The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-05 00:00:00

CHINA.

We have intelligence from Hong-Kong to the 3d
of January. The sickness so long prevalent on the
island had not entirely disappeared; indeed, it has
broken out afresh on the south side of the island
amongst the garrison there stationed. Nevertheless,
many of the mercantile establishments were arranging
for their removal thither from Macao.
Her Majesty'S ship Castor arrived on the 27th
December, having on board Major-Generald'Aguilar,
,who succceeds Lord Saltoun in command of the
British forces in China. A commencement had been
made of a trade with Formosa ; three junks having
arrived at Victoria from the northern end of the.
island with cargoes of camphor amounting to about
1,000 piculs; The crew represent the place whence
they some as an extensive and flourishing town,
named Hap-matam, containing 20,000 inhabitants,
and amply supplied with sugar and rice from the
surrounding district.
The Plenipotentiary, in a notification published
Dec. 12, intimates that all the ground formerly occu-
pied by the Companies Dutch and Greek factories in
Canton, has been secured on a lease of 25 years, for
the use of the British authorities, but that so much as
they would not require would be portioned out into
. building lots, under a regular plan hereafter to be
laid down, and, would lie available to any parties
agreeing to pay.the, proportionate .rent- of the same
and to build according to an authorised plan. Pur-
suant to the-above-mentioned: notification, a meeting
of,British merchants was held at the British Consul's
office, Howqua's Hong, on the 22d December, and
several lots were taken.
The market at Canton is generally dull, except as
regards green, tea, which was kept up to a full price,
in the face of large imports, to the extent of two or
three_millions of pounds.
Some adventurous American travellers having forced
their way into the interior of China as far, as the city
of Chang Chow, in the province of Fokien, and pub-
lished an account of their journey at Macao, the
British Plenipotentiary thought it necessary to address
tha Viceroy and Lieutenant-Governor of Canton on
the subject, in order to assure them that the parties
in question mere American, and not British subjects,
the same time suggesting that the . local Chinese
authorities should in future arrest and confine any
latch parties as might be found transgressing the
- bounds laid down by the late treaties. The man-
slarins in this case appear to have supposed the tra-
. _Yellers to be British subjects, and feared to oppose
(hero more seriously than with a remonstrance against
their progress 'as a breach of the treaty; this circum-
stance is at least a proof of the great- respect in
the'British name is held even in the interior of
•> atulasiKeinote from the scene.of the late ward
The supplementary treaty bearing -the Imperial
signature, was broughtin the. Plenipotentiary by some,
mandarins of rank in the latter end, of December, and
together with* pther dispatches, avas forthwith dis-
40Stched.lionie under charge of Captain Brooke, of the
sth RegiMept, . who will of course have reached
London before this, paper.
pnrt of ,Shanghae was opened on the 14th
„November by the officiating. Consul, Captain Balfour.
•Subsequent accounts to the Ist December represent
•.
.themarket as having been supplied by native dealers
•revious to. the opening of the port, and consequently
tittle trade was doing. In the port of Shanghae is
included the town. of Woosung, at the mouth of the
river of that name. A custom-house and jetty were
• • -.,comminced. Some difficulty was found in procuring
• Pirate. dwellinii-houses, but warehouse-room was
abundantly obtainable. The English at first were
,noti iwthe least restricted, in their excursions in the,
vicinity of the port, until unluckily two -Chinese boys
:Were accidentally wounded in the face by small shot,
°lse so severely as to cause the loss of sight. This
06currenee led the' Chinese authorities to apply to the
Council .at !slice _to have the limits defined within
'whicl, foreigners were in future to confine themselves.
gaud
cold weather had' set in at the end of November,
and the thermometer fallen to 40.
An Araerican vessel, named the 0. C. Raymond,
eat ciflrnmanded.l6, Captain Denison, in the course of last
AUy toolCalsout 40,000 dollars on freight at Chusan,
for Macao, and disappeared from the China seas, but
wai lately heard of at Valparaiso, where it was said
the Captain had disposed of the sycee silver and made
Oyer, his schooner to the first mate, with the intention
•of• Proceeding to the United States.
the Hong Merchants have applied to the Imperial
Commissioner to have a fund raised for the payment
their debts by, the imposition of an 'additional duty
orfclur mace per picul of tea and.one Mace per picul
. Rotton ,at Canton. To this petition the Commis-
: • Sinner repl'i'ed that the KWang Chow Foo would be
Irequired.to report on the proposition. This proposed
latttation of the tariff would be a manifest infraction
O te treatY, and has excited a suspicion amongst
to British mercantile community in China that this
is but the. first of many encroachments that may be
?nuieted tO be,atteinnted unless decisively resisted in
the olttae.-• , The Chinese Superintendent of Customs
t Amoy is said to haie determined to levy a double
,;• duty on camP h o•r, but w
this has arisenfroraany
y are not informed whether
superiors, or otherwise: orders received from his
(From the 'Canton Press of Jan. 6.)
IN, heartily wish a happy new year to our readers.-
tL_P year in China is ushered in under more auspi-
circumstances than the last, when only a few
ee
. • wlsa before ' its commencement the houses and
rtiP"t,,Y of :British • and' foreign merchants had
ctestroyed 'by the violence of a hostile mob,
,• Canton was, to a certain degree, abandoned
_Neeiits foreign residents. At the beginning of this
asne:ll,e British flag floats quietly before the resi-
• • (-114, M. *Consul, temporarily established at
doubt-be
Hong,' and its former owner would no
•%; the
ueiuthewhat unpleasantly astonished, could he
• houi, e guard of, British marines posted before the
-• mu e.where for many years he was busied in accu-
; •ti l'lousaritl's upon thousands, and in opposing,
•• hia secret influence would do, the British
;;I:teSY, or,rither in upholding a system which se-..
..,4d to tim the advantages of the Cohong mono-
!• . -1.-andl'reStrieted as much as laws could do it,
ssisr.sss,sl_ ,
friendly intercourse between Chinese
.dreirierci. A new era has during the past year
.vc,7llln`; many of the restrictions isolating the Chinese
• . 41,7 the: family of nations have been abolished, and
‘ ?lew system must -gradually subvert many more.
1113. poTts 'already British Consuls, fully recog-
•• -:17":1 'by' the thihese-Government, reside, and we,
wsPe that' another ' will soon be appointed to the
epita urvZilikeen. The most friendly intercourse
tween the Chinese officers 'and those of the western.
stations has frequently taken plaee during the year
. ;put closed, and the Mandarins seem insensibly
_to
. • „tittie 'dropped' their-pretensions to superiority over the
• • ,t bfinankind. Our prospects of trade and inter-
„.
seoUrse with China are of the brightest, •and we sin-
." !kitty-hope' and' trust that they may not be dimmed
••‘ ,"..Y any unfortunate and ntiforseen accident.
e learn that of the ground rented at Canton by
,the British authorities, 13 lots to build on have been
t out to British i'nerchants.
- - TROOPS AT HONG-TONG.
itlr"l. C. Campbell, C. 8., her Majesty's 98th Regi-
s - • Commandant.
Lieut. Y° th rne her Majesty's 98th Regiment,
1 station Staff Officer
Royal Artillery.-Lieutenant P. S. Parson, 1
coMpan•
:;nto,iia.Y.,ltattnpearnsy.and Miners.—Lieut. T. B. Collin-
-"'luras Sappers and Miners.—Lieut. T. B. Collin-
's.", det,F coin
• '4. ellothr.l4Sl *WI; 55th Reginlel4:7-CaPt• H. M'Caskill,
. - •
; 70.11 t- 2dajesty's,9Bth Regiment.—Col. C. Campbell,
: Cal. 3.
ec°R;l:'
mint Madras NatiVe Infantry.—Lieut.
stflPhel, C. 8., 6 corn.
CanvasD
m.

