Page 256 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

242.

business be expelled. In December 1836 the governor-general,

governor, and Hoppo jointly issued an edict through the Hong

merchants listing nine foreign merchants alleged to have

engaged in the opium trade. One of the nine men named was

an American, Oliver H. Gordon; the other eight were English

or Parsee. Surprisingly no member of Russell & Co. was in­

cluded on the list, which circumstance one partner attributed
56
11to the management of Houqua."

Those merchants expelled from China did not leave, but

in Peking the Tao-Kuang Emperor decided against legalization

of opium in favor of prohibition of its importation. But,

unlike his predecessor, he set out to ensure strict enforce­

ment of his edicts. By the summer the foreign residents felt

the impact of the restrictions. At Canton the opium trade

ceased, for no smuggling boats were allowed on the river.

Some of the foreign merchants sought to dispose of their opium

on the coast, but even in those ports the Mandarins maintained

a strict watch to prevent the trade. By the end of the year

the situation had not changed. Several English merchants, led

by James Innes, continued to carry the drug up to Canton Fac­

tories for sale to Canton addicts. But very few foreigners

were willing to chance the possible consequences of total stop­

page of foreign trade. The foreign trade at Canton suffered

56
Letter, J. Coolidge to S. Russell, Nov. 1, 1836,
Russell & Co. MSS. In this letter Coolidge claimed William
S. Wetmore of Wetmore & Co. was also named. He might have
confused him with the English merchant John C. Whiteman.