December. Havin& procured an account o f the price o f provifions at
Canton, as fettled for the year 1780, which the reader w ill
find at the end o f this Chapter, I have only to obferve, that
the different articles are fuppofed to be the beft o f the k in d ;
and that the natives purchafe the fame for nearly one-
third lefs than the price, which in the lift is fixed only for
Hrangers.
I had hitherto intended, as well to avoid the trouble and
delay o f applying for paffports, as to fave the unneceffary
expence o f hiring a Sampane, which I underftood amounted
at leaft to twelve pounds fterling, to go along with the ftores
to Macao, in the country merchant’s Ihip I have before
mentioned; but having received an invitation from two
Englifh gentlemen, who had obtained paffports for four, I
accepted, along with Mr. Philips, their offer o f places in a
Chinefe boat, and left Mr. Lannyon to take care o f the men
and ftores, which were to fail the next day. In the evening o f
Sund ay 26. the 26th, I took m y leave o f the fupercargoes, having
thanked them for their many obliging favours ; amongft
which I muft not forget to mention an handfome prefent
o f tea, for the ufe o f the ihips companies, and a large collection
o f Englifh periodical publications. The latter we
found a valuable acquifition, as they both ferved to amuie
our impatience, during our tedious voyage home, and
enabled us to return not total ftrangers to what had been
tranfa&ing in our native country. At one o’clock, the next
M o n d a y 2 7 . morning, we left Canton, and arrived at Macao, about the
T u e fd a y 28. fame hour the day following, having palled down a channel,
which lies to the Weftward o f that by which we had
come up.
During
During our abfence, a brifk trade had been carrying on W9-
with the Chinefe, for the fea-otter lldns, which had, every ■
day, been riling in their value. One o f our feamen fold his
flock, alone, for eight hundred dollars ; and a few prime
ikinss which were clean, and had been well preferved,
were fold for one hundred and twenty each. The whole
amount o f the value, in fpecie and goods, that was got for
the furs, in both ihips, I am confident, did not fall ihort o f
two thoufand pounds fterling; and it was generally fuppofed,
that at leaft two-thirds o f the quantity we had origi-'
n ally got from the Americans, were fpoiled and worn out,
or had been given away, and otherwife difpofed of, in
Kamtfchatka. When, in addition to thefe fa ils , it is re membered,
that the furs were, at firft, collected without
our having any idea o f their real v a lu e ; that the greateft
part had been worn by the Indians, from whom we pur-
chafed them ; that they were afterward preferved with little
care, and frequently ufed for bed-clothes, and other
purpofes, during our cruize to the North ; and that, probably
, we had never got the fu ll valué for them in China ; the
advantages that might be derived from a voyage to that
part o f the American coaft, undertaken with commercial
views, appear to me o f a degree o f importance fufficient to
call for the attention o f the Public.
T he rage with which our feamen were poffeffed to return
to Cook’s River, and, b y another cargo o f fkins, to make
their fortunes, a to n e time, was not far ihort o f m u tin y ;
and I muft own, I could not help indulging myfelf in a pro-
jeCl, which the difappointment we had fuffered, in being
obliged to leave thejapanefe Archipelago, and the Northern
coaft o f China unexplored, firft fu g g e fted ; and, by what I
conceived, that objeCl might ftill be happily accompliihed,
3 through