June 14. At Baroda, Caroline Eliza, infant daughter of J. P. Willoughby, Esq. 29. Washington James, son of James Morley, Esq., aged one year. July 3. At Poonah, of the spasmodic cholera, Mrs. E. Aikin, wife of Mr. James Aiken, assist. surg., and only daughter of the late Col. S. Irton of the Madras establishment. 6. At Bhewndy, on his way to Bombay, for the recovery of his health, Lieut. James Paul, 11th regt. N.I. 21. Caroline Jane, youngest child of W. C. Bruce, Esq., aged 13 months. 25. At Surat, Arthur Grant, fifth son of James Taylor, Esq., civil service, aged nine months. 26. At Poonah, Matilda Frances, infant daughter of C. Ducat, Esq., M.D. 28. After a short illness, Lieut. Col. Com. T. A. Cowper, chief engineer, on this establishment, aged 45. 29. At Magazon, the infant son of Mr. J. F. de Jesus.. 31. At Bycullah, Henry John, son of the late Rev. J. Nichols, aged 19 months. Aug. 7. James Cooper, midshipman of the H. C. ship Vansittart, aged 14. Of fever. Mr. J. M. De Souza, aged 36. Ceylon. MR. MOON, OF THE BOTANIC INSTITUTION. The following tribute to the memory of the late Alexander Moon, superintendent of the botanic garden in Ceylon, appears in the Ceylon Gazette of May 7. Mr. Moon was a striking proof of the efficacy of industry and good sense in overcoming the difficulties of a scanty or neglected education. He was a native of Scotland, and possessed the patient assiduity, and plain, but strong understanding, which are rarely wanting in his countrymen. He had been, in early life, employed as a working-gardener in the extensive establishment at Kew, where he had attracted the attention of those able botanists, the Aitons, who took a pleasure in encouraging his love for botanical science. Your readers are aware that most of the books in that science are written in Latin, and it became necessary for Mr. Moon, in pursuing that science amidst his labours as a gardener, to acquire some knowledge of that language; he persevered and succeeded, and became so well skilled in his beloved science, that he was recommended by Mr. Aiton to Sir Joseph Banks, when a person was required to succeed the late Mr. Kerr, in this island. In Ceylon, Mr. Moon found and cultivated a rich field of botany. The beautiful plantations at Slave Island, until they were given up on the change of the establishment, exhibited his taste and industry in their full power; and, on his removal to Kandi, he laid out the garden of Peradenin, which every one who has seen it has admired as a most beautiful specimen of the lovely art of gardening. But it is to his botanical work on the plants of Ceylon that his name will owe its celebrity amongst men of science. He has, in that work, displayed such a vast quantity of botanical information respecting the plants of the island, as would ap pear to have required the labours of a long life to accumulate; yet he had not been above five or six years in Ceylon when it was committed to the press. Stored as he was with information, he was liberal in imparting it; and, conscious as he must have been of his skill, it was impossible for any human creature to be more unassuming, anxious to oblige, and delighting to communicate improvement, he was particularly calculated to disseminate agricultual knowledge amongst the inhabitants of Ceylon, and, in many in. stances his instructions have been' received and followed by the intelligent natives. The private character of Mr. Moon may be collected from what has been said of his public department. Modest, unaffected, and unobtrusive, he was, nevertheless, able, from his stores of information, to support his fair proportion of conversation with honourable and independent feelings; he was humble and courteous in his behaviour to his superiors, and kind and equal tempered to all; he was particularly regarded by those who best knew him, and in acts of good-nature and charity was ever ready and forward, But it is to botanical science that the loss will be most severe; his collections of unclassed genera, and his other additions to the botany of Ceylon are, it is to be feared, not sufficiently matured for publication, and his place will not easily be supplied. Penang. COCHIN CHINA MARINE. We were gratified on Friday evening last, the 13th inst., with a very novel specN 2 tacle, tacle, by the arrival, in our harbour, of his Cochin Chinese Majesty's frigate, Toy Lang, mounting thirty-two guns, commanded by Woyang Wanfang. On Sunday came in also, his Cochin Chinese Majesty's brig Bucluang, Huong Kongton commander. These vessels touched at Singapore, where they remained a few days. They were lately built under the superintendence of a Frenchman. The ship is a neat model of a vessel, measuring, we believe, about 350 tons. The hull, masts, &c. are painted in a very fantastic manner. Our contemporary of Singapore states that the