The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-11 00:00:00

CPEX Oil CLOSED PORTS IN CIII;V_.0

---
A cc Hertfordshire Incumbent," in writing to the
Times, says :-
1 " Sir,--A paragraph appeared in your P 31.1115.0
correspondent's letter on Friday last, en t
authority of a private letter from St Petersburg'
to the effect that a column of troops had been
despatched by the Governor of Russian Siberia in
the direction of Ki hkta, on V.e Chinese frontier,
in consequence with an agreement with the Gaut
of Pekin. The Illoniteur de la Flotte, two
three days before, gave also a summary of in:
structions, purporting to be issued by the Eel
ror of China, closing the five ports on the s4.°-
board, but making a special exception in
a.
your of the overland traffic alone. the Sib'T;
rian frontier. Perhaps the connection betwee
these two notices may not he clear to your readers
without a little explanation.
" Kiahkta is a Russian s-ttlement of more tban°
century old, a little to the south of Lake Ball°"'
and constitutes, with the Chinese frontier town
Maimachen (which is in imuied-ate juxtaposition),
t' e emporium through which the whole of the everi
land tea for Russia passes. It is by this chant'
that the article originally reached Western Euroll
and if all intercourse with the Chintse seaboa:7l
were stopped—as is contemplated in the ImPelli
instructions above referred to—by this channel 00,10
would all consumers, not only in Europe, but I
America also, he able to obtain i-. The whale tell;
drinking world would have to content it3elf
obtain'ng from St. Petersburg what supplies,;:
could, after every ounce bad been brought 3
tance of nearly 8,000 miles by land transport silt
river navigation. The cost of transit is such tlic
before the late war scarcely anything was dra%
throughout the whole kingdom of Poland hue
smuggled Canton tea, which was every year Pene, Rod
trating further and further into the interior of Rod
sia, as may be well imagined, when it is sta
that the average wholesale price of the common
was 270 copecks (Bs. 10d.) and of the best °
410 b 0 t
pecks (13s. Bd.) at Moscow in the year 1854. `Vi.O,
it would reach to were the demand suddenlyl
creased to any great extent defi(s all conjecttal
One thing is plain,—that it would deprivel3°o(
merely the common people, but
,the great bin' /1
the middle class, of all participation, whatever' ,
" cups which cheer but not inebriate."
" The duties on this overland tea form 11016;
portant item in Russian finance. A most sen.°o.
diminution in them was occasioned by the ire
with China which threw upon the northern ,P°loo
In 1842 no less than 467,679 poods of 011,_114
merchandise, the far greater part of it 17.1:01
tea, left Kiahkta ; in 1854 little more w,O
half as much. If a perfectly free intercou,lbe
with the interior of China were allowed
Kiahkta trade would be proportionally dirt
nished ; and it is quite conceivable that
would even be superseded altogether, exOtOtee
regards the so-called " bricktea"--a compost of
leaves and sheep's blood, in which the Mongol 5.
late exclusively delights. I draw this inference
fidently from the positive statement of the 11115!..no
statist, M. Tengoborski, that the Kiabkta teay-fell
20 copecks the pound in transport, before it sto
reaches the emporium ; whereas the same ,ar,,; for
from the same depot may be taken to Shang,Lw-fof
only eight copecks, and all the way to London
eo
10. It is plain, therefore, that the question of Otto
or closed ports in China is the question betweelloil
annihilation of the Russian revenue from tea, ti
the compelling of the consumers of the conlin,4l
throughout the world to enrich the Russian Trert,3o,
by purchasing a tithe of their requirements br,
fold the pric3 they need pay for an ample suPftact
cc Without any wish to discuss the degree o'
or discretion exhibited in recent transacti°l'eo
must say that I think the attempt to open 17009
to the interior of China is a worthy object of ale
Government having at heart the comfort of 14
mass of the people. And there is one west ht
which the importance of the question lately br,°,,";10
before the Legislature may be viewed which
not yet seen adverted to. • 01'
" The only country which has an interest nit 00
in the Chinese seaboard is likewise the °,1'370f
which enjoys, and has long enjoyed, the priwe'ar
being represented at Pekin. Ever since theist;
1727 the Russian Government has maintains hich
establishment in that capital, the membered welly
are changed regularly everylo years. It origin de'
professed to be for the spiritual behoof of thebeo
scendants of some Siberian settlers who had the
carried off about half-a-century before fr°nlstill
upper valley of the Amoor, but the mission,J,
continues, although the necessity has ceased ; P-re.
while authentic information relative to th0.,0,
sources and the administration of the Celestial °,
f
pire is derived through this channel by the Foreill'
office at St. Petersburg, no doubt, whateveref
nions are current at Pekin of the Powers ofd
,-;
tern Europe owe their shape and colour to the 8°-
agency.
"If the paragraph to which I have alluded at wal
o
beginning of this letter be founded in fact, it seeot
certain, regard being had to the dates, that it the
be through the machinery of this mission thabig tie
movement of troops was arranged. The attanh of
the Bogue Forts took place only on the 2ot
°oil
Oct. last, and the intelligence would hardlq,ekiti
Pekin before the middle of November. Frain d/
to Kiahkta is at least 1,000 miles over a Ltd
desert ; to Irkutsk (which, I suppose, is the 070.0,
the Russian Governor alluded to) some 200
From Kiahkta again to St. Petersburg is note
5,000 miles. That any communication should woo
taken place between the latter city and Pekin,: ift
the commencement of the troubles at Can
therefore, clearly impossible. The necessiw-'lOl
ference seems to be that such a contingencY 7;01
arisen was at least foreseen, and instructionßribe
beforehand as to what steps should be taken'
event of its occurrence. • 'nil
"Had the late war continued we should 06_,rtgli,g4,
not have been surprised to find mines sPnee
under our feet in every Asiatic Court, and !°,,:toto
with a Muscovite Brasidas in many an •ri°";',lo3o
Chalcicide. That some of the mines should elcSioli
too late is, in my judgment, quite as reas°olltea
theory to account for what has occurred at ",,ft°
and at Teheran as the attributing a ruffian PO'1„-60*
any English statesmen, or cruelty, licentious"
and levity to their agent."

