The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-13 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

MAIL FROM INDIA.

By the overland mail front India, tia Mar-
seilles and Paris, we have received a mass of
highly important iaelligence from Bombay, Cal-
cutta, Lahore, and China, copious extracts from
which will be found below. The news frcim Bom-
bay is to the 31st of January inclusive, and from
China to the 15th of December—being seven days
later than the arrivals reported in the Second Edi-
tion of The Sun of Wednesday evening. Although
the Bombay and Calcutta Papers do not
officially announce the British Government's
declaration of war against China, not the slight-
est doubts were entertained upon the subject. A
reference to our extracts from these Journals will
satisfy our readers that the preparations for an
hostile expedition were on a scale commensurate
with the greatness of the occasion, and that the
greatest expedition was employed by Lord Auck-
land and the Anglo-Indian authorities.
On the 26th of November the Imperial Com-
missioner Lin published an edict, to which we have
given insertion, abolishing for ever the trade with
England. It was rumoured that Lin was driven to
adopt this measure by the Emperor having deprived
him of two steps of his rank for not having settled
the differences with the English, either by admitting
them to trade, or shutting them out for ever from the
t blessings of the central kingdom." The Emperor
likewise associated with Lin in the High Commis-
sionership, his Majesty's uncle, a Mandarin of the
highest rank, who had arrived in - Canton on the
14th of December.
The account from Lahore, descriptive of the re-
ception of Lord Keane and the army by the Ma-
harajah of the Indus, will be read with lively sa-
tisfaction.

We hare not space to-day for any comment
upon the highly important news which we now
subjoin.

WAn WITH CHINA.
(From the Calcutta Courier, Jan. 18.)

The doubt is at length removed as to the proceedings
Intended to be adopted towards China. They are those
of active aggressive warfare. It does not yet appear whe-
ther the Br►tish and Indian Governments unite in this con-

test, or whether the litteti;"---mt;lel;7lc)furnisiitiocl;s,-fOr
whose services it is to be remunerated. We consider the
first to be probably the truth, and we have the satisfaction
of knowing that, though warfare in any form, even on just
grounds, is to be lamented, yet that we have the moral
force of opinion on our sire. In error throughout, the
Chinese have compelled us to enter upon a vindicatory war,
and it is gratifying to feel that we need no other justifica-
tion than that which is amply furnished by the Chinese
themselves, by the imprisonments and insults to which
they have subjected, not only British private individuals,
but the British public Representative ; and nearly the same
justifications are available for the Indian Government, ii
they also enter into the war openly and avowedly as parties.
It matters nothing; 1•1 ethcr the merchants were engaged
in illicit traffic with the Emperor's subjects, and contrary to
his edicts ; it matters not even if those merchants acted
indiscreetly, contumaciously, or even violently in sustaining
their defiance of the national laws ; it matters nothing
though the English representative acted erroneously—let
all this be granted--and still it is no justification for that
indiscriminate insult, oppression, imprisonment, murder,
and actual warfare, which brought injury and ruin alike
upon the innocent and guilty, and in perpetrating which,
every usage ,f law and customs. which regulates the inter-
course between nations. has been set at defiance.
It will be necessary only to touch slightly upon some of
the most prominent of the Chinese insults and tyrannical
acts during the past )ear, to place this in its just position.
That the Chinese authorities had a justification in for-
bidding the importicg of opium. and of banishing any fo-
reigner who defied the edict, admits, we think, of no doubt;
the right to visit with death any native transgressor must
similarly be admitted ; but this does not justify the insult-
ing course adopted by the Chinese authorities of executing
the offenders in front of the British factory, and that too in
despite of remonstrances from our merchants. In the
course of last February this insult was repeated more than
once, and it was not until after such repetition that the
merchants requested the British flag might be struck until
Captain Elliott could be referred to. Then followed the
second total disregard for all the usages of nations ; for
Chinese troops invested the factory, and refused to allow
food or even water to be admitted to its inhabitants.
Captain Elliot proposed to proceed to their rescue, but
he was told by the Chinese authorities that if he dared to
fire a gun they would hang every European within their
power.

