Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/72

64 city. It proved to be a most unhealthy position, rather strangely so, because before the advent of the British the place had been regarded as salubrious. The island was, however, associated with the early trading transactions of the British, and on that account, as well as from its good strategic position, seemed to be marked out as the site of the future settlement. But it unfortunately happened that Kulangsu, for some reason or other, was not mentioned to the Emperor when the provisions of the treaty were being discussed, and strong opposition was offered to its permanent occupation by the Chinese authorities. The British representatives, influenced doubtless by the insanitary condition of the place, did not strongly press the point. In the beginning of 1845 the occupying force was withdrawn. The few British residents who remained at the time crossed the straits and settled in the city of Amoy, where they found no difficulty in obtaining suitable houses. The Chinese authorities subsequently took drastic measures to obliterate every evidence of the British occupation. "The barracks, the forts, the flagstaffs, and even the framework of the windows and verandahs, were all speedily demolished, and the materials converted into firewood. The work of destruction continued till no remnants of the foreigners remained and the houses were restored to their primitive condition. The work of purgation was vigorously persisted in. The roads were dug up and the fields had again begun to assume the appearance of cultivation. The power of superstition and the aid of heathen priests were duly invoked. Scarcely a clay passed without processions of idols, which were to be seen passing in boats through the harbour amongst the fleet of junks, each of which, with loudly sounding gongs, saluted the deity as it passed under the vessel towards the island on the opposite side. The fearful mortality which carried off so many of the British, had continued to prevail to an alarming extent during the previous summer, notwithstanding the gradual resumption of tillage. In one family known to the missionaries, and occupying one house, out of nine persons seven had fallen victims to the prevailing fever. Even those who tilled the ground generally returned after the day's labour to the less insalubrious residence of Amoy to spend the night. The fears of the ignorant imputed the common calamity to the evil spirits of the English who had been buried on the island. The superstitions of the people magnified every little event; and the villagers were to be heard expatiating on the mysterious scenes which they had witnessed of the ghosts of barbarians running up and down the hills at night and 'talking English fearfully.'"

Ningpo at the outset attracted very little trade. In the official reports for 1847 there is a record which shows that only six small vessels visited the port during the year. The imports reached but £11,785 16s. in value, and the exports stood at the paltry figure of £622 18s. 4d. At the whole of the five ports in 1847 the number of foreign residents was only 470. They were distributed as follows: Canton 312, Amoy 20, Foochow 7, Ningpo 15, and Shanghai 116. It is noted that at Foochow the British community ashore was reduced to the members of the Consulate. The captains of the opium clippers had dwelling houses at Nantai, but they seldom resorted to them.

CHAPTER XI. Sir J. F. Davis's Administration—Mob attack on Englishmen at Fatshan—British Troops occupy Canton Defences—Chinese Authorities agree to admit Foreigners to Canton City—Murder of six young Englishmen near Canton—Demand for Reparation—Execution of Murderers—Assassination of the Portuguese Governor of Macao—Death of the Emperor Taoukwang—The Taeping Rebellion—Alarm at Shanghai—Formation of Volunteer Corps. will have been gathered from the foregoing chapter that before the ratifications of the Treaty of Nanking had been fairly exchanged the storm clouds had once more begun to gather in the quarter in which most of the disturbances of the peace had hitherto arisen. In June, 1844, Sir Henry Pottinger left Hongkong, handing his duties over to Mr. (afterwards Sir) J. F. Davis. The new British Superintendent of Trade and Governor of Hongkong was an experienced Anglo-Chinese official whom we have met before, first as a member of Lord Amherst's staff on the occasion of his embassy to Peking in 1816, and later as successor for a brief period to Lord Napier as the head of the British Commission. He was a ripe Chinese scholar, a writer of acknowledged authority on Chinese questions, and a gifted man of affairs. From every point of view his selection for the principal appointment in China appeared to be an excellent one. He had the advantage of the assistance in the post of Colonial Secretary of Mr. Frederick Bruce, whose distinction it was in later years to be the first to fill the high office of resident minister at Peking. Mr. Davis's administration at the outset was largely occupied, as has been indicated in a previous chapter, with the pressing work which he found awaiting him at Hongkong. The settlement was growing rapidly, and with its development problems were arising which called for the exercise of judicious statesmanship. Therefore, while the new Governor was not unmindful of the larger interests committed to his care, he had no temptation to look outside his immediate environment for difficult tasks to discharge. There was the less necessity for him to do so as the policy of letting sleeping dogs lie as far as possible was the one which had been deliberately entered upon in view of the great advantages gained under the Treaty of Nanking and the manifest expediency of introducing the new system at the earliest possible moment with a minimum of friction. It was in pursuance of this principle that the ebullitions at Canton were not treated with that seriousness which they seemed to demand. The remonstrances made, emphatic enough as far as the language used was concerned, lacked the one thing necessary to make them really effective—a display of force. As we have seen, so far from making demonstrations, the British Government at this juncture rather ostentatiously refrained from sending ships to the Canton River. Having annexed Hongkong it felt, and with reason, that the ships of the navy were in their right places in the magnificent harbour there rather than in Chinese waters. An untoward incident in the Canton River in the early part of 1847 came, however, to break down this policy of masterly inactivity. A small party of Englishmen made an excursion by boat from Canton to Fatshan, a large manufacturing town situated some little distance up the river. On landing the visitors were received in a distinctly hostile manner. In their alarm they proceeded to the Yamen, or residence of the chief official, for protection, but this individual unfortunately was out at the time, and the move instead of allaying the popular excitement added to it. The Mandarin, on returning shortly afterwards, readily gave prompt assistance to the strangers. He not only drove off the crowd, but personally conducted the party back to their boat and shielded them at considerable risk to himself from the stones which were thrown by a large mob which had gathered by the riverside in anticipation of the embarkation. No one happily was seriously injured, but Sir John Davis (as he had now become) took such a serious view of the episode that, collecting all the available forces at Hongkong, he descended on Canton in person to demand satisfaction for what he regarded as a gross violation of the Treaty of Nanking. The Bogue forts were seized without a shot being fired and the outer defences of the city also fell an easy prey to the British force. By the 3rd of April Canton was once more completely at the mercy of the British. The advantage gained did not have the expected effect of reducing the population to submission. On the contrary their fanatical hatred of the barbarian was aroused to fever pitch by the spectacle of British troops occupying positions near the city. Ferocious proclamations were issued, calling upon the people to attack the insolent strangers and denouncing Keying, the Imperial Commissioner, as a traitor. The Chinese authorities on their part, while probably sympathising with the mob, realised that if graver trouble was to be averted they must make peace. Accordingly they accepted the British demands, the chief of which were that the city of Canton should be opened to the British