The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-19 00:00:00

3;.L v rir ]ike~~ise

rrx>.::

iercd z.o Le ~u,tl a s-cond

Mr. 1. KLLL

houid bring in a

fresh Bill
The adjour

cd debate on Mr. C. Bt
.rd was re.:;

,nJtiim on

C ptain
defended C,. FiiL:'.:: aLd vi,upc•rated
iu the 6trungest terms the conduct of the New Zealand
Company.

Lbjeet of Nu

Mr. AGLIONBY bad never regretted his connexion
with the New Zealand Company, which was composed
of honourable and high-minded men, united together,
for the purpose of carrying out a benevolent object.
The complaints of the Gallant Officer who had last
spoken, were all founded on misapprehension. Ile
implored the Government to reconsider their policy,
so as to promote the permanent interest of the colony.
The House was subsequently addressed by Mr.
BARKLY, Sir H INGLIS, Mr. HAWES, Sir H. DOUGLAS,
and Lord Howrca, after which, on the motion of Mr.
MANGLES, the debate was adjourned.

In our impression of Monday last we published, in
juxta-position, two very remarkable announcements.
The one, contained in a letter from our very flourishing
settlement in the island of Hong-Kong in the China
seas; the other from Lloyd's agent at Gibraltar. The
former recorded a most signal instance of the sudden
enlightenment of the Lord of the Celestial Empire in
the true principles of trade and revenue; the latter con-
tained a whimsical exemplification of the suicidal despotism
under which the Emperor of MOROCCO settles the "pro-
tective" and "prohibitory" duties that regulate the fo-
reign trade of his dominions. Both of them are well
calculated to convey a salutary lesson to the framers of
our own mercantile and fiscal legislation, not the less
impressive because they travel from so remote regions
of Asia and of Africa. After waging a war of extir-
mination against the " barbarian eyes," or foreign traders,
who, in spite of all the Imperial edicts that his ancestors
as well as himself have fulminated from time to time
against such enormities—after incurring, in his zeal to
put down the vicious custom, followed by a few millions
of his subjects, of chewing opium, and to resent the in-
dignity put on the ineffable authority of his loftily-
worded proclamations by reckless smugglers, who still
presumed to import the noxious drug into his dominions,
because there was yet many more millions of Chinese of
all ranks who would continue to smoke it—after in-
curring, we say, a memorable chastisement in the pur-
suit of these projects from the tremendous naval and
military armaments of the distant Britons,—after con-
cluding peace in one of the most populous and important
of his capitals with these invaders, and running no in-
considerable risk of losing his enormous empire—the
largest in the globe—the Emperor of CHINA, who the
other day would have thought it well lost for a success-
ful expulsion of opium from every corner of it, now
" admits it openly in every one of his ports ;" allows
it to be carried about the streets for sale ; and
though some little remains of shame may yet prevent
him from expressly authorising the trade in it, he con-
descended to draw from the reduced duty it paid on its
enormously-increased consumption in the city of Canton
alone, last year, a revenue of 250,000 dollars. From
the thirty-eieht full cargoes known to have been dis-
posed of without molestation at Shang-hai, and the
market which it is sure to find at Amoy, there is some
probability that the imperial privy purse was benefited
altogether by double that amount. Now, to us it seems
a marvellous advance to have been made, within so short
a time, in the true science of mercantile policy which is
thus exhibited in the person of a descendant of these
Mongol-Tartar Khans, who, exactly two hundred years
ago (last year) overthrew the ancient native dynasty of
China, and settled their own upon its " celestial" throne,
as they somewhat arrogantly term it. He rules, it is
said, over more than 300,000,000 of subjects, with that
most searching of autocratic powers which is exercised
by a despot to whom divine honours are paid daily, not
only within the precincts of his palace, but throughout
the length and breadth of his stupendous dominions.
He might be to some extent excused if servile and habi-
tual homage of this kind had effectually extinguished
the suggestions of common sense in his mind by the
prejudices of education and of hereditary prece-
dents. But the EMPEROR has reasoned much
better. A single man's appetite is more power-
ful than an Emperor's sceptre ; fur it wil
urge him to deeds of desperation which imperial re-
wards will neither tempt a man into, nor compensate him
for. But if twice a million of mankind, men and wo-
men, have a passion for intoxicating themselves in some
cases, reasonably enjoying themselves in others, in
others re-establishing their healths by the use—or the
Ouses, as it may be—of opium, not even the earnest-
ness of a Chinese; conviction of imperial infallibility can
persuade the Majesty of China, it seems, that he can
