are dear. Yingtsz' contains about 10,000 inhabitants, and is under the jurisdiction of the district magistrate at Hái-ching. The condition of the people in this part of Shingking is wretched, owing partly to the asperity of the winters, but much more to the insecurity of life and property arising from the depredations of armed bands who infest the roads and rivers, and are often in collusion with the officials, who are really too weak to control them. The subjoined notification of T. T. Meadows, the British Consul, issued July 29, 1861, further illustrates this feature of society :

The undersigned, her Majesty's Consul, has, in conversations with the few British residents at this port, taken opportunities of recommending to them that course of conduct which he has considered most likely to promote and preserve peaceable relations between foreigners and the native population in this consular district.

It was this: to abstain strictly from every kind of aggression or trespass, or even from practical joking with the natives; and, on the other hand, promptly to resist, in so far as they held themselves able, every aggression on the part of Chinese against them. The undersigned now takes this method of more formally recommending to them that course, and of impressing the necessity for its observance on them; and viewing the disastrous result of a recent humane attempt on the part of two British officers to rescue a Chinese woman, who was being ill-treated, the undersigned deems it right to accede to an expressed wish of the Chinese authorities by enjoining H.M.'s subjects to allow no generous or humane impulse to lead them in future to intervene in any Chinese broil or fights, domestic or otherwise.

The existence in this province of mounted highwaymen, who infest the roads in smaller or larger bands, together with the existence at this place of a peculiar organization of the criminal classes of a thronged commercial town and seaport, partly form, and have partly produced a state of things that renders the above course of conduct one proper everywhere here peculiarly necessary.

Valuable property is escorted through the country by a class of men who make a profession of the work, and who are practised in the use of the arms which they invariably carry; the natives generally are in the habit of keeping arms, spears, swords, and sometimes fire-arms in their houses; and it is a common practice for a countryman when he leaves his home for a few miles to carry one of these weapons usually a spear for self-defense. Englishmen, accustomed as they are to hold themselves ready to defend their own persons and property from attack, cannot reasonably look with disfavor on a population because it encourages a similar habit. The fact, however, that the people here have commonly arms on or near them, and are prepared to use them upon any occasion, will form a cogent reason for rigid abstinence in this part of the Empire from a certain domineering, not to say bullying, course of conduct, justifiable nowhere, but which some foreigners have hitherto found it safe enough to follow among the unarmed and timid population of central China.

On the other hand, there are in every population a certain number of mischievously, if not maliciously, inclined people; and it is certain that if that kind of persons at this port found foreigners disposed, on account of disparity of numbers, tamely to submit to their aggressions, life would soon become unbearable for us. The undersigned is therefore desirous to guard against being supposed to recommend any such tame submission. H.M.'s subjects cannot, indeed, exercise too much care and self-command in restraining their tempers in the face of annoyances, serious enough at times, but which are in nowise intended to be such, and result simply from difference of manners or habits, or from a natural curiosity. But as regards unprovoked and willful aggressions and assaults, clearly such, the undersigned considers that, in the long run, safety lies in a prompt and decided opposition of force to violence.

Masters of British vessels are hereby called on to take special pains to bring home, in so far as may be, to the minds of their crews, the peculiar necessity for good conduct when at this port; and to warn them that the undersigned will deem it his duty to punish with unusual severity every assault, trespass, or aggression committed on the persons or property

of the natives.

The trade with Niu-chwang is at present comparatively trifling, but the resources of the vast region beyond it are still unknown. Ginseng, liquorice root, hides, skins, hair, and tallow are enumerated among the exports, in addition to the staples of bean-cake and indigo. Nearly all

The country peo

the trade is carried on with Shanghai and Swatau. ple resort to the place in winter, when the ground is frozen, bringing their produce in carts across the open country from places farther than the streams enable them to bring it by boats. In this season, they are unoccupied in farming pursuits, and travel in large companies. The climate is salubrious, the thermometer seldom rising in summer above 85° Fah., and ranging from 5° to 25° F. in winter; dust storms are troublesome in all this region. Coal is plenty, and the better class of houses are built so as to be secure against the winter's cold, warmed by flues in which the fire is constantly supplied.

There is considerable diversity in weights in this region. Oil, melonseeds, indigo, and valuable produce, are sold by the picul of 91 catties, but rice and millet by the sack of 320 catties, and pulse by a picul of 300 catties. The currency is like that of Tientsin, but without so much paper money in circulation. A tael of silver exchanges for about 1525 good copper cash, and a dollar passes for 68 candareens to 7 mace.

