Timeline July 1840

Events in July 1840 5

• 1792 – 1840 John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (1792-1840) Died 28 July 1840, aged 48 John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, was a British statesman who served as Governor General of British North America and authored the influential 1839 Durham Report. His recommendations, including responsible government and the union of the Canadas, shaped the Act of Union 1840. He died on 28 July 1840, shortly after the act received royal assent.
• 1840 Cunard Line launches first transatlantic steamship service Britannia departs Liverpool for North America On 4 July 1840, the paddle steamer Britannia departed Liverpool on the maiden voyage of Samuel Cunard's British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. The crossing to Halifax and Boston established the first regular transatlantic steamship mail service. The company later became known simply as the Cunard Line.
• 1840 British forces capture Chusan Early action of the First Opium War On 5 July 1840, a British fleet bombarded and captured the island of Chusan (Zhoushan) off the Chinese coast, one of the first major engagements of the First Opium War. The seizure gave Britain a strategic base for pressuring Qing China. The war continued until 1842 and ended with the Treaty of Nanking.
• 1840 Convention of London signed over Egyptian-Ottoman crisis Great powers intervene to contain Muhammad Ali of Egypt On 15 July 1840, Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia signed the Convention of London to resolve the Oriental Crisis by compelling Muhammad Ali of Egypt to withdraw from Syria and accept Ottoman overlordship. France was excluded, straining relations with its allies. The agreement led to a brief Anglo-Ottoman military campaign against Egyptian forces later that year.
• 1840 Act of Union unites Upper and Lower Canada British Parliament creates the Province of Canada The Act of Union received royal assent on 23 July 1840, merging the colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada into a single Province of Canada. The measure followed Lord Durham's report on the 1837 rebellions and aimed to assimilate French Canadians into an English-speaking majority. It took effect in February 1841.