1842.
Last Ten Years, from 1839 to 1841.
125
altern officers. It belongs generally to that spirit of unreasonable and dangerous impracticability with relation to the point of direct intercourse between the public officers of the two countries, which is so completely a subject for the considera- tion and disposal of his majesty's government. The awakening of cager solicitude upon the part of tho highest authoritics, for the rescue of the king's subjects, and the inducing a serious determination vigorously to pursue the offenders, were the great objects of immediate concern to the Commission, and to this extent there can be no doubt that our mission was completely successful.
(Signed)
“Charles ELLIOT, Third superintendent.”
“' Mr. Gutzlaff's report.—Sunday morning, 1st Feb., 1835, his majesty's third superintendent, captain Elliot, R. N., the master of the British ship Argyle, Alex- ander Macdonald, and myself, arrived opposite the third pagoda in Canton river. We went in a three-oared boat to a landing-place near the Yíúlán gate, which leads to the governor's palace, in order to present a document from his majesty's superintendents, addressed to his excellency the governor, wherein they request- ed him to give orders for the liberation of twelve British subjects who had been forcibly seized upon by some natives of St. John's, and belonged to the British ship Argyle.
***His majesty's third superintendent, captain Elliot, wore the uniform of a post captain of his majesty's navy, and directed us both to behave towards himself, in the presence of the mandarins, with the greatest respect, to give an additional proof that he was a king's officer. He also requested me to be courteous in the ex- treme, when engaged in conversation with the mandarins, and not to offer any resistance, should violence be used towards us
"We entered, accordingly, the Yíúlán gate, and had proceeded a few houses farther, when all on a sudden, the soldiers fell upon captain Elliot, one of them, a second lieutenant, with a brass knob, grasping the hilt of his sword and struggling with him for several minutes, until captain Elliot fell on the ground. In the meanwhile, I addressed the soldiers in a loud voice, that the gentleman whom they maltreated was an officer of his Britannic majesty, and came here upon a inost urgent affair, which concerned the lives of twelve British subjects, but they did not listen, and pushed him very hard. Ithen placed myself near a pillar, and endeavored to reason with these violent men, which had the desired effect, for, upon hearing that we came in the service of his Britannic majesty, they desisted from offering violence to me ; nevertheless, they continued to treat captain Elliot with the greatest indignity, whilst I myself went up the street to find out, if pos- sible, an officer of rank ; but not succceding, I turned back, and saw captain Elliot, and afterwards Macdonald, forcibly dragged and pushed through two wicket gates. Hereupon, 1 most solemuly, in the hearing of all bystanders, protested, that captain Elliot, being an officer of his Britannic majesty, had come hither with a document addressed to his excellency the viceroy, concerning the lives of twelve British subjects, and was on no account to be ill-treated. I exhorted them to ab- stain from this outrage, but the lieutenant, as well as the other soldiers, answered me with a sucer, took hold of me, aud threw me out of the gate.
***We stood now between the Yíúlán and the two wicket gates, when we were met by a military mandarin, in his uniform, wearing a blue knob, and being pre- eeded by several men who carried chairs. To him captain Elliot addressed himself and presented the document, which he refused to receive; and I was then request od to late to the said mandarin în plain terms that this washis Britannic majesty's