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trial and punishment".
In forwarding the above report the
Commissioner of Finance observes:
#1
Ships on this run avail themselves of the
British flag to carry opium which has frequently in
the past been seized. This Bureau has already written
to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or your Bureau requesting that a protest be made to the British Consul.
Subsequently it also wrote requesting that the British
Consul be asked strictly to forbid ships flying the
British flag smuggling opium. But although cases of opium smuggling have been discovered this Bureau has
never heard of British officials inflicting any punish-
ment, a fact most detrimental to the efforts of China
to restrict opium. Unless an emphatic protest is made
restriction cannot be furthered nor China's sovereignty
respected. The men arrested have been duly tried and
punished but it is requested that the matter be strong-
ly taken up with the British Consul and that he be
requested to ask the Governor of Hong Kong to institute
the employment of adequate punishment and strictly to
instruct ships flying the British flag that in future
they must not smuggle opium or similar articles. It is
further reuested that should a case occur the owners
be tried and duly punished or the ship prevented from running as a warning to others".
I have the honour to observe that S.S.
"Sunning" and S.S. "Wing Hung" etc. have utilised the British flag to smuggle vast quantities of opium, a
fact