Early Relations between the United States and China. in 



in ever increasing quantities. 5 A large receiving station for it 

 had grown up at Lintin, near Canton. It was smuggled in at 

 various places along the coast, and a large traffic in it centered 

 at Canton with the more or less open connivance of the Chinese 

 officials. Most of the drug came from India, and through British- 

 channels, but there were few American firms at Canton who had 

 not traded in it from time to time, and some had imported it 

 extensively. 6 As early as 1821 the American consul was served 

 by the hong merchants with a request that all trade in ..opium 

 cease, 7 and the Terranova affair had been complicated by the 

 fact that the &quot;Emily&quot; carried the drug. In the season of 1824^, 

 opium to the value of $133,000 was imported in American ships, 8 

 and in that of 1836-7, $275,921. 9 Neither of these sums is large, 

 however, compared with the total of American imports for these 

 years $6,567,969, and $3,678,696, respectively. 10 It is of inter 

 est, moreover, that in Canton itself the chief foreign opponents 

 of the traffic, aside from the missionaries, were to be found in 

 the American firm of Olyphant and Company. They drew down 

 on themselves a storm of criticism by taking a stand against 

 it. 11 ^^ut 1836 the rapid growth of the trade began to con- 



prohibition dates from a second edict in 1800. Morse, Trade and Admin, 

 of Chinese Empire, p. 329. 



5 The amounts were: 4,000 chests, 1790; 17,000 chests, 1830; 35,000 

 chests, 1838. Foster, Am. Dip. in Orient, pp. 64-75. See too, Murray, 

 Histl. and Descriptive Acct. of China, 3 : 90. 



6 In 1830, one cargo, probably belonging to Thos. H. Perkins and Co., 

 mostly opium, amounted to 160,000 pounds sterling. Testimony of Joshua 

 Bates, Parl. Papers, 1830, 6 : 365. 



7 Hong Merchants to Wilcocks, Nov. 12, 1821. Consular Letters, 

 Canton, I. 



8 Sen. Doc. 31, I Sess., 19 Cong. &quot;C.&quot; 



9 Chin. Rep., 6:284-6. 



10 For the most part, the Americans imported the inferior Turkey 

 opium. In 1836-7, they imported of Benares opium, 5 chests, valued at 

 $3,415, and of Turkey opium, 446 peculs, valued at $272,506. Ch. Rep., 

 6 : 284-286. 



11 They published a letter in the Canton Register, Aug. 21, 1838, against 

 the traffic, and were severely scored editorially in the same paper as a 

 result. Aug. 28, 1838. Four years later Commodore Kearney warned 

 opium ships against using the American flag. Sen. Doc. 139, I Sess,, 

 29 Cong., p. 14. 



