Southern Australian (Adelaide, SA : 1838 - 1844), Wednesday 11 September 1839, page 3


THE TEA TRADE.

THE rupture in Canton between the Chinese authorities and the traders, ap-pears, by our latest accounts to be as far from being amicably settled as ever. The following extracts, which we take from late Sydney journals, shew plainly enough that if the tea trade must be continued, it will be necessary to bring John China-man to his senses in rather a rough way. The indignities which the European na-

tions have suffered from the authorities of

China, for the sake of this enervating drug, have been no less numerous than disgrace-ful ; but we think it is pretty evident that matters are now arrived at that crisis, when it beeomes absolutely necessary on the part of traders to China either to relinquish the trade altogether, or to com-pel the Chinese into reason.

TEA .-Capt.Theakership G ilmore,reports seeing a Singapore paper while at Java, from which he gathered the following particulars respecting the Tea Trade :-The Viceroy had demanded of the British Resident at Canton, that all the opium should be delivered up and destroyed, and said that a compensation would be made by the Bri-tish Resident to the holders for so doing. This was complied with, and it was expected that the trade would be opened immediately ; in fact the Planter, which proceeded to Java from Sydney, was taking in the rice, for which they were pay-ing twenty-five per cent. more than if they had waited a short time longer, to proceed to China, in order to be one of the first at the opening of the trade ; feeling confident of being able to get tea, and intending immediately to come on to these colonies. It is Capt. Theaker's intention to unload as quickly as possible, and proceed to Java before the season is over for going through Torres* Straits, where he will take in rice for the China markets.

WE have been politely favoured by the mercan-tile finn of Messrs. Ramsay and Young, with the subjoined extract from a letter addressed to

rheta bj their correspondent at Batavia. It will he interesting to our commercial readers, as it details the latest intelligence from the "Celestial Empire."

Batavia, 21st June, 1839.

We have received accounts from China to the 11th May, by the Lady Grant, passed Anjer yesterday for Bombay, whence you will, probably receive them before this comes to hand. Up to 2nd May, 15,000 chests of opium had been delivered. It was supposed, however, that the article would not be housed, the whole being regularly weighed, classed, and ware-housed with great care. A recent proclamation of the High Commissioner of the Chinese Government contains the following paragraphs:—It appears that the English Superintendent Elliott, the American Superintendent Officer Snow, and the Dutch Super-intending Officer Van Basel, have presented addresses requesting that they should all return home at the head of the people, and the vessels of their several nations."

After then a full completion of the present deliveries let it be even as requested. It shall be left entirely to you to return to your countries. You will not be allowed to make pretexts for proarastinating and de-laying. And after you have thus returned, you will not be allowed to come again. Let there be no turning backwards and forwards, no inconstancy, whereby in-vestigation and proceedings thereon will be involved," arid closing with the following threat:—"All you foreigners of ererv nation, should you not come hither, then the matter rests; but should you come to the territory of the Celestial Court, be you foreigners of eny country whatsoever, so often as Opium is brought,

in all case in accordance with the new law, the parties shall be capitally executed, and the property entirely confiscated. Say not that it was not told beforehand."

The message was considered almost ten amonnl to

closing the Port against foreign trade, ned it was thought that bardlv any toreieners would feel inclined to peril their lives by remaining there under the new law, and that they would prahably all leave with Captain Elliott, on completing the delivery of the opium. On the other hand, some hopes were enter- tained that a change of measures would take place and that at least the vessels now in China would obtain cargoes.

We remain, Sirs.

Your most obedient servants,

THOMPSON. ROBERTS, & CO

Sydney Herald, August 12.

STORMS.

A very important work entitled "An attempt to develope the law of storms by means of facts, arranged according to place and time; and hence to point out a cause for the variable winds, with the view to practical use in navigation," has latelv been published by Colonel Reid, an officer of the Engineer Department, who is now Governor of Bermuda. It would be impossible to give any account of this book within the limits of an article, and we shall, therefore, only state that the principle which is laid down by Colonel Reid is, that hurricanes are whirlwinds of not more than two or three hundred miles in diameter, which, in the northern hemisphere, proceed from the south-east to the north-west at the rate of from fifteen to twenty-five-miles an hour.

This work is spoken of in very flattering terms by all the European scientific journals, and the Government has undertaken to collect all the facts that can be gathered, to assist Colonel Reid in a future work on the subject.

