A 65117 3 ALPHA NU LIBRARY. Chap........ 9 So. 54 #549 No member shall draw more than two vol- umes at a time. He shall not retain a book longer than two weeks without renewal, nor longer than four weeks without a special dis- pensation from the Society; and every mem- ber shall incur a penalty of five cents per week for each volume which is retained after the time specified above for retaining books of the Library-BY-LAWS, SEC. 8. RULE 2. م دار 91 D ! + TA DS 735 .694 Marens B-R. Horrison's Book 45 40 65 60 CAS SEA 35 30 25 20 60 55 155 Gulf of Yem MJ URJENZ KAR AZM Yenghi Shahr Desert of Karakum Desert OT 15 Gaznth 1 50 150 45 45 40 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 5 10 15 20 25 30 15 10 15 20 25 30 55 Bigha R.Poronda R.Ursu R.Amer 302 Humar Yaska Pira R. Ollakan Ran Augha Kerbechi R.Mo R.Im R.Nonni RIsken R. Portan Saghahan Ula R.Eyba hun R.Kolor R.Mayer S P.Laduri R.Tobkur R.Hahu RKan R.R.ben RYat RNunnen Pira R.Kem R.Chonki R.Tol R.Nalaha Su REalgha R.Unen R.Urhan Chiken la R.Kinid R.Nami R.Timen R.Picayeh Ulitsu Muden R. Eurom Kuen Tien Fania R.Edsuri RPila R.N R.Thomo R.Paiton F: Ayhom Saghahan Bla Mergheu Nierche R.Arom Teldeni Horoul R R.Nemer Hryne TSETIKAR 73 R.Chem R.Kornu Cha hasu Taldisha Alm P.Sikmpdi Orinalks ROngha R. UaY K.Tahun Kibut Hata K. Monika R.Ula Fitu ha Afserni R.Kalume R.Werghi Pi Chiling RAkchi Hiukan Chain of Mountains Tuzu Alin Henkonmi Seken Yam Alin A R.Hatabul R.Nikuman 4444 Cher hedy R.Sayran man RKara R.Wi R.Neum Kink Thoon R.Eu Rolar RH R Chay Chuchim wwwww R. Tozomi R.Ouila Henkon Pira R.Pichon R.Chorre R. Kenghen R.Kerin R.Endalo Kunicu MWanda R.Kura Voanda Alin R.Kimnin R.Pichen RTul RUIon Wanlin Hata Chot Nolum Petuna Tonkenp Amlatu Omo Songari Ula Fo Pet una RIMin RUchum R.Tambu Chail gha Mayen P.Chaha R.Piktu ehuka Paven 奉 ​R.Itun I H Pila Siskuya angata Tinn Hata Ofori Nin joki Hata Chakon Tua The Hal RPahobi R. Nomi H Kodaher Palaina Say R.Nula Ekiti Teken Kitil Yamin I Hulazu Yowwektu KE Paral Tondon R.Tondon Ela Pira Khim Hara Pira Horo Hoktert U Nora R. Tuman Kanta Alin R.Chinkal R.Muranin R.Leto Moduna P R.Khim Pirkim 74 ЙЕ R. Nimen RAkuli R.Falla R.Karma A.Kurma Chul gha RUsura Sihata Alin Yoza Pira 里 ​R.T R.Halkim Lafata R. Amuli R.Kuca Ankin Hashu Reim Nungma Fenecha LPitten Fatuyula HRINULA Adoli Huycka R.Komer R.Senkete Alanhi Purangag 50 45 A General Map of CHINA CHINESE-TARTARY & TIBET drawn from the particular maps of the JESUITS together with the Countries between Kashgar and the Caspian Sea, laid down according to the Oriental Geographers and Historians, BYM DANVILLEE with numerous corrections and additions by THE REVCHARLES GUTZLAFF. Lew-York Published by John P Haven 1834 Lithographed by Stodart & Currier, 157 Broadway, N. York. HARKAS principal residence of the Khan of the Aluths or Kalmuks COUNTRY Parasuta Tabuhan Appr Madon RTekas Akfu Konkiseghier MA Kelun Achar Karashar 0. Ka kur Carata pepay N.M.Friend se. Honholn Nor Kurgha Nor of the Chor Alin Anay Alintuba R.Sakli Upsa Nor R.Erchis or Irtis Karkira R.Amit or K ALMUKS Kokin Oramchi Alhocy 疆​新 ​Tez Ulánkom Alin R.Khem R.Kemchik R.Chicket Hufukul Nor R.Ozhikharga Uk Hangai Alin Sang Imutalghin Nor Ulzheylu Chakan N Kirkir guAling Atay Alirttuka Malhan Ahn Orlek Kara R. Chak R.Arek 周全​下​天​統一​清大 ​R.Kamni R. Aron mudunku Roriker R.Uthan RUbermüdun R.Tarb Wenght R.Anter Karatay R. Poksiu R.Bach R.Chilem F.Llkalay PTorki of Khutuktu Lama R.Cheurd R.Cheda M. Kent ey Eha Ambulda R Silure Residence unr hamai R.Kula R. Chuku R.Irao Karah B. Terei Kursu R.Onon Frema Alin Meridian of Pe-king R. И Chahan Nor Orok 澳​沙 ​or Palintay Al Sandy Lan R.Kunni R.Hazey Kaku Tabahan Noyen Kara Alin R.Orkon Egivi R Karaha Tolero Kara Palhassun RPoro Chuku Paychanger Selingheskoy Tonker Augha Kent Hinkon COUNTRY of Asa onichat Hangay Alin ROnghin Desert Here' Opeken Alan Kabbin Ko 喀爾 ​Alim A.Chorachi R.Anba Kerbecki R.Nipchew or Nevz Nipehew or Nerzintkoy REnghila of Ingada R.Shilka or Ayergu Arguns kay R.Wenla RUlenorchi R.Oksha R.Teren R.Tarbalki RTululey RTarbahaley R.Ahachy R.Palu R.Targha F. Monge Kol Kulon Nor or Dalay Kerlonni Altroy Amu Par Hoton or City of Tiger Kerlon Pira Erdeni Totowhey the KALKAS called by the Chinese SHA-MO Karakum or Kuran oughtto be situated.. raban Ula Nor A Centry Chinese Inscription 古​泶 ​MONGOLS Sonhiot Haltar Kobi Puir Not Onlnot RNiny RMerthen R.Kelbur R.Telbur R.Kan Aleken R.Kallu R.Huey Kolbi Nor Payen Puka Kobi habakan The sul Nor Suretu Alin Achi Alin Kisabato Teyshori Alin R. Tegurik Kobi Pasta noma Torkol Ika noma Kobi Moheyta Yo lotub Aktas Parho Astaralik Tochik Karatuba Astang Lop Nor Somen shar Karansu Hatamtang KHAMI Hupator Kara Tabahan KOBI Peychang Bro Nor achu Semkai Xono R.Cho Torim & Quettes Korchin Naiman 土城 ​all SOGD SAMARKAND M.of Botom Brat HASIKAR or KASHGAR Was Wakan & Sakita Black Sand YERGHIEN or M YARKAN capital KHOTLAN Bukharia MARU Shayan BALK TOKHARES TAN A Hotom or Khoton or Desert of Sand KASHMIR Pitay or Pitt LATAK LAHOR Sirmam Dfomlanghi Dhaproug ANON KE-K Dehli or the Dominions of the Great Mogol 78°51'30" K OB/I 5UM, 80 御​下 ​TARTARS 甘 ​ORTUS Yen gau of Kogo Nor Sinina Whang-Ho SI Ping lyang SH E 陕 ​Ting-tan Kong Chong Whey Housyang SINGAN AN Kir Nor Tay-tong Swen Wha Eupe Ke Kara PEKING KARCHING QUAN-TONG or YAU TONG Thimet Yung ping Tyen tung Kay W Suimbay or Gulf of Lyang tong Ayha TAY YUEN Fwen chew Ting-vang Ching Pan ting fing Stunta PE Quan ping Lungan Chang ta CHE To-ki-tau Tay-chew Kautang Tatan Ho TSI NAN T chew SHANTON Tong chining Tong of Po Tsinjin Tushan Hu Yen-chew Lu R.Tayong Malo-kyanger Green River doo Teu-chew Bintul Kyau Han-chew San-he Ving by Tsyan tong hay Tsyangwha Yunshan Pin vang R.Ta tong Yashah 卓 ​Pu KINGKITAU Li-kiang Hunk la KAU-LIQUA or KING" of KOREA 東 ​洋 ​Tong-kinfl Li Pinch •Hay-men Ing in He-tsin U Long guar O Kang Kufu Yang Sing Tsin Ya Shin hag Kin-shin Quan Quang-yang Ta 19-ya-Hu KAY TONG Tsio Qua-ti Po U.Shan Hu Hay Lon Ha Swe Whay kin Wa kyun Tsau Houan 河南 ​HO N Yu Yun-tay. Shan Whang-ho-kew Nan-tan Syew Hong tse Lu Whay ngan Kichew Vigan hay Twi-litau Japan begins hereabouts 40 THE SCALE Lt. or Chinese Furlongs 250 to a Degree 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Leagues 20 to a Degree 35 30 25 20 40 60 80 100 120 20 國 ​MYuks Seri SIFAN th Yongning.in Yung pe Kitifha KEN PUL KONK-PUL QUA or Kingdom of AWA MYEN-OUA or K of PEGU Geographical terms explained. Alin, a Mountain Hata, a Pock or Island Ho, a River, Hu, a Lake Hotun, or Khoton, a City Kara, Black. Kew, an Opening or Gale Kol, a Lake, also a River Kyang, a great river Muran, great River Nor, Lake. Omo, Lake. Pira, River Shan, a Hill or Island Su Water Tabahan, Pass in the Mountains Talu, Parcel of little lakes Ssanpu, River. Ula, great River. www www. 89 N Longugan Han choug Yneu-yang Nan yaug Yunhing Hing CHING.TU Pannin Shanking 19 HWENeyche Chong king A Sydng-yang Kichew Ng Tangan Su Chew Ma hu E Umougin Weyning Tong chven) Vutin Yan gan Chyung IN A King tong LAUCHWA or K of LAOS Chin kun Kue Linggon 93° 51'30" 98°5130" TELECOUL 194 $99 Kyang Chin-hyung QUEYC HEW 州 ​Quang su, Sechin Quang non Kavwhachtongan NGAN-NAN or TONG KING 4 Seman Kingy nan Chang ta Chug chew Tong ning Sechey Sengmut The Kiny neu 0 UHA NG Lyew-chew Pan-king QUEYLING Seungen sin-chew P Nanning S o I Uchew Yo- chew Chang-cha HANG K Nanking NAN-CHA Shwey chew Lin kyang Ki-ngati Heng-chew WayHo Foug yang ST Thek ALL Yang-chew Lyu chew NA N-KING Lun gai Tsyan Hu Ngan king whey Kyang King Pay Ping Ning a Chi-Chew Whe chew What che Quang in Fu-chew Kysuchang Kew TRY en Tong Ching kya ng Chan Quangle... Ngan ki che w angtze Kyang Kew Tfoug ming Stichen Tatsang Tay He Ko Hu chew HANG CHEW Share hing Kyang Ningpo Kin-tan-shan Yepahu Kuw ha Kyuchew Tay-che Chichew Wen-chew Ta-ushan CHERYA D Nanangan Kan-chew Shan Chew 東 ​ISLE of Iwichew Li-mu Kyang Limu Shan Hay tin Shan Kyun chew HAY NAN 南海 ​108 51 30 109 103° 51' 30" 104 # OTANGCHEWO or Canton Whe chew Ma kau or Isle of Sancian Shang-chnen Shan Chatt Shum Kyeun-hing Yeuoin 44 Ting chew Chew FUCHEW Fu nching Haytan-ching Snoenchen Chang chew Hy amen or Amai Nan- Hay Meridian of Pe-king Hong lank fr Riscadores ngou-ching men Pong-hu TAY-WAN or IFORMOSA Tay wan 113°51' 30' 118°51'30" 125°51'50" 114 119 124 8351'30 88° 51' 30" TRILISELTELL 79 84 73°51' 30" Longitude from Paris, according to P Ganbil's Observation MORUNTI774 74 128°51'30" www. 129 A SKETCH OF 68602 CHINESE HISTORY ANCIENT AND MODERN: COMPRISING A RETROSPECT OF THE FOREIGN INTERCOURSE AND TRADE WITH CHINA. ILLUSTRATED BY A NEW ANd correcTED MAP OF THE EMPIRE, BY THE REV. CHARLES GUTZLAFF, NaÄ Now, and for many years past, resident in that Country. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY JOHN P. HAVEN, 148 Nassau-street. 1834, D. Fanshaw, Printer. CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME CHAP. XVII.-Modern History-continued-Ta- tsing Dynasty-1644 to our times. [Continued in 2d vol. commenced in 1st vol.] CHAP. XVIII.-Conclusion CHAP. XIX. Propagation of the Gospel in China:- Nestorians Roman Catholics Protestants CHAP. XX.-Foreign intercourse with China Mohammedans CHAP. XXI.—Emporiums Fuh-keen Province Formosa Che-keang Province Keang-soo Province Portuguese CHAP. XXII.-Emporiums-continued :— Dutch Page. ΔΩ 5 26 39 43 80 91 103 114 124 124 125. 126 126 147 iv CONTENTS CHAP. XXIII.-Emporiums-continued:- Page. English 164 CHAP. XXIV.-Emporiums continued:- Spaniards 244 Russians 246 French-Swedes--Danes-Americans 265 273 APPENDIX No. I.-Extract from the Calcutta Government Gazette of October 13th, 1825,-an account of a Petition for the modification of the Regulations regarding the conveyance of foreigners from Canton to Macao. No. II.--A return of the trade with China carried on by the East India Company for the last fifteen years. No. III.—A return of the trade with China, carried on by private India ships under the British flag. No. IV. Estimate of the total value of Imports by American vessels to the port of Canton, from the season of 1804-5. No. V.--Estimate of the total value of Exports by American vessels from the port of Canton, from the season of 1804-5: Nos. VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI.-Statements of the British trade at the port of Canton for the years respectively ending the 31st March, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, and 1834. SKETCH OF CHINESE HISTORY. CHAPTER XVII. [CONTINUED FROM VOL. I.] TA-TSING DYNASTY. FROM 1644 TO OUR TIMES. Yung-ching had many good qualities, but he was not always sincere in his profession of transfusing general be- nevolence. He often said in his edicts that he had humbled himself before heaven, by fasting and prayer, but as this is the established law of the empire, these words must always be inserted in the imperial edicts, whether the fact be so or not. It is remarkable, that during his whole reign the empire was at peace, no rebellion existed, no com- motions took place in any part. The following reign was more stormy, when the warlike Keen-lung ascended the throne. He was the eldest of Yung-ching's illegitimate children, for the empress had died without issue; and when called to the throne, he was unacquainted with the world, having spent his youth in study, and unexpectedly come to power. He declared a general amnesty, recalled VOL. II. 1 6 TA-TSING DYNASTY, the exiles from their banishment, and principally requested that all the kindred of Yung-ching, who had been so cruelly treated, might be recalled. This edict gave general joy as Peking, where many silent tears had been shed for these un- happy princes. But when they were recalled, they were ruined, their estates had been confiscated, and they were exposed to the most abject poverty. The pension which the princes of the lateral imperial branch received amount- ed to no more than three taëls per month, and a sufficient quantity of rice. The Chinese empire was now very extensive; all the provinces were under the sway of the Tatars; and Keën- lung, desirous of signalising himself as a martial hero, was glad to find an opportunity. Yung-ching had adopted the wisest policy toward the Eleuths, keeping an army of ob- servation at the Alti mountains; and had Keën-lung fol- lowed up the same mode of proceeding, he would have avoided a great effusion of blood. All the chiefs of the Kalmuks had acknowledged the supremacy of China, ex- cept Dawatsi, who wished to treat the emperor upon terms of equality, and had driven away his rival Amoorsana, who arrived at Peking, and stated his complaints. Keen-lung sent Amoorsana, at the head of a numerous army, to regain the throne of his ancestors: Ele was taken in 1755, Da- watsi expelled, and the empire restored to Amoorsana. A Mussulman chief delivered Dawatsi up to the emperor, who received him with great honor at Peking, where he died. Amoorsana held only nominally the administration of the country, the Chinese had engrossed the whole government, and acted with sovereign power. As soon, however, as the great army of the Chinese was withdrawn, Amoorsana stood up against the oppressors of his country, and expelled them. The imperial council at Peking dissuaded the emperor from undertaking any thing against the unruly Eleuths, but Keen- lung followed the bent of his own mind, and sent a large TA-TSING DYNASTY. my army into their country. Amoorsana fled at their approach; the Chinese carried on a war of extirpation against the de- fenceless Kalmuks, of whom more than a million are said to have fallen under their sabres. The cause of this cruelty was, that after the capital Ele was retaken, the Chinese troops gave themselves over to a state of security, and the revengeful Kalmuks cut off all supplies of provisions, and harassed the imperial forces in such a manner that the whole army would have been annihilated if new forces had not arrived for their support. Amoorsana fled to the Kir- ghiz Kaizaks; but not thinking himself safe amongst them, he went over to the Russians. The war terminated in 1757, and the Kirghiz Kaizaks, the Booroots, and Kho- kards acknowledged the emperor of China their liege lord. Their territories constitute a part of the present district of Ele. Keen-lung had reinstated two Mohammedan princes, who reigned as the vassals of the king of Dzoongar, or Sounga- ria, in Little Bukharia. As soon as they arrived in their native country, they set up the standard of rebellion, for they were afraid lest the Chinese might treat them in the same manner as they had done the Kalmuks; but in an engagement which took place near Koocharh, the Bukha- rians, to the number of 50,000 men, were routed. How- ever, these accounts are from the Chinese, who being habit- ual liars, generally magnify their exploits, and talk of battles. which were never fought, and of victories gained, when in fact they were defeated. The general, after this signal vic- tory, was recalled to Peking, and put to death. Another general arrived, and was surrounded by the Bukharians; however, he succeeded in extricating himself, and the Buk- barians shut themselves up in Yarkend, which speedily sur- rendered to the victors, whilst another Chinese army took possession of Kashgar. The two rebel princes were with- drawing toward India, but their army was cut to pieces by $ TA-TSING DYNASTY. the Chinese troops. One of them died in consequence of a wound he received, the other fell into the hands of the sultan of Badakshan, who sent his head as a present to the emperor of China. A part of this territory was added to the Kansuh province, the other portion constitutes, at present, the territory of the eight Mohammedan cities. Keën-lung received with the most lively sensations of joy the tidings of the victory. The generals were magnifi- cently treated, and received permission to ride up into the court of the palace; but two grandees, Yarhnkhan and Han- ninga, were sentenced to death for their neglect of military duty; and the family of a poltroon was sold as slaves, to give a warning to cowards. Chouhede, a Mantchoo Tatar of the highest rank, who had permitted a detachment of enemies to pass him unmolested, was sentenced to death, but reprieved by a peculiar concurrence of circumstances. After these executions the festivities commenced, and the emperor himself went in procession to render the pageantry more solemn. A new war broke out on the frontiers of Ava and Yunnan. The Chinese ascribe the cause of this to the frequent in- roads of the Birmahs upon their territory; but they are never sparing of falsehood to throw the guilt upon others; perhaps both were wrong, and Keën-lung was pleased to find an excuse for pushing his conquests further. A nume- rous army of Chinese and Mantchoos invaded Birmah in 1767. The Birmahs permitted them to advance, only an- noying them by slight skirmishes, until they could no more retreat; they then attacked them vigorously, slew a great number, and took many thousand captives, whom they na- turalized in their own country. Only a few of the invinci- ble soldiers returned to give an account of their total defeat. However, Keën-lung was not dismayed. Another army, under the celebrated Akwei, embarked upon the Kin-sha river, the name which the Yang-tsze-keang bears in Yunnan, TA-TSING DYNASTY. 9 and fell down the Irrawaddy, which joins the Kin-sha. Not- withstanding all the precautions of Akwei, he could not pre- vent the destruction of his soldiers by the jungle fever, which swept away a great many, and he was glad to retreat unmolested, after having concluded a treaty with the king of Birmah, who sent an embassy to Peking to sign the peace. The Chinese lost their influence over the tribes on the fron- tiers, and some rich gold and silver mines. Though this disaster filled the breast of Keën-lung with sorrow, another event caused him much joy: the Tourgouths, a tribe of the Kalmuks, who had withdrawn themselves from the Russian territories, returned to their ancient abodes in the Ele dis- trict; and Keen-lung received their princes with great pomp at Je-ho, despising the menaces of the Russians, who re- claimed their subjects, in 1770. His attention was soon drawn into another direction, to events of which we must give an outline from the com- mencement. In a valley, formed by two branches of the Yang-tsze-keang, in the province of Sze-chuen, there lived from time immemorial a few Tibetian tribes in stone houses, so as to form as many forts as there were cities and villages. They had submitted to the Ming, and afterward tendered their homage to the Mantchoos. One of the native chiefs usurped the territory of another; the Chinese governor sent an army to interfere, but were repulsed with great loss. This defeat forced the provincial government to despatch an army of 30,000 soldiers, in order, if possible, to subdue the rebels, but they lost themselves in this mountainous country, and were constantly harassed by the mountaineers, who killed all the prisoners they made. This unhappy campaign obliged the emperor to send his favorite, Nuh-tsin, to prose- cute the war. He was a proud, overweening man, who despised the advice of experienced generals, and was com pelled to retreat as fast as he had entered the territory. Both his predecessor and himself were beheaded for not having 1* 10 TA-TSING DYNASTY. obeyed the orders of the emperor, who had enjoined them to conquer; but the haughty son of heaven was now obliged to sue for peace, and sent his brother-in-law, Too-hang, who succeeded in his negotiations. As soon as the Tibetians saw that their enemy was weak, they themselves proved the aggressors, and invaded the Chinese territory, 1758. The war was carried on with various success, the Chinese troops were often beaten, until the celebrated general Akwei arriv- ed, in 1772, who sent the leader of the rebels, Tse-wang, as a prisoner to Peking, and took several of their fortresses after a long-protracted siege. Sonan, one of the leaders of the rebels, obstinately refused all terms to surrender himself and his fortress, but was taken prisoner with his whole fa- mily, and sent to Peking. He was treated on his way thither very courteously, and expected to find grace before the monarch; when on his entry in Peking, he and his family were loaded with chains, and brought before a court, com- posed of the grandees and the prime minister. Keën-lung, seated in state upon his throne, received the rebels, who were compelled to prostrate themselves before him. From thence he repaired to Jin-tae, the great palace, where the instruments of torture were prepared in the great hall; he seated himself upon the throne, to glut his eyes with the tor- ments of these wretches. They were then led to the place of execution, and cut into a thousand pieces. The cruel mode of punishment adopted by Keen-lung, his severity in punishing slight offences, procured him a great many enemies; and even the submissive Chinese murmured at his administration. A priest and a Shan-tung man, Wan-lung, had so secretly concerted a rebellion, that before any one was aware of it, 12,000 men took the city Show-chung-heën. He repulsed the forces sent against him, proclaimed himself emperor, and adopted the ensigns of the Ming dynasty. Instead of marching directly to Peking with a numerous army, the adventurer amused himself with plays TA-TSING DYNASTY. 11 and trifles until the imperial forces arrived, put his army to flight, and took the priest, Tan-wei, prisoner, whilst Wan- lung burnt himself in his own house. The emperor was pre- sent at the investigation which took place. Tan-wei, ad- dressing him, said: "Prince, your good fortune is great; I had a thousand men prepared at Fih-ho to seize you when hunting, but your fortune prevented it." Keën-lung had him, as well as his accomplices, cut in pieces. The poor Roman Catholics, though they had suffered greatly by this persecution, were suspected of having been abettors; but their enemies could give no satisfactory proofs. Keen-lung himself never took the field like his grand-fa- ther. Notwithstanding his martial spirit, which led him to command the armies into the most distant parts of the em- pire, whilst he was quietly seated at Peking, he found time to promote literature, by collecting four large libraries of the most valuable books which were still extant. He also re- published several works, which otherwise might have fallen into disuse. In addition to the rebellion already mentioned, the Pih-leen-keaou,-" sect of the Water-lily,"--which is now very numerous, stirred up commotions in Shan-se, and fought very bravely, till they were vanquished by overwhelm- ing numbers. The leader, with his two wives, who had both fought by the side of their husband, one bearing a black, the other a white standard, were found dead on the field of bat- tle. Their heads were cut off, and exposed in cages to the populace. Keen-lung could not enjoy the delightful spec- tacle of seeing them hacked alive in pieces. The Hwang-ho has always been an object of dread to the Chinese. Whenever the waters were swollen, the dykes broke through, and the country around was inundated. Akwei had now become prime minister; he had given a proof of his fidelity when a report was spread that Keën- lung was dead, and Keën-lung thought that he would prove equally faithful and strong in opposing the encroachments 12 TA-TSING DYNASTY. of the Yellow river, as he had shown himself in stopping the torrent of a rebellion. He therefore departed for the Hwang-ho, and was fully engaged in raising banks, when suddenly the news reached him that the Mohammedans in Kan-suh had invaded the neighboring districts. Though they were immediately repulsed by a young Chinese officer, he was, in his turn, shut up, and would have perished, had not the expeditious Akwei hastened to his help. He arrived at this critical juncture, and destroyed the rebels. As this rebellion was owing to the grievous extortions exercised by the mandarins, the emperor called the viceroy to an ac- count, and he was sentenced to death; but his majesty was gracious, and substituted in his stead a former viceroy of Canton a liberal exchange. Keën-lung was addicted to Shamanism; whether from principle, or for political reasons, we cannot determine. He was very desirous of seeing the deified living statue of hu- man nature, the Banchen Lama, who finally yielded to the emperor's entreaties, and came to Peking. Along the road the greatest honors were paid him; the emperor received him at Fih-ho, with all magnificence imaginable; he hum- bled his pride, he forgot that he was emperor of China in the presence of this Pope of Central Asia. But, to his great regret, this immortal being died of the most disgusting dis- ease, a virulent sort of small-pox. His death gave rise to great troubles in Tibet, which ended in the final subjugation of the country by the Chinese. Keën-lung imitated his father in visiting the provinces, and inquiring into the wrongs of the people. On one of his tours he visited Nanking, when he had already passed the age of seventy, and found the viceroy guilty of misrule. He therefore sent him to Peking, and, in his summary way, had him executed. We should praise his justice if he had not cut off so many heads unjustly; doubtless he was a blood- thirsty Tatar, but his edicts, though sealed with blood, TA-TSING DYNASTY. 13 breathed a spirit of meekness worthy of a Titus. From these we form our ideas of the Chinese princes, and therefore we exclaim, how great a prince was Keen-lung! The remnant of the ancient Turks, who had amalgamated with the Kalmuks and other Tatar tribes, lived in great num- bers in that part of Bukharia which had been added to Kan- suh. They were divided into two hostile sects, the Red and White-caps, a designation derived from the respective color of the turbans they wore. The White-caps accused the other party of having relaxed in the observance of the law of the Prophet; whilst they themselves professed to be strict fol- lowers of the Koran, and wished to force their countrymen to become equally zealous, which gave rise to feuds and blood-shed. The governor ordered them to abstain from quarrelling, and as they refused to obey, he exiled 10,000 of the refractory White-caps, who reluctantly left their homes, swearing vengeance against the Chinese. Having painted the injustice they had suffered in the most glowing colors, they engaged many of their Mohammedan brethren in Tan- goot, and a prince errant, a descendant of those whom the Chinese had vanquished, to join their standards. At the same time they procured arms from Kan-suh, whither they were still allowed to trade, and were ready to invade China with an army of 100,000 men. The Mohammedan prince, who was to become their leader, was on his way to join them with his army, when he was intercepted at Kashghar by the Mohammedan Hakim Beg, who routed his army, and took the prince prisoner. Keën-lung ordered Hakim to send him to Peking; however, the Mohammedan had had so many proofs of the imperial compassion in treating prisoners of war, that he thought it more advisable to retain the prince with himself. The great army, however, was not daunted by this unto- ward event; they marched forth into Kan-suh, cut to pieces a few Chinese detachments, and massacred every person 14 TA-TSING DYNASTY. who made the least resistance. As the governor had taken no precaution, they marched without finding any obstacle as far as the capital of Shen-se, where they were informed that a Chinese army was advancing, and fearing lest their retreat might be cut off, they hastily returned to their strongholds, with an immense booty. Akwei arrived with a large army, and posted himself along the banks of a river opposite their fortress, seemingly spending his time in inactivity, but ac- tually making preparations for a general attack. He cut off their water, and the Mohammedans were resolved to kill their own families, in order to keep themselves alive with the small supply which remained, and then to fall furiously upon the enemy, and cut their way through. Akwei ap- peared before the fortress, and summoned it to surrender at discretion. As this was rejected with disdain, he took the city by storm, and killed every inmate, except the principal leaders, whom he sent to Fih-ho, that his imperial majesty might regale himself with having them chopped to pieces. This compassionate emperor also gave instructions to kill every Mohammedan above the age of fifteen throughout the Kan-suh province, that they might expiate the crime of ingratitude; and his faithful servant Akwei duly executed these orders; but he ought to have invited his master to par- ticipate in the bloody feast, 1784. The sword remained sheathed for a few years. An adven- turer having usurped the crown of Cochin-China, the right- ful heir implored Keën-lung to put him again upon the throne. A Chinese army marched accordingly into the coun- try, and was at first successful, until a treaty had been agreed upon. But suddenly the Chinese army was surprised and almost extirpated by the treacherous natives. Keën- lung did not think it prudent, having received a severe les- son from Birmah, to renew hostilities. Tunkin and Annam were afterward united, and asserted their independence un- der their legitimate prince. TA-TSING DYNASTY. 15 The Chinese settlers in Formosa are naturally a very mutinous and independent race. They cannot brook the oppression of the mandarins, and revolted once under the reign of Kang-he, though this insurrection was very soon suppressed. They had groaned long under the paternal rod of the mandarins, when a cultivator of fallow ground was required to pay 8,000 taëls for lands which had not yet yielded any fruit. As he refused to comply, the mandarin sent him to prison; his clansmen rose and killed the man- darin. The viceroy of Fuhkeën immediately passed over to punish the offenders, but instead of searching for the murderers, he committed a number of innocent people to indiscriminate slaughter. Exasperated at this cruelty, the people rose en masse, massacred the Mantchoos, cut off their tails, and took possession of the principal cities. All the imperial armies which were sent to subdue them were cut to pieces, or died of sickness, to the amount of 100,000 men. The brother-in-law of the emperor finally put a stop to the rebellion by means of money, an effectual mode of fighting, and reported that he had cut the leader in pieces, who however lived far beyond his reach amongst the moun- tains. A poor wretch who bore the same name, suffered the punishment, 1788. This war drained the imperial and provincial treasures, and brought no new laurels to the diadem. One of the chiefs of Tibet, on hearing of the death of Banchen Lama at Peking, had gone to Nepaul with an im- mense treasure. The Nepaulese, allured by rapine, invad- ed the country, took possession of Iashi Loombo, and carried off the gold tiles which covered the convent, together with all the golden vessels they found there. But the Ban- chen, and the Dalai Lamas implored the imperial protection. against these freebooters. The emperor at first hesitated, for he had lately refused a similar demand made by the king of the Birmahs; but when the affairs grew more 16 TA-TSING DYNASTY. serious, he sent an army of 70,000 men to chastise the Gorkhas. This army, commanded by his father-in-law, acted up to their instructions, penetrated into Nepaul, to within sixty miles of the British frontiers, and reduced the Gorkhas to submission. The stolen vessels were restored, and the Nepaulese acknowledged the supremacy, whilst Tibet became more dependent upon its generous protector, 1792. Keën-lung had the pleasure, after a reign of sixty years, of seeing that two distant nations, the English and Dutch, arrived to congratulate him upon his long and happy reign. He was highly flattered by such a compliment, behaved very graciously toward them, but granted them none of the desired privileges. His latter days were embittered by a revolt of the Meaou- tsze, some tribes of aborigines, who inhabit Kwei-chow and the mountains on the borders of Sze-chuen and Hoonan. There are also great numbers in Canton and Kwang-se province. The general received orders to extirpate these treacherous barbarians, who are said to have rebelled because the mandarins had killed some of their chiefs. All attempts to subdue them proved in vain; there were con- stant reports of victories gained over the refractory rebels sent up to Peking, but the victorious generals were con- strained to buy a peace from their vanquished foe. The Meaou-tsze have their strongholds in the mountains, and can very easily defend the passes which lead to them against any enemy. The Chinese troops were often taken by sur- prise, when they believed the enemy far distant; and when they again entered the mountains in large numbers, they saw no foe. The peace was concluded under Kea-king in 1797. Twice did Keen-lung escape imminent danger. In the year 1788, he went, as was his custom, upon a hunting party to Mooran, situated to the north of Jeho, in Mant- TA-TSING DYNASTY. 17 choo Tatary. The rains had poured down in streams; the swollen rivers caused a general inundation, and with great difficulty he reached an eminence, where he was detained for a whole day without food, whilst other persons who had followed him found a watery grave. An adventurer from Turkestan appeared on the frontiers of Mongolia, with the intention of proceeding to Mantchoo Tatary, to proclaim himself emperor. He pretended to be nearly related to the imperial family, and had some docu- ments to prove his descent. Keën-lung was informed of his intention, and allowed him to proceed to Korga, where he was seized by a Chinese officer of high rank, who took possession of his papers, and executed him. When Keën-lung had reigned full sixty years through the whole Chinese cycle, he abdicated the throne in his eighty-fifth year, in favor of his fifth son, who adopted the title of Kea-king, and died three years afterward, well stricken in years. Kaou-tsung-shun-hwang-te is his ances- torial name. In his application to business he was unwearied: he ex- amined into all matters, and directed all important affairs himself. But it is easier to be a general in the capital than on the field of battle. His relentless cruelty has left an indelible stain upon his memory; but he was occasionally kind to his subjects, and visited the provinces in order to discover their grievances. He was both poet and prose writer, but not of the first order. His unjust persecution. of the Christians, and of the European missionaries, does no honor to his name. It may be objected that this was a sect dangerous to the welfare of the state; and that he was obliged to proceed with all vigor against these new secta- rians, who had become so numerous as to be able to subvert the empire. We wish not to defend a religion which en- joins auto da fés, and has persecuted Christians of other denominations with relentless fury; but we desire to be im- VOL. II. 2 18 TA-TSING DYNASTY. partial. It has never been proved that the Christians in China stood up in rebellion against the emperor, or joined the Europeans in their attempts upon China; but if they are a dangerous sect, the Buddhists, Taoists, and Moham- medans, are much more so they all have revolted, and have fought against the state, and fully deserved expulsion, if it is true that every religion dangerous to the state ought to be extirpated. Keën-lung always thought that he had a just cause when he butchered whole tribes. After the defeat of the Kalmuks, he raised at Ele a stone tablet, upon which he wrote: "The tree which heaven plants, though man may fell it, cannot be unrooted: the tree which heaven fells, though man may replant it, will never grow." Kea-king had all the vices of his father without his re- deeming qualities. The embers of rebellion, which so long had lain smothered under the vigorous administration of Keën-lung, broke finally out in open flames. Kea-king showed little application to business himself; and therefore he saw, with the deepest regret, that the peace of the empire was disturbed. He had no capacity, was addicted to drunk- enness and other vices, and was, besides, of a cruel dispo- sition. Yet this was the same illustrious regent whom Keën- lung had announced to heaven and earth, and to his ances- tors, who had been fully approved of by these three joint powers. Shall we consider words or actions? The brothers of Kea-king, who where ignorant of the will of heaven, and thought themselves more entitled to wear the crown of China, and were born before him, fell under the suspicion of the cruel monarch. A conspiracy had been arranged, in 1803, which was, however, quelled before it broke out. Upon examination it was found that both courtiers and rela- tions, all of very high rank, were implicated in this conspi- racy against his life. Kea-king, therefore, wisely philoso- phises in the account he gives of this event to the nation. TA TSING DYNASTY. 19 He says the deposition of the assassin must be false; be- cause it was quite impossible that those whom he consi- dered as the most faithful servants of the throne, could have rendered themselves guilty of participating in so shocking a crime. That an assassin must be considered like a mad dog, who makes his attack upon those he meets, but with- out drawing others to join with him in such a purpose. There is even a bird that eats its own parent without being driven to it; and what accomplices could he find in so un- natural an act? Four officers are mentioned who seized upon the assassin, and saved the emperor's life. They are highly praised for having saved their prince at the peril of their own lives; but amongst all the numerous spectators there came forth only six who took an interest in his safety. The emperor laments their indifference in assisting him at so critical a juncture. He finally concludes with the obser- vation, that notwithstanding his close attention to business, there may be still something wrong; and promises to im- prove the administration, and to endeavor to give no fresh cause for such dissatisfaction. “It is this indifference, and not the dagger of the assassin, that distresses me.” The criminal was sentenced to die a slow death; and his two sons were strangled in consideration of their tender years. At the head of this rebellion was a son of Ho-chung- tang, the former prime minister under Keën-lung, who was sentenced to lose his life for alleged crimes. But Kea-king stood in want of money; and, as the young prince was very rich, he deemed it advisable to sentence him to death, that he might obtain his property in a fair way. He apparently began to show some earnest in reforming government, by giving people free admission to the court of justice. But these good regulations were only transitory; and as the supreme government was in the hands of worth- less minions, it very soon deteriorated more than ever. 20 TA-TSING DYNASTY. Kea-king continued to live an effeminate life; and the re- bellions were subdued by force of money, whilst the gene- rals boasted of the splendid victories they had obtained. A certain sum was offered to all those who willingly surren- dered. If they had been leaders, they might hope for a place in the army. But nothing occasioned so much trouble to government as the pirates. Whole squadrons were fitted out under the eyes of the mandarins, and sent to sea to commit piracies. An experienced admiral at Canton was deposed from his station, and a favorite entrusted with the command of the fleet. They had long cruised along the coast of Cochin- China, Canton, and in the channel of Formosa, and taken an immense number of junks, when the imperial fleet, un- der the command of a new admiral, found them at anchor in a bay near Canton. As soon as they saw a superior force arrayed against them, they made proposals of peace, and promised to surrender. Wan, the old commander, advised the Chinese admiral to reject their terms, and to destroy their vessels. He, however, thought himself wiser, and grant- ed them their desire. Both the fleets weighed anchor, and the pirates escaped. Every day they became bolder, and defied government; levied a regular tax upon the mer- chant vessels, and respected the license granted by their commander; but every junk, without a pass, was a legal prize. In their depredatory excursions they often laid whole villages waste, and carried away men and women, who had again to be redeemed by a heavy sum of money. Their principal strong holds were in Hainan, Formosa, and Tunkin; they had regular agents at Canton, and seve- ral Amuy merchants fitted out vessels, and provided them with ammunition. A squadron of 40 imperial junks was sent out against them, of which only twelve escaped, the others were taken. Chinese accounts state that their whole number amounted to 70,000, who navigated 800 large and TA-TSING DYNASTY. 21 1000 small ones, which seem greatly to be overrated. They were divided into six large squadrons, under different flags; the red, the yellow, the green, the blue, the black, the white. Ching-yih, their commander, wished to imitate Ching-ching- kung, who had fought in order to drive the Tatars out of China; but he was drowned, and his wife assumed the com- mand; whilst she created Paou, a poor fisher boy, whom her husband had picked up, her lieutenant. She promulgat- ed a code of laws, by which good order and fair treatment of each other was enforced. The people on shore were to be paid for their provisions and ammunition, and the sever- est discipline introduced amongst these lawless hordes. A squadron, consisting of fifteen junks, was despatched against them, and likewise taken; the commanding manda- rin not meeting with death from the hands of the pirates, committed suicide. Another fleet sent out against them, set all sail to come up, but when the mandarin perceived the great number of vessels, he was anxious to escape. The pirates followed, and a calm ensuing, they jumped into the sea, boarded the mandarin's junks, and took six of them. Their daring valor, however, was at least once disap- pointed an imperial fleet of 100 sail attacked them, set fire to their sails, and burned at their rudders. The pirates were thrown into confusion, two hundred were taken pri- soners, and several junks captured. A pirate's wife defend- ed herself desperately in a boat, and wounded several sol- diers, but on being wounded by a matchlock ball, she fell back, and was taken prisoner. This disgrace they wiped off by a total defeat of the imperial fleet in the bay of Kwang- chow, where Ching-yih's widow herself commanded. A squadron commanded by admiral Kwei was likewise either destroyed or captured, so that there remained no other alter- native to the Chinese government but the cutting off of all supplies. All vessels, large as well as small, were detained in the harbors, and no communication allowed. But this 2* 22 TA-TSING DYNASTY. measure was productive of another evil; for the pirates saw themselves obliged to ascend the rivers, and to plunder along the banks. Some Englishmen were captured and detained prisoners on board. They witnessed the depredations which the pi- rates committed in the rivers about Canton, and saw the destruction of several cities and villages. A fleet sent to re- pel them was forced back, and the commander blew up his own junk. To encourage them in their cruelties, the pirate admiral paid 10 dollars for every head brought to him; which induced these cruel buccaneers to kill many inno- cent people. The Chinese government engaged the Portuguese, at Macao, to lend them several ships, well fitted out and manned. These united fleets, consisting of 93 junks, 6 ships, a brig, and a schooner, attacked the pirates in a bay, under the island Lantao; but having tried several methods to annoy them, and also sent in fire boats, which did no ex- ecution, they finally withdrew, chased by the Ladrones. Government would perhaps never have been able to re- duce them if Paou had not quarrelled with one of his chiefs, Opo-tae. Their contention ended in fighting, a bloody en- gagement ensued, and Paou's fleet was defeated. Sixteen of his vessels fell into the hands of the victor, and 300 pri- soners were butchered. Opo-tae, fearing the vengeance of Mrs. Ching-yih, tendered his submission to government. In the paper he sent to court, he adduces instances from history which prove that robbers obtained grace from his imperial majesty. He mentions poverty as the original cause which had driven them to despair, and hopes for mercy. Opo-tae went over, with 8000 men, and was made a naval mandarin. Mrs. Ching-yih having shown herself willing to accom- modate affairs, received a commissioner on board. The pirate fleet sailed up toward the Bocca Tigris, and the TA-TSING DYNASTY. 23 governor of Canton came out to meet them, in order to con- clude the treaty. As the governor approached, the pirates hoisted their flags, played on their instruments, and fired salutes. Many thousand spectators were standing on shore to witness this reconciliation. Followed by Paou, and three officers, Mrs. Ching-yih went on board the mandarin vessel; all fell on their hands and knees and prostrated themselves, whilst they received her gracious pardon, and promise for future good treatment. But the appearance of some war junks, and a Portuguese ship, causing the pirates to fear that some treachery was intended, they immediately hoisted sail, and the negotiations were broken off. Mrs. Ching-yih, convinced of the honesty of the governor, offered to proceed alone to Canton, and conclude the treaty of peace. This the pirates would not allow, until two mandarins arrived and assured them that no treachery was intended. She went with several wives of the pirates to the provincial city, the treaty was signed, the fleet surrendered, Paou became a mandarin, and cruised against his former associates, who had not yet submitted; and the common sailors were either permitted to enter the service of his majesty, or to retire to their homes, after having received an indemnification. Thus were the pirates suppressed. The governor received for his great merits in pacifying the seas, a peacock's feather with two eyes. There have been several Maids of Orleans in China; but it was reserved for these degenerate times to produce a naval heroine, who in peace and war was equally great, and who ruled over a band of savages with sovereign power. The pirates were not yet entirely put down, when a more glaring act of wanton pillage was attempted. Kea-king had not been popular, notwithstanding his feigned tears of re- pentance. Large bands of robbers infested Pi-chi-le, Ho- nan, and Shan-tung, and were, according to the Chinese ac- count, to have acted in concert. That division which prowl- 24 ´TA-TSING DYNASTY. ed in Pi-chi-le resolved to attack the imperial palace, to pillage it, and to dethrone the emperor. How they expected to put this design in execution we cannot ascertain, for there are strong guards on all gates, and a sufficient num- ber of body-guards always surrounds the imperial person. Their attack was well-directed, the imperial princes them- selves took up arms in defence of the emperor; and it was on this occasion that the present emperor signalized him- self, and thus paved the way to the throne. The Pih-heën and Teënle banditti were accused of having engaged in this daring enterprise. The emperor, in an edict which he is- sued shortly afterward, bitterly complains of his lot in be- ing subjected to such daring attempts, and says that it is without precedent under the preceding dynasties. He great- ly extolled the valor of his brave defenders, and raised them in rank, 1813. All the rebels who were apprehended were of course put to a slow and ignominious death. Two of the imperial kindred, who were convicted of being concerned in the attack, were strangled. It is very plain that the men who made the assault were not mere robbers, but that the whole was a state intrigue. Kea-king ordered that they should be put to death at the tombs of their forefathers, that the spirits of the deceased might witness the punishment in- flicted, for the dishonor done to the family... In 1817 great drought afflicted the country, Kea-king ordered the punishments of criminals to be mitigated, in order to move nature to confer the blessing of rain, and preserve the harmony of the seasons. But the emperor afterward found that the fertile vapors were fast bound, and the felicitous harmony of the seasons interrupted, because fifty of the rebels were still secreted in and about Peking. When this was of no avail, he sent his son to fast and to pray, and offer sacrifice to the gods of heaven, earth, and winds; and after all, he had to go with his two brothers, he himself offering at an altar dedicated to heaven, his two TA-TSING DYNASTY. 25 brothers upon altars dedicated to earth, and the other to the gods of the passing year, whilst the fourth addressed his supplications to the god of the wind. His whole reign seems to have been a concatenation of calamities; one rebellion was scarcely suppressed when the people of another province rose again in arms. Yun-nan and Sze-chuen kept the imperial army for a long while in motion, until the rebel leaders were bought over, which is after all the most bloodless way. On the anniversary of his sixtieth year, Kea-king remit- ted all land taxes, and mitigated punishments. He died on the 2d of September, 1820. Taou-kwang was his successor. The following rules for mourning were instituted. When one of the immaculate sages of the family is numbered with those who are depart- ed, the succeeding emperor shall be the chief mourner; he shall take the fringes from his cap, and he shall lament and stamp his feet for sorrow. The empress, and all the ladies of inferior rank in the palace or harem shall pluck away their ear-rings, and remove every ornament of their head dress. A table shall be spread out before the coffin, and there the kings, princes, and nobles, shall pour out libations. The emperor who succeeds shall put on mourning, and dis- hevel his plaited hair, taking up his abode in a hovel by the side of the corpse. The empress, concubines, and all the ladies of the harem shall cut off their hair. The emperor shall mourn for three years, and during the first hundred days shall cause all imperial edicts to be written with blue ink; all government papers during twenty-seven days must be stamped with blue ink. During a hundred days the Chi- nese shall desist from shaving the head, and the mandarins shall not give their sons and daughters in marriage. "All my people should be dutiful to their parents," said Taou- kwang,"respectful to superiors, ashamed of crime, and cherish a dread of punishment, to aid me in imitating his 26 CONCLUSION. last majesty, who showed a love of the lives of others, such as heaven displays. Now, in consequence of all the kings, Tatar nobles, great statesmen, civil and military officers having said with one voice, Heaven's throne must not be long unoccupied, it is incumbent, that by the consent of the imperial manes, and the gods of the land, a sovereign do. early assume his sway. In consequence of their again remonstrating with me, I forced myself to yield to the gene- ral voice, and interrupting my keen sorrows, on the third day of the eighth moon; having announced the circum- stance to heaven and earth, and to the manes of my impe- rial ancestors, I sat down on the imperial throne. Let the next year be the first of Taou-kwang." We shall not expatiate upon his reign before its close. Great disturbances have broken out amongst the Moham- medan tribes in Turkestan, but have been quelled; another revolution broke out in Formosa; the Meaou-tsze have likewise rebelled; but notwithstanding these untoward events the state of the empire is comparatively tranquil, and trade flourishes more than under any other reign.* CHAPTER XVIII. CONCLUSION. PREJUDICES which heretofore have existed in regard to the Chinese empire, will gradually give way to the correct information which is daily pouring in upon us. We here * See Conquista de la China por el Tartaro. The Tung-hwa-luh -a Chinese work upon the present dynasty, in manuscript. Indo Chinese Gleaner.-Asiatic Journal, &c. CONCLUSION. Ory give a short abstract of the Ta-tsing-hwuy-teen, a statisti- cal work, which is republished under the reign of every mo- narch, and contains a full view of the constitution of the celestial empire. It is divided into nine parts, the largest edition comprises 261 volumes. The imperial genealogy precedes the minute details re- specting the six tribunals and the laws of the country. His present majesty is anxious to preserve the true Tatar blood in the veins of all his kindred, and therefore he prohibits all mixed marriages, and all alliance with the conquered Chi- nese. Even the imperial relations, who have been degrad- ed for their crimes, are remembered in the genealogical lists. The badges of the Tsung-shih and Keo-lo are a red and purple sash, indicating their distant or near relation to the family which sits upon the throne. All the children who are born of the imperial kindred are duly registered; the emperor himself condescends to confer upon them a name. The word "everlasting" forms part of the appellation of the princes of the blood. Marriages in the imperial family are referred to the celestial majesty, and he orders the horoscope to be drawn in order to discover whether these unions will be lucky or not. They are all equally cherished, and in order to maintain the purity of the blood, and to form royal alliances, many princesses of the imperial house are married to the Mongol chiefs, and receive a dowry and annuity. Titles are bestowed by the emperor himself upon the male branches, when they have reached the age of twenty, accord- ing to their merits or demerits; horsemanship and archery are considered as indispensably necessary to their accom- plishments. All their actions are regulated; they are perfect automatons, who move at the nod of the autocrat. Wo un- to him who is refractory; he is denounced as vicious, and degraded, and sent into exile. Virtue ought to be their great study, their constant endeavor; for without this in- dispensable qualification they are unworthy of belonging to 28 CONCLUSION. the imperial kindred. Born as soldiers, they often live in a state of private indolence, enjoying a moderate income, whilst others are invested with high offices, but never so as to rival his imperial majesty, who with one stroke of the red pencil can degrade them from their high station to the rank of plebeians. A particular court to regulate the whole im- perial kindred is instituted,-the Tsung-jin-foo, in which ist a college for the education of the younger branches. They have all to go to the imperial palace at the new and full moon, and at state ceremonies particularly; the distant re- lations range themselves outside the palace, whilst the near- er ones enter the hall of audience and perform their pros- trations. A golden yellow sash and a yellow bridle distin- guish the lineal descendants of the emperor, a peacock's feather with one, two, or three eyes, is indicative of the rank of the nobles. Those who have obtained the rank of kings and dukes are divided into six courses, one of which must be in attendance at the interior of the palace every day, whilst there are from fifty to sixty present at the great state sacri- fices. The imperial ancestors are placed on a par with supreme heaven. In the time of need prayers and supplications are addressed to them as well as to the azure heavens; they are the dispensers of all good gifts, and can save from ca- lamity and destruction. When a female is raised to the rank of empress, the em- peror makes an appeal to mother earth, the ancestors and ancient sages. Her majesty goes out at the door of com- passion to the outside of the gates of perpetual fidelity; the music strikes up, she performs some courtesys, bows, and receives the high dignity of the mother of the country. The inmates of the harem are generally very numerous; his pre- sent majesty, Taou-kwang, is not remarkable for libidinous- ness, but nevertheless his concubines are many. Those girls who are destined to this high rank have their names CONCLUSION. 29 embossed in gold; their number is reported to the ances- tors; they are led by the overseers of the palace before the throne; their names are read, whilst the music plays; they then enter the palace after some obeisances, and retire under the direction of the empress to the inner apartments The following day his majesty ascends the harem throne and all the imperial concubines invite the empress to per- form her obeisance. Her majesty accordingly comes forth with the princesses and her kindred, and performs the hom- age due to the great lord. Their dress is minutely deline- ated; they are literally machines, which depend entirely upon the pleasure of the great emperor. They are limited to so many fans, musquito switches, and toilettes; and the color of their sedan chairs, gowns, &c. ought to be accord- ing to established usage. When the emperor commences his reign, officers appoint- ed for the purpose announce it to heaven, earth, and the ancestors. His inauguration is splendid, but accompanied by so many minute observances that it would require many pages to give an adequate description of them; but every thing is done according to established rule, to which the au- tocrat himself is a slave. At the commencement of spring and autumn he offers sheep, pigs, and bullocks to the manes of the founders of the Mantchoo dynasty; but the shades of the emperors of yore are not forgotten, all receive their share of homage to whatsoever dynasty they may belong. Her majesty offers a sacrifice to the inventor of silk, whilst her imperial husband worships the inventor of agriculture. Last of all come the gods of heaven and earth, created beings, of whom some rank below the superior mandarins. When divine judgments afflict the country, the butchers are prohibited from killing cattle; and the emperor goes to the temple and performs prostrations, whilst a prayer is read to appease the wrath of azure heaven and mother earth. Keën- lung, in the second year of his reign, was greatly distressed VOL. II. 3 30 CONCLUSION. by a drought, which occasioned a scarcity amongst the po pulace. He therefore applied to the board of rites, to in- quire whether any thing was wanting on his part. The members examined, and reported that it was upon record that the gods of the clouds, of rain, wind, and thunder, were celestial deities, whilst the gods of hills, seas, and rivers, were terrestrial deities. But Kang-he, in addition to the celestial and terrestrial gods, had worshipped the god of the passing year, with all the gods of the four seas; Yung-ching had done the same; they therefore recommended his ma- jesty to follow their example. The astronomical board. were commanded to choose a lucky day, whilst the Han-lin college prepared the prayer to be read. The ceremony was duly performed, and thus the judgment averted. Keën-lung, a martial prince, was very zealous in offering sacrifices to the gods of the city walls, standards, and arms, but especially to the god of the cannon, to which he offered a bullock, a sheep, a hog, five baskets of fruit, incense, candles, and silk; and required the military officers to off- ciate as priests. The most magnificent sacrifices are offer- ed at the inauguration; the form of prayers is prescribed. Yung-ching declared in the presence of the gods that the universal cry of the people had forced him upon the throne, to set an example of rectitude to all nations. He had ac- cordingly, with reluctance, complied, and appealed to hea- ven and earth to aid him in the suppression of anarchy, thai the nine regions of the world (the whole earth) might be re- duced to tranquility. Thus benevolence and longevity would extend far and wide. When Keën-lung abdicated the throne, he dwelt upon the gracious protection which heaven had afforded him during a reign of sixty-one years; but at his accession to the throne, he burnt incense and prayed silently to heaven, making a a vow, that if he should reign as long as his celebrated pre- decessor, he would abdicate the throne. To be sure that he CONCLUSION. 31 made a proper choice in the heir of the crown, he offered a great sacrifice to Shang-te; and whilst mentioning the in- tended heir of the crown, he besought heaven and his an- cestors to visit his son with judgment if he had made an im- proper choice. He consulted his aged mother, who held an equal rank with the supreme powers, reported her answer to heaven; and after having hesitated a long while, he was finally led to place Kea-king upon the throne, after many vows and prayers, and a considerable period of familiar in- tercourse with the Supreme Ruler, and his ancestors. His choice, however, seems to have been misguided. These pious ejaculations, which may strike the attention of the rea- der, are nothing more than mere forms; the divinities in- voked are mere puppets; the whole a farce, to cover ambi- tious views under the cloak of devotion. To conciliate the favor of all idols, there are representatives of the Buddhist and Taou sects appointed, who will advocate the cause of their respective deities, and second his majesty in imploring the favor of their idols. Though the Chinese government disclaims all sects, except the Confucian, as heretical, public officers, as well as the emperor, build and endow temples where those heterodox idols are worshipped. The Moham- medans are abhorred, as an unruly, vicious race of people ; but as many of them hold high stations in government, their religion is tolerated For this connivance they are very ac- commodating when they are called upon to repair the tem- ples in order to perform idolatrous rites. The Son of Heaven acknowledges none above himself; he has the divine right of deposing and installing princes, and creates their vassals. The highest allowance for a king of the first order is 10,000 taëls and 12,000 shih (a shih is about 180 lbs.) of rice; thus less shan the governors of the large provinces receive. When they receive promotion, they must thrice kneel and nine times prostrate themselves. On receiving food from the imperial bounty, they kneel once, CONCLUSION. 32 and thrice bow the head. The Dutch ambassador was re- quired to perform this ceremony nine times, whenever any food was sent him from the imperial table, because he was a barbarian envoy. All Tatar kings who repair to court, and all foreign tribute-bearers, or ambassadors, must thrice kneel and nine times bow the head, at the word of command, Kneel, bow, rise! They are drilled, on purpose to do it gracefully. During this ceremony the music strikes up, and plays the ode, "Glorious subjugation !—all countries enjoy peace!" Officers who are not of the highest rank, must perform this ceremony outside the palace gate, and, if his majesty be set on the throne, outside the palace wall; a yel- low skreen, having the superscription of Wan-suy, ought to inspire the devotees of imperial majesty with the same ve- neration as the bodily presence of the great master. The Chinese government is a compact body, divided and subdivided into endless branches, which stand in the most intimate relation to each other. At the head of government is the privy-council. There are four Pae-seangs, called by the missionaries, ko-laou, who deliberate with the presidents of the six tribunals upon any important subject, and report to the emperor, who decides according to his pleasure; and when the autocrat is displeased with their discussions he rebukes them sharply and openly. There is a court express- ly instituted to receive memorials and petitions, which must be strictly according to the prescribed form, and cannot ex- ceed a certain quantity. Upon urgent business an officer may write to his sovereign directly; a subject may also ap- peal to the supreme government at Peking; but if his cause be not well supported he risks his head. To record the im- perial words, actions, and decrees, there are three books kept-one for his sentiments and sayings, another for his commands, and the third for his rescripts; of such, the greater part of Chinese history is composed. The imperial proclamations are drawn up by the members of the Han-lin CONCLUSION. 33 college; not according to their own option, but in the set phrases and wording established by the ancients, so that these memorialists have only to put the stereotyped sen tences together. The Le-poo-board of officers-is the real department for intrigue. All officers of rank receive from the members their instalment; their merits and demerits are accurately recorded by the provincial government, and they are accord- ingly advanced or degraded a certain number of steps, which in all the proclamations they issue is accurately defined. When they are suspended from their official functions they may regain their office by repentance, following virtue, and paying a certain sum of money. The names of all the offi- cers, with the appendages of titles, merits, &c. are published in a book, which is every month republished. When they are raised to a higher rank they go up to Peking to perform the prostrations of thanksgiving, and to receive the badge of rank. This occasions a constant traveling, and much loss. of time and money, but at the same time maintains the most intimate relation with the most distant parts of the provinces, and attaches all the officers to their sovereign, from whom alone they can receive promotion and emolument. Public officers are suspended from their functions for three years when one of their parents has died; they may also go on a pilgrimage to the tombs of their ancestors, accompany their parents to their native place, and absent themselves on the plea of sickness. All enormous crimes committed by the people under their jurisdiction are brought home to them; if a fire breaks out, and a large number of houses are burnt down, they run the risk of being degraded; if calamities af- flict their respective districts they are accused as the original cause, and ought to propitiate heaven; if a rebellion breaks out, they stand a chance of losing their heads. As the poli- tical fathers of the people over whom they are appointed, they ought to rule over them with paternal care, and promote 3* 34 CONCLUSION. virtue. For this purpose they read sermons drawn up by the imperial hand (the second edict, Shing-yu,) and are required to be in word and actions patterns of human perfection. The author, who has had frequent intercourse with mandarins of all ranks, was never acquainted with any body of men who had renounced their natural character so totally, and could glide so easily through all the tortuous paths of in- trigue and falsehood. The fundamental principle of patri- archal, primeval government, is really the basis of all the institutions, but the execution of this fundamental principle is grossly disfigured by human depravity. But whilst all other constitutions fall to ruins, this ancient building resists. the inroads of all-destroying time, and holds together an in- numerable nation. The revenue of the empire is enormous: there are 10,455 grain boats employed, which bring annually the tribute of the provinces to the capital. It is also levied upon the trade and mines; and in fact, every thing which can be taxed; but a principal source is the imperial monopoly in salt, of which more than 600 millions of pounds are annually con- sumed. The soldiers receive lands to maintain themselves and their families; many have been settled in Mantchoo Tatary, Mongolia, and Turkestan, and do not burden the country. The Chinese troops on the Russian frontier are agriculturists. At a station on the river Amour, a number of criminals were sent to reinforce the imperial troops. As they behaved well, the emperor forgave their crimes, and re- marks, if criminals have a path of self-renovation left open to them, there is reason to hope that they will reform and become virtuous. The expenditure of the different branches of government is so great, that the revenues are scarcely adequate to cover it. Every province has its treasure; from this an annual sum is sent up to Peking, but the respective governors must keep the balance to meet all ordinary and extraordinary expenses, CONCLUSION. 35 and therefore they are often on the reverse of the bill. The only current coin consists of a mixture of copper, lead, and zinc, with a square hole in it; on the one side there are Chi- nese characters, on the other Mantchoo; all are cast with the name of the emperor under whose reign they were made; the provinces enjoy the privilege of coining their own mo- ney. Government has also lately cast a silver coin, of a dol- lar's weight, with Tatar characters, which is used in pay- ment of the soldiers. Otherwise, silver is cast into lumps, and reckoned by taëls, one of which is estimated at 1-398th of a dollar. Europeans call it Sycee silver, the Chinese Wan-yin; it is generally very pure, and contains now and then a small quantity of gold. Dollars are current, but are defaced and stamped till they are beaten to pieces; in the northern provinces unstamped dollars alone are received in payment. Gold is current in ingots, to the value of 220 dol- lars, one bar of 20 taëls weight. We shall not dwell too long upon all the rites prescribed in this statistical account, after having already said so much on the subject. Suffice it to remark, that every class of offi- cers and citizens is daily apprised of his duty, and placed by the endless minuteness under the necessity of transgress- ing against the vexatious regulations. The shape, the gait, the posture in sitting, is properly pointed out, &c. When a Tatar king from the dependencies of China visits a king of imperial extraction at Peking, his attendants must announce his approach. The master of ceremonies gives notice to the host, who invites the visiter to come in; the latter dis- mounts from his horse at the gate. Then the host walks down the steps to receive him, and both enter the middle gate. The visiter with his face toward the west, kneels twice, and performs the kow-tow six times; the host per- forms the same ceremonies; both rise, the visiter sits on the west, the host on the east side. The attendant officers inust then ascend the steps on the east side, and having per- 36 CONCLUSION. formed the same ceremony as their master outside the door, must enter by the right hand wicket, and sit down behind the guest. The master of ceremonies must then present tea, on receiving which the guest must kneel, and prostrate him- self once; this the host returns. Having drunk the tea, the attendants must come up in front, knock head once, and first retire. When the guest leaves the table, he must kneel and knock head once; the host must return it. Having risen from his knees, he must accompany the guest to the foot of the steps, and the master of the ceremonies to the outside of the gate. This may serve as a fair specimen of Chinese etiquette. All the other ranks, to the lowest police officer who performs kow-tow before the mandarin, have a due share of ceremony, the observance of which is quite es- sential to their office. Yet ceremony is often waived, and the Chinese can greet each as cordially as we ourselves, but this is not in accordance to established rule. Monarchs who intend to send an ambassador to the im- perial court, ought to inform themselves upon the ceremonial which these personages have to pass and to perform. As the emperor of China does not acknowledge any power upon terms of equality, foreign envoys ought to render the homage of vassals. It would perhaps be advisable to con- vince his imperial majesty that there are powers possessed of a large extent of territory, and numerous subjects, who can demand a proper treatment for their representatives. It is put down as a law, that an embassy by land shall never consist of more than 100 personages, 20 of whom only are allowed to repair to the court, whilst the remainder have to wait on the frontiers. An embassy sent by way of the sea ought only to consist of three vessels, with 100 men in each of them, &c. When we view the Chinese military system, as it is on paper, we may consider it as excellent in its kind; but of all Chinese institutions, none is so much at variance with the CONCLUSION. 37 written military laws as the army. The Chinese are natu- rally a peaceful people, and make bad soldiers, but good agriculturists; they have long lived in peace, and entirely lost their martial spirit. To make up this deficiency, a regular code of martial laws has been compiled. The army amounts to about 1,200,000 soldiers; the Mongols and Mantchoos, who form the great body of cavalry, included. Their military tactics consist in so many evolutions that one is led to think they perform their exercise in an apartment. The drum and gong give the signal for advancing and halt- ing. He who hears the drum and does not advance, or hears the gong and does not halt, shall be dacapitated. When an enemy advances, he who shrinks or whispers to his comrade shall be decapitated. The signal-superintendant who does not beat the drum, or sound the gong, or stop at the instant he is commanded, shall be punished with forty blows. When in the act of engaging, he who disobeys orders shall be be- headed. He who by false pretences endeavors to rob another man of his military merit, shall be decapitated. Those who on a march shall oppress the people, force sales, rob, harm, and violate women, shall all be decapitated. So it goes on,, and at such a rate that we are led to fear that, under present circumstances, the whole army would die by the hand of the executioner before they had come in sight of an enemy. Shun-che, when he had possessed himself of the Chinese throne, published a manifesto, addressed to his soldiers, wherein he says: "Our object is to exterminate the rebels, and to tranquilize the people. Avail not yourselves of your physical force, to plunder the people, pull down their dwell- ings, or destroy their utensils, &c. Carry into effect my wishes, which tend to subjugate the rebels. If any persons oppose these orders, punish them severely." Neverthe- less, the soldiers acted contrary to those laws, and did what the emperor had forbidden them. The emperor complains - 38 CONCLUSION. bitterly about their stubbornness, and blames their com- manders in harsh language. Kang-he exults in the many victories which his countrymen gained. He ascribes it to the rewards and punishments being justly administered, the martial law being strict, the soldiers being well trained, and their weapons sharp. He forgot to mention the weakness of their opponents, and the convulsions which shook the Chinese empire to the foundation. When a victory is gained, the general is honored by a triumphant entry. The emperor himself offers, on such joyous occasions, a sacrifice of thanks. When they commence a compaign, the soldiers announce their intention to heaven and earth, to their de- ceased ancestors, and other deities, the gods of the roads and standards,―amidst the din of gongs, horns, and trum- pets; and then march forth to gain the victory. The main- tenance of good order, which constitutes the office of con- stables, is, in China, under the control of soldiers. They have their houses and family, and properly speaking, a mili- tia. We pass over the Board of Justice, and punishments, as being too large a field to enter upon. We might say much respecting their public works; but they are, by the present generation, neglected; and shall only remark, that both the Chinese government and nation present an anom- aly, wherein there is much to blame, but also much to praise.