In 1609 the Company appointed a President and Council for ite affairs in China, The first President was Mr. A. Catehpoole, who also received a Commission from the King constituting him to be His Mujesty's Consul-General. Ting-hai on the island of Chusar' was perforce made the resting-place of the Council for 16 months, during which difficulties were constantly met in trying to do business with Ningpo and elsewhere. At the close of their stay, the President and Council in their report to the Directors refer to "having been searce a day free from Insults, Impositions or Hardships from the Mandarins or Merchants, in respect to Trade or Government. The Monopoly and Tyranny of the Mandatins of this place is ce great that we cannot believe it your Honours' Interest to continue at it."
About this time attempts were made by interested persons to have a monopoly of trade in the hands of the imperor's Merchant," who were (From "The Chronicles of Tatas OF tue NerrUNe Sattois, Cantox, 1807 is referred to as "a now monster sprung up at Canton, who, having given Tls. 42,000 at Court' for his employment is invested with authotity to ingross the whole trade with the Europeans, and that no China Merchant shall presume to inter fore with him, unless for a valuable consideration he shall admit him to partnership." This new official was resisted by the Hoppo and other merchants, and superseded by the Ca-hong.
The exclusion of the English from Canton for so long was partly owing to the Portuguese defending their monopoly, but was also largely because the Manchu military authorities did: not venture to give free scope at this important mart to the Cantonese, always inclined to rebellion, and then, and now, the most self-assertive of all the Chinese. A way was broken in 1699 by the Company's shop Macclesfield and each year after that some ships traded at Canton.
The Day of First Things In 1729, when four ships arrived together, "among the privilege: sought from Canton we find a groping after extraterritorial Jurisdietion:—"We desire there may. be no Punch houses erected at Whampo, so that all quarrels tween the sailors and Chinese may be prevented; and that if any of our people should be found to be the aggressors in any Broila between them and the Chinese, that we ourselves only shall inflict such punishments upon them as they shall deserve, and according to the Laws of our Country".
'The first reference to Opium found in 1723, strict prohibition enjoined' by the Company tains, "since upon no co} sideration whatsoever, you ave members of which had to sign or-teither to carry, nor suffer any of it to be carried in your ship China, ax you will answer th trary to the Honourable Company your peril." This continued to be the attitude of the Company for many years, and when a change took place we still find the instruction] "If it shall be made a positive requisition, or an Article of a supposed commercial Treaty, that we should not send any opium to} China, you must accede to it, rather than risk any essential benefit. by contending for liberty in this respect." As late as 1832 the Com-ruttee replying to the Hoppo We beg to state that as the India Company have no con with that traffic, we cannot by swerable for the irregular proceed. ings that may come from it The first British King's ship to visit a Chinese port was the Centurion, under Commodore Anson which' arrived at Maewo in 1742.
The Commodore was urged not to demand an audience of the Viceroy, but while the matter was pending a fire broke out at Canton, doing great damage, and was only checked by the efforts of the Commodore and his seamen. In consequence of these services, the Vicer pointed a day for an interview t which thanks were expressed and the Viceroy wished the Commodore A prosperous voyage to Europe.
Flint the Interpreter trow tittle attention was paid to the Chinese language by foreigners interested in trade-in carly days ie indicated by the Court, in 1762, after over u century. of trading fending out some queries "for. the Purpose of ascertaining. the affinity Between the Exyptian' and. Chinese writing, it being conceived that they fact the "same language.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.