^ ^- »• > * >^ : i^ -^ ^-> OF — * -^ -^TIn the VARfoUS DEPART^fELNTS>| oy — — LITERATURE, THE SCIEX€ES,& THE ARTH. HALL'S VOYAGES 18?6. **-*# •« Ms,m» WfMBM&s ^f: p^-em of ihf im®3t kiaimilblp atttMopts iD^v^firtl? the ailrantagp of liis Sn'bjei-t.'i: dpsignrd to exteuil iisefiil Kuo« lecloV arid eleo'aiit Literature ; Bv placiuo-^Vorks of Standard ^ferlt . '^ withiu the attaiumeut of evei-v Class of r BY HIS 33AJEv^TY'^ y/r/^ jJu/?^// ff?7^ jJ/'^'Ot/'d Sl///^/'r/-, ' :^^^^>^//r//w^ ^y^i.^/r/r/^^ 2650?^9 VOYAGE EASTERN SEAS. EDINBURGH : PRINTl- 13 1;Y J.\MF.S BAIXANTYNF. AND CO. VOYAGE TO L O O - C H O O, AND OTHER PLACES IN THE EASTERN SEAS, IN THE YEAR 1816. INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF CAPTAIN maxwell's ATTACK ON THE BATTERIES AT CANTON; AND NOTES OF AN INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE AT ST HELENA, IN AUGUST 1817. BY CAPTAIN BASIL HALL, R. N. F. R. S. EDINBURGH : PRINTED FOR ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO. ; AND HURST, ROBINSON, & CO., LONDON. 1826. ADVERTISEMENT, The following volume consists partly of matter entirely new, and partly of what has already appeared before the Public. That portion of it, however, of which the sub- stance was given before, has been carefully revised, and, in some places, augmented by^ further selections from the original notes. The new Chapters in this Edition, inclu- ding an account of an Interview with Buona- parte at St Helena, and Captain Maxwell's Attack on the Batteries at Canton, have been added, as possessing more or less connexion with those parts of the Work formerly pub- lished. EXTRACTS IROM A JOURNAL, WRIXIEX ON THE COASTS OF CHILI, PERU, AND MEXICO, IN THE YEARS 1820, 1821, 1822, Br CAPTAIN BASIL HALL, R.N. F.R.S. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. EDINBURGH : I'H INTED FOR ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE AND CO. AND HURST, ROBINSON, AND CO. LONDON. 1826. t CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. TAOE. Passage from England to the Straits of Sunda — An- jeer Point in Java — China — Hong Kong — Yellow Sea — Pekin River — Harbour of Oei-hai-oi, ... 3 CHAPTER ir. Corea — Sir James Hall's Group — Hutton's Island- Shallow Bay on the main land — Amherst Isles, . 55 CHAPTER III. Departure from the Amherst Isles — Sulphur Island— Loo-Choo, IIG CHAPTER IV. Examination of the Coast of the Great Loo-Clioo Island by the Lyra — Discovery of Port .Melville, 208 CHAPTER V. Progress of our acquaintance with the natives — ^Madde- ra — Dinner given to the Chiefs — The Prince of Loo- Choo's Visit to Captain Maxwell — Parting Scene, 221 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. PAGE. Captain Maxwell's Attack on the Batteries at Canton, on the 12th of November, 1816, 258 CHAPTER VII. Interview with Buonaparte at St Helena, in August 1817, i 302 PREFACE The change that has gradually taken place (luring the last thirty or forty years in the numbers and circumstances of the reading public, and the unlimited desire of knowledge that now pervades every class of society, have suggested the present undertaking. Pre- viously to the commencement of the late war, the buyers of books consisted principally of the richer classes — of those who were brought up to some of the learned professions, or who had received a liberal education. The sa= ving of a few shillings on the price of a vo- lume was not an object of much importance to such persons, many of whom prized it chief- ly for the fineness of its paper, the beauty of its typography, and the amplitude of its mar- 11 PREFACE. gins, — qualities wliich add to tlie expense of a work, without rendering it in any degree raore useful. But now when the more general diffu- sion of education and of wealth, has occasioned a vast increase in the number of readers, and in the works which daily issue from the press, a change in the mode of publishing seems to be called for. The strong desire en- tertained by most of those who are engaged in the various details of agriculture, manufac- tures, and commerce, for the acquisition of use- ful knowledge and the culture of their minds, is strikingly evinced by the establishment of sub- scription libraries and scientific institutions, even in the most inconsiderable towns and villages throughout the empire ; and by the extensive sale which several very expensive, though by no means valuable works, publish- ed in numbers, have met with. Under these circumstances, it occurred to the projector of this Miscellany, that if Standard Works not hitherto accessible to the great mass of the Public, intermingled with Original Trea- tises on subjects of great general importance, and executed by writers of acknowledged talent, were published in a cheap, convo- PREFACE. Ill ineiit, and not inelegant form, they would obtain a most extensive circulation, and be ])roductive alike of benefit to the Public, and of profit to those concerned in them. In the selection of Treatises, and in the mode of circulation, the Publishers have adopted that plan which they supposed would be most likely to meet the wishes of the great fliass of readers, or of the middle classes. And they are resolved to spare neither trouble nor expense to give effect to their purpose, of making this Miscellany the depository of a selection of Works on all the most interest- ing branches of human knowledge, written by the most approved authors, and of rendering it as perfect, as a vehicle both of useful in- formation and of rational entertainment, as it can possibly be made. The EXALTED PATRONAGE under which this Miscellany is ushered into the world, is of itself a sufficient pledge, that nothing will be admitted into its pages tainted with party politics, or which can be construed as milita- ting, in any way, against any of the principles of religion and morality. The object in view is to render this Work a truly National Pub- IV PREFACE. lication, and which shall be equally accept- able to readers of all parties and denomina- tions. In the following list, some of the various works proposed to be embodied in this Mis- cellany, are enumerated ; and they will ap- pear in such order and succession as may seem most likely to suit the taste of those encouraging the design. The works of each author, and each subject, will be kept sepa- rate, so as to enable purchasers to acquire all the numbers or volumes of any work, distinct from the others. Edinburgh, December 26 y 1825. VOYAGE TO L O O-C H O O, AND OTHER PLACES IN THE EASTERN SEAS, IN THE YEAR 1316. VOL. VOYAGE TO THE EASTERN SEAS. CHAPTER I. PASSAGE FROM ENGLAND TO THE STRAITS OF SUNDA ANJEER POINT IN JAVA CHINA HONG KONG YELLOW SEA PEKIN RIVER HARBOUR OF OEI- HAI-OI. The Embassy to China under Lord Amherst sail- ed fi-om' England on the 9th of February, 1816, hi his Majesty's ship Alceste, Captain Murray Max- well, accompanied by the General Hewitt, India- man, and the Lyra a ten-gTin brig under my command. The Indiaman canied stores and pro- visions for the sliips of war, and various presents intended for the Emperor of China. During the early part of the voyage little oc- curred that was new, or peculiarly interesting, and on the 18th of Febniary, the squadron reached Madeira, but did not anchor. On the 16th of March, after crossing the Equator, and reaching the tenth degree of South latitude, which seamen call the heart of the trade-wind, the Alceste bore up and 4. JAVA. proceeded to Rio de Janeiro, leaving the General Hewitt and the Lyra to make the beet of their way to the Cape, with orders to lay in provisions and water. The Alceste, after staying ten days at Rio, waa still enabled to rejoin her consorts at the Cape by the middle of April, having run a distance of more than three thousand miles in nineteen days. On the 26th of that month, the Lyra received orders to go forward with dispatches to the gover- nor of Java, accompanied, as before, by the Ge- neral Hewitt. The early part of this passage was very boisterous, and the ships separated in one of the hard North-west gales of wind which blow so frequently in this latitude. Better weather might have been obtained by keeping nearly in the lati- tude of the Cape ; but it is essential to the success of a passage from thence to Java, or to any part of India, to run to the southward as far sometimes as 40 degrees, in which pai-allel the wind blows al- most invariably from the westward, all round the globe. The requisite quantity of Easting is thus easily gained, although at the expense of some dis- comfort, for the weather is generally tempestuous. This point once accomplished, the ^ip's head may be turned to the Northward, and all sail made to reach the South-East Trade, which, now that the ship has gone so far to the Eastward, proves a fair wind ; whereas, had its limits been approached sooner, it would have been directly unfavourable. On a knowledge of these particulars, the success of eastern navigation essentially depends ; for such is the regularity of these phenomena, and so rigo- rously obedient to known laws, that an experien- ced navigator can calculate, with tolerable cer- tainty, if he sails at a proper time of the year, upon JAVA. 5 liaving fair winds all the way from Madeira to Canton. To sailors ajccustomed only to the con- fined navigation of the Atlantic, or the Mediter- ranean, these bold stretches seem, at first sight, an unreasonable prolongation of the voyage ; and it does in fact require considerable resolution to steer almost directly away from the port, for many hun- dreds of miles, in search of a wind. In consequence of neglecting such precautions, a stranger, impa- tient to reach his point, is often tempted to tuni too soon towards the North, before enough East- ing has been run down, and accordingly, when he enters the Trades, which he will do before he reaches the tropic of Capricorn, he finds the wind what seamen emphatically term scant, and can- not steer his course. In this predicament, there is no resource but to go back again to those higher latitudes where westerly winds prevail, to complete wliat a more experienced person would have se- cured in the first instance. In the present voyage I had no excuse for any such en-or, having repeatedly gone over the same ground ; but we were, nevertheless, extremely near missing the point ; for, on reaching the Southern edge of the trade-wind, we could just lie up, as it is called, for the Straits of Sunda, and fifty miles less Easting would have cost us a retmn-voyage per- haps of a fortnight to repair the fauk. On the 5th of June, however, at day-break, the magnificent promontory called Java-head, came in sight, a land- maik well known to eastern navigators, as point- ing out the principal entrance to the China seas from the Indian ocean. Like most of the scenery near the Equinoctial line, it is loaded with luxu- riant foliage, from the water's edge to the very A 2 6 JAVA. summit, and offers to the eye a richness and varie- ty of tint unknown in regions nearer the Pole. This sight and the delightful climate were grateful be- yond description ; for during the six weeks since we had lost sight of land, our comse had been over a very rough sea, in cold tempestuous weather ; so that on entering these beautiful straits, where every mile in advance brought us successively in sight of some one or other of the numerous islands which adorn this fairy region, or opened some new range or peak of the great Islands of Java and Sumatra, we thought the eye could never tire of admiring the prospect. In the afternoon, the sea breeze gradually died away, and we came to an anchor in Mew Bay, a snug little cove, nearly surrounded by thickly- tvooded cliffs, over which tumbled, very oppor- tunely for us, a fine cascade of clear water, gushing from a deep channel cut by the stream through the lava forming tliis part of the coast. While the boats' crews were busily engaged in filling the water- casks, one or two of the officers endeavoured to pe- netrate the woods in search of game ; but the jungle was found everywhere completely impervious. The whole forest rung with the discordant screams of bu'ds, principally of the pan-ot tribe, dressed in a plumage as brilliant and beautiful as their notes were unmelodious. In every other respect, the scene was perfectly undisturbed, nor could there be dis- tinguished a single trace of inhabitants, or any symptom to tell that the spot had ever been visited since the creation. Nature seemed to revel in a perpetual summer — for no change of season is known here — unmolested and unobserved from age to age. JAVA. 7 Shortly after sunset, the hour of wliicli, in a country only six degrees South of the Equator, scarcely raries in a sensible degi'ee throughout the year, a faint and chill land-breeze blew off to us from the high mountain-side, with just strength enough to ruffle the surface of the water for a few hundred yards from the beach. It was charged not with those rich perfumes with which the imagination loads the gales of tropical countries, but with the damp and noxious vapours of decayed vegetation ; and as the rapid decrease of the dayhght after sunset, soon deprived the gay landscape of all its beauty, the brilliant romance of the scene we had been admiiing so much, speedily vanished. The shore was so steep, or according to nautical lan- guage so bold, that it might be safely approached near enough for us to partake of the light breath of wind which stole off in occasional unsteady flaws. We coasted in this manner along the south side of the Straits of Sunda, till the 7th of June, when we anchored in Anjeer Roads, directly opposite to a little Malay village of that name, consisting of huts built of bamboos and wattled reeds, thatched over with palm-leaves, and almost concealed amidst plantains, bananas, and other trees of the tropical broad-leaved tribe. By those amongst us already fa- miliar with such scenery, this sight, which was high- ly characteristic, recalled a thousand recollections of those luxurious countries, and was hailed with the liveliest satisfaction. The effect upon others who saw it for the first time, was almost equally striking, though for a different reason : It opened to their view quite a new world ; since the beauties of this scenery are of a character for which no description could prepare their minds. 8 JAVA. In the moral and the poUtioal world, likewise, there was nearly an equal degree of novelty ; for we found ourselves at once plunged into a con- fused maze of Dutch and Javanese politics, mixed up with many other important and extensive Orien- tal interests, none of which we had ever heard a syllable about before. The island, it was known, in a general way, was to be given up to its old masters ; but we now had the mortification to learn, that much if not all the good so nobly brought about by the English while in authority, was in danger of being utterly lost, by the establish- ment of the old Dutch system. These topics, quite unknown to most people in Europe, or only heaid of in occasional whispers by the parties immediate- ly interested, occupied here almost exclusively the attention of every one, whether Native, Dutch, or English. And what was amusing enough, our party, though utter strangers to all the details of these transactions, and of course nowise concerned in them, by a very natural contagion, caught the spirit of the moment, and presently began to wonder how we had lived so long without knowing, and without caring a straw for considerations which now ap- peared so momentous. For my own part, however, I took a still livelier interest in viewing the state of manners amongst the native Malay and Javanese inJiabitants, uncon- scious, poor people, of the vast political changes of wliich they were just about to become the victims. As soon, therefore, as I could make my escape from a dinner-party at the house of one of the Eng- lish residents, I slipped into the village. The sound of music attracted me to a grove of trees lying- between the village and the sea, where a great JAVA. 9 number of the inhabitants were assembled to cele- brate one of their periodical festivals, regularly held, as I learned afterwards, about the period of full moon. The Malays were stretched on the grass in an open space formed by a broad circular belt of the tall and graceful cocoa-nut tree, which, how- ever thickly it grows, never casts more than a feathery or chequered shade on the ground, soften- ing rather than intercepting the light. The natives had placed themselves in a treble circle, the men and women occupying the outer part of the ring, while the children were squatted on the ground within. On one side of the circle was placed a Javanese band of music, consisting of four in- struments which played without ceasing while the games lasted. The tones of these instruments were exceedingly wild and sweet ; and as the taste with which they were struck was at all times well re- gulated, and not in any degree boisterous or savage, the accompaniment was not only very pleasing in itself, but tended greatly to heighten the romantic effect of this curious scene. In the middle of the ring, which was about fifty paces wide, stood two men who acted as masters of the revels, each holding under his arm a bundle of rattans, or canes, two feet in length. These worthies entertained the company from time to time with wild screams, mixed with strange ges- ticulations and grimaces. After a short period had elapsed, during which these men harangued the multitude, to what purpose I could not dis- cover, two boys, about fourteen or fifteen years of age, stepped forward to the centre of the arena. Here each of them was funiished by the managers with a cane, and being then placed face 10 JAVA. to face, at, a yard's distance from one another, they were ordered to begin. The first proceeding, wliich was a sort of salute, consisted in toucliing the ground with the rods, and waving them to the com- pany : they then approached, and each one placing his left hand on his antagonist's right shoulder, raised his elbow till it nearly met that of the other, overhead ; this movement brought their bo- dies into close contact. Both were naked, with the exception of a slight blue cotton cloth round the waist. In this attitude they frequently conti- nued for several minutes, eyeing one another with the keenest attention, holding their rattans extend- ed in the right hand, and evidently watching for a favourable moment to strike, the surrounding na- tives, meanwhile, gazing on the combatants with the most eager and breatliless anxiety, and watch- ing for the event. The music at this period low- ered its tones, so as just to be heaid, and the two directors withdrew themselves to the distance of several paces, in order to leave the ground clear for the combatants. After they had grappled each other in this way for some time, during which they performed a sort of waving or bending motion with their bodies, and described circles on the gi*ass, one or the other, seeing his opportunity, gave his antagonist a violent blow either on the left side, or, more generally, on the calf of the left leg, accom- panying the stroke with a loud yell. The instant the blow was given, the boy who dealt it, sprang quickly backwards, in order if he could to escape the retaliation of his antagonist, who was never slow to return the compliment, which he, in like man- ner, if successful, graced with a scream more sa- vage than any sound I recollect ever to have heard JAVA. 1 1 before. In these cries they were accompanied by the surrounding Malays, especially whenever a blow happened to be given with particular effect. If a blow was avoided with remaikable dexterity, a shout, in like manner, testified the admiration of the spectators, but the distiBction between these two cries was quite obvious. I was so totally un- prepared for such wild sounds, that my blood ran cold when I first heard them, coming as they did, fi'om an armed multitude of people, proverbially reputed treacherous and blood-thirsty. I may be excused in mentioning, by the way, that this hai'sh reproach on the Malay character, so long fixed upon them by most liistorians, has been almost entirely removed by the candour and good sense of more recent observers and TiTiters. The admirable works of Sir Stamford Raffles, and Mr Crawfurd, the liighest possible authorities, are quite decisive on this point. I imagined at first that the blows were given in play, till, on going into the centre of the ring, which the Malays allowed me to do, I discorered that in every instance where they took effect pro- perly, a gash of some inches in length was general- ly made in the flesh. The seconds or persons in attendance who carried the canes, made it their business during the fight to animate the combat- ants by speeches and gestures, and to excite them to mutual defiance ; from which occupation they occasionally turned aside to divert the spectators with some ridiculous piece of buftbonery. Only one blow by each party was allowed to be struck at each round or time of closing. After five or six such contests had taken place between boys of dif- ferent ages, several couples of men stood up, one 12 JAVA. at a time ; and the cuts which their more powerful arms gave, were certainly the severest things, in the way of pure sport, I ever witnessed. The screams of the combatants were a part of the ceremony, not the result of pain, since neither the boys nor the men betrayed the least suffering, however deep the wounds might be ; besides which, I remarked that the scream or yell was always ut- tered by the successful party, never by him who re- ceived the blow. The perfect temper with wliich these battles were carried on, was not the least re- markable circumstance attending them. In one in- stance only of about twenty which I witnessed, was any ill humour displayed. Two men who had con- tended for a long time to no purpose, being both 80 dexterous that neither could plant a blow, at length lost patience, and rushing upon each other with all the ferocity of their nature, must soon have spilled blood, had not their crises, or short dag- gers, been left behind as a preliminary to the fight. In an instant also the two seconds interfered, aided by four or five stout Malays, who sprung from the gi'ound the moment the first symptom of anger be- trayed itself. The men who had squabbled were immediately dragged out of the ring, order was at once restored, and the offending parties appeared to return immediately to their senses, on being se- parated, as no one took any further charge of them, after they were expelled from the circle. The musical instruments were four in number. The principal one consisted of five plates of polish- ed metal, eight or ten inches long, and two broad, laid horizontally across the edges of a wooden trough, two feet long, and held in their places by wooden pegs, fixed in the edges of the trough. The JAVA. 13 player who sat behind the frame, struck the plates with a small hammer with his right liand, while he varied the notes by touching the plates with the fingers of the left. Sometimes he raised the ends of the bars a little oflf the trough on which they rested. In this way, by varying the direction and intensity of the blow, a considerable range of the sweetest musical sounds was produced. The next instrument consisted of five burnished brass ves- sels, not unlike small gongs, about six inches in diameter, shaped somewhat like the bonnet of a Highlander, with a small knob or bulge in the centre. These vessels were placed with the open part downwards, side by side, on two parallel strings, stretching from end to end of a case or frame, not unlike a small sofa. Under each vessel was suspended an empty cocoa-nut shell, with one end cut off, and the open part upwards ; so that the inverted pot and the cocoa-nut presented their open- ings respectively to each other, at the distance of about two inches ; a contrivance which greatly im- proves the sound. These pots were of different sizes, and being struck with two stuffed sticks, yielded exceedingly beautiful tones. As a running bass to these instruments, a sort of drum was struck rapidly by the fingers. A gong, which measured three feet in diameter, was suspended to a hand- some ft-ame-work ; its lips or edges were turned slightly inwards, so that, when held vertically, it was capable of holding in the lower part of the rim about two pints of water ; a device used by the Javanese musicians to give softness to the tones of this instrument. The gong, which requires con siderable skill to produce its proper effect, is struck with a heavy soft beater, the knob of which appears VOL. I. B 14 JAVA. to be formed of elastic gum, and is never mng in the violent manner we see practised in this country ; but is touched gently^ and only at intei-vals in the music, when its sonorous tones are required to give depth to some particular passage. Having no better guide in these matters than my own untaught ear, I have since sought anxiously for the opinions of qualified judges ; and it gives me much pleasure to find that I was not misguided by my own feelings merely, but that the Javanese music, and musical instruments, are considered by Sir Stamford Rafiles and Mr Crawfui'd as possess- ing great merit. I can myeelf remember being once attracted by the sound of music to a native's liouse at Samarang, on this island, in 1814, when retm-ning to my ship, after a tiresome day's work ; yet the fascination of the music was so powerful, that both my wearied companion and myself, nei- ther of us extravagantly fond of music, and both quite ignorant of it as a science, were rivetted to the spot, and actually sat all night on the floor, on mats kindly spread by the natives, and never moved till the sun streamed into the open chamber next morning. A complete set, or Gamelan, according to Sii- Stamford Raffles, costs from a thousand to sixteen liundred dollars, including all the instmments, a particular' description of which is given in his work on Java. Mr Crawfurd also, in his History of the Indian Ar- chipelago, gives a complete account of the Javanese music and instruments, wliich is rendered peculiarly valuable, from containing the opinion of the cele- brated Dr Crotch. This gentleman, after being sup- plied \dth a number of Javanese airs, and having JAVA. 15 inspected the fine collection of musical instmments at the Duke of Somerset's, communicated his opi- nion to ]Mr Crawfurd. " The tone of these instru- ments," he observed, " exceeds, in depth and qua- lity, anything I have ever heard ;" and alluding to the instrument which I have described above, con- sisting of a number of inverted vessels resting upon two strings, he says, " The tone of this singular instrument is at once powerful and sweet, and its intonation clear and perfect." With respect to the whole band, or Gamelan, he adds, " he is astonish- ed and dehghted wath their ingenious fabrication, splendour, beauty, and accm-ate intonation." It has more than once occmTed to me that it might prove worth while for some theatrical speculator to import a Javanese band of musicians and instru- ments into this country, where I am convinced they would excite a very lively interest. The numerous East India Company's sliips going to and returning from China, through the Straits of Sunda, and al- most always without passengers, would afford a convenient means not only of bringing them from Java, but of returning them to their homes when- ever they pleased. I remained in the village till long past mid- night, witnessing these games, and wandering about amongst the natives, who everywhere treated me with the greatest attention, apparently flattered by the interest I took in their customs, and pleased perhaps by the unreserved confidence placed in them ; for I was quite alone and unarmed. Early next evening I went again to the village, accompanied by one of the British residents, who had hfioid that a INIalay maiTiage ceremony was to take place. One of the family received us at the 16 JAVA. door, and led us to an inner chamber of considerable size ; round which were ranged five tables, covered with dishes of cuitv, rice, and fish, with nume- rous plates of sugar-cakes. Beyond this apartment, which we were informed was shortly to be occupied by some friends of the bride, lay another room, very gaudily furnished with bright coloured drapery, and hung round with numerous elegantly formed lamps, made of split pieces of bamboo, each supporting a shell, in which a small cotton wick was made to float on castor oil ; an article of universal use in Java for household purposes. Ten venerable per- sonages, with long beards, and richly coloured China crape dresses, were seated on a low table, round several smoking bowls of rice, and messes of meat cut into small pieces. These men were not squatting cross-legged, like tailors, as our prints ge- nerally, but falsely, represent the sitting attitude of Orientals, which may be described more properly as a combmation of sitting and kneeling, and is not without gi-ace. The knees and feet are placed to- gether, and the weight of the body rests partly on the calves of the leg, and partly on the heels, whilst the toes project behind, with the soles of the feet turned upwards. The Persians, and many other nations of the East, sit in this manner ; but the Chinese, who in most respects diflfer from all their neighbours, use chairs and benches as we do. Our friends, who were busily employed dispatch- ing their supper, stopped on om- approach, and with great good-humom*, made room for us at their board, and begged us to join in the mamage feast. My companion said he saw no fun in this ; but I mount- ed the table, and made the best use I could of my fingers, for there were no spoons or other imple- JAVA. ] 7 ments of the kind. There could not be a more striking example of the difference between Maho- metans and Hindoos, in all matters relating to eat- ing, than this supper afforded. The Malays and Javanese, though formerly Hindoos, are now almost entirely followers of Mahomet ; and as such have few of those absurd notions about food, which ren- der the inliabitants of India the slaves of a thousand ridiculous whims. I remember when travelling some years ago near Poonah, being the uncon- scious cause of destroying the dinner of a whole family, by merely alloT\dng my shadow to fall on theii' pot, or by walking within the circle drawn round the fire-place, I could not exactly discover which ; but the whole mess was thrown away, although provisions were by no means plen- ty. And I once saw and conversed with a man , at Bombay, who was absolutely perishing of hun- ger, during the famine of 1812 ; and who lite- rally died before my eyes, rather than taste a mor- sel of the rice which was presented to him, be- cause it had been cooked by a man of a different caste. It was not until I had been for a minute ot two on the table, that I spied the happy couple seated in great state in a deep recess on one side of the apartment, bolstered up with a dozen of lai'ge pil- lows covered over with gilt trimmings. They were the only grave persons of the company, and sat with such fixed and demure looks, that they might have been taken for a couple of stuffed figures, rather than the givers of so jovial a feast. It was evidently, however, part of the etiquette that they should appear unmoved by whatever was passing, and accordingly, thoy took no notice of us, or of the B 2 18 JAVA. multitude of people who soon filled the chamher to gaze at the strangers. But a traveller generally finds more to interest him in ohserving the ordinary, every-day habits of the people, than in witnessing ceremonies like this, where most things are, to a certain extent, got up for the occasion. The whole field of our view, indeed, at Anjeer Point, was of so novel a descrip- tion, that wherever the eye was directed, it caught something worthy of notice. Amongst the innumerable curious objects of this kind, none struck me more than the method used by the Malays of boiling rice by steam, which is said to have been in use in Java from time im- memorial. It is not easy to describe even the simplest contrivances without a drawing ; but the principle may perhaps be understood by what fol- lows : — The pot or boiler is a round vessel of metal, about eighteen inches high, narrow at the middle, and swelling out both at bottom and at top, in shape somewhat like a sand-glass, but much less con- tracted in the middle. The diameter of the top and the bottom is about a foot. The water is first poured in till it is four inches in depth, after which is inserted a conical bag, or basket, made of a species of grass, somewhat larger than the ves- sel, and filled with rice. The size and form of this bag are so adjusted, that the tip or apex of the cone shall barely reach to the water. A heavy earthenware bowl is also inverted over the rice, and serves the double puipose of confining the heat, and of adding weight to the bag, which is thus forced tightly into the neck of the vessel, and the egress of the steam at the sides is effectually prevented. JAVA. 19 WTieii the water begins to boil, the steam must of necessity find its way tlirough the interstices of the bag amongst the rice. If the heat be conti- nued, the steam gradually makes way to the upper parts ; and after a time, some of it escapes through, and is condensed on the top and sides of the bag. As soon as this forms into drops, it falls down, and being caught by the projecting margin of the top of the vessel, either gradually trickles back again into the boiler, or by forming a lake of water round the edge, contributes to prevent any steam from rising, except through the rice. On arriving at a strange country one is often at a less which to admire most, the ingenious contri- vances by which man turns to his use the peculiar circumstances of the climate, or the less obvious but far more wonderful manner in which natm-e , indicates her beneficent designs. A beautiful example of the latter description oc- curs not far from Anjeer Point, on the road to Ba- tavia, in the grounds of a gentleman whom I visit- ed along with the late Sir Samuel Hood, during a journey over great part of Java. Our host carried us to see a singular tree which had been brought from the island of Madagascar, called familiarly the Traveller's Friend ; Urania being, I believe, its bo- tanical name. From the representation of it given in the vignette, in the title-page of this volume, it will be seen to differ from most other trees in having all its branches in one plane, like the sticks of a fan, or the feathers of a peacock's tail. At the extremity of each branch there grows a broad double leaf, several feet in length, M^hich spreads itself out in a very graceful manner. These leaves have tlie pioporty of radiating heat so rapidly, 20 JAVA. after the sun retires, that a copious depositiou of dew takes place upon them ; this soon collect- ing into drops, forms little streams, which mn down the branches to the trunk. Here it is recei- ved into hollow spaces of considerable magnitude, one of which is found at the root of every branch. These branches, it will be observed in the drawing, lie one over the other alternately, and when a loiife, or, which is better, a flat piece of stick, for it is not necessary to cut the tree, is inserted between the parts which overlap, and slightly drawn to one side, so as to cause an opening, a stream of water gushes out as if from a fountain. Hence the appropriate name of the Traveller's Friend. On the 9th of June the Alceste arrived from the Cape of Good Hope with the Embassy, an event which naturally excited so great a sensation in the village, that all farther inquiry into the native habits became impossible. The ordinary employments and amusements of the Javanese were discontinued, and the order of interest inverted, as we ourselves now became the chief objects of attraction, instead of being the curious observers. In the course of the evening of the next day, however, Lord Amherst, accompanied by most of his suite, walked into the village to visit the native chief of the district, a fine old Malay. He received us with much dignity of manner, and seemed highly flattered by the honour which was done him. The walls of his house, like most of the rest in this primitive spot, consisted merely of light basket-work, made sufficiently open to admit the cool night-wind, which swept very agi'eeably across the room. It was the chiefs inten- tion to have entertained the Ambassador with a dance of native girls to the music of a full Javanese band, CHINA. 21 vvliich, in consequence of my description, his lord- ship had become very anxious to hear. This enter- taimnent, however, was prevented in rather a lu- dicrous manner. Some of our sailors employed in filling the water-casks at the stream which pass- ed by the village, had contrived to elude the vigi- lance of then* officers, and to get hold of some toddy, or fermented juice of the cocoa-nut tree. This mounting into their heads, disposed them, in imitation of his Excellency, to go in quest of adventm-es. The first object which engaged Jack's attention in this stolen march, was one of the Jarge, red, smooth-skinned buffaloes of the island, tied to a bush near the chiefs house. Tlie men and the beast were mutually strangers to one an- other's appearance, but the effect on each was dif- ferent ; for while the sailors were lost in mirth and surprise at the novelty of the sight, which it must be ouTied was very remarkable, fear alone as- sailed the buffalo, who soon broke loose, and scam- pered off* towards the village. The seamen, delight- ed to have a hunt, as they called it, puisued the ani- mal through the streets, waving their hats, and shouting Tally ho! to the amaze and terror of thcx Malays, who fled in all directions to the jungle. The chief sent repeated messages to the fugitive figurantes and musicians, but all his authority was insufficient to collect the scattered corps du ballet of the village. On the 12tb of June the Ivvra was once more dispatclied before the other ships of the squadron, witli letters from the Ambassador to the English authorities at Canton, apprising them of his ap- proach, and pointing out a rendezvous where Sir George Staunton, chief of the Factory, and the 22 CHINA. Other gentlemen who were to accompany the Em- bassy, might fall in with his Lordship. Owing to light winds, calms, and currents, it was not till the 7th of July that we made the coast of Cliina ; the South-west monsoon, which blows in summer over the Chinese and Japanese oceans, not having yet fully set in. On the next day, we com- municated with the chief of the Factory, already waiting for us on board the Discovery. This ship be- longed to the Bombay Marine, and was under the command of Captain Daniel Ross, an officer of great science and industry, well known to every eastern navigator as the most extensive, and at the same time the most accurate, of nautical surveyors. Both ships lost no time in repairing to the appointed sta- tion, and in a few days the Alceste and General Hewitt joined us at the rende2rvous. Serious difficulties now arose as to our hitm*e movements. A letter announcing the Prince Re- gent's intention of sending an Embassy to China had been received at Canton, and forwarded to the Em- peror, some weeks before our arrival, the answer to which was homly expected. But there was great reason to fear that the reply would be unfavourable to the mission, in which event, its further progress towards a sea-port near the capital would be a mea- sure of very doubtful propriety. And even admit- ting that the Embassy were not to be rejected al- together, it was conjectured by the residents best acquainted with the Chinese usages, that the Em- peror would assign Canton as a landing place, which would be exceedingly inconvenient, as the distance is upwards of a thousand miles fiom the capital. This apprehension was founded on the well-known practice of the Chinese, whose constant study it had CHINA. 23 been to render access to the court as difficult as pos- sible. It was finally resolved, after much discussion, to put the most favouiable construction on the mat- ter ; to take it for granted, in short, that the Am- bassador was to be favom-ably received, and to push on without delay for the Pel Ho river, the nearest to Pekin of any part of the sea-coast of China. It was contended, that once fairly on the threshold of the celestial empu'e, we should be less exposed to the operation of those multifarious intrigues, tln-ough which it is said everything necessarily must pass, if discussed at Canton. It was indispensably necessary, however, be- fore steering to the Northwaixl, into seas so little known, to complete our stock of water ; and we made sail accordingly for the island of Hong Kong, one of the great cluster called the Ladrones. Here we found a noble cascade ; and the night being per- fectly calm, wkh a sea as smooth as a mill-pond, in consequence of the anchorage being land-locked on every side by lofty islands, we filled our water- casks easily, and towed them on board in rafts of ten or twenty at a time ; an expeditious method, but practicable only when the distance happens to be small, and the sea unruffled. It was almost dai'k when we anchored, but the moon, which was nearly at the full, rose shortly afterwards above the hills. The islands in this quarter lay so close to one another, that even in the day time, it was difficult to discover any outlet, but at night the mountains appeared to form a continuous barrier. The nature of the ground also being black and un- broken, it seemed as if the ships had been transport- ed by some magical process to the centre of a soli- tary lake, lying in the bosom of a Highland glen. 24 CHINA. Soon after we had taken up our station near the water-fall, but before this curious basin was light- ed by the moon, and when the most perfect silence prevailed over the whole scene, a fleet of several hundreds of Chinese fishing-boats suddenly advan- ced, in large groups of forty or fifty each, from behind the islands. They were rowed about with great celerity from place to place, and in each boat two or three men stood in the bow, with flaming torches in their hands, which they waved backwards and forwards, while others of the crew were em- ployed in beating, in the most fuiious manner, large gongs, suspended to the masts ; and to give full force and finish to this extraordinary serenade, a chorus of yells and shouts was set up from all the boatmen at the full stretch of their voices — an uproar which awakened the echoes on all the smTounding hills, and rendered the whole scene so truly diabolical, that the sailors, astonished and de- lighted at this sudden irruption, insisted upon it, that a legion of Chinese devils must surely have been let loose, to frighten away the Ambassador. But this tumultuous and amusing uproar was evi- dently intended to drive the fish from the centre of the harbour into nets placed across the narrow channels between the surrounding islands. It was just high water when the boats first broke in upon the stillness of the scene, and in about half an hour, when the ebb tide began to run gently to the East- ward, our noisy friends allowed themselves to be gradually drifted out, greatly to the relief of those contented voyagers amongst us who preferred a sound sleep to the observation of new manners. The weather, which at first had been favourable, changed next day, and during the 11th and 12th CHINA. 25 of July, our operations were seriously interrupted by constant hea\y rain, and violent squalls of wind. Even had the watering been completed, the wind, which was from East-north-east, must have pre- vented our sailing. We ascertained also, much to our annoyance, that the Viceroy of Canton had contrived to discover our retreat, and a report prevailed that the local authorities were on their way in a body, to insist upon the Ambassador re- maining on the spot till the answer came from Pekin. But just at the moment when our anxiety was raised to the highest pitch, to our great joy the Emperor's reply was received and conveyed on board by an express from the Factory. This smoothed all our difl&culties, since it appeared the intention of government to receive the mission fa- vourably, and to allow of their landing near the capital. On the 13th, accordingly, we set sail for the North of China, and steered through the Straits of Formosa, which lie between the great island of that name and the continent. The best charts on board were soon discovered to be nearly useless, for we frequently stumbled upon large groups of islands, headlands, and bays, of which np mention had ever been made. At first this groping sort of navigation was trying enough for the nerves ; but even at its worst moments, it possessed a high degree of in- terest from its novelty and variety. The Lyia be- ing the vessel of the least draught of water in the fleet, was sent about half a league before the rest, her duty being to sound the way, and to sig-nify by signals the number of fathoms water obtained by the lead-line. It may not be unimportant to mention, that VOL. I. c 2b CHINA. in this important and delicate service, we were greatly aided by Massey'H patent Sounding ma- chine, an instrument of the highest utility, as it enables the navigator to obtain an accurate know- ledge of the depth of water, without altering the ship's course, or retarding her progi-ess for an in- stant, and without requiring the exposure of nearly the usual number of men, a consideration of im- portance, in cold and rainy w^eather. This admira- able invention is equally useful in unknown seas, and in those where the depth of water is ascertain- ed to an inch. And I feel it right to take this op- portunity of recommending its use, being well as- sm-ed, from many years' trial, on this and other voyages, and under all circumstances, that in no other way can the same degree of accuracy be ob- tained. On the 25th of July we rounded the promon- tory of Shantung, and entered the Yellow Sea; after which we coasted along at no great distance from the land, and the weather being quite clear, our view of the shore was most satisfactory. On the evening of the same day, I was dispatched to the Westward along with Mr Toone, a gentle- man of the Factory, well acquainted with the Chi- nese language, who was charged with a letter to the chief Mandaiins at our proposed landing place, Ta Coo, near the mouth of the Peldn River. As the Chinese publish at regular intervals a sort of red book, in which the names of all the servants of go- vernment ai*e mentioned, the embassy easily ascer- tained at every place they came to, the names of the men in authority. We sailed on dii'ectly across this shallow sea, for two whole days, without seeini.- land, auxl gra- CHINA. 27 dually diminisliing the depth of water, till at last we began to have some apprehension that we should fairly stick in the mud, before our object was ac- complished. At sunset on the 27th, no land could he perceived from the mast-head, although we were in less than five fathoms water. Before it became quite dark, however, we caught just a glimpse of the tops of some tall trees, after which we anchor- ed in twenty-one feet water. Before the day broke next morning, however, the tide had fallen a whole fathom, which brought the ship's bottom within three feet of the ground. Our business, however, being to open a communication with the shore at all hazards, the anchor was weighed, and sail again made to the Westward. It was soon afterwards discovered, that the Brig was actually sailing along with her keel in the mud, which was sufficiently indicated by a long yellow train in our wake. Some inconvenience was caused by this extreme shallow- ness, as it retarded our head-way, and affected the steering ; but there was in reality not much danger, as it was ascertained, by forcing long poles into the ground, that for many fathoms below the sur- face on which the sounding-lead rested, and from which level the depth of water is estimated, the bottom consisted of nothing but mud formed of an impalpable powder, without the least particle of sand or gravel. The water at every part of this sea over which we were sailing, was contaminated by the intermix- ture of mud slightly yellow in its colour, and hence its appropriate name. In process of time, the de- posits from the innumerable streams which fall into this great gulf from China and Tartary, must fill it entirely up, and the Yellow Sea will beconus 28 CHINA. a vast alluvial district, like Bengal, or Egypt. The present inclination of the bottom is about a foot in a geogi'aphical mile, or somewhat less than one in five thousand ; and it is probable that the bottom of the Yellow Sea, as it rises, will likewise gradual- ly approximate to a horizontal plain. Our next difl&culty was how to send the Ambas- sador's letter ; and in order to inquire into this point, Mr Toone and I rowed to a Chinese fishing junk lying at anchor not far from us. The people on board of her received us with much cordial- ity, and placing a bench for us on their quarter- deck, made us sit down. Theii- dialect was so different from that of the South, that Mr Toone Lad some difficulty in making himself understood by speech ; but the instant he had recourse to the written language, every man in the boat under- stood him. The curiosity of these people, parti- cularly respecting our dress, was very amusing ; and while the interpreter was engaged with the commander of the junk, I fell into the hands of the €rew, who begged leave to take off and examine one of my shoes, unbuttoned the epaulettes from my shoulders, and expressed the greatest wonder at every part of my dress, different in all respects from their own. In the course of this overhaul, to which I most willingly submitted, they lighted on a pocket compass, the nature of which they com- prehended immediately, for three or four of them carried it off to compare with their own needle. As the Chinese compass differs totally from ours, not only in construction but in appearance, it was curious to observe how quickly these rude fisher- men detected, under all its disguises, that identity in principle, which renders the mysterious agency CHINA. 