The Uncollected Writings of Thomas de Quincey, Vol. 2 | Page 3

single file towards the bloodshed of this war, nor a
single guinea towards its money costs. Napoleon I., in a craze of
childish spite towards this country, pleased himself with denying the
modern heraldic bearings of Great Britain, and resuscitating the
obsolete shield of our Plantagenets; he insisted that our true armorial
ensigns were the leopards. But really the Third Napoleon is putting life
and significance into his uncle's hint, and using us, as in Hindostan they
use the cheeta or hunting-leopard, for rousing and running down his
oriental game. It is true, that in certain desperate circumstances, when
no opening remains for pacific negotiation, these French and American
agents are empowered to send home for military succours. A
worshipful prospect, when we throw back our eyes upon our own share
in these warlike preparations, with all the advantages of an unparalleled
marine. Six months have slipped away since Lord Clarendon, our
Foreign Secretary, received, in Downing Street, Sir J. Bowring's and
Admiral Seymour's reports of Yeh's atrocities. Six calendar months, not
less, but more, by some days, have run past us since then; and though
some considerable part of our large reinforcements must have reached
their ground in April, and even the commander-in-chief (Sir John
Ashburnham) by the middle of May, yet, I believe, that many of the
gun-boats, on which mainly will rest the pursuit of Yeh's junks, if any
remain unabsconded northwards, have actually not yet left our own

shores. The war should naturally have run its course in one campaign.
Assuredly it will, if confined within the limits of Yeh's command, even
supposing that command to comprehend the two Quangs. Practically,
then, it is a fantastic impossibility that any reversionary service to our
British expedition, which is held out in prophetic vision as consecrating
our French and American friends from all taint of mercenary
selfishness, ever can be realised. I am not going to pursue this subject.
But a brief application of it to a question at this moment (June 16)
urgently appealing to public favour is natural and fair. Canvassers are
now everywhere moving on behalf of a ship canal across the Isthmus of
Suez. This canal proposes to call upon the subscribers for £9,000,000
sterling; the general belief is, that first and last it will call for
£12,000,000 to £15,000,000. But at that price, or at any price, it is
cheap; and ultimate failure is impossible. Why do I mention it?
Everywhere there is a rumour that 'a narrow jealousy' in London is the
bar which obstructs this canal speculation. There is, indeed, and already
before the canal proposal there was, a plan in motion for a railway
across the isthmus, which seems far enough from meeting the vast and
growing necessities of the case. But be that as it may, with what right
does any man in Europe, or America, impute narrowness of spirit, local
jealousy, or selfishness, to England, when he calls to mind what
sacrifices she is at this moment making for those very oriental interests
which give to the ship canal its sole value--the men, the ships, the
money spent, or to be spent, upon the Canton war, and then in fairness
connects that expense (or the similar expense made by her in 1840-42)
with the operative use to which, in those years, she applied all the
diplomatic concessions extorted by her arms. The first word--a
memorable word--which she uttered on proposing her terms in 1842,
was, What I demand for myself, that let all Christendom enjoy. And
since that era (i. e., for upwards of fourteen years) all Christendom, that
did not fail in the requisite energy for improving the opportunities then
first laid open, has enjoyed the very same advantages in Chinese ports
as Great Britain; secondly, without having contributed anything
whatever to the winning or the securing of these advantages; thirdly, on
the pure volunteer intercession made by Britain on their behalf. The
world has seen enough of violence and cruelties, the most bloody in the
service of commercial jealousies, and nowhere more than in these

oriental regions: witness the abominable acts of the Dutch at Amboyna,
in Japan, and in Java, &c.; witness the bigoted oppressions, where and
when soever they had power, of the colonising Portuguese and
Spaniards. Tyranny and merciless severities for the ruin of commercial
rivals have been no rarities for the last three and a half centuries in any
region of the East. But first of all, from Great Britain in 1842 was heard
the free, spontaneous proclamation--this was a rarity--unlimited access,
with advantages the very same as her own, to a commerce which it was
always imagined that she laboured to hedge round with repulsions,
making it sacred to her own privileged use. A royal gift was this; but a
gift which has