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A rendering of a naval battle during the First Opium War, a conflict closely identified with Jardine, Matheson & Co. Photo: Corbis

Book review: Opium and Empire, by Richard J. Grace

In their day, Scottish traders William Jardine and James Matheson were seen by the Chinese as "barbarians" - predatory invaders peddling "foreign mud": that is, opium.

LIFE
David Wilson

by Richard J. Grace
McGill-Queen's University Press

In their day, Scottish traders William Jardine and James Matheson were seen by the Chinese as "barbarians" - predatory invaders peddling "foreign mud": that is, opium.

But most of their 19th-century British contemporaries admired them, according to revisionist Richard Grace. In his intriguing new chronicle, , he aims to prove the pair were more than one-dimensional villains.

"Although they were disliked by a few of their competitors and by some people at home in Britain, they were respected by many more, and genuinely admired for their business integrity, their skills at identifying and pursuing profitable opportunities, and their management talents," the American history professor writes, branding them reverse robber barons.

Jardine was feted at his base, Canton (Guangzhou), on leaving, and at London on arriving. Likewise, Matheson was honoured by Bombay's Parsi merchants, Grace writes. Both served in Parliament while pursuing influential City business careers. Matheson was made a baronet by Queen Victoria.

They were seen as gentlemen by most who knew them, Grace writes. "They were venturesome capitalists." The two Scots were agents for clients in Britain, Australia, Singapore and India. Cotton and silks were part of their repertoire.

Despite their entrepreneurial zest and flair for adventure, their backgrounds were staid. Educated in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, in 1802 Jardine won a diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The same year, he became a surgeon's mate aboard the ship Brunswick belonging to the East India Company, and sailed for India.

Detained by the French and shipwrecked in 1805, he was repatriated and returned to the East India Company's service as a ship's surgeon. In 1817, he quit medicine for commerce, moved to China and wound up a partner with China trading house Magniac; by 1826 he was running its Canton operations.

Fellow University of Edinburgh product Matheson started out working for a London agency house and then his uncle's India-based trading firm. Next, he joined Jardine at Magniac, which was reconstituted as Jardine, Matheson & Co in 1832.

Meanwhile, Chinese opposition to British opium trading grew. After China destroyed 20,000 cases of British-owned opium in 1839 and Matheson was detained at Canton, Jardine headed to London. There Jardine urged foreign secretary Lord Palmerston to hit back. The result, the First Opium War, lasted from 1839 until 1842, ending with Britain seizing Hong Kong.

In researching the merchants who influenced history, Grace did much more than trawl through archives. "William Jardine and James Matheson became virtual lodgers at our home," he writes, adding that he dragged his family to remote Scottish spots. His children must have wondered what he was doing, he reflects, neglecting to explain the spark behind his mission to give a fair view of the two Scots.

"Matheson was very good at dealing with people - better than Jardine, probably because his demeanour was less peppery." Grace documents Matheson's commitment to philanthropy: that evidence rebuts the belief that he was a heel more persuasively than any other Grace presents.

Grace's take carries special weight for a simple reason: he avows no vested interest in rehabilitating the men whose legacy continues through a conglomerate with a Hong Kong presence, which still uses their names.

Like Matheson, Jardine did commendable charity work, but he was no angel. In fact, in light of his opium-tinged warmongering antics, he seems a bit of a cad.

Similarly, Matheson can seem a bit of a sleaze. According to scholar Julia Lovell, he bought his parliament seat with drug money.

So Grace may be guilty of overstating his case. Irrespective, is impressive: a rattling read with psychological heft.

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