The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-15 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION

of a friendly power at liberty, when it could be done
without damage to the main public and practicable put..
poses of the blockade.
" Upon my return from the northward, I was ad-
dressed in a private way by Mr. Delano, holding, I be-
lieve, Consular authority from the Government of the
United States. He said he had been unwilling to trouble
the naval officer on the spot, in the absence of the Com-
mander-in-Chief, but he certainly thought that the
whole bearing of circumstances gave the matter a power-
ful claim to lenient treatment, and ho hoped that upon
full consideration I would see it in the same light, and
do what I could to recommend it to the Admiral's fa-
vourable disposal.
" My own mind had long been made up on the pro-
priety of permitting the egress of these two ships, and I
laid the ground of my general reasoning before the late
Commander-in-Chief, who concurred with me, and au-
thorised me to say that he would not oppose the egress
of the ships, if declaration were made that the cargoes
were not native property.
" These are the circumstances, Sir, under which
these ships have come down the river, and kindly con-
slderate as you have always been of the difficulties of
my public position, I am sure you will not place me, as
the representative of the country in the distressing
situation before the Government with which I am ne-
gotiating, and before the whole foreign community, of
having fallaciously induced the belief that the passage
out of the ships was certain.
"It cannot be too frequently insisted that as yet the
motive of a blockade of the port of Canton by the
ship channels is completely achieved, whilst ingress is
prevented, and the Government is pressed by the de-
privations of the shipping duties and the stagnation of
employment at Canton ; further pressure in the way of
blockide is a matter which your Excellency will deter-
mine upon or not as you may see fir, if hostilities un-
happily ensue between the two countries ; but to the
extent and for the objects that the blockade was esta-
blished it bas always been steadily pursued ; and, whilst
affairs remain in the present attitude, I should be the
very last person to advise it should be relaxed. .
" The egress, however, of these two ships (the only
two in the port) has no connexion with those objects,
and under all the considerations I have noticed will, I
am persuaded, appear to her Majasty's Government to
be no more than a suitable act of friendly respect to
the flag of the United States.
" I need not say tl your Excellency that I do not
shrink from the responsiuility of counselling and re-
questing this measure. And I consider it only due to
you to add, that I can offer no objection to the trans-
mission of this letter to the gentlemen who have ad-
dressed you upon the subject, if you are so good as to
accede to my request—a request I make to you in my
public character, and in the persuasion that the mea-
sure is just and suitable upon public grounds; for it
has never been the practice of the British Government
to exercise blockade rights with the least degree of un-
necessary harshness. Whilst I have no pretension or
disposition to gainsay the unquestionable right of the
merchants to remonstrate and complain whenever they
consider themselves aggrieved, I certainly will permit
myself to observe that it were to be wished a reason-
able latitude should be given them for the general in-
terests upon a view of general considerations. Above
all, it is to be hoped that the highly respectable gentle.
men who have signed the letter of the 26th instant will
at least refrain from publishing this correspondence,
whilst it may be necessary to continue the blockade.
" They will always find their remedy by representa-
tion to England ; and the publication of the corres-
pondence at present can serve no other purpose than
to embarrass the Government and officers of their
country, not because there is the least difficulty in jus-
tifying what has been done, but because it is in the
highest degree inconvenient to be driven into the dis-
cussion of public measures during their progress.
It has happened to me in the execution of my duty
in China, to stand between the merchants and very
grave difficulties, and upon public grounds I consider
myself entitled to expect that they will refrain from a
course of proceeding which would be mischievous to
the well understood interests of the country.
" The alleged wrongs and injuries that may have been
cast upon them can be duly investigated and redressed
without disturbing the public interest.
" I have the honour to be, &c.,
" C. ELLIOT, her Majesty's Plenipotentiary."
The last letter is one from the merchants, dated
January 1, in which they state that their opinions are
unchanged, that they renew their protest against the
whole proceedings, and that though they will not, as
requested, publish the correspondence in China, they
will lose no time in publishing it elsewhere, and reques
that Sir G. J. Bremer will forward copies of a
documents to the Ministers.