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IOR/R/10

Record Id:

033-000226869

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

033-000226869

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000056.0x000024

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

IOR/R/10

Title:

Records of East India Company Factory at Canton

Scope & Content:

The papers relate to the East India Company’s commercial activities in China, and its relations with the Chinese authorities. The papers to some extent duplicate the much larger body of similar material in the China Factory Records (G/12). However, some of the early Diary and Consultation Books and Letter Books (R/10/3-7) go some way to fill the gap between 1754 and 1774 in the Factory Records. Only a close comparison of the Consultations in the Factory Records with those listed here (R/10/10-31) could reveal whether the latter contain any new material, but the ‘Narrative of the Proceedings of the Select Committee on arrival of a Detachment of British Troops at Macao’, Sep-Dec 1808 (R/10/32) does not appear to be in the Factory Records. Much more important is the series of Letters (or Despatches) from the Court of Directors, 1784-1833 (R/10/33-62) and its Secret Committee, 1810-1827 (R/10/63-66) which for the most part are not available elsewhere. Among the Miscellaneous papers, the journal of the voyage of the 'Lord Amherst' in 1832 (R/10/70) is not in the Factory Records, and nor are the two letter books, dated 1840-1841, relating to the first China War (R/10/71-72).

The papers were at first bound (or perhaps re-bound) as ‘Factory Records China II’, presumably because they were originally seen as a second series of Factory Records, but after twenty-one volumes that title was dropped and the papers were kept in separate series of Secret Consultations, Letters Received from the Court of Directors, and Miscellaneous.

Collection Area:

India Office Records and Private Papers

Project / Collection:

India Office Records

Hierarchy Tree:

[{ "id" : "033-000226869", "parent" : "#", "text" : "IOR/R/10: Records of East India Company Factory at Canton" },{ "id" : "036-000226870", "parent" : "033-000226869", "text" : "IOR/R/10/1-21: Early records, Diaries and Consultations" },{ "id" : "040-000226871", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/1: Vol 1 Miscellaneous extracts relating to the Company's trade with China, Japan, Thailand, etc" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226872", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/2: Vol 2 Diary and Consultation Books (extracts)" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226873", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/3: Vol 3 Diary and Consultation Books (extracts)" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226874", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/4: Vol 4 Diary and Consultation Books (extracts until 1758)" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226875", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/5: Vol 5 Diary and Consultation Books of Resident Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226876", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/6: Vol 6 Letter book of China factory correspondence (In and Out)" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226877", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/7: Vol 7 Letter book of China factory correspondence (In and Out)" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226878", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/8: Vol 8 Letter book of China factory correspondence (In and Out)" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226879", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/9: Vol 9 Diary and Consultation Books of Resident Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226880", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/10: Vol 10 Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226881", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/11: Vol 11 Consultations of Select Committee or after Jan 1781 Resident Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226882", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/12: Vol 12 Consultations of Resident Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226883", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/13: Vol 13 Consultations of Resident Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226884", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/14: Vol 14 Consultations of Resident Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226885", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/15: Vol 15 Consultations of Resident/Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226886", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/16: Vol 16 Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226887", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/17: Vol 17 Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226888", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/18: Vol 18 Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226889", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/19: Vol 19 Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226890", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/20: Vol 20 Consultations of Select/Secret Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226891", "parent" : "036-000226870", "text" : "IOR/R/10/21: Vol 21 Index to Consultations" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "036-000226892", "parent" : "033-000226869", "text" : "IOR/R/10/22-32: Secret Consultations, Letters and Transactions of Select Committee of Supercargoes" },{ "id" : "040-000226893", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/22: Vol 1 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226894", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/23: Vol 2 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226895", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/24: Vol 3 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226896", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/25: Vol 4 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226897", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/26: Vol 5 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226898", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/27: Vol 6 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226899", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/28: Vol 7 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226900", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/29: Vol 8 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226901", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/30: Vol 9 Secret Consultations of Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226902", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/31: Vol 10 Index to Secret Consultations" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226903", "parent" : "036-000226892", "text" : "IOR/R/10/32: Vol 11 Narrative of the Proceedings of the Select Committee on arrival of a Detachment of British Troops at Macao" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "036-000226904", "parent" : "033-000226869", "text" : "IOR/R/10/33-66: Letters (Despatches) received from East India Company Court of Directors, or its Secret Committee" },{ "id" : "040-000226905", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/33: Vol I Court's Letters to Council and (from Mar 1786) Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226906", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/34: Vol II Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226907", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/35: Vol III Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226908", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/36: Vol IV Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226909", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/37: Vol V Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226910", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/38: Vol VI Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226911", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/39: Vol VII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226912", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/40: Vol VIII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226913", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/41: Vol IX Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226914", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/42: Vol X Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226915", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/43: Vol XI Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226916", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/44: Vol XII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226917", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/45: Vol XIII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226918", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/46: Vol XIV Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226919", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/47: Vol XV Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226920", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/48: Vol XVI Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226921", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/49: Vol XVII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226922", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/50: Vol XVIII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226923", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/51: Vol XIX Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226924", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/52: Vol XX Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226925", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/53: Vol XXI Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226926", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/54: Vol XXII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226927", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/55: Vol XXIII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226928", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/56: Vol XXIV Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226929", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/57: Vol XXV Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226930", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/58: Vol XXVI Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226931", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/59: Vol XXVII Register of Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes 1817-1820; 1827-1830" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226932", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/60: Vol XXVIII Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226933", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/61: Vol XXIX Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226934", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/62: Vol XXX Court's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226935", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/63: Vol XXXI Secret Committee's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226936", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/64: Vol XXXII Secret Committee's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226937", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/65: Vol XXXIII Secret Committee's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226938", "parent" : "036-000226904", "text" : "IOR/R/10/66: Vol XXXIV Secret Committee's Letters to Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "036-000226939", "parent" : "033-000226869", "text" : "IOR/R/10/67-74: Miscellaneous Papers" },{ "id" : "040-000226940", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/67: Vol 1 Miscellaneous correspondence and papers of the Canton factory including Instructions to Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226941", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/68: Vol 2 Miscellaneous consultations of the Select Committee of Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226942", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/69: Vol 2a Duplicate letters from Court of Directors to Supercargoes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226943", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/70: Vol 3 Journal by Hugh Hamilton Lindsay of voyage of the 'Lord Amherst' (in various hands)" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226944", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/71: Vol 4 Letter book of Capt Charles Elliot and other British Plenipotentiaries at Canton" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226945", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/72: Vol 5 Letter book of Capt Charles Elliot and other British Plenipotentiaries at Canton" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226946", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/73: Vol 7 Memoir on Intercourse with China, Part 1,1518-1818" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "040-000226947", "parent" : "036-000226939", "text" : "IOR/R/10/74: Vol 8 Memoir on Intercourse with China, Part 2, 1818-1832" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-000209245
033-000226869

