HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS Local revenue interests likewise have demanded their share of 5 attention,and so,with the Government's sanction,the Customs Service professors and students of the T'ung Wen Kwan,ranging from Martin's was entrusted with the collecting of such charges as the consolidated translation of Wheaton's classic work on international law,through tax at specified ports;river dues,bridge tax,and Haiho Improvement Billequin's books on chemistry-the first of their kind in Chinese-to surtax at Tientsin;breakwater dues at Chefoo;dike dues at Ichang, works on natural philosophy,law,English grammar,political economy, world history, Shasi,Hankow,Yochow,and Changsha;wharfage dues at Changsha, mathematics. physiology,astronomy,astronomical almanacs,and Yochow,Nanking,Shanghai,Ningpo,and Santuao;conservancy dues at Shanghai and Foochow;bund dues at Amoy;and mule tax at Tengyueh. In many cases this revenue-collecting activity on behalf of local authorities Educative also in the highest sense was the standard set by the carried with it administrative duties also,which varied in scope,accord- Service in its conception and performance of public duty.When wrestling ing to requirements,but which invariably had the approval of the in the early fifties at Shanghai with the shameless smuggling and the Central Government. inveterate Custom House corruption then prevailing,Alcock had again and again longed for an element of probity and vigilance in the In the absence of a Government printing office,the publication of administration of the Chinese Customs.Thanks largely to his efforts trade statistics and of trade reports necessarily fell on the Customs Service. that desideratum was at last secured.It proved in time to be the leaven At first the annual returns and reports were printed separately for each that leaveneth the whole lump.The high standard of honesty,efficiency, port,but during the sixties of last century this work was centred at and devotion to the public service raised by Lay was,if anything,set Shanghai,first at the Custom House and subsequently,in 1873,at the still higher by Hart,until it became recognized throughout the length Statistical Department specially created not only for this purpose,but and breadth of China by officials and people alike that the new model also for the publishing of numerous reports,memoranda,and papers Customs organization stood for cleanhandedness,for the just administra- dealing with a wide variety of subjects affecting China.Besides the voluminous Annual and Decennial Trade Reports and Returns of Trade, tion of the tariff and trade regulations,and for willing and competent service to the public.This is not to claim that all the members of the the Statistical Department of the Customs has issued a special series of Service were paragons of uprightness.There have been in its career some Medical Reports,a series of detailed Reports on Lights,Buoys,and cases of peculation of public funds and of individuals succumbing to Beacons (later incorporated in the annual Report of the Marine Depart- the temptation of bribes,or of making money by fraudulent devices;but ment),volumes of Inspector-General's Circulars,Regulations,and such offences have been rare,and when they did occur the culprits were Instructions,an authoritative collection of China's Treaties with Foreign exposed,denounced,and dismissed,and when possible made to suffer States,and scores of monographs dealing with such varied subjects as the full legal penalty of their crime.The spirit animating the great opium,tea,silk,Chinese music,medicines,jute,currency,railways,and majority of the members of the Service came to be one of unflinching inland taxation,land tax,transit pass procedure,furs and skins, opposition to any form of malpractice within their ranks.A delinquent dangerous cargo,collection and disposal of the revenue,smuggling, was regarded not simply as a breaker of the law of the land,but also,and hospitals,junk dues,typhoon anchorages,sycee,Haikwan banking. much more,as a traitor to the reputation and fair name of the Service. system,likin,bonding,salt,Native Customs,ginseng,timber rafts on the The value of that precedent to China is incalculable. Yangtze,and river conservancy.By 1940 the Statistical Department,with its trained staff,its up-to-date printing plant,and its full equipment of It was the Customs Service also which organized,and for many years electrically controlled tabulating machines,was turning out work which administered,what is now the