First Supplement to the Head 'Trade & Commerce' & Second Supplement to the Head 'Trade & Commerce'. 

[BARROW (John)]

Publication Date: 1800

About this Item

3 folded folio leaves in a neat secretarial hand. In find condition. N.p., n.d., but ca.  These two Supplements were first published in the second volume to Barrow's 'Some Account of the Public Life, and a Selection from the Unpublished Writings, of the Earl of Macartney.' (London, 1807, vol. 2, p. 519ff), prefaced by the following note: "The Chinese are by no means wanting in proper notions of justice. in order to give them fair play, let us suppose the possible case, which, by way of illustration, I have here drawn up, and let us then say, whether a Chinese might not find as much to be surprised at in London, as an Englishman might in Canton." The first supplement recounts the true story of Peter Pancras and Samuel Smithfield, two English merchants who fled to India in order to avoid paying their debts to Chinese merchants in Canton. In a note Barrow states that the first Supplement is strictly founded in fact. The same is not true of the second supplement which purports to recount the ill-fated journey of a Chinese merchant 'Du-pe-qua' (i.e. 'dupe') on board his Junk Kien-long in January 1775. No records exist of such a journey. Barrow simply expounds what might in all likelihood have happened according to English law if a Chinese were to undertake such a journey. .

Seller Inventory # 232540

Bibliographic Details

• Title: First Supplement to the Head 'Trade & Commerce' & Second Supplement to the Head 'Trade & Commerce'.
• Publication Date: 1800