The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-30 00:00:00

Fly ENP.G

CHINESE LETTER TO THE
QUEEN OF ENGLAND.

(From the Canton Free Press, July 13.)
The fdlowia letter, addressed by the Imperial Corn-
rnis-oticr to the Queen of England, but not forwarded,
will no doubt he read with interest ; it is a curious do-
cument, onnl displays in a great degree the arrocance
and pride usually demonstrated by the Chinese Govern-
ment towards foreigners. It has, we believe, had rather
extended circulation among the Chinese, who probably
suppose that it has been sent to its address ; but when
the Superintendent was sounded as to his willingness
to forward this letter to her Britannic Majesty, we
believe he said that if the Commissioner and Viceroy
would use the same term that they do when addressing
their own Sovereign (i. e. Tsouy) he would be very
happy to forward it for them. The term they make use
of, however, is Hwuy, or the communication from an
equal to an equal. Now the Superintendent remarked,
that. though this expression might do very well for her
Majes►y's Ministers, yet he could not permit it to be
applied to her Majesty in propria persona. Empty
forms are in many instances but idle things, but in so
far as they regard the Chinese, forms and punctilio
are the very quintessence of their government,
and upon their gaining the advantage of an
empty form, they would ground the results of a most
important victory. By the mere form of our Sove-
reigns having sent presents to the Emperors of China
do they argue that we have been respectful and sub-
missive ; by the mere form of certain little flags carried
at the mast head of our Ambassadors' junks do they
now style us a tributary kingdom, and were the Com-
missioner and Viceroy to be permitted to address the
Queen of England as their equal, they would naturally
conclude that. any British nobleman, even of the highest
rank, was their inferior, and slight and insult him ac-
cordingly.

THE YUMCHAE'S LETTER.r
" Lin, Imperial Commissioner, P
Boacd of War, and Viceroy of Hoo Kwang
of the
; Tang, a
President of the Board of War, and Viceroy of Quan-
tung and Quangse ; and E, a Vice President of the
Board of War, and Fooyuen of Quantung, conjointly
make this communication to the *Queen of England,
that in conformity thereto she may cause the growth of
and traffic in opium to be prohibited.
It appears .
that in the great reason of Heaven
there is nothing selfish ; is not permitted to
injure others in order to benefit ourselves ; nay,
inure, the human mind is not differently constructed.
Who is there that does not view death with horror,
and exert himself' to preserve his life ? Your country,
although separated by a mighty ocean, and distant up-
wards of 20,000 (Chinese) miles, is yet subject to the
same human feelings ; there is indeed no man who can-
not distinguish between life and death, between that
which is baneful and that which is beneficial. Now,
our Chinese empire looks upon all within the four
seas as of its family, and our great Emperor, with a
goodness boundless as that of Heaven itself, oversha-
dows all things, se that even the most remote and barren
regions come within the scope of his life-giving and nou-
rishing influence I
" Since the time that the restrictions were removed
from the port of Canton, and communication and com-
mercial intercourse permittted between us and other
countries, until now, the common people of our inner
land on one part, and those arriving in foreign ships on
the other, have mutually enjoyed pleasure and reaped
profit by such intercourse for a great many tens of years!
And in reference to our rhubarb, our tea, our silk, and
other articles—all the most valuable productions of the
central land, and without which ye could not exist—our
Chinese empire, looking upon all men with equal bene-
volence, has permitted these to be sold you for exporta-
tion beyond the seas, without the slightest stint or
grudge, our only object being to subdue your hearts by
the extreme of goodness, thus appropriating to ourselves,
as it were, those beneficent principles by which heaven
and earth rule all nature !

