IN MEMORIAL 
 Henry Byron Phillips 
 
LEY. CALIFORNI 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 WAS SOLD . O 
 
 BYRCXISk PHILLIPS 
 
 -CLVt 
 
 FOR. 
 
REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS 
 
 A VOYAGE 
 
 TO THE 
 
 NORTHERN PORTS OF CHINA, 
 
 IN THE SHIP 
 
 LORD AMHERST. 
 
 EXTRACTED FROM PAPERS, PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, 
 RELATING TO THE TRADE WITH CHINA. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 B. FELLOWES, LUDGATE STREET. 
 1833. 
 
LONDON : 
 R. CLAY, PUINTER, BREAD-STREET-H1LL. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 MR. LINDSAY'S REPORT 1 
 
 Fokien 11 
 
 Amoy 12 
 
 Ning-po 97 
 
 Extract from Peking Gazette 155 
 
 Transactions at Shanghae, in Keang-soo . . . 167 
 
 Transactions in Chaou-seen, or Corea . . . . 215 
 
 Transactions in Lew-kew, or Loo-choo . . . 260 
 
 REV. MR. GUTZLAFF'S REPORT 269 
 
 Canton Province 270 
 
 Fuh-keen Province 271 
 
 Che^Keang Province 282 
 
 Keang-Soo Province 287 
 
 Shang-tung Province 291 
 
 Corea. Chaou-seen 293 
 
 Great Loo Choo . 295 
 
 589^50 
 
REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS 
 
 ON A VOYAGE TO 
 
 THE NORTHERN PORTS OF CHINA, 
 
 BY MR. LIN I) SAY. 
 
 ON the 26th of February 1832, we commenced our 
 voyage in the Lord Amherst, and proceeded out to 
 sea through the Cap Sing and Lyee-mun passages, 
 passing the beautiful harbour of Cow-lurig, where a 
 detachment of the Indiamen lay during the dis- 
 cussions of 1 829. In all points, both of facility of 
 egress and ingress, and in its perfectly land-locked 
 situation, this harbour can hardly have a superior in 
 the world. * Constant fogs and calms prevented our 
 making much progress ; but on the evening of the 
 28th we stood out to sea with a strong wind, which 
 gradually drawing round to the N. E. and E., soon 
 increased to a violent gale, and after a stormy night 
 we were happy to fetch back to Poyo Bay, on the 
 south side of the island of Lantao, 30 miles to east- 
 ward off where we started the previous day. It 
 would be tedious and uninteresting to recapitulate 
 
the detail of constant harassing delays and impedi- 
 ments we met with ere we reached Namo, which 
 forms the boundary between Canton and Fokien 
 provinces. The distance is only 220 miles from 
 Macao, yet it took us a period of 31 days. I will 
 content myself with giving a brief description of the 
 various places we were compelled to visit for 
 shelter. 
 
 On the 5th of March, finding it impracticable to 
 contend against the adverse wind and current, we 
 anchored in a large bay open to the south ; on the 
 east side is a town called Tysha-me, which ap- 
 parently is a place of some trade, from the numerous 
 junks we saw there. A party from our ship landed 
 at a small village higher up the bay, called Ma-kung. 
 This part of the coast is in Haefung-heen, and 
 belongs to Hway-chow-foo. The character, manners, 
 and language of the natives are singularly different 
 from those in the vicinity of Canton, the dialect of 
 which place is perfectly unintelligible here ; that 
 spoken varies but little from the pure Fokien lan- 
 guage. The natives appeared poor, but were ex- 
 ceedingly friendly and cordial in their demeanour. 
 The greatest delight was manifested at the fluency 
 with which Mr. Gutzlaff spoke to them, and many 
 visited our ship on the following morning. A naval 
 mandarin of the lowest class also came on board, but 
 showed little curiosity ; the only request he made 
 was, that we would speedily depart. 
 
 The next place we visited, 9th March, was Cup- 
 chee, in the Mandarin dialect Kea-tze. The general 
 appearance of the coast is barren and arid in the 
 extreme. Little or no rice is cultivated ; but the 
 
ground yields wheat, Barbadoes millet, and various 
 kinds of vegetables and sugar-cane. One of the 
 principal productions appears to be salt, which is 
 made by the evaporation of sea-water. Numerous 
 salt-pans are to be seen in the vicinity of all the 
 towns along this coast; they are laid out in plots 
 about 50 feet square, and paved with small red 
 stones, which give them a neat appearance. Cup- 
 chee is a walled town of some magnitude, and the 
 river admits the entrance of large junks. Three 
 war-junks of the largest class were lying here, the 
 commanders of which manifested much suspicion 
 towards us, and the greatest anxiety to prevent any 
 intercourse taking place between us and the natives. 
 This, however, they found impossible: during the 
 few days of our stay here our decks were daily 
 crowded with visitors, and in our walk on shore, 
 though a little .reserve was shown at first, yet it 
 vanished immediately that they found we could 
 communicate our ideas, and heard Mr. Gutzlaff ex- 
 plain our friendly feelings towards them in their 
 own native dialect. We had several interviews with 
 the commanders of the war-junks, both on board 
 their own vessels and the Lord Amherst. I was 
 requested to inform them the name of the captain, 
 wherefore we came there, and whither we were 
 going, that they might make an official report on the 
 subject. In giving this information, I thought it 
 right to bear in mind the instruction I had received, 
 to avoid giving the Government any intimation that 
 I was acting in the employment of the Company ; 
 I therefore gave the following report in writing, with 
 which they professed themselves perfectly satisfied : 
 
 B2 
 
'* The ship is of the English nation, from Pang-ka-la 
 (Bengal) ; her complement is 70 men ; she is com- 
 manded by Hoo-Hea-me, and is bound for Japan." 
 This report, though true in some respects, yet cer- 
 tainly gives no clue for the Chinese to trace the 
 ship. She is from Bengal, and at the period I wrote 
 this it was anticipated that Japan would be com- 
 prised in the voyage. As it is probable we shall 
 have frequent communication with Chinese au- 
 thorities, I thought it best to style myself Chuen- 
 choo, or commander of the vessel ; and as my own 
 name would be known in Canton, I substituted for 
 it my Christian name of Hugh Hamilton, which I 
 rendered into Chinese by Hoo-Hea-me. 
 
 We had a conversation of some length with these 
 mandarins, in the course of which some unguarded 
 observations were dropped, indicative of the great 
 alarm in which they were relative to the result of 
 the disturbances at Canton. The people on shore 
 also had numerous vague reports on that subject, 
 and we were assailed with eager inquiries as to what 
 was likely to happen. 
 
 On the 12th we endeavoured to proceed, but were 
 driven back, and did not quit Cup-chee finally till 
 the 16th. We this day, while working to wind- 
 ward, met with the Agnes returning to Macao ; she 
 had left Linting a month before us, to deliver opium 
 to the eastward. We made signals, intimating our 
 desire to communicate with her, to which, however., 
 she paid no attention, but stood to the westward, 
 passing us at the distance of about three miles. On 
 the following day we found we had gained about 
 15 miles, but an increasing N. E. gale again 
 
compelled us to anchor, about a mile from the town 
 of Shin Tseun, a walled town, built, on the left bank of 
 a river of some size, which was crowded with many 
 hundred fishing boats. A very shallow bar pre- 
 vents large junks from entering here. We went in 
 our boats some miles up the river, and on our return 
 landed at the town and paid a visit to the mandarin 
 in command of the fort, a dilapidated building 
 mounting six guns. Here also we were detained 
 for several days, during which we made several long 
 excursions into the country, and % were everywhere 
 surrounded by crowds of wondering villagers, 
 whose demeanour was uniformly kind and polite. 
 The little they had was readily offered to us ; and 
 in the villages it was frequently a contest among 
 them who should prevail on us to enter their cottage 
 and partake of their humble fare. We heard that 
 the Agnes had remained at anchor here for nearly a 
 month, and that no communication had taken place 
 between those on board and the inhabitants, but 
 that she had a comprador who supplied them with 
 provisions, and it being evidently his interest to 
 prevent intercourse, he would doubtless use every 
 means in his power to do so by mutual misrepre- 
 sentations. 
 
 The villagers seemed quite surprised on our 
 telling them that we should be delighted to see 
 them on board our ship ; . and the day after our 
 arrival many availed themselves of our offer, bringing 
 off fish and vegetables. Both here and at Cup-chee 
 several poor people profited by Mr. Gutzlaff's 
 medicines. The disorders prevalent were mostly 
 cutaneous, and, by proper remedies, of very simple 
 
cure. More than one of those who received medi- 
 cine testified their gratitude by returning the follow- 
 ing day with presents of cakes and other trifles, and 
 showed a degree of delicacy which surprised me, by 
 declining any remuneration for what they brought. 
 
 This place is in Hwuy-lae-heen, which belongs to 
 Chaou-chow-foo ; it is the extreme district of Canton 
 province, bordering with Chang-chow-foo in Fokien. 
 Both from this district and the neighbouring one of 
 Hwuy-chow-foo emigration is very common both to 
 our settlements in the Straits and other parts 
 of the Eastern Archipelago, particularly Borneo, 
 where almost all the Chinese employed in working 
 the gold mines come from these districts. The 
 inhabitants bear the character of being a very 
 lawless intractable race, and frequently rise up in 
 open insurrection against the mandarins. This 
 perhaps accounts for the numerous forts which 
 line all this part of the coast ; most of them are, 
 however, in a miserably defenceless condition ; three 
 were in sight of our anchorage here, and as many in 
 the vicinity of Cup-chee. 
 
 After two ineffectual attempts we finally left this 
 place on the 22d, on the morning, and having 
 gained about 12 miles by beating to windward under 
 a press of sail, we cautiously stood in for shelter 
 during the night, among the dangerous rocks off 
 Breaker Point, where several large junks were also 
 lying. The coast for several miles is here one 
 continued mass of sand ; two hills of peculiar 
 appearance and nearly 400 feet high were half 
 covered with the sand, which looks like drifted 
 snow. We landed here and walked some distance 
 
over a sort of sandy downs, which appear to owe 
 their formation to the prevalence of the N. E. wind, 
 which is constantly blowing a cloud of fine sand 
 from shore to shore across a neck of land nearly 
 three miles in width, on which not a blade of grass 
 is visible. On the point there is a square fort, quite 
 dismantled. Being detained a day here, we visited 
 some large villages inland, the natives of which 
 said we were the first Europeans they had ever seen. 
 Many accompanied us back and came to see the 
 ship. 
 
 After passing Breaker Point our progress was 
 more speedy, not finding so strong a current against 
 us. Between Breaker Point and Namo are several 
 large towns : on the 25th we tacked several times 
 close to Ting-hae, which is surrounded by a wall, 
 and apparently of considerable extent ; and towards 
 the evening we passed Hae-mun, another town of 
 some importance, with a fair wind, the first we had 
 been favoured with since leaving Macao ; and by 
 the following morning at daylight, the high land of 
 Namo was seen stretching from N. N. E. to E. N. E. 
 at a distance of about 15 miles. The whole horizon 
 for miles was here covered with fishing-boats, and at 
 a moderate computation there cannot have been less 
 than 1,200 in sight. At noon we passed before the 
 town of Ching-hae, (better known by the provincial 
 pronunciation of Ting-hae); it is the capital of 
 the Heen of the same name, and ranks among 
 the first commercial cities of the province of 
 Canton. Its population exceeds 200,000, and it 
 sends out numerous junks to various parts of the 
 Chinese empire and Eastern Archipelago. The 
 
river, which flows through the town, admits junks of 
 from 300 to 400 tons burthen. From this district 
 numbers of Chinese emigrate yearly, and frequently 
 return to their native town, bringing with them 
 considerable wealth, with which they purchase 
 junks and carry on trade to as great extent as their 
 capital admits. The Taychew men (as this district 
 is called in the local dialect) are celebrated 
 throughout the empire for their enterprising and 
 persevering character. ^These particulars I have 
 obtained from Mr. Gutzlaff, who was acquainted 
 with many of them in Siam, where he learned their 
 dialect 
 
 The island of Nan Gaou (in the local dialect 
 Namo) is about 14 miles in length, and of irregular 
 breadth, varying from one mile to five or six. On 
 the northern side are two deep bays, at the bottom of 
 which are large villages and a considerable extent of 
 cultivated ground. The general appearance of the 
 island is mountainous and barren, though Chinese 
 industry has here shown what effects patience and 
 perseverance may produce in despite of niggardness 
 of nature. The mandarin resides at the eastern 
 town, which is called Nan-tsze. This island, which 
 is half in Canton, and half in Fokien province, is the 
 second naval station of Canton. It is the residence 
 of a tsung-ping-kwan, or admiral, who has a nominal 
 force of 5,237 men under his command, of which 
 4,078 belong to Canton, and 1,159 to Fokien. The 
 existence however of these troops, excepting in the 
 imperial army-list, is very doubtful. The defences 
 of the station, as we saw it, consisted in seven or 
 eight small junks, in appearance resembling the 
 
smaller class of Fokien trading vessels, and in all 
 respects very inferior to those of Canton. On the 
 island, at the entrance of the bay, are two forts, the 
 upper one mounting eight, the lower six guns ; but, 
 as is invariably the case in Chinese fortifications, 
 they are both commanded by heights immediately 
 behind them ; up the bay there is another small fort 
 without any guns. Here also we met with the 
 strongest proofs of the jealousy and suspicion of the 
 mandarins. Wishing to go on board one of their 
 war-junks, we were refused admission, under pre- 
 tence that the admiral had issued positive orders 
 that no one should hold the slightest communication 
 with us. There were several large trading vessels 
 wind-bound here, and on sailing past one we went 
 on board by the express invitation of her commander, 
 an intelligent and respectable person, who received 
 us with the greatest cordiality. We had been here 
 but few minutes before no less than three small war- 
 boats with mandarins joined us, and at first com- 
 menced angrily upbraiding the captain for entering 
 into communication with barbarians. An interesting 
 and amusing conversation followed, in which we 
 soon found that though our opponents were very 
 ready to commence with violent and angry words, 
 yet that a mixture of independent and good-hu- 
 moured argument very soon lowered their tone, and 
 they ended by apologizing for the uncivil reception 
 we had met with ; the blame they threw entirely on 
 their superiors ; and we then spent half an hour 
 talking on various subjects in the most friendly man- 
 ner. The point which seemed to puzzle them most, 
 and indeed give them most uneasiness, was hearing 
 
10 
 
 foreigners converse in their own language, and show 
 some knowledge of their local institutions and geo- 
 graphy ; it was, however, decided among them that 
 Mr. Gutzlaff was a Chinese from Amoy, and one of 
 them asked me in a confidential way to confess that 
 their surmise was true. I took some trouble to 
 explain to him that far from such being the case, 
 the gentleman had only been six years out of 
 Europe, and previously to that was perfectly un- 
 acquainted with the language. Having given all 
 the information required for a report to the manda- 
 rins, we parted on friendly terms, the chief man 
 saying to me, "We shall report you to be well- 
 disposed persons, who thoroughly understand the 
 rules of propriety." Much regret was also expressed 
 at their not daring to avail themselves of my invi- 
 tation to visit the ship. Here, as at Cup-chee, in 
 unguarded freedom of conversation the mandarins 
 dropped hints expressive of the great alarm which 
 the admiral had been in, thinking us a ship of war, 
 as reports had reached them that a numerous fleet 
 was expected at Canton. 
 
 We had now quitted Canton province and en- 
 tered that of Fokien. During the last month we 
 had constant intercourse with the people at every 
 place where we stopped. Strangers, and unpro- 
 tected either by any force of our own, or by the 
 countenance of their government, we had repeatedly 
 entered their villages and been surrounded by hun- 
 dreds of Chinese, and instead of the rudeness and 
 insult which is but too frequent near Canton, we 
 had met with nothing but expressions of friendship 
 and good will. It is true the places we have hitherto 
 
11 
 
 visited are mostly poor, nor is it probable that much 
 advantage will ever arise from intercourse with them, 
 but still it was a source of satisfaction and encou- 
 ragement to us to think that we have made some 
 friends at every spot we have visited, In Fokien 
 we had to look for intercourse of a more important 
 description; but the experience we had gained in- 
 spired us with confidence, in looking forward to a 
 continuance of the same friendly disposition on the 
 part of the natives, and that all our difficulties would 
 arise from the interference of the mandarins. Left 
 to themselves, the Chinese are not the jealous and 
 suspicious race they have been generally imagined. 
 These are the ideas that suggested themselves at the 
 time, and the sequel will show that they have been 
 amply realized. 
 
 I have few commercial remarks to offer respecting 
 our voyage while in Canton province. Repeated 
 inquiries were made for opium by our visitors, and 
 at Namo some persons, after having seen our goods, 
 promised to go to Ting-hae and procure customers 
 for us. Calicoes appear to attract most notice among 
 the poorer classes, and in barter for provisions they 
 generally preferred 10 cubits or four yards of calico 
 to 1,000 cash, which is equivalent to a dollar; at 
 this rate it would appear that the retail price to those 
 people was as high as 10 dollars per piece, but as 
 we sold none, it would not be fair to draw any con- 
 clusion from such premises. 
 
 Fokien. 
 
 We left Namo on the 28th (March), and made 
 the best of our way towards Amoy. The wind 
 
12 
 
 continued steadily from the noi th-easl , hut we had IM> 
 longer to contend with a current ; we therefore made 
 .1 slu\\ ihuu-'h certain progress every day, anchoring 
 dunu;> the m:hl, as it would have heen rash ID 
 continue under way <>n a nearly unknown coast alter 
 dark. ( >n tin- .'{01 h we entered a line harhonr, lyiu^ 1 
 in hit. !:. -l. r >. N. Ion:',. 117. -II. Iv, which pene- 
 trates ahtMil 10 indes inland, and allords perlcetly 
 si'cnr* 1 anchorage in any weather. The entrance i> 
 tliMtin^uished ly a small island with a pagoda, and 
 .1 toxvn ol some si/.e, called Tun** 1 shan N'III^, is siln 
 ated on the western entrance. A chart* ol this 
 harluuir is allached to the a\\(> exhihit in;' our track 
 from Namo to I'uh cho\\ loo. \\ c had no com 
 lUUmcalion with tht 4 people here, on account of the 
 \iolcnce of tlie weather. During the ni^ht of the 
 ;>(^lh it hlew a stron". n-alr from i\ . Iv, which \\(> 
 rude out in perfect security. The wind moderating 
 l>\ llu' mornin! 1 ;, we- \\orked to windward, close in 
 shore, through .1 \ery uarr>w and critical passao'e, 
 and anchored under the shelter of lloolo\\ shall. 
 Tillers lleail Hill. Th< 4 following ni^ht we an 
 ehored und( v r a headland, \\hich lorms tlu 1 eastern 
 side t>f tin* ^rcat IMN of Aiuoy, at which place \\( ( 
 aimed on the .M of April, and cast anchor within 
 aluuit one mile <>f lln^ lou u. 
 
 AlHOtJ. 
 
 The charts and descriptions which have alread\ 
 In en -INCH of this eelelruted emporium render it so 
 
 * Thr t-h.nt-. lu-u- .unl i-lM'\\hrv alhuli-il I .in- in ihr posscs- 
 I llu- I-:.IN| liuh.i (\'in|>an\. 
 
13 
 
 well known, ilr.it little need be added by me on the 
 
 subject. In Mandarin dialect, the name of the plan- 
 is Ilca inun, which is pronounced by the natives 
 lla-inoy. 
 Tin- district in which this nourishing town is 
 
 situated is one <>!' the most barren in all ('lima, and 
 consequently yields nothing lor exportation. It. is 
 dependant, even tor the necessaries <>t lite, on the 
 neighbouring island oi' Formosa, which is most 
 aptly described as the i;iaiiar\ ol the eastern coast ol 
 ( 'liina. In spite of those disadvantages, nosp.it in 
 the empire numbers so many wealthy and enter 
 prising merchants as Ainoy ; they have spread 
 themselves all almijv the coast ol' (lima, and have 
 established commercial houses in many parts of 
 the Ka>lern Archipelago: most ot' the (links com 
 prchended under the name ol lsinjr-t.ow (in'een head), 
 
 on account of their being painted green at the bow, 
 in distinction from the hnn^-low (red bead), which 
 
 is the had^e of distinction amon<> vessels from ('an 
 lun, are the property of Amoy merchants. 
 
 Their shortest voyages are to Formosa, in order to 
 provide rice for the consumption of their native dis- 
 trict. During the S.VV. monsoon, they freight then- 
 vessels at this place, with sn<_j;aT, which they sell at 
 various ports to the northward, principally Nin^'-po, 
 Shan<;-hae, Teen-sin, and various towns in Manchow 
 Tartary, where they lake -n cargoes of peas and 
 
 dni^s. IVlneh trade is also carried on by them be- 
 tween Soo-chow-foo, in Keang-san, and the towns 
 
 ofTin<_r-hac, Kean<'; imin, and the capital of Canton 
 province. 
 
 The greatest part of tin- lorei-.-n trade is earrieu! on 
 
14 
 
 by capitalists belonging to this place. Notwith- 
 standing the exorbitant duties and vexatious treat- 
 ment they are subjected to at Manilla, they have 
 continued to maintain mercantile relations with that 
 island. Their trade with Tong-quin and Cochin- 
 China is not extensive; but no less than 40 large 
 junks annually frequent Bankok, the capital of Siam. 
 The Fokien junks which go to Borneo, Macassar, 
 Batavia, and the Sooloo Islands, are of the largest 
 class, some of as much as 12,000 peculs, or nearly 
 800 tons burthen, where they take in extensive 
 investments of what is generally denominated Straits 
 produce. Many of these vessels annually stop at 
 Singapore to procure opium and British manufac- 
 tures. 
 
 Little favour or encouragement appears to have 
 been shown by the reigning dynasty to the enter- 
 prising inhabitants of the province of Fokien. They 
 were the last who submitted to their rule, and, from 
 what I have seen, would be the first to avail them- 
 selves of an opportunity to shake off the Tartar yoke, 
 which presses heavily on the commercial energy of 
 the people. A systematic plan seems to have been 
 adopted in order to check the rising prosperity of 
 Amoy ; first, by removing the foreign trade from it, 
 and latterly by laying the most heavy exactions on 
 native vessels. By the most accurate accounts which 
 Mr. GutzlafFs numerous acquaintances among natives 
 of this place enabled him to acquire, small junks of 
 2,000 peculs pay a little more than 1,000 dollars 
 regular duties, besides tribute to the Emperor in pro- 
 duce, of bird's nests, &c., each time they enter the 
 port, unless they bring a cargo of rice, when a 
 
15 
 
 considerable remission is made. The irregular and 
 oppressive exactions of the local government have of 
 late years caused many leading merchants of this 
 place to remove to Shang-hae, Canton, and other 
 places, where they conduct a trade with junks and 
 men from their native district. 
 
 Our unexpected arrival at Amoy appeared to 
 create a very strong sensation among all classes. 
 Before we had been half an hour at anchor three 
 separate parties of mandarins, from the civil autho- 
 rities, the military and the hoppo, visited our ship, 
 with inquiries as to what object had brought us to 
 that place. Our visitors were all exceedingly polite, 
 and the messenger from the hoppo's office inquired 
 whether the ship intended trading here. I readily 
 availed myself of this question, and stated that we 
 now were in want of provisions and water, but that 
 I would gladly trade if I could do so with advan- 
 tage. On this, one of the messengers of the tetuh, 
 who is the chief military authority, interrupted me 
 by stating that the laws of the Celestial Empire 
 prohibited all foreign trade at this place; it was 
 therefore out of the question. 
 
 In the meanwhile we saw a large body of troops 
 drawn up on shore, and an unusual degree of excite- 
 ment was apparent. One mandarin, in a chair with 
 eight bearers, and several with four, came to a tem- 
 ple abreast of the ship, where they remained a consi- 
 derable time. The various mandarins left the ship, 
 and repaired to the same place, whence those two 
 sent by the tetuh shortly returned. One was a mili- 
 tary man of the sixth rank, named Le, the other a 
 civilian of the seventh, called Chow. The latter, 
 
16 
 
 who was a native of Pekin, took the lead in most of 
 the interviews we had with the mandarins of this 
 place. He now stated that he was deputed to in- 
 form us that we must quit the port as speedily as 
 possible, that all the supplies we wanted would be 
 given to us gratuitously, and that we were on no 
 account to go on shore, or have any communication 
 with the inhabitants. I remonstrated rather warmly 
 on the inhospitality of this line of conduct, alluding 
 to the different style of treatment their countrymen 
 met with in our colonies ; and I positively declined 
 their offer of a gratuitous supply of provisions, return- 
 ing my thanks for the liberality of the offer, but 
 explaining that by our customs merchant vessels 
 always purchased the supplies they needed. Our 
 visitors, with much civility, agreed to the justice of 
 our remarks, and apologized for any appearance of 
 inhospitality, by stating that they were only the 
 bearers of a message. They now returned to the 
 temple, and the council held there broke up about 
 dusk. The tetuh, keuuminfoo, and all the chief 
 civil and military authorities of the place had assem- 
 bled there. 
 
 During the afternoon numerous boats, filled with 
 well-dressed persons, came round the ship ; but 
 several custom-house boats cruised about, and drove 
 them away ; yet they could not prevent several from 
 coming near enough to make inquiries as to our 
 nation and cargo, and object in coming, and both by 
 signs and words expressing their friendly feelings. 
 After dark we landed a Chinese servant of Mr. Gutz- 
 laff, who is a native of this place, with directions to 
 go and see some of the leading merchants, in order 
 
17 
 
 to arrange with them for trading outside, in case we 
 found it impracticable to do so openly. 
 
 At daylight on the following morning, April 3, we 
 found that several war-junks and boats had arrived, 
 and evidently intended to keep up a very strict sur- 
 veillance over us. At an early hour the tetuh and 
 other mandarins again assembled at the temple, and 
 the whole shore was lined with troops ; in fact, from 
 the bustle and confusion on shore, an observer must 
 have thought that they were in immediate appre- 
 hension of attack from an enemy. During the day 
 we had another visit from Le and Chow, with 
 message to the same purport as yesterday. I replied 
 that the best mode would be for Mr. Gutzlaff and 
 myself to go to the town and pay our respects to His 
 Excellency, in order to explain to him what our 
 wishes were, and remove the suspicions which ap- 
 peared to be entertained of our intentions. They 
 strongly urged us not to go to the town. Before 
 they left the ship, I requested Chow Laon-yay to 
 convey a complimentary card to the tetuh and the 
 funfoo, the chief civil authority, an officer of rank 
 similar to the keunminfoo near Macao, respectfully 
 requesting them to accept a few specimens of Eng- 
 lish manufactures, consisting of one piece of broad 
 cloth, and one of camlet to each, together with a few 
 pieces of ornamental glass-ware and a telescope, and 
 intimating my wish to be honoured with an inter- 
 view ; but he declined taking charge either of one or 
 the other. 
 
 We subsequently visited the town, where we were 
 warmly welcomed by the numerous inhabitants, who 
 surrounded us in great crowds, but were most kind 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 in their manner. Their delight was great at the 
 fluency with which Mr. Gutzlaff addressed them in 
 their native dialect. We were soon followed by 
 Le Laonyay, who assured us he merely came to 
 prevent our being annoyed by the crowd, and for 
 the purpose of showing us over the town. He also 
 assured us that if we were desirous to see the tetuh, 
 he would give us an audience to-morrow. With 
 this I professed myself satisfied : and having ram- 
 bled about the town for an hour, we returned to the 
 ship. Although nothing could be more civil than 
 the manner of the mandarin and his attendants, yet 
 their object was evidently to prevent, if possible, any 
 conversation between us and the people : in this, 
 however, they failed, and we had the satisfaction of 
 hearing people of all classes express to us their 
 regret at being prevented from visiting our ship, and 
 the anxiety they felt for permission freely to have 
 intercourse with us. Several more war-junks came 
 in during the day ; among others, one carrying the 
 flag of the tsung-ping, or admiral of Kin-mun. 
 
 Early on the following morning we found our- 
 selves more closely surrounded by war-vessels of 
 every sort, who commenced a most arbitrary and 
 violent system of treatment to every boat who even 
 approached the ship ; some were taken away pri- 
 soners to the junks, others were openly plundered 
 and maltreated by the laon-tseangs, or mandarin 
 sailors, for no other offence than speaking to us in a 
 friendly way in passing, or even merely for rowing 
 round our ship ; one boat anchored close to us 
 having a board on its bow, on which was written in 
 large characters : 
 
19 
 
 " The tetuh of Amoy hereby issues a clear pro- 
 clamation. The barbarian ship is ordered to set 
 sail and depart. She is not allowed to anchor and 
 loiter about. The boats and natives of this place 
 are prohibited from approaching or having any in- 
 tercourse whatever with her." 
 
 A deputation of mandarins came in the morning 
 early and delivered to me the following edict, of 
 which Mr. Gutzlaff took a copy, as it was only 
 meant for our perusal : 
 
 " Chin, tetuh of all the province of Fokien, a 
 naval commander of various districts, hereby issues 
 his commands to Kwang, yew-keih (or colonel) of 
 the rear camp, that he may fully inform himself 
 thereof. 
 
 " Now it appears by an official report that a bar- 
 barian kea-pan* ship has arrived at Hea-mun on 
 account of foul winds. On referring to the affairs 
 of these barbarian ships, it appears that on the 21st 
 year of Keakingt an imperial edict was respect- 
 fully received, saying, 
 
 " ' If any of the said barbarian ships unexpectedly 
 approach the sea coast, either of the Fokien or the 
 Che-keang provinces, they must immediately be 
 driven away ; they are not permitted to remain and 
 delay for a single moment ; and the men from the 
 said barbarian ships are also prohibited from going 
 on shore. The small boats from the coast are also 
 rigorously forbidden confusedly to approach her, 
 
 * A common term for foreign ships in Fokien, derived from 
 the Malay word, ka-pal, a ship. 
 
 f Immediately subsequent to Lord Amherst's embassy. 
 
 c2 
 
20 
 
 and carry on an illicit commercial intercourse. Re- 
 spect this.' 
 
 " These orders have been respectfully obeyed 
 from former times until now, as is on record. 
 
 " Now that the said barbarian ship has approached 
 the boundaries, it is proper, with the utmost speed, 
 urgently to command her to set sail ; and besides 
 ordering the officers and soldiers of the various 
 
 o 
 
 camps to spread themselves along the coast and 
 harbours, in order to prevent any communication, I 
 also issue these my orders, which when they have 
 reached the said yew-keih, let him obediently exe- 
 cute them, and immediately, taking with him Le, 
 showpee (or lieutenant) of his camp, and Chow, 
 candidate for the station of Seun-keen, let them re- 
 pair to the barbarian ship and promulge the imperial 
 edict, in order fully to inform the said barbarians 
 that the prohibitions of the Celestial Dynasty are 
 severe in the extreme. Its fixed laws do not permit 
 them to cast anchor, and it is absolutely necessary 
 that they set sail on this very day. It is impossible 
 for them to delay and loiter about ; moreover, they 
 are not permitted clandestinely to go on shore. If 
 any small boats confusedly approach, let the names 
 of the offenders instantly be reported, that they may 
 be rigorously seized and delivered up for trial. Do 
 not by perverse opposition carelessly involve your- 
 selves in crime. Tremble at this. 
 " A special proclamation. 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 3d moon." 
 
 The mandarins now stated that if I wished to see 
 the tetuh he was ready to give me an audience, and 
 
21 
 
 they were very liberal in unmeaning professions of 
 good will. I rather indignantly remarked that their 
 professions did not at all agree with their deeds, in 
 surrounding us with war-boats, and treating us like 
 enemies instead of friends ; and I pointed to the 
 placard on one of the war-boats. The whole party 
 loudly disclaimed any such feeling towards us, and 
 seemed particularly annoyed at my using the word 
 " enemy," begging that we would not harbour such 
 an idea on any account. Mr. Gutzlaff replied to 
 them at considerable length, explaining that friendly 
 actions were preferable to smooth words, and that we 
 had hitherto witnessed none. It was arranged that 
 
 o 
 
 we should meet the tetuh at noon in the temple, 
 fronting the ship ; and in the meanwhile I drew up 
 the following petition, in which 1 have not attempted 
 to conceal the feelings which any person would na- 
 turally entertain at the reception we have met with 
 at a place where we have violated no law, but on the 
 contrary, have expressed the greatest anxiety to con- 
 form to the established institutions : 
 
 " The English merchant Hoo hereby petitions his 
 Excellency the Tetuh of Fokien province, &c. &c. 
 
 " An English vessel from Bengal, bound to Japan 
 and other places, and laden with a cargo of broad 
 cloths, camlets, calicoes, cotton and other goods, 
 arrived at this place on the third day of the third 
 moon. Having been delayed by contrary winds for 
 a long time, our water and provisions are nearly ex- 
 pended ; we have therefore entered the harbour of 
 Hea Mun, desiring to purchase what we stand in 
 need of at a fair price. Coming from a distant 
 
22 
 
 country to China, we humbly expected that the 
 Chinese would treat us with kindness, because the 
 two nations have for a long period been on friendly 
 terms, and traded together to their mutual advan- 
 tage ; nevertheless, we see our ship surrounded by 
 war-junks, and an official proclamation is stuck up, 
 forbidding the natives to come on board. Hence we 
 think that some worthless persons have misinformed 
 your Excellency; and thus, being ignorant of the 
 amicable intentions of the English, precautions are 
 adopted as if they were enemies instead of friends of 
 the Chinese. 
 
 "Yet your Excellency must assuredly be well 
 aware of the high name and honourable character 
 of the English nation, and that when natives of 
 China resort to her colonies, they are permitted 
 freely to trade, and peacefully to reside there on the 
 same terms as the people of England ; no one dares 
 to insult or injure them, nor are they compelled to 
 apply to the mandarins for protection and redress. 
 Such being the case, why should mutual unfriendly 
 feelings be thus provoked ? Would it not be pre- 
 ferable for the two nations to strive together which 
 should surpass the other in offices of friendship and 
 mutual kindness ? 
 
 " Moreover, the power of England is great; its 
 ships are numerous, and its frontiers border upon the 
 middle kingdom. Its sovereign permits his subjects 
 to go and trade in every part of the world, and in 
 the most remote countries ; but they are especially 
 commanded to act everywhere with propriety and 
 justice, in order to exhibit by their conduct, the 
 equitable and virtuous dealings of Englishmen. 
 
23 
 
 These are the commands I have received from my 
 superiors, and in visiting any of the Chinese ports, I 
 will act accordingly; but, nevertheless, I cannot 
 tacitly submit to insult. 
 
 " I now therefore respectfully present this petition 
 to your Excellency, and trust that I may be permit- 
 ted to purchase the provisions and water required, for 
 which favour, we strangers will feel greatly obliged. 
 
 <k 12th year of Taoukwang, 3d moon, 4th day." 
 
 Whilst this letter was in the act of preparation we 
 saw several boats full of troops arrive from various 
 directions ; small guns or field-pieces were planted 
 along the beach, and four windows were removed 
 from a square stone building, apparently an arsenal 
 or barrack, where we saw numerous soldiers busily 
 employed in placing two large guns in each aper- 
 ture. It is true they were without carriages, and 
 consequently entirely useless ; but these demonstra- 
 tions being far from amicable, preparations were also 
 made on board, in order adequately to resent any 
 insult which might be offered. 
 
 Shortly after noon a messenger from the manda- 
 rins came to request our attendance, and we accord- 
 ingly landed in front of the temple, where they were 
 assembled. About 500 troops were drawn up along 
 the beach, making as great a display of numbers as 
 possible, most of them being in single file. A vast 
 crowd of people covered the beach and the sides of 
 the adjoining hills, presenting a very interesting and 
 animating spectacle. We were received by Le Laou- 
 yay, and several other mandarins with white and 
 gold buttons, and by them ushered through a double 
 
24 
 
 line of troops to the principal hall of the temple, 
 where a party of 10 mandarins were seated in a semi- 
 circle to receive us. The outer hall of the temple 
 was filled with military officers in full uniform, with 
 bows and arrows. The party seated consisted of the 
 tetuh and tsung-ping, both military mandarins, with 
 red buttons ; the funfoo, a civilian of the sixth 
 rank ; and several others, with blue buttons, of 
 military rank. 
 
 The tetuh was a stout old man, with a weather- 
 beaten countenance and an open good-humoured 
 expression. I delivered my letter into his hands, 
 which he opened, and commenced reading with the 
 funfoo who sat next to him. We withdrew to a 
 little distance, and seeing that no chairs were offered, 
 I signified my intention not to remain standing 
 before the tribunal, on which we were requested to 
 go into an adjoining apartment, where tea and 
 refreshments were handed to us. In a short time 
 we were requested to return, and the tetuh then 
 addressed me, stating, that it was their wish to treat 
 us with the greatest kindness, as our two nations 
 were on friendly terms, but that we could not be per- 
 mitted to remain where we were as it was against 
 their laws ; that we must instantly remove to a 
 short distance, and that then we should be gra- 
 tuitously supplied with all we required. To this I 
 replied, as I had previously done, that it was con- 
 trary to English customs for merchant ships to receive 
 gratuitous supplies, and that it would lower their 
 character if they consented to be treated like pau- 
 pers ; that all I wished was the liberty to purchase 
 such supplies as we required ; and that such a 
 
25 
 
 permission could not be refused by any nation which 
 styled themselves our friends. The tetuh was evi- 
 dently inclined to concede to our request, and to be 
 as polite as Chinese assumption of national supe- 
 riority would permit. The tung-ping, who is a 
 Canton man, however repeatedly interfered, and 
 throughout the whole discussion manifested the most 
 decided spirit of hostility towards us. A conversa- 
 tion ensued between himself and Mr. GutzlafF in the 
 Fokien dialect, in which he roundly declared that 
 our plea of wanting provisions was merely a pretence 
 to veil some sinister purposes ; but Mr. Gutzlaff was 
 not the person to be brow-beat by angry words ; and 
 he replied to his accusations with so much tact and 
 spirit, that we had the satisfaction to see his oppo- 
 nent completely foiled in his arguments. On this 
 the tung-ping, who was a very voilent-tempered 
 man, lost all command of himself, and the tetuh 
 several times interfered to moderate his anger, which 
 appeared to be greatly increased by seeing that the 
 bystanders evidently enjoyed his discomfiture, and 
 were much amused by some of the apt remarks made 
 by Mr. Gutzlaff. 
 
 The result of the conference was, that when they 
 saw that I was determined not to receive our supplies 
 gratuitously, nor to remove the ship to a further 
 distance, they yielded the point, and assured us that 
 we should be provided with all we might require, at 
 a fair price, and that a clerk of the funfoo should act 
 as our comprador. On parting, I thanked the tetuh 
 for the friendly disposition he had personally shown 
 towards us, and said that I should feel highly 
 honoured if he would visit our ship, as he had never 
 
26 
 
 been on board a foreign vessel. He politely thanked 
 me, and declined the offer ; but Paou Tajin again 
 interfered, and said, " I view your ship and your- 
 selves with equal contempt and anger :" and then 
 turning to Mr. Gutzlaff, he said, " I know you to be 
 a native of this district traitorously serving barbarians 
 in disguise." A higher compliment to this gentle- 
 man's knowledge of the language could certainly not 
 have been paid. 
 
 On subsequent reflection I felt convinced in my 
 own mind that in our negotiation with the authorities 
 of this place I had committed several errors, the 
 knowledge of which would, however, prove useful to 
 me in future : first, I was wrong in seeking for an 
 interview with the higher officers of government 
 without a distinct previous understanding that we 
 were to be treated with due civility and courtesy ; 
 by standing in the presence of mandarins of inferior 
 rank who were seated near the tetuh we evidently 
 lowered ourselves in their estimation. The experi- 
 ence I acquired here also rendered it apparent to me 
 that by a too scrupulous acquiescence with what the 
 local authorities chose to term the invariable laws 
 of the Celestial Empire, the object of our present 
 voyage, which is principally for the acquisition of 
 information, would in all probability be entirely 
 thwarted ; wherever we go we evidently must be 
 prepared to receive positive orders instantly to de- 
 part, with threats of the most serious consequences 
 in case we dare to disobey. It therefore became a 
 matter of reflection to me how far I should feel myself 
 justified in disobeying these injunctions, and at least 
 trying the experiment of what measures the autho- 
 
27 
 
 rities would take for enforcing them, when they saw 
 that mere words were disregarded by us. On arriv- 
 ing here we were positively prohibited from setting 
 foot on shore, and ordered to sail away without a 
 moment's delay. Both these points were disobeyed, 
 and the comparatively trifling object of obtaining our 
 provisions on our own terms was successfully con- 
 tested ; would not more important points have been 
 granted to us if we had insisted on them? The 
 result of our subsequent proceeding at Fuhchowfoo 
 convinces me that less submission on our part would 
 have met with greater readiness to meet our wishes 
 on theirs. 
 
 We remained at Amoy till the 7th instant, but 
 nothing else worthy of remark occurred except the 
 somewhat singular behaviour of the authorities in 
 sending a simple sailor from one of the trading junks 
 to act as our comprador, instead of one of their own 
 dependents, as had been agreed at the audience. 
 Subsequent to that day no mandarin of any descrip- 
 tion was permitted to visit the ship, and one Le Laou- 
 yay, who had always shown himself very civil and 
 obliging, sent a message to me expressive of his 
 regret at not being allowed to come and bid us fare- 
 well. No reason can be assigned for this conduct, 
 excepting a jealous apprehension lest we should 
 establish a too favourable impression of the justice 
 and reason of our arguments. The conduct of the 
 authorities towards the poor man who was commis- 
 sioned to provide us with provisions was far more 
 unaccountable, and place the wretched weakness 
 and injustice of the government in a very strong 
 light ; indeed it is difficult to think or speak with 
 
28 
 
 any respect of a government which is reduced to 
 such contemptible expedients to keep up a semblance 
 of authority. This man had become acquainted 
 with Mr. Gutzlaff during his former visit to Manchou 
 Tartary ; and having received some benefits from 
 him, was anxious to come and converse with him. 
 He recognized his features while we were walking- 
 through the streets of Amoy ; and having some 
 friend in the funfoo's office, he requested permission 
 to be allowed to accompany him on board in a man- 
 darin boat. This officer hearing the circumstances, 
 and his acquaintance with Mr. GutzlafF, immediately 
 directed him to go and officiate as our comprador ; 
 and thus a poor illiterate sailor, who could neither 
 read nor write, found himself suddenly forced into 
 the situation of mediator between ourselves and the 
 highest officers of government ; and both himself 
 and the junk he belonged to were made responsible 
 for our acts, over which he could certainly have no 
 possible influence or control. Our water and pro- 
 visions being all on board on the morning of the 6th 
 of April, this man earnestly requested that I would 
 immediately move the ship. On my inquiring what 
 possible interest he could have in our movements, he 
 told me that the mandarins had stopped the sailing 
 of his junk, which was on the point of starting to 
 Formosa, until our departure, and had further 
 threatened him with corporal punishment unless he 
 induced us to depart. I at first refused him any 
 answer, but sent him with a message to the tetuh, 
 stating that I would readily give a proper reply if a 
 suitable messenger was sent, but otherwise I would 
 not enter into any explanation whatever of my 
 
29 
 
 intentions. He returned shortly with many polite 
 messages, which he either had, or pretended to have, 
 received from the tetuh towards us, but again ap- 
 pealed to our feelings of compassion, declaring that 
 if we did not move out to sea to-morrow morning, 
 he was threatened not only with torture from the 
 mandarins, but the anger of his shipmates, who were 
 all detained on our account. The sole motive which 
 brought him to our ship was his friendly feeling 
 towards Mr. GutzlatT, and his anxiety to see him, 
 and he now implored that gentleman's intercession 
 in his favour. As I had determined on proceeding 
 to sea the following morning, I did not think it just 
 to keep the poor fellow any longer in suspense ; and 
 the burst of joy with which he received the intelli- 
 gence was strong proof his sincerity, and that he had 
 not been deceiving us, but really was threatened 
 with punishment as he stated. Let it be viewed, 
 however, in either light, either as a concerted scheme 
 between the mandarins and himself, or a real inten- 
 tion on their part to punish him, in order to induce 
 that compliance in us they were otherwise powerless 
 to enforce, I submit it to the judgment of any candid 
 mind whether it does not convey very undignified 
 ideas of a government which finds itself necessitated 
 to adopt such measures to maintain its authority ; 
 yet, notwithstanding this, edicts were issued the day 
 after our departure, announcing that the imperial 
 fleet had driven away the barbarian ship. 
 
 Mr. Gutzlaff's servant returned on board during 
 the night of the 5th, and informed us that the feeling 
 of alarm excited on our first appearance was beyond 
 belief. The most vague and exaggerated reports 
 
30 
 
 have been spread all along the coast of the disputes 
 between the English and the Chinese authorities, 
 in consequence of the outrages committed in May 
 1831 ; and on our arrival a report spread like wild- 
 fire, that we were only the precursors of a fleet of 
 twenty ships of war, who were coming to avenge 
 the insults and injuries which had been offered at 
 Canton. Expresses had been, in consequence, sent 
 to the adjoining districts for the collection and con- 
 centration of all the disposable forces in the neigh- 
 bourhood. He further stated, that so soon as the 
 panic in some degree subsided, and the people be- 
 came satisfied we were merely a merchant-ship, 
 desirous of peacefully trading, and lad en with Euro- 
 pean commodities, that much interest had been 
 excited among the mercantile people, and the greatest 
 anxiety expressed that permission might be granted 
 by the authorities for commercial intercourse. The 
 severity of the measures adopted towards all those 
 who ventured to approach our ship had terrified the 
 respectable traders so much, that none of those to 
 whom he had mentioned his connexion with us dared 
 to engage in any transactions of trade ; but a gene- 
 ral feeling of disappointment was expressed among 
 all classes at the conduct of their rulers in prohibit- 
 ing our trading at Amoy. 
 
 During the six days we remained at this place we 
 daily landed for exercise, entered both the town and 
 adjoining villages, and took long rambles about the 
 country in every direction. When in the neighbour- 
 hood of Amoy we were generally attended by a 
 party of soldiers and mandarins, who were uniformly 
 polite, and assured us their only reason for accom- 
 
31 
 
 panying us was fear lest the unruly populace should 
 do us an injury ; but we always were anxious to 
 escape from their offered protection, and throw our- 
 selves on the kind and friendly feeling of the people, 
 which it was really gratifying to witness, whenever 
 no mandarins or their satellites were present to check 
 the spontaneous expression of their good will. On 
 these occasions our party rarely consisted of above 
 three or four, and always unarmed, (excepting a 
 fowling-piece I sometimes carried,) for my object 
 was to show to the people that we reposed in perfect 
 confidence on their hospitality, and that we had too 
 good an opinion of them even to suspect that they 
 could harbour a thought of injuring strangers, who 
 had come as friends to visit them from a distance of 
 many thousand miles. On many occasions, when 
 Mr. Gutzlaff has been surrounded by hundreds of 
 eager listeners, he has been interrupted by loud ex- 
 pressions of the pleasure with which they listened 
 to his pithy and indeed eloquent language. From 
 having lived so long among the lower classes of the 
 Fokien people, Mr. Gutzlaff has obtained a know- 
 ledge of their peculiarities, both of thought and 
 language, which no study of books can convey ; and 
 this is coupled to a thorough acquaintance with the 
 Chinese classics, which the Chinese are ever de- 
 lighted to hear quoted, and a copiousness of lan- 
 guage which few foreigners ever acquire in any 
 tongue besides their own. The power which this 
 gives any person over the minds of the Chinese, who 
 are peculiarly susceptible to reasonable argument, 
 is extraordinary, and frequently caused me to regret 
 my own comparative ignorance. Every day that I 
 
32 
 
 live in China convinces me more deeply that a very 
 leading cause of the present degradation of foreign- 
 ers in Canton is general ignorance of the language 
 of the country, and the substitution of a base jargon, 
 as the only medium of communication, so that 
 foreigners are very generally spoken of in the most 
 contemptuous terms before their face, of which they 
 remain in perfect ignorance, from a want of know- 
 ledge of the language, a very limited acquaintance 
 with which would ensure much more respect from 
 natives of all ranks. 
 
 The result of our constant intercourse with the 
 natives of China, since leaving Macao, had im- 
 pressed so strongly on my mind the prospective 
 advantages which would be derived by disseminating 
 a little correct information respecting our country- 
 men among a people who manifest so ready a will 
 to cultivate our friendship, that, after mature reflec- 
 tion of several days, I have determined to take on 
 myself the responsibility of distributing copies of 
 that pamphlet on English Character, written by 
 Mr. Marjoribanks, which gives much useful infor- 
 mation in a plain intelligible style. In most places 
 we visited we found the Chinese, even of the higher 
 classes, ignorant, to an extreme degree, of every 
 thing connected with foreigners, so much so, for in- 
 stance, that I rarely met any who knew the English 
 under any other designation than Hung-maou, 
 " Red Bristled Nation." This work contains a 
 plain account of the English nation, its power and 
 magnitude ; it speaks in the most respectful lan- 
 guage of the government and emperor of China ; 
 it appeals to the best and most philanthropic feelings 
 
33 
 
 of man, as a reason for mutual good -will to subsist 
 between our two nations. It certainly speaks the 
 truth relative to the local government of Canton ; 
 but let it be recollected that it has now, for more 
 than a century, availed itself of every means in its 
 power, by edicts, placards,* books, and numerous 
 other ways, to degrade the foreign character as low 
 as possible. Is it not therefore in some degree justi- 
 fiable, when thus attacked, to defend yourself by all 
 fair and open means ? 
 
 It has sometimes been sarcastically remarked, 
 that foreigners in China were better liked the less 
 they were known ; and the treatment we have re- 
 ceived, in comparison with the behaviour of the 
 populace towards foreigners in Canton, may be 
 appealed to in corroboration of this fact. On first 
 appearance, this somewhat mortifying remark appears 
 to contain some truth ; but when more closely ex- 
 amined, the most objectionable part falls to the 
 ground. Who are the people in Canton that hate 
 and despise the foreigners? Certainly not the higher 
 and more respectable classes of merchants and shop- 
 keepers, with whom commercial intercourse, to the 
 amount of many millions, is annually carried on. 
 Let one of those men be asked whose honour he 
 would prefer confiding in, a British barbarian or one 
 of his own countrymen? It is not our own nume- 
 rous servants and dependents ; they, it is true, are 
 looked upon by the multitude as placing themselves 
 in a state of degradation by serving barbarians ; but 
 still they are far too shrewd observers not to be aware 
 
 * Numerous books, bearing the stamp of " By Imperial Autho- 
 rity," speak of foreigners in the grossest language. 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 of the superiority, both moral and physical, which 
 we possess over their countrymen. It is not, in my 
 opinion, even the mandarins who despise us so 
 much as they affect to do in their edicts and procla- 
 mations ; they, it is true, keep aloof from us, and 
 affect a disdainful superiority ; but having lately 
 had the opportunity of seeing a good deal of Chinese 
 mandarins of all ranks in free and unceremonious 
 intercourse, I cannot help feeling that they act 
 wisely in keeping us at a distance, lest the respect 
 which is felt for their dignity should vanish on a 
 nearer acquaintance. 
 
 Those who are best conversant with our situation 
 in Canton will allow that the Chinese, from whom 
 we are daily subject to insults the most galling, are 
 generally persons who have little or no immediate 
 intercourse with us, who are ignorant even of the 
 jargon which serves here in lieu of a language, and 
 therefore have no means of communicating their 
 ideas with us, and forming a correct estimation of 
 our character. 
 
 They see that we contentedly submit to be termed 
 barbarians by their rulers ; they therefore naturally 
 conclude us to be so. They read, on the placards 
 stuck up about the streets by authority of govern- 
 ment, that we are the most depraved and abandoned 
 of beings, addicted to vices which even they look on 
 with disgust ; can we be surprised that they believe 
 such to be the fact ? Indeed I cannot help wonder- 
 ing at the success of the systematic plan adopted by 
 the government, by which the natural, kind, and 
 friendly feeling of the Chinese towards strangers 
 has been so far perverted, that I have a hundred 
 
35 
 
 times seen mothers teaching their infant children 
 the grossest language of abuse to passing strangers. 
 After a certain period of residence in Canton, the 
 mind grows callous to mere words ; but on returning 
 to these annoyances, after having passed several 
 months in constant and free intercourse with Chinese 
 who received us with open arms, and treated us not 
 only as friends, but on repeated occasions as beings 
 of a superior description to themselves, it is impos- 
 ble to draw the contrast without feelings of pain and 
 mortification. To conclude this long and somewhat 
 irrelevant digression, I have already, in my letter to 
 the select committee, dated 8th September, explained 
 the motives which induced me to distribute the pam- 
 phlet on English Character, at every place we visited 
 subsequent to Amoy. In my own mind I am fully 
 satisfied of the good which has and will result from 
 this measure ; and indeed, at more than one place, 
 we remained long enough to observe the extraordi- 
 nary degree of interest which was excited by this 
 little work, and the satisfactory results arising from 
 its circulation. 
 
 On the 8th of April we finally left Amoy, and 
 were followed out to sea by the whole imperial 
 squadron of about 12 junks, who kept up a heavy 
 cannonade about six miles a-stern of us during the 
 morning. I will not at present detail all the par- 
 ticulars of our voyage between this and Fuh-chow. 
 We visited the Pang-hoo (Pescadore Islands) and 
 the coast of Formosa, in lat. 23. 38. long. 123. 18. 
 at a place called Woo-teaon-Kang, where we were 
 visited by crowds of curious natives. The coast 
 here consists of mere barren sand-banks ; in clear 
 
 D2 
 
36 
 
 weather the distant mountains are visible, but not 
 the slightest symptom of vegetation. Many junks 
 were lying here receiving cargoes of rice and sugar, 
 which was brought from the interior in rude carts, 
 drawn by buffaloes. Large warehouses of mats and 
 bamboo were erected on shore. We waited here 
 two days, in consequence of promises to trade ; but 
 as they were not fulfilled within the given time, I did 
 not think it worth while to delay any longer. 
 
