The Express.
London, England, 1847-10-14 00:00:00

Pm"&tangs more easily escaped MOW. Boats and junks
were plundered, and fees of all Idris were extorted from
them under false pretences. Sines titme the establishment
of the opium and other farms has completely extinguished
the . trade of Hoag-Kong. Tne junks, in plate of
passing through the harbour as formerly, in going
and coming between the Canton river and the west roan,
now avoid at as they would a pestilence, and pass to the
southward of the island. We do not now sell goods in
Hong Kong to the value of 500 dollars per month. Depot
vessels have taken up their station at a place called Cam-
singe:loon, about half:way between Macao and Bucc Tigris,
where there is a tolerable harbour ; and, since 1844, a con-1
&double native town has sprung up there, with a p)pula-
taon of from 3,000 to 4,000, composed entirely of petty
traders and junk men, who have deserted Hong-Keg.
They have built houses, and pay almost no ground-rent.
There is en European hotel and billiard-room (formerly the
East India Company's billiard•table), on shore ; Europeans
walk and ride about unmolested. Tne large transactions In
opium, and the retail trade in goods of all kinds which took
place at Hong-kung, is now carried on at Cameingmoon.
flee place is rapidly increasing under Chinese rule, while
Hong-kong, under British sway, is entirely without trade,
and daily abandoned by some portion of its population,
S I Europeans who expended large sums on buildings,
have abandoned them rather than continue paying the heavy
ground rents. As an instance, I may mention a house buia
by Mr. Mercer in the Wansuaichong Valley, at a cost of
nearly 20,000 dollars, the ground rent being about 1001. per
annum. The Albany Godowas is another striking instance,
being a range of buildings with a sea frontage, built by a
company for the object of warehousing goods fur Chinamen
at a moderate charge per month ; but there being now no
goods to warehouse, they have abandoned the build-
ings rather than continue paying a ground rent of
about 2001. per annum. I could enumerate various other
instances; and as for land thrown in the hands of govern-
ment, I believe fully half the land sold at the early sales has
been thrown up. I had myself an inland grant of about 20
acres, at a ground rent of 1051. 10e. per annum, which I
threw up, atter paying the rent for two years. The whole
of the British merchants would abandon Hong. Kong were
it not for the very large sums they had sunk in buikkege in
the early days of the colony, and which they are reluctant to
abandon, though I believe doing so would be their wisest
course, and will certainly be the course adopted, unless,
under a change of policy, the prosperity of the place revives.
Almost every English firm in China has sunk more
or less money in buildings, say from 0,000/. and upwards,
each. Our own outlay has been upwards of 50,0001., and
I believe Messrs. Dent and Co.'s has been little short of that
amount. Before I left China in 1816, I had a serious con-
sultation with my partners as to the expediency of abandon-
ing this property to its fate, and removing our establishment
from the tolony, and we decided that, as I was coming home,
it would be better to wait and see what could be done with
the home government for the amelioration of the place ' • if
nothing could be dune, that we would then abandon it.
The first land sale was in 1811, when the lots were sold
(being very few in number) at ceorbit nt prices; but Cap-
tain Elliott afterwards held out the expectation that, after
paying two years' rents, the fee-simple would be code
over to us ; at all events, that we sho .10 have
perpetual leases, e' a moderato rent. In place of
this, (leases of seventy•five years only were nutho-
rised by the Colonial... Alice to be granted to 1.01, under very
stringent regulations, and at the first sale prices; the Renege
being, for sea-frontage lots of 10.) feet square, about 81/. per
annum (upwards of 3001. per acre), and icr inland lots of the
same size, 401. to 01. per annum, according to their distance
from the sm. The discussion. 'shout the land tenure, rats,
&c., are so fully detailed in published documents, that it would
be needless hereto enter upon them. I give it as my deckled
opinion that, while the present high ground rents continue
to be exacted, the place will fill mow and more into decay.
All the merchants will quit it who are not engaged in the
opium trade, as well AA all the shopkeepers, end the build-
ings now occupied by them will become a heap of ruins. In
the last Hong-Kong newspapers, I observe several of the
premises occupied by mercantile establishments, advertised
to sell or let. The principle that Hong-Kong is to support
itself must be entirely abandoned ; it can only be viewed as
a depict or warehouse for British merchandise, which must
be kept up at the expense of the British nation, or rather out
of the immense revenue derived by the nation from the
China trade. It is utterly impossible and hopeless to expect
that the few British merchants resident in China, not 100 in
number, can ever aupport a settlement like Hong-Kong.
Though it would take years to repair the evil which mit.
government has brought upon Hong. Kong, 1 am still of
opinion that a prudent course would in time restore its pros-
perity, and that it would eventually become one of the prin-
cipal mercantile emporia in the world. Nothing can exceed
the advantages of its harbour, being not only one of the
safest in the world, but close to the ocean ; and, from having
two entrances equally safe, it is accessible with every wind.
