Jfc The VO Y 
The fame Perfon who made this Computation* informs 
us, that the Province of Canton pays yearly to the Empe- 
ror 1,200,000 Peculs of Rice, and 20,000 Peculs of Salt ; 
out of which is ferved to the Military, who are reckoned 
80,000, continually kept in the Emperor’s Pay, 32,000 
Peculs of Rice, and 8000 Peculs of Salt *, the reft is fold 
in Markets, at the common Price of five Maices a Pecul ; 
which may amount to 446,000 Tayals ; which is appro- 
priated towards the Payment of the Military Expence, 
vvhicn may amount to r, 000,000 of Tayals yearly. The 
Cuftoms on Merchandize, and Poll-money, amount to 
prodigious great Sums, all which are gathered according 
to the Book of Rates, and fent to the Treafury of the Pro- 
vince, for the Ufe of the Emperor *, which makes the Em- 
peror’s Treafury always full. 
Canton is the Port of China , in which not only the beft 
Part of the European Trade is carried on, but that alfo from 
which the Chinefe themfelves carry on moft of their Foreign 
irade, which is very confiderable. In the Month of 
March they fend annually a Fleet to Cochin China , laden 
with very rich Goods, moftly of their own Manufactures ; 
from whence they bring in Return different Affortments of 
Goods, moft of which they export again to Japan or Bata- 
via ; their Veffels return towards the latter End of July. 
Their Commerce to Camboya is carried on by an annual 
Fleet, which fails in the Month of January. The Returns 
they bring from thence are Sapan-wood, Elephants Teeth, 
Tack, dreffed Hides of all Kinds, together with the Skins 
of Birds, and their Feathers on them •, as alfo Abundance 
of Drugs, from Canton to Tonquin is a Voyage of ten 
Days, or a Fortnight ; they fail in January , and return in 
July ; They bring from thence Raw Silk, which is very 
good ; Mudies, which is a Sort of Stuff made of the Bark 
of Trees ; Wrought Silks, Calicoes, and Cinnamon, but 
it is not very ftrong. 
The Ships deftined for Siam fail about the Middle of 
November •, they ufually fpend a Month in their Paffage, 
but they do not return to Canton till towards the End of 
July. The Commodities they bring from thence are moft 
of them exported again, either in grofs, or manufactured. 
Their Commerce with Batavia is very extenfive-, the Ships 
engaged in it ulually fail in the Beginning of the Month 
of December , and arrive there in January they leave Ba- 
tavia again in the Beginning of June, and reach Canton in 
the Month of July : The Diftance between thefe Ports is 
ufually reckoned 700 Leagues. As they pay the Dutch 
Eafi-India Company Four per Cent, for all they bring in, 
and make their Returns almoft intirely in Goods, they pay 
no Duties outwards. The Goods they export are ufually, 
fine Gold, Tutenagoe, Gold Wire, China, Earthen-ware 
of all Sorts, Quickfilver, Tea of all Sorts, Wrought Silks 
of different Kinds, Copper,, Anifeed, Vermilion, Mufk, 
Rhubarb, Borax, Glafs. of different Sorts, vaft Quantities 
of Raw Silks. They bring from thence, in Return, Lead, 
Tin, Pepper, Camphire, Perfumes, Coral, Mats of dif- 
ferent Sorts, Myrrh, Nutmegs, Cloves, Amber, Sugar- 
candy, and a vaft Quantity of Drugs. 
We have already given an Account of the great Com- 
merce they carry on in Japan , and have more than once 
mentioned their Trade to Manila .. This City lies at the 
Diftance of two hundred Leagues from Canton , and the 
Chinefe Junks go thither in March , and return in July. 
They export almoft all the Commodities and Manufactures 
of China thither •, and bring back Pearls, Sapan-wood, 
Hides, and Silver. The Chinefe fend annually a great 
many Ships to Achin , or, as they pronounce it in the 
Indies , Atcheen : Each of thefe Ships is manned by five 
or fix Europeans ; the reft of the Ship’s Crew are Moors , 
or, as they call them in the Indies , Lafcars. The Super- 
cargoes, or Merchants only, are Chinefe. The Seafon of 
their Sailing is towards the End of October , that they may 
arrive in the Beginning of December at Achin, and have 
time enough to proceed from thence to the Maldives. This, 
is a very rich Commerce, and care is taken to affort their 
Goods in fuch a manner, as that they may fuit the Markets 
of Surat , Achin , and the Maldives. It is to be obferved, 
that, throughout all the Trade they carry on in the Indies, 
the Chinefe mingle European Commodities with their own - x 
4 
AGES of Book I. 
and, where-ever they traffick, they are fure to be confider- 
able Gainers. 
