presided in it. Tbejfc had been1* deputed by- the Company
,~hotönly to announce in due form to thé Chinese
government the Appointment -of an Embassyffronoudlreat
Britain, and to prepare fo r its reception, but also to examine
and regulate the management df the Company’s
increased'wheerns at Canton and Macao: Such is the
liberal education lö f thé Company’s' servants, that the
firSt o f thofeCommissioherSf beside éhe-qUàlitfeS which
fitted him for his statiori, was pössessed df eotiSfderable
séiéneern othei respects* ■ arid another, was w e ll knö%n
in the liteiiffy world b y his travels, and*“his" infgeriuity.
T he three CommissidnerS gave to the EmbasWdor a full
detail1 o f the" several grievances under which the Company
s concerns -laboured in Can toil, ahd the personal
disgusts to which théir agents wereexposed ; and th'Us
‘enabled his Excellency td add to the remonstrance's' hè
had* presented on thé subject to the -Viceroy;- in the
coursé' o f tlieir travelling together frbm Han-ehóö-fck)5.
Tlfo V iceroy was perfectly disposed to rédress everyreâî
hardship ; and published v e ry soon tWo edicts against
the fratids to which foreigners Weré Subjeét in the transaction
o f their business ; and the insults to which théy
Were liable in theif persons. Offenders were aliekdy
punished in conformity to those edicts. ÉI
T h é complete reform of inveterate abuses was, how-'
ever; not to be expected on a sudden. The prejudices
and the interests o f many o f the" natives Concurred in
|%jdu©ij|giefforts fpr their contim^raitek Xh^ Hop-pp,
re^v^^^o|hj^f^as..aJ^rjned fqy tfie usyjii ,ex.-
a,dti^||Of,his o |^ e . He was^pngeious.-pfjthjiJnjiiry foe
d ^ d ^ r S . -and!, his his^cWtempt wa#
equaj,;|p _4js ipj4stfoe:> He sy|s ^b lp .‘.boldy«aj}d.: a r tful;
artffJ,w^,j,f|eonded and scregnjgd .b ^ ^mq^feyo^the other
officers^o £ g Q . v e m m c r i e g d by the
fiidiyidualswho adopt||g,his by
hi s^. plunder, <$'idrcade,d his wsgj^mcjjt. ^.Agajyst such
obstacles, the Ictter^of: thet .}a>w.req pired ^a,id tq. ACarry.it
info;&xec,utibn. Among the Vfo|m y.s:virni(^ itj^as ripj|
certain that he pqsscssed. so inflexible a fjimntJs v ^ tg
withstand the art andAimjsjepresgnt^ipp^jof thojsp, cpnV
stantly about him. The rforeignersti^ r& rfleterrcd... fo
^m e t-d g g io ^ io iy attempting^), approach,, hiry.jby tfie
emmeji^e of hjs rank ; and more, sqjjy the* diffci.cyiqe.j.qfe
them manners, and, their; dgficienpp,. in the., means ^ of
(^mmunication. It was, indeed, likely that dnrin^the
Ei^hassador“S.|Stayv_at C^ptpn,, his fellQjy subjects there
would,,hav^,ig:o jeasanjp cqmplain: his intimacy sjpth
thg^Viceroy, the easiness of -l^is^ gCesss to him (|n:,^yeiiy^
occasion, the facility of ..conveying, tfojpt a faitjhful and
intglljgentjpterpret;ei)',|bs tfie complaints and
representations of the factory, .withouCbphg}W||akehfip
by awe of the yiceroy inahi^. hjghi&|at%in, or, thro fear
of,.any offender’s^ ve.pggance, wouldaparpjpably insure
justice and tranquillitystp^|Jl% the .pgpp^whQm trade