Extracts.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 540, 6 January 1858, Page 3

Extracts.

>^„; . ^;,CHINA,,.,, „

Q?rom the Times-Conr^pqndent.) .(:;■::■:< <.<:-.■ t Y/;HONQKONO; July 8.

Lord Elgin< hai arrived/. '; It wasquite tinWtlrat something should happen to break dreary monotony of existence here.: The last mail did* not arrive, and -we*have' only just-learnt that the'steamer was) wrecked; The Shannon, which brought/ Lord 'Elgin; brought:us no news of any except1 that the Simoom was Calcttttawith the troops from' tke^Mauritius; The sickly'season is doing its work; 1 Of the 600 men who'ribwform the 'strength of the 59th (a regiment sent here some eight' years ago) there are 150 in the hos-* pital.f 'The; proportion;; is; still 'greater among 'tire . jilue- jackets, ahid;.ma:rines: ,up; the river..; Happily, however^.the^Hongkong fever has not reappeared in its old terrible malignity. Although fever, dysentery, diarrhoea, and ague are rife, deaths.are not numerous. ' Tfiere is plenty of hospital-room, and the surgeons can hold every case well in hand. Precautions also are multiplied with a praise-worthy minuteness. Every sentry has sherry and bitters, given him, to fortify his stomach \ against the night miasma; the ship 3 are | alternately moved down to the healthy i islands attheßogue; and the'expulsion of our old friend, the TVlandarin of Chuenpee, was because his fort was wanted for sanitary purposes. The few who have escaped, and who are daring enough to go out in the sun, try to escape from themselves by a voyage round the island or a trip to Macao. I have accomplished'both these achievements. The voyage round the island was .performed in a private pleasure steamer, and, notwithstanding the presence of a well-filled refrigerator, was the hottest thing I ever did in my life. Stanley, at the back of the island, is a native village and an English barrack. It stands upon a pretty isthmus, Avith the Chinese Sea breathingits south-west monsoon into its face and a tranquil landlocked bay rippling against its heels. , They say that bay is not large enough or deep enough-for-the fleet of merchantmen "tne China trade employs. It is now used as a bathing-place' for the troops, as the shelter of small fishingcraft, and as a resource of very hungry pirates, who at night or; early dawn have sometimes dashed into the bay and attempted to carry off fishing boats under the eyes of the garrison. It is a voyage of 40 miles round this little'island.

It is scarcely more to Macao, and, although ' the' fate of the Thistle and the Queen has rendered the .perils of that passage more notorious, I doubt whether there are more" pirates lurking in the archipelago between Victoria and Macao than in the islets at the back of Hong*kong. While we gaily ' steamed along •in our little toy steamer several times did some vicious looking junks stand down towards us, their large mat sails looking* like the wings of a bird of prey, and heavy cannon frowning' mischief from their decks. But they always stood off again when they found that we were a. party of eight Englishmen with revolvers in our belts and rifles lying close at hand. We grow used to precautions in this land. Some days since I went to dinner at a house high up upon the hill, and, expressing some surprise at seeing all the guests'solemnly depositing their revolvers as they entered, •w"as tbld that a few .weeks since a headless trunk was \ found in 'the ditch that passes by .the; wall! of the: garden, ; ,Seven days' ago Mr. Chisholm . Anstey, Her Attorney-General; was at : Macao, upon: some professional business, and; going; out. to enjoy a swim, before breakfast, took his comprador with £him to jfuard: his ; clothes. Coming,'^& W'tnV city^the!comprador, ; wlio,was,a native fof ithat'neighpdui*hood, remarked that six fellows, pf whose ante-, cedents hfe" ,had Somes knowledge, ; jhad posted! themselvesithreeohy each- side of £> narrow ! place wliipli-'he and his master must pass. 'TKis.facibeinglcpmmunicatedl <fO,Heif Majesty's* law;'dffice^ lie drewhis; revolver: and; walked up;' <;oJaffront the danger. ..The scoundrels retired precipitately,.but with many. imprecations upon, their countryman; the comprador. 'But; ah; Chung; and;;Ghing,;-.'and Wang, Japs : Lin,1 had you. but '■^ho*ivn;'howV*r^ty~ap(?,' l unserviceable .that pistol was,you:' would,. have, come: on boldlywith your !l&.foat; spears,; the 'bag of dollars would: have been yours. : W by1 so faint-hearted X

