CO129-030 - Bonham - 1849 [8-12] — Page 419

:

No. 120 of 1849.

Inclosure No. 1 in Desp:

Manifests with other transmitting the founcil's

at Macas to date, and

reporting state of affairs

to Viscount Palmerston,

"His Excellency Mr. Bonham

Documents .

29th December, 1849.

413

Seu's Reply to the Council's Letter of the 14th October. Seu, Viceroy of Kwangtung and Kwangel, &c. In reply to the Despatch of the 20th day of the 8th moon, (14th Oc tober,) which I received as an answer, stating that at a proper time attention would be given to its contents, which are empty words without meaning; and requesting at the same time a reply to the Despate of the 17th of the 8th moon (2d October,) I have now to make the following observation The Despatch says, that the three individuals are not im- prisoned, but detained for the necessary inquiries. Now, is not the long period of two months sufficient for the conclu- sion of these enquiries? In these 7th and 8th moons, two depositions have already been taken of the Criminals who had been on two separate occasions apprehended, and copies of these Prepositions have been sent accompanied by Des- patches; and there is no one who does not know, that this case is already settled, Are not those Depositions of the real aggressor and of an secomplice, then, sufficient doen. ments and is it still necessary to have recourse to witnesses and enquiries from individuals unconnected with the ques tion? Besides, after the three individuals have been given up, they will have to continue in the exercise of their duties at the Barrier Gate, and consequently will not be concealed. This is all I have to communicate in reply to the Despatch of the Council of the Portuguese Government.

Taoukwang, 29th year, 9th moon, 17th day. (1st Novem- ber, 1849)

The Council of Government of the Province of Macao, Timor, and Solor, to Seu, Viceroy of Canton, Imperial Commis sioner, &c., &c.

MOST EXCELLENT SIR,-If this Council required stil! more proofs to uphold the truth and justice of the assertion which they put forth in the commencement of their Despatch to your Excellency, of the 3d October, these would be afforded by the two last Despatches from your Excellency, dated the 14th ultimo and let instant, from which it is seen clearly and evidently, that, far from satisfying, as it behored the dignity of the Government which your Excellency represents, the just demands of this Council, by replying to the upon the principal point of the question, with which we are now occupied, and which relates solely to the restitution of the mutilated members of the illustrious deceased Governor, your Excellency does not indeed even allude to it in your Despatches; and in order to avoid speaking upon that matter, has recourse to your customary tergiversationis,--88 that of saying that the three individuals here detained are unconnected with the question, that the case is already settled, &c.; all of which manifest the little weight your Excellency attaches to this case, which from its gravity has amazed all nations who have witnessed it, and which indeed should have deserved the most serious attention of the Chinese Government, if it had wished to escape the stigma of barbarity and treachery, a stigma which the Nations of the West will, with just reason, now attach to it.

This Council cannot therefore fail to condemn again in unequivocal terms the repeated acts of injustice and the violation of the most sacred rights of nations committed by your Excelleney since the horrible assassination which took place on the 22d August. And in the presence of these, can there still be auy hesitation in maintaining that the respon- sibility of that outrage rests wholly upon the Chinese autho- rities of Canton?

Your Excellency says that during the period of two moons two trinls were concluded. And what is there in this to be wondered at? Do not all those who have read your Excel- lenry's Despatches know the mode in which those trials were conducted? Ifave not all seen that scarcely three days in- tervened between the apprehension and execution of Sen- chi-leong? By this way of administering justice, one should rather consider the period of two moons a very long one for the two trials, which your Excellency boasts of having des- patched in that space of time, inasmuch as six days would have been sufficient: but it remains to be seen whether a similar proceeding in trials is authorized by the Law. And does your Excellency then wish that such subtleties and artifices, as revolting as they are iniquitous and infamous, should be a sufficient satisfaction for such an enormous and atrocious outrage?

It is certain that at the time the murder was committed. the post at the Barrier Gate was not abandoned, nor does it appear that the one at Mongha had been at that time va- eated; it is also certain, and your Excellency has just con- firmed the fact by the eonfession of Ko-Ahong, that the murderers passed freely through the Barrier Gate. That the officers entrusted with those posts are the ones answer- able, and through them the Government of Canton, needs

