---
title: "Arrow Incident Definition and Significance | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Arrow Incident was a pivotal 1856 event leading to the Second Opium War, involving the seizure of a British-registered lorcha by Qing officials."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/arrow-incident"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Arrow Incident was the October 1856 seizure by Qing officials of a Chinese-owned, Hong Kong–registered lorcha named Arrow, used by Britain as the pretext for launching the Second Opium War.
- Why is the Arrow Incident called a pretext rather than a cause of war?
- What was a lorcha and why did the Arrow's registration matter?
- Which treaties ended the Second Opium War triggered by the Arrow Incident?
- Who were the key figures in the Arrow Incident?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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In March 1857 Richard Cobden's Commons motion censuring the Canton bombardment over the Arrow Incident defeated Lord Palmerston, who then won the general election and prosecuted the Second Opium War.

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[The Opium Wars The Century Of Humiliation](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/china-modern-history-the-opium-wars-the-century-of-humiliation)

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