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 OF 
 
 (^X THE VARlbl'^S DEPARTMENTS^ 
 
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 LITERATURE, THE SCIEXCES.K? THE AJRT^. 
 
 t 
 
 HALL'S VOYAGES 
 
 
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 :^S^ 
 
 
 Tf: 
 
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 evEiii ©f the Tiiiostt liMmble altemTpts 
 towards tine aA^antag'e of ii5s Siiljjecls: 
 
 dfsioBed to cxtenc") usefvl^T-^n jvf jiVe ' ,' 
 
 aud eleo-^ut Litera.Uire ,- 
 By placmo- Wvlis of*^Sta^dar.J)5A-Tht». *•• *. , 
 >nthia tke attammcii,l a?,eV§i^\''C]:issJnf> **», * »' 
 
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 JBT MIS Majesty's 
 
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PRErACE. 
 
 The change that has gradually taken place 
 during the last thirty or forty years in the 
 numbers and circumstances of the readino- 
 
 CD 
 
 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- 
 
ii PREFACE, 
 
 gins — qualities which add to the expense of a 
 work, without rendering it in any degree more 
 useful. But now when the more general dif- 
 fusion ofeducation and of wealth , has occasion- 
 ed 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 enr 
 tertained by most of those who are engaged 
 in the various details of agriculture, manu- 
 factures, and commerce, for the acquisition 
 of useful knowledge and the culture of their 
 minds, is strikingly evinced by the establish- 
 ment of subscription libraries and scientific 
 institutions, even in the most inconsiderable 
 towns and villages throughout the empire; and 
 by the extensive sale which several very ex- 
 pensive, though by no means valuable works, 
 published in numbers, have met with. Under 
 these circumstances, it occurred to the pro- 
 jector of this Miscellany, that if Standard 
 Works not hitherto accessible to the great 
 mass of the Public, intermingled with Origi- 
 nal Treatises on subjects of great gene- 
 ral importance and executed by writers of 
 acknowledged talent, were published in a 
 
PREFACE. iii 
 
 clieap, convenient, and not inelegant form, 
 they would obtain a most extensive circula- 
 tion and be productive 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 ad- 
 opted that plan which they supposed would 
 be most likely to meet the wishes of the great 
 mass of readers, or of the middle classes. 
 And they are resolved to spare neither trou- 
 ble nor expense to give eifect to their pur- 
 pose, of making this Miscellany the deposi- 
 tory of a selection of Works on all the most 
 interesting branches of human knowledge, 
 written by the most approved authors, and of 
 rendering it as perfect, as a vehicle both of 
 useful information and of rational entertain- 
 ment, as it can possibly be made. 
 
 The EXALTED PATRONAGE uudcr 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 princi- 
 ples of religion and morality. The object in 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 « 
 
 view is to render this Work a truly National 
 Publication, and which shall be equally ac- 
 ceptable to readers of all parties and deno- 
 minations. 
 
 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, 1825. 
 
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 ■jTiose Articles marked thus ♦ are original Works, pre- 
 pared or written expressly for this Miscellany. 
 
 CAPTAIN BASIL HALL'S VOYAGES. 3 vols. 
 
 ♦^* These contain,— I. VOYAGE TO LOO-CHOO, 
 and other Places in the EASTERN SEAS, in the Year 
 1816. Including an Account of Captain Maxwell's At- 
 tack on the Batteries at Canton ; and Notes of an In- 
 terview with NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE at St 
 Helena, in August 1817.— II. EXTRACTS FROM A 
 JOURNAL written on the Coasts of Chili, Peru, and 
 Mexico, in the Years 1820, 1821, and 1822 ; containing 
 some Account of the recent Revolutions, together with 
 Observations on the State of Society in those Countries. 
 
 LIFE OF ROBERT BURNS. By J. G. Lock- 
 hart, LL. B. * 
 
 MEMORIALS OF THE LATE WAR Viz. 
 
 JOURNAL OF A SOLDIER of the 71st Regiment, 
 from 1806 to 1815, including Particulars of the Battles 
 of Vimeira, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, Toulouse and Water- 
 loo.— LETTERS OF SIR JOHN MOORE.— The 
 EARL OF HOPETOUN'S DESPATCH after the 
 battle of Corunna, and other Documents. 
 
 EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY: THE 
 PLEIAD, or a Series of Abridgement* of Seven Dis- 
 tinguished Writers, in opposition to the Pernicious Doc- 
 trines of DEISM. By the Rev. Francis Wranghaji, 
 M.A, F.R.S. Archdeacon of Cleveland. * 
 
 CONVERTS FROM INFIDELITY; or Lives of 
 Eminent Individuals who have renounced Sceptical and 
 Infidel Opinions, and embraced Christianity. By Andrew 
 Crichton. 2 vols. * 
 
 HISTORY OF VOYAGES, from the earliest Times, 
 showing the part which the various European Nations 
 have had in Maritime Discovery ; and illustrating the 
 Progress of Geographical Science. 3 vols. * 
 
 THE LIFE AND DISCOVERIES of Captain 
 JAMES COOK, containing a condensed Narrative of 
 his Voyages, and a View of the Progress of Nautical 
 Science and Naval Discipline during his period. 3 vols, * 
 
 HISTORY AND PRESENT STATE OF SOUTH 
 AMERICA, particularly Buenos Ayres, Chili, New 
 Granada, Mexico and Peru, 2 vols. * 
 
vi List of Publications 
 
 A GENERAL VIEW OF THE RUSSIAN EM- 
 PIRE, comprising its History, Geography, Accounts of 
 the various Tribes and Nations by which it is Inhabited ; 
 their Customs, Government, and Commerce. By Robert 
 X,YALL, M.D., formerly Phvsician at Moscow. 2 vols * 
 ADVENTURES OF 'BRITISH SEAMEN IN 
 THE SOUTHERN OCEAN. Containing Shiimreck 
 of the Antelope on the Pelew Islands, August 1783. With 
 an Account of these Islands to the present time. Mutiny 
 of the Bounty. Voyage and Shijnvrcck of the Pandora, 
 Settlement of John Adams; and subsequent History of 
 Fitcairn Island. Catastrophe of the Ship Boyd, on the 
 Coast of New Zealand, &c. Edited by Hugh Murray, 
 P R S F * 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH ARABIA, and other 
 Countries in the East. Perforated by M. Niebuhr, 
 Captain of Engineers in the service of the King of Den- 
 mark, Translated from the French. 2 vols. 
 
 DICTIONARY OF THE HOLY BIBLE, com- 
 prising an Historical, Geographical, and descriptive Ac- 
 count of the persons, Places, Antiquities, Manners, and 
 Customs; Natural Productions, Costumes, Buildings, 
 and Literature of the Jews ; and an Explanation of the 
 Proper Names, and Remarkable Expressions, contained 
 in the Old and New Testaments. From the Dictionary 
 OF DOM AUGUSTINE CALMET, and Illustrated by 
 numerous References to other Authorities. 4 vols. * 
 
 ECONOMICAL COOKERY for the Rich and Poor. 
 By a lady. * 
 
 ESSAYS, PHILOSOPHICAL AND LITERARY. 
 On Beauty by Francis Jeffrey, Esq. The Drama, 
 Chivalry, and Romance, by Sir Walter Scott, Baronet. 
 Essays on Education. — Government The Liberty of the 
 Press, Prisons, and Prison Discipline, by James Mill, 
 Esq. With a variety of others on several most interesting 
 Topics, by various distinguished Writers. 3 vols. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE MARCHIONESS OF 
 LAROCHEJAQUELEIN, the War in La Vendee, 
 Sec. From the French. * With an Introduction by Sir 
 Walter Scott, Bart. 
 
 NARRATIVE of the Settlement and Present State 
 of Van Diemen's Land, New Holland, and the Coasts 
 and Islands of Australia. By Hugh Mlkkay. F.R.S.E. 
 2 vols. * 
 
For Constable's MisccUani/. vii 
 
 HISTORY OF BRITISH INDIA, and of the Com- 
 merce of Europe with the Eastern Nations. 3 vols. * 
 
 REMARKABLE PROVIDENCES, DISAS- 
 f ERS, and ESCAPES AT SEA. .3 vols. * 
 
 LIFE OF SIR ISAAC NEWTON, by Biot. Trans- 
 lated from the French. 
 
 TABLE-Ti.\LK; or Selections from the Axa : con- 
 taining Extracts from the different Collections of Ana, 
 French, Italian, and English. * 
 
 COLLECTIONS for a HISTORY OF INVEN- 
 TIONS. Translated from the original German of John 
 Beckman, Public Professor of Economy in the Univer- 
 sity of Gottingen. With Additions adapted to the Arts, 
 Sciences, and Manufactures of Great Britain. 4- vols. * 
 A TREATISE ON ROAD-MAKING, Railways 
 Wheel- Cariages, and the Strength of Animals. By 
 George Buchanan, Esq. Civil Engineer. * 
 
 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ALEXANDER 
 SELKIRK; containing his Voyage to the South Seas, 
 under Captain Dampier, Residence in the Island of Juan 
 Fernandez, and other interesting particulars, being the 
 real History of Robinson Crusoe, on which Dc Foe 
 grounded his Fictitious Narrative. * 
 
 LIVES OF THE REFORMERS.-MARTIX Luther. 
 Melancthox, Cranmer, Calvin, Alasco, Zuingle, and 
 John Knox. 2 vols. * 
 
 HEALTH AND LONGEVITY. Rules for the 
 Preservation of Health and the Attainment of Long Life, 
 Illustrated by Concise Memoirs of Individuals in all ages 
 remarkable for Longevity. 2 vols!. * 
 
 THE NARRATIVE OF BRUCE'S TRAVELS 
 IN ABYSSINIA, to discover the Source of the Nile. 
 * With a Life of the Author, and some Supplementary 
 Information. 4 vols. 
 
 HISTORY OF GREENLAND, the WHALE 
 FISHERY, and of the Northern Vovages of Discovery. 
 By Hugh Murray, F. R. S. E. 2 vols. * 
 
 HISTORY OF THE EARTH AND ANIMATED 
 NATURE, being a New System of Natural History, on 
 a Popular Plan. By JAMES WILSON E q. assisted 
 by several distinguished Naturalists, G volo. * 
 
tlii List of Publications 
 
 LIFE OF ALEXANDER, EMPEROR OF 
 RUSSIA. * 
 
 A TREATISE ON THE PRINCIPLES OF 
 METALLIC AND PAPER MONEY, and the Thec% 
 and Practice of Exchange ; with a View of the Consti- 
 tution and History of the Banks of England, Venice, 
 Amsterdam, France, Hamburgh, and generally of the 
 Paper Currency of the European Kingdoms, and of 
 the United States of America. By J, R. M'Culloch, 
 Esq. * ~ 
 
 An HISTORICAL and DESCRIPTIVE AC- 
 COUNT of the Origin, Progress, and Present State of 
 the Arts of Printing, Engraving, Paper- making, Type- 
 founding, and Book- binding. Compiled from interesting 
 and authentic Sources, by Rickard Tiiomsox, 2 vols. * 
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF ILLUSTRIOUS BRITISH 
 Statesmen, viz. Sm William Temple, Lord 
 SoMERs, Lord Godolphin, Sir Robert Walpole, Lord 
 BoLiNGBROKE, The Right Hon. Henry Pelham, Earl 
 of Chatham, Edmund Burke, Williak Pitt, Chas. 
 James Fox, Henry Dundas Viscount Melville, Lord 
 Ekskine, and others. 4 Vols. * 
 
 LIFE OF GENERAL WASHINGTON. 2 vols. * 
 
 LIFE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. Written 
 by himself. 2 vols. # 
 
 LIFE OF HORATIO VISCOUNT NELSON. 
 2 vols. * 
 
 LIFE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. 2 vols. * 
 
 THE ENGLISH JEST BOOK, consisting of many 
 hundred Originals, also Selections from Joe Miller, Beau 
 Nash — Sheridan and later Wits, with Authentic Anec- 
 dotes. * 
 
 HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY, Revolutions, 
 and Present State, Political and Commercial, of the Con- 
 tinent of America. 3 vols. * 
 
 THE TRAVELS OF FRANCIS BERNIER, and 
 his Account of the Court of the Great Mogul. * With 
 Notes and Illustrations from modern Authorities and re- 
 cent Travels in Persia. 2 vols. * 
 
 BRITISH SERMON WRITERS.— Extracts from 
 Jeremy Taylor, Barrow, Clarke, Tillotson, South, 
 Sherlock, Blair, Paley, and other Eminent Divines, 
 Selected hj John Clnyton, Esq, 2 vols. * 
 
For Constable's Misccllanij. i^ 
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF DISTINGUISHED INDI- 
 VIDUALS who have contributed to modern Improve- 
 ment in the ARTS, SCIENCES, COMMERCE, and 
 MANUFACTURES, viz. 5 vols. * 
 
 Sir Richard Arkwright, Spinning Machinery, 
 
 Joseph Black, M.D. Chemistry. 
 
 Mathew Boulton, Esq, Mechanical Inventions. 
 
 J. Brindley, Esq. Canal Navigation. 
 
 John Cleric, Esq. of Eldin, Inventor of the System of 
 
 Naval Tactics. 
 William Ged, Goldsmith," Inventor of Stereotype 
 
 Printing. 
 Sir Thomas Gresliam, Fouyider of the Royal Ex- 
 change, and Greshani Lecture. 
 Andrew Meikle, Inventor of the Thrashing Machine , 
 with some Notices of James Small, Plough- iVright. 
 Patrick Miller, Esq. of Dalswinton, 5'team Naviga- 
 tion, (^C. 
 John Palmer, Esq. Mail Coaches. 
 James Paterson, Founder of the Bank of England^ 
 
 Datien Erjyeditioji, ^-c. 
 John Rennie, Esq. JFaterloo Bridge, and other Na- 
 tional Works. 
 James Watt, Esq. Steam Engine, S[C. 
 Josiah Wedgevvood, Esq. Chemical Processes and 
 Improvement in the Pottery. 
 A SYSTEMATIC VIEW of the more Popular and 
 Practical Parts of Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, and 
 Chemistry. By William Wallace, Professor of Mathe- 
 matics, University of Edinburgh, and Others. 3 vols. * 
 HISTORY, PRINCIPLES, and ADVANTAGES 
 OF BENEFT SOCIETIES, Banks tor Savings, and 
 Assurances on Lives. * 
 
 LIFE OF NAPOLEON, EMPEROR OF 
 FRANCE. 6 vols. # 
 
 MILITARY LIFE OF ARTHUR DUKE OF 
 
 WELLINGTON. By the Rev. G. R. Gleig. 3 vols. * 
 
 MEMOIRS of the Two Last Years of King 
 
 CHARLES THE FIRST, by Sir Thomas Herbert, 
 
 Private Secretary to the King. 
 
 The Life of C. G. LAMOIGNON MALESHER- 
 BES, Minister of State to Louis XVI. Translated from 
 the French. By the Rev, Edward Mangjn, A.M. 
 
X List of Publications 
 
 THE CHEVALIER D'ARVIEUX'S TRAVELS 
 IN ARABIA THE DESERT, giving a very accurate 
 and entertaining Account of the Religion, Customs, Di- 
 versions, &c. of the Bedouins, or Arabians, &c. |^ 
 
 HISTORY OF THE SCOTTISH COVENAN- 
 TERS. Illustrated by Fac-similes of the ORIGINAL 
 COVENANT AND CONFESSION OF FAITH— 
 Signatures of the Nobility, Gentry, Clergy, and others 
 throughout Scotland, who adhered to the same, from do- 
 cuments in possession of the Editor. 3 vols. * 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE BASTILE, and its most re- 
 markable Prisoners. * 
 
 ACCOUNT OF IRELAND, Historical and Political, 
 from the Revolution in the Year 1688 to the Present 
 Time. 2 Vols. * 
 
 ANNALS, LITERARY AND POLITICAL, of the 
 Lives of Dr Samuel Johnson, Lord Byron, Richard 
 Brinsley Sheridan. 2 vols, * 
 
 TRAVELS IN SOUTH AMERICA, by Frederick 
 BARON HUMBOLDT, in association with A. BON- 
 PL AND. Translated from the French, 5 vols. * 
 
 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EMBASSY TO THE 
 KING DOM OF A VA, in the year 1795, by MICHAEL 
 SYMES, Esq. Major in his Majesty's 76th Regiment, * 
 To which are added, Narratives of the late Military and 
 Political operations in the Burmese Territory, chiefly 
 from the Communications of an Officer in the British 
 Armv. 4? vols. 
 
 A DETAILED AND AUTHENTIC HISTORY 
 of the Battle of Waterloo, by a British Officer. * 
 
 A DESCRIPTION OF THE EAST, and some 
 other Countries ; Egypt, the Holy Land, Syria, Meso- 
 potamia, Cyprus, and Candia ; containing Observations 
 on the Islands of the Archipelago, Asia Minor, Greece, 
 and some other parts of Europe. By RICHARD 
 POCOCKE, D. D. Bishop of Meath. * With Illustra- 
 tive Notes. 4 vols. 
 
 HISTORY OF MODERN GREECE, and the 
 Ionian Islands ; with a View of the Decline of the 
 Turkish Ascendency on the Grecian Continent, and a 
 Sketch of the Revolutionary War. 2 vols. * 
 
For Constable's Miscellany. xi 
 
 CONSPIRACIES— The Abbe St Real's Conspiracy 
 of the Spaniards against Venice. Translated from the 
 Ital^n.— ACCOUNT of the Conspiracy of Fiesco a- 
 gainst the Repubh'c of Genoa, by the Cardinal de Retz. 
 — The Rise and Fall of Masseniello the Fisherman of 
 Naples, by James Howell. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF ALEXANDER MURRAY, D. D, 
 Professor of Oriental Languages in the University of 
 Edinburgh, containing a Personal Narrative of his own 
 Life — Original Correspondence, and the Biographical 
 J^otice, by Sir Henry Moncriefp Wellwood, Baronet. * 
 
 UNIVERSAL GAZETTEER. 3 rols. * 
 
 A NEW GENERAL ATLAS. * 
 
 SELECT BRITISH DRAMA. 
 
 SELECT BRITISH POETS. 
 
 1j5» The Editor of CONSTABLE'S MISCELLANY 
 begs to return thanks to the Author of Annals of Dr 
 Samuel Johnson, for the obliging favour of contributing 
 the Manuscript Crf that Work. 
 
 The Editor will most gladly receive similar commurii- 
 calions, particularly Original Narratives of Voyages, 
 Adventures by Sea and Land, Biographical Accounts of 
 Remarkable Individuals, as suited to the nature and ob- 
 jects of this Undertaking. 
 
 Edikburgh, October 1826. 
 
VOYAGE 
 
 TO THE 
 
 EASTERN SEAS. 
 
EDINBURGH : 
 PRINTED UY JAMES BALLANTYNE AND CO. 
 
VOYAGE 
 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. 
 
I ' • I f , 
 
 • ' ^. • < < 
 
 • • • •, ' 
 
 
 HCMRY MORSE ST 
 
 EirHEMft 
 
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. 
 
 i i o 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. FAGE- 
 
 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 II. 
 
 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-Choo 
 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 
 
11 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER Vr. PAGE. 
 
 Captain jMaxwell's Attack on the Batteries at Canton, 
 on the 12th of November, 181(5, 258 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Interview with Buonaparte at St Helena, in August 
 1817, . 302 
 
VO Y AOE 
 
 TO 
 
 L O O-C H O O, 
 
 ANn 
 
 OTHER PLACES IN THE 
 
 EASTERN SEAS, 
 
 IN THE YEAR 131C. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
i^ 
 
VOY:A?GE • '■': 
 
 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 tinder Lord Amherst sail- 
 ed from England on the 9th of February, 1816, in 
 his Majesty's ship Alceste, Captain MmTay Max- 
 well, accompanied by the General Hewitt, India- 
 man, and the Lyra a ten-gim brig under my 
 command. The Indiaman carried stores and pro- 
 visions for the ships of war, and various presents 
 intended for the Emperor of China. 
 
 During the eai'ly part of the voyage little oc- 
 cuned that was new, or peculiarly interesting, and 
 on the 18th of February, 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-T\and, the Alceste bore up and 
 
4 JAVA. 
 
 proceeded to Uio de Janeiro, leaving the General 
 Hewitt and the Lpa to make the hest of then- way 
 to the Cape, with orders to lay in provisions and 
 water: cfh^c Alee^te, ^10) staying ten days at Rio, 
 was still enabled to rejoin her consorts at the Cape 
 by< tlieajiiddfer'or-^P^) having run a distance of 
 more cllan* tiirefe' tholisand 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 tliis latitude. Better weather might 
 Iiave been obtained by keeping nearly in the lati- 
 tude of the Cape ; but it is essential to the success 
 of a passage fi'om thence to Java, or to any part of 
 India, to rmi to tlie southward as far sometimes as 
 40 degrees, in which parallel 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 ship'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 dii'ectly unfavourable. 
 On a Imowledge 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. 
 
 having fair winds all the way from Madeira to 
 Canton. To sailors accustomed only to the con- 
 fined navigation of thj3 Atla,ntjc„ or the Mediter- 
 ranean, these bold stretche,^ gee^sn, at fiTst, sight, 
 an unreasonable prqljongation of the voyage ; and it 
 3? does in fact require considerably rjesolaticm ijo S;te3y 
 almost directly away fi om the port, for liiany hun- 
 dreds of miles, in seai'ch of a wind. In consequence 
 of neglecting such precautions, a stranger, impa- 
 tient to reach his point, is often tempted to turn 
 too soon towards the North, before enough East- 
 ing has been run do\vn, 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 tenn 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 
 what 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 
 giound ; 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 return-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- 
 mark 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 tlie 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 neai'er the Pole. This 
 sight ^nd the deligl^tful , climate were grateful be- 
 yond )dps.eriptiot4 ,i foi,<tmii^ the six weeks since 
 we had lost sight of 'land, our coui'se had been over 
 a-Vei-ji^-viu^li ^e'^imhoU tampestnous weather ; so 
 thafo'ii en^ei-ing th6sfe4)eautiml: 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 pe^k of the great Islands of Java and Sumatra, 
 we thought the eye could never tire of admiring the 
 prospect. 
 
 In the afteraoon, the sea breeze gradually died 
 away, and we came to an anchor in Mew Bay, a 
 snug little cove, neai-ly surrounded by thickly- 
 i-vooded cliffs, over which tumbled, very oppor- 
 tunely for us, a fine cascade of cleai* water, gushing 
 from a deep channel cut by the stream thi'ough the 
 lava forming tliis pait of the coast. ^Miile the boats' 
 crews were busily engaged in filling the water- 
 casks, one or two of the oflScers endeavom-ed to pe- 
 netrate the woods in seai'ch of game ; but the jungle 
 was found eveiywhere completely impervious. The 
 whole forest rung Tvdth the discordant screams of 
 birds, principally of the pan-ot tribe, dressed in a 
 plumage as brilliant and beautiful as theii- 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 
 peipetual summer— for no change of season is 
 known here — unmolested and unobserved from age 
 to age. 
 
JAVA. i 
 
 Shortly after sunset, the hoiir of which, in a 
 country only six degi'ees South of the Equator, 
 scarcely vaiies in a sensible degree throughout tlie 
 year, a faint and chill land-breeze blew oflfto us from 
 the high mountain-side, with just strength enougli 
 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 daylight after 
 sunset, soon deprived the gay landscape of all its 
 beauty, the brilliant romance of the scene we bad 
 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, dkectly 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 prepaie theii* minds. 
 
8 JAVA. 
 
 In the moral and the political 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 Em°ope, or only heard 
 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 inhabitants, uncon- 
 scious, poor people, of the vast political changes of 
 which 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 lyiiig 
 between the village and the sea, where a great 
 
JAVA. 9 
 
 number of the inliabitants 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 cii'cle 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 
 efifect 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 furnished by the 
 managers with a cane, and being then placed face 
 
10 JAVA, 
 
 to face, at. a yard's distance from one anotlier, they 
 were ordered to begin. The first proceeding, which 
 was a sort of salute, consisted in touching 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 
 favoui-able moment to strike, the surrounding na- 
 tives, meanwhile, gazing on the combatants with 
 the most eager and breathless anxiety, and watch- 
 ing for the event. The music at this period low- 
 ered its tones, so as just to be heai'd, 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 gi-appled 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 remarkable dexterity, a 
 shout, in Hke manner, testified the admu-ation of 
 the spectators, but the distinction between these 
 two cries was quite obvious. I was so totally un- 
 prepai'ed for such wild sounds, that my blood ran 
 cold when I first heard them, coming as they did, 
 from an anned 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 historians, has been 
 almost entii'ely removed by the candour and good 
 sense of more recent observers and writers. The 
 admirable works of Sii- Stamford Raffles, and Mr 
 Crawfm-d, the highest possible authorities, are quite 
 decisive on this point. 
 
 I imagined at fii'st that the blows were given 
 in play, till, on going into the centre of the ring, 
 which the Malays allowed me to do, I discovered 
 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 wliich occupation they 
 occasionally turned aside to divert the spectators 
 with some ridiculous piece of buffoonery. Only 
 one blow by each paity 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 pui-e 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 which 
 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 
 60 dexterous that neither could plant a blow, at 
 length lost patience, and mshing upon each other 
 with all the ferocity of their nature, must soon liave 
 spilled blood, had not thek 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 
 giound 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. 
 Tlie 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. Tiie , 
 
JAVA. 13 
 
 player who sat behind the frame, struck the plates 
 with a small hammer with his right hand, 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 off 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 stnick 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 frame-work ; its lips or edges were turned 
 slightly inwards, so that, when held vertically, it 
 was capable of holding in the lower pai t of the rim 
 about two pints of water ; a derice 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 
 coimtiy ; but is touched gently, and only at intervals 
 in the music, when its sonorous tones are requii-ed 
 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 instraments, ai-e considered by 
 Sir Stamford Raffles and Mr Crawfm-d as possess- 
 ing great merit. I can myself remember being 
 once attracted by the sound of music to a native's 
 house at Samarang, on this island, in 1814, when 
 returning to my ship, after a tu-esome 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 Sir 
 Stamford Raffles, costs from a thousand to sixteen 
 Imndred 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, which is rendered peculiarly 
 valuable, from containing the opinion of the cele- 
 brated Dr Crotch. This gentleman, after being sup- 
 plied with a number of Javanese au-s, and having 
 
JAVA. 15 
 
 inspected the fine collection of musical instmments 
 at the Duke of Somerset's, communicated his opi- 
 nion to Mr Crawfui-d. " The tone of these instru- 
 ments," he ohsers^ed, " exceeds, in depth and qua- 
 Kty, anythmg I have ever heard ;" and alluding tc 
 the instrament which I have described above, con- 
 sisting of a number of inverted vessels restmg upon 
 two strings, he says, " The tone of this smgular 
 inartrument is at once poweiful and sweet, and its 
 intonation clear and perfect." With respect to the 
 whole band, or Gamelan, he adds, " he is astonish- 
 ed and dehghted with their ingenious fabrication, 
 splendom-, beauty, and accm-ate intonation." 
 
 It has more than once occurred 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 veiy lively interest. The numerous 
 East India Company's ships 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 heard that a Malay maniage 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 combination of sitting and kneeling, and is not 
 without grace. The knees and feet are placed to- 
 gether, and the weight of the body rests partly on 
 the calves of the ]eg, 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 differ from all their 
 neighbours, use chairs and benches as we do. 
 
 Our friends, who were busily employed dispatch- 
 ing their supper, stopped on our approach, and with 
 gi'eat good-humour, made room for us at their board, 
 and begged us to join in the marriage 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 difiference 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 absm'd notions about food, which ren- 
 der the inhabitants 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 allowing my shadow to fall 
 on then* 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 gt 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 large 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 accordindv, thev took no notice of us, or of the 
 
 B 2 
 
18 JAVA. 
 
 multitude of people who soon filled the chamber to 
 gaze at the strangers. 
 
 But a traveller generally finds more to interest 
 Iiim in observing 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 di'awing ; 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 mucli less con- 
 tracted in the middle. The diameter of the top 
 and the bottom is about a foot. The water is first 
 pom-ed 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 
 earthenwai'e bowl is also inverted over the rice, and 
 serves the double pui-pose of confining the heat, and 
 of adding weight to the bag, which is thus forced 
 tightly into the neck of the vessel, and the egi-ess 
 of the steam at the sides is effectually prevented. 
 
JAVA. 19 
 
 When 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 an'ivnig at a strange country one is often at 
 a less which to admire most, the ingenious contii- 
 vances by which man turns to his use the peculiar' 
 circumstances of the climate, or the less obrious 
 but far more wonderful manner in which nature 
 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 l)roug]it 
 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 difter from most other trees 
 in having all its branches in one plane, like the 
 sticlts 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, which spreads 
 itself out in a very gi-aceful manner. These leaves 
 have the property 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 knife, 
 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 inquuy 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 
 agieeably 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 
 
 which, in consequence of my description, his lord- 
 ship had become very anxious to liear. This enter- 
 tainment, 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 their 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 
 adventures. The first object which engaged Jack's 
 attention in this stolen march, was one of the 
 large, red, smooth-skinned bujQPaloes of the island, 
 tied to a bush near the chiefs house. The 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 mutli 
 and surprise at the novelty of the sight, wbich it 
 must bo oTVTied was very remarkable, fear alone as- 
 sailed the buffalo, who soon broke loose, and scam- 
 pered ofi" towards the village. The seamen, delight- 
 ed to have a hunt, as they called it, pursued the ani- 
 mal through the streets, waving their hats, and 
 shouting Tally ho! to the amaze and terror of the 
 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 12th of June the Lyra was once more 
 dispatched before the other sliips of the squadron, 
 with letters from the x^mbassador 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 wlio were to accompany the Em- 
 bassy, might fall in with liis Lordship. 
 
 Owing to light winds, calms, and cuiTents, it was 
 not till the 7th of July that we made the coast of 
 China; the South-west monsoon, which blows in 
 smnmer over the Cliinese 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. Tliis 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 
 HeT\'itt joined us at the rendesrvous. 
 
 Serious difficulties now arose as to our futm'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 houi'ly expected. But there was great 
 reason to fear that the reply would be unfavourable 
 to the mission, in wliich event, its further progi'ess 
 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 conjectm-ed 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 from the capital. 
 This appreliension was founded on the well-kno\vn 
 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 favourable construction on the mat- 
 ter ; to take it for granted, in short, that the Am- 
 bassador was to be favoui*ably received, and to push 
 on T^dthout delay for the Pei Ho river, the neai-est 
 to Pekin of any part of the sea-coast of China. It 
 was contended, that once faii'ly on the threshold of 
 the celestial empire, we should be less exposed to 
 the operation of those multifarious intrigues, through 
 which it is said everything necessarily must pass, 
 if discussed at Canton. 
 
 It was indispensably necessary, however, be- 
 fore steering to the Northward, 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 Avas almost dark 
 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 bamer. 
 The nature of the ground also bemg black and un- 
 broken, it seemed as if tlie 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 fisliing-boats suddenly advan- 
 ced, in large gi'oups of forty or fifty each, from 
 behind the islands. They were rowed about with 
 great celerity ft'om 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 forwai-ds, while others of the crew were em- 
 ployed in beating, in the most furious manner, 
 lai'ge 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 awalvened the echoes on all the 
 sm-rounding 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, om' noisy friends allowed themselves to be 
 gradually drifted out, greatly to the relief of those 
 contented voyagers amongst us who preferred a 
 Bound sleep to the observation of ne\/ mamiers. 
 
 The weather, which at first had been favourable, 
 changed next day, and during the 11th and 12th 
 
CHINA. 25 
 
 of July, oiir operations were seriously interrupted 
 by constant heavy rain, and violent squalls of wind. 
 Even had the watering been completed, the wind, 
 which was from East-north-east, must have pre- 
 vented oiu" 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 difficulties, since it appeared the 
 intention of government to receive the mission fa- 
 vourably, and to allow of their landing neai* 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 no mention had ever 
 been made. At fii'st 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 Lyra 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 signify by 
 signals the number of fathoms water obtained by 
 the lead-line. 
 
 It may not be unimportant to mention, that 
 
 VOL. I. c 
 
26 CHINA. 
 
 in this important and delicate service, we were 
 gTeatly aided by Massey's patent Sounding ma- 
 cliine, an instrument of the highest utiUty, as it 
 enables the navisrator to obtain an accurate know- 
 ledge of the depth of water, without altering the 
 ship's course, or retarding her progress 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 weather. This admira- 
 able invention is equally useful in unknoTVTi seas, 
 and in those where the depth of water is ascertain- 
 ed to an inch. And I feel it right to take tliis op- 
 portunity of recommending its use, being well as- 
 sured, from many years' trial, on this and other 
 voyages, and under all circmnstances, 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 tlie Yellow Sea ; 
 after whicli we coasted along at no great distance 
 from the land, and the weather being quite clear, 
 our view of the shore was most satisfactoiy. On 
 the evening of the same day, I was dispatched to 
 the Westward along -ndth Mr Toone, a gentle- 
 man of the Factory, well acquainted with, the Chi- 
 nese language, who was charged with a letter to the 
 chief Mandarins at our proposed landing place, Ta 
 Coo, near the mouth of the Pekin River. As the 
 Chinese publish at regular intervals a sort of red 
 book, in whicli the names of all the servants- of go- 
 vernment are mentioned, the embassy easily ascer- 
 tained at every place they came to, the names of 
 the men in authority. 
 
 We sailed on du'ectly across this shallow sea, 
 for two whole tlays, without seeing land, and gi'a- 
 
CHINA. 27 
 
 dually diminishing tlie depth of water, till at last 
 we began to have some apprehension that we should 
 fairly stick m the mud, before our object was ac- 
 complished. At sunset on the 27th, no land could 
 be 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 Westwai'd. 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 
 steeling ; 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 intennix- 
 ture of mud slightly yellow in its colour, and hence 
 its appropriate name. In process of time, the de- 
 posits fiom the innumerable streams which fall 
 into this gTeat gulf from China and Tartary, must 
 fill it entirely up, and the Yellow Sea will become 
 
28 CHINA. 
 
 a vast alluvial district, like Bengal, or Egypt. The 
 present inclination of the bottom is about a foot in 
 a geographical 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 difficulty 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 fi'om 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. Their dialect was so 
 different from that of the South, that Mr Toone 
 had some difficulty in makins: himself uiiderstood 
 by speech ; but the instant he had recom'se 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 A\dth the 
 commander of the junk, I fell into the hands of the 
 crew, 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 com-se of this overhaul, to 
 which I most willingly submitted, they lighted on 
 a pocket compass, the nature of which they com- 
 prehended immediately, for thi-ee or four of them 
 can-led 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 
 cuj-ious to observe how quickly these nide fisher- 
 men detected, under all its disguises, that identity 
 in principle, which renders the mysterious agency 
 
CHINA. 29 
 
 of the magnet subservient to the humblest, 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 
 delighted to discover a point of resemblance be- 
 tween us in so important a particular, and they re- 
 turned the compass with much complacency. 
 
 A shower of rain drove us about this time to 
 the cabin, a neat Uttle 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, wliich struck us as being the most 
 remarkable about these people, was the well-knoTv^l 
 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 weakness by 
 obliging the whole Chinese nation to adopt their 
 dress. It is a hardship so giievous to a Chinese to 
 alter any established custom, tliat, 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 dui-ing a long and bloody 
 war. The Tartars, however, had the sword in their 
 hands, and this great revolution in di'ess was at last 
 completely effected, with two singular exceptions : 
 the executioners all over China wear the old and 
 
 c2 
 
30 CHINA. 
 
 graceful dress of the countiy ; and the stage-players 
 invariably appear in the same degraded costume. 
 Yet such is the effect of custom, that nothing in our 
 <h-ess or manners excited so much surprise in these 
 people, or appeared more preposterous in their eyes, 
 than om- contriving to exist without these long tails. 
 
 Our fi'iends could not be prevailed upon to carry 
 the letter on shore ; but as they had been very Idnd, 
 we wished to ingratiate ourselves with them, and 
 begged their acceptance of a couple of dollai'S as 
 we were coming away. The 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 fuither 
 examination, and wished to return it ; but finding 
 us determined not to take back the money, very 
 uucerenioniously 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 retm-ned on boai'd, with the intention of send- 
 ing one of our own boats next day. Meanwhile 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 large 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, suiTounded by the usual 
 distinguishing button, from which 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 peculiai' kind of in- 
 terest in ^dtnessing 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 talce 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 are familiai'ly called in the English settle- 
 ments, I was disposed to laugh in his face, from the 
 ridiculous personification he exhibited of a great 
 fire-screen or a punch-bowl. 
 
 The youngest of the two Mandaiins, who was 
 the senior in rank, and a very meny 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 the cabin, to which our guests were 
 invited, our merry friend placed himself unceremo- 
 niously, but not rudely, at the head of the table, and 
 reaching his arm out, drew a book from the libraryj, 
 opened it, and, with great affected foraiality, turned 
 the leaves backwards and forwards till he lighted 
 
32 CHINA. 
 
 upon the title-page. He then held it up before hini, 
 examined it with his eyes nearly closed, — turned it 
 upside down, — sideways, and in every du*ection, — 
 twisting his face into all sorts of ridiculous forms, 
 expressive of his amusement and sm-pnse at the 
 strangeness of what he saw ; — then jumping on liis 
 feet, displayed the book to his wondering attend- 
 ants, wdio had taken possession of the sky-light, 
 and were thrusting then- heads down to see what 
 was going on. I entertained them with cherry 
 brandy, which, though quite new to them, seemed 
 to suit both master and man, for the INIandarins 
 no sooner di'ank, than they filled their glasses again, 
 and were not contented till all their attendants had 
 followed so good an example. Cherry brandy, a 
 species of liquor adapted 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 Mandarins willing to re- 
 turn to Ta Koo immediately with our letter. The 
 interpreter found much less difficulty in commmii- 
 cating with these men, who were persons of edu- 
 cation, than with the boatmen wliom we visited the 
 day before ; but it was still necessary sometimes 
 to have recourse to the written 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 
 hands, or even iu the air with the end of their fans. 
 