National Post Office of China.In for technical excellence was the envy of other Governments. effecting this the Inspector-General had to bear in mind that the high Akin to this diffusion of knowledge through official publications Chinese officials were not likely to favour the suppression of the must be ranked the enlightenment on things Chinese spread by the immemorial I Chan or official courier post,that commercial and vested linguistic,literary,scientific,and historical works of distinguished interests would be opposed to the closing down of their long-established members of the Service.Among such should be mentioned the numerous Min Chi,or popular letter hongs,and that local foreign post offices and varied studies of Edkins,the dictionaries of Stent and Hemeling,the functioning at the treaty ports before handing over their mail matter translations of Brewitt-Taylor and of Lyall,the linguistic and historical would have to be satisfied with the regulations and arrangements booty garnered by Hirth,the ornithological studies of La Touche,the proposed,and convinced that the staff would be able and honest enough botanical discoveries of Augustine Henry,the numismatic investigations to give effect to them.By the Treaty of Tientsin(Article IV)the Govern- of Schjoth,the economic enquiries of Hippisley and of Daae,the ment was in effect bound to permit the carriage of Legation mails,and monumental historical works of Morse,and the lighter more descriptive this meant,for the winter months,the establishing of a mounted courier historical and political writings of Bland and of Putnam Weale (B.L. service from Peking to Chinkiang via Tientsin.In the autumn of 1865 Simpson),both of whom in their early days in China had been members the Tsungli Yamen entrusted this task to the Customs.That was the of the Service.The interpreting of the West to the Chinese was essayed beginning.Post offices had to be established at the Inspectorate General in the numerous educational works in Chinese produced by the in Peking and at the Custom Houses in Chinkiang,Shanghai,Tientsin, Chefoo,and Newchwang.Out of this was evolved the Customs Post,and4 HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS Local revenue interests likewise have demanded their share of attention, and so, with the Government's sanction, the Customs S.ervice was entrusted with the collecting of such charges as the consolIdated tax at specified ports; river dues, bridge tax, and ~aiho Improvement surtax at Tientsin; breakwater' dues at Chefoo; dIke dues at Ichang, Shasi, Hankow, Yochow, and Changsha; wharfage dues at Changsha, Yochow, Nanking, Shanghai, Ningpo, and Santuao; conservancy dues at Shanghai and Foochow; bund dues at Amoy; and mule tax at Tengy?~h. In many cases this revenue-collecting activity on behalf of local authorIties carried with it administrative duties also, which varied in scope, accord￾ing to requirements, but which invariably had the approval of the Central Government.4 In the absence of a Government printing office, the publication of trade statistics and of trade reports necessarily fell on the Customs Service. At first the annual returns and reports were printed separately for each port, but during the sixties of last century this work :vas centred at Shanahai o first at the Custom House and subsequently, In 1873, at the , , Statistical Department specially created not only for this purpose, but also for the publishing of numerous reports, memoranda, and papers dealing with a wide variety of subjects affecting China. Besides the voluminous Annual and Decennial Trade Reports and Returns of Trade, the Statistical Department of the Customs has issued a special series of Medical Reports, a series of detailed Reports on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons (later incorporated in the annual Report of the Marine Depart￾ment), volumes of Inspector-General's Circulars, Regulations, and Instructions, an authoritative collection of China's Treaties with Foreign States, and scores of monographs dealing with such varied subjects as opium, tea, silk, Chinese music, medicines, jute, currency, railways, :nd inland taxation, land tax,_ transit pass procedure, furs and skms, dangerous cargo, collection and disposal of the rever:ue, smuggli~g, hospitals, junk dues, typhoon anchorages, sycee, HaIkwan bankmg, system, likin, bonding, salt, Native Customs, ginseng, timber rafts on the Yangtze, and river conservancy. By 1940 the Statistical Depart~ent, with its trained staff, its up-to-date printing plant, and