Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-04


smuggling was executed at Macao in presence of many
ioregn and Chinese witnesses Later in the year
another ransgressor of the laws against opium was exc
cued near the foreign residences in Canton and again.
early in 1885, another Chinese was executed in the i'm
mediate vicinity Of the foreign residences in Canton It
was reported that the upper lip Of many smokers in HUI
pen province was cut off to incapacitate them from in
hang the fascinating poison These measures checked
the consumption to degree that surprised many foreign
residents who had witnessed the manner in which pre-
vious edcts had been carried into effect But it having
been reported to the Emperor that the obnoxious foreign
merchants still continued to reside Canton and to car
ry on the nefarous traffic. and that the storeshp still lay
quietly at anchor at Lntip the Emperors patience was
at length exhausted by this contumacious disregard Of
his edcts and continued tramping the laws of the
Empire and in the latter part Of 1883 he resolved to
ceed to extremes To this end he clothed trusted and
valued public officer with extraordinary powerssuch rs
had only been thrice delegated by the Emperors of this
dynastyand sent him to Canton put stop to the in
quitous traffic and this transgression of the laws II
said the august Emperor gave his distinguished
Lin his instructions in person and he spoke to him
Of the uncomfortable evils that had been inflicted upon his
people for these tens Of years by this overaowng poison
his emotions choked his uterancehe paused and wept
then, turning to the Commissioner, he said How alas
until these direfu evils are removedf who
does not eympahze with this aged monarch in his deep
grief these appalling evils and his unceasing though
shame to protesting christians, unavang efforts to put
stop to this desolating curseg
Commissioners Lin arrived at Canton March 10Th
1882 He Immediately made known the purposes Of the
Emperor to put complete stop the opium trade He
addressed the most TO the
ers to abandon this illegal traffic. that the legitimate
trade might continue uninterrupted and he demanded
that this smugged poison should be quietly and immed
atey surrendered to him for destruction This proper
and reasonable demand, and which would have been
enforced in every other countryfcr by the laws of All
nations smugged commodities may be seized and con6s-
Gated by the Government whose laws have been
was refused The Chinese Commissioner then had re.
to more stringent measures by taking meas res
against the departure Of all foreigners from Canton till
the opium was delivered to him by those who owned it.
The noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs Lord
PalmerstoD, had sgnifed to his countrymen that their
countrys protection would not be afforded to them 10
enable them to violate the laws Of the country to which
they traded His language explicit as the sentiment
is JUST No protection be afforded to enable British
subjects to violate the laws Of the country to which thew
trade Any loss, therefore, which such persons may
suffer in consequence Of the more eectua execution Of
the Chinese laws on this subject must be borne by the