Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 257

1612

Foternal of Dampeners

2.9

U. S. ship Constellation, Macao Roads, 31st March, 1842 Sir,~The Hongkong Gazette of the 24th instant contains a shipping report in which is the name of an American vessel engaged in carrying opium,—therefore Ebeg you will cause to be made known with equal publicity, and also to the Chi- nese authorities by the translation of the same, that the government of the United States does not sanction "the smuggling of opium" on this coast under the Ame rican flag in violation of the laws of China. Difficulties arising therefrom in respect to the seizure of any vessel by the Chinese, the claimants certainly will not under my instructions find support, or any interposition on my part after the publication of this notice. Iain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

I. KEARNY, commanding the U. S. E. I. squadron.

(Signed)

པ

To the United States consul or the vice-consul at Canton.

6. Forty smugglers, out of a crew of seventy, were seized by native fishing boats near the Bogue about the middle of the month, and delivered over to the authorities at Canton, by whom they will doubtless be very summarily executed. A large number of these miscreants were also brought into Macao on the 26th instant, aud carried to Hiángshan the next day, to be forwarded to the provincial city. A few scizures of this kind will restrain in some degree their andacity, and render traveling in the waters of the river safer than it has been for natives during the last six months.

7. The Friend of China and Hongkong Gazette has now reach- ed its sixth number, and we believe with as fair a proportion of public patronage as could be expected. It has hitherto been published anonymously, but the prospectus leads us to infer that no pains will be spared to render it worthy to represent the settlement abroad. From the first number, it appears that the native inhabitants of the island are reckoned at 12,361; in the list of occupations the great dis- proportion of laborers and artisans employed in building shows how readily the Chinese flock where there is a demand for their services. If we consider how cramped all commercial operations have been dur- ing the last three years, from the want of an eligible place for con- ducting them safely, and for storing goods, the growth of the settle- ment will not be deemed surprising; and moreover a free port on the confines of an empire like China, and near a city like Canton, may be expected to increase very rapidly, especially with the inducement of high wages and prompt pay to attract workmen. It appears from the first number, that measures were taken, during the latter part of March, to put down and affright the pirates in the neighborhood by sending the steamers to Chungchau to recover the boat and property of a man who was proceeding to Hongkong. We have extracted several circulars published by authority in its columns for the present number, and have ventured to make a correction in sir Hugh Gough's General Orders of the 14th ult. of "captain Daubeney, and lieut. Schaw," for "capt. Danbeney & Co. Schaw." Too much care can- not be taken to make such documents correct, and we doubt not the paper will soon improve in this respect. The members and duties of the committee announced in our last number are thus detailed in a public notice.

NOTIFICATION.

With reference to the notification dated on the 22d inst. the following gentle men are appointçid a commitre to carry into effet the subject therein desèribed