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Empress Of China (1783)
''Empress of China'', also known as ''Chinese Queen'', was a three-masted, square-rigged sailing ship of 360 tons,Tantillo, Len. (2000) ''The Hudson River in the Age of Sail'' (exhibition). Hudson River Maritime Museum. initially built in 1783 for service as a privateer. After the Treaty of Paris brought a formal end to the American Revolutionary War, the vessel was refitted for commercial purposes. She became the first American ship to sail from the newly independent United States to China, opening what is known today as the Old China Trade and transporting the first official representative of the American government to Canton. First voyage The first American merchant vessel to enter Chinese waters left New York harbor on Washington's birthday, February 22, 1784. The ''Empress'' returned to New York on May 11, 1785 after a round voyage of 14 months and 24 days. The success of the voyage encouraged others to invest in further trading with China. President Washington bought a set ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Peck (naval Architect)
John Peck (June 12, 1725 Boston – May 3, 1790 Boston) was an American merchant and naval architect of the 18th century. He had been trained as a merchant, and as apprentice in that matter had served at sea as supercargo for a few voyages. Having become interested in naval architecture while studying mathematics in school, the experiences of observing ships at sea furthered that interest. It would appear, however, that his designing of ships was more of a hobby, compared to his main trade as a successful merchant. Additionally, he was appointed inspector of saltpeter in Watertown, Massachusetts, around the time the American Revolution started.H. I. Chapelle: ''The History Of American Sailing Ships''. Republished New York: Bonanza Books, 1982, p. 138 John Peck was married to Hannah Jackson, died 1770, with whom he had a son, William, born in 1763.H. I. Chapelle: ''The History Of American Sailing Ships''. Republished New York: Bonanza Books, 1982, p. 142 Designing ships Peck's son ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samuel Shaw (consul)
Samuel Shaw (October 2, 1754 – May 30, 1794) was an American Revolutionary War army officer and diplomat, who served as the first United States consul to China. Shaw was born in Boston to Francis and Sarah (Burt) Shaw. In 1775 he joined the militia during the Siege of Boston, and in December of that year was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Continental Artillery, and commanded at Fort Washington in 1776. From 1779 to 1783 he served as aide-de-camp to General Henry Knox, chief of the Continental Artillery, in 1780 becoming captain of the 3rd Artillery, and serving in a staff role at the Battle of Trenton, Battle of Monmouth, and Battle of Yorktown. In 1784, after war's end, he sailed on the ''Empress of China'' as an American diplomat to inaugurate the China trade, and from 1786 to 1789 served as consul at Canton. He returned to the United States in 1792 but sailed again for China when reappointed by President George Washington. There he remained until the final year o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sailing Ships Of The United States
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chosen course, which is often part of a larger plan of navigation. From prehistory until the second half of the 19th century, sailing craft were the primary means of maritime trade and transportation; exploration across the seas and oceans was reliant on sail for anything other than the shortest distances. Naval power in this period used sail to varying degrees depending on the current technology, culminating in the gun-armed sailing warships of the Age of Sail. Sail was slowly replaced by steam as the method of propulsion for ships over the latter part of the 19th century – seeing a gradual improvement in the technology of steam through a number of developmental steps. Steam allowed scheduled services that ran at higher average speeds than sailing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church (Manhattan), Trinity Church in Manhattan, it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York (state), New York and the fifth-First university in the United States, oldest in the United States. Columbia was established as a Colonial colleges, colonial college by royal charter under George II of Great Britain. It was renamed Columbia College (New York), Columbia College in 1784 following the American Revolution, and in 1787 was placed under Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, a private board of trustees headed by former students Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In 1896, the campus was moved to its current location in Morningside Heights and renamed Columbia University. Columbia is organized into twenty schoo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Columbia Rediviva
''Columbia Rediviva'' (commonly known as ''Columbia'') was a privately owned American ship under the command, first, of John Kendrick, and later Captain Robert Gray, best known for being the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe, and her expedition to the Pacific Northwest for the maritime fur trade. "Rediviva" (''Latin'' "revived") was added to her name upon a rebuilding in 1787. Since ''Columbia'' was privately owned, she did not carry the prefix designation " USS". History Early authorities claim the ship was built in 1773 by James Briggs at Hobart's Landing on North River, in Norwell, Massachusetts and named ''Columbia''. Later historians say she was built in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1787. In 1790 she became the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. During the first part of this voyage, she was accompanied by '' Lady Washington'', named for Martha Washington, which served as tender for ''Columbia''. In 1792, Captain Gray entered the Columbia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RMS Empress Of China (1891)
