Having administered Governments in the West Indies and in Australia, he has acquired information as to both free and hired Chinese Emigrants, and cannot agree with you from what he observed in either place that Chinese peasants enter into contracts without "any intelligent sense of what they are doing;" neither can he by his silence appear to sanction the applicability to Hongkong of your description of the Emigrants as "miserable wretches doomed by this dreadful traffic to a "lifetime of exile and slavery, and torn by violence from their friends and homes "and obtained by means of deception and misrepresentation." Such a description of the Emigrants clearing from this Port would be most untrue, and, if not true, the argument founded thereon for closing this Port against Emigration, whilst other Ports, where those irregularities are said to take place, remain open, seems not merely an impolitic suggestion, but directly opposed to the premises from whence you deduce the conclusion that such a proceeding is expedient.
7. His Excellency would further remind you that, however ignorant Chinese peasants may be of the geographical position of the Countries to which they emigrate, they are not ignorant of the kind of labor which they contract to undertake or the nature of the lives which they will probably lead. Whatever be the class of labor for which they contract, whether, as at Bombay for making docks, or for agricultural purposes, as in the West Indies, the description of labor is stated in their contracts, printed both in English and Chinese. Many of the Emigrants can read—in fact a greater proportion of the Chinese than the assisted European Emigrants in Australia could both read and write. It is not to be supposed that the active and upright Officer entrusted here with the supervision of Emigration neglects his duty in seeing that the Emigrants are not merely willing to go, but that they understand why and on what conditions they are going—nor is it probable that they do not converse amongst themselves—those who can and those who cannot read—the conditions on which they contract to give their labor.
8. Some time back a very interesting ceremony took place in Demerara, where an undoubted and sincere friend of the Chinese, Admiral SIR JAMES HOPE, laid the foundation of a new Town, to be called Hopetown, and destined for the residences of the Chinese, who having gone to that Colony as hired Laborers, preferred to make it their permanent home, and had formed fresh ties and connections there. It is most improbable that those laborers had not benefited by the Emigration which you now seek to terminate. His Excellency can further personally vouch that in the British West Indian Colonies such Emigrants are more frequently over-than under protected, and often more in the position of dictators to their employers than of servants. It is true you express your regret at having to propose the closing of such a promising field of Labor, a sufficient reason in His Excellency's opinion for not proposing to close it, especially when thereby you only confer a monopoly on the operations of a Port to which you object.
9. His Excellency has also been reminded by Mr. THOMSETT the Harbor Master that the present Governor of Honduras, Mr. AUSTIN, was for a long time the Agent at Hongkong for promoting Emigration to the West Indies, and having witnessed the system from the commencement to the termination of the contract, he will probably be much surprised to hear the result of his labors alluded to in the terms used in your Memorial, which terms if not applicable to Emigration at Hongkong are entirely beside the argument advanced for closing this Port.
10. I am further to remind you that Masters of all Emigrant Vessels, irrespective of their nationality, enter into a Bond here for £1,000 not to take more than the regulated number of passengers entered in the Emigration Officer's Certificate, and certainly no case of forced and reluctant Emigrants despatched from here has been proved, whilst it is undoubtedly true that no mutiny has occurred on board of any Vessel which cleared with Emigrants from Hongkong. This latter fact is entitled to much weight as shewing inferentially that the Emigrants were at least satisfied with their treatment, and apparently contented to abide by their contracts.
11. His Excellency however admits that the efficiency of any system framed to protect Emigrants does not mainly depend on the outward Forms and Rules adopted by the Executive. The best Regulations may be rendered worthless by the bad faith of the Authorities entrusted with their application. This is conceded; but unless it be affirmed that this Government or its Officers cannot or will not see that every Emigrant goes voluntarily and understands the nature of his contract, or that in some other way the Rules in force will not be carried out, the necessity for closing this Port in the interest of the Emigrants ceases, and the argument founded on that necessity falls through. If, for example, it could be shewn that a lorcha fitted for kidnapping purposes can seize from boats and villages on the mainland a cargo of unfortunate beings and landing them at Hongkong can pass them through all the Regulations of the Port as free and contented Emigrants, which it is said, whether truly or not, can be done in a neighboring Port, then His Excellency would admit the force even of the reasoning which argues from abuses elsewhere, to the necessity for protection against them where they do not exist, even at the sacrifice which you suggest.