CHINA. 83 
 
 Duiing this interview, it happened that one of the 
 Mandarins, observing that his 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 our guests, for while the chiefs were 
 pledging the Emperor in cherry 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 from the shore till the fourth of August, when 
 two Mandarins, who had been ordered to attend 
 the Ambassador, came on boaid to pay their re- 
 spects to liis Lordship. They sailed at once along- 
 side, in great junks, neai-ly as high as the fri- 
 gate ; and when made fast, the Mandaiins scrambled 
 up the side with some difficulty, 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 from these gi-eat 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-colom-ed paper, with the name and 
 title written in a peqiendicular line in the centre. 
 
34 CHINA. 
 
 The senior Mandai'In, 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 pohcy of then jea- 
 lous com-t 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 great a personage to trust 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 
 our subsequent voyage, we frequently saw the same 
 thing practised with great success. A portion of 
 the unaffected familiarity with 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 cordiality so 
 useful in forwarding the intercourse of perfect stran- 
 gers. Upon the present occasion, the first during 
 which any real business was transacted, both par- 
 ties naturally felt a little cautious and distrustful 
 of the other, feelings which prevailed more or less 
 dm-ing the whole interview. Just as the Man- 
 darins, however, ivere 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 ai'ch and playful expressiou of countenance, 
 whicli it was impossible to resist. At this moment 
 Lord Amherst's otvti son, about the same age as 
 the young Mandarin, came forward and was pre- 
 sented to our 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, beino- 
 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 official part, 
 and returned to his own junk, than he hastened to 
 his crib of a cabin, flung oflF his robes, his crape 
 petticoat, his great unwieldy velvet boots, with 
 soles an inch thick, and his fantastical cap, and 
 issuing forth with his pipe hanging out of one side 
 of his mouth, and a pair 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 yoimg midshipmen, who, 
 in a correspondent taste, had climbed into the rig- 
 ging, and were not slow to better this instniction. 
 
 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 liis neighbour, a fine scramble and racket took 
 place, with abundance of altercation, and, if there 
 be any analogy between the sea-ports of diiferent 
 countries, I dare say an ample allowance of oatlis 
 
36 CHINA. 
 
 and scurrility. Both these were lost upon us ; but 
 the tones, the gesticulations, the angry lool<5 of the 
 disputants, the whole scene, in short, was infinite- 
 ly comic. Yet there was no lack of disciphne 
 ainidst all this strange turmoil ; for no sooner had 
 a ^ong sounded on board the commodore s junk, 
 than it was answered by the ringing of others m 
 each vessel, and in an instant all the Chmese 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, camesailingup,and dexterously placed 
 their unwieldy 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- 
 gized 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 examme 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 
 round the decks like ladies, smoothing down their 
 long tails, joking and talking with them, apparent- 
 
CHINA. 87 
 
 iy unconscious, or, if conscious, not caring, whether 
 John Chinaman, as they called hira, 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 are set down for sensible 
 people; otherxvise he pities their ignorance, and 
 laughs at the folly of their designating common 
 things by names strange to hi^ ears. 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, " What do you think of these people ?" — 
 " Why," replied his companion, with a look of 
 thorough contempt, " will you believe it — the in- 
 fernal fools call a hat Sombrero I" 
 
 The only circumstance wliich threatened to dis- 
 turb the harmony subsisting between us and our 
 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 their 
 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 
 precaution of coiling their tufts round their heads, 
 out of the reach of such practical jokes. 
 
 When the morning broke on the 5th of August 
 VOL, I. D 2 
 
38 CHINA. 
 
 we found ourselves suiTounded, to the distance of 
 a quarter of a mile in every direction, 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 ; wliile others were so diminutive, that it was 
 wonderful how they dai'ed to tnist themselves so 
 far off at sea. Most of them were lying at anchor ; 
 but a few of the more cm-ious continued sailing- 
 round the ships, expressing by shouts and admiring 
 gestures, the liveliest satisfaction at what they saw. 
 I manned my gig to make an excursion amongst 
 these boats, when I found many of the people in 
 motion, even at this early horn*, the sun being hardly 
 above the horizon, and delighted to have a neai'er 
 view of the strangers. On boaid one junk, the cap- 
 tain and crew, who were just going to breakfast, 
 entreated me to join them, an invitation which, all 
 tilings recollected about the nature of Chmese 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 
 dovni. The deck, spread over with a neat gi'ass mat, 
 was our table, the breakfast consisted of five or six 
 bowls of finely-boiled rice, as white as snow, with 
 a vaiiety of savoury hashes and stews ; and in the 
 centre of all stood a large smoking dish, containing 
 what looked very like an omelet. Their diink, 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 heai'ty meal, to 
 the unspeakable delight of the Chinese boatmen. 
 
CHINA. 39 
 
 On the 9th of Aiigiist, 1816, tlie ambassador 
 and 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 fired from a for- 
 tification on tlie southern side. The guns were thnist 
 into the gromid, and fired perpendicularly in the 
 air, to avoid, a.s 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 ; 
 tlie greater number being ai*med with bows and 
 aiTows, while many carried nothmg but spears, to 
 the ends of which were fixed small flags, and eight 
 or ten formidable-looking waxi'iors 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 w^e took leave of the embassy ; and, for 
 five months afterrv^ards, 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 insti'uctive 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 squadron were re-assem- 
 bled at Che-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 ^dsited 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 avv^are 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 otherwise to the Chinese character. 
 It ought ahvays to be remembered, that most 
 of the infomiation 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 
 great sea-port of Canton. But it is obviously as un- 
 fair to judge of the Chinese by such data, as it would 
 be to estimate the character of the English jfi'om 
 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 
 BaiTow, Du Halde, and others, whose means ex- 
 tended so much farther. Undoubtedly the Chinese 
 havd to thank their own narrow policy which con- 
 fines our observation to one spot, for all this pre- 
 judice and en-or. But this should not make us less 
 desirous of getting at the tiTith when an opportu- 
 nity such as the present occurs, of seeing tlie in- 
 habitants in a remote part, of the empire, wliere 
 
CHINA. 41 
 
 tijoy ai"e unsophisticated by external influence, and 
 where the laws and usages of the countiy alone may 
 be supposed to regnilate their manners. 
 
 As we stood up the bay, numerous boats crowd- 
 ed alongside, and the people leaping from them, 
 soon filled om- decks. They were fi-eely 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 obtain 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 morn- 
 ing. 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 theii* 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 the crowd. It 
 was therefore a gi'eat relief to get into the Man- 
 
 d2 
 
42 CHINA, 
 
 darin's house, a neat and even elegantly fumish-ed 
 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 maimer ; cor- 
 pulence heing 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 wliat we 
 were in want of. We succeeded very well in every 
 part of our interpretation, excepting in the primary 
 articles of bullocks and vegetables. Wlienever the 
 conversation took this turn, our interpreter somehow 
 or other could never make them understand 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 
 write 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 country, 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 rezJly 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 wail 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 apparition 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 tlu-ee 
 feet above the level of the field, near a farm-house. 
 We observed that they first beat the com with flails, 
 not unlike a watchman's rattle, and then tossed it 
 into the air, that the wind might blow away the 
 
44 CHINA. 
 
 chaff. One of the formers sliowed me a pmal) 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 retm-n. We 
 succeeded in gaining gi-ound 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 our 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 their reserve, we engaged their 
 full attention and respect, by allo^ving 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 stared at with great delight, and a sight of our 
 watches completed the treaty of amity between us. 
 While this was going on, a countryman driving 
 a donkey loaded with vegetables, joined the party. 
 We instantly tried to open a traffic with him for 
 his whole cai-go, 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 cun-ent 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 tliis unwonted dilemma, when silver was of no 
 avail, it occiUTed to mc to try the eificacy of a more 
 
CHINA. 45 
 
 siiowy metal, and borrowing the countryman^s knife 
 from him, I cut a button from ray uniform, then sei- 
 zing a bundle of leeks in one band, 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- 
 humom-, and I had nobody with me to carry the 
 vegetables. At length, however, I explained to 
 the peasant that I wished them carried to tfce boat, 
 and although I took no further charge of him, he de- 
 livered themfaithftdly 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 this voyage, proposed that we should land on 
 the side of the harbour opposite to the village, with 
 which 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 China, Eight or ten of the villagers came 
 forward to welcome us, and placing cliaii's for us 
 under the trees, begged us to partake of their 
 hospitality. 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 with 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 ; anci even at this remote comer 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 China, the most studious anxiety on the 
 part of the parents to gratify the little people with 
 the most advantageous 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 tho confusion my w^atch was passed from 
 hand to Iiand, till lost sight of altogether. At length 
 these good people were satisfied ; and fancying 
 
CHINA. ~ 47 
 
 eveiything was restored, we took our leave as the 
 day was closing. But we left the village by a dif- 
 ferent path from that by which we had come ; and 
 after wandering for some time amongst the hillsj 
 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 theii* character, was 
 shaken to its foundation. The watch, however, was 
 much too valuable to be lost without an effort, and 
 we resolved to retm-n 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 alai'med at our sudden appearance, pushed us 
 rudely away, and closed the window. Tliis was an 
 unpropitious beginning ; but we persevered till, on 
 reaching the court or squai'e near the centre of the 
 village, we fortunately lighted upon a party of eight 
 or ten men, some lying on the gi'ound, others seat- 
 ed on chairs, 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 eflPects, but happening to remember 
 tlie Chinese for watch, Pee-o-i, I repeatedly pro- 
 nounced it, exhibiting at the same time my empty 
 
48 CHINA. 
 
 podcets. 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 the occasion. This, however, pro- 
 duced little eflPect 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. ^^^len 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 which I fancied I could sometimes de- 
 tect an ironical smile when he looked towards his 
 companions, made me a long speech, which, although 
 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, looking over Ins shoulder and laughing, 
 spoke a few words to one of the young men seated 
 on the grass near him, who inunediately rose and 
 
CHINA. '19 
 
 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, (pointing first to 
 the one way, and then to the other,) he had quite 
 lost sight of me, but that next day he meant to have 
 brought the watch on board. This 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, tlmist 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- 
 humom- than the old fellow's lecture had been ; and 
 so my sententious friend himself seemed to think, 
 for he addressed me with the former 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 onboard, 
 to leave some mark of gratitude for the good ser- 
 
 VOL. I. E 
 
50 CHINA. 
 
 vice these obliging people had 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 from my 
 pocket, and entreated their acceptance of it. Tliis, 
 however, they positively refused. But conceiving 
 their 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. 
 This excited an immediate outciy fi'om 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 much longer period of the 
 ordinary kind of intercourse could possibly have 
 done ; and being still desirous of leaving some me- 
 morial of our visit, the idea occuiTed to me of wri- 
 ting down wliat had passed as a record, wliich in 
 the very improbable event of a future voyager 
 coming to this port, might 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 discussion 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. This 
 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 liis pilotage we proceeded to the 
 school, where our preceptor having lighted a can- 
 
CHINA. 61 
 
 die, soon brought all that was want-ed, A flat plate 
 of stone hollowed out like a saucer, being first nib- 
 bed with Indian ink, a brush similar to what we 
 use in painting was 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 which condemns a whole nation for the 
 vices of one sea-port. 
 
 Tlie 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 wa* invariably a school where both 
 reading and writing were taught to boys ; but I do 
 not recollect that we ever saw any girls at 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 pai'ty, we reached the boat, where the na- 
 tive pressed our hands between theirs, and took 
 
52 CHINA, 
 
 leave of us in a manner expressive of the heartiest 
 good will. Our friends 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, imconscious 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, duriog 
 
CHINA. 63 
 
 which the master appeared to have the feculty of 
 distinguishing any voice which was in eiTor ; a 
 mode of teaching, it may be observed, universal 
 from all time over the East, but only recently in- 
 troduced, from that hemisphere into this countiy, 
 and I believe with much effect. 
 
 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 om- walk was 
 half over, we were frequently accosted by parties 
 of two and three curious damsels, whose wonder 
 was greatly excited by an investigation of our ha- 
 biliments. 
 
 Most of these women, but not all of them, had 
 the well-known small feet, the peculiar barbarism 
 of the country ; but prepai'ed as we were by draw- 
 ings and descriptions 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 honid ceremony of binding up the wretch- 
 ed children's feet ; and he showed me the man- 
 ner in which it was done. The toes ai"e forcibly 
 bent under the foot, in wliich position they are 
 confined by a silk band three inches wide, and two 
 or three yards 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 fiom this 
 
 e2 
 
54 CHINA. 
 
 vile mutilation, he was obliged to banish himself 
 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 kiquiry, there is not 
 naturally any jealousy or apprehension of strangers. 
 Some of these observations I made imder the very 
 walls of a mud fort, the 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 T\dth de- 
 light and surprise at the sight of the quicksilver 
 in the artificial horizon. It is true, I conciliated 
 liis good will by presenting liim 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 hkely to be 
 engaged in China, with an examination of that un- 
 known country. We steered, accordingly, direct- 
 ly East, along the parallel of 38 degi'ees of north 
 latitude, without seeing any land till the morning of 
 the thu-d day afterwards. 
 
COREA, 55 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 COREA — SIB JAMES HALL's GROUP — 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, Ij^ing at a great distance to the 
 Eastward. The announcement of land being in 
 eight 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 TinkiioAvn that it held no place on our charts, 
 except that vague sort of outline with which the 
 old map-makers delighted to fill up their paper, 
 and conceal theii* 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- 
 pyist, 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 COREA. 
 
 wliat is laid do"mi in these imaginary maps, thau 
 we sliould have been to discover them accurate, 
 though this would have been little short of a mi- 
 racle, and the other is the occmTence to be 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 sm-vey the world in their closet ; for on 
 approaching the land, and making observations to 
 ascertain our trae 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 through 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 trusted solely to our 
 own resources ; or according to the professional 
 phrase, to lead, latitude, and look-out ; though, in 
 truth, 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. 
 
 ]3y nine o'clock in the morning, we were not far 
 from a group of three 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 and laying out the ground 
 so conspicuous in that agricultm'al 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 from all winds except the South. 
 
CO RE A, 5T 
 
 The meridian observation placed these islands in 
 37" 50' North latitude, and our chronometers made 
 them in 124* 50' East longitude. 
 
 Our anchor had scarcely reached the ground, 
 when a small boat was discovered paddling off to 
 us full of people, and on looking more attentively, 
 we saw a village in a little nook at the north-west- 
 ern side of the bay. The natives came boldly on till 
 within about j&fty 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 faither 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 own 
 boats and pay the first visit ourselves. As we row* 
 ed towards the shore, the boat turned back like- 
 wise, and followed us as fast as possibly to the vil- 
 lage. The uihabitants, 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 ait 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- 
 sure elicited something like emotion in the sulky 
 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 direction we 
 came from. There is no saying exactly how fai* 
 our forbeaxance might have endured, had the na=- 
 
58 CGREA. 
 
 tiveg proceeded to cany the joke much fartlier ; 
 but as pur object was by all means to conciliate 
 their good will^ Ave 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 North-Eastem 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, barely 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 three of their number, who seem-" 
 cd principal persons, wore vast hats, the brims of 
 which extended a foot and a half in all directions, 
 
COREA. 59 
 
 SO as completely to shade the body of the wearer. 
 The top or croTsm, on the other Iiand, was dispro- 
 portionably small, 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 texture was open, 
 and the whole quite light, being tied under the chin 
 by a band of oval red and yellow beads. 
 
 Though it Avas 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 Vv^liere 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 pre\ious knowledge. Eveiy- 
 thifig 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 from 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 uiJike a sheep-track, though we saw no 
 
60 COREA. 
 
 animals of this description. From the 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 oif, 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 fii'st 
 time to European eyes. 
 
 The world, of late years, has 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- 
 •^eatedly by Euiopeans, while it was their more fa- 
 
COREA. 61 
 
 TOured 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 suflBciently ludicrous. 
 
 We varied the road on returning, by striking out 
 of the path by which we had climbed 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 \allage, 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, 
 were now discovered before the doors of the cot- 
 tages engaged in husking rice, by beating it in 
 great wooden mortars. Most of them 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 down 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 the 
 rocks and reached the village, the men and the 
 
 VOL. I. s 
 
62 COREA. 
 
 children alone were there to receive us. EnougK 
 however, was discovered of tliese timorous damsels 
 to satisfy us that their feet were not n.utilated on 
 this island, as in China. The natives were now, 
 in a slight degi'ee, 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 gi'owing in great abundance. 
 
 In our hasty passage amongst the houses, for 
 there was httle attempt at a street, we saw several 
 bullocks, and a great supply of poultry, but no in- 
 ducement could prevail on the natives to seU or ex- 
 change one of them. They held in no estimation 
 our dollars and gold money ; and nothing else that 
 we offered 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- 
 
COREA. 63 
 
 cept it. We wer^ now in hopes, when the tee had 
 been broken, that we should commence a traffic. 
 But in a few minutes the same native came back, and 
 wdthout any ceremony thrust the glass again 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 his 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 people 
 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 rude 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 fis if repenting of being betrayed into good- 
 
64- COHEA. 
 
 ImmouTj placed it in my hands, and gave me a 
 violent push from him, accompanying this insult- 
 ing action by a loud angry 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 unkindly 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 
 
CO RE A. 65 
 
 in the dailk, it 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- 
 ed 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, as they certainly were previously to me. In un- 
 knowTi seas, especially in coral latitudes, nothingcan 
 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 dai'kness. Against 
 such evils, the practice of anchoring, if the water 
 does not much exceed a hundred fathoms in depth, 
 is B 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 hisrhlv advantageous^ 
 
 ¥ 2 
 
66 COREA. 
 
 on this occasion. It is common, when sailing along 
 coasts, or when it is necessary to anchor frequent- 
 ly, to lower the yards, square them, and fori 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, 
 wliich 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 inaccessll- 
 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 unceasing, 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 having 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 familiar 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 unqrdckened 
 in their vigilance by high responsibihty, and whose 
 duties, therefore, naturally become mere matters of 
 •outine, very far from commensurate with that 
 mxiety, which can be felt by the Captain alone. 
 The tendency of strict discipline, such as pre- 
 
68 COREA. 
 
 vails on board sliips of war, where almost 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 ordinary occasions this answers 
 extremely well. But when the ship is placed in 
 cu'cumstances where success depends on the indi- 
 vidual reflection of those who have been preidous- 
 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 liis turn of duty ceased, rolled into bed, and 
 was asleep the next moment, lea\-ing the waking 
 captain to manage the ship as he best could, every 
 one else being quite ready to take liis chance ; that 
 is to say, never thinldng about the matter. 
 
 On the morning of the 3d of September, tlie 
 ships again weighed, and stood under all sail to- 
 wards the islands, with which 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-looking cliff, which we 
 determined to visit after anchoring. Accordingly, 
 
COREA. * 69 
 
 at half past three, as soon as dinner was over, we 
 set out to explore the island ; and the geological 
 appearances which had engaged our attention at 
 some distance, proved in the highest degree cu- 
 rious when more closely examined. 
 
 The North-eastern end of this singular island 
 is composed of close-grained, whitish gxanite, 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 gra- 
 nite vein or wall, forty feet wide ; from which in- 
 numerable lateral veins of all sizes, from 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- 
 etone 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 gravel which at some remote pe- 
 riod must have formed the bottom of the ocean, 
 though now raised several hundred feet above high 
 "water mark. 
 
 The appearances above described are not given 
 OS new ; on the contraiy, they ai'e familiar to every 
 geologist ; and it is on this very account that they 
 are mentioned. Humboldt somewhere remarks 
 tlie wonderful uniformity which obtains in the 
 
70 COREA. 
 
 rocks forming the crust of the globe, and contrasts 
 this regularity with the diversity prevailing in eveiy 
 other branch of natiiral history. The truth of this 
 remark was often forcibly impressed upon our no- 
 tice during the present voyage ; for wherever we 
 went, the vegetable, the animal, and the moral 
 kingdom, if I may use such an expression, were 
 discovered to be infinitely varied ; 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 fiom 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 
 the 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 Wemeiian 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 oxu: 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, tliough ilJ-mann<?red gesticula- 
 
COREA. 71 
 
 tionS| that we were far from welcome. As the 
 angle of the cliff on which these iiide islanders 
 were perched, was not less than two hundred per- 
 pendicular feet, directly over our heads, we thought 
 ourselves fortunate that they confined themselves 
 to signs and clamour, instead of using the more 
 potent ai'gument 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, in 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 oflP, and 
 made them a low bow ; upon which, the foremost 
 of their number addressed us in a long speech, in 
 a tone of voice that was heard on board the ships 
 half a mile off. We replied 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 their own harangue had been upon us, a more 
 intelligible language was tried, by our walkhig 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 which 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 
 
72 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 that 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 imderstand, 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. 73 
 
 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 hour in one of the houses, 
 or to have bathed in the little stream which we 
 saw running 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 tm-ned towards 
 our boats. AU was now changed ; instead of ob- 
 structing our way, and roaring in om* ears, they 
 were aU smiles and assistance : a man on each 
 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 depaii;. On reaching the boats, foiu* 
 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 from then* inhospitable shore with as 
 much momentum as possible. 
 
 There was but little difierence between the dress 
 of the people of Mutton's Island and those we vi- 
 sited on the first 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 narrow gauze fillet, on the side of which 
 was wrought a small star-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 under 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 aU 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 imlucky incident 
 removed the only chance we had of gaining their 
 confidence ; for even the watch had now lost its 
 attraction ; and we re-embaiked_, much entertain- 
 ed with the whole scene, but somewhat provoked 
 with ourselves, for the small impression om* 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 be ready 
 for the sea-breezCj which soon came to refresh us, 
 well nigh burned up by the rays of the sun blazing 
 both fiom 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 tins 
 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 yeai's of 
 labour would be requiied to form a correct map of 
 this magnificent scene. It was one, however, so 
 w^ell calculated to rouse the attention of the most 
 unthinking person amongst us, that even the sea- 
 men, whose habits dispose them very little 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 comitiy extended to a considerable 
 distance fiom the sea, along the sides of a range of 
 mountains lying parallel to the coast. No harbour 
 nor break in the land was visible till about three 
 
76 COREA. 
 
 o'clock, when a projecting point came in sight, on 
 rounding which a noble bay was discovered, in- 
 denting the land for four or five miles. On sailing 
 farther in, 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 doTVTi to the wa- 
 ter's edge, and hailed us with loud and angry shouts, 
 the ungracious tone of which was becoming by this 
 time but too familiar to our ears. 
 
 As soon as the ships were secured, Captain 
 Maxwell, Mr Clifltbrd, 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 tlie 
 whole population were in a commotion, much re- 
 sembling the sort of bustle into wliich 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 tumultuous procession. Every boat, even the 
 smallest that had a mast at all, was decked out with 
 long streamers, and crowded almost to sinking with 
 people. On an-iving within a couple of boats' 
 lengths of the headmost vessel, our ears were sa- 
 luted with sounds not unlike those of the bagpipe, 
 which issued fi*om three pipes, or trumpets, played 
 by men raised high in the bow 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, sm-iounded by at- 
 tendants in richly-colom-ed dresses. Tlie chief him- 
 self, for such he was dubbed the moment we be- 
 held him, is worthy of a particular description. 
 His piincipal garment consisted of a showy robe, 
 or mantle, of blue satin, in whose ample folds he was 
 well nigh lost ; in fiont hung down his venerable 
 white beard, as far as a rich embroidered girdle, con- 
 fining 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, 
 fi-ora 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 course 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 pui-pose close to his elbow, who 
 took the tobacco from a silver box caixied 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 om* respects. He 
 answered our salutations with grave civility, but 
 neither rose nor asked us to sit down. The mu- 
 sic now stopped squeaking, 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 our boats with his rod of office, thereby 
 
 g2 
 
78 COREA. 
 
 very clearly giving us to understand that we must 
 not stay longer upon his quarter-deck. To humour 
 him 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 om' wish 
 to visit the country ; and finding our signals either 
 unintelligible or not agreeable, we 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 romid from the rear, 
 and were 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 off and prepared for an attack. Tlie old gen- 
 tleman perceived this movement, and being inno- 
 cent of any hostile design, looked about him to 
 discover the cause of our apprehension. We ex- 
 plained to him that we preferred an open space to 
 such a crowd of vessels, upon wliich he gave or- 
 ders, which were promptly obeyed by the intruding 
 boatmen, who hurried back to their stations m an 
 instant. 
 
 The whole procession, like a royal regatta, now 
 proceeded slowly towai'ds the L)Ta, to tlie sound 
 of the pipes, which began to play tlie instant tlie 
 boats went on. Captain Maxwell and I rowed to 
 one side of the brig, while the chiefs boat was 
 placed on the other in a revy seamanUIve style. To 
 get on board was not so easy a matter, and it was 
 all our disciplhie could accomplish to keep the 
 sailors from laughing at the manner in wliich the 
 old chief got up the gangway, encumbered as he 
 
COREA. 79 
 
 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. Chairs 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 fiist objected, leaving us completely perplexed 
 to discover his wishes. It has occurred to us since, 
 that the publicity of the conference may have dis- 
 pleased him, and we regretted not having carried 
 him below, however inconvenient the accommoda- 
 tion. At length he sat doT\Ti, and immediately the 
 whole of his own crew, and the men from about 
 twenty other boats, leaped on board in all direc- 
 tions, to assist at the ceremony. Some of them 
 climbed into the risfffino;, others established them- 
 selves on the poop, and one unbroken line of cop- 
 per-coloured wondering faces was ranged along the 
 hammocks from stem to stern. V/hen every one 
 was seated, silence and something like order was 
 established, and the chief, draAving his pipe from his 
 mouth, and flourishing his wand, commenced an ora- 
 tion which lasted fully five minutes. When he had 
 concluded. Captain Maxwell, who had listened with 
 admirable gi'avity 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 secretary, and touching him with his 
 rod, made liim sit down before him. The secretary 
 
80 COREA, 
 
 took Iiis place with all due formality, and having 
 rubbed liis cake of Indian ink upon a neat blue 
 stone wliich he carried with him, drew forth his 
 camel-hair bmsh, 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. When 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 gi*ace we could. The chief 
 was exceedingly provoked, and showed by his ges- 
 tm-es 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 inliabitants of 
 the countries meet, and try to converse, tliey are 
 mutually miintelligible as long as they confine them- 
 selves to oral commmiication ; but the instant they 
 have recom'se to the written chai'acter, 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 different in all 
 of them. In these respects the Arabic numbers 1, 
 2, 3, exactly resemble the wiitten Chinese charac- 
 ters. There is nothing m these symbols by which 
 their pronunciation can be determined, and in fact 
 every nation of Europe uses different words to 
 express them in speech. In China, and the coun- 
 tries adjacent, this principle, with us confined to 
 
COREA. 81 
 
 numerals and to algebraic signs, extends to the 
 whole language ; and, as a loiowledge of reading 
 and writinsr is verv o;enerallv diffused in those coun- 
 tries, it was quite natural that the Coreans should 
 be surprised at the ignorance of people of our pre- 
 tensions. 
 
 As we made no progress in the mutual expres- 
 sion of our wishes, we had recourse to a language 
 which 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 board, we distri- 
 buted rum, which as usual made us all good friends. 
 The chief alone, however, who seemed to be sit- 
 ting on thorns, was 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 
 turaed round, the people leaped on board again. 
 One fellow, who probably had got double allow- 
 ance of grog, made a great 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 earned 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 bow and anows, whilst others 
 
82 COREA. 
 
 were armed with swords. Their liead-dress consist- 
 ed of a low conical Iiat, made of thickly-plaited 
 grass, on the top of which was fixed a small gilt 
 ornament, with a tassel of raw silk, and half a dozen 
 peacock's feathers worked together. 
 
 It had become nearly dai'k by this time, and mat- 
 ters were hanging father heavy on om- hands, when 
 the chief ordered his boats to be got ready, and 
 called two of his attendants to assist liim m rising, 
 an operation too undignified it appeared for him 
 to attempt alone. In compassion to the old man's 
 difficulty of locomotion, I had set the carpenters to 
 work the moment he came on board, to construct a 
 platform, along which he now marched out of the 
 ship, with much more ease than he had entered. 
 He remarked the difference, and seemed more plea- 
 sed with this mark of attention than he had been 
 with anything else we did to accommodate him. 
 So far all seemed well. But there was still some- 
 tliing amiss, as the boat did not put off, but conti- 
 nued alongside, the old chief sitting stock still and 
 silent, with his unlighted pipe in his mouth. In ^ 
 utter ignorance of what was expected of us, we 
 thought it could do no harm to pay him a visit : 
 probably this was what he waited for, since he 
 made room for us to sit down on his own mat, and 
 then looking round, appeared sorry that he had no- 
 thing to entertain us with ; at least we conjectu- 
 red that this was tlie difficulty, and therefore sent 
 for a bottle of wine, which the chief no sooner saw, 
 than he called for three or four bowls, and made 
 liis pipe-bearer pour out the wine ; then touching 
 the vessels with his rod, made us all drink before he 
 would taste a drop. The oddity of his entertain- 
 ing the company at their own expense seemed not 
 
COREA. 83 
 
 to Strike him ; on the contrary he did the honours 
 T\'ith much cheerftdness, and for the first time, was 
 quite at his ease. 
 
 After sitting for ten minutes, we took our leave, 
 and the Corean boats rowed in the direction of 
 the town for about a himdred yards, then sud- 
 denly turning their heads round, proceeded to- 
 wards the Alceste. As it was now dark, we had 
 not dreamed of more visiting, and being sufficiently 
 tired with the day's work, were congratulating our- 
 selves with all these ceremonies being at an end, 
 and that the remainder of the evening was at our 
 own tlisposal, when it was announced that the ve- 
 nerable chief was on his way to the commodore. 
 Captain Maxwell by dint of hard rowing reached 
 his ship in time to have the quarter-deck and ac- 
 commodation ladder lighted up, and everything ar- 
 ranged for the reception of the chief. He was evi- 
 dently much struck with the appearance of the 
 ship, particularly when he entered the cabin, and 
 foimd himself in a large and elegantly-furnished 
 apartment. Captain Maxwell showed him the way 
 and begged him to sit down, but he would use no- 
 thing but his own favourite mat. The sentinel, 
 however, at the cabin door had orders to stop 
 every one from entering but the chief himself, and 
 seeing no reason for admitting the mat-bearer more 
 than the others, some minutes elapsed before this 
 essential part of his establishment could be found. 
 Meanwhile, the old man looked about him, asto- 
 nished at the unexpected splendour of the apart- 
 ment ; and as Captain Maxwell had changed his 
 jacket for a long coat, he did not at first recognize 
 him. On discovering his mistake, he laughed for 
 the first and I think the only time, and liis beha- 
 
84. COREA. 
 
 viour afterwards was certainly less constrained. 
 He did not relish being left alone witli us, how- 
 ever, and seemed ill at ease till the secretary and 
 three or four others were called in. 
 
 It appeared that he had forgotten the fate of his 
 dispatch on board the Lyra, or else he wished once 
 more to fathom the depth of our ignorance, pro- 
 bably not conceiving it possible that the owner of 
 such a dwelUng should be unable to read or write. 
 Whatever his reasons might be, he ordered his se- 
 cretary to prepare another viTiting without delay, 
 and as soon as it was examined, handed it with 
 great formality to Captain Maxwell. The original 
 document is now in my possession, as well as the 
 translation, made by the interpreter to the British 
 Factory at Canton, which runs thus : — 
 
 " Persons, of what land are you ? — of what na- 
 tion ? — On account of what business do you come 
 hither ?- — In the ship ai-e there any hterary men, 
 who thoroughly understand, and can explain what 
 is written?" 
 
 We readily conjectured that something to this 
 purpose must be the import of the writmg : had 
 we Imown it then, however, as correctly as we do 
 now, the knowledge would have served us little 
 purpose, for we had no means of reply, except in- 
 deed to the latter pai't of the question, which Cap- 
 tain Maxwell answered in a manner certainly the 
 most effectual that could be devised. He did it, 
 ho\vever, with so much ceremony, and at the 
 same time such perfect gravity, that it was sin- 
 gularly ludicrous. Having called for his clerk, he 
 proceeded to imitate the chief, and Avi'ote a letter 
 which he presented with a low bow. This dis- 
 patch was not quite so long as the chiefs, and 
 
COREA. 85 
 
 contained simply this : — " I do not understand one 
 word that you say." 
 
 The chief not doubting in the least that he 
 should understand the writing as soon as he look- 
 ed at it, carefully inspected the paper, and turned it 
 first one way and then another, but all to no pur- 
 pose. At last he looked towards Captain Maxwell 
 with an inquiring air and pointed impatiently to 
 the paper. Captain Maxwell took up the chief's 
 letter and did exactly the same, implying an equal 
 degree of ignorance : but it was not till a consider- 
 able time had elapsed that the chief saw the simi- 
 larity of their predicaments, and finally gave up all 
 hopes of communicating by any means but signs. 
 
 On turning round, his eye happened to catch a 
 mirror which was hanging between the ports, on 
 one side. Captain Maxwell took it down and pla- 
 ced it in the old man's hands. He seemed mightily 
 pleased with the image which it reflected, for he 
 stroked his beard and pulled it from side to side for 
 some time with an air of great complacency. One 
 of the suite, whose curiosity overcame his good 
 manners, could not resist the temptation, and steal- 
 ing behind the chief, took a sly peep likewise. 
 The appearance of another face over his shoulder, 
 completely oversetting the chief's good humour, the 
 offender was scolded in set terms, and then dis- 
 missed the cabin. A similar discipline was ex- 
 erted over the poor secretary, who thrust his head 
 between Captain Maxwell and his clerk, while 
 they were concocting a reply to the letter. Thus 
 scarcely five minutes passed over our irritable 
 guest's head, without something occurring to dis- 
 compose him, although we sometimes suspected 
 tliis constant exercise of authority about trifles, 
 
 VOL. I. 11 
 
86 COREA. 
 
 might be assumed merely to impress the strangers 
 with an idea of his importance. But whether or 
 not this fretfulness was feignee! while in the cabin, 
 no one could doubt the sincerity of his displeasure 
 a minute after he came on the quarter-deck to take 
 leave. On passing the gun-room skylight, his 
 quick ear caught the sound of voices below, and 
 looking down he detected some of his people en- 
 joying themselves, and making very meny over a 
 bottle of wine with the officers of the ship. On his 
 bawling out to them, they leaped on their feet, and 
 hurried up the ladder in great consternation. The 
 alarm soon spread along the lower deck to another 
 jovial party of the Coreans, who were carousing 
 with the midshipmen. 
 
 All over the vrorld it seems to be an Enghsh- 
 man's maxim to give his guest more to drink than 
 is good for him, and accordingly, most of the Co- 
 reans came stumbling up the ladder half tipsy, and 
 staggered across the deck, to the great wrath of the 
 chief, who disapproved totally of these symptoms 
 of familiarity. The first one or two who made 
 their appearance, bolted over the gangway into their 
 boats, and thus eluded the chief's scrutiny ; after 
 which he stationed himself at the hatchway, and 
 caught each man as he came up, punching him 
 soundly with his little rod in a very undignified 
 manner, until the culprit by calling out betrayed 
 himself. One poor fellow, the broad sleeve of 
 whose robe was filled with biscuits given him 
 below, managed to slip past, and nm to the oppo- 
 site side of the deck. The chief left his post, and 
 set out in chase round the quarter-deck, to the un- 
 speakable entertainment of the sailors. As the 
 weight of the biscuit retarded the oiSender's speed, 
 
COREA. 87 
 
 he managed, just before the chief reached him, to 
 sHde his whole cargo into a coil of rope, and then 
 surrendered himself prisoner. But the old man, 
 catching a lantern from one of the sidesmen, 
 pointed ouv the stolen goods with an air of great 
 exultation, as a proof of the efficiency of his disci- 
 pline. On finding no more people come up, he 
 went down to the main-deck, and by rummaging 
 about under the guns, and amongst the pumps, 
 satisfied himself that no one was concealed. At 
 length he took his leave, after inviting us, as we 
 thought, to visit him on shore the next day. 
 
