Islands, a convenient spot commanding several waterroutes. The foreign ships used to deposit their opium here, and then proceed to the ports with the rest of their cargoes. The Foochow, Ningpo, and Shanghai junks imported their opium from the high seas, whilst the Canton merchants used to arrange the price in Canton, and then bring it from the hulks. At first there were only five of these hulks, and the maximum quantity of opium on board did not exceed from 4,000 to 5,000 chests, so that the whole might easily have been set on fire; but, as the Viceroy Juan Yüan[1] had asked for some delay, in order to devise a plan for driving the hulks away, time went on until there were as many as twenty-five hulks, and 20,000 chests of opium. This was in the year 1826, some time after the Viceroy Li Hung-pin[2] had established his service of cruising junks. These junks, for a monthly bribe of Tls. 36,000, allowed the opium to pass freely into port.
It had previously been the rule that no silver was to go out of the country, and that merchandise was to be exchanged for merchandise: as much bullion as $500,000 a year was brought by foreign traders to adjust the balance: but it gradually came to pass that a balance of silver had to be annually made up on the Chinese side. To remedy this, the Viceroy Lu K‘un[3] abolished the cruisers altogether
