192 [ EARL DE GRETAS ADDRESS— CHINA. [May 28, 1860* 



Antilles. Her Majesty Queen Victoria has at present in Hong- 

 kong» in her Malayan colonies, and in Australia, not fewer than a 

 quarter of a million of Chinese subjects, among whom are to be found 

 wealthy merchants and large ship-owners. 



This singular people, more numerous than all the other people of 

 Asia put together, and in a far larger proportion more ingenious 

 and laborious than the most civilised of them, is so addicted to a 

 commercial intercourse with strangers that they may be truly said 

 to carry it on in despite of their own government — ever, from fear, 

 adverse to foreign intercourse of whatever description. Just now 

 we are at war with China, yet our trade with it goes on as if we 

 were at peace, and such has been the case in all former periods of 

 hostility. 



It will be instructive to mention a few prominent facts connected 

 with our commercial intercourse with China. Thirty years ago, 

 our importation of tea, a necessary of life to the whole Anglo-Saxon 

 race, did not exceed 30,000,000 lbs. In 1858, the last year to which 

 the public returns have been made up, it had risen to 75,432,535, 

 of the value of 5,206,618Z., and yielding a revenue of 5,186,170?. 

 The raw silk with which the Chinese supplied us thirty years ago 

 was a trifle hardly worth recording. On the average of the last 

 three years it was of the value of 4,284,472?. In the two articles 

 of cotton and opium, the Chinese take not less than 18,000,000?. 

 of our Indian produce, the last of these articles yielding a revenue 

 to the Indian Treasury little short of that which tea yields to the 

 English, with this material advantage, that it is not our own subjects 

 but the Chinese who pay the tax. 



The Chinese do not take our own productions and manufactures 

 to the extent that might be expected from so numerous and indus- 

 trious a people, still our exports to China are on the increase, for in 

 1858 they had risen to 4,119,573?., exclusive of 6,000,000?. of silver, 

 which we were enabled to send by exchanging it for our manufac- 

 tures and for the gold of Australia, whereas four years before they 

 were no more than 1,505,409?., which shows, even in this short 

 period, an advance of no less than 173 per cent. Altogether, it is 

 computed that no less than 50,000,000?. of British capital are engaged 

 in the trade of China.* 



We have also received from our associate. Major W. S. Sherwill, 

 Deputy-Surveyor-General of India, a map of the China coast, from 



♦ For other notices on China see Admiralty Surveys. 



