TIENTSIN TREATY, 1858
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Art. XXVIII.-Whereas it was agreed in Article X. of the Treaty of Nanking that British imports, having paid the ta iff dutie, hould be conveyed into the nterior, free of all fu ther charges, except a transit duty, the amount whereof wa not to exceed a certain percentage on tariff value; a d whereas, no accurate information having been furnished of the amount of such duty, British merchants have on ta tly complained that harges are uddenly and arbitrarily impo-ed by the provinc al authorities as transit duties upon produce on its way to the foreign market, and on impo ts on their way into the interior, to the detriment of trade; it is agreeЛ that within four months from the signing of this Treaty, at all ports now open to British trade, and with n a sim lar pe id at all ports that may hereafter be opened, the authority appointed to super ntend the collection of duties shall be obliged, upon application of the Consul, to declare the amount of duties leviable on produce between the place of production and the port of shipment, upon imports between the Consular po tin que-tion and the inland markets named by the Con-ul; and that a notification thereof shall be published in English and Chine-e for general information.
But it shall be at the option of any British subje t desi ing to convey produce purchased inland to a port, or to convey imports from a port to an inland market, to clear his goods of all transit duties, by payment of a single charge. The amount of this charge shall be leviable on exports at the first barrier they may have to pass, or, on imports, at the port at which they are landed; and on payment thereof a certificate shall be issued, which shall exempt the goods from all further inlard charges whatsoever.
It is further agreed that the amount of the charge shall be calculated, as nea ly as possible, at the rate of two and a half per cent. ad valorem, and that it shall be fixed for each article at the conference to be held at Shanghai for the revision of the tariff. It is distinctly un-erstood that the payment of transit dues, by comuutation or otherwise, shall in no way affect the tariff duties on imports or exports, which will continue to be levied separately and in full.
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Art. XXIX.-British merchant vessels, of more than one hundred and fifty tons burden, shall be charged tonnage-dues at the ate of four mace per ton; if of one hundred and fifty tons and under, they shall be charged at the rate of one ae per ton. Any ves el clearing from any of the open ports of China for any other of the open poits, or for Hongkong, shall be entired, on application of the master, to a special certificate from the Customs, on exhibition of which she shall be exempted from all further payment of tonnage dues in any open ports of China, for a period of four months, to be reckoned from the port-clearance.
Art. XXX. The master of any British merchant-vessel may within forty-eight hours after the arrival of his vessel, but not later, decide to depart without breaking bulk, in which case he will not be subject to pay tonnage-dues. But tonnage-dues shall be held due after the expiration of the said forty-eight hours. No other fees or charges upon entry or departure shall be levied.
Art. XXXI.-No tonnage-dues shall be payable on boats employed by British subjects in the conveyance of passengers, baggage, letters, articles of provision, or other articles not subject to duty, between any of the open ports. All cargo-boats, however, conveying merchandise subject to duty shall pay tonnage-dues once in six months, at the rate of four mace per register ton.
Art. XXXII.—The Consuls and Superintendents of Customs shall consult together regarding the erection of beacons or lighthouses and the distribution of buoys and lightships, as occasion may demand.
Art. XXXIII.-Duties shall be paid to the bankers authorised by the Chinese Government to receive the same in its behalf, either in sycee or in foreign money, according to the assay made at Canton on the thirteenth of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
Art. XXXIV.-Sets of standard weights and measures, prepared according to the standard issued to the Canton Custom-house by the Board of Revenue, shall be delivered by the Superintendent of Customs to the Consul at each port to secure uniformity and prevent confusion.