CO129-013 - Sir John Davis - 1845 [8-12] — Page 103

is

English Tea-ladon ships from Canton call here for their Despatches, that Hongkong the centre of the Tea Trade:

With regard to the report of Mr. Butzlaff __" that 120000 Reus of botton Foods

Pieces

" have been taken away by

"year"; this

"we....

we are

13 Junks this

not + prepared to deny, that

have access to sources

Officer may information of which

love

of

we are deprived; but

submit, that some doubt.

some doubt may

be

: entertained of the authenticity of mercantile statements which appear to have clirded:

We are

the observation of the whole mercantile community.

quite satisfied Mr. Gutzloff must have been convinced that such a Trade really existed ; but as we

annot find that his information has been= derived from any of the British Merchants,

apprehensive that he has relied on the reports of the Chinese Junk people, a class

we are.

132

by no means remarkable,

ble for strict adherence to conectness in questions of statistical detail.

Supposing however the reports to be

correct, it by

as follows that such +

NO MANÍ

deliveries of botton Cloths can

be deemed part

of the Trade of Hongkong, for nothing is of mores

common occurrence.

- than for the Sunk owners

to purchase Goods in Canton, deliverable outside the Port, at Macao, Hongkong, or elsewhere, and if this place did not exist, the business would be carried on at a any other convenient. anchorage.

Giving however the

1 fullest measure of credit, both to Mr Gutzlaff's informants, and the inference that His lexscellency in Corencil appears to deduce from the report, venture to remark that if, after four years

can be

occupation of the Colony, the only. Trade which

- found to exist, after apparently most diligent inquiry, is

is an

the

export of

by

120,000