1864.] The Question of British Trade with Western China. 427 



Opium. — Packets in paper, one viss each, averaged 20, 25 and 30 

 tick the viss, but varying from 10 to 50 tick on unusual occasions. 

 The present price is 20 tick when bought by the traders of Bammo 

 from the Kakhyens and Shans, who are now the only importers. The 

 packets are some of them well packed and labelled, and are the produce 

 of China ; while the rest are carelessly packed, sometimes adulterated 

 and are the produce of Shans and Kakhyens. 



Musk. — This is mostly purchased by the Chinese from the moun- 

 tain wild tribes. Its present price is 20 — 25 tick, the tiekal, bought 

 in the natural bag. It comes from Mogoung, Khamti and the Shan 

 States as well as from the mountains in China Proper. 



Silver. — I was informed is obtained from several mines. Perhaps 

 the same motives led to the localities being not spoken of as to the 

 Chinese telling me that the gold mines were exhausted. 



Coal. — -Several accounts agreed in affirming that there is abundance 

 of this mineral at Momien and at Tali. 



Salt. — There is no salt produced in Yunan as far as I could 

 ascertain. 



Sundries. — Straw hats, felt rugs, strike-lights, paper, white and 

 coloured, rhubarb and other drugs, hams, honey, pipes, jackets and 

 pants used also to be imported for sale to Burmans and Shans, and 

 exportation down the river. Formerly at Bammo they used broad- 

 cloths and other woollen and cotton stuffs imported from Yunan. Now 

 every thing comes from below, and British stuffs, were pointed out to 

 me as " having come round by sea from Canton instead of as formerly, 

 overland." 



The raw cotton formerly exported to Yunan from Burmah exceeded 

 a million of pounds a year. It is used not only for weaving but also 

 for padding the winter garments. 



Both this foreign and the internal trade of Yunan are now in 

 abeyance, and for the time, extinct, owing to the disturbed state of 

 that province, and the opposition of the Kakhyen tribes to Chinese 

 traders. The capabilities of the country, however, remain the same. 

 The articles of British manufacture that I could ascertain to be likely 

 to find a market in Yunan, are broadcloths, lastings, blanketings and 

 flannels, manufactured figured and damask silks, calicoes, long -cloth, 

 muslins, jaconets, drills and plain dark Hue or Mack cotton cloth, for 

 which there is unlimited demand. Broad-cloth is universally used by 



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