The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-30 00:00:00

CANTON FORTS.

The Chines© Government has expended very large
sums in the vain endeavour to render the entrance of the
Canton River impassable to European ships of war. The
Alceste frigate forced her way, in 1816, almost without
opposition, but since that period, additional forts have
been built, and all the guns that could be collected have
been placed in them with something like a determination
to succeed in the object. The armament of the forts is
at present as follows, made by ships on the spot :,
__

Embrasures.

Mounted
Guns.

Starboard hand, Old Anunghoy Fort 16
Starboard hand, New Anunghoy Fort 40
Larboard hand,.lsland battery, double
tier
Tiger Island battery 32

Total guns ll3
In the above account are not included two smaller
forts, which may be passed out of gun-shot range.

AMOY.

Amoy, which is variously called • Emouy, or Iliamen,
is situated near the south-east coast of China, annexing
the province of Fuh.kien. In circuit, it has a compass of
about fifteen miles, and the great fort which was lately
captured by the British arms was resorted to formerly
by Europeans, but abandoned when foreign commerce
was restricted to Canton. There are to be met with in its
interior, and on the coast, several very large temples, par-
ticularly one of great celebrity, dedicated to the god Fo,
whose statue, of colossal size, towers to a great height,
and is much frequented by throngs of worshippers. The
images of numerous other divinities are also seen, to-
gether with a host of strange allegorical paintings, and
incense is burned perpetually on the altars. Amoy fort
lies at the back of the town, about 400 yards from the
shore, upon an eminence of small size. The front of the
village is composed of a cluster of' small houses, before
which a long battery runs all along the shore, and much
resembles Algiers, in appearance, from the sea. Imme
diately opposite the town is a harbour, and the channel
itself is about three quarters of a mile in width, sepa-
rating Amoy from the island of Koo-lang-soo, which also
has its battery. The c!sannel is about twelve fathoms in
depth, and affords very excellent anchorage on the north
part of the town.
Amoy is the residence of numerous merchants, who
are the owners of mere than 300 large junks, and who
carry on extensive commerce not only to all the ports of
China, but to many also in the Indian Archipelago, and
to Japan. It is considered as the grand emporium of
the Fokien province. Most of the Formosa trade, which
is extensive, is carried on by the junks apperta,ning to
Amoy ; they go to all the western ports of the island, and
either return loaded with rice, or go up to the north of
China loaded with sugar. With regard to Fokien, its
chief revenue arises from the Amoy vessels, which pay
according to their burthen so much a ton.
The following historical account will serve to show the
various attempts which have been made on the part of
the British fiscm early times, to enter into mutual com-
merce with the people. As early as 1670, the English
Company had instituted a very fair trade at Amoy, which
for a time proved tolerably successful, but through some
cause it gradually declined, and at length proved so un-
profitable and vexatious, that the Company in 1681, or-
lered their establishments there, as also at Formosa, to
be withdrawn, and a trade, if possible, to be esta-
blished in their stead at Canton and Foochow.
Amoy was then taken possession of by the Tartars.
These people have always shown a great disinclination to
foreign trade, and the consequence was, that from the
Moment of their being planted in these parts, the Eng-
lish have been excluded from Ningpo and Amoy, having
aided at this last place only while it remained indepen-
lent of the Alantchows, when they supplanted the Tar-
tars by conquest, and also some time after the rest of
China had submitted to them.
In 1685, the ship Delight was sent out by the English
to attempt the re-establishment of the trade at Amoy,
And about the same time active exertions were made by
Compativ towards securing a regular commerce at
Canton. This trial, and others.,which succeeded, were
Attended with various success, for the high duties and
extortions which the rapacious Mandarins at this port
-3 ndeavoured to put upon the English, drove them away
in disgust. " The ignorance of the Amoy merchants,"
complain the English traders at this period (1734), " and
the little encouragement they gave us, makes us almost
despair of doing any business at that place." Another
instance of the obstinacy of the Amoy Mandarins to
trade with the British occurred in 1744, when the Hard-
wicke proceeded into the inner harbour. Her mer-
chants then showed no disposition to trade, while in fact
there seemed few to trade with, and accordingly, after
fifteen days of ineffectual trial, the Hardwicke left, and •
proceeded to India, during the monsoon, without a single,
article of cargo.
In the attempts made in 1832 by the Lord Amherst, a
small country ship, sent in charge of one of the Com-
pany's servants, accompanied by Mr. Gutzlaff, to estab-
lish if possible a surreptitious trade in opium at the pro-
hibited ports, Amoy was tried. On this occasion no
device, or ingenuity, or enterprise, was spared to dispose
of the goods on board, and to establish a traffic with the

natives.: These showed a very hospitable disposition
towards strangers, but all commerce was effectually pre-
vented by the Mandarins, except in one or two instances.
Vigilance was everywhere exercised to prevent trade.
The people of Amoy, and those along the coast, re-
tain an hereditary aptitude for the sea, and chiefly sup-
ply the Emperor's war-junks with sailors and comman-
ders. Two circumstances probably tend to maintain the
maritime propensities of the inhabitants. First the pro-
vince near which it is situated is so far removed from
the Grand Canal as to afford fewer inducements to inland
navigation ; secondly, the proximity of the opposite
coast of Formosa keeps up a constant intercourse by sea.
The language or dialect of Amoy also, in common with
that of the rest of Fuh-kien, is so peculiar as to be hardly
intelligible elsewhere ; ch is always pronounced t; and
hence the difference between the cha and tea for the great
staple production of China ; the first name for tea being
adopted by the Portuguese from Macao, and the second
by the English from Amoy, when this port was first the
seat of the English trade.
Du Ilalde gives a highly favourable account of Amoy.
He pronounces it to be a " famous sea-port," and form-
inF one of the best harbours in the world as a place for
ships to ride at anchor. "It is hemmed in," he says "on
one side by the islands, which are high, and shelter it
from every wind ; it is also so spacious withal that it
can contain many thousands of vessels, and the sea
there is so deep that the largest ships may come up
close to the shore, and ride there in perfect safety. You
see there," he continues, "at all tunes, a great num-
ber of Chinese barques, which are on their voyage to
the countries bordering upon China, and about twenty
years ago you might see there many European vessels,
but now they come hither but seldom, and all the trade
is removed to Canton. The Emperor keeps six or
seven thousand men there in garrison, under the com-
mand of a Chinese General. In entering into the haven
you double a cape or rock, and this divides itself into
two, almost as the Mingaut does in the port
of Brest. The rock is visible, and rises seve-
ral feet above the water, Three leagues thence
stands a little island, having a hole through which you
see from one side to the other, and on this account called
the Bored island. Between this port and the isle of
Formosa, the islands of Pong-hou form. a small archi-
pelago, which are occupied by a Chinese garrison, and
the Alandarin who resides there has a constant eye
ipon vessels that trade from China to Formosa, and from
ormosa to China." Another traveller speaks of it ill
be following words:—" The coast of Amoy is washed
)y the Chinese sea, which forms itself into a channel
naking the passage of Amoy. This channel is at all
,imes practicable, though at those periods when th( '
nonsoons have their changes, this, like all other parts of
he China shores, is unsafe. Amoy is perhaps one of
he best natural harbours to be found along the coast ;
t is ample, and generally calm of surface; its depth of water
•enders it capable of receiving vessels of great burden,
aid the island of Formosa lies, like a great breakwater,
is a defence for the coast."