commanders gave it out that trade was not their object, and that they have been sent out by their government to gain nautical and geographical experience, and a knowledge of naval tactics; but it appears they have each a cargo of Tonquin lead and sugar, raw silk, rice, &c. We are happy to recognize, in the head mandarin, the same person who visited this settlement last year in quality of a supercargo, and who found so ready a sale for the cargoes of four large junks, that he has been induced to return to our port in the expectation of meeting with similar success this season. We trust that the encouragement they will receive by the disposal of their cargoes upon advantageous terms, may be the means of creating a a further extension of trade between the ports of Cochin China and this island. A large Cochin China junk, with a valuable cargo, also came in on Saturday last. This vessel was bound, we understand, for Batavia; but encountering bad weather, or missing her intended port, she made for the straits of Malacca.-Penang Gaz., May 18. COCHIN CHINA. In ⚫ our last number we announced the arrival of three vessels belonging to the king of Cochin China. The three mandarines and the commanders paid a visit of ceremony to the hon. the governor, at Suffolk, on Wednesday last, and were received with every mark of attention. It does not appear they have brought any letters for our government from his Cochin Chinese Majesty; but they are furnished with a commission. They report that several trading junks may be expected here during the present season. We have no doubt our mercantile readers will be gratified to learn that, in compliment to the king of Cochin China, on the first occasion of his sending two squarerigged armed vessels to this port, and with the view of encouraging and promoting the commercial intercourse between this island and Cochin China, the Government has been pleased liberally to grant a remission of duties upon such articles of merchandize on board the three vessels lately arrived, as might be liable to duty under existing regulations. So handsome a compliment will, we trust, have its due effect of increasing the confidence of his Cochin Chinese Majesty, and inducing a reciprocal accommodation to any vessels of our nation visiting the ports of his kingdom for commercial purposes. The man-of-war junk which proceeded to Tavoy last year, and remained several months in this harbour, had arrived at Singapore. Several of her guns and other warlike stores which had been landed at Tavoy, prior to the arrival of the British force which captured it, were detained, and, we are informed, our Government offered them a handsome supply here in return, which the mandarines did not feel themselves at liberty to accept, and politely declined, with many acknowledgments for the attention to their wants evinced by Government, in supplying them with a pilot, anchors, cables, &c. when the junk procecded to Tavoy to return the Burman ambassadors. The mandarines complained much of the ingratitude of the Burmans, and their shabby treatment of them upon their arrival at Tavoy. They expressed a hope that his golden-footed majesty of Ava would not trouble them with any more missions, and added, that any future envoys from him would, in all probability, meet with a rough reception.-Ibid. May 21. PROVINCE WELLESLEY. We have seldom taken notice in our columns of the great improvements going forward in Province Wellesley; but we congratulate our readers, and the community in general, on the benefit likely to accrue from the liberality of Government and the active exertions of the superintendent. We understand that the whole face of that formerly uninteresting, and, indeed, almost unknown district, is entirely changed; that whole tracts of jungle are converted into fertile paddy fields; that with great labour and persevering exertions roads have been cut along the ridges, which run parallel to the sea, at intervals, to a great distance inland, which have been connected by others, formed with much difficulty, through the low marshy ground, so favourable to the growth of paddy. The number of inhabitants, from the disturbances at Quedah, has amazingly increased, and all seem happy and contented under their mild and equitable government. There is no doubt, that in the course of a few years we shall be relieved, by the cultivations of Province Wellesley, from our present dependence on Bengal and the countries that surround us, for our supplies of rice, &c. and that we shall obtain that indispensible article at a much cheaper rate.