Salem, Massachusetts

its witch trials. What is less known about the village, and

what is of far more importance, is the impact that the sea

had upon the village. There was a confluence of events that

made Salem a natural seaport. First, and most important was

fair and natural leeward harbor. Second was a close

proximity to Boston, which had a burgeoning sea economy of

its own. Third was land that was rich in timber providing

the lumber for ship building. Fourth was a strong merchant

base, since the town attracted and nurtured mercantile

families such as the Peabody's, the Perkins, the

Crowinshields and the Cabots (Albion, 1978).

The reasons for the Salem-China nexis are not as clear

cut. This paper will examine some of those reasons. This

will divide the paper into the following sections: Early

Salem; Early Ships; The Canton connection; The moon and

Salem was found in of 1626 as the village of Naumkeag by

Roger Conant, who was scouting for areas away from Boston

where he could earn his fortune. Because the terrain was

even worse the Boston, Conant realized that

the safe harbor of Salem could lead to favorable fishing

and perhaps even trade. The first docks were built in

Salem in the 1670s but no commercial trade of any sort

followed, partially b cause of the unfavorable rumors of

However, the passage of the Navigation Acts of 1660

. . .
these merchants) and in payment would take goods such as spices, gold, silks, porcelains and china . In this position, he was able to negotiate many fine deals that gave exclusive rights to Chinese products to Derby's company. By 11790, when Salem was the ninth largest city in the United States, Derby was the richest man. Some sources estimate tha1 in today's dollars, his cash and trade positions would have a value of about $30 billion. Between 1750 and 1814, thousands of voyages began and ended in Salem, and the city was the center of lucrative trading routes not only with China, but Japan, Polynesia and throughout the pacific Basin. Imported spices, textiles, ceramics and thousands of other items flowed into Salem, and from there into the colonies. Not only did taxes and duties collected from this trade help fund the government of the United States, the profits from these ventures helped created numerous American fortunes. When Shaw's ship first landed in Canton (across the harbor from what is now Hong Kong) China was extremely suspicious of all westerners for a simple reason. The British had been bringing in Opium purchased in Turkey, and to keep a steady market, thought that addicting the Asians would
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Salem Massachusetts, Navigation Acts, Christopher Columbus, Navigator Soon, Basin Imported, Museum Peabody's, East Coast, Perkins Co, Opium Chinese, Opium China, hong merchants, china salem, cogar 1998, bruce cogar 1998, west indies, trade west, hong kong, 1660 1663, american heritage, develop trade, acts 1660 1663, navigation acts 1660, trade west indies, acts 1660,
Approximate Word count = 1926
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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