The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-03-20 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF THE DISPUTE.

The following passage is from an able periodical, relating to
the disputes, so far, between the English superintendent of
trade and the authorities at Canton :—" In March, 1839, the
Chinese government appear to have taken more decided steps
than any which had yet been adopted to prevent the intro-
duction of opium, and under the direction of an imperial
commissioner from Pekin, the British residents were shut
up in their factory, and only obtained their release on condi-
tion of giving up the stock of opium on board .the ships,
amounting to 20,283 chests, worth nearly £3,000,000 ster-
na'', the superintendent of British trade giving the owners
indemnity scrips. The contents of every chest were subse
quently emptied into sluices communicating with the river,
in the presence of the Chinese authorities, and many of the
residents of the British and other factories, who were
invited to attend. Men were employed from day to day in
hastening the process of maceration, until the opium had be-
come muddy and foetid, when the whole of it was washed into
the river. After this the merchants withdrew to Macao,
whence they were expelled by the Chinese on the 27th August,
in consequence of refusing to give up a seaman who had kill-
ed a Chinese in a brawl. They then retired to their ships at
Hong-Kong; but the fleet being in want of provisions, the
superintendent of British trade, on the 4th Sept., endeavour-
ed to obtain a supply from the natives, but was opposed by
the Chinese war junks. and in the conflict which ensued,
several Chinese were killed and some Europeans wounded.
A fresh attack upon the Chinese, which was to have been
made the following day, was countermanded. On the 11th
of September the Superintendent notified a blockade of Can-
ton river and port ; but on the 16th the blockade was aban-
doned, in consequence, it is said, of negotiations having been
commenced with the Chinese. Proceedings of a still more
serious nature have taken place subsequently ; and these
events have greatly complicated the state of our relations
with China. In the speech from the throne, on the opening
of parliament, on the 16th of January last, the interruption
of our commercial intercourse with that country was formally
announced : and a naval force has just been despatched for
the purpose of aiding, by a warlike demonstration, the nego-
tiations which may be required to settle these serious diffi-
culties. In the meantime the sales of opium are advertised
at Calcutta as usual : and the general opinion is that it will
be found impossible to prevent the introduction of the article
into China by any plan however rigorous ; for the individuals
who should put the prohibitory law iu execution, conspire to
evade it ; and, generally speaking, are so low in moral cha-
racter, as to prefer their interest to their duty."
The further proceedings of a serious nature alluded to in
the above passage may be briefly related .—The opium trade
was stopped at Canton, but only to dispose and divide it
amongst the various ports throughout the kingdom. Small
vessels of 40 tons burden were being built .to convey it from
the outside anchorage to the various ports on the east coast,
or on board junks lying in the harbour for that purpose.
Subsequently to the notice of Capt. Elliot, of the with-
diawal of the blockade of the Canton river, on the 16th Sept.,
the Chinese fire-boats burnt a Spanish brig, the Bilbaino,
mistaking her for an English.vessel, while she was lying close
to Macao. The cargo taken off before she was fired was
valued at 20,000 dollars. The crew jumped overboard, and
were all saved but two. On the 26th the launch of H. M. S.
Volage was fired into, while going into Coalloon bay, from
a hill, by a party of Chinese. The shot wag round shot,
some of which fell near the boat, and Capt. Smith deemed it
atihrisable to return to the fleet.
advices from Bombay, to the 24th December, state that
neffociations had been commenced by Capt. Elliot, with the
Chinese authorities. Four propositions, or conditions of
amicable arrangement, had been forwarded in the name of
the Chinese Commissioner and the Viceroy. The first re-
qUired Capt. Elliot to deliver up all opium that might be on
board the ships, otherwise " it would only remain to set fire
to the, whole." The second again demands the murderer
of the Chinese killed in the affray at Hong-Chong. The
third requires the immediate departure of the store-ships, on
pain of their being burnt. The fourth attributes the con-
traband trade, &c., to the assemblage of the English ships
at Hong-kong ; and, as Capt. Elliot had declared that he
must wait his sovereign's commands, requires him to state
when his dispatch left, so that some " modified arrangement
may be made in the mean time."
Capt. Elliot in reply stated, that there was no opium in
the fleet, and offered to assist the Chinese officers in searching
the ships. He then offers a proposition to separate the law-
ful from the unlawful trader. He states that the most severe
search shall be made for the murderer.of the Chinaman, and
adds, that if• found he shall be givon up. He then states
that he expects the commands of his sovereign in four months.
He concludes by asking six days residence at Macao for the
prescribed, and appeals to his former intercourse with the
Canton authorities, as affording ground for. their reposing
confidence in him.

An uncompromising reply was sent to this by the Chinese
Commissioner and Viceroy. They state first that proof had
been given that there is opium in the fleet, and again demand
its delivery, adding, that should any be stealthily removed
and hereafter seized, the parties should sutler death. On
delivering it up, a modified arrangement for carrying on the
trade was to be made, but not through Macao ; second, the
murderer of Lin-Wei-he to be delivered up in 10 days, as
" delays might bring down measures of extermination ;"
thirdly, all the opium ships to leave immediately ; the pre-
scribed to be allowed to go to Macao for six days ; and,
'fourthly, all the Chinese in the fleet to be given up.
In consequence of the high tone assumed by the Chinese,
and the pertinacity of the high commissioner, Lin, in de-
manding a man to be delivered up in lieu of the dinaman
killed in the scuffle at Hong-Kong, Captain Elliot was, it
appears, compelled to abandon further negociations.
Kevan, admiral of the Canton station, and leader of the mari-
time forces of the province, then issued a proclamation, which
may be considered so curious a specimen of the egotistical
assumption, and bombastic style of the officials of the Celes-
tial Empire, that we give it entire, particularly as it is virtu-
ally the last document, or declaration of war, issued by the
Chinese against us previous to their late hostile attempt to
surround our ships :