12. No doubt there was formerly here a want of sufficiently direct responsibility in the agents employed, and a remissness in the manner in which in some instances they delegated their duties to subordinates. This elicited deservedly severe notice from H. M. Emigration Commissioners in a despatch laid by His Excellency before the Legislative Council, and it was to correct those defects that the recent Ordinance was introduced. Therefore the moment seems ill chosen for protesting against all Emigration, before it can be proved that the reforms in progress are ineffective, or that Emigration from here cannot under adequate Regulations be carried out in a manner beneficial to the Emigrant and his Employer. That object is far too important to all concerned to be abandoned prematurely or on light grounds.
13. It would also appear to have escaped your attention that to close this Port to all Chinese Emigration would be running counter, not merely to Imperial Legislation, but apparently to the action and wishes of the Chinese Government, which in the Convention made at Peking last year with the British and French Ministers has shewn its willingness to promote Emigration on sufficient guarantees being given for the moral and physical well-being of the Emigrants.
14. In a despatch of Prince Kung dated 15th March last year, whilst declaring that the Emigration from Macao is wholly unauthorised by the Chinese Government, His Highness renders a just tribute to former benevolent efforts of the British Government to promote the welfare of the laborer, and expressly notifies Chinese sanction of Coolie Emigration, even to Countries with which China has no treaty relations, if Great Britain could pay proper attention to the Coolies sent there.
15. I am desired to mention these circumstances as shewing the improbability of the Chinese Government wishing to close Emigration from a Port in a British Colony, where the willingness of each Emigrant to abide by his contract, and where all the circumstances by which he was induced to enter into a contract can be strictly and will be honestly investigated.
16. Possibly it is desirable for this Government to possess further powers, with a view to furnishing more complete guarantees to the Chinese Government of the character of Emigration from Hongkong, and that it should assimilate its
Having administered Governments in the West Indies and in Australia, he has acquired information as to both free and hired Chinese Emigrants, and cannot agree with you from what he observed in either place that Chinese peasants enter into contracts without "any intelligent sense of what they are doing;" neither can he by his silence appear to sanction the applicability to Hongkong of your descrip- tion of the Emigrants as "miserable wretches doomed by this dreadful traffic to a "lifetime of exile and slavery, and torn by violence from their friends and homes "and obtained by means of deception and misrepresentation." Such a description of the Emigrants clearing from this Port would be most untrue, and, if not true, the argument founded thereon for closing this Port against Emigration, whilst other Ports, where those irregularities are said to take place, remain open, seems not merely an impolitic suggestion, but directly opposed to the premises from whence you deduce the conclusion that such a proceeding is expedient.
7. His Excellency would further remind you that, however ignorant Chinese peasants may be of the geographical position of the Countries to which they emi- grate, they are not ignorant of the kind of labor which they contract to undertake or the nature of the lives which they will probably lead. Whatever be the class of labor for which they contract, whether, as at Bombay for making docks, or for agricul- tural purposes, as in the West Indies, the description of labor is stated in their contracts, printed both in English and Chinese. Many of the Emigrants can read— in fact a greater proportion of the Chinese than the assisted European Emigrants in Australia could both read and write. It is not to be supposed that the active and up- right Officer entrusted here with the supervision of Emigration neglects his duty in seeing that the Emigrants are not merely willing to go, but that they understand why and on what conditions they are going-nor is it probable that they do not converse amongst themselves--those who can and those who cannot read- the conditions on which they contract to give their labor.
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8. Some time back a very interesting ceremony took place in Demerara, where an undoubted and sincere friend of the Chinese, Admiral SIR JAMES HOPE, laid the foundation of a new Town, to be called Hopetown, and destined for the residences of the Chinese, who having gone to that Colony as hired Laborers, preferred to make it their permanent home, and had formed fresh ties and connec- tions there. It is most improbable that those laborers had not benefited by the Emigration which you now seek to terminate. His Excellency can further personally vouch that in the British West Indian Colonies such Emigrants are more frequently over-than under protected, and often more in the position of dictators to their employers than of servants. It is true you express your regret i at having to propose the closing of such a promising field of Labor, a sufficient reason in His Excellency's opinion for not proposing to close it, especially when thereby you only confer a monopoly on the operations of a Port to which you object.
