Page 364 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

350.
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Congressional confirmation of his consular appointment.

Consul Carrington's problems with impressment, espec­

ially the lack of support from the American government, was

indicative of a recurring difficulty experienced by all Amer-

ican consuls at Canton. In effectu the consul was powerless

beyond what weight his own words could carry. In Carrington's

case the English merely ignored his protests and did not

even bother to answer his communications. Beyond threatening

official American action, an empty and futile statement,

Carrington could do nothing. In 1809, when Carrington left

Canton, American merchants at Canton were left without any

official representative. The State Department did not fill

this vacancy for another five years. During this period the

merchants themselves unofficially designated John Perkins

Cushing as their consul or "chief" for purposes of relations
with Chinese officials. Cushing did not communicate at all

with the American government. Finally during the War of 1812

the Americans sent a memorial to the President asking for a
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resident consul. The merchants felt humiliated that they

were the only nationality trading at Canton without an offi-

27
consular Despatches: Canton, E.C. Carrington, Dec. 6,
1804-Nov. 14, 1807. In his despatch of Nov. 9, 1807, Carrington
.informed the State Department of an attack by the English on the
American merchantman "Topaz" and the death of the ship's captain.
28
Letter, American merchants to the President of the United
States, n.d., in Consular Despatches: Canton. Most historians date
this letter as sometime in the period 1809-14. No American consul
resided at Canton during these years. From the information
gathered on signers of the letter, the most likely date would
be 1813 or 1814.