The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-14 00:00:00

r~F 4

COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

CHINA .'kND INDIA.

(From yesterday's Times)
Our monthly express from Marseilles has broughtanticipation of the Overland Mail, letters and papers from
Bombay to the 3d of February.
The intelligence which they communicate is of the highest
importance, and in particeelar that relating to China.
On the 23d of November Sir Henry Poteinger published a
proclamation, declaring that he had, since his arrival at Amoy,
learned, with extreme horror and astonishment that many
more than 100 British subjects, who bad been wreck4le in
the ship Nerbudda and brig Ann in September, 18, an
March, 1842, on the coast of the island of Formosa, had been
recently put to death by the Chinese authorities there,
who
alleged that this cold-blooded act had been perpetrated by
order of the Emperor. This proclamation goes on to describe
the atrocity of this sanguinary and inhuman crime, and con-
cludes with stating that the British Plenipotentia
autry
horit was tie re-
,
solved to demand from the Emperor that the local
who, by false representations, bad led to the commission of
the enormity, should be degraded and condignly punished,
and that their property should be confiscated, and the pro-
ceeds handed over to the officers of the British Government
for the relief and support of the families of those who had
been thus mercilessly put to death. A threat of a renewal
of hostilities was held out in case the demand should not be
complied with. It was, however, supposed that the Emperor
would not refuse compliance.
On the 7th of December a formidable riot broke out in the
neighbourhood of Canton, which soon extended itself to the
foreign factories. The immediate cause is stated to be the
irregular conduct of the crews of some ships, and in particu-
lar of that of the Fort William, who were allowed to go
ashore in numbers without any proper officer to controul
them. The mob had, it is said, been excited prethe sasly by
viou
certain anti-British partisans ; they soon quitted ilors,
who had by retreating from the original place of combat led
them tosards the factories. The first great object feet atck
was the British factory ; they burned the flagstaff g,
and soon afterwards the windows and doors of the buildings
were forced open, the mob entered, and the work of pillage
commenced. Fire was then set to the edifice, which was
consumed. Luckily, the steamer Pro.eerpine, having
.on
board Sir Hugh Gough, arrived at Canton, and the rioting
ceased. The merchants at Canton began a correspondence
with Sir Hugh Gough, who remain
washr Huntil the 14re-
th,
also with Sir Henry Potting, whoat ongkong,
questing the latter to order a protective force to be sent to
Canton, in order that they might carry on their commerce in
security. This application received a decided refusal from,
Sir H. Pottinger, who, in reply, made some severe comments
on the conduct of the merchants.
H The latter then made
st
a
replication in their defence. Sir . Pottinger, in his la
letter to the merchants, dated December 24, states, that the
Viceroy et Canton had, in reply to the letter addressedty to
him, declared his great anxiety, as well as his perfect a,
to protect all foreigners; and had also expressed his readiness
to repay such losses as might have been incurred during the
late riots, after they should have been correctly ascertained
and submitted through her Majesty's government.
Another letter of the 21st states that Sir Henry
Pottinger
had applied for his recall; and that he had given his opinion
that the powers of the government of Hongkong shou
very strong, even to that of deport ati o , in order to counter-
act the lawressness of the smugglers. The difficulties in
forming the commercial regulations would, it was feared, be
very great, in consequence of the Chinese being likely to de-
mand a reciprocity of duties on their goods when imported
into the British terrttories. Mr. Thom, the destined British
consul at Canton, was busy there in investigating the causes
of the riots. Five of the leaders of the anti- -rig
party
were then in the hands of the local government, and were in
danger of being "squeezed," perhaps to death.
In the meantime the arrival at Singapore, on
cthe Ist of
January, of 43 transports, having on board the eepoy part
of the China expedition, proves that the envoy bad not then
entertained any serious apprehension of the renewal of
aho. s-
tilities. Her Majesty's frigates Endyrnion and 1 o, le ving
ing on board Sir H. Gougi and staff, with_ three setnetasmehrusd
badaccompanied the transports. Several reghim
reached Madras in January. There were, nevert eless more
than 20 British vessels of war, with five steamers, remaining
can
on the Chinese coast. The land force then consisted prin-
cipally of about 6000 European
places.troops, went of them living
in the garrisons of the still occupied in
Two steamers had arrived at Bombay
the month of Ja-
nuary, with despatches from , the British plenipotentiary.
