CO129-373 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 251

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government..

OPIUM,

CONFIDENTIAL.

32219

[September 30,] 250

SECTIONE 20 OCT 10,

[35372]

No. 1.

Sir,

Messrs. E. D. Sassoon and Co. and Messrs. D. Sassoon and Co. to Foreign Office.

(Received September 30.)

9, Fenchurch Avenue, E.C., September 29, 1910. REFERRING to our letter of the 22nd instant, we now have the honour to enclose for your information copy of letter, dated the 30th ultimo, addressed by His Britannic Majesty's consul-general at Canton to the officer administrating the Government at Hong Kong, and also copy of the latter's reply, dated the 2nd instant. Mr. Jamieson's letter offers further proof of the unfortunate attitude maintained by him in regard to this question--an attitude opposed to the interests of British merchants which it is the duty of his office to protect.

The "prescribed regulations not having been accepted by His Majesty's Government, the confiscation of raw opium bearing the Customs permit, or the punishment of our buyers for the infringement of illegal regulations, should not, we maintain, be countenanced by His Majesty's consul-general in Canton, as it injures our legitimate trade. Mr. Jamieson's reference to Kowloon as "a Chinese port of entry" displays an extraordinary lack of knowledge, upon which we do not propose to comment.

We have received from our Hong Kong house the following telegrams, viz. !--

'September 19, 1910, "Wai-wu Pu admitted tax [to be] on raw opium. They have instructed Viceroy to return opium seized, to change present monopoly, and to form new scheme."

63

"September 27, 1910. Referring to our telegram of 19th instant, opium seized has not been returned. Recently eleven chests, Malwa and Bengal, for Kiangsi, duty and li-kin paid, have been detained at Canton pending payment of tax."

From the above you will gather that the Canton authorities, encouraged no doubt by Mr. Jamieson's attitude, show no disposition to retire from the position they have taken up. May we be permitted therefore to enquire what is the present position of affairs, and if there is any prospect of an early settlement being arrived at?

We much regret the necessity for troubling you so much about this matter, but the importance of the question must be our excuse.

We have, &c.

E. D. SASSOON AND Co. DAVID SASSOON AND CO.

Enclosure 1 in No. 1.

(No. 79.) Sir.

Consul-General Jamieson to Mr. May.

Canton, August 30, 1910. IN reply to your despatch No. 65 of the 27th August, I have the honour to hand you herewith translation of a communication I have received from the Acting Governor-General regarding the two seizures of opium at Samshui and in the Tsong-ch'ong district.

It therefrom appears that the individuals in whose charge the opium was found had not complied with the prescribed regulations, and it was for that reason they were punished. That Messrs. Sassoons have protested against the regulations in question does not render them any the less binding on Chinese subjects, and I would call attention to a fact that is constantly being overlooked, namely, that from the date of their coming into force they applied to the whole province of

[2890 gg-1]

νου.