Page 216 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

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neither did he intend to compromise his position and his or­

ders. Instead of waiting for a chop from Chinese officials

to proceed to Canton, Napier immediately sailed up to Whampoa.

He furthermore travelled openly, aboard a British frigate, up

the Outer Passage of the Pearl River through the Bogue. The

Hong merchants, who traveled to Macao to welcome him and

inform him of Chinese customs and regulations, discovered he

had already left for Canton.

At Canton Lord Napier, residing at the English estab­
lishment of Jardine, Matheson & Co., undertook to execute his

instructions to announce himself to the governor-general by

letter. Napier made his greatest mistake in this instance by

literally following his orders, that is, "he sent a letter.
11 89
not .§:. petition, to the Viceroy. Within the "Canton system"

the Chinese had a formal procedure for corrmunications between

foreigners and officials. Foreigners memorialized the governor­

general (or viceroy) through petitions, not letters. Further­

more, they sent their petitions to the Hong merchants, who

then gave them to the officials. Napier insisted that his

communication bear the Chinese character for letter, not petition,

and that an aide of the governor-general receive it directly.

He felt that such actions were only consistent with his position

as a British official. The governor-general naturally could not

accept the "letter," not only because it bore an improper charac­

ter but also if he did so, he would be recognizing Napier•s

89
consular Despatches: Canton, J. Shillaber, Apr. 20,
1834. Canton had no American consul and Shillaber hoped to
procure the job.