CHINA.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 68, 24 March 1843, Page 3

CHINA.

(From Murray's Review.) The Lord Eldon arrived yesterday from China, the 21th December. The intelligence is of great importance, inasmuch as we have no doubt it will lead to a renewal of hostilities. We have had the Canton papers befqre us, and would have inserted the whole of their contents, but we consider a summary will answer every purpose: — It appears : that about a year or so ago two. vessels were shipwrecked upon the Island of Formosa. These vessels were conveying troops and stores, to the British army in China; upwards of 270 fi>dia natives but fetish subjects, who saved t$ _ e"ir lives from the'■’wreck, were made prisoners-by the Chinese authorities and placed in Several months afterwards, in consequence of the representations made by the Formosa authorities to the Chinese Emperor, these unhappy men were taken out’ upon a plain, and in presence of the Chinese authorities, every one of them was iiihumanly; put to death. The Europeans of the two ves-| sels, who escaped in boats, have not been since! heard of; it is apprehended they must have perished. In consequence of this monstrous: violation of everything held dear by the niost barbarous nations, Sir Henry Pottinger issued proclamations, in Chinese arid, English, detailing the whole circumstances, announcing that he demandrid satisfaction of the Emperor.,/and! insisfirigTliat .the Chinese r authorities shqhid bedegraded and punished, and' their confiscated for the benefit of the relatives of the unfortunate sufferers : he makes knoWn to the Emperor his, apprehensions that this distressing event Snay lead to the breaking of the treaty, and to immediate orders for the renewal of hostilities,.,

Shortly before the departure of the Lord Eldon, an'insurrectionary dmeute broke out at the factories at Canton; most of which were, attacked by large mobs ; the English factories and the. Dutch were totally destroyed,, the American was alone respected. It appears to have been a great object to destroy the British flag, which was torn down and burnt with every indignity. In former times the mandarin’s gong was .invariably.respected, and had the effect of dispersing all mobs; upon this occasion it not only failed in this, but the Chinese authorities, civil and military, by whom every exertion was made to protect the British property, were attacked and driven back. The whole of the British property was destroyed to a very large amount, and much individual loss was sustained, Messrs. Jardine and Matheson having lost upwards of four hundred thousand dollars in cash. Sir Henry Pottinger had taken the necessary steps to cause ample remuneration to be made by the Chinese Government, but we repeat we seriously apprehend that these events will lead, and necessarily so, to a renewal of hostilities. The Lord Eldon has on> board .4,600 chests of tea, one half of which is for this port, and the other halF for Sydney. The,vessel could not be fully loaded, the market being entirely closed, none of the ports declared free by the late treaty are to be opened until the Queen’s ratification of the pacification is confirmed. This is the substance of the whole of the information received bv the Lord Eldon.