Circular N. 4142 of the Territorial Department Revenue from the Officiating Secretary to the Government at Bombay Castle, Charles Edward Fraser Tytler, to the Resident in the Persian Gulf [‎11v] (12/44)

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of tobacco, ganza, and snuff, into the island of Bombay, and for regulating the retail sale
thereof, some of the provisions of which were by subsequent enactments made applicable to
opium.
8. In the following year, with a view to the improvement and security of the public
revenue, a Regulation (No. I. ol 1818) was passed, rendering all opium not pioduced with
in the territories dependent on the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. of Fort William liable, on being imported
into this Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. , to a duty of Rs. 12 per Surat seer; all opium otherwise imported being .
at the same time declared forfeited, in the proportion of two-thirds to Government, and one-
third to the informer. The object ol this Regulation was to give effect to the plan 11 utled
to in the preceding paragraph, by imposing a duty almost prohibitory on all opium imported
in excess of the quantity provided by the Government itself for internal consumption.
9. The Government depots were at first supplied by the Opium Agent in Malvva (see
letter to this officer, dated the 8th August 18*20) with the quantity of opium required in
Guzerat and Kattiawar and Cutch, on indent from the Collector of Ahmedabad, the Political
Agent in Kattiawar, and the Resident in Cutch. These officers were directed to warehouse it,
and to license such number of shops as might be requisite for retailing the drug, at such
rates as would check its inordinate use, and yet be within tiie reach ot those addicted to it.
10. On the recommendation of the Collector of Ahmedabad, the fee to be paid for a
license to retail opium was fixed at Rs. 20. (Government Resolution, dated 12th April 1819.)
This officer estimated that the quantity of opium required for the internal consumption of
Guzerat and Kattiawar annually was 2,000 maunds, each maund being 51 lbs. G oz. 8 dwts.
and 8 grs. Of this, 600 maunds were required for Ahmedabad, 400 for Kaira, and 1,000 for
the whole of Kattiawar and Jhallawar. (Collector's letter, dated 14th July 1820.) In the
Ahmedabad Collectorate alone 600 licenses were taken out, and the Collector calculated
that each retail dealer must, in order to reimburse himself for the cost of his license, and to
obtain a reasonable profit, dispose ot at least one maund. In the city itself, wheie only 2J
licenses had been issued, the quantity sold was, in 1819, 112 mauiids, or very nearly tour
times the above average assumed for each dealer.
11. In September 1818, this Government submitted to the Government of India the
draft of a Regulation modifying Regulation I. of 1818, the chief object of which was to
combine the means of supplying opium for internal consumption with the measures neces
sary to prevent its export. In reply, the Bombay Government were informed, (letter from
the Government of India, dated the 20th November 1818,) that unless it could itself furnish
the requisite supply of opium, it seemed indispensably necessary to relieve opium imported
for internal consumption from the heavy duty imposed by Regulation Lot 1818. Con
cluding, therefore, that this Government were satisfied that measures could not be advan
tageously adopted to obtain a direct supply, they proceeded to consider how a partial
remission of the duty could be combined with the prevention of the export trade, lo effect
this object, it was suggested that an export as well as an import duty should be imposed, so
that the latter might counteract the evasion of the rules prescribed for the collection of the
former, so as to admit of the same easv relaxation of those rules. But in 1818 the Govern
ments of India were not empowered to impose such a duty without the previous sanction of
the Honorable Court of Directors The London-based directors of the East India Company who dealt with the daily conduct of the Company's affairs. , to whom therefore the proposed Regulation must be
submitted. As, however, the matters pressed, it was suggested that in the mean time,
instead of any formal rescission of Regulation I. of 1818, its provisions should be condi
tionally relaxed, in the form of a temporary notification, in preference to legislative enact
ment, in the same manner as had been done at Calcutta in regard to the export of indigo to
the United Kingdom, precautions being adopted to prevent evasion of payment of the duty
imposed by Regulation I. of 1818. With respect to the retail sale of opium, it was observed
that the Government was competent to impose any restrictions it deemed proper, and
although free transit and export must be allowed to all opium on which the prescribed duty