RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1975
https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/j0995146d
INCIDENT BETWEEN HONG MERCHANTS AND THE SUPERCARGOES OF THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY IN CANTON, 1811.

J. L. CRANMER-BYNG*

A detailed account of this incident was recorded by the senior officer on the British side, Captain the Hon. Hugh Lindsay,† the Commodore of the East India Company's fleet at that time. It is in the form of a letter to his sister, Lady Anne Barnard, undated, and was printed in The Lives of the Lindsays by Lord Lindsay, 2 vols., London, 1849. A full copy of this letter, retaining the original punctuation, has been supplied by Mr. Tom Lindsay, a long-time member of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. It is worth printing because of the details it supplies which are missing in the brief account of the same episode in Hosea Ballou Morse, The Chronicles of the East India Company trading to China, 1635-1834, Vol. III, Oxford 1926, p. 156.

Historians of early Anglo-Chinese relations, and of the British East India Company's trade with China, have to rely to a great extent for their material on Morse's five substantial volumes. It is worth examining, at this point, how Morse wrote these volumes which are based on a massive collection of hand-written documents.

* Professor Cranmer-Byng belongs to the Department of History at the University of Toronto. He was the first Hon. Editor of this Journal and has contributed to it from time to time.

Hon. Hugh Lindsay was a younger brother of Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres and 23rd Earl of Crawford. A note at the bottom of page 400 of Vol. II of Lives of the Lindsays states:

Mr. Hugh Lindsay was for many years Member of Parliament for the burghs of Forfar, Perth, Dundee, Cupar and St. Andrews, and Marshal of the Admiralty.

In the text on the same page it is stated that he was also a Director and Chairman of the East India Company. He died in April 1844 in his eightieth year. The biographical note goes on:

Hugh Hamilton Lindsay Esq., his only son, and long a resident in China, is the author of the extremely interesting 'Voyage of the Amherst, — along two thousand miles of the coast of China,- published in 8vo. by a speculating bookseller, from his report to the East India Co., which was printed by order of Parliament.
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RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1976
https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/hq382988q
110

TIN-YUKE CHAR

Aldersey brought over from her Batavia, Java mission school to become assistant leaders in her Ningpo school. Ruth and Laisun had a family of six children: Elijah, Spencer, Willie, Annie, Lena, and Amy.

Chan later left his mission work and went to Shanghai in 1853 where he became quite successful through his connections with an English mercantile firm. On a corner of the American Board's property in Shanghai, he built a school house where his wife opened a girls' school. As he was acquainted with Yung Wing and was qualified, he was engaged to accompany the Educational Mission to America in 1872. He took along his wife and six children. His two eldest sons were ready to enter college in two years and his two eldest daughters received part of their education in England.

In 1875 Chan was detached from the Educational Mission and appointed interpreter to Li Hung-chang, Governor-general of Chihli. Thus, he met Hawaiian King Kalakaua in Tientsin in 1881.

The February 1887 issue of the Hamilton College Literary Monthly had this letter from Chan, "We all love the United States, for many reasons. Our hearts are still there, although we are back in China. I am in Tientsin, with the well-known viceroy, Si [Li] Hung Chang, as his Secretary, and Interpreter. Annie, our eldest daughter, is married to a Dane, Captain of the Chinese government revenue cruiser; and is the happy mother of a beautiful son. Elijah, the eldest boy, graduated from the Yale Scientific School in 1887. He then went to Freiburg in Saxony, and remained there eighteen months. On his return to China, he was commissioned to open the copper mines in Eastern Mongolia. His prospects are very bright. He was offered the post of chief engineer for the government railroads, but declined to accept it. He is the first scientific engineer China has produced. His field is the largest ever offered to a single individual, for the mineral resources of China are almost infinite.”

From Carl Smith's article, it was learned that another son, Spencer Tsang Lai Sun, married Man Kwai, daughter of the Reverend Ho Fuk-tong (1818-71) of Hong Kong.

A further lead to more information was given by Chi Wang of the Orientalia Division, United States Library of Congress. In Shu Hsin-ch'eng's Chinese book on Chinese Students in Foreign Countries, the interpreter of the Educational Mission was identified by his official name, Tseng Heng-chung. The same is true in
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RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1989
https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h
180

TOT

concerts. For the performance on the first night, February 16 1859, the artists had prepared a drop scene representing "a most romantic spot on the banks of the Lago Maggiore". Italy obviously continued to stimulate the imagination.

