332

THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE

regular  reports  of  revenue  collected,  and  the  regular  New
Year’s  gratifications  sent  in  accordance  with  custom  to  the
Ministers  of  State  and  the  officials  of  the  Court  at  Peking-"
heavier  because  of  the  greater  amount  of  lucrum  attaching
to  the  provincial  posts—had  no  peculiar  odor  attaching  t°
them  to  betray  their  origin  ;  it  was  therefore  to  the  interest
of  all  officials  concerned,  below  the  Emperor  and  except
an  occasional  honest  statesman,  that  the  prohibition  should
be  enacted  and  that  the  traffic  should  go  on.  The  Emperor
might  prohibit  the  trade,  but  the  Emperor's  representatives
continued  to  sanction  it.
On  the  issue  of  the  prohibitory  edicts  it  became  i#"
possible  to  continue  the  open  storage  of  stocks  in  the  factories
at  Canton,  and  the  depots  were  established  at  Macao,
which,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  under  Chinese  fiscal
control  until  1848  ;  quantities  were,  however,  still  brought
on  in  the  importing  ships  and  kept  on  board  at  the  anchorage
at  Whampoa  until  they  could  be  delivered  to  purchasers-Ibis
  went  on  until  1820,  when  the  order  went  out  that
no  opium  was  to  be  stored  in  Macao  or  at  Whampoa  ;  th e
importers  then  established  store  ships  at  Lintin  Island,
in  the  estuary  of  the  Canton  River.  Up  to  this  date  the
import  had  not  in  any  year  exceeded  5,000  chests.
When  the  edict  of  1800  was  issued,  the  East  Ißd^
Company  ceased  to  carry  opium  on  its  own  account.  Fro^
that  time  it  was  officially  responsible  for  the  production  0
that  portion  of  the  drug  which  came  from  Bengal  and
its  sale  in  Calcutta,  but  had  no  direct  concern  with  h 5
transportation  and  sale  in  China,  nor  did  it  ever  have
connection  with  opium  from  Malwa  or  from  Persia.  ,
During  the  Lintin  period,  opium  (then  regularly  calk
tea,”  and  still  ordinarily  so  termed  at  Canton)  was  so
by  sample,  and  paid  for  invariably  in  hard  cash  agahjf
a  delivery  order.  The  importer  had  nothing  else  to
with  sales  for  local  delivery.  The  purchaser  having  arrangé
for  the  necessary  protection  from  official  interference,  t°°,
his  order  to  the  receiving  ship  at  Lintin,  where  he  repack^
into  mat-bags,  marked  with  his  private  chop,  and  took  1