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2 (since 1557 A.D.), strenuously objected to admit such a powerful interloper to a share in the profits of the Chinese trade, and the attempt failed.

Nothing daunted, however, the Court of Directors forthwith (A.D. 1634) negotiated a Treaty with the Portuguese Governor of Goa, under whose control Macao was, and by virtue of this Treaty the British ship London (Captain Weddell) was admitted into the port of Macao and, after bombarding the Bogue Forts at the entrance to the Canton River, her gallant commander was received in friendly audience by the Viceroy, who forthwith granted him (July 1655) full participation in the Canton trade, to the great chagrin of the Macao traders. Thus British trade commenced at Canton, but through petty international jealousies on the part of the Portuguese and other causes it languished, until at last Oliver Cromwell concluded, on express principles of reciprocity, a Treaty (A.D. 1654) with King John IV. of Portugal, giving free access to the ships of both nations to any port of the East Indies.

Ten years later, the East India Company, having at last secured a house at Macao, endeavoured to set up a regular factory at Canton also. But by this time the native Ming Dynasty had been supplanted by the Manchu invaders who established (A.D. 1644) the present Tatsing Dynasty and manifested from first to last a haughty contempt for all persons engaged in trade and an irreconcilable animosity against all foreign intruders.

In conquering Amoy (A.D. 1681), the Manchus destroyed the Company's agency there and at Zelandia (Formosa), but the Portuguese at Macao, having made themselves useful to the new Dynasty by rendering military aid to the invaders, were with haughty contempt tolerated where they were, without any formal concession being made to them. The Manchus, disdaining to make any distinction between Portuguese and English, as being equally barbarians in their eyes, allowed foreign trade at Canton to continue, though thenceforth under galling and vexatious restrictions.