Series 4 > William Melrose in China, 1845-1855

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WILLIAM MELROSE IN CHINA
here thought it safe to give the price for them, so I had nearly the
market for those kinds to myself. They are called Woopack Con¬
gous out here, and all the Congous in her are Woopack except
[chops] no. i and no. 7 which are called out here Moning.
An old friend of mine, a doctor, has just come up from Cali¬
fornia. He has gathered there about $12,000 or £3,000. He has been
away about a year and a half. Amongst the many who went from
China he is the only one (or nearly so) who has made anything.
No other one who has returned at least has made anything and all
nearly lost every farthing they were worth. The way he made his
was in buying land which was afterwards chosen as a site for a new
city, Sacramento. He bought it for a trifle and sold it for $13,000.
He says it is of no use trying to make anything by digging, the
expenses are more than you get in gold; and as for sending goods
down there for sale, the charges eat up nearly the whole amount.
His name is Wilson, he goes home by the Hugh Walker on the 4th
February. He wanted a bill from me for $2,000 worth of gold he
brought up with him and, as I saw ‘your account with J. R. & Co.’
was over-remitted, I gave him one. It was a good chance for me
because nobody (in business) will take our bills out here without
documents as security, so I very likely would have had to let it lie
over had he not wanted it.
A Mr Man1 (as good and nice a man as you could wish to know)
also goes home by this mail. They may both call on you as old
friends of mine. Man also has got a little bill on you for £52 or so,
and he wanted more but I could not give it to him; so you see what
credit I have out here, but that is only among old friends, and I
might wait a year before such would apply again.
William to Andrew Melrose and Company
Canton, 28 January 1851
I have your letters of 23 November ’50 and have to acknowledge
receipt of £5,000 National Bank of Scotland bills safely to hand;
last month I requested you to open a policy for the £5,000 Com-
1 James Lawrence Man: a partner of Benjamin Scare & Co. from Feb. 1846, left for
Southampton 30 Jan. 1851. China Mail, 19 Feb. 1846 and 30 Jan. 1851; CR, xviii
(1849), 3-