A numerously attended meeting of Tea Inspectors, and others interested in the prosperity of the port, has been held at the Club House. The meeting was con: ive the report of the Committee appointed the Ist August, to discuss the dust qu tion and other malpractices connected with the tea trade, Mr. Leith occupied the chair, and the following gentlemen wore present, viz:—Mesers. Sheppard, H. Smith.' Paterson, Hunter, Chapman, Oliver, Wood, W.'H. Barton, Jones, Ley burn, Young, Krohn, Gittins, Drew, Lethbridge, Ha Greig, Lalor, Hales, Tatham, Reeves, Tennant, Bathg Drought, Dunne, Sanderson, Allum, and Rothwell.
In opening the proceedings the Chairman said that he presumed all present had perused the correspondence &e., that had passed between the Committee and theConsuls, us well as the translated copies of communicate: between the latter and the Chinese Authorities; these documents had been printed and generally circulate, that the Community were in a posi 0 form a pretty exact idea as to what had been done by their Committes, The Chairman was clearly of opinion that the repre Authoriti of had been fully
and he was satisfied in his own mind dante to introduce a better state of affairs'; they, in their turn, had evinced
and he thought the thanks of the foreign community were especially due to H, E, Ting Futai, who had on so many occasions since his accession to the Governor-this of the province, shown readiness to luteoduse reforms and progress ffecting the welfare of the foreign residents, Itonly remained, therefore, for ton buyers to earnestly second the efforts of the n: and foreign authorities, and the Chairman fied that this would be dono The Chairman Jardine, Ma-Compradore had_under-to prepare a set of rules in Chinese, which would in due course be submitted to the foreign hongs, and, if approved of, placed in the different Tea Rooms throughout the Settlement, The Chairman had been informed that' many of the teamen and tea brokers were most anxious to bring about some improvement in the existing unsatisfactory condition of the trade "at the port, and were ko enough, no doubt, to pere their interests were identical of foreigners the matter.—At the request of the chairman, Mr, Hunter, Honorary Secretary, read a om Mr. De Lane, United States Consul, explaining that an error in regard to the eight of lord linings had crept into the clamation issued by the Ghinese authorities, but thatit had been since pointed out, and would no doubt be rome immediately.
Mr. Hun7er, seconded by Mr. Paterson, asked the meeting to pass a vote of than! to the Consul, for having taken up' this matter with so much promptitude; anda te was accordingly passed without A conversation ensued, as to the-wil ingness of buyers to enter into a compact Mr. Reeves maintaining the utter impossibility of riy concerted action, and declaring that his firm would not be bound by anything. The general opinion was that pledges were impracticable under the present conditions of trade; but that if the rules regulating the percentage of dust, weight of lend linings é&c., wore adopted, and copies of said rules suspended in the Tea Rooms of the respective foreign hongs, as suggested by the committee, the end in view might be attained; or, at all events, a certain right of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.