The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-05 00:00:00

SUN I LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVEN
existence at Singapore.' It is difficult, we conceive, to find two
places whose situation is more dissimilar in eviery respect. DIRECT EAST and WEST LYTNCTION
RAILWAY.
" Singapore is a place where rent of land is remarkably mode- I 38, MoorgAte-streat.
rate; it is the emporium of an important and valuable trade, with a The Acting Committee of the above railway beg to inform the
iplub.-
lic that the Deed will Lie for Signature at tithe Compan3' f • .ntil
large and comparatively wealthy population. Hong-Kong, on the
other hand, i 3 already taxed in ground-rents alone higher than any MONDAY, the 10th inst., after which, it will proceed to the ollir.ving
places, as under, where the Banker's Receipt may be exchanged for
colony in the world ;it has no trade at all, and is the mere place Scrip, between the hours of Eleven and Three :
of residence of Government and its officers, with a few British Bristol—At the Swan Hotel, on Tuesday, the 11th Nov.
merchants, and a very scanty and poor Chinese population. Worcester—At the Crown, on Wednesday, the 12th Nov'.
Birmingham—At the Stork, on Thursday, the 13th Nov.
" When Hong-Kong is as able to bear taxation as Singapore, It
Manchester—At the Allmon, on Friday, the 14th Nov.
may, in our humble judgment, be still a question, whether the Liverpool—At the Adelphl, on Saturday, the 15th Nov.
heavy ground-rents ought not to exempt the Inhabitants from Glasgow—At the London Hotel, on Wednesday, the 19th Nov.
further payments; but whatever may eventually be considered ex. Edinburgh—At the London Hotel, on Thursday, the 20th Nov.
pedient, we would wish to impress upon the Government our belief Leeds—At the Scarborough Hotel
0. D. , on SatMATHIAS urday, the 21st Nov.
that oppressive burdens laid on an infant trade, and on a new By order, ,S.
colony, situated as Hong-Kong now is, must inevitably be not only
unjust to the early settlers, but ultimately fatal to the settlement
itself.
" We are bound, as merchants, to speak with diffidence on
points of law where we find our views at variance with those of
the colonial law officers : but we roust still adhere to our opinion,
and re.assert our conviction, that Ordinance No. 2 is alike uncon-
stitutional and illegal.
" We quite concur with his Excellency in the wisdom of his
having refused to levy a small tonnage duty in Hong-Kong, for as
most of the business transacted in this harbour consists in the mere
transhipment of goods tram one vessel to another, we are satisfied I
that any attempt to enforce such a charge would merely have had
the effect of driving the ships to one of the adjacent anchorages
without the limits of the port.
" We also fully concur in the sound policy which has exempted
wine, beer, and spirits from duty, inasmuch as any revenue which
could have beets derived from the limited consumption in so small
a community could not have been expected to pay the expense of
collection.
" That the civil, naval, and military servants of Government are
subject to the payment of 8 per cent. as an income-tax in Hong-
Kong, from which the merchants are exempt, we submit does not
apply to this as a colonial question, for they are equally liable to
that tax at other places, and even on the high seas.
" It remains for us to notice the remarks of his Excellency in
Council on what is termed the trade of Hong. Kong.
" The reported increase in tonnage we cannot consider any
proof of extended trade, for it shows nothing more than the number
of ships that have anchored in Hong-Kong Bay en their way to
other ports.
" All, or nearly all, the cotton ships from India have stopped a
few hours at Hong-Kong before proceeding to Canton, but not a
single bale of their cargoes has been landed or sold here; and the
same remark may generally apply to the ships from England, but it
would be as erroneous to infer from the number of inward vessels,
that there is an increase of trade, or indeed that there is any trade
at all, as to suppose, because all the English tea-laden ships from
Canton call here for their dispatches, that Hong-Kong is the centre
of the tea trade.
" With regard to the report of Mr. Gutzlaff, that ' 120,000
pieces of cotton goods have been taken away by 13 junks this
year,' we are not prepared to deny that this officer may have
access to sources of information of which we are deprived; but
we submit that some doubt may be entertained of the authenticity
of mercantile statements, which appear to have eluded the ob-
servation of the whole mercantile community. We are quite
satisfied Mr. Gutzlaff must have been convinced that such a trade
really existed, but as we cannot find that his information has been
derived from any of the British merchants, we are apprehensive
that he has relied on the reports of the Chinese junk people—a
class by no moans remarkable for strict adherence to correctness in ,
questions of statistical detail.
" Supposing, however, the reports to be correct, it by no means
follows that such deliveries of cotton cloths can be deemed part
of the trade of Hong-Kong, for nothing is of more common occur-
rence than for the junk-owners to purchase goods in Canton,
deliverable outside the port, at Macao, Hong-Kong, or elsewhere;
and if this place did not exist, the business would be carried on at
any other convenient anchorage.
" Giving, however, the fullest measure of credit, both to Mr.
Gutzlaff's informants, and the inference that his Excellency in
Council appears to deduce from the report, we venture to remark,
that if, after four years' occupation of the colony, the only trade
which can be found to exist, after apparently the most diligent in-
quiry, is an export of 120,000 pieces of cloths, in a place pos.
leasing all the advantages of a free port, so pointedly enumerated
in your letter now under reply, there is yet scarcely sufficient
business transacted, or likely soon to be transacted, in the colony,
as to justify heavy taxation.
" The following tabular statement, taken from official returns,
will show the position of the question more accurately, assuming
(what as above stated, we do not think it would be correct to
admit) that the 120,000 pieces of cotton cloths belong to the
trade of this place.

