Chusan
Page 35
6.
‘familiar faces quickly reappeared’ Bernard, Narrative p.203.
‘A show of strength’ USJ 1842, vol.1 p.419, in Gough’s report to Auckland.
‘The farmers stopped work… samshoo in abundance’ IJMPS, 1845.
7.
‘After resting… back to Tinghae’ USJ 1842, vol.1 p.419.
‘many of his men had to be carried’ IJMPS, 1845.
8.
‘to protect the well disposed…’ FO17/54(108), text of Pottinger’s Proclamation, given 6/10/1841.
9.
‘Major Stephens… the suburb’ WO28/300/MS4, General Orders, HQ, Tinghae.
10.
‘The temperature dropped sharply… snow’ BL Machell. The latitude too was unfamiliar to the Indians: this far north it grew light at 4am, and they were forever asking their officers the correct time (BL Pears, 21/6/1840).
‘They said it was salt’ BL Machell.
‘it “bit” them’ Levien, p.95.
‘packs of wild dogs’ Cree, vol.5 5/12/1841.
‘plenty of warm, woollen fabrics… thin, white sheet’ FO17/49(182), Diary of a Residence, 24/9/1840; Levien, p.95.
‘Labourers were hired… matchlocks’ Ellis, p.284.
‘The remains of the wharves… earth wall’ ibid.
‘One bright little Chinese boy…’ ibid., p.298.
11.
‘their ill will…’ ibid., p.284.
12.
‘Divine service… church’ ibid., p.288.
‘The sailors in the harbour… had to be rescued’ BL Machell.
‘roast pork and suet pudding’ Levien, p.95.
‘twenty-five brace of woodcock’ Masefield, p.105.
‘Despite the cold… 1842’ BL Machell.
13.
‘Friction was inevitable… officers’ assistance’ Both incidents are recounted in EMC, 19/5/1842, repeating reports in the Canton Press of 15/3/1842.
‘The whole British nation…’ EMC, 19/5/1842.
14.
‘a man named Yijing’ Hummel, Eminent Chinese has a biography.
15.
‘a man of leisure…’ FO17/56(38).
16.
‘…a promise of samshoo or sex’ Ouchterlony, The Chinese War p.226.
‘Plied with spirits… away to their deaths’ ibid.
‘Privates Toplis and Russell’ IJMPS, 1845 p.537.
17.
‘Whole villages… ruthlessly exacted’ Ouchterlony, The Chinese War p.226.
18.
‘In mid-February… hangman’ NM, 1842 p.561.
19.
‘the tally of kidnappings steadily rose’ EMC, 13/7/1842 and 22/8/1842 have many examples.
‘a private of the Hertfordshires’ Murray, p.125.
‘One kidnapper… flushed out’ Smith, Physician & Friend 28/4/1842.
‘lacerated and headless body’ Baker, letter of 1/6/1842.
‘allowed to pass unsearched’ Mountain, p.190.
‘A boatman… capital sentence’ ibid.
‘On another occasion… passed out of Ningbo’ EMC, 13/7/1842.
‘Gützlaff, himself almost murdered…’ ibid., 25/6/1842.
‘the dregs of maritime society’ In FO17/112(140), Gützlaff’s Extracts from Chinese State Papers.
20.
‘On Chusan… sole cause of British deaths’ EMC, 25/6/1842.
‘Edward Cree… narrowly escaped’ Levien, p.69.
‘When a local boy… sack and a sword’ Milne, p.124.
21.
‘In early May… Hong Kong’ CR, vol.11 p.614.
22.
‘Manifesto of the People of Tinghae’ The original manifesto is reproduced in YPZZZZS p.535 and in translation in CR, Dec 1841 p.646.
‘drained and replaced by dry wheat and barley’ Reported in EMC, 14/7/1842.
23.
‘suspected that it was a forgery’ see e.g. Davis, China vol.2 p.19.
‘Attempts were made… garrison exhausted’ EMC, 15/8/1842, 23/8/1842 and 25/8/1842 have accounts of how the British all but lost control of Tinghae during this time.
‘In late July… twenty minutes’ EMC, 6/10/1842.
‘It ought to be a good lesson…’ BL Cotton, letter of 24/7/1842.
‘You dwell in the West…’ Carlisle MBR, Translation of a Paper found under Joss House Hill by Serjeant Campbell, 49th Regiment.
Chapter 14
1.
‘they often knew as much…’ FO17/56 contains Precis of Intelligence from Chinese spies.
2.
‘earthly branch of yin’ In classical Chinese, yin means ‘to reverence’, though this meaning has now been lost. It is a different character from the yin which forms one half of the yin/yang duality.
