725343-1856-GOVERNMENT-NOTIFICATION — Page 4

The Hongkong Government Gazette. [No. 73.-NOVEMBER 28, 1856.

other course than the one pursued ; but, the fact being that a Chinese had fraudulently assumed the flag, why should Mr Cousul Parkes have put himself forward as his advocate Simply because The wanted a pretext for making trouble.

:

As to the entry into the City after a long correspondence upon this question between the late Commissioner Sen and the late l'lenipoten- tiary Mr Bonham, tho discussion of the mat- ter closed definitively. The letter now under acknowledgment says, "Mr Bonham never did wag authorized so to so close, and never close, it." If he did not so close it, why did Mr Bonham issue a notice at the Factories, which was put in the papers, to the effect that What foreigners were not to go into the City? is this but proof that he had definitively closed it? His despatch at the same time stated, that he had reported it to his Government, and on this I, then Governor of the province; and the late Commissioner, Seu, represented to his Im- perial Majesty that the English had definitively closed their negociations respecting admission into Canton, and had the honor to receive in re- ply the following Decree :~~-

should have equal trouble in getting out of it. It is the Admiral's wanton proceeding that has provoked all this irritation. Let your Excellency once again well consider it!

I therefore reply, availing myself of the occa- sion to wish Your Excellency prosperity, &c.

A necessary communication addressed to Sir

John Bowring, &c., &c. Hien Fung, 6th year, 10th moon, 20th day, (17th November, 1856.)

Translated by

THOMAS WADE, Chinese Secretary.'

B. B. M.'s Consulate, CantON, 18th November, 1856. SIR, I have received Your Excellency's letter of yesterday.

of

in

But

I do not think it necessary to say more than I have already said in reference to the past. my present object is to advise Your Excellency, that I am still willing and desirous of meeting you your own Yamun, to discuss in the spirit and harmony the means of putting a peace stop to the miseries which the existing state of "The purpose of walling cities is to protect the peo-affairs has brought upon the people, and the still ple; in the protection of the people lies the security of greater miseries which are impending over them. the State. When the people of Kwang Tung aro unani-

It is the obligation of all Governments to re- mously determined against the admission of Foreigners

ceive and protect those Ambassadors properly Into the City, can an Imperial Injunction be laid on

accredited by their Sovereigns; but I wish Your them by proclamation so to do, whether they will or no? It is not in the power of the Government of China

Exceliency to understand, that while I claim your attention to all the laws of courtesy, which your nation has the credit of properly appreciat ing, I am quite in a position, if you cannot control the people, to protect myself in my official visit to Your Excellency, and to punish those who shall dare to interfere with my pur- poses of peace and friendship.

to cross the wishes of the people out of deference to those of the meu from afar; on the other hand, it behoves foreign nations to study the temper of the people; to the end that the capital of their merchants may work free from risk, &c., &c. Respect this !"

It seems plain, in my humble opinion, that the reason why his Imperial Majesty refused [what was asked,] was, that he had, on his part, so studied the temper of the Kwang Tung people, as to appreciate their aversion to it; and Your

Excellency, to judge from your letter, where it speaks of "the opposition of the gentry, and the turbulent violence of the people of Canton,"” it would seem had also sufficiently studied the tem- The people per of the Kwang Tung people. are looked on by the State as its foundation. When the ruler loves his people, there is some prospect of their obeying their ruler. Thus, as

Now,

If you consent to a meeting in the manner I propose, I shall request His Excellency the Naval Commander-in-Chief to suspend hostile opera- tions. I have, &c.,

JOHN BOWRING. ·

To His Excellency Yan,

Imperial High Commissioner.

&c., dc., đà

YEH, Imperial Commissioner, Governor General of the Two Kwang, &c., &c., makes a communi- cation in reply.

