The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-04-13 00:00:00

3ritish crown ;" but this cession is
all just charges and

)ndition that '

empire, upon the commerce carried on

) be paid as if the trade were conducted at

-hampoa"—which throws a doubt over the extent of
vereignty which it was intended we should exercise
ere, and the commercial "advantages we shall derive
om it. On the 26th of January the British flag was
he hoisted at Hong-kong, and a force was to be dis-

to take formal possession of the island in the
, and as a military station as well
.nercial entre-pot, it was supposed it would
Is superior advantages ; but, as a set-off against
there are the disadvantages of British traders
g a large city where a profitable traffic has been
[1 on for centuries, to take up their residence in

Majesty;

i insulated and unfrequented locality—disadvantages
) great that it is* questionable if Canton will not still

s the seat of business

article is an agreement, on the part of
;0 pay to the Bri:ish Government "an

millions of dollars (or about £1,250,000

one million to be payable at once, and the

tinder in equal annual payments, ending in 1846."
how far will this sum go towards indemnifying all
have incurred cost and loss by the capricious
rs and outrageous tyranny of the Chinese govern-

This monetary part of the transaction has
ed the utmost dissatisfaction—and the East India
:pants speak with great, and we think not unrea-
hie, indignation of our plenipo for making so bad
rgain. "Not only," say they, " has he neglected

just claims of private individuals, but he has sacri-
-11 the honour of his country. The terms which he
accepted are by no means an equivalent for the ex-
Ise which has accrued to the British nation on
ount of the expedition, much less do they afford
isfaction for the indignity inflicted in his own person
the representation of the British crown ; and still

are they from securing an indemnification to
tish merchants for the property which he (Capt.
caused, by the exertion of his influence and
ty, to be placed at the disposal of the Chinese.'!

'm to be thrown overboard

min dealers se,

mud this is certainly unhandsome treatment
n the part of her Majesty's plenipo. We
'red, on the return of Admiral Elliot from

,000,000 were to be paid as a satis-

m for all the damage we had sustained at the

nds of Lin ; but these three millions sterling have
•indled down to less than half, and even this half is
ly to be paid by annual instalments not to be com-
Aed till the end of 1846. It is certain that out of
is sum little or nothing will ever reach the hands of
e injured merchants. Now the whole affair of our
fferenc.e with China is so made up that it is impossible
separate one part from another, and we take it as a
ear point

that, if C ptain Elliot had a right to insist

m an indemnity at all, he had a right to demand one
,t would pay for the confiscated property of the India

rchants, and this he certainly has not done

The third article is an important one, but wants ex-
it is, that there shall be " direct official

between tl

ie countries on an equal footing."
its mean that a British ambassador shall reside

court of Pekin ? If so, it is a great point gained
suit which we agree with a metropolitan contem-
in regarding as pregnant with very considerable
luences to China, England, and the civilised

and worthy of every pecuniary sacrifice that
re been made to gain it; but " details remain

icgotiation," and we are left, in suspense as
er interpretation of this article, which, after
,an no more than that a British consul at
11 have new facilities of communication with

Lai viceroys•
rade of the port of Canton was to he opened
nnese new year ; to be car-

n days after the G