"Crusoe introduced to a Chinese Merchant" for Daniel Defoe's "Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" (1863-64)

Crusoe introduced to a Chinese Merchant (page 352) — the volume's ninety-first composite wood-block engraving for Defoe's The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. Related by himself (London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 1863-64). Part II, The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Chapter XIII, "Arrival in China." Full-page, framed with a nautical rope border: 13.8 cm high x 21.4 cm wide. Running head: "On Shore in China" (p. 351).

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Passage Illustrated: Crusoe disposes of his ship in a profitable manner

Providence, I say, began here to clear up our way a little; and the first thing that offered was, that our old Portuguese pilot brought a Japan merchant to us, who inquired what goods we had: and, in the first place, he bought all our opium, and gave us a very good price for it, paying us in gold by weight, some in small pieces of their own coin, and some in small wedges, of about ten or twelves ounces each. While we were dealing with him for our opium, it came into my head that he might perhaps deal for the ship too, and I ordered the interpreter to propose it to him. He shrunk up his shoulders at it when it was first proposed to him; but in a few days after he came to me, with one of the missionary priests for his interpreter, and told me he had a proposal to make to me, which was this: he had bought a great quantity of our goods, when he had no thoughts of proposals made to him of buying the ship; and that, therefore, he had not money to pay for the ship: but if I would let the same men who were in the ship navigate her, he would hire the ship to go to Japan; and would send them from thence to the Philippine Islands with another loading, which he would pay the freight of before they went from Japan: and that at their return he would buy the ship. I began to listen to his proposal, and so eager did my head still run upon rambling, that I could not but begin to entertain a notion of going myself with him, and so to set sail from the Philippine Islands away to the South Seas; accordingly, I asked the Japanese merchant if he would not hire us to the Philippine Islands and discharge us there. He said No, he could not do that, for then he could not have the return of his cargo; but he would discharge us in Japan, at the ship’s return. [Chapter XIII, "Arrival in China," pp. 353-54]

Commentary

Since the Chinese plenipotentiary to whose vanguard Crusoe attaches himself is not a member of the merchant class, the caption apparently refers not to a Chinese merchant but a visiting Japanese trader. That the illustrator should confuse the two nationalities is particularly odd as Defoe goes out of his way in the narrative to explain that the "Japan merchant" to whom the Portuguese pilot introduces Crusoe is a member of a race whom Crusoe's partner regards as "false, cruel, and treacherous" (354). Nevertheless, Crusoe trusts the Japanese merchant to fulfill his part of the bargain in the lease and eventual sale of the ship that has occasioned Crusoe and his business partner so much trouble.

Defoe does not, in fact, describe precisely where the trio meet and under what circumstances, giving P. W. Justyne a free hand to describe a magnificent building with an ornate wall, stately entrance-way, spacious courtyard, and fishpond. The Japanese merchant is presumbly standing on the steps of the building, the interpreter bows to the pilot and Crusoe (right). Beyond the wall the masts of ships indicate that the port is within a convenient walk of the merchant's leased house. Justyne distinguishes the Europeans by their clothing and their swords. Crusoe doffs his hat at being introduced to the buyer of his opium cargo. In the background, a porter delivers a trunk, watched by three armed guards.

The illustrators for this section, William Leighton Leitch (1804-83) and Percy William Justyne (1812-83), were both watercolour landscape painters, but Leitch also had a considerable career as an illustrator for the Illustrated London News (1849 and 1850), the London Graphic, the London Journal, the National Magazine, the Floral World, and the Building News. He illustrated the Art Journal catalogues of the International Exhibitions in 1851 and 1862. The two between them had the inclination and ability to do the kinds of exotic landscapes and buildings required in this portion of Crusoe's adventures.

Related Material

Parallel Illustration by Wal Paget (1891)

Above: Paget's well-researched study of the three very different types: Crusoe in the fashionable English dress of the late seventeenth century (left), the Catholic missionary in gown and skull-cap (centre, acting as interpreter), and the Japanese merchant in silk gown and shaved head (right) who seems to demure at Crusoe's proposal regarding the sale of the ship: He came to me with one of the missionary priests. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

References

Defoe, Daniel. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. Related by himself. With upwards of One Hundred Illustrations. London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 1863-64.

Defoe, Daniel. The Life and Strange Exciting Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner, as Related by Himself. With 120 original illustrations by Walter Paget. London, Paris,and Melbourne: Cassell, 1891.

Last modified 13 April 2018