· At the same time, it pleased the gov-| premises, together with the mob that aternor of Canton to try the effect of a pub. tended him. But the viceroy was not to lic execution of a native opium dealer be thus defeated in his object; and two before the doors of the factories. A do- months afterwards another poor wretch cument from that officer to the Chamber was strangled on a cross in front of the of Commerce, in answer to their remon- factories. Intelligence was also received strance, informed them, that the penalty at Canton that Heu-Nae-tse, who had reof death, to which the culprit had sub-commended a duty on opium, had been jected himself, was the result of the per- banished to the confines of Tartary, and nicious introduction of opium into Canton degraded to the lowest rank-a further by foreigners; that the leading out of the omen of what was approaching;-and criminal to the ground adjoining the fo- thus ended 1838. reign residences, was designed to strike The year 1839 commenced by a fresh observation, to arouse reflection, that the proclamation, warning the people that, depraved portion of the foreign commu-in a few days a new and severe law will nity might be deterred from pursuing be put in force,' and ending with an appeal their evil courses;' for, it is added, 'those to the sons of China, no longer to take foreigners, though born and brought up the substance of their native land, and beyond the pale of civilisation, have yet give it to foreigners.' Mr. King, seeing human hearts.' The American pamph- the crisis approaching, warned the resi leteer says:dents of the necessity of drawing a line This remarkable reply at once placed the fear. between the licit and illicit trade; but ful act in its right aspect. It was not a disrespect his well-meant warnings,' he tells Capto flags a public insult-it had no national bearing tain Elliott, 'were disregarded; he was whatever. It was a holding up before the eyes of denied a hearing in the Consoo-house, the introducers of opium one of the miserable part. ners of their trade, one of the wretched victims of in the Chamber of Commerce, and at the their seductions. Awful as was the mode of appeal, factories.' A second proclamation came it was yet a most moving appeal to what its direc-out-a paper, says the same gentleman, tor knew that barbarism could not extinguish-to full of meaning:human sympathies. It was while reading this hu miliating paper that I resolved to interfere no more with the threatened executions. It was not for me, it was not for my nation, to remonstrate. It was for the opium importer to look on until his heart sickened, and his hands refused to continue the deadly importations. My sorrow should go with him if he were called to attend again on the scene of agony, but it should be the grief of indignation. My pity, my appeal for mercy, I would reserve for the mangled and dying victim.'-Opium Crisis, p. 11.12 It would be supposed from this pathetic paragraph that the writer and his nation' had no concern in the prohibited article. We certainly felt no disposition to give them the credit of abstinence from a trade, when anything was to be got by it; and Mr. Lindsay has confirmed us on this point : It spoke of the long duration of foreign intercourse; charged the hurtful traffic in opium on the lust of gain; taunted the residents with their fa vourite epithet, that the indignation of the Emperor was now arous. ed, his line taken, and his will waiting only to be carried into execution. Pursuing the same strain of mingled statement, warning, entreaty, and in. vective, it told of the preparations making to up. root the traffic; adverted to the apprehensions and the executions that had lately taken place; and honourable men;" and declared asked, if while the people of the country are thus severely visited, the villany of the foreigner can escape an even-handed justice. "Most earnestly do we command you," said the authors of the procla mation, after a long preamble, "to turn from your vile courses, AND SEND BACK TO ITS COUNTRY EVERY outside waters." Opium Crisis, pp. 13, 14. ONE OF THE RECEIVING SHIPS now anchored in the This proclamation also notified the apfrom Pekin-his hourly expected arrival pointment of an Imperial Commissioner I will here add a few words to correct a very prevalent impression, that the Americans have had but little to do with the opium trade: on the con--his strict orders and fixed purpose to trary, with one or two exceptions, every American eradicate the vice of opium-smoking,— house in China was engaged in the trade. There and it closed with earnest and reiterated were American depôt ships at Lintin, and on the entreaties, that the foreigners would take coast. One of the sixteen hostages detained was the head of a highly respectable American firm: the counsels offered, and thus escape in fact, both in the acts which originated the dispute, more serious alternatives. Still the opiand the insults and outrages consequent thereon, um merchants, the ships, and the smugour transatlantic brethren have had their full share.' gling appear not to have undergone any Lindsay, p. 14. change until