Red Rover, and with her packet: we went down to the beach and spoke to Markwick and two gentlemen from the Rover, one of whom produced a small bag of letters, which, on being opened, turned out to be chiefly for Senhor A. Pereira and Portuguese gentlemen, and which this person ultimately carried to Senhor A. Pereira. One of these gentlemen informed us that there was lying in a China boat, just abreast of us, a large open bag, containing letters for every one in Canton. You asked the Rover's officer what were his instructions from his captain; he replied, to land the letters for the public, and to deliver the Hon. Company's packet to their steward;' he also produced a list, or sort of manifest, of packets in his boat, amongst which were some for the Hon. Company, one for you, and several for the partners of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. Finding the Rover's officer desirous to get the Company's steward, you sent a coolie for him, and we all went into the postoffice; and just opposite to it was lying the boat, and on the arrival of the steward, the open letter-bag was turned out on a large table in the room. I took such letters as were for myself and assistant in Canton, others took those that were addressed to them, and the remaining letters were left with the steward. We then went down to the beach, where by this time the parcels had arrived; you took away a parcel addressed to Mr. Matheson, and gave it to your coolie; all the others were left with the Company's steward, and in about an hour after, I received such letters and newspapers, as had been placed in the Company's packets; and in all this I can perceive nothing different from what has been the usage ever since I came to China."

Mr. Markwick's statement corroborates the aforegoing, with the important addition, that the bag was opened by Capt. Grant.

The select committee (July 11th) observe that the statement of Mr. Markwick coincides in all essential points with the evidence upon which the committee had acted; and they add, that Capt. Grant, in complaining of the committee's acting on the statement of a menial," forgot that Mr. Markwick was himself but lately in the situation of both butler and steward of the Company's factory. They conclude: " Since, however, you not only persist in your avowed intention of pursuing the course which the select committee have been called upon to condemn, but further have assumed a tone of contumely and disrespect, totally subversive of order, and of the possibility of maintaining that salutary control over officers and shipping resorting to China, which is indispensable for the general interests of commerce in

this country; the president and select committee have determined to withdraw the license of the ship Hercules, under your command, and you are hereby informed, that it is withdrawn accordingly.'

Capt. Grant drew up a protest against the Company's representatives, which (as the president of the committee declined to receive it) he made before the viceconsul of Hanover, and served the president and members with copies.

On the 18th July, the owners of the Hercules (Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.) applied to the committee " to know what the Hercules or her owners had done to induce the putting in jeopardy property to the extent of upwards of a million of dollars, without giving the slightest notice to the parties interested."

The committee, in return (July 20th) express their surprise at the statement that the parties interested had not received the slightest notice of the affair, and refer to Capt. Grant for the correspondence which had taken place, and which left the committee no alternative but to deprive him of his license, "the measure recommended to their adoption in such cases, by the Supreme Government, for the due enforcement of the necessary authority in China."

Messrs. Jardine and Co. (July 24th) reply that the correspondence referred to an unsealed gunny bag, full of loose letters, in the tavern at Macao, and could not, in any way, directly or indirectly, affect the license of the Hercules; that the committee having assigned no sufficient reason for an act so injurious to the owners' property, they solemnly protest against the act of revoking the license of the Hercules, and held the committee responsible for all loss.

On the same day, the committee "in consideration of the inconvenience likely to be sustained by parties unconnected with the occasion of the immediate suspension of the license of the Hercules,' allowed the license to remain in force till 4th September. The committee (on the 29th) requested Messrs. Jardine and Co. to state whether they avowed or not the acts of Capt. Grant.

Messrs. Jardine and Co. (July 31st) reply that they consider the correspondence referred to as strictly of a private nature, totally unconnected with the Hercules and her owners.

The committee, in return (August 5th), declare that this letter is wholly unsatisfactory, nor can any answer be deemed satisfactory, which does not, on the owners' part, avow or disavow the acts and correspondence of their servant, the master of the Hercules. They add: "the select committee consider it the more necessary to call upon you for an explicit answer to their question, so far particu

larly as relates to the abstraction of the letters, and correspondence thereon, from the circumstance of the master of the Hercules having, while in the act of seeking for and abstracting the letters (your's being the most sought for and abstracted with very many others) from the letterbag of the Red Rover, against all remonstrance made to him, thought proper to make use of your name as if it were authoritative; as also from the circumstance of the select committee's official correspondence, remonstrating with the master of the Hercules, on the impropriety of his conduct, having, almost immediately after it commenced, been referred to you."

