CO129-136 - Sir MacDonnell - 1869 [1-3] — Page 218

by quinal Intemational

general

usage having the

I believe the

force of Law. In this sense

Trench Government could not compel a

bound from London to Hame to call

repel

in at balais and there pay duty on Cargo shipped for the batter port without so

violating

Commercial

of any treaty right

and the spirit

once conceded to trade;

with the former part, as to justify a request for explanation.

H. Nevertheless nothing whatever is said by Sir Rutherford Alcock on that subject. He approves every proposal made to him by

the Viset lay, because the latter tells him his abject is merely the suppression of smuggling, whereas the Wice Key probably had at the time the ulterior but short sighted

object of adhancing the trade at banton by placing that of Hong Kong at a disadvantage.

12. Again it is important to month how little weight Her Majesty's Minister allaches

to the inevitable

consequences resulting from encouraging the Chinese to protect their revenue in the mode which they propose. It would be tediono to repeat again my numerous warnings already too completely fulfilled, that to treat the Chinese Government as ceble either honestly or respectably to cany

out at present o

a

revenue

police on the seas

merely amounted to sanctioning

CU

and encouraging

system of autragious squeezing and

extortion.

13. Thus the rights contended for by the