FOOTNOTES:[71]Dr. Smith makes particular mention of coal as being commonly seen in China during Lord Macartney's embassy. Pits of coal were found near the Poyang lake above Nankin. He says that the coal found in the province of Pechelee was a species of graphite; that which was seen near the Yangtze river was like Kennel coal, and that observed near the Poyang lake resembled covey coal. Other coal found at Chow-chow-foo contained much sulphur, and was used in the manufacture of sulphate of iron in the neighbourhood of that city.[72]I have heard it said by some who were present on this occasion, that the commissioners appeared more struck with the fact ofboys, midshipmen, wearing uniform, and learning the art of war so young, than with anything else. I think it was Elepoo who had the curiosity to examine the dress of one of the youngsters; as much as to say, that he would be much better at school, imbibing the "doctrines of pure reason," than learning how to fight so young, on board a man-of-war. The same remark had also been made, on another occasion, by Keshen, at Canton, respecting the young Mr. Gray; and, I believe, a remark very much like it, was made by the grandfather of the present Emperor, to Sir George Staunton, who was then a boy.
[71]Dr. Smith makes particular mention of coal as being commonly seen in China during Lord Macartney's embassy. Pits of coal were found near the Poyang lake above Nankin. He says that the coal found in the province of Pechelee was a species of graphite; that which was seen near the Yangtze river was like Kennel coal, and that observed near the Poyang lake resembled covey coal. Other coal found at Chow-chow-foo contained much sulphur, and was used in the manufacture of sulphate of iron in the neighbourhood of that city.
[71]Dr. Smith makes particular mention of coal as being commonly seen in China during Lord Macartney's embassy. Pits of coal were found near the Poyang lake above Nankin. He says that the coal found in the province of Pechelee was a species of graphite; that which was seen near the Yangtze river was like Kennel coal, and that observed near the Poyang lake resembled covey coal. Other coal found at Chow-chow-foo contained much sulphur, and was used in the manufacture of sulphate of iron in the neighbourhood of that city.
[72]I have heard it said by some who were present on this occasion, that the commissioners appeared more struck with the fact ofboys, midshipmen, wearing uniform, and learning the art of war so young, than with anything else. I think it was Elepoo who had the curiosity to examine the dress of one of the youngsters; as much as to say, that he would be much better at school, imbibing the "doctrines of pure reason," than learning how to fight so young, on board a man-of-war. The same remark had also been made, on another occasion, by Keshen, at Canton, respecting the young Mr. Gray; and, I believe, a remark very much like it, was made by the grandfather of the present Emperor, to Sir George Staunton, who was then a boy.
[72]I have heard it said by some who were present on this occasion, that the commissioners appeared more struck with the fact ofboys, midshipmen, wearing uniform, and learning the art of war so young, than with anything else. I think it was Elepoo who had the curiosity to examine the dress of one of the youngsters; as much as to say, that he would be much better at school, imbibing the "doctrines of pure reason," than learning how to fight so young, on board a man-of-war. The same remark had also been made, on another occasion, by Keshen, at Canton, respecting the young Mr. Gray; and, I believe, a remark very much like it, was made by the grandfather of the present Emperor, to Sir George Staunton, who was then a boy.
The two most interesting objects which deserve attention outside the walls of Nankin are, the famous porcelain tower, or pagoda, and the tombs of the kings of the ancient Chinese dynasty. Of the former it would be extremely difficult to give such a description as would convey to the reader's mind an accurate idea of its peculiar structure and character. It stands pre-eminent above all other similar buildings in China for its completeness and elegance, the quality of the material of which it is built, or rather with which it is faced over—namely, variously coloured porcelain bricks, highly glazed; and for the quantity of gilding, and particularly of gilt images, with which its interior is embellished.
The building is of an octagonal shape, about two hundred feet high, divided into nine stories. The circumference of the lower story is one hundred and twenty feet, so that each face must measure about fifteen feet; but this measurement decreases as you ascend, although each story is of equal height. Its base rests upon a solid foundation of brickwork, raised about ten feet above the ground, and you ascend to the entrance of the tower by a flight of twelve steps. Its face is covered with slabs of glazed porcelain of various colours, principally green, red, yellow, and white; but the whole building is not, by any means, constructed with porcelain. At every story there is a projecting roof, covered with green-glazed tiles, and from each of its eight corners is suspended a small bell.
