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 GUTZLAFF # JOURNAL OF RESIDENCE 
 
 IN SIAM 
 
 3 T1S3 0DDt377b5 7 
 
U- 
 
JOURI^AL 
 
 RESIDEBTCE Ilff SXAM, 
 
 AND OF A 
 
 voiTAaE ALOvra the coast or cxxxsta ^^^33- 
 
 MANTCHOU TARTARY. 
 
 By CHARLES GUTZLAFF. 
 
 ( First puhlished in the Chinese Repository/. ) 
 CANlTON: CHINA. 
 
 1832, 
 
Advertisement 
 
 We are happy in being able to bring before our readers a journal 
 of so novel and interesting a character as that which we commence below. 
 To an individual who sees millions of his species wrapt in the gloom 
 of ignorance and idolati'ous superstitions, and devotes himself to the noble 
 service of working out their deliverance, the consideration of civilized and 
 
 ' christian society, and of home, will not, in the least degree, lose their 
 value; on the contrary, as they are viewed in contrast, their value is 
 enhanced, while yet they are willingly forgone, and are counted but loss 
 for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Mr. G. is from the 
 neighbourhood of Stettin; about six years ago, he relinquished the most 
 inviting considerations, even royal patronage, to commence the humble 
 labours of a missionary in the East. He is now on a voyage north ex- 
 pecting to visit Formosa, Loochoo, Japan, Coi'ea, and some of the ports 
 
 ^along the coast of China; of this second voyage, it will be in our power, 
 we hope and expect, to give some account at an early period. The pop- 
 ulation of Bankok, at which place the present journal commences, was, 
 four years ago, 401,300 souls, of whom 360,000 were Chinese. 
 
 To the above prefatory remarks, which appeared in the first number 
 of the Repository— published last May, we here add; that Mr. GutzlafF 
 returned to Macao, on the 4th of September, after " a most eventful voy- 
 age," which occupied about six months and ten days. During that time, 
 he visited, in succession, Amoy, Fuh-chow-foo, the capital of Fuhkeen,— . 
 Ningpo, in Chekeang,— the Chusan and neighbouring islands, opposite to 
 Ningpo,— Shanghae, in Keangsoo, south of the Yangtsze-keang,— Tsung- 
 ming, at the mouth of that river,— and part of Shantung; also the 
 Penghou islands, Formosa, Corea, and the chief islands of the Lewchew 
 or Loochoo archipelago. Of this voyage it is expected that very full 
 accounts will be published. 
 
 Editor of the Chinese Repository. 
 Canton, China, October IQth, 1833, 
 
4r (© isriE ir ii iL ^ 
 
 May, 1831. During a residence of almost three 
 years in Siam, I had the high gratification of seeing 
 the prejudices of the natives vanish ; and perceived 
 with deUght, that a large field amongst the different 
 people who inhabit Siam, was opening. As long 
 as the junks from China stayed, most of the time 
 was taken up by administering to the spiritual and 
 bodily wants of large numbers of Chinese. We 
 experienced this year the peculiar blessings of 
 our divine Saviour. The demand for books, the 
 inquiries after the truth, the friendship shown, were 
 most favourable tokens of divine approbation upon 
 our feeble endeavours. The work of translation 
 proceeded rapidly ; we were enabled to illustrate the 
 rudiments of languages hitherto unknown to Euro- 
 peans ; and to embody the substance of our philolo- 
 gical researches in small volumes, which will remain 
 in manuscript, presuming that they may be of some 
 advantage to other missionaries. Some individuals, 
 either prompted by curiosity, or drawn by an interest 
 for their own eternal welfare, applied for instruction, 
 and one of them made an open profession of Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 When we first arrived, our appearance spread 
 a general panic. It was well known by the predic- 
 tions of the Bali books, that a certain religion of the 
 west would vanquish Budhism ; and, as the votaries 
 of a western religion had conquered Burmah, peo- 
 
pie presumed, that their religious principles would 
 prove equally victorious in Siam. By and by, fears 
 subsided ; but were, on a sudden, again roused, when 
 there'were brought to Bankok, Burman tracts, written 
 by Mr. Judson, in which it was stated that the Gospel 
 would very soon triumph over all false religions. Cons- 
 tant inquiries were made about the certain time, when 
 this should take place ; the passages of Holy Writ, 
 which we quoted in confirmation of the grand 
 triumph of Christ's Kingdom, were duly weighed, 
 and only few objections started-. At this time, the 
 Siamese looked with great anxiety upon the part*" 
 which the English would take, in the war between 
 Quedah and themselves. When the King first heard 
 of their neutrality, he exclaimed: 'I behold finally, 
 that there is some truth in Christianity, which 
 formerly, I considered very doubtful.' This favour- 
 able opinion influenced the people to become friendly 
 with us. The consequence was, that we gained 
 access to persons of all ranks, and of both sexes. 
 Under such circumstances, it would have been folly to 
 leave the country, if Providence had not ordered other- 
 wise, in disabling me by sickness, from fart»her labour 
 there. A pain in my left side, accompanied by head- 
 ache, great weakness, and want of appetite, threw 
 me upon my couch. Though I endeavoured to rally 
 my robust constitution, I could readily perceive, that 
 I was verging, daily, with quick strides, towards the 
 grave; and a burial place was actually engaged. 
 
 Bright as the prospects were, there were also 
 great obstacles in the way, to retard the achieve- 
 ment of our endeavours, the salvation of souls. 
 The Siamese are very fickle, and will often be very 
 anxious to embrace an opinion to-day, which to- 
 morrow they will entirely reject. Their friendship is 
 unsteady; their attachment to the gospel, as the word of 
 eternal life, has never been very sincere; neither 
 could we fully succeed in fixing their minds on the 
 Saviour. Though all religions are tolerated in Siam, 
 yet Budhism is the religion of the state, and all the 
 
3 
 
 public institutions are for the promotion of this supers 
 stition. A system of the grossest lies, which can 
 find champions only in the biased minds of some 
 scholars in Europe, engrosses, theoretically, as well as 
 practically, the minds of its votaries, and renders every 
 step towards improvement most difficult. We were 
 allowed to preach in the temples of Budha ; and the 
 numerous priests were anxious to engage with us in 
 conversation, yet their hearts were, generally, steel- 
 ed against divine truth. 
 
 Budhism is atheism, according to the creed 
 which one of the Siamese high-priests gave 
 me ; the highest degree of happiness consists in 
 annihilation ; the greatest enjoyment is in in- 
 dolence; and their sole hope is founded upon end- 
 less transmigration. We may very easily conclude 
 what an effect these doctrines must have upon the 
 morals of both priests and laymen, especially, if we 
 keep in mind that they are duly inculcated, and almost 
 every male in Siam, for a certain time, becomes a 
 priest, in order to study them. From the king to the 
 meai^pst of his subjects, self-sufficiency is character- 
 istic; the former prides himself on account of 
 having acquired so high a dignity for his virtuous 
 deeds in a former life ; the latter is firmly assured, 
 that by degrees, in the course of some thousands 
 of years, he will come to the same honor. I regret 
 not to have found one honest man; many have the 
 reputation of being such, but upon nearer inspec- 
 tion they are equally void of this standard virtue. 
 Sordid oppression, priestcraft, allied to wretchedness 
 and filth, are every where to be met. Notwith- 
 standing, the Siamese are superior in morality, to the 
 Malays. They are neither sanguinary nor bigoted, 
 and are not entirely shut against persuasion. 
 
 Favored by an over-ruling Providence, I had 
 equal access to the palace, and to the cottage; and 
 was frequently, against my inclination, called to the 
 former. Chow-fa-nooi, the younger brother of the 
 late king and the rightful heir of the crown, is a^ 
 
youth, of about 2S, possesing some abilities, which are 
 however swallowed up in childishness. He speaks the 
 English; can write a little; can imitate works of 
 European artisans; and is a decided friend of 
 European sciences, and of Christianity. He courts 
 the friendship of every European ; holds free conver- 
 sation with him, and is anxious to learn whatever he 
 can. He is beloved by the whole nation, which is 
 wearied out by heavy taxes ; but his elder brother, 
 Chow-fa-yay, who is just now a priest, is still more be- 
 loved. If they ascend the throne, the changes in all the 
 institutions of the country will be great, but perhaps 
 too sudden. — The son of the Phra Klang, or minister 
 of foreign affairs, is of superior intelligence, but has a 
 spirit for intrigue, which renders him formidable 
 at court, and dangerous to foreigners. He looks with 
 contempt upon his whole nation, but crouches be- 
 fore every individual, by means of whom he may 
 gain any influence, — Chow-nin, the step-brother of 
 the King, is a young man, of good talents, which 
 are however spoiled by his habit of smoking opium, 
 Kroma-sun-ton, late brother of the king, and chief 
 justice of the kingdom, was the person by whom I 
 could communicate my sentiments to the king. Of- 
 ficially invited, I spent hours with him in conversa- 
 tion, principally upon Christianity, and often upon 
 the character of the British nation. Though him- 
 self a most dissolute person, he requested me to 
 educate his son, (a stupid boy,) and seemed the best 
 medium for commuh^catinff Christian truth to the 
 highest personages of the^ungdom. At his request, 
 I wrote a work upon Christianity, but he lived not 
 to read it ; for he was burnt in his palace in the begin- 
 ing of 1831, — Kroma-khun, brother-in-law to the 
 former king, a stern old man, called in my medical 
 help, and I took occasion to converse with him on 
 religious subjects. He greatly approved of Christian 
 principles, but did not apply to the fountain of all 
 virtue, Jesus Christ. In consequence of an ulcer in 
 his left side, he again called in my aid ; yet his 
 
proud son despised the assistance of a barbarian ; 
 neither would the royal physicans accept of my advice; 
 and the man soon died. Even a disaster of this 
 description, served to recommend me toliis Majes- 
 ty, the present King^, who is naturally fond of Eu- 
 ropeans ; and he entreated me not to leave the king- 
 dom on any account ; but rather to become an officer, 
 in the capacity of a physican. — Paya-meh-tap, the 
 commander in chief of the Siamese army in the war 
 against the Laos or Chans, returning from his vic- 
 torious exploits, was honored with royal favour, and 
 loaded with the spoils of an oppressed nation, near the 
 brink of destruction. A severe disease prompted him 
 to call me near his person. He promised gold, 
 which he never intended to pay, as a reward for my 
 services. And when restored, he condescended so 
 far as to make me sit down by his side, and converse 
 with him upon various important subjects. — Paya- 
 rak, a man hated by all the Siamese nobility, on 
 account of his mean, intriguing spirit, and sent as a 
 spy to the frontiers of Cochinchina, urged me to 
 explain to him the nature of the gospel ; and as he 
 found my discourse reasonable, he gave me a pre- 
 sent of dried fish for the trouble I had taken. — The 
 mother of prince Kroma-zorin, one of the wives of 
 the late king, contrasted Evangelical truth with 
 Budhistical nonsense, when she made me meet one of 
 her most favorite priests, of whom she is a decided 
 patron. Though she had built a temple for the accom- 
 modation of the priests of Budha, that mass might be 
 constantly performed in behalf of her son, who late- 
 ly died, she thought it necessary to hear, with all her 
 retinue, the new doctrine, of which so much had been 
 said at court of late. — The sister of Paya-meh-tap 
 invited me, on purpose to hear me explain the doctrine 
 of the gospel, which she, according: to her own 
 expression, believed to be the same with the 
 wondrous stories of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 In relating these facts I would only remark, that I 
 maintained intercourse with the individuals here men- 
 
6 
 
 tioned, against my inclination; for it is burdensome and 
 disgusting to cultivate friendship with the Siamese 
 nobles. They used to call at midnight at our cottage, 
 and would frequently send for me at whatever time it 
 might suit their foolish fancies. At the same time, it 
 must be acknowledged that, in this manner. Providence 
 opened a way to speak to their hearts, and also to 
 vindicate the character of Europeans, which is so 
 insidiously misrepresented to the King. 
 
 I will mention also a few individuals in the 
 humbler spheres of life, but who profited more 
 by our instructions than any of the nobles. Two 
 priests, — one of them the favorite chaplain of 
 his Majesty, the other a young man of good parts, 
 but without experience, — were anxious to be fully 
 instructed in the doctrines of the gospel. They 
 came during the night, and persevered in their appli- 
 cation, even with neglect of the study of Bali, the 
 sacred language, and of their usual services in Bud- 
 hism. The elder, a most intelligent man, about 20 
 years of age, continued for months, to repair with the 
 Bible to a forest, boldlyincurring the displeasure of the 
 King. He also urged his younger brother to leave 
 his native country, in order to acquire a full knowledge 
 of Christianity and European sciences, so as after- 
 wards to become the instructor of his benighted fellow- 
 citizens; a Cambojan priest was willing to embark for 
 the same purpose; and, finally, a company of friends 
 invited me to preach to them, that they might know 
 what was the religion of the Pharangs, or Europeans, 
 Siam has never received, so much as it ought, 
 the attention of European philanthropists and mer- 
 chants. It is one of the most fertile countries in 
 Asia. Under a good government it might be superior 
 to Bengal, and Bankok would outweigh Calcutta. 
 But Europeans have always been treated there with 
 distrust, and even insolence, if it could be done 
 with impunity. They have been liable to every sort of 
 petty annoyance, which would weary out the most 
 patient spirit; and have been subjected to the most 
 
unheard of oppression. Some of them proposed to 
 introduce some useful arts, which might increase 
 power and riches ; for instance, steam engines, saw 
 mills, cannon founderies, cultivation of indigo and 
 coffee; but with the exception of one Frenchman, their 
 offers were all refused; and the latter had to 
 leave the country in disgrace, after having com- 
 menced the construction of an engine for boring guns. 
 When works for their benefit were accomplished, 
 their value was lowered, in order to dispense with the 
 necessity of rewarding European industry, and of 
 thereby acknowledging the superiority of European 
 genius. 
 
 - The general idea, hitherto entertained by the ma- 
 jority of the nation as to the European character, was 
 derived from a small number of Christians, so styled, 
 who, born in the country, and partly descended from 
 Portuguese, crouch before their nobles as dogs, and are 
 employed in all menial services, and occasionally suf- 
 fered to enlist as soldiers or surgeons. All reproaches 
 heaped upon them, are- eventually realized; and their 
 character as faithful children of the Romish church, 
 has been fairly exhibited by drunkenness and cock- 
 fighting. No industry, no genius, no honesty is found 
 amongst them, with the exception of one individual, 
 who indeed has a right to claim the latter virtue as his 
 own. ^om this misconception has emanated all the 
 disgraceful treatment of Europeans up to the time of 
 the war between Burmah and the Company. When the 
 . first British envoy arrived, he was treated with con- 
 tempt, because the extent of English power was not 
 known. When the English had taken Rangoon, it was 
 not believed by the King, until he had sent a trust- 
 worthy person to ascertain the fact. Still doubts agi- 
 tated the royal breast as to the issue of the war with the 
 invincible Burmans. Reluctantly did the Siamese hear 
 of the victories of their British allies, though they 
 were protected thereby from the ravages of the 
 Burmans, who surely would have turned the edge of 
 their swords against them, if the British had not 
 
8 
 
 conquered these, their inveterate enemies. Notwith- 
 standing, the Siamese government could gladly hail 
 the emissaries of Burmah, who privately arrived with 
 despatches, the sole object of which was to prevail 
 upon the King of Siam not to assist the English, in 
 case of a breach, upon the plea of common religion and 
 usages. But the national childish vanity of the 
 Siamese in thinking themselves superior to all nations, 
 except the Chinese and Burmans, has vanished ; and 
 the more the English are feared, the better is the 
 treatment which is experienced during their residence 
 in this country. The more the ascendancy of their 
 genius is acknowledged, the more their friendship 
 as individuals is courted, their customs imitated, and 
 their language studied. His Majesty has decked 
 a few straggling wretches in the uniform of Sepoys, 
 and considers them as brave and well-disciplined as 
 their patterns. Chow-fa-nooi, desirous of imitaing for- 
 eigners, has built a ship, on a small scale, and intends 
 doing the same on a larger one, as soon as his funds 
 will admit. English, as well as Americans, are disen- 
 cumbered in their intercourse, and enjoy at present 
 privileges of which even the favored Chinese 
 cannot boast. 
 
 The natives of China come in great num- 
 bers from Chaou-chow-foo, the most eastern part of 
 Canton Province. They are mostly agriculturists; 
 while another Canton tribe, called the Kih or Ka, 
 consists chiefly of artisans. Emigrants from Tang- 
 an (or Tung-an) district, in Fuhkeen province, are 
 few, mostly sailors or merchants. Those from Hai- 
 nan are chiefly pedlars and fishermen, and form per- 
 haps the poorest, yet the most cheerful class. Lan- 
 guage, as well as customs, derived from the Chaou- 
 chow Chinese, are prevalent throughout the coun- 
 try. They delight to live in wretchedness and filth, 
 and are very anxious to conform to the vile ha- 
 bits of the Siamese. In some cases when they en- 
 ter into matrimonial alliances with these latter, they 
 even throw away their jackets and trowsers, and be- 
 
9 
 
 come Siamese in their very dress. As the lax, in- 
 different religious principles of the Chinese, do not 
 differ essentially from those of the Siamese, the 
 former are very prone to conform entirely to the reli- 
 gious rites of the latter. And if they have children, 
 these frequently cut their tails, and become for a certain 
 time Siamese priests. Within two or three genera- 
 tions, all the distinguishing marks of the Chinese 
 character dw^indle entirely away; and a nation 
 which adheres so obstinately to its national customs 
 becomes w^hoUy changed to Siamese. These people 
 usually neglect their own literature, and apply them- 
 selves to the Siamese. To them nothing is so wel- 
 come as the being presented, by the King, with an 
 honorary title ; and this generally takes place when 
 they have acquired great riches, or have betrayed 
 some of their own countrymen. From that moment 
 they become slaves of the King, the more so if they 
 are made his officers. No service is then so menial, so 
 expensive, so difficult, but they are forced to perform 
 it.. And in case of disobedience, they are severely 
 punished, and, perhaps, put into chains for their 
 whole lives. Nothing, therefore, exceeds the fear 
 of the Chinese, — they pay the highest respect to 
 their oppressors, and cringe when addressed by them. 
 Notwithstanding the heavy taxes laid upon their 
 industry, they labour patiently from morning to night, 
 to feed their insolent and indolent tyrants, who think 
 it below their dignity to gain their daily bread by 
 their own exertions. With the exception of the 
 Hwuy Hwuy, or Triad society, implicit obedience 
 is paid to their most exorbitant demands, by 
 every Chinese settler. 
 
 Some years back, this society formed a conspiracy, 
 seized upon some native craft at Bamplasoi, a place 
 near the mou^h of the Meinam, and began to revenge 
 themselves upon their tyrants : but falling short of pro- 
 visions, they were forced to put to sea. Followed 
 by a small Siamese squadron they were compelled to 
 flee; till contrary winds, and utter want of the 
 
10 
 
 necessaries of life, obliged them to surrender. The 
 ringleader escaped to Cochinchina, but most of his 
 followers were either massacred, or sent to prison for 
 life. From that time all hope of recovering the nation 
 from abject bondage disappeared; though there are 
 a great many individuals, who trust that the English 
 ( according to their own expression,) will extend 
 their benevolent government as far as Siam. Every 
 arrival of a ship enlivens their expectation, — every 
 departure damps their joy. 
 
