Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-04-22
LECTURE VI. AM LA ST.

COMMERCE, OPIUM TRADE, AND RELIGION.
They conduct the most extensive trade of
all heather nations, the elevating effects of
which are visible. The trade of Canton is
but a small part, the internal trade is far
greater, every large town being situated up
on the confluence drivers; the tonnage up
on their waters is greater than that of all
the world besides Before Picking, boats in
the river extend more than three miles, of a
tonnage of 40 900. Their domestic trade
is in tea, oil, cottons, silks, books; paper
pencils, cloths and provisions. Duties are
collected by officers placed at the intersec-
tons of rivers, roads and canals, who take
toll on every thing that passes-at one pass
requiring not more than three cents on a
chest of tea, and all the passes to Canton
not requiring more than fifty or seventy-fve
cents on the same. A century ago all the
ports of China were open, but were closed
at the death of the Emperor then liyipg.-
The word thong" means row, and hong
merchants mean those who monopolized all
foreign trade previous to 1912, SO called
from their warehouses being thus arranged.
Originally they numbered twelve or ff-
teen, but about the beginning of this CEN
fury others wished to enter the trade in COM
petition, and only few articles were reserv-
ed especially for them. They have been
honorable from being secure, and no bar
gains are put into writing, as the payment
of IA per cent. bargain-money is sufficiently
binding to the contract; they even adhere
to their promise when it would be an object
for them to lose the bargain-money from the
rise of the article Legal interest is 3 per
cent. month, but the actual rate received
is from to l and l-2. The English Ian
guage is used in trade, which about 1000
Chinese at Canton can speak, retaining their
idiom, however, thinking the words they
have learned is the extent of our vocabulary.
In Canton there are GAO foreigners, of whom
90 are Americans.
OF the exports SO is tea, then silks, cas-
STA, sugar alum, carved and lacquered fur
niture, mating, camphor, drugs, vermillion,
crockery, fans. OF bullion 95, 200, 900 OF
dollars have been drained from that coun-
try; twenty-one for the English treaty, six
for the ransom of Canton, and the remain
der for opium. OF imports, opium and cot
ton are the principal, lead, iron, tin, cutlery,
ginseng, watches, pearls, bird's-nests, betel-
nuts, rattans, furs, rice, dye woods; instead
of a duty there is a bounty on the importa-
ton of rice, The export and import trade
amounts to 100, O00, 900, two-thrds conduc-
ted by the English The increase of the
opium trade is great in 1900 it was only
5000 chests, 1873 lbs each; in 1882 1t was
30, 900 chests, and now it is 10000. When
the sense of the people was taken in regard
to legalizing the trade, they were unanim-
ously against it, aware of its ruinous effects.
Since the war with England, they have made
no attempts to suppress the trade for fear of
another war. They would not probably
have entered into that war, had they known
the strength of the English; and the Chi
nese Minister was induced to surrender
from procuring boy who had attended the
mission schools and having him translate
from English books passages relating to the
English nation. Mr.. w. thought the En-
glish did not intend to force upon the Chi-
nese their opium, but as they demanded and
obtained the article TO the amount oil mill
ions and destroyed it, the English waged
war for an indemnity, which they at length
obtained also sum to defray the eXpen-
ses of the war.
The religion of the Chinese consists in
the worship of ancestors. 1t is founded on
the idea that friends who have been kind to
them here, will be kind to them hereafter /;
and it will be difficult for the gospel to Grad
icate this idea of parental protection. This
religion costs each individual ! Ito cent
per day, and the nation annually 400 ,OOO,-
900 of dollars.
The Roman Catholic church has sustain
ed missionaries in China for two centuries
now they have 6 bishops, 81 foreign and ia
native priests, $50 schools, 2 colleges, and