CHINA. 



383 



would have you send us jearly five or six canisters 

 of the very best and freshest thea. That which 

 will colour the water in which it is infused most 

 of a greenish complexion, is generally best accept- 

 ed." The import for general use had, it appears, 

 been chiefly a private concern of the officers ; but 

 the market had thereby been so much over-stocked, 

 that " trash thea from Bantam" had been sold for 

 4d. and 6d. a-pound. The trade was now, there- 

 fore, to be carried on altogether by the company 

 themselves. Its progress, however, was severely 

 checked by the imposition, in 1689, of an enor- 

 mous duty of 5s. a-pound, which rendered it im- 

 possible to introduce with advantage any teas ex- 

 cept those of the very finest description. In 1693, 

 the staple commodities are said to have been Nan- 

 king silks, damasks, satins, velvets, gold thread, 

 raw-silk, China and lacquered ware, a good quantity 

 of fine tea, some fans and screens. In 1699, there 

 were ordered 300 tubs (chests) of the finer green 

 teas, and eighty of bohea. 



In 1701, Chusan, Amoy, ana Canton, were the 

 ports with which the company's trade was carried 

 on; the first was deemed the most desirable, but 

 they were compelled to quit it the following 

 year, though afterwards induced to return. The 

 company soon, however, acknowledged that "they 

 were weary of the trade to Chusan and Amoy ;" 

 and they seem at one time to have intended to for- 

 sake those ports, and use Banjarmassin, in the 

 island of Borneo, as a dep&t. It was found, how- 

 ever, that at Canton the traffic could be conducted 

 on a considerable scale ; the factors were, indeed, 

 exposed to many hardships, and had ground for 

 heavy complaints, but the increasing importance of 

 the tea-trade made the company willing to encoun- 

 ter many difficulties. 



In 1715, the intercourse with Canton, according 

 to Mr Auber, had assumed somewhat of the char- 

 acter of a regular trade. At stated seasons ships 

 were despatched from England, each having a su- 

 percargo, to conduct the sales and purchases. 

 These vessels proceeded first to Macao, and thence 

 to the Bocca Tigris, where the supercargoes were 

 admitted to an audience with the hoppo, or Chinese 

 commissioner of customs, with whom they stipu- 

 lated for certain privileges, such as the enjoyment 

 of free trade with all Chinese, without distinction, 

 liberty to hire Chinese servants, to purchase pro- 

 visions, &c., for their factory and ships, and other 

 similar articles. 



In 1736, the emperor, Keen-lung, (who reigned 

 till 1796,) ascended the throne, and the year of 

 his accession was marked by the abolition of an 

 oppressive duty of 4 per cent., although the boon 

 was coupled with conditions utterly inadmissible, 

 and which the Chinese were therefore bribed to 

 connive at the neglect of. About this time, also, 

 commenced the security-system, from which the 

 British trade has so severely suffered. A few mer- 

 chants, called the Hong, were nominated, one of 

 whom was required, on the arrival of every Eng- 

 lish ship, to become security for the regular pay- 

 ment of the duties; in return for which the repre- 

 sentatives of the company were obliged to allow 

 him a corresponding advantage. These persons, 

 burdened by the above obligation, and having also 

 10,000 to remit in presents to the imperial court, 

 found it necessary to indemnify themselves by an 

 exorbitant price laid on the commodities. 



The increased annoyance to which the English 

 trade at Canton was exposed, led the company to 



seek to re-open the communication with Amoy. 

 But they found their condition still worse at that 

 port ; and were prevented from continuing the at- 

 tempt, if they had been disposed to do so, by the 

 decree which Keen-lung issued in 1757, strictly 

 limiting the intercourse of Europeans to Canton. 

 This made no change in the actual course of the 

 English trade, which had long centred in that port ; 

 yet it acted unfavourably on the interest of the 

 factory. Hitherto, amid all their grievances, the 

 threat of removing to another, and thus depriving 

 the mandarins of the emoluments which they de- 

 rived from the traffic, had been used with the most 

 beneficial effect. Now, the only menace left to 

 them was, that of quitting China altogether, a 

 design which neither party could believe to be 

 seriously entertained. 



In 1759, two years after Canton had obtained a 

 monopoly of the trade, when the authorities were 

 no longer restrained by the apprehension that for- 

 eigners would resort elsewhere, the limitation of 

 our dealings to a few licensed Chinese was made 

 part of the established system of trade, and those 

 individuals, designated Security or Hong merchants, 

 were regularly incorporated under the name of the 

 "Cohong," with whom Europeans were permitted 

 to deal ; all transactions with other Chinese, excep- 

 ting, indeed, petty shop-keepers, being declared 

 illegal. 



In 1771, the supercargoes congratulated them- 

 selves on having procured the dissolution of this 

 obnoxious cohong, at the cost of 100,000 taels, 

 (from 30,000 to 35,000,) which they actually 

 expended on the occasion. In 1779-80, however, 

 the same cohong appears again in full operation, 

 and was made the instrument, as it has continued 

 ever since, of levying an additional tax on foreign 

 trade, under the designation of Corisoo Fund. 



In the year 1833 an act was passed providing 

 that the exclusive trade to China enjoyed by the 

 East India Company should cease, from April 22, 

 1834, the company, indeed, being obliged to close 

 all their commercial transactions from that day. 

 In the same year another act was passed, regulat- 

 ing the manner in which the open trade, thus per- 

 mitted, should be carried on ; and this act provided 

 for the appointment of a superintendant of the 

 China trade ; to whom, residing in China, were 

 granted the powers deemed necessary for the pur- 

 poses of commerce. The first person appointed to 

 this office was the late lord Napier, a captain in 

 the navy ; who received instructions to repair to 

 Canton, for the purpose of discharging its duties. 

 On the 14th of July, 1834, his lordship arrived, in 

 the Andromache, at Macao ; and soon after sailed 

 for Canton, which he reached on the 25tb. 



Before lord Napier's arrival at Canton, all his 

 movements had been closely watched by the Chi- 

 nese government. A report was made that an Eng- 

 lish vessel of war, having on board a barbarian eye, 

 (foreign officer of rank), had anchored at Cabreta 

 Point, near Macao. Hereupon Loo, the governor 

 of Canton, having understood that the English 

 company was dissolved, and judging that this new 

 officer was to supply the place of their tae-pan, or 

 supercargo, issued an order that the hong-mer- 

 chants should proceed to Macao, and ascertain 

 what were the circumstances under which the 

 trade was now to be conducted, and the regula- 

 tions that would thence become necessary. Notice 

 was given at the same time, that until a full report 

 was made to the governor, and his consent obtained, 



