346 EUROPEANS SUBJECT TO FRAUD. 



the government and the country dealer to be 

 conducted by linguists and Hong merchants ; first, 

 as agents for the payment of their duties to the 

 government ; and again, as interpreters and brokers 

 for the sale and purchase of the commodities they 

 exchanged. Thus they became exposed to gross 

 frauds and much calumny in all their relations 

 with the government and the people, and speedily 

 fell completely into the power of these agents. 

 Mr. Pigou speaks with much naivete on this subject. 

 He observes, — " The English trading directly with 

 the merchant who brought his goods to Canton, 

 the agency of the Hong merchant was required, 

 because the country merchant did not speak English! ' 



Canton, also, being the capital of the province 

 and the residence of a viceroy, possessed an im- 

 mense advantage over the other ports of trade, as 

 Amoy, Ning-po, and Chusan, in all that regards 

 influence at the court of Peking. The government 

 officers of these latter ports were altogether of a 

 very low grade. 



Europeans also, finding that they were much 

 exposed to insult, vexation, and extortion from the 

 low and corrupt officers who presided over the 

 northern ports, often adopted the expedient of 

 anchoring their ships outside the port of Canton on 

 their way northward, in order first to try what 

 terms or arrangements they could effect with the 

 merchants and custom-house officers of that port ; 

 and, as it obviously was the interest of all parties 



