due on the cargoes of vessels proceeding up or down the river will be payable at Shanghae or Chin-kiang; and traffic in arms or ammunition will be prohibited under severe penalties.

ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.

(2.) Notification of the British Consul.

Shanghae, March 18, 1861.

THE undersigned, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, has received a despatch from Harry S. Parkes, Esq., C.B., &c., inclosing for publication the subjoined Notification, and requesting him to give effect to the Provisional Regulations which form one of its Annexes.

The undersigned accordingly hereby gives notice that, pending instructions from Her Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Chief Superintendent of Trade, he is prepared, in so far as the action of this Consulate is concerned, to give full effect to the "Provisional Regulations for British Trade on the Yang-tsze River" which are now made public.

THOMAS TAYLOR MEADOWS.

(ANNEX 1.) Arrangement with the Insurgent Authorities at Nanking. "Coromandel," Yang-tsze River, March 9, 1861.

REFERRING to the Notification of His Excellency the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, K.T., G.C.B., &c., dated Hong Kong, January 20, 1861,* informing Her Majesty's subjects in China of the measures then being taken to give effect to the arrangement concluded between Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary and the Imperial Commissioner for opening the Yang-tsze River to British trade, the undersigned is now authorized by His Excellency the naval Commander-in-Chief to declare the river above Chin-kiang and as far as Hankow, to be open, in accordance with that arrangement, to British vessels under the accompanying regulations, which are provisional until they have received the sanction of His Excellency the Honourable Mr. Bruce, C.B., and the Peking Government.

His Excellency the naval Commander-in-Chief has furnished the undersigned, for the information of Her Majesty's subjects in China, with the annexed extracts of a communication made by Commander Aplin, of Her Majesty's ship "Centaur," on the 1st instant, to the insurgent authorities at Nanking, and of their reply, together with a copy of the pass to be used by British vessels passing Nanking. It will be observed from this correspondence that the free navigation of the river by British vessels is not to be

* See Page 668.

interfered with by the insurgents, but that all intercourse held with any place in their possession will be conducted under such conditions as the insurgent authorities, with the approval of the senior naval officer, shall think proper to prescribe; and the undersigned is further desired to call attention to that regulation of the insurgent authorities, which is concurred in by the Commander-inChief, requiring merchant vessels not to approach nearer to Nanking, at night, than the Pingshan Pagoda, nor to enter at any time the Tsaouhea Creek.

The positions at present selected for Consular establishments on the river above Chin-kiang are the cities of Hankow and Kiukiang, and His Excellency the naval Commander-in-Chief has stationed vessels of war at these ports, as well as at Chin-kiang and Nanking, for the purpose of protecting British interests and giving due support to Her Majesty's Consuls in the performance of their duties.

HARRY S. PARKES.

(ANNEX 2.) Provisional Regulations for British Trade in the Yangtsze River. March, 1861.

ART. I. Every British vessel wishing to proceed up the Yangtsze River beyond Chin-kiang must apply to the British Consul at Shanghae for a pass, to be called the "river-pass," authorizing the vessel to trade as high as Hankow, which will be issued by the Shanghae Customs, and only by the Customs at that port, on the application of the Consul, as soon as the Customs are satisfied that all the dues and duties due upon the vessel and her cargo have been paid.

The Consul will deliver the river-pass to the vessel, and will retain in his hands her register or sailing letter, and on the return of the vessel to Shanghae the river-pass must be surrendered to the Consul and returned to the Customs.

II. Every vessel proceeding up or down the river shall be permitted to carry for her protection such an amount of arms and ammunition as shall appear to the Customs at Shanghae to be reasonable, and this amount of arms and ammunition shall be entered in a certificate, to be called the "arms-certificate," which shall be delivered by the Customs, through the Consul, to any vessel applying for the same; and the said vessel shall be bound to bring back to Shanghae all the arms and ammunition she is thus authorized to carry, or, if she have expended any portion of them during her voyage up or down the river, then to account for the manner in which such portion has been expended. Any vessel returning to Shanghae without any portion of the arms or ammunition stated in her arms-certificate, and being unable to account

satisfactorily for such missing portion, or being discovered trafficking in arms, munitions or implements of war, at any port or place in the river, or carrying any arms or munitions in excess of the amount stated in her arms-certificate, is liable to have her riverpass withdrawn, and to be prohibited from trading upon the river.

III. The Shanghae Customs may, if they see fit, appoint 1 or 2 of their officers to accompany the vessel as far as Chin-kiang; and the master of the vessel is bound to receive these officers on board, and to provide them suitable accommodation, but not their food or expenses. Trading of any kind between Shanghae and Chin-kiang being an infraction of Article XLVII of the Treaty of Tien-tsin, may be punished as is therein provided.

*

IV. No vessel is allowed to pass Chin-kiang without anchoring, and being reported to the British Consul and the Customs at that port. The master, on arriving at Chin-kiang, must deliver to the Consul his river-pass, arms-certificate, Shanghae port-clearance, and a list of all passengers and persons not forming part of the registered crew on board; and, if he wish to proceed up the river immediately, the Consul will forward all the papers above named to the Customs, who may board and inspect the vessel, and if the Customs have no claim upon the vessel, or there be no cause for her detention, they will at once grant a new portclearance, and give this, together with the river-pass and armscertificate, to the master, who will then be at liberty to continue his voyage. But if the stay of a vessel at Chin-kiang exceed 24 hours, she must be reported within that time to the British Consul, and by the Consul to the Customs, in the manner provided in Article XXXVII of the Treaty of Tien-tsin,† and a manifest of her cargo and a copy of her passenger-list furnished to the Consul; and if she land any portion of her cargo, or take on board any cargo, she must do so in the manner provided in the said Treaty; and the Consul will retain in his possession her river-pass and arms-certificate until she receives her portclearance from the Custom-house, and is again ready to depart. Any British vessel proceeding up the river above Chin-kiang without a river-pass, arms-certificate, and Chin-kiang portclearance, duly obtained as provided in these Regulations, commits infringement of Article XLVII of the Treaty of Tien-tsin, and is liable to the penalty therein provided.

