confined to the narrative alone, to the exclusion of all technical and other details, not calculated to interest the general reader. A later edition, forming the first volume of “Constable’s Miscellany,” consists partly of matter entirely new, and partly of what was previously before the public; the latter, however, carefully revised, and, in some places, augmented by further selections from the original notes: one of the new chapters in this edition contains an account of Captain Maxwell’s attack on the batteries at Canton, Nov. 12, 1816[1]; and from which we shall here extract a passage or two.
“On leaving our primitive and kind friends at Loo-Choo, we steered directly across the Japan sea, and having sailed between the Philippine Islands and Formosa, made directly for the anchorage of Lintin, which takes its name from an island lying opposite the mouth of the great river flowing past Canton. On the 3d of November, 1816, shortly after anchoring, we received despatches from the British Factory, announcing the unsuccessful issue of the embassy, and the expected return of Lord Amherst. The failure of the mission, it appeared, had disposed the Chinese authorities at Canton to treat the interests of the British Factory with great contempt, and in several instances to visit his Majesty’s peaceful subjects with insult and direct injury. Next morning was received a copy of a recent edict, or proclamation, of the Viceroy of Canton: in this document, worded in the most offensive terms, it was stated that the Ambassador would not be permitted to embark in the river, but must find his way as he best could to the ships, which were to remain at anchor amongst the Ladrone Islands, almost in the open sea. There was every reason for supposing that this insulting mandate was a gratuitous piece of impertinence on the part of the local authorities, not authorized by the Supreme Government. In China every thing is regulated by custom; and the precedent of the embassy under Lord Macartney was more likely to be adhered to, than that so inconvenient and degrading a mode of embarkation should be wantonly assigned to Lord Amherst. The hostile sentiments of the Viceroy towards all foreigners, and especially the English, had long been well known to our establishment at Canton; and as these proceedings were precisely what had been anticipated, the greatest anxiety was felt by our countrymen, and indeed by all the foreign residents, as to the line of conduct which Captain Maxwell would adopt on the occasion.
“Nothing could be conceived more dissimilar to our recent occupations than the duties which now devolved upon this officer. Instead of the pa-