Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 3, 1888, Part I

No. 213.
Mr. Bayard to Mr. Denby.

Department of State,
Washington, June 7, 1888.

No. 327.]

Sir: I have received your No. 628 of April 17, 1888, in regard to the inquiry of the vice-consul at New-chwang as to the treatment of American citizens engaged in smuggling contraband goods in China and your reply that no law was provided for the punishment of such offenders personally.

As you say, “confiscation of the smuggled goods is the only penalty I [you] know of,” and that is to be applied by China under her own revenue laws. This point was made clear in the Department’s recent correspondence with you about the opium smuggling act approved February 23, 1887^*

I am, etc.,

T. F. Bayard.

1. Printed in Foreign Relations, 1887, pages 225, 237–243.