amined by a Commission appointed by the Chinese (sic) Government, in which Sir Rutherford Alcock was represented. Eventually the British Government decided that a revision of the treaty was necessary.
The object in view was to effect certain commercial reforms, especially to get rid of the transit duties levied in the interior, which are most injurious to trade. To induce the Chinese Government to make the needful concessions, a proposal was, in a way, made to them to double the export duty on tea and silk, and the import duty opium. In May, 1869, Sir Rutherford Alcock held a conference with the Foreign Board, which is in fact the Imperial Government in its most influential shape. The Board was presided over by Wan Cheeang, by far the most important man in the Government.
Upon the British Minister representing the hostility of the Mandarins and literati to the English, Wan Cheeang and the Board, after parrying the allegation for a time, eventually admitted it, and urged our wars and our opium as quite sufficient to justify it. They proceeded to describe the horror entertained by all good Chinese and by all the influential classes of the effects of opium upon the Chinese nation, and said that real friendship was impossible while England continued responsible for the supply of the drug to the Chinese people.
Sir Rutherford Alcock replied, with the usual arguments, to the effect that, if the people of China would have opium, they would get it from various countries, though India left off producing; and that if England yielded to the demand made upon her, she would be subjected to great loss without in any way helping forward the object of the Chinese Government.
The answer of the Chinese Ministers was to the effect that they would be extremely grateful to Great Britain if she would allow them to try the experiment; and the conversation then dropped.
This was the first official attempt on the part of the Chinese Government to re-open the question regarding the supply of opium by India to China.
After some weeks a remarkable note[1] was transmitted to Sir Rutherford Alcock by the Prince of Kung, in which the representations made at the conference were presented in a developed form for the consideration of the British Minister and his Government. In this paper, of which a copy has been received from Sir Rutherford Alcock, and which he read to the Council, the Chinese Government threaten in no obscure terms, as a last resource, to compete with India by growing opium freely in China, and warn the British Government that, until the importation of Indian opium under the favour of the British Government ceases, the Chinese people will believe that Great Britain is intent upon the ruin of China, and there must be perpetual hostility.
- ↑ Reprinted in our "Indian Opium Revenue," page 21,
