I have to inform you that both Foreign and Chinese Merchants who tranship Kerosene oil entering Chinese waters will be liable to confiscation.
5. Having regard to your Excellency's instructions, it becomes a question whether I am justified in pressing the Council with the bill now before it, either in its present shape or in a modified form, and I trust your Excellency will be able to obtain satisfactory assurances that no attempt at the compulsory collection of duties will be made in Hongkong, such as is indicated in Mr. Louis Alabaster's dispatch.
6. Your Excellency can easily understand that a body of representative members, such as form part of the Legislative Council, have to be managed with tact, or a crisis might be the result. If the passing of laws rested on the will of the Government, matters would be easy; but whilst the constitution of the Council is what it is, time must be given for full and free discussion.
I have, &c.,
W. H. March.
P.S. Since writing the foregoing, I have received from Messrs. Jardine Matheson & Co. the enclosed extract from a letter from their agents at Foochow, complaining that the native officials up country are endeavouring to levy extra duty on tea that has paid the Likin duty and been properly labelled. The Consul at Foochow has no doubt supplied your Excellency with full information on this matter.
(Initialled) R. A. M.
Page 242
(No other changes made as the "Page 242" appears to be a page numbering indicator and is kept as is, following the instructions.)
The text has been formatted into paragraphs using HTML
tags. Spelling corrections and minor adjustments for clarity have been made while preserving the original content and tone. The postscript and initials have been kept, and the page numbering indicator "Page 242" is retained as per the instructions.
Here is the revised version without the extra explanation at the end:I have to inform you that both Foreign and Chinese Merchants who tranship Kerosene oil entering Chinese waters will be liable to confiscation.
5. Having regard to your Excellency's instructions, it becomes a question whether I am justified in pressing the Council with the bill now before it, either in its present shape or in a modified form, and I trust your Excellency will be able to obtain satisfactory assurances that no attempt at the compulsory collection of duties will be made in Hongkong, such as is indicated in Mr. Louis Alabaster's dispatch.
6. Your Excellency can easily understand that a body of representative members, such as form part of the Legislative Council, have to be managed with tact, or a crisis might be the result. If the passing of laws rested on the will of the Government, matters would be easy; but whilst the constitution of the Council is what it is, time must be given for full and free discussion.
I have, &c.,
W. H. March.
P.S. Since writing the foregoing, I have received from Messrs. Jardine Matheson & Co. the enclosed extract from a letter from their agents at Foochow, complaining that the native officials up country are endeavouring to levy extra duty on tea that has paid the Likin duty and been properly labelled. The Consul at Foochow has no doubt supplied your Excellency with full information on this matter.
(Initialled) R. A. M.
Page 242