The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-21 00:00:00

CHINA AND THE EASTERN

ARCHIPELAGO.

HONG-KONG.
Nov. 29.—The event of the day is the destruchk.
of the piratical Chinese Heat by tho Columbine, Fury,
and Phlegethon, off the coast of Cochin China. The
account of this operation, as narrated in the overlar.d
China mail, will be found below.
Instructions having been lent from Earl Grey to
the Governor of Hong-Kong to add two independent
residents to the Legislative Council, Mr. Bonham
summoned the justices to meet him on the 3rd Nov.,
and intimated that he left it to them to name the
pe•sone, without any restrictions on their choice.
This, as the editor of the China Mail remarks, is "a
step in the right direction."
A sampan (a small boat) attending on the Dolphin,
U.S. ship of war, was fired on from a Chinese „junk,
between Macao and the Tyr Fort, on the evening of
the 20th Nov. The captain of the Dolphin sent a
boat to capture the Chinese vessel, which was accom-
plished after a brisk resistance on the part of the
crew. The junk and the survivors of the crew were
delivered up to the authorities of Macao, the outrage
having been committed in their waters.
The Macao and Chinese authorities are still corre-
sponding about the assassination of Governor Amer. A.
In the last letter of the Portuguese there is a threat
of having recourse to strong measures, but probably
nothing will be decided on till the views and inten-
tions of the cabinet at Lisbon are ascertained.
The following article, which appeared in the China
Mad of Nov. 8, suggests an important consideration
respecting the means by which additional security
against piratical attacks may be given to English
vessels in the China waters. It cannot be expected
that the Chinese authorities will exert themselves to
protect masters of vessels who voluntarily place them-
' selves in the position of outlaws.
We have !titlark, omitted to notice an event which ought
not to be overlooked; but in justification we can say, that
the present record of it has been several weeks in types,
without our being able to find room for it. Oa 27th Sep-
tember the cutter, Mayflower, commanded by an English-
man, was attacked in the Canton River, off second bar, by
Chinese in a boat pulling 40 oars, who plundered and set
lira to the cutter, after seriously wounding the master and
acme of the crew—there befog no sufficient force to resin;
to formidable an attack. Tae Chinese boat was, in ap-
pearance, what is usually termed a Mandarin boat, but pro-
bsbl a smuggler; and is is also probable that rivalry in
traffic had as much to do in her capture as her actual
cargo, which c.nsisted chiefly of opium. Within
the last six, months other two ve:sils of her class,
American owned, have been cut off in a similar
way; and we have already taken occasion to remark, +het
however much individual cases are to be deplored,* it can
hardly be expected that redress should be demanded by any
power in treaty with Chinni. If foreign veuels will engage
in a dangerous and illicit traffic, they must do so on their
own responsibility ; and it seems by no means unlikely that
attempts will be made to cut off all such ousels, and that
for reasons we formerly assigned in no:icing the case of the
Emma, (China Mail, No. 220, kay 3,) aid which wo here
repeat:—
. This tort of traffic (smuggling opium between Cum-
dagnsoon and Canton) was formerly carried on almost
1111Willavely by Chines* boatmen, who arranged with
tar Mandarins to pay a certain proportion of the large
111111 they received per chest for their non-interference,
The amount was fixed, and so long u it was paid, no
questions were asked nor risk incurred. The charge, how-
ever, was so high u to induce foreigners to place fast-tailing
setters on the river, which, as they required smaller .crews
and paid no toll to the Mandarins, were enabled to carry
i opium at much lower rates, and thus secured most of the
employment. It is not convenient for the Mandarins openly
' to interfere, much less to have so large a revenue cut off;
and it is therefore more than suspected that they have
planned the destruction of all the foreign smuggling craft on
the river, using the Chinese smugglers for the purpose ; and
as this Ls not the filet, neither do we expect it will be the
last, capture of vessels of the description of the Emma, the
owners of which cannot expect redress from their own
authorities, who, on the contrary, are bound by treaty to
afford the Chinese every facility for putting down such illicit
traffic.
The Mayflower, it ma be remembered, was &short time
ago seized for having smuggled goods on board and being
without pacers. She afterwards obtained a sailing letter
from the governor of Hong-Hong, by virtue of which she
hoisted English colours.

IMPEDITION ',Dauer Prams.
(From the ()eerie/id Mao Mod of NOT. 39.)
On the morning of Monday, the Bth October, H. M. brig
Columbine and steamer Fury, with the H. C. steamer
rialegethes, left Hong' Kong in search of the piratical fleet
commended by the notorious Sharnesei. On their arrival
our day at the Isload of St. John's, Mr. D. It. Caldwell,
who amemponloll the expedition u interpreter, ascertained
from Imo iiiiimpbeate that the pirates had not been in that
neighbourhood Sic more than • fortnight, but that probably
they wadi be met with either at Poo-tuen or Hoi-how, or
at least that such informal= might be gained there u
would ensure their king fow d. That same evening the ex-
pedition anchored under Mong-chow, where Mr. Caldwell
bo•rdd • large trading junk beating up the
come, from which he ascertained that she had
been relished from the pirates at a place near
Teen pak only a few days previous, they having,
however, stripped her crew of every article of value,
eyes to heir wearing apparel : the junk was bare of every
Sift bat her cargo of salt. The craw stated that the pirates
had goes either to Naow.ehow or Hoi-how, the !Let eon-
fow of 44 larflensaktesand for fighting, with
smaller ones as store to make en appear-
mei of greater force. Similar information was obMined
lam the Mandarins at Mamas. On the 12th the expedition
ameba at Naow-chow, where Captain Hay visited the Maa-
drata, whine opinion was that Shop2og-tsel had pee to as
Meal amid Wei chow in the Golf of Ton•quin. Ha*,
=Nepilots for the ships, the next day they mashed Zs&
s principal seaport of the island of Hal-nea i where
Hay and several other officer', with Mr. Caldwell.
Zed Wong, the mandarin in command, who stated that
the pirates had only a few dare previous attacked the town
of Pak-hod, where they had committed great dominations,
tad that they had dam gene to a place nailed Chook.
shag. He conducted the party to the city of Ling-
diew-foo, where the esimeedu-in-ehlef resided, and there
it war engaged that Weep *mud aseempeny the expedition,
he befog well aswastated with the asst. The behaviour of
the naaderiaa was eesiMea la the extreme, and they ap-
peered highly delighted at the prospect of the extirpation of
the pirate fleet. The visit baying ended, the next day Wong

No One can be more le then the present. The misfortune of
the master of the Ilayllower itee been deplored by ell who know
t We understand there wore drommtenees connected with this
ere, which induced the governor to nymeent it to the Mimeo Vice.
roy. lobo of
truly enough paha" to here yrerioudy knewn
nothing aliteat