No mortal is able to fill at once the place of a capable predecessor in office, and not until the shoes of office have been worn for tome time, and fit comfortably, can the new man walk' gracefully or with safety proper paths, i ible a certain period of masterly inactivity was naturall calculated upon ere our new Governor esso to pick up the threads of administration felt such good order by Sir Arthur Kennedy. Mr. Pope Hennessy, however, would seem to be an official of a different stamp to his predecessor: our new Governor is all activity, and probably thinks that on his individual action depends the success or failure of administration, As age and ex] 1ce gathered over Sir Arthur, be saw the more clearly the desirableness of leaving the work of each department to be done by the req while Mr. Pope Hennessy restless desire to carry out his own ideas while they are yet crude and half-digested, Offical energy en the part of & Governor, when directed by a sound discretion, is a most estimable quality; but there are times when energy is apt to become officioisiiess, raise hax, notedly in one at least, sometimes led to permamiit retire me i asaed by which We lias this day beau "relsed—viz, y feuneasy to fill the high position to Governor and Commander-in-Chief of this Toland and its dependenoies—it may be useful to glance at the past history of this Colony. It is to be feared that Governor, Hennessy may make the fatal mistake of supposing that the upsetting of existing arrangements means reform and progress, and that to legislate Feotly in the teeth of he preset, order of things—which, be i red, has been tested and consolidated by the experience of many years—is the proper mode of bringing relief and liberty to the so-called down-trodden Ghinamau, With Artemua Ward of the ogre, we inay fairly ask of the native Who trod on him?" and the anewer will readily be found in the growing wealth and commercial importance of the native comme: ity of Hong. kong, the amount of weight now attached to their utterances, and the perfect security they now enjoy. There is probably.n0 possession inthe world where so great an amount of freedom, compatible with safety and good government, is enjoyed by a protected race and time and experience will no doubt show our present ruler that his ambitious thirst for justice and fair-play has been largely shared his predecessors, though in a way which, while not over-sentimental, exhibite not little of sound common sense and shrewd statesmanship.
In view of the attitude likely to be assumed by Mr. Pope-Hennessy towards the Chinese community here, we some time singe supted, Hie Excellency in certain taken regarding the burial customs of ives, In making these remarks, we observed that consideration was due to the native customs only in so far aa they di not interfere with the good government-of the Colony. It would appear, however, that Chinese policy, and that ho las poatpoued Mr, Hennessy is going further in hie pro-the carrying out of the punial of flogging, peeed upon a cumin learned Chie! justice in open Court for violence. The words in which we qualified the approval of the Governor's policy on a former occasion are strikingly applicable. "Fi ig for violence, for instance, was ijutroduced mach inthe posed amonget the Chinese og well approval of the foreign sounnnity gen and those enactments which, may be-said to owe their origin the presence of the most ignorant mass of the native population (there being no such class to legislate for amongst the foreign residents) cannot be regarded as class jslation' in any objectionable sense." These are the sentiments of the residents of Hongkong, Chinese as well as foreign; and. while we deplore any appearance of vacillation in the administration of the I mutes foreign opinion should be thas surprised to find that the consensus
to the public weal.
in a matter of 20 grave importance ere are other matters at present ex-excising the public mind -coneeruing which the action of His Excellency is anxiously prognosticated. The question put by our correspondent "Justice," if it has any real foundation, will assuredly demand an answer in some form or other. If our worthy Magi trates have been playing fast and loose with the laws, and exceeding their discretionary powers—anil the honourable Attorney-General can easily demonstrate that proposition—the Bre will look for a satisfactory explanation, the Magistrates are in the right, then some one is very much in the wrong; and that personage is either our correspondent, who belies his name, or our distinguished Governor, who bay been somewhat indiscreet. in one of Lis public appearances. People: are curious to know the cause of the delay in beginning the construction of our much-needed Central isters indicate sweeping in that quarter also, Let us hope that Mr, Hennessy, with the ener high motives he undoubtedly possesses, "will he guided into a more careful consideration of the consequences ere he destroys what are erally regarded as most wholesome and necessary laws ever it reduced into this Colony.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.