China.] 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



457 



entirely, cleared himself from his embarrassments. lie transacts business 

 not only with the Company, but with Country traders, the Americans, and 

 also with the commanders and officers of the Company^ ships. His cha- 

 racter is distinguished by honour and punctuality ; and he possesses great 

 skill in the choice of tea. 



9. Guow-qua, or Tog-yeu, was formerly a linguist. He has failed as 

 a Hong; his small business is with the Company. 



10. King-qua, or Tin-poo, was originally an outside trader, or shop- 

 merchant, on a large scale. He is the shrewdest of the lesser Hongs, and 

 is considered intelligent and safe. He does much with the India traders 

 and the Americans ; and in conjunction with an eminent shop- merchant, 

 named Lin-sbong, has made large purchases from the Company. 



11. Fat-qua, or Man-yune, an inconsiderable merchant, who transacts 

 some trifling business with the Company. 



With these merchants the supracargoes transact all the Company's 

 concerns ; they dispose of the goods imported, and purchase the various 

 commodities of which the homeward cargoes consist. At the close of the 

 season they are generally much indebted to the Company ; the balances 

 amounting to sums of from half a million to a million sterling, exclusive of 

 the imports remaining on hand, and of the teas unshipped, which generally 

 are near half the amount of the sums owing by the merchants. 



Company's Imports from England. — The articles carried by the 

 East India Company to Canton from the United Kingdom, are chiefly 

 woollens. The result of these adventures is extremely fluctuating, some- 

 times realizing a profit, more frequently producing a loss, sometimes to 

 the amount of upwards of 16 per cent. The circumstance of British mer- 

 chants being excluded from China by the provisions of the East India 

 charter, operates upon the Company as a motive to keep the Chinese 

 market well supplied with British manufactures, from a sense of duty to 

 the country ; no other consideration seems assignable for their perseverance 

 in incurring such heavy losses. The speculations of the Americans have in- 

 duced a taste for British cottons, which are now introduced, in small quan- 

 tities, by the Company's ships. 



The quantity of British manufactures imported by the East India 

 Company into Canton in 1821-22 and 1823-23 was as follows : 



1621-22. 1822 23. 



Woollens, r/>.™Broad cloths w No. 13,320 „™ 10,983 



Stripe list cloths «~«™Pieces — ~ — , 285 



Long ells Do. 132,600 105,000 



Embossed long ells Do. 2,800 «™ 2,160 