 On the 13th we continued our voyage, with the 
 intention of touching at Chin Chew. The threaten- 
 ing aspect of the weather, and the entire want of 
 shelter in an exposed roadstead, prevented our hav- 
 ing any communication with that place ; we therefore 
 made the best of our way towards Fuh-chow-foo, 
 passing through the narrow channel between Kaetan 
 and the main land. The charts of this part of the 
 coast are very inaccurate ; but I trust that the ob- 
 servations made by Captain Rees, as detailed by 
 the chart exhibiting our track, will prove useful to 
 future navigators in these seas. The multitude of 
 islands is so great, that it was impossible to attempt 
 making any regular survey of them. 
 
 At Keetan we had an interview with the tsung- 
 ping, or admiral of that district, on which occasion 
 rather a singular scene took place. This mandarin, 
 whose name is Wan Tajin, is a native of Keung-shan, 
 and had lived some time in the neighbourhood of 
 
 <5 
 
 Macao, where he had frequent opportunities of 
 seeing foreigners. He was received on board the 
 Amherst with the respect due to his rank ; a salute 
 of three guns was fired, and every attention paid to 
 him ; but it appears that the ideas he had there 
 
37 
 
 acquired of foreign* character did not lead him to 
 imagine that much courtesy was requisite towards 
 us. He began the conversation by abruptly asking 
 various questions, hardly giving me time to reply : 
 " Where do you come from ? What is your nation ? 
 What business have you here ? You must begone 
 instantly," &c. &c. I had just commenced a reply, 
 when his Excellency turned sharply to Mr. Gutzlaff, 
 and said, " You are a Chinaman ;" Mr. Gutzlaff 
 denying it, he told him to take off his cap, that he 
 might see if he wore a tail, which being done, he 
 said, " No, I see you are a Portuguese." I now 
 told him that the ship was English, which assertion 
 he treated with perfect discredit, saying, " I have 
 lived at Macao, and know the barbarian customs ; 
 your ship is from Macao." I again replied that it 
 was strange in his Excellency to accuse me of false- 
 hood in this manner, and that both myself and the 
 ship positively were English, in spite of all that he 
 had known and learned at Macao. I then took a 
 pencil and wrote on a slip of paper, " Ta-ying-Kwo 
 (Great Britain) is my nation," and placed it in his 
 hands. On receiving it he burst into the most 
 scornful laugh, and exclaimed, " Nonsense ! the 
 great English nation ! the petty English nation, you 
 should say ! You tell lies to me." Up to this 
 moment I had kept my temper perfectly, and 
 answered all his insulting remarks with civility ; 
 but I confess that the grossness of this last speech 
 
 * This rem.ark is applicable on various other occasions, and it is 
 a singular fact, that all the mandarins who were personally uncivil, 
 with one exception, were either natives of Canton, or had served 
 in that province. 
 
38 
 
 completely overcame the natural placidity of my dis- 
 position. I snatched the paper, which he was still 
 laughing at, out of his hands, and seizing hold of 
 the admiral's arm, I said, " As you have come to 
 my ship merely to insult my nation (the Ta-ying- 
 Kwo) and myself, I insist on your instantly quitting 
 it ; " and, suiting the action to my words, I was on 
 the point of handing him out of the cabin. His 
 Excellency now saw that he had carried the matter 
 too far, and commenced apologizing. " Pray excuse 
 me ; I did not mean to offend ; you know well there 
 is the Ta-se-yang and the Leaon-se-yang (the one is 
 generally applied to Portugal, the other to Goa,) I 
 thought there also was the Ta-ying-Kwo and the 
 Leaon-ying-Kwo ; I acknowledge my offence, and 
 again beg you will excuse me." This ingenious 
 apology was accompanied with a profusion of bows, 
 and behaviour as cringing as it had before been 
 insolent. He staid on board a considerable time, 
 but his manners and conduct were so singular as to 
 raise a suspicion that his judgment was not quite 
 sound, which was corroborated by some of his 
 officers who accompanied him, and who expressed 
 much regret at the indecorous behaviour of their 
 commander. I certainly, on no other occasion, 
 witnessed such grossness of conduct and vulgarity 
 of manner as was exhibited by Admiral Wan ; for 
 the demeanour of Chinese mandarins in public is 
 generally distinguished by a considerable degree of 
 dignity and decorum. 
 
 Subsequently to this interview Admiral Wan 
 moved his junk so close to our ship, that in getting 
 under-way it was impossible to avoid falling foul of 
 
39 
 
 him, and in order to extricate ourselves without 
 damage, it was necessary to cut his cable, as the 
 crew of his junk appeared too much confused and 
 alarmed to take any measures whatever to extricate 
 themselves. This incident appears to have some- 
 what added to the experience of foreigners, acquired 
 by his Excellency at Macao, for during three days 
 that we subsequently remained in company, his fleet, 
 consisting of several junks, never anchored nearer 
 than half a mile from us. While at anchor at a 
 place in this neighbourhood, where we were de- 
 tained by contrary wind and current for a day, we 
 remarked an incident strongly exemplifying the 
 tyranny which is exercised by the war vessels over 
 the poor natives of the coast. We were lying 
 near a large village (20th April) ; on our first going 
 on shore the people were shy and reserved, but 
 after some conversation, and distributing a few books 
 among them, they became re-assured, and the fol- 
 lowing morning came off in numbers to the ship 
 with fish and vegetables. On remarking to some 
 of the people that our ship was surrounded by boats, 
 whereas not one approached the fleet of war-junks, 
 they replied, " The reason is, that they always take 
 whatever we have and pay us nothing for it ; now 
 you pay us well, we are therefore glad to come to 
 you." I confess it was gratifying to see these poor 
 people coming with fearless confidence to us who 
 were the first Europeans they had ever beheld, 
 while they avoided their own countrymen as if they 
 were their enemies. 
 
 On the 21st, we were off the entrance to the 
 river of Fuh-chow-foo, but being entirely ignorant 
 
40 
 
 of the coast, we ran some risk of getting on shore 
 on the numerous sand-banks with which it is sur- 
 rounded. We procured a fisherman from one of 
 the boats to act as a pilot, but the weather became 
 so thick and foggy that Captain Rees did not think 
 it prudent to stand in. We accordingly anchored, 
 and the following morning the regular pilots of the 
 harbour came off to the ship, the fog continuing so 
 dense that you could not see a hundred yards. 
 They at first demurred about taking us in, inquiring 
 if we had a permission ; I said, " Take us to the 
 harbour and we will there settle that point satis- 
 factorily with the mandarins." On this they con- 
 sulted among each other, quite forgetful that Mr. 
 Gutzlaff understood them ; the result was, they 
 decided on a scheme which, they thought, would 
 prevent our attempting to enter the port, which was, 
 to say that there were only two fathoms of water 
 over the bar, and that consequently it was impossible 
 to take the ship in. Mr. Gutzlaff told them that we 
 thoroughly understood their manoeuvre, but that 
 we also knew what we were about, and were already 
 well informed that there was plenty of water for the 
 ship to pass over the bar, and that we could and 
 would do so without their assistance ; but that 
 nevertheless if they behaved well we would give 
 them 20 dollars. On this they again consulted, and 
 seeing that we did not mean to be trifled with, they 
 agreed to take charge of the ship % which they did, 
 and showed so much skill and caution, that after 
 our having safely arrived within the port, I rewarded 
 them with an additional present of 10 dollars. 
 Previous to arriving at this place, I drew up the 
 
41 
 
 following petition to the governor- general of the 
 provinces of Fokien and Che Keang, who resides at 
 Fuh-chow-foo, and determined to be guided by cir- 
 cumstances as to the best mode of presenting it: 
 
 " The English merchant Hoo respectfully petitions 
 the Tsung-tah of Fokein and Che Keang. 
 
 " An English ship laden with goods from the 
 mother-country, coming from Bengal and bound for 
 Japan, has arrived, and anchored in this port. The 
 cargo of the said ship consists of broad cloth, cam- 
 lets, calicoes, cotton, watches, telescopes, and other 
 goods. Although these articles are of most excel- 
 lent quality, yet their prices are very moderate, 
 so that the purchasers thereof will surely obtain 
 profit. 
 
 " Now having heard that this fertile district pro- 
 duces excellent tea, the said English merchant is 
 desirous either to purchase some for money, or by 
 barter for his goods ; thus both the Chinese and 
 English merchants may be gainers, 
 
 " Feeling the highest sentiments of respect to- 
 wards the laws of the Chinese empire, I have con- 
 sidered it proper, in the first place, respectfully to 
 petition your Excellency to grant your permission 
 for the English merchant to trade, paying the legal 
 duties. I confidently hope that this, my request, 
 may be granted, more especially as the great Em- 
 peror cherishes the most benevolent disposition 
 towards foreigners from remote regions ; the impe- 
 rial favour should therefore particularly be extended 
 towards the English, for the Chinese and English 
 nations have for a long period maintained friendly 
 
42 
 
 intercourse, and the merchants of both nations have 
 conducted the commercial affairs with respectability, 
 so that they have been fixed on a firm basis, and 
 moreover the laws of England permit Chinese freely 
 to reside and trade in all the ports of the British 
 empire. 
 
 " Your Excellency being possessed of an en- 
 lightened mind, I venture to submit, as a subject 
 deserving of your mature consideration, the advan- 
 tages which would be derived by the province under 
 your government were the wealthy merchants of 
 England permitted to bring here the manufactures 
 of their native country, and receive in exchange for 
 them the produce of this honourable province. This 
 might with justice be permitted. 
 
 " If, therefore, your Excellency will permit this 
 English ship to trade with the merchants of this 
 place, our gratitude will be great. I now respect- 
 fully await your Excellency's decision, entreating 
 that you will examine into the affair and grant the 
 request. 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 3d month." 
 
 No sooner were we anchored off the entrance of 
 the river, (23d April,) than numerous boats came to 
 us from all quarters, and our decks were soon so 
 crowded with visitors that they impeded the duty 
 of the ship ; every one appeared anxious for infor- 
 mation as to what extraordinary cause had brought 
 a foreign ship to these regions ; and on our telling 
 them, and distributing our trading papers and pam- 
 phlet, we were assailed with the warmest congratu- 
 lations on our safe arrival. In order to remedy the 
 
43 
 
 confusion which prevailed from the crowd of natives, 
 a rope was drawn before the mainmast, and the 
 following notice, in large characters, stuck on the 
 mast. The people seemed fully to understand the 
 propriety of the restriction, and yielded a willing 
 obedience to it. During the whole period of our 
 stay here this regulation was kept up when requi- 
 site, and a sepoy, with a cutlass, paraded in front of 
 the rope, to maintain order and quiet, nor did a 
 single instance occur of angry words on any 
 occasion. 
 
 " A clear Proclamation : 
 
 " The captain directs that visitors coming on board 
 the ship should on no account make a noise or talk 
 loudly; a rope is also drawn across the deck, beyond 
 which none are to pass without permission." 
 
 On the side of this notice Mr. GutzlafF also hung 
 up a wooden tablet, on which was engraved, in gold 
 letters, that medical assistance would be given gra- 
 tuitously to all those who needed it. This notice, 
 from the very first, appeared to give the most lively 
 satisfaction ; for I have frequently observed that few 
 nations have a greater partiality to physic than the 
 Chinese, or a more lively confidence in the powers 
 of foreign physicians, to whose remedies they fre- 
 quently attribute the most extraordinary effects. 
 This confidence in itself *may, however, frequently 
 be the means of producing real benefit. 
 
 In the afternoon two respectable-looking men, 
 with whom we had held much conversation, were 
 very earnest in their request that we would come on 
 
44 
 
 shore, and see them at their village ; we accordingly 
 landed at Hoo Keang, (vide Chart) and first having 
 gone to their shop, and taken tea, we walked through 
 the village, and over the small island, accompanied 
 by a great part of the population, On all sides we 
 were assailed with entreaties for a copy of the 
 pamphlet on England, and other books which Mr. 
 Gutzlaff had distributed. I here insert the titles of 
 the various books and pamphlets in Mr. GutzlafTs 
 possession, none of which had the slightest political 
 tendency : 
 
 " A Tract against Lying ;" " A Tract against 
 Gambling; 1 ' " A Tract in praise of Honesty ;" sun- 
 dry numbers of a miscellaneous work, printed at 
 Malacca under the superintendence of Mr. Milne, 
 containing notices on geography, sciences, inter- 
 mixed with portions of scripture lectures, and moral 
 essays ; copies of Morrison's Translation of the 
 Bible. 
 
 All these, except the latter, were in small single 
 volumes, of which Mr. Gutzlaff generally carried 
 several in his pocket for distribution in the villages. 
 
 Having walked over the island, we were about to 
 return to the ship, when our two friends again 
 assailed us with entreaties to return and partake 
 of a small entertainment they had prepared for us ; 
 this we could not refuse, although it was already 
 dark, and they led us to a public hall of the village, 
 where we found a table spread with an excellent 
 Chinese dinner, to which we were invited to dine. 
 Our hosts would not be seated, but stood and waited 
 on us, at the same time keeping off the dense crowd, 
 which soon filled every part of the hall. The 
 
45 
 
 younger ones climbed on the rafters, and every 
 place from which a glimpse of the strangers could 
 be caught. Nothing, however, could exceed the 
 decorum which was kept up, or the general feeling 
 of kindness and good-will which seemed to prevail 
 towards us. This anecdote is trifling in itself, and 
 unconnected with the public business of the voyage. 
 I have mentioned it as indicative of the natural 
 friendly disposition of the Chinese towards foreign- 
 ers; and I am happy to say that nothing occurred 
 during our residence here in any way to lessen it. 
 
 On the following morning, having neither seen 
 nor heard any thing from the mandarins in the 
 vicinity, I determined on going to the capital for 
 the purpose of presenting my petition in person. 
 Our visitors readily gave us information as to our 
 route, and described the city as between 30 and 40 
 miles distant. We left the ship at about noon, and 
 in our way up met with several large mandarin 
 boats, who, it appeared, were coming down from the 
 capital to communicate with us. When we arrived 
 opposite the military station of Mingan, some boats 
 also pushed off from the shore, and endeavoured 
 to impede our progress by signs, and peremptory 
 orders not to proceed any further ; but as we paid 
 no attention to these, beyond stating what our object 
 was in visiting the capital, they soon quitted us, and 
 after passing Mingan we saw no more war-boats of 
 any description. The Chart by Captain Rees gives 
 an excellent plan of this noble river for 12 miles 
 from its entrance. The narrow passage, called 
 Woo-foo-mun, is in name nearly the same as the 
 Bocca Tigris of the Canton river, to which it bears 
 
46 
 
 some resemblance. There is a ruined fort on each 
 side, and various others are scattered about the hills 
 on the banks of the river, but they merely serve to 
 add to its picturesque beauty, being most of them 
 perfect ruins, and all, with the exception of one at 
 Mingan, entirely dismantled and untenanted. No 
 war-boats of the description about Canton are to be 
 seen here ; the only ones we saw were small heavy 
 boats, little different from the common boats of the 
 country. Two or three war-junks were seen lying 
 at the Kwang-tow, where all vessels entering or 
 quitting the harbour stopt to procure their permit. 
 Mingan is distant about 12 miles from Woo-foo- 
 mun ; and the mountains on each side are cultivated 
 in ridges to the very summit with wheat and vege- 
 tables. For about five miles in the vicinity of 
 Mingan the river is contracted to a narrow channel 
 of not more than a quarter of a mile ; and the 
 mountains on each side rise abruptly to a height 
 of several thousand feet. The scenery is highly 
 beautiful, and strongly resembles that on the banks 
 of the Rhine. A few miles above Mingan the 
 river divides into two wide branches, the northern 
 of which leads to Fuh Chow. The banks of the 
 river are here of the richest alluvial soil, and the 
 mountains recede to some distance from the banks ; 
 one bcld abrupt ridge, terminating in a perpendi- 
 cular cliff on the southern side, is very remarkable. 
 Having sailed, as near as we could calculate, a dis- 
 tance of 25 miles from Woo-foo-mun, a forest of 
 masts, and several handsome pagodas, intimated 
 the vicinity of the capital ; and, finally, we were 
 gratified with a view of the far-famed bridge of 
 
47 
 
 Fuh-Chow-foo, of which the splendour and mag- 
 nitude is celebrated over the whole empire. The 
 town is here built on both sides of the river, and, 
 on a superficial calculation, I should guess it about 
 two-thirds the size of Canton. 
 
 We pulled straight up to a public office on the 
 south side and inquired the way to the Viceroy's 
 palace, which they informed us was in the city 
 on the opposite side of the river, to which we 
 accordingly went. The bridge was thronged with 
 spectators. In passing I counted 33 arches, or 
 rather diamond -shaped piles of huge masses of 
 granite, which support transverse blocks of enor- 
 mous dimensions. The length I subsequently 
 measured and found to be 420 yards, the breadth 
 not above 14 feet; and narrow as this is, a con- 
 siderable portion is occupied by temporary shops. 
 The depth of the river is three and four fathoms, 
 with a very rapid current ; the flood-tide is hardly 
 felt, except by occasioning a rise in the water. As 
 a work of labour it is wonderful, but no symptoms 
 of architecture or science are displayed ; in many 
 places it has sunk considerably, but from its massive 
 structure, it has already stood the test of centuries, 
 and will probably endure for many more. I confess 
 we were disappointed after having read Du Halde's 
 account of the wonderful bridge of 100 arches, 
 described as follows: "It (Fuh-Chow) is chiefly 
 famous on account of its situation, commerce, mul- 
 titude of learned men, the fertility of its soil, fine 
 rivers, that carry the largest barks of China almost 
 up to its walls, and, lastly, for a surprising bridge, 
 consisting of more than 100 arches, built with fine 
 
48 
 
 white stones, across the bay ;" but this is merely 
 one instance out of many in which the missionaries 
 either describe things and places they have never 
 seen, or else give such exaggerated accounts of 
 their magnificence, that no one could recognize 
 them from their description. 
 
 We now landed among a dense crowd, and in- 
 quiring the way to the Viceroy's palace several ran 
 before us. Our party consisted of five, Mr. Gutzlaff, 
 Stevens, two officers of the Amherst, and myself; 
 we left the boat in charge of the gunner, with 
 directions to push off a little from the shore and 
 allow no person either to quit or enter the boat. 
 We now walked on at a quick pace to keep a-head 
 of the crowd, and having gone at least a mile and 
 a half through the suburbs we came to the city ; 
 we were here met by a few police runners, who 
 walked before us. The city walls are high and 
 seem in good repair. We entered under a spacious 
 building through a vaulted passage, but there were 
 no gates. Having gone about a quarter of a mile 
 further, we were ushered into the public office of 
 the Che-heen, and the doors were instantly shut 
 to keep out the rush of people who had followed 
 us. 
 
 The surprise expressed by the numerous official 
 attendants, by whom we were now surrounded, at 
 our sudden and totally unexpected appearance, was 
 amusing. We were assailed with numerous ques- 
 tions as to our nation and object; but what appeared 
 to puzzle them most was how we managed to find 
 our way without any guides. In a short time 
 a mandarin with a gold button came from the 
 
49 
 
 Tsung-heh's office; at his request a written report was 
 given to him, including all our names and surnames, 
 on which point a particular inquiry was made. Mr. 
 Gutzlaff assumed the name of Kea Le, as Chinese 
 for his Christian name of Charles. I now produced 
 my petition, and stated it to be my wish to present 
 it in person. He replied that the point should be 
 settled to-morrow, and in the mean time he gave 
 us the welcome information that board and lodging 
 was prepared for us in the vicinity of our boat. In our 
 return towards it we met the Che-heen ; we stopped 
 and spoke to him a few words, and I heard him 
 direct some of his attendants to take us to a place 
 where we should be hospitably entertained. After 
 these kind promises our disappointment was great 
 on finding ourselves taken down to our boat, where 
 a host of mandarins were assembled, one of whom 
 with a crystal button, after having examined our 
 persons with a torch in the most supercilious man- 
 ner, told me that it was quite contrary to the customs 
 of the Celestial Empire for barbarians to inhabit 
 their cities, consequently that we must embark in 
 our boat and go to a vessel on the river, where we 
 would be accommodated. I remonstrated rather 
 warmly at this treatment, urging the promises which 
 had been made us, : and Mr. Gutzlaff also exerted 
 his eloquence, which produced no other result than 
 an angry retort from the principal mandarin (by 
 name Whang) to Chung, a civilian of the fifth class, 
 who held the office of fun-foo, or assistant to the che- 
 foo (a rank similar to the keun-min-foo of Caza- 
 Branca), accusing Mr. Gutzlaff of being a Chinese 
 in disguise, and pretending to recognize Mr. Stevens 
 
50 
 
 as one of two men who were cast away on the coast 
 and brought to Fuh Chow-foo two years ago. (The 
 men he alluded to were two persons belonging to the 
 crew of the Cyprus who were sent overland to Canton.) 
 After rather an angry discussion, in which some of 
 the other mandarins took a part as mediators, as- 
 suring me that every thing would be provided for 
 our comfort in the large boat which was prepared 
 for our reception, we accordingly embarked to go 
 there under the guidance of a low military mandarin, 
 who took us to a common trading boat not 20 yards 
 from the beach, which was filled with people of the 
 lowest class. These were ordered to turn out and 
 make way for us ; but I refused to think of entering 
 it, and told him that as we had been deceived and 
 trifled with in this manner, I should go and seek for 
 a lodging myself. We therefore crossed the river 
 and went direct to the custom-house, where we first 
 arrived, and entering it told the people we intended 
 to take up our lodging there. No objection was 
 made, but on the contrary, they assisted us in hand- 
 ing our things out of the boat, till Whang Ta-laon- 
 yay again made his appearance, and said it was out 
 of the question for us to stop there. An old Tartar 
 mandarin, who had already interfered once or 
 twice in our favour, now said> " Come with me, 
 and I will take you to a place close by, where 
 you will be well taken care of." We again removed 
 and crossed over the street to a large public office 
 close at hand, belonging to the tseang-keun, or Tartar 
 general, who also fills the office of hoppo. We had 
 scarcely established ourselves here with our baggage, 
 when Whang appeared again, and in the most 
 
51 
 
 insulting tone ordered us instantly to go to our boat, 
 saying that this was a public office of the tseang- 
 keun's, and barbarians could on no account be per- 
 mitted to inhabit it ; go back to your own boat and 
 stay there; we will send you some food." I now 
 thought that we had sufficiently shown our docility 
 and moderation, from which we had got nothing but 
 insult the most mortifying, and having by this time 
 got a better insight as to the best mode of meeting 
 such conduct, I changed my tone at once, and telling 
 Whang Ta-laon-yay that his conduct towards us was 
 equally deceitful and disgraceful to himself, I plainly 
 declared that I would stay and sleep in the very hall 
 where I was, in defiance of him, and that if they 
 would not give us food, we had provisions of our 
 own. In order to prove we were in earnest, a large 
 table was brought from a corner of the room, on 
 which we laid out our stores, and seated ourselves 
 round it in the centre of the astonished conclave of 
 mandarins, who were evidently quite unprepared for 
 such a measure. A long and curious conversation 
 followed, in which it was evident that all the man- 
 darins present except Whang were well disposed 
 towards us ; he, however, was their superior, and 
 made use of every artifice to carry his point. He 
 promised us comfortable lodgings in a temple close 
 at hand, and endeavoured, both by persuasion and 
 threats, to induce us to remove, to all which Mr. 
 Gutzlaff and myself gave but one answer, " that we 
 meant to stay where we were." It was midnight 
 before the matter was finally settled, and the man- 
 darins all left us to our repose. The old m wan -chow 
 who had brought us here appeared much annoyed, 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 and said, It is not my fault, but Whang is my supe- 
 rior ; and both himself and several of the others 
 expressed themselves ashamed of the inhospitality 
 shown towards us. It is worthy of remark, that 
 from the moment we put their authority at defiance, 
 the demeanour of many of the mandarins who ap- 
 peared before indifferent became cordial and friendly, 
 and even Whang's tone of contempt and insult 
 changed to that of persuasion and argument. It is 
 a singular fact, and one so contrary to general prin- 
 ciples of human nature, that nothing but practical 
 experience can convince one of the truth of it ; but 
 in every case, both on matters of greater and smaller 
 importance, I have found that little or nothing either 
 can or will ever be obtained from the Chinese 
 government or its officers by humble entreaty and 
 conciliatory arguments, but that the moment the 
 tone is changed, and a resolute determination is 
 evinced of carrying your point at all risks, it will be 
 conceded with apparent readiness, particularly if the 
 claim is founded on justice and moderation ; and 
 what is more singular, they appear to look on you 
 with more good-will and cordiality in consequence. 
 The following morning Mr. Gutzlaff and I had a, 
 long conversation with Whang, who showed much 
 tact and cleverness in dropping his offensive as- 
 sumption of superiority when he was desirous of ob- 
 taining information. He was now very particular 
 in his inquiries whether our ship was a man-of-war 
 or not, and what particular business had brought us 
 to Fuh Chow-foo ; he also inquired particularly 
 about the books we had distributed at Hae-tan, 
 some of which had been seized in a boat by Admiral 
 
53 
 
 Wan. He requested that copies of them should be 
 given to him for the viceroy, which Mr. Gutzlaff 
 readily promised to send from the ship. I had some 
 copies of the Ying-kwo, one of which I gave him, 
 saying at the same time, that the facts it contained 
 were founded on plain truths, that I was most 
 anxious the viceroy and every mandarin in the 
 kingdom should read it, and that my hopes were it 
 would reach the Emperor. Whang merely replied 
 u puh kan, puh kan" not dare, not dare and after 
 having looked over the book, he inquired whether 
 they were printed. Mr. Gutzlaff answered that the 
 tracts were mostly from the Malacca press, and in 
 reply to the question about the Ying-kwo, which 
 appeared to interest him much, I evaded it by saying, 
 " It is a translation from the English, and there are 
 now numerous copies at Singapore for the purpose 
 of distribution among the Chinese junks, every one 
 of which will probably contain a dozen on their 
 return to China." This appeared satisfactory, at 
 least no further questions were asked on the subject. 
 Whang now condescended to converse in a highly 
 agreeable and intelligent manner, asking questions 
 on various subjects. He was very anxious that I 
 should give him a copy of our petition, or at least 
 explain its contents to him ; both of which I de- 
 clined, saying that it was for the tsung-tuh's de- 
 cision, and that I wished to present it in person at 
 the palace. Whang said that was impossible, as the 
 tsung-tuh had decided on not giving us an audience. 
 I replied, " Then I will return to the chee-heen's 
 office, where I was yesterday, and deliver it to him;" 
 on this Whang exclaimed, " I am the chee-heen ; 
 
54 
 
 give me the letter." A moment's reflection con- 
 vinced me this was untrue, so I remonstrated with him 
 for again deceiving me, as I knew well that he was 
 not the officer he represented himself to be. Whang, 
 having got what information he wanted, again mani- 
 fested the rancorous ill-will which he appeared to 
 entertain towards us, and on my requesting him to 
 give directions for breakfast to be prepared for us, 
 he said that it was highly improper for us to be 
 entertained in the tseang-keun's office, but that if we 
 went to a boat everything should be sent there. 
 This I declined, and we accordingly went and 
 breakfasted in our own boat, which had been amply 
 supplied with provisions purchased at some neigh- 
 bouring shops. 
 
 We subsequently crossed over the bridge which 
 bears the name Wan. The rush of the crowd to 
 obtain a sight of us was great, and such was the 
 anxiety shown that the roofs of the houses were 
 covered with spectators to see us pass. I distributed 
 copies of the Ying-kwo and some of our trading 
 papers, both in the shops and among the most 
 respectable people. I was anxious to get into a shop 
 where European articles were sold, but did not see 
 any ; indeed we were not placed under the most 
 favourable circumstances for making inquiries, as 
 the mandarins in attendance on us were very anxious 
 for our return, and were not ready to give us the in- 
 formation we required. It was almost impossible to 
 get any conversation with the shopkeepers, for no 
 sooner did we enter than the mob rushed in with us 
 and filled the whole open front of the shop, so that 
 the poor people were too anxious about the safety of 
 
55 
 
 their property to be able to give us the information 
 required. 
 
 About noon, finding I had no prospect of an 
 audience with the tsung-tuh, I delivered my petition 
 to a mandarin belonging to his office, who had 
 throughout appeared inclined to show us civility, 
 and he promised to deliver it in person within an 
 hour. Before leaving, we once more saw Whang 
 Ta-laon-yay, who insisted that Mr. Stevens was one 
 of the persons who had previously been at Fuh Chow- 
 foo, and carried the point so far as to bring with him 
 a mandarin who had taken charge of these men, 
 when here, and he had the barefaced effrontery to go 
 to Mr. Stevens, and cordially embrace him as an old 
 friend, on which Whang turned to me, and said, 
 " You see your friend is recognized ; what is the use 
 of denying the truth ?" I merely replied that his 
 artifice was very paltry, as I had myself seen him 
 point out Mr. Stevens as the person who was to be 
 recognized ; and having said this we parted, and 
 walked again through a great part of the suburbs to 
 our boat, which we had sent to meet us about two 
 miles down the river. The noise and confusion of 
 the crowd with which we were surrounded whenever 
 we went into the streets, prevented our acquiring 
 much information on commercial subjects, of which 
 we felt desirous ; but from the inquiries I made of 
 various persons, and comparing them together, I 
 conceive the following will give a tolerably accurate 
 idea of the shop-prices of various articles of foreign 
 manufacture : 
 
56 
 
 Camlets . . . 4 a' 5 dollars p' chang, or 
 
 56 a' 70 dollars p' piece ; the higher prices for 
 
 Dutch camlets. 
 Superfine Broad Cloth 9 a' 10 dollars p' chang, or 
 
 38 a' 42. 
 
 Calicoes . . . 9 a' 12 per piece. 
 Long ells . . . 10 a' 14 
 Iron . . .2 dollars per pecul, being 
 
 very plentiful from native mines in the vicinity. 
 
 The principal trade of Fuh Chow-foo appears to 
 be carried on with the neighbouring province of Che 
 Keang, numerous vessels of which place were lying 
 in the river, and daily entering and quitting the port; 
 they are distinguished by their peculiar build, which 
 fits them only for coasting vessels, and their black 
 cloth sails. Wood and timber of every description 
 appear the principal articles of trade. Tobacco is 
 also exported in considerable quantities ; but tea, 
 which is the staple produce of this part of the coun- 
 try, it is not legal to transport by sea. The cause 
 of this prohibition is evidently an apprehension that, 
 were it permitted, foreigners would avail themselves 
 of it to get their supply without coming to the port 
 of Canton for it. 
 
 I endeavoured to ascertain the population of this 
 town, but the accounts I received were so vague and 
 exaggerated that no confidence could be placed in 
 them ; some stated it as high as 800,000 : 1 should 
 think somewhat less than one half the more probable 
 amount ; but in point of local and commercial 
 advantages, few cities of the empire are more favour- 
 ably situated than Fuh Chow. The fine river Min, 
 
57 
 
 which is navigable for ships of the largest burthen to 
 within 10 miles of the town (perhaps nearer), runs 
 into the very centre of the Woo-E-Hills, from which 
 the finest black tea comes, the expense of conveying 
 which overland to Canton greatly enhances its value. 
 Fuh Chow is also a far more central situation, than 
 Canton for the distribution of British woollen manu- 
 factures, which would also be here in greater request 
 from the coldness of the climate. In the latter point, 
 however, some of the more northern ports, such as 
 Ning-po or Shang-hae, have much greater advan- 
 tages than Fuh Chow. 
 
 On returning to the ship, we found that in our 
 absence several junks and war-boats had surrounded 
 us, and had commenced a course of proceedings 
 exactly similar to what we had been subjected to at 
 Amoy, driving away all native boats that approached 
 us. It was therefore evident that only two courses 
 remained for my selection, the one to submit tacitly 
 to the dictation of the mandarins, and relinquish all 
 hopes of succeeding in my object either of trade or 
 intercourse, the other to use such measures as I had 
 in my power to attain my object. I will here take 
 the liberty of observing, that I must have been very 
 dull of observation had I not remarked, during the 
 intercourse I have had with the Chinese officers 
 within the last two months, that much more may be 
 gained by an appeal to their fears than to their 
 friendship ; I therefore in the present case resolved, 
 to a certain extent, to avail myself of the impos- 
 sibility of the Chinese government rendering any 
 other parties responsible for the acts of the ship 
 under rny directions, being guided by my own 
 
58 
 
 feelings of prudence and discretion to avoid hostile 
 collision, and scrupulously abstaining from any acts 
 of violence, excepting in self-defence. 
 
 On the 27th, Mr. Gutzlaff and myself went on 
 board the vessel of the mingan-hee or vice-admiral 
 of Mingan, who was in command of the squadron 
 laying about us, consisting of five small and mi- 
 serably-equipped junks and several boats. He 
 received us with much politeness ; and after a short 
 conversation, I stated to him my wish for free inter- 
 course with the people, and that I would thank him 
 to prevent his lam-tseangs from molesting them when 
 they came on board to sell provisions and obtain me- 
 dicines. Admiral Chin replied, "We only act so for 
 your benefit. The people here are depraved and 
 wicked; they would cause confusion in your ship, 
 and would cheat you ; we will gladly give you every 
 thing you want." " Many thanks to your Excel- 
 lency," replied I, " but I decline your kind offer. 
 I have now come for the purpose of stating that I 
 wish for free intercourse with the people ; and if any 
 impediment is offered to it, I shall enter the port 
 with this evening's tide, and shall proceed to await 
 the tsung-tuh's reply opposite to your office at 
 Mingan." Admiral Chin looked astonished, and 
 hesitated for a reply : I added, " In order that my 
 meaning may be perfectly explicit, Mr. Gutzlaff will 
 have the kindness to take down my sentiments in 
 writing, and give them to you." " I understand your 
 meaning perfectly !" exclaimed the admiral eagerly ; 
 "let us talk the matter over like friends." We 
 accordingly proceeded to discuss the point in the 
 most amicable manner, and it concluded by the. 
 
59 
 
 admiral conceding my request, and promising to 
 come and dine on board the ship. The interdict 
 was instantly taken off, and our ship crowded with 
 visitors. In about an hour he sent three mandarins 
 with his excuses, and promising to come the follow- 
 ing day. These mandarins at the same time stated 
 that the admiral had let the people know they might 
 freely visit our ship ; but he besought us not to enter 
 the port, as so doing would seriously implicate him. 
 I saw the vantage ground we had gained, and said, 
 " On these terms I promise not to enter ; but so soon 
 as the least molestation is given to our visitors, be 
 they merchants or what they will, that same day I 
 will enter the port, and go straight to Mingan. 
 These terms were formally agreed on, and Yang- 
 laon-yay, the civil mandarin of the district, came on 
 the quarter-deck and addressed the people, saying 
 that they were permitted to come on board, but must 
 behave well and quietly. This injunction was really 
 quite unnecessary, as nothing could exceed the de- 
 corous conduct of our numerous visitors. Yang- 
 laon-yay had been already several times on board : 
 his residence is at the Kwan-tow, and his rank is 
 similar to the tsu-tang of Macao. From his first 
 interview, he manifested the most friendly feelings, 
 and a strong desire to forward our commercial views, 
 expressing much regret that we had no opium for 
 sale, which fact it was, however, a long time before 
 he thoroughly believed. 
 
 It would needlessly swell the pages of this Report, 
 were I to enter into a minute detail of the progress 
 of our intercourse with the people of this place, par- 
 ticularly as I propose doing so more at length in 
 
60 
 
 future ; but I must not omit to make mention of one 
 purely accidental, though singular, occurrence, 
 which, in my opinion, has been mainly conducive to 
 the facilities we met with here in our trade ; and it 
 is also curious, as exemplifying, in a degree which 
 will scarcely be credited, the extreme cowardice of 
 the Chinese navy, and the terror with which they 
 regard European seamen. 
 
 During the night of the 27th the admiral's junk 
 shifted her station, and anchored so close to our bow 
 as to endanger the safety of our vessel, as it was 
 blowing a strong gale of wind at the time. I hailed 
 her in the most civil terms, requesting that they 
 would immediately shift their berth, or we must get 
 foul of each other, and at the same time we fired 
 a large gun to arouse them. Having repeated these 
 warnings several times in vain, and the vessels being 
 every moment in peril of touching, I hailed again, 
 saying that if the junk did not move directly, I would 
 send and cut her cable. To this the only reply was 
 appeals to us as their elder brethren and good friends, 
 and a promise to move by-and-by. The tide having 
 now made strong, the junk's stern came foul of our 
 jib-boom, and then, at the very moment when they 
 should have held on, they commenced veering away 
 the cable, by which unseaman-like manoeuvre they 
 carried away our jib and flying jib-booms, and seri- 
 ously damaged some of our sails and rigging, while 
 our bowsprit tore away her mizen and part of her 
 stern frame. She now dropped alongside, and 
 having already demolished our gig, she let go an- 
 other anchor as close astern of us as she had been 
 ahead. 
 
61 
 
 In the meanwhile, in order, if possible, to obviate 
 this mishap, our launch, with ten men and two 
 officers, had been sent to cut the junk's cable. There 
 were no arms whatever in the boat, except two short 
 axes. Our launch arrived alongside at the moment 
 the junk let go her second anchor, and Mr. Simpson, 
 the second-mate, and the gunner, jumped on board 
 with axes in their hands, followed by Mr. Jauncey 
 and another man, totally unarmed. On seeing them 
 come on deck, the Chinese crew, in number 40 or 50, 
 were seized with such a panic, that one simultaneous 
 rush was made forward : some ran below, some over 
 the bows, several went head-foremost into the water, 
 and our party of four were left in possession of the 
 junk. The only person to be seen on deck was the 
 admiral and his personal servant, both of whom 
 seemed in the greatest state of alarm. Mr. Simpson 
 now quietly cut the cable as directed, and returned 
 on board. I will not now offer any comment on this 
 singular scene, further than to repeat the plain fact, 
 that four men, two of whom were unarmed, thus took 
 undisputed possession of the vessel of a Chinese 
 admiral, and that during several minutes they were 
 on board, not an individual was to be seen, except 
 the ta-jin himself, and that all his gestures were to 
 implore mercy from an imaginary injury ; for our 
 object was to extricate him, as well as ourselves, 
 from the consequences of his ignorant and unseaman- 
 like behaviour. This trifling fracas was unattended 
 with any unpleasant consequences, nor did it in the 
 least interrupt the friendly intercourse with the man- 
 darins ; on the contrary, it appeared to increase the 
 estimation they held us in, and one very satisfactory 
 
62 
 
 result was, that from that day no war-junk ever 
 anchored within half a mile of us (excepting when 
 they came to trade.) The three spars destroyed by 
 the admiral's junk were replaced before our departure 
 by order of the civil mandarin of the district. 
 
 On the following morning, the 28th, a numerous 
 deputation of the elders came from the village of 
 Hoo-keang, were we were so hospitably entertained 
 on our arrival, bringing with them the annexed 
 paper, which was read out loud by Mr. Gutzlaff, on 
 the quarter-deck. I record it as a pleasing testimony 
 of the effect produced by the distribution of our 
 books, particularly the Ying-kwo, the fame of which 
 has spread greatly, and almost the first request of our 
 visitors is to be favoured with a copy. The remark 
 in this address on the character of their rulers I con- 
 fess surprised me much, till the daily repetition of 
 such sentiments from all classes of people, convinced 
 me not only of the unpopularity of the government, 
 but also that the people dare give utterance to their 
 grievances Our visitors were very curious about 
 last night's affair ; and on being told, their delight 
 was extreme, and the general remark was, " You are 
 quite right ; our mandarins are rogues, but the pik- 
 sary, " the people," are your friends. 
 
 " We, the inhabitants of this village, have never 
 yet seen you foreigners, (foreigners, not bar- 
 barians.) All people crowd on board your ship 
 to behold you, and a tablet is hung up therein, 
 stating that there is a physician for the assistance of 
 mankind : there are also tracts against gambling, 
 and other writings, besides a treatise on your country, 
 
63 
 
 with odes and books ; all which make manifest your 
 friendly, kind, and virtuous hearts. This is highly 
 praiseworthy ; but as our language differs, difficulties 
 will attend our intercourse. The civil and military 
 mandarins of the Fokien province, together with 
 their soldiers and satellites, are unprincipled in their 
 disposition. If you wish to trade here, wait upon 
 his Excellency the Foo-yuen ; prostrate yourselves, 
 and ask permission. If he complies, you may then 
 do so ; but if he refuses, then go to the districts of 
 Loo and Kang, and there trade ; for in that place 
 there is neither a despot nor a master. When you 
 have fully understood this, burn the paper." 
 
 We had now been here more than a week, and 
 had in this time established the point of a free inter- 
 course with the people being permitted. Several 
 hundreds daily availed themselves of this ; the 
 greater number merely from curiosity, numbers of 
 poor people to profit by Mr. Gutzlaff's medical skill, 
 and a few for purposes of trade. Opium was how- 
 ever the constant subject of inquiry, nor could they 
 for a long time imagine a foreign ship coming with- 
 out a supply of the fascinating drug. Yang-laon- 
 yay, the civil mandarin, was our daily visitor, and 
 generally dined on board. He was evidently the 
 person appointed by the government as intermedia- 
 tor, for which he was eminently well adapted, both 
 from his keenness and his pleasing conciliatory 
 manners. He, from the first day of his visit to the 
 ship, made particular inquiries about her cargo, and 
 at first talked of purchasing a great portion of it 
 himself ; his advice to us was to remain quietly 
 where we were, and that means would be found for 
 
64 
 
 our effecting sales of a portion of the ship's cargo, 
 without implicating any one. I this day accom- 
 panied him to K wan-tow, in order to meet some 
 mandarins who were deputed from the acting tsung- 
 tuh with a reply to my petition. On arriving, we 
 were shown to a large barge, where were several 
 inferior civil mandarins, among others, Kwang-laon- 
 yay, to whom I had given my petition in charge at 
 Fuh Chow. We did not see the deputed officers, 
 who were Kiver-ta-loan-yay, the che-foo, and Whang- 
 ta-jun, a general officer, or foo-tseang on the tsung- 
 tuhs staff. The following edict was submitted to 
 our inspection, and Mr. Gutzlaff took a copy of it. 
 
 " Wei, acting tsung-tuh of Fokien and Che-kiang, 
 communicates to the yeu-fa-taon (superintendent of 
 salt) of Fokien, according to the report of the fuh- 
 fang-tung-che ( ) 
 
 " There is an English barbarian vessel, which 
 has come to an anchor, on account of tempestuous 
 weather, and he has already exhorted and com- 
 manded her to get under-weigh. By a statement 
 made, it appears that she has a cargo on board, and 
 permission is requested to dispose of it, and to 
 purchase a cargo of teas in return. 
 
 " Upon examination it was found that hitherto no 
 barbarian vessel has sold a cargo* in Fokien province, 
 and the laws prohibit the exportation by sea of the 
 tea which is produced in this province. The said 
 barbarians ought therefore implicitly to obey the 
 laws and regulations of the Celestial Empire. 
 
 * The writer is quite wrong in this, as trade was carried on many 
 years in Amoy. Dutch vessels have also traded at Fuh Chow-foo. 
 
65 
 
 " The said nation's King, moreover, has given 
 them a license to go to some specified place and sell 
 their cargo ; let them proceed there, and dispose of it 
 accordingly. 
 
 " But having encountered a tempest they have 
 anchored here for a while ; yet now that the wind 
 and weather is fair, they ought immediately to set 
 sail, and under no pretence delay. This document 
 is accompanied by the orders issued to the said taon- 
 tae, that he may immediately assemble the central 
 division of the tsung-tuh's banner, and also direct 
 the tung-che hastily to repair thither (to the ship), 
 and having clearly understood these orders, speedily 
 communicate them, that they may get under weigh 
 on the same day, and on no account loiter about. 
 Do not oppose. A special document. 
 
 "Taon-kwang, 12th year, 3d month, 27th day." 
 
 It will be seen that this edict is neither addressed 
 to us, nor does it take any notice of my petition, nor 
 indeed afford any satisfactory proof that it has ever 
 been received. I remarked this, and said that I 
 could not possibly view this document as a reply. 
 Kwang said that my petition was informal, neither 
 my own name nor that of my country being inserted 
 at length ; moreover, that there was the following 
 objectionable phrase in it : " For the Chinese and 
 English nations have for a long period maintained 
 friendly intercourse." This the tsing-tuh said was 
 only applicable to Canton, and not to Fokien, which 
 had no intercourse with barbarians. It is worthy of 
 notice that exactly a similar remark was made rela- 
 tive to a letter of the King of England, in which the 
 
66 
 
 Chinese diplomatists were desirous of changing the 
 words " England and China, two nations/' to 
 " England and Canton, two places." In reply to 
 the first objection, I said I would re-copy the peti- 
 tion, correcting the errors, and send it again. The 
 second point I debated, and asserted its accuracy on 
 these grounds : That during the 200 years which 
 England and China have traded together, to the 
 mutual advantage of both nations, we had been at 
 war repeatedly with almost every country in the 
 world except the Chinese empire, therefore the 
 remark in my petition was peculiarly applicable. 
 
 On our part I objected to the use of the word E. 
 barbarian, which I asserted implied an insult. This 
 they denied, saying that the word was merely equiva- 
 lent to foreigner. As this subject was one discussed 
 and disputed on various occasions, I will, for the sake 
 of avoiding repetition here, insert the arguments on 
 each side, which were on all occasions produced. 
 The place at which they were committed to paper 
 on both sides was at Shang-hae, where the taon-tae 
 was very anxious to impress on our minds that there 
 was nothing offensive in the term. I have, however, 
 great pleasure in being able to assert that on all 
 occasions the Chinese at once conceded the point, 
 and confessed our arguments incontrovertible ; and 
 both at Ning-po and Shang-hae gave proofs thereof, 
 by addressing edicts directly to us, in which the 
 offensive term was entirely omitted. The fairest, 
 and indeed only mode of judging the weight and 
 meaning of a Chinese expression is, by the explana- 
 tion affixed to it in standard and classical books of 
 their own country ; and with such authorities as 
 
67 
 
 can be produced on the subject of this particular 
 word, I confess I- have been much surprised to hear 
 that some distinguished Chinese scholars have hesi- 
 tated in their opinion as to whether the term could 
 justly be objected to by us. I may here remark, that 
 this word is invariably used by the Chinese local 
 authorities in their edicts, although it very fre- 
 quently appears softened into " foreigner" by the 
 translator. 
 
 Remarks on the word E., sent by the Taon-tae of Soo, 
 Sung and Tae, in Keang-nan province. June, 23d, 
 1832. 
 
 u It clearly appears by the explanations given in 
 the sayings of the most ancient sages of the Central 
 Flowery Nation (Chung Wha), that the southern 
 places are called Man ; * the western places are 
 called Jung ; "J* the eastern places are called E. ; the 
 northern places are called Teih.^ Therefore the 
 nations to the south, north, east and west have been 
 designated thus from the highest antiquity until the 
 present day. Further, the celebrated sages of the 
 Central Flowery Nation, Shun and Wang Wang 
 
 * Man ; the usual acceptation of this word denotes savages, a 
 race of beings in the lowest state of barbarism. In a statistical 
 work, published at Canton, all European nations are included 
 under this term. 
 
 f Jung ; the character means military weapons/ 
 
 J Teih ; from dog and fire, formerly used to designate the 
 Tartars. 
 
 Shun, a celebrated king, supposed to have reigned B. c. 2170. 
 Nan was king of Chow, and father of Woo Wang, the founder of 
 the dynasty of Chow, B. c. 1105. This argument proves nothing. 
 Many of the Roman emperors were "barbari." 
 
 F2 
 
68 
 
 (King Wang), are styled by Mencius, the first, a 
 native of the Eastern E. ; the other of the Western 
 E. ; how then can this term be disrespectful, except 
 in your own imagination ?" 
 
 Reply to the above. 
 
 " The English captain Hoo-Hea-me has respect- 
 fully examined the reasons assigned for designating 
 foreigners in general as E., and the English as 
 Eastern E., and offers the following reply : 
 
 " In the first place, the ancient sages of your 
 honourable nation apply the term Eastern E. to the 
 Coreans ; but Great Britain lays to the N. W. of 
 the Ta Treng (Chinese) nation. 
 
 " 2d. It is inapplicable, because the colonies of 
 Great Britain lay both to the north, south, east and 
 west of the Chinese empire. 
 
 " 3d objection. In the llth section of the Ta- 
 tsing hway-teen (a statistical work on China, pub- 
 lished by imperial authority), the E. are classed 
 under the same head as the Meaon, Yaon, Man, 
 Keang, and Mih tribes, who live within the limits 
 of the Chinese empire. 
 
 " 4th objection. Soo-tung-po (a celebrated classic 
 author) says, " The E. and the Teih cannot be go- 
 verned by the same rules of government as those of 
 the central nation. They are like the brute creation 
 (like birds and beasts) ; if liberal rules of government 
 were applied to them, it would infallibly give rise to 
 rebellious confusion. The ancient kings knew this 
 
69 
 
 well, and therefore ruled them without laws.* This 
 mode of government is decidedly the most judicious 
 mode of governing them. 
 
 " Hence it appears that the designation of E. is 
 equivalent to Man and Mih ; and to apply such a 
 term to the natives of Great Britain is an insult to 
 the honourable character of their country ; and by 
 irritating their minds, can only be productive of 
 enmity and ill-will." 
 
 Before parting with these mandarins, I promised 
 to send a new copy of my former petition the follow- 
 ing morning, accompanied by another. They were 
 very urgent that I should take their advice as to the 
 contents of it. Yang-laon-yay in particular made 
 use of the strongest language to induce us to con- 
 fide in his sincerity ; assuring us that his only object 
 was to forward our views. On one occasion, on 
 the following day, in urging the point of being al- 
 lowed to see the contents of my petition, he made 
 use of the following oath, which is the most solemn 
 a Chinese can use Tein-ta-luy. 
 
 " May heaven strike, and thunder rend me, if I 
 harbour one thought of deceit towards you." I re- 
 plied that for himself I felt the greatest regard, but 
 that I refused to show him the petition because I did 
 not wish the other mandarins to know its contents. 
 
 * In the original there is a great deal of play on the word che, 
 to rule. Rule without rule, or without any regard to law or jus- 
 tice, is clearly meant. It must be allowed that the officers of the 
 Canton government have studied in the school of the ancient 
 kings. 
 
70 
 
 With this he was satisfied, and I gave him the 
 following short address, inclosing an amended copy 
 of my former petition (30 April), with the names 
 written at full length, but I would not omit the 
 sentence objected to. I have omitted to mention, 
 that on the 27th the tsung-tuh sent down by the 
 mandarin, to whom I delivered the petition, sundry 
 presents of provisions, consisting of 
 
 6 jars of Shain-hing wine. 
 
 3 tubs of flour. 
 
 4 pigs. 
 
 And some fruit and vegetables. 
 
 I wished Kwang Lain Yay to take a piece of broad 
 cloth and a telescope, as a return of politeness, but 
 he refused ; so I merely returned a short note of 
 thanks. 
 
 " The English merchant Hoo-Hea-me presents a 
 respectful petition to his Excellency the tsung-tuh 
 of Fokien and Che Keang. 
 
 " The names and surnames not having been dis- 
 tinctly stated in my former petition, I have now 
 made another copy, correcting the error, which I 
 respectfully present. I have now perused the docu- 
 ment addressed to the Yeu-fa-tain ; but my ship has 
 entered the port in order to trade, not as is therein 
 stated on account of tempestuous winds ; and having 
 come to Fuh Chou from a great distance for this 
 purpose, our losses will be great if we do not effect 
 our object. Moreover, the Sovereign of England 
 permits his subjects to trade in every part of the 
 world, and in the ship there is a license to that effect; 
 
71 
 
 I have therefore come to Fuh Chow, and earnestly 
 hope that my wishes may be fulfilled, for the Sove- 
 reign of England freely permits the vessels of China 
 to trade in all ports subject to Great Britain, of 
 which privilege many ships of this province avail 
 themselves, and obtain great profit. We therefore 
 wish that equal privileges may be extended to us, 
 and that we may be permitted to trade. I now con- 
 fidently hope that your Excellency will grant our 
 request, and then, so soon as our business is con- 
 cluded, we will instantly set sail. 
 
 " Taon Kwan, 14th year, 4th moon, 1st day." 
 
 During the next few days we did not see or hear 
 anything of Yang Lain Yay ; the people also, who 
 supplied us with provisions, told us that a system of 
 espionage was established on shore among all the 
 villages in the neighbourhood, in order to persecute 
 any persons who brought us provisions, or traded 
 with us. This we heard from many quarters, and 
 the truth of it was made evident by our supplies 
 being entirely stopped, our compradors telling us, 
 that though no impediment was placed on their 
 coming in person, yet that the police people required 
 a large bribe to permit the boats to bring anything 
 off to us. Many of our friends repeatedly said to 
 us, " Go into the port, and you will then get all you 
 want." 
 
 I hesitated a little until I thought I had sufficient 
 grounds ; but on the 2d of May, on seeing the fol- 
 lowing proclamations, one of which was from Admi- 
 ral Chin, stuck up in all the villages, I made up my 
 mind to consider the arrangement I had entered into 
 
72 
 
 with him as violated, and resolved to enter the port 
 the following day : 
 
 " Whang, the chin, the foo-tseang of Mingan- 
 hee, issue the following proclamation to the people 
 who live on the sea-coast, that they may inform 
 themselves thereof. 
 
 " The barbarian ship according to law is not 
 allowed to enter the port and sell her cargo ; but 
 fearing lest the ignorant and stupid people, eager 
 after small gain, may clandestinely enter into an 
 intercourse and supply her with rice and tea, we now 
 prohibit it most strictly, and therefore issue our clear 
 commands. Now if there be any unnatural and 
 treacherous natives, who in their boats approach the 
 barbarian vessels, they will surely be seized upor 
 with severity, be subjected to a strict examination, 
 and be dealt with to the utmost rigour of the law ; 
 not the slightest forbearance will be shown towards 
 them. The government vessels, both civil and mili- 
 tary, are now cruizing about in order to enforce this 
 order. You must all respectfully obey; do not 
 slight this, or you will have cause subsequently for 
 repentance. A special proclamation." 
 
