The Morning Punt took the pains to analyze the signatures
of the letter of the China merchants to Lord Palmerston, to show that out of the thirty names, twenty-five belonged to Whigs and supporters f h Government ; that, with two or three exceptions, all were engaged, either on their own account or as agents, in the opium-trade, or were claim. ants of compensation for the opium delivered to Captain Elliot for the service of her Majesty's Government." The Post also steles, that the night before the division on Sir James Graham's motion, it was stew. tamed that seven or eight Members, usually supporting Government, bad intimated their intention of voting with Sir James. In this ex- tremity, the expedient of the letter was thought of; and Mr. Crawford and Mr. John Abel Smith, both holders of or interested iii tile Opium Scrip, mulertook to procure the signatures. Their success, and the clever use Lord Palmenston made of the precious docuineut, are well known.
As yet the correctness of the Poses statement has only been cii :plodiv Mr. Limisay, of the firm of Lindsay, Kerr, and Co. This gentietuaa, in a published letter, denies that he is a Liberal, or that his house had been engseed ie the opium-trade after the Chinese-Govern- ment had seriously resolved to suppress the trade. It seems, however, that they had opium on hand to deliver to Captain Elliot. Another correspondent of' the Post explains the manner in which signatures were obtaieed to the letter- " le fiet, it was, will:out aug previews notice, carried round late in the day oIt whivh it was pres,thed, at 0 time w hen few partners were lire-sent, by certain officious alit'. loquaeime; p;entlemen, who are not unknown to you and others, end under the plausible representation, urged in breathless Ieete, et its /eine a duty wring to distout coostitnehts, apal:t from Invite or political teethe, Manly of the partners of these firms so signing were, to my 1,nowlc,1.0, illorant of the whole matter until the appearance a Lord oats:, rateios speech it the del■af es of next morning aml nut a little
astenishol find tliene-01., es suddenly and unexpectedly ate sonarters of rickety .1i1Huistration which has been a curse to the mereatatik interests of the country."
The following extract from Mr. Lindsay's letter fixes tint date after whieh he considered the Chinese perfectly sincere in their attelopts to suppress the tradc,— " When the Chinese Government commenced active men:toes for its sq. prc-ion, thtm what was beliwe mercle nominally smuggling' It-ante so in rea:ity, and from that period se cliii F.71‘. withdrew limn till:connexion with it: 1 date from the attempt to execute a Chinese in the square befiire the factories in Canton, awl the consequoit di,turhatice on the lllt of December 184% From that dav the house of Lindsay. and Co. has nrither directly tow indirectly, for thenmelves or ether.,,, titled in or had any connexion with opium."
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