402 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
the Governor was loudly expressed by many of the Europeans 
settled in Hong Kong. He favoured, they said, the Chinese in 
an exceedingly partial way, and mitigated their punishments to 
such a degree that Hong Kong would soon become a place of 
refuge for all the robbers and thieves of Canton. At the time 
of our visit an instructive parliamentary debate on a small 
scale was proceeding in the Legislative Council of the city. 
The controversy was carried on with a certain bitterness, but 
with a proper observance of the parliamentary procedure cus¬ 
tomary in the mother country. The eloquent leader of the 
opposition had evidently, as is usual in such cases, the general 
feeling of the Europeans on his side. For they appeared to be 
pretty well agreed that the only means of protecting themselves 
against the evil-doers from the great heavenly empire would be 
to punish them in an inhuman way when they were taken in 
the act. 
To an outsider it appeared, however, that the Governor not 
oidy had humanity and justice on his side, but also acted with 
a true insight into the future. When he came to the colony 
the corporal punishments to which the Chinese were con¬ 
demned were exceeding barbarous, although mild in comparison 
with those common in China—a state of things which the op¬ 
position brought forward in defence of the severer punishments. 
Prisoners were repeatedly flogged with “the cat,” often with the 
result that they were attacked by incurable consumption; 
they were prepared for the punishment by being subjected for 
some time to a starvation-diet of rice and water; they were 
branded when they left the prison, &c. Proceeding on the view 
that the greatest security for a colony such as Hong Kong lies 
in the affection which is cherished for it by the numerous 
native population, the Governor had sought to protect it from 
unjust attacks by Europeans. Considering that too barbarous 
punishments are likely rather to promote than to deter from 
the commission of crimes, in consequence of the protection the 
