Page:Europe in China.djvu/326

308 promised opening of Canton city demanded by the merchants. His Chinese advisers, Consul Parkes and Secretary Wade, saw deeper and recognized in the case, not merely the old foolish assumption of Chinese supremacy, but the unavoidable conflict between Europe and Asia or (as Parkes put it at the time) between Christian civilization and semi-civilized paganism. At any rate, this much is perfectly clear, that, even if the Arrow case had never occurred, hostilities would have broken out all the same.

Sir J. Bowring commenced action by demanding (October 10, 1856) a public surrender of the crew. This was refused. He next demanded (October 12th) an apology. This was also refused. Sir John then authorized the seizure (October 14th) of a Chinese gunboat. Yeh ridiculed such petty retribution and sent word that the gunboat was not his at all. At last (October 21st) Sir John solemnly threatened warlike operations unless an apology was tendered and the crew restored to their vessel within 24 hours. Yeh sent the twelve men to the Consul with a message that two of the men must be returned to him as they were wanted, and refused an apology. Admiral Seymour now stepped in and undertook to avenge the insult to the British flag. He commenced by demanding of Yeh a formal apology and access, for that purpose, into the city. When Yeh curtly refused this demand, there commenced what was thenceforth known as the Arrow War.

The Admiral demolished forthwith some Chinese forts (October 23rd and 24th), and, when this failed to impress the stubborn Viceroy, the Admiral bombarded (October 27th to 29th) his official residence. Contrary to all expectation this measure also failed to elicit an apology. Next the city wall opposite Yeh's residence was breached (October 29th), but Yeh, having removed to a safe distance within the city, defied the Admiral to do his worst, feeling sure that the handful of men under the Admiral's order would not venture inside Canton city which the literati and their trainbands had declared safe from invasion. To move Yeh's colleagues, the Admiral bombarded (November