728532-1843-15-Jun-1843 — Page 5

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Friend. of China & Hong Kong

SUPPLEMENT TO No. 65

HONG-KONG, THURSDAY, JUNE 15ru, 1943.

BRITISH OFFICERS in Chiya.—The following account of the services performed by the military officers in China, to whom both houses of parlia- ment have voted thanks, is taken from Lieutenant Hart's Army Book" for 1843.

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SIR Huan Goven.-Sir Hugh Gough served at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope, and the Dutch fleet in Saldanha Bay, 1793. Served after- wards in the West Indies, including the attack on Porto Rico, the Brigand war in St. Lucia, and the capture of Surinam. Proceeded to the Peninsula in 1809, and commanded the 87th regiment at the battles of Talavera, Barossa, Vittoria, and Nivelle, for which he has received a cross. Sir Hugh had a hores shot under him on the 27th of July, and on the 28th at Talavera, he was severely wounded in the side by a splinter of a shell; he also received a slight wound in the head at Tarifa Com manded the land force throughout nearly the whole of the operations in China, and for which service he was created a baronet.

Lord Saltoun-Sord Saltoun served in Sicily in 1806 and 1807: Sir John Moore's campaign in 1808-9, including the battle of Corunna. Ex pedition to Walcheren, 1809, Went to Cadiz in April, 1811, and remained with the Army until the end of the Peninsula war, in 1814, and was present at the storming of Seville, passage of the Bidassoa, battle of the Nivelle, actions of the 9th, 10th, and 12th December, 1813, in front of Bidart, passage of the Adour, blockade of Bayonne and repulse of the sortie. Served also the campaign of 1815, including the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo, and the storming of Peronne.

MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE BURRELL-Major General George Burrell served at the capture of Guadaloupe, 1810, and the campaign of 1814 in Upper Canada. He is now serving in China, and commanded the land force at the first capture of Chusan, and a brigade at the attack upon Canton. SIR ROBERT BARTLEY.-Sir Robert Bartley served with the 49th regiment during the Ameri- can war in 1812, 1813, and 1814, and was present at Fort Erie when attacked on the 28th of November, 1812, on which occasion "the enemy was gallantly opposed by Lieut. Bartley, who commanded a detachment of thirty-five men, and prevented for a considerable time the landing of a force more than ten times his number, and did not relinquish the contest until his party, reduced to 17 effective men, was threatened by a strong detachment of the enemy, who had landed on his flank, when he made good his retreat, and joined the main body" he was also present at the battles of Fort George, Stoney Creek, Chrystler's Farm (severely wounded,) and Platsburg Commanded the regiment at the first attack and capture of Chusan, and a brigade at the storm and capture of the city of Chin-keang-foo.

SIR J. H. SCHOEDDE.Sir James Schoedde served the Egyptian campaign of 1801. Served also in the Peninsula from 1808 to the end of the war, including the battles of Rhleia, Vimiera, Talavera, Fuentes d'Onor; sieges of Ciudad, of Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, and Toulouse, besides numerous actions and skirmishes. Medal for Nivelle. C

Commanded a brigade at the assault and capture of the city of Chin keang-100. -Manchester and Salford Advertiser,

Rodrigo, and Badajos; baive, O

MILITARY INTELIGENCE-An official order arrived at Chatam, on Thursday, from the Horse Guards, dated the 11th of February, naming the following regiments that are to undergo the reduc- tion. The following is a copy of the circular latter

Horse Guards. It having been determined that a reduction shall take place in the infantry of the army, the following regiments are gradually to be reduced to 740 rank and file, each 1st (1st and 2nd Battalions), 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 24th, 26th, 27th, 30th, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 41st, 43rd, 44th, 46th, 47th, 48th, 49th, 52nd, 53rd, 54th, 56th, 59th, G0th, (1st and 2nd Battalions), 61st, 64th, 65th, 86th, 07th, 68th 69th, 70th, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 85th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 92nd, and 93rd. The service companies to be 540, and the depots 200 rank and file. The 19th, 90th,

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95th, and 1st battalion Rifle Brigade, will remain, as heretofore, at 800; their service companies at 600, and the depots-200 rank and file. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 28th, 20th, 31st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 51st, 55th, 57th, 58th, 62nd, 63rd, 78th, 80th, 84th, 86th, 94th, 90th, 98th, and 99th, are to remain at 1,000 rank file. 100 super-numeraries will, however, be allowed to all regiments serving in India or China, and 30 to those serving in all other foreign stations; and the recruiting of those regiments will be regulated accordingly. The standard for the infantry of the line (with the exception of those regiments serving in India, China, and New South Wales) will be raised to five feet six inches and a-half for men not exceeding 25 years of age, and five feet six inches for growing lads under eighteen years of age. Regiments serving in India, China, and New South Wales, may take, recruits at five feet six inches, but not under eighteen years of age.-Times.

