wn Colony, "the power of the
Sovereign in respect of legislation is absolute."

Second: The proclamation of Sir Charles Elliott, of tolerance
of native customs was "pending Her Majesty's pleasure," and no
longer.

Third: Her Majesty's pleasure was declared at Hong Kong: (a) By
the Proclamation of 1845; (b) "By Ordinance 6 of 1845, 2 of 1846,
and 12 of 1873, by the combined operation of which the law of
England, common and statute, as it existed on the 5th day of
April, 1843, became the law of Hong Kong."

Says Mr. Francis of Ordinance 6 of 1845, "The relations of husband
and wife, parent and child, guardian and ward, master and servant,
whatever they may have been when Hong Kong was Chinese, became
from the date of that Ordinance what English law made them, and
nothing more or less."

"But in addition to the declarations of the Common Law," declares
Mr. Francis, the following are in full force at Hong Kong: "The
Act of the 5th George IV. c. 113, the Act of the 3rd and 4th
William IV. c. 73, and the Act 6th and 7th Victoria c. 98, which
have in the widest terms abolished slavery throughout the British
dominions." "These Acts declare it unlawful for anyone owing
allegiance to the British Crown, whether within or without the
dominions of the Crown, to hold or in any way deal in slaves, or
to participate in any way in such dealing, or to do any act which
would contribute in any way to enable others to hold or deal in
slaves. This simple declaration, if it stood alone, would make
every act of slave-holding a misdemeanour, but the Acts themselves
make it piracy, felony, or misdemeanour, as the case may be, to
do any of the acts declared to be unlawful. These Acts further
declare that persons holden in servitude as pledges or pawns for
debt shall, for the purpose of the Slave Trade Acts, be deemed and
construed to be slaves, or persons intended to be dealt with as
slaves. Hundreds of persons are held in such servitude as pledged
or pawned in Hong Kong, and not one of the parties to such
transactions has ever been proceeded against under these Acts."

"In addition to the above-mentioned Acts of George, William and
Victoria, there is also the Imperial Act, entitled The Slave
Trade Act, 1873, which consolidates the laws for the suppression
of the Slave Trade, and which is in