its full eqUIpment of electrically controlled tabulating machines, was turning out work which for technical excellence was the envy of other Governments. Akin to this diffusion of knowledge through official publications must be ranked the enlightenment on things Chinese spread by the linguistic, literary, scientific, and historical works of distinguished members of the Service. Among such should be mentioned the numerous and varied studies of Edkins, the dictionaries of Stent and Hemeling, the translations of Brewitt-Taylor and of Lyall, the linguistic and historical booty garnered by Hirth, the ornithological studies of La Touche, the botanical discoveries of Augustine Henry, the numismatic investigations of Schjoth, the economic enquiries of Hippisley and of Daae, the monumental historical works of Morse, and the lighter more descriptive historical and political writings of Bland and of Putnam Weale (B. L. Simpson), both of whom in their early days in China had been members of the Service. The interpreting of the West to the Chinese was essayed in the numerous educational works in Chinese produced by the HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS 5 profess~rs and students of the T'ung Wen Kwan, ranging from Martin's tr~nslat~o~ of Wheaton's ~lassic work on international law, through BIllequm s books on chemIstry-the first of their kind in Chinese-to works on. natural phi~osophy, law, English grammar, political economy, world hIstory, phYSIOlogy, astronomy, astronomical almanacs and mathematics. ' .Ed1fc~tive also ~n the highest sense was the standard set by the ~ervIce m Its con.ceptIOn and pe:for~ance of public duty. vVhen wrestling ~n the early fiftIes at ShanghaI with the shameless smuggling and the mveterat: Custom House corruption then prevailing, Alcock had again and. a?am .longed for an element of probity and vigilance in the admmIs~ratIOn of the Chinese Customs. Thanks largely to his efforts that deSIderatum was at last secured. It proved in time to be the leayen that leaver:eth the whole lump. The high standard of honesty, efficiency, a~d d~votIOn to the public service raised by Lay was, if anything, set stIll hIgher by Ha~t, until it ?ecame recognized throughout the length and breadth of Chma by offiCIals and people alike that the new model C:ustoms organ~zation stood for cleanhandedness, for the just administra￾tIOn. of the tarIff a~d tra~e ~egulations, .and for willing and competent serVIce to the publIc. ThIS IS not to claIm that all the members of the Service were paragons of uprightness. There have been in its career some cases of pe~ulation ?f public fund.s and of individuals succumbing to the temptatIOn of brIbes, or of makmg money by fraudulent devices; but such offences have been rare: a~d when they did occur the culprits were exposed, denounced, and dIsmI~sed, and when possible made to suffer the. f~ll legal penalty of their crime: The .spirit animating the great majorIty of the members of the SerVIce came to be one of unflinchino' opposition to any form of malpractice within their ranks. A delinquen~ was regarded not simply as a breaker of the law of the land, but also, and much more, as a traItor to the reputation and fair name of the Service.' The value of that precedent to China is incalculable. !t.was the Custo~s Service also which organized, and for many years admmIstered, what IS now the National Post Office of China. In effecting this the Inspector-General had to bear in mind that the hio'h ~hinese officials were not likely to favour the suppression of tIle ~mmemorial 1 Clzan or official courier post, that commercial and vested , Interests would be opposed to the closing down of their Iona-established Min .Ch~, or popular letter hongs, and that local foreign 0 post offices functIOl1lng at the treaty ports before handing over their mail matter would have to be satisfied with the regulations and arrangements proposed, and convinced that the staff would be able and honest enouo'h to give effect to them. By the Treaty of Tientsin (Article IV) the Govel~l￾m~nt was in effect bound to permit the carriage of 'Legation mails, and thIS .meant, for t~e winter months, the establishing of a mounted courier serVICe from Pekmg to Chinkiang via' Tientsin. In the autumn of 18G~ the Tsungli Yamen entrusted this task to the Custorr'!s. That was th~ ?eginn.ing. Post offices had to be established at the Inspectorate General In Pekmg and at the Custom Houses in Chinkiang, Shanghai, Tientsin, Chefoo, and Newchwang. Out of this was evolved the Customs Post, and