3.
‘A prohibition… could be hoped’ WO28/300/MS4, 20/3/1842.
4.
‘But it proved impossible… ears’ In, for example, the Precis of Intelligence in FO17/56(113).
5.
‘The steamer Nemesis… rowed back to the Nemesis’ Bernard, Narrative p.271ff and Nemesis p.284 recount the events on Daishan; also EMC, 10/5/1842; USJ 1842, vol.3 p.292 has a letter from Gough to Auckland; Ouchterlony, The Chinese War p.250 has more.
‘Even though gentrymen… notice’ A Translation of a Letter Picked up in the Streets of Ting Hai on the 1st April 1842 (Carlisle MBR) notes that the guards at the city gates had been halved and suggests that a date be set for an attack and pay be distributed to braves on Chusan.
6.
‘On the 4th day of the 3rd month…’ A translation of the abridged version of the memorial in CBYWSM, vol.46 p.175, reproduced in Bao Jiangyan’s ‘An Investigation into Zheng Dingchen’s Fire-Attack on Dinghai’ (Zheng Dingchen Huogong Dinghai Kao).
7.
‘An abortive attempt’ Details of the attack are found in ADM 51/3589, ADM 53/750; Parker’s report is reproduced in USJ 1842, vol.3 p.306; BL Machell provides an eyewitness account from the deck of the Worcester.
‘Captain Dennis’ Cpt Dennis appears elsewhere to have been military magistrate of Sinkong (Bingham, vol.2 p.313).
8.
‘The ships’ boats… burned them all’ Bingham, vol.2 p.313.
9.
‘one man remained unconvinced’ The intrigues can be followed in YPZZZZS p.333ff and are examined in Bao Jiangyan (n.7, above).
‘But General Yijing… all along’ YPZZZZS p.340, DG22/4/4.
‘There is no doubt…’ YPZZDASL vol.5 p.289, DG22/4/12.
10.
‘With cannonballs… what go on’ Bernard, Narrative p.xiii.
11.
‘a man named Qiying’ Hummel, Eminent Chinese has a biography.
12.
‘One oppressively hot day…’ Levien has Edward Cree’s shocked account and watercolours of the day’s aftermath.
13.
‘Dollars twenty-one million…’ NM, 1844 p.463.
Chapter 15
1.
‘noticed an unfamiliar vessel’ Cree, vol.6 2/10/1842.
‘HMS Minden’ Wilson, Medical Notes recounts the story of the Minden.
2.
‘the troopship Belleisle’ MSR, An Account of the voyage of the Belleisle.
‘At Zhenjiang… fit for duty’ Shadwell, Life of Colin Campbell records the sufferings of the 98th in the Yangtze and the relative salubrity of Chusan. Cook, The North Staffs, records that by 1851 the 98th would have been serving abroad for nine years, during which time they had lost 1,164 men, not one of them in battle.
‘…admitted to the Minden for treatment’ BL Nicolls has detailed records of sickness among the 98th: by the end of September 1841, 163 men had died, not one of them from enemy action.
3.
‘winter of 1842… no end’ Wilson, Medical Notes, p.84 ff.
‘In early May…’ ibid., p.112.
4.
‘the Babao brothers… set free’ CR, vol.11 p.614.
‘Upriver in Canton provin
ce… $15 each month’ FO17/82(11).
5.
‘In early October… otherwise safe’ EMC, 16/12/1842.
‘the identity of Shadwell’s friend’ Cunynghame.
6.
‘George H. Skead RN’ FO17/54(263), 1/12/1841.
‘declared a “free port”’ CR, vol.11 p.119.
7.
‘Pottinger had reiterated his promise’ FO17/54(280), Pottinger’s Proclamation, 14/12/1841.
8.
‘How muchie loopee?’ Ellis, p.288.
‘They were neat… grocer’ Cunynghame.
‘Others had memorised… European style’ Cree, vol.6 23/1/1842.
‘standardised weights and measures’ FO17/66(282), 25/3/1843.
‘Guttersnipes… pidgin English’ Cree, vol.6 4/10/1842.
‘merchant vessels… Hong Kong’ Cunynghame, ch.7.
‘Chusan Regatta’ Cree, vol.6 11/10/1842.
‘Two years into… trade went on’ FO17/67(43, 73, 84 and 94).
9.
‘Word of the treaty… quite passable’ Cree, vol.6 17/6/1842.
‘were beaten away from Hong Kong…’ ibid. 26/12/1842.
Chapter 16
1.
