The Sun. — London, England, 1840-11-28 00:00:00

CHINA. ORIGIN OF THE WAR. Before giving an account of China, and the singeaar reple that inhabit that vast territory, we will furnish a brief hiatory of the events which led to the quarrel. For many yemrs opium has been imported into China, not only from Br tish possessions in India but from various other quarters of the world, both by Europeans and Americans. The Chinese authorities ostensibly praahibited the impor t at-ion awl use of the article, but, till within the last twelve letoratha, never took any decisive steps to put an end •..o the tragic ; on the contrary, tale Chinese officers of all ranks encouraged the trade, and while they occasionally issued edicts against it, received a certain per raantage on every chest as regularly, and almost as openly, as on any other naicle of foreign commerce; on the other hand the English Gove,nment, seeing the danger that rnight result from an .satensire trade 'in a prohibKed commodity, after the oholit ion of the East India Charter took steps to have it legalis eel or absolutely prohihited. Various Councils were Itel(7.in the: laiperid Court at Pekin to discuss the question whether it should be admitted on payment of a fined do'.!, and finally the negative was carried by a small ma jority. not more, it is said, than two or three members. Acco-ding to some accounts a majority of the Chinese ®racers of State who were consulted on the subject gave a decided opinion in favour of legalising the admission cf opium at a certain duty, but the Minister: of the Emperor rajaeted their advice. Lard Palmerston as soon as he .heard the result gave instructions to the British Superio tendent at Canton to inform all British merchants and captains of vessels that the trade was illegal—that " the British Government could not interfere for the purpose c f erabling British subjects to violate tha laws 3t the country to which they trade," and that if they persist they must ilk.• the consequances. Captain Elliot accordingly took every possible step to carry .these instructions into effect, and on every occasion evinced the utmost desire to afford the Chinese authorities any reasonable satisfaction, and to s-pirate himself, as the Representative of the British Go• velm - lent, in the most marked and decisive matine.r from all convention with the opium smugglers and their pro ceedings. A proclamation to this effect was published in December, 1538. Tile smuggling, nevertheless, was still carried oil to the same exteot, the Chinese authorities a t E'a'ton conniving at the trade, white the Supreme Government, like the British iuperintendene, issued pro clarialions against it. In February, 1839, however, strict orders were sent trans Pekin to carry the decrees of the Gover. , ment into effect, and in aec,rdance with these orders a Chinese accused of trafficking in opium was strangled on the 215th of that month, in front of the foreign factories. All the foreign flags thereupon ceased to be hoisted, and Captain Elliot ordered all British owned pessage-bolts not having licenses, to proceed outside the Pseeeue, and sot return within the same. On the 10. h of Msieeh the Imperial Commissioner Lin arrived at Canton, arid .•n the lath he issued two edicts—one to the /long ftserciente, and the ether to the foreigners; the letter re quiring every particle of opium in the store ships, as well a; that in veszeis without the Chinese waters, to be deli vered up en Government on the penalty of death. Cap. felts Elliot and other residents at Canton, who had never b en concerned in any opium transactions in their lives, were seared, deprived of food and drink, and threatened with execution unless the mandate was complied with in three d. a. Ito Representative of the Queen of Ergland had the alter: tative of death or implicit obedience, and to save lives cheat: the latter, and engaged to deliver up opium to the vai.ne of two millions and a half sterling, a great ra t which was at the time on the high seas, and en tirely lie:encl the reach of the Chinese Government. All the °pima in these vessels eras delivered up, bat Lin con tending that the specified amount was not made good, de taned Captain Elliot tinder the same threat of death, and c ompelled him to purchase opium to the amount of from 3 - 6.0001. to 40,0001. to make up the quantity. He was then released. Some time afterwards an affray took place between some English or American sailors (for the truth has not been ascertained), and a party of Chinese, when a native named Lin Welke lost his life. Commissioner Lin demanded a British subject in return to be executed for death of Welke ; and Captain Elliot having made oay inquiry, without effect, to discover the guilty per son, properly refuted to comply. A British merchant - vessel was attacked by Chinese mandarin boats, some of her crew murdered, and a British subject cruelly mal treated. The convention entered into by the Chinese Commissioner fur carrying on the uutsidn trade was on some pretence hiok!rt through. A rencontre took` place betwevri the Volage and Ilyacintn, British vessels of war, and a fleet of wtr junks, which ended in the utter defeat of the Chinese. Several of the junks were sunk, and a number of Chinese sailors were killed and wounded. All communication was afterwards cut off by *order of Com missioner Lin ; and various attempts were made burn British ships in the Roads and poison the sailors. To de mand redress and compensation for these insttlts and this vast destruction of property, is the object of the expedition to Chino. The following description of this interesting country, we state confidently, is the most correct hitherto published. We hare consulted the latest and best authorities, and are under great oblige( iims to several correspondents, who have been on the coast, and riven us the latest information respecting the manners and customs of this remarkable people. To Mr. Wyld, of Charing. cross, we are greatly indebted for the copious statistical details, and a consider able portion of the interesting account of the ltws, government, and religion of the country : GEOLOGY. The greater part of China Proper is a large basin, through which flow two mighty rivers, whose deposits form huge alluvial beds, covered with exuberant vegetation, but not affording any geological exhibition ; but in the north-cast nart of the empire, amidst the mountains of Pe-ling and: Tcin-ling, in the province of Kan-suh and Ch large deposits of anthracite coal are found, and usei as fuel by the people, who pound it with water to desulphurize it, and dry it in the form of cakes. In the Loung Mountains are burning wells of ignited naptha. In the province of Pe-tchi-li very fine marble is found. On the borders of the province of Ngan-hoe and Tehe Kiang, and south of the Yang-tse-Kiang, is the deposit of poreelai. , clay, from whence it is quarried and carried over the empire. * A chain of granite hills runs through the pro vince of Kwan-tung, Fub-keen, and Tchc-Kiang, and amitist these bills the tea tree grows in the greatest abut, dance, _oid lapis lazuli, porphyry, and jasper are found ; at the soucce of the Si- Kiang are many lead mines, and on the high road from Canton to Pekin, from Hong-ting to Nan- Yc ng there runs an extensive coal field. Copper, tutenague. or white metal. mercury, and silver are plentiful in the province of Yun-Nan, gold and ruby mines yield large r&ti trns in the province of Sze-chuen ; and did not the tyrunrw of the Tartar rulers hinder the efficient work ing of the mines, China could export large quantities of silver, gal.], and precious stones. Iron is found in most of the maintains of the Northern provinces. Mercury in the form of cinnabar abounds in Chan.si. From this mineral ti to Chinese make their beautiful vermillion co lour. Ea rthquakes occur in the South, and volcanic erup tions are :laid to take place in the hills of the western frontier. RELIGION, MANNERS, &c. This country has no established religion. No creed is made a matter of state, except the abstract belief in the existenc,o of a Supreme Being, end of the Emperor as ii sole vicegerent on ( arth. As to every other creed and rite, tile natiou adopts any or none, as it may judge expe• dieht. 'The learned generally affect indifference on the subject. Many of the people, however, have adopted the religion of the sect of Boodh (who pronounce B I:ke F, Fob) which prevails in all the neighbouring regions of Birmah, Siam, and Cochin China. But the creed cf the Chinese is not pure I.luhdhism. The ancient religion of the Chinese, and of all the Tartar and Mon gool races of Central Asia, and perhaps in early ages of the whole world, was that of Shahmaanism. or the ~ vership of the shades of their ancestors ; and the forms of this most ancient religion still linger mingled with the rites of Boodh, and is the ieligious ceremonial of the Chinese. The Emperor, who is sovereign Pontiff, annually cff...rs sacri fices at the tombs of his ancestors, and during great tfrenghts, floods, or national calamities, he, ministers in the temples, and by his mediation endeavours to propitiate the anger of the gods. Confucius, who flourished in the year s.c. 472,taught no religion, properly speaking, and may he regarded rather as the founder of a system of moral phi- Ineephy than of religion. The prevailing forms of religion of ‘ the country were introduced into China about 600 years after Confucius, that is about the year 100 of the Christian era. The priests neither preach nor teach—they do no thing but perform ceremonies, offer sacrifices, and recite prayers. They sell in the temples books and tracts, ex horting the people to the performance of relative duties ; not to cat float), to repeat often the 1121110 of Blodli, and to attend to many superstitious observances. They gene r~lly li ve in monasteries, and tiev . er marry. There are a lso nunneries for unmarried women. The Chinese ap pear to have little veneration for their temples, as nothing is more common than to see people drinking tea, or par taking of other refresibments,,in „church," w hil e the li tt l e e st r a th m e li n i o io s , - a s r a f id b t u o rn h i e ng at u l n e d a p i e c e s of sweet trile of their g od. "nel T ' li ng er w e wu are o f p iests in t h e emoire. The sect of T ao -T se , a r ula-,,,pC. o f m., Cooraci, and a I,ctiter fr ont B oo dh , nd the fiillow CI s o f r, very ittlavr"s, a , the Lama have te mples scattered the been omen protected by