" Quia deaiclerio sit■ pndor aut inodua >

" Tarn cari capitis P"

That head was 'worth '500 dollars" to you andYeE

I , The .passage boats to Macao are little aijmouries."; There are cannon upon deck arid revolvers in every tbelt. But so it was on board the Queen when the cannon was turned round'arid fired into the cabin upon the passengers,absorbed in tiffin. Further precautions, lwwever, are now taken. In the Eei Ma the Chinese passengers are put down into the hold 12 feet deep and thje; ladder is taken away. A sailor keeps .guard over them with a drawn cutlass. One of the Yankee ships has an iron cage on d6ck, into which the Chinese passengers are invited to walk, and are then locked I up. The Peninsular and Oriental boat has a better but more costly.precaution; she carries no Chinese passengers. Easy, cosy people at home, who fear nothing but the gout or an' easterly ,- wind, may-laugh, or <m^y even, perhaps, be, very indignant at these' precautions." But two boats out of five have' been 'already taken, and the passengers put-to death. Death at the hands of thosel simple sons of civilisation is not an easy .transit. The Bustard gunboat' only a few. days sincej.'on taking a pirate,' found two men nailed,to planks, each with. a stinkpot tird round his neck and slow matches burning. By what torments the prisoners taken in the Queen perished we do not know. She was carried up to that very Fatshan Creek where the battle of the Ist of June took place. Pieces of machinery marked by fire were seen on a point- near, the /fort; some revolvers were found in one of the junks; and Captain Corbett obtained a Portuguese flag from a, Mandarin" boat which afterwards blew up. These circumstances do not absolutely prove, but they strongly suggest, that some scene of horrors, was enacted in this spot, and that the fleet we destroyed were spectators of the tortures. Every man in that fleet has been a pirate, and there would be no lack of proficients in the art of producing, agony. While T am upon this subject of piracy let me mention that an American, named Eli Bbggs, was tried at Hongkong on Wednesday..last for piracy and murder. His name would do for a villain of the Blackbeard class, but in form and feature he was the hero of novel; -as hpr: stood in the dock, bravely battling for his life, it seemed inapossible that that ' handsome boy could be the pirate whose name nad been for three years connected with- tlie boldest and bloodiest acts of piracy It was a face of feminine beauty. Not a down upon the upper lip, largo l^o trous eyes, a mouth the smile of which might woo coy maiden, affluent black hair not carelessly parted, hands so small and so delicately white that they would create a sensation in Belgravia—such was the Hongkong pirate, Eli Bog'gs. He spoke for two hours in his defence, and he spoke well-—without a tremor, without an appeal for mercy, but trying to prove that his prosecution was the result of a conspiracy wherein a Chinese bumboat proprietor and fi sub-oflicial of the colony (both of whom lie charged as being in league with all the pirates on the coast) Were the chief conspirators. The defence was, of course, false. It, had been proved that he had boarded a junk and destroyed by cannon, pistol and sword fifteen men; and that having forced all the rest overboard he had fired at one of the victims who had clutched a rope and held on astern. No witness, Ihoweyer, could prove that he saw a man die from a blow or a shot struck or fired jby the pirate. The jury, moved by his 'youth and courage, and straining hard jtheir consciences, acquitted him of the jmurder, but found him guilty of piracy. iHe was sentenced to be transported for dife. .

