1842.
During the Year 1842.
685
were separated and confined in small parties, which had little communication with each other, but were all treated with extreme barbarity and almost starved.
Out of the fifty-seven souls who were cast away in the Ann, eight have just arrived at Ainoy. Of these, six are natives of Europe or America, one a native of India, and one Chinese. A second Chinese is alive, and is said to have staid at Formosa of his own choice. It thus appears from the pre- ceding details, that two hundred and thnty-seven persons belonging to the Nerbudda, and forty-six belonging to the Ann, have either been put to death by the officers of the Chinese government on Formosa, or have perished through ill treatinent and starvation. These atrocious and appalling facts are not to be refuted or questioned, and, that all may judge of them, and con- trast the conduct of the officers of the British government (who set all their prisoners free), this proclamation is made in Chinese. Her Britannic ma- jesty's plenipotentiary trusts, however, that the emperor will yet make the only atonement that remains, and thereby avert further evils. God save the Queen.
Dated on board the steam frigate Queen, at Amoy, on the 27th day of Nov. 1842. (Signed) HENRY POTTINGER, H. M. Plenipotentiary.
21st. H. I. M. orders Yishán, Yiking, and Wanwei, to be de- graded, dismissed from public service, confined in prison, and con- demned to death.
December 2d. Sir Henry
Sir Henry Pottinger, H. B. M.'s plenipotentiary, arrived from the north, late in the afternoon, on board the Queen.
An invitation was circulated throughout the city of Canton for its citizens and gentlemen from other provinces to assemble at the Public Assembly hall to consult upon public affairs.
3d. The following rejoinder was published to counteract the ma- nifesto of last month, and allay the feelings of the populace.
Whoever has studied the writings of Confucius well knows his words, "That the man who does not feel any anxiety about what is far off, will without fail have sorrow near by ;" and again “Be harmless, and then you will be undis. turbed." Whoever carries out these two principles of anxiety and harmlessness to their full extent, there can be no doubt, is prepared for every emergency. At this time, the patriotic gentry and people have unitedly led on and excited each other to protect themselves against the foreigners; and to prepare themselves for any affair that might happen before it came. They simply wish to remove every source of anxiety, hewever remote, and thus they probably expect to prevent all sorrow that may be near. Such conduct indeed bears the semblance of the great. est wisdom, but those who act thus have not examined very deeply, nor have they looked to the bottom of the matter. We somewhat suspect they have lost their harmlessness, and obtained instead an empty disquiet.
Now, for natives and foreigners together to enjoy a benevolence high as heaven, and subsist upon a kindness like the earth for thickness, cannot be regarded as violating the dictates of reason. Can it be supposed that every individual in this land always fully practices the requirements of virtue ? Or must we also con- clude that every English foreigner sets at nought the principles of common sense and reason? Have the patriotic gentry and people never yet heard what Men- cius said? In the days of the eastern Chau dynasty, the state Tsú was still numbered among uncivilized and barbarous states, but he thus speaks, "Chin Liang was a native of Tsú. He came northward to study in the Middle Kingdom, and among all those at the north who studied with him, not one could compare with him." We beg you who are learned seriously to consider this expression. If these English foreigners possess the military strategy which we know they do, it is not so entirely certain that they do not also possess literary rules. When