Harry Smith Parkes
Encyclopedia
Sir Harry Smith Parkes (Traditional Chinese: 巴夏禮; Simplified Chinese: 巴夏礼, 1828–1885) was a 19th century British
diplomat
who worked mainly in China
and Japan
. Parkes Street in Kowloon
, Hong Kong
is named after him.
s, he was born at Birchills Hall, in the parish of Bloxwich
in Staffordshire
, England
. When he was four years old his mother died, and the following year his father was killed in a carriage accident. Left an orphan, he found a home with his uncle, a retired naval officer, at Birmingham
. He received his education at a boarding-school at Balsall Heath
, and in May 1838 entered King Edwards Grammar School
.
. On Parkes's arrival in Macau
in October 1841 he prepared for employment in the office of John Robert Morrison
, secretary and first interpreter of Sir Henry Pottinger, who was then British minister plenipotentiary and chief superintendent of trade in China. At this time what later became known as the First Opium War
(1839–42) had broken out.
Parkes learned the basics of the Chinese language
, and in May 1842 joined Morrison in Hong Kong. On 13 June 1842 he accompanied Pottinger on his expedition up the Yangtze River
to Nanking (Nanjing
), and witnessed the capture of Chinkiang on 21 July and witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Nanking
on board the British warship HMS Cornwallis
on 29 August 1842. By this treaty the five ports of Canton
, Amoy
, Fuchow
, Ningpo
and Shanghai
were opened to trade.
) following the British occupation of the island, and Parkes served as his clerk from September 1842 to August 1843. In August 1843 he passed the consular examination in Chinese in Hong Kong and that September was appointed interpreter at Foochow (Fuzhou
). However, there was a delay in opening the port and so he served instead at the consulate in Canton (Guangzhou
) and as assistant to the Chinese Secretary in Hong Kong.
In June 1844 he was appointed interpreter at Amoy (Xiamen
) and in March 1845 he and his consul, Mr (afterwards Sir) Rutherford Alcock
, were transferred to Foochow, where Parkes was attacked by stone-throwing Manchu soldiers on 4 October. In June 1846 he assisted Alcock to secure compensation of $46,163 from the Fukien (Fujian
) authorities for British property looted and destroyed during a riot.
In August 1846 Alcock and Parkes were again transferred, this time to Shanghai
, where Parkes acted as interpreter. In 1847 he began to study the Japanese language
and in March 1848 accompanied the British vice-consul at Shanghai to Nanking to negotiate the punishment of some Chinese men who had assaulted three British missionaries at Tsingpu (Qingpu). Following this he was appointed interpreter at Shanghai on 9 April 1848 and after a period of leave from 1850-1851 which he spent in Europe, he took up the post of interpreter at Amoy, to which he had been appointed in July 1849.
On 21 November 1851 he was appointed interpreter at Canton, travelling there in February 1852. While there, he acted as Consul in the absence of Sir John Bowring
, and in August 1853 he was placed temporarily in charge of the Canton vice-consulate.
In 1854 Parkes was appointed Consul at Amoy. In 1855 he accompanied Bowring to Siam (now Thailand
) as joint secretary to the mission to conclude a commercial treaty with the kingdom. The treaty, the first European treaty with Siam, was signed in Bangkok on 18 April and Parkes travelled to England with the treaty for ratification. He delivered it on 1 July, and was received by Queen Victoria
on 9 July 1855. He spent the rest of 1855 helping the Foreign Office with Chinese and Siamese business. Parkes exchanged the ratified Siamese treaty in Bangkok on 5 April, and arrived in Canton in June where he was to be acting consul during Alcock's absence.
(the first Vice Chancellor of England) at the home of a mutual friend. "She was a a beautiful girl," wrote a friend about her, "tall, well-proportioned, and graceful, her coloring rich and soft, her features expressing sensitiveness and the power of warm emotion; her dark brown eyes full of intelligence and speaking earnestness of purpose. She possessed in a large degree the power of fascination in which all her family were remarkable." After a six-week courtship the two were married on New Year's Day, 1856, at St Lawrence's Church, Whitchurch
, and the couple left England on 9 January.
Ye Mingchen
, and the conflict between the two men would soon lead to the Second Opium War
(1856–60).