i I record this trial, not because, this. !young: ruffian is a dandy -as well as a cut|throat, but because the subject of piracy is lof great importance while dealing with [this country, and miist form an article of i our hew treaty^ Where I now write there' j are 200 junks lying in the harbour before I me, and every one of them is armed with 'at least two heavy guns —some have 12. j Probably one quarter of these are pirates, jw'ho live'principally by piracy, and adopt ' the coasting; trade ■ only as a cover to their ! real profession; at least one other quarter ' are not proof against temptation.; and a f weak victim. It requires great charity or .credulity to believe that all the junks that /compose the other half are honest traders. The-^iiuon here is that an armed Chinese '^vrnk.-iR always a pirate when opportunity -oft^rsi-f >;-'This'state of things cannot be tolerated. 'B^ry olie of the vessels must be disarmed, ami. some arrangement must bo made whereby the cruisers of the Chinese Government shall be distinguishable by, and be made to act in concert with, tho cruis-

ers of the European Powers. Every country is bound to protect its coasts. :Although approached through four miles of shallow and turbid water, Macao looks well from the sea. A semicircle of large white houses glitters in the sunshine. Right and left two hills, crowned with forts and covered with foliage, protect either horn of the crescent; while from the dense city behind domes and cathedral towers rise. But it is the appearance of a past greatness. If we' except the houses of the Braja, "fiat" is written upon every wall. This dwindling, dying city, has repently, however, [shown some signs of life. There, are sixty vessels in the harbour; therice for famishing Canton comes this way. Some of the Cantonese merchants have established themselves here, and every one of our commercial magnates of Hongkong has a'bungalow within the protection of the Portuguese guard.

.'Round a point about four miles away lies the Raleigh,' sunk now* to her upper deck. Tlie 'Nankin has succeeded in getting tlie masts out of her. In her yellow paint and her dismasted state she, looks like one of the hulks'at Sheerness.: They have offered her for sale, but the sum bid for her (5,200 dollars), was not. worth the risk of keeping a.ship of -war upon an unsafe station at the • typhoon season, and this precaution wotild "be necessary to protect the purchaser. The present idea is to blow her up. Macao is open to the sea breeze, which Victoria is not. Macao possesses the grave of Camoens, which - may be an important fact to some people. But I agree with the American poet, who has pencilled upon the tomb, —

" I can't admire great Camoens with ease, " Because I can't speak Portuguese."

Macao also has shady gardens and pleasant walks and rides, and is the only place where the poor Hongkongian can go to change his atmosphere.

There is a mandarin in the neighbourhood of this place who oug*ht to be made to feel that England has a long arm. He has organised a sytem of coercion upon the Chinese of "Hongkong. He keeps regular returns of their names and their gains, and he levies taxes upon them. Once he has withdrawn them altogether. He works upon them by means of their relations, many of whom reside in his district.

.WliAh ..something' of the same sort was done by the mandarin at Cowloon, Su John Bowring sent a boat's crew, and brought him to Hongkong, where he read him a long lecture and sent him back to behave better. This experiment ought to be repeated. If we cannot protect these people they will not respect us. Such, up to the 2nd of this month, were our resources in the absence of news from England, and in our ignorance of the wreck of the Erin. With these rare exceptions we sit in a half torpid state upon our verandahs, or, if we have none, then on the club verandah, and wait till the sun goes down and the notables of the place come forth for their half-hour's exercise. The booming of guns gives token that General Ashburnham is exchanging civilities with the French and American navies. General Garrett appears on his Penang- pony—strong- nerved old man, who alone, of all the new .comers, has affronted jthe first burst of the climate without {suffering a day's illness,, who tells of 'Peninsular seiges and Crimean battles just; las an iron column would record them; I their dates are : written in lines upon its ! front, but it is as tough and unworn as hvhen first set up.. Colonels Pakenham land Wetherall are walking together in j very' good preservation, and doubtless j think this Chinese affair a very small matjter after the battles before Sebastopol. j Colonel Lugard is meditating deep'things j about mysteries which I attempt not to I fathom, for Colonel Lugard is the head \of the engineers. I wish he would think it necessary for some military purpose to drive a tunnel through this Victoria mountain and let in the south-west monsoon. Major Macdonald,who so promptly put Balak'lava to rights,"has been at his desk all' day, and is stretching.right away for a rapid walk. There are others whose names are scarcely less known, to des-: patches, but guos mine perscribere. langum est. The ladies of the colony are coming forth sparingly in palanquin?' or in pony chairs, and some of /the. residents' are dashing by in light four-wheeled match carts, "as though'they could not get quick enough over their two miles of ground. The portico of the club has its groups of lookers-on. and in the hall there is a little crowd surrounding the ice pails —for ices

