Tue province of Kiangsi has long joyed notoriety for the disregard, shown by its officials, of Art. XXVIII of the Tientsin treaty. Long after the liberal interpretation recognised by Tseng-kwo-fan had been in full operation at Chinkiang, the communications from Kiukiang were barred to certificated goods; and many of the consuming districts were supplied by" roundabout ways, from Chinkiang and Ningpo. At long length, in the beginning of last year, we heard that the authorities of Kiangsi had awakened to the folly of a policy which threw the 24 per cent transit duty into the hands of the Kiangsu and Chekeang Customs, without helping their own design of continuing to levy barrier squeezes. The Taotai accordingly issued a notification that transit passes would be granted at the Kiukiang Customs, for goods of foreign-origin on their way to marts in the interior; and his permission was largely availed of. We thought better times were at hand, and congratulated the port on a prospect of recovering its legitimate import trade. But we miscalculated the pertinacity of the Gover. nor; and were disappointed to learn, early in July, that the Barrier officials at Wuchéng had stopped a quantity of foreign goods covered by a pass, and that shroffs in charge of produce had been stopped in other districts and threatened with violence if they again produced the obnoxious document. We now learn that the reactionary policy then foreshadowed has been persevered in, to the extent of causing complete cessation in Transit traffic from Kiukiang, of all foreign imports except piece goods, which are still allowed their treaty privilege.
The whole of this opposition is understood to proceed from the Fatal, who, in his provincial capital of Nanchang, appears to think himself beyond reach of a visit from the Consul—and the behaviour of whose subjects, on the occasion of a recent visit from Mr. Baber, will be fresh in the recollection of our readers. Encouraged, no doubt, by the immunity which that outrage has enjoyed, he persists steadily in his belief that he can harass as much as he chooses the internal
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.