PROSPECTS OF OUR TRADE WITH CHINA. 407 



failure of Lord Napier's mission was foreseen by (he writer before 

 his lordship left this country. The greatest difficulty in the way of 

 an honourable commeixial understanding with China will be found 

 in the illegal trade of opium which is carried on, of which many 

 thousand chests are imported annually. The Chinese g-overnment, 

 officially, do much to prevent the trade by prohibitions; but owing 

 to the great demand for the article, and the systematic way in which 

 this illegal trade is conducted, not only the retainers about the pub- 

 lic courts are bribed, but the magistrates themselves participate in 

 the guilt. It makes them avaricious and gives them a power to 

 domineer, while it tends to destroy all upright feelings and to tram- 

 ple under foot the laws of their country. The Company not al- 

 lowing their Captains or servants to trade in it, or to bring it in the 

 ships under their command, when any dispute arose, their servants 

 Avere not implicated; and when required to stop the traffic, they 

 denied that they had any power whatever to interfere. Thus the 

 offending parties settled the affair by a bribe, or by quilting the 

 port. When a successor to Lord Napier shall obtain a footing, 

 unless by force of arms, may we not expect that the Chinese will 

 require a discontinuance of this trade, as far as the English nation 

 is concerned ? Whenever this takes place, will our government 

 compel the Chinese to deal in what carries off tens of thousands of 

 her subjects annually? The legitimate trade with China has never 

 violated any of her laws, and might be carried on without much an- 

 noyance. Hut when sailors, captains, and merchants deal largely in 

 contraband articles, and run goods to defraud the revenue, how can 

 a good understanding exist? It is but the beginning of evils. 

 What should we say if France or Russia imported a large quantity 

 of contraband articles annually, and to further that trade kept one or 

 more ships constantly anchored at Gravesend, as a depot, from 

 which, both by night and by day, lawless persons sent them through 

 the country? On our remonstrating against such an insult, and, like 

 the Chinese, unable to force them away, would there be a good un- 

 derstanding between the governments? Certainly not. There is no 

 force in the assertion that opium is used at court, and hence the 

 traffic in it is tolerated. Would the fact of a British Queen wearing 

 a French kid-glove, be any proof that the British nation recognized 

 smuggling, while its laws were in existence against the importation of 

 that article? Who is the man, whatever be his rank, that, without 

 being backed by a sufficient force, will be able to carry on such a 

 trade with the Chinese, having to take charge of the illegitimate as well 

 as the legitimate commerce of tlie country? It is mere childishness 

 to be indignant because they now and then style us barbcuians, and 

 affirm that 07ir sovereign is a tributary prince to their monarch. Show 

 them that you trade honourably, that you aim at what is correct, and 

 you will then be able to apply to iheni some of their own maxims, 

 many of which are not surpassed by those of modern Christian writers. 



When the writer penned the preceding remarks, he had not 

 heard of Mr. Lindsay's Letter to Viscount Palmerslon. Having now 

 perused il, he finds that that gentleman also recommends to our 



