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vindicate his views of propriety by an appeal to force if the Chinese attempted to object. The Alceste acted in faithful accord with precedent. Still it is unusual to read in history that while an ambassador is visiting the court of a friendly country the ship by which he reached her shores is engaged in acts of warfare against her fleet and her forts. The Chinese, however, seem to have been fortified by experience against any display of undue surprise.

Thirteen comparatively uneventful years followed this abortive mission. They were not without evidences, however, that the long series of violences and arbitrarinesses had borne fruit among the Chinese people. In two consecutive years—1820 and 1821—bands of natives armed with stones, bamboos, or spears made fierce attacks on watering parties of British sailors. It will never be known exactly what events were the proximate causes of these encounters, but they showed that a new mood was beginning to sway the hitherto pacific natives of Canton. In connection with these and other disturbances the usual conflicts of jurisdiction declared themselves, and as a consequence the Chinese sought to draw tighter than ever the reins restricting foreign intercourse. Native servants were placed under surveillance; foreign merchants forbidden to live in Canton except during the business season, to pass beyond the limits of the Factory when residing there, or to bring their wives to the city; licenses had to