Notice
Once His Excellency, who declared his willingness to meet your views, and expressed himself much more displeased with the occurrence than, probably, he had given expression to in his former communications.
Accordingly he addressed a despatch to me, a copy of which I enclose. That despatch is marked A.
As with his verbal communications, but with the repeated assurances I have had from him that nothing of the kind would again occur, I hope it will be deemed sufficient.
12th June 1868.
I think it right to say that strong suspicions exist respecting the smuggling of salt by these Hong Kong fishing boats; and though, of course, the modus operandi of the salt gabelle cruisers to remedy the evil is indefensible, still when so little sympathy is shown by the Colonial Government for the endeavours of China to protect its revenue, it can scarcely be expected that the authorities feel any very warm desire...