Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/401

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negotiations at Nanking and received for this the nominal rank of a fifth-grade official and one thousand taels silver. He later went to Tientsin and, with the documents at his disposal, wrote two accounts of his activities in the Anglo-Chinese War; the first, entitled 探夷說帖 T'an-I shuo-t'ieh, tells of his six journeys to Tinghai as a messenger of I-li-pu; the second, entitled 撫夷日記 Fu-I jih-chi, describes the negotiations at Nanking and relates illuminating details concerning I-li-pu and Ch'i-ying. Chang's account does not bear out the story told by Cunynghame that I-li-pu's illness was due to an overdose of medicine procured from the British surgeon. The Fu-I jih-chi, printed in 1936 from old manuscripts, contains a facsimile reproduction of one of I-li-pu's letters to Chang.


[1/376/3a; 1/221/17b; 2/36/36a; 3/40/10a; I-hsin [q. v.], Ch'ou-pan i-wu shih-mo, Tao-kuang; Arthur Cunynghame, The Opium War (1845), p. 139; see also bibliography under Ch'i-ying.]

Fang Chao-ying


I-liang 怡良 (H. 悅亭), Oct. 18, 1791–1867 (1863?), official, was a Manchu of the Plain Red Banner and a member of the Gulgiya clan (瓜爾佳氏). His father, Wên-tê 文德 (H. 修園), became acting lieutenant-governor of Kansu, and his wife was a descendant of Dodo [q. v.]. A student of the Imperial Academy, I-liang began his official career as a clerk in the Board of Punishments in 1816 and was promoted to an assistant department director of that Board in 1825. Early in 1829, as a reward for his judicial work, he was sent from Peking to be prefect of Kao-chow, Kwangtung. Two years later he was transferred to a similar post at Nanning, Kwangsi, and after several months was made salt controller of Yunnan. In 1832 he was promoted to provincial judge of Anhwei and a year later was transferred to Kiangsu. In 1834 he was made acting financial commissioner of Kiangsi and in 1836 full financial commissioner and acting governor of Kiangsu. In 1838 he became governor of Kwangtung.

In the anti-opium movement at Canton I-liang supported the efforts of Lin Tsê-hsü [q. v.]. He memorialized the throne frequently, and was ommended for his seizures of opium and arrests of opium smokers. In August 1839 he submitted a joint memorial with the governor-general, Têng T'ing-chên [q. v.], reporting the improverent of the defenses of the Bocca Tigris, and of the facilities for examining foreign cargoes. On ground that ships under English protection were smuggling opium, he memorialized the throne to stop trade with England. At the beginning of 1840 he assisted Lin Tsê-hsü in carrying out the embargo and in expelling all British ships beyond the Bocca Tigris. For this he received the emperor's commendation.

After the fall of Lin Tsê-hsü and Têng T'ing-chên, who were recalled to Peking on September 28, 1840, I-liang was made acting governor-general of Kwangtung and Kwangsi, pending the arrival of Ch'i-shan [q. v.]. About the beginning of 1841 he was appointed concurrently superintendent of customs at Canton. Meanwhile Ch'i-shan reached Canton (November 29, 1840) and memorialized the throne in favor of a peace policy. I-liang, as well as others, did not agree with this policy and refused to join in the memorial. Ch'i-shan thereupon conducted his negotiations with Captain Elliot (see under Lin Tsê-hsü) in secrecy and without reference to I-liang; and on January 20, 1841 concluded the abortive Chuenpi convention by which trade was reopened and Hong Kong was ceded to England (see under Ch'i-shan). At the same time the British issued proclamations claiming sovereignty over the island, though approval by the emperor of the transaction had not yet been given. I-liang broke this news to the emperor; and his memorial, received on February 26, 1841, led to the immediate fall of Ch'i-shan and the dispatch of I-shan [q. v.]. to Canton to fight against the British. I-liang was again appointed acting governor-general until the arrival of Ch'i Kung (see under Ch'i-shan).

When the British forced the Bocca Tigris forts and, early in March 1841 advanced to Canton, the Chinese authorities were placed in a difficult position. I-liang was reluctant to fight, and on March 22, and again on April 18, he memorialized the throne in favor of allowing British trade at Canton. For this he was deprived of his rank but was permitted to continue at his post.

In January 1842 I-liang was made imperial commissioner and governor-general of Fukien and Chekiang. After the Treaty of Nanking (August 29), which provided for the opening of Amoy and Foochow to trade, he, in conjunction with other high officials, was ordered to fix the trade regulations.

In November 1842 the British envoy, Sir Henry Pottinger (see under Ch'i-ying) demanded redress for the execution of British subjects who had been wrecked on the coast of Formosa in the transport Nerbudda (September 1841) and in the brig Ann (March 1842). Some 200 persons from

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