390 cook's voyage to 



DEC. 



the unavoidable delays that would occur in my 

 business, the difficulty of gaining admittance to the 

 viceroy, the jealousies and suspicions of the Man- 

 darines respecting our real designs, which had risen, 

 he said, to an extraordinary height, from the strange 

 account we had given of ourselves. 



After waiting several days with great impatience 

 for the event of our application, without understand- 

 ing that the matter was at all advanced toward a 

 conclusion, I applied to the commander of an 

 English country ship, who was to sail on the 25th, 

 and who offered to take the men and stores on 

 board, and to lie to if the weather should permit, off 

 Macao, till we could send boats to take them out of 

 his ship. At the same time he apprized me of the 

 danger there might be of his being driven with them 

 out to sea. Whilst I was doubting what measures to 

 pursue, the commander of another country ship 

 brought me a letter from Captain Gore, in which he 

 acquainted me that he had engaged him to bring us 

 down from Canton, and to deliver the stores we had 

 procured, at his own risk, in the Typa. All our dif- 

 ficulties being thus removed, I had leisure to attend 

 to the purchase of our provisions and stores, which 

 was completed on the 26th ; and the day following 

 the whole stock was sent on board. 



As Canton was likely to be the most advantageous 

 market for furs, I was desired by Captain Gore to 

 cany with me about twenty sea-otter skins, chiefly 

 the property of our deceased commanders, and to 

 dispose of them at the best price I could procure ; 

 a commission which gave me an opportunity of be- 

 coming a little acquainted with the genius of the 

 Chinese for trade. Having acquainted some of the 

 English supercargoes with these circumstances, I de- 

 sired them to recommend me to some Chinese mer- 

 chant of credit and reputation, who would at once 

 offer me a fair and reasonable price. I was accord- 

 ingly directed to a member of the Hong, a society 



