that the
first knowledge they had of his being at Canton, was from that letter.
Mr Anson then proceeded, and told him, that the subjects of the
king of Great Britain trading to China had complained to him, the
commodore, of the vexatious impositions both of the merchants
and inferior custom-house officers, to which they were frequently
necessitated to submit, by reason of the difficulty of getting access
to the mandarines, who alone could grant them redress: That it was
his, Mr Anson's, duty, as an officer of the king of Great Britain, to
lay before the viceroy these grievances of the British subjects, which
he hoped the viceroy would take into consideration, and would give
orders, that for the future there should be no just reason for
complaint. Here Mr Anson paused, and waited some time in expectation
of an answer; but nothing being said, he asked his interpreter if he
was certain the viceroy understood what he had urged; the interpreter
told him, he was certain it was understood, but he believed no reply
would be made to it. Mr Anson then represented to the viceroy the case
of the ship Haslingfield, which, having been dismasted on the coast of
China, had arrived in the river of Canton but a few days before. The
people on board this vessel had been great sufferers by the fire; the
captain in particular had all his goods burnt, and had lost besides,
in the confusion, a chest of treasure of four thousand five hundred
tahel, which was supposed to be stolen by the Chinese boat-men. Mr
Anson therefore desired that the captain might have the assistance
of the government, as it was apprehended the money could never be
recovered without the interposition of the mandarines. And to this
request the viceroy made answer, that in settling the emperor's
customs for that ship, some abatement should be made in consideration
of her losses.

And now the commodore having dispatched the business with which the
officers of the East-India company had entrusted him, he entered on
his own affairs; acquainting the viceroy, that the proper season was
now set in for returning to Europe, and that he waited only for a
licence to ship off his provisions and stores, which were all ready;
and that as soon as this should be granted him, and he should have
gotten his necessaries on board, he intended to leave the river of
Canton, and to make the best of his way for England. The viceroy
replied to this, that the licence should be immediately issued, a