--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1842 to 1843. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 4 number: 6 published: 1843-02-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "β€œTo Her Brittanic [Britannic] Majesty's Subjects in China,” *Times and Seasons* 4, no. 6 (February 1, 1843): 94–95." printed_title: "To Her Brittanic [Britannic] Majesty's Subjects in China:" source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-02-01_4_6 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v4n06.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-02-01_4_6 start_page: 94 end_page: 95 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1843 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-02-01_4_6 publication_year: 1843 --- # To Her Brittanic [Britannic] Majesty's Subjects in China Her Brittannic [Britannic] Majesty's Plenipotentiary, &c. in China has extreme gratification in announcing to Her Majesty's subjects in China that he has this day concluded and signed with the Chinese High Commissoners [Commissioners], deputed to negotiate with him, a treaty, of which the following are the most important provisions: 1. Lasting peace and friendship between the two empires. 2. China to pay $21,000,000 in the course of the present and three succeeding years. 3. The ports of Canton, Amoy, Foo-choo-foo, Ningpoo, and Changha, to be thrown open to British merchants; consular officers to be appointed to reside in them; and regular and just tariffs of import and export (as well as inland transit) duties to be established and published. 4. The island of Hong Kong to be ceded in perpetuity to Her Britannic Majesty, her heirs and successors. 5. All subjects of Her Britannic Majesty (whether natives of Europe or India) who may be confined in any Platt of the Chinese empire, to be unconditionally released. 6. An act of full and entire amnesty to be published by the Emperor, under the Imperial sign manual and seal, to all Chinese subjects, on account of their having held service or intercourse with, or resided under the British Government or its officers. 7. Correspondence to be conducted on terms of perfect equality among the officers of both Governments. 8. On the Emperor's assent being received to this treaty, and the payment of the first instalment [installment], $6,000,000, Her Britannic Majesty's forces to retire from Nankin and the Grand Canal, and the military posts at Chinghai to be also withdrawn but the islands of Chusan and Koiangsoo are to be held until the money payments and the arrangements for opening the ports be completed. Dated on board the steam frigate Queen, in Yang-tse-kiang river, off Nankin, this 26th day of August, 1842. HENRY POTTINGER, Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary. G. A. MALCOLM, Secretary of Legation. This treaty of peace has given great satisfaction to the British in China and India. It was said that the Emperor had at first some doubts as to the propriety of opening a foreign trade at Foo-choo-foo, which is the capital of Fokien, and the nearest port to the country where the bohea tea grows, but that he afterward yielded that point. The Commissioners are described as anxious to get rid of the British from the Yang-tse-kiang, and the embouchure of the great canal; they offered to pay down four millions instantly, but the British Plenipotentiary insisted on the full instalment [installment] being paid, and the ratification of the treaty, before he would withdraw. The payment of the opium claims will, it is stated, be adjusted according to the amount fixed some months ago by the British Government. It was said that the Imperial Commissioners had pressed the consideration of the opium trade on the British Plenipotentiary, but he declined to discuss it, stating, if the Chinese Government was desirous of producing a stop-page to it, that it ought to be effected by their own internal regulations, and by imposing restrictions [restrictions] on their own subjects. We extract the following from the 'London Weekly Dispatch,' which goes to show what their feelings are respecting the conduct of England towards China:- "The Christians have had no mercy on a fallen foe. We wait to see whether, in the ensuing meeting of Parliament, any of those Members, Lords or Commoners, who are such zealots for Missionarizing and Bishopizing India, will take upon the frightful appearance of the Cross in China. Never in the annals of the human race, was a war more unjustifiable than this has been on our part. We have violated all international, all the acknowledged rights of independent nations. The Chinese Government take up a principle of discouraging the preventing, if possible, the use of that most poisonous of all drugs called opium. We allege that the motives of the Chinese Government are to prevent the exportation of silver, with which opium was paid for. Whether we be right or wrong the question lay between the Chinese Government and the Chinese people and we had no right whatever to interfere with it. It was a question entirely between the people and the Government of China. Really the Chinese, were they the stronger party, might with equal justice sail up the Thames and settle our Corn Law disputes according to their own notions of justice or convenience. In European wars, it has always been maintained that there were faults on both sides, and that generally speaking, the faults were six and half-a-dozen on a balance between the conflicting parties; but here no writer or speaker has ever ventured to pretend that we have had even the smallest particle of justice on our side. The Christians have been extreme outragers, aggressors, plunderers and murderers, and we wait anxiously to see what part our inspired Prelacy in the House of Lords will take in behalf of justice and humanity."