In the reign of Henry VIII. the rate was fixed by act of Parliament at 10 per cent. In 1553, an act was passed prohibiting the taking of any interest whatever, but it was soon after repealed. In 1625 the rate was reduced to 8 per cent.; in 1751 to 6 per cent.; and in 1714 to 5 per cent. Since that time, the Bank of England has been allowed to charge 5 per cent.; until within a few years it has been allowed, under certain circumstances, to charge 6 per cent. It will thus be seen that the Bank of England is now charging a higher rate than at any time for the last 125 years. ARRIVALS AT BOSTON. Arrivals at the port of Boston during the month of July: Ships. Barq's Brigs Schrs. Sloops. Coastwise Foreign 31 11 134 451 21 8 74 136 266 26 00 PORTUGAL. CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, By a decree published 19th ult. all foreign vessels arriving in ballast, and sailing from any port in this Kingdom with an entire cargo of Salt, are exempted from the payment of the tonnage duty. All foreign vessels arriving in any of the ports of this Kingdom with cargo, and sailing with an entire cargo of Salt, only pay 100 reis, or ten cents per ton tonnage duty. (Signed) J. P. HUTCHINSON, Consul U. S. America. One of the crew of the ship Franklin sued the master for giving scanty and bad food during a voyage from Liverpool and recovered $27 damages.-N. Y. Star. The freight list, passage money, and postages in the British Queen are worth $20,000, and in the Great Western $13,000.-N. Y. Herald. 4th inst. says: The several batteaux, loaded with Robes, Importation of Furs.-The St. Louis Republican of the from the Yellow Stone River, to which we made allusion in last Monday's paper, have arrived. They brought 24,000 Robes, and a quantity of beaver. The whole cargo is estimated to be worth nearly $100,000. In speaking of the commerce of St. Louis, the same paper says: In yesterday morning's Republican there were twenty-nine steamboat notices for departure from this port. The Globe announces the appointment by the President of William Selden, of Virginia, as Treasurer of the United States, in the place of John Campbell, superseded. An enumeration of the principal stores and manufactories of the town of Wheeling, shows that there are at present in that flourishing place 114 licensed merchants, for the sale of dry goods, groceries, drugs, &c. and 23 foun Of these, were 1 ship, 6 brigs, and 72 schooners, British; dries, paper and saw mills, glass works, &c. The total an1 barque, Swedish; and 1 brig, Neapolitan. Clearances during the same period: nual product of the manufactories and mills is estimated at $1,150,000. Green Mount Cemetery.-A cemetery is laid out near Baltimore. Sixty acres of the estate of the late R. Oliver, including his mansion, have been laid out for this purpose, and divided into 6000 lots, each 16 by 20 feet in dimensions. It is to be surrounded by a wall with a magnificent gateway. A New Article of Merchandise.-Messrs. Gilder & Monroe, Druggists of this city, have prepared a Syrup of Sarsaparilla, and supply it in bottles at 75 cents each, accompanied by a small box of powder, from which, with a tumbler of water, a very agreeable and no doubt wholesome beverage can be produced in a moment. For the use of families, especially those in the country, where access cannot be had to the mineral water fountains, it is extremely well adapted. From the extensive sale of this article in the short time since its introduction, we have no doubt it will, ere long, form one of the already numerous articles which necessarily compose the stock of our country merchants. The UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL AND STATISTICAL REGISTER, is published every Wednesday, at No. 79 Dock street. The price to subscribers is Five Dollars per annum, payable on the 1st of January of each year. No subscription received for less than a yearSubscribers out of the principal cities to pay in advance. PRINTED BY WILLIAM F. GEDDES, No. 112 CHESNUT STREET, Where Subscriptions will be received. UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL & STATISTICAL REGISTER. EDITED BY SAMUEL HAZARD. VOL. I. PHILADELPHIA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1839. Opium Trade in China. EDICT From the Imperial Commissioner to the Hong Merchants. Lin, High Imperial Commissioner, Director of the Board of War, and Governor of Hookwang, issues his commands to the Hong merchants, requiring of them full acquaintance with the tenor hereof. No. 8. questioned by any one. The Shroffs' and Hong merchants' coolies and carriers of all grades, would, in the day time, openly go into the factories, and would at night afford escort down to the boats. Can the Hong merchants aver that they have heard and seen nothing of all this? Or, as they have agreed to conceal it, and bring no part of it to light, will any one believe them when they assert that they have had no secret share in the matter? I have heard that formerly, when the foreigners came to the factories, they would go in full dress, with swords by their sides, to wait upon the several Hong merchants, and The commercial intercourse subsisting in Kwangtung between the Chinese and foreigners, has continued for a period of more than three hundred years. What was there to ren-would often meet with a denial, nor would they be seen or der impossible a free commercial interchange of goods between these parties themselves? Nothing. It was then the desire of preventing an illicit intercourse, and of guarding against contraband commodities, that rendered necessary the establishment of a class of Hong