478
rich Lang had been opposed throughout to any preven-
Itive scheme entailing Customs control, and that Tong
Tajen had not disclosed this to the Wai Wu Pu. The
Revenue Council had the money in readiness, but were
awaiting a reply from the Viceroy at Canton, to whom
it had been suggested that as he was to furnish an of-
ficer for each vessel, he might prefer to finance the
whole scheme. If he declined to do so, the funds held
by the Revenue Council would be utilized.
I expressed my strong disappointment that a mea-
sure which I had understood to be determined upon by
the Chinese Government was being subjected to such de-
lay, and impressed upon His Excellency that I had re-
ported to His Majesty's Government, the arrangement
which he had described to me on April 30th from which
the Chinese Government could not, recede.
His Excellency, while fully admitting the accu-
racy of the assurances I had attributed to him, was
only able to ask me to await the Viceroy's answer res-
pecting the funds, which would be communicated to me
As soon as it arrived.
The situation is now further complicated by the
removal
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