The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-24 00:00:00

TRADE WITH CHINA.

PUBLIC NOTICE TO HER BRITANNIC AIA-

JESTY'S SUBJECTS.

The disregard of formal offers upon the part of her
Majesty's officer to adjust all difficulties by the fulfil-
ment of the imperial will, the unjustifiable imprison-
ment of the whole foreign community in Canton, the
still more wanton protraction of that captivity, and the
forced surrender of property, of which the incidents
have been the utmost public encouragement, direct and
indirect, upon the one hand, and violent public spolia-
tion on the other—such are the chief facts which hare
sustained the declaration put forward in the notice of
the Chief Superintendent of the trade of British sub-
jects, dated at Macao on the 23d day of March last,
that he was without confidence in the justice and mo-
deration of the provincial Government.
Correction remaining to be made for the circum-
stances that these later deeds have been perpetrated
mainly under the authority of the Imperial Commissioner,
he is also to declare that he is without confidence in the
justice and moderation of the said Imperial Commis-
sioner.

Acting on behalf of her Majesty's Government in a
momentous emergency, he has in the first place to sig-
nify that the demand he recently made to her Majesty's
subjects for the surrender of British-owned opium under
their control had no special reference to the circum-
stances of that property. But (beyond the actuil pres-
sure of necessity) that demand was founded on
the principle that these violent, compulsory measures
being utterly unjust, per se, and of general application
for the forced surrender of any othr property, or of
human life, or for the constraint of any unsuitable terms
or concessions, it became highly necessary to vest and
leave the right of exacting effectual security, and full
indemnity for every loss, directly in the Queen. These
' outrages have already temporarily cast upon the British
Crown immense public liabilities ; and it is incumbent
upon him at this moment of release to fix the earliest
period for removal from a situation of total insecurity,
and for the termination of all risk of similar responsibility
on the part of her Majesty's Government.
He is sensible, too, that he could not swerve from the
purposes now to be declared without extreme danger to
vast public claims already pending, and to general lAnd
permanent interests of highest moment.
Thus situated, then, and once more referring to his
public notice, dated at Macao on the 28d day of March
last, he has again to give notice to, and enjoin all her Ma-
jesty's subjects to make preparation for quitting Canton
before, or at the same time with her Majesty's establish-
ment ; which departure will take place as soon as the
Chief Superintendent has completed his public obliga-
tions to this Government. For the general convenience
he will afford the best information in his power, from
time to time,conceraing the probable period of that event.
And he has further to give notice, that British sub-
jects, or others, thinking fit to make shipments of pro-
perty on British account on board of British or any
other foreign shipping actually in this river, will be
pleased to regulate their proceedings in these respects,
upon the understanding that such shipments must be
made at their personal risk and responsibility after the
date of this notice. _ _

And he again enjoins all her Majesty's subjects in
Canton to prepare sealed declarations and lists of all
claims whatever against Chinese subjects, to be ad-
justed as nearly as may be to the period of their re-
spective retirements from Canton before him, or at the
same time with him.
And whilst it is specially to be understood that the
proof of British property, and value of all such claims
handed in to him before his departure, will be deter-
mined upon principles and in a manner hereafter to be
defined by her Majesty's Government, he has to recom-
mend, with a view to uniformity and general clearness,
that claims for British property left behind should be
drawn up as far as may be practicable on invoice cost.
And he has now to give notice to, and enjoin, all
her Majesty's subjects, either actually in China, or here-
after arriving, merchants, supercargoes, commanders,
commanding officers of ships, seamen, or others,
having control over, or serving on board of, British
ships or vessels, bound to the port of Canton, ❑ot
to be requiring, aiding, or assisting in any way in
the bringing in to the said port of Canton any such
British ship or vessel to the great danger of British life,
liberty, and property, and the prejudice of the interests
and just claims of the Crown, till a declaration shall be
published under his hand and seal of office, to the effect
that such bringing in of British shipping, or of British
property in foreign shipping, is safe in the premises.
And the Chief Superintendent making these solemn in-
junctions for the safety of British life, liberty.and property,
and in the protection of the interests and just claims of
the British Crown, reserves to her Majesty's Government
in the most complete manner the power to cancel and
disregard all future claims whatever, on the part of her
Majesty's subjects or others, preferring such claims on
account of British property, either left behind, or to be
brought in, if any such British subjects or others pre-
ferring such claims shall disregard these injunctions now
put forward, respecting the keeping out of British ship.
ping and property, till the declaration aforesaid shall be
duly published.
And he has once more to warn her iqujesty's subjects
in anxious terms, that such sudden and strong measures
as it may be found necessary to adopt on the part of
competent authorities, for the honour and interests of
the British Crown, cannot be prejudiced by their conti-
nued residence in Canton, beyond the period of his own
stay, upon their own responsibilities, and in spite of the
solemn injunctions of her Majesty's officer.
Given under my hand and seal of office at Canton, in
China, this 22d day of May, 1839,
CHARLES ELLIOT,
Chief Superintendent of the Trade of
British Subjects in China.
(True Copy) EDWARD ELMSLIE,
Secretary and Treasurer to the Superintendents.

