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Gentlemen Adventurers : Chapter Two : Canton and Hong Kong, Far East 1839

Session 005: The Taking of Hong Kong- July 1839

Ref: GentlemenAdventurers

The Party

ArnoldTodgersHamelton - DaveF
WallaceTiffinSmythe - PeteN
GladstoneArchiboldThynne - TimE
LadyElsbethMacBeth - CathyE
RevGabrielSpooner - AdrianW

Events

After the unfortunate incident on the dockside Superintendent of Trade CharlesElliot reccommends that the party and their ship leave port, and unload their 'cargo' in the much smaller but more amenable port of Hong Kong. Hamilton arranges for the merchants he has been dealing with to collect their goods from Hong Kong - an arrangement that is obviously familiar to them.

Sailing to the village the party discover it to be a small and unpreposessing place, overrun almost by the sailors of 4 british trade ships who are here under similar circumstances.

As they are preparing to explore the Superintendent's ship is sighted - he must have followed them a matter of hours later. They await his arrival and he politely offers lady Mac beth the use of his (small) trade house in the village. Later he indicates that during discussions following the incident the Chinese Governor LinZexu has been at his most belligerent and Charles Elliot has formally ordered all british shipping from Canton, sending them all to Hong Kong. he now needs to arrange a blockade on Canton (for British shipping only but advising others). He will take charge of the blockade and he orders Major GladstoneArchiboldThynne and his men to secure Hong Kong for the crown as a safe port, displacing any incumbent majordomos they may find in the fishing village/ Kowloon island area.

Gladstone sets about his mission with a vigor, raising additional men for the duty from the almost too eager traders. They have seen the new regime badly affect trade and their sailors / crew have had a frustrating few months at the hands of the Chinese.

Hamilton seeks out the most important trading staff and talks breifly to a local 'trader' (smuggler) and advises him to retire from the area for a while.

Lady Mac beth sets off to explore the area, with her staff and ever-present loaders / ghillies.

Rev Spooner explores the area looking for suitable locations for his mission.

Wallace, sensing the impending riot and it's obvious effect tries to warn the villagers to run and hide,and when that fails tries yelling 'fire'. This brings men onto the streets with rakes & buckets, at about the same time as Lady Mac B starts shooting birds & wildlife in the woods. The presence of 'armed men' and sound of shooting is enough for Gladstone to believe their is as armed opposition so he lets slip the crewmen and they chase the villagers through the village and into the woods, burning and looting as they go. While he and his men quarter the town looking for 'opposition' - curiously they find none as both the locals and sailors avoid them.

Hamilton discovers the location of the local headman who lives near the shrine on the hill, and runs up to warn him. Wallace assists esccaping villagers - turning back sailors who are chasing women and children.

Gladstone also discovers the location of the headman but arrives to find the place empty - and so takes it as the new 'Police House', noting it's proximity to the shrine where villagers are hiding he places a guard on the area to prevent 'anything nasty'.

While returning to the village Rev Spoonern meets Lady Mac B and between them they put a stop to three sailors who are raping a village girl. Elsbeth shoots two when they try to rush Rev Spooner and the third surrenders to them and is handed over to Gladstone for punishment.

Hamilton gets the salior returned to there ships once the port has been secured.

After the excitement of the 'incident' calm returns to the port and the village remains deserted for a day or so, patrolled only by Gladstone's riflement. During this time the 'merchants' arrive and take the first 1/3 of the Opium in exchange for a fortune in silver.

Over the next week the party settle into a routine exploring the island, fishing, shooting etc. Gradually noticing the villagers returning and setting up 'shop' much as before with a fatalist air mindin not who is in control. Wallace in particular is well received by the locals, and on a longer expedition finds the village headman in a distant hamlet on the other side of the penisular. Inviting him to return and explaining that Hong Kong has been taken by the British crown and indicating the British strength. During this time the local smugglers merchants take the final two loads of the party's cargo leaving the Victoriana riding empty but for a full treasure chest!

CharlesElliot returns soon after, professes pleasure with the calm state of affairs he finds (!!!) and requests that the party & their boat take up patrol in Canton for a few days while he arranges for the navy to take up the role properly.

The party sail to canton and find the other blockading boat - a very lightly armed merchant trader. Very soon after they arrive the chinese realise the Victoriana is unarmed and launch an attack in light boats at the moment when the other blockading boat is furthest away. The unexpectedly heavy firepower possessed by the crew of the Victoriana stopps the attack in its tracks, sinking two of the small craft and the rest scatter.

References

Rowntree wrote that the British were "in a great hurry to make money out of the East, and the gunboats were found to clear the way quickly. All vestiges of compassion for mankind had been swept away by the silver stream of rupees which poured into the Calcutta Exchequer." GentlemenAdventurers


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