Nov. 3, 1845.

YME REGIS and TAUNTON RAILWAY,
_ILA and LYME REGIS HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT COM-
PANY.
The Committee of Management of the above Company have de-
termined to require from the parties towhom shares may be allotted
the immediate payment of a deposit of 21. per share only, being the
amount allowed by the Act of Parliament to be taken beyond the
amount required by the standing orders to be deposited in the name
of the Accountant-General of the Court of Chancery. The remain-
ing deposit of 21. per share will not be required before the month of
January, and will not then be required unless the Company arc in a
position to proceed to Parliament in the ensuing session.
No Applications for Shares will be received after the 10th instant
from parties residing in London, nor after the 13th instant from
parties residing in tine country.
By order,
JOHN CHAMP, Secretary.
23, Finsbury-place North, Nov. 4, 1845.

MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON
RAILWAY.

The Committee of Management have the gratification of announc-
ing that a mutually satisfactory arrangement has been concluded
with the Most Noble the Marquis of Ailesbury, of Tottenham Park,
Wilts, through whose domain their line is intended to run for a dis-
tance of nearly fifteen miles, by virtue of which his Lordship's
sanction and support are secured to the undertaking ; and the Earl
Bruce joins the Managing Direction, and gives his valuable aid in
promotion of the railway.
The Committee have further to announce that an agreement has
been entered into (and has been confirmed by a special meeting of its
proprietors) for purchase of the entire line of canal running from
Redbridge, by Romsey and Stockbridge, to Andover, a distance of
abent twenty-five miles; thereby securing (subject to the sanction
of Parliament) another important portion of the ground to be tra-
versed by their line, and materially facilitating its construction.
The Committee take this opportunity of stating that the deposits
upon shares have been fully paid, that the survey of the line from
Cheltenham to Southampton will be completed this week, that as to
a considerable portion of their line to Poole the survey will also be
complete within a few days, and the remainder in full time for the
requisite Parliamentary deposits.
As regards the portion of line between Salisbury and Poole, the
Committee have concluded a friendly arrangement with the London,
Salisbury, and Yeovil Junction Company, for their participation, to a
limited extent, in that line.
JAMES WALKINSHAW, Deputy-Chairman.
JOHN WHEELER, Secretary.
19, Great George-street, Westminster,
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1845.

NORTHERI.O RAILWAY of FRANCE.
(DECCAN LEBEUF'S COMPANY.)
Shareholders are urgently requested to present their Certificates at
this office between the hours of Ten and Three, before the Bth inst., in
order to receive a further return of 2/. per share, and to sign the re-
quired transfer, for the purpose of procuring the shares of the consti-
tuted Company. After the above date, Shareholders may be sub-
jected to unavoidable delay in completing the transfer.
By order,

' - EDWARD FILDER, Secretary.
T, Tokenhoue-yard, London, Nor. 1, 1845.

PRESTON AND WYRE RAILWAY HAR-
BOUR AND DOCK COMPANY.
Final notice of Registration of Scrip for the half-shares of 21. 108.
each.
No Scrip can be received for Registration after MONDAY, the 10th
November, 1845.
Holders of Scrip are requested to forward the same without delay
to the Company's Offices, Flteewood, together with their names at
fall length, and address.

By order,
H. BAZETT JONES, Secretary,
Company's Offices, Fleetwood, 31st October, 1845.

EXETER, YEOVIL, and DORCHESTER
RAILWAY.
.Notice is hereby given that, in consequence of important and most
favourable negotiations connected with the welfare of this under-
taking, the GENERAL MEETING of SHAREHOLDERS, adver-
tised to be held on Thursday, the Gth day of November instant, is
POSTPONED till THURSDAY, the 27th instant, to be then held at
the Royal Subscription-rooms, Exeter, at One o'clock.
The Committee have muck pleasure In announcing the following
addition to the Provisional Committee : _ .

' INN:MT-TR kDE

" Canton, for the year 1844—tonnage, 83,679 tons; value,
3,883,8281.
" Shanghai, for the half.year ending June 30, 1845—tonnage,
6,578 tons; value, 442,7571.
" Hong. Kong, half-year ending June 30, 1544—tonnage,
62,264. . _

- --
The
Hon. Hon.ltightcelG George
eVlsgeeoLteDhr
M.P.catManchester
on, M.P. Directors of
the
The and
James Walkinahaw, Esq. Southampton
Henry Tootal, Esq. Railway.

. .
By order of the Committee,
JOHN CLENCH, Secretary,
Dated Exeter, 13, Bedford-circus, November 3, 1845.