43
554
attached at nearly the whole balance open,
and the Opium can be put in board from the factories if they do that little capital is required by the merchants.
As an instance of the influence and power of the two Hong Co. in the Colony I may mention that not a Comptadore nor Chinese Merchant would come here or give me any information for the last 14 days of February when it was fresh in their memory that the Government had almost determined not to give the monopoly to the Farmers and had not got details of the management long before and had no Managing Committee.
No childless man could have been got to take charge - the substance, we had been told we would levy a tax on what they had on hand - an unjust proceeding.
And I sent round a special messenger to tell them that if any fee would be taken it would be from the Farmer - However in the 1st March everything went on under the Native Management and a Portuguese Clerk as if no change in the Administration had taken place.
I had kept careful records made for days before