Dr. William Jardine (1784-1843) was a ship surgeon who went into the opium trading business in China, where he became a powerful merchant and was instrumental in starting the First Opium War. Image File history File links jardine File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A typical modern surgical operation Surgery (from the Greek cheirourgia meaning hand work) is the medical specialty that treats diseases or injuries by operative manual and instrumental treatment. ... The First Opium War was a trade-inspired war between the Great Britain and the Qing Empire in China from 1839 to 1842. ...

Early life

William was born on 1784 in a farm near Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. William started to acquire credentials at the very young age of sixteen in the year 1800 when he entered the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He took classes in anatomy, medical practice, and obstetrics among others. While his schooling was in progress it is plausible that Jardine would have been apprenticed to a surgeon whom would provide housing, food, and the essential acquaintance with a hospital practice. He graduated from the Edinburgh Medical School on March 2nd 1802 , and was presented a full diploma from the Royal Collage of Surgeons of Edinburgh and decided to joined the service of the British East India Company in 1802, at the age of 18, in the East India Merchantman "Brunswick". On March 15th after satisfying the requirements, William Jardine, was paid two months advanced wages as a surgeons mate in the East India Company’s Maritime Marine Service, he was headed to sea. A good advantage with being in service with the East India Company was employees were allowed to trade in goods for their own profit. Each employee was allowed cargo space equivalent to two chests or about a hundred pounds of cargo. Jardine engaged in this trade with exceptional dexterity, even cleverly leasing the apportioned cargo space of other crew members who did not have interest in using the space, and was able to save quite an amount of money. 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Lochmaben is a small town in Scotland, United Kingdom. ... Dumfriesshire (Siorrachd Dhùn Phris in Gaelic) is a traditional county of Scotland. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the UK Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company of investors, which was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ... --69. ...

The young William’s first voyage was rather uneventful other than his first encounter with the economics of an Indiaman’s journey to the east. Jardine also met two men on his first voyage that would come to play a role in his future as a merchant. The first was Thomas Weeding, a fellow doctor, and surgeon of the Glatton, one of the other ships in the convoy. The second was a 26-year-old Charles Magniac who had just arrived in Canton at the beginning of 1801. Weeding would introduce him into the world of eastern commerce and Magniac would secure the name William Jardine as a stalwart in the Eastern World.

On leaving the company in 1817, William served as commercial agent and junior partner for several different merchant houses, first with the trading concern of Cowasjee, Weeding and Jardine of Bombay, and last as a junior partner to the firm of Charles Magniac and Co in Guangzhou in 1823, the oldest private British firm operating in China. It is interesting to note that one of Jardine's agents in Bombay who would become his lifelong friend is Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy. Both men were on the Brunswick when a French ship forcibly boarded her. Jejeebhoy was the first Parsee Merchant to be created a baronet by Queen Victoria and he would become fabulously wealthy in the years to come. 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... Location within China Canton, China redirects here. ...

In 1823 a very important opportunity arose, Daniel Magniac, who succeeded Charles Magniac after the latter's death in Paris, was forced to resign from the firm after marrying his Indian mistress, leaving the firm to brother Hollingworth Magniac. Hollingworth invited Jardine to the firm as a managing parter, himself preferring to be a silent partner. The firm then renamed the company as Magniac and Co. Hollingworth wrote about William Jardine: 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

“You will find Jardine a most conscientious, honourable, and kind-hearted fellow, extremely liberal and an excellent man of business in this market, where his knowledge and experience in the opium trade and in most articles of export is highly valuable. He requires to be known and to be properly appreciated.”