29 of the magnet subservient to the Immblest, as well as to the most scientific purposes of navigation, in every climate, and in every stage of society. It was quite natural, therefore, that these boatmen, without reasoning much on the matter, should be dehghted to discover a point of resemblance be- tween us in so important a particular, and they re- turned the compass ^vith much complacency. A shower of rain drove us about this time to tl;e cabin, a neat little apaitment, round which were spread a few fur skins, and very comfortable pil- lows in small pigeon-holes, or sleeping-buths. On the table lay a pile of copper money threaded on a cord by means of small square holes in the centre of the coin; numerous printed Chinese books were lying about, and everything which caught the eye , spoke the language of another region. The peculi- arity, however, which struck us as being the most remai'kable about these people, was the well-known long tuft or tail, reaching from the back of the head nearly to the ground ; all the rest of the head being shaved. This fashion was, I believe, forcibly imposed upon the nation about two centuries ago by their Tartar conquerors, who being comparatively few in numbers, endeavoured to conceal their wealoiess by obliging the whole Chinese nation to adopt their dress. It is a hardship so grievous to a Chinese to alter any established custom, that, as we leani from an old Jesuit writer, nearly as many persons suffer- ed on the scaffold for refusing to crop their locks, as had been killed in action dining a long and bloody war. Tlie Tartars, however, had the sword in their hands, and this gi-eat revolution in dress was at last completely effected, with two singular exceptions : the executioners all over China wear the old and c 2 30 CHINA. graceful dress of the country ; and the stage-players invai'iably appear in the same degraded costume. Yet such is the effect of custom, that nothing in our dress or maimers excited so much siuprise in these people, or appeared more preposterous in their eyes, than our contriving to exist without these long tails. Our friends could not be prevailed upon to carry the letter on shore ; but as they had been very kind, we wished to ingratiate ourselves with them, and begged their acceptance of a couple of dollars as we were coming away. Tlie Captain and his crew assembled in a ring, and turned over the pieces from hand to hand, just as I have seen a group of monkeys do when puzzled with some new object. They were not satisfied with our gift upon further examination, and wished to return it ; but finding us determined not to take back the money, very unceremoniously pitched it into the boat as we rowed away. Having failed in this attempt to communicate with the shore, through the medium of the natives, we returned on boai'd, with the intention of send- ing one of our ot\ti boats next day. jMeanwhile the squadron were descried at a distance in the offing, where, on account of the shallowness of the water, they were obliged to anchor. Early next morning two lai-ge junks came to- wards us from the shore, one of which anchored at no great distance, while the other, to our sur- prise, sailed as a boat would do straight along- side of the Lyra, her great masts nearly sweeping away our lower yards. In the next instant we were boarded by two Chinese officers, middle-aged, portly, comfortable-looking Mandarins, with very dark mahogany-coloured faces. Each of them wore CHINA. 31 on his head a conical cap, sun-ounded by the usual distinguishing button, from whicli depended a ring- let of red floss silk on one side. The Chinese dress is too well known to require description ; but as this was the first occasion on which most of our party had seen it, except on tea- cups and saucers, it excited a considerable sensa- tion all over the ship. I have often observed, that in remote countries, there is a peculiar Idnd of in- terest in ivdtnessing realities, after a long familiar- ity with the mere representation. The imagination is so much habituated to contemplate the copy, that it naturally comes to take the place of the original, and when at last we see the thing itself, it has the full merit of novelty, with the addition of some- thing more. I well remember the first time I saw Chinese houses and people at Pulo Penang, in the Straits of Malacca. For a long time I could not help associating them with their prototypes on crockery ; so that whenever I met Fakee, as Chi- namen ai-e familiarly called in the English settle- ments, I was disposed to laugh in his face, fi-om the ridiculous personification he exhibited of a gi'eat fire-screen or a pimch-bowl. The youngest of the two Mandarins, who was the senior in rank, and a very merry personage, made himself at home in a moment : — he laugh- ed, joked, and skipped about, examining everything more like a child than a grave public function- ary. On entering tlie cabin, to which our guests were invited, our merry friend placed himself unceremo- niously, but not rudely, at the head of the table, and reachisig his arm out, drew a book from the library^ opened it, and, with gi-eat affected formality, turned the leaves backwards and forwards till he liehted 32 CHINA. upon the title-page. He then held it uj) b(.*foie him, examined it with his eyes nearly closed, — turned it upside down, — sideways, and in every direction, — twisting his face into all sorts of ridiculous forms, expressive of his amusement and surprise at the strangeness of what he saw ; — then jumping on liis feet, displayed the book to his wondering attend- ants, w^ho had taken possession of the sky-light, and were thrusting their heads down to see what was going on. I entertained them with cherry brandy, wliich, though quite new to them, seemed to suit both master and man, for the Mandarins no sooner drank, than they filled then- glasses again, and were not contented till all their attendants had followed so good an example. Cheixy brandy, a species of liquor ada^Jted to the taste of all countries, is a universal bribe amongst rude as well as civi- lized nations ; the combined strength and sweetness, added to the fine deep colour of this insinuating be- verage, are indeed so irresistible, that I would re- commend no voyager to omit taking a good supply on board, as he will find its use on many occasions, when graver lessons fail. It was now high time to come to business ; and we were glad to find the Mandaiins willing to re- turn to Ta Koo immediately with our letter. The interpreter found much less difficulty in communi- cating with these men, who were persons of edu- cation, than with the boatmen \vhom we \'isited the day before ; but it was still necessary sometimes to have recourse to the T\Titten language. The Chinese write generally with a bmsh and Indian ink, on a fine silky paper ; but in conversation it is often sufficient to describe the character on their Iiands, or even in the air with the end of their fans. CHINA. S3 During this intemew, it happened that one of the Mandarins, observing that liis meaning expressed in words was not understood, and wishing to write it down, looked about for pen and ink, but not seeing any, and being in a hurry to rectify the mis- take, dipped his finger, without apology, into his neighbour's glass, for the contents of his own had long disappeared, and painted the symbols on the table. It was some time before we could get the ship cleared of oiu* guests, for while the chiefs were pledging the Emperor in cheiTy brandy, the boat- men were taken in charge by the sailors, who, in like manner, were initiating them, with great suc- cess, into the mysteries of grog and salt-beef. As soon as the junks left us, we tripped our an- chor, and rejoined the squadron, anchored far at sea in twenty-seven feet water. The weather now be- came so unsettled that there was no communica- tion fi-om the shore till the fourth of August, when two Mandarins, who had been ordered to attend the Ambassador, came on board to pay their re- spects to his Lordship. They sailed at once along- side, in great junks, nearly as high as the fri- gate ; and when made fast, the Mandarins scrambled up the side with some diflSculty, owing to the load of state-robes with which they had encumbered themselves for the occasion. Previously to ap- proaching the ship, two visiting cards were dis- patched by an inferior officer fi'om these great per- sons, which, according to our notions, were absurd enough, as they were at least a foot and a half in length, and not less than a foot wide. They were made of red-coloured paper, with the name and title written in a perpendicular line in the centre. 34 CHINA. The senior Mandarin, who wore a blue ball, was an officer on the civil establishment, while his com- panion, whose button was of red coral, belonged to the military ; — it being the policy of their jea- lous court always to divide the authority of such commissions, hoping in this way to neutralize the ascendancy of either order. The principal officer employed on the delicate service of conducting the embassy through the country, and called by us the Legate, did not make his appearance to-day, being much too gi'eat a personage to tnist himself eight or ten miles on the open sea, merely to pay a visit of ceremony. He therefore wisely sent his deputies for that purpose, and charged them with many civil messages. One of these Mandarins brought off his son with him, a fine little boy, whose presence contributed materially to break down the ice of ceremony. In ouj- subsequent voyage, we frequently saw the same thing practised with gi'eat success. A portion of the unaffected familiarity ^vitli which most people are disposed to treat a child, always glances off to the parent, and, as we found, re-acted upon our- selves, and gave birth to that sort of cordiahty so useful in forwarding the intercourse of perfect stran- gers. Upon, the present occasion, the first during whieh any real business was transacted, both par- ties naturally felt a little cautious and distrustful of the other, feelings which prevailed more or less during the whole interview. Just as the Man- darins, however, were leaving the ship, and while Lord Amherst and all the officers were standing on the deck to see them away, the little boy came forward, and, with much gracefulness of manner, kneeled to the Ambassador, and held out his hand. CHINA. 35 with an arch and playM expression of countenance, wliich it was impossible to resist. At this moment Lord Amherst's own son, about the same age as the young Mandarin, came forward and was pre- sented to oui* visitors, who, instead of going im- mediately into their boat, as they had proposed, turned cheerfully round and remained some time longer on board ; all parties, from that period, being relieved from much needless formality. To those who like myself had leisure to watch what was going on, the occasion was fertile in scenes of interest. I observed that, no sooner had the military Mandarin performed his ofl&cial pai't, and returned to his own junk, than he hastened to his crib of a cabm, flung off his robes, Ms crape petticoat, his great unwieldy velvet boots, with soles an inch thick, and hia fantastical cap, and issuing forth with his pipe hanging out of one side of his mouth, and a paii* of slippers on his feet, ap- peared on the deck of his vessel without one trace of the grandee left. So anxious indeed was he to remove from our minds the idea of his being natu- rally the grave and austere personage we had seen before, that he immediately set about monkey tricks, as they are called at sea, and diverted himself with throwing peaches to the young midshipmen, who, in a coiTespondent taste, had climbed into the rig- ging, and were not slow to better this insti-uction. During the preceding interview, more than a dozen sail of junks had assembled near and along- side the ship ; and as each one tried to get nearer than his neighbour, a fine scramble and racket took place, with abundance of altercation, and, if there be any analogy between the sea-ports of different countries, I dare say au ample allowance of oatiirs 36 CHINA. and scurrility. Both these were lost upon us ; but the tones, the gesticulations, the angry looks of the disputants, the whole scene, in short, was infinite- ly comic. Yet there was no lack of discipline amidst all this strange turmoil ; for no sooner had a gong sounded on board the commodore's junk, than it was answered by the ringing of others in each vessel, and in an instant all the Chinese left their disputes and scampered back, every one to his own vessel, when they all pushed off and an- chored about a cable's length from the ship. A new scene now succeeded. Eight large junks, all bearing broad flags and swallow-tailed pendants, amongst which the imperial dragon was the most conspicuous, came sailing up, and dexterously placed their imwieldy masses alongside of the ship. These vessels were loaded with a present sent to the squa- dron by order of the Emperor. It may be amu- sing to specify the articles, selected, it must be owned, with some judgment, considering the length of time we had been at sea. There were ten good- sized bullocks, twenty sheep, as many hogs, and a hundred ducks and fowls, besides a great store of ve- getables, and many boxes of tea. The bearers of this welcome offering were admitted at their own request, and with great good-will on our part, to see the ships, over which they roved in parties of eight or ten each, to examine everything with the great- est care. The seamen, who were delighted with the Emperor's liberality, and the prospect of a fresh meal, were greatly entertained with the od- dity of the Chinese dress and manners, and paid them the most obsequious attention, escorting them roimd the decks like ladies, smoothing down their long tails, joking and talking with them, apparent- CHINA. 37 ly unconscious, or, if conscious, not caring, whether John Chinaman, as they called him, understood them or not. It is Jack's custom, wherever he goes, to call every one he encounters abroad a mere outlandish-man, forgetting that it is himself alone who is so. Should the people he meets with happen to understand a word or two of English, he is satisfied, and they ai'e set down for sensible people; otherwise he pities theb ignorance, and laughs at the folly of their designating common things by names strange to his eais. I remember once overhearing the conversation of two of my sailors in the streets of Valparaiso, who had only been a few days in the country ; one said to the other, " "Wliat do you think of these people ?" — " Why," replied liis companion, with a look of thorough contempt, " will you believe it — the in- fernal fools call a hat Sombrero !" The only circumstance which thi'eatened to dis- turb the haimony subsisting between us and cm- visitors, arose from a prank played off upon them by some of our youngsters. The strangers were courteously invited to sit down in the midship- men's birth ; but when they attempted to rise, found themselves fixed like Gulliver, for then- wicked entertainers had tied each by the long tail to the back of his chair. At first the astonished Mandarins were much incensed ; but the oddity of the scene was so irresistible, that even the suf- fering parties presently joined in the laugh. The story soon got abroad, and ever afterwards, the Chinese, before venturing between decks, took the preca.ution of coiling their tufts round their heads, out of the reach of such practical jokes. When the morning brolcc on the 5th of August, VOL. I. D 2 38 CHIN/V. we found oui-selves surrounded, to tlie distance of a quarter of a mile in every diiection, by junks, at- tracted from all parts of the adjacent coast by the wonderful sight of European ships. Some of these vessels were of great dimensions, towering above the water, in form and size more like castles than ships ; while others were so diminutive, that it was wonderful how they dared to tnist themselves so far off at sea. Most of them were lying at anchor ; but a few of the more cmious continued sailing round the ships, expressing by shouts and admu-ing gestures, the liveliest satisfaction at what they saw. I manned my gig to make an excm^sion amongst these boats, whjen I found many of the people in motion, even at this early hour, the sun being hai'dly above the horizon, and delighted to have a nearer view of the strangers. On board one junk, the cap- tain and crew, who were just going to breakfast, entreated me to join them, an invitation which, all things recollected about the nature of Chinese die- tetics, I had no great mind to accept. Nevertheless, keeping dogs and cats as much as possible out of my thoughts, I put a good face upon the matter, and sat down. The deck, spread over with a neat grass mat, was our table, tlie breakfast consisted of five or six bowls of finely-boiled rice, as white as snow, with a variety of savoury hashes and stews ; and in the centre of all stood a large smoking dish, containing what looked very like an omelet. Their di'ink, a sort of weak spirit not unlike whisky diluted, was hand- ed round by the attendants in very diminutive tea- cups, I had intended merely to go through the ceremony of tasting a morsel of rice, to please these kind people, but ended by making a hearty meal, to the unspeakable delight of the Cliineee boatmen. CHIXA." 39 On the 9th of Au^st, 1816s the ambassador aiid suite landed at the town of Tacoo, about a mile from the mouth of the Pei Ho. On entering the river, a salute of three guns was fii'ed from a for- tification on the southern side. The gxms were thrust into the ground, and fired perpendicularly in the air, to avoid, as the Chinese told us, the possibi- lity of any accident. The fort exactly resembled these showy castles we see painted on china-ware, and was about as large as those redoubtable strong places introduced in Astley's amphitheatre. The military, drawn up to salute the ambassador as he passed, were quite in chai^acter with the fortress ; the greater number being armed with bows and aiTows, while many carried nothing but spears, to the ends of which were fixed small flags, and eight or ten formidable-looking warriors strutted in front, with match-locks on their shoulders. The banks of the river, beyond which we could distinguish no- thing but an extensive flat marshy country, were crowded with people ; and thousands of boats, as- sembled from all quarters, nearly choked up the passage. Here we took leave of the embassy ; and, for five months afterwards, never heard a single word that could be depended upon respecting their move- ments. On the 1 1th of August, when the ships left the anchorage, the Alceste and Discovery steered to the Northward, to examine the Gulph of Lestung ; while the Lyra and the Investigator, a ship belong- ing to the surveying service, sailed round the Gulph of Petchelee lying to the South. The details of these surveys, however curious and instructive in a professional point of view, and useful to future navigators, possess no popular interest. On the 40 CHINA. 22(1 of August, the whole Rquatlron were re-assem- bled at Cbe-a-tou Bay, already sufficiently descri- bed in the accounts of the former embassy. They remained for a few days in this harbour, to refit the rigging, and on the 26th proceeded together along the coast of Shantung, to the Eastward, as far as the harbour of Oei-hai-oi. This place, which was not mentioned on any of our maps, had probably never been visited by any European : As the na- tives of this part of China could therefore have had no previous intercourse with strangers, and very probably, were not aware that any other nation ex- isted, it may be worth while to describe the nature of our reception. And I do so the more readily, because the result of our observations was rather favourable than othei-wise to the Chinese character. It ought always to be rcmembered, that most of the information which we possess in Europe on the subject of China, consists of what we hear from day to day respecting the state of society at the gi-eat sea-port of Canton. But it is obviously as un- fair to judge of the Chinese by such data, as it woidd be to estimate the character of the Enghsh from such mateiials as Rotherhithe and Wapping might afford. Yet our judgment is insensibly warped by these reiterated statements, and we forget the more favourable pictures drawn by the high authority of Barrow, Du Halde, and others, whose means ex- tended so much farther. Undoubtedly the Chinese have to thank their own narrow policy wliich con- fines our observation to one spot, for all tliis pre- judice and en-or. But this should not make us less desirous of getting at the tnith when an opportu- nity such as the present occurs, of seeing the in- habitants in a remote part of the empire, where CHINA. 41 tliey aie unsophisticated by external influence, and where the laws and usages of the countiy alone may be supposed to regulate their manners. As we stood up the bay, numerous boats crowd- ed alongside, and the people leaping fiom them, soon filled our dscks. They were freely permitted to examine everything, and even to go into the cabins, without being watched ; yet not a single article was missed, although, had anything been stolen, detection would have been almost impossi- ble. After we had anchored, several Mandarins came on board, with whom we tried to open a communication, but having no good interpreter, we failed in making ourselves well understood. Our chief object was to obtaui a supply of fresh provisions and vegetables, as the Emperor's 'pre- sent had speedily disappeared. In the afternoon, it was thought right to return the visit of the local authorities who had come on board in the moni- iug. Accordingly we proceeded to the village, which, like most we had seen on this part of the coast, was so much enveloped by the rich foliage of trees planted in the streets, that not above a tenth part of the houses could be seen at one time. The whole population crowded to the shore to re- ceive us ; and many persons, to obtain a better view of the strangers, ran up to their middle in the water, whilst every boat's mast, house top, and tree, was thickly clustered over with wondering faces. After landing we were escorted along by many hundreds of both sexes, whose curiosity got so completely the better of their good manners, that at times our way was absolutely blocked up, and we were well nigh choked in tlte crowd. It was therefore a great relief to get into the Man- d2 42 CHINA. darin's house, a neat and even elegantly furnished mansion. The walls were finely papered, and or- namented with some spirited landscapes, sketched in Indian ink, and several fantastical highly-finish- ed drawings of their portly deities or sages, whom it is their delight to represent in this manner ; cor- pulence being with them an infallible symptom of wisdom and dignity. The windows consisted of a frame-work of cross bars, forming spaces of two inches square, covered with oiled paper or blue gauze, contrivances to soften the glare, of light, out of doors almost insupportable. The Mandarins were extremely glad to see us ; made us take chairs, entertained us with tea, hot wine, and sweet cakes, and appeared most desirous to find out what we were in want of. We succeeded very well in every part of our interpretation, excepting in the primary articles of bullocks and vegetables. Whenever the conversation took this turn, our interpreter somehow or other could never make them imderstand what we would be at. This interpreter, by the way, was not of the best description, being merely an under-servant of the Factory, who ought to have accompanied the embassy, but by accident was left behind. As he spoke English imperfectly, and we had no great opinion of his honesty, we were more at his mercy than was at all agreeable. We ought undoubtedly to have been accompanied by one of the gentlemen of the Establishment, who could wiite and speak the language of the country ; but in the bustle of the more important matters rela- ting to the embassy, our wants in this respect were never thought of till it was too late. By the time this visit of ceremony was over, the mob had dispersed, and we separated into dif- CHINA. 43 ferent parties, to stroll about the coimtry, no sort of objection being made to our doing so. I have often remarked that on these occasions, where no harm is intended, and the gratification of curiosity the only object, the best way is to go straight forward, with- out putting difficulties into the people's heads, by seeming to imagine any permission necessary. At least during this voyage, whenever we began by soliciting leave to walk into the country, or to look at anything, our request was almost invariably re- fused. It is always easy enough to discover when such a proceeding is really disagreeable or impro- per ; and it seems then full time to turn back. The first house we visited, at some distance in the country, was surrounded by a wall or fence, made of neatly-wattled twigs. On the steps before the door sat a woman sewing, who as soon as she be- held the appaiition of half a dozen strange-looking men, screamed out, threw down her work, and in spite of all our attempts to pacify her, continued to alarm the neighbourhood with her cries. Amongst the people who came to her relief was a middle- aged man, probably her husband, who, with great roughness, turned us round by the shoulders, march- ed us out of his grounds, and pointed to the ships. There was no mistaking this, and finding our elo- quence only augmented the lady's fury, and the honest man's indignation, we gave up the point, and turned from this uncivil couple towards a party of men and women employed in winnowing com. This was done on a hard smooth mud floor, raised three feet above the level of the field, near a farm-house. We observed that they first beat the corn with flails, not unlike a watchman's rattle, and then tossed it into the, air, that the wind might blow away tlie 44- " CWINA. disfff. One of the farmers sliowed me a small double drill-plough, and when I expressed some curio- sity about these matters, he put the plough into my hands, implying that he wished me to keep it. In the course of the evening he brought it on board, but would accept nothing in return. We succeeded in gaining ground much better with this group than with the scolding lady, chiefly by making friends in the first instance of the children, to whom we gave buttons, curtain rings, and such trifles as we had put in oui* pockets on leaving the ship. This speedily opened a way to the good will of the parents, and as soon as we observed them softening a little in then* reserve, we engaged their full attention and respect, by allowing them a peep through the telescope, always an object of great wonder to such people ; after this had gone round the circle, we produced the pocket-compass, which they stai'ed at with great delight, and a sight of our watches completed the treaty of amity between us. While this was going on, a countryman diiving a donkey loaded with vegetables, joined the paity. We instantly tried to open a traffic with him for his whole cargo, but here an unexpected difficulty arose. He knew so little, of our money, that he re- fused to part with his vegetables in exchange for Spanish dollars, a coin we had always been taught to believe passed current in every comer of the earth. All the trinkets we had brought with us had been al- ready disposed of, and nothing but what was valu- able remained ; our friend, however, though evident- ly much amused, and willing enough to sell his cab- bages, would give nothing without some equivalent. In this unwonted dilemma, when silver was of no avail, it occurred to me to try the efficacy of a more CHINA. 45 showy metal, and borrowing the countryman*^ knife from Iiim, I cut a button from my uniform, then sei- zing a bundle of leeks in one hand, and displaying the crown and anchor in the other, I appealed to the company whether the bargain was not a fair one. This was irresistible ; and I carried my point by acclamation. In this way, by stripping one side of my jacket of its row of finery, and debating the value of each item, I became possessed of the whole cargo. The winnowing party, including several women, and a number of children, had left their work, and assembled round us, listening to this discussion, which I need not say was canied on with much laughing and joking on both sides, al- though neither party understood a syllable of the other's language. I was a little at a loss what to do with my purchase, for my sole object, in which I completely succeeded, had been to produce good- humour, and I had nobody with me to carry the vegetables. At length, however, I explained to the peasant that I wished them canied to tie boat, and although I took no further charge of him, he de- livered themfaithfully in the course of the afternoon. In the evening of the same day, Mr Clifford, an officer of the navy on half pay, who accompanied me on tliis voyage, proposed that we should land on . the side of tlie harbour opposite to the village, with wliich we had yet held no intercourse, in order to walk for some distance up the country, and thus see the inhabitants in places where the news of our ar- rival had hardly reached. Having landed according- ly, we pursued a path leading from the shore, passed a low ridge of hills, and descended into a secluded valley, in the bottom of which, under a grove of trees, there was built the neatest little hamlet we had yet 46 CHINA. seen in Cltlna. Eight or ten of the villagers came forward to weleoine ns, and placing chairs for us under the trees, begged us to partake of their liospitality. They had observed us breaking,' some specimens from the cliffs near the top of the hill, and naturally concluding that we set some value upon what we examined so carefully, dispatched several boys, who returned loaded witli many more specimens than we had occasion for. In return for their kindness, we allowed them to examine our dress, which they did with many expressions of astonishment. The objects, however, which excited most wonder were our watches ; and we found universally during this voyage, that when every other thing failed to engage the attention of the na- tives, the sight of a watch accomplished the busi- ness ; or if not, it was hopeless to make further at- tempts. They had a name for it, however, we dis- covered ; and even at this remote corner of the globe, there was always some one of the company who pretended to know more or less of its use. On this occasion all the inhabitants of the village appeared to be assembled ; they grouped them- selves on the grass round about us, the children always in front ; for we observed wherever we went in Cliina, the most studious anxiety on the part of the parents to gratify the little people Tvith the most advant^eous sight of the strangers. During the inspection which was instituted into my apparel, I had given to one man my hat, to an- other my gloves, a third amused himself and the company by opening and shutting my pen-knife, and in the confusion my watch was passed from hand to hand, till lost sight of altogether. At length these good pec^le were satisfied ; and fencying CHINA. 47 everything was restored, we took oxir feave as the day was dosing. But we left the \illage by a dif- ferent path from that by which we had come ; and after wandering for some time amongst the liills, till it became almost dark, returned to the shore. Before stepping into the boat, however, I wished to make a record of the time of tide, and then fii-st discovered that my watch was gone. I had no re- collection of the person into whose hands I had given it ; and even if I had, was without any means of discoveiing him. All the stories about the thievish disposition of the Chinese now crowded upon our recollection ; and the good opinion we were gradually forming of their character, was shaken to its foundation. The watch, however, was much too valuable to be lost without an eifort, and we resolved to return to the village, to give it a chance. All was now silent amongst the cottages, and we wandered about for some time, till attracted by a light at a window, we went up to it, and addressed two people sitting at supper in the room. They were much aiaimed at our sudden appearance, pushed us nidely away, and closed the window. This was an unpropitious beginning ; but we persevered till, on reaching the court or square near the centre of the village, we fortunately lighted upon a party of eight or ten men, some l>Tng on the gi'ound, others seat- ed on chau-8, smoking their pipes, and enjoying the delicious coolness of the evening air, which had succeeded to the burning heat of the day. I was not much in a humour to notice fine gi-ouping or picturesque effects, but happening to remember tlie Chinese for watch, Pee-o-i, 1 repeatedly pro- nounced it, exhibitmg at tlie same tim<^ my emj>ty 48 CHINA. pockets. The word or the action easily made them comprehend my loss. But as I was under the full conviction all the while that I never should see my watch again, I may probably have expressed some impatience on tlie occasion. This, however, pro- duced little eifect on the Chinese, who merely took their pipes from their mouths, leaned on their el- bows, and listened with great attention to all I had to say. When I had finished my speech, which consisted principally of signs, interspersed with occasional mention of the word Pee-o-i, an old gentleman of the party got up, and patting me good- naturedly on the shoulder, gave me his ready-light- ed pipe to console me, and with great gravity, in the midst of whicli I fancied I could sometimes de- tect an ironical smile when he looked towards his companions, made me a long speech, which, althougli I could not understand a single word of it, seemed to set forth that it was quite useless to be angry about the matter. The rest of the party laughed heartily at the oddity of this dialogue, and seem- ed determined to take no steps till the discussion was over. As I saw very soon that there was no- thing for it but good-humour — or rather, that no- thing was to be gained by impatience, I sat down amongst them, accepted the orator's pipe, and puff- ed away as well as the most experienced smoker of the party. I had no sooner been seated on a chair which was brought for me, as they would not suffer me to stretch myself on the ground, than the spokesman of the party, who had just lectured me, as I conjectured, upon the virtue of patience, looldng over Ins shoulder and laughing, spoke a few words to one of the young men seated ou the grass near hini, who iumiediately rose and CHINA. 49 left the party. In about five minutes the messenger returned, bringing along with him another person, who held my watch in his hand ; and I now re- cognized the face of the man I had first given it to. He explained, as I understood him, that as I had left the village by another road, (pointmg first to the one way, and then to the other,) he had quite lost eight of me, but that next day he meant to have brought the watch on board. Tliis I inferred from his pointing to where the sim rose, and then towards the ships. At all events, I was happy enough to recover my lost property, and the first impulse naturally was to give him some reward. I had only a dollar, and two or three smaller coins with me, which I put into the young man's hand ; but this was no sooner observed, than two or three of the others jumped on their feet, and taking the money from him, thrust it back again into my pockets. I made him sit down, however, and it will easily be understood that the recovery of the watch was more efficacious in restoring good- humour than the old fellow's lecture had been ; and 80 my sententious friend himself seemed to think, for he addressed me with the fonner affected se- riousness of tone and manner, and then laughed heartily as he pointed to the watch. It is wonder- ful, indeed, how without language, people can gen- erally make themselves mutually understood when there is good will on both sides, and how difficult, even with all the advantages of speech, the most simple explanation becomes, when temper or in- terest opposes an obstacle to the mutual apprehen- sion of the subject. I was naturally anxious, before returning on ])oaid, to leave some mark of gratitude for the good «cr- VOL. I. E 50 CHINA. vice these obliging people liad rendered me. Money it was obvious they would not take ; but in con- sidering what I could give them wliich they would value, I recollected their having admired one of my epaulettes which had accidentally fallen from my shoulder at our first visit, so I pulled it fi*om my pocket, and entreated their acceptance of it. This, however, they positively refused. But conceiving theii- difficulty might arise from doubts as to the division, I began to pull the epaulette to pieces, in- tending to give each one a portion of the tassels. Tliis excited au immediate outcry from the whole party, a couple of whom rose up, and forcibly re- placed the epaulette. This amicable discussion had the effect of bringing us more intimately acquainted with each other, than a mucli longer period of the ordinaiy kind of intercourse could possibly have (lone ; and being still desirous of leaving some me- morial of om- visit, the idea occmTed to me of wri- ting down what had passed [as a record, which in the very improbable event of a future voyager coming to this port, miglit be useful to them. The idea once started, I easily explained to them by signs that I wished for writing materials ; and af- ter a short disciissi-on among themselves, they all rose and invited me to walk with them to another quarter of the village. The way was led by a very formal, perpendicular elderly gentleman, who drew a key from his pocket, and holding it up in a signi- ficant manner, beckoned us to follow him. Tliis personage, who from the moment allusion was made to pen and ink, had assumed an air of vast consequence, proved to be the schoolmaster of the village, and under his pilotage we proceeded to the school, where our preceptor liaving lighted a can- CHIKA. 51 die, soon brought all tliat was want-e(K A ftat phttt:* of stone hollowed out like a saucer, being first rub- bed with Indian ink, a brush similar to what we use in painting wzs put into my hands by the do- minie, who was quite enchanted with his new pu- pil. A long slip of paper being next laid before me, I was desired by the master to proceed, while he took his station by my side, and arranged his friends round the table, so that every one could get a sight of the strange hieroglyphics I was making. I merely wrote in a few words, an account of the adventure of the loss and recovery of the watch, to which I added my opinion of the honesty and kindness of the people, together with a request to any future visitor to whom the paper might chance to be intelligible, that he would do the worthy in- habitants justice, and not be guided, in describing the national character, by the hasty and sweeping prejudice ivhich condemns a whole nation for the vices of one sea-port. The writing being finished, we rose and looked about the school-room, which was large and airy. In every village however small which we visited in China, there was invariably a school where both reading and writing were taught to boys ; but I do not recollect that we evei' saw any girls ai school on these occasions. As the path which led to the beach from the school-house was rather steep and rugged, the Chi- nese, affecting to fear that we should tumble down, insisted upon encumbering us with help, and taking us by the hands, conducted us slowly and cautious- ly along. Escorted in this ridiculous way by the whole party, we reached the boat, where the na- tives pressed our hands between theirs, and took 52 CHINA. leave of us in a manner expressive of the heartiest good will. Our fiiends then joined a considerable number of the villagers assembled on the top of the sea bank, and called out, as we shoved off, with one voice, some words in Chinese, which, al- though we did not understand them, certainly sounded most kindly. Next day, the man who had restored the watch came on board the Lyra, bringing with him his two brothers. Even now, when he was unobserved, we could not prevail upon him to receive anything as a reward for his honesty, although the inter- preter explained to him again and again our wish- es on the occasion. He either was, or seemed to be, unconscious that he had done anything remark- able, observing, as we imagined, that if he were, as we said, an honest man, his reward would be elsewhere. On the 29th of August we landed, and walked for many miles over the country without meeting any interruption. On the contrary we were in- vited by the inhabitants to enter many of the hou- ses, where they gave us the never-failing tea, and offered us pipes and fruit wherever we went. In the course of this most interesting ramble, we were attracted by the well-known hum to a school, which the master, who came out to the door, begged us to enter. Everything within was remarkably neat and clean, and the room well ventilated ; but the day was very hot, and one of the scholars, obser- ving Mr Clifford fanning himself with his hat, left his seat, and presented him with his fan ; at the same time, turning round, he gave me his book, opened I suppose at the place of the lesson. The whole school were then ordered to read at once, during CHINA. 53 ivliich Uic master appeared to have the faculty of distinguishing any voice which was in error ; a mode of teaching, it may he observed, universal from all time over the East, hut only recently in- troduced from that hemisphere into this country, and I helieve with much eflfect. The women were at first rather shy, and retreat- ed within doors as soon as we approached. By and by they gained confidence, upon seeing that we meant harm to no one ; and before our walk was half over, we were frequently accosted by pai-ties of two and three curious damsels, whose wonder was greatly excited by an investigation of om* ha- biliments. Most of these women, but not all of them, Iiad the well-known small feet, the peculiar barbarism of the country ; but prepared as we were by draw- ings and desciiptions to expect this remarkable de- formity, the actual sight of it caused a feeling of disgust which I shall not attempt to describe. At a subsequent period of the voyage, when at Can- ton, I made many inquiries amongst the Chinese who spoke English, respecting this preposterous custom. I learned from one intelligent man, that the age of four was the usual time for commen- cing the horrid ceremony of binding up the wretch- ed children's feet ; and he showed me the man- ner in which it was done. The toes are forcibly bent under the foot, in which position they are confined by a silk band three inches wide, and two or three yyjds long. My informant told me that he had four daughters, all of whom suffered so much on these occasions, that he could not bear to hear their cries, and being unable to relieve or to console them, still less to exempt them from this e2 o4> CHINA. vile mutilation, he was obliged to banish himsolt from home for more than a month, when the season for tormenting one of his children arrived. He bit- terly deplored the total absence of any free will to depart from the established customs of the Empire. In the course of the day, I landed my instru- ments, measured a base, and surveyed the harbour, besides taking the sun's altitude at noon, without the slightest opposition on the part of the natives ; which I mention merely to show, that in places re- mote from Canton, where it is the policy of the local authorities to discourage all inquiry, there is not naturally any jealousy or apprehension of strangers. Some of these observations I made under the very walls of a mud fort, tlie defences of which consist- ed of two old matchlocks fixed as wall pieces, and six warriors armed with bows and arrows, while the commander, a jolly Tartar Mandarin, sat on the rampart, with his gilt button shining above his cap, and a long pipe in his mouth, grinning with de- light and surprise at the sight of the quicksilver in the artificial horizon. It is true, I conciliated liis good will by presenting him with an old sabre, in return for which, he dispatched one of the garri- son on board my ship with two fowls and a duck, two fans, a pipe, and a small parcel of tobacco. In the evening, we sailed from the bay of Oei- hai-oi, carrying with us a very favourable impres- sion of the Chinese character. Our next object was to visit the coast of Corea, in order to fill up the interval during which the embassy was likely to be engaged in China, with an examination of that un- known country. We steered, accordingly, direct- ly East, along the parallel of 38 degTees of north latitude, without seeing any land till the morning of the third day afterwards. COREA. CHAPTER II. COREA — SIR JAMES HALLOS GROUT — HUTTOn's ISLAND — SHALLOW BAY ON THE MAIN LAND AMHERST ISLES. When the day broke, on the 1st of September, 1816, we expected to have found ourselves close to the shore, but no land could be seen from the deck ; and it was not until the sun rose that the look-out man at the mast-head could distinguish a faint blue ridge, lying at a great distance to the Eastward. The announcement of land being in sight is at all times an enlivening sound ; but upon this occasion, it carried with it peculiar interest. The country we were now steering for was so com- pletely tmknoAvn that it held no place on our charts, except that vague sort of outline Tvdth which the old map-makers delighted to fill up their paper, and conceal their ignorance. This practice has done great disservice to geography ; because the mere embellishments of one fanciful and original artist of this description become, in the hands of a co- pyis-t, established landmarks ; and thus the error is propagated and repeated till the eye grows as familiar with the outline of the unknown parts of the earth as with the best surveyed coasts. So strongly, indeed, do we learn to associate an idea of reality with what is constantly presented to our view, that at first when we come to examine the actual state of the fact upon the spot, we are perhaps more surprised to find it different from 56 OOREA. wliat is lirid down hi these ima^ary maps, than we should have been to discover them accurate, thougli this would have been little short of a mi- racle, and the other is the occuiTence to bo look- ed for. In the case before us, we had soon rea- son to believe ourselves in a region the exclusive property of those ingenious map-drawers alluded to, who sui-vey the world in their closet ; for on approaching the land, and making observations to ascertain our tme place, we discovered that accord- ing to one authority, we were sailing far up in the country, over wide forests and great cities ; and ac- cording to another, the most honest author amongst them, our course lay directly tlirough the body of a goodly elephant, placed in the centre of a district of country in token of the maker's candid confes- sion of ignorance. From this time, for many weeks forward, we shut up our Atlases, Neptunes, and other nautical authorities, and tnasted solely to our own resources ; or according to the ])rofessional phrase, to lead, latitude, and look-out ; though, in tnith, it was only the first and last that we had to depend upon, it being useless to know the latitude of places as yet laid down on no chart. By nine o'clock in the morning, we were not far fi'om a group of tlu-ee high islands, cultivated in the lower ranges next the sea, and wooded to the very summits. The fields were divided, as in China, by stone walls very rudely built ; but we missed the extreme nicety in dressing asd laying out the ground so conspicuous in that agricultural country. As all places were alike to us, and equally unknown, we steered for the nearest island, the most southern of the group, and came to an anchor about noon in a fine bay, sheltered fix>m all winds except tlie South. COREA. 