efforts of his father, who betook himself to Peking with a very large sum of money, hoping to be able—but failing—to propitiate the court.[1]
The war was carried on by the Chinese according to their usual mode of dealing with foreign nations.[2] They had no chance of success in open combat, so they had recourse to the ordinary stratagems adopted by uncivilized races. An "anti-barbarian committee" was formed among them, under the auspices of the mandarins. They offered premiums from 100 up to 100,000 ounces of silver for assassinations of "the barbarians," according to the gradation of rank, and similar graduated rewards for the capture of vessels, for acts of incendiarism, for denouncing those who sent provisions to Hong Kong. Intercourse was prohibited under pain of death; and provision was promised to be made for the families of those who might perish in any desperate enterprise against the "foreign devils." But so
- ↑ Yeh died in Calcutta. So great was the quantity of gas emitted by his body after death, that the leaden coffin burst twice. On its arrival at Canton the Chinese would not allow the body to be brought into the city.
- ↑ The following is the protest of the United States Commissioner, addressed to High
Commissioner Yeh:—
"Legation of the U.S., Macao, Jan. 16, 1857.
"The undersigned Commissioner and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America in China is again compelled to address your Excellency, demonstrating and protesting against the violation of our treaty of amity, the laws of civilized nations, and the rules of justifiable war.
"The United States Consul, who arrived from Hong Kong last evening, has appeared before the undersigned in person, and represented that a most diabolical deed has been perpetrated by Chinese subjects, who had administered poison in the bread supplied to the public in that colony and on board vessels in the harbour, to multitudes of men, women, and children, without distinction of nation; that he himself had partaken of the poison, from which he is still suffering, and that other citizens of the United States are rendered dangerously ill by the poisoned bread.
"The undersigned, as in duty bound, solemnly protests against this unjustifiable mode of warfare. 'The use of poison as a means of war is prohibited by the unanimous concurrence of all the public jurists of the present age. The custom of civilized nations has exempted the persons of the sovereign and his family, the members of the civil government, women and children, cultivators of the earth, artisans, labourers, merchants, men of science and letters, and generally all other public or private individuals engaged in the ordinary civil pursuits of life, from the effects of military operations, unless actually taken in arms, or guilty of some misconduct in violation of the usages of war, by which they forfeit this immunity.' Now, by the manner in which the poison has been administered in Hong Kong, not only the innocent women and children, and all artisans, labourers, merchants, and men of science, belonging to the English nation, had their lives exposed, but the citizens and subjects of other nations who are on friendly relations with China. Americans, French, Russians, Portuguese, and Spaniards have all received the deadly poison; and that some may yet die, remains to be known.
"The undersigned, therefore, on behalf of the Government of the United States, on the part of humanity, and (reverently) in the name of God, protests against this most barbarous deed; and as on former occasions when protesting against the offering of pecuniary rewards to perfidy and assassination of foreigners, must hold the imperial government of China responsible for all the consequences, both to individual and national interests.
"His Excellency Yeh." "Peter Parker."