On 8 October 1856 the Chinese-owned lorcha Arrow was boarded by officials of the Chinese water patrol as she entered the Pearl River
. It had been learnt that several pirates were aboard, sailing under the protection of the Red Ensign
, so it was boarded by the water patrol, who arrested 12 Chinese sailors and took down the flag. Parkes sent a protest to Ye Mingchen, in which he pointed out that lowering the British flag was an insult; Ye replied that the Arrow was owned and crewed by Chinese and the flag had not been flying at the time. Parkes considered this action a violation of the treaty rights and sent dispatches to the governor of Hong Kong, Sir John Bowring, in which he portrayed the action as an insult to the British flag.
The demands for public redress which he made to Ye Mingchen could not be acceded to without a loss of face, but Parkes rejected anything less. Bowring saw the episode as an opportunity to enforce the British right to enter the city of Canton, which had been established under the treaty of Nanking but had previously been denied. The deliberate escalation of the Arrow incident into war had the object of forcing the removal of obstacles to trade and diplomacy in Canton.
Ye Mingchen refused to capitulate, despite minor reprisals, and the Royal Navy breached the city's walls on 29 October, following which Parkes accompanied Admiral Sir Michael Seymour in entering Ye Mingchen's yamen
. The British did not have enough forces to permanently occupy Canton, but kept warships on the river and artillery overlooking the city. On 16 December Chinese forces set fire to the European settlement outside the city, and Parkes retreated to Hong Kong, where he spent nearly a year. He was severely criticised in Parliament during this time, the Earl of Malmesbury stating in the House of Lords
on 26 February 1857 that "If it were not for the serious consequences involved in this matter, I do not know that I have ever met anything which I should consider more grotesque than the conduct of Consul Parkes throughout these transactions".
In November 1857 British reinforcements assembled in Hong Kong. James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
had been appointed high commissioner and plenipotentiary in China, and the British forces acted together with the French, who were seeking to avenge the killing of a missionary. Parkes was attached to Sir Michael Seymour's staff, and on 12 December was one of the party which delivered an ultimatum to Ye Mingchen's officials. When the ultimatum expired, a bombardment of Canton began on 28 December, and the walls were secured on 29 December. On 5 January 1858, when the city was entered in force, Parkes led a party of sailors which captured Ye Mingchen.
On 9 January the Chinese governor of Canton, Po-kuei, was nominally reinstated, but the actual government of the city was assumed by a European commission of two Englishmen, one of which was Parkes, and a French naval officer. As Parkes was the only Chinese speaker he became its leader. The commission established a court, administered a police force, and on 10 February opened the port. Throughout 1858, and despite the signing of the Treaties of Tianjin on 26 June, the Chinese authorities in Kwangtung (Guangdong
) remained hostile to the Europeans in Canton, mobilizing militias and putting a large bounty on Parkes's head. Parkes was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath
(CB) on 6 December 1859.
upon Sir Frederick Bruce
on 25 June 1859 led to a renewal of hostilities in the north, and on 6 July Parkes was requested to join Lord Elgin in the Gulf of Pechihli. He sailed on 21 July, and was appointed Elgin's joint Chinese secretary alongside Thomas Wade.
On 1 August 1860, attached to General Sir James Hope Grant
, Parkes was sent into Pehtang (Beitang
), where he took possession of the evacuated fort. He performed some reconnaissance during the advance to the Taku Forts, and after the successful assault on the main north fort on 21 August, assisted in negotiating the surrender of the remaining Chinese positions. He arrived in Tianjin
on 24 August, where he arranged for the provisioning of the Allied forces, and also conducted interviews with the Chinese imperial commissioners. After discovering that the commissioners at Tianjin did not hold plenipotentiary powers from the Emperor as they had believed, the allied armies advanced on towards Tungchow
.
Parkes travelled ahead of the army and parleyed with the Chinese authorities at Tungchow on 14 September and again on 17 September, obtaining an agreement that the armies should advance to a position about 5 mi (8 km) from the city. On 18 September he left Tungchow to mark out the site of the proposed British encampment. When he observed a Chinese military force assembling at the site, Parkes returned to Tungchow to remonstrate with the Chinese commissioners. Receiving a hostile response, he and his party attempted to return to the British headquarters, but were taken prisoner even though they were protected by a flag of truce.
