178 | 
ted into the Chinese dominions, but 
under such restrictions as preclude 
all thorough exploration, and ren- 
der it extremely difficult to obtain 
a thorough acquaintance with the 
country and state of society. The 
courage and zeal, with other re- 
spectable qualities and virtues of the 
catholic missionaries, sent out from 
Rome by the College for Propagat- 
ing Christian Faith, opened to the 
Portuguese an admission to a limit- 
ed commerce with the coast of Chi- 
na, above two hundred years ago. 
The missionaries not only gained 
proselytes to their religion, but gave 
a favourable impression of the coun- 
tries from whence they came; nor 
were they backward, by personal 
solicitations, to serve the cause cof 
such of their countrymen, particu- 
larly those of the catholic faith, as 
were engaged in pursuits of com- 
- merce in any of the Chinese ports. 
And the Dutch, though professing 
the doctrines of the protestants, 
about the middle of the last century 
acquired much favour at the court 
of Pekin, by assisting the first Em- 
peror of the Man-chow race of Tar- 
tars, to subdue the pirate Coshinga, 
whose fleets infested the eastern 
coast of China: but the English had 
no opportunity of rendering them- 
selyesacceptableby public services; 
nor had they any other means of 
securing respect for their character, 
or protection for their trade. 
The English adventurers who 
first attempted to trade with China, 
under the auspices of Queen Eliza- 
beth, in the year 1599, were led 
into disputes, and hurried by the 
passion and precipitation incident to 
uncultivated but brave seamen, to 
commit acts of hostility against the 
natives. Those adventurers did not 
possess the advantage of having been 
preceded by any traveller from their 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
own country, who might announce 
at least, the name of his country to 
some advantage; which continued 
to be so little known, even after the 
English had begun to traffic at Can- 
ton, that they were long distinguish- 
ed only by a contemptuous appel- 
lation, importing literally, ‘* The 
carroty-pated race.” ‘They were 
not awowed by any power; they 
did not appear to belong to any na- 
tion; and they were deceived and 
misrepresented by the Portugueze 
and Spaniards, on whose friendship 
they had confided. When the vast 
increase of the English shipping at 
Canton, and their victories in In- 
dia and conquest of the Philippine 
Islands, in 1763, attracted, as they 
must have done, the attention of the 
court of Pekin, and excited a curi- 
osity to know their history,—the an- 
swers made to their enquiries by the 
missionaries, the only Europeans to 
whom they could be addressed, par- 
took, it may be supposed, of nati- 
onal and religious prejudices. 
Though individuals in China 
have been very considerable gainers. 
by foreign commerce, yet the body 
of the people is taught to believe 
that commerce with foreigners is 
admitted, not onthe ground of de- 
riving advantage from it, but agree- 
ably to the precepts inculeated by 
Confucius and other moralists, from 
the mere compassion to strangers, 
who come from the distant and in- 
hospitable regions, to seek for the 
comforts of life in the favoured land 
of China. 
The government of China, enter- 
taining such an opinion of foreign 
trade, rather suffered than sought 
for it. One port only was left 
open for foreign ships; and when 
the season came for their departure, 
every European was compelled to 
embark with them, or leave at least 
the 
