72
Council
Board
of
Trade
to Province, and to the injury which thence must arise to British Commerce with China. Lord Frey will observe that In consequence of the inability of the Chinese Government to send down their own naval Force to protect this Place, it has been a prevalent practice amongst Traders and Contractors to assemble in large Fleets and to lure small European vessels, vessels called Lorcha or native Lorcha, with European or Macao Portuguese Commanders, to give those Fleets Convoy and protection from Port to Port. Lord Frey will also observe that from the defective nature of this system great abuses have arisen and that acts of violence and of wrong are committed by the Portuguese and others who command these warring vessels; that thence detriment to British interests arises, because we are the European Nation most engaged in communication and intercourse with China, and our character suffers most from European Misconduct, as the Chinese are apt to ascribe to the English all that is done ill by Foreigners, and moreover there are Portuguese and English wrongdoers who give themselves out as English in order to obtain impunity by the fear