department of
Government and the remainder. the Trade carried on at the Five Ports
opened by Treaty, but as this latter could
not be done without giving Foreign Vessel's and Foreign Merchants
an
advantage
over
British
it would be more advisable that it should along with all other necessary outlays on behalf of
the Settlement, form a
REVENUE
deduction from the large
which the Trade produces, to be chargeable upon the country which from
Trade, derives so many
advantages.
Opium Licenses. By Government ordinance,
the Licence for selling opium in quantities less than a chest is £72 per
annum.
Licenses are now
held I believe by five persons. all therefore who are not Licenced are restricted from selling less than a chest, value £112 10s . This opium with the exception of some from Turkey is the
produce and manufacture of British India
and gives a large Revenue to the Indian Government - There
seems
to be no reason
why
it should be taxed
more than British manufactured
and with equal if not more
justice might
a
license be made
necessary for disposing of the
latter and persons not licenced be restricted from
selling less at a time than a bale or
package of Manchester goods. - Opium in this
settlement is as
legal as any
other article, it
is the
staple article of Trade and it is
necessary
to the Chinese Merchants.
Besides it
is
injudicious to
put
a
restriction
upon
the
Trade which would chiefly induce Chinamen to settle here and Traders to visit the port and which would contribute so much to the
prosperity of the settlements. It is the interest of the Government to encourage
the small Traders as well as the large, but as the former can only buy in small quantities and generally require some of each description of drug the present system compels them, if they trade at all,