Keying, High Imperial Commissioner and" Governor-General of Kwang tung and Kwang-se, &e., &e., and Kwang, Lieutenant-Governor of Kwang-tung, &c., issue the following distinct orders, which axe respectfully recorded The Minister and Lieutenant-Governor: duly represented to the throne, that. the profession of the religion of the Lord of fenven, being in itself excellent, no Figreupon qe received an imperial receipt punishment ought to be attached to it.
on the 26th day of the 1st month, 26th year of Tuikwang. (20th February, 1846)
Keying and others transmitted a request, that virtuous people who professed the religion of the Lord of Heaven, ought not on that account to.be subject to punishment, The places of worship they erected, the churches where they assemble to do homage to the Cross and to pictures, and where they recite their prayers and preach, need not to be searched and prohibited. The, whole of this proposition was granted.
As the religion of the Lord of Heaven an, exhorts people to virtue, it differs from other sects; and we therefore exempt the same from prohibitory regulations. What this time was asked, ought entirely to be allowed, All the churches of the Lord of Hea-yen built during the reign of Kang-he (1662-1772) in the various provinces, which were converted into temples or dwellings for the people, ought not to be a subject of investigation; but if it can be sufficiently proved, that some of the original, edifices still exist, we permit them to be restored to the local professors of that religion.
Tf, on the receipt of this edict by the Mandarins of the various provinces, any true professors of the religion of the Lord of Heaven have been unauthoritatively seized, without being vagabonds, we allow (the authorities) to draw a line of demareation (in liberating those imprisoned on account of their religion.)
If any men under pretence of religion commit efime, and, assembling people from distant villages, excite them to mischief, or if -any villains of other sects, under the 4th. "After the five ports of Canton, Foochow, Amoy, Ningpo, and Shanghai, shall be thrown' open, English merchants shall be allowed to trade only at those five ports. Neither shall they repair to any other port or places, nor will the Chinese people at any other port or places be permitted to trade with them. lish, merchant vessels shall, in contravention of this agreement, and of a proclamation to the same purport to be issued by the British plenipotentiary, repair to any other ports or places, the Chinese government officers shall be at liberty to seize and con-name of the religion of the Lord of Hen- fiscal te both vessels and cargoes; and should. ven, presume to create disturbance, they Chinese people be discovered clandestinely will be all considered as having committed dealing with English merchants at any a treasonable crime, and be punished other ports or places, they shall be punish-cording to to established laws. ed by the Chinese government in such No foreigners are allowed, by the regu-manner as the law may direct. lations now established, to go into the in-3th. "The fourth clause of the general terior and propagate their religion, for we regulations of trade on the subject of com-must make a distinction. mercial dealings and debts between English Let this be made known. Respect this." and Chinese merchants, is to be clearly un-Having humbly recorded the above, derstood to be applicable to both parties. we address this perspicuous order to the 6th. "It is agreed that English mer-military and people for their general in-chants and others residing at, oF resorting formation and implicit obedience. Do not to, the five ports to be opened, shall not go oppose. A special tion. into the surrounding country' beyond cer-Taukwang, 26th year, 2nd month, 2ist tain short distances to be named by the day. (18th March, 1846.) local authorities in concert with the British consul, and on no pretence for purposes of traffic." Seamen and persons belonging to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.