at Hongkong must be eaten between six j and seven o'clock, or not at all. j 'Suddenly from the mouth of the harbour comes the sound of guns. We have scarcely applied ourselves to count them when the Calcutta opens in reply, fires 19 times in measured succession; then, after a pause, seven more. There can be no doubt any longer—the great man has arrived. The sun is down and the weather has changed, the wind whistles, and the rain descends; but most of us wait to catch a glimpse of the Shannon as she steams steadily into port and comes to anchor alongside of the flagship. Lord Elgin has arrived in perfect health. Two days were given to receptions on board. On the third he landed under salute from all the ships and from the fort, and the troops were turned* out, and there was a gala day, and Sir John Bowring conducted him through a line of soldiers to Government-house,where he now r remains a guest, and where dinner parties, levees, and addresses are the order of the day. We have therefore a Plenipotentiary whom all parties hope and believe to be the man for the occasion; and we have leaders who,; if ordered to do so, would j take' 10,000 men through China from the Yellow Sea to the Himalaya, but we have not got the 10,000 men. It was very evident that Lord Elgin's position would not allow him to remain idle in Hongkong, and no one was surprised' when the rumour spread that he was going northward. The favourite theory is that he is going to Japan, and it is not impossible that we may see the coasts of that mysterious island. The course really resolved upon, however, is this. A few days after this mail has been despatched the Calcutta, the Shannon, the Pearl, the, Inflexible, the Hornet, and two gunboats will proceed northwards to rendezvous at Shanghai, and to proceed thence to the mouth of the River Pei-ho, on .which river Pekin stands. Arrived at the nearest point to the capital, Lord Elgin will despatch to the authorities, for transmission to the Emperor, a letter requiring the Emperor within a specified time either to recognize or to repudiate the acts of:his officers .at Canton. If the Court of Pekin repudiate Yeh and pay compensation for past injuries and give security against their recurrence—-well. If, as is most probable, either no notice be taken of the letter or a disposition be shown to entangle the ambassador in questions of ceremonial, Lord Elgin will war. arid thus relieve the relations of the two powers from their pi. o =ont anomalous position. Canton will then be occupied, the trade of the northern ports will not be unnecessarily interfered with, but such further proceedings will be taken as may be necessary to bring the Court of Pekin to reason.

Such is, I believe, the intended policy. Under other circumstances I should question it most hostilely. It is full of risks. It seems to give authority to the mischievous notion that a Power which refuses to be one of the comity of nations is entitled to all the courtesies and forms of intercourse which civilized nations maintain among* themselves. It affords an opportunity for the exercise of diplomatic cunning, which may compel Lord Elgin either to fail in his mission or to adopt a tone of decision which may be readily represented as a w rudeness. It affords a loophole for escape from a position which will not recur. The answer to those considerations, however, is this : —We must do something, and w^e have not force to do what we ought to do.

Lord Elgin, therefore, will either go direct to Pekin and conclude a treaty, or he will come back and occupy Canton. In the interest of. a..durable peace all the Europeans here hope that the latter will be the course which events will take.

Many people think that there could be no difficulty in carrying on our corrective measures in India and our war with China at the same time. There are doubtless Sepoy regiments which, although not.openly in revolt, are not trustworthy in action against their co-religionists. Why not send them to China ? Sepoys have already been upon the heights above Canton and behaved admirably. The sun of- China, under, which our ruddy English recruits grow feeble, as flies, in frost, would deal tenderly with the Hindoo. So it was when Gough took .Cautoh.and sElliot solid his conquest. So it would be again. .' . Iljelieve the only\objection to this obvious and ready expedient is the expense. If you bring Indian troops here you must put all the Queen's'troops' hpon. Indian aU lowance. '

Now, the difference between the pay of an Indian regiment and a regiment of

Queen's troops is something under £4,000 a-y ear—riot the price of the freight of a cargo of useless shoes or the waste upon an idle transport—not one-hundredth part the cost of the Transit "and the Urgent. Set against this the fact that the rations of English troops here will cost the Government about 3s. a-day, while the rice arid curry of the Hindoo, even with the addition of the ration of mutton or goat's flesh to the Mahomrnedan soldiers, cannot average above Is., and we shall soon find the. apparent saving absorbed. Suppose we had ten regiments in the field, arid that £40,000 was paid in extra pay—a most extravagant suggestion—-what is that sum in the general expenses of a war? I confess that I should feel some-consolation under such an increase by the knowledge that the money would go, not into the pockets of meat preservers and hay preservers, shipowners, and contractors, but into the hands of the men who do the work, and who are certainly not at present overpaid for what they do.