* * See Ta-tsing-hwuy-teen. Eleventh Report of the Anglo Chinese College. Appendix. NESTORIANS. 39 CHAPTER XIX. PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN CHINA. NESTORIANS. CHRISTIANITY, even in its most deformed shape, has al- ways contained within itself an invigorating principle, and extended its peaceful conquests. It was the last command- ment of Christ to preach the gospel to all nations; and every true Christian should act as if not wholly unworthy of the high trust reposed in him. To China, however, the pure gospel, salvation by the blood of Christ, has seldom been preached. When the celebrated traveler, Marco Polo, traversed the regions of Central Asia, in the 13th century, he found va- rious sects of Christians, but principally Nestorians, in Per- sia, whither they had fled on account of the persecutions they had to undergo from the orthodox Grecian emperors. They had even spread as far as Kashgar, where they had their churches, and lived under their own laws. He found them also in Kankan, Sha-choo, Lewlan, Egrigaca, and in the Chinese provinces of Shen-se, Yunnan, and Fuh-keën. The reviving influence of the gospel animated the hearts of the apostles and their followers to penetrate to the most distant parts of the world. Their love for their fellow men was unbounded, and they bore all hardships joyfully. St. Thomas, who is denominated "the apostle of the Hindoos and Chinese," in the epitome of the Syrian canons, traversed a great part of western Asia, visited India, and finally reach- ed Kambalu, which, according to the latest researches, is the Khanbalik of the Tatars, and the Peking of the Chinese. 40 NESTORIANS. Having built a church here, he returned to Meliapore, on the coast of Koromandel, where, being very successful in the conversion of the infidels, he was stoned and pierced with a lance by the envious Brahmins. Though the fore- going is taken from Syrian tradition only, the fact is corro- borated by the concurrent testimonies of the Chaldean ri- tual, which concludes with the following sentence : By the blessed Thomas, the kingdom of heaven was extended and opened to the Chinese." The Syrian metropolitan of the Malabar coast always subscribed himself the metropoli- tan of all Hindoostan and China. Kwan-yun-chang, a cele- brated Chinese writer, is said to mention the birth of the Sa- vior in the Grotto, exposed to all the winds; his death; his resurrection; his ascension, and the impression of his holy feet. Though the author has not seen his work, he is ac- quainted with the Shin-seen-tung-keen-a history of all religions in Chinese-where Christianity is detailed in such a way as to leave no doubt that it was known in China long before the entrance of the Jesuits, but only in a circumscrib- ed sphere, and very imperfectly. The Syrian monument which was found at Se-gan-foo, in Shen-se, substantiates the evidence of the efforts made by the Syrian churches to propagate the Nestorian creed. Ac- cording to this monument, Olopwan, the Nestorian, came from Judea to China, A. D. 636, after having escaped great dangers both by sea and land. The emperor Tae-tsung hearing of his arrival, sent a minister to meet him as far as the suburbs of the imperial city, with orders to conduct him to the palace. When he arrived his law was examined, its truth acknowledged, and the emperor published an edict in its favor. He then ordered a church to be built, and appointed one-and-twenty persons for its service. Chinese history mentions the arrival of an embassy from Se yih about this time. The priests of the Nestorians informed their brethren of their great success; a great number of other missiona- j NESTORIANS. 41 ries arrived. But the churches which they had built did not long prosper; the Christian priests were confounded with those of Buddha, and a severe edict published against them prohibiting the worship of idols, under the reign of Heuen- tsung, a. D. 713. However, this fierce persecution does not seem to have extinguished the zeal of the Nestorian con- verts; and though their number must have been small, their influence still less, they gloried in having a royal convert amongst the khans of Tatary, the celebrated Prester John. When the mighty conqueror, Genghis, entered on his victo- rious career, he sacrificed a horse, and tasted of a running stream. He subdued the rebels, and placed seventy caul- drons upon fires; and seventy of the most guilty chiefs were cast headlong into the boiling water. His arms were at first directed against the Christian monarch, Prester John, khan of the Keraites, whom he put to death, and used his silver- enchased skull as a drinking cup. When Marco Polo visit- ed those regions, he found George, one of the descendants of Prester John, upon the throne. According to his relation, he was both a Christian and a priest, the greater part of the inhabitants being also Christians. This king George held his country as a fief of the grand khan, not indeed the whole of the original possessions of Prester John, but a certain portion of them; and the sovereign always bestowed upon him, as well as upon the other princes of his house, his daughters and other females of the royal family in marriage. Amongst the inhabitants, however, there were both idolaters and followers of the law of Mohammed. Comestabularius, an Armenian, who about the year 1248 wrote a letter to the king of Cyprus concerning the Chris- tians of Tangouth, says, "This is the country out of which the three kings came to Bethlehem, to adore Christ, and the people of this country are Christians. I myself have been in their churches, and seen paintings of Jesus Christ, and of the three kings; one presenting the gold, a second the VOL. II. 4 42 NESTORIANS. frankincense, and a third the myrrh. Through these three kings they had the knowledge of the faith of Christ, and through them the khan and all his people were made Chris- tians. When they go to salute the great khan, they first en- ter the church and salute the Lord Jesus Christ, and then go to salute the khan. We found also many Christians dispersed through the eastern country, and many goodly churches, lofty and ancient, which had been despoiled by the Tatars. The Christians of the country, when they come into the presence of the khan, who now reigns, are received with the greatest honor, treated liberally, and none suffered to annoy them. And, though by reason of their sins, Christ has none to preach his name in those regions, yet he himself preacheth for himself, and declareth it by his own most holy virtues in such manner that the nations of these countries believe in Christ." The papal missionaries, who were sent thither by the pope toward the end of the 13th century, add their testimonies to those already quoted. Of the Chinese churches we know less; but are told that they were con- stantly supplied with missionaries from Syria. That there was no vestige of them when the Jesuits entered China, is easily accounted for. Great revolutions had been effected in China, the revengeful hand of the Mohammedan con- queror, Timur, had obliterated the few traces of Christianity which still remained. Moreover, a mere Christian ceremo- nial, without the true spirit of the Gospel does not abide the heartless nominal Christian being very soon transformed into a Mohammedan or idolater. Chinese historians have no where described the early in- troduction of Christianity, which, to these worldly men, seemed an insignificant event, unworthy of their researches. Besides, they confound all foreign creeds, and treat them with the utmost contempt. But the clearest evidence that a spurious sort of Christianity once reigned over a great part of Central Asia, we have in the striking coincidence of some ROMAN CATHOLICS. 43 rites of Buddhism with the superstitions of the degenerated Eastern and Western churches. The Lamas of Tibet re- vere, in their high priest, an incarnate deity, by no means different from the pope; they chaunt as is done in the Ro- man churches; they pray for the dead; they wear a bishop's mitre; have monasteries and fasts; perform pilgrimages ; use the holy water; live in celibacy; say mass,* &c. ROMAN CATHOLICS. The Pope Innocent IV., anxious to avert the dangers of repeated Tatar invasions, despatched Carpini and Rubru- quis, zealous men, in order to convert these furious con- querors. Monte Corvino, a friar of the minorite order, went also in 1289 on a mission to the Tatar potentates, from Nicolas IV., and traveling by the way of Persia and India, reached the capital of China soon after the accession of Timur Khan to the throne of his grandfather Kublai, in 1294. His credentials were addressed to Arghun, the Mongol so- vereign of Persia, and to Kublai, grand khan of the Tatars. According to his own letter, which he addressed to his breth- ren in Europe, he reached Peking, and erected a church. However, the Nestorians were his bitter enemies, and in- spired the emperor with suspicions against him. He con- verted the heretical Tatar khan, George, to the orthodox faith, though he could not make a convert of the grand khan : he translated the New Testament and the psalter into the language of the country. Upon his representations new missionaries were sent out, and endeavored to persuade the sons of the desert, as well as the Mongols in China, to em- brace the Christian faith. We are not informed of their suc- cess, but only know that circumstances obstructed the pro- motion and progress of this mission, so that it finally ceased. * See Marco Polo,-Yeates' Indian Church History,-Gibbon, &c. 44 ROMAN CATHOLICS. The Mongol emperors of China seemed rather to view Christianity with a favorable eye. Nayan, a certain chief who had embraced Christianity, and was uncle to the great Kublai, had succeeded to the dominion of many cities and provinces, which enabled him to bring an army of 400,000 horse into the field. He rose in open rebellion against his nephew. Scarcely had the vigilant Kublai heard of his martial preparations, when he marched with an immense army against the rebels. He stationed himself in a large wooden castle borne on the backs of four elephants, the bodies of which were protected with coverings of thick leather, hardened by fire, over which were housings of gold cloth. This wooden castle was full of crossbow-men, and upon the top of it was hoisted the imperial standard adorned with the representation of the sun and moon. Nayan, who had secretly received baptism, but never openly professed Christianity, bore the sign of the cross in his banners, hav- ing a great number of Christians in his ranks. But he lost the battle by the impetuous valor of Kublai's army, and was put to death. When the Jews and Saracens perceived that the banner of the cross was overthrown, they taunted the Christians, saying, "Behold the state to which your vaunted banners, and those who followed them, are reduced!" The Christians laid their complaint before the grand khan, who ordered the infidels to appear before him, and severely re- buking them, he said, "If the cross of Christ has not proved advantageous to the party of Nayan, the effect has been consistent with reason and justice, inasmuch as he was a rebel and traitor to his lord, and to such wretches it could not afford its protection. Let none therefore presume to charge with injustice the God of the Christians, who is him- self the perfection of goodness and of justice !" After this signal victory the emperor returned to Peking. At the next festival of Easter, he commanded all the Christians to attend him, and to bring with them their book, which con- ROMAN CATHOLICS. 45 tains the four Gospels of the Evangelists. After causing it to be repeatedly perfumed in a ceremonious manner, he de- voutly kissed it, and directed that the same should be done by all his nobles present. This was his usual practice upon each of the principal Christian festivals; and he observed the same at the festi- vals of the Saracens, Jews, and idolaters. When he sent Nicolo and Maffia-Palo to the pope, as ambassadors, he gave his reason for not becoming a Chris- tian. “The idolaters,” he remarked, “can perform mira- cles, their idols have the faculty of speech, and predict to them whatever is required. They have the power of con- trolling the weather, and exercise authority over nature. But return you to your pontiff, and request of him in my name to send hither one hundred persons, well skilled in your law, who being confronted with the idolaters, shall have power to coerce them, and to show that they themselves are en- dowed with similar power, but which they refrain from exer- cising because it is derived from the agency of evil spirits ; you will compel them to desist from practices of such a nature in their presence. When I am witness of this, I shall place them and their religion under an interdict, and shall allow myself to be baptized. All the nobility will fol- low my example, and this will be imitated by my subjects in general; so that the Christians of these parts will ex- ceed in number those who inhabit your own country.' "" Barkah, the brother of Batu, and grandson of Genghis, met some merchants on his journey to Peking, and is said to have been converted by them. On his return he enjoined all his subjects to follow his example, but died before he saw his wishes realized. Thus we ought not to be astonish- ed when we read that Kublai despatched the above-men- tioned messengers to the pope, who were, moreover, com- manded to bring, on their return, the holy oil from Jerusalem, from the lamp which is kept burning over the sepulchre of 4 * 46 ROMAN CATHOLICS. our Lord, whom Kublai professed to hold in veneration, and to consider as the true God. Entrusted with a letter to his holiness, after many adventures they reached Acre, in the month of April, 1269. Clement IV. had recently died, but they were advised by the legate of this city to await the election of another pope, and to pursue their mission with all speed. After many disappointments, they were finally despatched by Gregory X., who sent with them Nicolo da Vicenza, and Guglielmo da Tripoli, two very learned friars and profound theologians, who had received the power of consecrating bishops and ordaining priests; but we hear nothing about the hundred missionaries whom Kublai had demanded. At the same time Haiton, the Armenian tra- veler, informs us that Kublai, with his whole house, was baptized by Rubruquis, a missionary who had been sent before by St. Louis, of France. But he had not at that time established his power, nor was his whole attention turned upon China; so that he willingly promised to send an army against the Saracens, in order to deliver the holy sepulchre. The friars Vicenza and Tripoli did not reach their des- tination, being terrified by the accounts of the dreadful slaugh- ter that Bibars, the Mameluke sultan of Egypt, had made in Armenia. Abaka, the western khan of the Mongol empire implored the aid of the Christian princes against the cruel invaders; his ambassadors were admitted at the council of Lyons, 1274, and concluded a treaty with the pope, and the ambassadors of St. Louis, and other Christian princes. There are still some letters extant which were exchanged between the Mongol khan and Louis. Our travelers ar- rived at court, and were kindly received by Kublai, but we hear nothing more of the propagation of Christian- ity. The communication between the Chinese empire and the western world, through so many deserts, inhabited by rapacious hordes, became more and more precarious, and ROMAN CATHOLICS. 47 was finally entirely cut off. But the Almighty, who rules the skies, opened another door by way of the sea. We have already mentioned that during the latter end of the Han dynasty, ambassadors arrived at Canton from Ta- tsing, according to all probability, Arabia,--with the view of trading. But this intercourse seems not to have been kept up, though it was afterward resumed by the Arabs, when they had become Mohammedans. When, in the latter end of the 15th century, the Portu- guese discovered the way to India round the Cape of Good Hope, they made Goa, on the coast of Malabar, their prin- cipal emporium, and in 1511 took possession of Malacca. Five years afterward, Raphaël Perestrello made sail in a junk for China. Francis Xavier, a man of great talent, of fervent zeal, and the utmost perseverance in the propaga- tion of Christianity, thought that all his success which had attended him in India and Japan was nothing, if he did not convert the greatest of nations-the Chinese. Confident that after their conversion, all the other Asiatic nations would follow their example, he set out from Malacca with the firm purpose either to die or to promulgate his doctrines in China. We may smile at such an enthusiasm, or reprobate the te- nets which Francis Xavier preached; but we can only la- ment that the fervent zeal of so truly great a man was not devoted to a better cause. He arrived at the island Shang- chuen-shan, called Sancian or St. John's, to the west of Canton, 1552; from whence he wished to enter China. But insurmountable obstacles arose, no person dared to convey him over to the main; and some represented to him, that he would incur imprisonment and death if he dared to in- fringe the laws of exclusion. Nothing, however, could damp his zeal; and he at length prevailed on a merchant to transport him across the channel during the night; but he died before he could execute his design. A Dominican monk, Gaspar de Cruz, began to preach in 48 ROMAN CATHOLICS. $724 China in 1552, but was expelled. Some Spanish Augus- tines left Manilla with a Chinese Admiral, who had been liberally provided with provisions, and arrived in Fuh-keën, where they drew up a petition to the emperor, as well as to the viceroy of the province, praying that they might be per- mitted to stay, but were sent back in 1575. Four Capu- chins, who had resolved to penetrate into China, whatever might be the risk, were wrecked on the coast, saved and sent to Manilla, but they rather chose to stay at the new set- tlement of Macao. An Italian Jesuit, A. Valignano, vicar of India, in his way to Japan, touched at Macao, where he spent ten months. His zeal was kindled when he contemplated that immense nation to which he could have no access. In vain he attempted to send them teachers; they were not able to enter the empire, and he was heard to exclaim, when looking at the insurmountable barriers which prevented the propa- tion of the gospel-" O rock! O rock! when wilt thou open." But not content with idle and useless complaints, which avail nothing, he chose from amongst the missiona- ries entrusted to his care the most talented, whom he caus- ed to be instructed in the knowledge of the Chinese lan- guage. The most celebrated amongst them were Rug- giero (Roger) and Ricci. Ruggiero made great progress in the language; he was appointed chaplain of the fleet which went from Macao to Canton, and said mass under a shed erected on the bank of the river. Favored by the admiral of the Canton station, he was permitted to lodge in the palace assigned for the temporary stay of ambassadors; and being deputed by the Macao magistrate to counteract an edict which put that place under the immediate jurisdic- tion of the viceroy, those two Jesuits, in company with Pac- cio, one of their brethren, arrived at Canton as mediators. They presented to the viceroy many gifts, amongst them an elegant pendulum and prism; and asked permission to re- ROMAN CATHOLICS. 49 main in the provincial city, which was granted to them. But the death of the viceroy disconcerted all their plans. Roger and Ricci lived at Shaou-king-foo in the disguise of Budd- hist priests. They drew maps and instructed the Chinese in several sciences, which procured them the esteem of the in- habitants, but the rabble occasionally treated them with insult. When the Che-foo, or magistrate of the district, was recall- ed, the people, as well as the literati, resolved to erect a temple in his honor, on account of his great popularity. In order to render his name more celebrated, the two foreign priests were appointed to officiate in the temple. This the Jesuits declined, upon the plea of worshiping the God of heaven; yet this refusal had no dangerous consequences. Ricci, who had been for seven years at immense pains to collect a congregation, received, on a sudden, orders to leave the country. But he was not disheartened; a per- mission to stay, which countermanded the order, very soon arrived. Ricci recommenced his functions, threw off the cos- tume of the Buddha priesthood, and adopted that of the literati. More laborers having arrived in the meantime, Ricci, anx- ious to extend their sphere of usefulness, proceeded to Nan- king, where on account of his many services he was creat- ed superior to all missions in China. He had established a church at Nan-chang, in Keang-se, and laid the foundation of another at Soo-chow, in Keang-soo. He greatly desired to settle in the capital; but in this he was baffled by the suspicions entertained of every foreigner, and his being mis- taken for a Japanese, whose countrymen had then invaded the country. But when Tae-kosama, emperor of Japan, had landed in Korea, and advanced by forced marches to- ward Leaou-tung, the dastardly Chinese began to tremble. The emperor convoked a council of war; and Ricci accom. panied one of his friends, who, as a member of this assembly, hastened to Peking. However, the vessel in which he had embarked being wrecked, he was compelled to return to 50 ROMAN CATHOLICS. Nanking, whence he was driven to Nan-chang, from whence he undertook, in company with Cataneo, another Jesuit, to visit the capital, under the auspices of a great mandarin, his personal friend. But his stay at the court was too short to ensure success to the establishment of Christianity. After the arrival of new laborers, and some costly pre- sents from Europe, he commenced his journey to the capi- tal as a tribute-bearer, but this mission almost failed, by the rapaciousness of an eunuch who endeavored to appropriate the presents to himself. Having finally come into the pre- sence of the emperor, Wan-leih, he laid before him a picture of the Savior and the Holy Virgin, with other valuable pre- sents. Here he lived under the name of Le-ma-ton; and became so celebrated that his house was crowded from morning till evening by visiters. Even a great Mandarin, Le, and Seu, a minister of the cabinet, made open profes- sion of the Christian faith. The latter of these seems to have been very sincere in his conversion; he valued Chris- tianity, because it taught the immortality of the soul. He honored the heralds of popery, took them under the wings of his protection, and became a most decided champion: His daughter, Candida, was a still greater advocate of these new doctrines; converted her husband, built churches, and encouraged the missionaries. There were, in the province of Keang-nan alone, ninety churches, forty-five oratories, and three kinds of congregations. Besides those set apart for the worship of the Holy Virgin, and those of the infants who were named the congregation of angels, there was a third, called that of the passion of Jesus Christ, where the most fervent Christians assembled every Friday to meditate upon the death and sufferings of our Savior. A fourth con- gregation of the literati was instituted under the protection. of Ignatius. These met together the first day of every month, when they repeated the instructions they had com- posed upon the principal truths of our faith, our mysteries, ROMAN CATHOLICS. 51 and most remarkable festivals. If the missionaries approv- ed of them, they sent them to the mandarins, that they might recite them on Sunday in those churches which they them- selves could not attend. Candida greatly promoted the Roman Catholic cause, by defraying the expenses of printing, for distribution, 130 vo- lumes upon the principal doctrines of the Gospel; amongst which were the Theological Summary of St. Thomas, the Commentaries of Baradius, Reflections upon the Evange- lists, &c.; but no translations of the holy Word of God. Afterward, she visited, in company with her son, the Lord Basilius, (his Christian name,) the provinces Keang-see, Hoo-kwang, and Sze-chuen; in all of which she built churches, and promoted Christianity. To increase the num- ber of votaries, she educated, in the Christian faith, the help- less babes who had been exposed by their cruel parents. She even instructed the blind people who lived by fortune- telling, that each of them might go about and make it known to the people, instead of those idle stories they used to recite. Her great merits having attracted the attention of the em- peror, he presented her, on her birth-day, with a splendid robe, which she received with due humility, and wore for one day; but afterward converted the splendid ornaments into money, which she gave to the poor, or sent to adorn the Christian altar. The rapid progress of Christianity raised the envy of the idolatrous priests, who said to Ricci: "We oppose not your preaching to the people about the reverence due to the Lord of heaven; we consent that your God should reign there; but leave to our divinities the empire of the earth, nor op- pose the honors we render to them." By their influence up- on the queen, they had almost succeeded in procuring an order for banishing Ricci; but a scandalous libel which was dispersed throughout the palace, and of which they were. said to be the authors, brought upon them severe punish- 52 ROMAN CATHOLICS.' ments and the tempest was thus dispersed. Ricci was unwearied in his labors; and being an elegant Chinese writer, employed all his credit at court for the protection of his brethren, who were now in great numbers dispersed in the provinces. In order to prevent all dispute, he wrote in 1603 a work upon the Divine Law, which contained the re- gulations for the observance of all the preachers of the new faith. He bought at Peking a large house, which ultimately was converted into a church dedicated to St. Joseph. But so great a degree of prosperity made other orders of priests envious of their good fortune. They spread the ru- mor that Cataneo, who was then at Macao, was ambitious of becoming emperor, by the influence of his brethren the Jesuits; a fleet of the Dutch and Japanese was to support them, and the governors as well as the soldiers were al- ready in their interest. The church of St. Paul at Macao, they said, was a castle, and the Monte a fortress. In order to prevent this rebellion, the viceroy of Canton gave strict orders to cut off all communication with Macao, and direct- ed the Tseang-keun, or general, to storm the place. This man was happily a poltroon, and hesitated to execute the orders. By degrees these rumors subsided; every person laughed at his own credulity, and the Jesuits were again free to prosecute their labors; and only one missionary, Marti- nez, who was at that time at Canton, was killed, without being examined. Ricci's constitution was finally broken down, and he died in 1610. Those who were present at his death-bed melted into tears, on account of the devotion with which he received the sacrament, whilst he crawled into the middle of the room and adored it. All the city was in mourning at the death of this extraordinary man, and the emperor allotted a spacious garden for his burial place. He had only spent twenty-se- ven years in China, and during that time he had executed an Herculean task. He was the first Catholic missionary who ROMAN CATHOLICS. 53 penetrated into the empire: and when he died there were more than three hundred churches in the different provinces. What cannot one zealous man do if his whole soul be di- rected toward one object?—what might Ricci have done had he dedicated his labors to the blessed Redeemer ! After Ricci's death, a Nanking mandarin accused the missionaries at the Le-poo, or tribunal of rites, of introduc- ing dangerous innovations. A fierce persecution broke out in 1615; the missionaries were sent back to Canton, or forced to conceal themselves in the houses of their con- verts. But they soon regained their lost favor at the ap- proach of the Mantchoo Tatars, when they proposed to send for Macao auxiliaries and gunners who might drill the im- perial soldiers and teach them military tactics, so as to re- sist their undisciplined enemies. Though these troops were countermanded, Jesuits were established in the imperial fa- vor by the influence of Sice, and of Schaal, a German Je- suit, if not superior, at least equal to Ricci. But now the in- vasion of the Tatars destroyed the hopes of the reinstated missionaries. The whole empire was one scene of confu- sion. In Canton and Kwang-se the victorious career of the Tatars was checked by two Christian generals, Thomas Keu, viceroy of Kwang-se, and Luke Chin, general of Can- ton province. Yung-leih, a prince of the Ming family, was proclaimed emperor; at his court there were thirty ladies of rank, who, with the new prime minister, Pan Achilles, an eunuch, had embraced Christianity. Even the empress dow- ager, the empress herself, and the heir of the crown, were converted to Christianity, and baptized by Koffler, a Ger- man Jesuit, and sent a letter to the Pope Alexander VII., which we insert here. "The empress Helena, the most just, most wise, most clement, and most venerable, addresses the throne of the VOL. II. 5 54 ROMAN CATHOLICS. most holy father, the most mighty prince, the doctor of the Catholic church, and the vicar of Jesus Christ on earth. "I, Helena, who blush with shame to remain in the im- perial palace, though I am a humble grand-child of the Chi- nese emperor; I, who have no knowlege of strange laws, and who have only studied those that regard a retired life, have been happy enough to find a man called Andrew Xavier, of the company of Jesus, who came to settle at our court, to publish there a holy doctrine, whereby he has acquired a great reputation. I had a desire to see him; and after hav- ing satisfied my curiosity, I was sensible that what was said of him was true, and that he was an extraordinary man. "The esteem I entertained for his merit made me easily relish his doctrine. I have received holy baptism from his hand, and he has been partly the cause that the empress Mary, mother to the emperor, I his lawful wife, and Con- stantine, son and heir of the said emperor, were three years ago likewise regenerated by the waters of baptism, after having been sufficiently instructed in the truth of religion. As I wish to be grateful, even at the hazard of my life, for all the grace I have received from heaven, I have often- cherished the desire and thought to repair to your holiness, that I might by yourself be instructed in my duty, but the distance of place hindered me. For this reason I write this to your holiness, to the end that by your holy prayers you may render the divine majesty favorable to poor sin- ners, such as we are; and that you might be pleased to grant us plenary remission of our sins to the hour of death. "We likewise entreat you, most holy father, to beg of God, in conjunction with the holy church, that he may vouch- safe to take our empire under his protection; but above all that he may grant to our imperial house the blessings of peace, and teach the emperor, (who is the eighteenth of this line, and nephew of the twelfth successor to the founder of this monarchy,) and all his subjects, to know and to adore ROMAN CATHOLICS. 55 the true God, Jesus Christ. We likewise beseech you that you would show us the favor of sending other holy persons of the society of Jesus, in order that they may publish through- out the empire the holy laws of the Gospel, which would lay us under great obligation. For this end we send your holiness Michael Boym, who is perfectly well acquainted with the affairs of the empire, to present these our humble petitions. He can declare to you verbally all that we more particularly desire, and he will make you acquainted how great is our submission to the church. Whenever our empire shall enjoy full peace, we hope to send back some of these fathers, to present our vows and persons before the altars of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, as we do at present with profound respect. "Lastly, we kneel and fall prostrate, craving the favor of your holiness, in hopes that you will look upon us with a gracious eye." Fourth year of Yung-leih,-11th of 11th moon, (corresponding to the 4th of November, 1650.) With all charity, we cannot believe that this is the genuine production of the empress, but rather think that one of her teachers wrote it, and she sent it. But the Pope received this address most graciously, sent a very kind letter, where- in he called her his daughter in Jesus Christ, and fully granted all her requests. Adam Schaal, who alone had remained at Peking, was, after the accession of the Tatar dynasty to the throne of China, raised to be president of the tribunal of mathematics. Though the Jesuits might have regretted that their new im- perial converts of Canton lost the empire, their brother Schaal had so much gained the esteem and favor of Shun- che, the Tatar emperor, that he could afford all his fellow- laborers ample protection. This prince was so attached to him, that he spent whole days with him in his own house. 56 ROMAN CATHOLICS. On a cold winter day the emperor saw Schaal thinly clothed, and pulled off his own waistcoat to make a present to him. He called him Ma-fa, a very honorable title among the Ta- tars, signifying ancient father, and remarked: "The man- darins love and serve me only from selfish views, and are every day begging some favor or other; but though Ma-fa knows that I love him, he always refuses the favors I press upon him, being satisfied with my friendship." When Bug- lio and Magelhaens had been seized, in the province of Sze-chuen, the emperor received them kindly, as the bro- thers of Schaal, and offered them a dwelling in his own palace. At the arrival of new missionaries, amongst whom was the celebrated F. Verbiest, he received them very cour- teously, and appointed Verbiest as deputy to Schaal, who was already advanced in years. Schaal often conversed with Shun-che upon the doctrines of Christianity. Once he presented his imperial pupil with a book of prints, represent- ing the history of the birth, life, and death of our Savior, with explanations in the Chinese language. The emperor fell upon his knees, and looked respectfully at it. He was penetrated with the purity of the Christian doctrines, and admired the moral precepts. But notwithstanding the pre- possession of the emperor in favor of Christianity, he lived. and died an idolater. His queens, who favored the Bonzes, had entangled his heart; and he harbored, besides, an un- lawful passion for the wife of a Tatar lord, on account of which he was severely rebuked by Schaal. This censure was productive of a certain coolness, but upon his death- bed, when Schaal paid him a visit, he received his exhorta- tion in meekness of heart. After his decease Schaal was appointed instructer to the young emperor, the celebrated Kang-he. But the newly established churches were very soon placed in great danger. Yang-kwang-seen, a manda- rin of very high rank, accused the missionaries openly of perverting the venerable and long established customs of ROMAN CATHOLICS. 57 the empire. Verbiest, as well as Schaal, was imprisoned, and loaded with heavy chains, 1664. In the provinces the fire of persecution, nourished by national jealousy and an- tipath, raged very fiercely. The missionaries had to suffer cruel mockings, and many sealed their faith with their blood; others were sent to Canton. Schaal, as well as Verbiest, would have been strangled in prison, if by the wonderful interposition of Providence, a severe earthquake had not intimidated the judges, so as to prevent the execution of the sentence they had pronounced. But these reverses, instead of abating the zeal of the Jesuits, served only to increase it more and more. When Semedo, a Portuguese, who had most cruelly suffered at Nanking for his faith, returned to his native country, and gave a relation of what he had un- dergone, a great number of the students of the university of Coimbra, subscribed their names with their own blood, to show their readiness to go forth and suffer for the same good cause. Schaal died very soon afterward of old age. Verbiest showed his superiority in mathematics, and was by the young emperor promoted to the same rank which his prede- cessor had hitherto held. When Kang-he, at his accession had declared a general amnesty, the Jesuits also enjoyed the benefit of it. As the accuser of Schaal had been found to be a villain, Schaal was declared innocent; and to show that this was the imperial decree, a piece of ground was allotted for his grave, and the officers of state were ordered to attend at his funeral. In the year 1671, the missionaries were put in possession of their churches. But the edict was clogged with a clause, whereby all the subjects of the empire were prohibited from embracing Christianity. Verbiest, a man of more subtle. character than Schaal, very soon ingratiated himself with the young emperor, and became his instructor in metaphy- sics, mathematics, and physics. By founding new cannon, 5* ROMAN CATHOLICS. 58 which could be easily transported, he gained still more the confidence of his patron. To prevent the superstition of the Chinese, who sacrifice to the spirits of the air, mountains and rivers, according to the various natural phenomena, and the different events they went to celebratc, he erected an altar in the foundry, on which he placed a crucifix, and adored the true God in his surplice and stole, making nine prostrations and bowing his head to the ground. It is the custom to give names to cannon, and the father gave them the names of saints, and traced their character on the breech of the gun. By these means he gained such an ascendancy that he could procure the permission for the establishment of all the missions which were required. A letter addressed to Pope Innocent, in 1680, for more laborers in this great harvest, had the desired effect. Other orders shared in the great work; Dominicans, Franciscans, and Augustines, in- undated China. The most celebrated missionaries at that time in the empire were Frenchmen; among whom the prin- cipal were Gerbillon, Bouvet, and Le Compte, as men of the highest talent. They arrived by way of Siam in a Chi- nese junk, at Ningpo; but the viceroy, very much offended at the appearance of strangers, would have sent them back, if his imperial majesty had not interfered. From Ningpo they proceeded to Hang-choo, the capital of the Che-këang, where they were kindly and fraternally received by the Christians of that place. Intorcetta, the residing missionary, bore still the marks of the persecution on his body. A man- darin was sent on board the imperial junk, which conveyed them to Peking, whose principal care it was to have due honors bestowed upon them during the voyage. But Ver- biest died before they had reached the capital. He was a man who practised mortification to excess ; at court he only appeared girt with a hair-cloth, bound round his body with an iron-chain, stuck with points. To promote the Roman Catholic tenets under all circumstances, and by all means, ROMAN CATHOLICS. 59 was the great and constant object of his endeavors. He did not hesitate to undergo the greatest hardship on that ac- count, nor was he scrupulous to effect that end by jesuitical means. His genius would have done honor to the highest employments of the state; he would have shone as well in the cabinet as at the university; but we leave his recom- pense to the Judge of all mankind. The emperor of China rewarded him by a splendid funeral; his father-in-law, and one of the first officers of the court were present at the in- terment, which was performed with all the pageantry of the Romish church. Kang-he erected a monument upon the grave, with an inscription of the imperial eulogium. A de- putation of mandarins was sent to perform the Chinese fu- neral rites. To make his fame more lasting, Kang-he con- ferred upon Verbiest and his ancestors the title of Ta-jin— great man; equivalent to our-your excellency; and only applicable to the highest officers of state. No missionary was more honored, and none of all his brethren had perhaps so well deserved of the state; for he was not only a ma- thematician, but also a private counselor; a man, in fact, who had the direction of the most intricate affairs. But our Lord says, "My kingdom is not of this world," and " How can you believe, which receive honor one from another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only ?" Of the Frenchmen, the emperor principally delighted in the company of Gerbillon and Bouvet, his constant com- panions. Under his directions they learned the Mantchoo language, iu order to enable them to instruct and converse with him more freely. When the Russian conquests were extended to the Chinese frontier, Gerbillon was used as in- termediator between those two powers. He accommodated the differences and returned to the sovereign, who now be- gan most earnestly to study the European sciences, without neglecting state affairs, till he was enabled to publish a book upon geometry. 60 ROMAN CATHOLICS. There was no province which did not number several churches, for the Roman Catholic missionaries do not re- gard the quality, but the quantity of their converts; their conversion is not a change from death to life, from darkness to light, from slavery to the liberty of the Gospel, but a mere change of rites and forms. Thus they have converted thousands without touching the heart, the seat of all idolatry and moral evil. We except a few converts to the lively faith in the Son of God, for God has every where those whom he calls his own, but the mass of the neophytes were only nominal converts. Gerbillon had attended the emperor in his campaign in Tatary, and lived with him on the most intimate terms, when news of a persecution in Che-këang arrived. The viceroy of that province, an inveterate enemy of these new doctrines, had acted according to the prohibitory edict of 1669, and enacted penalties against all the professors of Christianity. Their churches were converted into temples dedicated to the worship of the idols; the cross and altar images broke to pieces; their converts were cited before the tribunals and punished. One of them was a young man, who had justṛreceiv- ed baptism. He received the bastinado in lieu of his sponsor, who had been sentenced to undergo this punishment. Having been carried from the hall of justice to a place where Intor- cetta officiated, he presented himself as a sacrifice to the Lord, saying: "I am only grieved that I have not merited the grace of shedding the last drop of my blood for his holy name." Prince So-san, a very influential man, addressed to the viceroy two letters of remonstrance, wherein he strongly condemned the proceedings of his excellency. To avert the blow, the missionaries at Peking repaired to the palace, whither Kang-he had returned, and craved an audience. The emperor's answer was truly Chinese: "I am surpris- ed," he said, "to see you so infatuated with your religion, and so busied with the world in which you have not yet been. ROMAN CATHOLICS. 61 My advice is, that you enjoy the present life. Your God is surely uneasy about the pains you give yourselves, and he is powerful enough to do himself justice, although you do not concern yourselves in his matters." But as faithful cham- pions of the cross they remained in a humble posture at the palace gate, till the emperor promised them to write private- ly to the viceroy at Hang-choo concerning his unjust pro- ceedings, and at the same time requested them to draw up a petition to the effect that the prohibitory edict might be re- voked. They followed his advice; the emperor himself corrected their petition to the Le-poo, or board of rites; sent it repeatedly to receive the sanction of this tribunal, but had the mortification to learn that the members, from very natural reasons, were loath to grant the prayer. Notwithstanding the great power an emperor of China possesses to command, the Le-poo, in this one instance, though otherwise servile, refused to obey. However, some influential members having been gained over, an edict which allowed the exercise of the Christian religion was obtained. The Jesuits rejoiced; but another more terrible tempest arose amongst themselves. When Ricci had entered China, he thought it prudent to ingratiate himself by joining in the praises of the most po- pular-the Confucian system. He viewed the superstitions. with too favorable an eye. In his opinion the Confucian creed contained the grand traits of the Christian doctrines; it only wanted some additions, and would then form an ex- cellent foundation upon which the edifice of the Christian church could be erected. He permitted his servants to worship their ancestors, and had no objections that the lite- rati who had become Christians, should perform prostrations in honor of their patron sage Confucius. These and many other idolatrous rites he considered as mere political institu- tions, in which new converts might be indulged, without in- jury to their consciences as Christians. 62 ROMAN CATHOLICS Longobardi, who succeeded him, viewed these things in quite a different light. The visitor-general Paccio had in- formed him that the Jesuits in Japan did not suffer these su- perstitious rites in their converts. But in order to settle the point satisfactorily, he perused with great attention the Con- fucian writings, from which he ascertained that the Chinese philosophers, in speaking of heaven, meant the material heavens, the wide expanse, the creative power of which overshadows the world with benign influence. The soul was an ethereal evanescent principle not endowed with im- mortality. He therefore strictly prohibited all the rites which Ricci had tolerated, but the Chinese Christians refused to obey. A great part of the Jesuits adhered to the decision of Longobardi; the matter was referred to Rome, and after much tergiversation, the Chinese converts were allow- ed to practice these rites as mere civil institutions; still the point in question was not at all settled; even the infallible papal bulls lost their authority upon this critical subject. In the meantime the institution of foreign missions at Paris, established by Louis XIV. had sent forth very able missionaries. Maigrat, a doctor of the Sorbonne, was sent to examine the matter on the spot. In opposition to the pa- pal bulls, he condemned those rites; the directors of the fo- reign missions in Europe took the same view, and thus the fire of furious contention was lighted up. Even the doctors at Paris proscribed the practice of the Jesuits, and Pope Clement XI. finally resolved to send his legate, Tournon, to China, in order to accommodate matters. If self-interest and hatred against the Jesuits had not tended to render the most simple thing intricate, the matter might have been very soon settled. Whatever the opinions of the ancient Chinese respecting Teen-lewen might have been, the present genera- tion understand by it solely the material heaven. The wor- ship they render to their ancestors is the same with the rites which they use in the service of the idols; Confucius is con- ROMAN CATHOLICS. 63 sidered as a deified sage; for the Chinese, as well as the Roman Catholics, understand how to canonize their saints; the immortality of the soul is not acknowledged by any or- thodox Chinese. At the same time it was very evident that if these darling opinions of the Chinese were controverted, the number of converts would not only decrease, but govern- ment would also expel a religion which sapped the funda- mental institutions of the empire. Of these difficulties the doctors in Europe were not so well aware as the mission- aries on the spot. Of all the opponents of the Jesuits the Dominicans were the most virulent; and a Spaniard of the name of Navarette, having attacked them in a very acrimonious manner, was joined by a great number of his brethren. During this state of fermentation, Tournon arrived in China. He was a weak- minded man, and already prejudiced against the Jesuits, who nevertheless procured him an audience with Kang-he. The emperor reprobated the idea of presuming to dictate. laws in his own territories, whilst he recommended the Je- suits, as men the most able to decide upon such a difficult question, on account of their having remained so long a time in the country. He therefore ordered Tournon to quit China immediately. Meanwhile the final decision of Pope Clement XI, who highly disapproved of the laxity of the Jesuits, ar- rived in China, and Tournon published the bull prohibiting all Chinese Christians from following the idolatrous rites of their ancestors. The minds of the Portuguese had been embittered against the papal legate by his not having embarked at Lisbon for India and China. He was arrested at Macao and treated like an impostor. In vain he hurled the terrible ban of the Vatican against his opponents; this caused only more in- sult to his person, and he at length died in the country without having effected his purpose. The pope however fully approved of his proceedings; 64 ROMAN CATHOLICS. and in order to carry the point, commanded in his bull that every missionary entering China should take an oath, where- by he pledged himself to act according to the statute and de- cision of the holy father. Yet even these plain decisions were evaded, and the Pope had to send another legate, Mez- za-barba. He had received instructions to petition for per- mission to remain in China, and to prevail upon Kang-he to allow his subjects to conform to the decisions of the holy fa- ther. Kang-he could not grant the latter request; but to take away all scruples, he and a great number of learned Chinese declared that the Chinese abstained from using the name of the Deity from feelings of deep veneration, and sub- stituted for it "heaven," just as the people used court and palace for emperor. As for the ancestorial rites, these were only a token of kind and affectionate remembrance, expres- sive of true filial piety. Under these impressions, Mezza- barba mitigated the severity of the bull, and returned loaded with presents from the emperor, which were consumed by fire on their voyage to Europe. But these regulations, and the connivance in favor of the Jesuits, were again revoked in 1742. On the accession of Yung-ching to the throne, Gotardo and Ildefonzo were sent with the priests to the em- peror. The missionaries had at that time been banished from the empire. They were charged to regain permission to stay in China; but Yung-ching was inexorable, and the whole matter ended here. Kang-he seeing his efforts to conciliate the contending parties baffled, had recourse to force. He banished Maigrot and Gueli, the heads of the opposite partisans, to Tatary, and required every missionary who entered his states, to subscribe a certain paper, wherein he pledged himself to preach the same doctrine which Ricci had prescribed, and never to leave the empire. (1706.) Let us now view the Roman Catholic church in its most prosperous state. There were in Këang-nan province more ROMAN CATHOLICS. 65 than 100 churches and 100,000 converts. The Portuguese possessed several houses at Peking, and had also built a separate house for the females, who, according to Chinese prejudice, were not permitted to mix promiscuously in the religious assemblies of the men, but who, nevertheless, pro- fessed such a zeal for the holy church that they had given away their jewels in order to adorn its altars. But no church exceeded in beauty that built in the precincts of the imperial palace by the French Jesuits. This was a masterpiece of architecture, adorned with the finest paintings descriptive of the Bible history. It had been partly erected by the munifi- cence of the emperor Kang-he. The censors of the empire grudged the foreign priests so handsome a building, and therefore complained to the emperor, signifying their wish that an edifice which by far exceeded any other in the em- pire, yea, the palace, in magnificence and chastity of archi- tecture, should be razed to the ground. But the monarch informed them that their duty consisted in attending to the business of their profession, leaving to him the management of public affairs. There were more than 70 French Jesuit missionaries in the different provinces of the empire. Those at Peking bap- tized in 1696 about 630 adults, besides a great number of infants, who were daily exposed in the streets of Peking. Those who were permitted to share the imperial friendship lived in a room adjacent to the apartments which the empe- ror himself occupied. They were closely watched, and shut up during the whole day; the only persons they saw were some eunuchs and servants; their lives were subject to great fatigues; however, they lived under the genial in- fluence of heaven's son, and this was fully adequate to re- concile them to all privations. To give the missionaries an opportunity of becoming popular, the emperor appointed them to distribute rice during the time of scarcity. But the services which they rendered to the prince were more than VOL. II. 6 66 ROMAN CATHOLICS. sufficient to repay his patronage. The greatest and most lasting service was a survey of the whole empire, the fruit of many years' incessant labors, which engaged the most talented among the missionaries. The author has had an opportunity of examining their maps of the maritime pro- vinces of Chě-këang and Fuh-keën, and he found them ex- tremely correct. But if the coast, and the situation, and shape of small islands coincide with their maps, how much more will their delineation of the provinces of the interior vie in accuracy with any survey made during the last century? But notwithstanding their great services, the Jesuits were slandered. No doubt they acted in China as in all other parts of the world, engrossing and usurping the authority. which belonged to the civil powers, and enslaving the minds of their votaries. Nevertheless, the accusations brought against them were often false. A mandarin at Canton had, in his younger days, visited the Indian archipelago. He sent a statement, the result of his voyages, to the emperor, in which he inveighs bitterly against the Europeans, whom he calls tigers and wolves, always ready to pounce upon their prey. He tells his sovereign that these barbarians had made large conquests in India, whilst landing under the pretence of trading; and that China would very soon be conquered if they were not kept within due bounds. To expose the dan- gers which would accompany the introduction of Christian- ity, he reminds the emperor of Japan where civil wars were the immediate consequences of the growth of Christianity. This report was ratified by the tribunals at Peking, and an edict issued, prohibiting the spread of Christianity, and com- manding the Chinese Christians to abjure their faith. All those missionaries who had not received the imperial letters patent, allowing them to reside in China, were to be sent to Canton, (1716.) Such was the result of all their endeavors to ingratiate themselves with high and low. Shortly after- ROMAN CATHOLICS. 67 ward the emperor fell sick, and was restored by the skill of the Jesuits, which again raised their credit; but the suspi- cions excited in the hearts of the emperor and mandarins were never eradicated. A young master of arts who had become a Christian was offended with the missionaries, two Spaniards, stationed in Fuh-choo-foo district, in which the capital of Fuh-keën is situated. He drew up a memorial wherein he exposed the dangerous tendency of popery, which enjoined females to live and die virgins; and in its religious assemblies made no distinction between the two sexes. When this paper reach- ed the viceroy of Fuh-keën he gave immediate orders to investigate the matter; and it was found upon examination that there existed 16 churches; one other was then build- ing; and when the mandarin wanted to stop the work which was to be dedicated to the worship of a false religion, the builders answered: "The Lord of heaven is the Lord of all things; who ought not to respect and revere him?" The mandarin asked the reason why they did not worship their ancestors, according to the ancient usages of their empire; upon which the Christians gave no answer, but referred him to their European teacher from whom they had heard all these things. Indignant at the arrogance of the Christians, who set the old established invariable laws at defiance, the viceroy proscribed the Christian religion throughout his ju- risdiction. Not content with prohibiting Christianity in the provinces of Fuh-keën and Che-keang, he addressed a let- ter to the emperor, Yung-chin. The matter was decided by the Le-poo, "tribunal of rites,”—some members of which were in the interest of the missionaries, and might have given a favorable turn to the affair if Yung-ching, a prince much prejudiced against Europeans, had not determined on their ruin. All missionaries except those in the service of the court were ordered to leave China; Christianity was de- nounced as a doctrine prejudicial to the welfare of the state, 68 ROMAN CATHOLICS. and it was resolved to cut it off root and branch. Thus 300,000 Christians were deprived of their spiritual guides, and exposed to the danger of relapsing into heathenism. Of the 300 churches which then existed, some were pulled down, others converted into temples; and the greater part of the missionaries were loaded with contempt and sent back to Canton. Notwithstanding the many intrigues of the Jesuits, and their great interest with two of the princes of the blood, this edict was executed to the letter: the poor missionaries arrived at Canton without friend or support, and soon embarked for Macao. So many reverses would have disheartened the most per- severing characters; but there is in religion a consolation and confidence which enables her votaries to triumph over all the changes in human life. The Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans, though animated by erroneous principles, have frequently withstood all the efforts of their labors. Be- sides, the Chinese edicts, though worded in the most pom- pous and expressive terms, exercise only a temporary in- fluence, and are very soon forgotten or disregarded, unless their execution promotes the interest of the mandarins. Some of the missionaries re-entered China by stealth, others were called to the capital in order to serve the emperor; and thus the church gradually recovered from the shock which had threatened its existence. However, they never more became as flourishing as they had been; there arose no other Kang-he, nor did the imperial family again take any great interest in their doctrines. The missionaries had committed one great error-they had put their trust in princes, men of fickle passions, like themselves. This the word of God deprecates. Had they preached a crucified Savior, our only hope in time, and for eternity-had they put their sole confidence in the living God-had they only preached the pure Gospel, though the number of their con- verts might have been small, yet even the powers of hell would not have prevailed against Christ's church! ROMAN CATHOLICS. 69 During the latter end of Kang-he's reign, some princes of the imperial family had been converted; they showed themselves most decided Catholics. Some princesses, also, had become Christians; and there was a chapel for their private use in the palace of their relations at Peking. Here the Fathers Suares and Mouram, Portuguese, said mass, and confessed their illustrious converts, of whom the female part amounted to fifty persons. After the prohibitory edicts. had been promulgated throughout the empire, the viceroy of Shan-se and Shen-se sent a memorial to the emperor Yung- ching, wherein he accused the imperial relations of having adopted the Christian creed. When this was communicated to the princes, one of them exclaimed: "How well it is that we have entered at the proper time the sheep-fold of Christ; a little later, and the door would have been shut against us!" The head of the Christian family, who had not yet become a convert to popery, was cited before the impe- rial tribunal, and sentenced to a perpetual exile for alleged crimes. This was a hard stroke for an old, ambitious man; he therefore loaded his sons, who were all Christians, with chains, and gave orders that their chapel and images should be destroyed, in order to appease the wrath of the emperor; but to his extreme regret, his punishment was not mitigated, and the young princes were again set free. The whole fa- mily went into exile; but both the princes and princesses emulated each other who should be the most devoted to the religion they had embraced. Not satisfied with honoring their teachers by genuflexions, they prostrated themselves before them, kept vigils and frequent fasts, and carried with them into exile a great number of images and crosses, that they might be enabled to continue their devotions in the ab- sence of their spiritual guides. Their submission to the mys- terious ways of Providence is highly extolled by the mis- sionaries, who loved them as their spiritual children, and armed them with Christian patience. 6* 70 ROMAN CATHOLICS. In the year 1735 new accusations were sent in against the missionaries. The emperor examined their cause him- self, but hated them too much to do them justice. Their refusing compliance to the ancestorial rites greatly preju- diced the imperial mind against the Christian doctrines. They were also accused of stealing the children who were daily exposed in the streets; and the Chinese catechists who were engaged in the charitable work of saving the lives of these innocents, were cruelly treated, and would have been sentenced to death if the Chinese president had not in- terfered. Several placards, which proscribed the Christian religion, and threatened heavy punishments to the contuma- cious confessors, were stuck up in the capital. These or- ders were promulgated throughout the whole empire, and spread consternation amongst the missionaries, who had again become numerous. The native Christians were now cited before the tribunals, and suffered severe punish- ments for having embraced a proscribed religion. Great numbers apostatized, but others suffered with Christian pa- tience, and submitted willingly to all the indignities heaped upon them. The missionaries could never forget that by the last edict they were debarred the opportunity of procuring the salvation of infants by baptizing them. It had been de- clared at the Council of Trent, that children baptized at the point of death were to be saved, and therefore they con- sidered it a most meritorious action to save these little ones from eternal perdition by baptism, and to fill heaven with millions of unpolluted souls. The Christian family which we have already mentioned was recalled in 1738, and remained constant in the profession of their faith. In Hoo-kwang the number of Christians in- creased; and though two of their teachers were thrown into prison at Canton, the cause lost nothing, for others more zeal- ous than they arrived to take their place. But it required a particular cast of mind in the missionaries to live for whole ROMAN CATHOLICS. 71 days and years, shut up in a retired spot or hovel, for the mere satisfaction of saying mass, and teaching a few poor people to pray by the rosary; for in this the occupation of the greater part of the missionaries consisted. A Jesuit, Neuville, writes in the year 1740, from the mountains of Hoo-kwang : "I have this year celebrated the canoniza- tion of Francis Regis, whom I have chosen for the patron of our mountains: may he condescend to work the same mira- cles here as he did formerly in the mountains of France, and take us under his protection. The whole was done very much to the edification of those present. The entire night was passed in prayers and instructions; for with prudence I can only assemble the Christians during the night. A great image of the saint was exposed to view; people chant- ed the litanies which I had composed in honor of him; three sermons were also delivered-one upon confession, the other upon the eucharist, and the third a panegyric upon the saint. After mass, I distributed medals and images of the saint, which I had previously, with great ceremonies, blessed in order to create that respect which is due to him. I also distributed some copies of the bull which grants to them indulgence, which I had translated into their language, and to which I had annexed a short explication." After having described the wretched state in which he found himself, he adds : "I often visit the sick. The Christians do not for- sake their sick people till their last breath. During all this time the sick are exhorted in the most touching manner; and they pray most fervently before a crucifix," &c. A great deal of his time was spent in instructing the youth in the rites of the holy church, and rewarding them with crucifixes, chaplets, medals, and images. The lives of the Christians. he describes as very saint-like. Iron girdles and other in- struments of penance were of common use amongst them; they did not only keep the fasts prescribed by the church, but also fasted on Wednesday, in honor of St. Joseph, the 72 ROMAN CATHOLICS. patron saint of China; on Friday in honor of the passion of our Lord, and on Saturday in honor of the holy virgin, for whom they cherished the most tender devotion. "If I had means of founding a monastery, it would very soon be filled by fervent virgins. There are several married people who live like brothers and sisters. Moreover, they do not con- ceive these mortifications of the flesh as very meritorious ; but often request, after the confession they have made, that their penitence might consist in fasting and discipline. When the host is raised, they all prostrate themselves in order to adore the seven wounds of the Lord. In their houses they have an image before which they recite the prayers they have learnt by heart." A Portuguese missionary, in the same province, who possessed large funds to maintain many cate- chists, baptised within one year 600 heathen. And the fer- vor of these new converts was so great, that a young wo- man who had been baptized, being ignorant of the days of Lent, did not eat any meat at all throughout the year. This is a description of the most flourishing state of a church: the reader exclaims, perhaps, with Huss,-O sancta simplicitas! In Phi-chih-le and Mantchoo Tatary, there were about this time 35,000 Christians, so ineffectual had the imperial edicts for the suppression of a foreign creed proved. At the death of Yung-ching, the missionaries congratu- lated themselves in the hope of finding a more gracious sovereign in Keën-lung, his successor; but they were very much deceived in their fond anticipation. He made the utmost search after the promoters of popery, and sentenced five missionaries to suffer death. The storm rose in Fuh- keën. The Chinese acted in this case with all the ferocity of inquisitors, in citing five Spanish priests before them, be- sides a great number of native Christians, and amongst them several nuns, (1746.) As the emperor commanded and encouraged these persecutions, the Chinese provincial governments might have vied with their Spanish friends in ROMAN CATHOLICS. 73 inflicting torture, if this diabolical science had not been un- known in China. But notwithstanding their rudeness in the art of tormenting their fellow-creatures, the mandarins be- haved most brutally toward these poor sufferers. Even the church of father Neuville, in the mountains of Hoo-kwang, was not exempted from persecution. This missionary had, during his stay in these regions, baptized about 6000 indi- viduals, who in his estimation bore the strictest resemblance to the primitive churches, according to the description we have copied; but he was obliged, with many of his brethren in other provinces, to retreat to Macao. After his departure, tortures, bastinadoes, and prisons were employed to dis- perse his flock, which he had nursed with such a fondness. What most disturbed their consciences was, that the images and crucifixes, the objects of their adoration, were trodden upon by the infidels, while no avenger appeared. Even Macao was not free from persecution. The viceroy issued an order to the Chinese to leave the place instantly, but this edict was never followed up. At Peking several Christians apostatized; and their rosaries, chaplets, relics, and ima- ges were burnt. One of the Italian missionaries, Castigli- oni, a painter in the service of the emperor, interceded in behalf of the Christians, but received a discouraging an- swer. The emperor confirmed the sentence of the viceroy of Fuh-keën; some of the missionaries were to be behead- ed, others to be strangled. Whilst the Christian women repeated the rosary, the men went to the place of execution to gather some precious relics from the blood which flowed for the cause of their faith. Even the heathens were struck with the constancy and cheerfulness with which the missiona- ries suffered. Këang-nan alone was excepted from these cruel persecutions, for a great many Christians there were in the tribunals of justice, and therefore prevented the legal prosecutions. After this horrible catastrophe the fury of the enemies of 74 ROMAN CATHOLICS. Christianity relaxed. The missionaries at Peking were allowed the free exercise of their religion, and entertained particular congregations, in order to establish them in the faith. There was a congregation of the heart of Jesus,— of the holy virgin, and of penitence; the object of the lat- ter was not only to do penance for their own sins, but also for the transgressions of others, in order to prevail upon the Lord, by these meritorious works, to show favor toward so many infidels, who did not know, or who blasphemed his name. The hostility shown against Christianity was at last prin- cipally confined to the bishops. One of them, the bishop of Mauricastre, whose canonization was proposed at Rome, was led to the place of execution, in order to be beheaded. A heathen was bribed to strew some ashes upon the place where the bishop had to suffer, that they might obtain his precious blood. The man employed in this service was instantly converted, and preached to his family, who shortly afterward received baptism. But popery in China cannot boast that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church; for after this persecution the number of Christians decreased rapidly, and their fervor cooled. Yet they might have been kept in a better state, if the order of Jesuits had not been abolished in Europe. This was a death blow. The Jesuits had furnished the most useful and subtle mis- sionaries, who had served as painters, mathematicians, and mechanics at court; where they had always found means to gain over some of the Chinese grandees; but after the extinction of this order, few talented men entered the sphere of their labors. The remnant of those who remained com- plained most bitterly of the general ruin of the churches; but there was no remedy; the veterans died, and the re- cruits were less enthusiastic for the cause which their pre- decessors had espoused. The government of Macao, fearing to involve itself in ROMAN CATHOLICS. 