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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12tп APRIL, 1884.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.--No. 131.

The following Order of the Queex in Connecil dated the 31st day of December, 1883, is published for general information.

By Command,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 12th April, 1884.

At the Court at Osborne House, Isle of Wight,

the 31st day of December, 1883.

PRESENT

The QUEEN's Most Excellent Majesty in Council.

W. II. MARSH,

Colonial Secretary,

WHEREAS by the Merchant Shipping (Colonial) Act, 1869, it is (among other things) enacted, that where the Legislature of any Britishi Possession provides for the examination of and grant of certificates of competency to perscus intending to act as masters, mates, or engineers on board British ships, and the Board of Trade reports to Her Majesty that they are satisfied that the examinations are so conducted as to be equally efficient as the examinations for the same purpose in the United Kingdonti under the Acts relating to Merchant Shipping, and that the certificates are granted on such principles as to show the like qualifications and competency as those granted under the said Acts, and are liable To be forfeited for the like reasons, and in the like manner, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by Order in Council,—

1. To declare that the said certificates shall be of the same force as if they had been granted

under the said Acts.

2. To declare that all or any of the provisions of the said Acts which relates to Certificates of Competency granted under those Acts shall apply to the certificates referred to in the said Order.

3. To impose such conditions and to make such regulations with respect to the said certificates, and to the use, issue, delivery, cancellation, and suspension thereof as to Her Majesty may seem fit, and to impose penalties not exceeding £fty pounds for the breach of such conditions and regulations.

And that upon the publication in the London Gazette of any such Order in Council as last aforesaid, the provisions therein contained shall, from a date to be mentioned for the purpose in such Order, take", effect as if they had been contained in the Act, and that it shall be lawful for Her Majesty in Council' to revoke any Order made as aforesaid.

And whereas the Legislature of the British Possession of Hong Kong has by the Merchant Shipping Consolidation Ordinance of 1879, provided for the examination of and grant of Certificates of Competency for foreign going ships to persons intending to act as masters, mates, or engineers on board British ships, which certificates are hereinafter denominated Colonial Certificates of Competency, and the Board of Trade have reported to Her Majesty that they are satisfied that the said examinations are so conducted as to be equally efficient as the excininations for the same purpose in the United Kingdom under the Acts relating to Merchant Shipping, and that the certificates are granted on such principles as to show the like qualifications and competency as those granted under the said Acts, and are liable to be forfeited for the like reasons and in the like manner.

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, in exercise of the powers vested in Her by the said first recited Act by and with the advice and consent of Her Privy Council, is pleased-

1. To declare that the Colonial Certificates of Competency for Foreign going ships granted by the Governor of the said possession of Hong Kong, shall be of the same force as if they had been granted

under the said Acts.

2. To declare that all the provisions of the said Acts which relate to Certificates of Competency for the Foreign Trade granted under those Acts, except so much of the 139th section of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1851, and the 10th section of the Merchant Shipping Amendment Act, 1862, as requires the delivery by the Board of Trala to any music, mate, or engineer of a copy of any certificate to which he appears to be entitled as therein autioned, so much of the third paragraph of the 23rd section of the said last mentioned Act as requires at the conclusion of a case relating to the cancelling or suspending of a certificate such certificate if cancelled or suspended, to be forwarded to the Board of Trade, and the whole of the provisions of the fourth paragraph of the same section shall apply to Such Colonial Certificates of Competency,