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instant, my enquiry having been completed by my obtaining the transit certificates covering all the opium seized, some twenty-five in all, and the tutu showing no intention of calling.
At I P.M. on the 9th the tutu's note, copy and translation enclosed, was delivered on board. The wording was less offensive than in previous notes, but he took on himself to fix the time.
" I replied that, as my investigation was completed, I did not feel justified in delaying our sailing, and I expressed regret that indisposition had not only prevented his co-operating in my enquiry, but had also delayed his performance of the usual courtesy of returning my call.
At midnight came another note pressing me to await his call before starting, and, as your telegram repeating your message to the admiral arrived soon after, agreed to the delay.
About 9:30 A.M. on the 10th instant Mr. Pai came on board with several officers, He told me that the matter was beyond his province, and he had therefore sent a full report to his Government, whose instructions, whatever might be their tenor, he would carry out scrupulously.
This decision appeared to me not without cleverness, since if Peking should direct him to reverse his previous policy, he could tell his provincial assembly and the native pubic that his well-meant efforts to eradicate the vice had been thwarted by his superiors at the bidding of Great Britain, whereas if he yielded to my representations he would have to confess that he had acted ill-advisedly.
The immediate effect of this declaration was, of course, to preclude any local nego. tiations, and confirmed the advisability of withdrawing to await developments..
I replied, therefore, that you had been fully informed of the situation, and that, my original instructions having been carried out, I should proceed down river, but I might return if found further orders awaiting me at Nanking.
case.
Mr. Pai then said that he desired me to tell you the facts as to some
points in the The Wai-chiao Pu had told him that His Majesty's consul at Wuhu accused him of establishing a monopoly for the sale of boiled opium. This was not true. He had stopped all sale and dealing in the drug. I showed him his own proclamation (Enclosure 5), which seemed to me to justify Mr. Pearson's complaint. His only answer was to murmur that he had issued very many proclamations.
Next he asserted that the seven chests burned had been found on shore, and only after seizure returned to the hulk. I suggested that he could not be sure of this of his own knowledge, and he replied, Of course not; he was informed of it by the head of police, Mr. Ch'i, as I said. My answer was that not only did the story sound improbable in view of mercantile practice, which I explained to him, who manifested much surprise at and interest in the care taken over cargo, but it did not tally with Mr. Ch'i's letters to the hulk, of which I had copies.
This answer threw the whole party into evident consternation, but Mr. Pai excused himself on the plea that the chests were derelict, as no one produced the proper papers and the consignees ran away.
The chests had been left on the bulk for many days-
six or seven at least, I found it natural for the owners to abscond in fear lest they be shot like the poppy growers. It was quite usual for cargo to be left on hulk or in godown for weeks or months, until it suited the consignee to take delivery. I could not understand the need for hasty destruction of cargo safe in the responsible custody of the hulk-keeper, unless it were desired to destroy any chance of establishing its accordance with the transit certificates-also in my possession--and the bills of lading.
The tutu hastened on to his last point, which was that, so far from his action prejudicing our opium trade in other provinces, it had not even checked the business in the nearest port, Wuhu. I replied that that was not my information, and in any case the point was not very material.
Mr. Pai, who had throughout the visit exhibited a very chastened spirit, then left, after offering to answer any queries I might send him in writing-an offer of not much value, after the proof just given of the untrustworthiness of his information.
At both interviews it seemed expedient that our officers should know all that passed, so I used the tutu's interpreter (Dr. Hung), whose translations I had occasionally
to check.
