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PAPERS BY THE PACKET.

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INDIA AND Cnina;—Despatch?s live been received overland from India and China, with dates from .Macao .tothe that of February, Calcutta to the 22.1 March, 'Bombay to the hit, and Alexandria to the 2d oprril.

‘ CIIINA. . The intelligence from China is of the most unsatis- fectory character. Captain Elliot was wasting his time

in negotiations, which, on the put of the sire

were evidently ouly einployefitoput ofi'any settlement of the question as orig as possib . 7Com- ' missiouer Keshen had had several interviews iih Cap-

tain'Elliot, .and respectfully received his suggestions, but still found reasons for delay. On the 3?.3th of Jan- nary Captain Elliot issued a circular, stating that nego- eiatioo's were proceeding fisfactorily, but at theosame time intimating that in the 'afisiing ,state of affairs he did ootcnnaider it adviubk for British subjects to pro- esad lo Cm...,fi‘.0tt' the first of February. lhe Con" modore‘aitf’ Plenipotentiary issued codjointlya procla- hation to the inhabitants of Hong Kong, informing them thatthe place had become a part oftbe dtimtnions oftbe Queen of England, and that natives residing on. the island must consider themselves subjects of her Britannia Majesty. It also guaranteed to the Chi- nese the free exercise of their religious and social customs, ’lnd‘vthc preservation of their private proper dye" .... ..It W3}, however, understood in Canton that tho'conduct of Keshen appeared vacillating, and that hemmed disinclined to fulfil his engagements. A very general impression existed that recourse must again be had to hostile operations. .

Official dospatches are published, in Friday's Gazelle.

detailing the destruction of the Chuenpcc and 'l‘ycock-

.tow forts. Although the Chinese iongltt dcsperatOly, notonc of the British force was killed in the engage- ment. The conclusion of one of the dcspatches mates:—

“ This service has been performed with trifling loss on the part of her Majesty's forces, although it is but justice to the Chinese to say that they defended them- selves, especially in the batteries, with the greatest credit and devotion; they have suffered severely; their loss, i hiding that on board the war junks, cannot be oatittt at less than from 500 to 600 out ofa force calculated at 2,000 men. The slaughter in the lower fort, when carriedby storm. was considerable.”

INDIA.

From all. pactsof India the news is warlike. The ofi'aira in Afghanistan appear of increasing importance. 8cth Sojah, who was placed on the throne by the ofl'orts of the British army, is described as intriguing in order to efi'ect the expulsion of all auxiliary British troops from th. country. The restless Affgltans are also adverse to the presence of British troops; they are caballing among themselves, and combining for getting rid of their conquerors ........ ..The llontbay artny itt Sciatic has. made a partial movamerit into the provin~ cos around Quetla. Fivo thousand have passed through the Bolan, and fotir thousand remain in the Scinde

orincea. In a late attack on the fort of Schbec,bc- Tdoging lathe Kujjuks, the folly of dcspising the enertiy coat thelives ofthree European officers and of fifty se-

