ENG-1953 — Page 257

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1953

demanded the sending to China of a special mission, which took over the powers of the Superintendent of Trade, leaving Hong Kong the Governor's sole responsibility.

The first phase of the Colony's history, that of its founda- tion, lasted nearly 20 years, from 1841 to the Treaty of Tientsin, 1858, and covered the governorships of Sir Henry Pottinger, Sir John Davis, Sir George Bonham and Sir John Bowring. Captain Charles Elliot had taken over the island on January 26th, 1841 and he issued a proclamation on February 2nd, 1841, which proclaimed that "pending Her Hajesty's further pleasure, the natives of the island of Hong Kong, and all natives of China thereto resorting, shall be governed according to the laws and customs of China, every description of torture excepted", a declaration that was exactly in keeping with the liberal colonial policy of the period. The difficulties confronting the infant colony were enormous. Two severe typhoons in 1841 were an early foretaste of climatic difficulties; fever was a serious problem and led to considerable mortality. General insecurity resulting from robberies and burglaries, and the difficulty of organizing an efficient police force, remained during the whole of this early period. Similarly on the neighbouring waters piracy was endemic and defied all attempts at suppres- sion; indeed it remained something of a danger for the rest of the century and is not stamped out even today. The allot- ments of land made in the early days of the Colony, which were not given legal recognition because the home government refused to recognize the cession until the Treaty was definitely ratified, were attended, as a result of this delay of two and a half years, by great confusion and complication in the matter of titles to land. Another and very serious difficulty was the failure to define the nature of the relations between the Colony and China. Since trade with China continued at Canton just as in the old days, and now began at four additional open ports, it is difficult to see how the hopes that Hong Kong would become a great emporium of trade could be realized.

206