china — Page 10

conclusive evidence that the measurestaken to compel exertion were imperiously
required by the supineness of the Chinese authorities. L'p to last night no
answer had been received by the Taoutae from the Che -heen of Tsing-poo, and
it is tolerably certain that nothing has hitherto been done.
The Undersigned takes this opportunity of inclosing copies of two
notifications, this day issued respectively to the masters of British vessels and
to the British community. It will, no doubt, be readily understood by the
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 118


representatives of other nations. at this port, that this step, on the part of
Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, communicated to the Taoutae in a letter,
announcing a further concession of time, will speak to his Excellency in terms
not to be misunderstood, and prevent his drawing any erroneous conclusions
from the facility with which delay has been admitted . If he should have
contemplated sending the Haefang, merely as a blind to gain time, it may
cause him to alter his intention , and convert a feint into a sustained and
successful effort to execute his duty,, if any real or effective power is in his
hands . In all cases, as a large number of war junks and others filled with
Chinese soldiers have been collected at Woosung to convoy the grain junks, in
the immediate vicinity of some twelve or fourteen merchant vessels at that
anchorage, it has appeared to the Undersigned a necessary measure of precaution.
Should it even prove certain that, without reference to higher authorities, which
fear of disgrace will probably prevent his making, his Excellency the Taoutae
has no adequate means of executing justice upon the grain junk men,
circumstances of danger from inroads of these malcontents, in numbers to
make them formidable, only emboldened by impunity in such an outrage, may
at any moment menace the foreign residents with the most serious perils, their
wealth holding out a strong inducement to attack, even at the risk of hard
blows. In this point of view it has seemed expedient to be prepared for all
contingencies.
The Undersigned avails himself of this occasion to convey to the Consular
authorities who have done him the honour to communicate their sentiments,
and tender the support of their cordial concurrence in the present conjuncture,
the expression of his highest consideration and esteem .
( Signed ) RUTHERFORD ALCOCK.




Inclosure 22 in No. 49 .


Consul Alcock to the Taoutae.


ALCOCK , Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Shanghae, makes this
communication .
I received your Excellency's note of the 15th instant last night, and learn
that, no answer having been received from Tsing -poo, you had deputed the Sub
prefect (Haefang) to proceed immediately in person to Tsing -poo, and in
conjunction with the District Magistrates of thatplace, and the officer of the
division of junks, to make strict seizure of the sailors who attacked and nearly
murdered three British subjects, and bring them here for punishment.
This step on your Excellency's part II accept as an evidence , and the first
hitherto offered, of your determination really to cause these offenders to be
apprehended . At the same time, the result of the Wei-yuen’s mission confirms
me in the belief that nothing effective has hitherto been done, or attempted, by
the District Magistrate of Tsing-poo.
As a proof of my continued and earnest desire to show the utmost patience
and forbearance compatible with the interests it is my duty to defend, I will
wait a short time to learn the results of the Sub-prefect's mission. If he exerts
himself as the gravity of the circumstance and the importance of the interests
at stake imperatively require , it is impossible that, in three days at the farthest,
he should not succeed in apprehending the chief offenders. I have to request,
therefore, that you, the Honourable Intendant, will, from day to day, keep me
informed of the steps taken by that officer to carry into prompt execution the
orders he has received, that I may show some justification to my own Govern
ment for assenting to any further delay. If no letters containing satisfactory
evidence of the energy and success of his proceedings are received, I must, then,
reluctantly conclude that he, like the District Magistrate, is following out the
bad policy hitherto adopted of doing nothing .
Desiring to act in perfect good faith towards you,, the Honourable Intendant,
I think it right to inform you that I have this day issued a notification to all
masters of vessels under the British flag, within my jurisdiction, to hold them ,
 119

selves and their vessels prepared to leave their anchorage, and support me, as
the Representative of Her Majesty's Government, in protecting British interests
at this port .
A necessary communication .
March 16, 1848 .


Inclosure 23 in No. 49 .

Consul Alcock to the Rev. W'. Medhurst.

Sir , Shanghae, March 14 , 1848 .
UNDER present circumstances, it seems very desirable that Her Majesty's
Government should have full and correct information on the chances incurred
of creating crowds to the detriment of the public peace, by Missionaries
engaged in distributing tracts, and preaching to the Chinese in the villages or
towns within the limits of a day's excursion .
Whether such asssemblages of Chinese as are likely to collect round a
Missionary can be regarded as wholly without danger of disturbance or other
inconvenience to the public, of whichthe local authorities might justly complain ,
is chiefly to be determined by practical experience of what has hitherto taken
place under similar circumstances ; and as your experience has been great,
and I am satisfied your testimony will be conscientious, I beg to refer to you
for such information as it may be in your power to afford .
I have, &c.
(Signed) RUTHERFORD ALCOCK.


Inclosure 24 in No. 49.

The Rev. W. Medhurst to Consul Alcock.

Sir, Shanghae, March 15, 1848 .
IN reply to your communication of yesterday's date, II beg leave to state,
that for the last three or four years II have been in the habit of preaching to
large numbers of the Chinese, first in my own house, and latterly in a chapel
built for that purpose in the city of Shanghae, in which have sometimes been
assembled about 500 people, and I have never observed anything but the
greatest decorum and stillness during the service, and when the exercises have
been concluded, the people have invariably dispersed in the greatest order and
quietness to their respective homes.
I have also been in the habit of preaching in the various towns and cities
within the limits of a day's journey from Shanghae, at which places I have
often given notice of my approach a day or two previously ,by means of notices
stuck up on the walls ; and have found the people assembling by hundreds to
hear, in some square or open place, where passengers could not be incom
modated, and at the conclusion of the service they have either quietly
have never,,
dispersed, or opened a way through the crowds for me to retire. I have
on these occasions, met with the slightest insult or interruption ; on the
contrary, the people have been disposed to treat me with respect, and to approve
generally of what I advanced for their instruction.
As to the distribution of tracts, I have invariably found them to be eagerly
received, and the only trouble has been the too great anxiety of the people to
obtain them ; so that we are compelied to distribute them carefully from shop
to shop to those who seem able to read, and cannot attempt to give them away
in the face of a crowd, for fear of the tracts being pulled in pieces through the
eagerness of the people to obtain them .
As it regards the visit to Tsing-poo, on the 8th instant, I may further
observe, that no preaching was attempted on account of the turbulent
disposition manifested by the grain junk men, who from the first moment of
our arrival there, sought to create a disturbance that they might have some
pretext for setting upon us afterwards and robbing us.
R2
 120