 On returning to the Lyra, well tired with 
 the day's work, I found about a dozen Corean 
 boats anchored in a circle round the brig, but 
 from the crews being all asleep, we conjectured 
 they were not there for the purpose of watch- 
 ing us, but were expecting the chief to return. 
 We roused them up by banging one of their own 
 gongs ; and they no sooner discovered, by our 
 pointing to the shore and making signs, that the 
 man with the large hat and long beard had gone in 
 that direction, than they bestiiTed themselves to 
 get their anchors up, and soon left us to ourselves. 
 The Corean boats resemble those of China in 
 many respects ; their bow and stem, however, are 
 not so upright, but project at an angle of thirty de- 
 grees with the water. The whole cable is wound 
 upon a reel turned at the ends by winches, and 
 not coiled away as with us. It appears to be 
 made of a long grass very neatly twisted. To the 
 cable is attached a very primitive description of 
 anchor, being merely two bent elbows of a dark- 
 coloured wood, which sinks in the water, a pro- 
 perty, in some instances, assisted by stones fas- 
 
88 COREA. 
 
 tened to the crossing of the flukes and the shank, 
 both of which are made of wood. When not 
 under sail, these boats are impelled by oars, rude 
 in appearance, but eflfectual enough in practice, 
 consisting merely of a pole, to the extremity of 
 which a flat circular board is laced by thongs. 
 Every boat also carries over her stem, and fre- 
 quently on both quarters, a long oar — which serves 
 the double purpose of steering, and of skulling, as 
 it is technically called, an excellent method of giv- 
 ing impulse to large boats, in which the natives of 
 China and the adjacent countries excel all other 
 nations. This method, by the way, is well wor- 
 thy of imitation in crowded rivers, from its taking 
 up literally no room. In the Thames, and in all 
 other European, as well as American rivers, the 
 use of the skull, if I am not mistaken, is con- 
 fined almost entirely to small boats. In China I 
 have seen vessels of more than a hundred tons, 
 propelled rapidly by means of several skulls, with 
 four or five men to each ; and I am confident it 
 might be usefully apphed to our river barges, 
 instead of the huge sweeps or oars now in use, 
 which not only take up unnecessary space, but are 
 not nearly so efficient. The Chinese skull, it may 
 be observed, is made to work on the smooth top 
 of a nail or bolt, about as large as the little finger, 
 the top of which fits into a small hollow space 
 cut in the oar, whereas with us the skull is made 
 to turn in a nick in the stem. 
 
 At day-break next morning, a considerable bustle 
 was observed on shore, and shortly afterwards the 
 perseveriRg old chief again embarked and rowed to 
 the ships, accompanied by a still more numerous 
 escort of boats and people, who had assembled du- 
 
s COREA. 89 
 
 ring the night ft'om the various villag-os lying round 
 the bay. The moraing was very fine, and uotliing 
 could be more brilliant than the appearance of this 
 procession, with flags and streamers flying from all 
 the masts, and gay crowds of people covering every 
 deck. They came slowly towards us, beating gongs 
 and playing lively martial airs on their shrill pipes. 
 The L)Ta, happening to lie nearest to the shore, 
 was first honoured with a visit. We determined 
 to entertain our guest below upon this occasion, 
 but as the cabin was not quite ready for his recep- 
 tion, he was allowed to walk about the decks, and 
 to examine things as he pleased, a degree of liber- 
 ty for which he seemed very grateful. Presently 
 he proposed to go below, but on the way down 
 was nearly wedged into the liatchway, the open- 
 ing being bai'ely sufficient to admit his prodi- 
 gious hat. If he was disappointed with the con- 
 fined accommodation, compared to that of the Al- 
 ceste, he was too well bred to notice such things, 
 and even condescended to sit on a chaii', when he 
 saw there was not a bit of room for his mat. A pah* 
 of globes first attracted his attention, with the mo- 
 tion of which he expressed a childish sort of de- 
 light. In the same way, the pictures in the books 
 amused him, as well as the miiTors, spy-glasses, 
 and everything he saw. 
 
 The ciiief was accompanied this morning by a 
 person, whom, fi'om the richness of his dress, we 
 supposed to be a man of rank. He looked, how- 
 ever, so unwell, probably fi'om being a little sea-sick, 
 that we took it into our heads he must have come 
 on board to consult the medical gentlemen. The 
 idea was no sooner started than we set about con- 
 firming ourselves in the mistake, bv making signs 
 
 H 2 
 
90 COREA. 
 
 to express illness, and pointing to the cause of our 
 anxiety. The poor man, who, from tlie m-banity 
 cf his manners, acquired amongst us the name of 
 the Courtier, not knowing what we would be at, 
 replied, as people do on such occasions, by a civil 
 look. Following up our original idea, the doctor 
 was sent for, who felt his pulse, made him expose 
 his tongue, and as far as could be accomplished, 
 inquired into his ailments — an absurd enough dis- 
 cipline for a man in perfect health. The chief mean- 
 while looked on with great gravity, and both he 
 and the patient probably believe to this hour that 
 such a ceremonial forms merely a part of our es- 
 tablished etiquette. 
 
 When the doctor had done, the Courtier was 
 fieed from farther scnitinv, and he commenced 
 examining the books lying on a shelf near him 
 with so much apparent interest that I begged him 
 to accept one. He grasped it with eagerness, and, 
 after clasping it to his breast, dropped it cunningly 
 into his long sleeve, wliich, like the same part of a 
 monk's dress in Europe, forms a most capacious 
 pocket. I had not the least thought of any re- 
 tmii for this gift ; but a minute afterwards, when 
 the old chief's back was turned, the Courtier slip- 
 ped his fan very mysteriously into my hand under 
 the table. Seeing that this was to be a private 
 transaction between us, I sent it away T\atli equal 
 secrecy by my steward, who was placing the tea- 
 things. Unfortunately my precaution was rendered 
 fniitless, for on the cabin becoming exceedingly 
 hot, I rang and desired my servant to bring me a 
 fan, and he not knowing there was any mystery, 
 naturally brought back the Courtier's present. 
 The stern old chief recognized it immediately, and 
 
COREA. 91 
 
 • rose half off his chair, his great hat fluttering like 
 a flag in the wind with rage, while the poor Courtier 
 stood trembling from top to toe, ready to sink into 
 the ground with fear. I interfered and endeavom'ed 
 to explain, that if tliere was any one in fault it was 
 not the Courtier. But it was a long time before 
 the old gentleman was appeased and resumed his 
 seat, allowing the Courtier to keep his book, while 
 I carefully locked up the fan. 
 
 Breakfast not being quite ready, our restless 
 yisitor became desu-ous of seeing more of the ship, 
 and proceeded towards the deck; but happening 
 to discover as he passed the officers sitting at their 
 table, he turned to the left, into the gim-room, in- 
 stead of going up the ladder. Without waiting 
 for any invitation, he steered straight into the first- 
 lieutenant's cabin, wliich he exammed minutely. 
 His curiosity in these matters induced me to in- 
 vite him to go along the lower deck — a pro- 
 posal which delighted him greatly. But it was 
 impossible to keep on the state-hat during this 
 adventure, the deck being only five feet high ; so 
 that at length it came off to the old boy's evident 
 mortification. He was amply repaid, however, for 
 this sacrifice of dignity, by the multitude of ob- 
 jects which lay before him. Scarcely a sailor's bag or 
 chest escaped his scrutiny ; and wherever he com- 
 menced his researches, nothing short of a thorough 
 overhaul, during which everything was tossed out, 
 would satisfy him. He rummaged over the midship- 
 men's drawers and lockers, tumbled a whole case of. 
 marine accoutrements out on the deck ; and turn- 
 ed everything he could lay his hands on topsy- 
 turvy. He next went to the kitchen, where he 
 lifted the lids from the cook's boilers, dipped his 
 
92 COREA. 
 
 little rod into the boiling cocoa, and inspected all 
 the tea-kettles and coftee-pots. The lustre and 
 sharpness of one of the ship's cutlasses delighted 
 him so much, that I asked him to accept it. The 
 offer seemed to produce a great straggle be- 
 tween duty and mclination, but it was of no 
 long duration, for, after a moment's consultation 
 with the Courtier, he returned the glittering wea- 
 pon to its scabbard, and, as I thought with a 
 sigh, restored it to its place. What his scruples 
 were on this occasion I could not imagine, for he 
 had no such delicacy about anything else, but 
 seemed desirous of possessing samples of almost 
 everything he saw. Of course, he was freely sup- 
 plied with each article he pointed out, which, as 
 soon as it was given him, went straight to his im- 
 mense sleeve, which soon Imng down with its 
 cargo, like the pouch of an overgorged pelican. He 
 contrived at length, when sufficiently loaded, to 
 hobble up the hatchway ladder, and as soon as he 
 reached the air, looked about and laughed, like a 
 schoolboy who, for the first time in his life, has 
 been indulged with a peep at a raree-show. • 
 
 In this interval the natives, by our free permis- 
 sion, had been busily employed in taking the dimen- 
 sions of the brig with lines and rulers ; together with 
 an exact inventory of the guns, shot, spars, rig- 
 ging, boats, and everything capable of enumeration. 
 They were much puzzled at this moment as to the 
 number of persons on board, for I found the survey- 
 ing commissioner, with his note-book in his hand, 
 in the midst of a party of young gentlemen, w^ho I 
 suspected, were amusing themselves at the Corean's 
 expense, as they were all laughing, and he was look- 
 ing very grave. They stoutly denied having played 
 
COREA. 93 
 
 off any humours on the native; but I had reason to 
 suspect they had been misinforming him as to our 
 numbers, for when I extended my fingers eight 
 times to liim, he erased an entry from his book, 
 and substituted the new information, with a look 
 of much satisfaction. 
 
 The old chief, who must needs be everywhere, 
 came rustling up to us during this dumb-show con- 
 versation, and laying his hand on one of the car- 
 ronades, seemed as I thought, to wish it should be 
 fired off. Nothing was easier than gratifying him 
 in this matter, for as it was ready loaded and pri- 
 med, nothing was required but to lift off the leaden 
 apron and cock the lock. I then looked to see 
 that no boat was in the way, and pulling the lan- 
 yard of the trigger, off went the gun, the whole 
 being the work of not more than four or five 
 seconds. Had a thunderbolt fallen amongst the 
 natives, it could not have astonished them more ; 
 and their admiration rose to the highest pitch, 
 when they observed the shot strike the water, close 
 to the ship, and rebound eight or ten times before 
 it finally disappeared. They could scarcely, in- 
 deed, beUeve their senses, and looked incredulous- 
 ly at one another, when I showed them a thirty- 
 two pound shotj such as had been fired. They 
 handed it from one to another with looks of un- 
 feigned wonder, and with that sort of respect 
 which a ball of this magnitude seldom fails to ex- 
 cite, even in minds more familiar with the power 
 of gunpowder than the poor Coreans. 
 
 In the meantime. Captain Maxwell came to us, 
 and breakfast being ready, we prevailed on the 
 indefatigable old chief to attempt the hatchway 
 once more. When fairly seated at table, he ate 
 
94 COREA. 
 
 heartily of eveiything placed before him, appear- 
 ing particularly to relish a dish of hashed pork. A 
 knife and fork were given him, certainly the first 
 he ever beheld, but after a little instruction, he 
 used them not only without much awkwardness, 
 but to such satisfactory purpose, that he decHned 
 substituting for these strange implements, a pair 
 of Chinese chop-sticks, which were offered him. 
 When tea was given him without sugar or milk, 
 on the supposition that he would prefer it in the 
 Chinese fashion, he looked to the right and left 
 before tasting it, and observing us drinldng it dif- 
 ferently, held up his cup with a look of reproach 
 to the servant, and insisted upon having his share 
 of the good things. 
 
 The facility with which this Corean chief, who 
 but a few hours before must have been entirely ig- 
 norant of our customs, could accommodate him- 
 self to our habits, was very remarkable. On many 
 occasions where he could not be supposed to act 
 from our immediate example, he adopted the very 
 same forms which our rules of politeness teach us 
 to observe ; and if we did not deceive ourselves, 
 this observation which was actually made at the 
 moment, is so far curious as it seems to show, 
 that however nations differ in the amount of know- 
 ledge, or in degrees of civilization, the usages 
 which regulate the personal intercourse of all so- 
 cieties possess a striking uniformity. As far at least 
 as my experience goes, I have remarked, in a 
 considerable range of the social scale, that where 
 there is at bottom a sincere desire to please, which 
 is quite compatible with the most savage as well 
 as the most refined state of society, the forms in 
 which this disposition is expressed, are pretty much 
 alike in all. 
 
COREA. 95 
 
 When breakfast was over, and the boats again 
 manned, and ready to shove off, we signified our 
 intention as well as we could, of landing at the 
 town, to which it was thought the chief had given 
 us an invitation the evening before. This interpre- 
 tation of the matter he either would not, or could 
 not, be made to take up ; for as often as we point- 
 ed to the shore, the old man pointed to the frigate. 
 The morning, however, was wearing fast away, 
 and it became necessary to decide the matter one 
 way or other ; taking therefore to our boats, we 
 rowed in the direction of the landing-place. The 
 chief, evidently in great perturbation, having first 
 turned his boat's head towai'ds the Alceste, made 
 his people lie on their oars. Upon seeing this, we 
 rowed alongside of him, to discover if possible what 
 was amiss ; but the old chief took no notice of us, till 
 he had held a council of war with his attendants ; 
 then suddenly and much to om* surprise, he 
 stepped over his own gunwale into Captain Max- 
 well's gig. This manoeuvre was construed by some 
 into a desire on the chief's part to keep us com- 
 pany ; while others ascribed it to his wish to show 
 publicly that he had no hand in conducting stran- 
 gers to their inhospitable shore ; that compulsion, 
 in short, was used on the occasion. Whatever was 
 his motive, he sat for some time composedly 
 enough ; but before many minutes had elapsed, he 
 repented of his too ready compliance, and eagerly 
 made signs for us to go back. 
 
 It was now om* turn not to understand this 
 dumb language, and we rowed merrily onwards. 
 As we approached the beach, the old man's dis- 
 tress augmented ; and when at length our keel 
 touched the sand, and the bowman, by leaping out 
 
96 COREA. 
 
 to fix the gang-board, actually landed on the for- 
 bidden soil, he held up his hands in despair, droop- 
 ed his woe-begone countenance on one side, and 
 drew his hand repeatedly across his tln-oat, from 
 ear to ear, unequivocally implying, that some one 
 or other must lose his head on the occasion. This 
 was perplexing enough ; but as we had now fairly 
 done the deed, and reached the shore, it was 
 thought that without any gi-eat aggravation of the 
 offence, we might enjoy the satisfaction of a walk 
 in this unexplored country-. Accordingly, we step- 
 ped out, followed in very miserable plight by our 
 venerable fi-iend. As it was low water, we had to 
 scramble thi'ough sea-weed and wet sand for about 
 fifty yards, before reaching a dry spot, where a 
 halt was made in order, if possible, to console our 
 worthy companion. We tried to signify that our 
 wishes went no farther than to walk about for 
 half an hour, to stretch our limbs stiffened by so 
 long a voyage ; after which it was our intention to 
 return on board to dinner. To the latter part of 
 our discourse, which consisted in making the ac- 
 tion of eating and pointing to the ships, his only 
 reply was, to repeat the beheading motion with 
 which he had before endeavoured, in the boat, to 
 work on our fears or our compassion. •' How can 
 I eat with my head off?" was the interpretation 
 suggested by the late Dr M'Leod, a man of in- 
 finite jest, as every one knows who has perused 
 his most amusing narrative. The humorous man- 
 ner in which this was spoken, made all our party 
 laugh ; but our mirth only augmented the chief's 
 distress, and we began seriously to fear that we 
 had proceeded too far. 
 
 The town, however, not being half a mile from 
 
COREA. 97 
 
 the spot where we had landed, our purpose was 
 merely to wallc tlu-ough it, to climb the wooded hill 
 behind, and to return by the top of the ridge to 
 our boats, which were ordered to wait at the beach. 
 Before advancing many paces, however, we were 
 suiTounded by upwards of a hundred of the na- 
 tives, and there was reason to think we might 
 pay more dearly for our curiosity than at first 
 had been reckoned upon. A word from the 
 chief at tliis instant might have finished our expe- 
 dition in a trice ; but on appealing to him against 
 this interruption, he spoke some words to his 
 body-guard, which consisted of four soldiers arm- 
 ed with bows and arrows. The military soon got 
 the better of the populace, by pelting them hearti- 
 ly with stones ; thus inverting the usage of more 
 polished communities, where these missiles are the 
 established weapons of the mob. 
 
 The road being now clear, we turned to prose- 
 cute our walk, when lo ! the old chief was in tears, 
 literally sobbing like a child, with his head resting 
 on the Courtier's shoulder. This was rather too 
 much ; for however pitiable and ludicrous it may 
 now seem, it had then a very diiierent character, 
 and all idea of going farther was instantly given 
 up. Every one regretted that matters had been 
 pushed to this extremity, but Captain Maxwell 
 probably more than any other person, as he had 
 been in some degree urged into it, against his bet- 
 ter feelings and sounder judgment. 
 
 The case being now hopeless, the boat was 
 launched again, and we returned to our ships. The 
 signal was made to weigh, and I stood out to sea 
 in the Lyra, to sound the passages in the direction 
 pointed out. I observed, however, that the Al- 
 
 VOL. I. i 
 
98 COllEA. 
 
 ceste did not follow immediately ; and I leained 
 afterwards, that the old chief had paid the Com- 
 modore another visit, just as the frigate's an- 
 chor was leaving the ground. His appearance was 
 quite changed ; his sprightliness, unceremonious 
 manners, and insatiable curiosity, having given 
 place to a cold and stately civility. He appeared 
 much embarrassed, perhaps from an apprehen- 
 sion of having given oflPence. But if it were 
 so, he was soon undeceived in this matter, as he 
 could not fail to perceive, that however his want 
 of hospitality had disappointed the \vishes and ex- 
 pectations of his visitor, no trace of iU will could 
 abide on Captain Maxwell's mind. On the con- 
 trary, every attempt was made to repair the injury 
 done to him, by our landing on his temtory. He 
 was offered many presents, but declined them 
 all ; till at last just wlien he was going away, Cap- 
 tain Maxwell urged him so earnestly to accept of 
 a large Bible, that the old man could not refuse, 
 and they parted mutual friends. 
 
 We quitted this bay, the only point at which we 
 touched on the peninsula of Corea, without much 
 regret. There was so little that was conciliatory 
 or inviting in the manners of the inhabitants, that 
 we had not much expectation of being able by a 
 longer stay to establish a useful or friendly inter- 
 course with them. The venerable chief indeed, 
 with his snow-white beard, his pompous array, and 
 his amusing and active curiosity, had made a con- 
 siderable impression upon us all. On the other 
 hand his unmanly distress, from whatever cause 
 it arose, inevitably took away some of the respect 
 with which we were disposed to consider him. This 
 circumstance, however, gave the whole picture a 
 
COREA. 99 
 
 peculiar interest, and we forgot wbat was ridicu- 
 lous in the old man's character, in the uncertainty 
 which must probably for ever hang over his fate. 
 
 Frequent mention has been made of the re- 
 coui'se we were obhged to have to signs. But after 
 a time we discovered this method of communica- 
 tion, so much alluded to in voyages and travels, to 
 be often very fallacious. There is no saying what 
 advantage might arise from it after a long acquain- 
 tance, even supposing the oral language unknown ; 
 but certainly when the parties are total strangers 
 to each other, the language of signs in many cases 
 is almost useless. It was remarked, indeed, more 
 than once upon the present occasion, that when 
 either the Coreans or the English made signs, un- 
 accompanied by language, their signification was 
 readily understood by ihe by-standers of the na- 
 tion using them, though absolutely incomprehensi- 
 ble by those to whom they were addressed. This 
 might arise from the essential differences in the ha- 
 bits, and general tenor of thought in the parties 
 respectively ; or it might be, that the individual 
 persons of each nation being acquainted more or 
 less with what was wished, would have little dif- 
 ficulty in apprehending the meaning of any parti- 
 cular point which it was the object of these signs to 
 communicate. Be this as it mav, there could be 
 no doubt tbat our presence was disagi'eeable, and 
 om- departure the great object of their wishes. 
 
 The extreme promptitude with which we were 
 met at this remote spot, and the systematic per- 
 tinacity with wliich our landing was opposed, not 
 only on the continent, but even at islands barely 
 in sight of the coast, certainly imply an extraordi- 
 nary degree of vigilance and jealousy on the part 
 
100 COREA. 
 
 of the government. One can understand this bet- 
 ter in China, where the cu-cumstance of a strange 
 ship caUing at one of the outports, is a possible, 
 though not a probable, event ; and where the go- 
 vernment, instead of encouraging foreign trade, are 
 perpetually on the watch to repress all attempts at 
 an extension of foreign intercourse with their Ce- 
 lestial Empire. But in Corea, where there is in- 
 finitely less probability of a foreign ship ever 
 calling, the same watchfulness against foreign in- 
 terference, is far more curious. 
 
 We need not look so far, perhaps, as the 
 coasts of the Yellow Sea, to be convinced how 
 slowly nations arrive at enlightened ideas on the 
 subject of external relations, as there are not want- 
 ing individuals, and perhaps whole countries in 
 Europe, who still maintain this repulsive Corean 
 system to be the wisest. And it might be cmious 
 to trace on the globe the different steps or shades 
 of liberality in this respect. Beginning with Corea 
 and Japan, the least sociable of all nations, we 
 next come to China, the commercial resources of 
 which mighty empire are diibbled sparingly off at 
 the soUtary port of Canton. Manilla, which is 
 strictly ruled by the principles of the Spanish co- 
 lonial system, is but a single degree better. Pro- 
 ceeding to the westward we come to Java, where 
 the restrictions and monopolies of the Dutch are 
 still felt, though of late somewhat modified. When 
 the Straits of Sunda are passed, a nobler field of 
 view is opened in British India, the Isle of France, 
 the Cape, and still farther westward, tlie free con- 
 tinents of South and North America. After again 
 crossing the Trade-winds, we come within the in- 
 fluence of English intelligence on both sides of 
 
COREA. 101 
 
 the Atlantic ; though evt^n in these ^atitudt^s we 
 may perhaps detect some ancinalous views of the 
 subject quite worthy oi Corea.' - » ■ ^% '% », » 
 
 During the 6th and 7th ci^.Se.pterQber,^w6^8teet'- 
 ed to the Southward and Westward, amongst the 
 islands, which lay in thick clusters along the coast, 
 and for many leagues out at sea. As most of them 
 were inhabited, frequent opportunities occurred of 
 seeing the natives, who generally assembled on the 
 highest point of the rocks to look at the ships pass- 
 ing. The water was generally shallow, and many 
 large boats at anchor were busily employed fishing 
 with hooks and lines, and sometimes with nets. For 
 more than a hundred miles we continued to thread 
 our way amongst this immense archipelago, any pro- 
 bable enumeration of whose numbers we discovered 
 to be impossible. The whole sea within the horizon 
 viewed from the deck was crowded with islands ; 
 and when we ascended to the mast-head, groups be- 
 yond groups, like clusters of stars in the milky way, 
 were discovered lying as far as the eye could reach. 
 The largest island was estimated at about six miles 
 in length, and some of them were mere rocks. Many 
 were cleft by valleys, which became the channels 
 of small streams ; and all being more or less cul- 
 tivated, and frequently wooded to the very top, the 
 scene was not only interesting from its novelty and 
 magnificence, but was often extremely picturesque 
 and beautiful. Of this coast, as I have before said, 
 we possessed no chart having the shghtest preten- 
 sions to accuracy ; and, indeed, during the greatest 
 part of our course, for neaily two hundred miles, 
 we were sailing, according to the best authorities, 
 considerably in the interior of the country. 
 
 The tides swept occasionally with much rapidi- 
 
 I 2 
 
102 COREA. 
 
 ty tlirough, ttie, iiEirow channels, rendering great 
 caution at all times i>&cessaiy to avoid being car- 
 ried o?> t.jh^ rocks. . About four o'clock in the af- 
 ternoon of tnp . 7th pi September, after the sea- 
 breeze had died away, and left us drifting along 
 with the tide in a perfect calm, a reef of rocks was 
 discovered at no great distance, over which the 
 tide was boiling and foaming most furiously. The 
 anchor, by which two men, with axes in their hands, 
 were always stationed day and night, was cut away; 
 but owing to the strength of the cuiTent, the violent 
 jerk with which the ship was brought up snapped 
 the cable in two. Another anchor, to which the 
 chain cable was attached, was let go in a mo- 
 ment, and arrested the ship's farther progress : this 
 was just in time, as the stern swung only a few 
 feet clear of a ledge of sharp-pointed rocks, capable 
 of piercing through the ship's bottom at the first 
 touch. As soon as the tide slackened, we removed 
 from this unpleasant situation, and sent boats to 
 explore in all directions. The reefs were disco- 
 vered to form a breakwater, behind which there lay 
 a perfectly secure harbour, where both ships soon 
 anchored. 
 
 This conversion of an evil into an advantage is 
 a frequent occurrence in nautical affairs. The shoals 
 and rocks which in one view threaten the mari- 
 ner with shipwreck, often afford him, when duly 
 taken advantage of, the very means of his secm-ity. 
 It was the saying of a distinguished philosopher, 
 deeply engaged in experimental researches, that 
 whenever he found himself stopped by a difficulty, 
 or when he encountered what was usually termed 
 a failure, he was certain of being on the brink of a 
 discovery. The same maxim will apply to the 
 
CO RE A. 103 
 
 science of naAigation, as well as to others ; but it 
 remains for the genius of such men as Smeaton 
 and Rennie to realize the promise — by converting, 
 for instance, the formidable dangers of the Eddy- 
 stone rocks into the leading rnaik for Plpiiouth 
 Sound ; wliich in its turn by a similar species of 
 alchemy, is transmuted from a dangerous and in- 
 convenient roadstead, into one of the secm-est har- 
 bours in England. 
 
 The Lyra was enabled to anchor bo nmch near- 
 er the shore than the Alceste, that we command- 
 ed a view of a pretty large village, entirely hid 
 from the friirate by rocks and trees. The male 
 inhabitants, as usual, had retreated to the high- 
 est point of the island, but we coidd discover in 
 the village, by means of our glasses, several wo- 
 men. We thought they looked faiier than the 
 men, that is to say, less brown, for the whole race 
 were dark. They were also somewhat diifferent- 
 ly dressed, as they wore a white robe, open in 
 front, and reaching a little below the knee, fastened 
 round the waist by a dai'k-coloured naiTow zone. 
 Their haii', however, was dressed like that of the 
 men, in a high spiral bunch or knot, over which 
 was sometimes thrown loosely a plain white hand- 
 kerchief. Before the door of one of the houses, 
 some damsels, very scantily attiied, were busily en- 
 gaged in husking rice, by beating it in mortars, at- 
 tended by a group of women and children, win- 
 noAving com in the Chinese manner, by throwing 
 it in the air. The only species of work which we 
 saw the men engaged seriously in, at any of these 
 islands, was fishing, and making and repaiiing their 
 nets. 
 
 We landed, and walked to the village, where 
 two men and a dog were the only hving creatures 
 
104 OOREA. 
 
 that were waiting to receive us. If there was any 
 difference, the xlog was the least suily of the three ; 
 but on none of them could we make any impres- 
 sion by means of signs, or by offers of buttons and 
 other valuables, which we brought with us to bribe 
 their good-will. They would neither speak nor 
 move, or if they did exhibit any show of life, it 
 was by an occasional wave of the hand towards the 
 ships. Our past experience had prepared us to 
 expect a cool reception, but certainly we had not 
 expected to have a whole village to ourselves. 
 We gladly took advantage, however, of the only 
 opportunity we had yet had of carrying our re- 
 searches within doors. 
 
 Nothing very curious rewarded our pains ; but 
 as there is perhaps no other description of a Corean 
 house on record, a few words may not be out 
 of place. The door was made to turn on an up- 
 right moveable bar, fitted into a cross-beam above, 
 and a hole in the threshold stone below. Before 
 it lay a neat smooth little court, surrounded by a 
 close hedge, of a sweet-scented red and white 
 flower, resembling the honeysuckle in shape. On 
 the ground were lying some bundles of corn, and 
 two wooden mortars, with double-handed pestles, 
 for removing the husks. Cooking utensils were 
 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 
 
 tbe action of wood-smoke. The floor was diversi- 
 fied by hill and dale, much in the manner 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 yard 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 our 
 principles, with a king-post and rafters, very neat- 
 ly morticed in their proper places. 
 
 Having completed our inventory, v>'e returned 
 
106 COREA. 
 
 to the two surly guardians of the village, who by 
 this time were somewhat more communicative, 
 and presently yielded completely to Captain Max- 
 well's good humour and invincible patience. As 
 soon as he caught a smile on one of their lips, 
 he insisted on shaking hands, and then drawing 
 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 oflF 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- 
 tm-es. 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 anything but 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 
 
COREA. 107 
 
 over and over again, the 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 interchanged, 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 carry 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. Holding 
 them up to one another, they shouted, " Hota ! 
 Hota !" upon which we took down 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 approach, would now 
 be induced to return, on seeing so cordial a com= 
 
108 COBEA. 
 
 munication established between us and their coun- 
 trymen ; but as not one of them 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 inliabitants, and thus ob- 
 taining a view of their females, not one of whom had 
 been seen at a less distance than half a mile. But 
 cm*, companions took good care that this manoeu- 
 vre should not serve, as they went along wdth us, 
 and shouted so loudly, that their comrades and 
 the women having due warning, kept themselves 
 effectually concealed. At length v\'e came near a 
 ra\dne, 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 singular faculty 
 which these people possess of imitating sounds. 
 One of them, in his anxiety to arrest my further 
 proceedings, seized my arm, and pinched it so se- 
 verely, that I turned upon him, and exclaimed, 
 " Patience, sir !" 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 I Tliis 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 invited them, in 
 the best manner we could, to come off to the sliips 
 in tlie morning. One of the natives, it was ima- 
 gined, comprehended these signs ; for lie first 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 tlien laid his hand upon Captain Maxwell's 
 shoulder, with an air of welcome. This piece of 
 dumb show was variously 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 \'isit us m the 
 morning. Both guesses were wi'ong ; 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 irksome ; 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 their 
 houses ; but they 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 the centre of the 
 island, and then to plague them no more. 
 
 On our way to the summit, three or four of the 
 Coreans joined us ; two of them were of last even- 
 ing's pai'ty, the others were strangers. On reach- 
 ing a grove of fir-trees growing about half way up 
 the hill, one of the new comers strongly objected 
 
 VOL. I. K 4 
 
110 COREA. 
 
 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 ground 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 China it was 
 otherwise ; every village, however small, had its 
 temple filled with jollyimages, 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 our 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 breakfast with us on board. 
 As an expedition in the boats had been projected 
 for this morning, we wished, 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 
 om- 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 hai'bour 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 group, made a himdred and thirty-six, and 
 a hundred and seventy. These results merely 
 show the impossibihty of speaking with precision on 
 the subject. When, however, it is considered that 
 
112 COREA. 
 
 even the lowest number, a hundred and twenty 
 islands, could be counted from one spot, and that 
 for upwards of a hundred and fifty miles we Iiad 
 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 yai'da 
 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 lier 
 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 
 Iiis 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 ofiered in exchange induced him to surren- 
 der his handywork ; and I mention the circumstance 
 as being the only instance which occurred during 
 oiu- visit to Corea of anything Uke traffic. We 
 made signs that we wished to examine his house,— 
 that is to say, we opened the door and waUved in. 
 
COREA. lis 
 
 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. 
 
 During 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 stir 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 friends 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 effort, 
 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 degi-ee 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 
 then- unaffected frankness 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 fittle till they appeared fully in view on 
 the slope of the bank. At last one of them, ac- 
 tuated appai'ently by a sudden impulse, started on 
 
 K 2 
 
114 COREA. 
 
 his feet, and strode l)oldly down to us. Without 
 pausing an instant, he walked straight up to Cap- 
 tain Maxwell and offered him his lighted pipe. In 
 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 difificult 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 Httle longer, but they allowed us no peace 
 or quiet till all the things were ordered into the 
 boat, and prepaiations 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. 
 
 This was the last we saw of the Coreans ; and 
 110 one was soiTy to quit a country where at every 
 
COREA. 115 
 
 moment he wae 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 carry 
 along with him a person skilled in the Chinese 
 written 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 hunied 
 ■visit such as ours, effectually to overcome the ex- 
 treme distnist of strangers evinced by this m.ost 
 unsociable of nations. 
 
116 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM THE AMHERST ISLES— SULPHUR 
 ISLAND — LOO-CHOO. 
 
 About noon on the lOtli 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 lias been published an 
 interesting account, containing the adventures of 
 some shipwTecked Dutch seamen who were de- 
 tained there for many years. At night the wind 
 blew hard from the North, accompanied by a 
 mountainous swell. 
 
 Shortly after daybreak on the morning of the 
 13th of September, we came in sight of Sulphur 
 Island, a high solitary rock in the Japan Sea, with 
 what Humboldt calls an unextinct volcano on its 
 North-western side. It had been our intention to 
 land, but the surf broke Tvith 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 pale yellow colour streaked with 
 brown, and the rocks everywhere rugged and bar- 
 ren. The soutliern end of the island, which rose to a 
 
LOO-CHOO. in 
 
 considerable height, was of a deep red colour, with 
 an occasional spot of green. The strata, seem- 
 ingly of tuffa, which lay in a direction nearly hori- 
 zontal, were intersected at one place by a large 
 dike of lava, which projected many fathoms 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 which 
 hour high land in the South-west was reported to 
 he in sight from the mast-head. But there was 
 not sufficient daylight for us to venture nearer, 
 and we stood off to the North-westward for the 
 evening. 
 
 At daylight on the 14th of September, although 
 the weather was still unsettled, we became anxious 
 to close with the land, and bore up in the direction 
 of 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 this 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, and the agitation of the waves on all sides, had 
 prevented om* discovering before. The brig was 
 instantly hauled to the wind, and all possible sail 
 made to weather the reef. The situation of things 
 
119 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 was now a veiy critical one, for the swell caused 
 by the recent northerly gale materially impeded 
 the vessel's way ; and we had the farther mor- 
 tij&cation to discover that a strong lee-cmrent 
 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 furiously 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 tranquilHty and beauty of 
 the interior circle oflfered 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 ver}'' pleasing sight ; but now, when ship- 
 WTeck stared us in the face, and the angry 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 nearer to the rocks, 
 on which had we touched but for one instant the 
 poor L}Ta 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 tliis 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 serv'ice ; 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 northwai'd, and made signs that we 
 should sail round in that direction ; meanwhile two 
 other canoes came off to the L)Ta, 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 very 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 standuig near, before 
 they tasted what was given them. At the same 
 moment another party visited the Alceste, who 
 left an equally favourable impression ; for when a 
 rope was thrown to them from the ship, they at- 
 tached a fish to it, and then paddled away. All 
 this seemed to promise well, and the contrast was 
 particularly grateful to us after bemg exposed so 
 
120 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 lately to the cold and repulsive manners of the 
 Coreans. 
 
 The day was spent in trying to beat round the 
 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 the 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 of 
 rock. To windward, nearly North, were seen the 
 formidable shoals upon which the Lyra was nearly 
 wrecked on the Saturday before, and which we 
 certainly had no wish to approach in the dark. 
 The exact position of these numerous dangers being 
 unknown to us, and the set of the tides no less so, 
 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 
 oiu- situation comparatively cheap — the shoals were 
 scattered about, and the channels between them 
 Were wide and obvious : But no sooner was the 
 night closed in, and the imagination left to fill up 
 the picture, than the probabilities of accident seem- 
 ed multiplied a hundred fold, Avhile the chances 
 of escape appeared to diminish in the same propor- 
 tion. 
 
 At daylight of the 16th of September we weigh- 
 ed, and plied hard to windward all the morning ; 
 but owing to the wind and tide being still directly 
 
LOO-CHOO. 121 
 
 contrary, it was not until half past two o'clock that 
 the ships passed the point to which the fisherman 
 had called our attention. No sooner was this ef- 
 fected, than we came in sight of an extensive town 
 on the banks of a secure harbour, croAvded 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. Tlie 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. 
 ^Vhen 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 Ivnot, through wliich were 
 thrust two metal pins. In the course of an hour, 
 a native, evidently of higher rank than our first vi- 
 sitors, came on board to pay his respects ; and we 
 discovered, to our great satisfaction, that he could 
 imderstand 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 oJ0f, Captain Maxwell declined 
 receiving his visit ; partly with a view to induce 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
122 ' LOO-CHOO. 
 
 the principal people to come on board, and partly 
 to maintain an appeai*ance of dignity, 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 unresei-ved 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 lurking 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 character generally defeats its own 
 pui-pose ; 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 from experience alone, I would 
 say, that in treating with the natives of countries 
 little acquamted witli our maimers, 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 this suspicion at 
 once puts confidential intercoui'se out of the ques- 
 tion. 
 
 Before the native w^ho had come to visit us took 
 
LOO-CHOO. 123 
 
 his leave, he requested to be Infoniied of the reason 
 of our coming into this harboiu-. The interpreter 
 was instiiicted 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 spiimg a leak, and required va- 
 rious repaii's which could only be done in a secm*e 
 harbour. 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 fiom the reception we had met with 
 at Corea, but from 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 
 repau's ; and we could therefore assert with truth 
 that this was our chief object. To have assigned 
 cuiiosity, 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 their 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 then' way to the 
 town. Once or twice these people very good-na- 
 
124 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 turedly pulled up our lines and baited the hooks, 
 certainly a most disinterested proceeding on tlie 
 part of a fisherman. 
 
 Meanwiiile the beach, the tops of the sand- 
 banks, and all the cliffs 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, 
 and carefully examined the anchorage, which pro- 
 ved tolerably safe, though not entirely clear of 
 rocks. An officer was dispatched at the same time 
 in one of the cutters to inspect the inner harbour, 
 but before he had gone far it was found to be 
 much too shallow even for the brig. 
 
 On returning to the Lyra, I leai'ned that Mr 
 Clift'ord 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 vocabulary 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 plant ; the 
 name, in fact, being nearly co-extensive with its 
 use. 
 
