The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-11 00:00:00

at the outer anchorages, or should land the property at
Macao, subject to the duty levied by the Portuguese Go-
vernment.

" The importance of the interests under our charge, and
the anxiety we feel to fulfil our duty to the parties con-
cerned will, we trust, plead our excuse for trespassing on
your Excellency's time at this period.
" We have the honour to be, &c.

" Dent and Co.
" Macvicar and Co.
" Bell and Co.
" Macao, Nov. 25, 1840."

" Dirom and Co.
"Gribble, liughea and Co.

HIS EXCIILLZNCY'S REPLY.
" The Melville, Tongkoo Bay, Nov. 26, 1840.
" Gentlemen,—ln answer to your letter of Wednesday,
I regret to say I can only give you an answer to one of your
queries—namely, with regard to the truce agreed to at
Chusan. It was entered into with the Governor-General
of that province, and does not extend further.
" I am perfectly aware, Gentlemen, of the state of
anxiety the mercantile interests must be in to know what is

•
likely to take place, and shall take care to give the earliest
intimation in my power of anything bearing on such in-
terest; but at present I am myself ignorant of the inten-
tions cf the Chinest Government, and can therefore only
express my hopes that your suspense will now be of short
duration.

" I bay., the honour to be,
". Gentlemen, your very obedient servant,
" GEORGE ELLIOT,
" Riar-Adthirar and' Commander-in-Chia."
Messrs. Dent and Co., and others, merchants, Macao."

In reference to the retirement of Admiral Elliot, we in
this place insert the following letter :
TO HIS EXCELLENCY CAPTAIN CHARLES 'ELLIOT, 01-Nw4
ONE OP HER MAJESTY'S PLENIPOTENTIARIES, AND= ()HIRE-
SUPERINTENDENT OF THE BRITISH TRADE IN CHINA.,
" Sir,—We have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your Excellency's letter under date the 29th ult., which,
in accordance wish your desire, we have circulated and
caused to be published in the newspapers here.
" We beg distressing
cause express our "deep regret for the distrsing
cause of the Hon. the Rear-Admiral's retirement from the
command of the expedition, and to offer our condolence on
the occasion, with our sincere wishes for the early restora-
tion of his Excellency's health.
" It will be unnecessary for us to assure your Excellency
that her Majesty's authorities in China may rely with con-
fidence on the cordial co-operation of all British subjects in
the support of measures for the security of British honour
and interest. _ _ _

" We take advantage of this occasion to request your
Excellency will be pleased to convey to the Commander of
the Expedition, Commodore Sir J. J. Gordon Bremer,
our sentiments of high respect.
" We have the honour to be, Sir, your Excellency's
most obedient huinble servants

" Jardine, Ylatbeson, and W. C. Le Geyt.
Dirom and Co.
Dent and Co. Robert Webster.

Lindsay and Co. W. and T. Gemmel and Co.
Fox, Rawson, and Co. D. and M. Rustonjee and Co.
Pat. Stewart. Turner and Co.
Holliday, Wise, and Co. Wilkson, Dent.
Macvicar and Co. Meerwanjee Jejeebhoe.
Innes, Fletcher, and Co. John Rickctt.
John A. Mercer. Jamieson and Howe.
Bell and Co. Gribble, Hughes, and Co.
Daniell and Co. (per
pro.)
" Macao, Dec. 4, 1840,"—Canton Register, Dec. 8.
COMMUNICATION FROM THE FIRST LORD
OF THE ADMIRALTY TO THE EMPEROR
OF CHINA.

( From the Canton Free Press )
The following document may be in part trusted, although
the Chinese copyist performed his task in evident baste. It
is most strange that there i 3 no mention of the murderous
attack on the Black Joke : _

