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

Carter Joins the China Trade

Carter was born in 1771 and proved himself intelligent in his youth. In 1786 at the age of 15 he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts and later a Masters degree by Rhode Island College (now Brown University).[5] He then studied medicine in Philadelphia under Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) and other professors, and started his own medical practice in 1792. After 1798 Carter worked as a surgeon for the merchant firm Brown and Ives in Providence and as supercargo on board the merchant ship Ann and Hope, taking a number of voyages to the East. (See John Eng-Wong' essay on Carter, "Chinese Bibliophile.")

On his first voyage Carter stayed in Canton  from December 1798 to February 1799 and kept a journal of his visit.[6] On his second and third voyages, he stayed in Canton from January to March in 1800 and August 1801 to May 1802.[7] In December 1804 he sailed East again on board the ship Asia. He took up residence with Edward Carrington (1775-1843), the United States Consul in Canton (1802-1810), as well as his fellow townsman. During this period he practiced medicine and traded Chinese goods. Carter made a considerable fortune and was on good terms with the Co-hong merchants Wu Bingjian 伍秉鑒 (1769-1843) and Pan Changyao 潘長耀 (1759-1823).[8] In total Carter took four voyages to China and stayed in Canton for more than two years. Carter returned to the U.S. in the spring of 1806. His brothers Crawford (1783-1868) and William (1785-1821) were both engaged in Canton trade at one time. 
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[5] Brown University Office of the Curator, “Portrait Collection: Carter, Benjamin Bowen”, http://library.brown.edu/cds/portraits/display.php?idno=69; United States Chronicle, Vol. 3 Issue 141 (Sept. 7, 1786), p. 3. “Death Notice”, Rhode-Island American (and Gazette), Vol. 2 Issue 100 (Jul. 1, 1831), p. 2 gives a different account of his education after the award of his bachelor degree. 
[6] Robert W. Kenny has a detailed introduction to Carter’s Journal, see his “The Maiden Voyage of Ann and Hope of Providence to Botany Bay and Canton, 1798–1799”, The American Neptune, Vol. 18 no. 2 (Apr., 1958) , pp. 105-136.
[7] Gertrude S. Kimball, The East-India Trade of Providence from 1787 to 1807 (Providence, R.I.: Preston and Rounds, 1896), pp. 25-29.
[8] Robert W. Kenny, “Benjamin B. Carter, Physician Extraordinary”, Rhode Island History, Vol. 16 no. 4 (Oct. 1957), pp. 97-99. [http://www.rihs.org/assetts/files/publications/1957_Oct.pdf]

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