March, when the Imperial Commissioner arrived; on the eve of his appearance,' says the American to Captain Elliott, the last of the small craft yielded to your instances, backed The Chinese opium dealer, above mentioned, was strangled in the market-place, the foreign residents having succeeded in driving away the executioner from their by the Chamber of Commerce, and reluctantly left the river.' For the first week, this Commissioner confined himself to the making of inquiries, close and searching; the officers were all surprised by the variety and minuteness of his information;' and it was given out that, by way of strengthening his resolu. tion, the Emperor, on appointing him to his present situation, had declared with tears, that he could not meet his august father and grandfather after death, unless the vice of opium-smoking were abolished! more enraged by this offer than before; he sent an invitation to Mr. Dent, whose name appears at the head of the dealers, to wait on him in the city; but Mr. Dent refused to go, as advised by the other dealers, unless with a safe-conduct under Lin's own seal. This, we should say, was highly impolitic, as, by personal communication, he might have succeeded in coming to some amicable adjustment; indeed the officers, who came from the Commissioner, said he only wished to see and admonish Mr. Dent;-the worst that could have befallen him was that which actually followed the refusal; personal restraint in the Commissioner's palace, instead of his own house, until some satisfactory pledge, or arrangement, could be agreed upon. This refusal, added to the well-intentioned but highly imprudent conduct of the English Superintendent, led to the immediate and fatal crisis of the opium transaction. The following allusion to this conduct is important; speaking of the refusal of Mr. Dent, the American merchant says to Captain Elliott,— The first proclamation of Commissioner Lin declared all the opium, within the Chinese waters, forfeited to the government, allowing three days only for the submission of its holders, and also for the receipt of their pledges, that they would cease to introduce that article into the country; disobedience to these commands to be visited with stoppage of all trade, personal restraint, and even severer penalties. This proclamation was accompanied by another, addressed to the Hong merchants, in a tone of bitter upbraiding; making them responsible for the submission of the foreigners-and failing this, menacing one or more of their number with exemplary (i. e. pro-ence to the foreigners' "worship day," proceedings bably capital) punishment. Escape had been guarded against by the measures of the previous day (the detention of ships, Sabbath intervened (December 24;) and in defer&c..) and additional guards were now posted. The were suspended. Early in the evening your arrival Though these edicts fell like a thunder- was announced; and, acting on the spur of the ocbolt on the general trading community, Mr. Dent, and removed him to your own roof, uncasion, you proceeded immediately to the house of not a few affected to hold them cheap, as der your own protection. The departure of this they had done others, and boldly pro- gentleman from his own premises, while the truce nounced the demand a mere ruse-a trick was still pending, had no sooner taken place, than of the Commissioner to raise the idea of an escape spread through the native money. The guards, officers, &c. It was hastily communicated American merchant, however, says he to their superiors, and the reply came back to us, regarded them in a very different point in the cry of " Kwan-chap," "Kwan-chap," ringof view. He says that strongly but vain- ing through the neighbourhood. The avenues to ly he advised Captain Elliott to act in our residences were shut up; our native servants were ordered away; and a strong land and water concert with the Commissioner; to pro- guard enclosed us. I then read, for the first time, pose that the drug should be given up to your official notice of March 23, issued at Macao, his disposal, on his guarantee (as super- evidently under erroneous apprehensions. It was intendent), that the opium should be re-formity with which you proceeded to ask passports now backed by a further communication, in con. conveyed to the places of its origin. We doubt the wisdom or the policy of the latter part of this advice, the tendency of which must have been at once to identify the Queen's superintendent with the opium dealers. However, the three days having expired before any answer was given, and the Commissioner being highly irritated, the opium dealers began to be alarmed, and tried to buy off the danger as cheaply as possible, by offering 1036 chests of opium, as a sop to Cerberus, which Mr. King calls a compromise between generosity, pity, and calculation.' The Commissioner was 6 for your countrymen, leaving it to them to continue at their own risk within the empire. This call iying unanswered, you issued a farther notice (6 A. M. British owned opium within the Chinese waters to 27th,) declaring your duress, and requiring all the be surrendered to you before the close of the day, "for her Majesty's service," holding yourself and the British government responsible for it, in order that it might be delivered up to the Chinese govern. ment. Such was the turn given by you to the OPIUM CRISIS; nine hours after a leading opium holder had declared to me his full belief that the Commis sioner was a rogue, and his whole demand a mere scheme to extort money!