Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 261

1842

Last Ten Years, from 18832 to 1841.

243

transact commercia) business, and whether he has credentials from his govern- ment or not, I immediately sent a deputy to Macao, whom I directed to proceed thither with speed, to take with him hong-merchants; aud, in conjunction with the local, civil and military officers, to ascertain fully the truth on all these points. This having been done, the deputy and the others reported to me in the following terms: In obedience to the orders received, we took with us the hong-mer- chants, and questioned the foreigner, Elliot, on each point distinctly. His infor- mation was that he, Elliot, was an English officer of the fourth grade; that in the autumn of the 14th year of Táukwáng, he came to China in a cruizer, as was at the time reported by the pilots; that he had remained two years in Macao, his business being to sign the papers of English merchant vessels; that now, the Company not having been reëstablished, and there being no chief supracargo, he had received his king's commands, through a letter from a great ininister of the first rank, informing him that he is appointed to control the merchants and sea- men,-not to control commerce; that he has credentials, commanding him to bold the direction of affairs at Canton; and that in case of any disturbances, he alone is answerable. We also learned that the foreigner, Elliot, has brought with him a wife and a child, and a retinue of four persons. On inquiry, we found that the foreign barbarians at Macao, and the foreign merchants of his nation, all represented Elliot as a very quiet and peaceable man, and as having no ulterior object to effect.'

"This report having come before me, I find that since the dissolution of the English Company, a chief supracargo has not come hither; that of late, the ships' papers of foreign merchants returning home have been signed by this foreigner, who has resided at Macao for the purpose, and is represented to have quietly attended to his duty; and that at this present time, ships are constantly and unin- terruptedly arriving, and the merchants and seamen are indeed very numerous. It would be well, promptly to relax the unimportant restraints in order to preserve peace and quiet. Now this foreigner having received credentials from his coun- try, appointing him to the general control of merchants and seamen: though he is not precisely the same as the chief supracargo hitherto appointed, yet the differ- ence is but in name, for in reality he is the same. And, after all, he is a foreigner to hold the reins of foreigners; and if not allowed to interfere in aught else, it would seem that an alteration may be admitted; and that he may be permitted to come to Canton and direct affairs, according to the same regulations under which the chief supracargoes have hitherto acted. I have, for the present, commanded the said foreigner to remain temporarily at Macao, waiting until I shall have an- nounced the facts to your majesty. If your majesty's gracious assent be vouch- safed, I will then write to the superintendent of maritime customs to grant a pass- port for his admission to Canton. Thereafter, he shall be required to change his residence from Canton to Macao and back again, according to the season, just as under the former regulations; and he shall not be allowed to overpass the time, and linger about at the capital, so as gradually to effect a settlement here. I will besides command the local, civil, and military officers, and the hong-merchants, from time to time, truly to watch and examine his conduct, and if he exceed his duty, and acts foolishly, or forms connections with traitorous Chinese, with a view to twist the laws to serve private interest, he shall be iminediately driven forth, and sent back to his country. Thus will the source of any illegalities be closed up