The Knowledge Of This
Fact Undoubtedly Created A Certain Amount Of Curiosity In The Mind Of Keen
Lung, And When He Heard That The King Of England Contemplated Sending An
Embassy To His Court He Gave Every Encouragement To The Suggestion, And
Promised It A Welcome And Honorable Reception.
Permission was given it to
proceed to Pekin, and thus was a commencement made in the long story of
diplomatic relations between England and China, which have at length
acquired a cordial character.
As great importance was attached to this
embassy, every care was bestowed on fitting it out in a worthy manner.
Colonel Cathcart was selected as the envoy, but died on the eve of his
departure, and a successor was found in the person of Lord Macartney, a
nobleman of considerable attainments, who had been Governor of Madras two
years before. Sir George Staunton, one of the few English sinologues, was
appointed secretary, and several interpreters were sought for and
obtained, not without difficulty. The presents were many and valuable,
chosen with the double object of gratifying the emperor and impressing him
with the wealth and magnificence of the English sovereign. In September,
1792 - the same month that witnessed the overthrow of the Goorkhas at
Nayakot - the embassy sailed from Portsmouth, but it did not reach the
Peiho, on which Pekin is inaccurately said to stand, until the following
August.
An honorable and exceedingly gratifying reception awaited it. The
embassador and his suite, on landing from the man-of-war, were conducted
with all ceremony and courtesy up the Peiho to Tientsin, where they
received what was called the unusual honor of a military salute. Visits
were exchanged with the Viceroy of Pechihli and some of the other high
officials, and news came down from Pekin that "the emperor had shown some
marks of great satisfaction at the news of the arrival of the English
embassador." Keen Lung happened to be residing at his summer palace at
Jehol beyond the Wall, but he sent peremptory instructions that there was
to be no delay in sending the English up to Pekin. Up to this point all
had gone well, but the anti-foreign party began to raise obstructions,
and, headed by Sund Fo, the conqueror of the Goorkhas, to advise the
emperor not to receive the embassador, and to reject all his propositions.
Whether to strengthen his case, or because he believed it to be the fact,
Sund Fo declared that the English had helped "the Goorkha robbers," and
that he had found among them "men with hats," _i.e._, Europeans, as well
as "men with turbans." As Sund Fo was the hero of the day, and also the
viceroy of the Canton province, his views carried great weight, and
they were also of unfavorable omen for the future of foreign relations.
But for this occasion the inquisitiveness of the aged emperor prevailed
over the views of the majority in his council and also over popular
prejudice. When the embassy had been detained some time at Pekin, and
after it looked as if a period of vexatious delay was to herald the
discomfiture of the mission, such positive orders were sent by Keen Lung
for the embassy to proceed to Jehol that no one dared to disobey him.
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