75 difficulties with the mandarins, refused admittance to any missionary who was not a subject of Portugal, or who had not obtained a license from the court at Lisbon to proceed to China. This regulation would have put a stop to the arrival of new laborers, if the agents of the Propaganda Fide at Canton had not received those who arrived in that part, and furnished them the means of proceeding to their respective destinations. They employed to that end several Chinese, who conducted the missionaries to their stations. In one of these expeditions, the European, as well as his conductor, was betrayed by a Christian, and sent to Peking, where they were accused of leaguing with the Mohamme- dans in Turkestan, with whom the Chinese were at war. Search was made after those who lived in disguise in the provinces; they were taken and imprisoned, whilst their Chinese coadjutors fled for their lives. Having sustained a lingering imprisonment, twelve missionaries were libera- ted, three of whom remained at Peking, the other nine re- turned to Canton, 1785. Amidst all these troubles, the French missions in Sze- chuen began to flourish. There had been a year of scarcity, and the missionaries had baptized about 100,000 infants who were upon the point of death. Pottiers, the apostolical vicar of this province, wrote to France, in order to obtain more laborers, funds for books, and a store of crucifixes and images, which might be presented to the new converts in lieu of the idols they had thrown away. He also promo- ted female schools, and used every means to establish the youth in the doctrines of the church. But even in this re- tired place a persecution broke out in 1785. Several sol- diers were sent to arrest Saint Martin, a bishop, and when they found him in a forest, he was dragged with a chain round his neck before the mandarin. Here he had to under- go a strict examination, and was afterwards sent to Peking, where the missionaries, his brethren, assisted him most no- 776 ROMAN CATHOLICS. bly. He could only regret that all the implements to cele- brate mass, and the holy oil, had been taken from him by force. This loss he considered more irreparable than even that of his life. In the capital, where he was imprisoned with some of his brethren, he testified of Jesus Christ before the mandarins—a noble testimony, worthy to be recorded! Of the same nature are the answers of Gleyo, when he was dragged before a tribunal to give an account of his doc- trines, and of the reasons which had induced him to come to China. If the dross was taken away, and we could sepa- rate these noble men from the greater number of popish champions, we might find many a genuine confessor of his Savior; but the day of judgment will reveal it. Gleyo was particularly anxious to baptize infants; his imprudence in performing this rite brought him repeatedly into trouble, and he had finally to seek an asylum in the country of the Lolo tribe, situated to the south of Yun-nan; but even here he made converts and established a church. When finally the French revolution succeeded, and the Pope was deprived of his worldly possessions, the mission in China languished for want of laborers and funds. On the other side, Keën-lung had grown more lenient, and did not persecute them with all the rancor of his younger years. When Këa-king began to sway the sceptre of China, great hopes were enter- tained that he would favor the Christians; but he did not yield in point of cruelty to Keen-lung, while he had none of his re- deeming qualities;-a pretext for a new persecution was very soon furnished. Two missionaries, one an Italian, the other a Portuguese, engaging in a quarrel about their diocese, to settle a point in question, sent a map of their respective pa- rishes to Europe. This map was intercepted by the Chi- nese, who declared the author a traitor to the celestial em- pire, and sent him into exile in Tatary. The persecution against the Christians commenced, and under trivial pre- texts they were sent into exile, and most severely punished. ROMAN CATHOLICS. 7 7 In 1811 the Italian missionaries left Peking; the French and Portuguese still remained, hoping for better times; but these did not happen; and even the meritorious L'Amiot was expelled, after a long stay at court. Verissimo Mon- teiro de Serra, elect bishop of Peking, was sent to Macao, af- ter having been a member of the tribunal of mathematics. If we are not mistaken, there remain only two Portuguese at present in the Peking mission. Kea-king even sentenced a French bishop to death; but his successor, Taou-kwang, has never shown any hostility toward the missionaries. As soon as peace was restored in Europe, the Roman Catholic missionary institution in Italy and France again began to flourish, and new laborers arrived, as well from France as from Italy and Spain. The former have their most flourishing missions in Sze-chuen, the latter in Fuh- keën. Great numbers of French missionaries have lately penetrated into China, but they are far inferior to their pre- decessors, and their principal work consists in reading mass. We have heard of no new persecution. When the author was at Fuh-choo, in 1832, he received several applications from native Christians, who, according to the statement of the mandarin of the district, are very nu- merous. They are generally poor and ignorant people, who, if they can afford it, wear a cross round their neck. The missionaries have supplied them with crucifixes and pic- tures, which they showed to the writer. They also possess a calendar which points out to them the festivals and saints' days of the Romish church; but beyond this their know- ledge does not extend. It was rather surprising to see that they opposed the promulgation of the pure Gospel amongst the heathens, whom they decried as an ignorant, forsaken race, unworthy of so great a gift. Kea-king's relentless persecution extended to all classes. In 1817 a Tatar public secretary and his coachman were apprehended, and delivered over to the board of punish- VOL. II. 78 ROMAN CATHOLICS. ments. Fifteen persons were implicated, and most of them held government offices. Taou-kwang, when he speaks about false sects, never mentions the Teën-choo-këaou~~ Roman Catholics. We know very little of his character ; but he seems to be a very peaceful man, who leaves the ad- ministration of government to his officers, but does not dis- turb a sect which has never risen up in rebellion against their lawful sovereign. To furnish the missions with laborers, there are at Macao, Naples, and Lisbon, institutions where Chinese youth, as well as Europeans, are educated for the work. But no school sends forth so many laborers as the Parisian semi- nary. Charles X., a devoted son of the Romish church, spent great sums in behalf of the propagation of popery, but we do not know how the present government views this institution; neither are we able to give a full account of the existing state of the missions, this being studiously withheld from public notice. In the above detail, we have endeavored to be impartial ; we despise, with all our heart, bigotry and intolerance, wherever they may be found. But we sincerely hope that henceforth the Roman Catholic missionaries may emulate the Protestants in preaching Christ crucified, as the power of God unto salvation, to all who believe in him.* We have not been able to procure a statement of the missions. The number of Christians is very considera- ble, as many French missionaries came to Macao, and successively entered China; but the present governor of Macao, apprehensive of the Chinese government, has in- terdicted their stay, and ordered them to leave the place. As the most correct account we are able to furnish, we quote some passages of Staunton's notices relating to * See Du Halde, London edition, in 4to, vol. ii. Lettres Edifiantes, -Contribution to an Historical Sketch of the Portuguese Settlements in China, &c. ROMAN CATHOLICS. 79 China. The missions of China are divided into three dio- ceses and three apostolical vicarages. The first in Macao, Peking, and Nanking. The nomination to these episcopal sees, which are suffragans to the archbishop of Goa, be- longs to the king of Portugal, who has endowed them, by giving an allowance of about 1500 dollars to each per annum. The diocese of Macao comprehends the two provinces of Kwang-tung, and Kwang-se, and the isle of Haenan. In the latter were formerly many Christians,-the author has seen many himself,-but there is no missionary station. In Kwang-se there are some Christians on the borders of Tunkin, but they are more numerous in the province of Canton. The diocese of Peking includes the provinces of Pih- chih-le, Shan-tung, and Leaou-tung. The two provinces, Këang-nan and Honan, form the diocese of Nanking, but this diocese having, since 1787, had no bishop, is at present administered by the bishop of Peking. The three vicarages are Shan-se, Sze-chuen, and Fuh- keen. The apostolic vicars, who are usually bishops in partibus, are named by the cardinals of the Congregation of the Propaganda, upon which they depend, and are imme- diately subject to the Holy See. The apostolical vicar of Shan-se is usually an Italian, and has the care of the Chris- tians of Kan-suh, Shan-se, Shen-se, and Hoo-kwang; and is supported and maintained by the Propaganda, as well as all the other missionaries of this vicarage, except the three Lazarists of Hoo-kwang, who receive their pension from the French church at Peking. The apostolical vicar of Sze-chuen is a Frenchman, belonging to the Seminary at Paris, from which he receives his pension, like the other missionaries of this vicarage. A Spanish Dominican has the care of the missions of Fuh-keën, and resides usually at Macao. 80 PROTESTANTS. The apostolical vicar of Fuh-keën has the care of the Christians of Che-këang, and Keang-se also, and is main- tained by the king of Spain, as are the Dominicans, who labor in this mission. The Propaganda, and the seminary at Paris, expend each from 7000 to 8000 dollars for their respective missions. PROTESTANTS. The power of the pure and glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ will surely prevail over all the strong-holds of Satan; and China, though long debarred from the knowledge of truth, will adore the Redeemer. The omniscient God alone knows the time and season when this great event will occur; but doubtless the way is preparing, and perhaps at hand. True Christianity claims the world for its operation; it unites all nations in one; imparts true nobility to human nature, and is adapted to all climes and countries. When the churches in England, during the latter part of the last century, aroused from that indifference with which they had hitherto seen millions of their fellow-creatures dy- ing in idolatry, they also turned their attention toward China. The choice of the directors of the London Missionary So- ciety fell upon the Rev. (now Dr.) Morrison, who had stu- died in Hoxton Academy, with a view to the ministry at home; but being fully convinced of the deplorable state of the heathen world, he was willing to go to any quarter of the globe where the Gospel was not yet known. With this view he entered the missionary seminary at Gosport. After hav- ing obtained a Latin-Chinese Dictionary, and "the Harmo- ny of the Four Gospels" in Chinese, from the British Mu- seum, he sailed, in 1807, by way of America, for Canton, ac- companied by the prayers of thousands. He landed in the September of the same year at Macao, and created a good deal of suspicion among the Romish clergy. In Canton he PROTESTANTS. 81 lived during that season in a godown, where he studied, ate, and slept. He let his nails grow, that they might be like those of the Chinese, wore a tail, and became an adept in the use of chopsticks. In the factory he walked about in a Chinese frock, and wore Chinese shoes. But seeing that his wish to conform to the prejudices of the natives had not the desired effect of conciliating their affection, he abandoned their costume and dressed like a European. Very soon af- terward he was introduced to Sir George Staunton, a mem- ber of the British factory, and became by his means ac- quainted with Mr. Roberts, the chief. As it was Mr. Mor- rison's principal object to translate the Scriptures into Chi- nese, Mr. Roberts, on his death-bed, remarked: "I see not why your translating the sacred Scriptures into the Chinese language might not be avowed, if occasion called for it. We (the members of the factory) could with reason answer the Chinese thus :-" This volume we deem the best of books." It was in a somewhat similar way that the British ambassa- dor at the Court of Persia introduced a copy of the New Testament to the notice of the Persian monarch. The arrí- val of some troops from Bengal, in 1808, in order to garri- son Macao, put him under the necessity of leaving Canton. He had, during all this time, studied Chinese, both the Can- ton and mandarin dialects, and even offered up his private prayers to the Almighty in that language. Shortly afterward he was nominated Chinese translator to the British Factory, which situation greatly facilitated the accomplishment of his views. He now began to have, on Sunday, a religious meet- ing at his house with some few Chinese, highly delighted at the feeble beginnings in so great a work. Having ascer- tained that a copy of the Acts of the Apostles, which he had brought out with him, was perfectly intelligible, he printed it, and completed also a Chinese grammar, with the Gospel of St. Luke, in 1810-11. Thus he went on gradually, and printed the New Testament in parts, till the British and Fo- 7* 82 PROTESTANTS. reign Bible Society voted three hundred pounds toward the translating, printing, and circulating of the sacred Scriptures in China. The Roman Catholic missionaries had spent more than two centuries in China, and amongst them there were many who understood the Chinese language thorough- ly, and wrote elegantly. They have published the lives of saints, their scholastic divinity, and other works, but never ventured upon translating the oracles of God, and making them intelligible to so many millions. If they were preachers of the Gospel, and apostolical missionaries, why did they not make known the Gospel and the apostolical doctrines? If they were champions of the saints and the Pope, why did they not declare themselves such in China, and prevent the gross error of miscalling popery the Gospel? When they were once asked by the Pope himself to translate one Gos- pel, as a mere specimen of Chinese literature, they pleaded the absolute impossibility of such an undertaking, and never- theless could find words and phrases to translate the ab- struse Thomas Aquinas! Whatever may be the opinions of the enemies of the word of God upon this subject, Dr. Mor- rison considered it his duty to follow the Savior's command, by making known the Gospel without human alloy. The author has found no work of any importance which can be translated with so great ease into foreign idiom as the Holy Bible—a book given for all nations of the earth, in the most simple form possible. Dr. Morrison endeavored to imitate in the translation the most approved works of the Chinese, but could not introduce the style of the classics, which is too concise, and without commentaries, unintelligible to the na- tives themselves. During the years 1813 and 1814, he un- dertook the instruction of four orphan boys, both in their native language and the principles of Christianity. As the Chinese prize education, and have made literary acquire- ments the road to office, the establisnment of schools has since proved very beneficial to the promotion of Christianity. PROTESTANTS. 83 In 1813, the London Missionary Society sent Dr. Mor- rison a worthy and indefatigable fellow-laborer, in the Rev. William (afterward Dr.) Milne. He landed at Macao, but was ordered away by the governor. Disinterested persons highly reprobated such an inhospitable measure, which is so much at variance with the law of nations, and in direct op- position to the spirit of Christianity. He therefore went to Canton, where he could remain and study the Chinese lan- guage, without being disturbed by the Chinese government. Dr. Morrison had in the meanwhile written several tracts upon the doctrines of Christianity; by the perusal of one, "The Redemption of the World," a wretch, who had for- merly been a Roman Catholic, was reclaimed from his vi- cious life. He had also the great satisfaction of giving the New Testament to the largest nation of the world in their own language. In this work he had been greatly assisted by a manuscript translation of the Acts, and some of Paul's Epistles. To carry on the work with more success, Mr. Milne went, in the following year, to Batavia, where many thousand settlers, principally from Fuh-keen, had fixed their abode. On board of the vessel which conveyed him he found seve- ral hundreds of Chinese emigrants, to whom he gave the New Testament. He also touched at Banca, which is almost entirely peopled by Chinese miners, and distributed amongst them several copies of tracts and of the Scriptures. On his arrival at Batavia he was received in a friendly manner by a Dutch minister and another missionary, who labored amongst the Malays. Governor Raffles viewed every judi- cious attempt to spread the knowledge of Christianity as tending to improve the state of civil society, and to render government prosperous and stable. Hence he furnished Mr. Milne with the means of traveling, at the expense of government, through the interior and eastern parts of the island; and proposed to afford him facilities for visiting Pon- 84 PROTESTANTS. tianak, Sambas, and Banjermassin, on the island of Bor- neo, where many myriads of Chinese are settled; but this proposal could not be carried into execution, on account of the wars which shortly afterward broke out. However, Mr. Milne made arrangements to furnish those settlements with tracts. He also visited the island of Madura; and spread throughout the whole of Java many thousand tracts and New Testaments. It is possible, he remarks, that some of them may have been destroyed, some of them neglect- ed, some of them never read, some of them sold for gain, and some parts of them only imperfectly understood; yet he was not discouraged by any of these considerations; for he thought if one-tenth, yea, one-hundredth part, should, in the course of a century to come, answer the great end pro- posed, the heavy expense which the Christian public had been at, in preparing, printing, and circulating them, would be more than amply repaid. On his return he visited Ma- lacca, and spread there the knowledge of divine truth; whilst he provided Rhio, Bintang, Tringano, and Siak, with Christian tracts. When he arrived at Macao a second edition of the New Testament was published in a more portable form; and, in 1815, the first Chinese convert, Tsae-a-ko, was baptized. His written confession respecting himself is as follows:- "Jesus, making atonement for us, is the blessed sound. Language and thought are both inadequate to exhaust the gracious and admirable goodness of Jesus; and I rely on his merits to obtain the remission of sin. I have sins and defects; and, without faith in Jesus for the remission of sin, should be eternally miserable. Now that we have heard of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus, we ought, with all our hearts, to rely on his merits. He who does not do so, is not a good man. I by no means rely upon my own good- ness. When I reflect, and question myself, I perceive that from childhood till now I have had no strength, no merit, no PROTESTANTS. 85 learning. Till this, my twenty-seventh year, I have done nothing to answer to the goodness of God in giving me exist- ence in this world as a human being. I have not recom- pensed the kindness of my parents, my relations, my friends. Shall I repine, shall I hope in my good deeds? I entirely call upon God the Father, and rely upon God for the remission of sin. I also always pray to God to confer upon me the Holy Spirit." Nearly at the same time, two other persons, the one a teacher of the Chinese language, and the other a writer, who had both attended Dr. Morrison's instructions, gave such an account of their views of Christianity as would, in the eyes of most Christians, have justified their being baptized; but it was thought better to be backward, and err on the side of caution, rather than on that of haste in dispensing baptism. From his first arrival in China, Dr. Morrison had been preparing materials for a dictionary of the Chinese language. The printing of this work was undertaken by the Honorable East India Company, on the scale of liberality which gene- rally characterises the operations of this opulent and distin- guished body. Drs. Morrison and Milne finally resolved upon establish- ing a permanent central situation of missions at Malacca. This mission was also to embrace the Malay branch, and to co-operate in any way toward the spread of the Gospel in Siam and the Indian Archipelago, (1815.) Here Milne be- gan to prosecute the system of education which has since constituted the basis of our Protestant missions. After the establishment of the mission at Malacca, many opportuni- ties of circulating the holy Scriptures and religious tracts presented themselves; not only in the settlement itself, but also by means of native trading vessels, and passengers to Cochin-China, China, Siam, and almost every Chinese colo- ny in the Malayan Archipelago. PROTESTANTS. 86 The Chinese, who have settled in the Indian Archipelago, came from the south-western parts of Fuh-keën, from the eastern part of Canton, from the district of Kea-ying, in Can- ton, and from the provincial city itself. Their respective dialects vary considerably; but the Fuh-keën is most gene- rally understood. This variety of dialects greatly embar- rassed the first missionaries who entered the field. The following year, a monthly magazine, and several re- ligious works, were issued from the Malacca press. Indeed, this institution has proved the means of transmitting the knowledge of saving truth throughout the Indian Archipe- lago, by the works which were constantly published and dis- persed. A Chinese of the name of Afă, afterward a most decided Christian and follower of the Savior, was baptized here by Mr. Milne. Dr. Morrison, in the meanwhile, accompanied the Eng- lish ambassy to Peking, and had an ample opportunity of making himself acquainted both with the spirit of the govern- ment and of the people. In 1817 Milne visited China; and projected, with Dr. Morrison, a plan for the establishment of an Anglo-Chinese college, where Chinese and English youth should enjoy the advantages of learning the Chinese and English languages. They also divided amongst themselves the translation of the remaining part of the Old Testament; and in order to give a more general interest to the mission, Mr. Milne set on foot the Indo-Chinese Gleaner, a quarterly publication of a miscellaneous nature, but containing the most valuable re- marks upon Chinese usages, literature and government. In 1817 many laborers arrived at Malacca. To pro- mote the general interests of the mission, new stations were established at Pulo Penang, Singapore, and Batavia. The unwearied Dr. Milne was not only anxious to show his love for the immortal souls of the Chinese, but he also thought of their poor and wretched persons. To provide in some de- PROTESTANTS. 87 gree for these, he established a Samaritan society, com- posed of Chinese and the members of the mission, whose duty it was to bestow paternal care upon the helpless, sick and aged. This society has done incalculable good, and since his death, a wealthy Chinese has carried on the bene- volent work till this day. The Anglo-Chinese college very soon numbered 26 stu- dents, nearly all of them Malacca born Chinese youths. It required great care and perseverance to instruct them. The Malay language being their mother tongue, they understand the Chinese only partially, and have, therefore, to be in- structed in the rudiments of the Chinese and English lan- guages before they can acquire any knowledge. The col- lege formed by degrees a large and excellent library, and the missionaries made frequent use of the books collected. It is only to be regretted that so laudable an institution, which is so well calculated to promote a more liberal inter- course between remote China and the western nations, should have met with so little support from the Christian and literary public in India, Europe, and America. No per- son, but he who has been on the spot, can form an adequate idea of the difficulties which must be encountered in the in- struction of Chinese youth. They are receiving, up to the present moment, a religious and (so far as they are capable) a scientific education. Many of those lads have been use- fully employed in life: one of them has gone to Peking as translator of western languages to the board of rites; others have been employed in instructing their fellow-countrymen, or as writers in commercial houses. The good seeds sown in the hearts of so many youths, who have studied in the college since its foundation, will surely germinate hereafter, and bring forth fruit an hundred fold. The excellent Milne, whose whole life was dedicated to his Savior, whose talents were surprising, whose labors in- cessant, did not live to see the fruits of his exertions; he 88 PROTESTANTS. died in 1822. The Chinese mission suffered by his death an irreparable loss; though the schools at Malacca (distinct from the college, for instruction in Chinese only,) were in- creased, and the preaching to the heathen continued. An- other eminent laborer, Collie, died when he had acquired a pretty correct knowledge of the Chinese language, and had written several excellent treatises. Others returned home; a few left the mission. By the laudable exertions of a Chris- tian lady, several female schools have been opened, and a few English ladies have acquired a knowledge of the Chi- nese language, in order to superintend them. The Chinese mission at Penang has often languished for want of laborers, and the Chinese emigrants of that place have never shown any great interest in the saving doctrines of the Gospel. Singapore presents ample scope for missionary exertion. More than 6000 emigrants are settled there, and a great number of Chinese junks from Fuh-keën, Canton, Cochin- China, and Siam, visit the port annually. The missionaries have availed themselves of this opportunity, and preached the Gospel to many thousands, whilst they have sent the printed Word of God to the most distant parts of the globe. In Rhio, a neighboring Dutch settlement, the Gospel has been preached to the numerous Chinese planters on the Bintang island. During the residence of a missionary of the Netherland Missionary Society, two schools existed. He built also a large hospital, to which the resident Chinese very liberally contributed. At Batavia the mission has been most vigorously carried on by Mr. Medhurst, an indefatigable missionary, who preaches and distributes tracts throughout the whole island; the author has been witness of his unwearied zeal. He has traveled also in the island of Bali, and penetrated to the gold mines of Pontianak in Borneo, where a small Chinese republic exists. He also spread the word of life on the east PROTESTANTS. 89 coast of the Malayan peninsula, and where one of the first laborers works still with youthful ardor in the cause of the Lord. But no sphere of the Chinese missionary operations was so successful as the Bankok station, in the capital of Siam. This place is inhabited by several myriads of Chinese, the greater part of whom are natives of the east coast of Canton. On their arrival the missionaries were ordered away by the king, and the distribution of their books prohibited. But these restrictions only served to enhance the value of their books, of which they had imported a great quantity. As they possessed some knowledge of medicine, the govern- ment was very soon reconciled to their stay, and even court- ed their friendship. From the commencement till latterly this has perhaps been the most flourishing station. The candidates for baptism were very numerous; amongst them was a man of the name of Bun-tae, who, after having re- ceived baptism, preached the Gospel with great fervor to his countrymen, and continues to adorn his profession. It was not advisable to increase the number of baptised converts upon the many applications which were made by the Chi- nese; true conversion is the work of time, and the New Testament teaches us to look up to the Holy Spririt, who alone can effect this wonderful change. Yet the harvest in this extensive vineyard will doubtless be great, when new laborers enter to do the work of faithful evangelists. At Canton Dr. Morrison, the worthy senior of the mis- sion, who devoted his time and property to the service of his God, and compiled a large Anglo-Chinese dictionary, has carried on the work gradually. An American mission has likewise been established in this provincial city. The se- nior missionary publishes the Chinese repository, a monthly periodical, which is very valuable, and he teaches several Chinese boys, who have made considerable progress in the knowledge of Christianity. A Chinese monthly periodical VOL. II. 8 90 PROTESTANTS. has also been lately issued. There are ten native con- verts-truly a small number-but their minister Afă, a fer- vent Christian, spreads the Gospel and Christian books in his native district, with very great success. Lately the work has prospered, and the co-operation of Christians in England as well as in America is considerable. It is now about three years since the first attempts to promulgate the pure Gospel in the maritime provinces, on the east coast of Canton, Fuh-keën, Che-këang, Keang- soo, Shan-tung, Pih-chih-le, Leaou-tung, Formosa, Ko- rea and Loo-choo, were made; first in a Chinese junk, and then in European vessels. These endeavors have been, beyond expectation, crowned with success; the number of books which has been circulated amongst greedy readers is very considerable, amounting to many thousands. The Chinese government has never interfered. His present majesty, Taou-kwang, requested a copy of all books written upon the pure doctrines of the Gospel; these have been forwarded to him, and he has acknowledged, in the Peking Gazette, the receipt of them, without disapproving of the distribution. Both the kings of Loo-choo and Korea have received the Scriptures and tracts upon a variety of subjects. Though it would not be very difficult to effect a missionary establishment, if the trade to the northern ports of China be thrown open, there is at present a great want of able labor- ers to enter into this extensive vineyard. But as the Ameri- can churches are sending forth preachers of the Gospel to these regions, it is to be hoped that there will be very soon a great number of men willing to devote their lives to the service of their Redeemer.* * Milne's Retrospect.-Reports of the Anglo-Chinese College.-Chi- nese Repository. CHAPTER XX. FOREIGN INTERCOURSE WITH CHINA. À NATION SO completely isolated by natural boundaries from all intercourse with foreigners, is naturally prone to view other nations in a false light. Puffed up by their na- tional vanity, and considering their Tatar neighbors as mere savages, they conclude that all other nations of the earth must be barbarians. Their high ideas respecting China, as being situated at the centre of the earth, surrounded by the four seas, gradually created the belief that the middle king- dom was the only country deserving their notice. All other parts of the earth were mere islands scattered around the celestial empire, inhabited by barbarous tribes, and ruled by petty chiefs. The emperor's presumption of thinking him- self entitled to the name of Heaven's Son--Teen-tsze, be- cause he was the political vicegerent of the azure heavens, engendered in the breast of every true Chinese the opinion that they themselves were the lords of the globe. After hav- ing subjected to their rule some Tatar tribes, they very soon presumed upon their strength, and nominally considered all nations as their vassals. According to their principles, the whole earth bowed submissively to the great emperor, the prince of princes: if any nation did not virtually acknow- ledge their sway, it was through the mere forbearance of their liege lords that they did not force them to subjection. But woe unto the nation which called in question the autho- rity of the celestial supremacy, or disobeyed the son of heaven. They ought to be extirpated for resisting the will of heaven. China being the only place where civilization ex- ists, all other kingdoms are under the influence of barba- rism; if they wish to improve, they ought first to experience the transforming influence of the celestial empire. Not be- 92 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE ing renovated by the illustrious patterns of Chinese sages, how could they lay any claim to science and virtue. Those high-flown notions might be considered harmless, as long as they were not followed up; but unhappily for the barbarians, the Chinese government has invariably treated foreigners according to these notions. Even to this present moment of general diffusion of knowledge, the Chinese go- vernment adheres to these antiquated ideas, and views all foreigners with the utmost contempt. You are outside-bar- barians; keep your proper rank as such, and submissively prostrate yourselves before heaven's son! Only in those few cases where the Chinese have been forced to receive foreign ambassadors upon terms of equality, or intimidated by force of arms, have they treated them becomingly. To negotiate with the Chinese government according to the rules of European diplomacy, is quite out of the question; for, until humiliated by defeat and terror, the attempt will always be a failure. China maintained even before our era a constant inter- course with the Tatar states, in the north, west, and east. They had always some commercial dealings with these un- ruly neighbors, and even went to settle amonst them. Tatar troops entered the imperial service-Tatar princes married. imperial princesses; and many tribes have gradually amal- gamated with the inhabitants of the western and northern provinces. The affinity between the two nations is so very close, that after a few generations the characteristics of both are nearly lost, and Tatars may become Chinese, or vice versâ, without materially changing their nationality. But the Chinese, as the more civilized part, are decidedly the gain- ers; they are a prolific and industrious nation, who very soon force the rude tribes by dint of mental superiority back to their deserts, or enter with them into matrimonial alli- ances, so that they are very soon lost amongst the millions of China. Notwithstanding the regulations of the present WITH CHINA. 93 Tatar family, they cannot keep up the purity of Tatar blood; and the Tatars dispersed in the provinces dwindle away amongst the vanquished race whom they have conquered, and will be, within a few generations, as little recognised as their predecessors, the Mongols, who settled in China. Korea was doubtless originally peopled by the Chinese. This peninsula, separated from Leaou-tung and Mantchoo Tatary by a river and mountains, has seldom been indepen- dent of China. Though the country never constituted a province of the empire, the Korean kings were regarded as the mere vassals of the son of heaven. As long as the Chi- nese princes were powerful, the Korean kings acknow- ledged them as their liege lords, and could not reign over their own people without a special installation in all their royal dignities, sent by the great emperor. The present Mantchoo family keeps the Koreans in utter subjection. Their king has to send thrice in the year an ambassador, who is treated with contempt, but indemnified by being permit- ted to trade at the capital. He cannot even raise a female to be queen without having received permission from the emperor. The Koreans retaliate by watching the Chinese ambassador narrowly during his stay in their dominion, but nevertheless dread his presence, and will blindly follow what he orders them. Tung-king, (or Tonquin,) as well as Gan-nan, (Cochin- China,) have maintained a certain degree of independence. Though often subdued, they have always regained their liberty, and maintained their independence. Many ambas- sadors have passed between them and the Chinese authori- ties; they have carried on trade by land and by sea; freely mixed with the Chinese, whom they greatly resemble; but never fully acknowledged the emperor of China as their sovereign. The king of Annam, (in Chinese, Gan-nan,) who has united Tunkin (Chinese Tung-king) to his domi- nion, has greatly increased his power by adopting French 8* 94 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE improvements. He has therefore become formidable to his potent neighbor, and assumed the title of emperor, without meeting with the punishment due to such presumption. His humanity in sending back two Chinese men of war which had lost their way on the Cochin-Chinese coast, is greatly extolled by his imperial majesty. He sends occasionally an ambassador, under the name of tribute-bearer; the great object, however, is sordid gain, for the junks which bring the envoy and his train are fully laden, and exempt from duty. The king of Siam acknowledges the supremacy of Chi- na. During the reign of the Ming dynasty, the Siamese monarchs frequently appealed to the emperor to settle the disputes which had arisen between them and certain Malay princes. There was even a king of Siam, who, in the thir- teenth century, left his own dominion to tender his territories to the Chinese emperor. He was graciously received, and dismissed with assurance of the imperial compassion. Ac- cordingly an embassy goes annually to Canton, but only every third year to Peking. This mission arrives in two huge junks, laden with sugar, rice, and other Indian produce. As no duties are paid upon the articles imported in royal junks, this trade is very lucrative, and not only pays the ex- penses of the embassy, which is generally meanly fitted out, but gives also a fair profit to his Siamese majesty. The trade with Siam has been uninterruptedly carried on since the times of the Ming dynasty. Siamese junks are allow- ed to repair to all the harbors of the empire without being subject to very heavy duties. They are almost treated on terms of equality with those of China. Yung-ching recom- mended Chinese traders to proceed to Siam for large quan- tities of rice Chinese merchants have obeyed this direc- tion, and repair in great numbers to Siam, where they meet with very little annoyance. They have peopled Siam; there are annually great numbers leaving the eastern parts of the WITH CHINA. 95 Canton province and Haenan, to colonize Siam, where they have thriving sugar plantations. The Laos and Cambodians have more or less acknow- ledged the superiority of Chinese genius. Some of the northern Laos tribes are immediately subject to the frontier mandarins of Kwang-se, where they bear a rank which con- stitutes them Chinese officers. They are an unwarlike race, satisfied with a few privileges of bartering their com- modities on the frontiers: by means of them the Chinese have often intermeddled in the affairs of the Indo-Chinese nations. Several years ago they sent down an embassy of Laos nobles in order to prevail upon the king of Siam not to oppress the Laos tribes who border upon the Siamese territory. Japan boldly defies the degrading terms of vassalage; and the Japanese have often made the Chinese maritime provinces tremble. The emperor thinks himself an equal with the Chinese monarch, sends no embassy, but permits the Chinese to trade to his dominions; they are there under very great restrictions, and treated worse than the Dutch. The trade itself is subject to great exactions, and therefore only five imperial junks sail from Chapo, a harbor in the northern part of Che-keang, to Japan. It is principally on account of the copper, which is used for coinage, that the junks subject themselves to such grievous annoyance The Lew-kew, or Loo-choo, islands may be said to de- pend as much upon China as does Korea. The king sends annually some junks to Fuh-choo, the capital of Fuh-keen, where they trade. Their nobles are sent up to Peking in order to be educated, and after their return are promoted to offices. They pay entire homage to the holy will of his imperial majesty, though governed by their own native princes. The Chinese have shown an effectionate regard to this diminutive island-kingdom; they have furnished the 96 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE people with the elements of education, and taught them ship- building. Hindoostan has had little intercourse with China. Though Buddhism was imported from that country, there never ex- isted any commercial relation between it and China, neither did his imperial majesty force the inhabitants of the nor- thern parts to acknowledge his paternal sway. A Chinese priest traveled amongst the five Yintoo (Gentoo) nations ; another returned with a letter from Muh-se-nang, addressed to the emperor of China. He said, “I have lately heard that there is in China an illustrious king, most excellent, most august, most powerful. I regret my being so unfor- tunate as not to have it in my power to obtain an audience. Whilst I look up to you from so great a distance, I hope that whether you rise or are at rest, you may enjoy ten-thou- sand-fold happiness!" An Indian priest had accompanied his brother; they arrived at Peking. The emperor, Keën- tih, sent 300 priests to India, in order to collect relics and books of Buddha. During the reign of the Ming dynasty, this intercourse was again resumed, but carried on without any advantage to either party, except a rich importation of Buddhist legendary tales, and the knowledge of the Sans- krit language, which is still taught at Peking. The kings of Pegu and Birmah, though neighbors of China, have never cultivated the friendship of the celestial empire. A few ambassadors have passed between the golden-footed ruler at Ava and the Son of Heaven at Pe- king; but they have never been on friendly terms, and have been occasionally engaged in war. There is little trade carried on between Yun-nan and Birmah; a few Chinese have also settled in the capital, Ava, and at Rangoon, but neither of the two powers feel inclined to enter into closer relations. The Indian Archipelago has always presented a large field for enterprise to the Chinese traders. Since the dy- WITH CHINA. 97 nasty of Han, there have existed diplomatic relations be- tween the islands of the Archipelago and China. Several petty chiefs at Malacca, Tringano, Acheen, and Solo, have made the emperor an arbiter of their disputes, and sent en- voys to bow at the feet of his throne. When the Chinese population had grown very large, many junks laden with emigrants went in quest of their fortunes toward the southern regions of Asia. They'ventured as far as Arabia, visited Ceylon, from whence they imported priests and sacred books; traded largely to Malacca; went often to Acheen; touched at Java, and ranged throughout the eastern parts of the Archipelago. Wherever they touched, some Chinese formed settlements, and remained for some time. Thus they penetrated into Borneo; and regions which no enterprising European has ever visited became the spheres of their industry. The natives of these respective coun- tries hailed their arrival as auspicious and beneficial. They always brought something to satisfy the cupidity of the chiefs; they had a cargo to exchange for the produce of the land; and although they showed themselves invariably great knaves, the rude islanders obtained by their means what they could not otherwise have procured. With the utmost regret they saw the arrival of the Portuguese, a na- tion more civilized than themselves, who could enter with them into competition, and were powerful enough to drive them out of the market. The Chinese government took no notice of the extent of national commerce; the mandarins thought it below their dignity, as it brought the inhabitants of the celestial empire into closer contact with barbarians. Foreign trade has often been suppressed on this account by the paternal government, but the Chinese merchants. have always found means to evade the vigilance of their rulers. We might have thought that islands, like Luzon and the Phillippine group, would have drawn the attention of the Chinese conquerors, but they never ventured to ex- Uor M 98 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE tend their sway to so great a distance. Several ambassa- dors, sent by the Luzon princes, arrived at Peking long be- fore the Spaniards touched upon their coasts; but the Chi- nese government merely inquired at what point of the com- pass their country lay, and admired the beasts and birds which the foreigners brought. But though government felt disinclined to second the efforts of discovery, it would have been well had they encouraged the enterprises of their sub- jects, and protected them in their distant voyages. But when the Phillippines were occupied by the Spaniards, a faint complaint was uttered; the barbarians were decried as fierce aggressors, and here the matter ended. We might have expected that the Chinese, having found their way to Acheen, would very soon have penetrated into the western coast of Africa; but their vessels are ill adapt- ed for long voyages; for though they have a double hulk, which saves the trouble of coppering, the seams being caulked with oakum, and the bottom paved with dammar and quick-lime, their rudders are too large to withstand a heavy sea. When we view the mainsail of a junk, all in one, made of rattan and matting, with a running rigging, we are apt to wonder how the wind can propel the huge fabric by means of such an unmanageable sail. There stands the mainmast, an immense spar, whilst the fore and mizzen- masts are mere sticks. Built without keel or cut-water, perfectly flat, and nearly of the same breadth a-head and a-stern, with only one deck, and an immense hold, this cu- rious structure floats heavily upon the water, and labors hard in a cross sea. If the art of the navigators had pro- vided against accidents, we might forgive the Chinese the blunder of building a vessel in the form of a shoe; but they possess neither charts nor a log-line, spy-glass, nor quad- rant; their only instruments are the compass, which is di- vided into twenty-four parts, and a lead-line. Like the old Phoenicians, they steer along the coast; as soon as they WITH CHINA. 99 have described certain head-lands they are at home, and take a new departure, till they have reached the harbor of their destination. The structure of their vessels, almost as ancient as the ark, has remained the same; we admire the primitive simplicity of this nation, and pity their backward- ness in improvements. If any vessels resemble the Noachic ark, we think the Chinese Keang-nan junk must be the nearest imitation of the antediluvian model. But notwith- standing these great disadvantages, they trade to every corner of the Chinese coast. No country in Asia has so many fine harbors, inlets, and rivers as China, and no where have the natives so well made use of these natural advan- tages. One is sure to find on the Canton, Fuh-këen, Che- këang, Shan-tung, and Leaou-tung coasts, at every ten or twenty miles, a harbor, and to see numcious junks plying between them. The coast of Formosa, though dangerous. on account of its shoals, swarms with Chinese vessels of va- rious tonnage. Hae-nan numbers many small craft; and the seas toward the southern part of Keang-nan are cover- ed with large fishing-smacks. The Chinese are a mercan- tile nation in defiance of their government, which only in- culcates and promotes agriculture. When the inroads of the Mantchoo Tatars forced many a peaceful Chinese from his abode, they fled to those pro- vinces which were still in possession of the Ming dynasty. But the victorious sons of Shun-che and Kang-he forced the mal-contents to flee altogether from the country; a great number of Fuh-keen men preferred death to an ignominious subjection to the Tatars, and fixed their new abodes upon the islands and promontories of the Indian Archipelago, principally Luzon, Java, and the Malay peninsula. When the fermentation had subsided, their countrymen visited them with large junks, richly laden with teas, gilt paper, China-ware, sweetmeats, silks, &c. articles which were in- dispensably necessary to their countrymen, and which found Dor M 100 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE a ready sale amongst the European settlers. Both the trade and emigration have since then continued to be carried on successfully; many thousands have left their native homes to return no more. The greater part of the colonists came from the eastern parts of Canton-Chaou-choo-foo (or Teo- chew-hoo); from the southern districts of Fuh-keën, Tung- gan, (Tang-öa,) Tsëuen-choo, and Chang-choo, and in com- paratively small numbers from the environs of the provincial city of Canton. The Fuh-keen men have by their superior genius engrossed a great deal of the trade in the Indian Ar- chipelago, and established large houses at the principal em- poriums. They are very enterprising, and as honest as a Chinese can possibly be. The establishment of the British colonies of Penang and Singapore, has drawn a great many Shang-hae in Keang-soo, from Ning-po in Chë-keang, from Chinese thither. They sail in January or February from Amuy, in Fuh-keën, from Tching-hae, and the provincial capital of Canton, with large junks, toward the southern parts, bringing with them several thousand colonists. Here they stay till the monsoon has changed, traffic and loiter about, and gather the money which the settlers are sending home. Richly laden, they return, and seldom fail to make a considerable profit, especially if they have many passen- gers, who invest their hard earned money in Indian pro- duce. Europeans are astonished to find upon almost every small island, which is inhabited by Malays, some Chinese, the soul of the population. They have even gone so far as to found a republic, ruled by the elders of their respective clans, in the interior of Borneo, and in the neighborhood of Pon- tianak, a Dutch settlement. The independent Malay princes invariably employ them as their pursers, merchants, and counselors. They intermarry with the native women, be- cause it is prohibited to take their wives with them, and a mongrel race of Chinese has sprung up, which only in WITH CHINA. 101 knavery excel their progenitors. But they scarcely ever amalgamate with the nations amongst whom they live, if we except the settlers in Siam, whose great advantage it is to conform to Siamese customs. At the arrival of emigrants, the Chinese clansmen and merchants assemble, every one of them has his friend or relation to salute; those who are friendless hire themselves to pay their passage-money by the work of their hands. If they are industrious, they very soon gain as much as to get a suit of new clothes, for they arrive almost naked; they accumulate a few dollars, begin to trade with fruits, earth-nuts, &c. in a short time they hire a small shop, and thus they get on gradually, till they can make con- siderable remittances to their friends at home, whom they seldom forget. They will rather starve themselves than suffer their parents in China to be without the means of sub- sistence; they will toil day and night to have a few dollars ready toward the time of the junks' sailing. But others. get rich. After having been famished on board the junks, where they live upon very slender fare, they fall ravenously upon the Indian fruits, cram their mouth full of rice, till their constitution begins to fail. They are the outcasts, and generally die a miserable death, without any friendly hand being stretched out to assist them in their last moments. Others give themselves up to gambling and opium-smoking, lose all zest for work, become thieves and vagabonds, and end their lives in extreme misery. There are several dangerous associations amongst them, of which the principal object consists in doing as much wickedness as is practicable by joint co-operation. They have of late so much prevailed that very few new comers have escaped their snares, but have been forced to enter their fraternity. Those who refuse to abet their horrid crimes are persecuted and oppressed, and must seek their safety in flight. The reader who wishes to make himself acquainted with VOL. II. 9 102 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE the early intercourse of the Chinese with foreigners, ought to read the Tung-se-yang-kaou, Examiner of the Eastern and Western seas, a very curious work, published some cen- turies ago in eight volumes. The intercourse between the Chinese and the Roman empire must have been carried on at a very early period. Whether we might recognize the latter under the Chinese name of Fuh-lin, or Ta-tsing, of which the Chinese give us a splendid description, without pointing out the situation of this empire, matters very little; Rome stood in want of silk, silk was only brought from China, and therefore some com- mercial relation must have existed. Virgil is the most ancient writer who expressly men- tions the "soft wool" which was combed from the trees of the Seres, or Chinese. Pliny condemns the thirst of gain, which explored the utmost boundaries of the earth for the mere purpose of procuring a slight texture. The use of silk, which was interwoven by Phenician women with flax- en thread, was, during two centuries, confined to the Roman ladies, but in an effeminate age, this precious stuff, of which one pound sold for 12 ounces of gold, was worn by Roman citizens. Silk was immediately delivered to the Romans who visited the fairs of Armenia and Nisibin. But the continual wars between the Romans and Persians put a stop to this traffic. The cities of Samarkand and Bokhara were advantageously situated to serve as an emporium between. the eastern and western world. The Sogdian caravans traveled through the wilderness of Kobi, till they reach Shen-se. Up to this day this tour is performed, but the gain in these adventures is less. To escape the Tatar rob- bers, and to explore a better road, which might exempt the merchants from the heavy exactions of the Persian tyrant, they traveled over Tibet, and came down either the Ganges or the Indus, where they awaited in the ports of Guzerat and Malabar the annual fleets of the west. A more expe- WITH CHINA. 103 ditious way of trading was pursued by the Chinese, by re- pairing their vessels to Ceylon, an island well known by their geographers under the name of Seih-lan, or Kun-lun (see a Chinese directory published by an admiral.) Here they found protection, and a ready sale for their goods, for the merchants from the gulf of Persia crowded thither. But a stop was put to this lucrative trade by the ingenuity of two Persian monks, Nestorians by profession, who had long re- sided in China, and narrowly examined the manufacture of silk. They returned to Constantinople, gained the patron- age of the emperor, re-entered China, and carried away a great number of eggs in a hollow cane. The eggs were hatched at a proper season by the aid of dung, the worms were fed with mulberry leaves, they lived and spun, and China was deprived of this great branch of income. This happened under the celebrated Justinian. A few years afterward an ambassador from Sogdia visited Constantino- ple, he saw the Roman silk, and acknowledged that the Romans were not inferior in the art of getting the silk from the worm. This circumstance must have greatly diminish- ed the intercourse between the Chinese and foreigners. There are still some faint traces of their sending goods by way of the Caspian. We do not doubt that the ships which went to the Persian Gulf from the Red Sea had immediate intercourse with the Chinese traders, but we cannot trace the routes by which they carried it on. It cannot have ex- tended far, otherwise China might have drawn the attention of the ancient world, and roused the ambition of a con- queror. MOHAMMEDANS. Upon the ruin of one nation another rises with youthful vigor, and prosecutes the objects which the vanquished power was forced to abandon. The Roman empire, re- 104 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE duced to the eastern provinces, saw a fanatic issue from the south, perhaps the only southern conqueror who ever over- came the nations of the north, leading a band of vagrant Arabs into the field, who had nothing to lose, but every thing to gain. Animated by religious fanaticism, they con- quered the best provinces of the Byzantine empire, and es- tablished themselves at Alexandria, then the emporium of the world. A nation like the Arabs were very soon reclaim- ed, by their spiritual and temporal head, the Kaliph, from barbarism. They extended their conquests, their religion, their discoveries, and their commerce; they improved upon the sciences they had found amongst their vanquished foes, and were more enterprising in their maratime exploits even than the renowned Greeks ;-they found their way to China. Mohammedanism, however, had previously penetrated thith- er through Bukharia, though we are left entirely in the dark about the mode in which it was introduced. We can easily believe that the first propagators of this new doctrine set no bounds to their zeal, and penetrated the dreary deserts which separate China from the western world. It is also possible that some Tatars joined in the wars which was fought in Persia to establish this creed, and turned converts to a faith which was so congenial to their roving habits and thirst af- ter rapine. Some historians assert that their creed was pro- pagated as early as the seventh century of our era, during the reign of the Tang dynasty. But their religion has never made great progress. They are said to buy children in or- der to increase their numbers; but the generality of the vo- taries are very poor, and have scarcely sufficient to maintain themselves, still less to purchase or support foundlings. They have several mosques in Che-keang, Pi-chi-le, Shen- se, and Shan-se. As they have occasionally joined the rebels of Turkestan, the government views them with a jealous eye; but nevertheless, there are some officers in high trust, who have adopted this creed. Notwithstanding WITH CHINA. 105 the great distance they live from the native country of their prophet, a few individuals annually perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, and return with Arabic manuscripts of the Koran, and wonderful tales about the grave of Mohammed. They have their own literature, Chinese, interspersed with a few Arabian characters. Some of them can read the Arabic im- perfectly, and perhaps repeat the first Sura. But they are by no means bigoted, or proselytizing, or scrupulous in per- forming the ancestorial rites, and venerating Confucius. The account we have of the trade which the Mohamme- dans carried on with China, is from the relation of the voy- ages of two Arabian travelers who visited the country in the ninth century, which Renaudot has given to the world. They remark: "Most of the Chinese ships take in their cargo at Siraf, where also they ship their goods which come from Bassora, and other ports; and this they do, because in this sea there are frequent storms and shoal water in many places. When ships have loaded in Siraf they water there also, and from thence make sail for a place called Maskat. From this port ships take their departure for the Indies, and first they touch at Kau-cammali; and from Maskat to this place is a month's sail with the wind aft. Kau-cammali is a frontier place, and the chief arsenal in the province of the same name; and here the Chinese ships put in and are in safety. Having watered, they begin to enter the sea of Harkand; they sail through it, and touch at a place called Lajabalus, where the inhabitants do not under- stand the Arabic, nor any other language in use with mer- chants. From this place the ships steer toward Kalabar, the name of a place and kingdom on the coast, to the right hand beyond India. In ten days after this, ships reach a place called Betuma, where they may water. It is worth no- tice that in all the islands and peninsulas of the Indies they find water when they dig for it. In ten days from the last mentioned place they arrive at Senef; here is fresh water, 9* 106 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE and hence comes the aromatic wood. Having watered at this place, it is ten days' passage to Sandarfulat, an island where there is fresh water. Then they steer upon the sea of Sanji, and so to the gates of China; for so they call cer- tain rocks and shoals in the sea, between which is a narrow strait through which ships pass. It requires a month to sail from Sandarfulat to China, and it takes up eight whole days to steer clear of these rocks. When a ship has got through these gates, she goes with the flood tide into a fresh water gulf, and drops anchor in the chief port of China, Kanfu, and here they have fresh water both from springs and rivers, as they have also in most of the other ports in China." We have given this at full length, in order to furnish to the read- er an idea of the tedious passages which were made at this time. Kanfu is, perhaps, Kwang-chow-foo, Canton; but some think that it was a port to the west of Canton, which now no longer exists. These Arabs do not inform us about the origin of this trade. It is very likely that some Arabs first made the voy- age in a Chinese junk, and afterward piloted their country- men to Kan-fu. "When merchants enter China by sea, the Chinese seize on their cargo and convey it to warehouses; and so put a stop to their business for six months, till the last merchant- man arrives. Then they take thirty per cent. upon each com- modity, and return the rest to the merchant. If the emperor wants any particular thing, his officers have a right to take it preferably to any other person whatsoever, and paying for it to the utmost penny it is valued at, they despatch his busi- ness immediately, and without injustice." They speak of some great revolution, which affected the trade considerably. An officer named Bai-chu, not of royal extraction, joined to his banner vagabonds and abandoned wretches, and marched against Kan-fu. "This city," our travelers say, "is one of the most celebrated in China, and WITH CHINA. 107 was at that time the port for all the Arabian merchants; si- tuated at some distance from the sea, so that the water is fresh. This rebel at last became master of the city, and put all the inhabitants to the sword, A. D. 887. There perished on this occasion 120,000 Mohammedans, Jews, Christians, and Parsees, who were there on account of traffic. The mul- berry trees were cut down, and the silk trade began to stag- nate. The whole empire was thrown into a state of anarchy. There arose many unjust dealings with the merchants who traded thither; which having gathered the force of a prece- dent, there was no grievance, no treatment so bad but they exercised it upon the foreign Arabs and the masters of ships. They extorted from the merchants what was not due; they seized upon their effects, and behaved toward them contra- ry to all established law. But God punished them by with- drawing his blessing from them in every respect, and by causing the navigation to be forsaken, and the merchants to return in crowds to Siraf and Oman, pursuant to the infalli- ble orders of the Almighty Master, whose name be blessed.” We must make a few more extracts. They state that "the Chinese coin no money beside the little pieces of copper like those we call falus; nor will they allow gold and silver to be wrought into specie, like the dinars and dirhems that are current with us. For, say they, if a thief goes with an evil intent into the house of an Arab where is gold and sil- ver coin, he may carry off 10,000 pieces of gold, and not be much burdened therewith, and so be the ruin of that man who should suffer the loss. Whereas, if a thief has the same design upon the house of a Chinese artificer, he cannot, at most, take away 10,000 falus, or pieces of copper, which do not make ten miticals, or dinars, of gold." There was formerly a man of the tribe of Koreish, whose name was Ebn Wahab. He went to the emperor's court, and sent several petitions to acquaint his majesty that he belonged to the family of the prophet of the Arabs. He ob- 108 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE tained finally an audience; and the emperor asked him how they had destroyed the kingdom of the Persians. Upon this, Ebn Wahab answered, that they did it by the assistance of God, because the Persians were involved in idolatry, ador- ing the stars, sun, and moon, instead of worshipping the true God. After some further conversation, the emperor turned toward the interpreter and said: "Tell him we es- teem but five kings: he whose kingdom is of the widest ex- tent is the same who is master of Irak; for he is in the midst of the world, and surrounded by the territories of other kings and we find that he is called the king of kings. After him, we reckon our emperor here present; and we find that he is styled the king of mankind; for no other king is invested with more absolute power and authority over his subjects; nor is there a people under the sun more dutiful and submissive to their sovereign than the people of this country. We therefore, in this respect, are the kings of After us is the king of the Turks, whose kingdom borders upon us; and him we call the king of lions. Next, the king of elephants; the same is the king of the Indies, whom we also call the king of wisdom, because he derives his origin from the Indians. And, last of all, the king of Greece, whom we style the king of men; for, upon the whole earth there are no men of better manners, nor of comlier presence, than his subjects. These,” added he, are the most illustrious of all kings; nor are the others to be compared with them." We question very much the vera- city of this whole conversation, but think the principal lead- ing points may be according to truth. The emperor then showed his visiter the images of the prophets; and finally, the image of Mohammed, riding upon a camel. At the sight of which he wept; and being asked the cause, he exclaim- ed: "There is our prophet and our lord, who is also my cousin." Ebn Wahab describes the magnificence of Hum- dan, the capital, which, he says, is two months distant from men. 66 WITH CHINA. 109 Kan-fu. As an instance of the justice where with all matters were treated, our travelers mention an Arab merchant, who, being oppressed by some eunuch, the intimate confidant of the emperor, went to the monarch to lay his case before him. Though he was a favorite, the emperor rebuked him very sharply, saying: "I grant thee thy life, in considera- tion of thy former services in the rank thou holdest in my house; but I will confer upon thee a command among the dead, as thou hast not been able to acquit thyself of thy duty which thou holdest over the living." They praise the uprightness and impartiality of the learned. Chinese judges, who devoted their whole lives to the study of the law. They are greatly taken with the ingenuity of the Chinese in all arts and sciences. Whilst they consider the nation as the only wise one on earth, they speak in terms of abhorrence of their idols and vices. It is their opinion that "the emperor reserves to himself the revenues which arise from the salt mines, and from a certain herb, which they drink with hot water, and of which great quantities are sold in all the cities to the amount of great sums; they call it sah, and it is a shrub more bushy than the pomegranate tree, and of a more pleasing smell, but it has a kind of bitterness with it. Their way is to boil the water, which they pour upon this leaf, and this drink cures all sorts of diseases. Whatever sums are lodged in the treasury arise from the poll-tax, the duties upon salt, and upon this leaf." They speak with the utmost contempt of the vices so prevalent to this day in China. "There are schools in every town for teaching the poor and their children to write and read; the masters are paid at the public charge. The Chinese have no sciences, and their religion and most of their laws are de- rived from the Indians; nay, they are of opinion that the In- dians taught them the worship of idols, and consider them a very religious nation. The Chinese are more handsome than the Indians. They wear long garments and girdles in 110 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE form of belts, dress in silk summer and winter; and the wo men curl their jet hair," which the travelers greatly admire. On the whole, these accounts are as correct as we could expect from the scantiness of the writer's information. We regret that we are unable to give a fuller account of the Ara- bian trade; but it was, perhaps, never carried on to any great extent, and perhaps frequently interrupted. During the time of the Crusades, the western nations came in closer contact with the eastern tribes. Venice and Genoa fought for the sovereignty of the sea, but their com- mercial expeditions were bounded by the Euxine and Alex- andria. We admire the enterprising Marco Polo, who pene- trated to the farthest regions of the continent of Asia. "It should be known to the reader," thus he begins the relation of his adventures," that during the time when Bald- win II. was emperor of Constantinople, in 1250, Nicolo Polo, the father of Marco, and Maffio, the brother of Nicolo, Venetians of a noble family, arrived at that city with a rich cargo of merchandise." They afterward prosecuted their voyage by the Euxine, and arrived at Soldaia (Sudak.) From this port they traveled over land till they reached the court of Barka, (Bereké,) a grandson of the great Genghis, who received them very kindly, and furthered their object. Prevented from returning homeward by the war which had broken out, they prolonged their stay within his territories, till they fell in with an ambassador proceeding to the court of Kublai, the grand khan of Khatai. He was highly pleased with these foreigners, and invited them to accompany him. Convinced that their return would expose them to imminent risks, they gladly accepted the offer, and recommending them- selves to the protection of the Almighty, they set out on their journey. But the deep snows and the swelling of the rivers delayed them for a whole year, before they were able to reach the capital. The course they took was between the north and the northeast. They had thus an opportunity of seeing WITH CHINA. 111 the greater part of those countries which separate China from Europe. Having visited Kashgar, Samarkand, and other places, which are minutely described, and undergone the toils of a tour through the wilderness, they finally ar- rived in Shense, and found their way to Kambalu (Peking.) The grand khan, delighted with the sight of these strangers, received them with great affability and condescension, freely conversing with them upon the affairs of Europe, the state of the church, and the health of his holiness the Pope. After many interviews with the great monarch, they were com- missioned to bring back a hundred missionaries. Three years elapsed before they could reach Giazza, a port in Lesser Armenia. They finally arrived in Acre in 1269. Their communications astonished the new-chosen Pope, who immediately despatched them, to answer the wishes of the great khan. They entered upon their journey in 1272; their road was beset with dangers, but being men of great determination, they overcame them all. Marco Polo, who has given us the description, was one of the party. Their progress was tedious; they were three years and a half on their way before they reached Kle-men-fu, a magnificent city, where the monarch at that time kept his court. When his majesty heard of their approach, he sent his people to meet them, and issued orders to prepare for their reception in the places they had to pass. By these means, and through the blessing of God, they were conveyed in safety to the royal court. The emperor, aware of their talents, used them in various enterprises, of which the management required a great deal of skill. After having amassed considerable riches, they felt a great desire to return home. Nicolo Polo accordingly took an opportunity one day, when he observed the emperor more cheerful than usual, of throwing himself at his feet, and soliciting, on behalf of himself and his family, to be indulged with his majesty's gracious permission for their departure. The emperor refused their request. 112 FOREIGN INTERCOURSE In the year 1287, Bolgana, queen of Persia, and the wife of Arghun, died. In accordance with her dying request, Arghun applied to Kublai, his relation, to receive from his hand a maiden to wife from among the relations of his de- ceased spouse. The emperor gladly complied with the request, and chose a damsel of seventeen years old for this purpose. But fresh wars had broken out, and the mission was compelled to retrace its steps to China, after many fruitless attempts to penetrate Tatary. In the meanwhile Marco Polo returned from a successful voyage to the Indian Archipelago. It was now proposed to send the queen by sea, Marco having made himself thoroughly acquainted with the navigation of the Archipelago. By these means Kublai was with difficulty induced to let the Italians depart. Fourteen ships were therefore equipped, each having four masts, and capable of carrying nine sails. The khan pre- sented the Italians with many rubies and other valuable jewels, furnished the ship with provisions for two years, gave them a golden tablet, which contained the order for their having free and safe conduct throughout his dominions, and gave them authority to act in the capacity of his am- bassadors to the Pope, the kings of France and Spain, and other Christian princes. After a navigation of three months, they arrived at an island which lay in a southern direction, named Java; from whence they employed eighteen months in searching the place of their destination. In this time a great number of the crew had died, and when they reached the place, Arghun himself, for whom the bride was destined, had departed this life. They delivered her therefore to the son of the deceased; and the Italians now set out under a strong escort, on their return home. On their way they learned that the great Kublai had died, and therefore aban- doned all thoughts of revisiting China. Loaded with riches, they in 1295 arrived at Venice, after many adventures. On this occasion they offered up their thanks to God, who had WITH CHINA. 