9. His Excellency has also been reminded by Mr. THOMSETT the Harbor Master that the present Governor of Honduras, Mr. AUSTIN, was for a long time the Agent at Hongkong for promoting Emigration to the West Indies, and having witnessed the system from the commencement to the termination of the contract, he will probably be much surprised to hear the result of his labors alluded to in the terms used in your Memorial, which terms if not applicable to Emigration at Hongkong are entirely beside the argument advanced for closing this Port.
10. I am further to remind you that Masters of all Emigrant Vessels, irrespective of their nationality, enter into a Bond here for £1,000 not to take more than the regulated number of passengers entered in the Emigration Officer's Certificate, and certainly no case of forced and reluctant Emigrants despatched from here has been
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proved, whilst it is undoubtedly true that no mutiny has occurred on board of any Vessel which cleared with Emigrants from Hongkong. This latter fact is entitled to much weight as shewing inferentially that the Emigrants were at least satisfied with their treatment, and apparently contented to abide by their contracts.
11. His Excellency however admits that the efficiency of any system framed to protect Emigrants does not mainly depend on the outward Forms and Rules adopted by the Executive. The best Regulations may be rendered worthless by the bad faith of the Authorities entrusted with their application. This is conceded; but unless it be affirmed that this Government or its Officers cannot or will not see that every Emigrant goes voluntarily and understands the nature of his contract, or that in some other way the Rules in force will not be carried out, the necessity for closing this Port in the interest of the Emigrants ceases, and the argument founded on that necessity falls through. If, for example, it could be shewn that a lorcha fitted for kidnapping purposes can seize from boats and villages on the mainland a cargo of unfortunate beings and landing them at Hongkong can pass them through all the Regulations of the Port as free and contented Emigrants, which it is said, whether truly or not, can be done in a neighboring Port, then His Excellency would admit the force even of the reasoning which argues from abuses elsewhere, to the necessity for protection against them where they do not exist, even at the sacrifice which you suggest.
12. No doubt there was formerly here a want of sufficiently direct responsibility in the agents employed, and a remissness in the manner in which in some instances they delegated their duties to subordinates. This elicited deservedly severe notice from H. M. Emigration Commissioners in a despatch laid by His Excellency before the Legislative Council, and it was to correct those defects that the recent Ordinance was introduced. Therefore the moment seems ill chosen for protesting against all Emigration, before it can be proved that the reforms in progress are ineffective, or that Emigration from here cannot under adequate Regulations be carried out in a manner beneficial to the Emigrant and his Employer. That object is far too important to all concerned to be abandoned prematurely or on light grounds.
13. It would also appear to have escaped your attention that to close this Port to all Chinese Emigration would be running counter, not merely to Imperial Legislation, but apparently to the action and wishes of the Chinese Government, which in the Convention made at Peking last year with the British and French Ministers has shewn its willingness to promote Emigration on sufficient guarantees being given for the moral and physical well-being of the Emigrants.
14. In a despatch of Prince Kung dated 15th March last year, whilst declar- ing that the Emigration from Macao is wholly unauthorised by the Chinese Government, His Highness renders a just tribute to former benevolent efforts of the British Government to promote the welfare of the laborer, and expressly notifies Chinese sanction of Coolie Emigration, even to Countries with which China has no treaty relations, if Great Britain could pay proper attention to the Coolies sent there.
15. I am desired to mention these circumstances as shewing the improbability of the Chinese Government wishing to close Emigration from a Port in a British Colony, where the willingness of each Emigrant to abide by his contract, and where all the circumstances by which he was induced to euter into a contract can be strictly and will be honestly investigated.
16. Possibly it is desirable for this Government to possess further powers, with a view to furnishing more complete guarantees to the Chinese Government of the character of Emigration from Hongkong, and that it should assimilate its
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