[368] 77,379 chests were imported in 1854. Later, the imports somewhat
declined, owing to increased home production. Nevertheless, China
remained the chief buyer. India produced just under 6,400,000 tons of
opium in 1873/4, of which 6,100,000 tons were sold to the Chinese.
To-day [1912] India still exports 4,800,000 tons, value £7,500,000,000,
almost exclusively to China and the Malay Archipelago.
[369] Quoted by J. Scheibert, _Der Krieg in China_ (1903), vol. 2, p.
179.
[370] Scheibert, op. cit., p. 207.
[371] An Imperial Edict issued on the third day of the eighth moon in
the tenth year of Hsien-Feng (6/9/1860) said amongst other things: 'We
have never forbidden England and France to trade with China, and for
long years there has been peace between them and us. But three years ago
the English, for no good cause, invaded our city of Canton, and carried
off our officials into captivity. We refrained at that time from taking
any retaliatory measures, because we were compelled to recognise that
the obstinacy of the Viceroy Yeh had been in some measure a cause of the
hostilities. Two years ago, the barbarian Commander Elgin came north and
we then commanded the Viceroy of Chihli, T'an Ting-hsiang, to look into
matters preparatory to negotiations. But the barbarian took advantage of
our unreadiness, attacking the Taku forts and pressing on to Tientsin.
Being anxious to spare our people the horrors of war, we again refrained
from retaliation and ordered Kuei Liang to discuss terms of peace.
Notwithstanding the outrageous nature of the barbarians' demands we
subsequently ordered Kuei Liang to proceed to Shanghai in connection
with the proposed Treaty of Commerce and even permitted its ratification
as earnest of our good faith.
'In spite of all this, the barbarian leader Bruce again displayed
intractability of the most unreasonable kind, and once more appeared off
Taku with a squadron of warships in the eighth Moon. Seng Ko Lin Ch'in
thereupon attacked him fiercely and compelled him to make a rapid
retreat. From all these facts it is clear that China has committed no
breach of faith and that the barbarians have been in the wrong. During
the present year the barbarian leaders Elgin and Gros have again
appeared off our coasts, but China, unwilling to resort to extreme
measures, agreed to their landing and permitted them to come to Peking
for the ratification of the Treaty.
'Who could have believed that all this time the barbarians have been
darkly plotting, and that they had brought with them an army of soldiers
and artillery with which they attacked the Taku forts from the rear,
and, having driven out our forces, advanced upon Tientsin!' (I. O. Bland
and E. T. Blackhouse, _China under the Empress Dowager_ (London, 1910),
pp. 24-5. Cf. also in this work the entire chapter, 'The Flight to
Yehol'.)
[372] These European exploits to make China receptive to commodity
exchange, provide the setting for a charming episode of China's internal
history: Straight from looting the Manchu Emperor's Summer Palace, the
'Gordon of China' went on a campaign against the rebels of Taiping. In
1863 he even took over command of the Imperial fighting forces. In fact,
the suppression of the revolt was the work of the British army. But
while a considerable number of Europeans, among them a French admiral,
gave their lives to preserve China for the Manchu dynasty, the
representatives of European commerce were eagerly grasping this
opportunity to make capital out of these fights, supplying arms both to
their own champions and to the rebels who went to war against them.
'Moreover, the worthy merchant was tempted, by the opportunity for
making some money, to supply both armies with arms and munitions, and
since the rebels had greater difficulties in obtaining supplies than the
Emperor's men and were therefore compelled and prepared to pay higher
prices, they were given priority and could thus resist not only the
troops of their own government, but also those of England and France'
(M. v. Brandt, _33 Jahre in Ostasien, 1911, vol. iii, China_, p. 11).
[373] Dr. O. Franke, _Die Rechtsverhältnisse am Grundeigentum in China_
(Leipzig, 1903), p. 82.
[374] Bland and Blackhouse, op. cit., p. 338.
[375] Ibid., p. 337.
_CHAPTER XXIX_