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 How European History merged into World History 575 barbarians. Nevertheless Dutch and English merchants flocked to Canton, the sole port at which the Chinese emperor permitted regular commerce with foreign countries. When, in 1839, the Chinese government tried to put a stop to the opium trade, carried on with great profit by English merchants, and informed the British government that the traffic would have to be given up, the so-called "Opium War" broke out. JUNK AND STEAMSHIP IN THE HARBOR OF HONGKONG The British, of course, with their modern means of war- fare, were speedily victorious, and the Chinese were forced to agree, in the Treaty of Nanking, to pay a heavy indemnity, to cede to the British the island of Hongkong, which lies at the mouth of the Canton River, and to open to foreign commerce the ports of Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo, and Shanghai on the same terms as Canton. The United States, taking advantage of this war, secured similar commercial privileges in 1844. 1046. The French and Others in China. From the Opium War to the present date China has been troubled with foreign