merchants. Respectfully searching, I find, under date the 21st year of Keaking, (1816) an imperial edict, "rendering the Hong merchants responsible for the ascertainment of the question. whether or not any foreign vessel imports opium; and, in case of her so doing, for the rejection of all her cargo, for the refusal to let her trade, and for the driving of her back to her country." Respect and obedience being paid hereto, this edict was duly recorded. And I find, that on each occasion of a foreign vessel entering the port, the said Hong merchants have always given bonds that she brought no opium with her. In consequence of such bonds, vessels have been allowed to enter the port and break bulk, nor has any vessel ever been sent back. And even now, while the opium is pervading and filling with its poisonous influence the whole empire, the said Hong merchants still continue indiscriminately to give such bonds, declaring that the ships that resort hither have brought none of it. Are they not indeed dreaming, and snoring in their dreams? have their visits returned, until after a second visit. But of late years there have been those who will sue to the foreigners for patronage, and will even pass beyond the custom houses or go to Macao to meet them. And so far has this proceeded, that [a party in] the Tungyu Hong gave a sedan chair to the chief supercargo Baynes, whereupon the same chief supercargo turned round, and would not suffer the Hong merchants to enter his factory in chairs. Many have been the instances of this misconduct and subversion of what is right and fitting. What sense of shame indeed does there yet remain? Though it be true that this has arisen from the conduct of probationary Hong merchants, who have shown the example of such artful demeanor, and that the original merchants, men of property and family, would never have descended to this stage of degradation; yet all now are equally involved in the stench of it, and truly I burn with shame for you. With you there seems to be no other consideration than that of growing rich, and being left to carry on your trade; and you seem to regard the mine of all your profits as lying in the attaching of foreigners to you. You leave no room for the consideration that the profits enjoyed by foreigners are those granted by the Celestial Court; and that if some day they should irritate the sacred wrath to the cutting off of their trade, and closing of the custom houses, not a mite of profit will there be for any of those nations to look for; and what then will there be for you? If they say that the opium which they bring is discharged beforehand, and left on board the warehousing vessels at Lintin, and that the bonds given as to their bringing none, have reference to the vessels as entering the port, what is They, regardless of the rich favours wherewith they are this but to "shut the ears whilst the jingling bell is being imbued by the Court, take depraved natives for their bosom stolen"-to provide for themselves a ground of excuse? friends. In the public offices of the inner land, there is not The feelings that prompt such conduct will still less bear a movement or a pause, but the foreigners are fully informed scrutiny. It is as if a man, to guard his house at night, of it. But any question is put to the Hong merchants reshould appoint a watchman, and that nevertheless his pro-garding foreign affairs, they turn about for ways in which to perty should be bundled up and carried away, while yet the watchman should declare that there had been no thief. If this would not be regarded as combination in the theft, as what then would it be regarded? Moreover, the foreign factories are built by the said Hong merchants, and by them are rented to the foreigners as residences; the hong men and all the working people in the factories are hired by the same merchants; and the "Macheen" (or outside shopmen) are in their employ; the neighbouring shroff shops, too, are those with which the Hong merchants have dealings. Yet for more than ten years past, there has not been a shroff shop that has not given bills, nor a "Macheen" that has not had transactions with the opium preparers, nor a hong-man or other workman that has not had connexions with the fast-boats. There have been besides the writers' houses (or brokers' shops) for preparing letters; and brokers, for carrying the orders, would pass in and out of the foreign residences day and night, without ever being VOL. I.-14 gloze over and conceal the facts, nor will they utter the truth. Thus it is in regard to the exportation of the pure silver beyond sea, a thing so very strictly prohibited. Did the foreigners really barter goods for goods, what silver would there be for them to carry away? But more than this, the Hong merchants once represented, that each year, in addition to the interchange of commodities by barter, the foreigners require always to bring into the inner land foreign money to the amount of four or five millions of dollars. Were this really the case, how comes it that of late years the foreign ships have brought into the port no new foreign money, and that the foreign silver existing in the country has daily been diminishing in quantity? And how happens it, that among the Hong merchants there have been bankrupts, whose debts to foreigners have exceeded a million of money? It is clear that these four words, "goods bartered for goods," are totally and altogether false. There is one thing yet more extraordinary. These Hong merchants, sheltering themselves under a memorial of a former Superintendent of Customs, which requested temporarily as a