We printed, last week, a memorial which had been addressed to the British Minister during his late visit to Swatow, and H. Es reply. The British community at Swatow, which may be characterized as rather respectable than numerous, seeing that only three signatures are to be found at the foot of their memorial, addressed the retire ing minister with appropriate courtesy. The subjects of gratitude that swell their hearts are four; so each resident has a special theme of thankfulness for himself, and there is one extra for the firms to divide amongst them. It is gratifying to Swatow that the monopoly of the opium trade with Kiangsi, through Chao-chow-foo, by some ten Hongs of that city, has been broken up. It is gratifying that the water communication with Chao-chow has been rendered safer by the trafic of foreigners on the river, and will be still more so when a steamer of light draft, now being constructed, is running between it and Swatow. It is gratifying, 6o far as foreigners are concerned, that certain village " black mail levies" are not now compulsory. Finally, it is gratifying that "a large field is open for foreign enterprise which, if properly directed, may lead to increased consumption of British fabrics, Still, it must not be assumed that the Southern Port is a land of Goshen. The plagues of misgovernment, and prejudice, and carraption, and all the ills that Chinese flesh is heir to, ave been experienced at Sw: tow. The primary complaint of the residents is the Octroi Duties. These, as might be expected, press lightly on the Chinese who are familiar with the workings of the system, but are felt as severe burdens by the foreigner, who is less conversant with the methods of evasion or compromise. It is urged that there is no undue advantage to the foreign merchant, if he enjoy immunity from such taxes as those referred to, but that long as the system continues as it is, he is by no means in a fair position. This, Sir Rutherford Alcock appears to accept as a fair statement of the case. He admits that the natives have various modes of collusion, by which they render nugatory the pressure which is brought to bear on them; and in this Lappy or unhappy state of affairs, it seems, the merchant must be content for a considerable time to acquiesce; for we read that, "while China is governed as it is, the danger of such devious courses being resorted to must always be great." The question may be asked, why such strenuous efforts should be made to uphold a Government which is, on the face of it, so conspicuously deficient in its fulfilment of the duties which Go-hould perform. The recent convention is spoken of as a possible panacea for these ills, but we are not confident that it will prove so in fact. The re-adjustment of the Transit Due system may be hoped to prove an equivalent for every kind of inland tax that fally be levied, doubt. With regard to the other subj comprised in the Swatow Memorial, we are, as ever, met with the complaints of non-performance of covenants, that tire the ears of those compelled to listen to them, and weary the hearts of those compelled to urge them. " Payment of the best founded claims, a knowledged by the defaulters as such, is subject not to their ability, but to their willingness to meet them; and reference to the Chinese authorities is of so little avail as to be practically valueless, owing to the venality which pervades all the Yamuns; their professions of bringing pressure to bear on delinquents being, of course, at variance with fact." We ure glad to see that Sir Rutherford Alcock admits this state of affairs to be, also, a state " calling for improvement Hope is directed to look to the revision of the Treaty, as the destined day of deliverance; and the International Code, which is soon to be established, will, we trust, assist those who are suffering from the imper-factions of the existing state of affairs.
There seems to be another solid ground of complaint, in reference to restrictions which weigh on British ships conveying emigrants to Singapore. These are not allowed to carry more than one passenger to two tons register, whereas no such restriction hampers the vessels of other nations, and the Chinese allow three passengers to each two tons register.. British ships are thus of course excluded from the business; and as the annual exodos of Chinese, from Swatow alone, to the Straits, may be put at about 10,000 men, whose passage money averages about $33 per head, there is a heavy and recurring loss to British ship-owners. The Governor of the Straits Settlements has legislated for the conveyance, outwards from those Colonies, of not more than one passenger to each registered ton; and assimilation of the British law as affecting emigration from China, even to this standard, is pressed. This trouble, it seems, Swatow shares with the sister port of Amoy, and for this as well as for other woes, redress is promised.
The moral of the Minister's reply to his mercantile memorialists at the lit-tie Treaty Port of the South, is comprised in the familiar line of Charles Mackay's once popular street song "There is a good time coming." But, to put the refrain in Johnsonese, " protracted expectancy mocks eager expectation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.