 Great numbers of the agriculturists in Siam are 
 Peguans, or Mons (as they call themselves). This 
 nation was formerly governed by a king of its own, 
 who waged war against the Burmans and Siamese, 
 and proved successful. But having, eventually, been 
 overwhelmed, alternately, by Burman and Siamese 
 armies, the Peguans are now the slaves of both. 
 They are a strong race of people, very industrious 
 in their habits, open in their conversation, and cheer- 
 ful in their intercourse. The new palace which 
 the king of Siam has built, was principally erected 
 by their labour, in token of the homage paid by 
 them to the 4ord of the white elephant.' Their 
 religion is the same with that of the Siamese. In 
 their dress, the males conform to their masters ; but 
 the females let their hair grow, and dress different- 
 ly from the Siamese women. Few nations are so 
 well prepared for the reception of the gospel as this ; 
 but, alas ! few nations have less drawn the attention of 
 European philanthropists. 
 
 The Siamese are in the habit of stealing Bur- 
 mans and making them their slaves. Though the 
 English have of late interposed with some effect, 
 they nevertheless debght in exercising this nefari- 
 ous practice. There are several thousand Burmans 
 living, who have been enslaved in this way, and 
 who are compelled to work harder than any other 
 of his Majesty's subjects. They are held in the ut- 
 most contempt, treated barbarously, and are scarce- 
 ly able to get the necessaries of life. 
 
11 
 
 Perhaps no nation has been benefitted, by coming 
 under the Siamese dominion, with the exception of 
 the Malays. These Malays, also, are , principally 
 slaves or tenants of large tracts of land, which they 
 cultivate with great care. They generally lose, as 
 almost every nation does in Siam, their national cha- 
 racter, become industrious, conform to Siamese 
 customs, and often gain a little property. With 
 the exception of a few Hadjis, they have no priests; 
 but these exercise an- uncontrolled sway over 
 their votaries, and know the art of enriching them- 
 selves, without injury to their character as saints. 
 These Hadjis teach also the Koran, and have ge- 
 nerally a great many scholars, of whom, however, 
 few make any progress, choosing rather to yield to 
 paganism, even so far as to throw off their turbans, 
 than to follow their spiritual guides. 
 
 There are also some Moors resident in the country, 
 who are styled emphjatically by the Siamese, Kah, 
 strangers, and are mostly country-born. Their chief 
 and his son Rasitty enjoy the highest honors with his 
 Majesty; the former being the medium of speech, 
 whereby persons of inferior rank convey their ideas 
 to the royal ear. As it is considered below the 
 dignity of so high a potentate as his Siamese Ma- 
 jesty, to speak the same language as his subjects 
 have adopted, the above-mentioned Moor-man's of- 
 fice consists in moulding the simplest expressions 
 into nonsensical bombast, in order that the speech 
 addressed to so mighty a ruler may be equal to the 
 eulogiums bestowed upon Budha. Yet by being 
 made the medium of speech, this Moor has it in his 
 power to represent matters according to his own 
 interest, and he never fails to make ample use of 
 this prerogative. Hence no individual is so much 
 hated or feared by the nobles, and scarcely any one 
 wields so imperious a sway over the royal resolutions. 
 Being averse to an extensive trade with Europeans, 
 he avails himself of every opportunity to shakle it, 
 and to promote intercourse with his own countrymen? 
 
12 
 
 whom he nevertheless squeezes whenever it is in 
 his power. All the other Moor-men are either 
 his vassal^ or in his immediate employ, and may 
 be said to be an organized body of wily constituents. 
 They do not wear the turban, and they dispense with 
 the wide oriental dress : nor do they scruple even to 
 attend at pagan festivals and rites, merely to con- 
 ciliate the favour of their masters, and to indulge in 
 the unrestrained habits of the Siamese. 
 
 Inthe capacity of missionary and physician, I came 
 in contact with the Laos or Chans, a nation scarcely 
 known to Europeans. I learnt their language, which 
 is very similar to Siamese, though the written cha- 
 racter, used in their common as well as sacred 
 books, differs from that of the Siamese, This nation, 
 which occupies a great part of the eastern peninsula, 
 from the northern frontiers of Siam, along Cambo- 
 ja and Cochinchina on the one side, and Burmah 
 on the other, up to the borders of China and Ton- 
 quin, is divided by the Laos into Lau-pung-kau 
 (white Laos), and Lau-pung-dam (black or dark 
 Laos), owing partly to the colour of their skin. 
 These people inhabit mostly mountainous regions , 
 cultivate the ground, or hunt; and live under the 
 government of many petty princes, who are depend- 
 ant on Siam, Burmah, Cochinchina, and China. 
 Though their country abounds in many precious ar- 
 ticles, and among them, a considerable quantity of 
 gold, yet the people are poor, and live even more 
 wretchedly than the Siamese, with the exception of 
 those who are under the jurisdicton of the Chinese. 
 Though they have a national literature, they are not 
 very anxious to study it ; nor does it afford them a 
 fountain of knowledge. Their best books, are re- 
 lations of the common occurrences of life, in prose ; 
 or abject tales of giants and fairies. Their religious 
 books in the Bali lano-uasre are very little under- 
 stood by their priests, who differ from the Siamese 
 priests only in their stupidity. Although their coun- 
 try may be considered as the cradle of Budhism 
 
13 
 
 in these parts, because most of the vestiges of Saiiio 
 Nakodum, apparently the first missionary of pagan- 
 ism, are to met with in their precinct§; yet the 
 temples built in honour of Budha, are by no means 
 equal to those in Si am, nor are the Laos as super- 
 stitious as their neighbours. Their language is very 
 soft and melodious, and sufficiently capacious to 
 express their ideas. 
 
 The Laos are dirty in their habits, sportful in 
 their temper, careless in their actions, and lovers 
 of music and dancing in their diversions. Their 
 organ, made of reeds, in a peculiar manner, is 
 among the sweetest instruments to be met with in 
 Asia. Under the hand of an European master, it 
 would become one of the most perfect instruments 
 in existence. EverK* noble maintains a number of 
 dancing boys, who '' amuse their masters with the 
 most awkward gestures, while music is playing in 
 accordance with their twistings and turnings. 
 
 The southern districts carry on a very brisk trade 
 with Siam, whither the natives come in long, nar- 
 row boats, covered with grass ; importing the pro- 
 ductions of their own country, such as ivory, gold, tiger 
 skins, aromatics, &c. ; and exporting European and 
 Indian manufactures, and some articles of Siamese 
 industry. This trade gave rise, in 1827, to a war 
 with the Siamese, who used every stratagem to op- 
 press the subjects of one of the Laos tributary 
 chiefs, Chow-vin-chan. This Prince, who was for- 
 merly so high in favour with the late King of Siam, 
 as to be received, at his last visit, in a gilded boat, 
 and to be carried in a gilded sedan chair, found 
 the exorbitant exactions of the Siamese governor 
 on the frontier, injurious to the trade of his subjects, 
 and to his own revenues. He applied repeatedly, 
 to the Court at Bankok for redress: and being 
 unsuccessful, he then addressed the governor him- 
 self: but no attention was paid to his grievances. 
 He finally had recourse to arms, to punish the gov- 
 ernor, without any intention of Avas'ino- war with 
 
14 
 
 the King, an event for which he was wholly un- 
 prepared. His rising, however, transfused so gen- 
 eral a pa^ic among the Siamese, that they very 
 soon marched en masse against him, and met with 
 immediate success. From that moment the country 
 became the scene of bloodshed and devastation. 
 Paya-meh-tap, the Siamese Commander-in-chief, not 
 only endeavoured to enrich himself with immense 
 spoils, but committed the most horrible acts of cruelty, 
 butchering all, without regard to sex or age. And 
 whenever this was found too tedious, he shut up 
 a number of victims together, and then either set 
 fire to the house, or blew it up with gunpowder. The 
 number of captives (generally country people), was 
 very great. They were brought down the Meinam on 
 rafts; and v/ere so short of provision, that the major 
 part died from starvation: the remainder were distri- 
 buted among the nobles as slaves, and were treated 
 more inhumanly than the most inveterate enemies ; 
 while many of the fair sex were placed in the harems 
 of the King and his nobles. 
 
 Forsaken by all his subjects, Chow-vin-chan fled 
 with his family to one of the neighbouring Laos chiefs; 
 in the mean time, the Cochinchinese sent an envoy 
 to interpose with the Siamese Commander-in-chief 
 on his behalf. The envoy was treacherously mur- 
 dered by the Siamese, together with his whole ret- 
 inue, consisting of 100 men, of whom one only 
 was suffered to return to give an account of the 
 tragedy. Enraged at a breach of the law of na- 
 tions, but feeling themselves too weak to revenge 
 cruelty by cruelty, the Cochinchinese then sent an 
 ambassador to Bankok, demanding that the author 
 of the. murder should be delivered up ; and, at the 
 same time, declaring Cochinchina the mother of the 
 Laos people, while to Siam was given the title 
 of father. Nothing could be more conciliatory 
 than the letter addressed, on the occasion, to the 
 King of Siam ; but the latter, refusing to give any 
 decisive answer to this and other messages repeat- 
 
15 
 
 edly sent to him, himself despatched a wily poli- 
 tician to Hue, who however, was plainly refused 
 admittance, and given to understand that^the kings 
 of Siam and Cochinchina ceased henceforth, to be 
 friends. The king of Siam, who was rather intim- 
 idated by such a blunt reply, ordered his principal 
 nobles and Chinese subjects to build some hundred 
 war boats, after the model made by the governor 
 of Ligore. 
 
 But, whilst these war boats, or as they might 
 be more appropiately called pleasure boats, were 
 building, Chow-vin-chan, with his whole family, 
 was betrayed into the hands of the Siamese. Being 
 confined in cages, within sight of the instruments of 
 torture, the old man, worn out by fatigue and 
 hard treatment, died ; while his son and heir to the 
 crown effected his escape Great rewards were 
 offered for the latter, and he was found out, and would 
 have been instantly murdered, but climbing up to 
 the roof of a pagoda, he remained there till all means 
 of escape failed, when he threw himself down upon 
 a rock, and perished. The royal race of this Laos 
 tribe, Chan-Pung-dam, is now extinct, the coun- 
 try is laid waste, the peasants, to the number of 
 100,000 have been dispersed over different parts of 
 Siam; and the whole territory has been brought, 
 notwithstanding the remonstrances of the Court 
 of Hue, under the immediate control of the Siam-^ 
 ese, who are anxious to have it peopled by other 
 tribes. Those Laos nobles who yielded to the Siam- 
 ese at the first onset, are at present kept confined in 
 the spacious buildings of the Samplung pagoda, a 
 temple erected by the father of Paya-meh-tap, on 
 the banks of the Meinam, near the city of Bankok. 
 I paid them a visit there, and found them exceed- 
 ingly dejected, but open and polite in their conver- 
 sation. They cherish the hope that they shall be sent 
 back to their native country, relying on the compas- 
 sion of his Siamese Majesty, who forgives even 
 when no offence has been given. 
 
16 
 
 Although the Laos, generally, are in a low state of 
 civilization, yet there are some tribes, amongst their 
 most inacqessible mountains, inferior even to the rest 
 of the nation. One of the most peaceful of these are 
 the Kahs. The Laos, imitating the Siamese, are in the 
 habit of steaUng individuals of this tribe, and bringing 
 them to Bankok for sale. Hence I have been able 
 to converse v^^ith some of the Kahs, who stated to 
 me, that their countrymen live peaceably and without 
 wants, on their mountains, cultivating just so much rice 
 as is sufficient for their own use ; and that they are with- 
 out religion or laws, in a state of society, not far su- 
 perior to that of herding elephants. Nevertheless, they 
 seem capable of great improvement, and, under the 
 hand of a patient misnister of Christ, maybe as much 
 benefited by the divine Gospel, as have heen the 
 lately so savage inhabitants of Tahiti or Hawaii. 
 
 Some Laos, who were sent by their chiefs, a few 
 years ago, with a Chinese Mandarin from the fron- 
 tiers of China, appeared a superior class of people, 
 though speaking the same language as the other 
 tribes. They have been greatly improved by their 
 intercourse with the Chinese, to whose Emperor they 
 are accustomed to send regular tribute, by the hands 
 of an ambassador. 
 
 Amongst the various races of people who inhabit 
 Siam, there are also Kamehs or natives of Camboja. 
 This country, situated to the south-east of Siam, is 
 doubtless of higher antiquity than any of the sur- 
 rounding states. The name Camboja occurs in the 
 Ramayan and other ancient Hindoo poems ; and in 
 the earliest accounts of the country, Hindostan is 
 mentioned as the cradle of Budhism. The lan- 
 guage of the Cambojans differs materially from the 
 Siamese, aud is more harsh, but at the same time 
 also more copious. Their literature is very exten- 
 sive, and their books are written in a character 
 called Khom, which is used by the Siamese only in 
 writing their sacred Bali books. Most of their 
 
17 
 
 books, — and, with the exception of the natiojial laws 
 and history, perhaps all, — -are in poetry. They treat 
 generally on very trivial subjects, abound .in repeti- 
 tions, and are often extremely childish. Ihave seen 
 a geographical work, written some centuries ago, 
 which is more correct than Chinese works of the 
 same kind. 
 
 Camboja was very long ruled by its own princes ; . 
 but lately, disunion induced two brothers to take up 
 arms against each other. Cochinchina and Siam 
 both profited by this discord, and divided the coun- 
 try between themselves, while one of the princes 
 fled to Cochinchina, and three to Siam. I was ac- 
 quainted with two of the latter, the tliird having 
 died. They entertain the hope that their country 
 will yet be restored to them, since they did nothing 
 to forfeit it. The younger of the two is a man of 
 genius, and ready to improve his mind, but too 
 childish to take advantage of any opportunity which 
 may offer to him. The Cambojans are a cringing, 
 coarse people, narrow-minded, insolent, and officious, 
 as circumstances require. They are, however, open 
 to conviction, and capable of improvement. The 
 males are many of them well-formed, but the fe- 
 males are very vulgar in their appearance. They 
 are on equality with their neighbours, in regard to 
 filth and wretchedness, and are by no means infe- 
 rior to them in laziness. They carry on scarcely 
 any trade except in silk stuffs, which they fabricate 
 themselves, although to do so is contrary to the 
 institutes of Budha, because the life of the silk- worm 
 is endangered during the process. To spend 
 hours before their nobles in the posturte of crouch- 
 ing dogs, to chew betelnut, and to converse in 
 their harsh language, are the most agreable amuse- 
 ments of this people. 
 
 Camboja is watered by the Meinam kom, a large 
 river, which takes its rise in Thibet. Like the 
 southern part of Siam, the land is low and fertile, 
 and even well-inhabited. The principal emporium 
 
18 
 
 is Luknooi (so called by the natives), the Saigon of 
 Europeans. This place has many Chinese settlers 
 within its precincts, and carries on, under the 
 jurisdiction of the Cochinchinese, a very brisk trade 
 (principally in betelnut and silk), both with Singapore 
 and the northern ports of China. The capital of Cam- 
 boja is surrounded by a wall, erected in high anti- 
 quity. The country itself is highly cultivated, 
 though not to the extent that it might be; for, as 
 the people are satisfied with a little rice and dry 
 fish, they are not anxious to improve their condition 
 by industry. 
 
 Hitherto Camboja has been the cause of much 
 hostility between Siam and Cochinchina; each na- 
 tion being anxious to extend its own jurisdiction 
 over the whole country. Even so late as last year, 
 a Cochinchinese squadron, collected at Luknooi, 
 was about to put out to sea in order to defend the 
 Cambojan coast against an expected descent of the 
 Siamese ; while at the same time, the Cambojans 
 are anxious to regain their liberty, and to expel the 
 Cochinchinese, their oppressors. 
 
 Cochinchina or Annam, united by the last revolution 
 with Toiiquin, has always veiwed Siam with the great- 
 est distrust. Formerly, the country was divided by civil 
 contests ; but when a French bishop had organized the 
 kingdom, and amplified its resources under the reign of 
 Coung Shung, Annam could defy the prowess of Siam. 
 Even when the French influence had ceased, and the 
 country had relapsed into its former weakness, the Co- 
 chinchinese continued to keep a jealous eye on Siam. 
 The Siainese, conscious of iheir own inferiority, burnt, 
 on one occasion, a large quantity of timber collected 
 for ships of war, which were to have been built in a 
 Cochinchinese harbour; they have also been successful 
 in kidnapping some of the subjects of Annam ; and the 
 captives have mostly settled at Bankok, and are very 
 able tradesmen. If the character of the Cochinchinese 
 vyas not deteriorated by the government, the people 
 
 J 
 
19 
 
 would hold a superior rank in the scale of nations. 
 They are lively, intelligent, inquisitive, and docile, 
 though uncleanly and rather indolent. This indol- 
 ence, however, results from the tyranny of government, 
 which compels the people to work most of the time 
 for its benefit. The Cochinchinese pay great regard 
 to persons acquainted with Chinese literature. 
 Their written language differs materially from their 
 oral; the latter is like the Cambojan, while the 
 the former is similar to the dialect spoken on 
 the island of Hainan. 
 
 It remains now -to make some remarks on the 
 introduction of Christianity into Siam- When the 
 Portuguese first came to this country, in 1622, they 
 immediately propagated their own religious tenets. 
 The French missionaries came to the country some- 
 time afterwards, by land. They had high anticipations 
 of success from the assistance of the Cephalonian 
 Phaulkon ; and, as soon as the French embassy ar- 
 rived, and French influence gained the ascendancy, 
 they increased the number of able labourers. Two 
 of them even shaved their heads, and conformed to 
 the customs of the Siamese talapoys or priests, under 
 pretence of leaning the Bali language. But, when 
 the treachery of Phaulkon had been discovered, 
 he himself killed and the French expelled, the 
 influence of the priests vanished; the number 
 of their converts, instead of increasing, rapidly di- 
 minished ; and the two individuals, who went to live 
 with the Siamese priests, were never more heard 
 of. Though the French missionaries have main- 
 tained their station here to this day, yet at times 
 they have been driven to greM, straits, and subject 
 to frequent imprisonments. 
 
 It is astonishing that, while in all other countries, 
 where Romanists have entered their converts have 
 been numerous, there have never been but a few in 
 Siam. At present, only a small number, — most- 
 ly the descendants of Portuguese, who speak the 
 
20 
 
 Cambojan and Siamese languages,— constitute their 
 flock ; they have at Bankok, four churches ; at Chanti- 
 bun, one; and lately, a small one has been built at Jutaya, 
 the ancienlPcapital. Yet, all this would be of little conse- 
 quence, if even a few individuals had been converted 
 to their Saviour, by the influence of the Holy Spirit. 
 But, to effect this change of heart and life, seems, alas ! 
 never to have been the intention pf the spiritual 
 guides, or the endeavour of their followers. I la- 
 ment the degradation of people, who so disgrace the 
 name of Christians ; and would earnestly wish that 
 never any convert of such a description was made. 
 The labours of the protestant mission have hitherto 
 only been preparatory, and are in their incipiant state. 
 However, the attention of all the different races of peo- 
 ple who inhabit Siam, has been universally roused ; 
 and they predict the approach of the happy time, 
 when even Siam shall stretch forth its hands to the 
 Saviour of the world, 
 
 A country so rich in productions as Siam, offers a 
 large field for mercantile enterprise. Sugar, sapan- 
 wood,beche demar,birds'nests, sharks'fins, gamboge, 
 indigo, cotton, ivory, and other articles, attract the no- 
 tice of a great number of Chinese traders, whose junks 
 every year, in February, March and the beginning of 
 April, arrive from Hainan, Canton, Soakah, (or 
 Soo-ae-kea, in Chaou-chow-Foo,) Amoy, Ningpo, 
 Seang-hae, (or Shang-hae-heen, in Keangnan,) and 
 other places. Their principal imports consist of 
 various articles for the consumption of the Chinese, 
 and a considerable amount of bullion. They select 
 their export cargo according to the different places 
 of destination, and leave Siam in the last of May, 
 in June, and July. These vessels are about 80 in 
 number. Those which go up to the Yellow sea, take 
 mostly, sugar, sapanwood, and betelnut. They are 
 called Pak-tow-sun (or Pih-tow-chuen, white headed 
 vessels), are usually built in Siam, and are of about 290 
 or 300 tons, and are manned by Chaou-chow men, from 
 
21 
 
 the eastern district of Canton province. The major 
 part of these junks are owned, eitlier by Chinese 
 settlers at Bankok, or by Siamese nobles. The 
 former put on board as supercargo, some" relative of 
 their own, generally a young man, who has married 
 one of their daughters ; the latter take surety of the 
 relatives of the person, whom they appoint supercargo. 
 If any thing happens to the junk, the individuals who 
 secured her are held responsible, and are often, very 
 unjustly thrown, into prison.— Though the trade to the 
 Indian archipelago is not so important, yet about 30 
 or 40 vessels are annually dispatched thither from 
 Siam. 
 
