Early Rclafious hctzircn the United States and China. 43 



British Northwest Fur Company, the fort was captured by the 

 British, the "Beaver," sent out next after the "Tonquin," was 

 forced to he idle in Canton through the War of 1812, and the 

 whole magnificent project went to pieces with great loss to its 

 originator. 



The development of fresh sources of furs was only one of the 

 attempts to find a substitute for specie which were made in the 

 years following 1790. Identical in motive with the fur trade 

 w^as a long series of voyages to the South Seas which had as 

 their object the securing of sandal wood, heche de mer and 

 various other products of those regions."* 



The first of these articles to play a part in the American-China 

 commerce was sandal wood. Just how and when the trade in it 

 started is uncertain. There is a story unsupported by other evi- 

 dence, and almost certainly unauthentic, that one of Astor's 

 early ships found it on the Hawaiian Islands, took it aboard for 

 firewood, and on reaching Canton was surprised to learn its 

 value. "^ Delano says that as early as 1790 some of it was 

 brought to Canton from the Sandwich Islands, but that not 

 being the valuable variety it was sold at a loss.'"' The first 

 certain date is March 10, 1792, when Vancouver found on one 

 of the Hawaiian Islands some men whom Kendrick had left 



'^* Bcchc dc liter, a kind of sea slug found on the shallow reefs in 

 tropical seas, when cleaned and cured is much esteemed by the Chinese 

 as food. (Descriptions of it are in William G. Dix, Wreck of the Glide, 

 with recollections of the Fijis and of Wallis Island. New York and 

 London. 1848. pp. 1-30.) Sandal wood is an aromatic wood from a 

 small tree which grows in the tropics and sub-tropics, and is used exten- 

 sively in China for cabinet work and for incense. (Chinese Rep., 2:469.) 

 Other articles from the South Seas were brought in minor quantities, 

 such as tortoise shell, edible birds' nests, mother of pearl, and sharks' 

 fins. (Fanning, Voyages to the S. Seas, p. 155. Ruschenberger, Voyage 

 round the World, p. 242.) 



"^Barrett, Old Merchants in New York City, 1:421. He says tliat the 

 trade was kept secret for seventeen years, while we have evidence of 

 others being engaged in it as early as 1792. 



'*' Delano, Voyages, 399. This statement was made in 1801 and he says 

 that he saw it brought there, so that the story seems authentic. He may 

 refer to Kendrick's venture, but in this case he would be off a year in 

 his reckoning. 