-Ibid., May 25. MILITARY STORES. In the Singapore Chronicle of the 14th April, we observe the arrival of the Schooner Conch, which touched here. Her cargo consists of warlike stores, destined, no doubt, for Bangkok; to which place very large supplies of arms and ammunition have lately been sent. The Harriett, free-trader, which had touched at Batavia, and was not permitted to land the gunpowder on board, had arrived also at Singapore. We are informed that vessel has brought out 1,600 barrels of gunpowder, which, it is reported, is destined for Siam. So much for the advantages of free trade! We do not feel ourselves at liberty to make any comments on the above information. We may remark, however, that we have been informed by pretty good authority, that vessels bringing out arms and warlike stores at Singapore from Rotterdam, are furnished with two sets of papers. We cannot perceive any necessity for this, if there is no statute prohibiting the export and import of warlike stores.[Ibid., May 31. RAJAH OF QUEDAH. Apprehensions of an invasion from the Quedah shore appear to have subsided at Penang at the date of our latest intelligence. We hear that Capt. Burney had been sent by the Government of Prince of Wales' Island, to ascertain, if possible, the extent of the preparations, and the real views of the rajah in collecting this force; and that he had returned unable to discover the vast navy of prows, said to have been collected and put into commission in his Highness' sea-ports!—[Cal. John Bull, June 28. BUILDINGS IN GEORGE TOWN. While our harbour continues to be the resort of shipping from all quarters, we are happy in having it in our power to an nounce many 'improvements which have lately been effected in our town, for affording facility in landing and shipping merchandize. Under the able management of the Committee of Assessors, three very substantial and commodious ghauts, faced with hewn granite, have been constructed, directly opposite the three principal streets leading into Beach Street. A very handsome and convenient jetty, projecting well out, has also, with the aid of liberal contribution from government, been erected under the superintendence of the same zealous and useful association. The new jetty, which is situated between the fort and master attendant's house, has a broad flight of hewn granite steps at the extremity, along the whole extent of the sea face, upon which persons from on board ship may land at all hours, and goods may be landed or shipped at all times, during the flood or ebb tide. Many handsome dwelling houses and shops are daily erecting in different parts of the town, especially Beach Street, by Armenian and native merchants. The sons and nephews of the late wealthy merchant, Syed Hussain, whose immense built several elegant houses for their own treasures were divided amongst them, have residence in town, and several extensive ranges of shops and godowns for the accommodation of the Arabs and other foreign native merchants resorting to this settlement at different seasons of the year, also to rent to Chinese and other shopkeepers.-[Penung Gaz., May 31. Singapore. BORNEO PROPER. Several prahus have come in from this quarter already, bringing their usual cargoes, rice, sago, pepper, tortoiseshell, sca slug, camphor, birds'-nests, and seed pearls. The first prahu stated that the Sultan of Borneo and his son, who was joined with him in the administration of the country, were both dead. The mournful news was communicated by the commander, by the expression that "the sun and moon of Borneo had sunk." The commanders of the next two prahus which arrived, stated the facts in a manner less disconsolate and less figurative, reporting that the old sultan had died a natural death; that his son, who succeeded him, had turned out an arch tyrant, making free, to an insupportable degree, with the lives and property of his subjects; that his misconduct had occasioned an insurrection, and, finally, that the Pangerans or hereditary chiefs had seized upon the legitimate culprit, and put him to death by the bowstring. his room, these king-makers, for so it appears they have always been, had set up his nephew as sultan, to commence a new score of despotism, according to the immemorial usage of the stationary and incorrigible east.-[Sing. Chron., May 12. SINGAPORE INSTITUTION. In to understand, is to obtain for him a thorough knowledge of the Chinese language, as subservient to his future mercantile pursuits. We wish every success to this very liberal and enterprizing scheme, which becomes the enlightened spirit of the American people, and the magnitude of their commercial relations with the Chinese empire. Ibid. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. On the 29th ult. the signal station was removed, the flag being hoisted on the easternmost St. John's Island; it is, however, scarce 200 yards from its original position, and now commands a complete view, east and west, of the entrances of the Singapore Straits. The bearings given in the Calcutta directory for entering the roads, will not be interfered with.