Page 246 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

232.

Canton). The largest share of opium consignments before 1830

came from the "Boston Concern!' Samuel Russell, who founded

Russell & Co. in 1824, had dealt in Turkey opium earlier as

the resident agent of Edward Carrington of Providence. He

began trafficking in Indian opium in 1824. As Russell was

negotiating a partnership with Philip Arnmidon in late 1823,

John P. Cushing offered the prospective house his help in pro­

curing commission business in.Calcutta and Bombay. Cushing,

who had become a close friend of Russell, was responsible for

Russell's finalizing the partnership. Immediately Arnridon,

armed with "powerful letters to their numerous correspondents

in India" from Cushing and Houqua, ventured to India to drum

for the new house. The exact reasons why Cushing in effect

gave up a very lucrative branch of his business can only be

speculated. He already was aware of the decision of his uncles
James and Thomas H. Perkins to begin the process of retiring

40
b
.
f rom usiness. Cushing had resided at Canton for twenty
years and, with the major partners in Boston retiring, he

wished to leave. He respected and trusted Russell as the
41
second-best American merchant at Canton. When Cushing re­

tired from active participation in the China trade in 1828, he

turned the remainder of Perkins & Co.'s opium business over to

40
Letter, P. Ammidon to his brother, Dec. 27, 1823,
Library of Congress, Russell & Co. MSS. J. & T.H. Perkins
began to retire by turning over their concerns to a new es­
tablishment of J. & T.H. Perkins & Sons, see Seaberg and
Paterson, Merchant Prince of Boston, p. 300.

4
tMemo for T.T. Forbes regarding Canton affairs, written
by J.P. Cushing, 11 Mar. 21, 1828 ,. Forbes Family MSS.