trial, that three-tenths of any surplus foreign money should be allowed to be taken away,- have acted as though this request had passed into an established law, and have yearly, under cover of this, solicited permission to embark money. They have had numerous boxes made, such as are employed for the remission of revenue. And they have even represented for the foreigners, that, in such a year, a foreigner left so much money in such and such hands, and that now he has entrusted such and such a person to convey it home for him; and they have secretly concerted with the clerks of the custom house to put this upon the records. Thus, while on the one hand the Hong merchants give these bonds, the silver, on the other hand, is exported;-their words and deeds are contrary one to another, and this is passed quietly over without exciting surprise. And when the imperial pleasure has been expressed that inquiry should be made, they have with one simple address glozed over and set at rest the whole matter. With regard too, to foreigners, such as Jardine and others, who have been in the habit of selling opium-all of them most artful and crafty men-when the imperial pleasure was expressed, two years ago, that their conduct should be inquired into, and that they should be driven forth, the said Hong merchants still strenuously defended them. Such language as this was used: "that when it could be discovered that there had been any concert in selling opium, any money taken, or orders given, punishment would then be willingly submitted to." Such a bond is yet to be found among the archives! Let them ask themselves whether, according to this bond, punishment should or should not be inflicted? Again, the opium on board Innes' vessel was seized within the river, showing that the bonds given even for vessels that have entered the port, have been no less unworthy of confidence. Last winter, seven passage boats, on the reiterated representations of these merchants, newly received permission to run, and already, smuggling of goods and importation of gunpowder have been the consequence. If you say these things were without your knowledge, of what use then are you? If they took place with your knowledge, death is too light a punishment for you. It is computed that the loss of the silver of China, during a period of several years past, by exportation beyond sea, has been not less than some hundreds of millions. The imperial commands have been repeatedly received, in reference to the importation of opium and exportation of pure silver, reproving all the officers of every degree in the most severe terms, yet these Hong merchants have continued in the same course of filthy and disgraceful conduct, to the great indignation and gnashing of teeth of every one. I, the high commissioner, in obeying the imperial commands, in accordance with which I have come to Canton, shall first punish the depraved natives. And it is by no means certain that these Hong merchants will not be within the number. I proceed to command that investigation be made. Upon my commands reaching the said Hong merchants, let them immediately state clearly the truth, that matters may be thoroughly arranged in consistence with the laws. The utter annihilation of the opium trade being now my first object, I have given commands to the foreigners, to deliver up to government all the myriads of chests of opium which they have on board their warehousing vessels. And I have also called on them to subscribe a bond, in Chinese and in the foreign languages jointly, declaring that henceforth they will never venture to bring opium, and that if any should again be brought, upon discovery thereof, the parties concerned shall immediately suffer execution of the laws, and the property shall be confiscated to government. These commands are now given to the Hong merchants, that they may convey them to the foreign factories, and plainly make them known. It is requisite that they should acquire an earnest severity of deportment, that the energetic character of the commands may be clearly made to appear. They must not continue to exhibit a contumacious disposition, or to colour over the matter, nor may they again give utterance to any expressions of solicitation. It is imperative on them to act with energy and loftiness of tone, and to unite in enjoining these commands Three days are prescribed, within which they must obtain the required bonds, and report in reply hereto. If it be found that this matter cannot at once be arranged by them, it will be apparent without inquiry, that they are constantly acting in concert with depraved foreigners, and that their minds have a perverted inclination. And I, the High Commissioner, will forthwith solicit the royal death warrant, and select for execution one or two of the most unworthy of their number, confiscating their property to the government, and thus will I show a lucid warning. Say not that you did not receive early notice. A special edict. Taoukwang 19th year, 2d month, 4th day, (17th March, 1839.) (True Translation.) J. ROB. MORRISON, Chinese Secretary and Interpreter to the Superintendents of British Trade in China. [Jour. of Commerce. EXPLORING EXPEDITION. The following extracts of a letter from a gentleman on board the ship Relief, attached to the expedition, to a relative in this city, give some very interesting particulars of the voy age, up to the time of its date-April 10, 1839. "We sailed from Rio de Janeiro on the 19th Dec. for Orange Bay, in Tierra del Fuego, with instructions to run a line of soundings down the coast of Patagonia. We had a delightful passage, in sight