without any communication to or consultation with your Memorialists and an attempt was made to pass the Bill through all its stages at one setting.
Your Memorialist solemnly protest against the said Bill now passed and intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Prepared Opium Ordinances 1891" and numbered 4 of 1894, and submit for the consideration of Your Lordship that any alteration in the Prepared Opium Ordinance 1891 which in any way diminishes the rights, powers, privileges of the Opium Farmers, takes away the immunity from search, detention, seizure, forfeiture and penalties, hitherto annexed to the possession of their certificate, or exposes purchasers of opium from them to consequences and penalties to which they were not liable at the date of the grant of the Farm, is a breach of their contract with the Government for the Opium Farm with all its rights and privileges and all the benefits and advantages of the said Ordinance and entitles Your Memorialists to treat the said contract as broken.
If on board every steamer, sailing vessel, junk or other craft bound for Canton or Macao, every passenger is to be liable in Hongkong waters to be searched by the master or officers of the steamer, sailing vessel or junk or by spies and informers employed by them, and if any prepared opium found on his person or in his baggage exceeding "1 Jar" in weight, whether for his own personal use or authorised...