 Chinese vessels have generally a captain, who 
 might more properly be styled a supercargo. Whether 
 the owner or not, he has charge of the whole cargo, 
 buys and sells as circumstances require ; but has no 
 command whatever over the saihng of the ship. This is 
 the business of the Ho-chang or pilot. During the whole 
 voyage, to observe the shores and pomontories, are 
 the principal objects, which occupy his attention, day 
 and night. He sits steadily on the side of the ship, 
 and sleeps when standing, just as it suits his conve^ 
 nience. Though he has, nominally, the command 
 over the sailors, yet they obey him only when they find 
 it agreeable to their own wishes ; and they scold and 
 brave him, just as if he belonged to their own com- 
 pany. Next to the pilot (or mate) is the To-kung 
 (helmsman), who manages the sailing of the ship ; 
 there are a few men under his immediate command. 
 There are, besides, two clerks ; one to keep the ac- 
 counts, and the other to superintend the cargo that is 
 put on board. Also, a comprador to purchase pro- 
 visions ; and a Heang-kung, (or priest,) who attends to 
 the idols, and burns, every morning, a certain quan- 
 tity of incense, and of gold and silver paper. The 
 sailors are divided into two classes; a few, called 
 Tow-mull (or head men), have charge of the anchor, 
 sails, &c. ; and the rest, called Ho-ke, (or comrads,) 
 perform the menial work, such as pulling ropes, and 
 
22 
 
 iieaving the anchor. A cook and some barbers, make 
 up the remainder of the crew. 
 
 All these personages, except the second class of 
 sailors, have cabins ; long, narrow holes, in which one 
 may stretch himself, but cannot stand erect. If any 
 person wishes to go as a passenger, he must apply 
 to the Tow-muh, in order to hire one of their 
 cabins, which they let on such conditions as they 
 please. In fact, the sailors exercise full control 
 over the vessel, and oppose every measure, which 
 they think may prove injurious to their own interest ; 
 so that even the captain and pilot are frequently 
 obliged, when wearied out with their insolent be- 
 haviour, to crave their kind assistance, and to request 
 them to show a better temper. 
 
 The several individuals of the crew form one 
 whole, whose principal object in going to sea is trade, 
 the working of the junk being only a secondary ob- 
 ject. Every one is a shareholder, having the liberty of 
 putting a certain quantity of goods on board; with 
 which he trades, wheresoever the vessel may touch, 
 careing very little about how soon she may arrive at 
 the port of destination. 
 
 The common sailors receive from the captain no- 
 thing but dry rice, and have to provide for them- 
 selves their other fare, which is usually very slender. 
 These sailors are not, usually, men who have been 
 trained up to their occupation ; but wretches, who were 
 obliged to flee from their homes ; and they frequently 
 engage for a voyage, before they have ever been 
 on board a junk. All of them, however stupidi^ are 
 commanders ; and if any thing of importance is to be 
 done, they will bawl out their commands to each 
 other, till all is utter confusion. There is no subordi- 
 nation, no cleanliness, no mutual regard or interest. 
 
 The navigation of junks is performed without the 
 aid of charts, or any other helps, except the compass ; 
 it is mere coasting, and the whole art of the pilot 
 consists in directing the course according to the pro- 
 montories insight. In time of danger, the men im- 
 
23 
 
 mediately lose all courage ; and their indecision fre- 
 quently proves the destruction of their vessel. Al- 
 though they consider our mode of sailing as some- 
 what better than their own, still they tan not but 
 allcAv the palm of superiority to the ancient craft of 
 the -celestial empire.' When any alteration for im- 
 provement is proposed, they will readily answer, — 
 if we adopt this measure we shall justly fall under the 
 suspicion of barbarism. 
 
 The most disgusting thing on board a junk is idol- 
 atry, the rites of which are performed with the greatest 
 punctuality. The goddess of the sea is Ma-tsoo-po, 
 called also Teen-how, ^ queen of heaven.' She 
 is said to have been a virgin, who lived some cen- 
 turies ago in Fuhkeen, near the district of Fuh-chow. 
 On account of having, with great fortitude, and by 
 a kind of miracle, saved her brother who was on the 
 point of drowning, she was deified, and loaded with 
 titles, not dissimilar to those bestowed on the 
 Virgin Mary. Every vessel is furnished with an 
 image of this goddess, before which a lamp is kept 
 burning. Some satellites, in hideous shape, stand 
 round the portly queen, who is always represented 
 in a sitting posture. Cups of tea are placed before 
 her, and some tinsel adorns her shrine. 
 
 When a vessel is about to proceed on a voyage, 
 she is taken in procession to a temple, where many 
 offerings are displayed before her. The priest re- 
 cites some prayers, the mate makes several prostra- 
 tions, and the captain usually honors her, by appearing 
 in a full dress before her image. Then an enter- 
 tainment is given, and the food presented to the idol 
 is greedily devoured. Afterwards the good mother, 
 who does not partake of the gross earthly substance, 
 is carried in front of a stage, to behold the min- 
 strals, and to admire the dexterity of the actors ; 
 thence she is brought back, with, jiiusic, to the junk, 
 where the merry peals of the gong receive the ven- 
 erable old inmate, and the jolly sailors anxiously 
 
24 
 
 strive to seize whatever may happen to remain of 
 her banquet. 
 
 The care of the goddess is intrusted to the priest, 
 who never 'dares to appear before her with his face 
 unwashed. Every morning he puts sticks of burning 
 incense into the censer, and repeats his ceremonies 
 in every part of the ship, not excepting even the cook's 
 room. When the junk reaches any promontory, 
 or when contrary winds prevail, the priest makes 
 an offering to the spirits of the mountains, or 
 of [the air. On such occasions (and only on such), 
 pigs and fowls are killed. When the offering is 
 duly arranged, the priest adds to it some spirits and 
 fruits, burns gilt paper, makes several prostrations, 
 and then cries out to the sailors, — " follow the 
 spirits," — who suddenly rise and devour most of the 
 sacrifice. YHien sailing out of a river, offerings of 
 paper are constantly thrown out near the rudder. 
 But to no part of the junk are so many offerings made 
 as to the compass. Some red cloth, which is also 
 tied to the rudder and cable, is put over it ; incense 
 sticks in great quantities are kindled; and gilt pa- 
 per, made into the shape of a junk, is burnt before it. 
 Near the compass, some tobacco, a pipe, and a 
 burning lamp are placed, the joint property of all ; 
 and hither they all crowd to enjoy themselves. 
 When there is a calm, the sailors generally contri- 
 bute a certain quantity of gilt paper, which, pasted 
 into the form of a junk, is set adrift. If no wind 
 follows, the goddess is thought to be out of humour, 
 and recourse is had to the demons of the air. 
 When all endeavours prove unsuccessful, the offer- 
 ings cease, and the sailors wait with indifference. 
 
 Such are the idolatrous principles of the Chinese, 
 that they never spread a sail without having concil- 
 iated the favour of the demons, nor return from a 
 voyage without showing their gratitude to their tutelar 
 deity. Christians are the servants of the living God ; 
 who has created the heavens and the earth ; at whose 
 command the winds and the waves rise or are still ; 
 
25 
 
 ill whose mercy is salvation, and in whose wrath is' 
 destruction ; how much more, then, should they endea- 
 vour to concihate the favour of the Almighty, and to 
 be grateful to the author of all good ! If idolaters 
 feel dependant on superior beings; if they look up to 
 them for protection and success ; if they are punctual 
 in paying their vows ; what should be the conduct of 
 nations, who acknowledge Christ to be their Saviour"? 
 Reverence before the name of the Most High ; rehance 
 on his gracious protection ; submission to his just dis- 
 pensations ; and devout prayers, humble thanks-giving, 
 glorious praise to the Lord of the earth and of the 
 sea, ought to be habitual on board our vessels ; and 
 if this is not the case, the heathen will rise up against 
 us in the judgment, for having paid more attention 
 to their dumb idols, than we have to the worship of 
 the living and true God. 
 
 The Chinese sailors are, generally, as intimated 
 above, from the most debased class of people. The 
 major part of them are opium -smokers, gamblers, 
 thieves and fornicators. They will indulge in the drug 
 till all their wages are squandered ; they will gamble 
 as long as a farthing remains ; they will put off their only 
 jacket and give it to a prostitute. They are poor and 
 in debt ; they cheat, and are cheated by one another, 
 whenever it is possible ; and when they have entered 
 a harbour, they have no wish to depart till all 
 they have is wasted, although their families at home 
 may be in the utmost want and distress^ Their 
 curses and imprecations are most horrible, their 
 language most filthy and obscene ; yet they never 
 condemn themselves to eternal destruction. A 
 person who has lived among these men, would be 
 best qualified to give a description of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, as well as to appreciate the blessings 
 of Christianity ; which, even in its most degenerate 
 state, proves a greatei check on human depravity, 
 than the best-arranged maxims of men. 
 
 The whole coast of China is very well known to 
 the Chinese themselves. As their whole navigatioix 
 
26 
 
 is only coasting, they discover, at a great distance, 
 promontories and islands, and are seldom wrong in 
 their conjectures. They have a Directory ; which, being 
 the result (if centuries of experience, is pretty correct, 
 in pointing out the shoals, the entrances of harbours, 
 rocks, &c. As they keep no dead reckoning, nor 
 take observations, they judge of the distance they 
 have made by the promontories they have passed. 
 They reckon by divisions, ten of which are about 
 equal to a degree. Their compass differs materially 
 from that of Europeans. It has several concentric 
 circles ; one is divided into four, and another into eight 
 parts, somewhat similar to our divisions of the 
 compass; a third is divided into twenty-four parts, 
 in conformity to the horary divisin of twenty-four 
 hours, which are distinguished by the same number 
 of characters or signs : according to these divisions, 
 and with these signs, the courses are marked in 
 their directory, and the vessel steered. 
 
 China has, for centuries, presented to the Romanists 
 a great sphere for action. Latterly, the individuals 
 belonging to the mission, have not been so eminent 
 for talents as their predecessors, and their influence 
 has greatly decreased. Although the tenets of their 
 religion are proscribed, some individuals belonging 
 to their mission, have always found their way into 
 China ; at the present time, they enter principally by 
 the way of Fuhkeen. It would have been well, at 
 the time they exercised a great influence over the 
 mind of Kanghe, if,— by representing European char- 
 acter in its true light, and showing the advantages 
 to be derived from an open intercourse with west- 
 ern nations, — they had endeavoured, to destroy the 
 wall of separation, which has hitherto debarred the 
 Chinese from marching on in the line of national 
 improvement. Their policy did not admit of this ; 
 the only thing they were desirous of, was to secure the 
 trade to the faithful children of the mother church, 
 and the possession of Macao to the Portuguese. In 
 
21 
 
 the latter, they succeeded ; in the former, all their 
 exertions have been baffled by the superior enter- 
 prising spirit of protestant nations; and their own 
 system of narrow policy has tended, not only to 
 exclude themselves from what they once occupied, 
 but to excite the antipathy of the Chinese govern- 
 ment against every stranger. 
 
 Protestant missionaries, it is to be hoped, will adopt 
 a more liberal pohcy: while they preach the glorious 
 gospel of Christ, they will have to show, that the spread 
 of divine truth, opens the door for every useful art 
 and science ; that unshackled commercial relations 
 will be of mutual benefit; and that foreigners and 
 Chinese, as inhabitants of the same globe, and 
 children of the same Creator, have an equal claim 
 to an amicable intercourse, and a free reciprocal 
 communication. Great obstacles are in the way, 
 and have hitherto prevented the attainment of 
 these objects; but, nevertheless, some preparatory 
 steps have been taken ; such as the completion of a 
 Chinese and English dictionary, by one of the most 
 distinguished members of the protestant mission; 
 the translation of the Bible; the pubhcation of tracts 
 on a great variety of subjects ; the establisment of 
 the Anglo-Chinese college, and numerous schools; 
 and other diiferent proceedings, all for the same 
 purpose. 
 
 One of the greatest inconveniences in our oper- 
 ations has been, that most of our labours, with the 
 exception of those of Drs. Morrison and Milne, were 
 confined to Chinese from the Canton and Fuhkeen 
 provinces, who annually visit the ports of the Indian 
 archipelago, and of whom many become perma- 
 nent residents abroad. When the junks arrived in 
 those ports, we were in the habit of supplying them 
 with books, which found their way to most of the 
 emporiums of the Chinese empire. As no place, 
 south of China, is the rendezvous of so many Chi- 
 nese junks as Siam, that country has been the most 
 
28 
 
 important station for the distribution of Christian and 
 scientific books. And, moreover, a missionary residing 
 there, and coming in contact with a great many 
 people from the different provinces, may render him- 
 self endeared to them, and so gain an opiportunity 
 of entering China, without incurring any great per- 
 sonal risk. 
 
 All these advantages, had long ago determined 
 the minds of Mr. Tomlin and of myself, to make an 
 attempt to enter China, in this unobtruding way; 
 but indisposition snatched from my side a worthy 
 fellow-labourer, and peculiar circumstances pro- 
 longed my stay in Siam, till a great loss in the death 
 of a beloved partner, and a severe illness, made 
 me anxious to proceed on my intended voyage. 
 Although I had been frequently invited to become 
 a passenger, yet my first application to the captain of a 
 junk, destined to Teen-tsin, the commercial emporium 
 of the capital, met with a repulse. This junk, af- 
 terwards left Siam in company with us, and was 
 never more heard of. The refusal of Jin, the captain, 
 was re-echoed by several others; till, unexpectedly, 
 the Siamese ambassador, who had to go to Peking 
 this year, promised to take me gratis to the capital, 
 in the character of his physician. He had great 
 reason to desire the latter stipulation, because sev-' 
 eral of his predecessors had died for want of me- 
 dical assistance. I gladly hailed this opportunity 
 of an immediate entrance into the country, with a de- 
 sire of doing every thing, that Providence should put 
 in my way, and enable me to accomplish. But I was 
 sorely disappointed; for by the intervention of a gen- 
 tleman, who wished to detain me in Siam, the ambas- 
 sador did not fulfill his proposals. 
 
 During this interval of uncertainty, my indisposi- 
 tion had increased to an alarming degree; when 
 I was surprised by the arrival of one of my 
 mercantile Chinese friends, a native of the eastern 
 part of Canton province, who felt himself interested 
 in taking me to China. He used every argument to 
 
29 
 
 prevail on me to embark ; but, as I was verging so fast 
 to the grave, I w^as reluctant to comply. Never- 
 theless Lin-jung (for this was the man's name) suc- 
 ceeded, for his arguments were imperious; and I 
 agreed with captain Sin-shun, the owner of the junk 
 Shun-le, to embark in his vessel for Teen-tsin. This 
 junk was of about 250 tons burden, built in Siam, but 
 holding its license from Canton; it was loaded with 
 sapan wood, sugar, pepper, feathers, calicoes, &c., 
 and was manned by about 50 sailors. 
 
 The 3d of June was the day appointed for our 
 departure. Mr. Hunter, Capt. Dawson, and Mr. 
 MacDalnac, had the kindness to accompany me on 
 board the junk. I am under very great obligations to 
 the first of these gentlemen, for his frequent and ready 
 support, to the utmost of his power, of any measures 
 that could tend towards the civilization of the natives. 
 When I got on board, my cabin, in the steerage, was 
 pointed out to me ; it was a hole, only large enough for 
 a person to lie down in, and to receive a small box. 1 
 had six fellow-passengers. One of them, a captain 
 60 years of age, was obliged to become a passenger, 
 because his own junk was unseaworthy, having sprung 
 aleak whilst moored in the Meinam. He was my de- 
 clared enemy ; a master in opium-smoking (using the 
 drug to the amount of about one dollar per day); a man 
 thoroughly versed in all sorts of villainy ; and averse 
 to the instruction of his countrymen ; though, at the 
 same time, he was well aware of the superiority of 
 Europeans, and knew the value of their arts. His 
 son was an insolent youth, well trained for mer- 
 cantile transactions; and anxious to amass wealth; 
 he became my friend and neighbour. My mercan- 
 tile friend, already mentioned, had a cabin be- 
 neath mine. He was remarkable for deceit- 
 fulness, loquacity, childish pride,, and unnatural 
 crime. His companion in trade was wealthy, self- 
 sufficient, and debauched, but polite. In the prac- 
 tice of wickedness and deceit, no one was superior 
 to captain Fo, another of my fellow-passengers. 
 
This mail had tbriiierly been in command of a Siam- 
 ese junk, bearing tribute to China, and was ship- 
 wrecked on the coast of Pulo Way. On his 
 release from that island, he returned to Bankok. 
 Being skilful in various sorts of workmanship, 
 especially in painting and mechanics, he at length 
 gained so much property, that he was able, this 
 year, to put some hundred peculs of goods on board 
 a junk, and to proceed to China, where he had two 
 wives still living. He was devoted to opium, and 
 prone to lying; but, according to his own declaration, 
 my best friend. 
 
 Our captain, Sin-shun, was a friendly man, well 
 versed in the art of Chinese navigation ; but, unhap- 
 pily, long habituated to opium-smoking. His young- 
 er brother showed himself to be a man of truth ; he 
 was my private friend and associate, in every sort of 
 trouble. One of the captain's brothers-in-law was 
 the clerk; he denominated himself (from the mo- 
 ment I steped onboard), my younger brother ; paid 
 attention to ths instructions of the Gospel; and ab- 
 stained from every sort of idolatry. The pilot claim- 
 ed cousinship with me, being (as he said) of the 
 same clan. He was little versed in the art of navi- 
 gation, but had never been so unlucky as to sail his 
 junk on shore. He was a man of a peaceful temper, 
 a yielding disposition, and a constant object of raillery 
 to the sailors. To all his good qualities, he added 
 that of opium-smoking, in which art he had made 
 considerable proficiency. His assitant was quar- 
 relsome, but more attentive to the navigation than 
 any other individual on board ; and he, also, as is the 
 case with almost all the pilots, was trained up to the 
 use of the drug ; after having inspired the delicious 
 fumes, he would often, against his inclination, sleep 
 at his watch. All the principal persons, on whom 
 depended the management of the vessel, partook 
 freely of this intoxicating luxury ; by which they were 
 alternately, and sometimes simultaneously, rendered 
 unfit for service 
 
31 
 
 When I embarked, though in a very feeble state of 
 body, I cherished the hope, that God, in his mer- 
 cy, would restore me again to health, if it were his 
 good pleasure to employ in his service a being so 
 unworthy as myself — the least, doubtless, of all my 
 fellow-labourers in the Chinese mission. I took 
 with me a large quantity of Christian books, and a 
 small stock of medicines, — the remnant of a large 
 remittance, made, not long before, by some kind 
 English friends. I was also provided with some charts, 
 a quadrant and other instruments to be used in case of 
 emergency. Long before leaving Siam, I became a 
 naturalized subject of the celestial empire, by adoption 
 into the clan or family of Kwo, from the Tung- an 
 district in Fuhkeen. I took, also, the name Shih-lae, 
 — wore, occasionally, the Chinese dress, — and was re- 
 cognized (by those among whom I lived), as a mem- 
 ber of the great nation. Now, I had to conform entirely 
 to the customs of the Chinese, and even to dispense 
 with the use of European books. I gladly met all 
 their propositions, being only anxious to prepare my- 
 self for death; and was joyful in the hope of accept- 
 ance before God, by the mediatorial office of Jesus 
 Christ. My wish to depart from this life was very 
 fervent, yet I had a sincere desire of becoming sub-= 
 servient to the cause of the Redeemer, among the 
 Chinese ; and only on this account I prayed to God 
 for the prolongation of my life. 
 