the Em hills. This sect has od has gained grea pow, a, t hrough their priest • and the choice of the fl•i-nec Thittet a nd Mongolia, • persrin worshipped as the Grand Lama, who i s a livis., . incarnation of God by 60,000,000 people, is either made by the Emperor, or sanetimied by his representative at the Celan byeshe Pope of Lassa. The Jesuit Missionaries sent • eded in prosjtisin; a from Rome in the year 1575, succeeded and le ee number of Chinese, and front their ability r,, at thc ourt sci entific attainments, acquired great influence litice of of Pekin but as they meddled with the formed the Empire, a combination of the Mandarins was against them, and an edict issued by the E m p eror, forbid ding any profession of the Catholic faitb under p ain of death. A few of the Catholics escaped, but some thou sands were put to death. The criminal imprudence of the Jesuits has retarded the promulgation of the Gospel of Christ amongst the Chinese, as the Courts of Pekin view all attempts to convect the Chinese as endeavours to obtain political power - and so late as the year 1812, an edict was issued against Christianity. Notwithstanding tbeie per sOCUtio4sl SUN thousands of the stet of the Cross (as the Chinese call Christians) are to be found in the sea-boari provinces of China. The exertions of the English Missionary Societies, through their agents, Messrs. Morrison, Gutz laff, and Meadows, have been rewarded by the conversion of several Chinese to the Protestant faith. There are some Mohammedans in the country ; but their numbers are very small compared with the entire po- sounds with the same accent, but whose signification is totally distinct. Henoe, in reading a Chinese corn position to a native audience, jt cannot always be under stood, except the reader wave his hand n or fan the cha racters themselves, or at any - rate, the key from which they are derived. Ie colloquial intercourse, however, they remedy this deficieney by the addition of syno nymes, which, becoming parts'orthe original language, render it in some degree, polysyllabic. Thus a reader in China, even to a native audience, is, in fact, a translator from a written to a spoken lan guage, totally different, and he must therefore " fan the character," or make the sign of it with his hand in the air, when the proper expression for it does not readily oc cur to him. The Chinese possess an unlicensed Press and abund dance of books of ancient and modern literature, consisting of poetry, music, works of fiction, mythological legends, metaphysics, geography, and topography. Dr. Morrison collected 10,000 volumes of Chinese learning. A Daily Journal is printed in Canton, and at Pekin a weekly Gazette contains the orders of Government. The Chi nese have possessed the rudiments of the physical sciences for centuries ; but they owe their geographical and astro nomical knowledge to strangers An Arab, Jema-el deen, in 1290 A.D., composed the Calendar, which was in use until 1664, when the Jesuits, or rather Adam Schaaleger, revised and amended it ; it then remained for five years in the hands of the natives, who so deranged it, that a German in the service of the Emperor, who was charged with its amendment, was compelled to expunge a month to bring the. commencement of the year to the proper season. The Emperor keeps an astronomical board at Pekin, where there are a few persons who study as tronomy and compose the national almanac. The Russians have a college in the capital, where about ten persons arc allowed to st ud y Chinese. They e no have with them a Russian clergym an. The English ha college at Pekin nor at Canton, but at Sincaporc the e Anoka-Chinese College esta blished by Doctors Milne n Morison, offers to the European every facility for the acquirement of the Chinese tongue. The Chinese reckon their time by cycles of 60 years, and instead of numbering them, they five a different name to every year in the cycle. The first cycle, according to Dr. Morrison, began 2,700 B.C. We arc now, there fore, in the 75th cycle. 'rho day begins an hour before midnight, and is divided into twelve parts of two hours each, and instead of numbering the hours, a different name is given to each period of two hours. The months are of twenty-nine and thirty days each ; the year has ordinarily twelve months, but a thirteenth is added whenever there are two moons whilst the sun is in one sign of the zodiac; this will occur seven times in nineteen years. The Chinese also date from the year of the reigning sovereign, aid in that case there is no way of having corresponding date, but by a list of emperors. The following is a list of those who have reigned for the last two centuries:— Chwar.g-lei . Shun-che Kang-he 1669 Yung-thing 1793 1736 Keen lung 1796 Kea-ding Taou-k ang (present Emperor) 1821 THE CHINESE DYNASTIES. Chinese historians reckon thirteen dynasties before the Flood, which happened in time dynasty of Shun, a name famous in China; but the accounts up to that period arc not to be relied upon. From that date to the Birth of Christ five dynasties existed, and towards the close of the last, the Han dynasty, a dreadful civil war broke out. It was called the " war of the three nations," the war has leg terminated imi the establishment of three kingdoms. The last Emperor of this race was conquered by the other States, and was persuaded to resign the imperial seal to the General of his enemies. His son and heir on this put his wife to death, and therm killed himself. Up to the time of Genghis Khan, a Tartar chief, fifteen dynasties existed. That famous conqueror arose about the close of the last, and began the wars against China, by which the Chinese rulers were overthrown. The grandson of Genghis Khan conquered China, and called his dynasty Yuen, during which the grand canal and the great wall were begun. Wickliffe the Reformer, and Marco Polo, who brought extraordinary accounts from China, lived about this time. A man named Cho: then roused the Chinese, who expelled the Yucn Tartars, and established the Ming dynasty, which continued till the reign of Charles the First of England. The last Emperor of the race, shut up in his palace by a rebel Tartar subject, de stroyed his family, and then committed suicide, six years before Charles died on the scaffold. The founders of this dynasty were Eastern or Manshur Tartars, who effected the conquest with case, in consequence of a rebellion which then convulsed the Empire. No people, indeed, have suffered more from dissensions than the Chinese, and have thereby imbibed such a horror of civil war that it has become a proverb—" I would rather be a dog in the time of general peace than a human being in the midst of wars. " TAOU KWANG, PRESENT EMPEROR OF CIIINA.-Taou Kwang was born in 1781, during the life of his grandfather, Keen Lung, at whose Court Lord Nlacartney, and the news of a happy termination of a revolt in Thibet, arrived nearly at the same time. The first fifteen years of Taou Kwang's life were spent at the Court of Keen Lung, his grand father, a man whose long reign of sixty years showed that the whole bent of his mind was set upon the subjuga tion of all the neighbouring kingdoms and nations, and the extirpation of not a few of them. Many a captive chief was brought to the Imperial Palace, and there made to writhe in all the agonies that 'lngenious malice could devise for him. Such spectacles must ha v e hid a far greater effect in steeling the heart of time young Prince, than all the virtuous le.ssons of Confucian lore could in the way of making it soft and sensitive. In 1820 he came to tine throne; though the following year, 1821, was, by impe rial edict, commanded to stand in the calendar as the first of his reign. Taou Kiyang, though a Tartar, was a disciple of the Confucian school, and was, of course, obliged to feign a wonderful readiuess to comply with the rigour of its precepts; but the solicitations of his friends saved him this piece of penance and self-denial ; and so, cutting asunder the thread of his poignant sorrows, he seized the reins of government in 1820, and ordered tile following to be considered as the first of his administra tion. But hear the self-:applauding sufficiency with which he prefaced this declaration—" All the kings [several. kingdoms are tributary to Chins] , T artar lords, great statesmen, civil and military officers, have affirmed with one voice that Heaven's throne must not long remain without an occupant." GOVERNMENT AND LAWS. The Chinese affirm that their Government is founded upon the model of the noblest visible part of nature, The Heavens—hence China is called Teen Chaou, the Celestial Empire, one of the titles of the Em peror, is the son of the Sun and Moon, and the form of their cities, the economy of the palace, the ma noeuvres of their armies, the blazonry of their standards, the arrangements and order of their feasts, and even the shape of their garments, were ail anciently, and are in the modern times, professedly an imitiation of the visible Heavens, of some star or constellation, or of some migh t h ty change in the firmament, wrapped in the obscurity of e past. During an eclipse the Emperor s acrifices in the tem ples, and imputing all the ev.ls that are about ton occur t o his own peccability implor es the pity of Heaven. The form of Government a is nd absolute im despotism act ; tile will of the emperor is law, every portant of G overnmen t must receive his s ignature. Weekly reports arc made to him from the governors of the different pro vinces ; and if he approve of them his approval is written palace of Gehol, which upon them in vermilion ; if he be displeased, w i t h he is con stituted black ink. p T ot h is e m fo o l f lo t a h - e - The principal residence of the Emperor and Court i s at Pekin, but he has several fine palaces beyond the Great Wall, particularly the is the usual summer residence. The Emperor, like the Grand Seignior, has a well-appointed seraglio. Ac. cording to the laws and customs of the country, s d o e v s e c r r e i i p g t n ion on or e t a h r e th d . es the great object of his subjects' idolatry, an d 1 1 isn follow ing rather most despotioverchargedc government is given by Malte-Brun ;-- " Considered in a moral point of view, we Soon per ceive that the Chinese posses s the usual virtues and vices o f the slave, the manufactu rer, and the merchant. lk despotism of the most ahsolute kind has either acquired or preserved for China the external forms of patriarchal g o . vernment. But, the