Lord Ellen boroughwished to put a question to the noble Viscount opposite, but, as he intended to make some remarks on the subject to which it referred, he should conclude with a motion. He wanted to draw the attention of her Majesty's Go- 1053 vernment to the information lately received from China. The case, as he understood it, was this: The Chinese government determined at length to put an end altogether to the illicit trade in opium, and dispatched a commissioner with full powers for that purpose to Canton. On the arrival of the commissioner, he intimated to the British merchants that, with regard to the past, the Chinese government would not insist on prose cuting any one for anything he might have done against the law. But they desired for the future that the trade in opium should cease. They required an engagement from all British merchants that they would have nothing to do in future with that trade; they required further an immediate delivery to the Chinese government of all the opium then in the possession of British merchants on the waters of China. They enforced this demand by forming a cordon round the British factories, and preventing the introduction of provisions. The British superintendent then went to Canton, and placed himself in the same circumstance of peril with the British merchants, but his arrival had not the effect of making any alteration in their condition. On the contrary, the blockade was yet more strictly enforced, and ultimately Captain Elliot, the superintendent, felt himself obliged, or imagined he was obliged, to request that the British merchants should deliver to him all the opium in their possession, for the purpose of being delivered by him to the Chinese government, he undertaking, on the part of the British Government, that all those merchants should be by the British Government idemnified. The quantity of opium so delivered, or agreed to be delivered, amounted to 20,000 chests. He (Lord Ellenborough) understood that the value was estimated—the estimate being by no means sufficient—at more than two millions sterling. Now, it would be a subject undoubtedly for serious consideration with her Majesty's Government, when they were acquainted with all the circumstances of the case, how far it might be incumbent on them to sanction the proceedings of Captain Elliot. Until that gentleman's case was fully before the public, it would be improper to form an opinion upon it. But he (Lord Ellenborough) must lay this down as a general principle, that any person, in a civil situation, who is called upon to perform civil 1054 duties in the public service, is under as solemn an obligation to disregard every feeling for his own personal safety as any man in the military service. That which would not be justifiable in a military man would not be justifiable in one holding a civil situation, when he undertook to act for the public. But in what a position were we now practically placed by what had occurred? Whatever might be the conduct of her Majesty's Government, or whatever might be the success of any negociation or intervention with a view of obtaining compensation for these losses from the Chinese government, he thought it was impossible not to come to this conclusion, that the trade in opium was practically at an end. Now the revenue of India derived considerably more than a million sterling a year from the monopoly of that trade—he believed that the amount was 1,200,000l. a year, and he apprehended, that from 800,000l. to 900,000l. was derived from the export of opium to the Chinese territories. The export of opium to China formed fully more than one-half of the whole export. That export was the equivalent which this country gave to the Chinese empire for tea. Consider in what position the revenue of England would be placed by any great change in the tea trade. If a smaller quantity of tea should be imported, the revenue must suffer. But in case of the cessation of the opium trade, the same quantity of tea must be had at a great additional expense, and, therefore, tea would become much dearer. With respect to the opium trade, however, it would be very difficult for any man to say one word against the grounds on which the Chinese government insist on its discontinuance. That government declared that it was contrary to its duty to permit this trade, which had been carried on to such an extent, and which was destroying the morals and health of the people. He (Lord Ellenborough) really did not know what answer could be given by the British Government to the allegations of the somewhat long but sensible and able statement of the Chinese commissioners on that subject. Under these circumstances, and considering the great importance of anything affecting our financial condition, at a time when Parliament was considering the propriety of taking off a tax which would for some time diminish the revenue, he desired to ask the noble Viscount whe- 1055 ther he could lay on the table of the House any despatch which he might have received from the superintendent, giving an account of those transactions. In order to make his observation regular, he would beg to move for the production of any new despatch.
§ Viscount Melbournesaid, that no despatch had been received. The facts might be as the noble Lord stated, but her Majesty's Government had received no account of them whatever. Therefore he should not make any observations on the subject until the Government was in possession of full information.
Lord Ellenboroughhad taken the account from the newspaper, but there could be no reasonable doubt of its accuracy.
§ Subject dropped,