Flint

Mr., an employe of the East India Company, whose Christian name seems to have disappeared from the earth; he was almost the first English man who qualified himself to act as interpreter. He seems to have been known to the Chinese as IMG:p197_24.png:Chinese characters Hung jen-hui. In 1755 he was sent to Ningpo and Chusan, with a view to opening up trade. Difficulties were made, of course, and a memorial was sent to the throne. Ch'ien Lung i ued in reply the edict which strictly confined al! foreign trade (except Ru ian) to the one port of Canton. The officials then ordered and forced the English to leave Ningpo. Flint, however, went north instead of south, and was the first English man to set foot in Tientsin. He persuaded a local mandarin to present his petition to the Emperor, with the result that a high official was sent to Canton to investigate matters, and the Hoppo was degraded. Flint seems to have gone a second time to N ingpo after the Edict which closed it to trade; at any rate, on his return to Canton in December, 1759, he was ordered into the Viceroy's presence, and was shown what was said to be an imperial edict, condemning him to three yea i's' imprisonment at Macao, and to be then sent away to England. A protest was made by all nationalities in Canton, and full particulars were sent to the Court of Directors in London. A special mi ion was sent from the Directors to the Viceroy of Canton, but it was a failure in all respects: Flint remained in prison till the third year, and was then put on board a homeward-bound ve el. IMG:p197_25.png:Chinese characters: The English in China; Davis: China.