 " Yuen, the chee-heen of Mingan, in Fuh Chow- 
 foo, hereby issues a severe prohibition. 
 
 " On examination it has been found that a barba- 
 rian ka-pan ship anchors and saunters about over 
 the surface of the ocean; according to the report 
 given, she wanders to every port and shore, although 
 guarded against, pursued and expelled, as stands on 
 record. Fearful lest there might be fishermen who 
 
73 
 
 clandestinely engage in illegal intercourse and pur- 
 chase prohibited goods, .1 issue my additional com- 
 mands, and send my runners to examine and seize 
 upon those who engage in any transaction outside. 
 I hereby rigorously prohibit this, and issue this pro- 
 clamation to inform the fishermen, that I do not allow 
 any secret transactions by going out to sea and clan- 
 destinely purchasing the cargo of the said barbarian 
 ship. If you disobey, your persons will be seized, 
 and you will be most strictly prosecuted. No for- 
 bearance will be shown. Let all strictly obey. A 
 special edict. 
 
 " 12th year, 3d moon, 24th day." 
 
 On the 3d the ship moved into the river, and an- 
 chored directly opposite the custom-house. The 
 narrow passage, called Woo-foo-meen or the Five 
 Tigers' Gates, is considered as forming the entrance 
 into the port, though the anchorage is quite as good 
 outside. In taking this measure, which to some 
 may appear rash, I did not do so without seeing my 
 way clearly before me on all sides of the question. 
 If my entering the port had produced a decided 
 spirit of hostility on the part of the government, I 
 had three reasons to assign for so doing. 
 
 1st. That I had as yet received no official reply to 
 my petition. 
 
 2d. That the local officers had forfeited their pro- 
 mise that the natives should be at liberty to supply 
 us with provisions. 
 
 3d. That the admiral had not fulfilled his promise 
 to repay us for the damage he had occasioned in 
 running foul of the ship. 
 
74 
 
 In case of necessity, I therefore made up my 
 mind to say, that so soon as these points were satis- 
 factorily settled, I would move the ship ; for the 
 point of trade was not one which 1 was prepared 
 publicly to maintain as a right, but merely as a 
 point to be urged or not, according to circumstances. 
 The voyage was entirely an experimental one, and 
 as we bore no official character to render the Com- 
 pany in any way responsible for our acts, there 
 appeared to me no reason why a slight experiment 
 should not be tried on the government, by an appeal 
 to its fears and weakness, of which we had already 
 seen such ample proofs. 
 
 Four war-junks, which for some days past had 
 been laying about half a mile from us, followed us 
 in, and on entering we perceived that two large 
 trading-junks had within the last few days been 
 converted into men-of-war, and were now filled with 
 laon-tseangs and mounting two large guns at each 
 gangway. We had scarcely anchored before Yang 
 Laon Yay, whom we had not seen for three days, 
 came on board, apparently in great agitation ; his 
 principal object was to implore us not to proceed 
 further. 
 
 The success of this measure of entering the port was 
 not long in doubt. The following morning, (May 4,) 
 soon after daylight, Yang came again on board, and 
 said, "When you first came here you told me you 
 would be satisfied if you sold goods to the amount 
 of 10,000 dollars; now I have some friends who are 
 desirous to make a purchase to that amount ; will 
 that induce you to quit the port?" I answered in 
 the affirmative, not feeling very anxious about 
 
75 
 
 disposing of more than a portion of our investment 
 here, in order to reserve enough for other places to 
 the northward. After a little further conversation, 
 it was settled that, as it would be inconvenient to 
 tranship goods immediately in front of the custom- 
 house, the ship should move to her old anchorage as 
 soon as a deposit of 10 per cent, or 1000 dollars was 
 lodged in my hands as bargain-money. Yang also 
 stipulated for a commission of three per cent, to be 
 allowed him on the transaction, and he left us, 
 having pledged that the money should be on board 
 by the 6th or 7th. 
 
 He kept his word, and on the 7th brought off a 
 party of merchants, who told us they were regular 
 dealers in European goods, and yearly went to 
 Canton to make purchases, and from the accurate 
 knowledge they possessed of their various qualities, 
 it was evident they had much experience in this 
 trade. The prices I asked were 40 dollars per 
 piece for camlets, 36 for superior broad cloth, 30 
 for super, and 7. 5 for an average the calicoes. 
 These appreciations were much objected to on their 
 part, and the highest offer they at first would make 
 was 33 dollars for camlets, and 30 for cloth, super- 
 fine, 26 for super, and 7 dollars for calico, which I 
 positively refused to accept ; and after a long dis- 
 cussion, they left us, promising to consider the point 
 and return the following day. 
 
 Yang Laon Yay again accompanied the merchants 
 to the ship, (May 8,) and appeared very anxious to 
 bring our bargain to a termination ; this, however, 
 was attended with some difficulty, as they positively 
 objected to making any advance on their offer of 
 
76 
 
 yesterday, beyond 34 for camlets and 32 for broad 
 cloth. I urged to them that I was well aware the 
 retail prices at the capital would warrant a much 
 higher price, and that they could not purchase the 
 goods at Canton for the sum they offered. Their reply 
 to this argument was, that they must incur heavy 
 expenses in fees to various mandarins to wink at the 
 transaction ; this was probably true, and after some 
 further discussion, Yang Laon Yay interfered as 
 mediator, and the price was finally settled at 35 for 
 camlets, 33 for broad cloth, and 7. 2. for calico. At 
 this appreciation I would only consent to dispose of 
 100 pieces of camlets, 60 of broad cloth, and 100 of 
 calico, amounting to the sum of 
 
 $ 
 
 100 pieces of camlet, at $35 per piece . 3,500 
 60 pieces of sup. broad cloth, at $ 33 
 
 per piece ..... 1,980 
 
 100 pieces of calico, at $ 7. 2. per piece 720 
 
 Dollars, 6,200 
 
 The merchants were willing, and indeed desirous, of 
 doubling the quantity, but not feeling any anxiety 
 about the disposal of a large portion of our small 
 investment at this place, I informed them that if they 
 wished to extend their purchases, they must make an 
 advance of 2 dollars per piece on camlets and broad 
 cloth, and give 7. 5. for an average of the different 
 qualities of calico. 
 
 Immediately on the adjustment of the prices, the 
 bargain-money, which they had brought with them, 
 was deposited in our hands, and in fulfilment of the 
 
 
77 
 
 pledge I had given, the ship moved out of the river 
 the following morning and anchored at her former 
 station. Three small war-junks accompanied us 
 out, but remained at a distance of nearly a mile. 
 The goods were not transhipped till the 12th ; and I 
 confess that, in spite of all we had witnessed, it was 
 not without considerable surprise that I saw the 
 extraordinary difference between Chinese theory and 
 practice which was exemplified on the present instance. 
 
 I have omitted to mention that on the morning of 
 the 10th we heard that official orders had been 
 received from the T-sung-tuh, announcing the degra- 
 dation and dismissal of Chin-Ta-jin, foo-tseang or 
 vice-admiral of Mingan, and two other naval officers, 
 on account of the entrance of the Lord Amherst ; and 
 that a successor had been appointed to Chin in the 
 person of Lin Ta-laon Yay, who had filled the 
 inferior office of tsan-tseang at Arnoy, and was one 
 of the officers assembled to give us audience there. 
 This circumstance in itself is very expressive, and it 
 is difficult to feel much respect for a government 
 which, seeing itself powerless to enforce its orders 
 on a small merchant vessel, feels itself compelled to 
 throw the blame of its own weakness, and endeavour 
 to support its credit with the public, by the punish- 
 ment of its subordinate officers. 
 
 Only two days subsequent to this event it was not 
 a little surprising for us to see two small- sized war- 
 junks come alongside the ship, in which were Yang 
 Laon Yay and his friends, who told us they came to 
 take away the bales they had purchased, and pay 
 the remainder of the price. Bags of money were 
 accordingly handed out of the junks, and given to 
 
78 
 
 our shroff for examination ; and at the same time 
 the bales of cloth and camlet were opened, examined, 
 and then marked and handed into the war-junks 
 alongside. This took place in open day-light, and 
 our decks were crowded at the time with upwards 
 of 100 visitors. I could not refrain from asking 
 Yang Laon Yay how he could possibly reconcile the 
 scene which was at that moment going on with the 
 events of the last few days, and the edicts which I 
 had seen, only two days before, placarded on the 
 very door of his own office ; and I told him that I 
 felt confident that the whole proceeding was by the 
 express though tacit sanction of the viceroy himself. 
 Yang denied this, but in a manner which only 
 strengthened my impression of the justice of my 
 surmise. Be it as it will, such were the facts. 
 Strange and almost incredible as it will appear to 
 those practically unacquainted with the complicated 
 machinery and habitual deception of the Chinese 
 government, only three days subsequent to an 
 admiral and several superior officers having been 
 degraded from their rank for having permitted a 
 foreign merchant ship to force the entrance of the 
 port of one of the principal towns in the empire, and 
 while edicts are placarded in every quarter, pro- 
 hibiting all natives, under the severest penalties of 
 the law, from holding the slightest intercourse with 
 the barbarian ship, two war-junks hoisting the 
 imperial flag come, in the open face of day, and 
 trade with her, in the presence of hundreds of spec- 
 tators, while the civil mandarin of the district stays 
 on board the whole time, examines the goods, and 
 assists in the transaction. 
 
79 
 
 The payment for these goods was made partly in 
 dollars, which are not defaced here by stamping 
 chops on them, as in Canton, and partly in Sycee 
 silver, which was at first tendered for payment at 
 700, but on my refusing to receive it, except at 720, 
 the point was finally conceded, and 2,089.700 tales 
 were paid. The ingots are of quite a different 
 description from those in use at Canton ; but after 
 examination they were pronounced by our shroff to 
 be of excellent quality. 
 
 During my stay at this port I gave much attention 
 to the instructions I had received relative to the 
 attainment of information as to the facilities attending 
 the purchase and lading of teas ; and the result was, 
 that I did not consider it advisable to attempt it on 
 this occasion, though I have no doubt that I might 
 have made arrangements which would have ensured 
 my obtaining a cargo, had I been able to specify some 
 certain period for my return. On our arrival I men- 
 tioned my desire to purchase tea to all the respect- 
 able mercantile people who visited us, several of whom 
 readily entered into my view r s, and brought down a 
 variety of musters for my inspection. A difficulty 
 here presented itself which finally proved an insur- 
 mountable obstacle against entering into any specu- 
 lation of this sort : neither myself nor any person on 
 board the ship was possessed of any knowledge or 
 experience as to the quality and relative value of the 
 teas which were submitted to our inspection ; and 
 after some fruitless endeavours to establish what 
 their real value should be, I finally gave up all idea 
 of attempting to purchase any of the finer descrip- 
 tion, but told some of those who had tendered tea, 
 
80 
 
 that if they would bring down a few chests of good 
 strong ordinary tea, at about 20 dollars a pecul, I 
 would then be enabled to decide whether I could 
 enter into agreements with them for a large supply. 
 One man brought four chests of Chop Hop Chune, 
 weighing net about 200 catties, for which I paid 15 
 dollars per pecul, or 30 dollars, which appears, by 
 the report I annex to this, not to have been dear. 
 Another man brought one chest of Chop Hop Hing 
 as a muster, of which he had 200 chests, which he 
 was willing to supply me with for 35 dollars per 
 pecul, at which rate I declined entering into the pur- 
 chase, merely receiving the chest which he had 
 brought, for which I paid 21 dollars, greatly more 
 than its value, as it appears. Feeling satisfied, how- 
 ever, that no satisfactory result could arise from 
 blindly entering into a traffic in which I had no 
 knowledge or experience to guide me, I declined 
 making any more purchases, though I have no 
 doubt that had Mr. Reeves, or any one possessed of 
 a knowledge of teas been with us, we might readily 
 have procured several hundred chests of good tea at 
 the proper prices, which I consider to be about 30 
 per cent, below those of Canton. The musters which 
 I received were all put in glass bottles, which I con- 
 sidered the best mode of preserving them, though I 
 have subsequently found that tea thus packed inva- 
 riably spoils. I subjoin to this the report which 
 Mr. Reeves has kindly drawn up, of the outturn of 
 the various musters I submitted to him. The four 
 chests, one Hop Hung and three Hop Chune, will 
 be shipped for England on the Honourable Com- 
 pany's ship Dunira. 
 
81 
 
 No> 2 . Tendered at 40 
 
 Fine Pekoe, SUCh as Sold last Bottle, No. 1. Tendered 
 
 season, for the continent of Eu- at 60 dollars P er P ecul - 
 rope, at about 100 tales per pecul. For England, I 
 do not think it would answer at above 60 tales, and 
 then only in small quantities. 
 
 A very black-leafed Pekoe, 
 worth about 28 tales in appear- 
 ance, but much would depend on its strength and 
 flavour, neither of which can be discovered by the 
 present muster, which is quite spoiled. 
 
 An Ankoi kind of tea, such as 
 usually sells at Canton at 18 or 
 20 tales. 
 
 A similar description of tea, 
 worth from 2 to 4 tales per pecul 
 more. 
 
 No. 3. 30 dollars. 
 
 No. 4. 30 dollars. 
 
 No. 5. 
 dollars. 
 
 Valued at 35 
 
 The canister contains a pale- 
 leafed Souchong, of a quality 
 more esteemed for Chinese use than for English. 
 From musters of a similar kind of tea which I saw 
 here last season, I should judge it to be worth in 
 Canton, for native use, above 30 tales, while for 
 England I should not value it much above 20. 
 
 The jar contains what appears 
 to be a Hyson tea, without having 
 the skin, young hyson and gun- 
 powder separated from it, and in 
 this state would be worth very little for the English 
 market. 
 
 Hop Hung; one chest of a No - 7 - In . thi f chest J 
 
 i was quite deceived; quoted 
 
 large-leated Ankoi kind of tea, as worth 35 dollars per 
 
 f-~ pecul. I gave 21 dollar* 
 
 worth at Canton about 16 tales. For the chest. 
 
 No. 6. Native tea, of 
 the neighbouring district 
 of and called after 
 
 that name; price quoted 
 20 to 25 dollars. 
 
82 
 
 Hop Chune, five chests. Large No 8 For four chests> 
 greyish mixed Congo, or low weighing 200 catties, i 
 
 J gave 30 dollars, or 15 per 
 
 Souchong kind Of tea, which pecul. One chest was 
 
 , , , damaged, probably from 
 
 WOUld rank about equal tO the having been opened and 
 
 second price of the Company's examined on board ship ' 
 Fokien Bohea, say 16 tales. 
 Eu-Wo, a 25 catty box. A 
 
 ' J No. 9. For one chest, 
 
 very small blackish- leated tea, weighing about 25 catties, 
 
 P , I gave seven dollars. 
 
 in papers, musty and perfectly 
 
 spoiled. From its appearance, I should think it 
 
 may have been worth about 25 tales. 
 
 It must be borne in mind that these valuations are 
 given almost entirely upon the appearance of the 
 leaf alone, the musters, with the exception of those 
 in chests, Hop Hung and Hop Chune, being all 
 more or less out of condition, and most of them 
 quite spoiled. 
 
 To conclude, I must candidly confess my extreme 
 regret that my ignorance on this topic should have 
 disqualified me from attaining much useful and 
 valuable information on the subject of tea, which 
 might have been attained had any one possessed of 
 the requisite knowledge been on board ; for the 
 anxiety of the people to induce me to enter into 
 agreements to purchase tea from them was great, 
 notwithstanding the law which prohibits any ship- 
 ments of tea by sea, even in native junks. One of 
 the most respectable merchants, who was in the habit 
 of visiting the ship, writes to me in these terms : 
 " But I have formerly asked you, why does not 
 your honourable ship go out into the open ocean ? 
 I have already told you I only wait to know the 
 
83 
 
 place where you will go, and I shall take tea on 
 board my vessel, and transport it without interrup- 
 tion. As regards tea, it is somewhat scarce at pre- 
 sent ; but if you have confidence in me, and will 
 transact the business secretly, and inform me by 
 letter beforehand, then there will be no difficulty in 
 supplying you not only with 10,000 catties of tea, 
 but with any quantity you may desire," (literally, ten 
 millions of peculs.) The letter concludes with say- 
 ing, " If you are really desirous of purchasing Congo 
 tea, I wish to provide you with some, exchanging 
 every pecul for an adequate quantity of opium," 
 (even to the last day it was almost impossible to 
 persuade the merchants that we really had no opium 
 for sale.) This was the person from whom I obtained 
 four chests of Chop Hop Chune, and he was very 
 desiring of supplying us with 200 chests of the same 
 quality, but, for the reasons above stated, I declined 
 purchasing any more. The tea in general use 
 among the natives in the district where we were is a 
 description of green tea, of which No. 6 was a 
 muster : it is called Leen-keang, from the adjoining 
 heen of that name, where it grows. It is a pleasant- 
 flavoured tea, but not having undergone the proper 
 process of firing, would probably not keep to 
 England. 
 
 The river Min, which although in magnitude may 
 seem but insignificant in comparison with several of 
 the vast rivers which traverse the empire of China 
 and a great portion of Asia, yet, in real utility and 
 mercantile importance, will contest the palm with 
 any of them. Its three principal branches take their 
 rise, one in the district of Kee-chow-foo, in the 
 
 G 2 
 
84 
 
 neighbouring province of Che-kiang, and after pass- 
 ing through the country of the Woo-E.-hills, in 
 Keen-ning-foo, whence comes all the finest black tea, 
 it joins with the other two branches, which have 
 their origin among the mountains of Keang-se, and 
 taking a serpentine course through the foot of Yin- 
 ping, Ting-chow, Shaen-woo, and Yung-chuun, they 
 join the other river a little before it reaches the 
 capital. Had we therefore the liberty of trading 
 here, the tea which is now brought at a vast expense 
 to Canton, might be conveyed in boats from the very 
 farms where it is cultivated on board the ships. All 
 the green tea grown in Che-kiang and Keang-nan 
 would also find a comparatively easy transit by this 
 route, although Ning-po is perhaps the port which 
 presents the greatest facilities for the trade in raw 
 silks and green teas. The great national advantages 
 which would be derived from the permission to 
 trade with this place are so obvious as hardly to 
 require any comment. In the mere item of differ- 
 ence in expense incurred between transporting the 
 tea to Canton and to Fuh Chow-foo, a saving of 
 nearly four tales per pecul on 150,000 peculs, or 
 600,000 tales, would be annually made. 
 
 As regards the probability of establishing foreign 
 trade at Fuh Chow-foo, the experience which I have 
 there attained has led me to form the following con- 
 clusion : That, under present circumstances, an 
 avowed permission is not to be expected from the 
 Chinese government, and that it will be invariably 
 refused when requested as a favour, but that a tacit 
 sanction, and indeed connivance, will readily be 
 extorted from their weakness, provided ships remain 
 
85 
 
 outside the port, in which case the government can 
 make out any account they please to transmit to the 
 Emperor. Some management will be required by 
 the first ships which come there to steer a course 
 which will both keep the mandarins at a respectful 
 distance and at the same time conciliate the good 
 will of the people. This will remove one great 
 source of uneasiness to the local government, lest 
 affrays and homicides should arise between the 
 natives and foreigners, which must then necessarily 
 involve the mandarins. Nothing, however, will be 
 more easy than to continue and improve the mutual 
 good understanding which prevailed during the 
 whole period of our stay ; it is only when the Chinese 
 see the foreigners insulted and despised by their 
 rulers that they also habitually treat them with equal 
 disrespect, and thus a sort of national antipathy is 
 created, which indeed it is the main object of the 
 Chinese government to promote. At Canton they 
 have succeeded too well ; let us hope that when the 
 time arrives in which foreigners are again allowed to 
 frequent other parts of China circumstances may be 
 different ; for when we are respected by the govern- 
 ment, I have no hesitation in saying there will be 
 mutual good will between all classes of Chinese and 
 English. I therefore believe, that even in opposition 
 to the expressed permission and authority of the 
 Chinese government, a sort of forced trade, both in 
 opium and all descriptions of British manufactures, 
 similar in many respects to the trade which was 
 carried on between England and the Spanish colo- 
 nies before their independence, may be established 
 and maintained at Fuh Chow-foo, and that in a short 
 
86 
 
 time it would be connived at, and form a source of 
 revenue to the local government on the same footing 
 as the trade at Linting. 
 
 But, on the other hand, I feel no hesitation in 
 expressing my conviction, that if it had suited the 
 policy of the British Government and the Honour- 
 able Company to have followed up the negotiations 
 undertaken by Lord W. Bentinck to bring the local 
 government of Canton to account for the acts com- 
 mitted in May 1831, and the event of such nego- 
 tiations led (as they probably would) to collision with 
 the Canton government, and thus placed the English 
 nation in a state of hostility with the Chinese empire, 
 that then every point which could have been desired 
 to establish the commerce between the two nations 
 on a footing equally advantageous and honourable 
 might have been gained in a wonderfully short 
 period, with little expense, and comparatively no loss 
 of life. Had such events occurred, my conviction 
 amounts, in my own mind, to a feeling of certainty, 
 that if four or six Indiamen and one of His Majesty's 
 frigates had entered the port of Fuh Chow-foo, cap- 
 tured the war-junks, proceeded to Mingan, and 
 thence sent the option to the government of friend- 
 ship or hostility, trade or war, that the freedom of 
 British intercourse would have been established in 
 perpetuity, without any expenditure either of blood 
 or money. The governmeat are too sensible of their 
 own weakness and the very slight hold they possess 
 over the affections of the people ever to risk such an 
 alternative. 
 
 1 have to request the indulgence of the Honour- 
 able Court in offering these opinions^ which 1 fear 
 
87 
 
 will not coincide with those prevalent in England on 
 this subject ; but having had the honour to be sent 
 on a mission, the principal object of which was to 
 collect general information, I consider it a point of 
 duty freely to express the opinions which I may have 
 formed, at the same time that I narrate the facts on 
 which they are grounded. 
 
 I have little more to add of any importance with 
 with regard to our stay at Fuh Chow. Small sales 
 chiefly of calico were made to various persons at 
 seven and eight dollars per piece, and during the 
 whole period of our stay the ship was daily crowded 
 with visitors, and we made frequent long excursions 
 into the neighbouring country ; but I should be 
 guilty of great injustice if I omitted strongly to 
 express my sentiments of the great advantages which 
 have been derived from the services of Mr. Gutzlaff, 
 to which I consider we were greatly indebted for 
 the extraordinary degree of respect and friendship 
 shown to us by all classes of Chinese. Since the 
 first day of our arrival gratuitous medical assistance 
 and medicines were freely given by him to all who 
 applied for them, and during the three weeks we 
 were at this place rarely a day elapsed in which 
 more than 100 patients did riot profit by his humane 
 labours. The fame of this circumstance spread far 
 and near, and in some instances attracted persons 
 from the distance of more than 50 miles. In many 
 cases of wounds and cutaneous disorders his prac- 
 tice was very successful, and it was most pleasing to 
 behold the gratitude demonstrated by these poor 
 people for their cure. 
 
 Two days before we left Fuh Chow, the following 
 
88 
 
 letter was brought on board the ship one afternoon 
 from a war-junk lying at some distance ; a visit- 
 ing card accompanied it, and the messenger said 
 he would call the following morning for a reply: 
 
 " To Captain Hoo, to be opened by his own 
 hands. 
 
 ** The flowery central nation and your honourable 
 kingdom are far distant from each other, yet within 
 the four seas all mankind are brethren. 
 
 " On the arrival of my elder brother's precious 
 ship, we, the hosts, have decidedly been deficient in 
 the offices of friendship ; how dare we behave with 
 incivility ? Your precious vessel is a merchant 
 ship, which carne bringing a cargo therewith to 
 trade, certainly with no intention of injuring our 
 honour and character. 
 
 u Previous to the arrival of your precious vessel, 
 express orders had been received from his Excel- 
 lency the Governor to guard against her. Where- 
 fore was this precaution adopted ? From apprehension 
 lest the populace and fishermen of this mean place, 
 seeing a solitary ship arrive from distant foreign 
 regions, should eagerly and tumultuously approach 
 her and go on board to examine ; this to you would 
 be very vexatious, for the people here are a contu- 
 macious race, and they would stir up no small 
 strife, and would probably also involve the local 
 mandarins, both civil and military, in its conse- 
 quences. This precaution was therefore absolutely 
 unavoidable. 
 
 " Moreover your honourable nation has also fixed 
 laws and regulations for its ports : when a ship 
 
89 
 
 arrives from foreign parts she is not permitted 
 rightly to enter, but must request permission, and 
 report herself to the King of your honourable nation 
 for his decision. Although the various nations 
 inhabit various portions of the world, yet their laws 
 on these points are not two. Now we rule over the 
 surface of the ocean in this part of the world. 
 
 " In consequence of your precious ship having 
 come hither and anchored here for many days, his 
 Excellency the Viceroy has reported it to the 
 Emperor, and is about to deprive us of our rank, 
 honour, and fortune. This, however, is because my 
 destiny fated it to be thus. How dare I harbour 
 resentment ? 
 
 But my elcfer brother did not know that by 
 coming here in your precious ship you would impli- 
 cate our honour. Had you known that it was in 
 your power to dispose of the centre cargo of your 
 precious ship, amounting to 70 or 80 ten thousands 
 of dollars, by injuring our character, we are confi- 
 dent that you would not have come. It may be that 
 some of the crew have heard a vague report that 
 by entering this place you would implicate us ; but 
 we fully believe that you, my elder brother, only 
 intended to dispose of your cargo. But this mean 
 territory is sterile, the inhabitants are poor, and the 
 present year has been one of dearth and starvation, 
 so that there is not food sufficient ; how then could 
 this large sum of money be raised for the purchase ?. 
 The sky is now serene, the sea is calm, the wind is 
 favourable, and now is the favourable time for ships 
 to navigate the ocean ; if you stay still longer and 
 depart not, we shall incur no slight degree of guilt. 
 
90 
 
 " I feel neither anger or resentment towards you, 
 my elder brother. If I have succeeded in inducing 
 you to make allowances for the circumstances, and to 
 feel a mutual regard for me, then will you comply 
 with my earnest request to set sail and depart ; thus 
 we shall be freed from heavy guilt. Communicating 
 this, we pray for your prosperity, and wish that all 
 in your ship may enjoy health." 
 
 The writer of the foregoing letter was Chin Ta 
 Laon Yay Toosze, of the Mingan division, and one 
 of the officers who had lost his rank on account of 
 our having entered the river. Coming from such a 
 quarter, it is a singular confession of their weak- 
 ness ; some parts of the letter, however, are sensible 
 and apt, and the general tone of civility with which 
 it is written rendered it incumbent on me to send 
 a corresponding reply, which I did as follows : 
 
 " To Chin Ta Laon Yay : 
 
 " I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of 
 your letter. The sentiments it expresses are those 
 of a candid and honourable mind ; nevertheless, 
 there is some appearance of misapprehension. The 
 English ship came here desirous of trading justly 
 and legally, and it was hoped that both the natives 
 of Fuh Chow and the English merchants might 
 thereby reap advantage ; there was not the remotest 
 idea that this could in any way implicate the honour 
 and character of the civil mandarins of your honour- 
 able nation. Now that the higher authorities have 
 refused us permission to enter the port, I propose 
 
setting sail within three days. But when I return 
 to my own country, it will be long ere I forget the 
 friendly and hospitable treatment we have experi- 
 enced at Fuh Chow-foo. I sincerely hope that you 
 will deign to honour my poor ship with a visit pre- 
 vious to my departure, that I may profit by your 
 instructive conversation. Wishing that you may 
 enjoy every prosperity, your younger brother Hoo- 
 hea, &c. pays his respects." 
 
 On the 14th May, having taken in all our pro- 
 visions, we endeavoured to proceed to sea, but were 
 compelled to return on account of the violence of 
 the wind ; and on the morning of the 16th, every- 
 thing being prepared to weigh anchor at the tide 
 turning, a visit was paid to us by the two naval 
 commanders of the squadron of Mingan ; one of 
 these was the writer of the letter. The conversation 
 we had with these men appears to me so interesting 
 and curious, that I will offer no apology for insert- 
 ing the entire note I took of it in my journal 
 immediately after their departure, which may be 
 considered as pretty fairly exhibiting the light in 
 which any further endeavour to force a trade at 
 Fuh Chow will be met by the local government, 
 and the treatment they may expect. 
 
 Extract from Journal. 
 
 This morning (16th May), just as we were going 
 to breakfast, we received a visit from two military 
 
 mandarins of rank, one , writer of the letter 
 
 recorded on the 1 2th ; the other . The 
 
92 
 
 former was one of the officers degraded on account 
 of our entrance of the river, and now wore a man- 
 darin cap without any distinction ; the latter had a 
 blue button. They both held the same rank in the 
 army, viz. of too-sye, equivalent to lieutenant-colonel. 
 Chin began the conversation, by informing me that 
 he was the writer of the letter I had received, and I 
 then expressed the great satisfaction I felt at having 
 made the acquaintance of a man whose sentiments 
 I admired. said, that hearing of our ap- 
 proaching departure he and his friend had come to 
 pay their respects and wish us prosperous winds and 
 a felicitous voyage, and further wished to know at 
 what period we proposed going, when I informed 
 him that we were about to sail that very day. They 
 were both most profuse and earnest in their ex- 
 pressions of thanks and friendship towards us. On 
 my remarking my extreme regret at seeing that Chin 
 had fallen into disgrace on our account, and my 
 hopes that he would speedily be restored to his 
 rank, a very curious conversation ensued, in which 
 both these mandarins gave vent to their irritated 
 feelings in expressions which I confess surprised me 
 not a little. Their resentment, however, appeared not 
 to be levelled against us who had been the immediate 
 cause of their misfortunes, but against the unreason- 
 able conduct of their own superiors. " The Tsung- 
 tap has no reason or justice in his conduct!" 
 exclaimed Chin ; " he blames and punishes us 
 because your ship enters the port, without in the 
 least degree considering that we have no means or 
 power of preventing it. Look on our paltry vessels, 
 and compare them with yours, how can we control 
 
93 
 
 you ? besides," added he, " I hear that some of your 
 war-ships have 70 guns ; is it true?" "Perfectly 
 so," replied I, " some have 120 ; but all that we 
 desire is to live in friendship with the people of 
 China ; our sole object in coming here is peacefully 
 to conduct a trade which may prove mutually ad- 
 vantageous to the merchants of both nations." On 
 this I pursued the subject at some length, and 
 pointed out the great advantages which would accrue 
 to this port if we enjoyed the privilege of trading 
 here freely. Chin, who was a man of considerable 
 intelligence, entered fully into rny view of the ques- 
 tion, and expatiated at considerable length to his 
 companion on the topic, particularly alluding to the 
 great increase of revenue which would arise ; then 
 suddenly reverting to the topic of his loss of rank, 
 he exclaimed, " How I wish that we had only 
 understood each other when you first arrived as well 
 as we do now ! then none of these unfortunate events 
 would have occurred, and you might have traded 
 unmolested outside of the port; for I am sure your 
 object in coming here was not to injure and destroy 
 our character." I again expressed the regret I felt 
 that such should have been the consequences of our 
 visit to Fuh Chow. Chin now conversed for some 
 time on the subject of the pamphlet on the Ying- 
 kwo, which he had evidently read with much atten- 
 tion. " We have all been mistaken as to the views 
 of your nation, and our rulers consider that your 
 only object is to acquire territory ; did they believe 
 that commerce was your only object, so reasonable a 
 wish could never be refused." I replied, by ex- 
 pressing my regret that the great officers of the 
 
94 
 
 empire and the Emperor himself did not concur in 
 his liberal and enlightened views on these important 
 subjects, as nothing could be more easy than for the 
 most perfect friendship to exist between our two 
 nations, but that I feared that the system persevered 
 in at Canton must inevitably produce war and con- 
 fusion, for the consequences of which, however, the 
 great officers of Canton would be alone to blame. 
 Chin here opened a number of the pamphlet lying 
 on the table, and turning over to the passage relative 
 to the insults and oppression of the Canton govern- 
 ment, we conversed for some time on this point. 
 Chin told me, that he positively knew that a full 
 account of us had been sent to Peking, together 
 with a copy of the Ying-kwo and four other works, 
 belonging to Mr. Gutzlaff, of which the Viceroy had 
 requested copies. In the course of the conversation 
 Chin asked me if I intended to return in the follow- 
 ing year, to which I replied that in all probability I 
 should. " In that case," said he, " I shall be among 
 the first to come and welcome you, and means will 
 easily be found for you to carry on your trade with- 
 out implicating any one ;" and he again repeated 
 his bitter regret that terms had not at once been 
 offered to us on our arrival which would have 
 obviated the necessity of our entering the port. 
 The conversation turning on Admiral Wan, I heard 
 with some regret that the report of his degradation 
 was unfounded, and I gave an account to my friends 
 of his brutal behaviour during our interview at 
 Hae-tan, of which they had already heard. I re 
 monstrated with Chin against that part of his letter 
 where he says that intercourse with the natives was 
 
95 
 
 refused, lest, from the stubbornness of their disposi- 
 tions, they should involve us in quarrels, which 
 would implicate the mandarins ; and pointing to 
 about a hundred of them before the mainmast, I 
 explained to him the measures we had adopted ever 
 since our arrival for preventing confusion on deck, 
 and appealed to them both whether, during three 
 weeks of unreserved personal intercourse, the slightest 
 cause for apprehension had existed. They both 
 allowed the truth of my remark, and again repeated, 
 " We now know you better than we did before, and 
 feel convinced that nothing need be apprehended/' 
 Chin in all his remarks about his own nation exhi- 
 bited a degree of modesty very rarely met with 
 among Chinese, and he appeared much struck with 
 the superiority of many things, he said, to what they 
 possessed themselves. The prints in some books 
 lying on the table struck him particularly. " Where 
 have we anything like this ? " said he to Hen, point- 
 ing to the engravings in Cuvier's Natural History. 
 The telescopes, pistols, and several other things also 
 called forth the same remark from him. We showed 
 them all over the ship, both above and below, much 
 to their satisfaction. Shortly previous to their de- 
 parture I offered a portion of camlet to each as a 
 slight token of friendship, and was rather surprised 
 to see them both politely, but firmly decline receiving- 
 it. " We came here," said they, " to pay you a 
 friendly visit, not to seek for presents." On my 
 urging the point that this was a mere trifle, as a 
 specimen of our manufactures, and a token of regard, 
 Hen said, " that we should be happy to accept them, 
 did we not fear we might thereby involve ourselves ; 
 
96 
 
 you know well what pe-kea (worthless wretch) 
 Admiral Wan is; did it come to his ears that we 
 had received presents from you, he would do his 
 utmost to turn it to our injury." Seeing that they 
 were in earnest, I did not press the point ; but Chin 
 having appeared much pleased with a telescope, I 
 forced him to accept it as a memorial. His friend 
 told him he had better not ; but on my persisting, he 
 finally slipped it up his sleeve. 
 
 Their visit lasted for nearly three hours, during 
 which we conversed on an infinite variety of topics ; 
 Chin, however, always took the lead, and was evi- 
 dently a man of much more mind than his com- 
 panion. In these notes which I have kept of it, 
 I can scrupulously assert that all the sentiments con- 
 tained were uttered, many of them in language much 
 more forcible than I have applied. Mr. Gutzlaff 
 was present and took a share in it the whole time, 
 and assisted me whenever, from my imperfect know- 
 ledge of the Chinese language, I was at a loss for an 
 appropriate expression, or the full meaning of what 
 was said. Chin was a stout well-made man, with a 
 pleasing countenance, and the blunt manners of a 
 sailor; his friend was tall and thin, and much infe- 
 rior to him in all points ; nothing, however, could 
 exceed the friendly politeness of their manners. 
 Before they went, they again asked if we positively 
 meant to go to-day; for if you say so, we shall 
 immediately write an official report of it. I replied, 
 that inasmuch as lay in our power it was our full 
 intention to get under- weigh when the tide turned, 
 but that we could not control the winds, and that I 
 recommended them to wait an hour, and then in all 
 
97 
 
 probability they would be enabled to report that we 
 had already gone. We finally parted with the 
 strongest mutual professions of friendship. 
 
 On the 17th, we finally quitted Fuh Chow-foo, 
 and after a protracted passage of seven days, on the 
 25th anchored near the Chusan Islands. 
 
 Ning-po. 
 
 On the 25th of May we proceeded through the 
 numerous islands of the Chusan Archipelago towards 
 Ning-po. Dairy mple's chart, though it contains a 
 considerable error both in latitude and longitude, 
 gives a very good idea of this part of the coast from 
 the outer islands to Ke-tow, but all between that and 
 Chin-hae is laid down most inaccurately ; between 
 Ke-tow and the small round island off it we found 
 soundings with 45 fathoms, where 100 are marked. 
 From that we proceeded with a fine breeze and strong 
 tide inside the islands called the Elephant and 
 Tower, finding no soundings anywhere with 50 
 fathoms. We wished to anchor for the night close 
 to the southward of a small islet at the eastern ex- 
 tremity of Ta Seay Shan, written in the chart Ty-go- 
 shan, but found no ground with 45 fathoms half a 
 cable's length from the shore ; on rounding the point 
 we found anchorage in 20 fathoms. These channels 
 are dangerous, from the rapid currents and want of 
 anchorage. This day, whilst at anchor off Gongphas 
 Island, we were boarded by several mandarins, from 
 two war junks, who had come out of Ting-hae, the 
 capital of the Chusan Islands, to reconnoitre us. 
 I informed them of my intention immediately to 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 proceed in person to Ning-po, to submit my request 
 for permission to trade to the proper authorities. 
 The two commanders, mandarins with white buttons, 
 were both illiterate men, scarcely able to read their 
 own language. They were attended by a seen-sang, 
 or teacher, who aided them in reading and writing. 
 The questions they put to us were of the most frivo- 
 lous description; they appeared much astonished 
 and confused at our appearance, particularly at 
 hearing themselves addressed in their own language, 
 and did not attempt any remonstrance against our 
 proceeding. In the course of the evening, I pre- 
 pared the following short address to the chee-foo of 
 Ning-po, more with the object of gaining a pretence 
 to visit the city in presenting it than with any hope 
 of a satisfactory result. 
 
 The English commander, Hoo-Hea-me, presents a 
 respectful petition to the Chee-foo of Ning-po. 
 
 An English ship has arrived, laden with camlets, 
 calicoes, woollens and sundry articles, which I am 
 desirous to dispose of in this honourable district. 
 Formerly, during the reign of Kanghe, ships of my 
 nation came here and traded freely ; it is my anxious 
 wish that the former mercantile intercourse may be 
 renewed ; thus both the honourable merchants of 
 this place and the foreigners will be benefited. We 
 sincerely hope that this may be granted, the more so 
 since the ships of your honourable district annually 
 trade to our colonies, and the laws of my country 
 permit them to do so. I therefore request that your 
 Excellency will examine into the aifair, and grant 
 
99 
 
 my petition, for which we shall feel highly grate- 
 ful. 
 
 12th year, 4th moon, 26th day. 
 
 The following morning we left the ship in the 
 launch. The entrance to the river was about 20 
 miles in a westerly direction from the ship. The 
 town of Chin-hae is situated at the mouth of the 
 river, the true name of which is Tahae.* This 
 town, which is the capital of the Heen, is built on a 
 peninsula, formed by the river on one side and the 
 sea on the other, against the inroads of which it 
 is protected by a magnificent stone embankment, 
 extending five or six miles along the coast, which is 
 a flat plane of some extent, and considerably below 
 the high-water mark of the sea. The extreme point 
 of the peninsula is a high hill, on which is built an 
 extensive fort, though, like most others on the coast 
 of China, dismantled and ungarrisoned. On our 
 passing by this town, numerous boats came and 
 spoke us ; among others, several filled with low 
 mandarins, who endeavoured to induce us to stop, 
 both by entreaties, and finally by threats ; their boats 
 not being able to keep up with us, some of them 
 landed, and running along the banks of the river, 
 tried to induce some large vessels, full of passengers, 
 to stop our progress, but they declined all inter- 
 ference; they then set a troop of boys to pelt us 
 with stones as we were sailing close in-shore to avoid 
 
 * Du Halde calls it the Kin, though I cannot find on what 
 authority; and states that there is only 15 feet water over the 
 bar, whereas there is 30 at high water through the western en- 
 trance. 
 
 H2 
 
100 
 
 the tide, on which I hailed them, threatening to 
 inform the chee-foo of their insolence, and they then 
 checked the boys from throwing any more stones. 
 The breeze fortunately freshening, we stood to the 
 other side of the river, and met with no further 
 impediment. The western banks of the river are 
 flat; the eastern are bounded by a ridge of high 
 and barren- looking hills ; at some distance from the 
 banks both sides were fertile and well cultivated, 
 with numerous villages, the inhabitants of which 
 came out in crowds to gaze at us, but not the slightest 
 incivility was anywhere offered. 
 
 The town of Ning-po lays about 12 or 14 miles 
 up the river, which runs, for the first few miles, in a 
 south-west and west direction, and then tends 
 towards the north-west ; so the town bears about 
 west from the entrance. The river in front of 
 Chin-hae is nearly half a mile wide, with six and 
 seven fathoms water, so as to offer excellent an- 
 chorage of any size. The chart made by Captain 
 Rees gives a much better idea of the entrance than 
 can be afforded by description. It will be seen that 
 ships of any burthen can enter at half tide ; the only 
 difficulty is in the narrow passage close to Foo Isun 
 (the Crouching Tiger), where, if there was no leading 
 wind, it would probably be prudent to warp about 
 300 yards. The anchorage between Foo Sun and 
 Yew Shan is not good, owing to violent and irregular 
 eddies. 
 
 The town is situated on the western or left side of 
 the river, which here divides into two branches. The 
 walls appear of great extent, and the suburbs cover 
 both sides of the river.' We made for the nearest 
 
101 ( ;/v : :;;r :;;:;-, ; 
 
 landing-place, landed amidst a vast crowd, and 
 walked directly into the city, saying we wished to 
 go the che-foo's office. Several instantly undertook 
 to show us the way, and we proceeded through* 
 broad streets lined with handsome shops. I stopped 
 and looked into several, and both Mr. Gutzlaff and 
 myself addressed the crowd, telling them " that we 
 were their ancient friends the English, who formerly 
 traded here and brought great wealth to their town, 
 and that we had now come, hoping to re-establish 
 the ancient custom which had been so beneficial to 
 both of us." I also distributed a few pamphlets and 
 trading papers among the most respectable people. 
 Having walked nearly a mile, we were shown to the 
 che-heeri's office, where the astonishment of the 
 official attendants exceeded that shown at Fuh 
 Chow-foo ; as usual we were assailed with questions, 
 and I distributed several pamphlets among them, 
 in order to disseminate a little of that information 
 respecting us of which they appeared so desirous. 
 After a short time the che-heen came and spoke to 
 us, but on my saying I wished to deliver my address 
 to the che-foo in person, he with much politeness 
 requested us to follow, and he would conduct us to 
 him. We accordingly did so, and were conducted 
 to a spacious court at a short distance, at the end 
 of which was a hall filled with benches, and large 
 enough to accommodate 2,000 people. This was 
 the Hall of Confucius, where the yearly examination 
 
 * Comparatively speaking. The streets of Ning-po are several 
 feet wider, ^and the shops are handsomer, than in any Chinese 
 town I have seen. 
 
i s'A'%.' 102 
 
 of candidates for literary honours took place. In 
 a few minutes the che-foo arrived, attended by a 
 numerous cortege, and entered a raised platform at 
 the upper end of the hall. He came forward to the 
 front of it, and I then approached him and delivered 
 my petition, and a copy of the pamphlet, into his 
 hands. The che-foo is an elderly man, with 
 prepossessing manners. He received my petition 
 with a smiling countenance, and having read it, 
 he turned to me and said, " This affair deserves 
 our consideration ; I will consult on it with the 
 te-tuh ; in the meanwhile you shall stay here for the 
 night, and one of my people shall provide you with 
 everything you require ; do not you think this is 
 right?" This last phrase he repeated several times 
 to me in a good-humoured jocular tone, and I re- 
 plied, that I felt much obliged for the kind reception 
 I had met with, and was delighted to think I had to 
 look up to a mandarin of such an enlightened and 
 liberal mind. The old gentleman appeared in high 
 good humour, and asked us various questions, and 
 then having especially directed one of his attendants 
 to see that nothing was wanting for our comfort and 
 accommodation, he wished us farewell, repeating, 
 61 we will consult about your affairs." During this 
 audience there were numerous police people with 
 whips, but they were quite unable to keep out the 
 crowd, who poured into the hall and soon nearly 
 filled it: Several thousands must have been present. 
 We soon followed our host out of the city ; and 
 having crossed the river on a substantial bridge of 
 large boats, we proceeded to our quarters, which 
 \ was at the public hall of the Fokien merchants. The 
 
103 
 
 injunctions of the che-foo as to our hospitable treat- 
 ment were amply obeyed, and presented a great 
 contrast with our reception at Fuh Chow-foo. A 
 personal servant of the che-foo, in whose charge we 
 were placed, attended us with the most respectful 
 care, repeatedly requesting us to specify any thing 
 we might wish to have, and it should be procured 
 for us. Our only annoyance was from the endless 
 succession of curious visitors, many of them inferior 
 mandarins, others respectable merchants and shop- 
 keepers, whose questions and curiosity were without 
 end. Every one entreated for a copy of the pam- 
 phlet on England, the fame of which spread like 
 wildfire. It was midnight before we could retire to 
 our sleeping apartments. 
 
 The following morning several messengers were 
 sent from the che-foo to make inquiries from us on 
 various subjects, principally relative to various parts 
 of the pamphlet on England, which appeared greatly 
 to have excited the attention and curiosity of all. 
 Explanation as to the subjects of grievances com- 
 plained of at Canton, and regarding our Indian 
 possessions, which we alluded to as nearly bordering 
 on the Chinese empire, were the topics on which 
 most questions were asked, and all the replies which 
 appeared important were taken down in writing. 
 This anxiety for information gave us an opportunity, 
 of which we gladly availed ourselves, of detailing 
 the various commercial grievances and national in- 
 sults to which we are subject from the local govern- 
 ment of Canton. The points we principally urged 
 were the illegal extortion of duties, by which the 
 imperial tariff is in many instances doubled and 
 
104 
 
 quadrupled. The heavy port charges, and other 
 extortions as to compradores, which now bore so 
 severely on ships of a small size as to prevent their 
 entering the river of Canton at all, and had com- 
 pelled us to come up to Ning-po to seek for more just 
 and equitable treatment. The varied and harassing 
 system of insult and annoyance, which has been for 
 years systematically pursued by the Canton govern- 
 ment, and which was so greatly at variance with the 
 kind and benevolent disposition expressed by the 
 Emperor as a guide for the treatment of foreigners. 
 We finally gave them a clear explanation of the out- 
 rages committed by the foo-yuen in May, 1831 ; 
 and when eagerly questioned as to the probable 
 result, we stated it to be uncertain, but that the go- 
 vernor of our Indian empire had already sent ships 
 of war to seek for redress, if possible, by conciliatory 
 measures ; and that if refused, it was generally sup- 
 posed a fleet would be sent to China to demand 
 satisfaction, and to retrieve the honour and national 
 character of our country. 
 
 Our lodging was surrounded by a great crowd 
 the whole morning, and when we went out, as well 
 to gratify their curiosity as our own, we were hailed 
 on all sides with the strongest expressions of good- 
 will, and the satisfaction which the prospect of a 
 renewal of foreign trade excited in their minds. In 
 
 o 
 
 the forenoon a visit was paid to us by the che-heen, 
 two military mandarins of the third rank, and several 
 of inferior grades. The most marked and flattering 
 attentions were shown to us ; a contest of civility 
 took place as to who should occupy the seats of 
 honour, which they insisted on allotting to us as 
 
105 
 
 visitors, to whom they were anxious to show respect. 
 The che-heen was an old infirm man, and spoke very 
 indistinctly ; but this was amply compensated by the 
 fluent speech and elegant manners of Ma-talaon Yay, 
 who forms an honourable exception to the generality 
 of military mandarins. This officer, of whom we 
 subsequently saw a great deal, was a Yew-keek, or 
 colonel in the staff of the tetuh. He was a fine 
 handsome-looking man of about 50, with perfectly 
 European features, which was explained by his tell- 
 ing us that his family was from the Cashgar country 
 in Thibet, and not far distant from our own Indian 
 territory. Ma was a Mahommedan, and possessed 
 of much more information on general subjects than 
 is generally met with even among the Chinese lite- 
 rati. After a few complimentary phrases, the che- 
 heen delivered his message from the che-foo as 
 follows : " That as the tetuh was now absent, no 
 decision could be made as to the reply to our re- 
 quest, but that a messenger has been dispatched, 
 requesting his attendance, and that it was the inten- 
 tion of the che-foo, in company with several man- 
 darins, to start for Chin-hae in the afternoon, and 
 that thence they would come and visit our ship, in 
 order to consult on the best mode of representing 
 our request to the Imperial Throne." Many civil 
 messages were added, both as to our country and 
 ourselves personally. Ma now remarked, that both 
 the che-foo and himself had read the pamphlet on 
 England with attention, and that it was his intention 
 to forward it to the Emperor ; and he inquired if I 
 had any more copies, as he would feel obliged to me 
 if I would give him one. On this I presented a copy 
 
106 
 
 to each mandarin present, and expressed my extreme 
 satisfaction at the prospect of its being forwarded to 
 Pekin, as it contained nothing but a true statement 
 of our grievances, and also of the power of England, 
 and her anxious wish to maintain and improve her 
 friendly relations with China if it was possible, but 
 that I much feared the conduct of the local go- 
 vernment at Canton would thwart those friendly 
 intentions ; if so, the blame rested entirely with them. 
 Many inquiries were now made relative to our ship, 
 the drift of which was to ascertain whether she came 
 here on any public mission, or was merely a private 
 trader, what her cargo consisted of, &c.&c. Our 
 conversation lasted more than an hour, but was 
 almost entirely maintained by Ma. Our power and 
 possessions in India, and the disturbances at Canton, 
 were the principal subjects canvassed ; and the inte- 
 rest manifested on both these points was very great. 
 The pleasing and intelligent manners of this man- 
 darin rendered our conversation highly agreeable 
 and interesting ; and during the whole of it a scru- 
 pulous attention was paid to avoid the use of any of 
 those offensive terms implying national superiority, 
 an affected display of which is so common among 
 the Chinese. Having observed that, previous to 
 returning to our ship, I should like to enter the city, 
 and make a few purchases, Ma immediately directed 
 a mandarin, with a white button, and several police 
 attendants, to escort us, and apologised for the in- 
 convenience to which we would be subjected from 
 the boisterous curiosity of the people. I laughed, 
 and said, that we knew their friendly disposition too 
 well to care for such a trifling annoyance, and assured 
 
107 
 
 them that, if their party went shopping about Lon- 
 don in their mandarin clothes, they would probably 
 be surrounded by as great a crowd of noisy people 
 as we were. We now arose and separated, all the 
 mandarins accompanying us to a boat which was 
 prepared to take us across the river ; and when we 
 pushed off they remained on the beach, bowing to 
 us as long as we remained in sight. This conduct 
 was most striking, as evincing a strong wish, not 
 only to treat us with marked respect, but also to show 
 to the assembled crowd the friendly feelings with 
 which they regarded us. The effect of this was 
 instantly visible, from the demeanour of the police 
 people and others, who addressed us with the re- 
 spectful term of Saon Yay. 
 
 We visited several shops in the town in which 
 European woollen manufactures were for sale, the 
 prices of which were much the same as at Fuh Chow- 
 foo. I was anxious to visit some wholesale silk 
 warehouse, but only saw retail shops. Both Mr> 
 Gutzlaff and myself endeavoured to obtain some in- 
 formation as to whether any signs or remnants 
 existed of foreign residences here, but our researches 
 were fruitless, and we had not time or leisure to 
 pursue them. Every one however appeared per- 
 fectly well aware that foreigners had traded here a 
 century ago, and that the greatest advantages had 
 been derived to their city from that circumstance. 
 Having walked right across the town, we ascended 
 the ramparts, and from a tower over one of the gates 
 had a good view of the city, which appears very 
 populous, there being no vacant spaces within the 
 walls. The population, as collected from various 
 
108 
 
 sources, 1 should state at 250,000 to 300,000. The 
 town and suburbs cover fully more than half the 
 space of Canton. The river fronting the town was 
 full of junks, mostly belonging to the province, and a 
 good many from Fokien. The greater part of Fokien 
 junks appear to remain at Chin-hae. I may here 
 mention, as a strong proof of the great effect pro- 
 duced by the circulation of the pamphlet on England, 
 of which we brought up about fifty copies, that on 
 our arrival every one remarked that we were hung- 
 maon, the red bristled people; and several respectable 
 persons, without the slightest intentions of incivility, 
 inquired whether that was not our nation. Our 
 reply to all was the same, that there was no such 
 country, and that it was a vulgar and somewhat rude 
 expression as applied towards foreigners, for that 
 pigs, dogs and cats had maon, bristles, but men had 
 [ ] ton for hair. This information, as far as 
 regards our country, I am convinced was new to 
 many, and before our departure we had the satis- 
 faction of hearing the crowd remarking one to ano- 
 ther, Chay she to Ying-kivo-jeu, " These are the 
 Englishmen." 
 
