10 HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS 11 Thome Pires was sent back in disgrace to Canton,where he died as a taken service with King Charles V of Spain,and who in 1519 set sail state prisoner. with five ships,cruised down the eastern coast of South America,and Nevertheless,Portuguese trade took root and flourished.Technically, after passing through the strait which has ever afterwards borne his name, such trade had been declared illegal;but as it yielded rich returns to the emerged on the Pacific.Setting his course north-west he finally,in 1531, Chinese officials as well as to the traders themselves,it throve especially reached what are now known as the Philippine Islands,and there the at the ports of Changchow,Chiianchow,and Ningpo.At the two last- intrepid explorer lost his life in a local brawl.From the Philippines the named places the Portuguese succeeded in making settlements,only to be spice islands were within easy call,but the Portuguese had no intention expelled from both before the middle of the century.But fortune was of allowing the newcomers to establish themselves there,even on the soon to smile on them.They could,and did,often enough act as pirates, pretext that by so doing they would be within their rights by the Treaty but in self-defence they also acted as the suppressors of the native corsairs of Tordesillas of 1494,the treaty which ratified the Papal Decree of the China Sea.It was for their services in this respect that the Canton authorizing Spain and Portugal to divide the undiscovered world between officialsforbidden to permit their residence at Canton,but avid for the them.The conquest of Mexico (New Spain).by Cortes had provided the material gains from their trade-finally gave them permission in 1557 Spaniards with the port of Acapulco on the Pacific coast,and from here, to rent land on the peninsula at Ama Ngau,known later to the world as in 1545,Ruy Lopez de Villalobos was sent with a fleet to drive the Macao,and to develop the place for residence and trade.The territory Portuguese,if possible,out of the Moluccas.The attempt,however, was not ceded;China retained her sovereignty,and stationed there not ended in total failure.This reverse cooled Spanish ardour for a time, only a magistrate,but also a Custom house to control the steadily until in 1564 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was commissioned by Philip II growing foreign trade.Into the chequered history of this famous to proceed with a fleet from Mexico to attack and annex the Luzon,after- Portuguese outpost it is not necessary to enter here,but up to the middle wards renamed the Philippine Islands. of the eighteenth century,when Canton was made the centre for foreign trade,Macao-in spite of Spanish opposition,Dutch and English Legazpi did his work well,though it took him the better part of ten aggression,internal discord and misgovernment,the loss of trade with years.While accomplishing it,Manila,where Legazpi had made his Japan,and the fall of Malacca-retained the proud position of being, headquarters in 1571,was attacked in 1574 by a Chinese pirate fleet of thanks to Chinese toleration,the strongest connecting link between China 72 vessels.The Spaniards repulsed these corsairs,followed them up, and the outside world,and the foothold on China without which the burned their fleet,and captured those that tried to escape by land.In trading powers of the West would have found it much more difficult gratitude the Chinese admiral,who should have done the job,consented than it was to carry on their commercial enterprises. to sponsor a deputation of two Augustinian friars-one of them Martin Sixty years after the arrival of the Portuguese their great trade rivals, de Rada,who spoke and read Chinese-to the Governor of Fukien.The the Spaniards,appeared on the scene.Columbus,who was probably friars were well received by the Governor,and although the deputation, more of a self-seeking adventurer than a high-minded scientific explorer, in the absence of credentials from Madrid,could not proceed to Peking, set out in September 1493 from the Canaries to reach the spice islands, it was successful in establishing Spain's first official contact with China. and by sailing due west,believed that he could not fail to strike the Unlike Portugal,Spain did not acquire a foothold in China itself,but mainland of Cathay,where he could deliver to the Grand Khan the letter the Chinese trade from the Fukien ports of Foochow,Amoy,and he bore from his patrons the Spanish Sovereigns,and where,above all, Ch'tianchow to Manila and through Manila to Mexico and,finally,to he could acquire the information necessary to enable him to get to his Spain soon attained large proportions,thanks to the vigour with which desired goal.He sought China by sailing due west as the surest way to the Spanish suppressed Chinese piracy on the sea and local wars in the reach the East Indies,and in failing to achieve that goal re-discovered islands.To pay for these trans-shipped Chinese goods both Mexico and America.As a source of material profit the discovery was for many years Peru had to fall back on their precious metals,which were their chief a bitter disappointment.It was not until the Spanish conquerors wealth.Hence there came to China a steady and welcome flow of bar stumbled upon the fabulously rich silver and gold mines of Mexico and silver and later of Spanish,Mexican,and Peruvian dollars,a fow which Peru that America began to answer their expectations as a land worth perturbed not a little the monarchs of Spain but which they could do exploitation,while in the meantime Columbus had died an embittered nothing to check.What also perturbed them and what also they were man,beset by enemies,and a victim of hallucinations. powerless to prevent was the fact that Manila soon became for the officials and colonists of Mexico and Peru a cheaper market than Spain Before these mines,however,had swum into the ken of the rapacious itself in which to purchase Spanish goods. Spaniards,Portuguese flotillas had been coming back to Lisbon year after year with fortune-making cargoes from Malacca and the East Indies,and A factor which brought the Spanish colonists of the Philippines into the sight of this made the Spaniards determined to reach those islands, unusually close contact with the Chinese trading classes was the existence holding correctly enough,that they could do so by skirting the land-mass and growth of Chinese immigration.The law prohibiting Chinese to of America and rounding it at is southernmost point.The first to do this settle abroad was not enforced in the province of Fukien-an exemption was Ferdinand Magellan,an experienced Portuguese navigator who had won in the middle of the sixteenth century in the successful struggle of10 HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS Thome Pires was sent back in disgrace to Canton, where he