The Withdrawal Of The Monopoly Was
Dictated Solely By English, And Not Chinese, Considerations.
Far from
facilitating trade with the Chinese, it tended to hinder and prevent its
developing; for the Chinese officials
Had no objection to foreigners
coming to Canton, and buying or selling articles of commerce, so long as
they derived personal profit from the trade, and so long as the laws of
the empire were not disputed or violated. The servants of the East India
Company were content to adapt themselves to this view, and they might have
carried on relations with the Hong merchants for an indefinite period, and
without any more serious collision than occasional interruptions. Had the
monopoly been renewed things would have been left in precisely the same
position as when intercourse was first established, and trade might have
continued within its old restricted limits. But the abolition of the
monopoly and the opening of the trade created quite a new situation, and
by intensifying the opposition of the Chinese government, paved the way to
the only practicable solution of the question of foreign intercourse with
China, which was that, however reluctantly she should consent to take her
place in the family of nations.
The Chinese were not left long in doubt as to the significance of this
change. In December, 1833, a royal commission was issued appointing Lord
Napier chief superintendent of trade with China, and two assistants under
him, of whom one was Sir John Davis. The Chinese had to some extent
contributed to this appointment, the Hoppo at Canton having written that
"in case of the dissolution of the Company it was incumbent on the British
government to appoint a chief to come to Canton for the general management
of commercial dealings, and to prevent affairs from going to confusion."
But in this message the Hoppo seems to have expressed his own view rather
than that of the Pekin government or the Canton viceroy; and certainly
none of the Chinese were prepared to find substituted for "a chief of
commercial dealings" an important commissioner clothed with all the
authority of the British ruler. How very different was the idea formed of
this functionary by the Chinese and English may be gathered from their
official views of his work. What the Chinese thought has been told in the
words of the Hoppo. Lord Palmerston was more precise from his point of
view. His instruction to Lord Napier read, "Your lordship will announce
your arrival at Canton by letter to the viceroy. In addition to the duty
of protecting and fostering the trade at Canton, it will be one of your
principal objects to ascertain whether it may not be practicable to extend
that trade to other parts of the Chinese dominions. It is obvious that,
with a view to the attainment of this object, the establishment of direct
communication with the imperial court at Pekin would be most desirable."
The two points of radical disagreement between these views were that the
Chinese wished to deal with an official who thought exclusively of trade,
whereas Lord Napier's task was not less diplomatic than commercial; and,
secondly, that they expected him to carry on his business with the Hoppo,
as the Company's agents had done, while Lord Napier was specially
instructed to communicate with the viceroy, whom those agents had never
dared to approach.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 182 of 366
Words from 94431 to 94991
of 191255