Section 13.

COLONY OF HONGKONG.

THE island of Hongkong i. e. Fragrant Streams, derives its name from a stream on the western side, where vessels formerly took in their water; foreigners applied the name to the whole island, and natives have given it to the city of Victoria. The island is 26 miles in circumference, and with the harbor on the north side and islets therein, were ceded to the British crown in 1841. In 1860, the Chinese ceded a part of the mainland on the opposite shore, called the peninsula of Kaulung, or Kowloon, i. e. Nine Dragons, estimated to contain about four square miles; the land was taken possession of on the 19th January, 1861, and few buildings have yet been erected. The population of the colony consists chiefly of Chinese resorting to it for trade or employment, only a small proportion of whom bring their families, or permanently become British subjects.

There are no port-charges or dues levied on goods or vessels; and ships discharge, tranship, and load their cargoes without the intervention of any officer, or rendering any account of their manifest to the local authorities. The harbour-master takes an account of the arrivals and departures, and exercises jurisdiction over the trading craft in the harbour, according to the following Regulations:

REGULATIONS OF THE HARBOUR OF HONGKONG.

Whereas it is expedient to revise and amend the Regulations hitherto existing for the maintenance of order within the harbour of Victoria, Hongkong: -Be it enacted and ordained

I. Ordinance No. 11 of 1845 is hereby repealed, except so far as the same repeals No. 19 of 1844.

II. The harbour Regulations issued on the 30th day of April, 1841, under the hand of Charles Elliot, her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, are hereby revoked.

III. Every master of a merchant vessel shall hoist the ship's number on entering the harbour of Victoria, and shall keep such number flying until the ship shall have been reported at the harbour-master's office.

IV. Every master shall, within twenty-four hours after arrival within the limits of this harbour, report the arrival of the ship at the harbour-master's office, and in the case of a British vessel, or of a vessel which shall not be represented by a consul, shall deposit there the ship's articles, list of passengers, ship's register, and true copy of manifest if require 1. In the case of a foreign vessel represented by a consul, the said papers shall be lodged by the master at the proper consulate, under a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollars on refusal or neglect of the master so to do.

V. The name of a master, or first or only mate, shall not be attached by the harbourmaster to a British ship's register or articles, unless such master or mate shall possess a certificate of service or competency.

VI. No officer, seaman, or other person shall be shipped in this harbour to do duty on board any merchant vessel, except at the shipping office of the harbour-master, under a penalty not exceeding twenty dollars for every offence.

VII. In the event of the death of any of the crew, passengers, or other persons, occurring on board any merchant vessel whilst in the harbour, or in case of the desertion or removal of any of the crew, the master of such vessel shall forthwith report the same in writing to the harbour-master, under a penalty not exceeding twenty-five dollars for every death, desertion, or removal which he shall neglect to report.

VIII. No master of any ship shall discharge, or force therefrom, or wilfully or negligently leave behind him, in this colony, any seaman shipped on board thereof unless on a certificate from the harbour-master or other person appointed to grant the same; and who shall have power to withhold or grant the same as he shall see fit, under a penalty not exceeding twenty-five dollars: and if any seaman shall wilfully or negligently remain in the colony, after the departure of the vessel in which he shall have shipped, without such certificate, such seaman shall, on conviction before the marine magistrate, forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding twenty-five dollars, or be imprisoned for a term not exceeding one

month.

IX. Every master of a merchant vessel arriving in the harbour shall take up the berth pointed out by the harbour-master, or by any person sent on board by him for that purpose, and shall moor his ship there properly, and shall not remove from it to take up any other berth without his permission, except in case of necessity, to be decided by the harbourmaster, under a penalty not exceeding one hundred dollars: and he shall remove his vessel to any new berth when required so to do by the harbour-master, under a fine not exceeding twenty dollars for every hour that the vessel shall remain in her old berth, after notice to remove under the hand of the harbour-master or his deputy shall have been given on board of her.

X. Every master of a merchant vessel shall immediately strike spars, clear hawse, or shift berth, or obey any other order which the harbour-master may think fit to give, and any master wilfully disobeying or neglecting this regulation, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding two hundred dollars.

