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and wardrobes in splendid order, and in many
    cases they make cakes and sweetmeats which are sold on the streets
    by their own offspring. The question naturally arises,--Are these
    women and girls free agents? It is very difficult to say with
    certainty whether they are free or not, but it is generally
    admitted that a subtle form of domestic slavery does exist in the
    Straits, and that boys as well as girls are bought and sold with
    impunity.

    This account in no way exaggerates conditions, as official
    documents plainly show. We will confine our thoughts, however,
    to the women. In a plea for the continuance of the Contagious
    Diseases Ordinance at Singapore, Mr. Pickering, "Protector,"
    describes two classes of prostitutes, a proportion of free women
    "who come down here to gain a livelihood, and girls purchased when
    very young.... These are absolutely the property of their owners,
    chiefly women whom the girl calls 'mother,' and whom they regard
    as such.... The mistress brings her girls down to the Straits, and
    either sells them, or takes them from place to place, lodging them
    in licensed brothels where she resides, nominally a servant, but
    receiving the earnings of her girls, and paying a commission to
    the licensed keeper. In case of sale, the so-called 'mother'
    receives the price paid for her 'daughter,' and the 'daughter'
    signs a promissory note for the amount, with heavy interest; the
    former owner returns to China, and the victim is bound to serve
    the S