4
B
F
lessen our desire to hold it, — or make our power there of less importance:
and the Viceroy of
5
G
H
two Kwangs has an interest in hampering the
Bushong track from the hope that a portion of
it may return to Canton.
Having given these reasons
In questioning the
extent of the complaints laid against the Belgian-
K
L
M
I will proceed to facts - at least such facts
with the Customist statistics at my
command to adduce - These facts bear intimately
on
Opium smuggling as the whole question of loss of revenue
I resolved into our
of opium
and smuggling many
alone. The Canton Authorities treat the
smuggling as trifling
and the British outside the
ostensibly collect duties on
The imports of opium into Hongkong-the
Port at which opium first comes into view in the
First
256
first instance - are about 75,000 chests pour
The Malwa opium which forms about half
the import
is in chests of 1 pecul each- and the Patna and Benares opium, which form the other half,
in chests
of 120 catties each ; - Adding thereto 1/8th to the
import of
the latter we have about 82,000 peculs
the quantity to be accounted for.
The Imperial Maritime Customs returns show
that about 54,000 peculs paid duty at the Treaty
Ports in 1868 and though I have not the complete
returns for 1869 before
me it would not seem that the
quantity in that
year was
less. (The returns for 1870
have not yet been published) - 28,000 peculs have
therefore to be accounted for, presuming that no other opium
than that of Hongkong
smuggling is carried on
In excess of this some 4000 chests an
are I am told exported to Siam, Singapore, Manila, &c.
about
2000 chests are required for
shipment in foreign ships and
in bond, subject to drawback