THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
fairs in Europe, made ns the more exceedingly anxious 
to haften our departure as much as poffible; and I, there- v 
fore, renewed my attempt to procure a paftage to Canton,, 
but without effedt. The difficulty arifing from the efta- 
bliffied policy of the country, I was now told, would proba¬ 
bly be much increafed by an incident that had happened 
a few weeks before our arrival. Captain Panton, in the 
Seahorfe, a ffiip of war of twenty-four guns, had been fent 
from Madras, to urge the payment of a debt owing by the 
Chinefe merchants of Canton to private Britiffi fubjedfcs 
in the Eaft Indies and Europe, which, including the prin¬ 
cipal and compound intereft,, amounted, I underftood, to 
near a million fterling. For this purpofe, he had or¬ 
ders to inlift on an audience with the Viceroy of Can¬ 
ton, which, after fome delay, and not without recourfe 
being had to threats, was, at length, obtained. The an- 
fwer he received, on the fubjedt of his million, was fair 
and fatisfadtory; but, immediately after his departure, an 
edidt was ftuck up on the houfes of the Europeans, and 
in the public places of the city, forbidding all foreigners, 
on any pretence, to lend money to the fubjedts of the Em¬ 
peror. 
This meafure had occafioned very lerious alarms at Can¬ 
ton. The Chinefe merchants, who had incurred the debt 
contrary to the commercial laws of their own country, and 
denied, in part, the juftice of the demand, were afraid that 
intelligence of this would be carried to Pekin; and that 
the Emperor, who has the charadter of a juft and rigid 
prince, might puniftx them with the lofs of their fortunes, 
if not of their lives. On the other hand, the Seledt Com¬ 
mittee, to whom the caufe of the claimants was ftrongly 
recommended by the Preftdency of Madras, w r ere extremely 
apprehenfive, 
421 
1-779. 
December. 
