214
Force conceded that there were reasons for beginning hostilities against China, whilst others were openly critical of a war opened on behalf of opium traders, badly treated or not.
An anonymous military writer in Colburn's United Service Magazine observed bitterly at the time that "the poor Chinese - with their painted paste-board boats - must submit to be poisoned, or must be massacred by the thousand, for supporting their own laws in their own land." Another military officer, Lieutenant John Ouchterlony of the Madras Engineers in his history of the War, conceded: "That the quarrel was an unhappy one and for many reasons to be deeply deplored, does not admit of a doubt."
At the same time, Ouchterlony introduced a wider consideration for his readers. However plausible the view taken in England by those opposed to a war which, as they thought, was being undertaken to enforce the opium traffic, it was, he said, “on our part just and unavoidable" due to the "vindictiveness and insufferable arrogance of the Chinese government" during the past half-century. "The opium question," to his mind, was to be "regarded merely as a spark blown into a mine, and no more to be considered the primary cause of the war than the match which ignites the train..." This was a view shared by another young officer, Lieut. Wyndham Charles Baker of the Madras Engineers, as we see from one of his published home letters.
Not all their brother officers were convinced. The naval surgeon Edward Cree, was more concerned with the results of the War. Noting in his journal for Monday 29th [August] 1842 that "the articles of the treaty [were] signed this day," he commented:
“So ends the Chinese War. About the justice and policy of it I leave to more competent judges, but one thing I dislike in connection with it is the opium question. It has cost the lives of many thousands of human beings, and great destruction of property and misery and sorrow to many.
Waging War in European Style
11
In official circles in Britain, China's Court and Government were blamed for bringing on the War. Perhaps because of this, the British
214
Force conceded that there were reasons for beginning hostilities against China, whilst others were openly critical of a war opened on behalf of opium traders, badly treated or not.
An anonymous military writer in Colburn's United Service Maga- zine observed bitterly at the time that "the poor Chinese - with their painted paste-board boats - must submit to be poisoned, or must be massacred by the thousand, for supporting their own laws in their own land." Another military officer, Lieutenant John Ouchterlony of the Madras Engineers in his history of the War, conceded: "That the quar- rel was an unhappy one and for many reasons to be deeply deplored, does not admit of a doubt.'
At the same time, Ouchterlony introduced a wider consideration for his readers. However plausible the view taken in England by those opposed to a war which, as they thought, was being undertaken to en- force the opium traffic, it was, he said, “on our part just and unavoid- able" due to the "vindictiveness and insufferable arrogance of the Chi- nese government" during the past half-century. "The opium question," to his mind, was to be "regarded merely as a spark blown into a mine, and no more to be considered the primary cause of the war than the match which ignites the train..." This was a view shared by another young officer, Lieut. Wyndham Charles Baker of the Madras Engineers, as we see from one of his published home letters."
Not all their brother officers were convinced. The naval surgeon Edward Cree, was more concerned with the results of the War. Noting in his journal for Monday 29th [August] 1842 that "the articles of the treaty [were] signed this day," he commented:
“So ends the Chinese War. About the justice and policy of it I leave to more competent judges, but one thing I dislike in connec- tion with it is the opium question. It has cost the lives of many thousands of human beings, and great destruction of property and misery and sorrow to many.
Waging War in European Style
11
In official circles in Britain, China's Court and Government were blamed for bringing on the War. Perhaps because of this, the British
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