The Opium War: Part 1

On to the Peiho

by Milton Soong

The Elliots' next task was to deliver Palmerston's letter to the Imperial government. They sailed north towards the Peiho with nine warships and an armed steamer. On their way, they detached two warships to blockade the port of Ningpo and two more to guard the south of the Yangtze. The troops on Chusan were to act as a central reserve, ready to go wherever there was trouble.

The British expedition reached Taku Fort on August 15. Their arrival had alarmed Emperor Tao-kuang, since Taku was only 100 miles from Peking. The Emperor realized that the foreign barbarians had brought the war to his own capital.

Palmerston's letter was delivered to a high official in Taku, who agreed to forward the letter to Peking. After reading the letter, the Emperor was convinced that an agreesent must be reached through negotiation. For this task he ordered Chishan, the Governor of Chili, to open discussions with the British. Chishan was a noble of Mongolian descent, whose many years of service in the Manchu court had made his a rich, as well as a shrewd, man. He soon proved to be a master at diplomatic negotiation.

He scored his first victory on the plenipotentiary by keeping them waiting a whole month for the opening of the discussion. He then persuaded the British to negotiate in Canton, where all the trouble had begun.

Elliot had his own reason for complying with Chisan's demand. The anchorage at the Peiho was quite open, the cold weather and the monsoon would soon set in, and communication would then be difficult. His reasons were valid even though, by going to Canton, he gave up a strong bargaining position. Chishan was sure to be more obdurate in the coming negotiations when the capital was no longer being threatened directly.

On September 15, Elliot set sail for Canton. On their way south the fleet stopped at Chusan where they found a dismal state of affairs. The troops were paying for the mistakes made by their superiors. They were still living in tents and malaria from the mosquitoes in the surrounding swampy environment was rampant. They were further weakened by the excessive number of fatigue labors, all of which had to be carried out by soldiers since the Chinese had been allowed to evacuate Tinghai.

Worst of all, caused by the incompetence of the Indian military administration, most of the food sent from India had gone bad. As the Chinese had taken everything with them, foraging turned out to be fruitless. As a result, many soldiers were close to starvation.

The combination of malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, exhaustion, malnutrition and intense heat took a heavy toll on the Chusan garrison. On the average about ten died each day. Moreover, the officers showed a callous indifference to the suffering of their men, which resulted in a steady decline of morale.

By the time Elliot reached Chusan, 450 of the 3,000-man garrison were dead. The heaviest casualties hid been among the Cameranians, who depended almost entirely on bad rations sent from India. The Royal Irish fared a little better for the ships that had supplied them had carried food prepared in England. Overall, the British lost more lives on Chusan to non-combat attrition than all the casualties suffered in operations against the Chinese combined.

The Elliots went back to Macao to meet Chishan an November 20. Admiral Elliot, due to failing health, had to resign his post, leaving Captain Elliot as the sole plenipotentiary. Admiral Elliot's command was handed over to Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer.

Charles Elliot and Chishan spent the whole month of December in negotiations. By that time Chishan had succeeded Lin as the High Commissioner. Lin's career at Canton was regarded as a failure, he lost his office and was degraded a rank, but the Emperor had ordered his to stay in Canton to help Chishan with the negotiations.

Britain's demands were clearly defined. Palmerston had given Elliot specific instructions about the essential points - payment for the surrendered opium, reparations for the indignities suffered during the siege of the factories, promise for the security of future trade, the cession of one of the Bogue islands and an indemnity to defray the cost of the expedition. Chusan was to remain in British control until all terms had been fulfilled.

Chishan was reluctant to agree to such formidable desands. One issue in particular was the cession of Hong Kong, which Elliot had named as one of the suitable Bogue Islands to be taken over by Britain. Chishan made full use of delaying tactics, but after a full month of fruitless negotiations, Elliot was ready to resume hostilites.

The majority of the expeditionary forces were stationed at Chusan, and their condition made thee unfit for duty. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived from lndia in the fare of 600 men of the 37th Madras Native Infantry. From England came the 660-ton iron steamer NEMESIS. She was armed with too 32-pdrs, several 6-pdrs and a Congrave rocket launcher. The steamer was designed to draw only six feet of water, which made her very useful along the shallow shores of the South China Sea.

The Opium War Part 1

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© Copyright 2004 by Milton Soong.
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