Establishing the China trade

James Matheson

In May of 1820, Jardine met the man whose name will join his own to form the most powerful, wealthy, and influential firm in the east, this man was James Matheson. In the mid-1820s, Jardine invited James Matheson, son of a Scottish baronet, to form an enterprise for the China trade. Matheson, who had just been ordered home by his uncle after failing to deliver an important dispatch to a ship captain, but refused to leave Asia, joined the firm of Yrissari & Co. After his partner's death, Yrissari, leaving no heir, willed all his shares in the firm to Matheson. This created the perfect opportunity for both men to join in commerce. Matheson proved a perfect partner for Jardine. James Matheson and his nephew, Alexander Matheson, joined the firm Magniac and Co. as junior partners in 1827. Jardine was known as the planner, the tough negotiator and strategist of the firm and Matheson was known as the organization man, who handled the firm's correspondence, books of accounts and finances. Matheson was known to be behind most of the company's ingenius business operations and innovative business processes. And both men were a study in contrasts, Jardine being tall, lean and trim while Matheson was short and slightly portly. Jardine was reserved while Matheson was outspoken and jovial. And according to Richard Hughes, "...both men scrupulous in their personal and financial dealings." But it was their reputation for business probity, innovative management and strict fiscal policies that sustained their partnership's success in a period where businesses operated in a highly volatile and uncertain environment where the line between success and bankruptcy was extremely thin. Image File history File links matheson File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links matheson File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... James Matheson James Matheson (1796-1878) born in Lairg was the son of a Scottish baronet and a trader in India. ...

Jardine was known for his legendary imperiousness and pride. He was nicknamed by the locals "The Iron-headed Old Rat" after being hit on the head by a club during a petition by the China traders to the mandarins in Guangzhou. Jardine, after being hit, just shrugged off the injury with dour Scottish resilience. He had only one chair in his office in the Jardine clipper flagship "The Hercules", and that was his own. Visitors were never allowed to sit, to impress upon them that Jardine was a very busy man. Jardine was also known as a crisis manager. In 1822, during his visit to the firm's Guangzhou office, he found the local office in management crisis, with employees in near mutiny against the firm's officers. Jardine then proceeded to take temporary control and succeeded in putting the office in order in just a matter of days. Also a shrewd judge of character, Jardine was even able to persuade the Rev. Charles Gutzlaff, a Prussian missionary to interpret for their ship captains during coastal smuggling of opium, using the idea that the reverend would best gather more converts during these smuggling operations. Matheson claimed to own the only piano in Asia and was also an accomplished player. He was also responsible for forcing to remove one of the firm's ship captains for refusing to offload opium chests on the Sabbath, Matheson observed, "We have every respect for persons entertaining strict religious principles, but we fear that very godly people are not suited for the drug trade." A Mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China. ... A model of a vessel of the clipper type, the four-masted barque named Belle Étoile A clipper was a very fast multiple-masted sailing ship of the 19th century. ... A grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal. ...

In July 1, 1832, Jardine, Matheson and Company, Ltd., a limited partnership, between William Jardine, James Matheson as major partners, and Hollingworth Magniac, Alexander Matheson, Thomas Beale, a clock and automaton inventor, and others, as minor partners, was formed in Canton, taking the Chinese name 'Ewo' (怡和) or pronounced as "Yee-Wo", meaning 'Happy Harmony', (though according to some that the name 'Yee-wo' was actually the Hong name of Jardines' compradore during the 1830s), trading opium, tea and other goods. In 1833, Parliament removed the license of the British East India Company to trade with China. Jardine, Matheson and Company then took this opportunity to fill the vacuum left by the East India Company. With its first voyage carrying tea, the Jardine clipper ship "Sarah" left for England. Jardines was then transformed from a major commercial agent of the East India Company to become the largest British trading hong (洋行), or firm, in Asia. William Jardine was now being referred to by the other traders as "Tai-pan" (大班), a Chinese colloquial title meaning 'Great Manager'. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jardine Matheson, often called Jardines, is a multinational corporation that is legally based in Bermuda and which trades on the London and Singapore stock exchanges. ... Opium is a narcotic analgesic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum). ... Tea leaves in a teacup. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK...

