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cle of food of

learned to cure fustach

VOL. II.

tion has diminished from thousands of peculs to a mere trifle. Skins and furs still come to Canton, but the supply is small and unequal; the forests of Manchuria and Siberia furnish the chief part of the fine furs, while the flocks of the Mongols produce an almost unlimited supply of lambskins. The dress of the Chinese is well adapted for displaying elegant furs, and the sumptuary laws compel officers to wear them on their winter caps and robes. Woods of various sorts are imported for cabinet-work, dye-stuffs, and medicine. Ebony, amboyna-wood, rose-wood, mahogany, and satin-wood, are employed by the carpenters at Canton to a considerable extent, but their machinery for cutting veneers is clumsy, and the people prefer solid pieces of furniture to those which are inlaid.

The list of articles of foreign manufacture found in the mar kets of Canton, comprises many which the Chinese do not purchase to any amount, being brought there principally to supply the foreign residents, as well as with a view to try the taste of the people. Clocks and watches, cheap jewelry, telescopes, cutlery, snuff, corks, glassware, lamps, chandeliers, coarse soap from India, &c., are among the most saleable imports.

The mode of conducting the trade is fully described in the Chinese Commercial Guide, where the forms of custom-house blanks are given in both English and Chinese. The foreigners themselves employ clerks called linguists, to transact all their custom-house business, who go through the details, and act also as brokers in many transactions. Every Chinese who intends to engage in the trade, either in this capacity, or as a trader, previously learns to speak English, by studying manuscript vocabularies, in which the English sounds of words and phrases are written underneath in the Chinese character, he obtaining the assistance of more advanced scholars to correct his pronunciation. The idioms of the English learned in this viva-voce manner, are chiefly Chinese, which explains the inverted arrangement of sentences in the Canton-English, as this jargon is called, and the utter disregard paid to gender, number, person, time, and other proprieties, considered of some importance in most languages. For instance, a shopkeeper going to a foreigner to solicit his custom, says, "My chinchin (request) you, one good fleen (friend), take care for my (patronize me); 'spose you wanchee any first chop ting, my can catchee for you; I secure sell 'em plum cash

MODE OF CONDUCTING THE TRADE.

411 (prime cost); can do?" The foreigner, with great gravity replies, "Just now, my no wanchee anyting; any teem (time) 'spose you got very number one good ting, perhaps I come your shop look see." The native, knowing no other rules of speech, follows his own tongue, and the foreigner must imitate the same, or be misunderstood. The whole trade is conducted in this meagre gibberish, which the natives suppose, however, to be as copious and correct English as foreigners themselves speak, but which hardly serves even the common purposes of trade and household need, much less enables the two parties to exchange ideas upon recondite subjects. Much of the misunderstanding and trouble experienced in daily intercourse with the Chinese is doubtless owing to this imperfect medium, for they seldom take the trouble to ascertain if their idea of what is told them is the correct one; and mutual vexation and ill-will arise, when one party finds his orders to have been heedlessly performed, and the other that his efforts to please have only brought maledictions instead of commendation. These petty annoyances have also had more serious results in strengthening the national dislikes, and still further separating those who originally intended, perhaps, only to endure each other as long as they could make gain thereby.

The value and variety of the imports and exports which paid duty for a single year, will be seen from the following tables, which have been prepared from official sources, by the British consuls at Canton and Shanghai, and are as near the actual amounts as can be ascertained. The total of the foreign trade at the five ports for the year 1845 is here given from consular returns, but the amounts do not include the American and Spanish trade at Amoy, nor the trade at some of the other ports under other flags. The dollar is reckoned at 4s. 2d. sterling.

CANTON, (Imports in vessels of all nations,. . $14,062,811 or £3,046,942 Exports in vessels of all nations,. . $30,564,526 or £6,622,726

FUHCHAU,

Exports in British vessels, .

$328,608; and in American, $ 3,725

$49,911;

exports, $83,976

$13,834;

exports, $ 2,217

$ 5,414;

exports, $5,357

Imports in 5 British vessels, $346,308; and 3 American, $55,267
Exports in British vessels,
Imports in British vessels,.

NINGPO, Imports in Bremen vessels,
Imports in American vessels,

SHANGHAI,

Imports in all vessels,

Exports in all vessels,

$5,875,104 or £1,223,980 $6,465,849 or £1,347,052

IMPORTS AT CANTON AND SHANGHAI.

1,457 14.618

94

Sharks' fins

33,102 128,679

Skins and furs.

9,946 10,948

700

979

922 7,800 1,040 1,226 12,934

£3,046,942 or $14,062,811 10,892934 2,478,048 8,318, 77,751 19,871 114,817 128,530

22,482 825,060 £1,082,207 or 5,196,593