項次 1757

1836 (16 Jul) Water Witch, off Cumsingmoon to Canton An internal Canton River mail. Letter written on 10 July 1836 on board the opium clipper Water Witch at Cumsingmoon, addressed to Canton. Mentions the dispatch of correspondence via the Herbert Taylor to England through Singapore, ongoing opium trade conditions, rising opium prices, and active smuggling by foreign vessels. Notes on American and Bombay ship arrivals and trade logistics, including outbound sailing of the Mermaid to Calcutta. Provides firsthand insight into the operations of opium traders off the Chinese coast in the pre-Opium War period.

1836年7月10日於「Water Witch」鴉片快船上、錨泊於「金星門」Cumsingmoon – 廣東河出口面向香港島 - 所書信函，寄往廣州。 信中提及透過「Herbert Taylor」號船經新加坡轉寄英國之郵件安排，並記錄當時鴉片貿易活動情況，包括鴉片價格上升、走私船活躍，以及美國與印度（如Bombay）來船之抵達情形。信中亦提及「Mermaid」號即將啟程返回加爾各答，透露此信件所處時間點正值廣東沿海鴉片貿易繁盛階段，具體反映中英開戰前夕外籍走私船活動頻繁之實況。