[Land Regulations. Tientsin.]

to carry out the objects of these Regulations, and such Bye-laws if adopted by a special general meeting of the land renters and approved by Her Britannic Majesty's Minister, shall be of the same force and effect as these Regulations.

Committee may be sued in Her Britannic Majesty's Consular Court.

12. The Committee shall be liable to be sued, through their Secretary, in Her Britannic Majesty's Consular Court at Tientsin by any person who may deem himself injured by any act of the Committee or its officers, and, should the plaintiff obtain damages in any such suit, said damages and the costs of such suit shall be summarily recoverable by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul and paid out of the funds levied under the authority of these Local Land Regulations.

Land Renters' Meetings and Voters' Qualifications.

13. In addition to the annual general meeting of land renters Her Britannic Majesty's Consul may at any time when it appears to him needful or on the requisition of the Chairman of the Land Renters' Committee, or on that of at least five of the land renters or their representatives, provided such requisition set forth satisfactory grounds for such request, convene a general meeting of land renters, giving seven days' notice of the meeting and its object. The resolutions passed by a majority at all general meetings, annual as well as occasional, upon subjects which these meetings are competent to consider, shall be binding upon all renters of land and their representatives within the limits of the Settlement, provided that at such meeting at least one-third of the resident land renters or their representatives are present, [and all registered owners of at least mows of land within the said limits shall be entitled to a vote at the said annual and other duly convened general meetings. Provided always that this clause shall not entitle any land renter or any firm to more than one vote].*

Cancelled, from "and all registered" to "than one vote." See Provisional Rules below substituted.

Provisional Rules for Voting at Land Renters' Meetings at Tientsin.

1. The registered lessees of undivided concession lots and their representatives shall be entitled to vote at all land renters' meetings and to sit upon the Municipal Council, each of the said undivided lots carrying with it one vote.

2. Where an original concession lot has been subdivided, the sub-tenants may jointly nominate a representative, who shall then be entitled to vote for the whole lot and to sit upon the Council.

3. The recognised agents in the actual employ of absent land renters and the holder of written authority (either special or general) to act for qualified voters absent from any meeting shall alone be deemed representatives. Provided that if lots be registered as the property of married women or infants the legal male representatives of said married women and infants may, in respect of such repre sentation, vote and sit upon the Council.

4. The resolutions, passed by a majority of votes at all general meetings upon subjects which these meetings are competent to consider, shall be binding upon all renters and their representatives provided that at such meetings at least one-third

[Land Regulations, Tientsin.]

Chairman of the Land Renters' Meetings, &c.

14. Her Britannic Majesty's Consul shall be ex-officio Chairman of all general meetings of land renters, and in his absence then such land renter as the majority of voters present shall nominate, and at all such general meetings the chairman shall have a casting vote in questions upon which the voters present are equally divided in opinion.

Consul sapproval of a Resolution passed at a General Meeting necessary to its validity in certain cases.

15. In all cases in which land renters in public meeting duly assembled, as provided by these Regulations, decide upon any matter of a municipal nature not already enumerated and affecting the general interests, such decision shall first be submitted to the Consul for his approval, and unless such approval be officially given such resolution shall not be valid and binding. Provided always that a term of seven days shall elapse between the date of the Resolution and the signification of approval by the Consul, during which term any person considering himself prejudiced in property or interests by the Resolution may represent his case to the Consul for consideration. After the expiration of the term of seven days, the Consular approval, if signified, shall be final. Provided also that, should the Consul signify his disapproval of the resolution and should his veto be protested against in writing by three or more of the land renters within a further period of seven days from the date of its being made known, it shall be lawful for the said land renters to appeal through the Consul to Her Britannic Majesty's Minister, whose decision shall be final.

The Consular Constable and Land Renters' Police may apprehend all Persons found committing or charged with committing certain offences.

16. It shall be lawful for the Consular constable and the land renters' policemen, when these latter shall have been sworn in as special constables by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, to apprehend forthwith all persons whatsoever within the limits of the Settlement who may be found in the act of committing a nuisance or committing tions may be carried also by a show of hands in the first instance if a division be of the land renters or their representatives are present, and provided such resolu or his duly authorized representative be absent from any general meeting the resolu. not at the time demanded. Provided also that if Her Britannic Majesty's Consul tions passed at such meetings shall not be binding without his approval.

the 12 days' notice concerning the annual general meeting and the day of the

meeting.

6. Any person claiming a vote which has not been previously registered shall used or the vote will not be allowed. register such vote at least seven days before any meeting at which the vote is to be shall be passed, if possible, at the annual meeting, and the estimates for the coming Council having been previously year voted at the same meeting.

[Land Regulations. Tientsin.]

a felony or breaking the peace or being drunk and disorderly, or who may be charged with the commission of the said offences; and Her Britannic Majesty's Consul shall in the first instance enquire into the said charge, and deal with the accused according to law if he be a British subject, and, if not, the said Consul shall send the accused in custody to his own national authority with a statement and with the evidence of the crime or offence on account of which he had been apprehended, and if the accused have no Consular Representative at Tientsin, then Her Britannic Majesty's Consul shall request the local Chinese authorities to deal with the case, and shall depute an officer of Her Britannic Majesty's Consulate to act as an assessor at the trial of the accused.

Provided always that no constable shall, without a special warrant, enter any occupied lot or compound for the purpose of apprehending any person or persons therein, unless called upon upon by one of its occupants to do so, or unless pursuing an offender into said lot or compound.

Penalties for carrying Firearms, &c., about the Settlement, and for other herein specified Offences.

