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carrying passengers from China to ports within the China seas.
the L&BE
on my report of 9th Nov: 1867. I pointed out that if any practical grievance existed in this respect it might be removed by an Ordinance passed by the legislature of Hongkong. The correspondence was communicated to the Governor of Hongkong and to St. M. Minister at Peking. The former disapproved of any alteration of the British Law as to space &c. and suggested instead that the Chinese Government should be moved to impose the same restrictions on ships - but he proposed alterations which might be made by Proclamation as to the length of voyage, Dietary, Medicines &c.
From Sir R. Alcock no answer has been received.
3. In the letter from the Foreign Office of 4th April 1868, the inexpediency of any alteration of the Chinese Passenger Act which might interfere with the negotiations on the subject of the Convention of March 1866, is strongly insisted on. In this view it is impossible not to concur. But an alteration of the prescribed length of voyage and of the Dietary and medicines might be made without in any way interfering with the negotiations - the length