that time, although that amount was at last procured, for
vessels were sent to a distance even to seek for it, and
to purchase it for Captain Elliot. Some of it was lying
at Manilla, whence it was brought over for the purpose ;
and there was not much doubt that Lin would have been
quite as well content with an agreement to deliver five
thousand chests, or, at all events, ten thousand, as he was
with that of twenty thousand chests. But Elliot himself
seems to have been almost as great an enemy to the
drug as the Commissioner was, and it must have awa
kened no small feeling of pride in the mind of the latter
to reflect that he had been more than successful in the
204 TREACHERY OF LIN .
accomplishment of all his plans, for that Captain Elliot
himself had contributed to forward his projects.
Yet all this appeared feebleness to Lin ; and, instead
of making him satisfied with the “ submission ” of the
foreigners, it only made him the more inclined to impose
fresh annoyances upon them . Lin was a bold man ;
and looked more to present success than future stabi
lity. Among his own party he at once became the
Hero, the Patriot, and the Wonder. But, couler heads,
and amongst them some of those who, like Keshen , had
acquired the habit of thinking before they acted, readily
discovered , at the bottom of all this cup of bitter vio
lence, the dregs which would produce perplexity and
danger. They seemed to feel that the British Lion could
not long be insulted with impunity.
But what did Lin himself do, as the next step of his
political delinquency ? He broke the very Agreement
he had just made : and, instead of allowing the pas
sage-boats to pass down to Macao, as usual, as soon as
one half of the stipulated number of chests had been
surrendered, as agreed, he selected the names of sixteen
gentlemen out of the whole community, and issued the
strictest orders against their departure ; and directed
that every one of the passage-boats should be examined,
to see if any of these gentlemen were on board, and to
prevent their escape. In short, it was very evident that
the Commissioner considered the lives, liberty, and pro
perty of foreigners entirely at his mercy, and that his
own agreements, though fully binding upon them, were
not longer so upon himself than might suit his conve
nience.
EXCI'I'EMENT AT CANTON . 205
Nevertheless, at this time the Commissioner would
seem to have had some misgivings about the posture of
affairs, and became at one time inclined to recommend
the “ obedient” foreigners to the notice of the Emperor, >
for the purpose of having some mark of favour con
ferred upon them . This was thought to point at some
kind of compensation for the value of the opium surren
dered, but nothing further was heard of it. He began
now to fear that England might yet avenge her cause ,
and he, therefore, hit upon some scheme of getting the
Hong merchants to pay off the value of the opium by
instalments. He began to feel that he had gone too
far; that he had acted contrary to his own agreement ;
and, had he been at this juncture warned with becoming
dignity of the ultimate consequences of his measures,
he would, probably, have paused in his mad career.
But he became perfectly intoxicated with success ; the
people shouted with joy, apparently at the delivery of
the opium, but really at the humiliation of the foreigner,
whom they had been sedulously taught at Canton to
look down upon with hatred . The excitement caused
by these occurrences continued for a considerable time ;
intercourse between one part of the community and
another, even in writing, became very difficult; and nu
merous ingenious contrivances were adopted for carrying
it on . A more anxious period for the merchants gene
rally can hardly be imagined in any country, or under
any combination of circumstances.
On the 21st of May, 1839, the last portion of the
stipulated quantity of twenty thousand two hundred and
eighty -three chests of opium was delivered up at the
206 DESTRUCTION OF THE OPIUM .
Bogue, where the rest of it was stored, awaiting the Im
perial pleasure. Many questions arose as to how it was
to be disposed of, but at last Lin himself hit upon the
clever expedient of destroying it by lime and oil, in pits
dug for the purpose, and then pouring the fluid com
pound into the sea. The process was a curious one, but
too protracted to be described here. Double guards
were placed to prevent any of the drug from being
stolen, and death was to be the punishment of every de
linquent. There were checks and spies in all directions,
and the process of destruction was carried on with great
parade. Nevertheless, it is believed that some of it
was purloined, both on shore and on its way from the
ships to the landing-place, where mandarin-boats and
war -junks were collected in great number, and , doubt
less, assisted each other in obtaining a small portion of
so precious an article.
As soon as possible after he had regained his liberty,
Captain Elliot sent intelligence of all these occurrences
to Bombay, (for the overland mail) by a fast sailing
vessel, hired expressly for the purpose, called the Ariel ;
and at the same time H. M. sloop Larne was despatched
to Calcutta, to report them to the governor-general of
India. Consequently, there was then not a single British
ship of war of any description in the Chinese waters,
for the protection of British life and property . Luckily,
the arrival soon afterwards of the American ships of
war, the Columbia and the John Adams, served to re
assure the drooping spirits of the whole foreign commu
nity.
Other acts of atrocity and bad faith had also been
DIFFICULTIES OF ELLIOT. 207
committed by the Chinese authorities ; but it is re
markable that Captain Elliot, whose personal courage
and natural ability have never been questioned, seems
to have entered no public protest, nor addressed any
strong remonstrance to the Commissioner, either upon
this subject, or upon that of his own imprisonment, or
rather confinement, at Canton. The probability was, that
he thought it useless to do so, unless he were prepared
to back his remonstrance by a demonstration of force.
