Page 327 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

313.

on the merchants at Canton, at least for the privilege of

residing in the Foreign Factories. In turn the merchants

could afford to tolerate these men and even patronize their

work, especially in the secular medical and educational efforts.

11
But the merchants who seriously co-operated 11 with the mission­
aries in the way of financial and material assistance numbered

very few.

One of the few merchants who deeply involved himself

and his concern in the missionary movement in China was an

American, David Washington Cincinnatus Olyphant of New York.

Olyphant's career in the China trade paralleled many of his

contemporaries, although he was older than most. Having failed

in his own business, at the age of thirty-four, in 1818,

Olyphant became a supercargo in the China trade for Thomas H.

Smith of New York. Six years later he replaced Smith's

resident agent at Canton. The same year Smith's business

collapsed and started the commercial debacle of 1826. Hearing

of Smith's bankruptcy, Olyphant remained at Canton and formed
his own house from what was left of Smith's business. The

other major partner of Olyphant & Co. was Charles N. Talbot,
Ai--nerican Consular-agent at Canton and son of the merchant for

whom Olyphant clerked as a youth. Very quickly Olyphant

brought his nephew, Charles King, into the house as a third

partner. Olyphant & Co. grew to be one of the four major

American houses at Canton during the nineteenth century. But

Olyphant & Co. was unique in refusing to engage in the opium

trade. Olyphant was, moreover, extremely benevolent to mis-