I may add, that this disposition of the grain junk men to insult and annoy
us, on the occasion above alluded to, must have been the result of the
dissatisfied and reckless state of their minds this year, as being now out of
employ, with their claims upon the Chinese Government still unadjusted ; for
we have in a former year distributed tracts among the same class of men on
their own junks at Tsing - poo, and have been received with the greatest
cordiality and good will .
I have, Sici
(Signed ) W. H. MEDHURST .


Inclosure 25 in No. 49 .

Consul Alcock to Sir J. Davis.

Sir, Shanghae, March 18, 1848.
I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a communication received last
night from the Taoutae and my reply thereto. The reported seizure of two of
the grain junk men implicated, and the escape of the chief offenders is of course
worthy of no credence . It is merely the excuse for an experiment to see how far
his Excellency may venture to send down the grain junks, which I have warned
him not to attempt .
I do not think his Excellency will push his experiments far enough to be
dangerous, nor is it at all likely that he will find either the owners or the crew
of the junks disposed to run the slightest risk . II am still disposed to believe
that if the Taoutae chose to exert himself, he could find means of producing
the chief criminals .
I have, &c .
(Signed) RUTHERFORD ALCOCK .

Inclosure 26 in No. 49 .

Mr. Bonham to Consul Alcock.

Sir, Victoria , Hong Kong, March 23 , 1848.
I HAVE this instant received your despatches of the 17th and 18th
instant with their respective inclosures.
Considering the instructions with which you have been furnished from the
Foreign Office, dated December 18, 1846, and the limited power and duties of
a Consul, I cannot but express my regret that you should have taken the steps
you have seen fit to do, without previous reference to Her Majesty's
Plenipotentiary, as undoubtedly under the peremptory orders recently received
from Her Majesty's Government, I should not have considered myself
warranted in sanctioning any acts of an aggressive nature, whereby the
peaceable relations at present existing between Her Majesty's and the Chinese
Governmentcould be by possibilityendangered, and it cannot be concealed,
that if the Taoutae of Shanghae, cannot or will not apprehend the principal
offenders engaged in this transaction, and the Chinese grain boats attempt to
uphold their undoubted right of pursuing their ordinary avocations, and of
proceeding on their intended voyage, that arupture must ensue.
From the Taoutae's note, however, of the 17th instant, it appears that two
of the culprits implicated in this transaction have been apprehended and
punished, and that further steps are in progress to apprehend others . I am in
hopes, therefore, that before this despatch reaches you , such redress may have
been afforded on behalf of the Chinese authorities, as will enable you without
compromise to allow the grain junks to leave the river.
You will gather from this communication that I am particularly desirous
that this question, as respects the Taoutae and yourself, should be brought to a
speedy conclusion, when I shall take such further steps in conjunction with the
Imperial Commissioner as may appear desirable for its final adjustment.
In the meanwhile, however, I feel that it would be extremely impolitic to
make any retrogade movement, which would no doubt be viewed by the Chinese
 121

authorities as a concession on our part. I am therefore, reluctantly compelled
t abstain from giving you any positive directions for your conduct on this
emergency, as I fear, should I attempt it, that I might probably add to the
difficulties and embarrassments with which you are already beset
As I only took charge of this office yesterday, I have considered it proper
to show my able predecessor this despatch , and he has authorized me to say he
perfectly agrees in the sentiments it contains.
I have, &c.
(Signed) S. G. BONHAM,


Inclosure 27 in No. 49 .

The Taoutae to Consul Alcock.

( Translation .) March 17, 1848.
AT six o'clock to -day, a special messenger arrived from the Sub -prefect,
Chin, bringing a letter to the effect that two of the sailors implicated in the
disturbance had already been seized, who being examined by the District
Magistrate of Tsing -poo, deposed that they had asssisted the riot, but still were
not the principal parties concerned in it ; they have now been put in the cangue
and flogged.
It is reported thatthe principal offenders have allescaped to other places,
and the officer of the division hasalready proceeded himself in pursuit, in order
that they may be seived with rigour. The Sub -prefect, Chin, will still stay at
Tsing-poo, as it is imperative that they be apprehended and severely punished .
This shows that measures are really and sincerely being taken for the adjust
ment of the affair, and I may therefore request that you, the Honourable Consul,
will set your mind at rest about it.
With regard to the rice vessels who are transporting the grain by sea,
several hundred of them have now been collected, and in the course of one or
two days they will weigh and proceed. I must trouble you, the Honourable
Consul, not on any account, to obstruct them, as this step might involve our
amicable relations.
While writing this, II present my wishes for your unceasing prosperity, and
await your answer.
13th day ( 17th March), 8 P.M.

Inclosure 28 in No. 49.

Consul Alcock to the Taoutae.

