The Press. — London, England, 1857-01-10 00:00:00

28 THE BOMBARDMENT OF CANTON. T►tt: publication of the official despatches connected with the dispute with the Chinese throws some im portant light upon the matter. Tho details of the naval operations reported by telegraph were in the main correct, and we need not refer at any length to Admiral Seymour's despatches upon the subject of those operations. Admiral Seymour, acting in accordance with the views of Sir John Bowring, seized the defences of Canton, cap tured the Bogue and Aununghoy Forts, and burned a fleet of twenty-three war junks at anchor up the river. Sir Michael Seymour concludes his long detail of these various operations, between the '23rd of October and the 15th of November last, and the steps he took to induce Governor-General Yell to cline t) terms, in the following words:— The command of the river being now in our hands, I have no other operation in immediate contemplation be yond the security and maintenance of our position; and it will remain with her Majesty's Government to determine whether the present opportunity shall be made available to enforce to their full extent the treaty stipulations which the Canton Government has hitherto been allowed to evade with impunity. During the whole of my proceedings I have received the most cordial support of the British and foreign commu nities, from their confidence that future benefit must be the result. Her Majesty's Consul has rendered me most valuable assistance, particularly from his intimate ac quaintance with the Chinese language. My thanks are especially due to Commanders Foote and Smith, commanding the United States' naval forces, for the good order and harmony they have so largely contd. buteii to preserve during the present crisis. I have endeavoured, as briefly as its high importance will permit, to lay before their lordships every particular connected with my proceedings. The original cause of dispute, though comparatively tnfling, has now, from the injurious policy pursued by the Imperial High Commis sioner, assumed so very grave an aspect as to threaten the existence of amicable relations as regards Canton. Though I shall continue to take steps, in conjunction wi.h her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, in the hope of being able to bring matters to a satisfactory termination, I shall be most anxious to receive the instructions of her Majesty's Government on this most important question. The correspondence inclosed to the Admiralty gives a detailed account of the different circumstances which passed between Mr. I'arkes, the Imperial Commissioner Yeh, Sir John Bowring, and Sir Michael Seymour. The first letter, dated October Ath, and addressed by Mr. Parkes to Sir John Bowring, gives the following version of the seizure of the Arrow's crew . I have the honour to inform your Excellency that the British lorcha Arrow, while lying with her colours flying iu the river near the Dutch Folly, was suddenly boarded this morning by a force of (Milieu% officers, in a war boat of large size and heavy armament, who pinioned and carried away nearly the whole of her crew, leaving two out of fourteen men on board, and added to this act of vAence the significant insult of hauling down the national ensign. Having satisfied myself of the facts, and ascertained that tie war-boat remained, with the captured crew still on b.iard, in the immediate vicinity of the lorcha, I repaired on board to claim the men, before they should be conveyed to a distance, and to explain to the officers, if it were pos sible, that they had acted in error, the gross insult and violation of national rights which they bad committed, and the heavy responsibilities they incurred. I informed them, and had a magistrate's officer with me who could verify my statement, that I had already demanded from the civil authorities an investigatbn of the subject, and called upon them, if they had any charge to prefer against the prisoners, to bring them in their custody to the consulate, where due examination might be had. To this they refused to accede, stating that they had re ported the matter to their superior officers, and must wait order, and intimated very distinctly that they would oppose with force any attempt on my part to take the men under any charge. I returned, therefore, to the consulate, and have ad dressed the Imperial Commissioner the letter I beg to in close in copy. The officers on board the war-boat stated to me, ns the reason of their proceedings, that one of the crew of the lorcha is the father of a noted Koolan pirate, and, being authorised to seize this old man wherever they found Lim, and hearing that he was on board the Arrow, they Considered themselves at liberty to carry him away, with out any previous reference to me, lest it should lead to his 3ap.. 1 did not understand that they hail any distinct charge ag Mist the other eleven men, but heard that they 'Named thmii for evidence or information they considered them able to give ngainat the pirate. Mr. Parkes the same day informed the Imperial Commissioner Yeh of the affair, demanding repara tion for the insult: I hasten, therefore, to lay the case before your Excel lency, confident that your superior judgment will lead you at once to admit that an insult so publicly committed must be equally publicly atoned. I therefore request your Excel