New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-09-08
THE CHINA COAsTING TRADE.
H. Early History-The Rise md Progress
oC our steam Marine in Cbina-List oil
American Steamers Euilt for Ten
Trade, &e.

as carried on by Europeans in clipper built craft noted
r their speed and beauty and perhaps nowhere on the
tco of the globe could be found congregated SO many
spe craft Of their peculiar build in the Chinese waters
These vessels were commanded by the shre"dest men,
and were heavily armed 10 protect themselves against
the riratical junks which infested the China sea- This
fo wos fall OF incident and profit and with prudence
and economy only few years required to accumu'
late a fortune
uch of this trade WINS In violation Of the Celestial
law for all foreign commerce. was Systematically us
conragcd Satisfied, affecting to be satisfied
with the prodigal bounty Of Nature, Jealous OF
strangers and governed by graduation oil arbitrary
despos tho Chinese considered 1t aa favor bestowed
upo foreigners to open any OF their ports Tor the IN
terohanee Of commodities and consequently our mer'
chants and sppers were forced 20 every means TO
carry on trade which gradually developed itseu INTO
GIGANTIC PROPORTIONS In addition TO the obstacles
thrown in the way by the Cinnamon, VIC had the
English to compete WITH who were constantly misrep-
resentng US to our prejudice.
| TIE Cinnamon themselves are great coasters ana
maintained an extensive intercourse with Japan tne
Philippine Islands Java Sumatra, Timor Geoio ana he
great Island of Borneo; but the sowness OF ther iu
boring and uncouth junks not In keeping win Inc
active and increasing demands oil our commercial
interests. The era OF American cipper'puh' Eas'
Ind.amen which began to swarm the ports oil Nah'o"
Shanghai, Nngpo. Annoy and Foo-caow called ior
sneedy transmission OF the teacrops and the American
merchants determined to send steam coasters out
there to enable them to dispatch their vessels on tfne
and at less expense. The rstChnese American stea
coaster was the Spark, which made regular trips De-
tween Canton. wsmpos and Hong Kong THIS was
the beginning Of a steam coastng trade Which ho"
comprises O large number Of vessels.
The tea merchants begin to arrive in Canton and
other large ports about the middle OF October and Ine
busy season continues until the beginning of March
being the bliskest in November, December and JaDu'
ary Ten years ago we had 7Os5 tuns Of shipping en-
Moved in the tea trade between the ports Of the United
STATES and China, which brought cargoes valued at
about e. CO., and at that time there were put iour
steam coasters TO do the work out there.
The Spark was employed previous to 1871, when Mr..
Forbes Of Boston sent the propellers Midas and
Antelope. which were employed in conveying junks
towing, carrying dispatches and tho mails. The sue
cess Of these vessels as an Investment and the demand
for steamers led Capt Dearborn. under the orders OF
T. Sturgis 10 build and send to China the side wheel
steamer Confucius Of 465 register She was built
by the late Thomas Coyer in this city. and was OF the
following dime nsons length, l60 feet BEAM 70 feet
deptL Of hold IL feet inches. she was launched ana
sailed for Hong Kong 10 1863. In 1857 Coyer built the
first steamship for the China coasiing trade She was
the Yang Tsze Of 0c9 tuns register and OF the follow
Ing dimensions. length 20i feet BEAM 81 feet; depth
of hold 6 feet She had two osclatng engines OF 2JO
" H. F. with two cylinders Of 50 inches. with
feet stroke and rugged as topsail schooner In
the following year the White Cloud, paddle'wheci
steamer Of coo tuns and the Pei Ho, also side-wheel
steamer but Of l3 tuus, were built for D. NJ Forbes
In 1850 they built the ankov Of $50 tuns and the same
year Avmar Co sent ont the Fire Flash, propeller
rs tuns From the last named period the ship yards
we're busily employed in building steamers for the
China trade but unfortunately the War breaking out
many Of the vessels taken by the Government
and have continued in service with but few excep
tons Otherwise steam traders in those waters
would have been moro largely represented.
The steam trade 81 China is mostly confined to tho
river known as Yang tze.kiang which being rendered
into English means "Son OF the Ocean, 1t is one Of
the large Of China ts lying south OF that
Of the great river Uoong.ho 1t formed by the june.
ton Of the Yaong kiang and Kin cha.kianG Rivers,
which have their source in Eastern Ihibe near those
Of Menam kong and Irrawd. and which unite on the
boundary between the provinces of Sechucn and Yum
man, near lat 90 3V north and long 1929 east. From
thence the Yangzekiang has very tortuous +. n. T.
Hon pen hoei aud Kangsu and joins the sea by an
estuary thirty miles in lat 32' north Ion l2l
Z. Its whole course is estimated at . 500 miles The
tide ascends $50 miles from the reaching Lake Po
yang and 1t Is navgabe for over 400 mics beyond the
lake The largest ships go 200 miles up the river
from its mouth.
Hankow the great tea depot. is 200 miles from the
sea upon the Yangtzkiang River and it is from that
place TO the shipping that the steamers are employed In
tran sporting the tea crops Ii Is about nine days sail
up tho river including the landings In addition TO
the American feet Of in the Chinese waters
the English have q large fleet. gentleman, who,
few months ago was In China, informed us that Oh
one occasion he counted 10 steamers Of ell natoDates
at anchor at Shanghai.
The excitement in the China trade which caused so
much stir four five years ago. has I'M died
out The old established houses out there keep their
lines by adding new replace those that
unfit for service, but new az the present
time being built We regret to say that some of our
merchants have transferred their vessels to the British
flag and we shall never be able to recover them; but
We will content Ourselves by building new and much
superior craft for this trade.
The following is list OF the American built steam
coasters and river in the waters OF China as
far as we have been able obtain them with their un
mage and class and the OF their agents or
owners
| Name. Tun.. Owner. Agents. sructio n.
Che King Pro-. 20 H. e. Ward........ le62.
Coufucigs w.. 400 Sturgis Coz. 1851.
DiChuug. Pfo....... 7r2 II. g. Ward........ ls62.
! Fire Dart :. W.. go a. Heard jr...... ls6i
! Fire Flash. Pro-. 225 Aymur & Co. ..... ls6O
Fire Rocket PTo.....- 40 A. mar Co...... 1862