-Opium Crisis, pp. 22, 23. * Meaning, we believe, Shut up, shut up. We certainly cannot help thinking that the opium dealers, as may readily be Captain Elliott would have acted a more supposed, were not averse to deliver up, prudent part, had he not gone to Canton on such a pledge, their cargoes, which, at all at this moment of excitement, but even under more favourable circumstanasked for an audience, while at Macao; ces, might have remained a long time on as he did go, it would have been politic, their hands. Mr. Lindsay bears favourwe think, to have demanded such an able testimony to the character of Capaudience of the Commissioner, if not tain Elliott as a zealous and conscientious with the view to act in concert with officer; but says, there can be no doubt him,' as the American advised, at least that in his public acts he has committed with the view of explaining to him, that great errors, and shown a want of firmthe Superintendent had no authority ness. We must add, that his letters and whatever over smugglers-that his duties despatches are evidently those of a genwere connected only with the legal trade. tleman who could have had very little Had he done this, instead of hastening to experience in the management of any take the offensive part of releasing Mr. business of importance; and, moreover, Dent, things might have taken a very that the style he writes in is often utter different turn, even though he had un- ly unintelligible to us--what then must it fortunately, to a certain degree, com- have been, with the additional flourishes mitted himself before he left Macao, by of translation, to the Chinese authorities? advising or sanctioning resistance on the We know little of the circumstances part of the opium dealers. The Chinese which brought about Captain Elliott's knew this, for to the blessing of a free connection with these Chinese affairs. trade there had been added that of a free He went out, it seems, with Lord Napier, press at Canton; and not a note passed when the blunder of appointing that unfrom Captain Elliott but instantly found fortunate nobleman to supplant the superits way into one or other of the antago- cargoes of the East India Company took nist free prints of the place. The imme- place, and was made harbour-master at diate and unfortunate result of Mr. Dent's Canton. We need not recur to the unrelease was some such demonstration on happy administration of poor Lord Nathe part of Lin, that Captain Elliot issued pier; but on his death Sir George Roban order, by which 20,283 chests of opium inson succeeded to the chief post, and were required to be delivered to him, for during the two years that this gentleher Majesty's service, to be by him sur-man held it, his skill, temper, and caution rendered to the Commissioner Lin; and produced most excellent effects: everyto induce compliance in the opium deal- thing seemed to have returned much to ers, he gave them a pledge that her Ma- the old channel, and we heard nothing of jesty's government, for whose service it complaints, either on the part of English was so delivered, would restore to them or Chinese. The British government, the full value of the article ceded; Cap- for some unexplained reason, thought fit tain Elliott, in short, making himself fully to supersede Sir G. Robinson by Captain responsible as Superintendent under her Elliott; and though he was, we have Majesty's warrant. Captain Elliott has good reason to believe, strongly warned been very much censured for this surren- on the subject of opium and the opium der, and the pledge he gave to Commis- dealers, it seems to be clear that he, sioner Lin; but, before we condemn him, almost from the beginning of his superinwe should ascertain the position in which tendency, got into relations of private he stood. It is stated by the Superin- intercourse with some of the chief parties tendent's party that it was very similar engaged in the illicit traffic. This apto that of Gil Blas, when the bandit beg- pears to have been the origo mali. If he gar asked his money with a carbine could not put a stop to this trade, he pointed at his head. Lin's weapons were, ought to have done what he could to it is said, not less effective,-insult, star- discountenance it; but step by step vation, imprisonment, and menace of he was led into the snare that had been death. The parliamentary papers have artfully set for him; and, after many many remarkable omissions, to be sure; vacillations, he is found, when at Macao, but here, in limine, we do not find in publicly warning the opium people that them any distinct trace of such extreme he could never interfere in their behalf, threats as are assumed in the reports we and then, on reaching Canton, immedihave alluded