In India the newspapere have been busily employed in
The gates of Somnauth have
abuse of Lord Eltenborough.
become notorious from the fact that all sought to deride the
pageantry of the proces.sien to that temple, calling it either
an absurdity or an irrengious act, although few or none had
examined closely into the state either of the temple itself, or
of the Hindoo feelings on the subject. The assembling of
an army of reserve on the Sutlej, although manifestly an ar-
rangement for the double purpose of securing the retreat from
Cabal and of obliging Shere Singh, the ruler of the Punjaub,
to enter into some specific terms of advantage to the British
Government, has formed another topic of criticism. The
given in honour of the victorious
festivities at Ferozepore
armies have also been ridiculed by some. The Governor-
General has most effectually done
.his duty, particularly by
In India, and on its confines. Shere Singh
establishing peace i
is about to send valuable presents to the British Sovereign,
in token of his friendly displolshitioenfieeStuuanidlyleksuupnpduirsteddeshcyribthede
as quiet : its tran
gniiplistYlawtely seent thither for the purpose.
force of 14,000
Lord Ellenborontgr who received a visit at Ferozepore from
_Minister of Shere Singh, and who then
the son and Prime
other official persons to Lahore to re-
sent his secretary and
the camp at Ferozepore and proceeded
turn it, has broken tii)
to Delhi, in order toldhave an explanation respecting certain
Emperor and present shadow of the
intrigues with the o
Grand Mogul. It is. stated that his lordship contemplates
fixing his official residerice for some time at Agra, or, per-
haps, Meerut. Thedcourts-martial held on Colonel Palmer
Ghuenee, and on Captains Anderson,
for the surrender
Eyre, and Waller, have terminated in the ac-
TrouP, Boyd,
quittal of those oft ers from the charges brought against
c_. during the last campaign in Afghanis-
them for certain, acts
tan. The investigetion into the conduct of General Shelton
reinbgeefonnvkanrodw.n of the state
and of Major Pottinger wastustiLla
Nothing certain appears
of affairs at Cahul. from Scinde is to the effect that the
The intelligenceand intriguing conduct had
Arneers. whose doubifutl.
up
during some weekendken the alternation of war and peace,
thei3_ presence of Major Outram, with
have been influ by
toO
anefoortf
whom they are a!1 personally acquainted, to enter into terms,
which will, it is expected, establish a system of good intelli-
gence between them and the government ohfyltinydiinag.
the youths of their fand IT had attempted,
bad been despatched,
ier but a force
in a desert district, to me tee intentions ot the British coin-
mender, , Sir C. Nap , .
which soon obliged him to_ quit tihrieufgortth,ewhmicohstWsaaS
titsrlfealletdoery.
stroyed. The necessity of
.reqhu .
vious, for without such con_
conditions from the Arneers is o
the
ulrnedfuusr
anor
year.th progress
ditions neither the navigation ohfe
of civilization on its banks can
company
yinent is directed to-
added last year to
The attention of the Indian
wards its finances. The extra ne
each Indian regiment has beentuortdheereadrrutoy,bwe
haehroelhisyheadd,iamnid
the men are to be absorbed in
notion of 18,000 .men The five per cent. loan
saving of expenditure will be eeffeeted, and a consequent
will accru
has been closed. Tbt.prospectws India are considered as
directed towards its inter.
satisfactory, and attegeton is nos
nal improvement. An act ha
t a final stop to all descrip-
been proposed in the legisla.
lative council which tends to po,.a.riets.
lions of slavery in its extensive di L
who has no children, was
The present Rajah of Sattara
near dying of a fever, but bas ;ecotrrlietsdt.
mTulinethi.naturidguwehsieohf
some natives at Bombay, alluded
would have contributed much to
beendeteriofrualtleythdeisreuepvuetraetdir
and
the Bombay government, have
case
are thoroughly neutralized. of the Belvedere,
burnt lately near Singapore,
cation on a trial for arson before the
Supreme Court of
is likely to come under investi-
Bombay.
