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COPY
sir,
474
H. B. M. Consulate General, CANTON, September 29th, 1908.
On the 23rd. instant I received a letter, signed by all the principal British firms in Hongkong dealing in Indian opium protesting against certain new regulations about to be issued by the Canton Government with the object of regulating and re- stricting the trade in raw opium in this province.
I have the honour to enclose copy of the Hongkong merchants' letter together with copy and translation of the new regulation.
As it appeared to me that the contention advanced in the merchants letter, namely that the effect of these new regula- tions would be to create a monopoly in favour of a small ring of Canton dealers in raw opium to the detriment of the Hong- kong importer, was a reasonable one and as, moreover,
the re-
strictions imposed by the new regulations would undoubtedly in- terfere with the Treaty rights of British merchants "to carry on mercantile transactions in China with whatever persons they please" (Treaty of Nanking, Article V), I addressed, on receipt of this complaint a formal protest to the viceroy asking him to suspend the enforcement of the new regulations until he had received a further communication from me on the subject.
This second despatch, copy and translation of which I have the honour to enclose, I sent in to the Viceroy on the 26th. instant.
After recapitulating the principal objections to the new regulations as set out in the Hongkong merchants' letter to
me,
and reminding His Excellency that the illegality of an at- tempt to create a similar monopoly at Nanking last year had been recognised by the Waimpu, I went on to point out that as the Indian Government were reducing the annual export of opium from India, any arbitrary steps taken to restrict the sale of Indian opium in Canton were not only contrary to Treaty but quite un- r J. N. Jordan, K.C.M.G.,
800.
His Majesty's Minister,
PEKIN G.
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