As if to make all things work comfortably, the setting in of the south-west monsoon brought foreign ships to Whampoa to receive cargoes of teas, which were meanwhile arriving from the interior, from August to November; and the north-east monsoon, as the ships loaded and left the port in succession, blew them down again. The only exceptions were known as 'out-of-season ships,' of which there were rarely over two yearly. These came east about viâ Gilolo or Dampier's Straits, and they took away the last teas of a season. An occasional ship, trusting to good weatherly qualities, would take the Palawan passage late in the year, beat up under the coast of Luconia to Cape Boleno, and then stretch across the China Sea; but it was dangerous from its numerous shoals, and a vessel would be dreadfully knocked about, even if successful. About 1830 or 1831 a bold and successful attempt to set the north-east monsoon at defiance was made by the first opium clipper. She was called the 'Red Rover,' and was commanded by Captain Clifton, owned at, and from Calcutta. It was considered a most extraordinary performance.
The earliest shipments of a season were made from Whampoa by the East India Company, in November usually. They consisted of contracts made at the end of the previous year. They could be seen in large quantities stored in the Hongs, waiting the first ships to come in. These teas were currently known as 'winter teas,' and went to keep up the quantity of one year's supply which the Company was bound by its Charter to keep on hand in London at all times. Continuous shipments followed, so that by the end of the year or a little later their vessels were all away. To the United States green teas were exported almost solely until about 1828, when the first blacks were shipped; after that date they became a feature in the trade. Contracts were made for the new season's teas, either at fixed prices, or, if it was an object to get a ship off quickly, then the prices were governed by those of the opening of the market. The 'opening' of the tea season was eagerly looked forward to; and such was the contrast between the busy and the dull season that during the former we were repeatedly in the offices until two o'clock in the morning. The seasons of 1830 to 1838 were particularly active ones, and besides business with India, England, and the West Coast of America, our own house had frequently at Whampoa at one time ten to fifteen ships (in the year 1833 twenty-two), every one loading teas and silks for the United States, and, after 1833, vessels loading for England as well. It was during one of these years—I think 1834—that we despatched the first English vessel from Whampoa that had yet carried a full cargo of free teas to New South Wales; she was named the 'Royal Saxon,' and was commanded by Captain Robert Towns.
The final loading of a ship consisted of all sorts of odds and ends reserved for the last moment, and shipped off by what was called the 'chow-chow chop.' More valuable cargo, not ready in time for the regular cargo boats, could also be sent to Whampoa by this conveyance. It was a great convenience, while all other shipping off was conducted on the strictness of the laws of the Medes and Persians, with documents without flaw.
When the market had been cleared of teas, the vessels despatched and the business of the season over, contracts were made with the Hong merchants for the next season. These contracts were often of great pecuniary value. They consisted of teas of certain qualities and kinds, in packages of chests and half-chests, sometimes at fixed prices, at others at the opening prices after they should have arrived, and deliverable at the customary time. No other record of these contracts was ever made than by each party booking them. No written agreements were drawn up and signed, nothing was sealed or attested. A wilful breach of contract never took place, and as regards quantity and quality, the Hong merchants fulfilled their part with scrupulous honesty and care. I am speaking of the first twenty years of my own personal experience.
Entire cargoes of teas were purchased and shipped from a few small canister musters, and were weighed by taking the average of a few chests from each 'chop.' A 'chop' of tea was always an uncertain quantity, blacks numbering 400 to 600 chests, sometimes more or less, and greens from 120 to 200 chests. The chest contained originally 100 catties, or 133-1/3 pounds, the halves and quarters in the same proportion, while boxes were locally packed with canisters of various sizes. The inconvenience of these larger packages, both in size and weight, caused a reduction to be made in them gradually until the chest averaged about eighty catties. Some of the packages shipped at this time have completely disappeared, and we hear no longer of five and ten-catty boxes, nor of one, two, or three-pound canisters.
Valuable invoices of silk piece goods were bought and shipped from an examination of only a piece or two taken at random from any box we might choose to have opened. They consisted of satins, crapes, sinshews, levantines, black handkerchiefs, sarsnetts, lutstrings, and pongees, besides great quantities of yellow nankins, almost all of which articles have now ceased to be exported.
As a natural consequence of the integrity of the Chinese merchants, we had neither receipt nor check-book. Payments were made by the Compradore of large amounts on simple scraps of paper signed with the initials of a firm. No promissory notes existed, and consequently there was no 'bill book.' There was no post office, there were no postages, and no copying machines.