the year 1814, to be mixed up with discussions in which the select committee were involved with the local government, partly in consequence of the proceedings of his Majesty's ship Doris, which was then exercising a very active blockade against the American merchantmen in the Canton river. In the month of April, the Doris being on a cruise near Macao, captured the American ship Hunter off the Ladrone Islands, and brought her in. The Chinese Government immediately issued an edict, desiring the committee to send the Doris away, which they of course answered, by stating their inability to perform what was demanded. In May following, the Doris's boats chased an American schooner from the neighbourhood of Macao up to Whampoa, within ten miles of Canton, where they took her; but before she could be carried out of the river, the Americans at Whampoa armed their boats and retook their schooner. This event, with the capture of the Hunter previously, commenced the troubles of 1814. The Chinese hereupon entered upon a course of aggressive measures, not against the frigate, but against the factory, which soon became intolerable. The local government first prohibited the employment of native servants: they then sent persons to enter the factory, and seize upon such Chinese as they found there. The boats of the Indiamen were molested while peaceably proceeding on their business on the river; and every attempt was made to prevent communication with our men-of-war.

The committee, seeing the hostile disposition of the Government, determined on the bold measure of stopping the trade, as the only means of arriving at a remedy. The Chinese, somewhat startled at their old weapon being turned against themselves, began to display a more conciliatory temper, and, after some debate, a mandarin was appointed to meet Sir George Staunton, who was deputed to conduct the negotiation on the part of the committee. Accordingly, on the

20th of October, Sir George proceeded to Canton, accompanied by Sir Theophilus Metcalfe and Mr. Davis. The first subject of complaint was the arrest of the linguist Ayew, for performing a service which was merely complimentary on the part of the English, and expressive of their respect for a dignified officer of Government, who had conducted the first embassy through China, and been on friendly terms with its members. It was immediately replied, that his seizure was on account of a totally different affair, and that there was no intention of condemning the proceeding. Several meetings took place with the principal mandarins, and one or two assessors, but little progress was made towards an adjustment; when the Viceroy suddenly determined on breaking off the negotiation. The committee upon this, resolved on issuing a notice to all British subjects to quit Canton : Sir George Staunton and the gentlemen with him embarked in the Wexford, and the whole fleet pro

ceeded down the river.

This step had the effect of completely curing the obstinacy of the Viceroy. A deputation of Hong merchants was sent down to the ships, with authority to state that mandarins would be sent to discuss the remaining points in dispute if Sir George would return. On his reaching Canton, an attempt was made to retract the pledge, but this could not be persisted in; and after several long and tedious audiences with the mandarins, the principal points in dispute were gained, and incorporated in an official paper from the Viceroy, as the only security against a breach of faith on the part of the Chinese. The privilege of corresponding with the Government under seal, and in the native character, was now for the first time established; an assurance was given that no Chinese officer should ever enter the British factory without leave previously obtained; and licence was given to native servants to enter into the service of

the English without molestation from the petty mandarins; together with some other points.

The measures above detailed were highly approved in England; but the conduct and disposition of the Chinese Government for some time past had been such, as to prove that the commercial interests of the nation in China were exposed to the utmost hazard from the chance of perpetual interruption at the will of a capricious and despotic set of delegates, who kept the court of Peking in profound ignorance of their own oppressive and arbitrary conduct towards the Company's trade. To these circumstances are to be attributed the embassy of Lord Amherst in 1816, of which the object was to secure, if possible, the commerce of Great Britain upon a solid and equitable footing, under the cognizance of the Emperor, and with the advantage of a ready appeal to him in case of need. The design of a mission to Peking had been for some time entertained by his Majesty's Ministers and the Court of Directors, when the arrival from China of the Despatches of 1815 confirmed them in the resolution. It was hoped, as a collateral object, and one within the range of possibility, that an English resident might be admitted at the capital, or permission be obtained for trading to some of the ports on the north-east coast.

The embassy left England in the Alcesta frigate on the 10th of February, attended by the Lyra brig, and the General Hewett, a Company's ship, and arrived off Macao on the 12th of July, when it was foined by Sir George Staunton, the first commissioner, as well as by Mr. Davis, Dr. Morrison, and the other gentlemen who were appointed from England to accompany it to Peking. The ships reached the gulf of Pechelee on the 28th of July, but the ambassador did not land until the 9th of August. On the 12th the mission reached Tien-tsin, where a feast was conferred on the part of the Emperor, and an

attempt made to bring about the practice of the kotow, or prostration, before a yellow screen, preparatory to the grand performance of it before the Emperor himself. This, however, was successfully avoided, on the plea that Earl Macartney had not been required to execute that act of fealty and vassalage.

As some uninformed persons have, without sufficient consideration or knowledge of the subject, ventured to argue that the non-performance of the ko-tow was too strict an adherence to punctilio on the part of both our ambassadors, it may be as well to show, that putting (with them) all considerations of national honour and dignity entirely out of the question, as mere vanities, and viewing the matter simply as one of commercial profit or loss, there is nothing to be gained by it, but the reverse. It was observed in the narrative of Lord Macartney's mission, "The Dutch, who in the last century submitted at once to every ceremony prescribed to them, in the hope of obtaining in return some lucrative advantages, complained of being treated with neglect, and of being dismissed without the smallest promise of any favour*" The fate of a later Dutch embassy was still worse; but it is fair to state their gains against their losses on the occasion. In return for beating their heads nine times against the ground before the throne, they certainly had some broken victuals sent them, as from the Emperor. Of these, however, Van Braam observes, that they were principally sheep's trotters, "which appeared to have been already gnawed clean. This disgusting mess," he adds, was upon a dirty plate, and appeared rather destined to feed a dog than to form the repast of a human creature." As this was the only advantage they gained by their painful corporeal exertions upon the ground, it may next be observed that the whole course of their treatment Vol. ii. p. 131.

on the journey back was of the most mortifying and degrading character. This embassy occurred in 1795, during the era of small-clothes, and before liberal principles had been generally established in dress as in other matters; and these hapless Dutchmen were made, on the most trivial occasions of ceremony, to perform their evolutions, while the wicked mandarins stood by and laughed-and who would not?-at what has been diplomatically styled, "the embarrassment of a Dutch-built stern in tight inexpressibles.'

Sir John Malcolm, who understood, if any man ever did, the Asiatic character, has observed in one of his works:- "From the hour the first mission reached Persia, servants, merchants, governors of towns, chiefs and high public officers, presuming upon our ignorance, made constant attempts to trespass upon our dignity; and though repelled at all points, they continued their efforts, till a battle royal at Shiraz put the question to rest, by establishing our reputation, as to a just sense of our own pretensions, upon a basis which was never afterwards shaken." Russia, whose ambassadors, like our own, have refused to perform the Chinese act of vassalage, has a residency at Peking, which may at least (as an advantage) be set against "les pattes d'un mouton," and " les ossemens rongés,' which the Dutchmen gained by performing it. Admitting, however, that the balance was in favour of the latter, it may reasonably be questioned whether it is wise, on such occasions, to sink all considerations of national respectability. The Athenians were a politic as well as brave people; and when Timagoras, who was sent by thein as ambassador to the King of Persia, had the imprudence to degrade his country by the act of prostration, he was condemned to die on his return.

But let us only do as the Chinese themselves have always done. Gerbillon tells us, that when an officer