The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-24 00:00:00

CHINA.

Our correspondent at Hong Kong write!, on May
26, es follows:
The events of the month are soon told; they are
made up of trifles of a domestic or social nature, and
uuchcquered by political incidents which give reality
and interest. Here, in Mete we are always locking
to what is to come rather than to what has already
taken place. The difficulty of arriving at a correct
estimate of the political po-ition we occupy is rendered
greater by the antagonistic interests of commercial
rivals. The public journals Register and Friend of
China re;,iard the events of the month with ill-omen,
whilst the China Mail views matters in a different
light, and BCCa in the past mouth a tendency to
imp:oved tone and feeling on the part of the
Chinese, which must favourably affect tr.:de
and commerce. Individual opinion is not less
vacillating. Every one has, as it were, his own
method ot appl iog presi nt appearances to futurity,
and would fan regulate our policy by the chimeras
of their imagination. The Register and the Friend
recur again and again to the hurtful course pursued
and still in operation by the guilds, and hesitate not
to trace the high position and tone assumed by them
to the Chine* authorities for the purpose of humbling
as; on the other hand, the China Mail pronounces
the conduct of these guilds as "the prudential reso-
lutions of commercial bodies," which Dr. Bowring,
when appealed to, declined to interfere with, "as it
bad not been shown that the Chicese government had
anything to do with it, and be did not consider it
right to prescribe how merchants are to conduct their
trade, knowing that it is subject to principles which
no combination can withstand, and no exercise of
authority can improve." The fact of the matter
stands thus : there is a spirit of discontent, a love
of change, a feeling of old partialities springing up
in the Chinese empire, which will surprise us some
fine morning in intelligence of the overthrow
of the Tartar dynasty. China is on the verge
of a political revolution—a disruption of its
vast and distant provinces will be inevitable.
Throughout the extent of the Chinese empire
there is manifest a disposition and alacrity to
formirg clubs and associations, a combination of force
and union of sentiment which will not be long with-
out taking a more clear and decisive course of con-
duct. The province of Canton is ripe for rebellion;
is ready to throw off the yoke ; and the people
would cheerfully avail themselves of any pretext
to civil strife. Sea, the imperial commissioner,
possesses the confidence of his own nation; even
the most quiet among them propose to erect
a monument to record their sense of his admir-
able conduct in dealing with the late question, or
6th of April rffair. The question of opening the
gate s has been deferred to a more "convenient mason."
Our strength is .o lie still and observe the progress of
events. The national guard of Canton, called into
existence by the lately anticipatedevents, hub= dis-
banded. Its organisation served the purpose of the
day, but Seu will yet find that body secretly aiding
the malcontents, and urging on disquiet. Popular
armies in the end carry popular measures. The utoi-
dents of the month consist principally of Miscue,
which have been conducted in so open and violent a
manner as to convince the least superficial observer
that the Chinese authorities cannot command suffi-
cient power to put the system down. At the be-
ginning of the month her Majesty's steamer In-
fiexiblo proceeded towards the Lemma, where two
large piraticel jacks were at anchor. These junks
hesitteed not to open fire upon the steamer, but the
greater part of the crews fled en approach of
the steamer's boats. Forty-five prisoners were