The regulation of the trade of British subjects at Canton, the object of the other being the establishment at that place of a trial by jury for the trial of offences committed by British subjects in China.
A third order in Council of the same date imposed duties on British ships' cargoes entering Canton. Of these three Orders, all may be said to have been ineffectual. The two first have scarcely been brought into operation. The third was actually revoked by a subsequent order in Council, dated the 5th March 1834.
And thus the law stood till the commencement of the present year, when an Order in Council transferring the Court mentioned from Canton to Hong Kong was followed on the 24th January by another Order forbidding British subjects to resort to China for purposes of trade to ports except those enumerated.
Having regard to the state of commercial affairs and the late session of Parliament, it appeared to me inadequate to meet the exigencies which must be expected to arise.