Recent cases at the Mixed Court, against Chinese accused of pilfering cargo, draw attention to a local aspect of a worldwide evil. Only recently complaint was made of similar practices in England while local gossip mentions the same. malpractices in that land so often described as ''a certain country." Instances are known where goods have been abstracted from their cases and inferior imitations substituted, good articles filched and bad copies replaced, until these practices have gained an extent that may very rapidly become alarming. What cure can be suggested for universal adoption it is hard to say, but it is to be hoped that the good example of those firms, who have prosecuted recently, will be followed by others. as opportunity offers. It is only by such methods that this deplorable practice can be held in check, and as its growth might seriously affect the welfare of this port, the more severely it is punished the better.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.