Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 653

1842.

Journal of Occurrences.

631

and afflicted, and this added to his grief and anxiety. It you wish to purify their crimes, all the fuel in the empire will not sullice, nor would the vast oecan be enough to wash out our resentment. Gods and men are alike filled with indigna - tion, and heaven and carth cannot permit them to remain.

Recently, all those who have had the management of affairs in Kiánguán have been imitating those who were in Canton, and at the gates of the city they have will ingly made an agreeinent, peeling off the fat of the people to the tune of hundreds of myriads, and all to save the precious lives of one or two useless officers; in doing which they have exactly verified what chancellor Kin Ying'in had before memoria. lized. Now these English rebels are barbarians dwelling in a petty island beyond our domains; yet their coming throws myriads of miles of country into turinʊil, while their numbers do not exceed a few inyriads. What can be casier than for our celestial dynasty, to exert its fullness of power, and exterminate these con- temptible sca-going imps, just as the blast bends the pliant bamboo! But our highest officers and ministers cherish their precious lives, and civil and inilitary mon both dread a dog as they would a tiger; regardless of the enemies of their country or the griefs of the people, they have actually sundered the empire and granted its wealth; acts inore flagitious these than those of the traitors in the days of the Southern Sung dynasty, and the reasons for which are wholly beyond our com- prehension. These English barbarians are at bottom without ability, and yet wo have all along seen in the memorials that officers exalt and dilate upon their prowess and obstinacy; our people are courageous and enthusiastic, but the officers on the contrary say that they are dispirited and scattered: this is for no other reason than to coerce our prince to make peace, and then they will luckily avoid the penalty due for "deceiving the prince and betraying the country." Do you doubt ? Then look at the inmorial of chancellor Kin Yinglin which says, They take the occasion of war to seek for self-aggrandizement;" every word of which directly points at such conduct as this.

We have recently read in his majesty's lucid inandate, that “There is no othor way, and what is requested must be granted," and that, "We have conferred ex- traordinary powers upon the ministers, and they have done nothing but deceive us.” Looking up we perceive his majesty's clear discrimination and divine perception, and that he is fully aware of the imbecility of his ministers; he remembers too the loyal anger of his people. He has accordingly now temporarily settled all the pre- sent difficulties, but it is that, having matured his plans, he may hercafter mani. fest his indignation, and show to the empire that it had not fathomed the divine awe-inspiring counsels.

The dispositions of these rebellious English is like that of the dog or shoep, whose desires can never be satisfied; and therefore we need not inquire whether the peace now made be real or pretended. Remember that when they last year made disturbance at Canton, they seized the Square fort, and thereupon exhibited their audacity, everywhere plundering and ravishing. If it had not been that tho patriotic inhabitants dwelling in Hwáitsing and other hainlets, and those in Shingping, had not killed their leader and destroyed their devilish soldiers, they would have scrupled at nothing, taking and pillaging the city and then firing it, in order to gratify their vengeance and their greediness: can we imagine that for the paltry sum of six millions of dollars they would, as they did, have raised tho siege and retired? How to be regretted! That when the fish was in the frying- pan, the Kwangchau fű should come and pull away the firewood, let loose the figer to return to the mountains, and disarin the people's indignation. Let- ng the enemy thus escape on one occasion has successively brought misery upon many provinces: whenever we speak of it, it wounds the heart, and causes the tears to flows.

Last year, when the treaty of peace was inade, it was agreed that the English hould withdrew from beyond Lankeet, that they should give back the forts near there, and dwell temporarily at Hongkong, and that thenceforth all military ope tations were for ever to cease; who would have supposed that before the time tipulated had passed away, they would have turned their backs upon this agree ut Taken violent possession of the fort; at the Bogue with then “ wooden dra

tale slops of war), - and when they came upon the gates of the City of Rong with then powertal forces, aho wa there be uppusa Biem? Pung thes we have not been abi, tong store things as at first, and fren deceptive

lipes veats,