The Sun. — 1830-02-22 (London, England)

EAST INDIA COMMITTEE.  We have already mentioned that the House of Commons' Committee upon East India Affairs had last week altered their days of sitting from two days to three days each week for the better despatch of buiiness, and ale.o that on Thursday they entered upon the inquiry into the nature of the Canton trade, or, in plain terms, of the tea-monopoly, which is the great bone of contention on the present occasion. Several witnesses are in attendance to give information on this subject, but the principal witness is Charles Majoribanks, Esq., a member of the factory at Canton. This gentleman was examined at great length on Thursday, and he produced a number of documents of the Committee. lie described the manner in which the Canton trade is conducted,—namely, through the agency- of Hong merchants, seven of whem are at this moment the sole medium of communication between the Company and the Chinese ; tl:at the Chinese being from their institutions an anti-commercial people, the trade if thrown open would be liable to constant interruption, and the very circumstance of such an opening would, in his opinion, cause the Chinese to raise the prices of their teas; that the better sort of black teas would not be so plentiful as at present, and that more of inferior qualities would be then manufactured.  The Company hare at present the choice of every leaf of black tea sent to Canton, and are -without competition. In green teas, the Americans do compete to a certain extent with the Company. He gave an interesting description of the process of the manufacture, mode of inspection, &c., &e. by the agents fur Europe, and likewise furnished a full documentary statement of the American trade in China, from which it appeared that that traffic had considerably diminished of late years, and when he left in December, 1528, only twelve ships from the United States had arrived during the whole of that season. Mr. Marjoribanks was decidedly of opinion, that the Americans were great losers in their dealings with the Chinese, in proof of which, he mentioned that a Mr. Thompson, of Philadelphia, had said before Congress, that " he had employed ; capital of 800,000 dollars in the China trade, six or seven ships, and had paid duties to a larger amount than any other merchant or individual in the United States ; adding, that he was at that moment a bankrupt." He believed that Howqua, the principal Hong merchant, had been engaged in trade with America on his own account ; but he (Howqua) had informed Mr. Marjoribanks that he had given it up as totally unprofitable. He gave a detailed account of the circumstance of a Sicilian sailor being given up to a Chinese on a charge of murder by Americans, and that after a mock trial the poor man was executed—a circumstance deeply disgraceful to American character, and which they attempted to palliate by saying that the sailor, not being a citizen of the United States, they did not think proper to interfere to protect him.  That the principal American agent was so disgusted at the above as to resign his situation; that the American character, and indeed foreigners generally, had been greatly lowered in the estimation of the Chinese by the above circumstance. That there had been some interruption to the trade, some caused by the Chinese, and some by the Company. In 1814, a combination was entered into by sonic of the merchants in order to form a co-hong, which by the firmness of the Company was prevented.  That the Company were the only party allowed by the Chinese Government to address authorities in the Chinese linguage ; indeed, the East India Company were the only power acknowledged by the Chinese authorities. That in the year 1820 a Chinese was killed on board a country ship, and that the Mandarins came on hoard English ships to inquire respecting it ; that fortunately, as it would appear, a butcher on board one of the ships had that day committed suicide, and the Mandarins, considering it as a sure sign that he was the murderer, went away satissed, and no more was beard respecting this circumstance.  That some of the members of the East India factory were conversant with the Chinese language, and spoke it fluently. That Dr. Morrison spoke it as well as he did English, and so desirous were the East India Company to diffuse a knowledge of the native tongue, that they had already expended 12,0001. upon the Doctor's Dictionary, which was popularly used by the Javanese in their country, the characters being the same, although the language was different. The highest praises were bestowed upon the services of Dr. Mu/risen, as a good enthusiastic indefatigable man ; that the purposes of his mission to China had failed : lie was greatly respected by all who knew him. That Chinese of high rank often visited the Company's factory, and that there had been occasion when the Company's agents had personally visited tile Viceroy, on which occasion it was a rule never to speak on business, such an allusion was considered highly indecorous by the Chinese in their visits of ceremony. That the son of the Viceroy had been entertained on board one of the ships. That the amount of the tonnage of the East India Company, and the country trade, was nearly equal. For some years the Company's had, however, greatly predominated. That tLe country trade was principally in opium to the amount of 14,000,000 dollars, and there was, besides, a great illicit trade in that poison. Mr. Marjoribanks gave a very detailed account of the manner in which woollens were disposed of to the Chinese, who, upon the faith of the East India Company's seal, sent the bales unopened to the remotest parts of China, which would, he thought, cease to be the case were the trade thrown open, as then inspections, frauds, &c., would creep in.  That the principal article of imports of the Company into China were from India, and that the Company, in their English consignments to China, had considered more the interests of English manufactures than their own, often sustaining considerable losses ; and that the China merchants assured the Company that they were not gainers by their transactions.  He Entered into long details upon the general mode of transacting business in China, tending to show the apparently insurmountable difficulties there were in the way of free trade.  This is the substance of the evidence already given before the Committee upon the Canton trade. A considerable number of witnesses remained to be examined upon this point clone.  We are sorry to find that Lord MILTON has for the last ten days laboured under severe indisposition, but his Lordship is now approaching to convalescence, and is expected in London in the course of a few days.-Lee Is 3fersury.