Diplomatic Department.
With reference to certain letters that have been addressed to Her Majesty's Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China by Mercantile Firms at Canton and Shanghae, relative to the insecurity of reign property at those ports, and to indemnification for losses arising out of the disturbed state of › fairs in China, His Excellency Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, &c., &c., is pleased to give publicity the annexed extract of a despatch from the Right Honourable Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, as containing the general views of Her Majesty's Government upon the subject
By Order.
W. H. MEDHURST, Officiating Secretary to H. M.'s Plenipotentiary, &c., &c.
Superintendency of Trade, Victoria, Hongkong
18th October, 1953.
Artract of Despatch No. 52, dated August 8th, 1853, from the Right Honourable the EARL OF
CLARENDON, K.G., to the address of His Excellency SIR GEORGE BONHAM, Bart., K.C.E.
i have received your despatch, No. 24, of the 28th of April, enclosing copies of a correspondence with Messrs. Smith, King & Co. of Shanghae, on the subject of their request to be informed whether In the event of the pillage of the Foreign Factories at that place by the rebels, Her Majesty's Government am undertake to recover the value of property so destroyed; and I have to state to you in reply that Belajesty's Government cannot give any prospective pledge of the kind. So much depends in
to all claims for compensation for losses on the circumstances under which those losses were rad, that until Her Majesty's Government are informed of the actual circumstances connected any particular case of loss, it is impossible for them to decide what course they will pursue in
to it.
is quite clear however that it would be incumbent on any British merchant, who might claim anensation for Losses sustained under the circumstances supposed by Messrs. Smith & Co., to ve the value of the goods which he may have lost, and also that he has taken all proper precaution malerwe bis property or to secure himself by Insurance or otherwise from the consequences of its
True Extract,
W. H. MEDHURST.
Diplomatic Department.
Bonacciency Her Majesty's Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China, is pleased to direct but the amiexed RETURNS of the British TRADE at the PORT OF CANTON during the Year 1852. ye mablished for general information.
By Order,
W. H. MEDHURST,
Officiating Secretary to H. M.'s Plenipotentiary, &c., &c.
dency of Trade Victoria, Hongkong.
19th October. 1858.
A Kertas of the Nambo and Tonnage of MERCHANT VESSELS which derived et and Deported from, the PORT OF CANTON, during the Year ending 31st December, 1852. dis.
guishing the Countries to which they belong.
Hamburg).
Jam
Begit
ARRIVED.
DEPARTE
P
MILLE (PAS.
TONNAGE
INDER WHAT COLOURS.
SH
NO. OF SHIPS
TONNAGE
230
124,385 | British.
223
121.653
86
60,010 American.
59,634
6,026 Dutch
6.251
2,101 French..
3,589 Spanish,
4,095 Hamburgh,
2,243 Danish,
Swedish
1,153
1.250
3.079
4,095
2.042
1,155
295 Bremen.
215
493 Belgian.
406 Norwegian.
586
2,879
Peruvian.
5,132
134 Chilian,
184
243 Ecuador,
248
230 Prussian,
SOD Siamese,
308
210,082
200
204.999
British Consulate. Canton. 31st December 1852.
384
D. B. ROBERTSON
H. M. Consui.