The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-20 00:00:00

CHINA.

Sir JAMES GRAHAM, seeing the Noble Lord
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs in his place, wished to
ask him two questions. The first question was with
respect to opium. It appeared that a certain
quantity of opium had been delivered by the
Superintendent at Canton, under certificate.
There was reason to believe that a further quantity of
opium had been purchased by the Superintendent, and
had been delivered up by the Chinese authorities, in
order to make up the quantity mentioned in the certifi-

cate : no such transaction appeared from the papers
which had been laid upon the table. He wished to
ask the Noble Lord whether such a transaction had
taken place, and if there would be any objection to
produce the papers relating thereto. The second
question he wished to ask related to the
supposed destruction of the opium surrendered
to, and destroyed by, the Chinese authorities. From
those papers it did not appear that the destruction of
the opium had taken place ; the only mention made of
it seemed to shew that it had been transmitted to Pekin
for the use of the Chinese Government. He asked the
Noble Lord whether he had any other information upon
the subject, showing that it had been destroyed or so
sent to Pekin, and if so, whether there would be any

objection to its production.
Lord PALMERSTON said, with respect to the I
first question, what happened was this—the parties in
Canton having agreed to deliver up the opium in their
or their agents' hands, each house made out a statement
of the quantity they bad in China, and the aggregate
amount was given to the Chinese Commissioner. (Me
of the ships containing the opium disobeyed the orders
of the Superintendent, and sailed away ; the conse-
quence was, that there was a deficiency to the amount
that ship contained. Captain Elliot purchased a quantity-
which had subsequently arrived, in order to make up
the aggregate quantity. He was not aware that there
were any other papers in the office, but it there were,
of course they would be produced. With re-
gard to the destruction of the opium, he had
no other accounts than those contained in
the papers which had been presented. Of course
he had seen accounts in the newspapers, but he knew
nothing farther officially than that contained in the
papers.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM saw by the instructions
to the Superintendent in 1833, reference was made to an
Order in Council for regulating the trade with the port
of China. He wished to ask the Noble Lord if he had
any objection to the production of that Order in Council.
His second question was whether the Noble Lord had
received and wits ready to produce the remonstrance
said to have been made by certain American merchants
at Canton against the blockade?
Lord PALMERSTON said, with respect to these
papers, he produced everything that appeared to him
necessary to elucidate the matter, and he had not the
least objection to the production of these to which the
Right Hon. Baronet alluded. With regard to the
second question, be had not received any report of
the remonstrance said to have been made by the Ameri-
can merchants at Canton.
PREPARATIONS AGAINST CHINA.

Mr. JOHN A. SMITH said the Naval and Mili-
tary Preparations going on in India being now matter
of public notoriety, and as great anxiety existed on
the subject, he wished to ask the Noble Lord whether
he had any objection to state the object of the ex-
pedition, and when it was likely to take place ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said in answer to the Hon.
Gentleman's question, he begged to refer him to the
answer he had given on a former occasion to a question
put to him by alloble Lord on the other side of the House.
He had then been asked whether a declaration of war
had not been made by the Governor-General of India
against China, and his reply was that the Government
had received no official information on the sub-
ject, and could not believe that report to be well
founded, but that it probably arose from the order
sent out by the Government to make certain prepara-
tions. What he had then stated had turned out to be
the fact, Ili bad been proved by the recent arrival o:
official despatches. The orders sent out were
to make preparations to have a certain naval
and military force in readiness. The Honourable
Gentleman now asked him what was the object of
these preparations, and he could only state very gene-
rally what they were. In the first place they
were to obtain reparation for the insults and in-
juries offered to her Majesty's Superintendent,
and her Majesty's subjects, by the Chinese Go-
vernment ; and, in the second place, they were to
obtain for the merchants trading with China an indem-
nification for the loss of their property, incurred by
threats of violence offered by persons under the
direction of the Chinese Government ; and, in the last
place, they were to obtain a certain security that per-
sons and property in future trading with China shall be
protected from insult or injury, and that their trade and
commerce would be maintained upon a proper footing.