JB/169/147/003

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If I was convinced before I came to this Country, that
the trade to China might be encreased, I am still more so now,
the casual introduction of Furs & the high prices they bore,
led our Companys Servants to try the Experiment, & with
success, & you will observe, that these Furs were not sold for the
use of the Canton & Southern provinces, but were sent to Nankin
and from thence distributed thro' the Northern part of the Empire.
The great profits that arose on the sale of these skins,
made it an object with the Canton Merchants to exchange
with those of Nankin for their teas, and brought the Nankin
Merchants so much profit as to enable them to try other articles
amongst their Northern Correspondents, to which I attribute
to the increased demand of Dutch & English Camblets &
other articles of our Woollen manufactory, which if they could
once make their way at reasonable prices amongst the
Northern provinces would be found very acceptable amongst
them

But I shall state to you as briefly as possible
the state of Commercial management at Canton

All Commercial business is transacted by a set of
Merchants called Hong Merchants who seem to be Centremetteurs
between the Viceroy & Court of Mandarines for
all affairs of Commerce, & the revenues arising from Commerce.
As the Viceroy & Chiefs of the Canton Government
are never seen by the Europeans nor any other mode of
Communication admitted than thro' these Hong Merchants,
they alone interpret the Will and pleasure of Government
on all Commercial occasions. You will very readily see
that in a country governed by veniality & extortion
it is the interest of the Government of Canton to confine
the Commerce of China to their own district, to pay the
Emporer an Annual duty & to press upon the Hong Merchants
for as much overplus as they can exact from them.
The Hong Merchants on their side are to be as careful
to keep the Government in ignorance of any increase
in their trade, for fear of still farther contributions from them
them in consequence. This is the cause of all those jealousies
& mysteries which pass in China by the name of
Political intrigue & which the Gentlemen of the factory
very

Identifier: | JB/169/147/003 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 169.
Date_1	000-04-09 Unable to interpret the "000-04-09" input value as valid date or time component with "There is no year 0 in Gregorian and Julian calendars." being reported.	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	169	Main Headings
Folio number	147	Info in main headings field
Image	003	Titles
Category	collectanea	Number of Pages	4
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering
Penner	lady bentham	Watermarks	[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [britannia with shield motif]]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	56967
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