The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-19 00:00:00

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r PRICE SD.

ships to remain, and claiming against those who are re-
sponsible for the heavy losses incurred, which, by a mo-
derate calculation for demurrage alone, would amount to
300/. per diem.
Under these circumstances, we trust your Excellency
will demand of the Chinese Government that payment of
import duties on cash may be deferred until trade is re-
vived, and free us from that risk, responsibility, and per-
sonal loss which must follow unless some relief is afforded.
We are, Sir, your most obedient servants,
SMITH, KENNEDY, and CO.
HARGREAVES and Co.
WATSON and CO.
BIRLEY, WORTHINGTON, and CO.
TURNER and Co.
Per pro. HOLLIDAY, WISE, and CO.,
CHARES WATERS.
REISS and CO.
DIROM, GRAY, and CO.
GIBE, LIVINGSTONE, and Co.
Per pro. JAMES MACDONALD,
GEO. J. BENNETTS.
SILLAR BROTHERS.
MACKENZIE BROTHERS and Co,
SMITH, KING, and Co.

Superintendency of Hong Kong, July 20, 1853.
Gentlemen,—Your official communication of the 7th
inst., on the subject of the payment of duties on imports,
has been received and laid before her Majesty's Plenipo-
tentiary, and I Pm now instructed by his Excellency to
give you the following reply.
His Excellency learns with deep regret the continued
stagnation of trade at Shanghae, and the consequent
difficulty experienced by the importers of British manu-
factures of realising the amount of duties payable on
imports. On the whole, it must be admitted that the
statements contained in the first four paragraphs of your
letter are clear and explicit, and, I may add, incontes-
table.

But with regard to the fifth statement, it seems to his
Excellency that, taking the facts stated as they now
stand, it would only have been prudent that shippers in
Lancashire and elsewhere should have had timely ad-
vice of the coming events in this country, which, for
many months previous to the stoppage of trade at
Shanghae, had not been unexpected. Had such advice
been given, it is probable that the difficulties of which
you complain might, to a certain extent, have been
avoided.

As respects the sixth paragraph of your letter, Sir
George Bonham has simply to express his surprise that,
labouring under the impressions set forth therein, steps
should not already have been taken by you to remove
the valuable property stored in Shanghae, by transferring
the same either to Hong Kong or to some other place
of safety. This measure would no doubt have led to
considerable expense, but that expense would be but a
trifling item when considered with reference to the very
serious results anticipated and feared by you. His Ex-
cellency makes no remarks respecting "loss of market"
to which such removal might by some parties be sup-
posed to lead ; because, from your statement, which is
but too correct, imports are unfortunately altogether un-
saleable at present, and are likely to remain so for some
time longer.
But, be that as it may, the propositions adverted to
in the last two paragraphs of your communication being
the most important, have now to be considered, and,
if they have been correctly understood, they amount to
this, —That because a contest is now being carried on
between the Emperor of China and a small rebellious
portion of his subjects, and the proximity of that con-
test to Shanghae has affected the interests of British
merchants at that port, those merchants should be ex-
empted from the payment of legal duties to the Emperor,
so long as that contest should be prolonged and its la-
mentable effects
.upon trade continue to be felt.
Sir George Bonham cannot concur in the above theory.
He cannot admit that because a contest, or whatever
else it may be called, is carried on between a Sovereign
in treaty with Great Britain and his subjects, by which
British trade suffers, British subjects have any right to
demand the abrogation of one of the most important of
the stipulations of the treaty existing between the Sove-
reign in whose kingdom such dissensions occur and the
British Government. He thinks, on the contrary, that
the remedy for the present difficulties lies in a great
measure in the hands of the British merchants them-
selves, and this remedy consists in abstaining from fur-
ther importations of goods, so long as the present dis-
organised state of the country should continue.
From the above remarks you will therefore understand
that her Majesty's Plenipotentiary does not consider that
he possesses the power of relieving you from the pay-
ment of the duties due to the Chinese Government in
conformity with the existing treaty. He would be over-
stepping the limits of his powers if, by any act on his
part, he sanctioned such a measure, unless the full con-
sent of the Chinese Government were in the first in-
stance obtained ; a concession which, as you yourselves
must be aware, is very improbable, if we may judge
from the refusal on this very subject lately given by
the Shanghae Taoutae to Mr. Consul Alcock, who,
I learnt, had exerted himself to obtain the Taou-
tae's sanction to a deferred payment of duties on im-
ported merchandise.
His Excellency further desires me to add, that the
names of many influential British firms at Shanghae are
not attached to your letter ; from which it is to be in-
ferred, that either those firms do not agree with you in
your ;representation, or that they have had the fore-
thought of already making the necessary arrangements
to meet the present monetary crisis. His Excellency
has already stated that, on other grounds, he does not
conceive he possesses the power of insisting that the
Chinese Government shall forego its undoubted right of
collecting its Customs' dues ; but even waving that part
of the question, his Excellency would, were he so to
insist, injure the parties whose name do not appear in
your letter, and commit an act of which those parties
would have good cause of complaint.
Sir George Bonham, moreover, is of opinion that you
would not obtain much relief by being allowed to land
goods, without paying duties, from ships now in Shang-
hae, or from those expected to arrive there shortly ; for,
taking the average rate of duty at 15 per cent., and as-
suming that the state of things at Shanghae is such that
merchants are unable to discharge their Customs' dues,
it follows of course that those merchants are equally
unable to buy produce and load their ships with return
cargoes. At least such a conclusion is naturally to be
inferred, for it would be monstrous to see British vessels,
the consignees of which had failed to pay the customary
duties on imports, leaving the port laden with valuable
export cargoes, let the shippers of such cargoes be who
they may.
In closing this communication his Excellency would
remind you that he is not aware that the citizens
of America, or the subjects of any other foreign
State, have obtained any particular aid to meet the
difficulties of which you complain. Political con-
vulsions, such as those now pressing upon the Go-
vernment of China, must inevitably interfere with the
trade, not only of the country in which such convulsions
exist, but likewise, with the interests of foreign coun-
tries trading with it. These are, however, evils by which
commerce in all parts ofthe globe may at any moment
be impeded and entirely checked, and these evils are as
much beyond the control of her Majesty's Plenipoten-
tiary in China as he believes them to be beyond that of
the British or any other foreign Government.
Copies of your representation and of this reply will be
forwarded to her Mejesty's Secretary of State for Fo-
reign Affairs by the mail which is expected to leave
Hong Kong on the 23d inst.
I am, gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant,
FREDERICK HARVEY,
Secretary to her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, &c.
in China.
Messrs. Smith, Kennedy, and Co., Hargreaves
and Co., and others, Shanghae.
True copies,

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