 On tlie 17th of September, after breakfast, three 
 
LOO-CHOO. 125 
 
 chiefs came on board the Alceste. They were en- 
 tertained for some time by the officers, while 
 Captain Maxwell was prepai-ing 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. Tliis 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 embaiTassed our worthy guests a little, 
 as they at first objected to sitting do^Ti, malving 
 at the same time many low obeisances, by stoop- 
 ing the body and raising their hands clasped 
 together to their faces. 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 himself beyond the second. This diffi- 
 cult operation accomplished, and all the party fan- 
 ly estabUshed, a long and unsatisfactoiy pause en- 
 sued. The chiefs sat stock-still and respectfully 
 silent, till Captaui 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 had gone to China with an Ambassa- 
 dor, now probably at Pekin ; that on their retimi 
 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 any reply 
 
 L 2 
 
126 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 was made ; when, after coiisulting with one another 
 for about five minutes, they expressed their will- 
 ingness to assist us, but said this harbour was 
 much too shallow for larp:e ships, and therefore 
 recommended our proceeding to another port call- 
 ed Oonting, whicli they described as being secure 
 and commodious, and only a few houi's sail from 
 this anchorage. They offered to furnish pilots to 
 conduct us tliither ; 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, witliout 
 first consulting some great man on shore. This 
 expression roused our curiosity to know who tliis 
 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 which 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 fi-om 
 the same quarter about the pilots in a few hours. 
 As we had been led to hope, from the frankness 
 and kindness with which these people had received 
 
LOO-CHOO. 127 
 
 ns 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 affected to become, 
 strangely agitated, always replying in a very unsa- 
 tisfactory and mysterious manner. We were fain 
 to console ourselves, however, with the supposi- 
 tion, that upon further acquaintance this disti'ust 
 and apprehension would wear off. 
 
 The oflScial business of the interview over, the 
 chiefs were invited to walk round the cabin, an indul- 
 gence which they accepted with manifest satisfac- 
 tion. Dui-ing the previous conference they had 
 preserved 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 stiff 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 very slu*ewd 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 cm'iosity 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 a 
 broad rich belt or girdle of embroidered silk, near- 
 ly hid by the overlapping folds of the drapery. The 
 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 stocking. 
 Two of the chiefs were dressed in light-coloured 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 great 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 great toe. Each cliief canied a 
 fan either in his hand or thmst 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 evident- 
 ly cherished with great care. 
 
 When our visitors had satisfied themselves with 
 looking over the cabin, they returned to the shore, 
 with a promise of retm'niug in the evening, as soon 
 
LOO-CHOO. 129 
 
 as the answer about the pilots should be received 
 from the great man. 
 
 Dm-ing the whole of this day the space between 
 the ships and the shore was covered with canoes, 
 each containing fi*om 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 boai'd, 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 gratified with 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 the very 
 lowest class, struck us as being particulai'ly good ; 
 then* cm-iosity was great, but it never made them 
 rude, like the ungracious Coreans. Their language 
 which was not immusical 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 
 stern of the Lyra, and while lying there the crew 
 sung several very 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 observed making 
 drawings of the sliips, while others were busily 
 taking notes ; but they hastily concealed their work 
 when detected. 
 
 In consequence, I suppose, of what had been said 
 durmg the interview with the chiefs the evening be- 
 fore, of om* being in want of repairs, a party of native 
 shipwTights and caulkers was sent on board the Al- 
 
130 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 ceste this morning ; but their tools, though extreme- 
 ly neat, and not unlike ours in construction, from 
 being very diminutive, were quite unsuited to the 
 rough species of work required. 
 
 It would be tedious to describe the variety of 
 colour and of pattern in the dresses of the peo- 
 ple. Many wore printed cottons eTidently stamp- 
 ed by blocks, but some of the patterns were so irre- 
 gular that they must have been ckawn by the hand. 
 Blue, in all its shades, was the predominant colour, 
 a remaik 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 lier 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 
 from the other parts of the dress ; and most of 
 them were ornamented with flowers wrought in silk, 
 and sometimes with gold and silver threads. 
 
 Loose flowing di-apery 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 
 invariably of a glossy jet black, being coDected at 
 the top of the head from all sides, and there 
 formed into a handsome knot, served effectually 
 to cover their shaven crowns. Through tlais bow 
 or bunch of hair two large polished silver or brass 
 pins were tlmist crosswise. The top of one of 
 those ornaments was fashioned into the shape of a 
 six-leaved flower; and the whole fonned a very be- 
 
IX)0-CHO0. 131 
 
 coming head-dress. Their heaxds and mustachios, 
 which 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, wliich are black, have a remarkably placid 
 expression ; and their teeth are regular and beau- 
 tifully wliite. 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 Avere accompanied by another chief, whom 
 we suspected to be a Chinese, not only from his 
 looks, but from his appealing 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 had expected, they objected to our 
 proposal, the propriety of our vv-aiting upon the 
 Great Man was stated as our reason. This argu- 
 
132 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 ment they attempted to meet, by gi'avely asserting 
 that no person at all answering to om- description 
 resided here ; a most unceremonious retraction of 
 their former assertions. We then said, it was at 
 least indispensable that we should return the many 
 obliging visits they themselves had paid us. But 
 they were determined to debate every 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, tliat we should be 
 degrading ourselves by such unusual and unheard- 
 of condescension. Captain Maxwell, amused mth 
 their ingenuity, but unwilling to give up the point, 
 next told them that his health had been impaired 
 by the same causes wliich had weakened his ship, 
 and that he required exercise on shore to re-esta- 
 blish his strength. Upon hearing this, our new ac- 
 quaintance, the chief who was mistaken for a Chi- 
 nese, and who seemed more earnestly bent against 
 our landing than any of his 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 likely 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 laugli 
 along with us. There is something so infectious in 
 
LOO-CHOO. 133 
 
 heai'ty good humour that we often fiiid 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 grave discussion has 
 been expended to no purpose. But the joke did not 
 succeed in this instance to the fuU extent of our 
 wishes ; for every proposal to land, and indeed every 
 allusion to the shore, was industriously put aside. 
 As it was om- 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, till we had 
 shown the example, by smoking with pipes pre- 
 pai-ed 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, Captain Maxwell 
 sent to me in the 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 Iiiin, 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 purpose his assistant had brought with him 
 two long black cords, and several rods of diiferent 
 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 
 liold, and in short every dimension of the brig. 
 The other native who accompanied the surveyor, 
 and seemed of an inferior rank to his 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 three piles of 
 wood, and about fifty jars of water, whicli had been 
 sent to the Lyra, at the same time with about four 
 times as many of the same articles to the Alceste 
 I requested them to sit down, and they were 
 so well satisfied with the Constantia wine and 
 cherry brandy which was given them, that they 
 remained longer than I liad calculated upon ; and 
 in consequence of the delay I did not reach the 
 shore till the period for observing 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. 1^5 
 
 to the shore, and hastened to this spot, out of 
 curiosity to watch our proceedings. The bustle 
 and crowding soon became so great, that Ookoo- 
 raa, who appeared to possess considerable autho- 
 rity, ordered the whole assembly, cliiefs not ex- 
 cepted, to sit down in a circle on the gTass, 
 leaving sufficient room for us to place the instru- 
 ments. 
 
 Astonishment at our operations was strongly 
 expressed in eveiy 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 
 mercmy makes when poured from one vessel to 
 another ; but they all remained silent as soon 
 as the glass roof was placed over this tremulous 
 miiTor 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 would 
 come forward ; at length Ookoorna, being the high- 
 est in raiUf, ventured, evidently with some little 
 
136 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 apprehension, to place himself at the instmment. 
 Being quite unprepared, he started back in utter 
 astonishment when the two brilliant suns met his 
 eye, as if frightened at having unconsciously be- 
 held something supernatural. The other chiefs in 
 their turn looked through the telescope, followed 
 by several old men, who stepped foru^ard 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 theii* won-> 
 der, seemed to consider the whole matter as one to- 
 tally beyond the reach of ordinaiy 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 while putting 
 up the instruments. A few of them begged to 
 examine the telescopes more particularly, and some 
 little boys held out their hands for a dj-op of quick- 
 silver, with which they scampered oflf quite delight- 
 ed. 
 
 During tliis 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 taken 
 their station. The distance from the spot was un- 
 fortunately too great for their features to be dis- 
 tinsTiished, or even for their dress to be seen dis- 
 tinctly. Their robes or gowns appeared, however, 
 not unlike those worn bv the men, but rather 
 shorter, and without the embroidered giidle round 
 the waist. 
 
LOO-CHOO. 137 
 
 The rocks at this part of the coast rise tn per- 
 pendicular rugged cliffs of limestonej with a num- 
 ber of mde square excavations, wliich at first siglit 
 appear to have been worn by the elements, but on 
 farther examination show evident traces of ai't. 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 ums 
 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 our inspecting the caves, though 
 they certainly were not much pleased with our pro- 
 ceedings. 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 
 bieaking 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 grave politeness, laugh- 
 
 1^1 2 
 
138 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 ed in our faces, and made their escape, with an arch 
 expression of ridicule at our idle curiosity. 
 
 Instead of going directly off to the ships, after 
 we had quitted the beach, we skirted along the 
 outer edge of the coral, which eveiywhere fringes 
 the shore, and by this means obtained a near Aiew 
 of a stone bridge, of one semicirculai' arch, con- 
 necting two parts of the town. On the south side 
 of this bridge we passed a space of about four 
 acres in extent, probably set apart as a burying- 
 ground of Napakiang, the name, as we learned 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 kn6w to be 
 tombs. All of these were, as usual, carefully white- 
 washed and kept in good repair. Most of the other 
 edifices, also conjectured to be tombs, ^were in the 
 form of small square houses, with low pyramidal 
 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 
 gi-eat extent, and its appearance, in eveiy respect, 
 suggests that it has been formed by the dashing 
 
LOO-CHOO. 139 
 
 of the w-Bves, and that the tide, whicli is now 
 many perpendicular feet below, had once flowed 
 into these caverns. To suppose that the sea lias 
 retired 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. 
 
 Tlie scenery of Loo-Choo, which lies in the la- 
 titude of 26° N., though not quite so rich, is even 
 more pleasing to the eye than in countries nearer 
 the equator, because the vegetation is not so profuse- 
 ly luxmiant as to overload the pictme with mere 
 foliage, often to the exclusion of everything else. 
 Here, also, there is much vaiiety ; and the groves 
 of pine-trees give some paits of the island quite a 
 European chaiacter ; 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 
 countiy altogether. We tried in vain to discover 
 whether the king, as we sti-ongiy suspected, was 
 at this place, or, as they said, at a hundred or a 
 thousand miles off; but they eluded all our inqui- 
 ries, and when they saw us upon a wrong scent, 
 very dexterously kept us in the line we had talven 
 up. On such occasions, a traveller's busy fancy of- 
 ten misleads him ; the least hint of a new fact sends 
 his 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 that, with the 
 most honest intentions, he is pei-petually liable to 
 become the unconscious recorder of error. 
 
140 LOO-CHOO. , 
 
 By means of a telescope, a large building was 
 distinctly made out on a rising gi'ound, three or 
 four miles fi*om the harbour of Napakiang, in a 
 North-eastern direction, which was rendered still 
 more conspicuous by two flag-statis erected near it. 
 We concluded immediately that this could be no 
 other tlian the palace mentioned in an old Chinese 
 account of Loo-Choo, quoted by Pere Gaubil, a 
 very amusing Jesuit, who writes in the Lettres 
 Edifiantes et Curieuses, vol. XXIII. But as the 
 natives always refused to give any information 
 about this building, we remain ignorant of its na- 
 ture. 
 
 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 eiTand or other, 
 and as usual, he was handed to the cabin, where he 
 was well plied with Constantia, while Mr Clifford, 
 who devoted liimself entirely to the acquisition of 
 tlie language, set about extracting new words fi-om 
 his guest. In pursuit of this pm'pose, he prevailed 
 on the stranger to taste fiist something sour, then 
 soraetliing sweet, and so on, that he might learn the 
 Loo-Choo words for these adjectives. The poor 
 man, who did not in the least comprehend what 
 was wanted; not a little amazed, mt 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 tlie 
 native word for bitter. Tlie instant he tasted this 
 horrible drug, lie im^ned we meant to poison hini, 
 and jumping on his feet, with a look of horror hur- 
 ried on deck, scrambled as fast as he could over the 
 gangw^ay into his boat, which he instantly pushed 
 off, and never stopped or looked back until he 
 reached the shore. 
 
 It blew very hard 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, and some bas- 
 kets of vegetables. We learned the name of one 
 of the principal chiefs to be Shayoon ; he was the 
 most clever of the party, and generally took the lead 
 in all important discussions. His look was quick 
 and penetrating, and there was more determination 
 in his manner than in that of any of his compa- 
 nions. These chiefs were extremely punctilious, 
 on occasions of ceremony, to observe the order of 
 precedence, and no one ever sat doA\Ti whilst his 
 superior was standing. Wlien any subject was dis- 
 cussed, one at a time rose to speak, but not in the 
 order of rank ; they never interrupted 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 their behaviour was not regulated by the 
 most perfect good breeding.' 
 
 Just 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 prepai'e for 
 a gale, and by this means lost an interesting confer- 
 ence which followed with the chiefs. I learned 
 from Captain Maxwell afterwards, that he bad 
 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 treatmg 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 desu'ed 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, lu'ged them 
 strongly to tell him the truth in future, and no 
 longer to attempt deceiving him by such unwor- 
 thy aitifices. When Captain Maxwell had end- 
 ed this speech, the chiefs obliged the intei-preter 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 tliis was over, they formally assu- 
 red Captain Maxwell that a reply 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 perplexed 
 wliat to do with their ]\Ian IVIountain, as the inno- 
 cent and almost as helpless inliabitants of Loo- 
 Choo were how to dispose of us. Tlieii" means of 
 
LOO-CHOO. 143 
 
 resistance, had we chosen to use force, were not 
 much gTeater. 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 ; but, 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 things 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 arrived ; and this being the case, no pay- 
 ment, they said, could possibly be taken. With 
 this explicit assurance Captain Maxwell was com- 
 pelled to remain satisfied. Their wish in this mat- 
 ter, and indeed in every other instance, evidently 
 was, to prevent our opening any sort of commimi- 
 cation, direct or indirect, with the government. At 
 fii'st 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 eveiy pacific effort on oui* 
 part to tlie contrary. Meanwhile, teazing as all 
 this was, Captain Maxwell was resolved that no 
 
144 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 motive of curiosity should tempt him to infringe in 
 the least degree on customs wliich these people 
 considered sacred. In tliis respect his 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 
 the present. But there were not wanting persons 
 of our 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 our familiarity with this ami- 
 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 
 Captam 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, and 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 described, and called by 
 them " hatchee matchee ;" at all other times their 
 heads were left uncovered, and the hair dressed in 
 a top knot, with pins thrust 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. 31., a considerable depression for that 
 latitude. As tlie sun went down, the sky assu- 
 
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 sevefe 
 tempest, more especially, It was thought, as the 
 equinox was near, a period, in the opinion 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 hardly felt, though at 
 sea it must have been unpleasant, and to a vessel 
 imder weigh amongst the islands very dangerous. 
 
 Three or four boats came round the South-west 
 point of land early in the morning ; 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 with a 
 looking-glass which was shown him ; after gazing 
 intently on it for some time, he 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 liis 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 own mind at the moment. He 
 seemed conscious, however, that it was merely a 
 reflection of his own countenance, 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 5 
 
146 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 While the glass was under inspection, they made 
 us several long speeches, in which they frequent- 
 ly repeated the word Ka-gung, the Loo-Choo name 
 for mirror ; but we inferred from his behaviour; that 
 he knew it only by name. It is natural enough 
 that a cat or a monkey 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 trinkets 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 branches, fas- 
 tened back to back, and loaded with stones. 
 
 As no answer came this morning from their 
 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 biith 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 half a mile outside of the ships to the 
 westward. By this change, the Lyra was brought 
 close to the bridge before spoken of, and nearly 
 abreast of the eastern end of the town, not quite a 
 quarter of a mile from the shore. A strict watch 
 was kept by the natives, night and day, on all parts 
 of the beach, so that a boat could not leave the 
 ships without being instantly observed. This was 
 soon discovered by the officers sent to sound and 
 examine the new anchorage ; for whenever they 
 approached the shore, a crowd of natives, headed 
 by one or other of the chiefs, soon hunied to the 
 spot, and made the most anxious signs for them 
 to keep farther off. 
 
 On the 21st of September there appeared tc 
 be some embargo laid upon the canoes, as not a 
 single one came near the Lyra during the whole 
 morning, and only one went on board the Alceste. 
 It was found necessary, on examining the ground 
 more carefully, to move the frigate still farther m- 
 shore, to a secure nook, or cove, formed by the meet- 
 ing of two ledges of coral, the brilliant colours of 
 which were distinctly seen through the water when 
 the sun shone upon them. For this pm-pose, four 
 or five hawsers were laid out for the puq)ose 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 side farthest fiom the shore, 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 boani, and occupied 
 themselves exclusively during theii' stay in exa- 
 mining the hawsers, and the mode of warping the 
 ship. The perfect silence with which the whole 
 of this operation was carried on, although upwards 
 of three hundred people were in active employ- 
 ment, appeared to strike them more than 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- 
 knowni 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 
 really had any curiosity, it is not unlikely that he 
 
LOO-CHOO. 149 
 
 might have come to Napakiang to have a nearer 
 view of such a strange sight as our great vessels 
 must have proved to him. 
 
 In the meanwliile, 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 thorouglifare, was our principal attraction ; 
 for several roads from the coimtry 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^m 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, which in some in- 
 stances, we could discover reached nearly to the feet, 
 in others hardly to the knees ; 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- 
 turesque manner, and such as to enable us to de- 
 scribe the particulars so minutely. We observed 
 a woman canying a child on the hip, in the man- 
 ner of Hindostan, the infant's hands being clasped 
 together on its mother's shoulder, while her arm was 
 thrown romid its waist. We observed a young lady 
 on the bridge amusing herself for some time by 
 makmg a dog bark at the ships, to the great diver- 
 
 n2 
 
150 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 sion of a cluster of urchins of both sexes mounted 
 on the parapet. On the banks of the stream over 
 which the bridge was tlirown, were seen gi'oups of 
 people washing clothes in the Indian fashion, by first 
 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 tlie 
 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 artist to ob- 
 serve and combine, but which are beyond his reach 
 to conceive. 
 
 Early 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 through the 
 glass, which continued to afford much entertain- 
 
LOO-CHOO. 151 
 
 ment, particularly as the people whom we saw 
 through it acted in their usual way, quite uncon- 
 scious of our scrutiny. 
 
 About four o'clocJf, 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 purple silk robes, and a light-coloured tur- 
 ban of the country. In his 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 
 when Captain Maxwell concluded his statement 
 by telling that the ship was leaky, he begged, if it 
 were not giving 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 
 wiist, made us feel his pulse, and called our atten- 
 tion to the shrivelled state of his hands, which 
 he held up beside ours, and laughed with much 
 good humour at the disadvantageous contrast 
 which age had produced. He appeared about 
 
152 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 sixty-five yeai's of age, and wore a beard of thin 
 hair, as white as snow. He was uniformly cheer- 
 ful duiing his stay, and gained the good will of 
 every one by his uncommonly pleasing address : 
 at the first glance, indeed, it was easy to discover 
 his superiority in this respect over all the other 
 chiefs. 
 
 The pumps being soon reported ready, the chief 
 was conducted in state to the main deck, where 
 he sat for some time in great admiration of the 
 machinery, manned by about twenty stout sailors, 
 "udio only waited for orders to work the winches. 
 At a signal fi'om Captain Maxwell, the chains 
 with the buckets were made to fly round, and a 
 I)rodigious volume of water was discharged, to 
 the unspeakable astonishment of the old man, 
 whose doubts, if he had any, were fully removed 
 by this display of our distressed condition. On 
 observing the labour required to work the chain- 
 pumps, and the quantity of water tlirown out, he 
 seemed really aft'ected 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 T\'ith unusual speed, the water, which could 
 not run freely from the deck, in a short time 
 flowed round the chair in which the chief was 
 seated. Three or four sailors seeing him some- 
 what uneasy at tliis inundation, and receiving a 
 hint from Captain Maxwell, fairly lifted him up, 
 chair and all, and transported him to a dry spot. 
 The old gentleman, though considerably surj)rised 
 at this unexpected piece of politeness, was not in 
 the least displeased, but bowed very graciously in 
 return to the low salams which the sailors made 
 liini. 
 
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 formidable 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 our 
 new acquaintance joined but little, though, when 
 he did speak, his observations appeared to have 
 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 tliat place, 
 called Oonting, we might put on shore, they told us, 
 Avhatever articles we chose to land. On being 
 asked if, in the harbour described, they were sure 
 there was sufficient depth of water for a fi-igate to 
 ride in safety, they entered into another long dis- 
 cussion, during which they appeared to be re-con- 
 
154 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 sidering the merits of the said harbour. It was evi- 
 dent they were apprehensive of giving it a higher 
 character than it should be found on examination 
 to deserve ; while, on the other hand, they were 
 so anxious to remove us at all hazards, that they 
 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 was 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. Simple 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 
 iiave by intuition, for their practice could be but 
 small, the crying sins 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 conjured up where 
 everything was naturally obvious and easy. 
 
 While this subject was under discussion, the 
 old man drew a piece of paper from his tobacco- 
 2)ouch, and scrawled upon it a chart of the island, 
 in order to point out the spot where the harbour 
 lay. This drawing, though mde enough, was pro- 
 ved afterwards, when we had ourselves survey- 
 ed the island, to possess considerable accuracy; 
 and it is much to Jbe 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, liaving neglected to pre- 
 serve documents, or to record incidents and con- 
 versations of great eventual interest, although in- 
 significant to all appeai'ance at the moment. 
 
 A traveller in so new a scene as this had need 
 to exercise an extiaordinary 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, without ornament or exaggeration, of 
 what passes daily before his eyes. In every case 
 of Journal wilting, a selection of circumstances 
 must be made, as it is manifestly impossible to re- 
 cord the whole : but the traveller will often mis- 
 take the interest which he liimself feels, for that 
 which he conceives the same circumstances, when 
 described, -will produce in others ; and, on the other 
 liand, will frequently allow events to pass without 
 notice, which, if told simply, would convey the very 
 knowledge he cashes to impart. Both waiters and 
 artists are too apt to look out exclusively for re- 
 markable, ratlier than ordinaiy and characteristic, 
 features of the scene before them ; and thus false 
 notions of foreign countries are often co^iveyed to 
 the minds of those persons for whose instruction 
 the labour has been undertaken. The writer and 
 the draughtsman ought, therefore, to look out not 
 for what is rare, but for what, to boiTow an apt 
 term from geology, may be called average speci- 
 mens — fragments not selected for anything remaik- 
 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 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 in nine cases out of ten, is by far the most gratify- 
 ing and instructive to persons at a distance. 
 
 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 noticing 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, he was carried 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 cmrent 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, returned to the cabin from 
 
' LOO-CHOO. loT 
 
 his long and amusing voyage of discovery, he sat 
 down quite exhausted, 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. This 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 om* own absurdities. These 
 natives laughed heartily at the oddity of such a 
 curious contrivanrce as a glove ; but none of them 
 could be made to understand why it was ridicidous 
 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, lie was urged to overcome 
 his scruples, and land in the manner proposed : he 
 still, however, decUned the honour, hut at last, ra- 
 ther than seem obstinate about a trifle, stepped 
 down the accommodation ladder, and seated him- 
 self for an instant in the barge, then rose up and 
 made a bow to Captain Maxwell, as if to acknow- 
 ledge the attention, but immediately removed with 
 his suite into his own boat, which he had ordered 
 to lie alongside the barge in readiness to receive 
 him. A salute was then fired from each ship, dur- 
 ing which he and his attendants stood up, and the 
 boatmen were directed to lie on their oars. 
 
 It was Captain Maxwell's intention to return 
 this visit next day, but he took care not to say so 
 during the discussions in the cabin, knowing well 
 that a proposal to this effect would be stoutly com- 
 bated, and perhaps overruled. But no sooner had 
 the last of the chiefs taken his seat in the boat, 
 than the interpreter was desired to say, that, as a 
 matter of course, the chief's visit would be return- 
 ed on shore next morning. Exactly as Captain 
 Maxwell had foreseen, this declaration met with 
 anything but approbation from the chiefs, who laid 
 their heads together for some time, and at last made 
 a sign to the interpreter to come into the boat. 
 Every persuasion was used to convince him of the 
 excessive impropriety of our landing ; but they 
 could not succeed in makino: him yield his assent 
 to this point, and at length went away sadly per- 
 plexed and disconcerted. ' 
 
 The interpreter, who was called John by all 
 parties, Loo-chooans as well as English, though 
 merely^n under-servant of the Factory at Canton, 
 
LOO-CHOO. 159 
 
 was a very shrewd fellow. His English was unfor- 
 tunately not the best, and probably the Chinese 
 which he spoke was some base patois, so that 
 misunderstandings were no doubt often caused by 
 his erroneous interpretation. But tliis was beyond 
 remedy ; and although it plagued us occasionally, 
 the difficulty of communicating perhaps added, 
 upon the whole, to the interest of our intercourse 
 with the natives. 
 
 During the early part of the morning of the 23d, 
 we were busied in getting ready such presents as 
 we could think of for the chief whom we were to 
 visit. But as we had not contemplated before- 
 hand any proceedings like these, we were a little 
 at a loss to settle what should be given in return 
 for his liberal donation ; for he had sent off, after' 
 he landed the day before, some live stock and ve- 
 getables to each ship. The portion appropriated 
 to the Lyra consisted of ^ good fat hog, a veiy hand- 
 some goat, two bags of sweet potatoes, a basket of 
 charcoal, thirty bundles of eggs, and a jar of clear 
 ardent spirits like whisky, besides many piles of 
 gourds, pumpkins, and melons. Tliree or four times 
 as much was sent to the Alceste. 
 
 After a good deal of consideration, it was agreed 
 that Captain Maxwell should take with him several 
 dozens of wine, some books, two looking-glasses, 
 various trinkets, and a large piece of blue broad 
 cloth. I took half the quantity of Captain Max-, 
 well's presents. Smaller donations were also made 
 up for each of the chiefs. Thus prepared, we set 
 out at one o'clock in the Ambassador's barge, with 
 a large union jack flying ; and the wind being fair, 
 soon reached the haibour. As we rowed past the 
 shore, the people were seen running along the dif- 
 
160 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 ferent roads leading into the town, so that by the 
 time we reached the entrance, the crowd on both 
 sides was immense, and the sight as striking and 
 animated as can well be conceived. 
 
 On our entering the harbour, four or five of the 
 chiefs came down to a point of land, and made 
 signs by waving their hands that we must row past 
 the end of a pier or mole, forming the inner har- 
 bour. By the time we had performed this circuit, 
 the chiefs were ready to receive us at the landing- 
 place. They gave us their hands to help us from 
 the boats, and then conducted us along the shore, 
 Ookooma taking Captain Maxwell's hand, the 
 chief called Shayoon giving me his, and Jeema ta- 
 king charge of Mr Clifford. The other natives, ac- 
 cording to their rank, conducted Dr M'Leod, sur- 
 geon of the Alceste, Mr John Maxwell, the com- 
 modore's son, and another midshipman Mr Browne, 
 selected to accompany us on account of his pro- 
 ficiency as a draughtsman. They held our hands 
 nearly as high as the shoulder, and we moved along 
 pretty much in the fashion of a minuet, with a sort 
 of measured step, which made it still more ludi- 
 crous. In this manner they carried us through a lane 
 opened for us among silent, gazing crowds of peo- 
 ple. The children were, as usual, placed in front, 
 three or foiu- deep, all shining in their best dresses, 
 and looking as happy as possible. The next two 
 or three ranlts crouched dowTi, so as just to look 
 over the heads of the children, and ia order to al- 
 low those behind to see us in passing. By these 
 arrangements many more could obtain a good sight 
 of the strangers, than if they had been crowded in- 
 discriminately together. We were thus paraded 
 slowly along for about a hundred and fifty yards, 
 
LOO-CHOO. 161 
 
 till we readied tlie gate of a liandsome wooden 
 temple, where we were met by the principal chief, 
 our guest of the preceding day, who stood just 
 outside of the threshold on a small square pave- 
 ment of polished stones. Ookooma, who had 
 brought Captain Maxwell thus far, now relinquisli- 
 ed his office to the old chief, who gave his hand, and 
 showed the way to a small flight of steps leading 
 to the temple, two sides of which were complete- 
 ly thrown open, and the whole skirted by deep 
 verandahs, precautions which rendered the interior 
 shady and cool. The apartment was large, and 
 neatly furnished with gaudy paintings hung roimd 
 the walls, richly carved wooden cornices and pillars, 
 and everything shining with the brilliant vaniish 
 in which the Chinese excel all other nations. In 
 the centre stood a large table, finely japanned, and 
 two ornamental high-backed chairs, one on each 
 side of the chief's seat for Captain Maxwell and 
 me ; benches bemg placed at the sides of the table 
 for the other gentlemen. 
 
 The chief, as soon as the party were all seated, 
 opened the conversation by expressing how much 
 gi-atified he had been by the reception he had met 
 with the day before, and how glad he was to see 
 us at his table. He then asked our ages, begged 
 to know which of us were mai*ried, which single, 
 and expressed himself gi-eatly pleased with the ac- 
 count of Captain Maxwell's family, which hap- 
 pened to correspond exactly as to numbers and 
 age with his own. But he could scarcely be 
 made to believe that young Maxwell, a strapping 
 youth of six feet, was not more than sixteen years 
 of age ; insisting that he must be at least six-and- 
 tvveutv. The same mistake was often made bv 
 
 o2 
 
162 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 the natives, who judged of the ages of our young 
 men by their height alone. After some time spent 
 in this easy kind of friendly chit-chat, a wine which 
 they called sackee was handed round in very di- 
 minutive cups, filled to the brim by one of the 
 cliiefs, out of a small metal pot, in which this be- 
 verage was kept constantly warm. The chief and 
 his companions, after we had drank, followed our 
 example, and took off their cups fairly ; and du- 
 ring the whole feast the sackee pot never left the 
 table, being considered a proper accompaniment 
 to all the strange messes which were brought in 
 one at a time, and handed round by the attendants. 
 When the first dish was placed on the table, a pair 
 of chopsticks was given to each person present, 
 and these were not changed during the feast. 
 
 Chopsticks, it is possibly not generally known, 
 are two polished pieces of ivory or of some hard 
 wood, about a foot in length, and as thick as an 
 ordinary quill. They are used instead of knives and 
 forks in China, and all the countries in that quar- 
 ter of the world. They are both held in the right 
 hand, one being fixed and the other moveable ; so 
 that the meat is caught up, as it were, by a pair of 
 pincers. The middle of that chopstick which is 
 fixed, rests on the tip of the third fijiger and its top 
 in the hollow space between the thumb and the 
 knuckle of the fore-finger ; the moveable one is 
 grasped by the fore and middle fingers and thumb. 
 Until the manner of using these implements is 
 learned, they are perfectly useless ; and the chief 
 observing some of us make no advances in acqui- 
 ring the requisite knowledge, ordered sharp-point- 
 ed sticks to be given to us, that we migJit fork 
 up our meat. As this would not do for rice, how- 
 
LOO-CHOO. 163 
 
 ever, we resumed the chopsticks, but could make 
 little progress, till we observed how the natives eat 
 it, and even then our imitation was not very suc- 
 cessful. They held the bowl in which it was con- 
 tained close to their mouths as if going to drink, 
 and then by means of the implements described, 
 tumbled or rather stuffed in the rice till their 
 mouths were quite full, sometimes also accelerating 
 its further progress by the agency of the chopsticks, 
 in a very ludicrous manner. 
 
 The next dish, consisting of slices of fish fried 
 in butter, we foimd excellent ; after this came 
 smoked pork sliced, and then pig's liver cut into 
 small square pieces and boiled. Then tea was 
 handed round, which was quite new, and not very 
 good in its way, resembling, as our facetious doctor 
 observed, more an infusion of hay than anything 
 else. The short intervals between the numerous 
 courses, were filled up with smoking, our pipes 
 being filled and lighted by an attendant, whose sole 
 business it was to run about with a small bag in his 
 hand, and watch when any one required tobacco, 
 which was not unfrequently, as the pipes were so 
 diminutive that some of the gentlemen of our party 
 found no difficulty in smoking nine of them during 
 the feast. The next dish was the oddest thing we 
 had yet seen in the way of eatables, its very ap- 
 pearance disgusting most of the party ; it consisted 
 of coarse, very black sugar, wrapped up in unbaked 
 dough, powdered over with rice flour, dyed of a 
 yellow colour. This dish was certainly very unpa- 
 latable, but most of the others were so good, that 
 we made a hearty dinner long before the feast was 
 over. The succession of dishes, however, continued 
 without intermission, till our good-humoured host 
 
164 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 seeing we no longer eat anything, ordered them 
 all away, and then, suiting the action to the word, 
 recommended the sackee by pledging us over and 
 over again. 
 
 By carrying this good example a little too far, 
 the old gentleman's eyes at length began to glisten, 
 the remaining crust of formality fell off, and obser- 
 ving that the room was hot, he requested us to take 
 our hats off, as, till now, according to Loo-Choo 
 custom, we had kept them on. The cliief, who by 
 this time was quite in a merry mood, seized Dr 
 M'Leod's cocked hat and fixed it on his own head, 
 while the Doctor, who was never slow to profit by 
 a good hint, did the same with the chief's hatchee- 
 matchee, or band turban. The oddity of this transfer 
 fairly overcame the gravity of all present ; and ex- 
 cited the rapturous mirth of the chief's sons, two 
 fine little boys, in gaudy dresses and high top knots 
 of hair, who stood one on each side of his chair 
 during all the entertainment. 
 
 Our presents were now brought in by our own 
 people and laid before the chief. He rose and saw 
 them all properly arranged, and then turning to us, 
 acknowledged his satisfaction, observing at the same 
 time that as wc had sent him a great deal too much, 
 and already done him far more honour than he was 
 entitled to, lie could not possibly think of accept- 
 ing the whole present, but must insist upon our 
 taking back the greater part. This speech we 
 considered a mere matter of form, and only lament- 
 ed our inability to make a more suitable return for 
 Iiis kindness. After one or two civil obsei'vations 
 of this kind had been bandied about, the chief sat 
 down and said no more. The others, for each of 
 whom wc had brought soinc tilings, were much less 
 
LOO-CHOO. ' 165 
 
 scrupulons, and ran about showing their presents 
 to their friends among the crowd, holding up what 
 they had received with an air of triumph. 
 
 The apartment in which we were entertained 
 was large and airy. At the commencement of the 
 feast it was open on two sides only ; but afterwards, 
 when it became heated by the crowd, the partitions 
 on the other two sides also were removed, being 
 so contrived as to slide in grooves, in such a man- 
 ner that the room might be enlarged or diminish- 
 ed at pleasure. Four apartments might thus be 
 thrown into one, or rendered entirely sepai'ate from 
 each other, a contrivance well adapted to so fine a 
 climate. 
 
 When the partition behind us was removed, se- 
 veral strange-looking figures made their appearance, 
 who we found were called Bodzes, or priests, — ex- 
 actly the Bonzes of China. Their heads and chins 
 were closely shaven, their feet left bare, and their 
 dress quite different from that worn by the rest of 
 the people. Their robe was shorter, much less full, 
 and without any belt round the waist, being mere- 
 ly tightened a little by a drawing string tied at the 
 side. Over their shoulders hung an embroidered 
 band or belt, shaped like a drummer's strap. The 
 colour of their dress in some instances was black, 
 in others yellow, and in some of deep purple. A 
 timorous subdued cast of countenance belonged 
 to all these unhappy-looking men. They never 
 laughed along with the rest of their countrymen, 
 and at most a languid smile stole to their lips, aug- 
 menting rather than diminishing the ghastly expres- 
 •sion characteristic of all their order at Loo-Choo. 
 They appeared to be lower in stature than the 
 other natives ; all of them had an unhealthy look, 
 
16G LOO-CHOO. 
 
 aiul stooped more or less ; and in manners and ap- 
 pearance, they were strongly distinguished from the 
 rest of the inhabitants. Along with these Bodzes 
 we took notice of geveral boys, who, from the resem- 
 blance, we supposed at first must be their children ; 
 but this was a mistake produced by the similarity 
 in dress of these young priests, for the Bodzes, we 
 afterguards learned, are strictly confined to a life of 
 celibacy. From the circumstance of our being in a 
 pagoda or temple, as well as our general habits and 
 associations, we naturally felt disposed to treat the 
 guardians of the spot with respect, and we rose and 
 bowed to them. This attention, however, was look- 
 ed upon as superfluous by the chiefs, who uncere- 
 moniously thrust the poor Bodzes on one side, 
 and entreated us to take no farther notice of them. 
 It is to be infen-ed, therefore, that the priesthood 
 in Loo-Choo, instead of being, as in Europe, the 
 class most respected, is considered one of the low- 
 est^ while its members are much neglected by all the 
 other ranks. As far as we had an opportunity of ob- 
 serving, the same thing takes place in China — the 
 religion, such as it is, of both countries being alike. 
 During the time we were at table, the croAvd, 
 whom the guards in vain attempted to keep beyond 
 the gate, pressed into the verandahs, and perched 
 themselves upon the walls and house-tops in tlie 
 vicinity wherever there was the least chance of get- 
 ting a peep of their strange-looking visitors. The 
 satisfaction in this case was mutual, for we ^vere fully 
 as anxious to make the most of this oppoitunity 
 of looking about us, as the natives could possibly 
 be ; especially as we knew not if ever we should be • 
 allowed to land again. After sitting for about two 
 hours, we rose from the table, and were escorted 
 
LOO-CHOO. 167 
 
 to the boats in the same order as before. An at- 
 tempt had been made during the feast, at the mo- 
 ment wlien the whole party were in the greatest 
 good humour, to prevail upon the natives to sanc- 
 tion our taking a walk into the town. But the bare 
 mention of such a thing sobered them all instan- 
 taneously, and the subject was dropped for the pre- 
 sent. The sailors had meanwhile been kept stiictly 
 in the boats for fear of their giving offence ; but they 
 had not been neglected by the chief, who sent them 
 a feast as ample as ours had been, not omitting the 
 hot sjickee, to which the Johnies had done great 
 justice, as a large pile of empty pots sufficiently 
 testified. 
 