57 The meridian observation placed these islands in 37** 50' North latitude, and our chronometers made tJiem in 124** 30' East longitude. Our anchor had scarcely reached the ground, when a small boat was discovered paddling oif to us full of people, and on looking more attentively, we saw a village in a little nook at the north-west- em side of the bay. The natives came boldly on till within about fifty yards of us, when they lay upon their oars to take a more leisurely survey before they ventured nearer. The result appeared not to be such as to encourage farther proceedings, for they would not come alongside, although we made all the signs we could think of to persuade them. Our only resource, therefore, was to man our owti boats and pay the first visit ourselves. As we row- ed towards the shore, the boat turned back like- tvise, and followed us as fast as possible to the vil- lage. The inhabitants, who received us with looks of distrust and alarm, were evidently uneasy at our landing, for they were crowded timorously together like so many sheep. Having tried every art to re- assure them, but in vain, we determined to leave our unsociable acquaintances, and without waiting for an invitation, to take a look at the village. This mea- s\ire elicited something like emotion in the sidky natives, several of whom stepped forward, and pla- cing themselves between us and the houses, made very unequivocal signs for us to return to our boats forthwith. We persevered, however, and conti- nued to advance, till a couple of stout fellows fairly took us by the shoulders, and turning us round, pushed us very rudely in the dnection we came from. There is no saymg exactly how far our forbearance might have endured, had the na- 58 CORE A. lives proccedk3(l to carry tlie joke much fiartfier ; but as our object was by all means to conciliate their good will, we took their incivility pleasantly, affecting not to understand their wishes to get rid of us altogether, but pretending to suppose they merely desired us to avoid the village. We there- fore altered our course, and began to climb the hill which rose on the Nortli-Eastern side of the Bay. There was nothing in the appearance of these islanders which we recognised as Chinese, in dress, language, or appearance, and in their manners there was none of that courtesy which we met with everywhere in China. It was at once quite evi- dent indeed that they were a much ruder people. Their colour was a dark copper, and the expres- sion of their countenances, though certainly rather forbidding, was not as some of our party described it savage : I think this epithet much too strong, yet there was undoubtedly something wild about them, though not amounting to ferocity. They were dressed mostly in a loose white frock, bai'ely reach- ing to the knees, made of an extremely coarse ma- terial, apparently grass-work ; below which the legs were covered with wide trowsers of the same stuff; on their feet were tied sandals, made of rice-straw, plaited into the thickness of half an inch, and bound to the feet by thongs, the only neat article in the whole dress. Their hair, which was black and glossy, was twisted into a curious conical bunch, or spiral knot, on the top of the head, and there was not the least appearance of the Tar- tar tuft. Two or tliree of their number, who seem- ed principal persons, wore vast hats, the brims of which exteiKled a foot «ad a half in all directions, CORE A, 59 SO as compfetely to shade th^ body of the wearei-. The top or croAvn, on the other hand, was dispro- portionahly email, being made no larger than just to fit the top-knot of haii*, which stood eight or nine inches above the head. This strange cover- ing, which looked more like an umbrella placed over them than a hat, appeared to be made of horse-hair, varnished over ; its textm-e was open, and the whole quite light, being tied under the chin by a band of oval red and yellow beads. Though it was at first a little vexatious to dis- cover that our Chinese interpreter did not under- stand a word these people said, it certainly added to that adventurous sort of interest which belongs to travelling in regions where the inhabitants dif- fer in every respect from those we have seen be- fore. It was like being transported to the moon, or to some other planet, where nothing existed in common with our previous knowledge. Every- thing we saw was strange to our eyes, and we felt certain that each fresh step we took in the voyage was to prove equally fertile in unknown scenes and novel incidents ; it was impossible, in short, to go wrong ; a new world was all before us where to choose, and if we failed to derive instruction and pleasure fi'om what we saw, the fault was our own ; the materials for both lay thickly around us. Our next object, seeing that we could open no useful communication with the natives, was to look about in order to ascertain if the main land, call- ed in the Jesuit's map Corea, could anywhere be distinguished. With this intention we commenced climbing the hill, which labour, by no means trifling, was lightened by the discovery of a small winding path, not unlike a sbeep-track, though we saw no m) COREA. animals of this description. From tlie top of the peak which rises in the centre of the island, there could just be discovered what was supposed to be the continent, at a great distance off, between which and the spot upon which we stood lay a countless number of islands of all sizes and forms ; some clad with foliage, and others quite bare and rocky. The temperature of the air, which below had been intolerably hot, was here comparatively cool and refreshing ; and as we found a rich matting of grass spread on the summit, with here and there a sweet- scented shrub, we were tempted to prolong our stay ; and having taken the precaution to bring our dinner with us, remained for upwards of an hour, enjoying the splendid prospect opened for the first time to European eyes. The world, of late years, lias been so industri- ously beat up by voyagers and travellers, that it becomes no easy matter to light upon any spot re- specting which nothing whatsoever shall have been told before ; and I find it difficult to describe the sensation of pleasure excited by the consciousness of being the first to witness so stupendous a scene as this multitude of unexplored islands presented. I could observe, however, that this circumstance affected the individuals of our party very different- ly. Some who were elevated by it to a high de- gree of excitement, were not satisfied with anything short of the most rapturous expression. Others seemed careless of the thing itself, but were proud of it as a rare exploit in travelling, and took occa- sion to crow, as they expressed it, over their absent friends on the embassy, who, poor people, merely saw the interior of China, a country traversed re- peatedly by Europeans, while it was their more fa- CO RE A. 61 voured lot, they said, to be classed amongst origi- nal discoverers. There were some, too, who felt nothing at all about the matter, but whose awk- ward attempts to imitate the enthusiasm of the others were sufficiently ludicrous. We varied the road on returning, by striking out of the path by which we had chmbed up, and paid somewhat dearly for our enterprise, by scratches and bruises amongst a brushwood of prickly pears and brambles, growing on a surface of steep rocks, broken across by frequent ravines on the northern side of the island. In process of time, by hard scram- bling, we came once more in sight of the village, ly- ing immediately at the base of a cliff, over the brink of which we could peep down and see what was going on, without being ourselves perceived. The women, none of whom had been seen previously, ^ere now discovered before the doors of the cot- tages engaged in husking rice, by beating it in great wooden mortars. Most of tham supported children on their backs, whose little heads wag- ged to and fro by the motion of the pounding operation ; but habit had probably reconciled these little wretches to this rude species of cradle, for they appeared fast asleep. Whilst we were thus occupied in stealing a view of the ladies, all of them, as if by one consent, threw do^ii their pounding implements and hurried off to their huts like rabbits in a warren. For a minute or two we were at a loss to conjecture the cause of this sudden movement ; till one of the frigate's boats was observed to row round the point forming the western side of the Bay. No more was seen of the women ; for when we clambered down tlie rocks and reached the village, the men and the VOL. I. F 02 COREA. children abne were there to receive us. Biiougii, however, was discovered of these timorous damsels to satisfy us that their feet were not mutilated on this island, as in China. The natives were now, in a slight degree, more friendly, or rather less un- friendly, than they had been at our first landing ; they permitted us to walk through the village unmolested, but would not suffer us to enter a single house. The walls of these wretched abodes were ill constructed of canes plastered over with mud, and were not built in straight lines, but in curves, and all at different angles. They were thatched with reeds held down by straw ropes, and quite destitute of neatness, order, or cleanliness, the spaces between the huts being choked up with piles of dirt and puddles of dirty water. The val- ley, at the end of which this comfortless village was situated, possessed considerable beauty, though not thickly wooded : it was cultivated in the lower parts with millet and buck-wheat ; tobacco also was growing in great abundance. In our hasty passage amongst the houses, for there was little attempt at a street, we saw several bullocks, and a great supply of poultry, but no in- ducement could prevail on the natives to sell or ex- change one of them. They held in no estimation our dollars and gold money ; and nothing eke that we ofiered them appeared to possess value in their eyes except wine-glasses ; but even of this solitary taste we could scarcely take advantage. One of the principal persons, or a man whom we assumed to be such from the dimensions of his hat, looked so wist- fully at a claret-glass during a display which was made of the contents of our pic-nic basket to enter- tain the natives, that we prevailed upon him to ac- GORE A. 63 cept it. We were now in hopes, wlien the ice bad been broken, that we should commence a traffic. But in a few minutes the same native came back, and without any ceremony thrust the glass ao;ain into the basket, and walked off, accompanied by all the party except one man, who the moment the angle of a rock concealed him from the view of liis com- panions, eagerly pointed to a tumbler in use at the moment to lift water from a spring, and ha- ving carefully hid it in his bosom, returned to the village by another road, evidently apprehensive of being detected by his countrymen. It is scarcely fair, perhaps, to judge of peopfe upon so short an acquaintance, at a moment, too, when with some reason they might be under the influence of alarm at so unusual a visit. The same, however, might be said of other people equally ignorant of foreigners ; but I certainly never en- countered, during any voyage, people more re- solutely unsociable than these islanders. A dis- dainful sort of sulky indifference, rather than any direct ill-will, was the most obvious trait in their deportment. They were very nide to us, it is true, and lost no opportunity of suggesting the fitness of our immediate departure. It seemed al- ways irksome to them to take any pains to com- prehend our signs, and often, when our meaning was made clear to them, they treated it with the most provoking contempt. On one occasion, I tried for a considerable time to induce an elderly man of the party to let me have a singular kind of rake which he carried in his hand ; but he would accept nothing in exchange ; and at last finding that I persisted, he laughed heartily for a moment, and then as if repentii^ of Ixnng betrayed into good- 04 COREA. humour, placed It In my hands, and gave me a violent push from him, accompanying this insult- ing action by a loud angiy speech, doubtless not more civil, followed by many abundantly significant gestures, implying that the sooner I took to my boat, and left him and his inhospitable island, the better he would be pleased. In this un4vindly senti- ment all his companions heartily joined, so that every one was exerting his ingenuity in attempts to get rid of us. One man, in his anxiety to explain that we could not do a more acceptable thing than proceed to sea, caught hold of a scrap of paper which fell from one of our sketch-books, and lifting up a piece of drift-wood from the beach, placed the paper across it like a sail, then blew upon it to make us observe that the wind was in a right direction. The little boys and girls, who indeed were our only friends, crowded round, apparently sensible of our attentions ; for they were soon quite at their ease with us. The same cordiality on the part of the children prevailed everywhere we went to, however uncourteous the reception of the parents might be. In the charts which were constructed of our dis- coveries in this quarter. Captain Maxwell named these islands Sir James Hall's Group, in compli- ment to my father as President of the Royal So- ciety of Edinburgh ; the idea being suggested to him by observing elsewhere a cluster of islands named after Sir Joseph Banks. At eight o'clock in the evening, the ships weighed anchor, and stood to the South-eastward. We were utterly uncertain what was to be met with next ; but every one was in high spirits, at the prospect of encountering new scenes and new people. After sailing for a considerable distance COREA. 65 in rtie dark, h became expedient to anchor, as we knew not whether we were far from land, or close to it. When a cast of the lead was taken, it was discovered that we were in eighty fathoms water ; notwithstanding which Captain Maxwell deter- mined to remain where he was. It is not very common to anchor in such great depths, from twenty to thirty fathoms being generally consider- efl deep water ; but, during this voyage, we prac- tised it constantly, with the greatest effect ; and I mention the circumstance, as its utility and con- venience may not suggest themselves, or possibly may be as little known to some other professional men, ub they certainly were previously to me. In un- known seas, especially in coral latitudes, notliingcan be more dangerous, or more harassing to an officer, than navigating at night. The next moment may place the ship on a reef, or what is very common, the ship may be drifted, by the current, past the object in view, and the labours of the precious day-light be all lost during the darkness. Against such evils, the practice of anchoring, if the water does not much exceed a hundred fathoms in depth, is a complete security. A ship rides more easily, even in exposed situations, under such circum- stances, from the long scope, and consequent greater elasticity of the cable, which is also less liable to be cut than in shallow water. The con- fidence and the security thus given, afford an ample compensation for the trouble of getting the an- chor up again from its deep bed in the ocean. While treating of technical details, I may per- haps be allowed to mention another practical de- vice^ which, though not new, is certainly very little used, but was found highly advantaereous r2 66 COREA. on this occasion. It is common, when Bailing along coasts, or when it is necessary to anchor frequent- ly, to lower the yards, square them, and furl the sails, as often as the anchor is let go. Hahit has made this almost an essential point in seamanship. The practice with us was never to lower or square the yards on any occasion, unless forced to do so by the violence of the wind ; but merely to clew the sails up, and if required to furl them aloft. The advantages of this were, that without a moment's delay, with a few hands, and in the darkest night, sail could be re-made on the ship. In the usual routine of a man-of-war's duties, this practice would be considered exceedingly slovenly ; but on the present service it was of great consequence, not only in rendering the ships more efficient, but by essentially saving the wear and tear of the ropes and sails, an object of vital importance, when so completely removed, as we were, beyond the reach of dock-yards, and other places of re-equipment. In sailing along these unknown seas, and more particularly when threading our course amongst rocky islands, or when coasting past shores of whose nature we were entirely ignorant, my little brig, which drew only twelve feet water, was sent about half a league a-head, to sound the way, and to look out for dangers. In general it was found suffi- cient in clear weather, to keep the sounding-lines perpetually going, and to station a midshipman aloft, with a glass at his eye, to assist the ordinary look-out-men placed at the mast-heads and fore- yard arm. But when the weather became hazy, or it was thought necessary to carry the ships into situations peculiarly suspicious, a boat was sent forwards to pioneer the course, even for the COREA. 67 Lyra. In this way we were enabled to visit in safety many places that must have been inaccessi- ble, or extremely dangerous to a^ship like the Al- ceste, whatever degree of vigilance might have been used. This service was at times a very fati- guing and anxious one ; but on the other hand the interest excited by it was imceasing, and for ever varying. At first our ignorance of the peculiar kind of navigation, and the apparent dangers which beset it, rendered the anxiety insupport- ably great, and the degree of watchfulness indis- pensably necessary for the safety of the ship, al- most too much for the bodily frame. But after a little practice, most of this apprehension vanished, notwithstanding the causes of alarm ha\ing greatly increased. The habit of taking much rest in a short time was also soon acquired ; so that the fatigue and anxiety, instead of augmenting with the occa- sion, often became less as the difficulty and the sources of real apprehension became greater. In point of fact the risk of shipwreck, to which we were constantly exposed, though at the beginning of the voyage it affected every one on board pretty much alike, in a few days became so familial' that every trace of reflection about it was removed from the thoughts of all but one person on board. The load of his cares, indeed, are in general rather in- creased than lightened by the universal indifference of those around him, who, though of course quite as much concerned in the result, are unquickened in their vigilance by high responsibility, and whose duties, therefore, naturally become mere matters of routine, very fai- from commensurate with that anxiety, which can be felt by the Captain alone. The tendency of strict discipline, such as pre- 68 COUEA. vails on board sht]is of war, where aJmost every act of a man's life is regulated by the orders of his superior, is to weaken the faculty of independent thought ; and on all ordinaiy occasions this answers extremely well. But when the ship is placed in circumstances where success depends on the indi- vidual reflection of those who have been previous- ly taught not to think for themselves, but to act solely at the suggestion of other minds, this mecha- nical principle is found to be a serious defect in the system. I have seen occasions, when a ship was sailing amongst ice-bergs in a dark night and stormy weather, or amongst rocks and sand-banks, when her safety depended entirely on individual vigilance — yet not a soul on board could be brought to feel the least anxiety, and each man and officer, as his turn of duty ceased, rolled into bed, and Avas asleep the next moment, leaving the waking captain to manage the ship as he best could, every one else being quite ready to take his chance ; that is to say, never thinking about the matter. On the morning of the 3d of September, the ships again weighed, and stood under all sail to- wards the islands, with wliich the sea to the East- ward and Southward was thickly studded as far as the- eye could reach. By two o'clock of this day, we had approached the outermost group, and the passages amongst them appearing to be free from danger, we sailed through, and anchored in a little bight or cove on the Eastern side of the largest. As these islands lay so close to one another, we were obliged to make a zigzag course, in order to pass amongst them, and this winding about brought us in sight of a singular-looldng chff, which we determined to visit after anchoring. Accordingly, COREA. G9 at half past three, as soon as dinner was over, we set out to explore the island ; and tlie geological appearances which had engaged our attention at some distance, proved in the highest degiee cu- rious wJien more closely examined. The North-eastern end of this singular island is composed of close-grained, whitish granite, and the middle part of micacious schistus, disposed in strata nearly horizontal, but dipping a little to the S.W. This stratified mass is cut across by a gi^a- nite vein or wall, forty feet wide ; from which in- numerable lateral veins of all sizes, fi-om three feet in width, to the tenth of an inch, are seen to penetrate the schistus. The strata hereabouts are also so much broken and distorted as to leave no doubt of the action of some violent force. At no great distance from this curious scene, a whin- stone dike cuts across the same strata of schistus, in a plane nearly at right angles to that of the great vein of granite. The strata at this junction are considerably bent, but not to the same extent as in the vicinity of the granite. On proceeding farther to the South, about ten or twelve yards fiom the spot last described, stands a high rugged cliff of breccia, or pudding-stone, composed of water-worn fragments of various rocks, evidently the shingle and gi'avel which at some remote pe- riod must have formed the bottom of the ocean, though now raised several himdred feet above high water mark. The appearances above described are not given as new ; on the contrary, they are familiar to every geologist ; and it is on this very account that they are mentioned. Humboldt somewhere remarks the wonderful uniformity which obtains in the 70 CORBA. rocks forming the crust of the globe, and contra' this regularity witli the diversity prevailing in evei \ other branch of nr?tural history. The truth of tliis remark was often forcibly impressed upon our no- tice during the present voyage ; for wherever wo went, the vegetable, the animal, and the moral kingdom, if I may use such an expression, wcyq discovered to be infinitely vaiied : even the as- pect of the skies was changed, and new constel- lations and new climates co-operated to make us sensible that we were far from home. But on turning our eyes to the rocks upon which we were standing, we instantly discovered the most exact resemblance to what we had seen elsewhere. Captain Maxwell was so highly amused with tlie interest taken by the geologists of our party in these scenes, and with the earnest manner in which the advocates of the rival theories debated the question, each armed with a bag full of ap- propriate specimens, that he determined to chris- ten the island after the celebrated Dr Hutton, whose theory he seemed to think the best adapted to explain the phenomena before us; an exercise of authority, by the way, which the Weraerian com- batants took much amiss. Whilst this scientific controversy was raging below, a party of the natives had assembled on the edge of one of the cliffs in dispute, and were ta- king a share in the discussion, quite as intelligible, it was observed by a wag of our party, as the more learned argumentation on the beach. Be this as people think, the natives appeared greatly in- censed at our breaking up their rocks at such a rate ; and indicated by indignant shouts, and the most significant, though ill-mannered geeticula- COREA. 71 tions, that we were ftir from welcome. As the angle of the cliff on which these rude islanders were perched, was not less than two hundred per- pendiculai- feet, directly over our heads, we thought ourselves fortunate that they confined themselves to signs and clamour, instead of using the more potent argument of a shower of stones. We considered it prudent, however, not to tempt them too far ; and therefore rowed to a little bay on the western side of the island, where we dis- covered a good landing-place, on a smooth beach composed of spangles of mica, glistening from end to end, ill the setting sun. The natives had crossed the promontory, and were ready to receive us, as we leaped upon the wet sand, for it was low water, and our boat had grounded on the shelving beach. We walked straight up to the inhabitants, took our hats off, and made them a low bow ; upon which, the foremost of tlieir number addressed us in a long speech, in a tone of voice that was heard on board the ships half a mile off. We rephed in a more moderate key, in English, that we intended no mortal any harm, and merely begged leave to walk over the island. As this was about as much lost upon them as then* own harangue had been upon us, a more intelligible language was tried, by our walking di- rectly along the path towards the brow of the high- est hill, a rule, it may be mentioned, which it is useful to follow in strange places, that as soon as possible a general view of the country may be ob- tained ; after wliich if there be leisure the de- tails may be examined. The natives put a nega- tive on this resolution, as far as they could, without using absolute violence. Sometimes they placed 73 COREA. themselves directly across our path ; and some- times bawled in our ears some very angry words, at the full stretch of their voices, apparently im- pressed with the belief that mere loudness would make their words more intelligible. It is more than probable tlmt these people had never before met with any one who did not understand them ; and it may be reasonably supposed they ascribed our inattention to deafness. To a person who is unconscious of the existence of any language but his own, the circumstance of meeting people who do not comprehend him, and whom he does not himself understand, must be a very perplexing phenomenon. To us, who are familiar with the idea of many languages, this dilemma is scarcely intelligible ; but many incidents led us to believe, that the people whom we met with on this coast were utterly ignorant, not only of other languages, but of the fact that any such existed at all. One very busy personage now took his station before us, and baring his neck, drew his fan from end to end along his throat; and then, with no great gentleness, went through a similar ceremony with the necks of his visitors. Hereupon a great spe- culation was set afloat amongst us, as to the im- port of this significant gesture. One thing was plain, it had reference to cutting off heads ; but our party was equally divided in opinion as to whose heads were to suffer. Some thought the natives were in alarm for themselves, while others considered this ugly sign as a threat to us. We went on, however, till we reached the summit of the island. From this spot, a small village was discovered, at the distance of half a mile, built on COREA. T3 the side of a hill, at the base of which lay a small creek, just large enough to afford shelter for two or three fishing-boats. The sea-breeze, which had never been strong during the day, now gradually expired as the sun went down, and was succeeded by a sultry calm. It would have been delightful to have sat for half an horn* in one of the houses, or to ha^e bathed in the little stream which we f5aw rimning close by the village. But upon the first motion we made in that direction, the natives raised such a shout, and looked so much distressed, that we gave up the contest, and turned towards our boats. All was now changed ; instead of ob- structing om- way, and roaring in oui* ears, they were all smiles and assistance : a man on eacli side seized our hands, and warning us of every ob- stacle, escorted us along the path, and over the slippery stones on the sea bank_, with a degree of assiduity extremely ludicrous. Sometimes this friendly aid took the shape of a push, and some- times of a pull, both sufficiently expressive of an- xiety to see us depart. On reaching the boats, four or five athletic handsome-looking fellows strip- ped off their clothes, and leaping into the water, caught hold of the gunwale of the boat, ready to launch us fi'om their inhospitable shore with as much momentum as possible. There was but little difference between the dress of the people of Hutton's Island and those we vi- sited on the fii'st of September. The greater num- ber dressed their hair in the conical top-knot be- fore described ; but in some instances it was left to fly loose, in a wild-looking style ; in others con- fined by a nan'ow gauze fillet, on the side of which was wrought a small Btar-like ornament ; but not VOL. I. G 3 74 COREA. one of their beards and whiskers had ever known a razor. Every person we saw smoked from a long hollow reed or cane, having a small hole bored at one side, near the extremity, like the stop of a flute, capable of holding a minute portion of tobac- co ; a large gaudy-coloured paper fan canied in the hand completed the equipment. The children were amazingly diverted with us, and showed none of the surliness of the grown-up people, but examined our clothes with great attention ; occasionally ma- nifesting their surprise by the most boisterous shouts. This admiration became quite general when a watch was displayed. By their manner of in- specting it, we conjectured that its use was utterly unknown ; one of the seniors, however, showed that he comprehended the use of the seals, by pressing one of them for some time on his copper- coloured hand, and exhibiting the impression to his companions. While the watch was imder re- view, and just as their shouting had subsided in- to unaffected and silent admiration, one of our party indiscreetly fired his fowling-piece at a bird in the air. In all probability, it was the first dis- charge of fire-arms they had ever heard ; for they flew back several paces, like a shoal of fish when a stone is cast amongst them. This unlucky incident removed the only chance we had of gaining their confidence ; for even the watch had now lost its attraction ; and we re-embarked, much entertain- ed with the whole scene, but somewhat provoked with ourselves, for the small impression our civi- lized manners had made upon these primitive islanders. During all the ensuing night it was a dead calm, and the sea as smooth as a sheet of glass ; a gentle COREA. 75 current glided silently past us to the Southward, but without causing the least ripple on the surface. At nine o'clock we got under weigh, to bo ready for the sea-breeze, which soon came to refresh' us, well nigh burned up by the rays of the sun blazing both from above, and by reflection from the bright mirror round about. On the breeze catching us, we stood boldly on, right in the midst of the islands, and in less than an hour the view of the main ocean was so completely shut out, that we lost all trace of the track by which the ships had entered this fairy archipelago. Our navigators and surveyors were busily employed in taking an account of the most remarkable of these islands. But as this was soon found to be a hopeless task, attempts were made to jot down on the charts at least each dif- ferent cluster or distinct group : at last even this was abandoned in perfect despair ; and it was reluctant- ly confessed, that many months perhaps years of labour would be required to form a correct map of this magnificent scene. It was one, however, so well calculated to rouse the attention of the most imthinking person amongst us, that even the sea- men, whose habits dispose them very Httle to ob- serve what is passing around them, were quite astonished. About an hour after taking the meridian obser- vation, it was discovered that we were drawing in with the main land ; and in a short time villages, single houses, and cultivated fields, were distin- guished along the shore. A broad belt of enclosed and cultivated country extended to a considerable distance from the sea, along the sides of a range of mountains lying parallel to the coast. No haibour nor break in tlie land was visible till about tliree 7G COREA. o'clock, when a j>iojectlng point came in siglit, on rounding wliicb a noble bay was discovered, hi- denling the land for four or five miles. On sailing fiutlierin, however, it proved a mere shallow basin, and we therefore let go our anchors far out in five fathoms water. As the ships passed the promon- tory, a crowd of the natives came down to the wa- ter's edge, and hailed us with loud and angry shouts, the ungracious tone of w^hich was becoming by this time but too familiar to our ears. As soon as the ships were secured, Captain IMaxwell, jMr Clifford, and I proceeded in one of the Alceste's boats towards a considerable village, or rather town, in the North-western angle of the bay. On drawing near it was discovered that the whole population were in a commotion, much re- sembling the sort of bustle into which a colony of ants are thrown by the thrust of a spade. This sen- sation extended to a fleet of boats riding at anchor off the town, the crews of which were busily em- ployed weighing anchor, and getting their oars to pass. Before we could reach the landing-place, eight or ten of the largest vessels were seen steer- ing towards us, escorted by more than a hundred canoes and small boats bustling and paddling along in tunmltuous procession. Every boat, even the smallest that had a mast at all, w^as decked out with long streamers, and crowded almost to sinking with people. On aniving within a couple of boats' lengths of the headmost vessel, our ears were sa- luted with sounds not unlike those of the bagpipe, which irssued from three pipes, or trumpets, played by men raised high in the boAV of the boat. In the middle part of the deck, between the masts, we dis- covered a huge blue umbrella, held by two men over COREA. 77 the head of a very important-looking personage, seated cross-legged on a mat, surrounded by at- tendants in richly-coloured dresses. The chief him- self, for such he was dubbed the moment we be- held him, is worthy of a particular description. His principal garment consisted of a showy robe, or mantle, of blue satin, in whose ample folds he was well nigh lost ; in front hung down his venerable white beard, as far as a rich embroidered girdle, con- £ning the robe. On his head was placed a hat of a size in proportion with that of the other parts of his dress ; the rim measured not less than three feet, over which rose a very small peaked crown. In his right hand he wielded, with an air of mighty importance, a slender black rod tipped with silver, from which hung at one end a small slip of black crape, and a narrow leather thong was tied to the other end — symbolical, it was thought, of the sum- mary com-se of justice in Corea. In his left hand he grasped between the thumb and little finger his pipe, trimmed from time to time by an attendant, stationed for that purpose close to his elbow, who took the tobacco from a silver box carried by a little boy. As there could be no doubt that this was the principal person, we rowed straight alongside, and stepped on board his boat to pay our respects. He answered our salutations with grave civility, but neither rose nor asked us to sit down. The mu- sic now stopped squealdng, and the universal hub- bub that had the instant before prevailed amongst the boats ceased likewise ; the rowers and the scul- lers were all at a stand, and our conference com- menced, somewhat inauspiciously, by the old chief pointing to oui- boats with his rod of office, thereby g2 78 COIIEA. very dearly c:iving us to understand that we must not 8tay longer upon his quarter-deck. To humour liim in this fancy, we immediately took our seats again in our own boats ; but here our old dilemma arose for want of language. We did what we could, however, in the way of signs, first to show our wish to visit the country ; and finding our signals either unintelligible or not agreeable, wo pointed to the Alceste and invited him to visit us. This he com- prehended much better. In the meantime, the other Corean boats, some of them ten times as large as ours, had gradually moved round from the rear, and Avere nearly encircling us. We had arms ready, but it would have been easy for these boats, had they been so disposed, to have closed upon us. As soon, therefore, as we suspected treachery, we pull- ed oflf and prepared for an attack. The old gen- tleman perceived this movement, and being inno- cent of any hostile design, looked about him to discover the cause of our appreliension. We ex- plained to him that we preferred an open space to such a crowd of vessels, upon wliich he gave or- ders, whicli were promptly obeyed by the intruding boatmen, who hiuried back to their stations in an instant. The whole procession, like a royal regatta, now ]>roceeded slowly towards the L)Ta, to the sound of the pipes, which began to play the instant the boats went on. Captain Maxwell and I rowed to one side of the bri^r, while the chief's boat was placed on the other in a veiy seamanlike style. To get on board was not so easy a matter, and it was all our discipline could accomplish to keep the sailors from laughing at the manner in which the ' chief got up the gangway, encimibered as he CO HE A. 7^" was with his immense robes. As the evening was fine, we thought it best to entertain our guest on the quarter-deck, instead of inviting him to my little ca- bin, hardly large enough, as some one observed, to hold the old gentleman's hat. Chaii's were accord- ingly brought up, but the chief seemed to despise these European inventions, and would accept of no accommodation but his own mat. Even to this he at fii-st objected, leaving us completely perplexed to discover his wishes. It has occmTed to us since, that the publicity of the conference m.ay have dis- pleased him, and we regi-etted not having canied him below, however inconvenient the accommoda- tion. At length he sat down, and immediately the whole of his owti crew, and the men fi'om about twenty other boats, leaped on board in all direc- tions, to assist at the ceremony. Some of them 'climbed into the rigging, others established them- selves on the poop, and one unbroken line of cop- per-colom^ed wondering faces was ranged along the hammocks from stem to stern. When every one was seated, silence and sometliing like order was established, and the chief, drawing his pipe fi-om his mouth, and flourishing his wand, commenced an ora- tion wliich lasted fully five minutes. When he had concluded, Captain Maxwell, who had listened with admirable gravity and a look of respectful attention, made a reply in English, not quite so long, but quite as much to the purpose. The chief opened his eyes, stared, listened, and looked round to his attend- ants, as if to inquire the meaning of all this ; but ob- taining no satisfaction from the appeal, as they all shook their heads, he called to a person who seem- ed to be his secretai'y, and touching him with his rod, made him sit down before him. Tlie secretaiy 80 COREA. took his place with all due formality, and having rubbed his cake of Indian inlt upon a neat blue Btone which he carried with him, drew forth his camel-hair bnish, and arranging a long scroll of paper on his knees, began at the chiefs dictation to write a dispatch, the by-standers assisting from time to time in the composition of this document, which they no doubt thought was to set all matters right. WTien completed the chief looked it over, and then handed it to us. We looked at it too, but were obliged to shrug our shoulders, and signify our ignorance with the best grace we could. The chief was exceedingly provoked, and showed by his ges- tures and the angry tones of his voice how stupid he thought us. His disappointment and surprise are not so un- reasonable as they at first sight may appear. In China, Japan, Corea, and at most of the islands of those seas, the spoken languages differ so complete- ly in sound, that when the several inhabitants of the countries meet, and try to converse, tliey are mutually unintelligible as long as they confine them- selves to oral communication ; but the instant they have recourse to tlie written character, they under- stand each other perfectly. This written language, which is altogether independent of sound, is the same in each of the countries alluded to, while the spoken language on the contrary is diflferent in all of them. In these respects the Arabic numbers 1, 2, 3, exactly resemble the written Chinese charac- ters. There is notliing in these symbols by which their pronimciation can be determined, and in fact every nation of Europe uses diiFerent words to express them ui speech. In China, and the coun- tries adjacent, this principle, with us confined to COIIEA. 81 numerals and to alg^ebraic signs, extends to the whole language ; and, as a knowledge of reading and writing is very generally diflPused in those coun- tries, it was quite natural that the Coreans should be surprised at the ignorance of peoj)le of our pre- tensions. As we made no progress in the mutual expres- sion of our wishes, we had recourse to a language Avhich is pretty well understood all over the world — that of the bottle ; and the disturbed features of the irritable old chief speedily became smooth, un- der the genial influence of our most powerful ally, a glass of cherry-brandy. To the Corean boatmen, and other villagers who came on boai-d, we distri- buted rum, which as usual made us all good friends* The chief alone, however, who seemed to be sit- ting on thorns, w^as never long satisfied with any- thing, but was continually ordering and counter- ordering his officers and people in the most petulant manner. More than once he waved his rod, and ordered all hands into the boats, but as soon as he tm-ned round, the people leaped on board again. One fellow, who probably had got double allow- ance of grog, made a gi'eat commotion behind the chief, where he had stationed himself across the hammocks. The old man after bidding him as we supposed hold his tongue, to no purpose, ordered him into confinement, and he was cairied off to the boat. The suite of the chief were dressed in loose white robes, large hats, wide trowsers tied at the ancle, and cotton shoes turned up at the toes. There stood also some persons near him, whom we took to be his body guard. Of these soldiers, some car- ried nothing but a l>ow and arrows, whilst othere W COREA. were armed with swords. Their head-dress consist- ed of a low conical hat, made of thickly-plaited grass, on the top of which was fixed a small gilt ornament, with a tass(?l of raw silk, and half a dozen peacock's feathers worked together. It had become nearly dark by this time, and mat- ters were hanging rather heavy on our hands, when the chief or two wooden mortars, with double-handed pestl for removing the husks. Cooking utensils weri= ranged along the wall on one side of the door ; to the left of the court were several com stacks. The house was overshadowed by large trees, whose leaf resembled that of the Portugal laurel ; and the trunks of these trees and the ends of the house were covered with a thick matting of small-leaved ivy. Nothing within corresponded to the taste and neat- ness of the exterior. The room, for there was but one, was dark and dirty, the walls and roof being either covered with cobwebs or glazed by COREA. 105 the action of wood-smoke. The floor was diversi- fied by hill and dale, much in the maimer of some cottages which I have seen nearer home, with the appropriate appendage of a lake here and there. The fire-place stood between two large boilers, sunk deep in rude brick-work, the use of which vessels we could not surmise. On the hot embers of the fire lay a couple of fish, one of which, a fine fresh haddock, we took the liberty of help- ing ourselves to, in the inhospitable absence of the rightful owners. On the wall opposite to this miserable fire-place, were ranged on two shelves a goodly store of coarse crockery, and two or three round shining metal pots and pans. On one of the shelves also stood what seemed two wooden stools, handsomely carved, and var- nished with the brilliant lacker used in China. These implements, if we did not mistake their use, certainly appeared much too fine for the rest of the establishment, and quite out of place standing on a shelf. The roof was of thatch, resting on a net-work of rods, and the eves ex- tended more than a yaid from the walls, at once affording shade to a narrow verandah in front of the house, and giving shelter to the windows from rain — a precaution quite necessary to its existence, as it was composed of oiled paper, pasted over small square openings in a wooden frame. The walls themselves were built of stones and mud, most inartificially put together — a want of neat- ness and skill which did not apply to the more difficult branch of architectm-e, the frame-work of the roof, this being constructed precisely on oui* principles, with a king-post and rafters, very neat- ly morticed in their proper places. Having completed our inventory, we returned 106 COREA. to the two surly ^ardians of the village, who l)y this time wen* somewhat more communicative, and presently yielded completely to Captain Max- well's good humour and invincible patience. As Boon as he caught a smile on one of their lip^, he insisted on shaking hands, and then drawim: the native's arm familiarly through his own, fair- ly marched him off. I could do no better, I thought, than follow this example, and thus all four jogged along till we reached a house on the side of the hill, where a halt was agreed up- on, and signs made to explain that we should have no objection to smoke a pipe with our new friends. The object in view was if possible to es- tablish something like a friendly intercourse with these jealous people, and in time possibly this might have been effected. But while we were getting acquainted by slow degrees with these two men, our attention was taken off by a Corean boat, which entered the bay at this moment, and rowed directly to the village. The crew jumped hastily on shore, and came up the hill towards us at a ra- pid pace, and with no very friendly looks or ges- tures. Captain Maxwell and I were alone, and without fire-arms. It was possible, we thought, that violence might be intended, but it was clearly the safest plan to imply just the contrary ; and, accordingly, we met them at the entrance of the court with confidence and good humour. Their object proved anytJiingbut hostile ; for they sat down with us, and hastily filling their pipes, lighted them for us themselves, and begged us to smoke. Our language appeared to have something ludicrous in its sound to their ears, for they laughed in the most immoderate way at some of our expressions, and made us repeat the words England and Maxwell CO RE A. 107 over and over again, tlie whole party, to the num- ber of eight or ten, bursting into a violent laugh the moment they were spoken. After the first civilities, such as they were, had been intercBanged, the strangers crowded round, and by their gestures and looks seemed desirous of examining the different articles of our dress. To gratify them in this matter I thought was easy enough ; but they wished to caiTy the inspection to the utmost extent, and were not contented with ta- king off my hat, coat, and gloves, but must needs investigate the shoes and stockings, and finally expressed some dissatisfaction at my declining to proceed farther than the removal of my waistcoat. Captain Maxwell, who stood by with a Corean pipe in his mouth, was as much amused as any of the party; but he declined being searched, and the natives were willing to leave him alone on condi- tion of my submitting. No part of my dress ex- cited so much interest as the stockings. Holdmg them up to one another, they shouted, " Hota ! Hota !" upon which we took do-i\Ti the word Hota in our vocabularies as the Corean for stockings ; but in the next minute we heard the same word applied to several other things, which made us sus- pect the word meant good, or wonderful. Simi- lar errors are very apt to be committed by per- sons who visit a people with whose language they have not the least acquaintance. To learn the na- tive expressions, therefore, equivalent to " What do you call this ?" should be the first point aimed at ; and it may generally be caught by watching closely when new objects are shown to them. It was reasonable to hope that the other vil- lagers, who had fled on our approacli, woidd now be induced to return, on seeing so cordial a com- 108 COREA. munication oRtablishod between us and theh" coun- trymen ; but as not one of tliem came down, it was determined we should go in quest of them. We therefore proceeded up the hill, in expectation of coming suddenly upon the inJiabitants, aSd thus ob- taining a view of their females, not one of whom had been seen at a less distance than half a mile. But our companions took good care that this manceu- vre should not serve, as they went along with us, and shouted so loudly, that their comrades and the women having due warning, kept themselves effectually concealed. At length we came near a ravine, in which most probably the fugitives were hid ; for the Coreans made violent objections to our further advance. The discussion which now ensued led to the discovery of a singidar faculty which these people possess of imitating sounds. One of them, in his anxiety to airest my further proceedings, seized my arm, and pinched it so se- verely, that I turned upon him, and exclaimed, '• Patience, sir I" He instantly let go his hold, and repeated what I had said with the most exact articulation and tone. On hearing these words from their companion, the others made the at- tempt likewise, with equal success ; so that no- thing was heard for some minutes but " Patience, sir !" This incident, by furnishing a new topic, had the effect of making us better acquainted with one another ; and all the way down the hill we amused ourselves by instructing the Coreans in English. Our scholars were so apt, that before reaching the boat some of them could repeat a whole sentence so correctly, that the boat's crew when they heard the Coreans speak, actually be- lieved they understood our language. COREA. 