CO129-027 - Public Offices - 1848 — Page 440

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Encl. 1, in No. 16.

18

CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE RESIGNATION

whether I am deserving of the injury which has been inflicted on me for endeavouring to amend what were deemed national errors of great magnitude, and on which, if I had remained silent and inactive, I should indeed have considered myself unworthy of employment of any kind in Her Majesty's service.

I would venture to suggest the names of three gentlemen well conversant with the subjects referred to; namely, Mr. Trevelyan, Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. Lefevre, Secretary to the Board of Trade, and Mr. Otho Hamilton, of the Audit Board; the last named gentleman having had all my accounts as Her Majesty's Treasurer under his supervision.

I will cheerfully bow to any decision at which those three gentlemen may arrive.

I have, &c.

(signed) R. M. Martin.

Enclosure 1, in No. 16.

ABSTRACT of Proceedings in China.

1. Examination of our Financial state in detail; transmitted to Governor Davis, 17 June

1844; to Lords of the Treasury, 19 June 1844-

2. On transmission of Specimens of all Chinese Manufactures to Board of Trade, London,

forwarded to Governor Davis, 29 June 1844.

3. Report on the British Currency, and Monetary Exchanges in China.

4. Report on Hong Kong in all its aspects; to Governor Davis, 24 July 1844; to Lords

of the Treasury, August 1844.

5. Report on Chusan in all its aspects; examination of our policy in China; to

Governor Davis, 30 August 1844; to Lords of the Treasury, 20 September 1844.

6. Comparison between Hong Kong and Chusan; transmitted to Sir R. Peel, 14 No-

vember 1844; to Lords of the Treasury, 14 November 1844.

7.

Dissent in Council on proposed Legislative enactment for licensing Opium smoking-shops in Her Majesty's settlement, Hong Kong; read before Governor in Council, 26 November 1844.

8. Draft Legislative Enactment, to enjoin an observance of the Sabbath in Hong Kong; transmitted to Governor Davis, and caused my "Analysis of the Bible" to be trans- lated by the Reverend Dr. Gutzlaff, for general circalation throughout China.

9. Despatch respecting French intrigues in China; to Sir Robert Peel, 21 December

1844; to Lords of the Treasury.

10. Minute on the British Position and Prospects in China, and an Exposition of the Treaty of Nankin; to Governor Davis, 19 April 1845; to Sir Roberi Peel, 25 April 1845; to Lords of the Treasury, 25 April 1845.

11. Representations and Correspondence on the Governor's violation of Instructions from Lords of the Treasury, on the disbursement and account of the Public Monies; to Lords of the Treasury, May, June and July 1845.

12. Correspondence respecting six months' leave of absence, to represent the state of our affairs in China; Her Majesty's Government, 24th June, July, 1845 trans- mitted to Governor Davis, with explanatory Letter to Lord Stanley, 8th July 1845, and to Mr. Stephen, Under Secretary of the Colonies, same date.

13. Rise, progress and condition of the Tea Trade, with numerous tabular statements, &c.;

to Lord Stanley, 3d September 1845.

14. Points for the consideration of Her Majesty's Government on the whole of our affairs in China, with Appendices A. B. and C., showing 1st. A necessary reduction of expenditure to the extent of 250,000l. a year.-2d. Fair and bonourable terms of negotiation with the China Government for the cession of Chusan.-3d. Reply to Sir H. Pottinger's reason for preferring Hong Kong to Chusan.-4th. The means to be adopted immediately for the rectification of our erroneous policy, to improve our position, and to expand our trade, &c. transmitted to Lord Stanley, 3d September 1845.

In addition to the preceding documents (which are very voluminous), abstracts on the above points have been given to Lord Stanley, to the Earl of Aberdeen, to Mr. Goul- burn, to the Earl of Dalhousie, and to Lord Canning, in November and December 1845; and a Synopsis of a complete Commercial Report on China (for which the materials were collected during a personal examination of all the consular ports, and after visiting every accessible part of China) was forwarded to the Earl of Dalhousie, 4 December 1845, which has now been three months under the consideration of the Lords of the Treasury and Board of Trade.

