Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/143

Rh offices and degraded to the rank of vice-president of a Board. Early in 1837 he again became junior vice-president of the Board of War and in April of the same year military lieutenant-governor of Jehol. From June 1838 to March 1842 he served as military governor of Shêng-ching, which entailed residence at Mukden. During these years he was engaged in suppressing the smuggling of opium and in preparing the coastal defenses of the Liaotung Peninsula against a possible raid by the British fleet, then at war with China (see under, , and ). After the British expedition under Sir Henry Pottinger (樸鼎查, 1789–1856) captured Chenhai, Chekiang (October 10, 1841), coastal defenses in the northern provinces were rigorously looked after, Ch'i-ying being in charge of fortifying those of the northeast.

In March 1842 Ch'i-ying was appointed Tartar General of Canton. with orders to hasten to his new post. But on the way he was detained at Hangchow to act as Tartar General of that city, as the British troops, having already taken several cities, were then advancing from Ningpo and Chenhai. Given concurrently the title of Imperial Commissioner to deal with the British, he arrived at Hangchow on May 11. Seven days later the British took the coastal town of Cha-p'u, thus threatening Hangchow. Ch'i-ying went to Kashing to strengthen the defenses, and in the meantime sent, another Imperial Clansman, to the British headquarters at Cha-p'u to negotiate an exchange of prisoners. On May 25 Ch'i-ying was ordered to leave Hang-chow for Canton, but on June 5 he received instructions to remain in Chekiang to take charge of any peace negotiation with the British. But as the conflict extended into Kiangsu—Shanghai falling on June 19—he proceeded to Sungkiang and then to Soochow. At this time the emperor still hoped to continue hostilities, and so denied a plea by Niu Chien 牛鑑, governor-general at Nanking after 1841, to accept the terms of the British and put an end to the war. On or about July 15, 1842 Ch'i-ying reported to the emperor that the military resistance had crumbled and that a hasty decision must be made concerning the future course. But before this report reached Peking the emperor had already seen the necessity for peace, and on July 16 sent secret orders to Ch'i-ying to accept the British terms—orders which were repeated ten days later. In the meantime the British fleet advanced up the Yangtze River, taking Chinkiang on July 20 and threatening Nanking. On August 11 Ch'i-ying arrived at Nanking with full authority to conclude a treaty, and negotiations began on the following day. As a result the Treaty of Nan-king was signed on August 29; Pottinger representing Britain, Chi-ying, I-li-pu, and Niu Chien representing China. The treaty contained thirteen articles, granting to England: cession of the island of Hong Kong; payment of an indemnity of twenty-one million dollars; opening of five ports—Canton, Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo and Shanghai—to foreign trade; and diplomatic equality between Chinese and British high officials. Of the indemnity, six million dollars were designated as compensation to British merchants whose opium was seized and destroyed by. Thus the war, which began in part owing to China's desire to prohibit the importation of opium, was concluded with a treaty that tacitly recognized the trade in that drug. Ch'i-ying requested Pottinger to put a stop to the growing of the opium poppy in British dominions, but the latter declined to heed the request on the ground that if England ceased to sell opium other nations would take over the trade. Pottinger pointed out that if the Chinese people stopped using the drug, and if their officials proved incorruptible, the trade would cease of itself. After being paid in full the first installment of the indemnity the British fleet, in accordance with the terms of the treaty, left the Yangtze River for Canton where further negotiations were to be held. I-li-pu was sent to Canton as Tartar General and Imperial Commissioner to negotiate with the British envoy. In October 1842 Ch'i-ying replaced Niu Chien as governor-general of Kiangsu, Kiangsi, and Anhwei. On March 5, 1843 I-li-pu died and Ch'i-ying was sent to Canton to continue the negotiations. On June 26 Ch'i-ying and Pot-tinger exchanged at Hong Kong the ratifications of the Treaty of Nanking and signed the Declaration of Transit Duties. On October 8 they signed the supplementary Treaty of the Bogue (Hu-mên-chai 虎門寨) which contained details governing the execution of the Treaty of Nan-king. This supplementary treaty, which was superseded in 1858 by the Treaty of Tientsin (see under ), is important because it granted consular jurisdiction and other extra-territorial rights to the British, and contained the "most-favored-nation clause" upon which was based the claim that any privileges granted by China to one country might be demanded by the other treaty powers. 131