" But we feel sorry to say that there is a class of
depraved foreigners, who cultivate and prepare the
opium drug ; this they convey hither and sell by
stealth, and by means of it delude our foolish common
people, in order to deprive them of their lives, and
obtain possession of their substance. Formerly those
who smoked the drug were but few in number ; of late,
however, by the influence of bad example, the conta-
gion has spread, and day by day does the poisonous
stream flow with increasing depth and violence !
In our Chinese empire the people are many and
constantly multiplying ; in so far as regards
this stupid and besotted class—who, for the
pleasure of tickling their mouth with an opium pipe,
are content to sacrifice their lives—these are so many
rebellious subjects ; they bring the evil upon themselves
—what necessity is there to feel the slightest tender.
mess or compassion for them ? But throughout the
whole empire of the great pure dynasty, it is now
incumbent upon us to correct the customs of the
age, in order that we may reform men's hearts ;
how then can we consent to stand tamely by, and
see the very life's blood of the central land, cor-
rupted with a deadly poison ? Therefore it is' that
in our own country we now take alike the seller and
the smoker of opium and punish his crime with the
utmost penalty of the law, in order to cut off for ever
the transmission of this curse to succeeding generations.
Now, though we are aware that in the several parts
which are tributary to your country are a number of
cunning and depraved men, who clandestinely grow and
manufacture this opium, yet we cannot suppose for a
moment that it is yourselves, the Sovereign of your
country, who causes them to do so. Again, among the
various nations of the earth, there are only a few coun-
tries which produce this poisonous drug, it is not indeed
produced by every country.
We base further heard that in your country you
do not permit your own subjects to smoke it ; he who
violates the law is severely punished ; this is showing
that you are aware how noxious it is to human life, and
therefore it is that you thus rigidly prohibit it. But
if you prohibit it being smoked, why not prohibit it
also being sold ? and at the same time prohibit it
being grown and manufactured ? This would indeed
be the true way to get rid of the fountain of
evil ! And if you yourselves do not smoke it, and yet
dere to prepare it and sell it, in order to induce the
foolish ignorant people of our central land to smoke it
—then this is wishing to secure life to yourselves, you
involve others in the pit of death ! This is seeking your
own profit, while you are trying to ruin you neigh-
bour ! Such conduct rouses the indignation of mankind,
while the reason of high Heaven will assuredly never
permit it ! By means of the great power of our empire,
which rules over Chinese as well as strangers from afar,
what difficulty should we find in punishing with death
those foreign venders of opium? But, looking up to
the unbounded goodness of our holy Emperor, and
taking lihn as our model, we judge it right and proper
to give fair warning beforehand, for were we not to
send you this letter for the information of you the said
Sovereign of your country, and were we in a moment
to issue these rigid prohibitions, then you might still
conic forward with the excuse that you were not aware
of the facts of the case.

We therefore now make this covenant with you—to
the end that you take the fatal drag opium, so hurtful to
nsunkiad, and put a stop to it for ever. As we of the
central land prohibit our people from using it, so it seems
just that you prohibit the subjects of your country
from preparing it. In respect to that which has been
already prepared, you will please to cause strict search
to be made after it, and have it cast into the bottom of
tiie sea, that within the expanse of heaven and earth
no place be further given. Tni . done, not only will the
amnion people of oar central kind no more suffer its
evils, but tne people of your own country, having already
prepared it, how is it possible to guard against their
turning to use it themselves ?t On the other hand, if
you forbid its being prepared, your own said people will es-
cape being injured by it, and thus both countries will not
only enjoy mutual peace and happiness, but by so doing
will you more strikingly manifest your respect and sub-

‘• By following out this course of conduct, .you will
then clearly understand the Celestial reason, and Heaven
wdl visit you with none of its
,;,udgmentz ; you
will harmoniously accord with the feelings of
matlind, and our holy Emperor must know and
_approve. On the other hand, the drug being rigidly
Prohibited in our inner land, no person is now per-
;flitted to smoke it, so that even granting that it should
be Prepared in your country, there is no place to get rid
oc it, nor any profit to be reaped thereby. Thus, then,
how much better will it he to try another profession
at once, than to labour in vain, and to loge one's capital
in the end? Moreover, the opium already existing
in our central land has been even now taken, mixed
up with oil, and destroyed ; and after this, if any foreign
ship continue clandestinely to bring opium, we cannot but
iseize it and destroyit in the same manner : and in doing so
we cannot guarantee—in reference to the other cargo on
bo ird—that the gem may not be confounded with the
I common stone. Thus, ere you have tasted of the
profit,
ruin already stalks before you ; you, attempting
.tO injure others, will inlv e of h
the first place have sustained
eCelestial dynasty, in sub-
it tjary yourselves.
jhaveoring to ourselves the 10,000 t kingdoms of the earth,
: oncannot
receipt
be a degree of divine majesty which y
Jay not that we failed to warn you before hand I
f rf
r this
t
n
o e e
0 Let the Queen of the said country
letter, immediately take all the circumstances connected
bey
s fathom
different
i
with the ,stopping omf
uthoicaeotpen the
rush
same from
to uim
sea.po andrts,
Do not on any account make use of
falsehood or evasion,
• seeking to dela.," or procrastinate.
" We most aujuuslY stand on tiptoe waiting your
reply.
" Taoukwang,
letter
igt.h year, second moon.---3
is is-
day (pro-
' ilaabiy,abouth the 10th of April, 1839), h
Iwed that the Queen of England may knowt and act ac-
cortliagly„"
• The term here translated " Queen" is " Wang,':
';i!Volnooly used for " King," but in a more wide accepta
4bhplies the " Sovereign" of a country, without re-
ce to the sex of the personage on the throne.
's is a bow drawn at a venture, but it has hit the
. ' It is a melancholy fact that the use of opium is
44•61. ch on the increase in England.