Ir is impossible in the limits of an article to do anything like justice to the Annual Report of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce for 1896. The report has grown into an important pamphlet of 60 closely-printed folio pages; and it includes the "Report of the Sectional Committee on Cotton Mills, in which are set forth the reasons and arguments on which foreign cotton mill-owners in Shanghai base their claim to moderate and equitable taxation of their manufactures" (a delightfully archaic title); "the Report of the Sectional Committee of the Shanghai Special Committee on Taxation regarding silk filatures and raw silk;" and the " Report of the ''I'en' Section Sub-Committee of the Special Committee on Taxation, ete." 'I'his last extends to eleven pages, and is really exhaustive.
But to return to the general report of the Committee. 'I'he first subject referred to in it is what used to be the Woosung Bar but has now grown, and more properly so, into "'The River Approaches to Shanghai." The collapse of the negotiations with Messrs, Cvode, Son, and Matthews for a survey of the Bar and River is mentioned, the relative correspondence appearing on pages i to iv. Then comes the agreement made with Mr. de Rijke for a preliminary survey, than which a better step could hardly have been taken, The terms are set forth in the correspondence on pages vand vi, Mr. de Rijke is expected to commence his work at once.
"The Revision of the Tariff and Incidence of Taxation of Imports and Exports" is the next topic treated, The curious thing is that as far as we know no official demand has been made by China for a revision of the tariff. HE. Li Hung-chang appears to have mooted it when he was in England, and indeed it was talked about at several European capitals which Li visited; but whether he had any authority from the throne to propose increased duties we have never learnt, What we do know is that since Li went home China has made a treaty with Japan by which the old tariff remains in force for ten years. What the Chamber of Commerce Report says is Phe question of the probable attempt of the Chinese Government to obtain an increase of Import duties by consent of the Treaty Powers.occupied the attention of the Committee early in the year, and they expressed their views on the subject to the Consular Body, who forwarded the same to Peking for the consideration of the Diplomatic Corps. he question of the taxation of industrial manufactures was also brought prominently in view through a memorial of the 'I'sungli Yamen in- August last, and called for strenuous protest." It is mentioned how Mr. Dudgeon, Vice-Chairman of the Committee, was sent up to Peking to lay the matter personally before the Foreign Representatives,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.