stopped for several days, and all abandon themselves to pleasure in the way they like best. From the yuen-tan to the 5th of the moon, lucky days are chosen to suspend flower-lanterns on the houses and temples, at which ceremony the heat and clamor are great. If partnerships are to be dissolved or servants discharged, it is done in the first moon. On the yuen-tan, a little rain, or a north, a west or an east-north wind (N.E.), are all happy prognostics; but a south wind is deemed unlucky. An easterly wind brings rain, and a north wind, cold weather; the cold is an indication of the warmth of the ensuing spring season. On the first day of the year, they begin weighing water and continue weighing for twelve successive days. If the water is heavy, there will be much rain, if light, the season will be dry. The customs of the people says our Chinese informantt-are so numerous, that it is impossible to describe them all." Vol. 9, No. 7, p. 26.

The Canton Press was commenced in September, 1835; and its first and second numbers, on their appearance, were duly noticed in our pages. It has now reached No. 47 of its first volume. Like the Register, it is accompanied by a Price Current, and occupied chiefly with topics more or less connected with commerce. Tuesday is the publication day for the Register; and Saturday for the Press. In order that this paper also may speak for itself, we will give two or three quotations. In his paper for Saturday, February 6th, the Editor says;

"The editorship of this paper has changed hands, of which circumstance we avail ourselves of the earliest opportunity to give information to our readers; and as a kind of programme may be expected, as to the principles on which the paper will in future be conducted, we proceed to lay it before the public. "It is our belief that the free trade with China, being open to all, we should allow it gradually to encroach upon a great many of the regulations which the Chinese have hitherto more or less strictly enforced in order to prevent any connection with foreigners not absolutely necessary to the purposes of commerce. Our intercourse which the Chinese is already, though it is only two years since the company's monopoly ceased to exist, much more extensive than it has hitherto been, owing to a greater number of vessels visiting both Whampoa and Lintin; and there being no surveillance on the part of the British to keep up a monopoly, the opportunities offered to the Chinese to evade the regulations of the cohong are much more frequent than before, and the Chinese are speculative enough to avail themselves of them, and to carry on an extensive trade, against the oppressive laws of the country, aided in so doing by the corrupted revenue officers, who seem to hold their offices on such precarious terms, that being liable to be turned off at any time, they are determined to "make hay whilst the sun shines," and this illicit trade gives them ample opportunities. It is to be supposed that a nation, agricultural, manufacturing and commercial, each in an eminent degree, and on that account more advanced in civilization than any other Asiatic people, will soon, if they do not already see that the many restrictions on their intercourse with foreigners, imposed by a despotic government, and enforced by a set of officers as venal as possible, cannot tend to its own advancement; and as the intercourse of the Chinese with foreign nations is becoming every day more frequent, and in consequence offers more difficulty to the government to prevent or at least restrict it as hitherto, they will become bolder in their evasions of the oppressive laws, and will make common cause with the foreigners and perhaps ultimately entirely throw off the yoke under which they labor for the benefit of their Tartar oppressors. Thus we may see within a short time, that our intercourse with the Chinese will be on a much better footing, by the simple but active means of self-interest, than it could possibly be

by any coercive means, whereby not only many innocent lives among the Chinese may be lost, but they may also, for a period, at least, stop all intercourse and trade with them, and endanger the lives and property of a great many peaceable British subjects, whose enterprising commerce greatly enriches their own country. We shall not at present insist on the manifest injustice of an armed aggression to force our friendship upon a nation which believes itself to possess, and may, for ought we know to the contrary, possess sufficient resources to be able to isolate itself from the rest of the inhabitants of this globe, leaving this subject for future deliberation in our paper, adding now only, that we believe that the same object will be gained, and in a much better manner, by allowing commerce gradually to overcome those obstacles and prejudices, which have hitherto rendered a residence in China to a foreigner very galling, and frequently degraded him in his own opinion, by the deference he necessarily shewed to his Chinese superior.

"On politics at home, we have little to say-being so remote from the scene of action, we shall limit ourselves to give extracts from the Europe and other papers, and to acquaint our readers with the latest news from home. Our attention will be particularly directed towards obtaining and giving local news, to make our readers acquainted with Chinese manners, and to keep them informed of anything happening here that may be of interest even at a distance. To give as much information as we shall be able to collect on the Philippine islands, Indian Archipelago, and other eastern islands and New Holland, will be our especial care. The commercial part of our information will, as heretofore, be collected with the greatest care and attention, and we hope that our prices current will continue to be approved of. In conclusion, we beg to assure our readers, that, whether or not our efforts meet with their approbation, we shall devote our best exertions to this paper, and if we fail in our endeavors to please, to attribute it to want of ability and to any other fault which we can correct." Vol. 1, No. 22, p. 169.

