Regulation Ordinance (7 of 1880) was disallowed, whereby the old law (2 of 1878 and 4 of 1863), which this Ordinance had been intended to modify, revived.
In May and July, 1878, the attention of the Government was directed to the custom prevailing among the Chinese community of Hongkong, as throughout the whole Empire of China, of buying and selling girls for the purpose of domestic servitude. This custom was generally practised in Hongkong by means of nominal adoption connected with the payment of money to the parents in return for the privilege of using the child's services. The Attorney General (G. Phillippo) distinctly declared (June 21, 1878), in contradiction of the Governor's original views, that this practice did not constitute a criminal offence (May 30, 1878); that parties entering into a transaction of this nature in England would in no way bring themselves within the operation of the criminal law (June 21, 1878), and that the Police Magistrates had no jurisdiction in the matter. At the same time the Chinese community observed that, since the abolition of the Macao coolie trade, the practice of kidnapping young Chinese girls for exportation to the Straits Settlements, California and Australia, had enormously increased. As the kidnappers were believed to be chiefly people of the Tungkoon District, a Committee of Tungkoon merchants, headed by Mr. Fuug Ming-shan, was appointed by the Chinese community to devise some means to stop these kidnapping practices. Mr. Fung Ming-shan and others accordingly petitioned the Governor (November 9, 1878) for permission to form an Anti-kidnapping Association with power to employ detectives. Sir John appointed an official Committee (C. V. Creagh, J. J. Francis, W. M. Deane, E. J. Eitel) to investigate the matter, and this Committee recommended that the sanction of the Government be given to the constitution of the proposed Association on the basis of definite statutes (Gazette of February 4, 1880) drafted by Mr. J. J. Francis. The Association, which adopted the name Poleung Kuk, was accordingly formed and received (June 24, 1880) the formal approval of the Secretary of State. Later on (Gazette of August 5, 1882) rules