113 been pleased to relieve them from such great fatigues, after having preserved them from innumerable perils. Marco Polo is an accurate observer; his book is replete with the best information upon western Tatary and China. He him- self traversed several provinces of the celestial empire. He describes the Mongols as a brave people, who obey their chiefs implicitly, and are excellent warriors. Many of the places he visited on his tour are now forgotten, and no more to be found; others have sunk into insignificance; but the throne of the great khan, though in possession of a different family, still exists. Our author describes the exploits of Kublai, his great patron, in glowing language; his grandeur, the magnificence of his court, his constant application to business, rouse his admiration to a high pitch. His house had 10,000 inmates; all his court was splendor; his go- vernment a pattern of good order. There has been no monarch so great as Kublai. It is only to be regretted that Marco Polo's discoveries were not followed up as they ought to have been; but Europe was in a dormant state, involved in broils, enslaved by popery, without arts or sci- ences; and when it was again reclaimed from the barba- rism of the middle ages, Russia, a country inhabited by semi-barbarians, and Persia, the seat of a Mohammedan power, opposed unconquerable obstacles to the accomplish- ment of the objects of a scientific traveler; but the road to India and China was opened by a less obstructed way. VOL. II. 10 CHAPTER XXL EMPORIUMS. BEFORE entering into an account of the modern inter- course of European nations with China, it is necessary to furnish some general outlines of the places which European merchants visited, to familiarise the reader with the field of their enterprise. CANTON, Kwang-chow-foo, called also by the natives Sang-ching, is situated in 23° 7' 10', N. lat. and in long. 113° 14′ 30″ east of Greenwich, on the Choo-keang, Pearl river. It is surrounded by canals, branches of rivers, rice fields, and towering, barren hills. It is a very ancient city, and is said to have existed at the time of Yaou, who commanded one of his ministers to repair to Nan-keaou, which is also called Ming-too,-the splendid capital. The territory which now bears the name of Kwang-tung (Can- ton) province, was then called Yue, and constituted the principality of Yang. During the reign of the Shang dy- nasty, the princes sent tribute to the son of heaven. About 630, B. c. the prince of Tsoo subjected the southern barba- rians to his sway, to prevent their being troublesome.. The provincial city bore then the name of Nan-woo-ching; it was surrounded by a bamboo stockade, and of narrow dimensions. Posssibly, however, the situation of the place. has changed according to circumstances. We are told that five genii riding upon rams, met at the city, each ram bear- ing a stalk of grain in his mouth which had six ears. The genii, after having addressed the people with a couplet which said, May famine and dearth never visit your mar- ket,” disappeared, and the rams were changed into stone. A temple still exists, commemorative of this strange event. Che-kwang-te carried his victorious arms toward the (6 EMPORIUMS. 115 south. Canton was then called Nan-hae-southern sea. Half a million of imperial soldiers met with firm resistance from the barbarians, who starved a part of the army and slew the remainder. But these rebellious tribes submitted to the Han dynasty. It was during this time that the first foreign- ers arrived in China by sea. During the reign of Woo-te, of the Chin dynasty, the Canton people sent a piece of fine cloth as tribute to the emperor; but the prince was so dis- pleased with this luxury that he rejected it disdainfully, and issued his prohibition, never again to send him such com- modities, or to manufacture any more. In the year 700, during the reign of the Tang dynasty, a regular market for foreign commodities was opened at Canton, and an impe- rial commissioner appointed to receive the customs. The Chinese monarchs had long felt the inconvenience of com- municating with this distant territory, and therefore they cut a pass through the Mei-ling mountains as early as 707. After 795, the foreign merchants, who had hitherto traded to Canton, repaired to Cochin-China, on account of the great extortions at the former place, and the unsettled state of the country. The ministers did not regret this great change; but the emperor was of a different opinion. "Multitudes of trad- ing vessels," (these were the words of his advisers,) “have heretofore flocked to Canton; if they have all deserted it, and repaired to Cochin-China, it must either have been from ex- tortion's being unsupportable, or from failure in affording proper inducements. When a gem spoils in its case, who is to blame but the keeper of it? If the pearl be fled to other regions, how is it to be propelled back again. The Shoo- king says, Do not prize too much, strange commodities, and foreigners will come.'" 6 Canton was afterward attacked by the Cochin-Chinese, 879. The inhabitants suffered exceedingly during the pro- tracted siege, but a public-spirited individual made large junks, and brought grain from Fuh-keën, and thus relieved the wants of his starving countrymen. 116 EMPORIUMS. When the Tang dynasty became extinct, China fëll again into a state of anarchy; but the faithful Canton vassals con- tinued to send their tribute to the ephemeral emperors who sat upon the throne; it amounted to five millions of taēls, and the generous vassal Lew-yen, was rewarded with the title of Nan-hae-wang-king of the Southern sea. But this was nothing new, for during the reign of the Kaou-te, of the Han dynasty, a petty chief declared himself king, under the name of Nan-woo-Southern Warrior. So large a tribute, consisting in gold and ivory, and other precious articles, argues in favor of an extensive trade; for Canton does not possess these articles as indigenous, nor would the people have been able to furnish them, if commerce had not pro- vided them with the means: the court in Canton, in those days, is represented as cruel and extravagant. Criminals were boiled and roasted, flayed and speared, and sent to fight with tigers and elephants. It was found necessary to prohibit the people from offering human sacrifices to the de- mons. Witches and wizards traversed and disturbed the land; the people were worse than savages; the Sung dy- nasty bestowed paternal care on their southern subjects; the continual feuds with Cochin-China were prohibited; and to protect the city against their depredations, government built a wall and armed it, which cost 30,000 taëls. When the Mongol Tatars invaded China, they laid waste the southern parts, killed the inhabitants, and prevented the trade from being carried on as before. But in 1300, nume- rous ships again flocked to this renowned harbor, and the trade flourished until 1500, when the Canton pirates, joining the Japanese, committed great depredations on the coasts. There were constant insurrections during the decline of the Ming dynasty; Canton was greatly disturbed by continual. insurrection. The flame of discord blazed awhile, till the rising Tatar family extinguished it for ever, and introduced a never-ending tranquillity," according to the expression EMPORIUMS. 117 of Chinese patriots. But before this result could be pro- duced, the Tatars had to besiege the city, which was faithful to a prince of the Ming dynasty who had proclaimed himself emperor. They opened a heavy fire upon the walls, and after having made breaches, took it by assault in 1650, plundered and massacred the peaceful inhabitants. The general war-cry was "kill, kill these barbarous rebels ;" neither sex nor age was spared; all the inhabitants shared in this dreadful fate. Some writers affirm that 700,000 people suffered death. After the Tatars had finished the work of carnage, they took up their quarters in the old city, where they still continue to reside, whilst the civil officers repaired to the new city. Lawless bands of robbers for a long while disturbed the peace of the inhabitants; there are even now numerous banditti who often commit great ravages upon the defenceless inhabitants. The trade and wealth, however, since the reign of the Ta-tsing dynasty has greatly increased, and becomes every year more flourishing. A great calamity befel the city in 1822. A fire broke out to the northward of the European factories. The streets being very narrow, it gained ground rapidly upon the wooden houses. Instead of extinguishing the flames, the natives were only intent upon their own safety and that of their pro- perty, whilst escorted by men with drawn swords and knives. The British chief sent a memorial to the mandarins, request- ing them to pull down the adjoining houses, in order to stop the ravages of the spreading flame. But this request was not complied with, because it was not sealed with the seal of of- fice. Soon afterward the European factories caught fire, and were almost all burnt down. The loss of the East India Company was very great. Many lives were lost, robbers paraded the streets in search of prey, the confusion was general. Several incendiaries were decapitated by orders of government. Between seventy and ninety streets were laid in ashes, and between 13,000 and 14,000 houses utterly 10* 118 EMPORIUMS. burnt down. The treasuries of most of the factories were attacked by the Chinese during the second night of the fire, but the robbers were not successful in finding much cash. The local magistrates were dismissed from their office on account of mismanagement. The governor himself was horror-struck, and is said to have disrobed himself, put off his official cap and boots, and thrown them into the flames. That portion of the city which is surrounded by a wall nearly in the form of a square, is divided into two parts by a wall running from east to west. The northern, which is much the largest part, is called the old city; the southern is called the new city. The whole circumference can be cir- cumambulated at a quick pace within two hours. These walls are made of stone and brick, with a line of battlements and embrasures at the distance of a few feet: sixteen gates lead to the city. The suburbs are fully as large as the city itself; on the west, they spread out nearly in the form of an isosceles right-angled triangle, opening to the north-west, having the river on the south, and the western wall of the city for its two equal sides. On the south they occupy the whole space between the wall and the river. The European factories are outside of the city walls, on the banks of the river in the suburbs. They are thirteen in number, and run nearly east and west: beginning at the east, the 1st is E-wo- hong, the Greek factory; 2. Tseik-e-hong, the Dutch fac- tory; 3. Pow-wo-hong, the British (Company's) factory; 4. Fung-tae-hong, the Chow-chow factory; 5. Lung-shun- hong, the Old English factory; 6. Suy-hong, the Swedish factory; 7. Ma-yin-hong, the Imperial factory; 8. Pow- shun-hong; 9. Kwong-une-hong, the American factory; 10. Chung-wo-hong, which is occupied by a Hong mer- chant; 11. Kwa-kung-hong, the French factory; 12. Luy- sung-hong, the Spanish factory; 13. Wong-ke-hong, the Danish factory. They are, without doubt, the most elegant buildings in the empire, though an European might find fault EMPORIUMS. 119 with them, and view the factory comforts with contempt. The company has a small garden in front of their houg; se- veral factories have terraces upon the roofs; the most stately rooms are the apartments of the Company. There are about 600 streets in Canton, most of them narrow and crooked, and none at all to be compared with the Old and New China streets, near the factories; few of the houses are splendid, the laws of the celestial empire forbidding luxury in this branch. The dwellings of the poor are exceedingly crowded; but even in the houses of the wealthy, if we ex- cept the abodes of a few Hong merchants, there is no real comfort. The Governor's palace, a very spacious building, stands near the Yew-lan gate: he has very great power, and rules over two provinces, Kwang-tung and Kwang-se, though his proper seat is Shaou-king-foo, about one hun- dred miles west of this city: he generally resides in Can- ton. In Canton, as well as in any other Chinese metro- polis, a hall is dedicated to heaven's son, (the emperor,) whither the officers repair on great festivals, and worship kis absent majesty. We are strongly reminded of the pa- gan Roman emperors, who had incense burnt before their statues. In China an altar is erected with the inscription Wan-suy-yah, "Lord of ten thousand years!" and the priests of all sects read mass, burn incense, and prostrate themselves before the vain and pompous title of a man—a fellow-mortal. The public buildings and temples at Canton are very numerous; the Chinese, like the Greeks, consider elegant public buildings expressive of national prosperity, and bestow upon these establishments all possible care and money to render them tasteful and magnificent. We may smile at their notions of architecture, but they erect build- ings to the best of their ability and knowledge. The most extensive of these public edifices to which Europeans are allowed free access, is the temple of Honan, opposite the factories, on the other side of the river. A priest had built, 120 EMPORIUMS. on the spot where it now stands, a small temple, which he called the temple of ten thousand autumns, in honor of Buddha, when a commissioner of Kang-he arrived, and took up his quarters in this temple. Canton was not at this time entirely subjugated to the Tatar sway, and the commis- sioner, Ping-nan-wang, king of the subjugated south, came hither to exterminate the rebels. He saw here Ah-tsze, a fat priest, and remarked that if he had lived on vegetable diet he could not be so fat; he must be a hypocrite, and ought to be punished with death: drawing his sword to exe- cute the threat, his uplifted arm became on a sudden stiff. During the night a divine person appeared to him, who said, "Ah-tsze is a holy man; you must not unjustly kill him." On the next morning the king presented himself before Ah- tsze, confessed his crime, and his arm was immediately re- stored: from that moment he considered him his confessor, and waited on the priest as a servant. Thirteen of the surrounding villages, which had been devoted to destruc- tion on account of the refractory spirit of the inhabitants, were spared upon the intercession of the priest. The grati- tude of the poor was very great; they willingly offered in- cense and money to their generous protector, but their trifling contributions were greatly increased by the munifi- cence of the Tatar officers. There being no hall to celes- tial kings, the king took notice of this deficiency, and the priest replied, "Please your highness, a terrestrial king is the proper person to rear a pavilion to the celestial kings." The king took the hint, seized on a pool at the outer gate belong- ing to a rich man, and erected a pavilion in honor of the ce- lestial kings; so runs the story. The temple has been richly endowed by other individuals, so that 175 priests can find sufficient subsistence; but a high-priest, some years ago, embezzeled a great deal of money belonging to the temple, which in consequence is now poor. The buildings are chiefly of brick, and occupy, with the adjoining gardens, EMPORIUMS. 121 When entering the about seven or eight English acres. gate, one sees the statues of two deified warriors, colossal figures, placed to guard the entrance; then comes the pa- vilion of the four celestial kings; going farther up the broad well-paved pathway, we come to the great hall in the pre- sence of the three precious Buddhas—the past, the present, and the future—three colossal figures: behind this there are other halls, dedicated to the worship of gods and goddesses, equally gaudy, though not so large. There are, besides, other buildings, destined for the abodes of idols or their worship- pers. Near the garden there is a retreat for the king of Hades, Te-tseang-wang; and in the garden a mausoleum, where the ashes of the deceased priests are annually depo- sited. To show compassion toward the animal creation, the priests feed domestic animals, and amongst them some enormous pigs, till they die a natural death. This is to atone for the daily slaughter of so many pigs at Canton. L The mandarins, with whom Europeans communicate through the medium of the Hong merchants, are the Tsung- tuh, governor of the provinces Kwang-tung and Kwang- se; the Foo-yuen, lieutenant-governor; and the Hae-Kwan- keën-tuh, or Hoppo, the collector of customs. The latter has the full direction of foreign trade; but all matters of im- portance are communicated to the Tsung-tuh, who reports to the emperor, if the matter is worthy the imperial attention. There are besides the local officers whom we have already mentioned in the introductory remarks, as constituting the government of provinces and minor districts. The trade is transacted by a certain number of mer- chants, whom Europeans call Hong merchants; their num- ber varies; at present there are twelve houses who enjoy the privilege of trading with foreigners. When a ship enters the channel, an outside pilot goes on board. After having reported herself, and either touched at Macao or Lin-tin, she proceeds through the Bocca-tigris 122 EMPORIUMS. (Hoo-mun,) up the Choo-këang river, and anchors at Wham- poa, (Hwang-poo,) about fourteen miles below Canton. She engages a Hong merchant, who becomes a surety for the good behavior of the crew, and for the payment of the duties, and with whom, the greater part of the business is transacted. The cargo is reported, and the ship measured. The dimensions are taken from the mizen to the foremast for the length, and between the gangways for the breadth ; these two numbers multiplied together, and divided by ten, give the measurement in covids; and that quotient, multi- plied by the sum to be paid per covid, according to the ves- sel's size, gives the whole amount of the measurement charge. They divide all the vessels into three classes. Ves- sels of 160 covids pay taëls 7.874,755 dec¹s per covid; se- cond class, above 120, and under 160 covids, taëls .221,091 decls. per covid; third class, of 120 covids, taëls 3.062,341 dec's per covid. The cum-shaw, which includes port fees, presents, &c. amounts to about taëls 1.600,683 dec¹. Ships which have only rice on board are free from the mea- surement duties, and pay only 620 taëls in fees. There are besides, fees paid to the linguists, who transact some busi- ness, and to the copradors, who provide the ship with pro- visions, independent of any duties. All the custom-house officers, who are very numerous, live upon extortions, and are, without exception, venal. The Hoppo himself is inva- riably an imperial minion, who has to pay the emperor a very heavy fee for his office, and must in some way or ano- ther indemnify himself. As the Hong merchants are respon- sible for every thing, they get frequently into difficulties, and the Hoppo avails himself of such an opportunity to ex- tort money from them. They are not allowed to retire when they please, but have to buy this permission very dearly. In every emergency, whether it concerns the province or the empire, they are required to offer a patriotic gift, and are remunerated by nominal rank, or even a peacock's fea- EMPORIUMS. 125 ther, for their loyalty. If any one becomes bankrupt, and is found guilty of knavery, he is banished to Ele, and the other Hong merchants are required to pay his debts. To meet such occasional charges, the corporation has a general fund, arising from an additional duty upon certain articles. But the constant oppressions and exactions have reduced a great many of the present Hongs to a state of beggary, and it is very difficult to uphold their houses. Thus the trade is shackled; the duties are levied arbitrarily, and foreigners often engage in large dealings with outside merchants, who are not incorporated, and labor under fewer disadvantages. Nevertheless, business is transacted with very great exact- ness and despatch, and few instances of fraudulent dealings ever occur. The heavy duties and multifarious exactions have given rise to extensive smuggling. The mandarins themselves engage very largely in illicit trade, and send the government cruisers to carry prohibited or smuggled arti- cles. There is generally a considerable fleet of ships at Lin-tin, an island a few miles from the Bocca-tigris, which never enter the harbor, but carry on there a large smuggling trade. As it proves a source of considerable revenue to the local government, this illicit trade has been, as it were, le- galized, and every ship pays her fees to the mandarins, who send their servants to collect them. All the imperial prohi- bitions have proved ineffectual to put a stop to the evil, which is now grown enormous. Much more might be said upon the Canton trade, but it is foreign to our subject; we shall now briefly mention the places to which foreigners traded in former times, and where British ships lately have again endeavored to open a trade.* * See Dr. Morrison's Notices concerning China, and the Chinese Repository. 124 EMPORIUMS. FUH-KEEN PROVINCE. 1. Amuy, or Emoei, (Hëa-mun,) in lat. 24° 27′ 26″ N. long. 118° 10' 30", is situated on an island, with an excel- lent harbor, which admits ships of the greatest burden. Formerly great numbers of ships resorted to this emporium; but they were subject to heavy exactions, and finally forbid- den to repair thither. The native trade to the islands of the Indian Archipelago, Formosa, and all the emporiums of the maritime provinces, is very extensive. 2. Chin-chew, (Tseuen-choo,) in lat. 24° 36′ 12″ N. long. 118° 42′ 40″ E. is situated on a small river, with a bay full of shoals and banks, so that only small brigs can proceed to the city. 3. Hok-chew, (Fuh-choo-foo,) the capital of the province, near the Woo-e hills, from whence we receive our black teas, in lat. 26° 2′ 24″ N. long. 119° 20′ E. is situated on an arm of the Woo-lung-keang, called also Min river, which, ten miles below the city is navigable. The entrance is ra- ther intricate, there being only three feet at low water over the bar, and several shoals and rocks in the track; but in- side there is an excellent anchorage. The city is fully as large as Canton, and carries on a brisk trade in timber, teas, and tobacco. The Dutch traded here formerly, and a Bri- tish ship, in 1832, did some business, though prohibited. to trade. FORMOSA, (TAE-WAN.) This island has only one good harbor, as far as our know- ledge extends. All along the west coast extensive shoals prevent the near approach of ships. At Tae-wan-foo, where the ruins of the Dutch fort, Zelandia, are still visible, the Fuh-keen men carry on a large trade. This is also the case EMPORIUMS. 125 at Lo-kang, (Luh-keang,) Tam-suy, (Tan-shwuy,) and Ke- lang, (Ke-lung.) On the north side, in lat 23° 16' 48" N. long. 121° 29′ 30″, there is a very good harbor. Spaniards, Dutch, and British ships formerly traded here; and the lat ter have renewed their commerce at intervals. Sugar, rice, and camphor, are the staple articles of this island. CHE KEANG PROVINCE. Sik-po, (Shih-poo,) in lat. 29° 18' N. long. 121° 43′ E. with an excellent land-locked harbor. A British ship traded here in 1833. Chusan, (Chow-shan,) or Ting-hae-hëen, on the largest island of the numerous Chusan group, with an excellent harbor, in lat. 30° 26' N. long. 121° 56′ E. Here, as well as on the adjacent islands, a very large trade is carried on. There are many good harbors in the neighborhood, well sheltered, and with deep water. The Portuguese had here a large factory; the ruins of a British factory are said still to remain. Only lately a few ships have revisited these islands. Ning-po-foo, in lat. 29° 33′ 12" N. long. 121° 17′ E. on a creek. A very beautiful place; with an extensive trade in raw silks, silk piece-goods, and green teas. Both the Portuguese and English traded to this emporium. Those efforts which have latterly been made to renew the trade have not succeeded well. Ships cannot go up to the city, but anchor at Chin-hae, near the entrance to the creek. Chapo, (Cha-poo,) in lat. 30° 39' N. long. 120° 41′ E. the Chinese emporium for Japan, with a tolerable harbor. The Chinese permitted the Portuguese in former times to trade here; but the efforts of a British ship in 1833 to open a trade proved ineffectual. VOL. II. 11 126 EMPORIUMS. KEANG-SOO PROVINCE. Seang-hae, (Shang-hae-heën,) on the Woo-sung river; the entrance leads over an extensive bar, so that only ships which draw not above fourteen feet can go up to the city, which is in lat. 31° 9′ N. long. 121° 4' E. Perhaps the lar- gest emporium of the empire, where an extensive trade is carried on; yet the two British ships which visited this port in 1832 did scarcely any business. We pass over with silence Kaou-choo, in Shan-tung pro- vince; Teen-tsin, in Pih-chih-le; and Kin-choo and Kae- choo, in Leaou-tung; Yae-choo, on Hac-nan; with minor emporiums. For though the native trade in these harbors is very considerable, British enterprise has never overcome the obstacles to opening a trade on the coast of these provinces. We have hitherto been retrograding, not pro- gressing. TORTUGUESE. After the overthrow of the Byzantine empire in 1433, the communication with Eastern Asia was generally ob- structed by the unjust restrictions of the Turks. The Christian nations of Europe were therefore on the alert to discover another track of obtaining the commodities of the East. Portugal was then just rising into notice as a com- mercial nation; its princes and subjects pursued their dis- coveries till they had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at the Malabar coast, 1496. From thence their conquests kept pace with their discoveries. After having possessed themselves of the rich emporium of Malacca, whither many Chinese junks traded, they were tempted to go in search of the famous Kathai, the land of wonders, which the great Columbus had sought to reach by another route, EMPORIUMS. 127 with the most anxious desire. Raphaël Perestrello, there- fore, left Malacca with a junk, and arrived in China in 1516. He was successful in his voyage, and this gave rise to an expedition of greater importance. Fernao Peres de An- drade, who had eight vessels under his command, after having received orders from his sovereign to survey the ports of China, sailed for this country in the following year. The sight of eight large vessels, and the hardy features of the crew, struck the Chinese, who are always on such occa- sions conscious of their own weakness, with utter conster- nation. They were surrounded by a large imperial naval force; and only two ships, which had on board an envoy, T. Pires, sent by the viceroy of Goa, were permitted to pro- ceed from San-shan, (Sancian, or St. John's,) where the others remained at anchor to the provincial capital of Can- ton. We shall in the course of this history be under the painful necessity of relating many aggressions on the side of these new guests. The reader however must always remember, that the provoking system which the Chinese follow in their treatment of strangers, has often been the cause of bloodshed and reprisals. In Europe, where we are taught to consider the mandarins as patriarchs, ruling over a nation of beloved children, we can only ascribe every law- less act to the wantonness of our countrymen. But every one who is in the least conversant with the Chinese govern- ment, will have found that the mandarins always oppress foreigners, and extort money from them wherever this can be done with impunity. The Chinese merchants have a leaning toward impositions; the constitution of the empire rests upon the basis of excluding all foreign intercourse, and to restrict mercantile connexions with foreigners as much as possible, by vexatious and petty annoyances. Eu- ropeans who meet with such an anti-national reception, and suffer in their speculations by the heavy impositions, will frequently have recourse to violence, in order to get their 128 EMPORIUMS. grievances redressed. But if they had stopped here, we should find no reason to blame them for having used the only means left to them in order to succeed in their trade. But once convinced of the weakness of the Chinese go- vernment, they become aggressors in their turn, and embroil themselves with a nation which has nothing to oppose to downright violence but low cunning. After this general remark, we shall relate the events with impartiality, and leave it to the reader to draw his own conclusions. ton. Andrade had ingratiated himself with the naval command- er of the imperial fleet by liberal bribes. Money will effect every thing in China, and all tribunals and officers are un- locked by its magical influence. Pires, as an envoy from his master, came to conclude a commercial treaty with the emperor, and was friendly received by the governors at Can- But his journey to the court was deferred, for the im- perial council had not yet decided what measures to adopt. The late sultan of Malacca had arrived at Peking, acknow- ledging himself a vassal of the imperial empire, in order to obtain the countenance of the universal, political father, to reinstate him in his possessions, wrested from him by the Portuguese. This circumstance greatly injured the mis- sion. But Andrade, anxious to secure success to the trade, was unsparing in promises and bribes. He loaded several ves- sels and sent them back to Malacca. But whilst he was successfully negociating for the privileges of trade, he re- ceived news that his fleet had been attacked by pirates, and his people reduced by disease. Some of his vessels went with a Loo-choo junk to Fuh-keen, and from thence pro- ceeded to Ning-po, where they founded a settlement and carried on for a long time a lucrative trade. The elder Andrade had sailed, and his brother, like himself, always on the alert to effect his purpose, had established a settlement upon St. John's. Here he was attacked by the Chinese EMPORIUMS. 129 feet, and courage (a scarce commodity) failing the imperial commander, they made a regular blockade of Andrade's squadron, until he made his escape in 1521. He is accus- ed of having joined pirates, which was never proved, but his stubbornness is greatly exposed in a statement forwarded by the local government; the Portuguese are described as a nation which merely came to spy out the land, and after- ward to lay it waste with fire and sword. Pires had to wait three years, during which time he was treated with the utmost contempt, before he could effect his embassy. When arrived at Peking, he was compelled to worship a wall, behind which the emperor was said to be seated. Unhappily the emperor died, and his successor, Kea-tsing, wished to sacrifice the ambassador to the manes of the deceased monarch; but after submitting to the se- verest humiliations, the ambassador and his suite were per- mitted to return alive to Canton, under the strictest custody, as if they had been convicted felons. Andrade's measures had greatly contributed to bring on this disagreeable con- clusion. The Portuguese were ordered in haughty terms to restore Malacca to its rightful owner, and never more to appear in any Chinese harbor. They had been accused of horrible crimes, and it was hinted to them that their igno- rances of the laws of the celestial empire alone pleaded their exemption from undergoing capital punishment. A squadron, in which was one ship from Lisbon, had likewise arrived in Canton river; two others joined this fleet; they were loaded with ammunition. Such a great number of ships gave umbrage to the suspicious Chinese government, and the acts of the commander were not calculated to con- ciliate the good will of government. The Chinese admiral attacked and blockaded them until a reinforcement of two other ships arrived. The Portuguese, now in their turn, as- saulted the Chinese admiral, whose fleet, after having been defeated, was dispersed by a heavy gale. To retaliate the 11* 130 EMPORIUMS. injury done to the imperial navy, the Chinese government put the Portuguese prisoners to death; and when Pires ar- rived at Canton, he was, with his whole train, thrown into prison and murdered. Ignorant of the fate of his countrymen, Melho Coutinho arrived the next year. The Chinese government, actuated by a spirit of dark revenge, killed the greater part of his crew in a scuffle which ensued at a watering-place at Tam-ao; and thus the trade with foreigners was for some time inter- rupted. The Chinese government, though pretending to view this paltry affair with the utmost indifference, was very soon sensible of the advantages which the people had foregone. We quote the statements of their own authors, who speak of this matter impartially. As early as 1420, under the reign of Yung-lo, a Chinese envoy, Kwang-leang-sze, was commissioned by his majesty to go to all the nations on the south-west, and the nations of the Western Ocean. During the reign of Seuen-tih, some officers of the palace accompanied travelers to all the fo- reign courts, and were well received by them. A manda- rin of the name of Ching-ho went overland with several hundred men to the Bay of Bengal. From Koo-le he pro- ceeded by sea to Arabia Felix, where he was well received, and brought an ambassador back to the Chinese court. Kea- tsing, 1550, was advised by some eunuchs to send similar envoys in quest of pearls and precious gems; but this was prevented on account of the want of documents, which had been stolen. Yung-lo had sent envoys to all the surround- ing foreign nations, to invite them to come with tribute, on all which occasions they were expected to trade. When the foreigners of the Western Ocean, called Fuh- lang, (Franks) abruptly entered the district of Tung-kwan, they struck terror far and near with the roar of their guns. Subsequently to the prohibition of foreign trade, the Foo- yuen at Canton addressed the emperor by saying: EMPORIUMS. 131 "A great part of the necessary expense, both in the offi- cers of government and people at Canton is supplied by the duties levied on merchants. If foreign ships do not ar- rive, both public and private concerns are thrown into much embarrassment and distress. It is therefore requested that the Franks may be permitted to trade. From this four ad- vantages will arise. 1. "In the beginning of this dynasty, besides the regular tribute of the several foreign states, a small per centage was taken from the remainder, which was adequate to the go- vernment expenditure. 2. "The treasure appropriated for the annual supply of the army in Canton and Kwang-se is entirely drained, and our dependance is on trade to supply the army, and to pro- vide against unforeseen exigencies. 3. "Heretofore, Kwang-se has looked to Canton for supplies. If any small demand is made upon that province, it will be unable to comply with it. When foreign ships. have free intercourse, then high and low are all mutually supplied. 4. "The people live by commerce; a man holding a small quantity of goods sells them, and procures what he requires. These things pass from hand to hand, and in their course supply men with food and raiment. Thus the go- vernment is assisted." Yung-ching, at a much later period, allowed the inhabi- tants of the maritime provinces to emigrate, and make voyages to foreign parts, under the condition of returning to their native country. The rice trade to Siam was even en- couraged, by holding forth a premium to all those who en- gaged in it to any extent. We may infer that the Chinese government is more reasonable than many of its admirers in Europe, who consider the Chinese anti-national system as most excellently calculated to promote the welfare of the nation. 132 EMPORIUMS. Like all restrictive laws of China, not founded in justice, the prohibition of foreign trade was without effect. The trade was carried on at Teen-pib, (or Teen-pak,) to the west of Canton. In 1534 Kwang-king, an officer of that district, influenced by a considerable bribe, requested his superiors to have the trade transferred to Macao, (Gaou-mun,) a pen- insula constituting a part of the Heang-shan island, and join- ed to it by a small isthmus, in 22° 11' 30" N. lat., and 113° 32′ 30″ E. long; eight miles in circuit, the greatest breadth being one, the length three miles-a rocky, hilly territory. This had been long ago the resort of many hordes, who wished to escape the oppressions of the mandarins, and the legal duties imposed upon their goods. The Portuguese erected here, in 1537, some sheds, in order to dry goods destined for tribute, which had been damaged in a storm. These temporary sheds were very soon exchanged for sub- stantial buildings, and the mandarins, prompted by fear, or induced by bribes, connived at this encroachment. Whilst this infant settlement was in progress, their hopes at Ning- po, from whence they had carried on a very lucrative trade to Japan, were finally blasted. The Portuguese adven- turers, who at this time crowded to China, were often men of the worst characters, even criminals, who were banished from the country. Their misconduct on one side, and the vexatious behavior on the side of the Chinese, caused a revolt which ended in their expulsion from Chinchoo and Ningpo. The unwearied Francis Xavier had been anxious to in- troduce Roman Catholicism into China, by an embassy to the court of Peking. A private individual furnished the funds for this undertaking, but the governor at Malacca ap- propriated the money to the use of government, and the ex- pedition could not proceed. The Chinese government viewing this nascent colony with a very jealous eye, the supreme government of Canton EMPORIUMS. 133 cited before them the judge and captain of the place. In consequence of this summons, M. Ruggiero and M. Penella were despatched to the viceroy. This grandce upbraided them for their wilful disobedience of the celestial laws, by creating for themselves their own laws, and threatened to expel them. This harsh language was very soon smoothed by rich presents, and thus they received permission to re- main at the place. As an acknowledgment of their vassal- age, they had to pay a ground rent amounting latterly to 500 taëls per annum. From this moment Macao became the central station for the Portuguesc-Chinese trade. Many Chinese flocked thither, and the government appointed a mandarin to govern their natural subjects, without the inter- ference of any foreign power. Moreover, they prohibited, in 1612, the Portuguese from building new houses. This un- reasonable prohibition, after having granted them full te- nure of the island, was productive of a great income to the local mandarins, who sold their connivance for considerable sums. Even the repair of old houses was not allowed, unless a special permission had been previously obtained. This law was instituted to prove a check upon the insolence of barbarians, who had built better houses than any in the whole empire, and to teach them to depend entirely upon the compassion of the son of heaven. From Macao they regularly resorted to Canton. The imported goods were valued and the duties paid in goods, till 1582, when silver was required; on their exports they paid six per cent. They sent annually a deputation to Can- ton, who were entrusted with the management of business, and paid at their arrival, besides the duties, 4000 dollars as a present to the mandarin, and at their departure 8000 dol- lars. At first the market was open only once a year, but - from 1580 twice; in January began the purchase of the goods for the India market, in June for the Japan trade, which there was carried on to a great extent. Many ships 134 EMPORIUMS. besides engaged in smuggling, to the great annoyance of the supreme government. Meanwhile, the Dutch having become very powerful in India, waged an exterminating war against the Portuguese, to drive them out of their Indian possessions, and to engross their trade. Macao was considered one of the best situated places to carry on trade both to China and Japan. In 1622, Reyerszoon anchored in Macao roads, with fifteen ships. He began to disembark, and drove the Portuguese before him. At this sudden appearance of the enemy, the tocsin rang, and the whole population took up arms. The Dutch had nearly passed the hermitage of Guia, when a heavy battery was opened upon them from Monte. Anxious to form a rallying point, they posted themselves at the foot of the Guia, but were attacked with so much vio- lence in the rear that they were forced to retreat as speedily as possible, with great loss. The slaves had joined in the general fight, and having behaved bravely during the battle, were emancipated by their masters; and the viceroy remu- nerated their services by presenting them with 200 peculs of rice. This attack was renewed in 1627. On this oc- casion the Dutch Admiral's ship was burnt; and the fleet, apprehensive of succour from Manilla, left the roads with- out having effected any thing. By this time Philip II. had been acknowledged the law- ful king of Portugal. He sent from Manilla a friar, to in- vite the people of Macao, who had created for themselves a republican government, to submit to the Spanish monarchy, 1582. In this proposal the inhabitants of Macao readily acquiesced, and remained annexed to the Spanish domi- nions till 1641. It was during this period that the unfounded rumors of Cataneo's ambitious views upon the crown of China were spread. This occasioned general consterna- tion amongst the citizens, who had by degrees grown rich. The Chinese became afraid of their unbidden guests, and EMPORIUMS. 135 stopped all supplies of provisions until the rumor had sub- sided. The Jusuits had at this time raised a few miserable huts and a chapel on the Ilha-verde, near Macao. A Mo- hammedan military mandarin mistook this settlement for a fort. He boldly attacked it when the Portuguese were at church, but was afterward killed in the scuffle which en- sued. The matters were compromised by the literary man- darin at Heang-shan, who erected a stone upon the island, on which an inscription was engraved, stating that the island belonged to the Chinese empire, while the Jesuits remained in possession of it. The trade at Canton had hitherto been carried on to the mutual interest of both parties, when the Chinese, wearied with the presence of the foreigners in the provincial city, confined the trade solely to Macao, in 1631. A company of merchants appointed by government had to furnish the exports, and transport them to Macao, where they received, in return, the imports. But this regulation ended in smoke. The Chinese merchants, oppressed by their own govern- ment, were constrained to impose upon the foreigners to such a degree that the trade would entirely have become extinct if the Macao authorities had not applied to the su- preme government at Canton. The mandarins wrote in consequence to the emperor, saying: "Macao was for- merly an insignificant place; it is now a kingdom; it has many forts; and a great, insolent population. It would be proper to inquire how much rice and liquor the Portuguese may want, and let them have the supply, and entirely debar them from the commerce at Canton." The emperor assent- ed to this proposition; at the same time the mandarins had been feed, and matters were compromised, trade being car- ried on just as before. The Portuguese had been for forty years in the undis- turbed possession of the Japanese trade, and gained im- mense profits; but in 1614 the emperor of Japan proscribed 136 EMPORIUMS. the Christian religion, and restricted the Japanese trade with foreigners. Tanogun Sama finally expelled the Por- tuguese, and forbade them, under penalty of death, ever to return again. The city of Macao suffered greatly by this new regulation, and therefore sent four very respectable citizens to Japan, in order to bring the matters again to a good train. With the exception of a few black men, the whole crew and ambassadors were massacred by the Ja- panese. The vessels never returned from this disastrous voy- age, 1640. Any other European nation would have revenged this national insult, but the Portuguese had become too weak, and all that John IV. at his accession to the throne of Por- tugal could do was to send an ambassador in order to sig- nify his exaltation to the throne. They tried the last time, in 1685, to re-establish their trade by sending back a num- ber of shipwrecked Japanese to their own country. The Japanese did not molest them, but strictly prohibited their re-appearance on the coast of Japan. The most valuable trade for Macao was thus lost; the English and Dutch entered into competition with the Por- tuguese in the Chinese market, and from this moment Ma- cao began to decay. By acknowledging the emperor of China as a liege lord, the Portuguese were sometimes suffered to send an envoy to Peking with tribute, on which occasions they were treated with magnificence and liberality, and enjoyed liberty to range at pleasure over the country. During the decline of the Ming dynasty, they sent, amongst other articles of tri- bute, three guns, which were afterward imitated by the Chi- nese founders. At the approach of the Tatars, Rodrigues, a missionary, was sent to Macao to call in the aid of the Portuguese, who sent accordingly four hundred well-disci- plined soldiers, with three cannons, as far as Nan-chang- foo, the capital of Keang-se; here they received the news that the Tatars had been repulsed, and had to return with- EMPORIUMS. 137 out either effecting any thing, or receiving the Chinese sub- sidies. How much soever the Chinese may boast of their power, their application to a small colony for four hundred auxiliaries, fully proves their weakness. At last the victorious Mantchoos took possession of Can- ton, 1650, and the Portuguese were summoned to appear before the viceroy. A deputation of several gentlemen de- parted for Canton, loaded with presents for their new mas- ters, and found favor in their eyes. The tatars graciously condescended to receive the homage of their humble vassals. Kang-he, unable to subdue the Fuh-keën pirates, issued an edict whereby all inhabitants along the coasts of the ma- ritime provinces were ordered to destroy their dwellings, and retire for about five leagues into the country, under pain of death. Macao was to have been involved in the general ruin, as a maritime place, and owed its preservation. to the influence of Adam Schaal, the missionary, who inter- ceded for them to spare their settlement. A Chinese naval commander, however, anxious to put a stop to the whole trade, was about to confiscate all the Portuguese ships and cargoes, when suddenly his wrath was appeased by enor- mous bribes. Trade was now recommenced under great disadvantages, for the Portuguese had to obtain a license before they could leave the port. To remove all these difficulties, and save the colony from ruin, an envoy, Saldanha, was despatched to the court of Peking with rich presents, which the city of Macao had procured. He went by way of Canton, in a boat which had a flag inscribed Tribute-bearer, and arrived in 1667 at the place of his destination. His endeavors to mitigate the suf- ferings of his fellow-citizens proved fruitless, and he return- ed with the news that they must trust to themselves. The trade rapidly decreased; there was no commercial enter- prize, no vigorous exertion to retrieve the loss; other na- tions were able to trade at a cheaper and more profitable VOL. II. 12 138 EMPORIUMS, rate; even the few ships which remained the property of the citizens, and there were finally only two, could not be employed. At this critical juncture, Kang-he declared all Chinese ports open for foreigners, 1685. The Portuguese at Macao had now again tendered their homage to their na- tive king. They might have expected some aid from the mother country, or have tendered their allegiance to Spain; on the contrary, they were most enthusiastic in their loy- alty toward the house of Braganza, and sent their new king 200 brass guns, and a considerable sum of money. Kang-he pursued his liberal course for some years; when some of his Canton officers made the most serious representations, that liberal measures were fraught with the utmost danger to the state. They described the Europeans. as a daring, unruly race; represented the Chinese who went abroad as disaffected toward their own government, and ready to join the barbarians in conquering China. Kang-he nominated a commission to deliberate upon the subject. The result was, that all Chinese subjects were prohibited from going to any country south of China, either as traders or emigrants. Macao retained the privilege of a free trade. The viceroy even offered to the senate at Macao to make this place the general emporium of foreign commerce, and grant the city the duties on all imports. Prompted by a nar- row policy, lest the foreigners might engross the Chinese trade, the Portuguese rejected this brilliant offer, 1717. Even when it was again proposed, in 1732, the city reject- ed it, upon the suggestion of the viceroy of Goa. What a place would Macao have been by this time had this offer been accepted! Their shipping, which in the meanwhile had increased, was restricted by Yung-ching to the number of twenty-five vessels, of which the names, which up to the present time have never changed, were noted down by the Chinese. Macao felt less the consequences of the decay of Portuguese power and trade in Asia than the other settle- EMPORIUMS. 139 ments. To conciliate the favor of the Chinese, and to give no umbrage to their jealousy, the Macao government acted the part of mediators between the contending missionaries in China; and by the mediation of John V. king of Portu- gal, requested the Pope to grant the Chinese converts liberty to practise the Confucian rites. There had previously arisen some difficulties between the king of Portugal and the pope about the right of investiture of Chinese bishops; but this difference was amicably adjusted by dividing this privilege between the contending parties. When, however, Yung- ching proscribed Christianity, his Portuguese majesty sent De Sousa e Menezes, with Father Magelhaens, to China, (in 1726,) in order to intercede in behalf of popery. He was urged by the viceroy of Canton to proceed immediately to Peking; but the ambassador requested the mandarins to forward a letter, wherein he alluded to the distinction be- tween a vassal and an independent monarch, in order that he might be treated by all public officers with due respect. The viceroy waived this request, but assured him that the disgraceful term, Tsin-kung, tribute-bearer, should by no means be applied to him. In 1727 the ambassador made his splendid entry into the capital; and in order to show his liberality, scattered a great quantity of crusades amongst the thronging populace. Two court mandarins preceded him, when he was about to obtain an audience; the ambas- sador carried his master's letters with both hands, and was followed by his retinue. Then entering the western gate he ascended the steps of the throne and presented his credentials in a kneeling posture. After having quitted the hall by the same way, he performed the act of obeisance, with his whole retinue. When this ceremony was over he was brought to the foot of the throne, and seated at the head of the grandees. He then was permitted to deliver his speech, which he did upon his knees. Some days after this he delivered his rich presents: the emperor viewed them as so many tokens of affection 140 EMPORIUMS. from the king of Portugal. He and his people were allowed to walk about in the capital wherever he wished. When he had his audience of leave at Yuen-ming-yuen, the emperor presented him with a cup of wine, and sent him from his own table several dishes. The imperial presents were trifling, but the state sent the king of Portugal thirty chests of vari- ous articles. But though the reception was very friendly, no solid advantages resulted from this mission; which, not- withstanding the reluctance of the envoy, was performed with all the ceremonies of vassalage. : It was the policy of the Chinese to restrict, as much as possible, the privileges of the Portuguese; who, on the other hand, were anxious to extend a territorial jurisdiction over the Chinese inhabitants. Their encroachments were met with Chinese subtilty. The latter drew up twelve arti- cles, to which the Portuguese had either to subscribe or to leave the country. One article forbade them to make prose- lytes of Chinese subjects. This shocked them and they requested the king of Portugal to send an ambassador to China. Pacheco e Sampayo proceeded accordingly, in 1753, to Peking. The magistrate published on this occa- sion the following proclamation: "I hereby inform you, that the kingdom of Portugal has never been in the habit of paying tribute. At present, the new sovereign of that realm sends an ambassador, who is at Macao, to offer some ob- jects of curiosity from that country, and to make obeisance, inquiring after the health of the emperor. We are informed that a mandarin is not to receive the said ambassador. Take care and sweep the streets; be not noisy; do not call this ambassador a tribute-bearer, lest he be displeased and disgusted." Pacheco made a magnificent entry into Pe- king, accompanied by soldiers with drawn swords, for the protection of twenty-nine chests of presents, which were covered with yellow silk. After them followed the musi- cians, with trumpets and cymbals. The attendants and EMPORIUMS. 141 pages were all on horseback, having two black boys at the stirrups, whilst the secretary and two stewards rode on each side. The ambassador himself was carried in a rich, magnificent sedan-chair, by eight Chinese bearers. Next to the chair walked the deputies of the Macao senate, sur- rounded by many black boys, dressed as footmen. At last came twelve chests, covered with blue velvet, and laced with gold, which had the arms of Pacheco in relief, embroi- dered in gold and silver. Soldiers on horseback closed the train. The whole suite repaired to the house of the governor of Peking. They proceeded, a few days afterward, in the same order, to the imperial audience. The ambassador, af- ter having ascended the steps to the throne, presented, kneel- ing, the king's letter. Keen-lung took it himself, and hand- ed it to one of his grandees, who kept it above his head while the ambassador delivered his speech. The emperor sent him many presents; and had his picture drawn by a French artist, which was placed over the imperial throne, in a hall at Yuen-ming-yuen. Notwithstanding these repeated efforts to conciliate the favor of the Chinese supreme government, their commercial relations were very little improved. During the time of free trade, which Kang-he had granted, every foreign ship could repair to the port of Macao, even in defiance of the Portu- guese. Spanish vessels came in 1698 and 1700, and still enjoy this privilege. A French vessel from the north-west coast of America, being chased into the roads of Macao, in 1793, by an English man-of-war, the Macao government considered her a lawful prize. The Chinese commanded them to restore to the owners both ship and cargo; "If you do not comply," they said, "you shall not be allowed to reside at the place on the same footing as before." Ac- cording to the regulations of Kang-he, the Macao shipping is divided into three classes; he prescribed the mode of mea- suring them, and the rate at which the imperial dues must be F 12* 142 EMPORIUMS. calculated. The Chinese custom-house officer at Macao- performs the measurement in the presence of the procurator and commander, and receives the amount of measurement duties in cash. The ships are duly registered, but once en- tered, they have only to pay two-thirds of the measurement duties, whilst the Manilla and Europe-Portuguese ships have to pay the full duties. On the arrival of a vessel, the pro- curator transmits to the Tso-tang, and the residing mandarin of Casa Bianca, a manifest of her cargo. A ship cannot depart from the place without a Chinese passport. When a ship has become leaky, or wants any repair, the procurator has to petition the mandarins to permit her being repaired in the inner harbor. The charges on goods carried by the inner passage between Canton and Macao, being in general less than what is paid on goods to and from Whampoa, and the duties levied by the Portuguese on articles of merchandise imported by vessels belonging to Macao, being very mo- derate, the natives often engage in speculations on board the Macao vessels. The foreign ships, which are not allow- ed to enter the inner harbor, either go to the outer harbor, the Typa, or discharge their cargo in Macao roads. This custom has latterly become very general, and even large ships have unloaded and sent their cargoes on shore in Macao light- ers without any interference from the Chinese authorities. The English government being apprehensive of an attack from the French forces upon Macao, sent, in 1802, a force to garrison the town, and defend it against any aggressions. However, the Chinese authorities maintained their indispu- table right of liege lords to the peninsula, and the project was abandoned. But in 1808, Rear-Admiral Drury took possession of the place, the immediate consequence of which step was the stoppage of the English trade. An imperial edict arrived, which stated; "Knowing, as you ought to know, that the Portuguese inhabit a territory belonging to the celestial empire, how could you suppose (a rather rea- EMPORIUMS. 143 sonable supposition) that the French should ever venture to molest them? If they dared, our warlike tribes should attack, defeat, and chase them from the face of the country. Aware of this truth, why did you bring your soldiers here? Repent, and withdraw immediately; permission to trade shall then be restored. But should you persist and remain, the hatches of your ships shall not be opened." The Eng- lish garrison, therefore, withdrew on board the fleet, and the trade was carried on as before. It has been very unjustly urged that the Portuguese never did any service to the Chinese to deserve the tenure of Macao. They have, on the contrary, repeatedly sent their ships to suppress the Chinese pirates, who swarmed along the coast. In 1809, when these free-booters had be- came very numerous, Macao furnished six ships, manned, armed, and provided with ammunition for six months, to act in concert with the imperial squadron. For this service, they received 80,000 taëls and the promise that they should be restored to their ancient privileges. The united squad- rons blockaded the haunts of the pirates, who being starved, surrendered gradually. After this successful campaign, when the Portuguese insisted upon receiving their ancient privi- leges, the Chinese authority proved, by falsehood and eva- sion, that no such privileges had existed, and that they ought to conform to ancient laws; and thus the whole end- ed in smoke. Macao, though under a weak government, has maintain- ed itself, without proving a trouble to the mother country, and has often been enabled to make remittances to his Por- tuguese majesty. As early as 1585, the inhabitants of Ma- cao, under the direction of the governor-in-chief and others, drew up rules for a municipality, after having received per- mission from Duante de Menezes, viceroy of Goa. Every free subject of the crown of Portugal, born at Macao, and possessing the necessary legal qualifications, has a right to 144 EMPORIUMS. vote at the election of the members of the municipal go- vernment, who constitute the senate. This senate com- prises amongst its members three vereadores, or inspectors of various branches of the government, and a procurator, who has the general charge of the town and of the revenue, and is also the organ of communication between the Portu- guese and Chinese governments. There are, besides, two judges, a governor, who is sent from Goa, a chief justice, or minister, a dezembargador, and a bishop; but the bishop- ric is now vacant. Under the decrees of the municipal sena- torial government, many arbitrary acts have been perpetrat- ed. Anarchy began early and lasted 150 years, until in in 1784 a regular form of government was established. In 1624, Mascarenhas, a military governor, was assassi- nated for having encroached upon the rights of the senate and the people. Twenty-four ringleaders were, by the su- preme government at Goa, sentenced to death, but reprieved by the king of Portugal. An ouvidor (minister) and adminis- trator of the customs, resolved, with the senate, in 1636, to take no share in the payment of a sum which the Macao merchants in Japan had been forced to pay. The populace rose; the senators were violently dragged to the senate- house; forcibly seated, and compelled to satisfy the demands of the people. To restrict the arbitrary power of the senate the governor was invested with greater authority. As soon as it was known that the mother country had adopted a con- stitution, under the auspices of king John, the Macao citi- zens forcibly dispossessed their old rulers of their power, and established a constitutional government (1823:) but it lasted only for a few months, and the authors of this new- fangled constitution were exiled for a time, but afterward re- turned. Macao declared in favor of Don Miguel; still ac- knowledges his sway, and on his accession to the throne even sent him a sum of money. Macao is garrisoned by Sipahis and country-born Macao- EMPORIUMS. 145 men, under the command of Macao officers and a European commandant. To defend the place there are five small forts which have been erected much against the wish of the Chi- nese, who yielded to them the privilege, because they could not refuse it. To defray the annual expenses of the whole settlement there are now 109,451 taëls required. But the income is not adequate to meet these demands; though for- merly there remained an annual surplus. The trade in Por- tuguese bottoms is languishing, for the Portuguese, not hav- ing kept pace with the march of intellect, cannot sail ves- sels as cheaply as other nations. However, the foreign trade of Macao is greatly encouraged by the present governor, and thus it is hoped to meet the necessary expenditure. Some years ago Macao flourished by carrying on the illicit trade in opium; but the government wishing to exclude all foreigners from this branch of traffic, forced the English ships to carry it on at Lintin, an island not far from the entrance of the Canton river. A small portion of this enormous com- merce is still in the hands of Portuguese citizens. It has oc- casioned many disgraceful occurrences between the Portu- guese and Chinese authorities, who are now regularly paid, and has often occasioned bloodshed. Another disgraceful trade is that in slaves, at Timor. The Portuguese themselves think it below their dignity to perform any manual work; they therefore buy these slaves to do all kinds of drudgery. It has even happened that a citizen, who was sentenced to death by the law, has bought a black slave to die in his stead. The trades are all in the hands of the Chinese, who form the most numerous part of the population, and excel in industry and imitative genius. Foreigners were formerly not allowed to stay unless by special license. The Chinese authorities, however, gave full permission to all barbarians to remain at Macao, which the Portuguese authorities at first refused to grant. However, when the foreigners became numerous, and the advantages accruing to the city were better under- 146 EMPORIUMS. stood, the Portuguese government conceded to the wishes of all the foreign residents. The English and American merchants inhabit the best houses of the city, on the Praya Grande, for which they pay high rents. Amongst a nation like the Portuguese, so entirely devo- ted to the interests of popery, it is natural to expect that they should have built many churches at their new settlement: they have a great many, where they constantly perform wor- ship and read mass. There are also a nunnery and some charitable institutions, which do honor to the name of Chris- tians. A nun of Toledo, Jeronyma de Ascençao, being per- suaded that she would save many souls from damnation by repairing to a heathen country, founded the nunnery of St. Clara, which still exists. Amongst all the institutions, the college of St. Joseph is the most eminent. There are six professors, who instruct in the Portuguese and Latin grammar, arithmetic, rhetoric, philosophy, and theology. There are at present eight Chi- nese boys, two Malays, and sixteen Macao born. But the learned institutions have greatly decreased since the sup pression of the order of Jesuits, which was a death-blow to learning. The number of priests is very great; the Spanish, Italian, and French missions have their agents and respec- tive houses. Great numbers of Chinese acknowledge po- pery, but they are small in comparison with the bulk of the people. We do not wish to draw a picture of the present po- pulation; their want of energy and industry renders them prone to all sorts of concomitant vices; but the inhabitants are mostly a mongrel race, consisting of mulattoes, who consider all work as unbecoming a free man. The Chinese authorities are now less afraid of the Portuguese power, as they have observed that their maritime force has sunk into insignificance. Other foreign states are more formidable to the celestial empire, and sufficiently engage their attention. But nevertheless, the Chinese exactions are still the same; EMPORIUMS. 147 and a Chinese mandarin never scruples to take advantage of the weakness of these barbarians, who have not the means of retorting injuries done to them. Any other European power would never have suffered the degradation to which the Portuguese have submitted. We cannot approve of all their arbitrary steps, but at the same time we admire their patience, in having never repelled encroachments by force. Separated as they are from the Chinese empire, by a wall at which is a military station,-the Casa Bianca, they look up with the deepest respect to the son of heaven, by whose compassion they are kept from starvation and utter ruin. CHAPTER XXII. DUTCH. THE Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands having, during the latter end of the 16th century, shaken off the Spanish yoke, and their ships being excluded from visiting the ports of Spain, were forced to seek other fields for com- mercial speculations. In order to protect the trade, a com- pany was forined, which sent their first ships, commanded by Houtman, who had been in the service of the Portuguese, to the Indian Archipelago. Encouraged by success, and being enabled to brave the weak Portuguese, who were very much incensed against these heretical intruders, they greatly extended their commercial operations. Having formed a factory at Bantam, in Java, they proceeded to visit those countries with which, hitherto, the Portuguese and Span- iards had carried on a monopoly. By a strange anomaly, the English company united with the Dutch in the prosecu- 148 EMPORIUMS. t tion of mercantile enterprise. Thus, having their hands strengthened, they were able to withstand the power of the natives, as well as of the Spaniards. Shortly after their arrival in India, the Dutch participated in the lucrative trade to Japan. Anxious to enjoy the same privileges which the Portuguese had hitherto possessed at their new settlement of Macao, they sent, in 1604, three of their ships to China. The Chinese were terrified at the ap- pearance of a people whose eyes were blue, their hair red, their feet one cubit and two-tenths long. As it was not on record that so strange a nation had traded to the celestial empire, the Chinese authorities at first refused to have any dealings with them. The jealous Portuguese, at the same time, inspired the Chinese with suspicion. It was hinted that they very likely were pirates; the Dutch denied this aspersion, and affirmed that they were come for the sole purpose of bringing tribute: they were, however, dismissed without having effected their purpose. The Dutch East India Company having, in the meanwhile, grown rich, and the nation, just escaped from slavery, possessing all the power of youth, they determined to carry their point in China. During the vigorous administration of the governor Jan Pister Coen, a fleet, under the command of Admiral Keizerzoon, sailed with strict orders, if trade was not freely granted, to effect their object by force, in 1622. Instead of negotiating, he immediately landed with eight hundred men on the Peninsula of Macao. This rashness occasion- ed his defeat. The Portuguese, enraged that these heretics dared even disturb them in their abodes under the wings of the celestial monarch, armed themselves and their slaves. They advanced in the rear of their enemies, who, attacked on both sides, sought their safety in flight. Many were killed on the spot, and others drowned whilst swimming toward their boats. Instead of repeating the attack, and arranging a proper mode of carrying it on more successfully, EMPORIUMS. 149 Keizerzoon abandoned all thoughts of possessing himself of Macao, and hastened to the Piscadores, or Pang-hoo islands, situated between the southern parts of Fuh-keen and Formosa, in order to plant the Company's standard upon them. Such an undertaking might easily have been exe- cuted, if the Chinese, who occasionally visited these islands from the coast, had not annoyed them by fire ships, and thinned their numbers by treacherous attacks. After much bloodshed, a settlement was formed upon one of the islands, which has excellent harbors. Here they retaliated upon the Chinese by taking their junks, and forcing the crews into their service. As a number of Japanese had settled upon the adjacent island, Formosa, the Dutch prevailed upon them to give them a grant of land on the coast, where their ships might refit on their voyage to Japan. But ob- serving the growing power of the Dutch, who had built a small fort, they were unwilling to give any by fair means, and foul means were therefore employed to force them to quit the island. The Dutch easily extended their possession on the coast. The aborigines are an inoffensive race, easily subdued. China was at that time torn asunder by internal dissensions, and could not oppose the growing power of the usurpers. They established themselves at Ke-lung, (or Ke-long,) on the north coast, and on the west coast at Tae- wan-foo, where they built the fort Zelandia; at Tam-suy, and at Lo-kang. But they were not merely intruders; the natives being without religion, and very docile, they instruct- ed many thousands in the truths of Christiany, sło were baptized, and attached by the common fait to their mas- ters. Fort Zelandia was by no means a paltry defence to the nascent colony, being a square castle with large bas- tions; below which, toward the sea, was anoth fortifica- tion, consisting of two regular bastions, an excellent cover- ed way, and four half-moons; the whole united to the fort by very strong walls, and defended by a great number of VOL. II. 13 150 EMPORIUMS. cannon and a numerous garrison. The town was long and large, extremely well peopled. A poll-tax, at the ratc of half a guilder per head per annum, furnished the revenue for the maintenance of the place. Being only 24 leagues from the coast of China, and 130 from Japan, it served as an intermediate emporium for both countries. But this great success rendered the Dutch remiss. The fortifications were neglected, the storehouses emptied. Whilst every individual was anxious to advance his own in- terest, the state of the colony greatly decayed. Most of the ships, on their way to Japan, touched at Tae-wan. In both their home and return cargoes, the Formosian settlers dealt very advantageously, and amassed considerable property. The Fuh-keën junks also found their way to Formosa, many individuals were driven by war and rapine to seek a new home at Tae-wan; and thus trade and population in- creased, whilst the government lost its influence, When the Tatars extended their sway, and subjected all China, there was a Chinese tailor in the service of the Dutch, called Chin-che-lung. Though in a humble station of life, he very soon discovered a great spirit. He gathered around him a number of desperadoes who had sworn hatred to the Tatars, became a pirate, and attacked the Tatar navy. The viceroy of Fuh-keën being very fearful that he might soon make a descent upon the main, offered him the office of viceroy of Canton and Fuh-keen, if he would sur- render. Confiding in his flattering promises, he went to Fuh-choo, was taken prisoner, and beheaded at Peking as a rebel. His son, Kok-sing, (Coxinga,) now determined to revenge his father's death. He collected 600 sail, and re- quested the Dutch to assist him in so just a cause; but meeting with a refusal, he was anxious to punish them for the affront they had offered him. As the Dutch had formerly negotiated with the Chinese government, which had freely offered them Formosa, in lieu EMPORIUMS. 151 of the Fang-hoo islands, over which they had no authority, they considered it their duty to maintain themselves in the possession of Formosa. To enforce their commercial de- mands, they kept a large fleet to plunder the Chinese coast, and intercept the vessels. Three ships had gone to Amuy to carry on the negotiation, but the troubles which filled the empire prevented them from gaining their object. Proud of their naval superiority, they despised these semi-barbarians, who were arrogant enough to harbor thoughts of driving them from their possessions. But they were not aware of the great danger which threatened them. Kok-sing, anx- ious to establish his government on the main, had tried in vain to settle himself on the southern coast of Fuh-keên, making Amuy his capital. He had defeated the Tatar fleet, and run up to the Yang-tse-keang, in order to strike terror into the heart of the empire; but was repulsed with great slaughter. Having finally lost Amuy, there remained no- thing but Formosa which could afford him an asylum. Prompted therefore by despair, he collected many thousands of desperadoes, brought together a considerable fleet, and determined to wrest the island from the Dutch. A few years before, Martini, a Roman Catholic mission- ary, had arrived at Batavia, and represented the new Tatar government as actuated by a very liberal spirit. Buoyant with hope, they sent an envoy to Canton, in order to open a trade with this great emporium, 1653. The envoy was sumptuously entertained by the viceroy, who seated him by his side, whilst the populace insulted him. The Portuguese represented the Dutch as pirates, eager to conquer China, who by dint of arms had taken possession of Formosa ; formerly attacked Macao, at another time (in 1627) en- deavored to do so, when they themselves had burnt their admiral's ship; and now they had arrived for the sole pur- pose of attacking the celestial empire. But notwithstanding these warnings, the viceroy permitted them to build a fac- 152 EMPORIUMS. tory at Canton; then again retracted his promise, and dis- missed them, requesting the governor of Batavia to send an embassy to Peking. The affair was referred to Holland. In the meanwhile other ships arrived at Canton, with letters from the governor of Batavia. The viceroy denied them all privilege of trade, but nevertheless required from them the payment of 10,000 taëls: these measures induced the Dutch to send, next year, two ambassadors, De Keyzen and De Goyer, to Peking. They were willing to undergo all sorts of humiliation, in order to obtain their object-free trade to Canton. After their arrival at the provincial city, they waited upon his excellency, who detained them for several hours outside the wall, and confined them afterward as state prisoners to their ships, until the pleasure of his imperial majesty should be known. We cannot, however, greatly wonder at this policy. Only four years before, Canton had been beleagured by the Tatars. Two Dutch gunners, who were married to Chinese women, had greatly assisted the Chinese in holding out against the besiegers, till the city was betrayed by the treachery of the Chinese viceroy. The Tatars rushed in, burnt and pillaged the place, and revenged themselves for the many fatigues they had previously sustained. They therefore entertained no friendly feeling toward the Dutch; but notwithstanding this hostile disposition, money adjusted the matter, the two mer- cantile ambassadors being very liberal in their bribes. Thus they were permitted to pursue their journey to Peking. To indemnify themselves and their masters for the great ex- penses incurred in this mission, they took with them a quan- tity of goods which were saleable at Peking; but we ought not to wonder at this; every tribute-bearer, from Annam, Loo-choo, Siam, and Korea, does the same, the Chinese government permitting the traffic to satisfy the cupidity of barbarians. This mission enjoyed great liberties during the journey; EMPORIUMS. 