Star.
London, England, 1822-06-03 00:00:00

TRADE h CHINA.

lIITONI DATED JAN.I6,
_ ordered to quit Canton
REPULSE came down on that day,
the factory and the British flags
Previous to their leaving, the boats attended from all
the ships, well manned and wined, and brought away
a million of Spanish donors on account of the Corn-
• pony. All the ships from Whampoa have moved
down to the second bar; and as it is not deemed safe
for any British subjects to remain on shore, either at
Canton dr Macao, all the Company's establishment
remain on board-ship. It h impossible to say wheit
this affair will terminate. Several letters have passed
with the Viceroy : I inclose you alcopy of the trans. 1
lotion of one received from him, in answer to a petia
tion from the Captains and Officers, for permission to
ship off their private trade."
The following is the Chinese Edict alluged to by
our Correspondent:
CHINESE EDICT RELATIVE TO THE FATAL
AFFRAY AT LINTIN.
yam Guardian of the Prince, Member of the Military Board,
Governor of the two Kwang Province‘, Etc- hereby issues
an order to the Hong merchants, requiring them to make thew-
selves fully acquainted there With.
The Hong merchants have presented a Petition from the Erg_
Ush ship 'Captains' a foreign language, accompanied by a
translation, in which it is said—•." We, the English ship c„p_
tains, Pa-te-shin (Patterson), Wei-le-she (Welstead),
(Mortluck), Su-ke (Scot), Lich-keen (Larkin), Nero (Nairoe),
]]Cap (Cobb), Fok-sang (Cruikshank), Leen-she (Lindsay), ya
she-chay (Alsager), Piet-the-lun (Mitchel), and the others, again
with the various mates, writers, and surgeons, have received your
Excellency's Edict sent to the ship, saying that all the Captains
have been quiet, and Made no disturbance. From this, we per-
ceive that your F.xceUenty is very intelligent, but we can do
nothing with the man-of-war Officers at Liutin.
" We, the Captains, mates, writers (pursers), and surgeons,
brought hither a great many goods, which we have exchanged
with the Hong merchants for tea and other commodities, and
when we heard that trade was stopped, they could nut be shipped,
Mt that the Company's treasure alone was allowed to be shyped,
we were anxious. and sorry (or melancholy).
* We now beg that your Excellency will allow the goods of
the Captains, kc. to go on board. Our import goods have all
been bartered for other goods, which we are not now permitted
to export or deliver to the owners of the goods, and therefore
we have no money to take back.
'4 We now beg your Excellency that you will be graciously
.pleased to allow the goods to be exported, and we shall feel
grateful in no small degree, /cc."
Thus the affair came before me, the Governor. I iod that
these ship Captains have for years traded to Canton in peace and
quietness, and have obeyed the laws; and I, the Governor, hare,
on all occasions, in imitation of the Great Emperor, shewn to
them increased compassion.
But now, Richardson's cruiser has permitted the foreign man.
of.war's men to beat cruelly the natives, and cause tile death of
two, and the wounding of four; and since he neither delivera
up immediately the foreign murderers, nor delivered the to-
reiguers reported to be wounded to the Chinese Officer, to wait
for an inquiry or examination of them, but undeviatingly pre.
sumed on a course barbarous and unreasonable.

