Tue Customs Reports from Swatoiv and Amoy, on the trade of the year 1870, are, when taken together, of great interest and importance. It would seem that Chinese officials have been. desirous of making a financial experimentum in vili corpora, and that Amoy.has been singled out for the operation. If the object were to see what amount of burdens a port could bear withoutaltogéther succumbing, the trial has been pretty nearly conclusive, for by a serious of ingenious obstacles the trade has been almost altogether squeezed out of foreign bands, and transferred td natives; and finally these Intter, by taxes and imposition, have been reduced to a state of almost utter impecuniosity. Indeed, were it not for the trade with Formosa, done mainl: from geographical reasons through Amoy, the port would probably ere this have utterly collapsed. Nothing more strongly proves the want of a Central administration than the occurrence in the same province of two ports, with a tariff so widely different, as Amoy and Swatow. Taking the single item of opium, we find that the first of the taxes to which it is subjected in Amoy is lekin duty of Taels 90 per chest; the amount at Swatow being ten taels. Grey Shirtings pay at Amoy a lekin of 1 mace 6 Haikwan, or say 10 per cent on the value; the same goods at Swatow pay nothing beyond the treaty stipulation. This is not all; the banker must be paid a fee for receiving the tax, the Laikui another for verifying the payment, the Goa-kui a third for checking this verifition, and, finally, the Kulangsu or Among-kang barriers " fourth for seeing that the receipt bears the stamps of the other three! If the Shirtings are to go to Chinchow, they must pay another Lekin of 3 candareens per piece, while, if they are to be re-shipped, farther fees, amounting to some 1,500 cash for the lot, have to be paid to the various barriers, A million and half of Taels have to be sent every year to support the Foochow Arsenal Amoy is the unfortunate port to whose lo bit falls to pay this amount. Like the foolish old man in the fable, the man-daring, in the eagerness to clutch all, kill the goose that has been laying the golden eggs. No trade is left for foreigners, and the Chinese who do take part in it have sunk from wealthy men to petty traders. "Ten'yenrs ago," says native merchant, there was no difficulty in getting 5 or 10 chests of opium, or 5,000 or 10,000 pieces of Shirtings on the market, at a moment's notice; a slight reduction in prices would, always command an immediate buyer; now, no one, however hard. pressed, can. get a bayer for ready cash, nor, if goods were offering ever so cheap, is there a rich mon
Treaty stipulations seem to beset openly to advance money on their scantity. atnanght at Amoy, and their infringers to enjoy a perfect immunity. It would seem that all, Chinese and foreign authorities as. well, had combined to bring to speedy conclusion the experiment of how much the trade of a port in China would really stand. In a matter of this sort, where the breach of treaty provisions is so flagrant, we feel as mach disposed to blame the apathy of foreign powers as the inveterate greediness of Chinese officials. Turning from the general trade to the particular item of the opium revenue, we find that Mr. Haghes makes an expose of the.system adopted, shameless almost beyond precedent in China. The tax, honestly administered, should bring in some Taels 203,000 per annum, after deducting expenses of collection; actuall the Government is paid Taels 139,000, leaving a little balance to the contract. tors of some Taels 63,000, or about 30 per cent on the amount of the tax! Wo now too much of Chinese officials to believe that this loss goes in its entirety into the pockets of the contractors, Amoy, we imagine, must be @ nice plain for the lucky magistrates appointed thereto. Another letter from a Chinese, with reference to an illegal tax on foreign ships, owned or chartered by Chinese, opens up an equally curious view. 'The contractors had to supply 160 catties of the primest birds' nests, to pay repairs of war junks, avd to give a cumshaw to every newly arrived mandarin! They succeeded in getting out of the repairs to the war junks,' which left each a profit of some $10,000. This was not enough, so leave was obtained to tax goods bought from foreign houses! we wonder how much were the cumshaws to the mandarins thereby increased. Amoy is a. cracial test of what the Chinese Government will do, or allow to he done,.if left to its own devices. Foreign' Governments may, perhaps, leave it, like
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.