employed his intereft with the Hoppo to the fame purpofe. But
the officer continuing inflexible, Mr. Anfon told him the next day,
that if the permit was any longer refufed, he would man and arm
the Centurion’s boats; alking the Hoppo, at the fame time, who
he imagined would dare to oppofe them in their paffage. This
threat immediately brought about what his intreaties had endeavoured
at in vain : The permit was granted, and Mr. Anfon went to
Canton. On his arrival there, he confulted with the Supercargoes
and Officers of the Englifh fhips, how to procure an order from
the Viceroy for the neceifaries he wanted : But in this he had
reafon to fuppofe, that the advice they gave him, though well
intended, was yet not the mod prudent: For as it is the cuftom
with thefe Gentlemen, never to apply to the fupreme Magiftrate
himfelf, whatever difficulties they labour under, but to tranfadt all
matters relating to the Government, by the mediation of the principal
Cbinefe Merchants, Mr. Anfon was perfuaded to follow the
fame method upon this occafion, the Englifh promifing (in which
they were doubtlefs fincere) to exert all their intereft to engage the
Merchants in his favour. Indeed when the Chinefe Merchants were
fpoke to, they readily undertook the management of this buiinefs
and promifed to anfwer for its fuccefs; but after near a month’s
delay, and reiterated excufes, during which interval they pretended
to be often upon the point of compleating it, they at laft (when they
were prefled, and meafures were taken for delivering a letter to the
Viceroy) threw off the malk, and declared they neither had made
application to the Viceroy, nor could they; as he was too great a
man, they faid, for them to approach on any occafion : And not
contented with having themfelves thus grofsly deceived the Commodore,
they now ufed all their perfuafion with the Englifh at
Canton, to prevent them from intermeddling with any thing that
regarded him, reprefenting to them, that it would in all probability
embroil them with the Government, and occafion them a great deal
o f unneceflary trouble; which groundlefs infinuations had unluckily
but too much weight with thofe they were intended to influence.
It
357
It may be difficult to affign a reafon for this perfidious condudt of
the Cbinefe Merchants. Intereft indeed is known to exert a bound-
lefs influence over the inhabitants of that Empire; but how their
intereft could be affe'fled in the prefent cafe is not eafy to difcover;
unlefs they apprehended that the prefence of a fhip. of force
might damp their Manila trade, and therefore a£ted in this manner
with a view of forcing the Commodore to Batavia : Though
it might be as natural in this light to fuppofe, that they would have
been eager to have got-him difpatched. I therefore rather impute
their behaviour to the unparalleled pufillanimity of the nation, and
to the awe. they are under of the Government: Since fuch a fir ip
as the Centurion, fitted for war only, having never been feen in thofe
parts before, the was the horror of thefe daftards, and the Merchants
were in fome degree terrified even with the idea of her, and could
not think of applying to the Viceroy (who is doubtlefs fond of all
opportunities of fleecing them) without reprefenting to themfelves
the occafions which a hungry and tyrannical Magiftrate might pof-
fibly find, for cenfuring their intermeddling with fo unufual a tranf-
adtion, in which he might pretend the intereft of the State was
immediately concerned. However, be this as it may, the Commodore
was fatisfied that nothing was to be done by the interpofition
of the Merchants, as it was on his preffing them to deliver a letter
to the Viceroy, that they had declared they durft nor interfere
in the affair, and had confeffed, that notwithftanding all their pretences
of ferving him, they had not yet taken one ftep towards it.
Mr. Anfon therefore told them, that he would proceed to Batavia,
and refit his fhip there; but informed them, at the fame time, that
this was impoffible to be done, unlefs he was fupplied with a flock
of provifions fufficient for his paffage. The Merchants, on this,
undertook to procure him provifions, though they affured him, that
it was what they durft not engage in openly, but they propofed to-
manage it in a clandeftine manner, by putting a quantity of bread,
flour and other provifion on board the Englijh fhips, which were
now ready to fail j and thefe were to flop at the mouth of the 'Ey pa,
where.