. The government of China resolved to put
an end to the commerce altogether, and with this view an imperial
commissioner arrived at Canton. He resorted at once to decisive
measures, by demanding that every particle of opium on board the ships
should be at once delivered up to the government to be destroyed; at
the same time requiring a bond that the ships would never again dare
to introduce that article. In the event of any opium being thereafter
brought, the goods were to be confiscated, and the parties were to
submit to death. Should the foreigners fail to comply with these
requisitions, Commissioner Lin threatened that they would be overwhelmed
by numbers and sacrificed. The whole foreign community was thrown into
a state of the deepest distress at these demands; and the chief
superintendent, Captain Elliot, considered it to be his duty to take his
own countrymen under his protection. He issued a circular, requiring the
surrender into his hands of all the English opium actually on the coast
of China. On the 3rd of April, however, 20,283 chests of opium were
delivered over to the commissioner, from the ships which had assembled
for that purpose below the Bocca Tigris. Some merchants had been
imprisoned by the Chinese authorities; but on the 4th of May leave was
given for all to quit Canton with the exception of sixteen individuals,
who ultimately took their departure with injunctions never to return.
Captain Elliot immediately ordered every subject of her majesty out of
the river; but he did not himself remove from Canton until the 25th of
May, when the proscribed persons had been released, and there remained
no other British subject in jeopardy. When they were out of danger,
he immediately wrote to the governor-general, detailing the course of
violence and spoliation which had broken up this great trade; and at the
same time applied for armed vessels from the Indian station to protect
life and property. Later in the year the breach was widened by an affray
which took place at Macao, between some English sailors and Chinese
villagers, in which, unfortunately, one of the latter was killed.
Commissioner Lin demanded of Captain Elliot that the homicide should be
given up; but this was refused, and in consequence an edict was issued
by Lin prohibiting any provisions or other articles being supplied to
the British at Macao. The British superintendent subsequently removed
his residence to Hong Kong, off which lay the _Volage_