[ 254 ] [MARCH, 



REFORM IN CHINA. 



De tea fabula narratur" HORACE, Improved. 



THE politics of the celestial empire possess, at the present moment, a 

 distinction beyond those of any other clime or country, since they are 

 interesting to the ladies ; not only because their existing entanglement 

 too probably involves our future supply of the pure materiel of that be- 

 verage, which is so proverbially under their own exclusive patronage, 

 but also because the prohibited residence, or even visits, of all foreign 

 females at Canton, has been one of the recent subjects of complaint and 

 of discussion. A concise detail of, and argument upon, the present state 

 of affairs in China, as connected with our tea trade there, will then, we 

 very confidently natter ourselves, be not less acceptable to our numerous 

 fair readers, than to those to whom they are more particularly addressed ; 

 and though we are quite unable to promise them any wit, we will cer- 

 tainly not disappoint them of that brevity which is the soul of it. As it 

 is, therefore, very far from our intention to imitate the conduct of that 

 celebrated French savant, who, the first time he saw a Chinese, ran 

 home to write a book about him, we shall be considerate enough not to 

 inflict the whole of our knowledge on our friends all at once, but coming 

 to the " point, matter, and business of debate," without farther preface, 

 for the present confine ourselves to recent occurrences only. 



It is, we believe, universally agreed, that the points of dispute now at 

 issue between the East India Company's select committee, and the local 

 authorities at Canton are the fruits of a long course of gradual encroach- 

 ment on the part of the Chinese, which, most unfortunately, not having 

 been firmly checked in the first instance, has at length become so serious 

 and alarming, as to demand the most prompt and decisive measures to 

 ensure its effectual suppression. Emboldened by the issue of their for- 

 mer dispute in 1829-30, the Chinese seem confidently to expect that the 

 result will be the same now ; and relying on the presumed impossibility 

 of England risking the interruption of her tea trade, appear to feel as- 

 sured that we shall infinitely rather sacrifice our national honour and 

 commercial privileges, than put that trade in jeopardy. That they have 

 had but too conclusive reasons to adopt such a line of argument, must, 

 we fear, be generally admitted; but that it will be ultimately falsified 

 now, we believe, as fervently as we hope. On the present occasion, the 

 first direct attack on the company took place early in the morning of the 

 12th of May last, when Choo, the foo-yuen, or deputy-governor, accom- 

 panied by the hoppo, or imperial commissioner of foreign revenue, and 

 some other officers and armed attendants, forciby entered the British 

 factory at Canton. The alleged object of this visit was to examine some 

 splendid mirrors commissioned from England by the Hong merchants, 

 but the real one, to ascertain the fact of some pretended encroachments, 

 said to have been made on the channel of the river by the company's 

 garden. This inspection so exasperated his excellency, that on the ar- 

 rival of the Hong merchants and senior linguist, he abused both them and 

 the hoppo in the most unmeasured terms, and compelling them to remain 

 on their knees before him for nearly an hour, also exacted other most de- 

 grading tokens of submission. A-tam, the linguist, having ventured to 

 suggest a reference to the select committee respecting the disputed gar- 

 den, was immediately put in chains and ordered for execution, which 