 We looked anxiously to the right and left as we 
 passed through the crowd near the temple, in hopes 
 of seeing some of the women, but in this expecta- 
 tion we were still disappointed. At a considerable 
 distance, indeed, on the opposite side of the har- 
 bour, we saw a single group of females, several of 
 whom stole along the outer face of the raised cause- 
 way to obtain a better view of the boats as they 
 passed. Six or eight young girls had also contrived 
 to conceal themselves from the rest of the natives 
 behind some rocks near the extreme point of the 
 land. They reached this spot just as we rowed 
 past the pier-head, but were quite frightened at 
 their own temerity when they found themselves 
 actually so near us, and immediately drew back, 
 like startled deer, behind the rocks, quite out of our 
 sight. We fancied we could discover a good deal 
 of beauty in some of their faces, and that their 
 figures also were elegant : but as we had not seen 
 the face of a fair lady for neai ly half a year before, 
 out judgment in this case is not perhaps to be de- 
 pended upon implicitly 
 
168 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 Ookooma and his associates put ofiP to accompany 
 us in one of their own boats, but by this time the 
 breeze had freshened so much, accompanied by a 
 disagreeable bubble of a sea, that their little boat 
 could make no head-way, and was obliged to tura 
 back. Jeeroo then begged to be taken into the 
 barge, and went on board along with us, probably 
 to make sure of there being no stray sheep from 
 our party. 
 
 What was to follow after this visit ' remained 
 quite uncertain, though it was clear to us that 
 we had made mighty little progress of late iik gain- 
 ing the confidence of the inhabitants, whilst it was 
 no less obvious that fresh obstacles were hourly 
 rising against our landing. In the meantime, as 
 the Loo-Chooans were kind enough to supply us 
 liberally with all kinds of stock, we had no great 
 reason to complain, though our patience was sore- 
 ly tried. 
 
 On the evening of the 23d and morning of the 
 24th of September, it blew a hard gale of wind, be- 
 ginning at North-north-east, and shifting to North- 
 west. Our situation in so violent a storm would 
 have been critical indeed, had it not been for the 
 reefs beyond us, which, by breaking the violence 
 of the waves, enabled us to ride in perfect securi- 
 ty. We could see, however, that it blew much 
 more severely in the open sea. 
 
 Early on the 25th of September, our friend 
 Jeeroo came with a large supply of vegetables and 
 fiTiit, and afterwards went on board the Alceste to 
 join Ookooma and Jeema. They had preceded 
 him with a present from the chief, by whose de- 
 sire tliey made a number of inquiries, and repeat- 
 edly expressed, in his name, great suqjrise and 
 satisfaction at our having been able to ride out so 
 
LOO-CHOO. 169 
 
 severe a gale. They also apologized for not visit- 
 ing us the day before, an omission which required 
 little excuse, as the gale rendered all intercourse im- 
 possible. We took occasion, in the course of the 
 interview, to represent to the chiefs that our limbs 
 were getting quite stiff for want of exercise, and 
 that it was becoming a matter of necessity for us 
 to land, on account of our healtl^ worn out by long 
 confinement on board ship. This appeal to then- 
 humanity produced the usual effect of setting the 
 chiefs to puzzle among themselves how to frame an 
 evasive answer. They accordingly debated the 
 matter for some time, and then said, in their old 
 way, that a final answer would be given to-mor- 
 row. It appeared they had quite forgotten their 
 promise to send a pilot for the Lyra, which it had 
 been agreed was to go in search of the harbour to 
 the Northward ; they probably wished that we also 
 should forget it, since they eagerly changed the sub- 
 ject whenever it was spoken of, and even affected to- 
 tal ignorance of our meaning. The government pro- 
 bably thought it best, upon re-considering the matter, 
 to keep us where we were, and to discourage any 
 fai-ther investigation of their island. Whatever they 
 thought on this particular point, it was pretty clear 
 they were sadly perplexed by our presence. Our 
 force, had we chosen to put it forth, was beyond 
 doubt sufficient to have overpowered the whole 
 island ; — and although the natives already possessed 
 abundant evidence of Captain Maxwell's friendly 
 and patient disposition, they could never be quite 
 sme how long this forbearance would last. 
 
 The chief Jeeroo, after this day's adventures, be- 
 came quite familiar and unreserved with us. He 
 was a laughing, good-humoured, rather fat man, 
 
 VOL. I. P 
 
170 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 about thirty ; shook every one cordially by the hand 
 whenever he came on board, and engaged in all 
 our amusements with much cheerfulness. He was 
 at times also very useful, as his anxiety to learn 
 English made him more communicative of his own 
 language than the rest ; and as he was fond of a 
 glass of wine, there was never much difficulty in 
 fixing him at table, upon which occasions he con- 
 tributed cheerfully and largely to Mr Clifford's vo- 
 cabulary. Some of our words the Loo-Chooans 
 could never leam to pronounce. The letter /, pre- 
 ceded by c, appeared the most difficult : they call- 
 ed Clifford Criffar, and this degree 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 cfujad. 
 
 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 Maxwell, true to liis plan, took no ad- 
 vantage of the circumstance, and the day passed 
 witliout any intercourse. 
 
 On the 27th, as we Avere still prevented from 
 going on shore, we amused om'selves 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 fiu-ious 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- 
 loiu", such as I do not remember to have seen in 
 any pait of the world except at Trincomalee in the 
 
LOO-CHOO. 171 
 
 Island of Ceylon. The coral was exceedingly hard, 
 and though at many places it rose up in sharp 
 points, it required a hammer of some weiglit to 
 break off any considerable specimen. This extent 
 of level space suggested the idea of measuring a 
 base line for the purpose of survepng the anchor- 
 age, an occupation which, in the absence of all 
 active operations, promised not only to be useful, 
 but interesting. Wliile 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 during the survey, for 
 the tide rose and fairly drove us into our boats. 
 
 Early in the morning, our worthy fnend Jeeroo 
 sent us off some fresh rock cod, and one or two blue 
 fish, and soon followed his present, very happy to 
 find his attention so well bestowed. Advantage 
 was 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 hours after this message had 
 been delivered, and just as oiu" o^\ti boats were 
 about to proceed, about thirty canoes came pad- 
 dling alongside, each loaded ^dth a large tub of 
 water. This plea of wanting water was partly real, 
 and partly intended as an excuse for landing. 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 chief, visited 
 the Lyra to-day, accompanied by his secretary ; 
 and his appearance and manners being very much 
 in his favom*, Ave paid him particular attention. As 
 he wished to be allowed to go over the ship at 
 
172 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 his leisure alone, and without interraption, orders 
 were given to let him have free access to every cor- 
 ner, cahins and storerooms not excepted. Armed 
 with this authority, he examined everything 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 until 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 suppUed a number of new words, 
 but what was of great importance, coiTected others 
 whicli had been written down erroneously at the 
 commencement of the undertaking. 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 particular 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 man 
 again. 
 
' LOO-CHOO. 113 
 
 llie sailors were particularly pleased with 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 rough seamen. From the very fiist 
 hour of our visit, by a sort of universal and tacit 
 understanding, which rendered orders on the sub- 
 ject unnecessary, the natives were treated by every 
 one, not only with kindness, but what was more 
 remarkable, with entire confidence. No watch was 
 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 liave been taken by 
 them. 
 
 On the 28th of September, at sun-rise, we set 
 out on our expedition to Reef Island, the name gi- 
 ven to the spot on which our destruction had so 
 nearly Ijeen accomplished a fortnight before. This 
 dangerous bed of coral we found to lie about six 
 miles west from the anchorage, and we reached it 
 in about an hour, but as it was then low tide, the 
 water was left quite shallow for a considerable 
 way fi'om the dry beach, and our large boat could 
 not therefore get near enough. In this dilemma 
 we used no ceremony in taking possession of a ca- 
 noe lying at anchor neai* us ; and by making 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 all reached the shore, and then ran 
 
 r2 
 
174 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 away, leaving their tobacco-pipes, pouches, and 
 various other things on the ground near their 
 dwelling, in which we found nothing but a pot of 
 sweet potatoes qp 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, " Ooal 
 ooa I" 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 away 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 heart 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. Their hair, instead of being 
 
LOO-CHOO. 175 
 
 formed into a handsome top-knot, was allowed to 
 fly loose, a practice we never saw in the great 
 island. 
 
 Dm-ing the morning the different members of our 
 party amused themselves in vaiious 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 near 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 favourable for inspecting the reef, had stored 
 .their bottles and boxes with curious 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 passmg 
 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 great 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 
 
HB LOO-CHOO. 
 
 a star, with arms fi-om four to six inches long, wliicli 
 it moved about witli a rapid motion in all directions, 
 probably in search of food. Others were so sluggish 
 that they were often mistaken for pieces of the 
 rock ; these were generally of a dark colour, and 
 fi-om four to five inches long and two or three 
 round. When the rock was broken fi-om a spot 
 near the level of high water, it was found to be a 
 hard solid stone, but if any part 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 colom-s, some being as fine as 
 a thread and several feet long, generally of a very 
 bright yellow, and sometimes of a blue colour ; 
 while others resembled snails, and some were not 
 unlike lobsters or prawns in shape, but soft, and 
 not above two inches long. 
 
 The gi-owth of coral ceases when the 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 which "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, wliere they also 
 must stop. Thus, as the level of the highest tide 
 is the eventual limit to evei-y part of the reef, a ho- 
 rizontal field comes to be formed coincident with 
 tliat plane, and perpendicular on all sides. The 
 reef, however, continually increases, and being pre- 
 vented from going higher, must extend itself lateral- 
 ly in all directions; and this growth being probably 
 as rapid at the upper edge as it is lower down, tlie 
 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 clear 
 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 
 fiom 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 
 to 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 
 stick ; 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 fire was placed at 
 one end on a raised part of the mud floor, direct- 
 
178 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 ly over wliich a hole liad been broken through the 
 roof for the exit of the smoke ; the other end 
 appeared to aiford a most comfortless sleeping 
 place. It was conjectured at first that this wretch- 
 ed hovel could only be meant for the temporary 
 residence of the fishermen, whose nets we 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 cliiefs 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 were disagree- 
 able limitations, but we were too well pleased to 
 have the ice fairly broken, to make any complaint. 
 
 At one o'clock, accordingly, several 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, who covered the sea 
 banks for half a mile on each side. The chiefs in- 
 sisted upon handing us along, and in their desire to 
 be exceedingly civil, 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 this cumber- 
 some help particularly troublesome, and petitioned 
 for leave to walk 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, liow 
 very disagreeable it was to be exposed to the sun's 
 rays at such an hour, 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 they spread a mat for us on the half- wet sand, 
 and begged to know if we should like to diink tea 
 in this shady spot, seeing that we disliked the sun 
 so much. This was caiTying the joke rather too 
 far even for our Commodore's good nature ; and 
 indeed the place was so dii'ty 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 scui-vily. 
 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 everywhere, 
 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 be, 
 particularly pleasant ; till at length. Captain Max- 
 well affecting to lose all patience, gave them to un- 
 derstand that his wish was to go to the top of the 
 hills, to stroll freely about wherever he pleased ; 
 but as he did not mean, during his stay at the 
 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 longer 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, hut 
 evidently with the gi'eatest 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 
 ninners, to warn off 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 wood, 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 dra^^ii 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 
 slow 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 
 he could not discover, though he conjectured, from 
 some expressions used by the natives, that they 
 were propitiatory of the guardian deity of the foim- 
 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 
 brow of the high ground overlooking the anchorage, 
 
LOO-CHOO. 181 
 
 the chiefs halted, and seemed, by their imploring 
 looks, to entreat us to stop. But as we were within 
 only a few yards of the summit, where we saw a 
 shady grove, we begged 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 deliberation, 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 om- inquiries were immediately du-ected 
 to this object, but every question was answered in 
 so evasive a manner, and with such 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 this delightful cool grote for about an 
 hour, drinking tea and smoking pipes in company 
 with all the chiefs, and four or five of the old men 
 mentioned before. The fresh air of the mountains, 
 to which weihad 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 their brows from tlio 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. (i 6 
 
182 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 the surprise manifested by all the otliei*s, and 
 boldly held out his hand that it might be exposed 
 to the focus. He was speedily imdec^ived, and 
 roared out his recantation, to tlie great amusement 
 of the circle, who tamited him for his incredulity 
 for some time. The magnifying power of the lens 
 was next exhibited ; but it was curious to observe 
 that its effect was by no means the same in every 
 instance : a sudden start, accompanied by an ex- 
 clamation of pleasure and surprise, was the most . 
 usual consequence of viewing objects through 
 it : some of the natives laughed immoderately at 
 every experiment which exhibited the magnifying 
 power, while others became thoughtful ; and some 
 looked exceedingly grave and puzzled for a long 
 time after. At the moment when their admiration 
 of the glass was considered at the highest point, it 
 was restored to its case, and presented to our 
 friend Jeeroo. This was, I believe, the first instance 
 in which any of the chiefs had been prevailed upon 
 to accept a present, excepting on the day of our 
 official visit on the 23 d. 
 
 A man on horseback rode past us while sitting , 
 on the top of the hill. This was the only person 
 we had seen mounted, and the circ7/mstance was 
 taken immediate advantage of to suggest to our 
 good friends, that nothing would so materially con- 
 tribute to the re-establishment of our health as this 
 description of exercise. This was said in sober 
 earnest, but they insisted upon treating our remark 
 as a mere joke, dreading, no doubt, that if once we 
 got fairly on horseback there would be no restrain- 
 ing om- flights. 
 
 After sitting for some time We expressed a wish, 
 now that we had rested ourselves, to extend our 
 
LOO-CHOO. 183 
 
 walk a mile or two up the country, or, at all events, 
 to vary the road back by turning to the left after 
 reaching the brow of the hill, and so walking along 
 the edge of the cliff to another path, wliich would 
 lead us down to the boats quite as soon as the 
 way by which we had ascended. The chiefs ob- 
 served, in reply to this proposal, that we should 
 inevitably tumble down and break our necks 
 should we attempt such a thing, affecting, not- 
 withstanding the gross absurdity of such an appre- 
 hension, to be really alarmed at our danger. We 
 turned back, thereforej after having gone about 
 two hundred yards along the top of the cliffs, 
 without any adventure, excepting a short interview 
 with a very aged decrepid man, upon whom we 
 lighted by mere accident. He was seated in an 
 open shed on the edge of the precipice, with his 
 long white beai'd neai'ly covering his breast, and 
 a sedate and contemplative air, which gave him 
 that sort of aspect which the imagination bestows 
 on a hermit. He was probably an ascetic of some 
 kind, for our appearance did not in the least dis- 
 compose him, nor, until desired by Ookooma,- 
 would he condescend to notice us at all. Even 
 when spoken to, he merely bowed his head, very 
 slightly, without looking up, and immediately re- 
 sumed his abstracted air, as if quite alone and ab- 
 sorbed by other matters. 
 
 As we drew near the landing-place, our compa- 
 nions, very much to our surprise, invited us to 
 turn from the shore towards a large house, or 
 temple, where preparations, they said, had been 
 made to receive us. The road led us dkectly 
 through a grove of Scotcli fir trees, rising out of a 
 thick undei'\\^oodof the ti'oiiical broad-leaved tribes ; 
 
184 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 an unlooked-for, but not an unpleasing mixture of 
 the rugged scenery of our northern hills, with the 
 milder accompaniments of an eastern landscape. 
 After skirting along a high wall, we reached by 
 means of a large gate a nicely-kept garden, or 
 pleasure-ground, along the centre of which ran a 
 smooth gravel walk, between two low shaven 
 hedges. Other walks crossed the giounds at right 
 angles, all of them laid out in the saijtie neat style. 
 By following one of these paths we found our way 
 to a grove of the banyan, or Indian fig-tree, under 
 which, and completely shaded by its branches, stood 
 a temple, extremely like the Chinese Pagodas which 
 we see in pictures. 
 
 Here an entertainment had been provided of 
 painted eggs, smoked pork, and vaiious prepara- 
 tions of fish, together with the usual dessert of 
 sweet-cakes, tea, pipes, and the never-failing sack- 
 ee. There was no furniture in the room except 
 split rattan mats, spread on the floor, although 
 in fact it needed no covering, as it was varnished 
 over, and looked as clean and bright as a polished 
 maliogany table. When luncheon was over, we 
 rose and proposed to take a turn round the garden ; 
 but the natives, who dreaded nothing so much as 
 this perpetual rambling propensity of ours, assured 
 us we must be already tired with so unusually long 
 a walk, and that it would be much better to sit still 
 where we were and be contented. Mr Clifford, in 
 the meantime, who, from the progress he made in 
 their language, had become a gieat favourite, was 
 invited to join a meiTy pai'ty in the verandali. Here 
 they brought him flowers, fi-uits, and everything 
 they could think of, in order to learn from him 
 their English names, and give in return those of 
 Loo-Ciioo. 
 
Loo-ciioo. 185 
 
 On reacliing the boats, Jeeroo and two of his 
 friends seeming disposed to accompany us on board, 
 were invited to do so: the poor fellow was so 
 delighted that he untied a rudely-carved ivory or- 
 nament wJiich hung from his tobacco-pouch, and 
 gave it to me. I had previously given orders for 
 dinner to be ready as soon as the boat was seen 
 to quit the shore ; so that by the time we reached 
 the ship it was actually on the table. I called to 
 my servant t0 4>lace two additional covers, and the 
 order was so promptly obeyed, that before I could 
 conduct my guests below everything was prepared 
 for their reception. As their oifer of a visit was 
 made only five minutes before, they would not be- 
 lieve these arrangements were made for them, and 
 naturally conceiving that some other guests were qx- 
 pected, refused for some time to occupy the seats 
 placed for them. When the covers were removed 
 from tiie dishes, they became silent, and looked to 
 the right and left, as if to discover what was to be 
 done next. On being helped to soup, they made 
 no attempt to touch it till they saw us take spoons, 
 in the management of which they showed wonder- 
 fully little awkwardness. The mysteries of a knife 
 and fork gave them more trouble ; but as they set 
 themselves seriously to work to acquire a know- 
 ledge of these sinsrular instruments, in a short time 
 they found no pai'ticular difficulty in helping them- 
 selves. 
 
 The imiform propriety in the beliaviour of the 
 natives on such occasions is more worthy of re- 
 mai'k, as it was in some deeree different fi'om our 
 own under similar circumstances. For example, 
 when we first tried to eat with chopsticks, there was 
 often a giijgling sort of embarrassment, in contempt, 
 
 ti2 
 
186 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 forsooth, of ourselves, for condescending to employ 
 an eifort to acquire tlie use of things apparently 
 so unimpoTtant, Even their diminutive cups and 
 strange dishes now and then excited mirth amongst 
 some of our party, Avho, in true John Bull taste, 
 had no conception that anything could possibly be 
 good which was not English. Our Loo-Choo 
 friends, on the contrary, never forgot the rules of 
 decorum in this way ; a difference of behaviour 
 which may perhaps have arisen from their looking 
 upon us as their superiors ; but even admitting 
 this, which travellers are apt enough to do, it af- 
 fords but a lame excuse for this propensity to quizz 
 whatever is strange in their eyes. 
 
 On this occasion, Jeeroo and his two friends 
 had evidently made up their minds to find every- 
 thing quite new, for all three made a slight invo- 
 luntary exclamation when a cover was lifted up 
 and showed a dish of their owti sweet potatoes. 
 They tasted everything at table, and used a gi'eat 
 deal of salt, being much struck with its fineness 
 and wliiteness in comparison with their own, which 
 was always in large dirty crystals. Towards the 
 end of dinner, a sweet tart made its appearance, 
 which our friends refused to taste, making some 
 objection which we could not understand. At last 
 one of them ventured to put a morsel in his mouth, 
 an experiment which seemed to dissipate his fears, 
 whatever they were, in a moment ; for he exclaimed, 
 '^ Massa ! massa ! good, good." It was made of 
 Scotch marmalade, and Jeeroo, who had been the 
 first to muster courage to make the trial, in recom- 
 mending it to his friends, told them it was *' injassa, 
 araassa," bitter and sweet, a combination probably 
 unknown in Loo-Choo cookery. They made no 
 
LOO-CHOO. 187 
 
 difficulty about drinkinof wino, but were afraid, 
 they said, that it would make them " weety/' 
 To relieve their fears on this head, we taught 
 them our mode of mixing it with water, which 
 was evidently new ; and they relished it so much 
 in this form, that they were in a fair way of run- 
 ning into the very excess apprehended, for after a 
 glass or two we heard no more of their fears. Af- 
 ter sitting about an hour, our guests rose, and 
 walked all over the ship ; but on our preparing to 
 accompany them, they entreated us to keep our 
 seats^ and seemed anxious to be permitted to ram- 
 ble about the decks alone. 
 
 During this dinner, though it was the first these 
 people had seen in the European style, they adopt- 
 ed all our customs with so much readiness, — for 
 instance, that of drinking with one another, — that 
 we were frequently at a loss to determine whether 
 they had just learned these customs, or the usages 
 of the countiy were actually similar to our own. 
 When it was nearly dark they requested to have 
 their boat manned, and after pushing off stood up 
 to take leave ; upon our begging them to remain 
 and sing us a boat-song, all the party joined in a 
 very pleasing little aii*, which had evidently some 
 reference to the L\Ta ; but we could not catch 
 any of the words, though we listened attentively, 
 and were near enough to hear the sound of their 
 paddles, and the notes of their song all the way to 
 the shore. 
 
 Duriiio- the whole of the morning of the 30th of 
 September, Mr Clifford and I were engaged in tlie 
 sm'vey, accompanied by several midshipmen fi'om 
 both ships. We measured a base line of 1319 feet 
 on the level surface of the reef, at some distance 
 
188 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 from the shore, a situation which afiPorded aii ex- 
 cellent place for such a puq^ose. But before all 
 the necessary angles were observed, the tide rose 
 and overflowed the rocks from end to end, so that 
 we had enough to do to save our instmments from 
 being wetted by tlie spray, and to get into the 
 boats ourselves without a ducking. A few of the 
 natives who rowed off to recomioitre us, were lost 
 in wonder at the appearance of the theodolite ; 
 but they rather assisted than obstracted om- ope- 
 rations, volunteering to carry about the chain with 
 great good-liumour. 
 
 From this time forward a free intercourse was 
 established with the shore ; and as httle doubt re- 
 mained of our being able to gain permission in a 
 day or two for landing the Alceste's stores, it be- 
 came an object of consequence to ascertain, with- 
 out fiirtlier delay, whether or not this anchorage 
 was better than the harbour described by the chiefs 
 as being only a few miles to the Northward. 
 
 The L)Ta was accordingly ordered to get under 
 weigh at day-light on the morning of the 1st of 
 October, for the purjiose of exploring tlie coast for 
 ten or twelve leay^ues to the Northward. We sail- 
 ed out of the anchorage by a very narrow passage 
 through the reefs, and'in the course of the morning 
 beat up to Sugar Loaf Island. We did not land, 
 but passed neai* enough to see that it was richly 
 cultivated on the lower parts, while the houses 
 were_ collected into picturesqiie villages, shaded 
 as usual by larsre tvecs all round the base, and 
 that the cultivation extended for a third of the 
 way up tlie sides of the peak. As this was to be 
 our furthest point in the present survey, we tacked 
 on reaching the Su^ar Loaf, and coasted round 
 
LOO-CHOO. 189 
 
 the shores of a large quadrangular bay on the west- 
 em side of the great island. The wind shift- 
 ed gradually as we sailed along, blowing directly 
 off the shore at every place, by which means we 
 were enabled to complete the circuit of the bay 
 before dark ; after which we anchored in sixty-five 
 fathoms water. Next morning we resumed our 
 examination of the coast, and the weather being 
 fine, hoisted out a boat, and rowed close along 
 the shore amongst the rocks ; whilst the Lyra kept 
 her course at the distance of several miles. In this 
 manner the whole shore was traced from Sugar Loaf 
 Island to Napakiang, without any port being seen. 
 We tried to land at several places, but were every- 
 where kept off by breakers stretching along the 
 coast at the distance of two or three hundred yards, 
 which formed, to strangers at least, an impene- 
 trable banier. The canoes of the natives, how- 
 ever, paddled away from us, and contrived to pass 
 through the surf by passages amongst the reefs, 
 which we could not venture to explore in our boat. 
 We returned to the brig about two o'clock, and at 
 three anchored in our former birth alongside of the 
 Alceste, in Napakiang harbour. 
 
 The departure of the Lyra had excited a great 
 sensation. No sooner had she sailed than the chiefs 
 came bustling off, all anxiety to inquire of Captain 
 Maxwell where the little ship Was gone. He af- 
 fected great mystery, and would not satisfy them 
 otherwise than by saying, that as they had trifled 
 with him so long, and so obstinately refused to let 
 him land his stores, he must endeavour to find some 
 more favourable place for refitting his ship. The 
 effect was exactly what he wished, and had ex- 
 pected to produce. The chiefs earnestly entreated 
 
190 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 him not to think of moving, offered him boats to 
 land his stores, and said he should have warehouses 
 on shore, or whatever he desired, while his ship was 
 undergoing repair. Their anxiety rose to such a 
 pitch, that they granted him permission to land 
 with his officers whenever he pleased, and even to 
 climb the hill without being guaided or handed 
 along as formerly. 
 
 On the Lyra's anchoring, the chiefs came on 
 board in great agitation to learn what we had dis- 
 covered ; but as we had actually nothing to relate, 
 there was little difficulty in keeping our secret. 
 They accompanied me, however, on board the Al- 
 ceste when I went to make my report ; but Cap- 
 tain Maxwell, having found the advantage he had 
 already gained by keeping them in ignorance of his 
 intentions, was not at all communicative. A fur- 
 ther offer was now made of allowing the sailors of 
 botli ships to land, for the purpose of washing tlieii- 
 clothes, a favour which previously had always been 
 positively refused. In short, they were in a mood 
 to grant anything, on condition of our agreeing 
 to remain at this part of the island ; yet they were 
 too sincere to pretend that all this arose out of 
 pure love and affection for their guests ; and, in- 
 deed, it was not difficult to perceive they anticipa- 
 ted more trouble in managing us anywhere else 
 than here. Amongst the numberless arguments 
 used to dissuade us from going to the other end 
 of the island, they declared it to be inhabited 
 by savages. But it slipped out also accidentally 
 in conversation, that in the event of the ships ac- 
 tually proceeding to another part of the island, 
 the six chiefs who had us in chai'ge were under or- 
 ders to accompany us ; so that motives of a personal 
 
LOO*CHOO. 191 
 
 nature may have quickened their public exertions 
 to detain us. 
 
 On the 3d of October, the crews of the Alceste 
 and Lyra were allowed to go on shore to wash 
 their clothes at the well, and by the sides of the 
 water coui'ses before described. Thev amused 
 themselves also by scampering-, or, as they called 
 it, skylarking, about the hills, a liberty which the 
 poor fellows enjoyed exceedingly, for most of them 
 had not been once over the ship's side since lea- 
 ving England. Two of the sailors of this party who 
 happened to be singing at their work near the well, 
 attracted a number of the natives round them, who 
 expressed great pleasure in hearing their songs. 
 At first, the audience consisted entirely of the pea- 
 santry, who sat down on the grass and listened with 
 the oi-eatest attention, and delight. In about half 
 an hour, a person of rank, with a number of at- 
 tendants, joined the group, and begged the men to 
 sing several of their songs over again. 
 
 Next day, the 4th of October, the survey from 
 the reef was completed; the only inconvenience 
 experienced in this operation was the limited time 
 which the tide allowed each day ; otherwise, the 
 situation was well adapted for the purpose, from 
 its commanding a view of all parts of the anchor- 
 age. During the progress of the principal survey, 
 several young gentlemen sent by Captain Maxwell, 
 in conjunction with my own midshipmen, com- 
 pleted a detailed survey of the reef itself. 
 
 During the period that our excursions were li- 
 mited to the sea-beach, we had frequent opportu- 
 nities of seeing the Loo-Choo method of making 
 salt, an account of which may perhaps be interest- 
 ing. Near the sea^ several large level fields are 
 
192 " LOO-CHOO. 
 
 rolled or beat dowii till tlic surface becomes hard 
 and smooth. Over this floor, a sandy black earth 
 is cast by the hand, so as to form a layer about a 
 quarter of an inch thick ; rakes and brooms being 
 used to make it of a uniform tliickness. During 
 the lieat of the day, men bring water in tubs from 
 tlie sea, which they repeatedly sprinlde over the 
 fields, by means of a short scoop. The rays of the 
 sun in a short time evaporate the water, and leave 
 the salt in the sand, which in the evening is scra- 
 ped up and put into stone receptacles. When 
 these are full of this salt sand, more water is pour- 
 ed upon it at the top, which, having passed through, 
 mns out a tolerably strong brine, and this is redu- 
 ced to salt by the ordinary process of evaporation 
 in boilers. The cakes resulting from this operation 
 are an inch and a half in thickness, but coarse and 
 dirty. This method of making salt is practised on 
 the southern coasts of China ; and I have seen it 
 also in Java^ in India, and more recently on the 
 sliores of Mexico. 
 
 On the 5th of October, Captain Maxwell called 
 for me at sunrise, on his way to the shore. The 
 chiefs had not expected us to be stirring so early, 
 and om* only companion for some time after we 
 landed was an old peasant, who, in spite of all we 
 could do, now and then ran on before to give no- 
 tice of our approach. Two other men joined us 
 sliortly afterwards, and continued mth us during 
 the walk, which at first lay along the beach, but 
 afterwards struck directly into the country : some 
 exception was taken to this change in the route 
 by our companions, but they were not urgent, and 
 we paid little attention to wliat was said. 
 
 After walking about a mile, and passing througli 
 
LOOCHOO. 193 
 
 an extensive grove of young trees, we found our- 
 selves suddenly close to a village, lying in the bot- 
 tom of a higlily-cultivated glen, the houses being 
 almost entirely hid under the branches. The whole 
 village being surrounded by a high close bamboo 
 hedge, and each house built within a separate in- 
 closure, it was almost invisible even at the dis- 
 tance of a few yai'ds. To some of the cottages 
 were attached neat arbours or sheds, formed of a 
 light trellis-work of canes, covered over with a 
 variety of creepers. The surrounding fields were 
 sown with rice, and divided from one another by 
 small mounds or embankments of earth, made to re- 
 tain the water. Along the top of each bank ran a 
 convenient foot-path; little circumstances in the 
 picture, which, added to the larger tropical features, 
 gave this valley very much the air of a scene in 
 India. A number of the villagers, accompanied 
 by crowds of children, came out to meet us, but 
 not a single woman could be seen amongst them. 
 As these people made many objections to our en- 
 tering the village, we passed on and continued our 
 walk. 
 
 The mode of dressing the ground at Loo-Choo 
 is very neat, and resembles that of China, particu- 
 larly in the process of manuring and irrigating. 
 These particulars seem to be most sedulously at- 
 tended to in places where the sugar cane is culti- 
 vated. Tobacco, wheat, rice, Indian com, millet, 
 sweet potatoes, brinjals, and many other tropical 
 vegetables grow in great perfection at Loo-Choo. 
 Along the sides of the hills, and round the villages, 
 the bamboo and rattan grow to a considerable size. 
 But the pine was the most conspicuous tree we saw 
 on the Island, rising sometimes to a great height 
 
 VOL. I. R 
 
194 LOO-CKOO. 
 
 and size, as we inferred from seeing canoes biiiit 
 with planks several feet broad ; those near the tem- 
 ple at Napakiang, however, were not above forty- 
 feet high, and fi'om tlu'ee to four in girth. The 
 banyan tree of India was seen at several places, 
 the finest one completely overshadowing the small 
 temple at Napakiang. But we could not discover 
 whether it was held sacred here, as in India. 
 
 It may be remarked, that on making such in- 
 quiries in foreign countries, it is easy by putting 
 leading questions, to make the natives say whatever 
 you please, and thus any favourite hypothesis of the 
 traveller is sure to find abundant support. But 
 even in cases, where there is the most perfect 
 honesty of intention in the traveller, it requii-es 
 gi"eat caution on his paii;, to frame his queries in 
 a manner that shall not prompt the answer. The 
 questions put have almost always some reference 
 to preconceived notions, and the reply, although 
 it be not necessarily connected with these notions, 
 is veiy apt to be estimated according to its coin- 
 cidence or discordance with them, instead of be- 
 ing weighed and judged of solely on its own merits. 
 When to this inevitable tendency in travellers to 
 deceive themselves, is superadded an imperfect 
 knowledge of the language, and little leisure to 
 repeat the inquuy, it is no gi-eat wonder that so 
 much error has been put upon record, where not 
 the least intention of deceiving existed in any 
 quarter. 
 
 The cattle we saw on this island were of a small 
 black breed, and invariably used instead of horses 
 for agiicultm'al purposes. Hogs, goats, and poul- 
 try, with rice, and a great variety of vegetables, 
 formed the chief food of the inhabitants ; milk, \ve 
 
ix)0-CH(X). 195 
 
 were told, being never used. We saw no geese, 
 tiom which we infer that those left by Captain 
 Broughton had not lived, and we never saw or 
 heard of any sheep on the Island, Their horses, 
 though small and slender, were sufficiently strong 
 for the natives. They had no carts or wheeled 
 carriages of any kind, all loads being caiiied by 
 horses; and the roads, which were numerous, and 
 kept in excellent order, measured generally from 
 six to ten feet across. 
 
 On tuiTiing to recross the valley, we were at- 
 tracted by the appearance of a cottage, standing by 
 itself, and so completely bm'ied in foliage, as to be 
 concealed from our view till ^\^thin a few paces 
 of the door. It was suiTOunded by a slight fence 
 of upright rods, standing about an inch apart, with 
 a line of creepers running along the top like a 
 cornice, and hanging down on both sides. A wick- 
 er gate admitted us, and we entered the house, 
 which was divided into two apartments, each eight 
 feet square, and opening at one end into a small 
 verandah. The floor, made of elastic slips of bam- 
 boo, wirfi the polished surface upwards, and rai- 
 sed about six inches from the ground, was cover- 
 ed with a thin cane mat. The walls were only 
 five feet high, and neatly wattled hke a basket; 
 above which rose a pointed roof, thatched slightly 
 with rice straw. This pleasant little cabin was oc- 
 cupied by an elderly man, just sitting dowTi to 
 breakfast, as it appeared, for cups, and other tea- 
 things, were ari'anged in proper order on the floor. 
 He seemed quite glad to see us, and asked us 
 very kindly to sit down, and take- some tea and 
 sweet cakes along with him. This apartment was 
 extremely neat, dean, and well-ordered. On one 
 
196 LOQ-CHOO. 
 
 side, against the wall, were fixed a set of shelves, 
 covered with cups, bowls, and all sorts of cooking 
 utensils of brass, bright and clean ; and on the op- 
 posite side hung several wooden hoes, rakes, and va- 
 rious other implements of husbandry, characteristic 
 of the rural habits of our host, together with hats, 
 straw sandals, and printed cotton dresses. Higher 
 up, could be seen a sort of loft or garret, the 
 floor of which was formed by poles laid horizon- 
 tally on the walls ; on this platform rested a very 
 diminutive plough, made out of the crooked branch 
 of a tree, several fishing-nets, and one or two bas- 
 kets of an extremely elegant form. In the space 
 between the house and the fenc*, was built a pi- 
 geon-house and a poultiy-yard, kept as clean as the 
 house itself ; and close to the edge of the verandah 
 stood two small spinning-wheels, of a light and in- 
 genious construction, but we sought in vain for the 
 fair hands that turned them. The trees rose so high 
 and thick on every side, that although the sun was 
 by this time peering above the hills, the cottage was 
 completely shaded, except at one end, where a 
 small opening, or vista, through the woods on the 
 eastern side, admitted a stream of light into the ve- 
 randah. We sat for some time with the old pea- 
 sant, trying to express our admiration of the sim- 
 plicity, beauty, and comfort of his dwelling ; and 
 he appeared unaffectedly pleased with our praises 
 of his establishment. 
 
 This was the limit to tlie longest walk we were 
 ever allowed to take on tlie island. On returning, 
 we came to a road, more like a dressed walk in a 
 flower-garden than a public highway, by following 
 whichjWe passed through a series of beautiful gi'oves, 
 till at lengtli, after winding about a good <leal, and 
 losing our way completely, we came to a double 
 
LOO-CHOO. 197 
 
 row of tall pine trees, interspersed with many others 
 whose names we were not acquainted with, and 
 wliose appearance was quite new to us, but which 
 afforded a most agi'eeable shady walk. This road, 
 it was suspected, would have led to the town ; and 
 therefore, to avoid all risk of giving offence, we 
 restrained our curiosity, and, on turning to the 
 right, soon reached the grove of trees, the limit to 
 our first walk. At this place Captain Maxwell sur- 
 prised the natives a good deal, by shooting several 
 birds on the wing ; but they all refused to fire the 
 gun themselves, nor could any persuasions induce 
 any one of them to pull the trigger, even when the 
 fowling-piece was held by another, and it was ex- 
 plained to them that no powder was in the pan. 
 
