Sessional_Paper_1884 — Page 106

17 )

5.-In case of vessels having opium on board, has it come before you how these vessels have been armed?

A.-All vessels whether conveying opium or anything else are armed in this place. 6. Is there any difference between the armament of these opium vessels and that

of others?

A. I do not know of any.

See post

7-You sent in a return on the 13th November, 1882, in which you reported on page 99. the vessels that had been found with opium on board from 1877 to November, 1882.

you remember that?

Do

A-I recollect sending in such a report.

8.-Can you state what was the usual size of these vessels?

-

against the Master

She had a crew of The next case was

A. -One vessel was of 4,000 piculs capacity, or 236 tons. That was in November, 1877. She had opium on board. The charge brought was that of furnishing untrue particulars at the Harbour Office. twenty, which was rather a small number for the size of the vessel. in September, 1878, a fishing junk of 73 tons, with a crew of six men; the charge was leaving the harbour without a clearance; there was opium on board. On the 4th June, 1880, the case was one of a trading junk of 59 tons; there was opium on board, but the quantity is not given. The Minutes of the case were sent to the Colonial Secretary, and were not returned to the Harbour Office. There is nothing special about either of these vessels with regard to armament. In the next case I was unable to say whether the vessel had opium on board, because the Minutes went to the Colonial Secretary; it was a fishing junk of three and a half tons; there was no armament whatever; neglect to report arrival was the charge. The next case was a small rowing boat; it had an armament of two loaded revolvers; the charge, was leaving the waters of the Colony without a clearance; she had 90 balls of opium on board. The Magistrates ordered the boat and cargo to be confiscated, but the conviction was reversed on appeal to the Supreme Court.

9. What became of the opium?

A.-I do not know.

10.—Then as I understand your evidence, these vessels vary in size from 4,000 piculs to small rowing boats?

A. The cases that have come before me during these years vary from 236 tons to. a small rowing boat.

11.--Have any cases come before you since that report?

A-I do not think so.

12.-You made a subsequent report I think.

A.-I do not remember any cases coming before me since. They may have done so, but I do not recollect it-certainly not for some time.

13.-Then there was a question with regard to the conveying of salt out of the Colony. Where is the salt that comes to Hongkong brought from in the first instance?

A. From ports North of Hongkong.

14.-Chinese salt?

A. Yes.

7