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stamped and sealed in proof thereof, will be kept in possession of the superintendent of customs, and also at the British consulate, at each of the five ports, and these shall be the standard by which all duties shall be charged, and all sums paid to government. In case of any dispute arising between British merchants and the Chinese officers of customs regarding the weights or measures of goods, reference shall be made to these standards, and disputes decided accordingly.

10. Lighters or Cargo Boats. Whenever an English merchant shall have to load or discharge cargo, he may hire whatever kind of lighter or cargo boat he pleases, and the sum to be paid for such boat can be settled between the parties themselves, without the interference of government. The number of these boats shall not be limited, nor shall a monopoly of them be granted to any parties. If any smuggling take place in them, the offenders will, of course, be punished according to law. Should any of these boat people, while engaged in conveying goods for English merchants, fraudulently abscond with the property, the Chinese authorities will do their best to apprehend them; but, at the same time, the English merchants must take every due precaution for the safety of their goods.

11. Transhipment of Goods.- No English merchant ships may tranship goods without special permission; should any urgent case happen where transhipment is necessary, the circumstances must first be submitted to the consul, who will give a certificate to that effect, and the superintendent of customs will send a special officer to be present at the transhipment. If any one presumes to tranship without such permission being asked for and obtained, the whole of the goods so illicitly transhipped will be confiscated.

12. Subordinate Consular Officers. At any place selected for the anchorage of the English merchant ships, there may be appointed subordinate consular officers of approved good conduct to exercise due control over the seamen and others. He must exert himself to prevent quarrels between the English seamen and the natives, this being of the utmost importance. Should any thing of the kind unfortunately take place, he will in the like manner do his best to arrange it amicably. When sailors go on shore to walk, officers shall be required to accompany them; and should disturbances take place, such officers will be held responsible. The Chinese officers may not impede natives from coming alongside the ships to sell clothes or other necessaries to the sailors living on board.

13. Disputes between British Subj cts and Chinese. Whenever a British subject has reason to complain of a Chinese, he must proceed to the consulate and state his grievance. The consul will thereupon inquire into the merits of the case, and do his utmost to arrange it amicably. In like manner, if a Chinese have reason to complain of a British subject, he shall no less listen to his complaint, and endeavour to settle it in a friendly manner. If an English merchant have occasion to address the Chinese authorities, he shall send such address through the consul, who will see that the language is becoming, and if other wise, will direct it to be changed, or will refuse to convey the address. If, unfortunately, any disputes take place of such a nature that the consul cannot arrange them amicably, then he shall request the assistance of a Chinese officer, that they may together examine into the merits of the case, and decide it equitably. Regarding the punishment of English criminals, the English government will enact the laws necessary to attain that end, and the consul will be empowered to put them in force; and regarding the punishment of Chinese criminals, these will be tried and punished by their own laws, in the way provided for by the correspondence which took place at Nanking after the concluding of the peace.

14. British Government Cruizers anchoring within the Ports. An English government cruizer will anchor within each of the five ports, that the consul may have the means of better restraining sailors and others, and preventing disturbances. But these government cruizers are not to be put upon the same footing as merchant vessels, for as they bring no merchandise, and do not come to trade, they will of course pay neither dues nor charges. The resident consul will keep the superintendent of customs duly informed of the arrival and departure of such government cruizers, that he may take his measures accordingly.

15. On the Security to be given for British Merchant Vessels. It has hitherto been the custom, when an English vessel entered the port of Canton, that a Chinese Hong merchant stood security for her, and all duties and charges were paid through such security merchant. But these security merchants being now done away with, it is understood that the British consul will henceforth be security for all British merchant ships entering into any of the Chinese ports.

Government Notification — With reference to the preceding proclamation, it is hereby notified that the new system of trade will commence at Canton on the 1st day of the 7th month of the present Chinese year (27th July, 1843), and that from that day the Hong merchants' monopoly and Consoo charges will cease and terminate.

The other four ports of Amoy, Foo-chow-foo, Ningpo, Shanghai, which agreeably to the treaty of Nanking are to be resorted to by British merchant vessels, cannot be declared to be opened for that purpose until an imperial edict to that effect shall be received from the cabinet of Pekin. This edict is expected to reach Canton early in the month of September. An immediate public notice will be given of the arrival. In the interim, measures will be taken for the appointment of consular officers, and their establishment, to the port in question, in order that no unnecessary delay may take place in the commencement of trade at them, and merchants may make their arrangements accordingly.

