THE  INSPECTORATE  OF  CUSTOMS  369
General  on  matters  affecting  the  whole  coast,  and  through
the  Commissioner,  who  has  joint  authority,  on  work  affecting ­
  one  port  or  lying  within  one  district.  Subject  to  the
direct  control  of  the  Commissioner,  he  has  general  control
over  the  revenue  steamers  and  their  personnel.  He  is
also  charged  with  the  general  supervision—the  direct  control ­
  being  with  the  Commisioner—over  buoys  (hi  established) ­
  and  beacons  (105  established).  Record  must  be
made  of  the  good  work  done  by  Captain  A.  M.  Bisbee  while
he  occupied  this  post.  A  Harbor  Master,  paid  from  Marine
funds,  exists  only  at  Shanghai  ;  elsewhere  the  duties  of
the  post  are  performed  by  the  Tide  Surveyor,  a  Revenue
officer  who  is,  under  the  Commissioner,  in  direct  control
of  the  Outdoor  Staff.  The  Harbor  Master  is  the  official
charged  with  the  supervision  of  pilotage,  conservancy,
movement  of  shipping  in  port,  and  similar  matters  ;  port
regulations  on  these  subjects  are  issued  with  the  authority
of  his  signature,  but,  as  he  is  the  subordinate  of  the  Commissioner, ­
  while  the  hand  is  the  hand  of  the  Harbor  Master
the  voice  is  the  voice  of  the  Commissioner.  In  all  these
matters  the  Commissioner  is  the  buffer  between  many
conflicting  interests,  over  which  he  can  often  exercise  only
an  influence  and  not  an  authority  ;  he  may,  for  example,
be  appealed  to  for  a  decision  on  a  foreshore  case,  where
the  Chinese  territorial  authorities  and  a  Consul  acting  for
his  national  may  hold  opposite  and  irreconcilable  views,
where  the  Harbor  Master  is  in  theory  expected  to  apply
the  principles  of  Chinese  law,  but  where  neither  he  nor
the  Commissioner  can  enforce  his  authority  on  the  rival
parties.  Such  a  case  becomes  then  a  question  of  diplomacy,
bringing  in  the  heavy  artillery  of  Foreign  Office,  Legation,
and  Inspector  General,  unless  the  Commissioner  can  devise
a  modus  vivendi  acceptable  to  all  concerned.
The  Lights  Staff  consists  of  58  foreign  and  244  Chinese
lightkeepers,  the  latter  being  subordinated  at  the  larger
Lights  stations  or  in  charge  of  the  smaller  stations.  The
maintenance  of  each  light  and  the  control  of  its  staff  are
directly  under  the  Commissioner  of  the  district  ;  except
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