cost
of the business transacted in this Harbour, consists in the mere transhipment of Goods from
Wessel to another,
we are
· satisfied, that any.
attempt to enfance such a charge, would
merely have had the effect of drivin
:et of driving the ships
to
orre
of the adjacent anchorages, without the
limits of the Port .
We also fully
concur in the sound
policy, which has exempted Wine, Beer, and
Spirits from duty
inasmuch as a
ad any revenue.
which could have been derived from the
limited
consum
Cumption ii so small u communi
the
community,
could not have been expected to pay
expense of collection .
That the bivil, Naval, and Military
Servants of Government
ment are subject to the
Income Part payment of 3 pr bent as an
Hongkong, from which the Merchants
in
are exempt,
this
ad a
we submit does not apply to
Colonial question; for they
anik
equally.
131
equally liable to that tars at other places, and
even on the high Seas.
It
: remains for us to notice the remarks
of His Excellency in Council on what is termed . the Trade of Hongkong.
The reported increases in tonnage
ber
of
we cannot consider any proof of extended Trade, for it shows nothing, more than the Ships that have anchored in Hongkong Bay
on their way to other Ports.
All, or nearly all, the botton ships
in a
from India have stopped a few hours Hongkong before proceeding to Canton, but not a
single
le Bale of their bargoes has been landed or sold here; and the same remark
may generally apply to the ships from England. But it would be as erroneous to infer.
from the number of inward Bessels, that there is
of Trade, or indeed that there is Trade at all, as to suppose, because all the
an increase
any
English