 In three days after embarking, we passed down 
 the serpentine Meinam, suffering greatly from the 
 swarms of musquitoes, which are a better defence 
 to the country than the miserable forts, built at the 
 mouth of the river. Such was my debility that I 
 could scarcely walk ; I could swallow no food ; and 
 for some time river-water alone served to keep me 
 alive. During the night of the 8th of June, I seemed 
 to be near my end ; my breath almost failed, and I 
 lay stretched out in my berth, without the assistance 
 of a single individual ; for my servant Yu, a Fuhkeen 
 man, thought and acted like all his countrymen, w,ho 
 
give a man up and leave him to his fate, as soon as he 
 is unable to eat rice. While in this exceedingly de- 
 pressed state, so much consciousness remained, that I 
 was able, at length, to rally a little strength, and leave 
 my cabin ; scarcely had I reached the steerage, when 
 a stong vomiting fit freed me from the danger of 
 suffocation . 
 
 On the 9th day of June, we reached the bar, where 
 there is very little depth of water: here we were de- 
 tained for some time. Every vessel built in Siam, has 
 a Siamese noble for >ts patron : the patron of our's 
 was the highest officer in the kingdom, who sent 
 one of his clerks on board, to see us safe out 
 to sea. This man was greatly astonished at 
 seeing me on board a Chinese junk, and express- 
 ed some doubts in regard to my safety. In fact, 
 all my friends expressed their fears for my life, 
 which might fall a prey, either to the rapacity of the 
 sailors, or to the villainy of the mandarins. Many 
 fearful dangers were predicted concerning me ; there 
 was not one individual who approved of my course ; 
 and I had no other consolation than looking up 
 to God, under the consideration that I was in the 
 path of duty. 
 
 In tliTee days we were able to pass the bar, but 
 it was effected with much difficulty. When the tide 
 was in our favour, a cable was thrown out, by means 
 of which the vessel was moved forward, in a man- 
 ner which did high credit to the sailors. 
 
 The people treated me with great kindness ; regret- 
 ted the loss of my wife, whom most of them had seen 
 and knew ; and endeavoured to alleviate my sufferings. 
 In a way which was very irksome. The poor fellows, 
 notwithstanding their scanty fare of salt vegetables 
 and dried rice, and rags hardly sufficient to cover 
 their nakedness, were healthy and cheerful, and 
 some of them even strong. They highly congrat- 
 ulated ,me, that at length I had left the regions of 
 barbarians, to enter the celestial empire. Though 
 most of them were -of mean birth, the major part 
 
33 
 
 could read, and took pleasure in perusing sucb 
 books as they possessed. In the libraries of some 
 of them, I was delighted to find our tracts. It has 
 always afforded me the greatest pleasure, to ob- 
 serve the extensive circulation of Christian books ; 
 this gives me the confident hope, that God, in his 
 great mercy, will make the written word, the means 
 of bringing multitudes of those \y]io read it, to the 
 knowledge and enjoyment of eternal life, 
 
 On the 14th of June, some Siamese came on board 
 to search for me ; not knowing their intentions, I with- 
 drew, If^ at this moment, the message they brought 
 had been delivered to me, my feeble frame would 
 perhaps have fallen ; but it was not till long afterwards 
 that I heard, that my dearest infant daughter had died 
 soon after I embarked. The mournful tidings 'ex- 
 cited the deepest grief. After this, I passed several 
 days alone in my cabin, which was constantly fill- 
 ed with the vile smell of opium fumigation. As 
 soon as the men laid down their pipes, they would 
 indulge in the most obscene and abominable lan- 
 guage; thus adding offence to offence. All this I had 
 to bear patiently, till I acquired sufficient strength 
 to talk with them ; I then adm.onished them, in the 
 plainest terms; and, contrary to my expectations; 
 received, from some, apologies for their ill conduct 
 towards me. 
 
 At length our passengers had all come on board, 
 and the men were beginning to heave the anchor, 
 when it was discovered that the junk was overloaded ; 
 a circumstance which very frequently occurs, as every 
 individual takes as many goods on board as he pleases. 
 The captain had now to go back to Bankok ; imme- 
 diately on his return, some of the cargo Was discharg- 
 ed ; and on June the 18th, we finally got under weigh. 
 But we moved very slowly along the coast of the Si- 
 amese territory, attempting to sail only when the tide 
 was in our favour. Proceeding eastward, we anchored 
 near the promontory and city of Bamplasoi, which is 
 principally inhabited by Chinese, and i« celebrat- 
 
34 
 
 ed for its fisheries and salt works. Here the Siam- 
 ese have some salt inspectors, and keep the comitry 
 in complete subjection. On the 19th, we espied Ko- 
 kram, — formerly the resort of pirates, — it is an island 
 with a temple on its summit, in which is a represen- 
 tation ofBudha in a sleeping posture. On arriving at 
 this place, the Chinese, generally, make an offering to 
 this indolent idol. Those on board the richly laden 
 junks, make an offering of a pig; poor people, are 
 satisfied with a fowl or duck ; both which offerings, are 
 duly consumed by the sailors, after having been ex- 
 posed a short time to the air. Concerning this prac- 
 tice, so repugnant to common sense, I made some 
 satirical remarks, which met with the approbation 
 of the sailors, who, however, were not very anxious 
 to part with the offerings. 
 
 I now began to cherish the hope that my health 
 was recovering, and turned my attention to Chinese 
 books; but great weakness soon compelled me to 
 abandon the pursuit, and to pass my time in idle- 
 ness. My fellow-passengers, meantime, endeavour- 
 ed, by various means, to keep up my spirits, and 
 to amuse me with sundry tales about the beauty 
 of the celestial empire. My thoughts were now 
 more than ever directed to my heavenly abode; I 
 longed to be with Christ, while I felt strong com- 
 passion for these poor beings, who have no other 
 home to hope for than an earthly one. 
 
 After having passed cape Liant, which in most 
 charts is placed too far west by two degrees, we 
 approached Chantibun, a place of considerable trade, 
 and inhabited by Siamese, Chinese, and Cochin- 
 chinese. Pepper, rice, and betelnut, are found here 
 in great abundance; and several junks, principally 
 from Canton, are annually loaded with these ar- 
 ticles. Ships proceeding to China, might occasion- 
 ally touch here, and trade to advantage. 
 
 When my strength was somewhat regained, I took 
 observations regularly, and was requested, by the 
 captain and others, to explain the method of finding 
 
35 
 
 the latitude and longitude. When I had fully ex- 
 plained the theory, the captain wondered that I 
 brought the sun upon a level with the horizon of 
 the sea, and remarked, "if you can do tKis, you can 
 also tell the depth of the water." But as I was 
 unable to give him the soundings, he told me plain- 
 ly, that observations were entirely useless, and truly 
 barbarian. So I lost his confidence; which, how- 
 ever, was soon recovered, when I told him that in 
 a few hours we should see Pulo Way. On this 
 island, 100 years ago, a British fort was erected; 
 but it was afterwards abandoned, on account of the 
 treachery of some Bugees troops, who murdered 
 the English garrison. During the civil wars in Co- 
 chinchina, near the close of the last century, Kaung- 
 chung, the late king, took refuge here, where he lived, 
 for several years, in a most wretched condition. In 
 the year 1790, he made a descent upon his own 
 territory, gained over a party, expelled the usurpers, 
 conquered Tonquin, and by the assistance of Adran, 
 a French missionary, improved the condition of his 
 whole empire. Some time back, the island was 
 the retreat of Malay pirates; but at present, it is 
 the resort only of a few fishermen, and is wholly 
 covered with jungle. 
 
 With the utmost difficulty we arrived at the mouth 
 of the Kang-kau river, in Camboja, where there is a 
 city, which carries on considerable trade with Singa- 
 pore, principally, in rice and mats. The Cochinchinese, 
 pursuing a very narrow policy, shut the door against 
 improvement, and hinder, as far as they can, the trade 
 of the Chinese. They think it their highest policy to 
 keep the Cambojans in utter poverty, that they may 
 remain their slaves for ever. Among the several junks 
 at this place, we saw the " tribute bearer," having on 
 board the Siamese ambassador. Though the Siam- 
 ese acknowledge, nominally, the sovereignty of 
 China, and show their vassalage, by sending to 
 Peking, tribute of all the productions of their own 
 country; yet the reason of their paying homage 
 
36 
 
 BO regularly, is gain. The vessels sent on these 
 expeditions are exempt from duty, and being 
 very large, are consequently very profitable; but, 
 the management of them is intrusted to Chinese, 
 who take care to secure to themselves a good share 
 of the gains. Within a few years several of these 
 junks have been wrecked ^ 
 
 On July 4th, we reached Pulo Condore, called by 
 the Chinese Kwun-lun. This island is inhabited by 
 Cochinchinese fishermen. The low coast of Cam- 
 boja presents nothing to attract attention; but the 
 country seems well adapted for the cultivation of rice. 
 When we passed this place, the Cochinchinese 
 squadron, fearful of a descent of the Siamese on 
 Luknooi, were ready to repel any attack. Of eight 
 junks loaded with betelnut this year at Luknooi, and 
 destined to Teen-tsin, only four reached that harbour ; 
 and of these, one was wrecked on her return voyage. 
 
 At this time, though I was suffering much from 
 fear and sickness, I found rich consolation in the 
 firm belief, that the gospel of God would be carried 
 into China, whatever might be the result of the 
 first attempts. The perusal of John's gospel, which 
 details the Saviour's transcendent love, was encour- 
 aging and consoling, though as yet I could not see 
 that peculiar love extended to China ; but God will 
 send the word of eternal life to a nation hitherto 
 unvisited by the life-giving influences of the Holy 
 Ghost. — ^In these meditations, I tasted the pov/ers 
 of the world to come, and lost myself in the adoration 
 of that glorious name, the only one given under 
 heaven whereby we must be saved. Under such 
 circumstances, it was easy to bear all the contempt 
 that was heaped on me; neither did the kindness 
 of some individuals make me forget, that there were 
 dishonest men around me, and that I owed my pres- 
 ervation solely to the divine protection. 
 
 The coast of Tsiompa is picturesque, the country 
 itself closely overgrown with jungle, and thinly inhab- 
 
37 
 
 ited by the aborigines, and by Cochinchinese and 
 Malays. I could gain very little information of this 
 region ; even the Chinese do not often trade thither ; 
 but it appears, that the natives are in the habit of 
 sending their articles, to some of the neighbouring 
 harbours, visited by the Chinese. 
 
 Here v^^e saw large quantities of fish in every di- 
 rection, and good supplies of them v^ere readily 
 caught. By chance, some very large ones w^ere taken ; 
 and a person who had always much influence in the 
 deliberations of the company advised, that such 
 should be offered to the mother of heaven, Ma-tsoo- 
 po. The propriety of this measure I disputed strong- 
 ly, and prevailed on the sailors not to enhance their 
 guilt, by consecrating the creatures of God to idols. 
 
 From Pulo Condore the wind was in our favour, 
 and in five days we passed the coast of Cochinchina. 
 The islands, and promontories of this coast have a very 
 romantic appearance; particularly Padaran, Varela, 
 and San-ho. Many rivers and rivulets disembogue 
 themselves along the coast; and the sea abounds with 
 fish, which seem to be a principal article of food with 
 the natives. Hundreds of boats are seen cruising in 
 every direction. The Cochinchinese are a very poor 
 people, and their condition has been made more ab- 
 ject by the late revolution. Hence they are very 
 economical in their diet, and sparing in their ap- 
 parel. The king is well aware of his own poverty and 
 that of his subjects, but is averse to opening a 
 trade with Europeans, which might- remedy this 
 evil. The natives themselves are open and frank, 
 and anxious to conciliate the favour of strangers. 
 
 On the 10th of July, we saw Teen-fung, a high 
 and rugged rock. The joy of the sailors was 
 extreme, this being the first object of their native 
 country which they espied. Teen-fung is about three 
 or four leagues from Hainan. This island is wholly 
 surrounded by mountains, while the interior has 
 many level districts, where rice and sugar are cultiva- 
 
38 
 
 ted. There are aborigines, not unlike the inhabi- 
 tants of Manilla, who live in the forests and moun- 
 tains ; but the principal inhabitants are the descend- 
 ants of people, who, some centuries back, came from 
 Fuhkeen ; and who, though they have changed in 
 their external appearance, still bear traces of their 
 origin, preserved in their language. They are a most 
 friendly people, always cheerful, always-kind. In their 
 habits they are industrious, clean, and very persever- 
 ing. To a naturally inquisitive mind, they join love of 
 truth, which, however, they are slow in accepting. The 
 Roman catholic missionaries very early perceived the 
 amiableness of this people, and were successful in 
 their endeavours to convert them ; and to this day, 
 many of the people profess to be christians, and 
 seem anxious to prove themselves such. 
 
 Hainan is, on the whole, a barren country ; and, 
 with the exception of timber, rice, and sugar (the latter 
 of which is principally carried to the north of China), 
 there are no articles of export. The inhabitants carry 
 on some trade abroad; they visit Tonquin, Cochin- 
 china, Siam, and also Singapore. On their voyages to 
 Siam, they cut timber along the coasts of Tsiom- 
 pa and Camboja ; and when they arrive at Bankok 
 buy an additional quantity, with which they build 
 junks. In two months a junk is finished, — the sails, 
 ropes, anchor, and all the other work, being done by 
 their own hands. These junks are then loaded with 
 cargoes, saleable at Canton or on their native isl- 
 and; and both junks and cargoes being sold, the 
 profits are divided among the builders. Other 
 junks, loaded with rice, and bones for manure, are 
 usually despatched for Hainan. 
 
 During my residence in Siam, I had an extensive 
 intercourse with this people. They took a partic- 
 ular delight in perusing Christian books, and con- 
 versing on the precepts of the gospel. And almost 
 all of those, who came annually to Bankok, took away 
 books, as valuable presents to their friends at home. 
 Others spoke of the good effects produced by the 
 
39 
 
 books, and invited me to visit their country. Hiinl- 
 bly trusting in the mercies of our God and Re- 
 deemer, that he will accomplish, in his own time, 
 the good work which has been commenced, 1 would 
 invite some of my brethren to make this island the 
 sphere of their exertions, and to bring the joyful 
 tidings of the gospel to a people anxious to receive 
 its precious contents. 
 
 As soon as the first promontory of the Chinese 
 continent was in sight, the captain was prompt and 
 liberal in making sacrifices, and the sailors were 
 not backward in feasting upon them. Great num- 
 bers of boats appeared in all directions, and made 
 the scene very lively. We were becalmed in sight 
 of the Lema islands, and suffered much from 
 the intense heat. While there was not wind enough 
 to ruffle the dazzling surface of the sea, we were 
 driven on by the current to the place of our des- 
 tination, Soakah,* in Chaou-chow-foo, the most east- 
 ern department ofCanton province, bordering onFuh- 
 keen. This district, is extensive, and closely peopled. 
 The inhabitants occupy every portion of it ; and must 
 amount, at a moderate calculation, to three or four 
 millions. Its principal ports, are Ting-hae (the chief 
 emporium), Ampeh, Hae-eo, Kit-eo and Jeao-ping. 
 The people are, in general, mean, uncleanly, avari- 
 cious, but affable and fond of strangers. Necessity urges 
 them to leave their native soil, and more than 5000 
 of them go, every year, to the various settlements 
 of the Indian archipelago, to Cochinchina, and to 
 Hainan, or gain their livelihood as sailors. Being 
 neighbours to the inhabitants of Fuhkeen, the dialects 
 
 * On page 20 (56 in the Repository) , Soo-ae^kea has been given as the 
 Mandarin pronunciation of this name. This, it appears, is incorrect; but 
 the Chinese characters, and, consequently, the Mandarin pronunciation, of. 
 this and several other names in the following pages, we are unable to as- 
 certain; Mr G. having only incerted, in the MS. he left with us, the names 
 of the places, according to their Fuhiceen pronunciation. Ting-hae is Ching- 
 hae-heen, and Jeao-ping is Jeaou-ping-heen. Hae-eo, and Kit-eo, we believe 
 to be Hae-yang-heen, and Kee-yang-heen. Soakah is a small' port near the 
 mouth of the Jaou-ping river. 
 
40 
 
 of the two people are very similar, but in their manuers 
 there is a great difference. This dissimilarity in their 
 customs, joined to the similarity of their pursuits, has 
 given rise to considerable rivalry, which, frequently, 
 results in open hostilty. But the Fuhkeen men 
 have gained the ascendency, and use all their in- 
 fluence to destroy the the trade of their competitors. 
 
 Our sailors were natives of this district, and anx- 
 ious to see their families after a year's absence. As, 
 however, our junk had no permit, we could not enter 
 the river of Soakah, but had to anchor in the harbour 
 of Nan-aou (or Namoh), w^hilst passage boats came 
 in all directions to carry the men to their homes. 
 Rice being very cheap in Siam, every sailor had 
 provided a bag or tW'O, as a present to his family. 
 In fact, the chief thing they wish and work for, is 
 rice ; their domestic accounts are regulated by the 
 quantity of rice consumed ; their meals, according to 
 the number of bowls of it boiled ; and their exertions, 
 according to the quantity wanted. Every substitute for 
 this delicious food is considered meagre, and indica- 
 tive of the greatest wretchedness. When they can- 
 not obtain a sufficient quantity to satisfy their ape- 
 tites, they supply the deficiency of rice with an equal 
 weight of water. Inquiring whether the western bar- 
 barians eat rice, and finding me slow to give them 
 an answer, they exclaimed ; "O, the steril regions of 
 barbarians, which produce not the necessaries of 
 life ! Strange, that the inhabitants have not, long ago, 
 died of hunger!" I endeavoured to show them 
 that we had substitutes for rice, which were equal 
 if not superior to it. But all to no purpose; and 
 they still maintained, that it is only rice which can 
 properly sustain the life of a human being. 
 
 When most of the sailors had left the junk, I was 
 led to reflect on their miserable condition. Almost 
 entirely destitute of clothes and money, they return 
 home, and in a few days hurry away, again to en- 
 counter new dangers, and new perils. But, however 
 wretched their present condition may be, their 
 
41 
 
 prospects for eternity are far more deplorable. 
 Reprobates in this life, they tremble to enter into 
 eternity, of which they have very confus.ed ideas. 
 They defy God, who rules over the seas ; they curse 
 their parents who gave them life ; they are enemies 
 to each other, and seem entirely regardless of the 
 future ; they glory in their shame ; and do not star- 
 tle when convicted of being the servants of Satan. 
 