ALCOCK, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Shanghae, makes this com
munication in reply.
You, the Honourable Taoutae, inform me that two of the sailors implicated
in the disturbance at Tsing -poo had already been seized, that they confessed to
having assisted the riot, but still were not the principal parties concerned in it,
and that they have been put into the cangue and flogged.
You also inform me that it is reported the principal offenders have all
escaped, but that the officer of the division has been sent in pursuit.
Nothing can bemore unsatisfactory than the whole statement. It appears,
notwithstanding the inability to seize these grain junk men hitherto professed,
that you, the Honourable Taoutae, when you really determine to do so, can
apprehend them, since you have at last caused the seizure of two of their
number. It is quite evident then, that the chief offenders might also have been
seized from the first,had your Excellency caused rigorousand prompt measures
to be taken . Now if it be true that they have been allowed to escape, they
must be followed and apprehended . But I repeat, that unless brought down
to Shanghae, where they can be identified and punished in the presence of one
of my officers, no adequate redress will have been afforded , and I consider any
reported seizures or punishments at Tsing -poo as of no account.
When I see any of the ringleaders actually here, who can be identified, I
 122

shall be satisfied that measures are really and sincerely being taken for the
adjustment of the affair in a satisfactory manner, and not until then .
With regard to the rice junks, I have already officially notified to you that
the commanding officer of Her Majesty's ships had peremptory orders to stop
any grain junk attempting to pass down the river, and if they would not turn
back on being warned, or if they resisted, to fire into them. I strongly
recommend you not to try the experiment of forcing the passage for these
junks, or they will find to their cost and peril that these orders will be most
thoroughly andeffectually carried out. When you have afforded redress by
seizing the chief offenders, guilty of a murderous assault upon peaceable British
subjects, and brought them here , then I will give different orders.
In the meantime, I have only again to repeat that the grain junks shall
not leave this river until I have obtained justice for the committed outrage. I
have reported the steps taken to Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, and if you, the
Honourable Taoutae, are rash enough to risk collision with our armed vessels
before I can receive his Excellency's instructions, the consequences of any mischief
that may ensue be upon your head and not mine. I am most anxious to avoid
any act of violence, but if you compel me to resort to it, the fault is yours, and
I warn you in the strongest terms, that no grain junk will be permitted to leave
the river at the present time.
A necessary communication .
March 18, 1848 .



No. 50 .

Mr. Bonham to Viscount Palmerston .—( Received May 24.)

My Lord, Victoria , Hong Kong, March 29, 1848 .
MY last despatch on the subject of Shanghae affairs was dated the 25th
instant, since which a vessel has arrived from that port, without bringing me
any despatches from the Consul, and I have therefore requested the Senior
Naval Officer to permit Her Majesty's steamer “ Fury ,'' to proceed to Shanghae,
for the purpose of carrying my despatches, and, by her appearance, of strength
ening Mr. Alcock's position, by affording him countenance and support.
Having reperused Mr. Alcock's despatch of the 17th instant, and
more fully considered the matter, the more am I satisfied that I should incur
your Lordship’s displeasure were I to permit the peaceable relations existing
between the two nations to be compromised on this occasion ; and, I trust, my
second letter of the 27th instant will convince the Consul of the propriety of
bringing the present misunderstanding to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion,
Mr. Alcock appears to conceive that the Missionary gentlemen had not
exceeded their limits by proceeding to Tsing-poo, but, by reference to the
inclosed sketch, your Lordship will perceive that this place is half -way between
Shanghae and the large city of Soo -chow -foo, and ninety -six le, or thirtymiles,,
from the former place; it certainly , therefore, seems to me doubtful whether
it was ever intended that British subjects should perform journeys of this sort
the original intention of defining the time that they should be permitted to be
absent from their respective Consulates, being simply to enable them to enjoy
exercise and recreation within a moderate distance of their port or place of
residence .
With this view of the case, I have it in contemplation to instruct the
Consuls, in conjunction with the Chinese authorities, to endeavour, if possible,
to define the limits allowed for the purposes of recreation and exercise by space
or boundary, instead of by time, as at present, which will tend to the prevention
of misapprehension and abuse.
The “ Fury ” will leave this harbour in an hour.
I have, &c.
(Signed) S. G. BONHAM.
 123


Inclosure 1 in No. 50.

Mr. Bonham to Consul Alcock.

Sir, Victoria, Hong Kong, March 27, 1848.
THE brig “ Denia,” having arrived from Shanghae, which place she left on
the 20th instant, without bringing me any further communications from
yourself on the state of affairs at your Consulate, I am led to believe that
matters are much in the same state as when your despatch of the 18th instant
was written .
I have, since my letter of the 23rd instant, had further time for the
consideration of your despatches, and under all the circumstances of the case,
and pending the receipt of replies from tlie Foreign Office to my predecessor's
letters respecting the Hwang -chu -ke catastrophe, I feel more strongly than ever
the necessity of discouraging any offensive operations being taken against the
Chinese, which may embroilthe two nations in hostilities, without the previous
sanction of Her Majesty's Government.
From the Taoutae’s note to you, forming an inclosure in your letter
of the 18th instant, two of the principal parties concerned in this transac
tion are reported to have been punished. It would undoubtedly have been
more satisfactory if these persons had been punished at Shanghae, or in the
presence of some constituted British authority, but, as matters now stand, all
I can countenance is for you to continue to call on the Taoutae to punish any
others of these criminals he can apprehend, for I again repeat that from recent
instructions from Her Majesty's Government, I am strictly forbidden from
engaging in any offensive operations against the Chinese authorities .
Under these circumstances you will, as early as you possibly can, bring this
question between the Taoutae and yourself to a close, and you will, of course,
abstain from making any further representation to any of the higher authorities
alluded to in your letter, which I consider to be one which must be finally
arranged between the Imperial Commissioner and myself.
I forward this and my other despatch by Her Majesty's steamer “ Fury,”
and as her presence may possibly tend to induce the Chinese authorities to
bring this question to a satisfactory conclusion, I have no objection to your
requesting Captain Wilcox to remain with you for aa few days, if you should be
of opinion that she will have the effect suggested ; otherwise, you will inform
that officerhe can return to Hong Kong as soon as he sees fit, as I have it in
contemplation to request her services to convey me to an interview with the
Chinese High Commissioner at an early period.
I have, & c.
(Signed) S. G. BONHAM.



Inclosure 2 in No. 50.

Sketch showing the Position of Tsing -poo.

No. 51 .

Viscount Palmerston to Mr. Bonham .

Sir , Foreign Office, May 29, 1848.
IN reply to Sir John Davis's despatch of the 13th of March, I have to
acquaint you that Mr. Bird was quite right not to interfere with reference
to the affray which occurred between some Americans and Chinese at Whampoa,
on the 6th of that month .
I am , &c.
( Signed ) PALMERSTON.
 124


No. 52 .