 We did not leave Ning-po till it was so late that 
 we could not rejoin our ship, but slept at a mandarin 
 house at a village just outside of the river, where we 
 were hospitably entertained, and the following day 
 returned on board the ship, which had moved to 
 about eight miles from the entrance. Their war 
 junks were lying near her. In the forenoon, Captain 
 Rees having gone in the boats and ascertained that 
 there was safe anchorage about a mile from the 
 town, between the small islands of Footsun and 
 
109 
 
 Yew-shair, the ship moved, and anchored there in 
 the afternoon, and Mr. Gutzlaff and myself then 
 went on shore, and met with the che-huen of Chen- 
 hae, Ma-talaon Yay, and several other mandarins. 
 Ma, in behalf of the other mandarins, now remon- 
 strated with me for having moved the ship, saying 
 that we should have waited till the tetuh and the 
 other great officers had consulted and come to some 
 decision in our affairs, and that he much feared the 
 tetuh would blame those two gentlemen (pointing to 
 the commanders of war junks) ; that he felt confident 
 it could not be my wish to occasion trouble to any 
 one, therefore they all particularly requested I would 
 move the ship out a little further, and that one of the 
 naval commanders present, who was well acquainted 
 with the coast, would pilot us to a place of security." 
 I was fully prepared to hear objections made to the 
 step I had taken, and had consequently not given 
 the slightest intimation of my intention to move the 
 ship, being deeply impressed with the value of the 
 advice given by one of the most enlightened and 
 sensible men who ever presided over the honourable 
 Company's affairs in China. I allude to Mr. Drum- 
 mond, who is universally allowed to have possessed 
 a deep and thorough knowledge of the Chinese 
 character, and to have happily combined in his 
 intercourse with them the greatest resolution and 
 firmness with becoming prudence and moderation. 
 The distinguished Russian navigator, Kuisentem, in 
 the account of his voyage, acknowledges in strong 
 terms his deep obligation to Mr. Drummond for the 
 advice and assistance afforded by him in the nego- 
 
110 
 
 tiations they had with the Chinese government.* 
 " It is quite in vain," says he, " to expect that a 
 request will obtain any attention from them. Never 
 in the first instance to ask, but act, and afterwards 
 excuse yourself, is, as Mr. Drummond once assured 
 me, the only mode of proceeding with the Chinese ; 
 and I believe that in important political matters this 
 system is still more necessary than in affairs of less 
 consequence." Few persons practically acquainted 
 with the situation of foreigners in China will deny 
 the truth of this position. 
 
 In the present instance I therefore informed them 
 that the ship had moved in from an exposed and 
 distant anchorage, as much from a proper feeling of 
 consideration and respect towards the che-foo and 
 other mandarins, who had expressed an intention to 
 honour me with a visit, as for our own safety and 
 convenience, and that as I earnestly hoped for fre- 
 quent opportunity of friendly communication with 
 them, our being at a convenient distance would 
 greatly facilitate it ; and I further assured them it 
 was not my intention to move higher up the river 
 until the great officers had deliberated and come to a 
 
 o 
 
 decision on our request ; and that I had now come 
 on shore for the purpose of paying our respects to 
 the chee-heen of Chin-hae, as we had promised 
 on passing up the river two days ago. This ex- 
 planation appeared to give satisfaction, at least the 
 point was not insisted on ; and the che-hae now 
 made use of the strongest expressions of regret at 
 
 * Kuisen tern's Quarto Edition, Vol. II. p. 292. 
 
Ill 
 
 the rudeness which had been shown to us the day 
 we entered, when we were pelted with stones, saying 
 it was an offence which merited the severest punish- 
 ment. We treated this very lightly, replying that 
 they were merely boys, who never would have 
 thought of such a thing had they not been instigated 
 by one of the laontseangs, who was therefore the 
 only party to blame. No other public business was 
 canvassed in this interview. Ma informed me that 
 the chee-foo had come from Ning-po and was in the 
 town, and that the tetuh was expectedly hourly. 
 The following morning the tetuh arrived with three 
 large junks from the eastward ; salutes were fired 
 from all the heights, and as he passed our ship we 
 saluted him with three guns. Many persons, both 
 merchants and mandarins, visited the ship this day, 
 but we had no official communication. 
 
 Ma-talaon Yay, with several other mandarins, 
 visited the ship this morning (30th May), to invite 
 Mr. Gutzlaff and myself to an interview with the 
 tetuh and other great mandarins, in order to discuss 
 our affairs. Both here and at Fuh Chow-foo we 
 might consider ourselves fortunate in having nego- 
 tiators appointed who were personally agreeable to 
 us. Ma indeed would make a finished courtier in 
 any country, and possesses the talent of pleasing 
 flattery in the highest possible perfection. It was 
 not long however before we discovered that there 
 was more of policy than sincerity in his warm pro- 
 fessions of friendship. Mr. Guszlaff, however, during 
 the few days we had been here, had gained a great 
 influence over the mind of one of the naval manda- 
 rins, named Sun Sayongay, a Fokien man, who 
 
112 
 
 really looked upon Mr. Gutzlaff as his countryman, 
 who had lived much among foreigners, and learned 
 their customs and sciences, and having received 
 some medical assistance from him, Sun was most 
 anxious to show his gratitude. He was a rare 
 instance of a Chinese mandarin who really appeared 
 inclined to speak the truth, and during our stay we 
 frequently got correct information from him. He 
 had a long private conversation with Mr. Gutzlaff 
 this morning ; the purport of which was, " In the 
 audience going to, you will find several mandarins 
 hostile to you, but do not be frightened out of your 
 intention to trade. The chee-foo, in spite of all his 
 civility, is only anxious for your departure. The 
 tetuh and him have already had a dispute on the 
 subject ; he is an honest man, and what he says you 
 may believe. Ma is a man possessed of much 
 influence from his talents, but do not trust him too 
 much, for I fear he may prove too clever for you. 
 You will have to deal with many rogues, especially 
 among the literary mandarins." These were literally 
 his expressions as reported to me by Mr. Gutzlaff. 
 
 In the meanwhile I had a long private conversa- 
 tion with Ma, who was very pressing that I would 
 confide in him what our real object and intentions 
 were. I told him that my real and sincere desire 
 was to enter the port and trade, paying all the legal 
 duties. This, Ma said, could not be done without 
 a reference to the Emperor. I replied that I was 
 well aware of that, but that no reason existed why a 
 civil reply should not be sent to my petition, saying 
 that the officer had been favourably reported to the 
 Emperor, and the imperial decision requested on the 
 
113 
 
 subject. The receipt of this would give me the 
 opportunity of writing another petition, thanking 
 the mandarins for their obliging behaviour, and 
 entering a little more at large on the subject ; and I 
 could then explain the nature of some of the 
 grievances at Canton which had compelled me to 
 abandon that port, and seek for the liberty of trading 
 elsewhere. In the meanwhile, added I, you can 
 assist me in settling my cargo, which will be a very 
 profitable purchase. Ma listened with great atten- 
 tion to what I said. I will immediately go and 
 report all you have said to the tetuh, excepting 
 about your private arrangements for trade, in that I 
 dare not publicly interfere, but means shall be found 
 to arrange this in a satisfactory way, if you will only 
 move your ship out a little further. I replied, that 
 so soon as my contract will arrange, and the bargain 
 money paid, I would move to wherever the purchaser 
 appointed for the delivery of the cargo. Ma now 
 requested a list of our cargo, which was given him, 
 and the party went on shore. 
 
 We followed in a short time, but did not that day 
 see either the tetuh or che-foo ; we however had a 
 long conference with the che-heens of Chin-hae and 
 Tinghae (Chusan), who arrived yesterday with the 
 tetuh. The latter we found a proud supercilious 
 Chinese, who hated foreigners, and who showed him- 
 self decidedly hostile to our views. In the course of 
 conversation he stated that in former times there was 
 a tea-hong and a silk-hong established for foreign 
 trade, that they had long been discontinued, and 
 that without them it would be difficult for us to carry 
 on our business. On this I remarked, that these 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 were established to facilitate intercourse when fo- 
 reigners could not speak the language, but as the 
 case was now different, we could manage our affairs 
 very well without them. On this he produced a 
 paper containing extracts from their records, to 
 prove that no foreign ships had been permitted to 
 trade at Ning-po since the time of Keeo-lang; I 
 rejoined that it was now the anxious wish of my 
 countrymen to renew the former commercial inter- 
 course, and that as their ships frequented our ports, 
 it was reasonable we should be permitted to visit 
 theirs. Wang Ta Saou Yay had already made seve- 
 ral ill-humoured remarks, and now positively denied 
 the correctness of my assertion. But on Mr. Gutz- 
 laff's declaring that he had frequently seen Ning-po 
 junks at Singapore, a military mandarin interposed 
 and said, " what the gentleman states is perfectly 
 correct, vessels from Ning-po frequent your country, 
 but they are generally owned by Fokien merchants." 
 Wang looked disconcerted, and held a short consul- 
 tation with his colleague the che-heen of Chin-hae, 
 which ended by the latter producing an official do- 
 cument, which he gave into my hands, saying, " read 
 that, and then you will see it is impossible for you 
 to trade here." 
 
 On casting my eyes over the paper, I at once saw 
 the highly offensive nature of it, and requested to be 
 allowed to keep it ; this was objected to, on which 
 Mr. Gutzlaff said he would copy it. The old che- 
 heen, now in considerable agitation, begged that no 
 copy might be taken, as he only meant us to cast our 
 eyes over the paper, and showed much anxiety to 
 regain possession of it. Mr. Gutzlaff, however, 
 
115 
 
 withdrew to a table, and commenced copying the 
 following Edict, while I kept the mandarins in con- 
 versation on different subjects. 
 
 " Ke-che-che-foo, of Ning-po, sends a document 
 to inform Ophe, Chin-hae-heen, that on the 25th day 
 of the 4th moon, he received a communication from 
 Hei, acting isungtuh-wee, from which it appears that 
 in the present year, during the 3d moon, he received 
 a letter from the admiral of the province of Fokien, 
 enclosing petitions from various districts, stating, 
 
 " That there was a barbarian ship at Nanting, which 
 was sauntering over the surface of the ocean to the 
 southward, beyond Tseen-la-leen. I, the acting 
 iseeng-heh, ordered the commanders of the cruizers 
 and the mandarins along the coast, both civil and 
 military, to be on their guard and drive her away. 
 
 " But the said barbarian vessel went and anchored 
 at Woo-hoo, a district which is under the command 
 of the hee-tae of Mingan. The conduct of the com- 
 manders of those camps has been reverently reported 
 to the Emperor, both by myself and the feteh, and 
 Chin-chin-pang. The footseung of Mingan, and 
 Chen-heen-sang, the foosze (or major) of the left 
 division of Mingan, have both been degraded from 
 their rank. The strictest orders have also been issued 
 to drive her away, as is on record. 
 
 " On inquiry, it appears that barbarians are natu- 
 rally fraudulent and crafty, and it is difficult to be 
 protected against them, for they search about like rats. 
 Additional orders have therefore been issued to the 
 naval commanders of Mingan, and the mandarins 
 along the coast, both civil and military, that with 
 
 i2 
 
116 
 
 redoubled energy they may drive her away. More- 
 over the strictest injunctions have been circulated, 
 strongly enjoining all the mandarins along the coast 
 to make strict inquiries, and with the utmost vigi- 
 lance to guard against the said barbarian vessel, 
 which creeps like a rat; let them forthwith trace 
 her, pursue her, drive her away, and not allow her to 
 stay a single moment ; let them also prevent traitor- 
 ous natives from engaging in clandestine intercourse. 
 If any one shows the slightest negligence his name 
 will be reported to the higher authorities, and no 
 forbearance shown. Intensely. 
 
 " This paper is accompanied by a document to the 
 said che-heen, directing him speedily to send a cir- 
 cular to all the camps along the coast, that they may 
 make the strictest research, and with redoubled ar- 
 dour guard against the said barbarian ship, which 
 creeps in like a rat, let her instantly be traced, 
 pursued, expelled, and not allowed to stay one 
 moment, &c. &c. 
 
 " 12th year, 4th month, 28th day." 
 
 Whilst Mr. Gutzlaff was copying this document, 
 the mandarins looked considerably disconcerted, as 
 it evidently was not their intention that a copy of it 
 should pass into our hands. I now expressed, in 
 very plain terms, the feelings which were naturally 
 excited by the unfounded falsehoods and insulting 
 observations contained in it. This paper was evi- 
 dently produced with the idea that the severity of 
 the language contained in it would alarm us, and 
 render us tractable to their views; but with the 
 insight I had attained into the Chinese character, I 
 
117 
 
 felt convinced that I might turn the edict quite in a 
 contrary way to what they expected. I spoke on the 
 subject with considerable warmth, inveighing against 
 the unvaried system of the higher mandarins of con- 
 cealing all true facts relative to foreigners ; and 
 assured them that the day would arrive when such 
 artifices would no longer avail. The whole party 
 now strongly disclaimed participating in the senti- 
 ments contained in the edict, which was from Fokien, 
 not Che-kiang. 
 
 Ma, who had been absent the whole conference, 
 now came in, and seeing that something was wrong, 
 asked me what it was ; I explained ; and he then, 
 with an air of much impatience, said to me, " The 
 blockheads," (or some equivalent term,) " why did 
 they show you that edict ; had I been here you never 
 should have seen it ;" and he then went to the other 
 end of the room, and spoke with much warmth to 
 the old che-heen, apparently reprimanding him. Ma 
 now exerted himself to restore good humour and 
 harmony, in which we readily joined. He told us 
 the tetuh was unwell, and consequently unable to see 
 us that day, but would give us an audience to-mor- 
 row. Our conference this day lasted near two hours, 
 and we conversed on a great variety of subjects. I 
 distributed several of the pamphlets, both to the 
 mandarins and among the respectable shopkeepers, 
 who had come in numbers to the temple in which 
 we met. The ship moved this morning, and an- 
 chored outside of the river, about one mile from the 
 entrance, and Captain Rees commenced making a 
 survey of the river and adjacent islands. 
 
118 
 
 In the afternoon I drew up the following address, 
 which I resolved to present in person to the tetuh to- 
 morrow. Some of the expressions in it may appear 
 strong, but let it be borne in mind that we had no 
 trade to risk here at present. 
 
 " The English Captain Hoo-Hea-mee presents the 
 following respectful petition to his Excellency the 
 Tetuh of Che-keang province. 
 
 " In compliance with your Excellency's invitation, 
 I this day came on shore, in order to consult with 
 the great officers as to whether my ship could be 
 permitted to enter the river, and trade according to 
 law. I regret that I had not the honour of a per- 
 sonal interview with your Excellency, but the great 
 officers assembled submitted a document to my in- 
 spection, stating that mine is a barbarian keapan, 
 (barbarian ship), and it is on record that the dis- 
 position of barbarians is perverse and fraudulent ; 
 that the barbarian ship enters like a rat, seeking for 
 clandestine intercourse with traitorous natives. Now 
 these statements are both insulting to my nation, of 
 which I am but an humble individual ; and, more- 
 over, are untrue. The natives of Great Britain are 
 not barbarians, but are a people belonging to a 
 nation which has no superior in the world. The 
 disposition of the natives of Great Britain is not 
 fraudulent and crafty, but is open, bold and enter- 
 prising ; and it is the maxim of my countrymen to 
 prefer death to disgrace : further, we have not entered 
 the ports like rats, seeking for intercourse with trai- 
 torous natives. Rats hide themselves in holes, we 
 
119 
 
 come here in the open face of day, and harbouring 
 no deceit, know no fear. Where have we connected 
 ourselves with traitorous natives ? 
 
 " I have heard that your Excellency is an honour- 
 able and intelligent man ; it must therefore be appa- 
 rent to you, that such insulting language as this must 
 tend to excite hostile feeling between two great 
 nations, whose mutual interest it is to be friends. 
 
 " To conclude, my ship has now come, bringing 
 cargo to the amount of 70,000 or 80,000 dollars ; 
 this is a matter of but small importance, but if the 
 great officers of this province think fit to represent 
 the true facts to the Imperial Throne, it may perhaps 
 originate a trade, which will yearly amount to many 
 millions. In this light it may therefore be called an 
 affair of great importance. I have the honour to 
 enclose a small pamphlet on the affairs of Great 
 Britain, which I request your Excellency will deign 
 to peruse, and with great respect have the honour 
 to remain, &c. &c." 
 
 The following morning (May 31), we had another 
 long conversation with Ma and Sun, who came to 
 conduct us on shore to an audience with the tetuh. We 
 conversed on trade, and Ma was urgent that the ship 
 should move out a little way, and then, he said, my 
 wishes might easily be complied with ; to exemplify 
 his meaning clearly, he took a pencil and wrote the 
 following sentence : u If your honourable ship moves 
 outside, the merchants can trade with you, but now 
 the mandarins, both civil and military, are assem- 
 bled here, and the merchants dare not come out ; 
 but so soon as your ship has moved, the mandarins 
 
120 
 
 will go, and the merchants can come. We cannot 
 call them ourselves, because we are mandarins of 
 the Ta-tsing nation and dare not clandestinely break 
 the laws ; but we can shut our eyes, and then we 
 shall know nothing about the matter." 
 
 To this I replied, that so soon as our bargains 
 were arranged, I would readily move the ship ; and 
 Ma promised to see what could be done. I now re- 
 verted to the interview with the tetuh, and said that 
 chairs must be provided for Mr. Gutzlaff and myself. 
 Ma replied, " If you are mandarins in your own 
 country, as I fully believe you to be, your request 
 will certainly be granted ; if not, our regulations are 
 against it. I myself shall not be seated." I re- 
 joined, " I am no mandarin, but a merchant ; it is 
 not on my own account that I insist on this, but 
 for the character of my nation." Ma then said he 
 would mention the subject to the tetuh, who doubt- 
 less would comply with my request. Both Ma and 
 several others had frequently asserted that we were 
 mandarins sent on some special mission, and main- 
 tained their opinion from the knowledge of the 
 Chinese language we possessed, our Chinese books, 
 (some of which, on statistical topics, were of a de- 
 scription the common people are not allowed to pos- 
 sess), and various other equally conclusive reasons. I 
 always positively denied the imputation, and assured 
 him that when our mandarins did visit their country, 
 it would be in ships of war, not trading vessels. Ma 
 now went on shore, and we shortly followed. 
 
 I will here insert the notes I took of our interview, 
 written immediately after my return from it, as it 
 may not be uninteresting to see the treatment which 
 
121 
 
 an English merchant received in a public interview 
 with Chinese mandarins of the highest class. It is 
 curious as compared with the indignities offered to 
 the chief of the British Factory, in an interview with 
 the viceroy of Canton * at his palace, who was seized 
 by his attendants, his sword taken from him by 
 violence, and force used to compel him to prostrate 
 himself to the ground, and perform the ceremony of 
 the ko-tow. 
 
 Extract from Journal. 
 
 " On our- arrival at the town, we were shown into 
 an inner apartment of the temple we had previously 
 been to, where a mandarin with a blue button received 
 us. We waited here for more than an hour ; nor 
 did we find the time long, the place being filled with 
 many of the most respectable persons of the town, 
 and of Ning-po, who by favour had obtained the 
 liberty of coming there to see us. We went among 
 them, and delighted them exceedingly by answering 
 their questions. They universally expressed the 
 most earnest wish to be allowed free intercourse 
 with us. At last Ma returned, and informed me the 
 great men were ready to receive us. I inquired if 
 the tetuh would ask us to be seated, to which he 
 replied in the affirmative ; and I having formerly 
 informed Ma that taking the hat off, and replacing 
 it, was a form of respect, I was requested to do so, 
 which would be returned by His Excellency folding 
 his hands before him, and bowing his head slightly. 
 
 * Canton Consultations. Interview with Viceroy relative to 
 Mr. Flint's case in 1759. 
 
122 
 
 This was all quite satisfactory ; so we proceeded to 
 an open green outside the walls, where a tent had 
 been raised. We entered between a double file of 
 soldiers, with numerous officers in full uniform, with 
 bows and arrows : several guns and jinjals were 
 displayed, handsomely decorated with flags, and the 
 whole scene had a very imposing and martial ap- 
 pearance. In the tent were seated the three great 
 men, the tetuh in the centre, tsung-ping-kwan, of 
 Ting-hae, on his right, and the taou-tae on his left, 
 which is the place of honour. I was ushered in 
 between Ma and Ko Talaon-yay, who introduced 
 me by name to the tetuh, and then Mr. Gutzlaff: 
 our salute was returned, both by him and the tsung- 
 ping, in the most friendly manner ; but the taou-tae 
 looked black as thunder. We have hitherto, in all 
 our dealings with the mandarins, invariably met with 
 one who took every opportunity to show his enmity 
 and dislike to foreigners. On looking round, I saw 
 no chairs prepared for us, aud immediately mentioned 
 it to Ma. The tetuh overheard me, and said, " If 
 you are mandarins in your own country, I will ask 
 you to be seated ; if not, it is contray to the customs 
 of our nation." I replied, " We are not mandarins ; 
 but as visitors from a distant country, I expect that 
 this civility will be shown to me." The old tetuh 
 then, in a familiar good-natured tone, said, " What 
 are your customs on this point?" I replied, " In 
 my country, a merchant, if a man of respectability, 
 can be seated in the presence of the highest man- 
 darins. I myself have frequently done so ; and I 
 have even been seated in the presence of my sove- 
 reign." The tetuh exclaimed, " Bring: chairs ! you 
 
123 
 
 are mandarins and our friends ; pray be seated." 
 I again said, in an audible voice, " We are not 
 mandarins, but merchants." The tajin replied by 
 pointing to the chairs which had been placed on the 
 left hand below the table, on which we accordingly 
 seated ourselves. The tetuh now, after a few com- 
 plimentary words had been exchanged, stated, " That 
 many years ago there had been a factory at Ning-po 
 belonging to our nation ; that this had been dis- 
 continued, therefore it could not now at once be 
 re-established." The taou-tae added, " You may 
 trade to Canton, but can by no means be allowed to 
 have any mercantile speculations here." I replied 
 by alluding to the grievances and extortions of 
 Canton, and added my hopes that a favourable re- 
 presentation of the facts would be made by the great 
 officers of this province, which might originate a 
 trade in future years. The tetuh said, " Let your 
 King write a wan-shoo (a public letter) to the 
 Emperor, and it may be arranged." I expressed a 
 hope that such an arrangement might be made, and 
 then rose up and delivered my petition. In this 
 regard I had committed a great error, in letting Ma 
 know of my intentions as to the petition ; so that 
 they had already consulted on the point ; and the 
 tetuh now firmly, but civilly, declined receiving it, 
 saying that the petition to the che-foo was sufficient, 
 and our case had already been reported to the 
 Emperor. In confirmation of this, the taou-tae pro- 
 duced a document, which was handed to us for our 
 perusal. This was a copy of the tsung-tuh of 
 Fokien's report to the Emperor : it began with an 
 account of certain vessels which had lately arrived ; 
 
124 
 
 among others a junk from Soo-choo had been per- 
 mitted to enter the port, and go up to the city, the 
 natives of that country being submissive and pliable ; 
 but that an E. ship having arrived, it was prohibited 
 to proceed, and no intercourse was carried on by 
 natives, except clandestine transactions with fisher- 
 men. It blamed us severely for our pride and 
 perverseness in entering the port, and staying, 
 although severe prohibitions had been issued against 
 us. It reported that, finally, we had been driven 
 away, but were still rambling about the ocean. 
 Mention was made of the five books containing the 
 doctrines of Europeans, but unclassical, (one the 
 tui kwo, the other moral and religious tracts), which 
 we were stated to have distributed among the fisher- 
 men. Two of the barbarians, Hoo Hea Mee and 
 Kea Le, understood a little of the Han language, 
 and were also able to hoo seay, write coarsely ; from 
 their writing it, it appeared that it was an ying-he-le 
 ship ; that their cargo consisted of calicoes, camlets, 
 and woollens, which they were not allowed to sell : 
 it ended by referring the whole to the imperial de- 
 cision. I requested the tetuh to be allowed to take 
 a copy of this document, and he was inclined to 
 permit it, having made a sign to Mr. Gutzlaff to 
 come to the table and write it out ; but the taou-tae 
 whispered something in his ear, and he then said 
 that it was against their laws to permit us to take a 
 copy of a paper which was forwarded to the emperor. 
 I now reverted to my petition, which was lying 
 unopened before them, but the tetuh, at the insti- 
 gation of the taou-tae, again said, that he could by 
 no means receive it, and he took it up and tendered 
 
125 
 
 it back to me. On this, I went to the table, and 
 taking the petition, opened it myself, and laid it 
 before the tetuh, requesting him to read it, and 
 telling him, if it was against their custom to reply 
 to it, I did not wish for any. The tetuh, as I 
 afterwards heard, was rather deficient in his learn- 
 ing, not being very quick either in reading or 
 writing. I suspected as much at the time, for 
 he handed the paper to the taou-tae, who took it 
 reluctantly and read it over to him, all the time 
 looking black as night. Indeed, whenever the old 
 tajin made any civil and obliging remark, he always 
 whispered something in his ear, evidently remon- 
 strating on his civility. After having read the 
 paper, the tetuh again addressed me, disclaiming 
 any connexion with the insulting document alluded 
 to, which came from the tsung-tuh, and added 
 some flattering remarks on our country ; I replied, 
 that I never should forget the hospitality which 
 had been shown to us at ]Ming-po, but added, that 
 as I had received this paper here, I could not 
 avoid expressing my indignation at the falsehoods 
 it contained, and added, " you are said to be 
 a brave and honourable soldier, and must well 
 know that it is difficult to hear one's country 
 insulted without anger." The old tetuh, with a 
 smiling countenance, said, " you are not wrong ;" 
 and added, " we have treated you as our friends, 
 because we consider you as such ; and even if our 
 two sovereigns were at war, (Leang-wang-ta-chang 
 knocking his fists together to exemplify it,) and you 
 were to come here as our guests, we should treat 
 you in the same way." I expressed my respect for 
 
126 
 
 such liberality of sentiments, and tea was then 
 brought in. Ma and several other military men, 
 with blue buttons, were in attendance, but stood ; 
 Ma stood near me, and interpreted whenever the 
 tetuh did not quite catch my meaning ; he frequently 
 went and spoke to the three tajins, but in so low a 
 tone that I could not catch the sounds. After tea 
 had been removed, the petition was again reverted 
 to, and the tetuh again said; that he could not re- 
 ceive it. I however positively refused to take it 
 back, and after again thanking the tetuh for the 
 civility he had shown us, we rose, made a bow, and 
 retired. Just as we were pushing off in our boat, I 
 observed that a mandarin, with a glass button, had 
 slipped my petition under the bow ; rather angry at 
 this trick, I jumped on shore with it, made my way 
 along the jetty with such speed that several laon- 
 tseangs, were upset into the mud, greatly to the 
 entertainment of the populace, and ran back to the 
 place of audience, which the tajins had however 
 left, so I laid the petition on the table among several 
 military mandarins, and returned to the boat. It 
 was again brought down, but I would not receive it; 
 and it was finally left in the hands of a gold button 
 mandarin. The audience lasted about half an hour, 
 in which we spoke on several subjects. The tetuh 
 adverted to their apprehension that the people would 
 injure us, which gave me an opportunity of mention- 
 ing the friendly treatment we everywhere met with 
 from them, when totally unprotected. The tetuh 
 several times repeated, your king had better send a 
 document to the emperor, and then you may come 
 and trade, the merchants and every one would be 
 
127 
 
 glad to see you. We went away, feeling satisfied 
 that if we had to arrange our affairs with the tetuh, 
 everything would be easily managed ; but it was 
 evident that he was under considerable restraint 
 from the presence of the taou-tae, which was con- 
 firmed to us afterwards. The tetuh also said that he 
 meant to send us some presents of provisions of 
 various kinds, and I had the bad tact to reply, that 
 I hoped he would receive a few trifling specimens 
 of our English goods in return. He replied, " I 
 dare not; if the emperor were to know I had re- 
 ceived any presents from foreigners, I should be 
 degraded." 
 
 In the evening we were again visited by our two 
 friends. The conversation principally turned upon 
 trade; and Ma appeared rather anxious to be re- 
 lieved from the necessity of aiding us, alluding to 
 the danger he would incur if discovered. I also 
 expressed my regret at being obliged to dispose of 
 our goods clandestinely, instead of trading in a legal 
 manner ; and Ma then said, u ta-tsing, kwo-ting 
 le-puh-taou," the fixed laws of the Tatsing dynasty 
 are not good ; a strong assertion for a mandarin of 
 rank to make ; but from the way he proceeded to 
 prove it, no one could contradict his statement. 
 " Only consider," said he, " the system of injustice 
 which is carried on ; at Fuh Chow, mandarins were 
 degraded for your entering the river ; here it is 
 likely to be the same ; if they were to oppose you, 
 and an affray take place, they would be punished 
 more severely. In your last embassy, Ho Kung-yay, 
 Duke Ho, and many other mandarins of the first 
 rank, were punished and degraded for treating your 
 
128 
 
 ambassador with contempt, whereas they only exe- 
 cuted their orders." He also uttered a severe philippic 
 against the tortuous policy of the civil mandarins in 
 general, especially the taou-tae and che-foo ; he told 
 us that the tetuh and the latter had come to high 
 words on our account, and that the che-foo had 
 returned to Ning-po ; and that the tetuh did not dare 
 follow the impulse of his own wishes, which would 
 lead him to come and see us and our ship, and treat 
 us with the greatest kindness. Ma finished by say- 
 ing, in a jocular way, that he was tired of being a 
 mandarin, and had a great mind to come away with 
 us, and go and see our country. I recommended 
 him to get made ambassador, and sent to London, 
 where he would amuse himself well. A breeze 
 having sprung up, we took him on shore in the 
 launch, and he promised to induce the tetuh to 
 come on board as soon as our mercantile affairs were 
 settled. Ma tried very hard to extract from us that 
 we were sent here on some special mission, and 
 alluded to four other ships which were said to be 
 outside, asking us if they were our friends. This, 
 I have no doubt, was a mere fabrication, or else one 
 of the hundred vague reports which are spread 
 about on shore respecting us. 
 
 We were visited this morning (June 1) by two 
 Fokien merchants, who said they came from the 
 capital, and from whose conversation I soon detected 
 that they were sent by our friend Ma. They merely 
 examined our goods, took an accurate account of 
 their prices, and promised to return in a day to 
 arrange about purchases. They made anxious in- 
 quiries for opium, and seemed much disappointed, 
 
129 
 
 and very incredulous, when we asserted that we had 
 none. It is a singular fact, and difficult to be 
 accounted for, that they recommended me to enter 
 the river, which they said would greatly facilitate 
 our trade. We this day saw some of our mandarin 
 friends on board ; but on landing in the afternoon to 
 take a walk, we met Ma, who inquired if his friends, 
 the merchants, had visited us, and if we had yet 
 arranged our affairs. 
 
 On the following morning (June 2) the same mer- 
 chants returned, and stated it to be their intention 
 to make purchases to some extent ; I accordingly 
 tendered .to them 500 pieces of camlets, a' $ 40 ; 
 100 of broad-cloth, a' $ 40 ; 50 of supers, a' $ 33 ; 
 and 1,000 pieces of calico, a' $8.5. The appre- 
 ciation of broad-cloth was most objected to; and 
 both here and at Fuh Chow the merchants objected 
 to its quality, stating that it had deteriorated con- 
 siderably during the last 10 years. They finally 
 left us without making any conclusive offer. I pro- 
 posed to receive silk in exchange, and produced 
 musters, which I had brought from Canton, of 410, 
 390 and 330 $ per pecul, equal to which I informed 
 them I was ready to receive a' 340, 320 and 280 
 dollars. At these rates they appeared ready to 
 supply them ; they made no positive promise, but 
 took musters of the silk with them. 
 
 Finding more difficulties thrown in the way of 
 our trade than I anticipated, I determined, if pos- 
 sible, to dispose of the greater portion of our cargo 
 at this place, reserving only enough to ascertain the 
 prices at the other places we might visit. But cir- 
 cumstances, over which we had no control, finally 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 compelled me to abandon the hope of trading at 
 Ning-po. The causes which in my opinion pro- 
 duced this, I shall now briefly explain. We had 
 now been here for 10 days; and although nothing 
 could exceed the friendly demonstrations of the man- 
 darins, yet we evidently were under much greater 
 restraints, as to free intercourse with the natives, 
 than at Fuh Chow-foo. One cause which contri- 
 buted to prevent the natives from frequenting our 
 ship was the inconvenient place where we were an- 
 chored ; whereas at Fuh Chow we were in a general 
 thoroughfare. We had been compelled to quit our 
 anchorage close to the shore from the violent eddies. 
 For the two days we lay there numerous visitors 
 came to us ; but since we had moved out, but very 
 few boats approached us ; and in spite of our remon- 
 strances, no provisions were brought off. I now 
 used the same argument as at Fuh Chow, namely, 
 that we had a right to insist on free supplies of the 
 necessaries of life, while we were expecting a direct 
 written reply to my petition, which had been pro- 
 mised to us frequently ; and I this day (June 4) told 
 Ma, who had called to pay us a visit, that if the 
 people were not freely allowed to bring us supplies, 
 I should certainly enter the port on the morning of 
 the sixth. He argued on the point, endeavouring 
 to induce me to accept supplies as a present, but 
 this I refused. He then promised that my wishes 
 should be fulfilled ; and on the following day boats 
 came off both with supplies and visitors, both with 
 mercantile views and from curiosity, and I began to 
 nourish hopes of success in my views of selling our 
 cargo at this place. 
 
131 
 
 The hope of buying opium, however, was the 
 attraction which drew all the merchants to the ship. 
 It was in vain for us to deny our having any, assert- 
 ing that we came here desiring to trade legally, and 
 therefore could not bring a contraband article : such 
 an argument appeared to them ridiculous ; and most 
 of them left us convinced in their mind that a want 
 of confidence in them, or some other cause, pre- 
 vented our openly confessing the truth that we had 
 come there for the purpose of selling the drug. 
 
 Ma, who daily visited us, and with whom we had 
 long conversations, began also to show symptoms of 
 a wish to relieve himself from the necessity of assist- 
 ing us. His opinion, which he on repeated occa- 
 sions frankly confessed, was, that we came here, not 
 for trade, but to gain information ; and that we were 
 sent on a special mission for that purpose. In order 
 to remove that idea from him, I this day took him 
 down into the hold, and showed him the bales, which 
 he professed to have convinced him, but it was evi- 
 dent that his suspicions remained the same. I was 
 this day remonstrating with him on the illiberal 
 suspicions with which our countrymen were every- 
 where treated in China, and received this candid 
 reply : " I will explain it to you. We are afraid 
 of you ; you are too clever for us. For instance, 
 no sooner does a ship of yours arrive, than out go 
 your boats in all directions, you sound, you make 
 charts, and in a week know the whole place as well 
 as we do. Now, some Coreans were wrecked in 
 this neighbourhood last year ; they were placed 
 under no restraint, but were allowed to go every- 
 where, and were finally sent home through the 
 
 K2 
 
132 
 
 provinces. We do not fear thern ; they are stupid, they 
 look at all things, but observe nothing." I argued, 
 that though we perhaps had more observation than 
 the Coreans, that it was not with any ulterior views 
 beyond trade, and that our country had no wish to 
 aggrandize itself at the expense of his Emperor. 
 Let him only feel persuaded of that, replied Ma, 
 and permission to trade would readily be granted. 
 In the afternoon several merchants from Ning-po 
 visited the ship, examined our goods, but made no 
 positive offer ; they promised to return in a day 
 or two. 
 
 This day (June 4th) a trifling dispute occurred 
 between ourselves and the boats from the men-of- 
 war, which, had it been carried further, might have 
 offered a serious interruption to the friendly footing 
 on which we have hitherto been with all parties. 
 In the afternoon, I proceeded with Captain Rees 
 in the long-boat about a mile up the river, with the 
 specific object of ascertaining whether there was 
 water enough for ships to lay at anchor conveniently 
 there. To do this we had to pass a line of about 
 15 war-junks, which were anchored close to each 
 other right across the river, their object apparently 
 was to prevent our ship from passing them. A 
 considerable degree of jealousy and apprehension 
 had always been manifested whenever any of our boats 
 entered the river and passed beyond the usual 
 landing-place leading to the town, and we conse- 
 quently rarely went beyond that place, nor should 
 I now, had I not considered it to be an object of 
 some importance to ascertain whether there was 
 good anchorage for large ships higher up. We 
 
133 
 
 accordingly went straight up, and passed the line 
 of junks, although many boats pushed off in all 
 directions to bar our way, but having a fine breeze 
 in our favour, we were enabled to get a-head of 
 them all. We now sailed about a mile a-head of 
 the junks, and the result of this examination proved, 
 that the anchorage here is fully as good as that of 
 Whampoa, the river being nearly half-a-mile in 
 breadth, with seven fathoms on a mud bottom, 
 close to the shore, and eight or nine in the centre. 
 On returning, with a beating wind and fair tide, 
 we found that the boats from the war-junks had 
 mustered very thick, and appeared inclined to offer 
 rudeness to us. One of them, a large heavy boat, 
 with about 20 men, ran her bow right on our beam, 
 and sprung one of our timbers ; others came up and 
 clung to our sides with their boat-hooks, in spite of 
 our remonstrances. I attribute this conduct, so dif- 
 ferent to what it had been on former days, to our 
 having neglected the salutary precaution of carrying 
 arms in the boat, which fact they must have ascer- 
 tained while two of their boats were alongside of us 
 for a few minutes when entering the river. Seeing, 
 however, that in spite of mine and Mr. Gutzlaff's 
 appeals, no less than 15 or more boats had sur- 
 rounded us, and some of the sailors and low man- 
 darins appeared inclined to board our boat, it 
 became necessary to take some decided measures 
 to prove that we would not submit to such aggression; 
 we therefore armed ourselves with some sticks and 
 spare tillers which happened to be in the boat, and 
 with them drove away several low tseangs who 
 had forcibly entered our boat ; in doing this two 
 
134 
 
 low mandarins with gold buttons were thrown over- 
 board into the water. There appeared now every 
 prospect of a serious affray ; several of the boats 
 around us had arms in them, but none were used. 
 On seeing that we were determined to resist any 
 attempt at force on their part, their demeanour sud- 
 denly changed, and Ma, with several other mandarins 
 of our acquaintance who were present, and had ap- 
 peared among the foremost in directing the boats to 
 grapple us, now used their utmost exertions to 
 assuage the tumult, loudly ordering all the boats 
 instantly to depart. I, on our side, aided by Cap- 
 tain Rees, stopped the shower of stones which our 
 Lascars had been liberally distributing in all direc- 
 tions, and quiet was restored. Ma now came, and 
 with his wonted urbanity expressed great regret at 
 the trifling misunderstanding which had taken place, 
 assuring us that not the slightest injury was intended, 
 and endeavoured to lay the blame on the rudeness 
 and awkwardness of the sailors. 
 
 I, with some warmth, upbraided him with autho- 
 rizing such rudeness towards an unarmed boat, 
 assuring them that in future we should be better 
 prepared ; but Ma again assured us, in the strongest 
 terms, that he was in no way to blame, and that his 
 only object was to come and speak a few words to 
 me, on which he entered our boat, and whispered in 
 my ear, " Your trading affairs will all be settled in 
 two days," and then he wished us farewell, and 
 we separated. 
 
 It is difficult to say what was the distinct object 
 the Chinese had in view by this half and half sort 
 of attack upon us, though had we quietly submitted 
 
135 
 
 to allow ourselves to be taken prisoners, the result 
 might have been very unpleasant. All the officers 
 of the ship, excepting one, were in the boat, which 
 contained in all 16 persons, the ship was therefore 
 left in a very defenceless state. I do not really ima- 
 gine that any preconcerted plot was formed to obtain 
 possession of our persons and detain us, though some 
 such idea may have suggested itself on ascertaining 
 that our boat was entirely destitute of all weapons 
 of defence. This circumstance of itself plainly 
 shows that we were in no way the aggressors, and 
 in any future allusion to the subject I determined to 
 consider myself the aggrieved party. 
 
 It was however highly fortunate that the dispute 
 terminated without any serious consequences, and at 
 the time, I confess I expected that it would mate- 
 rially expedite our commercial arrangements, which 
 I still feel convinced it would have done had not 
 subsequent events, to which we could obtain no 
 distinct clue, disappointed my hopes in this par- 
 ticular. 
 
 The following morning (June 5th) Sun and another 
 naval laon-yay came on board, apparently to ascer- 
 tain in what light we viewed the affair of yesterday ; 
 the blame of which we maintained rested entirely 
 with their countrymen. In private conversation Sun 
 told Mr. GutzlafT that accounts had arrived of the 
 appearance at Macao of a fleet of ten ships of war, 
 but that it was not known what their intentions were. 
 A rumour was also prevalent that four ships were 
 cruizing outside, in the vicinity of Chusan ; these 
 were believed to be friends of ours, whose motions 
 were to be guided by our report. This was evidently the 
 
136 
 
 mere creation of their alarmed imaginations ; but 
 there was much more likelihood in the truth of the 
 former report, for at the period we left Macao the 
 arrival of Admiral Owen's squadron in the month of 
 May, was an event anticipated as likely to occur. 
 
 In the afternoon the merchants previously sent by 
 Ma visited us, and announced their intention of 
 arranging definitively their purchases. I had met 
 with so many impediments and difficulties in ar- 
 ranging our trade here, which were equally to be 
 expected elsewhere, that I determined if I could, to 
 dispose of all the bulk of our cargo here, merely 
 reserving enough to ascertain the prices at other 
 ports. The first point our merchants mentioned was 
 opium, and they again endeavoured to induce us to 
 confess we had some for sale. Having with diffi- 
 culty convinced them that we really had none, 
 musters of camlets were examined. Of these they 
 proposed to purchase 500 pieces, for which $34 
 per piece was first offered. I asked $40 ; but after 
 some discussion the price was fixed at $37f for 500 
 pieces. 
 
 For broad cloth I could not induce them to make 
 any higher offer than $31 for superfine, and $25 for 
 super, or about It. 3 m. and 1 t. 1 m. per yard, 
 which is not more than that obtained at Canton 
 without duties. Much objection was made here, 
 as well as at Fuh Chow, to the quality of the super- 
 fine, which was alleged to be much inferior to what 
 was formerly imported. I therefore declined making 
 any sale at this appreciation. 
 
 For calicoes, on taking 1,000 pieces, no higher 
 tender was made than $7, which was lower than I 
 
137 
 
 had a fair right to expect here, having received $7.2. 
 at Fuh Chow. 
 
 Long ells were inquired for, but we unfortunately 
 had none ; the merchants assured us that they would 
 readily have purchased an assortment of the different 
 colours at $\ 1 per piece. 
 
 For cotton and cotton-twist they would make no 
 offer whatever, declaring that the twist No. 40 and 60 
 was much too fine for the use to which such articles 
 are applied here. 
 
 These persons stated themselves to belong to a 
 Fokien establishment at Ning-po, which purchased 
 largely in foreign goods from the junks which trade 
 here from Canton and the straits. They left us, 
 promising to return on the 7th, bringing silks, both 
 raw and manufactured, and also the bargain money 
 of 2,000 dollars. I promised to receive the greater 
 part of the payment in raw silk, if they would 
 supply me with it at reasonable prices. 
 
 On going on shore this afternoon (June 6) to the 
 town, we were not a little surprised by being received 
 by a great part of the garrison under arms. Pre- 
 parations were also making to erect a battery of six 
 guns near the landing - place. On going to the 
 temple we had a long conference with several man- 
 darins, one of whom, the commander of the forces at 
 Chin-hae, Chun Ta Laon Yay, was very angry, and 
 upbraided us on the subject of the affair of the 4th. 
 Two civil mandarins were present, one of whom was 
 introduced to us as Wei Yuen, deputed officer from 
 the foo-yuen, the other as private secretary of the 
 newly arrived Taou-tae ; Ma and several others 
 were also present. In reply to the somewhat angry 
 
138 
 
 speech of Chun, in which he had asserted that we 
 were solely to blame in the affray, I replied also 
 with some warmth, that the fact of our being utterly 
 unprovided with arms clearly proved the improba- 
 bility of our having been the aggressors ; that at the 
 time we were assaulted we were quietly returning to 
 our ship ; that if one or two boats had come and 
 expressed a wish to speak to us, we would readily 
 have complied ; but that, when we saw 12 or 14 
 large boats violently come and grapple with us, in 
 spite of our remonstrances, we could view it in no 
 other light than as an intentional insult to us, which 
 it was the custom of my countrymen instantly to 
 resent, without regarding the disparity of force. 
 Ma now interfered as pacificator, and the subject 
 was dropped. One of the civil mandarins now 
 informed us that a document would be given to us 
 to-morrow from the taou-tae, which would clearly 
 explain the impossibility of our trading under pre- 
 sent circumstances. At my request, I was promised 
 a copy of the viceroy's report to the Emperor, which 
 had been shown to us at the audience, which, I 
 assured the assembled mandarins, I would deliver to 
 my superiors on my return home, together with any 
 document they pleased to address to me. 
 
 When the party rose 1 had a short conversation 
 with Ma, who inquired if his friends had come to 
 see us lately, and if any thing had been arranged ; 
 he appeared much pleased when I told him that 
 every point was settled, except bringing the money 
 and delivering the goods. 
 
 The following morning (June 7) a naval mandarin 
 brought the promised document from the taou-tae. 
 
139 
 
 The following is a translation. This paper is curious 
 and interesting, as being the first and only one, not 
 even excepting the letter from the Emperor of China 
 to the King of England, in which the offensive and 
 opprobrious term, E. barbarian, is entirely omitted, 
 and yuen-jin, foreigners, substituted in its stead. 
 This I cannot fail attributing, in part, to my address 
 to the tetuh, and also to the frequent conversations we 
 have had with various mandarins, Ma in particular, 
 on the subject. It is also curious as proving that no 
 regulation whatever exists prohibiting the Chinese 
 officers of government from addressing foreigners 
 directly, which at Canton is always refused, and 
 communications to them are merely communicated 
 through the merchants. The document certainly 
 contains more than the customary inflated assump- 
 tion of Chinese style; but this is comparatively 
 inoffensive when they refrain from insulting others, 
 and merely magnify themselves. 
 
 " Fang, by Imperial authority, Taou-tae over the 
 forts of Ning-po, Shou and Tae, hereby issues his 
 orders to the English captain, Hoo Hea-me, that he 
 may inform himself fully thereof. 
 
 " Our Celestial Dynasty extends its authority 
 over the four seas, (a classical term denoting the 
 whole earth) and its majesty keeps 10,000 places 
 (all the world) in subjection. The extent of the 
 great Emperor's benevolence is unbounded. In his 
 abundant favour he shows compassion towards 
 foreigners, and permits the said native merchants to 
 trade at Canton, and anchor at Whampoa. The 
 said nation's merchants have there traded profitably 
 
140 
 
 for a long period with mutual tranquillity. But the 
 province of Che-kiang is not the place where they 
 should anchor ; for in the 22d year of Kien Lung, 
 the Imperial will was proclaimed everywhere in an 
 edict, which made known to the ships and mer- 
 chants of all nations that the emporium of trade was 
 permanently fixed at Whampoa, and that they must 
 not again repair to Che-kiang province. Afterwards 
 the English merchants, Hung-jin, (Mr. Flint) We 
 Chow, and others, came to Che-kiang, perhaps on 
 account of violent winds. But the regulations, 
 appointing Canton as the fixed seat of trade, having 
 been previously received, it would have been very 
 difficult (or impossible) to have traded in Che-kiang. 
 When these orders were plainly stated to them, 
 Hung-jin and the others respectfully obeyed, and 
 sailed to Canton. They did not dare to disobey 
 these prohibitions and restrictions. Now you, Hoo 
 Hea-me, have come with one ship, and anchored at 
 the sea of Chin-hae, and have earnestly petitioned 
 for permission to trade. 
 
 " Their Excellencies the tetuh, the former taou- 
 tae, and the tsung-ping-kwan, have already issued 
 the most explicit orders ; it is reasonable that you 
 should obey the laws, and in conformity with esta- 
 blished regulations repair to Canton, and when your 
 commercial affairs are completed, turn your oars 
 and go back to your own country. How can you 
 delay hereabout ? this is highly improper. Now I, 
 the taou-tae, having resumed my office, likewise issue 
 my orders to the said merchant, that he may know 
 the laws of the Celestial Dynasty are strictly and 
 unequivocally maintained by the local mandarins : 
 
141 
 
 so soon as they know the will of the Great Emperor, 
 it is impossible for them to oppose prohibitions, or 
 frame new laws. Moreover, no Hong merchants 
 have hitherto been established at Ning-po, we 
 therefore dare not, on our own authority, establish 
 commercial intercourse; but if any traitorous vaga- 
 bonds league together to mislead you, do not on any 
 account easily believe their words, lest you suffer 
 loss, and derive no profit. Hear now these exhorta- 
 tions, and speedily set sail ; you cannot again delay 
 the affair. Our mandarins, civil as well as military, 
 have repeatedly directed and admonished you with 
 persuasive language, thereby imitating the Great 
 Emperor, who cherishes the utmost compassion 
 towards foreigners. These are the commands. 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 3d moon." 
 
 Lo Leao-yay, the bearer of this edict, said, that 
 he was directed to assure us that we must give up 
 all hopes of trading here, and that the tetuh most 
 earnestly entreated us speedily to depart. Beginning 
 now to suspect that we had been temporized with 
 and deceived in the hopes and expectations held out 
 to us by Ma and several other mandarins, I shortly 
 told Lo that we should certainly go as soon as we 
 had sold our cargo, as we had been led to expect 
 we should be tacitly permitted to do; but that 
 otherwise, our departure was very uncertain. This 
 intimation appeared to distress him greatly ; he 
 assured us, that the tetuh was suffering severely 
 from illness, produced by anxiety on our account; 
 and seeing that I was not inclined to pay much 
 regard to this, he finally degraded himself so far as 
 
142 
 
 to throw himself on his knees, and propose to per- 
 form the ceremony of kotow, which he would 
 positively have done had I not prevented him. He 
 also this day hinted on the subject of offering a sum 
 of money by way of gift to induce our departure, 
 which, however, I told him I could on no account 
 think of receiving, whether large or small. Previous 
 to his departure I told him I should reply to the 
 taou-tae's edict to-morrow. 
 
 The position in which I now found myself was 
 embarrassing on several accounts. I was well aware 
 of the impossibility of openly maintaining that I 
 would remain and trade at Ning-po, in defiance of 
 the prohibitions of government ; yet I considered 
 that some of the mandarins having so far committed 
 themselves as to hold out positive promises that a 
 clandestine trade would be tacitly sanctioned by 
 them, I thought myself in some degree justified to 
 urge, by every means in my power, the fulfilment of 
 the expectations which had been held out to us. 
 Another strong inducement which caused me to use 
 every exertion to dispose of at least a portion of our 
 cargo here was, the knowledge, that if we failed it 
 would be nearly fruitless to hope for success else- 
 where, so much interest having been excited by our 
 proceedings here ; the report of the failure of our 
 endeavours to trade would follow us to Shang-hae, 
 or whatever place we went to, and would doubtless 
 operate against us. Other causes also made me feel 
 anxious to get over the remainder of our voyage as 
 speedily as possible, in order to return to Macao, 
 where the information we had procured both as to 
 the knowledge of the coast, and what might be still 
 
143 
 
 more important, of the perfect weakness and imbe- 
 cility of the local governments, and the friendly dis- 
 position of the people, would have proved useful had 
 the Admiral with his forces visited China, an event 
 which at the time of our departure I had every 
 reason to expect would happen. On these various 
 accounts I felt desirous to bring our negotiations 
 here to a conclusion as speedily as possible ; and in 
 this respect chance in some degree favoured me, by 
 providing a sufficient excuse, and indeed somewhat 
 more, for entering the port, which I had for some 
 time felt desirous of doing, could I find satisfactory 
 cause for the measure. 
 
 The place where we had been laying at anchor 
 since the 29th May is perfectly exposed to the nor- 
 therly winds, having no protection in that quarter. 
 The weather had generally been fine, with light 
 south-east airs, but on the night of the 7th it began 
 to blow hard from north-west, which by the morn- 
 ing of the 8th raised such a heavy swell as to cause 
 the ship to ride very uneasily. On requesting 
 Captain Rees* opinion, he declared that, with the 
 appearance of the weather, and the state of the 
 barometers, it was necessary to remove the ship 
 from her exposed situation ; and knowing of no 
 other place of shelter in the vicinity, I directed 
 Captain Rees to enter the river. This was accord- 
 ingly done before noon, and appears to have created 
 the greatest feeling of alarm on shore ; for nothing 
 could divest the mandarins of this place of the idea 
 that some ulterior and hostile motives had brought 
 us to Ning-po. Some time after our entering, Lo 
 Laou Yay, an illiterate stupid man, came on board 
 
144 
 
 in great alarm to inquire the cause of our having 
 entered with a red flag flying, which he said had 
 been considered a signal of war. Numerous salutes 
 were fired among the war-junks, and a large force 
 of military was encamped in tents on shore out- 
 side of the city walls. Having explained to Lo the 
 cause of our entrance, which was merely to seek 
 shelter from the tempestuous weather, I delivered 
 to him the following short reply to the taou-tae's 
 edict. I have not thought it would be productive 
 of any good, in the present disposition of the man- 
 darins towards us, to attempt to enter into any 
 argument or further explanation of the causes which 
 brought us to Ning-po, and have merely confined 
 it to a few complimentary expressions. 
 
 . Reply to the Taou-tae. 
 
 "The English captain Hoo-Hea-me, respectfully 
 informs his Excellency the taou-tae of Ning, Chow 
 and Tae, that he has received his commands, for 
 which he feels highly grateful, for the document is 
 written in polite and obliging language ; I shall 
 therefore have much satisfaction, on my return 
 home, in communicating it to the mandarins of 
 Great Britain. Moreover I wish to confess how 
 highly indebted I feel to the che-foo and other man- 
 darins, civil as well as military, for the kind and 
 liberal treatment we experienced at Ning-po. Al- 
 though it appears that this year we cannot be per- 
 mitted to enter the port and trade, yet we confi- 
 dently hope that in the ensuing year, when the 
 English merchants revisit your honourable kingdom, 
 
145 
 
 that his Imperial Majesty will permit commercial 
 intercourse to be carried on in a legal manner, and 
 it will then be seen that to just and equitable regu- 
 lations my countrymen will yield a willing and im- 
 plicit obedience. 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 3d moon, 10th day." 
 
