Ml 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



[China: 



between Canton and the British settlements, especially Bengal and Bombay. 

 The Bengal China trade forms nearly one-seventh of the tolal imports, and 

 one-third of the gross imports of Bengal, exclusive of the trade with Great 

 Britain. The articles are tea, tutenague, nankeens, velvets, silk, raw and 

 wrought, camphire, paper, toys, cassia, rhubarb, &c. 



The principal articles of import at Canton from ihe British settlements 

 are cotton and opium. 



Cotton in general will turn out a surplus at Chine, from various causes. 

 In India you generally get a pound in each draught, besides the turn of the 

 scale; the bales accumulate dust and dirt before sent on hoard, the quantity 

 of grease used in stowing them, and the cotton itself imbibing moisture on 

 the voyage ; as it has been found, where ships were a little leaky, without 

 doing any material damage, they have delivered the greatest surplus. At 

 China it is customary to deliver to a standing beam, or as near as possible: 

 a bottle of wine and a few sweetmeats given to the Mandarins on board, 

 are of material service ; it makes them civil, and you can get them to do 

 many things : in trivial matters it is better to yield rather than dispute ; but 

 in matters of consequence, be stedfast, and you will carry your point. 



Cotton is sent to Canton in boats called chops, which carry 55 draughts or 

 bales; and all weighable articles are by the same number of draughts, whether 

 of 4 or 7 Cwt. ; consequently in tin, iron, or lead, the heavier you can 

 make your draughts, the less number of chops will be necessary; and as that 

 charge is paid by the seller, you will save expence, and in many days save 

 time also. The musters of cotton should be drawn in India by a handful 

 from each bale, packed into two or three small bales, and sent on board to 

 be kept at band, and marked " Musters ; w and when the cargo is sold, they 

 should be produced as a muster of the whole, whereby no dispute can arise 

 on account of the quality ; for should there be an inferior cotton on board, 

 the Chinese will take advantage of it, and make a deduction from the 

 price agreed Open. 



x\ll damaged bales should be weighed in the state they are in, and a 

 deduction made for the supposed damaged cotton, by which means you are 

 certain of having the weight of all the good cotton ; whereas if you cut out 

 the damaged, you must certainly lose some of the good with it, and the 

 people who are sent by the Chinese merchants to weigh the cotton, are not 

 judges of the quantity of water the bale may contain ! although they think 

 there may be 30 lbs. damaged, it often happens there are 50 lbs. of water in 

 the bale. 