We need not recount more to justify an appeal to the
ultima ratio, yet outrages still more insulting, and sum-
moning us to a retributive and vindicatory warfare, remain
to be told. The principal Hong merchants were brought
fettered to the factory, and announced as doomed to in.
stant execution by the Chinese Government, if the whole
of the opium at Lintin was not delivered up. This was the
fifth act of barbaric oppression and insult. The opium was
delivered up, and then, that there might be no doubt that
such outrages were sanctioned by the Court of China, the
Emperor expressed himself highly pleased with Commis-
sioner Lin's proceedings, and promoted him to the go-
vernment of two provinces. This occurred in May,
and immediately was followed by the departure of
Captain Elliott and all British subjects from the fac-
tory. In July, Commissioner Lin gave him the op-
tion of returning to Canton, or of departing al-
together ; and after the treatment they had received,
it is no wonder that they did not accept the first
branc,l/4.0f the alternative. It is well for them that they
did not, for soon after, a Chinese being killed, as it
was said, in:, scuffle with some English sailors, the author.
ities made extreeirdinary efforts to get hold of a British
subject, and if they had succeeded, would doubtless have
hung him, in strict accordance with the lex talionis.
Not being able to effect their purpose, all British sub-
jects were ordered, in August, to quit Macao; and a suf.
ficient demonstration of the intention of the native author-
ities is, that Mr. Moss, who left that town, in the Black
Joke schooner, was surprised by the crews of three Man..
darin beats, and mutilated, with attendant circumstances of
cruelty, which are too fresh upon our memories to require
recapitulation. Since then, we know, the Chinese have
been concentrating their fleet of war junks, and the result
of their first aitempti n open war was defeated by the guns
of the Volage and Hyacinth
Such is a plain narrative of facts; and we sincerely say
that when we commenced writing we did not consider that
the justification fur hurling retribution upon China, though
Strome, was so complete and satisfactory. It seems to us
to afford' subject for regret that we have not proceeded to
offensive operations before, but now that the vials of
British wrath will be poured upon this ignorant, insolent
People, we hope that all inclination for future misunder-
standing may he prevented by mak,ng them feel fully that
the Lion has not before put forth upon them his strength
because he pitied, not because he feared.
The wnole period of our commercial intercourse with
China has been characterized by the adoption of yielding
and soothing measures ; but the time has come upon us
when to forbear longer would be to be uselessly, or
rather injuriously pusillanimous. The British bayonet
must now make a treats of commerce that shall take
away any possibility of future " mistake ;" the merchant
must be enabled to trade in guaranteed security without
liability to authorized insult, or commissioned oppression ;
and British officers must be saved from the tyranny which
compelled Sir Henry Middleton to escape concealed in a
water cask, and which harrassed to the death Lord Napier.
This must and will be done, but though it will be effected
by the British bayonet, and by the side of B, itish cannon,
vte think that their mere shadow will have the desired
effect; we cannot think that even Chinese folly will bring
Chinese junks and militia to contend with our war ships
and soldiers. Our private letters from China published
Yesterday intimated that Chinese firmness was yielding ;
and that Lin was feeling that Court patronage is deceptive
even in the " Celestial Empire."

(From the Bombay Gazette of January 29.)
The news regarding China, or at least what is to be
dcine by us in that quarter in consequence of recent events,
is of the highest importance, and will be read with deep
interest by all parties interested in the prosperity of Indian
commerce. The reports in Caleutta and elsewhere about
the intentions of the Governor-General have, by the last
intelligence from Calcutta, been confirmed, and we will
direct our arms in another just and honourable cause to-
wards the formation of a new empire upon a basis of jus-
tice, and for the satisfaction of a national insult, which
can only be wiped out by a summary and decisive retalia•
Lion. It has been determined by the Governor-General
that a large amount of tonnage shall be immediately taken
up for the conveyance of troops to China, and that in ad-
dition to the land forces about to be transported to the
celestial empire, the co-operation of all the vessels of war
in the Eastern seas shall be given towards the reduction of
the pride of the Chinese. These vessels are, according to
the Courier of yesterday morning, as follow :
The Volage 2B Guns
The Hyacinth lB ditto
The Cruiser
The Wellesley
The Conway
Toe Alligator 2B ditto
The Childers lB ditto
The Larne
The Algerine
and the Druid. 44 guns, Lord Churchill, is under orders
to proceed to China direct after laneieg Captain Hobson,
the Governor of New Zealand, at his destination.
This is rather a respectable force, and one perfectly well
Qualified, with the assistance of the seven other vessels ex-
pected from England, to put a quietus upon the excessively
annoying interference of the Chinese. This is a step teken
in proper time, and of course, Ile the campaign in
Affghanistan, it will be attended with similarly fortunwe
consequences. We have nothing to fear from the Chinese,
and it were a dark stun upon British valour and diplomacy
that E o bullying and cowardly an enemy should be
' allowed the advantages of non-interference which h tee
not been accorded to another foe of acknowledged bravery,
and up till the time when we brought ours to the test
of experiment strongly fortified in the affections of his
subjects. We have long enough borne the brunt of
insult from the Chinese authorities; and it is now de-
stined after a long period of suffering on our part, that
there shall be a bloody termination of the conflict. Let
the Chinese remember, or rather reflect, that 20 ships of
war and seven gallant regiments are hardly to be trifled
..with, and grant concessions in time, or China may ere
Yong become as much a British province as India is at pre-
sent. Only imagine the brother to the Sun and Moon a
pensioner on our Government for half a million a year,
with a British Ministry to manage his affairs I Where
would then be the vaunting commissions entrwted to Lin,
and where the prohibitiorts to British commerce at the port
.....—__