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Harbour to go alongside one or other of the Hulks. This was subsequently modified and restricted to vessels arriving with Opium on board. These vessels were to dis- charge their Opium into an Opium Hulk-the French Mail steamers into the French. Hulk, the British into the British, and others into a miscellaneous Hulk,
2. Opium stored in the Opium Hulks was to be treated as follows when leaving the Hulk:-
(a.) Opium leaving a Hulk to go by steamer to Macao, or by small Coasting vessels, not under the foreign flag, to Chinese ports, to pay Duty and Lekin before leaving the Hulk.
(b.) Opium leaving a Hulk to be taken to any Godown at Hongkong other than
the Customs' Godown, to pay Duty and Lekin before leaving the Hulk. (c.) Opium leaving a Hulk to be taken to a Chinese Treaty Port by vesselst under Treaty Power flags, or belonging to the China Merchants Com- pany, to pay Duty and Lekin at the Treaty Port in the manner provided for by the Additional Article, but the Hulk Officials to issue to each such vessel for delivery to the Customs at the Treaty Port, a Cargo Certificate describing the nature and quantity of Opium received from the Hulk, and to be delivered at the Treaty Port, and they were also to send a copy of that certificate by some other vessel direct to the Customs at the port concerned.
Modifications would have been made on this plan if the general outline had been acceptable to the Hongkong Government--such as refunding duty on opium consumed in the Colony-or shewn to have been exported to places other than China. Another was that the Hulks should be placed under the British flag.
Under instructions from Her Majesty's Government, the British Commissioners could not assent to the first proposal and did not take it into consideration. It is needless to enter into the arguments for and against the Hulk plan, as it appeared to the Hongkong Commissioner to be, even with considerable modifications, of a nature that could not be sanctioned by the Government of this Colony. However as it was desirable to help the Chinese Government to collect their Opium Revenue if we could do so without injury to ourselves, Mr. RUSSELL submitted to the Commission certain proposals which he had long had under consideration. These proposals were accepted by the Chinese Government. Subsequent discussion led to some modifications, and the conditional arrangement arrived at is the one now laid on the table.
1
This Memorandum of Agreement was transmitted by the Officer Administering the Government to the Imperial Government, to the Viceroy of India, and to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking, with a Confidential Report drawn up by Mr. RUSSELL.
By a Confidential Despatch dated 21st January last, the Secretary of State for the Colonies conveyed to the Officer Administering the Government the approval of Her Majesty's Govern- ment of the course taken in this matter, and sanctioned the introduction of the Draft Ordinance prepared by Mr. RUSSELL by which it is proposed to carry into effect the terms of the Memo- randum of Agreement, so soon as it was ascertained that the equivalent arrangements with the Government of Macao, referred to in condition 1 of that Memorandum, had been concluded.
A telegram recently received from Her Majesty's Minister at Peking conveys the infor- mation that these equivalent arrangements with Macao have been concluded, and that from 1st April next all duties on goods exported and imported by junks from Hongkong and Macao- not those on Opium only as contemplated by the Additional Article-will be collected by the Inspector-General's Department. The Stations at the entrances to this Harbour and that of Macao will therefore in future be under a Commissioner of the Imperial Customs instead of the Hoppo and Lekin Board as formerly.
The Officer Administering the Government therefore lays on the table, to be read a first time the Draft Ordinance which will carry out the conditions mentioned in the Memorandum of Agreement, and which will, it is expected, protect and improve the Opium Excise Revenue of the Colony. It is practically the same measure as has been in force in the Straits Settlements for years past, and which has worked so well that Singapore alone obtains about $86,000 a month from the Opium Farmers. It is confidently anticipated moreover that when this arrange- ment has been carried out all grounds will be removed for the complaints that were so frequent some years ago of the vexatious proceedings of the Native Customs Officials at the Stations near Hongkong. The duties to be levied at these Stations will be according to a fixed Tariff instead of an uncertain and variable one, as they have hitherto been alleged to be, and it is provided that in case of any dispute the Governor of Hongkong can depute an Officer to make enquiry into the matter in conjunction with the Commissioner of the Imperial Customs.