Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/30

 Company for a considerable period after the inditing of this gloomy report. In 1654 the Dutch appear to have sent two ships to Canton from the Pescadores at the invitation of the authorities there, but the new Emperor who was greatly incensed against the Hollanders and strongly prejudiced against all foreigners, hearing of their presence at the port sent orders that they should be cut off, and cut off they would have been had not the friendly Viceroy given them a timely hint to cut their cables and depart—advice which they promptly accepted. About the same period two private English ships, the King Ferdinand and the Richard and Martha appear also to have visited Canton. They, too, had to leave precipitately, and they departed in anything but the odour of sanctity with the Chinese, for they omitted to discharge their measureage dues before leaving, a circumstance which was unpleasantly recalled five years later when the next English ship appeared in the Canton River. This vessel was the Company's ship Surat, which in 1664 sailed from Bantam with a cargo of pepper, indigo, a quantity of lead, and other produce, amounting in value to Rs. 9,573. They had difficulties as usual with the Portuguese at Macao: "They are low and proud," was the Company's supercargoes' verdict upon them. They found pirates infesting the mouth of the Canton River and exacting blackmail from all whom they could intimidate; and, most discouraging of all, they discovered that there was "no certainty of trade in any part of China under the Tartar Government."

Foiled in their endeavours to create a direct trade with China, the Company sought to achieve their end by indirect means. Their new plan was to establish factories somewhere in the vicinity of China where they could get into touch with Chinese traders. What seemed at the time to be a favourable opportunity offered in consequence of the capture of Tywan, Formosa, from the Dutch in 1664 by a venturesome Chinese chief Mandarin, who followed up his occupation of the island by establishing something like a regal authority over its inhabitants. This chief was reported to be friendly to traders. It subsequently appeared that his friendliness only consisted in a desire to have in the foreigners' ships a convenient milch cow to supply his warlike necessities. But the Company were too eager at the time to get a foothold in the China seas to examine very closely into the motives which prompted the indirect overture which was made to them. In 1670 they despatched two small ships to Tywan to reconnoitre the position. A friendly reception was given to the Company's representatives, who finally left with a signed permit from the King for the establishment of a factory. The next year two ships, the Bantam Merchant and the Crown, were sent out to Tywan, but the results of the voyage were only partially successful because, says a naive communication sent home by the factors, "of some perfidious Chinese and our yett inexperience in those parts." After this an effort was made to open up a trade with Japan by vessels sent direct from England; but the venture was a complete failure. One of the ships was captured by the Dutch, and the other, after a circuitous and protracted voyage, arrived home with little to its account, but a heavy bill of costs. The Bantam agency was anxious to resort to the old Dutch method of capturing junks to compel Japan to open her ports. But the Court with great good sense wrote, "We like not what ye wrote to become robbers or to attempt to p'cure our trade with force, although they (the Japanese) have dealt unkindly with us." The Court at the same time thought that much good might be done by cultivating the friendship of the King of Tywan, for they accounted the establishment at Tywan to be of great importance. Meanwhile, in opposition to this view, it was

reported from Tywan that no great progress was being made. The junks proceeding to Japan refused to have anything to do with the English cloths, and there were few openings in other directions for lucrative business.

Simultaneously with the opening of a trade with Formosa the Company took measures to establish a factory in Tonkin. The Dutch had long maintained an agency there, and it was thought that the Company could not do better than follow their rivals' example, more especially in view of the determination come to to promote a circuitous trade with China. To further the enterprise the Zant frigate was sent out in 1672 with a full cargo and a capable crew commanded by W. Gyfford, one of the Company's trusted servants. The ship reached the Tonkin River on June 25th, and on the following day passed up the tideway some 14 miles. Then the frigate was ordered to stop until permission had been procured for it to proceed to Hien, the capital. A Mandarin — one Ung-ja-Thay — came on board while the vessel was lying-to, and the Company's representatives in order to get on good terms with him made him a present of "6 yards of scarlet, 2 sword blades and 2 silver hafted knives." These gifts apparently had not the desired effect, for when the ship was proceeding up the river on July 6th, "the Mandarin being this day aboard, pinioned the captain and threatened to cut off the chief mate's head, because they would not tow the ship against a violent stream." However, "at last they were forced to try but as soon as the anchor was up the tide or current carried down the ship in spite of all help; soe he was something appeased."

"Were it not that we have respect for the Company's affairs," observe the factors in their curious chronicle of the voyage, "we should have resisted any such affront, though we saw but little hopes of escaping, being so far up the river and our ship so full of soldiers."

Mr. Gyfford told the Mandarin that putting such dishonour upon them as to pinion the captain seemed very strange to them, and therefore they desired no other favour from him but leave to go back again, for they believed their honourable employers would not trade there upon such terms. The Mandarin answered "that while we were out we might have kept out; the King was King of Tonquin before we came there and would be after we departed; and that this country had no need of any foreign thing; but now we are within his power we must be obedient thereto; comparing it to the condition of a married woman, who can blame no one but herself for being brought into bondage." The Mandarin, meanwhile, made free of the ship's stores. "He calls for wine at his pleasure and gives it amongst his soldiers and secretaries, forcing them and our seamen to drink full cups only to devour it." Afterwards the Mandarin plundered the ship shamelessly, and later some of the Royal house and leading officials joined in the business. In the absence of the King of Tonkin, who was away fighting the Cochin Chinese, letters were delivered to his son asking permission to build a factory.

In a summary of the proceedings Gyfford stales the Mandarin "ransacked our ship at his pleasure carrying away all our English cloth, stuffs, lead and guns and anything else that we hoped to make profit by, and told us that the King would buy them—which is true, but it will be at his own rates. . . . With all our industry we have not been able to do more than to unload the ship and procure a chop for settling at Hien and send of our goods during the King's absence."