Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-24

trade ETC. as well as of products ana So
cial conditions should be furnished him IN
as frequent correspondence as possible;
The party sailed from New York In FEB
ruary 1856 in the Hope, Capt Magee. Mr..
Sears and Capt. Randall passengers; Mai
Shaw supercargo, with cargo OF IRON
and naval stores for Batavia and Canton.
This voyage was unpleasantly efentIui
and tedious. Once fire broke out IN me
ship they were chased by strange san,
the owner and aptain fell Ill with tropical
fever But on the 4th of July they drop
ped anchor in the harbor OF BATAVIA,
where Mai. Shaw as the representative or
the United States was handsomely enter
tanned by the Dutch merchant princes. In
his journals he gives an amusing account
of the feasts and the costumes OF the
ladies.
Canton was reached the 10th of August
The unfortunate Sears died on the 2Sth OF
October In 1886 five American ships were
reported at Canton-the Hope, Capt. Ma
gee which carried out the newly appoint
cd American consul: the Empress or
China. Capt. Green, and the Canton; capt,
Truxton, both Robert Morris vessels; the
Grand Turk. Capt. West. and the tiny
sIoop Experiment. of eighty tons. Capt.
Stewart Dean of Albany. Coggeshall says
of the last-named: ut is singular fact
that the first vessel that made voyage
from New York and direct from the
United States to Canton in 1IS3 was a
one-masted vessel, the sloop Exp srimsnt
She was built in Albany. was of eighty
tons burden and commanded by Stewart
Dean; the chief mate was John Whetten:
the crew consisted of fifteen or twenty
men and boys; she carried six carriage
guns, small arms, boarding pixies. etc.
When she returned in what was held to be
an incredibly short time she came into
port in all the pomp and circumstance OF
war which was considered very impos-
ing" Mr. Coggeshall was evidently some-'
what in error.
The first report from our consul gave
prices greatly advanced on account of in
creased trading and congratulated Amer
leans on having ginseng to exchange for
tea. The Empress on her first voyage had
carried out 40 piculs of the precious
drug. In the following yea 300 picuis. or
more than half the entire import, had
been brought by American vessels. Maj.
Shaw did not find the English as COM
PLEASANT as formerly. but despite ADVERSE
conditions the American trade grew apace.
Maj. Shaw's personal ventures seem 10
have been successful. so much so that he
entered into the Indian-Canton trade.
spending the greater portion or tine year
1883 at Bombay. leaving Capt Randall IN
charge of both national and company az
fairs.
In 1889 Maj Shaw again returned to
America, stopping on the way at Batavia.
Bengal. Mauritius and Good HOPE. r9ceiv-
ing distinguished attentions at eacn port
He reached New York in July He was
been honored by degree from Harvard
and elected a fellow of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences;
Mai. Shaw's reports fr quently mao'
to Congress were models IN tnei. W." ~
and were full OF announcement Tor the
eastern trad. He should receive mucn
of the credit for the subsequent growth
of our commerce with China while tne
Massachusetts, was tie rorerunner oI
the fast clippers that later aston shed the
sea-going world. Each year he reported
an increase in the number OF American
vessels trading at Canton. He was part
owner of a large mercantile business at
Bombay shipping cargoes thence to Can
ton which proved so remunerative ne
soon recovered from the disasters Of 11W
The United States had elected Presi-
dent under the new Constitution. Gen
George Washington, who promptly re-
newed the consular commission in IT'D
During his visit to America in 1892 Mai
Shaw was married to a charming young
lady of Newport. whom he left In Fad
ruary 1893. sailing in vessel of h own
from New York with a cargo for Bonn
bay and Canton. In Bombay he con.
tracted tropical fever which detained
him several months and from which ne
never recovered. though he proceeded 10
Macao in November. After three months
continued illness he abandoned the hope
of recovery and set out for America In
the Washington in March. 1874 He
lived to reach Good Hope only. where on
the first of May his body was gently low
cred to a grave beneath the waves.
In his Sea Voyages" Mr.. Amasa De-
lano pays the following tribute: SHAW
was aide-de-camp to Gen. Knox. who
often told me that Shaw enjoyed the full
appreciation and confidence OF all his su-
perior officers. He was a man Of fine
talents and considerable cultivation: he
placed so high a value upon the senti-
ments Of honor that some of his friends
thought 1t was carried to excess and
said 1t would do him no good. He was
candid, just and generous. faithful in his
friendship an agreeable companion ana
manly in al his intercourse"
CORA BACON FOSTER