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2-atttrbap to Dftontta))'*…

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2-atttrbap to Dftontta))'* poøtø. LONDON, FEB. 1. THE important information received from China to-day, by a private trading ship, the Marmion, has commanded very general interest, not only among the parties who are deeply interested in the main- tenance of our commercial relations with China, but by the mercantile interests generally. The latest dates from Canton are to the 28th of September The trade remained entirely at a stand still at the period stated. It is not known with any certainty what additional outrages had been committed by the Chinese to have induced the British Superintendent of Trade, Captain Elliott, to declare the port of Canton in a state of blockade. The statement is that Captain Elliott had been compelled to resort to force to obtain supplies for the shipping and merchants, and that in the affray several of the Chinese had been killed Be this as it may, on the 11th of September the following official notice was issued by Mr. Elmslie, the acting secretary to the British Superintendent:- "OFFICIAL PUBLIC NOTICE. The High Commissioner and the Governor of these provinces having publicly forbidden the regular supplies of food to her Majesty s subjects—having commanded the people to fire upon and seize them whenever they go on shore to purchase provisions, and certain of her Majesty's subjects having been actually cut off-notice is hereby given that it is my intention, at therequisition of the Chief Superintendent of the Trade of British snbjects in China, to establish a blockade of the river and port of Cantor..— Notice is hereby farther given, that no other than vessels actually within the port, or foreign vessels entering within six days from the date hereof, will be allowed free egress till the blockade be declared raised.-Notice of the blockading force will be here- after promnlgated.-Gi.ven under my hand, on board her Majesty's ship Volage, at anchor in Hong Kong Bay, oft' the port of Canton, the llth Sept., 1839." Subsequently to this notice been issued, it would appear by the tenour of the next public notice, issned by the Commander of her Majesty's ship the Volage, that some overtures had been made on the part of the Chinese authorities to settle the matter in dispute amicably, by an offer to withdraw the offensive edicts which had been promulgated against British subjects, and, by order of Captain Elliott, the following notice was issued by the Commander of the Volage, viz.:— "OFFICIAL PUBLIC NOTICE. "The safety of her Britannic Majesty's subjects, supposed to bave been cnt off by the oUicers of the Chinese Government, having been ascertained, and negociations having been opened on the basis of the withdrawal of the proclamations against the lives nnd liberties of her said Majesty's subjects, I hereby declare inat, until further notice be given, founded en the result of such negociations, the blockade notified bv me on the llth instant will not be established and vessels continuing to enter the port will be permitted to pass unmolested.—Given under ray hand, on board her Majesty's ship Volage, at anchor in Hong Kong Bay, oft" the port at Canton, this 16th day of Sept., 1839. (Signed) H. SMITH." From the 16th up to the 28th of September, the latest date at present obtained, not a single step had been taken by the Chinese authorities to show that they were in earnest in opening the negotiations. On the contrary, information had been obtained by the British, that the most extensive warlike measures were in pre- paration that fire-rafts to a great amount had been brought down the river with the view of firing any British vessels that might attempt to pass up, and that very numerous armed bodies were on the way from the interior to resist any attempt that might be made to land on the part of the British. In addition to this information, we learn by these advices that Commis- sioner Lin in conjunction with the Viceroy of Canton, had issued three edicts by the first of which supplies of provisions to the shipping are prohibited, and to pre- vent their being taken by force, and the landing of seamen, the inhabitants of the towns and villages on the coast were required to arm and exercise themselves and repel force by force. The next edict denounces "decapitation" on all pilots or fishermen who shall dare secretly to conduct foreign ships of war through the dangerous channels of the inner passage of the river. The third edict decrees that all principals con- cerned in the illicit sale of opium shall be immediately decapitated, the accessories strangled, and the property confiscated. Those introducing opium clandestinely who shall make a complete surrender were to be par- doned and permitted to trade as usual. The delivering up of the murderer," as he is termed, who took the life of Lin Weibe, the Chinese who fell in an affray on shore, is