Daniel Beale
Encyclopedia
Daniel Beale was a Scottish merchant and fur trader active in the Far East mercantile centres of Bombay, Canton and Macau
as well as at one time the Prussia
n consul in China.
.
He later became a partner of John Henry Cox
whose father James had dispatched him to Canton in 1872 to sell off an accumulated stock of clocks, watches and mechanical toys known in Pidgin English as “singsongs”, which were popular with the Chinese. Along with James Fox, the other major manufacturer of singsongs was Francis Magniac of Clerkenwell, London, whose son's Charles and Hollingworth
would later become partners of Beale.
Merchants operating in the Far East at this time formed a bewildering array of partnerships. As well as the Coxes, Beale was also at various times a partner of John Reid, Charles Magniac and his brother Hollingworth, as well as Alexander Shank and Robert Hamilton.
On the 15 February 1786, a Prussia
n ship arrived at Whampoa
whereupon the East India Company
’s agent at Canton informed the Committee of Supercargo
es that Beale had shown him a letter signed by “Count Lusi, Envoy Extraordinaire to his Majesty the King of Prussia with the King of Great Britain and his Colonel of Infantry”, announcing his appointment as his Prussian Majesty’s Consul in China.
Beale was also a member of the Associated Merchants Trading to the Northwest Coast of America, which owned the snow
Iphigenia Nubiana, trading on this coast in 1788 and 1789. Other partners in the venture were John Meares
, John Henry Cox
, Richard C. Etches, John W. Etches, William Fitzhugh and Henry Land. Along with fellow Scotsman John Reid
, Beale was also one of the owners of the Imperial Eagle
, a vessel ostensibly belonging to the fictitious Austrian East India Company, which sailed under the flag of Austria. This allowed her to circumvent the trade monopoly then held by the East India Company. Beale was by this time the Prussian agent in Canton following his earlier appointment as consul.
By 1797, Beale and Co. had become the biggest of the country traders, dealing with clients in Bombay, Calcutta and London, in Indian cotton, sandalwood, tin, pepper Chinese tea and silk as well as opium. His firm Beale & Co. seems to have been active in the opium trade between 1783–1793.
In 1797 Daniel Beale left China to join Magniac & Co. in London and in 1800 the sole British firm in Canton is recorded as Reid, Beale & Co., formerly Hamilton & Reid, and in 1804 to become Beale & Magniac.
Records show that between 1804 and 1806, Beale was in correspondence with William Jardine, as a result of Magniac and Co, acting as London agents for Jardine, Matheson & Co.
.
, London, there is a memorial to Thomas Beale of Fitzroy Square
and of Millfield House Edmonton
, Middlesex. formerly of Canton and Macao, "a most zealous promoter of the building of this Church and one of the original trustees.”
He was immortalised by the artist Jacques-Laurent Agasse
in his painting Daniel Beale at his Farm at Edmonton with his Favourite Horse.
, and a cousin called Thomas Chaye Beale
.
In 1791 he married Elizabeth daughter of Paul Barbot of London. She died in 1830.
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
as well as at one time the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n consul in China.
Biography
Nothing is known of Beale until his arrival in the Far East in the closing decades of the eighteenth century. Giving evidence before the British parliament’s commons committee of Enquiry on the East India Company’s Affairs on 11 May 1815, Beale testified that he had been resident in Canton “from the latter end of 1787 to the middle of 1797” and acted as “agent for many of the mercantile houses in Bombay and BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
.
He later became a partner of John Henry Cox
John Henry Cox
John Henry Cox , charted Great Oyster Bay Maria Island and Marion Bay on the east coast of Tasmania in 1789, aboard his armed brig Mercury.- Early years :...
whose father James had dispatched him to Canton in 1872 to sell off an accumulated stock of clocks, watches and mechanical toys known in Pidgin English as “singsongs”, which were popular with the Chinese. Along with James Fox, the other major manufacturer of singsongs was Francis Magniac of Clerkenwell, London, whose son's Charles and Hollingworth
Hollingworth Magniac
Hollingworth Magniac was a merchant and connoisseur of medieval art. He was instrumental in the formation of Jardine Matheson, and Company, one of the largest trading houses in Asia during the 19th century.-Biography:...
would later become partners of Beale.
Merchants operating in the Far East at this time formed a bewildering array of partnerships. As well as the Coxes, Beale was also at various times a partner of John Reid, Charles Magniac and his brother Hollingworth, as well as Alexander Shank and Robert Hamilton.
On the 15 February 1786, a Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n ship arrived at Whampoa
Whampoa
Whampoa is the old English transliteration of Huangpu District, Guangzhou, in China.From there, it derives its other meanings, and can also refer to:* Relating to the Whampoa district:...
whereupon the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
’s agent at Canton informed the Committee of Supercargo
Supercargo
Supercargo is a term in maritime law that refers to a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on the ship...
es that Beale had shown him a letter signed by “Count Lusi, Envoy Extraordinaire to his Majesty the King of Prussia with the King of Great Britain and his Colonel of Infantry”, announcing his appointment as his Prussian Majesty’s Consul in China.
