726828-1856-GOVERNMENT-NOTIFICATION — Page 1

Bongkang

THE

Government

NEW SERIES.

GAZETTE.

VICTORIA, SATURDAY, 3D MAY, 1856.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

VOL. I. No. 45.

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,

W. T. MERCER, Colonial Secretary.

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

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

Diplomatic Department.

Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary and Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China has received from the Eare of Clarendon, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of Instructions which have been sent to the British Consuls in North America and elsewhere, for their guidance in carrying out the provisions of the __Chinese_Passenger Act; and Sir John Bowring has directed these Instructions to be published for the information of

all concerned.

By Order,

Superintendency of Trade, Victoria, Hongkong, 29th April, 1856.

W. WOODGATE.

CIRCULAR.

FOREIGN OFFICE, January 29, 1856.

SIRI transmit to you herewith two copies of an "Act for the Regulation of Chinese Passenger Ships," which was passed in the last session of Parliament. The object of this Act is to prevent, as far as practicable, the occurrence on board British ships engaged in the conveyance of Chinese Emigrants, of such calamities as have resulted in too many instauces from the absence of proper care and attention on

the part of those engaged in the transport from China of this class of Emigrants.

You wil perceive that, by the 8th section of the Act, a Chinese passenger-ship, being a British ship, is liable, if the Emigration Papers of such ship are forged or fraudulently altered, to be seized and forfeited to Her Majesty. As, however, Her Majesty has not, by Treaty of usage, jurisdiction over British subjects in the waters of the country in which you reside, you cannot in those waters seize a British ship for an infraction of the Act.

In cases, however, where you may have good reason to believe that the offence in question has been committed with respect to the papers of any British ship, you will forthwith convey the information to the Commander of any of Her Majesty's ships which may be upon the w'ation, in order that the vessel may be seized when she leaves the port. And in flagrant cases of abuse and neglect, it will be advisable that you should give notice to the Local Authorities, in order that the Master of the ship may be punished, and proper precau- tions taken for the food and sanitary condition of the Emigrants, before the ship is suffered to proceed on its voyage.

I have to acquaint you that it is not intended at present to appoint Emigration Officers to reside in Chinese ports, but all British Chinese passenger-ships will be required to proceed to Hongkong, where an Emigration Officer will be stationed, to carry out the Regu Latious of the Act.

It will be your duty to give effect to the Act by ascertaining, by personal examination, that any British Chinese passenger-vessel coming within the limits of your Consulate, has fulfilled the provisions of the Act, and the Regulations annexed to it; and whenever you shall have reason to suppose that the law has been disregarded, you will forward to this Office, by the first opportunity, a full statement of all the facts which may have come to your knowledge, together with any documents throwing light upon the subject, in order that the me may be communicated to the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, with a view to the punishment of the offenders when they return to this country.

will take measures to give every publicity to the Act within your Consular District.—I am, &c.,

You

HER MAJESTY'S CONSUL

(Signed)

CLARENDON,

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION,

Diplomatic Department.

His Excellency Her Majesty's Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China is pleased to direct, that the annexed Returns of the BRITISH TRADE at the PORT OF SHANGHAE during the Year 1855, be published for general information.

By Order,

Superintendency of Trade, Victoria, Hongkong, 12th April, 1856.

W. WOODGATE.