successfully contend against the indulgetre of such an
appetite. So he gives over his crusade against the
smuggling trade which ministers to it. He breaks up
his interminable establishment of mandarins, of blue
buttons and white buttons, and one peacock's feather
and three silk dragons ; his war junks, and his swift
and many-oared rowboats, and his clumsy but pic-
turesque revenue cruisers of all denominations of colour,
force, size, and ugliness He eschews the stately, but
perilous folly of quarrelling a ith mighty kingdoms for
the vindication of antiquated dogmas, or exploded errors
in commercial polity. He foregoes the luxury of " mak-
ing examples " and of " striking terror into the hearts
of offenders," by bastinadoing, bamboo•caging, or
strangling any of those luckless ones among the more
.tinter prising of his maritime lieges who may be caught rt -
turning from the mouths of the Bogue with the transferred
opium, and without the Sycee silver which has been paid
for it. In short, since it is a commodity the demand for
which he cannot control, and which must and will be
satisfied somehow, and by somebody, the EMPEROR, like
a very wise man, gives up the hopeless struggle ; eco-
nomises his revenue by putting down a most costly, use-
less, and vexatious portion of its machinery ; gratifies
his subjects by allowing them to gratify their own
tastes ; puts the foreign trader in perfect good humour,
and puts an annual revenue of some 130,000/.
sterling into his own private pocket by the transaction.
Let us suppose all this done in res of corn, or sugar,
tobacco, or in some country nearer home, of class into
rests, and high prohibitory duties. Have we nothing to
learn i❑ the oldest monarchies of Europe from the wise
and sound example of the more ancient empire of China?
But Morocco, more barbarous and " nearer home"
than China, supplies us with the converse of this
example. The more warlike but less statesmanlike Est-
Puaoa of the old Mauritania, having all the elements of
legitimate military empire about him (that is to say,
dilapidated finances, decayed resources, large army esti
mates to provide for, large establishments to be main-
tained, divided councils, a distracted people, a violated
frontier, and exhausting aars upon his hands), this mo-
narch is compelled to make the usual sacrifices de
manded by such a state of things. To supply for a sea-
son—for a moment, the inexorable necessities of perma-
nent and ruinous claims upon his coffers, he flies at all
the trade he can grasp, on his coasts or within his pro-
vinces; at Mogadore or in Fez, at Tetuan or El Araiche.
On whatever commodities or merchandise the spirit of
commercial adventure brings within his reach, instead
of encouraging their renewed investments by moderate
and equitable imposts, and by dealing with them on
terms prescribed by former conventions or lan-
guage, he has just attempted to lay strong
hands, as it were, in order to squeeze violently out of
them whatever can be presently obtained, at whatever
future loss to his exchequer and his people. It seems,
on the authority we have just quoted, that it has been
deemed expedient—by the Board of Trade of Morocco—
that the same rates are to be levied on all kinds of cotton
and woollen piece goods, without reference to their re-
spective qualities, and the same system is to be observed
also with regard to goods usually imported by weight,
so that ss. or 21s. sterling will be charged in a quintal of
copperas and other goods of very little value. This is
abundantly foolish—barbarous, if you will ; but it
strikes us that analogies may have existed to within a
very recent period in the unwise legislation we have
known to be doggedly pursued in respect of prohibitory
duties on raw material, colonial, and other products,
and foreign fabrics of indisputable importance to the
comfort of a community more enlightened, more for-
midable, and certainly more patient than that of the em-
pire of Morocco.

Accounts from Brussels of the 16th announce the re-
signation of all the Ministers. It appears that the elec-
tions, both in the capital and Antwerp, had gone de-
cidAly against the Government candidates, and eleven
Liberals had been returned. These unexpected results had
such an effect upon several of the members of the Cabinet,
that a Council was summoned, and, after some delibra-
, tion, all gave in -their resignations. Baron D'HuART,
Governor of Namur, and formerly Finance Minister, was
immediately sent for, and intrusted with the formation of
a new Ministry. The visit of the KING and QUEEN to
England has in consequence been deferred. The Libe-
rals have reason to congratulate themselves on the down-
fal of this Ministry, which showed every disposition to
consult the views of the bigoted Catholic party.

Madrid journals of the 10. h have been receive& It
is announced in several of them that the regulations for
assessing and levying the new property-tax will be offi-
cially published in a few days. The law, it appears, is
to have a retrospective effect, and Senor MON beats Mr.