Page 428 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era
P. 428
414.
might cause American merchants to resent the Imperial Court
could result in American support for the English. Primarily the
Chinese did not want the Americans and English to unite. So far
the Americans had maintained a separate identity and the Chinese
encouraged this position. After I-li-pu's death, his successor
Ch'i-ying agreed with the recommendation against discrimination.
In July the Emperor issued an edict authorizing the Imperial
Commissioner to negotiate with the Americans and grant them
access to the new ports. On August 1 Ch'i-ying officially noti�
· · 39
.
f. d th Am erican consu ar-agen o e ' d
ie
e
t f th E mperor s ec1s1on.
1
During the autumn of 1843 both foreign and Chinese mer
chants attempted to adjust their commercial enterprises to the
new system. Generally all trade was in flux, as vestiges of the
"Canton system" did not immediately disappear. One mercantile
house reported to its London banker: "A fair extent of business
has been done at Canton, but a good deal of inconvenience is
occasioned by the change in the manner of carrying it on, & be
sides no provision has yet been made by the Mandarins for pay-
ment of the expenses of collecting the Revenue, .there is
consequently a good deal of confusion yet under the new System,
40
& some time will require to get it to work well." Although
Hong merchants were equal in status to Outside merchants or to
anyone who wished to trade, the foreign houses continued to con-
39
For memorials from I-li-pu and Ch'i-ying and edicts to
the same officials concerning extending commercial privileges to
American merchants on the same basis as granted to Englishmen, see
I-wu-shih-mo: Tao-kuang, LXIII, 18; LXIV, 3-37; LXV, 27; LXVII, 4-45;
LXVIII, 29; and Swisher, Management of American Barbarians, pp. 103,
107 I 113, 121, 126.
40
Letter, Wetmore & Co. to G. Peabody, Sep. 9, 1843, George
Peabody MSS.