Page 171 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

157.

guists. All the Americans, except Consul Wilcocks and Nicholas

13
Og d en, a so wi nesse d th e procee ings. Aft er th e presenta-
1
d'
·t
tion of evidence, the An-ch'a-szu pronounced Terranovia guilty
and sentenced him to the prescribed death by strangulation.

Having expected a trial by Western standards, the Americans

were outraged and felt betrayed by the Chinese who had pledged

to conduct a fair trial. Their response was an angry refusal
. . . 14
t o give up Terranov1a. Completely unfamiliar with Western

concepts of justice, the Chinese were as shocked by the Ameri­

cans' outrage over the results of the trial as were the Ameri­

cans by the trial itself. The Governor-general, responsible

to the Imperial Court for the successful completion of this

matter, could not countenance the refusal of "barbarians" to

abide by Imperial law. To persuade the Americans to recon­

sider their decisbn to protect Terranovia, the Governor-general

on October 8 declared an embargo on all trade with Americans

at Canton.

Initially the Americans remained steadfast in their

determination not to allow the Chinese to force them to give

up Terranovia. But their interest in trade soon overcame any

other consideration. This interest necessarily predisposed

13
A list of those at the trial is in Consular Despatches:
Canton, B.C. Wilcocks, Dec. 12, 1821.
14
The Americans had expected the Chinese would "make it
out an accident & exile him ,iTerranovi.9./ to his native land."
Letter, Perkins & Co. to Capt. C.F. Magee, Oct. 2, 1821. (This
statement would have been written by Cushing.) For Americans'
reaction to the verdict and sentence, see enclosure in Consular
Despatches: Canton, B.C. Wilcocks, Nov. 1, 1821.