 In the course of the day, the chiefs waited on 
 Captain Maxwell, on board the Alcesto. He soon 
 saw they were very unhappy at something which 
 had passed, for they spoke with agitation and alarm, 
 seemingly apprehensive of incmring his displea- 
 sure. At length iie prevailed upon them to speak 
 out, and to say frankly what it v.as that had so 
 greatly discomposed them. After many apologies, 
 and much to Captain Maxwell's relief, who feared 
 something very disastrous had occun-ed, they stated, 
 that the inhabitants were alarmed by all this firing, 
 and would take it as the gi-eatest possible kind- 
 ness, if neither Captain Maxwell, nor any of his 
 ofiicers, would in futm-e carry fire-arms on shore. 
 One of the chiefs gave a ver^'' sentimental turn to 
 the subject, by pretending that the natives were 
 gTieved to see their little birds shot. But it was clear 
 enoue:h their real apprehension was, that some ac- 
 cident might happen througli tlie carelessness of the 
 sjwrtsmen, or the ianorance of the inhabitants. 
 
198 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 Captain Maxwell kept his countenance peifect- 
 ly throughout this scene, and instead of treating 
 the request with ridicule, hastened to assui*e them 
 of his regret for what had passed ; and to set their 
 minds at rest, immediately, and in their presence, 
 wrote an order forbidding any person belonging to 
 the ships to fire at the bu'ds, or even to carry a 
 gun during our stay at Loo-Choo. 
 
 On Sunday the 6th of October, after Divine 
 service, a long conference was held between Cap- 
 tain Maxwell and the five chiefs, at which, after much 
 discussion, it was agreed on their part to allow the 
 Alceste's stores to be landed, for the purpose of 
 getting at the leak. Our means of communicating 
 on these occasions, as before remarked, were un- 
 fortunately not the very best that could be wished ; 
 but the interpreter was a shrewd fellow, and very 
 ready with evasive answers when hard pressed on 
 a topic, the further discussion of which it was 
 desirable to avoid. We generally explained as 
 fully as possible to John what our wishes were, 
 and left him to communicate them in the best 
 manner he could. An instance of his quickness 
 occurred to-day, which seems worth mentioning 
 as illustrative of the state of our communication 
 with these people. John had told them, by Cap- 
 tain Maxwell's desire, that as the leak complain- 
 ed of was near the magazine, it would be neces- 
 sary to land the powder. The bare mention of 
 gunpowder was enough to unsettle the nerves of 
 the pacific Loo-Chooans ; and they accorduigly 
 debated amongst themselves long and anxiously 
 on this alarming particular; and at last asked 
 why the frigate's powder might not be put on 
 board the little ship ' Poor John, who was not 
 
LOO-CHOO. ]99 
 
 aware of any good reason why this should not he 
 done, was disconcerted for an instant, hut soon re- 
 covering himself, affected to be mucli surprised at 
 the question, and apprehending that we also might 
 not be able to supply a satisfactory answer if re- 
 feiTed to, adroitly warded it off by absolutely 
 refusing to intei-pret it ; adding, that if Captain 
 Maxwell had thought such a measure right he 
 would not have waited till it was suggested to 
 him by the cliiefs. The light in which he had thus 
 ingeniously put the subject made them sensible of 
 the indelicacy of dictating to Captain Maxwell on 
 a point of duty, and they entreated John not to 
 mention what they had just said, declaring that a 
 place should immediately be assigned for the pow- 
 der. 
 
 This day furaished a new circumstance in their 
 diplomatic conversation, for the chiefs talked un- 
 reservedly of the king, the very mention of whose 
 name they had hitherto studiously avoided. They 
 declared that it was the king of the Island who 
 had sent all the stock and vegetables with which 
 we had bee-n daily supplied. Captain Maxwell, 
 who was naturally desirous of establishing a com- 
 munication with the court, no sooner saw this 
 opening than he intimated his intention of pay- 
 ing his dutiful respects to the king, whenever it 
 might be convenient for his majesty to receive him. 
 To our great surprise they heard this with ap- 
 parent satisfaction, and distinctly said the offer 
 should be made known at court. We were much 
 at a loss to discover any rational cause for tliis 
 sudden change of tone ; and could only conjec- 
 ture that the king, on heai'ing many reports about 
 us, might have become so desirous to see us wiili 
 
200 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 his own eyes, as to relax the stdct etiquette cf 
 liis nation, and for once condescend to allow liis 
 sacred person to be looked upon by the pro- 
 fane eyes of strangers. At all events it was ob- 
 vious that some alteration must have been made 
 in the instructions to the chiefs, othei'wise they 
 would have betrayed their wonted reserve when- 
 ever the king's name was mentioned, and least of 
 all would they have encouraged the idea of our 
 actually visiting the palace. 
 
 At one o'clock we went on shore by the invita- 
 tion of the chiefs, to look at the place appropriated 
 for the reception of the Alceste's stores. It was 
 an oblong inclosure^ sixty yards by forty, sun'ound- 
 ed by a wall twelve feet high, compactly built 
 with squai'ed blocks of coral : the entrance was by 
 a large gate on the south side, fi'om which there 
 extended raised gravel-walks, bordered by chpped 
 hedges, the intermediate spaces being laid out in 
 beds like a garden. The large templo in wliich we 
 were feasted on the day of our first visit, occupied 
 one corner of the inclosure, where it was com- 
 pletely shaded by a grove of fine trees, which 
 overtopped the inclosing wall. In that part of 
 the garden directly opposite the gate, at the up- 
 per end of tlie walk, stood a smaller pagoda, neai- 
 ly hid by the branches of several large banyan 
 trees ; and before it, at the distance of ton or 
 twelve paces, a small square building, %\'ith a 
 raised tertace round it. The interior of the tem- 
 ple first spoken of was divided by means of shift- 
 ing pannels into four apartments ; with a veran- 
 dah running all round, and rows of polished 
 wooden piilai's on its outer edge supporting the 
 roof, which extended consideiably beyond the co- 
 
LOO-CHOO. 201 
 
 lumns. The roof was sloping;, and covered with 
 handsome tiles ; those forming the eaves being or- 
 namented with flowers and various figures in re- 
 lief. In one of the inner apartments we found 
 three gilt images, eighteen inches high, with a red 
 flower growing in a vase before them. The rooms 
 within were ten feet high ; and all the cornices, 
 pillars, and other wooden parts of the building, were 
 very neatly carved into flowers, and gi-otesque fi- 
 gures of various animals. The ground immediately 
 round was divided into a number of small plots, 
 or beds, planted with different shrubs and flowers ; 
 and on a pedestal of ai'tificial rock, in one of the 
 walks close to it, stood an elegant urn, full of wa- 
 ter, which theBodz-es cast on the suiTounding plants, 
 by means of a large wooden spoon swimming on 
 the surface. On a frame near one of the out -houses, 
 was suspended a large bell, tliree feet high, resem- 
 bling a bee-hive in shape, and richly ornamented 
 in high relief. 
 
 It being determined to appropriate part of the 
 largest building to the use of the sick and their at- 
 tendants, the assistant surereon of the Alceste took 
 possession of one room, and the gunner, who was 
 to have the whole inclosure under his charge, of 
 another. The small pagoda-shaped building, at the 
 upper end of the walk, being a retired spot, was 
 assigned to me as an observatory, while the square 
 house in the centre seemed well adapted for a 
 powder magazine. At the gate a notice was hung 
 up, both in English and in the Loo-Choo language, 
 signifying, that no person was to enter without a 
 written permission from Captain Maxwell, or from 
 one of the chiefs. During the 7th and 8th of Oc- 
 tober we were busily occupied in carr^dng the 
 
203 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 above arrangements into effect. Nothing could be 
 more interesting than to observe the care the na- 
 tives took of tlie sick men. They crowded romid 
 to assist them out of the boats, and carried those 
 who were confined to their beds, all the way from 
 the beach to the hospital. A number of the people 
 attended also to support the invalids, who had bai'e- 
 ly strength to walk ; and others were happy to be 
 permitted to cany the clothes. No sooner were 
 the sick men safely lodged, than eggs, milk, fowls, 
 and vegetables, all ready cooked, were brought to 
 them. Afterwards, when any of the convalescent 
 were tempted by the beauty of the weather to ven- 
 ture out of doors, the natives were always in rea- 
 diness to accompany them, and to lend their arras 
 whenever their infirm guests became tired. 
 
 In a little plot of gi"ound in the gai'den, Mr Phi- 
 lips, purser of the Alceste, sowed mustard, peas, 
 and a variety of other seeds, which he had fortu- 
 nately brought with him from England ; the natives 
 taking down his directions for then* cultm*e. As 
 there happened to be no botanist amongst us, we 
 spared no pains to supply the deficiency, by ma- 
 king collections of every plant at the place. These 
 were carefully preserved, according to directions 
 we had received from Mr Clarke Abel, chief me- 
 dical ofiicer and naturalist to the Embassy, and 
 given to him at our meeting at Canton. But un^ 
 fortunately the whole of these, together with a large 
 collection of zoophiles and madripores, shared the 
 fate of the invaluable collections made in China 
 by this scientific and industrious observer, being 
 all lost in the disastrous shipwreck which followed. 
 
 The powder was landed next day, and Mr Hol- 
 nian, the gunner of the frigate, began the operation 
 
LOO-CHOO. 203 
 
 of drying it on hides, 6j[)read in the sun round the 
 magazine. The cows were also landed, one of 
 which calved that night, to the sm-prise of erery- 
 body, and the great joy of the natives, who took a 
 particular fancy to the little English bull born 
 amongst them, and which Captain Maxwell said he 
 intended to leave on the island. MrMayne, the mas- 
 ter of the Alceste, took up his quarters on shore, 
 in order to be near the observatory. Tlie cordas^e, 
 sails, and stores of all kinds, which were sent 
 from the frigate, produced an apparent confusion ; 
 and the chiefs, seeing so many valuable things 
 lying about, began to fear that they might be lost. 
 This, at least, was supposed, for orders were given 
 to have the garden fenced roimd by a sort of net- 
 work of long poles, the ends of which were fixed 
 in the ground, near the wall, on the outside, the 
 tops being made to cross one another four or five 
 feet above it. This labour, like many well-intended 
 Contrivances in this world, instead of rendering the 
 place secure, only contributed to make it more ac- 
 cessible. But as our opinion was not asked, and 
 we had not the least apprehension of theft, we 
 allowed the natives to proceed in their own way. 
 Mrs Loy, wife of the boatswain of the Alceste, 
 who was the only female in our squadron, of course 
 excited no small interest at Loo-Choo. She was a 
 perfectly well behaved person, and sufficiently neat 
 in her dress, but without any great pretensions 
 to good looks, or high breeding. The natives, how- 
 ever, paid her much attention, and showed at all 
 times a disposition to grant her every indulgence, 
 whatever restraints they might impose upon us* 
 They even went so far as to say, upon one occa- 
 sion, that she might go into the city ; but upon 
 
SOi LOO-CHOO. 
 
 consulting with her husband, who was apprehen- 
 sive of some accident, she declined the offer. When 
 tliis circumstance became known to us, we easily 
 convinced the boatswain that no mischief could 
 possibly arise fi*om trusting his wife amongst such 
 kind people, but it now appeared that the lady 
 herself was not anxious to go. Thus the only op- 
 portunity of seeing the capital of Loo-Choo which 
 occurred during our visit, was lost from an absence 
 of female curiosity. 
 
 This worthy lady remained on board the Alceste 
 till the time of the shipwreck. The charge of ti- 
 midity urged against her at Loo-Choo was now 
 found to be unjust : She bore all the hardships, dan- 
 gers, and anxieties consequent upon that disastrous 
 event, with the characteristic patience and forti- 
 tude of her sex. The effort, however, was too 
 great, or too long sustained, for her strength ; and 
 when the necessity for exertion was over, she gave 
 way, and died shortly afterwards on the passage 
 from Java to England. 
 
 Two of the natives, who had been studying 
 English with great assiduity, and with considerable 
 success, came much into notice about this time. 
 They carried note-books in imitation of Mr Clif- 
 ford, in which they recorded every word of Eng- 
 lish they learned, using of course the Chinese 
 character. They lived much amongst the stran- 
 gers, and were soon discovered to be shrewd and 
 observant young men. From the respect occasional- 
 ly paid to one of them by his countrymen, he was 
 sometimes suspected of being a man of high rank, 
 and we conjectured his object in maintaining any 
 disguise about the matter was to obtain a less con- 
 strained intercourse with all the different classes 
 
LOO-CHOO. 205 
 
 on board the ships. This young man, whose name 
 was Maddei'a, by his great liveliness and singidar 
 propriety of manners, very soon became a univer- 
 sal favourite, and adopted all our customs with a 
 sort of intuitive readiness. He sat at table, used 
 a knife and fork, conversed and walked with us, 
 and followed our example in everything, quite as a 
 matter of course, without effort or study. He re- 
 commended himself greatly to us also by the un- 
 reserved way in which he communicated every- 
 thing relating to his country ; so that as he advan- ' 
 ced in the study of English, and we made progress 
 in the Loo-Choo language, the means were afford- 
 ed of gaining much useful information. An in- 
 stance of his proficiency in English may be quoted. 
 About three weeks after our arrival at the Island, 
 he came on board the Lyra one day in a great hurry, 
 and witheut the least hesitation, said to me, " The 
 Ta-yin speak me, you go ship, John come shore," 
 by which I readily understood that Captain Max- 
 well had sent him off to order the intei-preter on 
 shore. 
 
 Many other natives also had by this time con- 
 trived to acquire a little English, so that Mr Clif- 
 ford had now little difficulty in finding people will- 
 ing to instruct him, and who would take pains to 
 coiTect his pronunciation, by far the greatest diffi- 
 culty we had to encounter. In general the natives 
 were either afraid to correct us, or were not aware 
 in what our error consisted, and it requii-ed much 
 encouragement on our part to make them speak 
 out frankly on the subject. One of our best 
 teachers was called Yackbee Oomeejeero ; he 
 would never permit Mr Clifford to write down 
 a single expression till the exact Loo-Choo sound 
 
 voi« I. s 
 
206 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 which belonged to the woi'ds was acquire<l. Like 
 his companions, however, lie showed an invincible 
 objection to jji^'ing any information about the 
 female part of the society. One day when closely 
 cross-questioned, he admitted that he was himself 
 married, and told without reserve the names of his 
 sons ; but when asked that of his daughters, lie 
 became as fidgetty and unhappy as if we had 
 been going to lom away with them, and instantly 
 changed the subject. In order to provoke him mto 
 some further communication, we told him one 
 day, that we believed there were actually no wo- 
 men on the Island. Yackabee for a moment was 
 thrown off his guard, and answered hastily, that he 
 had both a wife and a daughter, but instantly 
 checking himself he tried to turn the conversation 
 into some other channel, veiy much annoyed at his 
 own indiscretion, ^^1len the pictm-e of an English 
 lady was sho\^^l to liira, he commended it highly, 
 sajang, at the same time, " Loo-Choo women not 
 so handsome." This worthy gentleman was a 
 better teacher than a scholar ; he called the letter 
 L, airoo ; and veal, bairoo. 
 
 During our intercourse with these people, there 
 never occun'ed one instance of theft, although the 
 natives were at all times permitted to come on 
 board indiscriminately, and to go into the cabins, 
 store-rooms, or wherever else they thought fit, 
 without being watched. On shore it was the same, 
 where the Alceste's stores of every kind, as well as 
 the carpenter's and armourer's tools, were lying 
 about ; and in the observatory, the instruments, 
 books, and pencils, were merely placed imder cover 
 to shelter them from the dew, but imder no lock 
 and key, and without any gtiard ; yet not a suigle 
 
LOO-CHOO. 
 
 207 
 
 article was talcen away, though many hundreds of 
 people were daily admitted, and allowed to touch 
 and to examine whatever they pleased. 
 
 This extraordinary degree of honesty is a feature 
 which distinguishes the people of Loo-Choo fi'om 
 the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands, and of 
 many of the Malay Archipelago, amongst whom 
 even the certainty of the severest and most summary 
 punishment, as was ascertained by Captain Cook 
 and others, often proved insufficient to prevent 
 theft. At Loo-Choo, indeed, the people are con- 
 siderably more advanced in civilization than the 
 rude tribes alluded to. Their wants also, which 
 are few, are easily supplied, and they seem perfectly 
 contented. Notwithstanding these circumstances, 
 however, the fact of this extreme honesty, amongst 
 people exposed to such temptation, is in the 
 highest degi'ee curious. 
 
208 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF THE GREAT LOO- 
 CHOO ISLAND BT THE LYRA. DISCOVERY OF PORT 
 MELVILLE. 
 
 All things being now in a fair train, it was de- 
 cided by Captain Maxwell that a general survey 
 should be made of the Island, and the Lyra was 
 accordingly ordered upon this service. We were 
 absent about a week, during which period a ge- 
 neral chart of the island was constnicted. It must 
 be obvious to every one acquainted with the sub- 
 ject, that, in so short a time, a minute survey of 
 the coasts of an island nearly sixty miles long 
 could not have been made ; yet, as the weather 
 was in general fine, and other circumstances fa- 
 vourable, the chart will be found sufficiently cor- 
 rect for most practical purposes. As all the neces- 
 sary nautical and hydrogi-aphical details are lodged 
 in the Admiralty, withui the reach of professional 
 men, I shall confine myself at present to such par- 
 ticulars of the cruize as seem most likely to in- 
 terest the general reader. 
 
 On the 9th of October, 1816, at day-break, we 
 got under weigh and stood to sea through a passage 
 recently discovered by the boats ; it was so extreme- 
 ly narrow, that the least deviation from the direct 
 course brought us close to the rocks. We were 
 guided in steering by two marks on the land, ly- 
 ing in the sam^ stmijjht line with tlie centre of the 
 
LOO-CHOO. 209 
 
 passage : tliese it wa8 necessary to keep always 
 together ; but not being aware that such extreme 
 nicety was required, the marks were allowed to 
 separate in a small degree, by which deviation from 
 tlie strict pilotage we found ourselves within three 
 or fom* yards of a coral reef, the ragged tops of 
 which were distinctly visible two or three feet be- 
 low the sm'face, whilst at the same moment the 
 leadsman on the opposite side of the ship sounded 
 in nine fathoms. This early proof of the danger of 
 navigating amongst coral, by teaching us the neces- 
 sity of extreme caution, was of great imj)oit.ance 
 to us in our futm^e operations. 
 
 As the coast lying between Napakiang and the 
 Sugar Loaf had already been examined, we, pro- 
 ceeded at once round that island, which, from its 
 having the same aspect on every bearing, and be- 
 ing quite different in shape fi'om any land in the 
 neighbourhood, affords the best possible land-mark 
 for navigators. Tlie natives call it Eegooshcoond, 
 or castle. We discovered the meaning of this Loo- 
 Choo word by hearing one of the natives apply it 
 to the rook on the chess-board ; and when drawings 
 of towers and castles were shown to him, he used 
 the same term. 
 
 Ha\ing rounded this peak, and stood towards 
 the north-west side of the great island, where there 
 seemed to be a deep bight or bay, another small 
 island ivas observed close in-shore, behind which it 
 was thought there might possibly be shelter for 
 ships : the coast, however, being unknown to us, it 
 was not deemed safe to carry the brig very close 
 in, until a boat had been dispatched to reconnoitre. 
 At eight o'clock the officer returned to say there 
 was a harbour iu the main land, the entrance to 
 
 s2 
 
210 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 which lay beyond the small island mentioned be- 
 fore ; but as the passages were narrow and winding, 
 a more careful examination was necessary before 
 the brig could venture to proceed. 
 
 Next morning we again stood towards the shore, 
 using the precaution of sending a boat ahead to 
 sound the way. When near the entrance, we an- 
 chored, and proceeded in three boats to examine 
 the harbour discovered last night. As it was near 
 noon when the boats passed the small island, ^ve 
 landed, and observed the meridian altitude of the 
 sun ; after which we entered the harbour in the main 
 island, by an intricate passage, about a quarter of 
 a mile in length, and scarcely two hundi*ed yai'ds 
 wide. We now found om-selves in a circular basin 
 upwards of half a mile in diameter across, with deep 
 water, and completely sheltered from all winds. 
 On its western shore stood a large and beautiful 
 village, almost hid among trees, with a high wooded 
 range rising behind it, and stretching far to the 
 south. The eastern shore was low, and laid out 
 in flat fields for the manufacture of salt, round 
 which were scattered a few huts. At fii'st sight 
 this basin, or hai'bour, appeared to have no outlet 
 except the one we had examined ; but on rowing 
 to its upper or southern extremity, we were sur- 
 prised to find it connected by a narrow channel to 
 another haj'bour still larger, and if possible more 
 beautiful than the first ; for here the land was high 
 on both sides, and covered with wood from top to 
 bottom. Proceeding onwards through this basin, 
 which had more the appearance of an inland lake 
 than an arm of the sea, we came to a second nar- 
 row gorge or outlet, formed by cliifs rising abruptly 
 out of the water to the heiuht of a hundred feet. 
 
LOO-CHOO. 211 
 
 Both sides were covered with trees, and tlieir 
 branches, when viewed from a little distance, 
 seemed to meet overhead. The space below ^vas 
 cool and pleasant, and the water, thus shelterexl 
 from every wind, was as smooth as glass : the woods 
 were filled with singing birds, and the foliage being 
 in the highest style of oriental luxuriance, it was 
 not possible to imagine a more beautiful scene. We;. 
 rowed along for some time by vaiious Tiindings 
 through this fairy harbour, in total uncertainty of 
 what was to come next, and at every moment dis- 
 covering new beauties, till at last, after advancing 
 about three miles, we found ourselves in an exten- 
 sive loch, several miles in length, and studded over 
 with numerous small islands. The depth of wa- 
 ter was in this place from four to six fathoms ; but 
 in the narrow neck which connected it with the 
 sea, we had found the depth to vary fi-om ten to 
 twenty fathoms, being deepest at the nan*owest 
 paits. Innumerable ships might ride in perfect 
 safety, during the most violent tempests, in any 
 part of this beautiful harbour ; the shores of which 
 are so varied, that every pui'pose of re-equipment 
 might be answered. At some places natural wharfs 
 are formed by the rocks, with eight and ten fa- 
 thoms water close to them, alongside which siiips 
 might lie ; or they might heave do^v^l by them. 
 There ai-e also shallow spots on which, if required, 
 the ships might be careened. jNIany of the cliffs are 
 hollowed into natural caves, which would answer 
 for storehouses ; and in the numerous lawns on 
 both sides encampments might be formed for any 
 number of people. 
 
 We rowed directly across the open lake, and 
 landed at the southern side, at the base of a wooded 
 
212 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 range of hills, forming the southern boundai'y of 
 the landscape. As no road was observed, it was re- 
 solved to go directly up the hill, and, in about an 
 hour, after a good deal of scrambling amongst the 
 bushes and long giuss, we gained the top, where 
 we discovered a neat pathway with a ditch, and 
 a bridge on each side, like an English lane. With- 
 out knowing where this might conduct us, we 
 followed it, in hopes of meeting some of the people, 
 none of whom had yet been seen. 
 
 The trees on this range of hills v/ere low, and 
 of no great beauty ; fir and pine, and a low spe- 
 cies of oak, being the most common ; the rest were 
 new to us. The view from this elevation was very 
 satisfactory, as it enabled us to check our rough 
 eye-draught of the harbour and coast. After walk- 
 ing about a mile, our path turned abruptly down 
 the brow of the liill, and appeared to lead to a 
 large village at some distance. This road was 
 so steep that it was barely possible to walk up- 
 on it. At the bottom stood a little cottage, con- 
 sisting of two compartments, made of wattled canes, 
 connected by a light open bamboo roof of trellis- 
 work, so thickly covered with a large-leaved creeper 
 as to aftord a complete shelter from the sun. The 
 cottage itself, wliich was thatched, was also enve- 
 loped in creepers, encircled by the usual rattan 
 fence at two or three yards' distance. One of the 
 wings was occupied by goats, the other, which 
 was dark, seemed to belong to tlie people, who 
 had deserted it on our approach. There being 
 only a small hole in the wall to admit light and air, 
 and to allow the smoke to escape, everything in- 
 side was black and dirty. 
 
 As we hail not yet seen any kind of military 
 
LOO-CHOO. 213 
 
 weapons, at Loo-Choo, we looked out for theiii 
 sliai'ply at all these places. The natives always 
 declared that they had none, and their behaviour 
 on seeing a musket fired implied an ignorance of 
 fire-arms. In one of tli* cottages we found two 
 spears which had the appearance of warlike wea- 
 pons ; but there was every reason to believe they 
 were used for the sole purpose 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 surprise, be- 
 ing apparently ignorant of them all. The chiefs 
 carried little knives in cases, thrust 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 oniament ; and they always denied having any 
 knowledge of war, either by experience or by tra- 
 dition. 
 
 On returning to the boats, we found 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 their indul- 
 ging in minute inquiries. A large party watcli- 
 ed us attentively while a musket was loaded ; 
 when it was pointed over their heads in tlie air, 
 they were aware that something was going to 
 happen, but from their not slu-inkmg 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, but rose in- 
 stantly again, and looking to the right and left at 
 
214 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 one another, indulged in a timorous laugh. A 
 cartridge was very impnidently given to one man, 
 with which he was nearly hlowing himself up by 
 placing it on his lighted pipe, 
 ' On retui'ning by the narrow harbour, we called 
 at some of the small villages on the eastern side* 
 At one of these, the inhabitants, headed by an 
 elderly man who appeared to have authority over 
 the rest, came towards the boat, but stopped 
 at the distance of fifty yards. After pausing for 
 some minutes, they appeared to gain confidence, 
 for they came forward, with the old man at their 
 head, carrying a green bough in his hand. He 
 would not venture very near, however, till repeat- 
 edly invited by INIr Clifford in the Loo-Choo lan- 
 ^lage, to look at the boat. He at last advanced 
 in fear and trembling, and presented his bough ; 
 in return for which we broke a branch from a tree, 
 and gave it to him with the same formality he had 
 used towards us. Soon after this exchange was 
 made, they left us, and went to examiae our boat, 
 naturally enough an object of primary interest to 
 fishermen. 
 
 On entering the village we were met by a man 
 who appeared to be the principal person of the 
 place ; after showing us the village, he can-ied 
 us over his garden, where h© had some sugar- 
 canes growing, and, upon our admiring his crop, 
 ordered one of the finest and longest canes to 
 be taken up by the roots and presented to us. 
 We gave him in return a few buttons, with which 
 he seemed more pleased than with the money we 
 offered him. On its beginning to rain while we 
 were looking at the garden, he invit<!d us into the 
 house, which, from the walla being of wattled canes, 
 
LOO-CHOO. 215 
 
 looked more like a large bird-cage than a dwelling 
 for men. Rude pictures and carved woodwork 
 figm-es were hanging on the walls, along with some 
 inscriptions in Chinese characters. 
 
 On returning to the lower harbour, we rowed 
 to the large village, situated on its western bank. 
 It was by far the most complete of any we had seen 
 on the island ; the streets being regular and clean ; 
 and each house having round about it a neat cane 
 wall, as well as a screen before the door ; plantain 
 and other trees were growing so thickly on the in- 
 ner side of these fences, that most of the houses 
 must have been thrown into complete shade even 
 during the middle of the day. In front of several 
 of the houses lying near the beach, we found a 
 number of people seated with writing materials be- 
 fore them. On accosting them, they invited us to 
 partake of their tea and cakes, and afterwards gave 
 us permission to go all over the village without re- 
 straint. The inhabitants were curious to know 
 whether the brig was coming into the harbour or* 
 not, and if so, how many days we meant to remain ; 
 they expressed neither pleasure nor regret when 
 informed that the ship was not coming fiuther. 
 Before the village and parallel with the beach, there 
 was planted a fine avenue, thirty feet ^\dde, and a 
 quarter of a mile long, fonned by two rows of large 
 trees, whose branches joined overhead, and effec- 
 tually excluded the rays of the sun ; here and there 
 were placed wooden benches, and at some places 
 stone-seats fixed near the trees. This village was 
 called Oonting, and is certainly that to wliich the 
 chiefs alluded at an early stage of our acquaint- 
 ance. 
 
 A range of hills of a semicii'cular form embrace 
 
216 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 the village, and limit its extent : at most places 
 their sides are steep, but at the point where the 
 north end joins the harbour an overhanging cliff 
 rises about eighty feet high, the upper part of which 
 projects considerably beyond the base. At eight 
 or ten yards from the gi'ound on this inclined face, 
 we observed a long horizontal gallery hewn out 
 of the solid rock, communicating with a number 
 of small square excavations lying still deeper in 
 the rock, intended, as the natives gave us to un- 
 derstand, for the reception of vases containing the 
 bones of the dead. 
 
 The trees and long creepers growing on the edge 
 of this precipice hung down so low, as almost to 
 meet the top branches of those on the plain beneath ; 
 thus forming a screen of foliage hanging like a veil 
 before the rock and throwing the gallery into deep 
 shade. Everything in this beautiful cemetery 
 was perfectly still and silent, and the whole scene 
 exceedingly solemn. It took us, indeed,^ some- 
 what by surprise, for nothing in its external ap- 
 pearance had indicated the mournful purpose to 
 which it was appropriated. On passing we had 
 accidentally discovered an opening amongst the 
 trees and binshwood, and resolving to see what 
 it mitiht lead to, had entered by a naiTow path 
 ^vinding through the grove. The liveliness of the 
 scenery without, and the various amusements of 
 the day, had put us all into high spirits ; but the 
 imexpected and sacred gloom of the scene in which 
 we suddenly found ourselves had an instantaneous 
 effect in repressing the mirth of the whole party, 
 who marched out again like so many reformed 
 scoffers from the cave of Trophonius. 
 
 We named this excellent harboiu- which we had 
 
LOO-CHOO. 217 
 
 discovered, Port Melville, in honour of the First 
 Lord of the Admiralty, 
 
 As it was quite dark before we reached the brJg-, 
 and a heavy swell rolled in, no time was lost in 
 getting under weigh ;' but before we could suc- 
 ceed in running well oif shore, the wind sud- 
 denly changed, and the weather, which before had 
 been fine, became so dark and squally, that we al- 
 most lost sight of the coast. Our situation was 
 now very critical, for we had just sufficient know- 
 ledge of" the place to be sensible how extremely 
 dangerous it was ; and the wind, which blew di- 
 rectly on the coast, came in such violent gusts, that 
 there was great reason to apprehend the loss of our 
 topmasts, in which case we must infallibly have pe- 
 rished : to reef the topsails was out of the ques- 
 tion, as the delay which this operation must have 
 caused, however expertly executed, would have 
 proved fatal. While things were in this state, it 
 became necessary to tack, in order to avoid run- 
 ning on the rocks ; but owing to the heavy and ir- 
 regular swell, this evolution failed, and before the 
 sails could be trimmed again, the brig had gone 
 stern foremost almost to the verge of the reef, on 
 which the sea was breaking to a vast height. For- 
 tunately we were more successful on the next at- 
 tempt, otherwise nothing could have saved us. 
 But we gained so little at each tack, that our course 
 backwards and forwards, for upwards of an hour, 
 lay parallel with the line of breakers, at the distance 
 of less than a quarter of a mile under our lee ; 
 after which the wind shifted a little, and enabled 
 us to stretch off, clear of all danger. 
 
 During the 12th it blew so hard that we were 
 under the necessity of keeping out at sea, clear of 
 
 VOL. I. T 7 
 
218 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 the ^ore, but on the 13th the weather becoming 
 moderate, we stood in again to determine the po- 
 sition of five islands lying to the northward of Port 
 Melville. 
 
 On the 14th the whole eastern side of the island 
 of Loo-Choo was explored. The north and north- 
 east sides were found to be high, and nearly des- 
 titute of cultivation. At one place we discover- 
 ed a deep indenture on the coast, and the wind 
 being such as to admit of sailing both in and out, 
 we stood on under low sail, taking all the usual 
 precautions ; notwithstanding which we very near- 
 ly ran aground, for the water shoaled suddenly 
 from twenty-four to eight fathoms ; and although 
 the brig was instantly tacked, the soundings as slie 
 came round were only five fathoms, while to lee- 
 ward, at the distance of only fifty yards, the 
 ragged tops of a rock just level with the surface 
 were discovered. The coast from this bay to the 
 south point of the island was found everywhere 
 fi-inged with coral reefs, extending many miles 
 from the shore, and rendering this part of the 
 island in the highest degree dangerous. The ex- 
 treme south point being comparatively clear of 
 rocks, we anchored off it at sunset, proposing to 
 land with om- instruments next day, to determine 
 its true position. We found the iron cables of 
 great use during this cruize, when obliged to an- 
 chor amongst these reefs, as those made of hemp 
 would have been cut through in a very short time. 
 It blew hard during the night, but in the fore- 
 noon of the 15th, moderated suflSciently to allow 
 of our landing, and we ascertained the latitude of 
 the extreme south point of the island to be 26° 
 43' N. and the longitude 127° 33^' E. 
 
LOO-CHOO. 219 
 
 We had scarcely effected a landing before the 
 natives began to assemble in groups on the top of 
 the cliffs, and in a short time came down to the 
 shore, most of them brandishing long poles in 
 their hands. We were too weU aware of their in- 
 offensive character to have any apprehension of 
 an attack, otherwise this appearance would have 
 looked somewhat formidable. There was no per- 
 son of rank amongst them, and they were more 
 communicative, and more curious than their coun- 
 trymen to the northward on the shores of Port 
 Melville ; a difference caused possibly by these 
 people having already heard something of us by 
 report from Napakiang, not above ten miles dis- 
 tant. A certain degree of acquaintance, indeed, 
 seems necessary before curiosity is properly awa- 
 kened : at least we generally found the most igno- 
 rant people the least curious. Spears in the form of 
 a trident, with rude barbs, were tatooed on most of 
 their arms, affording the only example we saw 
 at Loo- C boo of such a practice. Our curiosity was 
 naturally excited by these appearances, as we had 
 never seen any warlike weapon on the island ; but 
 the people invariably called them " Eeo stitchee," 
 fish spears. Several of the tallest of these men were 
 measured, but none was above five feet six inches, 
 though in general strong limbed, and well propor- 
 tioned. One of them wore a ring on his finger, 
 which is remarkable from being the only instance 
 we met with of any such ornament at Loo-Choo : 
 yet it is odd enough that what we distinguish by 
 the name of the ring-finger is also so called in the 
 Loo-Choo language, " Eebee gannee," finger of the 
 ring ; and it seems a fair inference from this, that 
 
220 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 amongst some pail of the commtinity rings are habi- 
 tually worn, probably by the women. On the 16th 
 of October we returned to Napakiang harbour, 
 after having completed the circuit of the island. 
 
 «v 
 
LOO-CHOO. 221 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PROGRESS or OUR ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE NA- 
 TIVES— MADDERA DINNER GIVEN TO THE CHIEFS 
 
 THE PRINCE OF LOO-CHOo's VISIT TO CAPTAIN 
 
 MAXWELL — PARTING SCJiNE. 
 
 We found things pretty nearly in the state we 
 had left them : the best understanding seemed still 
 to exist between our people and the natives, and 
 everybody was now allowed to walk about, and do 
 as he pleased. The frigate had also been bounti- 
 fully supplied with live stock and vegetables; and 
 the sick on shore were rapidly recovering under 
 the care of the natives, who took a pecuHar plea- 
 sure in supplying all their wants, and in study- 
 ing to provide those numberless little comforts 
 which contribute so much to the recovery of in- 
 valids. 
 
 A young man belonging to the Alceste had died 
 during our absence. When the chiefs were in- 
 formed of this circumstance, they requested Cap- 
 tain Maxwell's permission to make the grave, and 
 begged him to point out the spot which he would 
 like best for this purpose. With his wonted good 
 taste, he received this oiFer as a high compliment, 
 and gratified the whole population, amongst whom 
 it was instantly circulated, by saying that no situa^ 
 tion could be more appropriate than under the 
 grove of fir trees near the temple, a spot already 
 rendered sacred by many Loo-Choo tombs. The 
 
 T 2 
 
222 Loo-CHoo. 
 
 grave was accordingly dug by the natives, and on 
 the next day the body was canied to it with all 
 the formalities usual on such occasions. Captain 
 Maxwell, according to militaiy custom, which at 
 funerals inverts the usual order of precedence, 
 walked last, with the crew and officers before him. 
 For a moment this unexpected arrangement puz- 
 zled our worthy friends, who were at a loss where 
 to place themselves. The genuine politeness of 
 their nature, however, readily pointed out the pro- 
 per course ; and perceiving that the persons of 
 highest rank walked in the rear, they decided that 
 their station must be in front. They accordingly 
 took the lead, and afterwards remained by tlie side 
 of the gi'ave while the service was read, to which 
 they listened with the most profound attention. 
 All the natives present upon this occasion were 
 dressed in pure white, which is their mourning. 
 Next day the natives requested leave to erect a 
 tomb-stone over the grave of our departed coun- 
 tryman, an offer which was cheerfully accepted. 
 When the building was completed, they performed, 
 as I was told, their own funeral rites over it, by 
 sacrificing a large hog, and burning a quantity of 
 spirits. On this occasion Jeeroo is described as 
 having officiated, and when he had done all that 
 was requisite, he carried the hog as a present to 
 the sick in the hospital. The epitaph, wiitten in 
 Loo-Choo and English, after setting forth the 
 name and age of the deceased, stated briefly, that 
 he and his companions, in his Britannic Majesty's 
 ships Alceste and Lyra, had been kindly treated 
 by the inhabitants of this island. 
 
