and dispatched to Fatshan and Kongtsun (January 18, 1858), to Fayen (February 8th) and far up the West River to a distance of 200 miles (February 19th to March 3rd). The government of Canton city and these military expeditions into the interior of Kwang-tung Province were indeed the only operations in the whole Arrow War that made a good and lasting impression upon the Chinese people. These measures shewed conclusively the ease with which large masses of Chinese can be controlled by a moderate but firm display of European power. They demonstrated also the benefits that would accrue to the Chinese us well as to foreign trade by a real opening up of South-China to the civilizing influences of British power.
Lord Elgin, with his maudlin misconception of the true character of the Manchu Government, proved a signal failure. Like Sir H. Pottinger, he did well so long as warlike operations proceeded, but the moment parleying commenced he allowed himself to be duped. After sending the demands of the Allies to Peking (February 11, 1858) and finding them to his surprise treated with contempt, he took the Taku forts (May 20, 1858) and occupied Tientsin with ease. But, instead of pushing on to Peking and dictating his terms there, he stopped at Tientsin and negotiated a Treaty (June 26, 1858) void of any material guarantees apart from money payments. Instead of retaining at least possession of Tientsin until the ratification of this compact, he retreated forthwith to Shanghai to settle commercial regulations. Next he yielded the main point of his own Treaty (permanent representation of Europe in Peking) and returned to England (March, 1859) only to find, three months later, when the Treaty ratifications came to be exchanged, that the wily Chinese had fooled him. The success with which Yeh had for years disregarded the Nanking Treaty in the South, naturally encouraged the Mandarins in the North to signalize their disregard of the Tientsin Treaty by their action at Taku (June 25, 1859) which permanently injured British prestige in China.
In Hongkong the turmoil continued in one way or other to the end of Sir J. Bowring's administration. On the day when
