Colton, unless in contraband
And
trading
that the penalty to which the Junkman
under the laws of his Country;
is liable,
for bringing
it here, is strangulation
but
and confiscation of all his substance. It is likely the extreme penalty upon smuggling is rarely resorted to, still the power of enforcing it resides in
the Government;
Let this Government only have reason to
know
the Chinese trader
and the
grow jealous of an increasing Junk trade between Hongkong and the Coast, and as the Treaty
now
stands, and without
resorting
to any
process not abundantly warranted by
their
own
laws, they half a dozen sharp examples
would put an end to it.
That they
do
not enforce the laws against smuggling, and
shut their
eyes
to
a
Junk's touching here
because the thing
is so trifling as not
to excite their jealousy. Really it is
a matter of immense surprise to me
how
Hongkong has
any
trade of any
kind
at all! Here we have these two
16
powerful Houses making heavy pecuniary
sacrifices
to the Coast,
other months, to beat back
any
trade which
may try
to
force its way down to this Colony,
and
sugars and
thereby utterly shutting out the
such as Camphor and Alum
Coarse drugs,
and similar stuffs, which the native coasters would otherwise bring
down to it
is hard
enough for
any young Colony to contend with But
when in addition to this
treaty with
China limits all Junk traffic with this port to Junk's clearing
out of the Chinese Five
and places even these
under the most pecuniary restrictions. My repeated wonder is that the Colony has any
trade
at all! Upon national calculation could we ever have expected a junk trade
out of the Five Ports. Picul of produce
if there be
any
at any
of these Ports, which would pay
are obtained
there the spot to buy it. there
Merchants on
our merchandize
Stored)