After being brought before the Manchu general, San-kolin-sin (Senggelinqin), Parkes was taken to Beijing along with Lord Elgin's private secretary Henry Loch
, Nal Singh, a Sikh sowar
, and two French soldiers. There he and Loch were brought before the Board of Punishments, placed in chains in a common prison, and tortured.
On 29 September, on the orders of Prince Gong, Parkes and Loch were removed to more comfortable quarters in a temple, where they were pressed to intervene in the negotiations with the British commanders. Parkes refused to make any pledges, or to address any representations to Lord Elgin, and on 8 October Parkes, Loch, and six others were released, shortly before an order from the emperor for their execution arrived.
As retaliation for the murder of other prisoners who had also been captured under a flag of truce on 18 September, Lord Elgin burned down the Yuanmingyuan (also known as the Old Summer Palace
) of the emperor.
Following the restoration of the city to the Chinese authorities in October 1861, Parkes left the city on 9 November and sailed from Taku for Shanghai on 28 November.
Parkes returned to his post at Canton in January 1861 and was occupied arranging the cession of Kowloon
to the British Crown. The Treaty of Tientsin had opened three Yangtze ports to trade, and between February and April 1861 Parkes accompanied Vice-Admiral Sir James Hope in an expedition on the river, setting up consulates at Chinkiang, Kiukiang (Jiujiang
), and Hankow (Hankou
), and trying to reach an agreement with the Tai'ping rebels at Nanking.
In April 1861 he returned to Beijing and travelled to Nanking in June for further meetings with Tai'ping leaders. On 21 October 1861 the allies returned Canton to Chinese authority, ending Parkes's duties as a commissioner. In November he travelled to Shanghai and in December met Tai'ping leaders again, at Ningpo (Ningbo
) and in January 1862 left to return to England, where his brief captivity had made him famous. On 19 May 1862 he was made Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
(KCB) in 1862 for his services.
He left England in January 1864, arriving in Shanghai on 3 March where he finally took up the consulship to which he had been appointed on 21 December 1858.
In May 1865, during a trip to the Yangtze ports, he received the notification of his appointment as "Her Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary and Consul-General in Japan", to succeed Alcock.
He held the post for 18 years, and throughout that time he strenuously used his influence in support of the Liberal Party of Japan
. He was friendly toward the Bakufu's rivals and had some influence in the Meiji government as a result. So earnestly did he throw in his lot with these reformers that he became a marked man, and incurred the bitter hostility of the reactionaries, who on three separate occasions attempted to assassinate him. He ran the British mission in a way that encouraged the junior members to research and make deep studies of Japan: in particular Ernest Satow and William George Aston
benefited from this to become great scholars of Japan and Japanology. But generally Parkes was not an easy man to work for, nor was he popular with the Japanese officials or common people.
While in Japan, Lady Parkes became known, in 1867, as the first non-Japanese woman to ascend Mount Fuji
. Lady Parkes fell ill and died in England in November 1879, while there to make a home for the returning family. Though urgently summoned by telegraph, Sir Harry did not reach London until four days after her death. "She hoped to the last that I should have reached in time. I have now six children to take charge of," he wrote to Frederick Victor Dickins
, "and feebly indeed shall I replace her in that charge, while the Legation will have lost that bright and good spirit to which it owed whatever attention it possessed."
, requested a report on Japanese paper
and papermaking from the British Embassy in Japan. A thorough investigation was carried out by Sir Harry Parkes and his team of consular staff in different Japanese towns, resulting in the publication of a government report, "Reports on the manufacture of paper in Japan", and the formation of a collection of 400+ sheets of handmade paper. The main parts of this collection are now housed in the Paper Conservation Laboratory of the Victoria and Albert Museum
, and the Economic Botany Collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
. In 1879 Kew sent duplicate samples to Glasgow, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, but these have been lost. The Parkes paper collection is important because the origin, price, manufacturing method and function of each paper was precisely documented.
; and under the treaty's terms, he was the first diplomatic representative to the Korean court.
l fever on March 21, 1885. On 8 April 1890, the Duke of Connaught
unveiled a statue of Parkes on The Bund
in Shanghai, where it stood until it was removed during the Japanese occupation.
) Egerton Bagot Byrd Levett-Scrivener
of Sibton Abbey
, Yoxford
, Suffolk. Mabel Parkes Levett died in a fall from her horse in 1890. Her older sister Marion was married to J.J. Keswick of the Keswick family
interests and partner in the Hong Kong trading firm of Jardine Matheson.
