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"I am directed by H.1. Consul General to instruct Masters " of British Vessels in China waters that only the Chinese "Maritime Customs Authorities are permitted to board British "ships in search of opium and other contraband. I shall be "glad if you will convey this reminder to Masters concerned."
(SGD) I. Milton.
Vice Consul.
We accordingly notified all our masters who proceeded to
act on the Consular instructions thus given.
At Hankow, however, the British Consul General there declined to accept the ruling given by the Shanghai Consul General as he had already agreed to allow Anti-Opium officials to search
British vessels.
Our Agents' letter to the Hankow Consul General giving all details of this was dated Hankow August 21st.1928, and a letter from us to your good self on the same subject was dated Shanghai August
29th. 1928.
From the foregoing and from the well known fact that at Wahnsien (with Consular and Naval cognizance) search parties of
Chinese authorised or otherwise have for the past two years boarded
vessels at Wahnsein, collected taxes, exacted fines, removed cargo
from vessels as they s aw fit and generally acted as if no such organisation as the Chinese Maritime Customs existed while at
Chungking the Customs were entirely under the domination of the various political parties claiming to be the governing power and at
Ichang, although perhaps in a lesser degree, the s ame, it would appear that he principle of immunity from search by other than the
Chinese Maritime Customs which H..Minister fears the British
Government may have to forego has in practice been already conceded.
So serious did the breaches of recognised Treaty practice
become at Wahnsien that we instructed our Ichang Agent to appeal
to the British Naval Authorities for assistance and in reply our
Agent received a communication emanating from Rear Admiral Tweedy
in which he states as a reason for being unable to take action:-
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