Nevertheless, after the foreigners were released, he issued
a notice that all trade on the part of his countrymen
with the Chinese should be stopped, because, he added,
that ships could not enter the river for that purpose,
without great danger to life and property. And this
notice was repeated in still stronger terms after the
departure of the Larne ; for he declared that “ he saw
no prospect of such an arrangement of existing difficul
ties as to admit of British ships proceeding within the
Bocca Tigris, under the sanction of his authority, until
the opinion of her Majesty's government could be made
known to him ." And at a later period he thought it
necessary to warn all the merchants (dated the 29th of
July) “ that he had moved her Majesty's and the Indian
governments to forbid the admission of tea and other
produce from China into Great Britain and India, du
ring the existence of the preceding prohibition in Canton,
unless their manifests were signed in his presence.”
The stoppage of the trade by Captain Elliot irritated
Lin excessively. It was turning the tables against
himself, defeating him with his own weapons ; it sa
voured of presumption in his sight ; and, moreover, it
208 THE TABLES TURNED .
materially diminished his Revenue. It proved that,
however bombastic and ridiculous their professions of
indifference to the trade of foreigners might be, they
really stood very much in need of it themselves, and , in
fact, they felt the stoppage of it on our part quite as
much as we ever did on theirs . It made Lin actually
spiteful; he tried every art to induce the English to act
contrary to Elliot's orders ; and , subsequently, when he
went down to Macao to see with his own eyes what the
Portuguese were about, he went so far as to make it a
matter of accusation against Elliot that “ he had pre
vented the merchant ships of his country from entering
the port of Canton . ”
Such gross inconsistency, probably, was never before
>
presented to view in so short a period of time by any
public man. Lin was, in fact, completely at bay, and
he, moreover, had probably heard by this time that
more than one British man -of-war was expected. Never
theless, he by no means relaxed in his feelings of bitter
hostility ; he listened to every thing that was said or
written against the English and against opium ; he al
most frightened the Portuguese, who were all submis
sion at Macao, out of “ their propriety ;" he made them
expel all the English out of the town, (or, what is the
same thing, he threatened to attack the town if the
English remained in it ; ) and hemade them prohibit the
importation ofopium, which had formerly been permitted
upon payment of duty . The Portuguese, professing to
wash their hands of it for ever, found it in some re
spects (through fear) to their advantage to side with the
Chinese and decry the English1 ; when they actually con
Á STORM BREWING. 209
tinued to sell their opium (a great part of which they
had sent to Manilla) under the English flag, or else to
the English, or to the Americans, or to any body that
>
would buy it. To this day, the traffic is continued by
them in full vigour at the outer anchorages, and in the
Typa near Macao, although it is prohibited to be landed
at the town, under the eye of the authorities. Never
theless, a sufficient quantity of it is brought into the
town for local consumption.
Lin now appeared to have reached the pinnacle of his
power. He flattered himself that his schemes had been
all successful; his power appeared irresistible, because
no effectual opposition to it had yet been offered. The
more concessions were made to him, the more exacting
he became ; and , having got the English out of Macao,
and made the Portuguese very submissive to his will ,
he then assumed a very bland and condescending tone ;
and it has been said, though I know not with what
truth, that at length, when little else remained upon
which to expend the fertile expedients of his brain, he
began seriously to think of a scheme for getting posses
sion of the old forts at Macao by stratagem, and of
poisoning all the English at Hong Kong.
In the interim , it was very evident that a storm of a
new kind was brewing, which was likely soon to burst
upon his head. Moreover, all the attempts he had made
to control his own people failed ;; his executions, his
denunciations, and his moral lectures, were alike una
vailing. He gave the people a year, within which they
were to break off the habit by degrees, and to reform
their manners ;; and, at the end of that time, he vowed he
VOL . I. P
210 OPIUM TRIUMPHANT .
would execute every man amongst them that persisted
in it. In the mean time, he hit upon the last and
darling expedient of every Chinese statesman and philo
sopher, that of making men mutually responsible for
each other. Thus the whole people were to be divided
into tens, as they were elsewhere in the days of Alfred
the Great, and each one of the party was to be made
personally responsible for the good behaviour of all the
rest with whom he was associated .
Notwithstanding all these strong measures, urged
with all the sincerity of an enthusiast, they both failed
at the time, and have failed ever since to eradicate the
evil. The demand for the drug increased with the diffi,
culty of procuring it ; the indulgence became dearer
owing to the danger which attended it ; and, after all
that was said and done, opium continued to be sought
and enormously paid for. It was more generally used than
ever ; and even attention became directed to the culti
vation of the poppy on Chinese soil, when the difficulty
of procuring it from abroad became more urgent.
Lin rose into high favour, for a time, with the Impe
rial court, as might naturally be expected ; and he was
appointed Governor of the second province in the empire.
But long before the time came for him to remove to his
new post, his star began to wane, his difficulties in
creased, and ultimately his fall was as great as his rise
had been rapid.
For several months, as I have before stated, no
British ship of war was present in the Chinese waters.