153 for though they were considered as tribute bearers to a new dynasty, which hitherto had received few pledges of the homage of foreign nations, they were not treated as dan- gerous persons. But on their arrival at the capital, the Roman Catholic missionaries were greatly disturbed; for, ascribing to these heretics the extirpation of popery in Ja- pan, they were therefore apprehensive of a similar fate, if they did not undermine their influence. In a narrative of the embassy, a Jesuit says: "Four of us, brethren of the Society of Jesus, then living at court, resuming courage, resolved to leave no means unessayed to overthrow the de- signs of the Hollanders, and with all diligence and vigilance to frustrate their undertaking. The 13th of this present. February, I was with the emperor, who being pleased ac- cording to his wont to honor me with familiar discourse, fell, in his conversation, upon the Hollanders. This gave me an opportunity of painting them in lively colors, and par- ticularly to put the emperor in mind of that great lie, where- with they had armed themselves in coming hither, by boast- ing of the greatness of their dominions, as if they had been ancient and legal owners of great territories. But as the truth is, they are but violent possessors of a small part of a country which they at first traitorously usurped, and have since rebelliously defended against their lawful sovereign. They then became rovers on the sea, seeking rapine there from all people, to furnish themselves with the means of maintaining their rebellion at home. Whereupon his ma- jesty expressed himself, that two years since, upon their proffering it he had denied them entrance into his country, and that he knew not how they had obtained it; meaning that it either was from negligence or surreptitious dealings of his officers, which I interpreted him to mean the bribing those of Canton. The emperor was well pleased at my information, and said he would lay it up, to be remembered at its proper season." 13* 154 EMPORIUMS. Yet the good sense of Shun-che prevailed over these in- trigues, and the Dutch ambassadors were admitted to an in- terview. To tame, however, their fierce barbarian nature, they had at first to prostrate themselves in an open hall of the old palace before numerous Chinese officers, which was very conducive to their expertness in performing the kow-tow before his imperial majesty. On the day of their audience the ambassadors, with only six of their followers, were admitted into the outer court, where they were detained all night, with other tribute-bearers who had arrived from the deserts of Tatary, and were dressed in sheep-skins. In the morn- ing they performed the ceremony in the presence of the em- peror, who however was so far distant that they could scarce- ly behold the dragon face; and in order to mortify their pride he took no notice of them. Upon being fed they again bowed to the earth; and when the imperial presents arrived, they received them in a kneeling posture. An edict was is- sued which commenced: "To the king of Holland, health and peace;" and whilst it commended his obedience in sending a tribute-bearer, granted him permission to send one every eight years, and praised him for his cordial care of justice, by subjecting himself to China, and sending ambas- sadors through the wide sea in order to pay tribute. They were, however, strictly confined during their stay at Peking, and on their return to Canton were again subjected to heavy exactions; even one of their interpreters was murdered; no solid advantage was gained, though they now began to carry on the trade more freely. The "Legatio Batavica," originally published in Dutch, is a very interesting work, and exhibits a faithful description of the state of China immediately after the conquest. The Tatars were at that time wild and domi- neering, they ate the meat raw, and carried the bones in their pockets. China had greatly suffered by this revolution, many cities and villages were burnt down, and the people groaned under the misery to which they had been subjected. EMPORIUMS. 155 We return to Formosa. In 1656 Frederic Coyet was sent thither, and aware of the intention of Kok-sing, he sent Ping- qua, a merchant, at the capital, to his countrymen under the pretence of negociations, but in fact to act as a spy upon Kok- sing's actions. Some Dutch vessels had been taken by the Chinese near the Pang-hoo islands. The Dutch retaliated by making reprisals upon some of Kok-sing's junks, which had treasure on board destined for his army in Keang-nan. Find- ing himself destitute of money, he had in consequence to disband his soldiers, and to give up the hope of possessing himself of this rich province. To retrieve his loss he levied duties on Formosa. As soon as the Dutch discovered his assumption of sovereign power in their own territory, they seized upon his abettors. This step occasioned a mutiny amongst the Chinese settlers, who had already declared for Kok-sing. Many were taken prisoners and tortured, 1659. As soon as the state of things was known at Batavia, an army of 1500 men was sent to reinforce the garrison, and a squadron of ships to protect the place from any attack. In- stead of pouring all at once upon Kok-sing, they lost time in fruitless parley with the rebel chief, who, after having been driven from the island Amuy, kept his court at Kimmuy, a large island situated to the north-east of the entrance to Amuy harbor. Van der Laan, the admiral, dissatisfied at the inaction of the governor, left the place. He had receiv- ed orders to attack Macao on his return, but fearing that in doing so he might lose the monsoon, he sailed to Batavia and accused the governor. Kok-sing had only waited for this favorable moment. As soon as the ships were gone, he embarked his troops and appeared before Fort Zelandia. To prevent their landing, the Dutch troops marched out; but the Chinese had already disembarked 4000 men, who drove the Dutch back with great loss. The governor was forced to sink two ships which lay in the harbor, lest they should fall into the hands of the Chinese, who had surrounded them 156 EMPORIUMS. with their whole flect. Another ship was grappled by seve- ral junks and blew up with the Chinese vessels. The others cut their way out and made all sail for Batavia. Unhappily for the garrison, a small fort had been left with- out a sufficient number of soldiers to defend it. The go- vernor, therefore, resolved to send an envoy to the com- mander Kok-sing, and to offer him the whole island if he would leave the Dutch in possession of Tae-wan-foo. Kok- sing, elated by his late success, commanded them to quit the island instantly, in order to restore it to its rightful own- er, promising to take none of their goods, and to grant them a free departure. These ignominious terms were rejected by the Dutch. On the following day the red flag waved on their ramparts, whilst a small fort with 300 soldiers surren- dered to the Chinese. Kok-sing began to invest the citadel and planted his batteries before the town. The Dutch per- ceiving that the Chinese were very negligent in their work, made a very successful sally and spiked the cannon, whilst they spread terror amongst the whole camp. But they did not derive the great advantages which they might have done had the victory been followed up. To the great joy of the be- sieged, a fleet arrived in 1661 from Batavia. At the same time they received an advantageous offer from the Fuh-keën governor, to unite their forces with the Tatars, in order to extirpate the army of Kok-sing on the main. However, by the mismanagement of the commander, this pre-concerted junction was prevented, and instead of fighting against the enemy, Caeuw, the commodore, fled to Siam, and returned from thence to Batavia. Kok-sing, rejoicing at so sudden a change in the forces of his enemy, pressed the siege with great vigor, and made a considerable breach in the ramparts, 1662. Kok-sing, aware of his own defects, and apprehen- sive that new forces might arrive, sent a clergyman, Hanc- brock, whom he had taken prisoner with several school- masters, to persuade the governor to surrender the fortress. ་ EMPORIUMS. 157 They had given their word to return to the camp. Instead of insinuating to their countrymen the necessity of a surrender, they exhorted them to persevere to the last; returned to the camp of the enemy, and were all beheaded for not having succeeded in this negociation. Kok-sing's uncle was now desirous to raise the siege, but Kok-sing remained inflexi- ble; he directed his batteries well, and threatened to take the place by storm. Upon this the Dutch capitulated, and removed with all their effects on board the remaining ships, 1662. Coyet, on his arrival at Batavia, was thrown into a dungeon and treated as a traitor. We are not astonished at the desperate valor of the Chinese, who had nothing to hope if they failed in Formosa; but that the Dutch did not em- ploy the great forces which were repeatedly sent to them to better advantage, is really surprising. The Chinese very soon took possession of the greater part of the island, where they long maintained themselves against an overwhelming force of Tatars. To retrieve the loss, and to revenge themselves upon Kok-sing, who again had made conquest of some islands and places on the main, they entered into a defensive and offensive alliance with the Tatars. A Mr. Borel was in con- sequence sent as chargé d'affaires to Peking; he had to in- sist upon the restoration of Formosa; and to second his request, a fleet of seventeen sail was sent to attack Kok- sing, 1667. When Admiral Borth arrived with this fleet in the Formosa channel, he found Kok-sing in possession of the Kimmuy (Quemoey) island, from whence the whole Tatar army was unable to dislodge him. He also made an attack, but was repulsed with loss by the brave troops of Kok-sing. But when the Dutch ships began to open their broadsides upon the fleet of the enemy, consisting of 100 sail, the Chinese very soon felt the effect of powder and ball. It had been stipulated that the Tatar general should attack the fortress on shore, whilst the Dutch engaged the fleet, 158 EMPORIUMS. but he remained inactive. Borth, nettled at the indifference shown by his ally, upbraided him in strong terms. The Tatar general excused himself by saying, "I was not able to advance, because my troops refused to follow me ; but if you attack the fleet a second time I shall co-operate." The admiral took him at his word; he opened a heavy fire upon the Chinese fleet, and forced them to seek safety in flight. The Tatars having again refused assistance, the Dutch acted independently of their allies, and took posses- sion of Amuy. Kok-sing had fought bravely, and was killed during the engagement. Eager to regain possession of Formosa, the Dutch fleet sailed for that island, but were warmly received by the uncle of Kok-sing, and would have had to sustain a hard fight if the old man had not proposed to conclude peace with the Tatars, and to grant free trade and a settlement to the Dutch. This design however was frustrated by the son of Kok-sing, a hero as brave as his father, who defended himself obstinately, and forced the Dutch admiral to give up all hope of regaining possession of Formosa. No further attempts were made for the repos- session of this island, no peace was concluded, and the whole warfare, which lasted for several years, consisted in aggression and reprisals, whereby both parties greatly suf fered, without benefiting the cause of either. The trade to Canton and to the principal emporiums of the Fuh-keën coast, was, during a great many years, car- ried on quietly. Though the exactions were great, they promoted their interests by bribes. In 1740, the greater part of the Chinese at Batavia were murdered, by order of an unprincipled governor, Valkenaer, in cold blood. It is true that a great number of Chinese had joined the Javanese insurgents, and were in arms against the Dutch; it is also true that several respectable mer- chants at Batavia sent subsidies, and organized a plan to subvert the whole government; but this surely did not im- EMPORIUMS. 159 plicate the whole body of Chinese colonists; and it is cer tainly an act of cruelty without precedent. The governor was immediately recalled, to answer before the bar of the directors; but never reached Europe. Some Dutch ships which arrived shortly afterward, were not permitted to trade at Canton; but this suspension was only temporary, for the Chinese government disclaimed all relation with those unnatural subjects, who, in quest of sordid lucre, could forget the tombs of their ancestors, and emigrate to a barbarian country. The fear of being entangled in a war was, perhaps, the principal reason for this indifference. In 1750 a Chinese was killed by some Dutchman. The mandarins having held a coroner's inquest over the deceas- ed, required that the murderer should be delivered up to them for examination; and if guilty, be punished with death. The Dutch supercargoes rejected this proposal, but promised to punish the culprit according to the laws of Holland. Having been found guilty, the Dutch chief sent a message to the viceroy, informing him of the time when the murderer was to be executed. Three mandarins arrived in boats to witness the scene, and reported the matter to the viceroy. During the year 1762, a regular Dutch factory was es- tablished at Canton. Their trade was now almost exclu- sively confined to this provincial city; but it proved a source of wealth to the company. In the same year another murder was committed by a Dutch sailor, and similarly punished. The trade greatly prospered, until the unhappy revolution which drove the Prince of Orange to England. When Keen-lung had reached the sixtieth year of his reign, it was hinted to the Dutch chief, Van Braam, that an embassy to the mighty potentate, sent with the view of congratulating him upon his long and happy reign, would be very acceptable. The council at Batavia were very soon prevailed upon to enter into the views of the Chinese, in 160 EMPORIUMS. order not to be outdone by the English, who had an em- bassy under Lord Macartney, despatched from the mother country. Tit-sing, in conjunction with Van Braam, were therefore despatched to Peking. In their progress through the empire they prostrated themselves at least fifty times, and were frequently awakened from their nightly slumbers to perform the ceremony. Often were they obliged to spend the night in the open air, subject to the inclemency of the weather. They were treated as prisoners during their stay at Peking, though the compassionate emperor occasionally condescended to send them small presents of victuals; be- fore this, the ambassadors of the Republic had to prostrate themselves nine times; which, according to the ideas of high personages, was merely performing the salute of honor. After many disappointments and evasions, Van Braam was finally admitted to the imperial presence, (January, 1795,) the first ambassador being unwell. Here he had to perform with the Mongol and Korean ambassadors the kow-tow. The emperor told him that he had now arrived at the eighty- fifth year of his age, and that Van Braam was the first Hollander who had been permitted to approach so near. Seated upon a carpet, they received a cup of milk and some presents, consisting of tobacco-pouches and smell-bottles, a little tea, and some China-ware. They prostrated them- selves as soon as these imperial donations were delivered to them, and remained spectators of a play which was acted in their presence, until his imperial majesty retired. On re- turning to their lodgings, they found in their hotel (a stable) fresh pork and sweetmeats, which the emperor had sent them. They afterward received permission to spend some time at Yuen-ming-yuen. The emperor gave there a great entertainment. As soon as he had arrived, all those present performed the act of prostration. The victuals, repulsive to an European stomach, in dirty basins, were served up very plentifully. When the monarch drank a cup of sam- EMPORIUMS. 161 shu, (Chinese wine, or rather spirit,) all his guests prostrated themselves before him. The emperor condescended to hand them a cup himself; the submissive ambassadors again performed the kow-tow; but Van Braam lost his hat in the act of paying homage, which greatly amused the emperor, and made him regard the sufferer with a great deal of kindness. On the following morning they had again to exercise themselves in the act of prostration, because some victuals of yesterday, which they found uneatable, were sent to them. But this was the least; they even received some bones which already had been picked, and might bet- ter have been thrown to the dogs, that they might gnaw off the remainder. On their way to Yuen-ming-yuen they met his imperial majesty, and fell upon their knees whilst he passed in a sedan-chair. After many prostrations, genu- flections, and assurances of the warmest interest which his majesty took in the welfare of the Hollanders, they were finally permitted to depart. Their embassy having been a mere mission of congratulation, no business had been transacted; and the only advantage gained was the exemp- tion from duties upon the ship in which the ambassadors had arrived. They were certainly treated with a great deal of condescension; Keen-lung was flattered by seeing them perform the kow-tow without scruple; but this was all. Their affairs at Canton remained unaltered; their griev- ances were never redressed; nor did they reach the ears of the emperor. Their degradation was never indemnified by an adequate grant of privileges, which imperial compas- sion bestows upon submissive vassals. When the war between Holland and England commenc- ed, the former country itself being finally incorporated in the huge French empire, the Dutch trade ceased entirely; but as soon as Napoleon had found a quiet asylum at St. Helena, and could no more disturb the nations, a few Dutch ships visited Canton. The agents of the Company had VOL. II. 14 162 EMPORIUMS. continued in China, and received their regular salary. A Dutch consul afterward arrived to advocate the interests of his countrymen. The Handels maatschappy (trading Com- pany) sent several ships to China; but the trade was never carried on to so great an extent as formerly. Much rice, however, is at present imported from Java to China, both by Dutch, English, and American vessels. No disturbances have lately occurred with the Chinese government. It is sin- cerely hoped that as soon as the troubles in Europe have ceased, the Dutch trade will again begin to flourish. The many thousands of Chinese emigrants who have settled at Java, constitute the most industrious part of the population; they are merchants and artisans, and engage in every undertaking whereby they can make money. Or late, the government has prohibited the Amuy junks, which annually arrive at Batavia and Samarang, to bring any Chi- nese emigrants. Java is already overstocked, and it is to be feared that the crafty Chinese will engross all branches of industry. They are ruled by their own chiefs, (captains,) who are responsible to government for their good behavior. Being in the possession of a great deal of wealth, they often become very obnoxious, by exerting their influence against the existing government: yet they are a valuable acquisi- tion to the Dutch government, which has granted them great liberties and immunities. They have the free exercise of their religion, and are attached to idolatry even more than their countrymen in the Fuh-keën province. In their man- ners and in knowledge, they far exceed their friends at home. Their outward circumstances are much better; and they have surely not to complain of an oppressive govern- ment. Even their dwellings and food are much better than of those living at Amuy, the most celebrated emporium, where the greatest luxury reigns. Several Chinese mer- chants own native craft, which trade to Singapore, Borneo, and other islands, manned by their own countrymen. They EMPORIUMS. 163 also engage with Europeans in mercantile speculations, and amass great treasures, of which a part is remitted to their homes. As they have been settled for a great many years at Java, there exists a great number of country-born Chinese, who understand their own language very imper- fectly, but speak the Malay; however, there are schools for their instruction. A few of them have turned Moham- medans, and even performed pilgrimages to Mecca, but they do not amalgamate with the natives. In all the Dutch principal settlements there are Chinese to be met with. Bania is entirely inhabited by natives from the Canton pro- vince, who work the tin mines: at Rhio they work the gan- bier and pepper plantations, and constitute the greater part of the population. They occasionally send a junk, under the command of a Portuguese pilot, to Macassar, and carry on a very advantageous trade with Amuy. It is astonishing that the Dutch colonial government, having so many subjects of the celestial empire under their sway, does not encourage Chinese literature: it is hoped that this will be the case in future, as it would be very conducive to the welfare of their Chinese subjects, and worthy the attention of a protestant enlightened government. During the administration of General Van den Bosch, who paid the utmost attention to agriculture and colonial produce, an attempt was made to transplant the tea shrub to Java. This has been partly successful, and those engaged in it promise themselves a rich harvest. Some few hundred Chinese who were engaged at Macao to cultivate this plant at Java, broke out into insurrection against their employers, after having remained for some time on the island. A great number were in consequence killed, and the 'remainder too much disheartened to attend to this business. When the news reached Macao, an inflammatory placard was stuck in the streets, warning all the inhabitants to have nothing to do with barbarians, and vowing revenge for the murder up 164 EMPORIUMS. committed. We sincerely hope that the Dutch may succeed without the aid of the Chinese, in the cultivation of tea.* CHAPTER XXIII. ENGLISH. WHEREVER British influence has prevailed mankind has been improved and enlightened, and lofty principles, with all the arts and sciences of civilization, have been widely propagated. No nation on earth has done so much for the benefit of mankind, or upon so extensive a scale, as the in- habitants of the favored British isles. Humanity and the glorious cause of Christianity have gained more since the English have spread themselves over the globe, than during all the ages since the reign of Constantine. We by no means wish to depreciate the merits of other Protestant nations, nor derogate from the praise due only to the Almighty, who be- stowed upon Great Britain this great trust of enlightening the nations; but had the Portuguese and Spaniards remained in possession of their conquests in Asia, to the exclusion of every other nation, what would be the state of the eastern world at the present period? Freed from the shackles of popery, England early rose into importance as a maritime power. True liberty, the soul and source of every improvement, called forth the energy of the British nation. Their commercial enterprises were now no longer confined to Europe, they followed the track of the * See Canton Miscellany-"Het Verwaarloosch Formosa," Har- ris's Complete Collection of Voyages-" Van Braam's Voyage." EMPORIUMS. 165 Portuguese, and arrived in India. In 1596, the English first turned their thoughts to China, and one or two of their ships were equipped with a view of opening a trade. Queen Eli- zabeth granted letters of recommendation to the emperor, in favor of Richard Adam and Thomas Bromfield, merchants and citizens of London. In these letters, besides recom- mending the merchants, and vouching for the probity of their dealings, the queen expressed her desire to be informed, through them, respecting those institutions by which the empire of China had become so celebrated for the encou- ragement of trade; and in return offered the fullest protec- tion to the subjects of China, should they be disposed to open a trade to any of the ports in her dominions. This ex- pedition proved unfortunate, the ships being lost on the out- ward bound voyage. During the listless age of James the First, nothing more for the prosecution of the trade was undertaken. Queen Elizabeth had previously sent F. Milderhall, by way of Con- stantinople, to the Great Mongol, for obtaining certain pri- vileges for the English Company, for whom she was then preparing a charter. He was long opposed by the arts and presents of the Spanish and Portuguese Jesuits at that cour and it was some years before he could entirely get the better of them. However, James, though by his contemporaries compared to Solomon, had not the enterprising spirit of that great prince, who sent ships to Ophir, whilst James not only did not set new expeditions on foot, but did not even follow up the vigorous measures of his great predecessor. On the accession of Charles I. there arrived some letters from Ba- tavia, which stated, "The trade of China, now likely to set- tle at Tae-wan upon Formosa, is as an ocean to devour more than all Europe can minister, wrought and raw silks in abundance, and many necessary commodities, that all parts of India must have. These are to be purchased with the pepper, spice, and sandal-wood of these parts, at prices 14* 166 EMPORIUMS. that we please; also with the silver of Japan, springing from the same silk of China, and in all probability with every sort of European commodities, especially woolen cloth, for the greatest part of the China empire stretches into the cold climate, and is defended with infinite troops of soldiers, whose necessities do require more than we can guess at till experimented." Two years later a correspondent from Batavia wrote: "For these mighty monarchies, China and Japan, abound- ing with riches, are also civilized, peaceably to respond with all, but in a climate requiring that which neither themselves nor their neighbors enjoy, nor can be supplied with but by the English, which is clothing answerable to the magnifi- cence of these nations, defensible against the cold, and con- venient for their employment in travels, wars, and weather. Those clothes, which they now wear are silks, in summer season passable, but in winter they are forced to wear bom- bast, or ten coats one over the other, and that is useful. Silk being thus their clothing, and all growing in China, a stop of that intercourse were so material, that silk in China in one year would be as dust or dung; and Japan beggared for want of clothing. But there needeth such a stop of inter- course and devised extremity, for the natural enmity between these two nations has so framed all for our purpose, that could Japan be furnished with any other clothing, not one Chinese durst peep into their country, which the Chinese well know; therefore though tolerated by Japan, yet none cometh but by stealth, which would cost their lives, if known to their governors in China. Thus, with that which in our last letters was commended unto your consideration for Japan, may suffice to express that hopeful trade. Our next step is into China, so united unto Japan, that with no rea- son they may be separated." Though there are some misstatements in the former let- ter, and the trade is too much magnified in the latter, it } EMPORIUMS. 167 nevertheless proves the great interest which British mer- chants at so early a period took in the trade of China. We would not willingly subscribe to that meanness which re- joices at the existing enmity between two large nations, in order to benefit by their discord. The conjecture that Tae- wan, on Formosa, would very soon become the staple of the Chinese trade, was very well founded; for an ambas- sador from Formosa had arrived in 1623 at Batavia, who offered the English, as well as Dutch, a free trade to this island. Yet the merchants at home were by no means so anxious to improve upon this proposal; the Dutch, on the contrary, very soon transferred their principal factory to the capital of Formosa. The Portuguese, who had hitherto maintained themselves in the monopoly of the Chinese trade, were jealous of other nations, and had the means of frustrating their endeavors for the opening of a free trade. Charles I. notwithstanding the exclusive charter granted by Elizabeth to a company of merchants, gave several English merchants license to trade to the East Indies. In the nrean time, during the year 1634, a truce, and permission for a free trade to China, and all places where the Portuguese were settled in India, was agreed to between the viceroy of Goa and the English pre- sident at Surat. This induced the British merchants to fit out several ships, under the command of Captain Weddel, and to send them to China, with a letter from the viceroy of Goa addressed to the governor at Macao. Previous to this expedition, the Company's agents at Fi- rando, in Japan, had employed three eminent Chinese mer- chants, connected with houses in Japan, to open a negotia- tion for a direct trade to China, 1614. A strong prejudice then existed in that country against the English, from the odium which the Hollanders had brought upon their national character,* by robbing Chinese junks under the English flag. * An unfounded assertion; for the Chinese in all the maritime pro- 168 EMPORIUMS. L But the company's agent exposed this deception by making the real facts known in China, and the good report of Eng- lishmen was in consequence higher than ever. It is stated, in a letter from the company's agent, dated in 1617, that no Chinese dare translate and forward the letters address- ed by king James to the emperor of China, it being death by the laws of their country so to do, or to give passage to any Christian as the bearer of them. Those letters there- fore which were intended to give authority to a negotiation for the company, are lying dormant at Bantam. The Dutch still continue to plunder the Chinese junks in the English name, and have left two large ships to scour the coast of China, and to intercept the trade between Macao and Japan." Previous to the 10th of March, 1619, the Company's agent in Japan had employed, in succession, two comman- ders of Chinese vessels (one the captain of all the Chinese in Japan) to open and conduct a negotiation for a direct trade with China. He was, in consequence, informed that the new emperor of China had granted unto the English trade for two ships a-year, and that this contract only want- ed the ratification of two viceroys. The minority of the em- peror arrested the proceedings, and the union with the Dutch under the treaty of defence, was another impediment. Nevertheless, their Chinese agent bestowed a great deal of money in order to pave the way for the English trade. The council of defence had been purposely instituted in order to obtain the trade; the Dutch, whilst deriving support from both companies, had fortified the Piscadores, and other sta- tions near the coast of China, and thus forced a trade, from which the English were excluded. The agents at Batavia vinces, except the provincial city of Canton, care very little about the flags of petty barbarians, but comprise them all under the general name of red-haired men, just as it is customary with us to call the na- tions of Africa, Southern Asia, and Australia, blacks. EMPORIUMS. 169, therefore demanded in writing that the combined establish- ment of both companies might settle the China trade upon Pulo Condore, or the Loo-choo islands, according to the contract, but received a frivolous, evasive answer. After these negotiations and disappointments, Captain Weddel anchored with his fleet off Macao. The super- cargoes went immediately on shore, with a letter from King Charles addressed to the Portuguese captain general, soli- citing permission to trade at Macao. The procurator of the city came on board, and affirmed that the subjection under which the Chinese authorities held the Portuguese at Ma- cao, would be increased by the arrival of Captain Weddel's four ships; for the ship London, belonging to the English. company, which only came thither on freight, though dis- patched from Goa on Portuguese account, had brought upon them a great fine. He was willing to provide them with re- freshments, but saw in their object of trading insurmounta- ble obstacles. However, the captain determined to dis- cover the Choo-keang, or Canton river, and fitted out a barge and pinnace, with about fify men, which, after two days' search, came in sight of the mouth of the river. "This was a goodly inlet, and utterly prohibited to the Portuguese by the Chinese, who do not willingly admit any strangers to the view of it, because it is the pas- sage and secure harbor for their junks, both of war and merchantmen; so that the Portuguese traffic to Canton was only in small vessels, through divers narrow shoaled straits, among many broken islands adjoining to the main. In order to get a pilot and interpreter, they boarded a junk ; but finding neither, they used them with all courtesy and dismissed them, contrary to their timorous expectations. Af- ter a delay of several days a small boat made toward them, and having sold some refreshments, signs were made to carry some of the English to Canton and bring them to the speech of the mandarins, which the boatmen accepted of. But the next day, the pinnace being under sail, with a 170 EMPORIUMS. fair wind and tide, after having passed by a certain desolate castle, a fleet of about twenty sail of tall junks, commanded by a naval admiral, passing down from Canton, encountered the English, and in courteous terms desired them to anchor, which accordingly they did. Presently, certain of the Eng- lish went aboard the chief mandarin, where were certain ne- groes, fugitives of the Portuguese, that interpreted." At first, the Chinese began to expostulate with them roughly for having discovered the prohibited goods, and the concealed ports and passages of so great a prince's domi- nion; and they were asked who their pilots had been. The reply was, that the English had come to conclude a treaty of commerce for the benefit of both nations, paying duties as well as others, upon the same score as the inhabitants of Macao. As for pilots, they had none; but had discovered more difficult passages than this by their art. Upon this the Chinese offered them a small junk to carry them up to Can- ton, and requested that the pinnace should not proceed any further on her way. However, when they had come within five leagues of Canton, they were prevailed upon by the Hoppo and other mandarins to return, and trade at Macao, whilst they pledged themselves to get them this permission from the lieutenant-governor. Meanwhile, Captain Weddel had been amused with pro- mises by the council at Macao; but after the Portuguese fleet for Japan, consisting of six small vessels, had sailed, and were secure from attack, the council sent an official letter to the captain, positively denying him license to trade. No people from the English ships were allowed to go on shore, and the rice supplied from the town was found, by an experiment on some swine, to be very unwholesome. The two vessels returned on the same day from the Can- ton river; both Chinese and Portuguese flouted the simple credulity of the English, though the latter, ignorant that the Chinese were the greater rogues of the two, ascribed their <. EMPORIUMS. 171 ill success solely to their Portuguese friends. All the ships now set sail for Canton river, and when they had arrived there, they again had a parley with the Chinese authorities, by means of some "slender interpreters." The mandarins readily promised every thing, and charged themselves also with supplying them with provisions, but asked a delay of six days, that they might duly report the matter to their su- periors. The English ships rode therefore with white en- signs upon the poop; "but their perfidious friends, the Por- tuguese,” (and they got the whole credit,) "had slandered them to the Chinese, reporting them to be rogues, thieves, and beggars." This was quite unnecessary, for the Chi- nese government is fully persuaded that all barbarians are such. However, the Chinese profited by the advice of their counselors, and "during the night, they put into the dila- pidated fort opposite the anchorage of the ships, forty-six cannons, each piece being six and seven hundred weight, and well proportioned. After the end of four days, having, as they thought, sufficiently fortified themselves, they dis- charged divers shot, though without hurt, upon one of the barges passing by them, which was gone out to find a wa- tering place. Herewith, the whole fleet being instantly in- censed, did on the sudden display their bloody ensigns; and weighing their anchor, fell up with the flood, and berth- ed themselves before the castle, from whence came many shot, yet not any that touched so much as hull or rope. Whereupon, not being able to endure their bravadoes any longer, each ship began to play furiously upon them with their broadsides; and after two or three hours, perceiving their cowardly fainting, the boats were loaded with about one hundred men, which sight occasioned them, with great distractions, instantly to abandon the castle and fly; the boats' crews, in the meantime, without let, entering the the same, and displaying his majesty of England's colors upon the walls, having the same night put aboard all their 172 EMPORIUMS. ordnance, fired the council-house, and demolished what they could. The boats of the fleet also seized a junk laden with boards and timber, and another with salt. Another vessel of small moment was surprised, by whose boat a letter was sent to the chief mandarins at Canton, expostulating their breach of truce, excusing the assailing of the vessel, and withal, in fair terms, requiring the liberty of trade." Going on shore in search of provisions, the men were fired upon. When the Chinese saw the earnestness with which the English prosecuted their object, they sent an in- terpreter, and requested a deputation to be sent up to Can- ton. Accordingly, Mounteney and Robinson passed up the river, and anchored close to the city walls. The "admiral general," with whom they had an interview, greatly blamed the behavior of the Portuguese, according to the manner of the Chinese, and granted the permission for a free trade, and the liberty to fortify himself on any place outside the river. In consequence of this adjustment, Captain Wed- del landed the guns which he had taken from the castle, and dismissed the captured junks. The supercargoes now went up to Canton, paid down 10,000 rials of duties, and began to load sugar and ginger, &c. Meanwhile the Por- tuguese, working upon the avarice of the Hitto, (perhaps Hoppo,) contrived a plot against the English, which ex- tended both to the supercargoes at Canton and to the ships. The Chinese, whose words they implicitly believed, are al- ways guiltless. A regular protest was delivered to the com- mander for having forced the trade into the river; the su- percargoes, who came down with two junks laden with merchandise, were arrested; and seven fire junks were floated down the river, which the English however avoided and burnt. As the supercargoes were shut up in a house, and ran the risk of starving, victuals being denied them, they piled up wood against the door, and by means of a lens put fire to it. When the mandarins saw this, they began to EMPORIUMS. 173 inquire what they intended to do. Upon being answered that they were going to fire the town for having been treache- rously dealt with, they opened the door, but the guard remained; so that Mounteney was compelled to sally from the house with a sword in one hand and money in the other, in order to procure some provisions from the people who passed. Meanwhile, the fleet not having advices from the mer- chants, but learning from general report that they had been imprisoned, pillaged and burnt many vessels and villages. But no man coming near them, they resolved to get back their comrades by force, or lose their lives. Having well manned their boats, they attacked sixteen sail of the impe- rial fleet, and fought with them for half an hour; in which time they burnt five of them, took the town of Famon, spreading destruction with fire and sword, and finally went up to Canton to make their complaints. The affair was at length gradually adjusted, and a formal protest entered against the Portuguese, who were condemned to pay heavy bribes to the mandarins. They had afterward, however, the impudence to capture four junks, laden with British goods, which were ultimately restored. It had been the wish of the supercargoes to remain on shore, in order to transact business, but the Portuguese disturbed them so much that they were finally forced to leave Macao, and sail with the fleet. Mounteney had agreed with the admiral- general, that, for ample trade and residence, the English should yearly pay to the king 2000 taêls, four pieces of iron ordnance, and fifty muskets. a We have already touched upon the offensive and defen- sive treaty which was concluded between the Dutch and English East India companies. The tenth article says: "Touching the question where and in what place the ships of defence shall be employed.-The defence shall be em- ployed for the gaining of the trade to China. And to that VOL. II. 15 174 EMPORIUMS. end the fleet shall be sent to the Philippines, there to hinder and divert the Chinese, that they shall not traffic with any others but with us. And there shall be chosen a place of resi- dence fitting for the trade, either in Lequeo Peuneno, Pulo Cordon, or in such other commodious place as the common council of defence shall find to be meet for this trade." The Portuguese not receiving any succor from home, and being much distressed by the Dutch and distracted in their coun- cils, applied to the English for assistance, but could not ob-. tain it. For, beside the treaty which prohibited such engage- ments, the Portuguese had chartered an English ship and could not pay for her. The trade to China might in this way have been opened; but this would also have been with a very great risk, and the English refused to charter their ships to their rivals. But this treaty between two rival companies was very soon annulled by the massacre of the English at Amboyna. However, this was by no means productive of any advanta- ges to the Chinese trade. In 1644 another ship arrived at Macao, and was amica- bly received by the Portuguese; but they put her under enormous exactions, and thus reduced her profits to nothing. Macao was at that time greatly reduced, owing to the fall- ing off of their former trade to Japan and Manilla. To add to their misery, the Chinese empire was embroiled in war; and these disturbances, with the poverty of the Portuguese, had left Macao destitute of all kinds of commodities, there not being to be bought in the city, silks raw or wrought, or China root, except what was old and rotten, nor indeed any thing but Chinaware, nor could any thing at all, during the ships stay there, be procured from Canton. The city itself, after the captain-general had been killed by the populace, was in open rebellion. Notwithstanding the little encourage- ment held out, the Court of Directors at home endeavored to persuade their supercargoes at Bantam to enter upon EMPORIUMS. 175 fresh enterprises; but they excused themselves, for the country was then in the most miserable state, and it was stated that 1000 pirates swept the sea. Finally, they al- most relinquished every hope of ever renewing the trade; for the Dutch, who had hitherto traded to some advantage, were in 1653 ordered to leave the country instantly. On 12th of July, 1664, the company's ship, the Surat frigate, sailed from Bantam to Macao, where she lay at an- chor from 12th of July till 12th December, and was employ- ed during all this time in fruitless attempts to open a trade. Having failed in her object, she reshipped her goods and quitted Macao. The Portuguese at first wished to fix upon the Surat frigate a portion of the fine which they stated themselves to have paid for the misconduct of the free tra - ders. They then demanded an enormous payment of mea- surage-compelled the supercargoes to deposit lead and pepper on shore as security for it; placed guard-boats round the ship, and guards on board; compelled the ship to lie be- hind the island, lest the, mandarins should see her, and amused the English for a time by a promise of getting a chop for them to proceed to Canton. It was also demanded of them by the Portuguese, that they should land their goods, that when they were gone the mandarins might know in whose hands they were, and that the buyers might keep half the goods to furnish the mandarins with them at what weight and price they pleased. The war in China was a great impe- diment to the trade, for the Tatar conquerors often deprived the town of Macao of goods and provisions for months to- gether. As to commodities there was no choice. The mer- chants at Canton were prohibited from bringing any goods down, the Tatars and pirates were lurking in the adjacent islands, and one junk that came down during the stay of the Surat with a valuable cargo was captured. The king of Formosa, the son of the celebrated Kok-sing, had at this time proved very successful against the Tatars, 176 EMPORIUMS. and possessed himself of several places along the coast. He followed the example of his father, by inviting Chinese and foreign merchants to repair to his ports, promising them. an exemption from all duties. In consequence of this in- vitation, the English factory at Bantam despatched a vessel to Formosa to conclude a treaty with the king, 1670. They were permitted to establish a factory, and to open a trade with Amuy. However, as soon as Ching-ching-kung, the king, saw the merchants in the harbor, he levied a duty upon their ships, alleging that without this his government could not exist. The Court of Directors at home had addressed to the king of Formosa the following letter: May it please your Majesty : 16 By advice from our agent and council of Bantam, we understand that upon your majesty's encouragement, they made a beginning of trade in your city of Tae-wan, and had been kindly received by your majesty there, but they did not find the prices and want of commodities to answer their expectations. Yet, that there were certain articles in proposition between your majesty and them, for settle- ment of trade, and that they intended to return thither again. “And we, finding, that if your majesty give encourage- ment, there may be a considerable commerce by vending Indian and European commodities, taking in exchange such commodities as your kingdom does afford. To that pur- pose we have now sent out several ships with cargoes in part from hence, viz. cloths, stuffs, lead and other commodi- ties, and have appointed to be laden at Bantam, calicoes and other goods, severally for sale at your city of Tae-wan, with orders to take in exchange, sugar, skins, and other com- modities. This we intend yearly to do for the future, and to increase the number of shipping, as we find the trade to invite us." EMPORIUMS. 177 The letter then desires that his majesty will, in a special manner, encourage the consumption in his territories of British cloths and stuffs, the company engaging to take in return all the productions of his kingdom, fit either for the markets of Europe or other parts. There were several articles upon which the company's servants could not agree; as for instance the unloading of the guns at their arrival, and the request of bringing ammu- nition for sale to the port, which was against the laws of nations. The first voyages proved unprofitable; however, they were not discouraged, but built large store-houses for the sale of British piece goods and woollens, which they were most anxious to introduce upon a large scale. Yet their endeavors to trade by way of Tae-wan to Japan prov- ed fruitless. To the great injury of the trade, the king engrossed the monopoly of sugar and skins, and acted very arbitrarily. However, the merchants greatly gained his favor by bringing out a large store of cannon. Punhee, the prime minister, promised them that if his master ever proved successful, he would remember their services; and when master of China, grant them permission to erect fac- tories in every part of this extensive coast. But nothing was obtained beyond promises, whilst the English merchants had to make him large presents for the liberties they en- joyed. However, all this might have been borne, if the outstanding debts of the company had been paid. The con- tinual war with the Tatars rendered the trade very preca- rious; moreover, moreover, the royal treasury was empty, and the army dissatisfied. All these circumstances concurred to make the removal of the factory to Amuy a very desirable object. When finally the Tatars took possession of the island, the factors had to make them very great and valua- ble presents, in order to conciliate their good will. Notwith- standing they were greatly involved by the oppression and extortion of the authorities, their condition was deteriorated 15 * 178 EMPORIUMS. by their new masters, and resolved in 1683, the year in which Kang-he granted a free trade to all parts of China, to abandon the commerce. This resolution was sanctioned by the Court of Directors at home, who said Tae-wan is no longer of any value, and we shall not allow you to settle any factory there again. The factors accordingly removed. to Amuy in 1689. Though the trade to Amuy was also monopolized by the king of Formosa, it nevertheless proved a rich source of profit. Yet the wars prevented the arrival of a sufficient quantity of commodities to load the company's ships. As soon as the Tatars had regained possession of Amuy, the factors were blamed for having leagued with the enemy of the country, the king of Formosa. They had brought guns, muskets, gunpowder, and lead; and were asked whether this ammunition was destined as a present for the emperor. Upon their answering in the negative, they were forced to give up all the implements of war, and were only allowed to sell the lead to private merchants. Upon an application made to the viceroy at Fuh-choo, (or Hok-chew,) which was accompanied by a present, they were allowed to transact their business, but not to remain. The same wish of engrossing the whole trade by forced sales made by government officers, was here also visible. All remonstrances to the contrary were unavailing, and they were obliged to submit to heavy exactions. At the return of the Tatar general who had conquered Formosa, the fac- tors waited upon him. He persuaded them to send an em- bassy to Peking; and the merchants, in their turn, request- ed that his imperial majesty might send an envoy to Lon- don. He made them great promises; which, however, proved delusory. They had even to pay the duties on a ship which could not sell her cargo. The mandarins were in general rapacious; and this was still more the case when a Chinese had been killed by one of their crew. However, EMPORIUMS. 179 the matter was adjusted by large bribes and presents. When one of their supercargoes, a Mr. Roberts, had insisted upon the payment of a large debt due to him by a Chinese mer- chant, he was chained and confined to the factory until he had agreed to take such goods as his debtor would give him for the sum he owed. A son of the emperor had sent, at the same time, his merchant to the emporium, and the Eng- lish were obliged to sell him all the articles he wanted for the price himself had fixed. On account of these numerous grievances, the factory withdrew in 1709. In the mean- while some country ships found their way thither. One of them had seized a junk belonging to Amuy, in satisfaction of some injuries received at that port. The emperor being informed of this affair, punished the mandarin who had given rise to this reprisal very severely, and indemnified the own- ers of the junk. From this period, the authorities were ac- tuated by fear, and treated the English much better than they had done before. As the exactions at Canton were very grievous, the com- pany proposed to renew the trade at Amuy; but this mea- sure was relinquished at the request of the Foo-yuen at Canton, who pledged himself, by issuing a chop,* to show the English the greatest favor, if they would continue to trade at Canton, 1727. In 1734 another effort was made to re-establish the trade. After many altercations respecting the measurement of the ship, they finally agreed to pay one hundred taëls above the Canton duty. We give the result of this expedition in the words of the records of the East India Company. "The sum accepted, after many evasions; and the covid fixed at 14 inches. A chop on board, originally a procla- mation of the emperor, to treat Europeans well, and punish those who cheat them. The hoppo, contrary to the paper of * Chop, a government document or decrec. EMPORIUMS. 180 privileges, insisted on sending a person to reside in the fac- tory, to take account of all goods, &c. "After several interviews, agreed to inform the Te-tuh (admiral) that if the demand was persevered in they would leave the place. Among other demands, the guns, sails, powder, &c. were to be delivered into the custody of the Chinese. After occupying the house on shore some time, only two merchants visited them, who charged customs on their goods, although the hoppo declared that no customs on their goods would be demanded. Badly supplied with pro- visions, and obliged in consequence to live chiefly on salt provisions. Merchants profess to be deterred from trading by apprehensions of the mandarins and hoppo. One of them demanded ten per cent. above the common price of goods. To-yan, a great mandarin, promises to rectify some griev- ances, and excuses others. At length a grand chop sent down, granting liberty of trade, and stating: That by a decree of the emperor and grand council, published four years since, the mandarins at Amuy are expressly forbid de- manding the seven per cent. formerly paid them by all Eu- ropean ships; hoping, by this, the Europeans may be in- duced to come and trade again at Amuy.' After interviews and discussions with several merchants, find it impossible to do any thing at Amuy this year. The English not being expected, the merchants had every thing to provide. Though promised a free trade, only two merchants were allowed to communicate, and their terms too extravagant to be attend- ed to. The hoppo, full of delays and prevarications, deny- ing one day what he had promised the day before. Nothing to be bought but teas, and those such as the merchants chose to sell. The supercargo, therefore, under these cir- cumstances, departed without trading." In 1735 a new attempt was made to trade to Amuy, which failed, owing to the high prices and enormous duties. The same fraudulent practices with weights and measures EMPORIUMS. 181 were repeated, as during the previous year: thus they quitted Amuy for Canton. But in 1744 the ship Hardwicke, in order to avoid the Spaniards, then off Macao, went to Amuy, and spent much time in fruitless discussions and vain en- deavors to get the Chinese to trade, but she was compelled to quit the port and to proceed to Bengal for a cargo. Anxious to open, if possible, a communication with Japan, and to increase the consumption of British manufactures in China, the Company resolved to open a trade with Ning-po and Chusan. • You are carefully to observe," these were their instruc- tions to the supercargoes, "the manner of disposing of our European goods and bullion; and, as much as in you lies, to promote the vent of our English manufactures and other products of this nation. And take notice, that we buy all our woollen cloth and other goods with present money and at the most proper seasons; by which means, and the great quantities we purchase, we get them at least 10 per cent. cheaper than they are usually bought, and we rate them in the invoice at no more than the true cost. If any other sorts of goods than what is in our list may be found out proper for Europe, or any commodities that have not been here before sent hither, send us musters of some, and small par- cels of others." In consequence of this resolution, president Catchpole, who was sent out by the East India Company in their frigate Eaton, as president of such factory as he should be able to settle in China, and as his majesty's counsel there, arrived at Chusan on the 11th October 1700, and entered into a treaty for trade, in which, after encountering many evasions and impositions, he succeeded, and established a factory; but the Eaton was not able to quit the port with a return cargo till February 1702, having been detained there six- teen months. Chusan was at that time a desolate island, having greatly suffered by the pirates and wars which laid 182 EMPORIUMS. all China waste. On the 10th January, the president and council were ordered by the government to withdraw from Chusan; but this order was rescinded in consequence of an agreement with the chief mandarin, by which, in consequence of their purchasing his Japan earthenware, he engaged to secure their factory till the arrival of the next ships, and as- sist them in recovering their debts, which amounted to 31,000 taëls. The president hints at his having expended 10,000 taëls for preserving the factory at Chusan. At the same time, while under the impression that they would be per- mitted to remain till next season, the council stated that the monopoly and tyranny of the mandarins was so great, that they did not consider it for the interest of the company to remain at Chusan, unless the ambassador to be sent to the Chinese court should procure better terms. On the 2d Fe- bruary the judge arrived, and caused a Mr. Lloyd to be secured in the factory. He wished to force upon them some goods for the liquidation of the debt, and hoped that they would make him some offer for being permitted to remain. As, however, no one came forth, he ordered them, in the name of the emperor, to depart. Accordingly, they all re- paired on board, but in so much hurry and confusion, that they had no time to carry off necessaries, or their own pri- vate effects. Amidst this distraction the counsel's doors were forced, and some goods stolen; and the mandarin of justice took possession of the counsel's lodgings, and of the warehouses containing the company's goods: two gen- tlemen only remained behind. When other ships arrived the next year, the factors found the merchants so dilatory and exorbitant in their demands, that they reshipped their goods, after having paid 10,000 taëls measurement; but they were hindered from re-embarking by a military man- darin, who surrounded the factory with soldiers, and kept them under strict confinement, whilst he forced the mer- chants to sell their goods at very unreasonable rates. The EMPORIUMS. 183 hoppo also pretended that he had no authority to fulfil the chop he had previously granted, and by which he had ex- torted the loan of 6,000 taëls. Many great promises were made to them. They found the people so capricious, that woollens and many other European exports were a drug; but the factors had understood that curious birds and dogs were much sought after. Mr. Dolben, a supercargo, had paid the entire measurage of his ships with one great Irish dog. The Rochester, a vessel which was sent thither, touched on her way at Amuy, and represented the many im positions of the mandarins as the cause why the trade had been discontinued; on that account they promised to trade with them on any terms they chose to prescribe. On their arrival at Chusan, the exactions of the mandarins were so great that they had a share of the profits on all purchases made by the supercargoes, even to the vegetables for the factory. In consequence of the burdens imposed on the trade at Canton, an unsuccessful attempt was made in 1737 to open a commercial intercourse with Ning-po. The causes of failure were the heavy duties, and the haughty and arbi- trary conduct of the Chinese. Moreover, they had overrated this emporium, and were counteracted by the merchants who traded from Ning-po to Batavia. The trade, however, was legalized, and the duties reduced to one-half, until an edict arrived, excluding all the English from the trade, 1757. When Mr. Flint, the supercargo, heard that this prohibition had been bought at Peking by the Canton merchants, with a bribe of 20,000 taëls, he sailed for Teën-tsin, on the Pih- ho here he got a petition sent to the emperor, and was al- lowed to travel over-land back to Canton; but after his ar- rival at Macao, he was confined by the Chinese government until 1762, when he was banished from the country for hav- ing ventured as far as Ning-po. The trade at Macao was, in the meanwhile, carried on with various success. In 1673, a ship arrived in the roads 184 EMPORIUMS. with a view to trade. The Fortuguese permitted the vessel to be careened, and the goods to be landed, but under re- striction to trade only with the Portuguese in the town, and with money only; hence from not having silver on board, the sales of goods were partial. During the stay of the fac- tors on shore, they were strictly guarded by a sentinel, which prevented the Chinese from visiting them. They therefore reshipped their cargo, and anchored for some time amongst the islands, hoping to trade clandestinely with the junks. Shortly afterward, an attempt was made to trade with Tub-choo, but did not succeed. A Dutch factory es- tablished in that provincial city was treacherously dealt with; and this circumstance prevented the English from being over anxious to settle themselves in this place. Whilst some ships were stationed, in 1682, near Macao, the Tatar general intimated to them that the Portuguese having petitioned him to expel all strangers from the har- bor, he had finally resolved to fulfil their wishes. Boats were in consequence prevented from coming off to the ships, and they would not even sell any provisions to the Europeans. This measure forced them to anchor at some islands, and to barter some copper with a Siamese junk which had just arrived from Japan. Another attempt to trade at Macao was made in 1687. Some Chinese men of war came alongside to obtain informa- tion respecting the object of the ships. After having satis- fied them upon this subject, they sent a large present to the Portuguese general at Macao, who, however, told them ho- nestly, that the emperor had given strict orders not to deal with any foreign ship. In conference with the mandarins, they confirmed the assertion of the Portuguese, respecting their having made a compact with the emperor, who, in con- sideration of a great sum of money, had engaged to suffer no other European nation to have any trade in his domi- nions. They therefore removed to Lantao, and were fol- EMPORIUMS. 185 lowed by the Chinese men of war, which burnt a trading junk close to the ship. They were then deluded with vain hopes and promises, but not able to do any thing as long as they were engaged with the mandarins, who requested the aid of trading junks, in order to drive them away. In a let- ter to the company, which states the result of their endea- vors, they say: "We have endeavored to glean a little after others, being forced to take what we could get, and not at liberty to pick and choose goods, as if we had a set- tlement, or free trade. These private merchants cannot take goods, because it is a clandestine trade, and imports pay ten per cent. at Canton; but we have made great shift to put off thirty pieces of fine cloth, with some other small matters, specified in the account.” The Portuguese, in order to keep the English entirely out of Canton, paid the governor annually 24,000 taēls, the amount of custom that the foreign merchants annually used to pay. However, there were strong reasons for trying, by all means, to secure to the company the Canton trade. A small quantity of tea, amounting to the value of one hundred dol- lars, had been sent to England some years previous. This found a ready sale, and the directors remark in 1687, that the sale had increased. Besides, it was no longer possible to trade to Amuy, since the Tatars had taken possession of the city. When, in 1685, the trade to all the ports of China had been thrown open, a company's ship found means to go up the river, but the hoppo was desirous of extorting more money than the measurement of the ship amounted to, and this gave rise to altercation. Besides, they were only allowed to trade with a few individuals, to their own disad- vantage. When this ship was about to sail, (1690,) the commander went with two boats manned, to demand of the people belonging to a mandarin stationed there, the mast they had hauled up on shore, showing the chop from the VOL. II. 16 186 EMPORIUMS, hoppo's officer for carrying it away. The mandarin took the chop, and cast it on the ground; upon which the cap- tain rashly laid hold of the mast, and dragged it into the water. A fray commenced accordingly, and blows were exchanged on both sides. However, the captain's party proved victorious, and towed the mast on board the pin- nace. But the mandarins were so incensed, that they pour- ed whole vollies of stones at the boats, which so enraged the sailors that they fired with shot in return, whereby one native was killed, and another wounded. In consequence of this loss, the Chinese fired a whole broadside upon the English, who, in order to save themselves, pulled off in all haste, and left ten of their countrymen on shore. Whilst still in sight, their surgeon was cut down in the act of com- ing off to the boat. They heard next day that their surgeon lay chained to the corpse of the Chinese who had been killed, and was carried about in the city, in order to irritate the minds of the people. Meanwhile the mandarin's party ranged the town, breaking up the captain's house, fining the landlady, and threatening to mulct the Portuguese for not firing their guns upon the English. A Mr. Watts was sent on shore to make up the matter, and offered 2000 taēls, (about six hundred pounds sterling); but as the manda- rins insisted upon 3000, they detained Mr. Watts, and the ships departed without him. In consequence of this affray, the company enjoined their servants in China to be very careful not to give umbrage to the Chinese. But new dif- ficulties again arose in 1702, because the hoppo wished to compel every merchant who wanted to trade with the super- cargoes, to give in his name, and to pay three per cent. up- on the contracts they made. The supercargoes petitioned the hoppo, but without effect, and at length agreed with the merchants, that they should pay the hoppo's demand, viz. 3900 taëls, in proportion to the amount of each contract, upon which the guard stationed at their doors was with- EMPORIUMS. 187 drawn. They agreed, some years afterward, to pay to the great hoppo 10,000 taels, on a stone being placed in the custom-house, prohibiting the demand of an extraordinary duty of four per cent. and declaring it contrary to the em- peror's orders. In the year 1712 the supercargoes of the Streatham and Herne remained at Macao till they received written guaran- ties for fair treatment from the hoppo. They also agreed with a Chinese merchant for the payment of the measure- ment, presents and fees of both ships for 4500 taëls; they then went up to Canton, and the ships entered the river. On their arrival they demanded and obtained from the hoppo the freedom of the port, and liberty to trade with whom they pleased; to choose their own linguist and servants, and to dismiss them at pleasure; permission to haul their ships on shore, and to buy stores; exemption from all new customs and impositions, and the sole right of punishing their people if disorderly. At the same time he recommended Leanqua and Anqua, with whom they were eventually compelled to deal; merchants who, it was ascertained, traded with the money of the mandarins. When the other mandarins saw what great profits accrued to the hoppo, they became envi- ous, and charged the merchants with new exactions, and also oppressed the Chinese with whom the English had contracted. When, in 1719, the hoppo's term of office was nearly expir- ed, he insisted upon the supercargoes landing all their car- go and paying duties. This they opposed, but finally con- sented to it on the hoppo's abating 36 per cent. To shackle the trade still more, a company of merchants was formed by the Chinese authorities, who prohibited all inferior merchants to deal with Europeans, and moreover, obliged those who did so, to pay 20 per cent. on China ware, and 40 per cent. on tea sold by them. As the hoppo and te-tuh were connected with this Chinese company, the remonstrances of the mer- chants proved of little avail, until, upon application to the 188 EMPORIUMS. tsung-tuh, governor, this company was dissolved. The hop- po then granted the usual licence for trade to the ships, which at first refused to enter the port, afraid of the great exactions which were to be expected under a trade with a company. One of the officers of the hoppo was accidental- ly killed by the people belonging to a private Madras ship. This occasioned much trouble, and put a stop to business. The second mate, and four inferior officers of the Cadogan, were seized and beaten by a mandarin, by order of the te- tuh, and the factory was surrounded with soldiers, without any cause being assigned. The supercargoes complained to the tsung-tuh of this insult and violation of their privileges, and the mandarin was in consequence deprived of his office. The supercargoes remarked that it was absolutely necessa- ry to carry this point, as their privileges were encroached upon annually, and the trade rendered more and more diffi- cult, 1722. In the same year a gunner's mate of a private ship accidentally killed a boy. This again occasioned much trouble, and the English had to pay 2000 taēls, 350 of which were given to the boy's parents, and the remainder to the mandarins. On the following year new difficulties arose. The great mandarins at Canton forced the Chinese mer- chants to trade with the English with their own money upon exorbitant interest. Moreover they purchased the tea in the country and sold it at their own prices. Almost all the mer- chants were in consequence ruined, and not more than two or three capable of taking a contract. However, the hoppo granted them every thing they demanded, and the order of the foo-yuen, for sending the ships in order to find out whe- ther there were any arms or ammunition on board was re- cinded. In consequence of the extortions of the mandarins, many merchants left Canton and went to Amuy, whither they invited the English ships, adding, that the mandarins of that port were very anxious for their return. They therefore resolved to repair to Amuy, but the lieutanant-governor (or EMPORIUMS. 