THE  INSPECTORATE  OF  CUSTOMS  373
by  him  ;  the  monthly  instalments  paid  into  banks  to  his
order  ;  the  coupons  and  drawn  bonds  paid  by  his  cheque  ;
the  register  to  be  kept  and  bonds  cancelled  by  him  ;  and
in  case  of  default  the  bonds  should  be  received  by  him
at  face  value  in  satisfaction  of  Customs  duties.  The
Chinese  Government  recognised  that  the  Chinese  public
would  not  trust  its  agents  of  the  official  hierarchy,  but
would  trust  the  Commissioner,  and  the  loan  was  a  success.
In  times  of  foreign  complication  the  reading  and  experience
of  the  Commissioner  have  been  freely  drawn  upon  to  supplement ­
  the  deficiencies  of  provincial  officials,  whose  reading
and  experience  offered  them  nothing  to  meet  the  exigencies
of  a  novel  situation  ;  and  many  a  well-intended  breach
of  international  conventions  has  been  averted,  many  an
Asiatic  incitement  in  dealing  with  a  Western  enemy  has
been  withdrawn  or  modified,  many  a  blunder  based  on
Asiatic  ignorance  of  modern  conditions  has  been  avoided,
under  representations  made  by  the  Commissioner,  and
pressed  upon  the  notice  of  the  responsible  officials.  The
application  of  the  principle  of  extraterritoriality,  too,
brings  within  the  purview  of  the  Commissioner  many  cases
which  are  not  strictly  Customs  matters  ;  and  yet,  apart
from  missionary  cases,  it  may  be  said  that  there  are  few
questions  arising  under  this  principle  which  do  not  touch
in  some  way  on  commerce  or  revenue.  In  such  cases  it
rarely  happens  that  some  one  of  the  parties  interested,
the  Chinese  territorial  authority,  the  Consul,  or  the  foreign
merchant,  does  not  invoke  the  aid  or  the  influence  of  the
Commissioner,  and  it  is  one  of  his  hardest  tasks  to  limit
the  extent  of  his  own  interference.  Even  in  cases  where
the  apparent  Customs  connection  is  of  the  slightest,  however, ­
  it  has  often  been  found  of  the  greatest  advantage  to
all  concerned  to  have  the  representative  of  the  foreign  side
of  a  Chinese  administration  available  to  act  as  intermediary  ;
though  a  Chinese  official,  he  is  a  foreigner,  and  though  a
foreigner,  he  is  a  part  of  the  Chinese  administration  ;  he
supplies  to  the  Chinese  that  connection  with  foreign  ways
and  principles  in  which  they  have  been  lacking,  and  he