Viscount Palmerston to Mr. Bonham .
Sir, Foreign Office, May 29, 1848.
I HAVE to acquaint you that I approve of the answer returned by
Sir John Davis, as reported in his despatch of the 4th of March, to the
note from Keying , of the 29th of February, calling for the punishment of a
man from Manilla, accused of having committed murder at Woosung.
I am, &c.
( Signed ) PALMERSTON .



No. 53.

Mr. Bonham to Viscount Palmerston.— (Received June 21. )
My Lord, Victoria, Hong Kong, April 10, 1848.
ON the 1st instant, the Acting Consul at Canton reported to me that an
unprovoked assault had been committed by some Chinese on Messrs. Bowman and
Johnson, two British subjects, while proceeding up a creek on the side of the river
opposite to Canton, and within aa mile of the factories. This morning I had the
gratification to receive the inclosures Nos. 1 and 2, by which your Lordship
will perceive that the matter has been promptly arranged, and the culprits
punished.
The Imperial Commissioner having, in the correspondence with Mr. Elmslie,
made some attempt to defend the aggression, on the ground of the English
gentlemen not having been accompanied by policemen and linguists, I
addressed a letter to bis Excellency on the subject, of which I inclose a copy,
and of the reply that I received thereto.
It is satisfactory to observe that redress has, in this instance, been afforded
by Seu, the Acting
occasion
Imperial Commissioner, more speedily than on any former
similar nature.
of aa
I have, &c .
(Signed) S. G. BONHAM.



Inclosure 1 in No. 53 .

Acting Consul Elmslie to Mr. Bonham .
Sir, Canton, April 8 , 1848.
I HAVE the honour to inform your Excellency that two culprits, alleged to
have been concerned in the assault on Messrs. Bowman and Johnson, were
yesterday morning brought to this Consulate, wearing the cangue, having
the nature of their offence written upon it.
The offenders were conveyed up the river in a boat, landed at the garden
steps, paraded through the British factory and back streets, and finally set
down in the largest suburban thoroughfare ( opposite the Consoo House), where
they remained exposed inthe cangue till sunset.
That the people at Honan may know of the punishment inflicted on the
two delinquents, I insisted upon their being taken to the bridge to -day, where
the assault was committed, and there exposed in the cangue till evening ; this
demand was positively refused, on the ground that the people there were
exceedingly “obstinate and ferocious.” Your Excellency's despatch, however,
to the Imperial Commissioner arrived very opportunely, and I was thus enabled
to carry the point.
By the inclosed note from the Imperial Commissioner, your Excellency
will learn the sentences passed on the offenders. Mr. Meadows and myself
visited them yesterday at different periods, and found they were undergoing the
punishment awarded.
 125


I requested Mr. Meadows to proceed to Honan this morning, for the
purpose of ascertaining the fact as to the punishment of the culprits being
inflicted as promised, and have much satisfaction in forwarding to your
Excellency that gentleman's report.
I have, &c.
(Signed) ADAM W. ELMSLIE.


Inclosure 2 in No. 53.

Report by Mr. Meadows. :)
Canton , April 8, 1848 .
I FOUND the two men, Chin -a - te and Le-a-lae, in cangues, under
the charge of the police, in an open space about fifty yards from thebridge, the
scene of the assault on Messrs . Bowman and Johnson .
The labels on the cangues stated distinctly that they were undergoing
punishment for having “ assaulted foreigners.”
I found them surrounded by a number of onlookers , and neither from
them, nor from any other persons in the street which I had to walk down for
about 100 yards, did I experience any molestation . I also passed twice under
the bridge without suffering the leastinsult or annoyance .
(Signed) THOS. TAYLOR MEADOWS .


Inclosure 3 in No. 53 .

Mr. Bonham to Commissioner Seu .

Victoria, Hong Kong, April 5, 1848.
I SOME days since received a despatch from the Consul at Canton,
stating that a very violent assault had been committed by some Chinese on two
British subjects, who were passing on their lawful avocations up the Kee-ya
Creek, and that he had called on your Excellency to investigate the matter, and
to cause the offenders to be punished.
I confess that I expected to have heard that your Excellency had at once
done what was so obviously requisite—that the culprits had been seized at once
and punished, and that the matter had been thus properly settled.
But I have this day received a second letter from the Consul, inclosing me
a copy of your Excellency's letter to him, dated 3rd April, wherein you ask, if
the two Englishmen were accompanied by policemen and linguists, to enable
you to examine and to deal with the case.
Now, I would bring to your Excellency’s notice that,whether these British
subjects were or were not attended by a policeman and linguist, I consider it
the duty of the Chinese Government toafford them protection against acts of
gross violence of the description complained of ; and if such protection be not
afforded, and miscreants punished who commit such acts, a second catastrophe
similar to that which lately took place at Hwang-chu-ke may be expected..
If such acts of violence and bloodshed are again committed, will not the
harmony and good feeling which ought to exist between our respective Govern
ments be endangered ;; and may not hostilities ultimately ensue ?
I have already observed, that I conceive whenever British subjects are
wantonly assaulted or insulted they have a right to expect redress, whether
attended by linguists or otherwise. In this instance I am not aware that they
were so accompanied; and if not, it assuredly was not necessary that they should
be guarded by police to proceed about half aa mile from their place of residence ;
and had not your Excellency mooted the question, I should have considered it
an insult to your nation to suppose that the authorities under your Excellency
cannot afford protection to a couple of peaceable foreignerswithin a mile of
their residence,without their beingaccompanied by policemen.
If, moreover, it were necessary to be so accompanied on occasions like the
present, where people were not going into the interior for recreation or exercise,
but were engaged in mercantile pursuits, it will shortly be also requisite for
S
 126


English merchants going to China merchants and shopkeepers in the neigh
bouring streets to be similarly guarded. Under such circumstances it is clear
the trade of the two nations could not exist .
It is necessary, to prevent ultimate misapprehension, that we should clearly
understand one another, and I hope to hear, in reply, that your Excellency has
caused the Chinese, who wantonly assaulted two British subjects in a manner
which might have easily caused their death, to be publicly punished in an
exemplary manner , and in the presence of British subjects.
Accept, &c.
(Signed) S. G. BONHAM.