The effect of this building, when viewed from a moderate distance, is imposing, no less from the novelty than the peculiarity of its appearance. You ascend to the top of it by one hundred and ninety steps, leading through the different compartments, but they are not all in very good repair. The interior of each story appears at first view striking, but is rather gaudy than elegant, being filled with an immense number of little gilded images, placed in niches, in each of the compartments, between the windows.
Lieut. White, R.M. del. S. Bull, fc.High Priest of the Porcelain Tower at Nankin.London. Henry Colburn. 1845.
Lieut. White, R.M. del. S. Bull, fc.High Priest of the Porcelain Tower at Nankin.London. Henry Colburn. 1845.
The view from the summit of this temple amply compensates you for all the trouble of reaching it, and for any little disappointment that may have been felt at the appearance of the interior of the building. The property extends over an area of nearly thirty miles, and a great part of this is enclosed within the ruins of a dilapidated wall. The country is beautifully diversified by hill and dale, and houses and cultivated grounds; yet, in some parts, it looks almost deserted. Yet it cannot be viewed without great interest, not only from the appearance of the country, but from the associations connected with the locality, and with the tower itself. This latter is said to have cost an immense sum of money (seven or eight hundred thousand pounds), and to have occupied nineteen years in its completion.
A not unnatural desire to possess specimens or relics, as mementos of the first, and probably the last, visit to the ancient capital of the empire, led to a few instances of defacement and injury to some parts of the building, and to many of the figures within it. But the complaints made upon the subject afterwards by the head priest of the tower, or of the monastery attached to it, seem to have been a good deal exaggerated, probably in the hope of obtaining handsome compensation. It was notorious that a great part of the specimens which were carried away were actually sold to visitors by the priests themselves. A complaint, however, was made upon the subject to Sir Henry Pottinger, and at his request measures were adopted to prevent any recurrence of the violence; and, indeed, with the laudable object of encouraging a good understanding with the Chinese, and of doing what, under the circumstances, appeared to be an act of justice, a considerable sum of money was paid over to the chief priest, or abbot, of the monastery, to be applied to the restoration and decoration of the building. It much exceeded the actual value of the damage done.
Another object of very great interest, which engaged attention at Nankin, was the large and extremely ancient cemetery, which apparently, without sufficiently well-ascertained grounds, came to be called the Tombs of the Kings, supposed to be of the Ming dynasty. They were situated on the slope of the hills, at no great distance from the principal gate of the city, at the extremity of a fine paved road.
But, perhaps, still more curious is the avenue of gigantic figures, most of them hewn from a solid piece of stone, whichleads up towards the tombs. Nothing else of the kind was seen in China, and they bore all the appearance of extreme antiquity; the grass grew very high among them, and served to conceal the fragments of some which had been broken. The engraving, which forms the frontispiece to this volume, will convey a better idea of them than any written description. It is taken from an admirable sketch, drawn on the spot, by Captain Watson, R.N., C.B. The figures bear the appearance of gigantic warriors, cased in a kind of armour, standing on either side of the road, across which, at intervals, large stone tablets are extended, supported by large blocks of stone in place of pillars, such as are frequently seen on the roads leading to temples in China, and occasionally across the streets, erected in honour of particular individuals.
In the drawing are represented a number of colossal figures of horses, elephants, zebras, and other animals, rudely, executed, and placed without any distinct arrangement. Properly speaking, they are situated at a considerable distance from the alley of giants, but have been introduced to give an effective representation of the whole. There is something peculiarly Egyptian in the appearance of them all, and one could rather imagine that the scene was laid in the vicinity of Thebes than under the walls of Nankin. It tends, in some measure, to strengthen the opinion of those who have endeavoured to trace a connexion between China and Egypt, at a very remote period of their history.
Little remains to be said concerning the rest of the short period of the detention of our forces at Nankin. On the 15th of September, the Emperor's positive assent to the treaty, signed by his commissioners, on the 29th of August, was received at Nankin.
