CHAPTER XXII.

Origin of the War with England.

THE East India Company's commercial privileges ceased in 1834, and it is worthy of note, that an association should have been continued in the Providence of God, as the principal representatives of Christendom among the Chinese, which by its character, its pecuniary interests, and general inclination was bound in a manner to maintain peaceful relations with them, while every other important Asiatic kingdom and island from Arabia to Japan, was at one time or other during that period the scene of collision, war, or conquest between the nations and their visitors. Its monopoly ceased when western nations no longer looked upon these regions as objects of desire, nor went to Rome to get a grant of the pagan lands they might discover and seize; and when, too, Christians began to learn and act upon their duty to evangelize these ignorant races. China and Japan were once open, but during a century and more, no effective measures were taken to translate or distribute the pure word of God in them.

Believing that the affairs of the kingdoms of this world are ordered by their Almighty Governor with regard to the fulfilment of his promises and the promulgation of his truth, the war between England and China, two empires excelling in power, resources, population, antiquity and influence, is not only one of great historical interest, but one whose future consequences cannot fail to exercise increasing influence upon many millions of mankind. This war, extraordinary in its origin, as growing chiefly out of a commercial misunderstanding; remarkable in its course, as being waged between strength and weakness, between conscious superiority and ignorant pride; and momentous in its conclusion as introducing, on a basis of general good understanding, one half of the world to the other half, without any arrogant demands from the victors, or humiliating concessions from the vanquished ; demands a more particular account than has been given to the previous incidents in the foreign intercourse with China.

APPOINTMENT OF LORD NAPIER TO CANTON.

469

At the close of the charter, the Select Committee announced to the authorities at Canton, that its ships would no longer come to China, and that a king's officer would be sent out to manage the affairs of the British trade. The same notice had been previously given in 1831, when the governor-general replied, "that in case of the dissolution of the Company, it was incumbent on the British government to appoint a chief to come to Canton for the general management of commercial dealings, and to prevent affairs from going to confusion;" but the present governor inquired of them why their ships ceased coming to China, since tea was necessary to England. The only "chief" whom the Chinese expected to receive, was a commercial headman, qualified to communicate with their officers by petition, and send his petitions as usual through the medium of the hong-merchants. The new mode of conducting the trade in English vessels now announced, was regarded as a trifling matter, affecting the "outside foreigners" alone; as long as they were humbly obedient to the orders given them, and duly felt the emperor's kindness, the Chinese cared very little whom they had for chief, or what powers were given him over his countrymen.

The English government justly deemed the change one of considerable importance, and concluded that the oversight of their subjects in a foreign land, and the superintendence of such large amounts of property, required a commission of experienced men. The king therefore appointed the Rt.-Hon. Lord Napier, who was sent out as chief superintendent of British trade, and arrived at Macao with his suite, July 15th, 1834, where were associated with him in the commission, John F. Davis and Sir G. B. Robinson, formerly servants of the Company, and a number of secretaries, surgeons, chaplain, interpreters, &c., whose united salaries amounted to £18,200. On arriving at Canton, the tidewaiters officially reported that three "foreign devils" had landed, and the news was speedily transmitted to the governor, and circulated among the people. As soon as he had learned that Lord Napier had reached Macao, the governor ordered the hong-merchants to go down, and intimate to him that he must remain there until he received the legal permission to come to Canton; for having received no orders from court how he should treat the English superintendent, he thought it the safest plan to resist any infringement of the old regulations.

Lord Napier had been ordered to report himself to the governor at Canton by letter; and a short extract from his instructions will show the intentions of the English government in constituting the commission, and the incorrect views entertained of the notions of the Chinese respecting foreign intercourse, and the character they gave to the English authorities. Lord Palmerston says,

"In addition to the duty of protecting and fostering the trade of his majesty's subjects with the port of Canton, it will be one of your principal objects to ascertain, whether it may not be practicable to extend that trade to other parts of the Chinese dominions. . . . . It is obvious that with a view to the attainment of this object, the establishment of direct communications with the port of Peking would be desirable; and you will accordingly direct your attention to discover the best means of preparing the way for such communications; bearing constantly in mind, however, that peculiar caution and circumspection will be indispensable on this point, lest you should awaken the fears or offend the prejudices of the Chinese government; and thus put to hazard even the existing opportunities of intercourse by a precipitate attempt to extend them. In conformity with this caution you will abstain from entering into any new relations or negoriations with the Chinese authorities, except under very urgent and unforeseen circumstances. But if any opportunity for such negotiations should appear to you to present itself, you will lose no time in reporting the circumstance to his majesty's government, and in asking for instructions; but, previously to the receipt of such instructions, you will adopt no proceedings but such as may have a general tendency to convince the Chinese authorities of the sincere desire of the king to cultivate the most friendly relations with the emperor of China, and to join with him in any measures likely to promote the happiness and prosperity of their respective subjects."

