The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-21
DAYS OF THE CHINA TRADE.
HOW a Yankee Brig Earned $I0O,OOo
in n single Year.
Roston LeLter in 80 York snn-

was one of the elements responsible for
the commercial greatness of Boston. is a
thing of the past To-day, of the exceed
ingly few American houses in the far East,
Boston can lay claim TO not even one.
The glories of Central and India wharves
have departed. The East Iudiamen. with
their clipper-built hulls and towering
masts, are growing scarcer and scarcer,
and the advent of one of them in Boston
bay now causes the old salt and fire.
Quenter of the water front TO grow remin-
iscent.
Yet a matter of half a century ago this
very East India trade was the one of all
others for gentlemen. The best families OF
Boston were only too anxious 10 secure
an opening for their sons with the old-
time merchants along Central and India
wharves and a young mans fortune was
supposed to be made when once he sat
Gown before desk in an East India mer-
chants office. As a matter of fact, this
view of il was pretty nearly correct since
his future advancement lay with himself
entirely. If he looked after his duties we'll
it was only matter of time before he
would be sent off as supercargo himself
then, perhaps, as the agent in China or one
OF the islands of the Eastern Archipelago
and eventually he would become a mem
Der of the firm.
Fifty year ago the ships of Boston whit
ened the seas of every ocean upon which
The sun shone Upon the commerce +
Boston the sun never set, And these OLD
East India merchants were famous men
in their day and generation. Their de
scendants can be found in The Back Bay
and suburbs at this present day. Some of
the old-timers-a very few, and fast grow
ing fewer-are still alive, but they have
lived to see the commerce of the port OF
Boston so changed that if the spirit OF
"Old Billy" Gray were permitted to walk
these mortal scenes he would at one pea.
tion to be sent back TO the tomb, so UNI
familiar would things appear TO him. "Old
Billy" Gray himself grandfather of the
present justice of the United States Su-
preme Court, owner of Grays wharf from
which the Constitution was launched
century ago was not the least interesting
of the old-timers. His house in Hawlev
street was one of the show places of the
| town, and its owner was esteemed one Of
the 'warmest" men Of his day He after
| ward transferred his business to Salem
and made his residence in the City of
Witches
Nearly as famous as the merchants
| themselves We're the supercargoes who
| sailed out of the port of Boston bound for
| the east, perhaps the more famous vera
| William c. Goldman, George F. Wilde
Thomas X. Cummings, John r. Lee,
James Fl. Adams, Charles Bailey Adams
! Bailey, Augustin Wells Edward S. Nose
| ley, Thomas Howe D. Kendall, Powell
| Parkman Qost at sea through the burning
of the ship Harold in 1890, William NJ.
! Whitney, and Adams Field, Jr To this
| group should be added John T. Linzee,
| still living at an advanced age, who ex
| patriated himself in India for thirty-fiye
| years and married an English lady during
| his residence in the east Old East India
| captains still chuckle over an experience
| of Mr. Linzee in the old days when ne
brought home from India an elephant,
perhaps the first ever imported into Amer
| lea with which he experienced the liveli-
est kind of time, owing to the efforts of
the huge beast to take possession of the
ship and lord it over not alone Mr.. Linzee,
but the captain and the entire crew as
well.
The authority and responsibility of The
| supercargo of an East India trader of the
old days was great Everything in the
cargo came under his personal supervision,
and the success of the venture rested al
most entirely upon his judgment and per-
sonal efforts. He represented the firm in
fact, he was the firm-during the voyage
disposed Of the cargo looked after the
credits which were not many IN those
DAYS, the business being conducted almost
wholly ON a cash or trade basis, and pur-
chased or traded for the return cargo for
Boston. His word was law on shipDoard
outside of sailing the vessel, and his power
over the East India trade was supreme
until the old Boston houses first began T.
establish permanent branches III the East
and to consign their ships and cargoes tC
| agents permanently stationed abroad The
last of the supercargoes was probably
George II. Mackay.
While the profits of the old East India
trade were enormous, not a few of th'
huge fortunes made in those days were &C
| cumulated in opium smuggling. Swift sail
| ing packets loading al Calcutta with tn
prohibited drug, fitted across the bay 0
Bengal and through the straits of Malac
! ca up through the China sea to Wham
, | pao the port of Canton, where their pre-
| cious cargoes were transferred to hulk
used for storage purposes. At night small
but fast schooners would be brought M
the river, gangs of coolies would mystic
riously make their appearance on the deck
| of the store ships and before daylight thes
little will o. the wisps of schooners woul'
: | be loaded and far on their way up or dow
the Chinese coast to dispose of their car
goes to the waiting coolies at enormou
profits.
While the Yankees shared to the full il
the profits end risks OF the opium trade, b.
some mysterious dispensauon of providenc
they appeared to escape its consequences
for in 1910 when the Chinese government
made its futile attempt to put a stop t
the traffic by Selling some British ship
caught red-handed thereby precipitatin
the conflict with England known as tn
opium war, the Americans were unmolest
5 ed. and indeed the war proved to be
source of income TO those engaged in III
traffic through the willingness Of The Chi
nese 10 allow American ships to trade u
and down the coast. while the Britisher
were unable to get their ships near enoug
to the coast to dispose Of their cargoes
While the war lasted IL was a commo
thing for the American schoOners to NEE
the English vessels off the coast, take owe
their cargoes of opium and other merchar
> disc, and dispose Of the lot to the Chimes
at good round profit, John Bun proftin
but little by his venture.
While the profits in the opium trade wer
so great that men were willing to risk thei
lives and liberties in reaping the harves
r legitimate trade offered openings whic
merchants Of this day would consider al
q most fabulous in richnes. It was in IN
wear 1870 when the opium war betwee
2 England and China was at it's hight, tina
| Irio our