All were now anxious to quit the river without delay, in which so many brave men had already found a grave, through sickness. Every ship was full of invalids; in many of them full one-third of the crew were unable to work, and in some even more. The officers appeared to suffer equally with the men; and on this account some of the transports were in a pitiable condition. The recovery of the men was extremely slow, and, even after the fever was apparently cured, relapses were very frequent. There are no means, however, of ascertaining the actual number of deaths which occurred, but in some ships they were numerous. Among the troops, the 98th regiment and the Bengal Volunteers suffered the most; but the latter were affected more by their confinement on board ship, and by the voluntary starvation to which theysubmitted, on account of the prejudices of their religion, than by the mere effect of climate. They principally suffered from dysentery, occasioned by their abstinence from proper food. Most of them being Rajpoots, high caste Hindoos, they were prohibited by their superstition from eating any food cooked on board ship. Dry rice and gram (a shrivelled pea, of which sheep and cattle are very fond) constituted almost the only food they would eat, and edible tobacco their only luxury. Medicine could afford little aid to men under these circumstances; and they preferred death to the violation of their religious feelings; indeed, it was not until the survivors reached Hong-Kong, and were sent ashore to live in tents, in order to be able to cook proper food for themselves, that they began to recover strength enough to enable them to support the remainder of the voyage to Calcutta.
While the Hindoos suffered thus severely, the few Mohammedans who were in the regiment escaped almost without sickness, and there was scarcely a death amongst them. A finer regiment than the Bengal Volunteers, when they arrived in China only a few weeks before, nine hundred strong, could hardly be seen. They were even seven hundred and fifty strong when they landed at Nankin, after having been in action at Chin-Keang; and yet, when the regiment arrived in Calcutta, there were less than four hundred survivors. Indeed, there were little more than three hundred upon the field when they were reviewed at Barrackpore, with the rest of the garrison, by Sir Hugh Gough.
Before leaving Nankin, the ceremony of conferring the order of the Grand Cross of the Bath upon Sir Hugh Gough was performed on board the Cornwallis, with all the attendant marks of honour. As it was directed that it should take place in the most public manner possible, the high Chinese officers were invited to attend, and every preparation was made to give eclât to the proceedings. Very few of the Chinese came to witness it, but a few were sufficient to make known to their countrymen generally, that great honours were being conferred upon the English general, for his successes against their best troops.
Towards the end of September, the different transports and ships of war began to move down the river. The steamers were now almost entirely supplied with Nankin coal, immense heaps of which were found regularly stored up along the banks of the river, nearly in front of the city.[73]
The descent of the river was in some respects more difficult for the squadron than the ascent, particularly as the buoys, which had been laid down to mark the channel, had been removed by the Chinese in the interim. Under these circumstances, and in the absence of proper charts of the river, it is highly creditable to the transports that they all succeeded in getting down without any serious accident. Steamers generally went ahead, and gave the soundings by signal, notwithstanding which, most of the ships got aground several times. The weather was now very unsettled and hazy, as the north-east monsoon was just setting in, and this added, of course, to the difficulty.
The plenipotentiary, together with the Admiral and General, paid a visit to Shanghai, on their arrival at Woosung, and the arrangements respecting the ransom of the town, which was to be considered as part of the money paid under the terms of the treaty, were now completed, and the money was shipped; by this payment, the first instalment of 6,000,000 dollars was completed.
At the end of October the whole of the fleet had finally quitted the Yangtze Keang, and were assembled in the beautiful harbours of Chusan. I never remember to have witnessed so picturesque and striking a scene as was there presented to view. Both the outer and inner harbours were crowded with men-of-war, transports, and steamers.
About the middle of November, nearly all our ships had reassembled at Hong-Kong. It was a most animated and bustling scene, and during the two or three weeks in which our forces were detained there, the Chinese reaped a rich harvest from the sale of Chinese manufactures and curiosities, which were eagerly sought for.
From various causes, our forces were detained at Hong-Kong longer than had been expected, and in some respects it happened fortunately, although the weather had become excessively cold and trying for the men. On the 7th of December disturbances took place at Canton, which resulted in the total destruction of the old company's factory, the Dutch factory, (occupied by American merchants,) and the adjacent extensive buildings, called the Creek Hong. As this event produced great alarm in the minds of the foreign residents in China, and even produced an impression on the minds of mercantile people at a distance, who were, in consequence, led to doubt the practicability of maintaining peaceable relations with the Chinese for any length of time, some few details will be necessary.