His excellency's messengers arrived too late to detain the British superintendent at Macao, and a military officer was dispatched to intercept him, who passed him on the way; so that the first intimation the latter received of the governor's disposition, was in an edict addressed to the hong-merchants, from which two paragraphs are extracted.

"On this occasion, the barbarian eye, Lord Napier, has come to Canton without having at all resided at Macao to wait for orders; nor has he requested or received a permit from the superintendent of customs, but has hastily come up to Canton :-a great infringement of the established laws! The custom-house waiters and others who presumed to admit him

LORD NAPIER'S DILEMMA.

471

to enter, are sent with a communication requiring their trial. But in tender consideration for the said barbarian eye being a new comer, and unacquainted with the statutes and laws of the celestial empire, I will not strictly investigate. . . As to his object in coming to Canton, it is for commercial business. The celestial empire appoints officers, civil ones to rule the people, military ones to intimidate the wicked. The petty affairs of commerce are to be directed by the merchants themselves; the officers have nothing to hear on the subject. . . . . If any affair is to be newly commenced, it is necessary to wait till a respectful memorial be made, clearly reporting it to the great emperor, and his mandate be received; the great ministers of the celestial empire are not permitted to have intercourse by letters with outside barbarians. If the said barbarian eye throws in private letters, I, the governor, will not at all receive or look at them. With regard to the foreign factory of the Company, without the walls of the city, it is a place of temporary residence for foreigners coming to Canton to trade; they are permitted only to eat, sleep, buy and sell in the factories; they are not allowed to go out to ramble about."*

ma.

How unlike were these two documents. Both were directed to the same individual, and placed him in an unpleasant dilemThe governor, well acquainted with his own official position, said it was requisite to wait for an imperial mandate before commencing a new affair, and refused to receive a letter from a foreign officer; by so doing, he certainly did not, in his own opinion, overstep or transgress what he had been taught to consider right dealings with them. Had he acted otherwise, he would have laid himself open to severe animadversion, and perhaps punishment, from his superiors; and in saying that the superintendent should report himself, and apply for a permit before coming to Canton, he was only requiring what the members of the Company had always done when they returned from their summer vacation at Macao. Lord Napier, unaware, perhaps, of the rules, thought he had the same liberty to come to Canton without announcing himself, that other and private foreigners had; but whoever did so, really infringed the regulations, which required permission to be obtained by every person before residing in Canton, and an officer of his rank would have pleased the Chinese authorities better by observing them. His lordship had thought of this contingency before leaving England, and had requested "that in case of necessity, he might have authority to

*Correspondence relating to China (Blue Book), p. 4. Chinese Repos itory, Vol. III., p. 188; Vol. XI., p. 188.

treat with the government at Peking;" this request being denied, he desired that his appointment to Canton might be announced at the capital; this not being granted, he wished that a communication from the home authorities might be addressed to the governor of Canton; but this was deemed inexpedient, and he was directed to come to Canton, and report himself by letter." These requests were surely reasonable, and involved no loss of dignity, but the court of St. James chose to send out a superintendent of trade, an officer partaking of both ministerial and consular powers, and ordered him to act in a certain manner, involving a partial violation of the regulations of the country where he was going, without providing for the alternative of his rejection.

To Canton, therefore, he came, and the next day reported himself by letter to the governor, sending it by his secretary, Mr. Astell, to the city gates. His lordship had been instructed not to have anything to do with the hong-merchants; and therefore when they waited upon him the morning of his arrival, with the edict they had been sent down to Macao to "enjoin upon him,” he courteously dismissed them, as he says in a letter to Lord Palmerston, with an intimation that "he would communicate immediately with the viceroy in the manner befitting his majesty's commission and the honor of the British nation." The account of the reception of his communication is taken from the same dispatch.

"On the arrival of the party at the city gates, the soldier on guard was dispatched to report the circumstance to his superior. In less than a quarter of an hour, an officer of inferior rank appeared, whereupon Mr. Astell offered my letter for transmission to the viceroy, which duty this officer declined; adding that his superior was on his way to the spot. In the course of an hour, several officers of nearly equal rank arrived in succession, each refusing to deliver the letter on the plea that higher officers would shortly attend. After an hour's delay, during which time the party were treated with much indignity, not unusual on such occasions, the linguists and hong-merchants arrived, who entreated to become the bearers of the letter to the viceroy. About this time, an officer of rank, higher than any of those who had preceded him, joined the party, to whom the letter was in due form offered, and as formally refused. The officer having seen the superscription on the letter, argued, that as it came from the superintendent of trade, the hong-merchants were the proper channels of communication;' but this obstacle appeared of minor importance in their eyes, upon ascertaining that the document was styled