Early Relations betzveen the United States and China. 29 



The effect of the first of these on American commerce is too 

 well known to require detailed treatment here. The United 

 States were made the common carriers of Europe. The care- 

 fully erected trade barriers which had threatened to crush their 

 commercial life were obliterated almost in a day. Large por- 

 tions of the Continent and of the West Indies were thrown open 

 to their goods. The result on the trade with China was to give 

 a wider market for tea, and to provide specie and other com- 

 modities needed for cargoes to Canton. Between 1801 and 181 1 

 from a fourth to a half of each year's imports of tea were re-ex- 

 ported from the United States. The embargo year of 1808 fell 

 much below this average, but the following year made up for 

 the deficit, since by drawing on the accumulated stocks Americans 

 actually exported more tea than they imported.® In addition they 

 took many cargoes directly from China to Europe without 

 re-exportation. 



The second group of events was of far less immediate impor- 

 tance in dollars and cents," but in picturesqueness, in geo- 

 graphical and political results, and in territorial extent, it is of 

 great interest. Moreover, it belonged so peculiarly to the China 

 trade and had such important results that it demands a somewhat 

 detailed treatment. 



The dearth of specie impelled American merchants to seek 

 some acceptable but less expensive substitute for the Canton 

 market. Ginseng was wanted in only limited amounts, and the 

 United States seemed for a time to have no other native product 

 which would attract the Chinese fancy. Within a few years, 

 however, there was found a demand for furs, for sandal wood, 

 and for various products of the South Seas, and with this demand 

 came the discovery and development of fresh sources of supply 

 of these articles. The search for these classes of merchandise 

 gave rise to important branches of the Canton trade which we 

 must now describe. 



The fur trade rose to meet a longstanding demand. Chinese 

 houses were unheated, and warm dress was required to counter- 



° Pitkin, Stat. View, ed. 1835, pp. 246-247. 



^ The importation of furs to Canton, for instance, was never more than 

 fifteen per cent of our total imports into that port. 