FIELD FORCE OF CUUSAN.
MajOr-Gelleral Sir J. H. Schoedde, K.C.8., Corn-
. mending Field Force.
Captain A. (1I T
x-
-ear her Majesty's 55th Regiment,
- Brigadier Major. Y'
Captain D. Bar:afield, 56th Bengal Native Infantry,
Military Magistrate.
Lieutenant C. J. Elphinstone, 12th Madras Native
" Infantry, Sub-Assistant Commissary-General.
L IL Green, Deputv-Assistant Commissary-General.
Lieutenant J. Hitchens, Madras Sappers and
• Mi-
ners, Executive Engineer and Barrack-master.
Surgeon A. Shanks, her. Majesty's 55th Regiment,
Staff Surgeon.
Madras d
Artillery, commanded by Capt. Back, head
quarters,.G con.
Her 4
co Majesty's 18th Regiment, Major Grattan,
r.
Her Majesty's 55th 'Regiment, Lieut.-Colonel C.
• Warren, C. 8.,, 5 corn.
Regiment Madras Native Infantry, Lieut.-Col.
t. C. 8., 10 companies.
Madras Sappers and Ali
Lieut. J. Hitchins,
head-quarters, G. corn.
Gun Lascars, Capt. J. Back, head-quarters, D corn.
GARRISON OF IC.C.LAiNGSW.
Lieut.-Colonel J. Cowper, C. 8., Commanding the
Garrison.
Lieut. J. W. Graves, her Majesty's 18th Royal In-
fantry, Station Staff Officer.
-W. T. Power, Acting Deputy-Assistant Commis
oar General.
Lieut. C. T. Collingwood, Madras Artillery, As-
-1/4... . •
instant Engineer.
.511 Madras. Artillery, Lieut. Collingwood, Det. D
c`Ompa.
Tier Majesty's 18th Royal Infantry Regimcnt,
Lieu..-Colonel Cowper, 5 comps.
41st Royal Madras Native Infantry, Left Wing,
Captain Ball, 4 comps.
Madras Sappers and, Miners, Lieut. Collingwood,
Det. F comp.
Madras Gun Lasear, Lieut. Collingwood, Det. D
- comp.

R,~..

",: