THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 CHINA, AUSTRALIA 
 
 THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.

 
 CHINA, AUSTRALIA 
 
 AND 
 
 THE PACIFIC ISLANDS, 
 
 THE YEARS 185356. 
 
 BY J. D'EWES ESQ. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 1857.
 
 3,1 
 
 FOUR YEARS' WANDERINGS 
 
 IN 
 
 THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS, 
 THE NORTH OF CHINA, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE VOYAGE. 
 
 MY narrative commences about the latter end of 
 the year 1852, a period when Australian attrac- 
 tion had arrived at its climax, when the auri 
 sacra fames not only beckoned the hardy miners 
 to this inexhaustible El Dorado, but when crowds 
 of all nations artists and artizans, lawyers and 
 labourers, and even poets and philosophers 
 were flocking to the land of promise. In antici- 
 pation of the vastly encreasing population, argo- 
 sies of porter, pickles, and comestibles of every 
 description were floating towards the same goal, 
 and cargoes of blooming maidens, under the 
 patronage of the indefatigable Mrs. Chisholm and
 
 Z THE CHANNEL. 
 
 the philanthropic Sydney Herbert, formed a 
 charming foreground to the picture. Ample and 
 lucrative employment for both heads and hands, 
 (but particularly the latter,) a salubrious climate, 
 mountains and valleys teeming with gold, a virgin 
 soil, and endless rich pastures, shone in bright 
 perspective before them. Fancy guided the helm, 
 Hope trimmed the sails, and everything appeared 
 en couleur de rose to the Australian emigrant. 
 
 It was at this period I discovered that, owing 
 to a lengthened course of London and Parisian 
 life, as well as other and more remote causes, 
 my physical and financial thermometer was fast 
 approximating to zero, and that a total congeal- 
 ment of the mercury was impending; in fact, 
 that difficulties and dyspepsia rendered a renova- 
 tion of both purse and person essential to the 
 continuance of my career : and although nothing 
 could possibly be more foreign to my previous 
 tastes and habits than the character of an emi- 
 grant, still I saw no better chance before me 
 than to form one of the adventurous band, and 
 trust to Providence for the result. 
 
 The moment was not favourable for a sea-
 
 THE VOYAGE. 
 
 voyage (November, 1852); a dreary winter had 
 just commenced, and storms, almost unequalled 
 in force, with gales from the westward, convulsed 
 the Channel for nearly two months in succession. 
 I had an insurmountable dislike to a large and 
 crowded vessel. With plenty of space I am a 
 tolerable cosmopolite, but have a great objection 
 to the profanum vulgas at close quarters, with the 
 endless quarrels, disputes, and disgusting details 
 of every-day life, which, in addition to the una- 
 voidable annoyances of a ship, assail one at every 
 step ; and had much rather put up with more in- 
 conveniences alone, or in a smaller space, with 
 congenial society, than brave the evils in question. 
 Under the influence of these feelings, I sought 
 far and wide for a vessel to convey myself and 
 my penates (which consisted of my wife, who 
 entirely sympathized with me, both in the step 
 we were about to take, and the mode of putting 
 it into execution), to our destination ; and at 
 length discovered a strong and nominally fast 
 sailing schooner, of one hundred and twenty 
 tons' burden, bound for Port Philip, and com- 
 manded and partly owned by a rough little 
 
 B 2
 
 THE CHANNEL. 
 
 Yorkshire skipper, who appeared to possess all 
 the attributes of a good sailor, with sufficient 
 good nature and good feeling to make the pre- 
 sence of a lady moderate, if not subdue, any 
 natural barbarous propensities he might possess. 
 
 I engaged one-half of the small cabin, and by 
 partitioning this off by a bulkhead, formed a 
 separate and compact little dormitory, with other 
 conveniences attached to it, which rendered it 
 quite as commodious as any I should have en- 
 gaged in a larger vessel; although perhaps not 
 quite so well ventilated. We soon set ourselves 
 to work to render the cabin, that was most likely 
 to be our residence for the next four or five 
 months, as comfortable as circumstances would 
 admit of; and furnished with a few letters of 
 introduction, a very light one of credit, and a 
 tolerable stock of optimism, we joined the rakish- 
 looking schooner, "Vibilia" (a goddess whose 
 history and attributes I was not aware of until 
 I had consulted Lempriere), after a farewell 
 breakfast at " Waite's Hotel," Gravesend, on the 
 30th November, 1852. 
 
 Our passage down the river comprised no ad-
 
 THE VOYAGE. 
 
 ventures worthy of notice, save and except the 
 loss of half our bowsprit by a collision with a 
 collier at night, which initiated my wife into some 
 of the emphatic phraseology of British seamen of 
 this class, and frightened her a good deal into 
 the bargain. The accident was put to rights at 
 Margate the following morning, and the same 
 evening we were riding at anchor in the Downs. 
 Here we encountered a series of gales from 
 the westward that rendered our position any- 
 thing but a pleasant one. Riding with two 
 anchors, with a gale of wind dead in our teeth, 
 the movement of our little shallop could only be 
 compared to a seesaw in a fair, and with the 
 disadvantage of its being a stationary rocking, 
 instead of a progressive one. The effect it would 
 have had upon some stomachs was dreadful to 
 imagine; but by some merciful ordination of 
 Providence we never felt the smallest approach 
 to sea-sickness ; perhaps cold and discomfort of 
 one kind and the other left us no room for other 
 sufferings. The Downs were full of wind-bound 
 vessels, and some were continually driving from 
 their anchors, and " running-a-muck " amongst
 
 THE CHANNEL. 
 
 their neighbours. Deal and Ramsgate boatmen, 
 who seem to set all weather at defiance, were 
 continually tantalizing us with a description of 
 the superior comforts of shore, and offering to 
 take us there for the moderate sum of a guinea 
 a-head, an accommodation which I begged to 
 defer until iny return from Australia with a cargo 
 of nuggets. Seas were beating over us and 
 penetrating every corner of the little craft ; the 
 stove in the cabin refused to be lighted at any 
 price ; eating was out of the question, and drink- 
 ing difficult ; and, in fact, I thought we should 
 have fallen victims to our adventurous spirit at 
 the very outset of our undertaking. 
 
 As, however, even pain becomes familiar and 
 more easy to be borne by its continuance, so we, 
 after three weeks' enjoyment of the above-men- 
 tioned trials, had become as completely amphi- 
 bious as it is possible to conceive two rather 
 luxurious individuals to be, and when, by what 
 is termed a favourable slant of wind, we managed 
 with some difficulty to escape from our stormy 
 anchorage into the still more boisterous channel, 
 we considered ourselves hardened and disciplined 
 to any amount of marine endurance.
 
 THE VOYAGE. 7 
 
 Still fate was not yet weary of persecuting us, 
 and we had made but little progress with the 
 " slant " when the wind returned with the same 
 violence to its old quarter, and it was not with- 
 out difficulty that we gained the shelter of the 
 Motherbank, and came to anchor at a short dis- 
 tance from the Ryde pier. 
 
 Although a maritime survey of the southern 
 coast of England was anything but propitious to 
 our arrival in Australia, still our situation here 
 was far more agreeable than the former one, 
 as we could easily get on shore in the ship's boat 
 and wander about the Isle of Wight when the 
 weather permitted, and as the wind held steadily 
 to the same quarter for a fortnight in succession, 
 we had plenty of opportunities of inspecting the 
 winter beauties of this delightful island ; and 
 making up a little in creature comforts for our 
 previous sufferings. 
 
 Another " slant," and we were once more 
 ploughing the foaming billows of the stormy 
 Channel, with every sail close reefed and close 
 hauled. The waves seem unwilling to admit us 
 a passage, slow as it is, and which it strains
 
 8 THE CHANNEL. 
 
 every plank of our little craft to enforce. Our 
 skipper, however, never throws a chance away, 
 and with voice, hand and gesture, is here and 
 there and everywhere at once. The small crew, 
 who receive no pay, and work their way out 
 to Australia, are not above one-half of them 
 sailors, and, including the captain and mate, 
 there are not above five efficient hands in the 
 vessel ; yet on ordinary occasions these are suffi- 
 cient for her size. 
 
 We were not yet fated to bid farewell to the 
 " white cliffs of Britain," and after battling in 
 vain against the westerly force of the gale for 
 about twenty-four hours, were glad at length to 
 put into the comfortable harbour of " Portland 
 Roads," and my wife and I resumed our old 
 amusement of wandering about the adjacent 
 country. Portland Island afforded us many in- 
 teresting rambles, and a visit to Weymouth one 
 last glance at European civilization. It seemed 
 as though we were chained by some invisible 
 link to home, and were never to emerge from 
 the British Channel. 
 
 At length, towards the end of January (having
 
 THE VOYAGE. 9 
 
 been wind-bound for nearly two months), ^Eolus 
 changed to a favourable quarter ; the skies cleared, 
 the sun broke forth, and we, in company with 
 hundreds of other vessels of all sizes, were mer- 
 rily clearing the "chops of the Channel," and 
 leaving our native shores (perhaps for ever), 
 behind us. The Bay of Biscay, of billowy noto- 
 riety, was passed in a pleasant breeze ; the coasts 
 of Spain and Portugal were soon left behind ; 
 winter had disappeared, and the soft and genial 
 breezes that fanned our cheeks and sails as we 
 passed the Island of Madeira, were gradually 
 preparing us for the rather less agreeable warmth 
 of the tropics. 
 
 Having several Creole passengers forward in 
 the steerage, whom our skipper had undertaken 
 for a consideration to land at Brava, a small 
 island the most southward of the Cape de Verd 
 group, but where there is no anchorage for large 
 vessels, it was our intention to lay off and on (as 
 it is called), at a safe distance from shore, whilst 
 we landed the passengers in the ship's boat. 
 These men had been discharged from whaling 
 vessels that had completed their voyage j indeed, 
 
 B 3
 
 10 BRAVA. 
 
 that is the chief employment of the inhabitants 
 of this island, a hardy and muscular race ; of 
 a breed between the African and Portuguese, 
 and very expert whalers. English and American 
 vessels, bound for the South Seas, call here on 
 their way outward bound, and make up their 
 crew, if in want of hands. 
 
 About three weeks had elapsed since we 
 cleared the Channel, and we were fast approach- 
 ing the Cape de Verds. We were now in the 
 midst of the tropics. Grampuses and dolphins 
 were disporting themselves around our wake; 
 and flying-fish obligingly flitting upon our decks 
 formed a very agreeable addition to our break- 
 fast table. The breezes were mild and favour- 
 able, the skies a mixture of every magnificent 
 hue that painter could imagine or poet describe ; 
 and hitherto nothing could be more favourable 
 than our voyage. 
 
 The Islands of St. Nicholas and St. Jago were 
 visible on the horizon, and we were fast ap- 
 proaching the bold sugar-loaf volcano of Fogo. 
 The Island of Brava lies about twenty miles to 
 the westward of the former, and is the last and
 
 THE VOYAGE. 11 
 
 most southward of the Cape de Verd group. 
 It is not more than fourteen miles in circumfer- 
 ence, but is considered the most healthy, being 
 free from fevers and epidemics peculiar to the 
 others. When within a few miles of the beach, 
 and opposite what was pointed out as the landing 
 place by our creole passengers, we hove-to and 
 lowered the long boat, to convey them and their 
 baggage on shore. I volunteered my services 
 to hand them over to the Portuguese authorities, 
 the captain considering that some little smatter- 
 ing of foreign languages might be convenient, if 
 not necessary, and a very confined knowledge of 
 his own being the extent of his acquirements in 
 that department. 
 
 On a near approach, we discovered a small 
 bay, or cove, which we had not at first observed, 
 in a recess of the coast, with a few whitewashed 
 buildings, and a small apology for a fort, with 
 about four guns, and this spot was declared to 
 be the harbour and landing place by our passen- 
 gers. It was a beautiful little bay ; the sea, of 
 the most pellucid blue, was as clear as crystal, and 
 fish of varied colours, and coral rocks, were visi-
 
 12 BRAVA. 
 
 ble for at least ten fathoms' depth. We ran our 
 boat upon the sandy beach; and amongst the 
 few dirty Portuguese custom-house officials who 
 were on the spot I met with one who spoke a 
 little French, and who explained to me that the 
 town (as he called it) was situated about two 
 miles in the interior, and that it was a very 
 beautiful spot, and worth the trouble of a visit. 
 I considered this very extraordinary, as not a 
 vestige of any foliage, except a low scrub, was 
 to be seen ; and the land, which appeared 
 to rise gradually to about the height of three 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea, was a 
 sort of crust of brown dry lava, and evidently of 
 volcanic origin. As, however, I had my run on 
 shore for some hours our skipper having com- 
 missioned me to purchase a few fresh provisions 
 and vegetables if possible I determined to make 
 the most of it, and accordingly signified my de- 
 sire to proceed to the metropolis of the island. 
 I was directed to a hut close by, which served as 
 a " venta," or public-house ; where, after having 
 tasted some execrable "vin du pays," I was 
 told to mount a by no means respectable-looking
 
 THE VOYAGE. 13 
 
 donkey, that was held by the most ragged of 
 boys (in fact a real study for Murillo), who be- 
 gan to scamper up the rocks before me, and was 
 followed by my original steed with an activity 
 and sure-footedness that his appearance by no 
 means indicated. 
 
 We continued to ascend the most tortuous 
 and precipitous paths, or rather mountain tracks, 
 frequently meeting and coming into very dan- 
 gerous proximity with donkeys (evidently rela- 
 lations of my own animal), laden with fruit, kegs, 
 and water skins, and rapidly descending towards 
 the beach, until having reached very nearly the 
 summit of the island, and no appearance of even 
 a habitation of any kind in view, I began to 
 doubt the existence of these " castles in the air" 
 altogether, until, upon suddenly reaching a crest 
 of the mountain, and looking downwards, a 
 scene opened upon my view, so peculiar, and so 
 beautiful, that I never before or since have wit- 
 nessed anything at all similar to it. The reader 
 may imagine a vast crater or hollow space on the 
 top of the mountain, and comprehending several 
 miles in its circumference. In lovely contrast
 
 14 BRAVA. 
 
 to the brown and arid rocks that frown around 
 in all directions, a little paradise or oasis of tro- 
 pical trees, fruits, and flowers, bursts upon the 
 sight, with whitewashed and green-verandahed 
 cottages and villas interspersed here and there. 
 The air was absolutely heavy with the odour of 
 the orange and lemon blossom (the trees here 
 bearing both fruit and flower at the same period), 
 and the golden fruit was weighing down the 
 noble orange-trees in prodigious quantity and 
 luxuriance. The banana, guava, and coffee-tree, 
 and numerous other tropical shrubs and fruits, 
 were evidently cultivated with great care. In 
 fact it was a fairy scene, and the more beautiful 
 from having been so unexpected. 
 
 I was conducted to one of the little " cottage 
 ornees" by my ragged guide, arid introduced to 
 a mahogany-coloured elderly gentleman, in a 
 very loose suit of white calico, who styled him- 
 self the " Captain of the Port," and who treated 
 me with the greatest kindness and hospitality. 
 He almost carried me into his cottage, which 
 was situated under a natural arbour of orange, 
 lemon, citron, and vine trees the former bend-
 
 THE VOYAGE. 15 
 
 ing down with fruit and an admirable luncheon 
 very soon made its appearance, consisting of 
 cold poultry, excellent ham, a variety of fruits, 
 Lisbon wine, and the best coffee (grown in 
 his own garden) I ever tasted in my life. The 
 only drawback to our amusement was the diffi- 
 culty of understanding each other, as my host 
 spoke nothing but Portuguese ; and although I 
 could catch his meaning now and then, I was 
 totally at a loss for a response. At last a thought 
 seemed to strike him, and going out for a few 
 minutes, he returned, bringing with him an in- 
 dividual, yclept Peter, whose profession was that 
 of a pilot, and who could speak a few words of 
 both French and English, of which he was most 
 inordinately proud, and more particularly of the 
 superiority he considered it gave him over his 
 master. By the assistance of this interpreter 
 (small as it was) I managed to make out that 
 provisions of all kinds were cheap and good at 
 this place, that there was quite water enough in 
 the harbour for our little schooner (a Portuguese 
 corvette was lying there at the same time), and 
 that we could not do better than come to anchor
 
 16 BRAVA. 
 
 here and take in what we wanted, rather than 
 risk the trouble and expense of putting into the 
 Cape of Good Hope for the same purpose. 
 
 As I felt very much disposed to follow this 
 advice, I dispatched the pilot Peter, his boat and 
 followers, with a missive to our captain in the 
 offing, explaining these particulars, and advising 
 him to adopt this method of proceeding, and in 
 a short time, from an eminence in my host's 
 garden, I observed our little schooner rounding 
 one of the points of the bay, and drop her 
 anchor within about one hundred yards of the 
 shore. Having made my descent from the town 
 by the same conveyance, but in a far shorter 
 period than my arrival, I informed the captain 
 and my wife of the little paradise I had dis- 
 covered, and also conveyed from the worthy 
 Captain of the Port a general invitation to eat, 
 drink, and sleep at his house as long as we were 
 on the island. We determined on declining the 
 latter, but accepting the former accommodation ; 
 and the following morning our troop of boys and 
 donkeys assumed a more formidable appearance 
 than before, and the captain, my wife, and I,
 
 THE VOYAGE. 17 
 
 besieged the citadel en masse. The enemy was, 
 however, well prepared for us, and the table was 
 covered with island luxuries, the most delicious 
 red mullet not being amongst the least of them. 
 After breakfast we visited the town, and were 
 evidently looked upon as great "lions," very few 
 European ships, with the exception of whalers 
 (which do not come into harbour), touching at 
 this island. We first paid a visit to the chapel 
 and monastery attached to it, where the priests 
 received us very kindly in a very comfortable 
 drawing-room, furnished with sofas and a piano, 
 and one of them played us some waltzes and 
 polkas in good Parisian style. They pointed out 
 to our observation a few images of saints, bad 
 pictures, and relics, which they seemed to regard 
 very indifferently ; not so, however, a bottle of 
 Madeira, which they informed us was sixty years 
 old, and which they produced in our especial 
 honour, and famous stuff it was. They were 
 evidently very proud of entertaining a lady, and 
 could not make enough of her. We next visited 
 the casa of the American consul, and who also 
 officiated in the same capacity for Her Britannic
 
 18 BRAVA. 
 
 Majesty ; both these dignitaries being impersoni- 
 fied by a dirty little Portuguese jew. He pro- 
 mised to supply us with all we required in the 
 shape of live stock, water, etc., in the course of a 
 few days. The Governor and Bishop of the Cape 
 de Verds were both residing here, as it is consi- 
 dered the healthiest spot on any of the islands. 
 During our wanderings around this charming 
 village, we were accosted by a black priest, a 
 pure African negro, of enormous dimensions, and 
 ebon blackness : he spoke a little English, and 
 insisted upon our entering his cottage and tasting 
 some port wine which he placed before us ; and 
 after some unintelligible chattering he gave us his 
 blessing in a very patriarchal way upon our de- 
 parture. Excellent dinners at our kind host's, 
 with cigars and siestas under the fragrant orange 
 bowers, made our evenings pass pleasantly 
 enough, and it was generally dark before our 
 sure-footed donkeys had made their precipitous 
 descent with us to the beach and we rejoined 
 our vessel. 
 
 A quantity of live stock, such as pigs and 
 poultry, were safely housed on board, our water
 
 THE VOYAGE. 19 
 
 casks were filled to the bung, and every corner 
 of the cabin was crammed with oranges pre- 
 sents from the good port captain. Bunches of 
 green bananas were suspended at our stem, rows 
 of pumpkins ornamented the davits, and with a 
 fresh trade wind we sailed merrily away upon 
 our course ; the fifth day subsequent to our 
 arrival at Brava. The wind continued favour- 
 able to us until we had passed the equator, and 
 had arrived in the latitude of the south-east 
 trades, which carried us to the southward of the 
 Cape of Good Hope with few calms or interrup- 
 tions. We then began to shape our course due 
 west for Australia, but encountered some of the 
 gales peculiar to these latitudes, that tossed our 
 little barque about often in a fearful manner, and 
 preventing us for days together from shewing our 
 faces above the cabin hatchways. When we were 
 about a degree south of the Islands of St. Paul's 
 and Amsterdam, on sounding the tank one 
 morning, to ascertain the quantity of water we 
 had left for the remainder of the voyage, we 
 discovered to our consternation that a leak or 
 some accident had taken place, and that the tank
 
 20 APPEOACH TO AUSTRALIA. 
 
 was dry. Our skipper did not think it prudent 
 to attempt to procure any at the above-mentioned 
 islands, and the consequence was that we were 
 reduced, or rather elevated, to bottled stout and 
 pale ale, of which there was a large consignment 
 on board, as a substitute for all other beverages ; 
 and I really believe that I put this fattening pro- 
 duction of Barclay and Perkins to a purpose 
 which those worthy brewers could never have 
 anticipated, viz., to shave with, the thick froth 
 making an excellent lather. None of us appeared 
 to suffer from our porter regime, and when in 
 about three weeks subsequent to this accident we 
 had passed Bass's Straits every body (except our 
 poor skipper, to whom of course the loss was con- 
 siderable) seemed improved in bulk and appear- 
 ance. 
 
 We were now fast approaching the termina- 
 tion of our voyage. It was the latter end of 
 May, and we had been nearly four months at 
 sea. On the morning of the 26th, after a heavy 
 gale of wind from the north-west that lasted 
 
 D 
 
 forty-eight hours, we sighted the lighthouse on 
 Cape Otway, and about fifty miles from Port
 
 THE VOYAGE. 21 
 
 Philip. The coast here presented a fine undulat- 
 ing surface of forest and plain. We had met only 
 one or two vessels during the whole voyage ; but 
 now many ships were in sight, either going to or 
 from the promised land. About midnight, by 
 the light of a glorious full moon, we entered 
 Port Philip heads by a narrow passage of about 
 a mile broad, between two reefs of rocks ; and 
 the tide running like a mill race. We found 
 ourselves at once in an immense lake or inland 
 sea, which, before it was dotted over as it is at 
 present with vessels from all nations, must have 
 presented the finest picture of solitary repose 
 that can be conceived. We anchored for the 
 night, and in the morning a pilot came on board, 
 and, after a sail of about thirty miles, we again 
 anchored off the Port of Williamstown, at the 
 entrance of the Yarra Yarra River a small 
 muddy stream enclosed by a rank vegetation 
 and low marshy banks ; and upon which, seven 
 miles higher up, is situated the city of Mel- 
 bourne.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MELBOURNE. 
 
 UPWARDS of three hundred vessels of all sizes 
 and from all parts of the world were at anchor 
 here at this period. The houses on shore, which 
 were small wooden tenements, comprising stores 
 of all kinds. Grog shops, butchers, bakers, etc., 
 and very few in number, and any of which could 
 have been erected at the cost of 100 in England, 
 were worth at this time, with a small plot of 
 land attached to them, from two to ten thousand 
 pounds each, and the occupants were realizing 
 every day enormous sums by their respective 
 trades. The influx of emigrants at this period 
 was beyond all calculation, and no language can 
 describe the bustle and confusion that reigned. 
 Small steamboats were continually running be- 
 tween this place and Melbourne (of which indeed
 
 MELBOURNE. 23 
 
 it is the port, as no vessel drawing more than ten 
 feet can go up the river), charging ten shillings 
 for each passenger, and crowded to suffocation. 
 The little stream was blocked up with vessels, 
 and how they could steer clear of each other was 
 a mystery only to be solved by themselves. 
 
 It would be indeed a difficult task to describe 
 this wonderful place in its then infant state. It 
 presented all the elements of a colossal city rising 
 out of chaos, and assuming something like a 
 connected shape and form. Large wharves half 
 unfinished, and half destroyed by the immense 
 traffic upon them, and half-erected stores and 
 buildings - around them. Every inch of space 
 was covered by a multitude of persons and heaps 
 of merchandize and baggage from every quarter 
 of the globe from a ragged Irishman to a Can- 
 ton celestial. Upon arriving at the city, which is 
 laid out in wide and handsome streets on the 
 rectangular principle, a magnificent banking es- 
 tablishment, of Corinthian architecture, was next 
 door neighbour to a Jew's slop shop, and a jum- 
 per's mud chapel vis a vis to a Protestant cathe- 
 dral. Discord and confusion reigned supreme,
 
 24 MELBOURNE. 
 
 and not a hole or corner in this immense con- 
 glomeration of dwellings, composed of stone, 
 brick, wood, mud, and canvass, was unoccupied, 
 and, indeed, generally crowded to suffocation. 
 Merchants were paying ten pounds a week for 
 the occupation of a room or hole some eight feet 
 square, which they named an office, and where 
 business to the amount of many thousands was 
 transacted daily. The same sized apartment in a 
 wooden hotel, and containing two stretchers and 
 a cracked washing basin, was a luxury only at- 
 tainable by the rich, at a price of about two 
 pounds per diem with meals, but no liquors; 
 and this accommodation it was then impossible 
 to obtain. The approach to the post office was 
 much the same ceremony, and connected with 
 the same difficulty and danger as my readers 
 may remember attended them on going to see 
 the late Duke of Wellington lying in state. 
 Great individual distress and inconvenience of 
 course prevailed, still the colony was in a highly 
 prosperous condition. Gold ! that all-powerful 
 source of prosperity, had shed its prestige over 
 everything, and, although all gold-digging is a
 
 MELBOURNE. ZD 
 
 lottery to individuals, yet the quantity dis- 
 covered was enormous. The Government had 
 large funds at their command, which they spent 
 in a liberal manner; and bankers, merchants, 
 hotel-keepers, publicans and tradespeople were 
 realizing large fortunes. The price of labour 
 was very high, ten shillings a day being paid by 
 government to any individual who chose to work, 
 or rather pretend to do so, on the roads. 
 
 The prices of lodging and provisions were, 
 however, proportionately high. The necessities 
 of the emigrant, and the recklessness of the 
 fortunate digger, were taken every advantage of 
 by the retail dealer, who charged four or five 
 hundred per cent, above wholesale prices ; but 
 there was no actual scarcity of provisions or even 
 luxuries of most kinds. One pursuit, that of 
 " Mammon," in spite of every obstacle, occupied 
 the attention of all classes. Every nation in the 
 world, of all colours, classes, and denominations, 
 seemed to be struggling how to get the best of 
 their neighbours ; and as colonial emigrants are 
 generally clever enterprizing men, it may be 
 easily imagined that the struggle was severe, 
 
 c
 
 26 MELBOURNE. 
 
 and the idle and inergetic stood no chance in 
 the race. 
 
 I managed to instal my wife and self in a 
 two-roomed hut of lath and plaster, at a rent of 
 4 per week ; fire-wood cost 3 a horse load ; 
 and muddy water from the river 10s. a barrel 
 full. No class of men were so completely out 
 of their element in Australia as broken-down 
 gentlemen. If they had not capital to speculate 
 with, or could not obtain a government appoint- 
 ment, they had no chance in this practical 
 country. Everybody was engaged in the " pur- 
 suit of money under difficulties ;" and many were 
 making their hundreds and even thousands per 
 diem by land speculations, the value of which 
 was often trebled and quadrupled in the space of 
 twenty-four hours. 
 
 The Government employed a large number of 
 officers in the Police force and as gold Commis- 
 sioners, stipendiary magistrates, etc., etc., who 
 received what would be considered large salaries 
 in England, but not so in proportion to the 
 price of everything here. They were chiefly 
 composed of unfortunate squatters, ruined gentle-
 
 MELBOURNE. 27 
 
 men, with a fair sprinkling of officers who had 
 formerly been in the British or Indian army, and 
 had passed through every variety of adventure j 
 and it was to one of these situations that my 
 own views were principally directed, and which, 
 by dint of a little local interest with Mr. Latrobe, 
 the Governor, that I had every chance of obtain- 
 ing. In the mean time I received much kind- 
 ness and hospitality from some old friends whom 
 I met at Melbourne, and made myself better 
 acquainted with the resources and statistics of 
 the country. 
 
 After the lapse of a few weeks I was summoned 
 by the Chief Commissioner of Police, who in- 
 formed me that if I chose to accept the position 
 of Police Magistrate at " Ballarat," as locum 
 tenens for the present occupant of that situation, 
 who was about to leave it on several months' 
 leave of absence, I should have the first vacancy 
 to a permanent office of that nature that pre- 
 sented itself; an offer which I was of course 
 only too happy to accept, and made my arrange- 
 ments accordingly for entering upon my judicial 
 functions at those far-famed diggings, situated 
 
 c2
 
 28 MELBOURNE. 
 
 about eighty miles from Melbourne, and at that 
 period (July, 1853), rather a serious journey to 
 make in mid-winter, owing to the very marshy 
 and dangerous state of the country.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 BALLARAT. 
 
 IN order to shorten the distance by land, I pro- 
 ceeded by the route of Geelong to my destina- 
 tion, to which place, a distance of forty miles 
 by sea, steamboats were plying daily from Mel- 
 bourne, and making the passage in about four 
 hours. The boat in which I took my departure 
 (the " Duncan Hoyle "), was crowded with pas- 
 sengers, squatters, diggers, and emigrants of 
 all descriptions, together with merchandize of 
 every kind : much freedom of speech and general 
 conviviality prevailed, and champagne corks were 
 popping in every direction. The beautiful Bay 
 of Geelong was soon gained, and soon this infant 
 city (far superior to Melbourne as to position), 
 appeared, rising gracefully upon the waters. I 
 took up my abode at Mac's Hotel, a very hand-
 
 30 BALLARAT. 
 
 some edifice facing the sea, and where the ac- 
 commodation was very superior to what I had 
 experienced at Melbourne ; but at prices to which 
 the charges of the " Clarendon " or " Mivart's " 
 would sink into insignificance. I found this 
 establishment, like every other, full to overflow- 
 ing, but contrived to secure a stretcher in a small 
 room, with two other occupants, one of whom 
 was also en route to Ballarat, and whose com- 
 pany I was fortunate enough to secure on the 
 journey. My next object was to purchase a 
 horse, which I effected at an outlay of thirty-five 
 pounds, and to all appearance and description a 
 tolerable roadster. Too much caution cannot be 
 used in the selection of a steed in Australia, as 
 under the most flattering exterior the most ter- 
 rible vices are often concealed ; and the appa- 
 rently quiet hack, that has been jogging along 
 for miles in the mildest of moods, suddenly serves 
 a summary ejectment upon his rider by a com- 
 plicated performance of a species of gymnastics 
 called "buck jumping," to which, from early 
 habits in their almost wild state, and subsequent 
 very imperfect breaking, Australian horses are
 
 BALLARAT. 31 
 
 particularly addicted. No country, however, 
 furnishes a finer breed of working horses, or of 
 greater power and endurance. The climate is 
 admirably suited to their constitutions, and they 
 can dispense with half the grooming and stable 
 comforts so necessary to their condition at home. 
 
 Leaving my trunks to be sent on by a bullock 
 dray to Ballarat, with a chance of receiving them 
 in a month or six weeks afterwards, which at this 
 time of year was about the usual period in which 
 these conveyances performed the distance (fifty- 
 eight miles), and with a pair of saddle-bags con- 
 taining my immediate necessaries, I started early 
 the following morning, in company with my 
 fellow-traveller, each of us armed with revolvers 
 (a precaution against bushrangers). The first 
 part of the road comprised ranges of bleak un- 
 dulating hills, with few trees visible; and the 
 roads, or rather tracks made by the multitudes 
 of diggers, with their drays and carts continually 
 proceeding up the country, were above our horses 
 fetlocks in adhesive mud. 
 
 We passed many parties, singly and in groups, 
 wending their way in high spirits to the El
 
 32 BALLARAT. 
 
 Dorado of their hopes. About fifteen miles from 
 Geelong the scene changed : upon our right lay 
 a magnificent valley as far as the eye could 
 reach, a stream meandering through the centre, 
 and the slopes verdant with the richest herbage, 
 covered with flocks and herds. Soon afterwards 
 we entered a gum-tree forest, or chiefly composed 
 of gum trees, which are the prevailing timber 
 in this country ; interspersed with several other 
 species of evergreens. Fallen trunks lay scat- 
 tered around, blackened with the effect of either 
 recent or former bush fires, which are very pre- 
 valent during the dry season, and burn up large 
 tracts of forest and pasture in their devastating 
 career. These fires originate generally from the 
 carelessness of travellers, either from the simple 
 act of throwing away their tinder after having 
 lighted their pipes, or recklessly leaving the fires 
 of their bivouac in a state of ignition on their 
 departure. We halted about mid-day, after a 
 ride of about thirty miles, at a small tavern, 
 (where there was also a police-station,) named 
 "Watson's Inn," from the name of the pro- 
 prietor ; and a more dirty or abominable hole it
 
 BALLARAT. 33 
 
 was impossible to conceive : a year subsequently 
 four handsome hotels were constructed near this 
 spot. Drunken diggers were lying about the 
 verandah and unwashed floors of the building 
 in every stage of intoxication, and we were abso- 
 lutely obliged to step over their prostrate forms 
 in order to approach a table to get some refresh- 
 ment. This place being half-way from Ballarat 
 to Geelong, was of course the great halting-place 
 for travellers, and it was not an uncommon prac- 
 tice for the successful digger upon his arrival, 
 after a long and weary march from the diggings, 
 to throw a small bag of gold-dust, perhaps con- 
 taining several ounces, to the landlord, and tell 
 him that he intended to drink it out, and not 
 leave until it was finished ; a consummation 
 very soon effected by that worthy, who speedily 
 aroused his reckless customer from a senseless 
 fit of intoxication, with the information that the 
 proceeds of his gold were all melted into alcohol. 
 After refreshing our horses and ourselves in 
 the best manner we were able, we again pursued 
 our way, chiefly through forest and swamp, 
 with now and then a few miles of open country, 
 
 c3
 
 34 
 
 BALLARAT. 
 
 to the picturesque village of Buningyoug, twenty 
 miles farther on, and making fifty altogether 
 from Geelong. This is a pretty pastoral spot, 
 composed of several allotments of land, with 
 cottages and nice gardens upon them ; and there 
 were two good sized public-houses, where toler- 
 able accommodation could be had. It is situated 
 at the edge of the forest, through which the road 
 lies to the Ballarat diggings (a distance of eight 
 miles from this place). There was also a room 
 in a wooden building used as a court-house, and 
 a log lock-up house for criminals. The Bal- 
 larat magistrate was obliged to visit this place 
 weekly, and a few policemen were also stationed 
 here. 
 
 We passed the night at Mrs. Jamieson's Inn, 
 an extraordinary specimen of a Scotch landlady, 
 whose colonial independence of character (except 
 when she took a liking), always verged upon 
 insolence, and very often abuse ; and woe be to 
 the mistaken individual who tried to oppose her 
 when in these moods, as he had little chance of 
 either food or lodging at her hands. I was for- 
 tunate to fall into her good graces, and met with
 
 BALLARAT. 35 
 
 extremely good entertainment in her own cottage, 
 close to the Inn. 
 
 At sun-rise on the morrow we continued our 
 ride through the forest to Ballarat, and had not 
 proceeded far before we could easily perceive 
 that we were approaching some vast object of 
 attraction, by the quantity of human beings, 
 drays, bullocks and horses, we encountered, and 
 the bivouac-fires smoking in all directions. A 
 ride of about six miles through forest scenery 
 brought us to the edge of the diggings, or as it 
 was termed, " New Chum Gully " (the different 
 ranges of hills where gold is discovered go by 
 the common name of gully). The diggings have 
 been so often illustrated, both by description and 
 painting, by far abler hands than mine, that I 
 shah" content myself with a very brief account 
 of Ballarat as it appeared on my arrival on the 
 1st of August, 1853. 
 
 The valley or rather basin of Ballarat, sur- 
 rounded on all sides by a range of hills, and 
 generally composed of quartz-rock, comprised an 
 area of about ten miles. This was almost com- 
 pletely bared of timber, and honeycombed by
 
 36 BALLARAT. 
 
 the miners in every direction, presenting to the 
 view a succession of holes, heaps of clay and 
 quartz, and innumerable tents of all forms and 
 sizes scattered about, whose occupants (women 
 and children), were busily engaged in domestic 
 avocations during the absence of their husbands 
 and fathers at their mining occupations. How to 
 thread my way through this dangerous labyrinth 
 appeared, as it was, difficult enough in the day- 
 time, and impossible at night. 
 
 My object was to reach the Commissioner's 
 camp, situated on an eminence to the northward, 
 and overlooking the diggings, and rendered con- 
 spicuous by its flag-staff, which, with the assist- 
 ance of an experienced guide, I managed to do. 
 The camp at that period contained a police-force, 
 mounted and foot, of about fifty men; an in- 
 spector, sub-inspector, lieutenant, and several 
 cadets. The chief officer was the resident Gold 
 Commissioner, under whom were placed several 
 assistant gold commissioners, and a number of 
 office clerks a police-magistrate and clerk of the 
 bench ; an assistant surveyor and colonial archi- 
 tect, and a camp surgeon, together with assis-
 
 BALLARAT. 37 
 
 tants, workmen, camp-followers, and servants : 
 making in all a numerical population of about 
 one hundred individuals inhabiting the limits of 
 the camp. 
 
 Although some wooden buildings were in pro- 
 gress, such as small houses for the officers, bar- 
 racks for the police, a mess room, hospital, etc., 
 etc., yet at the period of my arrival none were 
 completed, and both public offices and private 
 dwellings were composed of tents of different 
 dimensions. 
 
 I was most kindly received by Mr. J. M. 
 Clow, the resident Commissioner, and introduced 
 by him to the mess, which was composed of the 
 different officers of the departments above- 
 mentioned, and comprised gentlemen of all ages 
 and descriptions. A very substantial breakfast 
 was served in a large tent to about twenty mem- 
 bers, and although the furniture and accommo- 
 dations were rather of a rough nature, there was 
 no reason to find fault with the cheer. 
 
 Having been initiated by Mr. Eyre, the gentle- 
 man whom I was replacing, into the arcana of 
 the police-court, and the local peculiarities atten-
 
 38 BALLARAT. 
 
 dant upon my position, upon his departure, in a 
 few days, I assumed the reins of office. My 
 court-house consisted of a little wooden tene- 
 ment, about twelve feet square. I had a very 
 intelligent clerk of the bench; and a sergeant- 
 major of police, a chief constable, and several 
 policemen, always in attendance. A very large 
 and solid log-built lock-up house for prisoners 
 was in close proximity. We were tolerably well 
 supplied with stationery and office books ; and, 
 in fact, with the exception of the locum standi 
 I had no reason to complain of the materiel. 
 
 The mining population of Ballarat, at the 
 period of my arrival, was small in comparison 
 to its amount when I left it, about a year and a 
 half subsequently ; perhaps it amounted in all to 
 about ten thousand, but afforded me quite suffi- 
 cient occupation in my magisterial capacity. 
 Drunkenness, and crimes arising from its baneful 
 effects, such as wounds and frequent homicides, 
 were but too common ; horse-stealing was an 
 every-day occurrence ; and as the diggers formed 
 the carcase upon which the old convicts, or Van- 
 demonian vultures, gathered together in their
 
 BALLARAT. 39 
 
 different wanderings, every description of villainy 
 was rife at Ballarat ; and no London police-office 
 could exhibit a greater variety of crime than ap- 
 peared sometimes upon our charge-sheet. 
 
 A court of sessions, presided over by a judge 
 of circuit, was held at Buningyong about every 
 six weeks, which took cognizance of everything, 
 with the exception of capital crimes. In these 
 cases we committed for trial to the Supreme 
 Court at Geelong, and sent the prisoners there 
 periodically by escort. 
 
 The salaries paid to officers at the gold dig- 
 gings on my arrival were as follows : Resident 
 Gold Commissioner, 700 per annum ; Commis- 
 sioner ditto, 500 per annum; assistant ditto, 
 400 per annum ; Police Magistrate, 600 per 
 annum, with an additional 100 per annum as 
 Deputy Sheriff for the County; Inspector of 
 Police, 600 per annum; Sub-Inspector ditto, 
 350; Lieutenant ditto, 250; Cadets, 10s. 
 per diem; Officers on full pay of the army 15s. 
 and 10s. per diem extra; Chief Clerks, 300 
 per annum; other Clerks, 200 and 250 per 
 annum ; Privates in the Police, 8s. per diem, and
 
 40 
 
 BALLARAT. 
 
 portions of fines, besides clothing; Pensioners, 
 2s. 6d. per diem ; in addition to pension, every 
 one was moreover allowed rations, and forage for 
 horses. Superior officers individually, and others 
 collectively, were allowed servants, or as they 
 were termed, tent-keepers, with pay of 8s. per 
 diem with tent and rations. These salaries at a 
 later period were all considerably diminished. 
 The Government, owing to the sudden and enor- 
 mous addition to the population since the dis- 
 covery of gold in 1851, were forced to encrease 
 their expenditure in a manner which the follow- 
 ing table may give some idea of: 
 
 
 1851 
 
 1852 
 
 1853 
 
 Post Office Department 
 
 11,165 
 
 17,362 
 
 64,622 
 
 Ports and Harbours 
 
 4,198 
 
 10,737 
 
 42,580 
 
 Public Works 
 
 32,697 
 
 51,153 
 
 719,924 
 
 Police 
 
 23,942 
 
 34,953 
 
 317,579 
 
 Gaols 
 
 6,604 
 
 10,761 
 
 94,459 
 
 Administration of Justice 
 
 7,094 
 
 10,535 
 
 43,230 
 
 Education 
 
 5,906 
 
 10,248 
 
 79,000 
 
 The following year this expenditure was nearly 
 doubled, and the revenue by no means rose in
 
 BALLARAT. 41 
 
 proportion, so that it was evident that it was 
 necessary to practise a stricter system of political 
 economy. 
 
 It must be clearly understood that the value 
 of money was very different at this time to its 
 relative value in the former state of the colony, 
 and would not go nearly so far in providing for 
 its exigencies. Everything (labour included) had 
 risen to a fabulous price, and seemed to be still 
 going up. The difficulty of carting up goods to 
 these diggings during the winter season was so 
 great, that the charge for conveying them from 
 Geelong, a distance of fifty-eight miles, was 
 sometimes 100 per ton ; and I have known hay 
 sold at Ballarat as high as 120 the ton, and 
 oats proportionately dear; so that the expense 
 of forage was enormous : 2 per night was the 
 usual charge at the public-houses, and the go- 
 vernment had to pay this price in many instances 
 for their outstanding police horses, owing to their 
 very inefficient commissariat ; so that it may be 
 easily conceived that the 100 per annum allowed 
 by government in commutation of forage to offi- 
 cers entitled to it, would not nearly cover the
 
 42 BALLARAT. 
 
 expense. They were permitted, however, to 
 draw hay and corn if they chose from the com- 
 missariat stores. As the pastoral districts in the 
 neighbourhood of the diggings abounded with 
 sheep and cattle, meat of good quality was not 
 so dear as other descriptions of provisions, and 
 could be procured for about 8d. the lb., baker's 
 bread at this time was about 3s. 6d. the quartern 
 loaf, butter 4s. the lb., milk Is. 6d. the pint, 
 potatoes 6d. the lb., onions 3s. 6d. the lb, and 
 any description of vegetable or fruit enormously 
 dear. 
 
