THE FRIEND OF CHINA AND HONGKONG GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY.
SUNDAY, 12т# JULY, 1846.
The arrival of the Corsair, has con-ten on board the Corsair which gives firmed the rumours that were prevalent the latest intelligence.
On board the Corsair for Whampoa,
11th July, 1846,
yesterday of a serious riot at Canton on The evening of the 8th and on the 9th. The letters which we have seen do not say that the mob were excited by any not the slightest appearance
"Every thing is quiet-the mob dispersed, and particular occurrence; and it was prob-reassemble. I believe we have given the vaga- of any intention to ably one of those ebullitions of a spirit of bonds a drubbing that will keep them in order hostility toward foreigners, which, unfor- for some time. The official return-from the tunately for the personal safety of our Mandarins to the Consul-gives 18 killed and countrymen, is so deeply rooted in the 20 wounded and this is confirmed by what is breasts of the lower orders of Chinese at will now be a long time before we have another said by the Merchants. I should hope that it the provincial city.
disturbance, and at any rate we shall always The mob appear to have assembled be ready, and we now know the best way of round the factory, early on the 8th, quelling a riot.
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when the Mandarins intimated to Her Had we acted in the manner the Consul see- Majesty's Consul, that they could not con- till they forced entrance into the ground in front med inclined to adopt, not to fire on the mob trol the people, and foreigners would re-of the Factories, (say the American Garden.) quire to defend themselves. The commu-the chances are we should have been burnt nity armed, and headed by Mr McGregor, out, as it was, I feel satisfied that a delay of proceeded to one of the gates which ten minutes would have seen Church's house on was opened, an attempt being made to We still keep up a watch all night, it is out
fire. persuade the mob to disperse. The rioters! as well to be guarded against surprise; but the would not listen to reason, but com-compradores and merchants say "must have
menced an attack with stones, breaking finished." into the house of Messrs Sands, Turner. Our wounded are all doing well. I escaped Church & Co. It was then necessary
without even a scratch, altho' I was in the to fire, and from the proximity of the thickest of it, in fact five of us had pretty warm work of it at the corner of the street leading parties the fire was most destructive
down to Murrow's, and two of the party were killing 13 and wounding about 20. hurt severely, one a compound facture of the leg, A boat was immediately despatched to the other a deep cut on the head that felled him. Whampoa, and a large force of seamen the mob made a rush to secure him, and we met from the Merchant ships was sent to the them full tilt, and fired five shots within half scene of action as also 50 Marines, 30 a dozen paces of the blackguards, the result was one killed on the spot, and it is said that Sailors and 4 officers from the Danish so many
so many were wounded at this place that frigate Galathea. Before they arrived every shot must have told. It was dark as the mob had dispersed, but on the 11th a pit, eo much so that I was within arms it was still thought prudent to retain length of a fellow in the shade of a doorway them, and from 8 to 12 men were in each ere I saw him, I contented myself with kicking bim, in fact I did not like to discharge my re- house keeping regular watch and watch maining barrel till the German was out of
We make an extract from a letter writ-harm's way."
Letters dated the 9th (by fastboat) state that an English Gentleman was insulted by a Coo- lie, who after much difficulty, be succeeded in capturing. This was the origin of the riot, an attack being immediately made on Mingqua's Hong where the man was secured. The Ladies were sent to Whampoa, under escort, and the Captain of the Danish frigate-who chanced to be in Capton-lost no time in sending for a force from his vessel. A meeting wa
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held on the 9th and the community divided into three watches each under Capte fan
orders were to be obeyed implicitly. The Gentleman whose leg was roken is a American and a German were also severely wounded; and a good hany were slightly hurl. The Chinese Shopmen posted a placard on the 9th, stating that if the mob renewed the attack on the factories they (the Shopmen) would hurl stones on them from the tops of the houses-
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