to. However, whatever ately releasing, brevi manu, from duress, Mr. Elliott's urging motive had been, a trader particularly obnoxious to the Commissioner, at least Lin brands Dent | punishment, could have frightened Capas the greatest opium trader.' tain Elliott into this grand step! 6 It can scarcely be doubted that the Commissioner, on finding Dent had been released by the superintendent, thought himself justified in shutting up the superintendent in return. The American merchant more than hints at this. He says, When you came in a boat to Canton and wished to take Dent and abscond with him, preventive steps became necessary; for the same reason the native servants were removed also.' Mr. Elliott, however, says he was told by the merchants that these orders had been given in the morning of the day he arriv ed. Here, again, we desiderate conclusive details. For this act Mr. Elliott was himself, with others, put under restraint the very evening of his arrival, the 24th of March. On the 25th he writes to the Governor of Canton, claiming passports for all the English ships and people at Canton. In the reply of the same day the passports are refused, and the commands of the imperial Commissioner signified that the opium in the ships must be at once delivered up. On the 26th the Prefect of Canton transmits him an order from the Commissioner, laying on him the responsibility, if the surrender of the opium be not forthwith carried into effect, adding, if he have aught that he would say in the way of entreaty, he is permit- But to proceed. This summary mode ted to make a clear statement thereof.' of dealing with a handful of defenceless Another letter of the same date, from men, is stated by Mr. King to be, as it the Prefect, repeats the Commissioner's certainly was, 'very un-English;' but it commands to the Superintendent, and says, is perfectly Chinese, and had often been the offence of contumacious resistance practised on the factory servants of the and opposition is turned away from Dent East India Company, though not to such and fixed on Elliott;' but concludes with an extreme degree. We even find it at a promise that, if the opium were speedi- the earliest period of our intercourse ly given up, not only the Chinese ser- with the Chinese, as in the instance of vants would be restored, but entreaties would be laid before the Great Emperor 'that favours may be shown beyond the bounds of law.'. Next morning, at daylight, (the 27th) Captain Elliott writes the following letter to the Commission er: Canton, March 27th, 1839. Elliott, &c. has now had the honour to receive, for the first time, your Excellency's commands, bearing date the 26th day of March, issued by the pleasure of the Great Emperor, to deliver over into the hands of honourable officers to be appointed by your Excellency, all the opium in the hands of British subjects. Elliott must faithfully and completely fulfil these commands; and he has now respectfully to request that your Excellency will be pleased to indicate the point to which the ships of his nation, having opium on board, are to proceed, so that the Captain Weddell, whose adventure is disinterred in the 'Letter to Viscount Palmerston.' In the year 1635, an association was formed for trading to India and China, under the patronage of Charles I., when Captain Weddell was sent out with four ships. In proceeding up the river of Canton, his boat was fired upon, in consequence of which he attacked a fort, landed a hundred men, and carried off forty-six guns, fired a house, and, having seized some junks, the Chinese, not much relishing so determined a character, made overtures for peace, and gave permission for his supercargoes to proceed and trade at Canton. From thence he received a patent for free trade, and liberty to fortify any place outside of the mouth of the river,' on the condition, however, that he gave up the guns which he had taken on board his ship, and intended to keep; but the Chinese, with their usual treachery and Now, it appears to us quite plain that bad faith,' soon after arrested one of his this most submissive letter must have supercargoes with the goods in his pos been a reply to some communication late session, placed him in confinement, and in the day of the 26th, which has been sent down fire-junks to burn Weddell's suppressed in the compilation of official ships; and the two supercargoes at Canpapers. Why are we left in ignorance ton were confined to their house, their of what the Imperial Commissioners domestics expelled, their fire quenched, really threatened? We certainly shall victuals denied them, and a guard of solnot easily believe that the mere duress diers set over them to prevent all of two days, with a vague intimation access.' After this, Captain Weddell that offenders of the laws were liable to attacked sixteen men-of-war junks, burnt whole may be delivered up. The faithful account of the same shall be trans. mitted as soon as it is ascertained. five of them, dispersed the rest; burnt ence, p. 51), it was undoubtedly Captain and destroyed several towns and villages, Elliott's duty to adhere to his first resothe