While I am upon this subject let me say a word about the • withdrawal of the field allowance. Under existing regulations officers absent from England in localities where ' war is either pending ; or anticipated are allowed a small sum to cover their extra expenses, their pony hire for baggage, their mess utensils and in-: creased expenses, perhaps also the extra cost to which they are put for clothing to suit the hot or cold climate in which they may be placed. A subaltern gets Is; 6d. a-day extra, a captain half-a-crown. This is called field allowance, and here at Hongkong would be altog-ether inadequate to put an officer upon a par with his comrade in England. The withdrawal of this is a great injustice in a little matter. I believe the disallowance is illegal, and can only be supported by altering the terms of the order. It is, moreover, in breach of Lord Panmure's public promise. But, at any rate, it is an unworthy thing to do. Unfortunately, there are not a few officers in our army who have so narrow' a margin between their income and their necessities that the loss of this small daily sum is a loss of comforts, hard to be resigned. I promised last mail to send you some description "of Canton in: a strategic-point of view. There is now no prospect of an immediate attack upon this city, yet it is impossible to foresee what may happen before the expedition returns south. I send you, therefore, what, by personal observation and the examination of many "Rritish and Chinese, I have been able to obtain on this subject. People who have never seen an unadulterated Eastern city.are apt to entertain ; very erroneous ideas upon the subject. When we are told of a city of a million of inhabitants we begin to think of the Rue Rivoli, or of Regent-street, or of the Corso, or of the French building-s and Moorish palaces at Algiers, or, at least, of the great squares of Alexandria or the European quarter at Cairo. We must put European houses entirely out of the question when we think of the pure and uncontaminated city of Canton. With the exception of the pagodas there is not in the whole city an edifice as high as the lowest house • in Holywell-street. The mass of habitations are about 15 feet high, and contain three rooms; they have one entrance, closed hj a bamboo screen. Some of the shops have a low upper story, roof and terrace altogether may rise. 25 feet from the street. Better houses there are, but they are not more lofty.. They are detached, stand upon. their, own . little plot of land, - and are surrounded by a 12-foot wall. Then there are the palaces, residences of great officials and rich merchants, the '''ya'muns" of governors and generals, and judges. These are large, low, airy buildings, situated, in gardens extensive enough to be called parks-—excellent barracks and camping-ground for British Grenadiers. All these edifices are of the most fragile description, built of soft brick j wood, or mud; no hopeful shelter to tlie most desperate courage. They.would be traversed by Minie balls and pierced by grape; they woiild be knocked into ruins; by half-spent round shot; they woidd be burst by shells. Heroes could not hold, them against an advancing column of-English troops, and as to Chinese, the first'bullet that whistled down the street would be an intimation of an intended lice.' of inarch which soldier and civilian would immediately.respect. The whole circuit of the walled city is just six -miles; Tt is" necessary .to bear in mind the character of the buildings of this place, or we shall find ourselves talking iibnseiise .about '-*''involving ourselves in the intricaciesi of. a city of a million of people," ( Seven-dials would be a strong

■military, posts but Greenwich Fair #ould not offer great strategic opportunities of defence.

