'Mr. Kuztswacnrer's Report on the trade of Canton, published in the Customs' Annual Reports, throws some light on the peculiar position of affairs in the South. From it we learn that there are two, or indeed we may fairly say three parties, all equally anxious to obtain a revenue from the trade of the province, and each equally determined to do this at the expense of the others. On the one-hand is the Viceroy keeping up his old squeeze stations, and not quite pleased with modern innovations; on the other the Hoppo, anxious thnt, fas aut nefes, the Foreign trade of the province shall come into his hands, but more especially desirous, for his own greater pelf and gain, that it should come in native craft; and lastly, like a dens ex machine, brought in with the assistance of the British Consul, the Inspector-General of Customs and the Tsungli Yamen, we have the Foreign Customs Inspectorale—at present in high feather, as having succeeded in getting to a certain extent the Hoppo's cruisers into their hands, and bent on swelling, to the best of their feeble capacity, the income derivable from Foreign shipping, at the expense of the other two. It is in fact a triangular duel, and the worst feature of the whole is that, while all three are wrangling over the trade, the object of all these unseemly squabbles is being gradually asphyxiated, Mr. Kleine wechter lets us into a few secrets connected with the: administration of the revenue, for which, however, we have tobe thankful. Thus, for instance, by treaty the dues legally payable on a piece of Shirtings amount to 8 candareens, say 53d. In practice, he tells us they are 3 mace 55, or eny 2s. 14d, To force the goods to Canton, where they should be liable to these exactions, is the intention of the steam ort Mr. Kleinwachter, forgetful apparently of this curious fact, informs us that ho has ascertained by constant supervision that the boats "were employed for lawful purposes only, in the protection of the Hoppo's revenue." Mr, Kleine wechter attempts to throw discredit on the contrary statements of the Harbour. master of Hongkong. Fortunately, however, the Harbour-master pas had bard facts to go on, while on the other side we have only Mr. Kleinwachter's unsupported assertion, contradicted besides by his own admissions when treating of another subject—the, to him, unfair manner in which the Hoppo tries to "do" the Foreign Inspectorate in the interests of the native branch under his orders. Mr. Kleinwachter was not, indeed, treated handsomely by his chief in this instance. He complains that the Hoppo has a nasty habit of levying differential duties, as to get the trade into the bands.of the Native Custom-house. What the Native Custom-house was capable of in this way, Mr. Kleinwachter informs us in a story. The Hoppo's preventive service (a euphuism for the Customs? cruisers) bad received information that a certain junk would report and be passed at one of the stations, as in order, but when boarded she was found without the usual papers. The captain of the boat had, it appears, been paid over the amount of the duties. by the consignees, but had made a private arrangement with the Customs for dividing the duties, duty proofs being furnished afterwards. "The amounts returned as collected at these stations were about Tls. 400 per month, and Mr. Kleinwachter assures us they
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.