364
Review of Public Occurrences During the
Juty,
'I a "I received on the 26th March, 1839, between 5 and 7 A. M.. your excel- leucy's communication to me of the following tenor:
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"That the English superintendent, Elliot, having come up to Canton on the 24th, had a foreigu address ready and presented, at 1 a. m. on the 25th; that a clear and plain reply had been given to it, and the particulars communicated to me, as appears explicitly on record; that now, between 1 and 3 r. m., ano. ther prepared address has been presented, the requests contained in which are all found difficult to be at present granted; and that it has appeared right to send for my examination the foreign addresses, that commands may be given in reply. Upon the receipt hereof, I have given the subject my consideration. The said superintendent, Elliot, requests, I find, that an officer may be deputed to enable him clearly and minutely to state matters. These words seem somewhat reasonable. But how then is it that this day, from 7 till 5, when I had sent several times, Chú the prefect of Kwángchau fú, Yu the prefect expectant, Liú the sub-prefect of Fukáng, Liú the magistrate of Nánhái, and Cháng the magis- trate of Pwányɑ, who jointly repaired to the consoo house of the hong-merchants, waiting for the said foreigner, in order to express to him commands; and when the territorial and financial commissioner, and the judicial commissioner, also both went to the new city to await information: nevertheless, the foreigners all remained in concealment, not one appearing; and the said superintendent Elliot also did not even to the last show himself? What kind of conduct is this?
“I find that foreiguers, by dealing in opium, have long infringed the laws. I, the high commissioner, having received the imperial commands to repair to Kwangtung in order to make inquiry and to act, cannot bear to destroy ere I have instructed. Therefore did I first issue an edict, requiring the delivery up of the opium. This was a nieasure of indulgence beyond the bounds of law. Had the said superintendent one glimpse of light, how ought he to have been roused by gratitude speedily to act! But whereas, before Elliot came to Canton, I heard that all the foreigners verbally expressed their readiness to deliver up opium, and only failed to state the true amount; and even Dent, although having the conviction that he had been long in the habit of dealing in opium, he ven- tured not at once to appear before the officers, yet neither did he venture to abscond; whereas, I say, this was before the case, no sooner had Elliot come to Canton, on the evening of the 24th, than he wished to lead off Dent to abscond, with the view of preventing the determination in regard to the delivery of the opium. Had not the precautionary measures been most strict and complete, almost had the hare escaped, the wolf run off. Elliot's conduct being thus exactly the same as that of an artful schemer, can he yet be regarded fit for the office of superintendent ?
And while confusedly presenting to your excellency the governor two ad- dresses in one day, he makes not one word of reference to the inquiries now being made for the prevention of opium, or to the orders that have been given to deliver it up, just as though there was a canseless and vexatious detention. This only he has failed to consider, that had he really indeed been ready to command clearly all the foreigners to deliver up the opium in obedience to the commands given, should not I, the commissioner, have then praised and encouraged him greatly! Or had he even abstained from giving such clear commands, yet if he had not proceeded to work upon and seduce the minds of all, to induce them to abscond, should I in that case have indeed taken the step of withdrawing the