ENG-1953 — Page 255

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1953

Colony. Both British and Chinese governments however refused to agree to the terms of the convention, and Captain Charles Elliot was recalled for not carrying out the letter of his instructions, and for not insisting on the British Govern- ments's full demands.

A new plenipotentiary, Sir Henry Pottinger, was sent out with instructions to adhere to the original demands. It is interesting to note that the cession of Hong Kong was one of these. The instructions were to secure either the cession of one or more islands on the coast or, if the Chinese Government preferred, instead of making such a cession, to obtain by treaty security and freedom of commerce to Her Majesty's subjects. resident in China. That is, the essential demand was security, not the cession of territory. In September 1841, the Whig Government in Great Britain fell from office, and in the new Tory administration, Lord Aberdeen was the Foreign Secretary. He issued modified instructions to the plenipotentiary which had the effect of stressing this emphasis on security. Lord Aberdeen expressed the view that the permanent acquisition of territory in China was undesirable for various reasons. “A secure and well regulated trade is all we desire" he said. He considered that this security could best be obtained by a treaty opening four or five Chinese ports, with the right to station consular agents in each. Any islands seized were to be regarded as military bases, and perhaps useful pawns, in the negotiations. Before the new instructions could arrive, however, Sir Henry Pottinger had probably already made up his mind to secure Hong Kong. He moved the Headquarters of the Superintendent of Trade from Macao to Hong Kong in February 1842, and energetically pushed on with hostilities. The successes of the spring and summer of 1842 no doubt led him to feel that he could gain the desired security both by a treaty and by the cessation of an island. In this, he was encouraged by the Governor-General of India, Lord Auckland, the man who initiated in India the advance to the North West frontier.

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