109 Before quitting the shore, we ini-ited them, in the best manner we could, to come off to the sliips in the morning. One of tlie natives, it was ima- gined, comprehended tliese signs ; for he fii'st made preparations, as we thought, for going to bed, placed his head on his hand, closed Iiis eyes, and snored very emphatically. After a second or two he started up, affected to look about him, and then laid his hand upon Captain Maxwell's shoulder, witli an air of welcome. This piece of dumb show was vai'iously rendered. Captain Max- well conceived him to say, that if we would go away for the night, we might expect to be well re- ceived next day ; whilst I understood it as a pro- mise on the part of the Corean to visit us in the morning. Both guesses were wrong ; for the man never came near us, and our reception when we did land again was the reverse of welcome. In .one respect alone we probably never erred, name- ly, in supposing our presence irlisome ; for the only measure the natives heartily approved of was our preparation to depart. On the 9th September we landed a little before sun-rise, in hopes to find the villagers still in theij- houses ; but tliey had again given us the slip, and not a mortal was to be seen anywhere. Thus foil- ed in all our endeavours to conciliate this inhospi- table people, we determined merely to take a look round us from a high peak near tlie centre of the island, and then to plague them no more. On our way to the summit, tlwee or four of the Coreans joined us ; two of them were of last even- ing's party, the others were strangers. On reach- ing a grove of fir-trees growing about lialf way up the hill, one of the new comers strongly objected VOL. I. K " 4 110 CORE A. to our proceeding farther ; but we pursued our way notwithstanding. On reaching an open space, where there happened to be a decayed stump of an old tree standing in the centre, one of our companions fell on his knees before it, touched the gi'ound with his forehead, and clasped his hands before his breast in the attitude of prayer. This proceeding had all the appearance of a stratagem to dissuade us from going farther ; for the other Coreans took no notice of their companion's prostrations, and he himself seeing that his proceedings had made no impres- sion upon us, got on his legs, and walked very sulkily away. During all our intercourse with the Coreans, we could detect no other circumstance indicative of any religious observance. No tem- ple or idol, or even a tomb, was anywhere to be seen in or near their villages. In Chiaa it was otherwise ; every village, however small, had its temple filled with jolly images, and was surround- ed by numerous burying-places, built in the shape of a horse-shoe, white-washed, and conspicuous at a considerable distance. In the course of our walk we fell in with a drove of six fat bullocks, of a diminutive breed, but the Coreans would not exchange them for our dollars, buttons, fire-arms, or anything we had to offer them. Dogs were the only other quadrupeds we saw ; but amongst the trees we observed pigeons and hawks, and on one occasion an eagle. In the fields also, wherever we went, not only amongst these islands, but in China and elsewhere, we invariably met with om- old and familiar friend the common black crow, a bird which, as far as I have observed, is equally at home in all parts of the globe. No persuasion could induce any of those sulky COREA. Ill natives to take their brealvfast with us on board. As an expedition in the boats Iiad been projected for this morning, we washed, if possible, to have the companionship and assistance of the natives, and we hoped to make it worth their while to at- tend us. But they absolutely refused to become our pilots, and they despised everything we pos- sessed. Before setting out, we determined, by means of observations on an island near the anchorage, that the latitude of this harbour is 34° 22'^ North, and the longitude 126° 2'| East. Our course in the boats lay amongst islands grouped thickly together, all of them inhabited, and very neatly cultivated, especially in the neigh- bourhood of the numerous villages which every- where lined their shores. The peak at which we aimed, as usual, proved further off than we had calculated upon, and cost us some hard climbing before we reached the summit, though not more than six hundred feet above the level of the sea. The main land of Corea was just discernible from this elevation, and all round us the sea was studded in the most astonishing manner with the islands so often mentioned. We set ourselves se- parately the task of counting them. One person, by enumerating those only which were evidently separated from the rest, or round which the sea could distinctly be traced, made the number a hundred and twenty. Two others of our party, by taking into account the probable number forming each gi-oup, made a hundred and thirty-six, and a hundred and seventy. These results merely show the impossibility of speaking with precision on the subject. When, however, it is considered that 112 CORKA. cvon the lowoet number, a Imndred find twenty islands, could be counted from one spot, and that for upwards of a hundred and fifty miles we }iad been sailing without intermission amongst islands not less crowded than they were here, some idea may be formed of this wonderful scene, the very existence of which, I believe, was not even sus- pected in Europe before this voyage. On descending the hill, we found our dinner laid out on one of the boat's sails for a table-cloth, spread under the shade of a thick grove of oaks, growing by the side of a cold spring of water gushing from the mountain side. There was a village not fifty yards off, which we explored before dining, in hopes of finding some natives to join us. It was nearly deserted, for only two of the inhabitants remained. One of these was a very plain old lady, who took no sort of notice of us, but allowed us to pass her door, before which she was seated, without even condescending to look up. The other was a middle- aged man, industriously employed in the manufac- ture of a straw sandal. He showed but one degree more curiosity than his fair fellow-citizen, just raising his head for an instant, and then resuming his work with perfect composure. In order to rouse this stoical and incurious Corean, we thrust a but- ton into his hands, which he received without the least show of gratitude, and put into a bag lying near him, but still went on with his work. Another button offered in exchange induced him to surren- der his Iiandywork; and I mention the circumstance as being the only iiistance which occurred during our visit to Corea of an^^hing like traffic. We made signs that we wished to examine his house, — that is to say, we opened the door and walked in. COREA. 113 But even this proceeding elicited no show of interest in our phlegmatic shoemaker, who seizing another wisp of straw, commenced a new pair of sandals, as deliherately as if we had been merely a party of his fellow-Coreans inspecting the dwelling, in- stead of a company of European strangers, unlike what he could ever have seen before, or was ever likely to see again. Diuing dinner, we detected the heads of five or six of the natives peeping at us over the hill-top behind us. We held up our bottles and glasses, and tried to bring them down to us, but they refused to stu- a single step nearer. The boat's crew, who in the meantime had been rambling about the hills, now joined the villagers, and speedily became very good fi'iends with them. The present indeed was not the only occasion on which our men found no difficulty in conciliating the good- will of the na- tives, when the officers, with ten times more eSoi% could often make no successful advances. This arose probably from the very different feelings and objects with which we severally undertook the task Our manners may have become in some degree con- strained, by an over-anxiety to please, thus de- feating the object in view by exciting distrust and alarm. On the other hand, the sailors, by habit unreflecting and inoffensive, never dreamed that their unaffected franlmess could possibly be mis- construed, and sometimes gained without effort the very point we were unsuccessfully aiming at. The Coreans on the hill, seeing that we took no notice of them, continued creeping onwards little by little till they appeared fully in view on the slope of the bank. At last one of them, ac- tuated apparently by a sudden impulse, staited on K 2 114) COREA. his feet, and strode boldly down to us. Withori. pausinf^ an instant, lie walkod straight up to Cap tain Maxwell and offered him his lighted pipe, li return for this bold overture, the Commodore, ha- ving first accepted the Corean's pipe, stood up and filled him a bumper of wine. The native drained the glass to the bottom, and holding it up to his friends on the hill, roared out in ecstasy, Hota ! Hota ! His raptures instantly brought down the whole party, who, unlike most of their country- men we had met before, made no scruples about ac- cepting our hospitality, and several bottles of wine were soon emptied. There was now some reason to hope that the difficult passage to a Corean's heart had been discovered ; but at the very moment we conceived ourselves established in their good graces, one of them unluckily looked over his shoulder, and beheld the sun just touching the horizon. In a moment all his joviality and confidence were dispersed ; and thinking it too good a hint to be lost, he rose from the ground, patted us sharply on the shoulder, and pointed to the setting sun ; then re- clining his head on his shoulder, closed his eyes as if asleep, and most unequivocally made signs for us to retire to bed without delay. We endea- voured, by drawing another cork, to protract our stay a little longer, but they allowed us no peace or quiet till all the things were ordered into the boat, and preparations made for departing. The whole party then accompanied us to the water's edge, helped us rather roughly to embark, and ex- pressed the most lively satisfaction when they were fairly rid of us. Tliis was the last we saw of the Coreans ; and no one was sorry to quit a country where at every COREA. 115 moment he was made sensible of being considered an object of distrust, perhaps of ill will, to people he was disposed to treat with confidence and kind- ness. A future voyager would do wisely to cany along with him a person skilled in the Chinese \\Titten character, and acquainted with some of the spoken languages of those seas. He ought like- wise to have more leisure on his hands than we had, since it is manifestly impossible, in a hurried visit such as ours, effectually to overcome the ex- treme distnist of strangers evinced by this most unsociable of nations. 116 LOO-CIiOO. CHAPTER III. DEPARTURE FROM THE AMHERST ISLES— SULPHUR ISLAND — LOO-CHOO. About noon on the 10th of September, 1816, we sailed from the Amherst Isles, as Captain Max- well named this archipelago, in honour of the am- bassador to China, and having a fresh breeze, we made rapid progress to the Southward. In the evening, we could barely distinguish the island of Quelpaert, of which there has been published an interesting account, containing the adventures of some shipwrecked Dutch seamen who were de- tained there for many years. At night the wind Wew hard from the North, accompanied by a mountainous swell. Shortly after daybreak on the morning of tlie 13th of September, we came in sight of Sulphur Island, a high solitary rock in the Japan Sea, witli what Humboldt calls an unextinct volcano on its North-western side. It had been our intention to land, but the surf broke with so much violence on every part of the shore, that this became impracti- cable. On sailing round, we discovered the crater, which emitted a white smoke strongly charged with the fumes of sulphur. The cliffs in that neighbour- hood were of a ])ale yellow colour streaked with brown, and the rocks everywhere rugged and bar- ren. The southern end of the island, wliich rose to a LOO-CHOO. 117 considerable height, was of a deep red colour, witli ail occasional spot of green. The strata, seem- ingly of tuiFa, which lay in a direction nearly hori- zontal, were intersected at one place by a lai'ge dike of lava, which projected many fatlioms from the face of the cliff like a wall, and formed a very conspicuous object. As the weather looked threatening, we relin- quished all idea of examining this volcano, and stood to the Southward till four o'clock, at whicli hour high land in the South-west was reported to be in sight from the mast-head. But there was not sufficient daylight for us to venture nearer, and we stood off to the North- westwai'd for the evening. At daylight on the 14th of September, although the weather was still unsettled, we became anxious to close "wath the land, and bore up in the direction (fi the Great Loo-Choo Island. At eight o'clock the Sugar-Loaf mountain described by Captain Broughton came in sight, rising at the south end of a small green island, into a high and remarkable cone. We left tliis curious peak to the Eastward of us, and continued steering to the Southward, ho- ping to find some shelter under the lee of the large island before night, or at all events to reach smooth water, and perhaps good anchorage, till the weather should become more moderate. Whilst we were sailing along on this course at a quick rate, breakers were suddenly discovered close a-head of us, which the haziness of the wea- ther, antl the agitation of the waves on all sides, liad prevented om- discovering before. The brig was instantly hauled to the wind, and all possible sail made to weather the reef. The situation of tJiine-R 118 LOO-CHOO. was now a very critical one, for the swell caused by the recent northerly gale materially impeded the vessel's way ; and we had the farther mor- tification to discover that a strong lee-current was drifting her gradually towards the rocks. At one time we were so close to the surf that from the mast-head we could look fairly down upon the coral bank, which formed a complete and well-defined circle, with a low island on its south- ern boundary. The sea broke fm-iously all round the shoal, but within the water was quite smooth, and being only a foot or two in depth, the coral rocks, of a bright green and yellow colour, shone distinctly through. The tranquillity and beauty of the interior circle offered a curious and striking contrast to the violence of the waves which begirt it, and at any other moment might have been con- sidered a very pleasing sight ; but now, when ship- wreck stared us in the face, and the angiy sound of the breakers roared in our ears, we had no leisure for such reflections. After being in this unpleasant predicament for nearly a quarter of an hour, gi-a- dually approaching nearer and neai'er to the rocks, on which had we touched but for one instant the poor Lyra must have been dashed to pieces, we succeeded in weathering the western end of the reef, but only by a few yards. No sooner was this danger passed than there came in sight, to our great joy, a fine clear pas- sage several miles in width, through which the ships proceeded with a flowing sheet to a situation where the water was perfectly smooth. As the Alceste kept always at the distance of half a league astern of the Lyra, whose draught of water was not nearly so great, she rounded the reef with less LOO-CHOO. 119 difficulty than we had experienced, though not without considerable danger; owing to the rapid tide which flowed directly upon those terrific ledges. On the 15th, in the morning, it was aiTanged that the brig should go inshore, to search for some se- cure anchoring place, while the frigate remained in the offing, in deep water. I accordingly pro- ceeded on this service ; but after several hours' examination of the coast could discover no secure harbour for ships, or anything indeed beyond a retreat for fishing-boats. During this survey the boat sent along the shore fell in with several canoes ; in one of which sat a native, who appeared to know what we were hunting for, as he showed us a point of land to the northward, and made signs that we should sail round in that direction ; meanwhile two other canoes came off to the Lyra, rowed by some remarkably friendly people. One of them the in- stant he came alongside handed up a jar of water, and the other put on board a basket of boiled sweet potatoes, without asking or seeming to wish for any recompense. The manners of our new acquaint- ances were veiy gentle and respectful ; they made a rule of uncovering their heads when in our pre- sence, bowed low whenever they spoke, and when we gave them something to eat and drink made a low salam to every person standing near, before they tasted what was given them. At the same moment another party visited the Alceste, who left an equally fevourable impression ; for when a rope was thrown to them from the ship, they at- tached a fish to it, and then paddled away. AH this seemed to promise well, and the contrast was particularly grateful to us after being exposed so 120 LOO-CHOO. lately to ttie cold and repulsive manners of tin Corcaiis. The day was spent in trying to beat round tli.; point of land to the northward, but the tide and wind were so strong against us that we made little or no progress ; and when at length it be- came dark, we found ourselves most awkwardly situated. To the east and west, at tlie distance of a few miles, lay islands, of which nothing more was known, than that each was begirt with a fringe of coral. To leeward there had been discovered, in the course of the day, a circular reef, about half a mile in diameter, just appearing above the sur- face of the sea at low water, but quite concealed at high tide, the most dangerous description oi rock. To windward, nearly North, were seen tlu- formidable shoals upon which the Lyra was near wrecked on the Saturday before, and which ^ certainly had no wish to approach in the dar The exact position of these numerous dangers beii - unknown to us, and the set of the tides no less s.i. we came to the resolution of dropping our anchors for the night, although in eighty fathoms water. As long as daylight lasted we held these difficulties in om* situation compai'atively cheap — the shoals were scattered about, and the channels between them xvere wide and obvious : But no sooner was tlie night closed in, and the imagination left to fill up the picture, than the probabilities of accident seem- ed nmltiplied a hundred fold, while the chances of escape appeared to diminish in the same propor- tion. At daylight of the 16th of September we weig I'd, and plied hard to windwaid all'the mornim: but owing to the v/uid tmd tide being still divectlx LOO-CHOO. 12] contraiy, it was not until lialf past two o*ck>ck that the ships passed the point to which tlie fisherman had called our attention. No sooner was tliis ef- fected, than we came in sight of an extensive town on the banks of a secure harbour, crowded with ves- sels. On steering towards this anchorage it be- came necessary to sound every foot of the way amongst the coral reefs, although upon this oc- casion they happened to be tolerably well defined by the surf breaking upon them. The circum- stance, however, of the rocks being rendered vi- sible, it ought to be remembered, is by no means a frequent occurrence, and therefore cannot be de- pended on for the general purposes of pilotage. When the sea is smooth, these dangerous ledges give no warning at all, and a ship on approaching them ought therefore to have a boat a-head to sound the passages before she ventures to enter herself. , The instant the ships came to an anchor, they were surrounded by canoes crowded with the na- tives, who, accompanied by their children, eager- ly flocked on board. The people, unlike any others we had seen, wore handsome loose dresses, tied with a belt round their waist ; and their hair, pull- ed tightly up from the sides to the top of the head, was formed into a knot, through wliich were thrust two metal pins. In the course of an hour, a native, evidently of higher rank than eur first vi- .sitors, came on board to pay his respects ; and we discovered, to our great satisfaction, that he could understand the Chinese servant, who had been of no use to us in Corea. As it appeared from this person's account that there were other chiefs of higher rank coming ofi^. Captain Maxwell declined receiving his visit ; partly with a view to induce VOL. I. L 122 Loo-ciioo. the piindpfil people to come on board, and partVy to maintain an appearance of dimity, a point, we had always been told, of great importance in trans- actions with the Chinese and their neighbours, who were apt, it was said, to repay condescension with presumption. And as these people were described as being dependent on China, it was thought fair to conclude there might be some similarity in their manners and customs. It was argued, that at all events, it would be easier at a future time to relax from our dignity, and become imreserved and cor- dial, if we found good reason, after having assumed a stateliness of manner in the first instance, than it would be to repress the encroachments of undue freedom, if once encouraged by too great familiarity. Such was the reasoning used at the time : but I had some Im-king doubts, I confess, as to the sound- ness of the doctrine, and the expediency of adopt- ing this system of reserve. A more extensive ac- quamtance with strange people and countries has since satisfied me completely that the assumption of an artificial cliaracter generally defeats its own purpose ; as hauteur, where it does not naturally exist, is apt to be fatal to consistency, and thus de- stroys, or rather prevents the establishment of, con- fidence. Judging fi'om experience alone, I would say, that in treating with the natives of countries little acquainted ^\ath our manners, nothing is so important as the absence of every kind of disguise ; because the smallest discovery of inconsistency on our part is sure to be considered by them as dupli- city, whether it be so or not, and tliis suspicion at once puts confidential intercourse out of the ques- tion. Before the native who had come to >4sit us took LOO-CHOO. 123 his leave, he requested to be informed of the reason of oiir coming into this harbour. The interpreter was instructed to acquaint him in reply, that the ships had experienced very bad weather, had been a long time at sea, and that in consequence the largest ship had sprung a leak, and required va- rious repairs which could only be done in a secure harhoui*. Further explanations, he was told, would be given to the superior chiefs when they came on board. We were well prepared for these inqui- ries, not only from the reception we had met with at Corea, but fi-om the notorious jealousy of cha- racter ascribed to all the nations of this quarter of the globe. So far it was well, however, that the Alceste did actually stand in need of some material repairs ; and we could therefore assert with truth that this was our chief object. To have assigned curiosity, or a desire of gaining local information, as our motive, to a people generally supposed wholly unconscious of such feelings, would have been use- less : and to have talked of opening any commercial intercourse, would only have alarmed then- habitual jealousy. The canoes or boats which came off to us, were mostly hollowed out of one piece of wood, carried two sails each, and were moved, when not under sail, with considerable velocity, by two or more paddles, assisted by one oar over the stem, serving, as in China, the double purpose of a skull and a rudder. Each person in the canoe sat on a sepa- rate low seat or stool, made of rattans, with bam- boo legs. As the day closed, fishing canoes came in great numbers from the offing, most of which called alongside the ships on their way to the town. Once or twi^^e these people very good-na- 124) LOO-cHao. turcdly pulled up our lines and baited the hooks, certainly a most disinterested proceeding on the part of a fisherman. Meanwhile the beach, the tops of the sand- banks, and all the cliifs abreast of the ships, were covered with people staring with astonishment at the novel sight which we presented. The crowd was most dense and conspicuous on two projecting piers or breakwaters forming the entrance to the harbour, where the variety of brilliant coloured dresses, all fluttering with the fresh sea-breeze, and shining in the setting sun, made a very lively exhibition. In the dusk of the evening Captain Maxwell and I rowed completely round the bay, aifd carefully examined the anchorage, which pro- ved tolerably safe, thoiigh not entirely clear of rocks. An officer was dispatched at the same time in one of the cutters to inspect the inn^r harbour, but ])efore he had gone far it was found to be much too shallow even for the brig. On returning to the Lyra, I learned that Mr Clifford had been entertaining several good-hu- moured natives, who had paid him a visit during my absence. This gentleman, with laudable in- dustry, had already commenced a vocabulaiy of the Loo-choo language, and as the natives readily com- prehended his desire to know their words for va- rious things, he succeeded in collecting a consider- able number. Among these the name for tobacco was exactly the same as our own ; and perhaps there is nothing which is expressed by the same word in so many different languages as this ])lant ; the name, in fact, being nearly co-extensive with its use. On the 17th of September, after breakfast, three LOO-CHOO. 125 chiefs came on boaid the Alceste. They were en- tertained for some time by the officers, while Captain Maxwell was preparing to receive them ; and when all was ready, a message was formally sent to acquaint them, that the Ta-yin was desi- rous of an interview. This term for a person of rank, literally " great man," though a pure Chi- nese expression, was always used by these people in speaking of Captain Maxwell. They were con- ducted to the cabin by the first lieutenant, Mr Hickman, where they were received by the Com- modore in due form. Probably all this state and ceremony embarrassed our worthy guests a little, as they at first objected to sitting down, mald^^g at the same time many low obeisances, by stoop- ing the body and raising their hands clasped together to their face^s. These scruples being at length overcome, the first or principal chief took his place on Captain Maxwell's left hand; the next sat on my left, and a third, still lower in rank, placed liimself beyond the second. This diffi- cult operation accomplished, and all the party fair- ly established, a long and unsatisfactoiy pause en- sued. The chiefs sat stock-still and respectfully silent, till Captain Maxwell, finding that it was ex- pected of him to commence the conversation, ex- plained through the interpreter, that the ships un- der his command belonged to the King of Eng- land ; and bad gone to China with an Ambassa- dor, now probably at Pekin ; that on then return towards Canton, the ships had experienced bad weather, the effects of which obliged them to put in here to refit, as well as to procure supplies of fresh provisions, water, and vegetables. A considerable interval elapsed before anv reply L 2 126 LOO-CHOO. was made ; when, after consulting with one another for about five minutes, they expressed their will- in^ess to assist us, but said this harbour was much too shallow for large eliips, and therefore recommended our proceeding to another port call- ed Oonting, which they described as being secure and commodious, and only a few hours sail from this anchorage. They offered to furnish pilots to conduct us thither ; but Captain Maxwell, who was too old a sailor to relinquish so excellent an anchor- age as the present, unless certain of finding a bet- ter, proposed to them that the Lyra should be sent to examine and report upon the harbour alluded to. The chiefs deliberated together for a long time upon this proposal ; and said at last that they could not undertake to send pilots to the little ship, without first consulting some great man on shore. This expression roused our cmiosity to know who this great personage could be, but they evaded our in- quiries with the greatest adroitness. Captain Max- well then asked where the king of the island resi- ded, intimating his intention of going to court without loss of time. To this proposal they strong- ly objected, declaring it not only inexpedient, but impossible, since his majesty lived a thousand miles off. Captain Maxwell replied, that distance was no object to him ; upon wliich they laughed, and changed the conversation to something else. As we knew the island to be only about sixty miles long, this assertion about the distance of the court was obviously a mere flourish, and, indeed, in the next minute, they undertook to get an answer from the same quarter about the pilots in a few hours. As we liad been led to hope, from the frankness and kindness with which these people had received LOO-CHOO. 127 us at first, that no restraint would be imposed upon us, we were much disappointed to observe, when- ever we spoke of landing, or put any questions about the king, the chiefs became, or aift'ected to become, strangely agitated, always replying in a very unsa- tisfactory and mysterious maimer. We were fain to console ourselves, however, with the supposi- tion, that upon fuither acquaintance this distrust nnd apprehension would wear off. The official business of the interview over, the chiefs were invited to walk round the cabin, an indul- gence which tliey accepted with manifest satisfac- tion. During the previous conference they had presented a ceremonious and solemn gravity, suit- ed, as they probably thought, to the occasion, and although surrounded by many new and curious objects, they never once allowed their eyes to stray, or expressed the slightest curiosity to examine what was near them. Now the case was changed ; and their manners being no longer stiiF and formal, they looked at the various things which were shown them with great attention and interest, taking notice, in particular, of the globes, books, and min'ors. The whole deportment of these peo- ple was remarkably gentle and unassuming. They were also veiy shrewd and observant, and pos- sessed no small share of curiosity ; but they were always modest and unobtrusive, and required some encouragement to bring them forward. They ap- peared to us, at this interview, to be exercising a good deal of self-denial, possibly dreading that a hasty show of curiosity might be troublesome. The dress of these interesting persons was singularly graceful and picturesque : it consisted of a loose flowing robe folded over the breast, so as to leave 128 LOO-CHOO. the neck bare ; but fastened round the middle by ;. ])road ricli belt or g^irdle of embroidered Hilk, near- ly liid by the overlapping folds of the drapery. Th(; sleeves were so wide that when the arms were cross- ed in front, the lower part reached nearly to the knees. Each of them wore on his head a yellow cy- lindrical cap, and on his feet a neatly-plaited straw sandal, laced over a short cotton boot or stockine. Two of the chiefs were dressed in light-coloui'ed yel- low robes, the others in dark blue, streaked with white, all made of cotton. Their caps or turbans were flat at the top, and appeared to be formed by winding a broad band diagonally round a frame in such a manner, that at each turn a small portion of the last fold should be visible above in front, and be- low at the hinder part. The sandals were bound to the feet by a stiff straw band passing over the instep, and connected with the fore part of the sole by a slender string drawn between the gi'eat toe and the one next to it, the stocking being oddly enough contrived with a division like the finger of a glove, to receive the gi'eat toe. Each chief earned a fan either in his hand or thrust into the girdle, together with a short tobacco-pipe and pouch, in- closed in a small bag dangling at his waist. It seemed to be the fashion of the country not to cut the beard, in the nice arrangement of which they appeared to take particular pride : that of the se- nior chief was nearly a foot long, while those of the two others, though much shorter, were e\^dent- ly cherished with gi'eat care. When our visitors had satisfied themselves with looking over the cabin, they returned to the shore, with a promise of returning in the evening, as soon iwOO-CHOo. 129 as the answer about the pilots Bhoukl be received from tlie great man. During the whole of tliis day the space between the ships and the shore was covered with canoes, each containing from eight to ten persons ; and the scene, as may be conceived, was exceedingly lively. As few of the parties who came to visit the ships remained long on board, a string of canoes was constantly passing backwards and for- wards, and the numbers which came in this way must have been very considerable. The natives expressed themselves liighly gTatified wdth being allowed to rove wherever they pleased over the ships, a licence in no instance abused. The man- ners of our new acquaintances, even of tlie very lowest class, stnick us as being particularly good ; theii* curiosity was great, but it never made them rude, like the ungracious Coreans. Their language which was not unmusical in its sound, we found, in most cases, easy of pronunciation. Of music too they had some knowledge, as we discovered in the com-se of this evening : one of the canoes, about an horn- after sun-set, dropped under the stem of the Lyra, and while lying there the crew sung several veiy sweet and plaintive songs. We tried in vain to catch the words, and unfortunate- ly none of us had sufficient skill to note down the air. Several of the natives we obsei'ved making drawings of the sliips, while others were busily taldng notes ; but they hastily concealed then' work when detected. In consequence, I suppose, of what had been said durmg the inter\dew with the chiefs the evening be- fore, of our being in want of repairs, a party of native shi|)wrights and caulkers was sent on boainl the Al- 130 LOO-CHOO. cestc tills morning ; but their tools, though extreme- | ly neat, and not unlike ours in construction, from beini( very diminutive, were quite unsuited to the ( rough species of work required. | It would be tedious to describe the variety of I colour and of pattern in the dresses of the peo- t pie. Many wore printed cottons evidently stamp- [ ed by blocks, but some of the patterns were so irre- j gular that they must have been drawn by the hand, j Blue, in all its shades, was the predominant colour, ' ; a remark which will apply, more or less, to every | eastern country. Many of these patterns bore no inconsiderable resemblance to some of the ordinary tartans of Scotland. The children in general were dressed in more gaudy colours than their seniors ; but we could not learn what dresses the women used, not a single female having yet made her ap- pearance. Every man even of the lowest class buckled round his waist one of the girdles before described, which was always of a different colour fi'om the other parts of the dress ; and most of them were ornamented with flowers WTought in silk, and sometimes with gold and silver threads. Loose flowing drapery of this description is naturally so gi-aceful, that the appearance even of the poorest boatmen had something in it very pleasing and picturesque. Their hair, which was invai-iably of a glossy jet black, being coDected at the top of the head fiom all sides, and there formed into a handsome knot, served effectually to cover their shaven crowns. Through this bow or bunch of iiair two large polished silver or brass pins were tlmist crosswise. The top of one of those oi-naments was fashioned into the shape of a six-leaved flower ; and the whole fonned a very be- LOO-CHOO. 131 coming head-dress. Their beards and mustachios, wliich were universally allowed to grow, were kept neat and smooth, and always nicely trimmed. In stature the people of Loo-Choo are rather low, but well formed. Their style of walking is slow, and somewhat stately, suiting very well with the flowing drapery which they throw round them. Their colour is not good, being mostly of a deep copper ; but the expression of their coun- tenance is peculiarly sweet and intelligent. Their eyes, which are black, have a remarkably placid expression ; and theii* teeth are regular and beau- tifully white. In general deportment they are mo- dest, somewhat timid, and always respectful ; and it is impossible not to feel kindly towards them. Two of the chiefs who had visited us in the morning, and whose names we discovered to be Ookooma and Jeema, came on board again about half past five in the evening, and staid an hour. No answer had yet been received, they said, from the Great Man, and therefore pilots could not be sent, as they had promised, to the little ship. They were accompanied by another chief, whom we suspected to be a Chinese, not only from his looks, but from his appearing to understand the interpreter much better than any of his compani- ons had done : his formal and suspicious behaviour on one or two occasions pleased us little. Their object in coming was to intimate that a present of live stock and vegetables had been sent to the ships. Advantage was taken of the occasion to signify our intention of landing next day ; and when, as we liad expected, they objected to our proposal, the propriety of our waiting upon the Great Man was stated as our reason. This argu* 132 T,oo-cnoo. raent tlioy attempted to meet, by p^avely assortincr that no pjTson at all answering to our description resided Iiere ; a most unceremonious retraction ot their former assertions. We then eaid, it was ;it least indispensable that we should return the many obliging visits they themselves had paid us. But they were determined to debate eveiy point, and replied, that they were merely poor insignificant men, far inferior in rank to us, and not in the least degree entitled to any such honour as we proposed to pay them ; adding, that we should be degrading ourselves by such imusual and unheard- of condescension. Captain Maxwell, amused with their ingenuity, but unwilling to give up the point, next told them that liis health had been impaired by the same causes wliich had weakened his shi]>, and that he required exercise on shore to re-esta- blish his strength. Upon bearing this, oui- new n< - quaintance, the chief who was mistaken for a Chi- nese, and who seemed more earnestly bent against our landing than any of liis companions, instantly offered to send a physician on board who was skil- ful in such cases. Captain Maxwell laughed, and thanked him for his obliging attention, but said his own doctor had already strongly recommended a ride as the most lilvely thing to do him good. The natives now perceived that Captain Maxwell was merely jesting with them ; for when he held out his brawny arm, and declared that he was as thin as a lath, they all laughed very heartily, and the discourse, by mutual consent, was changed to something else. We found it always a great affair in our inter- course with the natives, to get them faiily to laugh along with us. There is something so infectious ui LOO-CHOO. 133 hearty good humour that we often find an acci- dental joke coming from either side, extend its in- fluence to the whole party, and accomplish in a mo- ment the object on which much gi'ave discussion has been expended to no purpose. But the joke did not succeed in this instance to the full extent of om- wishes ; for every proposal to land, and indeed every allusion to the shore, was industriously put aside. As it was our wish, however, to gain their good will gradually, the disagreeable matter was drop- ped for the present. Before the cliiefs left the ca- bin. Captain Maxwell pointed to their pipes, and gave them to understand, through the interpreter, that he wished them to smoke in his cabin when- ever they felt disposed to do so ; a permission for which they expressed much gratitude. They would on no account begin, however, tdl we had shown the example, by smoking with pipes pre- pared by themselves. In climates where this prac- tice is the common fashion, a single whiff of to- bacco-smoke often blows away much misunder- standing and ill-will. In all countries, indeed, to- bacco in one shape or another is a very sociable lux- my ; much has been done by the friendly offer of a pinch of snuff; and I have seen the good- will of a whole Spanish village secured by a few bunches of tobacco leaves. After smoking and chatting, therefore, for some time, the chiefs took leave for the night, both parties feeling on much more friend- ly terms than before. On the 18th of September, Captairi Maxwell sent to me in tlie course of the morning, to say he wished me to land along with him on a pro- montory at some distance from the town, in or- der to observe the sun's meridian altitude with VOL. I. M 134 LOO-CHOO. an artificial horizon. But just as I was setting out to accompany liim, I was stopped by the arrival of two very well-dressed natives, who had boarded us with such dispatch that they were half-way down the cabin-ladder before I knew of their approach. One of them, I found, had come to superintend the measurement of the Lyra, for which pui-pose his assistant had brousrht with him two long black cords, and several rods of different lengths and sizes. As soon as permission was given, they proceeded to measure and record in their books the length and breadth of the deck, the depth of hold, and in short every dimension of the brig. The other native who accompanied the surveyor, and seemed of an inferior rank to liis companion, had come on board to explain why some poultry, only now sent, had not reached us the evening before along with the other presents. The pre- sents alluded to consisted of a good fat bullock, two hogs, two goats, a dozen and a half of fowls, some bundles of candles, two or tlu-ee piles of wood, and about fifty jars of water, which had been sent to the Lyra, at the same time wdth about four times as many of the same articles to the Alceste. I requested them to sit down, and they were so well satisfied Avith the Constantia wine and cherry brandy which was given them, that they remained longer than I had calculated upon ; and in consequence of the delay I did not reach the shore till the period for obsei-ving the sun had gone by. Captain Maxwell was on the beach in conver- sation with Ookooma and several of the chiefs, surrounded by an immense crowd of the natives, who had left the town on seeing the boats row LOO-CHOO. 135 to the shore, and hastened to this spot, out of curiosity to watch our proceedings. The bustle and crowding- soon became so gi-eat, that Ookoo- nia, who appeared to possess considerable autho- rity, ordered the whole assembly, chiefs not ex- cepted, to sit down in a circle on the grass, leaving sufficient room for us to place the instru- ments. Astonishment at our operations was strongly expressed in every countenance ; and, indeed, the brilliant appearance of the apparatus, and the mys- terious nature of our behaviour, may well have seemed to such people somewhat magical. In the first place, the quicksilver used to form a horizon- tal reflecting surface, and appearing like melted metal, was poured into a trough, in a fine stream, from a wooden bottle ; whilst it was running out, the people repeated in an under tone, " Yi, yi, yi !" imitating, perhaps, the peculiar sound which mercury makes when poured from one vessel to another ; but they all remained silent as soon as the glass roof was placed over this tremulous mirror to shelter it from the wind. The circular instrument and sextant being then taken from their cases and fixed on stands, it was communicated to the people that they must not move or speak ; they accordingly looked on in profound silence, and remained perfectly still, while we were taking the sun's altitude. As the time had passed for the meridian observation, the instruments were set up merely to amuse the natives by allowing them to look at the two images of the sun, seen through the telescope. For about a minute no one woidd come fonvard ; at length Ookooma, being the high- est in rank, ventured, evidently with some little 136 LOO-CHOO. appreliension, to place liimself at t)ie instrument. Being quite unprepared, he started back in uttei astonibJanent when the two brilliant suns met ]m eye, as if frightened at having unconsciously be- held something supernatural. The other chiefs in their tuni looked through the telescope, followed by several old men, who stepped forward from the crowd and asked permission to take a peep. Some of them testified their surprise by a sud- den exclamation ; others were so perfectly un- moved by what they saw, that we could form no guess what they thought ; while some held up their hands, shook their heads mysteriously, and after looking again and again at the object of their won- der, seemed to consider the whole matter as one to- tally beyond the reach of ordinary comprehension . When each of the persons of consequence present had satisfied himself, and there was no longer any necessity for the crowd being seated, they were al- lowed to close round, and watch us wliile piitting up the instiTunents. A few of them begged to examine the telescopes more particularly, and some little boys held out their hands for a chop of quick- silver, with which they scampered off quite delight- ed. During this time we were about fifty yards from the bottom of a cliff, on the brow of which a group of women, with baskets on their heads, had takfi. their station. The distance from the spot was p fortunately too great for their features to be di tinguished, or even for their dress to be seen di tinctly. Their robes or gowns appeared, kowevc., not unlilvc those worn by the men, but rather shorter, and without the embroidered gudle round the waist. P LOO-CHOO. 137 The rocks at this part of tlie coast rise iii per- pendicular rugged cliffs of limestone, with a num- ber of mde square excavations, which at first sight appear to have been worn by the elements, but on farther examination show evident traces of art. Most of these caves were closed up by a wall of loose stones ; and in one, the mouth of which happened to be open, several human bones were discovered lying amongst the sand. On removing some stones from another of the caves, a vase of an elegant shape was observed standing nearly in the centre. The people gave us to understand that these mTis contained the remains of the dead. But we could not ascertain distinctly whether the whole body, or merely the ashes, were preserved in this careful manner. Neither the chiefs nor the populace made any objection to oui' inspecting the caves, though tliey certainly were not much pleased with our pro- ce'edings. No notice was taken of what Captain Maxwell did, whom they considered privileged to do what he liked ; but Mr Clifford, who had re- mained below on the beach, collecting Loo-Choo words for his vocabulary from some intelligent na- tives, was strongly recommended by Ookooma to go back to the boat. Instead of doing so, how- ever, he turned about, and walked without further opposition to the cave which we were examining, and as soon as he joined Captain Maxwell's party they ceased to importune him. Whilst we were thus employed, a parcel of little boys, who had ob- served us pulling flowers and plants, and sometimes breaking specimens of the rocks, ran about making botanical and geological collections, in playful imi- tation of ours, and after presenting to us what they had heaped together, with giave politeness, laugh- M 2 138 i.oo-CHOo. oA in our fticos, and made their escape, with an arch expression of ridicule at our idle curiosity. Instead of going directly off to the ships, afti' we had quitted the beach, we skirted along tli outer edge of the coral, which everywhere fringes the shore, and by this means obtained a near view of a Rtone bridge, of one semicircular arch, con- necting two parts of the tovm. On the south side of tliis bridge we passed a space of about four acres in extent, probably set apart as a burying- ground of Napakiang, the name, as we leanied to- day, of this city. Within the enclosure we obser- ved some buildings, which from being shaped like a horse-shoe, and similar to what we had noticed eveiywhere on the coast of China, we knew to be tombs. All of these were, as usual, cai'efully white- washed and kept in good repair. Most of the other edifices, also conjectured to be tombs, Avere in the form of small square houses, with low pyi-amidal roofs, some covered with red tiles, and others with thatch, but all of them without windows. The natives expressed so much uneasiness when we proposed to land for the purpose of examining these places more minutely, that the idea was relin- quished. The coast at Napakiang is of fawn-coloured, gra- nulated limestone, the base of the cliffs appearing to have been scooped out by the action of the sea. As this excavation is at least twenty feet higher than the sea can possibly have reached, situated as the land now is, there is at first sight some diffi- culty in assigning the sea as the cause of the ex- cavations. The roof is exactly horizontal for a great extent, and its appearance, in every respect, suggests that it lias been formed by the dashini LOO-CHOO. 139 of the waves, and that the tide, which is now many perpendicular feet below, had once flowed into these caverns. To suppose that the sea has retii-ed here, and not elsewhere, is obviously im- possible : the only theory, therefore, which will explain the phenomenon, is to imagine a general elevation of this part of the coast by the action of an expansive force from beneath. The scenery of Loo-Choo, which Ues in the la- titude of 26° N., though not quite so rich, is even more pleasing to the eye than in coimtries neai'er the equator, because the vegetation is not so profuse- ly luxuriant as to overload the pictme with mere foliage, often to the exclusion of eveiything else. Here, also, there is much vaiiety ; and the groves of pine-trees give some parts of the island quite a European character ; while the style of the land- scape is still, upon the whole, decidedly tropical. ' On the 19th of September, as no answer had yet come from the great man who was spoken of some days before, we began to apprehend that these cau- tious people intended to exclude us from their comitiy altogether. We tried in vain to discover whether the king, as we sti'ongly suspecteil, v/as at tliis place, or, as they said, at a hundred or a thousand miles off; but they eluded all om* inqui- ries, and when they saw us upon a wrong scent, very dexterously kept us in the Ime we had talien up. On such occasions, a traveller's busy fancy of- ten misleads him ; the least hint of a new fact sends liis speculations abroad, and his ready journal soon becomes the receptacle of many an unsubstantial theory, which he has seldom the means of verify- ing or disproving afterwards. So tijat, with the most honest intentions, he is perpetually liable to become the unconscious recorder of error. 