...........

the

diplomatic authorities

far

A

they are

wrong!

it is not easy to do with due

regard

514

Proclamation the doubtless, issued

with the above,

La

its Language

and thus

far

depended

to the Foreign Office. It appears

the best

the

7.0.

ca

that

to me that would be to write a letter, observing that

no doubt the Treaty of Tientsin only applied to the British Trade at Treaty Ports, & not to Chinese Trade or to other Ports; – that the Chinese were therefore at liberty to take the precautions which they had taken against smuggling by any person whatever into non-Treaty Ports, to

that it does not

interfere with British Trade at the Treaty Ports, that

His Grace resolved

to

to the establishment in Hongkong

agency for delivering

of

certificates, and that

while

capped

went too

far as the

force of the Viceroy's explanation

A

few words, which

but the

appeared not to have been used by the Viceroy,

are

it

the nature

of

and

that

open

to

interpreters' gloss

appeared to

some question whether, under the succession of Treaties which regulate this question, the Chinese Customs could properly impose duty on opium, being "British merchandise " (Treaty of Nanking, Art X. See _Treaties_ , Fol II, p. 224) and being an import at a

Treaty Port,

then the Likin may

be a

certain

Chinese Transit duty, any greater duty

than is

agreed

by the Treaty

at the rights of Tientsin, Art XXIII, and the

Tariff

contained

in it

if this

there

and

steps affected seriously that part of the community of Hongkong who

were

engaged

in contraband trade, this was

in consequence

of

an incident to which persons who exist by unlawful proceedings

must be liable.

On the other hand that the

agreement of Nov 8th 1858 (See _Treaties_ , pp. 91, 97)

in as open a manner

a clearer statement on this

head is in justice to British Traders required:

for it is

explained

by

M. Robertson's letters that he

anticipated objections

to this Govt.

of Hongkong

it appeared to H. E. unfortunate

that he did not ascertain the

Share This Page