Page 259 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

245.

Halting the foreign trade was the first direct Chin­

ese action taken against the whole body of foreign residents to

end the opium trade. The only other action taken, in fact, was

the edict in 1836 expelling nine foreign merchants for dealing

in the drug. Not all these men had left in December 1838.

Although hesitant to use violent measures against the foreign-

59
ers, the Tao-Kuang Emperor and his Court decided to stop the
opium business by ending Chinese participation in it. As

measures against Chinese smugglers proved effective, the

Europeans became more flagrant in their disregard for restric-

tions. In December Mandarins seized parcels of opium being

landed at the Foreign Factories at Canton. The shipment was

consigned to James Innes. This Scotch merchant was perhaps

the most reckless and notorious of opium-importers at Canton.

(He had already been expelled in 1836). Throughout the Chinese

crack-down, Innes continued to bring opium vessels up to

Whampoa and Canton. The Chinese immediately compelled him to

leave China and ordered all trade stopped "because of L'.siy

foreign boats engaged in the Opium traffic are brought to
11 60
Whampoa contrary to the edict of the Viceroy. Innes left

59
The Chinese did not want to drive away all foreign trade,
as they had come to value its legitimate part. They did not also
want to experience another incident as with Lord Napier in 1834.
Chang, Commissioner Lin and the Opium War, pp. 94-107.
60
This incident involved Americans by mistake. The ship
on which the opium arrived was expelled with Innes. The Chinese
first claimed the ship to be the American vessel "Thomas Perkins."
This mistake arose over the confusion by the Chinese of the vessels'
names, which the Chinese called by their masters' names. First
reports named the vessel "Ke-le-yuan," transliteration of Capt.
Graves of the "Thomas Perkins." In fact the vessel involved was