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petty traders in opium underwent summary punishment; one was strangled in front of the Factories; entire stoppage of commerce was threatened, and the governor continued to urge foreigners to send all opium ships from Chinese waters.

At this epoch there arrived in Canton to assume the direction of affairs a man destined to take a prominent place in the history of his country's foreign relations. This was Commissioner Lin. He had previously held high office, and he now came to Canton with plenipotentiary authority, received direct from his sovereign, to "remove from China the dire calamity" of opium. It is unnecessary to speak of his character: his acts will be found sufficiently eloquent.

When Lin reached Canton the opium trade, owing to vigorous measures already taken by the governor, as described above, had been almost suspended. But the opium ships lay at Lintin, having on board large quantities of the drug, and there could be no doubt that the interruption of the traffic was merely temporary. Lin may be supposed to have understood thoroughly the venality of his own country's officials, and from the Canton authorities he received accurate in-formation about the defiant methods of foreigners and the absence of any one of their own nationality competent to control them, this last fact being attested by Captain Elliot's written statement that he possessed no authority outside the