ya. The attack was made ad the 20th of February, ya.covtsiderttble force under the command of Lieut.- Col. Wilson. The fire oftbe artillery commenced about two r. at. Shortly afterwards Colonel Wilson was pounded, and the comtnand devolved on Captain Roi This officer, finding the cttnnonarle did not produce the desired effect, ordered preparations to he made for an assault. The storming party accor- . ,flingly advanced, but met with the most determined ‘Yaoistitnce, and was drit’cn back after suffering great loss. Lieut. Falconer was killed, an! Lieut. Shaw, who accompanied him as a volunteer, badly wounded. The enemy suffered severely. The sepoys were sub- asquendy relieved by a party of artillerymen. These succeeded in making a lodgement under the gateway, but pould penetrate no further. Their commanding odicer, Lieut. Creed,‘ was also slain, and as night ap- proaclted‘tbo troops were, at the request of the political agent, recalled to camp- At daylight next morning it was found that the enemy had taken advantage oftbe darkness, and had evacuated their fort. We are sorry to add that Lieut.-Co|. Wilson has since died of his wounds. Since the above event the greatest activity has prevailed amongst the troops iii Sciude, and every elort-iabeing made to quell the rebellious spirit ofthc Boloochee tribes..........All accounts concur in stating that additional troops mtist he sent to the north oftbe Indus..........lu the Punjmtb all is confusion, for the soldiers are masters under their mock rajah, Shere Singh. The European officers are detained there by force. The Governor-General of India is preparing a large force on the frontiers; liir it appears merely a question of time whether the British army is to enter that country. The Renee, widow of Kurruk Siugh, hadsher paramour murdered before her eyes. She was wounded in the attempt to save him ..... ..Tbe news from Kh’im is satisfactory. Captain Conolly has gone to Kokhan, in order to make pea‘ce between the ngern- manta of. Kbiva and Kokhan. British influence will thereby become considerable in Centr..l Asia, and even from the north we shall soon controul thc‘King of Bolt- hlrl;-...~....-Itt the interior of India tranquillity ~prevails. The late hostile movement at Napannee, in the Car- not}, was. speede put down ..... ....In Birmali, Thara- waddie still pursues. his system of horrors at. home, but has made no attempt at attacking his neighbours on the frontiers ....... ...The Nepaiilcu are watching the pro- gressofthe British expedition against China.

Purim—Thoma“: of Persia is alarming. The pre- oeutfichah is in delicate health, and incapable of man-

;an his troops. who are unruly for want of pay. Rus-

‘ I guaranteed the succession to the throne ; and, bstanding. two of the Schah's uncles are ready {7:0 dispute it with his children and with each other; one ofthdm is stationed near Bagdad, and the other on the frontiers of. Affghenistan. Edna—From Alexandria we learn, that Mehemet Ali continued his preparations for defence with unaba- ted industry, though with less show than formerly. The artilleryrnear and workmen of the arsenal have ' loamelployed in iarms. powder, and ball, into “forts in and ' city; and the.troops en- cltaped under the: are kept in a constant state of aigilance and exercise. The plague was developing industrially amongst- these troops and ‘the sailors still *9” 032350” Ind‘ converted‘ into. labourers. Ibrahim . . sequins at Cairo employed'in reorganising his .ZWsmyyland‘in addi‘ngto its numericai‘sirength ' v ms in his power, administrative and coer~ _ , g be answer of the Porteto the remonstrsnos of .Wiml had not been. received when the latest ’ ' ’ , Mastodon. r. , . .

sail frorntmistantinople afihe end of April with a strong division oftbe Turkish fleet, amounting to l2 and in all,

The Malta Times says that ” nothing lessthan the par- ’ tiondown, and it asks whether the Port will do this, or

The Jchi'fcrrmirf states, that from. several landings 0f

abused their power, but of having broii

our flats-tit Tue Insuaitec'riotv tit Came—Tabb Pach; was to

and having on hfiard 6000 troops, to attack the insurgents.

ilal"¢xlerlffinutinn ofihe Candiotes will put the insurrec' . . . ,l

the protecting Cltrtsttan powers allow It to be done.

men from the Moren the insurgents amounted to'ltidlllo. , Mustapha Pacba, the Seraskier of Crete, had isspcd a proclamation, dated Canon, M web ‘26, to the Christian Cretans, announcing to them the reduction of duties on all produce arriving iii Candisi, and exliorting them. to return quietly to their homes, and avoid a severe punish- tnent

'chnzx.——0nc of the most extraordinary circumstances in the annals of a constitutional government lias'just occyr- red in Sweden. The Ministers ofState there have been ac- cused, not of having violated the laws of their country and uht the country to a state of unexampled prosperity. At this moment Sweden is one of the happiest countries 011 the time of the earth, Elie merit ofwhich is due to the King. Formerly the nation was loaded with debt, nt present there is an excess of iti- come over the expenditu e: bttt it is alleged that the Ministers produced this prosperity by violating the consti- ttition, and that they must account for the responsibility they have incurred!

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

IIOUSE OI“ LORDS—THURSDAY, MAY 6.

Quit RELATIONS Wi'ru Cums—In answer to aqiies- tion from Lord Ellenborongli, Viscount Melbourne stud that it was impossible for him to tell what might have beenthe terms agreed upon with the Governmentin China. But unquestionably her Majesty’s Government had sent out information that ifa definitive treaty should have been concluded, according to the prelimi- nary articles which had been received by previous nil- vices, such treaty would not be satisfhctory to her Ma- jesty’s Government, and that they would not advise her Majesty to ratify such a treaty. That decision was takett here, and not by the Governor-General iti India. In answer.to other questions, Lord Melbourne stated that he believed Hong Kong had been taken possession of by the British troops, and that Cbusan had been evacuated, but on the latter point he conld not speak with certainty. He had, however, no hesitation lll de- claring that by the last instructions sent out to China, her M ajesty’s forces were ordered to retake possession of Chusan,if it had been evacuated before such instruc- tions were received. '

Conn-Laws—The Earl ofFiizwilliam, itt present- ing petitions from Leeds and other places against the Corn-laws, contended that every shilling which this country paid for corti more than it would do ifthe Corn-laws were repealed, wasa tax tipou the people for the benefit oftbe landowners, and ought promptly to be ‘abolished. ...The Duke of Wellington said the Corn-laws were passed for no such contemptible object as that assigned by the noble earl. They were not enacted to increase the profils of lan'dlords to tlze pre- judice oftbe public, but to encourage agriculture to such an extent as to render the produce of the country equal to its consumption, and thus enable it to be al- together independent of foreign supply .... ..Eztil Radnor maintained that the effect of. the Corn-laws, whatever might be their object, was to enrich the landholiler .... .. Earl Warwick said that, lit his opinion, the reason why large towns supported a repeal of the corn-laws was, ifpozzsible, to produce a change oftbe currency of the country .... ..The Marquis of Lansdowne, at some length, defended the course the Ministers had pursued, re- specting the proposed alteration of the corn-laws; the Government had never brought forward a measure that had had tnore consideration than the prescnt......ln ansWer to a question from Lord Ellenborough, as to the particular period at which the Government had come to the resolution ofJnaking a proposition for placing a fixed duty on com, the Marquis of Lansdowne said, that he could ttot state the exact time, but the measure had received the fullest consideration before it was decided on, and the determination had not been recently adopt- ed. After some furlher consideration, the petitions were ordered to lie art the table.

HOUSE OF COMMONS —-THU.RSDAY, MAY 6.

Ways AM) Muss—Lord J. Russell said, if he had considered the question as of a commercial or financial nature, he would have left it in the hands of the Chap- cellor of the Exchequer, but it was a great national qitcstion—(clicers,)—oue which would influence to all time the commercial policy oftbe country, niid its finan- cial conduct. They had. from the commencement of the year, foreseen the necessity of such measures. The difficulties were great, but the arrangement that he should pruposea measure on the subject of the cortt laws, was made before. All these questions oftnono- poly had been carefully considered, the government were agreed upon them. and he had stated this on the 4th of March, and oti that veiy (lay a dcspatch from the Governor of Canada was received, alluding to the inten- tions oftbe Government. The different questions con- nected with our foreign policy, which had led to an increased expenditure, had all of them been sanctioned by that house, and it became the duty oftbe house to provide for the deficiency thereby occasioned in the public revenue. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had told them there was an excess of £2,400,000 of expenditure over revenue. For the deficiency _thus occasioned they might provide a remedy by_reductions in their military and naval establishments, but in the present position of affairs, he thought such a co rse un- advisable. The deficiency might 'also be provided for by a loan, or by the imposition of additional direct taxes; but when ministers arrived at the conviction that in additional revenue might be obtained simply by dinti- nishing protective duties, it became their ditty not to lay any additional burdens on the people. They were aware that they would have great difficulties to encounter, from the opposition of those who might consider their interests to be endangered ; still it became their duty to submit to parliament measures which they believed to be good, andovhich they were convinced would, one day or other, form the foundation of the commercial policy-of this country. (Enthusiastic cheers.) Alluding to the fixed duty which be \vished‘to i'nipOseon corn, the noble lord said that it would have the effect of keeping the price of wheat steadily at 565. or 60s. a quarter, instead of exposing the country to the ruinous fluctuations which they had witnessed of late years. Returning to the [subject of the sugar duties,.the noble lord recalled to the attention of the house, that what he and his'col- leagues .advised Parliament to do, was to do away with prohibition, 330‘ to substitute a substantial protection. The result oftbe great measure by which the people .of

