Early in June I learned that a certain broker who did business here for the Chinese merchants residing at Formosa could give me some information as to the nature of the native trade between Hoiything and that Place. He came to see me and his statement forms the subject of Enclosure No. 21. That witness acted here as Agent for three Formosan Hongs, and has been a broker in this Colony.
He stated that no junk goods had been sent to Formosa by Chinese junks for 4 years "because the Chinese had to pay nearly double the Foreign tariff as well as two candareens per picul" - this witness promised to produce a couple of the duans (destinations?) of the junks and to get a list from the Hae You Chan station at which he had often paid duties, but he evidently got frightened at his own disclosure, viz: - that 3 Junks had come into Hoiything from Formosa without paying duty at Lau Chan for he did not return, nor did he send the masters of the junks.
The master of the Chun Tai Hong, which does a large West Coast business, and a trader from the West Coast visited me several times, and their statement forms
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