The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-06 00:00:00

DEATH OF MR. MORRISON.

Sir Henry Pottinger announces with feelings of the deepest
and most unfeigned sorrow, the demise this morning, at a few
minutes after seven o'clock, of the Hon. J. R. Morrison,
Member of Council, Chinese Secretary, &c., and Officiating
Colonial Secretary of the Government of Hong-Kong.
Mr. Morrison was so well known and so truly beloved, es-
teemed, arid respected by all who had the happiness of his ac-
quaintance and friendship, that to attempt to pass any panegyric
on his private character would be a mere waste of words, and
Sir Henry Pottinger feels that his own sincere grief on this
mournful event is only a type of that universal sentiment in
which the memory and worth of Mr. Morrison will be for ever
embalmed.

In a public point of view Sir Henry Pottinger considers the
death of Mr. Morrison to be an irreparable national calamity,
and he doubts not but as such it will be received and viewed by
his Sovereign and country.
The Canton Press adds the following particulars :
" Mr. J. R. Morrison, the son of the illustrious Dr. Mor-
rissn, so well known as an active missionary and compiler of
the Chinese Dictionary, and who died in China just nine
years ago, was born in Malacca in 1815, and was only 28
years and four months old at the time of his death. In an early
age he was sent to Europe, whence he returned, after a short stay
to China, with only the rudiments of an education, which it
then became the care of his father to perfect. From the
earliest age his attention was drawn to the study of the
Chinese language, in which he had become so proficient,
that on the lamented death of his father, though only
19 years old, he was appointed by the Government to
the responsible situation of Chinese secretary andinter-
preter to the superintendents of trade, before held by his
father, the duties of which he performed to general satisfaction.
" Mr. Morrison's studies were even at that early period not
limited to the Chinese language. The trade of this country
had so much engaged his attention, that in 1834 he pub-
lished a volume, the " Chinese Commercial Guide," con-
taining much very valuable information on the commerce
with Canton, which must have been collected with considera-
ble pains, and which to this moment is of the greatest use as a
book of reference. During the following years, preceding the
differences with the English, Mr. Morrison, whose official
duties did not then engross the whole of his time, was engaged
in perfecting his knowledge of the Chinese language, and
of the customs and habits of this people. The geography
oiff
htheishacdoubneterny particularly
culuarsl, it was
yhadenhgi: pgelrpdihosise,awtte bentielonie,vea,ntdo,
have published a work en the geography of China, for which
he had already collected many valuable notes. He con-
templated also a new and enlarged edition of his father's
dictionary. These literary labours were, however, interrupted
by the troubles which broke out in Canton early in 1838, since
which time he had to conduct the whole of the Chinese cor-
respondence of her Majesty's Superintendents and Plenipoten-
tiaries, and in 1840 and subsequently always accompanied her
Majesty's Plenipotentiary on the several expeditions of the
British forces, where his perfect knowledge of the language
and of the official usages were of the greatest advantage in
carrying on the negotiations which have terminated so advan-
tageously to this country. It was just at the moment when Mr.
Morrison's services were about to be rewarded by higher office,
and their value probably more substantially recognised by his
Sovereign and country, his Excellency Sir H. Pottinger hav-
ing only last week appointed him a member of the Legislative
and Executive Council, and officiating Colonial Secretary of ,
the Government of Hong-Kong, that, •n the 23d of last month, •
he was attacked by the Hong-Kong fever, which has lately de-
prived us of so many valuable lives. The fever which termi-
nated his life, and which must be called the Hong-Kong fever,
combines, we are told, in its symptoms, the appearance of the
jungle fever of India add of the yellow fever of the West Indies,
and has hitherto in too many instances defied medical art, al-
though the latest advices from Hong-Kong, we are glad to say,
mention the recovery of several that were considered in danger
from the same illness."

THE CURRENCY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,.---;1 was much pleased by reading in The
Sun, of yesterday, some able remarks on the
Currency, by your Correspondent " Beirniard."
One of the errors which he points out, as com-
mitted by writers on that subject, is that of ad-
mitting the depreciation of paper currency; and
as that phrase occurs in the leading article of the
Times of this morning, commenting on some
pamphlets publiShed by the Society for the
Emancipation of Industry, it may not be amiss
to inquire into the sense in which it is so used, so
as to put an end to wrangling about terms to
which both parties attach different ideas. The
term depreciation of currency first came into
vogue about the time Mr. Huskisson wrote his
celebrated pamphlet on the Currency, in 1810,
He found that ever since the passing of the Bank
Restriction Act, in 1797, the price of gold, wheat,
and all other commodities, had been gradually
rising in price, and that, consequently, the
pound-note did not purchase so much of any
commodity as it had done prior to 1798. He,
therefore, asserted that the CURRENCY lIAD DE-
PRECIATED, and erroneously attributed this de-
preciation to the over-issues of Bank paper. I
agree entirely with your Correspondent " Beir-
niard" as to the loose and unphilosophical mode
of thinking and expression implied in this
phrase, "depreciation ;" for had Mr. Huskisson
said that everything had become dearer he would
have been much nearer the truth ; and, by this
mode of expression, we might have been saved
from all the misery and ruin which Mr. Huskis-
son's unfortunately chosen phrase and loose
manner of thinking has since entailed on this
country.

In consequence of the amount of indirect taxa-
tion levied on commodities year after year, from
the passing of the Bank Restriction Act, the
productive classes of this country were compelled
to demand, and paper money enabled them to
obtain, from the consumers of their respective
commodities, a higher price than they could
otherwise have received. The pound-note, there-
fore, very naturally and properly lost its power
to purchase, in exact proportion as prices of com-
modities had been enhanced by taxation.
From the system of indirect taxation, and the
drain on us fbr gold prior to 1797, we were com-
pelled in the fbllowing year to abandon gold
money ; but even had we not been so compelled,
and if gold money could have been retained in this
country (the pressure of indirect taxation re-
maining as before), IT too would have depre-
ciated just in the same degree as the PA PER
money did ; in other words, IT too would have
lost a portion of its power to purchase. In re-
spect of " depreciation," then, the gold and paper
pound would have been quite on a par, as far as
THIS COUNTRY was concerned. But gold is a
commodity, and has a general mercantile value
in the market of the world, and if we depreciate
it at home, in consequence of high taxation prices,
it will be sure to leave us in our dealings with
foreigners—not so our paper ; and therein
lies a great point of superiority of paper
money possessing no intrinsic value, over
gold money possessing intrinsic value. For
prices can be maintained in a taxed country by
the use of paper money, but cannot be main-
tained by using gold money, unless by adopting
the most stringent prohibitory system of trade,
and making it criminal to clip, melt, or export
the coin of the realm. Set gold free from the
trammels of the fixed price at which the Bank
of England must at present take up its notes,
and let it rise in the markets like other commo-
dities in this taxed country, and the value of our
English pound will just be what amount of gold,
or anything else, it will purchase; and this value
will depend and be regulated by the amount of
indirect taxation which Parliament chooses to
levy on the country, and will therefore have a
much steadier and uniform value than any money
based on the precious metals; its value will in-
crease with the diminution of taxation, and di-
minish with the increase of taxation, so that it
will be fbr the benefit of landowners, flindholders,
annuitants, placemen, and every person enjoy-
ing fixed incomes, to see that the affairs of the
nation are conducted with an eye to economy.—l

am, Sir, you►'s truly,
4th January, 1844.

Q.T.