Page:Crime and government at Hong Kong.pdf/59

 society, and made himself the master of his clan. Their members were to a man police-informers—and pirates; and, ashore or afloat, his purposes were equally well served. Even the European police of the island were indirectly, yet almost entirely, placed at his disposal. He was the Jonathan Wild of Hong Kong;—he received tribute from the hordes of the pirates of the China seas, who infested our trade, and robbed and murdered our people;—he levied black-mail from those who were spared;—he equipped piratical expeditions on his own account;—he sheltered those of his friends, and betrayed those of his enemies:—he denounced as pirates those who were innocent of piracy, and his denunciation was destruction; for the Hong Kong Government, having his simple assurance, needed no further proof to set in motion the forces of Her Majesty;—and the finding of the Commission itself confirms, to the letter, the statement of the official witnesses, that, almost as he thought fit, numbers of the Hong Kong Chinese were arrested or liberated, boats and property seized or restored; and yet, on no occasion could any of his victims be found to appear openly against him, and demand justice for those misdeeds; for the Chinese were "in terror of their lives." And wherefore? Let one of those witnesses explain the reason.

"During the whole of that time, whenever reference was made to Ma-chow Wong, either by subordinate officers of police, by old European residents, or by Chinese, they always coupled his name with some epithet having reference to his bad character. As a