62 Kenneth S. Latonrette, 



resistance should the Chinese come and take him by force, 

 "placing a firm reliance in the Government of the United States 

 for a redress of our grievances upon proper presentation of 

 the facts." After repeated conferences between the committee 

 and the cohong, and after repeated assurances that the Americans 

 would offer no resistance/^ on October 23d/^ the hong merchants 

 went to the "Emily" in force and took off Terranova as a 

 prisoner of state. The Italian once in their hands, the Chinese 

 acted promptly. October 26th he was tried before local magis- 

 trates behind closed doors, all foreigners being carefully 

 excluded. He was quickly condemned and strangled, and his 

 body was returned to the "Emily." American trade was at once 

 reopened, since, said the viceroy in his edict, "the said chief 

 [Wilcocks] has on the whole behaved respectfully and sub- 

 missively." The edict closed in a grandiloquent way which 

 illustrates the Chinese attitude throughout the entire proceedings : 

 "The Celestial Empire's kindness and favor and tenderness to 

 the weak are rich in an infinite degree. But the nation's aspect 

 sternly commands respect, and cannot because people are foreign 

 sailors, extend clemency to them. Let the Hong merchants 

 explain luminously this official mandate, and persuade and induce 

 the said foreigners, all of them, to know it, and to be thereby 

 filled with reverence, and awe; that each may insure the safety 

 of his own person and family, and not bring himself into 

 sorrow."*'' 



The Americans have been criticised for making no further 

 resistance, and the United States Government for taking no action 

 to obtain satisfaction. The merchants and sea captains at Canton 

 could not have assumed a firmer attitude, however, without 

 grave danger to themselves, the certainty of bloodshed, and the 

 possibility of war, and the consul could not have done more 

 without exceeding- his authority. It may be said further, both 



^* The cohong knew that further bloodshed would mean more trouble 

 for them. 



^^ The account in the North American Review says Oct. 25th, but 

 Wilcocks' date is to be preferred. 



*^ Consular Letters, Canton, I. Other accounts of the affair may be 

 found in Staunton, Notices Relating to China, pp. 409-432, Davis, China, 

 I : 90, 91, and in Foster, Am. Dipl. in the Orient, pp. 40, 41. 



