. ~ C_ H ] 
t]a£e matters, fuceeeded in his negociation: he adjlifted, 
every difficulty, to the fatisfaftion of both parties; and, 
on his departure, Laurence Lange was permitted to re¬ 
main at Pekin, for the purpofe of fuperintending the 
■condudl of the Radians, The refidence of this gentle¬ 
man -in that metropolis was, however, but Ihort; for he 
was foots after compelled to leave China in hade. His 
'fudden difmidion was owing partly to a caprice of the 
Chinefe, and partly to a mifunderftanding between the 
-two courts, refpefhng foine Mogul tribes who bordered 
upon Siberia. Thefe tribes had thrown themfelves un¬ 
der the protection of Rudia, and were demanded by the 
Chinefe. Their requelt was not complied with; and this 
refulal, added to the dilorderly conduft of the Ruffians, 
who s again began to indulge in excefles, fo exafperated 
the Chinefe, that an order was ifiued, in 1722, for their 
expuldon 5 and all intercourfe between the two nations 
immediately ceafed. 
Affairs continued in this date till 1727, when a Dal¬ 
matian, in the lervice of Rudia, was difpatched to Pekin. 
Matters were again accommodated by a new treaty; a 
Caravan was allowed to go to Pekin every three years, 
provided it confided of no more than an hundred per¬ 
son s ; and that, during their (tay, their expences fhould 
be no longer defrayed by the emperor of China. A per- 
million was at the fame time obtained by the Rudians for 
building a church within the precinCfs of their caravan- 
fa ry ; and, for the celebration of divine fervice, four 
priefts were allowed fo refide at Pekin. The fame favour 
was alio extended to lome Ruffian fcholars, for the pur¬ 
pofe of learning the Chinefe language, in order to qua¬ 
lify themfelves for interpreters between the two nations. 
This treaty was concluded on the fpot where Kiatka now 
ftands, by count Ragufinlki, and three Chinefe plenipo¬ 
tentiaries, on the 14th of June, 1728. It is the bafis upon 
which all the fubfequent traniaftions between Ruffia and 
China have been founded. 
Since the year 1755,^0 caravans have been fent to Pe¬ 
kin. Their fird difcontinuance was occafioned by a mif- 
undeidanding between the two courts of Peterlburgh and 
Pekin; and, though a reconciliation took place, the ca¬ 
ravans have never fince been re-edabliOied. The late 
emprefs of Ruffia, fenfible that the monopoly of the fur- 
trade, which was entirely confined to the caravans be¬ 
longing to the crown, and prohibited to individuals, was 
prejudicial to copamerce, in 1762, die wifely gave up, in 
favour of her fubjefils, the exclufive privilege which the 
crown enjoyed, offending caravans to Pekin; and Kiat¬ 
ka, a place near the Rufiian frontiers, is now the centre 
of commerce between the two nations. 
This commerce is entirely a trade of barter. The Ruf¬ 
fians are prohibited an exportation of their own coin ; and 
they find it more advantageous to take goods in ex¬ 
change, than to receive bullion at the Chinefe dandard. 
The principal commodities which Ruffia exports to Chi¬ 
na, are furs, the mod valuable of which are thofe of fea- 
otters, beavers, foxes, wolves, martens, and ermines. 
The greater part of thefe fkins are brought from Siberia, 
and the newly-difcovered idands; but, as they cannot 
furnifh a fupply equal to the demand, foreign furs are 
imported to Peterlburgh, and thence tranfported to Ki¬ 
atka. England alone furnilhes a large quantity of bea¬ 
ver’s and other Ikins, chiedy procured from the Ameri¬ 
can fettlements. According to Mr. Coxe, the number 
of Ikins exported to Peterlburgh in the year 1777, amount¬ 
ed to tw-enty-feven thoufand three hundred and fixteen 
beaver, and ten thoufand feven hundred and three otter 
Ikins. The Ruffians alio fend to China cloth of various 
kinds, hardware, and live cattle, fuch as camels, horles, 
&c. The commodities procured from China are raw and 
manufactured lilk, cotton, porcelain of all forts, rhubarb, 
3nulk, &c. The government of Rudia has referved to 
itfelf the exclufive privilege of purchafing rhubarb : it is 
brought to Kiatka by fome Bucharian merchants, who 
have entered into a contract to fupplv that country with 
VOL. IV. No. 212. 
