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employing their funds to advantage.
On sur...
(paragrafu (d/
the Memorialists quote certain figures from the returns of the revenue of the Chinese Imperial Customs, and they argue therefrom a decrease in the trade of China, and inferentially, it may be a decrease in the trade of Hongkong.
I presumed, I regret that I have not had time, being anxious to despatch the Memorial by the outgoing Mail, to thoroughly analyze the items which make up the totals quoted, but I have analyzed them sufficiently to satisfy myself that the argument advanced is misleading.
The Memorialists state that "the Chinese Customs revenue may safely be regarded as an index to the variations in trade." This is entirely erroneous.
To take, for example, one very important item, petroleum - the Chinese Customs revenue from this article has largely diminished at certain ports in 1892, but so far from the importations...
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