sovereigns having neglected non_ tary discipline, frequent 'evolutions occurred in former times, till .at last the country fell into the power e sli e.e _ reign conquerors, the Mantchoos. From that period the whip of the Tartar has been conjoined with the patern a l rod by which China was previously governed. The only institution tending to limit the royal powers is one by which the mandarins and the tribunals arc allowed to make very humble remonstrances to the Emperor on the error s of his government. Under a virtuous prince, this liberty has often been followed by the most salutary consequences. The Emperor is styled the sacred son of heaven. sole ruler of the earth, the great father of his people. Offer ings are made to his ima g e and to his throne ; his person adored ; his people prostrate themselves in his presence, and noblemen of his court, when addressed by him, everything under ben participates in the idolatry which is lavished on his person. His numerous concubines, and the eunuchs t o whose charge they are committed, not unfrcquently reign in his name. When this demigod goes abroad, all the Chinese take care to shut themselves up in their houses. NlThoever is found in his way is exposed to instant death, unless he turns his back, or lies flat with his face on the ground. All the shops by which the Emperor is to pass m ust be shut, and this prince never goes out wit hout bein g preceded by two thousand lictors carrying chains, axes, and various other instruments characteristic of eastern des potism." The servility and homage rendered to the Emperor is that of the most uncivilized nations. Every individual introduced to the Emperor's presence must perform the Kou-tow, which is to prostrate himself nine times, each ti m e striking the head against the ground. The failure of Lord Amherst's embassy arose from his Lordship's refusing to perform the lion-tow. The Imperial kindred are distinguished by the colour of their sashes ; those nearly related wear yellow sashes, and those more distant a red colour; these per sons arc by law confiaed.within the city of Pekin, and if they are found without its limits they are confined for life, or exiled to Mantchoo Tartary. When a Prince ascends the throne, he adopts some name expressive of his qualities or his intentions. The reigning Emperor calls himself Taou Kwang, " The Light of Reason." The Princes of the blood are maintained in great state in the Imperial city, although the practice of polygamy has taken away from them their dignity, and notwithstanding the succession is nominally hereditary, the reigning Emperor nominates his successor. Next to the Princes of the Blood Royal arc Fou-tcb6- yuen, or censors, they arc required to point out his faults to the Emperor, and the law makes them responsible for every bad action he commits, without a remonstrance on their part. There are nine ranks or degrees of persons. Ministers of State are generally of the first rank, Governors of Pro. 'Antes the second, Kagistrates the third. pulation. Animals, poultry, and fruit are offered upon the altars; but as any article of food is too valuable to be wasted, after presenting the offering or sprinkling the blood of the vic tim over the idol, the offering is eaten by the sacrificers and the priests. The sacred isle of the Chinese is the beautiful island of Poo-too, an island in the Chu-san group, upon which are 400 temples and at least 2,000 priests. According to the Chinese Almanacs the popu lation of the empire is said to amount to 375,000,000. Considering the extent of the country, the small quan tity of food on which a Chinese can exist, the small num ber of cattle and horses in the country, the industry of the inhabitants, and their minute and frugal agricultural habits, there is every reason to believe that this number is rather under than overrated. The middle and lower class of the Chinese people live in families ; and it is usual for sons, even after they have wives and families, to remain under the paternal roof, until inereaing numbers render this arrange ment impracticable. Staunton relates an instance of so many families living under the same room, that their num bers amounted to 700 persons. In these united families a community of goods appears to be established, the pro duce of the labour of all, being thrown into the general stock, and administered by the head of the household. the parent has the polver of life and death over his child. Infanticide is very common, and among the sect of Yon and•Yuing the female infant is generally deprived of life. The moment a child is born it is accounted a year old ; every circumstance attending his birth is carefully noted, and communicated to a shing-shang, or astrologer, who pi.oceeds to the temples, and consults the gods, whetnce the incidents he fortunate or unfortunate, and at what time the parents should contract for the marriage of the child. ' Marriage contracts amongst the rich arc made when the parties are seven years old, and at the age of fifteen or seventeen they are married : the parties do not see each other until the wedding day ; upon that day the bride is placed in a large sedan-chair richly gilt, and locked, and the key sent to the future husband. This chair is borne over a fire placed at the door, and carried to an inner apartment; the bridegroom unloc ks the door, and for the I first time in his life sees his wife, to whom he makes three bows, and she drinks to him three times, :and the ceremony is eemolete. The Chinese ordinarily have Lut one wile, hut polygamy is allowed to the rich. T he females are in general' kept in a state of slavery, but when their mile children arrive at manhoed they are treated with ;he greatest respect. The greatest mandarin pays to her to tchom he ewes his birth the most unbounded veneration. Every three months he dresses himself in his court rubes, and prostrates tem self in her presence. The dress of the Empress Mother is more splendid than that worn ether by the Emperor or his Consort. Indeed the Emperor is much controlled by his mother, and the Chinese historians complain of the ca lamities arising from the meddling intrigues of the Queen mother. This consideration operated so strongly upon one of the Emperors, that upon electing his successor, he put the youth's mother to death. A Chinese female becomes vain of her beauty in proportion to the smallness of her eyes, the protuberance of her lips, the lankness and black ness of her hair, and the smallness of her feet. Among the men, corpulence commands a certain degree of respect, and men of thin forms pass for psrsons of small intellect. People of quality allow the nails of their fingers to grow to a great length. Almost all the males can read and write, and at ail the large towns and villages there arc found tchu-tchang3, or learned men, whose business is to ad :lse, write letters, or undertake any matter with which a , commonly educated man may not be conversant. The Chinese schoolmaster merely teaches letters and the science of manners ; they do not cultivate the abstract sciences ; geometry and mathematics with the study of ge neral history and astronomy are not taught, and the pupils are therefore very deficient in a general knowledge of the world. Chinese gentlemen study nothing but the history and poetry of China, and the opinions of their old philoso- Oers. They never study any foreign language. Very few females can read or write. The prevailing opinion is, that domestic duties are enough for the Isdies, and, besides, there exists an apprehension that the art of writing and reading may be raisemployed, or perverted to bad pur poses. At school Chinese boys begin by committing to memory two or three small books merely to learn thtecha racters, which they also write daily. Then they pass to the Four Books of Confucius, and after they have learnt these, they study the Five Sacred Books, the greater part of which they commit to memory. They are taught the most implicit obedience to their parents, and such is con sidered the authority and power of the father over his child, that he may put his son to death, and be punished only by a moderate fine. Their cemeteries are judiciously placed without the towns, on barren hills, where there is no risk of the dead being disturbed by agricultural operations. When a man d;es, his friends say " he is gone to ramble amongst the immortals." White is the colour used for mourning. The relatives offer a sort of worship at the tombs of the de ceased. They assemble round the grave on certain days consecrated to their memory, and the spirits of their an cestors seem to be reverenced as a sort of household god . LANGUAGE, EDUCATION, AND LITERA TU RE. . . The Chinese is an earlier language than the Sanscrit or mother tongue of Central Asia ; it is a monosyllahlic language, and words expressing more than one sensation, or object, or quality, or names of persons arc formed by the union of single words. Thus the name of the page whom we call Confucius is Con.fut-sce, the Spiraker of Wisdom. The Chinese language has, besides the provin cial varieties, two great and distinct features—the writ ten and the spoken languages. The written or Mandarin Chinese, is the language of religion and literature, and the laws, and of the Government; and throughout. the coasts and islands of China, Corea, Loo Choo, and the Li pan Islands, the native of China Proper, or a foreign traveller, finds, upon addressing himself to the natives in the ordinary tongue, he is not understood ; but if he mite his wants in the written language, his wishes or wants arc immediately comprehended. The written character of the Chinese differs much from the written character of the Asiatics, and appears to the scholar, at first sight, to approximate to the ancient Hebrew, Pbceuician, or Pal rune ; but, upon more minute examination, it is found to approach nearer to the most ancient of known charac ters, the cuneiform, or arrow-headed character, not that o Persepolis, but the more ancient upon the bricks o Babylon. WRITTEN LANGUAGE. The writing of the Chinese and the formation of their sym bols differ from those of the whole world, and they still retain the original mode by which mankind has attempted to per petuate the remembrance of things by some imitative sym • bol. Thus the characters expressing the sun and moon stand for light, those of a man and a mountain signify her mit, a bird and a mouth express song, and the verb to hear is represented by the combined character for an ear and a door. The number of primitive elements or symbols, acccord ing to Dr. Morrison, is 373; of these characters 214 arc heads of classes or radicals, or outline characters, each having a distinct meaning and use ; from these radicals, combinations are formed, representing by their union athirst: for example, the characters signifying sun and moon united signify light and brightness. Thus from 214 elements spring 1,600 primitives, each producing nearly 80 deri vatives, and the peculiar c omposition of the language may be conceived by the following passage from Mr. Barrow : " The characters are divided into six classes by philolo gists, viz.:-Ist. Those resembling the object. 