MEMORIAL OF THE BRITISH MERCHANTS
AT CANTON.
TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD VISCOUNT PALMERSTON,

- - -
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, &C
We, the undersigned British merchants, trading a
Canton, consider it our duty to address your Lordship
regarding the recent acts of aggression on the part of
the Chinese Government.
These acts of violence, which will be officially com-
municated to your Lordship by her Majesty's Superin-
tendent, consist :-
1. In the stoppage of the whole legal trade of the
port, even of vessels fully laden and waiting only their
port clearances, and against which no ground of com-
plaint is alleged.
2. In the forcible detention in Canton of all fo-
reigners, including her Majesty's Superintendents, in
order to compel the supposed holders of opium to the
surrender of property belonging to themselves and
others in India and Europe, to the value of from two to
three millions sterling.
3. In the open and undisguised threat to hold fo-
reigners responsible with their lives for this surrender,
and for any future infraction of the Chinese custom laws.
4. In the attempt to force foreigners to sign bonds,
rendering not only themselves, but all others coming to
China, over whom they have no control, liable to the
same penalty ; and, on the refusal on the part of
foreigners to sign such bonds, in the promulgation of an
edict by the High Commissioner, declaratory of the
determination of the Government to enforce such
penalty.
We may be permitted to state that all foreigners re-
side in Canton on sufferance ; that they have no means
of ascertaining the laws except from the acts of the
Provincial Government ; and that the opium trade has
steadily increased from an import of 4,100 chests in
1796, to upwards of 30,000 chests in 1837, with the
open and undisguised connivance of the-local authorities.
The importation of opium into China was at one
time allowed on payment of a duty, but discontinued in
1796. Its admission was again strongly recommended
to the Imperial Government in 1836. No penalties
have ever been enforced against foreigners bringing it to
China, and the prohibitory laws have never been a
rule to the functionaries of the Chinese empire,
who should have administered them, not to the
Chinese people, on whom they were intended to operate,
which facts are openly admitted in the recent edicts of
the Imperial Commissioner, under date of the 18th
March last, in which he states, " that the prohibitions
formerly enacted by the Celestial Court against opium
were comparatively lax," and that " the foreigners are
men from distant lands, and have not before been aware
that the prohibition of opium is so severe."
We may further state, that the peculiar character of
the opium trade was distinctly recognized in the report
of the Select Committee of the House of Commons, in
1830, and that in the subsequent report of 1832 [tile
Committee express their opinion, that " it does not seem
advisable to abandon so important a source of revenue
as the East India Company's monopoly of opium in
Bengal."
We conceive it will therefore he admitted that Bri-
tish subjects have carried on this trade wat! tohmemsaunoe-
tion, implied, if not openly expressed, of the r
years from
of a e
vernment, and, at the same time, with ani
tadvantage to
the revenue of British India varyingone to one and a half millions sterling.
bl
e
We do not attempt to deny the unquLstiona . right
of the Chinese Government to put a stop to the impor-
tation of opium, and have readily signed an agreement
to abstain from thattrade at Canton, on the first requi-
sition of the Government to that effect ; but
we think
perceive that long prescription had
‘ll
foreignersvi ample reason to question the
yourhitherto
given
sincerity of the Chinese Government with regard to the
discontinuance
o itern importation,en tan
e
andnottible ustified, by
that
tj under any
circumstances,
that a t them
G
the lax observance of prohibitions, and open connivance
of its officers, in at one time fostering a trade involving
several millions sterling, and at another rendering its
pursuit a pretext for spoliation.
There seems no reason to doubt, from the late pro-
ceedings of the local Government, that they have al-
ways had the power most materially to check, if not
totally to put a stop to the importation of opium when
disposed so to do ; but that power has seldom hitherto
be en exercised, except for the purpose of exacting
higher fees for its introduction.