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be resorted to, nineteen-pence is spent in getting the same quantity. The retail price is, of course, very much higher, being nearly four shillings per cwt. in the seacoast districts—as Fuhkien and Che-kiang—whereas it is nine shillings and six- pence in Szchuan, Anhwei, Kiangsu, etc. Officials of the salt department purchase the salt direct from the producers and sell it to the merchants at a price such as will cover all costs and charges together with the duty. Subsequently it pays likin, or transit tax, but that need not occupy attention. "Distribution is undertaken by the salt merchants, a body of men holding warrants from the salt commissioner, a viceroy, or governor. The quantity of salt which ought to pass into consumption annually in each circuit is roughly estimated, and enough warrants issued to cover that amount, so that each warrant is supposed to be used every year. The warrants are perpetual; that is to say, a warrant once issued may be used over and over again, may be handed down from father to son, or may be transferred to a nominee for value. The possession of one or two salt warrants thus becomes in some places a valuable asset. In Anhui and Kiangsu, for instance, they are now worth some twelve thousand taels each. These warrants entitle the holder to buy at the government stores a specified amount of salt, which he may then convey to any part of the circuit. But he must not sell direct to the consumer. Having pur-