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extends to "British ships with their boats, and the persons and property on board thereof, or belonging thereto, being within the limits of this Order". It would appear from this that even Chinese on board British ships in Chinese waters could be tried and punished by the Consular Courts for opium smuggling. This doctrine would, however, certainly be contested by the Chinese authorities and in point of fact a Chinese who committed a crime in territorial waters, other than an offence against the ship's discipline, would always be handed over to his national authorities for punishment.
2.
The International Opium Convention of 1912 (Chapter IV) in effect binds the signatory Powers to prevent not only the import of opium into Chinese territory but also its transport by their nationals from one Chinese locality to another.
3.
Under the existing regulations of the Chinese Maritime Customs all opium is contraband and liable to seizure.
4.
Articles 47 and 48 of the Sino-British
treaty of Tientsin (1858) prescribe the penalties in- curred by British ships concerned in sruggling.
5.
A copy of the Anti-Opium Law of the Nationalist Government was forwarded by His Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghai to His Majesty's Minister in a despatch dated March 20th last, and will be found in the Foreign Office confidential print under the heading of "Opium", Section 1 of the 10th August.
6.
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In Kwangtung and Kwangsi all trade in opium is, I understand, theoretically prohibited, but actually the drug, under the name of "anti opium
medicine"
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