140 LOO-CHOO. By means of a telescope, a lai'ge building wa distinctly made out on a rising gi-ound, three o four miles from the harbour of Napakiang, in a North-eastern direction, which was rendered still more conspicuous by two flag-staflfs erected near it. We concluded immediately that this could be no other than the palace mentioned in an old Chinese account of Loo-Choo, quoted by Pere Gaubil, a very amusing Jesuit, who wiites in the Lettrcs Edifiantes et Curieuses, vol. XXIII. But as th<; natives always refused to give any information about this building, we remain ignorant of its na- tUl'B. As often as the natives came on board, whatever their business might be, if tolerably well dressed, they were always shown to the cabin, and treated with sweet wine and cakes. In the course of con- versation, they generally contributed many new words to Mr Clifford's vocabulary ; and willingly lent their assistance as- soon as the object was ex- plained, taking great pains also to teach us the true pronunciation of each word. It happened at Loo- Choo, however, as in other quarters of the globe, that a stupid fellow would now and then turn up ; and one morning, accordingly, a pompous grave sort of person came to us on some errand or other, and as usual, he was handed to the cabin, where he was well plied with Constantia, while Mr Clifford, who devoted himself entirely to the acquisition of the language, set about extracting new words from his guest. In pursuit of tliis purpose, he prevailed on the stranger to taste first something sour, then something sweet, and so on, that he might leam the Loo-Choo words for these adjectives. The poor man, who did not in the least comprehend what was wanted, not a little amazed, sat very solemnly LOO-CHOO. 141 eating what was given him, until a morsel of quas- sia was put into liis mouth, in order to discover the native word for bitter. Tlie instant lie tasted tliis horrible drug, he imagined we meant to poison him, and jumping on his feet, with a look of horror hur- ried on deck, scrambled as fast as he could over the gangway into his boat, which he instantly pushed off, and never stopped or looked back until he reached the shore. It blew very hai'd all the morning, and there was, in consequence, little intercourse with the shore ; but towards sunset, when the wind as usual moderated, Ookooma, Jeema, and four other chiefs, came on board the Alceste, bringing us a present of a bullock, two hogs, several goats, ajid some bas- kets of vegetables. We learned the name of one of the principal chiefs to be Sliayoon ; he was the most clever of the paity, and generally took the lead in all important discussions. His look was quick and penetrating, and there was more determination in liis manner than in that of any of his com.pa- nions. These chiefs v/ere extremely punctilious, on occasions of ceremony, to observe the order of precedence, and no one ever sat dowii v/hilst his superior was standing. When any subject was dis- cussed, one at a time rose to speak, but not in the order of rank ; they never intemipted one another, nor betrayed the least impatience to speak whilst we were addressing them, however decidedly we might differ in opinion : and during our whole stay on the island, I do not recollect one instance in which theii' behaviour was not regulated by the most perfect good breeding. ' Jufit as this day's conference was commencing, the weather again began to look so stormy, that I 149 LOO-CHOO. felt uneasy at being away from my own ship, and accordingly went on board the Lyra, to prepare for a gale, and by this means lost an interesting confer- ence which followed with the chiefs. I learned fi-om Captain Maxwell afterwards, that he had taken this occasion to remonstrate with them on their inconsistency, and pretended difficulty of getting answers from the court. He begged them to recollect, that it was not treating the King of England with due respect, to deny his officers per- mission to walk on shore, and reminded them of a solemn promise to send pilots, none of whom had come ; and that many other assurances had in like manner been neglected. He then desired the in- terpreter to say, how much he was displeased with their telling him so many different stories, all of which could not be true ; and, lastly, m-ged them strongly to tell him the truth in future, and no longer to attempt deceiving him by such unwor- thy artifices. When Captain Maxwell had end- ed this speech, the chiefs obliged the interpreter to repeat over the different parts of it five or six times, and as soon as they understood it, they held a council of war amongst themselves for at least half an hour. When this was over, they formally assu- red Captain Maxwell that a repl/ to their commu- nications to government would certainly reach him next day. In the course of these long and grave delibe- rations about trifles, we were often reminded of the discussions in Gulliver's Travels, where the people of Lilliput were about as much pei-plexed what to do with their Man Mountain, as the inno- cent and almost as helpless inhabitants of Loo- Choo were how to dispose of us. Tlieir means of LOO-CHOO. 143 resistance, had we chosen to use force, were not much ^eater. Our study, however, was to imi- tate the policy of the veracious traveller alluded to, and not to give offence merely because we were strong ; hut, if possible, to gain our object by pa- tience and gentleness. Yet as the daily supplies received by the ships had by this time amounted to a considerable quantity, a bag of dollars was of- fered to the chiefs, who were urged to take pay- ment to any extent they chose for the provisions they had sent on board. As this offer, which had been made more than once before, was still de- clined, Captain Maxwell gave them to understand, that he considered it not fitting for him, while ser- ving the English government, to receive presents to such an extent from any private persons what- ever. When this was interpreted to the chiefs, they hastened to assure him, that all the stock and other tilings had been sent on board by the ex- press order of the Loo-Choo government, on their being informed that the king of another country's ships had anived ; and this being the case, no pay- ment, they said, could possibly be taken. With this explicit assm-ance Captain Maxwell was com- pelled to remain satisfied. Their Avish in this mat- ter, and indeed in every other instance, eAidently was, to prevent our opening any sort of communi- cation, direct or indirect, with the government. At fiist we had hopes of being able to overcome these jealousies and scruples, but the natives appeared so persevering, that we began seriously to appre- hend they would succeed in keeping us altogethei" at bay, notwithstanding every pacific effort on our part to the contrary. Meanwhile, teazing as all this was, Cai)tain Maxwell was resolved that no 144 Loo-cHoo. motive of curiosity sliould tempt him to infringe in the least degree on customs wfiich these people considered sacred. Li this respect liis forbearance and self-denial were beyond all praise, and only excelled by his invincible good humour, qualities useful enough at all times, but of infinite import- ance to an officer engaged on such a service as tlie present. But there were not wanting persons of oiu" number, who at the time disapproved of these gentle and patient measures, though there can be no doubt now, that to their influence alone we eventually owed all oui* familiarity with this amii able but timorous people. If a favourable impres- sion of our countiy, therefore, be left in this remote island, it is entirely due to the discretion and skill with which our early intercourse was managed by Captain Maxwell. The change which had taken place in the wea- ther, showed us that the chiefs put on different dresses according to the season of the year. This day being cold, aiid the sky threatening rain, they all came on board with a sort of cloak or great- coat, made of thick blue woollen cloth, buttoned in front, tighter than the ordinary dress over which it was worn. It was only in fine weather, and on particular occasions of ceremony, that they wore the band turban formerly descril)ed, and called by them " hatchee matchee ;" at all other times their heads were left uncovered, and the hair dressed in a top knot, wnth pins tlmist into it, exactly in the manner practised by the rest of the people. During the night preceding the 20th of Septem- ber, the mercury in the barometer fell from 29. 72. to 29. 51., a considerable depression for that latitude. As the sun wont down, the sky assu- i LOO-CHOO. 145 med a yellow appearance, which, reflected from the sea, cast a dismal and lurid appearance over every- thing. We calculated upon experiencing a severe tempest, more especially, it was thought, as the equinox was near, a period, in the opmion of some seamen, peculiarly liable to storms. In the end it blew a hard gale of wind, but as our anchorage was sheltered by the land, it was hai'dly felt, though at sea it must have been unpleasant, and to a vessel under weigh amongst the islands very dangerous. Tlu-ee or four boats came i-ound the South-west point of land early in the morning j the crews of which were evidently strangers, and were supposed to have come from the other side of the island, as they appeared not to have seen the ships before. One of these people was greatly delighted 'witli a looking-glass which was shown him ; after gazing intently on it for some time, lie held it up, and calling eagerly to his companions about him, show- ed them its wonderful effects. Having repeated this display to his fellow-boatmen, he held it oppo- site to his own face for four or five minutes with- out altering his countenance in the smallest degree. At length he smiled, and immediately nodded as- sent to the reflected image in the glass, pleased, no doubt, with seeing so correct an expression of what was passing in his ovtm mind at the moment. He seemed conscious, however, that it was merely a reflection of his own coimtenance, as he pointed se- veral times from the image to himself. Yet not- withstanding this conviction, he could not altoge- ther restrain his curiosity, and actually looked be- hind the mirror after the manner of a monkey, but instantly turned it round again, as if ashamed of having done so, and handed it to his companions. VOL. I. N ^' 14.G Loo-ciioo. While the glass was under inspection, they mad' U9 several long speeches, in which they frequent ly repeated the word Ka-gxing, the Loo-Choo namf; for mirror ; hut we inferred from liis behaviour, that lie loiew it only by name. It is natural enough that a cat or a monJiey should be puzzled with a looking-glass, but we can scarcely suppose any ra- tional creature, especially one whose occupation lies on the water, not to be familiar with reflected images. The native in question, however, may never before have seen an artificial surface of this kind ; and his delight is easily accounted for with- out supposing, as some of our party did, that he actually believed another person was behind the glass. One of these people wished to sell both his Jeewas, or head ornaments, for a wine-glass ; some time afterwards one of his fellow-boatmen spied a bottle, and, wonder-struck with the strange sight, wanted to make a similar exchange ; but these bar- gains being quite out of proportion, the bottles and glass on which they set so much value were given them : and some truiketa being presented to each man in the boat, they paddled away well satisfied with their visit. The canoes, which were made of pine-trees hol- lowed out, averaged from twelve to twenty feet in length; and about four in width : their anchor was rudely fashioned out of two crooked brandies, fas- tened back to back, and loaded with stones. As no answer came this moraing from theii* mysterious, invisible great man. Captain Maxwell removed the ships into a more secure spot at the North-east comer of the bay. The first anchorage had been much too close to an ugly reef of coral rocks, besides being exposed to the South-west LOO-CHOO. 147 winds. The biitli we now shifted to, though to all appearance quite as open to the sea, was in fact shel- tered by a chain of rocks lying under water, at the distance of lialf a mile outside of the ships to the westward. By this change, the LyTa was brought close to tlie bridge before spoken of, and neaily abreast of the eastern end of the town, not quite a quarter of a mile from the shore. A stiict watch was kept by the natives, night and day, on all parts of the beach, so that a boat could not leave the ships T^dthout being instantly observed. This was soon discovered by the officers sent to sound and examine the new anchorage ; for whenever tiiey approached the shore, a crowd of natives, headed by one or other of the chiefs, soon hurried to the spot, and made the most anxious signs for them to keep farther off. On the 21st of September there appeared to be some embargo laid upon the canoes, as not a single one came near the L)Ta during the whole morning, and only one went on board the Alceste. It was found necessary, on examining the groimd more carefully, to move the frigate still farther in- shore, to a secm-e nook, or cove, formed by the meet- ing of two ledges of coral, the brilliant colours of which were distinctly seen tlirougli the water when the sun shone upon them. For this pui-pose, four or five hawsers were laid out for the purpose of warping her a-head. While this evolution was in progress, not only the beach, but all the high grounds near us, and all the tombs, before descri- bed, were crowded with people, wondering, and not unreasonably, to see the ship move steadily along without sails, as if by magic ; for the ropes used to draw her a-head being led into the hawse- 148 LOO-CHOO. holes on the Bide farthest ft'om the fihore, could scarcely be seen by the natives. In the solitary ca- noe which visited the Alceste, there came two in- telligent natives, entire strangers to us, who re- mained but a short time on board, and occupied themselves exclusively during their stay in exa- mining the hawsers, and the mode of warping the ship. The perfect silence with wliich the whole of this operation was carried on, although upwai'ds of tlu-ee hundred people were in active employ- ment, appeared to strike them more tlian anything else. At least we conjectured so, from their ges- tures, and the looks of admiration with which they gazed on what seemed inextricable confusion, but was in fact the most perfect order. As soon as they had made themselves masters of the subject, they went on shore, probably to make their re- port. During the visit they spoke very little, be- ing deeply engrossed by what was going on ; but the interpreter learned from one of them, that a certain great man, if not the original Great Un- known so often alluded to, had actually come to Napakiang, or was expected in the town before night. A report prevailed on board both the ships for a day or two about this time, which was universally believed by the sailors, that the king of the island had been amongst us in disguise. We could never trace the report to any good foundation, but it was certainly false, and probably the work of some wag — a description of person always ready on such occasions to publish packets, as the trick is called on board ship, when there happens to be little em- ployment stirring. At the same time, if his majesty reaJly had any curiosity, it is not unlikely tliat he LOO-CHOO. 149 might have come to Napakiang to have a nearer view of such ja. strange sight as our great vessels must have proved to him. In the ineanwliile, as the natives were resolved not to allow us to take a nearer view of them, we amused ourselves by observing what was going on by means of a telescope fixed on a stand upon the poop. The stone bridge, which appeared to be a great thoroughfare, was our principal attraction ; for several roads from the country met near it, and this was evidently the great northern entrance to the town. Not a single person crossed without stopping to take a good look at the ships, and a crowd of idle people, whom we soon learned to re- cognize, generally made it their post for many hours every day. We saw numerous parties of women coming from the country, generally with loaded baskets on their heads. The outer dress of these females differed fr.om that of the men, being left open in front at the upper part, and having no girdle to confine it. They wore besides an under dress, also loose, but not open, wliich in some in- stances, we could discover reached nearly to the feet, in others hardly to the laiees ; and we' suspected that those who worked in the fields wore the short dress. Most of the women allowed their upper garment to flow out with the wind behind them, in a very pic- tm-esque manner, and such as to enable us to de- scribe the particulars so minutely. We observed a woman can'jTng a child on the liip, in the man- ner of Hindostan, the infant's hand« being clasped together on its mother's shoulder, while her arm was thrown round its waist. We observed a young lady on the bridge amusing herself for some time by making a dog bark at the sliips, to the great diver- n2 150 LOO-CHOO. slon of a clustor of urchins of both sexes mounted on the parapet. On the banks of tlie stream ovei which the Imdge was thrown, were seen groups of people washing clothes in the Indian fashion, by fir^t dipping them in the water, and then beating them soundly on stones, a method effectual in more ways than one, as the wardrobe of every man who has been in the East Indies can testify. From one end of the white sandy beach to the other, and on the sunny banks of the ground above, a multitude of the inhabitants remained lounging all day long, occupied with nothing but looking at the stran- gers. On a craggy knoll abreast of the ships, along the sides of which were several patches of rich grass, we observed a group of elderly men seated on the ground, with a fine majestic-looking figure standing in the middle addressing them, like St Paul in Raphael's Cartoon. Indeed, without much help from the imagination, the resemblance was most striking: the dress was the same as that adopted by the painter ; the fashion of wearing the beard the same ; and as the natives were uncon- scious of being observed, they had gi'ouped them- selves in those unconstrained and picturesque atti- tudes, which it is the business of an aitist to ob- serve and combine, but which are beyond his reach to conceive. Eai-ly in the morning of the 22d of September, an unusual number of flags were displayed on all the masts of the vessels in the inner harbour, and there was evidently something remarkable going on. Not a single boat, however, came off to us, and we had therefore no occupation but looking tlirough the glass, which continued to afford much entertain- LOO-CHOO. 151 ment, particularly as tlie people whom we saw through it acted in their usual way, quite uncon- scious of our scrutiny. About four o'clock, a number of boats were observed to leave the harbour, and to advance towards the Alceste in formal procession. In the foremost boat sat a stately figure, evidently a man of consequence, and whom, of course, we immediately set down as the long-expected great man. He had reached the Alceste before I got on - board ; and I found him, seated in the cabin, clo- thed in purj^le silk robes, and a light-coloured tur- ban of the country. In liis hand he carried a large Chinese fan, and in other respects differed little from the chiefs, except in the richness of his at- tire. An official communication of our often-told history was once more made at his request, to which he listened with the greatest attention ; and •\<^hen Captain Maxwell concluded his statement by telling that the ship was leaky, he begged, if it were not givmg too much trouble, to be shown the operation of pumping out the water, possibly sus- pecting that this story of the leak was only an ex- cuse ; but this was exactly what we desired, and the chain-pumps were ordered to be got ready. In the meanwhile the conference went on, consist- ing principally of empty compliments. The chief observing that we noticed his being a little deaf, seemed anxious to explain that this was the natu- ral effect of age, not of disease. He bared his wi'ist, made us feel liis pulse, and called our atten- tion to the shrivelled state of his hands, which he held up beside ours, and laughed with mucli good humour at the disadvantageous contrast which age had produced. He appeared about 15^2 i.oo-cnoo. 8ixty-five years of age, and wore a board of tliiii hair, as wliite as hhow. He was uniformly clieer- ful during his stay, and gained the good wiJl of every one by his uncommonly pleasing address : at the first glance, indeed, it was easy to discovd his superiority in this respect over all the other chiefs. The pumps bebg soon reported ready, tho chief was conducted in state to the main deck, wher< he sat for some time in great admiration of tli.; machinery, mamied by about twenty stout sailor^. ivho only waited for orders to work the winclu At a sig-nal from Captain INIaxwell, the chaii with the buckets were made to fly round, and a prodigious volume of water was discharged, to the unspeakable astonishment of the old man, whose doubts, if he had any, were fidly removed by this display of our distressed condition. On observing the labour requii-ed to work the chain- pumps, and the quantity of water thrown out, he seemed really aifected at our situation, which, judging from what he saw, he inferred must be bad enough. As the ship was upright, or what is called on an even keel, and the pumps were work- ed with imusual speed, the water, which could not run freely from the deck, in a short time flowed round the chair In wliich the chief was seated. Tliree or four sailors seeing liim some- what uneasy at this inundation, and receiving a liint from Captain Maxwell, fairly lifted him up, chair and all, and transported him to a dry spot. The old gentleman, though considerably surjirised at this unexpected piece of politeness, was not in the least displeased, but bowed very gi-aciously in return to the low salams v/liich the sailors made him. LOO-CHOO. 153 This exhibition over, the whole party returned to the cabin, where they were entertained as usual with sweet wine, cherry brandy, and the never- failing tobacco-pipes, the old man very civilly undertaking to adjust ours for us. As soon as these essential particulars of an oriental confer- ence were duly gone through, a formal requisition was addressed to our visitor, for permission to land the Alceste's casks and stores, In order to stop the leak, the formirlable effects of which he had just witnessed. This request caused the usual long discussion amongst the chiefs, in which, how- ever, we were rather surprised to observe that oui- new acquaintance joined but little, though, when he did speak, liis observations appeared to liave considerable weight. Whenever any one of the chiefs spoke, he rose and addressed himself either to Captain Maxwell, or to the stranger, as the case might be, but always in the most respectful man- ner. At length they seemed to have settled amongst themselves what answer was to be given, and one of our old friends being deputed as spokesman, informed Captain Maxwell that as there was no place at Napakiang suited to the purposes he had spoken of, and as our present anchorage was by no means a safe one, the best thing would be for him to sail away immediately to the harbour alluded to at a former interview. At that place, called Oonting, we might put on shore, they told us, whatever articles we chose to land. On being asked if, in the harbour described, they were sure there was sufficient depth af water for a frigate to ride in safety, they entered into another long dis- cussion, during which they appeared to be re-con- 154 Loo-ciioo. sidering the merits of the Baid liarbour. It wiis e\ dent they were apjn'eliensive of piviup^ it a Iiijrlti character tlian it bhoidd be found on examinatio to deserve; while, on the other hand, they wci 60 anxious to remove us at all hazards, that tliey were unwilling to urge any delay. From this di- lemma the old man extricated them very sensibly by suggesting, that the " Honee gua," or little ship, should be dispatched to see whether or not the. harbour Avas adequate to the reception of the Al- ceste. To this proposal Captain Maxwell readily agreed, only requesting that one of the natives, acquainted with the north end of the island, might accompany us, that as little time as possible might be lost in the search. Sim.ple as this proposal was, they took a long time to consider it, and ended by saying that no reply could be given till the next day. These unsophisticated Islanders appeared to have by intuition, for their practice could be but small, the crying sms of diplomacy in more en- lightened climates, mystery, and a dread of re- sponsibility, or a fear of committing themselves. It was seldom possible, indeed, to place before them a proposition so simple, but exceptions would be taken, or difficulties conjmed up where everything Avas natm-ally obvious and easy. While this subject was under discussion, the old man drew a piece of paper from his tobacco- pouch, and scrawled upon it a chart of the island, in order to point out the spot where the haibour lay. This chawing, tliough rude enough, was pro- ved afterwards, when we had ourselves sui'vey- ed the island, to possess considerable accuracy; and it is much to be regretted that so curious a LOO-CHOO. 155 specimen of Loo-Choo hydrography was lost. On many other occasions besides the present, we lamented, when too late, having neglected to pre- serve documents, or to record incidents and con- versations of great eventual interest, although in- significant to all appeai'ance at tlie moment. A traveller in so new a scene as this had need to exercise an extraordinary degree of vigilance in observing, and industry in recording, what he sees, if he hopes to transmit to liis absent friends a cor- rect picture, witliout ornament or exaggeration, of what passes daily before liis eyes. In every case of Journal \\Titing, a selection of cu-cumstances must be made, as it is manifestly impossible to re- cord the whole : but the traveller will often mis- take the interest wliicli he liimself feels, for that which he conceives the same circumstances, when described, will produce in otliers ; and, on the other liknd, will frequently allow events to pass without notice, which, if told simply, would convey the very knowledge he wishes to impart. Both writers and artists are too apt to look out exclusively for re- markable, rather than ordinajy and characteristic, features of the scene before them ; and thus false notions of foreign countries are often co^nveyed to the minds of those persons for whose instniction the labour lias been undertalvcn. The WTiter and the dj'aughtsman ought, therefore, to Jook out not for what is rare, but for what, to boiTow an apt term from geolog\% may be called average speci- mens — fragments not selected for anything remai'k- able, or as differing from what is around them, but, on the contrary, because they serve to show what is the general and familiar aspect of the spot, which, 156 i/OO-CHOo. in nine cases out of ten, is by far the most gratify- ing and instructive to persons at a tlistance. The chief himself, presently becoming tired of this long ceremony, was glad to have permission to range about the cabin, and to examine the globes, books, and pictures, which he did with the minutest attention. The wainscotting seemed to interest him particularly, but nothing pleased him more than the mechanism of the joiners' work about the windows and the sliding shutters, which he pulled up and down a dozen times. Cap- tain Maxwell tried to make him comprehend our track on the globe, — a difficult task, where the pupil has probably been taught to consider the world as a flat circle, with Pekin in the centre. On his begging to be allowed to see the different parts of the ship, lie was canied round the deck, accompanied by the other chiefs, and his own per- sonal suite. First of all followed close at his elbow his pipe-bearer, a most indispensable person ; next to him came a poor fellow groaning under the weight of a huge chair, accompanied by the bearer of a red cloth for his Excellency's feet to rest upon ; and next to him marched an attendant carrying the hatchee-matchee box, finely japanned. Wherever the chief walked he was attended by two men, one on each side, whose sole business was to fan him. This was sometimes a ludicrous enough operation, for while one of them held up the great sleeve of his robe, the other, placing himself opposite to the opening, impelled a cun-ent of air along the arm ; and it was with some difficulty that we restrained the mirth of the younger part of the spectators, as the procession passed. When the chief, with his friends and attendants, petumed to the cabin from LOO-CHOO. 157 his long and amusing voyage of discovery, fie sat downi quite exiiaiisted, and accepted a glass of wine and a biscuit most cheerfully. While thus occu- pied, the old man seeing Mr Clifford pulling off his gloves, asked leave to examine and try them on. With the right glove he succeeded very well, but the nails of his left hand being about an inch and a half long, he found it not so easy a matter. He seemed to look upon gloves as very odd articles of dress, and laughing heartily, held them up to the view of the other chiefs. Tliis disagreeable fashion of al- lowing the nails to grow, is a clumsy device bor- rowed from the Chinese, amongst whom it is con- sidered a distinctive mark of riches, implying that the wearer is not reduced to manual labour, which under such circumstances would be impossible. The occasion furnishes one example out of many which we saw every day of the force of habit in rendering us blind to our own absurdities. These natives laughed heartily at the oddity of such a curious contrivance as a glove ; but none of them could be made to understand why it was ridiculous to allow the nails to grow an inch or two beyond the finger ends. WTien the interview was over, the old man bow- ed to me, and said he meant to visit my ship also ; but as this seemed merely a civil speech, I begged him not to think of taking so much trouble, and he, in his turn, expressed himself particularly obliged to me for being satisfied with the mere offer of a visit, and thus the matter ended. The Ambassador's barge was now manned to take the chief on shore, but as soon as he under- stood what was intended, he positively declared he could land in no boat but his own. As it was VOL. I. o 158 LOO-CHOO. supposed that his diffidence prevented his ac- cepting this attention, he was urged to overcome his scruples, and land in the manner proposed : he still, liowever, declined the honour, but at last, ra- ther than seem obsti»ate about a trifle, stepped dov/n the accommodation ladder, and seatey c, appeared the most difficult : they call- ed Clifford Crijfar, and this degi'ee of proficiency was not attained without many efforts. Not one of the natives was ever able to make anything of the word child ; the nearest approaches were shoidahy choiah^ and chyad. On the 26th of September no boats came near us, for what reason we could never discover. There were also fewer guards than usual along the beach, but Captain ^laxwell, true to liis plan, took no ad- vantage of the circumstance, and the day passed without any intercourse. On the 27th, as we were still prevented from going on shore, we amused ourselves by examining one of the reefs which forms the north side of the anchorage of Napakiang. We found it to consist of a field of coral, about half a mile square, dry at low water, with a furious surf breaking on its outer edge, which lay exposed to the waves from the North. The surface of this rock was every- where indented by numberless small holes, which being left full of water as the tide retired, were te- nanted by beautiful little fish, of a vivid blue co- lour, such as I do not remember to have seen in any part of the world except at Trincomalee in the LOO-CHOO. Ill Island of Ceylon. The coral was exceedin^rly hard, and though at many places it rose up in shai-p points, it required a hammer of some weight to break off any considerable specimen. This extent of level space suggested the idea of measuring a base line for the pm-pose of surveying the anchor- age, an occupation which, in the absence of all active operations, promised not only to be useful, but interesting. While deliberating on this matter, and settling where the line was to run, we had a practical proof of the inconvenience to which we were likely to be exposed duiing the survey, for the tide rose and fairly drove us into our boats. Eai'ly in the morning, our worthy fiiend Jeeroo sent us off some fresh rock cod, and one or two blue fish, and soon followed liis present, very happy to find his attention so well bestowed. Advantage v/as taken of this casual visit to send a message to the chiefs in attendance, to say, that as both ships stood in need of fresh water, the boats must be sent ashore with casks to fill and bring off a sup- ply. Within two liours after this message had been delivered, and just as our o^n boats were about to proceed, about thirty canoes came pad- dling alongside, each loaded with a large tub of water. This plea of wanting water was partly real, and partly intended as an excuse for lauding. But the natives contrived in their usual dexterous way to counteract every plan having the shore for its object. An elderly gentleman, but not a cliief, visited the Lyra to-day, accompanied by his secretary ; and his appearance and manners being very much in liis favour, we paid him |>articular att-ention. As he wished to be allowed to go over the ship at 172 Loo-CHOO. his leisure alone, and without interruption, orders were given to let him have free access to every cor- ner, cabins and storerooms not excepted. Armed with this authority, he examined everj^hing on hoard with more minute attention than anybody had done before him. His secretary, who was equally inquisitive and observant, accompanied him, and took copious notes, at his dictation. They were employed for about six hours during the first day in examining the upper deck alone ; making a rule never to quit anything imtil its use was thoroughly understood and recorded. My cabin occupied them an hour or two longer, where they examined the books and furniture, and occasionally engaged in conversation with Mr Clifford, for whose vocabu- lary they not only supplied a number of new words, but what was of great importance, con-ected others which had been written down eiToneously at the commencement of the undertaldng. This most in- teresting person would not accept anything which seemed valuable, but most gratefully took small samples of rope, canvass, cloth, and such other ar- ticles as were characteristic of our equipment. Our industrious old friend continued his examination of the brig during the next two days ; and so cu- rious and particulai' were his inquiries that it was near the close of the third day before he had comple- ted his survey. The account was taken in the Chi- nese character ; and I have often lamented since that I did not try to obtain a copy, which might have been translated at Canton, and could not have been otherwise than a curious document. Like many other circumstances, however, it was allowed to slip past till too late, for after many inquiries I could never see or hear of this nxan again. Loo-ciioo. 173 'I'hc sailors wero particularly pleased %A'ith this old man's reverend appearance, and very readily assisted liim in his inquiries. It was indeed ex- tremely interesting to observe how early the gen- tle manners and amiable disposition of all classes of society at Loo-Choo won the hearty good will even of our rougli seamen. From the very first hour of our visit, by a sort of universal and tacit imderstanding, which rendered orders on the sub- ject unnecessary, the natives Avere treated by every one, not only with kindness, but what was more remarkable, vrith entire confidence. No watch Avas ever kept over them ; they were never excluded from any part of the ships ; yet not only was nothing ever stolen, but when anything was lost, or happened to be mislaid, nobody ever suspected for an instant that it could have been taken by them. ' On the 2Sth of September, at sun-nse, we set out on our expedition to Reef Island, the name gi- ven to the spot on which our destruction had so nearly been accomplished a fortnight before. This dangerous bed of coral v/e found to lie about six miles Avest from the anchorage, and we reached it • in about an hour, but as it was then low tide, the water A\'as left quite shallow for a considerable way from the dry beach, and our lai-ge boat could not therefore get near enough. In this dilemma we used no ceremony in tal-dng possession of a ca- noe lying at anchor neai* us ; and by mailing seve- ral trips in it, all the party were safely landed. During the time of our disembarkation, eight or ten of the inhabitants, crowded together near a hut, stood looking apprehensively towards us un- til we had jdl reached the bhorc, and then ran 174 LOO-CHOO. away, leaving their tobacco-pipes, pouches, aiwl various otlier things on the ground near their dwelling, in which we found notliing but a pot of sweet potatoes on the fire, and several jars of water. Having in vain tried to allay the appre- hensions of the natives by waving to them, to induce them to approach, we sat down to break- fast, but had hardly begun before two of the people, an old man and a boy, came trembling up to the door of our tent, and prostrated themselves before us. They were ' so terrified that they an- swered incoherently to all our inquiries, " Ooa ! ooa !" After a time we succeeded in raising the old man on his knees, but until a glass of rum, which was poured down his throat, had given him courage, there was no forcing him out of this posture, and he at last consented to stand on his legs. Having thus gained a little confidence, he ventured to make signs explaining that we had piratically taken aAvay his canoe. We had totally forgotten the circumstance, and could not imagine the cause of the poor fel- low's despair ; but Captain Maxwell laughed and ordered his cockswain to restore the boat immedi- ately, upon which the poor native guessing what was said, in the joy of his heait was proceeding to prostrate himself once more, when he was stop- ped midway by the sight of some buttons and a piece of meat held out to him. He received these things in both hands, and touching his forehead re- spectfully with the present, made three low salams, and rejoined his companions. On rising from break- fast we discovered near the tent about a dozen of the natives, who in most respects resembled our friends at Napakiang, though not one of them were nearly so well dressed. Theii* hair, instead of being Loo-cuoo. 175 formed into a handsome top-knot, was allowed to fly loose, a practice we never saw in the great island. During the morning the different members of our party amused themselves in various ways. Some took their guns and went in search of curlews and sea-snipes ; others set out to explore the reefs ; and two or three remained neai- the tent to adjust the instruments necessary for taking observations of the sun at noon. The sportsmen were the most fortunate, and came to the rendezvous loaded with wild fowl for dinner. The others having found all things favom-able for inspecting the reef, had stored their bottles and boxes with cunous and beautiful specimens of zoophytes and corals. The remain- ing party alone were unsuccessful, as a little cloud obscured the sun just at the moment of its passing the meridian. Indeed there are perhaps no per- sons to whom the fluctuations in the aspect of the sky bring such mortifying disappointments as the practical astronomer. The examination of a coral reef during the dif- ferent stages of one tide is particulai'ly interesting. When the sea has left it for some time it becomes dry, and appears to be a compact rock, exceeding- ly hard and ragged ; but no sooner does the tide rise again and the waves begin to wash over it, than millions of coral worms protrude themselves from holes on the surface which were before quite invi- sible. These animals are of a groat variety of shapes and sizes, and in such prodigious numbers, that in a short time the whole surface of the rock appears to be alive and in motion. The most com- mon of the worms at Loo-Choo was in the form of 176 LOO-CHOO. HStar, whit arms from four to six indies long, •which it moved about with a rapid motion in all directions, probably in search of food. Others were so slug-g-ish that they were often mistaken for pieces of the rock ; these were generally of a dark colour, and from four to five inches long and two or three round. When the rock was broken from a spot near tlie level of high water, it was found to be a hard solid stone, but if any pait of it were detach- ed at a level to wliich the tide reached every day, it was discovered to be full of worms of all diffe- rent lengths and colours, some being as fine as a thread and several feet long, generally of a very bright yellow, and sometimes of a blue coloiu- ; while others resembled snails, and some were not unlike lobsters or prawns in shape, but soft, and not above two inches long. The growth of coral ceases when tlje worm which creates it is no longer exposed to the wash- ing of the tide. Thus a reef rises in the form of a gigantic cauliflower, till its top has gained the level of the highest tides, above wliich the worm has no power to carry its operations, and the reef, consequently, no longer extends itself upwards. The surrounding parts, however, advance in suc- cession till they reach the surface, where they also must stop. Thus, as the level of the highest tide is the eventual limit to every part of the reef, a ho- rizontal field comes to be formed coincident \A'ith that plane, and perpendiculai* on all sides. Tlie reef, however, continually increases, and being pre- vented from going higher, must extend itself lateral- ly in all directions; and this gi-owth being probably as rapid at the upper edge as it is lower down, the steepness of the face of the reef is preserved; and LOO-CHOO. 177 it is this circumstance which renders this species of rocks so dangerous in navigation. In the first place, they are seldom seen above the water ; and in the next, their sides are so abrupt that a ship's bows may strike against the rock before any change of soundings indicates the approach of danger. On the southern side, this island is tolerably cleai* of rocks, but on the north it is everywhere guarded by a most formidable barrier of pointed ledges sur- rounding a flat area extending upwards of a mile fi"om the shore, the surface just lipping, as seamen term it, with the water's edge. The sun was shi- ning brightly on the beautiful coral, and the space seemed like a vast flower-garden spread beneath the water by some treacherous sea-nymph, to allure the passing mariner ; and even now when the dan- ger was past, it was impossible to view these in- sidious enemies to navigation, without shuddering t9 think how narrow our escape had been, and that a few yards more of lee-way would have put a speedy end to our voyage. On this island there was but one hut, the most wretched dwelling for human beings we had yet fallen in with. The body of the house, for no walls were visible, was sunk under the ground, so that only the roof appeared when viewed from without ; the inside was fifteen feet long by six wide ; the walls built of stones were only two feet high, and the roof in the middle about six or seven, formed of a ridge-pole supported in the centre by a forked Btick ; the rafters of rough branches of drift-wood were covered with reeds, and thatched over with the leaf of the wild pine-apple, a stunted shrub grow- ing on most coral islands. The fi-re was placed at one end on a raised part of the mud floor, direct- 178 Loo-ciioo. ly over which a hole liad been broken throiigli the roof for tine exit of the ernoke ; the other end appeared to afforct a most comfortless sleeping place. It was conjectured at first that this wretch- ed hovel could only be meant for the tem])orary residence of the fishermen, avIioso nets Ave saw lying about ; but the number of water -jars and cooking utensils gave it the appearance of a more permanent habitation. Sunday the 29th of September is memorable in our voyage, on account of its being the first day on which we touched the soil of Loo-Choo by consent of the natives. On the morning before when we were absent at Reef Island, the chiefs had come on board to say we might land, on condition that our walk was confined to a particular part of the beach, and that we neither entered the town, nor went a single step into the country. These Avere disagree- able limitations, but we were too well pleased to have the ice fiiirly broken, to make any complaint. At one o'clock, accordingly, seA-eral of our friends came on board in full dress, but in a great fidget, to accompany us to the shore. We landed amidst an immense concourse of people, Avho covered the sea banks for half a mile on each side. The chiefs in- sisted upon lianding us along, and in their desire to be exceedingly ciWl, held us most incommodiously by the arms, as if afraid we should break loose and ravage the country. The day was excessively hot, and the sand deep, so that we found tliis cumber- some help particularly troublesome, and petitioned for leave to Avalk alone. To this reasonable request they reluctantly consented ; and we proceeded broiling along the beach for about a quarter of a mile from the spot where we first landed. Begin- LOO-CHOO. 179 ning to get tired of a walk, which resembled more a march across the desert, than an excursion into a beautiful island of the Eastern seas, we stopped and expressed some surprise at the uncivil nature of our reception, telling our guides, or rather guards, how very disagi'eeahle it was to be exposed to the sun's rays at such an liour, in such a place. But our re- monstrances produced no great effect, for, after we had repeatedly objected to this treatment, they merely changed the scene to a cave in the rock, where tliey spread a mat for us on the half-wet sand, and begged to know if we should like to drink tea in this shady spot, seeirg that we disliked tlie sun 60 much. This was caiTying the joke rather too far even for our Commodore's good nature ; and indeed the place was so dirty and incommodious in every respect, that nothing but their unceasing dread of our going into the town, or the interior of the island, could have induced the chiefs, in general so kind and well-bred, to entertain us so scurvily. Captain Maxwell, secretly much amused, but ap- parently out of humour, told them our object in landing was not to sit down on a dirty exposed beach to drink tea, but to walk about under the shade of trees on the fine turf he saw everywliere, in order, by genial country exercise, to recover his health, impaired by a long stay on board ship. They tried all their eloquence to persuade us, that our walk, thus limited, was, or ought to bf, particularly pleasant ; till at length, Captain Max- well affecting to lose all patience, gave them to un- derstand that liis wish was to go to the top of the hills, to stroll freely about wlierever he pleased ; but as he did not mean, during his stay at tlie island, to advance a single step beyond what was 180 LOO-CHOO. fully approved of by the inhabitants themselves, he would return instantly to his ship, if they persisted any lonp^er in restricting him to the beach. A long and tiresome consultation was held upon this decla- ration, on the open shore, with the sun blazing upon us, during which, frequent reference was made to several elderly strangers, whose opinions appeared to have great weight. At last they agreed, but evidently with the greatest reluctance, to our going to the top of the hill, first using the uncivil precau- tion, before we set out, to send forward a couple of runners, to warn oif any women who might chance to be passing in that direction. About half way up the road, which conducted us along a steep bank, the top of which was covered with wowl, we came to a neatly built well, the fountain-head of a clear spring, which gushed impetuously out of the rock, and flowed to the right and left along two stone water courses, from which it was drawn off to water the fields below. Near this spot were discovered three or four rudely carved stones, each about a foot long, and four inches wide, with sweet-scented plow matches burning on the top of them, and a small quantity of rice piled upon each. Mr Clif- ford, whose knowledge of the language was by this time considerable, made out that these were meant as religious offerings, the precise nature of which ho could not discover, though he conjectured, fi*om some expressions used by the natives, that they wore propitiatory of the guardian deity of the foun- tain. The side of this hill was cut into horizontal