force the best part of a year, and as the watch kept all over the Empire was very strict, over half the smokers were already cured. Meantime, the news of the stoppage of trade reached England, and no one would sell the stocks of tea at the various emporia, which thus accumulated until famine prices were reached, so that during this time a profitable trade was done by Canton and Foochow junks with Singapore and other places in the south. There was no silver available in the capital of London, where the merchants were obliged to borrow large sums from neighbouring emporia in order to meet their engagements. Elliot had sent home for troops, and the Queen directed Parliament to deliberate upon the matter. The official body, civil and military, were for war, whilst the mercantile interest was for peace. Discussion went on for several days without any definite result, and at last lots were drawn in the Lo Chan-sz Temple[1] [? division before the Lord Chancellor] and three tickets were found in favour of war, which was therefore decided upon. The Queen ordered her relative by marriage, Peh-Meh,[2] [Sir Gordon Bremer] to take a dozen or so of warships under his command, to which were added twenty or thirty guard-ships from India. This was reported to the Throne by Lin Tsêh-sü in the month of June; but the Emperor still said: "What can they do if
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