/WorldCat
encompasses roughly 20 works in 30+ publications in 4 languages and 400+ library holdings.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
who worked mainly in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Parkes Street in Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
is named after him.
Early life
The son of Harry Parkes, founder of the firm of Parkes, Otway & Co., ironmasterIronmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
s, he was born at Birchills Hall, in the parish of Bloxwich
Bloxwich
Bloxwich is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England, with a population of around 40,000 people.-Early history:Bloxwich has its origins at least as early as the Anglo-Saxon period, when the place name evidence suggests it was a small Mercian settlement named after the...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. When he was four years old his mother died, and the following year his father was killed in a carriage accident. Left an orphan, he found a home with his uncle, a retired naval officer, at Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. He received his education at a boarding-school at Balsall Heath
Balsall Heath
Balsall Heath is a working class, inner-city area of Birmingham, England. It is home to a diverse cultural mix of people and the location of the Balti Triangle.-History:...
, and in May 1838 entered King Edwards Grammar School
King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...
.
First Opium War
In June 1841 Parkes sailed for China to take up his residence at the house of his cousin, Mary Wanstall Gützlaff, who was the wife of the missionary and explorer Karl Friedrich GützlaffKarl Gützlaff
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff , anglicised as Charles Gutzlaff, was a German missionary to the Far East, notable as one of the first Protestant missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand and for his books about China. He was one of the first Protestant missionaries in China to dress like a Chinese...
. On Parkes's arrival in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
in October 1841 he prepared for employment in the office of John Robert Morrison
John Robert Morrison
John Robert Morrison was the second son from Robert Morrison's first marriage with Mary Morton. He was a translator, diplomat and missionary in China and the Far East, most closely associated with Canton City and Hong Kong...
, secretary and first interpreter of Sir Henry Pottinger, who was then British minister plenipotentiary and chief superintendent of trade in China. At this time what later became known as the First Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
(1839–42) had broken out.
Parkes learned the basics of the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, and in May 1842 joined Morrison in Hong Kong. On 13 June 1842 he accompanied Pottinger on his expedition up the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
to Nanking (Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
), and witnessed the capture of Chinkiang on 21 July and witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking
The Treaty of Nanking was signed on 29 August 1842 to mark the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing Dynasty of China...
on board the British warship HMS Cornwallis
HMS Cornwallis (1813)
HMS Cornwallis was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 12 May 1813 at Bombay. She was built of teak. The capture of Java by USS Constitution delayed the completion of Cornwallis as Java had been bringing her copper sheathing from England.On 27 April 1815, Cornwallis...
on 29 August 1842. By this treaty the five ports of Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, Amoy
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
, Fuchow
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Ningpo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
were opened to trade.
Diplomatic work
Karl Gützlaff was appointed civil magistrate in Chusan (ZhoushanZhoushan
Zhoushan or Zhoushan Archipelago New Area; formerly transliterated as Chusan, is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province of Eastern China. The only prefecture-level city of the People's Republic of China consisting solely of islands, it lies across the mouth of the Hangzhou Bay,...
) following the British occupation of the island, and Parkes served as his clerk from September 1842 to August 1843. In August 1843 he passed the consular examination in Chinese in Hong Kong and that September was appointed interpreter at Foochow (Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
). However, there was a delay in opening the port and so he served instead at the consulate in Canton (Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
) and as assistant to the Chinese Secretary in Hong Kong.
In June 1844 he was appointed interpreter at Amoy (Xiamen
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
) and in March 1845 he and his consul, Mr (afterwards Sir) Rutherford Alcock
Rutherford Alcock
Sir Rutherford Alcock KCB was the first British diplomatic representative to live in Japan.-Early life:Alcock was the son of the physician, Dr. Thomas Alcock, who practised at Ealing, near London. As he grew up, Alcock followed his father into the medical profession...
, were transferred to Foochow, where Parkes was attacked by stone-throwing Manchu soldiers on 4 October. In June 1846 he assisted Alcock to secure compensation of $46,163 from the Fukien (Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
) authorities for British property looted and destroyed during a riot.
