Page 106 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht
P. 106
To fully understand the phenomenon that was Chinese Export Silver, one has to have an
informative insight into that other phenomenon - the China Trade.
This era of Chinese history was both complex and convoluted. It ceased to exist in 1842
as a result of the so-called First Opium War which culminated in the eventual signing of the
Treaty of Nanking.
Reading the treaty actually facilitates a better understanding of the China Trade era;
hence, the following section commences with a transcript of the treaty itself.
Joseph Collet [1673-1725]
Merchant-administrator and deputy governor of the East
India Company
Painted plaster on wood core by Amoy Chinqua, 1716
National Portrait Gallery, London
