The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-29
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
prom our regular correspondent
New YoRg, Oct. 81, IL

A. ~ fl
a .u :, " ou' Anowieuge u ona
ing ~ 10 appear ~ ,ne heid 'his winter as ,eo.V.e'
on me Ieiestiai Empire; lie IL 10 hoid io,'.l,
a,nohs o'ner places al Library oociey nan ~
rhnaoe'phia. rieteher webster, esq, Is soon 70
lecture ON me same subject, before the view iofh
Lyceum. We are also informed by the papers OF
Today, that Mr.. Hernisz, an aifaehe OF the late
embassy 10 CHINA, Is TO lecture on The central flow
cry Empire" at the New York Society Library
room, which, we suppose, is TO be very 'Jiotcey
cG%r." Amidst so much learned discourse about
country, gathered during flying visit to us shores,
4 the people do no, become amazingly enlightened,
IL their own fault II the lecturers have not read
the first volume of Hunts Library Of Commerce,
would advise them to do 30. For, under the head
OF commercial intercourse 10Th China" the first In
the volume, they will lind much curious informa-
ton about the early trade Of Western Europe with
the Celestals, which was inter-continental ill the
Portuguese discovered the Cape OF Good Hope.
This able article, which displaysa deal Of labo-
rions research, was first published by Charles
Knight, Of London. Mr.. Freeman Hunt has very
wisely republished it in this his first volume
OF his Library of Commerce, 1t making about half
the book. The 'hisiory Of he British corn ia'rs,"
and "Lao's Mississippi scheme," form the two remain
ing articles Of the work.
From the elaborate account of the Commercial
Intercourse with China, in this publication we learn
many curious facts with regard to the Celestals.
1t seems, when Europeans first began any consider
able trade with them, subsequent to the Christian
era, by inland routes, they were not then the same
jealous people towards foreigners that they have
sinoe manifested themselves to be- Europeans had
little difficulty in penetrating the country as late
Pope Gregory X, when Marco Polo freely ex-
pored the Chinese empire, and afterwards publish
ed an account of his remarkable travels, which
gave such an extraordinary description of the peo-
Pile, their advancement in manufactures, &c, that
his statements were discredited; as it was thought
that no heather people could know so much, China
was known to the ancients under a variety of
names-such as Thine, Sine, Serica, Q'ortuguese,)
Sores, (Latn) Cathay, (Venetian,) from Cathar,
Tartar origin.
Although the account given by Marco Polo, the
Venetian traveller, was at the time it was made pub
lie, not generally believed. subsequent intercourse
with the Chinese has proven his statements TO have
been mainly correct. The next great traveller who
penetrated the empire through ASIA in l444, was
Ncoli de Cont His accounts, though not as cor
rect as Polo's, nevertheless confirmed the truthful
ness Of the latter.
From all these travellers, we made acquainted
with the remarkable fact that the Chinese were at
that early day acquainted with many things Of great
importance which were wholly unknown among the
Christians in Europe.
The earliest Christian vsiters found the Chinese
drinking tea from fine porcelain cups, as they are
seen to do at the present day; and what was more
important, they. found that curious people pos
sessed knowledge, for ages before, of PAPER MA
KNo the construction and use of ARTILLERY; the use
of BLOCK PRINTING; Of the Of the PENDuLUM and
art of cLocK-MAKING; of the manufacture and use
of eUNPowDER; and, above all, the use of the MARI
sER's COMPASS All of which have been subse
quenty claimed as the discoveries Of the Christians
in modern Europe!
The author Of Commercial Intercourse Nth Chi
MAJ says that as all these important discoveries and
improvements made their appearance in Europe
soon after the commercial intercourse established be-
tween Il and the empire, in or about the year A. d.
l4O0, or l444, "it is a probable conjecture, that
these arts also came from China"
The Portuguese were the first people to double
the Cape of Good Hope to enter the Canton river
and visit by sea the city of Canton, which was
done under Rafaele Perestrillo, in 1916 few years
after the discovery of America by Columbus. I'M
der this first Portuguese commander, the Chinese
pie. He landed at Canton in a Chinese junk, TO
collect information On his return to Malacca,
he met with Fernando Perez d,Andrada, COM
handing an exploring expedition, to whom he
gave such favorable accounts Of Canton as to in
duce him to sail for that place, where he arrived in
August, 1917. After meeting with demonstrations
OF hoshiity on tne part OF Chnamen' VINO nred some
shots over mis- heaa, ne sanea on MS course, ana
anchored opposite tne islanu OF Wnampoa. Here
ne found Duarte Coeino, VINO, IN coming out OF the
river siam, was roughly nandiea oy Chinese Pr
rates, VINO, ~ tnat cary gay, were very Iormid-
able. D'Andrada gid not succeea IN reaching
and lmpresslng the nature OF his visit to be OF a
strictly commercial character, al an audience hed
with mandar,ns, ny ms iactor, tney became more
friendly. Iney invited 'he portuguese AMBASSADOR
y" sn. a";n :: ~. ..aS - :. -. , TIs.as
D.. ,o' ss",Lana., ,hn r., IL 800 s.nsa ID
addrsss .urccssdsd q oakins'a SsSorabls ;nnres.
snn ,,non ,hs Ch;namsn n,Andr.d. oh,a;ned
rar EOronsans 70 ,r.ds ;,i, III. town 81
Ean'm's ga ias w tr;and, ,arr,s ,,h ,ho ns,;na.
ms s d.. 10. w If, sh;nd ~ Co. ',.h
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d;anSss NV he Emneror hnt was aowed 70 send IN
h;s e,,ers ono of which uoe from the King of Por
ms. Tho o s,vIs Of his was sad 70 he ~ hesn
.hserroa IN =. tnne ~, Tho ,r,;d hy,ocr;,ss whn
snau , ms .vv The Wma, ~. ,.'ss aao
$500 - s,;.., i..,s a,,s;n. c.
"nass ,Ss Erpror .s,hs Iord ~ ,hss ,or,d ), Se
,h;ls The oovarnor ~ Csn,on,s letter csent d;rec
s,.,ad Ia, he Poruonese w;shed N s.,abl;sb =
saoa 'a' r.o,o ,Sss ,h.v ,.,ars .,r..J,, ,oas,.ra
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