terraces, irregular in width, cultivated with much care, and glowing with verdure caused by this co- pious irrigation. When our procession reached the biov^ of the high ground overlooldng the anchorage, LOO-CHOO. 181 the chiefs halted, and seemed, by tlieh* imploring looks, to entreat us to stop. But as we were witliin only a few yards of the summit, where we saw a shady grove, we beprged them to proceed a little further, to which, after another long-winded council of war, for nothing was ever done without its am- ple share of d'slUjeration, they consented. By gain- ing this eminence, we commanded the view of an extensive valley to the north, exceeding in beauty anything we had before seen. On the side of the high land fronting us in the North-east we had a good view of the large building spoken of above, generally suspected to be the King's palace. Of course our inquiries were immediately directed to this object, but every question was answered in so evasive a manner, and with sucli apparent dis- tress, that we avoided further allusion either to the palace or its royal inmate, of whom it was clear they wished us to remain in ignorance. We continued sitting on the gi'ass under the trees of tliis delightful cool grove for about an hour, drinking tea and smoking pipes in company with all the chiefs, and fom- or five of the old men mentioned before. The fiesli air of the mountains, to which we had been so long strangers, together with the exhilarating walk, and the novelty of the whole scene, put us into the highest spirits. Many methods were tried to amuse the natives, and relieve them from the deep anxiety which had settled on then* brows from the instant that our course had deviated beyond high-water mark, the proper limit, in their opinion, to all foreign inter- course. We surprised them not a little by lighting their pipes with a burning glass ; but one old gen- tleman suspecting some trick, would not join in VOL. I. a 6 182 LOO-CHOO. the surprise manifested l)y all t}io others, and hnldly hold out his Ijand that it miglit he exposee cottages we found two speai's wliich had the appearance of warlike wea- pons ; but there was every reason to believe they were used for the sole pui'pose of striking fish, others not very dissimilar having been seen in the boats. The natives looked at our swords and cutlasses, and at some Malay creeses and spears, which we had got at Java, with equal sui-]5rise, be- ing apparently ignorant of them all. The chiefs earned little knives in cases, thnist into the folds of their robes, or in the girdle, and the lower orders wore a larger knife ; but these were always for common use, and certainly not worn for defence or ornament ; and they always denied having any knowledge of war, either by experience or by tra- dition. On retmning to the boats, we foimd them sur- rounded by a party of the natives, lower, we thought, in stature than our friends at Napakiang, and possessed of less curiosity ; although, proba- bly, their surprise at our sudden appearance had not subsided sufficiently to allow of tlieir indul- ging in miimte inquiries. A lai'ge party watch- ed us attentively while a musket was loaded ; when it was pointed over their heads in the air, they were aware that something was going to happen, but from their not shrinking or remov- ing out of the way, it seemed they knew not what. When it was fired, the whole party fell on their faces, as if they had been shot, ])ut rose in- stantly again, and looking to the right and left at 214. L\Iaddera. Every one felt kindly towards Jeeroo, laughed and joked with him, and shook him cordially by the hand whenever they met ; but Maddera was admired and respected, aa well as esteemed ; and though he, too, could be as jocular, if he pleased, or more so, than Jeeroo, ho was of a higher order of character, and his society was in general more sought after. Maddera was about twenty-eight years of age, of a slender figure, and ver\' active ; his upper teeth projected a little over the lower ones, giving his face a remai'kable, but not a disagreeable appear- ance. He was at all times cheerful, often lively and playful ; but his good sense always prevented his going beyond the line of strict propriety. When required by circumstances to be grave, no one was 80 immovably serious as Maddera ; but when the occasion suited, he became the gayest amongst us^ Such indeed was his good sense and the nicety of his taste, that he not only caught the outward tone of the company, but, I believe, really thought and felt with them. The enterprising spirit and im- common versatility of talent in this interesting na- tive, led him to engage in a great number of pur- suits at once ; his success, however, was most remarkable in the acquisition of English. About a month after our arrival, being asked one day what had become of his companion Anya, his reply was, " Anya ? — him mother sick — he go him mother's house I* and when asked when he would return, said, " Two — three — day time, him mother no 226 Loo-CHOO. sick, he come ship." Witli all these altalnmente, Maddera was unaffectedly modest and unpretend- ing, never seeming at all aware of being superior to the rest of his countrymen. For a long time we were in doubt what his rank was ; for at first he kept himself so much in the back-ground, that before the officers were at all acquainted with him he was long known to the midshipmen. It is true, he was always dressed in the style of the most re- spectable natives, and it was evident from liis man- ners that he belonged to a higher rank ; yet he never associated with the chiefs, and eagerly disclaimed having any pretensions to an equality with them. But notwithstanding all this studied humility, oc- casional circumstances occurred, which, by show- ing his actual authority, almost betrayed his secret. One morning a difficulty arose about some sup- plies which the chiefs had engaged to procure, but which had not been sent off : as soon as Mad- dera was told of the omission, he went straight to Captain Maxwell, and, with the air of a man of authority, undertook to arrange it to his satisfac- tion, wliich he accordingly did ; begging, at the same time, that if any similar difficulty arose in future, which the chiefs were slow to rectify, he might be applied to immediately. The great interest which Maddera took in the English strangers, and the insatiable curiosity he ex- pressed to hear about our customs, naturally sug- gested the idea of taking him with us to England, where, like Lee Boo, he would have been a most interesting specimen of a people little known. Had this idea been followed up he might have cairied back with him much knowledge useful to his coun- try' When this project of going to England was Loo-CHOO. 227 proposed to him, he paused for some minutes, and then, sliaking his head, said, " If I go In- jery, — father — mother — childs — wife — house — all cry I not go to Injery ; no, no — all cry I" In our absence a number of watch-houses had been erected on the heights round the anchorage, made of cane thatched over, in which three or four of the natives remained day and night, ready to accompany any person who happened to land. They had erected a long shed also, with a floor of split bamboo, on the top of the hill, above th« usual landing-place, where the chiefs generally as- sembled in the morning, and invited every one who passed by to drink tea and smoke pipes. This proved a very convenient lounging-place in the heat of the day, after our walks, when the boats happened not to be ready to take us on board. Each of the principal natives was attended by a boy, generally his son, whose business it was to caiTy a little square box, divided into small drawers, and numerous other compartments, some filled with rice, others with sliced eggs and small square pieces of smoked pork, cakes, and fish ; in one comer was nicely fitted a small metal pot of sackee, besides cups, chopsticks, and a store of little plates and bowls. By having this supply always at hand, they could take dinner when and where they pleased. To these parties we were frequently invi- ted ; and, if we agreed to the proposal, any of the other chiefs whom they chanced to meet were asked to join the party, and to unite their stock. The place selected for these pic-nics was common- ly some cool spot, with a spring near at hand, generally un-der the trees. A mat spread on the grass was our table-cloth, and everything beii»g 228 Loo-cHoo. laid out in great order, tlio party lay round in a circle, and seldom broke up till the sackee pots were emptied. It was impossible not to be struck with the amiable manner in which these good people treat- ed their children. Wlienever anything new was shown, they were never happy till they had brought the young folks to participate in the satisfaction. The parents and children were, I think, more con- stant companions than I have seen anywhere else; and the familiarity by which this freedom of in- tercourse was attended being always well regula- ted, the parental authority remained essentially in full force. It was most interesting to observe the sagacity with which this authority was waived at moments when its exercise might have been detri- mental rather than beneficial to good discipline. One day, while we were dining in the manner descri- bed with the chiefs on the top of the hill, a little boy began to exhibit some clever feats of tumbling amongst his companions on the grass before us. In a short time all eyes were turned towards him, upon discovering which he modestly discontinued his feats, appearing to lose confidence the moment he was watched. Buttons and various other things were offered to induce him to repeat his exhibition ; but in vain. Jeeroo was then asked to interfere ; he did so, and told the youngster to go on ; but the boy- kept his seat on the grass, and Jeeroo became angiy, or rather pretended to be so, yet our tumbler sat resolutely still. " Well," said the chief to us, shrug- ging his shoulders, " what is to be done ? It was for his own amusement that he began, and proba- bly for his own amusement he will go on again." The boy accordingly, when left alone, in a short Loo-CHOO. 229 time returned to his gambols with more epiiit tliau ever. I mention tliis to show tlie cluefs good sense in not forcing the boy to do that as a task which had been beg:mi as an amusement, and which he had discernment enough to perceive would be unpleasant for us to witness on other terms. By this mild treatment, mutual cordiality and free- dom of intercourse were established ; and it was probably owing to this mode of education that the children became so soon at ease and familiar with U9. One day while I was employed sketching the village and trees near the bridge, a fine little fellow came near me, and without saying a word, en- deavoured to attract my notice by performing various antics before me. Being desu'ous of see- ing how long he would go on, I took no notice of him for some time, but at length looked up and smiled ;* upon which the boy cried out, " How do you do ? Very well, I thank you ;" and ran off, quite delighted at having displayed his proficiency in English. An aitist of the island brought a drawing of the Alceste on board one day for Captain Maxwell : it measured about two feet long, and was altogether a singular specimen of the state of the arts in Loo- Choo, in which all perspective and proportion were curiously disregarded. The Capteiin and the offi- cers, half as tall as the masts, were introduced in full uniform, as well as a number of the sailors sprawling about the rigging. With all this extra- vagance, however, the picture had considerable merit; there was nothing slovenly in its execution, and it had enough of truth in it to show that it was sketched on the spot, and by a person not without some knowledge of hjs subject. VOL. I. u 230 LOO-CHOO. A cfisputc arose on the 18th fxjtwcon John tlie interpreter and the chiefs, who, it seemed, had posi- tively promised to furnish a horse for Captain Max- well's use, but had not kept their word, and Jolm declared in great wrath, that he would have no- thing more to say to people who so notoriously disregarded truth. This declaration excited great mirth on board the ship : but the humorous point is much lost upon those who are not aware of the proverbial want of veracity in the Chinese gene- rally, and in an especial degree of the class at Canton, to which our friend John belonged. The people of Loo-Choo appear to have no money, and from all we could see or hear, in- credible as it appears, were even ignorant of its use. Those amongst the natives, of course, who had visited China, could not be so ill informed, yet none even of these showed any desire to possess Spa- nish dollars, or gold coins. Though we frequently tried to make out from Maddera and the other chiefs what their medium of exchange was, we could never learn anything satisfactory upon tho subject. As far as we had the means of discover- ing, indeed, they were never fully sensible of the nature of our questions about money ; a difficulty, it may be observed, which it was natural to ex- pect among people whose sole mode of purchase was barter. The only circumstance which camo to our knowledge bearing at all upon this ques- tion, occurred when the garden was under prepa- ration for the reception of the Alceste's stores. It was then lemarked that each of the labourers employed had a small piece of paper stuck in his hair, with a single character wTitten upon it ; this of coui'se excited our curiosity, but the inquiries LOO-CHOO. 231 we were enabled to make at that early stage of our knowledge of the language, led to nothing con- clusive. Afterr^'ards, when our means in this re- spect were more ample, we could not recall the circumstance to the recollection of the chiefs. But as these papers were called by the people wear- ing them " hoonatee," and as " hoonee" means ship, it was conjectured they were Tv-ritten passes to enable the bearers to enter on the ship's busi- ness, or they niight be acknowledgments for the labour done while the men were employed in our store-rooms. On the 19th of October, before breakfast, Cap- tain Maxwell being informed by one of the chiefs that a horse was ready for him on the beach, he landed and found a little pony saddled, and stand- ing by two of the chiefs, who were mounted in order to bear him company. They objected to J lis riding in tlie country, where the roads, they pretended, were uneven ; so that his first ride like his first walk was confined to the beach. A grand entertainment was given on the same day by Captain Maxwell to the chiefs. Maddera also made one of the party, though not originally included in the invitation. As he had never claim- ed equality in rank with the chiefs, it was not thought right to invite liim at the same time : but he, knowing perfectly well that he would be right welcome, and that he would be of essential use to both parties, took care to put himself in the way just before dinner, and was easily prevailed upon to remain. Dinner was served up at five o'clock, in as sump- tuous a style as possible. Ookooma, the princi- pal chief, ^vas placed on Captain Maxwell's right, 232 LOO-CHoo. and Sliayoon on his left ; Mr CHfibrd and 1 took charge of two others, and the officers of the rest. The first lieutenant, Mr Hickman, sat at the bot- tom of the table, with one of the cljiefs on his right, and our friend Maddera on his left. They were all in high spirits, and eat and drank freely ; they complained a little of the size of the glasses, and of the strength of the wines, but gallantly tasted everything from punch to champagne. The brisk- ness of this last wine, indeed, surprised them great- ly, and effectually muddled two of the party for a time. Cheese was the only thing objected to, probably on account of its being made from milk, which is never used on this island. The conversa- tion was carried on entirely through Mr Chfford and Maddera, partly by signs and partly by a mixture of English and Loo-Choo ; but whether intelligibly or not, everybody was talking merrily under the influence of that universal interpreter, the bottle. Maddesa had dined so often on board the ships be- fore that he was quite perfect in our customs ; and upon this occasion took great charge of the chiefs at his end of the table, speaking sometimes in one language, and sometimes in the other. Observing Jeema eating a slice of ham without mustard, he called to Captain Maxwell's servant, and pointing to Jeema, said, " Tom, take mustard to him." Wlien the dessert was put on the table, and the wine decanters ranged in a line, they exclaimed in as- tonishment, " Moo eeyroo noo sackee — six kinds of sackee 1" After sitting about an hour and a half after din- ner, and drinking with tolerable spirit, they rose to depart, but were told this could never be allowed, as the Eoglish custom was to sit a much longer Loo-CHOo. 233 time. Tl>oy roprosonted that the snn had set, and they would never he able to find their way on 'shor^, but would all be drowned in making the at- tempt. This alai'ming difliculty was easily obvi- ated by a promise of the Ambassador's barge, and they sat do^^ii again evidently very well pleased to be persuaded. While this discussion was going on between Captain Maxwell and his guests, Maddera kept his seat, and looked about him in liis observant way to discover what was likely to be the issue of the adventure. Having observed that in general we were anxious to keep our company as long at table as possible, he naturally enough thought we would not let this opportunity pass of enter- taining the chiefs according to our peculiar fashion. He appeared to have settled this question with himself just as the chiefs resumed their seats, for rising half off his chair, and with a mixture of arch- ness and simplicity, as if lie had just made an amu- sing discoveiy, cried out in English, " When all drunk then go ashore !" Though Maddera, as wHl be seen, was not quite right in his guess, there was enough of truth in his remark to raise a general laugh among tliose who understood him. He join- ed in the mirth excited by his own joke so hearti- ly that it was some time before he could explain to the chiefs what he had said ; by this time they were in a tolerably merry humour themselves, and received it in good part, though their enjoyment of the jest was evidently dashed by a little apprehen- sion of the fate which Maddera anticipated. The health of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent was then drunk in a bumper, all the com- pany standing in the most respectful manner. This t34 LOO-CHOO. was followared to indulge him with a round. Maddera's quick eye, however, saw what was going on, and by a word or two made the chief instantly resume his wonted sedateness. We tried in vain to make ix)o-CH(X). 237 Madilera explain what were the magical words which he had used ; but he seemed anxious to turn our thoughts from the subject, by saying, " Loo-Choo man no fight ; Loo-Choo man write, No fight, no good fight; Ingerish very good ; Loo- Choo man no fight." Possibly he considered Oo- kooraa was taking too great a liberty ; or perhaps he thought even the semblance of a battle inconsist- ent with the strict amity subsisting between us. However this be, he showed clearly enough that he possessed authority over tlie senior cliiefs. Before our guests left the ship, Captain IVIax- well, who had often remarked the satisfaction with which the natives received any attention shown to their children, ordered a large plum-cake, ])aked for the occasion, to be brought to him, which he divided into slices, proportioned to the numbers of the respective families of each of his friends. The chiefs were exactly in a fit mood to feel this kind- ness, and expressed themselves, as may be suppo- sed, very waimly upon the occasion, wrapped up their portions of cake in their long sleeve-pockets, and went away singing, cheering, and waving their caps all the way to the shore. The early part of the next morning was spent at the Observator)'-. I afterwards walked in the coun- try, in company with one of my officers, without being observed ; for the chiefs had not yet recover- ed from the effects of last night's gaiety. We had not gone a mile, however, before Jeeroo overtook us. Our intention had been to gain the brow of a neighbouring hill, from whence we imagined tliere must be a good view of the palace and the neigh- bouring country ; but although Jeeroo was the most obliging creature in the world on every other 238 Loo-ciioo. occasion, lie stoutly resisted our goin<^ beyond the usual limits. Wo tried to overcome liis objections by an assurance that we meant no harm, and would only go to the adjoining height. He would listen to no such promises, and as we still walked slowly on, sent off a messenger for assistance; but before this reinforcement arrived, we had turned back, to the poor fellow's great relief. Al- though the particular object proposed had been frustrated, we succeeded in part by obtaining a nearer view of the palace. It was so much inclosed by trees, that parts of it only could be seen, but it was undoubtedly a very large building. On re- turning we met Hackiebuco, puffing and blowing up the hill, having instantly set out to overtake us, on being told by Jeeroo's messenger what we were proposing to do. He had drank a good deal of wine the day before on board, and ho- nestly confessed that he had been a little " weety," and that his head now ached very much. Short- ly after he joined our party, as we were pass- ing near a village, two women at the turning of a road came unexpectedly upon us from a cross path. They were talking so earnestly to one another that they perceived no one till within a few yards of us. Their alarm was then great; and after pausing for a moment in stupified asto- nishment, they threw down the baskets which they were carrying on their heads, and fled into the woods. Our two companions were mightily rliscomposed at this rencontre, and would listen to no reasoning upon the absurdity of their ap- prehensions, looking quite miserable till the in- terdicted subject was changed. We T\'ent after- wards to the high gi-ound behind the hospital, in Loo-CHOO. 239 order to fill up by eye the edges of the reefe in our charts, for which regular triangles could uot be taken in the survey. Wliile I was thus enpraired, Mr Cliftbrd endeavoured to leani from Jeeroo wlje- ther or not the king lived in the large house spo- ken of before ; as usual, he denied any personal knowledge of the king, and would neither say what the house was, nor tell who resided there. A peasant, however, who happened to be pass- ing by, proved more communicative, and was cheerftilly giving all the information we desired, when Jeeroo, observing what the countryman was about, reprimanded him sharply for his loquacity, and sent him off instantly. Beyond such a reproof as this, we never saw any punishment inflicted at Loo-Choo ; a tap -with a fan, or an angry look, be- ing the severest chastisement ever resorted to, at least as far as \ve ever saw or could hear about. In giYing their orders, the chiefs were mild in manner and expression, though quite decided ; and the peo- ple always obeyed them with alacrity and cheerful- ness. There seemed to exist the greatest respect and confidence on the one hand, which was met by correspondent consideration and kind feeling on the other. About noon of the same day, while Mi-s Loy, the boatswain's wife, was employed at the well washing clothes, at a moment when everybody else happened to be out of the way, she was visited by a Loo-Choo lady, accompanied by a numerous guard of men. She described her visitor as being about eighteen years of age, very richly dressed in blue silk robes, fair in complexion, with small dark eyes, and not without beauty ; her hair was of a glossy jet black, made up into a knot on one side of the head, 240 LOO-CHOO. with a siTiall white flower stuck in the midst of it. She wore a scarlet Katin girdle tied in a larp^e loop at the side, and on her feet, which were of the na- tural size, were laced richly-embroidered sandals, shaped like those of the men. Mrs Loy, with a laudable spirit of inquiry, wished to examine the particulars of this lady's dress ; but the timid stran- ger shrunk back from the foreigner's touch. In- deed, Mrs Loy, with her arms bare, and covered with soap-suds, though an excellent person in her way, was not exactly the individual example best calculated to represent the ladies of England in fo- reign parts. On all occasions, when we met with natives of superior intelligence, we endeavoured as much as possible to procure some information respect- ing their literature, and the state of education and of knowledge in the country. Our means of com- munication were of course much circumscribed by our imperfect acquaintance with the language, and the interpreter, from his low station, had not the ideas, and consequently not the words, which we stood in need of in making these inquiries. Of this interesting subject, therefore, we could get but few satisfactory accounts ; the natives told us they had but few books in their own language, by far the greater number being Chinese. The young meii of rank, it seems, are sometimes sent to China to be educated, and Jeeroo had been there when a boy. None, however, but the upper classes understand the oral language of China, and the peasantry are in general ignorant both of the spo- ken and written Chinese languages. Whenever we were occupied in making astro- nomical observations, the natives retired a consi- LOO-CHOO, 241 derable distance, as they were told tliat tlte leabt motion disturbed the surface of the quicksilver, and prevented our taking observations. They had the most laudable patience, and sometimes sat still and silent for several hours together, till invited to come forward to look at the instruments. Whilst we were making observations this morning, Ookoo- ma and Jeeroo, with their friends, came to the Ob- servatory, and we observed them to be in great distress. Upon our begging to know the cause, they explained that Captain Maxwell, during his ride, had fallen down, or rather that the horse, be- ing too weak for his weight, had fallen with him, and that his finger was broken. A Loo-Choo doc- tor, it appeared, had gone on board, who, they said, would soon effect a cure. We repaired im- mediately to the Alceste, where we found that the Loo-Choo surgeon had placed Captain Max- well's broken finger in a thick paste made of eggs, flour, and some other substance which he brought along with him. Hfi then wrapped the whole in the skin of a newly-killed fowl. The skin dried in a short time, and held the paste firm, by which means the broken finger was kept steady in its place. The doctor went through a number of ce- remonies, such as feeling the pulse, and looking at the tongue ; being accompanied by an attendant, who carried under his arm a box filled with me- dicines. Wliile Captain Maxwell was sitting in a shed after the accident, waiting for the boat to carry him on board, he was surprised to see a person enter the door on all fours, half dead with terror. This turned out to be the surgeon, who had been instantly sent for, and who, in Common with the VOL. I. X 24-2 Loo-ciioo. cliicfs, was hoiTor-stnick at tlie ac<;i(lent. The Es- culapius, liowever, soon recovered his composure and confidence, on observing that althou^di tlic fin- ger was broken, and one of the joints dislocated, his patient was perfectly tranquil. A deputation of the chiefs went on board the Alceste early next morning, to announce that the Prince of the island, the person next in rank to the King, and lieir-apparent to the throne, meant to come on board the frigate to pay a yisit of ce- remony, and to inquire 'after Captain Maxwell's health. Accordingly, at noon, four of the senior chiefs, dressed in their best state silks, and caps, came on board to announce the approach of the Prince, who, in about half an hour afterwards, we could observe through our glasses, was brought in a closed sedan-chair to his boat. A lane was then opened for him, through a vast concourse of people, to whom he seemed almost as rare a sight as to us. The state-boat, which was a large flat-bottomed barge, covered with an awning of dark-blue silk, with white stars on it^ and not unlike a hearse in appearance, was preceded by two other boats, bear- ing flags, with a long inscription upon each : in the bow stood an officer of justice, carrying a lackered bamboo, and in the stem a man beating a gong. A vast number of other boats were in attendance, some bearing presents, others following out of mere curiosity. One of the chiefs rowed forward to the frigate, to present the Prince's visiting-card to Cap- tain Maxwell. It was made of red paper, forty-eight inches long, and eleven wide, wath an inscription upon it, of which the following is a translation : — " The gi'eat personage, Ko Heang, Extender of the Laws of Loo-Choo, bows his head, and worsliips." ixjo-CHOO. 843 Shortly afterwards the Prince's barge approached ; upon which the rigging of both ships was manned, always a very striking ceremony, and a salute of seven guns iSred. When he came on boaid, he was received with a guard, and another salute. Captain Maxwell, who had been confined to the cabin ever since his accident, ordered me to receive the Prince, which I accordingly did at the top of the accom- modation ladder. As there had been no previous arrangement made respecting the manner of his re- ception, I merely took off my hat and made him a bow ; but was surprised to see all the chiefs fall on their knees the instant he came on the quarter-deck. I took his hand from one of the chiefs who had assisted him up the ladder, and conducted him to the cabin. The Prince, when seated beside Captain Maxwell, made several anxious inquiries about his wounded hand, and expressed much regret that so disagree- able an accident should have occurred during his stay at Loo-Choo. He then called to one of his attendants for his pouch, and having prepared a pipe, presented it to Captain Maxwell. The usual questions as to our ages and families having pass- ed, he expressed a wish to see the wonderij of the ship. Orders were accordingly given to prepare for his reception ; the decks were cleared, and the ship's company ranged in separate divisions. Mean- while he expressed a wish to look round the cabin, and was very soon attracted by the globes, gene- rally the first object that engaged the attention of the natives. He begged to be shown Injeery, (England); Loo-Choo; Quantoong (China); Ni- phou (Japan) ; Manilla, and Pekin. The chiefs who stood apart, would not sit down in his presence, and 24«4' LOO-CHoo. never spokg tp him without kneeling^ sometimes on one knee, generally on both. As soon aa the ne- cessary arrangements had been made the Prince proceeded roimd the decks. He observed every- thing with attention, but without betraying any great degree of curiosity. One of his earliest in- quiries was about the boatswain's wife, of whom he had heard from the chiefs, and asked if it were possible to see her. Nothing was easier than to giatify him in this wish, for the good lady had been long prepared, and was waiting in her gayest attire to be presented. He stood for a moment looking at lier with an expression of pleased surprise ; after which, as if suddenly recollecting that this must be somewhat embarrassing to the poor woman, who stood curtseying to the very ground, he drew his fan from his breast, and with an aii* of the utmost politeness, held it to her and begged she would accept it. Mrs Loy again cmtsied in acknowledg- ment of the honour intended her, and the Prince sent her the fan by Maddera. Some confused account of the fire-engine having been communicated to him, he asked to see it work- ed. In less than a minute a dozen of the firemen, with their buckets full of water, were at his side, the engine filled, and a stream of water spouted over the lower mast-heads, to his infinite astonishment and delight. He had heard also of an African negro who was on board, and begged that he might be sent for. When this man, who was a fine speci- men of his race, was brought forward, the Prince looked exceedingly surprised, and probably doubt- ed whether or not the colour was natuial, as one of his people was sent to rub poor blackee's skin with a clotli. The grms, the shot, and above all, the LOO-CHOO. 245 iron cables, excited his closest attention : nothing, indeed, escaped his scrutiny. Wherever he passed, the natives, who had flocked on board in crowds, fell on their knees, and clasping their hands be- fore their breasts bowed their heads till they nearly touched the deck. On returning from this excursion, the Prince was invited to a cold collation prepared for him in the foremost cabin, though for a long time he refused to sit down, nor could we conjecture what was his objection. At length, however, he complied, while the chiefs, who it appeared were neither allowed to sit down nor to eat in his presence, retired to the after-cabin ; but he insisted on Captain Max- well and me being seated. He tasted every dish which was offered him, but seemed afraid of the wines, having probably heard enough of the jovial proceedings of the 19th. In about half an hour he rose and went to the after-cabin ; upon which the chiefs and the people of his suite, to the number of fifteen, took their places at the table which the Prince had left, and speedily made ample amends for the temperance and moderation of his royal highness. When this party returned to the after-cabin, the official business of the day, for none of these visits ever passed off without some formal diplo- matical conference, was entered upon by Captain Maxwell's retm-ning thanks, in the name of the English government, for the liberal manner in which his Majesty's ships had. been supplied with every kind of refreshment; and for the kind as- sistance rendered us in all other respects. The Prince replied that the King of Loo-Choo was most anxious to do everything ia his power for 'il-O LOO-CHOO. llio King (A England's slilps. Upon this Captain Maxwell observed, that being fully persuaded of tins he was very desirous of seeing his M'ajesty, for the pui"po8e of expressing in person his grati- tude for the kindness with which he had been re- ceived in this country. The Prince answered, that it was quite contrary to the laws and customs of Loo-Choo for any foreigner of whatever rank to be admitted to the King's presence unless expressly sent by his own sovereign, as the bearer of com- plimentary presents. Such a declaration, coming from authority so high, was considered by Captain Maxwell as con- clusive; and as nothing farther could now with any propriety or delicacy be said on the subject, tlio hope of opening a communication with the court, which had been so anxiously desired, was at last reluctantly given up. The Prince, however, most unexpectedly, in a few minutes resumed the sub- ject, by saying that an ofi&cial letter would be writ- ten to the King of England, if Captain Maxwell would undertake to deliver it ; his answer of course was that nothing would give him more satisfaction than being made the bearer of such a communica- tion: that although ho had earaestly desired the honour of paying his respects to his Majesty the King of Loo-Choo, yet from the moment he heard it was contraiy to the customs of the coun- try, he had ceased to conceive himself entitled to such an honour. As soon as it was inteqireted that Captain Maxwell was willing to cany the letter alluded to, and that he had finally relinquished his desire to see the King, the Prince rose and pressed Captain Maxwell's hand between his, while all the chiefs fell on their luiees in a circle round him, LOO-CHOO. 24.7 HhoTVliig by the expression of tlieli- countenances, how gieat their anxiety had been, from whicli they were at once relieved by Captain Maxwell's judi- cious acquiescence with theu- wishes : the Prince, in particular, who had looked full of anxiety du- ring this discussion, became in a moment quite cheerful and at his ease. But when the Prince again alluded to the letter, it appeared that although it was to be addressed to the King, it was to be written by the minister,, and not by the King of the Island. This altered the case materially, and the diplomatists were once more at sea. Captain Maxwell said it was his duty to inform the Prince most respectfully, that such a letter could not, with propriety, be received, as it would be an indignity to his own Sovereign to present him with a letter written by another king's minister. The Prince seemed sensible of the propriety of this view of the case the moment it was stated ; and calling the chiefs round him, entered into one of their longest discussions ; at the close of which, they declared themselves in- competent to decide upon so very weighty a mat- ter, but that the Piince would consult with the King, whose pleasure would be communicated in a few days. Captain Maxwell expressed his will- ingness to abide by his Majesty's decision, as far as it was consistent with the respect due to his own government. The Prince seemed entirely satisfied with this answer, and said something to the chiefs, upon which tliey again fell upon their knees before Captain Maxwell, notwithstanding all his efforts to prevent them. In the early part of this curious interview the pre- sent wliich the Prince had brought was displayed in 248 Loo-CHOO. the cabin, at least such parts of it as wore capable of being thus exhibited. The whole consisted of two bullocks, three hogs, three goats, and a quantity of vegetables, fruit, oranges, charcoal, eggs, and sweet potatoes ; besides fifteen webs of the cloth of the island, thirty fans, and twelve pipes. The Prince said he had sent a present to me, which I found to consist of half the above-mentioned good things. While the Prince was looking over the books and other things in the cabin, a picture of his Majesty King George the Third was shown to him. As the interpreter happened not to be present, we could not immediately explain who it was intended to represent, till it occurred to us to join our hands together, and bow to the picture in the Loo-Choo manner : the Prince, with the characteristic readi- ness of his country, saw instantly what was meant, and tm-ning towards the picture, made it a low and respectful obeisance. His suite consisted of several chiefs whom we had not seen before, besides six personal attend- ants, two of whom always stood behind to fan him and to light his pipe. These men, who from their dress and manner appeared to be merely servants, derived a sort of rank from being about the Prince's person ; for when the chiefs sat down to table after he had left it, these attendants stood by as if ex- pecting to be invited to sit down also ; but Mr Clifford, to whom Captain Maxwell had given the party in charge, having observed how particular the Loo-Chooans were with respect to distinctions of rank, conceived it would be improper to ask them to be seated, even when Jeema requested him to do so. Suspecting there was some mistake, he applied to Maddera, who said it was perfectly Loo-CHOO. 249 con*e I.OO-CHOO. summon liim at this moment, he, in his haste to obey the mandate, forgot to put on his upper gar- ment, and rushing into the royal presence, ex- claimed, ' Here am I, tlie wine-loving immortal I' " On the 25th of October, being the anniversary of his Majesty's accession to the thi-one, the ships were dressed in colours, and a royal salute fired. This splendid exhibition of flags and streamers, a beautiful sight at any time, if seen from a short distance, produced a gieat effect upon the natives, who liad never seen any other flags than a single ensign hoisted on Sundays, on board each of the ships. They had been previously informed that there would be certain ceremonies in honour of our King on this day, and great numbers of people had been assembled from all parts of the Island to witness the sJiow. As this moniing had also been fixed upon for returning the Prince's visit, we left the Alceste at one o'clock, form- ing a procession of four boats, each bearing flags. Captain Maxwell was accompanied by twelve of his oflScers and young gentlemen, and six sent along with me from the Lyi^a, all dressed in full uniform. We entered the harbour, and landed at the same part of the causeway as before, where we found the chiefs in attendance, as on the occasion of our visit on the 23d of last month. The Prince advanced a few yards on the out- side of tlie gate, and having taken Captain 3Iax- well's hand, conducted liim to the temple, where an ingenious device was adopted in order not to infi'inge the etiquette, which requires that none but persons of high rank shall be seated in ])resence of the Blood Royal. Tlie temple, as I have before described, was divided into several rooms by ranges LOO-CHOO. 255 of columns, capable of being connected at pleasure by moveable partitions. When these pannels were removed there etill appeared to be three separate apai-tments, or at least there was separation enough to save the Prince's official dignity, while, at the same time, no person in the other rooms could feel himself excluded, since the division by the pillars might be considered merely nominal. The feast was sumptuous, consisting of twelve regular cour- ses, besides tea and sackee at short intervals. There were many dishes new to us, principally of meat, dressed in various ways in large bowls. It having been thought necessary to make some return for the presents brought on board by the Prince two days before, Captain Maxwell begged his acceptance of several pieces of scarlet and blue cloth, as well as samples of every species of our manufacture, that could be scraped together, from the finest damask to the coarsest sail canvass ; with a very handsome set of cut crystal decanters and glasses, and three dozen of wine of different sorts, with several books, and a number of smaller articles. He also requested the Prince to offer the King of Loo-Choo, in his name, a cow and a bull calf of the best English breed, as a humble offering of his sense of the kindness which we had all experien- ced. The Prince expressed much satisfaction at tliis gift, saying that the calf being bom in the coun- try, had become a great favourite with the na- tives, and he had no doubt would prove in time of essential benefit to the Island. My present con- sisted of half the quantity of wine given by Cap- tain Maxwell, a mirror taken from a dressing stand, samples of English pens, ink, and paper, all of which differ totally from those we met with 256 LOO-CHOO. on thn Island, an atlas, and a small brass sextant ; which latter present I was induced to include from liavin;^ often witnessed the wonder and delight it had invariably excited at the observatory. iVIr John Maxwell, the commodore's son, to whom the Prince had sent a present of cloth and pipes, gave him a spy-glass and a map of London ; the map was coloured, and round the edges were the pa- laces, Greenwich Hospital, and other public build- ings, all of which were examined with great atten- tion. After his highness had looked over most of the things, and satisfied himself with the explanations given, he rose and said that a great deal too much had been given ; to which we replied, that a great deal too little had been given, and that these tilings were not offered as being, in any respect, an equi- valent for the supplies sent on board, but merely as marlcs of our gi-atitude for the great kindness and attention with which we had been received. The follo^ving is a list of the supplies which we received at Loo-Choo, and for which the natives could not be prevailed upon to accept any sort of payment. List of Articles supplied at Loo-Choo. Bullocks, Alceste. 19 Lyra. 8 Pigs, . Goats, 23 15 10 7 Fowls, . 216 102 Fish, 29 12 Eggs, . 920 455 Bags of sweet Squashes, potatoes, , 59 34 27 14 Jars of sackee, each contj about fifteen gallons, lining 6 3 LOO-CHOO. Baskets of oranges, . 'Bundles of gingerbread, onions, radislies, celery, . garlick, . candles, . wood, charcoal, Pumpkins, Baskets of vermicelli, Boxes of sugar, Rolls of printed linen, Bundles of paper. Pipes finely japanned. Alccstc. 