23. Those pointing out some q uality or accident. 3d. Those arising from combination of ideas. 4th. Characters partly to give the idea, and partly the sound. sth. Representing oppo sites by inversion. 6th. Borrowed, metaphorical, or illu sive. As a specimen of the 3d and 6th classes—a hand and a staff united denote a man ruling in his family, or ' a father ;' words and to exchange mean to ' converse' or ' speech ;' the middle and heart • fidelity , ' t he mouth and 1 gold, 6 volubility of speech,' high and horse, 6 fraud' (i. c. to be on one's high horse). 'To flatter' is com posed of words, and to lick; 'levity,' of ' girl,' and' thought.' As an illustration of the metaphorical use, the ' wife of a magistrate' is said to denote ' an accomplished lady.' " Under the clement or key which signifies heart, we shall find all the characters arranged expressive of the senti• merits, passions, and affections of the mind : as grief, joy, 'ovo, hatred, anger, &c. The element water enters into all the compounds which relate to the sea, rivers, lakeS, swamps, depth, transparency, &c. The key or clement plant takes in the whole vegetable kingdom. Yen, a wet d, enlers into the composition of those characters which re late to reading, speaking, studying, debating, consulting, trusting, &c. Alt the handicraft trades, laborious employ ments, and a great number of verbs of action, have tue element hand for their governing character. Of the 214 radicals thus employed, not more than 150 can be consi dered as effective, the rest being very rarely employed in the combination of characters. Of the 40,000 characters, ar thereabouts, contained in the standard dictionary of the language, 60 of the elements govern no less than 25,000. The most prolific is the element grass, or plants, which oresides over 1,423 characters ; the next water, which has 1,333 ; then the hand, which has 1,012. After these fol. low in succession the mouth, heart, and insect, each having about 900, then a word, man, and metal, cash exceeding 700 ; next a reed, or bamboo, a woman, silk, a bird, flesh, mountain, &c., each governing from 500 to 600. The number of words in the Imperial Dictionary is 40,000, but the early writings of the period of Confucius contain scarcely 3,000 different characters. Now it is said who ever has acquired 2,000 is never at a loss, and with 1,900 is in possession of all the materials of the language. It is the apparent number of words that has pre vented Europeans from a more general acquisition of this ianguago ; but the philological researches of Pote Montucci, IZerrivaat, Du Ponceau, Morrin, Morrison, Arnot, and Myers, have shown that the Chinese language is as easily , eqeired as any of the Asiatic tongues. Johnson's Die . - i,nary of the Engltsli language contains 38,000 words, and Noah Webster's 47,000 words. N o twithstanding this onauni, foreigners easily learn English. In writing Chinese there are five different kinds of hands in use:— l. The right character, or plain hand. 2. The walking character, or free hand. 3. The runnin g hand. 4. The ,1d h an d. 5 . Th e sea l or sacre d hand. The art of print ing has been in use in China near 1,200 years; but it was ..i l , y i ti w s g e. a d , a t ,i i i ,, tme s r t es io si a o r n i s w fr b o o m pr w in o t o o d d en c b b l i o n c e k se s. bo D ok r s . Nflroorm \ moveable types. There is no analogy LANGUAGE. ge n s a , l? ian g n y dth w ie l i i r at m ev o e d r e be o t i w c e o e m n p t a li s c it w io r n i . tten T a h n u d s Token languages, when jig, the sun, nitthhiene Chinese ea rdeounitednotpronounce to denote clear or illustrious, their characters lib-yue, but, ge,aandipt generallyhong so b u negd beginning with There are 330 monosyllables, with a consonant and ending w i t h e 'n o to r n l a i t q io u n id e , or the double consonant NG. monosyllablesTheseayow el means of four modifications of each syllable,. extended to about 1,300 r l words. Each meanings, and word has, on an average, 100 different only allowing three accents to each, there are still 33 THE SUN, LONDON', SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28 18-10 The machinery of Government is carried en by six Boards or Pous. 1. The Ly-pou, or Board for the examination of all mandarins. candidates for official situations in the pro . - vinces,. and controlling and degrading these already in . ffice.=2: The Ho•pou, or Finance Board, for 'the receipt and expenditure of the public revenue.• Li-pou, or Board of Rites, who regulate the public worship, the arts and sciences, titles of honour, drespa to be worn by the officers of state, the furnishing of thom perial table, and who prevent innovation on the prbaent usages.-4. Ping - pou, havin theasuperintendence of .t he f ortress es and armies, an d lerything connected witlftbe f m ilit ar y service.-5. Th e Hong-pou, or Board of Justice, who take cognizance of all offences.-6. The Kong-pou, or Board of internal communication ; their office is to keep in repair all the bridges, roads, palaces, and public build ings throughout the empire; and they also have the chaage of all the canals, bridges, and navy of the empire. The college of Han-lin superintend the literature of the country. and instruct the children of the Emperor. They compile and direct the printing of the books that are printed at the Imperial press. The go vernment of the p r ovinces is delegated to Vice roys, who rule with absolut e p ow er over districts as lare . e as European k ingdoms; the subordinate parts are filled by the officers whom we call mandarins. The term Mandari% is not known in China; it is of Portuguese origin ; the Chinese call their officers Kwang-foo,:and they a re di st i ngu i s h e d by a knob or button on their caps , which is abo u t th e s i ze o f a shilling and made of gold, chrysial , recious stones or coral; besides these marks the civil otneers wear a tunic with a bird embroi dered on their back or b reast , an d t h e m ili tary officers have a tiger embroidered on th e i r d ress. Th e H ong merc h an t s , and other rich peo ple, . ar e p erm itt e d t o purc h ase ran k arid provinces administrationare punished wear a button , for which th e y pay large sums to the acquired b great .) Emperor.v,,ealth d Governorsuringth their of who have b e i ng , a ppointed conservators of the Yellow River, and their duty is to repair all d am a ge caused by its inunda tions at their private cost. Refractory nobles arc degraded and sent as slaves amongst the Tartars, or exiled to one of the islands in the Chusan Archipelago. The Kwang-foo or Mandarins have the power to inflict corporal punishment; and being chiefly of Tartar extraction, they treat the Chi nese as a conquered people : it is this arrogant class who have been for more than hall a century fattening on the plunder and the bribes they have received from the trade in opium ; it is they who, on ail occasions, have treated the European voyager with tyranny and contempt. The Chinese people evince, on all occasions, every dispo sition to trade with Europeans, but they fear detec tion from the Tartars, and they express, by a signifi cant motion, that the punishment of d ec ollation a ill follow the discovery . of any connection with the fan-qui,* or foreigner. If protected by a sufficient force the Chi nese will be too happy to trade. In the present expedition. Great Britain will find no difficulty in procuring sup ' plies for her fleet from the people along the coast. The Chine ,e groan under an intolerable oppression—their learn ing. their arts, are buried beneath the weight of Tartar ty ranny, and the estaftshment of a powerful statiun in the vicinity of the Chinese coasts, and a communications with the natives of our power and influence, may tend to great chaages in the internal government and external adminis tration of the Chinese empire. The officers of Govern ment prevent the circulation of any information relating to British power ; and as they call all the heads of the sur rounding nations Kings ( the Governor of Singapore they call " King"), they affect to treat the British Sovereign as one of these dependent Princes. But the trade with Singapore, and the establishment of an hospital at Macao for the cure of native Chinese, thousands of whom are annually cured and sent to speak our praises throughout the different provinces of the empire, has created a vivid sensation in our favour, especially in the provinces of Kwang-tong and Fub-ken, and a warlike demonstration upon our part will not be without st mpathetic feeling by large masses of Chinese. And if it should be our fate, as Sir Robert Peel has said, to - become the governors of" two-thirds of the human race," we shall know that in the mission of nations it is our distin guished task to be the promulgators of the Christian faith, and that every nation who owns our sway through ea Asia has ex c hanged capricious tyranny for compa rative liberty - and happiness. a cup of tea is as necessary to the Englishman as his fire si:e. If such be the case, it might be said—How, if we make enemies of the Chinese, are we to be supplied with this necessary to British comfort? To this we reply— That the monopoly of the East India Company and the restrictions upoa Eastern commerce have prevented the proper development of English enterprise and energy in the East; the trade with the large island of Japan, abounding in tea as good, if not superior, to any of the teas grown in China, has never been properly cultivated. The country around Sincapore abounds in tea-trees, and thousands of Chinese emigrants annually arrive at the British settlements, who are capable and willing to culti vate the tea plant ; millions of acres in the country of the Kariayn are covered with indigenous tea trees, and the Palaungs, a native