xvi INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Unique Character of the Chinese Customs Service. Grateful acknowledgments are due to the late Sir Francis A.Aglen, China's Customs Service-"one of the most striking monuments K.B.E.,G.C.M.G.,formerly Inspector-General of the Chinese Customs ever produced by the genius and labour of any individualstands Service,and to his successor,Sir Frederick W.Maze,K.B.E.,K.C.M.G., unique among the civil services of the world,unique in its origin,unique for permission to make use of the voluminous Service archives,both at in the political vicissitudes through which it has passed,unique in the the Inspectorate and at the Ports;to the authorities concerned in London composition of its staff-counting in 1940 twenty-three nationalities and in Washington,who have so courteously allowed me to consult and among its members,unique in the fact that the head of that staff, make use of the British and the United States official records bearing on although chosen and appointed by the Chinese Government,was a the subject;to Lady Aglen for access to,and permission to use several foreigner enjoying till recently extraterritorial status,an anomalous series of letters from Hart to Archdeacon Aglen,from Hart to her privilege shared also by all the foreigners appointed by that head,and husband,Sir Francis Aglen,and from Hart to Captain Charles Stuart unique in the varied duties it has been called on to perform.In Forbes,R.N.;to the late Mr.Cecil A.V.Bowra,formerly Chief Secretary Theobald's often misquoted line-"None but itself can be its parallel." of the Chinese Customs Service,and on several occasions Officiating Inspector-General,for generously lending me a copy of the diary kept by Joint Chinese and foreign action in 1854 brought this Service into his father,E.C.M.Bowra,during his early days in the Service in the being for the purpose of enforcing the impartial administration of the eighteen-sixties;to Miss Evelyn W.Hippisley for extracts from the letters Chinese treaty tariff at a time when civil strife,lawlessness on land and of her uncle,the late Mr.Alfred E.Hippisley,formerly Commissioner in sea,mercantile defiance of authority and corrupt practices of both the Chinese Customs;and to the late Mr.E.O.Reis,also a Commissioner traders and officials had made that tariff,and the customs pro- in the same Service,for much assistance in deciphering and copying cedure enjoined by the treaties,more honoured in the breach than the observance. From its modest beginning,some ninety years letters. I am under deep obligation also to the librarians and staffs of the ago,it became,during those years,not simply China's foremost Customs Reference Library,Shanghai;the Tsing-hua University Library, revenue-collecting agency,providing an ever-increasing supply of Peiping;the Library of the Chinese Social and Political Science funds for the Central Government,the guarantee for the secure service Association,Peiping;the library of the North China Branch of the Royal of many of the Government's foreign and domestic obligations,but also, Asiatic Society,Shanghai;the British Museum Library;the Royal and predominantly,the sign and symbol of the "Open Door,"the pledge Library,Stockholm;the University Library,Oslo;the Mitchell Library, for equality of tariff treatment towards all and discrimination against Glasgow;the Queen's University Library,Belfast;the Linen Hall none,and the bridge over which during those nine decades flowed Library,Belfast;the National Library,Dublin;and the Library of Trinity smoothly and safely China's commercial intercourse with the nations of College,Dublin. the earth.History has shown that in China as elsewhere in the world,an Thanks,too,are due to all those-too numerous to list in detail- ill-managed customs establishment can be an intolerable clog on honest who have helped in ascertaining and checking information regarding trade;but from its inception the Chinese Customs Service made it one Hart's lineage,early days,and education,but among whom should be of its chief aims to protect and foster China's legitimate foreign trade, mentioned,Sir David Lindsay Keir,Vice-Chancellor of Queen's to indicate and record its lines of development,and to render every University,for granting access to the University records;Rev.Dr.T.J. reasonable facility for its successful transaction.In this,it has played Irwin,Principal of Wesley College,Dublin;the authorities of the Public its part in helping to break down prejudice,and to create and strengthen Record Office,Northern Ireland;Mr.T.G.F.Paterson,M.A.,Curator that mutual international understanding without which trade would of the Armagh County Museum,whose knowledge of all that concerns languish and decay. County Armagh and of its people,past and present,is as wide as his As a revenue-raising agency the success of the Service is proverbial generosity in placing that knowledge at the disposal of others;Mr.W.H. Prior to 1854-when the experiment of having foreigners on the staff of Wolsey of Portadown,a walking cyclopadia of information on old and the Chinese Customs was first tried at Shanghai-the revenue collected modern Portadown;Rev.F.J.Halahan,Rector of Drumcree;Rev.Canon at the custom houses throughout the Empire was only nominally Matchett,Rector of Hillsborough;Rev.John Hart of Lisburn;Mr.F.J. controlled by the Imperial Government,which followed the line of least Cole of Greenisland,County Antrim;and Mr.R.J.McNulty of the resistance by not interfering with either the collecting of the revenue or Downshire Estate Office,Hillsborough. its disposal,so long as the assessed quota was remitted regularly to Peking. Lastly,I wish to express my deep sense of obligation to the Senate Such quotas were based on the representations,or misrepresentations,of of the Queen's University for so generously permitting the publication of the officials engaged in the actual collecting of the revenue,but were this book under the agis of the University. supposed to equal four-tenths of the total collected:in practice the Bxvi ACKNOWLEDGklENTS Grateful acknowledgments are due to the late Sir Francis A. Aglen, K.B.E., G.C.;rv.LG., formerly Inspector-General of the Chinese Customs Service, and to his successor, Sir Frederick W. Maze, K.B.E., K.C.M.G., for permission. to make use of the voluminous Service archives, both at the Inspectorate and at the Ports; to the authorities concerned in London and in Washington, who have so courteously allowed me to consult and make u~e of the British and the United States official records bearing on the subject; to Lady Aglen for access to, and permission to use several series of letters from Hart to Archdeacon Aglen, from Hart to her husband, Sir Francis ,Aglen, and from Hart to Captain Charles Stuart Forbes, R.