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decided and useful check on that of Macao. I almost presume that this Your Excellency's view is no less than my own, because you declare that unless the prohibitions alluded to by the Prince of Shuny can be enforced both at Macao and Hong Kong, no favourable results of the Chinese Government's law will be of any avail. I infer therefore that we are agreed as to the practical inutility or rather the decidedly objectionable course of hampering fairly conducted Emigration operations here to the encouragement of a more questionable trade at Macao:
1.
I will next venture to observe that the recommendation which Your Excellency has given to the Prince to declare it Piracy to carry Chinese Coolies except at stated places and on certain conditions, may from the context imply that you believe there exists a power in the Chinese Government to make certain Acts Piracy or offences against International law, though they are not so expressly... You observe that our Edict is striking a great blow at the traffic no matter from whence a ship sails or under what flag. "I therefore thought it desirable to obtain the Attorney General's opinion on the subject, and now do myself the honor to forward it, that you may see there is a risk of your meaning being misconstrued.
20 July 1889.