[1] Viz., 'The Huntress,' 'Beaver,' 'Europa,' 'America,' 'Maria,' and
'Mary Lord.'
[2] A fast pulling and sailing boat.
[3] A poetical term for small-footed women.
[4] One of the most famous Chinese dynasties, 2nd and 3rd centuries
A.D., from which the name 'children of Han.'
[5] _Bogue_ is a corruption of the Portuguese word _bocca_ (mouth). When
the Portuguese first approached it, about 1525, the strong resemblance
of the red sandstone eminence to the left of the narrow mouth of
the Pearl River to a tiger's mouth, caused the exclamation, still
perpetuated in its name, 'Bocca Tigre!' The Chinese name for it is 'the
Lion's Gate.'
[6] _Sampan_, a small skiff or boat.
[7] 'Chow-Chow,' mixed.
[8] Siamese teak.
[9] Any Mandarin or official station was locally known as 'Chop-house.'
[10] The Chinese name for Sweden is Suy-Kwŏ.
[11] An assistant-magistrate. Up to 1848 Macao was under the joint
government of the Portuguese and Chinese.
[12] At this time the ships' Compradores were engaged at Macao, and not
at Whampoa.
[13] Buddhist Temple.
[14] The Dutch East India Company.
[15] 'Man-ta-le'--Pigeon-English for 'Mandarin'
[16] A lac is 100,000.
[17] Pigeon-English for 'cold.'
[18] The best quality of birds' nests was brought from Java. This
'whimsical luxury' was worth 4,000 Spanish dollars per picul of 133-1/3
pounds.
[19] Pigeon-English for 'old friend.'
[20] Pigeon-English for 'quicksilver.'
[21] 'Unfortunate.'
[22] A complimentary term.
[23] Captain Elliot.
[24] Baring Brothers & Co.
[25] Pigeon-English for 'gentlemen.'
[26] A complimentary term.
[27] One of our partners whom we had sent to London. Lord Byron once
wrote of him to Murray as full of 'Entusymusy;' so we called him
'Tusymusy.'
[28] Their Chinese names were Tan and Tung, but these words not being
readily distinctive to the foreign ear, they both became Tom, while
'Old' and 'Young' were added to suit their respective ages.
[29] 'My compliments to you.'
[30] The chief of a foreign house was known as 'Tai-pan.' The word
signifies 'head manager.' The assistants or clerks were called
'pursers.' This word was undoubtedly taken from the office of 'purser,'
whom the Chinese had only known as transacting business for the
commanders of the East India Company's ships. The latter enjoyed the
privilege of forty tons of space (English measurement) in each vessel
homeward, which involved the presence at Canton of the 'pursers' to act
for them in selling their outward and buying their homeward investments.
The 'pursers' frequently hired a portion of a Factory (when to be had),
and resided in it more or less while their ships were at Whampoa.
[31] Since the Conquest the reverse bears the name of the Emperor in
Manchoo Tartar letters.
[32] Known as 'Sycee,' which means literally 'fine silk.'
[33] 10 cash = 1 candareen, 10 candareen = 1 mace, 10 mace = 1 tael.
[34] Bar gold, Sycee silver, chopped dollars.
[35] The Chinese called these boats 'scrambling dragons' and 'fast
crabs.'
[36] A chest contained 1 picul = 133-1/3 pounds.
[37] Often so called in official language.
[38] The 'Omega' belonged to Dent & Co.
[39] The 'Governor Findlay' to Jardine, Matheson, & Co.
[40] All opium vessels carried Shroffs.
[41] The Chinese character which represents 'day' is literally 'sun.'
[42] When a Chinese takes leave, he says, 'Kaou-tsze' ('I inform you of
taking leave').
[43] The 'Colonel Young' belonged to Jardine, Matheson, & Co., as well
as the 'Fairy.'
[44] The 'Harriet' belonged to Jardine, Matheson, & Co.
