(near Fire Brigade Station) to Murray Pier, repair the old wall from the Gasworks to White's Lane and from the Arsenal to East Point, but increase the width of the Praya all along. This work was also left to the next administration to consider. But the minor typhoon repairs were executed in 1874 and 1875 at a total cost of £15,625.
As regards crime, the annual Police Reports of this period give proof positive that from 1872 down to 1875 (inclusive) there was a steady annual decrease in crime, and especially as regards burglaries and piracies. It is specially pointed out that, since the cessation of coolie emigration from Macao (1874), even kidnapping diminished sensibly. But in the year 1876 crime commenced again to increase slightly, and piracies began to multiply. A change in the law was suggested so as to bring marine hawkers under it, and the transfer, from the Registrar General's office to the Police Department, of the licensing of hawkers and chair-coolies, was also suggested. At the criminal session of 18th January, 1877, the Chief Justice was presented with a pair of white gloves, emblem of a session, the first since 1866, free from crime. On this occasion the Chief Justice stated that during the past ten years crime had wonderfully decreased; that in 1866 there were 384 persons convicted of highway robbery, and in 1876 only 24; that in 1866 there were 24 murders and in 1876 only 3; that in 1866 there were 26 piracies and in 1876 only 5.
The Gaol Department, which (since August 4, 1863) was for so many years under the management of Mr. F. Douglas, was, after the death of the latter, entrusted (June 8, 1874) to Mr. M. S. Tonnochy and subsequently (March 11, 1875) to Mr. G. L. Tomlin. Now in 1872 there was re-introduced Sir R. MacDonnell's system of legalizing the branding and deportation to China of Chinese criminals, on their applying for conditional pardons with the understanding that if they returned to Hongkong, after being branded and deported, they should be flogged. The new Ordinance (4 of 1872) stated in its preamble that crime had been found to increase after the discontinuance of the