tribe, are from their infancy, employed in the cultivation of the plant. This country might be easily obtained ; it is within the Burmese territory, 150 miles from Ahmurapoora, at the sources of some of the streams that run into the Irrawaddy ; and there is wato way down the Mou'tama to the British settlements of Manahan and Moulmeyn, a route very little longer than that by which the teas are sent to Canton, beside,: saving nearly one month's voyage, and the danger of typhoons, &c., and last, but not least, the territory of Assam, which, if properly cultivated by 'lindens, (cot Chinese—this is a fatal error) is capable of suppl ing all our wants. The tea tree, like the vine, grows to most advantage in stony and rocky districts (districts but little valuable for cultivation); and in tte high latitudes of our Indian empire many districts may be found cspable of producing this valuable plant ; but to make these avail able the directors of the policy of the Engjish empire must treat our Indian possessions as their importance and benefit to the Imperial mate demand, and not as it has hitherto been, sacrifice the interests of the East to the prejudices of the West. Large quantities of raw silk are exported since the opening of the trade, and the amount is annually shout 5,000 : 000 pounds. The sugar of China is superior to the sugar of the West hulks; but to protect our West India colonies a duty of 300 per cent. is levied. Since the eman cipation of the slaves, and the decrease in the quantity of West India sugar, about 200,000 pounds worth of clayed and candied sugar have been imported from China. Since the great increase of the opium trade gold and sil ver have been largely exported ; in the year 18:34 its value was 1,197,735/ ; and the total annual value'of the British exports from China was in 1838 about 8,000,000/ sterling. Our principal imports to China are coarse woollens, watches, glass, iron, and lead from England direct, and opium and cotton wool from India. The wealthy Chinese formerly used fur clothing, as the winters arc very cold even in the southern provinces ; but the diminished sup ply and the high prices of fur have caused the comfortable woollen fabrics of England to be extensively used. Watches used to be sold in large quantities No well dressed Chinese in the south considers his costume com plete without a pair of English watches. The value of British imports was about 2,600,0001., 'and the balance of trade in our favour was made up by the importations from our Indian empire, so that instead of Hindostan remitting 500,0001. or 600,0001. annually to Great Britain in specie, her remittances a-c made in Chinese produce. The cot ton wool imported from Bti•ish India is valued at 1,600,000/ , and the opium at 4 500,000/. ; and it is the importation of this article that the Tartar rulers of China have made a pretext to insult and annoy us. ARMY. The standing army, including the Tartar forces, it 600,000 men, of which nearly 100,000 arc occupied in catching the eastern frontier, for the Chinese Government, jealous of the approach of the British to the Burman territory, have greatly increased their garrisons.—( See \Vyld'a Map of China). On the Assamese frontier, and in the province of Sze-chuen 65,000 men are stationed. Although this amount appears to be very formidable, the Chinese arc very ineffi cient soldiers; and as they are occupied for three-quarters of the year in labours of the field, the discipline is not very strict; they are armed with matchlocks and a short scynli tar, and some regiments with bows and arrows. The ar tillery is very badly conducted, and except on the eastern frontier the fortresses throughout the empire arc dilapidated and untenable against Europeans. In all the moun tainous districts ?arties of barbarians exist upon the hills, who require the continued watching of troops to prevent predatory excursions into the plains; and it not unfre quently happens, in the conflicts with these mountaineers, that the regular troops are worsted. Mr. Barrow states that 20,000 European soldiers might march front Canton to Pekin. NAVY. The Navy is hardly worthy of the name. It consists of 1;810 small tribute junks, of 200-tons, each- manned by twelve natives, and about 60 war junks, from 1,000 to 1,500 tons burden, carrying from one to threu hun dred men, and mounting from twelve to fifty guns. The (Thinese are very indifferent sailors, and hundreds of their sailing junks are wrecked each year, REVENUE. According to Sir George Staunton the revenue is 66,000,0001. sterling, chiefly derived front a rent paid for the use of the land, (for the Emperor is sole proprietor, and is paid one-twelfth of the produce, and also from tie monopoly of salt,) and from the Customs and Duties, £48,000,000 is expended is the provinces wherein the revenue 14 ratsel, for the expenses of the 1,c4 Govern. ments, and £12,000,000 is remitted to Pekin for the expenses of the general Government. As a very large portion of the revenue is paid in kind, the collection and transit of the duties is very costly, for the transmission of the revenue to Pekin the Imperial or Treasury Canal was constructed. Formerly a capitation tax was levied, but this is now abandoned. COMMERCE. China has .an immense internal trade, cut off by.the policy of her conquerors from any dependence upon ex ternal commerce; her people have learnt, by the experience all their wants; a few luxuries to be were all they wished to obtain ° e ft rh O o n e f a m s g v u e at m; i e ee hd t o y sbyyt to supply foreign trader p wealthy ; the industry of her people, and of soil and climate, amply supplied all her real wants, and left a large superflux, which she exported to the surrounding nations. Now and then bad harvests, cr severe drought., have compelled the importation of rice and grain ; tbis excepted, the Chinese must be considered as an exporting nation ; her principal exports arc tea, raw and manufactured silk, sugar, cotton, spices, porcelain, and alum. The English, Americans, French, and Danes are the principal exporters, and their shipping is confined to the pots of Canton. The Spaniards have the exclusive tight to the trade of the port of Amoy, and the Russians are prohibited from tradi ng b y t h e sea , an d res tricted to the tow ns of Kiatcha on the Russian, and Marnaitelian on the Chincsc frontiers. The following table will show the European and Ame rican trade with China for the year 1834 : Imports. Exports. England 2,600,000 ... 6,000,000 America 827,000 ... 2,427,000 Dutch Spanish French Danes Number of ships which arrived at China during the year 1834 British flag American 43 Spanish 2B Portuguese French D ish Other European nations, flags un known The bulk of the cargoes exported was teas and silk. Tea is grown in a ll the southern p rovinces of China, in like manner ; wine is produced. throughout France and Rhenish Germany ; but good tea, like tine wines, is grown only in a few places. The Black Tea exported by Europeans is grown in the provinces of Fuh- Keen and Quan-tung ; and the Green Teas in Tche-Kiang and Ngan-Hoe. There are thirty-six kinds of Tea, but of these thirteen varieties alone arc exported by Europeans, viz.:— BLACK TEAS. Pekoe ........ Orange Pekoe ... First Picking. Caper .................... Ankoi Souchong Souchong ............. ••• Second Picking. Campoi Congo .........••• Bohea .....• ..........`TEAS. Third Picking. GREEN EAS. Gunpowder . ............ First Picking. Hyson ................. Yr,ung H v son• • ......... Second Picking. (lyson 5kin........::::: Third Picking. . Twankay ''''''''''''' The l eaves arc plucked from the shrubs and trees three and these buds arc sometimes times a-year—in April, July , and September. The finest Tea is th e fi rst picking ; mixed with the blossoms of the sweet olive, which impart to them a d e li g h t f u l fragrance, and the Tea is thaen coarser called Flowery P e k oe. The later gatherings are of aed darke r l ea f. The ave rage am ount expor ted for British consumption is 30,000,00 0 o f pounds, an d the total consumption of England an d h er d e pendencies is 58,000,000 of p ounds. The annual income der ived from Tea is 3,300,0001., during the last twenty years, 80,000,000/. has been paid into the British Exchequer as duties upon Tea. The following table shows the amount of tea exnorted front China for the use of the world : Great' Britain .................. 30,000,000 pounds. British Dependencies ......... 28,000,000 Tartary and the States of / 9 1 000 000 Chiefly Central Asia 5- ' ' Black Tea. United States of America ... 8,000,000 Russia ........................ ..• .5,000,000 East India . Islands .......•••••• 3,000,000 Holland and Belgium ......... 2,700,000 France ........................... 500 000 Denmark ........................ 130,000 3 500 Naples ........................... .................. •- ••• 2,000 Germany 1,500 Austria ....................... It* Nearly all the • tea imported into the continent of Europe is for the consump..ion of British residents indeed * Fan-qul is literally white devil. OPIUM TRADE Opium is grown in the provinces of Sze-chuen, Tale- Kiang and Quan-tung, and it has been used for more than 110 years as a stimulant by the wealthy; but the opium grown in India, in the provinces of Malvrah, Babar, and Benares ; is cheaper, and of a better quality than the Chinese opium. The earliest records of Indian intercourse with the Chinese relate its importation, in the year 1795 ; 1,070 chests were shipped from Calcutta ; and since that time the trade has rapidly increased; at first the ships anchored at Whampoa, afterwards at Lintin Island, and Hong-kong ; and considerable trade in opium was carried on at Macao. The Government have from time to time issued edicts against this trade, but have never taken_ any means to enforce its decrees. In fact, the Mandarins (the Governor's officers) not only become the purchasers and consumers of opium, but enter into the trade. Sixty Spanish &Mars are paid to them at Macao as a bribe for each chest ; and if it be sent to Canton sixty more. It is said that revenue cutters have been employed for its con veyance—at any rate, the linguist of the Whampa Cus tom-house officers was wont to accompany the purchasers of opium aboard the ships to prevent the delivery of a greater number of chests than had been paid for. The Canton Current, published daily, states the pi ices and sales, so that little concealment is made. It is true, when a fresh fuh-yucn, or civil