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any opium seized being retained by the Customs. Knowing that such will be destroyed, this seems preferable to any chance opium passing down river without paying the recognized
tax.
The other side of the Bureau's preventive work is
concerned with ships downward bound for Hankow or Shanghai. The gangways of these are continuously watched by sampans containing soldiers with rifles ready loaded, the civil
at large
officials roaming/in-board. Here, again, the effort is confined entirely to the stopping of such opium as has not paid dues to the Bureau and ensuring that all opium that passes down river does so under the aegis of the Bureau itself. In most foreign ships a blind eye is turned to the
activities of the Bureau's agents aboard, as this seems preferable to incurring the Consular wrath for the remotest appearance of conniving at the use of a foreign flag for
covering attempts at smuggling. As but few Chinese steamers
have entered Ichang from down river for many moons past this
work is confined almost entirely to foreign steamers.
This preventive work is the side of the Bureau's
activities most obvious to the public. But, unquestionably,
the bulk of its revenues are drawn from the opium handled directly by it and shipped down river. This is landed in consignments of many tons some six miles above Ichang, convoyed
into the city by soldiers, and repacked there into
conveniently smaller parcels. Some of it is sold locally; but the great bulk goes aboa rd ships for carriage down river.
Formerly, a small steamer, mounting a machine gun on her
forecastle head, w as employed to carry the opium in wholesale
quantities down to Hankow. But this vessel came to grief on
some rocks during the past winter season and has not yet been
salvaged.