Now and then, in the Chinese laws, passages occur of kindness to the poor. Old men of fifty-nine years-and more are allowed to carry salt. from the salt-pans and_ sell it fora living. Children under sixteen years of age are allowed the same privily e, All persons belonging to these classes as well as aged women and maimed paren may carry on their backs a load of not more than ten catties of salt to sell for their. livelihood. They must not make use of a boat. The burden must be carried'on' their backs by themselves. But in contrast with this philanthropy are many very severe enactments. Whoever sells salt clandestinely, whatever the quantity, is liable. to be exiled for three years and receive a hundred blows, also losing the salt, which is confiscated. If a woman sell unlicensed salt her husband will be punished in her bane whether he new it or not, if he were.in the same house with her. In the absence of her husband, if she had with her a son of.more than fifteen years he will be punished in her stead. In every other case the woman bears the penalty. Whoever assists the seller of unlicensed salt, by receiving it on deposit or pointing out the way by.which the smuggler can effect his 88, will be exiled for two and a-half years with eighty blows. To. buy unlicensed salt isa crime to be punished by.one hundred blows and three years' banishment. Such is the law; but in fact it does not appear to be carried out. At Shanghai the salt. bough' and sold ought to be the Chéltiang salt which is produced in abundance to the South and, by law, is the only salt saleable there. -If the salt of Northern Kiang-ssu should be sold here the punishment is one hundred blows and confiscation of the salt. Perpetual exile to some place distant three thousand li is the punishment if the quantity of salt be more than three thousand catties.
These severe rules cannot be carried out, and salt is smuggled to an enormous extent...It is said that very little licensed salt is sold in Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.