It was during this interval, namely, in the month of July,
1839, that the great difficulty arose, which excited so
UNFORTUNATE AFFRAY . 211
much attention at the time, and has done so since, ari
sing out of the death of a Chinaman , by name Lin
Wiehe, at Hong Kong, during an affray with some
British merchant seamen. This event was eagerly taken
advantage of by the Commissioner, to attempt to enforce
certain claims against the foreigners. Without entering
into tedious details, many of which are already well
known, it will suffice to mention that the man's death
was really occasioned by a drunken row , at a village
near Hong Kong ; that the Commissioner, in accordance
with what had formerly been done on a similar occasion
at Canton, demanded the surrender of the murderer
to be tried by Chinese judges, and that Captain Elliot
denied the jurisdiction altogether ; but, at the same
time, he himself preferred an indictment for murder
against a seaman , before a British Grand - Jury at Hong
Kong, who ignored the bill. But several men were ulti
mately found guilty of an assault only, and it appeared
that one party was just as much to blame as the other.
The Commissioner then grew more angry than ever :
he caused the few English who still remained at Macao
to be still further persecuted ; and it was only through the
friendly assistance of individual Portuguese families that
they were enabled to obtain their daily food. The result
was, that the whole British community left the place,
1 It is remarkable that Captain Elliot, in his address to the Grand
Jury, laid great stress upon this claim of the Chinese to try foreigners by
their law , as being one of the principal causes of existing difficulties.
His words were : “ Our intercourse is at present interrupted, I may say
chiefly, if not entirely, because it is impossible to consent to the preten
sions of the Chinese government to judge her Majesty's subjects by their
forms of judicature, for offences declared to be capital."
P 2
212 ARRIVAL OF THE VOLAGE .
together with Captain Elliot, and went to live on board
the different merchant ships in harbour.
Things could not remain long in such a state of em
barrassment; and fortunately, on the 11th of September,
that is, about three months and a half after the Larne
had left those seas, the Volage, under Captain Smith,
arrived. That gallant officer immediately perceived that
active steps of some kind must be taken , and he accord
ingly issued a notice of blockade of the port of Canton,
upon the ground “ that the regular supplies of food had
been prohibited to her Majesty's subjects; that the Chi
nese people had been ordered to fire upon and seize
them wherever they went ; and that certain of her Ma
>
jesty's subjects had been actually cut off .”
The immediate effect of this measure was to bring
the Chinese in some measure to their senses ; their pro
clamations against Englishmen were withdrawn, provi
sions were no longer prohibited , and consequently Captain
Smith very properly withdrew his notice of blockade.
It is worth while to notice how much the presence of
a good English man -of-war, commanded by an able and
determined man, tended to bring back the Chinese
authorities to “ reason ,"
. Negociations were entered
into, and it was at length agreed that trade should be
resumed outside the port of Canton.
Yet, all on a sudden, even this arrangement was vio
lated by the Chinese ; and, on the 26th October, notice
was issued that they now required that ships should
enter within the port of Canton , that is, within the
Bocca Tigris. They repeated the demand for the mur
derer of Lin Wiehe to be given up ; and that a bond
ARRIVAL OF THE HYACINTH . 213
should be signed by all, agreeing to be tried by Chinese
officers for offences declared by them before trial to be
capital. If this mandate were not obeyed, the whole
of the foreign ships were to depart within three days,
under a threat of immediate destruction !
The whole fleet, therefore, was now recommended to
anchor in Tongkoo Bay or Urmston's Harbour, which
afterwards became the rendezvous of all the ships of
war, and was so, as before stated, when the Nemesis
reached China. These events, however, had occurred
long before that time.
It is not necessary here to enter into minute details ;
it will be sufficient for the full understanding of the
future operations to state, that difficulties continued to
increase on both sides, without much prospect of any
solution. The Hyacinth having now arrived, and joined
the Volage on the 29th October, these two vessels pro
ceeded with Captain Elliot to Chuenpee, some distance
below the Bogue, to endeavour to obtain from the Com
missioner some explicit declaration of his intentions.
On the 3rd of November they were attacked by the
Chinese Admiral with twenty -nine sail of war-junks,
which , of course, they soon beat off ; and thus occurred
the first direct hostile encounter between the armed
forces of the two nations. War became more than ever
inevitable. Yet, at the end of the following month,
these two ships of war were again compelled to proceed
to the Bogue, in consequence of the seizure of aa British
subject by the Chinese (not engaged in selling opium )
at the anchorage of Tongkoo Bay.
The blockade of the river and port of Canton was
214 THE PORTUGUESE GOVERNOR.
therefore renewed by Captain Smith on the 15th Janu
ary, 1840 ; but the gentleman who had been seized,
Mr. Gribble, was at once restored, and the blockade
was consequently raised .
Scarcely had this taken place, when down came to
Macao a new Chinese governor of that settlement, and
issued a positive edict for the immediate expulsion of
all the English. Captain Smith, with becoming spirit,
instantly ordered the Hyacinth, Captain Warren , to
proceed into the inner harbour for the protection of his
countrymen, which measure seemed to give great um
brage to the Portuguese governor, da Silveira Pinto ;
and ,, in consequence of his representations, she was with
drawn on the following morning.