The following extracts from instructions addressed to Mr. Lay, officiating consul at Canton, are published for general information, and her Majesty's chief superintendent of trade enjoins every one concerned to pay implicit obedience to them :

"You will see from the enclosed notification, that you are for the present relieved from the exercise of your consular judicial functions; and in the event of letters or petitions (in English or Chinese) referring to disputes, or containing complaints, being presented to you, you will (unless they should be of the most trivial and easily-adjusted nature) write upon them referred to the assistant superintendent, &c.,' and sign your name.

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"You will hold the masters of all vessels responsible to you, for the orderly and peaceable behaviour of their boats' crews, or any other persons belonging to their respective ships, who may visit Canton; and no liberty men' are to go up to that city without your previous permission, obtained in writing in answer to an application, specifying the number (of the propriety of which you are to consider yourself the judge), and distinctly promising and stating that an officer will accompany such liberty men, to look after and control the seamen or lascars, as the case may be.

"In any instance where you may discover that seamen or others are at Canton on liberty, without your permission, and the previous stipulations (above adverted to) having been complied with, you will request the commander of her Majesty's ship, which will be stationed at Whampoa, to support your au thority, to have the seamen or others forthwith sent back to their ships, and you will report the circumstance to me, that I may adopt such further steps as the case may call for. You will at the same time intimate to the master, owner, or consignee, of the vessel from which the seamen or others unauthorisedly come, that all expenses attending the removal of the seamen or others from Canton, will be charged to the ship to which they belong, and will be recovered before she is allowed to sail.

"In cases of petty frays or assaults, or riotous and drunken conduct (unattended, however, with any marked degree of violence), in which you may be of opinion that the ends of justice will be obtained, and a sufficient example will be made, by fining the offender any sum not exceeding 10 dollars, or confining him for a period not exceeding five days, you have my authority to summarily decide in such cases, without even recording the evidence, merely making a memorandum of the fact, in a book to be kept for the purpose: but, in all cases where you may consider the offence to call for more serious notice, you will, with the assistance of the captain of her Majesty's ship, have the offender placed in confinement until a formal investigation can be held, and for which I will arrange on hearing the particulars from you.

Should you obtain positive and incontrovertible proof, that any British merchant ship on the river has been, or is, engaged in smuggling, or evading the payment of the just dues of the Chinese government, as laid down in the Tariff and regulation of trade, you will take immediate measures for intimating the same to the Chinese high officers, and officers of customs, in order that they may, if they think proper, put a stop to such vessel either landing or shipping further cargo, as the case may be; and you will likewise apprise the master, owner, or consignee of such ship of the steps you have taken, and will acquaint them that any attempt to carry on their smuggling practices, or to tra le in any shape, by force, in opposition to the wishes and directions of the Chinese authorities, will oblige me to have such ship removed

from the river.

I annex a table of consular fees which you are to levy, and which are to form a fund for the present, to be subject to such instructions as may be hereafter received from her Majesty's government. G. A. MALCOLM, Sec. of Legation. Dated at Government-House, at Victoria, Hong-Kong, this 22d day July, 1843.

(By order)

Tariff of Dutles on Exports from and Imports into China, established in pursuance of the above Treaty, in Chinese and Mercantile Currency (Dollars and Cents), reduced into their equivalent Rates in sterling Money, according to English Weights and Measures.

We are indebted for this valuable Table to W. Tate, Esq., author of the Modern Cambist, an accurate and useful publication, by which we have profited on many occasions.

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ESTIMATIONS. Chinese Weights, per steelyard: 1 picul = 100 catties 1,600 taels = 1334 avoirdupois. 1 tae! 583 grains Troy. 400 bs. avoirdupois 3 piculs. 1 cwt. avoir. dupois 84 catties. 1 lb. avoirdupois 12 taels.

Chinese Measures: 1 chang = 141 English Inches, or 12 chang 47 yards. Liquids and, generally, grain are sold by weight.

Chinese Monies: 1 tael 10 mace = 100 candareen 1,000 cash.

The principal monetary integer, the tael, is this weight of sycee silver, there being no Chinese coins in gold, and no other Chinese currency, or medium of payment, in silver, than small ingots of vcer silver, stamped by the shroff's or bankers appointed by the government. The average purity of sycee silver may be reckoned at 98 touch, or 131 dwts, better than British standard; and as it contains, on the average, about 12 grains of gold in the pound Troy, the nett value at 60 pence per ounce standard, after making the usual allowance for the extraction of the gold, is very nearly equal to 78) pence sterling, per tael.

