measures would be asked for at Hong Kong,
and granted in London in order to relieve this horrible condition.
It seems at once obvious that the following would be some of them at
least:

1st, A clear announcement that this slavery was prohibited by
the Queen's Anti-Slavery Proclamation of 1845, and would not be
permitted.

2nd, Women who "supposed themselves to belong" to masters would be
at once told that they were free agents and belonged to no one.

3rd, The master who dared claim the ownership of a former slave
would be prosecuted and suitably punished.

4th, Any slave perishing miserably from disease would not only be
healed at public expense, but placed where there was no further
risk of contagion.

5th, Since such slaves had "an urgent claim on the _active_
protection of the Government," they would be treated as wards of
the State until safe from like treatment a second time.