N A. 469 
it in exchange for furs. The exportation of the bed 
rhubarb is prohibited by the Chinefe, under the fevered 
penalties: it is, however, procured in fufficient quanti¬ 
ties, fometimes by clandeltinely mixing it with inferior 
roots, and fometimes by means of a contraband trade* 
Great part of Europe is fupplied with this drug through 
Ruffia. 
All this time the Engliffi feem to have bad but little 
opportunity of making themfel ves known at the court of 
Pekin, or of refeuing their national character from an 
odium which had been cad upon it, in confequence of 
the following commercial adventure, and fpirited at¬ 
tempt to force a trade with the Chinefe at Canton. 
This happened in the following manner. At the dole 
of the lixteenth century, John Mildenhall was lent out 
by order of queen Elizabeth, to the court of the great 
Mogul, to obtain certain commercial advantages for the 
Englilh. JHe was there drongly oppofed by the Spanifh. 
and Portuguefe Jefuits, who, from craft and prefents, 
contrived to frultrate its completion for fome years. 
The exclufive privilege of reforting thither was claimed 
by the Portuguefe till the year 1634, when a free trade 
to China, as well as to other parts of the Ead Indies* 
was agreed upon between the viceroy of Goa, and a 
company of Englilh' merchants, purfuant to a licence 
granted for that purpofe by Charles I. though in oppofi- 
tion to an exiding charter of queen Elizabeth, which de¬ 
legated that immunity to others. This company of 
merchants fitted out a fleet of (hips, and gave the com¬ 
mand to captain Weddel, who being furnilhed with cor- 
refpondent letters to the governor of Macao, could forefee 
no obdacle to prevent an intercourfe with the Chinefe at 
Canton. It feems, however, thatthe procurator of Mac- 
cow, or, as it would appear, the Portuguefe conful, on 
the fleet’s arrival off that place, went on-board the com¬ 
modore’s ffiip, and laid, “ that as to matters of refrefh- 
ment, he would provide them ; but that there was an 
obffacle to their trading, which was, the non-confent ofi 
the Chinefe, who, he pretended, held his (the Portu¬ 
guefe) people in miferable fubjeflion. In the Hidory of 
Commerce, whence this article is extra&ed, we are far¬ 
ther informed, that the Engliffi, mortified at the difap- 
pointment, were determined to difeover, if poffible, the 
river leading to Canton. A barge and pinnace, with 
about fifty men, were accordingly fent out to explore,, 
and in. the courfe of two days they came in fight of the 
mouth of the river, the entrance of which was prohi¬ 
bited even to the Portuguefe; and who, in confequence, 
carried on their traffic in f'mall craft, through circuitous 
narrow flraits amid various iflands. The Chinefe, alarm¬ 
ed at the appearance of thefe vefiels within their pre- 
cimSfs, came down the river, oppofite a fort or caftle, 
with twenty fail of junks, mounted with ordnance, treble- 
manned, and commanded by an admiral, who defired 
them to come to an anchor. Having complied, the Chi¬ 
nefe began to expollulate on their temerity in coming 
thither to infpecl their manufafihires, and explore the in¬ 
terior parts of fo great a prince’s dominions; and afked 
who were their pilots. Being told that they came from 
England to exercife a free trade for the mutual ad van¬ 
tage of both princes, paying the accultomed duties, like 
others ; that they were without pilots, and were able, of 
themfelves, to difeover pafiages infinitely more intricate 
and dangerous; they began to relax their aufterity, and 
promii’ed to introduce three of them to the Chinefe 
viceroy at Canton, provided they would proceed no far¬ 
ther in their pinnace. This was agreed to, and the next 
day, being within five leagues of Canton, (the alarm 
having reached that city,) a deputation waited on them, 
and defired them, in a friendly manner, to return to their 
fliips ; with an aflurance, that if they would apply to 
certain perl'ons at Maccow, they fliould have a licence 
granted them for the exercife of a free trade. This was 
nothing but an artifice ; for their requeft being complied 
with, fix vefiels belonging to the Portuguefe, laden wit h 
6 D merchandize. 
