Those vessels that enter the port, laden only with rice, are not required to pay the measurement-duty and cumshaw, but they are liable to other irregular fees, amounting to nearly one thousand dollars.
The management and general supervision of the port-charges, are intrusted to an imperial commissioner, who is sent hither from the court of Peking. In Chinese, he is called hae-kwan-keen-tuh, but, by foreigners, he is usually styled the hoppo: his regular salary is about three thousand taels per annum, but his annual income is supposed to be no less than one hundred thousand dollars.
The arrangements between the native and foreign merchants of Canton for the transaction of business are, on the whole, convenient and pretty well calculated to promote despatch, and to secure confidence in the respective parties.
The Chinese merchants have a well-earned reputation as shrewd dealers: they have little confidence in each other; every contract of importance must be “fixed,” and made sure by the payment of a stipulated sum: but they place the most unlimited confidence in the integrity of their foreign customers.
Among the outside merchants the trade is very limited, and their number being unlimited, there is often much competition between them. The whole of the East India company’s business, a large portion of the English private trade, and that of other foreigners, are confined to the hong-merchants and those who transact business in connexion with them.
The establishments of the principal hong-merchants are extensive; they have numerous and convenient ware-houses in which they store goods, and from whence export-cargoes are conveyed, in lighters, to the shipping at Whampoa.
The names of the hong-merchants are Howqua, Mowqua, Puankhequa, Goqua, Fatqua, Kingqua, Sunshing, Mingqua, Saoqua, and Punhoqua. The Rev. Robert Morrison, D. D., is Chinese translator to the British East India company, and Mr. G. R. Morrison, his son, to those termed the outside British merchants. The four linguists are named, Atom, Achow, Atung, and Akang.
FOREIGN FACTORIES.
The foreign factories, the situation of which has already been noticed, are neat and commodious buildings: the plot of ground on which they stand is circumscribed by narrow limits, extending about sixty rods from east to west, and forty rods from north to south: it is owned, in common with most of the factories, by the hong-merchants.