My impressions and views during our visit at Anking have been recorded in my semi-official letters of 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th October. Further consideration confirms my belief that Mr. Pai is a genuine fanatic on the subject of opium, inexperienced in government administration and ignorant of the treaty stipulations, and, owing probably to his sojourn at a military college in Japan, imbued with the belief that China has
been the victim of foreign aggression, from which it is a patriot's duty to free her. The native newspapers, especially the organs of the Tungneng Hui, have doubtless persuaded him that the mutual jealousy of the Powers assures the success of the popular policy of recovering the sovereign rights invaded under an effete dynasty, and such sciolists as his foreign secretary, Pi Wei, have encouraged him to interpret the wording of treaties in the sense that suits this policy. For the attitude of Mr. "Pai and the other tutus there is, unfortunately, the excuse that certain foreign anti-opium enthusiasts and some foreign papers do not hesitate to preach the morality of defying the solemn agreements of China which interfere with their zeal for the immediate stoppage of all traffic in Indian opium. These advocates of dishonesty seem blinded to the danger of the precedent they seek to set up being later turned against treaty rights which very nearly affect their own interests; and meanwhile they proclaim that o support of the opium trade is devoid of the sympathy of our people and our Parliament. Mr. Pai's telegrain to Mr. Pearson shows that he relied on the truth of these repre- sentations in his policy.
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Mr. McCarthy has trusty informants throughout the province who assure him that the last crop of native opium was abnormally large, that public works are neglected, schools vacant, and the revenue very scanty. The 7,000 or 8,000 troops in the province are at least three months in arrear with their pay, and exist by forced credit with the rice and other shops. The people pray for the return of the former governor, Chu Chia-pao, whose elaborate dykes are already falling into decay under the new governor, Mr. Pai, whose supporters are few if noisy, and drawn solely from the half-educated classes.
It speaks well for the inhabitants of the province that they pursue their usual avocations peacefully on the whole, under officers with neither training nor knowledge; but this quiet is probably due for the most part to the absence of any systematic attempt to exact the regular taxes, the absolute needs of the exchequer being met by borrowing" from the merchant and shopkeeping classes. The execution of the tutu's threat to send troops to shoot the poppy growers would, there is little doubt, be met by violent resistance.
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Under these circumstances I venture to maintain my belief that it would conduce, not only to the due course of the opium trade, but also to the peace of the province, if Mr. Pai were summoned to Peking to explain his conduct. His visit, I am sure, would dispel any doubt as to his unfitness for a post that involves the observance of international obligations, while such a summons must serve as a beneficial warning to other tutus as ignorant and as self-confident. Even were he under pressure from Peking to pay compensation for the results of his illegal destruction and detention of Indian opium at various places and to refund the fine of 1,200 dollars exacted by his magistrate at Tatung, and also to issue a satisfactory proclamation reversing his previous declarations, I fear he would make no effort to enforce the terms of our agreement, even if his anti-opium zeal did not lead him to work against the enforce-
ment.
The appearance of His Majesty's ship "Flora" undoubtedly had a good effect on the tutu and all classes, and one of our messengers who visited the opium dealers' hongs was told that an emissary from Mr. Pai had come and asked if they would withdraw all complaints in return for compensation at the rate of 3,000 taels a chest. As there was no security that the money, if ever forthcoming, would not be withdrawn on some pretext later on, the hongs professed that the matter had passed out of their hands. I understand their heads had come to Shanghai for safety before we arrived.
After the tutu's reluctance to call had been overcome there seemed no reason to prolong our visit.
He would certainly render no assistance, and any statements made by him were not likely to be trustworthy. He had appealed to Peking, and meanwhile could not, without loss of prestige, alter his policy. We had obtained unexpectedly complete documentary evidence of his conduct in the case to be investigated, and to remain idly at anchor while the tutu professed to be indisposed could only lessen the impression produced by our visit, and familiarity with our presence might encourage Mr. Pai and his secretary to even more drastic measures against smokers, which we could have done nothing to prevent. Even if we had instructions to use force we had not the means to hold the city.
For these reasons I preferred to withdraw, with an intimation that my present commission was fulfilled, but that I might be ordered to revisit Anking under a fresh set of instructions. As a gun-bout, His Majesty's ship "Thistle," is at Wuhu, ready to drop down the 50 miles to meet me at Nanking, distant six hours by train, I ventured to return to my post to await further orders. To have transhipped to a smaller vessel
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