It is proper to remark that the community of Canton differs in many respects from that of any other part of China. Long accustomed to a profitable intercourse with foreigners, and encouraged by their government to look upon them as an inferior, or, at all events, a less favoured race, arrogant also in proportion to their ignorance, they could not reconcile to themselves the advantageous terms which had been exacted as the price of peace from the Emperor; and forgetting the numerous lessons they had been taught in the Canton river, they believed they could still have succeeded against the foreigner, had their professed patriotism been appealed to, and their proud spirit permitted to pour forth its vengeance.
It is also to be remembered that, in a large commercial city like Canton, a great number of bad and discontented characters are collected from all quarters. Its reputation for wealth made it a desirable field for the adventurer, while the prospect of the loss of a great portion of its trade served to produce a general discontent among the residents. Every great change, however, is commonly attended with some difficulty at first, nor was it likely that the people of Canton could readily forget the day when our troops dictated terms for the ransom of the city, from the heights above it. Moreover, a great part of them really believed that they had beenbetrayed, and that treachery or bribery had been used rather to favourusthan to spare the city; while they scarcely doubted that the large bodies of militia, or self-styled patriots, who continued to hover about the rear of Sir Hugh Gough's army while upon the heights, would have sufficed to have driven him back again to his ships.
For some days previous to the actual disturbances, there had been rumours of an intended rising against the English. Hints were given by some of the people of the establishments belonging to the Hong merchants, that something unusual would happen, and, in fact, that people were combining together for no good ostensible purpose. I happened to be at Canton at the time, and could not help noticing the eagerness with which the crowds of passers-by were reading anonymous placards pasted upon the walls, in the narrow streets at the back of the Factories. These documents professed to publish the sentiments of the patriotic gentry and people belonging to the neighbourhood of Canton. They misstated the terms of the treaty, and asserted the belief, that foreigners were hereafter coming to build houses for themselves at Canton, and to reside therewith their families. This was, in fact, the great object of their dread, or rather, this was the principal argumentthey used to endeavour to rouse the people generally to resist, "and not to allow a single foreigner to remain."
The promiscuousresidenceof foreigners in China was certainly never contemplated by the terms of the treaty; though a support was given to this supposition of the Chinese, by the appearance of three or four English ladies (wives of captains of ships at Whampoa) in the streets of Canton.
I remember well what a sensation it created, when these ladies were seen proceeding up China Street, accompanied by their children, (and, of course, by their husbands.) The novelty of their dress and personal appearance was the least part of the business. It was an infraction of all the established usages of the Chinese; for not only had no foreign ladies been hitherto seen in the streets, but not even Chinese ladies are ever to be seen in public, except in sedan-chairs. On this occasion, the people offered neither violence nor insult, and, indeed, a few policemen were stationed close to the Factories, to prevent the pressure of the crowd. In the evening they embarked again in their boats, and proceeded down the river.
There is no question that this little incident had a very bad effect upon the feelings of the Chinese. As a proof of this, it is right to mention that the same persons again came up a few days afterwards, and resided with their husbands in one of the factories, and thatthat very factorywas the first attacked, and unquestionably the object was to drive out the foreign ladies, as much as it was to plunder. They escaped, with the utmost difficulty and danger, by a back way, and were received into one of the Hong merchants' warehouses until they could be conveyed down the river. But the mob destroyed and tore into shreds every article of their wardrobe which they could find.
In justice to the Chinese, and to the very proper and cautious measures adopted by Sir Henry Pottinger, this incident cannot be omitted. But the mob evidently had its leaders; and many of the people were said to be provided with little bags of gunpowder, for the purpose of setting fire to the buildings. There was certainly some preconcerted scheme or other, although the occurrence of the outbreak on thatparticular daywas a matter of accident.
Disputes first arose in the early part of the day (7th December) between a number of Lascars, who were on leave from Whampoa, and some of the shopkeepers of Canton. The Lascars are generally allowed to trade a little on their own private account, and are in the habit of carrying back toIndia a great variety of articles, of little cost, purchased in China. On this occasion, a very large number of them were allowed to come up to Canton together; hard bargains were driven, and doubtless there were faults on both sides. High words soon led to blows and squabbles in some of the back streets; the disturbance naturally increased by the accession of recruits to both sides, stones flew and sticks were used, and at length the Lascars were driven out of the back streets into one of the unoccupied hongs, called the Creek Hong, which still remained unrepaired since the general pillage of the Factories in the previous year.