Messrs. Jardine and Co. (August 7th) reiterate their remark, that the correspondence between the committee and Capt. Grant was of a private nature; adding that they cannot submit to the form or substance of their reply being dictated to them by the committee; that had the committee wished the owners to be in any way responsible for Capt. Grant's acts on shore, they should have apprized them (the owners) of it in the first instance; and as they cannot find any observation in the statements of Messrs. Innes and Markwick, or in the correspondence, of Capt. Grant's making use of their name

46

as if it were authoritative," they consider it, and the assertion that the correspondence was referred to them (the owners), as mere hearsay, unsupported by any evidence offered to them.'

To this letter, the following reply was sent, signed by the secretary, dated August 12th:

"Gentlemen :-I am directed by the president and select committee to inform you, that they deem it necessary to comment upon the reprehensible tone and character of your correspondence with them as an official body; and that they have only to regret the mistaken lenity which induced them to postpone the suspension of the license of the Hercules, upon representations made to them, that innocent parties might suffer inconvenience from the immediate adoption of measures rendered necessary by the aggression and disobedience of the master of that ship, of which you state yourselves to be the sole owners.

It now becomes incumbent, how ever, upon the select committee formally to represent to you your actual position in China; and I have received their instructions to desire you to bear in mind, that the members of your firm, and all British subjects composing your commercial establishment, have been and now are residing in this country contrary to law, and by sufferance only.

"The acts and proceedings which have recently been committed and adopted by

you, and by persons in your immediate employ, or acting under your instructions, having tended to subvert and counteract the authority of the president and select committee; I am directed to caution you against a continuance of the same, as being wholly incompatible with the maintenance of order, and the general interests of trade in this country, and as being calculated to compel the select committee, for the due preservation of those interests, to resort not only to such measures as have already been resorted to, and leniently postponed, but to such ulterior measures as the powers with which they are vested may require them to enforce."

The remaining letters are unimportant; their respective tenor and style are similar to the aforegoing.

AFFAIR AT THE CUM-SING-MOON.

The affair at the Cum-sing-moon, referred to in our last vol., p. 258, it. appears, involved the ship Hercules (the subject of the aforegoing correspondence), though the name of that vessel was not mentioned in the Canton paper from whence we derived the account of the transaction. The following correspondence has taken place, upon the matter.

On the 18th October, the secretary of the select committee wrote to Capt. Grant, the master of the Hercules, that they had received two communications from the Chinese government respecting an affray attended with bloodshed, said to have occurred in the Cum-sing-moon between the foreigners from the Hercules and other shipping connected with her at that anchorage, and the natives on shore, whereby the Chinese had been wounded, their property taken, and prisoners captured, and detained on board the ships; adding: "I have received instructions from the president and select committee to require that you will immediately communicate to them the particulars of this proceeding, and inform them whether any. Chinese are detained on board the Her cules, in order that they may take such steps as may appear necessary on the occasion.'

Capt. Grant refers to a report which had been made to the owners of the ship containing a detail of every circumstance regarding "the late outrage committed by the Chinese of Kee-ow, on part of the crew of the Hercules." He states that the facts of the case are nearly the reverse of those stated by the Chinese government, and that "far from the Chinese being entitled to complain of their property being seized and people wounded, we have to seek justice of them for theft to a considerable amount; and I very much fear for the murder of one of our

sea-cunnies, who was taken by them, and has not since been heard of, though repeatedly demanded. The Chinese now on board the Hercules was taken in the act of stealing copper and iron, and was in the first instance detained till some means of getting him punished, by their own authorities, could be devised. had been in custody about eighteen hours only, when one of our men was carried off, and he is now kept with the view of facilitating the recovery of our sea-cunny, if alive.".

He

The committee returned the following reply by their secretary:

"I am directed by the president, &c. select committee to inform you, they have carefully perused the document received from you, of the recent occurrences in the Cum-sing-moon, and although your account differs very widely from that of the Chinese government, it appears by the statement from the Hercules, that the aggression originated with that ship, and not with the Chinese. A native was seized on shore at Kee-ow, under an accusation of stealing nails from a hulk, and was carried on board the Hercules, where he was put in irons, and kept prisoner. After the lapse of some time, the Chinese, in retaliation, seized a lascar, who was watching the hulk on shore. Mr. Parry, a mate of the Hercules, proceeded to a village with an armed party, and obtained the liberation of the lascar, but in several conflicts which ensued with the Chinese, a sea-cunny was seen by the party to be badly wounded or killed, while they were being driven back to their boats by the natives.