189 foo-yuen) persuaded them to stop. Instead, however, of re- moving the difficulties and facilitating the trade, a duty of 20 per cent. was levied upon the native merchants, besides the customary 6 per cent. and the emperor's duties paid by the English merchants. Not satisfied with these heavy exac- tions, the government officers, the viceroy,* as well as the hoppo, demanded presents from the merchants. In 1734 some differences again occurred with the mer- chants, who did not furnish the silks equal to the contract they had entered into, nor would they make an abatement in the price. The supercargoes for two days made unavailing efforts to bring the matter before the viceroy, being impeded in their attempts to procure an audience, by the soldiers, as well as the merchants. At last a grand mandarin was sent to them to hear their complaints, of whom they demanded a license for unmolested entrance into the city, and thereby free recourse to justice; but this was absolutely refused, and they were told, that the emperor had ordered no stranger should obtain that liberty. The matter was finally settled, and the viceroy told them never to trouble him any more with such trifles. The court at home was advised of these circumstances, that they might know the situation of their servants, when applying to the public courts of judicature of this country, for redress of abuses in their trade. In 1736, an exception of 10 per cent duty upon the goods was finally published by Keen-lung, but the tsung-tuh demanded that the sum of 30,000 taëls should be paid to him for having obtained this abatement. Upon attending to hear the edict' read in the tsung-tuh's hall of audience, the English were ordered to kneel, but unanimously and successfully resist- ed the order. The English, by two addresses, presented through the tsung-tuh, thanked the emperor for his favor, * Tsung-tuh, or governor, and viceroy, are used indiscriminately for the same officer. • 16* 190 EMPORIUMS. and solicited the removal of other burdens on their trade; but measurage and presents were ordered still to be paid. This duty of 10 per cent. as it was afterward found out, was levied upon European trade by the emperor's servants, who represented it to him as a voluntary contribution. Six thou- sand taels were at the same time advanced on bond to a merchant, to obtain the release of demands for arms, and a letter written to the supercargoes's successors to advise them to try the force of money in removing burdensome ex- actions. Few events occurred until the arrival of Commodore An- son. A Chinese having attempted to force himself into the English factory, was wounded by the sentinel. The super- cargoes were happy to compromise the affair, by paying a heavy doctor's bill. With the arrival of a new foo-yuen, new difficulties arose, and were only partly removed. Dutch, English, and French, who then traded to Canton, agreed to jointly petition the viceroy. Commodore Anson arrived in 1742, in China. His ship was in a bad condition, and he, therefore, requested leave to proceed up the river. A Chinese officer came accord- ingly on board, who desired the commodore to spare the ceremony of saluting him, because his guns being large, the noise would disturb him exceedingly. He assured him, that the viceroy would accept very kindly a visit from him; and the captain of the other ship presented him with a license for daily supply of provisions, but intimated at the same time, that the ship would have to pay the customary duties of measurement. The commodore replied, that the British ships of war were never treated on a level with trading ves- sels in any port, and that he was absolutely restrained by his instructions from paying any acknowledgment for leave of anchoring in any harbor whatever. He accordingly pro- ceeded up the river, and anchored opposite a custom-house. Notwithstanding all his requests, no provisions were al- EMPORIUMS. 191 lowed to him; he therefore insisted, in company with the English, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish supercargoes, on ob- taining an audience of the viceroy. On their arrival at the viceroy's palace they found 10,000 men under arms, the commodore and his companions were immediately conduct- ed into the great hall, and admitted to the presence of the viceroy, who appeared with great pomp. His excellency be- haved very politely, and gave the commodore a great enter- tainment and several presents, but would receive nothing in return. All difficulties were, after this conference removed, and the commodore was able to get his stores, and to re- turn home. It is said, that on this occasion, a dreadful fire broke out at Canton, and consumed many houses. The sailors lent effectual assistance on that occasion. But the Chinese authorities demanded duties on the articles which had been consumed by fire, and as this was refused the ships were detained. Frivolous occurrences often gave rise to a good deal of altercation. An officer on coming on shore had refused to have his desk examined by the Chinese custom- house officers. The linguist was immediately put in chains, and the tsung-tuh demanded, that the officer should be de- livered up, and receive such punishment as he thought fit to inflict. This proposition being rejected, trade was stopt in consequence. An audience with his excellency was solicited, and granted, but afterward refused, for the tsung-tuh was too busy to hear them. This improper conduct was attributed to the Chinese merchants, by whose interference the trade was put upon such a footing, that without redress it would be im- practicable to Europeans. In 1747 the number of Euro- pean ships at Whampoa is reported to have been eight Eng- lish, six Dutch, four Swedish, two Danish; total, twenty ships. In another year (1750) the iron kintledge of the ships was made a pretence for withholding the licenses. Mr. Flint, a gentleman who had with great perseverance studied the Chinese language, addressed a paper in Chinese 192 EMPORIUMS. to the hoppo, on the subject of grievances. Among which is that of affixing proclamations in the public streets, accus- ing the English of horrible crimes, to which they impute the insults they receive from the people, and that money is exacted by the Chinese officers, and insults are offered. The hoppo ordered the writer to be arrested, and answered, he knew best what was fit for the English. "We are con- "that repre- firmed in our opinion," the supercargoes say, sentation here can have no effect, the magistrates are so ignorant and their servants so corrupt.” An attempt was made in 1754 to get rid of the custom of finding security merchants, for these men were compell- ed to send in curiosities to Peking to the amount of 30,000 taëls, and had to bear the charges of it. The English being the only nation who maintained their flag in the river, the accidental discharge of a musket occasioned a demand for some men to be given up; but as violence was apprehended, it was not complied with. An attempt was made by the other nations to trade with outside merchants and shopkeepers, but this proved ineffectual, for to the Hong merchants the monopoly of the foreign trade had been granted; and the Chinese government refused to depart from a law, the execution of which filled their coffers. But fearful that all the grievances might reach the ears of the emperor, they were anxious to prevent Englishmen from learning the Chinese language, and described the officers and sailors of their ships as brutes. Other great difficulties frequently arose from the nature of the cargoes which were sent from England. The com- pany was very anxious to export as many British manu- Yet factures, and especially woollens, as were saleable. the consumption in China was comparatively small, and many of the goods found no purchasers. It was impossible to prevent the affrays which occasion- ally took place; and in one instance the Chinese interfered, EMPORIUMS, 193 and strangled a French sailor who had killed a Portuguese. On the whole the trade had considerably improved, notwith- standing the great obstacles; for the consumption of tea in- creased at home. Some very unjust acts occurred also occa. sionally. A Captain M'Leary had seized upon a Dutch ship in 1781, to indemnify himself for the loss he had sustained in a Spanish ship which he had captured, and for which he had. to pay a heavy fine of 70,000 dollars to the magistrate at Macao after having suffered imprisonment for some time. But when he was willing to divide the spoil with the Chinese authorities, the matter was again dropped, and things went on as before. Besides the heavy exactions which were constantly re- newed, a serious affair occurred on account of the firing of a salute, whereby a Chinese was killed, in 1784. The supercargo of this ship was decoyed into the power of the Chinese, and marched into the city of Canton under a very strong military guard. The avenues leading to the quay were all barricaded, and filled with soldiers. The linguists and merchants fled, the hongs were deserted, and the com- munications between Canton and Whampoa suspended by order of the hoppo. The surrender of the gunner, who was strangled, eventually procured the liberation of the super- cargo. The number of foreign ships at Whampoa in 1782 is stated by Meares, as follows: English Company's English East India ditto American Dutch Danish French 21 40 15 5 1 1 Total 83 An application which was made to two supercargoes of 194 EMPORIUME. the company to proceed to Peking, in order to congratulate Keën-lung on entering his eightieth year, was not complied with. However, many circumstances occurred which ren- dered an English embassy to the court of Peking very desirable. Other nations had sent their representatives thither, and the English, who now traded very largely, had never attempted in this way to redress their grievances. Their character was traduced, they were treated contume- liously, and had never had any person to advocate their cause at the Chinese court. It was even very desira- ble that an English resident should constantly reside at Peking. The dependent states of both countries bordered upon one another; it would be very satisfactory to keep up a constant communication with the court, in order to prevent the possibility of animosity between the two nations. Accordingly the British government resolved to send an embassy to Peking. The individuals composing this em- bassy were chosen by the secretary of state. Lord Macart- ney, an able statesman, and Sir George Staunton, were chosen to transact the affairs of the British at the celestial supreme government. An excellent assortment of presents, and a friendly letter from the British government accompa- nied this mission, which sailed from Portsmouth in 1792, and arrived in July, 1793, at the Pih-ho. The mandarins, perceiving that the vessels could not cross the bar, thought that they must be very heavily laden with presents intended for his imperial majesty. Provisions were supplied plenti- fully, and the ambassador treated with the greatest respect. Two mandarins of the highest rank came to congratulate them upon their arrival, and behaved with such civility that they prepossessed the ambassador very much in favor of the Chinese. Whilst himself and his retinue embarked for Pe- king, the ships received orders to proceed to Japan, there to endeavor to establish a free trade. Amidst an immense crowd of people they passed up the river, till they arrived at EMPORIUMS, 195 Tung-choo-foo. To their great astonishment, the English were accused of having supported the Tibet rebels; this circumstance made an unfavorable impression, though the ambassador endeavored to contradict it as a palpable untruth. Though this may be said to have been a splendid embassy, they were nevertheless degraded by having written upon the flags, tribute-bearers. When arrived at Peking, where lodg- ings were assigned them between Hae-teën and Yuen- ming-yuen, they were required to perform their prostrations at the audience. This was entirely against their inclination and orders. But to remove this difficulty, the ambassadors proposed that a high officer of state should perform the same ceremonies of homage before the picture of his British ma- jesty which he was required to do. However, the legate who had charge of the embassy showed himself an enemy to Europeans, and endeavored to thwart all their objects. As the emperor was at Jěho, (Zhe-hol,) in Tatary, they were obliged to repair thither. They passed the great wall, and arrived at the place of their destination, a place composed of miserable hovels, beside the dwellings of the mandarins. The subject of the requisite prostrations was again taken up with all due warmth; but the emperor was condescend- ing enough to yield to the request of Lord Macartney, who promised to perform the same genuflexion as he did in an au- dience to his own sovereign. On the day of audience the ambassadors were ushered into the gardens of Je-ho. Tents had here been pitched, the imperial one had nothing magnificent, but was distin- guished from all the others by its yellow colour. The im- perial family, as well as mandarins of the first rank, had all collected. Shortly after day-light the sound of musical in- struments announced the approach of the emperor. He was seated in an open chair, borne by sixteen men, and seen emerging from a grove in the back-ground. Clad in a plain dark silk, with a velvet bonnet and a pearl in front of it, he 196 EMPORIUMS. wore no other distinguishing mark of his high rank. As soon as the monarch was seated upon his throne, the master of the ceremonies led the ambassador toward the steps. The latter approached, bent his knee, and handed, in a casket set with diamonds, the letter addressed to his imperial majesty by the king of England. The emperor assured him of the satisfaction he felt at the testimony which his Britannic Ma- jesty gave him of his esteem and good will in sending him an embassy with a letter and rare presents; that he on his part entertained sentiments of the same kind toward the so- vereign of Great Britain, and hoped that harmony would. always be maintained between their respective subjects. He then presented to the ambassador a stone sceptre, whilst he graciously received the private presents of the principal personages of the embassy. He was perfectly good humor- ed, and especially pleased with the son of Sir G. Staunton, who talked a little Chinese, and received as a token of im- perial favor a yellow plain tobacco pouch, with the figure of the five-clawed dragon embroidered upon it. Afterward the ambassador from Birmah and little Bukharia were intro- duced and performed the nine prostrations. A sumptuous banquet was then served up, and after their departure they had presents sent to them consisting of silks, porcelain, and Upon an application made to the prime minister, respecting a merchant ship which had accompanied the am- bassador's frigate, they received the most flattering answer, and every request was fully granted them. Having accom- panied the embassy, the ship was to pay no duty. After their return to Peking, it was intimated to them that his ma- jesty, on his way to Yuen-ming-yuen, would be delighted if the ambassador came to meet him on the road. When the emperor observed him, he stopped short, and graciously ad- dressed him. He was carried in a chair, and followed by a clumsy cart, which could not be distinguished from other ve- hicles, if it had not been for the yellow cloth over it. teas, On EMPORIUMS. 197 his arrival at Yuen-ming-yuen, he viewed with great delight the various presents which the ambassador had brought with him. A model of the "Royal Sovereign," a ship of war of a hundred and ten guns attracted much of his notice. In consequence of this embassy, his imperial majesty called together a council to deliberate what answer ought to be given to the letter. A hoppo from Canton, who had lost his rank, and the imperial legate, strongly opposed any offer of friendly terms. The result of this conference was, that the ambassador was given to understand, that as the winter approached, he ought to think about his departure. At an interview with the minister of state, to which he was invited in the palace, he found the emperor's answer contained in a large roll covered with yellow silk, and placed in a chair of state. From thence it was sent into the ambassador's hotel accompanied by several presents. News which arrived from Canton, stating the probability of a rupture between England and the French republic, hastened the departure of the ambassador. He had been very anxious to obtain some privileges for the British trade, but the prime minister was as anxious to evade all conversation upon business. The splendid embassy was only viewed as a congratulatory mission, and treated as such. The Chinese were certainly not wanting in politeness, nor did the emperor even treat them rudely; but empty compliments were not the object of this expensive expedi- tion. The new legate, Sung-ta-jin, a man of the highest rank, was very friendly and inquisitive, which enabled Lord Macartney to state to him the most essential things in re- gard to the British nation, which without doubt were com- municated to the emperor. It was principally owing to this man that many of the prejudices, hitherto entertained by the emperor, were removed. In an imperial letter, it was stated that his majesty himself entertained a high esteem for the ambassador and his nation, notwithstanding the various sur- VOL. II. 17 198 EMPORIUMS. mises that had been made about them; and that he was de- termined to protect their trade, about which his excellency appeared to interest himself so warmly. That he had, in- deed, declined complying with particular requests; not so much, perhaps, that they were in themselves improper, as that they were introductive of something new, which at his advanced period of life he did not think it prudent to adopt, at least, on a sudden. That, as to the detail of matters in that distant province, it was left, for the most part, to the discretion and recommendation of the viceroy, who, being officially consulted on the answer, would not readily dictate an abolition of the practices he had permitted; but as a par- ticular mark of his majesty's attention to the wishes of the English on this head, he had made a change in the govern- ment of that province; and nominated to it a person of his own blood, who was endowed with uncommon sentiments of justice and benignity toward strangers. That he had writ- ten in the strongest terms to this new viceroy, who had not yet quitted his late government of Che-keang, in which Chu- san is situated, to revise and examine the regulations of the port of Canton, and to put an effectual stop to the vexations of which the English complained. At Hang-choo, the ca- pital of Che-keang, the embassy separated; for a great part of the gentlemen went on board the Indiaman at Chusan, and the Lion man-of-war had already sailed for Canton. The former ascertained that both teas and silks might be bought at Chusan much cheaper than any where else. They had received permission to trade without duties; but as the merchants wanted specie for their cargo, 'the commander chose rather to return to Canton, in order to load there. The other party went in company with the new viceroy who was coming down from Hang-choo in order to enter upon his new office. On their arrival at Canton they were very amicably received; the new viceroy showed them all atten- tion, and expressed the desire of the emperor that, when- cver it suited the convenience of his Britannic Majesty, an- EMPORIUMS. 199 other ambassador might be sent to the court of Peking. Thus, after many kind assurances of friendship and good will toward the British nation, they left Macao. After the departure of the British ambassador, all the af- fairs were carried on in a friendly way; but as the importa- tion of opium increased to an alarming extent, the govern- ment issued severe prohibitions, and denounced penalties on the contravention of these orders. The supercargoes, in consequence, recommended to the Court of Directors to endeavor to prevent the shipment of the article for China, either in Bengal or in England. By permitting the sailors to go on shore, great irregularities frequently ensued. In 1800, a Chinese was wounded by a sailor belonging to a British man-of-war. The supercargoes left no means un- employed to compromise the affair, as well as to exonerate themselves from responsibility for the acts of persons not under their orders; but, although the viceroy had a strong partiality for the English, the supercargoes were of opinion the matter could not have passed over so easily had the Chinese died. In that event, and the refusal of the comman- der to abide by the law of the country, a stoppage of trade would probably have ensued; and it is difficult to say where the resentment of government would have ended. The su- percargoes therefore recommended that orders should be given to his majesty's commanders, especially when within the Bogue, on no account whatever to fire at a Chinese; or that they should be furnished with letters and presents from his majesty to the emperor, by which additional privileges might be obtained. The following year an accusation of smuggling a few camlets was brought against them. One of the Chinese merchants was in consequence amerced, by a sentence of the emperor, to pay the sum of 50,000 taëls. The Hong merchant, therefore, insisted upon the English supercargoes indemnifying him for his loss; but this was refused; and a severe edict against all sort of smuggling promulgated by the Court of Directors at home. 200 EMPORIUMS. As the French war, under the vigorous administration of Napoleon Bonaparte, began to extend, the English thought it very prudent to send an armament to Macao, in order to take possession of that place so long as the war should last. Though the Portuguese governor was willing to surrender, the Chinese authorities would by no means permit the Eng- lish to establish their authority on this peninsula; and there- fore the whole force returned. This is, perhaps, the only in- stance on record of laws being dictated to the first maritime power in the world by a feeble government, and implicitly obeyed. The imbecile Chinese even went so far as to order some men-of-war away from Anson's Bay; and this order, which was couched in very strong terms, was complied with. Emboldened by their success, a few threats and strong lan- guage were, in their opinion, quite sufficient to chase away the barbarian ships. Their last and sure resource was the stopping of the trade. This was sure to bring the stubborn barbarians to reason. Under such an impression, they treated the British merchants very haughtily; and proceeded still further in their insolence toward them; whilst on the other side, the utmost caution could not exempt the English from offending the sanctity of the laws of the celestial em- pire. A mistaken notion that so weak a government as the Chinese was able to stop the trade-a notion long cherished, that the great superiority of the British navy was not ade- quate to over-awe the celestial empire-was the reason that so many measures, detrimental both to national honor and to the trade, were adopted. These remarks were strongly exemplified in 1808. A British squadron under admiral Drury had arrived to take possession of Macao. A stop- page of the trade immediately took place, upon his having garrisoned the place; and the Chinese authorities refused to acknowledge the authority of the admiral. We do not dwell upon the abstract right the English had of occupying Macao, until the danger of its falling into the hands of the French EMPORIUMS. 201 should be passed; but they surely had a right to cause their flag and admiral to be respected by a wretched government, whose whole strength consists in the art of boasting. In their official communication, by means of the Hong mer- chants, they say: "Knowing, as you ought to know, that the Portuguese inhabit a territory belonging to the celestial empire, how could you suppose that the French would ever venture to molest them. (Napoleon would have taught them that this was a vain presumption.) If they dared, our war- like tribes would attack, defeat, and chase them from the face of the country. Conscious of this truth, why did you bring your soldiers here? Repent, and withdraw immedi- ately; the permission to trade shall then be restored; but should you persist in remaining, the hatches of your ships shall not be unlocked." The latter part of the threat would have been immediately reversed by the mere appearance of a British ship of war in the Canton river, or at Canton itself. Instead of this, the way of negotiation was adopted. The Chinese accordingly refused to listen to any argument until the troops were withdrawn from Macao. Thereupon admiral Drury came up to Canton, and insisted upon an interview with the viceroy. The viceroy refused him the interview, though he sent an intimation that he would be up within half an hour in the city. The viceroy declined this honor, and the admiral returned to his ship. He afterward ordered the boats of his own and of the company's ships to be manned and armed, in order to break through the line of Chinese vessels which were moored across the river. Had he persevered in this endeavor, the trade would both have been opened, and the matter adjusted at Macao. Anxious to hold a conversation with the Chinese admiral, Drury pulled a-head, and was fired upon, whereby one sailor was wounded. He then made the signal for the attack; but this was not observed. He did not repeat it a second time, but retreated with the boats. If it had not been considered 17 * 202 EMPORIUMS. right to force an amicable understanding, this expedition. ought not to have been undertaken; but once entered upon it ought to have been carried through. Though the British chief of the factory highly approved of the moderation of the admiral, the British national honor was stained for ever; and a pyramid, recording the victory of Chinese cowardice over British imprudence, is erected near the spot from whence the admiral retreated. He with- drew with his garrison from Macao; the English nation was viewed with greater contempt; it was written down in the Chinese annals, "We have beaten the English!" The un- daunted veterans of the Nile and Trafalgar had retreated. The consequence of these cautionary proceedings were greater obstacles in the way of trading. A ship was order- ed to remain outside the river, till the imperial pleasure could be known, whether she might proceed up to Wham- poa, or not. Previous to this expedition a serious affray had occurred at Canton. In a street close to the factories, where the sailors are usually enticed to purchase liquor, af- ter being mixed up with narcotics, and where they are plun- dered of all they possess as soon as they are intoxicated, the crew of one vessel began a quarrel with the Chinese; upon the interference of the officers, they were all brought back to the factory; but a large mob collected in front, and threw stones at every European who passed, notwithstand- ing the remonstrances made to the mandarins and Hong merchants. The sailors were so incensed by this conduct, that they twice eluded the vigilance of their officers, and easily dispersed the whole mob. It was afterward reported that a Chinese had died in consequence of the wounds re- ceived during the affray: the government insisted upon having a man delivered up to atone for the death of their countryman; but this was refused, as it was actually impos- sible that amongst such a crowd the murderer could be dis- covered: however, to satisfy the demands of the great ru- EMPORIUMS, 203 lers, a sailor was detained till the imperial pleasure should be known; the trade was again opened, and things went on in their customary train. Great impediment had been thrown in the way by two houses becoming bankrupt; but the Chinese authorities, anxious to recover their credit, removed all complaints by making up, in some way or other, the deficiencies. In 1810, at the moment when the ships had completed their lading, the select committee at Canton was informed that the Chi- nese government would not permit the departure of the ships until it was discovered by whom a Chinese had been killed. A charge of this nature had been made some time before, but so entirely unsupported by proof,-indeed in direct contradiction to the testimony of a shopkeeper, in whose neighborhood the murder was said to have been committed by a British seaman,-that it was thought the Chinese authorities would not persist in so unreasonable a request: however, the ships were detained on that account a considerable time, and the committee was greatly annoy- ed by the evasive proceedings both of the viceroy and hop- po. The difficulty was finally settled by their promising that inquiries about the culprit should be made in England. This man was next year claimed again; no person could point him out; it was only known that his name was Wil- liam, but to what ship or nation he belonged was entirely unknown. Though they were chosen by the viceroy to be acquainted with his orders about the renewal of the trade, and had stated to him the heavy burdens under which it groaned, it was finally found out how vain it is to expect redress from the mandarins, as not the least notice had been taken of their complaint. Confiding in the wisdom and fa- vor of his imperial majesty, the supercargoes nevertheless hoped that their difficulties might be finally removed. An edict was, in consequence of this address, issued by the hoppo. In this, he unblushingly denied the most notorious 204 EMPORIUMS. facts of injustice, professed indifference and contempt for their representations, and repressed their stirring and obsti- nate spirit; but nevertheless the supercargoes flattered themselves that their address might prove some check to the ruinous and oppressive system of extortion to which the Hong merchants are subjected. The ships were also detained without any reason being assigned. On remonstrating with the Hong merchants against this unwarrantable and vexatious treatment, they were unanimous in acknowledging that the detention of the ships was a measure of government, not directed against the English, but against themselves, in consequence of the absolute inability of most of them, and the actual refusal of all, to satisfy the extortionate and continually increasing de- mands of the hoppo, for the purchase of various articles of clockwork and mechanism imported in the English ships, which it seems are now become the established vehicle of corruption between that officer and his superiors at the ca- pital." By some compromise between the merchants and the hoppo, the matter was again adjusted, and the trade carried on as before. Yet new difficulties again arose. Remonstrances having been made, were rejected with dis- dain, and the supercargoes had no other means than by pre- senting a petition to the hoppo in his own palace in the city. When the ships, however, were again detained upon slight and unreasonable pretences, the supercargoes simply sta- ted that their ships should sail without permission, if this was longer withheld; and this threat had the desired effect. In all these debates, which often occasioned loss of time and property, the directors at home were of different opi- nion from their servants on the spot. The former inculca- ted entire compliance with the Chinese regulations, which would have brought utter ruin on the trade; the latter often resisted exactions, and at other times wavered in their mea- The arrival of a new hoppo, who is generally a mi- sures. EMPORIUMS. 205 He nion of the imperial palace, created new difficulties. was impressed with a belief that the more violent and arbi- trary he was toward Europeans and the merchants, the better was his chance of profiting by extortion. In 1813, and 1814, several very offensive measures were adopted by the viceroy of Canton toward the company's su- percargoes: not only was an edict issued, according to which all native attendants were to be withdrawn, and all Chinese prohibited to communicate with them; but the com- pany's linguist, who had been employed to carry the picture of the prince regent to Peking, was seized, and their writ- ten representations were returned unopened. At the same time, a very offensive edict was published, which said, “Fo- reigners are not permitted, voluntarily to present statements to government; they are indebted to the clemency of the emperor for their trade, as also for the permission to tread the ground, and to eat the herbs in common with the Chi- nese. If, after the publication of this edict it occurs, that foreigners presume of their own accord to make application to government, the viceroy will, on discovery, request his majesty's permission to punish them severely.” Those members of the British factory who were deter- mined to assert their rights, became particularly obnoxious to government. Such was the case with Mr. Roberts, the chief, and Sir George Staunton, the young gentleman who had accompanied the embassy, and who understood the Chinese language. The supercargoes observe in their let- ter to the directors of 23d February, 1815, that "It will be seen that the extensive trade, sufficient to excite the views and designs of interested persons, is wholly unprotected by any laws or regulations. From the systematic corruption. and venality of the officers of government, those who should be the protectors of the trade are found to be leagued against it. It will be seen that little or no assistance is to be derived from the other hong merchants, who scarcely can be de- 206 EMPORIUMS. pended on even for communicating what occurs. The com- mittee have therefore only to rely upon their judgment to decide on, and their firmness to persevere in the measures they may adopt to prevent the injury that the trade is threat- ened with; as their representations and remonstrances are either rejected or not attended to, there remains no alterna- tive to obtain a hearing or redress, but to suspend the trade they are appointed to carry on. "It may be further noticed, that the Chinese officers of government, habituated to deceit and misrepresentation, as- sume a plausible and specious mode of reasoning, that is calculated to mislead those who have to judge at a distance. There appears to be no mode so likely to prevent these in- jurious consequences, as that of establishing a direct and frequent communication between the two governments. Missions on a far more moderate scale than the former em- bassy, may prove fully as efficacious. No particular act or appearance of favor or concession need be expected from the Chinese government. "The beneficial effect will be in placing the British na- tion on a more respectable footing with respect to China, and their frequent communications, independent of the su- perior advantages an embassy will now possess of English interpreters, will show to the provincial authorities that re- monstrances can be conveyed to Peking." It is very well known that the emperor Kea-king enter- tained a bitter hatred of Europeans. Every report sent up from Canton, though containing the grossest falsehoods, found his ready belief. All obnoxious measures proposed were readily adopted. Whilst the English were engaged in a war with America, a ship had been taken by a British man- of-war in the Canton harbor; this gave rise to more grievous complaints. Besides, some of the elder hong-merchants were anxious to draw the cord of restrictions still closer, and to get the management of the whole' trade entirely in their EMPORIUMS. 207 hands. Persons who have never resided in China think such complaints as were brought forth by the supercargoes very trivial; but whoever is in the least degree acquainted with the vexatious spirit of the Chinese government, will feel him- self forced to guard against the first encroachments. The embassy above recommended arrived in China in the month of July, 1816. Lord Amherst, the ambassador, had two commissioners under him; the embassy was very well provided with interpreters, and every precaution had been taken to render it successful. Redress of grievances so se- verely felt at Canton was the grand object of this mission; it was believed that the complaints of Europeans never reached the imperial car, and therefore no redress could be expected unless the camplaints were directly uttered before the throne. But if Kea-king's character had been better known at that time, no one would have thought of irritating heaven's son with such paltry affairs. It was also hoped, that by means of an ambassador from his Britannic majesty a free communication between the court of Peking and the supercargoes at Canton might be opened, or an English re- sident be allowed to reside at the capital. Besides, it was very desirable for the sale of British piece-goods, that all the ports on the north-east coast of China should be acces- sible to British enterprise. These were the principal objects of this mission. Their arrival had been reported to the Can- ton government, and the fleet containing the embassy, which consisted of seventy-five persons, left Hong-kong for Teen-tsin. On their arrival at the Pih-ho, they were re- ceived by three commissioners, sent on purpose to Ta-koo. The writer has often spoken with natives at Teen-tsin about the impression this embassy made at its first appearance. There was only one voice upon this subject. Five armed vessels could not have been sent for the mere purpose of bearing tribute. If the English had not come to conquer, and to drive from the throne a weak prince, they would not 208 EMPORIUMS. have brought so many men-of-war. But if they were anx ious to conclude a commercial treaty, they brought these vessels in order to give weight to their demands, and to take the only reasonable way of gaining advantages—com- pulsion. Such a mode of reasoning may appear very strange to European diplomatists; but the natives, who know their own government better, are very well persuaded by sure experience, that the great emperor, notwithstanding his boundless compassion, grants no privileges, unless they be taken. The ships were in the meanwhile either sent back to Can- ton directly, or proceeded by way of Korea and the Loo- choo islands, whilst the embassy embarked in the imperial boats, with flying colors, and the inscription upon them, Tribute-bearers. That these colors were not immediately lowered was a very great mistake, and marred the affairs considerably. When arrived at Teën-tsin, they were re- quested to perform the ceremony of nine times bowing to the earth, in order to thank heaven's son for the banquet prepared for them. Even waiving the question, whether those who perform the kow-tow acknowledge themselves and those they represent the vassals of China, which is generally acknowledged, this ceremony of nine prostra- tions is only performed in honor of the azure heavens and mother earth at the great sacrifices. Minor deities receive only six, or even not so many, so that every body who bows nine times views the emperor as a constitutional deity of the first rank. The ambassador accordingly refused to comply with this usage, and from this moment incessant altercations com- menced. Another reason for the ungracious reception and the ungentlemanlike treatment of the representative of his Britannic majesty, was the fear that the ships, which soon after the disembarkation of the embassy departed, would make a descent upon the coast; frequent inquiries about EMPORIUMS. 209 Three their destination were therefore daily instituted. presidents of three different boards were sent to the ambas- sador on his way to Peking, in order to confer with him about the performance of the kow-tow. It had been plainly hinted to him that non-compliance with this established rite might be the reason of his not being admitted to the impe- rial audience. All propositions of substituting another ce- remony, or having the same performed before the picture of the Prince Regent by a Chinese grandee, proved in vain. Af- ter much debate the embassy went round the walls of Peking to Yuen-ming-yuen, where the emperor held his court. Having alighted here from their carts, the ambassador was shown into a dirty room crowded with people. They had scarcely sat down, when the duke (Ho) who had lately been entrusted with the embassy, entered the room, and stated his wish of introducing the ambassador to his majesty, adding, "Have you the letter?" The ambassador, without rising, said that he felt unwell, and begged his imperial majesty would graciously dispense with requiring him to attend that day. The duke replied, "You shall use your own cere- mony." The ambassador, in return, requested the duke to supplicate his majesty to dispense for that day with the au- dience. But all these remonstrances were vain; the duke took the ambassador unceremoniously by the arm to urge him away, and told an attendant to assist him in this friendly office. Lord Amherst shook him off, and again urged his request. At this moment a messenger arrived, who called the noble duke away in an angry tone; and one of the com- missioners, Chang, struck his thigh, and exclaimed : “Ah, now they are angry; a man who comes here should have no will of his own." A crowd of staring spectators, some of imperial blood, now entered the room, and finally the duke came back to announce that his majesty had been graciously pleased to order his physician to attend upon the ambassador. He VOL. II. 18 210 EMPORIUMS. t The was now ushered to his rooms; men with drawn swords cleared the way, and his grace, the duke, did not scruple to cuff the crowd of mandarins who stood in the way. ambassador went into his carriage, whilst the duke took a final glance at it, got into his chair, and was no more seen. Within two hours the news was brought that the ambassador, with his train, were required to halt immediately. Shortly afterward Kew-mun-te-tuh, the general of the nine gates of Peking, the first field-marshal of the empire, entered the court, and said, "My master, who commands a million of men, requires that the ambassador leave the limits of my command immediately. The ambassador is a rude man, who does not know how to behave himself; your king is respectful and obedient, but the ambassador is not; he has used disrespectful language; his majesty will write to the king to complain of him." He was interrupted, and told that the ambassador did not use disrespectful language, that he had said nothing more than begged that his majesty would graciously defer the audience. "The ceremonies of the ce- lestial empire,” replied the field-marshal, "are unalterably binding." It was replied, "that it was now no time to talk about ceremonies." "Well," rejoined he, “I am not sent to talk about that, but to require your departure." "Very well," was the answer, "we shall go." They therefore be- gan their retreat from the capital of the world; on the even- ing of the same day the two imperial commissioners were sent to Lord Amherst. They delivered a sceptre (joo-e) of corundun stone, a string of court beads, such as were worn by the emperor and the ladies of the palace, and some ornamental purses. These were intended as a present to the Prince Regent, whilst he requested in return the maps, the prints and portraits of the King and Queen, which were mentioned in the list of presents. 1 Without being able to assign a reason for this speedy dis- missal, we may be assured that no court in Asia is so full of EMPORIUMS. 211 intrigue and chicane, as the Chinese. It was evidently the wish of disgracing the representative of so powerful a nation. as the English, in the eyes of the Chinese grandees and the people. It appears to us that the business was purposely managed thus; but to give a fair turn to the matter, the emperor issued an edict, wherein he expressed his regret for having so suddenly dismissed the ambassador from his presence, and degrades all those who were culpable, for not having duly represented to him the impracticability of the audience taking place immediately. If we were not ac- quainted with the utter want of truth in all their diplomatic affairs, we should consider this confession sincere, but we know enough of Chinese skill to cloak a bad action in fine words. All officers were commanded to treat the embassy on their way over land to Canton with the greatest civility. The military, whenever the English passed, put on an im- posing appearance, had their arms and accoutrements well cleaned, in order to soothe and to awe the English at the same time. Thus well provided, they returned in measured stages to Canton. The Alceste and Lyra had, in the mean while, returned from Korea and Loo-choo, and the ships had been consi- derably damaged. On their arrival near, the grand Lama, in their way to Canton, a number of Chinese men-of-war anchored around them, and a mandarin came on board, pro- mising that a pass should be given to the ships, to enable them to proceed to Canton. They then entered Lintin, an island some miles distant from the entrance of the Canton river, and dispatched the Lyra to the Typa, near Macao. Here they were very soon taught that the feelings of the Chinese government toward them as unsuccessful tribute- bearers, were decidedly hostile. When they were about to take in water at the island, the people dammed up the streamlet, and it was not until sentries were placed along the stream to keep it clear, that they were enabled to fill 212 EMPORIUMS. their casks. The Chinese who had to supply them with pro- visions was compelled to come by stealth during the night, and bring them off. The Hewitt, a ship which had come out with the embassy, was prohibited from loading her car- go, because it was alleged that she had to carry back the unaccepted tribute, and she was in consequence guarded by war-boats. A mandarin was sent on board the Alceste, to tell the commander that the officer who promised them a pass for proceeding up the Canton river had been making fools of them. The embassy, after having been rejected, was, after their arrival, immediately to embark, and to quit the port with all the English ships in the harbor. The cap- tain stated his reasons for proceeding up the river, and threatened the bearer of this insolent message to throw him overboard, if he repeated his rude mandate. If, however, the pass was not sent down within a certain time, the com- mander would think himself justified in proceeding with- out it. The time elapsed, and the frigate got under weigh. As soon as she came in sight of the Bocca tigris, (the mouth of the river,) the same linguist who had translated the above message, came on board, and ordered the commander, in a haughty tone, to cast anchor immediately; otherwise the the batteries of the forts at the entrance would sink the ship. The captain retorted this insult, and proceeded. When he was in the entrance the Chinese batteries opened upon them; but the fire was so well returned that within a few minutes the whole garrison of one fort had taken to their heels. It was afterward stated that several Chinese soldiers had been killed and wounded; but the Chinese supreme government considered the broadside fired upon the fort as a salute, and no further official notice was taken of the affair. The embassy arrived toward the end of the year at Canton, and had several interviews with the authorities there. Before they left Canton, an edict was issued by the EMPORIUMS. 213 emperor Kea-king, addressed to all nations, wherein he ex- culpated himself, and confirmed the degradation of th commissioners. This was the result of fear; and the le- gates who had come down with them from Peking, moreo- ver, requested Lord Amherst to represent matters to his sovereign in a way calculated to preserve peace and good will between the two countries. The embassy received the letter addressed to the Prince Regent, couched in very pompous words, and adding, that there would be no occa- sion to send in future a tribute-bearer from such a distance. In an edict addressed to the viceroy at Canton by the em- peror, it is said, in speaking of the ambassador and com- missioners: "You will invite them to dinner, in compliance with etiquette, and will make the following speech to them : 'Your good fortune has been small; you arrived at the gates of the imperial house, and were unable to lift your eyes to the face of heaven. The great emperor reflected that your king sighed after happiness, and acted with since- rity. We therefore accepted some presents, and gifted your king with various precious articles. You must give thanks to the emperor for his benefits, and return with speed to your kingdom, that your king may feel a respectful grati- tude for these acts of kindness. Take care to embark the rest of the presents. Answer in one word; a decree has passed, we therefore dare not present troublesome petitions, and with decision, you will rid yourself of them. Respect this.'" Thus far we have given this short detail. The king of Acheen once sent an ambassador to Peking, during the reign of the Ming dynasty. He was requested to perform the kow-tow, and replied, "I prostrate myself only before God, but not before a fellow mortal." The performance of this ceremony was in consequence waived. Some difficulties occurred the next year, 1817, but this was not owing to government. The embassy had so far ex- & 18* 214 EMPORIUMS. ercised a beneficial influence, as to check them in their ar bitrary proceedings. In 1821, the boats' crew of the Topaze frigate, when going on shore upon a watering expedition at Lintin, was attacked by the inhabitants. On perceiving the danger, the commanding officer sent a detachment of marines on shore, and fired some guns, for the protection of the sailors. Fourteen Englishmen were wounded, with five Chinese, and one of the latter killed. The commander stated the whole case plainly in a letter to the governor of Canton, and requested that a mandarin might be sent to inspect his wounded men. But the governor called the proposition made by the English captain, to send his men on shore, "the prancing pride of an outside-barbarian, which the ce- lestial empire would not brook.” He threatened that he "would stop the trade, which would bring the gain-schem- ing foreigners to his terms." He therefore made the se- lect committee of supercargoes responsible. The critical juncture of circumstances brought them to the resolution of embarking with all their property. Our celestial friends, with all their indifference toward trade and gain-scheming practices," were not at all at ease when they saw the fleet passing the Bogue, and devised several lies to prove that the "murderers," (so called,) had run away. The frigate sailed, the factory was recalled, and trade again carried on, though the "murderers" were repeatedly demanded to be given up; but no steps were taken to enforce compliance with the demand. The trade of the British nation seemed not to be solely confined to the port of Canton, scarcely any attempt was made to revisit the emporiums, which formerly had been open to English enterprise. Almost in every quarter of the globe British trade has expanded; but in China, where the demand of produce increased, and the sale of British ma- nufacture was augmented, it was just the reverse. Instead EMPORIUMS. 215 of procuring the teas where they grow, and visiting the ports of the north-east coast, where woollens and camlets would be greatly in demand, British trade and enterprise were solely confined to Canton. We can allege no other reason for this extraordinary retrogression in our commercial rela- tions with China, than the fear of being subject in the other ports to heavier exactions. Had the trade with Fuh-keën and Che-këang been carried on, many troubles with the lo- cal government at Canton would have been avoided; for the mutual jealousy of the provincial governments would have prevented the recurrence of grievances, which so often. obstructed the trade. The oppressions of the mandarins would also have reached the ears of the supreme govern- ment at Peking; the neighborhood of British ships, at only a few days' sail from Teen-tsin, would have intimidated the emperor. Though this seems not to have been the case at the commencement of our trade, when our ships not only visited Canton, but also Amuy and Chusan, it would now surely take place, as the number of ships is much greater. Yet, even waiving these advantages, the trade would have been twice as large, the importation of British manufactures in equal proportion. The discontinuance of the trade to the north-east coast has been considered by the Chinese government as compulsory; and when it was discovered that no more ships arrived, an edict was issued by Keën-lung, addressed to barbarians in general, that all ports, except Canton, were shut against them. No remonstrance against this prohibition has ever been made. We are not aware that the opening of the north-eastern ports was urged by the late embassy. Things remained in this state till an enterprising English gentleman at Canton, the Danish consul, went in 1823, to Namoa, (or Nan-aou,) at the eastern extremity of the Canton province. As he had a prohibited article on board, he could not enter the neighboring large port of Ting-hae, which till lately has 316 EMPORIUMS. been very little known to Europeans: from thence he pro- ceeded to Amuy, intending, if circumstances proved favora- ble, to trade there, which Manilla ships only, under the Spa- nish flag, are allowed to do. The mandarins appeared very anxious to promote the object; but the delay in obtaining permission from the provincial capital, Fuh-choo, the state of the market, and other circumstances, occasioned his quitting the port after a stay of four days. A mandarin junk followed the ship to some distance, requesting her to return. They were received every where with civility; but until the viceroy's permission to trade should arrive, refreshments at Amuy were procurable with difficulty. The same vessel stayed for some time in Chin-chew bay, but no customers came near her; she had only sold some cargo at Namao, and returned with but very partial success. However, Mr. Matheson, the consul, was not to be baffled with this first mischance; he despatched in the same year, the same vessel, which now met with abundant success in selling opium, and repaid the loss upon the former voyage. The trade was principally carried on at the 'Cape of Good Hope,' Ta-ho, a few miles to the westward of Namao island. This attracted the notice of the other free merchants at Canton. The same brig having returned from another very successful trip to the same place, a number of other ships were there- fore despatched by other houses to participate in the same profits. But affairs had undergone a great change; the local mandarins showed themselves very hostile to these enter- prises; an edict was issued at Canton; the houses of the people on shore at Ta-ho, who had dealings with Europe- ans, were burned down, and the trade ceased entirely. Another attempt was made by the same Mr. Matheson to open a trade near Amuy, and at Formosa. The vessel sailed all along the shallow coast of that island, visited several ports, but found no customers. The Spanish ship, which had been the first voyage, went to Haenan, but could • EMPORIUMS. 217 not dispose of any cargo. Notwithstanding these great re- verses, a vessel was again sent to Formosa, which anchor- ed at the northern harbor, Ke-lung, (or Ke-lang,) and dis- posed of all her opium, the mandarins having become their security merchants, 1824. During the space of four years, little was done to follow up the trade. The voyages which were undertaken in 1828 did not answer very well; and the trade was discontinued for a considerable period. In Canton the importation of opium occasioned a good deal of trouble. The viceroy would have proceeded to extremities, if he had not discovered that the principal smugglers were mandarins; and that the same boats which were sent to watch the ships, and to prevent the importation of the pernicious drug, were principally engaged in the smuggling of this article. He therefore treated the matter with very great indifference, but issued additional orders to expel those ships which had it on board. This obliged the select committee of supercargoes to concur in the measures of the Chinese government, though the greater part of the opium was bought in Bengal from the stores of the com- pany. Those ships, therefore, which had hitherto carried on this trade at Whampoa, began to anchor outside, and finally, in 1821, took up a permanent station near the island of Lin- tin. Several edicts were issued to expel, or even to destroy them; the Chinese fleet hove occasionally in sight, and the ships were requested to move to another anchorage. A flaming report was in consequence sent up to the emperor, that they had been driven away, yet they stayed throughout the year, and went only during the south-west monsoon for a few months to Kapsingmoon, (or Kap-shuy-moon,) a land- locked harbor in the neighborhood. At first they were only two, but the number increased with the greater consumption of the prohibited article. Other commodities were also sent thither, and found a ready sale. Smuggling became a regu- lar system, in the profits of which the mandarins largely 218 EMPORIUMS. participated; the smugglers were regularly licensed by the custom-house officers, or the revenue cutters were sent to load the prohibited articles. That, however, the barbarians might not entirely escape the payment for the liberty they enjoyed, a regular fee was levied upon the goods on board, as soon as delivered: but especially upon the opium; and this is collected from the smugglers for the Chinese man- darin, by the commander of the barbarian ship. In such a state matters still continue. Whilst the author is recording this, there are about thirty-five ships, English, as well as other craft, at anchor near Lintin. Some of them never enter the river, but remain there thoughout the year; others take in their cargo, and return home; and several large ships which are going up the river, if empty, or with room to spare, take in a cargo at Lintin, and go with it to Wham- poa. There prevails the most unbounded liberty; it may be considered as a floating foreign colony in China. serious attempts have lately been made to disturb the trade, which is now enormous, and amounts to an equal sum with that carried on at Whampoa. Daily are government boats passing and repassing with the "illicit, pernicious" drug on board. Though the edicts issued against the trade are very fierce, the mandarins take no effectual measures to stop it; nor if so inclined, would they be able to effect it. The extortions at Whampoa are thus entirely avoided, and business is transacted with the greatest ease. A second rendezvous of ships has lately been fixed at Kum-sing- moon, also in the neighborhood of Lintin, where the ship- ping belonging to the largest house at Canton has been sta- tioned. No A few attempts which were made by the Chinese govern- ment to prevent provisions being brought off to the ships by the Chinese, proved ineffectual. A serious affray occurred some years ago with a mandarin boat, which had taken a boat containing the clothes of the officers in the fleet. Se- EMPORIUMS. 219 veral European boats were despatched after her and fired upon; this was returned, to the great disadvantage of the Chinese, and the boat rescued from their grasp. In October 1833, an old ship which was to be broken up was laid upon the beach near the Ke-aou island. The inhabitants, who are generally dreaded as pirates, pilfered several valuable articles belonging to the vessel. One man was caught in the act, and confined on board a European ship. Several Lascars belonging to that vessel went on shore, and whilst they were engaged in their work, one man was taken by the Chinese. To reclaim him the first officer of that ship land- ed with a number of Lascars, proceeded to the village and recovered the man belonging to his vessel; but on his re- turn he was attacked by a numerous crowd, who beat and threw stones at them. Having been finally disengaged, one secunnee* was missing, and the officer had to return with- out him. In order to obtain this man from their iron grasp, a large number of armed boats were despatched to the vil- lage: they were saluted with grape-shot as soon as they approached the place, and sent a flag of truce to com- promise the matter; but the fire was immediately returned, and the batteries on shore silenced. However, to prevent the effusion of blood, the crew of the boats did not disem- bark, but quietly returned. The natives sent immediately a messenger to the mandarins at Heang-shan, soliciting their assistance in protecting them against any further assault of the barbarians. Both a naval and land force arrived shortly afterward, and took their station in the harbor and the vi!- lage. The commander of the vessel, who had confined the Chinese thief on board, sent in consequence a full state- ment of the whole case to the commanding officer, who immediately engaged to deliver up the secunnee, but did not Secunnec, a class of sailors employed as steersmen in ships manned with Asiatics. 220 EMPORIUMS. keep his promise; a written declaration was therefore for- warded to the mandarins on shore, who were sent there to investigate the matter. When the messengers arrived in the village, an armed force of soldiers, and a number of militia from the island, were drawn up in two rows, armed with matchlocks, pitch-forks, knives, daggers, and spears, through whom they had to pass. The mandarins were seated in a temple, and received them civilly; the paper was delivered, and the mandarins commenced the conver- sation with informing the barbarians that the laws of the celestial empire are very strict; that they had been sent thither to investigate the matter, but could not discover the secunnee. The commander of the ship had, however, been inform- ed by private channels that the secunnee had been killed in cool blood. The messengers therefore insisted upon getting a written declaration, wherein the mandarins pledged them- selves that they would punish the murderers according to the Chinese law; but as the local officers could give no satisfaction, and pretended to be ignorant of the whole affair, the matter was referred to the viceroy, who issued an edict, in which he pledged himself to punish the murderers after the lapse of forty days, when it might be ascertained whether any Chinese, who had been wounded in the affray, died or recovered. In the first case, a foreigner should be delivered up to capital punishment by the Chinese executioner; in the latter case, the law of the celestial empire should take its course. The government's report contained a great many falsehoods; but this is so customary that barbarians are used to trifle with it. A desire to obtain reasonable privileges from the Chinese government has often been evinced by the British free-tra- ders at Canton. Not being so much shackled by their rela- tions at home, they are able to carry a point with compara- tively great ease. Foreigners, who trade to China, and are EMPORIUMS. 221 66 residents, have usually a residence both at Macao and Can- ton. This is necessary, on account of health, almost to all. For they are, at Canton, entirely confined to the factories, there being few streets where they are allowed to walk; and if they occasionally venture to walk in the country, they are exposed to the insults of the populace. Besides, European females, under the denomination of "barbarian women," are not allowed to reside in the provincial city," and those gentlemen who have families, keep up an establishment for them at Macao. To go from Canton to Macao, and vice versa, barbarians had to proceed in a boat, of which the per- mit, at that time, cost 400 dollars. The boat-hire might have amounted to eighty dollars, and the remaining money went to the mandarins. To avoid this imposition, foreigners. had to smuggle themselves in a fast-sailing boat with a number of rowers; but if detected, they had to submit to the most ignominious treatment, and to a fine of from 300 to 1000 dollars. As there had been frequent instances of discovery, the foreign community at Canton finally resolved to address a petition to the viceroy. This passes generally through the hands of the security merchants, who are often. very reluctant to forward papers which do not concern their interests, and whereby they may get in trouble, and be fined very heavily. This petition, however, went directly to the viceroy, and as the matter was, notwithstanding the earnest entreaties of the parties concerned, deferred, the foreign merchants therefore resolved to repair in a body to the vice- roy's palace. Formerly, merchants could obtain an audi- ence from the viceroy, but this privilege had been given up, and the most important affairs were transacted through the dilatory channel of the hong merchants. The foreigners, in this case, found access to the city, which is always guarded by soldiers to prevent the intrusion of strangers. The man- darins were astonished at this boldness; a military manda- rin passed his hand around the neck of one of the parties, VOL. II. 19 222 EMPORIUMS. making a motion of decapitation; the compliment was re- torted upon the linguist's neck,* who was present at this occasion. Two days afterward, all the foreign merchants who had gone into the city were requested to assemble, in order to hear, through the hong merchants, a communication from the viceroy. His excellency informed them that he was exceedingly shocked and exasperated at what had oc- curred. To prevent a recurrence of so disgraceful a pro- cedure, the city guard had been doubled, and received or- ders to put every foreigner to death who dared to enter it. However, the permission of getting a chop or license for a very moderate fee was freely granted, reducing the ex- pense of the passage in a Chinese boat from 400 dollars to 38 dollars; and European boats, made on purpose, began now to ply without any license or restraint between Canton and Macao, though before invariably fired at if they at- tempted to pass the Bocca Tigris forts. These unpleasant occurrences were occasionally inter- changed with more pleasing events. The physicians of the Honorable Company's establishment, Drs. Pearson and Colledge, greatly exerted themselves to benefit poor sick wretches. By the medium of the former, vaccination was introduced into China, and many poor people received gra- tuitous medical aid, whilst the latter erected a hospital for ophthalmic patients. The assistance afforded was so great that many days were entirely spent in treating the most loathsome diseases; the Chinese government put no ob- stacle in the way, nor did they ever express their approba- tion. Poor, ruined fishermen have also received pecuniary aid to buy again a boat; benevolence has been shown in * See Appendix, No. I. for extract from a Calcutta newspaper, (there was none then in China,) giving a full account of this remark- able scene, than which a more striking proof of the imbecility of the Chinese government was never exhibited. EMPORIUMS. 223 various ways, but has never been acknowledged by govern- ment. They even communicated to the supreme council papers of the Triad Society, full of treasonable expressions against the existing government, but no notice was taken of it. We only mention these few facts to show that there is a sincere desire on the part of foreigners to conciliate the good will of the Chinese mandarins, but they have not proved successful. In 1828 a very severe edict was issued against the use of opium by the viceroy. He says, "the use of drink and food is to introduce harmony into the system; the gulping of luscious things must be with a desire to obtain strength; but if there exist a drug destructive of life, incessant efforts should be made to keep it at a distance. Having used the drug for some time, the men accustomed to it can by no means relinquish it: their faces become as sharp as spar- rows, and their heads sunk between the shoulders, in the form of a dove, the poison flows into their inmost vitals, physic cannot cure their disease, repentance comes too late for reform." The laws in regard to the exclusive trade with the hong merchants were at the same time confirmed. The shop- keepers and merchants, not belonging to the company of privileged dealers were prohibited, under severe penalties, to have any dealings with Europeans. In consequence of these prohibitions some foreigners petitioned the hoppo. This grandee gave them a very decisive answer, saying, “ 'T'he said barbarians, a short time ago, repeatedly presented dunning petitions for things contrary to the law, which shows their stupid rashness. From pity to the remote barbarians I did not inflict chastisement; but ordered the merchants to deliberate safely and manage. I likewise ordered them to communicate my orders to the said barbarian merchants, to obey the fixed regulations in their trade. If the said shop- men dare to stir up the barbarian merchants to confused 224 EMPORIUMS. petitioning, or if they presume to trade with the barbarians, the moment they are discovered and caught their crime shall positively be punished with severity. Their perverseness and stupidity have reached the acme.” The reader will perhaps imagine that after this severe edict, the trade with the outside merchants would have been discontinued; however things went on in the customary way; the rescript was "upon record," and the "stupid bar- barians" went on trading with the merchants who sold the goods at the cheapest rate. แ In the same year a large hong failed; those merchants who were concerned in the affair, and lost an immense sum by this bankruptcy, immediately applied to the viceroy for the settlement of their outstanding debts; for the govern- ment makes the co-hong, or general body of hong-mer- chants, responsible for each individual hong merchant. And there is kept a general fund levied upon the trade of the stupid barbarians," to defray the expenses in case of emer- gency. The viceroy gave those English merchants a de- cided answer. "The laws of the celestial empire are rigidly severe, and never show any partiality. To dun me with pe- titions, and to prove that no justice is done to them, (for the English merchants had repeatedly petitioned for redress,) shows that their madness, rebellion, and audacity, have reached the utmost limits. By rights they should be imme- diately seized and punished; but in clemency I first issue this reprimand publicly. I will decidedly not show the least indulgence. Tremble at this!" These English gentlemen were afterward forced to go to the city gate in order to ob- tain redress. When the governor saw their earnestness of obtaining the payment of the debt, he arranged the affair to the satisfaction of both parties. But to intimidate them, a severe edict was issued, prohibiting barbarians approaching the city gate. In 1829 the discussions with government took a very se- EMPORIUMS. 225 rious turn in this, the supercargoes of the Hon. East India Company were principally interested. The grievances were various; partly concerning the hong merchants; partly called forth by the obnoxious measures of government. The trade was in consequence entirely stopped by the select commit. tee, and the ships remained outside until the matters were adjusted. On the following year several English ladies went up to Canton with their husbands. Some gentlemen dared to move out in sedan-chairs, instead of the more humble practice of walking, to which they are generally constrained. These circumstances called forth severe prohibitions; in consequence of which, and other causes of complaint, a pe- tition was delivered by a great number of English gentlemen at the city gate, addressed to the three principal officers of the supreme government. They state, "Is it not high hea- ven that has given birth to all the nations of mankind? Are they not reciprocally of the same species? It was the same heaven that gave existence to Mantchoos and Chinese which gave existence to Englishmen with high heaven there is no partial heart. China is by heaven conferred upon the east; and England, by the same heaven is conferred on the people of the west. All nations belong to high heaven; they should not boast against each other. It is directed that the hong merchants and linguists shall continually teach the foreigners, repress their pride and profligacy, and insist on their turning with all their heart, to civilization. But the men who are directed to instruct us are themselves very ig- norant. Your edict also mentions, that barbarians use boys, public women, &c.' The English consider the crime al- luded to deserving death. Edicts to that effect have annu- ally been issued, and stuck up at the foreign factories. But how can the great officers of government, without the least proof, publish groundless reports, which they have sought for, to bring ignominy and disgrace upon all foreigners ?" They also urge the custom of bringing their wives with them : 19* 226 EMPORIUMS. as nowise repugnant to the laws of the celestial empire, and according to the dictates of nature. A very sharp answer from the hoppo, Tseang-keun (or commander-in-chief) and viceroy, was returned to the peti- tioners." How can the said chief, Baynes (the president of the select committee) resist the prohibition and orders, and bring with him a barbarian woman to the city of Canton? If she will remove early to Macao he will avoid a severe scrutiny. As to sitting in sedan-chairs, it is in itself a small business, but foreigners being in the provincial city, have hitherto not been allowed to ascend sedan-chairs.-(A direct falsehood.)-In consequence of various foreign na- tions coming to Canton to trade, whose languages are un- intelligible, and they incapable of understanding the pro- prieties, laws, prohibitions, and orders of the celestial em- pire, it was impossible for them to avoid pride and profli- gacy. Being apprehensive that traitorous natives might se- duce to a violation of the laws, proclamations containing severe edicts were published anew, really with the intention of looking down and compassionating the barbarians, to prevent their being entangled in the net of the law. But the said barbarians in their petition turn it into a disgraceful insult to them, which really shows their ignorance of the substantialities of the business. With an impartial mind consider the matter silently, and you will be vehemently aroused. Since the foreigners are to trade, it is only incum- bent on them to obey implicitly the orders of government. All the great officers of government in Canton look up and realize his majesty's desire to treat foreigners tenderly, and they continually stoop to manifest kindness to those who come; but in matters of prohibitions, how can they in the least degree indulge in remissness? How did the chief re- main ignorant of the proclamations which were put up ac- cording to usage, and in past years never observe the dis- grace and insult, but only this year open out his irregular, EMPORIUMS. 