British And The Opium War

 Foreign trade in China expanded during eighteenth century and early nineteenth century despite strict government regulations. As trade grew the West found themselves to have a large and rising trade deficit with China. They were increasingly anxious to balance their trade. Soon opium began to feature largely in the Chinese trade. 

The demand for opium grew until the early part of the nineteenth century. By 1830 the balance of trade had become unfavourable to the empire; the value of opium imported alone exceeded that of all the commodities exported. This great increase in importation was indicative of an increasing number of users. After its introduction, opium smoking rapidly became a common practice and soon attained the proportion of a national vice. Many of the officials and the gentry, together with people from all classes who could afford it, became addicts. 

With increasing demand for opium in the country, the emperor closed the port of Canton to opium trade. But since the imperial government had become weak and the officials were corrupt, opium began to be smuggled into the country in larger quantities. China began to heavily for the illegal trade. She was drained of wealth. The health of those addicted to opium was adversely affected. In 1821, nearly 5000 chests were sold in China, this figure jumped to 40,000 chests in 1839. By then the use of opium had become as much an economic problems as a moral problem, because China instead of receiving gold, was paying out huge quantities of silver to foreigners to get this evil drug.

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Therefore, the Chinese government launched a two pronged attack. One to curb opium consumption in Chins, and second to stop import of opium into China. It was to execute these tasks that the emperor choosed Lin-Tse-hsu, to go to Canton in December 1838 as High Commissioner and Commander of Canton naval forces to investigate port affairs and discover a method to surpress opium trade. Lin after consulting his officials, wrote a letter to Queen Victoria of England pleading her to restrain English traders from indulging in opium trade but the letter never reached the Queen. 

Lin ordered that all foreign merchants should surrender their stocks of opium and give an undertaking that they would not indulge in opium trade in future. He took action at once when the foreign merchant refused to obey his orders. He blocked the factories in which they resided. Isolated and harrassed, Captain Eliot, who was incharge of the factories, surrendered 20,000 chests of opium. Lin mixed it with lime and water and throw it into the sea. When Lin gave the order that Canton should be completely closed to the foreign trade, the British opened hostilities and started the Opium War.