[45] Literally 'great wind,' not those destructive storms which occur
but once in three or four years, unroof houses and tear ships to pieces;
they are called Teĕt-kuy, 'iron whirlwinds.'
[46] Country ships and coasters carried Manila men--Portuguese of
Bombay or Macao--as helmsmen; they hove the lead, &c., and were called
'Sea-cunnies.'
[47] Strangling is by means of a wooden cross driven into the ground
to which the prisoner's neck and outstretched arms are secured. A more
ghastly and ignominious death than beheading.
[48] Called the Praya Grande, temporarily destroyed by the taiphoon of
1875.
[49] The Fragrant Hill.
[50] 'Cumsha' means 'a present.'
[51] A catty is 1-1/3 pounds English.
[52] The Imperial Commissioner.
[53] A subordinate officer of the chief magistrate's department.
[54] The currency being taels, mace, candareens, and cash.
[55] 'Flowery flag,' the United States.
[56] Presents to the captains and officers.
[57] Buddha.
[58] A very common exclamation on any occasion.
[59] The late Sir James Matheson was the reputed founder of the foreign
press in China (_The Canton Register_); but it was an open question
whether it was he or Mr. Wood. I contributed to that paper (translations
from Chinese) when started; but in the consequent daily intercourse with
Wood, he never hinted that he was not its sole founder. If my memory
serves me Sir James was at the time on a trip up the coast. Nevertheless
there is but one 'old Canton' who can decide the point, the present Sir
Alexander Matheson.
[60] Confucius.
[61] Kung-Ming, a celebrated warrior of the third century A.D.
[62] Celebrated gardens, near Canton, visited by foreigners.
[63] 'Fan-Kwae,' foreign devils.
[64] The offspring of European Spaniards and natives.
[65] The privilege was 140 piculs weight.
[66] Public office.
[67] Equivalent to Excellency.
[68] At Macao, 1841.
[69] Whole dollars were so called put up in red paper--a neat way of
paying small sums.
[70] 'Eaten them.'
[71] The resident physician of the foreign community, apart from the
Honourable East India Co. He was from Philadelphia.
[72] An old Chinese fort so called, east of the Factories.
[73] The capital of Canton province is Show-King-Foo, and was the
residence of the Governor-General of Canton and Kwang-Se. Consequent
upon the former becoming the seat of foreign trade, the Governor-General
removed there, and second to him is the Lieutenant-Governor. He is now
styled Viceroy.
[74] Figurative for 'a great many.'
[75] These and similar expressions in Chinese official documents,
over which Western people make such an absurd fuss, are no more to be
taken literally than the vulgarised form of 'your obedient servant.'
In the present case 'reverential obedience' is to be taken as 'serious
co-operation,' so the Blue Button pointed out to me.
[76] That no one might escape.
[77] The Canton agents talked over the question of half-commissions on
consignments thus withdrawn. It was argued that their Indian principals
would recover from the British Government, a charge sanctioned by
commercial usage. The half-commissions were assumed to be about 300,000
dollars. No unanimous decision was arrived at, but on the quantity
delivered up by Russell & Co.--nearly 15,000 dollars--the charge was
foregone.
[78] Buying and selling town.
[79] At the mouth of the Bogue.
[80] Yang-Yin, one of the chief features of which, in some mysterious
way, gives notice of impending change of fortune deduced from the
Pā-Kwa, a complicated system, of very remote antiquity, of divination.
[81] Natives of Africa, sweepers, &c.
[82] The 'eyes' on the bows of Chinese junks gave rise to the
expression, 'No got eye, no can see,' under the erroneous foreign belief
that the Chinese attributed to them the power of seeing and avoiding
danger. This is very far from the fact. The bows of sea-going junks
represent the head of a _dragon_, with expanded jaws and full round
eyes, and being the symbol of the Chinese Empire, it is used as a carved
eagle may be on an American vessel, without occult power attaching
thereto.
[83] A 'Scuttle-Butt' is a cask with a square hole in its bilge, kept on
deck to hold water for daily use, which is drawn by means of a hand-pump.