F.

But whatever its qualities a long lifetime was not allotted to this theatre; after the last night in June 1859 it was pulled down, and once more a new shelter for Thalia had to be secured. Where it stood, we have no idea; even a proper name was not given, but on February 15 1860 the opening night of the season took place.

G.

During the Taiping ravages of the years 1860-1861, numerous Chinese fled to the Settlement and a huge building speculation developed, everyone trying to get rich by erecting the most flimsy structures for the refugees. Because of this it cannot have been easy for the amateurs to rent a godown to set up a new theatre in 1863. But, as usual, they succeeded in their efforts and another Theatre Royal enriched the streets of Shanghai, though which one it is impossible to say. There is, however, an interesting description of the interior in the Herald of February 14, 1863:

"The audience part of the house consists of a dress circle and pit, the former enclosed with scarlet decorations, and the latter arranged with rows of good strong forms. The proscenium is plainly ornamented, with two 'guardian angels' on each side, and surrounded by a design having the flags of all nations combined round the British crown with the motto Unitate Fortior' underneath. These we understand were painted by a gallant captain [Hamilton, of one of the military regiments – JH] besides the drop scene, which is exceedingly well done and represents, if we are not mistaken, the Lake of Lucerne embosomed in the mighty Alps. The house was well lit up and the footlights were brilliant”.

H.

The capacity of the house was given as about two hundred and fifty.

The following season, 1863-1864, saw, on February 10 1864, the opening
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RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1989
https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h
214

Jacob Grimes: F. Shannons

These performances drew the largest audiences of the season", which statement causes some surprise seeing that it had only just started. But the house was filled in every part and a good number of ladies in the dress circle graced the occasion, while the parterre was so crowded that many of the spectators had to stand". Noteworthy were the scenery, painted by Captain Hamilton; and, in Crinoline Mr. PHILLIPS as the jealous husband “which would be considered excellent on the boards of the Adelphi” (NCH 14.3.1863).

16.3.1863 (Mon)

Repeat of the former.

26.3.1863 (Thur)

J.M. MORTON: "Fitzsmythe of Fitzsmythe Hall" (1860)

T: Farce (1 act)

J.M. MORTON: "Where There's a Will There's a Way” (1849) T: Comic drama (1 act)

C: Amateurs (Local and British officers)

Th: N.N. (G?)

R: Casts:

Where There's a Will:

Dona Francesca: Mr. W. Hyslop (of Gibb, Livington & Co)

Don Manuel: D.A.C.G. Ewing

Don Lopes Avila: Mr. Raymur

Dona Blanche de Tavora: Mr. A. Broom (of Jardine, Matheson & Co)

Don Scipio de Pompolino: D.A.C.G. Cooksley

Fitzsmythe:

Fitzsmythe: D.A.C.G. Cooksley

His wife: D.A.C.G. Hayter

Penelope, their daughter: Mr. A. Broom

Frank Tottenham: Mr. Raymur

Gregory, servant: D.A.C.G. Ewing

It was remarked about Mr. Raymur that "this gentleman was of a backward turn in his orthography". So a pseudonym after all; the hint though does not make it clearer. There is no Raymur, nor a "Rumyar" (which would be a very strange name indeed) in the "Shanghai Almanac for 1862” — the last one available. Could it be Mr. E.I. Remier? Although the review of the 13th February had not been negative, tonight's performances were, in the eyes of the Herald. "upon the whole an improvement on those of the first subscription night, and the audience expressed their approbation in a more decided manner, so that everybody seemed pleased with the evening's entertainment", Where There's a Will There's a Way, an elegant drawing room play situated in 18th century Portuguese royal circles, "was placed on the stage in a very creditable manner, considering the slender means and appliances as being tasteful, rich and, we presume, correct for the period, while the ladies looked quite charming in their elegant dresses; the whole apparently got up 'regardless of expenses as the London playbills have it". In Fitzsmythe the best piece of acting was that of Mr. HAYTER as the old lady who, like Mr. Jourdain, was "ambitious of having "quality" friends and finery, while in her domestic occupations she revelled in jam and soapuds The "languishing Penelope" of Mr. BROOM was also quite fascinating”. (NCH 28.3.1863).

17.4.1863 (Fri)

Concert by amateurs in aid of the Lancashire Relief Fund.
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