In August 1846 Alcock and Parkes were again transferred, this time to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, where Parkes acted as interpreter. In 1847 he began to study the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and in March 1848 accompanied the British vice-consul at Shanghai to Nanking to negotiate the punishment of some Chinese men who had assaulted three British missionaries at Tsingpu (Qingpu). Following this he was appointed interpreter at Shanghai on 9 April 1848 and after a period of leave from 1850-1851 which he spent in Europe, he took up the post of interpreter at Amoy, to which he had been appointed in July 1849.
On 21 November 1851 he was appointed interpreter at Canton, travelling there in February 1852. While there, he acted as Consul in the absence of Sir John Bowring
John Bowring
Sir John Bowring, KCB was an English political economist, traveller, miscellaneous writer, polyglot, and the 4th Governor of Hong Kong.- Early life :...
, and in August 1853 he was placed temporarily in charge of the Canton vice-consulate.
In 1854 Parkes was appointed Consul at Amoy. In 1855 he accompanied Bowring to Siam (now Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
) as joint secretary to the mission to conclude a commercial treaty with the kingdom. The treaty, the first European treaty with Siam, was signed in Bangkok on 18 April and Parkes travelled to England with the treaty for ratification. He delivered it on 1 July, and was received by Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
on 9 July 1855. He spent the rest of 1855 helping the Foreign Office with Chinese and Siamese business. Parkes exchanged the ratified Siamese treaty in Bangkok on 5 April, and arrived in Canton in June where he was to be acting consul during Alcock's absence.
Marriage
While in England, Parkes met Miss Fanny Plumer, granddaughter of Sir Thomas PlumerThomas Plumer
Sir Thomas Plumer MR was a British judge and politician , the first Vice Chancellor of England and later Master of the Rolls....
(the first Vice Chancellor of England) at the home of a mutual friend. "She was a a beautiful girl," wrote a friend about her, "tall, well-proportioned, and graceful, her coloring rich and soft, her features expressing sensitiveness and the power of warm emotion; her dark brown eyes full of intelligence and speaking earnestness of purpose. She possessed in a large degree the power of fascination in which all her family were remarkable." After a six-week courtship the two were married on New Year's Day, 1856, at St Lawrence's Church, Whitchurch
Whitchurch, London
Little Stanmore is a locality in the London Borough of Harrow in London, England.-Toponymy:Little Stanmore was named to distinguish it from Great Stanmore, which is now known as Stanmore. The parish was also known as Whitchurch. Whitchurch is a common English place-name meaning 'white church', and...
, and the couple left England on 9 January.
Second Opium War
Parkes' position as acting Consul at Canton brought him into renewed contact with Imperial commissioner and governor-generalZongdu
Zǒngdū, usually translated as Viceroy or Governor-General, governed one or more provinces of Qing-dynasty China. One of the most important was the Viceroy of Zhili, since it emcompassed the imperial capital. Yuan Shikai, later president of the Republic of China, held this office...
Ye Mingchen
Ye Mingchen
Ye Mingchen was a high-ranking Chinese official during the Qing Dynasty, known for his resistance to British influence in Guangzhou in the aftermath of the First Opium War.-Early career:...
, and the conflict between the two men would soon lead to the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
(1856–60).
On 8 October 1856 the Chinese-owned lorcha Arrow was boarded by officials of the Chinese water patrol as she entered the Pearl River
Pearl River (China)
The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...
. It had been learnt that several pirates were aboard, sailing under the protection of the Red Ensign
Red Ensign
The Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is a flag that originated in the early 17th century as a British ensign flown by the Royal Navy and later specifically by British merchantmen. The precise date of its first appearance is not known, but surviving receipts indicate that the Navy was paying to have such...
, so it was boarded by the water patrol, who arrested 12 Chinese sailors and took down the flag. Parkes sent a protest to Ye Mingchen, in which he pointed out that lowering the British flag was an insult; Ye replied that the Arrow was owned and crewed by Chinese and the flag had not been flying at the time. Parkes considered this action a violation of the treaty rights and sent dispatches to the governor of Hong Kong, Sir John Bowring, in which he portrayed the action as an insult to the British flag.
The demands for public redress which he made to Ye Mingchen could not be acceded to without a loss of face, but Parkes rejected anything less. Bowring saw the episode as an opportunity to enforce the British right to enter the city of Canton, which had been established under the treaty of Nanking but had previously been denied. The deliberate escalation of the Arrow incident into war had the object of forcing the removal of obstacles to trade and diplomacy in Canton.
