Biography of Consequa. Ill 



Art. VIII. Biography of Consequa. 



Our readers will recollect that, in II. 422., we gave the name of the Chinese 

 merchant Consequa, as a specific distinction to a V/istan'a imported from his 

 garden to this country in 1818, and now generally introduced and admired. 

 It appears from a pamphlet published by the late Charles Marjoribanks, M.P., 

 and noticed in the Times newspaper of October 8. 1833, that Consequa, or 

 Conseequa as the name is there spelt, was one of the eleven hong or foreign 

 merchants of Canton, and that he died in 1823. The following short notice 

 of his life may give rise to interesting reflections, when admiring the beautiful 

 lilac bunches of flowers which hang from the tree named after him. As far 

 as we know, this is the first instance of the name of a Chinese being applied 

 to a plant by a European ; and we are happy to think that that Chinese was 

 so deserving and interesting a character. " Consequa was a person of re- 

 spectable family, and very amiable disposition. Unhappily, he associated him- 

 self in trade with American merchants, from whom he received the most 

 ungrateful return ; their debts owing to him being upwards of 500,000/. sterling. 

 He was also most nefariously imposed upon by an Englishman, who came to 

 China with a diploma as Austrian consul, in a frigate sent to China by that 

 government. Consequa was recommended to apply to the court of Vienna 

 for redress. He received in reply a snuff-box, with the Emperor of Austria's 

 picture upon it, and a complimentary letter from Prince Metternich. The 

 snuff-box he was afraid to exhibit, for fear of his being discovered by his 

 jealous government in correspondence with a ' foreign devil barbarian king.' 

 When showing the letter, he used to say, it was full of very handsome words, 

 but that it was very extraordinary it made no mention of his dollars. After 

 being thus plundered of his property by these republican and high monarchical 

 swindlers, he died in misery and a bankrupt." {Times, October 8. 1833.) 



After perusing this account, we applied to Sir G. T. Staunton, who sent us 

 the following extract, lent us six views of Consequa's house and gardens (one 

 of which we have engraved and published in the new edition of the Encyclo- 

 pcedia of Gardening), and procured us some farther information from Sir Jas. 

 B. Arniston, and recommended us to apply to Mr. Reeves. The following 

 extracts are the result : — 



" When I was in China, the name of Conseequa was usually spelt with two 

 e's ; but it is a matter of indifference, as it is an English corruption of his 

 real name among his countrymen, which, I think, would be written Quun-swe- 

 quan, or something like it. 



" The views sent give a very correct idea of Conseequa's establishment 

 about 1806, the era of his greatest prosperity, as well as I recollect it. The 

 best garden about Canton was, I think, that of his relative Puankhequa, 

 whose portrait you may recollect over the chimneypiece in my billiard-room, 

 but I have no views of his garden. I have several others besides these which 

 1 send you, but, as they are fancy views, they are less interesting. 



" The following anecdote I inserted in the second edition of a work of mine 

 now out of print ; and, thinking that it may be acceptable to you, I enclose it. 

 . — Geo. Thos. Staunton. Leigh Park, near Havant, Oct, 17. 1833. 



' In extenuation of another charge against the Chinese, their want of gra- 

 titude, I may, perhaps, be permitted to relate the following anecdote. A con- 

 siderable Chinese merchant at Canton (Conseequa was his name), a relation 

 of the merchant last mentioned, had some dealings with an American trader; 

 who attempted and v/ould have succeeded in quitting the port without dis- 

 charging his debt to the Chinese, but for the spirit and activity of a young 

 officer of one of the English ships. He boarded the American vessel, when 

 upon the point of sailing, and, by his remonstrances or otherwise, prevailed 

 on the American to make a satisfactory arrangement with his creditor. In 

 acknowledgment for this piece of service, the Chinese merchant purchased 

 from this young officer, in his several successive voyages to China, on very 

 avourable terms, the whole of his little commercial adventure, and he might 



