HISTORICAL NOTE. 41 



\vhirh uls.) contains the manner of settling duties then in use at the port of 



( 'antou : 



1*t. ChSngJuicMO-t4-U, or the book of true and fixed duties. 

 2nd. I'i-li, or the book of comparisons. 

 3rd. Ku-cliia, or the book of valuation. 



The first of these book^ WM made A.D. 1687, and is kept as it was, unaltered. 

 Tin l).M>k of comparisons was first sent, with about 150 articles collected together 

 in it. t> tin- Ii<urd of Revenue in Peking, for approval, in the year 1733. After 

 this time every two or three years additional articles were added and sent to Peking 

 for approval ; so that this book was continually increasing. 



The third book is a register of the value of all goods exported or re-exported 

 from Canton, for the purpose of laying on them an extra charge of 6 per cent, to 

 !>! ailled to the other duty on such exports and re-exports. 



Here \ve are astonished to find that in 1755 a picul of silk could be valued at Prices ruling in 



"755- 



'11& loo. .UK! one of tea at Tk. 8 ; that white sugar was worth 7Z& 1.50, brown su_ 



1, sugar candy, 7fe 2.50, rhubarb, Tts. 1.50, per picul ; and that musk was valued 

 at Tfe 1.50 per catty ; while Opium was not worth more than half an ounce of silver 

 per catty. The value of a chest of Opium woidd therefore amount at that time to 

 not quite $100. The existence of Opium as an article of trade at Canton in the 

 middle of last century is certainly beyond doubt ; it is also mentioned in the RANG 

 1 1 -i taritl' of 1687, and there pays a duty of 3 candareens per catty, constituting 

 exactly 6 per cent, of the fixed value appearing in the valuation book. 



31. 



In passing on to the year 1782 an extract may be here inserted from a letter, Opiu 



in 1782. 



dated 7th July 1782, of an official nature addressed from China by Mr. THOMAS 

 FIT/HUGH to Mr. GREGORY in London. It was presented to Parliament, and is 



6 