For some time both parties remained quiet, and probably those Chinamen who commenced the disturbance had little to do with what afterwards happened. Towards evening, numbers of suspicious-looking people began to collect together, in front of the Factories. Something serious was now anticipated, and the European residents began to barricade their doors and windows, and to endeavour to secure their books and treasure as well as they could. One of the first objects upon which an attack was made by the mob was the British flag-staff in the Company's garden, into which they forced their way. The staff was soon set on fire, (there was no flag,) and the blaze was followed by a general shout.
The British factory, which was then undergoing repair, was the next object of violence. The workmen within it defended it for some time, but the mob at last got in, and were thus enabled to force their way from the balcony into the adjoining building, (formerly part of the Company's hong,) in which the ladies were staying with their friends. Fortunately, however, they had already been conveyed away to a place of safety.
Elated with success, the mob gradually attacked the other adjoining factories, particularly that which was formerly occupied by the Dutch, but which was then rented by an American firm. Here a stand was made with fire-arms against the invaders for some time, and two or three of them were shot. At length, however, they prevailed; and the American gentlemen had a narrow escape in reaching their boats, but were only able to save a small quantity of the treasure.
Gradually the crowd increased, as the night set in; parts of the factories were already on fire, and if the wind had been high, instead of being nearly calm, it is impossible to say where the destruction would have stopped, in a city like Canton.
It will be asked whether no attempt was made by the Chinese authorities to disperse the mob. For some time theyseem to have been actually themselvesafraidof encountering the mob; and a small party of police-runners and soldiers, who were sent down in the first instance, were said to have been driven off. It must not be supposed that all, or even a quarter part, of the foreign factories were burned down. None of the rest were injured, except those situated between Hog Lane and the Creek. Towards morning the mob began to be satiated with what they had done, and a large body of soldiers coming down into the square in front of the Factories, headed by their proper officers, soon managed to enforce quiet. They retained possession of the square, and pitched their tents, as if they were to be stationed there for some time.
The alarm created by these violent proceedings among the foreign community was of course very great indeed. But whatever the plans of the Chinese may have been, the arrival of the Proserpine steamer on the following morning at Canton tended very much to reassure the European community. Sir Hugh Gough had requested to be conveyed in her to Canton, merely for the purpose of visiting the town, and it was quite a matter of fortunate accident that she arrived there just when she was most wanted. Communications passed between Sir Hugh Gough and the authorities, who gave every assurance of their desire to maintain tranquillity. But the difficulty was as to theirpowerto carry out their own wishes. It was doubted whether their soldiers could be depended on, and Sir Hugh Gough, therefore, acceded to the request of the merchants, to allow the Proserpine to remain off the Factories until communications could be received from Sir Henry Pottinger.
In every point of view, this was now a very critical moment. A single false move, or one hasty step, would have led to collision and difficulty, and might have endangered the existence of the peace for which we had so long been struggling. The utmost caution and good judgment were required to allay the angry feelings on both sides; and it would have ill become us to have assumed the appearance of almost inviting the renewal of a collision with a proud susceptible government, when their high officers declared themselves "both willing and able to control their own people, and to protect foreigners."
The merchants at Canton addressed Sir Henry Pottinger, with a view to obtain from him protection for their persons and property while carrying on their trade at Canton; they expressed their firm belief that there was a prevailing spirit of hostility to the English among certain classes in Canton, by whom the mob were influenced, and that unlessarmedprotection(amounting in reality to armedintervention) were afforded to them, it would be impossible for them to carry on their business, except through the means of American agency. And this kind of assistance was generally deprecated by the merchants, as tending not only to throw business into the hands of the Americans for the time, but also to establish it permanently in their favour, to the detriment of our own mercantile interests.
The reply of Sir Henry Pottinger to the merchants was a long and somewhat harshly expressed document. It seemed to have been written on the spur of the moment, and amounted, in fact, to arebuke, addressed to the merchants; part of which had little reference to the matter in question. The impression of the Plenipotentiary seems to have been, that theforeigncommunity were altogether in the wrong; and his Excellency certainly had in view the extensive, and one may almost say acknowledged, smuggling, not only of opium, but of every description of exports and imports which were liable to duty, in the Canton river.
This was undoubtedly a critical moment of our intercourse with the Chinese. Sir Henry Pottinger addressed a letter upon the subject to the Viceroy of Canton, and sent it up by the Nemesis. It would be difficult to say that this was not the wisest and most dignified course to pursue. If the Viceroy should declare either his inability or his unwillingness to protect the foreign community, then, indeed, would be the proper time for intervention, in order to secure to them that protection which they needed.
Captain Hall had previously gone up as a passenger in the Proserpine, with Captain Hough, to Canton; but the moment it was ascertained that the Nemesis had passed the Bogue, in charge of his chief officer, he went down to meet her, and brought her safely straight up to Canton from Whampoa, passing through the passage between the stakes below Napier's fort, and then taking the left-hand passage, by the low alluvial island. The Proserpine had previously, for the first time, been carried up the right-hand passage. Both of these lead up to nearly the same point, opposite the French Folly.
Great was the rejoicing of all the foreigners at Canton, the moment they recognised their old friend the Nemesis approaching. And who that had once seen her could ever mistake her appearance, with her two huge eyes upon the bows, in true Chinese fashion!
On this occasion, the captains of the merchant-vessels at Whampoa handsomely volunteered to lend their services, ifnecessary. There was great uncertainty as to what might happen, and it was reported that an attempt would be made upon the steamer at night. It was not forgotten that on former occasions fire-rafts had been sent down the river to destroy the shipping, and it was necessary that the Nemesis and Proserpine should be prepared. The assistance of two boats only was accepted—one from the Tuglis, under Captain Isaacson, and another from the Edinburgh, under Captain Paterson. Both boats were well armed and manned, and were of great use in guarding against a surprise.
Mr. Medhurst had come up in the Nemesis, as interpreter, in charge of Sir Henry Pottinger's letter to the Viceroy; and the question now was, to whom, or through whom, was it to be delivered? A great number of Chinese soldiers were encamped on the ground in front of the Factories, for the protection of the foreigners. They were evidently some of their best soldiers, for they were well dressed and properly armed. Each tent was appropriated to about six men; and one of their large, long shields, placed upright, served as a door to each; their arms were all in readiness, and sentries were placed. As for the men themselves, their only occupation or amusement seemed to be gambling all the day long.
At first the Hong merchants proposed to receive the letter, but that was, of course, objected to. Then the Kwang-chow-foo, or Prefect, wished it to be handed over to him on shore, but that was also refused. It was intimated that it could only be delivered to him on the quarter-deck of the steamer. At length a mandarin, who spoke a little English, having formerly been employed in one of the Hong merchants' establishments, came alongside, and proposed that Captain Hall should go into the Prefect's boat, andtheredeliver the letter, under the pretence that the Prefect was anold man, and could not get up the ship's side. All these were little attempts at evasion, to save his dignity. It was, however, insisted that the Prefect should come on board the Nemesis, and there receive the communication, and he might bring as many of the Hong merchants with him as he pleased.
At length, finding that nothing was to be gained by further delay, and that the days of paying court to the Prefect were now long past, he stepped upon the quarter-deck of the steamer, accompanied by most of the Hong merchants. They were all conducted into the cabin, and the letter was delivered in due form, with an intimation that it was to be laid before the Viceroy without delay, and that a speedy answer was expected. They then requested that the steamers might be removedlower down, as their presence only tended to keep alive the excitement. This, however, could not be complied with. They denied altogether the report that a large body of troops were advancing towards the city, or that any violence or insult whatever was intended against the foreigners. However, it was intimated that the steamers were perfectly prepared, and that their guns would be kept loaded, ready to meet any attack that might be made.
The answer of the Viceroy was perfectly satisfactory; and that it was sincere, the event has since fully proved. He declared his great anxiety, as well as his perfectability, to protect all foreigners; and, at the same time, expressed his readiness to repay all such losses as had been incurred during the late riots, after they should have been correctly ascertained, and transmitted through her Majesty's government.
There have been no grounds whatever for supposing that there will be any probability of another collision with the Chinese, to whose moderation and good faith, since the terms of peace have been settled, too much justice cannot be done. When we consider the wonderful changes which have been brought about in so short a period of time, and these, too, in the face of a nation the most proud, the most prejudiced, and the vainest in the world, we cannot but look back with wonder at all that has happened, and stand firm in our belief that Providence has yet greater things in store for China, mainly through the instrumentality of England.
