Sessional_Paper_1884 — Page 83

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in Foreign vessels, it is obvious that the native merchants will ship in Native Craft in preference to Foreign. But the Native Customs, unlike the Foreign Customs, do not regularly publish their returns. They did so on one occasion, however, showing that in 1875, of the 21,670 piculs of Opium left at Hongkong in that year, duty was collected by the Native authorities on 10,813 piculs, (see Command paper 2716, China, No. 2, 1880, cited at page 66 of the Appendix). Making allowance for what is boiled at Hongkong, for local consumption and export, and also what is shipped in its raw state elsewhere than to China, estimated by Sir THOMAS WADE at 7,500 piculs for 1875, the Commissioners think that the number of piculs of Opium smuggled into China from Hongkong, taking the returns for that year as a guide, cannot be more than 4,000 piculs annually; and the weight of the evidence before the Commissioners, whether it be that of the witnesses connected with the Harbour Master's Department, whose special duty it is to exercise supervision over the Native Craft visiting this Harbour, under the laws for suppression of Piracy, or of the Police, leads to the following conclusions :-

1st. That no special class of boats or junks is employed in the smuggling of Opium,

or is fitted out in the Colony for the purpose of such smuggling.

2nd. That it is customary for all Chinese vessels of a certain size to carry small cannon and fire arms for protection against piracy, and although the boats engaged in smuggling opium, which endeavour to evade the Revenue Cruisers, are sometimes better manned and armed than is ordinarily the case with passenger or trading junks, none have come under the notice of the Police as being of sufficient size or armament to enable them to engage successfully in fights with Revenue Cruisers. Opium, however, is frequently concealed in Salt junks, which are, as a rule, more heavily armed than other Native vessels engaged in ordinary trade. These junks are referred to in a separate section.

3rd. The Commissioners having had placed before them the proceedings in the Legislative Council which led to this enquiry, including a Report of Sir JOHN POPE HENNESSY'S speech at Nottingham on the subject of smuggling, and a letter written by the Chairman of the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce in reference thereto, (see Appendix, pages 84 to 88), deem it right to state that no evidence has been adduced in support of a single case of a "Naval Battle" fought within the waters of the Colony, or in sight of the island, between Revenue Cruisers and Opium or other smugglers. Native boats endeavouring to evade the Cruisers have been fired upon by the latter outside Colonial waters, and have sought refuge in, and have been frequently chased and captured within the waters of the Colony; and casualties from gunshot wounds have occurred, wounded men having been brought to the island. These casualties amount to five reported to the Police during 5 years, in addition to three men, one Foreigner and two Chinese, who belonged to the P'ingchauhoi Revenue vessel. The evidence at the inquest on the European whose body was found on the rocks near Stanley, tended to shew that the men were killed on a captured junk not belonging to Hongkong, and not carrying Hongkong cargo, although the Jury were compelled to find an open verdict. Except in this case, the casualties above reported have been wholly on the side of the people engaged in smuggling, and were probably caused by the refusal of the crews to bring to their boats for examination when hailed.