The cession made, their great desire to procure an emigration of Chinese to this point, proved a wish for consumers and distributors, and the stationing at once of receiving ships in the Red Harbor, disclosed their object.
In answer to orders, from Bombay and Calcutta came numerous vessels which here deposited their poisonous cargoes, and returning for another freight, left it to be distributed by swift-sailing and armed clippers, throughout the dominions of an empire whose laws they had signed a solemn compact to respect, which laws made its delivery contraband.
"But," will exclaim some, "these were not the acts of the British Government. The crown lends no aid to such a traffic." Indeed! then let us say that it is the act of the people of a colony under the fostering care of that crown, with the representative of the Queen directing its affairs. To his lordship's knowledge, I will not say to his profit, but certainly to the pecuniary benefit of the colony, and against the most repeated protests of the Chinese Government are these imports and exports allowed and countenanced, until even good men of their own kind have called out in their midst--_proh pudor_!
"Have not the colonists a right to import a drug, which is legally an article of import, allowed by the crown?" No! not for the avowed purpose of distributing it amongst a people, whose government protests against its introduction; for no opium dealer will pretend to assert that it is for consumption by the inhabitants of Hong-Kong, or foreign residents of Canton, but must admit that it is brought expressly for transhipment to the coasts of China, at no port of which would it be admitted upon the payment of any duty; in fact, it is contraband! As good a right has the Frenchman to land his Bordeaux brandy upon a part of the English coast, to evade the customs. Aye! if you come to that, a better right; for upon the payment of a duty its admission is not denied; but this article is considered so baneful to China, that no premium is thought equivalent to the injury sustained by its introduction.
The argument advanced by interested persons, that supposing they did not prosecute the trade, others would reap its advantages, bears its fallacy upon its face. For it is not permitted to us to profit by doing evil, for the reason that the possibility of performing the wicked act is in the hands of others.