Page 427 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era
P. 427

413.

                   of  Foochow,  Amoy,  Ningpo  &  Shanghai  for  the  purpose  of  Trade,

                   hereby  manifesting  his  liberality."                In  this  statement  the  Com­

                   missioner,  representing  the  Emperor,  granted  the  same  commercial

                   rights  and  privileges  as  the  English  had  obtained  by  treaty.                     In

                               1
                   turn,  Ch i-ying  asked  King:  "With  regard  to  the  paying  of  Duties

                   and  restraining  of  Sailors  &c it  behooves  us  to  inquire,  whether
                   the  American  Nation  will  or  will  not  appoint  consular  officers


                   to  proceed  to  each  port  to  make  arrangements?"                 The  Commissioner
                   enclosed  a  copy  of  the  General  Regulations,  which  would  govern


                   English  trade  at  the  five  Chinese  ports,  for  King  to  transmit
                                             38
                   to  his  government.
                                                                        1
                               Although  Governor-general  Ch i  Kung  earlier  had  promised

                   American  merchants  equal  commercial  privileges  at  the  new  ports,

                                                                                           1
                   without  the  influence  of  Imperial  Commissioner  Ch i-ying,  they
                   would  not  have  received  those  privileges  from  the  Imperial

                   government.  When  the  Governor-general  first  memorialized  the

                                                 1
                   Emperor  about  Kearny s  requestQ  the  Court's  answer  was  a  command
                   to  adhere  strictly  to  the  old  regulations.  The  local  authori­

                   ties  were  to  grant  the  Americans  nothing.               But  shortly  after

                   his  appointment  to  negotiate  with  the  English,  the  original  Im­

                   perial  Commissioner,  I-li-pu,  recommended  that  Americans  receive

                   the  same  treatment  as  the  English.             He  argued  that  local  Chinese

                   officials  could  not  distinguish  between  Americans  and  Englishmen

                   anyway.      I-li-pu  further  advised  the  Emperor  that  a  position  which



                              38
                                 ch'i-ying  used  the  plural  "us,          1111since  his  communications
                   always  included  the  names  of  lesser  officials  as  co-signers.  Both
                   his  letter  to  King  of  Aug.  1  and  a  copy  of  the  General  Regulations
                   are  in  Consular  Despatches:  Canton,  E.  King,  Sep.  20,  1843.
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