To the Honourable the KNIGHTS, CITIZENS, AND BURGESES of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled,
The Petition of the undersigned Inhabitants of the Colony of Hongkong,
Humbly sheweth,
1st, That Your Petitioners have made repeated representations to Her Majesty's Government, by Memorials and otherwise, praying for relief from the heavy burdens under which they labour, whereby the prosperity of this Island has been retarded.
2d, That these representations induced Your Honourable House to appoint a Select Committee, to take into consideration the present state of our Commercial relations with China, and report thereon.
3d, That the Report of that Committee was laid before Your Honourable House eighteen months ago; but there is no evidence, up to the present time, that any of the most important recommendations in the Report have received the attention of Her Majesty's Government, except as regards the tenure of the Land, which it would seem to be in contemplation to offer in perpetuity.
4th, Your Petitioners therefore feel it their bounden duty to call the particular attention of Your Honourable House to that Report, praying that measures may be adopted for improving our commercial relations with this Empire, and ameliorating the condition of the inhabitants of this Island.
5th, That considering the Island as necessary for the protection of the British Trade carried on at the Five Ports—necessary also as a safe dépôt for British manufactures and produce—as well as a safe retreat for all foreign residents in China, in the event of disturbed relations, your Petitioners are of opinion that all classes of our countrymen deriving advantage, directly or indirectly, from the trade with this Empire, should in common justice bear equally the expenses incurred in affording them protection and facility for conducting their business, provided for by the Treaty existing between the two countries.
6th, It is also worthy of notice, that while the expenses of this Settlement, amounting to about £39,000 per annum, bear so heavily on the inhabitants of this place, they would form but a light and appropriate charge on the general trade, yielding upwards of Five Millions sterling Revenue on Tea alone to the British Empire, and Two to Three Millions on Opium, Cotton, and other produce, to British India. Your Petitioners therefore pray that the chief part of these Expenses be charged against the Revenue derived from that Trade.
7th, Your Petitioners urgently pray the attention of Your Honourable House to the recommendations of the Select Committee in their Report, in which it is stated,
"That they do not think it right that the burden of maintaining that which is rather a post for general trade in the China seas, than a Colony in the ordinary sense, should be thrown in any great degree on the mercantile or other firms who may be resident on it."
"That a share in the administration of the ordinary and local affairs of the Island should be given, by some system of Municipal Government, to the British residents."
"That some short code should be drawn up for the more convenient administration of Justice."
8th, Your Petitioners further represent, that although this Colony has been established for upwards of seven years, the Inhabitants have no share in the Legislature either by elective representatives or by nominees selected by the Governor, a privilege which has not been withheld from any other British Colony.
9th, Your Petitioners cannot too strongly express their conviction of the bad moral effect produced on the minds of the Chinese by the present system of forms adopted in the Supreme Court, and by the heavy Fees authorized to be levied by the Court, in consequence of which the ends of justice are too often frustrated, whereas these forms and Fees, in the opinion of Your Petitioners, should be the simplest and lightest that circumstances will admit of.
Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray Your Honourable House to take the premises into your early consideration, and to grant such relief as to Your Honourable House may seem proper,
And Your Petitioners will ever pray.
HONGKONG, January, 1849.
[Signed]
Jardine. Mathews
Mr. Scott
Macvicar & Fletcher & Co.
W. Bowrd.
J. Larkins.
Charles J. F. Stuart.
Geo: Lyall & Co.
Jamieson
Dent & Co.
Lindsay & Co.
Bush
John Carr.
Aug: Howell.
Charles Markwick.
Turner & Co.
Frue Copy.
Edger
271
To the Honourable the KNIGHTS, CITIZENS, AND BERGESSES of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled, | -The Petition of the undersigned Inhabitants of the Colony of Hongkong,
Humbly sheweth,-
1st, That Your Petitioners have made repeated representations to Her Majesty's Government, by Memorials and otherwise, praying for relief from the heavy burdens under which they labour, where- by the prosperity of this Island has been retarded. 2d, That these representations induced Your Honourable House to appoint a Select Committee, to take into consideration the present state of our Commercial relations with China, and report thereon.
3d, That the Report of that Committee was laid before Your Honourable House eighteen months ago; but there is no evidence, up to the present time, that any of the most important re- commendations in the Report have received the attention of Her Majesty's Governinent, except as regards the tenure of the Land, which it would seem to be in contemplation to offer in perpetuity. 4th, Your Petitioners therefore feet it their bounden duty to call the particular attention of Your Honourable House to that Report, praying that measures may be adopted for improving our commercial relations with this Empire, and ame- liorating the condition of the inhabitants of this Island.
5th, That considering the Island as necessary for the protection of the British Trade carried on at the Five Ports-necessary also as a safe dépôt- for British manufactures and produce-as well as a safe retreat for all foreign residents in China, in the event of disturbed relations, your Petitioners are of opinion that all classes of our countrymen deriving advantage, directly or indirectly, from the trade with this Empire, should in common justice bear equally the expenses incurred in affording them protection and facility for conducting their business, provided for by the Treaty existing between the two countries.
6th, It is also worthy of notice, that while the expenses of this Settlement, amounting to about £39,000 per annum, bear so heavily on the inha- bitants of this place, they would form but a light
[signed]
*
امریکی
تم
}
Dent & be
Auge barter Lindsay & Co.
Bush 760. John Carr.
Augut. Howell.
Charles Markwick.
Turner & Co.
Frue Copy.
and appropriate charge on the general trade, yielding upwards of Five Millions sterling Re- venue on Tea alone to the British Empire, and Two to Three Millions on Opium, Cotton, and other produce, to British India, Your Peti- tioners therefore pray that the chief part of these Expenses be charged against the Revenue derived from that Trade.
7th, Your Petitioners urgently pray the at- tention of Your Honourable House to the re- commendations of the Select Committee in their Report, in which it is stated,
"That they do not think it right that the burden of maintaining that which is rather a post for general trade in the China seas, than a Colony in the ordinary sense, should be thrown in any great degree on the mercantile or other firms who may be resident on it."
"That a share in the administration of the ordinary and local affairs of the Island should be given, by some system of Municipal Govern- ment, to the British residents."
"That some short code should be drawn up for the more convenient administration of Justice." 8th, Your Petitioners further represent, that although this Colony has been established for upwards of seven years, the Inhabitants have no share in the Legislature either by elective re- presentatives or by nominees selected by the Governor, a privilege which has not been with- held from any other British Colony.
9th, Your Petitioners cannot too strongly ex- press their conviction of the had moral effect produced on the minds of the Chinese by the present system of forms adopted in the Supreme Court, and by the heavy Fees authorized to be levied by the Court, in consequence of which the ends of justice are too often frustrated, whereas these forms and Fees, in the opinion of Your Petitioners, should be the simplest and lightest that circumstances will admit of.
مجيد
Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray Your Honourable House to take the premises into your early consideration, and to grant such relief as to Your Honourable House may scem proper,
And Your Petitioners will ever pray.
HONGKONG, January, 1849.
(Signed) Jardine. Mathews she
Mr. Scott 76e
"
"
ތނ
}
Macvicar Ho Fletcher & Co. bhas W Bowrd.
J. Larkins.
Charles J. F. Stuart.
Geo : Lyall & Co.
Jamieson
folonial Secuitary
Edger Ha
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