absolutely demanded, lest all foreigners should be implicated by their concealment of him in the same crime. Some particulars are given in the papers of the assault upon the Spanish ship Bilbaino, lying in the Typa, which was trading under a regular license of the Government of Canton, and had never been engaged in the opium trade. The crew made no resistance to the multitude of Chinese by whom she was boarded, but jumped overboard, all, however, being saved but two, reported still missing. The vessel, after being plundered of cargo and stores to the value of 20,000 dollars, was set fire to and burnt. The Ame- ricans were driving an advantageous trade in the midst of all these occurrences. They were charging freights from Macao to Canton on cotton at the rate of four dollars or five dollars per bale, and half a dollar per 50 cubic feet for measurement goods. The Marmion brings a cargo of 600 or 700 bales of silk, and the re- mainder teas. Two other ships were left loading in tl.e outer waters from American ships from Canton. Some further facts of interest are collected from the pr'vate letters of the 23d of September, which state that a reward had been offered by the Chinese for the heai of Captain Elliot. The attack on Captain Smith, of her Majesty's ship Volage, is thus described:—It appears that he was going round to Cowloon Bay in his pinnace, and that just when he was rounding the point ;nd entering the bay, he observed 300 or 400 soldiert and two guns on the top of a hill, whence a fire wasopened upon him as soon as the soldiers saw the pemhnt. The volley was of round shot, some of which fed near the boat, though Captain Smith did not think it advisable to return the fire, but paddled back to the fleet. The Chinese, it appears, have been building forts some miles alongshore, inside the Bocca Tigris, and forown chains across the river to prevent ships forcing a passage. We trust that by this time the British slnps of war, which sailed from Bombay have arrived at Hong-Kong, and that the authority of Superintendent Elliot has been superseded in the waters of China. We cannot doubt but that our Government is resolved, now that hostilities have commenced, nobly to vindicate the national honour, and extend the fame of our power throughout the East. The Paris journals to Friday's date inclusive have been received since our Ihst. The official papers con- tain despatches from Marshal Vallee, which are of a favourable nature, but conh.in nothing interesting to the English reader beyond th-i simple fact, that since the 31st of December the Arabsbad not renewed offen- sive operations. These journals also quote letters from Constantinople, Alexandria, and Ifalta, each giving opinions as to the mode of settlement about to be adopted by the Great Powers, but not-e agreeing on the nature of the settlement itself. The news from Spain, which brings dates from Madrid to the 21st inst., is devoid of interest, except on the sutject of the elections, which, so far as yet had been known, showed a large majority in favour of the exaltados. Should the same result attend those which were to follow, it was apprehended that the Ministry would be compiled to retire and give way to the opposite interest, Ot to have recourse to a new election for the purpose ')f gaining sufficient time to enable Espartero tc strike a decided blow against the Carlists; but this measure was considered so likely to produce revolt and the re- fusal to pay the taxes, that it was doubted whether a Ministry could be found to attempt it.- On the subject of the illness of Cabrera all still remained in mystery. Of domestic news, the appointment of M. Guizot to the Embassy of London, is the most important. It is added, that if not yet officially announced, it is because the Ministry are waiting to know whether the selection of M. Guizot meets with the approbation of the British Government. M. Guizot, in common with the Duke de Broglie, is said to be a warm partisan of British al- liance. The vote in the House of Commons on the an- nuity to Prince Albert has bad its influence on the Commission charged to examine the 20,000/. a year for the Duke of Nemours. If the sum is not to be di- minished, a clause is to be inserted, it is said, limiting the provision to the death of the Kin? When the de- mise of Louis Philippe takes place, ths private property of the Orleans family goes to all the sons, independent of the Duke of Orleans, provided for as King, and of the Due d'Aumale, heir of the Condt property. The Commerce estimates the Due de Nemturs share at two millions sterling. Madame Adelaide, toe King's sister, is said to possess 160,0001. a year re,ellue. After a long trial of the prisoners of the 12th aid 13th of May, which excited very little interest, th, examination of witnesses shewing merely the same facts which ap- peared on the last trial, the Court ofPeer" on Friday came to a decision, and sentenced Bmqui to the pu- nishment of death, Quignot and EIe to fifteen years' imprisonment, five more to ten year., two to seven, and sixteen others to five years' imprisnment. On hear- ing the sentence of death, the wife f Blanqui hastened to the Tuileries. As the King conented to receive her on Saturday, it is supposed that tfe sentence of death will be commuted. The Madrid papers to the 27th contain no news from the armies The Queen Regent had accep'ed General Valdez's resignation of the post of Captain-General of Catalonia, and called him to Madrid to continue his service near her Majesty, as Commander-General of the Royal Guard.