We take the following from a h the Chinese on the
ger, relative to the cruelties iuflicten. Y
des.patcb of Sir H. Pottin-
crews of the Nerbudda and the Ann --
Thedelver the
dda tot Into 6 ,
nerally known, that when the Nerbu abandoned by mall
natives imagines, that it to be be already ge-
natives of India on board of that ship
master and mates of her, and also b
13who were proceeding
detachment of her Majesty's reeineents
ywaereoffleer and a small
in her to join the expedition. 'lt now
lives remained by the ship for five days a
app
aeera rtsh,eythwate
rteh et
thus
landing, some of
abandoned ; that they then landed on rafts under the guidance
of the head and'second serang—that in thus
or seamen), were
the men (both cemp-followers and Lascars,
down to lunder
drowned or killed by Chinese who
them—that all who landed were taadeeapn.3rieson,erusutdheer
they got on shore, and confined in heavy i.n
separate pri..
moment
i r cune -
stances of great cruelty, in small parties and I
rang) were
sons, for about 11 months, at the expiration
Secondofwhich period
they (with the exception Of the bead and
carried to a plain a short distance from the
island of Formosa, and there beheaded in cold blood, in pre-
caspeital.of the
Bence of the Chinese local authorities.
It further appears, that there were altogether 240 natives
of India (170 camp-followers and 70 seamen) left in tbe Ner-
budda when her master and mates deserted thatessehaipp
whom only the head and second serang We
their lives ; but it is not possible to determine o
tural deaths,
were drowned, killed by plunderers, died na beheaded
perished from ill-treatment or starvation, or were
by the Chinese authorities.
' With regard to the brig Ann it has been ascertained that
whom
she had 57 souls on board when she was cast awaY, ofh
deaths,
na With
many
y e
14 were natives of Europe or America, two or three
nativesPortil-
guese and Malays, five Chinese, and thei remainder
of India. The vessel was le,
water) on shore, about midnigtivtenanbdigthheawndhodlery
of the 57
individuals quitted her at daybreak next rnoehing'
possession of a Chinese junk which was and took
(at low
was lying in a
river near the spQt, to sea in the
Kt, with the object of ruttiug
junk, but the violence of the gale preve• t'ed thene even naak-
ing the attempt, and creek. or
they surrencterea-vviinuue even itring a
musket at the most of armed Chinese, who had been o,feem"
bled round. them, about three o'clock in the afternoon
somecutti
o the
same day. They were instantly stripped, and marched g
distance without a particle of covering, exposed to a
north wind. Two men died from cold, and several others
dropped from the same cause and fatigue,, and were carried
on in baskets to the capital (about 90 mles from the spot
where the brig was wrecked), where they were separated into
small parties and put into distinct prisons fit irons. Subse-
quent to this the parties had little communication with each
other, but it is known, that they were subjected to the
most
barbarous treatment and were scarcely allowed sufficient food
to sustain life. In this manner above seven dreary months
passed away, when it was announced to the eleven survivors,
to the Nerbudda (six natives of
including the two belonging
Europe and America three natives of India, and two China-
men, which latter individuals bad been pardoned on condition
of entering the service of the
they
of Formosa), t a
peace bad been made ; and they likewise then ascertained that
all the rest of their fellow-sufferers in captivity and wretched-
ness had been put to death, on or
about the 18th of August
last, on the grounds stated in the Plenipotentiary's other
proclamation.
Mr. Gully, a British merchant,
Among the sufferers is
who was returning to Macao from. the northward, as a pas-
senger by the Ann. It is not possible to account for the lives
of 'the six Europeans and Americans,. and three natives of
India being spared ; but it is surmised, that they were con-
sidered to be principal men of their class, and w.ere intended
to have been sent to Pekin to be there executed.
to
following extracts from a letter dated Canton, Dec.
Bth, give some further particulars of the riots at tobalf
t 0
00wshnutw
Early in the evening the anti-English feeling beea
itself in the setting fire to the British flag-staff,
centration of the mob on the company's factory. Matter
and the con-
getting thus serious, old Mingqua politely
the American ladies were taken to his factory, whence he
sending la
chairs,
kindly promised they should go to his family house in case odf
necessity. Soon after they had been comfortably plache
there, the smoke appeared issuing from the interior of t
he
British hong, and it became evident that the incendiary mo,
had fired that factory. We were now attended to Mingqua. s
terrace, whence we had a full view of the sad but splendid
conflagration. The skylight of Mr. Murrow's house and the
chapel befrey shone beautifully for a while, till they
the flames. The verandah still stood firm, but suddenly vo-
lumes
sank in
of smoke poured from every crevice, and soon after
the whole roof and architrave were burning furiously. The
square all the while was crowded by Chinese who had early
thrown down the Company's wall and forced sundry prssages
through the paling of the square. Alm its were from time to
time communicated to this imm. ense mass, and they at one
moment fled in all directions,
. and then swayed back again to
their former position.
instant mingled with the rurious cries and shouts were every
the falling
ruins.
Itcracklingwas. of the fire and the crash nf
evident that the Dutch and Creek