660 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12TH NOVEMBER, 1879.
His EXCELLENCY.-But this is after that was done.
Honourable W. KESWICK.-The next case I have is 2,165, CHAN Kow, 14th September, 1877-9. I have not got the exact words which are on the paper. He was a returned deportee and was set at liberty on promising not to return.
Ilis EXCELLENCY.-Yes, I got the man out of the Colony, though we could not enforce the former warrant as the Chief Justice said it was illegal.
Honourable W. KESWICK-What occurred to me was no security was taken for his leaving the
Colony.
His EXCELLENCY.-The man had been illegally banished, and we could not punish him for returning but we got him to leave the Colony.
Honourable W. KESWICK.-However, a difference of opinion may prevail with reference to these cases, but there is the case No. 1,474, which it is quite refreshing to read. It is that of Lan Afat.
He returned from banishment, and attention having been drawn to the technical error in the warrant, the Colonial Secretary wrote in these words. "The Governor, however, is of opinion you have good grounds for charging him with being a suspicious character and if the Magistrates recommend him for deportation His Excellency will be prepared to entertain the recommendation." That is the course, it occurred to me, it would have been desirable to have pursued at an earlier period. Having brought down the cases to a period when the right course appears to have been adopted, I will leave the subject, but before doing so I will ask your Excellency's permission to read a letter from Mr. LowCock, to whom I referred earlier in my remarks as having gone over the ground, according to the statement made by your Excellency at the last meeting, when your Excellency said the course pursued, as shown by papers, had met with his approval.
The Honourable WILLIAM KESWICK, Hongkong.
Southampton, 22nd July, 1879.
MY DEAR KESWICK.--The last mail from Hongkong brought me the report of the meeting of the Legislative Council of the 29th May, and I have read with considerable surprise the remarks of the Governor when laying on the table the correspondence I moved for some months ago in reference to deportation. As these remarks must have certainly caused a general impression in Hongkong, that I was, after a thorough perusal of the papers alluded to by His Excellency, satisfied with the action. of the Executive in reference to the cases of deportation referred to in my motion, I think it my duty to endeavour to correct such an erroneous impression, and no other means occur to me of so doing but that of writing to you on the subject to place you in possession of the facts, as you were good enough to second my motion, and had I really formed the opinions imputed to me I should have been greatly wanting in courtesy, had I not informed you of the fact prior to my leaving Hongkong. I must confess to some astonishment as the Governor's laying before the Council (what he has called) my private opinion on a subject which was to be considered publicly, but his having done so entirely removes the reluctance I should otherwise have felt in alluding to what took place at what I considered, and indeed was, quite a private interview.
As regards that interview, I am quite at a loss to conceive what took place at it, to have induced Mr. HENNESSY to arrive at the conclusions he appears, from the newspaper reports, to have formed. On officially enquiring why the promised papers had not been produced, I was, before I received a reply, courteously invited by the Governor to call at Government House to look through the docu- ments, which I believe had been prepared for printing, which I had much pleasure in doing. In ad- dition to the papers referring to deportation, His Excellency showed me a considerable amount of correspondence on the subjects and some despatches, or portions of them, from home; and it will there- fore be readily understood, as we also had much conversation on the above and on other topics, that I had not either time, opportunity, or inclination to go through the papers referring to deportation in a manner that would justify my at once forming the opinions I am stated to have expressed; in fact I was merely able to go through them in a very casual manner. It would not have been courteous or convenient on such an occasion for me to have expressed any dissatisfaction, had the perusal of the papers induced me to wish to do so, but I certainly refrained from expressing any satisfaction, though I believe I did express the pleasure I felt at the opportunity afforded me of perusing them, and with reference to a despatch on another subject, I did also express much satisfaction at its contents.
I therefore, much as I regret having to do so, must deny having said anything either to convey the impression that I was satisfied with the deportation papers, or that would justify the Governor in stating that I was so satisfied; nor did I say, that had I been in the Governor's place I should have acted exactly as he had done. While I must further state that His Excellency neither I owed to my mind that he had acted according to law, nor did I give him any reason for thinking I considered he had done so. As to having laboured under any misconception, I am not aware of having done so, nor can I admit that any such misconception would have been prevented had I, as it was suggested I ought
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.