XI. Every master about to proceed to sea shall, under a penalty not exceeding fifty dollars, hoist a blue-peter twenty-four hours before time of intended departure, and shall give notice to the harbour-master, who will furnish a port-clearance, and shall likewise attest the manifest if necessary; and any ship, having obtained such clearance and not sailing within thirty-six hours thereafter, shall report to the harbour-master the reason for not going, and shall redeposit the ships's papers if required.

XII. Every master of a merchant vessel arriving in this harbour, and having gunpowder on board, weighing in the whole over two hundred pounds, shall make immediate report of the same to the harbour-master, or shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding ten dollars for every hour that he shall neglect to do so; and shall forthwith, on being required so to do by the harbour-master, land or store the same in some convenient place to be approved of by the harbour-master.

XIII. No dead body shall be thrown overboard within the limits of this harbour, under a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollars, to be paid by the master of the vessel; and no stone or other ballast shall be thrown overboard within the said limits under a penalty not exceeding one hundred dollars, to be paid by the master of the vessel from which such stone or ballast shall have been thrown.

XIV. Except as is hereinafter directed under sections XXI. and XXII. of this Ordinance, or under the sanction of the harbour-master, no cannon, gun, or fire-arm of any description shall be discharged within the limits of this harbour from any merchant vessel or boat, under a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollars.

XV. Every licensed boat shall, between the hours of sunset and daylight, carry a lan

tern in a conspicuous place, with the number of the license cut out on the framing. If the person in charge of any boat shall demand or take more than his fare, or use abusive language to passengers, or neglect to carry a light as required, or refuse without sufficient cause to take a passenger at the fare established, the party offending, or in his absence the person to whom the license for the boat was granted, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty-five dollars; and all boats, whether private or not, may and shall be subject to be stopped and examined by the police boats; and if the person in charge of any boat does not heave to on being hailed by a police boat, or uses abusive language to the officer or persons on board of her in the execution of their duty, he shall be liable to be detained in custody until he can be brought before a magistrate, and on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars.

XVI. Every commanding officer of any ship-of-war, or master of a merchant ship or vessel of whatsoever nation, who may arrive in this harbour, having small-pox, or any other disease of a contagious or infectious nature on board, shall hoist the proper quarantine flag; and no communication shall be held with any other vessel or boat or with the shore, until permission be given by the harbour-master; and the boarding-officer on nearing such ship shall be informed of the nature of such disease, that proper precautions may be taken and assistance rendered, under a penalty in any of the foregoing cases not exceeding two hundred dollars for every offence.

XVII. Every such commanding officer of a ship-of-war, or master of a merchant vessel, having any such disease on board, shall forthwith remove his ship to any berth which shall be pointed out by the harbour-master, and there remain and keep the quarantine flag flying until a clean bill of health shall be granted by the harbour-master; and shall afford free access and render every assistance to the colonial surgeon or other officer of health who may be directed by his Excellency the Governor to visit such ship, under a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollars for every offence.

XVIII. A public fairway shall be buoyed off for the passage of river and coast steamers, and no vessel or boat of any description shall be allowed to anchor within such fairway, and the master of any vessel or boat dropping anchor in, or otherwise obstructing such fairway, shall be liable for each offence to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars in addition to any fine otherwise leviable under this Ordinance in the case of sea going vessels, and in the case of boats registered in the colony to a like fine, in addition to the forfeiture of register or license, if it be so adjudged by the marine magistrate.

XIX. Every master of any vessel of whatsoever description, who shall make or cause to be made fast to any of the public buoys or beacons or their moorings, any rope, chain, or other gear, or shall foul or in any way injure the said buoys, beacons, or moorings, shall on conviction thereof be fined a sum not exceeding twenty-five dollars, in addition to the cost of repairing or replacing the same.

XX. Every master of a vessel or hulk in this harbour shall, from sunset to sunrise, cause to be exhibited a bright white light from the starboard foreyard arm; or in the case of dismantled vessels or chops, at the place where it can be best seen, and in default shall incur a penalty not exceeding one hundred dollars.

XXI. In case of fire occurring on board any ship or vessel in the harbour-if at night, three lights shall be hoisted in a vertical position at the highest mast head, and a single light at the peak, and guns shall be fired in quick succession until sufficient assistance shall be rendered; if during the day, the ensign union down, with the signal Marryat's code 2,104 "I am on fire," shall be hoisted at the highest mast head, and guns fired as above provided for night time.

