4th May forwarding a memorial from the Brine Farmers in which he forwards a request for the disallowance or suspension of the Ordinance.
2. I have already informed you in my Telegram of the 14th instant that Her Majesty will not be advised to exercise Her power of disallowance with respect to this Ordinance, and when there is no reason why it should not be brought into operation at once.
3. I request you to inform the Open Farmers to that effect, and in reply to their petition that I have carefully considered their memorial, but I cannot assume that they are not parties to or gainers by such smuggling transactions, and cannot therefore admit that the Ordinance infringes their rights, since it is open to them to legitimately declare goods when entered into China can always be entered on the ship's manifest.