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378 necessity for re-constructing the defective and dilapidated seawall and offering to the lot-holders the land to be reclaimed in front of their respective lots free of premium, in compensation for the reclamation expenses to be borne by them. But this offer met with the same obstructiveness which had hampered Sir J. Bowring's scheme. A public meeting of lot-holders, held on 13th September, 1864, resolved to protest against the proposal of burdening the lot-holders with the reclamation expenses and declared the existing sea-wall to be good enough for public purposes. A letter to this effect was addressed to the Colonial Secretary (September 20, 1864). Controversy ensued. The Colonial Secretary not only contested that the sea-wall needed rebuilding but that its original defective construction had been caused by the obstructions which the lot-holders had placed in the way of expenditure. This charge having been energetically rebutted by the lot-holders (November 18, 1864), Sir H. Robinson announced (November 20, 1864) that the extension of the Praya wall would not be enforced where not desired by the lot-holders. Meanwhile other public works had not been neglected. A Lock Hospital was erected in 1861, close to the Civil Hospital. Shaukiwan was supplied with a police station and a school-house. A new gaol was commenced, also in the year 1861, on Stonecutters' Island. By the year 1864 a new Central Police Station, the reclamation and building works connected with the Mint, a carriage road to Shaukiwan, and the construction of Stonecutters' Island Gaol were all completed.

Police and gaol management did not advance, even in this period of general administrative vigour, beyond the stage of unsatisfactory experiments. At the close of the year 1860, the personnel of the Police Force was considered as showing no improvement and though no very great fault was found with the Police as a preventive force, the whole question was felt to be one that baffled the wits of all who were responsible for the manifestly unsatisfactory condition of the Police. Bombay and Madras were tentatively resorted to (February 8, 1861) as recruiting grounds. In January and May, 1862,