Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
footing. Gifts, loans and minor trade deals steadily grew into a partnership aimed
at entering the China market. Cocks's commitment was cemented at the beginning
of1617withaloantoLiHuayuofthesubstantialsumof2,000ouncesofsilverfor
a year at 20 per cent interest, plus a loan of half that amount on the same terms to
anotherChinesemerchantinNagasaki.Moremoneywouldhavetobethrownafter
that sum, for on 16 December, as the end of the loan period approached, Li Dan
droppedinatCocks'shousewithagiftandaletterfromhisbrothersayingnothing
about the loan but asking for another 1,000 taels (ounces of silver) 'to be emploid
about procuring trade into China'. The brothers would 'allwaies be answerable for
it,whetherittakeeffectorno'.Lialsoaskedforthelargestoftherobestheshogun
hadgiventoCockstosweetentheChineseofficials,insistingagainthatforthistoo
'he would not forget to be answerable'. Cocks handed over his two best robes the
next day, but had to wait until the lord of Hirado repaid some of his debt of 3,000
taelsbeforehecouldsendthesilverLiHuayuaskedfor.Laterthatmorning,Japan-
ese officers on an English junk about to depart for Siam called on Cocks to hustle
gratuities. He ended up having to fork out 65 taels on the pretence that the money
would be used to buy wood in Siam. He knew that it wouldn't, but the junk would
notsetsailifhedidnotpay.Attheendofthatday'sentryinhisdiary,Cockswrote
in exasperation: 'God blesse me out of the handes of these people.'
The trade to Siam was a side operation. The real goal was trade to China. In a
letter to London dated 15 February 1618 Cocks professed optimism about his Ch-
inaventure.Hemadethepointpartlyinresponsetohavingreceivedtwolettersad-
dressed to the emperor of China from James I, one friendly, the other threatening.
The Company's Chinese translators in Bantam had been too nervous to translate
them into Chinese, lest they be found guilty of the capital crime of offending the
dignity of the Ming emperor. Cocks was happy to report that 'our China frendes',
the Li brothers, were unfazed. They 'will not only translate them, but send them
by such as will see them delivered'. Not both, actually; only the friendly letter. He
gently reminded London that threatening letters would get them nowhere. The Li
brothers assured him that 'there will nothing be donne with the king by force.'
Li Huayu's death two years later did not dampen Cocks's enthusiasm, for he
was still confident that the surviving brother would 'prove the author of so happie
a matter as to gett trade into China'. Li Dan, he wrote, was insisting that 'it is con-
cluded upon, and that he expects a kinsman of his to come out of China with the
Emperours passe, promesing to goe hym selfe with me in person, when we have
any shipping com to goe in'. As late as 11 January 1621 Cocks put another 1,500
Search WWH ::
Custom Search