Chamberss Edinburgh Journal, No. 433 | Page 6

formidable insurrection, excited partly by religious enthusiasm,
broke out in the western parts of Chinese Tatary in 1826. An able
leader was found in Tehangir, a descendant of one of the former princes.
He proclaimed himself the deliverer of the faithful from the infidel
yoke, drew multitudes to his standard, and proceeded victoriously from
city to city. The imperial army sent to quell this insurrection cost on an
average L.23,000 of our money per day; and though victories were, as

usual, reported, there was no appearance of the war coming to a
termination. What prowess could not effect was accomplished by
bribery. The Mohammedans were themselves divided into rival
factions; and the Karatak ('black caps') were induced by Chinese
diplomacy to turn against the Altktak ('white caps'), to whom Tehangir
belonged. He was betrayed, taken to Peking, and cut to pieces in
presence of the emperor; after which, nearly the whole of Turkistan
was laid waste by fire and sword. After twenty more of the rebels had
been decapitated, the emperor enacted new laws for the country, with
the view of attaching the people to himself by the mildness of his rule.
The black caps were promoted either to offices of trust in their own
country, or to places of distinction in the Chinese army. When
Turkistan again became the seat of trouble in 1830, the emperor at once
sent 4000 camels with 2,000,000 taëls of silver (about L.700,000) to
settle matters, which was considered much wiser than to engage in a
long and expensive war. A similar policy was pursued in 1847, when a
formidable rising occurred, during which Kashgar was taken, and the
Manchoo forces routed. The Mohammedan leaders agreed to accept the
emperor's bounty; and on condition of all lives being spared, the
imperial troops were allowed to recapture Kashgar as by military force.
A splendid victory was of course announced in the _Peking Gazette_;
and in the subsequent distribution of rewards, the diplomatist was
raised ten steps above the general.
It is commonly believed that the Celestial Empire dwells in perpetual
peace within itself, as the fruit of that universal spirit of subordination
and filial obedience which is the great object of all its institutions.
Nothing, however, can be more erroneous. Not only do the restless
Tatars frequently break into revolt, but in China itself, the extortions of
the mandarins, or the occurrence of famine, frequently excites a village,
a city, or even a large district to rebellion; and there are cases of an
infuriated population actually broiling their magistrates over a slow fire.
The usual policy of Taou-Kwang in all such cases was to send an army,
but at the same time to set the leaders at loggerheads by administering
suitable bribes, and inducing them to betray each other. In this manner,
a civil war can be brought to a speedy conclusion; and then the cruelty
of the victorious government knows no bounds. 'The treatment of

political prisoners,' says our author, 'is really so shocking as to be
incredible, if one had not been an eye-witness of these inhuman deeds.'
The volume affords us some amusing particulars connected with the
collision with England. When the British fleet was expected in the
Chinese waters, the imperial orders were, to 'listen to no proposals, but
fire on the ships, and annihilate them at once.' To the great emperor, it
would have appeared quite ridiculous to condescend to negotiation with
so inferior a power as Britain: he had given his orders; these must be
obeyed; and his minister had himself written a letter to Queen Victoria,
that she might not plead ignorance of the high behests of his Celestial
majesty. It was not till the fleet appeared at the mouth of the Pei-Ho,
and the capital was in danger, that Taou-Kwang deigned to seek an
accommodation by means of his smooth-tongued minister Keshen, who
negotiated an armistice, promising that all wrongs would be redressed
by a commission appointed to meet the British representatives at
Canton. But as soon as the fleet turned southward, the danger was
considered visionary; and again the cry arose to punish the insolence of
the Western barbarians, as the English were politely designated. The
empress-dowager, who was never before known to meddle with state
affairs, told her son that 'the English and Chinese could not co-exist
under the canopy of heaven; that the Celestial Empire must assert its
superiority over these barbarian robbers; and that unless he waged war
to their utter extermination, his ancestors would never acknowledge
him in Hades.' Keshen was now denounced as a traitor to his country
for having come to any terms; he was sentenced to death; and though
his execution was deferred, yet his whole property, amounting in silver
alone to the value of three millions sterling, was confiscated; his