Early Relations hetzvcen the United States and China. 119 



special "high officer" to negotiate it, Ke tried to dissuade him. 

 Had not the two nations always been at peace ? What need was 

 there then of a formal compact? As to opening the other four 

 ports to American commerce, he could not presume to decide 

 that but must wait until the commissioner arrived. He felt cer- 

 tain, however, that the new trade regulations for Canton w^ould 

 apply equally to all nations.^* With this answer Kearney had 

 to be content. He had already arranged with the governor for 

 the payment of losses sustained by the Americans in the Canton 

 riots of December 7th, 1842,^^ and after a parting warning to 

 his countrymen not to ship from port to port in opium vessels,^*' 

 and after taking away the papers of the "Ariel" for trading in 

 the drug under the American flag,^" he left the coast.^* 



In the meantime the war had ended. The English-Chinese 

 treaty, which had been signed at Nanking in August, 1842, had 

 made revolutionary changes in the intercourse between the two 

 nations. A new era had dawned. The co-hong had been abol- 

 ished, a regular tariff and port regulations had been established, 

 and four new ports had been opened. The American treaty was 

 not obtained until nearly two years later, but for all purposes of 

 commerce and missions the privileges granted by that of Nanking 

 were as open to the Americans and all other nations as to the 

 British. It is a remarkable testimony to the efficiency of the 

 old method of trade, however, in supplying to the full the 

 demands of the United States for Chinese goods, that in spite 

 of the greater freedom under the new order, American commerce 

 with China took no sudden rise, but recovered and kept on in 

 the natural growth it had had before the war.'^^ No such revolu- 



" Ibid., p. 35- 



°' Sen. Doc. 139, 29 Cong., i Sess., pp. 24-29. The correspondence lasted 

 from January to March, 1843. 



'" Ibid., p. 37. 



'' Sen. Doc. 139, 29 Cong., i Sess., p. 38. 



"^ See too, Niles Register, 65 : 100, which contains a letter from Canton 

 published in the Boston Advertiser, describing the last few months of 

 Kearney's visit. See also Paullin, Diplom. Negot. of Am. Naval Officers, 

 pp. 109-201. 



^' Exports from the U. S. to China. Exports from China to U. S. 

 Year ending Sept. 30 : 



1840 $1,009,966 $6,640,829 



1850 1,605,217 6,593,462 



