Ch. XIX.] STEONG MEASUEES EEaUIEED. 329 



a forger who has decamped from England to America. 

 Latterly the police have so far overcome prejudice as to 

 brand notorious characters upon the left ear, and see them 

 safely off to Canton, with the understanding that their being 

 found in Hong Kong again will be sufBcient for their 

 condemnation. 



Ketuming for a moment to the attack upon myself, the 

 Governor, the Admiral, and many other leading people in 

 Hong Kong, were well acquainted with it, and I had con- 

 versation with them all upon the subject; but nothing was 

 done which could have the sUghtest influence in abating the 

 evil. Of the two Hong Kong papers, while one — ^the "Hong 

 Kong Daily Press " — gave a proper and authentic statement 

 of the circumstances, the other spoke of the matter in the 

 most flippant style, as though it were a good joke. A dis- 

 tinguished naval officer, who had been several years in Hong 

 Kong, and who told me that he had himself been several 

 times attacked, expressed to me a strong opinion that the 

 proper course would have been to lay an embargo upon the 

 street in which the outrage took place, in order that the 

 people might be taught that connivance at robbing impli- 

 cated them in the crime, and that if they chose to look on 

 unconcernedly while a person was being attacked and robbed, 

 they must take the consequences. It is well known that 

 .this is the Chinese law ; and that at Canton, for example, 

 if a robbery took place in the street, the assailant would at 

 once be seized by the bystanders, who are well aware that if 

 they did not do so, but allowed the robber to escape, they 

 would themselves be held accountable, and ptmished ac- 

 cordingly, — a wholesome law, which is much wanted in 

 Hong Kong. 



