The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-11 00:00:00

/ _ _l~

CHINA.

We lay before our readers the following extracts from
a private letter which has just reached us from Macao,
dated October 13 and 17. This letter will ho found to
contain several details which have not yet appeared in
print, an I which will, therefore, be interesting to the

MACAO, OCT. 13.—Admiral Elliott, in the Wel-
lesley, reached the Gulf of Petchelee ira the middle of
August, and anchored at the mouth of the Peiho, hav-
ing a line of communication with the shore by means of
the smaller vessels attached to the expedition. The de-
spatch from Lord Palmerston which had been treated
with such disrespect at Amoy and Ning-po was received
by the Mandarins at the place, and was forwarded to the
Court. After some delay and negotiation, Keshin, Vice-
roy of Pekin, and third member of the Imperial Council,
was deputed by his Imperial Majesty to communicate
with the Admiral, and this eventually led to an interview
between the Imperial Envoy and Captain Elliot, the
Admiral having declined to attend on account of the
Commissioner being hs inferior in rank. The confer-
ence took place on shore, where tents were pitched for
the reception of the embassy, and, according to previous
arrangements, was conducted with as little ceremony as
possible on either side. Captain Elliot, his interpreter,
and a few officers and gentlemen from the squadron,
were received with marked civility and distinction, awl.
the former explained the object of our visit, and the
nature of our demands, pointing out the harsh, unjust,
and arbitrary nature of Lin's proceedings, whose con-
duct was admitted to be deserving of severe censure and
punishment, if what we stated were true ; but they con-
tended it would be unjust to condemn him on an cr
party statement, or before he had been found guilty
by his own Government. Payment of the confis-
cated opium was distinctly refused, but an offer was
made to restore our trade at Canton to its former
footing. Keshin spoke strongly against the opium
traffic, and warmly urged the necessity of our suppress-
ing it. Captain Elliot replied that this was out cf our
power, as the drug was extensively cultivated in coun-
tries over which the British Government could exercise
no control. Our occupation of an island or any terri-
torial aggrandisement was strongly objected to, and our
abandonment of Tchu-san was demanded. In short,
all the demands made by Captain Elliot on the part of
the British Gavernment have, one after another, been
adroitly set aside, and not a concession has been made
or a promise granted, and the only conclusion we can
come to is, that the sagacious and wily Keshin has suc-
ceeded in transferring our negotiations from the mouth
of the Peiho to the Canton river, without our having
advanced one step. Ho has been appointed Ambas-
sador Extraordinary to proceed to Canton and inquire
into the state of affairs, and a conference is ap-
pointed to be held between him and the British
Plenipotentiaries at the Bogue about the middle of
November for the adjustment of our diffarences, and
the question now for consideration is, whether the con-
ference is likely to lead to an amicable arrangement and
the re-establishment of trade. \Ve think not. The
demands of the British Government having been once
made cannot be departed from with safety or honour ;
and the more we see of the Chinese character, their
great political sagacity, and utter want of principle,
the more we are convinced that by negotiations al ane
we shall gain nothing, and that the Emperor and his
Minister, having already succeeded in gaining time, will
strenuously endeavour to avoid the settlement of our
claims, and put us off by fair promises until we find
ourselves, after the loss of much valuable time, as far
as ever from the accomplishment of the objects for
which the expedition was undertaken.
" We regret to state that the Kite transport, block-
ading the Yang-Isze-Keang, has fallen into the hands of
the Chinese, and her people, including a lieutenant and
man-of-war boat's crew, were made prisoners. The
formal demand for their release, as well as that of Cap-
tain Anstruther, of the Engineers, who was taken from
Tchu san, being made by the Admiral, was met by a
firm refusal from the mandarins at Ning-po, but propo-
sals have been made to effect an exchange between
them and some Chinese junk masters, our prisoners ;
but the result of this negotiation is not yet known.
" The Indian Oak transport got ashore at Loo Choo,
on her way to Singapore, but the people were treated
with the utmost kindness by the natives of these
islands, and were sent on to Tchu-san in a vessel
built fro m the materia's of the wreck. It was
expected that the Admiral wou'd leave Tchu-
sari, with a cons deia'ale naval firce, towards the end of
this month. Toe troops will probably not be moved,
as they are in a dreadful state from disease, owing to
the injudicious manner in which the ground bas been
laid out for their encampments. The town of Ting-
hae remained totally deserted by the inhabitants.
" Wa have nothing of importance to communicate
from this place. The stringent measures of Captain
Smith at the harrier, on the 19th of August, have had
a most salutary effect. The Bogue remains strongly
blockaded. The usual Macao and Canton cargo-
boats have been interrupted for many months, and bu-
siness both here and at Canton is perfectly stagnant."