Inclosure 4 in No. 53.

Commissioner Seu to Mr. Bonham.

(Translation.)
SEU, High Imperial Commissioner, &c., sends the following reply to a
communication of the Honourable Envoy, respecting the outrage committed by
some Chinese on Johnson and Bowman, two British subjects, and the appoint
ment of policemen to accompany them for their protection, which he fully
perused .
When Consul Elmslie informed me of this case, that Johnson and another
had been wounded with stones, which some Chinese threw at them , I ordered
the Pwan -yu Magistrate to proceed against the aggressors. He subsequently
seized two, Le-a-lae and Chin -a -te, who confessed that they were propelling a
grass -boat on the river,near the Hwang -choo bridge, and, being pressed by the
vessels astern, a quarrel ensued . Lee-a-lae took up and threw at them stones,
and in this manner happened to wound the foreigners, which he could not deny.
Le -a- lae and Chin -a -tae will therefore wear the cangue, at the spot where
the offence occurred, as a warning to the multitude ; and when their time expires
they will be beaten, and thus be disposed of.
I, the Great Minister, communicated the above for the information of
Consul Elmslie, as is on record .
If any foreigners wish in ordinary cases to go to the streets in the neigh
bourhood , or to the warehouses, it would be perfectly useless to insist upon the
attendance of linguists and policemen. Only when they are making excursions
for their recreation, policemen and linguists should be sent to follow them , and
afford protection, according to the regulations that have been established, in
order to avoid any disagreeable consequences. As Consul Elmslie did not state
to me the object of Johnson's and his companion's going out, nor whether they
had a linguist and policeman with them, I made inquiries to that effect. This
I did with the intention to ascertain whether the runners had done their duty,
or shown themselves careless, and never hinted that foreigners ought to be
attended by policemen to the nearest streets.
Whilst forwarding this answer, I wish you much happiness .
Taou -kang, 28th year,, 3rd month, 5th day. (April 8, 1848. )

No. 54 .

Mr. Bonham to Viscount Palmerston .- ( Received June 21.)

My Lord, Victoria, Hong Kong, April 12, 1848.
IN continuation of my despatches of the 25th and 29th ultimo, I have
now the honour to submit for your Lordship’s information two further
despatches from Mr. Consul Alcock of the 25th and 31st ultimo, detailing
his further proceedings to ensure redress for the violence committed on the
three Missionaries at Tsing -poo.
Mr. Alcock’sletter of the 31st ultimowill convey to yourLordship the gratifying
intelligence that all his demands on the Chineseauthorities have been complied
 127


with, and that everything at Shanghae has at present a peaceable appearance,
and I have little doubt that the Consul’s energetic demonstration on the occasion
will tend materially not only to ensure the peaceable relations hitherto existing
at that port between the two Governments, but at the three other northern
ports likewise.
As Mr. Alcock had commenced his negotiation with the Chinese authorities,
previously to my relieving Sir John Davis, and has since, as far as I can judge,
brought it to a most successful termination, without any possible intervention
on my part, I have no particular remark to make which could be of any service,
in addition to those already set forth in that gentleman's very voluminous and
able reports .
But there is one point to which I would beg to invite your Lordship’s
attention . In Mr. Alcock's letter of 31st March, he says, 6“ that from the
proceeds of the ship's duties, which have been kept back during the fifteen
days' embargo, he purposes to liquidate certain claims alleged to be due to
British subjects,” &c.
This intention on the part of the Consul seems to be open to very serious
objections, from the opportunity it affords of enabling the Chinese authorities
to misrepresent the real facts of this case, and likewise to be calculated to
impair the high position he has so successfully assumed throughout the whole of
this controversy, and I have therefore thought it my duty to acquaint
Mr. Alcock with my views on this subject, which I hope may prove to be in
unison with your Lordship’s.
Complete redress having been afforded on this occasion, on the part of the
Chinese authorities, through the able negotiation and strenuous exertions of
Mr. Alcock, it may perhaps appear invidous in my alluding to my former letters
to that gentleman, wherein I stated I thought he had exceeded the authority
intended to have been reposed in the Consuls generally. I, nevertheless, think
it my duty to advert to them, as probably Mr. Alcock's success on this occasion
may embolden less competent gentlemen to follow in his steps, should
circumstances of a similar nature arise at their Consulates, which may from
various causes probably not result in the same satisfactory manner ; and hence
I am desirous of receiving your Lordship's views and orders on this subject
generally, that I may not unnecessarily interfere with the Consuls, if it be
intended that they should exercise the extended powers acted onby Mr. Consul
Alcock on this occasion, and at the same time become aware of the extent of
my own responsibilities.
I have, &c .
(Signed) S. G. BONHAM.


Inclosure 1 in No. 54 .

Consul Alcock to Sir J. Davis.