The second extract, and the last which our limits will admit, refei chiefly to the free trade, showing that "none of the evil conse quences, predicted by those who had enjoyed the sweets of the monopoly, have yet become apparent."

"As far as friendly and uninterrupted intercourse with the Chinese is concerned, we have shewn that the free trade system has worked well, but it were to be wished that it were relieved from the shackles which now oppress it; partly, in the shape of immense duties in England; partly, in company's undisposed stock of teas; and partly, in the shape of the East India company's finance committee here. In a former paper we have already observed that low teas, and on such of which the bulk of teas, shipped to England consists, the duty now levied amounts to 300, but generally to 200 per cent. on prime cost, and that on very few of the finest qualities of tea only the duty is 100 per cent, or less. It is true that the consumption, owing to the much cheaper prices at which the importer now sells, though the duty be about the same per pound, has already increased a little, but there can be doubt that it would soon amount to double its present quantity, were the duties the same per centage, say about 100 per cent. on the sale price, as they were during the time of the monopoly. The present high duties alone would have lessened the profits the free trader expected to make, as the importation exceeded considerably the consumption, but the great cause of fall of prices and abstinence from speculation in England, is the still undisposed of stock of the East India company, which at the end of last year amounted to upwards of twenty-five millions of pounds, and which might, according to the East India directors' fancy or whim, be either partly or at once thrown upon the market, thereby depressing prices at their will, and disheartening capitalists from laying out

their funds in tea speculations. The importer can therefore only sell for immediate consumption, on account of the unsettled state of the market from the above cause, and he being unwilling or unable to prolong his risk under such circumstances, presses the sale of his teas, and must submit to heavy losses. "The shipping engaged in the tea trade under the monopoly, averaged about 28,000 tons per annum, and employed about twenty-four or twenty-six ships. During the first year of the free trade ending on the 31st of March, sixty-seven ships loaded at Whampoa, registering 34,982 tons, and during the second, no less than eighty-three ships of 41,934 tons register, thus shewing an increase of shipping upon the monopoly trade of 10,188 tons average during the first two years. In these none of the ships carrying British manufactures or eastern produce to China, and discharging at Macao and Lintin, without coming to Whampoa, are included; and these likewise have been much more numerous, during the last two years than before, nor are the country ships with cotton from Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras counted.

"The exports of teas to England since the trade was thrown open (23d April 1834,) up to the present moment, have amounted to lbs. 96,797,320; and those in the last season only up to the present time to lbs. 45,731,196, or lbs. 1,946,665 less than in the season before last; nor is it probable that before the new crop comes in, any more will go to England, since few teas are now in the market, and no ship laid on. The average price of the last season's teas, taking the Canton Commercial Price Current as guide, we find to be, a fraction more than 24 taels per pecul, producing 823,616 taels, or $11,480,636, or at the exchange of 4s. 10d. £2,774,487. This proves with how much more vigor the free traders have entered into the trade, than was shown under the company, when the capital employed in purchases of tea in the year 1827-28, did not exceed £1,981,419, or near one million less than what is now engaged in the trade. The purchase amount in the last season of tea for the British market, was nearly as much as the proceeds of the annual sales of the company's teas, including their enormous profits as we find them to have amounted in 1830 to £3,024,138 only.

"Surely the British government, seeing what an iminense capital is employed by its subjects in carrying on a trade from which the treasury derives so great a revenue, the duties on tea amounting to nearly one in every fourteen pounds of the whole revenue of Great Britain, ought to do something inwards removing the difficulties which now prevent this trado from becoming as flourishing as it might be, and lower the rate of duties, by which the revenue would probably, not only not be prejudiced, but even benefited as an increase of consumption must necessarily be the conse quence."