inhabitants of which fled with their lution, not to interfere in any way with complaints to Canton; and this had the the opium traders, and inform the Impedesired effect of bringing the officers of rial Commissiouer that his office was congovernment to their senses; all sorts of fined to the protection of the legitimate apologies were made and indulgences trade. The opium people might then granted to Captain Weddell. How very like all the first part of this story is to the recent proceedings of the Chinese! The American merchant, in his letter to the Superintendent, wherein he truly, if not kindly, reminds him over and over again of his vacillating conduct, says, In the first place, you warned (December 18th) the British owners of small craft engaged in the opium traffic within the Bogue, that Her Majes ty's Government will in no way interpose, if the Chinese Government shall think fit to seize and confiscate the same:" whereas, on the issue of the decree of March 17th, confiscating the materiel of the same traffic without the Bogue, you charged the several commanders named in your notice, with "the duty of protecting" the same property. Again, in the former notice you declared, that "the forcible resisting of the Chinese officers, in the duty of searching and seizing, is a lawless ac!, liable to the penalties of forcible resistance opposed to officers of our own Governinent;" while in the latter, you rected "all ships of her Majesty's subjects, at the outward anchorages, to proceed to Hong Kong, and, hoisting their national colours, to be prepared to resist every act of aggression on the part of the Chinese Government." Opium Crisis, pp. 34, 35. have taken their own measures; as they were at that time under no restraint, and their ships in safety at Hong Kong, they might have remained there in defiance of Admiral Kwan and the whole force of the Chinese, and disposed of their drug along the coast, as it is well known other opium ships have been doing, and that to a great extent, since the violent measures of the Commissioner. This is the line they undoubtedly would have taken, had not the bait been too tempting to resist--an immediate market for the whole quantity-the purchaser her Majesty's Superintendentthe paymaster the Chancellor of the Exchequer. No wonder, then, that matters should have taken a different and a most unfortunate turn. The opium was delivered up, and deposited at a place within, and five or six miles above the Bogue -Mr. Johnstone, who held some situation under the Superintendent, acting as a landwaiter of the customs, and the latter as Collector, registering the daily account of the deliveries. This done, Commissioner Lin is said to have lost no time in making preparations for enjoying the triumph of witnessing in person the whole destroyed (it is alleged by a mixture of salt and lime), and then swept I must be permitted to repeat that, if there into the river. A letter of Mr. King, dewere one principle of more importance than any other-a principle never to be contravened, never tailing these preparations, and the proto be lost sight of in the progress of this question- cess of launching the drug into the water, it was the separation of the British flag, the British has appeared in all the newspapers. But What, then, must be our decision on a course of has Lin acted honestly in this proceedmeasures which, instead of accomplishing this ing? Did he really destroy the whole of grand end, has, within the period of two years, this immense mass of opium? We ask completely identified the two; exhibiting the Bri- the question, because the 'Resident in tish factory at Canton as the refuge of the opium- China' assigns some grounds for doubting importer; her Majesty's sloop at Hong Kong as the armed defender of the drug after confiscation; it. None of the Chinese boatmen even and the British superintendent himself as its open were allowed to approach the place. assumer, its real controller, its forced transferrer, The editor of the 'Canton Register' apits public deliverer, to the extent of 20,283 chests; plied for permission to see the process, on the ground that foreigners, if excluded, would not believe the opium had been Had the admirable Memorandum on destroyed-but he was refused. Chinese affairs, drawn up by the Duke of Commissioner's friend-Mr. King Wellington when last in office, in the are told, and he alone, was allowed that beginning of 1835, been duly consulted favour. He went to the place one day, and acted upon, how different would have protected by the armed boats of two been the present position of things!-In American ships of war, and was at once the spirit of that strikingly simple, clear, admitted. But the doubts of the 'Resiand comprehensive paper (Correspond-dent' are mainly founded on this :-The In the same tone he tells Captain Elliott that his language, in a moment of excitement, has already gone far to involve two great nations in causeless hostilities.' -More wormwood:: name, from all responsibility for the illicit commerce. and all " in the name and for the service of her Ma. jesty's Government ?"—Opium Crisis, pp. 43, 44. - The -we |