The Ownership Of
The Vessel Was Then Transferred To Fong Aming, And In His Name She Is
Registered.
These are the simple facts connected with the purchase of the
lorcha by a resident of the colony at
Hongkong and her registry as a
British vessel, and it is from these facts that the Imperial Commissioner
Yeh has arrived at an erroneous conclusion as to the ownership of the
boat." As the first step toward obtaining the necessary reparation, a
junk, which was supposed to be an imperial war vessel, was seized as a
hostage, and Mr. Parkes addressed another letter to Yeh reminding him that
"the matter which has compelled this menace still remains unsettled."
Had there been that convenient mode of communication between the governor
of Hongkong and the Chinese officials at Canton which was provided for by
the Nankin Treaty and the Keying Convention, the "Arrow" complication
would, in all probability, never have arisen, and it is also scarcely less
certain that it would not have produced such serious consequences as it
did but for the arrogance of Yeh. He even attempted to deny that the
"Arrow" carried the English flag, but this was so clearly proved to be a
fact by both English and Chinese witnesses that it ceased to hold a place
in the Chinese case. As it was clear that Commissioner Yeh would not give
way, and as delay would only encourage him, the admiral on the station,
Sir Michael Seymour, received instructions to attack the four forts of the
Barrier, and he captured them without loss.
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Page 447 of 704
Words from 121370 to 121631
of 191255