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.

A new comedy in two acts, from the pen of Mr.
Douglas Jerrold, entitled The White Milliner, was pro-
duced for the first time at this theatre on Tuesday. It is
founded upon a little romance in private life mentioned
in " Pennant's London," of a certain lady of title, the
widow of an unfortunate adherent of the Pretender,
who sold gloves and millinery in the Exchange in the
Strand, dressed all in white, and disguised in a white
mask. The plot is as follows :—Alhina (Madame
Vestris) is the name given to the White Milliner, the
wife, and not the widow, of the Jacobite Herbert Con-
way (Mr. J. Vining), who is lurking about to avcid
the grasp of the law. The mysterious milliner is fol-
lowed
to her humble abode by Lord Ortolan (Mr. C.
Mathews), who has conceived a romantic attachment
for her, and having the usual designs of gallantry upon
her. Instead of running oat of the room on his ap-
proach, which she has abundant time to do, Albino
heroically sits herself down determined to brave a
siege ; and after a long scene of protestations and
badinage, the Noble Lord seizes one end of her white
satin sash, vowing that she shall be his prisoner till she
takes off her mask. The author relieves her from this
dilemma by the following very new and ingenious expe•
dient : she bids him turn his back to her, whilst she
tells him a long rigmarole story about herself and pa-
rentage, in the course of which she unties her sash
and tics it to the arm of a stupid lout of a fellow,
one Saul Sneezum (Mr. Keeley), who happens very
opportunely to come into the lady's room, and then
makes her co::.ape. Lord Ortolan, on discovering the un-
gainly Saul, threatens to run him through the body, when
Justice Twilight (Mr. W. Farren,) and Lady Ortolan
(Miss Cooper), and others make their appearance, and
stay his destroying hand. Albino is arrested, and taken
to the justice's house on suspicion of being connected
with treason ; and so ends the first act. Lady Ortolan,
who is an old friend of Albino, has, unknown to her,
sent her husband, Hubert Conway, under disguise as a
student, for hospitable and safe keeping, to Justice
Twilight ; the evidence of this falls into the hands of
Lord Ortolan, who is jealous accordingly. Lady Orto-
lan is jealous at his attentions to the White Milliner, in
whom she does not recognise her old friend. The Jus-
tice, who has fallen in love with the Milliner, is jealous
of him also, and so a general melee is the consequence,
till the removing of the white mask brings about an
eclaircisseinent; and Hubert Conway receiving a pardon,
all would seem to be at an end, in the usual course of
such things ; when, lo! an incident, the incident of the
piece, is produced, and one which it mast have required
considerable courage to have hazarded. Lord Orto-
lan, in the course of his first conversation with the
White Milliner, has ordered " a gown-20 satin gowns
for his mother ;" and accordingly after the end of the
piece there enter four-and-twenty milliners, with the
beadle at their head, with as many band-boxes ; who,
ranging themselves in a semi-circle, go through a sort
of military (or millinery) evolution, to the word of com-
mand ;—" make ready—present—fire ;" and out come
four-and-twenty tawdry satin gowns! The curtain fell
amidst partial applause, mixed with some hissing.
With respect to the actors, they all did their best for
the author—but what could they do for his piece, when
he had not done anything for them. We cannot con-
clude without begging Mr. C. Mathews not to misap-
propriate his talents any further by attempting genteel
comedy ; he has neither face, figure, voice, nor manner
for it. Albino's sarcasm was rather severe, when she
mistook him in his gaudy gold-laced dress for a footman
charged with a message about his lady's dress ; but, se—
riously, let him stick to the little pert, farcical line in
which he first introduced himself to the public, and in
which he has at present no rival.