 It was the 17th of July, when we anchored in the 
 harbour of Namoh. The island, from which this 
 harbour takes its name, is mostly barren rock, con- 
 sisting of two mountains connected by a narrow isth- 
 mus, in lat. 26 deg. 28min.N.; long. 116deg.39min. 
 E. It is a military station ; it has a fort ; and is a place 
 of considerable trade, which is carried on between 
 the people of Fuhkeen and Canton. The harbour is 
 spacious and deep, but the entrance is difficult and 
 dangerous. 
 
 The entrance' of the Soakah river is very shal- 
 low; but numerous small craft, principally from 
 Ting-hae, are seen here. The duties, as well as 
 the permit to enter the river, are very high; but 
 the people know how to elude the mandarins; as 
 the mandarins do, the Emperor. Ting-hae is a large 
 place, tolerably well built, and inhabited, principally, 
 by merchants, fishermen, and sailors. The produc- 
 tions of the surrounding country are not sufficient 
 to maintain the inhabitants, who contrive various 
 ways and means, to gain a livelihood. There is 
 no want of capital or merchants, but a great lack 
 of honesty and upright dealing. 
 
 As soon as we had anchored, iiumeroas boats sur- 
 rounded us, with females on board. I addressed the 
 sailors who remained in the junk, and hoped that I 
 had prevailed on them, in some degree, to curb their 
 evil passions. But, alas ! no sooner had I left the 
 deck, than they threw off all restraint ; and the dis- 
 gusting scene which ensued, might well have entitled 
 vnr vessel to the name of Sodom. Parents prosti- 
 
A2 
 
 tuted their daughteys; husbands, their wives; broth- 
 ers, their sisters ; — and this they did, not only with- 
 out remorse, but with diaboUcal joy. The sailors, un- 
 mindful oF their starving families at home, and dis- 
 tracted, blinded, stupified by sensuality, seemed will- 
 ing to give up ought and every thing they possessed, 
 rather than abstain from that crime, which entails 
 misery, disease, and death. Having exhausted all 
 their previous earnings, they became a prey to wreck- 
 less remorse, and gloomy despair. As their vicious 
 partners were opium-smokers by habit, and drunk- 
 ards by custom, it was necessary that strong drink 
 and opium should be provided ; and the retailers of 
 these articles, were soon present to lend a helping 
 hand. Thus, all these circumstances conspired to 
 nourish vice, to squander property, and to render 
 the votaries cf crime most unhappy. When all their 
 resources failed, the men became furious, and watch- 
 ed for an opportunity to reimburse their loss, either 
 by decit or force. Observing my trunks well secured, 
 it was surmised by the sailors, that they contained 
 silver and gold; and a conspiracy was formed to 
 cleave my head with a hatchet, , and to seize the 
 trunks, and divide the money among themselves. In 
 favour of this scheme it was stated, that I did not 
 understand the use of money, and that they them- 
 selves could appropriate it to the very best advantage. 
 All the persons who formed this plot were opium- 
 smokers ; the leader was an old sailor, and, nominal- 
 ly, my friend. Just as they were about to execute 
 their plan, an old man came forward and declared to 
 them, that a few days before he had seen the trunks 
 opened, and that they contained nothing but books, 
 which they might obtain without cleaving my head. 
 Witnesses were then called, and it being satisfactorily 
 ascertained that such was the fact, in regard to the 
 trunks, they all agreed to desist from the execution 
 of their plot. 
 
 In the midst of such abominations, the feeble voice 
 of exhortation was not entirely disregarded. Some 
 
AS 
 
 individuals williiioly tuliowed my advice. A young 
 man, who had repeatedly heard the gospel, and anx- 
 iously inquired about his eternal destinies, was re- 
 claimed; and, covered with shame and penetrated 
 with a sense of guilt, he acknowledged the insuffi- 
 ciency of all moral precepts, if no heavenly principle 
 influenced the heart. 
 
 My visitors were very numerous ; they generally 
 thought me to be a pilot or mate, and behaved very 
 politely. In the long conversations I held with them, 
 they seemed attentive, and not entirely ignorant of 
 the doctrines of Christianity; and they frequently 
 noticed as a proof of its power, the mere circum- 
 stance, that one of its votaries stood unmoved, while 
 the stream of vice carried away every thing around 
 him. To these visitors I distributed the word of life; 
 expressing my earnest wish, that it might prove the 
 means of their salvation. There was one old man, 
 who stated, that he had two sons, literary graduates, 
 whom, as he himself was hasting to the grave, he 
 wished to see reading the exhortations to the world 
 (so they call our Christian books). I enjoyed myself 
 in the company of some other individuals, to whom 
 it was intimatedy that we should endeavour to estab- 
 lish a mission at this place, since so many millions 
 of their countrymen were without any means of 
 knowing the way of salvation. 
 
 The return of the captain, who had been on shore, 
 checked the progress of vice. Being a man of firm 
 principle, he drove out the prostitutes, and brought 
 the men to order;— his vigilance, however^ was in 
 some instances eluded; but when those wretched 
 beings had obtained their money (their great object), 
 they, generally, of their own accord, abandoned the 
 junk. I had now full scope to speak to those around 
 me of the folly and misery of such conduct ; and I 
 was successful in applying the discourse to them- 
 selves. The Chinese, generally, will bear with just 
 reproof, and even heap eulogiums on those who ad- 
 minister it. 
 
44 
 
 Here I saw many natives famishing for want of 
 food; they would greedily seize, and were very 
 thankful for the smallest quantities of rice thrown 
 out to them. Though healthy, and strong, and able 
 to work, they complained of want of employment, and 
 the scarcity of the means of subsistence.* Urged on 
 by poverty, some of them become pirates, and in 
 the night time surprise and plunder the junks in the 
 harbour. When fourteen days had elapsed, ull were 
 anxious to depart, because their treasure was ex- 
 hausted, and the opportunities for farther expendi- 
 tures were only the means of tantalizing and annoying 
 them. As we were getting under weigh, an old man 
 predicted, that we should have to encounter storms ; 
 but this did not deter us from proceeding. Many 
 junks, loaded with sugar for the north of China, left 
 the harbour in company with us. 
 
 On July 30th, we passed Amoy, the principal 
 emporium of Fuhkeen province, and the residence of 
 numerous merchants, who are the owners of more 
 than 300 large junks, and who carry on an extensive 
 commerce, not only to all the ports of China, but to 
 many also in the Indian archipelago. Notwithstand- 
 ing the heavy duties levied on exports and imports, 
 these merchants maintain their trade, and baffle the 
 efforts of the mandarins. They would hail, with joy 
 any opportunity of opening a trade with Europeans, 
 and would, doubtless, improve upon that of Canton. 
 
 On the following day, favourable winds continued 
 till we reached the channel of Formosa (or Tae-wan). 
 This island has flourished greatly since it has been 
 in the possession of the Chinese, who go thither, 
 generally, from Tung-an in Fuhkeen, as colonists, 
 and who gain a livelihood by trade, and the cultiva- 
 
 * In the department of Chaou-chow-foo, to which these remarks apply, as 
 also in the neighbouring province of Fuhkeen, and in the adjoining de- 
 partment of Hwuy-chow-foo in this province, famine has very generally 
 prevailed during the last few months. Pirates, consequently, abound, and 
 insurrections have in several cases occurred: numbers of peasants also are 
 Induced, by hunger and want of employment, to join the secret associations 
 of banditti which infest China, particularly its southern provinces. 
 
45 
 
 tion of rice, sugar, and camphor. Formosa has sev- 
 eral deep and spacious harbours, but all the entrances 
 are extremely shallow. The trade is carried on in 
 small junks belonging to Amoy; they goto all the 
 western ports of the island, and either return loaded 
 with rice, or go up to the north of China with sugar. 
 The rapidity with which this island has been colon- 
 ised, and the edvantages it affords for the colonists 
 to throw off their allegiance, have induced the Chi- 
 nese government to adopt restrictive measures ; and 
 no person can now emigrate without a permit. The 
 colonists are wealthy, and unruly; and hence there 
 are numerous revolts, which are repressed with great 
 difficulty, because the leaders, withdrawing to the 
 mountains, stand out against the government to the 
 very uttermost. In no part of China are executions 
 so frequent as they are here ; and in no place do they 
 produce a less salutary influence. The literati are very 
 successful; and people in Fuhkeen sometimes send 
 their sons to Formosa to obtain literary degrees. 
 
 Northerly winds, with a high sea, are very frequent 
 in the channel of Formosa. When we had reached 
 Ting-hae, in the department of Fuh-chow-foo, the 
 wind, becoming more and more adverse, compelled 
 us to change our course; and fearing that stormy 
 weather would overtake us, we came to anchor near 
 the island of Ma-oh (or Ma-aou), on which the god- 
 dess Ma-tsoo-po is said to have lived. Here we 
 were detained some time. The houses on the coast, 
 are well built; the people seemed poor, but honest ; 
 and are principally employed in fishing, and in rear- 
 ing gourds. Their country is very rocky. 
 
 A few miles in the interior are the tea hills, where 
 thousands of people find employment. The city of 
 Fuh-chow-foo, the residence of the governor of Fuh- 
 keen and Chekeang, is large and well built. Small 
 vessels can enter the river ; the harbour of Ting-hae 
 is deep, and very spacious. We saw there numerous 
 junks laden with salt, also some fishing craft. 
 
-46 
 
 When we were preparing to leave the harbour, an- 
 other gale came on, and forced us to anchor ; but ni- 
 s^ead of choosing an excellent anchorage which was 
 near tons, &, station was selected in the neighbourhood 
 of rocks, where our lives were placed in great danger. 
 The next day the storm increased, and the gale be- 
 came a tornado, which threatened to whelm us in 
 the foaming billows. The junk was exposed to the 
 united fury of the winds and waves, and we expect- 
 ed every moment that she would be dashed in pieces. 
 The rain soon began to descend in torrents, and 
 every part of the vessel w^as thoroughly drenched. 
 
 For several days Egyptian darkness hung over us : 
 with composure I could look up to God our Saviour, 
 could rejoice in his promises, and w^as fully confident, 
 that he M^ould neither leave nor forsake us. I was al- 
 most the only person who ventured on deck; for it 
 is customary with the Chinese, in bad weather, to 
 take shelter and repose in their cabins, till the tem- 
 pest is over. At the present juncture, they were dis- 
 pelling their cares by sleeping and opium -smoking. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this, they formed a plot, prin- 
 cipally on account of the riches which they sup- 
 posed me to possess, to sink the junk, to seize on 
 the money, and then to flee in a small boat to the 
 neighbouring shore. Having gained some infor- 
 mation of their designs, I left my cabin and walked 
 near them with wonted cheerfulness. The ring- 
 leaders seeing this, and observing the approach of 
 a Canton junk at the same time, desisted from 
 their treacherous scheme. 
 
 It was most evident that these heroes in wicked- 
 ness were cowards; they trembled, and their cour- 
 age failed them, in the hour of approaching death. 
 For ten days we were in suspense between life and 
 death; when, at length, God in his mercy sent 
 again his sun to shine, and clothed the firmament 
 with brightness. I could now feel with Noah, and 
 render praise to God our great benefactor. While 
 
47 
 
 I was thus engaged, some of our fellow-passeiigerss 
 went on shore; unconscious of the object of tlieir 
 visit, I was rather puzzled when I saw them re- 
 turning in their state dress ; but soon suspected, 
 (what was true), that they had been to the temple 
 of Ma-tsoo-po, to render homage to their protectress. 
 At such an act of defiance, after such a signal de- 
 liverance, I was highly indignant, and rebuked them 
 sharply. One of them held his peace ; the other 
 acknowledged his guilt, and promised, in future, to 
 be more thankful to the Supreme Ruler of all things. 
 He remarked, that it was only a pilgrimage to the 
 birth place of the goddess, and that he had only 
 thrice prostrated himself before her image. I told 
 him, that on account of such conduct he had great rea- 
 son to fear the wrath of God would overtake him ; 
 when he heard that, he kept a solemn silence. 
 
 The temple of Ma-tsoo-po is not very splendid, 
 though it has been built at a great expense. The 
 priests are numerous, and well maintained, the num-> 
 ber of pilgrims being very great. When we were 
 about to sail, a priest came on board with some 
 candlesticks and incense, which, being sacred to the 
 goddess, had power, it was supposed, to secure the 
 vessel against imminent dangers. He held up in his 
 hand a biography of the goddess, and was eloquenUn 
 trymg to persuade the people to make large offerings. 
 The priest belonging to our junk replied to him,, 
 "We are already sanctified, and need no additional 
 goodness ; — go to others who are wanting in devo- 
 tion." I improved this opportunity to remark on the 
 sinfulness of paying homage to their goddess ; and 
 reminded them how, during the storm, the idol 
 shook and would have fallen into the sea, if they 
 had not caught it with their own hands. The priest, 
 anxious to maintain his ground, said, " Ah ! she was 
 angry." I replied, " She is weak — away with an image 
 that cannot protect itself — cast it into the sea, and 
 let us see if it has power to rescue itself,". 
 
48 
 
 The people from tlie tea plantations, who came 
 on board our junk, were civil, and characterized by 
 a simplicity of manner which was very commendable. 
 I conversed much with them; asked them many 
 questions ; and was pleased with the propriety and 
 correctness of their answers. 
 
 Before we left Namoh, our captain, the owner of 
 the junk, attracted by the pleasures of domestic life, 
 had charged his uncle with the management of the 
 vessel, and left us. This new captain was an elderly 
 man, who had read a great deal, and who could 
 write with readiness, and was quite , conversant with 
 the character of Europeans. These good qualities, 
 however, were clouded by his ignorance of navigation, 
 and by his habitual roguishness. His younger broth- 
 er, a proud man and without experience, was a mere 
 drone. He had a bad cough, and was covered with 
 the itch; and being my mess-mate, he was exceed- 
 ingly annoying, and often spoiled our best meals. 
 Our daily food was rather sparing, — it consisted 
 principally of rice and of salted and dried vegetables. 
 When any thing extra was obtained, it was seized 
 so greedily, that my gleanings were scanty indeed; 
 yet I trusted in the Lord, who sweetened the most 
 meagre meals, and made me cheerful and happy 
 under every privation. 
 
 A large party was, at one time, formed against me, 
 who disapproved of my proceedings as a missionary. 
 My books, they said, were not wanted at Teen- 
 tsin ; there were priests enough already, and they had 
 long ago made every needful provision for the peo- 
 ple. And as for medical aid, there were hundreds 
 of doctors, who, rather than allow me to do it, would 
 gladly take charge of the poor and the sick. More- 
 over, they all expressed their fears that I should 
 become a prey to rogues, — who are very numerous 
 throughout China. But when I told them that I 
 proceeded as the servant of Shang-te (the Supreme 
 Ruler), and did not fear the wrath of man in a good 
 
49 
 
 cause, they held their peace. By a reference to the 
 immorality of their lives, I could easily silence all 
 their objections ; — " If you are really under thp in- 
 fluence of the transforming laws of the celestial em- 
 pire, as you all affirm, why do those rules prove so 
 weak a restraint on your vicious practices, whilst the 
 gospel of Christ preserves its votaries from .wicked- 
 ness and crime'?" They replied, "We are indeed sin- 
 ners, and are lost irremediably." — "But," I inquired, 
 "have you never read the books I gave you, which 
 assure us that Jesus died for the worldl"— " Yes, we 
 have ; but we find that they contain much which 
 does not accord with the truth." To show them that 
 they were wrong, I took one of the books of Scrip- 
 ture and went through it, sentence by sentence, 
 showing them that the gospel vvas not only profitable 
 for this life, but also for the life to come. This 
 procedure put them to shame ; and from that time 
 they ceased to offer their objections, and adniitted 
 the correctness of the principles of the gospel and 
 their happy tendency on the human heart. 
 
 As soon as we had come in sight of the Chu-san (or 
 Chow-shan) islands, which are in lat. 29 deg. 22 min. 
 N., we were again becalmed. The sailors, anxious 
 to proceed, collected among themselves some gilt 
 paper, and formed it into the shape of a junk; and, 
 after marching a while in procession to the peal of 
 the gong, launched the paper junk into the sea, 
 but obtained no change of weather in consequence 
 of this superstitious rite ; the calm still continued, 
 and was even more oppressive than before. 
 
 The city of Chu-san (or Chow-shan), situated in 
 lat. 30 deg. 26 min. N., has fallen into decay, since it has 
 ceased to be visited by European vessels ; its harbour, 
 however, is the rendezvous of a few native junks. 
 Ning-po, which is situated a short distance westward 
 of Chusan, is the principal emporium of Che-keang 
 province. Native vessels, belonging to this place, 
 are generally of about 200 tons burden, and have 
 four oblong sails, which are made of cloth. These 
 
vessels, which are similar to those of Keangnaii 
 province, trade mostly to the north of China; cop- 
 per cash, reduced to about one half the value of the 
 currency, is their principal article of export. 
 
 About the 20th of August, we reached the mouth 
 of the river Yang-tsze-keang, on the banks of which 
 stands the city of Seanghae (Seang~hae-heen), the 
 emporium of Nanking, and of the whole of Keangnan 
 province; and, as far as the native trade is con- 
 cerned, perhaps the principal commercial city in 
 the empire. It is laid out with great taste; the 
 temples are very numerous; the houses, neat and 
 comfortable; and the inhabitants polite, though ra- 
 ther servile in their manners. Here, as at Ning-po, 
 the trade is chiefly carried on by Fuhkeen men. 
 More than a thousand small vessels go up to the 
 north, several times annually, exporting silk and 
 other Keangnan manufactures, and importing peas 
 and medical drugs. Some few junks, owned by 
 Fuhkeen men, go to the Indian archipelago, and 
 return with very rich cargoes. 
 
 It was with great difficulty that we reached the ex- 
 tremity of the Shantung promontory, in lat. 37 deg. 
 23 min. N. ; and when we did so, the wind continuing 
 unfavorable, we cast anchor at Leto (Le-taou, an 
 island in the bay of Sang-kow), where there is a 
 spacious and deep harbour, surrounded by rocks, 
 with great shoals on the left side. This was on the 
 23d of August. There were several vessels in the 
 harbour, driven thither by the severity of the weath- 
 er. At one extremity of Le-to harbour, a small town 
 is situated. The surrounding country is rocky, and 
 productive of scarcely anything, except a few fruits. 
 The houses are built of granite, and covered with 
 sea-weeds; within they were very poorly furnished. 
 The people themselves were rather neat in their 
 appearance, and polite in their manners, but not of 
 high attainments. Though very little conversant 
 with their written character, they nevertheless spoke 
 the mandarin dialect better than I had ever before 
 
51 
 
 heard it. Tliey seemed very poor, and had few 
 means of subsistence; but they appeared indus- 
 trious, and laboured hard to gain a Uvehhood. I 
 visited them in their cottages, and was treated with 
 much kindness, — even invited to a dinner, where the 
 principal men of the place were present. As their 
 attention was much attracted towards me, being a 
 stranger, I took occasion to explain the reason of 
 my visiting their country, and amply gratified their 
 curiosity. They paid me visits in return ; some of 
 them called me Se-yang-tsze, 'child of the western 
 ocean;' and others a foreign-born Chinese; but the 
 major part of them seemed to care little about the 
 place of my nativity. 
 
 Apples, grapes, and some other fruits we found 
 here in abundance ; and such refreshments were very 
 acceptable after having lived for a long time on 
 dry rice' and salt vegetables. Fish also were plentiful 
 and cheap. The common food of the inhabitants is 
 the Barbadoes millet, called kaou-leang ; they grind it 
 in a mill, which is worked by asses, and eat it like 
 rice. There were several kinds of the leang grain, 
 which differed considerably in taste as well as in size. 
 
