traffic at the Treaty Ports should be left to the
Maritime Customs Authorities, so that vessels of all
nationalities may be placed on precisely the same
footing.
No communication has been received here from
the Hong Kong Government with regard to this
subject, but the fact of a letter having been sent
in February last to Mr Brenan and other Consuls by
that Government, asking their views on the question
of regulations for passenger ships on voyages of
not more than seven days' duration seems to show that
some legislation is or was contemplated, and ac-
cording to a letter, dated December 13th, 1895,
from the Shanghai Branch of the China Association
to Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colo-
nies, of which a copy has been sent to me an ordi-
nance has already been drafted.
2
I have the honour to refer in this connection
to Sir N. R. O'Conor's despatch No.171 of July 29th
1893, to Lord Rosebery, in which in discussing the
question