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Captain Robert Bennet Forbes (1804 – November 23, 1889), was a sea captain, China merchant, ship owner, and writer.〔 He was active in ship construction, maritime safety, the opium trade, and charitable activities. "As a member of the Forbes family of Boston, much of his wealth was derived from the opium and China Trade and he played a prominent role in the outbreak of the Opium War. Despite the ethical problems of dealing in opium, he was known to engage in humanitarian activities, such as commandeering the USS ''Jamestown'' to send food to Irish famine sufferers in 1847." ==Biography== He was born in 1804 in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts, son of Ralph Bennet Forbes and Margaret Perkins, and brother of John Murray Forbes.〔 On October 19, 1817 at age 13 he joined the crew of the ''Canton Packet'' and made his first voyage to China. He arrived in Canton, China in March 1818 using the eastern route. In June 1818, he returned to Boston.〔 In 1819 he made a second voyage aboard the ''Canton Packet''. On his next voyage he was promoted to third mate, he became second mate in 1821, and in 1825 was promoted to ship's master.〔 Aboard the ''Nile'' he sailed for Manila. Previous to this time he had been ship's master of the ''Levant''. He became a full captain before he was 20 years old. From Manila the ''Nile'' went to China, then to California, and from there to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1828 he sailed the ''Danube'' for Sturgis & Perkins on a trading voyage to Smyrna, Turkey, and other European ports. He later was captain of the ''Niantic.''〔 About 1832 he made his last voyage to China and in 1840 became head of Russell & Company, the largest American commercial house in China. Of his large means he made generous provision for his mother and younger brother. He visited China several times and became the American vice consul at Canton.〔 〕 In 1834 he married Rose Greene Smith and they had three children: Robert Bennet Forbes (1837-1891), Edith Forbes who married Charles Eliot Perkins, and James Murray Forbes (1845-1885).〔 He died on November 23, 1889 in Milton, Massachusetts. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Robert Bennet Forbes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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