On 4 March 1785 the English tourist Dorothy Richardson visited Webber's studio in London and noted there 'three Oil Landscapes, one of them a view in China, another in Otaheite, with a Hut, & a plantation of Cabbage Trees. - Mr Webber excels equally in Oil, & in watercolours -...' (Hugh Belsey, 'Some artists' studios described in 1785', in 'Windows on that World: Essays on British Art presented to Brian Allen' [Paul Mellon Centre..., London, 2012], p. 124, citing Richardson's journal in the John Rylands University Library, Manchester).

This painting, signed and dated 1784, is presumed to be the China view that she saw and which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1785 as 'View at Macao near the entrance to the river of Canton'. Webber derived it from a large-scale ink drawing of the landscape elements, the foreground boats being additions in the oil, which is now among others by him from the voyage in the British Library (Add. Mss. 15514 f. 40). The structure in the right middle-distance, with banners hanging from poles, may be the water stairs up to a temple. A 'Morning Post' review of 30 April 1785 remarked of the painting that 'The rocks and the water are executed with great boldness'.

Though Miss Richardson's phrasing is a little unclear, the 'plantation' picture she mentioned is presumed to be the 'View at Krakatoa' (ZBA7953) which, with the present one and BHC2957 (Webber's portrait of Poedua) were apparently all painted for the Admiralty. It retained Webber after Cook's third voyage to help prepare its publication illustration and do other work for them and all three of these oils were exhibited at the Academy in 1785. Macao and Krakatoa were both ports of call for 'Resolution' and 'Discovery' during their return voyage westward. The 'Otaheite' of 1783, probably that seen by Miss Richardson, is in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.