227 crazy proceeding. There must be some native traitor in the concern, devising and fanning the flame. To sum up the whole, the said chief and others, having passed over the ocean so great a distance to come and trade, our sacred dynasty, which benevolently nurtures ten thousand states, doubtless will not view them in another light. But the flow- ery nation (Chinese) and the barbarians must be distinctly divided; between those inside and outside, there must be erected a great boundary. Therefore, it has not been the rule for foreign women to reside in Canton; therefore, send- ing them to Macao is really the way to give entire security. The proclamations are really to show tenderness to foreign- ers, and to soothe and tranquilize them; but the said foreign- ers, ignorant how to be excited to gratitude, turn around, and because of the proclamations disallowing them to bring barbarian women to Canton, and to sit in sedan-chairs, pre- sent whining petitions." As the British factory was, however, threatened with an armed force, they sent for two large guns and a hundred and fifty sailors, to protect their hongs. This measure had the desired effect; the Chinese government stooped, and re- tracted their former violent assertions; upon which the mili- tary show was withdrawn. The hoppo said, "I was only afraid that the said barbarian merchants would throw them- selves into the net of the law, and therefore previously pro- mulgated instruction, and stooped to show the way of pre- serving all entire. As they say the language of the pro- clamation was rather ignominious, why did not the former barbarian merchants early indulge their anger, and with hearts dead to the subject, cease to come again to bow at the service for an open market; but the fact is, they clung to the means of getting a livelihood. The governor and I, the hoppo, have already met, and according to the facts re- ported for the hearing of the great emperor, although he in- tensely cherishes tender thoughts, how can he extend indul- 228 EMPORIUMS, gences to violators of the law. The said chief and others must, as is incumbent, over and over deeply meditate, and become aroused and awakened, and repent of the present and guard against the future. Do not scheme for selfish convenience, and obstinately adhere to your former talk. Thus, with a quiet mind, keeping in your station, you may enjoy the favor of benevolent rule. The chief exhibited every sort of contemptuous behavior: death is not sufficient to cover his crime. If hereafter we shall receive his ma- jesty's commands to take Baynes and punish his crimes, it will then be right that he be delivered over to be punished. He must not clandestinely steal away, in the hasty hope of getting off, as if nothing had occurred." In a report of the viceroy to the emperor upon this sub- ject, it is said: "We find on examination, that the foreigners are covetous of profit, and very crafty and artful. It is not Baynes alone who is thus, so that although Baynes is now dismissed, (he was replaced by Mr. Marjoribanks, who had just come out from England,) it is difficult to insure that in future those foreigners who are put in his stead will not again madly form crafty plans; we can only immediately examine into the matter, and issue strict orders for them to under- stand that hereafter it is absolutely necessary that the Eng- lish, and all foreigners of the various nations, pay implicit obedience to the prohibitions of the celestial empire, and tranquilly continue the ordinary course of trade. If any should presume again to oppose, it will be our duty, in obe- dience to your majesty's will, to form some plan for driving them out, and inflicting severe punishment and correction, without in the slightest degree approximating to, or making accommodation with them, in order thereby to make the dig- nity of the empire revered, and to keep in awe the stupid obstinacy of the barbarians." A great object of grievance was the oppressive system of government carried on against the hong merchants. EMPORIUMS. 229 They availed themselves of every opportunity to fine them to a very large amount, and to put them under great re- straint. The consequence was that most of the hongs were on the eve of bankruptcy, and were often in great embar- rassment for want of funds. To remedy this evil, the select committee, in 1829, made several propositions for an alte- ration in the system. The governor therefore increased the number, without changing their original constitution, and the trade was again renewed. A petition addressed to the Bombay government, presented by the native merchants, who traded very largely in cotton, greatly accelerated the business. The select committee made several remon- strances, and the Chinese government yielded to their en- treaties. In consequence of the repeated obstructions in the trade, the free merchants then residing at Canton presented a pe- tition to the British parliament, December, 1830. In this they state: "While British intercourse with every other considerable state in the world is regulated by international treaties, that with the Chinese empire is abandoned to the arbitrary control of the local authorities of Canton, a venal and corrupt class of persons, who having purchased their appointments, study only the means of amassing wealth by extortion and injustice, equally unrestrained by their own, and unopposed by the governments whose subjects they oppress. For the attainment of this end, severe burdens are imposed upon commerce, unsanctioned by and often in de- fiance of commands from the imperial government at Pe- king; to which the most erroneous reports are made of occurrences in this remote province, while no means of counteraction by opposing statements are in any way af- forded to your petitioners. Your petitioners entertain a firm belief that much may be obtained from the fears, but that nothing will ever be conceded by the good will of the Chinese government. Hitherto, Great Britain has been 230 EMPORIUMS. obliged to pursue the trade with that country under circum- stances the most discouraging; hazardous to its agents employed to conduct it, and precarious to the various inte- rests involved in it. The only place where his majesty's subjects have the privilege of a factory is at Canton; the fair competition of the market is there destroyed by associ- ations of the Chinese. Our supercargoes are denied open access to the tribunals of the country and to the equal exe- cution of its laws, and are kept altogether in a most arbi- trary state of depression, ill suited to the importance of the concerns which are entrusted to their care, and scarcely compatible with the regulations of civilized society. The result of the two British embassies, in common with those of all other European governments, will forcibly suggest to your honorable house how little is to be gained in China by any of the refinements of diplomacy. Even violence has frequently received friendly treatment at the hands of this government, while obedience and conformity to its arbitrary laws have met only with the return of severity and oppres- sion. While your petitioners acknowledge it as an undeni- able principle that foreigners should yield obedience to the laws of the country in which they reside, they submit that this doctrine cannot be maintained in favor of a government which, like the Chinese, withholds from foreigners the pro- tection of its laws, and whose power is felt only in a system of unceasing oppression, pursued on the avowed principle of considering every other people as placed many degrees below its own in the scale of human beings. English ships were formerly admitted to trade at various ports,—Amuy, Ning-po, the islands of Chusan and Formosa; but of late, the entire foreign commerce of this vast empire has been restricted to the single port of Canton, where the exorbitant harbor-duties operate as a virtual exclusion of the smaller class of shipping. From the moment a foreign vessel ar- rives, her business is liable to be delayed by underlings of EMPORIUMS, 231 the custom-house, on frivolous pretexts, for the sake of ex- torting unauthorised charges. The duty on her import car- go is levied in an arbitrary manner, by low, unprincipled men, who openly demand bribes. Even the sacred ties of domestic life are disregarded, in the separation of husband and wife, parent and child, rendered unavoidable by a ca- pricious prohibition against foreign ladies residing in Can- ton, for which there appears no known law, and no other authority than the plea of usage. Your petitioners would anticipate the most beneficial results from the permanent residence in Peking of a representative of his majesty, in- structed to act with becoming spirit in protecting the interests of his countrymen. Unless through the direct intervention of his majesty's government, in communication with the court of Peking, your petitioners fear that no material ex- tension of British commerce, or effectual amelioration of the humiliating condition of British subjects in China can be expected. If unattainable by the course suggested, your petitioners indulge a hope that the government of Great Britain, with the sanction of the legislature, will adopt a re- solution worthy of the nation, and by the acquisition of an insular possession near the coast of China, place British commerce in this remote quarter of the globe beyond the reach of future despotism and oppression." Though this paper states with great precision, founded upon an intimate acquaintance with the state of affairs, the only remedies whereby an amelioration of our commercial intercourse may be obtained, the exclusive nature of the East India Company's privileges prevented its being taken. into consideration at that time; but in the subsequent dis- cussions now pending, it is understood to have had great weight with members of parliament, as well as his majesty's government, who it is to be hoped, may frame an arrange- ment calculated to remedy past errors. New troubles again disturbed the commercial intercourse 232 EMPORIUMS. in 1831. The select committee gave therefore the following notice to the British residents at Canton. "From the disposition which has recently been shown in va- rious acts of the Canton government, the president and select committee are under apprehension that British commerce with China cannot be conducted with credit or security, while it remains exposed to them. They do, therefore, as represen- tatives of the British nation in China, give public notice, that should the evils complained of remain unremedied, all commercial intercourse between the two countries will be suspended on the 1st of August next." The grievances were the following: The seizure, close imprisonment, and subsequent death of a hong merchant; his alleged crime being his traitorous connection with the English. No association whatever did take place with this merchant, except of an extensive commercial nature; and in his mercantile dealings he proved himself a most intelligent and industrious man. An attack made upon the British fac- tory by the Foo-yuen with a numerous retinue of armed at- tendants. He treated the king's picture with indignity, and threatened the senior hong merchants, who remained all the while upon their knees, with imprisonment and death, on account of their connection with the English: the senior linguist was at the same time fettered in the company's fac- tory, and orders given for his execution, which was, however, commuted into imprisonment. The gates of the factory lead- ing to the river were broken down, and a quay, built by the express sanction of the governor, demolished. In addition, an edict was published, interdicting the employment of na- tive servants, and the presentation of petitions at the city gates, precluding all communications with Canton by means of foreign boats, and ordering bodies of soldiers to act as a guard on the ships at anchor at Whampoa. This was done. without the least provocation on the side of the foreigners; a deputation was sent to complain to the Canton authori- EMPORIUMS. 233 ties; no redress was given; the select committee were in- formed that this was only the commencement of a course of proceedings of a similar character; "But if barbarians de- cline submitting to the commands of government, they will be expelled from the country, and forever prohibited from coming to Canton for the purpose of commerce." The committee, in consequence of this outrage, sent dis- patches to the India government, to call in the aid of the Governor-general. As an address to the Foo-yuen was re- jected, the committee published the facts, and distributed and stuck up on the walls of streets in Canton, a paper of remonstrances in the Chinese language. Soon afterward an edict arrived from Peking, which fully sanctioned the proceedings of the Foo-yuen. This paper stated, "The barbarians' disposition being deceitful and crafty, it is absolutely necessary to carry into effect prohi- bitions and orders with severity, and to give importance to guards set up by old regulations. The said barbarian mer- chants have on former occasions opposed interdicts and or- ders, but since they came of themselves to repentance, let, through clemency, their punishment be waived. But it is absolutely necessary to order them to obey and hold fast the old regulations. How can it be that they will again oppose and transgress? Still, if they be allowed daily to increase in arrogance and insolence in a trifling with and contempt of the laws; in indulging their irregular disposition to per- verse refractoriness, and gradually going on to an increased exhibition of their pride and want of self-restraint, what eventually will the appearance of things be? Let the said governor (the edict was addressed to the viceroy at Canton) and others be strict in enforcing our internal customs, and so eradicate the disturbance of foreign barbarians. It is altogether incumbent not to lose the respectability of the celestial empire in governing. The management will be supremely good." The viceroy added to this, "Hereafter, VOL. II. 20 234 EMPORIUMS. it will be absolutely necessary to yield implicit obedience to the laws and regulations of the celestial empire, and ad- here strictly to old arrangements. If again any dare to op- pose or transgress, and again create disturbance, then as- suredly, in immediate adherence to the imperial will, a sc- vere scrutiny will be made, and punishment inflicted. De- cidedly there will not be the least clemency or forbearance shown. Tremble at this! Intensely, intensely are these commands given !" The private merchants at Canton made very reasonable remonstances, and were answered; "The celestial empire, in cherishing tenderness to distant foreigners, has constantly stooped to show compassion: but between the flowery Chi- nese and barbarians there is doubtless a settled distinction; between those within and those without there must be esta- blished a grand barrier. The dignity of the great emperor requires obedience and severity. How can the barbarian merchants of every nation be suffered to indulge their own wishes in opposition and contempt of the laws? The said merchants are not allowed to create disturbance and again dun with petitions. Intensely, intensely are these orders issued!" Notwithstanding these events the committee withdrew the prohibition of carrying on the trade. The Foo-yuen after- ward retracted some of his violent acts. "I," said he, "the acting governor, (for the viceroy had gone in the meanwhile to Peking,) when young, read poetry and books, and my rational disposition is to issue orders with attentive respect. Although it was a child, supposing no violation of the law, I would not trample upon it. How could I enter the peo- ple's factory and insult the king's picture? (He did this in broad daylight!) There must be some Chinese traitor who has stirred up and instigated to this assertion. The said chief, (Mr. Majoribanks, a gentleman who acted during these transactions with the greatest forbearance and pru- dence,) ought, by all means, to speak out plainly; that EMPORIUMS. 235 having proof, the offender may be punished. The said chief has received the commands of the king to come to China, a distance of myriads of miles, to trade. He ought to keep in control the barbarians pertaining to him, quietly to remain in his station, and to maintain the laws, not ravel- ing and confusing old regulations: this is the path of a long, lasting tranquility. This is one of the greatest points of reverence and respect, and what may be called not dis- honoring one's prince's commands. As to worshipping the picture of the princes, there is originally no impropriety in it, but it is befitting that he set up a curtain screen, and an altar with incense, that the devotion may be manifested. But this is what pertains to the said chief's own province. I, the acting governor, love men in connection with virtue. As the said chief has a knowledge of propriety and justice, and has spoken about reverence and respect, I have there- fore with earnestness and minuteness given my commands on the whole subject, for his information. Tremble at this. Intensely, intensely; these are my commands." "I Several men-of-war sent from India, reached Canton to- ward the end of 1831. Captain Freemantle, commander of the Challenger, was the bearer of a letter from the go- vernor-general of India to the viceroy at Canton, who by this time had returned from his visit to Peking. After much discussion, Captain Freemantle was allowed to deliver the letter to the Hëĕ-tae, a military mandarin at Canton. am sure," the letter to the viceroy said, "your excellency cannot have approved, and will be ready to disavow, the vio- lent, unjust, and indecent proceedings which the subordi- nate officers in Canton have been led into during your ex- cellency's absence. It will give me joy to hear that your excellency's wisdom has anticipated my hopes and wishes. in this respect, and your excellency's reputation will be increased a hundred fold, by such a restoration of affairs. May God grant that such has been the issue. I appeal to 236 EMPORIUMS. your excellency, if they (the committee) should deem it necessary to appeal to your wisdom and justice, to give their wrongs a fair and candid consideration. You will thus confer on me a personal obligation, and will relieve me from the anxiety with which I should view the necessity of con- sidering what further measures of support the aggrieved merchants have a right to expect at my hands." The viceroy did not answer this friendly letter, but wrote an evasive proclamation to the committee, without giving the least redress. "It is necessary," he said, "that the chief, second, third, and fourth supercargoes, who reside at Canton for the general management of the commerce, should be in- telligent persons, who understand business, implicitly adher- ing to old established customs, and not listening to the insi- dious suggestions of Chinese traitors. The celestial em- pire's graciousness and politeness are constant. I decidedly will not despise or ill-treat any. I, also the minister and governor, look up and immitate the great emperor's infinite tenderness to men from remote regions; and decidedly will never cease to observe their reverence and submission, so as to preserve all entire. It is incumbent on the said chief and others, to take the authoritative decisions which have been issued, and promulgate them for information. Why do they again, and a third time, obstinately refuse to transmit those injunctions, and dun us with requests to give a written document in return? Exceedingly does it indicate refractory stupidity. As to the said captain, availing himself of the north wind that now blows, and returning at an early day, let him make haste and set sail-these are my commands." Here the matter ended. No official reply was given. The presence of three British men-of-war had intimidated the local government; the proud rulers were apprehensive that some serious mischief might occur, and they therefore stooped so far as to give a fair turn to the whole affair. It was expected that the British squadron in India would make EMPORIUMS. 237 ance. its appearance at Canton, but the fleet was countermanded. The Chinese rejoiced at having found means to outwit the stupid barbarians; however, the eight restrictive laws, which would have brought the English on a par with the Dutch in Japan, by placing them, even in their own factories, under the guardianship of the hong merchants and linguists, were never executed. The Court of Directors at home greatly disapproved of the measures taken, though thereby the trade might have been freed from its shackles. In both instances- 1830, 1831-they saw no necessity for going to extremes. Things turned thus into the old channel; the British flag was again hoisted at the arrival of another chief, and no complaint found any redress. The attention of the Chinese government was fully engaged in the war of the Meaou-tsie, an indigenous tribe in Canton, Kwang-se, and Hoo-nan pro- vinces. Trade, therefore, was carried on with less annoy- This unsuccessful war proved the cause of disgrace to the old viceroy of Canton, who was sent into exile into the cold regions of Ele. However, to show some favor to the hong merchants, his imperial majesty condescended to accept a considerable sum of money from them, and be- stowed upon the two senior merchants, as an acknowledg- ment of their patriotism, the peacock's feather, a mark of distinction equally as honorable as with us the garter. But this money, which the hong merchants are forced to furnish, is nothing but an indirect tax upon the barbarians; for their Chinese mercantile friends make them pay their own ex- penses for obtaining the imperial favor. Choo, the foo-yuen, a very patriotic and disinterested statesman, persevered in his hatred toward foreigners. Once observing two gentle- men, who had come to assist in quenching a fire, he made the motion of cutting off their heads, a very graceful com- pliment, and a true exhibition of Chinese compassion. The next governor who arrived received the most explicit orders from the emperor to prevent all disturbance, and to treat the 20* 238 EMPORIUMS. barbarians kindly. He has hitherto shown himself in a very favorable light, and always listened with attention to the complaints of foreigners. No serious disturbance or stop- page of trade has occurred under his administration. As several ships had lately gone up the coast, and bitterly com- plained about the oppressions of the local government at Canton, the emperor issued strict orders to all the officers to treat barbarians with the greatest justice, in order to take from them every pretence of repairing to other Chinese har- bors, where they might trade on more advantageous terms. The expeditions sent up to the north-east coast of China are worthy the notice of the British public. Before the en- lightened and worthy chief, Marjoribanks, embarked for England, in 1832, he thought it would be very conducive to the promotion of British trade that a ship should be sent up to the harbors of the northern provinces in order to open a trade. Mr. Lindsay, a member of the British factory, was sent on this experimental voyage. The ship arrived at Amuy, and a friendly message from the principal civil man- darin was sent on board, to inform the supercargo that he would forward, as much as it was in his power, the sale of their goods. It was also the earnest wish of the supercargo to gain the authorities by acts of kindness, and to do every thing in his power to conciliate their good will. After having addressed a letter to the high admiral of this station, an edict was received on board, which strictly prohibited all trade to this port. However, to endeavor by sound reasoning to convince the mandarins that such a prohibitory law was un- just, an audience was requested, and granted. It was stat- ed before the principal officers of this port, that the Amuy junks traded to the British colonies without any interruption from the authorities, and that many thousands of the natives of this place had settled in the English possessions. It was therefore reasonable to expect that the same privileges which we so freely granted to the Chinese merchants would find EMPORIUMS. 239 As an equivalent, in their granting a free trade to the port of Amuy. The mandarins could plead nothing but the law of the emperor, and thus the conference ended. The manda- rins, seeing that we were kind, and unwilling to force the trade, presumed upon our good intentions. A fleet was an- chored around the British ship, and the guns pointed at her. Natives, who, prompted by curiosity to see a foreign vessel, had come alongside the ship, were forcibly taken away, se- verely beaten, and put in the pillory, for having held treache- rous intercourse with the barbarians. When it was evident that nothing could be gained by acts of kindness, the ship had to muster her guns in self defence, and to ward off an attack. As soon as the mandarins saw this they retired to a distance, and were no more troublesome. From thence the ship proceeded toward the Piscadores and Formosa. there were no mandarins on that coast, the ship having an- chored at Woo-teaou, the natives came off in crowds and traded a little. Some messengers were despatched by them to invite merchants, but the ship did not remain long enough to await their arrival. Having found her way to Fuh-choo, and delivered a petition to the foo-yuen of Fuh-keën, who resides there, they had first to drive away the mandarin fleet, which had anchored around the ship, and then entered into a contract with the civil mandarin at the entrance of the river, and sold British piece-goods to some extent. All the mandarins were friendly and obliging as soon as they saw that the English were fully determined to trade; but so long as this favor was solely requested in humble petitions, they frowned at the idea. At Ning-po they received the fairest promises; a bargain for a considerable quantity of piece-goods was closed under the sanction of the mandarins, who sent the merchants on board. However, this engagement was again broken off by the faithless mandarins, who offered in lieu of the advantages of the trade, a demurrage for having detained the ship. The consternation at the appearance of a British 240 EMPORIUMS. vessel was here so great, that the mandarins would have granted every thing if they had been forced to terms. How- ever, this was not thought advisable, and the ship left the port with a document, which informed the English, “That the virtue of the great emperor was boundless, though the celestial empire keeps all nations in subjection, and exer- cises an uncontrolled sway over the four seas." Yet, strange to say, the whole imperial fleet of this place was not able to prevent one single British ship from entering the harbor. A little trade was afterward carried on at Kintang, a beautiful island in the neighborhood of Ning-po, and then proceeded to Shang-hae, in Keang-soo. Here they met with a most determined resistance on the part of the government, which was even more contemptible than at Ning-po; but they had no right to force the trade, and were therefore obliged to quit the harbor without having done any thing. Having touched at Shan-tung, they went over to Korea, where a long discussion with the king's officers took place, whilst their offers of opening a trade with this exclusive nation were rejected. The same was the case at the Loo-choo islands, where this privilege was refused upon the plea that there were no articles for barter. The result of this voyage was a conviction that a trade with the north-eastern ports might be opened, if the British government insisted upon it. All the local mandarins agreed that it was very desirable we should be allowed to trade to all Chinese ports, since we had granted the same permis- sion to their own nation. The people were very eager to carry on commercial dealings, notwithstanding the utmost vigilance of the mandarins. Nothing could exceed their friendliness and hospitality towards foreigners. A pamphlet, which gave a short outline of the British nation, had been distributed amongst the people, and greatly tended to give them a favorable idea of the English, and to remove their prejudices against barbarians. It was also ascertained that EMPORIUMS. 241 the native trade in these parts was immense, and that the British trade would be as extensive in proportion. As the supercargo offered to pay the duties upon all articles, and to trade according to law, he was requested to anchor outside, and do in the way of business as much as he could, whilst the mandarins pledged themselves not to disturb his com- mercial dealings, or to annoy the native merchants who came to him. This has been repeatedly urged. In the meantime, three other ships were sent up the coast by the largest commercial English house at Canton. One of them proceeded as far as the Chusan islands, the others an- chored below Amuy, but none of them entered any port, but sold so much opium as to defray the expenses of the voyage. These expeditions were followed up by the "Sylph,” a fast-sailing, warlike-looking vessel, which sailed as far as Mantchoo Tatary, and got upon a bank. The mandarins refused all assistance, whilst the natives treated the crew very kindly. When she arrived on her return at Shang-hae, the mandarins expected that she was the bearer of prelimi- naries from the king of England to conclude a commercial. treaty. They could not think that the enterprising British nation would quietly give up the idea of trading after one unsuccessful voyage; but on the contrary, would push with their customary vigor so advantageous a commerce, which might open a large field for the exportation of British manu- factures. In this, however, they were grossly deceived, for the directors at home highly disapproved of similar attempts, and the excellent president of the select committee, in whom the first expedition originated, had left Canton. The ship however traded in Keang-soo, amongst the Chusan islands, and on the coasts of Fuh-keen and Che-keang. The same promise was reiterated and urged by the mandarins, that they would grant full permission to trade outside, but could not allow a legal trade in the harbor, which was in direct 242 EMPORIUMS. opposition to the imperial laws. They even traded them- selves, and also procured merchants. Another ship had, at the same time, sold a considerable quantity of opium on the coast of Fuh-keën, but could not succeed at Fuh- choo. Two subsequent attempts on the coast of Fuh- keen proved equally successful as regarded opium; and British piece-goods are gradually coming into notice, as an article of trade on a limited scale. With these repeated ef- forts to open a trade, the vigilance of the mandarins has re- laxed, and they have shown themselves only occasionally. However, the edicts against trading at any other port ex- cept Canton, are very fierce. The admirals are ordered to drive the barbarian ships away, and not to allow them to anchor for one moment. The reverse however is the case; for a single ship, manned by Lascars, has frequently driven a whole imperial squadron before her. When the emperor perceived that his orders were not obeyed, he became very angry with his naval officers, and deprived several of their rank, which was, however, restored after a few months. For the admirals alleged : "That the barbarians were craf- ty, and that lying was a second nature to them; that they crept in like rats, and it was impossible to keep them off; so that, after having driven them away, they immediately re- turned." The emperor was finally wise enough to desist from issuing any further edicts, and only enjoined the local mandarins to abstain from all acts of oppression, in order to avoid furnishing a pretence to barbarians to go in search of their fortunes in other parts. It is humbly hoped that the British government will pro- cure so large a trade to the English merchants. But it will be in vain to do any thing in the way of negotiation, without overawing a weak and contemptible government. The whole Chinese fleet, consisting of 1000 vessels, large and small included, is not able to cope with one single frigate. The nation at large is desirous of trade; the local manda- EMPORIUMS. 243 rins are anxious to favor it, if they can do it without being detected by their superiors. The As the British dominion in India had been extended as far as the frontiers of Tibet, Nepaul, and Bootan, it was naturally to be expected that the English would come in contact with the celestials. During the administration of Mr. Hastings, the Teshoo-lama of Tibet proceeded to Peking, and dying soon after his arrival there, Sumhur-lama, his brother, fled from Lahsa to Nepaul, taking with him a considerable quantity of the treasure which had been hoarded up for many ages. The avarice of the Nepaul government was thereby considerably excited; they went twice to Lahsa, and returned with immense booty. Chinese, irritated at the outrage committed against a place which the reigning family considers as sacred, marched a large army into Nepaul, and penetrated as far as within sixty miles of the Bengal frontier, - but did not cross it. (1792.) The humbled Nepaulese therefore concluded an ignominious treaty, and promised to pay a regular tribute to heaven's son. The Gorkhas having, in 1814, attacked the British frontiers, Sir David Ochterlony marched toward Katmandu, the capital. As his army proved victorious, the Chinese were greatly alarmed; for the Nepaulese repre- sented to the court of Peking, that the difference had arisen in consequence of our having demanded the passes through the Heemâ-chul, which they, as faithful vassals, had refused to surrender. The court therefore resolved to despatch im- mediately an army, and a confidential prudent minister, to ascertain the real state of things in Nepaul. They, however, charged the Gorkhas with having given rise to the war, and marched a large army into the country. The Nepaulese now applied for protection to the British authorities, who advised them to negociate with the invaders, and refused to interfere. A letter was sent to the Chinese commander, which put the celestials quite at rest, and fully satisfied them that the 244 EMPORIUMS. British government would not advocate the cause of the Ne- paulese. The consequence was, that the Chinese brought Nepaul to a nominal subjection, and upbraided the chiefs for being a mischievous race. The rajah of the Bootans began also to tremble, and invoked the aid of the British forces. But as matters were peaceably settled, nothing fur- ther of any importance occurred.* It is to be hoped, that with the cessation of the monopoly, a salutary change will take place in our trade with China. It surely will increase, and it will be only our own fault if it is not improved and expanded. To preserve the same rela- tions which have hitherto existed between the Chinese go- vernment and the British merchant, will be impossible. It will give rise to incessant quarrels on both sides. There is no law in China to protect the British merchant, nor has there ever been a commercial treaty concluded to secure the trade. There exists no commercial tariff, no mutual un- derstanding, no friendly relation. The most unprejudiced man will very soon feel the rod of this paternal government. But let us not anticipate too many evils, since we may rest assured that the British government will take wise and vigorous measures to put the trade upon a firm basis, and to encourage every enterprise for its extension. CHAPTER XXIV. SPANIARDS. AFTER the discovery of America, the Spaniards rose to be, for a time, the first nation in the world, and extended * See Parliamentary Reports relative to the trade with East India and China. Staunton's, Abel's, Ellis', and Morrison's accounts of the embassies to Peking. Canton Register, &c. EMPORIUMS. 245 their conquests from one quarter of the globe to the other. Having taken possession of the Philippine islands, and of all Portuguese colonies in Asia, they consequently became also masters of Macao. The Chinese did not interfere in an ar- rangement which was made, without bloodshed, between the Portuguese and Spaniards. They had also a factory on the north part of Formosa at Ke-lung, and somewhere in the south. But the Dutch, their implacable enemies, drove them from both stations, and prevented the native junks from trading any more to Manilla. The Chinese willingly yielded to laws dictated by an admiral, and the Fuh-keën trade to the Philippine islands ceased. The Chinese squadron of Ching-ching-kung threatened repeatedly to make a descent upon Luconia, which occa- sioned at Manilla great consternation. Once, it is said, a Chinese pirate invaded the country, and committed great atrocities. This invasion was the more dangerous, because several of the Chinese settlers had joined their countrymen, and were their guides. By order of the government in coun- cil, all Chinese were expelled from Manilla and the adjacent islands, those only excepted who had become Christians, and proved themselves to be such. Shortly afterward oc- curred an entire stoppage of the Chinese trade, which, however, was gradually renewed, and principally carried on by the natives of Tseuen-choo and Amuy. The Spaniards themselves were allowed to come to Macao, Canton, and Amuy. To the last-named place very few ships traded; at Canton they had once a factory; but their commerce with Macao was very brisk. The Philippine islands are excel- lently situated for a trade with China; their produce finds a ready market in all the emporiums; but, alas! industry and the cultivation of fallow ground have never found sufficient encouragement, nor are the aborigines much inclined to work. Thus the only staple article for the Chinese market has been rice, and even this in measured quantities. VEL. II. 21 246 EMPORIUMS. During the latter end of the last century, the Chinese na- tive trade to Manilla was very brisk. Many Chinese set- tlers passed over, and by their industry, amassed conside- rable capital. All those who had married were forced to become Roman Catholics, though innumerable converts crowded to the churches. To prevent, however, the further growth of the trade, an enormous duty was levied upon the Chinese articles of export and import; and to prevent a fur- ther influx of a set of highly industrious colonists, who are the soul of business throughout the Philippines, a heavy poll-tax was levied upon them. After many successful ef- forts, the Spaniards have now the pleasure to observe that the trade is almost banished, and only a few Chinese emi- grants arrive annually to awaken their fears, whilst those who cannot pay the enormous poll-tax are sent away by force. As the trade with foreign vessels has been connived at, the commerce between Macao and Manilla is rather on the increase. Both American, as well as English vessels, visit the port, and fetch cargoes for the Chinese market. To the king of Spain the honor is due of having made the first attempt to introduce vaccination into China. A ship came on purpose from Manilla to Macao, in 1803, with the vaccine matter on board. Such attempts are very laudable, and eminently tend to bring on a good understanding be- tween nations. RUSSIANS. A mere adventurer conquered for Russia the Tatar tribes in Siberia, at the same time that the Mantchoo Tatars in- vaded China. Eager to collect as many furs as were pro- curable, the Russians pushed their conquests as far as Kam- schatka, and extended them toward the south, as far as the Baikal Lake and the river Amoor; and thus they became EMPORIUMS. 247 neighbors of the Mongol and Mantchoo Tatars. To conso- lidate a commerce between China and Siberia, they sent, during the reign of Shun-che, several ambassadors to the court at Peking. They obtained, on very advantageous terms, the permission to send annually a trading caravan to Peking, and to carry on the trade to the mutual benefit of both par- ties. Not satisfied with these privileges, and eager to obtain a firmer footing, the Russians extended their colonies farther and farther south toward the Selinga and Amoor, and did not scruple even to encroach upon the territories of the Mongols. The Chinese, jealous of so powerful a neighbor, erected some fortresses along the frontier to oppose their progress, 1670. It was natural that some dissensions re- specting the boundaries should arise, both parties pleaded their right of possession to these dreary regions; but as the matters could not be amicably adjusted they had recourse to arms, (1684, 1685.) Matters had come to a crisis, and if the Russians at that time had been what they are now, they would have pushed their conquests to the gates of Pe- king. However, they adopted the safer course of negotiation. Upon the request of czar Alexowitz, the emperor Kang-he appointed Nipchoo, a place north-west of Yaksa, as a ren- dezvous where the plenipotentiaries of both nations should meet, and despatched the missionaries, Gerbillon and Pa- rennin, as his envoys. They left Peking in June, 1689. Kang-he, in order to facilitate the negotiation, had sent some thousand soldiers to accompany his envoy. The Russian plenipotentiaries complained bitterly, saying, whilst alluding to the soldiers," they have acted as if they came not to treat of peace, but to make war and ravage the country; they have posted themselves around the fortress, and being asked what their intention was, they answered, we have no account to give, but will go where we think fit." The negotiations were commenced, broken off and renewed. Chinese sub- tlety and Russian stubbornness met together; the interests 248 EMPORIUMS. of both parties were widely different, and the whole confe- rence would have been broken off, if the missionaries had not interfered. To increase the difficulties, some Tatar tribes sent a messenger from Siberia, stating that they were willing to re-enter the dominions of the Chinese emperor; the con- ferences would never have come to a satisfactory conclu- sion, if the presence of a Chinese army had not spoken strongly in favor of Kang-he's claim. The Russian envoys had been taken by surprise, and they saw no alternative but adjusting the matter, or concluding a disadvantageous treaty. They finally agreed to a treaty of peace, and the Chinese ambassador having orders to swear an oath by the name of the Christian's God, pronounced the oath solemnly, the treaty was ratified, and the plenipotentiaries departed to their respective homes. The river Urwan, or Iborna, was made the boundary between both empires; the Russians agreed to demolish their newly-built fortresses, and a free trade was secured to both nations. Kang-he viewed the whole affair, not as a mere matter of concluding a treaty, for he says of himself, "Since I ascended the throne I have directed military operations to a great extent. I have crush- ed rebels, I have taken possession of Formosa, I have hum- bled the Russians." When the regenerator of Russia had ascended the throne, he was anxious to improve the trade of his subjects in this distant part of his dominions. He therefore despatched, in 1692, his envoy, Ysbrants Ides, to Peking, in order to esta- blish the trade upon a firm footing. Ides, with great diffi- culty, penetrated the icy regions of Siberia; and after a march of seven months reached the Mongolian frontiers, where he was politely received by a Chinese mandarin. Upon arriving at the great wall he was very much astonished at this extraordinary structure, which is one of the wonders of the world. We give the description in his own words : " About 500 fathoms from the famous wall, is an extensive EMPORIUMS. 249 valley, each side of which is provided with a battery of hewn stone. Passing through the fore-wall we came to the entry of the great wall through a watch-tower, about eight fathoms high, arched over with hewn stone, and provided with massy doors strengthened with iron. The wall runs from east to west across the valley, over extraordinary high rocks, with a tower built upon it, at the distance of 500 fathoms." He passed several other forts, which are much admired by him, until he arrived at the city of Galchan. His arrival at Peking was welcomed both by the people and government. His whole retinue, consisting of ninety persons, returned thanks to the great God, who after a long and difficult journey of one year and eight months, had conducted them safe to the desired place, without the loss of more than one man. Within a few days he had an audience with Kang-he, when he delivered his credentials, and performed the customary ceremonies; but we are not told in what the latter consisted. He was again invited to eat in the imperial presence. Seated near the throne, cross-legged, he received several dishes from the imperial table, which to him were very savoury. The emperor put to him important questions, worthy so great a monarch, about the state of Europe and the different empires. In this he displayed a superiority of which none of his predecessors or successors can boast, who, without ex- ception, have entertained foreign envoys with childish talk. At the last levee the herald appeared, and exclaimed, knock head! The obeisance was immediately performed; but the ambassador does not mention that he himself was a party amongst the humble slaves. They were dismissed with many presents, and the greatest affability, which was natu- ral to Kang-he. Ides does not inform us how he succeeded in his embassy. He visited, during his stay at Peking, a cloister of the Jesuits. Here he saw under a roof, built on purpose, one celestial, and one terrestrial globe of extraor- dinary size, and a beautiful church, with all the tinsel of 21* 250 EMPORIUMS. popery, so spacious as to contain 3,000 people. He saw the greater part of Peking, and had no difficulties in walk- ing about the street wherever he chose. In fact, he appears to have been the only ambassador who has been treated as such by the celestial court. The friendly reception of this ambassador did not fully guarantee the continuation of peace. The trade was carried on to the great disadvantage of the Russians, who again en- deavored to extend their territories, founded new settlements along the river Amoor, in opposition to the treaty, and built also the fortress of Albazin. It was expected that the Chi- nese would overlook these encroachments, and connive at them merely for the sake of continuing the trade in furs, a commodity which is indispensably necessary to their dress. In these hopes they were greatly deceived. The Mongols, who are good hunters, were able to furnish the necessary furs; and received orders to spread themselves along the banks of the Amoor, in order to catch so many animals, and procure such a quantity of furs as to render the Russian fur trade unnecessary. The Chinese government expostulated with the Russian authorities, and urged the strict adherence to the treaty. The Russians gave them fair words, but carried on their encroachments. The emperor, therefore, immediately ordered the Mongols to attack the Russian frontier town; and they invested the fortress Albazin for three years. Peter the Great had, at that time, too much to do in the west to attend to this distant colony. The town was finally taken, and the inhabitants transported to Peking. This induced the Czar to send, in 1719, an ambassador extraordinary to Peking. The grand object of this mis- sion was to establish the caravan trade upon a firm foot- ing, and to settle, once for all, the boundaries of the frontiers. He entrusted Leoff Vassilovich Ismaïloff with this charge. In his train was De Lange, in the capacity of secretary, who afterward remained behind as a resident. The interests of EMPORIUMS. 251 government were too intimately connected with this busi- ness. Heretofore every Russian subject had permission to trade in furs; but as the private dealers undersold govern- ment in Europe, to the great injury of the Russian finances, the Russian officers resolved to send the government's furs to China; and transported them once in three years to the frontiers, and from thence to Peking. The value of one caravan amounted to 4,000 or 5,000 rubles, and yielding in return at least double the sum. The emperor of China, from regard to the friendship and good neighborhood of the Czar, gave the caravans free quarters, and granted them liberty to dispose of their goods and buy a lading in return, without exacting any duty. This embassy had taken some women with them; their Chinese conductor told the Russian ambassador that there was no precedent of any European ladies having been at Peking; and wished to report the matter to the emperor, in order to ask for permission. "For," said he, "we have already women enough in Peking, and do not want an addi- tional number." As, however, this application to the court would have delayed the embassy, they sent them back to Russia. They crossed the dreary desert of Shamo, and were forty days without seeing a house; all was a hungry wilder- ness, covered with sand and pebbles, and exhibiting not the least vestige of cultivation. Only a few Mongol tents re- lieved the monotony which every where reigned. To aug- ment their hardships, snow began to fall abundantly; and the weary wanderers were often at a loss what to do for fuel. When they arrived in the Chinese territory, they found that an earthquake shortly before had demolished the greater part of the cities through which they had to pass. Their entrance to Peking was with military parade; and the Chi- nese officers vied with each other in showing them all sorts of honors. After so many professions of good will, the am- bassador was rather astonished to find the door of his hotel 252 EMPORIUMS. barred, and sealed with the imperial seal, during the night. He made representations to the minister who was in charge of the embassy; but he pleaded entire ignorance of this ig- nominious occurrence. By some persuasive means, the Chi- nese mandarins obtained a copy of the Russian credentials before they were delivered; the surest way to frustrate a mission, and to render its object contemptible in the eyes of the Chinese government. The ambassador was required to perform at his audience the prostrations, which he obstinately refused: but it was alleged that the ambassador ought to comply with the esta- blished customs of the court; and when the emperor of China sent a minister to Russia, he should have instructions to conform himself in every respect to the ceremonies in use at that court; a very specious argument, founded upon an empty supposition. After a few days' delay, they pro- ceeded on horseback to the audience. As they advanced, they found all the ministers of state and officers belonging to the court seated upon fur cushions, cross-legged, before the hall, in the open air; among them places were assigned for the embassy, who stayed there in a cold frosty morn- ing, till the emperor entered the hall. The entry to the hall is by seven marble steps, the whole length of the building; the floor is finely paved with small squares of black and white marble; the edifice is quite open to the south, and the roof supported by a row of handsome wooden pillars, octangular, and finely polished, before which is hung a large canvas, as a shelter from the heat of the sun and the inclemency of the weather. Having waited about a quarter of an hour, the emperor entered a back door, and seated himself upon the throne. The ambassador was then intro- duced to his imperial majesty, who, dispensing with all formalities, touched the credentials, and inquired after the health of the Czar. Delighted to have so well succeeded in avoiding the objectionable kow-tow, the ambassador was EMPORIUMS. 253 : startled when he was reconducted toward the hall by the master of the ceremonies, who forced him and the whole retinue to prostrate themselves nine times, and to kneel thrice. 66 Morgu-knock head-bos!-kneel!" were the commands given by the master of the ceremonies, who, as a veteran court-serjeant, understood how to enforce his or- ders of ceremonial discipline. A foreign ambassador might as well persuade the Pope that he was not the head of the whole Christian church, as prove to the Chinese that the master whom he represents is the equal of the peerless son of heaven. However, these stubborn Russians were taken by surprise but as soon as this ceremony was over, Kang- he changed from an unearthly potentate into an affable and kind statesman: he took the ambassador by the hand, and talked very familiarly upon various subjects. Among other things, he told him that he was informed his czarish ma- jesty exposed his person to many dangers, particularly by water, at which he was much surprised; but desired that he would take the advice of an old man, and not hazard his life by committing himself to the merciless waves and winds, where no valor could avail. He then presented to the ambassador a gold cup with Chinese liquor, out of which the whole embassy drank the emperor's health. The au- diences which the Russian envoy afterward had were very numerous. Kang-he was desirous of establishing a friendly intercourse between both nations; he talked much about the vanity and uncertainty of all human affairs, adding, that he was now an old man, and in the course of nature could not live long, and therefore was desirous of dying in peace with God and man. They had the honor of congratulating his majesty at the new year. During the time of their stay they enjoyed perfect liberty to visit the city, and to purchase every thing they chose. It was pleasing to observe that the enlightened emperor, Kang-he, condescended to treat them with so great indulgence, as never had been done previously 254 EMPORIUMS, upon similar occasions. However, the Chinese monarch was well-informed respecting the great conqueror who sat upon the throne of Russia. He had heard of his great exploits, his successful endeavors to spread civilization amongst his sub- jects, and he conceived spontaneously a great esteem for his representative. After having received an audience of leave, the ambassador was permitted to depart. He received an imperial letter, addressed to the czar, which was rolled up and wrapped in yellow silk, and tied on the arm of a man, carried in procession before the ambassador. All persons they met in their way stood still, and when on horseback, dismounted, so great was the reverence of the people for every thing coming from the sovereign. The Russians had seen whatever was worth their notice; Kang-he had studi- ously shown them those articles which Chinese art, unaided by European skill, had produced. To give them an idea of their skill in bowmanship, the ambassadors were invited to an imperial hunt, where the hoary-headed Kang-he (he was then seventy years of age) showed himself an able and vi- gorous sportsman. They also were permitted to be specta- tors of Chinese tactics, and to inform their master of the strength and ability of the Chinese army. To second the views of his Russian majesty, De Lange, a secretary to the embassy, remained behind as permanent resident of the court of Petersburgh. The Chinese minis- ters at first opposed this measure, but Ismaïloff prevailed upon Kang-he to silence his narrow-minded ministers. But he met with very great obstacles, and had to combat the interests of both merchants and Jesuits. De Lange had received his credentials, and repeatedly insisted upon being permitted to deliver them, but this was always deferred. Neither was he allowed to exchange his dilapidated quarters for a better dwelling, nor to move about freely, for the avenues to his house were strictly guarded, and no one suf- fered to go out or in without a special permission from the EMPORIUMS, 255 ministers. This strict surveillance arose from the jealousy with which the Chinese mandarins viewed the presence of a political foreign resident, who they considered as a mere spy upon their actions. They therefore did every thing in their power to disgust De Lange with his station; the prime minister refused him admittance to his presence, and the minor mandarins refused to have any thing to do with him. When De Lange expostulated with them for having placed a sentinel at his doors, the mandarins replied that this was done to protect him against the insolence of the populace, a common excuse for the watchfulness of the celestials. Even the provisions which were sent to him, bought for his own money, had partly to be given to the soldiers on guard, for permission to let them pass. A part of the house had actually fallen in, but the breach was not rebuilt, though the promise to that effect was given. There were considerable debts owing to the Russian government outstanding; De Lange drew up a memorial to obtain them, but received an evasive answer. Actual threats proved, finally, more effec- tual than all petitions. In August, 1721, the first caravan after the departure of the ambassador extraordinary, arrived at Peking. They traded at that time, generally, at all places in their way to China, and on their return, so that they were loaded with goods when they arrived in Siberia. The im- mense quantity of articles imported considerably decreased the value of the commodities, and the profits upon all the articles were trifling. When afterward the China trade be- came an imperial monopoly, and every private merchant was prohibited from engaging in it under pain of death, the Russians were permitted to send but one caravan annually, which consisted only of 200 persons, whilst they formerly numbered 2000, who were maintained by the emperor. At this time the good intentions of his majesty were frus- trated by the intrigues of the commissioner appointed to superintend the mercantile affairs of Russia. They could 256 EMPORIUMS, find no redress, though laboring under very heavy exactions, for every communication to the emperor had to be addressed through the medium of this commissioner. The mandarins laid a heavy duty in kind upon all the merchandise imported. When a memorial was drawn up, addressed to the prime minister, in order to free the trade from the heavy charges, and to prevent a monopoly, which the mandarins were desi- rous of carrying on, his excellency replied: "We look with contempt upon trade, and should never have admitted the caravan, if it had not been the special pleasure of his ma- jesty, who had been persuaded to grant this permission by Ismaïloff. Moreover, the merchants come hither not to en- rich the people, but themselves." He therefore requested the charge d'affairs not to trouble him with any matters. relative to commerce, because he would not embarrass him- self any more with the merchants of Russia. When finally the trade was opened, and the mandarins had taken a quan- tity of articles at the prices which they themselves had fixed, they stationed four petty officers at the Russian warehouse, who had to interfere in the business of every trader who came to the house, and to issue permits to those who were anxious to buy. All this greatly impeded the sale of the Russian articles; but things grew worse after the Mongol chief at Urga had brought in very heavy complaints against the Russian merchants, who had come in great numbers to his camp, and engaged with Chinese dealers in extensive traffic. In the meanwhile several Tatar tribes, dissatisfied with the oppressive Chinese government, had gone over to the Russian territories. The Chinese government claimed them, and interfered with the correspondence which De Lange had carried on with Selinginsky, the frontier town. For these, and many other reasons, De Lange was sent back to his country. Matters would have come to an open rupture, and Peter the Great was fully determined on having recourse to arms, when Kang-he died. Whilst the Russian EMPORIUMS. 257 government was waiting to see what measures Yung-ching would take, Peter also went the way of all flesh, and matters remained as they had been. The Chinese on this occasion were certainly in the wrong, for having concluded a peace and a commercial treaty, whereby they pledged themselves to afford every facility to the trade between both nations, they studiously threw every obstacle in the way. Such petty and continual annoyance is the lot of all those foreigners who fall into the hands of the avaricious mandarins, who always will extort money if it can be done with impunity. De Lange acted with great firmness, and thereby prevented much mischief which the government might have done to the Russian traders. On the 14th June, 1728, a treaty of peace was concluded between Count Vladislawitsch, Russian ambassador extra- ordinary, and the Chinese ambassador. The fifth article states : "The Russians shall henceforth occupy at Peking the court which they now inherit. According to the desire of the Russian ambassadors, a church shall be built with the assistance of the Chinese government. The priest who now resides there, and the two others who are expected, shall live in the court above mentioned. These three priests shall be attached to the same church, and receive the same pro- vision as the present priest. The Russians shall be permit- ted to worship their God according to the rites of their reli- gion. Four young students, and two of a more advanced age, acquainted with the Russian and Latin languages, shall also be received into this house, the ambassador wishing to leave them at Peking to learn the languages of the country. They shall be maintained at the expense of the emperor, and shall be at liberty to return to their own country as soon as they have finished their studies." This treaty, which has hitherto been observed, reflects great credit upon the Rus- sians as well as Chinese. There was in 1685 a church VOL. II. 22 258 EMPORIUMS. erected by the transported inhabitants of Albazin; and priests who had come from Siberia, officiated in it, according to the ritual of the Greek church. But this small congregation had almost sank into idolatry, and required all the influence of European priests to keep it up. The conclusion of this treaty ought partly to be ascribed to Yung-ching. He peremptorily insisted upon establishing a line of demarkation, and as this was finally conceded, many other privileges were freely granted to the Russian. subjects at Peking. Keen-lung, upon a paltry pretence, put a stop to the trade, which had been carried on prosperously, and then complained that no ambassador was annually sent, as it had been hitherto customary. Trade was in the inter- val renewed, and carried on very languidly, till the two em- pires came to an open rupture. Amoursana, a prince of Soungaria, had sought refuge against the avenging hand of the Chinese in Siberia. An application was made by the court of Peking to deliver the culprit up to justice. The senate at Petersburgh frankly declared that they were in honor bound to protect the prince, who trusted to their pro- tection; but Amoursana died shortly afterward. In 1737 the Chinese [government, accustomed to lies, could not bc- lieve that the rebel prince had died; but when they had finally learned that this was really the case, they demanded that all the Soungaria chiefs, who had taken refuge in Sibe- ria, should be given up, and the body of the deceased de- livered to them. As these demands were not acceded to, the Chinese seized upon the Russian ecclesiastics, who were imprisoned at Peking, to remain there as hostages until the matter should be adjusted. The empress Catha- rine, anxious to preserve a good understanding with the celestial empire finally resolved to transfer the Peking trade to the frontier town Kiakta. This is opposite the Chinese frontier town Mai-matchin; in these two cities the trade has been carried on by the two nations. The natives from EMPORIUMS. 259 Shen-se and the Mongols bring their goods to Mai-mat- chin, whither the Russians repair and inspect them. The bargain being struck, and the commodities exchanged, they are transported either to Peking, or to the Chinese pro- vinces, whilst the Russians send their purchases by a very dangerous and tedious way to Europe. The whole trade does not, even now, exceed two million rubles in value, and considering the many hindrances and difficulties on both sides, it is rather astonishing that it is still carried on. Again, the court of Petersburgh was anxious to put a stop to hostilities, and therefore requested the Chinese emperor to despatch an ambassador to the Russian capital. This he indignantly refused, as being below the dignity of the celes- tial empire, and the empress was finally obliged to send Kroptov, her envoy, in 1763, to Peking. His proposals were not accepted, and the Chinese government dismissed him without his having effected his purpose. In the following year the Chinese government put a total stop to the trade of Kiakhta, and sent a rude reply to the proposals made in be- half of the conclusion of a treaty. But heaven's son very soon repented of his rashness, entered into a negotiation, and concluded a treaty in 1768. A tribe of the Kalmuks, the Tourgouths, had removed from Soungaria toward the west, and fixed thoir abodes ou the northern shore of the Caspian sea, acknowledging them- selves subjects of the Russian empire, 1616. Being an un- ruly tribe, they removed further westward, to the banks of the Wolga, where a Chinese emissary, Toolishen, arrived, in order to persuade them to return to their old abodes in Soungaria. His persuasive arts would have had no effect, if the Russian officers had not oppressed them so much that they were finally obliged to leave the Russian territory, 1770. In their way back they burnt and plundered wherever they went. Only a few were retaken by the Kossacks; a great many were killed, or starved in the steppe of the Kirghiz, 260 EMPORIUMS. and the remainder arrived in Soungaria. Keen-lung receiv- ed the Tourgouth princes, who arrived at his palace at Jeho, with great attention, and thereby approved of the step they had taken. The Russians reclaimed their subjects, but the emperor reminded them of the Soungarian princes to whom they had given shelter, after repeated representations to give them up to condign punishment. As the Russian government was satisfied by this reply, the trade was renewed as before. However, some desert- ers from the Chinese frontier came over to Siberia; the Chinese insisted upon their being delivered; this was re- fused. The Chinese were very much annoyed that this re- quest was not immediately complied with, and addressed to the Russian government an angry note upon the subject, saying, "It is found upon examination, that should a thief belonging to either nation be discovered on the frontiers, he is to be examined in the joint presence of the authori- ties, and, if guilty, punished with death. Pursuant to this law, in the 44th year, two men, who stole eleven horses from you, were examined in the presence of both parties, con- demned, and executed. Our great empire, acting eternally according to law and the faith of treaties, (!) did this; not for the preservation of friendship, but from the love of truth, which it greatly esteems and wishes always to follow; but you, not executing the thief, break the laws of friendship and the faith of treaties. Our great empire, perceiving that you wish to act according to your own will, by the obsta- cles you throw in the way, and your duplicity, will on no account permit the trade to be carried on. Although our two empires border upon one another, yet our empire may call itself the elder brother. Thus, holding in the rank of empires, the place of elder brother, and having at your re- quest and in your presence punished the two thieves with death, will you now refuse us the same satisfaction against your people: shall our great empire, including all the uni- EMPORIUMS. 261 verse, submit to this? Do not you think posterity would, to all eternity, laugh at us? If, therefore, you esteem truth, the faith of treaties, or the laws of friendship, you will, though with concern, punish your governor for his fault and misconduct; but with your perpetual excuses and duplicity, we see this affair will not be ended these hundred years. Although the trade shall not be opened, yet our great empire will not, for such a trifling cause, break the bonds of friend- ship in any other manner than by this prohibition. And you, on the receipt of this despatch, ponder well; examine and consider this act as you find proper, fit, and beneficial. Thus much to you from our heaven-enthroned emperor." The reader who is not versed in Chinese diplomacy, will think that justice, magnanimity, and truth characterise the celestial government, and that the Russians are vile and contemptible; but he who is in the least degree aware of the lying spirit and the specious arguments of all Chinese edicts, may very soon conclude how much truth is in the above statement. The commerce was again opened in 1792; both parties had then learnt that by cherishing unfriendly feelings nothing - was to be gained. In order to prevent the recurrence of so many disagreeable quarrels, and to facilitate the trade, the Russian government gave orders to Krusenstern, who had circumnavigated the world, that he should endeavor to open a trade with Canton, 1806. The Russian ships went up to Whampoa, sold their cargo of furs, and took in a considera- ble quantity of tea, when all at once an order arrived that the Chinese government would not allow the Russian ships to sail until a special order from Peking to that purpose had arrived. This difficulty was happily removed by the interpo- sition of the British chief and the firmness of Krusenstern; but scarcely had the ships left Whampoa, when a thundering edict arrived from Peking, which said :—“We are just ap- prised by the hoppo that two Russian ships had successively A 1 22 * 262 EMPORIUMS. anchored in the roads of Macao, and that on board these ships two barbarian merchants, Krusenstern and Lysians- koy, had brought with them a sum of money and a cargo of furs, with the intent of opening a trade with Canton. It was found on examination that these ships belonged to the na- tion called Go-lo-sze. Though all barbarians are accustom- ed to frequent the port of Canton, the name of the Russians has never been observed amongst them; wherefore their sudden appearance at this time, and their design of opening a trade at the port of Canton, cannot be considered otherwise than a very novel and extraordinary circumstance. How have the natives of Russia, who are wont to trade by way of Ki- akhta, and have never visited the coast of Kwang-tung, now been able to navigate their ships thither? and how have they become acquainted with the shoals and islands in their way from Russia? This must be inquired into. We do now direct, that in the event of these ships having depart- ed, and any others visit for the future the ports of Macao and Canton, or their vicinity, belonging to any other nation besides those which have customarily frequented the ports, they shall, on no account whatever, be permitted to trade, but merely suffered to remain in port until the viceroy and hoppo, having reported to us every circumstance respecting them, shall have been apprised, in return, of our pleasure." C Since this positive refusal, no further attempts, so far as we know, have been made to open the trade. We are rather astonished that an empire which has so large a fleet does not dictate what cannot be refused. In 1822 a consul ar- rived at Canton. This gentleman had some years ago made a voyage from China to Kamschatka; and was sent out as consul-general to China and India; but we are not aware of his having effected any thing in regard to the opening of trade. A Russian ambassador was sent in 1805 to Peking. The Russian government neglected nothing to render this em- EMPORIUMS. 263 bassy as magnificent as possible. It was composed of per- sons belonging to the most distinguished families of the em- pire, and carried numerous and splendid presents. Having arrived on the Chinese frontiers, they had to reduce the num- ber of their retinue, because there was no precedent for such a numerous train on a similar occasion. Other difficulties arose, so that the embassy was detained till January, 1806, when they passed the frontiers. The cold was then intense; mercury froze twice; and being without shelter, except mere felt-tents, every one suffered most severely. When arrived at Ounga, Count Golovkin, the ambassador, was requested to pledge himself, that on his arrival at Peking, he would prostrate himself at the audience. This he obstinately re- fused, alleging the example of Macartney. Heaven's son, indignant that a barbarian nation, which was tributary to the celestial empire, hesitated to render the homage due to their liege lord, dismissed the whole embassy from Ounga. mission was sent afterward repeatedly in 1809 and 1819; for the regular abode of the mission at Peking is fixed at ten years, when it is relieved by another. Another mission was despatched, under Timkowski, in 1820 and in 1832. How- ever, there have been no material changes made in the rela- tions of the two empires. The trade is still carried on as before; the Chinese, knowing the advantages accruing from it, will not be over-anxious to put a stoppage to so useful and beneficial a traffic. Neither is it to be expected that the Russian government, after the ample details of the utter weakness of the Chinese empire which Timkowski has fur- nished, will again submit to new insults. Its grasping pow- er ought to be too well known to the celestials, who have nothing to oppose to the victorious arms of their neighbors but irregular, effeminate troops, and bombastic edicts-in which they surely excel all other diplomatists. How far are they now behind a nation which, two centuries ago, com- pared with the Chinese, were far less civilized! If Kang he 264 EMPORIUMS. had not been shackled by antiquated customs, he might have been another Peter the Great; though the work was more gigantic, the task more arduous, and his means to effect the great purpose more scanty. But Kang-he's life was also much longer. Had he been educated in Europe, and been able to crush Chinese bigotry, he might have raised China from its state of degradation. But the ways of Divine pro- vidence are mysterious. Whilst Russia has been progress- ing, and become the terror of Europe, China has again retro- graded since the death of Kang-he, and is now in a fair way of sinking into a state of utter helplessness. But we will not be too positive in our assertions, nor foretell the day when the Russians will chastise the insolent Chinese, but hope for better times in China. The time will surely arrive when this immense mass of people will be roused from their state of lethargy, and, throwing off old prejudices, supersti- tion, and idolatry, will adore the true God and Savior of man- kind. They will then be by no means inferior to any of their neighbors; but respecting international laws, they will no longer treat foreigners as barbarians. We are not aware that Russian priests at Peking have made any converts, nor that they have enriched literature by their labors. Perhaps their works are less known, and are stored up in the imperial libraries in manuscript. It is well known that the Russian settlements on the coast of Siberia are destitute of provisions; but it is truly surprising that no Russian ships were ever despatched to Leaou-tung, where all sorts of provisions are so very abun- dant. Though we may be sure that the Chinese government would never willingly permit any trade to the harbors of Kin-choo and Kae-choo. But when overawed by a superior naval force, they will not scruple to grant a free trade.