Sir, Shanghae, March 25 , 1848.
REFERRING to my despatch of the 17th instant, I have the lionour
to inclose a further correspondence with the Chinese authorities, and minutes
of a conference, which will inform your Excellency of the progress of the
negotiations up to the present date.
On the 18th instant, finding that the Taoutae had issued a public
Proclamation to the grain junk owners on the 15th instant (after he had seen
me in the morning and disclaimed all intention of moving the junks), calling
upon them at once to sail out by twos and threes, and that a number of junks
were actually prepared to start by the next tide, I issued a Notice, copy of
original and translation is inclosed, marked No. 2, and took care that it was
circulated throughout the grain junks, warning the owners and sailors that no
Government grain junks would be allowed to pass Her Majesty's ship
“ Childers” in the lower anchorage. I took this step with great reluctance,
but the bad faith of the Taoutae, and the necessity, as far as possible,
of averting any collision, seemed to me both to justify and make it
imperative.
This was well received by the junk men, and appeared to be not only
S2
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thoroughly understood but acquiesced in. I received aa visit from the Che-heen
shortly afterwards, urging me to let the first detachment of junks sail, lest the
Taoutae should be seriously compromised . This seems to indicate the belief of
the authorities, for the first time, that the course of action adopted would be
carried through until the end was attained, and that serious consequences to
themselves must follow .
The succeeding morning, the 19th instant, at a very early hour, the
Taoutae came to the Consulate, apparently with the view of appealing to my
feelings. I assured him that I bore no personal ill will in the matter ; but
satisfied that British interests, and life and property were compromised by the
neglect manifested in the seizure of the offenders, I could not for a moment
contemplate abandoning the position taken to enforce such just demands .
Evidently nothing but subterfuge and delay was now to be expected from
the Taoutae ; and the time appeared to have arrived for carrying an appealto a
higher authority, and by that means provide for the withdrawal, within a short
and limited period, of the embargo on the grain junks, the indefinite
prolongation of which was to be avoided, if possible, lest injury to the junk
owners might ultimately create a bad feeling among the people, who, I had
reason to believe, hitherto regarded my demands as just in themselves, and
the whole affair a question with the authorities in which they were little
interested .
I therefore determined , without further delay, on sending a statement
(copy of which is inclosed marked No. 3) addressed to the Governor -General
at Nanking, with the whole of the Chinese correspondence, claiming that redress
which I could not obtain from the Taoutae, and requesting that a delegate of
rank might be sent down to institute the necessary inquiries on the spot, and
take the most rigorous and effective measures to seize the ringleaders.
In my letter, marked No. 4, to the Senior Naval Officer, Captain Pitman,
requesting that a passage to Nanking might be afforded the Vice -Consul and
Interpreter in one of Her Majesty's ships, I explain fully the grounds upon
which I held such a measure expedient.
Captain Pitman's answer, No. 5, placing Her Majesty's sloop “ Espiègle ”
at my disposal conveys his full concurrence in the expediency of the measure,
and his conviction of its importance for the protection of British interests at
this port.
Mr. Vice - Consul Robertson's instructions are marked No. 6. lle is
therein directed to deliver my statement to the Governor-General in person ,
and if possible to secure the dispatch of a delegate of rank before the
“ Espiègle ” returned.
Any further delay I conceived would only complicate matters. The arrival
of men to personate the offenders was to be expected; and in the event of mis
chievous efforts on the part of the authorities to stir up the junk owners and
others to force the passage of the river for the grain boats, impatient under the
idea of an indefinite period of delay, I felt the dispatch of the brig would give
me the means of arresting any proceedings of the nature indicated, both on
the part of the authorities and the people, by announcing a reference to
Nanking and the speedy arrival of an answer from the Governor -General.
These expectations have been fully realized . On the 21st instant I
received, inclosure No. 7, a letter from the Taoutaeannouncing the return of
the Haefang with two of the ringleaders. My reply, No. 8, informed him that
I would bring the three parties who had beenattacked to identify the prisoners
the following day:
The inclosed minute of the interview , No. 9, will show the silly imposition
attempted. One man was certainly not the party he pretended to be ; and in
all probability the other merely personated for a certain sum one of the real
offenders.
The week since the departure of the “ Espiègle ” has been one continued
struggle on the part of the authorities, by every kind of subterfuge and
maneuvre, to extricate the grain junks, at the same time that they officially
coinmunicated to me the absence of all efforts or intention on their part. At
first some of the junks already laden were sent down, when these were turned
back, junks partially laden with grain, and covered over with cotton or bricks
tried to pass; finally, a number of empty junks were dispatched, and these
being allowed to pass, the next tide brought down from twenty to thirty small
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boats covered over with bricks, &c., but laden with grain , for the purpose of
loading the empty junks in the reach below.
The duty of stopping such a number of boats and junks is of course
harassing, and some few no doubt may have escaped, but the number is so
small that, compared with the large fleet of some 500 now ready for sea, the
Taoutae's position cannot have been improved. No collision or injury has
resulted from these attempts, which are simply wearisome.
On the 23rd instant I received a deputation from the junk owners and
others, who desired to represent to me that further detention would be injurious
to them , and Itook the opportunity of pointing out to them that the outrage
offered in the first instance, and the subsequent impunity of the offenders, was
so far from being a small affair, as I had understood some of them represented
it in comparison with the detention of 1,000 junks, that a repetition of such
injuriesmust tend to a renewal of hostilities, which, as a grievous calamity to
them , I was very anxious to avert by the much milder measure of detaining
for a time, until redress was afforded, the Government grain in the river.
Having learned the evening before that intelligence had been received at
the Taoutae's office of the sailing up the Yang-tsze -keang of an European
vessel, I no longer felt any hesitation, considering also that aa four days' start
had been obtained, in relieving the minds of the junk holders, by informing
them that in a few days a ship from Nanking would return , bringing I presume
the answer of the Governor -General, to whom the whole matter had been
referred, at which they expressed the most unequivocal satisfaction, anticipating
the certain termination of all further difficulty as a necessary result , and
apparently the removal of the Taoutae suggested itself to their minds, as a
further subject of congratulation.
An hour previously I had given the same information to the Taoutae
(No. 10), who replied on the 24th (No. 11), agreeing that it was necessary to
at patiently the results of my communication to the Governor -General, and
tempting to persuade me that all the vessels and boats daily proceeding
down the river with grain formed no portion of that which was destined for
Peking.
I learn that the Nea-tae , or Provincial Judge, has arrived from Soo -chow
at Tsing -poo, and he reports that he has actually apprehended two of the chief
offenders , while the Canton merchant, known as Sam - qua, has made his
appearance here, and tells me he has been sent in haste by the Lieutenant
Governor at Soo-chow, to assure me that the Lieutenant -Governor regards with
great displeasure the Taoutae’s conduct in the recent affair, and to invite
me, in communication with the Nea- tae, to devise some equitable mode of
adjustment.
As Sam -qua is not accredited by any letter or document addressed to me
from the Lieutenant-Governor, I can only consider him , notwithstanding his
purchased official rank, as unauthorized to enter into any official communication.
His object appears to be to obtain the sailing of the grain junks, upon the
production of two offenders, under guarantee of the Provincial Judge, that the
remainder shall be seized within a given time, while he also affirms that as soon
as the affair has ceased to attract so much attention, the Taoutae will be
removed .
For such a termination I am prepared to treat, as probable the best attain
able, and if even two of the real offenders can be identified and punished, the
object I had in view, when I first insisted upon redress, will have been accom
plished. An example of the serious consequences of injury to British subjects,
with refusal of redress will have been made, which, taking into consideration all
the attendant circumstances, must, I am satisfied, have the best effect, both at
Shanghae, and in the country.
The bulk of the people, as I have previously stated, are peaceably enough
disposed while the fear of consequ nces is over them : but it was necessary to
prove to the ill-disposed among them , and to the junk population more espe
cially, that no difficulty would be allowed to stand in the way of redress for such
an outrage as British subjects had suffered in this instance, and that even if the
local authorities were disposed to hold back , means would be found, through
their own superior officers, of enforcing more rigorous measures.
I see much reason to believe that this will be attained without injurious
collision or loss, either to the foreign community or the Chinese at this port,
 130


