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unfavourable opinion that the Chinese formed of Occidental nations prior to the nineteenth century. Her relations with China—apart from the despatch of Christian missionaries—were limited to mere courtesies, and she never interested herself in seeking markets for her nationals' goods in the Far East.

England introduced herself to the Chinese in an essentially bellicose character and long retained it. Under the impulse of the spirit of enterprise that animated her in the days of Elizabeth, three ships were sent to China, in charge of one Benjamin Wood, bearing letters from the Queen to the Emperor. They never reached their destination, being lost on the way, and for forty years the essay was not renewed. But in 1637 a squadron of four British ships, the Dragon, the Sun, the Catherine, and the Ann, arrived off Macao under the command of Captain Weddel. Of course the Portuguese did what they could to prevent the success of these commercial rivals. They threw all sorts of obstacles in Weddel's way, until, his patience being exhausted, he left Macao and sailed up the river towards Canton, casting anchor in the Bogue under the guns of a fort erected to guard the approach to the city. There he found the opportunity of which the Portuguese manœuvres had hitherto deprived him, and was able to convey to the authorities an intimation of his peaceful purpose. But during an interval of six days' delay which they had solicited, the Chi-