548                    FOREIGN RELATIONS.

  Her Majesty's government has, during the last few years, made
repeated representations at Lisbon in the sense suggested, nor has it
been wanting in other efforts in the same direction.
  An ordinance was passed by the government of Hong-Kong on the
24th of April last, providing for the careful inspection, by the emigration
officer, of all ships intended for the conveyance of Chinese emigrants to
be embarked at any port or place out of that colony. The officer is
empowered to see that there are no objectionable fittings on board,
such as barricades and gratings, and any such-ship leaving Hong-Kong
is obliged to provide itself with a certificate that it has been inspected
and has no prohibited or objectionable fittings on board. Violations of
this ordinance are punished by heavy fines and imprisonment with or
without hard labor. Practically, these provisions prevent altogether
the fitting out of ships at Hong-Kong for the coolie trade.
  At the date of the issue of the above-mentioned ordinance there
were several vessels at Hong-Kong preparing for the coolie-trade; these,
being obliged to leave, went up the river to the anchorage at Whampoa,
about twelve miles below Canton. But in consequence of the urgent
representations of Sir D. B. Robertson, Her Majesty's consul at Canton,
to the viceroy, these vessels were ordered to leave the river, and a
notification was given that for the future no vessel destined for the
carriage of Chinese coolies and belonging toenon-treaty powers would
be allowed to enter the port.
  At the instance of Sir D. B. Robertson a kind of blockade of the set-
tlement of Macao had been instituted by the viceroy of Canton, with a
view to the prevention of the kidnaping, of coolies and with some good
result, although there was great difficulty in making it completely effect-
ive.
  But it is hoped that the measures taken by the viceroy of Canton, in
conjunction with the above-mentioned ordinance of Hong-Kong, will ma-
terially diminish the traffic.
   Earl Granville has also desired me to add that Her Majesty's govern-
ment has learned with regret your observations as to the emigration of
coolies to British possessions and their treatment there. The memo-
randum, of which I communicated the substance to you verbally some
months ago, and of which I now have the honor to inclose a copy, shows
that there is no foundation for the statements that force is used to pro-
cure coolies, and that they are kept in practical bondage. A second
memorandum, which I have just received from Earl Granville, repeats
that there has not been a single emigrant-ship from China to the Brit-
ish colonies since March, 1866, although there appears a prospect now
for re-establishing the emigration to British Guiana. As regards any
supposed oppression of Chinese in those colonies, it adds that on De-
cember 30, 1872, there were no less than 5,948 Chinese working on
estates in British Guiana, and as all these.must have long before
worked out their first indentures, they must have taken service on es-
tates of their own free-will. Chinese, after more than six years' residence
in th colony, must have been fully aware of their legal rights, and. are
not likely to have been forced or entrapped into a mode of labor which
was distasteful to thenmL
  Emigration to Singapore is as free as to San Francisco, and there must
  apparently be some mistake as to the destination of the coolies whose
  exportation you mentioned to me that the cofisul of the United States
  at Swatow had been charged with countenancing. The transaction
  referred to may possibly have been one which took place in the summer
  of 1872, when a naturalized American citizen, named Wermuth, was