As to their Trade with the Europeans , we fhall hereafter 
be obliged to fpeak of it very copioufly, and explain the 
different Circumftances that have attended it in this Empire,. 
At prefent, we fhall conclude our Account of the Trade 
of Canton , by cbferving, that, befides all this foreign 
Trade, they carry on a prodigious Commerce with the 
Inhabitants of the different Parts of their own Empire, and 
this in feveral Ways ; for the Inhabitants of this City 
are exceedingly induftrious, very ingenious, and, withal, 
have the Advantage of working after European Models 5 fo 
that there is a prodigious Quantity of all Sorts of Goods 
manufactured in the City and Suburbs, and expoftd to 
Sale in their Shops, where they are bought by thofe who 
come from other Provinces, to vend their own Commo- 
dities to the Europeans. 
The Merchants of Canton alfo, as they have the Con- 
venience of excellent Water-carriage, not only to Peking , 
which is the Capital of the Empire, but likewife into moft 
of the Provinces, freight abundance of ftnall Veffels, 
and fome of a confiderable Size, with their Goods, and 
difpofo of them every-where to great Advantage. Add to 
all this, that they carry on a large Commerce by Sea with 
the Illand of Hainam , which is fi tuated about ninety 
Leagues to the South-weft of the River Canton \ which, 
becaufe it is lefs known, deferves a more particular Ex- 
planation. The Word Hai-nan figniffes in Chinefe the 
South of the Sea, which fhews the Situation of the Coun- 
try. This Illand is abdut feventy Leagues from Eaft to 
Weft, and about forty-five from North to South •, the 
North Part of the Illand is a Plain, for about fifteen 
Leagues from the Shore ; then the Mountains, begin, 
which extend themfelves into the Southern and Eaftern 
Parts. The Chinefe are poffeffed only of the Coaft of this 
Illand ; the interior Part of the Country being ftill in the 
Hands of the Natives, who, from the Height of their 
Mountains, and the Thicknefs of their Forefts, have hi- 
therto efcaped the Yoke both of the Chinefe and Tartars . 
That Part of the Country which is poffeffed by the Chinefe , 
is pleafant and fruitful, but, at certain Seafons of the Year, 
is not very wholfome ; and, therefore, though it is almoft 
the only Place to which Ships can fail at any time of the 
Year, yet they ufually fond their Veffels thither in the 
Month of November , laden with the Goods and Manu- 
factures of Canton ; for which they receive in Exchange 
fine Gold, of which there is Plenty in the Illand, Aguila. 
Wood, and other rich Commodities, which they vend 
throughout all Parts of the Empire, and even export to 
Japan , with large Profit. 
On the Whole, therefore, their various Branches of 
Commerce being confidered, there is nothing incredible in 
what our Travellers relate, of there being feldom lefs than 
5000 Sail of trading Junks, befides fmaller Veffels, lying 
continually in this Port. The antient Chinefe Emperors 
were extremely jealous of Foreigners, and put them under 
almoft as many Reftriftions as the Monarch of Japan ; 
and, before the Tartars had completed their Conqueft of 
China, they were likewife in much the fame Difpofition. 
But the late, and the prefont Emperor, have acted in quite 
another manner, and have opened their Ports of Canton and 
Amoy to all Nations •, but ftill continue to impofo high 
Duties, and to put the Merchants under various Re- 
ftrictions, conformable to the Genius of the Chinefe Na- 
tion, and the Maxims of their Policy. V/ e cannot form 
a better Idea of the Nature of their Government, than 
from the Defcription given of it, by an Author perfectly 
acquainted therewith, in a fingle Line : The Empire of 
China fays he, is a City of 1200 Leagues in Extent. By 
which he meant, that the Whole of this vaft Country is as 
exactly regulated, and the Inhabitants as effectually re- 
ftrained within the Bounds of their Duty, as if the Whole 
was but one City, and under the Eye of the fame Ma- 
giftrates. 
But, notwithftanding the vaft Extent of the City of 
Canton , and the prodigious Number of its Inhabitants, we 
are not to imagine, that it is the only confiderable Place in 
the Province > or that the other Cities, and great Towns, 
are 
