h these gentlemen never to apply to the supreme magistrate
himself, whatever difficulties they labour under, but to transact all
matters relating to the Government by the mediation of the principal
Chinese merchants, Mr. Anson was advised to follow the same method upon
this occasion, the English promising to exert all their interest to
engage the merchants in his favour.

CHINESE PROMISES.

And when the Chinese merchants were applied to, they readily undertook
the management of it, and promised to answer for its success; but after
near a month's delay and reiterated excuses, during which interval they
pretended to be often upon the point of completing the business, they at
last threw off the mask, and declared they neither had applied to the
Viceroy, nor could they, for he was too great a man, they said, for them
to approach on any occasion.

CHAPTER 32.
A LETTER TO THE VICEROY--A CHINESE MANDARIN--THE CENTURION IS REFITTED
AND PUTS TO SEA.

Mr. Anson now saw clearly that if he had at first carried his ship into
the river of Canton and had immediately applied himself to the mandarins,
who are the chief officers of State, instead of employing the merchants
to apply for him, he would in all probability have had all his requests
granted, and would have been soon despatched. He had already lost a month
by the wrong measures he had been put upon, but he resolved to lose as
little more time as possible; and therefore, the 17th of December, being
the next day after his return from Canton, he wrote a letter to the
Viceroy of that place acquainting him that he was commander-in-chief of a
squadron of his Britannic Majesty's ships of war, which had been cruising
for two years past in the South Seas against the Spaniards, who were at
war with the King his master; that, in his way back to England, he had
put into the port of Macao, having a considerable leak in his ship, and
being in great want of provisions, so that it was impossible for him to
proceed on his voyage till his ship was repaired, and he was supplied
with the necessaries he wanted; that he had been at Canton in hopes of
being admitted to a personal audience of His Excellency, but being a
stranger to the customs of the country, he had not been able to inform
himself what steps were necessary to be taken to procure such an
audience, and therefore was obliged to apply to him in this manner, to
desire His Excellency to give orders for his being permitted to employ