frankly: *I, of course, do not blame my brother merchants at Canton, no matter to what nation they belong, as we were all equally implicated." Two blacks, no doubt, do not make one white. But the fact that Commissioner Lin demanded the surrender the opium from English firms only, was merely matter of expediency, it being much easier to deal with one nation at a time, which was also the chief, though not the only, offender.
In the second place, the war that broke out in 1839 (as also that of 20 years later) was not really fought over opium at all, but over two much more important questions the refusal of the Chinese to recognize the equal national status of other countries, and the refusal of*the British to submit their persons and property to what they con= sidered the barbarous laws of China, The closing-down of the East India Company at Canton in 1833 had made a clash between China and England, the leading trading nation there, inevitable. Up to that date all disputes had been settled direct between the officials ut Canton and the Chiefs of the BLE.
When after the disappearance of the Company the British Government appointed Superintendent of Trade, the Chinese' Government simply refused to accord him official recognition. No resident envoys or consuls of barbarian nations had ever been necessary in the Celestial Empire before, 30 why should they be necessary now? On the other hand, the number of independent for~ eign firms had greatly increased at Canton, and with it, their indiscipline and restiveness ft the very arbitrary regulations of Chinese officialdom. In Peking at that time two parties were struggling for power in the Imperial councils. There was the moderate party, headed by Manchus, which advocated legalizing the opium trade and opening.
tions with the foreigners. On the side was the reactionary party; led by Chinese, to whom the opium question was. to bring back the "stiff (as they were so often called in the edicts of those days) under a proper discipline and control before it was. too late.
Had the moderate party gained the day, it is possible that some modus vivendi might have been arrived at peaceably. But as the reactionary party, with its programme of putting the clock back, won over the Emperor to ils policy, an armed conflict was inevitable, Nor has any critic of the English altitude towards China ever explained, how satisfactory settlement of the opium or any other question was to be arrived at by diplomacy and without resort to arms, seeing that the Chinese Government refused consistently lo grant Great Britain any official recognition.
That the opium question was at most a contributory cause, and nothing more, to the outbreak of the war, is shown by the fact that, although the English had handed over all their stocks of opium by May 23, hostilities did not break out until November. During the interval Captain Elliot, the Super~ intendent of Trade, had persuaded British merchants to cease from dealing in the drug. Instead of contenting himself with this victory, Commissioner Lin, in accordance with his policy of disciplining - the refractory English barbarians, put forward fresh and much more far-reaching demands. There was, for instance, the bond that the cap- genders. tains of all vessels entering the port of Canton were called on to sign, whereby they undertook to hand over any persons on board caught trying to smuggle in opium.
As these smugglers were liable to the! death penalty at the hands of the Chinese authorities, such action on the part of a ship's captain was inadmissible under British Jaw, and the Trade Superintendent there fore warned his countrymen against signing any such document. The Commissioner peremptorily ordered him to withdraw the warning. While this dispute was xoing on, relations were still further embittered by the revival of the old claim to jurisdiction over foreign nationals. In a riot at Hon; kong. a Chinese called Lin Wei-hi had been killed; the offending British sailors were duly tried by a British Court and punished for their part in the riot; but the identity' of the actual murderer could not be tablished.
Nevertheless Commissioner Lin continued in edict after edict to demand the handing: over of the murderer or alternatively of the whole party, so that they could be tried by Chinese Court and one of them pay the penalty for the death of the Chinese.
The British Trade Superintendent refused, to comply, and weeks of acrimonious wran ing ensued. Finally the Commissioner los~ ing. patience issued what amounted to an ultimatum, notifying Captain Elliot that if he continued to ignore the orders of the Chinese Government, "we shall have to send our war vessels to Hongkong 10 sure round the ships there and apprehend all the offenders, those connected with the murder, those connected with opium, as well fas traitorous Chinese concealed on' foreign ships." And on November 3, a fleet of! Chinese war junks came sailing out of the Pearl River on its way to Hongkong to carry out the Commissioner's threats.
When challenged by the British warship Volage and warned to turn back, the Chi ese admiral replied, "At this moment all that I' want is the murderous barbarian who killed Lin Wel-hi." (Not much about opium there). Captain Elliot who was on board! the British ship sent back a reply couched in the most humble language, that he had been unable to discover the murderer, other= wise he would certainly have beet and if he was be subject to punishment. of every= In spit thing, the Chinese war fleet continued on its way, H.MS, Volage opened fire, and in the ensuing action several junks were sunk. The war had started that was fo open China tp Western intercourse.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.