of slavery,

tures. the accounts

tending to show

Babe negroes. .

mutant. , ’

' r had been the-most successful expeytgij‘pfcii for the relief of 800,000 of_t'heir e fificafion‘

. s impossible to read Without gra, m-the which continually reached hint asIndies- dition of the negroes tn‘the west ces noble lord cited numerous instanlv d, thc'remarkable improvement thatdtziann, few years, taken place in the con. l tor He then entered upon a description f distress endured a large portipu10 inc population; and he would as; title a e said, not to be so muci

attempted It vita

impmved con (ileum) The

within the last

the- comparative our 'nianufactur {E I d h eseniativcs 0 ng 'rln , r - iriiitled as to sacrifice the interests of the-peoplelpfth‘i: ' ' a motto oly for the cue: coumry' m order to presene p l Manchester of those with whom the people of Bolton ant 1T] had would bebut too happy 10 change Pla‘fes' ley . r; . .. '~ of their manuftcturtu” indeed, armed at a great crisis tion oftbe history, and there was danger that a great pot; air eman. P“l’“latl”"’ far from TUOymg a“? “if”??? :e ilie close of cipated negroes, mighl’bf; Obl'gf- , 1‘? Lord John the present your, to resort to parish re re . , mnce Russell alluded to the increasing habits 0f fem!” ‘ _.

a ' ——habits which the high among the people oftbe country ‘ I iuht be price of sugar tended greatly to impe‘lfi t m a )I said that they might look hereafter for a largebSQPltl’ from India, but be was not at all disposed to Sit Siltlll’le an East India for a West lndia'monopoly. The no t; lord analysed the resolution of which Lord Sandou lltatl given ttofice, and which was so skilfully drawq up,l I}; itcoutained nothing to prevent those who ring it ‘to If? I it front adopting afterwards the very measures do no: they now appeared to condemn: The noble lor 'me on to show the futility of pretendingto refuse admisswnr to slave~grown produce. The slave-grown coffee 0 Brazil was notoriously imported into this country by the circuitous route of the Cape of Good Hope. PhIS trade was carried on by an evasionfif the glaw, but the noble lord showed that it had grown up into such tin- purtanca, that it might now be dangerous to attempt to put it down. The West India planters themselves im- ported slave-grown sugar for their own use, that they might send the whole of their produce to be sold for the high prices to be obtained in England. The amendment to be proposed to them was. in point of fact, a mere party movement, made with a view of enlisting the sym- pathies of humanity; but which party, he would fisk. had always been foremost in assisting the abolitionists? It was the whigs, who, in 1806 and [807,isucceeded in putting an_ end to the slave trade; and it was not till Lord Grey was placed at the head of the-Government, that slavery itself was abolished in the British colonies. Those, however, who had never done any thing effectual for the abolition either of slavery or the slave trade, now came forward with an appeal to humanity, for which their past conduct in no way entitled them to credit. If the house adopted the measures recommended by government, they might still look forward with confi- dence to an era of great prosperity for this country; if those measures wore not adopted, on the hotise must repose the responsibility of the rejection. The noble lord, after addressing the house for nearly two hours, concluded, amid the cheers of the liberal side oftbe house.