-[Ibid. SHIP BUILDING. officer of the free trader Aguilar, of the Batavia fever. 21. Lieut. W. Dalzell, 34th regt. B.N.I, aged 24 years, after a lingering illness. Netherlands India. The following reflections upon the treaty with the Dutch, and upon their commercial system in the East, we extract from the Singapore Chronicle. "By recent accounts from Java and England, we are sorry to observe that there is very little prospect of the speedy abrogation of those oppressive restraints upon the commerce of Great Britain with the Netherland possessions which have chiefly grown out of the decree of the 3d February, 1824, In Java no favourable change whatever has been cffected, in consequence of the new treaty; and it appears to be the opinion in England that the Dutch authorities have still the power of We are happy to be able to report that imposing what duties they please, even to a commencement has been made at this settlement in this important branch of colonial industry. Mr. Swinton and Mr. Temperton, two ingenious and respectable artists, have, within the last twelve months, made some progress in forming establishments for building and repairing ships. Mr. Swinton has a schooner of 40 tons nearly ready to launch, and Mr. Temperton has advanced considerably with a ship of 200 tons. It is probable that a great deal of the abundant timber of this and the neighbouring islands is fit for building vessels, equal in value and durability to fir-built ships; and when our intercourse with Siam is matured, we shall have no difficulty in obtaining plenty of teak timber for the construction of vessels of a higher class. The banks of the river, at the same time, will allow, every where, of the construction of vessels of at least 500 tons burthen.-[Ibid. INCREASE OF CULTIVATION. The Chinese are pushing their operations across the island to the straits which separate it from the main, for the culture of gambier, and their track is marked by the tall columns of thick smoke every where to be seen in the interior. The rapid increase of this branch of culture is easily accounted for by the great profits made by the gambier manufactories; but we are a little more surprised to find, contrary to our calculation of the capacities of the island, that the Malays, Bugis, and others, have lately commenced, with a good deal of animation, and with much eagerness of competition for the best lands, the culture of rice.- Ibid. DEATHS. April 20. At the hospital, Mr. R. Brown, chief the extent of prohibitory ones. In reference to the similar arrangement made for the trade of the two nations in Europe, an English ministerial journal is compelled to make the following extraordinary admission: "we do not mean to disguise from our readers the fact that a general law or tariff may be so constructed as completely to annul the benefit held out to this country by the complaisant language of the agreement." If this be really true, the commercial arrangements of the late conventions are no better than so much waste paper. They are indeed worse, for they tend to encourage delusive expectations and to distract and perplex all commercial speculation. "Whatever be the wording of the late treaty, there can be no question but its practical operation is very different at the respective ports of the two nations in India. The import duties chargeable in Calcutta, for example, instead of being raised on Dutch bottoms, will almost invariably be reduced, On Netherland woollens and cottons, the extension of the market for which appears to be so much an object at heart with the Dutch Government, the duties will only be 6 per cent. Even in the case of hollands, the most important article of Dutch trade to India, in whatever direction imported, and although an exciseable commodity, the whole duties will only be 20 per cent. At Batavia, on the other hand, the duties on the staple articles of British cottons and woollens have been raised, and virtually since the conclusion of the treaty, from 12 to 25 per cent. in one case, and from 12 to 35 in another. At the same time the duties on the staple article of exportation coffee, have been greatly enhanced. The effect of these impolitic restraints is exhibited in the manner the most palpable and subjects of each other to trade upon the footing of the most favoured nation. If this were strictly enforced, the manufactures and commodities of Great Britain ought to be admitted into the ports of Java upon the same terms and conditions as those of China, Japan, or Siam, otherwise the high contracting parties will be compelled to admit, that neither the Chinese, the Japanese, or the Siamese are nations, and be reduced to the necessity of finding some new term by which to designate these great groups of human beings. "In the treaty, indeed, there is a very comprehensive and sweeping clause as follows. Their