governor was appointed at Canton, some of the opium boats were seized, the crews punished, and a pretence made of burning the opium seized upon the hills; yet it was very well understood not a particle was destroyed, and that this manifestation of vigilance was only for the purpose of ob taining large sums from the opium dealers. The fog Yuen having paid the Emperor a large sum for his appointment, he generally adopted this mode of reimbursing himself for the outlay, and, having squeezed a considerable amount from the traders, he quietly allowed the trade to resume its former channels. This question has been viewed, in a wrong light. The Chinese people will have opium, and if we do not supply it to them from Canton, country ves• scls will run large cargoes upon the coasts, for it is a ne cessary- to the people. They do not drink intoxicating drinks, and their only stimulant is the opium pipe, which is less frequently used to excess in China than ardent spirits, malt liquor, or wine, in other parts of the werld ; opium smoking is nut so hurtful as any of these intoxicating drinks, it is tho excess alone that is harmful ; and it is -found even in ii,gl•knd-t-lra t -thciuse of opium succeeds the abandonment of fermented liquors—the inhabitants of all countries use stimulants—the Englishman and German ale and ardent spirits, the Frenchman brandy and wine, the Irishman and Scotchman whisky, the Tartar ferMented mare's milk, the inhabitants of India take bang, or hemp juice, and the Chinese the pipe of opium s• indeed, after all the outcry that has been raised against the opium trade, it does not amount to three grains per annum for each male in the Chinese empire. The Chinese have a large country trade; their junks supply the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and all the Archipelago of the Indian Ocean. The number of ves sels employed in this trade is about 300 ; the estimated number of junks throughout the empire is about 12,000 sail ; but it is the larger trading junks, some of them carry ing cargoes valued at 20,000 dollars, which will afford fine prizes to eur seamen. The American trade with China is about 2,000,0001. annually, and the . Dutch, French, Danes, and Spaniards have some little intercourse with Canton: MONEY. The Chinese have no gold or silver coins. Silver is the standard medium of exchange ; it is generally in the form of bars, and if a bar be ton large for tne intended payment a piece is cut off. At Cantors the circulating medium is Spanish dollars, but dollars and silver bars are exchanged by weight, for which purpose a Chinese merchant is always prepared with scales. Accounts are kept in leangs, or ounces, or tads. A tael is about 65. Bd. They use also a small coin called lee, or cash, made of six parts of copper, and four parts of lead ; it is about the size of the old farthing, and has a square hole in the middle ; the pieces are strung npon a cord, with a knot distinguishing every hundred. 750 cash equal a tael, which makes a lee riorth about one-tenth of a penny. There is no system of credit established between the merchants of different provinces, no bills of exchange, and hence great inconvenience, owing to the want of those fa cilities of commercial intercourse established in every other part of the civilised world. The commerce of China is thus chiefly confined to the operation of bartering the prodpctions of i.s different provinces, and thew: are suffi ciently numerous to afford room for a very extensive traf fic. ' Ample facilities are afforded by the great rivers, their numerous tributaries, and canals. ' The following particulars, in addition to those we give in the next page, of Macao Roads and of Ting-hai, the capital of the island of Chusan, will be found interesting. The account of Macao Roads and Canton are taken from a journal kept by an officer when Lieutenant of a frigate cruising in their seas many years ago, and are published by him to show the probability of a successful issue, and prove that— " The right course the Government have now taken to maintain the honour of our flag is the only certain means of settling a just commercial treaty with that bombastic, ignorant, and pusil lanimous nation. On snaking the coast of China the first object that attracts attention is the land named the Great Lama, and a cluster of islands called the Nine Pins, the neigh bourhood of which swarms with fishing boats, a pilot is geeerally taken on board out of these boats who is always found to be utterly useless, as the charts and hand lead are quite sufficient to carry a ship of war of any draught of water to their anchorage ; if going to Macao Roads, which is a very good an chorage, the distance is a few hours' sail, and the island itself could be taken possession of by 500 men, and kept as a garrison for any . length of time we thought proper — as well as the sate harbour of Typa, about four miles distant, which is formed by two small islands, where the old Centurion hove down and repaired in 1740, and where I myself refitted a frigate. The spot has plenty of water, and is remarkably healthy, and might in tact be formed into a good dock - yard , and all kinds of provisionswould be brought by the natives the moment we cleared the river of the war junks. On ascending the river the next object that pre sents itself is the island of Lintin, about 30 miles from Macao ; tide is a very nice island, having two villages on it and about 400 inhabitants, and is 16 or 17 miles in circumference; there is a high peak on the island, good water and safe anchorage. I was at this island three months, it grows good potatoes, and might be kept by a few troops for ever if we thought fit to do so ; in winter it is cold enough for European clothes. From the summit of the peak about thirty islands can be counted, and Macao is also visible. Again ascending the river you arrive at the Bogue of Tigris and anchor in Anson's Bay, a ' perfectly safe spot, and as for the forts ca ll e d Anmunghor, or Chuinpee, if they deserve the name, ou r sa il ors wou ld so on settle . that question ; this anchorage may b e thi r t y -fi ve m il es from Lintin, Whampoa being the next point of ascent. I can only say that any good-sized frigate may go up to the second bar, perhaps forty miles from An s o n ' s B ay an d D ane ' s Island, which taken possession of, or gar r i sone d b y troops , might defy all j the army of China to recapt ure it. Th e quatity of trading unks and boats on th e r i ver i s a most , aston i s hi ng s i g ht to strangers, it aetually appears as if all the boats in the world were assembled together ; you may well judge what the judicious arrangements of troops and ships of war in those seas might do. And now within twelve miles of Canton, with a draught of water front six to ten feet, what is there to prevent, if neces sary, the total destruction of that city, consisting of some 500,000 inhabitants, and the whole surrounding country being open to invasion, and our troops marching from the Yellow Sea to Pekin itself, and e- en tly removing the Celestial Emperor from his dow n y couc h. Let the Government act as the brave old Anson did one hundred years ago, when he decided the question of ships of war paying the chop-duty, as it is called, at Canton. The Chinese are a venal, thievish, corrupt people, abounding with artifice, nor is the constitution of the empire, or the general orders of the State, less liable to exception. The Centurion alone was an over-match for all the naval power of China ; what must, then, be the effect of the present expedi tion on that nation ? Nothing less than a successful settlement of the question o f trade, a proper security given to our mer chants and their property, and a just maintenance of the honour of her Majesty's flag. The principal city in the island of Chusan is Ting-hai, and is properly described as the capital of the three hundred islands . that surround it. It is surrounded by walls thirty feet hi g h. Along the walls, at the distance of every hundred yards, are square stone towers. In the parapets are also embrasures, and • holes in the merlons for archery ; but there are no cannon, ex cept a few old wrought-iron pieces near the gate. Of the tow's of Europe, Ting-hai bears the resemblance most of Venice, but on a smaller scale. It is in some degree surrounded, as well as intersected by canals. The bridges thrown over them are steep, and ascended by steps, like the Rialto. The streets, which are no more than alleys or narrow passages, are paved with square flat stones ; but the houses, unlike the Venetian buildings, are low, and mostly of one story. The attention as to ornament in these buildings is confined chiefly to roofs, which, besides having the tiles that cover the rafters luted and plastered over, to prevent accidents from their fa hug in stormy weather, are contrived in such a form as to imi tate the inward bend of the ridges and sides of canvas tents, or of the coverings of skins of animals or other flexible materials affected by their weight. On the ridges of the roofs are uncouth figures of animals, and other decorations in clay, stone, or iron. The town is full of shops containing chiefly articles of clothing, food, and furniture, displayed to full advan tage. Even coffins are painted in a variety of lively and contrast ing colours. The smaller quadrupeds, including dogs, intended for food, are, as well as poultry, exposed alive for sale. Loose garments and trousers are worn by both sexes, but the men have hats of straw or cane which cover the head, their hair, except one long lock, being cut short or shaved, while the ' women have theirs entire, and plaited or coiled becomingly into a knot upon the crown of the head, as is sometimes seen on the female statues of antiquity. Throughout the place there is an appearance of quick and active industry, beyond the natural effect of a clime not quite thirty degrees from the equator. JOURNAL OF OCCURRENCES : COMPRISING A SUCCINCT RE- CAPITULATION OF TUE PRINCIPAL INCIDENTS ESFE CIALLY CONNECTED WITH FGREIGNERS DURING THE YEAR 1839. January 1.-The trade of the port of Canton, by con.- mend of the Local Government, was re-opened to fo reigners. It was reported that the party opposed to the admission of opium on payment of duty, had gained the entire ascendant in the Imperial Councils ; that three princes had been punished for opium smoking; that Heir Nactse had been dismissed from the public service ; and that memo rials from all the Provincial governments bad beets laid be fore the Cabinet, the General Council, the Imperial Hope, and Board of punishments, for final consideration. A proclamation to the people was published by the acting magistrate of Nanliiie against the use of opium, with a re cipe for curing the habit of smoking the drug. 311.