Mr. Cooper, U.M.'s Consul at N gives an acount of Chinese Mercantil Associations from which we extract the follow ere are 1 Ningpo, as in all other ports in China, an miber vf Aas ciation elfices), which are foreigners as xuilds. these exist the Hui-kuan," or clubs. Properly speaking, the distinction between the two is that the " Hui-kuan" concern usselves with individuals, the Kungize; the qualification for membership being, in the turmer cage, community of origi munity of trade. oth true, is not always strictly observed, but the only point of ference that need be noticed here is that, in so far as they concern themselves with trade, the " Hu Kuan" deal only with native' produce carried coastwise, while the " Kung-ao"" are equally interested in goods of Chinese or of foreign ori OF the "clubs," the once powerful and still important Northern Club" (better known among foreigners xs the Shan tung Guild") alone uffeots, to any considerable extent, the commerce of foreign merchants at Ningpo cub controls the movements of the large fleet of sea-going junks engaged in bringing bean-cake and pens from the northern ports, [twas mainly owing to the opposition of this club we special dane, since rescinded, werted in the Regulations of Trade appended to the 1 Tronty, which prohibited " the export of pulse and bean cake from low and Newchwan nuder the British flay gh veouels of all uationalisies are employed in bringe these art nnd Swatow, at Ningpothe "Northern hina succeeded ving its monopoly.
regard the ' Kung-s0," or Com many of these, 1, for instance, Bankers' Association," the "Salted Guods Company," the " Drtiggists' Guild, do not materinily concern foreigners or commerce. 'Those which do em wre principally the ' Forel Shictings' Company" (better known us the Piece-goods Guild"), the Foreign and Cantonese Company," the Coal and Teen Company," the Opium or Foreign Drug Company," and the Tin and Zine Come pan The first three of these are man wed ty by what may be called a Syndicate 6 native merclunts interested in these perticular commodities; the lust two are, at present at all event missioners and Notabl Local Government.
The origin of all, however, the same, and is to be found in the abuses of the transit pass privilege which came to " head some twal thirteen years ago. As is well-known, a system Of inland duties has long been tablished under various names in Chis and it was by way of commuting the pay ment of these that the Article (the XXVILth) was inserted in the Treaty of 1858, which authorized & Any British aube ject desiring to convey produce purchased to & port, or to convey imports from a port to an inland market, to clear years to foreigners, but after the impost of lekin (the war tax), which foreign merchants persisted in cussing with trauait dues, despite the contention of the officers of the Chinese Government, ite advantages led the native mere 8 to avail themselves of it by me ducing come foreigner to take out w pose for their goods in own name; to start what was termed a fictitious foreign hong." This abuse, for abuse it must be considered, led to two things: fir ext Of the privilege to Chinese; secondly, to the establishment of the Five Compan
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.