r. And this magistrate, as he was more intelligent than
any other person of his nation that came to our knowledge, so likewise
was he more curious and inquisitive, viewing each part of the ship with
particular attention, and appearing greatly surprised at the largeness of
the lower-deck guns, and at the weight and size of the shot. The
Commodore observing his astonishment thought this a proper opportunity to
convince the Chinese of the prudence of granting him a speedy and ample
supply of all he wanted. With this view he told the mandarin and those
who were with him, that besides the demands he made for a general supply,
he had a particular complaint against the proceedings of the custom-house
of Macao; that at his first arrival the Chinese boats had brought on
board plenty of greens and variety of fresh provisions for daily use, for
which they had always been paid to their full satisfaction, but that the
custom-house officers at Macao had soon forbid them, by which means he
was deprived of those refreshments which were of the utmost consequence
to the health of his men after their long and sickly voyage; that as
they, the mandarins, had informed themselves of his wants, and were
eye-witnesses of the force and strength of his ship, they might be
satisfied it was not for want of power to supply imself that he desired
the permission of the Government to purchase what provisions he stood in
need of; that they must be convinced that the Centurion alone was capable
of destroying the whole navigation of the port of Canton, or of any other
port in China, without running the least risk from all the force the
Chinese could collect; that it was true this was not the manner of
proceeding between nations in friendship with each other, but it was
likewise true that it was not customary for any nation to permit the
ships of their friends to starve and sink in their ports, when those
friends had money to supply their wants and only desired liberty to lay
it out; that they must confess he and his people had hitherto behaved
with great modesty and reserve, but that as his wants were each day
increasing, hunger would at last prove too strong for any restraint, and
necessity was acknowledged in all countries to be superior to every other
law, and therefore it could not be expected that his crew would long
continue to starve in the midst of that plenty to which their eyes were
every day witnesses. To this the Commodore added (though perhaps w