Page 411 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

397.

Americans. The latter merchants, furthermore, willingly resumed

trading with the Chinese whenever they could reach Canton. To

fire upon Kearny's ships therefore might antagonize the Americans
and create another enemy.

Besides allowing American warships to anchor at Whampoa

with impunity, Chinese authorities communicated with Kearny

directly instead of through regular channels. In the past for-

eigners had always despatched petitions to Chinese officials

through their consul or superintendent and the Hong merchants.

The Governor-general or Viceroy sent his reply back through

the same groups. Shortly after he arrived at Whampoa, Kearny

sent a marine lieutenant to Canton with a letter which enumerated

for Governor-general Ch'i Kung the offenses committed against

Collidge and Morss. The lieutenant handed the letter to the

Kwang-chau-hsien, a local military officer. Kearny received

the Governor-general's reply aboard his ship from another Chinese

military officer. Ch'i Kung's decision, extremely conciliatory

in tone, instructed the Commodore to settle an appropriate in­

demnity, which the Governor-general would order the Hong mer-

11
chants to pay the men.

After reaching a satisfactory agreement with American

I
merchants, Kearny prepared to leave Whampoa. Ch i Kung paid
Kearny the unprecedented compliments of offering gifts to the

squadron and of despatching an admiral of the Chinese Navy to

11
Letter, A. Heard to S. Russell, Apr. 29, 1842, Heard
MSS. Kearny's communications with the named American merchants,
especially Morss, and with the Governor-general, are in his des­
patches. Much of the correspondence went through American Vice­
consul Delano. "Squadron Letters, " East India Squadron, May 19,
1842; Jun. 4, 1842.