 Our good friends expressed much pleasure on 
 meeting us again, particularly Jeeroo, who took 
 
Loo-CHOO. 223 
 
 gi-eat interest in all our concerns. He caiTied us 
 up to the sailor's tomb, where the party was join- 
 ed by Ookooma, Jeema, and some of the others. 
 I was glad to find some sick men of my ship who 
 had been landed previous to our sailing on the sur- 
 vey, much recovered, and very gi*ateful for the kind- 
 ness of the natives. Milk, eggs, meat, and vege- 
 tables, had been brought to them every day ; and 
 whenever they felt disposed to take exercise, were 
 sure to be accompanied by one or two of the na- 
 tives, who held their arms on coming to rough 
 ground, and helped them up the steep side of the 
 hill behind the hospital, to a pleasant giassy spot 
 on the summit, and having lighted pipes for them, 
 remained patiently till the invalids wished to re- 
 turn. In short, I suppose sailors were never so 
 caressed before ; and it was pleasing to observe how 
 much our hardy seamen were softened by such 
 gentle intercourse : for it was not to the sick alone 
 that the influence of this unaffected suavity of man- 
 ners extended. The whole crews of both ships 
 participated in the same kindly sentiment, and laid 
 aside for the time all their habitual roughness of 
 manner, and without any interference on the part 
 of the officers, treated the natives at all times with 
 the greatest consideration and kindness. 
 
 The chiefs were all anxiety to know what we had 
 been doing during our absence ; but from an ap- 
 prehension that they might be displeased at a re- 
 gular examination of the whole island, we merely 
 mentioned among other things, that we had been 
 looking at the harbour they had formerly spoken 
 of. They immediately exclaimed, Oonting ! and 
 asked how we liked the spot. They guessed that 
 we had been round the island, from seeing us re- 
 
224 loo-CHOo. 
 
 turn by tlie south, though the course had first been 
 to the northward. They repeatedly said their island 
 was very small, and very insignificant, appearing 
 anxious to depreciate it ; while of course we re- 
 plied, that it was very large, and very beautiful. 
 
 Maddera had made great improvement in Eng- 
 lish during our absence ; his character was altoge- 
 ther more developed, and being now quite at his 
 ease in our company, took an unaffected interest in 
 everything belongmg to us. But his earnest desire 
 to inform himself on all subjects sometimes distress- 
 ed him a good deal. Having discovered the facility 
 with which he accomplished some things, his en- 
 terprising mind immediately suggested the possi- 
 bility of imitating us in aU ; but when made sen- 
 sible of the number of steps by which alone the 
 knowledge he aspired to could be attained, his de- 
 spair was strongly marked. One day, on shore, see- 
 ing me with a book in my hand, he begged me to 
 sit down under a tree, and read. Jeeroo was the 
 only chief present, but there were several of the 
 peasants in attendance. The whole party lay down 
 on the grass, and listened with deep attention and 
 interest, especially Maddera : the rest were perfect- 
 ly contented ; but it was his wish to be able to read 
 in the same manner himself, and he in vain tried 
 to do so. 
 
 From the earnest way in which he inquired 
 into every subject, it was often suspected he must 
 have been directed by the government to inform 
 Iiimself on these topics ; and certainly a fitter per- 
 son could not have been selected ; for by adapting 
 himself to all ranks, Jie soon became a universal fa- 
 vourite, and obtained whatever information he de- 
 sired. Jeeroo was quite a different person, and was 
 
LOO-CHoo. 225 
 
 valued on other accounts. He was uniformly good- 
 humoured and obliging, and not without a consi- 
 derable share of curiosity ; but he was not nearly so 
 clever, and showed none of that aident enthusiasm 
 so remarkable in INIaddera. 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, as 
 well as esteemed ; and though he, too, could be as 
 jocular, if he pleased, or more so, than Jeeroo^ he 
 was of a highei' order of character, and bis society 
 was in general more sought after. 
 
 Maddera was about twenty-eight years of age, 
 of a slender figure, and very 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 
 60 immovably serious as Maddera ; but when the 
 occasion suited, be 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 un- 
 common versatility of talent in this interesting na- 
 tive, led him to engage in a great number of pur- 
 Fuits 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." With all these attainments, 
 Maddera was unaifectedly modest and unpretend- 
 mg, 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 tnie, 
 he was always dressed in the style of the most re- 
 spectable natives, and it was evident from his 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 satisfec- 
 tion, which 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 earned 
 back with him much knowledge useful to liis coun- 
 try Wlien this prt^ect of going to England was 
 
I, Loo-CHOO. 227 
 
 proposed to him, he paused for some minutes, 
 and then, shaking his head, said, " If I go In- 
 jery, — father — mother — childs — wife — house — all 
 cry ! not go to Injery ; no, no — all cry I" 
 1 In om" absence a number of watch-houses had 
 I 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 the 
 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 nativ^es was attended by a boy, 
 generally his son, whose business it was to carry a 
 little square box, divided into small drawers, hnd 
 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 
 i 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 under the trees. A mat spread on the 
 grass was our table-cloth, and everything being 
 
228 Loo-CHOO. 
 
 laid out in great order, the party lay round in a 
 cii'cle, and seldom broke up till the sackee pots 
 were emptied. 
 
 It was impossible not to be stnick witli the 
 amiable maimer in which these good people treat- 
 ed their children. Whenever anything new was 
 ehovra, they were never happy till they had brouglit 
 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 wlien 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 
 80, and told tlie youngster to go on ; but the l^oy 
 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." 
 Tlie boy accordingly, when left alone, in a short 
 
Loo-CHOO. 229 
 
 time returned to his gambols with more spirit than 
 ever. I mention tMs to show the chief's good 
 eense in not forcing the boy to do that as a task 
 which had been begun 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 
 us. One day while I was employed sketcliing 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 desirous 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 artist 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 Captain 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 tnith in it to show that it 
 was sketched on the spot, and by a person not 
 without some Imowledge of his subject. 
 
 VOL. I. u 
 
230 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 A dispute ai'ose on the 18th between John the 
 interpreter and the chiefs, who, it seemed, had posir 
 tirely promised to furnish a horse for Captain Max- 
 well's use, but had not kept their word, and John 
 declared in gi'eat wrath, tliat 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 degi'ee 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 fi'equently 
 tried to make out from Maddera and the other 
 chiefs what their medium of exchange was, we 
 could never learn anything satisfactory upon the 
 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 liia 
 hair, with a smgle character written upon it ; this 
 of course 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. Afterwards, 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 written passes 
 to enable the bearers to enter on the ship's busi- 
 ness, or they might 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 chiefe, who were mounted in 
 order to beat him company. They objected to 
 his riding in the country, where the roads, they 
 
 })retended, were uneven ; so that his first ride like 
 lis 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 him 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 cai-e to put himself in the 
 w&Y 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 cJiief, was pluced on Ca^itain Maxweil's right, 
 » . 
 
232 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 and Shayoon on his left ; Mr Clifford and I 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 chiefs 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 canied on entirely through Mr Clifford 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. 
 Maddera had dined so often on board the ships be- 
 fore that he was quite perfect in oxur 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." 
 When the dessert was put on the table, and the wine 
 decanters ranged in a line, they exclaimed in as- 
 tonishment, " Moo eejToo noo sackee — six kinds 
 of sackee I" 
 
 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 English custom was to sit a much longer 
 
Loo-cHOO. 233 
 
 tiine. They represented that tlie s:-m liad set^ and 
 they would never be able to find their way on 
 shore, but would all be drowned in making the at- 
 tempt. This alarming difficulty was easily obvi- 
 ated by a promise of the Ambassador's barge, and 
 they sat down 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 his 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- 
 cess and simphcity, as if he had just made an amu- 
 sing discovery, cried out in English, " When all 
 drunk then go ashore !" Though Maddera, as will 
 be seen, was not quite right in his guess, ihere was 
 enough of tnith in his remark to raise a general 
 laugh among those who understood him. He join- 
 ed in the rnkth excited by his OAvn 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 
 
 u 2 
 
23i LOO-CHOO. 
 
 was followed by the health of the King of Loo- 
 Choo, which was drunk -^nth similar h.onours. On 
 sitting down after this toast, the chiefs conferred 
 with one another a few minutes across the table, 
 and then all rose to propose Captain MaxweU's 
 health, their wishes being explained by Maddera. 
 When they sat down, Captain Maxwell proposed 
 the health of the chiefs, but when we in tuni stood 
 lip to drink this toast, they rose like^wdse ; and it 
 cost us some trouble to convince them it was right 
 they should be seated on the occasion. 
 
 These four bumpers made all the party very 
 merry, and it was now intimated, that as all the 
 usual formalities had been observed, they might 
 drink as much or as little as they pleased. They 
 then lighted their pipes at Captain Maxwell's re- 
 quest, laughed, joked, and seemed so happy, that 
 it was agreed on all hands, tliat conviviality was 
 nowhere better understood than at Loo-Choo. Af- 
 ter a time, they played some native games, at our 
 request, the ultimate object of which, like the games 
 of other countries, was drinking ; a cup of wine 
 being the invariable forfeit ; and that everj^hing 
 might be strictly in character, some of their own 
 little cups were put on table. The first game was 
 this : One person held the stalk of liis tobacco-pipe 
 between the palms of his hands, so that the pipe 
 might rail round as he moved his hands, which 
 were kept over liis head in such a manner that the 
 pipe was seen by the company, but not by himself j 
 x4.fter turning it for a short time, he suddenly stop- 
 ped, and the person to wliom the bowl of the pipe 
 happened to be du-ected was obliged to dihik a cup 
 of wine. Another was a Chinese game : one per- 
 son held his hand closed over Iiis head, and then 
 
LOo-cHoo. 235 
 
 !)roiight it quickly down before him with one or 
 moro fingers extended; the person he was play- 
 ing with called out the number, and if he guessed 
 right, he had to drink the cup of wine. 
 
 Afterthese and other games, which caused a good 
 deal of noisy mirth, were over, it was proposed to 
 adjourn to the quarter-deck where the sailors were 
 dancing. Before leaving the cabin, however, the 
 chiefs entertained us with a Loo-Choo dance round 
 the table. Maddera placed himself at the head 
 before Ookooma, while the others ranged them 
 selves in a line behind ; he began by a song, the air 
 of which was pleasing enough, and nearly at the 
 same time commenced the dance, which consisted 
 principally in throwing the body into various pos- 
 tures, and twisting the arms and hands about. The 
 head was made to incline slowly from side to side, 
 so as almost to touch the shoulders ; while the feet 
 were moved with a slight shuffling motion, and an 
 occasional long sweeping step to one side and then 
 back again ; but the perfection of the dance appear- 
 ed to be in the proper use of the hands and body. 
 Although Maddera was the leader both in the dance 
 and song, lie was occasionally joined in the words 
 by several of the others, the whole party al^-ays 
 repeating the last word several times over, and in 
 this way went several times round the table. 
 Maddera's dancing, though somewhat fantastical 
 at times, was upon the whole very graceful ; his 
 singing also was in good taste. The others danced 
 clumsily, though in good time, and ail joined with 
 gi-eat spirit in the chorus. 
 
 As the ship was gaily illuminated, and many 
 groups of the sailors dancing on the deck, the 
 chiefs were mucli pleased with the liveliness of tlie 
 
236 Loo-CHOO. 
 
 scene. After watching the dance of the seamen for 
 a few minutes, Maddera, who, to use a common 
 phrase, was up to everything, ran amongst them, 
 seized one of the dancers by the shoulders, and 
 pushing him on one side, took his place, and kept 
 up the reel with the same spirit, and exactly in the 
 same style and step as the sailors. The other 
 dances were left oif, the music played with double 
 spirit, and the whole ship's company assembled 
 round Maddera, cheering and clapping hands till the 
 reel was over. The chiefs joined in the applause, 
 not less surprised than we were at this singular 
 fellow's skill ; for his imitation of the sailors' pecu- 
 liar steps and gestures was as exact as if he had 
 lived on board ship all his life. The officers and 
 midshipmen then danced together, after which the 
 chiefs, unasked, and with a sort of intuitive polite- 
 ness, which rendered everything they did appro- 
 priate, instantly stepped forward, and danced, as 
 they had before done in the cabin, several times 
 round the quarter-deck, to the unspeakable delight 
 of the sailors. 
 
 On returning to the cabin to tea, tlie chiefs amu- 
 sed themselves with a sort of wrestling game ; 
 Ookooma, who had seen us placing ourselves in 
 sparring attitudes, threw himself suddenly into the 
 boxer's position of defence, assuming at the same 
 time a fierceness of look which we had never before 
 seen in any of them. The gentleman to whom he ad- 
 dressed himself happening to be a boxer, and think- 
 ing that Ookooma really wished to spar, prepared 
 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 
 
LOO-CHoo. 237 
 
 Matklera 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 ^\Tite, 
 No fight, no good fight; Ingerish very good ; Loo- 
 Choo man no fight." Possibly he considered Oo- 
 kooma 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 the senior chiefs. 
 
 Before our guests left the ship. Captain Max- 
 well, who had often remarked the satisfaction with 
 which the natives received any attention shown to 
 their children, ordered a large plum-cake, baked 
 for the occasion, to be brought to him, which he 
 divided into slices, proportioned to the numbers of 
 tlse 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 warmly upon the occasion, \\Tapped 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 Observatory. 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 eifects of last night's gaiety. V/e had 
 not gone a mile, however, before Jeeroo overtook 
 us. Our intention had been to gain the brow of a 
 neighbourhig hill, from whence we imagined there 
 must be a good view of the palace and the neigh- 
 bouring country ; but although Jeeroo was the 
 most obliging creature in the •o'orld on every other 
 
238 Loo-CHOO. 
 
 occasion, he stoutly resisted our going beyond tlie 
 usual limits. We tried to overcome his 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 a8 we still walked 
 slowly on, sent off a messenger for assistance ; 
 but before this reinforcement amved, 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 liill, 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 lio- 
 nestly confessed that he had been a little " weety," 
 and that liis 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 gi-eat; 
 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. Ouj* two companions were mightily 
 discomposed 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 went after- 
 wards to tlie Iiigh ground 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 not be 
 taken in the survey. While I was thus engaged, 
 Mr Clifford endeavoured to learn from Jeeroo whe- 
 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 neitlier say 
 what the house was, nor tell who resided there. 
 A peasant, however, who happened to be pass- 
 ing by, proved mere communicative, and was 
 cheerfully 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 we ever saw or could hear about. In 
 giving 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 coirespondent consideration and kind feeling 
 on the other. 
 
 About noon of the same day, while Mrs 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 small white flower stuck in the midst of it. 
 She wore a scarlet satin girdle tied in a large 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 shnmk 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 tfae 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 men 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 Cliina, and the 
 peasantry are in general ignorant both of the spo- 
 ken and written Chinese lansfuafres. 
 
 Whenever we were occupied in making astro- 
 nomical observations, the natives retiied a consi- 
 
LOO-CHOO. 241 
 
 derable distance, as they were told that the least 
 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 eftect 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. He 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 cany 
 him on board, he was surprised to see a person 
 enter the door on all fours, half dead with teiTor. 
 This turned out to be the surgeon, who had been 
 instantly sent for, and who, in common with the 
 
 VOL. I. X 
 
242 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 fliiefs, was horror-struck at the accident. The Es- 
 culapius, however, soon recovered liis composure 
 and confidence, on observing that although the fin- 
 ger was broken, and one of the jomts 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 heir-apparent to the throne, meant 
 to come on board the frigate to pay a visit 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, with an inscription 
 upon it, of which the following is a translation : — 
 " The great personage, Ko Heang, Extender of the 
 LfEWs of Loo-Clioo, bows his head, and worships." 
 
LOO-CHOO. 243 
 
 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 fii'ed. When he came on boai'd, 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 wonders 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- 
 phon (Japan) ; Manilla, and Pekin. The chiefs who 
 stood apart, would not sit down in his presence, and 
 
244? LOO-cHoo. 
 
 never spoke to him without kneeling, sometimes 
 on one knee, generally on both. As soon as the ne- 
 cessary arrangements had been made the Prince 
 proceeded round the decks. He observed every- 
 thing with attention, but "wnthout betraying any 
 great degi'ee 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 
 gratify 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, wlio 
 stood curtseying to the very ground, he drew liis 
 fan from his breast, and with an air of the utmost 
 politeness, held it to her and begged she would 
 accept it. Mrs Loy again curtsied 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 natm-al, as one of 
 his people was sent to nib poor blackee's skin with 
 a cloth. The guns, 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 compHed, 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 returning 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 in his power for 
 
 x2 
 
246 LOO-CHOo. 
 
 the King of England's ships. Upon this Captain 
 Maxwell observed, that being fully persuaded of 
 this he was- very desu'ous of seeing his Majesty, 
 for the puipose of expressing in person his gi-ati- 
 tude for the kindness with which he had been re- 
 ceived in this countr)\ 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, the 
 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 official letter would be -WTit- 
 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 he had earnestly desired the 
 honour of paying his respects to his JMajesty 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 interpreted 
 that Captain INIaxwell 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 laiees in a circle round him, 
 
LOO-cHoo. 247 
 
 showing by the expression of their countenances, 
 how great their anxiety had been, from which they 
 were at once relieved by Captain Maxwell's judi- 
 cious acquiescence witb their wishes : the Prince, 
 in paiticular, 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 wi'itten 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 Prince 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 they again fell upon their knees before 
 Captain Maxwell, notwithstanding all his efforts to 
 prevent them. 
 
 In the early part of this cui'ious interview the pre- 
 sent which the Prince had brought was displayed in 
 
248 Loo-CHOO. 
 
 the cabin, at least such parts of it as were capable 
 of being thus exhibited. Tlie whole consisted of two 
 bullocks, three hogs, three goat-s, 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 
 *o 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 inteipreter 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 turning 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 
 Cliiford, 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 mistako, 
 he applied to Maddera, who said it was perfectly 
 
LOO-CHOO. 249 
 
 correct, upon which they were invited to sit down 
 along with the rest. 
 
 We had never succeeded in obtaining from the 
 natives any satisfactoiy account of former visitors ; 
 but as the Prince was thought a likely person to 
 be in possession of the desired information, we 
 were in gTeat hopes of hearing what we wanted 
 from him, and various questions were put to him 
 upon the subject. He said a vessel belonging to 
 some strange nation had been here about twenty 
 years ago ; but that she had gone away immediate- 
 ly, without holding any communication with the 
 court. This must have been the Pandora schooner, 
 in which Captain Broughton visited Napakiang in 
 July, 1797, after he had been WTecked in his Ma- 
 jesty's ship Providence, on the island of T\^insan. 
 He said that be knew of no other stranger who had 
 visited Loo-Choo. On being sounded as to bis 
 knowledge of other countries, he declared he knew 
 nothing of the people whom we called French or 
 English, or any nation indeed but the Chinese, Co- 
 rean, and Japanese. Something was said about 
 Manilla, and as that country is not very remote, it 
 is possible that an accidental commimication may 
 have occurred between it and Loo-Choo. Their 
 accounts, however, were all vague and unsatisfac- 
 tory, and it is not impossible that we ourselves may 
 have first suggested these names, and afterwards 
 ascribed their use to the natives, a natural and fi-e- 
 quent source of error on such occasions. 
 
 In Captain Broughton's Voyage, book II., an ac- 
 count is given of his visit to Napakiang. He was 
 received with great kindness by the inhabitants, 
 who supplied his wants, but objected to his landing, 
 and sent back to the schooner some of the officers 
 
250 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 who had been sent on shore to examine the town. 
 We found Captain Broughton's account of the 
 people quite accurate. 
 
 Nothing, however, in the adventures of this day 
 excited such universal interest as Maddera's full 
 and explicit assumption of his long-concealed 
 rank. He came on board for the first time dressed 
 in the robes and hatchee-matchee of a chief ; and 
 instead of keeping in the back-ground as hereto- 
 fore, like one of the common people, he not only 
 took precedence of our old friends, but during the 
 discussions in the cabin with the Prince, maintain- 
 ed in every respect a decided superiority over 
 them all. It was very remarkable, too, that while 
 the others were discomposed by the Prince's pre- 
 sence, and were seen crouching on their knees 
 every time they ventured to address him, Mad- 
 dera, though always respectful, was quite at his 
 ease, and neither in listening to, nor addressing the 
 Prince showed the least embarrassment : we could 
 not, therefore, help fancying that he must have 
 been accustomed to the society of the palace. It 
 was no less remarkable, that the Prince referred 
 much oftener to him than to any of the chiefs, and 
 always listened to liim with far greater attention 
 than to any one else. Whether Maddera owed such 
 distinction to his elevated rank, or to the ascen- 
 dency of his talents and attainments, or to the 
 accidental circumstance of his having had better 
 opportunities of knowing our language and cus- 
 toms than any other of the natives, we could not 
 pretend to determine : but he admitted, when in- 
 terrogated upon the subject, that he had in fact 
 often seen the Prince before, v/hile all the other 
 chiefs confessed to us, that until to-day they had 
 not known him even bv siffht. 
 
LOO-CHOO. 251 
 
 No sooner was the Prince feirly placed in his 
 sedan-chair, and lifted out of his boat by his peo- 
 ple, than Maddera came on board, and entered 
 with great good-humour into the jokes which were 
 poured upon him from all sides upon the subject 
 of his newly found character. He declined tell- 
 ing why he had kept his rank so long a secret, 
 but it was sufficiently obvious, that his main ob- 
 ject had been to establish an intimacy with all 
 the different classes on boai'd the ships. In this 
 he completely succeeded ; for he had advanced 
 gradually in his acquaintance, first with the sailors, 
 then the midshipmen, next with the officers, and 
 last of all with the captains. By this means he 
 gained the confidence and good-will of each class 
 as he went along, and by rising in consequence 
 every day, instead of putting forward all his claims 
 at once, acquired not only substantial importance 
 with us, but gained a much more intimate know- 
 ledge of our chai'acter and customs than he could 
 have hoped to do in any other way. Our opinion 
 of the other chiefs fluctuated from day to day ; 
 whereas our esteem for Maddera never suffered 
 diminution. With a sort of intuitive and happy 
 discretion, he always did what the event proved to 
 be the most appropriate thing he could have done : 
 and by laying claim to no knowledge or merit 
 which he did not possess, but always keeping more 
 in the back ground than his friends thought there 
 was occasion for, he was sure never to forfeit any 
 good opinion which he had once gained. 
 
 Next day, Mr Clifford went along with me, for 
 the purpose of sketching the bridge, which, though 
 not above three hundred yards from the landing- 
 place, the chiefs had always objected to our ex- 
 
252 Loo-CHOO. 
 
 amining-. We took Jeeroo with us A^dthput telling 
 liim our object, which he no sooner discovered than 
 he became quite alarmed, and sent off for Maddera, 
 who came to us immediately, and upon learning 
 that nothing further was proposed than a mere ex- 
 amination of the structure of the arch, said we might 
 go on ; having first made us promise solemnly not to 
 proceed a step further. While Maddera was enter- 
 ing into this bargain with us, and making minute 
 and as I thought needless stipulations, I expressed 
 some impatience at his doubting our simple decla- 
 ration that nothing more was intended than what 
 we actually avowed: he smiled good-humouredly, 
 but said he must do his duty ; nor would he leave 
 us till the matter was aiTanged in his o^vn way. 
 As soon as he was satisfied on this point, he said 
 something to Jeeroo and left us ; but turning 
 back again in a few minutes, he came up to Mr 
 Clifford, and pointing to me, whispered, " Cap- 
 tahi no sulky ?" meaning, no doubt, to express 
 his apprehension that I had been angry at the 
 conditions so positively required of us. Mr Clif- 
 ford, having assured liim that nothing could pos- 
 sibly make me sulky with so obliging and good 
 a friend, detained him for a moment to ask him 
 what it was he feared? what he had seen in us 
 to excite such constant dread of our going near 
 the town ? He replied, " Loo-Choo woman see 
 Ingeree man ; Loo-Choo woman cry !" He then 
 left us ; and Jeeroo, who remained in a boat close 
 to the bridge while we were employed in measuring 
 and drawing it, was highly interested by our ac- 
 counts of the gTeat age of our venerable Sovereign, 
 and of the number of his family, circumstances 
 which excited his astonishment and admiration. 
 
Loo-CHOO. 253 
 
 He talked quite freely wiiile the topic was tlie King 
 of England, but the instant the slightest turn in tlie 
 conversation was made towards the King of Loo- 
 Choo, our friend, communicative enough in every 
 other point, became impenetrable upon this. " He 
 did not know," he said, " how old he was, nor 
 how many children he had ;" m short, he seemed 
 scarcely to admit that he had ever before heard of 
 the King of his own country. From Maddera, 
 however, who had no concealments, we learnt 
 afterwards that the King was an old man, with 
 seven childi'en. It was absurd enough that none of 
 the chiefs would inform Captain Maxwell whether 
 or not the Prince who visited tlie ships yesterday 
 had any children. 
 
 Jeeroo, who was a merry light-hearted fellow, 
 sung several songs to us during this excursion, and 
 told us that his countrymen were very fond of 
 music ; but gave us no satisfactoiy information re- 
 specting musical instruments : neither did we ever 
 see any. The natives almost all sung, and we 
 heai'd several very sweet and plaintive airs. They 
 had also many jovial drinking songs with noisy 
 choruses, one of which was written down from 
 Jeeroo's dictation, inscribed on a drinkmg-cup 
 which he presented to me. It is as follows : — 
 " Tywacku tawshu, shee kackufing, 
 " Ciiaw ung, itchee shaw, shooha neeburu ; 
 " Ting shi, you byee, chi taru shu ninnee 
 *' Noobu cadsee meesee carra shaw jeeroo 
 " Shing coodea sackee oochi noo shing." 
 The characters on the cup being interpreted, sig- 
 nify, " Tywacku, being inspired by a jar of wine, 
 wrote an hundred pages of verses without end. 
 At the market town of Chaw-ung he entered a 
 wine shop to sleep. The Emperor happening to 
 VOL. r. Y 8 
 
254s LOO-CHOO. 
 
 summon him at this moment, he, in his haste to 
 obey the mandate, forgot to put on his upper gar- 
 ment, and rusliing into the royal presence, ex- 
 claimed, * Here am I, tlie wine-loving immortal !' " 
 
 On the 25th of October, being the anniversai-y 
 of his Majesty's accession to the throne, the ships 
 were dressed in colours, and a royal salute fired. 
 This splendid exliibition of flags and streamers, 
 a beautiful sight at any time, if seen fiom a 
 short distance, produced a gi-eat effect upon the 
 natives, who had 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 OUT King on this day, and great numbers of 
 people had been assembled from all parts of the 
 Island to witness the show. As this morning had 
 also been fixed upon for returning the Prince's 
 visit, we left the Alceste at one o'clock, fonn- 
 ing a procession of four boats, each bearing flags. 
 Captain Maxwell was accompanied by twelve of 
 his officers 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 the gate, and having taken Captain Max- 
 well's hand, conducted him to the temple, where 
 an ingenious device was adopted in order not to 
 infringe the etiquette, which requires that none but 
 persons of Ligh rank shall be seated in ])resence of 
 the Blood Royal. The temple, as 1 liave 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 still appeared to be three separate 
 apartments, 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 
 retuiTi 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 
 manufactm'e, that could be scraped together, fi-om 
 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 Piince 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 Piince expressed much satisfaction at 
 this g-ift, 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 min-or taken from a dressing 
 stand, samples of English pens, ink, and paper, all 
 of wliich differ totally ft*om those we met with 
 
256 
 
 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 on the Island, an atlas, and a small brass sextant ; 
 whicli latter present I was induced to include from 
 having often witnessed tlie wonder and delight 
 it had invaiiably excited at the observatory. Mr 
 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 gi*eat deal too much 
 had been given ; to which we replied, that a great 
 deal too little had been given, and that these things 
 were not offered as being, in any respect, an equi- 
 valent for the supplies sent on board, but merely 
 as marlcs of our gratitude for the great kindness 
 and attention with which we had been received. 
 
 The following 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. 
 
 
 
 
 Alceste. 
 
 Lyra. 
 
 Bullocks, 
 
 
 19 
 
 8 
 
 Pigs, 
 
 
 23 
 
 10 
 
 Goats, 
 
 
 15 
 
 7 
 
 Fowls, 
 
 
 216 
 
 102 
 
 Fish, 
 
 
 29 
 
 12 
 
 Eggsj • 
 
 
 920 
 
 455 
 
 Bags of sweet potatoes, . 
 
 59 
 
 27 
 
 Squashes, 
 
 • « • 1 
 
 U 
 
 14 
 
 Jars of sackee, each containing 
 
 
 
 about 
 
 fifteen gallons, 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
LOO-CHOO. 
 
 25ir 
 
 Baskets of oranges, . 
 Bundles of gingerbread, 
 
 • onions, 
 
 radishes, 
 
 celerv, , 
 
 garlick, . 
 
 candles, ♦ 
 
 wood, 
 
 charcoal, 
 
 Pumpkins, 
 
 Baskets of vermicelli, 
 Boxes of sugar. 
 Rolls of printed linen, 
 Bundles of paper. 
 Pipes finely japanned, 
 
 Alceste. 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 16 
 30 
 12 
 
 8 
 
 7 
 16 
 20 
 60 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 14< 
 
 6 
 50 
 
 Lyra. 
 4. 
 3 
 8 
 
 12 
 5 
 4> 
 3 
 8 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 3 
 1 
 7 
 3 
 
 30 
 
 During the time wg sat at table to-day, the in- 
 tei"preter was hardly ever called in, as Maddera 
 and Mr Clifford contrived between them to explain 
 everything, if not as clearly as couJd have been 
 wished, yet we conceived in a more satisfactory 
 manner than could have been done through the 
 medium of John 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 
 return, we gave the King of Loo-CIioo. As the 
 surgeon 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 othera 
 every art was used to circulate tlie wine-pot, Lit- 
 
 y2 
 
258 LOO-CHOC). 
 
 tie persuasion, it ir tnie, was required, for the 
 saekee, though not strong, was very good ; resem- 
 bling, in some degree, weak punch. Ookooma pre- 
 sided at the table occupied by the officers, and 
 Jeeroo at that where the midshipmen sat. One of 
 tlie 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 drunk ; 
 he turned round, and, affecting to be angry, called 
 i>ut, " 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, that probably 
 he only pretended to be tipsy, in order to suit what 
 he mioht consider to be the convivial humour of 
 the moment. 
 
 On rising to depart, the Prince led Captain Max- 
 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 honoui'ed and obliged by 
 the particular attention which had been shown to 
 himself, and to the captain of the little ship, that 
 he hoped the Piince 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 Piince, 
 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 during our in- 
 
260 LOO-CHOO. 
 
 tercourso with the chiefs, that some management 
 of this kind was necessary whenever it was intend- 
 ed to oifer them presents, as their extreme delicacy 
 made them unwilling to accept anything of value, 
 lest it might appear in the light of remuneration 
 for their hospitality. But whenever anything mere- 
 ly ornamental, or of little value, was offered, 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 wore rings, seals, or other trinkets, ready for 
 such occasions. This thermometer was selected 
 as a present for the Prince, fi-om its having pai'ti- 
 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, in the mannei* described. He was so de- 
 lighted with these compliments, that instead of turn- 
 ing back, as strict etiquette probably required, he 
 again took Captain Maxwell's hand, and led him 
 along the whole length of the causeway through 
 the crowd to the boat. He then stepped upon the 
 top of the parapet to see us row away. 
 
 As soon as we had put off. Captain Maxwell 
 ordered the boats to assemble, and that every one 
 should stand up. and give tluee hearty cheers. Ne- 
 ver was an order more promptly obeyed ; while 
 the Prince and the people looked quite amazed at 
 tliis 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, who 
 up to this moment had observed nothing on board 
 the ships but the utmost order and silence, were 
 
LOO-CHOO. 261 
 
 quite confounded with this unexpected uproar. The 
 Prince remamed on tlie pai'apet, 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 had less novelty in it, to be sure, 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 assm-ed that their 
 expressions of kindness and respect were sincere. 
 At our first visit, the natives being ignorant of our 
 intentions, were greatly alanned at our appearance ; 
 and accordingly, though much curiosity was shown, 
 a profound silence and stillness prevailed over the 
 whole crowd, very diiferent from the fiiendly shouts 
 and signs with which they greei-ed us as we pass- 
 ed among them to-day. 
 
 Precautions had been taken to prevent the ladies 
 from indulging theii' -^uriosity 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 
 leam 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-CHOO. 
 
 tivated, and almost entirely covered with houses. 
 All round Port Melville too there are populous 
 villages, but the north, north-east, and eastern dis- 
 tricts are thinly peopled, and not cultivated to 
 any extent. We saw nothing like poverty or dis- 
 tress of any kind ; every ?)ne we met seeming con- 
 tented and happy. Not a single deformed person, 
 nor any one who bore indications of disease, was 
 seen, except a few marked with the small-pox. 
 
 As soon as it became dark 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 dehghted with this brilliant exhi- 
 bftion. 
 
 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 depai'ture. 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 ; hue a more hopeless en- 
 terprize, under such circumstances, could hardly 
 have been proposed. Maddera, however, was not 
 a person to be daunted by difficulties ; on the con- 
 trai'v, he resolutely persevered in trpng to make 
 observations with 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. 263 
 
 really surprisiug, but he was by no means satisfied 
 with this degree of proficiency, and entreated to 
 be taught how to apply it to some practical and 
 useful pui-pose. I endeavoured to confine him to 
 one subject, merely to ascertain the time of appa- 
 rent noon ; and I tliinli succeeded in explaining to 
 him 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 his regret at our approacliing 
 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 Maddera was learning practical as- 
 tronomy, had prepared a handsome dinner for us 
 under a tree near the observatory, to which farewell 
 feast he invited us when om* observations were con- 
 cluded, and made us drink what he called " wack- 
 arittee," or the parting-cup, several times over. 
 
 An unusual number of \dsitors came to the obser- 
 vatory to-day, who stood by and saw the instru- 
 ments packed up, and sent off, with looks of real re-' 
 gret. They all expressed themselves very soiTy we 
 were going away so soon. One man brought Mr 
 Clifford, as a farewell gift, a curious drawing of the 
 Alceste, as she appeared on the twenty-fifth, dress- 
 ed in flags, executed he said by his son. All our 
 little favourites too, the children, were much af- 
 fected by our preparations ; and the wonted hilari- 
 I ty of the lower classes was quite gone. 
 I Ha\ing taken our final leave of the shore, we 
 ; went to the Alceste, where we found the chiefs in 
 1 mournful conference with Captain Maxwell about 
 i! his departure. Before they went, he made each 
 li of them a present of a finely-cut wine glass, which 
 ii he fancied they had long desii-ed 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 perhaps his 
 wishes, for he obsen^ed the wiae glasses 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 chief's great satisfaction. 
 Soon afterwards the whole party went on shore, 
 saying, before they left the ship, that in the morn- 
 ing the Bodzes would come on board in order to 
 perform some sacrifice. But as they never made 
 their appearance, it is probable the intei-preter mis- 
 understood them, particularly as Isacha Sandoo 
 said, in his own language, " To-morrow 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 were 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 our being at dinner, and looked quite shocked 
 at ha^ino: 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 wliich Maddera, who was 
 much affected, said, " To-morrow ship go sea — I 
 go my father Iiouse, — two days distance : — when 
 
Loo-CHoo. 265 
 
 I see my fartier, I show him your present, and I 
 tell him, Henry Hoppner all same as my brother," 
 and burst into tears ! 
 
 The officer here spoken of, is now well known 
 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 then- ordinary for- 
 mal way, but one by one, as they could find sepa- 
 rate canoes to paddle them from the shore. Old 
 Jeeraa called on board the Lyi'a 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 
 scai'cely 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 degi'ee, 
 
 VOL. I z 
 
266 Loo-CHOO. 
 
 and asked what books it woidd be 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 the first instance : 
 he opened it, and attentively looking at the rows 
 of figures for a few minutes, held 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 
 L}Ta, 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 Ingeree, you 
 give this to your childs." Mr Clifford gave him 
 a few presents in return, and expressed his an- 
 xiety to be always remembered as his friend. Mad- 
 dera, with great earnestness, and with the tears 
 streaming down his cheeks, placed his hand seve- 
 ral times upon his heart, and cried, " Eedooshee, 
 eedooshee I" — 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-ticulai-ly as 
 all the others were in full array. Maddera, who, 
 poor fellow, had been too much concerned about 
 other matters to tliinli of dress, was distressed at 
 this apparent neglect of propriety, and immediately 
 
Loo-CHOO. 267 
 
 apologized to Captain Maxwell, who took him 
 kindly by the hand, and, giving him a present, told 
 him, he was always much too happy to see him to 
 notice what dress he tad on. 
 