merous wounds which were found in the corpse, that it was impossible for one man alone to put it in the pitiable state in which it was found, all mutilated, as the Tsotang himself saw, nevertheless your Excelleney pertinaciously insists upon representing that unfortunate man as the only perpe trator of the crime, and the others who were with him as mere spectators of that infernal deed, in the presence too of facts to the contrary which have been already legally con- firmed! In the confession of Ben-chi-leong, not the slightest alltasion is made to his accomplices; this miserable wretch is there represented as the only criminal; and a mouth and a half after his execution, two more accomplices are dis- oovered in a most singular way,-one of whom died in the act of being captured, and the other, though severely wounded, still lived to make a confession, different in mary essential points from the first, and which those who will reflect a little will easily discover to have been dictated alone by the necessity-which, in the judgment of the person who dic- tated the first, existed-of justifying the sentence of Ben-chi- leong, as the only murderer of the most Excellent Governor Amaral; as it is not difficult to discern the anxiety with which the criminal Ko-Ahong was made to say, that Sen- chi-leong alone was he who presented himself to His Excel- lency, spoke to him, attacked him, and, throwing him from his horse, cut off his head and hand, being hardly assisted, by those who were with him, in the flight which he effected conjointly with them through the Harrier Gate. It escaped however the penetration of the writer of this confession that

that the two men Ko-Ahong and Li-Apdo had been chosen it had already been stated in the commencement thereof, to carry out the design.

The very palpable difference that exists between the two confessions is also worthy of remark, namely, that whilst in that of Sen-chi-leong the tnost studied silence is maintained about his accomplices, speaking of no one but himself, in that of Ko-Ahong, this man occupies himself almost ex- elusively with Sen-chi-leong and his companions. It is also to be observed that the names sundry others having been mentioned in this last confession, that of one Kam-Tong, whom the public voice affirms to have been one of the prin- cipals, if not the principal himself in that atrocious and barbarous crime, is not introduced. And is it your Excel- lency's desire that with these and similar fietions and subtle- ties, all deceitful and unworthy even of a man, much more of a public functionary, the Portuguese Government should declare itselt satisfied, regarding the case as already settled, and all the enquiries respecting it as concluded? If this is your Excellency's belief, you will have to acknowledge some time hence that you were greatly deceived.

As to the justice of the demand which this Council made to your Excellency in their Despatch of the 3d ultimo, it was a very simple one. They merely required that your Ex- cellency should tell them, without circumlocutions, whether you would deliver them the head and hand of the deceased Governor, or whether you wished to traffic with these pre- cious remains; nevertheless, your Excellency has not, up to this date, satisfied so simple a requisition, continuing to keep possession of those mutilated members, as a property of your own, no doubt because you are conscious of having acquired them by means which, in your Excellency's judgment, give you a right of disposing of them as may seem good to you, regardless of constituting yourself by this act a participator in the crime which gave you the possession of them.

This Council have already endeavoured to shew your Excellency the iniquity of the infamous traffic which you pro- posed to them, and the necessity of the head and band being restored to them without any condition or clause whatsoever, which this Council cannot, because they ought not to, admit. They have already, in short, caused your Excellency to see, that such an inbuman and unheard-of act, committe towards the person of the Representative of Her Most Faith- ful Majesty, amonate to an atrocious offence against the Sovereignty of Her Majesty, and an outrage to the Nation, to whom is due entire and condign reparation. In the face, therefore, of the extraordinary proceedings of your Excel- leney, and of your tenacious persistance in remaining deaf to the voice of reason and justice; and, as this Council have already informed Her Majesty's Government of all that has taken place, nothing more is left them to do on the subject, but to protest again against your Excellency, holding you responsible for the assassination of the Most Excellent Governor Amaral; for the retention of his head and hand; for the violation of the rights of Her Majesty and the Por- tuguese Nation; and lastly, for all consequences whatsoever that may result, as well from that act, as from the unqualified proceedings of the Chinese authorities of Canton with regard to it. And, as it is requisite that full knowledge be had of all the circumstances of this unbeard-of case, this Council are going to make them known to the Representatives of all

no demonstration: however, it does not appear that they the Foreign Nations resident here, as well as to the Govern

were even called to account; indeed, on the contrary, an anxious solicitude is only observable for the delivery of the three individuals belonging to the post at the Barrier Gate, to which release so nauch importance has been attached, that in order to obtain it, your Excellency has not scrupled to employ nefarious and iniquitous means, such as that of the exchange proposed by you.

It is true, as your Excellency told us, that Sen-chi-leong was apprehended and executed; but what certainty is there that he was the real murderer, and not merely a suppositi tious criminal? Busidus, it is already proved that the assas- sins who attacked the late Governor were seven in number, and although it has been already demonstrated by the nu-

ments of all other friendly Powers allies of Her Majesty, by means of a Manifesto, of which a copy will also be forwarded to your Excellency.

In conclusion, this Council trust that after this reply of theirs, the meaning of the words of their last Despatch which your Excellency was pleased to call empty ones, will be sufficiently explained.

Macao, 7th November, 1849.

JERONIMO, Bishop of Macao.-JOAQUIM ANTONIO DE MORAES CARNEIRO.-LUDGERO JOAQUIM DE FARIA NEVIS -MIGUEL PEREIRA ŠIMÕES.-Jozs Bernardo Goularte. -MANOEL PEREIRA.