British relations and conflicts with the Portuguese and Chinese authorities in the second half of the eighteenth century
British relations and conflicts with the Portuguese and Chinese authorities in the second half of the eighteenth century
In the second half of the eighteenth century, conflicts between the supercargoes and the Portuguese and Chinese authorities heightened. The enclave and the Emperor of China enacted laws to regulate the trading activities and the behaviour of the foreigners. However, they had no practical effect, partly because the personal interests of the residents were linked to the British and their legal and illegal trade. Given the growing contact between foreigners and Chinese, neither being allowed to learn the others’ language, a form of pidgin English arose to meet the trading needs. As the British trading activities increased, problems caused by the independent traders, as seen in John MacClary’s abuses in 1781 and the Lady Hughes incident in 1784 caused further tension between the Select Council, the Portuguese and Mandarinate, and ultimately reminded the British of their vulnerability in Macau.
Keywords: Lady Hughes incident, Pidgin English, Trade regulations, Portuguese authorities, Mandarinate, Opium smuggling, East India Company, Macau, China, British Overseas
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