REPLY OF THE IMPERIAL COMMISSIONER.
Keying of the Imperial Family, High Commissioner, Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Viceroy of the Two Kwang provinces, &c., &c., hereby sends this official reply.
The Honorable English Consul having officially stated to me, that the American merchant Coolidge had sent in a petition to be transmitted through him, (the Consul) of which the following is a copy (here follows a copy of Mr. Coolidge's petition); and this coming before me, it behoves me now to give the following reply:
The new Regulations for commercial intercourse just agreed upon and settled, clearly state, "That the Hong Merchants are to be done away with, and that henceforward the English merchants are to be allowed to deal with whatever native merchants they please; there will be no occasion for officers of Government to interfere in the matter;" or words to that effect, which places the present commercial intercourse on a very different footing from what it was previously, when government merchants carried on the trade in behalf of the foreign merchants of all nations. As regards the question of renting hongs and go-downs, the Plenipotentiary of your honorable nation already communicated with us officially upon that subject, and we gave an official reply, commanding the ci-devant Hong Merchants to rent such hongs or go-downs at just and fair prices, (both parties being agreed thereon), as is recorded.
But now the said merchant Coolidge having set forth in his petition the various difficulties of his position, and his inability to extricate himself, if I, the said High Commissioner, were to abide by the strict letter of the Regulations and do nothing for him, it would not be acting upon a proper principle of kindness; and yet the Hong Merchants being abolished, these people are not now under the same constraint that they were when government merchants; if they like, or do not like, to buy or sell-if they choose, or do not choose, to rent their hongs and go-downs, it depends entirely upon their own will and pleasure; they are exactly in the same position as English merchants who may, or may not, trade with whom they please.
If we were to use any compulsion in the matter, not only would that be contrary to every principle of reason and justice, but it would no less be attended with great inconveniences; it would set the Chinese merchants and English merchants at variance, and would throw infinitely more difficulties in the way of your commerce. Therefore, the utmost we can do under present circumstances, is to depute a special officer to call upon the late Hong Merchants, and admonish them on the subject; and further we shall issue a Proclamation showing both the late Hong Merchants and the new free-trading merchants that they should on one and the same principle, proceed to do business, hoping thereby to widen the door of communication.
Forasmuch I, the Imperial Commissioner, now reply to the Honorable Consul, that he may act in conformity, and at the same time impress upon the English merchants that the principle of trading depends entirely upon a mutual willingness; if a field of profit is to be reaped there is no occasion to beg people to go to reap it, they will certainly reap it of their own accord. The English merchants and others must carry on their business with our native merchants in a spirit, and according to a sense, of justice, laying their plans for a long continuance of beneficial intercourse, and thus it is to be hoped that day by day the aspect of affairs may brighten, and all kinds of goods expand in their consumption. Although I have no means of looking after such matters in behalf of the foreign merchants, yet I, the Imperial Commissioner, do really day and night, indulge in the fervent hope of an improved commercial intercourse, beneficial to all parties. An important official reply.
To Mr. Lay, H. B. M.'s Consul at Canton.
Taoukwang, 23d year, 7th intercalary moon, 22d day. (September, 15th 1843).
tion of such sweeping innovations and changes in the commerce of any country, and more especially in one like China--which has not, from causes which it is needless to dilate upon, kept pace in advancement with the other nations of the earth-must be attended with unforeseen difficulties and trouble, must call for the exercise of great patience and forbearance on both sides, and amongst all parties, and must only be expected to come into full and beneficial operation when the government of China shall find, from actual experience, that the new system is better, more simple, and more profitable to the revenue than the one it has superseded. I am therefore prepared to expect delays and causes for reference at the outset of your duties at Canton, but I rely on your meeting those drawbacks with calmness and firmness, and not allowing any interested persons, whether English or Chinese subjects, to bias your proceedings, or dictate, or even advise you as to what you should do.
(True extract.)
RICHARD WOOSNAM.
330
(True Copy)
(A true translation,) (Signed) RICHARD WOOSNAM.
ROBERT THOM.
EXTRACT.
"The General Regulations for Trade and the Tariff appear to me to combine all the advantages of conciseness and perspicuity, with provision for every possible contingency that can arise in the common course of trade; and I confidently trust that in due season, their practical application will realize the hopes I have formed of them. At the same time, I by no means disguise from myself, that the first introduction...