respective subjects conforming themselves to the local regulations of each settlement" This may mean any thing or nothing in particular. It may mean that the subjects in question shall behave generally in a peaceable and orderly manner wherever they sojourn, or it may mean that they are to pay whatever duties, charges, or impositions they may be commanded to pay at any particular port which they shall frequent without asking any question. and most likely to bring final conviction -the defalcation of the public revenue, which has been their result. In 1817, the first complete year of re-occupation, the custom-house duties of the port of Batavia were 432,109 guilders. In 1818 they had risen to 966,556-in 1819 to 1,365,231-in 1820 to 1,672,265 .in 1821 to 1,920,284--in 1822 to 2,100,164, and in 1823 to 2,622,441. The new tariff and enhanced duties having been adopted towards the beginning of 1824, the receipts of the Custom House for that year exhibit, not an increase but a defalca tion of 222,498 guilders. Had they inereased in the medium proportion of former years, and there was nothing but the excessive duties to prevent it, the revenue of 1824, instead of being only 2,399,943, ought to have been no less than 2,987,396, -so that the loss sustained by the Dutch government by its new system of commercial policy is in reality considerably more than half a million of guilders a year at the port of Batavia alone. It may, perhaps, be imagined, that the defalcation of revenue now referred to may have originated in the depreciation of Colonial produce "The second article of the treaty stipuwhich is ascertained to bave taken place lates that the foreigner shall pay no more in 1824; but it is evident that such depre- than double the duty imposed upon the ciation could not materially have affected native merchant. This may be evaded in the receipts, as the impost levied on the com- a great variety of ways: such as creatmodities in question is not an ad valorem ing government monopolies and governduty, but a duty levied on the quantity, and ment prohibitions, and by taxing exhoras we find the export of coffee during the bitantly the staple commodities of the season 1824 not less than 237,869, or only foreign merchant, the commodities being between twenty and thirty thousand piculs at the same time such as the native merless than that of the previous year, while chant seldom deals in at all. This has been, the duty levied was higher by 25 per cent. in fact, done in the case of British cottons The difference of the rates of duties and woollens; and it seems to us clear that charged on colonial produce at the Dutch the same principle which admits of raising and British ports is very striking. At the duty to 25 or 35 per cent. would equalCalcutta the duty on cotton, on indigo, ly authorize raising it 250 or 350 per cent. on lac dye, will not exceed, at the utmost, on any other amount, which would annihi10 per cent. on Dutch bottoms. At Ba- late the trade altogether. It was clearly tavia the present duties on coffee are at the object of the negociators, however, least twice this amount on British vessels. not to raise the duty beyond 12 per We conceive also that the manner in which cent., as may be gathered from the context the provisions of the treaty have been exof the last clause of the article in question, ecuted, is more congenial to its true which stipulates that, where no duty is spirit under the British than under the charged to the native merchant, that chargNetherland government. Thus an order ed to the stranger shall not exceed 6 per has been sent out from England to re- cent. This was clearly founded on the duce the foreign duties, so that they shall tariff, which the negociators supposed to not exceed double the British import. In be in existence in Java at the time, and Java, on the other hand, the duty has been was intended for the protection of the raised on Dutch vessels, so that it may Dutch merchant in the ports of. British not be reduced on British. India, where it was known that certain of our manufactures were admitted duty free. The Dutch merchant at the time paid in Java 6 per cent. when the British merchant paid 12. Where the native merchant, therefore, paid no duty, it was considered reasonable that the foreign merchant should be assessed no higher than the lowest ascertained duty at the time, or 6 per cent. "The avowed spirit and object of the treaty is reciprocity of duties and charges aid the freedom of trade; but it must be confessed that there are so many qualifications, reservations and loopholes to escape by, that the treaty, except supported by the best dispositions on both sides, may be wholly evaded or rendered utterly nugatory. The first article, for example, stipulates contracting parties are to admit the "The third article of the convention engages |