General Gough made his attack with 2600 .fighting men, having left Hongkong protected only by a few native Indian troops. We , have now in this island and in these waters about 4000 sailors, 500 Marines, and 800 healthy soldiers of the land force. The Sanspareil, which left Singapore and is now. momentarily expected, will bring us 500 Marines. Gen. Oough's attack took place in the hot rainy season—on the 18th of May—and if he j had .entered the city he would not have lost a man by disease. On the.other hand, the recollections of General Oough's difficulties have led to the present war. The Cantonese remember that while he was waiting for the black mail he was attacked by " patriotic volunteers," who surrounded part of his force and put it to .great difficsl ties. They remember also that these ■" patriotic volunteers": were not swept away by barbarian cannon, but were coaxed away by the Chinese authorities, who acted under threat of a bombardment of the city. This capital error in morals and in policy; this egregious mistake of that gallant, eager, wrong-headed little man, Admiral Elliot; this unworthy money-grasping, ransom-1 taking policy has produced the present war. Since that day the Cantonese look upon us as robbers and booty-seekers whom it is right to exterminate when they can; whom they could thrash if they pleased, but whom they can always get rid of by tossing to us a heap of silver. So they pointed derisively at us whenever they- saw us-; they called out after us "Tab" ("heat them,") and «Shat" , (" behead them"); they encouraged each other to acts of violence, and they wrought that intolerable condition of tilings which makes it necessary for us by more imposing force and by higher conduct to take an attitude of dignity—r- to show these Cantonese that we are not petty pirates , and plunderers like themselves, but a ■ mighty necessity for good and for evil , which to them is irresistible as natural death. '

We must do strong* violence now, be- I cause we have been weak and foolish in 3 time past. But what we do we must do thoroughly. A sing-le reverse and we should have either to withdraw from these shores or to overrun half the empire. lam * iiot resting- a feather weight upon my own * judgment" when I affirm that with ...our c s present force we could take this city in six s nours. But I cannot resist the weight of t the authority which says that we could not hold it as we ought to hold it. Great s genius might doubtless multiply small l means; I have heard it said by men whose j deeds give them right to talk, that 500 ! men relieved once a fortnight ought to j hold the city for six months. Perhaps the \ ships could find occasion &r keeping the t .inhabitants of the 96 villages at home; 1 it. was they who attacked General Gougb. upon the heights, and the terrible threat ' of a bombardment is always open. The ] probabilities are that after the first day the clt?*wou'id be as tranquil as this city of j < Victoria. The Chinese shopkeepers here ( say, "You catchee cite; we open shop ! '. half hour after." But this is only a pro- | ' bability. Were it not- for the danger of j the insurgents being beforehand with us j precipitation would be madness. . Even i with this danger impending it would not do to run the risk of finding ourselves in Canton with an inadequate force daily dwindling from overwork and disease, July 10. Lord Elgin's answer to the address has just been printed, and I annex a copy. Tlie address was sent to you by a previous I raail. ,;. -I am gratified by the welcome -v.ri^i you are pleased to proffer to me on my iiv;ivai at Hongkong, ,1 ins :iware of the deep interest which yon 1 we in there-establishment of a solid peace, -l d cf tie weight which deservedly attaches to year o.jiuion,—not only on the points specifi"o.l!y i.i /erted to in''this address, bnt also on 0 c larger question of the re-adjastmeut of our r-jli'i.Jus with the Chinese Empire. I shall veraibri at all times listen with attention and ripest to any. representations which yon may see fit. to make to me on these subjectaj although iheinierests of the public Rervice forbid that I ahould.disc.nss the instructions with which onr Sovereign Has honoured me, or the course which, ir» pursuance of those ihstructiona, it ia my intention to pursue. " ■'' ■--Without., however, departing from the »-\ ser?.e which ;t sense of daty preserlbas. to roe, I; ■ 1:'?".7. venture to state that I concur with you !?; j-M0?:'51^11 that-no settlement of our presenl will be satisfactory which shall fail ~° ':''\' :^ c Caiitou'ese a wholesome respect for tl;p. c'v.iigations of their own tSoyerntnent in its reiulionj with independent Powers, and for the

laws of hospitality towai-ds strangers, who re-l sort to their shores for peaceful purposes of trade.

