HISTORY
end of the century, Queen Elizabeth herself addressed a letter to the Emperor of China. Though this letter was probably never delivered it marks the beginning of official support for a whole series of adventurous attempts to share in the trade of the Eastern countries. At the beginning of the next century a monopoly of the East Indian trade was created in favour of "The Governor and merchants of London trading in the East Indies.' An early trading station at Bantam in Java soon led to the extension of the sphere of action to Japan and China.
The Portuguese had already founded the settle- ment of Macau from Malacca. In 1681 the English East India Company secured a house in Macau and a little later an approach was made to Canton itself. By 1715 a regular seasonal trade had been commenced with a shore staff residing during the season in the Canton factories and, during the summer months, in the Company's premises at Macau. The French, Dutch and Americans were not long in following the Com- pany's lead, and, by the end of the eighteenth century, Englishmen trading on their own account were begin- ning to share the benefits of this intercourse which the Chinese regulated.
Two attempts were made to establish normal official relations with China, by Lord Macartney in 1793 and by Lord Amherst in 1816; but these were rebuffed by the Manchu Court at Peking. The separate trends which British intercourse with China had hitherto taken the activity of the East India Company, whose monopoly expired in 1831, and the unsuccessful official missions were united in 1834 by the arrival of Lord Napier in Canton as His Majesty's Chief Superintendent
255
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.