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dircetly or indireetly from the Trade with
this humpire, should in Common Justies bear the expence incurred in affording them equally protection and facility for conducting
their
business provided for by the Treaty existing between Great Britain and China, and
in the next they
that the chief part pray of the expenses of the Colony may be charged against the Reverse derived from the
Trade between the two Countries which is cetimated at from 7 to 8 Millions of Sounds Sterling annually.
4. If I understand the meaning of this part of the Petition, it is intended to
that the Revenue neecitary for
the pray maintenance of this bland should not
be levied on the Mercantili firme
and
inhabitants residing at Houghing, but on the funds of the Imperial Government, and if this be their intention it is a
question
which it is unncecssary for me to
matter has been reported on by a fommittee of the House of Commons, and is one which Her Majesty's Government
can
alone determine; but if the intentions of the Petitionen be more confined, and they
mean to assert that the mercantile Community resident at the consulates should
in some degree be made to contribute towards the maintenance of this Colony, from the existence of which there
be doubt that they receive benefit, then I have to remark that the only means I am aware of for carrying out their views would be
the imposition of a certain sum on all vessels,
in the form of a Tonnage Duty, that come to China for the purposes of Trade. I would
request Your Lordship to understand that I do not recommend the adoption of this principle, and that I allude to it as the easiest, if not the only, mode of making