in their collective capacity.; tfio-thfiirtaxds- in fact an increase
of price to 'thei purchaspr», and must in mo§t .cases
fall ultimately. upon the, eonsuufeivy;
The Hong-merChants, in sabers not ekjhjng with
their own interest ^are-well disposed jpward^itiie,- foreign
agents of the European companies but seldom yenture
tplurge with-efleptydn themame ofisugh for^gne-rs's^any
remonstrance of their just complaints^ Bred in the,a;vy©
which the. heayy hand of .arbitrary power,had impresjspd
upon their minds, the ch,aracteristio<dkpositiod-jof^the
.Chinese merchantsiis that of timidity,and,£aLu tien. The y
sometimes Suppressed the representations^^f^ljgjr foiefgn
friends, and sometimes rendered them^sa w^k^an^in,-
significant,and assumed in the name of i f e c omplainanfs
such a:suppliant and abject style, that they .exerted the
contempt of the mandarines, as well as ene^u|ra,ged ; their
de^e&nnn^andjdl treatment. The Gommis^ipne^^re
aware of the advantage, that might result from-communi-
cating their;sentiments through,spme ©g^he Company’s,
own.'servants, upon whom theyxould depend;.^nditook
pains,, .therefore, to encourage in the factory ai^appligaf
tidn to the, study of the Chinese language. A knowledgf
of the language ©f any country frequented for trade* cannot
indeed fail of being useful, in guarding agairjst-.the
impositions, to which strangers arp e y S y •
It is- particularly true in China, that guilt is generally
fearful of detection: the oppressor wishes to avoid the
-pdhwition of hi-s'wi;f)iH[gl$;|tan’d<S"rapaGipusrIextortioner
TfiaylM>Sfpt t6'shrink- befoi>e;*^|gb3»piairit urged in clear
•andfirm 1 an gu%©?«Its wfef in^eedidiffi cul t for a foreigner
■It# ltf&m- Chin'esdfeTeri ’ ite#anton*,* ■ a« ;GHinIfejcityd A jar-
g'on^pebuliayto the plac.erisHspoken th er^b y -af^ -p lp s^
eXGep<fth"e^mMdarm#,'fv^febrarenever natives'of, the pro7
vine4e ;%and who%husFht(aMdres’sed,'feeither ■ in speaking
OCfWriting;, in thesgenfefal^lan'guage^pfjtheiempirif1.! It
ha’s1bgfen%m>entiohed in th^B^^nhingtef^this woVfk,,' vth’at
instructor's W'ere^prohib'iTeddrom teachiugMt fq -strangeisj
-Thisi ckeumstance'dte'd-ame^ohe of ,tBeisubj.ect|i1bf^ei|3Qn;
stran^i.foo'm. thesEmhassador td theiAHeeroy, Who eOuld'
srateCelfy-GrCdit an 'assertion’ that im?p!li|d in theigpyeME
risen t, or^plwpl^pf tCanfoS^ hi deliberate^ i-ntenti^u of d$-
priviiigeforeigners lof 'the'Joppoxf^nities ofytransaGtdng
th&irio-wn* buxines s,- fas' whllSasfof i earnih g hoV they werje
dbespto foirow':thedhW^an(Ecusforrts* ofthe::G6pn!triy!.r,v
It must, 'howe^er^ b&a subject of somefe!hd0jiaagdm.en‘t
todeamefs that-'many native&pf Canton, alluredoby the
advantagdofi deading^With thecforeigri factories* < are able
to acquire-eno-ughof EuFopefedangua^PtOmake themselves
understood, ’ins Common matters? notwithstanding
a difficulty to nvhhih Europeans are not- liabledrisfearn-*
ing Chinese; "T h o ’sounds lofvseveraf felte-is in most alphabets,
sUeb as B, By- R, and X, are utterly unknown,
in the Ghinese tongue . vThdorga®§ p f speeGhiin.a riatiye
of China are not in the. habit ofihjli^nQuncirig them. In