PUBLIC RECORD
OFFICE
Reference :--
133
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO | BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- | ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON |
HONG SO,
128
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PAST AND PRESENT
April the excitement prevailing at Canton and in its vicinity, regarding the question of our entry into the city, affected their trade, which, however, revived as soon as the agitation sub- sided, and continued brisk until the end of June, when, without any apparent reason, it declined once more. In August it was again good, although piracy was then at its height.
In the daily report of the last four months of the year, no notice has been taken of the fast boat trade.
2. Marine junks :-There is no record of the numbers of these that visited this port between the 1st January and the 30th April; but from the 1st May to the 31st December, 1849, besides the craft exclusively engaged in the salt trade, or the carriage of stone, 596 junks of various sizes touched or discharged and took in cargoes at Victoria from Tien-tsin, Shan-tung, Shang-hae, Fah-kien, Formosa, Hav-nan, Tonquin, Siam, and the east and west coasts of the province of Kwang-tung, by far the larger uuniber coming from the districts next eastward of that opposite to which the Island of Hong Kong is situated.
The only arrivals worthy of note as the first of their kind are those of a rice junk from Fur- mosa, in April, and of thrée Tonquin vessels owned and manned by Chinese, in June. The details of the marine trade, as far as this office is informed, are as follow:-
In January and February Mr. Gutzlaff's notes state that the marine junks did good business.
In March and April few came here to trade, but several pass.d towards Ifae-nan for sugar, and one brought a cargo of rice from Formosa, the first imported thence.
In May some 90 junks brought provisions and sundries, rice and alum, from Kwang-tung East; two, from Kwang-tung West, brought rice for 11ong Kong, and sugar and oil-cake for the northern ports; 30 from Fuh-kien passed south for sugar and oil.
In June 10 junks from the East Coast, some of them bound to Canton, brought in live stock, rice, crockery, flour, oil-cakes, salt, aml mclasses. Same took away opium and manu- factures. Eleven junks from Fuh kien brought rice an I crockery, taking opium, manufactures, and saltpetre; three from Hac-uan brought cocoa-nuts and dye-bark; three from Tonquin passed through with coarse cotton goods and dye-roots; one large junk from Canton, and one from Singapore, bound for Tien-tsin.
In July 30 from the east of the province brought rice, live-stock, and sundries; 10 from Fub-kien alum and sundries; two from Hae-nan cocoa-muts and provisions; three from Ting- hae (whether the chief town of Chusan, or, as is most likely, some place on the coast, does not appear), which took hence calico, opium, and sundries; eight from Singapore passed north with sugar, and two from that port, of a large size, with Straits' produce for Tien-tsin. These made purchases here.
In August 49 junks from the East Coast brought in live stock, oil, sugar, and salt; eight from Fuh-kien salt, alum, and tea ; eight from Hao-nan nials, cocoa-uuts, and dye-bark.
Mr. Gutzlaff's note here remarks that piracy was depressing the trade.
In September 72 junks from the East Coast, 16 from Fuk-kien, outward and homeward bound; two from Har-nan, and one from Siam, in all 91 vessels, of which some brought salt and mixed cargoes, and the majority, according to the locality from which they came, live- stock, sugar, sweetmeats, nutmegs, pepper, peas, beans, wheat, cocoa-nuts, potato-flour, drugs, dye-woods, bark, rattans, firewood, coarse paper, and crockery ware.
7 were bound to Shang-bae.
210 Fuh-kien.
1 to Kwang-tung East.
I to Then-isin.
1 to Hae-man, and 25 to Canton
In October 92 junks arrived, viz.: 71 from Kwangtung East; 15 from Fuh-kicu; 1 from In addition to the articles Tien-tsin; two from Shang-hae. The three last bound to Canton.
of freight brought by the September junks, these carried alum, dried fish, vegetables, and fruit, and the Shang-hae boats cotton and nankin
In November 94 junks brought cargoes similar to the above, as well as coal, sulphur, char- coal, tobacco-leaf, and Chinese wine. Of coal one entire cargo was on its way from Kwang- tung East to the city, and two part cargo.s came from Fuh-kien and Formosa, from which last place came likewise the sulphur. The tobacco was from Na-moa East for the city, and the wine from Tien-tsin for the same market. Their numbers and distribution were as follow :—
From or for
Shang-tung Tien-tsin Shang-hae.
