THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 17TH NOVEMBER, 1877. 491
returns would have been laid before him. Now it became my duty to lay those returns before the Secretary of State for the Colonies; but they were all prepared previous to my arrival. They are dated the 31st of January this year, and relate to the crime of 1876. Undoubtedly they show a serious increase of crime.
The increase of serious crimes in 1876 cannot be explained by the reduction of fares in the Canton river steamers in the autumn of that year. In his despatch on this subject, Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY reported on the 29th of September, 1876, that the cheap fares from Canton came into operation on the 7th of September, 1876.
An analysis of Table A in the Police returns dated the 31st of January, 1877, gives the following results:-
Number of cases
of Assaults and Disorderly Conduct.
Number of cases of Robbery from the person with violence.
Number of cases of Burglary.
Number of cases of Larceny.
Four months, from May to
August, 1876, inclusive, f
12
29
374
288
Four months, from Septem-
ber to December, 1876, inclusive,
7
26
345
220
This return shows, that the number of felonies committed in the four months preceding the unusual influx of passengers from Canton was four hundred and fifteen, whilst in the four months, during which the reduced fares were in operation, the number of felonies was three hundred and seventy-eight.
But it is not an increase of crime confined to the year 1876.
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Here is the return of "Serious Offences' in Table C of the Criminal Statistics, which were submitted to Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY on the 31st of January, 1877, by Mr. DEANE:-
SERIOUS OFFENCES.
Number of Cases.
Description.
1874
1875
1876
Murder,.
Robbery with Violence from the Person,.....
15
Burglary or Larceny in a Dwelling House, Assault with Intent to rob,
69
Kidnapping,
9 859
B*
3*
4
13
24
107
90
55
Piracy,
7
Unlawful Possession,
203
201
239
Larcenies,
802
938
1,059
Felonies not already given,.
16
13
Total,...
1,165
1,395
1,485
* One case also given under Piracy.
In this Colony, it has been the practice to classify crimes into serious offences and minor offences. Now what has been the number of cases of serious offences in Hongkong in the years 1874, 1875, and 1876? In 1874, the total number of serious offences was 1,165; in 1875 this had risen to 1,395; and in 1876, it had risen to 1,485. Of what do these serious crimes consist? Take offences against property: of larcenies there were 802 in 1874, 938 in 1875, and 1,059 in 1876. Of robbery with violence from the person, there were 15 cases in 1874, 13 in 1875, and 24 cases of that most serious offence in 1876. Of minor offences, which include common assaults and offences other than felonies, there was a similar increase: they amounted to 3,495 in 1874; to 3,623 in 1875; and 4,510 in 1876. But it is not a mere question of the three last years. Had Lord CARNARVON turned his attention to the increase of crime in this Colony for ten years past, he would find from these papers, that there has been an increase from the year 1867 to the year 1876, and that the largest number of serious offences recorded during those ten years was in 1876.* But the statistics of one single year may be fallacious, and therefore I have reduced to the annual averages the crime of the last five years and the preceding five years, and here is the result. Annual average of serious crimes from the year 1867 to the year
1867. 1868. 1869. 1870. 1871. 1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876.
(*)
Serious Crimes,
Minor Offences,
1,458
1,249
4,585 4,450
967 1,357 1,483 1,394 1,316 1,165 1,395 1,485
3,634 4,380 5,018 8,956 6,164 4,597 4,086 5,001
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