V. Every vessel must be reported to the British Consul at Kiukiang and Hankow within 24 hours after her arrival at either of those ports, and the master must lodge in the hands of the Consul the vessel's river-pass, arms-certificate, and Chin-kiang port-clearance, and must deliver to the Consul a manifest of her inward cargo, and a list of all passengers and persons not forming part of the registered crew on board; and the Consul will retain * See Page 95. † See Page 93.

in his possession the river-pass, arms-certificate, and Chin-kiang port-clearance, until the vessel is again ready to depart, and until he has received the manifest of her cargo outwards, and a list of all passengers and persons not forming part of her registered crew, and intending to leave the port in the said vessel; and, before returning the said papers to the master, the Consul will indorse on the Chin-kiang port-clearance the respective dates on which it was lodged in his hands and returned to the master. No report, however, need be made in the case of a vessel passing Kiukiang without anchoring, nor is it requisite that a vessel passing that port without discharging or taking in cargo should deliver a manifest to the Consul.

VI. Every vessel coming down the river must anchor at Chinkiang, and be reported to the Consul, and cleared by the Customs, in the manner provided in Article IV of these Regulations; and the Customs may, if they see fit, appoint 1 or 2 of their officers to accompany the vessel to the port of Shanghae, where the vessel is bound to proceed without touching at any other port or place, and these Customs' officers must be received on board, and treated in the manner provided in Article II of these Regulations.

VII. The payment of all import and export duties due by all British vessels duly authorized to trade on the river above Chinkiang being secured to the Chinese Government by Articles I, IV, and VI of these Regulations, Articles XXXVIII,XXXIX, XL, and XLI of the Treaty of Tien-tsin will not apply to such vessels after they have passed Chin-kiang inwards; and any vessel so authorised may therefore discharge or load legal merchandize, at ports or places on the river above Chin-kiang, without being required to obtain Custom-house permits, or to pay export duties, until the vessel returns to Chin-kiang.

VIII. The manifests of cargo that are to be delivered to Her Majesty's Consuls at the various ports, as provided in these Regulations, must be made out in the form of a summary, stating the quantity of each description of goods on board, either in dimensions, weight, or value, as the case may be.

IX. The breach of any of these Regulations may be punished by the withdrawal from a vessel of her river-pass, and by prohibiting her from further trading on the river; and if this penalty be awarded when on the river, she may be sent or taken to Shanghae, and also, and in addition to the preceding penalty, by any other pains or penalties that may be incurred by the same offence for a breach of Treaty. And it shall be competent for any of Her Majesty's Consuls to detain any vessel, trading on the river under these Regulations, against which any other complaint or claim may at any time be laid, until the same shall have been heard and determined by the Consul, and his judgment carried into execution.

X. These Regulations may at any time be suspended or annulled, added to or amended, as and in whatever way may be judged

expedient by Her Britannic Majesty's Minister Plenipotentiary in China and the High Chinese Authorities in communication together. HARRY S. PARKES.

(3.) Provisional Regulations of the Prince of Kung, for Foreign Trade on the Yang-tze-kiang River.

Peking, September 21, 1861. Nos. I to VI, as in copy published at Shanghae, March 18,

1861.*

VII. The payment of duties due by vessel trading up and down the Yantz-tze under these Regulations, being duly provided for by Articles I,IV,and VI of the said Regulations; Articles XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, and XLI of the Treaty of Tien-tsin will not apply to any such vessel, and she is accordingly authorized to load or discharge at Hankow or Kiu-kiang without applying for Customhouse permits, or paying duties, until her return to Shanghae. Nos. VIII and IX as in published copy.†

X. Foreign merchants carrying foreign imports up the Yangtze-kiang must pay the import duty at Shanghae after arrival at the port (of destination) on the Yang-tze; imports passing thence inland, unless provided with a certificate from the Customs of (such) port of the Yang-tze-kiang, will be subject to all inland revenues charges at every barrier they pass. If the foreign merchant choose, he can apply for an inland duties' certificate at the office of the Customs (of the ports open) on the Yang-tze, in which case he must be directed to pay, as by Treaty required, the (half-tariff) duty; he will then be authorized to receive a transit certificate, which will exempt his goods from further duty.

XI. Foreign merchants carrying native produce up the Yangtze must pay at Shanghae the tariff export duty due there, and also, in advance, the half-tariff due on native produce re-entering one of the river ports. After the produce has reached the river port for which it is destined, it will become liable, if carried inland of the port, to all the charges leviable at the different inland Customs' barriers it passes, no matter whether it be carried by a foreign or native merchant.

XII. Foreign merchants carrying up the Yang-tze from Shanghae native produce which has paid export duty at the original port of shipment, and re-import duty when brought into the port of Shanghae, will not be required to pay a 2nd export duty, or a second re-import duty at Shanghae; but, if after reaching its port of destination on the Yang-tze-kiang, it be carried inland, whether by foreign merchants or Chinese, it will be liable to all charges leviable at the inland Customs' barriers it may pass.

* See Page 670.

VOL. XI.

† See Page 672.

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