Beale was also a member of the Associated Merchants Trading to the Northwest Coast of America, which owned the snow
Snow (ship)
A snow or snaw is a sailing vessel. A type of brig , snows were primarily used as merchant ships, but saw war service as well...
Iphigenia Nubiana, trading on this coast in 1788 and 1789. Other partners in the venture were John Meares
John Meares
John Meares was a navigator, explorer, and maritime fur trader, best known for his role in the Nootka Crisis, which brought Britain and Spain to the brink of war.- Career :...
, John Henry Cox
John Henry Cox
John Henry Cox , charted Great Oyster Bay Maria Island and Marion Bay on the east coast of Tasmania in 1789, aboard his armed brig Mercury.- Early years :...
, Richard C. Etches, John W. Etches, William Fitzhugh and Henry Land. Along with fellow Scotsman John Reid
John Reid
-Politics:* John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan , Former British Home Secretary and former Chairman of Celtic F.C.* John William Reid , U.S. Representative from Missouri...
, Beale was also one of the owners of the Imperial Eagle
Imperial Eagle (ship)
The Imperial Eagle was a 400 ton burthen British merchant ship that sailed on maritime fur trading ventures in the late 1780s. It was under the command of Captain Charles William Barkley until confiscated in India. The ship, Loudoun, was a decommissioned East Indiaman...
, a vessel ostensibly belonging to the fictitious Austrian East India Company, which sailed under the flag of Austria. This allowed her to circumvent the trade monopoly then held by the East India Company. Beale was by this time the Prussian agent in Canton following his earlier appointment as consul.
By 1797, Beale and Co. had become the biggest of the country traders, dealing with clients in Bombay, Calcutta and London, in Indian cotton, sandalwood, tin, pepper Chinese tea and silk as well as opium. His firm Beale & Co. seems to have been active in the opium trade between 1783–1793.
In 1797 Daniel Beale left China to join Magniac & Co. in London and in 1800 the sole British firm in Canton is recorded as Reid, Beale & Co., formerly Hamilton & Reid, and in 1804 to become Beale & Magniac.
Records show that between 1804 and 1806, Beale was in correspondence with William Jardine, as a result of Magniac and Co, acting as London agents for Jardine, Matheson & Co.
Jardine Matheson Holdings
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited often referred to as Jardines, is a multinational corporation incorporated in Bermuda and based in Hong Kong. While listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Singapore Exchange, the vast majority of Jardines shares are traded in Singapore...
.
Memorial
Beale died in England in 1842. In the gallery of St Pancras New ChurchSt Pancras New Church
St Pancras Parish Church, sometimes referred to as St Pancras New Church to distinguish it from St Pancras Old Church, is a 19th century Greek Revival church in London, England.-Location:...
, London, there is a memorial to Thomas Beale of Fitzroy Square
Fitzroy Square
Fitzroy Square is one of the Georgian squares in London and is the only one found in the central London area known as in Fitzrovia.The square, nearby Fitzroy Street and the Fitzroy Tavern in Charlotte Street have the family name of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, into whose ownership the land...
and of Millfield House Edmonton
Edmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
, Middlesex. formerly of Canton and Macao, "a most zealous promoter of the building of this Church and one of the original trustees.”
He was immortalised by the artist Jacques-Laurent Agasse
Jacques-Laurent Agasse
Jacques-Laurent Agasse was an animal and landscape painter from Switzerland.Born at Geneva, Agasse studied in the public art school of that city. Before he turned twenty he went to Paris to study in veterinary school to make himself fully acquainted with the anatomy of horses and other animals...
in his painting Daniel Beale at his Farm at Edmonton with his Favourite Horse.
Family
Beale had a son, also named Daniel, who was born about 1798 and died on 4 January 1827 aged 29 as well as a younger brother, Thomas BealeThomas Beale
Thomas Beale , was a Scottish naturalist, opium speculator and general merchant operating in the Far East during the 19th century.-Biography:Thomas was the younger brother of Daniel Beale and the cousin of Thomas Chaye Beale....
, and a cousin called Thomas Chaye Beale
Thomas Chaye Beale
Thomas Chaye Beale was a Scottish merchant operating in the Far East during the 19th century.-Biography:Thomas Chaye was a cousin of opium trader and merchant Daniel Beale and his brother Thomas Beale. As early as 1826 he was a partner in the trading firm of Magniac & Co. in Canton, China...
.
In 1791 he married Elizabeth daughter of Paul Barbot of London. She died in 1830.