I am in receipt of Your Excellency's communi- cation of the 18th instant, and have acquainted myself with its contents.

a general rule, has it ever been. To run counter to the feelings of man, is to disregard what naturė teaches is right before heaven. This has never been the policy of China; and I assume that Your Excellency's Government no less recognises as paramount the obligation of conforming to what is right before heaven, and due by man. ever since the arrival of Admiral Seymour, he has been attacking and demolishing houses both He has also demolished a in city and suburbs. number of forts. These forts, again, were con- structed at the expense of the gentry and the people of Kwang Tung, to protect them against pirates. Will they, when they find them oue day attacked and destroyed-will they be disposed to desist from hostilities; and yet, when, in addi-hibiting Foreigners from entering into the City, tion to all this, the trade of every mercantile house has been stopped by these operations, begun without a cause, Your Excellency still

says, in speaking of the city question, “I cannot for a moment admit, &e."

&c."

As to another passage in the letter under ac- knowledgment," were it to be admitted that the unruly spirits of a nation,+ might be per- mitted to disregard the supreme authority, As the merchants of Your Excellency's nation have come to Canton in the hope of finding a flourishing trade, so has the mercantile commu- nity of "every nation" come in the hope of find ing a flourishing trade. Is it then reasonable, I would ask, to expect that "every nation" will be satisfied at this stoppage of their trade !

As to your proposal in the same letter, that we "should meet as becomes, &c." An interview might of course have been practicable in the first instance, but do the proceedings of Admiral Sey- mour, who has commenced hostilities without cause, shew any acquaintance with what "be- comes?" He has come to Canton, and at a moment's notice he has destroyed habitations without number, with considerable loss of life; the sufferers are crowding to my Court, com- plaining of their distress, and entreating me to do them justico; and such at this moment is "the opposition of the gentry and the turbulent violence of the people,'

"that not only would Your Excellency have some difficulty in enter- ing the City, but, for the time being, I myself

*The word used in the Chinoso version of Sir J. Bow- ring's letter sent, is pa, meaning final cessation, namely, froin insisting on the right. Sir J. Bowring's English is "never surrendered."

A nation: in Chinese, each or every nation, any nation, or different nations. The Commissioner choose9 to read it "every nation," for the simple purpose of employing the argument that our acts are calculated to provoke the resentment of " every nation."

† líf., " Forms and observances." Sir John Bowring's words were," meeting as bebomes the representatives of great monarchs'."

I must now leave to His Excellency the Naval Commander-in-Chief the measures which a pain- ful necessity may compel him to take, and to Your Excellency all the responsibility which belongs to those who disregard Treaties, and visit upon a people the unhappy consequences of their own obstinacy.

I shall not fail to advise the Court of Peking of the needless miserics Your Excellency has brought upon the City and neighbourhood, all of which might easily have been averted.—I have, &c.

JOHN BOWRING.

To His Excellency YEN,

Imperial High Commissioner,

do.

. dc.

YEH, Imperial Commissioner, Governor General of the Two Kwang, &c., &c., makes communi- cation injreply.

I am in receipt of Your Excellency's communi. cation of the 20th instant, in which you stats that "my repudiation of your words of peace and friendship has caused you much disappointment and distress."

In a late reply I communicated to you a copy, respectfully made, of an Imperial Decree, in which His Majesty the Emperor, on the representation of myself, the then Governor, and Seu, the late Commissioner, that negotiations [respecting the City question] had been closed by the late Pleni- potentiary, Mr Bonham,—had signified bis plea- sure that the request made was not to be sanction. ed. The mercantile communities, native and foreign, [I argued,] were well satisfied, and the trade between them ever since, a period of some years, had, in consequence, daily advanced in prosperity: and this was a true policy of safety, These words of mine] were "words of peace and friendship."

As I have in several replies explained, minutely and detailedly, His Majesty the Emperor refused his sanction (to the demand made,] because he knew the temper of the Canton people so thorough- ly as to be aware of their aversion to it; the late Plenipotentiary, Mr Bonham, represented this to his government, and the British government, also knowing the temper of the Canton people, and their aversion [to the proposed measure,] there- fore closed negotiations respecting it.

