he would authorise me to engage as many foreigners (within
limitations, of course!) for Preventive work as I considered
necessary this scarcely confirms the dismal forebodings of
the inspired propagandists, who six months ago instructed the
British press that the foreign element in the Chinese Customs
would rapidly disappear!
What precedes refers to general Preventive measures,
but the special local conditions obtaining in the Hongkong
area call for the immediate strengthening of our Preventive
system in the adjacent waters, etc. When Mr. Soong was in
Hongkong a few weeks ago, the Governor, he tells me, intima-
ted to him that he is prepared to assist China to protect her
Revenue; and on the strength of this I have been instructed
to draw up a separate scheme for Hongkong and kacao for
approval, to proceed to these places, and enter into
negotiations with the Governments concerned with a view to
securing the cooperation and support of the respective
Colonial authorities in connection with our Preventive
Service, e to. hen the Kowloon territory was extended
in 1898, Sir Robert Hart pointed out to the Legation
(Vide China No. 1 (1899) Inclosure in No. 294) that China
should be permitted to retain certain Customs' Stations, etc.
originally outside, but which the extension, of course,
placed within, British waters, for the purpose of preventing
loss of Revenue by smuggling, etc., etc. The British
Authorities of the day, advised by the China Association and
the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce, rejected his proposals as
something derogatory to British prestige, and the Chinese
Revenue suffered accordingly! Since those distant days,
however, public opinion has changed, and the British
Government
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