RMS ''Empress of China'' was an ocean liner built in 1890-1891 by Naval Construction & Armament Co., Barrow, England for Canadian Pacific Steamships (CP). This ship—the first of three CP vessels to be named ''Empress of China''—regularly traversed the trans-Pacific route between the west coast of Canada and the Far East until she struck an underwater reef and sank in Tokyo harbour in 1911.Ship List Description of ''Empress of China'' Royal Mail Ship In 1891, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the British government signed a contract for subsidized mail service between Britain and Hong Kong via Canada. The route was first served by three specially designed ocean liners. Each vessel was given an imperial name.Miller, William H. (1984). ''The First Great Ocean Liners in Photographs,'' p. 52. ''Empress of China'' and her running mates, RMS ''Empress of India'' and RMS ''Empress of Japan'', created a flexible foundation for the CPR trans-Pacific fleet that would p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Yuan
The renminbi ( ; currency symbol, symbol: Yen and yuan sign, ¥; ISO 4217, ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB), also known as the Chinese yuan, is the official currency of the China, People's Republic of China. The renminbi is issued by the People's Bank of China, the Central bank, monetary authority of China. It is the world's Template:Most traded currencies, fifth-most-traded currency as of April 2022. The Yuan (currency), yuan () is the basic unit of the renminbi. One yuan is divided into 10 Jiao (currency), jiao (), and the jiao is further subdivided into 10 Fen (currency), fen (). The word ''yuan'' is widely used to refer to the Chinese currency generally, especially in international contexts. Valuation Until 2005, the value of the renminbi was Fixed exchange-rate system, pegged to the United States dollar, US dollar. As China pursued its Chinese economic reform, transition from planned economy, central planning to a market economy and increased its participation in foreign ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samuel Miles
Samuel Selden Miles (March 11, 1739 – December 29, 1805) was an American military officer and politician, as well as a wealthy and influential businessman, active in Pennsylvania before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. Military career Born in Whitemarsh in what now is Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Miles was one of seven children of James Miles (1705-1784) and Hannah Pugh (1715-1749). He enlisted in the military in Bethlehem, PA, at the age of 16 (serving from October 1755 through February 1756) in Isaac Wayne's company that was part of the Pennsylvania militia during the French and Indian War. The company had been formed with the intent for "Col. Dr.” Benjamin Franklin to command. However, Franklin decided against filling that role and was succeeded by Col. William Clapham who participated in the construction of several forts in Pennsylvania during the war. Miles became a lieutenant at age 19 and was put in charge of the small garrison in Shippensbu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Morris (financier)
Robert Morris Jr. (January 20, 1734May 8, 1806) was an English-born American merchant, investor and politician who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, the Second Continental Congress, and the United States Senate, and was one of only two people to sign the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, U.S Constitution; the other being Roger Sherman. From 1781 to 1784, he served as the Superintendent of Finance of the United States, becoming known as the "Financier of the Revolution." Along with Alexander Hamilton and Albert Gallatin, he is widely regarded as one of the founders of the financial system of the United States. Born in Liverpool, Morris was brought to North America by his father when he was 13 years old, quickly becoming a partner in a successful shipping firm based in Philadelphia. In the afterma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supercargo
A supercargo (from Italian or from Spanish ) is a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on a ship. The duties of a supercargo are defined by admiralty law and include managing the cargo owner's trade, selling the merchandise in ports to which the vessel is sailing, and buying and receiving goods to be carried on the return voyage. The supercargo has control of the cargo unless limited by other contracts or agreements. For instance, the supercargo has no authority over the stevedores, and has no role in the necessary preparatory work prior to the handling of cargo. Sailing as they do from port to port with the vessel to which they are attached, supercargos differ from factors, who have a fixed place of residence at a port or other trading place. History During the Age of Sail from the 16th to the mid-19th century, the supercargo was the second-most important person aboard a merchant ship after the captain. Sweden On ships of the Swedish East Ind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a population of 675,647 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the third-largest city in the Northeastern United States after New York City and Philadelphia. The larger Greater Boston metropolitan statistical area has a population of 4.9 million as of 2023, making it the largest metropolitan area in New England and the Metropolitan statistical area, eleventh-largest in the United States. Boston was founded on Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by English Puritans, Puritan settlers, who named the city after the market town of Boston, Lincolnshire in England. During the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, Boston was home to several seminal events, incl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