In mercantile currency, or the money of account of foreign merchants trading with China, the dollar is divided into 100 cents, and 720 taels of Chinese account are reckoned equal to 1,000 dollars in this currency, making the tael equal to Idollar 38 8-9ths cents; but in small amounts it is reckoned at 1 dollar

40 cents. This is, however, only a nomina! valuation, by which the dollar is made nearly 563 pence sterling, or 13 per cent. above its real value.

According to the 8th article of the general regulations under which the British trade is to be conducted at the five ports of Canton, Amoy, Foo-chow foo, Ningpo, and Shanghai, the English consuls appointed to these ports are to arrange with the superintendents of the customs at each, what coins may be taken in the payment of the duties, and what per centage may be necessary to make them equal to standard or pure silver. In pursuance of this regulation, the following estimations have been made at Canton, and will, probably, be followed at the other ports of trade: - rupees wel hing 109. 7m. 9c. Dc.; Peruvian dollars, 111. Am. 5e. bc.; Mexican dollars, 111. 9m. Oc Oc.; Bolivian dollars, 112t. 1m. 5e. Oc.; Chilian dollars, 112.5m. 2c. Oc.; and chopped dollars, 1138. 2m. Oc. 7c.; are to be accounted as 100 taels of sycee silver, being, according to this monetary tariff, respectively equal to 2 dwts., 54 dwts., 61 dwts., 6) dwts., 74 dwts., and 8'dwts. worse than British standard. To these per centages are to be added per cent. for difference between the hoppo's and the shroff's weights, and another per cent. for retning. Hence the value of the tael of sycee silver is rendered very nearly equal to 791 pence, and with the I per cent., to 80 pence sterling, at which value the Chinese rates in the above schedule have been reduced. (Tate.)

Opium. - A notion having been entertained that opium might be legally imported into China, under the provisions of this tariff, on paying an ad valorem duty of 5 per cent., the following proclamation has been issued on the subject:

Proclamation. It having been brought to my notice that such a step has been contemplated as sending vessels with opium on board into the ports of China to be opened by treaty to foreign trade, and demanding that the said opium shall be admitted to importation, by virtue of the concluding clause of the new tariff, which provides for all articles not actually enumerated in that tariff passing at an ad valorem duty of 5 per cent., I think it expedient, by this proclamation, to point out to all whom it may concern, that opium being an article the traffic in which is well known to be declared illegal and contraband by the laws and imperial edicts of China, any person who may take such a step will do so at his own risk, and will, if a British subject, meet with no support or protection from her Majesty's con

suls or other officers.

This proclamation will be translated and published in Chinese, so that no one may plead ignorance of it. Government-house, Victoria, this 1st day of August, 1843.

But, notwithstanding this proclamation, and in defiance of the strong denunciation of smuggling in the proclamation of the 2d of July (see p. 230*), it is distinctly stated in Hong Kong papers that there was, on the 21st of September 1843, almost in sight of our consular flag, a "fleet of British vessels openly engaged in the vending of opium to the Chinese !" This certainly is a curious commentary on the above proclamations; and it were much to be wished, seeing that the trade cannot be suppressed, that it were legalised on opium paying a reasonable duty.

The payment of our consuls by fees is much, and we believe justly, objected to at Canton. It is a bad practice anywhere, and especially so in China.

Supposing, however, that the treaty with China is bona fide carried into effect, still it may be doubted whether the trade with that empire will ever be so extensive as many suppose. We believe, indeed, that China will afford a most extensive outlet for various descriptions of our manufactured goods, provided we can bring away equivalents suitable for the European and other foreign markets. But this, we incline to think, will be no easy matter. Excepting tea, China has few articles suitable for extensive use in Europe, other than silk and silver. Chinese silk is, however, losing ground as compared with that of Italy and Turkey, while it is most probable that the enhancement of its price, consequent to any great increase in the exportation of silver, would, in no very long time, bring it to a close. Tea is the grand equivalent which the Chinese have to exchange for our products; and there cannot, as it appears to us, be a doubt that the effectual reduction of the present exorbitant duties on tea would be the most likely means of extending the trade with China.

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Hong Kong. The island of this name, ceded to us by the above treaty, is situated on the N. side of the entrance from the sea to the estuary of the Canton River, being separated from the main land by a narrow channel having 14 fathoms water. stretches about 8 miles from east to west, and is of a very irregular figure, having several promontories, and being deeply indented with bays. It consists principally of a series of high hills, the highest having an elevation of about 1,200 feet. Victoria, the principal British settlement on the north side of the island, in lat. 22° 16′ 27′′ N., long. 1140 10 48" E., has the advantage of an excellent roadstead with from 3 to 7 fathoms water and good holding ground. There are also numerous well-sheltered roads and bays with deep water on the south side of the island; which, indeed, appears, from its position and other advantages, extremely well fitted for a naval station. Every thing, however, will depend on the fact of its being healthy, of which, we are sorry to observe, grave doubts are entertained. Should these happily prove unfounded, it is probable that in no very lengthened period a considerable portion of the trade which is at present centred in Canton will be transferred to Hong Kong; and, under the above

condition, it can hardly fail to become an important entrepôt, not merely for the trade with the Canton River, but with China generally. It is intended to have it strongly fortified. (See the Plan of the Canton River in the Mercator's Chart prefixed to the title-page of this work.)

