Page:Parliamentary Papers - 1857 Sess. 2 - Volume 43.pdf/37

23 were in the wrong, had refused to give the latter any assistance. Now the Governor-General E, and his colleague, report that they had learned that both the English and the Americans had occupied forts.

These, the Emperor observes, are false insinuations by which the English hope to gloss over their criminality in alone commencing hostilities; and the Governor-General must not allow himself to be deceived by them. The Emperor then acknowledges the receipt of a joint memorial from the provincial authorities of Keang-soo and Che-keang, praying that the matter of sending a steamer up the great river might be delayed for a time. As it appears that the lowness of the water in the dry winter season would put many difficulties in the way of the movements of such a vessel, and as the troubles at Canton make it difficult to procure barbarian engineers, the prayer for delay is granted. When, however, the water shall have risen in the wet spring season to the requisite height, the complete settlement of the Canton affair need not be waited for; but, if it be then ascertained that the temper of the barbarians admits of its being done with safety, they are to be forthwith urged to ascend the river.

Here the embodied edict ends, and the memorial paper commences.

It shortly adverts to the fact of the Emperor's first commands relative to the defensive measures along the coast having been duly conformed to. It then states that if, after the business of convoying the grain-junks toward the north shall have been finished in the spring, the steamer can then go up the great river to aid in the extermination of the rebels, the provincial authorities of Keang-soo and Che-keang (the memorialists) will ascertain the temper of the barbarians, and will take steps, by means of Special Commissioners and the Intendant at Shanghae, to have His Majesty's commands obeyed.

For your Excellency's information I may remark that there can be little doubt that the steamer referred to in the above is the "Paou-shun, " originally bought by certain Chinese merchants of this port to convoy their traders north ward, but which was lent by them to the authorities of Keang-soo to act against the Taepings at Chin-keang. When the "Paou-shun" reached Shanghae to fit out for that purpose the engineers resigned in a body, on the ground that, however willing to act against pirates, the service for which they were originally engaged, they did not feel justified in lending their aid against the people in arms in the interior. This was the real cause of the delay in a business which, as here appears, the Emperor had been previously memorialized about.

It may be a satisfaction to your Excellency, when you hold the inclosed document in your hand, to be reminded that my experience in the matter of acquiring information does not by any means begin with my month's residence at this place; and to receive my assurances that no Chinese official paper irregularly obtained during the course of my official life has seemed to me to be more genuine than the Edict first forwarded and the memorial now inclosed.

[The paper is evidently a copy of a memorial written shortly before the end of the Chinese year. The name and title of the memorialist do not appear, but there is every reason for assuming that he is the present Governor of Che-keang.]

(Translation.) ON the 20th of the 12th moon of the 6th year of Heen-fung (15th January, 1857), (the memorialist) received a second confidential despatch from the Great Council, to the effect that the high officers composing it had had the honour to receive the following Imperial Decree:—

"Upon the subject of the disorderly proceedings of the English barbarians in Kwang-tung, we have already instructed the Governors-General and Governors of the coast-provinces to take every precaution for their defence. They were further instructed that, should the barbarians repair, as there was reason to apprehend they might, to one or other of the ports to offer an explanation of