 The following morning (June 8) Lo, accompanied by 
 the private secretary of the taou-tae, came on board ; 
 he stated that his master was much pleased with my 
 reply, and had sent him with another document, 
 which I subjoin. The whole tenor of it is pecu- 
 liarly mild and unassuming ; and the promise that 
 the whole case should be reported to the Emperor 
 for his decision, I could not but consider as highly 
 satisfactory. 
 
 " Fang, by imperial authority, taou-tae of the 
 districts of N ing-chow and Tae, in the province of 
 Chekiang, in reply to the second petition of the 
 English captain Hoo-Hea-me, states, that whereas 
 the said merchant knows by an edict in polite lan- 
 guage which he has received, that he is not per- 
 mitted to enter the port of Ning-po and trade, he 
 ought forthwith to get under weigh and repair to 
 Canton, trading as is customary. This will be for 
 the mutual benefit both of the mandarins and mer- 
 chants ; he on no account should again delay. 
 Hereafter all the case will be respectfully reported 
 to the Great Emperor, and his decision being made 
 known, will be complied with accordingly. You 
 English merchants act in obedience to the orders of 
 your nation's King, you merchants must obey them 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 implicitly ; (on our part,) without the Imperial per- 
 mission, it is absolutely impossible to grant your 
 request ; according to the saying, ' Whosoever 
 obeys the will of heaven prospers, whosoever dis- 
 obeys it perishes.' Thus neither party can act ac- 
 cording to the dictates of their own will. 
 " 12th year of Taoukwang, 
 
 5th month, llth day." 
 
 In the course of this afternoon several war-junks, 
 to the number of 10, arrived, some of which we 
 recognized as having formed part of the squadron 
 at Fuh-chou, so that the fleet now collected 
 amounted to 20 vessels of various sizes. These 
 were all anchored in double line, about a quarter of a 
 mile above where we were lying. They were com- 
 manded by a tetuh and a tsung-ping, the two high- 
 est grades in the Chinese military service ; a constant 
 round of sahites was exchanged during the whole 
 of the evening, both between the junks and the 
 battery on shore. No guns are mounted on the 
 large fort on the hill, excepting one of great length 
 and caliber, with which they generally fired their 
 evening gun at 9 P.M. 
 
 The scene which took place on the 10th among 
 the junks was so strange and indeed ludicrous, that 
 I am aware it will not be without some difficulty 
 that any save an eye-witness will fully credit it. 
 During the whole morning of the 10th an unusual 
 degree of bustle and activity prevailed among the 
 war-junks, and to our astonishment we saw them 
 bringing off numerous large spars from the shore, 
 which they commenced fixing with ropes between 
 
147 
 
 each junk, so as in their idea effectually to bar the 
 river ; between two of the largest junks, in the 
 centre, a moveable raft was laid, which at will could 
 be hauled across with ropes. What was the cause 
 of this extraordinary and public exhibition of their 
 fears I am really quite at a loss to imagine, for I 
 can positively declare that in my private conversa- 
 tion I never gave the slightest cause to induce a 
 suspicion that we were anything save a peaceful 
 merchant ship, anxiously desirous of selling her 
 cargo, and who had been compelled to come here in 
 hopes of avoiding the heavy exactions of the port of 
 Canton. It is true that on all occasions we freely 
 answered their numerous questions as to the late 
 disturbances at Canton, and expressed our firm be- 
 lief that means would be taken to enforce a redress 
 of injuries we had suffered. The mandarins in 
 general did not pretend to conceal the alarm they 
 felt on the subject, which we endeavoured to remove 
 by pointing out to them the improbability, even in 
 case of a rupture, of any special hostility being 
 directed against this place, which had never in any 
 way offended or injured our countrymen, and with 
 which we were desirous to cultivate friendship, not 
 to promote ill-will. Nothing however could remove 
 it from their imagination, as we heard from nume- 
 rous quarters, that we were merely the precursors of 
 an armed force, which were coming to take posses- 
 sion of some part of the country. Whether the 
 warlike demonstrations of defence which were exhi- 
 bited to us were with a view of inspiring our minds 
 with terror, and from an idea that the communica- 
 tion we should make to our friends of the formidable 
 
 L2 
 
148 
 
 defences which were prepared would deter their 
 approach, is a matter of doubt, but I think it not 
 improbable that such was their intention. The 
 effect was however very different, and merely tended 
 to show that they were incapable of offering any 
 efficient resistance to the smallest European force. 
 
 During the day I received a very polite message 
 and a present from the tsung-ping, conveyed by a 
 mandarin with a gold button ; the present consisted 
 of fruits, fish packed in ice, and poultry. I returned a 
 short note of thanks, and presented a few dozen of 
 sweet wine to his excellency ; after some demur on 
 the part of the messenger, and on rny saying that I 
 would on no account receive the admiral's present if 
 he rejected mine, this was accepted. 
 
 In the afternoon Captain Rees went out in the 
 long-boat to examine the state of defence of the war- 
 junks ; on his approaching them, numerous war- 
 boats came to meet him, and beckoned to deter him 
 from proceeding, but none endeavoured to stop him, 
 on which he went straight between the two principal 
 junks, who made every exertion to draw their raft 
 across to prevent his passage, but were too late, and 
 only succeeded in entangling some of their own 
 boats, which were following in the rear. In doing 
 this there certainly was some degree of bravado, 
 which was not strictly justifiable, but which may 
 appear excusable on considering the high degree of 
 absurdity which had lately characterised the conduct 
 of these Chinese. As it was seen on board the 
 admiral's junk when the boat passed that I was not 
 in her, he immediately despatched a mandarin to 
 beg most earnestly that the boat might be recalled, 
 
149 
 
 which was unnecessary, as she had merely gone 
 round the fleet, and was alongside the ship nearly as 
 soon as the messenger. This mandarin, who had 
 frequently been on board, and was rather an intel- 
 ligent man, on seeing me smile when he delivered 
 his message, and ask what was the cause of these 
 great preparations, exclaimed, " I am not surprised 
 at your laughing ; the whole affair is too ridiculous ; 
 I feel quite ashamed of it." He also told me that 
 he was specially directed by the tetuh to explain to 
 me that the erection of the battery on shore, and the 
 constant firing and saluting, was not at all on our 
 account, but in honour of their great festival of 
 Kwan-foo-tze, the Chinese Mars, which would occur 
 on the following day. 
 
 Since the 5th inst. we had neither seen nor heard 
 anything of the merchants with whom I on that 
 day arranged for the sale of 500 pieces of camlets. 
 Ma also had scrupulously avoided coming to the 
 ship, nor had I met with any opportunity since the 
 6th to speak with him on the subject. I began 
 therefore clearly to see that we had been deceived 
 by false expectations, which there was every pro- 
 bability would never be realized ; and after mature 
 reflection, I came to the conclusion that it would 
 not be desirable on several accounts to protract our 
 stay here much longer. In the course of this evening 
 we had a visit from Sun Laou-yay, in whose sincerity 
 we placed much more faith than any of the other 
 mandarins : he was in very low spirits, and in- 
 veighed bitterly against the duplicity of Ma. His 
 only official message was an earnest request from 
 the tetuh that we would speedily depart, as our 
 
150 
 
 longer stay would only implicate them without doing 
 ourselves any good. In this posture of affairs I 
 determined to make one more endeavour, and if that 
 failed, to relinquish the point with a good grace, 
 merely insisting on receiving a free supply of pro- 
 visions. At the same time I could not help feeling 
 that if we failed in trading here it would be nearly 
 fruitless to hope for better success elsewhere. In 
 pursuance of my present plan, I sent a slip of paper 
 by Sun to the tetuh, requesting that Ma might be 
 appointed to arrange matters with us relative to our 
 quitting the port. On his arrival I resolved at once 
 to offer him a commission of five per cent, on all our 
 sales, if he would forward our views. I had cer- 
 tainly no high opinion of his honesty and veracity, 
 but still, being a clever intriguing character, he was 
 the most likely person to be able to assist us, and 
 the natural mode of inducing him to do so would 
 be by combining his interests in the transaction 
 with ours. 
 
 Early the following morning Sun came to say that 
 Ma would be happy to meet us at the temple. I 
 would have preferred seeing him on board ; but as 
 he clearly did not wish to come there, Mr. Gutzlaff 
 and myself went on shore, where we met with Ma 
 and several other mandarins. His policy was now 
 quite apparent ; he had evidently taken alarm at the 
 notoriety which our proceedings have attracted, and 
 at his being considered in the light of our con- 
 fidential adviser. He now, in the most pleasing 
 and obliging language, expatiated on the utter im- 
 possibility of our being able at present to trade 
 where we were ; and I was rather surprised to hear 
 
151 
 
 him, in the presence of several mandarins, one of 
 whom was deputed from the foo-yuen, publicly 
 assure us that had we remained outside at some 
 distance the mandarins would willingly have shut 
 their eyes, and we might have traded freely. He 
 also strongly recommended that we should go to 
 Shang-hae, the wealth of which place he highly 
 extolled. Now if it was contrary to law for a foreign 
 ship to trade to Ning-po, it would be equally so at 
 Shang-hae ; but the explanation of this apparent 
 inconsistency is found in the circumstance of that 
 place being in a different province and government, 
 and they consequently feel quite indifferent as to 
 what trouble might be occasioned to the mandarins 
 of it by our visit. This was by no means the only 
 occasion in which the mandarins have publicly re- 
 commended us to go and trade in another province ; 
 and I have frequently been struck with the total 
 want of nationality, in an extended sense, which is 
 shown by the generality of Chinese : nothing mani- 
 fested this stronger than the pleasure with which 
 they appear to listen whenever the character of the 
 natives of any other province has been under dis- 
 cussion, especially in regard to Canton, I have uni- 
 formly found both mandarins and people readily 
 join in reprobation of the conduct of its local govern- 
 ment. 
 
 As the point 1 wished to communicate could not 
 be mentioned in a public audience, I merely remon- 
 strated against permission being refused to the natives 
 supplying us with provisions. To this Ma replied 
 that the tetuh and other mandarins were anxious to 
 give us all the supplies we might want. On this 
 
152 
 
 point a discussion ensued of some length, in which 
 I positively refused to receive anything until the 
 prohibition against free intercourse was removed, 
 and even then unless presents from us were received 
 in return. 
 
 Having told Ma that I wished to have a private 
 conversation with him, he invited us as we were 
 going away into an adjoining apartment, where I 
 plainly made the proposition to him as I had in- 
 tended ; and he then candidly said that as the wei- 
 yuens, both of the tsung-tuh and foo-yuen, were 
 now present, the affair had excited too much obser- 
 vation, and he dared not interfere. Ma now made 
 use of every persuasive argument in his power to 
 induce me to receive our supplies gratuitously ; and 
 said the mandarins were anxious to compensate us in 
 some degree for the loss we had sustained by delay, 
 and therefore were desirous to add the sum of 600 
 dollars as a compensation. This proposal appeared 
 to me so singular that I requested him to put it on 
 paper ; he accordingly wrote down the following 
 sentences ; but when I wished to take the paper 
 away with me, he seized it, and tore it in pieces. 
 The substance of it was as follows : 
 
 "We all anxiously desire the establishment of trade 
 with you ; but as the established laws at present 
 prohibit it, this point must first be settled between 
 our respective sovereigns. Being your friends and 
 anxious for your welfare, the mandarins regret that 
 you have come from so great a distance without 
 effecting your purpose ; and therefore wish to offer 
 you all the provisions you may require, and 600 
 
153 
 
 dollars in addition, to recompense you in some 
 degree for the loss you have sustained." 
 
 I now told Ma that I begged he would express 
 my thanks to his superiors for their liberal offer, but 
 that I could not think of accepting even the smallest 
 trifle as a gift, unless some equivalent was received 
 in return, much less money. Ma appeared surprised 
 at my scruples, and inquired my reason ; I replied, 
 " Because it would injure the character of my country 
 were one of her merchant ships to appear here in the 
 light of paupers." Ma now alluded to His Majesty's 
 ships in Lord Amherst's embassy receiving supplies 
 gratuitously. " The case is different," I replied ; 
 " on that occasion valuable presents were sent by 
 my Sovereign; the gifts were therefore mutual." 
 A long conversation ensued, in which Ma repeatedly 
 expressed the great satisfaction which all parties, 
 both mandarins and merchants, would experience if 
 our respective governments could only agree toge- 
 gether on the subject of sanctioning the trade at 
 Ning-po. 
 
 Feeling now satisfied that no object was likely to 
 be attained by any further delay, I informed Ma of 
 my intention to quit the port, and he at once pledged 
 himself that no impediment should be placed in the 
 way of our freely purchasing all the supplies we 
 wanted in the course of the following day. This 
 pledge was fulfilled, and everything we required 
 was brought on board early the ensuing morning 
 (June 12), by a man to whom we had given a list 
 Numerous respectable persons also took the oppor- 
 tunity of visiting the ship, some of whom recom- 
 
154 
 
 mended us to remain outside, and promised to come 
 and trade with us. In the afternoon a handsome 
 present of fruits and various sorts of provisions were 
 sent with a polite card from the che-heen. Great 
 objections were made to receiving any return pre- 
 sents, but when I insisted on the point it was 
 yielded ; I accompanied them with the following 
 short note : 
 
 " The foreign merchant returns his respectful 
 thanks to his honour the che-heen for his valuable 
 presents. I feel ashamed that I have no * precious 
 jewels to offer in return. We all regret that this 
 year we have been unable to trade according to 
 law, but look forward with hope that in the ensuing 
 year we may carry on commercial intercourse with 
 the honourable merchants of this district. I now 
 respectfully present one piece of purple broad cloth, a 
 piece of blue camlet, one dozen of sweet wine and 
 six jars of liqueurs, which I hope you will honour 
 me by accepting." 
 
 Early the following morning the tsung-ping, or 
 admiral of the tung-hae, sent similar presents, ac- 
 companied by a polite and complimentary message. 
 A reply and adequate present was also sent to him, 
 and received after the customary reluctance had 
 been shown. Ma sent a message to say, that so 
 much suspicion had been excited by his intimacy 
 with us, that he dared not come to bid us farewell. 
 Presents of various descriptions were given to all 
 
 * A common Chinese expression. 
 
155 
 
 the mandarins with whom we had been on friendly 
 terms, and we parted with many mutual professions 
 of good-will, and an assurance on our part that we 
 hoped to see them again the following year, when 
 every thing had been settled for the establishment of 
 our trade at Ning-po ; in which hope they all pro- 
 fessed fully to coincide. Having now concluded my 
 account of our transactions at the port of Ning-po, 
 it is an act of justice to the Chinese, acting on the 
 principle of " audi alteram partem," or hearing both 
 sides of the question, to insert their account of our 
 proceedings, which I have extracted from the Peking 
 Gazette, lately received in Canton. It will be seen 
 that it differs in various particulars, but it is no 
 bad specimen of the mode in which reports of 
 occurrences in distant provinces are reported to the 
 imperial throne. 
 
 Extract Peking Gazette, translated by Mr. 
 Lindsay. 
 
 " I, the minister Foone-yung-ah (foo-yuen of Che- 
 keang), report to the imperial throne concerning an 
 English barbarian ship which came from Fokien to 
 Che-keang. She has already been expelled and 
 driven out of the ocean. I now request an imperial 
 order, directing that the military officers of the vari- 
 ous cruizing camps who neglected to guard against 
 this occurrence may be delivered over to the proper 
 tribunal for trial and punishment; thus awe and 
 respect will be maintained in the government of the 
 ocean. Looking upwards I supplicate his imperial 
 majesty to examine into the affair. 
 
156 
 
 " On the 22d day of the 4th moon I received a 
 document from Wei-yuen-lang, acting viceroy of 
 Fookeen, stating that petitions from various camps 
 and heens announced that an English barbarian ship 
 had arrived at Fokien, and anchored in the seas of 
 Woofoo. I, the viceroy, have already ordered her 
 to be expelled, and now communicate the fact to 
 you, that acting in co-operation we may effectually 
 examine into the case and guard against its re- 
 currence. 
 
 " On receiving this, I immediately communicated 
 it to the lyes, that they might forward the account 
 to all the civil and military officers on the coast, 
 directing them with careful heart to examine, and 
 with active exertion to guard their stations ; and if 
 by accident they should fall in with the barbarian 
 ship, then with activity to trace her steps, pursue and 
 drive her away : moreover entirely to cut off all 
 traitorous natives from clandestinely associating with 
 and assisting them. No remissness or negligence 
 will be permitted. This is on record. 
 
 " Afterwards I received a letter from Foe-heung, 
 tetuh of Chekiang, stating that by various petitions 
 from the military stations the following report had 
 reached him. On the *26th day of the 4th moon, 
 the said barbarian ship, taking advantage of the 
 wind, came from the ocean, and abruptly, without 
 reporting herself, entered the meavon-keang at Ke- 
 tow, and on the *27th day arrived at Chin-hae, 
 wishing to proceed to Ning-po custom-house to sell 
 her cargo. We then directed the military and police 
 
 * These dates are all correct. 
 
157 
 
 to go in ships of war and obstruct her progress, on 
 which she returned and anchored off Yew-shan. 
 
 " At that period I, the tetuh, in company with 
 Chin-poo-yun, the tsung-ping of Tinghae, happened 
 to be absent with my squadron in the northern 
 ocean, at the distance of 100 le, in order to suppress 
 an insurrection, and to regulate some affairs of the 
 Whang fisheries. But on hearing of this, I imme- 
 diately by star-light and darkness (i. e. travelling by 
 day and night) proceeded to Chin-hae ; and in con- 
 junction with the toan and the foo, I ordered the 
 said barbarian ship to be expelled, and with speed 
 to set sail and depart. 
 
 " Further, according to inquiries made by the che- 
 heens of Chin-hae and other places, it was ascertained 
 that in the said barbarian ship there were 70 men, 
 and the cargo she brought consisted of calicoes, 
 broad cloths, camlets, and such goods ; and the said 
 barbarians presented a barbarian book in one volume, 
 which had been formerly printed. Moreover a bar- 
 barian man, named Hoo-Hea-me, presented a public 
 petition to the che-foo, in which with importunate 
 urgency he groaned * forth his entreaties for permis- 
 sion to trade. These documents were forwarded to 
 me (the fooyuen) for a thorough investigation and 
 decision. 
 
 " I have carefully examined the barbarian book ; 
 it is entitled ' An Essay on the Affairs ' (the words 
 ' of Great Britain' are omitted). Some parts of it 
 are highly rebellious and full of falsehoods, many 
 
 ' The meaning of this character is a person groaning in an ex- 
 tremitv of distress. 
 
158 
 
 other parts are perfectly unintelligible. The general 
 purport of it is complaining that commerce was not 
 conducted with justice at Canton ; and on this pre- 
 text they desired to abandon that place and come to 
 this, thus manifesting a highly perverse and crafty 
 disposition. But since the reign of Kien Sung these 
 barbarians have not been permitted to come and 
 trade in Che-keang ; yet now, the south wind blow- 
 ing, they have taken advantage of the favourable 
 breeze and have sailed to Che-keang, covetously 
 hoping to obtain profit. How could I in the smallest 
 degree permit any change in opposition to the fixed 
 laws? 
 
 " I then issued a perspicuous order to the taou 
 and foo not to permit the barbarian ship to trade. 
 I also wrote to the tetuh and tsung-ping that they 
 might order all the military officers to cruise and 
 guard. Moreover I deputed Tang-fun-tsang-tseang, 
 on my staff, and Sihip-tung-tuh-tungche of Tae- 
 chow-foo, to go with the utmost speed to Chin-hae, 
 and, acting in conjunction with the taou and foo, 
 rigorously to prohibit the natives from holding any 
 intercourse with her; and at the same time directing 
 that the forces of the tetuh and tsung-ping should 
 instantly expel the said barbarian ship, and cause 
 her with precipitate speed to quit the frontier, and 
 not allow her to loiter. 
 
 " I have now received a letter from the tetuh, 
 saying that he had clearly communicated his orders 
 to the said barbarian, and that he was in some 
 small degree aroused to a feeling of repentance, and 
 no longer dared to delay and loiter ; but the winds 
 having been contrary for many successive days, he was 
 
159 
 
 unable to sail away. On the 15th of the 5th moon, 
 the wind being more favourable, the tetuh, in con- 
 junction with the tsung-ping, ordered the cruizers to 
 expel the ship directly. The said barbarian ship 
 then spread her sails and went forth into the ocean. 
 The tsung-ping then led out his squadron, pursued 
 her, and compelled her on that, very day to quit the 
 frontier. Moreover the tetuh forwarded a list of the 
 various officers whose negligence merits trial and 
 dismissal. 
 
 " Now I, the fooyuen, on examining, find that 
 there is an easy access from that place to Tien-sin 
 and the coast of Keang-soo. It is impossible to say 
 that this barbarian ship, though expelled from this, 
 may not sneak in like a rat elsewhere. I have there- 
 fore sent a flying despatch to the various tsung-tuhs 
 and fooyuens of Keangsoo, Shansung, and Chih-le, 
 that they may cause a careful watch to be kept to 
 prevent the ship from entering. 
 
 " Moreover the show-peis Sunting-goan and Tang- 
 lun, and the tseen-tsung Sunting-kaou, were ap- 
 pointed to cruise and guard the stations of Ketow, 
 Meaon, Keang, and Yew-shan. At the time the bar- 
 barian ship abruptly entered, it is true that the tseen- 
 tsung, Sunting-kaou, was absent in the southern sea, 
 cruising against pirates ; but still, in conjunction 
 with his colleages, he has shown himself unable to 
 anticipate affairs and use precautionary measures to 
 guard his post ; he is therefore equally guilty of re- 
 missness. It is consequently proper to request the 
 imperial order to deliver over these three officers to the 
 tribunal for trial and punishment, in order to main- 
 tain dignity in the government of the ocean. 
 
160 
 
 " Now I, the foo-yuen, respectfully joining with 
 the minister Wei-yuen-lang, acting tsung-tuh of 
 Fokien, and the minister Tae-hung, tetuh of Che- 
 keang, write this report ; and moreover forward the 
 barbarian book to the keun-ke (the privy council), 
 that it may be respectfully had before the imperial 
 throne, requesting his imperial majesty to examine 
 the affair. The imperial commands have been re- 
 ceived, saying, f it is recorded.' 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 6th moon, 
 20th day (17th July, 1832.)" 
 
 We left the Ning-po river at noon on the 1 3th of 
 June, and stood across to the island of Kiu-tang, 
 where we anchored in a safe habour, formed between 
 it and the small island of Taou-tsze-shan, which had 
 been previously surveyed by Captain Rees. Strong 
 northerly winds kept us here until the morning of 
 the 17th. On the 15th a party from the ship took a 
 long excursion over the island of Kiu tang, which is 
 about 12 miles in length, by six or seven in breadth, 
 thickly populated, and in the highest state of culti- 
 vation. The people manifested the greatest satisfac- 
 tion at seeing us among them ; and on the following 
 day many respectable persons, with whom we had 
 made acquaintance, visited the ship, and some made 
 small purchases of broad cloth and calicoes. The 
 only vessels of war that accompanied us were two 
 small boats, which anchored about a mile distant, 
 and no molestation was offered by them to the nume- 
 rous boats that came off to the ship. 
 
 On subsequent reflection, since our departure from 
 Ning-po, I am inclined to think that if the mere dis- 
 
161 
 
 posal of our cargo had been the sole object in view, 
 it would in all probability have been attained by 
 following the repeated advice given us by the man- 
 darins to remain outside among the islands. Chin-hae, 
 as I have before observed, does not offer those faci- 
 lities for carrying on an unauthorized trade which 
 the river of Fuh Chow-foo affords. While laying in 
 the river opposite Chin-hae, everything which passed 
 was necessarily under the eyes of all the parties 
 whom our arrival had drawn together there, each of 
 whom was a spy on the actions of the other, and 
 thus none dared come forward to assist in a trans- 
 action where exposure might have been attended 
 with severe penalties. 
 
 What confirms me in the supposition that had we 
 remained among the islands greater facilities would 
 have existed for trading, is the fact that not long 
 after our departure a small brig, the Danesborg, of 
 only 90 tons, of which Mr. Innes was supracargo, 
 came and anchored in the very spot we had lately 
 left, near Kiu-tang, remained there nearly three 
 weeks, and carried on a trade in opium and English 
 manufactures to some extent. Numerous war-junks 
 came and anchored near her, but the communication 
 was of the most friendly nature, the commanders of 
 the junks both buying opium themselves and facili- 
 tating the disposal of it to others ; a strong proof 
 that, unless when publicly forced on their notice, the 
 government officers will in general afford a tacit 
 connivance to the visits of foreign ships, particularly 
 when they bring opium. My opinion concerning 
 the feasibility of establishing a trade at this place, 
 for the disposal of British manufactures and opium, 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 is therefore nearly the same as it was at Fuh Chow- 
 foo. The government will not sanction it, and will 
 fulminate edicts ordering all foreign ships to be 
 expelled ; but at the same time, if tact is shown, by 
 properly combining moderation and kindness to 
 conciliate the affections of the people, and spirit to 
 deter the mandarins from offering molestation, an 
 outlet for British manufactures, to a very consider- 
 able extent, may gradually be formed here ; and the 
 way for a more extended intercourse with this vast and 
 extraordinary nation, comprising near 400,000,000 
 of enterprising and intelligent human beings, will 
 thus be gradually paved. 
 
 The singular inaccuracy exhibited in the know- 
 ledge of this part of the coast of China, as exem- 
 plified both in the English and the missionary charts, 
 surprised us much, particularly when it is borne in 
 mind that the English enjoyed the privilege of trad- 
 ing at Ning-po for a period of many years, till 1759; 
 yet in Dalrymple's chart, which professes to give a 
 survey of the Chusan Archipelago, the town of 
 Chin-hae is laid down in lat. 30. 18'. N. 3 long. 
 121. 7'. E. ; whereas the result of repeated obser- 
 vations by Captain Rees, the accuracy of which was 
 fully confirmed by subsequent observation and com- 
 parisons, gave 29. 54'. N. lat, and 121. 52.30'. E. 
 long. The missionary charts lay down Chin-hae in 
 lat. 33. 5 ; . N., long. 121. 6'. E. In most instances, 
 where the places in their survey of China are laid 
 down from the result of actual observation, the cor- 
 rectness is great ; but they do not sufficiently distin- 
 guish what is merely stated from report, and thus 
 may frequently mislead. 
 
163 
 
 The river Ta-hea is of inconsiderable size ; its 
 only importance is derived from its excellent har- 
 bour, and its leading to the great commercial city of 
 Ning-po. It would appear that the depth of water 
 over the bar of this river has increased considerably 
 during the last century ; for not only does Du Halde 
 in speaking of it say, " The entrance into Ning-po is 
 difficult, especially for large vessels, there being but 
 15 feet water over the bar in the highest tides ;" but 
 a clearer proof of its not having been practicable for 
 ships of deep burthen to enter, is found in an extract 
 from the consultations of the Company's factory at 
 at Ning-po, in a letter from Messrs. Fitzhugh, Flint 
 and Torin, to the supracargoes at Canton, dated 
 25th January, 1757, in which they complain of the 
 inconvenience of having their factory at Ning-po, 
 while their ships were compelled to remain at Chu- 
 san, and the goods frequently sustained much 
 damage and pilferage from being exposed six or 
 eight days in the boats. To remedy this they di- 
 rected the captains to see if it were possible for the 
 ships to enter the river, and they gave as their 
 opinion, " that it was next to impossible ;" the idea 
 was consequently abandoned. A considerable change 
 must therefore have taken place between that period 
 and our visit ; for at present ships of any draught 
 may with perfect ease and safety both enter and quit 
 the river. The Ta-hea rises about sixty miles in- 
 land, and is not navigable above Ning-po ; it is 
 the eastern of the three rivers called San-keang, 
 which disembogue themselves into the gulph of 
 Chekeang. 
 
 The great river Chekeang, which gives its name 
 
 M2 
 
164 
 
 to the province, is otherwise called Tseen-tang-keang, 
 is not of great commercial importance. Hang-chow- 
 foo, the capital of the province, is situated on the 
 banks of this river, about 100 miles above Chin-hae ; 
 but from what I heard it is not a place of great 
 trade, excepting inland, most of the commerce in 
 sea-going junks being conducted at Ning-po and 
 Chafoo, a town situated on the northern side of the 
 bay, and which enjoys the monopoly of the Japan 
 trade. 
 
 On the morning of the 17th the weather, which 
 for some days past had been thick and boisterous, 
 cleared up, and we proceeded towards Shanghae, 
 passing inside of the Chusan Archipelago, a passage 
 which I believe had never yet been made by any 
 European ship ; we accordingly named it the Am- 
 herst's passage. The set of the tide runs north-east 
 and south-west, right out of the large estuary of 
 Chekeang, which does not appear to discharge a 
 powerful stream into the ocean ; the sea being quite 
 salt at low water, but of a thick muddy colour. The 
 depth of water varies from six to eight fathoms, with 
 a soft mud bottom. In the evening, the wind falling 
 calm, we anchored in seven fathoms ; the northern- 
 most of the Chusan islands bearing N. 40 E. ; a 
 group of islands to the west, bearing from N. 40 
 to 55 W. 
 
 The following day (June 18) we were considerably 
 baffled by light winds and contrary tides, which 
 drifted us near to the northern group of the Chusan 
 islands. These are bold and rocky, the smaller ones 
 having barely a blade of grass on them, offering a great 
 contrast to the verdure and beauty of the southern 
 
165 
 
 islands. Few of them showed any signs of cul- 
 tivation. At one P. M., the northern of the Chusan 
 Islands bearing N. 85 E., a sand -bank was seen from 
 the poop, the extremes of which bore N. by W. to 
 N. W. ^ N. We now stood north-east, and the 
 water gradually shoaled to 6, 5 ^, 5 and 4 -J fathoms, 
 in which water we came to an anchor, the northern 
 of the Chusan group, a small round islet, bearing 
 S. 8E. 
 
 Our situation was now noways agreeable ; nearly 
 out of sight of land, in an open exposed sea, with 
 little more than four fathoms water, and apparently 
 surrounded with shoals and sand-banks. Mr. Gutz- 
 laff and myself accordingly went in a boat to endea- 
 vour to procure a pilot from one of the numerous 
 fishing-boats around us. Most of them are Fokien 
 vessels of 100 to 150 tons, and carry 20 or 30 men. 
 The first we boarded, the people were surly, and 
 would give us no information ; in the next we were 
 more fortunate. Their boat having anchored, several 
 came on board our ship, bringing fish, but no offers 
 would induce any of them to pilot the ship into 
 Shanghae. This was evidently from fear of the 
 mandarins ; for though they all declared that no sum 
 would tempt them to accompany us, yet one of them 
 readily gave the following directions, to which we at 
 the time paid not much attention, having so fre- 
 quently received incorrect accounts from fishermen ; 
 but we eventually found them so accurate, that future 
 nrvigators in these seas cannot do better than observe 
 them : u Take your departure from the northern 
 island (which we named GutzlafT's Island), and steer 
 N. W. by N. ; you will never have less water than 
 
166 
 
 four fathoms ; and when you approach the channel 
 between Tsung-ming and Keangnam, the water will 
 gradually deepen to five and six fathoms." 
 
 On the following morning we saw two large junks 
 steering exactly in the course the fisherman had 
 pointed out to us ; we therefore immediately weighed, 
 and shaped our course under easy sail in their wake, 
 sending the long-boat a-head to sound. The depth 
 continued regular at 4 and 4-|- fathoms, on a soft 
 mud bottom ; at eight, the wind falling calm, we 
 were compelled to anchor for the tide. Weighed 
 again at 10, and steered north-west; at 11 set the 
 following bearings: GutzlafF Island just in sight 
 from poop, S. 13 E. ; small island, which we named 
 Jauncey's Island, from one of the officers of the ship 
 who first observed it, N. by E. 
 
 Lat. at noon by obs. 31.08 N. 
 
 At one P. M. we saw low land on the starboard 
 bow, which was one of the low islands to the south- 
 ward of Tsung-ming, and the tops of the trees on the 
 mainland of Keangnam were soon after descried. 
 We continued under easy sail, following in the rear 
 of the two junks, and now steered west by north ; 
 the water gradually deepened as we advanced to six, 
 seven, and eight fathoms. We now sailed at about 
 four miles distance from the land of Keangnam, which 
 is one dead flat, richly cultivated and covered with 
 high trees. The water was perfectly fresh from the 
 time when we first saw land. At four p. M. we saw 
 several war-junks, six in number, at anchor. On 
 our approach, they got under- weigh, and one hoisted 
 an admiral's flag and stood across our bow, firing 
 several guns ; but as we now set more sail and stood 
 
167 
 
 on, the fleet stood in to shore, manoeuvred in such 
 a way as to allow us to pass by them at a consi- 
 derable distance, and then stood on in our wake, 
 firing guns occasionally, while one large row-boat 
 pushed on a-head towards Shanghae. At five P. M. 
 we passed an extensive bank to the northward, and 
 now steered to north-west. To the north of this 
 bank there appears to be a passage, for we saw 
 many junks sailing up on that side. We now had 
 a fine breeze, with which we stood on till 8.30 P.M. 
 On passing one of the junks we had been following, 
 we inquired what distance there was to the entrance 
 of the river, which was stated to be about eight 
 miles distant. 
 
 Transactions at Shanghae , in Keang-soo. 
 
 Having now (June 20) arrived to within a few 
 miles of the entrance to the river, I determined not 
 to lose time by waiting for the ship, but to proceed 
 at once in our boat to the town, and in person pre- 
 sent the following petition, from which, however, I 
 felt but small hopes of any success. 
 
 " The English Captain Hoo-Hea-me respectfully 
 petitions his Excellency the Taoutae of the districts 
 of Soo, Sung, and Tae, for the information of his 
 superiors. 
 
 " An English ship has arrived and entered the 
 port, desiring to trade. Her cargo consists of cloths, 
 camlets, calicoes, and sundries. In former times, 
 the commercial intercourse between China and 
 Great Britain was small and unimportant ; but within 
 the last fifty years it has increased tenfold : thereby 
 
168 
 
 great advantages are derived by both nations. For- 
 merly, only eight or ten small ships arrived ; but 
 now from sixty to eighty large ships come to China, 
 bringing the productions of my country, and take in 
 return no less than 30,000,000 catties of tea, besides 
 silk and other productions of the Chinese empire, 
 to the value of many millions of dollars. Moreover, 
 the ships of your honourable nation, some of which 
 belong to Shang-hae-heen, yearly frequent the ports 
 subject to Great Britain, and your merchants thus 
 obtain large profits. The merchants of my country 
 seeing this, naturally remember that benefits and 
 advantages should be mutual, and therefore earnestly 
 desire to participate in the profits which may be 
 derived from a trade with the northern ports of 
 China. If your merchants purchase English com- 
 modities directly from us, and we in return receive 
 the silks and teas of this honourable province, both 
 parties will reap mutual benefit, industry be encou- 
 raged, the Imperial duties will be greatly increased, 
 and it will tend to promote and increase a friendly 
 intercourse between two great nations, whose mutual 
 interest it is to be bound by the strictest ties of 
 friendship, which is really an important considera- 
 tion. 
 
 " I therefore now respectfully petition your Ex- 
 cellency favourably to represent my request to the 
 superior authorities. Thus a trade may be orio-i- 
 nated between this honourable province and my 
 country, which, though small at first, will rapidly 
 become large, and thus open the road to the acqui- 
 sition of great and important advantages. 
 
 *' Taou-Kwang, 12th year, 5th moon, 12th day." 
 
169 
 
 At three on the following morning we started, and 
 reached the entrance of the river just at the first 
 dawn of day : it was about eight miles distant. At 
 each side of the entrance there is a fort : the nor- 
 thern one was in better condition than most Chinese 
 fortresses, and mounted eight guns on a platform. 
 As soon as we were discovered, they commenced 
 firing blank guns from both sides, to which we paid 
 no attention ; and having a strong tide in our favour, 
 were soon carried beyond their batteries. About a 
 mile inside the river is the small town of Woosung, 
 where all vessels, on entering and quitting, take their 
 port clearance : several boats with mandarins pushed 
 off from thence to meet us, and forbid our further 
 progress, saying they were ordered to prevent our 
 going to Shanghae, by which it appeared that our 
 presence was not unexpected ; but I merely said, 
 that having business to transact, and a petition to 
 present, it was necessary we should go thither. The 
 river now taking a sharp turn to the south-east, 
 enabled us to sail away with a fair wind, and we 
 soon distanced all the mandarins. The river Woo- 
 sung, for it gives its name to the village at its mouth, 
 is in every respect one of the finest and most navi- 
 gable in China. The only difficulties in its access 
 arise from the extensive but even bank of shallow 
 water, which extends between Gutzlaff's Island and 
 the banks of Tsung-ming, from which there is a 
 passage three to four miles in breadth and eight 
 fathoms deep to the river Woosung. The bar of the 
 river presents no dangers whatever-, as will be appa- 
 rent from Captain Rees's chart, and the guides for 
 entering are extremely simple. u Let the north fort 
 
170 
 
 be brought to bear S. 26 W.; then steer direct for 
 it : as you approach the bank of the river, the water 
 deepens from four to six fathoms." 
 
 At low- water there will always be found four 
 fathoms over the bar, which is but a quarter of a 
 mile in extent, and as soon as that is passed, the 
 water deepens to eleven fathoms, gradually shoaling 
 to seven and eight as you approach the village of 
 Woosung. 
 
 The river, for the first six or eight miles, runs in 
 a south and south-east direction ; after leaving 
 Woosung, the depth varies from eight to three 
 fathoms, and the stream is about three quarters of a 
 mile wide. The country is one dead flat, very much 
 intersected with dykes and ditches : it is richly 
 cultivated, and bears much resemblance to Holland. 
 The tide turning against us when about eight miles 
 up the river, we anchored and went on shore. It 
 was just the period of the wheat harvest, and the 
 whole population were actively employed gathering 
 it in. The land appears divided into small portions, 
 for we observed at each cottage the women and 
 children were employed thrashing and winnowing 
 their portion of wheat as it was brought in. A great 
 deal of cotton was also cultivated, this being the most 
 celebrated district in China for that commodity. 
 Shortly after we had returned to our boat, some 
 Chinese came off to us from a junk in the vicinity, 
 and entered into conversation. In reply to our in- 
 quiries, some of them said they had lately come 
 from Canton. Our anxiety to obtain intelligence 
 from that quarter was great, and it was our object 
 to do it in a way that would not excite their sus- 
 
171 
 
 picions. We therefore, in the first place, put some 
 indifferent questions as to their cargo, and the profits 
 to be derived on it ; and then asked, in a casual way, 
 if there were many English ships in the river. They 
 replied, " None." We asked, " How comes that?" 
 on which one man promptly replied, " Oh, they are 
 all gone to Tiensin with the admiral." We then 
 began to question them as to the cause of this 
 extraordinary move, and if any disturbance had 
 taken place, when they drew off, and would give us 
 no further information ; and shortly after left us, 
 saying that it was mere report they had heard, as 
 none of them had been to Canton lately. This story 
 so singularly coinciding with the rumours we had 
 heard at Ning-po, and with the expectations we had 
 formed as to the probable course of affairs, I confess 
 strongly induced me to believe in its correctness ; 
 and although it proved utterly devoid of foundation, 
 yet it is curious, as demonstrating the intense degree 
 of interest which the anticipation of such an event 
 as the arrival of an English squadron with hostile 
 intentions had excited among all classes of Chinese, 
 and in all parts of the empire. 
 
 So soon as the tide turned we proceeded on our 
 journey, and at about half-past four, reached the far 
 famed emporium of Shanghae ; the vast number of 
 junks of every variety both of size and description 
 which were lying before it, plainly proved that fame 
 had not magnified its commercial importance I 
 will here insert verbatim from my journal the 
 account of our first interview with the mandarins 
 of Shanghae : 
 
172 
 
 Extract from Journal. 
 
 " The town of Shanghae is built on the left side 
 of the river, as indeed is every Chinese town I have 
 yet visited, which must probably be connected with 
 the Chinese custom of assigning the left as the place 
 of honour. Commodious wharfs and large ware- 
 houses occupy the banks of the river, which is deep 
 enough to allow junks to come and unload alongside 
 of them ; in the middle it has from six to eight 
 fathoms, and is nearly half a mile in breadth. All 
 the wharfs were crowded with people, who were 
 attracted by our appearance. We landed in front of 
 a large temple, dedicated to the Queen of Heaven, 
 where we were subsequently lodged. The crowd 
 opened right and left to give us free admission, and 
 we walked through it into the temple, where a 
 theatrical performance was going on, which our ap- 
 pearance immediately stopped, as every one's atten- 
 tion was turned to us. I asked the way to the city 
 and the taoutae s office, and we proceeded at a rapid 
 pace in the direction indicated. We entered through 
 the city gates, about a quarter of a mile distant ; the 
 streets are narrow, and many of them paved with 
 small tiles similar to Dutch clinkers, which give a 
 far more agreeable footing than the slippery granite. 
 The shops within the city are generally small, but 
 wares of every description were exhibited in them 
 for sale. I saw many with European goods. Having 
 proceeded about half a mile, our guides showed us 
 the office of the cheheen, which I declined entering, 
 as our business was with the taoutae, and we again 
 
173 
 
 started in search of him, with an enormous crowd 
 following us. Before we had gone far we met with 
 a young man, who told us he belonged to the 
 taoutae's office, but that his master had already gone 
 down to Woosung to meet with us, and that we had 
 therefore better immediately return. Not placing 
 much credit in this information, I continued my 
 course, the people readily pointing out the way, and 
 arrived at the taoutae's office, which is an extensive 
 building. As we approached, the lictors hastily 
 tried to shut, the doors, and we were only just in 
 time to prevent it, and pushing them back, entered 
 the outer court of the office. Here we found 
 numerous low police people, but no decent persons, 
 and the three doors leading to the interior were shut 
 and barred as we entered. After waiting a few 
 minutes, and repeatedly knocking at the door, seeing 
 no symptoms of their being opened, Mr. Simpson 
 and Mr. Stephens settled the point by two vigorous 
 charges at the centre gate with their shoulders, 
 which shook them off their hinges, and brought 
 them down with a great clatter, and we made our 
 entrance into the great hall of justice, at the further 
 extremity of which was the state chair and table of 
 the taoutae. Here were numerous official assistants, 
 who seeing us thus unexpectedly among them, forgot 
 totally our unceremonious mode of obtaining en- 
 trance, and received us with great politeness, inviting 
 us to sit down and take tea and pipes. Having 
 remained a short time talking with them, particularly 
 with the young man who had told us the taoutae 
 had gone to Woosung, who was one of his secre- 
 taries, and possessed of intelligent pleasing manners, 
 
174 
 
 we were informed of the arrival of the cheheen, who 
 wished to speak to us. He entered immediately, 
 and refusing to be seated, commenced in a loud 
 angry tone, upbraiding us for our temerity in coming 
 to Shanghae without previously obtaining permission. 
 He was a stout middle-aged man, with a harsh un- 
 pleasing countenance, and boisterous manners ; his 
 name is Wanlun-chan ; he is a native of Kwer 
 Chow. I replied in a tone equally haughty, but not 
 quite so loud, that we came here to trade, and that 
 I brought a petition to the taoutae. His answer was, 
 " You cannot trade here, you must go to Canton." 
 I repeated the arguments I had so often used relative 
 to the present state of the trade at Canton. The 
 cheheen now called for an interpreter, and I fully 
 expected to see some fellow produced who could 
 speak a few words of the Canton-English, to which 
 I had determined to reply in Chinese, that I could 
 not understand a word of it ; but instead of that, a 
 man from Chaow Chow-foo, in Canton province, 
 came, who knew not one word of any European 
 language, nor even of the Canton dialect, that 
 spoken in his district being nearly the same as the 
 Fokien. He however spoke the mandarin dialect 
 far more distinctly than the cheheen, and also 
 showed much quickness in catching my meaning 
 when my expressions were not in correct Chinese. 
 The cheheen now sat down, and I instantly seated 
 myself opposite to him, on which he again rose, and 
 casting an angry glance at me, strode out of the 
 room without vouchsafing a word, as if he considered 
 himself degraded by seeing me seated in his pre- 
 sence. So soon as he had gone, the attendants 
 
175 
 
 brought tea, and tried to apologize for his rude- 
 ness. 
 
 " After a little he again requested to speak to us, 
 and stated that the taoutae (who had returned very 
 speedily from Woosung) would give us an audience 
 at the Teenhow Temple, to which we must instantly 
 repair. We told him we would comply with his 
 directions, and bid him farewell with the usual 
 Chinese salutation, to which he made no return 
 whatever ; on which I said in a loud tone, " in my 
 country the Government officers are civil to strangers ; 
 you, it appears, act differently, and return the cour- 
 tesy of strangers with rudeness ; but still, in order 
 to show to you and all the present company that we 
 understand the rules of propriety and decorum, we 
 again salute you before we depart, on which Mr. 
 Gutzlaff and myself, with the utmost politeness, per- 
 formed the ceremony of tso-yih, bowing moderately 
 low with the hands joined, which is the utmost that 
 is in use amongst equals. The cheheen coloured to 
 the very tips of his ears with vexation ; but seeing 
 that all the spectators enjoyed his mortification, he 
 returned our salute, though with a very bad grace, 
 and we went away, returning through the same 
 gates we had entered, and were shown to an inner 
 court of the temple, where we had first landed, 
 which we were informed was to be our lodging for 
 the night. Round the court were three spacious 
 apartments, the left one was assigned to us ; and the 
 centre was prepared for the taoutae, who shortly 
 arrived with a. large retinue of mandarins and lictors, 
 with chairs and whips. About a quarter of an hour 
 after his arrival I was told to come in and present 
 
176 
 
 my petition ; but I first sent to say that I expected 
 to find chairs for Mr. GutziafF and myself if the 
 taoutae and the other mandarins were seated. In 
 reply, this was stated to be impossible, as their 
 customs required a merchant to prostrate himself 
 before a mandarin of the rank of the taoutae, yet 
 that we were only required to stand ; but that if I 
 was a mandarin in my own country, and the business 
 I had to communicate was of a public nature, then 
 we might be seated. I replied, " I am no mandarin ; 
 but my petition, if favourably received, and the 
 request it contains is complied with, it may be called 
 of a public nature ; and it is not on my account I 
 object to stand in the presence of your mandarins so 
 much as on account of the high respectability of my 
 country. I have also been seated at Ning-po in the 
 presence of men higher in rank than the taoutae ; 
 my reply, therefore, is, if the mandarins are seated 
 we must sit ; if they stand we will also stand." No 
 less than half an hour was lost in debating this point, 
 and it was finally arranged that the taoutae should 
 stand to receive us, and we were then ushered into 
 the hall, where six mandarins were seated in a semi- 
 circle ; I approached ; but seeing no symptoms of 
 any of them rising to receive me, I abruptly turned 
 on my heel and returned to our apartment, where I 
 rather warmly expressed my indignation at the paltry 
 artifice which had been played on us. Our inter- 
 preter, the secretary, and several mandarins tried to 
 soothe us with soft words, and on a positive promise 
 that no such trick would again be played, I once 
 more returned. Immediately on perceiving me the 
 taoutae rose and came forward ; his name is Wooke- 
 
177 
 
 Tae, he is a native of Honan, a heavy dull-looking- 
 man, much marked with the small-pox. I delivered 
 my petition into his hands, but without listening to 
 a word I had to say, he in a boisterous tone up- 
 braided us nearly in the same terms as the cheheen, 
 who was one of the present company, and said we 
 must instantly return to Canton, and not stay here a 
 day. I replied, " The trade of Canton is ruined by 
 the oppression of the local government ; your vessels 
 frequent our ports, therefore we have come here ; 
 for the rest our sentiments are contained in the 
 petition I have delivered, read it, and you will 
 understand." He replied, with increasing warmth, 
 " If the Shanghae vessels frequent your ports, let 
 your Government drive them away, they are not 
 sanctioned by ours in so doing." I replied, " instead 
 of driving them away, our Government encourages 
 them to come, and treats all strangers with kindness; 
 we have, therefore, a natural right to expect the 
 same at your hands." The taoutae evidently had 
 prepared to brow-beat us with fierce looks and angry 
 words, but I repaid them both ; and in reply to some 
 very uncivil expression, I said, " your excellency 
 will find that my countrymen are equally ready to 
 repay civility or insult." We now returned to our 
 apartment, which was crowded with mandarins and 
 attendants of various sorts. After the lapse of an- 
 other half hour, the original petition was brought 
 back with a copy, which was shown to me, and I 
 was informed that it was not requisite to receive the 
 original, as a copy could answer all the purpose, it 
 was therefore returned to me. I at once positively 
 and firmly refused on any account to receive back a 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 petition which had been publicly delivered and read, 
 affirming that it was a gross insult to request such a 
 thing. This point was debated warmly for a long time; 
 and the unfortunate petition was bandied backwards 
 and forwards between the taoutae's room and ours 
 five or six times ; at last, he seeing that nothing 
 could be gained from us, gave up the point and took 
 it away with him, leaving a message that we should 
 stay at the temple for the night, but that on no 
 account were we to quit it ; that all we wanted 
 should be provided for us, and that early in the 
 morning we should return on board, whither he 
 meant to accompany us. Shortly after he had gone, 
 a blue-button naval mandarin came to me with the 
 following singular proposal : that all our men and 
 the entire contents of the boat should be brought 
 into the temple, and the boat given in charge to 
 their people. I replied by asking the assembled 
 mandarins if they took us for fools or children, that 
 they behaved in this manner towards us ; that our 
 sailors were perfectly competent to take charge of 
 the boat ; and with regard to the message, intimating 
 that we were to be held as prisoners in the temple, 
 I recommended them not to enforce it if they valued 
 the hinges of their doors. Now that our two foes 
 the taoutae and cheheen were gone, the military 
 mandarins were generally inclined to be civil ; but 
 there was not one among them all who possessed 
 the manners of a gentleman, or any intelligence. 
 Whilst supper was preparing, we sauntered out to 
 the quay and talked with the people, who were still 
 in vast crowds, but cordial in the extreme. Here, as 
 everywhere else, the fame of the pamphlet had 
 
179 
 
 spread like wildfire; about twenty we had distributed 
 in our walk to the city, and now we were surrounded 
 by people anxiously begging for a copy. 
 
 u We had no reason to complain of want of hospi- 
 tality here on some points, as an excellent supper 
 was provided for us, and comfortable bed-frames 
 were laid for our accommodation. After supper I 
 went and sat for half an hour with the mandarins, 
 who asked numerous questions about England and 
 her colonies, navy, mandarins, &c. We were here 
 accused of being mandarins in disguise, which I 
 strongly disclaimed." 
 
 The following morning, on going out, the first 
 thing which caught our eye was the subjoined edict 
 on the walls of the temple where we had lodged. 
 Mr. Gutzlaff immediately took a copy of it, to the 
 apparent annoyance of the mandarins, and great 
 entertainment of the people, whose friendly dispo- 
 sition towards us was strongly apparent. 
 
 " Woo, by Imperial authority, taoutae of the dis- 
 tricts Soo (Chow-foo) and Sung (Keang-foo), in the 
 province of Keang-nam, &c. &c., issues his explicit 
 orders to this effect : 
 
 " I, the taou, have lately heard that an English 
 ship was sauntering about the waters of Che-keang. 
 The fact was corroborated by the people of Ning-po, 
 who repaired to this harbour, and likewise by the 
 fishermen, who stated that there was a barbarian 
 ship at Chin-hae, in the sea of Chou Paou Shan, but 
 
 N 2 
 
180 
 
 that now the civil and military functionaries had 
 gone out to sea, and driven her away. 
 
 " Whilst I was examining and considering the 
 subject, I received a letter from the chin-tae (Tstfng- 
 ping-kwan) of Soo Sung, who had received a report 
 from the chin-tae of Ting hae, in the Che-keang 
 province, stating that the barbarian vessel before 
 mentioned, as staying in Che-keang province, had 
 been entirely kept aloof. 
 
 u Kwan, the chin-keen, has now sent flying de- 
 spatches to all the camps and the military along the 
 coast, and besides has headed the men-of-war, and 
 proceeded in every direction, both of the inner and 
 outer sea, in order every where to trace and repel 
 her. A flying despatch was also sent to the chin-tae 
 (lieutenant-general) of Sang Shan, directing him to 
 be well on his guard. 
 
 " For on examination it was found that the sea of 
 Che-keang borders that of Keang-nam; hence the 
 barbarian vessel, having been entirely driven away 
 from Che-keang province, might take advantage of 
 the wind, and sail towards the Keang-nam province, 
 which was not unlikely. 
 
 " We should therefore ourselves be on our guard 
 beforehand to ward her off. Additional orders have 
 in consequence been issued to all the functionaries 
 and magistrates of Foos and Heens along the coast, 
 to lead out their skilful bands of soldiers and police, 
 and repair to all the harbours of the said seas, every- 
 where patrolling and guarding ; but if they ascer- 
 tain that the said barbarian ship is sailing towards 
 Keang-nam province, let them collect their forces, 
 and rigorously enforce her expulsion from the fron- 
 
181 
 
 tier, and not allow her to loiter for a single moment. 
 Besides this, orders have been speedily issued, 
 whereby all the inhabitants of the coast and the 
 seafaring people are clearly ordered, that when the 
 above-mentioned barbarian ship sails towards the 
 frontiers, the inhabitants of the neighbourhood must 
 instantly report it to the mandarins, that they may 
 expel her. All commercial intercourse with the 
 barbarian ship is strictly forbidden; but if any dare 
 to disobey, they will be forthwith seized, examined, 
 and prosecuted with severity ; not the least forbear- 
 ance will be shown. Let all implicitly obey. Do 
 not oppose. A special edict. 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 5th moon, 
 20th day. (18th June, 1832.) 
 
