2 tyke 29th-Aug. ON' this, day' fifty years: ago the Treaty anking was:, signed—the. treaty cis the: basis the subsequent foreigners lore: paniitted to yeside in and- trade -with ina, Of those concerned. in the making of, it only. H.M. the Queen is now.slive they are..stated: in. the preamble as follows "United Kinglon of Great 'Britain and Her': Majesty' -the Queen of the
Treland and His Majesty: the Emperor "of China, being desirous of putting an end to the injgandecytendings and consequent hostilities which have arisen between tlie'two'countries, have resolved to'conclude a treaty for that purpose, and have therefore named "as their 'Plenipotentiaries; that is to say: Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and land, Sir Henry' Pottinger, Bart., a'-Major-General: in the service of the East, India Company, &c.; and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China, the High Commissioners Keying, a member of the Imperial House, a Guardian of the Crown Prince, and General of the Garrison of Canton; and Ilipoo, of the Imperial Kindred, graviously, permitted to wear the insignia of the first rank, and the distinction of a peacock's feather, lately Minister. and Governor-General, etc., and now: Lieut.- General; Commanding at Chapoo." The Treaty itself was, in the words Captain W. H. Hall, R.N.,. of the, Nemesis, "the first treaty made between the haughty and impenetrable empire of China and any other nation of the earth, upon terms of equal rank and title, and'did honour to England's discernment, perséverdiice, and forbearance, no less'than to her power."
It was on the 2nd' of August, 1842, that the preparations were all completed for the advance of the British forces upon Nanking, surveying vessels having been sent'on previously to learn the channel up which the ships were to go. Tt'took a week for the whole of sailing-vessels, assisted by the' few small steatnérs at the Admiral's disposal, "to" surmount the® forty-five miles "of strong current between Chinkiang and Nanking; but' the whole fleet' was assembled off' the southern. capital "bu the 9th of 'August, aid the proper positions were assigned ov the 10th: to the fighting ships, in case it should be necessary to bombard the city, Mednwhile' the mouths of the Grand' Canal were blockaded, and the enormous junk trafic of the river was stopped, but it front the country were duly is to' be noted that all sipped exacted and as soon' as the Chinese fo ps as well a of the ships' were spfféting very severely from confinement oni'shi board: in "the great heat of season. Captain 'Hall "in "his" account tions that "the grand effort' of the Chinese authorities was to_gain time, to' defer the evil hour of absolute conéés-sion to our demands; and to put' us. off some' way' or other for the wnoment, as they had formerly dose at Canton, without committing themselves to a final settlement' of affairs." © Captain Hall attributes the speedy settlement of matters to the determined energy and statesmanlike qualities of Sir Henry Pottinger, " who took a broad, defined view of all the' questions involved, and who would not swerve for'a moment from what' he considered just demands and capable of being enforced." "When we' remember the distance between Nanking'and Peking, the only communication between the two capitals being by courier, we'shall be, however, rather inclinéd'to wonder that' it was' possible to get the treaty signed within three weeks of the arrival of the British fleet' off. the walls of the city, and we must admire the good sense and good faith of the Chinese Commissioners. It was only Chinese that they should try as' they. did' to put off as long as possible Frperor and should make the best roduciag their commission from the
struggle they could to get superior titles of distinction" and precedence recorded in the preamble of the treaty for the Emperor and themselves. Nor can they be justly blamed for trying to buy of Sir Henry Pottinger' by offering a ransom for Nanking, and thus to postpone the signature of a treaty.' 'Sir Henry Pottinger was strengthened' in his determination to have a treaty signed, not only by the presence' of a sufficient force to coerce the Chinese, but by the knowledge that the 'Court at Peking knew that the situation was desperate. Captain Hall tells as that "a memorial was intercepted, addressed to the Em-by the Tar'ar General cominanding at Nanking, boldly annotineing' the defeat and dispersion of the Chinese troops, and the imminent danger even of Nanking itself. "It was evident that gréat'alarm was'felt, and that a general desire to stay hostilities had got the better of all their hatred of the foreigners. The entire stoppage of the of that part of the etpite, and the distress resulting from it, tended very materially to promote this desirable object."
hen, the' treaty was drafted, by the means of mutual visits between. the 'Chinese Coimmissionéts and Sir Henry, it had to be sent up to Peking for approval, and it was acconipanied by a memorial from Keying, it which it was frankly confessed that' the terms were ears ago, We -tu "At length, on: the 29th of August, the*Emperor's full assent to visions' of the' treaty' having niantime arrived, the cerémony'i actual signature of this most interesting document took price on' "board ' the Cornwallis. Livery artangenient nade which could at dllenhaiice''the soleninity of the cerémoty; and "even very infirm from age ant ill-health, the venerable Ilipoo, though -sj¢k'and
allowed' himself to be carried on' board, and into"the after cabin, rather than delay for a day the signature of the treaty. A considerable' time was'' occupied in comparing minutely the'four copies of the treaty, so that there might not be the least question hereafter, and the one Wwas the precise counterpart of the other.
great number of officers (alt those having a rath equal to' that of a field officer) were admitted into the aftér-cabin, in order to witness the intensely interesting' ceremony. Captain ' Hall was likewise permitted to be, present, although not then: of the prescribed rank, Just at''the eventful moment, also,' Captain Cecille, of the French frigate Hrigone, arrived from Woosung, having made his way up in a Chinese junk hired for the occasion at Shanghai, and manned by a picked crew of his own men. He presented himself uninvited on board the flag-ship. and almost, demanded to be presciit, It'ig said that his reception was not very cordial."
So was conchidéd the Treaty.of Nanking; and if those who exacted it from China could visit Chiva now and see what enormous 88, foreign intercourse has made, they would own that the results have fully equalled the highest expectations that they "could have formed at the time. _It has' been, and will still be, as great a benefit, to China as to England, and even if Bngland should ever lose her commercial supremacy—a supposition which we trust will never be realised—and' de-Gling to a position more' cotisohant' with her. geographical importance, it. will always be a glorious thing for her to reniember that whol she had' brought China to' her feet, and had imposed her own Conditions on her, she freely allowed all other nations, lends or rivals, to take equal adj of the rights atid" privileges which she, had gaitied. 'With all" the' faults' that are supposed fo make' Buglind disliked' in other <ountries, she combines 'a large practical liberality not always practised by those tost ready to coidenin' her To: Ovencoms Weaxnzss.—Pepper's hine aiid iron Tonle given New Life.
*humili ting, but' they 'Were' the" best Neuralgia, Indigestion, Nerve Debility. health, Strength, Energy, Cures that' could be got; and that if they Specially useful inv hot; depressing climates were refused; fleet. might-go f_malerious, ditticts. Seevone, should {up to thi Peiho; which would be's lost Quint "calamity. For an account Bottles aigunbene of the treaty'on
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.