 The government at this time derived a consi- 
 derable revenue from the license fees issued 
 monthly to gold-diggers, and some of the most 
 distressing and frequent cases that were brought 
 before the magistrates were those of diggers 
 apprehended at work without a license. Parties 
 of the Police, commanded by some young officer, 
 scoured the diggings in all directions, and ques- 
 tioned every one they met if he had a license, 
 desiring him at the same time to produce it; 
 should he be unable to do so, he was at once 
 arrested and brought to the camp before the
 
 BALLARAT. 43 
 
 bench, and fined either from 1 to 5, or from 
 fourteen days to a month's imprisonment, accord- 
 ing to the magistrate's discretion ; and this im- 
 prisonment was to take place in the log lock-up 
 house, amidst felons and thieves of the worst 
 description. 
 
 Although I consider that the license fee was a 
 light and equitable tax for the occupation of 
 government land, and the unlimited use of wood 
 and water, still its mode of enforcement was 
 extremely obnoxious, if not injudicious ; and 
 although the fortunate digger was always ready 
 and willing to pay it, still there were hundreds 
 who, upon their first arrival were unable to do so, 
 and many foreigners who neglected to take out 
 a license from total ignorance of the legal neces- 
 sity for so doing. The enforcement of penalties 
 upon these classes of persons (which was always 
 urged upon the magistrates by the Gold Com- 
 missioners and the Police) was one of the causes 
 that led to such disastrous consequences during 
 the riots at Ballarat the following year, and to 
 an alteration from the payment of a license fee 
 for mining, into an export tax upon the gold itself.
 
 44 BALLARAT. 
 
 Another offence against which the colonial 
 enactments were very severe, and which was of 
 every day occurrence, was that of " sly grog 
 selling," or selling any description of malt, vin- 
 ous, or spirituous liquor, without a license ; and 
 as at that time there was but one licensed public- 
 house on the township, or rather site of what 
 was intended to be the township, within a few 
 yards of the camp, this clandestine commerce 
 was carried on to a great extent; in fact, in 
 addition to the professional retailers of the pro- 
 hibited liquors, almost every storekeeper disposed 
 of it in the shape of a present, accompanying a 
 purchase of any article, for which a little more 
 was charged ; and of course no prohibition could 
 be made against the supplies of liquors for pri- 
 vate use, purchased from wholesale spirit mer- 
 chants at Melbourne or Geelong. 
 
 For the first conviction of this offence (which 
 was almost invariably on the testimony of two 
 policemen disguised in plain clothes, and who 
 received a portion of the fine), a fine of 50, or 
 four months' imprisonment, was imposed, toge- 
 ther with a confiscation of all the liquors seized
 
 BALLARAT. 45 
 
 in the tent of the accused ; a second conviction, 
 from six months' to a year's imprisonment with 
 hard labour was inflicted, without the option of 
 a fine ; and the magistrate had no discretionary 
 power to commute or alter these penalties. I 
 have known twenty cases before the bench the 
 same day, and a conviction, fine, and payment 
 ensue in each of them. With a very few excep- 
 tions, and those chiefly drunken ones, the diggers 
 and different inhabitants of the diggings treated 
 the administration of justice with the greatest 
 respect, and were always glad to appeal to and 
 abide by its decisions. 
 
 Horse-stealing gave me a vast deal of trouble, 
 as the only title by which we could trace the 
 right ownership of an animal claimed was by 
 the priority of the certificates or receipts, always 
 exchanged in Australia between parties on the 
 sale and purchase of a horse, and which could 
 be easily falsified or forged, and the brands on 
 the horse itself, which might be altered or effaced. 
 Prom the insecure state of the country, and the 
 careless manner in which horses were turned out 
 hobbled in the bush, whilst their owners slept
 
 46 BALLARAT. 
 
 after the fatigues of the day, this crime was of 
 very common occurrence; and many notorious 
 characters were always on the track of the wan- 
 dering community, and picking up horses in this 
 way, which, after having altered their brands to 
 the best of their power, they sold to some con- 
 federate horse auctioneer, either in town or at 
 remote diggings, for about one-third of its value, 
 the auctioneer taking the risk of its being dis- 
 covered and reclaimed by its legitimate owner, 
 in which case he would have to refund the full 
 value of the horse (that given for it by the ori- 
 ginal purchaser, according to the receipt). 
 
 Manslaughter, and accidental death arising 
 from drunkenness, was but too common ; but 
 deliberate murder very rare. The Americans 
 now and then used their revolvers and bowie- 
 knives in their quarrels, with fatal effect to them- 
 selves and sometimes to others, and were very 
 much astonished when they were committed to 
 be tried for their lives on such occasions. They 
 were generally sentenced to ten years hard labour 
 on the roads on conviction. Thefts, by infraction 
 into tents at night, or during the absence of
 
 BALLARAT. 47 
 
 their owners, were very frequent, owing to the 
 extreme facility with which they were attended, 
 but very severely punished on conviction ; and 
 as every digger had loaded fire-arms always by 
 him in his tent, many thieves were wounded, and 
 even killed, without its coming to the notice of 
 the authorities. 
 
 Immediately adjoining my office was that of 
 the gold-receiver, Mr. Green, where deposits of 
 gold or money were made, previous to their be- 
 ing sent down by weekly escort to Geelong and 
 Melbourne. Receipts were given for the weight 
 or amount of each parcel, and they were after- 
 wards claimed by their owners, or their agents, 
 at the government treasury, on payment of the 
 escort fees. The collection of beautiful nuggets, 
 pure and mixed with different coloured quartz, 
 sometimes awaiting their escort in the bureau of 
 this office, was a very fine sight; and I have known 
 at a later period, gold to the amount of at least 
 100,000 in this little wooden hut at one time, 
 besides a large amount of money. Sentries 
 were on guard night and day ; and a short time 
 after my arrival, a company of pensioners from
 
 48 BALLARAT. 
 
 Van Diemen's Land, under the command of a 
 Brevet-Major, were added to the force of the 
 camp, to perform local duty. 
 
 My office hours were from 9 A.M. until 4 P.M. 
 for regular business ; but summonses and war- 
 rants were granted on application at any hour of 
 the night or day. The officers of the different 
 services, who had all pretty full employment 
 during the day, assembled at half-past six to 
 dinner, at which meal we were often joined by 
 some passing friends, such as squatters on their 
 road to and from the capital, and officers from 
 other stations, to whom we offered all the hos- 
 pitality in our power, in return for that which 
 we were certain to meet with from them. 
 
 I was now thoroughly established in my new 
 quarters, and tolerably au fait to my duties. I 
 was a good deal bothered by two Irish attornies, 
 who were generally retained by prisoners in any 
 important cases, and the only expounders of the 
 law at that time at Ballarat, if they happened to 
 be both engaged on the same side ; but if pitted 
 against each other they saved me a great deal of 
 trouble in cross examination, and the only diffi-
 
 BALLARAT. 49 
 
 culty was to restrain their eloquence within the 
 bounds of the decorum of the court. Mr. Clow 
 the resident, and one or two other gold officers, 
 being in the commission of the peace, were kind 
 enough now and then to take my duty off my 
 hands for a day if I wished to make an excur- 
 sion into the country; and as everything was 
 new and interesting to me, I took the opportunity 
 of doing so, both in search of picturesque scenery 
 or sport, or the two combined. 
 
 The country for many miles around Ballarat on 
 all sides was one vast forest, with many opening 
 glades, and here and there a range of bald hills or 
 eminences, sometimes several hundred feet high, 
 rising from the midst of the forest, yet perfectly 
 divested of trees. The view from some of the 
 highest of these was grand in the extreme, em- 
 bracing what the poet Cowper calls "a boundless 
 contiguity of shade ;" even then in the month of 
 August, and in the depth of an Australian winter, 
 the varied tints of the evergreen foliage was very 
 beautiful. Beyond, at a distance of upwards of 
 twenty or thirty miles, could be discerned an 
 open country of undulating hill and dale with 
 
 u
 
 50 BALLARA.T. 
 
 several lakes, and in the far distance on the hori- 
 zon the blue mountains of the Pyrennees, where 
 inexhaustible supplies of the precious metal are 
 supposed to be hidden. Nothing could be more 
 delightful than exploring the forest on horseback 
 when the weather permitted, which at this time 
 of year was very uncertain, and few days passed 
 without heavy rain. The forest also being very 
 marshy, and containing many treacherous bogs, 
 was by no means safe for a new comer not ac- 
 quainted with its peculiarities. 
 
 Parrots of every hue, and great variety of 
 size, filled the air with their shrill screams ; the 
 harsh cry of the black cockatoo, and the mock- 
 ing tones of the laughing jackass, formed any- 
 thing but a melodious concert; nor, indeed, 
 do I remember hearing any bird with " sweet 
 note" indigenous to Australia. There is a great 
 variety of the feathered tribe, the genus Psitta- 
 cus, or parrot, being by far the most numerous 
 and comprehensive of any, and, with the cock- 
 atoos of many kinds, include an immense as- 
 sortment. Game birds also are very scarce, with 
 the exception of wild fowl, which, from the black
 
 BALLARAT. 
 
 swan to the most minute teel, are found on the 
 lakes and swamps in vast quantities, and great 
 variety of size and plumage. The stork or crane 
 family is also numerous ; the head of this depart- 
 ment being a tall and elegantly-feathered bird, 
 something between the flamingo and stork, called 
 the "Native Companion," from the facility of 
 taming it and inculcating domestic habits. Snipe, 
 similar to our own, but if anything rather larger, 
 together with the solitary and jack snipe, are 
 sometimes pretty numerous, but very uncertain 
 and difficult to be met with, and that only for a 
 short period during the year. The common 
 quail is found in large quantities in the spring 
 months, particularly amongst the green corn or 
 Cape barley ; but partridges, pheasants, and 
 woodcocks, deer, hares, and rabbits, are here 
 unknown. One bird, indeed, now very scarce 
 in Europe, of gigantic size and most delicate 
 flesh, may be found in large flocks in this neigh- 
 bourhood; and although most difficult of ap- 
 proach to a white man, is frequently shot by the 
 natives. The aboriginal sportsman, completely 
 covering his native beauties with the boughs of 
 
 D 2
 
 52 
 
 BALLARAT. 
 
 trees, in fact, like the nymph of Diana, turning 
 himself into a tree, and by slow and almost im- 
 perceptible movement getting within a few paces 
 of his unsuspecting prey. I allude to the bus- 
 tard, here most improperly named the wild 
 turkey, which it in no way resembles. I have 
 seen them on the plains about fifteen miles 
 north-west of Ballarat, in flocks of fifty or sixty 
 together. It is impossible to approach them on 
 foot ; on horseback, by riding circuitously around 
 a solitary bird, and gradually decreasing the 
 circles, a shot is sometimes obtained ; but by far 
 the easiest way of potting the bustard is from a 
 common farm cart, well covered with straw at 
 the bottom, and drawn by as steady an old 
 horse as can be procured : a vehicle of this kind, 
 which the bird is accustomed to see engaged in 
 some daily farming occupation, disarms its suspi- 
 cion, and the sportsman, stretched at full length 
 on the straw in the cart, with his head just 
 raised sufficiently to direct the reins of the horse, 
 often arrives amidst a flock of bustards, and gets 
 a right and left shot. Care should then be taken 
 to aim immediately underneath the wing at the
 
 BALLARAT. 53 
 
 moment of its expansion, as otherwise little im- 
 pression is likely to be made upon the bird ; and 
 No. 1 shot used, with a strong charge of powder. 
 The largest bird I ever killed weighed 251bs. 
 with the feathers, and 23 Ibs. without, and was 
 most delicious eating. 
 
 There is a much smaller bird of this species, 
 not much larger than the common plover, but 
 very rarely met with. 
 
 Of wild animals (with the exception of the 
 kangaroo and wild dog, both of which are be- 
 coming rare near the inhabited districts), Aus- 
 tralia is almost totally destitute. I saw but very 
 few kangaroos in the distant and wildest parts of 
 the bush ; and that extraordinary bird, the emu, 
 once so common, is now fast disappearing from 
 the face of civilization. A small animal, called 
 here the kangaroo rat, but which* is indeed 
 nothing but the kangaroo in miniature, abounds 
 in the fern, low underwood, and rotten trunks 
 of trees, and affords excellent sport with a few 
 terriers, and resembles a rabbit in flesh and taste. 
 A little animal, yclept amongst the settlers " the 
 native cat," but with pointed nose, and more re-
 
 54 BALLARAT. 
 
 sembling a ferret, is found in the same localities 
 as the kangaroo rat, and meets with much the 
 same treatment, except that it is not considered 
 good for food. The opossum here finds his para- 
 dise of gum-trees, and encreases and multiplies 
 in proportion. On moonlight nights, with a 
 good dog to tree them, a bag of a dozen possums 
 can be soon made, the flesh of which is no great 
 delicacy, still their skins make most comfortable 
 coverlids or rugs. Some of the native cloaks, 
 made of opossum skins, are really very hand- 
 some ! 
 
 My chief amusement was wild-fowl shooting, 
 and in pursuit of this sport, until I became well 
 acquainted with certain land-marks, I often ma- 
 naged to lose myself, until an occasional meeting 
 with a shepherd, or a lucky cast of my own, put 
 me on the* right track again. Sometimes my 
 horse broke loose from the tree or bough to 
 which I had tethered him, frequently for hours 
 together, whilst I pursued the course of some 
 creak or swamp in quest of duck and snipe ; and 
 if I did not find him quietly grazing in the 
 vicinity, I had nothing to do but to make the
 
 BALLARAT. 55 
 
 best of my way to the camp on foot, where he 
 had generally arrived before me; I speak, of 
 course, of expeditions near the camp, as when I 
 went to any distance, I generally left my horse 
 at the station of some squatter, where I was cer- 
 tain to find a most hospitable welcome, and 
 "good entertainment for man and horse," to- 
 gether with much practical information as to the 
 farming resources of the country. I had also 
 an opportunity of witnessing all the daring and 
 hazardous exploits of stock-driving, branding, etc. 
 
 No description of riding at home, be it steeple- 
 chasing, hunting (even in Ireland), or any other 
 dangerous equestrian exercise in which our ad- 
 venturous youth indulge, can be compared in 
 apparent danger and extreme recklessness to 
 Australian stock-driving on some of the stations. 
 
 Imagine a 'half-broken animal, just taken up 
 from the forest, and mounted by an equally wild 
 rider, careering at full speed through bush and 
 thicket, bounding over the fallen trunks of trees, 
 and dashing through ravines and water courses, 
 until a herd of cattle is approached, which are 
 to be driven to the stock-yard. And now the
 
 56 BALLARAT. 
 
 exciting scene commences. The long stock-whip 
 cracks with a report like the discharge of a 
 niusket, and the frightened cattle are driven like 
 an avalanche, breaking and crushing all before 
 them, through bush and gully, at the same head- 
 long pace, and over the same impracticable 
 country. Sometimes a furious bull turns and 
 charges one of the stock-men, who adroitly avoids 
 the attack, and taking the animal in the flank 
 with his long stock-whip, cuts a solid piece of 
 flesh from his hide, and, pursuing his advantage, 
 drives him bellowing onwards to the herd. 
 
 When driven into the stock-yard, the opera- 
 tions of throwing and branding are also attended 
 with much hazard and danger, but these have 
 been so often described, that I need not risk 
 fatiguing the reader with a repetition of them. 
 About seven miles from the camp, in an open 
 clearing of the forest, and on the banks of a 
 stream, was situated the pretty station of Lallal, 
 belonging to a Mr. F n, a thriving and hospi- 
 table squatter ; near this station was a celebrated 
 waterfall, which, in point of picturesque beauty, 
 for its size, surpassed any I ever met with. The
 
 BALLARAT. 57 
 
 width of the first fall was not above one hundred 
 feet, with a sheer perpendicular descent of the 
 same extent. The granite formation on each 
 side was exquisitely beautiful, and so varied and 
 delicate in its shapes and tracery that it might 
 have passed for the handywork of some skilful 
 artificer, as indeed it was, and the greatest of 
 all Nature ! From this fall a succession of 
 similar cascades appeared in a long vista, with 
 an intervening space of several hundred yards 
 between each, as far as the eye could reach. 
 The deep clear basin at the bottom of each fall 
 was full of a peculiar description of eel, some of 
 enormous size, and weighing as much as ten 
 pounds. On my first visit to this place I ma- 
 naged to scramble down the rocks with some 
 rough fishing tackle, for the purpose of procuring 
 a dish of the eels in question, an adventure at- 
 tended with some danger on account of the 
 snakes that infest this country, the bite of some 
 of which is supposed to be fatal ; such as the 
 diamond and carpet snakes. The puff adder is 
 also met with ; and I myself have encountered 
 in the forest, between Ballarat and Creswick 
 
 D3
 
 58 BALLARAT. 
 
 Creek, a large dark-coloured snake, at least fif- 
 teen feet in length, crawling at a quick pace 
 through the bush. I gave the gentleman a wide 
 berth, having no fire-arms with me at the time, 
 but could never discover of what genus he could 
 have been, and I never encountered another of 
 the kind. 
 
 Mr. F n was a very large wholesale slaugh- 
 terer of cattle for sale at the diggings, and so 
 lucrative had this business become since the gold 
 discoveries, that he had managed to pay the 
 purchase-money of his station at Lattal (9000) 
 by his gains in one year. To convey some idea 
 of the gains of the squatters in the immediate 
 vicinity of the diggings, he told me that he al- 
 lowed a man and his wife, who lived in a hut in 
 the forest, to milk what cows they could on the 
 station, on the condition of their giving him 
 half the profit of their dairy, and that they were 
 then paying him 5 per diem. 
 
 The cattle were remarkably fine, and throve 
 well in this part of Australia, but the sheep for 
 many miles around were afflicted with the scab 
 and foot-rot, and it was a melancholy thing in
 
 BALLARAT. 59 
 
 one's rides and excursions to meet with vast 
 numbers of them dead and dying; so that it 
 may be well imagined that the mutton at the 
 diggings was of a very problematical nature. 
 Although during the winter the whole of this 
 part of the country, from Geelong to Ballarat, 
 and for several hundred miles farther to the 
 westward, was of a wet and swampy nature, still 
 it was subject to terrible droughts in summer, 
 and the loss of cattle, both in bullock drags and 
 on the stations, was ruinous. The creek, that 
 was a roaring torrent in winter, was perfectly 
 dry in summer. 
 
 Few springs are found in Australia, and every 
 attempt to sink a well in these parts has ended 
 by discovering nothing but brackish water. In 
 fact, the want of good water, and indeed water 
 of any kind, is the great curse of the country, 
 and must always be a considerable drawback to 
 its agricultural prosperity. Those imposing lines 
 marked down on the maps as rivers (with the 
 exception of the Murray, part of the Yarra Yarra, 
 and several other principal streams) are a chain 
 of ponds of different sizes a deep-flowing torrent
 
 60 BALLARAT. 
 
 during winter, and probably totally dry during 
 the summer. The chief sources of supply of 
 water for man and beast the whole year round 
 are the swamps, or large marshes, with probably 
 springs in some parts of them. Some of these 
 are very extensive high grass and reeds cover- 
 ing the whole interior, and a narrow circle of 
 water washing its banks, from which natural and 
 artificial water-courses supply tanks, or aid in 
 irrigation. A swamp of this description, nearly 
 six miles in circumference, and immediately be- 
 hind the camp, supplied us with water at Bal- 
 larat ; and although great fears had been enter- 
 tained of its being dried up, had hitherto never 
 failed in its supply of water during the summer. 
 The city of Sydney is supplied from a similar 
 source, and fears have been more than once en- 
 tertained during some very hot summers of the 
 desiccation of this vast swamp, that furnishes its 
 large population with water. 
 
 The time was now approaching when my term 
 of service as locum tenens for Mr. Eyre was likely 
 to terminate, and for my return to Melbourne, 
 where I had left my wife. Previous, however,
 
 BALLARAT. 61 
 
 to my departure it was necessary that I should 
 officiate as deputy-sheriff at the general sessions, 
 about to be held at Buningyong, where the 
 judge of circuit, crown prosecutor, and several 
 barristers from Melbourne were expected on the 
 following day. The court was held in a building 
 that served on other occasions as a chapel to a 
 school instituted at that place, and the prisoners 
 for trial were conveyed from Ballarat to the lock- 
 up house at Buningyong on the evening preceding 
 the sessions, which was so small that they had no 
 room to sit or lie down. The two little inns 
 were of course crowded to the utmost, and every 
 hole and corner taken up. The judge, with 
 whom I was not acquainted, and the crown pro- 
 secutor having taken up the best part of the one, 
 I succeeded in procuring a room to myself at 
 my old acquaintance, Mrs. Jamieson's, opposite. 
 The sessions were duly opened, and the jury 
 lists furnished a very fair selection of intelligent 
 men from the squatters and storekeepers in the 
 vicinity. Horse-stealing and robbery, either with 
 or without violence, were the chief offences on 
 the calendar, and in the majority of cases ended
 
 62 BALLARAT. 
 
 in a conviction, in spite of the strenuous and 
 well-paid defences of some very fair " Old Bailey" 
 counsel. 
 
 To use a Yankee term, the jurors, who many 
 of them had suffered themselves from the depre- 
 dations of these predatory tribes, were " dead 
 against them," and never suffered them to escape 
 if they could help it ; and different terms of 
 imprisonment with hard labour on the roads was 
 the sentence usually pronounced (accompanied 
 by a great deal of good advice) in a nasal twang 
 and pure Milesian accent by the learned judge. 
 On the termination of the first day's proceedings 
 I dined at the inn, in company with a large party 
 of jurymen, upon a very substantial repast, pro- 
 vided by our hostess, and lubricated by no small 
 quantity of soi disant Bass and Allsop. Nobblers 
 (the term here for brandy and water) being 
 exchanged for beer, a round game of unlimited 
 loo commenced, when some pretty consider- 
 able sums changed hands amongst them, as is 
 indeed the case on most festive occasions in 
 Australia. Some of the merchants at Geelong 
 often played at this game for such high stakes,
 
 BALLARAT. 63 
 
 that cheques for thousands were sometimes inter- 
 changed between them on the termination of a 
 night's play. 
 
 As I was about to retire for the night, I was 
 summoned by a messenger from the crown pro- 
 secutor, who was staying at the opposite tavern, 
 intimating that he wished to see me directly on 
 particular business. The judge was wrapt in 
 soft slumber on the sofa, no doubt from the effect 
 of the fatigues of the day ; but from the appear- 
 ance of the whiskey bottle I should say that the 
 other worthy functionary had taken a very unfair 
 advantage of his superior's temporary absence, 
 and had worked himself up to a pitch of enthu- 
 siasm from some report made to him by an Irish 
 attorney (one of my court practitioners at Bal- 
 larat, and a compatriot of his own). The subject 
 of their apprehensions was a supposed planned 
 escape of the prisoners in the lock-up house, 
 whom he did not consider sufficiently well 
 guarded by the police, and urged upon me the 
 necessity of immediately swearing in armed 
 special constables, and proceeding to the police- 
 station, to prevent the threatened outbreak. I
 
 64 BALLARAT. 
 
 aroused a few of our party at the inn from 
 their slumbers, and, headed by the redoubtable 
 D.C.L., armed with an old cavalry sabre which 
 he always carried with him on his circuit, we 
 proceeded through the darkness and mud to the 
 police-station ; but on our arrival there we found 
 the inspector and his men at their posts, and 
 perfectly ignorant of any such danger, which 
 indeed only existed in the muddled brain of the 
 doctor, who was very subject, when under the 
 influence of his favourite beverage, to these 
 errant flights of fancy. Upon mustering our 
 forces, we found him absent, and afterwards dis- 
 covered that, after a few ineffectual flounderings 
 in the mud, he had returned to his symposium, 
 thinking no doubt that the executive could get 
 on very well without the judicial. 
 
 This gentleman had much forensic ability, and 
 conducted the business of the different courts on 
 his circuit with great facility, but was sadly in- 
 oculated with the prevailing failing of the colony, 
 " nobblerizing." Some time afterwards he pro- 
 secuted the editor of a Geelong paper, for pub- 
 lishing an article accusing him of being in a
 
 BALLARAT. 65 
 
 state of intoxication whilst officially engaged in 
 court at that place, and, strange to say, gained 
 heavy damages, which caused a great sensation 
 at the time. 
 
 I now prepared for my departure from Balla- 
 rat, and returned to Geelong by the same route 
 I had before taken, on the latter end of October, 
 1853. The weather was delightful (about the 
 middle of spring), the ground much more prac- 
 ticable for riding ; the richest verdure was spring- 
 ing up around, and the blossom of the mimosa 
 filled the air with its delicious odour. The at- 
 tractions of Ballarat were fast encreasing, and 
 hundreds, indeed thousands, were wending their 
 way, intent upon exploring the hidden treasures 
 of Eureka and the Canadian Gully. Stage- 
 coaches, or American waggons, capable of hold- 
 ing a large number of passengers, drawn by 
 four horses, and performing the journey from 
 Ballarat to Geelong (accidents excepted !) in two 
 days, had been established by an enterprizing 
 en devant English member of parliament, at a 
 cost of 5 per head, and filled well with a mot- 
 ley collection of passengers.
 
 66 BALLARAT. 
 
 At this stage of my narrative I cannot help 
 devoting a short space to attempting a descrip- 
 tion of this most active and wonderful specula- 
 tor, whose amour propre, should he happen to 
 peruse these lines, will not, I hope, be wounded 
 by a recital of his efforts to command success, 
 however much he may have failed in the en- 
 deavour. 
 
 I remember, during the early part of my 
 sojourn at the diggings, the chief commissioner 
 of the gold-fields arrived from Melbourne, on a 
 short visit to Ballarat, accompanied by an ex- 
 tremely rotund and convivial-looking gentleman 
 of middle age, well known to the yachting and 
 sporting circles of Great Britain, with whose per- 
 son I was perfectly familiar, although I possessed 
 but a very slight acquaintance with him. Being 
 astonished by the appearance of a man of his 
 previous habits and pursuits in the antipodes, I 
 ventured to enquire his motives for emigrating, 
 when he informed me with the most perfect sang 
 froid that he had come out to Australia with the 
 intention of making 200,000 or so in a few years, 
 and then returning and giving the British House
 
 BALLARAT. 67 
 
 of Commons a better idea of their Australian 
 Colonies than they hitherto possessed. I sug- 
 gested that by far the most speedy way of mak- 
 ing a fortune I had heard of was by keeping an 
 inn or public-house. He immediately replied, 
 that he had not landed in Melbourne twenty- 
 four hours without taking measures to secure an 
 establishment of that description. He had also 
 dispatched his yacht (a cutter of ninety tons), 
 with a crew of Kentish men known to himself, 
 and she had arrived safe at Port Philip, where he 
 had sold her to the Government for a consider- 
 able sum. These men, he told me, he had 
 equipped with everything necessary for a gold- 
 digging expedition, upon the understanding that 
 they were to pay him one-half or one-quarter (I 
 do not exactly remember which) of their gains. 
 In addition to these two speculations, both of 
 which were managed by deputy, he had pur- 
 chased, on credit and otherwise, several American 
 waggons, and upwards of fifty horses, at an ave- 
 rage cost of 50 each, which were now perform- 
 ing the stage-coach service already mentioned. 
 He had also to keep up an extensive staff of
 
 68 BALLARAT. 
 
 coachmen, ostlers, conductors, etc., at very high 
 wages, and the cost for forage was immense. 
 
 He had accompanied the chief commissioner 
 to Ballarat with a floating idea of building saw- 
 mills, speculating in land, and establishing market 
 gardens, merely as a preliminary step to other 
 and more important undertakings. 
 
 It might suggest itself to ordinary mortals, 
 that a capital of between two and three thousand 
 pounds (nearly all he possessed on his arrival), 
 and which arose from the sale of the vessel, was 
 hardly sufficient for such gigantic speculations ; 
 and in a country where the value of everything is 
 subject to such extraordinary and rapid changes ; 
 but my friend's confidence in his own infallibility 
 was never shaken, and his egotism was so great, 
 and his sophistry so cool and persuasive, that he 
 possessed a great facility of talking round others 
 to the point he aimed at. 
 
 The hotel and restaurant that he had started 
 in Melbourne, when his projected improvements 
 were effected, would involve an annual rent of 
 about 6000 ! and he paid his head cook two 
 guineas per diem ! He installed as manager of
 
 BALLARAT. 69 
 
 this establishment a Polish Jew, who had for- 
 merly acted in the capacity of courier to him in 
 Europe, and who had accompanied him from 
 Marseilles, and whose character he depicted as a 
 fellow who would cheat all the world, with the 
 exception of himself! 
 
 The upshot of this speculation was, that in a 
 few months Monsieur Louis unhappily forgot to 
 make this exception in favour of his master, and 
 not only filled his own pockets, but brought an 
 action against his patron for alleged monies due, 
 which he succeeded in gaining. 
 
 The joint-stock company of gold diggers, when 
 turned loose upon their own efforts, were either 
 unsuccessful in their search for the precious 
 metal, or at all events never turned up again to 
 report progress. 
 
 The coaching establishment was disposed of 
 to a clever Yankee, who looked after it himself 
 and drove his own horses. 
 
 Some injudicious purchases in land fell to one 
 half of their original value ; and in less than a 
 year the enterprizing ex-member had to make 
 over his assets to his creditors, which, as may
 
 70 BALLARAT. 
 
 be well conceived, stood in very minute propor- 
 tion to the amount of his debts and respon- 
 sibilities. 
 
 On my return to Melbourne, on the 24th of 
 October, 1853, I found the tide of emigration 
 had set in even stronger than on my previous de- 
 parture, but the city was fast encreasing in size 
 and accommodation. A great fall had also taken 
 place in the price of stores of most kinds, the 
 imports having become far beyond the require- 
 ments of the population, and a glut of the market 
 being the inevitable consequences. Rents, how- 
 ever, owing to the vast demand for houses, shops 
 and lodgings, still sustained their high rates, and 
 the landlords bid fair to monoplize all the capital 
 in the Colony. Theatres, concerts, and public 
 amusements of all kinds were open nightly, and 
 many professional celebrities from Europe and 
 America were continually arriving. The escorts 
 brought a large weekly amount of gold into the 
 treasury, and the streets wore a very holiday ap- 
 pearance. With some exceptions the diggers 
 had discarded those reckless, extravagant, and 
 drunken habits so common during the first days
 
 BALLARAT. 71 
 
 of the gold discoveries, and invested and spent 
 their gains more rationally. 
 
 The Government expenditure was very large 
 in proportion to its receipts, and the expenses of 
 the police establishment began to be enormous. 
 Land sales were pushed forward with great ra- 
 pidity, and the lots were generally bought up 
 at good prices, particularly those laid down as 
 embryo townships, some of which were purchased 
 at almost fabulous sums. The lawyers were reap- 
 ing a rich harvest, the amount of business in all 
 the courts being excessive, and the fees very high. 
 
 A building was in progress of erection, and 
 preparations made for a public exhibition of the 
 products and curiosities of Australia, previous to 
 their being forwarded to the Paris Exhibition of 
 1855, and great expectations were formed of it, 
 which were not destined to be disappointed. 
 
 Mr. Eyre having obtained another situation, 
 on the 1st of January, 1854, I was appointed 
 permanent Police -Magistrate of Ballarat, and 
 ordered to proceed forthwith to my destination. 
 
 Having purchased an excellent horse, I deter- 
 mined to make the journey this time by the
 
 72 BALLARAT. 
 
 longer route overland, and avoid the transit by 
 sea to Geelong. I was delighted to leave Mel- 
 bourne, as the weather was now intensely hot, 
 the thermometer being sometimes 112 in the 
 shade. The hot winds, sweeping the town and 
 adjacent country, filled the air with impervious 
 clouds of fine dust, that perforated every pore of 
 the skin, and penetrated every nook of the badly- 
 constructed wooden houses. Added to these 
 daily inflictions, we were devoured by muskitoes 
 at night. The spring and autumn months, viz., 
 part of August and all September and October, 
 and part of March with all April and May, are 
 generally everything that can be desired in point 
 of climate and temperature; the remainder of 
 the year, November, December, January, and 
 February, comprise the period of excessive heat, 
 hot winds, and everlasting dust; and part of 
 May, with all June, July, and part of August, 
 incessant rains, with a raw cold atmosphere and 
 unfathomable mud. I speak more particularly 
 of Melbourne and its environs, as in the bush 
 we are comparatively free from several of these 
 annoyances.
 
 BALLARAT. 73 
 
 On the 5th of January, 1854, 1 left Melbourne 
 on horseback, with my revolver and saddle-bags 
 as usual, and proceeded by the route of the 
 village of Memington and the Keelor plains, a 
 vast extent of open and undulating sheep pas- 
 ture country, extending for some fifteen miles by 
 the solitary Inn of Rockbank, and afterwards 
 through strikingly picturesque and richly wooded 
 park-like scenery, to the township and police- 
 station of Bacchus Marsh, a distance of thirty- 
 five miles, and where there is one of the best 
 conducted hotels in the colony. 
 
 Nothing can exceed the richness and fertility 
 of this beautiful valley, which is divided into 
 different farms of purchased land, with a stream, 
 which is never dry, running through the midst of 
 it, and which, overflowing during the wet season, 
 irrigates and enriches the surrounding fields. 
 The best hay and crops of other kinds are grown 
 in this district, and some steam flour mills are 
 also established. The little population of farmers, 
 mechanics, and small proprietors, were all going 
 on most prosperously. There were several cha- 
 pels of different denominations ; and this quiet 
 
 E
 
 74 BALLARAT. 
 
 sylvan scene is far removed from the bustle and 
 confusion of any gold fields. It is situated, how- 
 ever, on the high road to the Ballarat diggings, 
 and a stream of drays and foot passengers are 
 continually en route through, and generally pass- 
 ing the night at the place, which is of course 
 highly profitable to the inhabitants. I met with 
 excellent accommodation at Mr. Fyke's inn, who 
 is also a large landed proprietor, and his wife a 
 very pleasing and accomplished person. It was 
 certainly a wonderful contrast to the usual run 
 of colonial hotels. 
 
 I passed a most delightful evening in a garden 
 producing every variety of fruit and flowers, and 
 afterwards listened to some most excellent music, 
 both vocal and instrumental, performed by my 
 kind hostess. 
 
 The ascent from this valley to the range of the 
 Pentland Hills presents some of the most beau- 
 tiful scenery in Australia. The same park-like 
 character prevails. Undulating hills, of the 
 richest green, the slopes and summits clothed by 
 clumps of trees and shrubs of every variety of 
 hue, and their bases washed by some brawling
 
 BALLARAT. 75 
 
 torrent, form the chief features of the landscape 
 until arriving at the platform of the range, when 
 it assumes, for some distance, a more level and 
 denuded appearance. This plateau being passed, 
 the opposite descent brings the traveller once 
 more into the forest and gum-tree monotony, 
 until he arrives at the village and station of 
 Ballan, fifteen miles from Bacchus Marsh, and 
 where there were several very inferior establish- 
 ments for the entertainment of man and horse, 
 and a small police force. 
 
 The remainder of my journey was a continua- 
 tion of forest (in some parts rather dense) for 
 about twenty miles, until I arrived at the station 
 
 of my former acquaintance, Mr. F n, at Lallal, 
 
 and the hospitality of whose dwelling I had no 
 hesitation in taxing, whether he was at home or 
 not. From thence, a short ten miles conducted 
 me to the outskirts of the Ballarat diggings, 
 which I found, since my short absence of little 
 more than two months, had extended themselves 
 for miles in different directions. 
 
 What a change had taken place since the short 
 period of my departure ! The labyrinths and 
 
 E 2
 
 76 BALLARAT. 
 
 intricacies through which the perplexed traveller 
 had to wind his way, through holes and danger- 
 ous pitfalls, and very often amidst the derisive 
 shouts of the diggers, had been simplified through 
 a large portion of their extent, and leading to 
 the camp, by a well designed and macadamized 
 road, in process of formation. 
 
 A range of tents and temporary wooden shiel- 
 ings, lining each side of the road for a long dis- 
 tance, and designated Regent Street, disclosed 
 all the appurtenances of modern civilization 
 amidst a nomade population. Shops and stores 
 advertizing their various contents by gaity co- 
 loured and lettered flags ; theatres, restaurants 
 of all nations, bowling alleys, shooting galleries, 
 and even circulating libraries, held out their dif- 
 ferent attractions ; and the contiguity of the 
 claims, and vast masses of diggers diligently 
 employed in their mining operations, evidently 
 proved that new and great discoveries had been 
 made of the precious metal. 
 
 On arriving at the camp, a still more agreeable 
 scene greeted my view. Tents were replaced by 
 many prettily designed wooden buildings. A
 
 BALLARAT. 77 
 
 commodious mess room, court house, a range of 
 police-barracks, commissariat stores, hospital, 
 some private dwellings for officers (none, alas, 
 for me !) had been erected at an enormous 
 expense to the government ; those already com- 
 pleted having been estimated at upwards of 
 20,000 by the colonial architect ! 
 
 The police force was considerably encreased, 
 and the population of the diggings was supposed 
 to be quadrupled within the last few months. 
 In a part of the diggings named the Canadian 
 Gully, some claims had yielded such a large 
 amount of gold that they were styled the " Jewel- 
 ler's Shops ;" and other favourite spots, such as 
 Eureka and the Flat, were daily disclosing their 
 hidden treasures. A corresponding amount of 
 crime of every description had of course kept 
 pace with the encreased population, and the 
 temptations it held out to evil doers. I had 
 now a large and convenient court-house, two 
 clerks of the bench, and every accommodation 
 for the transaction of my business I could desire. 
 That business was also considerably encreased, 
 not only in its ordinary branches, but by several
 
 78 BALLARAT. 
 
 additional duties added to it by a recent act of 
 council. 
 
 Cases of mining encroachments and mining 
 partnerships were to be adjudicated before the 
 local magistrates, with no appeal from their de- 
 cision. Both of these, but particularly the former, 
 involved very often a very large amount of money, 
 and the evidence on both sides was sure to be of 
 such a contradictory character that it was very 
 difficult to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion. 
 
 The provisions of this act only extended to 
 working miners, that is to say, to those who were 
 actually employed on the mine or hole which was 
 the subject of arbitration, or in case of sickness had 
 hired others to work for them. No storekeeper 
 or other individual possessing a sleeping share 
 or mortgage in the claim was recognized by the 
 law, and could derive no benefit from, or indeed 
 appeal at all, under this act. 
 
 A legal claim or grant of land to a party of 
 twelve for the purpose of gold-mining was twenty- 
 four feet square, and the shaft was usually sunk 
 in the centre. The deep holes (some as much as 
 a hundred and fifty feet in depth), and where all
 
 BA.LLARAT. 79 
 
 the richest discoveries of gold were made, were 
 slabbed with gum-tree planks all the way down 
 until they arrived at what they considered the 
 bottom, and then excavations were made to the 
 limits of their claim, which it was necessary to 
 measure by compass, so that it should be the 
 same below as above. Encroachments consisted 
 in one party breaking into the claim of another 
 by accident or design when working at the 
 bottom, and which, owing to the propinquity of 
 the holes was of very frequent occurrence. When 
 an encroachment was first discovered, and the 
 parties could not come to an amicable arrange- 
 ment between themselves, a gold commissioner 
 was summoned, who sometimes descended the 
 shaft himself, but generally appointed two dis- 
 interested diggers to perform this duty; and 
 from their report a diagram was made on the 
 spot, which was handed into court upon the 
 adjudication of the case, and considered final 
 and decisive as to the extent of the encroach- 
 ment. 
 
 The only point then to be determined was the 
 value of the claim encroached upon, and the
 
 80 BALLARAT. 
 
 quantity and quality of the digging stuff taken 
 away. The contending parties had always a 
 lawyer on each side, and a formidable phalanx of 
 witnesses, ready to swear anything and every- 
 thing for their respective interests, one doing 
 their utmost to enhance the value of the soil 
 encroached upon, and the other to diminish it ; 
 and the damages claimed were sometimes enor- 
 mous, amounting to about a thousand ounces of 
 gold : but when the encroachment was well 
 established, and we had gained something like 
 satisfactory evidence of the value of the adjoin- 
 ing holes, we rarely adjudged anything like the 
 damages claimed by the plaintiffs. 
 
 These suits were excessively tedious, took up 
 a vast deal of time, rarely ended satisfactorily to 
 either party, and did not come at all under the 
 province of a police-court. 
 
 The arrangement of mining partnerships was 
 equally difficult. This, as in the former instance, 
 only applied to working miners ; and, as many 
 of their preliminary arrangements were verbal, 
 and we had no documents of any kind to guide 
 us, in some cases we had nothing but the most
 
 BALLARAT. 81 
 
 indefinite circumstantial evidence to facilitate our 
 decision. 
 
 Both of these causes have since (and very 
 properly) come under the adjudication of a local 
 court, composed of the inhabitants of the dig- 
 gings, and practical miners. 
 
 I had also to preside over the Government 
 land sales, which were now of frequent occur- 
 rence, and to receive and transmit to the trea- 
 sury the 10 per cent, deposit paid down by the 
 purchasers upon all lots ; the remainder of the 
 amount had to be made good within one calendar 
 month. The township of Ballarat, which on my 
 late departure, consisted of one public house, 
 and about half a dozen wooden stores widely 
 dispersed, although laid down on the map with 
 a gaily coloured list of squares and streets, began 
 to assume a more imposing appearance. Land, 
 that a few months before formed part of the 
 primaeval swamp and forest, was now selling in 
 township lots of quarter acres ; some as high as 
 25 per foot frontage ! Branches from most of 
 the Melbourne banks were established, whose 
 competition in the purchase of gold had, about 
 
 E 3
 
 82 BALLARAT. 
 
 this period, raised its value to 4:2:0 per ounce. 
 I witnessed a purchase made by one of the banks, 
 at this price, of five thousand four hundred 
 ounces of gold, the produce of one claim at 
 Eureka, and discovered by a party of twelve 
 men, chiefly Irish, of a very low caste ! 
 
 Several large hotels, doing an immense amount 
 of business, both night and day, were in full 
 operation, and gay stores and shops, containing 
 every variety of merchandize, were springing up 
 in all directions. The township was situated on 
 the same eminence, and immediately behind the 
 camp, and behind that was the forest, and large 
 swamp that supplied us, and the creeks that ran 
 through the diggings, with water. 
 
