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EARLY CHART OF CHINA COAST (contd.)
More might be given here about Captain John Rees and Jardine's early ships.
the historian of sailing I am indebted to the researches of Mr. Basil Lubbock craft for the following information contained in one of his books.
Speaking of the China Coast opium clippers in 1832 he says that the first vessel to be despatched to the Northward in the trade was Rustomjee's "Agnes," which sailed from Lintin at the end of January, that year. She, however, only proceeded a short distance up the coast and then brought up off a walled town, called Shin Tsean: Here she lay for a month patiently waiting for the smugglers to come off to her, but though she was supplied with fresh provisions by a local compradore no one showed any desire for her opium, and in March the Captain went back to Macao in disgust.
The next vessel to sail into the unknown was the frigate-built Blackwaller "Lord Amherst", a smart ship of 506 tons and 70 men, which was chartered by the Honourable Company for 2,500 dollars, from her consignees Whiteman and Company, and loaded with broadcloth, camlets, calico and cotton, but not a single chest of opium. She was commanded by Captain John Rees, but an official of the Company named Lindsay was in charge of the expedition.
Sailing from Whampoa on February 26, 1832, the "Lord Amherst" was much held up at first by the strong monsoon, and it was not until March 26 that she anchored off Namoa. Without charts and on an unsurveyed coast her captain seems to have watched the coasting junks and fishermen and used them whenever possible as pilots. For instance on March 22, in a gale of wind, he followed junks in among the rocks off Breaker Point, and, anchoring where they anchored, thus took shelter for the night.
When off Chinghae, on March 26, when the whole horizon was covered with fishing boats, 1,200 being counted within sight, Mr. Lindsay sought information not only from a trading junk but from some war junks. Only a short stay was made at Namoa, and on March 30 shelter from the usual N.E. gale was taken in a fine bay, opposite the town of Tung-shan-ying. The next day the "Lord Amherst" worked along the shore in short tacks, anchoring for the night under the lee of Hoo-tow-shan (Tigers Hill Head). On April 2, Captain Rees anchored at Amoy, where the ship remained a week, whilst every possible effort was made to open trade.
The next places visited were the Pescadore Islands and Formosa, and April 21 found the "Lord Amherst" off the entrance of the Min River.
On May 3 her log records moving into the river and anchoring opposite the Customs house near the five gates. Here she remained until the 17th, whilst Lindsay made every effort to placate the local mandarins.
The next longish stop was made at Ningpo, which was left on June 13.
On June 17 the "Lord Amherst" sailed inside the Chusan Archipelago, the passage she used being named Amherst Passage. Here again she followed junks into the Yang-tze. After remaining in the Shanghai River from June 20 to July 8, the voyage was continued into the unknown North.
On July 15 the "Lord Amherst" anchored at Wei-hai-wei, continuing next day, proceeding very carefully, towards the Loktaou Islands, with the longboat sounding ahead, until anchor was dropped on the 25th opposite a large Korean village.
On August 12 the ship was headed South; on the 21st Sulphur Island was passed, and on September 6 the "Lord Amherst" came to an anchor in the Cap-sing-moon Passage.
On the whole this endeavour to open up general trading without the added... attraction of the drug was a failure. The common people were only too anxious to trade and be pleasant to the foreign devils, but the mandarins everywhere had strict Imperial orders that they were not to allow trade or even communication with the great "three piecey bamboo".
One of the most remarkable of the early missionaries took part in the "Lord Amherst" expedition. This was the Rev. Charles Gutzlaff, a Prussian, who had arrived in China aboard a junk from Singapore in 1826, and later became a well-known Hongkong personality. (See "Old Hongkong" of 18.7.33, for his career, and 4 and 5.10.34 for further references).