:
A
Enclosure 4.
losure 3
Mr. Clementi dated the 7th. ultimo
104
in which he points out
that the assumptions, on which the Opium Farmer's claims
are based, are (a) that in the event of the abolition of
all Divans, the Farm will lose the whole of its Dross
Opium, and the half of its Prepared Opium, business: and
(b) that in the event of the closure of 52 Divans the Farm
will lose the value of two-thirds of its Dross Opium, and
one-half of its Prepared Opium dealings with those Divans.
On the basis of these assumptions, Mr. Clementi shows that
the claims of the Opium Farmer are reasonable: and,
al-
-though I think that the Opium Farmer's assumptions would
not prove to be correct, and that he has much exaggerated
the loss (if any) which his business would suffer,
this
is a matter which could only be proved by actual experiment
and I see no prospect of inducing the Farmer to alter his
assumptions. Indeed he has plainly intimated that he is
not prepared to reduce his claim, and that, therefore, in
the event of refusal the question would have to be decided
in a Court of Law where I fear the effort of the Govern-
-ment to obtain better terms would probably fail.
16.
I further enclose a copy of a
minute by Mr. Hutchison dated the 7th. ultimo in which he
shows that the compensation payable to Divan-keepers,
calculated