Waar is the meaning of the word inst and wherein does it differ from imply? Such is the momentous question which has been lately agitating the Legislative Council at Hongkong. Trivial as the matter may seem, the real question was, whether freedom of speech was to be allowed to the nonofficial members of the Council, or whether, as has been customary, their use was merely to register in behalf of the colonists the dicta of the Governor. We are bound to say, in trath, that in the discussion neither the good sense nor the knowledge of the official members showed forth Inminously. That so trivial a dispute should for some hours interrupt the legislative business of the Colony is indicative that something is wrong,'and that matters are, if possible, worse than they as yet have been represented to the outer world. While honourable members are endeavouring to cook minutes and warp words from their palpable meaning, subjects of importance to the Colony and to the trade of China transpire through unknown channels, and are made public by Commissioners of Customs and Chinese officials. It will be remembered that a short time ago we drew attention to a project said to be on foot of establishing, in Hongkong, a Custom-house to collect duties for the Chinese Government. It now seems that sucha project had: been mooted amongst the official members of the Council, and various documents relating thereto drawn up. Now we do not conceive that any secrecy about. the matter was needed; the fact was essentially a public one, and large interests" were concerned, not only: in the Colony but elsewhere. Not" to the official members of the Council to them secrecy and mystery is everything; public discussion a thing to be suppressed at all possible risks, By some channel these dissensions became known to certain people connected with the Maritime Customs establishment, ud simaltandously the blockade of Hongkong, absurdly permitted by the Government, was Increased in intensity apparently' with the purpose of forming a, settlement, Now in view of those facts Mr. Ryrie, one of the non-official members, had asked in Council the question whether "one of the duties of this Departnitut, is transmitting copies of letters Custom-house officials in Canton, which have been declared in this Council to be confidential?" In the sense that every question asked in Parliament more or less insinuates a charge, for otherwise there would be no use in putting the question, were official con-duet to be above suspicion of all sorts, Mr. Ryrie's question did insinuate a charge. It was known that copies of the correspondence had got to Canton, and it was. generally mooted in the Colony that they had done so by means of one of the government departments. Mr. Ryrie's question therefore was not only not superfluous, but, were the hands of the local government clean as they wished them to ap; afforded an opportunity fora digni denial of the public report. Not so though the government and officials, instead of a plain and straightforward denial the Acting Treasurer replied "with vehometice" to the " charge. implied," while the Clerk of the Council reads minutes in which it was recorded that Mr. Ryrie had asked a question ye to the gistrar-General's department insinuating that he had sent confidential despatch to the Chinese authorities at Canton. We have before commented on the frank manner in which the Governor. of Hongkong assures his Council thatit has the liberty of free discussion; this is one of the instances. It might reasonably be supposed that the gentleman whose acts were called in question would confine himself to an explanation or give e denial, and would refrain from voting when the question before the Council affected himself. Sach does not seem to be the rule, however, in Hongkong; we find him, the Attorney-General and Colonial Secretary, all voting to stifle further enquiry, and when, by the independent course of the Chief Justice, they are placed in a minority, the Acting Governor throws in his vote, which he caps with a casting vote on the same side. If the Colonial government of Hongkong. mean to commit political suicide, they have adopted a very plain road to it. British merchants are not in the habit of being snuffed out by British officials. It is likely that the former are the best judges of what concerns their own interests; and asin this case they happen not only to be' economically—but
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.