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What did Lin Zexu ask Queen Victoria to do about the opium trade?

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opium trade The clipper ship *Le-Rye-Moon*, built for the opium trade, 19th-century wood engraving from the *Illustrated London News*.

In a famous letter written to Queen Victoria after arriving in Guangzhou, the imperial commissioner Lin Zexu addressed the devastating impact of the opium trade on Chinese society.1

Lin Zexu asked the Queen whether she would permit the importation of a substance as poisonous as opium into her own country. Based on this moral appeal, he requested that she forbid her subjects from bringing the drug into China.1

Lin’s communication reflected his role as a dedicated official attempting to curb the widespread addiction and economic drain caused by the trade, which had been fueled by British merchants exporting opium from India. Despite his efforts to enforce the law and protect his nation, he did not fully comprehend the British government's commitment to free trade and the commercial interests that would eventually lead to the Opium Wars.213