instant release of the twelve packages in the Shêng Sheng Ho case and of the eight packages seized at the Kiukiang station Li-kin office. In regard to the sixty packages illegally detained at Ch'ang-ning and now reported to have been sold, I have demanded that the owners should receive an indemnification.
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
Memorandum communicated to Wai-chiao Pu by Sir J. Jordan.
IN his memoranda of the 5th and 23rd September last. His Majesty's Minister had the honour to bring to the notice of the Wai-chiao Pu two cases of illicit seizure of Indian opium in the province of Kiangsi, and to request the issue of telegraphic instructions to the tutu of that province to conform his action to the treaties and release the opium illegally confiscated.
His Majesty's Minister is now in receipt of a despatch from the acting British consul at Kinkiang, stating that, in spite of repeated complaints to the tutu, neither the above two cases nor any of the three further cases of illegal seizure of Indian opium, the details of which are given below, have yet been settled :-
1. On the 14th August last one package of Indian opium, the property of the Jên Chi firm, although bearing intact a customs' label, was seized in Kiukiang.
2. On the 17th August eight unbroken packages of Indian opium, accompanied by customs' transit certificates and destined for Te-an Hsien, were seized by the Li-kin office at the Kiukiang railway station
3. Towards the end of September sixty packages of Malwa opium, said to be the property of the Tsai Cheng firm (presumably of Swatow), which were being conveyed to Yün-men-lien from Ch'ieh-ying-che, were seized by the district magistrate of Ch'ang-ning. In this case the Kiangsi authorities attempted to defend the seizure on the ground that the merchants conveying the opium had smuggled munitions of war into the province,
In his memorandum of the 23rd September last Sir John Jordan has already pointed out that, whether or no the alleged carriage of arms be an offence, no breach of treaty has been committed or proved in respect of the import of Indian opium.
He is compelled, therefore, to renew his demand for the immediate release of the Indian opium, the seizure of which, in each and all of the five cases referred to above, constitutes a flagrant breach of China's treaty obligations to Great Britain.
Peking, November 30, 1912.
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
Memorandum communicated to Sir J. Jordan by Wai-chiao Pr
ON receipt of the memoranda from His Majesty's Minister of the 24th September and 30th November of last year concerning five cases of detention of Indian opium in Kiangai, the Wai-chiao Pu duly telegraphed to the tatu to take suitable action. They have now received the following reply:--
"On the 27th September, on receipt of the telegram enquiring as to the seizure of travelling merchants' smuggled opium, it was passed on at once to the commissioner for internal affairs to call for reports. In the Yuch Yu case, Ch'en Chih, prefect of Kanchow, reported on the 30th September that Huang Tun-fu's (the Yueh Yu firm) original twenty-six cases of opium had been restored to the dealer, who had been furnished with a permit for its return to Kuangtung. In the Jên Chi case at Kiukiang the Tê-Hua magistrate, Mêng Kuang-ch'uan, reported on the 27th November that the trial was over and the opium had been released.
Shêng Sheng Ho case. On the 11th instant [presumably the 11th December] Wang Nien-tsi, Nanchang district magistrate, reported that, the trial was over and the opium had been released. Eight packages of smuggled opium detained by the Kiukiang station Li-kin office. Native opium was included in this consignment, the
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whole of which was therefore seized. It has now been forwarded by the Li-kin office to the finance commissioner, who has sent it on to the commissioner for internal affairs to deal with.
CK
Sixty packages of Malwa opium, property of the Ts'ai Cheng firm, seized by the district magistrate of Ch'ang-ning. Instructions are now being sent to conclude the trial of this case according to the regulations.
"I have the honour to observe, however, that many of the opium importers smuggle in arms and ammunition with their consignments, and constantly have the audacity to open fire on parties approaching to effect their arrest, in total defiance of all laws. I am instructing the local authorities to punish them with the utmost severity.
I have the honour to submit for information this report on the seizure of smuggled opium."
The Wai-chiac Pu would point out that, in all five cases of the seizure of Indian opium in the province, the object has been to regulate and not to impose restrictions on the trade in the Indian drug, and as the several trials have been concluded and either the opium has been released or some other suitable action is being taken, all the above cases would seem to admit of conclusion at an early date.
Peking, January 10, 1913.
Enclosure 3 in No. 1.
WAI-CHIAO PU.
Memorandum communicated to Wai-chiao Pu by Sir J. Jordan.
SIR JOHN JORDAN has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the meino- randum from the Wai-chiao Pu of the 10th January concerning five cases of detention of Indian opium in Kiangsi.
Sir John Jordan has now received despatches from His Majesty's consul at Kiukiang referring to these five cases :-
1. Yueh Yu case.
The consul has no information at present whether the facts stated by the tutu are correct, but is making enquiries.
2. Jên Chi case,
The opium has been restored to its owner.
3. Sheng Sheng Ho case.
The consul has been informed by the Opium Merchants' Association that the opium has not yet been released.
4. Kiukiang Station Li-kin Office case.
The tutu has declared that native opium was included in this consignment of eight packages, the whole of which was therefore seized. The consul reports that the merchants concerned have always maintained that these eight packages were unbroken packages, bearing intact customs' labels, so that it was impossible that native opium could have been included therein.
5. T'ai Cheng case.
In regard to the sixty packages of Malwa opium seized by the district magistrate of Ch'ang-ning, His Majesty's consul at Swatow communicated the information that the opium in question had been sold, but that the officials refused to hand over the proceeds to the Ts'ai Cheng firm, the owners of the opium. His Majesty's consul at Kiukiang states that, on making official enquiries as to the disposal of the proceeds realised by the sale, the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs at Nanch'ang had replied on the 16th January that he knew nothing of the circumstances.
Sir John Jordan will communicate further with the Wai-chino Pu on receiving the result of the consul's enquiries in the Yuel Yu case.
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