The Washington herald., 1920-02-20

the outports. In Canton! In Amor
In Toochow and In Formosa, but
when they needed vacation and
wanted to spend some OF their
money and could not go home (they
stayed out often ten and fifteen
years on q stretch in those days)
they came to Macao and took theIr
ease in the pleasant picturesque col
ony,, where then. as until quite re-
Gently. the distant ruler was always
acclaimed as "King Of Portugal and
the Aigaryes, Lord OF the Conquest
Navigation and Commerce Of Ethio-
pia. suzerain OF Arabia, Persia and
India"
In the Dutch graveyard some of the
American pioneers are buried. inciud-
ing Daniel Reid, OF Philadelphia, who
died In 1877. but for the most part the
Americans are to be found in the
cemeteries OF the East Indian. or "old
John" Company. Among those who
are lying here. who never returned to
their native land. is Francis Bacon,
Of BarnstabIe. Mass.; a Henry sturgis.
OF Boston. ana q Charles woodberry,
Of the same place. whose memorial
stone was erected by his friends, J. B.
and w. Endicott. in 1854. Among the
more notable who rest in this distant
court Of peace are. as their epitaphf
read: Robert Morrison. first Protestant
missionary to China, the compiler Of a
dictionary of the Chinese Language
and the Chinese version of the Holy
Scriptures. which he lived to see COM
pleted. Died in Canton. 1884; and last
Edmund Roberts. special diplomatic
agent OF the United States to seven
Asiatic countries. who died in Macao
1886. He devised and executed to their
end. under instructions from his gov.
eminent, treaties of amity and COM
merce between the United States and
the courts Of Muscat and Siam.
Came from New Hampshire.
Roberts came from New Hampshire
and was appointed general diplomatic
agent Of the United States with a row
ing commission to the countries of the
Far East by President jackson. He
sailed upon his mission on the sloop
of war Peacock. After meeting with
success in Siam. he failed to negotiate
q fraatv with the yino ~ Corhndia
and died In Macao when on the point
OF starting for Japan.
However. Macao was a healthy
place, and a great many of the
American merchant princes returned
home, with livers out of order, II
Is true, and a bit peppery. as our
family chronicles relate. but al
least with the wherewithal to live
very comfortable and spacious lives
and to leave behind them benefac.
tions which have enriched many
seats of learning throughout the
United States. 1t is roughly esti-
mated that half the wealth with
which Columbia University in New
York Is endowed accrued from the
China trade. II we do not know
which page of the atlas to oper
when we hear there is something
like war menacing on that con-
tested neck OF land in Macao, we
can rest assured that our grand.
fathers would have suffered no such
embarrassment.
Revived By Portuguese.
American interest in the now side
tracked and almost forgotten Por-
tn rnlnnp vi fv o0e
by an attempt of some of the Amer
lean officials in the Philippines to
buy 1t from the unworthy successors
of the Portuguese navigators who
frequently hard pressed for money
and, as they claimed. doubtless with
reason, not properly sustained by
the higher authorities in Lisbon and
Mozambique. found 1t extremely diff.
ficult to maintain their high es-
tate. The proposition seems to have
beenOs take hold of this well-lo-
Gated commercial emporium on the
mainland and. with Manila as q
base port in the Malay Seas, secure
the commercial supremacy of the
Far East for Uncle Sam. The plar
was very popular on the Escolta
but It did not prosper when it was
submitted to the keen. far-seing
eyes Of President Mckinley. wher
they become known, the details OF
this unauthorized adventure will
furnish an interesting chapter In
the development of that wave OF
American imperialism which arose
in 1900 and subsided in 1895. doubt.
less as a result of the lessons oi
the Russian revolution, but IL Is
clearly another story and this Is
not the place to tell it.