A new era is undoubtedly now opened for the Chinese; new duties and new relations have been imposed upon them; but let us not forget, in the fulness of victory, and in the pride of the human heart, that new and highly important duties are imposed upon us also, not lightly to be thought of, nor inconsiderately handled. We must take for our motto, forbearance, good-will, kindliness, honesty, and true Christian feeling. With these as our panoply, the benefit to be derived by both nations from the cautious, systematic, and prudent exercise of the duties imposed upon each other, may become a blessing to both. Let it also be borne in mind, that qualities the reverse of these—overbearing violence, and, above all, undue love of gain—may entail, not only misery and the horrors of anarchy upon a people who proudly boast of their antiquity and of their vast resources, but may also bring political difficulties, with loss of dignity and of high principle, upon that little distant speck upon the earth's surface, yet that giant in the world's interest—Great Britain.
At the latter end of December, the whole of the transportsand ships of war not required for further service in China sailed from Hong-Kong for their respective destinations; and peace seemed now to reign throughout the whole of that vast portion of the East.
FOOTNOTE:[73]Immense piles of excellent fire-wood were also found at Nankin.
[73]Immense piles of excellent fire-wood were also found at Nankin.
[73]Immense piles of excellent fire-wood were also found at Nankin.
Before daylight on the morning of the 23rd of December, the Nemesis was destined to take her departure from Macao, and probably to bid adieu to China for ever. It is not too much to say, that she was regretted by all.
Before three o'clock she was under way; and the discharge of a few rockets and the report of her guns gave notice of her departure to the still sleeping inhabitants, who were quite unused to the disturbance at that early hour in the morning. It caused some little alarm among the inmates of the houses on the Praya Grand, fronting the bay. But the Governor, who resides there, had been previously told, in a good-humoured way, that he must not be alarmed at a little noise during the night. When daylight broke, the Nemesis was out of sight of Macao.[74]
As the extent of the wear and tear of the vessel, after three years' service of a trying kind, was not precisely known, it was not thought prudent to run out into the middle of the China Sea, during the strength of the monsoon. She therefore coasted along towards the island of Hainan, in order that she might be able to take shelter, if a gale came on. It was perhaps fortunate that she did so. The weather was extremely pleasant and warm, but looked unsettled. The appearance of the coast, as we ran along it, at the distance of five or six miles, was bold and mountainous, but not very fertile, as far as we could judge at that distance.
In the course of the day, we passed through a large fleet of fishing-junks, dragging their huge nets before the wind. The Chinese fishermen did not appear alarmed at the approach of the steamer, and from one of them we procured an enormous fish, weighing no less than eighty-eight pounds, and differing in appearance from any we had hitherto seen. It had a large flat head, but small mouth, and was of a greenish-yellow colour. When dressed, it was found eatable, but rather strong.
We soon passed very near the curious conical rock, called the Mandarin's Peak or Cap, and kept the coast in view until dark. On the following day, the weather was extremely hazy and unsettled, and there was a heavy swell setting in from seaward. We had hoped to have been able to land on Hainan on Christmas-day, and to have drank the health of absent friends on terra firma; but the hazy weather detained the vessel, and she only anchored, as the night set in, in a fine sandy bay in seven fathoms water; the wind howled over our heads, and made it the more satisfactory that we had kept near the land.
As mention has been made of having passed through a fleet of fishing-junks, it will be proper here to warn all vessels against being off their guard on such occasions. The fishermen along the whole coast of this part of China, as far as Canton, are rogues, pirates, smugglers—in short, ready to take advantage of any opportunity, honest or otherwise, of benefiting themselves. They will, perhaps, appear quite friendly at first; and if they then find that a vessel is not prepared to resist, or if they think that they could overpower her, the chances are that they would not hesitate to make the attempt, when least expected. Never trust yourself in a strange place ashore withoutat least onedouble-barrelled pistol in your pocket, and never admit a Chinaman on board, (if a number of fishing-boats are about,)on this coast, without being prepared to prevent treachery. This caution is not unnecessary to ordinary merchant vessels, because it commonly happens that, although they have arms on board, the ammunition can seldom be found when it is wanted in a hurry, and not unfrequently, when the barrels of the muskets are clean and the bayonets bright, the locks have got no flints. It is at night that the Chinese would be most likely to make the attempt, and for this reason the opium clippers are always well armed and manned. This is found necessary for their ownprotection, and not, as many have supposed, to compel the Chinese to purchase the drug.
