The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-02 00:00:00

CHINESE EDICT:

The following are some additional documents pub-
lished by the Moniteur relative to the incidents
which preceded and led to the signature of the
treaty of peace of Pekin :

IMPERIAL EDICT.
Published on the 30th Sept.
I have always treated the different foreign na
tions with the same kindness; I have accorded to
them liberty of commerce without restriction. In
consequence the French and English remained for
a long time in friendly relations with China, and
during many years there was not between us the
shadow of a misunderstanding ; but all at once, in
'the seventh year of our reign, they carried war
into the provinces of Kwang-Tong, brutally occu-
pied our town, and capital of that province, and
carried off our mandarins. Convinced that our
Viceroy, Ye-Ming-Chin, was the cause of all these
misfortunes by his want of ability in treating affairs,
we did not hesitate to punish him, and when in the
eighth year of our reign, the barbarians came to
Tien-tsin to negotiate, we ordered the Viceroy
Tan-ting-sang, to go to them to regulate the ques-
tions which required solution. 'the barbarians
then, taking advantage of our not being prepared,
attacked our forts and arrived without difficulty at
Tien-tsin.
Fearing disasters without number for our people
we then ordered the First Minister Kouei-Liang,
and others to go and negotiate with them, and to
put an end to the war ; and, as in all the articles
proposed by them there were matters reserved, we
directed Kouei-Liang and the others to go to Shang-
hae to establish the future tariffs. In the ninth
year of our reign the barbarians presented them-
selves anew before Takou, with vessels of war, and
with the intention of destroying our forts ; and it
was then that our generalissimo, Sing-ko-lin-sin,
exasperated, subjected them to a complete defeat.
It is therefore to themselves alone that they owe
their misfortunes, and not to China having failed
in her engagements. It is, moreover, what the
whole world is aware of. This year again the bar-
barian chiefs—Elgin, Gros, and others—presented
themselves at the mouth of the river, and, as we
retain no rancour for the past, we permitted them
to take the road of Petang, to come to the capital
to exchange the ratifications of their treaties.
We could not then believe that they came with
detestable intentions, bringing with them cannon
mounted on carriages and troops of horse and foot,
with whom they attacked our forts of Takou in
the rear, forced our armies to fly, and arrived
for the second time at Tien-tsin. Considering then
that Kouei-Liang was the man who, in preceding
years, had conferred with them at Petang at Tien-
tsin, we ordered him to go and open fresh negotia-
tions with them. Thinking that those barbarians
had some notions of justice and propriety, we hoped
to see them make demands to which we could con-
sent ; but who believed that they would bring for-
ward the expenses of arbitrary pretensions, claim
the reimbursement of the war, and the open-
ing of the new ports, and to bring their troops to
the very neighbourhood of the capital, all of them
pretensions so exaggerated and detestable that we
were obliged to order the Prince de I, Asai-Youen,
and the Minister of War, Mou-Hig, to attempt to
negotiate, and to definitively solve those questions.
But the revolted barbarians, in order to satisfy their
pride, came and threatened Tong-Tcheou with an
army, and, moreover, expressing the desire to bring
their troops to the capital and to see us there.
If such a senseless pretension had been conceded,
Tinhe:Pe:and fidelit
how could we have shown ourself before our
people ? We therefore gave the most severe orders
to the different commanders of our troops, to
bring cavalry and infantry from every direction,
and to go and fight with fury. We also enjoined
on all the districts near the capital to assemble the
troops of the reserve to reinforce the other armies
and to assist them in fighting, and to raise corps
of volunteers for that purpose. On the roads or in
the country every mar, whether the soldier or
civilian, who shall cut off the head of a brlraseckwdshel linatyee:
so as t
receive a reward of 50 taels • for thgaabtvpholfe
of
Tien-
-100 taels ; and for that of a Chief, 500. ._0 vex.
rhiave
Any one who may bu:psieoi
iytakeorseacr_beatribyra,
.ro not an Emperor fon
tslelatwtihllerveecsesievle
ssh,oaollOctoanetlas,ina.nd
tsin, always renewed for their co as
should consider the barbarians
lercefore surmount the grief
ieletse,rmailic!aattetttianl.hemiir,e
eff, we still con-
arrying
we can no let
which oppresses ; our subjects be convinced
of this. As to those of our subjects, whether of
of Canton, ,v keen or elsewhere, whom the barba-
roifancala,ve succeedetdthi
skier them as our children, and advise them to
effect their escape, at the same time endeavouring
to cut off the head of a barbarian and present it to
us; we promise them a liberal recompense in re-
turn. These barbarians come from far distant
countries solely to trade, and that matters have
come to the present pass can only be owing to the
fact that they were invited by the bandits and
rebels of the empire.
To assure their destruction, we command our
mandarins of the ports to take every measure cal-
culated to ruin their trade. As for the other nations,
which show themselves respectful and obedient
towards us, and whose relations continue pacific, it
is understood that their transactions are not to be
interfered with. However, if the barbarians should
repent of their crime and acknowledge it, they must
be allowed to enjoy, in the different ports, the