648
Manifesto by the People of Tinghái.
DEC.
that the great emperor, who loves his people as children, again and again forbade them to use it; that the English were obstinate and would not obey his commands, for which he took their opium and destroyed it; and for this they lighted the torch of war. But this affair took place at Canton, and had no reference whatever to Ting- hái, yet they suddenly took possession of our district. Still the great emperor graciously consented to pardon their crime, and re- stored them several tens of their people who had been taken, and per- mitted them to continue their commercial intercourse as usual at Canton; but they being full of wickedness availed themselves of the pretense to make peace, suddenly to attack the Bogue forts at Can- ton, when our people were off their guard, and to kill a number of our officers and soldiers. That our gracious emperor being full of goodness as heaven itself, and looking upon the English as so many wolves and tigers, with whom it were unworthy to enter into discus- sion, paid them back the price of their opium. But these having not an atom of conscience and being insatiately greedy, without any reason whatever attacked Amoy in Fukien, and a second time took our Tinghái in Chekiảng, where they have conducted themselves in the most ruthless manner. And this was not done because they had any very skillful leaders, or valorous soldiers, but because our civil officers were without knowledge, and our military men fearing that there was no one to head the good people, and lead them on en masse to oppose the enemy, which had caused that Chinhái, Ningpo, Funghwá, Yüyáu, and other places have been alike exposed to their ravages, so that their cup of iniquity is filled to the brim, and they are now treating us Tinghái people with greater cruelty than ever; and other words to that effect. The great French nation seeing an address from us the common people, such as this, must say in reply that they will on no account be disobedient or give assistance to the rebel English. There are now five men of that nation living at Hú Tsáimau's house, who are constantly telling our people that the hearts of the English foreigners are poisonous, that we must on no account hold intercourse with them, or afterwards we are sure to suffer by it; that they (the English) are not like us (the French) who depend upon heaven, and that all the people of the other countries whom the English have invited to assist them [in this war with Chi- na] detest their wickedness and deceit, and look upon them as ene- mies. This implies then that their support from foreign countries is cut off, and we, though we be at enmity with the English, yet must on no account injure a single ship or a single individual be-