Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-21

Yuohang to Cooperate with Teen Poo the district magis
trate of Heangshan they captured Leang Heenee with
boat containing opium the amount OF H. 0OO eatues
The number Of killed and taken prisoners amounted
TO several He likewise inflicted the penalty OF
the laws the criminals Yaouhow and Owkwan, (poth
OF them being brokers' and con5cated their property
This shows that fathuness in the enforcement Of the
laws not wanting and the practice cannot be check
ed The dread of the laws not so great on the part OF
the common people is the anxious desire OF gam,
which incites them all of crafty devices so
that sometimes indeed, the law is rendered wholly IN
effective.
"There also both on the rivers and at sea- bandtti
who with pretence ofacng the orders Govern
ment and OF being search after and the
smuggling Of opium seek opportunities for plundering
When was lately placed in the service of your Majesty
acting judicial commissioner at Canton, of this
nature were very frequently reported Out of these arose
still greater number of cases. in which money was
torted for the ransom of plundered property Thus
countless number Of innocent people were involved IN
suffering All these widespread evils have arisen since
the interdicts against opium were published.
Does any one suggest doubt that to remove the e1
listing prohibitions will detrac from the dignity of Govern
ment? would ask if he is ignorant that the pleasures
of the table and OF the nupa couch may also be INDUCED
in to the injury Of health Nor the invigorating
drugs ooze and devoid of poisonous qualities yet
il has been heard that any of these has been
nterdcted Besides, the removal of the prohibitions
fers only to the vulgar and common people, those who
have official duties perform SO long the officers
Of Government, the scholars and the military not in
cuded, detriment to the dignity Of Government
And by allowing the proposed importation and exchange
1
of money will annually be prevented from flowing out Of
the central land On which side, then, is the gain,
which the loss 1t is evident at glance. But if
still idly look back and delay steps, fooishly
paying regard to matter of mere empty dignity humbly
apprehend that when eventually it is proved impossible
10 stop the hnPorteton Of npnm 1t will then be found
that we have waited too long that the people i'm
poyerished, and their wealth departed Should then
begin to turn round shall find that reform comes
too late.
''Though but servant Of no value, have by your
Maestys condesoendng favor been raised from subor
dnate censorship various official stations both
and in the region south of the great mountains, Kwang
tung.) Ten years spent in endeayors to make
turn have produced no fruit; and find myself over
whelmed with shame and But with regard to
the great advantages, great evils of place where
have been, have never failed to make particular in
quiries Seeing that the prohibitions in force against
opium serve but to increase the prevalence Of the evil
and that there found represent the facts directly
to your Majesty and feeling assured that myself
thoroughly acquainted with the real state Of things
longer forbear to let them reach to your aesy
PROSTATE beg my august sovereign to give secret drec
tons to the Governor and of Kwang
tung together with the Superintendent of Maritime Gus
TOMS that they faithfully investigate the character of the
above statements and that if they find them really
rect they speedily prepare list of regulations adapted
to change IN the system and present the for your
Majestys final decision Perchance this may be found
adequate to stop further oozing of money and
pensh the national With inexpressble awe
and trembling fear, / revereny present this memorial
and await your Majesty's commands"
doubt that if the Chinese Government has not al.
ready egazed the importation Of opium, fas report
ed by the last arrival from Europe,) it will very
soon do So and avail itself of the large revenue to
be derived from it. Various circumstances combine
to produce this result, among the most prominent
of which are /:
i L, The great increase Of the consumption of the
article, which increase must be principally supplied
by foreigners; for, whilst the severe prohibitions
continue against the use of the drug, the home
growth Of it, being conducted icitly must necessa-
rily be proportionaby limited and will not incresase
2 The heavy drain of silver from the country
which the present trade in the article occasions and in
consequence of which silver has advanced in price
fifteen to twenty per cent. compared with their
copper and brass con which form the currency of the
country for the small daily wants of private life
3. The belief that, if the trade and culture are
both legalized, the Empire will very soon be able
to produce full supply of home growth, and of an
article which they believe (howeSer may be the
fact) to be less injurious to the human system than
the foreign article; and
f. The necessities of the public treasury, which
requires to be replenished from some new source as
the internal taxes stated to be pressing very
heavily upon the people, and nothing presented from
which so large can be produced as from opium,
and which can be collected without either depressing
the people or causing dissatisfaction. The plan
would also be universally popular, and we shall not
be at all surprised to learn that the rebel chief had
publicly his intention to revoke the pro-
hibition against opium, as a mode Of strengthening
himself with the people.
\ The English have evidently taken alarm on
the subject, principally from the fear of the RI
vay it would create, by the production of Chinese
opium The Hong Kong Register says:
1--WE repubsh from weekly issue very interesting
memorial on opium, proposing that it shall be legaized
and admitted on paying duty of thirty three taes per
chest In our last issue referred to a memorial on
the subject by Chang Censor for the Province of
HoonaD and then stated opinion that hard
ly likely that the memorial would have any effect Az
legazston would permit opium to be grown in China
unless the consumption largely increased the native
grown opium would interfere with foreign opium as to
quantity perhaps, and certainly price The suffer
ers in the latter would be the Et st Indian Govern
ment.
CAT paragraphs 18th and 10Th of the memorial will be
found the question that above stated discussed
and on the grounds then mentioned likely induce
the Government Of China to lend favorable TO the
prayer Of the memorial viz. the stopping the drain of
silver. We had not the memorial at the time we
wrote, but IL Is TO calculate Chinese consistency
in anti political economy absurdtes We also said that
the class interests which benefited by the present ys
TEN likely to bride the and courtiers into re-
yectng the memorial tho gronnds OF morality
remains 70 be whether not prophets in