 Previous to returning to the ship we again entered 
 the town, and made sundry purchases. Shops, 
 where woollen goods were exhibited for sale, were 
 more abundant here than in any town we had 
 seen ; and in all of them the character of Kung-sze, 
 " Company's," was conspicuously placed over the 
 names of the various articles. The following is a 
 rate of prices asked at various shops, and approxi- 
 mates very nearly to those at Ning-po. I suspect it 
 to be only in the inland towns that European articles 
 bear such an exorbitant price. 
 
 Camlets . from 4 to 5 dollars a chang, or 56 to 70 
 dollars p' piece. 
 
 ^ 011 -38 to 46 
 Long ells ......... 12 to 16 
 
182 
 
 I could see no calico, although I was told that it 
 is frequently brought here. I distributed pamphlets 
 and trading papers in all the shops, which both the 
 people and mandarins showed the greatest anxiety 
 to receive ; and while walking through the crowd 
 we were on all sides assailed with entreaties 
 for a copy of this little work, the effect of which, 
 upon the minds of the people, wherever we have 
 been, perfectly surprised ourselves. On our return 
 we found the mandarins greatly more polite in their 
 demeanour than they had been the day before. The 
 supercilious che-heen, who, only 24 hours previously, 
 thought he was degraded by seeing me seated in his 
 presence, now met us with the greatest politeness, and 
 obsequiously forced us to take the highest seats. All 
 the others were equally friendly in their demeanour, 
 and talked about the great desire they felt to be on 
 cordial terms with our countrymen, and the satis- 
 faction they would feel if commercial intercourse 
 could be promoted between us. I could not help 
 reflecting how very different would have been the 
 demeanour of these men, had we submissively 
 complied with all their orders, stood before their 
 tribunal, received back our petition, submitted to be 
 confined as prisoners, and returned to our ships at 
 day-light; then they would have triumphed over 
 us, and treated us with contempt and neglect. Such 
 are Chinese mandarins all over the empire. Com- 
 pliance begets insolence ; opposition and defiance 
 produces civility and friendly professions. 
 
 We returned on board in the afternoon, and found 
 the ship just on the point of entering the river. 
 Numerous mandarins had been on board the preceding 
 
183 
 
 day, and tried to impress on the mind of Captain Rees 
 the perilous shoals which would be met with at the 
 entrance. My Chinese servant, dressed in European 
 clothes, acted as interpreter, and informed me that 
 the principal mandarin, a yeukeeh or colonel, used 
 every artifice to extract from him an account of who 
 we were,, and wherefore we had come, especially 
 whether we were a ship of war or not. The military 
 preparations which were in progress, were such as 
 rendered it impossible to avoid smiling at them ; 
 and it really appeared as if the officers of the Chinese 
 government had acted with the express intention of 
 rendering themselves ridiculous. At each side of 
 the river six large guns had been laid down on a 
 raised mud bank, without trucks or carriages of any 
 description ; a considerable number of tents lined 
 the high sides of the river, such as Chinese troops 
 inhabit when on service. These are low, and afford 
 little or no shelter against the inclemency of the 
 weather. In order to give an appearance of military 
 preparations to a more distant part of the bank, a 
 whole row of mud heaps had been made into the 
 form of tents, and then whitewashed ; all this ope- 
 ration had been observed from the ship by aid of 
 a glass. Fifteen war-junks lay also at the mouth of 
 the river. The w r ar-junks here- are the most wretched 
 and inefficient we have yet seen ; they are merely 
 large uncouth boats, of about 80 tons, with one gun 
 on a sort of table in the centre of the vessel. On 
 entering we passed through their line, and anchored 
 about half a mile below Woosung. 
 
 The plan which I determined to pursue here, was 
 
184 
 
 to declare, that as my request was addressed to the 
 decision of the superior mandarins, I was determined 
 to await that of the tsungtuh, who was alone capable 
 of deciding on the point of whether we were to be 
 permitted to trade or not; and consequently I would 
 not yield obedience to any other orders but his. 
 The advantages which appeared to me derivable 
 from this plan were twofold. In the first place it 
 appeared highly probable that the taoutae, in his 
 anxiety to induce our departure, in order to be 
 enabled to report our expulsion, might be induced 
 to enter into a compromise, and permit us quietly to 
 dispose of our cargo. On the other side, if a refe- 
 rence was made to the tsungtuh at Nankin, it ensured 
 the greatest publicity being given to the fact of our 
 having come to Shanghae seeking for trade ; and a 
 report of the circumstances being duly forwarded to 
 the Emperor, and the complaints of foreigners against 
 the unjust and oppressive system under which the 
 trade was conducted at Canton, being thus reported 
 simultaneously from various parts of the empire, it 
 might naturally be hoped would provoke an inquiry 
 into whether such charges were well founded or not ; 
 and thus eventually prove of some service to the trade 
 at Canton. The whole of our intercourse with the 
 mandarins of this place was unsatisfactory and weary- 
 ing, without being productive of any results. The 
 policy of the mandarins was evidently to leave us 
 entirely unmolested, and take little notice of us, 
 merely contenting themselves with keeping the people 
 from visiting our ship, and to trust to our departure 
 when we saw that no object could be attained by a 
 
185 
 
 longer stay. I will now just give a brief outline of 
 what occurred worthy of notice during our stay of 
 18 days at this port. 
 
 On the 22d several merchants visited us, in com- 
 pany with the interpreter. Feeling very anxious, 
 if possible, to dispose of our goods here, I offered to 
 sell the 
 
 Camlets a' 36 per piece. 
 
 Superfine broadcloth . a' 34 
 
 Super a' 30 
 
 Calico a' 8 
 
 And all the merchants readily agreed that a large 
 profit could be realized, if purchased at those rates. 
 I also had a private conversation with the interpreter, 
 in which I explained to him that if his master, the 
 taoutae, was really anxious for our departure, it 
 might readily be procured by permitting us quietly 
 to sell our goods. 
 
 In the course of the day a boat, with several man- 
 darins, came alongside, and one of them delivered 
 to me the following edict from the taoutae. It was 
 written on a large sheet of paper, without a cover, 
 and served as envelope to my petition, which I im- 
 mediately returned into the boat, saying that I had 
 already refused to take it back, and therefore would 
 not now change my purpose. The boat then re- 
 turned. The edict from the taoutae is as follows, 
 and strongly bespeaks the hatred and contempt with 
 which that officer regards foreigners. The paper is 
 also quite informal, having no seal to render it au- 
 thentic : 
 
186 
 
 " Woo, by Imperial authority, taoutae, &c. &c. &c. 
 issues this edict to the man of the barbarian ship 
 Hoo-Hea-me, and the others, that they may be fully 
 informed : 
 
 " According to their petition they hope to trade, 
 and to have the matter reported to the higher autho- 
 rities. On examining, it appears that according to 
 law hitherto no barbarian ships have traded at 
 Shanghae, and that the laws cannot be opposed. 
 But as to what relates to reporting to superior autho- 
 rities, this would be conniving in disobedience to 
 the laws ; hence the original petition is thrown back, 
 chit hiwan (a term of great contempt). Let them 
 instantly depart with speed, and obey the old laws, 
 returning to Canton, and trading there. Let them 
 not delay and deceive themselves. 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 5th moon, 23d day." 
 
 1 immediately replied briefly to this edict as fol- 
 lows ; in it I take the opportunity of expressing my 
 determination to await the decision of the tsungtuh 
 from Nanking. 
 
 " The English commander, Hoo-Hea-me, respect- 
 fully replies to his Excellency the Taoutae of 800, 
 Sung and Tae : 
 
 " I have now received a document in reply to my 
 former petition, but this document has no official 
 seal to render it authentic, and the language it con- 
 tains is harsh and impolite. My petition was foi 
 reference to the decision of the superior authorities 
 at Nanking, and for their reply I will wait here ; 
 when it arrives, 1 feel confident it will be in kind and 
 
187 
 
 civil terms, for the great mandarins are everywhere 
 celebrated for their benevolence and politeness, and 
 on my return to my own country I will report the 
 same to my superiors. 
 
 " According to the statement received, my peti- 
 tion is thrown back to me; the affront I cannot 
 suffer in silence, for by such conduct the respect- 
 ability of my native country would suffer. The 
 English nation are not barbarians, but foreigners, 
 nor is there in the world any nation superior to them 
 in power, dignity, and extent of dominions. 
 
 " To conclude, our object in coming here was to 
 establish a friendly mercantile intercourse, to the 
 mutual benefit of both parties ; and our wish is to 
 depart from Shanghae with a grateful heart ; for it 
 is a maxim among my countrymen to repay kindness 
 with gratitude, and insult with resentment. I again 
 return the former petition, and respectfully beg you 
 will forward it to his Excellency the Viceroy of the 
 Leang-keang." 
 
 " 5th day, 23d moon." 
 
 In the afternoon we landed at Woosung, and 
 walked for some miles into the country; this we 
 continued to do every evening during our stay. A 
 mandarin and several attendants always accom- 
 panied us, but professed that their object merely was 
 to protect us from any evil-disposed natives. We 
 frequently landed at some distance from the town, 
 purposely to avoid our escort, and never met with 
 anything but the greatest friendliness on the part of 
 the natives, who, on the contrary, were always much 
 more cordial and frank in their manners when we 
 
188 
 
 were alone. The whole country in this vicinity is 
 dotted over with small villages, surrounded with 
 trees in every direction. The population appears 
 very great, but the natives are healthy and well fed : 
 wheat, in the form of vermicelly and cakes, forms the 
 principal part of their food. Whilst we were stay- 
 ing here, the land from which the wheat had just 
 been cut, was ploughed up, irrigated, and again 
 planted with rice, which would be cut on the ninth 
 moon (September), a proof of the extraordinary fer- 
 tility of the soil. The winters are said to be very 
 severe, and that the snow sometimes lies several feet 
 deep for more than a month. Ice is kept in great 
 abundance throughout the summer, but is princi- 
 pally used for the preservation of fresh fish. Each 
 family appears to cultivate a small portion of ground 
 with cotton, which I here saw T of a light yellow 
 colour. The nankeen cloth made from that requires 
 no dye. In every cottage were the requisite imple- 
 ments for carding, spinning and manufacturing the 
 cloth sufficient for their own use, the remainder they 
 sell. In several I saw the whole process in action 
 at the same time, and took specimens away of the 
 yellow cotton, both in its rough state and after being 
 manufactured into cloth. The price for apiece is 
 from three to four mace, the nankeen cloth from 
 Shanghae is said to be the best in the empire. 
 
 The following day (June 23), at a very early hour, 
 the interpreter came on board, accompanied by a 
 naval mandarin, Lo-laou-yay, and once more brought 
 back the original petition, accompanied by the one 
 I sent yesterday. I positively refused to allow them 
 to remain on board. 
 
189 
 
 About noon two mandarins, Lo and another, re- 
 turned, and we were not a little astonished at hearing 
 them say that they were sent by the taoutae, to re- 
 quest his harsh edict should be returned to him, that 
 he might write another instead, in a more concili- 
 ating tone, and affix his official seal. No more was 
 
 o ' 
 
 said about my two petitions. This was indeed a sin- 
 gular falling off in his hitherto haughty demeanour. 
 I replied that I felt great satisfaction to see that his 
 Excellency was aware of the impropriety of writing 
 such an insulting document ; but as I had refused to 
 receive back my petitions, because they were dis- 
 pleasing to the taontae, I could on no account pre- 
 sume to return his, because the harshness of it was 
 unpleasing to me. The mandarins could not help 
 smiling at this argument. They next requested to 
 be favoured with a copy of the edicts we had re- 
 ceived at Ning-po, (which I had stated to be of a 
 civil description) that the taoutae might frame a 
 similar one. I replied that I must decline to do 
 that, but that a mandarin of the taoutae's rank and 
 talents could never be at a loss how to reply to 
 strangers with kindness and urbanity, if it was his 
 wish to do so. 
 
 The 24th they again returned, accompanied by 
 the interpreter, who gave me a slip of paper, con- 
 taining the following message from the taoutae, and 
 again strongly requested that his edict might be 
 returned to him. The words written on the slip of 
 paper were as follows : " We are wrong in using 
 these expressions, the inadvertence of the writer is 
 the real cause of it. The junks of war and soldiers 
 
190 
 
 are not come here on account of you, but because 
 his excellency the tetuh is about to review them." 
 
 In reply, I stated that for the reasons before as- 
 signed, I could not return the taoutae's edict, but 
 would feel delighted to receive another one from 
 him in more friendly language, but that I really 
 could with difficulty credit the latter part of the 
 message as to the military preparations, as I was in 
 possession of the edict which ordered them to as- 
 semble and expel us ; on which I produced the copy 
 which Mr. Gutzlaff had made while at Shanghae. 
 This disconcerted them much. We had held several 
 conversations on the use and meaning of the word 
 E, as it was on the afternoon of this day that the 
 taoutae sent off a paper containing his arguments to 
 prove that there was nothing offensive in the word. 
 This paper, together with my reply, which was 
 delivered on the ensuing day, have already been 
 inserted in this report. 
 
 The troops on both sides of the river were this day 
 reviewed by the tetuh, who had arrived at Woosung 
 on the 23d. There might be in all 500 men assem- 
 bled ; they were exercised in firing blank cartridges 
 from their matchlocks. In the afternoon we landed, 
 and saw them drawn out; the officers were all highly 
 polite to us, and allowed us to examine the arms and 
 accoutrements of the men. Most of them had no 
 arms, but a sword and wicker shield, the sword of 
 the most imperfect description, indeed nothing else 
 than a flat bar of iron ; the firelocks were generally 
 in a filthy state, and almost corroded with rust : 
 indeed the result of our inspection of his Imperial 
 
191 
 
 Majesty's forces at Shanghae, conviced me that 50 
 resolute and well-disciplined men, or even a smaller 
 number, would have routed a larger force than we 
 saw there assembled. 
 
 During the following week nothing material oc- 
 curred. The mandarins continued to prevent the 
 people from visiting the ship, and to press us to 
 receive our provisions as a present from them, which 
 I refused ; we consequently went daily to the market, 
 and purchased what we wanted. Provisions of all 
 sorts were cheap and abundant here, excepting beef, 
 of which we procured none in any part of China. 
 Goats are very plentiful, and fully as good as any 
 mutton. The fruits here are far superior to those 
 farther south ; peaches, nectarines, loquats, small 
 apples, and the arbutus, were in season during our 
 stay, and very cheap. Vegetables of various kinds 
 are also to be had for very little. 
 
 On the 1st of July, Mr. Gutzlaff and myself, with 
 two of the officers of the Amherst, went and visited 
 the island of Tsung-ming, the nearest point of which 
 lies about 15 miles distant from Moosung, in a north- 
 easterly direction. The southern entrance of the 
 main land of Tsung-ming is in about 31. 30 N., 
 which is several miles to the southward of what is 
 laid down in the missionary charts. This island is 
 however yearly increasing in extent, from the allu- 
 vial deposits of the great river. It is now above 
 60 miles in length, and from 15 to 18 in breadth, 
 and is one of the most fertile and thickly populated 
 districts in China. While in this neighbourhood I 
 endeavoured, but fruitlessly, to procure an authentic 
 printed account of Tsung-ming ; but by the infor- 
 
192 
 
 mation I gathered from the Chinese, it did not exist, 
 at least in a habitable state, till the latter part of the 
 Yuen dynasty, in the 14th century. This supposi- 
 tion gains force from a fact noticed in Sir G. Staun- 
 ton's account of Lord Macartney's embassy, that no 
 notice is taken of this island by the celebrated 
 Venetian traveller, Marco Polo; although those of 
 Chusan, which are bold and high, are distinctly 
 marked down in the chart made by him, which is 
 still preserved at Venice. Tsung-ming is interesting, 
 as being the largest and most populated alluvial 
 island in the world. Its population is said to amount 
 to half a million. 
 
 We left our ship at 10, and steered about north- 
 east, intending to pass between the two extensive 
 sand-banks, lying in mid-channel, and which are 
 just visible from the poop ; but after crossing the fair 
 channel, which varies from four to seven fathoms, 
 we shoaled rapidly to three, two, one, and then to 
 three feet first quarter flood, when we plainly per- 
 ceived that the two banks are joined together by a 
 long flat, which was principally dry, but which is 
 probably passable by small boats at high water ; we 
 therefore bore up and ran north-west, along the side 
 of the northern bank, which is overgrown with 
 rushes, and had two huts on it. In another century 
 all these banks will probably form a fertile and in- 
 habited island. About a mile to the north-west of 
 this is a small low islet, with bluff-mud banks, bearing 
 from Woo-sung north about 10 miles ; and following 
 the track of a boat, we passed between this and the 
 bank, the depth varying very irregularly from one 
 and a half fathoms to four feet. After crossing this 
 
193 
 
 flat, which is about half way across, the water deep- 
 ened to five fathoms : several large junks were laying 
 here ; it then decreased to two, deepened again to 
 four; then we crossed another sand, with one 
 and a half fathoms, and again deepened to four 
 fathoms, from which it gradually shoaled to three 
 and two as we approached the shore, which in ap- 
 pearance exactly resembles the opposite side. We 
 landed up a small creek, where a junk was lying, 
 and walked straight in-shore. The natives at first 
 were shy and timid of us, but were very soon re- 
 assured ; and a fine intelligent little boy gladly un- 
 dertook to show us the way to a town called Sin-kae, 
 or Sin-kaou in the dialect of the place, distant about 
 three miles. The ground appeared rich, and culti- 
 vated with rice, cotton, millet, and vegetables. It 
 was intersected in every direction with dykes, which 
 serve the double purpose of draining the land, and 
 irrigating it when requisite. The people do not live 
 in villages, as is usual in most provinces of China, 
 but hamlets ; and single houses are scattered about 
 in every direction. The population appears immense; 
 but the natives are healthy and vigorous, most having 
 a fine ruddy complexion. Wheelbarrows of a pecu- 
 liar structure are in common use both for conveying 
 the produce of the soil, and also for the accommoda- 
 tion of travellers : they have a large wheel in the. 
 centre, which is covered, and the goods are stowed 
 on each side of it. We met a respectable man tra- 
 velling, on one side his portmanteau was stowed, and 
 on the other he was comfortably seated on a felt 
 mattress. We also met several loaded with a salt of 
 peculiar whiteness, the mode of preparing which is 
 
194 
 
 mentioned in Pen Jacquemen's description, in the 
 " Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses." Certain parts of 
 the island on the northern coast, though barren of 
 every herb, yet have the peculiar quality of producing 
 large quantities of this salt, which is at stated times 
 carefully scraped from the surface. What makes 
 this more singular is, that the ground which pos- 
 sesses this peculiar property, is often surrounded on 
 all sides with fertile soil, but devoid of all saline 
 particles. 
 
 After walking about three miles, gathering com- 
 panions like a snow-ball, we arrived at the town, 
 which is long and narrow : it has some very respect- 
 able houses and shops, among others one attracted 
 my notice, which announced in large characters that 
 it sold Company's camlets and broad cloth ; but on 
 inquiry, I was told that they had none of these 
 precious commodities at present, but merely kept the 
 characters on their sign to look respectable. We 
 saw apricots in abundance in the fruit stalls, and 
 purchased some, being the first I have seen since 
 leaving Europe ; they were small, and without much 
 flavour, but resembling those of England. Having 
 walked through the town, about half a mile long, 
 attended by a great concourse of people, and looked 
 into various shops and houses, we returned as we 
 came. The friendly demeanour of these simple 
 people, who now for the first time in their lives be- 
 held a European, surpassed anything we had hitherto 
 witnessed ; and there being no mandarin in the 
 place, no artificial check was placed to the natural 
 friendly impulse of their hearts. Having observed 
 that the apricot pleased us, numbers came to us, 
 
195 
 
 offering the finest they could select. On all sides 
 we were requested to bestow a copy of the pamphlet, 
 of which we distributed about 20, and a crowd was 
 immediately formed round the possessor to read it. 
 On our return, we were escorted by at least 300 
 people of all ages, many of whom offered and begged 
 us to accept presents of fish and vegetables, and 
 anxiously expressed a hope that we would return 
 another day. One fine boy, of about 12 years, was 
 so anxious to make Mr. Gutzlaff some present, that 
 having nothing else, he took a neat bamboo carved- 
 comb, with which his hair was fastened, and gave it 
 to him. On meeting a wheel-barrow, it was proposed 
 to me to take possession of it, as a conveyance back 
 to my boat, but I preferred my legs. On returning, 
 the country people from all quarters had gathered to 
 see us pass, and by the time we reached our boat, at 
 least 600 people were assembled, and all seemed to 
 vie which should be the most kind and friendly. 
 Such is in general the true Chinese character when 
 removed from the influence and example of their 
 mandarins, and such are the people from whose 
 violence they pretend such anxiety to protect us. 
 
 On returning we stood to the north of the small 
 single island, crossed several banks with one fathom. 
 About half way across we met a mandarin boat iu 
 search of us, and after a two hours' sail we reached 
 our ship at 7-J, much delighted with our journey. 
 
 In the course we had witnessed a curious instance 
 of the severity of military discipline in China. A 
 mandarin, whose cap with a gold button was borne 
 before him, was marched about in procession be- 
 tween two excutioners, blindfolded, with a small flag 
 
 o2 
 
196 
 
 on a short bamboo, pierced through each of his ears; 
 before him was a man bearing a placard with this 
 inscription : 
 
 " By orders of the general of Soo and Sung; for 
 a breach of military discipline his ears are pierced as 
 a warning to the multitude." 
 
 After being paraded along the bank he was taken 
 round the different war-junks, and then on board the 
 admiral's vessel. We subsequently heard that his 
 offence was having allowed our boat to pass the fort 
 without reporting it. 
 
 During the 12 days we had now been here I 
 could not help feeling that little or no progress had 
 been made towards bringing our affairs to any con- 
 clusion. There were at this time no fewer than five 
 mandarins of rank assembled at Woosung ; namely, 
 the taoutae, the tetuh, the chefoo of Sung-keang-Foo, 
 the chechow of Ta-tsang-Chow, and the tsung-ping 
 of Soo and Sung. It was evident that this was on 
 our account ; yet we felt surprised that they never 
 sought to come to any understanding with us ; nor 
 had any document been given since that short and 
 offensive one recorded on the 22d, although on the 
 23d the taoutae had positively promised that a more 
 satisfactory edict should be sent. We daily received 
 visits from two naval mandarins with white buttons, 
 and that clerk of the taoutae who was called the 
 interpreter. The two mandarins were both illiterate, 
 stupid men, who used daily to repeat exactly the 
 same story ; earnestly, and in the most servile terms, 
 entreating us to go out of the river, and declaring 
 
197 
 
 that when outside we should be enabled to trade, 
 and appealing to our feelings of compassion towards 
 themselves, as they assured us they would be de- 
 graded. On one occasion they degraded themselves 
 so far as to kneel before me, and offer to perform the 
 kotow. The conduct of the interpreter was still 
 more inexplicable, for his object appeared to be to 
 mislead us by false expectations, that by perseverance 
 we should be able to carry our point. On several 
 occasions he brought off mercantile people to the 
 ship, who examined our cargo, inquired for opium, 
 and left us, professing that they would see if it was 
 possible to arrange matters so as to make purchases. 
 The answers I gave on all occasions were the same 
 to the public questions of the mandarins. My reply 
 was, that I had sent a petition for the decision of the 
 tsung-tuh, and when it came I would immediately 
 yield obedience to it; but on the other hand I 
 privately stated, that if an arrangement could be 
 made to enable me to dispose of my cargo, I would 
 immediately sail without delay. 
 
 I now began to suppose that a communication had 
 been sent to the tsung-tuh, although this was always 
 strongly denied, and it was asserted that he was in 
 Keangoze, at the distance of three weeks' journey, 
 and no answer could be got from him in less than 
 two months ; and moreover, that the taoutae dared 
 not report the case. At any rate it was evident, 
 that even if it were referred to his decision, it would 
 certainly forbid our trade. I on several occasions 
 requested that some mandarin of respectability might 
 be deputed to hold a conference with us, either on 
 shore or in the ship, but in vain. On this day (July 2) 
 
198 
 
 the interpreter came on board with what he called a 
 message from the taoutae, containing some such 
 ridiculous falsehoods, that I declared I would hold 
 no more communication, excepting through the 
 medium of some authorized mandarin, or by cor- 
 respondence on paper. The message was, "that he 
 had heard our ship had been excluded from Wham- 
 poa for having brought women there ; that we had 
 thence sailed for Fuh Chow-foo, where we had fought 
 with the admiral's ship, and that an English admiral 
 was now at Whampoa." This was coupled with 
 several absurd and contradictory reports, of which it 
 was impossible to understand anything. Feeling the 
 utter loss of valuable time which was incurred by 
 this trifling, I endeavoured to open some com- 
 munication by sending the following note to the 
 taoutae. 
 
 " It is respectfully requested, that if the great 
 officers wish either to communicate or to receive 
 any information, that they will either depute a proper 
 officer, or express their wishes in writing, and we 
 will then give a clear explanation." 
 
 The interpreter now, as on several previous occa- 
 sions, assailed me with the most abject entreaties to 
 receive presents of provisions from the taoutae, 
 assuring us that he would be severely punished if 
 we refused, and endeavouring to induce our com- 
 pliance, by prostrating himself, and performing the 
 kotow. I positively declared that I would receive 
 no present from any mandarin, much less the taoutae, 
 who had hitherto shown us nothing but incivility, 
 
199 
 
 until the people were fully allowed to come on board 
 and supply us with all we wanted. 
 
 Two days more having elapsed without any com- 
 munication, I determined to revisit Shanghae with 
 the double object of making a few purchases, and 
 seeing whether it would in any way expedite our 
 affairs. We left the ship before day- light and pro- 
 ceeded to our old quarters at the temple. The 
 cheheen very soon arrived there, with whom I held 
 rather a long private conversation. His manners 
 were polite in the extreme, and he commenced the 
 conversation with a profusion of compliments. " You 
 are an intelligent person," said he, " and must be 
 aware that it is the wish both of us mandarins and 
 of the people, that you should be allowed to trade 
 here, because we should both profit by it; but so 
 long as the imperial laws prohibit it, the thing is 
 impossible." I replied, that I much wished the 
 great mandarins assembled at Woosung, would ex- 
 press these sentiments to us in writing, but that we 
 had now been there 15 days and had received no 
 communication, except some uncivil messages and 
 a most offensive unofficial edict from the taoutae ; 
 and notwithstanding my repeated request, no one 
 came near us except two military mandarins, who 
 talked on no subject but losing their buttons ; and 
 a worthless lying fellow they called an interpreter, 
 who asked us ridiculous questions, and told us no- 
 thing but falsehoods. The cheheen laughed at my 
 description of our negotiators and promised to send 
 a civil mandarin that very evening to Woosung, to 
 explain my wishes to the great mandarins. He now 
 conversed with me on various subjects, while several 
 
200 
 
 other mandarins, most of whom we had become 
 acquainted with on our former visit, came dropping 
 in. Mr. Gutzlaff, in the meanwhile, had made copies 
 of the two following edicts, which were placarded 
 outside the temple : 
 
 " Wan, cheheen of Shanghae, &c. &c. hereby 
 issues a prohibition which he has officially received 
 in a document from Leang, the fooyuen. In this it 
 is stated, that Wang, the tetuh of Keangnam, had 
 received a letter from the taoutae of Soo Sung. 
 From this it appeared, that he had received accounts 
 from Chekeang, that there was a ship rambling 
 about the inner seas. It was truly to be feared that 
 the said barbarian ship, profiting by the wind, might 
 sail up to the Keangnam province. It was therefore 
 proper to be beforehand with her, and unitedly to 
 drive her away from the frontiers, not allowing her 
 to enter and have commercial intercourse with the 
 people along the coast. If the soldiers and police 
 are in any way backward and negligent, they are to 
 be treated with great severity. 
 
 " When I, the cheheen, received this report, I 
 immediately sent an express to the military stations, 
 that they might jointly patrol and repel her outside. 
 For it is really to be feared that the said barbarian 
 ship, profiting by the tide, might sail up towards 
 these shores. 
 
 " Additional orders and prohibitions have been 
 speedily issued to all the inhabitants, shopkeepers, 
 and seafaring people of the neighbourhood, whereby 
 they are clearly informed, that on meeting those 
 barbarians on shore they are not allowed to have 
 
201 
 
 intercourse with them ; but if they dare to disobey, 
 they will be seized and severely punished : no for- 
 bearance will be shown. If the heads of villages 
 dare to protect them and connive, they themselves 
 will be examined and punished. Do not oppose. 
 A special order. 
 
 u Taoukwang, 12th year, 5th moon, 20 day." 
 
 " The cheheen of Shanghae, by directions of the 
 chefoo of Sung-keang, severely prohibits all the 
 merchants from holding any intercourse or com- 
 munication with the men of the barbarian ship, 
 either in going or coming. 
 
 " It is well known that heretofore the laws do not 
 permit the English nation to trade in Keangnam 
 province ; but now a barbarian ship has come to 
 the frontiers of Keangnam, in open defiance of the 
 established laws ; the native merchants are on no 
 account allowed clandestinely to smuggle or associate 
 with them in illegal transactions. 
 
 " The most explicit orders accompany this, whereby 
 the shopkeepers and inhabitants are clearly informed, 
 that if they dare to engage in clandestine intercourse 
 with the barbarians, they will be punished with the 
 utmost severity of the law. No forbearance will be 
 shown. All the merchants and people have their 
 families and lives to take charge of; they should 
 not, by hankering after small gains, incur heavy 
 guilt. 
 
 " Respect this ; respect this ; do not oppose. 
 A special Proclamation. 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 6th moon, 3d day." 
 
202 
 
 After breakfast we walked for some time about 
 the city and suburbs, always attended by a dense 
 crowd, and escorted by several mandarins and atten- 
 dants. The cheheen at first told me that the prohi- 
 bitions of the taoutae were positive against our 
 making any purchases whatever ; but after a good 
 deal of argument, and on my explaining that the 
 purchases we wished to make were not for sale, he 
 agreed to shut his eyes, as he expressed it. We 
 accordingly bought sundry trifles and various speci- 
 mens of the beautiful silks and crapes of Soochon, 
 to the value of several hundred dollars, which may 
 be considered the first European traffic ever carried 
 on in Shanghae. We quitted the town in the after- 
 noon, after having had another long conversation 
 with the mandarins. The cheheen, whose manners 
 had been so offensive on our first visit, now showed 
 more tact and obliging politeness than any of his 
 colleagues. Before parting, he presented us with 
 several baskets of fine fruit, and a large hamper of 
 wheat from Manchou Tartary, and received a case 
 of sweet wine as a return of courtesy. Before we 
 departed, he again told me that a proper communi- 
 cation should be made to us the following day. 
 
 The promise which was made by the cheheen 
 was faithfully kept: early this morning (July 6) an in- 
 vitation was sent to us to come on shore at noon, to 
 meet a deputed officer sent by the fooyuen. His 
 name is Paou-tajin, foot-seang, or lieutenant general, 
 on the fooyuen's staff. The following are the notes 
 I took at the time of this interview. 
 
 Early this morning Lo and Luh Laowyays came 
 on board to invite us to meet a mandarin of rank, 
 
203 
 
 deputed by the fooyuen, at the temple. According 
 to their account he arrived yesterday from Soochon. 
 He is a foot-seang, or lieutenant-general : his name 
 is Paou-tajin. 
 
 About noon we went on shore, and were received 
 by several mandarins, who ushered us into the prin- 
 cipal hall of the temple, where Paou-tajin and Le- 
 laowyay, chefoo of Taetsanchow, were seated. They 
 rose on our entering, and solicited us with much 
 cordiality of manner, Paou-tajin requesting me to be 
 seated next to him. Tea was handed round ; and 
 after a little conversation on indifferent topics, Paou 
 commenced business by stating that he had been 
 expressly commissioned by the foo~yuen to say that 
 the tsung-tuh was absent in Keany-sye, and that a 
 long time must elapse ere a reply could be obtained 
 from him. Paou-tajin now proceeded with much 
 urbanity to expatiate on the great desire which all the 
 mandarins felt to carry on amicable and commercial 
 intercourse with the English nation ; but that it was 
 utterly impossible, unless the sanction of their great 
 Emperor was previously obtained. " Let the Sove- 
 reign of your nation send a wanshoo (document) to 
 the great Emperor ; then, if he consents to commer- 
 cial intercourse, we shall all be delighted to see you ; 
 but the laws of the Celestial Empire are inviolable ; 
 they now prohibit your trading here ; they cannot 
 be infringed; you had better, therefore, return to 
 Canton, and there sell your cargo." 
 
 I replied at some length, recapitulating the old 
 arguments, that the oppressive and fraudulent con- 
 duct of the Canton Local Government had rendered 
 it impossible for small ships to trade there legally 
 
204 
 
 with advantage. Paou-tajin appeared to take a 
 good deal of interest in my details, and asked many 
 questions. c< Why do you not petition ?" said he : 
 I 'replied, that petition on petition had been sent, 
 and all treated with equal contempt : that the go- 
 vernor of the empire of Hindostan had himself 
 written a letter on the subject, which had shared 
 the same fate. " As to the inviolability of the laws 
 of the Celestial Empire," continued I, addressing 
 both the mandarins, " you, gentlemen, must well 
 know that on points relating to foreign intercourse, 
 there is not one day in the year in which they are 
 not broken ; and the reason is self-evident ; their 
 severity is such that it is impracticable to enforce 
 their observance : for instance, your own laws forbid 
 emigration under the severest penalties ; yet millions 
 of your countrymen live in foreign lands, and many 
 tens of thousands reside in peace and happiness 
 under our Government. Again : the taoutae told 
 me himself, if ships from Shanghae frequented our 
 ports, they were guilty of an illegal act in so doing ; 
 yet the fact is notorious to all, and is connived at, in 
 consideration of the advantages derived. I need 
 not allude to the mode in which the laws are obeyed 
 in regard to opium." Paou-tajin here interrupted 
 me with a good-natured smile, and said, " Hush! do 
 not say any more on that point ; we all know it." 
 " To conclude, then," said I, " my arguments tend 
 to this ; that so long as your laws for the regulation 
 of foreign intercourse are of such a nature that you 
 yourselves are compelled to disregard them, how can 
 we be expected scrupulously to comply ? Let just 
 and reasonable laws, such as circumstances require, 
 
205 
 
 be made, and a ready obedience will be paid to 
 them." In reply to various questions and inter- 
 ruptions, I explained some points relative to the 
 nature of the grievances complained of at Canton. 
 
 Paou-tajin replied, " These points can only be 
 settled by a correspondence between our respective 
 Sovereigns ;" and he tried to persuade us that we 
 had misunderstood the taoutae as to the junks sailing 
 illegally from Shangae, such a thing never having 
 occurred. He was very polite throughout the whole 
 conversation, but maintained that it was quite im- 
 possible for us to trade under present circumstances. 
 " Would it not then have been preferable," said I, 
 " to have informed us politely of the fact, to issuing 
 such edicts as these (showing him a copy of those 
 we had seen at Shanghae yesterday.) The che-chow 
 and Paou-tajin, having looked over them, both joined 
 in a sort of apology, saying that these edicts were 
 not meant for us, but for the people: and Paou now 
 told me that a proper official paper should be sent 
 to us, couched in polite language, and that presents 
 expressive of their friendship, should accompany it. 
 I expressly requested that it should be duly sealed, 
 to render it authentic, which was positively pro- 
 mised ; and with regard to the presents, I assured 
 the two mandarins that I would feel honoured by 
 receiving any mark of their esteem, but that I must 
 previously insist on being permitted freely to pur- 
 chase what supplies we required ; and I explained 
 the inhospitable treatment we had hitherto met with 
 in regard to that prohibition. An equally ready 
 promise was given on that point, and the interview 
 terminated with many mutual professions of regard. 
 
206 
 
 During the middle of it, the che-chow called over 
 the interpreter, and sent him with a message to 
 Mr. Gutzlaff, that if our ship returned to the islands 
 off Ning-po, she might doubtless trade there without 
 molestation; a singular speech, in a public audience, 
 from a man who had just been maintaining the in- 
 violability of their laws. 
 
 In the afternoon the following edict from the 
 taoutae was sent on board, which, however, contrary 
 to the promise made to us, bore no seal. This point 
 was in itself perhaps of no great importance ; but 
 having urged it, and obtained a pledge to that effect, 
 I determined to insist on its fulfilment ; and accord- 
 ingly sent the document on shore, saying that I 
 could not receive it in that state. Much stress 
 appears to have been laid by the taou on this point ; 
 for the following morning he sent on board the 
 seun-keen of Woosung, to say that he could not 
 venture to affix his seal to the edict without having 
 a precedent: but that if I would show him the seal 
 of the taoutae of Ning-po, which I asserted to have 
 in my possession, he would affix his. I accordingly 
 produced that document, and showed him the seal 
 affixed thereto. He was very urgent to be permitted 
 to read the edict ; but I declined showing it. He, 
 however, declared himself fully satisfied, and in half 
 an hour returned, bearing the taoutae's edict, sealed 
 in due form. This document is in its sentiments 
 anything but friendly ; but it abstains from the 
 use of all offensive terms, particularly that of bar- 
 barian : 
 
207 
 
 " Woo, by imperial authority, superintendent of 
 customs, and taoutae of the districts Soo, Sung, 
 and Tae, issues his orders to the English merchant 
 Hoo-hea-me, and the others, that they may clearly 
 inform themselves thereof. 
 
 " The said merchants have come hither in a soli- 
 tary ship several myriads of le, and have been several 
 years on their voyage, their only desire being to 
 carry on commercial intercourse. Hitherto the Eng- 
 lish merchants have not been allowed to trade at 
 Shanghae ; this is according to the regulations of 
 the Celestial Empire ; and the native merchants and 
 people dare by no means disobey the prohibitions, 
 and engage in trade with you. You, therefore, by 
 anchoring in these seas, involve yourselves in fruitless 
 expenses, which lead to loss and not to profit. 
 
 " I, the taoutae, imitate the great Emperor, who 
 harbours a compassionate mind towards foreigners. 
 I therefore clearly inform and command you imme- 
 diately to get under weigh. If you make pretext, 
 and delay longer and longer, you will only involve 
 yourselves deeper. 
 
 " You merchants have capital to conduct your 
 commercial affairs, you should therefore return to 
 Canton, where you are legally allowed to trade. 
 Take care not to bring sorrow on yourselves, and 
 involve yourselves in unavailing repentance. Hasten ! 
 hasten ! These are the orders. 
 
 " Taoukwang, 12th year, 6th moon, 9th day." 
 
 It being now evident that no advantage was 
 derivable from any further stay at this place, I inti- 
 mated our intention of sailing, as soon as we had 
 
208 
 
 obtained supplies of a few articles requisite, and of 
 which I had given a list to a shopkeeper on shore. 
 Even in this comparatively trifling point, the same 
 total disregard of truth and consistency was shown, 
 which had characterised the conduct of the manda- 
 rins of this place throughout all our intercourse 
 with them. On the afternoon of the 7th, the two 
 naval mandarins came, bringing with them all the 
 articles I had ordered, with a civil card from Paou- 
 tajin, and Le Ta Laou-yay, the che-chow. 
 
 Luh Laou-yay now endeavoured to persuade me 
 that all I wanted being thus sent, it was quite need- 
 less to take any more trouble about purchasing; and 
 that if anything else was wanting, we had only to 
 say it, and it would be given to us. In the present 
 instance I assured the mandarins that they had quite 
 mistaken our character in thus trifling with us even 
 on this small point, and that my word having been 
 pledged, that we would receive no presents until we 
 had been supplied freely by the people with all that 
 we wanted, I could add no more than that I would 
 on no account swerve from it. Seeing that I reso- 
 lutely refused to allow any thing to come into the 
 ship, they went away, and in the course of half an 
 hour the restriction prohibiting the natives from 
 visiting the ship was taken off, and our decks were 
 crowded with visitors of all descriptions ; among 
 others, the man from whom we had ordered our 
 stores came on board, bringing with him everything 
 we had commissioned him to purchase, which he 
 said he had hitherto been prevented by the manda- 
 rins from sending. Late in the evening, Luh Laou- 
 yay again returned with the presents, which we had 
 
209 
 
 now no excuse for refusing, though, I confess, it was 
 not without some reluctance I submitted even to this 
 trifling obligation, to persons who had throughout 
 behaved with such petty and degrading duplicity. 
 Early the following morning I sent a note of thanks, 
 with presents, to Paou-tajin and Le Ta Laou-yay, 
 which, after a little demur, were accepted, and a 
 message with thanks and good wishes was returned. 
 As this is the first time the emporium of Shanghae 
 has been brought under the immediate notice of 
 Europeans, some few remarks on it may not be 
 inappropriate. Considering the extraordinary ad- 
 vantages which this place possesses for foreign trade, 
 it is wonderful that it has not attracted more obser- 
 vation. One of the main causes of its importance 
 is found in its fine arbour and navigable river, by 
 which, in point of fact, Shanghae is the seaport of 
 the Yang-tse-keang, and the principal emporium of 
 eastern Asia, the native trade of it greatly exceeding 
 even that of Canton. On our first arrival I was so 
 much struck with the vast quantity of junks entering 
 the river, that I caused them to be counted for 
 several successive days. The result was that in 
 seven days upwards of 400 junks, varying in size 
 from 100 to 400 tons, passed Woo Sung, and pro- 
 ceeded to Shanghae. During the first part of our 
 stay most of these vessels were the north country 
 jnnks with four masts, from Teen-tsin, and various 
 parts of Manchow, Tartary, flour and peas from 
 which place formed a great part of their cargo. 
 But during the latter part of our stay the Fokien 
 junks began to pour in, to the number of 30 and 40 
 per day. Many of these were from Formosa, 
 
 p 
 
210 
 
 Canton, the Eastern Archipelago, Cochin China, 
 and Siam. 
 
 The river * Woo-sing comes out of the Tahoo (the 
 great lake), at Chang-keaon-kow, it then traverses 
 the Yun-ho, or great canal, and thus communicates 
 with the Yangtse-keang, the Yellow River, and 
 Pekin; thence it enters the Pangshan Lake, and 
 flows by Soo-chow-foo, the capital of the southern 
 part of Keangsoo, one of the most commercial, 
 wealthy, and luxurious cities of the empire. From 
 this place numerous navigable rivers communicate 
 and traverse each other in every direction. Thus 
 it appears that this river affords a commodious 
 water communication with the remotest parts of the 
 empire, from Pekin to Yunan, from the eastern coast 
 to the centre of the deserts in Tartary. The advan- 
 tages which foreigners, especially the English, 
 would derive from the liberty of trade with this 
 place, are incalculable. Woollen manufactures are 
 now only admitted by inland transport from Canton ; 
 and the various exactions and necessary expenses 
 attendant on its conveyance, render them unattain- 
 able by the mass of the population in the interior ; 
 and from the coldness of the climate in the northern 
 provinces, woollens would naturally be in much 
 higher estimation in them than in the comparatively 
 warm climate of Canton, did equal facilities exist 
 for their introduction. 
 
 * All the geographical information relative to the courses of 
 rivers, &c. has been extracted from the Ta-tsung-kwang-teen, 
 which contains a general statistical and political account of the 
 empire ; these I have compared with the manuscript Atlas Sinen- 
 sis, in the Company's Chinese Library, and have, in most in- 
 stances, found them to agree. 
 
211 
 
 When it is considered how trifling the present 
 consumption of woollens is, when compared with the 
 population of China, for instance, in the staple com- 
 modity of broad cloth, under 800,000 yards, among 
 360,000,000, not giving an average of one yard 
 among 450 persons, is it wild or theoretic to imagine, 
 that with a more free and extended intercourse the 
 consumption might be quadrupled, or in time 
 even increased ten-fold? Or is it unreasonable to 
 turn an anxious eye to these hitherto almost un- 
 known parts of the globe, to find new outlets for 
 our English manufactures now, when all the nations 
 of Europe are straining every nerve, by the encou- 
 ragement of their own manufactures, and the 
 imposition of protecting duties, to exclude the pro- 
 duct of English industry from their markets ? Here 
 is a nation in population nearly doubling that of all 
 Europe, combined with a seacoast of fully 3,000 
 miles, abounding with the finest rivers and harbours 
 in the world. Its ports and cities are filled with an 
 industrious, enterprising, wealthy and commercial 
 population, who would all hail the establishment of 
 foreign trade with joy. Even the mandarins in 
 enforcing their inhospitable and misanthropic laws, 
 are ready to acknowledge the vast advantage which 
 would be derivable from foreign intercourse ; yet 
 the mere will of a solitary despot has,* for the last 
 century, been sufficient to separate near 400,000,000 
 of human beings from all communication with their 
 species. I do not pretend to be sufficiently versed 
 
 * That enlightened monarch, Kanghe, threw open all the ports 
 of his empire to foreigners ; nor did the present rigid system of 
 exclusion prevail during former dynasties. 
 
 p2 
 
212 
 
 in the laws of nations (none of which are recognized 
 by the ruler of China) to presume to say how far 
 other countries are bound to yield implicit submis- 
 sion to these laws. But I may be allowed to express 
 a hope, that as we attain more mutual knowledge of 
 each other, and become better acquainted with the 
 friendly sentiments entertained by the mass of the 
 people towards foreigners, these selfish and injurious 
 principles may gradually wear away ; and that the 
 time will soon come when the people of China, 
 under a more liberal and enlightened system of 
 government, may assume the place they are entitled 
 to among the civilized nations of the world. 
 
 Having now concluded our transactions at Shang- 
 hae, we left the river on the morning of the 8th ; the 
 period prescribed for our return to Macao having 
 already elapsed, I did not feel authorized in going 
 to visit some of the ports in Manchow Tartary, as I 
 had intended if time had permitted, nor indeed was 
 any great point to be gained by so doing. The 
 main object of the voyage was the acquirement of ge- 
 neral information, and I hope it will be considered 
 that the result has satisfactorily established two 
 points, both of some importance, one, "that the 
 natives of China in general wish for a more extended 
 intercourse with foreigners ; and, secondly, that the 
 local governments, though opposed to such a wish, 
 yet are powerless to enforce their prohibitory 
 edicts." 
 
 The uncertainty in which we were as to the result 
 of the negotiations in Canton also strongly urged 
 our immediate return, but the numerous reports of 
 ships having gone to the north which had reached 
 
213 
 
 us from various quarters, induced us to believe that 
 they had some foundation in fact ; and I could not 
 help feeling that should such have been the case, 
 our presence might have proved of utility to the 
 public service, both from the local information we 
 had acquired, and from our acquaintance with the 
 Chinese language. By going to the Shantung 
 Promontory we might readily ascertain whether any 
 ships had passed, and this I consequently resolved 
 to do. 
 
 We were followed out of the river by the junks of 
 war, who performed the usual ceremony of " expel- 
 ling the barbarians," by firing several rounds of guns 
 when we were about six miles distant, and then 
 returning. On the 9th we stood out to sea, but did 
 not see the promontory till the 14th, and on the 
 following day anchored in the harbour of Wei-hae- 
 wei, which was visited in 1816 by the ships of the 
 embassy. The chart of this place by Lieutenant 
 now Captain Crawford, is highly accurate. Mr. 
 Gutzlaff and myself went on shore, and on inquiring 
 from the people we soon ascertained that all our 
 anticipations were wrong, and that no European 
 vessels had been seen or heard of in this part of the 
 world since those of the embassy anchored here, 
 which event was quite fresh in the memory of many 
 people. We only staid here one day, during which 
 we were visited by the mandarins of the place, both 
 civil and military, and the greatest anxiety was 
 shown to induce our departure, and prevent any 
 communication with the people. 
 
 We, however, landed and visited the town, which 
 is now merely a small village in the centre of an 
 
214 
 
 extensive though ruined wall ; paved streets and 
 other signs of its having formerly been a town of 
 some importance, still remain. In a small temple, 
 built on a platform at the most elevated part of the 
 ramparts, we found an old inscription, from which it 
 appears that this fortified town was built during 
 the Ming dynasty, in the reign of Ching-tsoo, 
 A. D. 1400, to protect the neighbouring country 
 from the piratical descents of the Wo barbarians 
 (the Japanese), who at that period repeatedly pillaged 
 the coasts of China. The Emperor Tae-tsoo, in 
 1388, directed 59 towns to be built along the coast, 
 and this probably was one of them, which was com- 
 pleted by his descendant Ching-tsoo. The name of 
 the town is very significant of its object, the cha- 
 racters meaning, " Majestic Protector of the Sea.'' 
 We found the natives here less cordial and commu- 
 nicative than on any other part of the coast. The 
 Mandarin language is spoken here in its greatest 
 purity, even by the peasantry, though the general 
 character of the natives of Shantung is rude and 
 illiterate. 
 
 On the 16th we got under weigh and stood out 
 to sea with a light south wind, and as with the wind 
 we then had it would occasion little loss of time to 
 cross over to Corea, I resolved not to lose the op- 
 portunity which our knowledge of the Chinese 
 language would give us of acquiring some little 
 information relative to this singular race of people, 
 who have hitherto, on the few occasions when ships 
 have visited their coast, manifested such marked 
 aversion to hold any communication whatever with 
 strangers. 
 
215 
 
 Transactions in Chaou-seen, or Corea. 
 
 By 10 A.M. on the 17th, the land of Corea was 
 seen a little to the north of Sir James Hall's Group ; 
 we stood towards a high bluff point of a large 
 island, distinguished by a large detached mass of 
 rock close to the point ; on rounding this we opened 
 an extensive bay exposed to the north. The sum- 
 mits of this, as well as the other islands to the south- 
 ward, were clothed with luxuriant vegetation and 
 high trees ; the lower part, near the sea, was cleared 
 and cultivated, and we saw numerous cattle and 
 several villages. 
 
 At five Mr. Gutzlaff and myself left the ship in 
 the gig, anxious to make our first acquaintance with 
 the Coreans, of whose manners former navigators 
 have given so very unfavourable an impression. In 
 our way on shore we boarded a small fishing-boat : 
 the people in it at first seemed much alarmed, but 
 were soon reassured on my asking them in writing 
 what the name of the place was ; one wrote down 
 Chang-shan Pung-shang, but he could not give us 
 any more information, understanding very few 
 Chinese characters. We gave him a book and a 
 few lion buttons, which he gladly received, and 
 voluntarily offered us some fish in return. We then 
 landed on a point, where were some fisherman's huts 
 and several fishermen. They objected strongly to 
 our approaching their cottages, and one old man 
 addressed us a long speech, which was quite unin- 
 telligible to us. The evening having now closed in 
 we returned on board, making signs that we meant 
 to return on the following morning, and inviting 
 
216 f 
 
 them to come off to the ship. None of the party 
 could read Chinese ; we were therefore incapable to 
 communicate with them. 
 
 The length of time which our voyage had already 
 occupied prevented my forming plans for any 
 lengthened stay among the Coreans, and without 
 which it would have been fruitless to hope to over- 
 come the rooted antipathy which these people appear 
 to entertain against any intercourse with strangers ; 
 but still, as we were the first voyagers who had 
 hitherto visited these regions, possessing the means 
 of communicating our sentiments, I considered it my 
 duty to look a little beyond any prospect of imme- 
 diate advantage, and endeavour to open an amicable 
 communication with the rulers of the land, which 
 might perhaps be the means of obtaining a more 
 cordial reception for future visitors. With this 
 object in view, I drew up the following petition, 
 addressed to the King of Corea, which I resolved to 
 deliver as near as practicable to the capital. If the 
 officers to whom it was delivered received it favour- 
 ably, and gave us encouragement to wait for a reply, 
 I determined to do so ; but if the contrary, no harm 
 could result from the experiment : 
 
 " The English captain Hoo Hea-me hereby re- 
 spectfully lays a petition before the throne of his 
 Majesty the King of Corea : 
 
 "An English merchant ship having arrived and 
 anchored on the coast of your Majesty's dominions, 
 I consider it my duty respectfully to state the cir- 
 cumstances which have led to her arrival. 
 
 " The ship is a merchant vessel from Hindostan, a 
 
217 
 
 large empire subject to England, which adjoins to 
 the south-west frontiers of the Chinese empire. The 
 cargo of the ship consists of broadcloth, camlets, 
 calicoes, watches, telescopes, and other goods, which 
 I am desirous to dispose of, receiving in exchange 
 either silver or the produce of this country, and 
 paying the duties according to law. 
 
 " Although Great Britain is distant many myriads 
 of le from your honourable nation, ' yet within the 
 four seas all mankind are brethren.' * The Sove- 
 reign of our kingdom permits his subjects freely to 
 trade with all the nations of the earth ; but our laws 
 expressly command them, in their intercourse with 
 distant kingdoms, invariably to act with honesty, 
 justice, and propriety ; thus the bonds of friendship, 
 which unite distant regions, may increase, and the 
 benefits which arise from commercial intercourse 
 may be widely extended. 
 
 " Hitherto no ships from my nation have visited 
 your honourable kingdom for purposes of trade ; 
 but as your Majesty is a wise and enlightened 
 sovereign, whose anxious wish is to promote the 
 welfare of his subjects, it may be a subject worthy 
 of your consideration, whether the revenues of your 
 nation, and the prosperity of its subjects, would not 
 be increased by the encouragement of commerce with 
 foreign countries. 
 
 " If, therefore, your Majesty thinks fit to grant 
 permission for my countrymen to trade, I humbly 
 request that you will graciously issue an edict an- 
 nouncing the same, which I will take back and 
 respectfully communicate to the King of my nation. 
 
 * Confucius. 
 
218 
 
 Herewith I enclose two copies of a pamphlet on the 
 Affairs of England, which, though written for dis- 
 tribution in China, contains some information rela- 
 tive to my country worthy of attention. 
 
 " I also presume to request your Majesty gra- 
 ciously to accept a few trifling articles, as patterns 
 of the cargo of my ship. I enclose a list, humbly 
 hoping your Majesty will not reject them. 
 
