The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-03-24 00:00:00

CHINA

Sir JAMES GRAHAM, seeing the noble lord, the secretary
of foreign affairs, in his place, wished to ask him two ques-
tions. The first question with respect to opium. It appeared
that a certain quantity of opium had been delivered by the
superintendent at Canton, under certificate. There was
reason to believe that a further quantity of opium had been
purchased by the superintendent, and had been delivered up
by the Chinese authorities, in order to make up the quantity
mentioned in the certificates ; no such transaction appeared
from the papers which had been laid upon the table. He
wished to ask the noble lord whether such a transaction bad
taken place, and if there would be any objection to produce
the papers relating thereto ? The second question be wished
to ask related to the supposed destruction of the opium sur-
rendered to, and destroyed by, the Chinese authorities ?
FroM those papers it did not appear that the destruction of
the opium had taken place ; the only mention made of it
seemed to show that it had been transmitted to Pekin for the
use of the Chinese government. He asked the noble lord
whether he had any other information upon the subject,
showing that it had been destroyed or so sent to Pekin, and
if so, whether there would be any objection to its produc-
tion.

Lord PALMERSTON said, with respect to the first question.
what happened was this—the parties in Canton having agreed
to deliver up the opium in their or their agents' hands, each
house made out a statement of the quantity they had in China,
and the aggregate amount was given to the Chinese commis-
sioner. One of the ships containing the opium disobeyed
the orders of the superintendent, and sailed away ; the con-
sequence was, that there was a deficiency to the amount that
ship contained. Capt, Elliot purchased a quantity which
had subsequently arrived, in order to make up the aggregate
quantity. He was not aware that there were any other
papers in the office, but if there were, of course they would
be produced. With regard to the destruction of the opium,
he had no other accounts than those contained in the papers
which had been presented. Of course he bad seen accounts
in the newspapers, but he knew nothing further officially
than that contained in the papers.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM saw by the instructions to the super-
intendent in 1833, reference was made to an order in council
for regulating the trade with the port of China. He wished
to ask the noble lord if he had any objection to the produc-
tion of that order in council. His second question was,
whether the noble lord had received and was ready to pro-
duce the remonstrance said to have been made by certain
American merchants at Canton against the blockade ?
Lord PALMERSTON said, with respect to these papers, he
produced every thing that appeared to him necessary to
elucidate the matter, and he had not the least objection to
the production of those to which the right hon. baronet
alluded. With regard to the second question, he bad not
received any report of the remonstrance said to have been
made by the American merchants at Canton.

PREPARATIONS AGAINST CHINA.

Mr. JOHN A. SMITH said, the naval and military prepara-
tions going on in India being now matter of public notoriety,
and as great anxiety existed on the subject, he wished to ask
the noble lord whether be had any objection to state the
object of the expedition, and when it was likely to take place ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said, in answer to the hon gentleman's
question, he begged to refer him to the answer he had given
on a former occasion to a question put to him by a noble
lord on the other side of the house. He had then been asked
whether a declaration of war had not been made by the
governor-general of India against China, and his reply was,
that the government had received no official information on
the subject, and could not believe that report to be well
founded, but that it probably arose from the order sent out
by the government to make certain preparations. What he,
had then stated had turned out to be the fact, as had been
proved by the recent arrival of official despatches. The
orders sent out were to make preparations to have a certain
naval and military force in readiness. The honourable gen-
tleman now asked him what was the object of these prepara-
tions, and he could only state very generally what they were.
In the first place they were to obtain reparation for the in-
sults and injuries offered to her majesty's superintendent,
and her majesty's subjects, by the Chinese government ;
•LP rln piatte they were to ohtnin for the mer-
persons under the direction of the Chinese government ;
and, in the last place, they were to obtain a certain security
that persons and property in future trading with China shall
be protected from insult or injury, and that their trade and
commerce would be maintained upon a proper footing.