* * See Bell's, De Lange's, and Timkowski's Travels; and Krusen- stern's Voyage round the World. EMPORIUMS. 265 According to a statement made before a committee of the House of Commons, the whole Russian trade at Kiakhta, exports and imports included, amounted to 2,868,000 pounds sterling, in 1777; and in 1816, to six millions of rubles. But nothing certain can be affirmed of a trade which is car- ried on with such great secrecy. FRENCH-SWEDES-DANES-AMERICANS. The French trade to China has never been very exten- sive. In 1720, there arrived an agent of the Mississippi Company at Canton, who obtained leave from the court to reside there. But when he wanted to despatch the ship laden with merchandise, he met with many obstacles at the custom-house and from the government, who wished to ex- tort money from him. Though he had already made con- siderable presents, this availed him nothing. He therefore gave orders to the captain to weigh and depart, notwith- standing the prohibition. However, he was obliged, to avoid being very ill-treated, to abscond in Chinese costume, and to hide himself at a convent of the Dominicans, two le from Canton. Here he remained till the Jesuits at Peking had procured him his liberty by presents. When he could again walk about openly, the mandarins were so much en- raged, that they wreaked their vengeance upon him at every opportunity, and obliged him finally to embark for Europe. After this the trade was again renewed, but carried on very languidly. At present a few ships visit Canton occasionally. Some French sailors having been murdered on board a Chi- nese junk, not far from Macao, the Chinese government apprehended the murderers, and had them publicly exe- cuted, to give satisfaction to all foreigners. Both in Denmark and Sweden there existed companies for carrying on the Chinese trade. They carried on for a considerable time a very prosperous trade. But as the ! 266 EMPORIUMS. greater part of their teas went in a clandestine way to England, an effectual stop was put to their commmercial dealings by the commutation act in 1784. From that time their trade has greatly lánguished. The Danes send still a few ships to Canton, but the Swedes seem to have entirely relinquished the trading to this port. Ships from Ostend, Trieste, and Hamburgh, have occa- sionally visited the Chinese emporium; and the Hamburgh trade is rather on the increase; a few Prussian ships have also come to Canton. When the United States had declared and maintained their independence, the commercial enterprise of the nation sought the most distant fields to carry on their trade. Wherever true liberty is the basis of government, a nation will very soon rise in importance. This fully applies to the Americans, who, disentangled from all restrictions, ploughed the wide ocean in every direction. The high principles they cherish, the excellent constitution under which they live, the industrious spirit which pervades the whole nation, imparted vigor and perseverance to the Américan merchant. In the year 1787, not above three or four Americans had visited Chi- na. In 1788, the ship Alliance, formerly a frigate, came from Philadelphia to Canton. She was not furnished with any charts on board, but made her voyage to China solely with the assistance of a general chart of the world. She passed to the southward and eastward of New Holland, and never let go an anchor from the time she left Philadelphia till the time of her arrival in China. Their commerce very soon grew into great importance. As the consumption of teas increased, and their neutrality in all the wars which harrassed Europe gave them free ac- cess to the ports, it is not to be wondered that, next to the English, their commerce is the largest in China. The Dutch flag was, during Napoleon's reign, excluded from the port. of Canton. Imports of teas into Holland previously to EMPORIUMS. 267 1817, were made under licenses from the Dutch East India Company; on arrival in Holland, they were deposited in the company's warehouses, and sold under the company's di- rection twice in the year, in quantities of about 20,000 quarter chests each sale. In addition to some articles from Europe, they supplied China with spices, tin, pepper, &c. and their ships invariably stopped at Batavia in their passage to China; but the greater part of their imports consisted in bullion. In 1821 a disagreeable occurrence took place, which for a short time put a stop to the trade. An Italian had thrown a pot at a poor boat-woman; she fell overboard and was drowned. The Chinese law in regard to homicide, is as follows:- "All persons guilty of killing in an affray, that is to say, striking in a quarrel or affray, so as to kill, though without any express or implied design to kill, shall, whether the blow was struck with the hand or the foot, a metal weapon, or with any instrument of any kind, suffer death by being strangled, after the usual period of confinement. All per- sons guilty of killing with an intent to kill, shall suffer death by being beheaded, after being confined the usual period. When several persons contrive an affray, in the course of which an individual is killed, the person who in- flicts the severest blow or wound shall be strangled, after the usual period of confinement." When the death was reported to the viceroy, he ordered the American consul to deliver up the sailor for trial. As this was refused, a stop was put to the trade, and both the security merchant and the linguist of the ship, where the sailor lived, were arrested. After this a negotiation between the Americans and the local government commenced. In the course of it an inferior mandarin, accompanied by a party of American gentlemen, visited the ship; the manda- rin was allowed to put some questions to the sailor, whose 268 EMPORIUMS. name was Terranova. On the 25th October another man- darin was deputed to Whampoa by order of the viceroy; he received possession of the unfortunate sailor, who surren- dered himself voluntarily into their hands. He was imme- diately conveyed to the Conso-house, which belongs to the hong merchants. During the two following days the forms of a Chinese trial were gone through in the same place, but the particulars are not known, as no foreigner of any de- scription was allowed to be present. On the third day he was brought forth, and strangled without the walls of the city. The poor man could not persuade himself that he was to be executed; even on the same morning he was cheer- ful, and unconscious of what should befall him. The body was given to the Americans, and the trade opened on the same day. But This unexpected result caused great indignation among the foreigners generally at Canton. They all considered the secrecy and precipitancy in this affair as a violation of the national principles of justice, or even of the forms of Chi- nese law, such as it is administered in ordinary cases. the local government is very anxious to inflict a salutary terror upon barbarians, in order to curb their unruly pas- sions. The feelings of the natives are also very hostile to- ward foreigners; they even dared to reproach their own go- vernment for having too much conceded to the English in 1807. It ought to be remarked that this applies solely to Canton, where government has endeavored by every means to inspire them with hatred and contempt toward foreigners, to prevent their being entangled in foreign customs, and be- coming traitors to their country. We quote some passages from the viceroy's edict, issued on this occasion. After a statement of the execution, he says, " Previously to this, in consequence of the said nation's chief staring about, opposing and lingering, and not delivering up the ac- EMPORIUMS. 269 tual murderer immediately, I communicated with the hoppo, and requested him to order the merchants to command the man to be delivered up; and I examined the records, and in imitation of an old English case, I directed the whole of the American trade to be suspended. Since they have now de- livered up the foreign murderer, who has been clearly tried and punished, the said chief has on the whole behaved re- spectfully and submissively; and it is proper to permit the trade to be again opened, and cargoes to be taken up and down, in order to manifest our compassion. The laws of the celestial empire are explicit, that he who kills a human being must die. The celestial empire's kindness and favor, and tenderness to the weak, is rich in an infinite degree; but the nation's dignity sternly commands respect, and can- not, because people are foreign sailors, extend clemency to them. Let the hong merchants explain luminously this offi- cial mandate, and persuade and induce the said foreigners, all of them, to know it, and to be warned by it, and to be thereby filled with reverence and awe that each may ensure the safety of his own person and family, and not bring him- self into sorrow." In his report to the emperor, the viceroy says, "In the present case the name of the foreign mur- derer, Francis Terranova, was pointed out by the said fo- reign ship itself, and it was acknowledged by him that the jar thrown was his property. If he was not the actual mur- derer, why did he become sick from melancholy? and more- over, why did the ship captain put him in irons ? In these proceedings and statements there is every species of self- contradiction and incoherency, which all shows the crafty and deceitful disposition of foreigners. The said chief made evasions, and stared about, and delayed to deliver up the foreign murderer. It is, moreover, authenticated that the said foreign murderer, in open court, struck his breast with his hand, to make a sign of confession that the jar was his pro- perty. And more still, it is authenticated that he took the VOL. II. 23 270 EMPORIUMS. :: jar in his two hands, and showed the manner in which he threw it down from above. In this statement of the case there is no evasion or gloss. Now it is written in the law, 'When persons outside the pale of Chinese civilization shall commit crimes, they too shall be punished according to law. I, therefore, ordered to take the said foreign murderer, and according to law strangle him, to display luminously the laws of the empire. In every similar case, foreigners ought to give up the murderer, and thus they will act becoming the tenderness and gracious kindness with which the celes- tial empire treats them." We have only to mention further, that the family to which the woman belonged threatened next morning to represent the alleged murder to the Chinese authorities, and to de- mand the murderer to be given up for trial, but at the same time gave them to understand that all would be hushed over if the Americans would give them three or four hundred dollars. This is stated to have been refused; and on some of the inferior mandarins getting notice of it, the demand was increased to as many thousands.* Some difficulties also arose with an American ship in Macao roads, which had opium on board; but the matters were very soon adjusted. Since this, no further difficulty has arisen; the trade has always been in a flourishing state; and many American vẹs- sels have also sailed for Mexico, Peru, and Chili, between which places and China a very brisk trade is carried on. * See Staunton's "Notices of China." The Tables in the subjoined Appendix, comprising state- ments of the trade with China, have been copied from offi- cial sources by J. Matheson, Esq. ;- —a gentleman who has taken the utmost pains in forwarding this work. APPENDIX. No. I. EXTRACT FROM THE CALCUTTA GOVERNMENT GAZETTE OF OCTOBER 13, 1825. A VERY singular scene has lately been transacted at Canton, of which the following particular detail will no doubt prove amus- ing to our readers. Petition for the modification of the present regulations regard- ing the conveyance of foreigners from Canton to Macao. In order that the nature of the petition may be fully under- stood, it is necessary to explain, as briefly as possible, the cause of it. Foreigners trading in China have usually a residence both at Canton and Macao; this is necessary, on account of health, almost to all; but to the married, it is quite indispensable, the laws not permitting a foreign female (how young, or even how old soever) to put her foot on any other part of the empire-than that small portion of the little island, Macao, which centuries ago was allotted to a few Portuguese missionaries. To go from Canton to Macao, (or indeed to go through the Bogue at all) a foreigner, unless he take advantage of a ship, is obliged to take out a chop, or license, and proceed in no other conveyance than a boat of the country. For the chop, formerly 400 dollars were demanded; but of late, the Chinese have been satisfied with 300. The hire of the boat may be rated at 30. 23* 274 APPENDIX. Thus, to perform a journey of only 75 or 80 miles, by water, in a country affording to the natives the cheapest water-car- riage in the world, a foreigner has to pay no less a sum than 330 dollars. In order to avoid so gross an imposition, foreigners are obliged to travel clandestinely. To effect this they hire what are called fast-boats-boats built for sailing and rowing with unusual celerity. This conveyance costs them only about fifty dollars. But the very possible evil arising from their mode of travel- ing is of magnitude. The party may be detected by the boats of the police; and when this happens (which it several times has) he suffers personally the most ignominious treatment, and is fined five hundred, and sometimes a thousand dollars. Two instances of such treatment having lately occurred, the English merchants determined to make another, and more strc- nuous effort to be relieved of so serious an evil. For this purpose, all the foreigners then at Canton were con- vened, when a petition to the viceroy was drawn up and signed. It set forth the heavy expense which the subsisting regulations imposed upon those foreigners whose affairs called them to Macao-that it was an expense which many of them were not able to bear-that such were thereby compelled to resort to clandestine means, who, when discovered, suffered the grossest treatment, and had to pay the most extravagant extortions- that the petitioners were satisfied his excellency the viceroy was entirely ignorant of the commission of such outrages, but that they prayed he would remove the origin of them, by so reducing the charge for a chop, as no longer to hold out a temptation to a foreigner to infringe a regulation of the province. The next day a deputation of the meeting repaired with the petition to the city: they intended going at once to the vice- roy's palace, but finding the gate closed, they were obliged to be satisfied with handing it to an inferior mandarin; and then returned to their factories. A few days after, they learned that the security merchants had been called before the viceroy, and questioned upon the bu- siness. It is proper here to explain, that the security merchants are the only channel through which foreigners are, in strictness, APPENDIX. 275 allowed to address the government; but it being notorious that the dread is so great which these people have of appearing at all in the presence of the viceroy, more especially with a petition from foreigners that rather than do so, they will resort to the lowest subterfuge foreigners now go themselves with their pe- titions to the city gate, and there deliver them to the officer who may be in attendance. The desire of foreigners has always been to repair at once to the viceroy, but until the present instance, they had never been able to rush into the city before the gate could be closed. They have, therefore, been compelled to wait, exposed to the sun, and to the gaze of the rabble, until the mandarin of the gate chose to send an inferior officer to receive the petitions. In some in- stances parties have had to wait two, and even three days, be- fore their petition was received. To return-The present petition having been received, the security merchants were summoned before the viceroy, who, making himself some inquiries, referred them to the hoppo (the collector of customs.) After receiving instructions from this per- sonage, they waited the next day upon a meeting of the fo- reigners, to learn the extent of their wishes. They were in- formed that the foreigners would readily pay 15 or 20 dollars for the chop, besides the usual hire of the boat. They were pro- mised the matter should be considered of. Day after day passing without any thing being determined upon, the foreigners became persuaded the security merchants, instead of advocating their cause, were throwing obstacles in the way of it; and therefore resolved, after having waited eigh- teen days for an answer to their first petition, to use their utmost endeavors to present a second to the viceroy himself. To this end another meeting was held, and the above reso- lution being unanimously agreed to, a second petition was drawn up and signed. It was an exact copy of the first, with an addition, stating that the first not having yet been answered, they apprehended it had not been presented to his excellency. Immediately after signing this petition, thirty-seven of the meeting repaired with it, in a body, to the city; owing to the haste they had made, they found the gate open; they in- stantly rushed through it, and stopped not till they came to a 276 APPENDIX. house, which, supposing it might be the viceroy's, they entered without opposition. It proved to be a joss-house; having dis- covered their mistake, and observing a soldier to run imme- diately out of it, they shrewdly suspected he would run to the palace, to report what had happened, and instantly determined upon following him; with him, after a short but quick run, they entered another large house, with the levelling of only one man; from the large lanterns before this house, and the num- ber of the soldiers in the court-yard, the party concluded they were at length at the viceroy's palace; and congratulated themselves upon their having so soon, and so safely discovered it. They were not long, however, in being undeceived; it proved to be the residence only of the kong-heep, or commandant of that quarter of the city; and also, which was still more unfor- tunate, there happened then to be in the inner apartments some females of the mandarin's family. This intelligence occasioned very great regret ; not from personal apprehension, but because, having encroached upon a private dwelling, it would be con- strued into an insult offered to the person of the mandarin, and thence be made a ground for the petition. being refused. For this reason, as well as from a becoming feeling of delicacy, a motion was instantly made to quit this house and proceed to the viceroy's, but it being ascertained, that by this time so great a concourse of people had assembled in the street that all further progress would be impracticable, the motion was obliged to be abandoned. To this the party were the more reconciled, be- cause it being the residence of so important an officer as the kong-heep, he would either himself receive their petition, or cause them to be safely conducted to the proper place of au- dience. They had moreover not encroached upon any private room; they were in an open hall, facing the street gates. It was now one o'clock; at about two the second linguist came. He was sent by the kong-heep to learn the cause of so singular an obtrusion; being informed of all particulars, he acquainted the party with the mistake they had made, and earnestly en- treated them, not only to leave the house, but to depart the city. He was informed they would do so the instant their petition was received. He replied that could not possibly be, but departed with the answer. About half an hour after this the security APPENDIX. 277 merchants, with the head linguist, appeared, and now it was that business commenced. The security merchants, in the greatest consternation, expressed their grief at the outrage which had been committed, and prayed the party to remedy it by imme- diately leaving the city. The security merchants were inform- ed that they themselves were the authors of the evil: that grieved as the party were, at the mistake they had made in re- gard to the house, yet they could not depart without their peti- tion being received, either by the kong-heep or the viceroy. Af- ter in vain representing the punishment it would bring upon them, the security merchants left the apartment. Shortly after this a shouting was heard, and some soldiers came in to prepare for the entrance of the mandarin himself. The party had scarcely time to seat themselves in order when the great doors were thrown open, and two mandarins entered. The party immediately rose, and remained standing; as did the mandarins. These officers were the quong-chou-foo, or chief magistrate of the city, and the kong-heep. The quong-chou-foo spoke, or rather vociferated for about five minutes. His voice and gesticulations were evidently intended to impress his auditors with dread. The linguist interpreted; the quong-chou-foo, he said, was astonished at the outrages which the foreigners had committed; in first forcing into the city, and then into the house of a mandarin, and that mandarin the kong-heep, and desired they should depart. The linguist was desired to reply, that nothing could exceed the regret of the party, at their having trespassed upon the dwelling of the kong- heep, which was solely occasioned by their having mistaken it for the residence of the viceroy; but that their coming into the city was entirely occasioned by a petition, which many days ago they gave to a mandarin, to be presented to his excellency, remaining unanswered; and that they therefore had now come to put a second petition into the hands of his excellency himself. But that in consequence of the mistake they had made, they would willingly deposit their present petition with either the quong-chou-foo, or the kong-heep, and immediately return to their factories. The answer being reported to the mandarins they discoursed together. 278 APPENDIX. The linguist seeming to understand that they would receive the petition, desired the gentleman who held it to come forward: this, upon the mandarins again facing the party, he prepared to do; he advanced a few paces, and when sufficiently close, ten- dered the paper to the quong-chou-foo; but if this officer ever intended to receive it, he now altered his mind; the petition was declined, and the gentleman retraced his steps. The quong- chou-foo again, with the voice of a Nestor, thundered out some- thing, and with his party left the hall. The security merchants and the linguist shortly returned and used every argument to persuade the party to retire; this pro- ducing no effect, they returned to the mandarins. The linguist next came by himself, and took down the names and countries of the petitioners; they were then left to them- selves, and remained so for nearly an hour. By "left to them- selves" is meant, being without the company of any official per- sons; for the court-yard or garden, before the hall, the whole time, was half full of unarmed soldiers and domestics. It was now nearly five. The security merchants and linguist now came again, and seemingly with a serious desire of bring- ing the matter to a close. In the first place, they said the peti- tion could not possibly be received, that such a thing was beyond all precedent, and the mandarins dared not create one. They were informed, that nothing but an overwhelming force should deter the party from remaining, till some attention were paid to their petition. The security merchants expressed their grief at such a resolution, and their dread of the consequences it might bring both upon themselves and the petitioners: after consult- ing together, they called four English gentlemen on one side, and desired to know the least they would be satisfied with. They repeated, that all they required was to be relieved from the heavy and unjust imposition now levied upon their going to Macao. After some warm debating, the security merchants, collectively and individually, engaged that no charge whatever should henceforth be levied upon foreigners for the chop-that if the hoppo should still insist upon something being paid, they themselves would pay it. With this the party were satisfied, and prepared to depart; but being anxious to express to the kong-heep their unfeigned concern, at having, though inadvert- • APPENDIX. 279 ently, trespassed upon his dwelling, they proposed to write him. an apology. The security merchants judging it would soften his resentment against them, eagerly seconded so unexpected a resolution, and mentioned it to the kong-heep; who, they said expressed his readiness to receive it; besides this, they desired the party would respectfully bow on passing the quong-chou- foo and the kong-heep; who, they said, were now sitting in state near the outer gate. The party having promised this, moved forward in some order, and were soon in the presence of the mandarin; here, quite unexpectedly they were stopped, to endure another harangue. Every place was now entirely crammed with soldiers, armed, some with swords, and some with spears. The linguist listened on one knee, and then interpreted. The foreigners, he said, were to take notice, that they were now sup- posed to have erred through ignorance; but whoever should be again caught within the gates of the city would be put to death. The kong-heep now stepped forward, and placed his hand upon the shoulder of a gentleman, J. Matheson, as it were to address him impressively; in an instant he raised his voice, and passed his hand round the gentleman's neck, as it were to sig- nify that he ought to lose his head. The gentleman instantly expressed his indignation at this action, and it was feared would return the compliment upon the person of the kong-heep; but instead of doing so, which would assuredly have produced se- rious consequences to the whole party, with great presence of mind he caught hold of the linguist, and twice repeated upon him the kong-heep's ceremony: astonishing to say, this produced no remark from the mandarins. The foreigners now fairly moved off, and arrived at the city gates, through a long and dense lane of soldiery and populace. At seven in the evening they reached their factories, and that very night the security merchants called upon the gentleman who held the petition, and whom the Chinese considered as the instigator of the whole, and begged he would write the pro- mised letter to the kong-heep. This was most willingly done. The next day they returned for a similar one to the viceroy; which was also as readily granted. Two days afterward the security merchants requested, that 280 APPENDIX. all who had gone to the city might be assembled, to hear a com- munication from the viceroy. This assembly was called, and the security merchants informed them that his excellency was exceedingly shocked and exasperated at what had occurred, that to prevent a recurrence of so disgraceful a procedure the city guard had been doubled, and had received the strictest orders to put every foreigner to death who should be caught within the gates. The security merchants were reminded of themselves being the authors of all that had happened: that instead of being the advocates of the foreigners they always neglected them, and that notwithstanding the communication they had just madė, should a similar occasion occur, a similar measure would be pursued. The meeting then separated. SEASONS. in each season. No. of Ships cleared from China No. II.—A RETURN OF THE TRADE WITH CHINA CARRIED ON BY THE EAST INDIA COMPANY FOR A PERIOD OF FIFTEEN YEARS; DISTINGUISHING THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES AND THE TONNAGE EMPLOYED. CONSIGNMENTS TO CHINA. Tonnage. Woollens. Metals. Cotton. Sandal Wood. EXPORTS FROM CHINA. Pepper. Cotton goods. Furs. Bullion. Total value of Imports. Total value Teas. Nankeens. Raw Silk. Bullion. of Exports. ps. tons. lbs. lbs. lbs. skins. £ 1813-14 19 24,470 218,632| 2,399 1814-15 21 1815-16 26 1816-17 27 1817-18 15 1818-19 16 1819-20 24 24,898 33,083 28,042 161,568 1,991 158,158 2,013 153,204 1,760 10,415,687 9,640,713 860,737 120,266 10,162,151 475,993 9,701,222 379,742 £ lbs. ps. lbs. 1,371,398 24,858,761 207,130 140,129 127,695 1,282,477 26,230,357 247,900 209,073 1,247,016 2,389,893 33,131,888 227,700 £ 1,892,619 1,978,659 37,642 2,252,587 20,005 21,217 181,254 1,181 150,254 1,218 9,162,224 788,235 11,308,902 458,631 28,460 157,817 1,472 10,572,106 684,361 614,649 1820-21 23 28,817 1821-22 22 29.535 1822-23 22 29,930 1823-24 21 28,245 1824-25 21 27,514 1825-26 23 28,707 1826-27 35 39,013 1827-28 27 31,421 158,120 1,882 13,321,869 1,310,802 1,069,824 182,576 1,923 16,964,521 1,075,200 196,622 2,103 6,712,721 751,398 1,075,200 204,558 2,440 15,730,339 741,396 1,167,556 158,800 3,098 14,189,511 4,189,511 478,780 1,972,544 220,516| 3,866| 14,718,608 166,261 4,001 16,405,774 190,836 3,201 22,155,300 253,377 4,509 pieces 4,960 5,040 twist, lbs. 1,072,827 29,479,509 256,000 1,093,948 20,260,726 225,000 947,315 21,221,660 208,700 656,124 1,854,051 28,650,928 219,700 111,432 67,518 2,142,470 55,597 480,000 1,907,157 48,007 98,103 1,525,077 1,932,497 2,700 pieces 1,286,949 28,831,801 211,000 110,978 1,341,231 25,994,166 153.000 106,081 963,130 27,580,161 120,000 70,627 2,040,364 1,884,251 : 1,950,973 658 27,000 244,058 1,522,318 29,850,316 18,000 2,000 79,616 2,078,904 "" 6,572 6,020 1,090,733 28,835,672 5,000 1,268,335) 27,970,629 7,000 1,811,557 1,742,411 21,000 140,448 15,300 1,132,203 40,386,156 5,000 2,384,559 90,000 twist, lbs. 1,267,793 33,453,925 3,500 2,100,117 342 423,357 2,659,183 34,548 119,161,648 7,204,452 7,235,687 ( 34,699 pieces 95,040 lbs. 51,020 2,274,893 19,884,601 426,736,655 2,098,630 1,037,600 578,103 29,724,202 SEASONS. No of ships. Tonnage. Cotton. Metals. Pepper and Spices. Rattans. Betel-nu t. Putchuck. Sharks' fins and Fish maws. Drugs. Sandal and other Woods. Opium. No. III.—A RETURN OF THE TRADE WITH CHINA CARRIED ON BY PRIVATE INDIA SHIPS UNDER THE BRITISH FLAG, SO FAR AS THE SAME CAN BE ASCERTAINED, FOR THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS. IMPORTS. EXPORTS. Woollens. Cotton goods. Cotton yarn. Clocks Pearls Total value and and of Machinery. cornelians. Imports. 1817-18 39 24,000 pls. 155,433 bs. 11,776 20,560 pls. 1818-19 35 not stated 43,178,933 lbs. 20,865 13,460 and 12,000 bs. & 33 hhds. 1819-20 17 ditto 33,294,133 lbs. 2,218 1,020 pls. 1820-21 21 13,000 15,767,333 9,459 36,067 1821-22 38 not stated 32,349,066 13,494 19,928 1822-23 20 10,764 23,376,267 9,225 20.591 1823-24 24 not stated 18,268,400 7,370 22,153 1824-25 31 ditto 25,945,467 21,251 29,700 1825-26 35 ditto 36,038,400 17,888 28,270 1826-27 51 ditto 45,698,000 1827-28 52 ditto 36,071,733 pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. 6,184 11,340 2,046 4,786 2,047 6,922 2,435 10,870 39,196 2,371 5,038 1,610 7,568| 4,978 12,391 pieces, and • 65,720 in number. 2,227 2,170 254 6,026 3,600 5,520 5,281 2,460 5,227 3,337 3,979 4,355 7,101 6,667 2,744 2,551 pieces 5,470 3,174 8,573 10,196 50,914 18,627 17,999 12,701 54,105 3,588 5,218 7,284 11,513 5,968 20,886 36,316 2,774 4,745 2,036 6,841 5,930 14,000 29,834 10,000 4,320 792 10,000 7, 170 16,744 27,161 9,000 6,251 • 530 at $18,000. pls. :: :: 808 8,011 11,050 28,810 yds. Quantity not stated 9,707 9,969 15,300 7,047 pieces 25,275 yards, and a Quantity not stated, Quantity not stated, 7,544 7,337 9,361 14,448 14,614 31,800 1,334 3,038 30,766 45,867 3,164 5,258 1,059 570 5,850 10,271 and 350 pieces. quantity (not stated) my re to the value of 25,775 dollars. valued at 66,487 dollars. • valued at 84,000 dollars. Quantities not stated, value, dollars. Quantities not stated, value, dollarɛ. Dollars. Dollars. Dollars. lbs. pls. lbs. ps. pls. pls. pls. 300,000 11,081,600 55,000 226,666 433,000 33,250 2,492,800 5,100 21,759 262,000 1,920,000 5,562,100 120,000 11,999,27234,331 250,933 606,830 91,838 1,754,133 2,920|14,877 300,000 2,688,679 6,814,874 133,718 9,459,932 23,566 370,266 222,355 125,026 383,200 2,025 8,052 350,609 2,206,571 6,134,692 235,000 10,127,718 25,952 604,533 469,926 93,003 2,592,266 3,991 7,881 374,529 265,380 9,170,294 9,228 792,000 506,300 100,259 2,776,800 5,037 12,150 515,764 150,000 13,268,249 1,799 615,466 404,778 69,198 2,121,733 4,867 13,608 378,420 88,000 11,073,010 10,151 348,533 860,000 52,511 2,246,933 8,505 14,457 300,700 11,024,559 564 479,333 574,740 79,848 2,331,866 3,855 13,179 150,000 15,700,878 300 913,333 489,000 89,000 2,563,866 7,025 17,208 57,000 15,709,232 417,466 265,300 136,093 3,535,466 5,031 23,087 99,900 15,845,643 495,123 5,576,494 480,560 6,170,033 234,600 4,397,701 168,793 2,618,500 6,633,599 325,758 1,743,357 5,799,009 269,694 4,341,000 9,605,089 256,140 4,019,000 8,326,252 476,000 758,000 43,559 2,142,666 3,648 1,295 200,925 6,102,146 9,656,767 Tutenague. Raw silk. Nankeens. Sugar and Sugar-candy. Teas. Cassia and Cassia buds. Drugs. Silk pieces goods. Bullion. Total value of Exports. SEASONS. Ginseng. Opium. Quicksilver. Betelnut. Sea Otters. Land Otters. Seal Skins. Fox Skins. Rabbit Skins. Neutra Skins. Beaver Skins, Sable Skins. Musk Rats. Cochineal. Pepper. No. IV. ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF IMPORTS BY AMERICAN VESSELS TO THE PORT OF CANTON FROM THE SEASON OF 1804—5. Wax. Sulphur. Camlets. Cloves. Nutmegs. Sandalwood. Beech de Mar. Bombazetts. Broad Cloths. Whalebone. Rattans. Coral. Rice and Paddy. Cotton Yarn. No. 1808-9 No. 1804-5 1805-6 42 12,480 4,176,000 1234 102 1806-7 37 11,268 2,895,000 1708 180 1807-8 33 8,805 3,032,000 1475 150 8 2,215 70,000 No. pls. pls. 34 10.159 2,902,000 1880 pls. pls. pls. 11,003 48 140 346 600 17,445 1672 3,300 1,500 14,251 183,000 140,297 261,000 57 149 1,345 4,383 16,647 1809-10 37 12,512 4,723,000|1364| 32 1810-11 16 4,748 2,330,000 1162 1811-12 25 7,406 1,876,000 1557 200 1812-13 8 1,816 616,000 250 100 18 1,660 31 600 300 3,500 34,460 23,368 11,750 5,170 20,000 29 916 1,976 687 5,614 2,798 :::: 544 36 · w 5,629 : No. pls. pls. pls. No No. No. No. No. No. No. No. pls. pls. pls. 67,000 8,756 3,400 100,000 2,009 7,944 3,400 34,000 11,003 15,000 5,043 9,200 15,000 45,000 4,500 4,853 11,593 12,000 173,000 2,555 8,222 2,000 109,000 4,800 14,200 725 4,736 145,000 20,000 1,200 2,320 pls. pls. pls. pls. 268 5,318 4,219 350 11,015 8,001 750 1,148 2305 1,215 4,680 480 2,050 2,856 17,757 204 1,905 674 7,369 3,660 ps. pls. pls. pls. pls. ps. 3,640 114 180 1,600 2,700 ps. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. ps. 28 • :: 900 430 : 500 385 1,200 176 100 2,000 500 4,800 ::: • 1,815 496 86 43 11,261 19,036 :Q :00 : 2 3 1813-14 2 9 2,854 430 1814-15 1815-16 30 10,208 1,922,000 1508 :8 : 6,200 7,045 59,000 284 3,928 : 80 450 2,300 300 130 4,300 14,364 109,000 12,533 168 1816-17 38 13,096 4,545,000 2570 488 1817-18 39 14,325 5,601,000 1601 448 1818-19 47 16,377 7,369,000 1363 807 1819-20 43 15,145 6,259,300 659 180 1820-21 26 8,663 2,569,500 2016 1821-22 45 15,597 5,125,000 2466 383 998 9,546 3,383 2,020 1500 16,627 3,650 5,467 27,000| 9,932 350 3,240 11,217 4,583 2,697 105 8.000 4,177 9,400 47,290 9,297 14,564 7,898 14,402 115 8,560 4,714 8,578 91,500 3,050 40,000 5,052 3,135 2,265 1,325 129 7,020 2,488 12,197 24,726 16,821 2,840 3,938 1,368 6,104 745 900 14,442 4,324 1,882 6,569 3,600 1646 17,000 1,579 :) : : : 1,100 43 550 2,500 35 450 1146 1,798 28 7,400 300 15,067 668 7,000 40 15,172 200 107 140 15,825 64 2959 614 601 165 1,788 96 14,87^ 2400 16,837 790 10 2344 5860 962 19,354 5 2,874 80 10,073 3,575 5,927 13,887 8,967 9,354 2,870 3755 1397 20 3,782 6,728 6,005 363 2,629 7624 4,632. 692 180 1214 63 261146 188 30 7,518 :: :: 3 25 464580 3,507 9,716 111,924 17,084 17,227 17,778 8372 3,660 13,274 26,822 2740 10,235 7019 1822-23 40 14,557 6,292,840 5144 1823-24 34 13,069 4,096,000 427 140 1824-25 43 16,262 6,524,500 6039 411 1825-26 42 16,431 5,725,200 3357 1826-27 26 9,566 1,841,168 2404 29 12,090 2,640,300 1232 1827-28 1828-29 27 8,613 1,388,500 1754 1256 1829-30 34 11,670 1,123,644 2891 715 1830-31 183,655 1934 1428 24 6,995 56 2,859 1,795 10,187 2,245 257 8,210 3,610 10,044 3,144 100 6,452 5,912 13,459 994 178 3,738 19,666 3,441 1,509 2,815 15,602 4,837 6,427 8,666 33,546 11,441 679 6,374 13,119 9,407 3,237 • · 1831-32 Ds. 1832--33 34 11,357 61 20,621 Ds. Bills of Exch. 2,480,871 667,252 Bills of Exch. 4,772,516 682,519 5,643 21,417 9,131 1,520 142 5,644 9,845 6,852 6,726 1075 2698 402 10,295 24,892 4,481 4,652 2507 380 10,154 29,356 7,061 9,789 2,953 16,318 11,330 20,410 6,126 1,294 21,451 3,547 10,885 12,909 17,986 100 117,684 4,588 660 1,921 18,532 52,043 19,479 6,267 2,350 14,833 32,521 10,188 1,010 1,662 14,525 36,822 12,852 2,500 1,082 18,958 39,546 16,763 1,062 16,354 28,285 0,292 700 12,884 11,902 19,683 329 6,454 6,022 5,263 5,143 6,127 270 4813 880 160 2350 1,070 • 6,362 5,220 310 21 20,653 170 120 8,474 8,404 185 20 7,791 2250 : 300 2,532 4,886 4,950 • 1511 2926 1,575 4,338 7,438 29 672 10,257 • 255 4,290 • 3,097 186 12,067 11/1 • 133 3600 942 1,020 3,272 • 6171 277 1,307 7,270 83 • • 228 700 3,900 • 6,680 13,265 18,206 1300 14,064 7,063 1,826 131 65 :: 9,080 10,807 5,200 13,489 369 53 44,412 211 411 4537 3,271 3,410 9,750 1218 2998 8,115 : 494 13,203 1,591 11,722 71 9,367 411,903 : : : 1,828 1,810 514 17,739 49 376 pls. bx8. 1072 900 170 : : : : : 820 1,912 1,400 3,418 52,602 1398 2765 10,671 2286 2510 .. 770 • : : 5,600 6394 10,189 : : : : : : : Spelter. : Amber. : • Pearl Shells. Candles. Long Ells. Shirtings. : :: : ::: : : • Domestics. Cambrics. Chintz. Long Cloths. ps. ps. ps. ps. ps. doz. bxs. : ::::::: 1 ::: : :: 1,061 5,120 : 9300 10,523 12,502 4,144 7,755 7420 35,865 78,999 5,800 3,800 7177 2880 22,015 650 216 21,795 1380 7,840 10,334 6,492 19,802 56,178 24,566 : : : : : : : • • : : : Broken Glass. Looking- glasses. pls. pls. Total Value. Dollars. 3,555,818 5,326,358 3,877,362 3,940,090 479,-50 5,744.600 2,898,800 3,132 810 1,453,000 451,500 2,527,500 5,609,600 7,076,826 9.867.208 8,185,800 4,035,000 21 124 2245 100 42 :. 94 Besides a large variety of other 8,199,741 merchandise. And a variety of 8,339.389 other goods. ditto ditto 6,315,127 8,962,045 ditto 7,776,301 ditro and Bills 4,243,617 :: : : : of Exchange. diuo ditto ditto 5,94.897 4 00 865 4,311,282 ditto 4,223,475.45 ditto 5,531,807.53 ditto 8,362,971.35 SEASONS. Bohca. Congo. Campoy. Souchong & Pouchong. Pecco. Hyson Skin. Hyson. Young Hyson. Imperial & Gunpowder. Singlo. Tonkay. Sunchi. Cassia. China. Matts. Rhubarb. Silks.. No. V.—ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF EXPORTS BY AMERICAN VESSELS FROM THE PORT OF CANTON FROM THE SEASON OF 1804—5. Sewing Silk. Camphor. Vermilion. White Lead. Tin. chests. chests. chests. chests. chests. chests. chests. chests. chests. 1804-5 1,800 21,000 15,000 16,345 1805— 6 605 25,000 10,000 19,165 1806— 7 4,430 6,778 3,692 26,265 1807—8 2,87513,709 3,276,11,579 1808-9 320 87 2,625 1809–10 5,510 19,819 8,377 17,545 1810-11 545 1,225 22,90511,141 4,290 1,708 1800 chests. chests. chests. pls. pls. pls. pls. 4,143 3,030 pls. |37,251|16,468 11,420 2,947 3,135 3,535 165 9,35 24,960 69 12 pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls. pls.pis. pis. pls. pls. 1,900 124 1607 pls. pieces. Dollars. 2,648,000 3,842,000 354 2,808,000 5,127,000 100 35,897 24,450 12,422 2,693| 1800 1,447 2,630 182 17,630 185 885 1,764,000 4,294,000 614 21,702 10,103 4,656| 1,424 310 400 8,476 3,613 3,108 1,299 2,033 4,194 797 2,102 200 1811-12 264 1,427 984 3,302 1812-13 540 124 2,760 35,988 19,353 5,266 1,694 962 18,891 2,695 4,575 1,348 1113 23,929 3,969 7,083 1,673 1030 5,352 1,854 6,669 661 627 1,000 3,834 4,566 2,051 5,149 250 2,653 8,552 243 675; 2,113 20,400 9,132 53,273 144 85 • 1,400 290 1050 2,922,000 3,476,000 1290 345,000 808,000 1,026 • 3,769,000 5,715,000 7 77,710.178 77 110,521 195 12 79 151 431 20 22 • 2,048,000 2,973,000 12,670 36 52 65 31 908 19 150 820 387 131 10 425,500 2,771,000 540 : : 201,000 620,000 1814-15 S 1813-14 ? 350 4,569 ว 4,992 3,856 467 3,910 223 530 8 6,470 43 107 1280 1100 105,000 572,000 1830-31 3,592 1831-32 12,182 200 1832-33 16,843 3,550 1815-16 2,025 21,995 11,616 17,048 1816-17 1,085 17,115 8,420 24,937 1817-18 1,700 13,115 5,379 22,941 735 1818--19 74916,582 7,032 32,607 774 1819--20 941 13,331 6,027,33,500 2305 941|13,331| 1820--21 85213,311 4,825 19,539 1054 1821-22 1,778 5,043 1,485 24,235 1792 1822-23|| 2,552 2,994 1,660,43,407 578 1823—24|| 2,413 4,438 1,220 31,433 764 1821-25 6,415 5,455 97134,303 762 1825-26| 4,266 3,390 1,772 27,S21 1101 1826-27 1,345 737 923 27,666 859 30,475 9,705 29,301 6,543 1827-28 2,292 4,598 1,209 26,909 964 32,947 16,161 33,292 8,142 1828-29 901 2,728 1,235 18,833 1013 19,364 12,251 27,707 5,440 1829-30 2,106 25,799 807 22,305 12,834 30,441 6,444 16,955 205 4,928 7,147 25,523 3,953 39,396 517 17,671 9,345 40,035 9,117 47,194 5971 33,560 19,523 53,745 15,805 242 692 20,222 6,261 15,013 2,018 100 33,401 12,107 15,119 3,305 398 807 34,671 13,627 23,132|| 4,239 250 1474 44,250 18,728 22,443 3,725 701 2341 33,089 15,977 19,871 3,981 550 1855 30,973 7,567 16,246 4,190 1447 39,815 12,126 23,931 6,150 650 39,000 18,764 24,639 5,248 310 633 3,192 1,039. 54 201 137,334 250 3,345 5,935 6,244 7,950 450 2,537 11,437 1603 5,033 3,717 939 2,912 2,394 1167 13 115,939 361 192 114,147 323 359 201,533 576 433 201,300 823 537 270,573,423 5,678 1,134 946 730 355,114 268 8,630 1,12) 3840 56 503 10:332 569 437 44:280 80 66 676 865 155 918 7,000 1350 11,917 600 170 41,953 709 37 48,676 1083 560 • 640,000 4,220,000 250 576 387 695 52 1,794,000 5,703,000 20 1,469,000 6,777,000 1076 212 30 1369 255 12 17 со 17 17 151 12 320 551 2,577,000 9,057,107 3,135,700 Besides some 8,173,000 chowchow arti- 2,634; 30 639 99 7 16 CO 3 679 25 18 685,000 588 330,400 88 2111 Q CO 2 15,499 20 268 3 | 6,421 70 NN 23 10 796 25 10 10 862 4 2. 20 cles per the Ma- 4,088,000 cedonian for the coast of Peru. riety of small art. 1,776,700 Also a large va- 7,058,741 1,139,207 And a variety 7,523,492 besides. rols. 33,256 15,316 32,859 62,060 17,944 41,846 48,194 21,117 47,439 6,465 7,972 7,555 8,555 404 2654 89 83 215,638 47 9,333 1,007 3330 150 372,167 513 10,116 2,823 3536 185 213,006; 41 2.823‍3536 370 50 1 500 503 • 252,200 ditto 5,677,149 150 3,749 95 358 22,240 434 hoxes. 105 5711 7918 7855 519 : : :: 7,820 4,329 1,423 3896 779 5030 109 144,938 27 181 : 4,464 50 260 100 bxs. 167.421,033 1643 500 110 2,100 267 : : 153 9 24 5 16 12 673 25 • • 536,000 ditto 8,501,119 949 • 721,000 ditto 8,752,562 9 4 300 40 205 : : 200 : : 50 308,725 ditto 619,182 ditto 4,373,891 6,576,696 pls. 3,305 589 1590 99 211,300 144 50 2,243 116 50 220 420,400 ditto 3,769,049 bxs. 3,123 89 3115 163 154,923 237 186 4,925 347 8 1,823 294 600 23 232,107 354 90 3,000 285 3212 3,541 371 584 263,077 350 25 313 2,318 109 38 741 404 1101 305,568 ditto 4,211,611 118,774 ditto 4,344,551 122,285 ditto 5,999,731-97 6300 8,433 671 187 302,601 124 499 658 1898 4,697 144 10 7348 23 260 67,500 ditto 8,372,175.49 Sugar. Sugar Candy. Raw Silk. Pepper. Tutenague. Alum. Gallangal. China Root Tortoiseshell Cassia Oil Dragons Blood. Gamboge. Sweetmeats. Mace. Aniseed. Catties Musk. Cassia Buds. Nankeens. Total Value. · No. VI. IMPORTS. Investment from England Cotton, Bengal • }} Bombay Madras Taels. 2,168,631 Dollars. ESTIMATED STATEMent of the british trade at the PORT OF CANTON FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31st MARCH, 1829. On Account of the Hon. Company. EXPORTS. bales 33,373 pls. 74,189 Ts. 667,971 On Account of the Hon. Company. Investment for England, Investment for North America, Taels. Dollars. T's. 5,256,056 ,, 16,404 27 "} 12,858 "} 45,736 28,930 "" 384,410 ,, 269,980 Per H. C. Ships. Cotton, Bengal ,, Bombay Madras " 32,31 Sandalwood ps. 48,626 Cotton, Bengal billets 35,376 }) 3,340 1,322,361 66,023 Stores to the Cape, St. Helena, Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, Charges General, 213,517 57,281 191,250 5,718,104 7,941,811 4,940,298 On Private Account. Congo pls. On Private Account. pls. 55,471 a 9 ts. pr. pl. "" "} Bombay "1 1,092 Madras "} 8 2 m. 268,292 a 1,767 a 7 5 11 "" 499,239 2,199,994 13,252 Campoi, Souchong, Caper Pouchong,, Pekoe, 6,780 a 19 t. 5 m. pr. pl. 2,558 a 24 132,210 €1,392 "" "" 984 a 27 26,568 "1 Per H. C. Ships to England Twankay 981 a 22 11 21,582 Opium, Patna, and Benares chts. Malwa }} 4,106 a 950 ds. pr. cht. Ds. 3,900,700 6,898 a 970 6,691,060 "} 2,712,485 Dollars. 10,591,760 3,767,340 Hyson, Young Hyson, 2,623 a 40 Hyson Skins "" 129 a 20 11 Gunpowder 319 11 a 4 "1 104,920 2,580 14,993 364,245 Black Tea Per Country Ships. ps. 3,697 Pepper pls. 3,750 a 7 Green Tea pr. pl. 26,250 "} 1,787 a 25 5,899 a 30 " 44,678 176,970 221,645 }} Rattans 9,131 1) 18,463 a 4 19 73,852 23,068 Betelnut "" 32,914 a 23 19 90,513 585,890 813,736 999 Putchuck 19 1,213 a 16 n 17 19,403 43 Sharks' Fins ,, 3,255 a 18 " 58,590 Per H. C. Ships pls. 907 Raw Silk Nankin 11 4,181 a 453 ds. Ds. 1,893,993 Dollars. Fish Maws "" 1,000 a 70 46 Canton of sorts "7 70,000 2,714 a 180 488,520 2,382,513 1,350 Stock Fish · "} 2,350 a 10 n 23,500 * * * * 66 Olibanum "> 327 a 5 "" 1,635 ps. 143,400 Nankeen Cloth large ps. 1,842 Blackwood small 17 6,378 a 5 "7 31,890 "" 216,285 a 80 617,020 a 100 ps. per 173,028 3,453 Sandalwood "} 9,892 a 20 77 197,840 Ivory "" 694 a 70 17 48,580 Sugar Candy pls. 22,301 α 63 a 10 pr. pl. 388,723 561,751 223,010 Saltpetre 120 "" Myrrh 294 15 a "} Cutch 2,435 a ds. 114,622 Cotton Goods • 19 pls. 553 Cotton Yarn 630 க "> ps. 1,669 Long Ells Broad Cloth ps. 2,519 a 30 1,000 a 500 Camlets 37 pls. 844 Lead 401 Iron 39 ነኝ 4,779 Tin bis. 550 Tinplates pls. 55 Quicksilver ds. 92,800 Pearls Cornelians 38,716 53,562 Clocks and Machinery Я $1 46,025 Amber pla 14 Tortoiseshell 78 Rhinoceros' Horns Gold Dust ds. 3,500 " 39,750 Sundries 600 a 33 သိထင် အ 720 Soft Sugar 11 54,499 a 8 "? 435,992 * "" 4,410 ds. 131,886 Silk Piece Goods value 11 448,695 5 17 12,175 Cassia Lignea 11 8,333 a 15 ** 124,995 149,742 do. Buds 490 @ 22 "" 10,780 56 35,280 pls. 24 Tortoiseshell 31 P. p. 75,750 *** 8,000 19,800 77 pls. 1,193 ø 54 pr. pl. 6,859 Camphor Cochineal, • Coarse Chinaware. Vermilion 474 a 1000 45,111 a 25 17 47,500 112,850 118 value a 400 47,200 22,577 bas. 1,347 a 44 11 59,268 401 a 4 "" 1,604 Glass Beads, False Pearls value >> 45,257 "" 5,737 a 20 " 114,740 Bamboos 396,000 bxs. 550 a 5,675 Whangees 10,000 Table Mats 3,000 Floor Mats 9,000 sets Bamboos and Whangees 19 406,000 4,500 pls. 55 a 73 $9 4,015 Table Mats and Floor Mats Brass Leaf sets 12,100 • pls. 1,88 a 60 pr. pl. 5,075 11,280 estimated value 206,700 Alum 14,705 a "" 81,365 To England ds. 158,200 Rhubarb 1,249 a 2 64 29,410 79,936 Coral Beads, Fragments, Seed Pearl 38,716 South American and Sycee 170,562 53,562 "} 50,025 Ds. 328,762 ✔ pls. 12 1,500 To Bengal Cochineal "" 84 a 555 46,620 Sycee ds. 363,610 2,778 American Copper Aniseed, China Roots, Gallangal, Gamboge, Turmeric Writing Paper, Lacquered ware, Fireworks, Kittisols, Toys, &c. 377 Cotton Yarn pls. 2,000 a 25 pr. pl. 32,365 85,392 34,000 50,000 366,388 Gold value in dollars 2,525 " 63 a 60 3,780 Sundries 223,281 3,500 125,650 12,283,826 ,, Bombay Sycee ds. 3,427,747 *Silver Bullion Imports estimated to the 31st March, 1829. 20,991,464 500,000 354,933 Total 3,782,680 4,477,830 Mother o' Pearl Shells pls. 1709 a 17pr. pl. 4,477,830 29,053 9.587,034 Disbursements on 20 regular Company Ships a 8,000 ds. 2 chartered a 3,000 ds. 39 Country Ships, a 7,000 ds. and 14 ships at Lintin, a 1,000 as. each. 39} Patna Opium on hand 1st Feb. 1829. Benares Dollars. Malwa chts. 839 369 1,635 Total 2,843 21,491,464 Remitt. thro' Comp. Treas. 1828-29. Bills on the Hon. Comp. Certificates Bills on Bengal Govt. ds. 171,525 464,628 2,079,318 Estimated value of Exports the 31st March, 1829 Total 2,715,471 Commanders' Cotton bonds ds. 709,552 Balance. Dollars. 21,491,464 453,000 18,795,581 200,000 2,495,883 Canton, 23d February, 1829.-Errors excepted. No. VII. IMPORTS. STATEMENT OF THE BRITISH TRADE AT THE PORT OF CANTON FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1830. EXPORTS. Taels. Dollars. 4 On Account of the Hon. Company. Broad Cloth bales 5,188 yds. 538,694 Taels. 717,580 Dollars. Long Ells "" 6,000 ps. 120,000 696,004 Camlets 1,202 12,023 225,302 British Calicoes 910 "9 "1 Coarse Cavalry Grey Cloth 2 "" 99 22,750 287 118,836 155 Worsted Yarn >> 4 pls. 4 161 Cotton Twist "" 1,250 2,250 56,700 British Iron Lead Cotton, Bengal tous 1,352 22,715 58,848 >> • • pigs 18,405 "1 21,471 83,741 Bohea Congo Souchong Campoi Hyson Hyson Skin Twankay North American Investment Cape Stores bales 21,174 Madras 79 "1 Bombay "" 47,641 Ts. 13,500 30,375 15,042 41,632 515,781 1,957,327 336,866 1,255,925 " 403,278 15,390 Bullion St. Helena Stores. Port Charges on 23 ships Sandalwood Cotton, Rengal • • billets 21,301 1,276 3,228,642 4,484,225 On Account of the Hon. Company. pls. "" 32,167 142,525 Ts. 516,603 3,349,170 507 20,784 "" 4,177 "" 4,371 134,922 290,110 764 20,889 "> 11 35,503 929,148 5,171,626 169,433 15,297 9,164 ds. 90,000 193,894 64,800 92,967 Unloading charges, Canton Factory, Expences, 127,348 220,315 On Private Account. Taels. 5,650,635 7,848,104 pls. 30,847 a 10 t. 4 m. pr. pl. Ts. On Private Account. 320,809 "" Bombay Madras "" 19 224,972 a 9 23 "" "" 2,076,492 Congo 494 a 9 "" >> 4,446 2,401,747 Souchong Pouchong pls. 6,955 a 16 t. 5 m. pr. pl. Ts. 114,757 " 1,392 a 21 29,232 3,335,760 Pekoe and Orange Pekoe "1 2,025 a 31 62,775 Opium, Patna and Benares • chts. 7,671 a Malwa "" "" 7,972 a 860 ds. pr. cht. 862 " Ds. 6,597,060 6,871,864 Dollars. 13,468,924 Twankay "" 1,683 Hyson and Young Hyson 16 2,503 a 38 a 26,928 95,114 Hyson Skin 494 a 14 6,916 "" chts. 15.643 Gunpowder 448 >> a 15 22,400 358,122 Rattans pls. 28,911 a Betelnut "} 43,409 a Putchuck 1,569 0 Pepper "" 24,211 a Shark Fins 4,027 a Fish Maws 861 a "" Sock Fish, "" 2,830 a Olibanum Sandalwood " 2,447 a 16,597 a Blackwood 8,118 и Ivory 358 "" a Amber value "" Opium imported 1829-30. Cotton Piece Goods "} " Cotton Yarn Patna Benares Malwa Damaun · chts. 6,156 182 a Broad Cloth 1,515 Camlets CHOPONOTAMg. **8 3 ds. pr. pl. Black Tea "" 1,802 a 24 43,248 n 101 " " " " "" "" 86,733 97,670 16,082 169,477 80,540 53,382 16,980 9,728 Green Tea "? 5,096 a 21 107,016 150,264 pls. 22,398 508,386 706,092 Raw Silk Nankin pls. 3,746 a 400 ds. pr. pl. Ds. 1,498,400 Dollars. Canton "1 11 2,244 a 170 381,480 1,879,880 Nankeen Cloth 248,955 ps. 703,450 a 70 pr. ps. 492,415 "" ,, 3,376 Lead 4,596 Iron Tin chts. 15,643 Tinplates Quicksilver Opium on hand, 1st April, 1830. Patna Benares chts. 1,020 Malwa (24,354 22,196 6,005 47,503 "" 7,826 ps. 1,942 a pr. ps. 64,086 551 a 11 >> 16,530 pls. 2,701 a 5 pr. pl. 13,525 "" 2,792 a 4 "" 11,168 • 19 5,954 a 18 "} 110,149 bxs 497 a 10 pr. box 5,218 pls. 117 a 70 pr. pl. 8,190 Cochineal "" 46 a 426 19,809 Skins value 7,660 Pearls 197,668 Cornelians 11 62,530 Saltpetre pls. 3,990 a 11 pr. pl. 43,890 106 Cloves "1 442 a 38 Floor Mats H. C. S. 13,000 "" 16,796 1,586 Rice and Paddy "" "" 4,322 a 11 Coral 6,483 Clocks and Machinery value 18,956 = to • chts. 2,712 Sundries "" Dollars 11 117,494 35,000 ds. Ds. 302,056 Banca Tin 659,383 961,439 15,111,387 "" Calcutta, Sycee = to ds. 557,908 Ds. 2,018,023 2,575,931 Gold ,, Bombay, Sycee - to "1 Sundry Places, Syc. = to ds. Ds. ds. 752,159 Ds. 2,243,458 69,444 143,941 *Silver Bullion, Spanish Dollars, and Sycee 2,995,617 † Total 213,385 6,746,372 Total Dollars 22,931,372 † Dollars on Company's account iucluded. Sugar Candy • pls. 46,767 a 10 pr. pl. 467,670 Soft Sugar Cassia Lignea Buds 125,428 a 73 972,067 " " Silk Piece Goods value 439,675 11 "1 11,057 a 13 pr. pl. 143,741 150 a 17 2,550 "1 Tortoise Shell 264 a 1100 29,425 11 "} Camphor "" 3,452 a 251 90,321 "" Cochineal "" Vermilion bxs. 57 a 350 2,509 a 46 19,950 19 pr. box 115,414 Coarse Chinaware value 30,129 1) False Pearls and Glass Beads 69,703 "" Pearls 22,850 "" 11 Mother o' Pearl Shells pls. 1,559 a 17/ pr. pl. 27,282 Brass Leaf 182 a 60 10,920 "" Rhubarb "" 1,032 a 65 67,080 "1 Alum 9,359 a 2 18,718 11 Bamboos, Whangees, and Malacca cane value 7,578 4,650 2,000 *To England, Sycee pls. "" 500 9,572 Copper Sheathing ds. 6,500, and South American Copper ds. 80,896 Turmeric, Aniseed, Musk, China Root, Galangal Lackered Ware, Writing Paper, Kittisols, Toys, &c. Sundries, (pr. H. C. S. ds. 9,290) Sweetmeats, Nutmegs, Ivory Ware, Clothes Disbursements on 20 regular Ships a 12,000 ds. each • 5 Chartered Ships a 3,000 ds. 31 Country Ships a 7,000, and 16 Ships at Lintin a 1,000 ds. • 87,396 38,170 228,015 202,790 78,728 6,656,372 12,215,061 488,000 Total } 21,257,257 Balance Dollars. 1,674,115 22,931,372 : 1 No. VIII. IMPORTS. STATEMENT OF THE BRITISH TRADE AT THE PORT OF CANTON FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1831. EXPORTS On Account of the Hon. Company. Broad Cloth bales 5,195 yds. 542,341 Taels. 649,035 Dollars. On Account of the Hon. Company. Taels. Dollars. Loug Ells "" 7,500 ps. 150,000 825,046 Bohea Congo pls. 39,438 Ts. 136,699 "" Camlets 1,200 "1 12,000 185,760 Souchong 1,992 11 629,029 3,352,573 71,874 British Cotton Piece Goods 1,200 >> "" 30,000 108,000 Campoi 896 "} £8,680 British Cotton Twist "" 1,250 lbs. 300,000 58,320 Hyson 10,272 19 445,380 Printed Long Ells 5 ps. 100 670 Hyson Skin 1,184 31,744 "" British Iron tons 1,501 pls. 25,217 Lead pigs 12,663 " 14,614 54,460 49,688 Twankay 32,856 11 879,469 5,438,749 1,930,979 North American investment (Supercargo's Com. included) Cape Stores 116,686 15,375 Cotton, Bengal bales 26,959 60,658 Ts. 573,758 St. Helena Stores 7,418 Madras }} "} Bombay 9,485 23,072 21,341 189,829 Stores to Bengal and Bombay 6,886 146,365 65,241 555,595 1,319,182 3,250,161 4,514,112 On Private Account. Bullion (charges of shipment included) ds. 1,910,936 Port charges on 22 ships (Larkins included) Unloading charges, Canton Factory expenses, &c. 1,375,874 85.691 107,139 192,830 Cotton, Bengal, Madras "" }) >> Bombay "" bales 16,166 861 107,819 "} pls. 36,373 a 1,938 304,881 a 8 t. 9 m. pr. pl. 10 77 >> a 7 6 19 19 T's. 323.720 19,380 2,317,096 9,935,858 2,660,196 3,694,716 Congo Souchong aud Pouchong "> Malwa "" Opium, Patna and Benares, Patna, expected chests 4,418 11,255 a ds. a 834 pr. cht. 580 Ds. 3,684,612 6,527.900 Dollars. >> "" ?? 1,000 a 1,000 ,, }} 1,000,000 11,121,512 Pekoe and Orange Pekoe Twankay On Private Account. pls. 5,783 a ts. 1,521 4,253 7,153,818 13 pr. pl. T's. 104,094 a a 24 >> 36,504 26 17 110,578 738 a 195 "} "" 14,391 Hyson and Young Hyson 1,913 a 36 19 ** 68,818 Gunpowder and Imperial 844 a 50 }} "" 42,200 376,635 Chests 16,073 Black Tea "" Sandalwood pls. 11,100 a ds. 51 pr. pl. 144,300 Green Tea 952 4,606 20,944 87,514 108,458 673,740 Pepper "" 11,043 a 7 77,301 Rattans "" 8,481 a 3 25,443 485,093 ,, Betelnut "} 17,709 a 34 66,408 }" Putchuck 1,866 a 12 22,392 Raw Silk Nankin 2,918 a ds. M (C Olibanum Ivory Sharks' Fins and Fish Maws Stock-fish "> 1,895 a 4 7,580 Canton 3,670 G 340 pr. pl. 150 Ds. 992,120 Dollars. ,, 550,500 1,542,620 17 71 a 70 4,970 "" "" "} 5,590 a 142,095 Naukeen Cloth ps. >> "" 2,015 a 5 10,075 Silk Piece Goods 925,200 value n 58 pr. ps. 536,616 465,195 "" >> Pearls Cornelians, and Diamonds value 111,469 Sugar Candy pls. Lead Iron Tin Tinplates Steel Quicksilver 971 a "} 5 pr. pl. 5,340 Soft Sugar "" 46,396 a 97,063 a 81 pr. pl. 391,366 51 558,112 "> • " 4,510 a 4 18,040 Cassia Lignea 10,051 α 9 90,439 11 "} 4,131 a 18 74,358 do. Buds 1,334 a 16 21,344 }} " bxs. 880 n · 12 pr. box 10,560 Tortoise shell ?? 122. a 1,100 14,025 }} pls. 318 a 11 pr. pl. 3.498 Camphor >> 2,043 n 24 49,032 178 a 72 12,816 Rhubarb }} 1,331 a 68 90,508 >> ,, 11 Cochineal 67 a 400 26,00 Alum >> 11,779 a 2 23,555 "} Broad Cloth Camlets Long Ells ps. 1.86 a 42 pr. ps. 79,212 False Pearls and Glass Beads, value 55,643 770 Øi 26 20,020 Coarse Chinaware 34,076 "1 "" "} 200 a 8 1,600 Aniseed pls. 2,783 a 12 33,396 19 "" >> Cotton Piece Goods "" 16,936 a 99,181. 11 Cotton Yarn Camphor Cloves • pls. 267 44 pr. pl. 11,748 catts 131 a 23 pr. catty 3,082 Vermilion Cochineal Cloves bxs. 3,155 a 42 pr. box 132,510 pls. 34 a 300 pr. pl. 10,200 791 a 20 15,880 >> }) "" 1,211 a 34 41,174 Dragons' Blood 30 α 80 2,400 11 Rose Malocs, Myrrh, and Dragon's blood value 4,400 Brass Leaf bxs. 39 a 50 pr. box 1,950 Saltpetre Rabbit Skins Rice Dollars pls. 6,783 13,300 pls. 24,322 a 71 pr. pl. 51,548 Tutenague pls. 2,400 a 8 pr. pl. 19,200 each 6,650 South American Cepper >> 3,002 a 26 "1 78,052 a 21 pr. pl. 60,805 Block Tin 756 a 16 12,096 55,000 Mother o' Pearl Shells "" 1,134 a 20 22,680 Sundries • value 110,164 12,520,541 Chinaroot, Gallangal, Gamboge, and Musk 44,035 Saltpetre pls. 1,264 ä 61 8,216 "} Table Mats and Floor Mats 14,558 Bamboos and Whangees 10,124 Opium Company's Malwa chests 10 a 560 pr. pr. cht. 5,600 Writing Paper, Kittisols, Toys, &c. 150,620 Sundries 135,186 Gold 6,026 Silver Bullion, Sycee, and Dollars. 4,684,270 9,262,653 Disbursements on 20 regular Ships a 1200 each, 1 extra ship a ds. 5,000, 1 chartered Ship a ds. 3,000, 37 Country Ships, a ds. 7,000, and 13 Ships at Lintin a ds. 1,000. Balance 520,000 337,118 Dollars. 20,729,369 Dollars. 20,729,369 No. IX. IMPORTS. STATEMENT OF THE BRITISH TRADE AT THE PORT OF CANTON FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1832. 31st EXPORTS. On Account of the Hon. Company. Broad Cloth bales 5,200 Long Ells 7,000 yds. 543.132 ps. Taels. 602,593 Dollars. On Account of the Hon. Company. Taels. Dollars. 140,000 756,000 Black Tea Green Tea lbs. 24,754,226 5,448,800 Camlets "" 1,200 12,00 168,716 Bohea Congo Souchong pls. 54,367 Ts. "" 129,106 "" 2,184 861,347 3,041,473 78,441 British Cotton Piece Goods 1,200 "" 11 30,000 89,131 lbs. 30,203,066 Hyson 8,851 439,427 British Cotton Twist "" 2,000 lbs. 480,000 105,759 Hyson Skin "} 1,181 32,122 British Worsted Yarn 50 17 "" 6,250 4,171 To England pr. 23 Ships. Twankay 30,834 832,207 5,275,987 British Stuffs pieces 40 yds. 1,200 389 Stamped long Ells • bales 20 ps. 300 1,650 Union Satinets 3 30 540 "" "" • North American Investment (Supercargo's Comm. included) Cape Stores 276,042 20,290 Dyed Cotton Piece Goods 20 500 2,160 St. Helena Stores "" 4,540 " British Iron tons 1,501 pls. 25,223 49,039 Lead • pigs 24,643 28,561 91,395 'Dollars "" Cotton, Bengal Bombay bales 18,320 "" "" 18,156 >> 41,220 Ts. 353,259 50,642 • 430,323 } 1,871,543 Sycee equal to dollars 1,000,490 173,467 723,582 ds. 1,173,957 2,655,125 3,687,674 Per H. C. Ships, pls. 28,972 Cotton, Bengal On Private Account. pls. Stores to Bengal, Madras, and Bombay *Bullion (charges of Shipment included) ds. 1,173,957 Port Charges on 24 Ships (Bridgewater included) Unloading Charges, Canton Factory Expenses, &c. On Private Account. 12,672 313,544 845,249 89,131 110,340 199,471 6,634,251 9,214,238 63,024 n 8 t. 6 m. pr. pl. Ts. "" "" 40,751 >" "" Madras Bombay "" 4,543 и 9 283,639 a "" "" 7 7 "" "1 542,006 40,887 2,184,020 Black Tea Green Tea • lbs. 1,709,466 323,200 Congo pls. 6,069 a ts. 21 pr. pl 127,449 Souchong, and Pouchong "" 77 Opium, Patna, and Benares chests Malwa "} 5,912 a ds. 954 pr. cht. 8,034 a 705 Ds. 5,640,048 5,663,970 2,766,913 Dollars. 11,304,018 3,842,936 lbs. 2,032,666 Pekoe and Orange Pekoe Twankay "" Hyson and Young Hyson "" 1,737 23 5,015 a 24 128 a 20 2,139 a 44 a 11 39,951 120,360 "" "1 "" To England pr. 23 Ships. Gunpowder and Imperial 157 a 50 " 2,560 94,116 7,850 392,286 Black Tea 13,946 Per Country Ships. 1,641 "" Green Tea 7,025 "} 42,446 110,755 153,201 >> 2,375 Sandalwood pls. 6,338 a ds. 1175 pr. pecul ¡74,741 23,971 545,487 757,625 "" 10,612 Pepper 15,771 "1 a 7 110,397 "" 4,251 Rattans 6,349 a 275 17.459 Per H. C. Ships pls. 1,221 "" "1 6,283 Retelnut 6,091 3 20,073 Raw Silk Nankeens do. Canton 77 6,293 a de. 368 2,168 a 158 pr. pl ds. 2,312,144 Dollars. 342,544 รา "> 2,654,688 ** 216 Putchuck 460 a 13 "" ?? 5,980 "2 Olibanum 550 a 5 "" 2,750 Nankeen Cloth ps. 315,570 a 51 pr. 100 ps. ps. 4,716 Broad Cloth ps. 7,816 a 31 pr. p. 242,296 ds. 26,400 Silk Piece Goods "" 1,050 Camlets "" 2,621 a 27 70,767 Sugar Candy pls. value 32,279 a 160,941 " 14,248 Cotton Piece Goods "" 35,298 a 41 150,016 Soft Sugar "" 60,627 a ds. 24,443 Printed Cotton Piece Goods "" 24,443 Cassia Lignea 29 7,069 a pls. 46 Cochineal pls. 46 a 314 pr. pecul 14,444 do. Buds 614 a 2222 71 pr. pl. 247,861 51 " 242,093 7 318,256 12 ?? " 49,672 218 Cotton Yarn "" 1,252 a 42 "" 52,584 5,767 Tortoiseshell and Scraps value 7,368 "" 1,043 Lead 1,393 a 5 6,965 >> "" · "" 13,422 Iron >> 13,482 a 34 47,187 pls. bis. 537 Mother o' Pearl Shells 60 Vermillion bxs. • 825 3,267 bxs. 2,525 pls. 2,101 Tin 5,032 a 17 85,544 Camphor pls. 279 Tinplates bxs. 2,525 a 92 pr. box 24.619 Rhubarb 763 " Steel pls. 2,101 a 71 pr. pecul 15,758 Alum "" 20,475 a 178 Quicksilver 178 a 70 12,460 Aniseed 477 A A A A A A 2,235 a 17 19 19,017 37 pr. box 37,995 24 pr. pl. 30,525 54 " 6,996 11 41,212 10 "} 35,831 11 "" "" ds. 11,785 Watches and Clocks 11,785 do. 2,034 Chinaroot, Gallangal, and Musk value 5,008 "} 3,000 Pearls, Cornelians, and Diamonds 215,475 3,829 Floor Mats "" 10,799 Ivory 209 a 71 "" "" 14,829 5,846 Bamboos and Whangees "1 3,829 Elephants' Teeth 159 a 76 19 12,084 Fish Mawg "" 1,075 a 60 64,500 Pearls, False Pearls, and Glass Beads Chinaware "" 7,476 ** 48,094 Shark's Fins 3,010 a 24 72,240 "" 17 11,480 Skins 20,580 9,850 Paper, Kittisols, Lacquered ware, &c. Cochineal 23,179 pls. 209 83,840 "" pls. 751 Saltpetre 7,068 .a 7 49,476 Cotton Piece Goods 30,096 Rice " 51,496 a 21 128,740 do. Yarn 1,532 a 48 19 14,250 16,200 37,240 Rose Maloes, and Myrrh Dollars 7,212 Saltpetre "1 Sundries 16,200 120,996 To England, dollars 1,134,623 South American Copper " 1,868 a 4,610 a 7 " 73,536 21 " 13,076 13,005,618 Sycee equal to dollars 842,307 1,976,930 Tobacco and Segars 96,810 Sundries 9,947 Calcutta dollars 171,542 Gold Importation of Opium, 1831-2. On English Acct. On Portg. Acct. Total. Consump. of Opium. 1831-2 Patna and Benares 5,912 700 6,612 Patnachs Malwa and Bombay Demaun 4,000 577 4,577 Benares 4,442 1,518 4,031 600 4,634 Malwa, &c. 8,265 On hand, 1st April 1832. Patnachs 2,186 Benares Malwa, &c. Sycee equal to dollars 168,798 340,340 Bombay dollars 1,053,326 chts 13,946 ¡1,877 15,823 chts. 14,225 409 2,983 chts. 5,578 To Amt. Silver & Sycee equal to ds. 524,217 1,577,543 Silver Bullion (Sycee, South American Silver, and Dollars) Disbursements on 20 regular Ships a ds. 10,000, 4 chartered a 4,000, 33 Country Ships a ds. 8,000, and 32 Ships at Lintin a ds. 1,500) each Balance 146,492 51,190 7,267,623 2,797,856 528,000 2,768,741 "" Dollars. Sundry places dollars 20,536,227 Total Export of Bullion, Syc. incl. Dollars 3,971,813 77,000 E. E. Dollars. 20,536,227 31st March, 1832. No. X. IMPORTS. STATEMENT OF THE BRITISH TRADE AT THE PORT OF CANTON FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31st MARCH, 1833. EXPORTS. On Account of the Hon. Company. Broad Cloth Season 1832-3. Bills on the Bengal Gov. ds. Certificates and Bills on England Commanders cotton bales 6,780 Long Ells "> 7,500 ps. yds. 700.903 150,000 Taels. 749,350 Dollars. 795,000 Black Tea Green Tea Camlets 609 3,193,595 "} "} 6,009 69,120 lbs. 25,974,000 4,062,400 British Cotton Piece Goods >> 1,280 "" 32,000 103,680 Bohea Congo Souchong On Account of the Hon. Company. pls. Taels. Dollars. 52,844 T8. 139,640 "" 2,321 837,556 3,314,811 86,482 British Cotton Twist 803,615 "" 1,000 pls. 1,800 50,414 Ibs. 30,036,400 Twankay 23,103 631,866 British Iron tons. 1,500 25,215 32,700 Hyson 6,579 342,947 Lead 1,456 24,574 78,633 To England pr. 20 Ships. Hyson Skin 786 21,450 5,235,112 bands (726,067 Cotton, Bengal bales 21,672 De. 4,723,277 "1 Bombay 19,051 "" Sandalwood billets 2,641 48,762 Ts. 505,713 53,784 199 1,878,897 521,506 1,027,219 North American Investment (Port Charges and Comm. included) Cape and St. Helena Stores 509,756 24,013 2,150 'Dollars Sycee equal to dollars 242,138 1,113,921 Stores to Bengal, Madras, and Bombay 3,942 537,711 * Bullion On Private Account. 2,908,266 4,039,258 ds. 1,356,059 976,362 ds. 1,356,059 Per H. C. Ships, pls. 36,910 Cotton, Bengal } 5,648 >> Madras Bombay pls. "" 36,933 a 10 t. 4 m. pr. pl. 10,739 a 11 Ts. 384,103 Port Charges on 20 Ships Unloading Charges, Canton Factory Expenses, &c.' 79,540 107,185 186,725 - " 277,270 a 8 ma 11 17 118,129 2,412,423 Opium, Patna, and Benares chests Malwa and Demaun. "> "} 7,185 a ds. 792 pr. cht. 11,394 a 570 Ds. 2,914,655 5,690,520 Dollars. 6,490,100 12,185,100 4,048,132 6,935,910 9,633,210 Black Tea lbs. 1,924,667 Green Tea 73,200 Congo and Caper Congo Souchong, and Pouchong On Private Account. pls. }} chts. 18,579 lbs. 1,997,867 Pekoe and Orange Pekoo Twankay 9,655 a ts. 21 1,066 a 21 3,714 a 26 pr. pl. 202,755 23,452 "" 96,564 "" " 56 a 33 1,848 "1 " Hyson and Young Hyson 362 a 50 1,025 Sandalwood "" pls. 2,075 a 11 pr. pl. 22,825 To England pr. 20 Ships. "" "} Gunpowder and Imperial 131 a 55 18,100 7,205 12,597 Pepper 17,601 a 71 "" >> 127,607 349,924 9,884 Rattans 14,918 a 24 41,024 * a "" "" " Per Country Ships. Black Tea 11 1,552 " 27,625 Betelnut 46,089 A "1 44 199,703 Green Tea "} 5,327 "1 43,944 178,972 222,736 800 Cutch 800 a 7 5,600 "" "" 3,133 Putchuck 3,273 a 131 44,185 "> "" 21,863 572,660 795,361 2,323 Olibanum >> 4,608 a 53 pr. p. 26,496 Ebony and Sapanwood 7,497 a 2 14,994 Per H. C. Ships pls. 165 Raw Silk Nankeens "" • "} ps. 5,350 Broad Cloth ps. 7,931 a 28 p. p. 222,068 do. Canton ,, 4,436 2,013 a ds. 351 pr. pl. ds. a 255 1, 290 Camlets 1,294 a 19 24,510 5th Sort 202 a 58 1,557,036 513,315 11,800 Dollars. }} 2,082,151 "1 "" >> Long El's ps. C00 Worleys 250 Loug Ells ps. 600 a ds. 9 Worleys 250 a 10 >> 7,900 "" 14,117 Cotton Piece Goods 22,270 a 41 100,215 ps. 9,700 Nankeen Cloth ps. 121,500 a 70 p. 100 ps. 85,050 71 "1 ds. 71,372 pls. 330 Printed do. Muslins and Fancy Goods Cotton Twist value 105,926 54,683 Silk Piece Goods value 319,785 pls. 1,284 a 38 p. pl. 48,702 Sugar Candy pls. 14,140 a 9} p. pl. 130,795 46 Cochineal 46 a 280 >> "" 17 12,880 Soft Sugar 13,495 a 63 "7 91,090 ,, 1,490 Lead "" 2,056 a 4 8,738 Cassia Lignea 21 14,000 a 7+ 101,500 "" do. Buds 11 6,276 Iron 6,276 a 3 18,828 331 a 11 "} "" Ds. 3,641 3,871 Tin 5,991 α 14 86,969 "1 12,100 332 Tortoiseshell value 17,380 Mother o' Pearl Shells bxs. 760 Tinplates bxs. 760 a 6 p. bx. 4,560 332 a 20 6,640 Vermillion bxs. pls. 1,027 Steel pls. 1,027 a 6 p. pl. 6,162 1,473 36 pr. box 53,028 ds. 14,080 Watches and Clocks value 14,080 Camphor pls. 5,299 a 28 pr. pl. 148,372 Alum 10,000 Skins 10,000 a } each 5,000 5,907 a 13 Rhubarb ds. 42,950 Coral Beads value 49,950 >> "} 10,337 1,375 a 50 "" 88,950 Pearls and Diamonds. " 353,601 Floor Mats, 9,300, Ds. Table 68,750 3,360 Aniseed Oil 43 a 150 6,450 1,340 2,400 Cornelians 91 41,300 Chinaroot, Gallangal, Gamboge & Musk value 59,349 14,418 Ivory 278 a 62 p. pl. 23,436 Floor Mats and Table Mats 10,640 "} 4,482 "" 20,941 Shark's Fins and Fish Maws Cow Bezoar, Rose Maloes, Unicorns' Horns value "" 176,741 9,616 Saltpetre Rice 7,500 Dollars 21,080 Sundries Importation of Opium. Season 1832-3. Ou British Acct Patno and Benares, cts. 7,185 On Portg. Acct. Total. 1832-3. 700 7,855 Malva Pass 9,420 1,000 10,4201 do. Demaun 1,9735 1,000 2,9734 Patna cls. 6,410 Benares 1,857 Malwa, 15,403 Patna Benares On hand, 1st April 1833. 1,859 331 Malwa, &c. 973 cats 18,579 2,700 21,249 chts. 23,670 chts. 3,1631 1,763 a 7 12,311 "" Exports of Sycee Bullion. To England, Spain & Brazil, ds. 242,138 Sycee Silver to Bamboos and Whangees 15,846 False Pearls, and Glass Beads "} 25,628 Chinaware 1,791,799 ** 22,170 "" 70,118 a 2 1-20 147,248 7,500 61,568 Paper, Kittisols, Lacquered ware, &c. South American Silver 88,999 2,122,936 "" 99,139 Opium, Benares chts. 23 a 774 pr. ch. 17,802 14,217,363 Quicksilver pls. 287 65 Calcutta ds. 218,136 pr. pl. 18,655 Cotton Twist Sycce Silver equal to 856,417 1,074,553 "1 1,273 a 43 54,739 Cochineal 93 a 237 15 19 22,227 Consump. of Opium. Tin Bombay ds. 476,080 ,, 1.057 a 14 14,789 South American Copper Sycee Silver equal to 10,692 a 20 1,003,170 1,479,250 33 213,840 Tobacco and Segars value 6,605 Sundries Sundry places ds. 127,707 150,274 Gold value Sycee Silver equal to 21,309 149,016 Silver Bullion (Sycee, South American Silver, and Dollars) 65,170 3,469,696 7,385,689 Dollars. 22,304,753 Total Export of Bullion, Syc. incl. Dollars 4,825,755 Frivate Sycee valued at 2 per ct. premium, and 718 Taels per 1,000 Dollars. South American Silver at 3 per cent. premium. Disbursements on 20 regular Ships a ds. 12,000 each, 3 chartered Ships a ds. 4,000, 26 26 Country Ships a 8,000, and 39 Ships at Lintin a 1,500 each Macao, 31st March, 1833. Balance 518,500 3,971,993 Dollars. 22,304,753 No. XI. IMPORTS. ESTIMATED STATEMENT OF THE BRITISH TRADE AT THE PORT OF CANTON FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31st MARCH, 1834. EXPORTS. On Account of the Hon. Company. Broad Cloth bales 580 yds. 599,815 Taels. 626,769 Dollars. On Account of the Hon. Company. Taels. Dollars. Long Ells 6,220 ps. 124,210 633,471 Black Tea Green Tea. lbs. 23,369,600 Bobea pls. 92,488 Ts. "" 4,977,600 Congo "" 109,177 989,526 2,814,810 Camilets 496 4,960 "1 "" 60,686 Souchong "" 3,370 127,462 British Cotton Piece Goods 1,200 "" "" 30,000 126,000 lbs. 28,347,200 Pekoe 237 11,595 British Cotton Twist 1,000 "" pls. 1,800 66,090 Twankay "" 29,781 812,474 British Iron Lead Cotton, Bengal tons 1,202 20,202 "" 23,273 To England per 22 Ships. Hyson 6,739 "" 343,904 920 ,, "" 15,454 47,908 Hyson Skin 812 "" 22,243 5,122,014 bales 23,821 ,, Bombay Ebony Per H. C. Ships pls. 47,046 Cotton, Bengal Madras 48,709 "" Bombay "" "" 21,978 53,719 62,528 Ts. 628,507 697 972 1,584,197 1,326,479 North American Investment (not yet shipped) 370,604 Mexican Dollars logs 823 141 54 Bar silver equal to ds. to'ds. 128,089 26,941 Cape and St. Helena Stores Stores to Bengal and Madras 20,345 12,276 403,215 On Private Account. 2,910,730 4,042,681 Ds. 155.030 Bullion (charges of shipment included) ds. 155,030 Port Charges on 21 ships 111,622: 80,712 pls. 43,751 a 11 t. 7 m. pr. pl. Ts. "" 3,869 a 12 7 "" "} 276,338 a 10 6 "" 511,887 49,136 2,929,183 Unloading Charges, Canton Factory Expenses, &c. 101,612 182.324 3,490,206 4,847,508 5,19,185 8,082,201 Opium, Patna and Benares chts. 5,345 · 660 ds. pr. cht. Ds. 3,527,700 Black Tea Green Tea 11 Malwa and Demaun "" 8,367 690 "} 5,764,230 "" Patua expected 2,400 600 >> 1,440,000 lbs. 1,827,467 50,267 lbs. 1,877,734 Congo and Caper Congo Souchon and Souchong On Private Account. pls. 9,089 a 21 t. pr. pl. - Ts. 190,869 • 1,468 a 22 "" 32,296 "" Malwa 77 11 1,000 650 }) 650,000 Dollars. To England per 22 Ships, • Pekoe and Orange Pekoe Hyson 19 3,149 a 29 92,321 "" 124 a 47 5,828 chts. 17,112 11,381,930 "" 11,241 1,280 Sandalwood Pepper pls. 3,230 a 11 pr. pl. 37,145 David Clark included. Per Country Ships Gunpowder and Imperial Black Tea 253 a 55 13,915 "" 335,229 "} 2,813 70,058 Green Tea 7,274 21,476 a 81 "" 202,819 177,177 272,877 91 7,382 Rattans 11,661 a 3 "" 34,983 24,170 "" 18,579 Betelnut "" 57,025 a 2 "" 142,562 608,106 844,592 "} 1,290 Putchuck 1,727 a 134 "" 23,314 Per H. C. Ships pls. 1,716 Raw Silk Nankin pls. 4,880 a 334 "} 1,909 Olibanum pr. pl. Ds. 4,444 a 4 >> "" 17,776 Canton "1 1,521 ps. 3,442 Ebony 59 a 275 "" 1,629,920 378,675 Dollars. ܼܝ 2,634 a 3 19 7,902 do. 5th Sort 281 a 68 "} Broadcloth >> ps. 5,772 a 19 19,108 2,027,703 29 p. p. 167,388 Long Ells ps. 3,840 Worleys 139 "" 345 Long Ells, ps. 3,840 a 10 ds. Worleys Camlets 139 a 10 * "} 41,849 • "" ps. 345 a 22 "" 7,590 ps. ds. 16,000 23,440 Nankeen Cloth ps. Silk Piece Goods 8,689 Cotton Piece Goods >" 18,369 a 4 73,176 Sugar Candy ds. 12,875 Printed do. value "" 38,486 Soft Sugar pls. 219 Cotton Twist pls. 943 a 40 pr. pl. >> 14,598 a 20,100 a value 74 pr. 100 ps. pls. 8,471 a 103 44,874 279,356 : 37,720 Cassia Lignea "" 12,594 a 1000 pr. pl. 84 91,063 120,433 "" 100,752 42 Cochineal 42 a 340 "" 19 14.280 7,347 " Lead pls. 863 Steel 950 Lead pls. 1,778 a 4 ds. pr. pl. Steel" Tortoiseshell and Scraps value • 7,822 950 a 43 99 "" 9,352 4,045 Iron ܕܪ 7,974 a 2. 70 cts. pr. pl. 21,5:0 pls. bxs. 2,049 Mother o' Pearl Shells 2,049 a 16 pr. pl. 34,321 200 Vermilion bxs. 3,446 a 34 pr. box 117,164 3,217 Tin 5,762 a 279 Smalts 299 a 16 80 "" 92,192 Camphor pls. 2,363 22 a pr. pl. 51,986 "" "} 23,920 Alum ds. 33,361 Watches and Clocks, value 25,333 ds. Skins Glass ware, value 8,028 ds. . 9,800 "1 6,763 a 2 13,526 33,36! Rhubarb 9 " a 103 927 ,, 18,480 Coral Beads "" 19 8,037 Aniseed Oil 10 a 180 "" 1,800 18,480 ds. 6,309 China Root, Gallangal, Gamboge and Musk value 21,136 Pearls and Diamonds 251,160 Floor Mats 26,191, Table Mats 2,500 Floor Mats and Table Mats 28,691 "" 13.055 Cornelians • 36,850 ds. 13,709 Ivory and Elephants' Teeth Bamboos and Whangees " 14,189 pls. 84 a 74 pr. pl. 6,216 Pearls, False Pearls, and Glass Beads 22,139 Fish Maws 1,472 a 56 Sharks' Fins "" "" "" 82.432 Chinaware 12,775 5,348 a 25 "" 133,700 Paper, Kittisols, Lacquered ware, Fireworks Birds' Nests CS. 630 a 21 pr. cy. 13,230 Brass Leaf b.xs. 68 a 46 pr. box box 94,808 3,128 pls. 125 556 Saltpetre 1,283 Rice "} ds' 2,000 Dollars 14,153 Sundries pls. Cow Bezoar, cs. 400 a 22 ds. Camphor Baroos cs. 173 a 23 ds. pr. cy. Cloves 12,700 Cotton Twist pls. 201 a 42 pr. pl. 8,442 350 a 28 pr. pl. 9 800 Cochineal "" 5,196 a 9 >> "" 11 46,764 5,600 South American Copper 149 a 222 6,033 33,078 a 20 62,336 a 2. 70 cts. pr. pl. 168,397 8,500 61,414 30,682 Sundries (Gold, Silver, Ivory, Tortoiseshell ware, Sweetmeats, Pictures,) &c. Gold 120,660 84,994 375.906 13,241,523 Importation of Opium to the 28th January 1831. On British Acct. Patna and Benares, chts. 5,345 On Portg. Acct. Total. chts. 850 chts. 6,195 Malwa Bombay Demaua 6,038 800 2,329 600 6,838 2,929 Opium on hand, 1st January 1834. Patna, chts. 1,268 Benares 395 Malwa 1,826 Silver Bullion, Sycee South American Silver and Dollars. Disbursements on 20 regular Ships a 12,000 ds., 1 chartered Ship a 4,000 ds., 26 Country Ships a 8,000 ds., and 37 Ships at Lintin a 1,500 ds. oach 4,976,841 8,642,878 507,500 Balance 4,154,541 Dollars. 22,131,712 Dollars. 22,131,712 Canton, 28th January, 1834. chts. 13,712 chts. 2,250 chts. 15,962 chts. 3,489 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN { : 3 9015 02720 7078 ARTES 1837 SCIENTIA VERITAS LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN E PLURIBUS UNUM ATUEBOR QUAERIS PENINSULAM AMOENAME CIRCUMSPICE DO NOT CIRCULATE