JARDINE MATHESON & CO. (1)
583
Brief reference was made yesterday to the old godown of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and Co. at East Point. It requires a visit to this romantic spot to appreciate the many old associations, which tell not only of the actual founding of Hongkong, but also of the foundation of British trade in China, for the firm of Jardine's goes back well over a hundred years, and the associations with Canton and Macao established the basis for the later connexion with the Colony. The founder of the premier British mercantile house in the Far East was Dr. William Jardine, at one time a surgeon in the service of the Honourable East India Co.; his associate of those early days, whose name is retained in the firm, was Mr. James Matheson, who afterwards became Sir James Matheson, Bart., of the Lews. Another early business associate was Mr. Hollingworth Magniac, of Macao. In the eighteen-twenties they traded together in Macao, with business interests extending to India, and the actual partnership under the present name of Jardine, Matheson and Co. was not formed until 1832, one hundred and one years ago.
The firm, naturally, was associated with Hongkong almost from its foundation, and the name of the principal partner is preserved in such places as Jardine's Bazaar (extending from the east end of the Praya East to Pennington Street), and Jardine's Lookout (see 31-7-33).
For the present it is merely necessary to give this brief reference to the founding of the great firm, and I shall return to a consideration of the East Point property. This has remained in the ownership of the company "since the beginning," Jardine's having transferred here from Macao in 1842. The place is a revelation to anyone interested in the old merchant days of the Colony. There are still standing some of the original buildings, with one godown, still in use, bearing a granite stone over its entrance with the date 1843, and underneath the name of the firm in Chinese, which was carved ninety years ago, and is a purely phonetic rendering. The name "Ewo" evidently came much later into use.
To look upon the great granite blocks that went to the building of these godowns, and the substantial buttresses that have kept them as strong to-day as they ever were, is to conjure up some of that romance which memories of the old days retain. One part of the godowns, nearer to the road, was erected about 1850, and here was added about 1852, a bungalow residence of stone, on top of the one-storyed godown itself. The old house is still inhabited by a member of Jardine's staff, as it happens one whose forebears were associated with the Colony in those far-away days, and were relatives of the Jardines. Indoors, some old Chinnery pictures, stands of out-of-date muskets and long spears, and an ancient-looking cannon, remind one vividly of the past; and the visitor feels as if he were in a cool backwater off the beaten track of modern existence; yet a few yards beyond the old compound, still shaded by huge banyan trees, runs a modern road carrying heavy motor traffic.
The cannon is a reminder of the days when all the merchant ships in these waters were armed against pirates, and the seafront godowns had to be prepared against attack. East Point had its due quota of lethal armament, and its guard; and up to this year of grace, 1933, Jardine's maintain a guard at the place, a "sergeant, corporal and squad of men", no doubt proud of the association with the Hong and its traditions.
The entrance to the residence is through the godown's granite archway, and here kept freshly painted, above the arch and on the huge solid wooden door, are carvings of the Jardine company's flag, and what was probably their mercantile marine cap-badge. To the side of the doorway hangs a brightly-polished brass bell, but it is an old one withal, and with proper legend attached.
It appears that in the good old days, at a time when this godown abutted on the seafront, ships came alongside clippers and paddlewheelers, and the more advanced steam packets and (probably in celebration of a profitable trading venture and a safe return from China Sea typhoons) it was a case of "all hands ashore". But custom required that the ships' bells be struck at regular intervals, so a compromise was arranged, and while the ships were deserted by their crews for the time being, one man was detailed to strike the bell alongside the wharf, as a substitute for the lot! And even to-day, we find a picturesque figure, a dignified elderly Chinese watchman, in a neat uniform and leggings, solemnly striking the "watches"; and perhaps the echoes from those old granite walls recall the ghosts of dead and gone mariners, coming blithely ashore, or returning uncertainly to their ships in the small hours!