at Britain. Among these was the breaking out of another war with
China. The origin of the war may be thus briefly stated. A small vessel,
called a lorcha, was the property of a British subject, resident at
Hong-Kong. It was boarded, while carrying the British flag, by the
Chinese authorities, who alleged they were in search of a pirate among
the crew. The whole crew were arrested, chained, and carried away
prisoners. This was in contravention of the existing treaty with China.
The English consul demanded that the captured persons should be returned
to the lorcha, and that their investigation should be made according
to the treaty. Governor Yeh not only refused to do this, but did so in
terms insolent, and almost menacing. The consul at Canton reported the
case to the governor of Hong-Kong, Sir John Bowring. The reclamations
of that functionary were treated as disdainfully as those of the consul,
and it became necessary, as a last resort, to appeal to arms. The
outrage upon the lorcha was committed on the 8th of October, 1856. On
the 22nd of October, Rear-admiral Sir Michael Seymour, on board the
_Coromandel_, accompanied by a squadron of gun-boats, captured a number
of forts by which the entrance to Canton was defended. On the 28th he
took possession of a fort known by the name of the Dutch Folly, situated
on an island opposite Canton. Commissioner Yeh seemed now to be alarmed
for the safety of the city, and offered to surrender ten out of twelve
of the men taken out of the lorcha. This the British authorities
declined. He then sent the twelve, but demanded that two of them, whom
he alleged were guilty of piracy, should be returned, to be dealt with
according to the laws of China. Consul Parks had, however, demanded at
first that the men should be as publicly sent back to the lorcha as they
had been taken away. The twelve men were accordingly brought back by the
Chinese authorities again to Governor Yeh. That strange person refused
to receive them any more, probably considering that they had brought
sufficient trouble and danger on him already. Sir John Bowring then
demanded, that as Canton was included in the five ports opened by the
treaty of 29th of August, 1842, such facilities for commerce as existed
at the other four ports should be opened to British residents at Canton.
The English had waived this privilege so far as Canton was concerned
(although reserving their right), in order to conciliate the prejudices
of a p