5th April, and to the Chinese Government through Sir John Walsham.
The Chinese Government accepted it on trial. They asked however that retailer should undertake not to send Opium in quantities less than one chest to any Treaty Port by steamer except to Canton, and then only by the River Steamer. There is no objection to sending Opium to all ports by Junk. This of course was at once agreed to, and indeed the Chinese Government need not have asked it, because at present Opium in quantities less than one chest is not legally admissible at the open ports.
In anticipation of the acceptance by China, I had prepared the necessary modifications in the Ordinance which was before the Council and it was only necessary to substitute for Sections 3, 4, 5 of my Ordinance, (Appendix D) Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of my first draft ordinance (Appendix A of my report) with a few modifications, also Section 14 was replaced by Section 16 of draft ordinance (Appendix A of my report). The sections were then renumbered, and to Section S was added a clause to enable the Magistrates to deal summarily with breaches of conditions of license in cases where it was thought unadvisable to proceed for the full penalty under the bond. Section 15 was also modified so as to allow fishing jinks belonging to Hongkong specially licensed to proceed from the anchorage at early hours.
When I acceded to the modification of Section 38, subsections 8 & 9 of Ordinance 8 of 1879, I did so on information from the Harbour Master that only one junk had left in six months under special clearance and that one Theatrical Company carrying ... Subsequently however it turned out that fishing Junks went out early...