 " I respectfully pray that your Majesty may enjoy 
 long life and endless prosperity, and that your 
 nation may continue to flourish in peace and tran- 
 quillity. 
 
 " Dated in the year of our Lord 1832, on 
 
 the 17th day of July. 
 
 " Taou-kwang, 12th year, 6th moon, 20th day. 
 " Jin Shin, or 29th year of the cycle." 
 
 By day-break on the morning of the 18th we 
 landed, and proceeded towards a village about a mile 
 inland. We were soon met by several persons, to 
 whom I showed a paper, previously written, stating 
 that we were natives of England, their good friends, 
 and bearers of a letter and presents to the King of 
 Corea ; that we now wished to see some mandarin, 
 to consult with him, and moreover, wished to pur- 
 chase fresh provisions of various sorts. This at first 
 appeared satisfactory ; but as we approached towards 
 the village numerous parties came flocking out to 
 meet us, among whom were many decently -dressed 
 persons, wearing the peculiar broad-brimmed hats 
 described in Captain Hall's voyage. I showed the 
 paper to each party as they advanced, and there 
 was evidently some difference of opinion among 
 
219 
 
 them as to the way we were to be treated ; all, how- 
 ever, appeared adverse to our entering the village. 
 Among them was one man who came hurrying down 
 with a match-lock in his hand, and a lighted match. 
 He came straight to me in a bold unconcerned man- 
 ner ; but when I showed him the written paper, he 
 took me by the arm in a friendly way, motioning me 
 to sit down on a bank. But feeling desirous, if pos- 
 sible, to go to the village while the friendly feeling 
 of the natives lasted, I proceeded without paying any 
 attention to his intimation, and we advanced un- 
 molested to a small hut, about 200 yards from the 
 village. Here indications, which we could not 
 
 O ' 
 
 misunderstand, were given that w 7 e must go no fur- 
 ther. A crowd formed themselves in a row to bar 
 our progress ; and several came and took me rudely 
 by the arm, motioning us to sit down on a mat. 
 Two of the seniors now came and sat down, while 
 a secretary unfolded a piece of paper, and, at the 
 direction of one of them, wrote in reply to our 
 paper: "That as nothing whatever in the shape of 
 provisions could be obtained here, we had better 
 instantly depart, and that by going to the north, 
 about 30 le, we might meet with a mandarin to com- 
 municate with." A conversation of some length 
 ensued, all carried on in writing. They requested 
 to be told the contents of the letter to the King, 
 which I said could only be communicated to a man- 
 darin of rank ; I therefore requested one might be 
 sent for. Almost all their sentences terminated 
 with a request that we would instantly be gone. 
 During the discussion some difference of opinion 
 appeared to prevail, and much loud conversation; 
 
220 
 
 but finally the party hostile to us got the complete 
 ascendency, one man having the audacity to write, 
 " If you do not instantly depart, soldiers shall be 
 sent for to decapitate you ;" to which he afterwards 
 added, " Begone, or a great change will take place; 
 your life and death is uncertain." In reply to this 
 insolent intimation Mr. GutzlafF wrote, " Who are 
 you ? and what authority do you possess to use such 
 insolent language? Your King, did he know it, 
 would inflict severe punishment on you for thus 
 treating us, who are his friends." This seemed to 
 
 O ' 
 
 alarm the whole party, who, however, continued by 
 signs urgently to entreat our departure. 
 
 There were now upwards of 200 persons assem- 
 bled, and as it appeared that any further delay might 
 have brought unpleasant consequences, we commenced 
 our return, much disappointed at this complete failure 
 of our endeavours. Our party consisted of eight, 
 besides six with the boats ; we were all, excepting 
 Mr. GutzlafF, well armed with cutlass and pistols, 
 the apprehension of which probably prevented our 
 being worse treated. In urging us to go away, the 
 men repeatedly drew their forefinger across their 
 throat, pointing both to us and themselves, thereby 
 intimating that both our lives were in peril. At first 
 I offered some small presents of lion buttons and 
 calico, but they were refused. 
 
 As no advantage could be obtained by further 
 communication with this misanthropic race, we got 
 under weigh as soon as we returned, and stood to 
 the southward. In the evening it blew fresh from 
 the east, and drew round to the south by the morn- 
 ing. During the 19th and 20th we had constant 
 
221 
 
 heavy rain and thick weather, which prevented our 
 approaching near the shore. 
 
 On the 21st the weather cleared a little, and we 
 saw several islands to the south-east, supposed to 
 be the group among which Mutton's Island is placed ; 
 the wind continuing strong from the south-west, we 
 stood in towards them. By noon we had a clear 
 view of the Table Mountain, noticed by Captain 
 Hall, which is a very conspicuous landmark. Work- 
 ing to windward we passed between some islands 
 apparently about 10 miles from the main land, which 
 is of undulating form, and mostly overgrown with 
 high trees. The islands among which we passed were 
 thickly inhabited, and the natives, men, women, and 
 children, all ran up to the heights to gaze on us as 
 we passed. At five in the evening, the tide turning 
 against us, we anchored, the point of Basil's Bay 
 bearing . We lay about two miles from a 
 
 large village built on the brow of a steep hill, and 
 with our glasses we could see the inhabitants in their 
 white loose robes, hurrying to and fro, and evidently 
 much excited by our appearance. 
 
 I had been so much discouraged by the total 
 failure of our attempt to open a communication with 
 the Coreans, that I had given up the idea of delaying 
 any longer on the coast with that intention, but 
 strong south winds, coupled with a fog, so dense 
 that at times no object was visible at the distance of 
 100 yards, effectually prevented our proceeding. 
 On the 23d some boats from the neighbouring 
 village visited us, but none of the persons in them 
 could write Chinese. After treating them with wine, 
 and showing them about the ship, we accompanied 
 
222 
 
 them on shore. The people here were not so rude 
 and inhospitable as to the northward ; we entered 
 the village, and were entertained with spirits and 
 salt fish. Considerable objection was, however, 
 made to our walking through the village, which we 
 did not insist on doing. The weather being very 
 rainy and foggy, we had not the opportunity of walk- 
 ing about the island. 
 
 The following day the fog and bad weather con- 
 tinued uninterrupted. We were again visited by 
 several boats, in one of which was a person who 
 thoroughly understood the Chinese language. He 
 commenced the conversation by asking our nation, 
 and condoling with us on the hardships we were 
 exposed to from wind and weather. I replied, more 
 from curiosity than with any hopes of a favourable 
 opening, u that we were natives of Great Britain, 
 and wished to present a letter and presents to the 
 King of Corea." The reply was, " you are here 
 exposed to dangers ; I will show you the way to a 
 safe anchorage, where you can present the document 
 to a great mandarin." I gladly availed myself of 
 this unexpected opportunity for the accomplishment 
 of my wishes. Our visitor informed us that his name 
 was Teng-no, and that he had been expressly sent 
 by a mandarin of rank in the neighbourhood to visit 
 the ship, and see on what business she came. 
 
 Teng-no was now anxious that we should imme- 
 diately move the ship to the harbour he spoke of, 
 which was only 30 le, or 10 miles distant, assuring 
 us that we need entertain no anxiety or suspicion, for 
 the water was deep, and the pilots knew the passage 
 well; adding, as an inducement, " having been many 
 
223 
 
 days at sea you must doubtless think of eating fish 
 and flesh ; follow where I shall lead you, and you 
 shall have both." I replied, expressing our high 
 satisfaction at the hospitable feeling manifested, but 
 that as our ship was large, and the weather thick and 
 boisterous, we could not venture to move that day, 
 but that if he would return the following morning 
 we would thankfully accept his offer to pilot us to 
 a safe anchorage, where we might meet with a man- 
 darin of rank. To this he acceded. 
 
 In reply to some of our questions, he stated the 
 name of their capital to be Keng-ke-taou Han-yang. 
 The first three characters, which have hitherto been 
 adopted in all maps as the name of the capital of 
 Corea, appear merely to designate that is the capital 
 town, and the two last, Han-yang, are the name of 
 it. That this information was correct is evident on 
 comparing it with what is stated in Timkouskfs 
 Mission, Vol. II. p. 101. He further told us, that it 
 was distant 300 le. In reply to a question as to the 
 name of his king, he replied, " I dare not write his 
 sacred name ; he rules over more than 300 cities, he 
 is 43 years of age, and has sat on the throne 36 
 years." 
 
 Previous to his going away I offered some trifling 
 presents of calico and camlet to Teng-no, and some 
 other respectable-looking persons with him ; they at 
 first refused, repeating the common sign of drawing 
 their forefinger across their throats, but after a little 
 they received our gifts. A lion button was given to 
 each of the sailors, and appeared to delight them 
 much. After having staid some hours on board, 
 during which we entertained them with sweet wine 
 
224 
 
 and spirits, they left us and went on shore. The 
 Coreans have all a decided partiality to strong- 
 liquors, of which they drink considerable quantities 
 without its producing any effect on them. 
 
 The weather fortunately cleared up, and a little 
 after noon (July 25) Teng-no returned, and again 
 requested us to move the ship, which was accord- 
 ingly done, and we steered in towards some islands 
 laying N. E., with the long-boat a-head sounding. 
 The islands we had been anchored at are called Lok- 
 taou. Sailing with a fine southerly breeze, we 
 rapidly passed the islands which lay about seven 
 miles from Lok-taou, and then steered N.E. towards 
 a deep bay, or rather passage among numerous 
 islands. We here anchored near a large village, in 
 which we were told the mandarins were staying. 
 No sooner had we cast anchor than several boats 
 came off; numerous questions were put, and expres- 
 sions of condolence were given relative to the hard- 
 ships we must have endured. We were also informed, 
 that two mandarins of rank would visit us the ensuing 
 day. By one of these messengers I wrote a short 
 letter to the chief mandarin, who they styled Kin 
 Tajin, informing him of our arrival, with a letter and 
 presents to the King, and requesting him speedily to 
 receive and forward them. This we delivered to a 
 very intelligent young man, who explained to us that 
 he was a secretary of one of the chiefs, and was 
 appointed conjointly with Teng-no to act as inter- 
 mediators between us and the authorities ; his name 
 was Yang-yih. 
 
 The following morning (July 26) we were visited 
 by Teng-no and Yang-yih, who came to announce 
 
225 
 
 the approach of the chiefs, who shortly after came on 
 board. One of them was Kin Taj in, to whom I 
 had written the letter, the other a civil chief, whose 
 name was Le Ta-laou-yay. Kin was a fine old gen- 
 tleman of 60, who from the first saluted us with 
 perfect frankness and good humour, nor did he ever 
 deviate from this during the whole period of our 
 acquaintance. Le was an old infirm man with a 
 venerable white beard. The chiefs in general wear 
 no distinguishing mark to point out their rank, ex- 
 cepting that they were clad in more ample flowing 
 robes than any of their attendants. All decently - 
 dressed persons wear the enormous broad-brimmed 
 hats described by Capt. Hall. Numerous questions 
 were now put to us as to where we came from ? what 
 our object was? how far distant our home was ? how 
 many inhabitants our country contained ? with 
 numerous other inquiries ; to all of which correct 
 answers were given. In reply to a question whether 
 the letter I had to present was on (kung) public 
 business, I considered it advisable to say it was, and 
 accordingly wrote, " Our object in coming here is 
 to trade with your country ; the ship is a (kung) 
 public ship, and the letter treats on public subjects." 
 This appeared satisfactory; but numerous questions 
 were put as to what the contents of the letter were. 
 This I did not think it advisable to communicate to 
 them, but stated merely that the contents of it were 
 for the perusal and decision of their king. I now 
 added, that it was my wish publicly to deliver the 
 letter and presents to them on shore during the 
 afternoon. The novelty of the whole transaction 
 was evidently rather embarrassing to the Corean 
 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 chiefs; they looked at each other, hesitated, several 
 times dictated to their secretary, stopped him, and 
 finally replied nothing. Musical snuff-boxes, pictures, 
 and other things were exhibited to them, greatly to 
 their amusement and satisfaction. Before the chiefs 
 departed I again repeated (on paper) that I meant 
 to come on shore in the afternoon with the letter and 
 presents, and that Yang-yih, and Teng-no had better 
 stay on board and accompany us. This point was 
 ratified by old Kin exclaiming hota (good), and direct- 
 ing the two secretaries to remain with us. 
 
 The events of the last two days I confess surprised 
 me considerably, showing the Coreans in so very 
 different a light from what all accounts of former 
 navigators and our experience led us to expect. The 
 circumstance of our being requested to move to a 
 safe harbour, and actually piloted there by Coreans, 
 led us to imagine it possible that the court of Corea 
 might be desirous to encourage the resort of foreign 
 ships, and had issued orders to the chiefs on the 
 coasts to treat any which might arrive with hos- 
 pitality ; I therefore considered it incumbent on me 
 to make the most use I could of the present favour- 
 able opportunity to remove as far as was in our 
 power the jealous apprehension of foreigners which 
 the Coreans entertain. In preparing the presents 
 to the king, I thought it now advisable to make 
 considerable additions to what I had purposed send- 
 ing ; I accordingly made the following selection of 
 articles, all of which were packed up in the presence 
 of Yang-yih and Teng-no. Two lists were made, 
 one to be inclosed with the petition, the other to be 
 delivered to the chiefs. 
 
227 
 
 List of Presents. 
 
 Broad cloth, superfine, 4 pieces, of various colours. 
 
 Camlet . . 6 ditto . . ditto. 
 
 Calico . . 14 ditto. 
 
 Telescopes . 2. 
 
 Cut-glass, scent-bottles, flower-vases, &c., 6. 
 
 Lion- pattern Company's button, 12 dozen. 
 
 Books on various subjects, consisting of two copies of 
 a perfect translation of the Bible, and of all the 
 tracts and essays on geography, astronomy, 
 sciences, &c., mostly by the late Dr. Milne, 
 which Mr. Gutzlaff had brought with him for 
 distribution among the Chinese. 
 
 Shortly after noon some boats came alongside filled 
 with small tables and baskets with salt fish and 
 cakes, soy, and jars of spirit ; we were informed that 
 this was meant for the dinner of ourselves and crew. 
 
 The notes which I took at the time contain a par- 
 ticular account of our first public interview with the 
 Corean chiefs. As some parts of it are curious, and 
 characteristic of the manners of this singular race, I 
 will here insert it verbatim. 
 
 Extract from Journal. 
 
 " A little before four Mr. GutzlafF and myself, 
 with Mr. Simpson and Mr. Stephens, started in the 
 long-boat, accompanied by our two friends, who, 
 however, as the time approached, gave evident signs 
 that they were not quite at ease. We went to the 
 village, which is the temporary residence of the 
 
 Q2 
 
228 
 
 chiefs, and landed on the beach among about 50 
 wild-looking Coreans, several of whom performed 
 the throat-cutting ceremony, and evidently showed 
 they wished us away. Yang-yih had also quite lost 
 his vivacity, and wrote with a pencil, that the chiefs 
 had gone out, and we had better come to-morrow. 
 This intimation was now too late, and I was deter- 
 mined to see the thing fairly out, so we walked 
 unarmed straight up to one of the alleys of the 
 village, which is surrounded with a thick wattled 
 fence 12 feet high, so that no houses can be seen. 
 As we approached we heard the sound of trumpets, 
 and saw two soldiers (who are distinguished by a 
 blue dress, felt hat, with red tuft of hair hanging 
 from it) marching down the lane blowing with all 
 their might. They emerged just as we approached, 
 and keeping close together abreast so as to block the 
 passage, they blew a tremendous blast at us. We 
 stopped and stared with astonishment, but in a half 
 minute we saw the old chief and Kin coming down 
 the lane on open arm-chairs, carried by four bearers. 
 Le was seated on a tiger-skin, and made a most 
 picturesque figure. The trumpeters now marched 
 forward, and we staid looking on to see what was to 
 happen next. On approaching us both the chiefs 
 got out of their chairs and saluted us with polite- 
 ness, at the same time pointing to the beach, where 
 more than 20 people were at work raising a shed on 
 poles. We explained that coming on public busi- 
 ness we expected to be invited into a public office to 
 deliver our document in a respectable mariner, but 
 the chiefs again pointed to the shed, and after speak- 
 ing to our two friends, got into their chairs again, 
 
229 
 
 and proceeded to the beach with two trumpeters 
 before, two behind, and four or five more soldiers, 
 none of whom carried arms. Our two friends now 
 tried by signs and taking our arms to induce us to 
 follow the chiefs, but we expressed our dissatis- 
 faction at this mode of reception, and while Mr. 
 Gutzlaff was writing, I gradually without violence 
 forced my way through about ten natives at the 
 entrance of the lane, and entered the opened space 
 before a house, where was a commodious covered 
 verandah outside. I now pointed to this, and seat- 
 ing myself, explained that we would be well satisfied 
 there. As I entered a loud yell was set up by 
 several people, and one of the soldiers ran down to 
 inform the chiefs of what was going on. In a couple 
 of minutes another yell was raised, and looking out 
 to see what was the cause, we saw four soldiers run- 
 ning along the beach towards us, and two of them 
 each seized on a man with a large hat, which the 
 first took off, and then ran off again, dragging their 
 victim between them as quick as they could run. 
 The chiefs were seated on their chairs on men's 
 shoulders close to the shed. On the culprits arriving 
 they were first made to kneel before the chiefs and 
 then laid down, and while one man removed their 
 lower garments another brought a long paddle, and 
 one stood over each, in readiness to inflict summary 
 punishment. 
 
 " We in the meanwhile had followed to the spot 
 to see what was to happen, and arrived just as the 
 punishment was about to be inflicted. I could not, 
 however, tamely look on and see perfectly innocent 
 persons punished for my own act, so I went straight 
 
230 
 
 to the soldier, who was in the act of striking, and 
 stopping the uplifted blow, motioned him to stand 
 aside ; one of the crew, a stout negro, did the same 
 to the other, and as the fellow did not seem inclined 
 so quietly to submit to his authority, he in a moment 
 wrested the paddle out of his hand and threw it to a 
 distance. A crowd of more than 200 people had 
 assembled round the chiefs, who sat raised up among 
 them in their open chairs, and appeared much 
 troubled in mind. In the meanwhile Mr. Gutzlaff 
 had written a few words, saying that if these men 
 were punished for our acts, we would instantly 
 return to the ship and quit the country. They con- 
 sulted for half a minute, and then old Le directed 
 the prisoners to be liberated, and they scampered off 
 as quick as their legs could carry them. 
 
 The chiefs now descended from their chairs, and 
 entered the shed, inviting us to follow them : mats 
 were spread, with tiger-skins laid over them. A 
 short conversation by signs having been carried on, 
 in which we intimated our discontent at this recep- 
 tion, Le wrote requesting that the letter should be 
 delivered, and I, without waiting to reflect, drew it 
 out, and placed it in his hands. A moment's thought 
 reminded me that I had made a great mistake, and 
 that if we wished to be invited into the village, it 
 could only be done by refusing to deliver the docu- 
 ment under a shed. It was now, however, too late ; 
 but on being requested to direct the presents to be 
 brought out of the boat, I saw and profited by the 
 opportunity to retrieve my error in diplomacy. 
 " No," said I ; " presents to the King of Corea can- 
 not be delivered in such a disrespectful way : if you 
 
231 
 
 have no respect for us, that you treat us thus, 1 think 
 that which is due to your own Sovereign would 
 show you that a letter and presents should not be 
 delivered under a miserable shed." They seemed 
 much puzzled, and answered, " It is our laws which 
 prohibit it." " Then," said I ; " the presents must 
 accompany the letter ; I shall take it back." This 
 mode succeeded perfectly, as they evidently were 
 very anxious that the letter and presents should be 
 delivered. They first tried to soften us by express- 
 ing the high respect they entertained for us and our 
 honourable nation. Then it was proposed that only 
 Mr. Gutzlaifand myself should accompany them, and 
 we should be invited to a house. I said if Messrs. 
 Siripson and Stephens were included, I was satisfied; 
 and this was agreed to, and a message sent to pre- 
 pare a house to receive us. Wine, or rather a spirit 
 resembling once-distilled whisky, was handed round. 
 The chiefs were served first, which appears not to 
 imply any incivility, as I observed the same in our 
 host at Lok-taon, who was a simple villager. 
 
 We were now invited to proceed into the village ; 
 the chiefs ascended their chairs, the trumpeters blew, 
 the soldiers pummeled away right and left among 
 the crowd, as in China. On approaching the en- 
 trance of the village, a halt was made, and soldiers 
 with trumpets were sent inside, probably to see that 
 no women were loitering about. In the meanwhile 
 either to pass the time, or to impress us with a due 
 reverence to the Corean laws and chieftains, a poor 
 fellow was pulled forward, laid down, and after old 
 Kin had made him a short harangue, a soldier stepped 
 forward with a long paddle and inflicted his punish- 
 
232 
 
 ment, which, however, was not severe, being only 
 two blows on the posteriors, and not given with 
 much force. About ten fellows howled in concert 
 with the sufferer, which is part of the ceremony. As 
 we conceived that we could have no possible con- 
 nexion with this case, we quietly looked on ; but on 
 inquiring from Yang-yih the cause, he replied, " It 
 is for misconduct on public business and disrespect 
 towards you." What it was, we had no idea. The 
 procession now moved on, and the chiefs entered one 
 of the first houses in the village ; so that we saw 
 little more of it than from outside, every lane being 
 wattled so that no houses are seen : even in the one 
 we entered, the doors and windows were closed ; 
 but a commodious place was left under the roof, on 
 which mats were spread. I was asked if I would 
 now send for the presents, and accordingly did so. 
 They were packed in three cases, and were laid down 
 on mats before the chiefs. I now rose, and in a for- 
 mal manner, with my hands raised up, walked forward 
 to the principal chief, and delivered the letter into 
 his hands, with a paper requesting it and the pre- 
 sents might be forwarded with the utmost speed, 
 which we were promised should be done. 
 
 Wine was now again handed round, with raw 
 garlic as a relish, and we were made to take a glass, 
 and the chiefs informed us of their intention again 
 to pay us a visit to-morrow, and we parted on very 
 friendly terms. On going away the poor fellows, 
 whom I had rescued from a cudgelling, came and 
 expressed their thanks most strongly ; and the cir- 
 cumstance appears to have created a much more 
 kindly feeling in our favour, as on going away almost 
 
233 
 
 all the people joined in giving us their salutation, 
 which consists in clapping the hands together on a 
 level with the face. We now returned on board, 
 and found that in our absence practical signs of 
 friendship had been sent to us in two fine pigs, ready 
 killed, a bag of rice, and some vegetables, accompa- 
 nied by a card, with the seal of the chief. We 
 therefore have a right to feel that we have made 
 some little progress towards a friendly intercourse 
 with this misanthropic race of beings. 
 
 At eight in the evening we were again visited by 
 the two secretaries, with a string of questions as to 
 the ship's cargo, the names of all the officers and 
 men, length and breadth of the ship, heights of the 
 masts, &c., together with numerous inquiries about 
 England, why it was called Ta Ying, Great Britain ; 
 was there a Seaon Ying, Small Britain. The con- 
 ference lasted till near midnight, but was entirely 
 kept up on paper. The inconvenience and tedious- 
 ness of this was remarked on by Yang-yih, who was 
 a highly intelligent and lively person ; before going 
 he wrote, "Except by writing my words are unin- 
 telligible to you, and yours to me ; truly this is 
 vexatious." In reply to some questions from us, 
 they stated that the books they read and studied 
 were mostly Chinese, viz. the four books Woo Ring, 
 &c., but that they had also a literature of their 
 own. Their religion is also entirely taken from the 
 Chinese, many of the deities of the Fo and Bhudist 
 sect being known to them; they, however, as be- 
 longing to the literati, professed to be pure Confucians. 
 
234 
 
 In their towns they said they had temples dedicated 
 to Confucius, Mencias, &c. &c. 
 
 The ensuing day we were again visited by Kin 
 and Le, and numerous questions were again asked. 
 We were informed that all these were for the ex- 
 press information of the King. The Coreans appear 
 far from deficient in curiosity as to foreign nations. 
 We were requested to write down the names of all 
 the nations we had passed in our route from England 
 to Corea, the names of all the nations of Europe, 
 many particulars about Hindostan. We were again 
 particularly questioned as to the contents of the 
 letter, but to this I declined giving any reply, saying 
 that it would explain itself. In return we addressed 
 several questions to the chiefs, among others, " Why 
 are you so fearful of foreigners entering your vil- 
 lages?" This appeared to embarrass them much. 
 They consulted some time ; Yang-yih several times 
 took up his pencil, wrote a few words and obliterated 
 them, and at last merely answered, " Formerly it 
 was not so." Although on various occasions we 
 repeatedly endeavoured to obtain some explanation 
 of the singular apprehensions manifested by them, it 
 was always in vain ; yet some very strong cause, and 
 enforced by dreadful penalties, must exist to render 
 this feeling so powerful and universal. Land where 
 you will, in the most unfrequented islands, the same 
 sign of passing the hand across the throat, indicates 
 the penalty to which a Corean exposes himself by 
 admitting foreigners to his dwelling. The Core- 
 ans appear naturally to be a suspicious race ; every 
 
235 
 
 village, and even isolated houses, are surrounded by 
 a high wattled hurdle, which effectually prevents 
 any person from seeing into the interior. Before 
 our departure the natives on the island near us got 
 familiarized in some degree to us, from seeing that 
 we never attempted to force an entrance to the 
 village. Whenever we wished to meet the chiefs 
 on business, we always insisted on being invited to 
 a house; this was ceded so soon as they saw we 
 were determined on the point, although it was 
 asserted to be against their laws. In the present 
 instance I clearly explained to Kin Fajin, that when 
 we went on shore no one would ever forcibly enter 
 a house, or in any way molest any person, so that no 
 apprehensions need be entertained. To which he 
 replied, " Thus it may be without objection." Kin 
 and another chief staid and dined with us ; Le ex- 
 cused himself on account of his age and infirmities. 
 To each of the chiefs I made small presents, which, 
 after some apparent reluctance, were accepted ; 
 nothing gave so much pleasure as small pieces of 
 Brussels carpet, for seats to lay down over their 
 mats. 
 
 Kin Fajin's manners, though rough and rather 
 boisterous, were accompanied with so much tact and 
 good humour, that he was soon a general favourite. 
 While at dinner the other chief behaved with so 
 much coarseness and impropriety, that it was im- 
 possible to conceal our disgust. Kin immediately 
 perceived this, and reprimanded him very sharply ; 
 at the same time, calling for a pencil, he wrote, " I 
 fear we transgress the rules of politeness, and are 
 
236 
 
 ignorant of your honourable nation's customs." We 
 expressed how much pleased we were with his de- 
 meanour, which seemed to gratify him much. After 
 dinner we landed to plant some potatoes ; Mr. Gutz- 
 laff had written clear directions for the mode of 
 cultivating them. We selected the most favourable 
 spot of ground we could find, and planted more than 
 a hundred. Several hundred natives stood round, 
 gazing in astonishment. The paper of directions 
 was given to the owner of the ground, who promised 
 to take care of them, and on the following day I was 
 much pleased to find the space neatly inclosed with 
 a hurdle. If, therefore, due attention is only paid 
 to the written directions, it may be hoped this fine 
 vegetable will be propagated in Corea, the soil and 
 climate of which must be highly favourable to it. 
 On returning we found the chiefs seated on the 
 beach, waiting for us, and we had to sit down and 
 take a cup of wine with them. 
 
 On this day (July 28) the ship commenced water- 
 ing on the opposite island, where there is a fine 
 stream of fresh water. Although no village was 
 near, yet a crowd of several hundred Coreans soon 
 assembled ; but instead of giving any annoyance, 
 they cheerfully assisted in filling and passing the 
 buckets to the boat, singing a monotonous song like 
 the Lascars all the time- This friendly disposition 
 of the natives was gratifying, as demonstrating that 
 naturally they are not so misanthropic a race as is 
 imagined. This aid was spontaneous on their part, 
 and given with the utmost cheerfulness. We had 
 no visitors to-day of rank ; but our two friends, 
 
237 
 
 Yang-yih and Teng-no, again came with a long list 
 of questions. I was a little surprised by hearing 
 them inquire for the ship's peaou, register or 
 license, which was shown to them. Various 
 questions were put as to our ships of war ; how 
 many guns they carried ? why our ship carried 
 guns ? how many muskets, pistols, pikes, swords, 
 were in her ? 
 
 On the 30th we were visited by a chief of higher 
 rank than any we had yet seen ; his surname was also 
 Kin ; he stated himself to be a tseang-kean, and of 
 the third class of mandarins. This chief, whom we 
 distinguished from his name-sake by the title of the 
 general, was a man about fifty, stout and well made, 
 with a pleasing expression of countenance, and a fine 
 black beard slightly silvered ; his dress and manners 
 were far superior to anything we had hitherto seen in 
 Corea. The hat he wore was pointed at top, deco- 
 rated with a plume of peacock's feathers, and fastened 
 under the chin with elegant beads of amber and 
 black wood. His upper garments were of fine Japan 
 silk, of various colours, and his flowing white robes, 
 of the white linen cloth of his country, were per- 
 fectly neat and clean, to a degree I have rarely wit- 
 nessed in a Chinese mandarin. He was accompanied 
 by Kin, who evidently considered himself quite at 
 home among us, and did the honours of the ship, 
 pointing out to our new visitors all the curious things 
 he had formerly witnessed. 
 
 A little after noon two large boats came off bring- 
 ing a complete Corean dinner for the whole crew, 
 consisting of chicken broth with vermicelly, slices of 
 
238 
 
 pork, salads, and various sorts of cake, and bowls of 
 honey, with jars of wine. It was explained to us 
 that the chiefs, Kin and the general, had sent this 
 entertainment for the ship's crew, and had come to 
 partake of it with us. Evidently this was meant to 
 compensate for the apparent inhospitality shown to 
 us on shore, and as apparently the chiefs were hi- 
 therto acting on their own responsibility, and might 
 perhaps be liable to the severe displeasure of an 
 arbitrary despot for what encouragement has been af- 
 forded us, it would have been ungracious on our part 
 not to have shown ourselves sensible of the kindness 
 of their attentions ; we therefore expressed ourselves 
 much pleased, and directed the tables to be ranged 
 out on deck ; the front of the poop was carpeted for 
 ourselves and the chiefs. 
 
 The customs of the Coreans at their meals, it 
 appears, are similar to the Japanese ; each guest has 
 a separate little table of about a foot high before 
 him ; the chop-sticks used are like the Chinese, but 
 they carry a small knife at their girdle to cut their 
 meat with. Most of the dishes, though cold, proved 
 so palatable, that we ended by making a very hearty 
 repast, greatly to the delight of the chiefs. Before 
 they went, I asked when an answer might be ex- 
 pected to our letter ; the reply was, " Wait in peace 
 for a few days." On a previous day I had given a 
 list to Kin of the various articles of stock and pro- 
 visions we needed for the ship, requesting to be 
 allowed to purchase them, but as this was objected 
 to, I said I would be happy to comply and receive 
 them as a present. These having not yet come, 1 
 
239 
 
 gave another list to the general, which he promised 
 should be sent the following day. 
 
 Between this period and the 7th, we were visited 
 by several other chiefs of rank, who all repeated the 
 same routine of questions ; some made such par- 
 ticular inquiries about our cargo, and what we were 
 willing to receive in return, as to induce a strong 
 expectation that it was their intention to trade with 
 us. During the few first days of our stay compara- 
 tively much less reserve was shown than afterwards, 
 though even then suspicion and fear was always 
 shown in answering any questions relative to their 
 country and its customs. One day, the 27th, after a 
 great deal of persuasion, we succeeded in inducing 
 Yang-yih to write out a copy of the Corean alphabet, 
 and Mr. GutzlafT having written the Lord's Prayer in 
 Chinese character, he both gave the sound, and 
 wrote it out in Corean character, but after having 
 done so he expressed the greatest alarm, repeatedly 
 passing his hand across his throat, and intimating, 
 that if the chiefs knew it he would lose his head. 
 He was most anxious to be permitted to destroy the 
 paper. To quiet his apprehensions, it was locked 
 up before him, and he was assured that no one 
 should ever be allowed to see it. During these first 
 days, I also succeeded in obtaining the Corean name 
 for various Chinese words; but from the 31st, their 
 reserve on all subjects increased ; we were several 
 times requested strongly not to go on shore, which 
 however we continued doing daily, on the plea that 
 it was necessary for our health to take exercise, nor 
 was any attempt ever made to prevent it. 
 
240 
 
 Whenever we inquired about a reply to the letter, 
 the same answer was invariably given : " Wait in 
 peace for a few days." They even appeared appre- 
 hensive lest we should abruptly depart, which was 
 apparent from their constantly evading to send us 
 the supplies we were in want of, merely sending a 
 few articles for our daily consumption. Kin and 
 the general were our constant visitors, and both 
 showed the most friendly feeling towards us ; the 
 general, on repeated occasions, expressing his regret 
 at the reserve he was compelled to treat us with, 
 which was on account of orders received from 
 superior authority. We frequently had numerous 
 visitors, attracted from curiosty to see the ship ; nor 
 did the chiefs appear to object to their coming on 
 board ; but it was almost in vain to attempt to get 
 any information from them ; on that point they were 
 evidently acting under strict orders. 
 
 On the 7th of August, a party proceeded in the 
 long-boat to explore a deep and wide bay, the 
 northern point of which was only a few miles from 
 where we were lying. I annex the notes I took of 
 our visit to this fine and extensive bay, which was 
 named Marjoribanks' Harbour, in a compliment to the 
 late president, at whose suggestion the present ex- 
 perimental voyage was undertaken. 
 
 Extract from Journal. 
 
 At half-past eight we started with a fresh S. W. 
 wind and strong flood tide, which carried us on at a 
 rapid pace. We coasted along the western side of 
 
241 
 
 the bay, which is studded with numerous beautiful 
 verdant islets, mostly cultivated and inhabited. 
 There is no variety whatever in the villages, as they 
 are all surrounded with a high hurdle ; even single 
 houses are the same, so that nothing is visible but 
 the thatched roofs. All the western side is thickly 
 wooded with fine fir timber, which is very abundant 
 here ; many of the trees are fit for spars, and the 
 wood is all of the best quality, close grained, and 
 full of turpentine, but it appears here to bear no 
 value whatever. We continued our course, opening 
 bay after bay ; the forest scenery varied occasionally, 
 with beautiful green glades, at the bottom of which 
 a small village was generally situated. As we 
 advanced up the bay it became wider and wider, at 
 the entrance of it about five miles, and ten miles up 
 nearly double that breadth ; the depth is very varia- 
 ble, as it is full of shoals and rocks, but if properly 
 surveyed would doubtless be accessible for ships of 
 any dimensions, as we generally found from 8 to 12 
 fathoms in the fair channel. About 16 or 18 
 miles from the entrance the bay divides into two ; on 
 the west side is a narrow passage, formed by two or 
 three long islands, which jut out from a promontory 
 on the main land, which thus forms two bays of 
 great extent. We proceeded along the west shore, 
 one of our objects being to ascertain, whether the 
 land forming it was an island or not. The island 
 to the eastward of us was two miles in length, fertile, 
 and with several large villages. On the hills we saw 
 numerous cattle, which appeared large and fine. 
 The natives crowded out to gaze on us, but we saw 
 
 R 
 
242 
 
 none but men. Having proceeded about six miles 
 further, the bottom of the bay still appeared at a 
 great distance ; we therefore were obliged to abandon 
 the plan of reaching its extremity, and landed on the 
 promontory in the centre, which we had at first ima- 
 gined to be an island. On ascending a high hill, 
 we enjoyed a fine extensive view. The first thing 
 which caught my eye was a crowd hurrying over 
 the brow of a hill, distant a mile from us. On 
 scrutinizing with a telescope, they proved to be all 
 women, some with children on their backs, others 
 tottering with old age and supporting themselves 
 with a staff. On looking round, we saw various 
 other parties hurrying up every path ; not one man 
 was among them. It was therefore evident that our 
 unexpected arrival occasioned this panic. What 
 their reason or ideas can be to occasion such extra- 
 ordinary suspicion and alarm, it is difficult to 
 imagine, but it must be a prejudice very deeply 
 rooted in all their minds by education, and enforced 
 by the severest penalties of an arbitrary and op- 
 pressive government. In the village fronting our 
 ship, we have of late constantly seen the women 
 come out to work in the front of it, winnowing grain 
 and taking their children to their labour ; and even 
 when our parties have been on shore, they have 
 shown the natural curiosity of the sex by peeping 
 out at the strangers from behind the hurdles, though 
 in general rudely driven back by the men. The 
 dress of the women very much resembles that of a 
 slave of Macao, a short upper dress, with a petticoat 
 unconnected therewith, bareheaded, the hair tied in 
 
 
243 
 
 a knot at the top without ornament. We have, how- 
 ever, had no opportunities of examining them more 
 closely than at the distance of half a mile, through a 
 good telescope. They are generally robust, and I 
 should say are treated with very little consideration 
 by their partners, as almost every day we saw the 
 women employed in various kinds of labour in front 
 of the village, while numerous groups of men were 
 sauntering about in various directions, and reclining 
 on mats, never assisted them in their work, and rarely 
 spoke to them, excepting to drive them into the 
 village whenever one of our boats approached the 
 shore. We repeatedly have endeavoured to obtain 
 some explanation of the mystery which causes the 
 extreme dread entertained of our even beholding any 
 of the fair Coreans. 
 
 From the eminence where we were, we saw the 
 open sea to the westward, and observed that the long 
 point which forms the western side of the bay was 
 separated from the mainland by a narrow passage. 
 The jungle and forest here ceases, and the opposite 
 side was well cultivated and thinly wooded. The 
 western bay stretches seven or eight miles above 
 where we were, but we could not see the termination 
 of the eastern one, which goes in a north-north-east 
 direction, and if the position of the capital in the 
 missionary charts is correct, this first must lead 
 to within 70 or 80 miles of it ; we have observed 
 that all the boats with mandarins come in this 
 direction. 
 
 Having no time to spare, we returned direct from 
 the hill to the boat without communicating with 
 
244 
 
 the natives, who assembled in crowds on the 
 neighbouring height. We now crossed, and landed 
 on the opposite shore, to ascertain whether the inlet 
 we saw really had a communication with the sea ; 
 the neck of land is here not above a mile in breadth, 
 in parts. Meeting some natives, they told us that 
 there was a passage separating this island from the 
 main, which is about 20 miles in length, and of 
 irregular breadth, varying from six to seven miles at 
 the extreme, to one or two. It is a complete forest, 
 and the natives say contains tigers. The tide having 
 turned, we now commenced our return, but the wind 
 being directly against us, we did not make above 10 
 miles, and anchored in shore for the night, abreast 
 of a cluster of islands in the centre of the bay, 
 which are about 10 miles from the entrance, and 
 arrived at the ship by six on the following morning. 
 On returning I heard from Captain Rees, that 
 shortly after we had left the ship, old Kin Taj in had 
 come in a boat, which contained not only the letter 
 and three cases of presents to the king, which we 
 were repeatedly assured had been long ago forwarded 
 to the capital, but every trifling article which had at 
 various times been presented to the chiefs and others, 
 even to a few yards of calico. Kin was very anxious 
 that these should all be received, which, however, 
 Captain Rees positively refused to permit ; and after 
 a little time he returned on shore apparently in great 
 uneasiness of mind. In the forenoon Mr. GutzlafY 
 and myself went on shore ; we saw none of the 
 chiefs but Kin ; to him I put the following questions : 
 Why the letter and presents had not been forwarded, 
 
245 
 
 and why we had been repeatedly deceived by false 
 promises of having the provisions we required sent 
 to us ? He replied, that a great officer was coming 
 from the capital, who would visit us on the following 
 day, and that he would give every explanation. 
 After some discussion, he pledged himself that the 
 provisions should be sent the following day. 
 
 On the 9th we had a formal visit from the long- 
 expected envoy, who brought the decision on our 
 request. He was accompanied by Kin, the general, 
 and Le, whom we had not seen for ten days past, 
 arid strongly suspected that he had been to the 
 capital. The envoy was named Woo Tajin, a man 
 about forty, elegantly dressed in Chinese silks. 
 After the ceremony of introduction had been gone 
 through with much form and politeness, and the 
 chiefs had been shown into the cabins, carpets were 
 at their request spread out on deck, and the follow- 
 ing conversation took place, of which I kept a copy, 
 verbatim, in Chinese. It exhibits a wonderful 
 indifference to truth on the part of the Coreans, and 
 affords some explanation of the principles on which 
 this nation refuses all intercourse with foreigners. 
 The conversation was entirely dictated by the envoy, 
 Woo Tajin. 
 
 Corean Chief. In traversing the ocean you have 
 been exposed to perils and difficulties ; truly we 
 feel compassion, and hope you have sustained no 
 injury. English. We thank you for your inquiry. 
 By the protection of Heaven we have arrived in 
 safety. 
 
246 
 
 C. Wherefore have you come from a distance ? 
 E. The cause has been already reported, to present 
 a letter and presents to the king of your honourable 
 nation, hoping that our nations may be connected by 
 friendly and commercial intercourse. 
 
 C. My nation has heretofore been * subservient to 
 the Tasing Empire ; it is our superior. How then 
 dare a dependent state clandestinely engage in inter- 
 course ? E. Siam and Cochin China are both 
 tributary to China; Corea is on the same terms as 
 these two nations ; yet both China and those coun- 
 tries admit our ships to trade with them. Your 
 honourable nation is the only one which holds no 
 intercourse with Great Britain ; why should it not 
 do so, like the others ? 
 
 C. My nation borders closely on the Chinese 
 Empire; therefore, without the commands and 
 sanction of our superior, it dare not presume of itself 
 to establish new customs, either on great or small 
 affairs. E. Siam and Cochin both border closely 
 on China, yet they do not decline intercourse with 
 foreigners. 
 
 C. My nation does not act thus ; from former 
 times till now we submit to the imperial decision ; 
 as to your affair, decidedly, we dare not presume to 
 permit it. 
 
 On considering, it appeared evidently fruitless to 
 attempt to push this point further, as the Coreans 
 
 * The word used is [ ], which implies complete 
 
 submission, and is much stronger than the usual term applied to 
 tributary states. Tsing-kung. 
 
247 
 
 have indisputably the right to style themselves the 
 vassals of China if they think fit to do so ; I there- 
 fore replied 
 
 If that be the case, I have only to request the 
 reply of his Majesty to my petition, that on my 
 return I may show it to my superiors. This is 
 merely in accordance with the customs of all nations. 
 
 C. My nation's customs permit no such affair. 
 The local officers dare not report it to the capital. 
 The officers at the capital dare not report the subject 
 to the king. E. Then we are to understand that 
 the refusal comes, not from the king, but the man- 
 darins; yet how can we reconcile this with the con- 
 stant assurances we have received, that the whole 
 affair had been represented to his Majesty for his 
 decision ? 
 
 C. The affair being contrary to our laws, the 
 great mandarins dare not report it to the king. 
 E. But we have been positively informed that the 
 affair has been reported to the king, and we therefore 
 await his decision. 
 
 C. Who has informed you of this ? To this we 
 replied by pointing to the other chiefs present ; on 
 which Woo unhesitatingly answered, that all they 
 had told us were falsehoods, that the two chiefs, 
 Kin and Le, who had publicly received the letter 
 and presents, had done so from ignorance and stu- 
 pidity, being old and incapacitated ; that they had 
 both incurred guilt, and would be prosecuted by the 
 poo-ching-sze, (the term in Chinese means treasurer), 
 who, on no account, dare report the matter to the 
 
248 
 
 king. In reply, I stated my extreme dissatisfaction 
 at having been thus detained for near three weeks by 
 false pretences, and at the same time intimated that 
 we could scarcely credit the fact of the king being in 
 ignorance of our arrival. Woo Taj in appeared to 
 have made up his mind to throw all the blame on 
 Kin and Le, and though they were both present, he 
 again asserted that the whole was owing to their 
 stupidity and ignorance. After some further debate 
 on this subject, Woo went to the gangway and 
 ordered the letter and present, which were all at 
 hand, to be put on board ; but here I at once stopped 
 him, and requesting him to be again seated, I stated 
 as follows : 
 
 This letter and presents have been received at a 
 public interview, and positive pledges have been 
 given that they should be forwarded to your king ; 
 we have moreover been detained here at your own 
 request for three weeks, awaiting a reply, which we 
 were daily assured would soon arrive. Now we are 
 unceremoniously told that the affair has never been 
 reported to his Majesty, but that we have been 
 deceived by false statements of your own chiefs ; 
 this we can scarcely credit ; but I can on no account 
 permit the letter and presents to be thrown back 
 upon me in this abrupt and disrespectful manner; 
 nor will I receive them, unless an official document 
 affording some explanation of your extraordinary 
 conduct accompanies them ; this I must insist 
 on for my own justification before my superiors at 
 home. 
 
249 
 
 Woo Tajin had hitherto maintained an air of self- 
 satisfaction and hauteur, and evidently expected to 
 arrange the affair entirely according to his own 
 wishes, but when he saw that I was determined on 
 not allowing the letter and presents to be received, 
 he lost his self-possession entirely, and appeared 
 greatly agitated ; this he showed by addressing me 
 rapidly in Corean, of which I understood not a word, 
 while by signs he appealed to my compassion in the 
 most impressive manner. He seized my hands re- 
 peatedly, bowing almost to the ground,and then made 
 signs that his head would be cut off and his bowels 
 ripped open if I persisted in my refusal. I must 
 here observe, that in spite of the repeated promises of 
 the various chiefs, the provisions we wanted had 
 never made their appearance, and as the continuance 
 of any appearance of friendship between us seemed 
 now rather doubtful, I thought it prudent to manage 
 so as to have this point settled at once. I therefore 
 again addressed Woo Tajin, pointing out the very 
 unsatisfactory manner in which we had been treated 
 on this point, and added, that I would not hear one 
 word more on any public business until our supplies 
 had been received, adding, that I would prefer 
 paying for them. Woo tried to induce me to pro- 
 mise that I would receive back the letter with the 
 provisions, but I clearly and positively refused to 
 give any pledge whatever on the subject. Mr. 
 Gutzlaff and myself now left the circle, and the chiefs 
 consulted together for some time. Woo seemed in 
 great anxiety and despondence ; but I could clearly 
 see that the other chiefs, the general in particular, 
 
250 
 
 rather enjoyed his discomfiture. The purport of his 
 remarks to Woo appeared to be, " I told you so 
 before ; now you see these foreigners will not 
 submit to be treated in this manner.'' Repeated 
 attempts were made by Woo to induce us again 
 to enter into argument, but the only reply I gave 
 was, " when we have received our provisions I will 
 then discuss other subjects." Finally, seeing that 
 nothing was to be gained they went away, and in 
 course of the following morning our supplies arrived, 
 consisting of two bullocks, salt fish for the lascars, 
 with an abundant supply of live stock and vegetables 
 for our own use. 
 
 I could not help feeling that we had a just and 
 strong cause of complaint for the treatment we had 
 experienced from the Corean government, in thus 
 detaining us for so long a period, and then endea- 
 vouring to dismiss us in so abrupt and disrespectful 
 manner. In spite of the repeated denial of Woo 
 Tajin, I could not for a moment doubt that he is 
 acting by express orders from the king, who, 
 having finally come to a decision against admitting 
 us to trade, now endeavoured to persuade us that 
 the thing is so repugnant to their laws that it cannot 
 be reported to him. The barefaced and unscrupulous 
 manner in which Woo maintained this argument, by 
 asserting that all the chiefs who had hitherto com- 
 municated with us were unauthorized liars, is too 
 gross even for Chinese diplomacy. It was evident 
 that all hopes of establishing commercial intercourse 
 with these people must for the present be abandoned ; 
 but still it was an object to leave a favourable 
 
251 
 
 impression of the English character behind us, 
 which might prove of material assistance to us at 
 some future period. I felt fully satisfied that if I 
 had consented to allow the letter and presents to be 
 thrown back upon us in the unceremonious manner 
 which was intended, it would have very much 
 lowered our character in their estimation, par- 
 ticularly after I had once asserted that I would not 
 receive them without an official document ; I there- 
 fore resolved, on no accout, to swerve from that 
 resolution. I cannot help considering that, in all 
 intercourse with these nations, a character for 
 undeviating truth is the first point to be established ; 
 and putting aside the moral superiority it gives you 
 against Chinese and Corean diplomatists, who can 
 hardly speak truth on any occasion, it will generally 
 be found far more than a match for all their wiles 
 and artifices. 
 
 From various trifling causes we clearly observed 
 that a good deal of jealousy exists among the 
 chiefs, particularly between Woo and the general, 
 who naturally could not feel well pleased at hear- 
 ing himself stigmatized as a liar ; and he evidently 
 enjoyed Woo's discomfiture on rny refusing to receive 
 back the letter and presents. The other two, Kin 
 and Le, though they took little share in the dis- 
 cussions, we believe also to be well-disposed towards 
 us. Under the present circumstances, all that we 
 could do was to look forward to prospective advan- 
 tages which might be derivable from our present 
 failure ; and the most probable mode of effecting 
 this appeared to be by contriving so that a true and 
 
252 
 
 accurate statement of facts connected with us should 
 reach the king, and become matter of public no- 
 toriety. With this end in view Mr. Gutzlaff drew 
 up, in Chinese, a paper, of which the translation is 
 adjoined. Four copies of this were made, in order 
 to be delivered to each of the chiefs when they came 
 on board ; and it is not improbable the jealousy 
 existing between them will ensure its publicity, 
 although some of the remarks contained in it, though 
 true, are not of a nature likely to prove very palatable. 
 The document is styled 
 
 " A Memorial for the Inspection of the King. 
 
 " Confucius says, ' When a friend arrives from a 
 distance, is it not a subject of rejoicing?' and now 
 that an English ship has arrived from a distance of 
 many myriads of le, bearing a letter and presents, 
 should you not rejoice thereat ? 
 
 " When we Englishmen arrived on the frontiers 
 of your honourable nation at Chang-shan we met 
 with none but the common people, and had no inter- 
 course with any chiefs; we therefore made no stay there, 
 but came to Luh-taou ; thence we were invited by the 
 chiefs to enter Gan-keang; and there we publicly 
 presented our document and presents to the chiefs 
 Kin and Le, respectfully requesting they might be 
 forwarded to his Majesty ; this was promised. More- 
 over, having been long at sea, we requested them to 
 supply our wants ; this also the chiefs pledged 
 themselves to do. Some days afterwards messengers 
 came to the ship, who informed us that the letter 
 
253 
 
 and presents had been forwarded to the capital. 
 How could we harbour doubt and suspicion ? De- 
 puted officers repeatedly came and examined all 
 particulars relative to the ship, and also made many 
 inquiries respecting the affairs of our nation. All 
 these were stated to be for the information of his 
 Majesty, and distinct answers were given. On 
 departing they all directed us quietly to await for a 
 reply to our petition. 
 
 " Now Woo, the chief heen-ta-foo, has come to 
 our ship, and acquainted us, 
 
 " 1st. That Corea was subservient to China, and 
 obeyed the decrees of its Emperor. 
 
 " 2d. That as the laws of this nation prohi- 
 bited all intercourse with foreigners, excepting the 
 Chinese, the chiefs did not dare report the subject 
 to the King. 
 
 " Now the first point is erroneous, and you thereby 
 needlessly lower the character of your own nation, 
 for we well know that the kingdom of Corea is 
 governed by its own laws, and ruled by its own 
 king ; it by no means obeys the decrees of a foreign 
 sovereign. By the statistical accounts of the Chinese 
 empire, Corea is a tributary kingdom, but no more. 
 But Cochin China and Siam are equally tributary to 
 China, yet with these nations we maintain com- 
 mercial intercourse ; why not also with Corea ? We 
 are also aware that Corea carries on trade with 
 Japan : are they not foreigners ? Yet you assert 
 
254 
 
 that no foreign trade is legal excepting with the 
 Chinese. 
 
 " The great mandarins state that they dare not 
 report; but as the capital of your nation is at no 
 great distance, it is inexplicable that the king should 
 not have heard of a circumstance so unusual as the 
 arrival of a foreign ship ; and if he has heard of 
 it, it is still more strange that the mandarins have 
 not reported the circumstance. 
 
 " With regard to the presents, you first publicly 
 receive them, and then unceremoniously reject them; 
 by acting thus you grossly affront strangers who 
 came here with the most friendly intentions, and set 
 all propriety at defiance ; the more so as Woo Taj in 
 asserts that the chiefs do it on their own responsibility, 
 and without reference to the king. 
 
 " Our feelings towards the chiefs and the people 
 are friendly; we have no sinister intentions. Where- 
 fore are we treated with such suspicion, as if we 
 were your enemies ? When we ask questions, you 
 refuse to reply. You prohibit our entering the vil- 
 lages, and seek to cut off all communication with 
 the people. Yesterday innocent persons were pu- 
 nished for merely coming to the ship to visit us ; 
 this we cannot refrain from considering an affront to 
 ourselves. In proof of our friendly wishes we have 
 distributed among you books of various sorts, con- 
 taining treatises on astronomy, geography and his- 
 tory, which are both instructive and amusing. We 
 have moreover given you books containing the 
 doctrines of our religion, and the true revelations of 
 God and Jesus ; these, if carefully read by well- 
 
255 
 
 disposed persons, contain precepts which may be 
 of the greatest utility. Confucius says, * Within 
 the four seas all mankind are brethren.' You honour 
 these principles ; yet if you acted on them, how can 
 you prohibit intercourse with foreigners ? 
 
 " Perhaps it may be said the intercourse of 
 foreigners with the natives would be productive of 
 a subversion of their ancient customs and laws : 
 would it not perhaps be as well to compare your 
 customs with those of foreign states, and see which 
 are preferable ? then if yours are the best retain 
 them, if not some might be changed with advan- 
 tage. 
 
