The Russian Government Fitted
Out Two Ships For Him, And He Safely Arrived At Canton, Where He Disposed
Of Their Cargoes.
When it became known at Pekin that a new race of
foreigners had presented themselves at Canton, a special
Edict was issued
ordering that "all vessels belonging to any other nation than those which
have been in the habit of visiting this port shall on no account whatever
be permitted to trade, but merely suffered to remain in port until every
circumstance is reported to us and our pleasure made known." Thus in its
first attempt to add to its possession of a land trade, via Kiachta and
the Mongol steppe, a share in the sea trade with Canton, Russia
experienced a rude and discouraging rebuff.
The unsatisfactory state of our relations with the Chinese government,
which was brought home to the British authorities by the difficulty our
ships of war experienced in obtaining water and other necessary supplies
on the China coast, which had generally to be obtained by force, led to
the decision that another embassy should be sent to Pekin, for the purpose
of effecting a better understanding.
Lord Amherst, who was specially selected for the mission on account of his
diplomatic experience, reached the mouth of the Peiho in August, 1816.
When the embassy reached Pekin, the Emperor Kiaking's curiosity to see the
foreigners overcame his political resolutions, and with the natural
resolve of an irresponsible despot to gratify his wish without regard to
the convenience of others, he determined to see them at once, and ordered
that Lord Amherst and his companions should be brought forthwith into his
presence. This sudden decision was most disconcerting to his own
ministers, who had practically decided that no audience should be granted
unless Lord Amherst performed the kotow, and especially to his brother-in-
law Ho Koong Yay, who, at the emperor's repeated wish to see the English
representatives, was compelled to abandon his own schemes and to remove
all restrictions to the audience. The firmness of Lord Amherst was
unexpected and misunderstood. Ho Koong Yay repeated his invitation several
times, and even resorted to entreaty; but when the Chinese found that
nothing was to be gained they changed their tone, and the infuriated
Kiaking ordered that the embassador and his suite should not be allowed to
remain at Pekin, and that they should be sent back to the coast at once.
Thus ignominiously ended the Amherst mission, which was summarily
dismissed, and hurried back to the coast in a highly-inconvenient and
inglorious manner. In a letter to the Prince Regent, Kiaking suggested
that it would not be necessary for the British government to send another
embassy to China. He took some personal satisfaction out of his
disappointment by depriving Ho Koong Yay of all his offices, and mulcting
him in five years of his pay as an imperial duke. The cause of his
disgrace was expressly stated to be the mismanagement of the relations
with the English embassador and the suppression of material facts from the
emperor's knowledge.
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