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Arms into China should be
prohibited; and I am requested that
I should consider this matter with reference to the abovementioned Treaties, and to report to your Lordship at my earliest convenience, my opinion whether the Chinese Government, consistently with its engagements to Foreign Powers, could prohibit the importation
of
Arms into China.
In obedience to your Lordship's commands, I have
considered this matter with reference to the
several Treaties entered into by China with
Great Britain, the United States and France, and have the
honour to
report
it is my opinion, that the Chinese
Government cannot, consistently
+
the
with its engagements, prohibit the
importation of Arms into China, by the Subjects of
those states:
In the Tariff annexed
to the Treaty with Great Britain in 1843 (Page 15 of the
printed Book) and also in
annexed to the supplementary Treaty of 1843, (Page 47) it is provided that an ad valorem
duty of 5 per Cent shall be levied on
the
importa-
tions
of
all articles not
enumerated, and
Fire arms are not
amongst the enumerated articles, it would seem to
follow that they may
be
imported on payment of the ad valorem duty, especially as there is
no
direct prohibition