18
Review of Public Occurrences During the
JAN.
“We have with profound respect received the imperial pleasure upon this sub- ject; the matter is granted; and we have issued accordingly our explicit commands, that they may be obeyed, as is upon record. Barbarian merchants, who bring rice to the port of Canton, will thus have an equal profit upon their return cargoes. These barbarian merchants may therefore leap for joy, and go incessantly backwards and forwards. But the number of barbarian rice vessels, which repaired this year to the port of Canton, was not very considerable, and the whole amount of their imports is scarcely a tenth part of the rice which came from the west.
"We fear that the custom-house servants, and the boatmen of the revenue boats, exercise extortions under some pretence, beyond the legal duties which are to be levied, and thus prevent the barbarians from trading.
"It is found, upon examination, that the port clearance fees upon the exports, the fees for opening the bar, the direct duties, the fees for making up the difference in scales, and the liáng-táu's fees (grain department office), are levied upon rice ships, according to a fixed rate. Every ship has to pay for opening the bar and direct duties, 480 taels, 4 m. 2 c.; for the scale business 32 taels, 4 m. 2 cand. 8 cash; as the fees of the grain department, 116 taels, 4 m. 2 cand. 4 cash. The duty levied upon every ship will thus amount altogether to no more than 620 and odd taels. Besides this those in office ought not to levy any fees. The governor, lieut.-governor and hoppo have however found out that the rice ships are sub- ject to extortions, made in different ways, and under sundry names, beyond the expenses incurred for payment of the above mentioned dutics. Now, these are the sordid fees of the men belonging to the custom-house, which they take to themselves.
“It is plain, that the barbarian merchants come a very long way to sell their rice at Canton, according to the ancient laws, which lessen the duties. There has since also been granted to them, upon representation, leave to return with a cargo to their country, not solely to procure subsistence for the inhabitants of the metropolis, but also to show superabundant compassion towards distant foreigners; how can you extort under any name, or in any way, more than what the customary duties and fees amount to 1 At the present moment, we give our explicit orders to those in office, in regard to the duties and fees which ought to be levied upon rice ships; all which are not in the tariff are strictly forbidden, and beyond this no extortions are permitted. In entering the port, the expenses are lessened, and on going out of the port, they have not to pay much. As soon as they have arrived here, they can dispose of their cargo, and quickly come back, and those barbarian merchants will make a very great profit. But what regards the inhabitants, who hoard up the rice, and the shopkeepers ;-they know, that the foreign rice, on account of having suffered the moisture of the sea and winds, casily rots and spoils, and cannot be kept long. The shopkeepers only run after gain ;-how can they then hoard it up, let the rice spoil, and suffer loss? Thus, those barbarian merchants will have no trouble in bringing it on, and the large dealers in disposing of it. Henceforth, the hong-merchants, who receive the rice, and the rice shopkeeper next, ought to give a chop that the value is paid at a stated time, and thus afford the barbarian ships opportunity of disposing soon of their cargo, and returning with- out interruption repeatedly. As soon as the rice has been taken ont, it ought to be generally made known in all quarters, and the shopkeepers ought to sell it by retail, and dispose of it in small quantities, so as it shall be most convenient for the people
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