of land almost the whole time. At Port St. Elena, we were so near the land as to see the llamas feeding on the sides of the hills. On the 21st we were south of the sun. Christmas day was passed in lat. 31° 27′ S., lon. 48° 12'. We had for dinner roast plover, partridges, and green peas, all cooked in France! About the first of January we began to see albatros, and occasionally a seal. On the 9th January we were off Port St. Elena, and saw the llamas; it was a delightful day, the land looked very tempting, but we could not land, not having leave. The country appears barren, no large trees, but a stumpy vegetation. The whole coast of Patagonia has the same rough and flat appearance; no thick woods to be seen, nor the least sign of inhabitants; the places called ports are uninhabited. "On the 21st January we made Cape St. Diego, Staten Land, &c., and arrived at Good Success Bay, so named by Capt. Cook. Here we anchored, and went on shore. The appearance of the land about the Straits of Magellan, was very dreary; barren and rugged rocks, mountains covered with snow, &c. Good Success is a very pleasant bay; the hills are covered with trees, principally beach, birch, and winter's bark; most beautiful barberries, with yellow flowers like small roses; bush cranberries, and a great variety of heath-like shrubs. We went on shore, armed to the teeth, but no natives were seen; several huts were found, and other signs of people having been there. The next morning, however, our attention was called by a shouting on shore, where we discovered the natives. The Captain and some of the officers immediately landed. After dinner, I went on shore, and saw about fifteen natives round a fire with our men; they were a tall, good looking people, with nothing but a llama's skin thrown over their shoulders. They appeared to be a simple people, and very jealous, not allowing us to go in the direction we supposed their women and children were. They were evidently Patagonians, being taller than the tallest of our men; they had bows and arrows, but no knives. Old iron was every thing with them, taking that in preference to bread, meat, &c. Their food was fish and shell fish. They went off early in the afternoon, probably being on a visit to this place. Upon the whole, I was much pleased with Good Success; the woods reminded me much of Brazil, the dead trees being covered with beautiful mosses, ferns, and small flowering plants, and gave me a very different opinion of Tierra del Fuego from what I had been led to expect from books. "We left Good Success on the 23d January, and anchored on the 24th off New Island. The appearance of the country all around us was mountainous and bleak, with occasional white patches of snow, which is probably the reason why this part of the world is considered to be nothing but a barren, rocky place, destitute of vegetation; but it is quite the contrary. Upon landing at New Island, we found it covered with trees and shrubs, and beautiful flowers, lots of berries, such as bush cranberries, a beautiful shrub, black currants, and two or three species of barberry, with a most delicious berry, in flavour between a raspberry and strawberry. Here we found signs of inhabitants, but none were seen. A great many ducks were killed, and a pair of geese; the female, a beautiful, snow-white bird, was shot first, and the male would not quit her, but suffered himself to be killed also. Civilized man carries-I was going to sermonize, but it won't do. "On the 27th we anchored off Hermites Island, where the vegetation is similar to the other places visited; the scurvy grass abounds all along the shore, and appears to be placed here for the benefit of poor Jack, who, by the way, does not like it very well-probably from its name. "On the 28th we sailed again in search of Orange bay, the charts of this part of the world not being very correct, and anchored in a beautiful harbour, where we were visited by a family, in a canoe, consisting of two men, a woman with a baby, and a grown-up boy. They were all stark naked, except the old man, who had a small piece of seal skin on his back, and the woman who had a skin to wrap herself and child up in; they carried a fire in the bottom of the canoe, the woman paddling and doing all the labour. The men came on board and were clothed, and a nice blanket was given to the woman, who instantly wrapped the baby up in it. It was raining, and rather cold; the child was really pretty, and after it had been wrapped up and got warm, popped its head out and looked up towards us, smil ing; the men would not allow the woman to get out of the canoe, and wanted every thing for themselves. The captain took down some preserves for the child, but the woman began to cry, and tried to push the canoe from along side; after some persuasion, she tasted the preserves herself, and immediately devoured the whole, paper and all, in which it was wrapped. These people were terribly frightened at a looking glass, pushing it away from them, and covering their faces with their hands. Indeed, it was piteous to see the horror or alarm they showed, as if it was something supernatural. "The next morning we went on shore, and found the hut of our Indian friends; the women and children had run away, and no doubt were hid in the woods, as dogs were barking at a short distance. The hut was in the form of a cone, made of sticks and covered with green weeds; in it we found fish hanging up in the smoke, plenty of shell fish laid upon large green leaves; the blanket, &c. we had given them spread upon grass. The men offered us fish, and when I began to collect