do this, in order to benefit India by this act. Put like this it
is outrageous.

"Note this, only certain classes of vessels are subject to the
Foreign Customs Office at Canton. By putting all vessels under
that Office the Chinese Government would make L2,000,000 a year
more revenue. The Chinese Government will not do this however,
because it would put power in hands of foreigners, so they lose
it. Did you ever read the letters of the Ambassador before
Marquis Tseng? His name, I think, was Coh or Kwoh. He wrote home
to Pekin about Manchester, telling its wonders, but adding,
'These people are wonderful, but the masses are miserable far
beyond Chinese. They think only of money and not of the welfare
of the people.'

"Any foreign nation can raise the bile of Chinese by saying,
'Look at the English, they forced you to take their opium.'

"I should not be a bit surprised did I hear that Li Hung Chang
smoked opium himself. I know a lot of the princes do, so they
say. I have no doubt myself that what I have said is the true and
only reason, or rather root reason. Put our nation in the same
position of having been defeated and forced to accept some
article which theory used to consider bad for the health, like
tea used to be, we would rebel as soon as we could against it,
though our people drink tea. The opium trade is a standing,
ever-present memento of defeat and heavy payments; and the
Chinese cleverly take advantage of the fact that it is a
deleterious drug.

"The opium wars were not about opium--opium was only a _cheval de
bataille_. They were against the introduction of foreigners, a
political question, and so the question of opium import is now.
As for the loss to India by giving it up, it is quite another
affair. On one hand you have gain, an embittered feeling and an
injustice; on the other you have loss, friendly nations and
justice. Cut down pay of all officers in India to Colonial
allowances _above_ rank of captains. Do not give them Indian
allowances, and you will cover nearly the loss, I expect. Why
should officers in India have more than officers in Hongkong?"

In a subsequent letter, dated from the Cape, 20th July 1882, General
Gordon replied to some objections I had raised as follows:--

"As for the opium, to which you s