Occasion was taken to make as much as possible out
of this occurrence , as if the Portuguese really possessed
some authority in the place beyond that over their own
countrymen, and very futile appeals were made to
treaties with the Chinese government. After all, the
utmost that could be said of it was, that if it was a
little deficient in courtesy towards the Portuguese
governor, the latter should have rather volunteered his
consent to it. Nevertheless, the energetic spirit which
it evinced undoubtedly tended to check the presumption
of the Chinese authorities, and thus far to give some
little security to British subjects. Captain Smith very
properly put it upon the ground of its strengthening the
Portuguese governor's hands, which in reality it did,
and which that functionary stood greatly in need of. At
the same time, Captain Smith very laudably expressed a
hope that “ the language in which his Excellency would
A SHAM FIGHT. 215
demand the immediate removal of the Chinese forces,
declaredly sent here to seize or destroy my countrymen
(to the deep insult of the Portuguese crown ), will be
not less stringent, and as successful in its operation, as
that in which your Excellency has been pleased to order
the withdrawal of the Hyacinth ."
During the whole of this time, preparations were
being made by the Chinese for future operations in
the Canton River ; fire-ships were prepared, guns col
lected, and troops exercised.
On the 24th March, 1840, the fine frigate the Druid,
commanded by Lord John Churchill, arrived off Macao,
and thence proceeded to Tongkoo Roads, a most wel
come reinforcement About this time also the Chinese
purchased the English merchant-ship the Cambridge,
intending to turn her into a man -of-war, and built some
strange-looking little schooners upon a European model,
with the view of employing them in some novel way
or other against the British ships.
It is said, that at one time Commissioner Lin got up
a sort of sham - fight at the Bogue, and dressed some of
the assailants in red clothes, in order to habituate the
defenders to the sight of the colour of the enemy's
costume. Of course, the red gentlemen were thoroughly
beaten in due course of time, and thereby the valour of
the Bogue protectors was supposed to be very materially
augmented .
Matters had now proceeded so far, that it was im
possible that any solution of the enigma could be arrived
at without speedy employment of force . The success
of their first measures, and the helpless condition in
>
216 ARRIVAL OF THE BRITISH FLEET.
which foreigners then found themselves, had emboldened
the Chinese beyond reason , and had fed their pre
sumption even till it burst with its own self -applause.
Lord John Churchill, who was now of course senior
officer, unhappily died, after a week’s illness, on the
3rd of June. Few days had elapsed before the Chinese
sent a number of fire -ships to endeavour to destroy the
English merchant-ships, collected at the anchorage of
Capsingmoon, but they proved a complete failure.
The British naval force now rapidly gained accession
to its strength. The tidings of the events at Canton
had spread to all parts of the world . Preparations had
immediately been commenced in England and elsewhere
for the coming contest. The Alligator, from New South
Wales, under Sir Gordon Bremer, arrived about this
time, as also did the Honourable Company's steamer
Madagascar, and likewise the Wellesley, 74, in which
Sir Gordon Bremer hoisted his broad pendant ; and on
the 28th of June, 1840, Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer
established a blockade of the port and river of Canton
and all its entrances, by command of her Majesty's
government. Ships of war now continued to arrive as
fast as possible ; the force in the Chinese waters was
considerable ; and, within two or three days after the
commencement of the blockade, the chief command was
assumed by Rear-Admiral the Honourable George
Elliot, who had just arrived in the Melville, 74 .
THE CANTON RIVER. 217
CHAPTER XII.
Canton river, description of, below the Bogue— “ Outer waters ” — Lintao
-Capsingmoon passage-Urmston's Bay— Force assembled in China
in 1840–Rewards offered for its destruction - Rear -Admiral Honour
able Sir G. Elliot and Captain Elliot joint-plenipotentiaries — Squadron
moves to the northward — Expedition to the Peiho - Hostility of the
authorities at Amoy — Refusal to receive Lord Palmerston's letter at
-
Ningpo - Blockade of the coast — First capture of Chusan - Plenipoten
tiaries at Tientsin — Answer from the Emperor - Keshen sent down to
supersede Lin - Truce at Chusan — Flag of truce fired at from Chuenpee
-Keshen's arrival at Canton — Sir Gordon Bremer becomes commander
-
in -chief - General review of occurrences in 1840 Threatened attack
upon the English at Macao — Decisive measures of Captain Smith
Attack on the barrier-Order in council Remarks on hostility of the
Chinese — Kidnapping - General alarm at our proceedings — Prepara
tions for hostilities on both sides — Nemesis at the Bogue — Description
of Chuenpee, and of the defences of the Bogue - Tiger Island.
It will be generally admitted by all who have seen
the Canton river, or, as the Chinese call it, Chookeang,
that, in point of size, depth, and picturesque character,
it is one of the finest navigable rivers in the world .
Merchant ships of the largest size, perhaps the proudest
which float, have navigated it for nearly two hundred
years, to within a distance of nine or ten miles from
Canton, with little difficulty, and very inconsiderable
218 THE CANTON RIVER .
danger. No foreign commerce with any one port has
been so valuable, so extensive, or carried on with so
much facility. The difficulties of our intercourse, which
have arisen within the last few years, have formed an
epoch in the world's history, and stand forth as a lead
ing beacon in the stream of time, pointing towards
greater eras yet to come. And, as they first began in
the Canton river, an unusual interest becomes imparted
to it .
