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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH DECEMBER, 1880.
2. To obviate any misconception as to the grounds His Excellency has had in refusing his sanction to the continuance of this Emigration, I am instructed to furnish you with the enclosed extracts from a statement made by His Excellency at the Tung-wa Hospital in February 1878, and from some correspondence on the subject.
Messrs. RUSSELL & Co., fc.,
&c.,
&c.
I have, &c.,
(Signed)
C. MAY, Acting Colonial Secretary.
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EXTRACT FROM SPEECH OF HIS EXcellency Governor Pope HENNESSY, C.M.G. AT THE TUNG-WA HOSPITAL, 8th February, 1878.
"Many years ago, the attention of the Government was directed to a scandal, which also attracted the notice of my gallant friend, Admiral HILLYAR,--the evils of the coolie trade,
my predecessors called the attention of the Secretary of State to the fact that the communications and one of "from the Tung-wa Hospital were those which gave him the first intimation of the evils perpetrated "in that trade. While the Government of that day had to thank the Committee of the Tung-wa
Hospital, it is my duty now publicly to do the same. attention of the Government to that which undoubtedly was a grave abuse. You brought to my It is not many weeks since you drew the "notice the fact that it was the practice to issue tickets to Chinese Emigrants in this Colony for a "certain sum of money; the tickets purported that that sum was paid in full, whereas, as you pointed "out, in reality but a very small sum was paid, and the emigrant was, expected to bind himself for so long a period as two years, to work off his passage, in the sugar plantations of the Sandwich "Islands. That was an infraction of our law. It was you who drew our attention to it, and it is my public duty to thank you, as I now do, for the valuable information you thus conveyed to the "Government."
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EXTRACT FROM LETTER DATED HONOLULU, JULY (1878), FROM HER MAJESTY'S CONSUL GENERAL, JAMES H. WODEHOUSE, TO GOVERNOR POPE HENNESSY, C.M.G.
"With reference to the enforcement of service alluded to by Your Excellency, the following appears “to be a true statement of the course pursued on the arrival of a vessel with Chinese immigrants :-
"The agent of the Hawaiian Government before whom above contracts for service under the "Master and Servant's Law' can be made, goes on board with an interpreter; the immigrants who "have had their passage money advanced to them by a Chinese firm in Honolulu, sign a contract for "service with some employer of labour for two years, receiving in advance the sum of sixty dollars, of "which forty-five is for their passage. No contract is sanctioned by the Hawaiian Agent unless agreed to by the immigrant; but the latter understands, as it appears from the statement made "before Captain THOMSETT, that on his arrival at Honolulu he will be required to enter into an agree-
ment to serve for a sufficient length of time to enable him to pay off his debt.
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"If the immigrant were allowed to land before paying his passage, the charterer or person who "advanced the money for it would be unable to recover the amount, as the laws of these Islands do "not allow of arrest for debt.
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"No contract is valid unless made before an agent of the Hawaiian Government in this Kingdom. "It was formerly the practice of the Hawaiian Government to guarantee the passages of immi- grants, but it was found that the men took advantage of this and refused to refund the money.
"It was then decided to send a well-known and respectable Chinese Merchant from this city to engage men, who are much wanted for the development of the resources of these Islands.”
EXTRACT FROM LETTER DATED 30TH AUGUST, 1878, FROM HIS EXCELLENCY Governor POPE HENNESSY, C.M.G., TO HER MAJESTY'S CONSUL GENERAL AT THÊ SANDWICH ISLANDS, MR. JAMES H. WODEHOUSE.
"The authentic facts stated in the latter part of your letter show t the emigration in question "is, in reality, Contract Emigration,--and under Rule 4 of the Emigration Regulations of Hongkong, "such Emigration is not permitted except to British Colonies."
EXTRACT FROM DESPATCH DATED 1ST NOVEMBER, 1878, FROM THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, BT., M.P. TO GOVERNOR POPE HENNESSY, C.M.G.
"I fully appreciate your anxiety to detect and prevent any abuses, and I think that there were good grounds for refusing to sanction the continuauce of Chinese Emigration to Honolulu, when the "Chairman of the Tung-wa Hospital directed your attention to the procedure which was being "followed in the Islands after the arrival of the Emigrants.
"I shall readily support and assist you in your efforts in this direction."
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