"

We fear that the subject of the Opium trade will be found a sore difficulty and embarrassment in the settlement of those new relations which are opening upon us with China. On the one side we have the merchants engaged in that trade assuring us, as will have been seen in the extracts which we gave from the Indian papers on Tuesday, that "without the legalization of the opium trade, it is hopeless to expect that our future relations with the Chinese can be in a satisfactory state." and, in fact, that they hold it to be impossible to form any treaty which shall have a prospect of permanency, should this stipulation be omitted." At the same time, they frankly confess their ap- prehensions founded upon "the ominous silence of the Plenipotentiary," and the opinions of the Hong merchants that the traffic will contiune

as illicit as before. On the other hand, we have the mer. chants of Lancashire and Yorkshire deprecating the legalization which the others desire, as a still greater evil than the illicit traffic itself, inasmuch as its certain effect would be to exclude British pro- duce almost entirely from the markets of the Celes- tial Empire.

think, by the general moral sense of our country- That our opinions and wishes, backed as we men, incline to the latter view-that we think the to let the Chinese deal with this traffic as they course most proper for our Government to take is think proper, and to throw its own weight into the scale of discouragement our readers are well

aware.

had it in his power, to dictate what terms he pleas

And considering that Sir II. Pottinger ed when settling the treaty of Nankin. we can scarcely doubt that his "ominous silence" arose from instructions, or that those instructions were conceived in a spirit answerable to our wishes.

If so, we earnestly hope that such measures will be taken as may teach opium dealers that they have a responsibility to their own country, suffici ent to be a check up on any proceedings calculated to disturb the good understanding between Great Britain and China.-Times,

England in the Coast Guard Service of China. The Imtinn papera received by the last mail, contain the follows ho follow. ing paragraph It is reported that Sir Henry Follinger, owing to the Instigation of the Emperor, and the better to succeed in get ting the Treaty confirmed the fooner, had promiseil to prohibit English vessels importing the Drug to any of the five Ports named in the Treaty, under a penalty of confiscation Major Malcolm, the bearer of the despatches, on board the AUCKLAND, confirms the report. This statement lins some appearance of authenticity.. If any such condition has been made, it is clear that the Plenipo tentiary has been blundering, and if it has boon confirmed it is equally certain that the Prime Minister, as he has better means of seeing its impolicy, is still a greater blunderer than the Plenipo- The history of the Opium trade is briefly this: The Chinese lind, to our authentic knowledge, hoen smoking opium, chiefly, but not exclusively, furnished by Indin, for three centuries, and for two centuries and a half of this period, opium was as lawful article of importation as Spanish Dollars. About fifty years ago, however, the government declared it, for the first time, contra- band, and from that moment the trade has acquired importance. It received an additional impetus in 1811, by the partial opening of the trade between India and Europe; and a still greater in. crement in 1834, by the abolition of our en monopoly.

It was not until the last event that Chinese Government began to be alarmed on the subject of opium trade. For tho

tentiary

forty years before, although nominally forbidden, it had been

*Vide Friend of China, of October 20th 1843,

Ditto

ditto,

ditto.

Gayette,

65

the freest, and even the most flourishing, branch of foreign trade in the empire. It was counted from Canton to Mantchoo Tartary, and on Yunani to the shore of the Sea of Japan. The ment, connived at, and the very highest officers of State-even the civil and military, the navul and police officers of the Govern. Viceroys of Canton in their own persons, or through their nearest any lager to be considered such. The only difference, but it relatives, entered zealously into the snuggling trade, if it deserved

was an important one, between the opium and any other branch of trade, was that the customs on it did not go into the public treasury, but into the pockets of the officials. This was just as but freely dealt in and consumed notwithstanding, Sir Robert if brandy and geneva, being declared contraband in this country, Peel, Sir James Graham, the Board of Customs and Excise, and the forse Guards will their respective subordinates, should quietly pocket among them the million and a half of duties from ...systematically connive at smuggling brandy and geneva, and. them, which before went into the public treasury; but suddenly turning round, on some freak of State policy which they and should proceed to empty all the brandy and geneva kegs into the their predecessors. had never thought of for forty years, they Thames, imprison every foreigner that dealt in them, or was suspected of dealing in them; and place, moreover, the French and Dutch Ambassadors in durance,

