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concerned were afraid however, that there would be difficulty
in gaining the sanction of the French Parliament in Paris, and
perhaps the matter was not taken any further.
Certain accounts
seized during the year, however, showed clearly how much
the Tunnan orium merchant would gain, if he were afforded facilities
of entrepot at Haiphong, so that he could keep his stocks of
opium there and supply his markets in this neighbourhood and
Shanghai direct from there without any further imposts. He
would escape heavy taxation, and the cost of the strong military
escort at present necessary to convey the opium from Yunnan across
a rather wild trace of country to Tung Hing, which has no port
or convenient shipping facilities. I calculate that if these
facilities were granted, raw opium could be landed in Hongkong
or on the coast of China at half the present cost, even after
paying the proposed foe to the Government of Indo-China.
reception which the proposal met with is unknown, but the
advantages are so great, that there is every inducement for the
powerful opium interests to use every endeavour to get such a
concession granted.
The