On the 18th instant His Excellency the Acting Governor of Hongkong laid a Minute of the proceedings of the Opiam Duty Commission, which the Qolony last year, before the Legi Iative Council. At the same meeting the Grate of an Ordinance for the better regulating of the trade in opiam was laid before the Conuoil and read a first time, The Minate after a short formal sentence, gives the different plane wore submitted to the Comm sioners for the collection of Opium Revenue for China, The first plan proposed that the Opium Revenue should be collected for China by Euglaud in India, By a "system of deferred payments of duties in India it was alleged that interference with hospital could be avoided, and by freeing Opium from taxation in China, emo, gling and its attendant evils would, was thought, be brought to an end." This plan found much favour with the Chinese, but under instructions from Her Majesty's Government the British Commissioners could not assent to it and did not take it into consideration. The second plan left the Chinese to collect the duty in their own territory and to take their own preven mea-cures along the coast, but as this would have been expensive and would have caused rub friction it was discarded. The third plan, was called the Hulk plan, and was also sot aside. Mr, Russell, the Puisne Judge in Hongkong, and one of the British Commission upon submitted certain prop: were accepted by the Chinese Govern. ment, bat which were subsequently modified. Her Majesty's Government afterwards approved of what had done and sanctioned the introduction of an Ordinance. Mr, Russell's Con-Report is not to be made public, bat iE has received the approval of the Secretary of State, and the Acting Governor has invited the unofficial members of the Council to meet the Bxeouti of the Confidential Report, agreement was only to come ittto force if the equivalent arrange. mounts with the Government of Macao were concluded. By a telegram from Her Majesty's Minister at Peking, the Hongkong Government were informed that the arrangements with the Macao Government had been concluded, "and that from Ist April next all daties on goods oxporled and imported by jauks from Hongkong and Macac—not those on Opium only as contemplated by the Additional Article—will be collected by the Inspector-General's Department. The Stations at the entrances to this Harbour and that of Macao will therefore in fature be under a Commissioner of the Imperial Customs instead of the Hoppo and Lekin Board as formerly." The Draft Ordinance embodies the provisions of the Agreement between Hongkong and China, and ie, the Acting Governor states, practically the same measure as has been in force in the Straits Settlements for some years past, and which has worked so well that' Singapore alone obtains about $86,000 a month from the Opium Farmers. The Hongkong Government confidently hopes that when thisarrange= ment has been carried out the com= plaints of recent years of the vexatious proceedings of the Native Customs Ofioials at the stations near Hongkong "The duties to be levied will be according toa fixed Tariff instead of an uncertain and variable one as they have hitherto been alleged to be, it is provided that in case of any dispute the Governor of Hongkong can depute an Officer to make enquiry into the matter in con-jan tion with the Commissioner of the Imperial Customs," Ihe stipulations on whioh the Ordinance now introduced into the Legislative Council has been based seem likely to be sufficient toprotect the interests of Chinn, Agreement is not for a period of but only until Uke Colonial authorities have found out if it is injurious to the in-forests of Hongkong, we shall wait and seo how it works. Apart, however, from Opium, it ought to help the general trade of the Colony, but to do so it must fully carried out by the Chine here is no doubt that the Colonial authorities will do their pact,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.