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357.
the institution of salaried consuls at Canton, men who need
36
not involve themselves in the trade. But the appointment
of consuls did not change throughout the nineteenth century.
At Canton, although the consuls were not exceptionally
honest, their relations with the American residents generally
were mutually friendly. For the most part, Americans at Canton
felt that consular affairs "are of trifling importance to those
at home & in fact to us here. • 11 37 Most consuls or consular-
agents did not serve more than a few years. Besides Wilcocks,
who actually held the position for nine years 1814-23, only
two other consuls resided at Canton for more than four years
before 1844. These included Samuel Snow, at Canton 1794-1801,
�nd his son P.W. Snow, at Canton 1835-40. Not much evidence
exists concerning Samuel Snow, but one can safely assume that
Wilcocks and P.W. Snow utilized their position for personal
36
Emory R. Johnson, et.al., Historv of Domestic and
Foreign Corrunerce of the United States-(2 vols.; Washington,
19lj), II, 271-74. Letter, American merchants to President
of the United States, n.d., in Consular Despatches: Canton.
Letter, J. Neal & Son to N. Silsbee, Jan. 18, 1834, Harvard
Business School, Baker Library, David Neal MSS.
37
Letter, T.T. Forbes to T.H. Perkins, Nov. 1, 1824,
Harvard Business School, Baker Library, Forbes MSS. The worst
port in terms of flagrant consular misconduct was Honolulu.
Complaints were so bad that several times naval vessels were
sent to the Hawaiian Islands to settle matters. Harold W.
Bradley, The American Frontier: The Pioneen:;, 1789-1843
(Stanford, 1942), pp .. 90-91. W.S.W. Ruschenberger, A Voy-
age around the World: Including an Embassy to Muscat and
Siam in 1835, 1836, and 1837 (Philadelphia, 1838), p. 491.