 On going to the Alceste, I found the chiefs seat- 
 ed in the cabin, all looldng very disconsolate. We 
 tried in vain to engage them in conversation ; but 
 their wonted cheerftilness had quite deserted them : 
 and, indeed, it was natural that they should be so 
 affected, for, milike their visitors, these simple peo- 
 ple could have had little experience of parting 
 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 his heart was full, and 
 he could not utter a word. The rest did not at- 
 tempt to speak ; and before they reached their boats, 
 they were all in teai's. Maddera, who was the last 
 to quit the ship, cried bitterly as he ivrung the liands 
 of his numerous friends, who crowded round him, 
 and loaded him with presents. 
 
 Wliile we were heaving up the anchor, the na- 
 tives assembled not only in canoes roimd the ships, 
 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. 
 
268 ' CANTON. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CAPTAIN maxwell's ATTACK ON THE BATTERIES 
 AT CANTON, ON THE 12tH OF NOVEMBER, 1816. 
 
 On leaving our 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 imsuc- 
 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. Tliere was every reason 
 for supposing that this insulting mandate was a 
 gi'atuifcous piece of impertinence on the j^t of the 
 
CANTON. * 269 
 
 local aiithoi'itles,not authorized by the Supreme Go- 
 vernment. 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 
 embarkation should be wantonly assigned to Lord 
 Amherst. The hostile sentiments of the Viceroy 
 towards all foreigners, and especially the English, 
 had long been well Imown to our establishment at 
 Canton ; and as these proceedings were precisely 
 what had been anticipated, the gi-eatest 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 fiiendly, and at the present 
 moment professedly hostile to his 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 beforeliand could 
 by any possibility have been given for the perform- 
 ance of these semces. The most perplexing di- 
 
 z 2 
 
270 CANTON. 
 
 lemmas, indeed, must often occur in a profes- 
 sion, the extent of wliosc range is only limited by 
 tliat of the globe itself. But it is on such occasions 
 that the distinction betweew one officer and an- 
 other comes into play : that the man who dreads 
 and shuns responsibility, or whose shoulders are 
 not broad enough to bear it when it happens to 
 fall on ifjem, 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 irreparable disorder into the means 
 of enhancing his country's honour. 
 
 Shortly after the ships liad 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 wdth the usual 
 permit, or Chop, as it is called, sanctioning the 
 entry of the ships into the river. But on the Ttli, 
 three days afterwards, a Mandarin of much higher 
 rank came to the frigate, expressly directed, he 
 said, by the Viceroy, to order us to remain where 
 we were, and on no account presume to approach 
 nearer the river's mouth. Captain Maxwell ex- 
 pressetl great surprise at tliis rude message, and 
 argued the question the more earnestly, as this 
 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 liighly 
 indecorous, not only on account of tlie 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 
 
 Em])eror had been published some time before, in 
 which it was specified that tlie present Embassy 
 was to be treated in every respect exactly as tlic 
 former had been : and Captain Maxwell conceived 
 it improbable that the Emperor would recall his 
 own orders in this essential particular, when he had 
 scrupulously adhered to them in every other. The 
 Mandarin, however, shook Jiis head at all these 
 arguments, as if quite unconvinced ; but he was 
 too well-bred to give the oidy 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 tlie 
 Viceroy, or even the Emperor himself, might be 
 disposed to do, he was determined not to permit 
 any such indignity to pass with impunity. The 
 Mandarin, stioick 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 degi*ee ; for it was evidently 
 a sort of experiment on the part of the Chinese to 
 discover what manner of man they had to deal with ; 
 and Captain Maxwell, who liad 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, 
 amushig beyond description. The conversation was 
 carried on principally through the medium of a 
 
272 CANTON. 
 
 Chinese interpreter, or linguist; but the Manda- 
 rin himself also understood some English, and 
 more than once showed, by the expression of his 
 countenance, that he Imew 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 undertaken to procure 
 pilots. Chops, and so on, if not duly authorised ? 
 " Oh," replied the Viceroy's envoy, " that officer 
 happens to be 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 
 quizzing, 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 his 
 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 related to what is called in 
 China a Security-merchant, a term which requu-es 
 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, Imown by the title of Hong merchants. In 
 the event of any disturbance occurring on board 
 that ship, or any breach of the laws and customs 
 of the country being coimnitted by her officers or 
 
CANTON. 278 
 
 crew, the unhappy Security-merchant has to pay 
 the penalty — sometimes in the shape of a large 
 fine of hard dollai'S 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 moet 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 m his eyes, to supphcate his indis- 
 creet constituents to behave better in future, if not 
 in consideration of their own interest, at 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 maimer, 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. " What 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 tlie good 
 behaviom- of the ships. " Are you aware," said 
 Captain Maxwell, " that this is a ship of war — 
 Kin^ Geor^ the Third of England's frigate tlie 
 
274 CANTON. 
 
 Alceste ?" — " I did not distinctly understand," 
 stammered out the Mandarin, who saw too late 
 that he was in a scrape, and knew not for his life 
 Jiow to get out of it ; "I wished to be better in- 
 formed — I wished merely to learn from you what 
 cargo you brought — what kind of goods to dispose 
 of." — " Cargo ! — goods to dispose of I" exclaimed 
 Captain Maxwell, rising and striking the table with 
 his clenched hand, in admirably feigned anger — 
 " Cargo, did you say ! — ^powder and shot, sir, are 
 the cargo of a British 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 I" 
 
 When Captain Maxwell began this address, the 
 INlandarin opened his eyes, and stared amazedly at 
 him ; then rose half off his seat, and presently Avith 
 his hands shaking, as if the cold fit of an ague had 
 overtaken him, doffed his cap of office, and gave a 
 glance over his shoulder towards the stem windows, 
 to see whether, in extremity, he had any chance of 
 making his escape. As Captain Maxwell approach- 
 ed his climax about the flag, and struck the table a 
 second time, the Mandarin 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 comer of his mouth, that Cap- 
 tain Maxwell himself, so far from having given way 
 to passion, wa^i not only perfectly cool, but was 
 
CANTON. 275 
 
 enjoying, to the very top of liis bent, the conster- 
 nation into which he had thrown the Viceroy's de- 
 puty and his attendant. 
 
 Matters, however, were soon apparently re-ad- 
 justed, by Captain Maxwell's ringing the bell, and 
 ordering some cheiTy brandy, which the terrified 
 Mandarin relished vastly more than the gunpowder 
 speeches he had just been treated with ; and I 
 could see him more than once cast a side glance 
 to the racks suspended under the guns, each holding 
 a dozen of twenty-four pound shot. 
 
 A desultory conversation ensued, during whicli 
 all ofl&cial business was sedulously avoided for a 
 time ; but Captam Maxwell, whose object was to 
 be fully understood, would not allow the unhappy 
 worshipper of Fo to leave the ship without some- 
 tliing 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 requu'e."— 
 " Be it so," said Captain Maxwell ! " 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 country. 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 communi-cation ; and if, on or be- 
 fore the twenty-third day of the moon, a ft'ee permis- 
 sion to enter the river does not aiTive^ I most cer- 
 tainly shall proceed in this ship without it ; and shall 
 not stop till I have reached the spot occupied by liis 
 Britannic Majesty's ships employed on the former 
 embassy. You regxdate all things in this Celestial 
 Empu'e 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 
 Mandarin thus schooled was in a great hurry to be 
 off, and carrying mth him the linguist as a witness 
 to bear him out in the strange story he had to tell, 
 made all sail towai'ds 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 correspond- 
 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 
 
CANTON. 217 
 
 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 amval and in- 
 structions, it would imply a doubt as to the Aalidity 
 of the right ; but as he Iiad 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 hand, 
 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 prepai'ed for hhn. 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 prepared 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 otherwise, it evinced a high degree of 
 political coui-age : since, if the Viceroy's orders to 
 deny admission to his Majesty's ships had really 
 been derived from the Court, a serious national 
 (|uarrel, or the stoppage of the tea trade at least, 
 
 VOL. I. 2 a 
 
278 ' CANTON. 
 
 would have been the inevitable consequence. Be- 
 sides which, the Ambassadorj and many other Bri- 
 tish subjects, were completely in the power of the 
 Chinese, and there was no knowing to what risk 
 theu' lives might be exposed, if the government 
 were roused to take summary revenge, for yvhat 
 they might consider an outrage. No doubt, all 
 these considerations had their weight ; but wiien 
 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 making its appearance. The Lyra 
 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 Boca of the Portuguese 
 navigators. Here a fleet consisting of seventeen 
 large men-of-war junks, each mounting from four 
 to six guns, with a complement of sixty men, was 
 drawn up in line-of-battle to oppose the further 
 progress of the frigate. The numerous batteries 
 alons^ 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 juxJi 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 who had accompa- 
 nied the Mandarin at the memorable interview of 
 the 7th, made his appeai'ance on the quarter-deck, 
 along which he strode with an air of much greater 
 confidence than he had shown in the cabin a few 
 days before. He was the bearer of an order, as he 
 expressed it, from the commander-in-chief of the 
 Emperor's war jimks, for the frigate to anchor in- 
 stantly. Captain Maxwell, whom nothing could irri- 
 tate or discompose, answered this impertinent man- 
 date by jocularly asking in the broken English used 
 by the interpreter, " Suppose no do — what then ?" 
 " Then, I thinkee," retorted the linguist, with a very 
 significant wink of his small red eye, — " I tliinkee 
 that my great Mandarin there sinkee your ship I" 
 And sure enough, while they were still in conver- 
 sation, the admiral fired first one gun, then another, 
 and 90 on along the whole line. Although these 
 guns were all shotted. Captain Maxwell, with good- 
 humour and presence of mind, called out that he 
 was greatly obliged to the admiral for his salute, 
 and ordered three guns to be fired with powder 
 only, in retmni for the compliment^ but continued 
 his course onwards, under all sail. The iNIandarin 
 soon put this mistake to rights by firing more shot, 
 in wliich example he was followed by the whole 
 fleet. Their guns were worked with considerable 
 spirit and rapidity ; but somehow or other, not only 
 the admii'al, but all the officers under his orders, 
 managed never to strike the fiigate, or even to fire 
 directly over her, taking care to pitch their shot 
 
280 CANTON. 
 
 either just a-head or just a-stern. It ts not fair, 
 perhaps, to insinuate what motives influenced this 
 gallant officer on the occasion ; it was sufficient 
 for Captain INIaxwell's purpose that no shot actual- 
 ly hit his ship, and he sailed on witliout 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 Annanlioy, the light wind which had 
 earned 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 fi-igate, 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 ha\'ing directed it 
 and primed the lock all with his own liands, 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 theii* 
 faces, as Captain Maxwell described it in his letter 
 to me, " like Persians at sun-rise," while the admu'al 
 in person was seen for a moment actually in the 
 au', 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 tlie sight, 
 exclaimed that the captain had shot away the Cliina 
 
CANTON. 281 
 
 admiral's head. Without any such serious issue, 
 the effect was quite as complete, for the filing in- 
 stantly ceased. 
 
 It is an invariable rule in China, wlienever 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 than with the chief at whose in- 
 stigation he has acted. Captain Maxwell was there- 
 fore determined, at all events, to simphfy tlie present 
 question, by loading and firing the first gun with 
 his own hand, and thus to make himself, in every 
 sense of the word, Chinese as well as Eiu-opean, 
 the responsible person. This incident may perhaps 
 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 enterprise, should be ready to take upon 
 himself the whole weight of censure, should the 
 consequences be disastrous. 
 
 About half past eight o'clock of the same even- 
 ing a breeze sprung 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 home before 
 a flight of rockets, and a signal gun from the fleet, 
 announced 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 thrown up in every direction, and all tha 
 
 A 2 
 
282 CANTON. 
 
 embrasures were illuminated in tlie most brilliant 
 manner. " The boatswain's pipe," to use Captain 
 Maxwell's owti 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 wliile it 
 lasted. 
 
 " But the best effect of the whole is," contmues 
 Captain Maxwell, " that the Viceroy has quite re- 
 covered his good breeding, and become remai'ka- 
 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 wlien 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, wliat is amusing 
 enough, a Chop, or edict, has been published in 
 Canton, stating that the Alceste had entered and 
 come up the river by the Viceroy's express per- 
 mission, in the same manner as the ships of the for- 
 Hier embassy." 
 
I 
 
 CANTON. 283 
 
 Thus fer Captain Maxwell ; but I cannot omit 
 relating two characteristic traits of this officer, of 
 which he has omitted all mention himself. At the 
 time of passing through the Bogne, and after the 
 first broadside from the frigate had been poured 
 into the battery, but wliile 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 pmpose 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 liis o^\^l 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 nmltitudes were 
 assembled to see the officer who Is ad destroyed 
 those fortresses considered by the whole empire 
 as impregnable. He was received on tlie 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 gieat 
 importance, and one wliich may perhaps serious- 
 ly involve not only the Ambassador and his suite, 
 but all of you ; and as I am the person principally 
 Goncerned, I have come here to sliare the risk whaW 
 
284 CANTON. 
 
 ever it may prove." The crowd as he walked along 
 fell back in as much amaze as if a tiger from the 
 woods had sprung amongst them, but towai'ds 
 evening they were all dispersed, and the danger 
 which, had he shrunk from facing it, would have 
 been imminent, was entirely at an end. 
 
 While Captain Maxwell was thus busily'employ- 
 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 
 eastward 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 engaged 
 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 com*se of half an hour we found 
 ourselves fau'ly encaged by these immense vessels. 
 One very zealous officer amongst them took a birth 
 rather too close as I thought, as he brought up ac- 
 tually within the Lyra's buoy. So great a departure 
 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 thirty-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 then* 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 jirnks 
 could not have been less than four or five times 
 
CANTON. 285 
 
 our tonnage, and at least three times as high out 
 of the water. As soon as the guns were shotted, 
 I sent my hoat to tlie 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 every 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 fuiious 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 INIacao 
 at the time the news an*ived, 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 ser\dce, to visit the sins of the frigate 
 upon the sloop of war. But to my surprise I be- 
 held them all gettmg 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 
 
280 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 through 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 tlie Bogue, until I was 
 joined by the frigate. In order to avoid all mis- 
 takes, or mi-sunderstandings, he also sent me po- 
 sitive directions 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 
 thi'ough 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 tho 
 vessel drew twelve. The moment our sails were set, 
 we observed 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 Avhole eight sail of the line, gaily dressed 
 out in long swallow-tailed streamers, and led by 
 their gallant commodore, who carried a flag twice 
 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 junks being above a cable's 
 
CANTON. 287 
 
 length, or two hundred yards fi-om the brig. As 
 soon as the sails were furled, the commodore man- 
 ned liis bai'ge, and came himself to pay the Lyra a 
 visit. I should have been very glad to have recei- 
 ved him, but Captain Maxwell's orders against any 
 intercourse being explicit, I could do nothing but 
 decline his civility, and keep him oif. 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 I 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." Wliile 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 oJGT. 
 
 I was really extremely sorry to be guilty of such 
 rudeness ; but my orders being imperative, I had 
 no other way of resisting such determined in- 
 trusi jn, but that of threatening to throw the fore- 
 most of my visitors overboard. I was glad it was 
 not the chief himself who led the way, 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 tliat all transactions between foreismers, of 
 whatever nation, are carried on here in a singular 
 dialect, called English, but which is scarcely 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 communica- 
 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 windward. For 
 
CANTON. 289 
 
 some time these vessels held very good way with 
 us, but when the breeze freshened we left them 
 to leeward, though not by any means so fast as we 
 had been led to expect we should have done. 
 Dm-ing the day we often crossed one another, on 
 opposite tacks, sometimes to windward, 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 innning 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 
 tliey 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 Begue, 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 first peep of dawn next morning we were 
 again under weigh, and about breakfast-time steer- 
 ed for the nari'ow neck, or Bogue, the scene of ac- 
 tion on the 13th. The flags were hoisted at all the 
 signal-posts, and the batteries everyw'^here cro*vded 
 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 poimders, and all 
 wdthin five or six feet of the level of the water ; 
 and so judiciously arranged, that if properly served, 
 they 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 must 
 
 VOL. I. 2 b 9 
 
290 CANTON. 
 
 have worked night and day to conceal their disas- 
 ter. From the new appearance, however, of the 
 works, and the mai'ks of shot 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 liaie 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, who 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, liaving 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 without 
 assistance, but also because I thought it likely 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, which caused 
 almost as much sui^jrise at Canton as the passage 
 of the batteries. There was, however, no mystery 
 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 
 
-, I-. 
 
 CANTON. 291 
 
 to the Eastern seas, are indebted in the highest 
 degree. 
 
 The East India Company have the sole merit, 
 and a veiy high one it is, of having originated the 
 splendid idea of survepng 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 
 canied on at an enormous expense for many yeai's, 
 under every circumstance of peace or war. To 
 many persons this language 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 narrow rocky 
 passages, with rapid tides sweeping through them, 
 the blessing of such chaits as those of Captain 
 Ross, and such directions as those of Horsburgh, 
 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 their 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 last drain of the flood was now stealing along, 
 and the river seemed like a bowl filled up to the 
 brim. The 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 ah'eady 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 di-ift the brig silently and imperceptibly 
 towards the Eastern bank of this 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 progi'ess might 
 be indicated, a small Chinese 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 bull-nishes a little more dis- 
 tinctly, that we were drifting too near, and in the 
 next moment we slipi>ed gently upon a shoal — so 
 gently indeed, that I should not have known it, had 
 not the tide, along with which we had been home 
 insensibly, now streamed past us. The hands were 
 up instantly, and an anchor and liawser, kept in 
 readiness alongside for such accidents, sent out to 
 draw us off the ground. While this was going on, the 
 Chinese in his boat paddled once more close under 
 
CANTON. 293 
 
 the spot wliere I was standing-, and said, with his 
 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 hoiu- we were asrain afloat, and a liiflit 
 breeze springing up, we soon reached the anchorage 
 called the Second Bar, 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 
 horn*, upwards of a dozen of the Indiamen's long- 
 boats, each manned with not less than eighteen 
 hands, came to us. Before they reached the hrv'- 
 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, diu-ing the whole 
 \)i which period we had either been at sea, or amongst 
 remote countries, beyond the reach of news ; and 
 nothing, certainly, was ever better bestowed than 
 this renconti'e. Our men were bm'sting with ea- 
 gerness to tell the story of their adventures, and 
 the people in the boats, who had just anived 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 setting off in a large and 
 commodious barge, I preferred accompanying him 
 to rowing up alone. Probably, had I gone in a man- 
 of-war's boat, the Chinese, who had treated Cap- 
 tain INIaxwell with gieat politeness wherever lie 
 passed, might have been equally civil to his bro- 
 ther officer. But thov observed no such delicacy 
 
294 CANTON. 
 
 in the case of the East India captain ; for wherever 
 we passed, tliey climbed to the most conspicuous 
 parts of tlieir boats, and sahited us in a style the 
 very furtnest 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 tlie gestm'e. For some time this was amu- 
 sing, rather than otherwise ; and to me at least the 
 whole scene, from 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 scornful laugh ; this instant- 
 ly drove my friend into a towering passion ; and 
 before I could stop liim, he caught up a fowling- 
 piece, lying on the stern sheets, and dischai'ged 
 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 nearest 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 graces of the Cliinese. The last con- 
 flict which we had with them took place about an 
 hour after I had reached Canton, at Captaia 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, foimd my coxswain and boat's crew in 
 high altercation with a Chinaman, who was endea- 
 vouring to deprive them of a trmik which they 
 carried on their shoulders. My boat had followed 
 me to Canton, and the sailors on landing natm^ally 
 brought the things to our lodgings : just as they 
 crossed the threshold, however, they were observed 
 by the Mandarin of the custom-I.ouse, who called 
 out to them to stop, and insisted upon searching 
 the packages. Jack resisted tliis, and both paities 
 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, wJio had commenced by 
 assuming a high tone in great matters, was resol- 
 ved to cai'iy it through even in trifles, and turning 
 to the Cliinese, 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 Mandaiin looked a little sui-prised ; 
 but a reply being insisted upon, he said it was 
 quite a mistake — that he had imagined the tmnks 
 had belonged to some merchant ship, and not to 
 a king's ship. " Well, then," said Captain Max- 
 well, " you must leam better in future." And turn- 
 ing to the sailors, ordered them to put the officer 
 
S96 CANTOX. 
 
 out of the house, and retired to his own room, whis- 
 pering to me in passing to take care that the intm- 
 der was not hm*t. I had enough to do, however, 
 to attend to this hint, for my fellows, the moment 
 they heard the words " turn him out," caught up 
 the unliappy Chinaman, and bore him along over 
 their heads, till they reached the door, whence, as 
 they expressed it, they gave him 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, gathering liimself 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 with which their countryman 
 had been projected from the house, that the teiTible 
 Captain himself was in his rear, were seized with 
 a panic, and in a few seconds not a soul was to be 
 seen. 
 
 Under any other than the very peculiar cir- 
 cumstances in which we were placed, such de- 
 termined measures for maintaining om* 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 the intercourse of foreigners, 
 being regulated by custom alone, it becomes real- 
 
CANTON. 297 
 
 ly important, when an opportunity occurs, to es- 
 tablish convenient, instead of irksome usages. In 
 this 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 theii* means i 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 country where such trifles take 
 the place of more important affiiirs ; 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 this point of view, 
 it is extremely satisfactory to learn, 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 Uve in the Celestial Empire. 
 
 So much has been written respecting China, and 
 especially about Canton, that I shall be excused 
 for not entering on so threadbare a subject. We 
 were allowed to walk about the streets to a great 
 distance from 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 warned off by sentinels Avith long 
 poles, but no impediments were ever thrown in 
 the way of oui* examining the shops, or the different 
 manufactories, with which the other parts of this im- 
 
298 CANTON. 
 
 mense city abound; and as the sight of Eui'opeans 
 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 who 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 his cane, 
 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 *• enough," 
 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 por-centage of 
 interest. It seems every conceivable offence in 
 China has its numerical value expressed in terms 
 of the bamboo, by 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 tlie 
 
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 same fellow again pick- 
 ed my pocket, I seized him by the collar and was 
 canying him to the Police Office 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 him a small copper coin, bidding hira 
 not rob me any more — and he adhered faithfully 
 to his promise, although I passed him fi-equently 
 every day. This man was as well known to the 
 police, as oiu- professional rogues in London are 
 said to be to the officers of Bow-Street, and as far 
 as I could leaiTi, made his bread by the same laud- 
 able calling. The convention between him and 
 me did not extend to my coimtrymen, however, and 
 in the course of ten days, one of the midshipmen of 
 my ship, a careless, gaping mortal, whose insa- 
 tiable cmiosity 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 shifted his station, 
 but sat cui'led up like a spider in his hole, at the 
 end of one of the num,erous little bridges which 
 cross the streets of Canton. 
 
 It may not be uninterestino- to Italian travellers 
 
300 CAXTON. 
 
 to mention that about two years afterwards when in 
 Venice, I was struck with tlie 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 com'se, 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 Rialto 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 tlie same width — 
 have the same degi'ee of light — the shops are just 
 of the same dimensions and form — the houses are 
 equal in height. The only difference that I could 
 discover, lies in the signs : in China, each shop has 
 a large finely japanned board, six feet long, with 
 gilt letters, hanging not horizontally Vike ours in 
 Europe, but perpendicularly, 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-carnages br horses ; the same method of 
 carrying loads at the end of poles across the 
 shoulders, being practised in both places, a cir- 
 cumstance which tends greatly to heighten the un- 
 expected resemblance between tv/o places so re- 
 mote from each other, and so differently circum- 
 stanced. 
 
 On the first of January 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 their city, for there 
 were thirty lai-ge boats, eacli cairying about sixteen 
 men, all dressed 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 honours. 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 liis 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 far as the Viceroy's palace, and is said to Ijave 
 disturbed him exceedingly. 
 
 VOL. 1= 2 c 
 
302 INTERVIEW WITH BUONArARTE. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE AT ST HELENA IN 
 AUGUST 1817. 
 
 In pursuance of Captain Maxwell's plan, ar- 
 rangements were made by wbicli Lord Amherst 
 left Canton with still gi-eater 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 lionoured 
 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 whence she proceeded to Madras and the Isle 
 of France, and after a prosperous and pleasant pas- 
 sage round the Cape of Good Hope, anchored at 
 St Helena on the 11th of August. 
 
 Of com^e, nothing could engage our attention on 
 arriving at this island so strongly as its wonder- 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 303 
 
 ful inhabitant, Napoleon Buonaparte. For many 
 weeks before, the probability of seeing him had 
 engrossed the tJioughts of every one on board in a 
 degi'ee 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, eveiy 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 
 with all the incidents of our singular voyage put to- 
 gether. Even those of our number who, from their 
 situation, could have no chance of seeing him, 
 cauffht 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 
 tiTie 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 in my ship, in a state 
 
304 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 
 
 of gi'eater anxiety than I ever experienced before 
 or since. 
 
 As I had the pleasure of being personally ac- 
 quainted with the governor and his family, and 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 t-aking 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 countiy-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 an-ived 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 surprised 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 tlie lasting regret I 
 should inevitably have experienced, had I failed, 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 305 
 
 ■when so very near, to see the most remarkable man 
 of the age. 
 
 This night was succeeded by 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 ; bat 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 
 Buonapaite might possibly choose to receive me if 
 actually on the spot : I accordingly rode over, ac- 
 cbmpanied 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 soitv 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 om* times without anest- 
 ing, if only for an instant, our actual observation. 
 
 I have often heard 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 hardly have crossed the street merely to see 
 
 Q r o 
 
 M ^ r» 
 
306 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 
 
 Lim. With sucli persons I can acknowledge no 
 sympathy in this matter; and without feaiingto 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 wliich have had for their 
 object to get even a momentary view of disthi- 
 goished 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 
 tliink, to justify all this. 
 
 Meanwhile we proceeded onwards to Count 
 Bertrand's house, at the bottom of the gently slo- 
 ping 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 smrounding 
 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 furnitm'e had been removed ; so that 
 sofas, beds, and tables, were huddled together where 
 they had no proper places. The good lady lier- 
 self seemed to be suftering from toothache ; the 
 day was cold, and the scanty fiie 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, 
 appeai-ed to be the least sensible of anything being 
 MTong, and received us with smiles and kindness, 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. S07 
 
 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 well, 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 endeavom-ing 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, indeed, 
 as having suffered 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 our 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 fored in his mission. The 
 
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 upon 
 our taking the matter so much to heart. 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 returning from his walk, had tlu^own off 
 his coat, and lain down on the sofa ; in short, that 
 he did not choose to receive any visitors. 
 
 Here, then, was a termination to all our 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 affair such 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 leaving 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 accomplishing 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 the 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 INIilitary 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 309 
 
 College there. Dr O'Meara said this materially 
 altered the case, since Buonaparte took gi-eat m~ 
 terest in every circumstance relative to Brienne, 
 however minute, and might veiy possibly have ad- 
 mitted me, had he known more particularly who 
 I was. He added, that Buonapaite had already 
 made some inquiries respecting the L^nra's voy- 
 age to the East, but was not sufficiently inte- 
 rested by wlmt he had heard, to see me on that 
 account alone ; and that some faither 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 encom'aging took place, to inform the 
 Governor of it by telegraph. With this slender 
 hope we again left Longwood ; my Mends took the 
 direct road to James's Town, while I recrossed the 
 liills to Plantation-House. 
 
 We were greatly sm-prised next morning not 
 to receive any telegraphic 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 Iiour 
 before, at the gate of Plantation-House, to the fol- 
 lowing effect : — " General Buonaparte wishes to 
 see Captam 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 fi-om the towii to Plantation-House, that I 
 knew anvthiusr of the matter. 
 
310 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 
 
 It was as much as I could now do to save my 
 time, by galloping at the risk of my neck over the 
 hills to Longwood, at the gate of which 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 the language, not be able 
 to make myself understood. He assured me that 
 there need be no difficulty on this head ; and ob- 
 served, that I was quite mistaken in supposing 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, 
 that his Majesty the Emperor was ready to re- 
 ceive me. 
 
 On entering the room, I saw Buonaparte standing 
 before the fire, with his head leaning on his hand, 
 and his elbow resting on the chimney-piece. He 
 looked up, and came forward two paces, returning 
 my salutation with a careless sort of bow, or nod. 
 His first question was, " Wljat is your name ?" 
 
INTERVIEW 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 him perfectly — 
 he was fond of mathematics — he did not associate 
 much with the younger part of the scholars, but 
 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 
 heard my father mention the circumstance of his 
 having been at Brienne during the period refeiTed 
 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 English, as I can be cer- 
 tain of conveying the correct meaning in a transla- 
 tion, while I could hai-dly 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 ou my thoughts, 
 to the exclusion of almost everything else, for many 
 days afterwards. 
 
 in a few seconds after making this remark, Buo- 
 
312 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 
 
 naparte asked, with a playful expression of coim- 
 tenance, as if amused with what he was saying-, 
 " Have you ever heard your father speak of me ?" 
 I rephed instantly, " Very often." Upon which he 
 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 tliat 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 gi'atified by wliat 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 w^s 
 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- 
 
 ' ft 
 
 clety of Edinburgh, the duties of Vvliich 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-beai'ers, 
 from the president to the secretary, and the manner 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 313 
 
 in which scientific papevs were brought before the 
 society's notice : he seemed mucli struck, I thought, 
 and rather amused, with the custom of discussing 
 subjects publicly at the meetings in Edinbui'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 !" 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, observed, " 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 w^hich he laugh- 
 ed and turned almost completely roxmd on his heel, 
 nodding his head several times. I did not presume 
 to ask him where the joke lay, but imagined he 
 was pleased w^ith the correctness of his computa- 
 tion. He followed up his inqxiiries by begging to 
 know what njimber 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 country, he desired to know where 
 I had learned French. I said, from Frenchmen on 
 board various sliips 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 made 
 prize of; but soon seeing that tliis subject aftbrd- 
 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 returniDg. This topic 
 VOL. I. 2d 
 
814» INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 
 
 proved a new and fertile source of mterest, and he 
 engaged in it, accordingly, with the most astonish- 
 ing degree of eagerness. 
 
 The opportunities which his elevated station had 
 given Napoleon of obtaining 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 affairs ; 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 w£is impossible to doubt the sin- 
 cerity of his oriental predilections. A notion 
 also prevails, if I am not mistaken, that his geo- 
 gi'aphical 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 
 him, 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 mlanners 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 geographical 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 liis 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 arranged and generalized 
 the few points of information I gave him, that he 
 sometimes outstripped my narrative, saw the con- 
 clusion I was coming to before I spoke it, and 
 fairly robbed me of my stor)\ 
 
 Several circumstances, however, respecting the 
 Loo-Choo people, surprised 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, " c'est a dire point de 
 caunons — ils ont des fusils ?" Not €r\'en mus- 
 kets, I replied. " Eh bien done — des lances, ou, au 
 moins, des arcs et des fleches ?" I told him they had 
 neither one nor other. " Ni poignards ?" cried he, 
 with increasing vehemence. No, none. " Mais I" 
 said Buonaparte, clenching his fist, and raising his 
 voice to a loud pitch, " Mais ! sans armes, comment 
 Be bat-on ? 
 
316 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 
 
 1 could only reply, that as far as we had been 
 able to discover, they had never had any wai's, 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 wais 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 Imow 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 iufoiTned 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 
 running his eye over the different parts, repeated to 
 liimself, '• An old man with a very large hat, and 
 long white beard, ha ! — 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 diflferent 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 317 
 
 parts of these dresses were manufactured, and what 
 were the different prices — questions I could not 
 answer. He wished to be informed 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 
 irrigated like those in China, where, as he under- 
 stood, the system of artificial watering was carried 
 to a gi-eat 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 
 consi(krably 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 contrary to the laws of their 
 country. He asked many questions respecting the 
 religion of China and Loo-Choo, and appeared well 
 aware of the striking resemblance between the 
 appearance of the Catholic Priests and the Chi- 
 nese Bonzes ; a resemblance which, as he remaik- 
 €d, 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 
 China exert no influence whatsoever over the minds 
 of the people, and never interfere in their temporal 
 or etenial concerns. In Loo-Choo, where every- 
 thing else is so praiseworthy, the low state of the 
 priesthood is as remarkable as in the neighbouring 
 continent, an anomaly which Buonaparte dwelt 
 upon for some time without coming to any satis- 
 factory explanation. 
 
 «■:) n *> 
 
 f^ U t^ 
 
318 INTERVIEW V/ITH EUONArARTE. 
 
 With the exception of a momentary 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 these topics. 
 The cheerfulness, I may almost call it familiarity, 
 with which he conversed, not only put me quite 
 at ease in Iiis 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 he took in 
 topics which were then uppermost in my thoughts, 
 was a natural source of fresh animation in my own 
 case ; and I was throTVTi off my guard, more than 
 once, and unconsciously addressed him with an 
 unwarrantable degree of freedom. When, how- 
 ever, I perceived my eiTor, 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 friends of yours know 
 of other countries?" he asked. I told him they 
 were acquainted only with China and Ja])an. 
 " Yes, yes," continued he ; " but of Europe ? What 
 do they know of us ?" I replied, " They know no- 
 thing of Europe at all ; they loiow nothing about 
 France or England ; neither," I added, " have they 
 ever heard of your Majesty." Buonaparte laughed 
 heartily at this extraordinary particular in the his- 
 tory of Loo-Choo, a ■ cu'cumstance, he may well 
 have thought, which distinguished it from every 
 other corner of the known world. 
 
 I held in my hand a drawing of Sulphur Island, 
 a solitary and desolate rock in the midst of the 
 Japan sea. He looked at it for a moment, and cried 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 319 
 
 out, " WJiy, this is St Helena itself." When he had 
 satisfied himself about our voyage, or at least had 
 extracted everything I could tell Ijiin about it, he 
 returned to the subject which had fiist occupied 
 him, and said in an abrupt wav, " Is vour father 
 an Edinburgh Reviewer?"' I answered, that the 
 names of the authors of that work were kept secret, 
 but that some of my father's works had been cri- 
 ticised in the Jom'nal 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 cri- 
 tic. 
 
 Buonaparte then said, " Are you married ?" and 
 upon my replying 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 vray, 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 many. " 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 
 failed miserably in the accomplishment, as we took 
 
320 INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 
 
 sixty-two days, and were nearly starved into tlie 
 bargain. After this remark he paused for about a 
 quarter of a minute, and then making me a slight 
 inclination of his head, wished me a good voyage, 
 and stepping back a couple of paces, allowed me 
 to retire. 
 
 My friends, Mr Clifford and Mr Harvey, were 
 now presented to him. He put some civil com- 
 monplace questions, and after an audience of a few 
 minutes, dismissed them. 
 
 Buonaparte struck me as differing considerably 
 from the pictures and busts I had seen of him. 
 His face and figure looked much broader and 
 more square, larger, indeed, in every way, than 
 any representation I had met with. His corpu- 
 lency, at this time universally reported to be ex- 
 cessive, was by no means remarkable. His flesh 
 looked, on the contrary, firm and muscular. There 
 was not the least trace of colour in his cheeks ; in 
 fact, his skin was more like marble than ordinary 
 flesh. Not the smallest trace of a wrinkle was dis- 
 cernible on his brow, nor an approach to a fur- 
 row on any part of his countenance. His health 
 and spirits, judging from appearances, were excel- 
 lent ; though at this period it was generally be- 
 lieved in England, that he was fast sinking under 
 a complication of diseases, and that his spirits were 
 entirely gone. His manner of speaking was rather 
 slow than otherwise, and perfectly distinct : he 
 waited with great patience and kindness for my 
 answers to his questions, and a reference to Count 
 Bertrand was necessary only once during the 
 whole conversation. The brilliant and sometimes 
 dazzling expression of his eye could not be over- 
 looked. It was not, however^' a permanent lustre, 
 
INTERVIEW WITH BUONAPARTE. 321 
 
 for it Avas only remaikable when he was excited by 
 some point of particular interest. It is impossible 
 to imagine an expression of more entire mildness, I 
 may almost call it of benig-nity and Idndliness, than 
 that which played over his featmes during the whole 
 interview. If, therefore, he were at this time out of 
 health and in low spirits, his power of self-command 
 must have been even more extraordinary than is ge- 
 nerally supposed ; for his whole deportment, his 
 conversation, and the expression of his countenance, 
 indicated a frame in perfect health and a mind at 
 ease. 
 
 We sailed next morning from St Helena, and 
 reached England in the middle of October, 1817, 
 after an absence of twenty months. In that brief in- 
 terval we had traversed a distance of nearly forty- 
 two thousand miles, or little short of twice the 
 circuit of the globe, having visited great pai-t of 
 the coast of China, many islands of the Eastern 
 Archipelago and Japan seas, several of the principal 
 stations on the continent and islands of India, and 
 twice rounded the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 The peculiar interest of this voyage, however, 
 arose less from the extent than fr-om the great va- 
 riety of its range, which not only included both 
 hemispheres, and every description of climate and 
 scenery, but brought us, in rapid succession, into 
 close contact with many of the most remarkable 
 nations of the eai'th. Some of these countries were 
 well known before ; yet they were scarcely on that 
 account less interesting : while others had remained 
 almost entirely unknown previous to our visit. 
 
 The busy nature of the voyage, while it abridged 
 
322 . CONCLUSION. 
 
 our means of careful, or rather of minute observa- 
 tion, afforded excellent opportunities of comparison 
 between place and place, while the image of each 
 was still fresh in the memory. And although only 
 a small part of our adventm-es has been here de- 
 scribed, enough, perhaps, has been told to justify 
 the reflection Avhich the whole, taken together, left 
 upon our minds at the conclusion ; that however 
 remarkably nature may be diversified in external 
 aspect, it is still moi'e essentially distinguished, by 
 the boundless variety of human character and in- 
 stitutions. 
 
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