The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-08 00:00:00

THE CHINESE IN AUSTILILI.4,

We (the Mount Alexander Mail) have been fa-
voured with a copy of the following letter, addressed
by a Chinaman in this district to a friend of his
filling an official situation at Hong Kong. A Eu-
ropean to whom he communicated its contents,
struck with its character, procured a copy from the
writer, and with his consent handed it tons for
publication :
" To Ho A Loy, Chinese Interpreter, Chief Ma-
gistracy, Hong Kong.
My dear Sir,—l take this opportunity of writ-
ing to you to let you know how I am doing here,
to which place I came in a British ship 14 months
ago, during. which time I became well acquainted
with the difficulties the Chinese have to encounter
in this colony, and with the last act of injustice to-
wards them my heart was deeply chagrined.
Therefore I beg to inform you of these matters, that
you may make them known to our countrymen who
wish to seek for gold in this country. The law-
givers have enforced a tax on each on landing in
this port ; after this is paid and we land, then there
are other taxes to be imposed upon us, namely,
license, protection, and resident ticket.
Now, is not this a cruel law to exact from our
poor and distressed countrymen, while foreigners
from every part-of the world can come and not be
charged at all? We do not tax English people in
China, and why should the Chinese be the only
people whom the British Government tax and be-
have unjustly to ? Even those who come to Sydney,
which is a free port, and a great number of them by
their diligent feet travel overland to this place,
which is many hundred miles, are met on the bor-
ders :of this district, and £4 demanded to admit
them into the district, after which they must pay the
beforementioned taxes or be dragged off to prison.
How can these poor Chinamen pay this ? They are
not prepared to meet such a demand, and therefore
it comes upon them with a double rigour. The
abovementioned are only part of our difficulties ;
you see the lawmakers show but little kindness to-
wards us, unlike her Majesty Queen Victoria of
England, in her merciful kindness to the Chinamen ;
but, boasting of the authority placed in them by
her Majesty, degrade her laws by such iniquitous
acts, and render themselves odious and con-
temptible ; yet they think to gain praise
by such wickedness and enrich the colony : but God
is good everywhere and will not allow such injus-
tice to pass unpunished, but will visit such acts
with his displeasure. I have asked some intelligent
men why the tax is only imposed on the Chinese,
and not on the people of other nations. The answer
that I received was, that China is the thickest po-
pulated country in the world, and if the Chinese
were allowed to come freely here, this country
would form a Chinese empire, and they would
usurp the gold fields to themselves ; others, that we
do not bring our wives and families, and when we
get gold we leave here and seek for home and plea-
sures. ' All Europeans do not stay here, but make
fortunes and return to their home countries,' I re-
plied, and hope to answer such arguments with all
reasonableness. I said, As to our wives coming
here, that would only make greater the one evil
you complain of, by increasing the already large
number of Chinese in this place ; but one great law
of the Chinese nation is duty to parents, and our
greatest:sage and philosopher, Confucius, says, As
a son, be dutiful to your parents ; as a brother, be
brotherly to elder brothers ; and as a minister, be
faithful to your prince.' Now, should we keep such
laws and maxims if we neglect to return to our pa-
rents who sorrowfully part from us, and did we not
leave our wives to comfort them and serve them
while we seek to find in a rich land the means to
make their closing years happy
right or filial duty, to forget those
they
ou lhdo this
are bin
e
lV
w
e
many cases suffering from want that h might
give us the means to
come re
" Again, it is said our Chinese are an ignorant
immoral set of heathens, and will contaminate the
Europeans who are located here • but is not such a
charge unjust and untrue? Who sees the Chinese
drink, or what crime does he act that Europeans do
not as bad ? Drunkenness is everywhere about the
land, and causes men and women to be degraded
below the vile animals ; and if they were treated as
others, and employed, being quick and submissive,
would they not be found good farm servants ? And
are they not skilled in gardening? True, they are
a nation of heathens, but are they likely to believe
the Gospel when the Christian lawmakers and
magistrates, by their cruel laws and oppressive acts,
deny what the missionary teaches ? Jesus says,
Love your neighbour as yourself ;' and do these
men obey the Great Maker and Saviour of the Chi-
nese as well as of all other nations in the world ?
" You will not have forgotten the Rev. Mr.
Young, who was at Hongkong. He is most desirous
and anxious to do good with our people here, but
such cannot be, for they say no, what he preaches
is lies, will not help him to build a place for the
worship of God ; and I am told it is so on the gold
fields. One of my schoolmates, a missionary, says it
is a great difficulty to him, for he says they tell him
his religion is bad, and Christians are followers of
the devil, not God, so it is hard to do good to our
Chinese people. I, as you know, have held a Go-
vernment situation, and am a faithful adherent of
her Majesty, yet I grieve for the sorrows and diffi-