Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 22

4

Review of Public Occurrences During the

JAN.

to appeal to your wisdom and justice, to give to their wrongs a fair and candid consideration. You will thus confer on me a personal obligation, and will relievc me from the anxiety, with which I should view the necessity of considering what further measures of support, the aggrieved merchants have a right to expect at my hand. I beg of your excellency to accept the assurance of my high consideration ̧

(Signed)

W. C. BENTINCK."

2d. The Canton Register, No. 1, volume fifth, this day pub- lished, details the particulars of the presentation of lord William Bentinck's letter, which took place on the 31st of December, at the imperial landing-place, by captain Freemantle. The Register also announced the arrival off Macao, on the 29th ult., of H. B. M. sloop- of-war Wolf, captain Hamley, with dispatches from his excellency sir Edward Owen, naval commander-in-chief in the East Indies.

7th. On this day the governor of Canton, having refused to give any direct reply to lord William Bentinck's letter, issued an edict, addressed to the hong merchants. This edict, elicited by an address from the chief of the British factory, contains the following indirect reply. His excellency says:

On the 28th day of the 11th month of the current year, was received an official document presented by Freemantle, a naval officer sent by the said nation, concerning the lieut.-governor of Canton breaking down and removing the landing-place and wall in front of the factory's barbarian hall. Also about insulting the picture of the untion's sovereign, earnestly craving redress, &c. At that time I, the minister and governor, issued my authoritative decisions as follows:

"On examining it is found that, outside the city of Canton, there is a factory barbarian hall. It was built by native bong-merchants, and is rented by the English chief and others, who come up to Canton, and have there a temporary lodging; it is by no means a hall that the said nation has itself placed there (or purchased). The landing-place before the factory was also built by the hong-merchants to facilitate the sending off and landing cargo. During the 7th year of Táukwáng, the hong-merchants clandestinely added to the landing-place, and surrounded it by a wall, enclosing too large a space; and did not petition government, and wait for an authoritative decision to act in obedience thereto. Then I, the minister and governor, by inquiry found out the circumstance, and sent the prefect to go and examine the place, and commanded it to be broken down and removed. After this, the hong-merchants procrastinated and did not break it up, but repeatedly presented petitions earnestly craving-so that, year after year, it still remained as before. This offense was all owing to the stupidity of the hong-merchants, and did not implicate the said nation. During the spring of this year, after 1, the minister and governor, had gone forth from Canton city:-in consequence of a person stating to the emperor that the barbarian factory had clandestinely built a landing-place, a secret order from the emperor was received by the lieut.-governor tʊ examine and act; therefore, it was instantly ordered to be destroyed. And the lient.-governor stated the facts, of his going in person and destroying it, to the emperor From this it may be seen, that it was by no means the lieut-governor's