[2] The italics in this and a few other sentences are the same as in the printed text of the Extracto. [3] "This new despatch threw into consternation the commercial interests here." The governor asked advice from the fiscal, who, as the order came not as a formal royal decree, thought that it might be regarded as only the viceroy's expression of opinion, and the governor might take such measures as he deemed best. The citizens were informed of the viceroy's requirement, and asked the governor to investigate the foreign trade then carried on at Canton--saying that they were informed that "toward the end of the preceding year, 1731, various large vessels--French, English, and those belonging to the companies of Olanda and Ostende--entered the port of Canton in China with more than three millions in wealth, in silver and other commodities; and the presumption was that those goods [which they bought] could have no other destination than the Americas, to be introduced there by way of the Northern Sea [i.e., Atlantic Ocean]." Such investigation was accordingly made by official authority, and thirteen witnesses were examined--Armenians, French, and Portuguese. These agreed in their testimony, as eyewitnesses, that "in the city of Canton, in the kingdom of China, the French had maintained a factory for the space of seven years, as also had the English during two years; but these had been suppressed in the preceding year of 31 by the governor of Canton, on account of a controversy which the French and English had with the Chinese traders. Nevertheless, many of their ships, and [others] from Europa, remained there; and accordingly the witnesses had seen in the preceding year two French ships, four English, three Dutch, and one from Denmark, all of great burden and capacity, which carried thither a great amount of wealth in silver of Mexican and Peruvian coinage, and some small quantity in bullion. With this the foreigners bought silks--raw, in bundles, quiña, and others in colors, and woven fabrics--gold bullion, porcelain, and tea; and the witnesses were certain that they bought these commodities for the commerce with Perù and other parts of the Indias, as was evident from the money [that they used], and as the witnesses knew by having heard it from the foreigners themselves." The citizens also represented to the governor their objections to the proposed restriction on their commerce; they declared that it was not the Acapulco trade which was injuring that of Spain in America, as Cadiz had claimed, but the importation of Chinese goods by the European countries--fifteen or more ships at a time, with more than four millions of pesos, buying these at Canton, "with no other object than to introduce these into the Americas by the agency of the Spaniards themselves." "The truth was, that this complaint did not begin until the foreign ships found their way to Canton." The Spanish merchants ought not to complain of the small