542
to the
the Chinese Government agreed appointment of a Commission, to consist
officer of the Government, and a Chinese
of a British Consul, an
tong trong
official of equal rank, in order to the
istablishment of some system that should enable the Chinese Government to protect
its own pusnue without prejudice to the interests of the Colony, Certain rules were
framed by the Governor General Live in concert with
the duperintendent of Customs, in the fitness of which the late Consul Sir Brooke Rosection concurring, hi forwarded them to the Governor of Hong Kong. When I
was at Hong Kong in the spring, the
j
Governor informed me that he did not approve
of them for the simple reason that they do not remove what has been throughout complained of as the chief grievance of the Colony, the maintenance of the three Custom Houses cctablished to collect
revenue from the punks trading with it.
The right of the Government of
China to plant stations on its own
territory to collect revenue due to it by the Chinese trader, I have never disputed,
but the cordon of Custom Houses that watches Hong Kong, while it harasses the junk trade of the Colony in a manuir affronting to its Government, so far can learn, is but of small advantage to
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