9 8 16 30 12 8 7 16 20 60 7 2 14 6 50 257 Lyra. 4 3 8 12 5 4 3 8 15 30 3 1 7 3 30 During the time we sat at table to-day, the in- terpreter was hardly ever called in, as Maddera and Mr CliiFord contrived between them to explain everything, if not as clearly as could have been wished, yet we conceived in a more satisfactory manner than could have been done tlu-ough the medium of Jolm the Chinaman, of whose fidelity we were never certain, and of whose discretion, taste, and delicacy in conveying our sentiments, we had many doubts. The Prince, as soon as dinner was over, rose and proposed the King of England's health, which was accordingly drunk in a full cup of sackee. In retmn, we gave the King of Loo-Choo. As the Burgeon had desired Captain Maxwell, on account of his accident, to drink no wine, we were very temperate at the Prince's table ; but at the others every art was used to circulate the wine-pot. Lit- y2 258 LOO-CHoo. tie persuasion, it is true, was required, for the saekee, though not strong, was very good ; resem- bhng, in some degree, weak punch. Ookoorna pre- sided at the table occupied by the officers, and Jeeroo at that where the midshipmen sat. One of the chiefs having remarked on board, that when- ever the King's health was drunk, whether of Eng- land, or of Loo-Choo, the cups were always fairly emptied, took advantage of this loyalty of senti- ment, and gave " The King of Injeree's health" three or four times over, to which, of course, the officers were obliged to reply, by giving " The King of Loo-Choo" as often. Finding this manoeu- vre to answer so well, he carried it rather farther than is customary with us on similar occasions, for, observing the company somewhat backward in dis- cussing a mess of sweet rice-meal porridge, which had been placed before each of them, he stood up with his bowl in his hand, and, calling out " King of Injeree's health !" swallowed the whole, and in- cited the rest of the company to follow his loyal example. The Prince seemed to enjoy the noise and mirth of the other tables very much ; and he himself was more cheerful and conversible than when we first saw him, though naturally a silent man. Ookooma, by acting his part as toastmaster, got, we thought, a little tipsy ; for he came several times into the state-chamber, where He talked a great deal loud- er than was quite suitable to the occasion ; an in- discretion of which the good-natured Prince took no notice. When Ookooma came near my chair, I whispered to him, " Ya weetee," — You are dnmk ; he tmTied round, and, aflfecting to be angry, called out, <' Weetee nang !" — I am not ! but his voice Loo-CHOO. 259 and manner were in direct contradiction to this assertion. His subsequent behaviour, however, when the feast was over, was so orderly, tliat probably he only pretended to be tipsy, in order to suit what he might consider to be the convivial humour of the moment. On rising to depai't, the Prince led Captain INTax- well by the hand, not only through the gate of the temple, but about twenty yards further, along the causeway : here he stopped and took leave. Cap- tain Maxwell availed himself of this public oppor- tunity to repeat, for the last time, his sincere thanks, in the name of the English government, for the nu- merous attentions and marks of kindness with which we had been honoured at Loo-Choo. He requested that these sentiments might be communicated offi- cially to the King, and assured the Prince, in the most earnest and respectful manner, that all the circumstances of our reception and entertainment should be stated to his own Sovereign. Upon this assurance, the Prince bowed in a manner which seemed to express much satisfaction at the pro- mise. Captain Maxwell next observed, that he felt, individually, so greatly honoured and obliged by the particular attention which had been shown to himself, and to the captain of the little ship, that he hoped the Prince would deign to accept from each of us a small mark of his respect and grati- tude. He then took from his neck a small thermo- meter, set in silver, and presented it to the Prince, who leaned his head forward, and requested that it might be hung round his neck by Captain Max- well's own hands. This may be supposed a curious place to hang a thermometer, but we had learned duiiug our in- 260 Loo-cnoo. tercoursc with tlic cliiefs, tliat some manac^ement of tins kind was necessary whenever it was intend- ed to offer them presents, as tlieir extreme delicacy made them unwilling to accept anytliing- of value, lest it might appear in the light of remuneration for their liospitality. But whenever anything mere- ly ornamental, or of little value, was oifered, parti- cularly if worn about the person, no objection was made. It thus became the practice, as the most convenient method, to tie the proposed gift by a ribbon round the neck ; so that after a time, every one v/ore rings, seals, or other trinkets, ready for such occasions. This thermometer was selected as a present for the Prince, from its having parti- cularly attracted his notice on board the Alceste. After Captain Maxwell had given his little pre- sent, the Prince turned to receive mine ; upon which I put over his neck a cornelian seal, suspended by a ribbon, m the manner described. He Avas so de- lighted with these compliments, that instead of tm-n- ing back, as strict etiquette probably required, he again took Captain Maxwell's hand, and led him along the whole length of the causeway tlu-ough the crowd to the boat. He then stepped upon the top of the parapet to see us roAv away. As soon as we had put off, Captain Maxwell ordered the boats to assemble, and that eveiy one shoukl stand up,, and give tlu'ee hearty cheers. Ne- ver was an order more promptly obeyed ; wliile the Prince and the people looked quite amazed at this novel mode of bidding adieu, but they all seem- ed pleased and bowed several times, with their hands closed and raised to their breasts. The natives, wlio up to this moment had observed norliing on board the ships but the utmost order and silence, were LOO-CHOO. 861 quite confounded with this unexpected uproar. The Prince remained on the parapet, and continued wa- ving his fan to us as we rowed down the harbour, as long as we could see him. The chiefs ran to the end of the causeway, where they continued, sur- rounded by a vast crowd of natives, waving their handkerchiefs and fans till we were far from the shore ; and on every side, the rocks, trees, houses, and boats, were crowded with people cheering us in the same manner as we went along. This brilliant scene liad less novelty in it, to be sm-e, than the dis- play which we had witnessed at the same place on the twenty-third of last month ; but it was even more pleasing on this occasion, for we had now become acquainted with many of the individuals forming the assemblage, and felt assured that their expressions of kindness and respect were sincere. At our fii-st visit, the natives being ignorant of our intentions, were greatly alarmed at our appearance ; and accordingly, though much curiosity was shown, a profound silence and stillness prevailed over the whole crowd, very different from the friendly shouts and signs with which they greeted us as we pass- ed among them to-day. Precautions had been taken to prevent the ladies fiom indulging then* curiosity as they had done on the former occasion, not a single female face being anywhere discernible amongst this great multitude, probably the majority of the male inhabitants of the island. Of the population of Loo-Choo we could never learn anything having the least pretensions to ac- curacy. From the south point, to within five or six miles north of Napakiang, an extent of six- teen or eighteen miles, the country is highly cul- 262 Loo-ciioo. tivatedj and almost entirely covored with houses. All round Port Melville too there are populous villages, but the north, north-east, and eastern dis- tricts arc thinly peopled, and not cultivated to any extent. We saw nothing like poverty or dis- tress of any kind ; every one w^e met seeming con- tented and happy. Not a single deformed person, nor any one who bore indications of disease, Avas seen, except a few marked with the small-pox. As soon as it became dai'k both the Alceste and Lyra were illuminated ; and at nine o'clock, after a royal salute and a feu de joie had been fired, a number of fire-works were let off from the yard- arms. An immense concourse of the natives, who had been apprised of our intentions, assembled on the shore, highly delighted with this brilliant exlii- bition. The sick people, as well as the stores belong- ing to the Alceste, were removed on board on the morning of the 26th of October, and every pre- paration made for our departure. While employ- ed in concluding the last series of observations, Maddera joined us, having in his hand the sextant which I had given to the Prince the day before. It seems he had received orders to make himself acquainted with its use ; but a more hopeless en- terprize, under such circumstances, could hardly have been proposed. INIaddera, however, was not a person to be daunted by difficulties ; on the con- trary, he resolutely persevered in trying to make observations Avith the sextant ; and the more the difficulties were made apparent, the more arduous- ly he laboured to overcome them. The progress which he made in a few hours in the mere practi- cal operation of taking angles and altitudes was Loo-CHOO. 2G3 really surprising, Imt he was by no moans satisfied ^-ith this degree of proficiency, and entreated to be taught how to apply it to some practical and useful pm'pose, I endeavoured to confine him to one subject, merely to ascertain the time of appa- rent noon ; and I tliink succeeded in explaining to liini how this was to be done. But I found it dif- ficult to fix him, for he broke off from his work re- peatedly to express liis regret at our approaching departure: in which friendly sentiment he was heartily joined by some of the chiefs, who came to us quite out of spirits. Jeeroo, poor fellow, while his companion INIaddera was learning practical as- tronomy, had prepared a handsome dinner for us under a tree near the obsei'vatory, to which farewell feast he invited us when our observations were con- cluded, and made us drink what he called " wack- arittee," or the parting-cup, several times over. An unusual number of visitors came to the obser- vatory to-day, who stood by and saw the instru- ments packed up, and sent off, vA\h looks of real re- gret. They all expressed themselves very sony we were going away so soon. One man brought INJr Clifford, as a farewell gift, a curious drawing of the Alceste, as she appeared on tlie twenty-fifth, dress- ed in flags, executed he said by his son. All our little favourites too, the cliildren, were mucli af- fected by our preparations ; and tlie wonted hilari- ty of the lower classes was quite gone. Having taken our final leave of the shore, we went to the Alceste, where we found the chiefs in mournful conference with Captain Maxwell about his departure. Before they went, he made each of them a present of a finely-cut wine glass, which he fancied they had long desired to possess ; but to 264 Loo-CHOO. Ookooma, as the principal person, he gave a richly- cut tumbler, inclosed in a red morocco case. This was much beyond his expectations, and perhajw his wishes, for he observed the wine giasses of the others with a wistful eye. Captain Maxwell, perceiving in a moment that his friend had set his heart upon a wine glass also, opened the case, and pretending that it had been accidentally omitted, placed one inside the tumbler, to the chiefs great satisfaction. Soon afterwards the whole party went on shore, saying, before they left the ship, that in the morn- ing the Bodzes woidd come on board in order to perform some sacrifice. But as they never made their appearance, it is probable the interpreter mis- understood them, particularly as Isacha Sandoo said, in his own language, " To-moiTow the ships will go, and all the Loo-Choo people will pray for them ;" which was probably all that the chiefs meant, although the interpreter said the priests were to come on board during the next day. While we Avere at dinner, Maddera came into the Alceste's cabin, for the purpose of asking me some questions about the sextant. He was not aware of om* being at dinner, and looked quite shockedi at having intruded ; of course he was invited to sit down, but no entreaties could prevail upon him to do so ; being determined to show that his coming at this moment was accidental. From the cabin he went to the gun-room, to see his friend Mr Hopp- ner, the junior lieutenant of the Alceste, with whom he had formed a great friendship, and who gave him a picture of the Alceste and some other farewell presents ; upon which Maddera, who was nmch affected, said, " To-morrow ship go sea — I go my father house, — two davs distance : — when Loo-CHoo. 265 I see my father, I show him your present, and I tell him, Henry Hoppner all same as my brother," and bm-st into tears ! The officer here spoken of, is now well knottni to the public, as one of the intrepid and perseve- ring navigators, who have four times engaged in the formidable enterprize of discovering a North- West passage. At daybreak on Sunday, the 27th of October 1816, we unmoored ; upon which the natives see- ing us take up one of our anchors, naturally thought we were going to sea immediately, and meant to give them the slip, without bidding adieu. This was very far from our intention ; but the alarm spread immediately, and brought the chiefs off in a great hurry ; not in a body, in their ordinary for- mal way, but one by one, as they could find sepa- rate canoes to paddle them from the shore. Old Jeema called on board the L^Ta on his way to the frigate ; he was a good deal agitated, and the tears came into his eyes when I drew a ring from my finger and placed it on his, in exchange for a knife, which he took from his girdle to present to me. The other chiefs called alongside on their way to the frigate, but they went on when I told them I was just going to the Alceste myself. In the meantime poor Maddera came on board with the sextant in his hand ; he was in such distress that he scarcely knew what he was about. In this distract- ed state he sat down to breakfast with us, during which he continued lighting his pipe and smoking as fast as he could ; instinctively drinking and eat- ing whatever was placed before him. In a little while he recovered his composure in some degree, VOL. I z 266 Loo-cnoo. and asked what books it would ho necessary for him to read, in order to understand the use of the sextant ; I gave him a nautical almanack, and told him he must understand that in tlio first instance : he opened it, and attentively looking at the rows of figures for a few minutes, lield up his hands in absolute despair, being at last forced to confess it a hopeless business ; he then put the sextant into its case, and bade us farewell. Before leaving the Lyra, he gave Mr Clifford his pipe and tobacco- pouch, with a crystal ornament attached to it, say- ing, as he held them out, " You go Ingcree, you give this to your childs." Mr Clifford gave him a few presents in retuni, and expressed his an- xiety to be always remembered as his friend. iVIad- dera, with great earnestness, and Avith the tears streaming down liis cheeks, placed his hand seve- ral times upon his heart, and cried, " Eedooshee, eedooshee !" — My friend, my friend I To me he gave a fan, and a large picture of a man looking up at the sun, drawn, he said, by him- self, probably in allusion to my usual occupation at the observatory. After he had put off in his boat, he stood up and called out several times, *• Ingery noo choo sibitty yootusha," — I shall al- ways remember the English people. When he went to the Alceste, one of the chiefs remarked to him, that he had come on board without his hatchee- matchee, or his state-robes, and told him it was not respectful to wait upon Captain Maxwell, for the last time, in his ordinary dress ; pai'ticuliuly as all the others were in full array. INIaddera, who, poor fellow, had been too much concerned about other matters to think of dress, was disti'essed at this apparent neglect of propriety, and immediately Loo-ciioo. 267 apolodzcd to Captain IMaxwell, who took him .kindly by the hand, and, giving- liim a present, told liini, he Avas ah\'ays much too happy to see him to notice what dress he I\ad on. On g-oing- to tlie Alceste, I found the chiefs seat- ed in the cabin, all looking very disconsolate. We tried in vain to engage them in conversation ; but their wonted cheerfidness had quite deserted them : and, indeed, it Vv'as natural that they should be so affected, for, unlike their visitors, these simple peo- ple could have had little experience of paiting scenes. I took this opportunity of giving each of the chiefs some trinket, as a farewell present, and they in return gave me their pipes, fans, and knives, as memorials, accompanied by many friendly expres- sions. ■Mutual assurances then passed between us, of being long remembered, and the natives rose to take their last leave of us. Ookooma, who, as well as the others, was much agitated, endeavour- ed to say something, but liis heart was full, and he could not utter a word. The rest did net at- tempt to speak ; and before they reached their boats, they were all in tears. Maddera, who was the last to quit the sliij), cried bitterly as he wrung the hands of his numerous friends, who crowded round him, and loaded him with presents. While we were heaving up the anchor, the na- tives assembled not only in canoes round the shijjs, but in vast crowds along the neighbouring heights ; and as we sailed away, they all stood up, and con- tinued waving their fans and handkerchiefs till they could no longer be distinguished. CANTON. CHAPTER VI. CAPTAIN maxwell's ATTACK ON THE BATTERIES AT CANTON, ON THE 12TH OF NOVEMBER, 1816. On leaving oiir primitive and kind friends at Loo-Choo, we steered directly across the Japan sea, and having sailed between the Philippine Is- lands and Formosa, made directly for the anchor- age of Lintin, which takes its name from an island lying opposite the mouth of the great river flow- ing past Canton. On the 3d of November, 1816, shortly after anchoring, we received despatches from the British Factory, announcing the unsuc- cessful issue of the Embassy, and the expected re- turn of Lord Amherst. The failure of the mission, it appeared, had disposed the Chinese authorities at Canton to treat the interests of the British Factory with great contempt, and in several instances to visit his Majesty's peaceable subjects with insult and di- rect injury. Next morning was received a copy of a recent edict, or proclamation, of the Viceroy of Can- ton : in this document, worded in the most offensive terms, it was stated that the Ambassador would not be permitted to embark in the river, but must find his way as he best could to the ships, which were to remain at anchor amongst the Ladrone Islands, almost in the open sea. There was every reason for supposing that this insulting mandate was a gratuitous piece of impertinence on the pait of the CANTON. 269 local aulhonties, not authorized by the Supreme Go- 1'ernment. In China everything is regulated by custom ; and the precedent of the embassy under Lord Macartney was more likely to be adhered to, than that so inconvenient and degrading a mode of embai'kation should be wantonly assigned to Lord Amherst. The hostile sentiments of the Viceroy towai'ds all foreigners, and especially the English, had long been vv ell known to our establishment at Canton ; and as these proceedings were precisely what had been anticipated, the greatest anxiety was felt by om* countrymen, and indeed by all the fo- reign residents, as to the line of conduct which Captain IMaxwell would adopt on the occasion. Nothing could be conceived more dissimilar to our recent occupations than the duties which now devolved upon this officer. Instead of the pacific, timid, hospitable Loo-Chooans, he had to deal with the arbitrary and unsociable military authorities of China, at no time very friendly, and at the present moment professedly hostile to liis nation. The same deliberate good sense, however, earned him suc- cessfully through these diametrically opposite ser- vices, and what in one instance took the character of patient forbearance, became in the other the most prompt and vigorous action. Both lines of conduct were so admirably suited to the occasions respec- tively, that had their order been reversed, as they might readily enough have been by a less judicious officer, the consequences must have been mischie- vous in the highest degree. It should not be for- gotten, that as neither our visit to Loo-Choo, nor the discussions with the Chinese, could have been an- ticipated, no specific instructions beforehand could by any possibility have been given for the perform- ance ol these services. The most peiplexing di- z 2 270 CANTON. lemmas, indeed, munt often occur in a profes- sion, tlic extent of whose range is only limited by that of tlie globe itself. But it is on such occasions that the distinction between one officer and an- other comes into play : that the man who dreads and shuns respon8ilt)ility, or whose shoulders are not broad enough to bear it when it happens to fall on them, is crushed beneath the weight ; while the professional genius of another will sport with the difficulty, and, like Nelson, turn what to ordi- nary eyes seems in-eparable disorder into the means of enhancing his country's honour. Shortly after the ships had come to an anchor off Lintin, a Mandarin, in command of a fleet of war junks, came on board the Alceste. He said a pilot would be soon sent, together with the usual permit, or Chop, as it is called, sanctioning the entry of the ships into the river. But on the 7th, three days afterwards, a Mandarin of much liigher rank came to the frigate, expressly directed, he said, by the Viceroy, to order us to remain wliere we were, and on no account presume to approach nearer the river's mouth. Captain Maxwell ex- pressed great surprise at this rude message, and argued the question the more earnestly, as tliis Mandarin said he was in confidential communica- tion with the Viceroy, and authorized by him to make arrangements. It was in vain represented, that the proceeding alluded to would be highly indecorous, not only on account of the inconve- nience and difficulty of communicating with the ships anchored so far off; but being directly in the teeth of an established precedent in the case of Lord Macartney, such a line of conduct would be a palpable insult to the present Ambassador. It is material to mention that an edict of the CANTON. 271 Emperor had been published some time before, in wliich it was specified tliat tlie present Embassy was to be treated in every respect exactly as tbc former had been : and Captain Maxwell conceived it improbable that the Emperor would recall his own orders in this essential particular, when he had ecmpulously adhered to them in every other. The Mandarin, however, shook his head at all these arguments, as if quite unconvinced ; but he was too well-bred to give the only good reply — that the proposed measure was actually intended as an insult. Captain Maxwell, however, who saw this clearly, gave him to understand, that whatever the Viceroy, or even the Emperor himself, might be disposed to do, lie was determined not to permit any such indignity to pass with impunity. The Mandarin, struck with this manner of viewing the case, stoutly denied any disposition on the part of Government to slight the Ambassador, but repeat- ed that express orders had come from Pekin to for- bid the entry of the ships. The whole of this interview was interesting and curious in a very high degree ; for it was evidently a sort of experiment on the part of the Chinese to discover wliat manner of man they had to deal with ; and Captain Maxwell, who had an important duty to fulfil, may be supposed to have been feeling his way likewise, and endeavouring to discover to what lengths fair words would reach, and how far, in the event of the worst, it might be necessary to bring the argument within the range of cannon- shot. It was as fair a diplomatical skirmish, there- fore, as could be, and to a spectator like myself, amusing beyond description. The conversation was carried on principally tln-ough the medium of a 272 CANTON. Chinese interpreter, or linguist; but the Manda- rin himself also understood some English, and more than once shoAved, by the expression of his countenance, that lie knew what was meant, even before the interpreter had time to render the words. When Captain Maxwell asked how it happened that the commander of the fleet, who had visited him on the 3d instant, had unck'rtaken to procure pilots, Chops, and so out, if not duly authorised ? *' Oh," replied the Viceroy's envoy, " that oflBicer happens to bo partly a fool, and partly a wit ; he was acting- the latter character when he came to you, and merely wished to make sport ; he was only quizzinof, I assure you, and had no authority." — " Well," said Captain Maxwell in reply, " it may be very well for such a fellow to take these liber- ties ; but," added he, in a tone and manner which made the Mandarin's button wag on the top of liis bonnet, " I advise his Excellency the Viceroy not to take example from his admiral, and attempt to pass any such humours on me !" Our Chinese di- plomatists exchanged expressive glances, and for some time all was allowed to go on smoothly. The next experiment which the Mandarin tried on Cap- tain Maxwell's temper relattjd to what is called in China a Security-merchant, a term which requires a little explanation. Every foreign ship which goes to Canton for the purpose of trading is obliged, before commencing business, to have a high bond or security for good behaviour lodged by one of the great dealers in tea, known by the title of Hong merchants. In tlie event of any disturbance occurring on board t})at ship, or any breach of the laws and eustoms of the comitrv beinix committed bv her officers or CANTON. 273 crew, the unhappy Security-meroliant has to pay the penalty — sometimes in the shape of a large fine of hard dollars to the Viceroy, and sometimes in the less expensive shape of a round dozen or two with the bamboo, inflicted in a manner which, were the sufferer a European, would be the most hurt- ful possible to his feelings and dignity, but which in China, where it is said there is not much honour to be tarnished, goes merely for so much drubbing ; and the poor Hong merchant limps on board next day, with tears in his eyes, to supplicate his indis- creet constituents to behave better jn future, if not in consideration of their own interest, &t least in compassion to his poor bones. As men-of-war, however, have nothing to do with the commerce of the port ; as none, indeed, had ever entered the river before, except the ships of Lord Macartney's embassy, the idea of a Secu- rity-merchant for a king's ship had never been dreamed of till this occasion. The Mandarin, not duly warned by the tone and manner of Cap- tain Maxwell's first reply about the facetious admi- ral, or more probably being misled by his uncom- mon gentleness of manner, said it was the inten- tion of the Viceroy not to allow the ships to re- main longer, even at their present anchorage, un- less they procured a Hong merchant forthwith to answer for their good behaviour. " WTiat is it you mean ?" said Captain Maxwell, warming a little ; " let me hear that again, if you please." The Chinese, not altogether at his ease, repeated that security must immediately be lodged for the good behaviour of the ships. " Are you aware," said Captain Maxwall, " that this is a ship of war — King George the Third of England's frigate the 274 CANTON. Alceste ?" — " I did not distinctly understand,'"' stammered out tlie Mandarin, avIio saw too late tliat he A\as iu a scrape, and knew not for his life how to get out of it ; "I wisJied to be better in- formed — I wished merely to learn from you M-ljat carj^o you brought — what kind of goods to dispose of." — " Cargo ! — goods to dispose of !" exclaimed Captain Maxwell, rising and striking the table "vvith his clenclied hand, in admirably feigned anger — '' Cargo, did you say ! — poAvder and shot, sir, are the cargo of a Britisli man-of-war I Did you see his Majesty's pendant flying at the mast-head? If you did not, I desire you will take a good look at it on your way to Canton, where you may tell the Viceroy you have seen a flag that has never yet been dishonoured — and please God, while it waves over my head, it never shall !" When Captain Maxwell began this address, tlio Mandarin openeis hands shaking, as if the cold fit of an ague had overtaken him, doft"ed his cap of office, and gave a glance over his shoulder towards the stem ■windows, to see whether, in extremity, lie had any chance of making his escape. As Captain INIaxwell approach- ed his climax al)out the flag, and struck the table a second time, the IMandarin and interpreter both re- treated, step by step, as far as the sides of the cabin permitted them, where they stood with uplifted hands, quite aghast, and in an ecstacy of terror. It was with the utmost difficulty I kept my counte- nance, for I knew, by a slight and almost imper- ceptible smile at the corner of his mouth, that Cap- tain Maxwell himself, so fai- from having given way to passion, was not only perfectly cool, but was CANTON. 275 enjoying, to the vpry fop of Lis bont, tlio conster- nation into which he had thrown the Viceroy's de- puty and liis attendant. Matters, liowever, were soon apparently re-ad- justed, by Captain IMaxweU's ringing the bell, and ordering some cheiry brandy, which the terrified Mandarin relislied vastly more than the gunpowder speeches he had just been treated with ; and I could see him more than once c£ist a side glance to the racks suspended under the guns, each holding a dozen of twenty-four pound shot. A desuitor}'' conversation ensued, during which all official business was sedulously avoided for a time ; but Captain Maxwell, whose object was to be fully understood, would not allow the unhappy worshipper of Fo to leave the ship ivithout some- thing so explicit, that even the acuteness of Chi- nese diplomacy should not be able to evade or mis- construe it. He accordingly resumed the subject by asking the Mandarin, now he was aware what the frigate's cargo consisted of, whether he thought the Viceroy would grant the proper Chop. " I have no sort of doubt of it," he replied eagerly ; " and if you will only consent to wait till the twen- ty-third day of the moon, four days hence, you may rely upon it that a free permission, a grand Chop of the first order, will be sent to you, together with pilots, refreshments, and all you require." — " Be it so," said Captain 2^Iaxwell • " I am the last man in the world to do anything in a hurry — I have not the least wish to do what is offensive or contrary to the usages of any countiy. But under- stand me, once for all : I am perfectly resolved that neither the Ambassador, nor the flag of my nation, shall be insulted in the manner alluded to 276 CANTON. in the Viceroy's communication ; and if, on or be- fore the twenty-thii'd day of the moon, a free permis- sion to enter the river does not arrive^ I most cer- tainly shall proceed in this ship without it ; and shall not stop till I have reached the spot occupied by Jiis Britannic Majesty's ships employed oji the former embassy. You regulate all things in this Celestial Empire of yours by precedent, you tell me, and it shall go hard but I will furnish you with one that will serve you for many years to come." The Mandai'in thus schooled was in a great hurry to be off, and carrying with him the linguist as a witness to bear him out in the strange story he had to tell, made all sail towards the city. We had a good laugh over the conference when the Chinese had gone away : but I was anxious to know what Captain Maxwell really meant to do in the event of no Chop coming from the Vice- roy. He told me he had no expectation that any permission would come ; and from what he had heard and seen, was satisfied that the Vice- roy was resolved to carry matters to the utmost, feeling confident that his insolence would be tame- ly submitted to as it had heretofore been, on al- most all occasions, even after positive threats had been used. He added, that for his part he did not mean to use any threats, but to act, and if no Chop came on the 11th of this month, which coiTespond- ed with the 23d of the moon, to proceed straight up the river. A well-established precedent was before him in the case of the Lion, Lord Macart- ney's ship, which was permitted to go as high as Wampoa, the station where the China ships take in their cargoes ; and in proportion to the advan- tage supposed to be gained upon that occasion, he 1^ . ^ CANTON. 277 considered the loss would now be great if this point were to be given up. He observed, also, that if he waited for the Ambassador's arrival and in- structions, it would imply a doubt as to the validity of the right ; but as he had no doubt, and meant to admit of none, there was no reason why, in the event of a refusal, it should not be enforced. Be- sides, were the measm-e to be delayed till Lord Amherst should reach Canton, it would throw the whole burthen of responsibility on his Lordship, already abundantly loaded ; on the other liand, by taking it entirely upon himself, the Ambassa- dor would be left more free, and his dignity much better maintained, than if an altercation with the Viceroy were prepared for him. From all we yet knew, the Embassy had failed, and was returning in a manner sufficiently humiliating, without addi- tional dishonour. And Captain Maxwell thought, that if he sailed resolutely up, and took the station which, according to precedent, he was entitled to claim, such a step might show the Chinese, that however we might have failed in obtaining further advantages, the English nation was in no humour to relinquish those which it already possessed. Such being his feelings and views on the occasion, he prepai'ed to carry them into execution, without delay. It must be allowed by all parties, if, indeed, there can be two opinions on the subject, that whether the resolution adopted was right or wrong, prudent or otherv.dse, it evinced a high degree of political courage : since, if the Viceroy's orders to deny admission to his Majesty's ships had really been derived from the Court, a serious national quarrel, or the stoppage of the tea trade at least, VOL. I. 2 a 278 CANTON. would Iia^'O been the inevitable consequence. Be- sides whicli, the Ambassador, and many other Bri- tish subjects, were completely in the ])Ower of the Chinese, and there was no knowing to what risk their lives might be exposed, if the govemment were roused to take summary revenge, for what they might consider an outrage. No doubt, all these considerations had their weight ; but when carefully balanced, they were not found to shake the original plan, deliberately formed, for resisting this attempt to degrade the national character. The twenty-tliird day of the moon came accord- ingly, without any reply from the Viceroy : neither pilot nor Chop maldng its appearance. The LyTa in the meantime was despatched for provisions to the Portuguese settlement of Macao, in the im- mediate neighbourhood. But Captain Maxwell wishing to give ample time, and above all unwill- ing to do anything precipitate, waited four-and- twenty hours later than the day specified ; at the end of which period, on the 12th of November, he weighed and proceeded to Chuen Pee, an anchor- age a few miles below the narrow entrance called the Bogue, or Mouth, the B<>ca of the Portuguese navigators. Here a fleet consisting of seventeen large men-of-war junks, each mounting from four to six guns, mth a complement of sixty men, was drawn up in line-of-battle to oppose the further progress of the frigate. The numerous batteries along shore were also observed to be filled with men : indeed the whole scene indicated a resolu- tion of resisting the intention of the strangers to pass the prescribed limits. A small boat, or as it is called a Sanpan, was now seen to put off from the admiral's junk and make towards the frigate. CANTON. 279 This boat was rowed by a single old woman, which ridiculous circumstance, though not uncommon in the upper parts of the river, was certainly now in- tended as an additional indignity. On her coming alongside, the same interpreter Avho had accompa- nied the INIandarin at the memorable interview of the 7th, made his appearance on the quaiter-deck, along which he strode witli an air of much greater confidence than he had shown in the cabin a few days before. He v/as the bearer of an order, as he expressed it, from the commander-in-chief of the Emperor's war junks, for the frigate to anchor in- stantly. Captain Maxwell, whom nothing could u-ri- tate or discompose, answered this impertinent man- date by joeulaily asking in the broken English used by the interpceter, " Suppose no do — what then ?" " Then, I thinkee," retorted the linguist, with a very significant wink of liis small red eye, — " I thinkee that my great Mandarin there sinkee your ship !" And sure enough, while they were still in conver- sation, the admiral fired first one gun, then another, and ao ou along the whole line. Although these guns were all shotted. Captain Maxwell, with good- humom- and presence of mind, called out that ho was greatly obliged to the admiral for his salute, and ordered tb'ee guns to be fired with powder only, in return for the compliment, but continued his course onwards, under all sail. The Mandarin soon put this mistake to rights by firing more shot, in which example he v/as followed by tlie whole fleet. Their guns were worked with considerable spirit and rapidity ; but somehow or other, not only the admiral, but all the officers under his orders, managed never to strike the frigate, or even to fire directly over her, tailing care to pitch their shot 280 CANTON. either just a-head or just a-stern. It Ib not feir, perhaps, to insinuate what motives influenced this gallant officer on the occasion ; it was sufficient for Captain Maxwell's purpose that no shot actual- ly hit his ship, and he sailed on without taking the smallest notice of the uncivil cannonading in his rear. When the frigate had reached nearly to the Bogue, or entrance, and almost within range of the battery called Annanhoy, the light wind which had carried her so far, gradually died away, and the tide, setting strongly out, rendered it necessary to drop the anchor. The Chinese fleet brought up like- wise, but continued firing away as briskly as before. Captain Maxwell, whose attention had hitherto been occupied by piloting the frigate, was now at leisure to attend to the warlike admiral. He according- ly loaded one of the quarter-deck guns, a two- and-thirty-pound carronade, and having directed it and primed the lock all with his own hands, drew the trigger himself. The gun was aimed so that the shot should pass over the centre of the com- mander-in-chief's junk. The effect was instanta- neous, and most ludicrous : the crews, not only of this vessel, but of the whole line, fell flat on their faces, as Captain Maxwell described it in his letter to me, " like Persians at sun-rise," while the admiral in person was seen for a moment actually in the air, into which he had leaped in the extremity of his amaze, and in the next instant he lay prostrate on the deck. So remarkable was this exhibition, that Captain Maxwell at first feared he had pointed the gun too low, and actually killed the poor Mandarin ; while the sailors, who were in ecstacies with the sight, exclaimed that tlie captain had shot away the Cliina CANTON. 281 admiral's head. \\ ithout any such serious issue, tlift effect was quite as complete,, for the tiling in- stantly ceased. It is an invariable rule in China, wliencver a casualty happens in consequence of guns fired from any foreign ships, to insist upon the man who ac- tually fired the gun being given up, not the officer who gave the order ; as if the guilt rested with the mere agent, rather tlian with the chief at whose in- stigation he has acted. Captain Maxwell was there- fore determined, at all events, to simplify the present question, by loading and firing the first gun witli his own hand, and thus to make himself, in every sense of the word, Chinese as well as European, the responsible person. This incident may perliaps appear a trifle to some persons, but it was one strictly in character with the whole of these pro- ceedings ; and the anecdote is worthy of being borne in the recollection of every officer in command, who, as he shares all, or nearly all the credit of successful enterprize, should be ready to take upon himself the whole weight of censm-e, should the consequences be disastrous. About half past eight o'clock of the same even- ing a breeze spning up, which admitted of the ship steering through the 13ogue. The anchor was in- stantly weighed ; but so vigilant were the Chinese, that the topsails were hardly sheeted liome before a flight of rockets, and a signal gun from the fleet, amiounced that night or day the passage was to be disputed. In the next instant there was a simul- taneous flash of light from one end to the other of the batteries, on both sides of the river sky-rock- ets were thromi up in every direction, and all the A 2 282 CAKTON. embrasures were illuminated in the most brilliant manner. " The boatswain's pipe," to use Captain Maxwell's own expression, " did not man the Al- ceste's guns more smartly than these signals did the Chinese batteries. The very first shot they fired," to continue the extract from a letter I received some days afterwards, " hit us very hard in the bows, and pretty low down ; the second cut away one of the mizen-shrouds, and went through the spanker ; in short, they went on remarkably well. It really put us quite in mind of old times again. My orders were that not a shot should be fired until one was heard from the quarter-deck, the trigger of which I pulled myself when within less than half-musket shot of Annanhoy, the battery at the Bogue ; and then the main-deck and forecastle very speedily put out all the John China-man's lights. It really was a very fine and spirited scene while it lasted. " But the best effect of the whole is," continues Captain Maxwell, " that the Viceroy has quite re- covered his good breeding, and become remarka- bly civil. A Mandaiin of much higher rank than our former visitor was sent down to where the ship had anchored in the river, after passing the batte- ries, to say that I might come as far as I pleased ; that the Lyra might also enter the river when I pleased ; all boats might pass and repass the Bogue when I pleased ; in short everything is to be done according to my pleasure : and, what is amusing enough, a Chop, or edict, has been published In Canton, stating that the Alceste had entered /^nd come up the river by the Viceroy's exprj^^' per- mission, in the same manner as the ehips 61' the for- mer embassy," CANTON. 283 Thus fer Captain Maxwell ; but I cannot omit relating two chai^acteristic traits of this officer, of which he has omitted all mention himself. At the time of passing through the Bogue, and after the first broadside from the frigate had been -poured into the batteiy, but while some of the guns still continued firing at the ship, the greater number of the Chinese who had not been knocked over by the Alceste's fire, scampered off to the right and left up the hill, each with a paper lantern in his hand, thus affording a conspicuous mark for the small arms. Captain Maxwell, however, jumped on the poop, and would not allow a single musket to be fired ; remarking that his pui-pose was to effect a passage by silencing the great guns, and that if he could avoid it not a single Chinese should be hurt. The other anecdote is equally in character. On the morning after the ship had passed the batte- ries, and reached the intended anchorage. Captain Maxwell ordered his gig, a small four-oared boat, to be manned ; and without taking arms, or making any previous stipulations for his own safety, rowed straight up to Canton, a distance of more than thirty miles from his ship. The news of the action had preceded his arrival, and immense multitudes were assembled to see the oflicer who had destroyed those fortresses considered by the whole empire as impregnable. He was received on the wharf by the members of the British Factory with al- most equal admiration. " Gentlemen," said he, " I have felt it my duty to take a step of great importance, and one wluch may perhaps serious- ly involve not only the Ambassador and his suite, but all of you ; and as I am the person principally concenied, I have come here to share the risk what- 284- CANTON. ever ii may prove." The crowd as he- walked along fell back in as much amaze as if a tij:er from the woods had sprung amongst them, but towards evening tliey were all dispersed, and the danger which, liad he shrank from facing it, would have been imminent, was entirely at an end. While Captain Maxwell was thus busily'eraploy- ed, I had proceeded by his orders on the 7th Novem- ber to a harbour called the Typa, within a mile or two of Macao. Early next morning a large Chinese war vessel, mounting seven guns and crowded with people, anchored about a quarter of a mile to the eastwai-d of us. All eyes were turned to this new and strange sight, for we had not before seen any junk nearly so large ; but wliilst we were engagetl in examining her more minutely, another still lar- ger dropped anchor under our stern ; presently an- other took his station on the bow, and one on the quarter, till in the course of half an hour we found ourselves fau'ly encaged by these immense vessels. One very zealous officer amongst them took a birtli rather too close as I thought, as he brought up ac- tually within the Lyra's buoy. So great a depai'ture from professional etiquette I imagined must be in- tended as a prelude to something hostile, and I pre- pared my little ship for the contest. We had only ten guns, indeed, but these were tliirty-two pound car- ronades, and we might, I dare say, have done very well on the occasion of coming to blows, unless, indeed, it had occurred to the Chinese to have sail- ed their immense castles one on each side of us, in which case the poor Lyra must have been crushed like an egg-shell. For the smallest of these junks could not have been less than four or five times CANTON. 285 our tonnage, and at least three thnes as high out of the water. As soon as the guns were shotted, I sent my boat to the junk which had anchored so close as almost to be touching us, to beg he would move a little further off. The officer of my boat found a linguist on board, to whom he readily ex- plained the impropriety of anchoring so near ; and I confess I was not sorry to observe my friend comply so readily, and get his anchor up again to take his station along with the rest of the fleet. It was soon apparent they intended us no immedi- ate mischief, but were sent to watch us, and I sup- pose to keep us in awe ; for everj'' morning and evening, at sun -rise and sun-set, there was a grand mustering on board each junk ; all the crews were displayed on the decks, and a furious beating of gongs set up, which was doubtless meant to be very terrific and impressive. We took no further notice, but proceeded "with our re-equipment, till on the 15th of November ac- counts reached Macao that Captain Maxwell had been engaged with the batteries, and had after- wards sailed up the river. I was on shore at Macao at the time the news arrived, but went on board in- stantly to see what part the Chinese fleet would take, not knowing how far it might suit the admiral's ideas of the service, to \dsit the sins of the frigate upon the sloop of war. But to my surprise I be- held them all getting under weigh in the utmost hurry and confusion, as if the pigmy Lyra was go- ing to swallow these giants up ; and without wait- ing for order of battle, or any order at all, ran off as hard as they could scamper out of our reach, into the inner harbour of Macao, where they crowded 286 CANTON. themselves together like sheep, and moored in a compact body, actually touching one another. As I knew nothing of the Alceste's proceedings, except througli the reports of the Chinese and Por- tuguese, which varied every hour, I resolved to wait Captain Maxwell's further instructions. It was a week before I heard from him, and my or- ders then were to proceed up the river, to where the Alceste lay, and not to return the fire of the batteries, should they recommence hostilities, but in that case to anchor below the Bogue, until I was joined by the frigate. In order to avoid all mis- takes, or misunderstandings, he also sent me po- sitive dii'ections to avoid all intercourse with the Chinese, whatever advances might be made by the commanders of the forts or fleets. In pursuance of these directions, I tripped my anchor on the 25th, and sailed out of the Typa ; but the tides not being favourable, we were obliged to force our way through the mud, and at one place actually sailed for upwards of half a league in two feet less water, by the sounding line, than the ship drew : that is to say, we appeared to be in ten feet water, while the vessel drew tv/elve. The moment our sails were set, we obseri'ed a stir amongst the men-of-war junks, and in a little while they came out one by one. As the wind was against us, we had to make a tack towards the harbour s mouth, where we were met by the whole eight sail of the line, gaily dressed out In long swallow-tailed streamers, and led by their gallant commodore, who carried a flag tn-ice as large as any of the rest. At sunset it fell calm, and the tide having turned, we all anchored toge- ther, no one of the junlis bcuig above a cable's CANTON. 287 length, or two hundred yra'ds from the brig. As soon as the sails were furled, the commodore man- ned Ills bai'ge, and came liimself to pay the Lyi*a a vi&it. I should liave been very glad to liave recei- red him, but Captain Maxwell's orders against any intercourse being explicit, I could do nothing but decline his civility, and keep him off. In spite of all I could do, however, he rowed alongside, and sent an officer up with his card. This personage who for- ced his way on board addressed me in these words, "I come to see about your pigeon." — "My pigeon," said I ; " I have no pigeons on board, and you must go away — I cannot receive you — go down the side, if you please." — " No ! no," exclaimed he, by way of clearing up the mystery, " my master, this great Mandarin," pointing to his chief, " has come to see about the ship's pigeon." While I was puzzling over this speech, I observed the commodore and two or three of his attendants climbing on board the brig, and therefore called out to some of the sailors, " Here, my lads, put this gentleman into his boat again." In an instant a couple of strapping fellows, who liked no better sport, leaped up, and would have tumbled the poor Chinese over the gangway in a trice, had I not caught their arms. The inter- preter, seeing what was going to happen, made a wise and precipitate retreat, dragging the com- mander-in-chief along with him by the tail, and screaming to the boatmen to shove off. I was really extremely sorry to be gnilty of such rudeness ; but my orders being imperative, I had no other way of resisting such determined in- trusion, but that of threatening to throw the fore- most of my visitors overboard. I was glad it waa not the chief himself who led the wav, as I must 288 CANTON. have used some equally uncivil arguments with him, which I confess would have been a monstrous breach of naval etiquette. I afterwards learned that the word " pigeon," in the strange jargon which is spoken at Canton by way of English, means business, so that what the linguist meant to say was, " I am come to see about your business." It is, perhaps, not generally known that all transactions between foreigners, of whatever nation, are earned on here in a singular dialect, called English, but which is scaixely in- telligible at first, even to an Englishman, and must be totally unintelligible to every other foreign- er. It is made up of English, Portuguese, and Chinese, and although barbarous in the highest degree, must be studied by every trader at the port. Until very lately, all business was transacted by the British Factory in this most absurd lan- guage. Of late years, however, the Company's ser- vants at Canton have made themselves acquainted both with the written and spoken Chinese, and everything material now passes in the language of the country. The natives themselves, whose prin- ciple it is to discourage all assimilation, sometimes lament this newly acquired power of commimica- ting, and look back with regret to the times when the supercargoes drank a great deal of wine, and spoke not a word of their language. " Now," as I heard one of the Hong merchants say, with a sigh and a shake of the head, " the English speak Chinese as well as I do, and drink nothing but wa- ter." As soon as the tide served next morning, after daybreak, we weighed, in company with the fleet, and continued all day beating to wuidward. For CANTON. 289 some time these vessels held very good way with us, but when the breeze freshened we left them to leeward, tliough not by any means so fast as we had been led to expect we should have done. Dming the day we often crossed one another, on opposite tacks, sometimes to -odudward, sometimes to leeward, and often so close as almost to touch, making a very amusing and spirited sailing-match. As the night closed in I let go my anchor, not being willing to incur the risk of ninning upon the shoals. The Chinese commodore and two of his next best sailers were just in sight at sunset, far to leeward, but^being well acquainted with the river they had no occasion to anchor, and before mid- night, they were once more clustered round their little charge. We were now at Chuen Pee where Captain Maxwell had anchored previous to enter- ing the Begiie, and I could observe from the lights in the batteries, and an occasional rocket, that the garrison were no less upon the alert than they had been upon that occasion. By the fiist peep of dawn next morning we were again under weigh, and about breakfast-time steer- ed for the nan-ow neck, or Bogue, the scene of ac- tion on the 13th. The flags were hoisted at all the signal-posts, and the batteries eveiywhere cro^ivded with people. I went as close as possible to Annan- hoy, in order to see what damage had been done. Thirty-nine pieces of cannon were counted, none of them less than twenty-four pounders, and all within five or six feet of the level of the water ; and so judiciously arranged, that if properly served, tliey might repulse a considerable force. The face of the wall, blown down by the Alceste's broad- side, had been built up again, and the Chinese rau8t VOL. I. 2 b 9 290 CANTON. have worked night and day to conceal their disas- ter. From the new ajipearance, however, of the works, and the marks of sliot on the steep face of the rock immediately behind the guns, I should think that most, if not all the guns must have been dismounted, and the embrasures beaten together. As the Alceste passed considerably within her own length of the battery, and the water was perfectly smooth, every shot must have told. We were greeted very differently ; for as we passed, a boat with four large skulls, and dressed up with long streamers reaching to the water, came from the fort with an officer, Avho hailed us, and said he was sent by the governor to ask if we want- ed a pilot or any other assistance. But he did not come close alongside, having probably heard from the admiral, whose boat we saw lying at the sally-port of the battery, that we were not very civil to our visitors. I hesitated a moment whether or not I should take a pilot, but upon considering the matter a little, declined his offer, and he row- ed back again, after making the most respectful sa- lams as he took his leave. I refused this offer not only from feeling confident that we could do Avithout assistance, but also because I thought it Hkely that Captain Maxwell, who had himself taken the fri- gate up, might wish to demonstrate to the Chinese that we could do without them in this matter ; a circumstance, we learned afterwards, winch caused almost as much surprise at Canton as the passage of the batteries. There was, however, no mysteiy in the case, as an admirable chart of the river had been constructed shortly before this period, by Cap- tain Daniel Ross, a gentleman to whom the naviga- tors of every nation, whose business leads them CANTON. 