82
desire whole heartedly a restoration of the system
whereby our ships are subjected to nearch by one cen-
tral authority and that, the Chinese Maritime Customs,
and understand to assist in effecting this no effort
must be spared on our part to stop the carriage of
illicit cargo and to this end we have in the past and
are at present doing everything humanly possible short
of bringing our Buropean personel into armed conflict
with the smugglers,
We read your despatch as being of a general
nature and not intended solely to apply to British
ships controlled by us as the case mentioned by you
on page 4 where a quantity of opium amounting to near-
ly 1 tona was found on board did not happen to be one
of our vessels, In fact we think we onn justly claim
that in the matter of opium and pidgin cargo the casOS
occurring in vessels managed by us does not compare
unfavourably with others. To stop it entirely is our
object but to accomplish it in the present state of
di so rganization and in the face of the active counten-
ance of Chinese, officialdom is well nigh impossible.
In conlusion we might add that at present and
for some time past we have only had one small boat
running between Ichang and Chungking * th
the s.s."Kingwo
and that at the moment of writing she is held on ac-
count of the lowness of the mter which in all pro-
bability will necessitate her being brought to Shanghai
and there laid up until say the end of March next so
that the problem as far as we are concerned does not
assume large proportions.
0.F.Garstin, Esq., 0.3.E.
H.B.H. Asting Consul General,
SHANGHAI.
We have the honour to be,
sir,
Your obedient Serfants,
SIGNED) JARDINE MATHESON & CO. IMD
}