Sir John Franklin has received a despatch

from the Secretary of State upon the subject, in which his lordship requests that Captains of Ports, Harbour Masters, and Light-house keepers, may be desired to keep journals of such atmospherical phenomena as may come under their notice. In order to carry out the Secretary of State's views, J. Franklin has published the following memorandum respecting the re-cord to be kept of the stale of the weather in the

British colonies :—

"The Captains of Ports, Harbour Masters, and Keepers of Light houses, or where those officers do not exist, some other competent public functionary, should he required to keen journals of the weather, on the principal of the log hooks of ships.

"A columm should be specially reserved for insert- ing the height of the barometer.

"Under the head of 'Remarks' should be entered all meterological observations considered worthy of

particular notice.

"When the keeper of a journal may hear that a vessel has encountered a storm, he will enter in it any information on the subject which he can rely on, together with the name of the ship, of her owner, and of the port to which she may belong.

"With the view of tracing the course of storms, the Trinity Board of London have given directions for the adoption of measures to obtain a more accurate re-cord of the state of the weather than has hitherto been kept at the Light Houses of Great Britain and

Ireland.

"The keepers of these Light Houses having the opportunity of taking their observations by night as well as by day, great advantage may be derived by employing them in this manner: officers in charge of Colonial Light-Houses should be instructed to keep similar journals.

In noticing the wind's force, both in the Harbour Master's journals, and in the Light House reports, it is desirable that the officers should adopt the numbers for noting the strength of the wind now in use at the Greenwich Observatory, and about to be introduced at the Light Houses under the Trinity Board."

We presume that a similar despatch was transmitted to Sir George Gipps, although his Excellency has not yet notified it publicly. If correct records of this description are kept in all the British colonies, such a body of facts will be

collected as will enable Colonel Reid to test the truth of the theory, which, with the exception of an American gentleman named Redfield, he was the first to establish by any thing like proof. —Sydney Herald, Augt. 14.

MELANCHOLY EVENT.—The whaling ship Wallaby belonging to this port, and commanded by Captain Henry Wishart, arrived yesterday from Sealer's Cove, Wilson's Promentary, having fished within a few tons of a full cargo, towards which. Mr. Wishart contri- buted nearly one half, by killing eleven whales,—but with the melancholy intelligence of her Captain being on board a corpse! The particulars of this lamenta-ble event bas been related to us by Mr. Bailey, the chief officer, and are nearly as follows :-On the 7th instant a whale was observed at a short distance from the shi ; Captain Wishart, giving orders to get the

vessel ready to return to Hobart Town, took his boat and followed the whale. He speedily came up and made fast to her; when, after dragging the boat for about fifteen minutes, she suddenly stopped, and before the boat's way could be checked, it was alongside the fish, which by a sadden plunge, upset the boat and cast all bands into the sea. Two of the men could not swim; one sank instantly without an effort, the other Capt. Wishart observed to be strug-gling, and swimming towards an oar, brought it to the poor fellow, and supporting him thereon conveyed him to the boat. Captain W. then procured a line, the ends of which he placed in the hands of the sailor, and by this kind and careful precaution the man was

saved ! Capt. W., who was an excellent swimmer, now made for the land, and soon overtook the other three men, who were also good swimmers, but me-lancholy to relate, when about 50 yards from the shore, our poor friend cried out that he was "gone,"

prayed earnestly for mercy and for grace and

almost instantly disappeared! The boats, as soon

after as possible put off, and the body was found near the spot where he sank, at a depth of about 14 feet. The Chief Officer, who has sailed with Captain Wish-

art for many years; placed his body in a tight-made case filled with spirits, and delivered him yesterday to his mourning relatives, who have the melancholy pleasure of being able to give him Christian burial in consecrated ground, with the additional pleasing reflection, that, besides being universally respected, his last act in life was one of extraordinary fortitude and Christian benevolence. His body has been sub- mitted to medical inspection, and it has been disco-

vered to have two wounds made by a shark, one about the middle of the right thigh, and the other rather above the calf of the left leg, which had evidently been inflicted during life, and which he no doubt received while making for land, and which occasioned

his death—Colonial Times.

- On Wednesday, the remains of Capt. Wishart, th» melancholy account of «rose death we haveaopied from the Colonial Times i werè interred in the Presbyterian Barral Ground, to which they were attended by all the merchants and ehip captains in the port, and a very large concourse cf ibo respectable inhabitants. It was the most numerously attended of any I private funeral that »e have seen in tl;ê colony- The Rev. Mr. Lillie attended the funeral, and, accor-

ding to the usages of his church, offered up a most impressive prayer with as many of the assembled friends as could get into the house, and another at the grave, taking advantage of the sudden and unexpected fate of the deceased to make an impression on the minds of the survivors.—True Colonist, Augt.23.