cal Lon] have the honor to acknow-Maori of the Tendon Mepchanke on the receipt of your Lordship's reply to the
proposed Convention with China, in which your Lordship observes that Her Majesty's Government are not surprised that we should have learned the nature of its provisions with a certain dissatisfaction. The Committee has given the most respectful consideration to the Views of the Government, and we avail ourselves of your Lordship's invitation to submit to your notice the following remarks, in further reference to the subject.
Majesty's Government recognise the validity in gratifying to us to learn that Her of the objections we raised to the first Article of the Convention, and are prepared to suggest to the Chinese Government its omission or modification. Furthermore, since our Memorial was sent in, we have earned with satisfaction that. on the strong representations which had been made by the mercantile community at cong upon the proposed re-Tinguishament of the right to trade at Kinng. chow, Sir Rutherford Alcock had agreed to reconsider that question, and to bring t to the notice of Her Majesty's Government, with 9 view to procuring the opening of that port, or some other, in that part of China. Seeing that the revision of these stipulations will necessitate the re-opening of the subject at Peand hope that, when our statements ahall have king, we must express our very earnest desire
been further considered, and the gravity of the interests involved shall have been fully weighed, Her Majesty's Government ma} be led to resolve upon ¢laiming further amendments, which will remove from this measure its most objectionable features, and that limitation of rights and privileges secured under former Treaties of which we have so much cause to complain.
2. In regard to the proposed increase in the Export duty on Silk, your Lordship observes that it amounts to nothing more than a re-adjustment of the duty to the rate stipulated the Treaty of Tientsin, viz., 5 per cent., whi could not have been resisted by Her Majesty's Government. Your Lordship says, The in-"tention of the Treaty of Tientsin was that "China should receive a revenue calculated at "the rate of 5 per cent. on the value of Silk "exported, and the specific duty fixed by that "Treaty for administrative convenience ha "ing been for some years considerably less than that which was intended by both con-"tracting parties, it became a matter of simple justice to allow of, its rectification." We readily admit the soundness of the argument, but we beg to point out that the 5 per cent. basis was made applicable, not to Silk only but to every other article equally with Silk. And we maintain that it is manifestly inequitable for either Government to select, as in this instance, the special case of one article of expo for their own sole advantage. If the re-adjust ment is claimed, let it be fairly made, and it will be found, a8 pointed out in our Memorial, that the existing Bet duty upon Tea must by the same rule be largely reduced. Instead of being 5 percent, the specific. duty levied upon Tea is not less than 124 per cent. upon average first cost of the article, If the duty on Silk be now, at a period of exception: ally high prices, £140,000 per annum less than China is entitled to levy, that on Tea questionably £500,000 more than she can Sghtfully charge. We therefore feel that Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, in acceding to this demand, has failed, as the representative of his country to give just protection to the trade which is specially committed to his charge.
3. With reference to your Lordship's strict tures upon our remarks on the internal taxation on Silk, we cannot admit that, any prin. ciple of international equality is violated by an agreement to commute, by fixed payment, the the case of France, as cit your Lordship, ite of local or eae
ly competent for our Government to agree sato Ge would be with the ImperialGovernment, to commute the Cine it would be illegal for the local. peered Paris begets Gepry on British Goods by a it at the port of entry, as in Chi to charge those duties a second time. This, in fact, embodies the general principle for which Her Majesty's Government are now contend-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.