236
Journal of Occurrences.
APRIL,
fore your imperial majesty, praying that a sacred glance may be bestowed upon the same.
Previously to the receipt of your majesty's sovereign commands, your slave had, with a view to preserve the territory and the lives of the people, ventur. ed, rashly and forgetful of his ignorance, to make certain conditional concessions to the English foreigners, promising that he would earnestly im. plore in their behalf a gracious manifestation of imperial goodness. Yet, having done this, he repeatedly laid before your majesty the acknowledgment of his offense, for which he desired to receive severe punishment. It was subse- quently thereto, on the 20th of January, 1841, that he received, through the General Council, the following imperial edict.
“Keshen has handed up to Us a report on the measures he is taking in regard "to the English foreigners, under the present condition of circumstances. As "these foreigners have shown themselves so unreasonable that all our com- "mands are lost upon them, it behoves us immediately to make of them a "most dreadful example of severity. Orders have now been given that, with "the utmost speed, there be furnished from the several provinces of Hoonan, "Szechuen, and Kweichow, 4000 troops, to repair without loss of time, to "Canton, and there to hold themselves under orders for service.
Let Keshen, "availing himself of the assistance of Lin Tsihseu, and Tăng Tingching, take "the necessary measures for the due furtherance of the object in view. And "if these rebellious foreigners dare to approach the shores of our rivers, let "him adopt such measures as circumstances shall point out for their exter- "mination."
Again, on the 26th of January, your majesty's slave received the following imperial edict, sent him direct from the cabinet:
"Keshen has presented a report regarding the measures he is pursuing "against the English foreigners: which We have perused and on the sub- "stance of which We are fully informed. In conformity with our previous "commands, let a large body of troops be assembled, and let an awful display "of celestial vengeance be made. Whatever may be required for the expenses "of such military operations, may be drawn equally from the duties arising "from commerce, and the revenues derivable from the land-tax, the drafts being made after due consideration, and a correct statement being drawn "out of the expenditure. If these united sources do not afford a sufficient "amount, let it be so reported to us, and our further pleasure awaited.”
With respect, your slave, humbly, upon his knees, has heard these com- mands. He would remark, that, while he had indeed made certain condi- tional concessions to the English, these amounted to nothing more than that he would lay their case before your majesty; and thus, in the article of trade, though it was expressly said, that they desired the trade to be opened within the first decade of the first month of this year (23dJan. to 1st Feb.), he still has not, up to this time, ventured to declare it open. Yet have these foreigners, nevertheless, sent a letter, in which they restore to us the forts Shakok and Taikok, along with all the vessels of war and the salt-junks which they had previously captured; and, at one and the same time, they have dispatched a foreign officer by sea to Chekeäng, to cause the withdrawal of their troops, and have given to your slave a foreign document which he has forwarded to Elepoo, at the rate of 600 le a day, by virtue whereof he may receive back Tinghae;-conduct, this, which on their part shows a more meek and compliant disposition than they have evinced before. But alas! your slave is a man of dull understanding and poor capacity, and in his arrangement of these things, he has not had the happiness to meet the sacred wishes of his sovereign. Trembling from limb to limb, how shall he find words to express himself! He humbly remembers that in his own person he has received the imperial bounty. Nor is his conscience hardened. How theu should he, while engaged in the important work of curbing these unruly
!