1822
During the Year 1842.
457:3
contain both some of the darkest, and some of the most promising, lines in the annals of the celestial empire. The events of this year in this eastern part of Asia, like those lately enacted in Syria and other parts of western Asia, show in a wonderful manner the work- ings of His providence, who often mercifully brings good out of evil, inaking human wrath productive alike of man's happiness and of God's glory. When the imperial high commissioner, Lin, came down from the emperor, in the early part of 1839, to restrain and punish the barbarians, little did he or his master dream of what was to be the sequel. "The son of heaven," as the emperor proudly styles himself, was represented as weeping in secret over the black- haired race, on account of the miseries they were suffering from foreigners; and his commissioner swore he would never more see his master's face, unless he could first cut off the "poisonous flow”— the introduction of opium, and humble the rebels in the dust. The weeping and the oath may both have been sincere; but the policy of the imperial cabinet was bad, founded on wrong principles, and conducted by an improper agency. Hence it failed. Long ago it
was foreseen that "China must break or bend." The latter alter- native, after a manly struggle to resist the invaders of their soil, has been chosen. Otherwise, perhaps, the days of the Mantchous would ere this have been numbered, and a new line of princes have risen to sway the sceptre of empire. Honorable intercourse, not conquest, was the object of the interfering power. This being gained, the scourge of war was stayed and peace declared. Leaving our readers to speculate on the occurrences of the past year, we will close this volume with a recapitulation of the principal ones, noticing them briefly in the order in which they transpired.
January, 1842. At the end of the preceding year, the British forces under sir H. Gough and sir W. Parker were on their return from Yiiyáu and Tsz'kí, to which places they had previously gone to dislodge Chinese troops. p. 179.
6th. Commander J. M. Dicey, and others, from the late war steamer Madagascar, arrived in Macao, after having been more than three months in the custody of the Chinese.
10th. The forces at Ningpo visited the district town of Fung- hwá, to dislodge Chinese troops.
12th. At Canton, a manufactory of gunpowder was blown up by accident, causing great destruction to life and property.
13th. His excellency Yen Petáu, governor of Fukien and Che- kiáng, was degraded for having failed to defend the city of Amoy, when attacked by the British forces. p. 237.
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