"On a subsequent day, you issued orders that a stronger party, which consisted of eighteen boats and 250 men armed, should again proceed to the village, to rescue, as it is stated, the sea-cunny, although you abstained from appearing personally. This party could not effect a landing, from the fire which was kept up on them by the Chinese; but after shots had been exchanged, by which three Chinese were wounded, one of them dangerously, they thought it prudent to retire. During the whole of these proceedings, the Chinese accused of theft was kept on board the Hercules.

"The president, &c. cannot refrain from observing that, from some time past, you have rendered yourself and the Hercules notorious for acts of aggression and violence, while no complaint has appeared against any other ships connected with the opium-trade. It is the more reprehensible on your part, from the fact of your assuming the command over vessels consigned to your owners, Messrs. Jardine and Co., and others connected with them, in the Cum-sing-moon, and issuing orders for assistance in attacks on the Asiat.Jour. N. S. VOL. 14. No.55.

natives, consequent upon the course of aggressive conduct which you have commenced, but in which you have been effectually opposed by the Chinese, and by which the death of a sea-cunny has unfortunately taken place. The whole course of your proceedings, regarding the Samarang, can only be viewed as a provocation to the Chinese, by which you appear to have been brought into collision with them, inducing the acts of open hostility and bloodshed.

"Such acts of aggression and violence render the Hercules, under your command, amenable to the forfeiture of the license under which that ship remains in China, and yourself amenable to the forfeiture of your_indentures; all other ships under the English flag, which assisted in the above attacks, have likewise become subject to similar consequences.

"The president, &c. cannot refrain from condemning the language reported in your statement to have been made use of by Mr. Gutzlaff, in his interviews with the mandarins; it could tend to no possible end, but angry excitement and hostility; and under the circumstances of the case, the threats made use of, and accusations of murder and piracy, against the Chinese, appear altogether misplaced.

"You are hereby directed instantly to release the native so long detained pri-soner on board the Hercules, on an accusation of theft, he being entirely innocent: of any participation in these affrays, and you are further commanded immediately to remove the Hercules from her anchorage in the Cum-sing-moon.'

In reply to this letter, Capt. G. states that the ship should be removed, and the thief discharged, the detention of whom, he observes, had caused the viceroy to arrest the murderers of the sea-cunny.

A letter, dated "Canton, October 30th," signed "An Eye-witness," and published in a Calcutta paper, gives the following account of the affray in the Cum-singmoon, referred to in the aforegoing correspondence, so different from that which appears in our last vol., p. 258, abridged from the Canton Register, that, it leads to the direct conclusion, that the press of, Canton cannot be depended upon for a faithful relation of occurrences connected with the illicit trade:

"An event of some importance has recently occurred in China, which, as compromising the British character for justice, prudence, and courage, I think it is but right should be placed before you, more especially as the parties implicated are indefatigable in distorting facts to screen themselves from the consequences of their conduct. I allude to an attack which has been made on the natives, from the bay of the (2.B)

An

Cum-sing-moon, on the main-land of China, by armed boats, and men from some of the opium ships, belonging to a particular party in China, more remarkable for endeavouring to create disturbances, than for protecting the very valuable property on board; and for teaching the Chinese the facility with which their marauding parties can be defeated, than for discretion. The story is simply this. old opium ship, called the Samarang, has been stationed on shore, near a large fishing-village, and a small party of lascars left in her to protect her timbers and iron from the Chinese. These villagers have in vain protested against a foreign ship being run on shore, and equally against parties constantly protecting or marauding, as might happen. A few days since, a Chinese was seized near the Samarang, by some of the lascars, and put on board the Hercules, both vessels belonging to the same owners; he was accused of stealing iron, and put in irons. The Chinese, na

turally irritated at this proceeding, in their turn seized a lascar and carried him to a town. The officers of the Hercules sent a very large party to rescue the lascar, who first of all burnt a village, which was on fire the whole night, then proceeded to the town, where the lascar in question joined them. On their way back to the boats, the villagers endeavoured to cut them off'; a fight ensued, in which a secunny was killed by the natives and the rest of the party driven off. A few days after, a stronger party, of nearly 300 men, attempted to attack the town again, but were driven off by the Chinese, and made all sail for their ships, after wounding several. The government, alarmed at the death of the secunny, have seized four parties, forward in the attacks; but there is not a foreigner, unconnected with the parties implicated, that does not feel deeply the flagrant injustice and violence of the proceeding, as well as the danger in which opium vessels are now placed, by the fact of the Chinese learning the real weakness of the ships and crews. Having been universally condemned, it is astonishing how desirous the culprits are to throw the blame on the shoulders of others; piracy and murder are the least accusations levied by opium-smugglers on the persons inhabiting a village, who make reprisals for a hostage for a countryman seized, and whose village is fired, cattle stolen, and inhabitants wounded. This is a true story."