Twelve dollars per annum may seem a high price for a weekly paper, like the Canton Register, or Press; but when their necessary expenses are brought into the account, it will be seen that neither of these papers can at present be afforded for a less sum, or even for so small a one, as that at which they are now sold. The expenses of the two papers, with their respective price currents, must be nearly the same in each case, and cannot be far from the following estimate, per month:

If to this sum, 225, multiplied by 12-$2700 per annum, we add only $2000 for editorial services, the total of $4700 will somewhat exceed the income of either of these papers. The subscription list of the Register, we are credibly informed, shows that about 280 copies are sent out weekly from the office-to the Straits of Malacca, to the different Indian presidencies, and to several of the chief commercial cities in Great Britain and in the United States; and about 325 copies of the Price Current are issued weekly from the office of the Register, at $5 a copy per annum. But several copies of the Regis. ter and of the Price Current are sent gratuitously or in exchange for other papers. We suppose that two hundred and seventy-five of each, $12 for the one, and $5 for the other, per annum, giving a yearly return of $4675 will fully equal, perhaps exceed, the actual remunerative numbers of the Canton Register and General Price Current. The circulation of the Canton Press, and its "Commercial Price Current," they having been commenced within the last twelve months, must be still less. This statement does not include receipts for advertisements, &c.; and though not minutely accurate, shows that the price of these publications is as low as the circumstances of the case will allow. Moreover, the situation of an Editor of a public journal in Canton is by no means the most agree. able that can be imagined. Cut off from all civilized society except a small community of bachelors' like himself; having no intercourse with the native inhabitants at their homes in their social relations, and no access to their public institutions or courts of justice; without any mails or dispatches, besides those which, and frequently at very long intervals, come from beyond sea; watched and guarded as an enemy or an unruly animal by the servants of the police; confined to the walls of the "thirteen factories," except on a few special occa. sions, when for health's sake he is allowed to go abroad and be called fankwei by every one he meets; with no earthly security for his person or property beyond the good-will of a time-serving magistracy; ever liable to wound the feelings of his best friends by telling too much or too little of the truth; never secure from being harassed, vexed, censured, flattered, and cajoled; sometimes called "able' and 'erudite;' again denounced as the mere tool of a party; in these circumstances the task of an Editor, as such, however important in itself considered, is truly "an ungracious one," and ought not to be entirely overlooked in estimating the cost of a public journal.

Having detained our readers so long with remarks respecting the other publications, those concerning the Repository shall be brief. Of the first volume there were printed 400 copies; of the second, 400; of the third, 800; of the fourth, 1000; and thus far one thousand of the fifth. The number of pages in the 1st, was 512; of the 2d, 576; and of the 3d and 4th, each, 584; giving a total of 2256 clusely printed octavo pages: each volume has been accompanied with an index. The price of the first and second volumes was $6 a copy, unbound; the price of the subsequent ones has been only half that Of volume 1st, no copies remain on hand; of the 2d, there are

sum.

13; of the third, 219; and of the fourth, 500. The present circu. lation in China is 200 copies; in Manila, 15; in Sandwich Islands, 13; in Singapore, 18; in Malacca, 6; in Penang, 6; in Batavia, 21; in Siam, 4; in Sydney, New South Wales, 6; in Burmah, 3; in Bengal, Nipál, and A'sám, 7; in Ceylon, 2; in Bombay, 11; in Cape Town, South Africa, 4; in Hamburg, 5; in England, 40; in Ame. rica, 154 copies; this gives a total of 515 now sent out from the office monthly; about one fifth of these, however, are sent gratuitously to public Institutions, Journals, &c.

Hereafter, as hitherto, so long as it shall be our duty to conduct the Repository, we will endeavor to lay before our readers, from month to month, the most valuable information we can collect. In the course of our work, we have already noticed a great variety of sub. jects, but have exhausted none; while a multitude, and many of them of great importance, remain wholly untouched. A great deal more information, and that which is more definite, showing more accurate. ly and minutely what the Chinese government and people are in every respect, is greatly needed, especially at the present time when the nations of Christendom are beginning to think on their relations with this empire. We hope the Repository, in due time, will embody all the most important narratives and facts, worthy of being placed on record, respecting the jurisprudence of the Chinese, their systems of education, domestic habits, social intercoures, public and private manners, religious and superstious rites, history, arts, &c. Surely the time must come, soon we hope, when, the condition of this empire and the character and wants of its inhabitants being much more accurately known than they now are, the nations of Christendom, banded together to keep the peace of the world, each preferring each in honor, and all acting in regard to all on the golden rule-will rise in that true simplicity and dignity which ought to characterize the children of the King of kings, and strive together to elevate the Chinese to a high rank in the great family circle of enlightened and friendly nations.

P. S. Since writing the foregoing, new demands have been received for the Repository, not only for back volumes, but also for the present; these demands will increase the ciculation to more than 800 copies, monthly.

ART. II. Siamese History; notices continued, giving an account of the Siamese wars during the year 905 of their era, or the year 1535, A. D. By a Correspondent.

6

SIAMESE ERA, 905. The king of Pegu remarked, formerly I marched to Siam with 30,000 men, and proceeded even to the vicinity of the city wall, to a place called Lumpli, and nobody came forth to molest