CO129-417 - Public Offices - 1914 — Page 475

L

Copy.

0.4

(2006).

4243 TREC-

4 FEB 14

167

The Portuguese Minister presents his compliments

to His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

and has the honour, with reference to this Legation's

note of December 20th last No.126 concerning the

opium question, to state that he has received the

following information which has been communicated

telegraphically to the Portuguese Government by the

Governor of Macao:-

"The delay in replying to the telegram of the 7th

November is due to the reluctance of the opium farmer

to accept the charge of payment to the Agent at Calcutta

and this Government desiring to obtain the opium farmers

assent which I think difficult as he now declares he

wants to purchase raw Pritish India opium through the

medium of the English commercial firm in Hong Kong

Michael Company, who buy opium advancing capital.

Under such conditions I think it useless to name a

Calcutta agent which would augment the expenses of the

Colony without any advantage to the business."

Portuguese Legation.

January 13th 1914.