Jadine's departure from China and the breakdown of relations

In 1841 Jardines had 19 intercontinental clipper ships, compared to close rival Dent and Company with 13. Jardines also had hundreds of small ships, lorchas and small smuggling crafts for coastal and upriver smuggling. The trading concerns of Jardine's included smuggling opium into China from India, trading spices and sugar from the Philippines, importing Chinese tea and silk into England, handling cargo papers and cargo insurance, renting of dockyard facilites and warehouse space, trade financing and other numerous lines of business and trade. During the mid-1830s, trade with China was becoming more difficult due to the Qing government's increasing restrictions on the narcotic trade in part to control the worsening outflow of silver. This trade imbalance stems from the fact that Western traders importing more opium than they were exporting teas and silk. take you to calendar). ... A model of a vessel of the clipper type, the four-masted barque named Belle Étoile A clipper was a very fast multiple-masted sailing ship of the 19th century. ... A skirmish with smugglers from Finland at the Russian border, 1853, by Vasily Hudiakov. ... Screen shot of Spice OPUS, a fork of Berkeley SPICE SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuits Emphasis) is a general purpose analog circuit simulator. ... Magnified view of refined sugar crystals. ... // Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ...

William Jardine

Nevertheless, Dr. William Jardine wanted the opium trade to expand in China, and ordered James Matheson to leave for England to persuade the Government to take up strong action to further open up trade in China. Matheson, unsuccessful in his forays in England, was brushed aside by the "Iron Duke" (Duke of Wellington), the then British Foreign Secretary, and reported bitterly to Jardine of being insulted by an arrogant and stupid man. Matheson was then ordered by Jardine to return to Asia in 1838, prompting Jardine to leave for England to try to continue Matheson's work. The respect shown by other foreign traders to Jardine before his departure can be best illustrated in the following passage from a book by William C. Hunter. Image File history File links Jardine2 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Jardine2 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Most Noble Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

“A few days before Mr. Jardine’s departure from Canton, the entire foreign community entertained him at a dinner in the dinning-room of the East India Company’s Factory. About eighty persons of all nationalities, including India, were present, and they did not separate until several hours after midnight. It was an event frequently referred to afterwards amongst the residents, and to this day there are a few of us who still speak of it.”

The Qing government was pleased to hear of Jardine's, departure, then proceeded to stop the opium trade. Lin Zexu, appointed specifically to suppress the drug trade in Guangzhou, stated, "The Iron-headed Old Rat, the sly and cunning ring-leader of the opium smugglers have left for The Land of Mist, of fear from the Middle Kingdom's wrath." He then ordered the surrender of all opium and the destruction of more than 20,000 cases of opium in Canton. He even ordered the arrest of Lancelot Dent, the Taipan of Dent and Company, and wrote to Queen Victoria, ordering her to kowtow or bow, to the Emperor of China. LIN Zexu (林則徐; pinyin: Lín Zéxú) (August 30, 1785 - November 22, 1850) was an official loyal to the Daoguang Emperor of China, most famous for his active fight against foreign-imported opium during the Qing dynasty. ... Lancelot Dent was a 19th century British merchant in the Far East. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January 1877, until her death. ...

War and the Chinese surrender

Once in London, Jardine’s first order of business was to meet with Lord Palmerston. He carried with him a letter of introduction written by Superintendent Elliot that relayed a few of his credentials to Palmerston,

“This gentleman has for several years stood at the head of our commercial community and he carries with him the esteem and kind wishes of the whole foreign society, honoruably acquired by a long career of private charity and public spirit.”

In 1840, armed with a petition signed by hundreds of traders and businessmen both in Asia and in England, Jardine successfully persuaded Parliament to wage war on China, giving a full detailed plan for war, detailed strategic maps, battle strategies, the indemnifications and political demands from China and even the number of troops and warships needed. This plan was known as the Jardine Paper. In the 'Jardine Paper', Jardine emphasized several points to Palmerston in their meetings and they are as follows: There was to be complete compensation for the 20,000 chests opium that Lin had confiscated, the conclusion of a viable commercial treaty that would prevent any further hostilities, and the opening of further ports of trade such as Foochow, Ningpo, Shanghai, and Keeson-chow. It was also suggested by Jardine that should the need arise to occupy an island or harbor in the Canton vicinity, Hong Kong would be perfect because it provided an extensive and protected anchorage. Jardine clearly stated what he thought would be a sufficient naval and military force to complete the objectives he had outlined. He also provided maps and charts of the area. Lord Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary who succeeded Wellington, decided mainly on the "suggestions" of Jardine to wage war on China. 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (October 20, 1784 - October 18, 1865) was a British Prime Minister and Liberal politician. ...

In mid-1840, a large fleet of war ships appeared on the China coast succeeded with the first cannon fire, the British started the first of the Opium Wars. British warships destroyed numerous shore batteries and enemy warships, laid waste to several coastal forts, indiscrimately bombarding town after town with heavy cannon fire, even pushing up north to threaten the Imperial Palace in Beijing itself. The Imperial Government, forced to surrender, gave in to the demands of the British. Richard Hughes, in Hongkong: A Borrowed Place, A Borrowed Time, stated "William Jardine would have made his mark as admirably as a soldier as he did as a Tai-pan." The First Opium War was a trade-inspired war between the Great Britain and the Qing Empire in China from 1839 to 1842. ... The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace (Chinese: 紫禁城; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Purple Forbidden City), located at the exact center of the ancient city of Beijing, was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing dynasties. ... ▶ (help· info) or Peking is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

In 1843, the Treaty of Nanjing was signed by official representatives of both Britain and China. It allowed the opening of major ports in five Chinese cities, granted extraterritoriality to foreigners' activities in China, the indemnification of the opium destroyed and completed the formal acquisition of the island of Hong Kong, which had been taken over as a trading and military base since January 26,1841. Trade with China, especially in the still illegal opium, grew, and so did the firm of Jardine, Matheson and Co, which was already known as the Princely Hong (太子行) for being the largest trading firm in East Asia. In 1843, William Jardine, 58, died in England, one of the richest and most powerful men in England and a Member of Parliament representing Ashburton. Lord Palmerston wrote, 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Nanking, August 29, 1842, Peace Treaty between the Queen of Great Britain and the Emperor of China The Treaty of Nanking (南京條約) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... The night view of the Island side as seen from the Kowloon side - the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Island (香港島, colloquially the Island side) is the island where the colonial settlement of the Hong Kong territory, Victoria City, was founded. ... take you to calendar). ... The Princes Building (太子大廈) is an office tower and shopping centre located along Statue Square in Central, Hong Kong. ...

“To the assistance and information which you and Mr. Jardine so handsomely afforded us it was mainly owing that we were able to give our affairs naval, military and diplomatic, in China those detailed instructions which have led to these satisfactory results.”

His death and a modern legacy

Jardine died a bachelor, but his nephews David and Andrew Jardine continued to assist James Matheson in running the Princely Hong. Matheson retired as manager in 1843 and handed over to David Jardine, another nephew of Jardine, who in turn would hand over to Robert Jardine, who is the ancestor of the Buchanan-Jardine branch of the family. Another great-nephew of Jardine who would be manager from 1874 to 1886, William Keswick (1834-1912), is the ancestor of the Keswick branch of the family. Matheson returned to England to fill up the Parliament seat left vacant by Jardine and to head up the firm Matheson & Co. in London, Jardines' agent in England. In 1912, Jardine, Matheson & Co. and the Keswicks would eventually buy out the shares of the Matheson family in the firm although the name is still retained. The company was managed by several nephews and nieces of William Jardine and their descendants throughout the decades, including the Keswicks, Buchanan-Jardines, Landales, Bell-Irvings, Patersons, Newbiggings and Weatheralls. William Keswick The Keswick family have had practically continuous and direct association with the Far East ever since Mr. ... William Keswick The Keswick family have had practically continuous and direct association with the Far East ever since Mr. ...

