Earh' Relations between the United States and China. 69 



H. Fanning also engaged in it in these early years. '^ But it was 

 not until after the war that great firms began to dominate the 

 trade. Of these Thomas H. Smith had the most meteoric course. 

 Entering in the period of expansion which followed the treaty 

 of peace, he was soon exporting on a large scale.'- He went 

 into the business too extensively, however, and failed in 1827, 

 owing the custom house three million dollars.'" Another firm, 

 more stable, noted for its non-importation of opium and its 

 friendliness to missionaries, was Olyphant and Company, 

 D. W. C. Olyphant, its head, had gone out to Canton in 1820^* 

 and again in 1826 as the agent of Thomas H. Smith, and when 

 in 1827 the latter failed, he returned to New York and organized 

 the firm which bore his name.'^^ 



Turning to Philadelphia, we come to the southernmost of the 

 three ports which controlled the China trade in these later years. 

 Robert Morris had had a share in the "Empress of China" and 

 had later sent out several vessels of his own, including the famous 

 "Alliance." In 1806 thirteen ships arrived from Canton,^*' and 

 in 1839 and 1840, seven different vessels were employed in the 

 trade.'" Some of the principal firms were Eyre and Massey 

 (1803- 1 845), one of whose ships made eight round trips to 

 China,'- Charles Wharton,''^ Jones and Clark,*'' John Clement 



The first manuscript mention I find is of the ship "Severn" which he 

 sent out in Jan., 1802, joining some other merchants in the investment. 

 See Letter Books, N. Y. Custom House. 



'^ See Letter Books of N. Y. Custom House, and Store Book of Oliver 

 Wolcott and Co., Ms. in New York Historical Society's Library, pp. 162, 

 167, 83, 84. 24, 59, 32. 



'■$1,311,057.22 in 1824 and nearly $1,740,000 in 1825. Sen. Doc. 31, i 

 Sess., 19 Cong. He had seven ships regularly employed. Hunter, Fan 

 Kwae at Canton, p. i. He went out on one of these ships in the employ 

 of Smith. 



■' Barrett. Old Mercs, of N. Y. City, p. 33. 



"Mrs. Robert Morrison, Memoirs of the Life and Lubors of Robert 

 Morrison, 2 v., London, 1839, 2:86. 



'" Hunter, Fan Kwae at Canton, p. 15. 



■^"Adam Seybert, Statistical Annals. Philadelphia, 1818, p. 55, from the 

 Custom House Records. 



'''Consular Letters, Canton, HL The figures for other cities were, 

 Providence, i, New York, 10, Boston, 12, Salem, 4, Baltimore, 2. 



~^ Abraham Ritter, Philadelphia and Her Merchants, as Constituted 



