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Auction: 21042 - The Opium Wars Collection
Lot: 21

First Opium War
The Opium Trade
Opium Clipper Ships
Water Witch: 1836 (17-19 Mar.) river mail entire letter to Edward Crooke in Canton, originally written at Lintin Island but completed in Macao a couple of days later. The letter deals with various accounts and ship movements (including the 'Hercules') and includes, " ... the smugglers were here today and a few deliveries took place principally Malwa ...". Unfortunately the address panel has been overwritten by the recipient's notations including the receipt date (23.3) and the fact that the 'Water Witch' sailed for Calcutta on the 20th.


An interesting letter which illustrates the opium business at that time, the old boats, anchored near the island, acted as warehouses where the opium was loaded onto smaller boats to be smuggled into Canton and other ports.


鴉片煙快速大飛艇 "Water Witch": 1836年3月17-19日寄廣州Edward Crooke, 此信函寫於伶仃島, 但數天後才在澳門才完成, 此信函由鴉片走私船Water Witch 送到廣州. 伶仃島是1830年代鴉片走私船集散之地, 於此地䣃貨在該島附近停泊的舊船上(充當倉庫之用), 再將鴉片装上較小之快艇, 之後再走私駛往廣州, 黄埔等港口; 此信函内容提及1836年3月17日那天走私商到達伶仃島, 主要有Malwa品種的鴉片煙落貨; 及不幸的是, 地址面板已被收件人的注釋覆蓋, 包括收貨日期 (23.3) 以及“水之女巫”號於 20 日駛往加爾各答的事情等.