Page 271 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

257.
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majority was convinced Lin would carry out his threat.

Once again Lin refused to accept the foreigners'

offer, but he changed his tactics. Instead of applying pres­

sure to the entire body of residents, Lin chose to single

out one individual merchant. English merchant Lancelot Dent

reputedly had an interest in half of the opium imported into

Canton. The Commissioner, aware of the proceedings of the

meeting at which Dent led the opposition against Lin's demands,

now demanded his arrest. He also incarcerated several Hong

merchants and threatened two more, Houqua and Mouqua, with

decapitation. Afraid that Dent might be killed, the foreigners

stood behind his refusal to leave his Factory. The residents

appointed a delegation to negotiate with the Chinese for a

compromise. Dent was saved by the appearance at Canton of

the English Superintendent of Trade.

Capt. Charles Elliot, R.N., had been in China since
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April 1837. After a successful career in the Royal Navy,

Elliot had joined the Foreign Office. In 1834 he had served

in the mission of Lord Napier and thereafter received pro­

motions up to Superintendent. Elliot arrived in China with

two goals: to establish a basis of equality in Anglo-Chinese

relations and to expand British trade in China. In the per­

iod 1837-39, Elliot resided at Macao, traveling to Canton

75
Journal of R.B. Forbes, Mar. 20, 1839, Forbes Family MSS.
Hunter, 'Fan Kwae' at Canton, pp. 136-41. For an excellent analysis
of this entire affair from the English and Chinese sides, see Chang,
Commissioner Lin and the Opium War, Chap. V. The foreign residents
in this instance based their actions on former incidents, in which
a policy of stalling tactics combined with partial appeasement had
usually satisfied the Chinese authorities.

76
chang, Commissioner Lin and the Opium War, pp. 69-81,
discusses the career and policies of Charles Elliot.