The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-09 00:00:00

ATTEMPT TO FORM A CHINESE NAVY.

" The Admiral Kwan's `victory' at Chuenpee, on the 3d
of November last, over her Majesty's ships Volage and Hy-
acinth, in which these came away without the slightest hurt,
whilst a number of junks were blown up, sunk, and destroy-
ed, seems to have led the Imperial Commissioner to the
conviction, that if he should be obliged to report any more
such victories to his Government, he will be left without a
naval force ; and lie has, therefore, it seems, determined on
possessing himself of large foreign merchant-ships wherewith
to oppose the English naval power. One ship, lately the
Cambridge, now we believe the Chesapeake, under American
colours, has already been purchased by the Chinese for 30,000
dollars, we hear ; in fact, her being allowedto enter the river
at all, and dispose of her cargo, was, we are told, made con-
ditional on her sale. The Chinese are treating for the pur-
chase of other vessels likewise, and wished also to buy two
Danish ships, the Danske Konge and Norden (late Vansittart
and Mithras), but not being able to arrange matters to their
Satisfaction with the owner, the Imperial Commissioner has
hit upon an easier mode of possessing himself of these ves-
sels, as will be seen from the edict, in which he decrees the
confiscation of the Danse Konge for no other reason but
that she has *come to Whampoa without erasing from her
stern her former name, although he confesses, in the same
edict, that on application having been made for that vessel
proceeding to Whampoa, the circumstance of her change of
ownership and flag had been stated.
" The other vessel, the Norden, is confiscated, not because
she had a wrong name at her stern, but because she had none
at all, and this the Chinese discover now that they want the
ship, though that same vessel, without a name on,her stern,
has often discharged and taken in cargo at Whampoa. These
despotic and unprincipled acts of the Chinese, in making
laws for the occasion, proves to us daily more the necessity
there was for the foreign merchants, after their imprisonment,
leaving Canton until their safety shall be mere guarantees
which it may not be in the power of a Chinese mandarin to
break as caprice or avarice may prompt.
" Besides the three ships, the Cambridge, Danske Konge,
and Norden, several other large country ships, now under
the American flag, are spoken of as likely to be bought by
the Chinese, who have also been desirous to contract for the
building of a number of gun-boats after European models.
We hope they may succeed to snake a respectable show of
tine vessels, and should it come to open war between China
and England, congratulate the naval officers of the latter upon
the event.

" We hear it confidently stated that the imperial commis-
sioner Lin has been appointed to the government of the
Kwangtung and Kwangse provinces, and that Tang has been
removed to that of Yunnan and Kwichow. This appoint-
ment seems to indicate the confidence of the Pekin govern-
ment in the abilities of Lin for the suppression of the opium
trade and the oppression of foreigners."—Caulon Press.

(From the Canton Register, of February 18.)
" Canton, 15th February, 1840.
" An edict from the Emperor was received here on the
12th, inquiring of the local Government as to the policy of
excluding the trade of all foreign nations without exception,
and authorizing the Governor to give effect to the interdict
without referring to Peking, should he deem it politic to do
so. But the most intelligent Chinese are of opinion, that
there arc too many opposing interests to admit of such course
being adopted.

" After the hong merchants had settled for the purchase
of the Danish ship Norden, for £45,000, the Government
have receded from the bargain, on the ground of her not being
worth so considerable a sum. It is thought in Canton they
do not mean to
,persevere in their project of employing foreign
shipping."
Lin has fallen from his high estate of High Commissioner,
holding irresponsible power and the imperial seal, into the
office of Governor of the two Kwang provinces. He re-
turned the seal to the Emperor by the hands of the late Go-
vernor, Tang. It is also said, that Tang will return to the
Government of Canton. We cannot help suspecting a plan
at Peking to entrap Liu into some further faux pas, by in-
vesting him with the power of stopping the trade of all na-
tions with China ; for an account of which wild measnie see
an extract from a letter from Canton further on.

The Mor, Captain Adam Young, of about 405 tons, built
by Messrs. Wigram and Green, expressly for sailing quali-
ties, without reference to stowage, left Plymouth 24th Octo-
ber, and arrived off Lantao on the 15th February, in 113 days,
of which 72 were to Java Head : sent out with Government
despatches, which, with a few letters for her consignees, were
landed on Sunday. A boat has been sent for the general
packet, which is hourly expected. (Monday evening.)
It is believed, on the best authority, that the public de-
crbrin
and doing all in his power to prevent their return thither.
The instructions are not positive or definite ; but, if we can
place any reliance on what we hear, Captain Elliot's mea-
sures are generally supported by the Home Government.
Nothing has yet passed on the subject of the opium, the Go-
vernment awaiting the arrival of Captain Elliot's receipts for
the drug surrendered to the Government of China.

It is -believed, that the management of the neg ociations
with China, under the authority of the Home Government,
will be confided to the Governor-General of India.

