Star.
London, England, 1830-04-29 00:00:00

NEWS FROM CHINA.

It appears, by letters which have lately reached this
country in the private ship Fergusson, that two points of consider.
able importance had been conceded to the foreign trade by the
Chinese authorities at Canton. The first of these was, exemption
to the Hong merchants from the ruinous extortions (under the name
of fees) to which they had been subjected on their appointment, and
which had naturally prevented candidates from offering themselves
for the situation. In this manner the total number of licensed ma-
chants had been gradually reduced to seven, and a monopoly, already
too severe, became nearly intolerable. The second concession was the
compulsory recall of the elder Hong merchant, Chunqua, more
famed for nis abilities than his integrity, who had retired from busi-
ness, and taken occasion, at the same dine, to abstract from the firm
to which he belonged the larger portion of its capital, some of which
was the property of European and American merchants. It appears
that all the European interests in China were concurrent in their
representations to the haughty and exclusive government, not ex-
cepting even the Americans, who had, for once, departed from their
usual vulpine policy. By the last accounts, an adjustment of dif.
ferenees might speedily be expected. Temperate, and at the same
time, determined negotiation, seems really to be the only rational
mode of dealing with the Chinese ; unless, indeed, we are prepared
either to deprive them by force of their territory, or to adopt
the infamous expedient of the free-trade zealots—that of taking
our chance in a contenting traffic ; which (it must be observed)
is calculated to bring along its own just punishment, by breeding
up a desperate race of pirates, ea/led by the Portuguese of Macao
Ladroner, who have already carried terroralong the southern coast of
China. A party of these desperadoes, in the year 1816, captured
by stratagem a small American ship, named the Wabash, laden
with opium, and anchored close to Macao. The whole crew were
murdered. These little facts are dexterously concealed by the free-
trade party when they produce their hearsay evidence, some of
which, it appears, has been drawn from the respectable purlieus of
Wapping. Such arc the authorities that are to influence our na-
tional Councils, while we are to disregard the following strong opi-
nion of a distinguished foreigner (uninfluenced either by interest or
spite,) who has made th.e Chinese the study of his whole life :—" Je
suis convaincu que le commerce fibre, accordt, aux vaisseaux
Anglais pour la Chine, ne tarderait pas de faire firmer Canton aux
Europiens." The opinion, in his late work, of Mr. Peter
an American, who resided eight years in Canton, is to the same
effect.

Letters from Madrid, of the 16th instant, mention
`the departure of the King and Queen of Spain for Aran-
juez. The same letters state that the talked-of Protest
of the French and Neapolitan Ambassadors against the
abolition of the Salic law in Spain, never took place ;
that, on the contrary, the King of Naples had been one
of the advisers of that measure, and the French Ambas-
sador had expressed his full concurrence in it, previous
to its publication.

LISBON, APRIL 17.