Page 215 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

201.

sioners would be representatives of the British government,

instead of a trading company. Consequently, the Superintendent

would "probably assume and maintain higher grounds for the dis-
cussions that may occur with the Chinese authorities, .and

thus difficulties will be influenced more by the spirit of

assumed right and national honour, II Shillaber surmised

that "the Commissioners will feel safe in the protection of

their Government; and national feelings will go with them--"

The English Commissioners had been given political and judic­

ial powers over all Englishmen at Canton, including merchants,

masters and sailors. Implicit in their powers was the deter­

mination not to subject any English citizen to Chinese law.

Shillaber correctly concluded: "This position of affairs must

lead to collisions between the two parties and eventually

.L.
•
ring some
.
't.
t
b . . impor ant posi ion �o an issue. 11 88 Although actual
hostilities were five years away, the negotiations begun in
1834 between the English and Chinese were the origin of the
protracted dispute.

William John Lord Napier, Chief Superintendent of British

Trade at Canton, arrived at Macao on July 15, 1834. From the

time of his arrival in China, Lord Napier managed to flaunt the

conventions of the "Canton system." A sincere but determined

person, Napier did not intend to antagonize the Chinese but

88
Letter, R.B. Forbes to T.H. Perkins, Jan. 29, 1832,
Forbes MSS. Consular Despatches: Batavia, J. Shillaber, Jan.
29, 1832. Shillaber had been at Canton in 1831 and on his re­
turn to Batavia he reported the situation in China.