The said nation's Chief also made protests to excuse himsr'f,
and evade the subject; but the Celestial Empire's laws are strict
and severe, and it was indispensable to examine into former pre-
cedents, and to interrupt for a time the commerce.
According to the Petition, the man-of-war's affairs do not con-
s= them ; but it is not unknown, that although this case cc.
curred with the cruiser, the reason of the cruiser coming so :ar
as to Canton is the protection of the trade, and as all suns of in-
tercourse with the said nation originates in commerce, it is im-
possible not to implicate the commerce in the prosecution.
These ship Captains do not go to the Chief and the cruiser and
reason with them, but turn to the Hong merchants, and get :11,m
to present Petitions to me, the Governor, annoying by their re-
presentations, which may be called inverting the right order et
things. In answer to the foregoing Petition, it is hereby ordered
that the Hoag merchants make haste and command the Chief to
transmit this edict to the said ship Captains; and, as before, let
the Hoag merchants command the linguists to explain this edict
to every ship, that originally the foreigners killing the natives did
not concern them : but the Celestial Empire knows the cruisers
only in the capacity of convoy to trading ships at Canton, and
whilst they are tranquil the trade is permitted, but when they
are not tranquil it is interdicted. Let them with even minds
reflect, that " he who a man shall forfeit his life," is a gene-
ral law in and out of China; and shall it be that people will
muskets, swords, and fire-engines, shall murderously kill others
and not forfeit their lives?
If this said cruiser would speedily deliver up the murderers
to forfeit their lives on evidence given, the laws of that country
would be seen to be strict and intelligent, and the said Chief and
the Naval Officer would manage in a way creditable to them-
selves • but now, opposing and delaying for a long time without
delivering up the parties, it is apparent [tat the lawi of the King
of that country are without efficacy on the Chief and Naval
Officer, and the authority of the Chief and Naval Officer are
without efficacy on the multitudes of foreigners, and they are not
only detested by the Celestial Empire, but are objects of scant
to the other nations.
And as the Naval Officers' petitionary representation says that
the foreigners were wounded by the natives, I, the Governor,
commanded forthwith that the Local Officer should collect all
the natives that were on the spot on that day, and have then(
ready at hand, to forfeit their lives for any that might die (of the
foreigners), or be otherwise punished for those that might be
wounded; but, on the contrary, the cruiser would not obey the
orders and deliver up the persons to await for the Local ()firer
to examine them; the meaning of which is, that not only shall
all foreigners kill the natives without forfeiting their lives, hui
if natives wound the foreigners, there is no occasion to examine
the wounds, whether they be slight or severe, or whether they
be wounded or not, but natives must be punished on the bare
testimony of the paper petitionary statement of the Naval Officer.
Where, in all the world, is such reason as this !! !
I, the (overnor, in not cutting off the cruiser's Compradore •
and allowing port clearances to the three ships, }a-liars (Hasa.
side), Piet.-skin (Patterson), and Fok-aang (Cruikshank), and
the completing of their cargoes that they might leave, have shewn
lenity beyond what the mark requiredond cannot again bend to
grant indulgence. If they, the, Captains, &c. are now pressed by
the approach of the proper time of their departure, and cannot
ship their goods, and are anxious, and troubled, and melancholy,
they should reject, that the Chief and the Naval Officer of the
cruiser, at the distance of many thousand leagues, over an im-
mense ocean, received an important trust from the King of their
country, but they have not known how to be careful of the com-
merce and protect the goods ; and when the cruiser did not re-
strain his men, the Chief has not been at pains to persuade the
cruiser to what is tight, in all of which conduct they, in respect
to those above them, turn their backs on the trust reposed in
them by the King oftheir country, and, in respect of those beim,'
them, they bely the support which they should give the Captains.
I, the Governor, adhere to the laws; and whether good or
evil befal them, it is of their own taking; they should criminate
the Chief and the cruiser, and need not on impossible subject*,
with empty words, solicit favour and annoy by requests.
Having given forth this detailed Proclamation, those Captains
and the others should be able to comprehend more clearly the
cause of the stoppage of their trade, and that it was not I, the
Governor, who desired to stop their trade.
. .

A tipt:ciid Edict.
Year of Kaow.Kwang, lath dloon,lsth day. (Stb Jan. 18:12).

Mr. GALT'S new Work, entitled The Provost, con-
tains an-admirable portrait of the self-elected Magii-
trate. The pare-royalism, the sycophantic np-settirez,
the easy, ill-concealed corruption, are all painted wi:4l
a master's hand. The Work is dedicated to Mr.
Dowttia, of Appin ; and if that shrewd and active
Member of Parliament peruse it with attention, Ile
may be expected to second the next motion of Lend
ARCHIBALD HAMILTON, for making such 1114;4-
. tiatts things only of Lista' y.