 About fourteen miles further to the north- 
 ward, in almost a direct line through the forest, 
 were situated the gold fields of Creswick's Creek, 
 at this time containing a large mining popula- 
 tion. Gold was here procured by shallow sink- 
 ing, in quantities sufficient to well repay the 
 miner and afford him a comfortable subsistence, 
 but in nothing like the large amounts so fre- 
 quently discovered at Ballarat. Indeed, their
 
 BALLARAT. 83 
 
 mode of working was totally different ; instead 
 of the windlass and bucket, the shovel, and pick- 
 axe being plied incessantly, and under every dif- 
 ficulty during the twenty-four hours, by relays 
 of hardy and persevering miners, who after a 
 few short hours' repose, perhaps in their wet and 
 cold garments, returned again with renewed 
 vigour to the hardest, most dangerous, and try- 
 ing of labour j their luxurious neighbours, after 
 a comfortable breakfast at or about the fashion- 
 able hour of nine, commenced a little digging 
 and washing, which they carried on in a dilatory 
 sort of way until the dinner hour, and passed 
 their evenings in society or amusements, accord- 
 ing to their different capacities and inclinations, 
 making perhaps on the average an ounce or two 
 per diem. Many distinguished foreigners, broken 
 down gentlemen and others, incapable of the 
 labour and perseverance necessary to any chance 
 of success at the deep sinkings of Ballarat, formed 
 a large portion of the inhabitants of this gold 
 field; most beautifully situated, well supplied 
 with water, and in the midst of a picturesque 
 and lovely country. In fact, all the ranges in
 
 84 BALLARAT. 
 
 this part of the forest were supposed to contain 
 gold. 
 
 Ballarat now contained a scattered population 
 of upwards of 40,000, and although the majority 
 were too much engaged in the all-absorbing oc- 
 cupation of seeking for gold, and carrying on 
 their commercial speculations, to trouble their 
 heads on other subjects, still many demagogues 
 and professional agitators began to gather small 
 meetings, and harangue the people on the injus- 
 tice of the license tax, and other acts of the 
 Government. A local newspaper was established, 
 a very wretched affair ; but of a radical and in- 
 flammatory character. The acts of all the Go- 
 vernment officials were not only canvassed, but 
 invariably cried down ; and as a reporter regu- 
 larly attended at the police court, every oppor- 
 tunity of finding fault with the decisions of the 
 bench was eagerly sought after. 
 
 About this period our late respected Governor, 
 I. J. Latrobe, Esq., had just left the Colony for 
 England, and we were in expectation of the 
 arrival of Sir Charles Hotham, his successor. 
 The direction of the Government was in the
 
 BALLARAT. 85 
 
 meantime in the hands of Mr. Forster, the Colo- 
 nial Secretary. I had several times represented 
 to this gentleman the amount of evil and injus- 
 tice that I considered arose from the present 
 mode of administering the law in cases of sly 
 grog selling ; I intimated to him that it was an 
 offence impossible to prevent ; that every store- 
 keeper in the diggings was a sly grog seller, 
 either across the counter, or in the shape of a 
 present accompanying a purchase, for which an 
 additional sum was charged : that the police, 
 actuated by their share in the fines, neglected 
 their more important duties, to concentrate all 
 their energy in the search for sly grog sellers ; 
 and that they not only used every incentive means 
 to entrap an unsuspecting digger or storekeeper, 
 but in some instances resorted to gross perjury, 
 for which indeed I had committed several of 
 them : that by allowing publicans' licenses to 
 be granted in the diggings, at the discretion of 
 the bench, the revenue would not only be bene- 
 fitted, but the people would be much better 
 satisfied ; the quality of the liquors sold would 
 be improved by competition, and the establish-
 
 86 BALLARAT. 
 
 ments for the sale of them more under the eye 
 of the police. 
 
 These arguments had some weight with Mr. 
 Forster, and an act in council was passed, legal- 
 izing the granting of licenses to publicans in the 
 diggings, under certain restrictions, to take place 
 from the 1st of June, 1854. The amount to be 
 paid for the license was 100 per annum for the 
 sale of liquors, and 50 for keeping a store, 
 making on the whole 150 per annum. 
 
 No sooner was this known than innumerable 
 applications poured into the Court, and I was 
 besieged in every direction relative to the altera- 
 tion in the law. Every individual who had the 
 means, seemed desirous of setting up a public 
 house as a certain method of making a fortune, 
 and more than one hundred applications in form 
 were already duly registered in the police office. 
 
 On the 1st of July a vast number of licenses 
 were granted, and independently of the smaller 
 places of accommodation, several very large 
 wooden hotels were already constructed, at an 
 enormous expense, labour being so expensive, 
 and the materials sent up from Melbourne or
 
 BALLARAT. 87 
 
 Geelong. As a proof of how these places of 
 entertainment were patronized, and the extrava- 
 gance of the diggers, it may be sufficient to cite 
 one instance, that of the largest of the taverns 
 already built and licensed, named " Bentley's 
 Hotel," at which place 350 were received over 
 the bar counter, in payment for liquors, on the 
 first day of its opening. 
 
 Upon Sir Charles Hotham's arrival at Mel- 
 bourne, and his inauguration as Lieutenant- 
 Governor, great things were expected, from the 
 general tone of his speeches, and more particu- 
 larly from the comparisons he frequently made 
 of his own intended course of action in contra- 
 distinction to that of his predecessor. The first 
 sweeping attempts at retrenchment made were 
 the dismissal of many clerks in the different 
 offices, in not a very judicious manner, and solely 
 upon the principle of their being too numerous. 
 Large diminution of the pay and allowances of 
 Government officers was in contemplation, and a 
 tour of inspection through the gold fields, by 
 Sir Charles and Lady Hotham, and a numerous 
 staff, was decided upon.
 
 88 BALLARAT. 
 
 Their first visit was to Ballarat, where we re- 
 ceived them as well as it was in our power, ap- 
 propriating the house built for the inspector of 
 police for their accommodation, into which we 
 managed to convey almost every piece of furniture 
 to be found in the camp. I happened to have a 
 remarkably good servant, who had formerly 
 been a valet of mine in England, and whom 
 with his wife I found in a state of destitution in 
 Melbourne. He had gladly accepted the situa- 
 tion of my tent keeper, and joined me with his 
 wife at Ballarat. To him was assigned the duty 
 of attending upon the Governor, which he per- 
 formed in a very satisfactory manner. Several 
 days were devoted by Sir Charles to the exa- 
 mination of the different departments of the 
 Government service, and a tour of inspection 
 through the diggings, where the diggers, not 
 having a due respect for governors before their 
 eyes, made some jocose remarks, but were other- 
 wise civil enough ; and on the fourth morning 
 after their arrival the party left us en route for 
 Castlemaine and Bendigo, the Lieut. -Governor 
 expressing himself as well satisfied with all he 
 had witnessed at Ballarat.
 
 BALLARAT. 89 
 
 Discontent and agitation, however, still pre- 
 vailed in the diggings, and only required a very 
 little fanning to blow into a flame. The mode 
 of collecting the license-fees, and the arbitrary 
 and insulting manner in which the young police- 
 officers treated the diggers whilst on license-hunt- 
 ing expeditions, became every day more ob- 
 noxious to the people, and large assemblies were 
 now constantly meeting, and were addressed by 
 some mob orator, and formed resolutions, and 
 drew up petitions to Government, etc., etc. 
 Several sly grog sellers (Americans), whom we 
 had committed under the second clause of the 
 Act for six months' imprisonment, obtained a 
 free pardon from the Governor, without any 
 communication to the local bench of magistrates, 
 and returned to Ballarat in triumph, escorted by 
 their friends with banners flying, to resume their 
 old occupations. 
 
 During the month of September of this year 
 (1854), a circumstance occurred that brought 
 these matters to a crisis, and was the immediate 
 occasion of the disastrous consequences that sub- 
 sequently ensued.
 
 90 BALLARAT. 
 
 On the 16th of September, two hours past 
 midnight, the dead body of a digger, named 
 James Scobie, was found within several hundred 
 yards of Bentley's Hotel, and was brought there 
 previous to an inquest being held upon it. 
 
 This took place the following day, and no 
 mortal wound being found upon the body, and 
 nothing but a slight abrasure of the skin over 
 the left temple, which might have been caused 
 by a fall upon the hard rock whilst in a state of 
 intoxication (which he was known to have been 
 in the previous night), and causing concussion 
 of the brain, a verdict of accidental death was 
 returned. 
 
 A report soon afterwards gained circulation 
 that Mr. Bentley, the proprietor of the hotel, was 
 in some way implicated in his death; and the 
 following circumstances were elicited. It ap- 
 peared that on the night in question several 
 drunken men demanded admittance into the bar 
 of the hotel at a late hour, when it was closed, 
 and the inmates had retired to rest ; that upon 
 being refused they had become very abusive, and 
 had broken several of the windows, at least such
 
 BALLARAT. 91 
 
 was the account given by the residents in the 
 hotel, who denied all further knowledge of the 
 facts until they were called up by some indi- 
 viduals who had discovered the body, and it was 
 brought into the hotel. The evidence, however, 
 of a woman and little boy residing in a tent in 
 the vicinity, went to prove that at a late hour of 
 the night in question, and as far as the darkness 
 would permit their observation, they had heard 
 a scuffling, with sounds of altercation and blows, 
 and that they discerned several persons, and 
 thought they recognized the voices of Bentley 
 and his wife returning in the direction of the 
 hotel, and vanishing by the back entrance. 
 
 Scobie (although a very drunken character) 
 was a very popular man, and one of the earliest 
 discoverers of the golden treasures of these 
 diggings ; and upon these representations a sum- 
 mons was served upon Bentley, his wife, and 
 two barmen, to appear and answer the charges 
 brought against them in connection with the 
 death of James Scobie. 
 
 They appeared before the Bench in company 
 with other witnesses (lodgers in the hotel), at
 
 92 BALLARAT. 
 
 the time of the catastrophe, whose evidence 
 went to prove that no one could have left the 
 house to their knowledge subsequently to the 
 disturbance occasioned by the drunken visitors 
 at the bar. As, however, a good deal of con- 
 flicting testimony transpired on the occasion, we 
 determined to remand the case for further inves- 
 tigation, and took very heavy bail for the appear- 
 ance of the accused on a future day. There 
 was evidently a strong feeling against Bentley, 
 who was a violent and powerful man; and had 
 very often used his strength in a very summary 
 manner whilst ejecting drunken and troublesome 
 customers from his premises. 
 
 Another cause of his unpopularity was the 
 enmity of a large class in the diggings, the sly 
 grog sellers, whose trade had been ruined by the 
 licensed houses, of which Bentley's was the 
 largest, and the fact of his having headed a 
 Licensed Victuallers' Association for their prose- 
 cution, added venom to their gall. 
 
 The following week the cause came on again 
 at the police court. It created intense interest 
 amongst the population of the diggings. Coun-
 
 BALLARAT. 93 
 
 sel from Melbourne were engaged on both sides, 
 and a full bench of magistrates assembled in 
 court, every corner of which, as well as the ad- 
 joining verandah, was filled to overflowing. 
 
 The same evidence, strongly corroborated by 
 additional testimony, was adduced by the accused 
 to prove that no one left the house between the 
 interval of the disturbance outside, and the dead 
 body being brought in. The opposing witnesses, 
 with the exception of one very intelligent little 
 boy, failed to establish anything like an as- 
 sumption, that a party, amongst whom were Mr. 
 and Mrs. Bentley, had issued from and returned 
 to the hotel, during the period in question. 
 Many hours were devoted to closely sifting the 
 evidence, and at length we retired to read and 
 reconsider the depositions. 
 
 We came to the conclusion by a majority that 
 there was not sufficient evidence before us to 
 warrant committal of the accused, and upon re- 
 turning into court we ordered their discharge, 
 which was received with marks of great dissatis- 
 faction by the audience. 
 
 Matters went on much the same as before, ex-
 
 94 BALLARAT. 
 
 cept that reports were spread of the venality of 
 Government officers, that we were biassed in our 
 discharge of Bentley by interested motives, and 
 the Battarat Times became more abusive than 
 ever. 
 
 Several days subsequently, I received a dis- 
 patch from Mr. Bentley, stating that a meeting 
 was called by the diggers, to take into consider- 
 ation the events connected with the death of 
 James Scobie ; that it was to be held on the spot 
 contiguous to his hotel, where the body had been 
 found, and that in consequence of much appre- 
 hension of personal violence to himself, he re- 
 quested that a party of police might be sent for 
 his protection on the occasion. 
 
 As this meeting was to take place on the fol- 
 lowing day, I forwarded the missive to the 
 executive power (the Inspector of Police), who 
 treated it very lightly, but said it should be 
 attended to. I was summoned the next morn- 
 ing on urgent business to Buningyong, relative 
 to a robbery with violence committed in the 
 bush, and where the accused parties had been 
 apprehended. Nearly the whole morning was
 
 BALLARAT. 95 
 
 taken up investigating the case, and it was even- 
 ing when I mounted my horse on my return to 
 Ballarat. 
 
 On the outskirts of the diggings, I encountered 
 my servant Edward, who was riding to meet me, 
 and had brought my pistols with him, which he 
 begged me take and make a circuitous route to 
 the camp, as Bentley's hotel had been burnt to 
 the ground, and he feared that the diggers 
 might resort to hostile measures against myself. 
 
 I was much excited by these tidings, and im- 
 mediately proceeded to the spot, where a few 
 hours before had stood by far the most extensive 
 building in the diggings, painted and decked out 
 in gay and gaudy colours, with a long row of 
 stables and outhouses, erected at an expense of 
 30,000, and totally uninsured. All that re- 
 mained of this property were a few smoking 
 embers ; nothing had been saved. A high wind 
 blowing, and everything being constructed of 
 wood, a very short period sufficed for its total 
 consumption with all its contents. 
 
 It appeared that the expected meeting had taken 
 place, and that a small party of police were in at-
 
 96 BALLARAT. 
 
 tendance, and that everything had gone on pretty 
 quietly, until towards the close of the proceedings, 
 when some of the more evil-disposed proposed 
 burning Bentley's hotel. The resident commis- 
 sioner (a magistrate) and several others were pre- 
 sent, but, together with the police, made little or 
 no resistance, and the diggers would not listen to 
 their words. It ended by the building being 
 fired from behind, and in a few minutes totally 
 consumed ; Bentley escaping with difficulty from 
 the hands of the populace on a horse belonging 
 to a policeman, and taking refuge at the camp. 
 
 There is no doubt that if the inspector of 
 police and chief magistrates on the spot had 
 behaved with firmness aud judgment, this catas- 
 trophe would have never ensued. They might 
 have easily surrounded the building with a suffi- 
 cient force of men, and acted on the defensive 
 until absolutely attacked, when the first order 
 to fire would have scattered the disorganized 
 diggers like a flock of sheep, but nothing of this 
 sort was done, and merely useless remonstrance 
 used, which only gave the rioters an additional 
 consciousness of their own power.
 
 BALLATIAT. 97 
 
 I was greeted by a shout from the mob, but 
 no attempt at any violence was used towards 
 me ; on the contrary, they quietly pointed to the 
 smoking ruins, and remarked that they had taken 
 the law into their own hands, as it was denied 
 them by the bench ; to which I replied, that 
 some of them would have no reason to congratu- 
 late themselves on that day's work ; and recom- 
 mended them at all events to separate to their 
 respective tents. 
 
 Dispatches were immediately sent to Mel- 
 bourne with an account of the transaction, and 
 a request for an additional force of military and 
 police, and on the following morning some arrests 
 were made of several persons who were observed 
 by the police as ringleaders of the riot on the 
 previous day. These were no sooner brought up 
 to the camp, and lodged in the lock-up house, 
 than we were surrounded by bands of turbulent 
 diggers demanding their release on bail, which 
 they offered to any amount for them. Our posi- 
 tion and resources at the camp were, however, 
 too commanding to give us much uneasiness, 
 and we took every means to strengthen our de- 
 
 F
 
 98 BALLARAT. 
 
 fences in case of an attack, and awaited the 
 arrival of the reinforcements that had been sent 
 for. The local newspapers defended this de- 
 struction of the hotel as a just retribution upon 
 Bentley, and the turbulent agitators amongst the 
 diggers became more violent than ever. 
 
 Thus the pent-up feelings of discontent, which 
 had for a long time actuated a large portion of 
 the population, gave vent to themselves in one 
 frightful act of violence, which was only the 
 precursor of other and more serious disturb- 
 ances. 
 
 Upon the depositions in "re Bentley" being 
 sent to Melbourne, the Attorney-General gave it 
 as his opinion that there was quite sufficient evi- 
 dence contained in them for his committal, and 
 blamed the magistrates that such a course had 
 not been pursued in the first instance. I was 
 ordered up to Melbourne, and upon my arrival 
 there, I laid the depositions in question before 
 several of the leading counsel for their opinion 
 on the subject, and in every instance, save one, 
 received a favourable answer as to the decision 
 we had come to. It was necessary, however,
 
 BALLARAT. 99 
 
 that the diggers should be appeased, and at this 
 period it was the usual policy of the Government 
 to sacrifice a few of their officers on the shrine 
 of popularity, in the event of any popular com- 
 motions. 
 
 A fresh warrant was issued against Bentley, 
 who was again arrested, together with his wife 
 and two barmen, and sent to Melbourne for 
 trial. A large force of police, with several 
 companies of H.M.'s 40th Regiment, had arrived 
 at Ballarat, and many arrests had taken place 
 of men supposed to be implicated in the riots. 
 As chairman of the Bench, the Governor had 
 thought proper to visit me with the weight of 
 his displeasure ; and Mr. Sturt, the police-magis- 
 trate of Melbourne, occupied my position pro 
 tempore, until investigations about to take place 
 had terminated. 
 
 The local press at Ballarat having accused the 
 Government officers at that place of abuse of 
 power, venality, and other misdeeds, and these 
 accusations having been copied in the Melbourne 
 and Geelong newspapers, a commission of en- 
 quiry, composed of three members (magistrates), 
 
 F2
 
 100 BALLARAT. 
 
 was dispatched to the diggings, to hear and re- 
 port on ah 1 charges brought before them, with 
 power to take evidence on oath if desirable ; and 
 advertisements were issued, in which the diggers 
 were informed that the committee would sit dur- 
 ing the day for one whole week, and inviting 
 them to come forward and make any statements 
 they thought proper. 
 
 As may be easily imagined, a mass of vague 
 accusations were brought against officers by every 
 individual who considered himself aggrieved by 
 any decision against his own interest, whether it 
 originated from the Bench or from a gold-com- 
 missioner, but no proofs of the venality attri- 
 buted to the officials by the Ballarat Times were 
 in any way verified. 
 
 It was understood that a new law was in con- 
 templation to do away with the digging license- 
 fee, and substitute an export duty on gold ; but 
 it seemed that the worthy resident-commissioner 
 did not like to give up his old amusement of 
 license-hunting without one last struggle; arid 
 most injudiciously selected this moment, when 
 the angry passions and prejudices of the popu-
 
 BALLARAT. 101 
 
 lace were the most excited, for this display of 
 authority. 
 
 Whilst these scenes had been enacting at the 
 camp, a large party of the diggers had been for 
 some time past organizing their forces, erecting a 
 stockade, and, in fact, making every arrangement 
 for an armed defence, in case they should be 
 attacked on their resisting the payment of the 
 license-fee, and on the morning in question the 
 party that had been sent out to capture un- 
 licensed diggers, observing these preparations, 
 returned to seek reinforcements. 
 
 With the military and police combined there 
 were now upwards of 300 men at the camp, the 
 greater part of which were ordered to the sup- 
 port of the gold commissioners. Upon reaching 
 the stockade an irregular fire was opened upon 
 them, which killed and wounded several, and 
 amongst the former, Captain Wise of H.M.'s 
 40th Regiment, who received two balls in the 
 thigh, and subsequently died of his wounds. 
 They returned this with a deadly volley, killing 
 and wounding upwards of thirty of the diggers, 
 and made themselves masters of the stockade in
 
 102 BALLARAT. 
 
 a few minutes the insurgents flying in all direc- 
 tions. A good deal of useless cruelty now en- 
 sued from the infuriated police (chiefly Irish), 
 who shot, cut down, and otherwise ill-treated all 
 the diggers they happened to meet, even entering 
 their tents and dragging them out, without any 
 knowledge that they belonged to the insurgent 
 party or not ; and a large number of prisoners 
 were made, and conveyed to the lock-up house 
 at the camp. 
 
 A great number of foreigners (Americans and 
 Germans) were amongst them, and by far the 
 most violent of the rioters, who now began to 
 see that their resistance to the armed authority 
 was useless, and the dreadful lesson they had 
 received brought them at once to their senses. 
 Very few of the hard-working and fortunate 
 miners had taken any part in this insurrection, 
 either for or against the Government, but had 
 continued their daily avocations, quietly awaiting 
 the result. They had, indeed, invariably refused 
 to act as special constables, urging as a reason 
 for their refusal that it would bring them into 
 unpleasant contact with their neighbours, who
 
 BALLARAT. 103 
 
 entertained different opinions to themselves, as 
 well as the loss of their valuable time. 
 
 The prisoners taken at the stockade were 
 secured and sent down to Melbourne for trial, 
 and after these fatal occurrences, everything 
 became quiet. Many families were rendered 
 desolate by the loss and mutilation of fathers 
 and husbands ; but the casualties amongst the 
 military and police were very few in comparison 
 with those of the diggers. 
 
 A reward of 500 was offered by the Govern- 
 ment for the discovery of the murder, or means 
 by which James Scobie came by his death ; and 
 at length an Irishman, one of the two men, (a 
 barman of Bentley's,) and in confinement with 
 him on a second arrest, volunteered to turn 
 approver, and disclose all the facts of the case ; 
 and the testimony of this man was admitted. 
 He stated that on the night in question, and 
 shortly after the disturbance outside the bar, 
 that Bentley and his wife, being very much en- 
 raged at the demolition of their windows, in 
 company with his brother-in-law (who was stay- 
 ing in the house) and two barmen, went out by
 
 104 BALLARAT. 
 
 the back of the premises, and intercepted one of 
 the men who had attempted to gain admittance, 
 that an altercation and scuffle ensued, and that 
 the man was knocked down by one of the bar- 
 men, but not by Bentley. That they left him 
 on the ground, not thinking any material injury 
 was done to him, and returned; but that they 
 were so much shocked and alarmed by the body 
 of the same man being subsequently brought 
 into the hotel, that they all agreed to deny all 
 knowledge of the transaction. 
 
 Thus by an absurd and wicked evasion of the 
 truth in the first instance, which in all proba- 
 bility would have involved a verdict of justifiable 
 homicide, or accidental death, at all events no 
 very severe penalty, these lamentable conse- 
 quences ensued. 
 
 At the next session of the criminal court, 
 Bentley and his associates were tried for man- 
 slaughter, and with the exception of Mrs. Bent- 
 ley, convicted and sentenced to three years' 
 imprisonment. 
 
 The ringleaders and most notorious of the 
 rioters also took their trials, and notwithstanding
 
 BALLARAT. 105 
 
 the clear evidence against them, and the remarks 
 of the Attorney- General and the Judge who tried 
 the case, were all acquitted by the Melbourne 
 jury. This was considered rather a singular per- 
 version of justice, but the vox populi was all 
 powerful, and the jury dared not have found 
 them guilty. 
 
 The only person connected with the rioters, 
 who received any punishment, was the editor of 
 the Battarat Times, who was sentenced to six 
 months' imprisonment for publishing seditious 
 and inflammatory articles in his paper. 
 
 Whilst waiting the result of all these pro- 
 ceedings at Melbourne, I entered at some length 
 into a justification of my own measures with 
 regard to Bentley's affair in the newspapers, a 
 circumstance that gave much umbrage to the 
 Lieutenant- Governor, and ultimately led to the 
 loss of my appointment in the month of Novem- 
 ber, 1854. 
 
 In giving this brief sketch of rny residence, at 
 the Ballarat diggings, I have omitted many minor 
 details, which might possibly not interest the gene- 
 ral reader, a few of which I shall now mention. 
 
 F3
 
 106 BALLARAT. 
 
 In the early part of this year, 1854, and pre- 
 vious to the departure of Mr. Latrobe, it was 
 determined to take the census of the colony. 
 The time allowed for this and the return of the 
 schedules was exceedingly short, not more than 
 six weeks, and the difficulty of getting anything 
 like correct returns from a careless and wander- 
 ing population, such as the diggers, was very 
 great. I was named enumerator for the Ballarat 
 district, which included some fifty miles on either 
 side of it, and carte blanche was given to me to 
 employ the most intelligent men, either in the 
 police or otherwise, as sub -enumerators in dif- 
 ferent parts of the diggings and pastoral districts, 
 with certain extra pay if in the police, and fixed 
 allowances to private individuals. With great 
 exertions I managed to make my returns, which 
 were very voluminous, in the specified period, 
 and mine were the only schedules completed 
 when I delivered them. I had remained up for 
 whole nights with one of my clerks, revising the 
 papers and filling up deficiences as to date, 
 county, etc., so common amongst them ; and as 
 my returns included a population of upwards of
 
 BALLARAT. 107 
 
 60,000, and which was far under the mark, it 
 was no easy matter. According to the Govern- 
 ment rate of allowance, several of my sub-enu- 
 merators earned 70 and 80. 
 
 The remuneration of the enumerator was to be 
 left to the discretion of his Excellency the Lieut. - 
 Governor, who generously ordered the sum of 
 30 to be paid to me ! A valuable horse, for 
 which I had refused 120, was broken down 
 and totally ruined in carrying dispatches between 
 Ballarat and Melbourne at the time of the riots, 
 and for this I could obtain no compensation. 
 The extreme practical economy of Sir Charles 
 Hotham, both in a public and private capacity, was 
 too well known to require any further comments. 
 
 It was not only the loss of my appointment 
 that was most mortifying to my feelings and 
 ruinous to my interests, but leaving Ballarat was 
 a source of great grief to me. I had in a man- 
 ner become identified with the place, I had wit- 
 nessed its extraordinary rise and progress ; and 
 both in a public and private capacity had taken 
 an active part in its interests. The appointment 
 I held was, I flattered myself, adapted to my
 
 108 BALLARAT. 
 
 tastes and abilities, and the climate suited my 
 health admirably. I had looked forward to a 
 residence of many years there, when all these 
 disturbances occurred. I had taken an active 
 part, both by personal exertion, and by pecuniary 
 subscription, in all the improvements and new 
 institutions that were going on, had formed 
 many friendships and agreeable acquaintances, 
 and enjoyed much popularity amongst a large 
 portion of the respectable inhabitants of the 
 diggings. All these advantages I was fated 
 to be deprived of by an unfortunate com- 
 bination of circumstances I could neither have 
 anticipated or provided against ; and, having 
 to a certain extent quarrelled with the Govern- 
 ment, I had no chance of another appointment. 
 Commercial affairs were as sealed books to me ; 
 and any agricultural speculation it was almost 
 impossible to carry on without very large capi- 
 tal ; and even then the great uncertainty of 
 obtaining labour rendered it very hazardous. 
 All these agreeable visions of comfort and pros- 
 perity in a situation of utility to myself and 
 others in this most salubrious climate had fled,
 
 BALLARAT. 109 
 
 never to return ; and I was once more in a worse 
 position than on my arrival in the colony ; as 
 then, encouraged by expectation and cheered by 
 hope, I did not lack energy and courage to make 
 every exertion, in spite of difficulties of all kinds, 
 to forward my views. Now things were very 
 different. Having occupied a situation of trust 
 and command, I could scarcely accept a subor- 
 dinate one, even had such a chance been offered 
 me, but which was not at all likely. 
 
 Had indeed my wishes or intentions pointed to 
 any commercial occupation, the present moment 
 (November, 1854) was very inopportune for such 
 an undertaking. Owing to the magnitude of the 
 exports from all parts of the world, and the con- 
 sequent glut on the market, stores of most kinds 
 had fallen to a price below their original whole- 
 sale value. Ale and porter, which about a year 
 since commanded from thirty-six to forty shil- 
 lings, could now be purchased at six and seven 
 shillings per dozen. Brandies of inferior quality 
 were re-exported from hence to Europe, as the 
 best speculation that could be made of them. 
 Silks, Manchester goods, and mercery of all
 
 110 BALLARAT. 
 
 kinds were cheaper than at home. Bankruptcies 
 were of daily occurrence, and many an adventur- 
 ous and reckless exporter had to bewail the total 
 loss of his consignments. 
 
 It appeared that in the sudden and vast cele- 
 brity this colony had acquired from the gold 
 discovery, and the subsequent inducements to an 
 almost unprecedented emigration, that the posi- 
 tive or even probable extent of the population 
 was totally lost sight of, and that ships of the 
 largest burden in great numbers, and from all 
 parts of the world, were freighted with stores 
 and merchandize for the port of Melbourne 
 alone, sufficient for the consumption of a popu- 
 lation of many millions, whereas that of the whole 
 colony at this time did not average 350,000. 
 
 Another reason for those absurd and reckless 
 consignments was as follows : 
 
 A merchant in Melbourne, being aware that 
 there was a probable chance for the profitable 
 sale of an article, writes to his correspondent in 
 London and orders a certain amount of the 
 goods in question to be forwarded by the first 
 opportunity. The latter person, considering this a
 
 BALLARAT. Ill 
 
 fine opportunity of speculating himself, consigns, 
 in all probability, a much larger quantity of the 
 same article to some other merchant on his own 
 account, and ships it so as to insure its arrival, 
 if possible, before the consignment he forwards 
 to his original correspondent according to order. 
 In addition to all this, he perhaps mentions the 
 circumstance to one or several friends, who each 
 or singly try a venture of the same kind ; and 
 such was the prestige attached to everything 
 Australian at this time that no consciousness 
 arose of the ruinous consequences that did, and 
 to a certain degree continue to ensue, from such 
 a line of conduct. 
 
 This state of things, added to the high prices 
 of rent, labour, and provisions of some kinds, ren- 
 dered the position of a large portion of the com- 
 mercial community very critical ; and, as I before 
 mentioned, many failures ensued; the banks at 
 the same time greatly contracting their discounts. 
 
 These latter establishments were however, as 
 before, reaping golden harvests. Never had any 
 banks, in the annals of history, paid such enor- 
 mous dividends to the original shareholders as
 
 112 BALLARAT. 
 
 several of the colonial joint-stock firms. Issuing 
 their own notes, doing a large business in pro- 
 fitable exchanges, enjoying unlimited confidence, 
 holding enormous deposits, and generally speak- 
 ing under the management of able directors, 
 with branches at every place of importance, both 
 for gold buying and banking operations, their 
 success was certain. 
 
 It is true that a few robberies and defalcations, 
 such as occurred to some of their agents (viz., 
 the bank of New South Wales -and Victoria) in 
 1854, at Ballarat, and arising chiefly from their 
 own careless way of doing business in the dig- 
 gings, might have thrown a temporary shade 
 over their credit in any other country ; but such 
 trifles as thirteen or twenty thousand pounds 
 were not worth mentioning here. 
 
 I was now very anxious to quit Melbourne, 
 and, indeed, the colony. Since the loss of my 
 appointment, I felt no further interest in it. 
 Everything impressed me with painful reminis- 
 cences, and I determined to visit the adjoining 
 colony of New South Wales, in search of some 
 employment or position suited to my views.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SYDNEY. 
 
 IN accordance with this determination, I em- 
 barked on board the steamboat " Hellespont," 
 bound for Sydney, at the latter end of Novem- 
 ber, 1854, and again passed the narrow entrance 
 of Port Philip Heads, with very different feelings 
 to those with which I had entered them about 
 twenty months previously. Sailing within sight 
 of the picturesque mountains of Gipps's Land, 
 we pass Cape Howe, and enter the beautiful 
 bay and harbour of Twofold Bay, once the 
 property of the enterprizing but unfortunate 
 Benjamin Boyd, where he founded a town named 
 Boyd Town, which has been thus described 
 by a late able writer on Australian statistics :
 
 114 SYDNEY. 
 
 " It was at Boyd Town he appeared with 
 almost vice-regal state, when laying the first 
 stone of the never-lighted lighthouse; and it 
 was there that he landed the island cannibals 
 whom he had purchased from their savage con- 
 querors, with the view of reducing wages by 
 introducing slavery into Australia, rather than 
 encourage shepherd families upon his boundless 
 sheep runs. Boyd Town enjoyed a brief period of 
 factitious prosperity, when the steamers, whalers, 
 and yacht of the founder lay in harbour." 
 Bateman's and Jervis's Bays, and the beautiful 
 coasts of Illawarra and Shoalhaven are passed. 
 Botany Bay presents the last headland, and in 
 about sixty hours from our departure from 
 Melbourne, and a distance of seven hundred 
 miles, at sunrise on a lovely summer's morning, 
 we entered the heads or entrance of the harbour 
 of Port Jackson. 
 
 I believe that all who have written or spoken 
 on the subject of Port Jackson agree that, in capa- 
 ciousness and safety as a harbour, and beauty 
 as a landscape, it stands unrivalled ; and it has 
 been the subject of so many just and eloquent
 
 SYDNEY. 115 
 
 eulogiums, that it needs little comment on my 
 part. Nothing could be more favourable than 
 the time and season of my arrival for appreciat- 
 ing its hills richly clothed with verdure, indented 
 by the most enchanting bays, studded with 
 charming villas and elegant mansions, during 
 the five miles of our course from the heads to 
 the city of Sydney ; so different in every respect 
 from the approach to its sister metropolis, Mel- 
 bourne. 
 
 Nature and art have both combined to render 
 the first aspect of this city one of the most attrac- 
 tive that can be conceived. The noble quays and 
 wharves, the handsome fort and public buildings, 
 built on a gentle eminence, and constructed of a 
 beautiful white stone, found in the immediate 
 vicinity ; the richness and variety of the vegetation 
 and foliage in its numerous ornamental gardens, 
 and all the evidences of a prosperous city of long 
 standing, unite in forming a picture at once 
 beautiful and imposing. Steamers passing and 
 re-passing to the different shores of the harbour, 
 ships of every nation lying at anchor or on the 
 eve of departure or arrival, and gaily decorated
 
 116 SYDNEY. 
 
 yachts, cruising about these splendid waters, 
 added bustle and importance to the scene. 
 
 Our large and commodious steamer, compris- 
 ing every comfort and accommodation (but at 
 the rather large charge of ten guineas for the 
 passage from Melbourne, liquors not included), 
 was safely moored at Campbell's wharf, and I 
 proceeded, by a recommendation I had received, 
 to " Petty's hotel," situated on the highest part 
 of the town, by a gradual ascent from the quay. 
 This was a very comfortable establishment, at 
 which a bed-room and three luxurious meals 
 per diem (drinkables excepted), viz., breakfast, 
 luncheon, and dinner, could be had at the rate 
 of four guineas per week, but which sum was 
 expected to be paid whether these meals were 
 partaken of or not. The hot weather had now 
 set in, and was, if any thing, more oppressive 
 than at Melbourne ; but the dust was not nearly 
 so thick, and the different inventions of refined 
 civilization to remedy the annoyances of the sea- 
 son in much more general use. In fact Sydney, 
 dating its existence from a far earlier period than 
 its neighbour, had arrived at nearly the perfection
 
 SYDNEY. 117 
 
 of an European city, to which the latter was only 
 fast rising. 
 
 My present object was to seek out some very 
 quiet residence on or near the sea, where I might 
 have time to reflect on my future plans, and 
 recruit my health and strength, both of which 
 were somewhat impaired by the trouble and 
 anxiety I had lately gone through. 
 
 The environs and suburbs of Sydney, particu- 
 larly on the side nearest the sea, are exceedingly 
 beautiful. The harbour is one vast inland lake, 
 dotted with numerous islands, and on every side 
 of the bays and opposite shores are erected small 
 towns and villages, to which easy and continual 
 access is obtained by steamboats, plying in all 
 directions. One of the most delightful spots in 
 the neighbourhood is a part of the harbour, 
 called the " North Shore," situated rather higher, 
 and commanding a splendid view of the city and 
 surrounding country. Here, in a little nook of 
 the coast, I was fortunate enough to procure a 
 lodging in a cottage, situated in the midst of a 
 large garden, full of every description of fruit 
 and flower ; and embosomed in vines now teem-
 
 118 SYDNEY. 
 
 ing with innumerable clusters of the nearly ripe 
 grape. A somewhat precipitous descent led 
 directly to the sea, where, in a retired part of 
 the rocky coast, was excavated a delightful bath, 
 which was always full at high water : bathing in 
 the open sea being very dangerous on account of 
 the numerous sharks that frequent the harbour, 
 some of enormous size, and which have often 
 been the cause of fatal accidents. Immediately 
 opposite, and at the distance of about a mile 
 across the waters, lay the city of Sydney, with 
 all its bustle, glare, dust, noise and confusion ; 
 whilst here the shade, solitude, and repose, was 
 as perfect and unbroken as in the midst of the 
 primeval forest. Behind the cottage was a grove 
 of almost imperviable shrubs ; and, in front, a 
 green lawn sloping to the sea, planted with 
 peach, orange, plum, and loquat trees, and sur- 
 rounded by Norfolk Island pines. A small boat 
 was moored near the beach, belonging to the 
 owner of the place, and which I was at liberty 
 to make use of, either for the purpose of pro- 
 curing a dish of fish bream and gurnets, which 
 it was generally easy to do; or to make the
 
 SYDNEY. 119 
 
 trip to Sydney for any article that might be 
 required. 
 
 Having established myself in this delightful 
 residence, I wrote to Melbourne for my wife and 
 child to join me, which they did by the earliest 
 opportunity; and we hired the occupation of 
 half the cottage, together with our board, for 
 the sum of five pounds per week, dating from 
 Christmas Day, 1854, and in the midst of an 
 Australian summer. 
 
 Previous to this I had visited everything worth 
 seeing in the city of Sydney and its environs. 
 The beautiful botanical gardens, noble parks, 
 and handsome theatre, where at that period our 
 celebrated songstress, Catherine Hayes, was reap- 
 ing a rich harvest, both of sterling admiration 
 and pounds sterling, from the enamoured inhabi- 
 tants. I had spent a day at Botany, and wan- 
 dered by the shores of the bay, through its luxu- 
 riant foliage of shrubs and flowers, as far as the 
 monument erected to the unfortunate La Perouse, 
 and steamed up to the town of Paramatta, amidst 
 golden orchards of the finest oranges in the 
 world ; and which, it will hardly be credited,
 
 120 SYDNEY. 
 
 were selling in the market, notwithstanding their 
 abundance, for fourpence each, a circumstance 
 chiefly to be attributed to the great demand for 
 them in Melbourne. Quinces of enormous size 
 and fine flavour are also very common here, and 
 can be purchased for a penny each ; and delici- 
 ous peaches and nectarines are as numerous as 
 blackberries. The vine in some situations 
 flourishes with the utmost luxuriance, and from 
 the samples already obtained, and the quantities 
 even now made by private individuals, there is 
 no doubt wines of a very high character might 
 be manufactured in New South Wales ; but the 
 gold mania here, as in the Colony of Victoria, 
 had put a check upon all pursuits and specula- 
 tions of this nature, and agricultural emigrants 
 of all nations who found their way to Sidney, were 
 soon attracted from their more legitimate occu- 
 pations to the more tempting pursuit of the pre- 
 cious metal. 
 
 The richness and extent of the gold fields 
 discovered in Victoria had completely eclipsed 
 those in the parent Colony ; and more gold was 
 procured weekly at this period at Ballarat
 
 SYDNEY. 121 
 
 alone, than in all the united diggings of New 
 South Wales. I encountered very few of the 
 labouring classes that had not at one time or 
 another tried their hands at the diggings, and 
 those that had settled down to other occupations, 
 such as boatmen, farm labourers, gardeners, etc., 
 were generally disappointed gold seekers, or 
 persons who had acquired a small independence 
 sufficient for their tastes and pursuits, yet ready 
 at any moment to be attracted from them by 
 some new and flattering report of a fresh El 
 Dorado. 
 
 I was now quietly settled in the delightful 
 little residence I had selected as my present 
 abode, and had for a near neighbour, one of the 
 most accomplished gentlemen and geologists of 
 the Colony, the Rev. W. B. Clarke, Colonial 
 Chaplain, who was amongst, if not the first dis- 
 coverer of gold in Australia, having unsuccess- 
 fully pointed out attention to the gold-fields of 
 Bathurst, previous to the large discoveries by 
 Edward Hargreaves. Indeed, he told me that 
 he was perfectly aware of the presence of gold in 
 several parts of the Colony before that period,
 
 122 SYDNEY. 
 
 and had communicated with Sir Roderick Mur- 
 chison on the subject, who had informed Earl 
 Grey of these facts, but that no notice was taken 
 by that statesman of the circumstance, or any 
 orders sent out in consequence to the Governor 
 of New South Wales, or any precautionary mea- 
 sures taken, until the astounding reality was 
 openly and satisfactorily disclosed. 
 
 Sir Charles Fitzroy, the Governor, was on the 
 eve of departure from the Colony, to be suc- 
 ceeded as Governor - General by Sir William 
 Deuison, the late Governor of Van Diemen's 
 Land, so that I determined to delay any appli- 
 cation I might make for an appointment, until 
 the arrival of that gentleman ; and in the mean- 
 time proceeded to make all the enquiries in my 
 power as to the nature and probability of any 
 situation it might be in my power to obtain. 
 
 I found that all salaries of Government officers 
 in New South Wales were far inferior in amount 
 to those paid in the Colony of Victoria, and that 
 the list of applicants was quite as large. The 
 commerce of Sydney was quite as much de- 
 pressed as that of Melbourne, and from the
 
 SYDNEY. 123 
 
 same causes : viz., an enormous glut of every- 
 thing. Unemployed clerks, and broken-down 
 gentlemen were frequently to be met with, and 
 leading a very problematical existence ; and the 
 list of bankrupts was every day increasing. 
 Numerous auctions were taking place daily, at 
 which large quantities of every imaginable article 
 of goods were generally purchased at exceedingly 
 low prices by a combination of the Jewish com- 
 munity, which is by far the richest and most 
 influential in Sydney, with a few exceptions, 
 amongst which an instance of public charity and 
 liberality may be quoted rarely equalled : I allude 
 to " Mr. Daniel Cooper," the head of an exten- 
 sive firm in that city, who when the subscription 
 was opened for the widows and families of sol- 
 diers killed in the Crimea, made the magnificent 
 donation of one thousand pounds, with a further 
 annual subscription of five hundred pounds, to 
 be continued as long as the war lasted. 
 
 Amongst the millionaires of this place was the 
 celebrated Bill Nash, who was transported many 
 years ago on a conviction of having robbed the 
 British mail. His wife followed him to Sydney, 
 
 G2
 
 124 SYDNEY. 
 
 and it is supposed with a large portion of the 
 plunder, and upon her establishing herself in or 
 near the city, she managed to have her own 
 husband allotted to her as a convict servant. 
 Subsequently, he obtained his ticket of leave, or 
 his terra of transportation expired, and by a 
 series of lucky speculations of all kinds and cha- 
 racter, sporting successes, and other means, had 
 arrived at what was supposed to be enormous 
 wealth. This, however, did not suffice to eradi- 
 cate his old passion for getting the best of the 
 world by any means in his power, however dan- 
 gerous ; and about the period of my leaving 
 Sydney, he was condemned to the payment of a 
 large pecuniary fine, and a year's imprisonment, 
 for having used false weights in the purchase of 
 gold, for which purpose he had an office always 
 open. 
 
 Matters began to wear a very discouraging 
 aspect, the busy life and constant occupation I 
 had been so long accustomed to at Ballarat was 
 changed for one of quiet monotony, with but 
 little apparent chance of profit or employment. 
 It was true that nothing could be more agree-
 
 SYDNEY. 125 
 
 able, than the dolce farniente of my present 
 abode, wandering around the beautiful shores of 
 the harbour, or floating in my boat upon its 
 placid waters ; but anxiety for the future, and 
 regret for the past, cast a shade upon any pre- 
 sent enjoyment. The total absence of game of 
 all kinds afforded me no opportunity of enjoying 
 my favourite pastime of shooting, for which I 
 substituted deep sea fishing, and made many 
 excursions, both alone or in company with ano- 
 ther to the more remote parts of the harbour for 
 that purpose, and was occasionally very success- 
 ful in capturing a great variety of the finny 
 tribe, some of very large size, such as the 
 snapper, king fish, Jew fish, and flat head, all 
 of which I have caught above 201bs. weight. 
 Bream, mackerel, and other small fish were also 
 easily caught in their season. 
 
 In the early part of the year, 1855, Sir Wil- 
 liam Denison arrived at the seat of Government, 
 and after a short period had elapsed, I made a 
 formal application for the situation of a Police 
 Magistrate, stating my precedents, and capabili- 
 ties for the office. I received, however, a very
 
 126 SYDNEY. 
 
 vague and unsatisfactory reply, and one that 
 gave me but little hope of success. 
 
 The proprietor, or rather tenant, of the cottage 
 in which we were living being about to quit it, 
 we were obliged to seek another residence ; and 
 at length hired small apartments in a similar 
 suburban village, opposite the city, called " Bal- 
 main," but not in nearly so beautiful a situation 
 as our former one. 
 
 It was now the month of April, and the heat 
 of the summer, which had been tremendous, had 
 yielded to the delicious season of Autumn, which 
 in these hemispheres is the finest that can be 
 imagined. There is a lightness and elasticity in 
 the air that is quite indescribable, nothing even 
 in the choicest climate of Italy can approach it, 
 nor can any one who has not experienced the 
 delightful effects of the atmosphere at about sun- 
 rise, in the months of April or September, near 
 Sydney, form any conception of the effect pro- 
 duced upon the frame and spirits. 
 
 Happy indeed would it be for that very 
 numerous class of sufferers in Great Britain 
 from those peculiar and often self-inflicted evils
 
 SYDNEY. 127 
 
 generalized under the comprehensive term dys- 
 pepsia, if, instead of allowing their stomachs 
 and credulity to be experimentalized upon by 
 native quacks, or drenching themselves with the 
 foetid productions of German mineral water- 
 ing places, could they summon up energy and 
 courage sufficient to make the voyage to Austra- 
 lia. Act 1st, in nine cases out of ten, would 
 prove of inestimable benefit to them. Act 2nd 
 would complete the cure; provided always (as 
 the lawyers say) that under that exhilaration of 
 spirits that is certain to accompany a recovery, 
 or even amelioration of the distressing symptoms 
 of this complaint, they do not succumb, by force 
 of example or otherwise, to that fatal colonial 
 propensity, " nobblerizing." As I have been 
 myself a sufferer from this malady (but I fear in 
 my case self-inflicted), and have taken a pro- 
 minent position in the rank of victims to medi- 
 cinal humbug, I am but too glad to add my 
 testimony to that of many others, in corrobora- 
 tion of the almost miraculous effect of the 
 climate of Australia, between the latitude of 
 Sydney and Adelaide, on persons whose diges-
 
 128 SYDNEY. 
 
 tive organs are impaired either from natural or 
 artificial causes ; and indeed the climate of Van 
 Diemen's Land, and above all New Zealand, are 
 pregnant with the same beneficial results : the 
 latter place, from the regularity of its tempe- 
 rature, and the absence of either great heat 
 or severe cold, is considered to be the most 
 healthy spot in the world, and the most condu- 
 cive to longevity. And now that the voyage 
 can be made with so much speed, comfort, and 
 economy, what is there to prevent any dyspeptic 
 valetudinarian, who has run through the " Jeph- 
 sonian " and " Granvillian " gauntlets, with no 
 great benefit to his pocket or constitution, mak- 
 ing a trip to the antipodes, where, amidst new 
 scenes, new excitements, and, above all, a new 
 climate, he may be enabled to renew a long 
 lease of an existence which was on the point of 
 expiring. I speak, of course, of that class of 
 individuals whose private incomes are sufficient 
 for such an expenditure, but which indeed would, 
 in most cases, not amount to the cost of ordinary 
 living and medical treatment at home. 
 
 I had formed several agreeable acquaintances
 
 SYDNEY. 129 
 
 in Sydney, and amongst them was the son of the 
 late Rev. John Williams, a missionary of great 
 celebrity, who was killed some years ago by the 
 savage natives, on one of the islands of the 
 New Hebrides. This gentleman had passed the 
 early part of his life with his father for many 
 years amongst the South Sea Islands, and was 
 intimately acquainted with the manners and lan- 
 guage of many of them. He had lately, in 
 common with many others, been unfortunate in 
 his commercial speculations, and was forced to 
 become a bankrupt. Amongst other items of 
 his property which was disposed of at public 
 auction for the benefit of his creditors, was a 
 certain quantity of cocoa-nut oil that he had pur- 
 chased from the king of the Friendly Islands, 
 and from an agent whom he employed in the 
 Navigator Islands. It was necessary, however, 
 to send a vessel in search of this property ; and 
 as, in consequence of the war with Russia, oil of 
 all kinds had risen considerably in price, and had 
 become a very valuable article, the person who 
 purchased these goods considered he could not 
 possibly do better than fit out a vessel of his own,
 
 130 SYDNEY. 
 
 and engage Mr. Williams as supercargo, for the 
 purpose, not only of bringing back the oil in 
 question, but also of trading with the natives for 
 more, as well as mother-o' -pearl shell, and other 
 products of the islands; Mr. Williams's know- 
 ledge of the language, and great popularity 
 amongst the islanders, rendering his services 
 most valuable on this occasion. 
 
 I had read much, and heard more, of the ex- 
 treme beauty of the Polynesian Archipelago, 
 and had long felt a great desire to visit some of 
 these "enchanted isles." Mr. Williams rather 
 confirmed than depressed the expectations I had 
 formed, and also hinted that I might possibly 
 find some profitable employment for a small 
 capital, or, at all events, might do sufficient to 
 pay the expense of the voyage, should I be dis- 
 posed to accompany him on his trip ; and which 
 would, in all probability, be of four or five 
 months' duration. I had no fixed plan to 
 detain me at Sydney, nor indeed did I see any 
 chance of procuring a government situation. 
 My wife and child were very comfortably lodged, 
 and I might not only strike out some new path
 
 SYDNEY. 131 
 
 for myself, but certainly never again have such 
 a favourable opportunity of visiting the South 
 Seas. I therefore yielded to the temptation, 
 and agreed to take my passage as far as the 
 Navigator Islands, for the sum of 20, or, if I 
 made the whole trip, and returned with the 
 vessel, I was to pay 50. 
 
 The clipper Leith-built schooner " Ariel," one 
 hundred tons burden, was put into sailing trim 
 by her owners, and advertized to carry freight 
 and cargo to the Friendly, Navigator, Walli's, 
 and other islands in the South Seas ; a large 
 portion of which was of course taken up by 
 the owners. Staves and hoops for the ready 
 construction of barrels, bales of cheap printed 
 calicos, old guns and muskets, and common 
 knives and hatchets, forming the larger propor- 
 tion of our outward cargo. 
 
 Having made the voyage from England to 
 Australia in a vessel of nearly the same size, I 
 was not afraid to venture again, particularly on 
 a short voyage, in a similar craft, and had en- 
 gaged a small cabin six feet long by three and a 
 half broad for my own especial use ; but I own
 
 132 SYDNEY. 
 
 I was not quite prepared for the large and hete- 
 rogeneous society that I found was to compose 
 ihepersonel of the little "Ariel." 
 
 In the small cabin were to be accommodated 
 the captain, Mr. Hoseason, Mr. Williams, Mas- 
 ter Murray, the son of a Missionary at the 
 Navigator Islands, myself, and two disconsolate 
 native women, whose husbands, after having 
 brought them from their native islands to Syd- 
 ney, had there cruelly deserted them one with 
 an infant at the breast. Four European passen- 
 gers were in the steerage. Ten natives of the 
 South Sea Islands forwards, and a crew of two 
 mates, two sailors, a cook, steward, and carpen- 
 ter, completed the complement. 
 
 On the 4th of May, 1855, we cleared Port 
 Jackson Heads with light winds and heavy rain ; 
 on the 15th, after weathering some hard gales, 
 we were off the Three Kings' Rocks, the extreme 
 eastern point of New Zealand ; and on the 18th, 
 after some very severe weather, we were in sight 
 of Curtis's Rocks.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 ON the afternoon of the 25th we sighted the 
 first of the Tonga or Friendly Islands, after a 
 most unpleasant and stormy passage of twenty- 
 one days from Sydney. The island of Eoa, the 
 first of the group, presents, at this distance, 
 about eight miles, a low rectangular appearance. 
 The climate was a fine temperature, the thermo- 
 meter standing at about 75 Fahr. in the cabin. 
 Beautiful groves of cocoa-nut and other tropical 
 trees appeared, dispersed in picturesque groups 
 over the land, and every variety of verdure and 
 foliage, lighted up by the setting sun, formed a 
 very charming landscape. We observed several 
 fires, but no signs of a canoe ; and stood off and
 
 134 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 on between the islands of Eoa and Tongataboo 
 all night. 
 
 In the morning, with a light breeze from the 
 S.E., we stood towards Tongataboo ; the atmo- 
 sphere was much warmer. Some canoes were 
 seen approaching, and we were soon boarded by 
 a native, who represented himself as a Pilot, and 
 realized all I had read of the aborigines of these 
 regions. A fine muscular figure, of a light 
 copper colour, with a classical head and counte- 
 nance, short fine hair, and naked, with the ex- 
 ception of a picturesque petticoat of leaves. The 
 canoe, a small hollowed tree, with an outrigger, 
 composed of several spars, to give it additional 
 security. Mr. Williams, who spoke the language, 
 soon communicated with him, and the first objects 
 he begged for were a coloured shirt and a pipe 
 of tobacco, upon being supplied with which he 
 took up his station on the fore-top, and, obeying 
 the motion of his hand, we commenced a most 
 dangerous and difficult navigation amongst coral 
 reefs and shoals, continually within a few yards 
 of us, as we approached the low flat coast of 
 Tongataboo, which is perfectly level with the
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 135 
 
 ocean, and presents an horizon of cocoa-nut trees. 
 There is not an eminence on the whole island, 
 comprising a circumference of about eighty miles, 
 more than fifty feet high. 
 
 We were soon boarded by many canoes, with 
 fruit and poultry of different kinds for sale, by 
 natives in the same primitive costume as our 
 pilot. Some of them were women with hand- 
 some features and forms, and tastefully decorated 
 with leaves and flowers. One striking peculiarity 
 was the manner in which many of them dressed 
 their hair. It is first saturated in cocoa-nut oil, 
 and then thickly powdered over with lime, pro- 
 cured from shells. It is combed back from the 
 forehead, and the effect produced is exactly that 
 of the head dressed and powdered in the fashion 
 of the last century. It forms a very tasteful 
 contrast to their dark skins, and really produces 
 a very distingue appearance. 
 
 About five hours, with very light breezes, 
 brought us to our anchorage, opposite the chief 
 village of the island, and within half a mile of 
 the shore, through an opening in the coral reefs. 
 Our decks were now crowded by natives, all of
 
 136 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 whom appeared most amiable and good-natured, 
 and nothing that could be construed into any 
 thing offensive or disrespectful took place. 
 
 I accompanied Mr. Williams on shore, part of 
 the distance in the boat, and the remaining part 
 carried on the shoulders of natives over the rough 
 sharp coral at low tide. We found King George 
 (an old acquaintance of Mr. Williams's), was 
 gone upon a war expedition, with forty war 
 canoes, containing nearly three thousand men, to 
 assist an ally, the king of the Fejee Islands, 
 about 390 miles west of Tonga. These war 
 canoes contain each from fifty to a hundred men ; 
 they are made double, with an outrigger between 
 them, and upon this point of junction their pro- 
 visions, ammunition, etc., are placed, and covered 
 with latteen sails. They use latteen sails and pad- 
 dles, as occasion serves, and steer by compass. 
 Most of these islanders possess muskets (generally 
 very common ones), which they purchase in ex- 
 change for cocoa-nut oil, and other articles sup- 
 plied to whalers and other vessels that may chance 
 to touch at the place. The absence of this chief 
 was a great disappointment to us, but we found
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 137 
 
 an old Scotchman, his head man, who had been 
 for many years on the island, and conducted his 
 business in cocoa-nut oil, etc., during his absence. 
 
 The native houses or huts are very prettily 
 and ingeniously built of light and elegant canes, 
 thatched over with cocoa-nut leaves, on light 
 wooden rafters. They are situated in small en- 
 closures, fenced round with similar canes, and 
 positively embedded in the most luxuriant tro- 
 pical vegetation. The cocoa-nut, palm, hibisens, 
 orange, gardenia, guava, custard-apple, banana, 
 bread fruit, and many other shrubs and trees un- 
 known in other climates, form an amalgamation of 
 rich shade and verdure only to be realized by ob- 
 servation. Few, if any, noxious insects are to be 
 found here, and no reptiles but a harmless snake. 
 The island is one rich tropical garden, intersected 
 by small alleys or avenues cut through the exu- 
 berant vegetation, and presents a picture of re- 
 pose quite unequalled. 
 
 King George, who reigns over the whole group 
 of the Friendly Islands, is a Protestant ; and all 
 the islanders profess Christianity, and are exceed- 
 ingly strict in their outward observances of it.
 
 138 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 Pigs and poultry abound, and are to be pro- 
 cured cheap. Bread-fruit, yams, taroo, sweet 
 potatoes, and arrow-root, are the principal vege- 
 tables, and most tropical fruits flourish in their 
 season. 
 
 After leaving the hut of the agent, we paid a 
 visit to the Wesleyan Missionary (Mr. Davis) sta- 
 tioned here, who, with his wife, received us most 
 hospitably in a charming cottage, built similar to 
 the native dwellings, but upon a large scale, and 
 furnished with all European comforts and appli- 
 ances. He was, of course, glad to get the latest 
 news, as they do not calculate upon seeing a 
 vessel here above once in six months. They com- 
 plained much of the climate as enervating in the 
 extreme ; indeed, at the time of our visit, which 
 was the cold season, it was very oppressive, and 
 for a lengthened residence must be very destruc- 
 tive to European constitutions. The perpetual 
 rain that falls, more or less, all the year round, 
 and is the cause of the magnificent vegetation, 
 renders the tropical heat of a very heavy and 
 lowering character; and although no epidemics 
 are common to these islands, low fever and
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 139 
 
 elephantiasis are sure to attack European consti- 
 tutions sooner or later. After taking tea with 
 Mr. and Mrs. Davis, we extended our walk 
 about two miles along the coast, by moonlight, 
 to the residence of the Catholic Missionary, where 
 vespers were celebrating in a cane edifice, under 
 the cocoa-nut trees. He was a French Jesuit, 
 and complained much to me, in confidence, of 
 the persecutions he had endured, owing to the 
 Protestant Missionary. We returned late to our 
 vessel, having had to walk about a mile on foot 
 over coral reefs in shallow water. 
 
 The following day being Sunday, we attended 
 the church, where divine service was performed 
 in the native language by Mr. Davis, the Wes- 
 leyan Missionary, in a most impressive manner, 
 and a more thoroughly attentive or devout con- 
 gregation it was impossible to see. Some were 
 dressed with an attempt at European costume. 
 The hymns were really tolerably well sung, and 
 the responses devoutly made ; and a final prayer 
 was offered up by a native. The church, which 
 is beautifully constructed of canes, is capable of 
 holding from five hundred to one thousand peo-
 
 140 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 pie. The two Missionaries on the Island (with 
 the exception of the Catholics) are both Wes- 
 leyans, appointed by the London Society, and 
 the king, by outward profession, is a devout Pro- 
 testant dissenter. No work or amusement of 
 any kind is permitted on the Sabbath under pain 
 of fine and imprisonment. Prostitution and 
 other immoralities are punished in the same 
 manner. The greater portion, however, of peo- 
 ple now on the Island were old men, women, 
 and children, most of the able-bodied men hav- 
 ing accompanied their king to the Fejees. 
 
 On Monday, I took my gun and a native 
 guide, and started in search of game, wild fowl, 
 and a very large and fat species of pigeon, said 
 to abound; but after having scrambled for hours 
 through an almost impenetrable bush and jun- 
 gle, could find none, and returned after shooting 
 a brace of plover on the beach. 
 
 Mr. Williams succeeded in purchasing about 
 ten tons of cocoa-nut oil, which he was engaged 
 throughout the day in preparing for embarka- 
 tion. The decks were crowded to suffocation 
 with natives. Hundreds of canoes were around,
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 141 
 
 and fastened on to the vessel, the natives arriving 
 either from curiosity, or to barter different arti- 
 cles, such as bananas, pigs, ducks, fowls, limes, 
 yams, fish, taroo, sugar cane, and small pearls 
 of no value. They were very anxious to obtain 
 articles of European clothing, such as shirts, 
 trousers, etc. ; but not at all inclined to give 
 anything like the value for them. The common 
 article of exchange is coarse white calico, which 
 can be purchased wholesale at about twopence a 
 yard, and a fathom of which (two yards), is the 
 usual price of a large duck, a small pig, 20 
 yams, or a large bundle of bananas, taroo, etc. 
 
 A native chief, a fine noble-looking old man, 
 of about 18 stone weight, with his daughter, a 
 young lady of about fifteen, and of gigantic pro- 
 portions, came off to visit Mr. Williams, whom 
 he had known on a previous occasion, bringing 
 with him a present of some enormous pigs, fruit, 
 and vegetables. They dined with us, taking up 
 at least one half of the little cabin, and used 
 their knives and forks very tolerably, and cer- 
 tainly to some purpose. The quantity they 
 swallowed was truly astonishing, taking every
 
 142 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 thing liquid or solid that was offered to them, 
 with the most perfect composure, and the old 
 chief finished by drinking about a pint of raw 
 brandy, which had not the slightest effect upon 
 him. The Catholic priest also came on board 
 to receive some freight that had been sent to 
 him from Sydney. It appeared that he and the 
 chief had had some altercation, and that the 
 Catholic and Protestant party here, as every- 
 where else, were at open warfare, each accusing 
 the other of every species of enormity. The 
 decks were crowded as usual by natives, which 
 after the novelty of the^thing had passed, began 
 to be very annoying. 
 
 On the following day we dined with Mr. 
 Davis, and met the captain and mate of an 
 American whaler, which had been shipwrecked 
 a few weeks previously on a reef near the Fejee 
 Islands ; but, with the exception of four men, 
 the crew had escaped in the boats to the islands, 
 and from thence to the other side of Tongataboo. 
 We volunteered to take these officers with us to 
 the Navigator Islands, where they would pro- 
 bably find an American vessel. I inspected the
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 143 
 
 native houses, and their mode of beating out 
 cloth or tappa from the paper mulberry tree. 
 I visited the interior of King George's house, 
 which is constructed of canes like the rest, and 
 contains four good rooms, roughly furnished in 
 the European style, the contents being chiefly 
 presents made to him by occasional visitors. 
 Engravings of our Saviour, and the Queen and 
 Prince Albert adorned one room, which also 
 contained a handsome dressing case, and good 
 four-post bedstead, and dining table. Con- 
 victs, male and female, were beating tappa in 
 a shed close by, chiefly 'persons guilty of adul- 
 tery. 
 
 The rich tropical scenery of the island very 
 soon becomes monotonous, owing to the land 
 being perfectly flat, and the continual succession 
 of the same trees and shrubs. I tasted to-day 
 bread-fruit, tarro, and yams in great perfection, 
 together with a very fine species of banana and 
 custard-apple, the latter richer than the East 
 India ones; but we had arrived at the worst 
 time of the year for fruit, oranges, pine-apples, 
 and many other sorts, being out of season.
 
 144 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 Roses abound everywhere, as well as many 
 pretty sweet-scented flowers of gay colours. 
 
 The landing place is very inconvenient, as no 
 boat can approach the shore except at the highest 
 tide (and even then with difficulty) within several 
 hundred yards, and you have to walk this dis- 
 tance on sharp coral rocks, through shallow 
 water. 
 
 Upon the whole, the first appearance of things 
 here is very pleasing and gratifying ; but, upon 
 a close inspection, the picture is much reversed. 
 The few Europeans (about ten in all, including 
 the missionaries) present a very sickly and 
 wretched appearance. The animosity between 
 the Catholics and Protestants is much to be re- 
 gretted, and the more so as an example to the 
 native Christian population, who, except in name 
 and outward observances, know little of the real 
 spirit of Christianity ; and these observances are 
 enforced upon them by very severe laws. The 
 king, who is by far the most intelligent man on 
 the island, and a close observer of human nature, 
 as well as a most ambitious man, has, however, 
 lately visited Sydney, and has considerably re-
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 145 
 
 laxed the severity of his ordinances since his 
 return, and personal experience of the way 
 things are carried on there ; not exactly in ac- 
 cordance with the representations made to him 
 by the missionaries. The prevailing vice of 
 these islanders is the most inordinate pride ; 
 they consider themselves inferior to no native in 
 the world, and do not think they can pay an 
 European a greater compliment than by compar- 
 ing him to a Tonga man. They are haughty 
 and arrogant in their demeanour and gait, except 
 when asking a favour ; indolent in the extreme, 
 and will not do a stroke of work except what is 
 absolutely necessary to existence. They are said 
 to be extremely immoral and lascivious amongst 
 themselves, but never with Europeans ; nor has 
 any connexion been known between a white man 
 and a native female except that of marriage, and 
 it is forbidden under the most severe penalties. 
 Amongst themselves, native females only marry men 
 of their own rank, of which they are very tena- 
 cious, and indeed a sort of feudal aristocracy pre- 
 vails amongst them. They are enormous eaters, 
 but generally sober. The only intoxicating liquor
 
 146 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 used amongst them is the " cava." This is the 
 root of a plant bearing that name, which is 
 chewed and masticated by boys and girls, then 
 mixed with cold water, and wrung out with a 
 cloth into a bowl used for that purpose, and 
 brought out on all festive occasions. It has a 
 strong aromatic bitter flavour, and intoxicating 
 properties. Used in moderation, it is no doubt 
 a powerful tonic, and very serviceable in low 
 fevers. Women, and even children, are inve- 
 terate smokers, and a very strong tobacco is cul- 
 tivated here. They are very fond of Jews'-harps, 
 and generally have one about their persons. 
 The hair of both sexes is generally cut short, 
 and worn in full curls. It is naturally fine, but 
 impregnated with cocoa-nut oil and lime. Both 
 sexes go naked, with the exception of the tappa 
 or cloth of native manufacture, which reaches 
 from the waist to the knees, and is very grace- 
 fully worn. They are certainly a very fine race of 
 people ; some remarkably so. They do not care 
 for beads and trinkets, but are most elaborately tat- 
 tooed ; and one very striking peculiarity amongst 
 the elder part of the population is the invariable
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 147 
 
 loss of the little finger of the left hand which was 
 formerly amputated during their infancy, accord- 
 ing to the rites of a favourite native superstition, 
 before the introduction of Christianity. 
 
 On the 31st of May we weighed anchor, and 
 sailed with a favourable breeze, intending, if 
 possible, to make the Island of Lefuga (one of 
 the Harpeian group) by night, but had not 
 been long at sea when we encountered a gale 
 from the north-east, which we laboured heavily 
 against in the midst of islands and reefs, and no 
 pilot on board. At night we were off the vol- 
 canoes of Tafoua and Keo, which were both 
 smoking, but we saw no eruption. The follow- 
 ing day the same gale continued ; we were in 
 the midst of the Friendly group, but not able to 
 make any island we desired. At length, after 
 passing several days in sight of the two volcanoes 
 above-mentioned, a favourable breeze sprang up 
 and carried us within sight of Vavau, the last 
 and largest of these islands, and which presents 
 a much loftier and more picturesque appearance 
 than Tonga. On a near approach, nothing can 
 be more magnificent than the rich tropical ver- 
 
 H 2
 
 148 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 dure with which the whole island is clothed, 
 from the summits of the mountains to the very 
 edge of the coast. Trees and shrubs of every 
 variety of leaf and hue present one vast mass of 
 the richest foliage. Nature seems to have ex- 
 hausted her resources in adorning this enchant- 
 ing scene with all that can delight the eye and 
 charm the taste. Here (at Vavau) the harbour, 
 equal almost in extent and rather similar to 
 that of Sydney, forms one uninterrupted succes- 
 sion of natural beauties. 
 
 Numbers of small islands are continually 
 passed; bays, valleys, and mountains rise in 
 quick succession ; and, after working up with 
 baffling winds for about eight miles in very deep 
 water, with no shoals or reefs, we anchored in a 
 lovely little cove, and close to the shore, in about 
 fifteen fathoms water. 
 
 On the 4th of June, I went on shore in the 
 morning. The vegetation, houses, and inhabi- 
 tants were the same as at Tonga ; but the 
 scenery much finer. I called on the two Wes- 
 leyan missionaries stationed there, Messrs. Amos 
 and Daniels, who seemed very able and worthy
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 149 
 
 men. The former had resided for a period of three 
 years at Sierra Leone. The greater part of the 
 able-bodied men here, as at Tonga, were absent 
 with King George, and we were unlucky as to 
 the fruit season, but still procured some fine 
 pine-apples, shaddocks, and bananas. The yams 
 here are supposed to be the finest in the world ; 
 and pigs, turkeys, ducks and fowls plentiful. 
 There are several Europeans on the island, who 
 trade with the natives for cocoa-nut oil ; but the 
 latter are extremely suspicious, avaricious, and 
 incurably idle. 
 
 On the 5th, I borrowed Mr. Daniels's whale 
 boat and crew of four natives, and went on a 
 shooting expedition about five miles down the 
 coast : there I landed, and walked through the 
 bush to a lagoon, and killed some very fine wild 
 ducks, a jungle fowl, and some of the large 
 pigeons I have before mentioned. The heat was 
 intense. I was most hospitably entertained in 
 a native hut with fowls, yams, and fish, baked 
 in the earth on cocoa-nut leaves, and admirably 
 cooked ; and was induced, in spite of my re- 
 pugnance, to taste the " cava."
 
 150 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 On the following day the heat and rain pre- 
 vented my going on shore. The weather was 
 more oppressive than anything I ever felt, and 
 the frightful closeness of the atmosphere made 
 me very unwell, and totally prevented sleep. It 
 was impossible to go on deck at night without 
 being wetted through and through, and in the 
 day-time it was lumbered up with barrels and 
 packages of all kinds, and crowded by na- 
 tives. 
 
 In the course of a conversation with Captain 
 Wells and his first mate, Mr. Sherman, of the 
 American whaling vessel, " Logan," lost on a reef 
 near the Fejee Islands, and whom we had taken 
 on board with us at Tonga, to convey them to 
 the Navigator Islands, we were informed that, 
 during the three weeks they passed on the Fejee 
 Islands before they could find a vessel to take 
 them away, they witnessed and heard of the most 
 dreadful characters and practices of some white 
 men, who resided on the Island of Ovalou, and at 
 the town of Levoca, about thirty-five in number, 
 chiefly English and American, some Manilla 
 Spaniards, and about fifty half-caste. It ap-
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 151 
 
 peared from the confession, or rather boast, of 
 several of them to this officer whilst residing 
 with his crew at the island, and where there 
 is also an individual who calls himself an Ameri- 
 can consul, but who could render him no assist- 
 ance whatever, that crimes of the most dreadful 
 nature were of continual occurrence amongst 
 them, uncontrolled as they are by any law, 
 human or divine, and the missionary resident on 
 the spot is in too great fear of them to report 
 the matter to the proper quarter. Captain Wells 
 states that some of their number have been 
 known to join the natives in their cannibal 
 feasts, and that each possesses a plurality of wives, 
 or rather slaves, upon whom, on the slightest 
 occasion (particularly complaining to the mis- 
 sionary) they inflict the most horrible tortures. 
 'One instance he mentioned of a woman being 
 roasted alive by a slow fire, and that they were 
 often placed in irons, until the fetters had worn 
 into the wrists and ancles. Murders were com- 
 mon amongst them ; and when they could procure 
 drink, they were more like demons than human 
 beings.
 
 152 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 Before taking my final departure from the 
 Friendly Isles, it may be as well to make a few 
 remarks on the curious facts that had preceded 
 and accompanied their conversion to Christianity. 
 
 They are divided or rather classed into three 
 groups : those of Tonga, Harpaie, and Vavau, 
 and comprehend upwards of one hundred and 
 fifty islands, most of them small, but generally 
 inhabited. Tropical fruits and vegetables of 
 all kinds flourish almost spontaneously, but no 
 European animals are indigenous to them, ex- 
 cept the pig and the dog. Poultry of many 
 sorts is also common. It is believed that for- 
 merly cannibalism existed to a certain extent 
 amongst them, but not in so great a degree 
 as amongst the Fejee, New Caledonia, and New 
 Hebrides group, whose inhabitants form the 
 transition from the Papuans and negroes of Aus- 
 tralia, to the finer forms and features of the 
 Eastern Polynesians. 
 
 The first attempt at proselytism was made at 
 Tongataboo in the year 1797, by the vessel 
 " Duff," with ten missionaries, which completely 
 failed. A runaway convict from Sydney, named
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 153 
 
 Morgan, was located on the island, who per- 
 suaded the inhabitants that the missionaries were 
 magicians, who would kill them and seize upon 
 their country. About this time an epidemic 
 disease carried off many of them, when he took 
 the opportunity of exclaiming : " Behold, these 
 people who sing and pray ; if you remain quiet 
 any longer, they will kill you all." Soon after- 
 wards, three missionaries were assassinated, and 
 their cabins burnt, and after the lapse of nine 
 months, the remainder managed to get on board 
 an English vessel. Morgan pretended afterwards 
 that he had the power of destroying life by 
 prayers ; but became a victim to his own atro- 
 cious impostures. One of the chiefs pierced his 
 body with a lance, and threw his entrails into 
 the sea. 
 
 No more missionary attempts were made until 
 the year 1822, when the Wesleyans dispatched 
 some of their ministers to this field. Mr. Laurie, 
 with several companions, landed at Tongataboo 
 in the month of August of that year. The 
 population ran in crowds to the shore, and an 
 Englishman named Singleton, who had resided 
 
 H 3
 
 154 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 for sixteen years on the spot, became his inter- 
 preter. Laurie was well received, and protected 
 by a powerful chief; but when he commenced 
 his travels through the interior, he was looked 
 upon with much suspicion, and the priests soon 
 brought up the old story again, that he would 
 kill them with his prayers, and take possession 
 of the island. Their indifference was so great, 
 that their general observation was, " Your reli- 
 gion is very good for you, and our's for our- 
 selves." At length these missionaries, in con- 
 tinual fear of their lives, left the island in 
 1824. 
 
 They had, however, brought with them in 
 the first instance several native Christians from 
 Tahiti, who were more fortunate than their 
 European brethren. They built a missionary 
 establishment and a chapel, and before long 
 counted a congregation of upwards of four hun- 
 dred. They were very soon succeeded by other 
 Wesleyans, who arrived four in number in 1826 
 and 1827. 
 
 From this period the two principal stations 
 dated their existence, Hihifo and Nugalofa.
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 155 
 
 By slow degrees the people became more recon- 
 ciled to the missionaries. At Hihifo they had to 
 deal with a capricious and avaricious chief named 
 Ata, whose avarice it was difficult to satisfy. A 
 report was abroad that the white men had 
 brought with them a box filled with evil spirits, 
 destined to devour the inhabitants of Tonga; 
 and when any drought or scarcity prevailed, they 
 imagined that their gods were angry with them 
 for having received these strangers. One day 
 Ata issued a formal proclamation that all those 
 who attended divine worship at the chapel should 
 be banished from the district, and young girls 
 who were learning to sew, read, and write, were 
 driven away. 
 
 At Nugalofa, the opposition was not so great. 
 It was true that the majority of the chiefs de- 
 cided that the Lotu (the gospel) ought to be 
 destroyed; but the head chief Tubo declared 
 himself in favour of it, and determined to rest 
 faithful to it in spite of all the menaces directed 
 against him. 
 
 As the missionaries became more perfect in 
 their knowledge of the language of the country,
 
 156 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 they had more influence over the people. Their 
 horrible customs, such as the sacrifice of children, 
 and cutting off their little fingers, etc., etc., be- 
 gan to disappear ; and in the course of six years, 
 eight or ten thousand professed converts to Chris- 
 tianity were to be found on the islands. 
 
 Other stations were founded at Bea, Mua, 
 Vaini, and Houma. The desire to know the 
 new religion was so great in the other islands, 
 that in 1828, a captain of a vessel mentioned 
 that everywhere he stopped, the first question 
 asked was, Have you no missionary for us ? and 
 were much disappointed upon being answered in 
 the negative; he added, that in several islands they 
 had built a church in expectation of their arrival. 
 
 The manner in which Christianity spread in 
 the Harpeian group was equally remarkable. 
 This group comprises thirty or forty islands, of 
 which about twenty were inhabited, and under 
 the rule of Taufaahau, their principal chief. He 
 was of great stature, and fine and noble bearing; 
 when he heard of the en crease and effects of 
 Christianity in Tongataboo, he determined to go 
 there and judge for himself ; it was also under-
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 157 
 
 stood that from his earliest growth he had 
 nourished a strong antipathy to paganism. This 
 visit confirmed him in his resolution to renounce 
 idolatry. A native teacher returned with him to 
 his country in 1830, and immediately all the 
 idols and their altars were destroyed at Lefuga. 
 Three chiefs resisted him, and organized a great 
 feast of idols in the bush ; but Taufaahau drove 
 a troop of swine into the consecrated enclo- 
 sure, and burnt the divinities he found in the 
 temple. About that period he was joined by Mr. 
 Thomas, an enterprizing missionary ; and Tinau, 
 chief of the Vavau group, made a present to 
 Taufaahau of a handsome war canoe, as an en- 
 couragement to remain faithful to the religion of 
 his fathers ; the answer however returned was, 
 " Tell my cousin Tinau, that I thank him for his 
 present, and that when I have dragged it up the 
 beach, I shall cut it in pieces as firewood for my 
 kitchen." 
 
 It was thus that Taufaahau, named King 
 George after his baptism, gained a complete 
 victory over the dark superstitions of his people. 
 He dismissed all his concubines, and lived alone
 
 158 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 for some time, until he united himself to a 
 woman by the ties of Protestant marriage, and 
 he set all his slaves at liberty. He exerted him- 
 self in every way in the interests of Christianity, 
 and the advancement of his people ; he was at 
 once architect, sailor, preacher, and president of 
 an auxiliary mission, and his residence of Lefuga 
 soon became the most important station in the 
 Friendly Islands. 
 
 The example of Taufaahau soon acted in a 
 favourable manner upon Tinau, chief of the 
 Vavau group, and the most numerous and 
 populous. Tinau was at first so hostile to Chris- 
 tianity, that when asked if he would suffer any 
 missionary to reside there, he answered that he 
 would massacre them on the moment of their 
 arrival. Upon this, Taufaahau paid him a visit 
 on matters of business, and so caused him in a 
 short time to change his mind, that he com- 
 manded the total destruction of the idols and 
 their appurtenances ; and in three days subse- 
 quently they were all reduced to cinders. 
 
 After the death of Tinau, King George suc- 
 ceeded to the government, and in 1839, gave a
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 159 
 
 code of laws to his people, and preached the 
 word of God to them himself. 
 
 Ministers of the Church of Rome were intro- 
 duced into these Islands in 1841, from Wallis's 
 Island, and accompanied by a number of native 
 Catholics, they pronounced strongly against the 
 Protestant religion. 
 
 Mr. Laurie, the missionary, who in 1834 was 
 forced to fly from Tongataboo in hourly fear of 
 his life, was now superintendent-general of the 
 Wesleyan Missions in Polynesia, and on visiting 
 this island in the course of his inspection in 
 1848, was greeted by a very pleasing spectacle. 
 Upon arriving at the residence of King George, 
 he found him occupied with his wife in reading 
 the Bible. " We are most happy to see you," 
 said the chief ; " glory be to God who has sent 
 you amongst us." The next day being Sunday, 
 the church was filled with natives, and the king 
 read prayers and preached in person. 
 
 This was the monarch whom we were disap- 
 pointed at not finding on our visit to Tonga- 
 taboo, and who was gone on a war expedition to 
 the Fejee Islands, and an old friend of Mr. Wil-
 
 160 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
 
 Hams. Some time previously, and by the per- 
 suasion of the missionaries, he had enacted laws 
 relative to the observance of the Sabbath so 
 exceedingly severe, that the most necessary and 
 ordinary daily occupations were not only totally 
 forbidden, but no native was allowed to appear 
 in public except at church ; he had, however, 
 lately paid a visit to Sydney, where it had been 
 represented to him that the same regulations 
 prevailed, and finding that he had been to a 
 certain extent deceived, considerably relaxed his 
 code on his return. 
 
 Vavau, Keppel, Meva, and the other inha- 
 bited islands of this vast Archipelago, are now 
 all converted to Christianity. Mr. Laurie re- 
 marked, during a visit to Meva in 1848, "What 
 extraordinary souvenirs does this island recall ! 
 How often have I here listened to a discussion 
 amongst the chiefs whether they should kill us, 
 and seize upon our goods, or await the arrival of 
 a vessel, and after demanding a ransom for our 
 persons, drive us from their shores. Every spot 
 recalled to me some act of cruelty and injustice, 
 to which we were victims in those days of ignor-
 
 THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 161 
 
 ance ; but now everything is changed, and peace 
 and harmony have succeeded to cruelty and 
 superstition." King George is now sovereign 
 over the whole of the Friendly Islands.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 ON June 8th, a light breeze having sprung up, 
 we sailed from Vavau, and passed the island 
 volcano of Latee, which was in a state of erup- 
 tion, and sent forth clouds of smoke and flame. 
 For several days we experienced nothing but 
 calms and light baffling winds. On the third 
 day of our departure from Vavau, I witnessed a 
 most cruel experiment on the vitality of a shark. 
 The sailors caught one about six feet in length, 
 and after having thrust a large stone into its 
 stomach, and cut its tail and fins off, they threw 
 it again into the sea, where it seemed to swim 
 away as well as ever. 
 
 On the 13th we discovered the land of the
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 163 
 
 Navigator or Samoan Islands, and about midday 
 were off the coast of Upolu. This island, which 
 is seventy leagues in circumference, with an ele- 
 vation in some parts of upwards of 4000 feet 
 above the level of the sea, presents a very moun- 
 tainous and picturesque appearance. In the 
 Friendly Islands no springs or rivulets exist, and 
 the only water obtained, for every purpose, is the 
 rain water, preserved in tanks and reservoirs; 
 and as seldom a week elapses without a heavy 
 fall, there is therefore no scarcity. Here, how- 
 ever, waterfalls, glistening like silver threads, 
 amidst splendid forests clothing the very tops of 
 the mountains, and sloping gradually to the 
 coast, with all those varied hues and tints so 
 peculiar to the foliage in these islands, lend an 
 enchantment to the scene which no description 
 can convey a just idea of. These islands are 
 situated about 300 miles north-east of the Tonga 
 group, and are eight in number : Upolu, Savai, 
 Tutuela, Mana, Oresenga, and Ofu. Savai is 
 the largest, and Upolu the second in size, the 
 former being 300 miles in circumference, and 
 the latter about 200. The population of the
 
 164 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 whole Archipelago is supposed to be upwards of 
 180,000. The towns and villages are invariably 
 situated on or near the coasts, and no cultivation 
 extends farther than several miles in the interior, 
 so that the vast districts and forests in the centre 
 of these islands are totally uninhabited or culti- 
 vated. The precipitous ascent, and the almost 
 impenetrable bush, renders any travelling inland 
 a matter of extreme difficulty. 
 
 Skirting the coral reefs, which always surround 
 an island in these latitudes, we glided through 
 an opening in the green expanse, and came to 
 anchor in the beautiful Bay of Appia, the prin- 
 cipal port of Upolu, where several vessels were 
 already moored. Our decks were soon crowded 
 by natives (old acquaintances of Mr. Williams, 
 who had .spent ten years of his youth on this 
 island), and by several Europeans, amongst 
 whom was Mr. Pritchard, of Otaheite notoriety, 
 who acted at this time as British Consul at the 
 Navigators ; together with a gentleman who 
 called himself the American Consul, and several 
 small storekeepers. I went on shore with Mr. 
 Pritchard, who inhabited a small hut on the
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 165 
 
 coast, having sold his former house and plot 
 of ground to an agent of the firm of " Hort," 
 of Otaheite. There were several European 
 storekeepers, residing in small thatched native 
 houses, who retailed to the crews of whalers 
 and passing vessels, and the native popu- 
 lation, the commonest description of stores, 
 amongst which spirits of the worst description 
 formed a large item ; and there was an apology 
 for an hotel, kept by an African negro. I was 
 introduced by Mr. Pritchard to a Mr. de Boos, 
 who exercised the profession of a doctor on the 
 island, and lived in a small native house, built 
 of canes and thatch, where he kindly offered me 
 a corner and a stretcher during my stay. I 
 began to suffer much from the relaxation occa- 
 sioned by intense perspiration, the climate being 
 oppressive in the extreme, and the annoyance 
 caused by musquitoes was beyond all endurance. 
 The country, a short distance inland, is of the 
 richest and most picturesque description ; crystal 
 springs, transparent streams, and lovely water- 
 falls, are continually met with; but farther in 
 the interior it is so covered with thick and
 
 166 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 almost impenetrable jungle and forest, that, ex- 
 cept in a few narrow beaten tracks, or by the 
 beds and banks of streams and torrents, it is 
 nearly impossible to penetrate ; and the labour, 
 heat, and exertion, required for the effort, very 
 trying to an English constitution. The houses 
 of the natives are very similar to those of the 
 Friendly islanders, except that they consist merely 
 of bamboo frames, thatched with the leaves of 
 the cocoa-nut tree, and open on all sides ; these 
 openings being closed by mats when desired, or 
 in rainy weather, which (although nominally the 
 dry season) was nearly continuous during my resi- 
 dence here, and added much to the heat and 
 closeness of the atmosphere. The night dews 
 and damp emanating from the soil are tremen- 
 dous, and account for its extreme fertility. Most 
 of the productions of the Eastern and Western 
 tropics grow here spontaneously ; such as indigo, 
 sugar-cane, the coffee shrub, arrow-root, nutmeg, 
 and a variety of others ; and the climate and soil 
 are capable of producing any fruit or vegetable 
 known in similar latitudes ; but the inhabitants 
 are too indolent to give themselves any trouble
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 167 
 
 beyond raising what is absolutely necessary for 
 their existence. The bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, ba- 
 nana, and other fruits, grow in such profusion, 
 that they require very little culture. Pigs, poultry, 
 and ducks abound, but no care is taken of their 
 variety or improvement. 
 
 There are no wild animals, except hogs that 
 have taken to the woods, and no game birds, 
 except the large pigeons before alluded to, and 
 wild-fowl; and no reptiles of any kind. Fish 
 abound on the coast, many of a poisonous 
 nature. The natives are aware of the distinc- 
 tion. They fish chiefly with spears and small 
 ineffectual nets, and eat the smaller kinds in 
 their raw state. 
 
 There is no supreme government, but a sort 
 of feudal aristocracy, consisting of several chiefs 
 of certain districts, together with subordinate 
 governors of villages. They are often at war 
 with each other (as they were at the time of my 
 arrival), but which is not of a very destructive 
 nature, each tribe collecting in bands of several 
 thousands, at some distance from its opponents, 
 armed with clubs and muskets of a very inferior
 
 168 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 quality (which they purchase from whalers and 
 other ships in exchange for cocoa-nut oil, and 
 which they are very much afraid of discharging, 
 generally turning their heads away during the 
 operation of pulling the trigger), and forming a 
 temporary encampment of huts, where they hold 
 assemblies, dance, eat, and drink " cava," until 
 some determination as to the cams belli is arrived 
 at ; when, if they ultimately decide to go to war, 
 a few skirmishes in ambush by land, or at re- 
 spectable distances in their war canoes at sea, 
 generally decide the contest, without much loss 
 of life, until some fresh occasion brings about a 
 similar scene. 
 
 Some of the men are amongst the finest speci- 
 mens of the human race I ever met with, abso- 
 lutely magnificent ; standing six feet four or five 
 in height, and admirably proportioned, but in- 
 clining rather to fat and rotundity : they are 
 generally indeed a very fine race, although few 
 are free from some cutaneous disease. The 
 women are inferior to the men (although I have 
 seen some very beautiful exceptions), with gene- 
 rally flat noses, thick lips, heavy countenances,
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 169 
 
 and fat and clumsy in their make. In point of 
 " coiffeur " and " costume " they very much re- 
 semble their sisters of Tonga, but are of rather 
 a lighter copper colour ; and practise the utmost 
 and most scrupulous cleanliness. They possess 
 most of the natural attributes of half-civilized 
 savages, and, without being great thieves, are 
 inclined to petty pilfering and deceit. They 
 do not exhibit so much self-pride and dignity 
 as the subjects of King George, and can gene- 
 rally be bribed to do anything. In fact, what- 
 ever they may have been on their first and early 
 conversion to our own faith, their great admix- 
 ture with Europeans of the worst class, and the 
 present state of society at Appia, the principal 
 port, was quite sufficient to account for their de- 
 moralization ; and, certainly, the bad examples 
 before their eyes were sufficient to destroy most 
 missionary influences, of which, indeed, except 
 a few of the outward forms of religion, I could 
 see but little appearance of at this place. When 
 I was there no Protestant Missionary resided on 
 the spot, but at a town about twelve miles lower 
 down the coast. There was, however, a Catholic 
 
 i
 
 170 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 Cathedral, with a large establishment and school 
 attached to it, that appeared to be well attended. 
 The white resident population, comprising store- 
 keepers and others, might amount to about fifty 
 individuals, but several whalers and other vessels 
 were generally at anchor in the bay. The 
 Americans and English were divided by a small 
 river that flowed into the bay, making a line of 
 demarcation between their respective dwellings, 
 and formed quite separate communities. I men- 
 tioned that on our arrival we were visited, 
 amongst others, by a certain Mr. Van Camp, 
 who styled himself American Consul; whether 
 he had any legal right to that dignity or not ap- 
 peared a matter of conjecture, but he certainly 
 exercised the privileges of the office in a way at 
 once profitable to himself, and injurious to others. 
 During my stay, two American vessels (barques), 
 or at least under the American flag, on their 
 voyage from California to Sydney, had touched 
 at Appia for water and provisions, where by 
 some extraordinary arrangement between the soi 
 diaant Consul, and some of the persons on board, 
 they were both condemned as not being sea-
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 171 
 
 worthy, and sold, together with their cargoes, by 
 auction at this port. The proceeds of the sale 
 would, of course, be for the benefit of the owners, 
 in due course of law, but the vessels and their 
 contents were purchased by the Consul, or his 
 agents, at ridiculously low prices, as there was 
 no one to bid against him, and by this means 
 he was supposed to have realized a tolerable 
 hoard of dollars. This was not effected without 
 some trouble and danger, as the aggrieved parties 
 amongst the passengers and crew, who had lost 
 their passage and property, and were thrown 
 helpless upon these remote shores, without any 
 present means of leaving them, very often ex- 
 pressed their opinion of Mr. Van Camp's pro- 
 ceedings in a very decided and hostile manner, 
 and scenes took place near his residence not 
 much to the edification of the islanders ; during 
 which, language of the most horrible nature, 
 and revolvers, and bowie knives were made use 
 of. He was, however, too strongly supported 
 by several Americans, and a party of natives in 
 his pay, to fear any successful opposition, and 
 was himself a man of ferocious and fearless de- 
 
 i 2
 
 172 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 meanour. His only apprehension, I fancy, pointed 
 to his being overhauled by some American 
 frigate, before he had made off with his easily- 
 earned dollars, which it was supposed he was 
 on the eve of doing, as by that time some of his 
 proceedings must have been known to the autho- 
 rities at home, and he had literally frightened 
 most American vessels away from the islands, 
 by the rapacity and injustice of his proceedings : 
 not only having made away with much property 
 most unlawfully, but many affrays having taken 
 place, during which lives had been nearly sacri- 
 ficed. Poor old Mr. Pritchard had requested 
 more than once to see his commission or diploma 
 as Consul, but had always been refused. 
 
 On the opposite side of the river, although 
 violent scenes were of rare occurrence, still 
 drunkenness and debauchery were in the ascen- 
 dant. Every storekeeper lived with a native 
 mistress, who styled herself his wife, and was 
 always proud of her connexion with a white 
 man. The captains of vessels in the bay had 
 most of them their temporary liasona, and the 
 crews theirs, and passed most of their evenings
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 173 
 
 in drinking, singing, and obscene conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 I made several trips, in company with some 
 very intelligent residents, a short distance into 
 the interior, particularly with the two shipwrecked 
 American officers, who had accompanied us from 
 Tongataboo, and although the heat was intense, 
 we were recompensed for our sufferings by the 
 singular beauty of the scenery. We always 
 travelled very lightly clad, in fact with nothing 
 on but a suit of calico, and when oppressed with 
 heat, plunged into the first stream, or natural 
 fountain we met with, continued our walk, or 
 rather scramble, until dry again, and repeated 
 the luxurious experiment. Although I had spent 
 several years in India, and had traversed the 
 vast forests of the Coromandel Coast, as well as 
 the Ghauts between Poonah and Bombay, I never 
 saw anything like . the variety and beauty of 
 tropical foliage that is common to these islands. 
 The teak, banyan, tamarind, and all the finest 
 trees of the East are found here, together with 
 a great number of others peculiar to this loca- 
 lity; and the richness of the virgin soil, and
 
 174 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 refreshing rains that fall during the whole year, 
 combine to heighten the natural tints and ver- 
 dure of the forest to a wonderful degree. Now 
 and then an oasis is gained where the various 
 trees are more sparingly scattered, and through 
 the midst of which, a stream of exquisite trans- 
 parency, from which ran a succession of beautiful 
 waterfalls ; sometimes widening into a miniature 
 lake, and sometimes gently gliding in its tranquil 
 course, between "velvet banks of emerald green," 
 forming a picture of fairy-like enchantment ; and 
 in such spots as these we often spent the day, 
 the greater part of it in the stream itself, in 
 company with a numerous suite of native ladies 
 and gentlemen, who had assisted us in transport- 
 ing our provisions from Appia, cooking them in 
 native ovens, and foraging for fruits and vege- 
 tables. Dancing on the velvet turf, and per- 
 forming aquatic gymnastics, at which they were 
 wonderful proficients, being in fact perfectly 
 amphibious, were their chief amusements. 
 
 This description of scenery is, however, sup- 
 posed to be confined to within a few miles of the 
 coast. Further inwards, a rugged ascent leads
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 175 
 
 towards the summit of the mountains, clothed 
 with a thick and impenetrable forest. The in- 
 habitants appear to know nothing of the central 
 parts of their island, but have merely vague 
 stories and legends connected with it. Amongst 
 others was that of a large inland lake, containing 
 a beautiful sort of fish, situated some fifteen 
 miles from Appia, high up amongst the moun- 
 tains, and which would well repay the trouble 
 and toil of visiting. My American friends pre- 
 vailed upon me to accompany them, and we set 
 out on this expedition, accompanied by about 
 a dozen islanders, some to carry provisions for 
 several days, and blankets and tarpaulins for 
 our nightly bivouacs, and others armed with 
 hatchets to act as pioneers, or literally cut our 
 way through the bush, which was the only means 
 we had of penetrating the interior. After leaving 
 the comparatively level ground within a few miles 
 of the beach, the ascent was extremely difficult 
 and fatiguing ; we had very often to creep upon 
 our hands and knees, making very slow progress; 
 indeed, the first day we did not make above two 
 miles of way at farthest, when being completely
 
 176 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 fatigued, and having found a spring, we cleared 
 a space, and commenced our culinary operations 
 in native ovens as usual, which is a simple and 
 excellent method of cooking, and where stones 
 and fire are procurable can always be adopted. 
 Sleep, however, was to me out of the question, 
 as we were literally devoured by musquitoes, and 
 the rain drenched us completely towards morning. 
 Continuing our course upwards, the bush grow- 
 ing thicker and thicker, and not being able to 
 see anything many yards before us, owing to 
 the deep shade of the forest trees over our heads, 
 and the density of the underwood below, I met 
 with an adventure that might have proved seri- 
 ous. We each of us carried our guns, more with 
 a view of shooting pigeons and wild fowl, than 
 anything else, and had lost sight in some mea- 
 sure of the chance of meeting with wild hogs, 
 which we were told abounded in the bush. I 
 was a little in advance of my companions, having 
 discovered a sort of track, by which I thought 
 some way might be made without the continual 
 exertions of our pioneers ; when, upon attempt- 
 ing to squeeze myself through a verdant thicket,
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 177 
 
 completely enveloped with creepers and parasiti- 
 cal plants, a chorus of squeaking and grunting 
 saluted my ears, and I was nearly prostrated by 
 an immense mamma sow, with a numerous pro- 
 geny of delicate little suckers, that rushed pass 
 me. Before I had time to recover my nerves 
 from this unexpected rencontre, I observed stand- 
 ing immediately in front of me, and in most 
 dangerous proximity, one of the most formidable 
 looking boars I had ever set eyes on. His tusks 
 were long and sharp, and his fiery eyes be- 
 tokened anything but pacific intentions. There 
 was no time for hesitation ; I had nothing but a 
 charge of No. 4 in each barrel ; if I turned my 
 back, the enemy would probably charge me in 
 the rear, and the only chance I had was that of 
 blinding him, and then making a precipitate 
 retreat, or climbing a tree. Acting immediately 
 on this impulse, I cocked both barrels, took 
 steady aim at him between the eyes, as he stood 
 grunting angrily, and evidently about to make a 
 charge, about ten paces from me in the centre of 
 the thicket, and through an opening where I had 
 a good view of him pulled both triggers at 
 
 i3
 
 178 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 once ; I did not wait for the rush of the animal, 
 but springing on one side, caught hold of the 
 pendant branches of a tree close by, and soon 
 managed to mount beyond the reach of my 
 enemy; who I observed below, making the forest 
 resound with his grunting, and running in a cir- 
 cular course through the bushes in the immediate 
 vicinity. 
 
 The noise of the shots, etc., brought my com- 
 panions to the spot, who being accustomed to 
 this sport in the Sandwich Islands soon saw how 
 matters stood. I had left my gun on the ground 
 during my ascent of the tree, but they carried 
 theirs slung behind their shoulders. They saw 
 the boar was probably blinded by my shot; both 
 rammed down a bullet over their charge of No. 
 4, and taking convenient positions behind trees 
 in the area of his rotatory course, they very soon 
 stopped his career with several balls behind the 
 shoulder. He was an enormous brute, weighing 
 in all probability above SOOlbs., and was armed 
 with tremendous tusks. 
 
 We now saw that the difficulty and fatigue of 
 prosecuting our trip was so great, besides the
 
 THE NAVIGATOE ISLANDS. 179 
 
 uncertainty of finding the lake after all, that we 
 determined to return, which we did in long pro- 
 cession, the natives carrying the hog slung on a 
 pole upon their shoulders. 
 
 Shortly after this, I made another and much 
 more interesting tour to the southern part of the 
 island of Upolu, and about thirty miles from 
 Appia, for the purpose of visiting a son of Mr. 
 Pritchard's, who had a cottage on the coast, and 
 a vessel (a cutter of about twenty tons) in which 
 he traded through the different islands for cocoa- 
 nut oil, and also to attend a war party that was 
 encamped not far from his residence, previous to 
 commencing hostilities with a neighbouring tribe 
 in the island of Savaii. One of the most im- 
 portant chiefs of this party was a friend of his, 
 and in stature and imposing appearance, one of 
 the finest of this very fine race of men. I made 
 the voyage from Appia, in company with my 
 two American friends, in a whale boat belonging 
 to the negro proprietor of the hotel I before- 
 mentioned, and who, having married a native 
 woman of some rank, was himself considered a 
 chief. This boat contained a party of upwards
 
 180 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 of thirty individuals. The proprietor was at the 
 helm, my two friends, several native ladies, wives 
 or connexions of warriors at the camp, and 
 myself in immediate contiguity with him, and 
 the rest was composed of a crew of vigorous 
 islanders (two men to each oar), who propelled 
 the boat with prodigious speed through the 
 water, chaunting in time, to the strokes of their 
 oars, some of the ancient romances of their 
 country, in praise of warriors and heroes, the 
 key-note being always given to them by the 
 helmsman, who although originally a West In- 
 dian, was a very clever fellow, and initiated into 
 all the literature of the island. Our course was 
 inside the coral reef that surrounds the coast, 
 leaving a clear space of from one to two miles 
 between it and the beach of calm and beautifully 
 transparent water. 
 
 We passed several large villages, the first 
 about twelve miles from Appia, where two mis- 
 sionaries resided, and a printing press for print- 
 ing the Scriptures and other religious publica- 
 tions into the Samoan language was in full 
 operation. Nothing could be more picturesque
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 181 
 
 and comfortable in appearance than the dwellings 
 of these gentlemen ; indeed, the position of a 
 missionary in most of the South Sea Islands now 
 (climate excepted) is a very agreeable one, and 
 presents a well-deserved contrast to their original 
 sufferings and privations. 
 
 Towards evening we arrived at the residence 
 of Mr. William Pritchard, where my friends and 
 I disembarked, Black Bill (as he was termed) 
 and the rest of the party going on to the war 
 camp. We were most hospitably entertained by 
 our host with all the island delicacies, such as 
 sucking pig, turkey, and fish of various kinds, 
 dressed in the native oven ; to which we added 
 some bottles of ale and porter, and a small 
 modicum of eau de vie. 
 
 The chief, Bullimacow, whose wigwam was 
 close by, joined us after dinner, and partook of a 
 cigar and a little cold without with infinite gusto. 
 Pritchard spoke the language well, and inter- 
 preted some very curious questions asked by him 
 relative to Great Britain and the Colonies ; dur- 
 ing the evening he invited us to his habitation, 
 where, in company with two ladies, he rehearsed
 
 182 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 a war dance that was to be executed at the 
 camp the following day. The performers, naked 
 to the waist, wore coronets and armlets, com- 
 posed of the extreme portion of the nautilus 
 shell, polished to the highest pitch of brilliancy, 
 and having all the appearance of gigantic pearls. 
 Around the waist and descending to the knees 
 a large mat was gracefully folded, manufactured 
 of island grasses, and almost equal in fineness 
 and ductility of texture to a piece of linen. 
 These mats are made at an infinite expense of 
 time and labour, sometimes occupying whole 
 years in the fabrication of one alone. They 
 form the chief riches of the inhabitants, are 
 always precious heirlooms, and carefully pre- 
 served in families, and are prized for their anti- 
 quity much more than their novelty. A stranger 
 wishing to purchase one of these would have 
 to pay a very exorbitant price. The usual dowry 
 of a young girl when given in marriage is a cer- 
 tain number of these mats. During the con- 
 tinuance of the dance, which consists chiefly of 
 slow and quick movements of the whole body, 
 but particularly the arms, expressive of different
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 183 
 
 passions, this mat is frequently changed for one 
 of another description, exactly resembling the 
 hide of a Polar bear, but made of the fibres of 
 the cocoa-nut tree, dyed to a snowy whiteness, 
 and contrasts very beautifully with their dark 
 skins ; indeed, notwithstanding the primitive 
 nature of their costume, there is something ex- 
 ceedingly graceful in their appearance and per- 
 formance. The tall noble-looking chief with his 
 white apron and nautilus crown was, I think, the 
 most striking object I ever beheld. 
 
 The following morning I quitted my hammock 
 at day-break, and after a delicious bathe in a 
 spring, we started in pursuit of pigeons and wild 
 fowl, and made a good bag by breakfast time. 
 The pigeons were so fat, that some of them 
 literally burst on falling on the ground from a 
 high tree ; and the ducks were very large and 
 well-flavoured. After breakfast we embarked in 
 Mr. Pritchard's cutter, and sailed for the ex- 
 treme southern point of the island, where the 
 war camp was situated. A few hours brought 
 us to our destination, and upon landing on a 
 shelving beach, we soon gained a large opening
 
 184 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 that had been cleared in the forest, where a 
 great number of cane and bamboo huts, thatched 
 with cocoa-nut leaves, had been recently erected. 
 Many warriors, elaborately tattooed chiefly about 
 the loins and thighs, were parading about with 
 their muskets. The whole place was bestrewed 
 with tokens of the former night's festivities, and 
 the greater part of the inhabitants were reposing 
 from the fatigues of pleasure rather than war. 
 Our friend the chief conducted us to his residence, 
 one of the most spacious, and where a number 
 of his male and female connexions were stretched 
 upon their mats and wooden pillows ; and after 
 accepting his hospitable invitation to dine and 
 sleep, we strolled into the forest with our guns, 
 for the joint purpose of exploring the country 
 and procuring some game. 
 
 Upon our return the camp was all alive with 
 stirring sounds and sights. The women were 
 superintending the ovens with their contents of 
 fish, flesh, and fowl, yams, taroo, and bread-fruit; 
 others were manufacturing cava, in the manner 
 I have formerly described, and parties of young 
 girls were adorning fine mats with various co-
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 185 
 
 loured feathers. Some of the men were sitting 
 in groups and chanting war songs, and others 
 employed in spearing fish and the more labori- 
 ous occupations of the camp. We were re- 
 ceived with great cordiality, and presently took 
 our seats on mats in our appointed residence, 
 where the contents of the ovens were spread 
 before us in baskets of cocoa-nut leaves, with 
 other fresh leaves to serve as plates, and the 
 halves of the nuts for drinking glasses; and, 
 having brought our own condiments, such as 
 salt and pepper, with us, we made an excellent 
 meal. Upwards of 2,000 persons were assem- 
 bled on this occasion ; and, alas ! in direct oppo- 
 sition to the persuasions of the missionaries, 
 many of them had undergone a severe contest 
 between their religious feelings and their native 
 customs and prejudices before adopting this 
 course ; but the fear of losing caste, and being 
 considered cowards by their countrymen, was 
 generally too strong to be resisted. On the 
 approach of night, great preparations were made 
 for the dance, which was to be performed on a 
 very grand scale. About one hundred indi-
 
 186 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 viduals, male and female, figured on this occa- 
 sion, adorned with the choicest specimens of 
 Samoan finery. The music was a kind of wooden 
 drum beat by the fingers of children, and ac- 
 companied by their voices. The slow and rather 
 graceful movements in the early part of the per- 
 formance soon changed to more rapid and com- 
 plicated ones ; and the last act of the ballet, 
 under the influence of cava and excitement, was 
 of rather a more voluptuous nature than the 
 strict rules of modesty and propriety could 
 warrant. One party of dancers made way for 
 another, and so on in succession, until the night 
 was far advanced ; when, having seen as much 
 as we desired of the camp and its concomitants, 
 and not exactly relishing the idea of laying our 
 heads on wooden pillows in the midst of Bulli- 
 macow and his numerous suite, we persuaded 
 Black Bill to man his whale boat, and, by the 
 light of a glorious moon, and fanned by the 
 soft breezes of a tropical night, started on our 
 return to Appia. We breakfasted, and allowed 
 our crew two hours' rest, at a village about half 
 way to our destination, and on the following
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 187 
 
 morning, about ten o'clock, found ourselves 
 under the lea of the little schooner " Ariel," in 
 the harbour of Appia. 
 
 Several boats were pulling around her, and it 
 was evident something of interest was going on. 
 On a nearer inspection we found that they had 
 hooked an enormous shark, of dimensions far 
 too large to allow any chance of hauling it on 
 board, and were endeavouring to slip hawsers 
 around its body, so as to be able to tow it on 
 shore. This, in spite of its terrific struggles, 
 was at length effected ; and when dragged upon 
 the beach, never did I behold such a monster of 
 the deep. Its length was twenty-three feet, and 
 the jaws expanded were two feet in breadth, 
 with treble and quadruple rows of fangs, that 
 would have made mince-meat of a bullock. The 
 natives are extremely fond of the flesh of the 
 shark ; and upon Mr. Williams making them a 
 present of it, in a very few minutes the whole of 
 the gigantic carcase was dissected into small 
 portions, and disappeared in the ovens. 
 
 During my absence a brig, belonging to 
 Messrs. Montefiore and Co., of Sydney, had ar-
 
 188 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 rived from Otaheite, en route to the former place, 
 and as I found that Mr. Williams would pro- 
 bably be detained for some time longer at Appia 
 and the adjacent islands, before he could com- 
 plete his cargo of cocoa-nut oil, I determined, if 
 possible, to take my passage by her. The cap- 
 tain, who was a very agreeable and intelligent 
 man, informed me that he had just quitted the 
 Penrhyn Islands, where he had been for about a 
 fortnight, employing the natives in diving for 
 the mother-o'-pearl oyster, which abounds on 
 the reefs in that locality, and has become rather 
 an important article in the home commerce. 
 His vessel was laden with shell and cocoa-nut oil. 
 He had some idea of touching at Wallis's Island 
 on the homeward passage, but had not quite 
 made up his mind. The accommodation on 
 board was far superior to that of the " Ariel," 
 and I secured my passage to Sydney with him 
 for the sum of 30. 
 
 The interval of a few days that I had to 
 remain on this beautiful island (although its 
 charms were much deteriorated by the oppres- 
 sive heat), were spent in revisiting those most
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 189 
 
 easily attainable and picturesque spots I had al- 
 ready explored, and satiating my vision with the 
 extraordinary richness and variety of the foliage. 
 Several American whalers were at anchor in the 
 harbour for the purpose of procuring provisions, 
 and I took the opportunity of visiting them, and 
 was not only most kindly treated by the cap- 
 tains, but instructed in all the mysteries of the 
 oil trade ; from the capture of " Behemoth " to 
 his ultimate metamorphosis into the contents of 
 a penny lamp. The most valuable of his species, 
 the sperm whale, from various causes, either real 
 or imaginary, has become much more scarce of 
 late years than formerly ; still the Americans, 
 who now almost monopolize the whaling trade, 
 and whose principal port for fitting out these 
 vessels is New Bedford, make large fortunes in 
 this pursuit ; and a more enterprizing hardy set 
 of men than both officers and crew are composed 
 of, it is impossible to meet. Receiving no pay, 
 and all having a joint interest in the success of 
 the cruise, which lasts, sometimes, for three or 
 four years, and amidst every variety of climate 
 and danger, they are stimulated to the highest
 
 190 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 pitch of energy and exertion. No grog is al- 
 lowed on board, and most of the captains I met 
 with were teetotallers. 
 
 I shall conclude my description of the Navi- 
 gator Islands by a brief historical summary. 
 They were discovered by the French in 1637. 
 In 1788 the celebrated La Perouse, together 
 with eleven of his companions, were killed by 
 the natives on one of these islands ; and sailors 
 of all nations were afraid of landing, as they 
 dreaded the treachery and ferocity of the inha- 
 bitants. 
 
 The famous missionary, Williams (the father 
 of my friend), visited this group in 1830. He 
 did not, at first, believe that the inhabitants were 
 cannibals, but subsequent disclosures attested 
 the horrible fact. They were a very warlike and 
 sanguinary people, and spared neither villages, 
 age, or sex, in their continual combats. When 
 Williams first set foot upon the shore, columns 
 of smoke in the distance announced the com- 
 mencement of a new war. This was occasioned 
 by the assassination of a dreadful tyrant, named 
 Tamafainga, by the Parti Molo (or the victorious
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 191 
 
 people), who dwelt chiefly at Manono and Upolu. 
 This war, which was carried on with the most 
 barbarous cruelty, continued long after the ar- 
 rival of the missionaries. 
 
 For a long time Williams, who had been 
 actively and successfully exerting himself as a 
 missionary in many of the South Sea Islands, 
 had felt an irresistible desire to preach the Gospel 
 to the Samoans, but his wife, who dreaded the 
 dangers he would encounter, sought to turn 
 aside this resolution. A change, however, came 
 over her mind, and, so far from preventing, she 
 encouraged him to undertake the enterprize. 
 
 Williams was at this time inhabiting the Island 
 of Rajatea, one of the Hervey group, which he 
 had entirely converted to Christianity ; and with 
 the very indifferent help he was able to obtain 
 from the natives, he constructed a vessel sixty 
 feet long and eighteen width of beam, which, 
 after a few trials, he navigated to the Island 
 of Savaii, accompanied by another missionary, 
 named Barff, and eight native converts. He 
 called his vessel "The Messenger of Peace." 
 Amongst the native crew was a Samoese, named
 
 192 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 Fawea, who earnestly desired the conversion of 
 his compatriots. Upon coming within sight of 
 Savaii, he became very sad and disconsolate, and 
 upon being asked the cause, he remarked how 
 much he feared the influence of Tamafainga, 
 even if all the other chiefs consented to re- 
 ceive the new arrivals. It is believed, added 
 Fawea, that he is possessed with the spirit of 
 the gods, and one word of his can destroy all 
 our hopes. They were soon surrounded by 
 canoes ; and Fawea, when amongst his country- 
 men, asked in a trembling voice, " What news 
 of Tamafainga?" " He is dead," they answered 
 at once, with evident joy, " we killed him ten 
 days ago !" upon which Fawea, throwing himself 
 at Williams's feet, exclaimed, " The devil is dead, 
 the devil is dead !" " What is your meaning?" 
 replied Williams. " Yes," said Fawea, " the 
 only obstacle in our way is removed, Tamafainga 
 is no more !" Upon which they cast anchor, and 
 went on shore. 
 
 Fawea declared their wishes and intentions 
 to his countrymen, and they immediately dis- 
 patched a messenger to Upolu for their great
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 193 
 
 chief Malietoa, who sanctioned the wishes of the 
 missionaries, and was glad to see his people 
 desired to be instructed. Still he had taken up 
 arms that very day, and would not yet decide 
 upon peace ; but promised that on the termina- 
 tion of this war, he would hang up the sword for 
 ever as far as he was concerned. Williams left 
 his eight teachers at Savaii and Manono, and 
 promised to bring others the following year. 
 
 It was not until two years had elapsed, that 
 he was able to realize this promise, and to ob- 
 serve the success that had attended the efforts 
 of his original followers. He first landed at 
 Manono, where a canoe came out to meet him 
 filled with natives, who exclaimed, " We are the 
 children of the word ; we expect a vessel of reli- 
 gion, that will bring us preachers of the gospel 
 of Christ. Is yours the ship we have been 
 awaiting ?" 
 
 At Tutuela, the shores were covered with 
 islanders, so much so, that when Williams ap- 
 proached he was seized with fear, and ordered 
 the sailors to hold on their oars ; but a -native, 
 who had already announced that in this district
 
 194 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 there were upwards of fifty Christians, jumped 
 into the water, and holding on to the boat, ex- 
 claimed, "Son! will you not land, and visit us?" 
 
 " I know not," replied Williams, " whether I 
 dare trust myself amongst you, for I have heard 
 that you are a very savage people." 
 
 " We are no longer savages, we are Chris- 
 tians !" 
 
 " Ye ! Christians ? who can have instructed 
 you in Christianity?" 
 
 " A great white chief, named Williams, arrived 
 at Savaii two years since, and left behind hiin 
 some teachers of religion. Several amongst our- 
 selves, who were then on that island, told the 
 news to our countrymen on our return, and we 
 became also children of the word. Behold! they 
 are all assembled on the beach." 
 
 When Williams made himself known, they 
 rushed into the sea and drew his boat to shore ; 
 and upon his arrival, pointed out a cane edifice 
 amongst the bushes, to which they gave the 
 name of a church. 
 
 "Who performs divine service?" asked Wil- 
 liams.
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 195 
 
 (( T 
 
 " But who instructed you ?" 
 
 " Do you observe that canoe near your own ? 
 It belongs to me. Every week I make the voy- 
 age to Savaii, where I receive instruction from 
 the teachers ; after which I return, and on Sun- 
 day communicate these instructions to my coun- 
 trymen. Thus when I am empty, I return to 
 Savaii and seek for more knowledge. But where 
 is the teacher you promised ?" 
 
 When the islanders learnt that there was no 
 teacher for Tutuela, they began to weep, and 
 Williams had great difficulty in calming them. 
 The scene which I have just traced took place in 
 the same bay where the unfortunate La Perouse 
 and his companions were massacred by the 
 savages in 1788. Everywhere Williams expe- 
 rienced the same desire expressed for teachers. 
 At Manono nearly the whole population was con- 
 verted, and upon this island was built a chapel 
 capable of containing seven hundred people, and 
 which was filled every Sunday. 
 
 Christianity was spread over upwards of thirty 
 villages in the adjoining islands; and at length a 
 
 K 2
 
 196 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 general assembly was held at Manono, at which 
 the old chief Malietoa exclaimed, on turning to- 
 wards his people, " Are we all of one accord ? 
 Shall we then become Christians ?" And turn- 
 ing towards Williams, said, " Return as quickly 
 as possible, and bring hither your wife, and all 
 that belongs to you, to live and die with us, and 
 teach us to worship God, and serve Jesus Christ." 
 
 Soon after this Williams returned to England, 
 where he excited so much general enthusiasm in 
 favour of the South Sea missions, that he suc- 
 ceeded in obtaining six missionaries for the Na- 
 vigator Islands. For this purpose a large vessel 
 called the " Campden" was purchased, equipped, 
 and destined exclusively to the service of the 
 South Sea missions. This vessel returned to 
 London in 1842, in a very damaged condition, 
 after having been employed five years in this 
 service. 
 
 By means of abundant subscriptions, another 
 vessel was bought, and fitted out for sea, under 
 the name of the " John Williams," and arrived 
 at Hobart Town October, 1844. 
 
 It was in 1836 that Williams first introduced
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 197 
 
 the missionaries into the Samoan Islands, and 
 before installing them in their office, demanded, 
 as a condition of their remaining, that the wars 
 should be terminated, and the quarrels made up. 
 Malietoa consented to this, and permitted his 
 enemies, then in exile, to return. 
 
 In a short time some extraordinary changes 
 were operated in the country; most of the 
 islanders were baptized, and amongst them indi- 
 viduals previously remarkable for the most atro- 
 cious crimes. Williams with his family inhabited 
 these islands for some years, until he was killed 
 in November, 1839, in a fatal expedition to the 
 New Hebrides, at the island of Erromanga. The 
 last letter which he wrote, four days before his 
 death, breathed a presentiment of his approach- 
 ing end. At length the whole of the inhabitants 
 of the Navigator group became nominally Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 Mr. Williams (my fellow voyager) had spent 
 upwards of ten years at Upolu in a mercantile 
 capacity, and had at one time acted as American 
 Consul, as it was always a great resort for 
 American whaling vessels.
 
 198 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 The foregoing brief sketches I have collected 
 from the best local sources, and have no doubt 
 of their entire authenticity. The respect and 
 reverence for the name of Williams is still as 
 great as ever amongst the inhabitants ; and their 
 attachment to the son would ensure him almost 
 a monopoly of the little native commerce on the 
 island, in the event of his again establishing him- 
 self there; but, as I before stated, their sub- 
 sequent admixture with Europeans, and fami- 
 liarity with the vices of civilization, has much 
 changed the characters of the Samoans, parti- 
 cularly in those spots most under the influence 
 of these external causes. They have become 
 avaricious in the extreme. Toys and trinkets 
 they are beginning to despise, and display a 
 great desire to possess dollars. Indolent in the 
 last degree, although their luxuriant soil would 
 furnish them with any quantity of cocoa-nut oil, 
 for the little they do manufacture they are be- 
 ginning to demand an extravagant price, and to 
 attempt to depreciate in value those articles which 
 were formerly offered them in exchange, such as 
 white and printed cottons, straw hats, cotton
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 199 
 
 umbrellas, muskets, etc. They observe the same 
 conduct in regard to the price of provisions fur- 
 nished to resident white men, Europeans, and 
 vessels in port. These formerly were cheap and 
 plentiful, but now they are dear and scarce; 
 and as the latter class are entirely dependent 
 on the natives for their supplies, it becomes a 
 very serious matter. There is literally no govern- 
 ment of any kind, and a total absence of execu- 
 tive law. 
 
 These islands are well worth the notice and 
 attention of the British Government, both from 
 their geographical position and extraordinary 
 fertility. Every tropical production of the globe 
 might be cultivated here with success ; and 
 situated as they are, within a fortnight's sail (or 
 less by a steam boat) from the coast of New 
 South Wales, what a market might be obtained 
 for their produce in that vast empire, which our 
 Australian Colonies are speedily becoming ! 
 
 The great difficulty, or rather primary impedi- 
 ment, is the permission to occupy land from the 
 natives, which they are very jealous of granting, 
 although, as I before stated, thousands of acres,
 
 200 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 in fact the whole interior, of these splendid 
 islands are completely uncleared, and only de- 
 mand common working labour to render them 
 the most productive in the world. I should 
 imagine, however, that a little diplomacy by 
 clever and able individuals would soon conquer 
 this obstacle, and that has certainly been exer- 
 cised by the Government on objects far less 
 worthy of their consideration. 
 
 From what I could derive from my own obser- 
 vation, the present missionary influences are 
 rather against than in favour of European set- 
 tlers. The inhabitants, not nearly so numerous 
 as formerly, as is the case with all the Polyne- 
 sians after their admixture with white men, (wit- 
 ness the melancholy state of the Society Islands,) 
 although indolent in the extreme, from their en- 
 creasing desire for acquisition, would eagerly 
 listen to advantageous offers from a Government 
 they have learnt to respect, although they might 
 reject those of private individuals ; and the vici- 
 nity of an imposing naval force would be quite 
 sufficient for the protection of British interests. 
 
 The climate, although oppressively hot, is in
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 201 
 
 other respects very salubrious, and quite free 
 from those fevers and epidemic diseases so com- 
 mon to the East and West Indies. Cholera has 
 never been known here. 
 
 What I propose is, that an attempt should be 
 made, either by the Government or an authorized 
 company, to purchase large tracks of land, much 
 in the same way as it has been done in New 
 Zealand ; and that this land should be resold in 
 lots to settlers, and thus the finest territory 
 (considering the dimensions) in the world might 
 be made perhaps the most valuable and pro- 
 ductive, instead of remaining, as at present, an 
 uncultivated jungle. 
 
 The Island of Savaii is twice the size of Ota- 
 heite, and not inferior to it either in beauty or 
 fertility. The Navigator group are situated be- 
 tween 10 and 15 south latitude, and 185 and 
 195 east longitude. 
 
 The time had now arrived for my departure 
 from Appia, and I did not leave this beautiful 
 island without some feeling of regret. It had 
 long been one of my day-dreams, to visit the 
 South Sea Islands ; that dream had now been 
 
 K3
 
 202 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 realized, and although much of the magical 
 delusion had been dispelled by reality, still 
 enough remained to stamp the remembrance of 
 it with an indelible charm upon my memory. 
 I could have wished to extend my trip to the 
 neighbouring islands of Savaii and Tutuela ; but 
 was anxious to return to my family at Sydney. 
 The "Ariel" was absent in quest of cocoa-nut oil, 
 and on the llth of July, after taking leave of 
 my kind friends of both colours, I embarked on 
 board the brig "Louise and Miriam," 125 tons 
 burden, commanded by Captain Milne, and laden 
 with oil and shell from Tahiti and Penrhyn's 
 Islands. We sailed with a fine trade breeze, 
 and on the 13th made Wallis's Island, situated 
 in south latitude 13 24', and west longitude 
 176 1', and about 78 leagues west of Savaii. 
 This is not a single island, but a group of nine 
 or ten small ones, surrounded by a coral reef. 
 The land is high and well-wooded, and the 
 inhabitants (similar in manners and appearance 
 to those of the Friendly Islands) are numerous. 
 Many Roman Catholic missionaries took refuge 
 here when they were expelled from Tahiti, and
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 203 
 
 these islands are now the centre of Roman Ca- 
 tholic influence in Polynesia. A Roman Catholic 
 bishop resides here. The Wesleyans have a small 
 mission here also, but their efforts are sadly frus- 
 trated by the Catholics. 
 
 Our homeward course lay to the northward of 
 the Fejee Islands, whereas I had made the out- 
 ward voyage to the south of them. This large 
 group of islands, one of which is upwards of 
 150 leagues in circumference, are inhabited by 
 a race quite distinct from the Friendly and 
 Navigator natives, and belong more to the 
 Papuan tribes, who inhabit the Solomons, New 
 Hebrides, and New Guinea. With strong in- 
 dications of negro ferocity, they combine some 
 of the worst habits which disgrace a savage 
 population, especially the horrible vice of canni- 
 balism. Of their origin very little is known, 
 but the old men at Tongataboo assert, that their 
 ancestors were accustomed to visit them before 
 the present race arrived. The Wesley an mis- 
 sionaries were permitted to form a station at 
 some of the islands, under the protection of the 
 local chief, who appeared willing that their peo-
 
 204 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 pie should profit by the attainments of the white 
 men. Some Eejee inhabitants who had been 
 converted at Lefuga, wished that the benefits of 
 Christianity might be extended to their brethren, 
 and in 1836 the Rev. W. Cross and David 
 Cargill sailed thither from the Harpeian Islands, 
 and on their arrival at Lakemba, were well re- 
 ceived by the king. They were not ignorant of 
 the character of the barbarians they had under- 
 taken to civilize and enlighten ; for one of the 
 teachers resident in the neighbourhood had re- 
 cently communicated to the public a fearful 
 account of their cruel superstitions. Besides 
 cannibalism, he mentioned a practice nowhere 
 else noticed, of burying individuals alive, who 
 are either tired of life, or no longer fit for it. 
 Persons too old, or too ill to be of any farther 
 service, are the usual victims, although it is some- 
 times done at the request of those who from 
 religious motives are desirous to change this 
 state of existence for a better. In this case no 
 effort is made to dissuade the devotee from his 
 purpose. The willing murderers dig a hole of 
 sufficient size, in which they place him, the earth
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 205 
 
 is then cast upon him, and trodden down by the 
 feet of his own relatives and friends. 
 
 A war having arisen between the men of 
 Pau and Chikia, two of these islands, the latter, 
 who were victorious, resolved to signalize their 
 triumph by a great feast, and after the usual 
 dancing, and indulging in cava, the chiefs gave 
 orders to the cooks to bring forward the repast. 
 Immediately they advanced two and two, each 
 couple bearing on their shoulders a basket, in 
 which was the body of a man barbacued like a 
 pig. The bodies were placed before the monarch, 
 who was seated at the head of his company. 
 When these victims had been arranged on the 
 ground in due order, roasted pigs were brought 
 in like manner, and afterwards baskets of yams, 
 on each of which was a baked fowl. These 
 being regularly deposited, the number of dishes 
 was counted and announced to the guests with a 
 loud voice, when it appeared that two hundred 
 human bodies, two hundred hogs, and two hun- 
 dred baskets of yams formed the sum total. The 
 provisions were then divided into various lots, 
 all of which were severally dedicated to a par-
 
 206 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 ticular god ; after which they were committed to 
 the care of as many principal leaders, who shared 
 them out to all their attendants, so that every 
 man and woman became possessed of a portion 
 of each article. 
 
 Capt. Wells related to me that during the time 
 he was shipwrecked on these islands, and under 
 the protection of a chief, a great scarcity pre- 
 vailed, and cannabilism was more frequent than 
 ever. On one occasion, he witnessed a violent 
 quarrel between two men, near the dead body of 
 a woman, which lay disembowelled at a short 
 distance; and found that the two disputants had 
 killed the woman (who was the wife of one of 
 them) with a view of making a joint feast on the 
 body. The quarrel took place for the possession 
 of the liver, considered a great delicacy, the 
 husband asserting his right to a priority of choice 
 with great vehemence. It was to these islands 
 that King George had gone on a war expedition 
 from Tongataboo, at the time of our arrival 
 there, with about three thousand men in fifty 
 war canoes. 
 
 Small vessels carry on a brisk trade with the
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 207 
 
 natives for sandal wood, which grows there in 
 great luxuriance ; beche de la mer, or sea slug, 
 which is procured on the coast and preserved in 
 barrels ; and sharks fins are also preserved. All 
 these articles are disposed of in the China mar- 
 ket. The first is used as incense in the pagados 
 and Joss houses. The two latter are expensive 
 and highly-prized delicacies for the table. It 
 is not safe, however, to go on shore, except in 
 parties, and well armed, as the natives are the 
 most treacherous wretches in the world. 
 
 Mr. Calvert, a missionary, says that since the 
 year 1848 their endeavours to reclaim this savage 
 race from their horrible practices, and to convert 
 them to Christianity, have been attended with 
 some success ; and that a knowledge of the lan- 
 guage, a translation of the Scriptures, a printing- 
 press, and schools, have aided their progress. 
 The great extent of these islands, the fertility of 
 the soil, and proximity to the coast of New Hol- 
 land, all tend to render them of much import- 
 ance to the British colonists ; and although not 
 equal in richness to the Navigators, yet several 
 productions indigenous to the Fejees are not 
 found in those islands.
 
 208 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 Having passed these islands in a due westerly 
 course, we steered more to the south, and in 
 a direction between the southward point of New 
 Caledonia and Norfolk Island. The former large 
 and important island has now a French settle- 
 ment formed upon it, which has not progressed 
 very prosperously ; indeed, our Gallic neighbours, 
 from some cause or another, are, it would appear, 
 essentially bad colonists. The natives here also 
 are nearly related to the Papuans, are stoutly 
 made, with woolly hair, and very black skins, 
 and are believed to be desperate cannibals. The 
 Isle of Pines, which lies at the south extremity, 
 has been the scene of some terrible murders 
 committed by the natives upon the crews of 
 British trading vessels. 
 
 A short distance to the north of New Cale- 
 donia, and forming one of the New Hebrides, is 
 the island of Erromanga, where poor Williams 
 the missionary met his death on the 20th of 
 November, 1839. The circumstances attending 
 this tragical event are too well known to need 
 recapitulation. In 1840 the "Carnpden" sailed 
 again for Erromanga ; and, finding the inhabit- 
 ants on the opposite side of the island to that on
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 209 
 
 which Mr. Williams was killed tolerably well- 
 disposed to receive them, they landed the mis- 
 sionary, Mr. Heath, and several native teachers. 
 On visiting the island a second time, in 1841, 
 they had a clearer insight into the dangers to 
 which they were exposed. It was true that the 
 missionaries left there the preceding year were still 
 alive ; but they had only escaped by a miracle 
 from the voracity of the cannibals. The natives 
 resolutely opposed their departure, and attempted 
 by every means in their power to obtain from 
 the vessel on their coast some victims for their 
 horrible feasts. 
 
 After their deliverance, they related that it 
 was the custom of the country to kill and devour 
 without mercy every person, young or old, male 
 or female, they met with alone. When two 
 parties came in contact with each other, they 
 generally assumed a hostile attitude, and some 
 deaths usually ensued. When a man and wo- 
 man went to work in the forest, they were obliged 
 to take their children, and all that belonged to 
 them, with them, as those left behind were cer- 
 tain to be killed and eaten. The missionaries
 
 210 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 
 
 witnessed with their own eyes members of the 
 same family killing and devouring each other. 
 They observed also the heads of some strangers 
 stuck upon piles, who had been killed and eaten 
 immediately upon their being shipwrecked on 
 the island. 
 
 I mentioned the cruelty and voracity of the 
 inhabitants of the Isle of Pines towards stran- 
 gers. In 1842, a vessel called the " Star," from 
 Sydney, cast anchor off the coast, and the cap- 
 tain and crew went on shore for the purpose of 
 cutting wood. On a sign from a chief, the 
 natives rushed upon them and destroyed them 
 with their clubs, and then devoured them. After 
 having finished their horrible repast, they pro- 
 ceeded to the vessel in the boat, murdered the 
 remaining few who were on board, and ran her 
 ashore on the coast. 
 
 We soon passed the latitude of Norfolk Island, 
 now in the quiet possession of the peaceful and 
 virtuous Pitcairn islanders, instead of being the 
 abode of the most guilty and abandoned of cri- 
 minals. We sighted Lord Howe's Island, and 
 on the 12th of August, after a rather tedious
 
 THE NAVIGATOR ISLANDS. 211 
 
 passage, found ourselves becalmed some twenty 
 miles distance from Sydney Heads. We gra- 
 dually drifted nearer ; and, anxious to reach my 
 penates, I took the ship's boat and two men, and 
 rowed to Watson's Bay, where I joined the 
 steamer for Sydney.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 I HAD certainly made a very curious and in- 
 teresting voyage, but had done nothing towards 
 my own interests. I found my wife had re- 
 moved to my old dwelling on the north shore, 
 which now, in the early spring months, was the 
 most delicious climate in the world. 
 
 I now renewed my endeavours to obtain a 
 Government appointment, but without success ; 
 and thus spent several mouths of indolent repose 
 in this beautiful locality. I had some interest 
 at home, and had written on the subject of an 
 appointment in New Zealand, a country I had 
 also a great temptation to visit. The colonies 
 of New South Wales and Victoria were now
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 213 
 
 placed upon a very different political footing to 
 what they were on my arrival, having each ob- 
 tained constitutions of their own. Most of the 
 members of the representative houses had their 
 own friends to provide for. In anticipation 
 therefore of receiving a favourable answer from 
 England, I determined to proceed to New Zea- 
 land, and took my passage for Auckland by the 
 " William Denny " steamboat, in the beginning 
 of December, 1855. 
 
 A smooth and prosperous voyage, of ten days' 
 duration, brought us to anchor in the port, and 
 before the town of Auckland, a distance of 1200 
 miles from Sydney. I was much disappointed 
 with the aspect of this place. The dry and arid 
 colour of the soil, and nearly total absence of 
 trees near the town, give it a harsh and repulsive 
 appearance. The place, however, was encreasing 
 in size and importance. The principal street is 
 built on a steep ascent, which is crowned by the 
 Government offices, and commodious and forti- 
 fied barracks. Many private residences are sur- 
 rounded by extremely pretty gardens, where 
 European fruits and flowers flourish in great
 
 214 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 luxuriance. The new Governor, Colonel Gore 
 Brown, was absent on a tour of inspection at 
 Nelson and Wellington at the time of my arrival, 
 as also the celebrated Bishop Selwyn. Many 
 natives, Maoris, were lounging about the shops, 
 squatting down in parties on the sides of the 
 street, and, indeed, making themselves perfectly 
 at home. They were of a very different appear- 
 ance and character to their brethren of Northern 
 Polynesia. 
 
 The natives are of the Malay type, but of a 
 far finer race, of vigorous and athletic forms, 
 and naturally of a noble disposition. Even in 
 their most savage state, they soon learnt to ap- 
 preciate European commerce, arts, and agricul- 
 ture ; and at the beginning of this century com- 
 mercial relations existed between them and New 
 Guinea. Nevertheless it was impossible to ima- 
 gine the human race fallen to a deeper state of 
 degradation than was the case with these people, 
 even so late as 1830. An eye-witness speaks of 
 them about that date in the following manner : 
 
 " A New Zealander considers ferocity and the 
 love of war as the greatest of all human virtues.
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 215 
 
 He administers a sort of baptism to his children, 
 and during the ceremony forces small stones 
 down the throats of these tender creatures, with 
 the idea of hardening their hearts, and rendering 
 them inaccessible to pity. Prom their earliest 
 infancy they are encouraged to hatred, vengeance, 
 and the most cruel acts. He alone who excels 
 in these, is considered a great man by them. It 
 is impossible to describe the headlong ferocity of 
 their tempers. The smallest offence creates an 
 ardent desire for vengeance, which blood alone 
 can satisfy. When a native has fallen a victim 
 to the fury of his rival, his death is like a con- 
 suming flame, which attaches itself with the 
 rapidity of lightning to families and whole popu- 
 lations, who never lay by their arms until the 
 death of the last of their tribe. For weeks 
 together they traverse the country breathing 
 nothing but death and carnage. Hundreds are 
 often attacked, slain, and devoured, one after the 
 other, by these furious cannibals. All these 
 atrocious scenes are accompanied by others, the 
 recital of which would make the hair stand on 
 end. In time of peace they bring up the chil-
 
 216 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 dren, slaves, and other individuals they can get 
 into their power, for the express purpose of 
 roasting and eating them. This cannibalism is 
 the fruit of their superstitions. They represent 
 their god, named ' Atua/ as an invisible cannibal 
 who takes pleasure in the torments of men, and 
 who can only be driven away by hate and abuse. 
 If any one is sick, they say, ' Atua is devouring 
 his body ;' and utter horrible imprecations against 
 Atua to make him quit his victim ; but with all 
 this the proud New Zealander never stooped to 
 adore an image of stone, and no idols have been 
 found in the country. Their religious ceremonies 
 are almost entirely confined to the observation of 
 the ' Taboo.' They have a remarkable talent for 
 tattooing the body, and particularly the face, 
 with circular lines, which gives the countenance 
 a horrible appearance." 
 
 Such was the state of New Zealand a few 
 years ago ; but what a change has been operated 
 by even comparative civilization ! 
 
 It is true, as is the case with all the inhabi- 
 tants of Polynesia, when intermixed with white 
 men, that they have vastly diminished in num-
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 217 
 
 bers during late years ; and should the diminu- 
 tion continue in the same manner, they must, 
 in process of time, disappear altogether ; still 
 those that remain unite, with much of their 
 ancient ferocity and prejudices, many of the most 
 striking features of a civilized people. Since 
 1839, when New Zealand became a British 
 Colony, and the native chiefs of forty-six tribes 
 abandoned their right of sovereignty to the Bri- 
 tish Crown, the establishment of schools, the 
 influence of Christianity, and the example of the 
 colonists, have united to render the New Zea- 
 lander a clever and active producer, and a quick 
 and intelligent commercial calculator. With 
 these improvements also has arrived a conscious- 
 ness of what they consider the injustice they 
 have been treated with in the purchase of lands, 
 their own share of civil rights, and many other 
 points on which they are beginning to be ex- 
 tremely sensitive; and although the old natives 
 are aware of their own inability to occupy those 
 prominent positions in Church and State that 
 they see their white brethren in possession of, yet 
 they claim these privileges for their descendants, 
 
 L
 
 218 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 who shall receive the benefit of education. They 
 are a very proud race, and although glad to dis- 
 pose of the produce of their own labour, and 
 that at exorbitant prices, can rarely be induced 
 to work for others at all, or except for wages 
 equal to, or even beyond, those given to Euro- 
 peans. The introduction of the potatoe into this 
 country has been a wonderful source both of 
 profit and convenience to the inhabitants. It 
 forms their chief article of food and commerce, 
 and is of a remarkably fine quality. 
 
 At the period of my arrival at Auckland mat- 
 ters did not wear nearly so prosperous an ap- 
 pearance as I had been led to expect from the 
 descriptions I had received of this country. The 
 favourite theory, that New Zealand was to be- 
 come one of the chief granaries of Australia, 
 was fast dissolving, and the encreasing cultiva- 
 tion of all kinds in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra 
 districts in New South Wales, had very much 
 diminished the price of the staple article pota- 
 toes, which were now selling at Auckland for 5 
 the ton, whereas the previous year they were 
 worth 15 for the Melbourne and Sydney
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 219 
 
 markets. Commerce of all kinds was dull. 
 Land-jobbing had always been, and was still, 
 the chief occupation of the monied inhabitants, 
 and the agricultural emigrant, with a small 
 capital, either from Europe or the diggings, who 
 had arrived here, tempted by the delusive vision 
 of buying Government lands at ten shillings per 
 acre, discovered too late that such lands lay 
 either in the heart of some uncleared forest or 
 distant waste : even if he were sufficiently fortu- 
 nate to stir up the impracticable officials attached 
 to this department, to put him in the way of 
 becoming a purchaser; but that for any allot- 
 ments within easy distance of a market, or ap- 
 proachable by roads, he would in all probability 
 have to give as many pounds. 
 
 The climate is magnificent, the only drawback 
 being the frequency of high winds. The ex- 
 tremes of heat and cold are unknown, and there 
 is, perhaps, less daily variation in the tempera- 
 ture than in any other country ; and it is sup- 
 posed to be the most favourable to longevity. 
 
 After a stay of several days I made a trip of 
 twenty-five miles into the interior, as far as Cole's 
 
 L 2
 
 220 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 Inn, where the forest country commences, being 
 most anxious to witness the splendid woodland 
 scenery of New Zealand. The first part of the 
 road, which for about ten miles is well-made, 
 and passes through cultivated farms, presents a 
 succession of a rich variety of undulations, ter- 
 races, hills, and broken surfaces. The herbage 
 is green and luxuriant all the year round. The 
 marshy parts of the country are covered with 
 the phormium tenax, or New Zealand flax. Upon 
 leaving the pasture and arable lands the whole 
 surface of the country is covered with fern of 
 such a size and quality, that it cannot be pene- 
 trated without the risk of losing oneself, or cer- 
 tainly of having your clothes torn to pieces. 
 Passing several rivers and small streams, which 
 are abundant, we arrived at length at the little 
 tavern designated Cole's Inn, and is situated on 
 an arm of the sea, and on the borders of a forest. 
 Here we found rather poor accommodation, and 
 plenty of musquitoes, so that having no tempta- 
 tion to detain us in our beds, at sun-rise on the 
 following morning, after a plunge in a neighbour- 
 ing stream, I took my gun on my shoulder, and,
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 221 
 
 together with a gentleman who had accompanied 
 me from Auckland, bent my way to the forest. 
 
 Nature seems to have exhausted her wonderful 
 powers in forming a New Zealand forest with 
 trees of immense variety and of gigantic size, 
 covered with blossom and foliage of every hue ; 
 but so matted with creepers that a man cannot 
 move in them except on foot, and must often 
 leap from root to root to avoid swamps and 
 chasms. " So thick are the creepers and supple- 
 jacks," says Mr. Brees, a surveyor, "that I 
 have often been bound up by them like the lion 
 in the net, and compelled to call out to my men 
 to come and cut me out with their bill- hooks. 
 There are many mossy dells filled with leaves 
 and branches of trees. I remember to have once 
 slipped in making my way down a gully filled 
 with trunks and branches, and I am certain I 
 sunk through thirty or forty feet of vegetable 
 matter, which might have been collecting, for 
 what I know, ever since the deluge. All this is 
 very romantic and enchanting, but how does it 
 suit a farmer ? Then the beautiful and meander- 
 ing streams are constantly in the way, sometimes
 
 222 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 overflowing the banks and reducing all the level 
 land to the condition of swamps, covered with 
 the most inveterate flax, the edges of which are 
 almost as sharp as a razor. Sometimes the 
 stream is dammed up by blocks of trap rock, 
 which refuse to wear away, and the consequence 
 is, a basin deep enough to float a seventy-four 
 gun ship, which it is necessary to pass round." 
 In fact, few parts of the country can be traversed 
 except by the tracks of the natives. No animals 
 are indigenous to the country except the mouse 
 and the bat. There are very few varieties of 
 birds. Wild-fowl are very abundant, and there 
 are no reptiles. Altogether New Zealand ap- 
 pears to be in so juvenile a state, that a great 
 naturalist, who has penetrated far into the in- 
 terior, says we have attempted to colonize it a 
 thousand years before its time. 
 
 All these obstacles to penetrating the hidden 
 recesses of the woods we found practically illus- 
 trated, and therefore contented ourselves with 
 visiting their most practicable outskirts, and 
 shooting a few of the large species of pigeon I 
 before mentioned having met with in the South
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 223 
 
 Sea Islands. We saw great numbers of them, 
 but could not follow them far into the forest. 
 We came across a small native encampment, 
 where the women were cooking potatoes and 
 some large eels, caught in a neighbouring stream, 
 which they offered a share of to us. An old 
 native was very desirous of purchasing my gun. 
 They are excessively fond of firearms, and gene- 
 rally very good shots ; but no European is al- 
 lowed to dispose of any description of firearms 
 to a native under a very heavy penalty. The 
 same prohibition is extended to ammunition of 
 all kinds. 
 
 Nevertheless there are few of the inhabitants 
 that do not possess a gun or a musket; and 
 large stores of gunpowder are said to be in their 
 possession, that they have procured from Ameri- 
 can whaling vessels, or by other means. I lent 
 my gun to a native, upon his promising to bring 
 me some pigeons in a few minutes. He vanished 
 in the depths of the forest, and shortly after- 
 wards I heard a double discharge, and my black 
 friend emerged from the shade with two fine 
 pigeons in his hand. Evening was now closing
 
 224 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 in upon us, and we retraced our steps to our inn 
 and our dinners, the materials of which we carried 
 with us in the shape of delicious pigeons and 
 eels purchased from the natives. 
 
 On the following morning we returned to 
 Auckland by the same route we had before 
 taken. The general character of the country is 
 volcanic, with a comparatively poor soil, and 
 great profusion of ferns, yet it excels most other 
 districts of New Zealand in openness to both the 
 farmer and the traveller, and in facilities for in- 
 ternal communication. 
 
 A circumstance had occurred since our depar- 
 ture, that caused some disturbance and unplea- 
 sant feeling in and about the town. A short 
 time previous to my arrival a European (it was 
 not distinctly known whether he was an English- 
 man or an American) had been convicted and 
 condemned to death for the murder of a Maori 
 woman. This murder was committed on the 
 person of an old woman, under no apparently 
 exciting causes, and was generally attributed to 
 madness or drunkenness on the part of the mur- 
 derer. The Governor being absent at the period
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 225 
 
 of the conviction, and as the man could not be 
 executed without the official warrant being signed, 
 it was necessary to detain him in prison until his 
 Excellency's arrival, or that communication could 
 be made with him ; a very difficult matter at that 
 period, there being only one steamboat on the 
 coast, in which the Governor and his suite had 
 gone to Wellington and Nelson. 
 
 As several Maoris had been hanged at differ- 
 ent times at Auckland for the murder of Euro- 
 peans, and the New Zealander regards the lex 
 talionis as the most sacred of obligations, they 
 could not account for this delay in the execution 
 of the sentence, and considered that it was the 
 intention of the Government to let the man 
 escape. 
 
 The tribe to which the murdered woman be- 
 longed, together with several others, assembled 
 in great force near the town of Auckland, and 
 the chiefs had several interviews with the acting 
 Governor, in which, upon the matter being ex- 
 plained to them, they undertook to keep their 
 followers quiet until the arrival of the Governor, 
 but would not return to their Pahs until they 
 
 L 3
 
 226 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 had witnessed the execution of the criminal. 
 This subsequently took place under circumstances 
 of extreme cruelty, the unfortunate victim hav- 
 ing been tortured for nearly half-an-hour owing 
 to the clumsiness of the executioner, and to the 
 great delight of the Maoris. 
 
 The New Zealanders have a striking eagerness 
 to visit foreign countries, and to see with their 
 own eyes whatever might gratify curiosity or 
 prove subservient to usefulness. They make 
 excellent sailors, particularly whalers. They are 
 fond of dressing like Europeans, and endeavour 
 to imitate them in everything. Many of them 
 speak English well, and are fond of everything 
 in daily use with us, such as tea, sugar, coffee, 
 and other household luxuries. A race is fast 
 springing up, the children of Maori women and 
 European fathers ; some of the females are sin- 
 gularly handsome, and the males with personal 
 beauty combine great intelligence. 
 
 A little better government, less monopoly, and 
 greater facility for the sale of Government lands, 
 will tend much to the amelioration of the condi- 
 tion of this fine colony, which certainly holds
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 227 
 
 out hopes and expectations to the agricultural 
 emigrant that ought not to be disappointed. 
 
 Many of the natives possess vessels from 
 twenty to one hundred and twenty tons burden, 
 which they navigate themselves, and trade on 
 the coast, and even as far as the neighbouring 
 colonies. Some of them invest considerable 
 sums in the Union Bank, and it is astonishing 
 with what quickness of perception they can 
 unravel a rather complicated calculation. No 
 people in the world possess more bravery and 
 undaunted courage. This we have very often 
 proved to our cost, and in personal conflict with 
 a European the New Zealander is generally the 
 superior. Although greatly diminished in num- 
 bers, sufficient remain to make them a very for- 
 midable people in case of any sudden outbreak, 
 caused by real or imaginary wrongs inflicted on 
 them by the Government ; and as a great quan- 
 tity of dwellings and homesteads lie scattered 
 and isolated about the country, much destruc- 
 tion both of life and property might ensue before 
 any military force could be brought to bear upon 
 them, and which indeed, in its present state, is
 
 228 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 barely sufficient for the protection of the colony. 
 An eminent writer on New Zealand statistics 
 thus sums up his opinion on this head : 
 
 " The administration of Captain Grey placed 
 the local Government upon a more secure and 
 organized basis, and soothed for a time the mur- 
 muring spirits of the colonists, who no longer 
 annoyed the British Parliament with their peti- 
 tions. His policy towards the interests of the 
 New Zealand Company was likewise favourable. 
 It was confidently 'supposed by them and the 
 Southern settlers, that he was using all his en- 
 deavours to remove the seat of Government to 
 Wellington, which of course raised the ire of 
 the Northern colonists, who saw the injury they 
 must sustain by the withdrawal of so much Go- 
 vernment expenditure. But any expression of 
 their sentiments on this subject which was con- 
 veyed to him, he answered with disdain. He 
 assumed the tone of a dictator more than of 
 a responsible British governor, passing bills 
 through his packed council with unseemly rapi- 
 dity. He could not mend the constitution of 
 New Zealand so successfully as he had mended
 
 TSEW ZEALAND. 229 
 
 that of South Australia. Here was a proud and 
 powerful race of aboriginal proprietors on one 
 hand, with the Government and New Zealand 
 Company acting as middle men ; and on the 
 other, the broken-down, disspirited, and duped 
 settlers, who had parted with their money with- 
 out securing an equivalent in land. It was in 
 vain that the Governor passed new acts, renewed 
 and annulled ordinances, cajoled and threatened 
 by turns ; it was all to no purpose ; ' there was 
 something rotten in the state of Denmark !' 
 Three readings in one day without any previous 
 notice, and next day's Government Gazette an- 
 nounced that the proposed measure was a law of 
 the land ; so that the inhabitants of Auckland 
 and the surrounding district in the year 1848 
 expected every day to see the announcement 
 issued that the head quarters of the Government 
 would be removed on the morrow to the South. 
 If there was any truth in this surmise, the pro- 
 bability of carrying it into effect was suddenly 
 thwarted in the November of that year by the 
 earthquake at Wellington. The Governor had just 
 time to dub himself Sir George Grey, when he
 
 230 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 hurried off to the scene of destruction. All was 
 consternation and distress there. Many of the 
 affrighted settlers had picked up what articles they 
 could conveniently carry, and got on board the 
 few vessels in the harbour, to take their departure 
 for the shores of Australia. To add to the mis- 
 fortunes of one shipload of these refugees, they 
 were wrecked in the harbour before the vessel 
 could get clear of the heads. No lives were lost, 
 but the poor creatures were left penniless. 
 
 " Meanwhile the colonial minister, in conjunc- 
 tion with the local Government, had organized a 
 protective force on an economical scale in lieu of 
 the regular troops, whose maintenance in New 
 Zealand was more than double what it would 
 have been in the Australian Colonies. A body 
 of military pensioners, bearing the name of the 
 New Zealand Fencibles, was formed. They were 
 located in three separate divisions, within six and 
 nine miles of Auckland, to be ready at all times 
 to perform any military duty in defence of the 
 colony. Hitherto they have not been employed 
 on active service. We hope the day is far 
 distant, when the settlers shall have to place
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 231 
 
 their lives and properties nnder the protection 
 of that infirm and unsteady corps, against the 
 assaults of young and able-bodied warriors, such 
 as are to be found amongst their antagonists. 
 The result of these measures has been the with- 
 drawal of two regiments of infantry, a company 
 of artillery, and a large commissariat staff from 
 the colony. The expenditure of these troops 
 during seven years was the mainstay of the 
 northern settlements. 
 
 " This fact coupled with a decreasing revenue 
 has already crippled the Government, who are 
 continuing to issue debentures for local disburse- 
 ment, and should they fail to realize the means 
 of redeeming them, we see nothing but bank- 
 ruptcy staring the colony in the face. These 
 remarks, however, do not apply to the settle- 
 ments of Otago and Canterbury." 
 
 Such was the state of things a few years ago 
 in Auckland, and there is no great difference at 
 the present time. The gold discoveries in the 
 sister colonies have considerably drained it of 
 its population. Gold has also been found in 
 New Zealand, but in very unfavourable localities,
 
 232 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 and not in sufficient quantity to attract much 
 attention ; the districts also in which it was dis- 
 covered belonged exclusively to the natives, and 
 had not been sold to the Government, and they 
 placed every obstacle in the way of gold-seekers.* 
 
 At present two regiments 'of infantry are sta- 
 tioned in New Zealand, one at Auckland, and 
 its northern dependencies, and the other at 
 Wellington, and some detached places to the 
 south. The latter place suffered again from an 
 earthquake in 1855, when nearly all the build- 
 ings of brick and stone were either demolished, 
 or severely injured, and a vast quantity of pro- 
 perty destroyed ; only one white man's life, 
 however, was lost during this awful visitation. 
 The frequent recurrence of earthquakes in this 
 locality must always be a very serious impedi- 
 ment to its progress. 
 
 Canterbury, since the price of land has been 
 reduced, appears to be far the most flourishing 
 settlement. The soil is excellent, and well 
 watered. There is little or no forest, scarcely 
 
 * Since writing the above, gold has been discovered in 
 the neighbourhood of Nelson.
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 233 
 
 any native tribes in the vicinity, and the settlers 
 are a most industrious and enterpriziug set of 
 people, and within the last few years have laid 
 the foundation of great success and prosperity. 
 
 In the beginning of 1856, the melancholy 
 news reached me of the death of a friend, from 
 whose interest I expected much, and which de- 
 stroyed all my hopes of an appointment in this 
 country. About the same period also, intelligence 
 was received of the demise of Sir Charles Hotham, 
 whose nervous irritability of temper could not 
 withstand the opposition his Government under- 
 went, particularly after the proclamation of the 
 new constitution, and it is said, brought on the 
 attack that was fatal to him. Be that as it may, 
 he was carried off very suddenly, and General 
 Me Arthur, the senior military officer in the 
 colony, became acting Governor until a fresh 
 appointment was made by the Home Government. 
 
 About this period a large vessel arrived at 
 Auckland, direct from London, with emigrants 
 and passengers for New Zealand. Her captain 
 intended, after landing his goods and passengers, 
 to proceed on ballast to Shanghai in China, and
 
 234 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 there take in a cargo of tea and silks for Eng- 
 land. I was offered a passage by this circuitous 
 route, for the same amount of money nearly 
 that it would have cost me to have returned 
 direct from Sydney, and having no settled object 
 in view, and plenty of time on my hands, I 
 considered this an excellent opportunity of visit- 
 ing the celestial empire, where perhaps fortune 
 might smile upon me more favourably than she 
 had done lately. I therefore engaged for our 
 passage to England, with the understanding that 
 I might leave the ship, if so disposed, in China, 
 upon paying a certain sum for our conveyance to 
 that country, and we made every preparation for 
 our departure.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 WE finally sailed from the Port of Auckland on 
 the 6th of February, 1856. The first three 
 weeks of our voyage were marked by nothing 
 remarkable. A continuation of favourable winds 
 and charming weather rendered our approach to 
 the equator speedy and agreeable; but once 
 arrived in that " sunny clime," a very different 
 state of things awaited us. Light breezes (gene- 
 rally contrary), and calms of long continuance, 
 detained us nearly a month within a few degrees 
 north and south of the line, during which time 
 the heat was frightfully oppressive, and the rays 
 of the sun penetrating through the awning, and 
 absolutely blistering the decks, left us no alter-
 
 236 CHINA. 
 
 native but to descend to our cabins, and attempt 
 to cool ourselves by some ingenious attempts at 
 ventilation, the fabrication of various refreshing 
 potations, and other equally inefficient remedies ; 
 the reaction indeed of which only rendered our 
 sufferings the more distressing, until the welcome 
 shades of evening brought " healing and succour 
 on their wings." 
 
 We were relieved in rather a violent manner 
 from this tropical repose by a hurricane that 
 carried away our maintop-sail-yard, main-sail, 
 and jib, and ended in a stiff trade breeze, which 
 hurried us on our way towards the coast of 
 Japan ; and on the 1st of April we were off the 
 islands of Taga Sami and Jeroboo. In the 
 evening of the same day we passed a volcano 
 in a state of eruption. On the 7th we dis- 
 covered, not only by observation, but by the ex- 
 traordinary yellow colour of the sea, that we 
 were at the entrance of the Yang-Tse-Keeang, 
 or Great River, off the town of Woo Sung. 
 
 The surrounding country (perfectly flat) pre- 
 sented one uniform surface, apparently covered 
 with the richest cultivation, and villages thickly
 
 CHINA. 237 
 
 scattered over it. The first crops of the year 
 (grain of all kinds) were fast approaching to ear. 
 The scenery was exceedingly Dutch. Trees were 
 very scarce, and those in small clumps and 
 patches, and the foliage of a vivid green. Canals 
 of all sizes, from a ditch to a reservoir, intersected 
 the country in every direction, and the solid and 
 elaborate embankments on each side of the river 
 (here about two miles broad) and extending the 
 whole length of it on each side, attested the 
 energy and industry of the inhabitants. Many 
 ships of all nations were at anchor near us, and 
 others ascending and descending the river. In- 
 numerable Chinese vessels, from small craft of 
 every description to the " lorcha " and war junk, 
 presented a striking and novel appearance. Guns 
 were firing from the junks, steamers hissing and 
 snorting, and everything denoted the approach 
 to a great commercial city. 
 
 As we expected to remain at our anchorage at 
 Woo Sung for upwards of twenty-four hours 
 before proceeding to Shanghai, I landed with a 
 fellow passenger in a small Chinese boat, or 
 " sum pan" on the left bank of the river. We
 
 238 CHINA. 
 
 took our guns with us, that we might add, if 
 possible, something to our larder, as well as our 
 information, and proceeded to explore the neigh- 
 bouring country. Our progress was very much 
 impeded by the numerous dykes and canals in 
 the interior, and was therefore chiefly confined 
 to the bund or embankment separating the river 
 from the fields, and from whence we obtained a 
 good bird's-eye view of the whole country, which 
 was, as I said before, perfectly level, and thickly 
 studded with villages and towns. The inhabit- 
 ants, male and female, sometimes came from 
 their houses and occupations to look at us ; but 
 they are here somewhat accustomed to Euro- 
 peans, antji do not display the same curiosity as in 
 more remote parts. We made (when practica- 
 ble) a few detours into the fields, and saw a great 
 quantity of duck, teal, and snipe, of all of which 
 we made up a pretty good bag. The people 
 were perfectly quiet and civil, never attempting 
 anything like insult or annoyance, and in one or 
 two instances offering us their long pipes to 
 smoke, as a token of amity and good-will. 
 Having returned to the vessel and found our
 
 CHINA. 239 
 
 captain absent at Shanghai, we went out shoot- 
 ing a second time on the following morning, in 
 a direction farther up the river, and had a very 
 good morning's sport with the snipe and wild- 
 fowl. The former we found in immense quan- 
 tities on the low wet grounds, but very wild and 
 rising in flocks. The latter we approached in 
 ambuscade from behind the embankments, and 
 now and then committed great slaughter ; some- 
 times killing seven or eight of them at a shot, of 
 the teal and widgeon species, and amongst them 
 some of most beautiful plumage. We also saw 
 several solitary snipe (scolopax maximus), but 
 could not get a shot at them. We flushed a 
 very fine hen pheasant, but our feelings as 
 sportsmen really overcame our gastronomical 
 ones, and we left the old lady to go quietly home 
 to her nest and eggs, which were probably hard 
 by, as, in addition to the unsportsmanlike cha- 
 racter of such a deed, she would have turned out 
 but a tough morsel at best at this time of the 
 year. 
 
 The next morning a pilot came on board to take 
 the vessel up the river to Shanghai, a distance of
 
 240 CHINA. 
 
 fourteen miles, and some parts of which are of 
 rather dangerous and difficult navigation. We 
 arrived, however, safely at our destination, oppo- 
 site the European settlement and factories or 
 hongs, and came to anchor in a good berth. 
 
 Nothing can be more imposing, particularly 
 to a person lately arrived from the Australian 
 Colonies, than the first appearance of this settle- 
 ment. The regularity of the buildings, the hand- 
 some architecture, and design of this little city 
 of merchant palaces, with all their oriental luxu- 
 rious adjuncts, form a striking contrast to the 
 chaotic mixture of buildings of all kinds, mate- 
 rials, and sizes, erected more for convenience 
 than beauty, that he had been accustomed to 
 witness in the colonies. A fine quay extending 
 for upwards of a mile fronting the river, is lined 
 by the separate and handsome dwellings of the 
 merchants, surrounded by broad verandahs and 
 balconies, and generally enclosed within beautiful 
 gardens. Immediately above the settlement, 
 and higher up the river, is the old walled city 
 of Shanghai, supposed to contain upwards of 
 200,000 inhabitants, but which has suffered
 
 CHINA. 241 
 
 severely in the late contests between the rebels 
 and imperialists, sometimes being held by one 
 party and sometimes the other. On the river 
 side of the city, a forest of masts appertaining to 
 junks of all sizes and descriptions, and decorated 
 with flags of every imaginable colour and device, 
 extend as far as the eye can reach. The river 
 itself is one scene of bustle and activity, being 
 continually covered with boats and lighters 
 conveying merchandize to and fro. 
 
 On shore, the movement is, if anything, more 
 perpetual and more complicated in its nature. 
 Native porters, in all directions, are trotting in 
 tune to a loud monotonous song, and bearing 
 every description of load suspended in two 
 packages at each end of a pole, balanced across 
 the shoulders. Sedan chairs, containing both 
 natives and Europeans, are crossing and recross- 
 ing at every step. Everybody appears in a 
 hurry, but very few Europeans are visible during 
 the heat of the day, even in this comparatively 
 cool season. They promenade in their carriages, 
 on horseback, and otherwise, in the afternoon, on 
 the quay or the race-course, which, indeed, are 
 
 M
 
 242 CHINA. 
 
 the only two spots they possess for exercise and 
 amusement, in this very small and confined 
 settlement. The surrounding country is im- 
 practicable for anything but pedestrianism, being 
 traversed by narrow footpaths only, and inter- 
 sected by ditches and canals everywhere. All 
 commerce and communication in this vast 
 province is carried on by water, and such a thing 
 as a horse, mule, or even donkey, is rarely seen 
 in the interior. 
 
 I received a most hospitable invitation from 
 the merchants to whom the ship was consigned, 
 to make their house my home, and which to a 
 certain extent, I accepted ; and there was initiated 
 into all the arcana of the tea-trade, from its 
 earliest preparation to its ultimate disposal a 
 subject too well-known to need any comment in 
 my journal. 
 
 That profuse hospitality for which our coun- 
 trymen in the East have been so long celebrated, 
 is here practised to the greatest extent; and 
 dinner-parties are the order of the day, of the 
 most luxurious description. The Chinese, with 
 a little instruction from a French artiste, soon
 
 CHINA. 243 
 
 become excellent cooks ; indeed, they sqon rival 
 their teachers, and, as an almost unlimited 
 supply of materials for culinary purposes is 
 to be always obtained in a Chinese market, they 
 possess a very wide field for their operations. 
 Fish of many kinds, and some of them of most 
 delicious flavour, amongst which may be included 
 the alose or shad, the finest prawns in the world, 
 and a small species of turtle ; game in great 
 variety and perfection, such as wild-fowl, snipes, 
 woodcocks, and magnificent pheasants ; ex- 
 cellent beef, mutton and pork, and vegetables 
 and fruits in the greatest abundance, form a 
 category of good things that would excite the 
 admiration of a Vatel. Ices worthy of Tortoni 
 are of daily consumption throughout the hot 
 season; and all wines and drinkables are ad- 
 mirably cooled. A great many servants are 
 employed in different capacities, as a Chinaman 
 has a great objection to waiting on any one but 
 his own particular master; but, on the whole, 
 the service is as quickly and well performed as 
 in any European establishment. The large and 
 spacious apartments are well ventilated ; and, 
 
 M 2
 
 244 CHINA. 
 
 during tj)e great heat of summer, the punkha is 
 in continual operation. 
 
 The permanent society of the house in which 
 I was at present located, consisted of the three 
 resident partners in the firm, and the gentleman 
 who acted as tea taster to the concern ; a place 
 of much importance, for upon his taste and 
 judgment depend the selection of all the chops 
 of teas selected for purchase from the great 
 varieties offered to their choice by the native 
 merchants, and the detection of impositions so 
 commonly practised by the astute Chinamen. 
 He receives a high salary, and is exempted from 
 other business ; indeed, all the " attaches" to a 
 mercantile establishment in China, enjoy an 
 independence of position and an amount of 
 pay that is very different from similar situations 
 in Europe. They have certain stated duties to 
 perform, and are little interfered with by their 
 principals. Their business hours are short, and 
 most of them keep their horses or equipages for 
 the evening promenade. 
 
 Commanders of vessels consigned to the 
 house, with, occasionally, their wives, and casual
 
 CHINA. 245 
 
 passengers, formed almost a daily addition to 
 the party, and always received a general invi- 
 tation. 
 
 The chief business of the Hong is invariably 
 carried on through the medium of a comprador 
 or native Chinaman, who conducts all the intrica- 
 cies of bargaining with his countrymen, and al- 
 ways speaks English well. An intimate knowledge 
 of the Chinese language is very uncommon 
 amongst Europeans, and leaves them much at 
 the mercy of employes of this description, who, 
 however, are generally considered trustworthyand 
 intelligent men. A Sheroff, whose business it 
 is to pay and receive all monies that go through 
 the house, pronounce upon the goodness of the 
 dollars offered to his inspection ; and either to 
 reject, or receive them, another important 
 native functionary is appointed. 
 
 My first visits in company with one of my 
 hosts, was to the old city of Shanghai. The 
 interior of a walled city in China, is, perhaps, 
 one of the most strikingly curious sights that 
 can be presented to the eyes of a European, and
 
 246 CHINA. 
 
 which in the south of China it appears would be 
 a dangerous experiment to attempt. 
 
 In the north, however, it is a very different 
 case. John Chinaman is a much more amiable 
 personage, and I, for one, have wandered daily 
 through the narrow galleries yclept streets, 
 formed by rows of wooden houses, carved, 
 gilded, and painted, some in the most grotesque, 
 others in the most elaborate and beautiful 
 manner, and displaying, if possible, more crafts 
 and trades than any European capital can 
 boast of. 
 
 Elbowing my way with true barbarian assu- 
 rance through lanterns, silks, and umbrellas, 
 and throngs of long-tailed Celestials of all casts 
 and colours, through odours combining the 
 faint incense of sandal wood burning in the Joss 
 houses, the highly demonstrative emanations 
 from the cuisine Chinoise, and the decided pun- 
 gency of the bouquet a la Billingsgate. I 
 usually bent my steps to those repositories 
 where curiosities, and articles of vertu were 
 exposed for sale, and which " more Chinorum"
 
 CHINA. 2,47 
 
 would bear comparison with any similar estab- 
 lishment in Wardour Street, or the Quai de 
 Voltaire : indeed, some curious remnants of 
 antiquity might be found here, for which the 
 capitals of France and England might be 
 searched in vain. 
 
 Porcelain, both ancient and modern, that 
 " China's gayest art had dyed," bronzes of every 
 size, and of any antiquity, and that beautiful 
 turquoise blue enamel, now so rare and expen- 
 sive in Europe, are here found in considerable 
 variety, and great perfection. Porphyry, and 
 soap-stone vases abound ; Chinese paintings 
 brilliant in colouring, but defective in per- 
 spective and outline, dazzle the eye ; and the 
 beautiful green jade-stone, manufactured into 
 various ornaments, and so precious to the 
 Chinese dandy, is withdrawn from its case, and 
 exhibited to the barbarian amateur. 
 
 The shopkeeper is, in the mean time, descant- 
 ing with, no doubt, the eloquence of a 
 "Christie," or "George Robins," (but in lan- 
 guage which is alas ! a sealed book to me) on 
 the subject of the value of his wares, and
 
 248 CHINA. 
 
 asking prices in proportion, one tenth part of 
 which he is perfectly prepared to accept, if 
 offered ; a Chinaman in the character of a 
 vendor, being equal to any Israelite since the 
 time of Moses. 
 
 The shops of the retailers in drugs occupy a 
 very prominent position amongst the rest. They 
 are generally exceedingly richly carved, gilded, 
 and decorated, and to judge by the vases and 
 bottles, the Chinese pharmacopeia must be 
 very extensive. Some of the repositories of 
 silks are very rich and beautiful. The tobacco 
 shops display a wonderful variety of pipes, and 
 every article connected with the smoking 
 department ; and the tea-sellers, hatters, and 
 confectioners are all very gaily and gaudily 
 decorated. 
 
 Cook-shops with the balterie de cuisine, and 
 its curious contents openly manifested both 
 to sight and smell, compose at least one half of 
 the commercial establishments ; and in some 
 quiet corner, as far removed as possible from the 
 noise and bustle of the street, a party of cada- 
 verous looking individuals are enjoying the
 
 CHINA. 
 
 249 
 
 maddening intoxication of opium smoking. It 
 is astonishing that amidst the enormous bustle 
 and confusion caused by the crowds of foot- 
 passengers, sedan-chairs in full trot, and porters 
 recklessly hurrying on with heavy loads balanced 
 on poles across their shoulders, in streets merely 
 a few yards wide, that more accidents should 
 not occur ; but a Chinaman seems to have an 
 intuitive perception of any approaching danger 
 and saves himself, almost at the very moment 
 of collision. 
 
 A CHINESE DXHSXE-FAXTT. 
 
 M 3
 
 250 CHINA. 
 
 Gambling tables are every where to be seen 
 in the open streets, and surrounded by anxious 
 crowds of players. A combination of the dice 
 is the game most in vogue, and strings of the 
 copper cash of the country, the medium of pay- 
 ment. The Chinese are desperate gamblers, in 
 all probability the most incorrigible in the world. 
 A celebrated writer, M. Hue, who has seen 
 much of the interior of the country, speaks of 
 their passion for play in the following terms : 
 
 " This unhappy passion exercises such influ- 
 ence over them, that it drives them to the most 
 desperate extremities. When they have lost 
 their money, they play for their houses, their 
 land, and even their wives, whose fate depends 
 on a single throw of the dice. The Chinese 
 gambler does not even stop there. The very 
 clothes which he wears serve for a last resource, 
 and this horrible custom of playing for every 
 thing without exception, even to the covering on 
 their backs, is the cause of scenes being some- 
 times enacted, scarcely credible, if it was not a 
 well established fact, that the passions always 
 render a man cruel and inhuman.
 
 CHINA. 251 
 
 *' In the northern provinces, and particularly 
 in the environs of the Great Wall, men in an 
 absolute state of nudity are frequently met with 
 during the most severe cold of winter, who after 
 having lost all their clothes at play, are expelled 
 without mercy from the gambling-house. They 
 run about like madmen, hoping to escape from 
 the bitter effects of the cold. They creep beside 
 the earthen chimneys, which in these countries 
 are constructed on a level with the earth, along 
 the walls of the houses. They try to warm 
 themselves, as well as they can, first on one side, 
 and then on the other, whilst their gambling 
 companions look on, and mock their miseries 
 with an atrocious hilarity. This scene does not 
 last long, they soon become frost bitten, fall 
 down, and die. The players then re-enter the 
 house, and recommence play with the most 
 abominable sang froid. This may appear fabu- 
 lous to some, but it is an incontestible and 
 authentic fact. 
 
 " However extraordinary this may appear, the 
 Chinese have found means of pushing still far- 
 ther their passions for play, which, with them
 
 252 CHINA. 
 
 extends to madness. It occurs, sometimes, that 
 those who have nothing left to play for, assem- 
 ble at a particular table, and gamble for their 
 fingers, which they cut off, mutually, with a 
 horrible stoicism. Whilst they are engaged at 
 play, a vase of boiling oil is placed beside them. 
 Between two gamblers is a small and very sharp 
 hatchet ; the one who wins seizes the hand of the 
 other, places it on a stone, and cuts the finger 
 off with the hatchet, at the same time the victim 
 dips his hand in the oil, which cauterizes the 
 wound, and goes on with his game." 
 
 Had I any taste for a little tragedy in real 
 life, I might have varied my amusements by 
 visiting a mandarin's court of justice, and wit- 
 nessing the decapitations of some half dozen 
 rebels, or other criminals, who could not pay 
 sufficiently high for their acquittal ; but not 
 being an amateur of these scenes, I was content 
 with stealing an occasional and disgusted glance 
 at the interesting heads of those individuals as 
 they were subsequently exhibited in wooden 
 cages on the city walls. 
 
 A short distance from the eastern gate of the
 
 CHINA. 253 
 
 city, and in close proximity to the house of an 
 American missionary, stood a stone building in 
 the shape of a small obelisk, with an opening 
 about six feet from the ground, and communica- 
 ting with some subterraneous excavation. 
 
 Into this mouth or opening, the Chinese were 
 accustomed to cast many of their female infants 
 when poverty or inclination induced them to 
 make away with them ; and here the poor 
 babes were left to perish by a horrible death. 
 The missionary told me that although infanticide 
 had somewhat diminished, it was stih 1 very 
 frequent. 
 
 About seven miles up the river, and near its 
 banks, stands a very ancient and celebrated 
 pagoda, where the residents at the settlement of 
 Shanghai make frequent excursions and pic 
 nic parties. It is about ten stories high, and 
 commands a splendid view of all the wide extent 
 of flat country around it. The priests (Budd- 
 hists), and whose establishment is in rather a 
 crumbling condition, have no objection to the 
 intrusion of visitors into all the arcana of their
 
 254 CHINA. 
 
 faith, in return for the strings of copper cash 
 generally bestowed on such occasions. 
 
 A grove of ancient trees surrounds this spot, 
 on which a colony of rooks have perpetuated 
 their sable descendants, in all probability for 
 many centuries, and which was absolutely alive 
 with the present generation at the period of my 
 visit. It looked very like sacrilege to disturb, 
 in any way, so venerable an institution, but 
 whenever a descendant of John Bull has a gun 
 in his hand, in a foreign country, he is generally 
 disposed to commit wholesale destruction, and 
 upon our first experimental shots at the uncon- 
 scious birds, it was evident that the priests 
 themselves had no objection to rook pie, or, at 
 least, to rooks in some form or other, as they 
 were very glad to pick up the slain, and retire 
 with them to their domiciles. 
 
 At this time, during the month of May, the 
 peasants were beginning to irrigate the country 
 previous to securing the paddy or rice crop ; and 
 the snipes were daily arriving in immense num- 
 bers. Although, in my early days, I had seen,
 
 CHINA. 
 
 255 
 
 and partaken of some famous snipe- shooting in 
 India, I never witnessed anything like the 
 
 PLOUGHING THE LAND US DEB IRRIGATION. 
 
 quantity of these birds in the same space and 
 period that I have witnessed in Shanghai. A 
 merchant of that place, and an excellent sports- 
 man, told me that he had once killed one hundred 
 couple in the space of twelve hours, repeatedly 
 washing out his gun with cold water, and re- 
 commencing his shooting ; and, with very 
 indifferent shooting, I managed to bag twenty- 
 five couple in a few hours ; the heat being too
 
 256 CHINA. 
 
 great, and the sun too powerful to admit of my 
 continuing the sport. This exercise, in the 
 warm season is, indeed, attended with some 
 risk, as dangerous and fatal fevers are often the 
 result of a too great indulgence in it. The 
 manner in which it is practised is not a very 
 fatiguing one. The sportsmen are paddled up 
 or down the river in a sampan (or Chinese 
 covered boat) until they arrive opposite the 
 ground they have selected for their operations, 
 when they land, and usually find their game within 
 a few yards from the banks, when, having driven 
 away the birds from one spot, they re-embark 
 and try another ; and, in the mean time, the 
 snipes have returned to the first scene of action. 
 These amusements and occupations, the en- 
 joyment of an excellent library, billiard-room, 
 and American bowling alley, good dinners, and 
 pleasant evening parties, rendered my stay at 
 Shanghai very agreeable; but, I had as yet 
 discovered no situation or employment that 
 would in any way suit a person of my previous 
 habits ; and I found that the ship in which I 
 had taken my passage to England would be
 
 CHINA. 257 
 
 detained some time before she had completed 
 her cargo of tea and silks. Having gained 
 admission into the portico of this curious country, 
 I felt a great desire to penetrate the sanctuary, 
 in other words, to make a trip into the interior 
 of China. 
 
 By the provisions of the existing treaty, this 
 would be highly dangerous, if not impossible ; it 
 being expressly stipulated, that no European shall 
 exceed the limits of ten miles from the settle- 
 ments, under the penalty of 500 dollars, and 
 being sent back to his friends, like a canary-bird, 
 in a cage; but, somehow or other, John Bull, 
 either in a public or private capacity, has a great 
 contempt for treaties, where the infraction does 
 not affect himself, and no doubt considers (and 
 very properly too) that John Chinaman is highly 
 honoured by his presence and interference, 
 whether he prefers it or not ; at all events, it 
 struck me forcibly that in this settlement, except 
 when they personify those two important realities, 
 chops of tea and bales of silks, that the long- 
 tailed gentry were treated as animated non- 
 entities.
 
 258 CHINA. 
 
 Whether this is the case or not, no sort of 
 regard is paid by the European inhabitants of 
 Shanghai to this clause of the treaty ; and many 
 of them have been in the habit of journeying 
 some distance into the interior for sporting pur- 
 poses, or change of air, whenever their fancy 
 prompts them. 
 
 Under these circumstances, I was delighted 
 to accept the kind invitation of one of my hosts 
 to accompany him on a trip to the Tai-hou, or 
 great lake ; but before proceeding to give a 
 short account of my Chinese travels, it may be 
 as well to mention that all carriage and locomotion 
 in these provinces in the north of China is 
 effected on rivers and canals of different widths, 
 depths, and length, and by boats and barges of 
 all sizes and description, from the vast grain 
 junks of 2000 tons burden to the smallest 
 sampan; and, that these are almost all united 
 to the great imperial canal, which extends to 
 Pekin and the different rivers in their vicinity. 
 The principal canals are bordered by convenient 
 towing paths, and spanned by handsome granite 
 bridges, some of the latter constructed of stones
 
 CHINA. 259 
 
 of enormous size and weight, and of great anti- 
 quity. When sailing is impracticable, the boats 
 are towed by men. During our tour, I never 
 remarked any horses being made use of, but no 
 animal labour, or exertion, is too great for a 
 Chinaman, who for the small remuneration he re- 
 ceives, performs an amount of patient drudgery 
 unknown and inconceivable in any other coun- 
 try. 
 
 On Saturday, May 9th, 1856, accompanied by 
 my host and my wife and child we embarked 
 upon what is termed here the Sou-cheou, creek 
 or canal that leads to the great city of that name, 
 in two Sou-cheou flat bottomed boats, each con- 
 taining two small chambers with accommodation 
 in the stern of the vessel for servants, boatmen, 
 cooking apparatus, &c., and as the Chinese have a 
 faculty of stowing themselves into a remarkably 
 small space, it was astonishing how many indi- 
 viduals composed our equipage. 
 
 Everything that could conduce to our com- 
 fort and luxury, in the shape of provisions, both 
 liquid and solid, was supplied by my compagnon 
 de voyage ; and some intelligent Chinese servants,
 
 260 CHINA. 
 
 who spoke English, accompanied us, amongst 
 which class was an accomplished chef -de-cuisine. 
 We took with us a whole armoury of guns, rifles, 
 and ammunition, and arranged every thing 
 for a fortnight's absence from Shanghai. We 
 started, in the afternoon, in a north west direction, 
 the movement of the boat at the commencement 
 of our voyage being effected by sculling from 
 the stem, with an immense scull or oar, moved 
 by several men, having no wind in our favour, 
 and the creek not being sufficiently narrow for 
 towing ; indeed, with these boats, unless the wind 
 is directly aft, it is dangerous to hoist the sail, 
 since from their great top gear and flat bottom 
 they are very apt to upset or topple over, a very 
 unpleasant reverse of circumstances for the pas- 
 sengers in the cabin. 
 
 Our movements were naturally very slow, not 
 more than two or three miles an hour, except 
 when the wind was in our favour, and we 
 managed to hoist an unwicldly sail for a few 
 minutes at a time. We took our seat on the 
 circular roof of the cabin in front of the vessel, 
 and gun in hand, and a fine retriever dog at our
 
 CHINA. 261 
 
 feet, awaited any signs of game that might 
 present themselves on either bank of the canal, 
 in the event of which, we could easily jump on 
 shore, explore the adjoining country for a short 
 distance, get a few shots, and re-embark either 
 from the bank, or by means of a small boat which 
 we always kept to whig astern. 
 
 We were now passing through a perfectly 
 flat country covered with every species of nearly 
 ripened grain, much farther than the eye could 
 reach. There was nearly a total absence of any 
 large trees, and the numerous villages, cottages, 
 and habitations of the peasants, were generally 
 surrounded by small bamboos, (the root of 
 which is a considerable article of food) and 
 dwarf foliage of various kinds. On the approach 
 of evening, we arrived at a very narrow part of 
 the canal, and were brought up by a press of 
 boats descending the creek when finding some 
 danger in proceeding, we anchored for the night, 
 during which some very vociferous quarrelling 
 took place between our servants and some of the 
 strange boatmen. This we speedily put an end 
 to, by appearing on deck armed with our guns,
 
 262 CHINA. 
 
 when they all bobbed down again into their 
 holes like so many rabbits, and we heard no 
 more of them. 
 
 On the morning of the 10th, we proceeded 
 through the same flat and highly cultivated 
 country, the fertility of which exceeds all des- 
 cription ; we saw and shot many snipes, curlew, 
 and plover, and a few pheasants, as the Chinese 
 proprietors not being preservers, or even sports- 
 men, we considered ourselves here beyond all 
 the received rules and regulations of the game 
 laws, strictly confining ourselves, however, to 
 the cock birds, for shooting a hen which was 
 probably hatching her eggs in the month of 
 May, was too bad even for China. Whenever 
 the vicinity of an unfortunate cock pheasant was 
 betrayed by his voice near the banks of the 
 canal, we made our way through the standing 
 corn, straight in the direction of the sound, and 
 he generally rose within shot of us. They are 
 splendid birds, very heavy, and similar to the 
 preserved pheasant in England, except that they 
 have a white ring round the neck. 
 
 China, however, possesses her skilful poachers,
 
 CHINA. 263 
 
 as well as every other place, and the settlement, 
 markets, and ships in the harbour, are plentifully 
 supplied with game of ah 1 kinds that the country 
 produces. A Chinaman does not dare to offer 
 pheasants for sale in the settlement, between the 
 months of March and August, as he is usually 
 sure to get a good beating for his pains from 
 some indignant sportsman ; but sailors understand 
 no such distinctions, and buy them, when offered 
 sufficiently cheap, at any period. Every descrip- 
 tion of game is caught in the first place by snares 
 or springes, in the use of which the Chinese are 
 very skilful, but they have a fixed idea that an 
 Englishman considers it necessary they should 
 be killed by the gun, and in consequence riddle 
 them with their iron shot previous to offering 
 them for sale, to the great danger and destruction 
 of the teeth of the consumer. 
 
 The country appeared more wooded, and the 
 foliage very beautiful and varied. We passed a 
 very curious fishing establishment, the canal 
 being completely, traversed by a fence of small 
 bamboo canes, with numerous little inlets 
 conducting into a labyrinth of holes and cornel's
 
 264 CHINA. 
 
 where the fish are eventually entrapped. The 
 boats make their way through this elastic 
 impediment, which gives way as they pass, and 
 falls back again into its original position. We 
 also witnessed another piscatory operation of a 
 most extraordinary and interesting character. 
 
 A small boat appears punted by a single man 
 with a very long bamboo, and around the sides 
 of the boat are perched a great number of 
 cormorants of different sizes and colours. A 
 small piece of string not tight enough to suffo- 
 cate, but sufficient to prevent them swallowing, 
 is tied around the lower part of the throat of 
 each bird. At a signal conveyed to them by a 
 touch from the pole of their master, the birds 
 dive at once into the water, and after remaining 
 sometimes submerged an incredibly long time, 
 return to the surface with or without a fish in 
 their mouths. In the former case, the man 
 extracts the fish from the gullet of the cormorant, 
 and proceeds to order fresh ones to a similar 
 duty. The perfect training and docility of the 
 birds are admirable ; if they are fatigued they are 
 allowed to repose on their accustomed perch on
 
 CHINA. 265 
 
 the side of the boat for a short time, but they 
 must not abuse this indulgence. If they do, 
 they receive several light strokes of the pole, 
 and resume at once their laborious occupation. 
 
 Whilst on the subject of fishing, I must 
 mention another feat I saw performed on this 
 and several other canals, which threw anything 
 of the kind I had ever witnessed before completely 
 into the shade. This is the throwing either 
 from the banks, or in a boat an enormous casting 
 net, describing a circumference of at least sixty 
 yards. The fisherman gathers the net up into 
 a great number of folds, and stooping low, 
 by an apparently great effort, throws the net 
 far over his head. It falls some distance behind 
 him, covering a very large space in a complete 
 circle. 
 
 The fish, with the exception of eels, (which 
 are I believe common to the whole world) are 
 most of them of kinds unknown in Europe, 
 and many of curious shapes and colours. 
 
 Some mountains, or rather high hills, were 
 now in sight. About 12 P.M. we passed through 
 Quan San, a large town, with, as usual, an 
 
 N
 
 266 CHINA. 
 
 immense population. On the llth, about 6 A.M. 
 we arrived at Ed-Nig, where we purchased fresh 
 fish and fine fruit, and gratified the inhabitants 
 with the sight of an European lady and child, 
 which they crowded around us by thousands to 
 witness, but were perfectly civil and harmless. 
 Soon after leaving this village, we entered into 
 the grand canal, and skirted the borders of the 
 Saa Woo lake. A fine granite wall extends for 
 several miles, separating the lake from the canal, 
 and forming the embankment on one side. 
 About 11 A.M. we found ourselves near the 
 suburbs of the great walled city Sou-cheou-fou, 
 one of the most considerable in China, and 
 supposed to contain a million of inhabitants. 
 It is surnamed by the Chinese "the Paradise 
 of the Earth," from the number of sensual 
 luxuries it is supposed to contain. Few, if any, 
 Europeans have been able to penetrate this city, 
 of which the Chinese imperialists are extremely 
 cautious and jealous j and they were then in 
 such fear of a rebel force encamped not far 
 distant, that the attempt would have been more 
 difficult and hazardous than ever. We navi-
 
 CHINA. 267 
 
 gated the canal through the suburbs, and 
 immediately under the ramparts for more than 
 three hours, amidst crowds of junks, and 
 dwelling places of all descriptions, including 
 shops and warehouses, absolutely swarming with 
 human beings of both sexes. At many of the 
 windows, or rather enclosed balconies, groups 
 of gaily-dressed Chinese ladies, correspond- 
 ing, both in appearance and costume, to those 
 celestial sketches we have been often accustomed 
 to regard with wonder and admiration on our 
 plates, or tea cups, were gaily ogling the passers- 
 by, or calmly, smoking their long pipes, but that 
 was the only feature of repose in the picture ; 
 the men were all actively engaged in some 
 occupation or another, and the sounds, sights, 
 and above all scents ! that invaded our senses, 
 formed a sum total of abominations I was very 
 glad to escape from. We were obliged to keep 
 within our cabins, and could only steal occasional 
 glances through the windows, as it would not 
 have been prudent for Europeans to have too 
 openly disclosed themselves at this place. 
 
 Having traversed this portion of the city, we 
 
 N 2
 
 268 CHINA. 
 
 passed along the foot of a range of hills, beau- 
 tifully wooded nearly to their summits, and 
 covered by pagodas, ancient granite tombs, and 
 Joss houses. Presently, the almost solid mass 
 of grain, through which we had been hitherto 
 gliding, changed into a vast inland swamp, or 
 marsh, intersected by small canals in all direc- 
 tions, and covered with high reeds, and aqueous 
 grasses, and plants of ah 1 descriptions. This 
 district, which extended for about twenty miles, 
 and to the borders of the great lake, had, in 
 fact, been reclaimed from it, by a slow yet per- 
 severing system of draining, and the inhabitants 
 were beginning to cultivate parts of it. Here 
 we saw a great variety of water-fowl, amongst 
 which was the graceful white heron ; but 
 having been nearly smothered in a bog on 
 our first landing, we determined to delay our 
 sport until we arrived at a less treacherous 
 soil. 
 
 On the 12th, at 10 A.M., we entered the 
 mulberry plantations on the borders of the Tai- 
 hou, or great lake, and the commencement of 
 the silk district. The trees appeared extremely
 
 CHINA. 269 
 
 rich and beautiful, and to have been nurtured 
 with great care. The silk districts in this pro- 
 vince extend for upwards of 200 miles, and the 
 quantity of raw material that is made yearly, far 
 greater than the united annual produce of the 
 whole of Europe. 
 
 We came to anchor opposite a handsome 
 town, built entirely of granite (which is here 
 found of the finest quality, and in great abun- 
 dance), at the foot of a mountain, and were 
 soon surrounded by hundreds of boats ; but, 
 with the exception of intense curiosity, mani- 
 fested by all classes, to see the lady and child, 
 the people, both male and female, were very 
 civil and good-humoured. They were delighted 
 with my little girl (about two years old) ; all 
 wished to touch her, if even for an instant, and 
 loaded our boat with fruit and flowers. My 
 wife was even asked on shore by a Chinese 
 lady, who had been at Canton, and associated 
 with Europeans, but declined the invitation as 
 rather hazardous. 
 
 In the evening, we landed, and ascended the 
 mountain Tung-Tang-Ting-San, about 1000 feet
 
 270 CHINA. 
 
 above the level of the sea, and, during a glorious 
 sunset, witnessed the finest view of the kind I 
 ever remember to have seen. We were accom- 
 panied by many boys, and several Buddhist 
 priests. The first part of our path, on leaving 
 the town, lay through groves of ancient cypress, 
 yew, and pine-trees, full of tombs and mauso- 
 leums of great antiquity. Many temples and 
 Joss houses were scattered here and there, but 
 bearing marks of much neglect. On arriving at 
 the summit, we saw an apparently illimitable 
 expanse of water studded with islands, the 
 shores lined with towns and villages, and the 
 slopes of the hills covered with temples and 
 tombs, embosomed in the most verdant foliage ; 
 and, on another part of the scene, an unbounded 
 extent of flat country, yellow with the ripened 
 grain, dotted with villages, towns, and walled 
 cities, and the whole intersected by multitudes 
 of canals. The circumference of the lake, in- 
 cluding its sinuosities, is said to be 3800 lee, 
 or more than 1000 miles. It is rarely more 
 than a few fathoms in depth, and verging down 
 to a few inches. In fact, it is a vast inland marsh.
 
 CHINA. 
 
 271 
 
 On the morning of the 13th, we hired a 
 quick-sailing country boat, to take us to the 
 island of See-Tung-Ting-San, about twenty 
 miles distant, where, with a fair wind and 
 beautiful weather, we soon arrived. 
 
 BUDDHIST TEMPLE. 
 
 This island is entirely inhabited by Buddhist 
 priests and their satellites, whose temples and 
 monasteries are situated amidst groves of fruit- 
 trees, amongst which the orange, vine, and 
 loquat are the most conspicuous. Handsome 
 terraces on the slopes towards the lake conduct
 
 272 CHINA. 
 
 the visitor from one establishment to the other. 
 The island appeared wrapped in profound si- 
 lence, nothing being heard but the occasional 
 tinkling of a bell ; indeed, it was a picture of 
 perfect repose (which is the essence of the Chinese 
 creed), amidst a paradise of fruits and flowers. 
 
 The priests received us very civilly, pointed 
 out to us everything they considered interesting, 
 and offered us tea in the Chinese manner, with- 
 out milk or sugar, as refreshment. A very old 
 man, who said, indeed, he was ninety-four years 
 of age, expatiated much on the advantages of 
 awaiting dissolution in the state of calm repose, 
 and expressed his astonishment that any one 
 should prefer the bustle and anxiety of active 
 life to quiet and retirement. I do not 
 believe they troubled themselves much about 
 doctrinal points of theology, or paid their idols 
 any attention whatever, save that of burn- 
 ing a few Joss sticks or incense before them. 
 In fact, save and except the name and appear- 
 ance of it, and some outward show, an almost 
 universal indifference to religion is supposed to 
 prevail in China.
 
 CHINA. 373 
 
 The only occupation here, was the nurture of 
 the silk-worm. Specimens of these were brought 
 out for our inspection and acceptance, but we 
 were not permitted to go into the houses where 
 the process of silk-forming was going on, as light, 
 or disturbance of any kind was supposed to be 
 injurious to the insects. A number of eagles 
 were hovering above the tombs and rocks, one 
 of which, of the royal species, I shot. 
 
 After some hours spent in this lonely spot, 
 we sailed for the opposite coast, where we found 
 the same description of scenery and inhabitants. 
 The islands on this side of the lake are the 
 abodes of rich private families and Buddhist 
 priests. Immense tracts of land are everywhere 
 taken up by vast cemeteries of ancient date, 
 full of groves of cypress, myrtle, and other 
 evergreens. Granite tombs, of great variety of 
 size and form, are scattered everywhere, and 
 the Joss houses are very numerous. 
 
 We saw no game of any description, a fact I 
 accounted for by the presence of so many fal- 
 cons and eagles. Very little cultivation was 
 apparent, but the chief occupation of the in- 
 
 N 3
 
 274 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 habitants of all these islands and districts was 
 the propagation of the silk-worm, and the pro- 
 duction of raw silks, which is here produced in 
 immense quantities. This district embraces 
 many hundred square miles, and immediately 
 succeeds the grain country. We returned the 
 same evening to our boats, and having seen 
 everything that we considered worth our inspec- 
 tion in the neighbourhood of the Tai-hou lake, 
 prepared to quit it on the following morning. 
 
 SOWIHO PADDT. 
 
 We directed our homeward course by a
 
 CHINA. 
 
 275 
 
 different route to that by which we had arrived, 
 and on our way through the marshes bordering 
 the lake, had some excellent shooting at bitterns 
 of great variety of plumage, and a very large 
 sort of snipe. We passed through several large 
 towns and cities, without meeting with any 
 annoyance, ascended the pagodas, walked into 
 
 REAPING PADDY. 
 
 the houses, and shot game under the very noses 
 of the people with perfect impunity. The 
 grain fields of Europe, or even Egypt, sink into 
 insignificance beside the crops that here cover
 
 276 CHINA. 
 
 immense space, forming as it were one vast field, 
 with no apparent, and scarcely any real traces of 
 division. The most laborious, artificial irrigation, 
 minute system of manuring by human manure, 
 and every thing that can possibly tend to the 
 culture and improvement of the soil is practised 
 to the highest pitch of perseverance by the in- 
 habitants ; not a square foot is allowed to lie 
 waste, and the very embankments of the canals 
 are all under cultivation. 
 
 This splendid alluvial flat produces three crops 
 during the year, 1st. grain, 2nd. rice, 3rd. cotton. 
 Flax is also largely cultivated. It is impossible 
 not to be highly impressed with the extraordinary 
 character of a people, who educated under the 
 grossest superstitions, and living under the most 
 despotic government are yet capable of such ex- 
 traordinary industry and perseverance, both of 
 which qualities are carried out to the utmost 
 minutiae of detail. The inhabitants of the 
 country, through which we passed, seemed happy 
 and contented, and I could not perceive any 
 indications of oppression, misery, or even abject 
 poverty.
 
 CHINA. 277 
 
 My remarks, it must be recollected are 
 confined solely to the north of China, and the 
 neighbourhood of Shanghai, as not having visited 
 any other part of the empire, I am not in a con- 
 dition to speak from personal experience as to 
 the character of the people or country. Recent 
 events have clearly proved that the feelings to- 
 wards foreigners, evinced by the inhabitants of 
 Canton, and other parts of China, are widely 
 different to those of their more northern brethren ; 
 and that a trip into the interior of those provinces 
 would have been attended with much danger, 
 particularly in European costume. 
 
 We arrived at the settlement after a very 
 pleasant trip of ten days, duration. During our 
 progress, we received frequent reports of the 
 rebel forces being in the vicinity, and the people 
 entertained a great dread of them ; we did not, 
 however, meet with any of them, and, indeed, en- 
 tertained no dread of their harming us if we had. 
 The cruelties, both rebels and Imperialists used 
 towards each other, are atrocious, and sometimes 
 too horrible to relate. There is not a pin to 
 choose between them, and when one party gets the
 
 278 CHINA. 
 
 better of the other, they retaliate their injuries, 
 real or imaginary, in the same manner. 
 
 A Chinaman is, perhaps, the most naturally 
 cruel individual in the world, yet his pusillanimity 
 and unwarlike character is too notorious to need 
 remark. A soldier's profession is not, as with 
 other civilized nations, considered one of glory 
 and honour, but as the lowest and most degraded 
 of any. A very short period since, the imperial 
 army consisting of between 20 and 30,000 men 
 then laying siege to Shanghai, which was in the 
 possession of the rebels, was totally routed and 
 put to flight, by about 300 European inhabitants 
 of the settlement, aided by some guns and 
 sailors from the ships in the river, and armed and 
 equipped at a moment's notice. 
 
 The cause of the affray was this. Some 
 ladies were insulted, and a gentleman wounded, 
 either by accident or design on the race-course, 
 adjoining the settlement by soldiers of the im- 
 perial army, which was encamped a short 
 distance from it ; and, redress for some cause 
 or other not being immediately obtained indeed, 
 some fears being entertained of their attacking
 
 CHINA. 279 
 
 the settlement every European turned out, 
 armed as well as he was able, and with a loss of 
 several killed and wounded to themselves, totally 
 routed the imperialists, and burnt their camp. 
 The rebels afterwards made a sortie from the 
 city, and pursued their flying enemies. This 
 affair was subsequently compromised. 
 
 Although it cannot be denied that the moral 
 character of the Chinese is considerably below 
 par, and that in debauchery and sensuality they 
 perhaps exceed any nation in the world ; yet 
 it is evident that when their natural intelligence 
 is fostered by good education, good government, 
 and good example, they would be fully equal, in 
 many respects, to any other people. 
 
 During my residence at Shanghai, the best 
 speech I heard there was delivered in good and 
 classical English by a Chinaman named Ly Sung, 
 and connected with one of the English Hongs, 
 at a large dinner-party, at which he was the 
 only Chinaman present. 
 
 It was a noble defence of his countrymen 
 from many of the imputations brought against 
 them, candidly confessing their faults, but attri-
 
 280 CHINA. 
 
 buting their most glaring errors to the effects of 
 bad education, bad example, and, above all, bad 
 government ; yet, under all these disadvantages, 
 triumphantly remarking that no country in 
 the world possessed more energy, industry 
 and perseverance ; and, without the machinery 
 and appliances of Europe and America, that, 
 in some manufactures, they fully equalled, if not 
 surpassed, those countries. He closed his re- 
 marks by appealing to the present party, whether 
 they had ever experienced more liberality in 
 commercial dealings from any other nation. 
 
 It is true this gentleman had been educated 
 at Singapore as a British subject; but there 
 were many other Chinese residents in Shanghai 
 fully equal to him in capacity and information. 
 In fact, nearly all the native business in the 
 commercial houses, or hongs, is carried on by the 
 compradors or managers, very few of the mer- 
 chants, either speaking or understanding the lan- 
 guage sufficiently to go through minute details, and 
 confining their part of the business to the choice 
 and price of the articles they wish to purchase. 
 
 With reference to the treatment of the Chinese
 
 CHINA. 281 
 
 by the majority of British residents, I will relate 
 a circumstance I witnessed in connection with 
 the above-named gentleman, Ly Sung, that will, 
 in all probability, rather interest my readers. 
 
 During the period of my residence at 
 Shanghai, he purchased a pony carriage for the 
 purpose of driving out with his wife and 
 children, after the European mode. The race 
 course is, as I before stated, the only spot near 
 the town where equestrian exercise can be taken, 
 and is the usual resort for the foreign inhabi- 
 tants of the settlement in the cool of the evening. 
 
 On his first appearance there, he was accosted 
 by a clerk in an English firm, and told, in the 
 most insulting manner, to quit the course in- 
 stantly, and never appear again, on pain of per- 
 sonal chastisement. 
 
 A member of the respectable firm to which 
 Ly Sung belonged, requested me in my capacity 
 of a stranger and observer, to embody my 
 opinion of this transaction in a letter addressed 
 to the Editor of the Shanghai Journal, which I 
 did in the following manner.
 
 282 CHINA. 
 
 " I may, perhaps, be permitted to make a 
 few remarks in your paper on a circumstance 
 that appeared to me (a temporary resident in 
 Shanghai) so strange and anomalous, as really to 
 need public comment, in order that if the im- 
 pression naturally conveyed be erroneous, the 
 case may appear in its true light. 
 
 " The facts are these. Whilst walking on the 
 race course, I observed a Chinaman driving a 
 pretty pony equipage, accosted by an apparently 
 English gentleman, and in a very rude and 
 violent manner, told to leave the course in- 
 stantly on pain of personal chastisement. 
 
 " I subsequently discovered that the Chinese 
 in question was a person of high respectability, 
 holding an honourable and responsible position 
 in one of the first commercial houses, born a 
 British subject at Singapore, and remarkable for 
 his talents and acquirements. It appears that 
 the race course is the private property of a 
 company, who derive an income from it by 
 subscriptions from the residents of the settle- 
 ment fixed at certain rates. This subscription
 
 CHINA. 283 
 
 was, after his expulsion, offered by * Ly Sung/ 
 but refused. 
 
 " T have passed some years in India, where 
 natives of all descriptions are not only allowed 
 the same privileges as Europeans on race-courses, 
 similarly established, but encouraged to adopt 
 our habits and equipages, as tending to promote, 
 at the same time, a unity of feeling, as well as 
 the interests of civilization and commerce. 
 
 "During my stay here, I have made an 
 expedition far into the interior of China, and 
 notwithstanding the very severe conditions of 
 the existing treaty, have never met with the 
 slightest molestation or annoyance ; but, on the 
 contrary, have received every civility and oc- 
 commodation I could desire. 
 
 " I should imagine it was the object of our 
 government, both in a commercial and political 
 point of view, to cultivate friendly relations with 
 the Chinese by every means in our power, and 
 cannot but consider such a line of conduct, 
 pursued towards a Chinese gentleman on his 
 native soil, as totally unworthy of that generous
 
 284 CHINA. 
 
 and liberal feeling peculiar to British gentlemen 
 under similar circumstances. 
 
 " Portuguese, Jews, Armenians, and Persees, 
 who form a large proportion of the resident 
 foreigners at the settlement, might with more 
 justice be excluded' from the Shanghai race 
 course. 
 
 I remain, 
 
 &c., &c., &c. 
 
 John Chinaman is not a very moral being, 
 but not quite so bad as it is the fashion to repre- 
 sent him, at least in the north, and I very much 
 doubt if we have taken the right means to make 
 him better. We have certainly forced upon him 
 the sacred and profane, viz. Christianity and 
 Opium, in a manner not very well calculated to 
 inspire him with a belief in our own sincerity 
 and disinterestedness, and to speculate in his 
 own way upon such a paradoxical nature of 
 affairs; the least we can do, is to treat him 
 civilly, if it be only for the sake of the many 
 good cups of tea we owe to him. 
 
 It must be borne in mind that the Mandarins
 
 CHINA. 285 
 
 receiving no salary direct from government, and 
 paying themselves by local taxation, possess 
 every power to oppress, and what is termed 
 squeeze the people under their rule ; which they 
 do not neglect doing by every means in their 
 power, and to the better educated and mercan- 
 tile class of the community this state of things is 
 particularly obnoxious, and strikes at the very 
 heart of commercial prosperity and enterprize. 
 Independently of their old and unconquerable 
 attachment to the " Carolus" dollar as a current 
 coin ; and, indeed, the only one in use save and 
 except the copper cash of the country, of infini- 
 tesrnal value and infinite weight, that they will 
 admit of in circulation, except at a ruinous dis- 
 count, even this coin, which has risen to a pre- 
 mium far beyond its real value, is swallowed up 
 in the secret recesses of some Chinese vault, or 
 other repository for hidden treasures, beyond 
 the reach of the Mandarins, and rarely finds its 
 way again into circulation. 
 
 The greater part of the old Carolus, and Fer- 
 dinand and Isabella dollars, for which the whole 
 world has been ransacked by capitalists and
 
 286 CHINA. 
 
 speculators for years past, are now in China. 
 Cunning imitations of equal value have been 
 attempted to be palmed upon them, but the 
 quick eye of the native " sheroff," or money 
 changers is always proof against the deception, 
 and indeed he often rejects real ones when offered 
 in payment, in consequence of the most trifling 
 mark or deficiency, so that the want of a 
 national and government coinage is becoming 
 greater every day. 
 
 Not having been at any other Chinese port 
 than Shanghai, I cannot speak from experience, 
 or from comparison, of their treatment, or 
 respect for " barbarians ;" but certainly neither 
 at this place, or as I understand, any where in 
 the north of China, is the same dislike manifested 
 to Europeans, as is said to be at Canton, or in 
 the south ; on the contrary, the authorities and 
 merchants, both of the city and settlement, are 
 on the best terms, an interchange of civilities 
 often takes place between them, and, as I have 
 before stated, in spite of the stringent clause in 
 the treaty, Europeans are allowed to travel with 
 impunity through the country.
 
 CHINA. 287 
 
 Mr. Fortune, who has travelled more in diffe- 
 rent parts of China than any other Englishman, 
 considers that the arts are rather retrograding 
 than otherwise, and that neither the porcelaine, 
 silks or bronzes, are even in their own estimation, 
 equal in quality to those of former years. 
 
 " There can be no doubt," he says, " that the 
 Chinese empire arrived at its highest pitch of 
 perfection many years ago, and since that time 
 has been gradually going down. Many of its 
 noblest cities are in ruins. Its loftiest pagodas 
 crumbling to the dust, and no efforts made to 
 repair them. The spacious temples which I 
 visited on the " Great Lake," all show signs of 
 decay. 
 
 The above writer suggests, that in the instance 
 of the Pagodas and Temples, the neglect may 
 arise from the increasing scepticism of the 
 people, or rather apathy in matters of religion ; 
 but another author on China, " Mr. Wade," 
 says, immediately before the present rebellion 
 broke out, "with a fair seeming of immunity 
 from invasion, sedition, or revolt, leave is taken 
 to consider this vast empire as surely though
 
 288 CHINA. 
 
 slowly decaying. It has in many respects 
 retrograded since the commencement of the 
 present dynasty, and in none that we are 
 aware of has it made any sensible progress." 
 
 It would, however, be very wrong to consider 
 that anything like a fall is to be apprehended 
 in China. After many convulsions it has always 
 emerged with its pristine force. The enormous 
 mass of its population, and identity of feeling, 
 render it immortal, as far as this world is con- 
 cerned. The whole population are one in blood, 
 sentiments and language. 
 
 The Chinese are a very sensual race, having 
 the fear of the Mandarins before their eyes, and 
 not daring to spend their money in horses, 
 equipages, or outward display ; they expend large 
 sums in private debauchery, which they carry on 
 to the utmost limits of the grossest sensuality. 
 The use of opium is very common amongst 
 them ; but I very much doubt whether the fatal 
 effects of it, on the average, are so great as from 
 the use of ardent spirits at home. 
 
 During my stay at Shanghai, the annual race 
 meeting took place, and I witnessed some very
 
 CHINA. 289 
 
 fair racing with Arab and Colonial horses, on the 
 pretty little course that had been made close to 
 the town by the European residents. Ah 1 the 
 beauty and fashion of the place were to be seen 
 in the stand. The most amusing part of the 
 scene was a stake given for China ponies, ridden 
 by Chinamen. A Chinaman has a most in- 
 distinct idea of equitation, and were it not that 
 he is ensconced in a sort of haystack of a saddle, 
 would inevitably tumble off at every gambol of 
 his steed, and he manages even to make his exit 
 very often from this seat of comparative safety. 
 Imagine from ten to twenty shaggy animals 
 of every colour and size, from ten to fourteen 
 hands high, some of them resembling bears far 
 more than horses, mounted by Chinamen of the 
 most grotesque appearance and costume, and 
 literally covered by housings or saddles nearly 
 as large as themselves. Upon the start being 
 effected, one half of these jockeys are unhorsed, 
 or rather unhoused, and are either biting the 
 dust or waddling after their impracticable steeds. 
 Their companions who manage to keep their 
 seats, and to direct their course in a proper 
 
 o
 
 290 CHINA. 
 
 direction, continue to gallop on until some other 
 catastrophe ensues, such as the reversing of one 
 of their sheep skin saddles, or the pony bolting 
 with his rider into one of the muddy ditches 
 that line each side of the course ; and there are 
 rarely more than one or two survivors that 
 accomplish the whole round. These would, if 
 permitted, continue to gallop on to the end of 
 time, or at least to the end of their ponies, having 
 no idea of the termination of the race, and are 
 often left to do so amidst the cheers of the 
 spectators, so that the one who holds out the 
 longest is declared the winner. The races 
 terminate in balls, dinner parties, and all the 
 profusion of Eastern hospitality. 
 
 The tables of some of these merchant princes 
 would bear comparison with any in Europe. A 
 Chinaman, with a little instruction, becomes one 
 of the best cooks in the world, and, in the light 
 and ornamental parts of the art, soon equals 
 his Gallic brethren. Almost every delicacy that 
 is met with in Europe, and many that are there 
 unattainable, are here served up in rich profu- 
 sion. Wines of every variety, ices of ah 1 de-
 
 CHINA. 291 
 
 scriptions, and fine tropical and European fruits, 
 adorn the dessert. The Chinese are extremely 
 intelligent and active servants in every capacity, 
 and, if tolerably looked after, quite as much to 
 be depended on as our own countrymen. A 
 great number, however, are employed in one 
 establishment, each occupying his peculiar situ- 
 ation, similar to those (caste excepted) in the 
 East Indies. 
 
 In the most agreeable part of the settlement, 
 are situated the houses of the missionaries, and 
 very pleasant and commodious residences they 
 appear to be. There is both an American and 
 English school for the education of Chinese 
 children, but, I hear, not very well attended; 
 nor could I discover any traces of Protestant 
 missionary labour in the interior. Tracts and 
 Testaments to an immense extent have been 
 published in the Chinese language, and circu- 
 lated through the country, and the inhabitants 
 appear very eager to obtain them ; but, it seems, 
 more as literary curiosities than from any de- 
 votional view. By far the most extraordinary 
 establishments I saw at Shangai, were *two 
 
 o 2
 
 292 CHINA. 
 
 Jesuit Colleges ; one adjoining the walls of the 
 city, and the other within a few miles of it. 
 The former partook more of the nature of a 
 monastery, and the latter of a college for secular 
 education. Indeed, the Director (a Frenchman) 
 assured me that they did not attempt to bias the 
 religious opinions of the pupils in any way, a 
 statement which I considered rather contradicted 
 by the fact of a small illuminated print of some 
 saint or other being attached to the desk of each 
 scholar. Be that as it may, nothing can exceed 
 the order, and regularity, and apparent harmony 
 with which these extensive establishments are 
 carried on. 
 
 Sculpture, painting, music, languages, &c., 
 and evidently by able and distinguished masters, 
 are taught to the Chinese youth by Chinese 
 themselves ; for in dress, language, and appear- 
 ance, these indefatigable men could not be dis- 
 tinguished from Chinese, and they adapt their 
 mode of life entirely to the native model. 
 When it is taken into consideration how ex- 
 tremely difficult it is to obtain even a smattering 
 of the Chinese language, and how very few
 
 CHINA. 293 
 
 Europeans amongst the commercial class, and 
 even amongst our own missionaries and diplo- 
 matists, arrive at anything like proficiency, the 
 self-denying hard labour and study of these 
 priests is truly wonderful. The pupils appeared 
 happy, and proud of their occupations, and far 
 more intelligent than the generality of the 
 Chinese we met with. The utmost order and 
 cleanliness prevailed, and the dormitories and 
 refectories were a pattern of neat arrangement. 
 A really handsome cathedral church is attached 
 to the building, in which are some very fine 
 specimens of wooden sculpture, by a Spanish 
 priest attached to the establishment. 
 
 Following the example of Hue, and other 
 celebrated Jesuits, these disciples of Loyola 
 penetrate far into the country, and, under their 
 almost impenetrable disguise, obtain and convey 
 far more information than any other " bar- 
 barian." 
 
 The Chinese, in spite of all their moral and 
 physical depravity, which render them essen- 
 tially materialists, and indifferent on religious 
 matters, possess some very extraordinary cha-
 
 294 CHINA. 
 
 racteristics. Education is not only universal, 
 but encouraged by a knowledge that through 
 its means the highest honours can be obtained ; 
 and there are very very few in this vast Empire 
 that cannot read and write their own very diffi- 
 cult and complicated language. The greatest 
 homage is paid to the " aristocracy of genius ;" 
 even wealth, the great object of a Chinaman's 
 (as well as most other men's) ambition, is re- 
 garded with far less respect. 
 
 The national religion is " Buddhism ;" a sort 
 of negative faith, possessing numberless idols, 
 but divested of all the cruelties and obscenities 
 peculiar to the Hindoos. In fact, the Buddhist 
 priests appear to exist in a sort of dreamy ab- 
 straction, approaching to idiotcy. They profess 
 celibacy, and lead a life of utter laziness and 
 uselessness; their only occupation, apparently, 
 being the burning of incense and lighting of 
 tapers before their numberless idols. They 
 believe most implicitly in the immortality of the 
 soul, and, possessing the most apathetic indif- 
 ference to life, pay the utmost respect to death. 
 All the members of a family are, after their
 
 CHINA. 295 
 
 decease, enclosed each in a very thick and solid 
 wooden sarcophagus, and buried, or rather 
 placed upon the surface of the soil, and then 
 thatched or turfed over, as near as possible to 
 the dwelling of the survivors ; and should these 
 happen to change their domicile, these coffins 
 (if in a state to permit of it) are .carried with 
 them to their new abode, so that the whole 
 country is one vast grave-yard, and there is 
 scarcely the smallest allotment of land, exube- 
 rant with fertility, and teeming with crops of 
 different kinds, that has not one or more of 
 these graves upon it ; and upon and near those 
 in a state of decay, I generally found the 
 favourite resort of pheasants. 
 
 In this short narrative of my travels, I have 
 especially eschewed entering into religious and 
 political disquisitions, and shall content myself 
 by briefly quoting the words of a celebrated 
 author on China, without entering into the 
 merits or causes of the late revolution, relative 
 to the positive state of the government of the 
 country. 
 
 " A monarchical spirit has, from the earliest
 
 296 CHINA. 
 
 times, pervaded the government of China, but 
 after the destruction of the feudal princes and 
 nobles in the long civil wars that intervened 
 between the fall of the Han dynasty and the 
 rise of the Soongs, a further development of the 
 executive took place, and a centralized bureau- 
 cracy established itself upon the ruins of all 
 local authority. The Emperor is styled the 
 " Sou of Heaven," and is worshipped with di- 
 vine honours, in virtue of his office. By im- 
 memorial custom, he has absolute control over 
 the succession to the throne, and can select an 
 heir, if he pleases, from beyond the circle of his 
 own family. As the father of the nation, he is 
 sole proprietor of the soil. He has a privy 
 council, composed of two Chinese and two Tar- 
 tars, and a number of Boards preside over the 
 various branches of administration, and consult 
 with him on all matters of difficulty and impor- 
 tance. A remarkable feature in the government 
 is the office of censors, the members of which 
 are despatched to various parts of the Empire 
 as Imperial inspectors. By the ancient custom 
 of the country, these censors are privileged to
 
 CHINA. 297 
 
 present any advice or remonstrance to the sove- 
 reign without losing their lives ; nevertheless, 
 they are sometimes degraded and punished, 
 when their addresses are more than usually un- 
 palatable. From the Emperor downwards, a 
 strictly defined gradation of offices extends, 
 passing through ministers of state, governors of 
 provinces, of districts, of towns, down to the 
 head of a family, who is the absolute and irre- 
 sponsible ruler of his own household, and who 
 is, in some degree, liable to punishment for their 
 crimes at any period of their lives, as well as to 
 reward for their merits. The Mandarins are 
 never permitted to gather round them the affec- 
 tions of their districts. They are never allowed 
 to hold office in their native locality. 
 
 " The system of centralization is the only 
 form of government possible in a country where 
 two municipal institutions exist, and where the 
 people are ignorant or apathetic in political 
 matters where, in short, they have not attained 
 the art of managing themselves, and where no 
 landed nobility exist to form a check upon the 
 conduct of the government officials. Their 
 
 o 3
 
 298 CHINA. 
 
 power is almost unlimited over those below 
 them, and fraud, tyranny, and extortion find 
 vent, despite the constitutional principles of 
 Chinese government. These are not so much 
 the defect of the system, as of the individuals 
 who work it. Local emeutes against the au- 
 thorities are not unfrequent, but it is the abuses 
 of power only against which the people protest 
 on such occasions, not its form. They admire 
 and venerate with their whole heart the govern- 
 mental system of their country, which is not 
 only an elaborate machine, associated with their 
 entire past history, but which adapts itself ad- 
 mirably to the national spirit. It is no mere 
 theoretical constitution struck off at a blow, 
 such as have lately been so much in vogue in 
 Europe; it is a perfect embodiment of the 
 Chinese predilections in government, and has 
 grown with the growth, and strengthened with 
 the strength of the people. A revolution would 
 but transfer the present form of government to 
 other hands, as the Chinese are unacquainted 
 with the nature and merits of any other, and 
 complain neither of the present mode of govern-
 
 CHINA. 299 
 
 ment, nor of the laws, in which they are not 
 stated to discern any defects, but merely the 
 abuse of them." 
 
 Degraded and debased as the moral character 
 of the Chinese people may be, nobody can deny 
 them a meed of praise for that extraordinary 
 industry and activity that actuates all their 
 proceedings. Nobody is indolent in China 
 but the priests, and however tedious and labo- 
 rious their occupation may be, they always seem 
 to work with courage and cheerfulness. 
 
 With our present views and intentions to- 
 wards China, particularly as they point to ex- 
 tending our commercial connections with this 
 people. The north of China presents a much 
 finer field than the south, both as regards the 
 character of the people, the productions of the 
 soil, and the facility of intercourse by water- 
 carriage. The Port of Shanghai is, of all others, 
 the most advantageously situated; at the con- 
 flux of the river of that name, and the vast 
 Yang-tse-Keang, which extends for nearly 2000 
 miles into the interior, and contains on its banks
 
 300 CHINA. 
 
 and immediate districts, some of the largest and 
 wealthiest cities in the empire, including Nan- 
 kin, together with a population of 170,000,000 
 all united by a series of canals. This immense 
 river is a league broad, six hundred miles from 
 the sea, and of sufficient depth to contain ships 
 of large tonnage, and possesses numerous 
 tributaries. 
 
 If, however, any person be desirous of forming 
 a correct idea of China and the Chinese, at least, 
 of a very large portion of that curious country 
 and people, let them peruse the books of M. 
 Hue, and Mr. Fortune. The first of these is, 
 perhaps, the most interesting and extraordinary 
 work of the kind ever offered to the public, not 
 only with reference to the wonderful adventures 
 of this most heroic and dauntless of missionaries, 
 but as a talented statistical account of this 
 hitherto almost unknown empire, every line of 
 which contains the stamp of truth and sincerity. 
 The second is a simple and equally interesting 
 account of the experiences of the traveller 
 amongst the Chinese, more particularly in their
 
 CHINA. 301 
 
 character of tea producers, farmers, and gar- 
 deners, and cannot fail of imparting amusement 
 and instruction to the reader. 
 
 I was much surprised at Shanghai, by the 
 paucity of European shops in the settlement, 
 where articles in common use at home might be 
 obtained. These were scarce, and at more ex- 
 orbitant prices, and I am quite sure that there 
 is a wide field for any intelligent shopkeeper to 
 realize a fortune in a short time, as the Chinese 
 themselves are amongst the best customers. 
 There are plenty of native warehouses for the 
 sale of silks, grass cloths, carved ivory and 
 tortoiseshell and other Chinese productions. 
 
 One of the reasons of the former deficiency, is 
 the custom the merchants here have of import- 
 ing for themselves the greater part of their 
 supplies, such as beer, wines, and liquors, &c., 
 but there are innumerable little extras which 
 would be forgotten in the category, and form a 
 source of profit to a retail dealer. 
 
 Situated within a short distance of the great 
 silk districts, and of easy communication with 
 the tea countries, no port in China commands so
 
 302 CHINA. 
 
 many advantages as Shanghai. The climate, 
 also, is far more salubrious than that of the 
 southern ports, and summer and winter are 
 pretty equally subdivided. It is true, the sum- 
 mers are intensely hot, but this heat does not 
 last above three or four months, and the remaining 
 part of the year is pleasant enough. 
 
 The Chinese government has always encou- 
 raged the agricultural system by every means in 
 its power. A country nearly as large as Europe*, 
 and with a far greater population, is main- 
 tained entirely on its own resources. No mil- 
 lionaire manufacturers overwhelm all competition 
 by ruining the small traders. The small farmer 
 rears his crop of rice, cotton, tea, or silk, dresses 
 it, and sends it to market, and turns it to his 
 own use as food and clothing, and although he 
 cannot succeed in laying by money, it is only in 
 periods of famine and inundation that he 
 experiences the pressure of want. 
 
 The vessel in which I had taken my passage 
 had now very nearly completed her cargo, which 
 was to be composed of 1000 tons of tea and silk, 
 and of a value exceeding 200,000, and every
 
 CHINA. 308 
 
 day hastened our departure. Chinese curiosities, 
 such as soap, stone ornaments, straw hats, fans, 
 and other cheap productions, were scattered about 
 the decks and cabin previous to being stowed 
 away ; and we ourselves began to make pre- 
 parations for a long and tedious voyage. Un- 
 fortunately, at this period, the monsoon was 
 dead against us; and we should have to beat 
 against it as far as the equator, making a long 
 detour to the eastward. We had also arrived 
 at the season when typhoons and gales were 
 certain to be encountered, both very disagreeable 
 and dangerous contingencies ; indeed, our pros- 
 pects of the voyage as far as the Java seas, were 
 anything but favourable. We intended to 
 touch at that island for water and provisions, 
 particularly poultry, which can be'procured very 
 cheap and good, either at Batavia or the small 
 port of Anger, which commands the entrance to 
 the Straits of Sun da, from whence we had every 
 reason to anticipate favourable winds to the 
 Cape of Good Hope, and during the homeward 
 voyage. The snipes had departed, and the 
 weather had become, what with the total absence
 
 304 CHINA. 
 
 of foliage and glare of the sun upon the white 
 buildings, hotter than I ever felt it before. Hats 
 manufactured from the pith of trees were almost 
 universally worn, as light, and better able to 
 resist the penetrating force of the rays of the 
 sun, considered here very dangerous, when the 
 head is covered by any slight material. Large 
 umbrellas were always carried when walking; 
 but very few Europeans were to be seen on foot 
 during the day. Some of the gardens attached 
 to the houses of the merchants were, however, 
 very beautiful. Gardenias of gigantic size 
 absolutely made the air faint with their de- 
 licious odour, and magnolias of different 
 colours were everywhere to be seen. Roses 
 in great variety had now attained their full per- 
 fection. Indeed, the Chinese Flora is very 
 abundant and beautiful. The natives are skilful 
 gardeners, and passionately fond of flowers. 
 Like the Dutch, they will give large sums for 
 certain scarce roots and plants, and no fete 
 or party is complete without the exhibition of 
 flowers, both real and artificial. The latter they 
 also excel in making.
 
 CHINA. 305 
 
 In allusion to the agricultural habits of the 
 Chinese, I cannot help quoting from that most 
 agreeable and truthful author, Mr. Fortune. He 
 says : 
 
 " There are few sights more pleasant than a 
 Chinese family in the interior engaged in gather- 
 ing the leaves of the tea plant, or, indeed, in 
 any other gardening or agricultural pursuit. 
 There is the old man it may be the grandfather 
 or even the great-grandfather patriarch-like 
 directing his descendants, many of whom are in 
 their youth and prime, whilst others are in their 
 childhood, in the labours of the field. He stands 
 in the midst of them bowed down with age ; 
 but to the honour of the Chinese as a nation, 
 he is always looked up to by all with pride and 
 affection ; and his old and grey hairs are 
 honoured, revered, and loved. 
 
 " In the tea districts every cottager or small 
 farmer has his own little tea garden, the produce 
 of which supplies his own family, and the sur- 
 plus brings him in a few dollars, which supply 
 the other necessaries of life. When after the 
 labours of the day are over, they return to their
 
 306 CHINA. 
 
 humble and happy homes, their fare consists 
 chiefly of rice, fish (with which their rivers and 
 lakes abound), and vegetables which they enjoy 
 with great zest, and are happy and contented. 
 I really believe that there is no country in the 
 world where the agricultural population are bet- 
 ter off than they are in the north of China. 
 Labour with them is pleasure, for its fruits are 
 eaten by themselves, and the rod of the oppressor 
 is unfelt and unknown. For a few cash (1200 
 of which makes a dollar) a Chinese can dine in a 
 sumptuous manner on his rice, fish, vegetables, 
 and tea, and I fully believe that in no country 
 in the world, is there less real misery and want 
 than in China. The very beggars seem a jolly 
 crew, and are kindly treated by the inhabi- 
 tants." 
 
 We have lately been wonderfully divided in 
 opinion, and even gone so far as a dissolution of 
 Parliament, on the subject of China, and our 
 differences with her at Canton, the most ancient 
 of our settlements, from whence such enormous 
 public wealth, and princely private fortunes have 
 come home to the British isles, and I cannot do
 
 CHINA. 307 
 
 better than by again quoting Mr. Fortune on 
 the subject of Chinese character. 
 
 " The natives of the southern towns, and all 
 along the coast, at least as far north as Chekiang, 
 richly deserve the bad character which every 
 one gives them ; being remarkable for their 
 hatred to foreigners, and conceited notions of 
 their own importance, besides abounding in 
 characters of the very worst description, who are 
 nothing else than thieves and pirates. But the 
 character of the Chinese, as a nation, must not 
 suffer from a public view of this kind ; for it 
 must be borne in mind, that in every country 
 the most lawless characters are amongst those 
 who inhabit sea-port towns, and who come in 
 contact with natives of other countries ; and, 
 unfortunately, we must confess that European 
 nations have contributed to make this people 
 what they are. In the north of China, and 
 more particularly inland, the natives are entirely 
 different. There are, doubtless, bad characters 
 and thieves amongst them too, but generally the 
 traveller is not exposed to insult, and the natives 
 are quiet, civil, and obliging.
 
 308 CHINA. 
 
 Lord Jocelyn, who was with our fleet 
 during the late war, and who landed on various 
 points of the coast, states, as the experience of 
 his rambles amongst the villagers, that a kind 
 word to a child, or any notice taken of the 
 young, will at once ingratiate a stranger with 
 this humane and simple-minded people. The 
 nation at large are remarkable for the virtues of 
 sobriety and filial reverence. Instances of noble 
 generosity in individuals are said not to be 
 infrequent, and we may add that no people in 
 the world, unless it be the French, are ready to 
 take notice of, and applaud the casual utterance 
 of noble sentiments : in fine, Mr. Lay says, that 
 " no man can deny the Chinese the honourable 
 character of being good subjects, though from 
 the venality of their magistrates in general, 
 they must often be exposed to many kinds of 
 usage that tempt them to throw off their alle- 
 giance," and attributes their steady obedience 
 to constituted authority, not to a tameness of 
 disposition that disposes a man to take kicks 
 without feeling the gall of indignation, but to a 
 habitual sentiment of respect, and a share of
 
 CHINA. 309 
 
 sterling good sense that lead him to see and 
 choose what is really best for his own interests. 
 No individual living has had a better opportu- 
 nity of understanding the Chinese character, or 
 made better use of it than the author of these 
 sentiments and opinions, and it would be, indeed, 
 a bold man who would venture to put his judg- 
 ment, on this head, in opposition to that of 
 Mr. Fortune. 
 
 The last chest of tea that our capacious hold 
 was able to contain, now occupied its destined 
 space, and the last precious bale of silk was 
 carefully deposited in its resting place, the hot 
 weather had set in with frightful intensity, and 
 in spite of the hospitable and kind treatment we 
 had received from our Chinese acquaintances, 
 we longed for the sea breezes again. I paid a 
 last visit to the Pagoda, and shot a few more 
 sacred rooks for the priest's cuisine, took a long 
 farewell of our kind friend, and on the 24th of 
 June, dropped down the river to Woosung, 
 where we came to anchor. The captain and 
 several passengers joined us on the following 
 day.
 
 310 CHINA. 
 
 On the 27th, we were clear of the Yellow Sea, 
 and shaped an easterly course. On the 1st of 
 July, we were off the island of Gotow, on the 
 Japan coast, about 30 miles from the town and 
 harbour of " Nagasaki." Several well con- 
 structed boats came out from the shore, and 
 kept sailing around us, evidently sent to spy 
 our movements. We were about five miles from 
 the coast, and the wind being very light, we 
 made but little progress, and had a fine and 
 distinct view of the country, which although 
 mountainous, appeared to be highly cultivated, 
 and extremely picturesque. 
 
 From this period until the 18th of July, we 
 had to beat up against contrary winds and mon- 
 soons, and were assailed by one terrific typhoon, 
 such a storm of wind and rain as I never before 
 experienced. The sea appeared one confused 
 mass of white soap suds, and scarcely a speck of 
 blue was to be seen, we could not shew any 
 canvas to the gale, and were for some time 
 under bare poles. Shortly afterwards we 
 weathered, with some difficulty, the Loochoo 
 and Magico Sina Islands, and after having left
 
 CHINA. 311 
 
 our anchorage exactly three weeks, found our- 
 selves off the northern point of the Phillipines, 
 close inland, near the Bay of Manilla, and not 
 above 700 miles from Shanghai. 
 
 Until the ?th of August, we had a succession 
 of calms and contrary breezes, although light 
 ones. We passed in lat. 5" 31 north, and 
 long. 131 east, two small low islands completely 
 covered with cocoa-nut trees, named the St. 
 Andrew's Islands. Several canoes with out- 
 riggers, similar to those of the South Sea 
 islanders, came off to us, manned by about 1 2 
 natives in each. They were perfectly naked, 
 with the exception of a narrow cloth round the 
 loins ; small in figure, but well made and active, 
 of a dark copper colour, and profusely tattoed. 
 
 Their long hair was gathered up in a round 
 bunch on the summit of their heads. The race 
 is the same as the inhabitants of the Pellew 
 Islands, celebrated with us in connection with 
 the history of Prince Lee Boo, and which are not 
 far distant. They are a mixture of the Papuan 
 and Malay. They brought off no provisions of 
 any kind, except a few cocoa-nuts, but plenty of
 
 312 CHINA. 
 
 mats, of their own manufacture, from the cocoa- 
 nut fibre, fishing lines, small pieces of tortoise- 
 shells, and other shells, which they were anxious 
 to exchange for knives, old razors, or hoop- 
 iron; but seemed to care little for any thing 
 else. They appeared to be a harmless, inoffen- 
 sive race, and perfectly amphibious, swimming 
 about the ship in all directions, quite regardless 
 of the sharks which abound here. 
 
 On the 13th, we entered the Gelolo passage 
 and were off the great island of Gelolo. We 
 were now at the entrance of the vast Malacca sea, 
 and Archipelago, and in the domains of the Dutch 
 East Indies. 
 
 Little is heard, or indeed written, relative to 
 the colonian history and policy of this most 
 active and enterprising nation in this rich and 
 productive country, and from which the mother 
 country derives a princely revenue. It is well 
 known, however, at present, that many of the nu- 
 merous islands in these seas, which were lately 
 the resorts only of pirates and savages, are now 
 partially inhabited by civilized colonists. Small 
 forts and settlements are gradually appearing on
 
 CHINA. 313 
 
 their coasts, and the richest productions of the 
 tropics in the shape of spices, sugar, cochineal, 
 and indigo are raised. 
 
 Cruisers are continually sweeping the coasts ; 
 and rooting out the old system of Malay piracy 
 by every means, and particularly upon the well 
 known principle of " Set a thief to catch a thief," 
 by employing pirate chiefs to hunt down their 
 old comrades. The Dutch are rigorous enforcers 
 of their own laws and edicts, and a short thrift 
 and speedy execution is all the crew of a pirate 
 praw have to expect when captured. 
 
 The islands of Gelolo, Morta, and indeed 
 numerous others, through which our course now 
 lay, and near to which we were continually 
 becalmed under an atmosphere of nearly 100 
 Fahrenheit in the cabin, presented much the 
 same appearance from the sea. They were moun- 
 tainous, and covered with forests of the richest 
 verdure to the summit of the hills. The climate 
 is supposed to be exceedingly unhealthy, owing 
 to the great heat, and the miasma arising from 
 swamps and decayed vegetation. We saw no 
 boats of any kind, although we were upwards of
 
 314 CHINA. 
 
 a fortnight in the midst of this archipelago, but 
 we observed evident signs of cultivation on many 
 of the islands, as well as the smoke arising from 
 houses and towns. 
 
 At length, on September 4th, after a voyage of 
 70 days from Shanghai, we arrived at Java 
 Heads, about fifty miles from the port of Anger.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 JAVA. 
 
 ON approaching nearer the coast we were very 
 soon surrounded by Javanese boats or praws, 
 with large lateen sails, and containing provisions 
 of all descriptions, including poultry, pigs, turtle, 
 yams, sweet potatoes, and tropical fruits of all 
 descriptions, amongst which splendid pine apples 
 weighing several pounds, were about two-pence 
 each, and equally fine shaddocks at the same 
 price. Curry powder, and preserved tamarinds 
 appeared also favourite articles of barter. Many 
 of the owners of these boats were disputing for 
 the situation of comprador, or commissary- 
 general, to supply the vessel with all the 
 provisions she required, by contract, at the port 
 
 p 2
 
 316 JAVA. 
 
 of Anger, and exhibiting the different cer- 
 tificates they had, or pretended to have received 
 from masters of vessels they had served in a 
 similar capacity. The Javanese are small in 
 stature, but muscular in form, supple and active 
 in their movements, and of a light copper colour. 
 Their countenances forbidding and sinister in 
 their expression, generally betray the stamp of 
 every evil passion, amongst which desperation 
 and treachery are predominant, nor do their 
 characters, by all accounts, belie their appearance. 
 They are kept, however, under such complete 
 subjection, and are treated with such rigorous 
 authority by the Dutch government, that they 
 are afraid of too often displaying their natural 
 characteristics. 
 
 We shortly came to anchor within a mile of 
 the shore, opposite the small town and fort of 
 Anger, with the southern shore of the Island of 
 Sumatra in full view in the distance, and 
 forming the strait. 
 
 On landing to pay our respects to the governor, 
 and receive and post letters by the Overland 
 Mail, which embraces Batavia only ninety miles
 
 JAVA. 317 
 
 from this place; I was much struck by the 
 beauty of the vegetation in which the little town, 
 consisting of detached cottages and gardens, and 
 fort, was absolutely embosomed. The variety 
 of plants and fruits that nourish in this luxuriant 
 soil is so great, that it is almost impossible to 
 enumerate them, even in confining oneself to a 
 very superficial list ; I shall, therefore, only speak 
 of the most remarkable. 
 
 Although it was not far beyond mid-day when 
 we landed, and the heat I really think greater 
 than I ever felt in my life, I could not resist the 
 temptation of a stroll into the beautiful country, 
 and through the luxuriant groves near the coast. 
 The cocoa-nut tree here grows generally to sixty 
 or seventy feet high, and frequently bears from 
 thirty to forty nuts. Several sorts of bananas 
 are here cultivated, the fruits of which are very 
 delicious ; as soon as the fruit is gathered, the 
 tree is cut down, as it only bears once, but it 
 produces so many saplings, and grows so rapidly , 
 that in the space of from six to eight months it 
 has again attained its full size. 
 
 The noble Banyan tree (Ficus Indicus) is
 
 318 JAVA. 
 
 here seen in its most gigantic proportions, 
 covering an immense space of ground, and 
 forming whole avenues with its pendant branches, 
 so that it would not be difficult to create an 
 entire forest from one tree, as each branch takes 
 root as soon as it touches the earth. 
 
 The Bamboo is too well known to need 
 comment, save and except that here there are 
 several descriptions of that plant which are made 
 a peculiar use of. From one, sugar is extracted, 
 and vinegar manufactured, and from the tender 
 shoots a confection is made, named atjar. These 
 shoots are also eaten boiled, and have the taste 
 of cabbages. 
 
 A tree called by the natives pohontjat grows 
 wild, and furnishes a beautiful vermillion dye. 
 
 The wax tree bears fruit with which candles 
 are made equal in quality and beauty to sper- 
 maceti. The paper tree (morus papyri/era) is 
 cut down when it has attained the age of two 
 or three years, and from its second bark, or 
 pellicule, paper is made, and a coarse kind of 
 cloth. 
 
 The jambu produces several kinds of excellent
 
 JAVA. 319 
 
 fruit, in appearance similar to our green medlar, 
 and possesses a delicious odour of roses, several 
 kinds of mangos and the exquisite mangostene 
 (or forbidden fruit) are amongst the natural 
 fruit of the island, custard apples, guavas, 
 oranges, shaddocks, citrons, pine apples, pome- 
 granates, jack fruit, and many others unknown 
 in our possessions in the East Indies, all flourish 
 here in the greatest perfection. 
 
 High up in the hills, apples and peach trees 
 are planted, the fruit of which is said not to be 
 nearly so good as in Europe, but vegetables, 
 such as cabbage, lettuces, asparagus, &c., succeed 
 admirably. An immense variety of aromatic 
 flowers, herbs and leaves abound, amongst the 
 former may be noticed the sundal malam 
 (mirabilis jalapa) the perfume of which is more 
 exquisite before the rising, and after the setting 
 of the sun. 
 
 But alas ! among all these beauties and 
 luxuries of creation, the destroying angel lurks, 
 and this atmosphere, laden with the perfume of 
 fruit and flowers, is pregnant with disease and 
 death.
 
 320 JAVA. 
 
 The heat is very great during the whole year 
 near the coast, even in the rainy season, 
 attaining very often from 95 to 100 degrees 
 of Fahrenheit. 
 
 Cholera is of very common occurrence, and 
 in its very worst form. The most robust are 
 often attacked, and expire in less than an hour 
 in frightful agony. A fever called the Java fever, 
 and which has a striking resemblance to the 
 yellow fever of the West Indies, immolates a 
 multitude of victims. Diarrhoea and dysentry 
 are very common and very dangerous. The 
 patient falls suddenly into a state of such 
 extreme weakness, that he resembles a living 
 skeleton, and medicines are of little use here, 
 where the stomach and intestines have become 
 completely deranged. 
 
 Venereal disease is extremely common amongst 
 the natives, but they are in possession of several 
 specifics of their own for its cure, which from 
 their simple manner of living is speedily 
 effected. 
 
 The chief and most important production of 
 Java is coffee, which is almost equal in quality
 
 JAVA. 321 
 
 to Mocha, and its cultivation is carried to the 
 highest degree of perfection. Pepper forms also 
 a considerable branch of commerce. Sugar is 
 largely manufactured, and of different qualities. 
 Indigo is becoming an object of great atten- 
 tion to the settlers. Cotton is very extensively 
 grown, and opium and tobacco hold a conspicuous 
 place in Dutch exports. 
 
 Rice, however, is the staple production of the 
 island, which was formerly the rice granary of Su- 
 matra, the Malacca islands, Borneo, and Bandar. 
 Many years ago, the governor of Anger informed 
 me, they were enabled to export from Java 
 80,000,000 Ibs. of rice yearly, but since the 
 islands in the vicinity have discovered the 
 advantage and necessity of cultivating this 
 precious article at home, Java only grows 
 enough for her own consumption, and the 
 supply of vessels in her ports. But even this 
 demands an enormous quantity. It is calculated 
 that every native consumes one pound and 
 a quarter of rice per diem, without including 
 what is used by Europeans in their bakeries, 
 and arrack distilleries. It is the custom to
 
 322 JAVA. 
 
 give the horses two or three pounds of rice a 
 day, and the poultry are kept upon it. 
 
 The short duration of our stay at Anger, and, 
 indeed, the great heat prevented my enjoying my 
 usual amusement of shooting, as the game in the 
 neighbourhood was said to be abundant. Wild 
 peafowl, partridges, a particular sort of pheasant, 
 woodcocks, snipes, and wild pigeons are amongst 
 the varieties of the feathered tribe, and strange 
 to say, an enormous bat, called a flying fox from 
 the formation of its head and tail, is considered 
 one of the greatest delicacies of the table. This 
 bird-animal measures sometimes six or seven 
 feet between the extremities of the wings. 
 These wings are furnished with hooks, by which 
 they suspend themselves from the fruit trees 
 during the night. In the morning, they retire 
 into some dark and impenetrable forest. 
 
 Deer of many kinds are said to abound in the 
 forests, and wild hogs are far too numerous for 
 the good of the farmer. Wild buffaloes are also 
 found, as well as leopards and royal tigers. The 
 rhinoceros is also indigenous to parts of Java, 
 and of the most ferocious description. When
 
 JAVA. 323 
 
 wounded, his desperation is inconceivable. In 
 spite of his un wieldly shape and size, his speed 
 is wonderful, and he uproots trees, and bears 
 everything down before him that opposes 
 his pursuit of the unfortunate sportsman who 
 has wounded, or even insulted him. It is 
 very seldom that the inhabitants venture to 
 hunt this animal, and then always in large 
 numbers. 
 
 The little town and fort of Anger, with a 
 garrison of twenty-five Dutch soldiers, is beauti- 
 fully situated in the centre of a small bay in the 
 midst of the most luxuriant tropical vegetation. 
 The governor's house or bungalow, and those of 
 several other functionaries, were models of neat- 
 ness, and surrounded by gardens full of beautiful 
 flowers and shrubs. All the European inhabi- 
 tants, however, that I observed (although a 
 Dutchman is supposed to be able to support 
 anything) bore an impress in their cadaverous 
 countenances of the effects of the climate. The 
 few stores or shops in the town were principally 
 kept by Chinamen. 
 
 From hence an excellent road is constructed
 
 324 JAVA. 
 
 to Batavia, which can be reached by horseback 
 or carriage in a few hours. 
 
 After ascending some rather lofty hills, and 
 getting several miles into the country, the 
 primitive vegetation of this island discloses a 
 vigour and majesty which a European regards 
 with astonishment the first time he beholds it. 
 The deep shade sheds around a sort of melancholy 
 obscurity the colossal and imposing forms of 
 trees, children of antiquity the profound and 
 mysterious silence of nature, interrupted only by 
 the songs of birds, all tend to create sensations 
 which to be able to convey an idea of should be 
 expressed on the spot. 
 
 Nature here seems to obey other laws ; for 
 she is constantly in activity. The trees are 
 always covered with the richest verdure, and 
 produce each year a double harvest of fruit, 
 sometimes more ; and the fertile soil teems with 
 valuable plants without the trouble of sowing 
 or cultivating them. 
 
 The Javanese are chiefly Mahometans ; very 
 few traces of their ancient idolatry now remains. 
 The dress of the higher classes is excessively
 
 JAVA. 325 
 
 rich and expensive, and so covered with orna- 
 ments, that it gives them an air of theatrical 
 princes. Their long black hair, soaked in cocoa- 
 nut oil, is plaited closely behind the head, and 
 wrapt in a piece of coloured stuff resembling a 
 turban. 
 
 A man of distinction wears a jacket, either of 
 velvet, cloth, or silk, ornamented with tassels of 
 gold and silver, and richly embroidered. To 
 this jacket are attached eighteen golden buttons, 
 this number, as well as that of nine, being sacred 
 amongst the Javanese. They do not make use 
 of shirts, but have a kind of white cotton under- 
 vest, without any collar, and which, according to 
 their means, is ornamented in front with eighteen 
 buttons of diamonds, or other precious stones. 
 The pantaloons are generally made of the same 
 stuff as the jacket, with broad stripes of gold or 
 silver down the sides. Besides this, the natives 
 dress themselves for their ease in a long, loose 
 robe of silk or cotton that reaches from the 
 waist to the feet, and is called a sarong. Shoes 
 or slippers of the Turkish form are in general 
 use with them ; but they do not wear boots.
 
 326 JAVA. 
 
 Their arms are exceedingly rich, and nothing 
 is so sacred in their estimation. They give them 
 different names, such as the krease or poignard, 
 either with a straight or curved blade ; badeh, or 
 dagger, with a straight blade and curved handle ; 
 wadung, a large but short knife, which forms an 
 indispensable portion of their court dress. 
 
 These poignards and daggers are worn either 
 on the right or left side of the girdle, and cost 
 sometimes several thousand piastres. The 
 scabbards are frequently of gold, and set with 
 diamonds and rubies. The blades are damas- 
 cined, and are of greater or less value, according 
 to the figures and hieroglyphics engraved upon 
 them. The priests explain the subject of these 
 figures, and nearly all the Javanese draw signs 
 and auguries from them ; and nothing would 
 induce them to carry a weapon which they con- 
 sidered as bearing unfavourable signs upon the 
 blade. 
 
 All legacies of this kind are scrupulously 
 preserved. Nothing in the world is so sacred to 
 them as some old armour that has descended to 
 them from their ancestors ; and he would be
 
 JAVA. 327 
 
 considered an unpardonable apostate, who would 
 mortgage or dispose of these relics. 
 
 The Javanese of the middle class is dis- 
 tinguished from the higher order by his dress 
 and arms. His coiffure is not so elegant, the 
 materials of his dress are not so rich, and, instead 
 of stripes of gold and silver, he substitutes red 
 or yellow cotton ones. He rarely wears panta- 
 loons, and never shoes. He is often naked to 
 the waist, and has no other dress but the sarong. 
 His arms are devoid of ornament, and of simple 
 manufacture. 
 
 The poorer classes wrap themselves in a worse 
 sarong, or go quite naked, with the exception of 
 a short apron round the waist. 
 
 The coiffure of the women has a striking re- 
 semblance to that of the Canton of Unterwalden 
 in Switzerland, but instead of confining their 
 tresses by means of one large needle, as is there 
 the custom, they ornament the hair with a 
 number of small coloured needles disposed in 
 the form of a garland. 
 
 These needles or bodkins are often very valu- 
 able as they are generally embellished with
 
 328 JAVA. 
 
 precious stones. The women are fond of allowing 
 their long black hair to float over their shoulders, 
 particularly on quitting the bath, which is very 
 becoming to them. The beauty of their hair 
 consists in its extreme length, and intense black- 
 ness of colour, but it is of so stiff and coarse a 
 texture, that a Parisian artist could make nothing 
 of it. Sweet scented flowers, with which they 
 flavour cocoa nut oil, and wear in their hair, are 
 also scattered about their persons, and repand 
 an agreeable perfume. 
 
 The jewels which the women carry suspended 
 from their ears, and which I was enabled to 
 examine, are of different kinds. They most 
 frequently wear a sort of rosette composed of 
 stones, either of real or false, at the extremity of 
 the ear, and rivetted behind. Some, particularly 
 the dancing girls, wear ear-rings, and others 
 appear to have their ears greatly elongated by 
 the heavy ornaments they suspend from them. 
 
 The sarong I have already described, covers 
 them from the feet to the waist or arms. The 
 bosom is hidden by a piece of white cloth, or 
 enclosed by a neat corset. They wear, with an
 
 JAVA. 329 
 
 indescribable grace and coquetry, a long and light 
 scarf which they twist into a thousand forms. 
 Many of the women, and particularly the public 
 dancers, have a massive golden or silver girdle 
 round the waist. Others wear a waistband 
 embroidered with the precious metals, and 
 which sets off and enhances the beauty of their 
 elegant figures. They do not make use of shoes, 
 but slippers of embroidered velvet. 
 
 The poorer classes possess none of these ob- 
 jects of luxury. All their wardrobe is often 
 composed of an old and short sarong, which 
 scarcely reaches below their hips, and the thou- 
 sand holes of which are patched with rags of all 
 colours. 
 
 The system the Javanese adopt in the con- 
 struction of their houses is very simple. The 
 bamboo is almost the only material they make 
 use of. For a house composed of from four to 
 six apartments, seven or eight hundred bamboos 
 are necessary ; and one of twenty -five feet 
 in length costs four centimes. The ordinary 
 household utensils are made of bamboo, and four 
 good workmen are able to construct a solid
 
 330 JAVA, 
 
 habitation in the space of a week. The only 
 instrument they make use of in their labour, is 
 the solok, a large and heavy knife. They use 
 no nails, but close everything with thin slices of 
 rattan (Calamus rotang}. They are exceedingly 
 ingenious, and full of talent and invention when 
 employed in these constructions, but have little 
 or no knowledge of building with stone or 
 wood. 
 
 On one side of the house there are also 
 generally some small offices or go-downs, for the 
 preservation of rice and paddy, and stables for 
 the buffaloes, which are nothing more than a 
 simple roof resting on bamboos, and enclosed by 
 a hedge of cactus or prickly pear. 
 
 During our stay at Anger, a large vessel 
 arrived from China with upwards of 1500 Coolies 
 on board, and bound for the ITavannah. They 
 touched at this port for water and provisions, 
 and whilst at anchor several of these unfortunate 
 creatures were drowned whilst trying to escape 
 on shore, by swimming, and an attempt was 
 made by them to take the ship, and murder the 
 officers and crew.
 
 JAVA. 331 
 
 Nothing can be more infamous than this com- 
 merce in Coolies, which, in fact, is not only a 
 nefarious method of avoiding the penalties at- 
 tached to dealing in slaves, but from the way in 
 which it is carried on, is quite as bad as any 
 slave trade in the world. 
 
 A number of the lowest and most miserable 
 of the Chinese, are induced by individuals, their 
 own countrymen? who make this traffic their 
 profession, to sell themselves to servitude for a 
 certain number of years, and for a consideration, 
 amounting in value to the comparative misery 
 or desperation of the receiver, (generally a few 
 dollars). They are then taken down in gangs 
 to the nearest port, and disposed of, en masse, 
 to the owners of some vessel, who despatch 
 them at once to Cuba, Rio, or any other port 
 where slave labour is at a premium. Their 
 period of service is generally seven years, but 
 very few live to return, even should they have 
 the inclination. 
 
 Very large wages are given to the captain, 
 officers and crew who will undertake to navigate 
 and safely land at their destination, a cargo of
 
 332 JAVA. 
 
 Coolies; and the risk they undergo certainly 
 warrants a considerable increase of salary. 
 
 Often when the Coolies have been some time 
 at sea, decimated by disease and bad provisions, 
 and alive to all the horrors of their condition, 
 they form plans for escape, and the destruction 
 of the officers and crew of the ship. The latter 
 are forced to be perpetually on their guard. 
 They all dwell together in the after part of the 
 ship, and the Coolies forward ; the ship's com- 
 plement of men is double the usual one. Two 
 brass six-pounders, loaded with grape, are fitted 
 at the cuddy doors, and pointed forward ; and 
 every individual composing the crew keeps his 
 arms ready for instant service. In fact, during a 
 voyage of three or four months or more, every 
 moment, night or day, is pregnant with anxiety 
 and danger. 
 
 The Dutch government were at war with a 
 people on the northern part of the island of 
 Sumatra, where several thousand troops were at 
 that time employed. It is wonderful how com- 
 pletely this nation keeps its own affairs to itself, 
 as the vulgar saying is, and how little the rest
 
 JAVA. 333 
 
 of the world know any thing of its transac- 
 tions. These transactions are, however, generally 
 guided by good policy, and good sense, and, 
 above all, extreme firmness and determination. 
 
 The head functionary of Java, and all the 
 Dutch possessions in these seas, is the Governor- 
 General, residing at Batavia, whose title is, 
 " Governor-General of the Dutch Indies, and 
 Commander-iu-Chief of all the Forces by Land 
 and Sea of his Majesty the King of Holland to 
 the East of the Cape of Good Hope." 
 
 His power, although very extensive, is still 
 limited to a certain point by a Council of the 
 Indies, whose members are designated Noble 
 Seignors, and are joined to the supreme govern- 
 ment in the quality of controllers. After these 
 come the Supreme Court of Justice of Batavia, 
 the Procureur- General, other law departments, 
 those of Police, War, and the Navy, and all 
 that belongs to the State, as well as the Resident 
 or Lieutenant-Governors of provinces in the 
 island of Java. 
 
 The governor of the Celebes, who resides at 
 Macassar, and of the Malacca Islands at Am-
 
 834 JAVA. 
 
 boina, are under the orders of the governor- 
 general, and are appointed by him, with the 
 reserved approbation of the king ; indeed, all 
 appointments of this functionary, must be con- 
 firmed by the home government. It would be 
 too long, and too tedious to enter into details of 
 all the other branches of the administration; 
 suffice it to say, that in subdivisions, and 
 fundamental basis, the government of the Dutch 
 East Indies, may hold rank with the now dis- 
 tinguished powers of Europe. 
 
 I regretted very much that our time was too 
 limited to enable me to visit Batavia, from 
 which very interesting city I was but a short 
 distance removed ; but our water casks were 
 re-filled, the hen coops crammed to suffocation, 
 with the most extensive gallinaceous variety. 
 Pumpkins and bananas were suspended from 
 every possible hanging place. Small wicker 
 bird cages containing Java sparrows, doves, 
 lories, and other pretty specimens of ornithology, 
 were fixed in every disposable corner of the 
 cabin, und several green turtle floated in our 
 large bathing tub on the poop.
 
 JAVA. 335 
 
 We were once more ready for a start, and 
 with wind and tide in our favour, sailed merrily 
 through the Straits of Sunda, and were launched 
 upon the vast Indian Ocean on the 6th Sep- 
 tember, 1855.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE HOMEWARD VOYAGE, AND ST. HELENA. 
 
 NOTHING of interest occurred during our 
 voyage from the port to the Cape of Good Hope. 
 The weather was delightful, and the wind fair, 
 and on the 5th of October we came in sight of 
 the coast of Africa, between Natal and Algoa 
 Bay, and off St. John's River, having made a 
 run of 4,400 miles within the month. 
 
 On the 18th, we had rounded the Cape, 
 without having encountered one of those storms 
 and gales so common in these latitudes, and 
 which scarcely any vessel escapes. This morn- 
 ing, we hailed and spoke with a fine vessel,
 
 HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 337 
 
 named the " Suttledge," on her voyage to 
 Calcutta with a detachment of the 6th Car- 
 bineers. On the loth, we again fell in with 
 the south east trade winds, and on the 21st, 
 came to anchor in James Town harbour, St. 
 Helena, having made the voyage from the 
 Cape in ten days. 
 
 Many years ago, and under very different 
 circumstances, I had passed some days in this 
 Island. With spirits buoyant, with youth and 
 happiness, I had just escaped, at a very early 
 age, from the enervating climate of India, to the 
 enjoyment of a very comfortable fortune in 
 England, and had touched here on my homeward 
 voyage. The tomb of Napoleon, Longwood, 
 and all the souvenirs connected with the Em- 
 peror, were then the great objects of attraction 
 to visitors at St. Helena ; and I, in company 
 with others, had braved the heat of a very 
 tropical day to inspect them all ; and, selon le$ 
 regies, had brought home a handful of withered 
 flowers, and some cuttings from the willow 
 tree that then overshadowed the tomb, and 
 
 Q
 
 338 HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 
 
 subsequently regaled ourselves at Solomon's, 
 the Hebrew factotum of James's Town, at the 
 price of a gold mohur each, for a very moderate 
 entertainment. The remains of the Emperor 
 had long since been translated to a far more 
 magnificent resting place ; but Solomon, or at 
 least some descendants of that sapient family, 
 still remained, and still enjoyed that commercial 
 monopoly of all kinds, that had distinguished 
 their predecessor. Most of the fortifications and 
 detached forts, that had been erected at a great 
 expense, for the safe guardianship of the for- 
 midable character in our custody, still remain, 
 and the shores are still covered with pieces of 
 heavy ordinance, and heaps of shot and shell. 
 The town, however, was much improved since I 
 last visited it in 1824, and many handsome 
 buildings and fine barracks gave it an appearance 
 of great comfort and prosperity. Some beau- 
 tiful gardens producing many kinds of tropical 
 fruits, flowers, and vegetables, as well as some 
 European sorts, are situated at, and near the 
 town, and many parts of the formerly barren
 
 HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 339 
 
 interior of the island, are now well cultivated by 
 thriving farmers. 
 
 So many vessels of all nations touch at this 
 place on their homeward voyage from the east, 
 rather than brave the dangerous vicinity of the 
 Cape of Good Hope at certain seasons, that a 
 great deal of business is done in the way of 
 victualling ships, &c., the greater part of which 
 lucrative commerce is, as I before said, mono- 
 polized by the great " Solomon." 
 
 This general purveyor had also the honour 
 and profit of supplying some of the deficiencies 
 in our creature comforts, that were needed for 
 the remainder of our voyage. 
 
 On the 22nd of October, we weighed anchor, 
 once more in company with several other vessels, 
 and on the 31st, again crossed the equator, with 
 a fine and fair breeze, the weather being 
 remarkably cool for that latitude. 
 
 On the 10th of November, the tropic of Cancer 
 was passed ; on the 21st we were off the Chops 
 of the Channel ; and on the 23rd, I landed at 
 Portsmouth in a pilot boat, translated as it weije 
 
 Q 2
 
 340 HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 
 
 almost by enchantment from all the fervid 
 influences of the torrid zone, into one of the 
 most severe and early winters that had been 
 experienced for some time in Great Britain. 
 
 END. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street.
 
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