An archipelago of numerous islands, most of them
rocky, and only partially productive, warns you of the
approach to this celebrated river. Strictly speaking,
only that portion of it above the Bocca Tigris has been
called the river ; while all below that point, even from
beyond Macao upwards (the latter lying at the distance
of from forty to fifty miles from the Bogue forts), has
been called the outer waters ; nevertheless, it ought pro
perly to be included within the precincts of the river
itself.
Since the questions connected with the opium-trade
have been brought so prominently forward , it has been
maintained by some, that the “ outer waters” ought not
properly to be considered within Chinese jurisdiction .
But this position would hardly seem to be tenable ; and
there can be no sound reason for maintaining that these
waters should not be considered as much, and even more,
within their jurisdiction as the sea-coast or river islands
of any part of Europe are within the jurisdiction of the
country to which they belong, to the distance of a cer
tain number of miles from the land itself. In reality,
the little peninsula of Macao on the west, and the island
THE CANTON RIVER. 219
of Lintao (not to be confounded with Lintin) on the
east, may be considered as the proper boundaries of the
entrance to the Canton River.
These points are about fifteen to twenty miles apart,
while between them lie several small islands, through
which are the two principal navigable passages (the
western and the Lintao passages) into the river itself.
But the island of Lintao, called Tyho by the Chinese, is
a long, narrow, mountainous piece of land, broken up
into numerous bays and projecting points, stretching
from south-west to north-east, separated at the latter
extremity from the mainland only about the distance
of a mile. The passage and anchorage between them is
called Capsingmoon, and is made use of occasionally
even by large vessels, which pass towards the river or
across from Macao towards the island of Hong Kong,
which lies off the mainland at about five or six miles
to the eastward of Lintao ,
The anchorage of Tongkoo Bay, towards which the
Nemesis was to proceed to rejoin the fleet, and which is
also known by the name of Urmston's Harbour, from
having been recommended by Sir James Urmston, for
merly President of the Company's factory at Canton, is
situated about six miles due north from Lintao, between
the little islands called Tongkoo and Sowchow, near
the mainland, as you proceed upwards within the outer
waters of the Canton River, along its eastern shores .
It was here that the fleet anchored in 1823, in conse
quence of some discussions with the Chinese, arising
i See map
220 LINTIN .
out of the affair of the Topaze frigate, which occurred
in the preceding year.'
About five miles distant from Tongkoo Bay, more
towards the centre of the river, and a little to the north
ward, is the small island of Lintin, terminating in aa very
remarkable, high, conical peak, which is a guide to all
vessels passing up or down. It has become famous as a
place of rendezvous for the opium vessels, particularly
within the last few years ; and a merchant brig, bearing
its name, has been recently sold to the Chinese as a
man -of-war, though old and not very serviceable . This
island must not be confounded with that of Lintao, be
fore alluded to, and from which it is about eight or nine
miles distant.
Having now got fairly into Tongkoo Bay with the
fleet, and feeling something of the interest and excite
ment which were awakened in the breasts of all who
were brought together in such a place and at such a
time, we will next proceed to recount a few of the re
markable events of the year 1840, reserving the descrip
tion of the other parts of the river for those portions of
the narrative with which they are connected.
Towards the end of July, 1840, the British force as
sembled in China had become considerable : comprising
no less than three line-of -battle ships, with a Rear
1
Some of the sailors of the Topaze were attacked and wounded on
shore by the Chinese ; and, in the scuffle, two Chinamen were killed.
Remonstrances followed on both sides ; and at length the Chinese de
manded that two Englishmen should be delivered up to them for punish
ment. This was refused, as might be expected ; upon which the Chinese
authorities stopped the trade, and the fleet of merchant ships withdrew
from Whampoa and came to anchor in Tongkoo roads, henceforth called
Urmston's Bay or Harbour.
NAVAL FORCE . 221
Admiral and a Commodore ; thirteen other ships of war,
of different kinds, and a large troop-ship ; together
with four armed steamers, belonging to the East India
Company. To these must be added twenty-seven trans
ports, having on board the 18th, 26th, and 49th regi
ments, a body of Bengal volunteers, and a corps of
Madras sappers and miners. The marines and seamen
were of course prepared to co -operate on shore. This
was undoubtedly a formidable force, especially when we
reflect that little more than a year had elapsed since
there was no armedforce whatever in the Chinese waters,
and the proud flag of England had ceased to wave even
upon the Factories.
The measures adopted by the governor-general of
India, when once the crisis had arrived, were sufficiently
energetic and decisive. The consequences of the rup
ture were now easily foreseen ; and the interest which
the state of our relations with China had begun to
awaken, both in England and in India, was daily be
coming more general.
On the first arrival of the large force mentioned
below , it did not appear to alarm Commissioner Lin ,
1
LIST OF NAVAL FORCES BELONGING TO H. B. MAJESTY IN CHINA ,
IN JULY AND AUGUST, 1840.
Melville, 74, ilag -ship, Rear- Conway, 28, C.D. Bethune,Esq .
