CHINESE MARITIME CUSTOMS 563 and the statement that the Inspector General is alone to be held responsible: The Inspector General is responsible for the appointment,raising and lowering of salaries,transfer among the various ports,and the dismissal of all foreigners serving in the tax administration.If one of the commissioners of assistants should be inattentive to his responsibilities, then the Superintendent of Customs [the Chinese official responsible for Customs operations at each port]should inform the Zongli Yamen and the Superintendent for Northern or Southern ports and at the same time write to the Inspector General to investigate and deal with the matter.32 A later section states that if the Customs Commissioners'are not up to their official tasks and make a mistake,then the Inspector General is to be held accountable.'These regulations offer no space for any regular review or oversight by the Zongli Yamen or any other body(including, it should be noted,foreign diplomats)of anyone other than Hart.What makes this especially odd is the fact that the regulations also indicate that commissioners in each of the ports were to deal regularly with local officials,and that doing so effectively would be central to their success.In other words,contrary to L.K.Little's assessment,Hart was not the only Customs official 'recognized'by the Qing government.3 But the regulations established the I.G.as the absolute authority over the service.This peculiarity of the Customs Service was very much of Hart's devising.Qing administrative practices went to considerable lengths to spread authority and insure oversight over individual officials.The censorate was specifically enjoined to watch over the activities of line officials,and responsibilities and disciplinary rules were enshrined in statute.In each the major ministries in Beijing, control was in the hands of a six-man executive committee.All senior provincial officials were granted the right to submit memorials directly to the Throne,in part to insure that questioning voices reached the imperial ear.Hart's unchecked position cannot therefore be assigned to regular Qing practice.34 32 Xi Yufu,et al.,comps.,Huangchao zhengdian leizuan (n.p.,1903),101:1-4b.I have not found an English translation of the regulations. 33 L.K.Little,11.This follows Hart's view in Circular No.8 discussed below-but ignores subsequent experience. 34 On institutional controls see Thomas Metzger,Internal Organizations of the Ch'ing Bureaucracy:Legal,Normative,and Communications Aspects (Cambridge Mass.:Harvard University Press,1973),on the communications system,Silas Hsiu-liang Wu The Memorial Systems of The Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911).'Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies,27.(1967j:7-75-CHINESE MARITIME CUSTOMS 563 and the statement that the Inspector General is alone to be held responsible: The Inspector General is responsible for the appointment, raising and lowering of salaries, transfer among the various ports, and the dismissal of all foreigners serving in the tax administration. If one of the commissioners of assistants should be inattentive to his responsibilities, then the Superintendent of Customs [the Chinese official responsible for Customs operations at each port] should inform the Zongli Yamen and the Superintendent for Northern or Southern ports and at the same time write to the Inspector General to investigate and deal with the matter.32 A later section states that if the Customs Commissioners ‘are not up to their official tasks and make a mistake, then the Inspector General is to be held accountable.’ These regulations offer no space for any regular review or oversight by the Zongli Yamen or any other body (including, it should be noted, foreign diplomats) of anyone other than Hart. What makes this especially odd is the fact that the regulations also indicate that commissioners in each of the ports were to deal regularly with local officials, and that doing so effectively would be central to their success. In other words, contrary to L. K. Little’s assessment, Hart was not the only Customs official ‘recognized’ by the Qing government.33 But the regulations established the I. G. as the absolute authority over the service. This peculiarity of the Customs Service was very much of Hart’s devising. Qing administrative practices went to considerable lengths to spread authority and insure oversight over individual officials. The censorate was specifically enjoined to watch over the activities of line officials, and responsibilities and disciplinary rules were enshrined in statute. In each the major ministries in Beijing, control was in the hands of a six-man executive committee. All senior provincial officials were granted the right to submit memorials directly to the Throne, in part to insure that questioning voices reached the imperial ear. Hart’s unchecked position cannot therefore be assigned to regular Qing practice.34 32 Xi Yufu, et al., comps., Huangchao zhengdian leizuan (n.p., 1903), 101:1–4b. I have not found an English translation of the regulations. 33 L. K. Little, 11. This follows Hart’s view in Circular No. 8 discussed below—but ignores subsequent experience. 34 On institutional controls see Thomas Metzger, Internal Organizations of the Ch’ing Bureaucracy: Legal, Normative, and Communications Aspects (Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1973), on the communications system, Silas Hsiu-liang Wu ‘The Memorial Systems of The Ch’ing Dynasty (1644–1911).’ Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 27. (1967): 7–75