24
than one case offending British subjects found themselves
in Chinese hands. In November, 1839 the Emperor decreed
that trade with the English nation should cease for ever
and in 1840 a Naval expedition against Canton became
necessary.
The Viceroy accordingly put a price on
There
River
Captain Elliott's head and offered a scale of rewards for
the seizure of English men and their ships.
followed a successful fleet bombardment of Chinese defences
near Macao and a Chinese plenipotentiary consented to open
negotiations with the British representative with the
approval of the Emperor. These were interrupted for a
few days by Captain Elliott's need to present an
ultimatum to the Chinese with a subsequent successful
operation against the two Chinese batteries in the Canton!
Following this, he was able to announce on January the 20th
1841, the completion of preliminary arrangements between the
Imperial Commissioner himself involving inter alia the
Cession of the Island and the whole of Hong Kong to the
British Crown in return for the restoration to China of a
northern Chinese port which had been occupied in the
process of bringing the Peking authorities to reason.
There is some historical doubt as to whether, in fact, the
Cession of Hong Kong had been intended by the Chinese
Imperial Commissioner or whether he had only meant to allow
the British to take refuge in Hong Kong unmolested until
9
harbour
the