AIR. MAYHEW AND THE TICKEr''
LEAVE MEN.

WILKINSON T. MAYHEW. t
In this case, which came on for hearing yesteru:100
the Whitechapel County Court, the plaintiff Appetit joi
person, and Mr. Henry Davies, the attorney, attegilkeo
for the defendant, Mr. Henry Mayhew, who has to
so prominent a part in connection with ticket-of

men.
billbrought3tlo. r2eac. o vaeor.
forhe sthn
boardof Si
6clT.,hbiaslaacnteirofwaas
lodizing of a returned convict. DO
The plaintiff handed in two letters written -. 3,1 to
Mayhew, in one of which that gentleman prom°,
be answerable for the support of the ticket-of-len/630r
to "a reasonable amount ;" and the plaintiff acinn.yeri
upon being questioned by Mr. Davies, having reall
two 51. notes from Mr. Mayhew. •to
Mr. Davies stated that his client had no objen-tl° 000
pay any amount that was fairly due, but he had Olio
to believe this was a gross attempt at imposition, na
wished to put a few. questions to the plaintiff. ate
Mr. Mayhew's attorney then subjected the plaints the
a severe cross-examination, and elicited from bini
following particulars :
That he had kept a registered lodging-house, W.O
men and women belougine to the "misfortunate c 1117.001
resorted, and that the ticket-of-leave man, for To
support be charged Mr. Mayhew, had not lodged a
bid
house " all the time. .
Davies stated" he was instructed that the MI 00
never lived at the plaintiff's house at all, and tha" siot
the reason why he (Mr. Davies) appeared there to lob
the demand. If he was correctly informed even till,
that had already been paid by Mr. Mayhew Woo,
shared by the plaintiff and the ticket-of-leave men; bee•
during the whols period which it is alleged be bnd bits
lodging at the plaintiff's house, had really been enua
ing with a woman in another part of the town.
Mr. Davies (to plaintiff).—Are you married ?--;•"
What was your wife's maiden name ?—MurphY• „ •
Do you know a person of the name of Ned Sale3n4
ticket-of-leave man ?—Not by that name.
Mr. Davies (handing in a let-ter, signed ``'-'," „gee/
." II • name.'
mon," and containing a threat to "garotte"
and„-
wihimself)—Dolyou
swear
tyou
thatkn
rbethci.s%
oath, and I warn you that • s, tee.•
your words are being
down with a view to further, proceedin
uhtainoudsw,ryitoiungare oL'sw;gsr
a whining tone)-_I can neither read gnor writ°,loB
Mayhew knows that ; and I leave it in the bands OL -
judge.
11
Isis say you are Honour—Do you mean to e entice
ignorant of writing?
Piaintiff—Yes Imy lord, am. ,rthe
Mr. Davies said that ho was d to un— be
prepare
whole of the real facts of the case misrepresented by ,ht
plaintiff', rind he would be happy, if his Honour thenblos
it necessary for the ends of justice, to place Mr• evi'
in the witness-box, in order to refute the plaintiff
jet-
his Honour proceeded to examine Mr. lVfeYhavi se in
ters to the plaintiff, and said, taking the matter evipsilf
a legal point of view, he could not see that the P,R'
had made out any claim against the defendant. bed
el/
Mr. Davies begged to state that Mr. Mayb . of
offered the ticket-of-leave scan in question a situati°l"
18i. per week, but the man had said he could ears
by dishonest practices, and would not accept it.
The summons was accordingly dismissed.

A public meeting of the merchants, bankers/ :00,
traders, of the City of London, for the purpose ef oos
sidering the decision come to by the House of Comlu,,i,
relative to the affairs at Canton, is to be held nest Y 4,
day, in the Guildhall. The Lord Mayor will take 6.
chair at two o'clock.