 Some sales were made here, but the people were 
 too poor to trade to any considerable extent. It is 
 worthy of remark that, in the very neighbourhood of 
 the place where Confucius was born, the moral 
 precepts of that sage are (as I had opportunity to 
 witness) trampled upon, and even when referred to 
 are treated with scorn. Here our sailors, especially 
 those who went to" visit the temple of Ma-tsoo-po, 
 were again ensnared by wretched women — the 
 most degraded beings I ever beheld. But the poor 
 fellows soon felt the consequences of their wicked 
 conduct ; for some of them had not only to sell their 
 little stock of merchandise, but were also visited with 
 loathsome disease. Often did they lament their 
 folly ; and as often did they remark, that they had 
 no power to become better men. A disgrace to 
 human nature — a scene at which even the corrupted 
 
heart of man revolts,— girls scarcely twelve years of 
 age were given up to the beastly passions of the men ! 
 Some of my fellow passengers, when they had re- 
 covered their senses, felt keenly the stings of con- 
 science. Captain Eo was among this number; — "I 
 ajn a forlorn wretch," said he; "in vain I strive 
 against vice, every day brings me nearer eternal 
 destruction." Though he endeavoured to stifle re- 
 iporse, by placing an idol in his cabin, and by re- 
 peating his "O-me-to-Fuh" (i. e. Amida Budha, an 
 expression which commences most prayers to that 
 deity), yet all his efforts were in vain ; his heart be- 
 came more depraved, his superstitions more strong, 
 and he seemed utterly incorrigible. He would oft- 
 en remark, as 1 sat with him in his cabin, talking 
 about the gospel of Christ, — " I have no friend; all 
 my vicious companions forsook me when I was 
 wrecked on Pulo Way; the little property I now^ 
 have is only suffiicient to support myself alone ; 
 but I have a family at home, who are looking to 
 me for support, while I am giving myself up to 
 folly and vice." The body of this poor man was 
 emaciated, and he passed most of his time in sleep. 
 Occasionally he would enter into conversation with 
 captain Hae, his neighbour, who was a great pro- 
 ficient in iniquitous schemes and practices. In con- 
 vjersation, during the night-time, they would relate to 
 each other the particulars of their feats ; it was painful 
 to hear their narrations, especially when I remem- 
 bered that, in the case of Eo, they proceeded from the 
 lips of a hoary-headed man, who, after a wicked life 
 of more than sixty years, was fast verging to the 
 grave. O what must be the company of hell, 
 where all the heroes of wickedness meet, and hold 
 eternal intercourse, making daily progress in sin^ 
 Although my sentiments were entirely at variance 
 with those of Eo, he frequently showed me marks 
 of real kindness, lamented my lonely state, and fear- 
 ed that 1 should fall a prey to wicked men, because 
 I was over righteous. He would sometimes give me 
 
53 
 
 accounts of geography, according to the popular no- 
 tions of the Chinese, which he considered as the 
 only correct ones, and ours as altogether erroneous. 
 As he was a painter he drew a map, in which Africa 
 was placed near Siberia, and Corea in the neigh- 
 bourhood of some unknown country, which he 
 thought might be America. Though his ideas were 
 ridiculous, he possessed a good understanding; and 
 had he not been debased by idolatry and crime, he 
 might have formed a talented and useful member 
 of society. But, alas ! Satan first debars God's; 
 creatures from improvement, and then reduces them 
 to the level of brutes. 
 
 The vessels of the last English Embassy touched, 
 it seems, at Le-to, and their stay there was still fresh 
 in the recollection of the natives. They frequently 
 referred to those majestic ships, which might have 
 spread destruction in every direction ; and to this 
 day they are over-awed and tremble, even at the 
 mention of the Kea-pan^ ships, as European vessels 
 are denominated. I was closely questioned on this 
 subject, but as I was not well^nformed respecting the 
 expedition, I could give them no satisfactory answers ; 
 I was able, however by describing the character of 
 Europeans, in some degree, to quiet their minds. — 
 "If," said I, " they had come to injure you, they would 
 have done so immediately, but as they came and went 
 away peaceably, they ought to be considered as the 
 friends of the Chinese." My reasoning however, was 
 of little avail ; — " They were not traders," they repli- 
 ed ; ''if they had been, we should have hailed them as; 
 friends ; but they came with guns, and as men never 
 do any thing without design, they must have had some 
 object, and that object must have been conquest. 
 Those mandarins who did not inform the Em- 
 peror of their arrival were severely punished ; and 
 how could this have been done, if he had not per- 
 ceived an ultra design 1 " 
 
 * We are unable to ascertain the meaning of this term Kea-pan. It may 
 perhaps be derived from Captain or some other foreign word. 
 
54 
 
 Europe is supposed, by a great majority of the 
 Chinese, to be a small country, inhabited by a 
 few merchants, who speak different languages, and 
 who maintain themselves principally by their com- 
 merce with China. With a view to correct their 
 ideas, I gave them some account of the different 
 nations who inhabit Europe, but all to no purpose ; 
 the popular belief, that it is merely a small island, 
 containing only a few thousands of inhabitants, was 
 too strong to be removed. 
 
 They were anxious, however, to know from 
 whence all the dollars came, which are brought to 
 China ; and when I told them more of the western 
 world, they expressed a wish to go thither, because 
 they thought gold and silver must be as abundant 
 there, as granite is in China ; but when I told them 
 that in going thither they could see no land for 
 many days, they became unwilling to engage for 
 such a voyage ; — "For where," they earnestly inquir- 
 ed, " shall we take shelter and come to anchor, 
 when storms overtake us] And whither shall we 
 find refuge when once we are wrecked 1" 
 
 Though they soon abandoned the idea of visiting 
 Europe, they were still desirous to gain some more 
 information about dollars, and requested me to teach 
 them the art of making them of tin or lead ; for 
 many of them believe that the English are able, 
 by a certain process, to change those metals into 
 silver. As they considered me an adept in every art, 
 except divinity, they were much disappointed when 
 I told them, that I neither understood the secret, 
 nor believed that there was any mortal who did. 
 This statement they discredited, and maintained that 
 the English, as they were rich and had many 
 great ships and splendid factories in Canton, and 
 had no means of obtaining riches except by this 
 art, must of necessity be able to change the inferior 
 metals into gold. This same strange notion is 
 beheved in Siam; and I have been earnestly im- 
 portuned by individuals to teach them this valu- 
 
55 
 
 able art ; silver ore has been sent to me also with the 
 request, that I would extract the silver, and form it 
 into dollars. The reason of their so frequently 
 conspiring against me seems to have been, that 1 
 acted with liberality and honesty towards every one, 
 and did not engage in trade ; and hence they inferred 
 that I made silver and coined money, and by these 
 means had always a stock on hand, sufficient to 
 defray my expenses. 
 
 After staying several days at Le-to, we again got 
 under weigh; but the wind being still unfavorable, 
 we proceeded slowly, and on the 2d Sept. came to 
 anchor in the deep and spacious harbour of Shan -so. 
 The town from which this harbour takes its name, 
 is pleasantly situated, and its environs are well culti- 
 vated. The people were polite and industrious; they 
 manufacture a sort of cloth, which consists partly of 
 cotton, and partly of silk ; it is very strong, and finds a 
 ready sale in every part of China. They are wealthy, 
 and trade to a considerable extent with the junks 
 which touch here on their way to Teen-tsin. Many 
 junks were in the harbour at the same time with ours,, 
 and trade was very brisk. On shore refreshments of 
 every description were cheap. The people seemed 
 fond of horsemanship; and while we were there, 
 ladies had horse-races, in which they greatly ex- 
 celled. The fame of the English men-of-war had 
 spread consternation and awe among the people 
 here; and I endeavoured, so far as it was in my 
 power, to correct the erroneous opinions which 
 they had entertained. 
 
 Vice seemed as prevalent here as at Le-to; the 
 sailors borrowed money in advance, and before we 
 left the harbour, every farthing of it was expended ; 
 I predicted to them that such would be the conse- 
 quence of their vicious conduct; — that prediction 
 was now fulfilled, the poor fellows became despe- 
 rate, and, as they had no other object on which to 
 vent their rage but myself, they exceedingly wearied 
 and annoyed me. — Did I ever offer an earnest praycK 
 
56 
 
 to God, it was at this time; I besought him to be 
 gracious to them and to me, and to make a display 
 of his almighty power, in order to convince them 
 of their nothingness, and to console and strengthen 
 my own heart. The following morning the weather 
 was very sultry; I was roused from sleep by loud 
 peals of thunder; and soon after I had awaked, 
 the lightning struck our junk ; the shock was aw- 
 fully tremendous; — the masts had been split from 
 top to bottom, but, most mercifully, the hull had re- 
 ceived no injury. This event spread consternation 
 among the sailors, and with dejected countenances, 
 they scarcely dared to raise their heads, while they 
 looked on me as the servant of Shang-te, and as one 
 who enjoyed his protection. From this time they 
 ceased to ridicule me, and on the other hand 
 treated me with great respect.- — The elements seem- 
 ed, at this time, to have conspired against us, winds 
 and tide were contrary, and our progress was 
 scarcely perceptible. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Shan-so is Kan-chow, 
 one of the principal ports of Shantung. The trading' 
 vessels anchor near the shore, and their supercargoes, 
 go up to the town by a small river. There is here 
 a market for Indian and European merchandise, 
 almost all kinds of which bear a tolerable price. 
 The duties are quite low, and the mandarins have 
 very little control over the trade. It may be stated 
 that, in general, the Shantung people are far more 
 honest than the inhabitants of the southern prov- 
 inces, though the latter treat them with disrespect, 
 as greatly their inferiors. 
 
 On the 8th of September, we passed Ting-ching, 
 a fortress situated near the shore, on the frontiers of 
 Chihle and Shantung provinces; it seemed to be a 
 pretty large place, surrounded by a high wall. We 
 saw some excellent plantations in its vicinity, and the 
 country, generally, presented a very lively aspect, 
 with many verdant scenes, which the wearied eye 
 seeks for in vain, on the naked rocks of Shantung 
 
57 
 
 On the 9th, we were in great clanger. Soon 
 after we had anchored near the mouth of the Fei-ho 
 (or Pih-ho, the White river), a gale suddenly arose, 
 and raged for about six hours. Several junks, 
 which had left the harbour of Le-to with us were 
 wrecked; but a merciful God preserved our vessel. 
 As the wind blew from the north, the agreeable 
 temperature of the air was soon changed to a 
 piercing cold. Though we were full 30 miles dis- 
 tant from the shore, the water was so much blown 
 back by the force of the wind, that a man could 
 easily wade over the sand bar ; and our sailors went 
 out in different directions to catch crabs, which were 
 very numerous. But in a few days afterwards, a fa- 
 vourable south wind blew, when the water increas- 
 ed and rose to the point from which it had fallen. 
 In a little time large numbers of boats were seen 
 coming from the mouth of the river, to offer assist- 
 ance in towing the junk in from the sea. 
 
 We had approached a considerable distance to- 
 wards the shore before we saw the land, it being al- 
 most on a level with the sea. The first objects which 
 we could discern were two small forts; these are 
 situated near the mouth of tlie river, and within the 
 last few years have been considerably repaired. 
 The natives, who came on board, were rather rude 
 in manners, and poorly clothed. Scarcely had we 
 anchored, when some opium dealers from Teen-tsin 
 came along side; they stated, that in consequence 
 of the heir of the crown having died by opium smok- 
 ing, very severe edicts had been published against 
 the use of the drug, and that because the difficulty 
 of trading in the article at the city was so great, 
 they had come out to purchase such quantities of 
 it as might be for sale on board our junk. 
 
 The entrance of the Pei-ho presents nothing but 
 scenes of wretchedness; and the whole adjacent 
 country seemed to be as dreary as a desert. While 
 the southern winds blow, the coast is often over- 
 
58 
 
 flowed to a considerable extent; and the country 
 more inland aflbrds very little to attract attention, 
 being diversified only by stacks of salt, and by nu- 
 merous tumuli which mark the abodes of the dead. 
 The forts are nearly square, and are surrounded by 
 single walls ; they evince very little advance in the 
 art of fortification. The people told me, that when 
 the vessels of the last English embassy were an- 
 chored off the Pei-ho, a detachment of soldiers — in- 
 fantry and cavalry — was sent hither to ward off any 
 attack that might be made. The impression made 
 on the minds of the people by the appearance of 
 those ships is still very perceptible. I frequently 
 heard unrestrained remarks concerning barbarian 
 fierceness and thirst after conquest, mixed with eu- 
 logiums on the equitable government of the English 
 at Singapore. The people wondered how a few 
 barbarians, without the transforming influence of the 
 celestial empire, could arrive at a state of civilization, 
 very little inferior to that of 'the middle kingdom.' 
 '^rhey rejoiced that the water at the bar of the Pei-ho 
 was too shallow to afford a passage for men-of-war 
 (which, however, is not the case; when the south 
 wind prevails, there is water enough for ships of 
 the largest class) ; and, that its course was too rapid 
 to allow the English vessels to ascend the river. 
 While these things were mentioned with exultation, 
 it was remarked by one who was present, that the 
 barbarians had 'fire-ships,' which could proceed up 
 the river without the aid of trackers ; this remark 
 greatly astonished them, and excited their fears; 
 which, however, were quieted, when I assured them, 
 that those barbarians, as they called them, though 
 valiant, would never make an attack unless provoked, 
 and that if the celestial empire never provoked them, 
 there would not be the least cause to fear. 
 
 Though our visitors here were numerous, they cared 
 very little about me, and treated me in the same man- 
 ner as they did the other passengers. Most of the in- 
 habitants, who reside near the shore, are poor fisher- 
 
men ; their food consists, almost exclusively of Barba- 
 does millet, boiled like rice, and mixed with water m 
 various proportions, according to the circumstances 
 of the mdividuals; — if they are rich, the quantity 
 of water is small, if poor, as is usually the case, the 
 quantity is large. They eat with astonishing rapid- 
 ity, cramming their mouths full of millet and salt 
 vegetables,~if they are fortunate enough to obtain 
 any of the latter. Most of the inhabitants live in this 
 way ; and only a few persons who are wealthy, and the 
 settlers from Keangnan, Fuhkeen, and Canton prov- 
 inces enjoy the luxury of rice. In a district so 
 sterile as this, the poor inhabitants labour hard 
 and to little purpose, in trying to obtain from the 
 productions of the soil the means of subsistence. 
 
 The village of Ta-koo, near which we anchored, 
 is a fair specimen of the architecture along the 
 banks of the Pei-ho, — and it is only on the banks 
 of the river, throughout these dreary regions, that 
 the people fix their dwellings. The houses are 
 generally low and square, with high walls towards 
 the streets; they are well adapted to keep out the 
 piercing cold of winter, but are constructed with 
 little regard to convenience. The houses of all the 
 inhabitants, however rich, are built of mud, except- 
 ing only those of the mandarins, which are of brick. 
 The hovels of the poor have but one room, which 
 is, at the same time, their dormitory, kitchen, and 
 parlor. In these mean abodes, which, to keep them 
 warm, are stopped up at all points, the people pass 
 the dreary days of winter; and often with no 
 other prospect than that of starving. Their chief 
 enjoyment is the pipe. Rich individuals, to re- 
 lieve the pressing wants of the populace, some- 
 times give them small quantities of warm millet; 
 and the Emperor, to protect them against the in- 
 clemency of the season, compassionately bestows 
 on them a few jackets. I had much conversation 
 with these people, who seemed to be rude but 
 
60 
 
 hardy, poor but cheerful, and lively but quarrel- 
 some. The number of these wretched beings is 
 very great, and many, it is said, perish annually by 
 the cold of winter. On account of this overflow- 
 ing population, wages are low, and provisions dear ; 
 most of the articles for domestic consumption are 
 brought from other districts and provinces ; hence 
 many of the necessaries of life — even such as fuel, 
 are sold at an enormous price. It is happy for this 
 barren region, that it is situated in the vicinity of 
 the capital ; and that large quantities of silver — the 
 chief article of exportation — are constantly flowing 
 thither from the other parts of the empire. 
 • Some mandarins from Ta-koo, came on board 
 our junk ; their rank and the extent of their au- 
 thority were announced to us by a herald who 
 preceded them. They came to give us permission 
 to- proceed up the river ; this permission, however, 
 had to be bought by presents, and more than half 
 a day was occupied in making the bargain. 
 
 Before we left this place, I gave a public dinner 
 to all on board, both passengers and sailors. This 
 induced one of their company to intimate to me, 
 that in order to conciliate the favour of Ma-tsoo-po, 
 some ofllerings should he made to her. I replied, 
 "Never, since I came on board, have I seen her 
 even taste of the offerings made to her; it is 
 strange, that she should be so in want, as to need 
 any offerings from me." — "But," answered the man, 
 "the sailors will take care that nothing of what 
 she refuses is lost." — "It is better," said I, "to 
 give directly to the sailors, whatever is intended 
 for them; and let Ma-tsoo-po, if she is really a 
 goddess, feed on ambrosia, and not upon the base 
 spirits and food which you usually place before her ; 
 if she has any being, let her provide for herself; if 
 she is merely an image, better throw her idol 
 with its satellites into the sea, than have them here 
 to incumber the junk." — "These are barbarian no- 
 
tiojis," rejoined my antagonist, "which are so deep- 
 ly rooted in your fierce breast, as to lead you to 
 trample on the laws of the celestial empire." — "Bar- 
 barian reasoning is conclusive reasoning," I again 
 replied ; " if you are afraid to throw the idol into 
 the waves, I will do it, and abide the consequences. 
 You have heard tlie truth, that there is only one 
 God, even as there is only one sun in the firmament. 
 Without his mercy, inevitable punishment will over- 
 take you, for having defied his authority, and given 
 yourself up to the service of dumb idols; reform 
 or you are lost!" The man was silenced and con- 
 founded, and only replied, — "Let the sailors feast, 
 and Ma-tsoo-po hunger." 
 
 As soon as we were again ready to proceed, about 
 thirty men came on board to assist in towing the 
 junk; they were very thinly clothed, and seemed 
 to be in great MidiWt; some dry rice that was given 
 to them, they devoured with inexpressible delight. 
 When there was not wind sufficient to move the 
 junk, these men, joined by some of our sailors, 
 towed her along against the rapid stream ; for the 
 Pei-ho has no regular tides, but constantly flows into 
 the sea with more or less rapidity. During the ebb 
 tide, when there was not water enough to enable 
 us to proceed, vv^e stopped and went on shore. 
 
 The large and numerous stacks of salt along the 
 river, specially at Teen-tsin, cannot fail to arrest 
 the attention of strangers. The quantity is very 
 great, and seems sufficient to supply the whole 
 empire ; it has been accumulating during the reign 
 of five emperors ; and it still continues to accumu- 
 late. This salt is formed in vats near the sea shore ; 
 from thence it is transported to the neighbourhood 
 of Ta-koo, where, it is compactly piled up on hil- 
 locks of mud, and covered with bamboo mattings ; in 
 this situation it remains for some time, when it is 
 finally put into bags and carried to Teen-tsin, and 
 kept for a great number of years, before it can b>e 
 
m 
 
 sold. More than 800 boats are constantly employed 
 in transporting this article, — and thousands of per- 
 sons gain a livelihood by it, some of whom become 
 very rich : the principal salt merchants, it is said, 
 are the richest persons in the empire. 
 
