Page:Brinkley - China - Volume 3.djvu/31

Deshima; in other words, accused of planning to place the foreigners in a species of island prison, such as that to which the Dutch merchants had been confined by the Japanese for more than two centuries.

During the period of highly strained relations that now ensued various incidents tended to aggravate the situation. Lin sought to render Hongkong untenable for the English in order to enforce their return to Canton, and the measures he took for that purpose led directly to armed collisions of more or less gravity and indirectly to assaults with deadly violence. Finally, in presence of the unflinching resolution of the British not to sign any bond placing the lives of smugglers at the mercy of Chinese justice, Lin showed a disposition to waive that demand, and a modus vivendi had almost been elaborated when a British ship-master, separating himself from the union of his nationals, subscribed the bond as dictated by Lin, and the latter was thus induced to resume his uncompromising attitude. Things culminated in a naval engagement. On this occasion the belligerent initiative was taken by the British. Two of the latter's men-of-war having moved up the river, partly to demonstrate, partly to reconnoitre, found a fleet of war-junks, which they determined to attack. There is no reason to suppose that the Chinese, on their side, contemplated offensive action or that their squadron had any purpose not purely defensive: