The two men shipped their first consignment of tea into London following the demise of the East India Company just as Parliament was passing the Great Reform Act.

However the company made its real money selling opium to the Chinese.

Benjamin Disraeli based a character in his novel Sybil on Jardine.

A famous passage read: "A dreadful man! A Scotchman richer than Croesus, one McDruggy fresh from Canton, with a million of opium in each pocket, denouncing corruption and bellowing free trade.'' The conglomerate was immortalised by one of James Clavell's novels and is one of the last old British trading houses in Hong Kong.

The Royal Navy fought two Opium Wars in the 1840s when the Chinese tried to block the opium ships.

The firm diversified after the Opium Wars into manufacturing, property, shipping and railways.

The Hong Kong blue chip is a modern conglomerate with computer superstores, 7-Elevens and Pizza Huts.

It opened offices across China, Japan and Hong Kong, but in 1954 the Chinese assets were effectively confiscated by the communists.

But the Hong Kong operation continued to grow and when Jardine Matheson was listed in 1961 the issue was 56 times oversubscribed.

The company caused a storm in 1984 when it moved its domicile from Hong Kong to Bermuda while Britain and China were negotiating the future of the territory.

This infuriated the Communist regime which accused Britain of supporting the move as a negotiating tactic.

Today, Henry Keswick, 62 is Chairman of Jardine Matheson and his brother Simon, 57, chairs Jardine Strategic.

They are the great grandsons of William Keswick, a great nephew of William Jardine.

Together they own about four percent of the shares, and other family members and trusts own a further four percent, making the total stake worth about 100 million.

The Managing Director is Percy Weatherall, the second cousin of Henry and Simon Keswick.