THE BURNING OF CAMBERWELL OLD
CliunciL—Tuesday afternoon the surveyor of the Atlas
Fire insurance Company, in which the church is insured
to the amount of 4,0001., inspected the ruins, in company
of several gentlemen. From the inquiries they msdo it
appeared that the furnace which heated the interior of the
church was situate under the north entrance to the church,
and the chimney or flue extended to the flooring in the
centre of the middle aisle, and from thence through the south
side of the organ loft to the top of the tower. It seems
that the end of the principal beams that supported the
organ loft bad projected several inches into the opening
or centre of the flue. Soot had from time to time col-
lected
on it, and it is supposed that on the lighting of the
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furnace fire on Sunday morning the soot must have ignited,
and set fire to the beam, which smouldered until it came
to the wainscoting of the organ loft, where it burst into
flames. There can be no doubt but that this was the
cause, for the organist and other persons who were in the
organ loft on Sunday evening experienced a grer:atsehryeeadtr
durpinEgßtlsieo
lotions
manoi:lpgereetiseecitrt
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satisfac-
tory skinof
and Nature's
brightboat passport
complexion, to fa v oi
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improvement
results. " Robert Shaw, London,"
the stamp. Prices, 2s. 9d. ; ss. 6d. is engraved on
quarts, Ss. 6d.
Sold by all respectable perfumers and
medicine vendors.

7

MORNING EDITION.

THE CASE OF MR. 11FLEOD.

As affecting Mr. M'Leod's case, now before the Bri-
tish public, the following proceedings will be read with
interest :

At an anniversary meeting of the citizens of. the
county of Erie, held at the Court-house, in the city of
Buffalo, on Tuesday evening, Dec. 19, 1840, pursuant
to a call to commemorate and act upon the naeans of
redress for the outrage of the burning of the American
stram-boat Caroline, on the eve of the '29th of De-
crrnher, 1837, it was resolved
That this day be considered the epoch which pro-
claims a sanctioned outrage of the British Government
on the peaceable citizens of the United States.
" That we will commemorate this day henceforth as a.
gross violation of the laws of neutrality existing between
the American Government and Great Britain until the
blood of the murdered Durfee and his fellow-citizens. be
atoned for.

"'Fiat this meeting consider the burning of the,
steam-boat Caroline, in American waters, a national in-
sult of the highest degree, and which calls loudly fur a
national interference.

„'feat the demand of A. Stevenson, Envoy Extraor-
dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from the United
Stites to the kingdom of Great Britain, in relation to.
the burning of the steam-boat Caroline, in American
waters, has not been answered ; and that in applying
the principles of the laws of nations in that. demand the
contest between Great Britain and her colonies must be
considered as a civil war, so far as the United States
are concerned ; and that citizens of the United States,
having associated themselves for succour, or for the pur-
pose of forming an independent Republican Govern-
ment, should be considered as allies and entitled to all
the rights and privileges guaranteed by the laws of na-
tions, as a common enemy, and not as pirates and out-
laws, against the British Government.
” That the British Government, in hanging, shooting,
and transporting American citizens, who were found in
arms assisting the Canadian revolutionists, have been
guilty of a gross violation of the laws of nations, and the
natural rights of every freeman throughout the globe.
" That the burning of the steam-boat Caroline, in
American waters, was a violation of every treaty and
association entered into between the American Govern-
ment and the Kingdom bf Great Britain, and fully
debars her Majesty's Government from all claims
whatever, under the Neutrality Act, until a full repa-
ration shall ha made."

In addition to these inflammatory proceedings, we
learn that preparations are making on the Canadian.
side of the Niagara river to organize a secret corps, nod
to proceed on a night expedition to Lockport, for the
purpose of rescuing M'Leod, now imprisoned there oa
the charge of burning the Caroline. On this side of
the line, from Buffalo to Rochester, there will be no
want of materials inflammable enough to lead to a col-
lision. At this season of the year all the loafers of the
west do little but play, slay, ride, dance, drink, or fight.
Nothing would please them better than a general
onslaught in the case of M'Leod. I\l'Kenzie is at
Rochester, and other Canadians are at Buffalo, and
they will not be slow in adding to the excitement as
much as they can.—New York Herald.
The trial of M•Leod, the Canadian, indicted, by the
Grand Jury of Niagara county, for being concerned in
the burning of the Caroline, comes on at Lock-
port next month. He refused to give buil, and is now
in prison. Tnis trial will not only be of great import-
ance to the people on both sides of the border, but it
will call forth the attention of the whole nation. On
its decision the most important results may depend, af-
fecting the peace of the two countries. If the arrogant
pretensions of Mr. Fox are sustained by the British
Government, we do not see how a quarrel can be
avoided, or why it should be avoided.—lbid.