lency to direct that the men who have been carried away from the .4rroto be returned by the Captain Leang•kwo- THE PRESS. Ling, the officer who seized them, to that vessel in my presence, and, if accused of any crime, they may then he conveyed to the British Consulate, where, in conjunction with proper officers deputed by your Exacllency for the purpose, 1 shall be prepared to investigate the case. Mr. Parkes also wrote to Commodore Elliot, calling on him for any prompt mark of support that he could render him. On the 10th of October Commissioner Yeh re plied to Mr. Parkes's letter, distinctly denying the nationality of the vessel, and inclosing certain soorn depositions of a respectable Chinese merchant ship master, stating that his vessel was piratically boarded and plundered on the 6th September, while off San dhow-tang, that in the crew of the Arrow he had recognised the principal pirate, and hence had given information to the authorities, and demanded his seizure. A second deposition, from one of the Arrow's crew, asserted the Arrow to be Chinese built and owned, and that the British register was bought of Messrs. Block, of Hong Kong, for 1,000 dollars. This witness also deposed that the man suspected of piracy, one night while at sea detailed the whole affair, for the amusement of the crew, of plundering certain junks early in September off Sanchow-tang. Commissioner Yeh thus comments upon these depositions : It is clear, from the above reports nod depositions, that the cfficers had good reasons fur seizing these men, among wlicrii there are several great offinders. \Voo•Agin, Le Mingtae, and Leang•keen-foo, must be again very strictly examined; but I have directed that the Assistant Magis trate Hen take the remaining time, namely, Leang-Apaon, Leang-Meike, Leang-Atae, Leang-Agew, Leann-Aow, Ho- YuenAke, Leang-Kingjen, and Tang-A-koi, and return them to their vessel. Mr. Parkes refused to receive the nine men, and explained his reasons on the 10th to Sir John Bowring : The nine men enumerated at the close of his letter were returned to me at the same time, but I refused to receive them, because they were not delivered in the manner I had demanded ; but I doubt not the assistant magistrate will put them on board the lorcha in obedience to the orders given him to this effect by the Imperial Commissioner. To this Sir John Bowring replied on the 11th with a most important admission : The question presents two important inquiries : first, the rights of the vessel in question ; and, second, the con duct of the Chinese authorities. It appears, on examination, that the Arrow had no right to hoist the British flag; the license to do so expired on the 27114 of September, from which period she has not been entitled to protection. You will send buck the register to be delivered to the Colonial-414.e. He continues : But the Chinese had no knowledge of the expiry of the license; nor do they profess that they had any other grounds for interference than the supposition that the owner is not a British subject; that, however, is a qnes tion for this Government, who granted the register; and it is clear that the Chinese have violated the 9th Article of the Supplementary Treaty, which requires that all Chinese malfaisants in British ships shall be claimed through British authorities. Sir J. Bowring concludes with injunctions that Com missioner Yell is to be informed that forty-eight hours only will be allowed him to make an apolcgy and give an assurance that nothing of the sort will happen in future. If such representation failed a war junk was to be seized in reprisal. Mr. Parkes accordingly next day, on the 12th, in. forms Commissioner Yeh of this determination of her Majesty's representative. To which Yell on the 14th, replies on the whole question, and denies the imputed insult to the British flag:— It had been ascertained by the previous examination that this lurcha is not the property of a foreigner, and at the time when the naval officer seized the twelve men, and brought them to my yamun, I directed that they also should be examined as to the matter, and they stated that when they went to the lorcha to seize the men they saw no foreigner on board ; that at that time nu flag had yet been hoistedon buiull the lorcha; that they heard that the flag was stowed away below, but they themselves saw nothing of it. Therefore they seized the men and brought them away. Hereafter Chinese officers will on no account without reason seize and take into custod; the people belonging to foreign lurches; but when Chinese subjects build for themselves vessels foreigners should not sell registers to them, for if this be done it will occasion confusion between native and foreign ships, and render it difficult to distin guish between them. Thus may all parties conform their proceedings to the conditions of the 9th article of the reaty. No more satisfaction being given by Yeh, the same day reprisals commenced. Commodore Elliot, with the Barracouta and Coromandel, passed the Barrier Forts, and seized on a war-junk. Mr. Parkes, on the 15th, wrote to inform Yell of the act. On the 21st Yeh replied, asserting the Chinese nationality of the vessel, denying the insult to the British flag, but adding as regarded the future Hereafter, if any lawless characters conceal themselves on board foreign lurches, you, the said consul, shall, of SATURDAY, • )nrse, be informed of the same by declaration ( from the Imperial Commissioner) in order that you may act in con. junction (with the Chinese authorities) in the management of such attars. 