The First Battle of Chuenpi, pictured, erupted after Royal Saxon attempted to run the Royal Navy's blockade on 3 Nov. 1839.[5]
By 1839 the opium trade was causing great tension between the British Empire and the Qing dynasty. The Chinese were concerned with the effects of opium on the general population and as such banned the substance. This action lead to the destruction of opium at Humen, an event which caused relations between Britain and China to deteriorate further. Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China, ordered British ships trading in opium to avoid Chinese ports or face sanction. However, when the Qing government issued a bond that required foreign merchants to not deal in opium if they wanted to do business in China, Elliot ordered all British shipping out of Chinese waters. Many merchants (especially those who did not participate in the opium trade) reacted negatively to Elliot's decision, feeling that the decree infringed upon their rights to trade freely. One merchant ship, the Quaker-owned Thomas Coutts, arrived in China and successfully unloaded its cargo at Canton. The Chinese allowed the merchant ship to conduct its business as it was known that the Quakers refused to deal in opium. In response to this violation, Elliot ordered a blockade of the Pearl River.[4]
On 3 November 1839 Royal Saxon attempted to sail past the blockade and into Canton. The British warships HMS Volage and HMS Hyacinth moved to intercept the merchant, and Volage fired a warning shot across Saxon's bow. In response to this action, a fleet of Chinese war junks under the command of Guan Tianpei sailed out to protect Royal Saxon[6] The Chinese and British ships fired on each other, beginning what would be known as the First Battle of Chuenpi. Royal Saxon herself was not involved in the action and slipped into Canton under the cover provided by the Chinese fleet.[4][7]
Later serviceedit
Royal Saxon continued her career as a merchant and passenger ship. From 1841 to 1844 she transported colonists and freight to Australia.[2][3][8] She is last listed in 1857 with homeport Sydney, H. Jackson, master, Towns, owner, and trade London_Sydney.[9]
Elleman, Bruce A. (2001). Modern Chinese Warfare, 1795-1989. London: Routledge. pp. 18–20. ISBN0-415-21474-2.
Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN0-905617-96-7.
Janin, Hunt (1999). The India-China Opium Trade in the Nineteenth Century. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN0-7864-0715-8.
Parker, Edward Harper (1888). Chinese Account of the Opium War. Shanghai.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
January 01, 1970
royal, saxon, 1829, ship, royal, saxon, british, merchant, ship, built, liverpool, 1829, carried, cargo, passengers, india, australia, east, 1839, royal, saxon, attempted, violate, royal, navy, blockade, canton, inadvertently, became, direct, cause, battle, ch. Royal Saxon was a British merchant ship built at Liverpool in 1829 She carried cargo and passengers to India Australia and the Far East 2 3 In 1839 Royal Saxon attempted to violate a Royal Navy blockade of Canton and inadvertently became the direct cause of the Battle of Chuenpi and consequently the First Opium War 4 She is last listed in Lloyd s Register in 1857 History United Kingdom NameRoyal Saxon OwnerD Petrie amp Co 1 BuilderLiverpool 1 Launched1829 1 FateLast listed in Lloyd s Register in 1857 General characteristics TypeBarque Tons burthen510 bm Contents 1 First Opium War 2 Later service 3 Citations 4 ReferencesFirst Opium War edit nbsp The First Battle of Chuenpi pictured erupted after Royal Saxon attempted to run the Royal Navy s blockade on 3 Nov 1839 5 By 1839 the opium trade was causing great tension between the British Empire and the Qing dynasty The Chinese were concerned with the effects of opium on the general population and as such banned the substance This action lead to the destruction of opium at Humen an event which caused relations between Britain and China to deteriorate further Charles Elliot Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China ordered British ships trading in opium to avoid Chinese ports or face sanction However when the Qing government issued a bond that required foreign merchants to not deal in opium if they wanted to do business in China Elliot ordered all British shipping out of Chinese waters Many merchants especially those who did not participate in the opium trade reacted negatively to Elliot s decision feeling that the decree infringed upon their rights to trade freely One merchant ship the Quaker owned Thomas Coutts arrived in China and successfully unloaded its cargo at Canton The Chinese allowed the merchant ship to conduct its business as it was known that the Quakers refused to deal in opium In response to this violation Elliot ordered a blockade of the Pearl River 4 On 3 November 1839 Royal Saxon attempted to sail past the blockade and into Canton The British warships HMS Volage and HMS Hyacinth moved to intercept the merchant and Volage fired a warning shot across Saxon s bow In response to this action a fleet of Chinese war junks under the command of Guan Tianpei sailed out to protect Royal Saxon 6 The Chinese and British ships fired on each other beginning what would be known as the First Battle of Chuenpi Royal Saxon herself was not involved in the action and slipped into Canton under the cover provided by the Chinese fleet 4 7 Later service editRoyal Saxon continued her career as a merchant and passenger ship From 1841 to 1844 she transported colonists and freight to Australia 2 3 8 She is last listed in 1857 with homeport Sydney H Jackson master Towns owner and trade London Sydney 9 Citations edit a b c Hackman 2001 p 310 a b Janson Elizabeth They came by ship Royal Saxon in 1841 www oocities org Retrieved 2017 02 26 a b Swiggum Sue Ships to Australia 1844 Jun Aug www theshipslist com Retrieved 2017 02 26 a b c Elleman 2001 pp 18 20 National Maritime Museum Greenwich London Chinese War Volage amp Hyacinth 3 Nov 1839 watercolour by Miller Retrieved 15 November 2019 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Parker 1888 p 10 11 Janin 1999 p 120 Robert Towns monument atop Castle Hill Townsville Australian Brickhills Retrieved 2017 02 26 Lloyd s Register 1857 Seq 423 References editElleman Bruce A 2001 Modern Chinese Warfare 1795 1989 London Routledge pp 18 20 ISBN 0 415 21474 2 Hackman Rowan 2001 Ships of the East India Company Gravesend Kent World Ship Society ISBN 0 905617 96 7 Janin Hunt 1999 The India China Opium Trade in the Nineteenth Century Jefferson North Carolina McFarland ISBN 0 7864 0715 8 Parker Edward Harper 1888 Chinese Account of the Opium War Shanghai a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Royal Saxon 1829 ship amp oldid 1125035751, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
