416
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
~ OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[25092]
No. 1.
[June! 28]
SECTION 2.
C.
Sir,
Foreign Office to India Office.
Foreign Office, June 28, 1912. I AM directed by Secretary Sir E. Grey to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st ultimo relative to import of opium from Calcutta to Macao.
#
At the request of the Secretary of State for the Colonies the enclosed despatch has been sent to His Majesty's Minister at Lisbon, instructing him to draw the attention of the Portuguese Government to the necessity of compelling the authorities at Macao to limit the imports of opium into that colony to the amount which is sufficient to satisfy its legitimate requirements, and to urge them to fix the maximum amount of opium which the opium farmer at Macao would be allowed to import annually, and to undertake to enforce the restriction.
I am to inform you at the same time that Sir E. Grey has taken note of the statement in your letter of the 21st ultimo that under such circumstances the Indian Government would no doubt co-operate in restricting the export of Indian opium to Macao and in confining the traffic to persons duly authorised by the Portuguese Government.
* Sir A. Hardinge (No. 42), June 28, 1912.
[2519 ee-
-2]
I am, &c.
W. LANGLEY.
Page 420Page 421