It is Your Excellency who "repudiates," not I who am "obstinate.”

refused, proves that it is not the case that I, indi- request made on these two occasions was on both 66 repudiating." The city in question is the Provincial City of Kwang Tung; the people are the people of Kwang Tung; nor cau any parallel be drawn between them and those of other provinces.

So far as an interview within the City is con-

In 1850, Mr Bonham sent an officer to Tien- cerned, I communicated to you in my last reply a copy, respectfully made, of His Majesty the Em-tsin, with a request that he might be admitted peror's Decree. Having had the honor to receive into the City, and His Majesty the Emperor this intimation of the Imperial Pleasure (that signified his Pleasure that it should not be sanc- tioned; again, in 1854, when your Excellency that which was proposed] was not to be sanc-

His Majesty again signified his Pleasure that it tioned, dare I, even were there no other objection, came forward earnestly repeating that request, act, contrary to the Will of His Sacred Majest ?

should not be sanctioned; and the fact that the Mr Bouhan's reason for issuing a notice pro- was, that he rightly understood what policy con sisted with safety. The native and foreign mer-vidually, am cantile community have in consequence traded together without a misunderstanding for many years. Now, the causeless operations of Admiral Seymour, by the damage they have inflicted on the people, have excited on the part of the inha- bitants of the whole city a feeling of animosity, which is daily increasing. You say in your letter that you are quite able to provide for your own safety; it is, I think, but too probable that so far from having your safety in your own hands, you are incurring mortal danger. Would Your Ex- cellency but follow the course of the late Pleni- potentiary, Mr Bonham, you would in so doing be following the policy of safety. Your Excellency, during your service [here] as Consul, must have seen with your own eyes the real condition of things.

To conclude, I request Your Excellency once more to ponder well on this, that in the manage- ment of all matters, we must act as reason teaches is right before heaven and due by man, before we can arrive at any satisfactory result.

op-

I accordingly reply, availing_myself of the portunity to wish that Your Excellency's pros perity may daily increase.

A necessary communication, addressed to H.B. M. Plenipotentiary, Sir Jonn BowKING, &c., &c.

Hien Fung, 6th year, 10th moon, 22d day, (19th November, 1856.)

Translated by

THOMAS WADE, Chinese Secretary.

SUPERINTENDENCY OF TRADE, Canton Consulats, 20th November, 1856. SIR,-I have received Your Excellency's des- patch dated yesterday.

It has caused me much disappointment and distress: Your Excellency repudiates my words of peace and friendship.

The "unhappy consequences visited on the people," of which your letter speaks, have been brought upon them by the wanton and hasty acts of Admiral Seymour, I have nothing to do with

them. How can all the responsibility of them belong to me?

In short, when things are done otherwise than is consistent with what is due by man, an offence is committed against what is right before heaven, Your Excellency, by command+ of your govern- ment, has come to Canton (or Kwang Tung,) to exercise general supervision over all things per taining to trade. The chief authority being thus in your grasp, why have you allowed Admiral Seymour to carry hostilities to this length !

I have myself long since transmitted to Peking an account of all that has happened, and of the present state of things here.

occasion to wish Your Excellency increase of I therefore reply to you, availing myself of the

prosperity.

A necessary communication addressed to H. B. M. Plenipotentiary Sir John Bowrish, &c., &c.

Hien Fung, 6th year," 10th moon, 24th day, (21st November, 1856.)

Translated by

THOMAS WADE. Chinese Secretary.

* Who will not accept what is tendered to you, viz, the plain truth that admission into Canton has been refused you from first to last, on account of the temper and un- willingness of the people.

f This is not properly phrased ; "your government" is kwel kwo, honorable nation, but "command," Royal Commission, being, in effect, intended, should be other wise worded and placed.