XXII. If on board any ship or vessel in the harbour, a disturbance or riot shall occur which the master or his officers are unable to quell by the usual process of bringing the offenders before the marine magistrate or a justice of the peace-if by day, the ensign union down shall be hoisted at the peak, and the signal 3,240, "mutiny on board," shall be hoisted at the highest mast head, or wherever practicable under the circumstances; guns may also be fired as in section XXI.; if by night, three lights shall be hoisted at the peak, and a single light at the mast head, and guns may also be fired as before stated.

XXIII. The boundaries, limits, and anchorage of Victoria harbour shall henceforth be defined and taken to be as follows:

On the east.-A line drawn from the northernmost point of the Island of Hongkong to the north-east boundary of British Kowloong.

On the west.-A line drawn from the westernmost point of Hongkong to the western side of Green Island, continued to western point of Stonecutter's Island, thence to north point of Stonecutter's Island, continued to north-west boundary of British Kowloong.

The harbour shall be divided into two anchorages, viz., the northern and southern. Northern anchorage shall have for its southern boundary the north extremity of Hongkong shut in with the southern point of the Kowloong peninsula bearing East by South. Southern anchorage shall have for its northern boundary, Kellett's Island bearing East by South South.

XXIV. It shall be lawful for the harbour-master to direct and enforce the anchorage of ships in the northern part of the harbour from 1st June to 15th October, and in the southern part of the harbour from 16th October to 31st May in each year; and it shall be lawful for the harbour-master to permit a ship to anchor in the south part of the harbour during the period first above mentioned, or in the north part of the harbour during the period last above mentioned, for the purpose of discharging cargo and for a specified space of time.

XXV. It shall be lawful for his Excellency the Governor from time to time to set apart a special portion of the harbour for the anchorage of ships of war, and within such portion of the harbour no merchant vessels, or native craft, or boats of any description shall be permitted to anchor without the special sanction of the harbour-master in each case obtained. XXVI. It shall be lawful for the harbour-master to fix from time to time the place of anchorage for river and coasting steamers, and to grant permission to the owners of such steamers to lay down permanent moorings to be by him approved, notwithstanding any. thing to the contrary contained under sections XXIII. and XXIV. of this Ordinance, but no river or coasting steamer shall drop anchor or moor within the fairway provided under section XVIII. of this Ordinance.

XXVII. Every master of any vessel whatsoever fitting in this harbour for the conveyance of emigrants, whether to be shipped at this or any other port, shall report the same to the harbour-master under a penalty not exceeding five hundred dollars, and the fittings of said vessel shall be subject to the approval of such officer, who is hereby empowered at all reasonable times to go on board and inspect such vessel; and any person who shall in any way impede the harbour-master in the execution of this duty shall also be liable to a penalty not exceeding five hundred dollars.

XXVIII. A copy of this Ordinance shall be delivered to each master of a vessel entering the harbour, and on neglect to return such copy on obtaining clearance, a fee of one dollar shall be payable by the master.

XXIX. Where no penalty is attached by this Ordinance for the breach or infringement of any provision herein contained, the penalty shall be a sum not exceeding twenty-five dollars. All offences against any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be cognizable by and may be heard and decided before the marine magistrate, who is hereby empowered in all cases to order payment of costs by the defendant; and in default of payment of the penalty and costs awarded, may levy the same by distress and sale of the offender's goods, or may forthwith commit such offender to gaol for any term not exceeding three months. All orders, judgments, and decisions of the marine magistrate shall be subject to the right of appeal given by Ordinance No. 4 of 1858.

XXX. Whenever the marine magistrate shall be incapacitated by absence, illness, or otherwise from the performance of his duties, it shall be lawful for the acting marine magistrate, or any stipendiary magistrate, or any two justices of the peace of the colony, to adjudicate upon all cases and enforce all penalties under this Ordinance.

XXXI. Wherever the word "master" is used in this Ordinance, it shall be deemed to include any person having charge of a ship or vessel or any other craft. Passed the Legislative Council of Hongkong, this 22d day of January, 1862.

L. D'ALMADA E CASTRO,
Clerk of Councils.

The passenger traffic to California and Australia has from the first centred in Hongkong. The rules issued by the colonial government for the management of this branch of trade have been devised so as to shield as much as possible the ignorant natives from becoming the victims of reckless speculators and designing shippers, who might delude them on board ill-found and unseaworthy vessels, to the imminent hazard of life. The following summary of the regulations now in force contains all that