Ye Mingchen refused to capitulate, despite minor reprisals, and the Royal Navy breached the city's walls on 29 October, following which Parkes accompanied Admiral Sir Michael Seymour in entering Ye Mingchen's yamen
Yamen
A yamen is any local bureaucrat's, or mandarin's, office and residence of the Chinese Empire. The term has been widely used in China for centuries, but appeared in English during the Qing Dynasty....
. The British did not have enough forces to permanently occupy Canton, but kept warships on the river and artillery overlooking the city. On 16 December Chinese forces set fire to the European settlement outside the city, and Parkes retreated to Hong Kong, where he spent nearly a year. He was severely criticised in Parliament during this time, the Earl of Malmesbury stating in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
on 26 February 1857 that "If it were not for the serious consequences involved in this matter, I do not know that I have ever met anything which I should consider more grotesque than the conduct of Consul Parkes throughout these transactions".
In November 1857 British reinforcements assembled in Hong Kong. James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
Sir James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, KT, GCB, PC , was a British colonial administrator and diplomat...
had been appointed high commissioner and plenipotentiary in China, and the British forces acted together with the French, who were seeking to avenge the killing of a missionary. Parkes was attached to Sir Michael Seymour's staff, and on 12 December was one of the party which delivered an ultimatum to Ye Mingchen's officials. When the ultimatum expired, a bombardment of Canton began on 28 December, and the walls were secured on 29 December. On 5 January 1858, when the city was entered in force, Parkes led a party of sailors which captured Ye Mingchen.
On 9 January the Chinese governor of Canton, Po-kuei, was nominally reinstated, but the actual government of the city was assumed by a European commission of two Englishmen, one of which was Parkes, and a French naval officer. As Parkes was the only Chinese speaker he became its leader. The commission established a court, administered a police force, and on 10 February opened the port. Throughout 1858, and despite the signing of the Treaties of Tianjin on 26 June, the Chinese authorities in Kwangtung (Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
) remained hostile to the Europeans in Canton, mobilizing militias and putting a large bounty on Parkes's head. Parkes was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB) on 6 December 1859.
Beijing campaign
The attack at the Taku FortsTaku Forts
The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...
upon Sir Frederick Bruce
Frederick Wright-Bruce
Sir Frederick Wright-Bruce, GCB was a British diplomat.Frederick Bruce was the youngest of the three sons of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and his second wife Elizabeth, youngest daughter of James Townshend Oswald of Dunnikier, Fife. He was born at Bromhall, Fife, on 14 April 1814, and on 9 Feb...
on 25 June 1859 led to a renewal of hostilities in the north, and on 6 July Parkes was requested to join Lord Elgin in the Gulf of Pechihli. He sailed on 21 July, and was appointed Elgin's joint Chinese secretary alongside Thomas Wade.
On 1 August 1860, attached to General Sir James Hope Grant
James Hope Grant
General Sir James Hope Grant GCB , British general, was the fifth and youngest son of Francis Grant of Kilgraston, Perthshire, and brother of Sir Francis Grant, President of the Royal Academy.-Military career:...
, Parkes was sent into Pehtang (Beitang
Beitang
Beitang , formerly also known as Pei-t'ang and Pehtang , is a subdistrict of Tanggu District, Tianjin, China, located near the mouth of the Hai He....
), where he took possession of the evacuated fort. He performed some reconnaissance during the advance to the Taku Forts, and after the successful assault on the main north fort on 21 August, assisted in negotiating the surrender of the remaining Chinese positions. He arrived in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
on 24 August, where he arranged for the provisioning of the Allied forces, and also conducted interviews with the Chinese imperial commissioners. After discovering that the commissioners at Tianjin did not hold plenipotentiary powers from the Emperor as they had believed, the allied armies advanced on towards Tungchow
Tongzhou
Tongzhou may refer to:* Tongzhou, Jiangsu, current Nantong city, a former city in Jiangsu** Tongzhou District, Nantong, in Jiangsu* Tongzhou, Hebei, current Tongzhou District in Beijing, a former city in Hebei* Tongzhou District, Beijing...
.