plants, they laughed and picked up grass and every thing that was at hand, and poured upon me with a great deal of humour, supposing, probably, that I was going to eat the herbs! We saw some whales in this harbour, and found bones in some of the old abandoned huts. Their canoes are made of bark, sewed together with a species of seaweed, and always have a fire in the bottom, which is covered with clay. "In the afterooon we got under way, and arrived at Orange bay early in the evening, having been obliged to seek it out by taking observations every day, and this day found we were ten or twelve miles south of it. Orange bay is a very good harbor, large and commodious; plenty of wood and water, with abundance of ducks, geese, fish, etc. After the ship was securely moored, a light-house was established on Burnt island, to guide the rest of the squadron. It set in to rain, and continued with violent winds for eight days, so as not to allow any one to go on shore, except once to carry provisions for the party in charge of the light-house. "The two schooners arrived on the 16th February and the Vincennes, Peacock, and Porpoise, on the 18th and 19th, from Rio Negro. Captain Wilkes ordered our ship to prepare for sea immediately, take all the scientific corps on board, and make a survey of Useless harbor; examine 115 Port Famine, etc.. entering the Straits of Magellan through Cockburn channel, and return again to Orange harbor. The two schooners, the Peacock and Porpoise, with Captain W., is going south, in search of the magnetic pole; the Vincennes to remain at Orange bay. They all sailed on the 25th Feb., and we on the 26th, and had a succession of storms, with violent wind and rain, making very little progress towards our destination. We saw great numbers of albatros, giant and stormy petrels, etc.; and although we did not go round Cape Horn, we experienced all the bad weather for which that part of the ocean is celebrated. Our ship rolled and pitched so that it was almost impossible to sit at the table; some days every plate on it would be broken, soup and meat thrown into our laps. At night we had to tie ourselves down in bed! "On the 4th March we were farther from Cockburn channel than when we left Orange harbor on the 26th Feb. On the 13th March we were on a lee shore, in great danger and a fire broke out in the apothecary's department! No damage was done. The sun very seldom shone, and it rained nearly all the time. On the 18th we had a very disagreeable day—real Cape Horn weather-rain and sleet. We came in sight of land, wind blowing very hard and breakers all around us. The Tower rocks on one side of us looked really terrific, the sea breaking entirely over the smallest, corapletely covering it with a white envelope, the spray flying off and looking like a thick snow storm. We were in a very dangerous position, but however reached Cape Noir island, lat. 54° 15', lon. 74° 20′, and with three anchors down hoped to hold on. "On the morning of the 19th the wind blew harder yet, with occasional showers of snow and hail. Noir island looked as if some vegetation might be growing on it but their was no prospect of landing; the shore was lined with breakers, and the spray in flying off made a beautiful appearence, looking like smoke. In the evening, the wind increasing, another anchor was let go, making four anchors out, and 400 fathoms of chain cable, the four anchors weighing 11,700 lbs. The 20th was a dreary day, sleet and rain. In the night we parted two of our cables and lost a bower and sheet anchor. The ship dragged a considerable dis tance, and we felt somewhat alarmed; but day dawned and found us safe. Nothing paticular occurred during the next day. Towards night the wind blew up afresh, and it was feared another cable was gone. Preparations were immediatly made to get under way, and at 9 o'clock we lay rolling and tossing ignorant of what would take place. Towards 12 o'clock the ship began to drag, a'most right on to the breakers; indeed nothing but horrible rocks, the water dashing and hissing over them, were to be seen in every di rection; the water began to break over us also, and the wardroom, steerage and berth deck were ankle deep. At last an order was given to slip the cables. A dead silence ensued for a few moments; then the sound of the axe cutting the stoppers, and a horrible clatter, a grumbling and grating sound as the chains flew through the hawse-holes, and all was hushed. The poor ship seemed to be aware that sho was to remain without an anchor, as she quivered and groan ed, as the cables flew out, " like a thing of life." In a short time we were clear of the breakers, and all was quiet; the ship became easy, and the men recovered their cheerfulness. We lost all our anchors, and had to give up Useless Bay! Port Famine!! Breakneck passage!!! the Milky way! etc. and proceed to Valparaiso to procure ground tackle. It is admitted by all hands, that we might go to sea twenty years, and not be in such a dangerous situation again. Since then we had pleasant weather, growing warmer every day. April 14.-We have now been three days off Valpa raiso, and have succeeded in getting anchors, and will probably get in to-night or to-morrow morning. We sent a boat, in but found no American men of war here. Two boats immediately came off from the British sloop of war Fly, with an anchor and offer of services, which was very kind and polite. Our Captain, however, declined the offer, until he heard from shore. Our boat returned to-day, having procured every thing necessary, principally from the English stores.”—Army and Navy Chronicle. 66 |