The Canton Register played an important role in the development of the China trade. Many of the private traders did not have the means to collect information about China and the trade in Asia, other than what they needed in order to carry on their business. As a result, everyone involved in the trade tended to have a different view of how business was managed and conducted and why things developed as they did. This situation changed when The Canton Register was established in November 1827. For the first time in the history of the China trade, everyone could get access to the same information by just purchasing a copy of the Register. The newspaper provided a wide range of data to the foreign community in China, from articles about Chinese society and politics, to trade practices in ports throughout Asia. Prior to the 1820s, the foreign community was not large enough to support such a paper. By 1825, however, there were more than 100 ships arriving each year, most of which were privately owned. The demand for a common source of information was strong, and The Canton Register filled that need. Although there were many controversies surrounding the paper, such as its support of the opium trade and its opposition to the English East India Company’s monopoly, the paper supplied its customers with what they needed to carry on their commerce in China.