Admiral the Hon . George Volage, 28, George Elliot, Esq.
Elliot, C. B .; Captain the Alligator, 28 , H. Kuper, Esq. HON . COMPANY'S ARMED
Hon . R. S. Dundas. Larne , 20, J. P. Blake, Esq . STEAMERS ,
Wellesley, 74, bearing the broad Hyacinth, 20, W. Warren , Esq .
pendant of Commodore Sir Modeste, 20, H. Eyres, Esq . Queen, Capt. Warden .
J. J. Gordon Bremer, C.B.; Pylades , 20, T. V. Anson, Esq . Madagascar, Capt . Dicey.
Captain Thomas Maitland. Nimrod, 20, C. A. Barlow , Esq . Atalauta, Capt . Rogers .
Blenheim, 74, Sir H. S. Fleming Cruiser, 18, H. W. Gifford , Esq. Enterprise, Capt . West.
Senhouse, K.C.B. Columbine, 18, T.J.Clarke ,Esq.
Druid, 44, H. Smith, Esq . Algerine, 10, T. S. Mosson, Esq .
Blonde, 44, F. Bonchier, Esq. Rattlesnake, troop -ship , Brodie .
222 EXPEDIENTS OF LIN .
and his obsequious satellite, Governor Tang, nearly so
much as might have been expected . On the contrary,
Lin continued to organize means of defence, to enlist
soldiers, and to arm his forts. It was, moreover, at
this moment that he hit upon his notable expedient of
offering immense rewards for the destruction, in any
manner whatever, of British ships, either men -of-war
or merchant vessels, and also for the capture or slaugh
ter of British officers. But the reward for taking them
alive was to be greater than for killing them. There was
also a reward for taking soldiers or merchants, but only
one fifth of the sum if they were killed . A reward was also
to be given for the capture of coloured people, soldiers,
or servants, although its amount was not mentioned .
These curious documents were circulated under the
seal of the imperial commissioner. But even this was
not enough for the restless mind of Lin ; he tried to
invent contrivances for boring holes in ships' bottoms,
and also for sawing their masts asunder.
All this followed after the declaration of blockade by
Sir Gordon Bremer, and after a public complaint had
been made by Captain Elliot against Lin and Tang,
various treacherous acts, such as attacking our vessels
at night (merchant vessels), poisoning the water, and
preventing supplies of food from being brought to the
factories, & c.
It was now very evident, that although no formal
declaration of war had been made on our part, it had
become impossible to avoid warlike operations on an
extended scale, and at no distant time.
Rear-Admiral Elliot had now been associated with
FIRST CAMPAIGN IN CHINA . 223
Captain Elliot in his diplomatic functions, and they
were nominated Joint-Plenipotentiaries for settling the
matters in dispute with the Emperor. That object
appeared little likely to be attained by wasting time in
negociations with irresponsible and overbearing public
officers at Canton ; it was, therefore, wisely resolved
to take advantage of the best season of the year while
it still lasted, and to proceed northward with the bulk of
the force, in order to bring the emperor and his minis
ters to their senses, by exciting alarm as near as possi
ble to the imperial capital. The Peiho river, therefore,
which commands one of the great channels of inter
course with the metropolis, and is connected with the
Grand Canal, through which all the wealth of China
flows to Pekin, was now avowedly the chief point to
which the expedition was to be directed.
This movement was by no means a mere demonstra
tion for the purpose of giving eclat to the conduct of the
negociations, but was in reality a hostile operation ; at
all events, it became so as it proceeded, and the results
of it may in reality be called the First Campaign in
China. It was commonly called the first “ China Expe
9
dition ;" but the appellation was afterwards changed to
the “ Eastern Expeditionary force,” which was also ap
plied to the second expedition, as will be afterwards seen .
A small force being left at the Bogue to maintain the
blockade, the bulk of the expedition, together with the
two Plenipotentiaries, sailed to the northward at the end
of June ; part of the force above mentioned did not
arrive until after the rest had sailed, but it soon fol
lowed the rest .
224 FIRST ENCOUNTER.
The first encounter with the Chinese took place at
Amoy, in the beginning of July, 1840.. The Blonde,
forty -four, Captain Bourchier, was sent into the harbour
of Amoy , to endeavour to hand over a letter from the
English naval commander-in -chief, addressed to the
>
“ Admiral of the Chinese nation .” This high officer was
not there, and the local mandarins refused to receive it,
and fired upon a boat which was sent to the beach bear
ing a flag of truce at the bow, and conveying Mr. Thom,
as interpreter, for the purpose of delivering the letter
to the mandarins, for transmission to the Chinese Admi
ral. The officers and crew of the boat had a narrow
escape, for, besides being received with every possible
indignity, the boat was fired at and struck, while pre
parations were evidently being made for an attack upon
the frigate itself. Indeed, nothing could possibly be
more hostile and insulting than the conduct of the Chi
nese officers, who met Mr. Thom at the landing-place.
They showed some inclination even to seize the boat in
which he came, and declared they neither feared him
nor the ship either.
The result of their hostile bearing and of the attack
on the boat was, that the guns of the Blonde were di
rected with terrific effect upon the Chinese batteries and
the war-junks, immediately the boat reached the frigate.
By this fire great damage was done, and the Chinese
troops, who had assembled on the beach, were dispersed
in all directions. Having inflicted this merited chas
tisement, as an example to the Chinese, the Blonde
again set sail to join the main body of the force, in
order to report the circumstances to the Admiral.
LORD PALMERSTON'S LETTER . 225
On the 5th of July, the town of Tinghai, the capital
>
of the island of Chusan, the principal of the group of
islands bearing that name, fell to her Majesty's arms
after a very slight resistance. But as this and other
operations to the northward, during this brief season ,
have been well described by Lord Jocelyn, it will be suffi
cient merely to allude to them in a cursory way ; parti
cularly as they were of minor importance compared
with subsequent events.
The failure of the attempt to deliver aa letter from
Lord Palmerston to some of the authorities at Ningpo,
to be transmitted to the cabinet at Pekin, became a
matter of serious importance, after what had taken place
at Amoy, and, in consequence, a blockade of the coast
was established from Ningpo to the mouth of the
Yangtze River, the most frequented and most commer
cial part of the whole sea board of China.
Nothing was more likely to make a deep impression
upon the Chinese government than the stoppage of this
valuable trade, upon which the daily sustenance of a
large part of the population of the interior actually
depended . The ultimate conclusion of peace, which
was brought about by the more active prosecution of
these very measures, will be sufficient to prove their
wisdom at that time ; and it is due to Captain Elliot to
mention, that the blockade of the Yangtze river was at
all times one of his most favourite projects.
About the middle of August, the bulk of the squadron
arrived off the mouth of the Peiho, below Tientsin ,
having been preceded two or three days hy Captain
VOL . I. Q
226 KESHEN AND LIN .
Elliot, on board the Madagascar steamer. Lord Pal
merston's communication was there at length received,
by an officer deputed for that purpose by Keshen, the
governor of the province, and was forwarded to the
emperor. Subsequently, a conference was held on shore
between Keshen and Captain Elliot ; and, whatever the
results may otherwise have been, it is well known that
the plenipotentiaries were persuaded, by the ingenuity of
Keshen, that the future negociations could be conducted
with more satisfaction at Canton (provided a new com
missioner were sent down from Pekin for that express
purpose ), than within a hundred miles of the emperor's
palace.
In the mean time, however, while an answer was ex
pected from the emperor to the communication addressed
to his ministers by Lord Palmerston , the principal part
of the squadron, which had come up to the Peiho,
sailed further northward, up the gulf of Petchelee, to
the great wall of China, which has so long been classed
among the wonders of the world . The effect of the
emperor's answer , and of the negociations with Keshen,
was, that this squadron withdrew from the neighbour
hood of the capital; and Keshen himself was appointed
Imperial Commissioner, to proceed at once to Canton ,
to open negociations with the plenipotentiaries. He was
to supersede Lin , whose course seemed almost run , and
who was ordered to Pekin in haste, to answer for his
conduct. Nevertheless, he was subsequently allowed to
remain as viceroy, or governor, at Canton, but never
succeeded in obtaining the higher government which
1 She was afterwards accidentally destroyed by fire.
DOWNFALL OF LIN . 227
had been previously promised to him elsewhere, in the
heyday of his favour.
A curious bombastic edict was now issued by the em
peror, declaring how the “ rumbling thunders ” of the
guns of Chapoo and other places on the coast had beaten
off the foreign ships, and “ had greatly dampened their
ardour,” and that therefore the poor barbarians deserved
>
a little extension of “ imperial favour."
This was an ingenious device which his majesty adopted ,
in order to get rid of the English from his own neigh
bourhood, by persuading them to go and discuss the
matters in dispute one thousand five hundred miles off,
with a commissioner to be sent down there for the
purpose.
As for poor Commissioner Lin, he was declared , in his
majesty's anger, to be of no use at all except to cause
the “waves of confusion to rise ;; " that he was just like
a “ stupid fellow with his arms tied ;" and,as a finishing
>
touch to the portrait, that he was in reality “ no better
than a wooden image.” Alas for the mighty Lin ! the
dear friend at whose departure the emperor had before
shed tears !
By the end of September, the squadron had returned
to Chusan from the Peiho. A truce was about this time
announced and published at Chusan! ; and a common
impression prevailed that a general armistice had been
concluded at Tientsen with Keshen, pending the result
of the negociations to be carried on at Canton . This,
however, was soon found to be erroneous ; for, in a letter
a
addressed to the merchants by Admiral Elliot in Tongkoo
Bay, on the 26th November, (the very day after the
Q 2
028 FLAG OF TRUCE FIRED AT.
Nemesis had reported her arrival to the admiral) it was
publicly declared that “ the truce had been only entered
into with Elepoo, the governor-general of that province,
[Chekeang] and did not extend further.” It must, how
ever, have included the port of Ningpo, and other parts
of the coast of the mainland, within the limits of the go
vernor's authority.