'With respect to the reprisals Yeh observes that the junk seized by Commodore Elliot was a trading-junk, and asks :-- _ _ _ Where in the treaty will he find authority for such pro. ceedings as these? 1, the Minister, in any course of action, must not exceed the rules of strict propriety, nor go beyond the bounds of the laws in any punishment that L impose. - " - On the same day Mr. Parkes replied to the Com missioner insisting upon an apology and reparation for the insult, and shortening the time for com pliance to 24 hours, when force would be employed. The twenty-four h ours having been extended to sEven days, without a sign of compliance on the part of Yeh, on the 22nd Mr. Parkes addressed to him another letter, reasserting, upon " clear and conclu• sive proofs," the fact that the lorcha had the British ensign flying when boarded, and had an Englishman on board, and insisting upon the return of the whole twelve men seized : If but one of their number be missing (concluded Mr. Parkes) I cannot undertake to receive them. But it is very far from my intention to give these men, when they are surrendered to me, their liberty. I shall receive them, but ought to detain them in safe custody until all the requirements of the treaty in their case shall have been fulfilled. The whole twelve men were sent back the same morning, hut Mr. Parkes refused to receive them, on the following plea:— The twelve men sent to the consulate at noon on the 22nd, together with the communication from your Excel- lency, which accompanied them, were returned, because the demands made in my letters of the Nth and 12th of October had not been complied with, as was clearly ex• plained at the time to the Nankee, Assistant Magistrate, who brought them. On the same day, Mr. Parkes places the matter in the hands of Admiral Seymour, detailing all the cir cumstances of the case, but casually admitting that Yeti's assurance in his letter of the 21st might " perhaps he considered sufficient, though British should have been the word used instead of foreign." The admiral on the following day ordered up the squad. ron, andltook possession of the Barrier Forts. As soon as the capture of the forts was complete, Mr. Parkes, on the 23rd, wrote to Commissioner Yeh, re peating his proposals for a settlement of the differences, and threatening further demonstrations in case of continued obstinacy : However much he may regret this resort to force, which your Excellency, by your violation of the treaty, has com• pelled, his Excellency will proceed to the destruction of all the defences and public buildings of this city and government, unless you at once comply with every demand which has been made. Should these movements occasion or lead to the destruc tion of any British property, the British Government will demand from that of China full compensation for the same. To which Yeh replies, on the 24th, recapitulating his version of the affair, and strongly denying that the British colours were flying at the time of the seizure of the Arrow, and protests against this use of force towards a nation at peaco with England : Your honourable nation (concludes Yeh) has hitherto reverenced the spirits of heaven and the Sabbath-day, and justice and propriety are held by you in esteem ; but does the destruction of forts correspond with such professions ? On the 24th and 25th the forts at the head of the Macao passage were taken. On the same day a strong body of Chinese troops advanced upon the Factories, but were easily driven back by the marines in charge. On the 26th Yeh again indignantly protests against the capture of the Barrier Forts : On the morning of the 22nd of October 1 addressed you a declaration, and with it sent von the twelve men, thus, therefore, returning to you the whole number that had pre viously been seized. You, the said consul, received (the letter and men), and thus had knowledge (of the fact ). \Vas not this proceeding in perfect accordance with (the demands made in) your letters of the Nth and 12th Octo ber? Why then did you as before refuse to receive them, and proceed without reason to burn and destroy the forts of this city ? On the 27th Admiral Seymour made an attempt to settle matters, but, for the fist time, put forth the additional demand for the right of entry into Canton for foreign officials : His Excellency (writes Admiral Seymour), having by his illegal measures, and determination to refuse repara• tion, produced this display of force, I concurred in opinion with Sir John Bowring, that this was a fitting opportunity for requiring the fulfilment of long•evaded treaty obliga tions; and I therefore, in addition to the original demands, instructed Mr. Parkes to make the following communica tion. That to prevent the recurrence of evils like the present which have been occasioned by the disregard paid by the Imperial Commissioner to the repeated applications for redress and satisfaction, made to him by letter in the mat ter of the Arrow, by her Majesty's Plenipotentiary and the Consul—writing, in consequence of the closing of the city to foreigners, being the only means of communication—l demanded for all foreign representatives the same free