The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-06 00:00:00

THE EXPEDITION TO CHINA

We base jr,st lourned that the expedition to he sent to
China t 5 consist of the following troops :—From Bengal

her Mak:st3's 21st and 24th regiments: and two regiments

f u,&ve infantry ;—from Madras, one regiment of Queen's
tr' ups, four of nataire infantry, one regiment of artillery,
ar d one of engineers ; from Ceylon, ono regiment tt
iQueen's troops, total 10 regiments, General Sir R.
Arbuthnot, Commander-in-Chief at Ceylon, is to com-
mand the above-mentioned force ; and Generals Oglander
srd Walker are to have divisions.--Bombay Times, Feb. 1.

(Frei"-, the Singapore Free Press, January 16th.)

By t)..e arrival of Vile Isabella Robertson on Tuesday
lasr.f, OM Macao the 6th instant, we are put in possession
1 of t'.e Canton Press from 21st December to 4th January.
The Commissioner had been pursuing his measures
'mill further for the total exclusion of English trade ;
and among our extracts from the Canton Press will
be found an edict prohibiting the transshipment of
British goods into any other foreign vessel for the
Purposes of importation into Cantrin, and ordaining that a
bond be reTaired from every such vessel entering the
port, certifying that they do not contain any property
( transshipped from a British vessel, and consenting to the
I conixer.tion of ship and cargo, should anything of the kind
I be. !ovoid ou board.
()Lir private advices of the 7th January contain inforrna•
1 this of a still more important and decisive nature en this
1 subject It appears that an edict had been received from
the E..nperor, embodying the Imperial fit in regard to the
entice exclusion of the English trade, and confirmatory Gf
all Lia a measures in that and other respects. So far,
'.nerefore, from being under the displtaiure of the Emperor,
degraded several steps in his rank , and on the eve of being
superseded, there is unr:4oubteci. evidence of the Commis
sioner being still hig)., in h;_s Imperial master's favour, re-
ceiving new honours at hams hand, and likely to continue in
the undisturbed poasersion of the same ultimated powers
VIM be was intruAtter:a with when he first appearad upon the
scene t

slr, , Captain -Alliot has made another feeble attempt to
induce the
. Commissioner to authorize the continuance
of our 'legal trade : assuring his Excellency that peace
is the desire of his heart, that he feels anxiety and
sorrow for " the state of complete cmfusien and dir- i
ore.ex matters have come to;" and reminding him that
fix two hundred years " England has enjoyed inter-
course with the heavenly Dynasty," This is the
only fet put forward by Captain Elliot that the Com-
missionY: admita to be true—and he shows very little .
mercy, in his anr,wer, to ille Superintendent's professions
of sincerity, an' fixes the • blame of all the confusion and
disorder that has ensued upon that functionary himself.
But Captain Elliot courts humiliation, and nothing is more
cool eon seK-possessed than the manner in which Lin pays
him in the, coin he seems to have opened his hand to re- ,
ceive. If Captain Elliot has been insulted by his impri.
Pora.r.ent in the factories, why does he again and again force
his entreaties and supplications upon the Commissioner,
as, it nothing at all had happened, to be as often repelled
'with contemptuous upbraidings ? Who ever before heard
i fof any person in the situation of a national representative,
( coming forward with proposal after proposal to treat with
those to whom he was deputed, after he had himself com-
plained of being imprisonce,, his life threatened, and other
injurious treatment?
The reports regard'.ng the Commissioner's bad health
aro, it seems, no better founded than those regarding his
alleged degradation. of rank, &c. He was seen by Captain
Greig, of the Sunda, and the surviving ship's company of
that unfortu.natt 'vessel who had been conveyed to Canton,
iu much roo.ge.od health. He treated them to abundance
of roasted pig, and other savoury viands, was courteous and
1 affable,, lane. even condescended to laugh on being told the
repora tat had been circulated about his being ill.