and, in that case, I am sanguine in the hope that permanent benefit may be
the result.
I have, &c.
(Signed) RUTHERFORD ALCOCK.


Inclosure 2 in No. 54 .

Notification .
( Translation .)
ALCOCK, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, notifies the following to all the
owners of rice junks now at anchor in the Hwang - poo, and others, for their full
information .
Three British subjects were lately murderously attacked and plundered at
Tsing-poo by a number of grain junk men ; the authorities have delayed from day
to day, merely looking idly around them , neither prosecuting nor adjusting the
matter according to the laws, I , the Consul, am , therefore, obliged to compel
them to afford redress, and, therefore, none of the above vessels can leave the
port with rice until the affair has been satisfactorily arranged.
But as I would not wish that any injury be intlicted upon the good people,
I first make this known by notification . From the date of this notice let none
of you, junk owners, or others, move your vessels. Should you offer any opposi
tion, then the vessel of war of my nation, now in the river, will open her great
guns , and you will be involved in misery of your own seeking. Say not that I
gave you not timely notice.
A special notification .
Dated 14th day of the 2nd month of the Woo -shin year. (March 18, 1848.)

Inclosure 3 in No. 54.

Consul Alcock to the Governor- General of Nanking.
ALCOCK , Consul, & c . , makes this statement :
On the Sth instant three British subjects, Mr. Medhurst, Mr. Lockhart,
and Mr. Muirhead, Missionaries of the English nation, were on an excursion to
Tsing-poo , within the limits assigned at this port, and while peaceably distri
buting their tracts to those who desired to have them , were assailed with stones,
and pressed upon by some grain junk men . Seeing that these men were
disposed to seek some pretext for creating a disturbance , my countrymen, very
properly, determined on immediately leaving the city, that no injury might arise
to any one ; and, being able to speak the language, they remonstrated with the
men, and were allowed to pass through the crowd, and out of the city, without
molestation,
When on their way to the boat by the side of the canal, they heard behind
a number of men shouting, and on turning saw some twenty or thirty grain junk
men armed with swords, chains, clubs, hoes, &c . , who, as they approached,
threatened with furious gestures to kill them .
My countrymen being but three in number, and, moreover, peaceable and
inoffensive, desiring above all things to avoid violence to themselves or others,
seeing these men too excited to listen to reason, ran for their lives in the hope
of regaining their boat.
This was soon found to be impossible , and they accordingly stood still ;
and, when their pursuers came up, it was found that they were another set of
grain junk men, and not those with whom they had remonstrated in the city.
They were asked why they thus pursued and threatened peaceable foreigners,
and were answered that one of the grain junk men had been killed in the city,
and they would now kill the foreigners.
With no better pretext than this miserable falsehood, the ruffians fell upon
my countrymen with all their weapons, felled them to the ground, wounding two
of them in the head, and severely injuring all, without regard to the white hairs
of the most aged of the party, whom they beat, kicked, and trampled on with
 131


