Sessional_Paper_1884 — Page 129

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259.-You furnished a return to the Commission giving a statement of the amount Se poat of Bengal opium exported from Calcutta to China from 1855 to 1872 and 1880 to 1881.. That is the return? (Return shown).

A. Yes.

260.-There are no figures given for the years between 1872 and 1880. that? Were there no returns?

How is

A.-No statistics were kept by us.

261.-Now you say here the amount of Bengal opium imported in 1880 was 45,611 chests. Can you say how much of that passes on to Shanghai, Amoy, and the other open ports?

A.-About half I should say.

262.-What would you say is the amount generally left here?

A.-About twenty-two or twenty-three thousand chests.

263. Can you state how that is disposed of-how much would go to Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, Formosa, Hainan, or to Manila or Macao?

A.---It varies a great deal each year. It depends how the taxes are levied by the Mandarins. Very often they increase the taxes, and then the opium does not go to that place, but goes to some other place.

264.--But speaking generally of these 22,000 chests, what amount on an average would find its way to Amoy and Swatow and these other places in foreign bottoms?

A. I should say about 5,000 chests from the total import.

265.-Now as to Persian opium, I see your last return, 1880 to 1881, gives 7,800 chests. Can you state how much of that goes to the Northern Ports, and how much is left behind in Hongkong in the first instance?

A.—It is sold here or transhipped, but the bulk of it has to go away; there is very little left for local sale; it is either sent on by the importers,.or shipped by Chinese.

266.-How much is there left over for local use or distribution in native bottoms?

A.-I should say very little-about 1,000 chests.

267.-The import of Persian opium has been increasing very largely these last few

years?

A. Yes.

268. In 1876 there were only 1,800 chests imported, and now there are 9,100?

A. Yes.

post

269.-You have seen these returns from the Foreign Customs, showing the quantity Sag P82. imported in foreign bottoms into Chinese ports. Will you look at those returns? If you look at 1881, the whole amount imported into Hongkong was 90,000 chests. Does that correspond with what you understand it to be? You only made 42,000 chests.

Mr. F. B. JOHNSON.-But this includes all sorts.

A.-This is about right I should say the total import of all kinds. All the opium that comes to China comes to Hongkong first, whether by the P. and O. or other steamers, and any one can easily ascertain the amount.