‘a receptacle for the most abandoned desperadoes’ Smith, Narrative p.261.
2.
‘Some writer has compared Tinghae with Venice…’ CR, vol.10.
3.
‘The thing I fear…’ BL Monk, p.24.
4.
‘The Chinese are a mean…’ BL Pears, 19/7/1840.
5.
‘Haughty, cruel and hypocritical…’ MacPherson, p.4.
6.
‘Even Sir John Davis… faithless thieves’ Davis, Chinese Miscellanies.
‘talkative… inquisitive.’ CR, vol.9 p.422.
7.
‘Picture to yourself…’ EMC, 12/10/1840.
8.
‘tabby cutlets…’ BL Monk, 16/7/1841.
‘They don’t use the milk…’ BL Cotton, letter of 29/6/1842.
9.
‘a preference for… vegetarian diet’ Cunynghame.
‘probably ate a lot of dog…’ ibid.
10.
‘The people of this island…’ Times, 26/10/1842.
11.
‘The Times printed another long letter…’ ibid., 1/5/1844.
12.
‘The Government… tabula rasa’ EMC, 31/1/43.
13.
‘Robert Fortune’ Musgrave, The Plant Hunters has a biography. Fortune’s experiences in Chusan are recounted in his two books, Three Years’ Wanderings and A Journey to the Tea Countries of China.
‘a fowling piece… vocabulary’ Cox, p.75.
‘one Mr Douglas’ Fortune, Three Years’ Wanderings, p.179.
‘disappointed by his first view of China’ ibid., p.61.
‘Did our island of Hong Kong possess…’ ibid.
14.
‘Governor Schoedde…’ ibid.
15.
‘quiet and inoffensive…’ ibid., p.69.
‘The proximity… sea trout and more’ IJMPS, 1845.
‘Tartar sheep’ Davis, Chinese Miscellanies.
‘brick-built ovens’ Fortune tasted ‘excellent buns and short cakes’ in Chusan: Wanderings, p.46.
‘pastry shops… selling sweetmeats’ Cunynghame.
‘Bespoke tailors… English lady’ Fortune, Wanderings, p.70.
‘confidence to extend credit… English shop-sign’ ibid., p.71.
‘Ici on parle Français’ Davis, China vol.2.
16.
‘a little English… and Indian words’ Fortune, Wanderings, p.71.
‘onomatopoeic vocabulary’ Repeated in CR, vol.10 p.500.
17.
‘Doctor Alexander Grant’ Smith, Physician & Friend is an edited biography of Grant.
‘More objectionable… unwary feet’ Fortune, Wanderings, p.325.
‘in the tenanted graves…’ Thomas Allom’s China Illustrated p.90.
18.
‘The inquisitive Dr Grant… soil’ His observations are recorded in his Diary of Chinese Husbandry.
19.
‘A second typhoon…’ Davis, Chinese Miscellanies.
20.
‘wedding processions were commonplace’ Edward Cree (vol.6 14/1/1842) describes and sketches one.
‘All year… back home’ IJMPS, 1845.
‘Britain, Dr Grant felt… ever wasted’ ibid. p.217.
21.
‘the moment, when the Chinese…’ Gützlaff, Gaïhan’s Chinesische Berichte, p.20.
22.
‘Even Captain Pears… finest battalion in the world’ BL Pears, 24/10/1840.
23.
‘Others who passed… silk ribbon’ APF, p.251.
‘The clothes of those farmers… knot-grass’ Davis, Chinese Miscellanies.
24.
‘visited the markets… Punch and Judy’ Grant, Feb 14th.
‘the details would be endless’ Morrison, Memoirs.
25.
‘endless details of Chusanese life’ The local customs are set out in Zhoushanzhi (1626), Guangxu Dinghai Tingzhi (1877) and Dinghai Xianzhi (1885).
26.
‘The populace… juren’ Davis, Chinese Miscellanies.
Chapter 17
1.
‘drunkenness of soldiers and sailors’ Ellis, 9/1/1842.
2.
‘impartial administration… on the street’ Times, 1/5/1844.
‘details of their lives’ The everyday details of garrison life survive in countless incidental mentions in diaries and contemporary published accounts, from the bills of lading of ships supplying Chusan, from requests in letters to relatives back home, and so on.
3.
‘annual festival of sports’ EMC, 13/6/1843; Cree, vol.7 17/3/1843 has a delightful description.
‘Sinkong barracks’ This, and a regimental hospital in Sinkong, were rented from local landowners. The same went for the posts in Sinkamoon: WO28/272.
4.
