A. crvino evil existing in this Colony calls for serious investigation. A large number of the female emigrants who ate sent off to San Francisco, and whose arrival has, according to the American papers, caused so much annoyance in that city, are forced away against their will. As the stately Pacific steamer moves out of thia harbour, bound for a country whose watchword is Li-betty, she too frequently carries away from their tive land, many of the most wretched and most pitiable of slaves, "Young girls, kidnapped up the country, fiasin Unie jropretion sung tha waken wae sent over to San Francisco, to be consigned to a life of prostitution. Such a power of coercion is brought to bear upon them, that in the majority of cases, they fear to take any steps to free themselves from their miserable lot; though many times, while awaiting their departure in Hongkong, they have resolved to escape from a life of degradation and shame by a self inflicted. and early dear These. luckless girls are enticed away from the country by the wiles of wretched hags, who contrive to smuggle them off. The favorite plan appears to be to get them away from the temples, to which, for the most part, they go protected only by one of the servants in the house to which they belong. This individual is bribed, and the heartless capture effected. Arrived in Hongkong, the unlucky girls discover after a short time, how they have been entrapped; but they have not any idea of how to free themselves. They are intimidated from complaining to their neighbours, and donot know that they can obtain protection by complaining to the they are shipped off, and it seems no one is able to pre-Police or to the Magistrates. Thus, after a short time, vent the perpetration, in a British Colony, of one of the most awful crimes that it is possible to conceive, surely time that some steps were taken to investigate this matter to the bottom. So far as is known, it appears that the emigrants on board the Pacific steamers always say thatthe leave of their own free will. But it is beyond a doubt, that in many instances, this is not the case. It is clear, therefore, that this statement'can only be made under much coercion, and that there must be some kind of organised system at work among the Chinese, which assists the intimidation of the victims.
The matter is one which calls at least for active in-it be known that such is the cage, ea that it may not vestigation, If nothing can be done to prevent it, let appose that the Colony has willingly allowed such an abuse to goon, without making every possible effort to suppress it. It has been suggested that some good, be done by the issue of a proclamation, distinctly stating the nature of the Law, and urging upon any girls who have been surreptitiously brought to the Colony, to bring the matter before the autho-doubted whether this step would thoroughly meet the ities without delay. Although it may perhaps be matter, it might, at all events, be tried as a preliminary measure, which would do no harm. In the meantime, the subject could be thoroughly investigated, and some steps taken to check the abuse, by takin; precautions, before the female passengers are allowed, to emigrate, to ascertain, beyond a question, that they go entirely of their own free will:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.