-Lin Tsihscu, Governor of Hookwang, was ap pointed by the Emperor to repair to Canton, in order to stop the traffic in opium. 3d and 70.-Public meetings of foreign residents were held fur the formation of a Seamen's Friend Association. 7th.--An edict was issued by the Magistrate of Natrha.e, by order of the Governor, admonishing all smokers at once to break off the " vile habit." Native houses in Canton were searched ler opium and apparatus for smoking it. Gates were erected in the streeta to impede the policemen in order to search their persons for opium before they searched the houses. 1001.-An edict was issued by the Governor against ships bringing opium to Whairpoa, and declaring that if they did so they would be sent back to their own country. Another edict came out from the Governor, command ing the Hong merchants to secure sundry vessels then at Whampoa. 14th.-The cobong paid the first dividend, of four per cent. on the debts of Keequa, to the foreign creditors of that Hong. 16111.-A new form of bond wesmproposed by the Hong merchants to the Chamber of Commerce, to prevent the smuggling of opium and sycec. 22d._-Several European passage boats were licensed to run between Canton and Macao, for the purpose of con veying letters and passengers. 23d. -A despatch was received by the Governor from the Board of War, giving conveyance to an Imperial edict, of the 3d, respecting the new Commissioner. A proclamation was addressed to foreigners by the Go vernor and Lieutenant-Governor, giving no ice of the ap - preach of a Special Commissioner, and urging the imme diate removal of all the opium and store-ships from the Chinese waters, threatening a stoppage of the trade in cast of nun compliance. 27th -A regulation that the debts of one Hong merchant to foreigners stall not exceed a hundred thousand taeis, was ordered, by the local authorities, to be engravers on stone, and kept in everlasting remembrance. February Ist.-All the back doors of the foreign facto ries were ordered to be blocked up. 4th.-Rules and regulations._ were promulgated by the British Chief Superintendent for the establishment of a maritime police in the Chinese waters. A document was published "on the best mode of arrest ing the opium plague," written by Chew Teentseo, Super intendent of the transport of grain. A dividend of three per cent. was paid on Hingtae's debts, making the total hitherto paid amount to seven per cent. 3d.-The schooner Attaran, Captain Jackson, was lost near the island Nanpang, a few miles westward of Macao, with 130 chests of opium. 16th.-A Coroner's inquest was held, by the Magistrate of Nanhae, at the Opthalmic Hospital in Canton, respect ing the death of a Chinese. 26th.-A Chinese, accused of trafficking in opium, was strangled in front of the foreign factories. All the foreign flags thereupon ceased to be hoisted. 28th.-A request was made by the British merchants to their superintendents of trade, tc - detain her Majesty's ship Larne in the Chinese waters. Merch 7th.-The British Chief Superintendent re quired all British owned passage boats, not havin g licenses, i m mediately to proceed outside of the Bogue, and not re turn within the same. Tvihscu, the Imperial Commissioner, made his entrance int., Canton, eat] took up his residence in one : - Jf the collegiate, halls. 1 th.-A European boat, belonging to the St. Vincent at What - 1)1)0a, on her way from Canton to' the ship, Was run down by a Chinese lighter, and nine of the crew lost. 18th.-Two edicts were issued by the Commissioner one to the Hong merchants, and the other to the foreigners. the latter requiring "every particle of the opium in the store-ships" to be delivered up to Government, and bends given that they will never again bring any more on penalty of death, and promising in case of compliance a remission of the past and the continuance of commerce. The term of three dais was given for a reply. 19th.-By an edict from the Hoppe, addressed to the Hung n erchants, all foreigners were forbidden to go to Macao. 'One of the licensed passage-boats, the Snipe, was stopped at the Bogue on a charge of smuggling, and brought back to Canton. She was afterwards broken up. 21st.-All communication with Whampoa was stopped, and troops assembled on the river and in the suburbs near the factories. The Chamber of Commerce assembled, and 1,037 chests were tendered for surrender. 22d -Mr. L. Dent was invited to go to the city gate to meet the Commissioner. By circular from Captain Elliot at Macao, all British ships were ordered to rendezvous at Hongkong, and put themselves in a posture of defence immediately. 2311.-The bong merchants appeared early this morn ing, two of them with chains on their necks, urging Mr. Dent to go into the city. Messrs. Inglis, Slade, Thom, and Feron went in his stead. Another circular was issued by Captain Elliot at Macao, enjoining all British subjects to make immediate preparations for removing with their property from Canton. 24th.-At sunset Captain . Elliot arrived in Canton, and immediately hoisted the British flag, and conducted Mr. Dent to his own consular hell, at which place he sum moned a public meeting. -All natives were withdrawn, provisions stopped, and a triple cordon of boats placed in front of the factories. Captain Elliot demanded passports. 24th. -The foreign merchants pledged themselves 's not to deal in opium, nor to attempt to introduce it into the Chinese empire." 26th.-A new proclamation was issued by the Commis sioner, urging four reasons for the immediate surrender of the opium. By order of the Government of Macao, all the opium in the settlement was sent on board ship. 27th.-Captain Elliot required the surrender to him of all British owned opium in China, holding himself, in be half of his Government, responsible for the same ; 20,283 chests were surrendered. 28th.-An cd;ct was addressed to all the foreign Consuls requiring them to make a surrender of opium-as Captain Elliot had done. April 3d.-Arrangements for the delivery of the opium at Chuenpe having been agreed upon, Mr. Johnston, ac companied by Mr. Thom, started for Macao, affording en opportunity for sending letters " outside." 7th.-Mr. Johnston arrived at Macao, and embarked in the cutter Louisa fur the Bogue. The illicit traffic re newed. 9th.-Meeting of merchents and officers at the consoo house continued till near midnight, discoursing about the " bond, and nothing but the bond." 10th.-The Commissioner and Governor proceeded to the Bogue to witness in person the delivery of the drug. The hoppo preceded them. 12th.-A communication of this date, from Mr. John stun at Chuenpe, announced the delivery of 650 chests. 1601.-A notice was issued inviting sealed tenders for a British clipper, to bear despatches to the Home Govern ment. 19th.-An order was promulgated by the Prefect of Canton, for the return to the factories of servants and coni pradors. Special and earnest commands were given by edict from the high officers, for the immediate presentation to them of the bond, in order to evince "on the part of every one a mind respectfully submissive." 20th.-Half of the opium was delivered, hut the passage boats were not allowed to run-the stipulation for this not, withstanding. Deliveries stopped. May 4th.-An order promulgated for the passage boats to run, and for the resumption of trade. Sixteen indivi duals named were not to leave Canton until further notice. 56.-This afternoon the triple cordon before the fac tories was broken up, and a part of the guards removed. 6th.-The European boats. with about fifty passengers, left Canton for Whampoa and Macao. Bth.-An edict was published from the Provincial Go vernment and Commissioner, addressed to the British Superintendent and Foreign Consuls, allowing them their request that, at the head of the people and - vcssels of their several countries, they might return home ; adding "after you have thus returned, you will not be allowed to come again ; let there be no turning backwards and forwards, no inconstancy." 14th.-An edict was issued by the local authorities, commanding all the streets leading, i n to the square (ex cept Old China-street), to be closed u p , and the shopmen in them to remove. 19th.-Public notice was given, by Captain Elliot, to and any other property, prevent British subjects, vesse ls, from entering the port. About this time a new regulation was promulgated, re quiring that all vessels should be measured before entering the port; officers, in consequence, went on board the fleet of ships in Macao Roads, and measured them. 21st.-At two o'clock this morning, the delivery of the 20,283 chests was completed, and the whole stored at Chunhow, near a creek cast of the Bogue. 22J.-In a public notice from Captain Elliot, he reca pitulated the items of complaint against the Commissioner, and repeated his injunction against the introduction of property, and cautioned all British subjects against con *truing their resideuce-in Canton beyond tho period of his Own stay. 10 , 23d.-A order was issued by the Commis Wuer/ t,e 4 ' 1 0 0 ing ten of the sixtee n p roscribed persons to giv . • they would never again retu rn t 6 China. S o me h ad E 7 1e bonds previously. he 1 0 . . A memorial dated this day was addressed g the by 1 - * ro st ish merchants to Lord Palmer ston, respectin acts of the Chinese Government.' LKee C aan o ng m gs m oKo is ,e si a. oner Lin appointed to the gover norsh3? a g i gf el an n e d g, N e g . ain.hwthuev. t h ree provinces of is' r/si lell 23d'.-P. W. Snow, Esq the Americ an d Con for Macao in the inside pas age. lie •24th.-At about 5 p.m. , C a p tain Elliot, accorol4ll by a number of the British me rchants lett Cantor,. Bel a 27th.-U. S. A. frigate Columbia, George C' pet Esq., Captain, arrived from Singapore. She was $ Pa. after joined by - Wyman, Esq., Captain, from Manilla. e. i trf' r 29th.-A mandate was received flora the al i ; ifa; ordering the whole 29,29 l chests (eight additional,d: 0 ut been surrendered by One of the merchants ou ts ' 0' opium to be destroyed, so that all the inhabitauts be a d, cosres, and foreigners in Canton, might see it and monishe , A. Cal 4311 Her Britannic Majesty's sloop-of-war Latee' Blake, sailed from Macau for the Indiati station. 