(Front the Canton Press, of February 8.)
We fondly hoped, that though of late the imperial edicts
and those from the provincial and local Chinese authorities
have been many, that yet the Chinese New Year holydays
would be allowed to pass over quietly without again actually
annoying the British residents in Macao. This, however,
was not to be. On Saturday last a new edict, which our
readers will find in another column, was stuck on the walls,
in which the Taou-tae, the newly arrived provincial officer,
threatens Captain Elliot and six other British subjects with
an attack upon their houses, and with forcible seizure of their
persons, should they not obey the so often reiterated orders
for their departure. The Taou-tae had, it was understood,
previous to issuing this edict, gone to Heang-shan to spend
the holydays, or to Canton to be present at the departure of
the former and instalment of the present Governor of Kwang-
tung and Kwangse, and was not expected finally to take up
his residence at Macao before the 20th day of the China
Moon. Meanwhile, Captain Smith, of H. M. S. Volage,
(as will be seen from the official correspondence which we
have partly translated from 0 Portugues na China, and of
part of which copies have been kindly furnished us by Capt.
Smith,) for the protection of the British residents thought it
necessary, it being known that some Chinese troops had en-
tered the town on the night before, on Tuesday last to move
H. M. S. Hyacinth into the inner harbour, a proceeding
which created great sensation among the Portuguese and the
Chinese population, particularly amongst the Mandarins and
Chinese soldiers, which latter, however, as will be seen from
the correspondence already alluded to, were prevailed on, by
the Portuguese authorities, to leave the town on the evening
of the same day, and the quiet of the town was not interrupted
then, nor has it suffered since the departure of the Hyacinth
on the following morning. Being well aware of the peculiar
circumstances in which the Macao Government is placed
with that of China, we refrain from offering any comments on
Captain Smith's proceedings, and the correspondence result-
ing from it, further than expressing our conviction, that the
Macao authorities will faithfully and cheerfully give what
protection they can to the British residents here, without
drawing upon themselves the vengeance of the Chinese, who,
by depriving the settlement of supplies, may at any time very
seriously annoy the population.
We have been favoured with the translation of another
edict from Lin, High Imperial Commissioner and Governor
of Kwang-tung arid Kwangse, ordering the foreign export-
trade to be so regulated that none of the foreign nations
trading with China be permitted to export inure tea and
rhubarb than they require for their own consumption, in
order to prevent the possibility of their supplying the English
with these articles, and thus enable them to prolong their
existence. If this new imperial order were acted upon, it
cannot fail considerably to increase the difficulties of the
trade at Canton, which, in fact, it seems to he the object of
the Peking government to reduce to the smallest possible
volume. In the meanwhile, the Canton authorities, much
to the annoyance and loss of the Hong merchants, who have
to pay for them, we believe, continue their endeavours to ob-
tain, by purchase or otherwise, foreign ships. They have al-
ready bought the Cambridge and the Nordeu, and another
American ship also, we believe, tier have they as yet, though
we published an edict to that effect last week; confiscated the
Vansittart, and will probably also pay for her. What they
will do for the manning of these ships remains to be seen.
No American or European sailors will. we presume, be fool.
ish enough to enlist under Admiral Kwan's flag, and there •
are but very few Chinese at all acquainted with the handling
and working foreign ships, nor will their own sailors, as we
are assured on the experience of several commanders of
ships, ever ascend higher than the maintop.
The rumour of the expulsion from Canton of several Ame-
rican merchants, which was current here during the past
week, has not been confirmed, and we may, therefore, now
consider it as without foundation.

The American vice-consul had sent a very humble petition
to the High Commissioner, praying that " his countrymen
might be allowed to go to any market, and load cargo for
Canton, giving them thus the opportunity of earning a little
profit, for which they would be abundantly grateful," and
actually offered to act as searcher, at Whampoa, for English
goods, and to give a chop, under his seal and office, as a
proof of the case. We should think that the American go-
vernment would feel the humiliation of such an offer, and
disapprove of this step on the part of their vice-consul, thus
voluntarily placing the movements of, their vessels under the
control of the provincial government of Canton. It is well
remarked by the Canton Register, that it is no part of a con-
sul's duty to become a searcher of the customs, or a police-
officer in the service of a foreign state. A petition had been
presented by the Dutch vice-consul in favour of the owner of
a ship from Linstedt, who had signed the opium bond, and
another had been forwarded from Captain Townes, who had
also signed the bond, praying the Hoppa to give instructions
for allowing them to discharge cargo, which petitions appear
to have been remitted to the Hong merchants, with instruc-
tions for them to apply for the opening of these vessels' holds,
in conformity with new regulations which had been issued
by the Commissioner. The specie on board the American
ships Ann, M`Kinn, Lintin, and Valparaiso, had been seized
by the Hoppa, and instructions given to issue goods of equal
value to them in exchange. The whole winds up with a pro-
clamation from the Taoatae, intimating that he had received
" express orders from the high officers of government to col-
lect and array soldiers, and proceed to Macao, and. taking
Elliot and the others specified, surround and seize them one
by one." It was reported that 2,000 soldiers were in march
for Macao to enforce this proclamation, which had caused
great excitement, and the English were beginning to take re-
fuge again on board their vessels.
Four vessels were fitting out by the Chinese to act on the
defensive against the British fleet. These vessels are British
built, two of which, under American coloUrs, had been pur-
chased by the Chinese, but the other two, under Danish co-
lours, they has seized as above noticed.