Notable Managing Directors included Robert Jardine, William Keswick, James Johnstone Keswick, Ben Beith, David Landale, Sir John Buchanan-Jardine, William Johnstone "Tony" Keswick, Sir Hugh Barton, Sir Michael Herries, Sir John Keswick, Henry Keswick, Simon Keswick and Alasdair Morrison. William Keswick The Keswick family have had practically continuous and direct association with the Far East ever since Mr. ... The Keswick family have had practically continuous and direct association with the Far East ever since Mr. ...

Today, the Jardine Matheson Group is still very much active in Hong Kong, being one of the largest conglomerates in Hong Kong and its largest employer, second only to the government. Several landmarks in present day Hong Kong are named after the firm and the founders Jardine and Matheson like Jardine's Bazaar, Jardine's Crescent, Jardine's Bridge, Jardine's Lookout, Yee Wo Street, Matheson Street, Jardine House and the Noon Day Gun. Jardines is also active in China, North America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. It went through several major internal changes throughout the 19th and 20th century, in 1947 a secret Trust was formed by members of the family to retain effective control over the company. Jardine, Matheson and Co. offered its shares to the public in 1961 under the tenure of Sir Hugh Barton and was oversubscribed 56 times. The Keswick family, in consortium with several London-based banks and financial institutions, bought out the controlling shares of the Buchanan-Jardine family in 1959 but subsequently sold most of the shares during the 1961 public offering, retaining only about 10% of the company. The company had its head office redomiciled to Bermuda in 1984 under the tenure of Simon Keswick to maintain control after nearly being taken over by Chinese tycoon Li Ka-shing of Cheung Kong after a hostile raid in 1980. Li, who bought nearly 30% of the company at that time the largest shareholding in the company, agreed to sell his shares to Hongkong Land, a sister company of Jardines, at a premium. Subsequent events led to the cross-shareholding structure between Jardine, Matheson & Co. and Hongkong Land which was first instigated in 1980 by then David Newbigging. In 1988, the entire corporate structure of Jardine, Matheson & Co., including all its allied companies, were restructured so that a holding company based in London and controlled by the Keswick family would have overall policy and strategic control of all Jardine Matheson Group companies. The firm delisted from the Hong Kong Stock exchange (Hang Seng Index) in 1994 under the tenure of Alasdair Morrison and placed its primary listing in London and its secondary listing in Singapore. The present Chairmain of Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. is Henry Keswick who was the company's manager from 1970 (aged 31) to 1975 and was the 6th Keswick to be manager of the company. His brother, Simon, was the company's manager from 1983 to 1988 and is the 7th Keswick to be manager. Both brothers are the 4th generation of Keswicks(pronounced Ke-zick) in the company. The organizational structure of Jardines has changed almost totally, but the members of the family of Dr. William Jardine still controls the firm through a complex cross-shareholding structure, several allied shareholders and a secretive 1947 Trust. Jardines Lookout (Chinese: 渣甸山) , named after William Jardine, is a moutain located on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong S.A.R., China and is a wealthy residential area. ... Yee Wo Street (怡和街) is a street in East Point and Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... Jardine House (怡和大廈) is an office tower in Central, Hong Kong, which, when construction finished in 1973, was the first office tower in Hong Kong and the tallest building in the former British Crown Colony. ... The Noon-day Gun is a former naval gun mounted on a small enclosed site near the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... Li Ka Shing (李嘉誠 pinyin: Lǐ Jiāch ng, Jyutping: Lei5 Gaa1-sing4), is the wealthiest person in Hong Kong and East Asia. ...

External links and references

• William Jardine and other Jardine tai-pans are fictionally portrayed in author James Clavell's popular fiction novels Tai-Pan (1966), Gai-Jin(1993), Noble House (1981) and Whirlwind (1987).
• The portraits of William Jardine and James Matheson above was painted by the famous British artist from Macao, George Chinnery (1774-1852), circa 1832, proceed to this webpage http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/hongkongindividuals.htm
• For further information, you may visit the official website of Jardine Matheson at http://www.jardines.com