93
To this ent, I went on to say, I had already in concert with the French Janin Vamen entered into certain Treaty stipulations which I believe well calculated to promote the objects both Governments had at heart, and such as would go far to reconcile conflicting interests. There mainly consisted in giving to the Chinese Government a power to appoint Consuls, and to the Colony many of the privileges of a Free Port.
Pending the decision of H.M. Government on these points, and in the interval before such provisions could come into operation, if the convention were ratified, I remarked it was essential that the most scrupulous care should be taken by the Custom House Cruisers, Lekin tax collectors and all others concerned in the measure for collecting duties or repressing smuggling not to give any further cause of complaint to the authorities and Merchants of Hongkong by unjustifiable interference with the Trade of the Colony, and I hoped therefore H.E. would give renewed instructions of a most stringent character to all concerned.
The Vice Roy listened apparently with great interest and attention to all observations on this subject of which this is only a summary, and gave me the assurance I desired, without hesitation observed, that without disputing its ...
be
only