Copy.
TRANSLATION.
Enclosure in Sir L. Carnegie's despatch No. 38
of February 6th, 1928.
Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
Lisbon.
February 3rd, 1928.
89
Your Excellency,
In the Note which Your Excellency addressed to
me under date of the 19th ultimo, acting on the instructions
of Sir Austen Chamberlain, His Majesty's Government informs
me that various shipments of Indian opium were introduced
into Macau contrary to the regulations and laws in force.
His Majesty's Government wish the Portuguese Government
to furnish as complete information as possible in regard
to these imports, which it considers excessive, and in
regard to the enquiries referred to in my Note of the 27th
April 1927 relative to other imports effected under
conditions which were also considered to be irregular.
I had occasion to inform Your Excellency in that
Note of the difficulties with which the Government of
Macau would be confronted in order to arrive at the
truth. I adued that at that date the supplying of opium
to Macau had been passed over to a concessionaire,
whose methods were far from giving me satisfaction, the
Government being inclined to cancel his contract and
establish a Régie. This actually happened in June
last year.
The concessionaire revolted against the decision
of the Government and, with the support of members of the
Colony interested in the opium trade, instituted a
His Excellency
The Honourable
Sir Lancelot D. Carnegie,
British Ambassador,
etc., etc., etc.,
violent/