Is part of:

IOR/R : India Office Records transferred later through official channels

IOR/R/10 : Records of East India Company Factory at Canton

Contains:

IOR/R/10/1-21 : Early records, Diaries and Consultations
IOR/R/10/22-32 : Secret Consultations, Letters and Transactions of Select Committee of Supercargoes
IOR/R/10/33-66 : Letters (Despatches) received from East India Company Court of Directors, or its Secret Committee
IOR/R/10/67-74 : Miscellaneous Papers

Click here to View / search full list of parts of IOR/R/10

Hierarchy:

032-000209245[0008]/033-000226869

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: IOR/R

Record Type (Level):

SubFonds

Extent:

74 volumes

Digitised Content:

Languages:

English

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1623

End Date:

1841

Date Range:

1623-1841

Era:

Access:

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Custodial History:

Originating in the Company's factory at Canton, these records were held at the British Legation in Peking and transferred to the India Office through the Foreign Office in 1926.

Administrative Context:

From an early date the East India Company had made efforts to trade with China to obtain silks and porcelain. Voyages were attempted intermittently over the first half of the seventeenth century but the first foothold on mainland China was not gained until 1676, when Company merchants were given permission to trade at Amoy. A little later, ships were allowed to trade at Canton and tea began to be purchased. Trade began on a fairly regular basis at Amoy, Canton and Chusan to the north of the country. In 1757 an imperial edict confined all foreign trade to one port, Canton. The Company, its activities officially acknowledged, obtained permission to establish a factory there in 1762. The main product purchased was tea, which quickly came to dominate the Company's trade, its value by the end of the century almost equalling the value of all other commodities put together. The Company's monopoly on the China trade was finally abolished in 1833. An agent remained at Canton until 1840.

Up to 1680, the trade with China was conducted by country ships freighted by the Company’s factory at Bantam, but it was then decided to employ ships freighted direct from England. By 1715, ships were despatched yearly with a supercargo appointed to each ship; the supercargoes stayed in the same house at Canton and organised the country trade from there. Until 1754 the trade was managed by the supercargoes sailing and returning with the ships They sometimes formed Councils, either one for each ship, or two or more to supervise two or more ships; and sometimes these Councils were combined into one Council while at Canton. In 1755 there were three Councils at Canton, and one of them remained until 1756; similarly another Council resided 1756-57 and another 1757-58. Thereafter there was always only one Council of Resident Supercargoes (comprising the most senior of them) for all ships.

In 1778 or 1779 a Select Committee of Supercargoes was established. This continued until January 1781 after which the Council of Resident Supercargoes reappears until 1786 when the Directors again appointed a Select Committee (Court's letter of 24 March 1786, R/10/33). This Committe remained in being until the end of the Company’s monopoly of trade with China, though for a period in 1792 and 1793 it is termed a Secret or Superintending Committee.

Publications:

H B Morse, 'The Chronicles of the East India Company trading to China 1635-1834', 5 vols (Oxford 1926-29).

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Public Record(s)

Related Material:

China Factory Records (IOR/G/12)