 Along the banks of the Pei-ho are many vil- 
 lages and hamlets, and are all built of the same 
 material and in the same style as at Ta-koo. Large 
 fields of Barbadoes millet, pulse, and turnips v^ere 
 seen in the neighbourhood; these were carefully 
 cultivated and watered by women, — who seem to 
 enjoy more liberty here than in the southern prov- 
 inces. Even the very poorest of them were well 
 dressed ; but their feet were much cramped, which 
 gave them a hobbling gait and compelled them to 
 use sticks when they walked. The young and rising 
 population seemed to be very great. The ass, — here 
 a rather small and meagre animal, — is the prin- 
 cipal beast employed in the cultivation of the soil. 
 The implements of husbandry are very simple, 
 and even rude. Though this country has been in- 
 habited for a great many centuries, the roads for 
 their miserable carriages are few, and in some places 
 even a foot-path for a lonely traveller can scarcely 
 be found. 
 
 My attention was frequently attracted by the in- 
 scription Tsew-teen, " wine tavern," which was written 
 over the doors of many houses. Upon inquiry I 
 found, that the use of spirituous liquors, especially 
 that distilled from suh-leang grain, was very gener- 
 al, and intemperance with its usual consequences 
 very prevalent. It is rather surprising that no wine 
 it extracted from the excellent grapes, which grow 
 abundantly on the banks of the Pei-ho, and consti- 
 tute the choicest fruit of the country. Other fruits, 
 such as apples and pears, are found here, though 
 in kind they are not so numerous, and in quality 
 are by no means so good as those of Europe. 
 
 We proceeded up the river with great cheerful- 
 ness; the men who towed our junk took care to 
 
63 
 
 supply themselves well with rice, and were very 
 active in their service. Several junks were in com- 
 pany with us, and a quarrel between our sailors and 
 some Fuhkeen men broke out, the consequences of 
 which might have been very serious. Some of our 
 men had already armed themselves with pikes, and 
 were placing themselves in battle array, when, hap- 
 pily terms of peace were agreed on by a few of 
 the senior members of the party. — Several years ago 
 a quarrel, which originated between two junks, 
 brought all the Fuhkeen and Chaou-chow men in 
 the neighbourhood, into action; both parties fought 
 fiercely, but confined themselves principally to loud 
 and boisterous altercation ; the mandarins, who 
 always know how to profit by such contentions, soon 
 took a lively interest in the afiair, and by endeav- 
 ouring to. gain something from the purses of the 
 combatants, immediately restored peace and tran- 
 quillity among them. Similar consequences were 
 feared in the present case, on which account the 
 men were the more willing to desist from the strife ; 
 they were farther prompted to keep peace, by 
 the prospect of trading with some merchants who 
 had come on board for that object. Indeed, as the 
 voyage was undertaken for the purpose of trading, 
 our men constantly engaged in that business ; and 
 when there were no opportunities of trading with 
 strangers, they would carry on a traflSck among 
 themselves ; but, unhappily, their treasure did not 
 always increase so fast as the cargo diminished. 
 
 My anxiety was greatly increased by our approach 
 to Peking. A visit to the capital of the Chinese em- 
 pire — an object of no little solicitude, after many 
 perils, and much loss of time, — was now near in 
 prospect. How this visit would be viewed by the 
 Chinese government, I knew not; hitherto they had 
 taken no notice of me ; but a crisis had now come ; — as 
 a missionary anxious to promote the welfare of my 
 fellow creatures, and more willing to be sacrificed 
 
64 
 
 in a great cause, than to remain an idle spectator of 
 the misery entailed on China by idolatry, I could 
 not remain concealed at a place where there are so 
 many mandarins, — it was expected that the local 
 authorities would interfere. Almost friendless, with 
 small pecuniary resources, without any personal 
 knowledge of the country and its inhabitants, I was 
 forced to prepare for the worst. Considerations of this 
 kind, accompanied by the most reasonable conjec- 
 ture, that I could do nothing for the accomplishment 
 of the great enterprise, would have intimidated and 
 dispirited me, if a power from on High had not 
 continually and graciously upheld and strengthened 
 me. Naturally timid and without talent and re- 
 sources in myself, yet by divine aid — and by that 
 alone, — I was foremost in times of danger, and to 
 such a degree, that the Chinese sailors would often 
 call me a bravado. 
 
 Fully persuaded that I was not prompted by self- 
 interest and vain glory, but by a sense of duty as 
 a missionary, and deeply impressed by the greatness 
 and all-sufficiency of the Saviour's power and gra- 
 cious assistance enjoyed in former days, I grounded 
 my hope of security on protection under the shadow 
 jof his wings, and my expectation of success on the 
 promises of his. hoXy word. It has long been the 
 firm conviction of my heart, that in these latter days 
 the glory of the Lord will be revealed to China ; and 
 that, the dragon being dethroned, Christ will be the 
 sole king and object of adoration throughout this ex- 
 tensive empire. This lively hope of China's speedy 
 deliverance from the thraldom of Satan by the hand 
 of our great Lord, Jesus Christ — the king of kings, — 
 to whom all nations, even China, are given as an 
 inheritance, constantly prompts me to action, and 
 makes me willing rather to perish in the attempt of 
 carrying the gospel to China, than to wait quietly 
 on the frontiers — deterred by the numerous obstacles 
 which seem to forbid an entrance into the country. 
 
(35 
 
 I am fully aware that I shall be stigmatized as a 
 head-strong enthusiast, an unprincipled rambler, 
 who rashly sallies forth, without waiting for any 
 indications of divine providence, without first seeing 
 the door opened by the hand of the Lord ;- — as one 
 fond of novelty, anxious to have a name, fickle in 
 his purposes, who leaves a promising field, and 
 restless hurries away to another, — all of whose en- 
 deavours will not only prove useless, but will actually 
 impede the progress of the Saviour's cause. T shall 
 not be very anxious to vindicate myself against such 
 charges — though some of them are very well foundr- 
 ed, — until the result of my labours shall be made 
 known to my accusers. I have weighed the argu- 
 ments for and against the course I am endeavouring 
 to pursue, and have formed the resolution to publish 
 the gospel to the inhabitants of China Proper, in all 
 the ways and by all the means, which the Lord our 
 God appoints in his word and by his providence ;— ' 
 to persevere in the most indefatigable manner so 
 long as there remains any hope of success,— and 
 rather to be blotted out from the list of mortals, than 
 to behold with indifference the uncontrolled triumph 
 of Satan over the Chinese. Yet still, I am not igno- 
 rant of my own nothingness, nor of the formidable 
 obstacles, which on every side shut up the way, and 
 impede our progress ; and I can only say,—" Lord 
 here I am, use me according to thy holy pleasure." 
 
 Should any individuals be promted to extol my 
 conduct, I would meet and repel such commenda- 
 tion by my thorough consciousness of possessing 
 not the least merit; let such persons rather than 
 thus vainly spend their breath, come forth, and join 
 in the holy cause with zeal and wisdom superior to 
 any who have gone before them ; the field is wide^ 
 the harvest truly great, and the labourers are few. 
 Egotism, obtrusive monster! — lurks through these 
 pages ; it is my sincere wish, therefore, to be com- 
 pletely swallowed up in the Lord's great work, and 
 to labour unknown and disregarded, cherishing the 
 
GG 
 
 joyful hope, that my reward is in heaven, and my 
 name, though a very unwortliy one, written in "the 
 book of hfe." — I return to my detail. 
 
 In the afternoon, Sept. 22d, we passed a grove, 
 on the left bank of the river Pei-ho, which is said 
 to have been visited by the Emperor Keenlung. 
 It contains a few houses, but is at present a mere 
 jungle. On the opposite bank we observed a shop, 
 having a sign with this inscription, written in large 
 capitals, Idols and Budhas of all descriptions newly 
 made and reijaired. This sign told plainly the 
 condition of the people .around me, and called forth 
 earnest intercession on their behalf. 
 
 The scene, as we approached Teentsin, became 
 very lively. Great numbers of boats and junks, al- 
 most blocking up the passage, and crowds of people 
 on shore, bespoke a place of considerable trade. 
 After experiencing much difftculty from the vessels 
 which thronged us on every side, we, at length, came 
 to anchor in the suburbs of the city, in a line with sev- 
 eral junks lately arrived from Soakah, and were salut- 
 ed by the merry peals of the gong. I had been accus- 
 tomed to consider myself quite a stranger among 
 these people, and was therefore surprised to see the 
 eyes of many of them immediately fixed on me. My 
 skill as a physician was soon put in requisition. The 
 next day, while passing the junk on my way to the 
 shore, I was hailed by a number of voices, as the seen- 
 sang — "teacher," or "doctor;" and, on looking around 
 me, I saw many smiling faces, and numerous hands 
 stretched out to invite me to sit dow^n. These peo- 
 ple proved to be some of my old friends, who, a long 
 time before, had received medicines and books, — for 
 which they still seemed very grateful. They lauded 
 my noble conduct in leaving off barbarian customs, 
 and in escaping from the land of barbarians, to come 
 under the shield of the " son of heaven. " They 
 approved of my design in not only benefiting some 
 straggling rascals (according to their own expres- 
 
07 
 
 sioii) in the out-ports of Cliiiia, but in coming also 
 a great distance, to assist tiie faitliful subjects of the 
 celestial empire. They knew even that scen-sang 
 ■neang, "the lady teacher" (my late wife), had 
 died ; and condoled with me on account of my 
 irreparable loss, 
 
 It very soon appeared that I was known liere as a 
 missionary, as well as in Siam ; and hence J thought 
 it my duty to act boldly, but at the same time with 
 prudence. Some captains and pilots, afflicted either 
 with diseased eyes, or with rheumatism, were my 
 lirst patients. They lived in a miserable hovel near 
 the banks of the river, and were preparing to smoke 
 the "delicious drug," when I entered, and upbraid- 
 ed them sharply for their licentiousness. From my 
 severe remarks on their conduct, they concluded, that 
 I had some remedy for the use of the drug, and in- 
 timated their opinion to others. The success of my 
 first practice gained me the esteem and friendship of 
 a whole clan or tribe of the Chinese, who never 
 ceased to importune me to cure their natural or ima- 
 ginary physical defects. The diseases of the poorer 
 clavsses, here, seemed as numerous as in any part of 
 India. They generally complained of the unskilful- 
 npss of their doctors, whose blunders I had frequent- 
 ly to correct. Chinese doctors are, usually, unsuc- 
 cessful literati, or persons fond of study. They 
 claim the title of doctor as soon as they have read 
 a number of books on the subject of medicine, with- 
 out showing by practice that they are entitled to 
 the appellation. Their minute examination of the 
 pulse, which is frequently very correct, gives them 
 some claim to the title of able practitioners. Anat- 
 - omy, a correct knowledge of wdiich must be gained 
 from dissection, the Chinese regard as founded on 
 metaphysical speculations, and not in truth. Their 
 materia medica is confined chiefly to herbs, which 
 are the principal ingredients of their prescriptions. 
 They have some very excellent plants, but injure 
 and weaken their effect by mixing them up as they 
 
(i8 
 
 do, — often sixty or seventy in one dose. Tliey 
 generally foretell the precise time of the patient's res- 
 toration, but are often found mistaken. To stand 
 against men of this description, who are so very wise 
 in their own imagination, was not an easy task ; but 
 I always convinced them, by facts, that our theories, 
 when reduced to practice, would have the most 
 salutary effect, 
 
 Kam-sea, a merchant of considerable property 
 from Fuhkeen, and a resident at Teentsin, invited 
 me to his house ; this was on the 15th of the 8th 
 moon, and consequently during the Chujig-tsew* fes- 
 tival. Mandarins in great numbers hastened to the 
 temples; priests dressed in black, — friars and nuns 
 clothed in rags ; and an immense number of beg- 
 gars paraded the streets ; and when I passed, filled 
 the air with their importunate cries. All the avenues 
 were thronged; and in the shops, — -generally filled 
 with Chinese manufactures, but sometimes also with 
 European commodities, — trade seemed to be brisk. 
 The town, which stretches several miles along the 
 banks of the river, equals Canton in the bustle of its 
 busy population, and surpasses it in the importance 
 of its native trade. The streets are unpaved ;. and 
 the houses are built of mud ; but within they are 
 well furnished, with accommodations in the best Chi- 
 nese style. A great many of the shop-keepers, and 
 some of the most w^ealthy people in the place, are 
 from Fuhkeen; and the native merchants, though 
 
 * That is, the festival of micklle-aiitiinm. This is a very great 
 festival among the Chinese, and is observed partially through- 
 out the whole month, by sending presents of cakes and fruit, 
 from one person to another; but it is chiefly celebrated on the 
 I5th and 16th days: on the 15th, oblations are made to the 
 moon, and on the 16th, the people and children amuse them- 
 selves with what they call " pursuing the moon." The legend 
 respecting this popular festival is, that an Emperor of the 
 Tang dynasty being led, one night, to the palace of the moon, 
 saw there an assembly of nymphs, playing on instruments of 
 music ; and, on his return, commanded persons to dress and 
 sing, in imitation of what he had seen. 
 
69 
 
 well trained to their business, are outdone by the 
 superior skill of the traders from the south. 
 
 Kam-sea's house is situated in the middle of the 
 city, and is well furnished ; he received me cordially, 
 and offered me a commodious room. Thd crowd of 
 people at his house was great, and many questions 
 were asked by them concerning me; but as the 
 Fuhkeen men acknowledged me to be their fellow- 
 citizen, these questions were easily set at rest. A 
 mandarin of high rank, who heard of my arrival, 
 said, " This man, though a stranger, is a true Chi- 
 nese ; and, as several persons seem anxious to pre- 
 vent his going up to the capital, I will give him 
 a passport, for it would be wrong, that, after hav- 
 ing come all the way from Siam, he should not see 
 the '■'■ dragovis face,''"' 
 
 The curiosity to see me was, during several days, 
 very great; and the captain's anxiety much increas- 
 ed, when he saw that I attracted the attention of 
 so many individuals. There were some, who even 
 muttered that I had come to make a map of the 
 country, in order to become the leader in a pre- 
 meditated assault on the empire. Yet all these ob- 
 jections were soon silenced, when I opened my med- 
 icine chest, and with a liberal hand supplied every 
 applicant. God, in his mercy, bestowed a blessing 
 on these exertions, and gave me favour in the eyes 
 of the people. Several persons of rank and influ- 
 ence paid me frequent visits, and held long conver- 
 sations with me. They were polite and even ser- 
 vile in their manners. Their inquiries, most of 
 them trivial, were principally directed to Siam ; and 
 their remarks concerning Europe were exceedingly 
 childish. The concourse of people became so 
 great, at length, that I was obliged to hide myself. 
 A gentleman, who lived opposite to the house where 
 I resided, w^ishing to purchase me from the cap- 
 tain, with a view to attract customers by my pres- 
 ence, offered to pay for me the sum of 2000 taels of 
 
70 
 
 silver (about 27U0 dollars). My patients liacl now 
 become so numerous as to engross all my attention ; 
 from very early in the morning till late at night, I 
 was constantly beset by them, and often severely 
 tried. Yet I had frequent opportunities of making- 
 known to them the doctrines of the gospel, and of 
 pointing out the way of eternal life. 
 
 It had been my intention to proceed from Teen- 
 tsin up to Peking, a journey which is made in two 
 days. To eftect this, it would have been necessary 
 to learn the dialect spoken in this province, and to 
 have obtained the acquaintance of some persons, 
 resident at the capital. For the accomplishment 
 of the first, there was not sufficient time, unless I 
 should resolve to abandon the jnnk in which I had 
 arrived, and to stay over the wdnter ; but for the at- 
 tainment of the latter, some individuals very kindly 
 offered their services. I thought it best, therefore, 
 to stay and to observe the leadings of providence. . 
 Some experiments, which I made, to cure the habit 
 of opium-smoking, proved so successful, that they 
 attracted general notice ; and drew the attention 
 of some mandarins, who even stooped to pay me 
 a visit, and to request my aid, stating that his im- 
 perial Majesty was highly enraged, because so ma- 
 ny of his subjects indulged in this practice. But, 
 as soon as the Chaou-chow and Fuhkeen men ob- 
 served, that the native patients were becoming too 
 numerous, they got angry, saying, " This is our doc- 
 tor, and not your's ; " and, as this argument was not 
 quite intelligible, they drove many of the poor fel- 
 lows away by force. In a few days, moreover, the 
 whole stock of medicines I had with me was exhaust- 
 ed, and I had to send aM'ay with regret, those poor 
 wretches, who really stood in need of assistance. 
 
 In the mean time our men went on with their 
 trade. Under the superintendance of some officers 
 who had farmed the duties, they began to unload, 
 and to transport the goods to the store-houses. Ma- 
 
71 ,...,.' 
 
 ny a trick was played in order to avoid the payment 
 of duties, although they were very light. Indeed, the 
 sailors' merchandise was almost entirely exempt from 
 all charges. As soon as the goods were removed to 
 the ware-houses, the resident merchants made their 
 purchases, and paid immediately for their goods in 
 sycee silver. These transactions were managed in 
 the most quiet and honest manner, and to the benefit 
 of both parties. On the sugar and tin very little j^rofit 
 was gained, but more than 100 per cent was made on 
 the sapan wood and pepper, the principal articles 
 of our cargo. European calicoes yielded a profit of 
 only 50 per cent; other commodities, imported by 
 Canton men, sold very high. On account of the 
 severe prohibitions, there was a stagnation in the 
 opium trade. One individual, a Canton merchant, 
 had been seized by government; and large quanti- 
 ties of the drug, imported from Canton, could find 
 no purchasers. 
 
 The trade of Teentsin is quite extensive. More 
 than 500 junks arrive annually from the southern 
 ports of China, and from Cochinchina, and Siam. 
 The river is so thronged with junks, and the mer- 
 cantile transactions give such life and motion to the 
 scene, as strongly to remind one of Liverpool. As 
 the land in this vicinity yields few productions, and 
 the Capital swallows up immense stores, the impor- 
 tations, required to supply the wants of the people, 
 must be very great. Though the market was well 
 furnished, the different articles commanded a-goocl 
 price. In no other port of China is trade so 
 lucrative as in this; but no where else are so ma- 
 ny dangers to be encountered. A great many junks 
 were wrecked this year; and this is the case every 
 season ; and hence the profits realized on the 
 whole amount of shipping, are comparatively small. 
 Teentsin would open a fine field for foreign enter- 
 prise ; there is a great demand for European woollens, 
 but the high prices which they bear, prevent the in- 
 habitants from making extensive purchases. I was 
 
72 
 
 quite surprised to see so much sycee silver in circu 
 lation. The quantity of it was so great, that there 
 seemed to be no difficulty in collecting thousands of 
 taels, at the shortest notice. A regular trad^ with sil- 
 ver is carried on by a great many individuals. The 
 value of the tael, here, varies from 1300 to 1400 
 cash. Some of the firms issue bills, which are as 
 current as bank-notes in England. Teentsin, pos- 
 sessing so many advantages for commerce, may very 
 safely be recommended to the attention of European 
 merchants. 
 
