British were nearly two hundred. Owing to the
intense heat, they failed to bury the bodies of the Chinese. Pestilence and
cholera broke out, and caused more serious losses than befell the main
force sent against Nanking. On August 5, the British fleet appeared before
Nanking, the second city of the empire. It was then that Minister Elepoo,
the leader of the Chinese peace party, prevailed upon Emperor Taouk-Wang to
give in. On August 26, peace was concluded on board the British flagship
"Cornwallis." China paid an indemnity of $21,000,000, and confirmed the
cession of Hong Kong to England. The English opium factory at Canton was to
be reinstalled, and, in addition to this, foreign trading was to be allowed
at the ports of Shanghai, Ningpo, Amhoy and Foochow, after a tariff should
have been agreed upon and consular officers appointed. The final ceremonies
of peace were marred by barbarous injuries inflicted upon the famous
porcelain tower of Nanking by a party of British officers and soldiers. In
the words of a British historian: "The only weak point in the commercial
treaty was that it contained no reference to opium. Sir Henry Pottinger
failed to obtain the assent of the Chinese government to its legalization."
In reply to Sir Henry Pottinger's final demand for legalization of the
opium trade in China, Emperor Taouk-Wang delivered this ultimatum: "True, I
cannot prevent the introduction of the poison; but nothing will induce me
to raise revenue from the vice and misery of my people." The emperor,
himself a reformed opium smoker, had lost three sons by this vice. All this
time American, Dutch and Russian trade with China had been continued.
President Tyler made it the subject of his message to the American Congress
during this year. From the first any American traffic in opium was
discouraged.

[Sidenote: Webster-Ashburton agreement]

[Sidenote: "Battle of the Maps"]

[Sidenote: American interests in Hawaii]

[Sidenote: Daniel Webster resigns]

The Webster-Ashburton treaty, regulating the northeastern boundary between
the United States and Canada, was signed on August 9. A strip of territory
claimed by the State of Maine was ceded to Canada, while a more important
strip was yielded to Vermont and New York. The treaty also provided for a
joint repressive action against the slave trade, and for the extradition of
criminals. It was Webster's greatest achievement in diplomacy, as was
indicated by the fact that the Ameri