F. 7,392,919 6,964,279

Thus the imports exceeded the exports by nearly 429,000 guilders, though the

The

trade is considerable in amount. bulk of the imports consisted of opium (Levant) F. 1,046,220; linen and cotton goods, F. 1,373,913; provisions, wine and spirits, iron and machinery, piecegoods, earthenware (China), gambier, tortoiseshell and wax: the particulars of the government Japan goods, the spices, and tin are not given. The bulk of the exports consisted of coffee, 90,989 peculs, value F. 2,696,277; rice, 10,314 coyans, F. 1,027,841; sugar, 57,579 peculs, F.673,225; tin, 17,857 peculs, F. 651,780; tobacco, 7,736 peculs, F. 287,021; linen ware, cotton goods, and yarns, F. 631,113.

The number of ships and boats which arrived during the period was 708 (tonnage 35,953), of which 593 were Dutch vessels, 28 English, 17 American, 5 Portuguese, 2 Hambro, 1 French, 1 Swedish, and 61 Asiatic. The number which sailed was 631, 34,091 tons.

Cochin China.

One of the Canton slips of printed paper, hawked about the streets, professing to be founded upon an official report from Leen-chow, near Hae-nan, contains a detailed account of the royal family of Cochin China, between two of whom (an uncle and a nephew) there is now a contest for the crown. The affair is thus stated:

"From the time that Yuen-kwangchung obtained the throne, it was handed down to the reign of King-shing, at which period another Yuen arose in Nung-nae, and usurped the whole country, taking as his title, Kea-lung. He moved his court to Foo-chun, and conferred on a meritorious officer, named Le-tsung-yue, the rank of Tso-keun, and gave him for his support the region of Nung-nae; Kealung gave his younger sister in marriage to the king of Siam. Kea-lung's eldest son died early, but left two legitimate sons. When Kea-lung died, the nation wished to give the throne to the eldest grandson; but the second son of the late

monarch, Ming-ming, seized the power of the military, and by force made himself king. The Tso-keun knew that the kindred would not be safe; he therefore sent privately and took away Kea-lung's second grandson, and conveyed him clandestinely to Siam, to live with his aunt. It turned out to be the fact, that Mingming murdered the elder sister and a cousin; and said that the Tso-keun had sinister motives and schemes of ambition. Soon after, the Tso-keun died, and left no son. Ming-ming destroyed his house, and threw his nephew into prison. The region of Nung-nae he changed into a province, and sent three great officers to keep possession of it. They changed the old regulations, levied heavy taxes, and impoverished the people. Men's hearts were filled with indignation and resentment. They wished to effect a revolution, but had no leader. At this juncture, Kealung's second grandson, then in Siam, heard of these proceedings, and immediately returned. On the 17th of the fifth

moon of this year (July 4th 1833) he entered Nung-nae. The foreign chieftains, far and near, the army and the people, all strove to join him. They put to death the three great officers who had taken possession; liberated all the persons who had been thrown into prison, and offered sacrifices at the tomb of the Tso-keun. Thus they possessed a region extending seven hundred Chinese miles. On the second of the sixth moon (July 19th) the grandson proclaimed himself the king of Nung-nae. Six provinces, Kea-ting, &c. with their towns, in succession, submitted to Nung-nae. It is reported that the Siamese have sent troops to assist, and it was intended to attack immediately the royal residence, Foo-chun. In the mean time, Ming-ming had ordered upwards of fifty ships of war to be got ready, and about four thousand troops, to collect at Ma-le. No engagement had taken place. It is said that Nung-nae's soldiers are veterans, and his supplies abundant; that high and low are of one mind; that he has formed alliances with powerful neighbours; that the passes are all well secured; and that warfare and calamity will be the necessary result for no one knows how long a period."

We hear that the governor of Canton has sent 2,000 men to the help of Mingming.--Corresp. Canton Reg, Jan. 14.

The Report of the London Missionary Society contains the following very unfavourable statement respecting missionary prospects in this part of the world, where they were once the brightest :

"Few missions have experienced greater changes than those which have occurred among the stations occupied by the society in this part of the world. The alternations, between intelligence peculiarly cheering and painfully distressing, which marked the first stages of the Tahitian mission, characterize the reports of its subsequent progress. The communica