Chap. XXII. 



THE CITY OF CANTON. 



427 



the Chinese are exactly the reverse of European 

 nations, and here is a fresh proof that the remark 

 is, to a certain extent, a just one. As a nation 

 they cannot fight, but they are first-rate diploma- 

 tists ; on the other hand, we can win our battles 

 and then allow ourselves to be outwitted by the 

 diplomacy of a nation whom we despise in the 

 field. 



In 1842, after taking most of the important 

 maritime cities of China, from Hongkong as far 

 north as Nankin, we made peace with the govern- 

 ment upon condition that five ports, namely. Can- 

 ton, Am.oy, Foo-chow, Ningpo, and Shanghae, 

 should be opened to foreigners of every nation for 

 the purposes of trade. Scarcely was this treaty 

 signed before the right of entrance to the city of 

 Canton was disputed by the Chinese, and then we 

 committed our first and greatest mistake in not 

 enforcing it. Some years afterwards the demand 

 was made again by Sir John Davis, who in order 

 to enforce it destroyed many of the forts in the 

 river with the fleet then at his disposal in the 

 Chinese waters. But the Chinese Commissioner 

 of that day did by clever diplomacy what he 

 found impossible by force of arms. He induced 

 Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary to put the evil day 

 off for two years on account of the prejudices of 

 the people ; at the end of that period our country- 

 men would be received with open arms by the 

 loving Cantonese ! The Imperial Commissioner 

 knew well enough that at the end of two years 



