CO129-279 - Public Offices - 1897 — Page 346

200

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rudel fab tu evo.70:

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January 21st and His Excellency subsequently informed

me that a note of my observations had been communica-

ted to the Minister of Colonization who had sent the

necessary instructions to Formosa.

342

Your Lordship will remember that in March 1890

when the importation of opium into Formosa was sud-

denly prohibited; at the instance of the Governor

I

of Hong Kong and of Messrs. Sassoon and Company,

obtained permission from the Japanese Government

for the introduction of two shipments stated to

have been already despatched from Hong Kong before

the prohibition became known there. In Formosa tue

price rapidly rose, and a little speculation was in-

dulged in by sone mombers of the Brition firms at

Anping. This furnished a stimulus to smuggling,

and so mucn opiwn was surreptitiously introduced

from Amoy, that the speculators were unable to sell.

As the fact of smuggling being carried on was offi-

cially brought to the notice of the Japanese Autho-

rities at Anping by Mr. Longford and by myself nere,

without anything being done to stop it, a claim

might possibly be made by the holders against the

Japanese Government for loss of market owing to the

lacnes

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