The Sun.
London, England, 1840-11-28 00:00:00

OPIUM TRADE

Opium is grown in the provinces of Sze-chuen, Tale-
Kiang and Quan-tung, and it has been used for more than
110 years as a stimulant by the wealthy; but the opium
grown in India, in the provinces of Malvrah, Babar, and
Benares; is cheaper, and of a better quality than the
Chinese opium. The earliest records of Indian intercourse
with the Chinese relate its importation, in the year 1795 ;
1,070 chests were shipped from Calcutta ; and since that
time the trade has rapidly increased; at first the ships
anchored at Whampoa, afterwards at Lintin Island, and
Hong-kong ; and considerable trade in opium was carried on
at Macao. The Government have from time to time
issued edicts against this trade, but have never taken_ any
means to enforce its decrees. In fact, the Mandarins (the
Governor's officers) not only become the purchasers and
consumers of opium, but enter into the trade. Sixty
Spanish &Mars are paid to them at Macao as a bribe for
each chest ; and if it be sent to Canton sixty more. It is
said that revenue cutters have been employed for its con-
veyance—at any rate, the linguist of the Whampa Cus-
tom-house officers was wont to accompany the purchasers
of opium aboard the ships to prevent the delivery of a
greater number of chests than had been paid for. The Canton
Current, published daily, states the pi ices and sales,
so that little concealment is made. It is true, when
a fresh fuh-yucn, or civil governor was appointed at
Canton, some of the opium boats were seized, the
crews punished, and a pretence made of burning the
opium seized upon the hills; yet it was very well
understood not a particle was destroyed, and that this
manifestation of vigilance was only for the purpose of ob-
taining large sums from the opium dealers. The fog Yuen
having paid the Emperor a large sum for his appointment,
he generally adopted this mode of reimbursing himself
for the outlay, and, having squeezed a considerable amount
from the traders, he quietly allowed the trade to resume
its former channels. This question has been viewed, in
a wrong light. The Chinese people will have opium, and
if we do not supply it to them from Canton, country ves•
scls will run large cargoes upon the coasts, for it is a ne-
cessary- to the people. They do not drink intoxicating
drinks, and their only stimulant is the opium pipe, which
is less frequently used to excess in China than ardent
spirits, malt liquor, or wine, in other parts of the werld ;
opium smoking is nut so hurtful as any of these intoxicating
drinks, it is tho excess alone that is harmful ; and it is
-found even in ii,gl•knd-t-lrat-thciuse of opium succeeds the
abandonment of fermented liquors—the inhabitants of
all countries use stimulants—the Englishman and German
ale and ardent spirits, the Frenchman brandy and wine,
the Irishman and Scotchman whisky, the Tartar ferMented
mare's milk, the inhabitants of India take bang, or hemp
juice, and the Chinese the pipe of opium s• indeed, after all
the outcry that has been raised against the opium trade, it
does not amount to three grains per annum for each male
in the Chinese empire.
The Chinese have a large country trade; their junks
supply the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and all the
Archipelago of the Indian Ocean. The number of ves-
sels employed in this trade is about 300 ; the estimated
number of junks throughout the empire is about 12,000
sail ; but it is the larger trading junks, some of them carry-
ing cargoes valued at 20,000 dollars, which will afford fine
prizes to eur seamen.
The American trade with China is about 2,000,0001.
annually, and the. Dutch, French, Danes, and Spaniards
have some little intercourse with Canton:
MONEY.

The Chinese have no gold or silver coins. Silver is the
standard medium of exchange ; it is generally in the form
of bars, and if a bar be ton large for tne intended payment
a piece is cut off. At Cantors the circulating medium is
Spanish dollars, but dollars and silver bars are exchanged
by weight, for which purpose a Chinese merchant is
always prepared with scales. Accounts are kept in leangs,
or ounces, or tads. A tael is about 65. Bd. They use
also a small coin called lee, or cash, made of six parts of
copper, and four parts of lead ; it is about the size of the
old farthing, and has a square hole in the middle ; the
pieces are strung npon a cord, with a knot distinguishing
every hundred. 750 cash equal a tael, which makes a lee
riorth about one-tenth of a penny.
There is no system of credit established between the
merchants of different provinces, no bills of exchange, and
hence great inconvenience, owing to the want of those fa-
cilities of commercial intercourse established in every other
part of the civilised world. The commerce of China is
thus chiefly confined to the operation of bartering the
prodpctions of i.s different provinces, and thew: are suffi-
ciently numerous to afford room for a very extensive traf-
fic. ' Ample facilities are afforded by the great rivers, their
numerous tributaries, and canals. '

