Page 159 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

145.

articles of the China trade (except opium) to the United States,
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Europe an d In ia.
d.
Houqua's account with Russell & Co. remained secret

throughout. This was a condition of Cushing's giving it to

the house. The only person who was aware of it was the part­

ner with whom Houqua dealt. After Heard, John Murray Forbes

became Houqua•s special agent. His account was hidden under

the name of the partner and later under the general name of

the house. Although Abbot Low and Russell Sturgis also acted

for Houqua, the old Chinese merchant remained a special friend

of the Forbes brothers (John Murray and Robert Bennet), even

overshadowing his former friendship with John Perkins Cushing.

The Forbeses were his agents in the United States, not only

receiving his consignments but also loans and advice on the
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trade. Houqua helped Russell & Co. in the same way, offering

them credit at an extremely low interest rate. His investments,

especially to England, retained for them patronage and con-

tacts that increased the range of consignors. In 1836 John

Forbes reported that the house had received fourteen thousand

dollars in commissions from Houqua•s account alone. Forbes con-

77
Reminiscences of J.M. Forbes, ed. by Sarah Forbes Hughes
(3 vols.; Boston, 1902), I, 141. Hunter, 'Fan Kwae• at Canton,
pp. 48-49. Helen Auger, Tall Ships to Cathay (Garden City, 1951),
pp. 81-82.
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Letter, A. Heard to Bryant, Sturgis & Co., Feb. 25,
1834, Heard MSS. Letter, Houqua (written by A. Heard) to R.B.
Forbes, Oct. 10, 1834, Forbes MSS. Letter, Houqua (written by
A. Heard) to J.P. Cushing, Oct. 10, 1834, Forbes v�s. R.B. Forbes
reconfirmed Houqua•s preference for the Forbes brothers when
he returned to Canton in 1838. Letter, R.B. Forbes to S. Russell,
Oct. 31, 1839, Russell & Co. MSS.