~.; to the late Mr. Cecil A. V. Bowra, formerly Chief Secretary of the Chmese Customs Service, and on several occasions Officiating Ir:spector-General, for generousl~ lending me a copy of the diary kept by h.IS father: E: C. M. ~owra, dUrIng his early days in the Service in the eIghteen-sIxtIes; to MISS Evelyn W. Hippisley for extracts from the letters of her ~mcle, the late Mr. Alfred E. Hippisley, formerly Commissioner in the Chmese Customs; and to the late Mr. E. O. Reis, also a Commissioner in the same Service, for much assistance in deciphering and copying letters. I am under deep obligation also to the librarians and staffs of the Cu.st?ms Referen~e Library, Shanghai; the Tsing-hua University Library, PeIpmg; the LIbrary of the Chinese Social and Political Science As~oc.iation,. Peiping; the l~brary of the North China Branch of the Royal A~IatIc SocIety, ShanghaI; the British Museum Library; the Royal Library, Stockholm; the University Library, Oslo; the Mitchell Library, G!asgow; the Queen's University Libr.ary, Belfast; the Linen Hall LIbrary, Belfast; the National Library, Dublin; and the Library of Trinity College, Dublin. Thanks, ,too, are due to all those-too numerous to list in detail￾who have helped in ascertaining and checking information regarding Hart's lineage, early days, and education, but among whom should be n:er:tior:ed, Sir Da:id Lindsay Keir, Vice-Chancellor of Queen's Um.versIty, ~or grantmg access to the University records; Rev. Dr. T. J. Irwm, PrInCIpal of Wesley College, Dublin; the authorities of the Public Record Office, Northern Ireland; Mr. T. G. F. Paterson, M.A., Curator of the Armagh County Museum, whose knowledge of all that concerns County Armagh and of its people, past and present, is as wide as his generosity in placing that knowledge at the disposal of others; Mr. W. H. 'Volsey of Portadown, a walking cyclopredia of information on old and modern Portadown; Rev. F. J. Halahan, Rector of Drumcree; Rev. Canon Matchett, Rector of Hillsborough; Rev. John Hart of Lisburn; Mr. F. J. Cole of Greenisland, County Antrim; and Mr. R. J. McNulty of the Downshire Estate Office, Hillsborough. . Lastly, I wish to express my deep sense of obligation to the Senate of .the Queen's University for so generously permitting the publication of thIS book under the regis of the University. INTRODUCTION The Unique Character of the Chinese Customs Service. China's Customs Service-"one of the most striking monuments ever produced by the genius and labour of any individual"l-stands ?-nique am.o~g th~ ~iv~l services of the w~rld, unique in its origin, unique m the polItICal VICISSItudes through whIch it has passed, unique in the composition of its staff-counting in 1940 twenty-three nationalities among its members, unique in the fact that the head of that staff, although chosen and appointed by the Chinese Government, was a foreigner enjoying till recently extraterritorial status, an anomalous privilege shared also by all the foreigners appointed by that head, and unique in the varied duties it has been called on to perform. In Theobald:s often misquoted line-"~one but itself can be its parallel." Joint Chinese and foreign action in 1854 brought this Service into being for the purpose of enforcing the impartial administration of the Chinese treaty tariff at a time when civil strife, lawlessness on land and sea, mercantile defiimce of authority and corrupt practices of both traders and officials had made that tariff, and the customs pro￾cedure enjoined by the treaties, more honoured in the breach than the observance. From its modest beginning, some ninety years ago, it became, during those years, not simply China's foremost revenue-collecting agency, providing an ever-increasing supply of funds for the Central Government, the guarantee for the secure service of many of the Government's foreign and domestic obligations, but also, and pred~minantly: the sign and symbol of the "Open Door:' the pledge for equalIty of tarIff treatment towards all and discrimination against none, and the bridge over which during those nine decades flowed smoothly and safely China's commercial intercourse with the nations of the earth. History has shown that in China as elsewhere in the world, an ill-managed customs establishment can be an intolerable clog on honest trade; but from its inception the Chinese Customs Service made it one of its chief aims to protect and foster China's legitimate foreign trade, to indicate and· record its lines of development, and to render every reasonable facility for its successful transaction. In this, it has played its part in helping to break down prejudice, and to create and strengthen that mutual international understanding without which trade would languish and decay. . As a revenue-raising agency the success of the Service is proverbial. PrIor to I854-when the experiment of having foreigners on the staff of the Chinese Customs. was first tried at Shanghai-the revenue collected at the custom houses throughout the Empire was only nominally controlled by the Imperial Government, which followed the line of least resistance by not interfering with either the collecting of the revenue or its disposal, so long as the assessed quota was remitted regularly to Peking. Such quotas were based on the representations, or misrepresentations, of the officials engaged in the actual collecting of the revenue, but were supposed to equal four-tenths of the total collected: in practice the B 1