—The capital continued tranquil, and the elections proceeding it is stated that there was a disposition to riot at Malaga, but it was soon suppressed. Letters from Athens of the llth inst. state that the Chiefs of the recently discovered conspiracy are Count George Capo D'Istrias, brother of the late President, and General Nitkias, one of the most active agents of Russia in Greece. The papers seized proved that these persons, acting under the influence of Russia had organized a society bound by the most solemn oaths to establish a new state, comprising the present king- dom, the Ionian Islands, Epirus, and Thessalv get- ting rid of their present heretic Kins, and placing at the head of the Government three Chiefs, one for each department, military, civil, and ecclesiastical, the whole under the immediate protection of the Emperor of Russia. Letters were also seized showing that the Russian Government had supplied its agents in the Ionian Islands with ample funds for the conspirators, and that the opposition now making to the Lord High Commissioner of those islands, was the first act of the revolutionary drama. Having made these discoveries, what was the course taken by the sage Otho? Well may it surprise our readers. Terrified out of his wits at the idea of displeasing Russia, the Royal imbecile took care that all the papers relating to the Ionian Islands were instantly returned to Count George Capo D'Istrias and time given him to lodge them in a place of safety, or destroy them, before he was arrested and every possible measure having been taken to destroy the evidence that existed of the participation of the Russian mission in the views of the conspirators, the arrest of Capo D'lstrias and Nitktas took place But a conspiracy having for one of its objects a revolution in the Government of the Ionian Islands, cannot thus be hushed up Sir Edmund Lyons and Sir Howard Douglas will doubtless make such a report of it to our Government as will warrant it in insisting upon the fullest inquiry. By the Montreal London line of packet ship, arrived at Portsmouth, New York papers to the 10th ult have been received. There is only one important piece of intelligence, and this relates to the boundary question. It appears that Governor Fairfield had forwarded a message to the Legislature of Maine, complaining of the violation of the territory under his control by the encampment of British troops on both sides of the river St. John, and the construction of barracks. He states that he had been in communication with Sir John Harvey, the Governor of New Brunswick, who had not denied the fact, but asserted that the move- ments arose from orders issued by the British-Cana- dian Authorities, and not by him, or any parties acting under him. Sir John had further intimated, that the occupation of the tracts complained of had only been temporary, and to accomodate the troops in passing between the Upper and Lower Provinces. Fairfield had called upon the President of the United States to aid him in resisting, vi et armis, the invasion of the British forces. The advices from Hobart Town, of the 20th October, are of some interest. Wheat and flour were still high in value. In South Australia all apprehensions of a failure had been removed, as it was impossible to con- ceive anything more favourable than the general ap- pearance of the crops in the neighbourhood of Adelaide, where, it is stated, wheat and barley could be shown not to be equalled any where. At Port Adelaide the four pound loaf was at 3s. It is satisfactory to learn by these accounts that Sir John Franklin has appointed a Lieutenant-Governor for Port Phillip in the person of Charles Latrobe, Esq. The territories comprised in the new colony is defined, extending south to the 36th degree of south latitude, and between the 141st and 146th degree of east longitude. The system of retail- ing Government lands in small lots, instead of allowing every settler to select as much as he required in a particular district, had given rise to much gambling and some dissatisfaction, and the latest sales had gone off more heavily, as it was found by the bona fide emi- grants that the investment of their money in lands pur- chased in this manner was a mere lottery.

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- BANKRUPTS from Friday's…

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