A Digest of the Despatches on China (Including Those Received on the 27th of March); With a Connecting Narrative and Comments (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1840 edition. Excerpt: ...can serve no other purpose than to furnish him with adroit turns in plausible palliation of his own conduct. "Appeals to reason or justice are out of the question; complaint would be unbecoming; and he would only wring the language of warning or indignation to his own advantage. "The necessary reply to all this violation of truth and right is a blow, and that it consists neither with my power nor authority to inflict. But when I am in a convenient situation for placing the real bearings of circumstances under view, your Lordship may be assured the task shall be performed calmly and plainly. "Yesterday the Hong merchants brought me a direct address under-the seals of the High Commissioner, the Governor, and Lieutenant-Governor, reiterating the demand for the bond. I tore it up at once, and desired them to tell their officers that they might take my life as soon as they saw fit; but that it was a vain thing to trouble themselves or me any further upon the subject of the bond. There had been men, I reminded them, with naked swords before our doors, day and night, for more than four weeks, and as it was to be presumed they had orders to kill us if we attempted to escape (though there had been no previous formality of a bond of consent), there could be no need for our bonds of consent to the killing of other people at some future period. It was competent for the Emperor of China to make what laws he saw good, incurring the risks of their execution, risks which it was not to be denied were very considerable, and about which they should hear more when I could find a suitable occasion to treat so grave a subject. "Turning now to other things, I would beg to turn your Lordship's particular attention to the expressions significant of some purpose of...