A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 11 | Page 8

Macao is the place where ships always stop for a pilot to carry them
up the river of Canton, I sent an officer with my compliments to the
governor, and with orders to bring off a pilot; but hearing nothing of
him till next morning, I was under very great apprehensions. Next
morning, a great number of the people belonging to the Success came
off to our ship, and acquainted me that Clipperton had left me
designedly. About noon this day, the 12th November, 1721, a pilot
came off to us, when we immediately weighed anchor, and
immediately entered Canton river, being assured that there still were
some European ships at Wampoo, about ten miles short of Canton. We
were four days in plying up to the road between the tower bars, where
we anchored; and, finding the Bonetta and Hastings, two English ships,
I sent an officer to request their instructions how to conduct ourselves
in this port, and to acquaint us with its customs. They answered, that

the Cadogan and Francis, two English European ships, were lying at
Wampoo, and advised me to send up to the English factors at Canton,
to acquaint them with our arrival, and the reasons which obliged us to
come here. This I accordingly did next day, borrowing one of their
flags to hoist as our boat, without which we had met with much trouble
from the _Hoppo-men_, or custom-house officers. I sent letters to the
captains of the English ships, signifying the necessity which forced me
to this country, and requesting their succour and protection; assuring
them that I acted under his majesty's commission, which also I sent, for
their perusal. Next morning, being the 17th, I weighed and worked up
to Wampoo, where, besides the two English ships, I found three
belonging to France, one Ostender, and a small ship from Manilla.
I was here in hopes of all my troubles being at an end, and that I should
have full leisure for rest and refreshment after my many and great
fatigues; but I soon found these expectations ill grounded, and after all
my perils, that I was fallen into others least to be endured, as
proceeding from false brethren. A most unlucky accident happened the
very evening that we anchored at Wampoo, which gave birth to all the
troubles I encountered in India; though, in respect to me, both
unforeseen and unavoidable, and purely the effects of that eagerness in
the ship's company to get out of this part of the world at any rate. Had
there been any government among the English settled here, to have
supported my authority, this unlucky business had never happened; and,
as it was, could only be imputed to nothing but the want of such an
establishment. One of my men, named David Griffith, being in a hurry
to remove his effects into the Bonetta's boat, in which he was chased by
a Hoppo or custom-house boat; and being a little in liquor, and fearing
to lose his silver, fired a musket and killed the Hoppo-man or
custom-house officer. Early next morning, the dead body was laid at
the door of the English factory, where Chinese officers lay in wait to
seize the first Englishman that should come out. A supercargo
belonging to the Bonetta happened to be the first; he was immediately
seized and carried off, and afterwards led in chains about the suburbs of
Canton. All that could be said or done by the most considerable
Chinese merchants who were in correspondence with the English, was
of no avail. In the mean time, my man, who had slain the Chinese
officer, and another, were put in irons aboard the Francis, which was

chopped, or seized, till the guilty man was delivered up. He was then
carried to Canton in chains, and the supercargo was released.
I had not been here many days, when I was deserted by all my officers
and men, who were continually employed in removing their effects
from my ship to some of the European ships, without my knowledge, I
being then confined to bed. My officers were using all their efforts to
engage the gentlemen belonging to the company in their interest, and
had only left my son and a few negroes to look after the ship, and to
defend my effects, which were on the brink of falling into the
bottomless pit of Chinese avarice; besides, they and the ship's company
had so many ways of disposing of every thing they could lay their
hands on, that I found it impossible to oblige them to do what I thought
justice to our owners: They all soon recovered from their illness, and
they all became their own masters. There were no magistrates for me to
appeal to on shore, who