The following letter has been addressed by the Chamber of Commerce to the Government Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce, Hongkong, 7th May, 1888.
Sir,—By desire of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, I have the honour to bring to the immediate notice of His Excellency the Governor the following resolution which was passed unanimously at special meeting of the Committee, held to-day, to consider the question of the refusal of the Australian Colonies to admit Chinese subjects into their ports Resolved—That in the o of the Committee, the action of the Australian Governments, prohibiting the landing of Chinese in the Australian Ports, intelligence of which has been received by telegraph, is a subject demanding the very grave consideration of H. M. Goverment.
Ist,—Because it is not consonant with British methods of Government of justice that tradal regulations should be instantly suspended without ample notice to permit of those inter ested conforming therewith, for the action of these Australian Colonies threatens to involve those engaged in the trades affected by the new regulations with very serious loss for which apparently no compensation is offered, Merchants depending upon the good faith of the Australian Governments having complied with regulations, in force when their engagements were made, are, at a moment's notice without warning of any kind, subjected to limitations with which they are powerless to comply.
2nd.—That the refusal to permit the landing of Chinese in the Australian Colonics is fraught with most serious consequences to British interests in China Perhaps at this juncture no prominent notice may be taken by the Chinese Government of the restriction imposed upon the rights of its subjects, conceded under Treaties with Great Britain, still the Commaittee cannot but deplore the dangerous precedent that has been set, and which will doubtless very seriously affect the promotion of England's friendly intercourse with China in the near future."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.