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Review of Public Occurrences During the.
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officer, who had come bere upon a most important affair which concerned the lives of British subjects, and was anxions to hand this document to a mandarin of rank, that he might transmit it to his excellency the governor. He treated this appeal with contempt. I therefore showed him the outside of the document, where it was stated, that this matter was of the highest importance, and concerned the lives of British subjects. He read it and sneered contemptuously. Captain Elliot then requested, through me, that the lieutenant who had treated him, a British officer, with such indignity, should be punished. The mandarin langhed, saying,
• You an officer! We pointed, therefore, to the epaulets and the other insignia of rank, and the bystanding soldiers remarked, that gold naturally indicates rank, whilst the officer silenced them and sneered. He then took off his upper robes, und captain Elliot declined any farther conversation.
"Whilst the mandarin withdrew, we were exposed to a great mob, drawn hither by curiosity, in witnessing so extraordinary a scene. The soldiers now collected in greater numbers, and placed themselves before the wicket gate where we stood, some of them having whips in their hands, whilst others appeared on the opposite side, and drove the multitude away. Shortly afterwards some linguists came, and desired to converse with us. Captain Elliot requested me to tell them, that we wished to communicate our affairs to a messenger from the viceroy, a man- darin of rank. This I told them in Chinese; and farther refused to hold any con- versation with any man who was not an officer of government.
"We had waited half an hour longer, when several mandarins, all in their state uniform, arrived; and amongst them we observed Mowqna, a senior hong-mer- chant, who wore a peacock's feather and a crystal globe. The same linguist ad- dressed us again, and desired that we might communicate the affair, and give hini the document. As he, however, met with a refusal, the gates were thrown open, and we were brought into the presence of two general officers, who wore red but- tons, and had seated themselves in the watch-house. As soon as captain Elliot tried to sit down, they rose, and he presented, most respectfully, the document to one of them ; but the mandarin refused to receive it. These officers, as we were told, had been deputed by the governor, and I therefore again stated in a loud voice, that captain Elliot was a British officer, who had come here to represent a most urgent case which concerned the lives of twelve British subjects; but he re- plied, 'We only receive petitions.' I showed him the cover of the document, upon which the above words were written, which he read. After this both left us abruptly, and repeated, 'We only receive petitions.' We therefore withdrew, and returned to our boat. (Signed) CHARLES GUTZLAFF, Joint interpreter.' The following memoranda, made at the foreign office, affords all the comment we need offer on the foregoing extracts.
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[Mem.: F. O., 1840.—It is not necessary to state all that subsequently passed between the superintendents and the Chinese authorities relating to this case suffice it to say, that the authorities are represented to have exerted themselves zealously; that on the 20th of February, intelligence was received at Macao, that the officer and boat's crew of the Argyle had arrived at Canton on the 18th; that they were restored to their ship on the 19th, That the ship was secured in the usual way; and that the first part of her cargo reached Canton on the 23d |" Corresp. pp 82-86.
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