17. The masters, mates, and seamen of merchant vessels shall not be allowed to carry firearms or other dangerous weapons about the Settlement, nor shall persons be permitted to drive or ride furiously along the bund and roads nor causelessly to create a noise or disturbance thereon. It shall be the duty of the Consular constable and other special constables charged with enforcing these Regulations to apprehend any person whatsoever offending against this Regulation, and to bring him in the first instance before Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, who may punish the offender for each offence, if said offender be a British subject, by a fine not exceeding $10, or by one week's imprisonment, with or without hard labour.

If the said offender, however, be not a British subject, then Her Britannic Majesty's Consul shall send him in custody to his own national authority, with a statement of the offence on account of which he has been apprehended. Provided that should the said offender have no Consular representative at Tientsin then Her Britannic Majesty's Consul shall request the local Chinese authorities to deal with the case, and shall depute an officer of Her Britannic Majesty's Consulate to act as an assessor at the trial of the accused.

Licences.

18. No tavern, public-house, boarding-house, or house of entertainment shall be opened within the limits of the Settlement without a licence from Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, and without paying the annual licence fee in such behalf payable, and said licence shall be granted subject at any time to revocation should it be proved that such house or tavern is conducted in an improper or disreputable manner or that the inmates or frequenters thereof

[Land Regulations. Tientsin.]

misconduct themselves or act in a disorderly manner. Persons convicted of a breach of this Regulation shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $100, which fine shall be summarily recoverable by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul from the proprietor of the house if he be a lease holder or British subject, and if not, from the leaseholder upon whose land the said house is situated.

Combustible Materials not to be stored in the Settlement or in Ships moored to the British Bund.

19. No vessel laden with gunpowder or other dangerous combustible material shall be allowed to be moored to the mooring posts along the British bund, nor shall any such aforesaid materials be stored in houses or godowns within the limits of the Settlement under a penalty not exceeding $200 for each breach of this Regula-tion, which penalty shall be summarily recoverable from the hirer of said building or the leaseholder of the lot upon which said building is situated, as the case may be, in the same way as the penalty attached to a breach of Regulation No. 18 of these Regulations.

Vessels Mooring along the Bund.

20. All vessels that moor along the British bund must fasten their hawsers to the mooring posts set apart for their use, paying such mooring charges in that behalf as are payable, and the police of the Settlement shall see that no hawsers or chain cables are made fast to trees, or fixed in such a way as to impede the public path. Penalties summarily recoverable and their Amounts payable to the

Land Renters' Committee.

21. The Committee of Land Renters or their Secretary may recover summarily before Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, or other Consul having competent jurisdiction, all penalties imposed by these Regulations and by any Bye-laws which may hereafter be framed under the said Regulations and approved by Her Majesty's Minister; and it shall be lawful for the said Consul to adjudge the offender to pay the penalty incurred together with such costs attending the conviction as he, the said Consul, shall think fit. All penalties so recovered shall be carried to the credit of the said land renters' Committee, in diminution of the general expenditure authorized by the provisions of these Local Land Regulations. Provided that in case any person liable to any penalty, or any defaulters or owners or shippers or consignees of goods refusing to pay any rate, due, tax, or fine, have no Consular Representative at the Port of Tientsin then the said Committee shall, with the consent of the local authorities and under powers delegated, try them to this end, be at liberty to detain and sell such portion of the goods, or use such other means as with the consent of the local authorities may be necessary to obtain payment of such rate, due, tax, or fine.

[General Regulations. Tientsin.]

Persons acting in execution of these Regulations not to be personally liable.

22. No matter or thing done or contract entered into by the Committee, nor any matter or thing done by any member thereof or by any person whomsoever acting under the direction of the Committee, shall, if the matter or thing were done or the contract entered into bona fide for the purpose of executing these Regulations, subject them, or any of them personally to any action, liability, claim, or demand whatsoever; and any expense properly and with due authority incurred by the Committee, or by any Member thereof, or by any person whomsoever acting under the direction of the Committee shall be borne and repaid out of the fund collected under the authority of these Regulations.

Proof of Regulations.

23. For the purpose of convicting any person committing an offence against any of these Regulations, and for all other purposes, a printed copy of the Regulation purporting to be certified under the hand and seal of Her Majesty's Minister in China, shall be conclusive evidence of the Regulation, and no proof of the handwriting or seal purporting to certify the same shall be required.

APPROVED BYE-LAWS.

I. That the bund being now complete the full mooring charge of 5 Mexican cents per register ton shall in future be charged on all sailing vessels.

III. That the Treasurer of the Municipal Council shall at no time retain in his hands more than 1,000 taels. Any excess over this amount is to be deposited in a bank at Shanghai; "but when extraordinary expenditure is immediately contemplated, the Honorary Treasurer is empowered to retain in his hands a larger

IV. That any owner of a portion of a lot measuring 4 mows or more, provided there be a foreign residence thereon, shall be entitled to a vote, excepting, however, the Municipal lot, for which no vote shall be allowed.

Any person or firm residing in the British settlement at Tientsin, being neither land renter nor representative of such, paying in the name of the person or firm wharfage dues or taxes to the British Municipality of not less than 100 taels per annum shall be entitled to a vote at all meetings of land renters in the British Settlement.

The vote under this head not to be transferable and to cease upon the voter becoming either a land renter or representative of such on the British Settlement.

VII. That after 31st December, 1887, no wheel barrows or heavy drays shall be allowed to ply in the Settlement.

This prohibition not to extend to light carts.

GENERAL REGULATIONS.

Former Regulations repealed and present ones binding upon all British Subjects at the Port of Tientsin.

1. The Consular Regulations for the Port of Tientsin published by Acting-Consul Gibson on the 27th October, 1863, are hereby repealed, such of their provisions as are not intended to be abro