The powerful fleet already assembled on these coast winch will soon be supported by an adequate military force, is a pledge of Her Majesty's determination to afford protection to her faithful subjects in this quarter, and to maintain the rights to which they are by treaty entitled. It is essential to the permanence of pacific relations with China, and to the security of trade, that the Court of-Pekin should be apprised that an arrogant refusal to treat with other Powers on the terms prescribed by the comity of nations, or the alleged wilfulness of a provincial authority will not henceforth be held to release it from the responsibility of faith-. I fully adhering to engagements contracted with | independent nud sovereign States. You refer in language of much force and justice to the difficulties which beset the mission on which lam entering. I am not insensible to those difficulties. But knowing as Ido that j the Government which I serve is pursuing no selfish objects, that we may count on the cordial sympathy and active co-operation of other j great and generous nations, interested with our- j selves in the spread of commerce and theexteri- j sion of civilization—knowing, moreover, the j valour and discipline of the forces, both military and naval, which, under able and experienced commanders, are prepared, if need be, to support the honour of our country's flag,—l sco no reason to doubt that, by prudence and patience, modeation and firmness, they may be overcome.

To Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., Dent and Co., and others. Hongkong, July 8.

This answer has been closely scanned, and those who hold that the Chinese will promise anything or sign any treaty under pressure, but will be influenced only by seeing that we can thrash these terrible Cantonese, do not like the words "if need be" in the last paragraph. Others, however, and these are the majority both in number and in weight, think that we must not too soon vex the conduct of our Ambassador with hostile criticism. He has a difficult task to perform, his responsibility will be terrible should he fail, and he ought to be allowed to play his own game. Even the moi*e eager and impatient admit that it was necessary that he should go north to see the present ports and hold talk-with the merchants whose interests he is to represent. -

METEOROLOGY OP THE EAST COAST OF THE MIDDLE ISLAND. (From Captain Drury's Observations.), About Lyttelton, nearly central in this district, we find the summer sea breezes blow frora the NE. with hazy weather, occasionally changing to N. W. fnr two wtlncc Unys. The summer sea breeze dies away at sunset, and is succeeded by a light S.W., spiinging ap about midnight, which lasts until 9*a.m. In winter the prevailing winds are S.E. at sea, but at Lyttelton and Canterbury the wind is S.W., while at sea it is S.E. In spring and autumn the winds are variable from N.E., for two or three days, with very fine weather; then light winds for a day. shifting to N.W., blowing a gale from twelve to forty-eight hours; then a sudden shift to S.W., strong wind and rain for three days, when it comes round again to N.E. along shore. Fortunately it seldom blows strong from east, but even light winds from tbat quarter produce a heavy swell in Port Cooper. This wind is accompanied by fog and misty rain. The violent S.W. wind in this harbour off the land is accompanied with more danger to shipping than any wind that has blown in. In December, we experienced a south-easter between Canterbury and Otago. It fell calm for an hour, when the S.S.E. wind came up suddenly and with little warning; it veered to S.S.W. This S.W. wind corresponds to the sooth-eastern of Cook's Strait. It is very necessary to be aware of the prognostics of the sadden changes along this coast, especially the north-easter, which comes at once to blow furiously. The most unmistakeable sign is a remarkable transparency of the atmosphere, which, is very clear indeed. # The X. W. wind of this district resembles the sirocco of the Mediterranean ; it comes on suddenly, and changes the temperature in a few minutes from 12 to 20 degrees. This change j in the temperature perhaps arises from the nt- I pid melting of snow in crossing the Southern Alps, or from crossing heated plains. Tho S.W. wind is preceded by heavy darkedged cumuli in that quarter. At seal his is probably S.S.E. Again, the mountains are clouded in a southeaster, and partially in a south-wester: while all distant objects, including the Kaikoras, are distinct with a "fine bine tint, on tlie approach of the N.W. wind. The finest months are December, January, February and March. Rains and gales are chiefly in Jane, July and August. The rainy quarter is N.W. to S.W. The hot north-wester in summer frequently ; terminates in wet. There- b also a wet and a dry sooth weste?. In autumn or winter, the barometer Tises* very "high, with light east wind*, producing fog.4 and mnch rail?, lasting ten or fourteen daya. :'■ .- __ - The barometer is very .variable on tJiia«oast; its fluctuation* amount almost to a pnaaie oh aWe, It is supposed the lofty mountain* must have some (mare iv producing local pressuvft, as tho mercnry ia frequently moring, though no apparent atmospheric disturbance