‘Come the warmer… Bund’ Power, Recollections p.255.
‘theatrical productions’ IJMPS, 1845 p.217.
‘Theatre Royal Chusan…’ Power, Recollections p.260.
5.
‘in 1844… regular battle drills’ Shadwell, Life of Colin Campbell p.215.
‘To the bemusement… city walls’ Power, Recollections p.255.
‘officers’ love of hunting’ Game was even sent by ship as a luxury to Hong Kong and Macao: JMA reel 528 19/1/1844.
‘The cultivation… cold in their tombs’ Power, Recollections p.255.
6.
‘landing every few days…’ Cree, vol.5 12/1841, vol.6 1/1842, and vol.7 1-2/1843.
7.
‘a sportsman’s paradise’ Power, Recollections.
‘A covered boat…’ ibid.
8.
‘Other like-minded men…’ ibid.
9.
‘Nothing could exceed…’ Davis, China vol.2.
10.
‘The only fault… too lax’ ibid. p.53.
‘Magistrate Bamfield had no authority…’ FO17/58(276), 12/11/1842.
‘Under the Chinese law… feed him’ Allom, p.103.
‘Acting on a request… mainland’ FO17/89(3-19).
11.
‘Criminals… native population’ FO682/1975/139.
‘a Ningbo mandarin… peace’ FO682/1975/140.
‘Arrangements were instead made… Zhenhai’ FO682/1975/148.
12.
‘Pottinger told the islanders’ FO17/58(272), Pottinger’s Proclamation of 11/11/1842.
‘a man of some status… loss of his pigtail’ Smith, Narrative p.272-74.
13.
‘One incident… such infringements’ Davis, China vol.2 p.56.
14.
‘it might sometimes have helped…’ The misunderstandings over the annual fishing fleet are in FO17/78(102ff).
‘rootless boat-dwe
llers’ Power puts Chusan’s seasonal fishing population at some 175,000.
‘the very seat of iniquity’ Gützlaff, Journal of a Voyage, in CR, vol.2 June 1833.
Chapter 18
1.
‘In the hospital their hearts are soft’ The observations on Protestantism and Catholicism in this section draw on Fay, The Opium War, ‘The Protestant Mission and the Opium War’ and ‘The French Catholic Mission in China’.
2.
‘Catholics… Protestants’ This dichotomy can still be seen in the People’s Republic of China, where even in the twenty-first century Protestantism and Catholicism are treated as distinct religions.
3.
‘We earnestly hope and pray…’ MR, March 1840, p.131.
4.
‘News of Tinghae’s fall… William Milne’ CWM LMSMA, letter from Milne 15/7/1840.
5.
‘Scarcely had the Union Jack… to Tinghae’ CWM LMSMA, Proceedings with Reference to a Mission on the Island of Chusan, in a letter from Macao 8/1840.
6.
‘William Lockhart’ CWM, List of Missionaries (384) and MS380645/2 together provide a detailed biography.
‘its avowed aim… easing their pain’ CWM LMSMA, Proceedings with Reference to a Mission.
7.
‘Having sailed from Gravesend… garrison dying’ CWM, List of Missionaries and letter from Tinghae 25/10/1840.
‘called on Gützlaff and his wife’ CWM, MS380645/2.
‘every species of filth and rubbish…’ CWM LMSMA, digest of Lockhart’s journal, 22/9/1840.
8.
‘Lockhart began attending… Boatswain’ CWM, MS380645/1(Jan 1841) and /2.
‘commodious but dirty… ideas of comfort’ CWM LMSMA, letter from Tinghae 25/10/1840; JMA reel 580 14/8/1840.
‘His mornings were spent… on the street’ CWM LMSMA, letter from Tinghae 25/10/1840.
‘In scarcely more than a month…’ ibid.
9.
‘When the troops struck camp… rampaging invaders’ ibid.
‘Governor Burrell… great bothering to help him’ CR, vol.10 p.453.
10.
‘Through a medic’s eyes… to help’ Lockhart records his observations in The Medical Missionary in China.
‘malaria… quinine’ CR, vol.10 p.453. Quinine had first been isolated in 1820 and was soon being mass-produced.
‘Eye disease was common…’ CR, vol.10 p.459.
‘In one miserable building…’ ADM101/105/2 (notes of HMS Iris’ surgeon).
‘Tyrrell’s ophthalmic instruments’ CWM MS380645/1, letter from Macao 18/8/1841.
11.
‘elephantiasis… severe bite from a pig’ CR, vol.10 p.453-9.
‘more ignorant of medicine… hopping off’ IJMPS, 1841 p.612.