the greatest barbarity. Not a blow was struck by the British ; and in return
for all the ill -treatment they received, believing their lives would be taken with
the same atrocity as had been displayed at Canton so recently, they merely
endeavoured, by entreaty and remonstrance, to soften the hearts of their
assailants. One man several times, armed with a sword, attempted to drag
Mr. Lockhart down, threatening to cut off his head ; but, fortunately, Mr. Lockhart
struggled, and kept his feet.
When they had been completely crippled, and disabled from offering, if
they had desired, the slightest resistance, they were plundered of watches,
spectacles, and whatever they had about them, including part of their clothes ;
and when nothing more was to be obtained, the junk men consulted whether
they should kill them on the spot, or take them to the grain junks on the other
side of the city, and there hold them prisoners for a large ransom .
As Mr. Medhurst and Mr. Lockhart understood their language, all this
was clearly heard.
The majority appeared to decide on taking them to the grain junks, and
when on their way, and near to the city, some of the Che-heen's men mingled
with them ; and when the party arrived at a bridge leading to the eity gate, a
difference of opinion existing among the grain junk men whether their prisoners
should be taken through the city, or round on the outside, the latter, aided by
the police runners, and surrounded by a number of peaceable citizens, managed
to escape to the other side, and so entered the city. They were taken through
the streets, covered with blood, their clothes rent, and their bodies covered with
contusions. They were seen in this pitiable state by thousands of the well
disposed inhabitants, who could not help expressing sympathy and sorrow for
those who had suffered such unprovoked violence.
On arriving at the Che -heen's, that officer received them with civility,
promised immediately to have the guilty parties apprehended, and the stolen
property restored ; and after they had somewhat recovered, he sent them to
their boat, and on to Shanghae, with an escort, where they arrived, and aid
their complaint before me, with all the evidence of the murderous nature of the
attack .
After careful examination, it is quite certain that the only shadow of
provocation for any angry feeling was a slight scratch oa the face, received from
the end of Mr. Lockhart's stick, who with his back to the crowd, in stretching
out his arms trying thus peaceably to prevent the crowd of junk men, who were
pressing forward and hustling him , froin injuring his more aged companion in
front, inadvertently grazed the cheek of a sailor.
But the party who attacked were not even the same men, and nothing can
be more certain than the fact that these ruffians, without any plea or pretext
whatever, determined to fall upon the defenceless foreigners for the purpose of
either plundering or murdering them , or both .
Before the officers returned to Tsing -poo on the 9th instant, I saw his
Excellency the Taoutae, and bringing before him the enormity of the crime
committed, and the certain insecurity to British life that must result, if so
grievous an outrage, seen by thousands, were allowed to pass without full and
immediate redress, I urged the necessity of the most prompt and vigorous
measures being taken to seize a few of the principal offenders without delay,
that they might be brought here to be identified, and afterwards punished
according to law.
It is now twelve days since the outrage was committed, and not one of
these criminals have been seized.
Perceiving that redress was not afforded, that all my remonstrances failed
in procuring the seizure of the offenders, I called upon his Excellency the
Taoutae on the 13th instant ( the 5th day after the occurrence ), pointed out to
him that delay, under such circumstances, could only be looked upon as a
denial of justice, and was not only calculated to exercise the most disastrous
influence upon our relations at this port, but directly to compromise both life
and property. Finding that really nothing had, up to that time, been effected,
I reluctantly notified the necessity I was under of stopping the payment of all
duties on British ships, and the sailing of the grain junks, until ten of the chief
offenders had been seized and brought down to Shanghae.
His Excellency the Taoutae has pleaded his inability to comply with my
requests within any definite or reasonable period . But this ple of inability,
 132


becomes, in fact, a plea of irresponsibility for anyinjury or outrage that may be
offered a British subject, and were it once allowed, would invalidate the Treaty.
I, therefore, in accordance with the 4th Clause of the American Treaty, to the
privileges of which we are entitled, address myself direct to your Excellency
and claim that redress at your hands, which cannot be obtained from the local
authorities.
It will be very evident to your Excellency, that without the efficient
protection of the Chinese authorities , no foreigners can enjoy that security for
life and property, and freedom from molestation, solemnly guaranteed by the
Emperor of China to all British subjects within his dominions, by the Treaty
of Nanking, not less clear is it that when criminals who put life and property
in peril by brutal outrage, as in this instance, in open day and the vicinity of a
populous city, are not promptly seized and punished, there is in fact no
protection, and the most important provisions of the Treaty are violated.
It is impossible that Her Britannic Majesty should permit the lives of her
subjects, wherever they are permitted by Treaty to reside, to be thus perilled,
without protection or redress being offered by the Chinese authorities, and to
avert the consequences of a continued denial of justice at this port, I have to
request that your Excellency will be pleased , without delay, to appoint and
dispatch a delegate of rank, authorized to institute the necessary inquiries on
the spot, and to take the most rigorous and effective measures at once to seize
the ringleaders in this murderous outrage.
It is of course my duty to report the whole of the circumstances to Her
Majesty's Plenipotentiary, and request his Excellency's instructions, but as
considerable time must elapse before these can be received, or any steps can be
taken here, in consequence of communication with the Imperial Commissioner
at Canton, I have deemed it imperative to prevent, if possible, the bad effects
of any further delay, by sending this statement to the chief authority of the
Province .
Her Majesty's Vice -Consul Robertson, second officer at this port, is the
bearer of this statement to your Excellency, to whom he is directed to deliver
it in person, and he is accompanied by the interpreter Parkes, that he may
afford any further information your Excellency may desire. He is fully cognizant
of all the circumstances. For the better attainment of this object, I also send
the whole of the correspondence between his Excellency the Taoutae and
myself , and I trust that your Excellency will see the absolute necessity for
quickly complying with my request, that a great wrong in the violation of our
Treaty Rights may be redressed , and the great scheme of commercial inter
course , and the maintenance of friendly relations, between the two countries
ensured .
Her Majesty's Vice -Consul will wait with the ship of war, that he may
bring me back information of the departure of the officer I have requested
might be sent, and your Excellency's answer to this important statement.

Inclosure 4 in No. 54 .

Consul Alcock to Commander Pitman .

Sir, Shanghae, March 19, 1848.
SIX days have now elapsed since I notified to his Excellency the Taoutae
my determination to stop the payment of duties on British ships, and the
sailing of the fleet of Government grain junks now in the river (amounting to
more than a thousand in number), and further to adopt whatever means might
be in my power to compel prompt redress for the grievous outrage offered to
British subjects six days previous to such notification. Nevertheless the chief
offenders, demanded on the 9th instant, the day after the attack took place, have
not yet been seized .
The Taoutae, who has been with me this morning, with a view to induce
me to take off the embargo on the grain junks, gives me no reasonable ground
to hope that the criminals willshortly or certainly be seized. On the contrary,
if any credence is to be attached to the statements of the local authorities,
they have been allowed to escape from Tsing - poo, necessitating, I fear, both a
 133


long and doubtful pursuit ; whether effective measures have even now been
taken to insure their ultimate apprehension is at the best uncertain, and yet
I have abundant evidence that the obstructive measures adopted, have greatly
alarmed the Taoutae , and that he at last sees and feels Her Majesty's Consul
has, at this moment, both the power and the will to involve him in the most
serious difficulties.
There is a very general impression among the Chinese, that in the first
instance the chief parties implicated, or a few of them might have been seized —
whatever difficulty may now be experienced is to be attributed to the dilatory
proceedings of all the local authorities, immediately after the occurrence of the
outrage. Having maturely weighed all the circumstances, and the unsatisfactory