723489-1859-ERRATUM — Page 1

THE

Hongkong

Government

GAZETTE.

NEW SERIES.

VICTORIA, SATURDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY, 1859.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

VOL. IV. No. 194.

The Contract for publishing this Gazette, entered into on the 24th September, 1853, was terminated on the 30th ultimo ; and notice is hereby given, that a NEW SERIES of this Gazette will be published hereafter, to commence from the 7th instant, under a New Contract, and that

"THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE”

will, as before, be the only Official Organ for PROCLAMATIONS, NOTIFICATIONS, and PUBLIC PAPERS, of this Government.

By Order,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Victoria, Hongkong, 2d July, 1855.-

W. T. MERCER, Colonial Secretary.

ERRATUM.

In Government Gazette, No. 193 of 29th January, Page 147, Return No. 6, at the end, for "Total Passengers, Adults, Male, 15,624,186;" read,-" Total Passengers, Adults, Male, 15,624, Female, 186."

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF HONGKONG.

No. 2 of 1859.

THURSDAY, 20th JANUARY, 1859.

PRESENT:

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNor, and all thE MEMBERS.

It appearing that the Monthly Criminal Sessions were holden on the 18th instant, the day to which the Council

stood adjourned,—

The Council met to-day, pursuant to postponement, as ordered by The Honourable The Acting Governor. The Minutes of the Council held on the 4th instant were read and approved.

The Chief Magistrate, according to notice conveyed to His Excellency The Governor, put.in the following Protest:- PROTEST AND REASONS, &c., &c.

68

COUNCIL CHAMBER, HONGKONG, Thursday, 20th January, 1859.

At a Council held on the 4th instant, I submitted the following Motion for debate:-

That His Excellency the Governor be requested to lay before this Council all Correspondence between the Local Govern- ment and the Secretary of State for the Colonies, with respect to the proceedings of this Council on the subject of the Opium Farm privilege, and other matters referred to it by Dr Bridges then Member of this Council; and particularly with respect to the selection of the Committee of Inquiry thereupon appointed by this Council, the conduct of its proceedings, the drawing up of its Report, and the confirmation by this Council of the said Report."

The Honourable the Lieut.-Governor, then Acting Governor and Chairman of the Council, refused to allow any discussion what- ever on the Motion. I now respectfully enter this my Protest against such refusal of the Lieut.-Governor, with my reasons for thinking the Motion a proper one to be discussed. My reasons are that:-

It is obviously desirable, unless special reasons are shown to the contrary, that this Council, which appointed the Committee of Inquiry and ananimonsly adopted its Report, should be officially and certainly informed whether any, and, if any, what communications on the subject have been made by the Local Government to the Secretary of State, and whether any, and, if any, what communica- tions in reply have been received by the Local Government from the Secretary of State; and it is neither advisable nor respectful to this Council, that it should thus be left as a body in complete ignorance on the subject. It is still less advisable when many Members, if not every individual Member of the Council, must have heard and read in the local Newspapers reports as to the nature of the Cor- respondence referred to. If the Correspondence is such as it is reported to be, it contains a great amount of error, falsehood, and slander, and it is only by the production of the Correspondence, that the Council can ascertain the truth or falsehood of these reports.