takes place. The following ' remarks are specially applicable at sea. In winter, the '^mercury falls previously to a S.S.E. or a S.W. \»alo, b\vt immediately* before commencing it b'ses, and when at its greatest 1: eight the gale blows strongest- In winter such a gale brings continuous rain for three days: but in spring and autumn severe squalls, with rain, hail and slest, the glass remaining high, and it is succeeded by N.E. wind and fine weather. The I meibury "falls before a N.W. gale, especially if followed by a wet S.W. wind: the change is often/immediate. It is very low when snow falls, although without wind. "At'^Lyttelton the barometer has been very low for many days without any change : it lias been a) its highest with very bad weather, and soon after at its lowest with very fine weather. It appears that the cyclone north-easter docs not occur above four times a year, then the rain from this \ quarter is heavy. The greatest fall of rain yet known in twenty-four hours was 2.14 inches; in April, 1853. The uncertainty of the weather is shown to be remarkable by the following example. The rain that fell in i

April, 1852 ... ... 3.00 inches. April, 1853 9.40 " April, 1854 ... ... 1-08 " April is; considered a fine dry month, but in 1553 more rain fell than in any other month. Snow rarely falls on the plains, but it has fallen in May, July, August and September. In August, 1851, there was a heavy fall of two inches-deep, that lay all day. Thunder and lightning are rare. Their clouds proceed from N.W. or S.W., with dense cumulo-stratus. This occurs in spring and autumn. . The temperature at Christchurch has been as low• as 27 ° (June 10, 1852}; the highest was 91 ° in the shade on February 1, 1854, at 3 p.m.

The greatest amount of pressure was 30.64,

August 14, 1854. The least pressure 28.85, May 17, 1853. ; On only two or three days in each of the years 1852, 1853, and 1854, was any thunder heard.

It has been a matter of surprise and speculation that the hot 2>T. W. winds proceeding directly from the snow should produce considerable heat, instead of (as would appear natural) an opposite sensation j nor can it be accounted for by traversing the plains, as the heat is found fully as sensibly, and perhaps more so, at the foot of the snowy range. We may, perhaps, account for it thus : —We find this hot N.W. wind' is preceded by cloudless serenity; therefore a great deal of radiation is taking place. Tlie melting surface of the snow covering the heights releases latent heat, causing the atmosphere to become highly rarefied, which consequently rises, but, meeting an upper current, becomes cool and condensed, and rushes towards the coast, carrying at first a portion of the lower strata of caloric, the immediate sensible precursor of the gale. In a feu. K«»« the equilibrium" Is restored'ana "condensed moisture falls in rain, which is frequently the termination of the gale.

At Akaroa this ! gale is seldom .felt, being, sheltered by the Peninsular mountains. In this place the sea breeze follows the bends of the harbour. S.W. gales foliow.JST.W. winds, and blow very hard. The land wind has more than ordinary strength in passing Akaroa Heads in the morning. At Otago no register appears have been kept previous to 1854.

-Our information regarding the weather there is gathered from an intelligent pilot, who resided sixteen years near the heads. ; North winds are rare. The. ordinary sea breeze is N.E. It seldom blows from east.

S.E. winds are accompanied by thick, hazy" weather, but seldom blow home.

South winds do not blow strongly, unless they veer to S.S.W. and S.W.

The winds off the land are the strongest, and W.N.W. wind blows the hardest, the latter being at times a hot wind. The squalls from this quarter are heavy. The heaviest gales are in November, often with large hailstones.

The dirtiest weather is in June and July. January is the hottest, and July the coldest month. Snow falls and lies on the ground for two or three Aays in June, July, and August. S. to S.E. is the rainy quarter. The pilot considered that there are about thirty days in the year when it would not be prudent to cross the bar because of the swell, which is worse in attempting to leave. He states that 1853 was a peculiarly dry season. It is curious that in that year there should have fallen at Canterbury nearly double the annual average amount of rain, and that in all other parts of New Zealand it was remarkably dry. The effects oh the barometer may be generally assumed as similar to those of Canterbury, allowing for 2J° higher latitude: At Otago there is much more fog.