died as a state prisoner. Nevertheless, Portuguese trade took root and flourished. Technically, such trade had been declared illegal; but as it yielded rich returns to the Chinese officials as well as to the traders themselves, it throve especially at the ports of Changchow, Chiianchow, and Ningpo. At the two last￾named places the Portuguese succeeded in making settlements, only to be expelled froni both before the middle of the century. But fortune was soon to smile on them. They could, and did, often enough act as pirates, but in self-defence they also acted as the suppressors of the native corsairs . of the China Sea. It was for their services in t~is respect dlat the Canton ·o£ficials-forbidden to permit their residence at Canton, but avid for the material gains from their trade-finally gave them permission in 1557 to,rent land on the peninsula at Ama Ngau, known later to the world as Macao, and to develop the place for residence and trade. The territory ,,,as not ceded; China retained her sovereignty, and stationed there not only a magistrate, but also a Custom house to control the steadily growing foreign trade. Into the chequered history of this famous Portuguese outpost it is not necessary to enter here, but up to the middle of the eighteenth century, when Canton was made the centre for foreign trade, Macao-in spite of Spanish opposition, Dutch and English aggression, internal discord and misgovernment, the loss of trade with Japan, and the fall of Malacca-retained the proud position of being, thanks to Chinese toleration, the strongest connecting link between China and the outside world, and the foothold on China without which the trading powers of the West would have found it much more difficult than it was to carry on their commercial enterprises. Sixty years after the arrival of the Portuguese their great trade rivals, the Spaniards, appeared on the scene. Columbus, who was probably more of a self-seeking adventurer than a Mgh-minded scientific explorer, set out in September 1492 from the Canaries to reach the spice islands, and by sailing due west, believed that he could not fail to strike the mainland of Cathay, where he could deliver to the Grand Kha,n the letter he bore from his patrons the Spanish Sovereigns, and where; above all, he could acquire the information necessary to enable him to get to his desired goal. He sought China by sailing due west as the surest way to reach the East Indies, and in failing to acllieve that goal re-discovered America. As a source of material profit the discovery was for many years a bitter disappointment. It was not until the Spanish conquerors stumbled upon the fabulously rich silver and gold mines of Mexico and Peru that America began t9 answer their expectations as a land worth exploitation, while in the meantime Columbus had died an embittered man, beset by enemies, and a victim of hallucinations. Before these mines, however, had swum into the ken of the rapacious Spaniards, Portuguese flotillas had been coming back to Lisbon year after year with fortune-making cargoes from Malacca and the East Indies, and the sight of this made the Spaniards determined to reach those islands, holding correctly enough, that they could do so by skirting the land-mass of America and rounding it at is southernmost point. The first to do this was Ferdinand Magellan, an experienced Portuguese navigator who had HART AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS 11 taken service with King Charles V of Spain, and \vho in 1519 set sail with five ships, cruised down the eastern coast of South America, and after passing through the strait which has ever afterwards borne his name, emerged .on the Pacific. Setting his course north-west he finally, in 1521, reached what are now known as the Philippine Islands, and there the intrepid explorer lost his life in a local brawl. From the Philippines the spice' islands were within easy call, but the Portuguese had no intention of allowing the newcomers to establish themselves there, even on the pretext that by so doing they would be within their rights by the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494, the treaty which ratified the Papal Decree authorizing Spain and Portugal to divide the undiscovered world between them. The conquest of Mexico (New Spain) by Cortes had provided the Spaniards with the port of Acapulco on the Pacific coast, and from here, in 1545, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos was sent with a fleet to drive the Portuguese, if possible, out of the Moluccas. The attempt, howeyer, ended in total failure. This reverse cooled Spanish ardour for a time, until in 1564 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was commissioned by Philip II to proceed with a fleet from Mexico to attack and annex the Luzon, after￾wards renamed the Philippine Islands. Legazpi did his work well, though it took him the better part of ten years. While accomplishing it, Manila, where Legazpi had made his headquarters in 1571, was attacked in 1574 by a Chinese pirate fleet of 72 vessels. The Spaniards repulsed these corsairs, followed them up, burned their fleet, and captured those that tried to escape by land. In gratitude the Chinese admiral, who should have done the job, consented to sponsor a deputation of two Augustinian friars--one of them Martin de Rada, who spoke and read Chinese-to the Governor of Fukien. The friars were .well received by the Governor, and although the deputation, in the absence of credentials from Madrid, could not proceed to Peking, it was successful in establishing Spain's first official contact with China. Unlike Portugal, Spain did not acquire a foothold in China itself, but the Chinese trade from the Fukien ports of Foochow, Amoy, and Ch'iianchow to Manila and through Manila to Mexico and, finally, to Spain soon attained large proportions, thanks to the vigour with which the Spanish suppressed Chinese piracy on the sea and local wars in the islands. To pay for these trans-shipped Chinese goods both Mexico and Peru had to fall back on their precious metals, which were their chief wealth. Hence there came to China a steady and welcome flow of bar . silver and later of Spanish, Mexican, and Peruvian dollars, a flow which perturbed not a little the monarchs of Spain but which they could do nothing to check. What also perturbed them and what also they ,,'ere powerless to prevent was the fact that Manila soon became for the officials and colonists of Mexico and Peru a cheaper market than Spain itself in which to purchase Spanish goods. A factor which brought the Spanish colonists of the Philippines into unusually close contact with the Chinese trading classes was the existence and growth of Chinese immigration. The law prohibiting Chinese to settle abroad was not enforced in the province of Fukien-an exemption won in the middle of the sixteenth century in the successful struggle of