291 to the Eastern seas, are ilidebted in the highest degree. The East India Company liave the sole merit, and a very high one it is, of ha\'ing originated the splendid idea of surveying in a scientific manner, not only the vast seas and coasts of China, but all the straits, bays, and islands in the Indian Ocean and Malay Archipelago. This work, perhaps the most useful, and certainly the greatest of its kind that any nation ever undertook, has been steadily caiTied on at an enormous expense for many years, imder every circumstance of peace or war. To many persons this langxiage may seem too strong ; but I write without exaggeration, at the dictation of feelings which most people will be ready to make allowance for. In an open sea, in broad day-light, and in fine weather, nothing can be more delight- ful than sailing along on such a voyage as ours to visit strange countries. But when the scene is changed to a dark stormy night, in nan-ow rocky passages, with rapid tides sweeping through them, the blessing of such chai'ts as those of Captain Ross, and such dnections as those of Hor^burgh, is felt in a manner that the " gentlemen of England, who live at home at ease,'' can form but a faint con- ception of. The flood tide was now making, and we were carried gently past the various batteries on both sides of the river, eveiy one of which sent off a boat to offer us any assistance we might require: but I declined all then' offers. At noon it fell al- most calm, but the water being perfectly smooth, the brig still had steerage way, and I sent the people to dinner, thinking we should not require them to perform any evolution before one o'clock. 292 CANTON. The laBt drain of the flood was now stealing alor^, and the river seemed like a bowl filled up to the brim. Tlie banks were low and swampy, without trees or houses, or any definite land-mark, by which our precise place could be told. Everything look- ed so perfectly placid, that I dreamed of no danger, after having already navigated by the chart, for thirty or forty miles through a succession of intri- cate and dangerous shoals. I was thus lulled into an undue degi-ee of security, and permitted the tide to drift the brig silently and imperceptibly towards the Eastern bank of tliis immense river. While I was standing on the poop, endeavouring, if possible, to catch some object on the monoto- nous flat shore, by which the vessel's progress might be indicated, a small Cliinese boat glided slowly up under the quarter, as if to watch our motions. I took no notice of the boatman, who, however, after lying in the same spot for five minutes, stood up, and said in English, " Don't you want a pilot ?" I said, " Oh, no — I know the river as well as you do. I want no pilot." The man shrugged his shoulders and sat down again. It now wanted only ten minutes of one, but I was unwilling to disturb the people at their meal, although I began to sus- pect, from seeing the buU-mshes a little more dis- tinctly, that we were drifting too near, and in the next moment we slipped gently upon a shoal — so gently indeed, that I should not have known it, had not the tide, along with which we had been borne insensibly, now streamed past us. The hands were up instantly, and an anchor and hawser, kept in readiness alongside for such accidents, sent out to draw us off the ground. While this was going on, the Chinese in liis boat paddled once more close under CANTOX. 203 tlie spot where I was standing", and said, vvitii liis former tone and manner, and the addition of a knowing smile, " Don't you want a pilot ?" I laugh- ed, and told him to come on board. In half an horn- we were again afloat, and a light breeze springing up, we soon reached the anchorage called the Second Bai', where a fleet of fourteen large ships of the East India Company lay at an- chor. Being uncertain at first whether the brig would soon get afloat again or not, I had thought it best to make a signal for assistance. In less than an hour, upwai'ds of a dozen of the Indiamcn's long- boats, each manned with not less than eighteen hands, came to us. Before they reached the brig we had got off the shoal, and I might have made signals to show they were no longer necessary, but was willing to indulge both my own crew and these strangers with a meeting. We had now been nearly nine months from England, during the whole of which period we Iiad either been at sea, or amongst remote countries, beyond the reach of news ; and nothing, certainly, was ever better bestowed than this rencontre. Our men were bursting Avith ea- gerness to tell the story of their adventures, and the people in the boats, who had just airived from England, had much to impart of friends and home. On reaching the Alceste, I found orders lying for me to proceed to Canton ; and as a captain of one of the tea ships was just sotting ofi:" in a large and commodious barge, I prefeiTed accompanying him to rowing up alone. Probably, had I gone in a man- of-war's boat, the Chinese, who had treated Cap- tain Maxwell with great politeness wherever he passed, might have been equally civil to his bro- ther officer. But thcv observed no such delicacy 'b 2 294 CANTON. in the case of the East India captain ; for wherever we passed, they climbed to the most eonspicuoua parts of their boats, and saluted us in a style the very furthest removed from good manners ; suit- ing the rudest actions to words probably not more courteous. The eloquence was quite thrown away upon us, but there was no mistaking the pur- port of the gesture. For some time this was amu- sing, rather than otherwise ; and to me at least the whole scene, fi-om beginning to end, was subject of unmixed entertainment. But my companion, though one of the best men alive, was not the most patient person in the fleet, and replied at first to these insults by a few emphatic oaths in broad Scotch. Presently he stood up, and shook his fist in a very angry manner, which produced no- thing but a loud and scernful laugh ; this instant- ly drove my friend into a towering passion ; and before I could stop him, he caught up a fowling- piece, lying on the stem sheets, and discharged it directly at a thick cluster of Chinese, not one of whose faces could be seen, but who neverthe- less offered a most conspicuous front to his aim. Fortunately the piece was loaded with snipe-shot, and the distance being considerable, the dose, thus promptly administered, acted merely as a sedative, not only upon the crew of the neai'est vessel, but upon that of every other in sight. " There, you long-tailed rascals," exclaimed the Highlander, " there is a second edition of Maxwell and the batteries for you !" And no doubt the effect was analogous ; for many weeks afterwards, when I passed in the same boat with the same person, the natives recognised the hand that had peppered them, and were extremely civil as we rowed along. CANTON. 295 We had thus to fight our way, step by step, in- to the good gi-aces of the Cliinese. The last con- flict which we had with tliem took place about an hour after I had readied Canton, at Captain Max- well's lodgings. We heard a great noise at the top of the stairs, and on going out to see what was the matter, found my coxswain and boat's crew in high altercation with a Chinaman, who was endea- vouring to deprive them of a tnmk which they caiTied on their shoulders. My boat had followed ine to Canton, and the sailors on landing naturally brought the things to our lodgings : just as they crossed the threshold, however, they were observed by the IVIandarin of the custom-house, wlio called out to them to stop, and insisted upon searching the packages. Jack resisted this, and both parties having entered the house, the action which had disturbed us was raging on the staircase. As it was an established practice at Canton for no Chinese authority to enter the house of a Euro- pean resident without fii'st obtaining permission, this proceeding was quite contrary to usage. At all events. Captain Maxwell, who had commenced by assimiing a high tone in great matters, was resol- ved to cai-ry it through even in trifles, and turning to the Chinese, asked him by what right he had dared to violate the quarters assigned to his Bri- tannic Majesty's officers, without fii'st appealing to him. The Mandarin looked a little sui-prised ; but a reply being insisted upon, he said it was quite a mistake — that he had imagined the tninks had belonged to some merchant ship, and not to a king's ship. " Well, then," said Captain Max- well, " you must learn better in future." And turn- ing to tlie sailors, ordered them to put the officer 296 GANT0X. out of the house, and retired to liis own room, whis- pering to me in passing to take care tliat the intru- der Avas not liurt. I had enou|2:h to do, liowever, to attend to this hhit, for my fellov/s, the moment they heard the word« " turn him out," caught up the unhappy Chinaman, and bore him along over their heads, till they reached the door, whence, as they expressed it, they gave liim fresh head-way into the street ; and in fact, had it not been for the crowd assembled before the door, against whom he fell headlong, it might have fared worse for the poor Mandarin, who, gatheripcr himself up, took to his heels, and never stopped till he reached his little office at the beach. The rest of the crowd, fan- cying, by the impetus wdth which their countryman had been projected from the house, that the temble Captain himself w^as in his rear, were seized with a panic, and in a few seconds not a soul was to ba seen. Under any other than the veiy peculiar cir- cumstances in which we were placed, such de- termined measures for maintaining our independ- ence might have been questionable. As it was, however, we remained after these contests several months at Canton without receiving the slightest in- sult ; and the gentlemen of the Factory declared, that they had never, till now, been treated even with common attention ; and when at last the Embassy arrived from the interior, the Chinese vied with one another who should be most obliging. It must be remembered, in considering these questions, that England has no treaty with China ; everything, therefore, relating to tlie intercourse of foreigners, being regulated by cu-tom. alone, it becomes real- CANTON. 297 ly important, when an opportunity occurs, to es- tablish convenient, instead of irksome usages. In tliis view. Captain Maxwell, the next day, explain- ed in an official communication to the Chinese au- thorities, that as his Majesty's ships had nothing to do with trade, none of their boats ever carried goods; and he pledged himself to take care that no smuggling occurred through their means; but he positively refused to allow a king's boat or a king's officer under any pretence whatsoever to be search- ed. And although at a distance this may be thought an insignificant matter, it was considered a material point gained, in a coimtry where such trifles take the place of more important affairs ; and where, in fact, if they were not attended to from time to time, the life of a foreigner would soon be- come almost insupportable. In tliis point of view, it is extremely satisfactory to leara, that ever since the wholesome lessons which Captain Maxwell read to the Chinese on the score of good manners, there has been a remarkable improvement in the condition of all the foreign residents, who have the supreme happiness, as the Chinese express it, of being suffered to live in the Celestial Empire. So much has been written respecting China, and especially about Canton, that I shall be excused for not enteiing on so threadbare a subject. We were allowed to walk about the streets to a great distance fi'om the Factory, without meeting any kind of obstruction or insult ; and when we hap- pened to come near the gates of the Citadel or inner town, were \^'arned off by sentinels witli long- poles, but no impediments were ever thrown in the way of oui- examining the shops, or the difforpnt manufactories, with which the other parts of this ini- 298 CANTON. mense city abound; and as the sight of Europeans was familiar to the people, no notice was taken of us, and every one continued at his business as if no stranger was looking on. The gentlemen of the Embassy, when they returned from travelling upwards of a thousand miles through the interior of the country, declared that in a few days they had seen in Canton not only everything they had met with before, but could observe it to better pur- pose than during the journey. The only evil likely to attend these perambula- tions through the streets, was the loss of a hand- kerchief or two. A Chinese thief picked my pocket one day, so dexterously, that I did not per- ceive the loss : but my companion, the same gentleman vA^o had silenced the significant saluta- tion of the Chinese boatmen, and who was better acquainted with the people, detected the rogue, and caught him by the end of his long tail, as it was whisking round the corner of the street. He began instantly to belabour the thief with liis cano, and what seemed odd enough, to the entire satis- faction of the multitude, who, so far from attempt- ing a rescue, encouraged the due infliction of this discipline. After a certain number of blows had been given, however, there was a cry of '• enoiigh," and I was informed that if the punishment had not been discontinued at once, the extra allowance bestowed on the culprit, would have been paid back to the donor with a certain ]>er-centage of interest. It seems every conceivable offence in China has its numerical value expressed in terms of the bamboo, l)y which alone it can be expiated ; and as this scale is well known to every man in the streets, a stranger is safe in administering tlic CANTON. 299 law himself, since he may be quite sure of having a limit set to his proceedings when, according to the refined calculus alluded to, justice has been satisfied. I was never very desirous of putting this to the test of actual experiment, but some days afterwards v.'hen the Siivue fellow again pick- ed my pocket, I seized him by the collar and was carrying him to the Police OfHce close at hand, when he fell on his knees and supplicated me to beat him, knowing perhaps that the sitting Man- darin would not let him off so cheaply as I should. The oddity of the request disai-med me entirely, and I gave hini a small copper coin, bidding him not rob me any more — and he adhered faithfully to his promise, although I passed him frequently every day. This man was as ^^ell known to the police, as our professional rogTies in London are said to be to the officers of Bow-Street, and as far as I could leara, made his bread by the same laud- able calling. The convention between him and me did not extend to my countrymen, however, and in tlje course of ten days, one of the midshipmen of my ship, a careless, gaping mortal, whose insa- tiable curiosity led him to wander in a sort of ec- stacy through the streets, lost no less than twelve pocket-handkerchiefs ; so that he became a sort of little fortune to my friend the pickpocket, who looked very ill pleased one day when I passed in company with the youngster, and by keeping be- tween them convoyed him in safety for once. This persevering rogue never sliifted his station, but sat curled up like a spider in his hole, at the end of one of the numerous little bridges which cross the streets of Canton. It may not be uninteresiing to Italian travellers 300 CANTON. to mention that about two years afterwards when in Venice, I was struck with the exact resemblance between one of the canal bridges of that city, and the post of this Chinese thief. Pursuing the pa- rallel, I was led to recognise the most remarkable similarity in the two places. Of course, I do not speak of the open squares and finer parts of Ve- nice, for there is nothing similar to these in Can- ton : but in all that quarter of the town, which lies between the RiaJto and the Place of St Mark, the coincidence is exact ; and he who has seen one of these cities, can form a tolerably correct concep- tion of the other. The streets are paved exactly in the same style — they are of the same width — have the same degi'ee of light — the shops are just of the same dimensions and foi-m — the Iiouses are equal in height. The only difference that I could discover, lies in the signs : in China, each shop has a large finely japanned boai'd, six feet long, with gilt letters, hanging not horizontally lilve ours in Europe, but pei'pendicularly, and left loose to flap about with the wind on one side of the door. Neither in Venice nor in Canton, are there any wheeled-caniages or horses ; the same method of carrying loads at the end of poles across tJie shoulders, being practised in both places, a cir- cumstance which tends greatly to heighten the un- expected resemblance between two places so re- mote from each other, and so differently ciixum- stanced. On the first of Janu-ary 1817, a gi-and proces- sion of the boats of the men-of-war, and of all the Indiamen, left Canton, where they had been assem- bled in readiness for two days, and rowed about a league and a half up the river to meet the Am- CANTON 301 bassador. The Chinese authorities were sorely an- noyed by such a host of men in theic city, for there were thu'ty large boats, each carrying about sixteen men, all diessed alike, and kept in the strictest dis- cipline under their respective officers. These pre- parations were made to ensure the Ambassador as respectable an entry into the city as possible, but not until it was found, upon application to the local government, that it was intended to pay him none of the usual honoms. When the baffled Viceroy, however, beheld boat after boat arriving in his city, he would have been glad to have made any conditions on the subject of Lord Amherst's reception ; but Captain Maxwell had taken his line, and it was now too late. When the procession reached the Factory, the boats drew up and saluted his Excellency with three hearty cheers, the sound of which reached as fai- as the Viceroy's palace, and is said to have distm'bed him exceedingly. VOL. I. 2 c 302 INTEIIVIKW WITH BUONAPARTE. CHAPTER Vn. INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPAKTE AT ST HELENA IN AUGUST 1817. In pursuance of Captain Maxwell's plan, ar- rangements were made by which Lord Amherst left Canton with still greater pomp and ceremony than he had entered it. He embarked at Wampoa on board the Alceste, which for this purpose was anchored at the highest point ever reached by any foreign ship : and such was the improvement in Chinese manners in the interval, that as the frigate dropped down the river, and passed the batteries a second time, the British flag was honourec^ by a complimentary salute from each in succes- sion. The Embassy finally quitted China in Janu- ary 1817. The subsequent fate of the frigate, and the new and arduous duties which fell to the lot of her commander on that trying occasion, are well known to the world. The Lyra was sent to Cal- cutta with despatches to the Governor-general ; from wlience she proceeded to Madras and the Isle of France, and after a prosperous and pleasant piis- sage round the Cape of Good Hope, anchored at St Helena on the 11th of August. Of course, nothing could engage our attention on arriving at this island so strongly as its wonder- INTERVIEiy WITH BUONAPARTE. 803 ful inhabitant, Napoleon Buonaparte. For many weeks before, tlie probability of seeinsr him had enn^rossed the thoughts of every one on board in a degree which it is difficult to describe, and would hardly be credited by those who, from distance or other circumstances, never by any possibility could have been admitted to his presence. Whatever pre- judices or opinions we might previously have en- tertained respecting his character, every former sen- timent was now overwhelmed by the intense anxiety to see a man who had exercised such an astonish- ing influence over the destinies of mankind. The vivid interest recently excited in our minds by tra- velling into remote countries, and being the first to contemplate unknown nations, and a totally new state of manners, high though it had been, and univer- sally felt, was feeble in comparison to what we now experienced, when conscious of being within so short a distance of such a man as Napoleon. I say this without the least affectation, but simply as a curious fact in the history of curiosity, if I may use so quaint an expression, by which every individual on board, high as well as low, was infinitely more occupied about this one man, than he had been witli all the incidents of our singulai* voyage put to- gether. Even those of our number who, from their situation, could have no chance of seeing him, caught the fever of the moment, and the most cold and indifferent person on board was roused on the occasion into unexpected excitement. If this were true of others, it was ten times more striking in the case of those who had any expectation of being ad- mitted to an interview; and I landed with two gen- tlemen who were passengers m my bhip, in a state 304. INTEIIVILW WITH BUONAPARTE. of greater anxiety tlian I ever experienced before or since. As I had the pleasure of being personally ac- quainted with the governor and his family, ajid had received an invitation to live at Plantation-House, I calculated with some confidence on the assistance which this acquaintance would afford in forward- ing the object in view. Before taking any steps, however, I waited upon the Admiral to receive his orders for my further proceedings. He had no objections to my attempting to see Buonaparte, but gave me very slender hopes of success ; and on reaching the governor's country-house, I was much disappointed by finding that Buonaparte and he were on terms which rendered it impossible for him to request an interview for any stranger. He most kindly, however, undertook to do all that was in his power, and immediately wrote a note to Captain Blakeney, the officer who was at that period in charge of Longwood, to say that I had just anived from the Eastern Seas, and was desi- rous of waiting upon General Buonaparte, to whom my wishes were to be made known in the manner most likely to succeed. No answer came that evening ; and I did not sleep a wink all night. A positive refusal would probably have had a different effect ; the disap- pointment must have been submitted to ; but this uncertainty was harassing and agitating in a de- gree which, though it sui^prised me a good deal at the time, I have since learned to consider per- fectly natural : for I see abundant explanation of my anxiety and want of rest, on comparing what I feel now on the subject, with the lasting regret I should inevitably have experienced, liad I failed, INTERVIEV/ WITH BUONAPARTE. 30;5 when SO very near, to see the most reniarkahle man ' of the age. This liiglit was succeeded hy a still more an- xious morning. After breakfast an answer came from Longwood to say, that my name had been mentioned to Buonaparte, as well as my desire of paying my respects to him ; but it seemed he had not taken the slightest notice of the communica- tion. Captain Blakeney added, that he thought it might be as well for me to come to Longwood, as Buonaparte might possibly choose to receive me if actuaUy on the spot : I accordingly rode over, ac- companied by my two companions. Dr O'Meara and Captain Blakeney received us as we entered the grounds of Longwood, but gave us no hopes. Buonaparte, they were sony to say, was not in a humour to see any one ; he had not even mentioned my name ; and in all probability did not choose to have the subject spoken of again. It was a pity, they said, that we had not been a few minutes sootier, as he had been walking in the garden, and we might at least have had the sa- tisfaction of seeing him. Here was a fresh mortifi- cation, and we felt that we could have gone away contented and happy had we got but one glimpse of him, and have had it to say, or rather to feel and recollect, that so prodigious a meteor had not shot across the political sky of our times without an-est- ing, if only for an instant, our actual observation. I have often heai'd this description and degree of curiosity called unreasonable, and have even known some people who said they would have cared mighty little to see Buonaparte; that in short they would hardlvhave crossed the street uieroly to see 2 c 2 306 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. Iiim. With such persons I can acknowledge no sympathy in tliis matter; and without fearing to lay myself open to the charge of trifling, I can assert with confidence, that no exertions I have ever made, have been nearly so well repaid by subse- quent reflection, as those which have had for their object to get even a momentary view of distin- guished men. This is most especially true in the case of Buonaparte ; and it would be easy, were it not tedious and out of place, to explain, and, as I think, to justify all this. Meanwhile we proceeded onwards to Count Bertfand's house, at the bottom of the gently slo- |>ing bank, on the western brow of which stood the dwelling of Buonaparte. Between the two houses lay a neat flower-gai-den, intersected by gra- vel walks, and enclosed by a low hedge : the immedi- ate vicinity was distinguished from the surrounding bleak and desolate country by a few trees, dropped as if by accident in the desart. The Countess Ber- trand received us in the midst of her family, in a small, low, uncomfortable apartment, which was rendered still more incommodious in consequence of some repairs in another part of the house, from whence the furniture had been removed ; so that sofas, beds, and tables, were huddled together where they had no proper places. The good lady her- self seemed to be suffering from toothache ; the day was cold, and the scanty fire scarcely warmed the room ; a little child was moaning in its mother's arms, and in short, everything wore an air of dis- comfort. The person most concerned, however, appeared to be the least sensible of anything being wiong, and received us with smiles and kindness, INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 807 and spared us all apology for the disorganized state of her establishment. Several very pretty children hearing the voices of strangers, came running in, and played merrily round us during all om* stay, unconscious, poor little things, of the strange re- verses of fortune under which their parents were suffering. The Countess appeared a remarkably lady-like person; and what was more to our pur- pose, spoke English perfectly w^ell, and soon gain- ed our good-will by the active interest she took in the object we had so much at heart, and on which alone we could think or speak. In a short time she had wrought herself into so much anxi- ety about our seeing the Emperor, that a stranger coming in might have thought she was one of the party who were endeavouring to see him for the first time. Her husband was also very obliging, and seemed willing to forward our views as much as lay in his power ; but he partook little of the vi- vacity of his wife, and seemed upon the whole rather out of spirits, and not altogether pleased with his situation. He described himself, indeetl, as having suflFered considerably in health from the confinement and the insalubrious air of the cli- mate. After sitting for about half an hour chatting on various topics, but always coming round to the ori- ginal subject which filled oui- thoughts. Count Ber- trand caught some portion of the interest we felt, and in which his wife so strongly participated. He said it was just possible the Emperor might ad- mit us : at all events he would wait upon him, to communicate our wishes, and return presently to let us know how he had fared in his mission. Tlve 308 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. interval was passed in a state of the utmost anxiety, and at every casual sound which we thought might be Count Bertrand's footstep, we started up, in ex- pectation of a summons. Madame Bertrand mean- while alternately consoled us, and rallied us u])on our taking the matter so much to heai*t. Half an hour at least elapsed before we heard anything of his success : at length the door opened, and instead of the Grand Marshal himself, a servant entered and said he was desired to tell us, that the Em- peror, on retuiTiing from his walk, had thrown oflf his coat, and lain down on the sofa ; in short, that lie did not choose to receive any visitors. Here, then, was a termination to all oui' ex- pectations ; and we rose to take leave with a mix- ed feeling of regret at having lost the pleasure we had promised ourselves ; some degree of provo- cation at Napoleon's cavalier treatment of us ; and perhaps a little dash of self-reproach, for having given the whole aiFaif sucli immense importance. After mounting our horses, and riding away for about a quarter of a mile, it was recollected we had not seen Dr O'Meara on lea^-ing the grounds of Longwood ; and, having heard that this gentle- man was intimately acquainted with Buonaparte's disposition and habits, we turned our horses' heads back again, and found the Doctor at the gate. He gave us little or no hopes of accompMsliing a sight of Buonaparte by any means he could think of ; and we were just coming away, when I chan- ced to mention my regret at not seeing tlie Empe- ror, as I wished to ask about Brienne, where my father. Sir James Hall, had passed some time at the very period he was a student at the IMilitary INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 309 College there, Dr O'Meara said this materially altered the case, since Buonapai^e took gi-eat in- terest in every circumstance reLtive to Brienne, however minute, and might very possibly have ad- mitted me, had he known more particularly who I was. He added, that Buonaparte had already made some ^inquiries respecting the L)Ta's voy- age to the East, but was not sufficiently inte- rested by wliat he had heard, to see me on that account alone ; and that some farther motive was wanting to induce him to afford me an audience. It was now, however, long past his usual hour of seeing company, and Dr O'Meara recommended us to go away for the night, promising, if an opportu- nity occurred, to speak to him on the subject ; and, if anything encouraging took place, to inform the Governor of it by telegraph. With this slender hope we again left Longwood ; my fi-iends took the direct road to James's Town, while I recrossed the hills to Plantation-House. We were greatly surprised next morning not to receive any telegi*aphic message, favourable or otherwise ; but I kept my horse at the door, saddled, and all ready to start at a moment's warning. At one o'clock it was discovered that a signal had been made and duly received, more than an horn- before, at the gate of Plantation-House, to the fol- lowing effect : — " General Buonaparte wishes to see Captain Hall at two o'clock." The signal-man, knowing nothing of me, naturally conceived that I must be in James's Town, and repeated the sig- nal to the Fort, near the anchorage ; so that it was not until the message had been transmitted back again from the town to Plantation-House, that I knew anything of the matter. 310 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPAUTE. It was as much as I could now do to save my time, l)y galloping at the risk of my neck over the hills to Longwood, at the gate of whicli I found the other gentlemen, who had hurried from the ship on hearing of the signal. The Countess Ber- trand, to whose house we were conducted, was un- affectedly delighted to hear the news. ^ Her rooms were now all in order, the toothache gone, and everything wore a more smiling aspect than on the day before. The Count informed us it was the Emperor's desire that I should be introduced first, alone, and my companions afterwards, together. As I had been told of his impatient manner to those who understood French imperfectly, I requested Gene- ral Bertrand to be present, in case I should hap- pen not to understand what was said, or, from want of familiarity with tlie language, not be able to make myself understood. He assm'ed me that there need be no difficulty on this head ; and ob- served, that I was quite mistaken in su])posing the Emperor at all impatient on such occasions, since, on the contrary, he was extremely considerate, and always ready to make allowances. Thus reas- sured, I proceeded to an anti-room, where I wait- ed for about ten minutes, till a servant announced, tliat his Majesty the Emperor was ready to re- ceive me. On entering the room, I saw Buonaparte standing before the fire, with liis head leaning on his hand, and his elbow resting on the chimney-piece. He looked up, and came forward two paces, retm-ning my salutation with a careless sort of bow, or nod. His first question was, " What is your name ?" INTEIlVli:Vv WITH BUONArARTE. 311 and, upon my answering, he said, " Ah, — Hall — I knew your father when I was at the Military College of Brienne — I remember liim perfectly — lie was fond of mathematics — he did not associate much with tlie yoimger part of the scholars, hut rather with the priests and professors, in another part of the town from that in which we lived." He then paused for an instant, and as he seemed to expect me to speak, I remarked, that I had often Iieard my father mention the circumstance of his Iiaving been at Brienne during the period referred to ; but had never supposed it possible that a private individual could be remembered at such a distance of time, the interval of which had been filled with so many important events. " Oh no," exclaimed he, " it is not in the least surprising ; your fa- ther was the first Englishman I ever saw, and I have recollected him all my life on that account." It may be right to mention here, that although the conversation was carried on entirely in French, I prefer reporting it in EngUsh, as I can be cer- tain of conveying the con-ect meaning in a ti-ansla- tion, while I could hardly pretend to give the pre- cise words in the original language ; certainly not the exact turn of expression ; and a false conception might therefore be formed of what passed. The notes from which this account is drawn up, were made within a few hours after leaving Longwood, before I slept, or was engaged in any other occu- pation. But in fact, the impression left upon my mind by the whole scene dwelt on my thoughts^ to the exclusion of ahuost everything else, for many (l.tN s aften\'ards. In a few seconds after making this remark, Buo- 312 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. uaparte asked, with a playful expression of coun- tenance, as if amused with what he was saying, " Have you ever heard your father speak of me ?" I replied instantly, " Very often." Upon which lie said, in a quick, sharp tone, " What does he say of me ?" The manner in which this was spoken seem- ed to demand an immediate reply, and I said that I had often heard him express gi-eat admiration of the encouragement he had always given to science while he was Emperor of the French. He laughed and nodded repeatedly, as if gratified hy what was said. His next question was, " Did you ever hear your father express any desire to see me ?" I re- plied that I had heai'd him often say there was no man alive so well worth seeing, and that he had strictly enjoined me to wait upon him if ever I should have an opportunity. " Very well," re- torted Buonaparte, " if he really considers me such a curiosity, and is so desirous to see me, why does he not come to St Helena for that purpose ?" I was at first at a loss to know whether this question was put seriously or ironically ; but as I saw him waiting for an answer, I said my father had too many occupations and duties to fix him at home. ** Has he any public duties ? Does he fill a pub- lic station?" I told him. None of an official na- ture ; but that he was President of the Royal So- ciety of Edinburgh, the duties of which claimed a good deal of his time and attention. This obser- vation gave rise to a series of inquiries respecting the constitution of the Society in question. He made me describe the duties of all the office-beaiers, from the piesident to the secretaiy, and the manner INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 313 in which scientific papers were brought before the society's notice : he seemed much struck, I thought, and rather amused, with the custom of discussing subjects publicly at the meetings in Edinbiu'gh. When I told him the number of members was several hundreds, he shook his head, and said, " All these cannot surely be men of science I" When he had sa- tisfied himself on this topic, he reverted to the sub- ject of my father, and after seeming to make a cal- culation, obsen-ed, " Your father must, I think, be my senior by nine or ten years — at least nine — but I think ten. Tell me, is it not so ?" I answered, that he was very nearly correct. Upon which he laugh- ed and turned almost completely round on his heel, nodding his head several times. I did not presume to ask him where the joke lay, but imagined he was pleased with the correctness of his computa- tion. He followed up his inquiries by begging to know what number of children my father had ; and did not quit this branch of the subject till he had obtained a correct list of the ages and occupation of the whole family. He then asked, " How long were you in France ?" and on my saying I had not yet visited that countr)', he desired to know where I had learned French. I said, from Frenchmen on board vaiious ships of war. " Were you the prisoner amongst the French," he asked, " or were they your prisoners?" I told him my teachers were French officers captured by the ships I had served in. He then desired me to describe the details of the chase and capture of the ships we had m.ade prize of; but soon se<^ing that this subject afford- ed no point of any interest, he cut it short by asking me about the Lyra's voyage to the Eastern Seas, from which I was now returning. This topic VOL. I. 2d 314 INTEUVIKW WITH liUON Al^AUTr. . proved a new and fertile source of interest, ami lie engaged in it, accordingly, witli the most astonish- ing degree of eagerness. The opportunities which his elevated station had given Napoleon of ohtaining information on almost every subject, and his vast power of rapid and cor- rect observation, had rendered it a matter of so much difficulty to place before him anything to- tally new, that I considered myself fortunate in ha- ving something to speak of beyond the mere com- monplaces of a formal interview. Buonaparte has always been supposed to have taken a particular interest in Eastern aftairs ; and from the avidity with which he seemed to devour the information I gave him about Loo-Choo, China, and the adja- cent countries, it was impossible to doubt the sin- cerity of his oriental predilections. A notion also prevails, if I am not mistaken, that his geo- graphical knowledge of those distant regions was rather loose — a charge which, by the way, Buo- naparte probably shares with most people. I was, therefore, not a little surprised to discover his ideas upon the relative situation of the countries in the China and Japan seas to be very distinct and pre- cise. On my naming the island of Loo-Choo to liim, he shook his head as if he had never heard of it before, and made me tell him how it bore from Canton, and what was the distance. He next asked its bearing with respect to Japan and Manilla, by the intersection of which three lines, in his imagi- nation, he appeared to have settled its position pretty accurately, since every observation he made afterwards appeared to imply a recollection of this particular point. For instance, when he spoke of the probability of the manners and institutions of the INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE, 315 Loo-Chooans having been influenced by the inter- ference of other countries, he drew correct inferen- ces as far as geograpliical situation was concerned. Having settled where the island lay, he cross-ques- tioned me about the inhabitants with a closeness — I may call it a severity of investigation — which far exceeds everything I have met with in any other instance. His questions were not by any means put at random, but each one had some definite re- ference to that which preceded it or was about to follow. I felt in a short time so completely exposed to his view, that it would have been impossible to have concealed or qualified the smallest particular. Such, indeed, was the rapidity of his apprehension of the subjects which interested him, and the asto- nishing ease with which he aiTanged and generalized the few points of information I gave him, that he sometimes outstripped my narrative, saw the con- clusion I was coining to before I spoke it, and fairly robbed me of my story. Several cuxumstances, however, respecting the Loo-Choo people, suqnised even him a good deal ; and I had the satisfaction of seeing him more than once completely perplexed, and unable to account for the phenomena which I related. Nothing struck him so much as their having no arms. " Point d'armes !" he exclaimed, " e'est a dne point de cannons — ils ont des fusils ?" Not erven mus- kets, I replied. " Eh bien done — des lances, ou, au moins, des ai'cs et des fleches ?" I told him they had neither one nor other. " Ni poignards ?" cried lie, with increasing vehemence. No, none. " Mais !" said Buonaparte, clenching his fist, and raising his voice to a loud pitch, " Mais ! sans armes, comment 86 bat-on ? 316 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPART'E. I cotild only reply, that as far as we had been able to discover, they had never had any wars, but remained in a state of internal and external peace. " No wars !" cried he, with a scornful and incredu- lous expression, as if the existence of any people under the sun without wars was a monstrous ano- maly. In like manner, but without being so much mo- ved, he seemed to discredit the account I gave him of their having no money, and of their setting no value upon our silver or gold coins. After hearing these facts stated, he mused for some time, mutter- ing to himself, in a low tone, " Not know the use of money — are careless about gold and silver." Then looking up, he asked, sharply, " How then did you contrive to pay these strangest of all people for the bullocks and other good things which they seem to have sent on board in such quantities ?" When I informed him that we could not prevail upon the people of Loo-Choo to receive payment of any kind, he expressed great surprise at their liberality, and made me repeat to him twice, the list of things witli which we were supplied by these hospitable islanders. I had carried with me, at Count Bertrand's sug- gestion, some drawings of the scenery and costume of Loo-Choo and Corea, which I found of use in describing the inhabitants. When we were speaking of Corea, he took one of the drawings from me, and rumiing his eye over the different parts, repeated to himself, " An old man with a very large hat, and long white beard, ha I — a long pipe in his hand — a Chinese mat — a Chinese dress, — a man near him writing — all very good, and distinctly drawn." He then required me to tell him where the different INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 317 parts of these dresses were manufactured, and what were the different prices — questions I could not answer. He wislied to be infonned as to the state of agriculture in Loo-Choo — whether they plough- ed with horses or bullocks — how they managed their crops, and whether or not their fields were iirigated like those in China, where, as he under- stood, the system of artificial watering was carried to a great extent. The climate, the aspect of the country, the structure of the houses and boats, the fashion of their dresses, even to the minutest parti- cular in the formation of their straw sandals and to- bacco pouches, occupied his attention. He appeared considerably amused at the pertinacity with which they kept their women out of our sight, but repeat- edly expressed himself much pleased with Captain Maxwell's moderation and good sense, in forbearing to urge any point upon the natives, which was dis- agreeable to them, or contraiy to the laws of their country. He asked many questions respecting tlie religion of Cliina and Loo-Choo, and appetu-ed well aware of the striking resemblance between the appearance of the Catholic Priests and the Chi- nese Bonzes ; a resemblance which, as he remark- ed, extends to many parts of the religious cere- monies of both. Here, however, as he also ob- served, the comparison stops ; since the Bonzes of Cliina exert no influence wdiatsoever over the minds of the people, and never interfere in their temporal or eternal concerns. In Loo-Choo, where every- tiiing elso is so praiseworthy, the low state of the priesthood is as remarkabl*; as in the neighbouring continent, an anomaly which Buonaparte dwelt I'.pon for some time without coming to any satis- factory cxidanation. 2 I) 2 318 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. With tlie oxception of a momentai y fit of scorn and incredulity when told that the Loo-Chooans had no wars or weapons of destruction, he was in high good humour while examining me on tliese topics. The cheerfulness, I may almost call it familiarity, with which he conversed, not only put me quite at ease in his presence, but made me repeatedly forget that respectful attention with which it was my duty, as well as my wish on every account,' to treat the fallen monarch. The interest lie took in topics which were then uppermost in my thoughts, was a natural source of fresh animation in my own case ; and I was thrown off" my g^Iard, more tlian once, and unconsciously addressed him with an unwaiTantable degree of freedom. When, how- ever, I perceived my error, and of course checked myself, he good-humouredly encouraged me to go on in the same strain, in a manner so sincere and altogether so kindly, that I was in the next instant as much at my ease as before. *^ What do these Loo-Choo Mends of yours know of other countries ?" he asked. I told him they were acquainted only wdth China and Japan. " Yes, yes," continued he ; " but of Europe ? What do they know of us ?" I replied, " They know no- thing of Europe at all ; they know nothing about France or England ; neither," I added, " have they ever heard of your Majesty." Buonapai'te laughed heartily at this extraordinary particular in the his- tory of Loo-Choo, a circumstance, he may well have thouglit, which distinguished it from every other comer of the known world. I held in my hand a drawing of Sulphur Island, a solitary and desolate rock in the midst of the Jnpan sea. He looked at it for a moment, and cried INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 819 out, " Why, tbis is St Helena itself." When he had satisfied himself about our voyage, or at least bad extracted everything I could tell him about it, lie returned to the subject which had first occupied him, and said in an abrupt way, " Is your father an Edinburgh Reviewer ?" I answered, that the names of the authors of that work were kept secret, b^^t that some of my father s works liad been cri- ticised in the Journal alluded to. Upon which he turned half round on his heel towards Bertrand, and nodding several times, said, with a significant smile, '• Ha ! ha !" as if to imply his perfect know- ledge of the distinction between author and cii- tic. Buonaparte then said, " Are you married ?" and upon my repUdng in the negative, continued, "Why not ? What is the reason you don't marry ?" I was somewhat at a loss for a good answer, and re- mained silent. He repeated his question, however, in such a way, that I was forced to say something, and told him I had been too busy all my life ; be- sides which, I was not in circumstances to marry. He did not seem to understand me, and again wished to know why I was a bachelor. I told him I was too poor a man to marry. " Aha !" he cried, " I now see — want of money — no money — yes, yes !" and laughed heartily ; in which I joined, of course, though, to say the tnith, I did not altoge- ther see the humorous point of the joke. The last question he put related to the size and force of the vessel I commanded, and then he said, in a tone of authority, as if he had some influence in the matter, " You will reach England in thirty-five days," — a prophecy, by the by, which faile