404 REMARKS ON THE PRESENT POSITION AND 



doubt, took into consideration that, by the trade being confined to the 

 province of Canton, considerable benefit would result to the empire 

 at large, as the expenses attending the transfer of the tea from the 

 black-tea districts would be considerably increased." If so, is it 

 likely that they will suffer us again to trade at Amoy ? 



To return : 



" We find, in 1806, the Emperor of China thus writing to his 'reverently- 

 submissive tributary" the King of Great Britain : — ' Your Majesty's kingdom 

 is at a remote distance beyond the seas, but is observant of its duties, and obe- 

 dient to its laws ; beholding from afar the glory of our Empire, and respect- 

 fully admiring the perfection of our Government. . . . With regard to 

 those of your Majesty's subjects who, for a long course of years, have been in 

 the habit of trading to our Empire, we must observe to you, that our celestial 

 Government regards all persons and nations with eyes of charity and bene- 

 volence, and always treats and considers your subjects with the utmost indul- 

 gence and affection. On their account, therefore, there can be no place or oc- 

 casion for the exertions of your Majesty's Government.' " 



We feel rather disposed to quarrel with the word tributary, as 

 applied to the King of Great Britain. It is a word that occurs se- 

 veral times in the pamphlet before us, and very frequently in extracts 

 favoured us from China, indicative of the insolence of the Chinese. 

 The meaning of the English word tribute is " a tax or impost 

 which one prince or state is obliged to pay to another, as a token of 

 dependence, or in virtue of a treaty, and as a purchase of peace." If 

 this be a correct definition, we ask Mr. Matheson, and those who 

 make such a splutter about tribute and tributary, how the Chinese 

 can apply the word to us or our Sovereign, who never purchased 

 peace at their hands, nor were ever in treaty with them ? The writer 

 hesitates not to assert that to restrict the word Kung to " tribute^' 

 as a mark of dependence, is a violation of its meaning ; it must have 

 some other word attached to it, or be restricted by what has preceded 

 it. The first example of ^wK^f, as given in the Imperial Dictionary, the 

 only authority worth consultinoj, is"<o offer up to,"' and is illustrated 

 by an extract imporiing that " Yu on dispersing the remaining waters 

 of the deluge, and marking out the nine divisions or districts, Aawrfet/ or 

 offer edio\\'\% Majesty a statement of what he had done." Accordingto 

 the workChow-le, therewere nine officers, era board denominated the 

 Kew kung, consisting of nine officers, who visited the neighbouring 

 s'ates to see what they required. If the King of England were tri- 

 butary to China, to express this tribute the word Kung would 

 certainly be made use of, and, according to the Romish mission- 

 aries, the phrase would be, Tsin kung teih kwo too, " The nation's 

 earth offered up to,'" i. e, " The product of the country offered up 

 to the emperor." Kung also signifies " merit," " to bestow on 

 in consequence of merit," and " to give to." There is no de- 

 finition in the Imperial Dictionary restricting the word Kung simply 

 to a tax or impost. Tsin-kung, which has been rendered tribute, of 

 which so much complaint is made, implies nothing more than " an 

 offering from respect.'' For example, if one person makes a hand- 

 some present to another, it is expressed by "Tsin-kung-ta, that is, 

 " he presents him with the present." But surely making a person 

 a present would not necessarily constitute any one tributary to him ! 