These

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OF MR. M. MARTIN, TREASURER OF HONG KONG. These labours were in addition to the arduous and responsible duties of Her Majesty's Treasurer for the Colonial, Consular and Diplomatic services in China; which were rendered extremely barassing and anxious by the departure in China, from the clear and positive instructions of the Lords of the Treasury, by the difficulty of procuring proper clerks, or by their death, and absence from illness, and by the frequent recurrence of a depressing climactic disease, which at one period nearly proved fatal.

2 March 1846.

Enclosure 2, in No. 16.

R. M. Martin.

MEMORANDUM of Exertions for the Public Welfare.

TWENTY years have been seduously devoted by Mr. Martin to an investigation of the Encl. 2, in No. 16. Colonial, Commercial, and Financial affairs of the British Empire. Ten of these years have been spent in visiting the Colonies, and 10 years in circulating the information acquired; the result of some of his labours has been as follows:

I. History of the British Colonies, five vols, 28 Maps, Charts, &c. II. Marquess Wellesley's Indian Despatches, five vols., Maps, Plans, &c. III. British Colonial Library, ten vols., Engravings, Maps, &c. IV, Eastern India, three vols., 200 Drawings, Maps, Plans, &c.

Copies printed.

-

8,500 8,000 22,000

4,500

V. Statistics of the British Colonies, one large vol., 3,000,000 Figures,

Seals, &c.

3,000

VI. Political, Commercial and Financial Condition of Anglo-Eastern

Empire in 1832, 8vo.

1,500

3,000

1,500

1,500

-

3,000

VII. British relations with the Chinese Empire in 1832, 8vo.

-

VIII. Taxation of the British Empire, with Tabular Views, &c

IX. Past and present state of Tea Trade of England, Europe and America

X. Analysis of Parliamentary Evidence on China Trade, 1832 XI. Colonial Policy of the British Empire, Part I., Government- XII. Marquess Wellesley's Spanish Despatches, one vol. 8vo. XIII. Ireland as it was, is, and ought to be, Tabular Chart, &c. XIV. Colonial Magazine, seven vols. 8vo, completed, Engravings, &c.

XV. Poor Laws for Ireland, a Measure of Justice for England, &c.,

pamphlet

Colonial Atlas, with Maps of each Colony, now engraving.

-

-

1,500

1,500

1,500 12,000

10,000

East and West India Sugar Duties Equalization, 40,000 copies distributed. Monetary System of British India, 10,000 copies distributed. Various pamphlets on Commerce, Finance, Shipping, &c.

The foregoing publications comprise about 70,000 octavo volumes, illustrated by numerous maps, engravings, plans and statistical charts, and they all refer to subjects of great national importance. The mere mechanical expenditure on these works for printing, paper, engravings, &c., has been upwards of 20,000. sterling.

To defray these heavy charges, to pay assistants, and to provide for personal expenses during 20 years' unremitting toil, and costly labour and travel, not the slightest aid has been furnished by Government; but relying solely on his own energies, and out of his own limited resources, Mr. Martin has prepared the first complete "History of the British Colonies," and by his unceasing exertions, has awakened an interest in the public mind for our trans-marine possessions, whose extent and condition were heretofore imperfectly known, and their intrinsic value inadequately appreciated.

In addition to the preceding mentioned labours, Mr. Martin has zealoulsy contributed to promote various useful objects. The" Colonial Society" of London was consequent on his works, and he has endeavoured to advance its laudable objects. The "Central Agricultural Society" by which the landed interest was united for the protection and encouragement of agriculture, at a period when it was threatened with destruction (1835-36), had its origin mainly in his exertions, and for two years he acted gratuitously as one of its honorary secretaries. He also co-operated as honorary secretary with the "Society for the Protection of Domestic Industry," which was superintended by a committee of 21 Members of Parlia- ment, whereof E. S. Cayley, M. P. was chairman, and which had for its leading object the union of all classes engaged in land, manufactures and trade.

In order that he might obtain an accurate view of the working of our banking system, Mr. Martio made a tour throughout England and Scotland, to the extent of 2,500 miles, during which he visited nearly every public and private bank in the kingdom; and for 12 months he officiated as honorary secretary to the "Commercial Bank of London." The "Bank of British North America" was planned, and its preliminary proceedings were organized

743.

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