Monies. Accounts are kept at Canton in tales, mace, candarines, and cash; the tael being divided into 10 mace, 100 candarines, or 1,000 cash. There is but one kind of money made in China, called cash, which is not coined but cast, and which is only used for small payments: it is composed of 6 parts of copper and 4 of lead; it is round, marked on one side, and rather raised at the edges, with a square hole in the middle. These pieces are commonly carried, like beads, on a string of wire. A tael of fine silver should be worth 1,000 cash but, on account of their convenience for common use, their price is sometimes so much raised that only 750 cash are given for the tael.

Foreign coins, however, circulate here, particularly Spanish dollars; and for small change they are cut into very exact proportions, but afterwards weighed; for which purpose merchants generally carry scales, called dotchin, made somewhat after the plan of the English steelyards.

The tael used to be reckoned at 68. 8d. sterling in the books of the East India Company; but its value varies, and is generally computed according to the price paid per ounce for Spanish dollars in London. The tables given for this proportional value may be calculated in pence sterling, by the multiplier 1-208. Thus, if the price of the Spanish dollar be 60d. per ounce, the value of the tael will be 60' x 1'208 = 72-48d-; if at 6hd., the value of the tael will be 79 728d.; and for any other price in the same proportion.

Fineness of Gold and Silver.The fineness of gold and silver is expressed by dividing the weight into 100 parts, called toques or touch; similar to the modern practice of France. Thus, if an ingot be 93 touch, it is understood to contain 7 parts of alloy and 93 of pure metal, making in the whole 100.

The fineness of the precious metals, expressed in these decimal proportions, may be converted into English proportions by the following analogics:- Suppose gold is 91-66 touch, say, as 100: 91-66: 12: 11, the standard, and vice versa: and to convert standard silver into touch, say, as 210: 222: 100: 92-5, the touch of sterling silver. Pure gold or silver without alloy is called by the Chinese sycee; and sometimes, when of less purity, the metal is accepted as sycee.

Silver Ingots are used as money, and weigh from a tael to 100 taels, their value being determined by their weight. These ingots are of the best sort of silver; that is, about 94 touch.

Gold Ingots. Gold is not considered as money, but as merchandise it is sold in regular ingots of a determined weight, which the English call shoes of gold, the largest of these weigh 40 taels each; and the gold is reckoned 94 touch, though it may be only 92 or 93.

Weights. Gold and silver are weighed by the catty of 16 taels; the tael is divided into 10 mace, 100 candarines, or 1,000 cash. 100 taels are reckoned to weigh 120 oz. 16 dwts. Troy, which makes the tael equal to 579-8 English grains, or 37-566

grammes.

The principal weights for merchandise are the picul, the catty, and the tael; the picul being divided into 100 catties, or 1,600 taels.

1 Tael weighs, avoirdupois 16 Taels, or 1 catty 100 Catties, or I picul

Lbs. oz. dwts.

1 5.333

14 oz.

1383102

- 133 5 5.333 133 lbs.

Hence the picul weighs 60°472 kilogrammes, or 162 lbs. O oz. 8 duts. 13 grs. Troy.

The above weights are sometimes otherwise denominated, especially by the natives: thus, the catty is called gin; the tacl, Iyang; the mace, tchen; the candarine, fivan; and the cash, lis.

There are no commercial measures in China, as all dry goods and liquids are sold by weight. In delivering a cargo, Eng h weights are used, and afterwards turned into Chinese piculs

and catties.

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European Trade at Canton. As soon as a vessel arrives among the islands which front the entrance to the Canton river, she is generally boarded by a pilot, who conducts her into Marac or Hong Kong roads. The entrance is, however, so safe, that ships push on without waiting for the pilot, who, if the weather be bad, is sometimes long in coming on board. The pits' names are registered at the Keun-min foo's office, near Macao; and for a licence to act, the sum of 600 dollars is paid. The person who takes out the licence sometimes knows nothing about shops or the river; but employs fishermen to do the duty. On the vessel's arrival in the roads, the pilot goes on shore to report her at the office of the keun-min-foo, who, when he has c ceived answers to his inquiries, gives a permit for her to pas through the Bogue, and orders a river pilot or board. This pilot seldom repairs on board the vessel before 24 hours have elapsed. When arrived, the vessel proceeds through the Bogue, and up the Canton river, to Whampoa.