Earl Minto, First Lord of the Admiralty of England,
respectfully reports, at the foot of the throne of the Em.
peror (great supreme ruler) of the great and pure king.
dem,—
" I, Minto, have received my Sovereign's commands
(literally, the commands of the ruler--wang—regulus—of
my poor or worthless country) to unite with the military
Commander-in-Chief Pookcenle (?) to order troops to be
embarked on board her Majesty's ships of war, and to pro-
ceed to your honourable country, for these reasons:
" In the past year the English superintendent of trade
and the English merchants trading in your honourable
country were subjected to unreasonable insults and dis-
graces by the imperial commissioner Lin, and Tang, the
Governor of Canton, the few being insulted and oppressed
by the many. Moreover, when the merchants of our
worthless nation arrived in Canton they have, when inno-
cent, in many instances been insulted and oppressed by the
superior officers of the Chinese.
"' But I consider that it is absolutely necessary to
choose harbours and encampments for the safety of the
ships and troops: this is a matter of the very highest im.
portance. On mature consideration, as the superior offi-
cers of all the provinces have already closed the passages,
and trade is not permitted, I find it will be impossible to
offer up any words, as they will refuse to receive any state-
meat to be reported ; and certainly, if we thus mutually
withstand each other, we must be engaged in hostilities.
On these accounts it was necessary to order the fleet to
go straight to Tinbac, In order to obtain places of safety
for the ships and troop!.
"„' Last year the High Commissioner Lin had not been
many days in Canton when one of the first thins he did
was to surround all the foreigners by a land and water.
guard and confine them to their factories; he then stoppe'd
the trade and all egress and ingress, cut off the supplies of
provisions, and extorted the delivery of the smoking earth
that was 'on board the ships anchored in -the offing, and he
limited the number of days in which the surrender should
be completed, failing which he wanted to cut (off heads)
and to kill (life) • but if within the limited time the sur-
render was completed he would then permit trading.
" I humbly think that the new laws of your honourable
country with reference to the buying and selling of the
smoking earth—that, as it is already forbidden and cut off,
no man will dare to seli it, and also foreigners will not
bring it again ; or, should any foolish persons bring it,
still no man will dare to buy it ; then in bringing it, where
will be the adiantage ?
" . Further, the opium that was surrendered last .year
was outside, and had not been brought into China, and
the foreign merchants were wholly unable to introduce it
through any of the inlets; and they, being utterly help-
less, the two superior officers) Lin and Tang, in extort-
ing from the English merchants their opium ; if they did
not slaughter, strived to starve them to death; and
although the English did not fear to die, )et hunger
and thirst are difficult to bear until death by starva-
tion ensues. They could only suppress their feelings arid
restrain their anger at the manner in which it (the
opium) had been extorted. Afterwards, again talking and
consulting, how it could be calculated that after the opium
bad been extorted suddenly a bond should he demanded,
exacting that if hereafter on examination smuggled
opium should be detected on board any ship, the entire
cargo shall be confiscated and the supercargo executed'—
such are the words—' that prohibited goods should be
confiscated and the supercargo and ship not be allowed to
trade, but driven out :' these regulations have been in force
among the foreigners of all nations from ancient times until
now ; but as to the clause of capital punishment, from an-
cient times until now the punishment of death has never
been inflicted upon foreigners.
" Further, if among many ships and a multitude of men,
one in a thousand, by cance one or two sailors are degene-
rate, and selfishly smuggle opium,whstht r in a great or small
quantity, the whole of the cargo is to be confiscated, and
the parties also to be cruelly put to death. It was upon
these accounts that the Chief Superintendent (Elliot), in
conjunction with all the foreign merchants, unitedly refused
to give the bond in toto.
" Lin and Tang, because the many foreigners would not
submit, and because the) did not obtain the duly prepared
bond, immediately closed the passages and stopped the
trade. I humbly consider that the English nation have
received, and been grateful for a commercial intercourse
for a hundred and several tens of years ; and in the trans.
actions of commerce how will there not be credits? Now,
reckoning up what the Hong merchants of your honour-
able country owe already, the sum exceeds sense millions.
Now, iu one day to close the passages, and prevent all
trade, is further doing incalculable injuries to the goods
laden on board ships bound to Canton; the English mer-
chants are by these measures losing their capital; and
what can be said (in defence) of this ?
" Further, after the passeges,were closed, Lin and
Tang blamed Elliott on account of the bond, and after-
wards, when merchant vessels arrived, and were willing to
submit to be parched to see whether or not they were
smuggling opium when they were to enter the port, and
not to be- driven away and forbidden to trade (the chief
superintendent being without resource or remedy), Lin and
Tang departed from their former words, changed tneir
minds, broke their engagements, and pertinaciously ad-
hered to the demand for the voluntary bond which con-
tained the clause on capital punishment. Afterwards,
when Elliot and others again politely begged to state cir-
cumstances—being without resource—Ling and Tang de-
cidedly refused to receive their statements.
Af.er the passages were closed in the past year, an
English frigate arrived in the waters of Canton, and her
captain requested a discussion on the. circumstances of
closing the .passages, in order that they might be re-
opened; but Lin and Tang not, only refused to receive his
represeatati 0, but they ordered the admiral to lead on his
forces, and fight (the English ships) and, therefore, they
(the latter) were obliged to return the fire in self-defence!
"' In the past year, when Lin and Tang prohibited
trading, they began. by disallowing the sale of provisions.
Afterwards there was a Spanish ship anchored' in the same
spot, the Type, as some English ships, aox:I she was just
on the point of sailing. It happened that some of her.
men went to visit on board an English ship, and they took
a small quantity of eatables with them. Lin and Tang
forthwith gave written orders that the Spanish were not
to supply the English vessels with provisions, nor have any
intercourse with them, and finished by the murderous plan
of ordering their emissaries to burn the Spanish vessel in
the middle of the night, when three men were killed !
To be pitied is the cruel calamity of that hapless vessel
destroyed by. fire, without crime I and indignant are the un-
appeased spirits of the murdered.
Taking into consideration that, of the nations of
Europe, some are great kingdoms and some small states ;
)et all are governed by their own laws independent of each
other.
"' Now, the Spanish and English nations are near
neighbours (literally, their smoke ascends under the same
canopy), and, although not blood relations, are fast friends.-
Now, when dwelling as guests—or travellers—in a foreigni
state, to pay, friendly visits from ship to ship, or mutually'
present provisions, is a common custom of human nature:,
consonant to the feelings of mankind.
" Further, Europe is separated from Asia more than:
nine myriads of Chinese le; not only are they entirely is
dependent of each other, but also European ships easily
reach Chins, while the ships of China are utterly unable
to reach Europe.
" .Now the two superior officers Lie and Tang are
officers of China,. stationed at Canton, and they can only
rule the affairs of that province. How can their rule ;cad;
the natives or nations of Europe?