·
I with colton.
·
•
I with cotton.
2
•
21, including 1 with rice from Amoy.
.
1, and all the rest
Kwang-tung East.
Fub-kien
Formosa
In December there came but 55 in all: from
D
I with pas and dried fruits for Caston;
14, including I from Fuh-chow, with peas, rice, bi ́cks, and cottor. ;
Tien-tsin
Fub-kien
Formosa
Kwang tung
West
1 with bricks and alum;
*
I with coal and sulphur;
All the rest from Kwang-Hung East.
STATE OF HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS. 129
The following tuble will show what numbers of marine junks have entered the Port of Victoria during the eight latter months of the year 1849. No sufficient reason can he assigned for their increase or decrease during particular months. In
May
there arrived
June
"
July
August September
Junks
122
October there arrited
99
November
55
December
65
91
Total
Junk
92
98
56
578
3. Salt juuks:-The imports and sales of salt, and the exports of stone, are ascertained At the from monthly returns sent in by the chief monopolists of these two branches of trade. commencement of the year there was a very large quantity of salt in hand, The imports antonated to 335,350 piculs, in 334 junks, the sales to 342,850 piculs, a surplus of 1,050 remaining unsold.
April
BALT.
Junka.
Imported.
Sold,
1849.
Picula.
Picula.
January. February
42,350
45,000
23, 100
30,000
March
22,950
27,030
28
22,200
26,600
May
38 29,700 29,300
June.
21
15,000
13,500
July.
18
17,000
6,000
August
10
4,800 |
3,500
September
29
22,600
24,000
October.
61
45,800
45,000
November December
59
47,350
48,900
51
42,950
43,000
Total
331 395,350
342,650
4. Stone boat-:-Stone was carried from the quarries of the colony in 482 boats, viz., in
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Junks.
30
30
60
32
65
35
30
August
September
October
November
December
Total
Junks.
30
20
60
60
30
482
It is much to be doubted that these last carry away anything but the stone slabs with which they are freighted.
་
Mr. Gutzlaff's Annual Report for 1818 gives 777 as their total, while there have been this year but 482.
The salt boats are large, well manned, and the property of people of some capital; it is consequently probable that they export both opium and manufactured goods. In 1848 the highest number that arrived here in any one month was 52, the lowest 31. : There have been here in 18-19 as many as 61 in a month, but in August there were as few as 10. At this time piracy, it will be remembered, was a general cause of alarm. The quantities imported have however increased. Mr. Gutzlaff records 297,050 piculs as the total imported in 1848 in 524 junks, the largest quantity in any one month being 41,150 piculs. In 1949, although there were but 334 junks, they imported 335,350 piculs, and in Noveruber the amount was as much as 17,350.
The marine trade of 1848 is stated in the same report to have averaged 80 junks a month. In 15-19, as has been admitted, there are no recards for the first four months, but in the suc reeding eight, 578 gives an average of 72, and the agitation of the Cauton question in the earlier Part of the year, and the piracy, in a great measure suppressed in the autumn, may be deemed to have somewhat affected the commerce of such craft.
As compared with 1848, the junk trade of 1819 was as follows:----
1848
Juuka and Cargoes.
1949
Increase. Decrease.
Marine: average per meas
Salt Junks.
80 524
Imported, piculs, salt,
297,050
Most in one month
Stone juuks
41,150 777
72 334 335,350 38,300
47,350 482
8 190
6,200
295
(Signed)
(True copy.)
W. CAINE, Colonial Secretary.
T. WADE, Assistant Chinese Secretary.
S
HONG KONG.
101