B
488
tc
a very small number, healthy competition will cease, and the British Merchant will be at the mercy of the few native shops
left in the trade.
Inasmuch as the Indian Opium Trade has already been regulst- ed by the Government of India and will under the conditio nɛ agreed upon by Great Britain and China, entirely come in the
courge of ten years, there is absolutely no reason whatever for the Chinese Government to interfere in any way with this trade by issuing vexatious motification to the public, as has been do ne lately by the Viceroy of the Two Kwonge. Therefore, any interference on the part of the Chinese Government with the Indian Opium Trade cannot poesi bly be with any legitimate object. provincial Authorities all over the Empire are quite capable of using the Imperial Edict as a pretence for the purpose of raising revenue, or with the ulterior object of taking advantage of the situation in order to be able to squeeze the populace. We have only in this regard to refer to the recent accion of the Viceroy of Nanking in order to show how far this can be carried into effect by unscrupulous authorities.
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The merchants in China have a very strong claim on the British Government to protect their trade against the interfer- ence by the Chinese, not only the ordinary protection due to legitimate British trade, but from the fact that the merchante buy direct from the Government of India at the Government's monthly sale in Calcutta, and it is the duty of the British Government to ace that the Marchants get a fair and unhinder vå outlet for the opium purchagod direct from thun.
It is incumbunt on the British Government, before they allow the opium trade to depart antirely from India and from British merchants dealing with the Indian Government, to see that China. is really doing her share to eradicate the so-called evil.
The report of Mr. I ach clearly shewe that the British
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