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has actually closed the open door against the British and that the Treaties of Nanking and of Tientsin have been broken both in letter and in spirit by the de facto Canton Government. I propose to deal with this point fully in a public despatch but in the meantime the following is a brief indication of the flagrant manner in which treaty rights have
been violated.
i. Treaty of Nanking.
J
Article 2. China agrees that British subjects,
with their families and establishments, shall be
allowed to reside, for the purpose of carrying on their mercantile pursuits, without molestation or restraint, at the city and town of Canton. But the Canton Strike Committee maintains pickets round Shamian and confiscates any articles carried by any nationals from the native city either to the British or the French concession. British subjects passing from Shamien into the native town of Canton or from
the native town to Shamien are constantly molested by strike pickets.
.
Article 5 China agrees to permit British merchants, at all ports at which they may reside, to carry on their mercantile transactions with whatever
persons they please. But the Canton Strike Committee
by means of its pickets prevents British merchants
from carrying on any mercantile transactions whatsoever
at Canton. The pickets prevent all import of British
goods and enforce this by forfeiture.
い
Article 10. Uhina engages that, when British
merchandise shall have once paid at wanton the regulated
customs dues, such merchandise may be conveyed by
Chinese merchants to any province or city in the
interior