The following particulars, in addition to those we give in the
next page, of Macao Roads and of Ting-hai, the capital of the
island of Chusan, will be found interesting. The account of
Macao Roads and Canton are taken from a journal kept by an
officer when Lieutenant of a frigate cruising in their seas many
years ago, and are published by him to show the probability of
a successful issue, and prove that—
" The right course the Government have now taken to maintain
the honour of our flag is the only certain means of settling a
just commercial treaty with that bombastic, ignorant, and pusil-
lanimous nation. On snaking the coast of China the first object
that attracts attention is the land named the Great Lama,
and a cluster of islands called the Nine Pins, the neigh-
bourhood of which swarms with fishing boats, a pilot is
geeerally taken on board out of these boats who is always found
to be utterly useless, as the charts and hand lead are quite
sufficient to carry a ship of war of any draught of water to their
anchorage ; if going to Macao Roads, which is a very good an-
chorage, the distance is a few hours' sail, and the island itself
could be taken possession of by 500 men, and kept as a
garrison for any . length of time we thought proper—
as well as the sate harbour of Typa, about four
miles distant, which is formed by two small islands,
where the old Centurion hove down and repaired in
1740, and where I myself refitted a frigate. The spot has plenty
of water, and is remarkably healthy, and might in tact be
formed into a good dock-yard, and all kinds of provisionswould
be brought by the natives the moment we cleared the river of
the war junks. On ascending the river the next object that pre-
sents itself is the island of Lintin, about 30 miles from Macao ;
tide is a very nice island, having two villages on it and about 400
inhabitants, and is 16 or 17 miles in circumference; there
is a high peak on the island, good water and safe anchorage. I
was at this island three months, it grows good potatoes, and
might be kept by a few troops for ever if we thought fit to do
so ; in winter it is cold enough for European clothes. From
the summit of the peak about thirty islands can be counted,
and Macao is also visible. Again ascending the river you
arrive at the Bogue of Tigris and anchor in Anson's Bay, a
'
perfectly safe spot, and as for the forts called Anmunghor, or
Chuinpee, if they deserve the name, our sailors would so on
settle
.that question ; this anchorage may be thirty-five miles
from Lintin, Whampoa being the next point of ascent. I can
only say that any good-sized frigate may go up to the second
bar, perhaps forty miles from Anson's Bay and Dane's Island,
which taken possession of, or garrisoned by troops, might defy
all j
the army of China to recapture it. The quatity of
trading unks and boats on the river is a most, astonishing sight
to strangers, it aetually appears as if all the boats in the world
were assembled together ; you may well judge what the judicious
arrangements of troops and ships of war in those seas might do.
And now within twelve miles of Canton, with a draught of
water front six to ten feet, what is there to prevent, if neces-
sary, the total destruction of that city, consisting of some
500,000 inhabitants, and the whole surrounding country being
open to invasion, and our troops marching from the Yellow
Sea to Pekin itself, and e-ently removing the Celestial Emperor
from his downy couch. Let the Government act as the brave
old Anson did one hundred years ago, when he decided the
question of ships of war paying the chop-duty, as it is called,
at Canton. The Chinese are a venal, thievish, corrupt people,
abounding with artifice, nor is the constitution of the empire,
or the general orders of the State, less liable to exception. The
Centurion alone was an over-match for all the naval power of
China ; what must, then, be the effect of the present expedi-
tion on that nation ? Nothing less than a successful settlement
of the question of trade, a proper security given to our mer-
chants and their property, and a just maintenance of the honour
of her Majesty's flag.
The principal city in the island of Chusan is Ting-hai, and is
properly described as the capital of the three hundred islands
. that surround it. It is surrounded by walls thirty feet high.
Along the walls, at the distance of every hundred yards, are
square stone towers. In the parapets are also embrasures, and
• holes in the merlons for archery ; but there are no cannon, ex-
cept a few old wrought-iron pieces near the gate.