The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-05 00:00:00

CHINA.

Paul Ivy Stirling, Esq., Attorney-General of this '
cLlony, has been appointed a member of the Executive
Council.—Friendof China, Aug. 7.
CANTON.—Our dates are to the 14th. All was quiet.
S, me heavy purchases of silk have been made. Another
meeting was held at the Consulate regarding the build-
ing-ground leased by her Majesty's superintendent of
trade from the Chinese ; but as formerly, the merchants
would not agree to the very stringent terms upon which
it is proposed to sub-let part of the ground to them.
Two houses, as we mentioned some time ago, have signed
the agreement, but nothing has been done in the way of
building. The Hong merchants have had another call
from their Government to pay five millions of dollars,
their portion of the Canton ransom money, but they
continue inflexible in their determination not to do so.
They were all summoned into the city on the 12th. The
result is not known, but the impression is that they e ill
be imprisoned. However, Samqua, and others who are
possessed of valuables, have removed from their own
he ngs, so as to be out of the reach of the Government
harpies.—Friend of China, Aug. 15.
By her Majesty's steamer Vixen we have two or
three papers to the 27th ult., but as our intermediate
dates between the sailing of the Spiteful and those
brought by the Vixen are still wanting, our intelligence i
is incomplete. We gather, however, from those papers
NI hich we have received, that much sickness has again
prevailed at Hong-Kong, and that a number of deaths
have occurred. At Amoy also there seems to be much
sickness, though we
_cannot gather from what cause.
Tile sickness at Hong-Kong is attributed to imperfect
drainage, &c. The Rob Roy, on her way from Macao
to Calcutta, was obliged to put back to Victoria, having
sprung her foremast in a heavy gale. We observe that
the French Plenipotentiary arrived at Macao from Ma-
nilla on the 15th ultimo, when his Excellency immedi-
ately landed. SN'e gather from the Friend of China,
am-, the Arnetieen Plenipotentiary has been negotiat-
ire: with Keying with a view to the improvement of some
part; of rho 'Bril i,h tr,nty. It is mentioned that he has
gor ihe 17th articl.). of the supplementary treaty, by
which small vessels visiting the ditfe•rent ports bad to
pay such enormous duties at each place, amended.
The 13th article of that treaty, however, by which Chi-
ne; e merchants coming to Hong• Kong to purchase goods
must ship them in a Chinese vessel, seems to remain
unaltered. The mandarin; at the new ports have put a;very
wide interpretation on this clause, since they have even
extended it to the case of Chinese merchants sending
goods from Singapore. We believe that they objected
to admitting goods sent by some of the Chinese here in
British vessels, and that the difficulty was got over by
making out bills of lading in the names of the com-
manders or other persons not Chinese. The attempt to
strain this article so as to apply it to Singapore is very
ab..urd, and the more so, as it happens that most of the
Chinese here who have shipped largely for the northern
ports, are not subjects of the Emperor of China at all,
but British subjects born in Malacca. After a little more
experience of the working of the treaties, Mr. Davie
wilt find room enough for a new supplementary treaty.
Mr. Davis was to leave Victoria in company with the
Admiral on the 28th ult., on a tour of inspection of the
northern ports.—Singapore Free Press, Sept. 12.
We understand the French squadron arrived at
Macao on the morning of Thursday last, and the Am-
bassador landed in the course of the day.—Hong- Kong
Register, August 20.
Our brother of the Friend of China, in his issue of
the 14th instant, says he cannot corroborate the state-
ment in our last number, that another week (from the
6th to the 13th) had passed without his hearing of any
a
Aditionel cases of sickness of a serous nature in the