01 ber spa 3 Britannictrl fi s ___ h T i‘ai h At c jhees e itl l yte i fil p sovn p rnesu e e r ernartvbiGdi A ccor r te: i , c ,:oe t rsf , nni ,tiiny. C loit.re‘ adenapitt.farionin NN 3 ia a r e l: ' 0 i tit 0 al , ' reduced june i t s o t.- about T lish and Piave's, British subjects. ginnonrgestibci:Wiltsaif°°- 64' ~„ S P r 1 PP' 0 50.-The Commissioner and Governor i.ssue . ° ,e 0 all vessels to enter - the port, or immediately to r F t s o theiilrtohw-•n -An American others soon followed, all ysiteiiipdinegtittoertehdo til,toenal.l°.guer; 5.v,,..6. 12th.--At a meeting of British merchants le o ce the preparing to send British ships and properti 0' ton was viewed with regret. - has T te b n c io l g oc t a h l e elit c ra c n rs ce is o su f pope of. Bogue. • b shir" 16th.-The Ann Jane, the latt of the Brit° real port, passed out of the Bogue heavily laden with rO OOO Enelanzl. , go 0 ofc a l pd 7 tc t a : i i ttir - oßy King'. ienn i g r s . otLh....e ~oisiiutea t udn . d ch u li others,iloew'alitin to a nt t w h h e i e e : o si6h e e : itibhe . 64it il i: . : ti lo co's) . again st induceth G e B a c P o r i t . t t : i i d i .s n u h c Et subjects o i . ! ft t lic p dec''g i 21st.- . e law f ulinjunctions. tie b ° P r s ° t: 23d.-New port reeula ' ,, a bt't. e f , tions wee- Is..ic • leo • rr io., - form of bond finally - and s- ' 'tally agreed upon „ t e n ee off'`ete published indsthinslerdies.st;iaaornmdc rabni:isif et.; Cade to : Americans bringing ships to Virtimpoa. `1" 1 . ,, g,,., f, seized and detained on board ships - at 1-10gtbevtray• ' mours of renewed operations outside io - ~,rr opium. , floreq s. p' of ce 7 nrs t i c i or . osw - fsnh T tehod h ue e by te t r h r e ac h e o s n o g n mthverethoapnotsf a.,!1 t or o cr r id 2 g i ld Ka ng , , 0 Magistrates, o lest, as as it was sa , , 0 1 July 7th . Commissioner Lin, Govertior "- fore' the other high provincial offic visited 11°5 crs, 0 06 factories. , bleb ' 1 i An affray occurred at Hongkoeg , itt• li 13 1-Ill f named Lin Wellie, lost his life. e the) „1 - l e °' c 10th and 15th.-Correspondence betwee'e no •hief superintendent and merchants roipecti°. a if en, demurrage. A vibic b , OA erte.nAll doll- lie 2611.1.---Rules and regulations romuigote"',.6oo 0 to be observed in the court of justice P with, c,jobjeetol Admiralty jurisdiction, for the trial f 13titIrcd eel° China, and on the high seas within one ll °° - .si' l3 the coast. la o lo t ort August 3(1.-A meeting of British rnerells% o'6S' a ja e itis wos or 6r o in Macao for the purpose of organizing of Commerce. A provisional Chamber 0n 1 .Y,„ f o r ty l l ' e pit o ' slb: -Captain Elliot issued a public netnel session pf the Court of Criminal sod Ajni re A sa° diction. oro*" .00' 6th.-The U. S. A. frigate Columbia/ loop it) Read, and the sloop-of-war John Attain/ CiP sill •00 111 ' sailed for the gendwich Islands. e co- , 12,h.-The first Session of the Court ca oil Admiralty Jurisdictios held at Hongkong'. can* 15th.-All supplies for British subjects in A 1 dieted by the Commissiesser and GOVernOr. __.,, e s , _ op 17th.-A meeting of ;Iritish subjects fej t ; p ero .c 1; Captain Elliot to concert ,naeasures for their 0' • e 0 safety. , Were ref 1 , 0 0 18th.-The orders for interdioting.fodu ''‘,„glisll and all the servants and eompraelo, 8/ , t o the e• s it' ilitib. $ and families, left their employers. trei ci ) 0 5I° 21et.-Captain Elliot gave netiee tba t i ' le Coll• g eSe, t JO compromise the safety of the Portu 10. r. would embark that evening.cre 223.-Mr. Snow, the American Consul, booed afternoon in a chop boat for Canto the gritisb 5. a 2403.--,An attack was made on -- le eille lil the Black j t eke, and several of the ne c 'P •lio others wounded. .„ h o bje 4 'o ot 250.-At a Conemittee meeting of 13r1t0' moo IJ this day, it was resolves! that all should leave, e day afterrl°°l,'r 26th. The embarkation Wok place ja the tvio or i 0 all British subjects left Maeao--exceTlecogai° invalids, and one gentleman I;novvn a nd )se Prussian Consul. n In Si, re Chinese troops were quartered at seen' p. , ti t• numbers, probably more than one. third; °I . 1, pulation, left Macao. c i: • i, 30H.13.M. ship of war Vole. z e, H. i' re , ;1- , ! o r Captain, arrived, and anchored out' idseao, isee' c l ' Proceeded to Hongkong. The Hyacinth a to'' • days subscquuntly. ll A ei t 3 31st.-A roelara • p ation was issued by am Clocfirt)e f on the people to arm themselves, and t ' re 5151 ' C ' Of English landing on their coasts. rs es o oi r Septetpber 3(1.-The Comm' ' d '-'" ' fl issioner ale , til-• Canton visited 1 11 . ~ ace°, and were escorted We' 00 4 , by Portuguese troops. , be►sJ ' , lens ~, P 41.11.-An encounter took place at Is•O ° ales' English armed boats on one side, and Chieet.°l 01' kilt on the other. 001 04 s 6th.-An edict was published by the Coretcoot $ th e madverting on the affair of the 4tb, and then;hofillii in the surrender of the murderer, &c./ ae d ,!...a, ; r e; Chinese to seize and kill any English on sr 4° , tbonoli, Sae-The Hoppo of Canton entered Mat'svithoof ing, and left again on the morning of the 9 oss f ~ honours. Trade between Canton and Macs° ,air Co' soon after his visit. of y° In l' 10th.-Mr Bridgman, at the req uest ~,, let he sioner, went to Chunhow, el returned en R; ef ICP ant • StOd'art ° 11th. -Notice was given by Captain ai d P es, lage, of his ' • / intention to blocka the river . ~t,e, 13c,f lea' ti' e , 3 ton, after six drys. hip, th' so 12th.-Early this morning a ,'3lranislt ie j e o si fecero f est front M. • i enilla, was burnt by Chitese r t o" le s e , The mate ' was seized and carried priseriebe catleilocsoli subjected to the punishment of welring,ete P4l:oStre, 14th.-An edict was published IV ii , the oe, - mate ordering an armed vessel to etui''''eeotering bed', Typo, and prohibiting all vessels leooloet,,her- v s§ cr with cargoes of opium after the Ist c 1 - A 00 Cf r A ce soi lj 16th.-The blockade was not 011ie- closet., lot Sl' supposed to have been cut off, haviwg e. ,-. , ol° 0 01 tiations having been opened: ' n °l t 0 hetig e e fere ° 24th.-An interview , took place - L Q , h o; fc•-- i y , and the Sub-Piefect of Macao, e a • l ' 00', amicable arrangement for trate• o acia l ' s- es ' 4 " Oct. °Lb.-The Comm' •et ll ' Od e ' 1,8 Jason ./ Ato $ O 3 , dared that so bong as opium contintA. - Al e pb 6 continue to act aeainsi. it. ted' i til ° A CaP all 12th -The British vessel Snout!' ore t V h Greig, was wrecked on Haitian, tu e e iost. yipso l° o I ; stingers, and several o; the crew we t ' c ‘ fo;, fr ° of t " t' be lsth -Public notice was given bif ot fitie", c itti had, the preceding de y, accepted, C the. or A ., Commissioner and Goveinor, involving . IP/ cantoo•coote ij , 10 . British trade outside the por ''. of The English ship, Thom%lo C o attst low frec , it , ,004/104 entered theport, •. <4 fle d $ after having .- • g s Id oll e ' t e -or forth to be required instead of ti. - ° • d -- e o ~11 20th.-Ca t • p ain Elliot proms.u_feesres igete for c io e agreed on by himself and the high . - "r" 0 1 ill ( the trade outsidethe B oeue. oestia„de, 0 2201.-Minutes and memoranda of ;ido ;op t ! ,0 , and Hong merchants respecting the o u t te. Coo; le mulgated in Macao. fti ,(3 a te r e' 26th.-Caps. ' • Elliot gave notice 0 ke v 4 and Governor having violated theit: ing o f t , 0 trade outside the port of Canton. 1i n ine t tor s i c 27th.-An edict was published age o'c IV n a if ‘ newel of the opium trade on the east a- ,dy t 51 ' Wit; tIO I ' o threatening to take the English into C rig sd t ,i , tinned obstinate. d g, I' j e t', „ot cf 28th.-Another edict was published, 0 , I t. o d '' cti l hundred troops had been stationed a t the 30 , Sl rc l t' l the English should 'be driven froM .A:lascrefs 1. )f‘ , i l. ;1 lowed to return so long as the sh'P e we It c oif the port, and the murderer was not giv e- o we.% , ' Nov. 3d.-An action took place ofdell''o, OW 00 0°' ships Volage and H h" je go ut' t yacynt enge e •rc ,40 Oi l and twenty-nine sail of junks. t here '-` to i _. On subsequent and successive day% t--e ri d ',ll;ct. "y o ,l' dings and random shots at Hong K ei °° 7 o 'Cli e r e, " e The fleet of merchant vessels remove' - 0 e orfr i issy the expediency of this removal there Ass w ere d f i" between the British authorities and /hc reo l°ec' e l' s tt°' t shipmasters, the latter being unwillieg I ° o tha t b .° o bi .d o 20th.-Captain Elliot gave informatio ob i l is h l e 11 ° quested the senior officer of her MaiestY2l: to L 0 ( 0 the further entrance of British veC ae "" 0' tli if ° ri 0 1 " lir under the present circumstances. the u o b o o , d 26t11.-An edict was published 11 os t t„,,0 4 0 1 ,, and High Provincial Officers, declarisc rchOwberr:,tr with British vessels, excepting ort l f „erpeeCeriiip 4' f and c Royal Saxon, on and after the 6to ~ , h e jor,*„ 419 w e c a r s e e . Large shipments of cargo frony L' . ' ves'i?, , made by American and other foreie 0 t he 00 . S . 40 Dec. 3 m '-' . J. Senn Van Basel, FM' , tav l it' t. 3 .0 ler his Netherlands' Masty left Macao for c ol e t 6th. --The lion. E. C , 's Finauce ed., their last • - re' rfo to official servant left China. 0 1 ' tc'l Bt. l l • --A part of the crew of the Porte „,,(1 o p , re cute s 0 0 Cased • . or, recently wrecked on Hainan, „Jo( 0, via Canton, The remainder of the crew' a en, p . follow. - e iSo' v s , ..,,,,el.- ,i. , , j 18th.-An edict wes issued. by the Li.juit,loll 1 Governor totbidding the introduction of,olty other f • f a rw' ill` ()reign vessels. - Dot 0 0 1 16th.--An address from Captain El Oct' re, the C • • ommisstoner askii•g an undisturbed /t cki)ir cao for British subjects. t • st ay or e 26th.-Mr. Gribble, a British subjeo i' 1 ,3,% jl; off TungkOO, on returning from the fter e fo r , g k° i t vessel entered the Bogue. left 1.11. a 29tb.-The Volage and Hyacinth pee! Bogue to inquire respecting Mr. Gribble. 0 o f 1 00 0 1 4 On this brief recapitulation of the ev e l 0 n / 01;e j t 11° fore , st, 0 iti, be have no space for comment. To tlie in China it has been a year of singular /otie'l'ads "aerlif extraordinary changes and reversee, Sind, 05 0 4 10 °o f , prospect of open hostilities. That sorb ar r s olr f er : ol' averted, peace and prosperity restored. is % a s,/ Of'' to the God of nations, the ruler of 0 11 P ri ye sne readers and friends we wish a WO ne w '' . Repository for December. t "tt • tk '4 of , 11 91 ca; t 1 Sr el l