It would be a central point for the whole whaling trade in
the Pacific, as well as for the general commerce of the east,
ranging tram Singapore to Japan, and thence along the west
coast of America to Cape Horn, including our Australian co-
loniee, the Philippit ee, Sumatra, Java, &c. Hong-Kong is
also favourably situated as a depot for sugar, cassia, cam-
phor, and other articles of China produce. The first thing
to bring about such desirable results would be the abolition
of all the ferias now is existence, as well as
the discontinuance of all the wretched taxes now
levied ; such as on houses of bail fame, billiard-rooms,
boats, &c. Also the registration of Chinese, which is ex-
tremely repugnant to their feelings. In this way about two-
thirds of the present government officials might be dis-
pensed with, and a proportionate reduction made in the ex-
penses of the colony. Let perpetual leases be granted, at a
moderate ground rent, say 201. or so for a sea-frontage lot,
and 2/. for a suburban lot; and let the revenue thus levied
be applied exclusively to the maintenance of an efficient
police force, leaving the other expenses of the government to
be borne by the nation; and I feel convinced that in the
course of a few years Hong Kong will lake a new turn, and
become one of our most flourishing as well as valuable pos-
sessions. To show what Captain Elliot's views were, as to
the ground rents, he fixed the upset price for sea-
frontage lots, at the first land sale at 101. per
annum ; and bad a sufficient number of lota been
put up, the rate would not have much exceeded
that sum ; but owing to the number of lots being quite
disproportionate to the number of competitors, a keen com-
petition drove the price up to 1001. and upwards, for some
lots, and the average of this sale has since been retained Is
the stamdard of value. The opium and other farms base
hail the most injurious effects on trade. Each farmer keeps
up a preventive service, far more expensive than the govern-
ment rent, and, under the plea of protecting their master's
farm, these men commit robberies and all sort of aggressions.
This is more especially true of the opium farmer and his
gang. This man has made an immense fortune in the
colony, and owns whole streets of bonus, which ate rented
as gambling lamoies, brothels, smoking shops, rke.; aid from
farm;og the opium, he is enabled to let his houses, as h. e
supplies his own tenants exclusively with the article, while
other house proprietors are left without a single tenant. In
1844, Sir John I/avis's bedroom was entered by thieves, and
among other things he had his watch stolen from him. All
the efforts of the police to recover the watch were unavail-
ing. At length the opium farmer was applied to, and in a
short time the watch was restored to his excellency.
It is proper to add, in reference to the China junks fre-
quenting the harbour, that though by treaty we are bound
not to allow them to anchor without a pass from a Chinese
mandarin, this regulation, strictly observed for a year or two
by the Hong-Kong government, lass of late, at the earnest
entreaty of the British merchants, been. dispensed with. But
unfortunately before this was done the junks had ceasfil to
come, and will never frequent the harbour again until the
farms are abolished. In the event of their return, however,
it would be well to bear in mind that this stipulation of the
treaty is not to he enforced by our government. The prin-
cipal cause of Sir John Davis's unpopularity is the eagerness
which he has on all occasions shown to swell the colonial
revenue, imposing a tax in every imaginable form, regard-
lees of the annoyance thereby occasioned to the inhabitants.
The returns for the past year will show the several
. atems,
many of them most trifling in amount, though vexatious in
their nature. I consider at • most unadvisable course for the
government to attempt mining any other revenue than
the land rents; at all events, until the felony has
advanced considerably in wealth and population. Sycee
silver was more abundant during the war than it
was ever known to be, either before or since. For years
previous to 1839 it was et a premium of three to five per
cent. ; during the war it was at a discount of two to five per
cent., and since the peace it has gradually risen to a pre-
mium of nine per cent. This export of bullion to India has
existed to a large amount during the last half century.
During the war, when gyms silver was ate discount, the
export increased materially, but since the peace it his again
declined to nearly the same scale as before the war. The
importation of opium into China may now be estimated at
40,000 chests per annum; worth, at GOO dollars per cheat,
'24 000 000 dollars, or about four millions and a half sterling.
It is supposedi that there are silver mines in China, in the
hands of, and worked by, the government, which are opened
on ;cessions of emergency, such as the late war,
.but ere
closed again as soon as the emergency has passed
.away. On
this point, however, we have no positive information.

COTTON CULTIVATION IN AUSTRALIA.
Sir,—ln a lettcr from Mr. Jukes, late of H.M.
surveying ship Fly, published in your paper of this day, and
referring to a previous letter, also published in your paper of
the 15th instant, from Mr. U. F. Davidson, of Bull, on steam
navigation to Australia, I observe the following passage in
regard to a proposition of mine, to which I would beg to re.
call your attention:
I would Just add, In reference to the last paragraph of Mr. David-
son's letter, and Dr. Lanes scheme, that all the parts of the north.
east coast of Australia which we yaw north of Endeavour River were
to the last degree eterile and desolate in appearance; and from their
geological and geoarmhical constitution mud almost necessarily he
so. To the southward of Endeavour River the land is very rugged
and mountainous, es far as Rockingham Bay.
The paragraph in:Mr. Davidson's letter, to which Mr.
Jukes refers, is as follows :
Again, there in that tract of land lying between II degrees south of
the Tropic, lately brought to the notice of the Mancheeter Chamber of
Commerce, by the Rev. Dr. Lang, whose scheme for forming • colony
there for the purpose of growing cotton I think highly of, and would
strongly reencomend to the attention of the Colonial-odic, on one
point, however, I cannot same with the reverend gentleman,
[ when he Matra the climate le such as to allow European labourers to
work in the fields. My experience between the Tropics compels me
to exprem an opinion directly opposite to Dr. Lang'son this particular
point, and to recommend Chinese tield.labcurem being plaoed there
by a jointAtock company on a system I will point out, if seed be, to
Dr. Lang, or any one else.,
It wilt., therefore, owing entirely to the previous and some-
what singular mistake of Mr. Davidson, that Mr. Jukes
supposed I had recommended the formation of a European
colony, for the cultivation of cotton, on the east coast of Ans.
tralia, between the northern extremity of the land, or II deg.
south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Such an idea Mr. Jukes
reprobates, from the sterility of the land in that quarter, and
Isle. Davidson from the heat of the climate. But the fact is,
I never recommended the fermatioa of a European colony in