3.
under the Chinese Passenger Act.
2.
may
that, if my
despatch (No. 433, January 433 1868), and also the Acting Master's communication inclosed therein be referred to,
it will be found, that so far from advocating a change
The English Law (as seems to be inferred by the Foreign Office),
we do insist on the practice and necessity of the Provisions of the Chinese Passenger Act. Our suggestions were entirely at the insertion in a revised treaty with China of provision for raising the requirements imposed on emigrant vessels of all Countries leaving any port in China to the standard of the English Act. We should be sorry to support the policy of bringing that standard to the level of the requirements of other Countries, and rather infer from the correspondence transmitted by Your Lordship that some meaning has been misapprehended.
3.
It is no doubt somewhat discouraging at present to British Ship owners to find themselves frequently debarred from employment, which is left open to others, whose certificates are not so scrupulous as to the provisions made for the accommodation of a class of people as emigrants generally are.
Therefore, if a similar standard to that of England were to be insisted on and applied by the Chinese Authorities to