Page 427 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era
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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.