The plenipotentiaries, Captain Elliot and the Ho
nourable George Elliot, returned to Macao on the 20th
November. It was on the following day that The Queen
steamer was fired at and hit, as she passed the Chuenpee
fort with a flag of truce. She had orders to proceed up to
the Bogue, to deliver a letter which had been entrusted
to her captain from “ Elepoo,” ( probably concerning the
truce he had concluded) addressed to the Imperial Com
missioner Keshen at Canton . In return for this attack,
she threw a few shells and heavy shot into the fort, and
went back to Tongkoo Bay re infecta. This was the
second time a flag of truce had been fired at, although
the Chinese perfectly understood the peaceful purpose
which it denoted . The despatch , however, was forwarded
the same evening to Keshen at Canton, through the sub
prefect of Macao, into whose hands it was delivered by
Captain Elliot. It was also reported that the com
mandant at Chuenpee sent up some of The Queen's heavy
shot, which had lodged in the fort, as a present to the
authorities at Canton , probably to shew how brave he
had been to withstand such weighty missiles. He did
not lose the opportunity to claim a victory for having
driven her off !
A heavy force was by this time collected at the mouth
ILLNESS OF ADMIRAL ELLIOT . 229
of the Canton River, reinforced as it had been by the
arrival of the Calliope and Samarang, and also of the
Nemesis, and by the addition of a fresh regiment, the
37th Madras native infantry.
Keshen arrived at Canton on the 29th November, and
sent an official notification to that effect to the plenipo
tentiaries ; and it is remarkable that, almost at the same
moment, Admiral Elliot was compelled to resign the
command of the fleet, and also his duties as Joint-ple
nipotentiary, through sudden and severe illness. A few
days afterwards he embarked for England in the Volage,
leaving Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer as commander
in -chief, and Captain Elliot for the time as again the
sole Plenipotentiary. Captain Elliot seems to have felt
the loss of his relation's assistance very sensibly, but
declared that he “ had been trained in too long a course
of anxiety and trial in that country, and reposed too
steady a confidence in the assistance of every kind by
which he was surrounded, to lose heart under the weight
of this serious aggravation of his responsibility, and of
this heavy personal blow ; ” and added , “ that he had a
firm reliance on the plain good sense and manly co-ope
ration of all classes of her Majesty's subjects.”
In order to render complete the general sketch of
passing events to the close of 1840, I must not omit to
mention the gallant affair at Macao under Captain Smith,
of the Volage, which happened in the month of August,
at the period when the main body of the expedition was
engaged in the operations to the northward , already
alluded to. It will be remembered that Captain Smith
had once before thought it necessary to sail into the
230 THREATENED ATTACK .
Inner Harbour, for the protection of British subjects,
but had retired upon a representation being made to
him by the Portuguese governor .
In the month of August, however, strange rumours
of a rather threatening character began to prevail, but
not of a very definite kind. One of the principal Chi
nese officers of Macao had been absent for some time at
Canton, and, on his return , accompanied, or rather fol
lowed, by a body of troops, it became very evident that
some hostile measure was in contemplation. A number
of war- junks were likewise collected in the Inner Har
bour, having troops on board . A considerable body of
men were also encamped upon the narrow neck of land
which separates Macao from the mainland, and across
which there is a so-called Barrier, which forms the line
of demarkation, beyond which the Portuguese have no
jurisdiction .
This Barrier is composed of aa wall, with parapets and
a ditch running across the isthmus, and having a gate
way,, with a guard-house over it, in the centre. Beyond
the Barrier the Chinese had very recently thrown up a
flanking field -work, mounting about twelve guns, with
a view of protecting the rear of the Barrier from the
attack of an enemy attempting to land in boats. The
war- junks were also placed so close in shore, in the Inner
Harbour, as to be able to protect the barrier on that
side.
These movements were quite sufficient to prove that
some attack was actually contemplated upon Macao
itself, and the result of it, if successful, cannot be
thought of without horror. But the promptitude and
GALLANT AFFAIR AT MACAO . 231
energy of Captain Smith anticipated the designs of the
Chinese, and , by a most decisive and admirably combined
movement, he soon scattered the whole Chinese forces
like chaff before the wind . Taking with him the Larne
and Hyacinth, with the Enterprise steamer and the
Louisa cutter, he sailed boldly up towards the Barrier,
and ran in as close as the shallowness of the water would
permit. He then opened a spirited fire upon the whole
of the Chinese works and barracks, which the Chinese
returned . Their soldiers were seen mustering from dif
ferent points, for the defence of the position .
In the course of an hour, the firing of the Chinese
was almost silenced ; and then a single gun was landed
upon the beach, which raked the Chinese position, while
a small body of marines, under Lieutenant Maxwell,
with some small-arm men from the Druid, under Lieu
tenant Goldsmith, and about two companies of Bengal
volunteers, under Captain Mee, altogether about three
hundred and eighty men, landed, and drove the Chinese,
with considerable loss, from every one of their positions.
On the British side, four men only were wounded. The
Chinese guns were spiked, but none were carried away ,
and the whole of their troops were dispersed, nor did
they afterwards approach the barrier, except to carry
off the spiked guns. The barracks and other buildings
were burned ; and all our men having re-embarked late
in the evening, the vessels returned to their former an
chorage in Macao roads.
Seldom has a more signal service been rendered in so
short a space of time, than this well- timed and energetic
measure adopted by Captain Smith.
232 ORDER IN COUNCIL .
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