Reviews W'hen America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs and Money in theAge ofSail by Eric Jay Dolin (Liveright Corporation, New York, 2012, 394pp, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 978-0-87140433-6; $27.95hc) In 1784, the ship Empress of China inaugurated America's China trade. Thus began our own east-west maritime history, one of particular interest to historians and laymen alike. Dolin's secondary tide, An Exotic History o[Tea, Drugs and Money in the Age ofSail, reveals the book's major themes: America's great demand for tea; its peripheral involvement in the opium trade and Britain's subsequent and tragic Opium Wars; and the search for goods desired by the Chinese, especially furs. Dolin explains the C hinese way of doing business that often went against western sensibilities-a tale of a complex, convoluted and co rrupt Chinese system of ethnic customs and trade regulations, j uxraposed agai nst the Victorian British Empire's political subterfuge in its attempt to meddle in C hinese affairs. At the margins, Americans crafted political countermeasures to gain inroads around both parties' trade barriers. The C hinese had their own business vocabulary: chop (an official's stamp), chopped dollar (a piece ofsilver), chopho use (customs house), cumshaw ("gold sand," or port entry fee) , hong merchant (a C hinese middleman responsible for foreigners while they were trading in Canton), shroff (money lender), hoppo (customs official) , and factory (a business office and living quarters for traders while in Canton) . Their strange (to theAmericans) words and exotic customs, combined with strict C hinese laws, led to some extreme confusion on both sides. If a trader got into trouble because of them , the consequences were sometimes dire. TheAmericans, nevertheless, muddled their way through the commercial and social labyrinths replete with disreputable SEA HISTORY 142, SPRING 2013
characters on all sides. Finally, the nineteenth century bro ught a Chinese war with Britain that led to a decisive British victo ry using advanced technology and military discipline over masses of relatively archaic Chinese army. This victory evolved into the virtual slavery of C hina's peasant class in the wes t, the era of "the coolie." This work addresses a complicated and fasci nating topic, but there were some lengthy digressions. Although interesting, part was an extension of Dolin's Fur, Fortune and Empire, where the author wro te about the decimation of various fur-bearing animals, such as seals and sea otters, as well as the deforestation of certain woods species. Dolin's discussion about the development of the clipper ship, an important, if brief, C hina trade episode, is perhaps an overly detailed historical backgro und for this book. China is currendy America's third biggest trading partner, with both economies bound by debt and imbalances of import-to-export trade. Therefore, When America First M et China is both timely and scholarly, a well-written key to greater understanding of the notalways-admirable historical relationships between these two economic giants. I highly recommend this engaging book for anyone interested in C hina-tourists, businesspeople, diplomats, and historians alike. Lours ARTHUR NORTON West Simsbury, Connecticut
Intrepid Sailors: The Legacy of Preble's Boys and the Tripoli Campaign by Chipp Reid (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2012, 320pp, maps, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISB N 978-1-61251-117-7; $3 5.95) American conflict with Libya dates to the founding of the United States. The Barbary states-Tripoli, Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis-were pirate enclaves that fed on Mediterranean commerce, protection
money from trading nations, hostage ransoms, and the sale of captives into slavery. At the time, the United States had no navy, and Congress wanted to avoid the expense of building one. Like many of the other nations trading in the Mediterranean, America regarded tribute payments to the pirates as a less expensive alternative to military action to subjugate them. Tribute paid to one state, of course, brought the wrath of the others, so all had to be placated . Tunis and Tripoli, although the smallest, were the most demanding and belligerent. Tripoli declared war on the United States in 1801 , seizing American ships and humiliating their crews taken as hostages. In response, Congress authorized naval construction and President Thomas Jefferson ordered the navy to bring Tripoli to terms. Following two ineffective attempts to cower Tripoli, Commodore Edward Preble, aboard the 44-gun frigate USS Constitution, led the third assault.
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