 " Perhaps you may say, our nation is poor, how 
 can we trade with you ? To this we reply, allow 
 our countrymen to trade here, and gold and silver 
 will flow into the land, the revenues of the govern- 
 ment will be increased, and the wealth and pro- 
 sperity of the nation will rapidly advance. On this 
 account do China and Japan encourage foreign 
 trade ; how comes it that you do not follow the good 
 example set by the neighbouring nations ? 
 
 " To conclude, according to the assertion of Woo 
 Tajin, the chiefs Kin and Le are both old and stupid; 
 and it is owing to their ignorance and misconduct 
 that we have been detained here. Now the doctrines 
 both of your country and ours teach us that old age 
 should be honoured ; and these two chiefs are both 
 men of experience, and should well know the laws 
 of your country, nor would they have acted as they 
 did without authority so to do. 
 
 "We foreigners have had intercourse with various 
 
256 
 
 nations, but never have we seen such reserve and se- 
 cresy as here ; yet it is of no avail, for we are in posses- 
 sion of maps of your country, and books describing its 
 ancient history and customs. Since our arrival here 
 we have visited various places in the vicinity ; every- 
 where we have seen a poor and scanty population 
 inhabiting mean huts, plenty of wood and jungle, 
 little of cultivated fields. What a vast difference 
 between this and the adjoining kingdom ! but it 
 appears that this arises from the seclusion and pro- 
 hibition against foreign intercourse ; nor is it to be 
 expected that so long as these customs continue, the 
 nation will flourish or prosper beyond her neigh- 
 bours. 
 
 " Finally, we respectfully solicit, that if in future 
 any English vessel should arrive in want of provi- 
 sions, that they maybe supplied to her without causing 
 delay ; and if by misfortune a ship should be wrecked 
 on the coast of your kingdom, we solicit you to save 
 the lives of the crew, treat them with hospitality and 
 kindness, and send them to Pekin, whence they may 
 return to their homes. By acting thus you will 
 confer an obligation on the Sovereign of Great 
 Britain, who values tenderly the lives of his subjects : 
 we sincerely hope, that should an occasion present 
 itself, you will perform this act of benevolence. We 
 now are about to depart, having incurred fruitless 
 expense, and lost our time to no avail. We wish 
 you all prosperity and happiness. 
 
 (Signed) " Hoo-hea-me. 
 
 " Kea-k." 
 
 "Taoukwang, 12th year, 7th moon, 15th day." 
 
257 
 
 Early in the morning (August 11) the four chiefs 
 came to the ship, bringing the letter and presents ; 
 and I delivered to each a copy of the memorial, 
 which they read carefully over. The general, who 
 was a man of much shrewdness, read several of the 
 passages out aloud, and remarked on them ; he evi- 
 dently was not displeased with it. Woo, on the 
 contrary, appeared in great anxiety and alarm, par- 
 ticularly when he saw that the sentry at the gang- 
 way would not allow the presents to come on board. 
 In reply to his earnest solicitation on this point, I 
 replied that I had already clearly explained my 
 intention, and that unless accompanied by a public 
 letter of explanation I positively would refuse them. 
 I confess my opinion was that this would not be 
 refused so soon, as it was evident that I was deter- 
 mined on the subject ; but when it proved to the 
 contrary, I felt myself bound to prefer sacrificing 
 the value of the presents rather than swerve from 
 my word. In the afternoon we visited the chiefs in 
 the village, to take our leave. They received us 
 with the greatest politeness, and again endeavoured 
 to induce me to comply with their wishes : the only 
 one who appeared in anxiety was Woo. The fol- 
 lowing morning, whilst we were unmooring, the 
 general came off alone ; he had been sent by Woo, 
 under the idea that he possessed more influence over 
 us than any of the others. In this he was not 
 wrong ; for the uniform pleasing and gentlemanlike 
 deportment of this chief have gained him the respect 
 and good-will of us all. On the present occasion he 
 evidently had no expectation of attaining the object 
 
258 
 
 for which he was sent, and after having once ex- 
 plained the purport of his message, he did not again 
 allude to the subject. He was much less reserved 
 in his expressions this day than he had ever shown 
 himself before, and really seemed to feel the deepest 
 regret at parting with us on such terms. On one 
 occasion he wrote, " You have come from a distance 
 of so many myriads of le, bringing us presents, 
 and we have treated you in so unworthy a manner. 
 Kohan, kohan, (alas, alas,) such are our laws." 
 
 I inquired if there were any Chinese about the 
 court ; he answered that there were a few ; it is not 
 therefore improbable that their intervention may have 
 induced the King thus to disclaim all intercourse 
 with us. In speaking about the ancient history of 
 Corea, I mentioned an anecdote as a proof that his 
 country was really independent of China. At the 
 commencement of the Tartar dynasty, they possessed 
 far more influence in Corea than at present, and 
 endeavoured to compel them to shave their heads 
 and adopt the Tartar dress. This the Coreans re- 
 sisted with much courage, and finally not only 
 expelled the Chinese Tartars from the country, but 
 ravaged a great part of Leaou-tung. When the 
 general read this, his eyes brightened, and he re- 
 peated several times with much energy, Kow-chee, 
 " So it is." But he then took a pencil and wrote, 
 " These are the affairs concerning the nation ; I am 
 ignorant of the circumstances."' On my wishing to 
 send on shore a few cases of liqueurs for himself and 
 the other two chiefs, Kin and Le, he refused them 
 with much emotion, saying, " We treat you thus 
 
259 
 
 slightingly, and yet you continue to esteem us as 
 friends, and honour us with gifts ! Ko-seih, ko-seih 
 (Have pity, have pity !)" and on one occasion he 
 was almost moved to tears. On finally parting we 
 assured him that however much we felt aggrieved 
 by the conduct of his government, we should always 
 entertain the kindest recollection of himself, and 
 also of Kin and Le, both of whom had always been 
 friendly and civil to us, though they vvere men of a 
 very inferior stamp to the general, who we could 
 not help feeling deserved a better fate than to pass 
 his life among the suspicious and half-civilized 
 Coreans. 
 
 On leaving this we proceeded to the southward, 
 sailing outside of the Corean archipelago, with the 
 view of fixing the situation of the outer islands as 
 accurately as possible ; in this we were considerably 
 favoured by two days of clear weather and light 
 winds. The chart drawn out by Captain Rees, 
 which has already been forwarded, exhibits the 
 result of his observations, and may prove of service 
 to future navigators on approaching this part of the 
 coast. On the 17th we saw the island of Quepaert, 
 which appears to be more highly cultivated than 
 any other part of Corea we have seen. On the 21st 
 we passed Sulphur Island, but were prevented from 
 landing there as we intended, by not being able to 
 fetch the island : we passed about six miles to lee- 
 ward ; the volume of smoke issuing from the crater 
 was very trifling. On the following day at noon we 
 anchored in Na-pa-kiang bay. 
 
 s2 
 
260 
 
 Transactions in Lew-hew or Loo-choo. 
 
 The principal object which I had in visiting Loo- 
 choo was to make the experiment whether the inha- 
 bitants might not willingly engage in commercial 
 intercourse, now that an opportunity was offered to 
 do so. The description given in Captain Hall's 
 voyage of the hospitality and amiable manners of 
 these people has excited a lively interest concern- 
 ing them. I therefore could not avoid feeling that 
 it was incumbent on us to bear in mind that what 
 little connexion has hitherto subsisted between our 
 countrymen and its inhabitants has been marked by 
 the purest benevolence on their part. No British 
 ship has ever touched here without experiencing 
 their hospitality. Their motives for this conduct 
 might appear doubtful, did it only apply to the 
 King's ships which touched at Loo-choo in 1816 
 and 1827, but exactly similar hospitality and kind 
 feeling was exhibited to our countrymen in distress, 
 when His Majesty's ship Providence was wrecked 
 here in 1797. I determined to deliver a short state- 
 ment expressive of our wishes, but if it was objected 
 to comply with them, not to press it in any way 
 which might prove disagreeable, or tend to lessen 
 those friendly sentiments which were established by 
 the kind and judicious conduct of Captain Maxwell 
 towards them. I therefore drew up the following 
 paper, to be presented to the chiefs with whom we 
 might first communicate ; and if the proposal made 
 was favourably received, it would then be a fitting 
 
261 
 
 time to write a petition to the King, and accompany 
 it with suitable presents. 
 
 Explanatory Statement. 
 
 # 
 The commencement is the same as the address to 
 
 the King of Corea, describing where the ship came 
 from and her cargo. 
 
 " On several former occasions, ships belonging to 
 the royal navy have come to Loo-choo, and have 
 always been received with hospitality and friendship 
 by the chiefs and people of this country ; the utmost 
 readiness has been shown to supply them with every- 
 thing of which they stood in need, without any wish 
 for remuneration. You have done still more, by 
 freely giving succour and relief to those who were 
 in danger and distress ; when a vessel of His Majesty 
 the King of England was wrecked on your coast, in 
 the 54th year of the last cycle. The fame of such 
 acts of benevolence has been spread far and near; 
 hence Englishmen, though they live at a vast dis- 
 tance, feel the greatest respect and affection towards 
 the natives of Loo-choo. These friendly sentiments 
 subsisting between us, we have now come here, 
 wishing to establish commercial intercourse, whereby 
 mutual advantages may arise to both parties, and 
 the revenue of your country would be increased, 
 whilst it would contribute towards the prosperity of 
 the people in general. We therefore request the 
 great mandarins to consult together on the subject, 
 and report it to the higher authorities." 
 
262 
 
 22d August 1832. 
 
 We arrived and anchored in the roads about a 
 mile from the town at noon; but the weather was so 
 
 boisterous that no boats ventured to come to the 
 
 * 
 
 ship. The wind was directly off shore, but so vio- 
 lent that Mr. Gutzlaff and myself had considerable 
 difficulty in getting on shore. We landed on the 
 jetty at the entrance of the river. A crowd of 
 people came down to meet us, one of whom accosted 
 me in English, of which he knew a few words ; but 
 they were much pleased and astonished at hearing 
 us address them in Chinese. We went to a temple 
 adjoining and held a long conversation, in which we 
 explained to them the object of our visit. We in- 
 quired for Madena and Amjah, who are mentioned 
 in the voyages of Captains Hall and Beechey ; they 
 at first declared they were both dead ; but Amjah 
 shortly made his appearance in direct contradiction 
 of this assertion. Two of the principal persons in 
 our conference were named Ee-chih and Osoko ; 
 they both inquired after Captain Beechey, and told 
 us that a whaler, the Partridge, Captain Stavers, had 
 visited Loo-choo in the February previous, and had 
 staid there three weeks on the most friendly terms. 
 Ee-chih showed me a short English and Loo-choo 
 vocabulary which he had made by the assistance of 
 Captain Stavers. We were surrounded by a great 
 number of decently dressed natives, most of whom 
 spoke Chinese fluently, and we were overwhelmed 
 with questions on subjects of every description. 
 The terms in which we spoke of their countrymen 
 
263 
 
 appeared to give much pleasure to all. Before we 
 went away, Ee-chih requested we would give him a 
 list of any things we wanted, that they might be 
 sent to us ; this was quite a voluntary offer on his 
 part. With regard to our hopes to trade with them, 
 Ee-chih shook his head, and said, they were too 
 poor to have anything to exchange with us for our 
 valuable goods. At parting, Ee-chih and the other 
 chief promised to come to the ship the following 
 day, if the weather moderated; and if not, I told 
 him I should come on shore to deliver my letter at 
 the temple inhabited by Captain Maxwell in 1816. 
 Three Japanese junks were lying in the river, but 
 the chiefs strongly disclaimed having any intercourse 
 or trade with Japan ; and declared that these junks 
 had been driven to the southward by stress of wea- 
 ther, and merely taken shelter here to refit. 
 
 The gale continued unabated, so that no boats 
 ventured out; in the evening (August 23) we landed 
 with some difficulty at Pootsong, and were shown to 
 the temple ; Ee-chih and Amjah soon arrived ; the 
 latter accosted me in English, of which he could 
 speak several phrases very intelligibly. We were 
 requested to enter one of the apartments, tea and 
 pipes were brought, and the utmost friendliness of 
 manner shewn. However prominent urbanity and 
 gentleness of disposition may be among the Loo- 
 chooans, it could not blind us, though strongly pre- 
 possessed in their favour, to the utter indifference to 
 truth which they manifest on all occasions. Truth, 
 indeed, appears barely to be considered in the light 
 of a virtue among them, if we may judge from the 
 
264 
 
 careless manner in which they saw themselves con- 
 victed of the most flagrant self-contradiction in the 
 space of a few minutes. Having waited for some 
 time in the expectation of the arrival of a chief of 
 rank, I delivered my letter to Amjah, with a request 
 it might be forwarded immediately. 
 
 This day (August 24) the wind moderated, and 
 during the forenoon we had a visit from Amjah and 
 two other chiefs, all of them wearing their hatchee- 
 matchees, or caps of ceremony. They staid all the 
 morning on board, and showed the greatest curiosity 
 on every subject; Amjah clearly told me that the 
 request to trade could on no account be granted ; he 
 also inquired if ours was the same ship which had 
 been to Fuh-chou in the spring, and said that he 
 was there himself at the time, in the Loochoo junk 
 which annually trades with that port. Our object 
 throughout the conversation was to convince them of 
 the friendly feeling entertained by my countrymen 
 towards them, the unreasonableness of their sus- 
 picions, and the great advantages they would derive 
 from trade and free intercourse with us. Nothing 
 seemed to surprise them more than our acquaintance 
 with various parts of their manners and customs 
 which we had acquired from the works of Captains 
 Hall and Beechy, and it was evident that our know- 
 ledge of Chinese rather increased than diminished 
 their suspicious alarm. 
 
 The following day two bullocks, with various 
 other articles of provisions, came off, and we were 
 particularly requested to say if we wanted any-thing 
 further, and it should be provided. We were also 
 
265 
 
 promised a reply to my letter should be sent the next 
 day. 
 
 Early this morning (August 26) Amjah, Eechih, 
 and several others came off, bringing the following 
 letter in reply to my statement : 
 
 " Ma, the chefoo of Chungshan-foo, in the king- 
 dom of Loochoo, gives the following reply to a 
 document presented by Hoo Hea-me Fajin, which he 
 has respectfully received. Therein it was stated 
 [here follows the Statement, omitting all parts of it 
 complimentary to themselves.] 
 
 " Upon examination, it appears that the wish 
 entertained by your honourable kingdom to establish 
 trade with our mean nation originated in sentiments 
 of cordial friendship, for which we feel highly grate- 
 ful ; but our mean country is a mere jungle and by 
 no means extensive ; the land is sterile, so that there 
 is scarcely any produce ; neither is any gold or silver 
 found in it. Thus we possess nothing to offer in 
 exchange for your cloth, camlets, and calicoes. 
 Moreover, our mean kingdom has never had any 
 laws for the regulation cf trade with foreign nations. 
 Though this is a trifling concern, yet we can by no 
 means change our laws, which are very strict ; 
 therefore it is truly difficult to report on the subject 
 to the King. 
 
 " To conclude, we beseech Hoo Hea-me Tajin to 
 examine thoroughly the reasons, as before assigned, 
 which prevent our trading. This is the reply. 
 
 "Taoukwang, 7th year, 12th moon, 30th day." 
 
266 
 
 This reply set the question of trade with the Loo- 
 chooans entirely at rest. Amjah at first showed some 
 anxiety, and when I had read it, inquired whether I 
 felt satisfied with the purport. I explained to him, 
 that though we should have been better pleased had 
 it been different, yet that the friendly disposition 
 shown even in refusing our request was very satis- 
 factory, and that I should write a short letter to the 
 chefoo, expressive of my feelings, also thanking him 
 for the liberal present of provisions he had sent, and 
 requesting him to accept a few trifles as a mark of 
 my respect and gratitude. Amjah at first endeavoured 
 to dissuade me from making any return, but desisted 
 on seeing that I was desirous to do so ; he said, 
 " though we cannot trade with you, yet whenever 
 any of your ships arrive and want supplies, we shall 
 always be happy to furnish them." This disinte- 
 rested hospitality is one of the best points in the 
 character of the inhabitants of Loo-choo, who are 
 certainly, in many respects, a gentle and amiable 
 race. One of our visitors this day was the medical 
 man belonging to the court ; the same, Amjah told 
 us, who attended Captain Maxwell when he broke 
 his finger by a fall from his horse. He held a long 
 conference with Mr. Gutzlaff, who presented him 
 with a considerable stock of medicines, of which he 
 had now no further need. Much objection was at 
 first made to receive them, evidently rather from 
 modesty than pride. On my requesting Amjah and 
 Eechih to name what they would prefer, the first 
 named a musical snuff-box, and the other a telescope ; 
 letting me know that they were not for themselves 
 
267 
 
 but to present to the King. At their invitation we 
 all dined this day at Pootsong, where a neat and 
 elegant repast was prepared for us. After dinner 
 we walked some distance into the interior, and did 
 not embark till after dark. The following morning 
 we got under weigh, and on the 5th of September 
 anchored in the Capsingmoon passage, and landed 
 at Macao in the evening. 
 
 In concluding this Report, which has been drawn 
 out to a length far beyond what I anticipated, I have 
 to request the indulgence of the Honourable Court 
 on many points, and to hope they will feel satisfied 
 that any errors in judgment on my part, in the con- 
 duct of the voyage, have arisen from want of expe- 
 rience in a service of so novel a nature to me, rather 
 than from deficiency of zeal in any cause which can 
 further or promote the interests and character of 
 the East India Company. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 H. H. LINDSAY. 
 
REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS 
 
 ON A VOYAGE TO 
 
 THE NORTHERN PORTS OF CHINA, 
 
 BY THE REV. MR. GUTZLAFF. 
 
 MR. LINDSAY'S appropriate remarks upon the 
 voyage of the ship Lord Amherst will amply have 
 illustrated all the dubious points in regard to the 
 possibility of establishing a trade to the northern 
 ports of the Chinese empire. If I had not been 
 encouraged to draw up a statement of facts which 
 I witnessed, it would be presumption to comment 
 further on the subject. The people, as well as 
 the mandarins, communicated often their opinions 
 to me in private ; and I avail myself of this oppor- 
 tunity to make the particulars known to the 
 representatives of the British nation in China. I 
 regret that my humble opinion differs from the 
 notions entertained in Europe respecting Chinese 
 government and politics; but a sameness of facts, 
 which came under my notice, deters me from 
 blending excellent theoretical laws with their 
 
270 
 
 practical observance. After having lived for a 
 considerable time amongst the nation, I have 
 had an opportunity of observing them in their 
 various pursuits ; but I am no politician to draw 
 inferences which are beyond my sphere of actual 
 observation. 
 
 Canton Province. 
 
 It is an unjust and insidious remark thrown 
 upon the Chinese, that they hate strangers, and 
 are averse to t having any dealings with them. 
 Even in Canton province, where foreigners are 
 stigmatized by the hateful appellation of " barba- 
 rians," we found the people exceedingly friendly 
 and hospitable. 
 
 The few naval commanders with whom we 
 came in contact were more inimical towards us 
 than any we met elsewhere. They being Fuh- 
 keen men, honoured me with the title of their 
 countryman ; and when I reproached them with 
 their inimical conduct towards friendly strangers, 
 they replied, " if we consult our feelings, we are 
 your friends and willing to assist you ; but the 
 least show of partiality towards foreigners is the 
 direct road to degradation, and therefore we must 
 be very careful." They likewise made an appeal 
 to the strict orders of their superior officers, which 
 emanated from the system of excluding barbarians 
 from all intercourse with the inhabitants of the 
 middle kingdom. These were in general the 
 grounds whereupon they defended their notions. 
 
271 
 
 We did not endeavour to carry here our com- 
 mercial object into effect, and are therefore unable 
 to judge about the probable result. But if we 
 were as sure of the capital of the merchants 
 residing along the east coast as we are of the 
 good will of the natives, there would be very few 
 obstacles to be removed. 
 
 On the eastern extremity of Canton province is 
 the large emporium Tinghae or Chinghae, the next 
 in importance to the capital of this province. We 
 did not visit this port, but passed it so close as to 
 see the numerous junks in the harbour. Many 
 respectable houses are established at this place, and 
 trade as well to Canton as to Teen-tsin, Shang- 
 hae and the Indian Archipelago. As the duties 
 are very high, a great many junks anchor in a small 
 cove of Namao island, and carry on smuggling 
 to a great amount. The country yields no export 
 produce but sugar. 
 
 Fuh-keen Province. 
 
 In the southern part of this province we found 
 the people very diffident. We did not see any 
 war-boat before we reached Amoy. This cele- 
 brated port is until this moment the resort of 
 many hundred junks. In proportion as the ad- 
 jacent island, Formosa, has been colonized and 
 yielded export produce, sugar, rice and cam- 
 phor, Amoy has increased in wealth and impor- 
 tance. Most of the Formosian colonists are 
 natives from this district, and the capital for 
 clearing the ground and maintaining the planta- 
 
272 
 
 tions was advanced by Amoy merchants. With- 
 out Formosa the population hereabout would be 
 starved ; for the greater part of the supplies of 
 rice come from that island. The enterprising 
 spirit of the Amoy merchants greatly aids the 
 increase of capital. They visit and settle in 
 the most important parts of the empire, and 
 either return annually with their profits or make 
 large remittances. Its spacious and secure har- 
 bour, ample stores for exportation, and consider- 
 able capital, make the re-establishment of trade 
 to this place very desirable. 
 
 When we entered this port it was not with the 
 definite object of trade. We stood in want of 
 provisions ; to buy these was our first endeavour. 
 If any opportunity for trading had presented itself, 
 we would have availed ourselves of it. 
 
 We showed nowhere so much submission, and 
 were nowhere so ill treated as in this port. With- 
 out remonstrance we saw the people, who either 
 came alongside the ship, or looked at her from 
 a distance, dragged away. They were bambooed 
 on board the war-junks, which had anchored near 
 us, that we might hear their cries, and afterwards 
 exposed in the streets, wearing a congue with a 
 label, expressive of their great crime, that of 
 having looked at the barbarian ship. These 
 punishments were not only meant to intimidate 
 the people, who were very eager to have commu- 
 nication with us, but also to degrade the barba- 
 rians in the eyes of the public. On account of our 
 tacit submission, the mandarins were emboldened 
 
273 
 
 to surround our ship, and to point guns at us. 
 They would have gone further if they had not 
 observed that we could also make preparations 
 for defence in case of aggression. We however 
 remained passive, in order to ascertain the result 
 of tacit submission. 
 
 His Excellency the Admiral sent an edict, 
 wherein he stated that he acted in accordance to 
 imperial orders. In the imperial edict, which 
 he sent to us, (issued in 21st year of Kea King, 
 1817, shortly after the English embassy,) all 
 barbarian ships are forbidden to approach the 
 coast of Fuh-keen and Che-keang provinces ; 
 they are not allowed to anchor for a moment, 
 but ought to be driven away. We anchored for 
 several days, and nobody even endeavoured to 
 drive us away. The barbarians are not allowed 
 to go on shore. We went into the city, and in 
 every direction, and his Excellency never took 
 effectual measures to prevent it. No boat was 
 allowed to approach in order to trade, but no 
 punishment mentioned ; and people who dared to 
 look at us were punished very severely. Nobody 
 could therefore make us believe that his Excel- 
 lency was strictly executing the imperial orders. 
 If he, however, thought it impossible to comply 
 with them, and had to relax in rigour, why did he 
 not relax in more especial points, whereby both 
 parties might be benefited? The bearers of this 
 message were unable to remove these scruples. 
 It appears that all the restrictive laws of the 
 Celestial Empire receive their validity from the 
 
 T 
 
274 
 
 interpretation of the mandarins intrusted with 
 them, and that this depends upon the force at 
 their command to enforce them. Though their 
 edicts were generally in a very solemn manner 
 proclaimed to us, and we were enjoined implicitly 
 to obey them, they retained to themselves the full 
 power either of overlooking some parts or neg- 
 lecting the whole. 
 
 In the audience to which we were invited we 
 submitted to standing, whilst inferior mandarins 
 were seated. The hostile proceedings against us 
 were said to be in accordance with the unalterable 
 laws of the Celestial Empire. " We have surely 
 no right," was our reply, " to alter the laws of 
 your honourable empire ; but since they are un- 
 alterable, why have they been altered to exclude 
 us? Kanghe issued an edict, which permitted 
 foreigners to trade to all the ports of the middle 
 kingdom ; can this unalterable law be altered ? 
 why not cleave strictly to ancient regulations ? 
 we claim this wise regulation in our behalf, and 
 consider it as unchangeable as all the other fixed 
 laws. Besides, all our ports are open to your 
 vessels ; we give your subjects full liberty to 
 trade and to settle ; when your junks arrive, we 
 do not surround them by war-junks, nor do we 
 punish the people who go near them; on the 
 contrary, we try by all means to encourage their 
 commerce; do you think it unjust if we claim 
 equal rights? Can any peculiar law do away 
 with the law of nations ? You praise your wis- 
 dom, you think yourselves highly superior to 
 
275 
 
 barbarians, you talk of the transforming influence 
 which the Celestial Empire has upon other 
 nations ; but is the former evident, and can the 
 latter be exhibited, if you exclude foreigners 
 from having any communication with you? More- 
 over, the Emperor shows compassion towards 
 foreigners ; this has never reached us, and we 
 are very anxious that we might experience it by 
 seeing all the ports open to our commerce accord- 
 ing to ancient regulation. We therefore humbly 
 beseech you to represent our request to his Im- 
 perial Majesty. Allow us to buy provisions and 
 we will depart." This reasoning silenced our 
 antagonists, and after many debates amongst 
 themselves, they agreed to the last request. 
 The people, and even their myrmidons, expressed 
 loudly their approbation in regard to our reason- 
 able requests, and we left the place filled with 
 the hope of having not spoken in vain. 
 
 For fear that we might contaminate, or rather 
 convince the lower mandarins with the justice of 
 our cause, they sent a poor sailor on board, who 
 not only had to become our comprador, but was 
 also made responsible for our quitting the harbour. 
 This man knew me in Manchow Tartary, and 
 spoke very freely. He said, " The mandarins 
 fear you very much ; though you profess friend- 
 ship towards them they do not believe you, for 
 they themselves are insincere in their professions. 
 As you have the means of injuring and retaliating, 
 they apprehend you will do either, because they 
 
 T 2 
 
276 
 
 themselves like to indulge in it whenever they 
 can effect it with impunity." 
 
 Notwithstanding the great severity wherewith 
 the people were treated who in the slightest 
 degree showed their partiality towards us, they 
 could not refrain from making inquiries after our 
 cargo, and they showed us every act of friendship 
 whenever we came in contact with them. Several 
 of them came during the night on board to bring- 
 off some provisions, and greatly wondered that we 
 did not take more decisive steps to render our 
 situation more agreeable. The people, added 
 they, are thunderstruck with the unheard-of treat- 
 ment you have to experience, and are at a loss 
 how to account for it. 
 
 Mr. Lindsay, however, thought it very prudent 
 to gain the hearts of the mandarins by the utmost 
 kindness and strict compliance with their wishes. 
 He offered them large presents to silence their 
 cupidity, and tried to conciliate them by the most 
 engaging manners, yet every thing seemed to be 
 lost upon them. 
 
 Little can be said about the sterile Pang-hoo 
 islands or Pircadores. As they have excellent 
 harbours they afford shelter to the junks which 
 trade between the Chinese coast and Formosa. 
 The naval officer of Se-sew-tou, an island where 
 we came to an anchor, ordered us to go away 
 immediately ; but he relaxed in his peremptory 
 commands as soon as he had been on board of 
 our ship and received a few buttons as a present. 
 
277 
 
 He directed us. to go to Formosa, where we might 
 be permitted to trade. 
 
 We went afterwards over to Formosa, and 
 anchored at Woo-teaon-Keang, a small place 
 where no mandarin resided. The people came 
 off to us in great numbers, and amply provided us 
 with provisions. We had no shelter, and were 
 very near some sand- banks, which stretch out to 
 a great distance. This was the reason for our not 
 waiting the arrival of merchants, whom some of 
 the people had called. 
 
 Formosa is rich in produce. European articles 
 imported by Fuh Keen junks sell at a good price. 
 The trade to all the ports, which are rather nume- 
 rous, is in a very flourishing state. The colonists 
 are represented as very refractory, and prone to 
 rebellion. The Emperor sends very frequently 
 commissions to investigate the conduct of the 
 local mandarins. His generals have not yet been 
 able to repress entirely the rebels which have 
 taken shelter in the mountains. The aborigines 
 of the east coast have maintained their indepen- 
 dence until this moment. We saw none of them, 
 and could gather very little information respecting 
 them from the Chinese. 
 
 Circumstances prevented us from visiting Tsewen 
 Chou (Chin Choo), a trading place of considera- 
 able importance. The harbour is said to be very 
 shallow, so that even large junks are obliged to 
 anchor at a great distance from shore. Though 
 this city is in the neighbourhood of Amoy the soil 
 is fertile, and produces a great deal of sugar for 
 
278 
 
 exportation. The junks belonging to the place 
 trade to the north, and visit occasionally Manilla 
 and Singapore. 
 
 During our voyage to Fuh Chow we visited 
 several junks which were on their way to Shang- 
 hae. They recommended us highly to visit this 
 place as the best market for European articles. 
 
 When we passed the Hae-tan passage we had 
 some intercourse with the admiral of this station, 
 who was an old emaciated opium smoker. He, 
 as well as another young naval officer, made 
 inquiries about the drug, and seemed to be much 
 disappointed when we had none to sell. 
 
 Many people came near us, and were not only 
 delighted with the sight of the ship, but more so 
 with the opportunity of bartering their commo- 
 dities. Several of them went in search of mer- 
 chants, and when they arrived the mandarin boats 
 drove them away. We visited some villages, 
 where we were most friendly received, and though 
 the people lived in a state of abject poverty, they 
 shared with us their scanty fare. We were not 
 stigmatized by the odious appellation of(Fankuei), 
 nor insulted in any way, but every individual was 
 anxious to show us respect and friendship. 
 
 The harbour of Fuh Chow is almost entirely 
 unknown to Europeans. Though this place 
 presents the greatest facilities for trade, it is 
 rather astonishing that no ship should ever have 
 entered it. As soon as we had entered the 
 harbour, our ship was crowded by numerous 
 crowds of natives, who constantly made inquiries 
 
279 
 
 about our cargo. Some of them went away to 
 procure money for purchasing our camlets and 
 calicoes. The national interest they, took in our 
 arrival was very great; they had learned from 
 the little pamphlet that we were the nation 
 who consumed so great quantities of their teas, 
 and thereby furnished subsistence to many of 
 their countrymen. Whatever the edicts of the 
 mandarians published against us might enjoin 
 them, they remained our steadfast friends, and 
 showed themselves so to the last. 
 
 In going up to the city we were desirous of 
 having an interview with the Deputy-governor 
 Wei, but our wish was not fulfilled. In vain we 
 waited for an answer upon our petition ; the only 
 thing we could learn from an answer from a 
 document sent in by a mandarin was, that it 
 was against the law to export tea by way of the 
 sea, and against old customs to have any dealings 
 with a barbarian ship. The mandarins tempo- 
 rized with us as long as a reinforcement of 
 war-junks arrived, when they began to threaten 
 the natives with the same treatment which they 
 experienced at Amoy. We, on our part, re- 
 quested them very politely to give them per- 
 mission to come on board and sell provisions ; 
 but if they refused to comply we would enter 
 the port. A circumstance happened which filled 
 our antagonists with fear. After having tried all 
 expedients to prevail upon them to procure us 
 supplies, and give us an answer upon our petition, 
 Mr. Lindsay resolved to enter the port. As soon 
 
280 
 
 as we had come to an anchor in the river they 
 granted to us every thing : and whilst the man- 
 darins published fierce edicts, prohibiting all the 
 boats to approach us, they gave full permission to 
 the people to come on board, and they themselves 
 began to trade. The war-boats became now our 
 cargo- boats without any scruple, and we lived in 
 perfect harmony. Had we not lost too much 
 time in waiting for a decisive answer, we might 
 have disposed of a great deal of our cargo, by 
 immediately entering the harbour ; but Mr. Lind- 
 say allowed them a considerable time for delibe- 
 ration, and when he received no answer he was 
 forced to adopt some measures to avoid com- 
 promising our interests. 
 
 Fuh Chow, the city itself, is a very large place, 
 and seems to be in a very flourishing state. We 
 saw a great many junks loaded with timber going 
 out to sea, and others entering with cargoes of 
 cotton. When we arrived it was not in the tea 
 season, and therefore we have no means to judge 
 about the exportation to the northern ports, since 
 there was nothing in store. 
 
 We came only with few mandarins in contact. 
 These found it their interest to have commercial 
 intercourse with us, and expressed their hope that 
 we might return next year. The trade carried on 
 in mandarin boats was so open that we begin to 
 think the higher authorities knew about the trans- 
 actions. Though we were rather on indifferent 
 terms with the naval commanders, the farewell 
 letter of one of the officers, who had lost his 
 
281 
 
 button on our behalf showed by no means any 
 angry feeling. Conscious of their own weakness, 
 they strove to part with us on the best terms. 
 
 As our intercourse with the peeple was unre- 
 strained, we saw with pleasure how anxious they 
 were to secure our friendship. We received 
 many letters of thanks for the attention we paid 
 them, and many tokens of friendship to remind us 
 of our stay among them ; some of them drew even 
 up a petition in our behalf, addressed to the tseang- 
 keun, a general and hoppo of Fuh Chow, whom 
 they said to be our friend. This paper they 
 required us to present to his Excellency, who 
 would not scruple to allow us to trade. If the 
 voice of the people, who, even under a tyrannical 
 government, will be permitted to alter their wishes, 
 the united request of the inhabitants of the tea 
 hills in Fuh Chow district claims a trade with 
 the British nation for the mutual benefit of both 
 parties ; should this not throw something into the 
 scales of measures which are to be adopted in 
 future ? 
 
 The forts about Fuh Chow are in a dilapidated 
 state, and even if they were in good order, the 
 imperial army would want both skill and courage 
 to defend them. We assured them of our friend- 
 ship, and used every argument to convince them 
 that we were solely come to enter inte commercial 
 transaction. 
 
282 
 
 Che Keang Province. 
 
 Ning-po, an emporium which so frequently has 
 been visited by Europeans, was to us utterly 
 unknown as it regards its situation. We enjoyed 
 during the time of our stay in the town full liberty 
 to walk about. The mandarins showed us a great 
 deal of civility and respect. The more we ap- 
 proached to the north, the better we became ac- 
 quainted with our great antagonists the mandarins. 
 This circumstance prompted us to be on our 
 guard, in order to maintain the consistency of 
 our character. 
 
 When we entered this well-built flourishing 
 town we were hailed by the odious appellations 
 of "hak-kwae" (black demons), and " hung- 
 maon" (red bristles). The people appeared to 
 be shy and reserved ; but scarcely had they 
 perused our small pamphlet when they treated us 
 with every mark of respect and friendship, and 
 the name of Ta-ying Kwo-jin (Englishmen) was 
 upon the lips of everybody. The demand for 
 this tract was very great, and the mandarins never 
 opposed its distribution. 
 
 We had nowhere so much intercourse with the 
 mandarins as at this place. They agreed upon 
 the reasonableness of our being permitted to trade ; 
 they thought that Ning-po ought to enjoy the same 
 privileges as Canton, as it had been visited at so 
 early a period by European traders ; but as the 
 laws of the Celestial Empire prohibited trade 
 
283 
 
 with foreigners they could only connive at our 
 trading. As for themselves, they would be highly 
 desirous that the trade was opened, for they would 
 thereby derive profit as well for their own purses 
 as for the pro\ 7 incial treasury. They requested 
 us therefore repeatedly to have the matters pro- 
 perly represented at home. Then His Britannic 
 Majesty might send a trust-worthy person of 
 a firm character to arrange the matters ; they, on 
 their part, would report the whole to the Emperor, 
 and state the advantages derivable from such a 
 trade. Notwithstanding the prohibitory laws, 
 which were held forth by the literary mandarins 
 in order to debar us from trading, the te-tuh 
 seemed to be much in our favour, but was unable 
 to prevail against so great a host of opponents. 
 
 Had we here felt ourselves justified in insisting 
 upon our demands, we might have traded to a 
 great extent ; and as private traders we might 
 have demanded the fulfilment of an agreement 
 made with some merchants whom the mandarins 
 sent purposely on board. But it was always 
 the grand object of Mr. Lindsay to follow his 
 instructions, and to abstain from every act of 
 violence except in self-defence. He showed here 
 a great deal of patience for not entering the 
 harbour before bad weather forced him to do 
 so. Bamboo rafts, which were lashed to the 
 war-junks, impeded our farther progress. At 
 these strange means of fortifying the entrance 
 of a river we were rather astonished, the more so 
 as we shortly before had received a document 
 
284 
 
 from the taou-tae, which communicated to us, 
 " that the Celestial Empire swayed its sceptre 
 over all the ocean, and kept the whole world 
 in subjection and awe." Why then these symp- 
 toms of great apprehension on account of one 
 single ship ? 
 
 Here we argued upon having the hateful appel- 
 lation of (E. barbarian) expunged from 
 the public documents, and they yielded to us this 
 point. We insisted upon having only documents 
 with the seal of the respective officers stamped 
 upon them, and this was likewise granted. As a 
 circulating report had been sent from Fuh Chow 
 to this place, which contained rather abusive 
 terms, we obtained a sight of the letter sent 
 by the deputy-governor of Fuh Chow to the 
 Emperor in order to pacify our minds. This 
 document was a mere report to the Emperor 
 about our arrival and stay at Fuh Chow. The 
 deputy -governor asks his Majesty whether he 
 has not done right in not permitting us to trade ? 
 In the public audience, which we had before two 
 general officers and a taou-tae, we were seated, 
 whilst mandarins of the rank of major and colonel 
 were standing. We discoursed our affairs pro- 
 perly without the medium of a merchant. These 
 things, though trivial in themselves, influence 
 greatly the mind of the natives in forming their 
 ideas about Europeans, and in treating them 
 accordingly ; besides, direct communications to 
 the proper authorities greatly tend to open the 
 road to speedy redress. 
 
285 
 
 During this audience the eyes of hundreds of 
 spectators were fixed upon us. Nobody could 
 refuse to the Ta-ying Kwo-jin the honour of 
 having vindicated their national character in a 
 solemn assembly. 
 
 We heard here many pointed remarks upon 
 Chinese government from the mandarins them- 
 selves. Sun, a naval commander, was very 
 intimate with me, and held frequent private con- 
 versations. He would often talk without disguise, 
 by saying, " We are very weak ; this you perceive 
 yourselves, and it would be childishness to con- 
 ceal it. You want to trade with us for no other 
 purpose than to benefit yourselves and to benefit 
 us. The liberty of trading will be granted to you 
 if you demand what we have neither power nor 
 reason to refuse ; but be on your guard, for you 
 will have to encounter a great many rogues, who 
 will endeavour to thwart your design. Let your 
 Sovereign send a man with a determined mind, 
 who can overawe narrow-minded mandarins, and 
 properly vindicate your national character, and 
 you will doubtless succeed." This was the private 
 opinion of a man, who, being upon intimate terms 
 with the te-tuh, reported to us everything of 
 importance. 
 
 Notwithstanding the repeated collision with 
 the mandarins of this place, who tried by per- 
 suasion, stratagem, and main force to gain an 
 ascendency, we parted with the most friendly 
 feeling towards each other. The te-tuh sent 
 some presents on board, and bade us a hearty 
 
286 
 
 farewell. At the eve of our departure they offered to 
 us 600 dollars as demurrage for the delay they had 
 occasioned ; this we refused, however. We were 
 always assured that those military preparations 
 were by no means intended for us ; this was rather 
 hard to believe, for when we came we saw no 
 camps, nor war-boats in the river, and when we 
 left all the forces dispersed. 
 
 The attachment of the people to our cause was 
 here even greater than at Fuh Chow. During 
 our stay at Ning-po a great number of merchants 
 made repeated inquiries about our cargo. They 
 entered upon the most minute circumstances, and 
 discoursed the probability of re-establishing a 
 trade which had contributed so much towards the 
 wealth of their city. Those who were sent on 
 board to make the bargain always inculcated that 
 we ought firmly to demand such terms from the 
 mandarins as would bring the trade upon a firm 
 footing. 
 
 We parted from both the people and the man- 
 darins with a promise to do our utmost in order 
 to have the matters properly arranged. They 
 told us, "arrange the matters with our Sove- 
 reign, and we will receive you next year with 
 open arms." 
 
 The little trade we carried on at Kin Tang, 
 a romantic island in the neighbourhood of Ning- 
 po, showed the readiness of the people to com- 
 mence commerce whenever they are freed from 
 the vigilance of the mandarins. 
 
 Not far from Ning-po to the north Cha-poo, 
 
287 
 
 the Chinese emporium for Japan, is situated. We 
 did not visit this place, but we were afterwards 
 recommended to go from Ning-po thither. Ac- 
 cording to all accounts, it is a wealthy place, 
 with a tolerable harbour and much produce, prin- 
 cipally raw silk for exportation. 
 
 Keang-Soo Province. 
 
 We had heard so much of the celebrated Shang- 
 hae, that we were very desirous to see the place. 
 The city is excellently situated for trade, in one 
 of the most fertile districts of the Chinese empire, 
 not far from Nan King, in the neighbourhood of 
 the mouth of the Yang-tsye-Keang, the largest 
 river in Asia, and on the banks of a navigable 
 river. 
 
 European vessels -seem never to have traded to 
 this place ; perhaps the extensive sand-banks at 
 the mouth of the Yang-tsye-Keang have greatly 
 deterred ships from entering the river which leads 
 to Shang-hae. If the whole was properly sur- 
 veyed, few dangers could be apprehended from 
 shoals, which stretch out to a great distance, but 
 have regular soundings. The trade to a place 
 which stands in connexion with a great port of 
 Central Asia, whither scarcely ever an European 
 has penetrated, claims the attention of enlightened 
 statesmen who are anxious to open new channels 
 for British industry and mercantile enterprise. 
 We found here, to our great mortification, the 
 mandarins very narrow - minded and ignorant. 
 
288 
 
 We argued the point of granting us liberty to 
 trade very warmly. The unalterable laws of the 
 Celestial Empire permitted foreigners to trade to 
 all ports, when their commercial relations with 
 China were in their infancy ; can these unalterable 
 laws change when our commerce has arrived to 
 such a degree of importance? The merchants of 
 this place come to our ports ; we grant them full 
 liberty to carry on their commerce ; can the 
 Celestial Empire refuse an equal right when they 
 ask for such a privilege ? Do you not permit 
 Cochin-Chinese and Siamese vessels upon the 
 same grounds to come to your ports ? You tell 
 us that his Imperial Majesty highly compassion- 
 ates foreigners ; can his great compassion refuse 
 the grant of so just a claim ? After a great many 
 debates, they came to the same conclusion as the 
 mandarins at Ning-po, viz. that his British Majesty 
 might send a person deputed on purpose to settle 
 these matters with the Emperor. 
 
 The mandarins here were very much afraid of 
 us ; it was very difficult to come with them to an 
 understanding ; whilst the various camps were 
 quartered under tents on both sides of the river, 
 and had to endure all the hardships of the rainy 
 season, they took no decisive measures to settle 
 our affairs ; though they had proclaimed in their 
 public edicts that these martial preparations were 
 made in order to repel the barbarians, they always 
 asserted, when we asked them, that all this had 
 been merely done that his Excellency the Te-tuh 
 of the district might hold a military review. His 
 
289 
 
 Excellency professed himself to be our friend, 
 but gave us never any proof of his friendship. 
 Two mandarins, who were sent on purpose from 
 Soo Chow in order to have a conference with us, 
 admitted that our demands were just, but repug- 
 nant to the laws of the Celestial Empire ; never- 
 theless, they were willing to report the matter to 
 the deputy governor, who would report it farther. 
 When we at first presented our petition to the 
 taou-tae he refused to receive it, and after having 
 received it he rejected it, whilst he sent a very 
 surly edict to intimidate us. Both his plans 
 proved abortive, and he was reduced to the 
 necessity of taking back our petition and of 
 issuing a more reasonable edict, after he had 
 apologized for his rudeness. 
 
 We insisted here upon being permitted to buy 
 provisions and silks ; both were granted ; indeed 
 it appeared that everything was practicable when 
 we firmly demanded it, and that even the least 
 thing was refused when we humbly asked for it. 
 
 They seemed greatly to dread our staying too 
 long and our proceeding up the river. We do not 
 know the result, if the latter had taken place. 
 They tried every expedient in order to get us 
 away, and were neither sparing in tears, impre- 
 cations, and the greatest humiliations in order to 
 gain their ends. 
 
 The numerous merchants at Shang-hae would 
 gladly have entered with us upon commercial 
 transactions, if the mandarins had in the least 
 degree relaxed in their vigilance. In order to 
 
 u 
 
290 
 
 strike terror amongst all the merchants, they 
 seized upon a very rich gentlemen, who was 
 accused of having called our ship hither. Nothing 
 could be so unfounded as this accusation, for we 
 even did not know the name of the hong. Never- 
 theless, the people gave to their conversation a 
 full flow, and never failed to discuss the justice or 
 injustice of our cause. 
 
 I regret that we did not visit Soo Chow, one of 
 the richest districts of the empire in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Shang-hae ; nor did we see Tung 
 Chow, at the entrance of the Yang-tsye-Keang, 
 neither any place about the Yellow River; but 
 we visited Tsung-ming, an alluvial island at the 
 north, at the mouth of the Great River. Whilst 
 small unimportant islands in the Pacific Ocean 
 have claimed the attention of the most able navi- 
 gators, those extensive flourishing regions about 
 the Yang-tsye-Keang and the Yellow River never 
 attracted any notice, and until this moment they 
 are never visited by Europeans, because they are 
 unknown, and the coast has never been surveyed. 
 
 We had no time to visit Teen-tsin, the third 
 emporium in the empire ; nor could we go to Kin 
 Chow, Kae Chow, or Nankin, the principal 
 emporiums of Manchow Tartary, whither hun- 
 dreds of Chinese junks annually repair and carry 
 on a most advantageous trade. Since the Shan- 
 tung people have been permitted to colonize this 
 country it has begun to increase in wealth and 
 strength, and is now the most productive country 
 amongst all the regions about Peking. 
 
291 
 
 Shang-tung Province. 
 
 We passed Kaon Chow, the most important 
 emporium of this province, and the rendezvous of 
 a great many junks. We touched at the Shan- 
 tung promontory at Wei-hae-wei, where we found 
 the mandarins very unfriendly. Shan-tung can 
 give very little in exchange of imports. The 
 people are strong and industrious, but very 
 clumsy, and little qualified for merchants. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Our sudden appearance on the coast transfused 
 general terror. We endeavoured to silence their 
 fears by the most positive declarations that we 
 merely came to trade. Nothing could equal the 
 cringing servility which most of the mandarins 
 showed whenever we came in contact with them. 
 If they were men of probity, it would have been 
 very painful to our feelings to see them degraded 
 on our account ; but the same men would be 
 humble and arrogant, just as it suited their 
 purposes. 
 
 The mandarins were everywhere anxious to get 
 us away, and to send us to other districts which 
 were not under their jurisdiction. From Fuh 
 Chow, they recommended us to go to Ning-po ; 
 from Ning-po they directed us to go to Chapo 
 or Shang - hae ; from Shang - hae they tried 
 to send us back to Cha-poo Ning-po, or Soo 
 Chow, or advised us to go to to Kaon Chow ; 
 from Shan-tung they entreated us to go to Man- 
 chow Tartary. This their friendly advice was 
 
292 
 
 frequently given in the open assemblies by supe- 
 rior mandarins. 
 
 We have seen these mighty rulers undisguised. 
 We lament their utter want of good faith ; at the 
 same time we must highly praise their readiness 
 to comply, when they have no alternative but to 
 yield. It is the greatest prudence that strangers 
 at Canton are excluded from any intercourse with 
 the mandarins, for they would lose all their influ- 
 ence as soon as they came in nearer contact ; and 
 even their most specious edicts would lose their 
 power if the author was known to the reader. 
 They will do everything if their self-interest is 
 concerned ; and this ought to be always the 
 quarter where they are to be attacked. 
 
 Provincial egotism and prejudice were very 
 prevalent. The mandarins, as well as the people 
 of their respective places, were very anxious to 
 secure to their districts the same advantages 
 which accrue to Canton from trade with foreigners ; 
 but the insurmountable obstacle to effect so great 
 an end, is always the unalterable imperial laws. 
 
 It would be the highest presumption in strangers 
 to insist upon the alteration of laws whereby mil- 
 lions are guided, and which have the sanction of 
 many centuries ; but they have a right to ask a 
 renewal of their ancient privileges, because 
 ancient regulations are venerated in China, and 
 constantly referred to, so that they would act 
 entirely in conformation of true Chinese prin- 
 ciples. Every nation claims the same privileges 
 for themselves which they have granted to another 
 
293 
 
 nation. If Chinese junks have the full permission 
 to trade to our ports, have we no right to ask the 
 same privilege ? They have our permission cer- 
 tainly, but not that of their own government. 
 
 Great is the field for mercantile enterprise. If 
 the coast is properly surveyed, if a commercial 
 treaty is concluded, the manufacturer will be 
 employed, and the merchant find an extensive 
 market. We have been anxious to explore the 
 interior of Africa ; Central Asia is a more exten- 
 sive and important field ; if the former has drawn 
 the attention of more scientific men, let the latter 
 claim the attention of manufacturers and mer- 
 chants. 
 
 Corea. Chaou-seen. 
 
 Perhaps no country in Asia, accessible by sea, 
 has less been visited by Europeans. The produc- 
 tions are unknown, and the language has never 
 found its way to Europe. Besides an account of 
 a few Dutchmen, who had been wrecked on the 
 coast and resided in the country for a great length 
 of time, and the detail of a few Jesuits who 
 went thither, we have no authentic description of 
 this remote country. Those parts which we 
 visited were fertile, but uncultivated. The inha- 
 bitants, a well-made race of people, lived in a 
 most wretched state ; they showed the greatest 
 distrust, but grew more familiar the longer we 
 stayed. They were exceedingly anxious that we 
 should not approach their dwellings. Their man- 
 
294 
 
 darins were more severe in their punishments 
 than even the Chinese. 
 
 We were invited by an official messenger to 
 come to Gan Keang harbour, which is not very 
 far from the capital. When sending in our peti- 
 tion, we were assured that these matters should 
 be duly represented to his majesty, who would 
 return an answer upon our request. After con- 
 siderable delay, a great mandarin arrived, who 
 informed us that Corea, being a dependent state, 
 had no will of its own, but implicitly obeyed the 
 will of the sovereign of the Celestial Empire; 
 they could therefore not permit us to trade, 
 because they had not received the imperial sanc- 
 tion for such an uncustomary transaction. We 
 refuted this assumption of vassalage, proving, 
 from their own authority, that they were only 
 a tributary nation. They were ashamed them- 
 selves that they had humbled themselves in the 
 eyes of foreigners, in order to have a pretext for 
 refusing them to trade. We left this place highly 
 dissatisfied with the unnecessary delay incurred. 
 We requested them to provide all English ships 
 which occasionally might touch here, with pro- 
 visions, to which they fully agreed. 
 
 To the south of Corea is an island of the name 
 of Quel Paert, well cultivated, and excellently 
 situated to carry on a trade with Corea, Japan, 
 the northern part of China, and Manchow Tar- 
 tary. We however did not visit it, and only 
 viewed it from a distance. 
 
295 
 Great Loo Choo. 
 
 When we arrived here the natives were rather 
 shy, and did not show much cordiality ; they 
 grew, however, by degrees, more affectionate, 
 but still prevented our walking about. Having 
 the means of freely communicating with them, 
 we endeavoured to impress them with the friendly 
 feelings which the British nation cherished towards 
 a people who had given them ample proofs of their 
 disinterested kindness. They supplied us very 
 readily with provisions, but were unwilling to 
 enter into any commercial dealings, because this 
 was against the law, and besides, their native 
 country was very small and barren, and they could 
 give nothing in exchange. We quoted to them 
 the Sandwich Islands as an instance of the happy 
 result of having entered into an intercourse with 
 Europeans ; though they greatly wondered at 
 this, they were too much influenced by Chinese 
 politics thus to change their system of exclusion 
 on our behalf. Their trade is principally carried 
 on with Fuh Chow. Thither they send annually 
 their craft, with cargoes of provision and sulphur, 
 and take Chinese manufactures in return. They 
 denied their having any intercourse with Japan, 
 though there were three junks from that country in 
 the harbour. If we had not been prevented by 
 the Loo Choo mandarins, we might have freely 
 conversed with these Japanese, who were very 
 anxious to conciliate our friendship. 
 
 It appears that China exercises a very great 
 influence upon the surrounding nations. If China 
 
296 
 
 gave the signal for opening a trade with the British 
 nation, all those petty tributary states would be 
 ready to follow the example of the Celestial 
 Empire. This is perhaps not applicable to 
 Japan, which has always maintained its inde- 
 pendence of China, and acts to its own dis- 
 cretion ; but it fully applies to Loo Choo, Corea, 
 and Cochin-China. The most exclusive nation, 
 the Coreans, trade only with Manchow Tartary and 
 with Japan. Their ambassadors have the liberty 
 of opening a shop or warehouse at Peking ; so 
 also the Cochin-Chinese and Siamese have the 
 permission of bringing one or two junks free of 
 duty, with their embassy to Canton. If Chinese 
 notions about an ambassador are imbibed from 
 these mercantile embassies, which seems to be 
 the case, must we then be astonished that our 
 ambassadors have been treated with so little 
 decorum, because they were viewed in the same 
 light ? 
 
 In concluding this Paper, I sincerely express 
 my hope that this voyage may tend to awaken 
 that general interest for Chinese trade which so 
 extensive a field for mercantile enterprise has to 
 claim. 
 
 (True copy.) 
 
 (Signed) H. H. LINDSAY, 
 
 Secretary. 
 Canton, IQth October, 1832. 
 
 R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD-STREET-HILL. 
 
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