490 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 17TH NOVEMBER, 1877.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG.
No. 7 or 1877.
MONDAY, 17TH SEPTEMBER, 1877.
PRESENT:
His Excellency Governor POPE HENNESSY, C.M.G.
The Honourable the Chief Justice (Sir JOHN SMALE).
The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary (CECIL CLEMENTI SMITH).
The Honourable the Attorney General (GEORGE PHILLIPPO).
The Honourable HENRY LOWCOCK.
The Honourable WILLIAM KESWICK.
The Honourable JOHN MACNEILE PRICE.
ABSENT:
The Honourable the Colonial Secretary (JOHN GARDINER AUSTIN, C.M.G.), absent on vacation leave. The Honourable PHINEAS RYRIE, on leave of absence.
The Council meets this day at 3 P.M., by Special Summons.
The Honourable CHARLES MAY, Acting Colonial Treasurer, who is in attendance, is sworn in by His Excellency the Governor, and takes his seat as a Member of the Council.
The minutes of the Council held on the 21st June are read and confirmed.
The Supplementary Appropriation Bill for 1876 is read a second time, and passed,-bearing the Title of "An Ordinance enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council "thereof, to authorize the Appropriation of a Supplementary Sum not exceeding Seventy-four thousand "Dollars to defray the charges of the Year 1876,"-being "No. 2 of 1877."
HIS EXCELLENCY then makes the following Speech:-Gentlemen, I have the honour to lay upon the table some correspondence relating to prison discipline in this Colony. The first despatch is one from Lord CARNARVON, dated the 20th of June, 1877, in which he instructs me to review the whole question of prison discipline in Hongkong and to make proposals for placing the system on a sound basis in future. Now I think it might be very fairly asked, how is it that the system is not on a sound basis already? How does it happen that a newly-appointed Governor is called upon to review the whole system of prison discipline in Hongkong? His Lordship's despatch is dated the 20th of June; the first despatch I wrote upon the subject of prison discipline was dated the 13th of June; therefore, Lord CARNARVON's despatch must have had relation to something other than any communications from me; and you will find, on turning to it, his Lordship says:-"Sir, I have to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. AUSTIN'S despatch
Sir,—I (No. 75 of the 11th of April) respecting certain matters of prison discipline. I rely on you to review the whole question of prison discipline in Hongkong and to make such proposals as will place the system on a sound basis for the future." But, besides that despatch of Mr. AUSTIN'S, Lord CARNARVON had acknowledged other communications from Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY and Mr. AUSTIN on the same subject. He had received a despatch from Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, dated the 28th of February, 1877, on the eve of his departure from this Colony, enclosing the report of an important Committee on prison discipline, including certain rules and regulations with regard to prison discipline and dietary, and it was thought those regulations and rules and that report constituted, so to speak, for many years to come, a final settlement of the question. However, you see that I am called upon to review the whole system, and to endeavour to place it upon a sound basis for the future. Now what is it that may have attracted Lord CARNARVON's attention? For instance, was there any remarkable increase of crime? Well, it does happen that Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, writing on the 29th of September, reported to Her Majesty's Government that there was a very serious increase of crime in the year 1876 in this Colony. He indicated that this serious increase of crime would attract his Lordship's attention, when certain
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