Every ship that enters the port requires the service of a linguist, and comprador, before she can commence unloading. The master used to be required to give a written declar.......in, in duplicate, solemnly affirming that the ship has brought no opium.

All the trade with foreigners used to be confined to the Hong or security merchants; but this restriction has recently been abolished; and foreigners may now deal with any merchant or other party they think fit to employ. The linguists are government interpreters, who procure permits for delivering and taking in cargo, transact all the Custom-house business, and keep accounts of the duties. All the minor charges of the government, also, are paid by them; in consideration of which they receive a fee of about 173 dollars, previously to the vessel's departure.

When a vessel wishes to discharge or receive cargo, the linguist is informed, a day or two previously, what kind of gods are to be received or discharged, and in what quantities. He then applies for a permit, which being issued, the lighters or chop-boats proceed to Whampoa, where they usually arrive on the evening of the second or morning of the third day. For a single boat the linguist used to receive a fee of 23 dollars; but if a permit be obtained for from 2 to 6 boats at a tire, the fee for each boat was only 11 taels 2 mace 6 cand., or about 15 dollars.

When the goods are ready to be landed from or sent to the ship, the hoppo (principal Custom-house officer) sends a domestic, a writer, and a police runner; the hong merchant whe has secured the ship sends a domestic, called a court-going inan (one who attends at the public offices, on ordinary occasions, in behalf of his master); and the linguist sends an accountant and interpreter, to attend at the examination of the goods. The hong merchants used to be held responsible by government for all duties, whether on imports or experts in foreign vessels; and therefore, when goods were purchased, it was customary for the parties, before fixing the price, to arrange between themselves who was actually to pay the duties.

Of an import cargo, each chop-boat, according to rule, which, however, is not rigidly enforced, should contain, of woollens, camlets, and long-ells, 140 bales; tin, 500 bars; lead, 600 pigs: Boobay Cotton, 55 bales; Bengal cotton, 80 bales; betel nut, pepper, &c., 300 picu's.

Of export goods, a chop-boat should take, of tea, 600 chests; of other sorts of goods, 300 piculs. If more than this, the hong merchant gives to the chop-Loat, for each additional picel, G dollars.

In calculating the duties on export goods, 90 catties are considered 100. The woollens, long-ell, and carelets, are mea sured by the chang of 10 covids, without any deduction; and single articles are numbered.

If, after entering the port, any persons tranship goods, it is considered that the one ship sold them to the other; and, in brought up to Canton. Provisions are not included in this that case, the same duty has to be paid as if the goods were regulation.

Ships' boats are not allowed to carry up or down any thing chargeable with duty.

Gold, silver, copper, and iron are prohibited to be exported; a few culinary utensils are the only exception When it is desired to export treasure, the hong merchant must make an estimate of the value of the import and export cargoes, and whatever balance there may be in favour of the ship, may then be shipped off as treasure.

If niore cargo be sent to a ship than she can take on board, and she wishes it to be shipped on board another, it must be done within 3 days after announcing the goods at the Custernhouse, and a hong merchant must state it to government; if granted, a hong merchant and linguist are crder d to go to Whampoa and take an account of such goods; all whielt, with the expense of beats, runners, &c. at Whampo 40 or 50 dollars. (Companion to Anglo-Chinese Calendar, pp. 99-101.)

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Hong Merchants. Previously to the commencement of the new system, it had, as stated above, been the invariable practice, enforced by law, that all foreign vessels arriving in the port should employ, as broker or agent, a hong or security merchant, who became, by doing so, responsible to the government for the duties. These merchants, who were but few in number, were the only individuals in the empire legally authorised to trade with foreigners, a privilege for which they had to pay very largely. But, after an arrangement had been made with any particular hong merchant for securing a ship, her captain or supercargo might deal with any other long merchant, or even with any outside merchant (or merchant not belonging to the hong) he pleased. The peculiar duty of the hong merchant was to pay the duties on both the inward and outward cargoes; and hence arose the practice of foreigners buying all goods for export duty paid, and selling all the goods brought with them free of duty, the duties being, in both cases, paid by the Long merchants who had secured the ship; and hence, also, the ignorance of most foreigners as to the amount of the duties. But now that the privilege of the hong merchants has been abolished, the duties will have to be paid to the Chinese authorities by the parties importing and exporting, in the same way as in this country.

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