative Council of Hongkong.

HONORABLE SIRS,-It is with extreme regret that we the Committee appointed at a meeting held the 28th instant for the purpose of taking into consideration Ordinance No. 17, of 1844, have to call the attention of your Excellency Iand the Honorable Members to the present alarming state of affairs in this Colony, and to request that immediate steps may be taken to suppress the agitation that exists amongst all classes in consequence of the publication of said Ordinance.

We beg to point out to your Excellency and your Honorable Members that for the present all business is completely suspended; no boats can be procured for discharging or loading the numerous vessels at prosent lying in the harbour; communication between this and Canton is stopped; the workmen engaged on the various buildings now in the course of erection have struck work; the markets are already closed, and there is no doubt but that means will be taken to prevent supplies from being brought to the island, instances having already come to our knowledge of parties in charge of provisions having been stopped on

the way.

1

If, as we were led to suppose from your Excellency in our conference with you yester day, the Ordinance in question is not intended to corue into force for a period of two or more months, and then only to be carried out but partially; we pray that some official notification may be promulgated at once, in order to allay the excitement that prevails amongst all classes, but especially that amongst the native popula- tion, as we have every reason to believe that a great part of them are prepared to quit the island, a step that if taken will involve the whole British community in enormous pecuniary losses and inconvenience, and we much fear that great i difficulty will be experienced in inducing their

return.

In confirmation of the views expressed in the Memorial we had the honor to present to you yesterday, as to the extreme repugnance with which this Ordinance is viewed, we beg to state that, numbers of the most respectable Chinese have represented to us that, they were induced to leave their friends and their homes and settle amongst us, to evade the arbitrary measures imposed upon them by their own government, out of many of which, none was more repugnant to their feelings and their in- terests than the principles contained in the Ordinance in question, and they declare that had it not been for the expectation of enjoying that freedom and protection, that they under- stood all living under British Rule have hitherto possessed, they would not have made the sacri- fices they have. Again, therefore praying your reconsideration of the enactment,

We have the honor, to be,

Honorable Sirs,

Your most obedient humble Servant,

(Signed,)

T. A. Gibb,

Donald Matheson,

S. Rawson,

Pat. Dudgeon,

Augt. Carter.

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