:
!
)
the Bill by the Government, the principal being, that the legal size of samples was increased to six taels, the clause as to the payment of duty in Hongkong was struck out, & the forfeiture penalty done away with;
the question of the Bonded warehouses not being settled
for the present.
But as this Government were pledged, through the
action of the legation at Peking, to collect the duties
on opium for the Chinese, it was decided to address
Peking upon the subject with a view to ascertaining the
exact wishes of the Chinese Government, & how far these
were compatible with the views of the Chamber of Commerce,
A Despatch was therefore sent to the British Chargé
d'Affaires (28 Aug 1899) containing a copy of the Bill
>
of 8/6/99, minus the amendments suggested by the Chamber
of Commerce (though these were also enclosed in the Desp.)
& asking that the views of the Chinese Government might be
ascertained, pointing out that it would be necessary to
obtain a guarantee that if the amount collected in
Hongkong did not come up to the cost of collection, the
Chinese Government would reimburse the Colony.
To this Mr Bax Ironside replied by telegraph, 15th
Sept 1899, that he thought there was no chance of the
Chinese Government giving the guarantee asked for,
more especially as they had been informed in the previous
February that the Hongkong Government would collect all
duties upon Opium for them. He thought however that
they would be satisfied if the duties on opium, destined for non-treaty ports, in junks, were,collected, as the Imperial Customs could see to all steamers,
3
81