Lord. Sandon rose to move an amendment to Lord John Russell’s motion, that the house do go into com- uutice of ways and means. Had this, he said, been a mere'qiiestiiiii of revenue, he would not have interfered, but even as a question of finance, the ministers had miscalculatcd: The measure they proposed would not raise the required revenue. This probable deficiency he showed from it variety of documentary references; arid he proved the recent increase of our exports to those colonies iii 'liich free labour has been established. The question, however, was a moral one. from various returns, that the supply of sugar was now becoming so plentiful as to deprive the government of the excuse that-their measure was necessary for the relief oftbe labourers at home. The measure was held out as a boon to the foreign slave-planters; and to the extent ofthat boon it was a bounty upon the slave-trade. He. concluded by moving the following resolution :— “That considering the efforts and sacrifices which Parliament and the country have made for the abolition of the slave trade and slavery, with the earnest hope that their exertions and example might lead to the miti- gation and final extinction ofthose evils in other coun- tries, this bouse is not. prepared, especially with the present prospects of the supply of sugar from British possessions, to adopt the measure proposed by Her Majesty’s Government for the reduction of the duty on foreign sugars."

Mr. Hogg seconded the amadment. He knew not

sell'tlie probability of that charge against which he had defended himself Iinzlttacked—the charge that this sud- den budget had been the offspring of the ministerial defeats. (Hear.) He could not help remetnberina other budgets. The last conservative budget showed 2’. surplus of if |,500,000.; the Whig budget of this year showed a deficiency to the. same amount. The govern- mom had lured a vast capital into the East India sugar trade, upon yvhat. now appeared to be wholly deceptive assurances. As to the West Indies, the theory of free trade was wholly misapplied, if slave-grown suuar was to be let Ill against them, When they were notapermitted to use .slave labour it) their own surrar production. He believed that this country would obe inundated wtlh slave-grown sugar, fbr he admitted that it would be cheaper than any which the West or East Indies could send to market. The greatest gainer would be the foreign colony which had the greatest slave-trade —C.uba first, Brazil next, and the West Indies, which had no slave-trade at all, would be driven wholly from the competition. .After all our sacrifices of blood and treasure—after all our‘armaments and risks of war ’were we at once to undo our whole work and hold out if fresh encouragement to slavery and the. slave-trade, because sugar was a penny a pound above its usual price and Her Majesty’s Ministers in danger of losing their pl’aces " _ Mr. Hawes said this was not a sugar question ' ii involved. the revision of the whole financial system ti d to prove this he went into most minute and el’ab’orn

details, at which the opposition grew exceed-incl "ate patient,till the honourable member warned thefnytlix'ii

they must not expect on thi ‘ ' _ 3 sub ect speeches or a brief debate. ' J enher The"

Mr. James was hiniselfthe estate in Jamaica, but that should not givmg his vote in favour of her Ma that night; though he was sopy ih compelled them to bring forward make slavery and the slave trade

i . . proprietor ofa pretty large prevent him from jgsty’s government at- ctrcumstances had

more profitable tlian

this country had given twenty, millions for, the abolition

He showeth

what internal monitor had suggested to Lord John Rus—

a measure that mioht P

to contribute to the maintenance, I 5 much attached to big party as .. g 0 which ministers now cal on ass’ent, was one that. would lower 'thcm in lb. Europe, that would degrade them in the eye. . v eoplc, and it has one for which there! . mm Iiii The right but). gentleman entered my, :t‘iisiiessiictifdétaifs‘,’ to show that an abundant suuar might cbnfidentlympse looked for from a * ' oasesst . “nitrifiimis: at about a quarter before we], I wake met by loud cries of. “ Divu‘lie!” and NE: of impatience. After vainly op eavouring minutes to obtain Silence, the '10"). gentkmnd the adjournment of the debate. w tic i was up” 7