3 NOVEMBER 1849, Page 2

The assassination of Governor Amaral at Macao, and the vengeful

pro- ceedings on the part of the Portuguese Senate in that city, threaten serious complications. The English officers first went in support of the Portu- guese, but withdrew that support on perceiving a violation of interna- tional law in the retaliatory attacks on the Chinese ; and thus Macao seemed to be abandoned to the destruction with which Chinese policy and Chinese retribution threatened it. Is Portugal in China to be destroyed before the face of allies ? or is our alliance with Portugal perforce to drag us into a new Chinese war ?