Parkes travelled ahead of the army and parleyed with the Chinese authorities at Tungchow on 14 September and again on 17 September, obtaining an agreement that the armies should advance to a position about 5 mi (8 km) from the city. On 18 September he left Tungchow to mark out the site of the proposed British encampment. When he observed a Chinese military force assembling at the site, Parkes returned to Tungchow to remonstrate with the Chinese commissioners. Receiving a hostile response, he and his party attempted to return to the British headquarters, but were taken prisoner even though they were protected by a flag of truce.
After being brought before the Manchu general, San-kolin-sin (Senggelinqin), Parkes was taken to Beijing along with Lord Elgin's private secretary Henry Loch
Henry Loch, 1st Baron Loch
Henry Brougham Loch, 1st Baron Loch GCB, GCMG was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator.-Military service:He was the son of James Loch, Member of Parliament, of Drylaw, Midlothian...
, Nal Singh, a Sikh sowar
Sowar
Sowar , meaning 'The one who rides' in Persian, was originally a rank during the Mughal period. Later during the British Raj it was the name in Anglo-Indian usage for a horse-soldier belonging to the cavalry troops of the native armies of British India and the feudal states...
, and two French soldiers. There he and Loch were brought before the Board of Punishments, placed in chains in a common prison, and tortured.
On 29 September, on the orders of Prince Gong, Parkes and Loch were removed to more comfortable quarters in a temple, where they were pressed to intervene in the negotiations with the British commanders. Parkes refused to make any pledges, or to address any representations to Lord Elgin, and on 8 October Parkes, Loch, and six others were released, shortly before an order from the emperor for their execution arrived.
As retaliation for the murder of other prisoners who had also been captured under a flag of truce on 18 September, Lord Elgin burned down the Yuanmingyuan (also known as the Old Summer Palace
Old Summer Palace
The Old Summer Palace, known in China as Yuan Ming Yuan , and originally called the Imperial Gardens, was a complex of palaces and gardens in Beijing...
) of the emperor.
Following the restoration of the city to the Chinese authorities in October 1861, Parkes left the city on 9 November and sailed from Taku for Shanghai on 28 November.
Parkes returned to his post at Canton in January 1861 and was occupied arranging the cession of Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
to the British Crown. The Treaty of Tientsin had opened three Yangtze ports to trade, and between February and April 1861 Parkes accompanied Vice-Admiral Sir James Hope in an expedition on the river, setting up consulates at Chinkiang, Kiukiang (Jiujiang
Jiujiang
Jiujiang , formerly transliterated Kiukiang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city in Jiangxi province, the largest one being Nanchang...
), and Hankow (Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
), and trying to reach an agreement with the Tai'ping rebels at Nanking.
In April 1861 he returned to Beijing and travelled to Nanking in June for further meetings with Tai'ping leaders. On 21 October 1861 the allies returned Canton to Chinese authority, ending Parkes's duties as a commissioner. In November he travelled to Shanghai and in December met Tai'ping leaders again, at Ningpo (Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
) and in January 1862 left to return to England, where his brief captivity had made him famous. On 19 May 1862 he was made Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(KCB) in 1862 for his services.
He left England in January 1864, arriving in Shanghai on 3 March where he finally took up the consulship to which he had been appointed on 21 December 1858.
Japan (1865-83)
He held the post for 18 years, and throughout that time he strenuously used his influence in support of the Liberal Party of Japan
Liberal Party of Japan (1881)
The is the name of several liberal political parties in the history of Japan, two of which existed in the Empire of Japan prior to 1945.-Liberal Party of 1881:...
. He was friendly toward the Bakufu's rivals and had some influence in the Meiji government as a result. So earnestly did he throw in his lot with these reformers that he became a marked man, and incurred the bitter hostility of the reactionaries, who on three separate occasions attempted to assassinate him. He ran the British mission in a way that encouraged the junior members to research and make deep studies of Japan: in particular Ernest Satow and William George Aston
William George Aston
William George Aston was a British diplomat, author and scholar-expert in the language and history of Japan and Korea.-Early life:...
benefited from this to become great scholars of Japan and Japanology. But generally Parkes was not an easy man to work for, nor was he popular with the Japanese officials or common people.
While in Japan, Lady Parkes became known, in 1867, as the first non-Japanese woman to ascend Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
. Lady Parkes fell ill and died in England in November 1879, while there to make a home for the returning family. Though urgently summoned by telegraph, Sir Harry did not reach London until four days after her death. "She hoped to the last that I should have reached in time. I have now six children to take charge of," he wrote to Frederick Victor Dickins
Frederick Victor Dickins
Frederick Victor Dickins was a British surgeon, barrister, orientalist and university administrator. He is now remembered as a translator of Japanese literature.-Life:...