Treaty, will go on, and be a smuggling trade as before; and the

The Opium trade, as we are supposing it under the New

only difference will be, that it will have Five' POINTS d'appui, whereas, under the old contraband system, it had but ONE- Opium stations like Lintin will be planted, inevitably, near each of the Four New Ports of Trade, and the trade will go on swim- roys. The India Board, of which Sir Robert Peel, the Chan- mingly, under the noses of British Consuls, and Chincse Vice- cellor of the Exchequer, and Secretaries of State are members, will indite despatches to encourage the growth of the white poppy, of the said Board. in his capacity of Foreign Secretary, will de. as of vital importance to Indian revenue. One of the members nounce the sale of Opium in China, its principal-mart, and on which depends the integrity of the India revenue, as illegal and inmoral; he will even write letters to the Foreign Secretary of the "Flowery Land," making asseverations of the good faith of Britain. At the suggestion of the Admiralty, will issue instruc- tions for the seizure and confiscation of all British ships trading in Opfum in the Five. Ports of China, which, by the way, with be contrary to the law and usage of nations. All this will be done, and, in a few months' time, the Chinese will, and the Opium Trade going on more briskly than ever, charge us, and with How the dexterous and pious Sir Robert Peel is to direct this good reason too with acting a dishonest farce to deceive them. game of cross purposes as head of Her Majesty's Government, we are at a loss to understand. He is adroit, no doubt, but here, we think he will be battled.

If Sir Henry Pottinger has really given the alleged promise to the Chinese Government, and for the mere purpose to expediting the signing of the Treaty, we do not hesitate to say that he would have acted more wisely had he broke off the negociations.

The prospect of revenue, a subject to which the Chinese Go- vernment is keenly alive, ought to have been held out to the Emperor. By means of a moderate duty, a million sterling might easily be added to the Chinese Exchequer, a measure which would at once legalize and restrict the consumption,-put an end to those dificulties in carrying on the foreign trade which no

ought not to have been converted into a Coast Guard to prevent other ever can, and remove at once the principat ground pf- quarrel with the Chineese. At all events, the British nation Chinese smuggling, or into a police establishment for the mainte-

the Emperor of China.-(From the EXAMINER, January 21.) nance of Chinese morality; nor should the Queen of England ba rendered in effect Chief Custom-Howe Officer Extraordinary ta

The Indus steamer, which came into harbour gained by Sir Charles Napier over the Beloochees this morning, brings particulars of the victory

on the 24th of March, the first rumour of which reached us on the 1st instant, The General had marched out with the whole of his army, 6,000 strong with eighteen guns, to attack the enemy, The enemy's forec, 20,000 strong, after a severe commanded by Shere Mahomed of Meerpore. action, were broken and wholly dispersed. The whole of their guns, 11 in number, were captured, together with several of their standards. Shere Mahomed has escaped into the desert with a body of horse. From this it is.

require to return for wased he will speedily

of water. He was hotly pursued by the Irregular Horse. We have no time to give details. Our loss amounts to 39 killed, and 228 wounded. The brunt of the battle fell on H. M.'s 22nd, and Leslic's Troop of horse artillery-Bombay Times.

A splendid new iron steamer, the Royal Admiral, is now on its way from England, by Singapore. It is of 000 tons burden, 230 horse power, and when laden, draws eight feet water. It will touch at Batavia on its way out. This Steamer was built by a company and purchased by one of the mem- bers, so that it will come to the Straits as a private speculation and the line upon which it will be em- ployed, will depend upon the encouragement that may be offered. We sincerely hope the will be induced to run it between Singapore, Ma-

agents.

lacca, Pinang, and Calcutta. It probably would- not be difficult to make an arrangement with the company originated by Messrs-Mackay and & Co. If the line is to be continued to Hong Kong, two steamers at least, will be indispensible.

inang Gazette.