1787. to procure a freight from thence. An agreement with the Eaff-
December. j ndja c ompany was accordingly made; our furs were to be fold,
to their Supercargoes at a fair price, or left in their hands for
them to difpofe of at a future opportunity, and they were to have -
a certain per centage on whatever fum of money they might fetch.
Wo fooner were the fidms landed at our factory, than a particular
account of them was taken by a fet o f Merchants belonging textile
Cuftoms, and who (I underftand) give fecurity to the Emperor
for the duty being paid : another account was- taken, by people
employed by Mr.. Browne forthat purpo'fe.
Our fkins being properly afforted, the quantity 'fixed on to be
difpofed of by Mr. Browne was 2,552 fea-otter Ikins, -434 cub,,
and 34 fox Ikins..
The remainder of ollr cargo,, which confiffed of 1,080 beaver
tails, fundry indifferent pieces of beaver Ikins and cloaks, n o
fur feals,, about 15-0 land beaver, 'fixty fine cloaks of the earlefs
marmot ■„ together with fundry racoon,, fox, lynx, &c.. were left
to be difpofed of by our- Captains- in the belt manner they were
able. probably for no other reafon than to furnifh them with,
money for their current expenccs, and no doubt expecting what
they had left would be barely fuffieieftt, for that purpofe..
In regard to the fale of our furs, I fhould- fuff obferve, tfi’aC
there is- at Canton a Company, of wealthy Merchants-, called the
Hong-Merchants, with whom our Eaft India Company tranfacb
>11 their bufinefs, and purchafe from- them the whole of the . tea.
and China-ware fent-to Great Britain.. To-thefe people-our furs;
were offered, with an expectation of their immediately taking them!
t off
©ff our hands at an advantageous price ; but here we were woefully
difeppointed, and we found, to our eoft, the fad miftake of our
Owners, in appointing the Supercargoes to have the foie difpofol of
their property, for the moment thefe Hong-Merchants had looked
the Ikins over, and fixed a value on them, no other Merchant durff
interfere in the purchafe : indeed as the quantity above-mentioned
was not filffered to be divided, there were not many people except
thefe Hong-Merchants who had it in their power to buy fo large a,
parcel, ahd advance the money immediately : add to this, the duty
on merchandize In the Port of Canton feems not to be regulated
by any fixed-rule, but refts in a great meafure in the breafts o f
thofe appointed by the Hoppo to lay it on, and who fix k higher
or lower at pleafure. With thefe people the Hong-Merchants
have great influence; fo that had -any indifferent perfon been at
liberty to purchafe our Ikins, and difpofed to give us an advantageous
price for them, the fear .of having an enormous duty tq
pay, would at once deter him from any attempt of the kind ; this
we found ftrictly verified more than once;
In this poor Situation were we with.. refpedt -to the file of ou*
cargo, during the month of December, and the grcateft part of
January: either we muft clofe with the paltry offers which the
Hong-Merchants had made to the Supercargoes, or be under the:
necefiity of leaving our furs in their hands undifpofed o f ;. -this-
both parties , knew we wilhed to avoid, if.poffible. Mean while,,
feme :of the refufe which they had left -for us to-difpofe of, fold to-
confiderable advantage; the i,o8o.tails -fold for two dollars.each
the fur feals for five dollars each, and-a finall parcel o f rubbilh for.-
fifty-five dollars.