, "and feebly indeed shall I replace her in that charge, while the Legation will have lost that bright and good spirit to which it owed whatever attention it possessed."
Japanese paper report and collection
In 1869 the then Prime Minister, William Ewart GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, requested a report on Japanese paper
Washi
is a type of paper made in Japan. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub , or the paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat...
and papermaking from the British Embassy in Japan. A thorough investigation was carried out by Sir Harry Parkes and his team of consular staff in different Japanese towns, resulting in the publication of a government report, "Reports on the manufacture of paper in Japan", and the formation of a collection of 400+ sheets of handmade paper. The main parts of this collection are now housed in the Paper Conservation Laboratory of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, and the Economic Botany Collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
. In 1879 Kew sent duplicate samples to Glasgow, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, but these have been lost. The Parkes paper collection is important because the origin, price, manufacturing method and function of each paper was precisely documented.
Korea (1883-84)
Parkes was Minister to Korea in 1883 and 1884. He represented the British in negotiations which produced the United Kingdom-Korea Treaty of 1883United Kingdom-Korea Treaty of 1883
The United Kingdom-Korea Treaty of 1883 was negotiated between representatives of the United Kingdom and Korea.-Background:In 1876, Korea established a trade treaty with Japan after Japanese ships approached Ganghwado and threatened to fire on the Korean capital city...
; and under the treaty's terms, he was the first diplomatic representative to the Korean court.
Last years
In 1883 Parkes was transferred to Peking. While in Peking his health failed, and he died of malariaMalaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
l fever on March 21, 1885. On 8 April 1890, the Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
unveiled a statue of Parkes on The Bund
The Bund
The Bund is a waterfront area in central Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District...
in Shanghai, where it stood until it was removed during the Japanese occupation.
Family
The second daughter of Sir Harry, Mabel Desborough Parkes, was married to Flag Lieutenant (Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
) Egerton Bagot Byrd Levett-Scrivener
Egerton Bagot Byrd Levett-Scrivener
Captain Egerton Bagot Byrd Levett-Scrivener was a Royal Navy Flag Lieutenant and aide to Vice Admiral George Willes in the Far East. He was later promoted to Captain, and following his retirement became Bursar of Keble College, Oxford University...
of Sibton Abbey
Sibton Abbey
Sibton Abbey, an early Cistercian abbey located near Yoxford, Suffolk, was founded about 1150 by William de Chesney, High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk...
, Yoxford
Yoxford
Yoxford is a village in the east of Suffolk, England close to the Heritage Coast, Minsmere Reserve , Aldeburgh and Southwold.-Location and features:...
, Suffolk. Mabel Parkes Levett died in a fall from her horse in 1890. Her older sister Marion was married to J.J. Keswick of the Keswick family
Keswick family
The Keswick family are a business dynasty of Scottish origin associated with the Far East since 1855 and in particular the conglomerate Jardine Matheson....
interests and partner in the Hong Kong trading firm of Jardine Matheson.
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Harry Smith Parkes, OCLCOCLC
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is "a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs"...
/WorldCat
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
encompasses roughly 20 works in 30+ publications in 4 languages and 400+ library holdings.
- Observations on Mr. P.P. Thoms' rendering of the Chinese word ... Man. (1852)
- File concerning Harry Parkes' mission to Bangkok in 1856 from the Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, London by Harry Parkes (1856)
- Papers, 1853-1872
See also
- Anglo-Chinese relationsAnglo-Chinese relationsBritish–Chinese relations , also known as Sino-British relations and Anglo-Chinese relations, refers to the interstate relations between China and the United Kingdom. Although on opposing sides of the Cold War, both countries were allies during World War II, and are members of the UN...
- Anglo-Japanese relationsAnglo-Japanese relationsThe history of the relationship between Britain and Japan began in 1600 with the arrival of William Adams on the shores of Kyūshū at Usuki in Ōita Prefecture...
- List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Japan
- List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Korea
- List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to China
External links
- UK in Japan, Chronology of Heads of Mission
- Kew Gardens, Economic Botany Collection, includes Parkes papers