(From Shen Pao of October 27th, 1886.) addressed by Hsi The spreading of the poison known aa opium was for years forbidden by China, but at last, taking into consideration the enterprise of foreign merchants in braving the dangers of the eaas to bring the drug to this country, and recognising the fact that all men are brothers, the Government consented to its importation on ce! tain expressed conditions, one of which was that it should pay duly, and another that amvgglers should be condignly puni-the existing practice is that opium import duty to the Maritime Customs; it is then disposed of by foreign firms to native traders, who are bound thereupon to declare it at this otice and pay the native dues before it can enter the retail market, Without a certi-pleasant ficate fom this office it is held to be contraband; whosoever buys is linble tu be cangued, whosoever sells is subject to a fine. It is provided in Article XXXIX ut the treaty that foreign merchants must procure a permit from the Superintendent before shipping or I goods under pain of confiscation, Similarly by Article XU goods may not he transhipped without low, By Article XLVI again horities at the open ports are empowered to adopt stich means.as they ay consider advisable for th From these provisions it is clear right to deal with opium as she comes into force after it has paid the maritime Customs import duty. One would expect foreign merchants to be well acquainted with their own treaties and, after coming to China for trade, to have some regard for their own repute, instead of contravening the one and tarnish-the other. These native dues, it should be remembered, wre required from the native tender and in no way injure the foreigner; the gama of the smuggler, tov, xo to the Chinese and do not serve to rich the European, It is extraordinary that the foreign merchant should consent to anily his own fair fame with no other result than filling another man's pocket, T have ase-nained that the smuggling of i carried on by lawless until with the eimployés of forei; under the gis of their master The maatera are thus hood hile their men feather their own nese.
The manner of it is vitiier to set up shop in thy city bearing the foreign hong's ume or to sell prepared opium or portions of balls from the hong prem Another set of smugglers are worth Chinese who, cast off by their own countr; have taken refri; such are the firms, which a 09 is smuggling.
request you therefore to call upon foreign firms to discountenance the underhand dealings of their native employes ith smugglers; when w native trader buys opium, whether t! ty be great or sun all, the seller should insist on ils being declared ut this office and should ascertain has actually be done befure allowing tobe taken. 'The reasonableness procedure will be clear to the foreign haute, especially if the Consul will out' to them that they derive no tage whatever from the smuggling which goes on, Again if the merchants will heartily cooperate in eradicating these irregularities, they cannot fail to. profit long run, for their direct native retail traders will soon as the underhand business is conducted entirely under official patronage; every cent taken from the smugglers and yuited to be sv much to the mer-If the merchants decline to leaf car to their employee, I must warn them that the laws will be st rigour on detected ofors and no indulgence must be expected, 4 the Consul to call upon id Ch'éug-fu hongs to cons in the limita of legitimate trading, declaring their opium as the regulations provide, If they trans:
after this warning they shall recei
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.