This page was created by Julie Yue.  The last update was by Andrea Ledesma.

Asia-Pacific in the Making of the Americas: Toward a Global History

An Appeal to the Mandarins

When Carter arrived in Canton in the season of 1798-99 the Ann & Hope was one of 13 American ships to land that season. A decade before there had been only four. By 1804 - 1805 there would be 34. This growing presence sat at the axis of two established empires, an irritation to one or the other and perhaps to both. Friction with the British heightened on October 1805, when a British ship opened fire on an American ship, which subsequently was boarded by British sailors who proceeded to impress upon some of the American crew. The acting Consul Edward Carrington, who was well aware of Carter’s study of the language, asked him to translate an appeal Carrington had composed on behalf of all the Americans.
 
Carter describes his role:  

In October 1805, Mr. Carrington, the American Vice-Consul at Canton wrote to the Viceroy complaining of the violence offered by the English in taking American seamen out of our ships. This memorial Mr. C. desired me to translate into Chinese characters. Though I had studied Chinese some time, yet not being used to compose in the language, I was dubious whether my style would be sufficiently accurate…I called in the aid of my learned instructor Abel Xaverius, having first engaged his secrecy.  As Xaverius was totally unacquainted with English and, of course unable to read Mr. Carrington’s petition, the first thing requisite was for me to translate Mr. Carrington’s ideas into Latin. By the assistance of Xaverius the petition was translated from the Latin into Chinese and signed by the American Captains, Super Cargoes and merchants resident at Canton.  This being the 1st official paper from America ever presented to the Government of China."

 

Carter’s phrasing reveals how important he felt this action was. Here was the first official step in Chinese-American diplomatic relations. He had come to believe that the Americans’ lack of an interpreter jeopardized opportunities for fair trade and for recognition as a sovereign nation, distinct from the British, This attitude marked a transition in Carter’s thinking. Learning Chinese was no longer an amusing recreational activity, but now a serious endeavor with national benefit. Carter from his vantage point could see that the EIC had in George Staunton a resident interpreter for the EIC.  He did not see that the EIC in fact had operated for decades on end without any knowledge of local languages. Nor did he know that the EIC would not until two years later formally appoint Staunton as station interpreter. The EIC had, more by chance than design, acquired a Chinese language talent, even though its more basic operational style relied on superior armed force, as it did in this instance that prompted the American complaint. Sadly, the appeal Carter worked so hard to compose appears never to have been registered in the imperial record, perhaps blocked by the Hong merchants, and in all likelihood never seen by Mandarin eyes.[31] Carter and his amanuensis, recalling the Flint Affair, took care to frame the appeal with the deferential phrasing that customarily was expected in memorials to officialdom, but to no avail.[32]


________________________


[31] Latourette.
[32] Close inspection of the Dictionarium Sinicum and the “Appeal” indicate they were both written by the same person.  Morrison’s depiction of Abel as somewhat lacking in knowledge of Chinese characters could have been hearsay spread by other Chinese instructors. Or Abel might have enlisted some one else to write in his place.

This page has paths: