It is an unfortunate characteristic of Chinese officialdom that it should always equivocate. The progress of the trouble in Chekiang is one of the many examples of this. The merchants claimed that their treaty rights were infringed. But the Chinese authorities who! confiscated the nine chests and released them on representations being made by the British authorities, say that under the same treaty they have the right to regulate the retail trade. They state they have a right to take steps to suppress opium smoking as early as possible." Hence they have made regulations for the complete suppress sion of opium smoking within the province, whether, it is Indian opium or Chinese. The least common-sense should make it patent that such was not contemplated by the treaty, and thab the sale of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.