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enlisting thereby the interests of the licensees in the suppression of all unlicensed houses. From a remark in one of Sir Richard's dispatches, it would seem that Sir H. Robinson shared the views of Sir J. Bowring. But neither of them succeeded in obtaining the sanction of H. M. Government for so daring an innovation. Sir R. MacDonnell, before resorting to this policy which he knew to be not only repugnant to the feelings of H. M. Government and condemned by several successive Secretaries of State, but likely to arouse strong opposition on the part of public opinion in England, did his very best, while sounding the Colonial Office on the subject of licensing, to purify the police and to suppress all gambling houses by the strongest measures of discipline and legislation. As soon as he had, by personal investigation, ascertained the seriousness and extent of the evil, and the nature of the difficulties which stood in the way of its abatement, he set to work to weed the Police Force of its suspects and to inspire the remainder with a wholesome terror of his determination to bring to book every defaulter. For a time the corrupt members of the Force dared not take bribes and the keepers of gambling houses curtailed their operations and redoubled their precautions. Sir Richard soon added legislative to his executive and detective measures. He had not been many months in the Colony, before he introduced an amended Registration Ordinance (7 of 1866) with many novel and important provisions. Amongst them was the application of the principle of vicarious responsibility, making registered householders responsible for the payment of fines incurred by residents or lodgers in houses for certain offences, more especially gambling, but giving householders a remedy over against the original offenders if they could catch them. The Chinese householders considered this essentially Chinese principle a great hardship, and the managers of gambling associations were so driven into a corner that they offered the Governor first $200,000 and then $365,000 per annum for a licence to open a limited number of gaming houses. They shewed thereby what an immense sum they could afford to