XL INTRO DüCTIOX. 



to his disciples and said: „My cliildren, mark ye\ Oppressive government is fiercer than a tiger." 



Wherever a just mode of governing, them has been adopted the Chinese have never been 

 troublesome. Singapore, always cited as a refutation to this fact, owes the unruliness of 

 her Chinese population to the defects in her own Government. 



We fully acquiesce with Mr. Oliphant's judgment when he says: //At present there is a po- 

 pulation of 70,000 C Innamen in Singapore, and not a single European who understands their 

 language. The consequense is, that, in the absease of auy competent interpreter, they are 

 generally ignorant of the designs of Government, and, regarding themselves still as jChinese 

 subjects, are apt to place themselves in an antagonistic attitude whenever laws are passed 

 affecfcing their peculiar customs. No effort is made to overcome a certain exclusiveness ari- 

 sing hence; and this is fostered by the secret societies, which exercise an important moral 

 influence upon the minds of all, but more particularly the ignorant portion of the population. 



We have fortunately in their own 



empire a perpetual proof before our eyes of that reverence for authority when jucliciously enforced, 

 which is one of their chief characteristics, and which has for so many centuries been the preserva- 

 tion of it J s union and one great source of it's prosperity." ( T ) 



Whenever due regard is paid to the prejudices of the nation, and when care is taken to 

 explain to them the necessity or expediency of a new law or regulatiou, the Chinese, the 

 most reasonable and cool of all Eastern races, will remain at ease, and the existence of their 

 secret society will not endanger in the least this quietness. It is a sheer impossibility to try 

 to eradicate the Hung-league where it exists. Notwithstanding the military expeditions of the 

 N. I. Government to Borneo , the league still flourishes there. It exists at Sumatra, and even 

 .lava, always thought to be free of this brotherhood, is not without it's members. Only 

 once in the latter time they declared themselves, namely in 185:2 in Japara, when, probably 

 on account of some unreasonable or vexacious regulation, great uneasiness prevailed amongst 

 the Chinese population. A small military demonstration was sufficiënt, ho we ver, torestore the 

 peace, and researches being made, it was found that this uneasiness was created by the 

 Avorkings of a lodge of the Hung-league, whose handboek was afterwards disco vered. Since, 

 no manifestation has taken place. 



We leave to those in power to judge if the existence of the Hung-league is dangerous for 

 the tranquillity of a colony or state or not. Societies, as long as they are secret, always 

 excite the mistrust of the governing powers. Freemasonry, persecuted formerly as a most 

 dangerous institution, has proved itself, after it's recognition, to be not only innoxious, but 

 even highly beneficial. ïnow, that we trust that the secret of the Hung-league is sufficiently 

 cleared up to be well understood, a similar forbearance might, perhaps, without danger, be 

 shown to this sister-society the Heavex-Earth-league. 





( T ) Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's mission to China aud Japan, Vol. I, 20. 