 By inquiries, I found, that the people cared very 
 little about their imperial government. They were 
 only anxious to gain a livelihood and accumulate 
 riches. They seemed to know the Emperor only by 
 name, and were quite unacquainted with his character. 
 Even the military operations in western Tartary were 
 almost unknown to them. Nothing had spread such 
 consternation amongst them as the late death of the 
 heir of the crown, which was occasioned by opium 
 smoking. The Emperor felt this loss very keenly. 
 The belief that there will be a change in the pres- 
 ent dynasty is very general. But in case of such an 
 event, the people of Teentsin would hear of it with 
 almost as much indifference, as they would the 
 news of a change in the French government. The 
 local officers were generally much dreaded, but also 
 much imposed upon. They are less tyrannical here, 
 in the neighbourhood of the Emperor, judging from 
 what the people told me, than they are in the dis- 
 tant provinces. When they appear abroad it is with 
 much pageantry, but with little real dignity. Indeed 
 I saw nothing remarkable in their deportment. No 
 war junks, nor soldiers were to be met with, — 
 though the latter were said to exist. To possess 
 fire-arms is a high crime, and the person found guilty 
 of so doing, is severely punished. Bows and arrows 
 are in common use. There are no military stores; — 
 but great stores of grain. The grain junks were, at 
 this season, on their return home. 
 
75 
 
 The features of the iiihabitaijt« of tlii.s d'ifcitricf 
 more resemble the European, than those of auy 
 Asiatics I have hitJierto seen. The eye had lesf? 
 of the depressed curve in the interior angle, than 
 what is common, and so characteristic, in a Chi- 
 nese countenance. And, as the countenance is of- 
 ten the idex of the heart, so the character of these 
 people is more congenial to the European, than is 
 that of the inhabitants of the southern provinces. 
 They are not void of courage ; though they are too 
 grovelling to undertake any thing arduous or noble, 
 and too narrow-minded to extend their views be- 
 yond their own province and the opposite kingdorn 
 of Corea. They are neat in their dress; the furs 
 which they wear are costly; their food is simple; 
 and they are polite in their manners. The females 
 are fair, and tidy in their appearance, — enjoy perfect 
 liberty, and walk abroad as they please. 
 
 The dialect spoken by the inhabitants of Teentsin 
 abounds with gutturals; and for roughness is not un- 
 like the language of the Svi^isso The people speak 
 with amazing rapidity, scarcely allowing time to trace 
 their ideas. Though their dialect, bears consider- 
 able resemblance to the mandarin, yet it contains 
 so many local phrases, and corruptions of that di- 
 alect, as to be almost unintelligible, to those who 
 are acquainted only witii the mandarin tongue. 
 
 The natives here seemed to be no bigots in re- 
 ligion. Their priests were poorly fed, and their 
 temples in bad repair. The priests wear all kinds 
 of clothing ; and, except by their shaved heads, can 
 scarcely be distinguished from the common people. 
 Frequently, I have seen them come on board the 
 junk to beg a little rice, and recite their prayers, 
 with a view to obtain money. But, notwithstand- 
 ing the degradation of the priests, and the utter 
 contempt in which their principles and precepts 
 are held, every house has its lares, its sacrifices. 
 
74 - S 
 
 and offerings ; and devotions (if such they may be 
 called ) are performed, with more strictness even 
 than by the inhabitants of the southern provinces. 
 Such conduct is a disgrace to human nature, and 
 without excuse; "because that which maybe known 
 of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed 
 it unto them." (Rom. i.l9). Yet, prostituting the 
 knowledge of a supreme ruler, they bow down be- 
 fore an image of wood or stone, and say,—" this 
 is my creator. " 
 
 I made many inquiries, in order to ascertain 
 whether there were any Roman catholics in this 
 part of the country , but no trace, not even of their 
 having once been here, could be found. There 
 were Mohammedans, however, and with some of 
 them I had oportunities of conversing. They seem- 
 ed tenacious enough of their creed, so far as it 
 regarded food, — they would not even dine with a hea- 
 then, — but in their notions of deity they were not at 
 all correct. In their dress, they differ very little 
 from their heathen neighbours ; and they are quite 
 like them also in their morals. Though they are 
 somewhat numerous, they never influence public 
 opinion, or show any anxiety to make proselytes. 
 
 The number of inhabitants which belong to the 
 middling classes, properly so called, is not large. 
 A few individuals are immensely rich ; but the great 
 mass of the population are sunk in abject poverty. — 
 I saw very little among the inhabitants of Teentsin, 
 that could give them a just claim to be called a 
 literary people. — They are industrious, but not skill- 
 ful workmen ; and even their industry furnishes few 
 articles for exportation. In a few manufactures, 
 such as tapestry, coarse wollens, and glass, they 
 succeed well. — With such an overflowing popula- 
 tion, it wonld be wise policy in the government, to 
 allow emigration, and to open a trade with foreign 
 nations, in order to furnish suflScient employment 
 and sustenance for the increasing multitudes of 
 neonle; otherwise, there is reason to fear, lest, ere 
 
ro 
 
 long, pressed by want and hunger, they fall back 
 upon and destroy those, whom they have been 
 taught to revere as their political fathers. I am 
 inclined to believe, from all that I have seen of this 
 people, that they are susceptible of great improve- 
 ment, and that reform might more reasonably be 
 expected among them, because of the extreme 
 simplicity of their manners. Teentsin, as has been 
 already observed, presents an inviting field to the 
 enterprising merchant; but to the christian phi- 
 lanthropist, whose attention may be directed to 
 these regions, it not only affords an inviting field, 
 but presents claims — claims which ought not to be 
 disregarded. 
 
 Our sailors, having disposed of their part of the 
 cargo, and obtained their full wages, gave them- 
 selves up to gambling — the general diversion of this 
 place. Nor did they desist from this practice, until 
 most of them had lost every thing they possessed. 
 They had now to borrow money in order to pur- 
 chase clothes, to protect them against the inclem- 
 ency of the weather ; new scenes of contention and 
 quarrelling were daily exhibited; and the lives, as 
 well as the persons of some individuals, put in great 
 jeopardy. They also indulged freely in the use of 
 spirituous liquors, which were very strong and in- 
 toxicating; and finally they betook themselves to 
 wretched females. In these circumstances, their 
 misery was extreme ; several of them were seized 
 upon by their creditors, some hid themselves, and 
 others absconded. 
 
 As we had arrived here so late in the season, 
 just at the time when many of the junks were 
 about leaving, it was necessary to shorten our stay, 
 lest the Pei-ho, freezing up, should detain us over 
 the winter. On the 17th of October, we began 
 to move slowly down the river. Before leaving 
 Teentsin, I received numerous presents, which were 
 accompanied with many wishes for my welfare. A 
 
7(5 
 
 sreat many pcfvsoiis came to take an alieciioiiate leave 
 of me, at our depart tire. At the earnest request of 
 some individuals, I was constrained to promise, that, 
 if God should permit, I would return the next year; 
 and, in the case of such a visit, some of them en- 
 gaged to accompany me to the Capital, — while 
 others, wanted to make with me a journey overland 
 from Teentsin, to Hea-mun (Amoy). I can scarce- 
 ly speak in too high terms of the kindness I enjoy- 
 ed during the whole time I was at this place ; and 
 the reason for such unexpected treatment, I must 
 ascribe to the merciful interposition of the Almighty, 
 under whose banner 1 entered on this undertaking. 
 The favour and kindness experienced in Teentsin 
 were a rich compensation for my former bereave- 
 ments and trials. My health also was again restored, 
 and I could cheerfully perform the duties devolving 
 upon me. 
 
 We all had provided ourselves with furs; and we 
 were now, at length, proceeding to Leaoutung, 
 which is situated on the north of the gulf of Pe- 
 tchelee, on the frontiers of Mantchou Tartary. As 
 Teentsin furnishes no articles for maritime expor- 
 tation except the tsaou, or "date," the junks arriv- 
 ing here, sell their cargo, and then proceed to some 
 of the ports of Leaou-tung, where a part of their 
 money is invested in peas and drugs. Though 
 we had the current in our favour, we were a long 
 time in reaching Ta-koo, and this because the 
 sailors were fonder of gambling than of working 
 the junk. At Ta-koo we were delayed several days, 
 waiting for our captain and one of the passengers, 
 who were left behind. While at this place, I was 
 invited by the port master to dine with him, on 
 shore, but was prevented by the inclemency of the 
 weather; several physicians, also, came on board, 
 to consult with me concerning difficult cases, and 
 received my instructions with much docility. After 
 further delay, occasioned by a strong north wind, we 
 finally, got under weigh, Oct. 28th, with a native pilot 
 
77 
 
 on board. We soon passed the Sha-loo-poo-teen 
 islands; and, liaving- a very strong breeze in our fa- 
 vour, arrived at the harbour of Kin-chow, in tlie 
 district of Fung-teen-foo, about fifteen leagues dis- 
 tant from Moukden, the celebrated capital of Maii- 
 tchouria. The persons with whom I conversed about 
 the place told me, that it differed very little from the 
 other cities in this district. The Mantchou Tar- 
 tars who live hereabouts are numerous, and lead 
 an idle life, being principally in the employ of the 
 Emperor, either directly or indirectly. There seems 
 to be but little jealousy between them and the la- 
 bouring class of Chinese. 
 
 There are two other harbours in this district, viz. 
 Nan-kin (or southern Kin-chow, so called to distin- 
 guish it from the northern place of the same name), 
 and Kae-chow. The latter is the most spacious 
 and deep, and is ca})able of containing a large fleet. 
 The harbour of Kin-chow is shallow, surrounded 
 by rocks, and exposed to southern gales. Junks 
 cannot approach within several miles of the shore, 
 and all the cargo must be brought off in lighters. 
 This country abounds with peas, drugs, and cattle 
 of every kind. It is, on the whole, well cultivated, 
 and inhabited principally by Mantchou Tartars, who, 
 in their appearance differ very little from the Chi- 
 nese. The Fuhkeen men, here, also, have the trade 
 at their command; and quite a large number of 
 junks annually visit the harbours of Leaou-tung. 
 
 It was a long time after we arrived at Kin-chow, 
 before we could go on shore, on account of the high 
 sea. It became generally known among the inhabi- 
 tants, ere I had left the junk, that I was a physi- 
 cian, and anxious to do good ; and I was, therefore, 
 very politely invited to take up my residence in one 
 of the principal mercantile houses. It was midnight 
 when we arrived on shore, and found a rich enter- 
 tainment and good logdings provided, The next 
 morning crowds thronged to see me ; and patients 
 were more numerous than I had anv where else found 
 
78 
 
 them, and this because they have among themselves 
 no doctors of any note. I went immediately to work, 
 and gained their confidence in a very high degree. 
 There was not in the whole place, nor even within 
 the circuit of several English miles, one female to 
 be seen. Being rather surprised at such a curious 
 fact, I learned, on inquiry, that the whole female 
 population had been removed by the civil author- 
 ities, with a view to prevent debauchery among the 
 many sailors who annually visit this port. I could 
 not but admire this arrangement, and the more es- 
 pecially, because it had been adopted by heathen 
 authorities, and so effectually put a stop to every 
 kind of licentiousness. 
 
 Kin-chow itself has very little to attract the at- 
 tention of visitors ; it is not a large or handsome 
 place. The houses are built of granite ( which 
 abounds here) ; and are without any accommodations, 
 except a peculiar kind of sleeping places, which are 
 formed of brick; and so constructed, that they can 
 be heated, by fires kindled beneath them. 
 
 On the summit of a high mountain in the neigh- 
 bourhood, there is a small temple ; and also several 
 others on the low ground, in the vicinity. One of 
 the latter I visited : it was constructed in the Chi- 
 nese style, and the idols in it were so deformed, 
 that they even provoked a smile from my Chinese 
 guide. In the library of one of the priests, I found 
 a treatise on repentance, consisting of several vol- 
 umes. — There are here many horses, and carriages; 
 but the carriages are very clumsy. The camel is 
 likewise common here, and may be purchased very 
 cheap. — The Chinese inhabitants, of whom many 
 are emigrants from B^lianfung, speak a purer dialect 
 than those at Teentsin. They are reserved in their 
 intercourse, and in the habit of doing menial ser- 
 vice; while the Fuhkeen men carry on the trade 
 and man the .native fishing craft. After having 
 supplied the manifold wants of my patients, in this 
 
79 
 
 place, I distributed to them the word of hfe, and 
 gained their esteem and affection. 
 
 The 9th of Nov. was a very pleasant day; but 
 during the night, the wind changed, and a strong 
 northerly breeze began to blow. In a few hours, the 
 rivers and creeks were frozen up. The cold was 
 so piercing, that I was obliged to take the most 
 active exercise, in order to keep myself warm ; 
 while the Chinese around me, covered with rags 
 and furs, laid down and kept themselves quiet. The 
 wind, at length, blew a gale, and we were in im- 
 minent danger of being wrecked ; but the almighty 
 hand of God preserved us, whilst a large junk, bet- 
 ter manned than our's, was dashed in pieces, near 
 to us. Business was for some days, quite at a 
 stand, and I had reason to fear the junk would be 
 ice-bound. The sailors on shore whiled away the 
 time, smoking opium day and night. Some of them 
 bought quails, and set them fighting for amusement. 
 Indeed, there was not the least anxiety manifested 
 in regard to the vessel; and it was owing to the 
 unremitting severity of the cold, that we were, at 
 last, driven away from Kin-chow. The sailors de- 
 layed so long on shore, that the favourable winds 
 were now passed away; and, dissatisfied with the 
 dispensations of divine providence, they murmured, 
 and gave themselves up again to gambling and 
 opium smoking. 
 
 On the 17th of Nov., we finally got under weigh, 
 passed along the rugged coast of Leaoutung, and, 
 on the next day, reached the province of Shantung. 
 Unluckily for us, snow now began to fall, and our 
 sailors thought it expdient to come to anchor, 
 though we had a fair breeze, which would have 
 enabled us to make the Shantung promontory. 
 My strongest arguments and representations were 
 all to no purpose ;- — " Down with the anchor, enter 
 the cabins, smoke opium, and take rest, " was the 
 general cry among the men. The next day, they 
 showed no disposition to proceed, and went on 
 
80 
 
 shore to buy fuel. When we were again under 
 weigh, and the wind was forcing us round the pro- 
 montory, the sailors thought it best to come to anchor 
 at Toa-sik-tow (or Ta-shih-taou), near to the pro- 
 montory, where there is a large harbour. This place 
 is too rocky to yield any provisions ; but some of 
 the adjacent country is well cultivated, and furnishes 
 good supplies. The inhabitants carry on some trade 
 in drugs, but are generally very poor. The sailors 
 crammed our junk, already well filled, till every 
 corner was overflowing with cabbage and other ve- 
 getables. Even the narrow place where we dined 
 was stuffed full; — "we must trade," was their an- 
 swer, when I objected to these proceedings. 
 
 A favourable breeze now began to blow, and I tried 
 to persuade the men to quit the shore, and get the 
 junk under weigh. They, however, told the pilot plain- 
 ly, that they did not wish to sail ; but after many in- 
 treaties, he finally prevailed on them to weigh anchor. 
 A fair wind had almost borne us out of sight of the 
 promontory, when the breeze veered round to west, 
 and the sailors immediately resolved to return and 
 anchor ; all sails, therefore, were hoisted in order to 
 hasten the return ; but the wind changing back again 
 to a fair point, they were unable to effect their 
 purpose, and so cast anchor. They continued in 
 this situation, exposed to a heavy sea, till the wind 
 abated ; then they entered the harbour, and went on 
 shore, the same as previously, — wholly regardless of 
 the wind, which had now again become fair. I 
 strongly expostulated with them, and urged them 
 to go out to sea, but " It is not a lucky day," was 
 their reply. Nor was it till after a wearisome de- 
 lay, and when other junks, leaving the harbour, had 
 set them an example, that they were, at length, pre- 
 vailed on to get under weigh. We had not proceeded 
 more than fifty leagues, when the fellows resolved 
 once more to return, but were prevented by strong 
 northerly gales, which now drove us, nolens volcns, 
 down the coast. 
 
81 
 
 Though the sea was amazingly high, Avhen w6 
 came to the channel of Formosa, we saw many 
 fisliing boats, in all directions. I have never met 
 with more daring seamen than those from Fuhkeen. 
 With the most perfect carelessness, they go, four 
 in number, in a small boat, over the foaming bil- 
 lows; while their larger vessels are driven a.bout, 
 and in danger of being swallowed up by the sea. 
 Formerly, these same men, who gain a livelihood 
 by fishing, were desperate pirates, and attacked 
 every vessel they could find. The vigilance of 
 the government has produced this change; and, at 
 present, piratical depredations are very unfrequent 
 in the channel of Formosa. 
 
 On the 10th of Dec, after having suffered severe- 
 ly from various hardships, and having had our 
 sails torn in pieces, by the violent gales, we, at 
 length, saw a promontory in the province of Can- 
 ton, — much to the joy of us all. At Soah-boe (or 
 Shan-wei), a place three days sail from Canton, 
 our captain went on shore, in order to obtain a 
 permit to enter. 
 
 We proceeded slowly in the ineaii time, and 
 I engaged one of my friends to go with me to 
 Macao, where, I was told, many barbarians lived. 
 All the sailors, my. companions in many dangers, 
 took an affectionate leave of me; and in a few 
 hours after, I arrived at Macao, on the evening 
 of the 13th Dec, and was kindly received by Dr. 
 and Mrs. Morrison ^ 
 
 The reader of •fjiese details shci;tl4 remember, 
 that what has been done is only a feeble begin- 
 ing of what must ensi;ie. , We ivill hope and pray, 
 that God in his mercy may, very soon, open a wi- 
 der door of access ; and we will work /so long as 
 the Lord grants health, strength, and 'opportunity. 
 — I sincerely wish that something I'nore efficient 
 might be done for opening a frefj intercourse with 
 China, and would feel myself highly favoured, if 
 
I could be subservient, in a small degree, in has- 
 tening forward such an event. In the merciful 
 providence of our God and Saviour, it may be con- 
 fidently hoped, that the doors to China will be 
 thrown open. By whom this will be done, or in 
 what way, is of very little importance ; every well- 
 wisher and co-operator will anxiously desire, that all 
 glory may be rendered to God, the giver of every 
 good gift. 
 
 The kindness wherewith I was received by the 
 foreign residents at Macao and Canton, formed 
 quite a contrast with the account the Chinese had 
 given me of " barbarian character, " and demands 
 my liveliest gratitude. Praise to God, the Most 
 High, for his gracious protection and help, for his 
 mercy, and his grace! 
 
Page 
 
 . line. 
 
 5, 
 
 10. 
 
 12, 
 
 11. 
 
 15, 
 
 23. 
 
 18, 
 
 28. 
 
 19, 
 
 11. 
 
 19, 
 
 24. 
 
 19, 
 
 33. 
 
 20, 
 
 27. 
 
 31, 
 
 15. 
 
 35, 
 
 15. 
 
 39, 
 
 25. 
 
 39, 
 
 note *. 
 
 42, 
 
 6. 
 
 50, 
 
 7. 
 
 55, 
 
 13. 
 
 56, 
 
 21. 
 
 73, 
 
 7. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Chans, otherwise written ^SAaws. 
 
 ^o. do. do. do. 
 
 Chan-Pung-dam, synonymous with Lau-Pung- 
 
 dam, page 12. 
 For Coung Shung, read Kaung SJiung. 
 Omit the before Cephalonian. 
 For leaning, read learning. 
 For subject, read subjected. 
 For Soo-ae-Tcea, read Shan-Tceo. 
 For Shih-Iae, read Shih-lee. 
 For Kaung-chung, read Kaung Shung. 
 For Ampeh, read Ampoh. 
 2 lines from bottom, for Jeaou, read J«o«/. 
 For ought, read aught. 
 For Seang-hae-heen, read Shang-hae-heen. 
 For Shan-so, read Ke-shan-so. ' 
 
 For do. do. do. 
 
 For ic?ex, read index. 
 
 Soakah is Shan-keo; and Ampoh is Gan-po* 
 
lit* ■