1841.
Journal of Occurrences.
237
foreigners, presume to shrink from danger or to court unlawful repose! 80 far from thus acting, he has, froin the moment he arrived in Canton until now, been harassed by the perverse craftiness of these presuining foreigners, who have shown themselves every way obstinate and impracticable,-yea, till head has ached, and heart has rent, with pain, and with the anxiety, ere even a morning meal, quickly to exterminate these rebels. Had he but the smallest point whereon to maintain his ground in contest with them, he would immediately report it, and under the imperial auspices make known to them the vengeance of heaven. But circumstances are, alas! opposed to the wishes of his heart. This condition of circumstances, he has repeatedly brought before the imperial eye, in a series of successive memorials.
Now, after that these said foreigners had dispatched a person to Che- keäng to restore Tinghae.—and had delivered up all that had been captured by them in the province of Kwangtung,-after, too, their ships of war had all retired to the outer waters,-it so happened that Elliot solicited an inter- view and as your slave had not yet inspected the entrances of the port, and the fortifications of the Bocca Tigris,-as also the troops ordered from the several provinces had not yet arrived, it did not seem prudent to show anything that might cause suspicion on the part of the foreigners, and so to bring on at once a commencement of troubles and collision from their side. Therefore, the occasion of visiting, for inspection, the Bocca Tigris, was taken advantage of to grant an interview.
Having left Canton for this purpose, on the 25th of January, your slave had to pass by the Szetsze waters (the Reach from First to Second Bar): and here he was met by Elliot, who came in a steam-vessel, desiring that he might see him. His retinue did not exceed a few tens of persons, he brought with him no ships of war,-and his language and demeanor upon that occa- sion were most respectful. He presented a rough draft of several articles on which he desired to deliberate,-the major part having regard to the trou- blesome minutiae of commerce; and he agreed, that, for the future, in any cases of the smuggling of opium, or of other contraband traffic or evasion of duties, both ship and cargo should be confiscated. Among the number of his proposals, were some highly objectionable, which were at the moment point. ed out and refused,-upon which the said foreigner begged that emendations should be offered and considered of. It has now accordingly been granted him, that alterations and emendations be made, and when these shall be determined on and agreed to, the whole shall be presented for your majesty's inspection.-Your slave then parted with Elliot.
He now found that the Szetsze waters were yet distant from the Bocca Tigris about 60 le (or nearly 20 miles). Even there, the sea is vast and wide, with boisterous waves and foaming billows, lashed up into fury by fierce winds. Majestically grand! How widely different the outer seas are from our inland river-waters!-Having changed his boat for a sea-going vessel, your slave stood out for the Bocca Tigris: and, there arrived, he made a most careful inspection of every fort and battery in the place.
Such forts as did not stand completely isolated in the midst of the sea, he yet found to have channels, affording ready water communication, behind the bills on which they were situated. So that it were easy to go round and strictly blockade them; nor would it in that case be even possible to intro- duce provisions for the garrison. After this careful inspection of the place,- the depth of water in the river, beginning here and proceeding all the way to the very city, was next ascertained; and the soundings, taken at high water, were found to be irregular, from one chang (or two fathoms) and upwards, to three and even four chang. Hence, then, it has become known to all, that the reputation of the fortifications of the Bocca Tigris as a defense, has been acquired, first, by the circumstance, that merchant-vessels require a some- what greater depth of water; and secondly, because that in ordinary times,