the correctness of translations of petitions and notifications, watched with eagle's eye the editing of the Chinese issue of the Government Gazette and inquired into the ins and outs of every complaint made by the Chinese. He occasionally, but sparingly, received Chinese deputations, argued with them in a stately way and took infinite pains in controverting their arguments, both orally and in print, and repeatedly made semi-mutinous deputations confess that their objections to his measures were based on misunderstanding or imperfect translation and invariably sent them away crestfallen. It was by these methods that he averted serious impending strikes in connection with the new Registration and Junk Ordinances (6 and 7 of 1866) in September, 1866 and in January, 1867. It has been mentioned above that the Junk Ordinance did excellent service towards the repression of piracy. The Registration Ordinance also worked satisfactorily and 663 householders were speedily registered under it, but the provisions regarding the registration of Chinese servants were viewed by European employers as useless and irksome and soon became a dead letter. In 1869, the Chinese inhabitants of several districts in town, acting on the provisions of the Registration Ordinance, recommended a body of men as district watchmen to be paid for by themselves. The duties of these special Chinese constables, under the sole direction of the Registrar General, were connected exclusively with the Chinese portion of the city. The Registrar General reported, year by year, favourably on the working of this special body of police. But the system caused friction between the Registrar General and the Superintendent of Police, particularly in connection with the permits issued for religious ceremonies, which, by their accompanying noise, created a nuisance, at night-time, to European residents and caused objections disregarded by the district watchmen but upheld by the police.
The absence of a mortuary for Chinese and of a hospital conducted in consonance with Chinese ideas of therapeutics, caused the local compradors, merchants and shopkeepers to establish (in 1867) what they called the I-tsze. Their aim was