The bay in which we anchored was situated a little to the eastward of Liengsoy, or Tongsoy Bay, as laid down in the charts. On the following morning, as we proceeded towards the latter bay, we could clearly distinguish a sunken reef, running out from the east point of it, to the distance of nearly a mile. At the extremity of it, numerous fishing-boats were busily occupied, and with some difficulty a pilot was procuredfrom one of them, to take us into Liengsoy Bay. He was found of little use, as it was easy to make our way in without him; but he seemed highly pleased when a dollar was given to him, with a view to encourage others to come to the assistance of any other vessel that might require a pilot.
Liengsoy is a fine bay, perfectly sheltered during the north-east monsoon, but a little exposed to the south-west. From the depth of the bay, and from its being sheltered to the westward by a long chain of rocky mountains, it is well protected on that side, while the long reef forms a natural breakwater upon the east side. It is open only to the southward; and, from the height to which the sand is blown up upon the northern beach, it is evident that the wind sets in sometimes with great violence.
At the extremity of the bay was a narrow opening, not very easily seen at a distance, which led into a large salt-water lagoon. We pulled towards it in the steamer's cutter, and soon discovered a small half-dilapidated stone fort, on the left hand, near which was a small government station, distinguished by its flag, but the inmates (although one of them, a fine stout fellow, was probably a mandarin) were very poor and humble. They invited us to land, and very civilly gave us tea, and let us smoke our cigars in their small dwelling, built of half mud, half mats, but more comfortable within than the exterior promised. Thence we walked along a fine sandy beach, bordering the lagoon, until we came to a tolerable village, situated in the middle of a fine cocoa-tree plantation. It appeared to be principally inhabited by fishermen—fine, stout, well-made people; and the large quantity of sharks' fins which were fixed upon stakes, and put out to be dried by the sun, along the edge of the lagoon, sufficiently indicated the principal occupation of the people. The huts were built of coral, mud, and bamboo, and were ranged in long lines or lanes, and the people seemed generally well clothed and happy. The women were not secluded, but came out to look at our party, almost as freely as the men. All appeared good-humoured and well disposed, and offered us plenty of ducks, fowls, and pigs for sale. It was noticed that, even in this poor little fishing-village, people were seen reading or writing in almost every one of the little shops. As we left it again, the villagers amused themselves by letting off crackers in all directions—a Chinaman's delight. Numbers of the people followed us down to the boat again; and two or three rupees, distributed among the most deserving, put them all in a good humour.
We could not ascertain whether any river flowed into the lagoon or not, but no fresh water was seen, although, from the greater number of trees and the appearance of vegetation at the upper extremity of it, about a mile and a half distant, we thought it probable that a small river opened into the lagoon.
Having rejoined the steamer, we stood out of the bay again, and, having rounded the western extremity, formed by the range of hills which run quite down to the coast, proceeded along shore for about a mile, until we entered another fine bay, remarkable for having three entrances, and called Galong Bay. The coast is extremely bold and rocky, covered with low, stunted shrubs, and there is deep water almost close in shore. Horsburgh's description and directions were found to be quite correct; except that the village of which he speaks could not be found anywhere at the present time. The bay is one of great extent; and the two rocky islands, called the Brothers, between which are the channels leading into it from the westward, are bold and striking objects.
As we proceeded further into the bay, the appearance of its shores improved; the steep, picturesque mountains on all sides being clothed with wood from their summit, to the water's edge. The only perfect shelter for ships from the south-west is under a low island, called Middle Island, inside the Brothers, where there is a fine, sandy beach, but not very deep water. Of course there is perfect shelter from the north-east, and you have always the advantage of three entrances into the bay.
Having steamed quite round the bay, the Nemesis went out again by the broadest passage, between one of the Brothers and the main island, and continued to coast along a bold, rocky shore, until we entered the beautiful bay of Yin-lin-kan. The entrance to this is not broad, but sufficiently so for ships to work in, and then it expands into a fine, bold bay, having plenty of water in all parts. On proceeding to its farthest extremity, we found the entrance of what Horsburgh calls a lagoon; at its entrance it has all the appearance of a lagoon, and it is not until you get up quite to its extremity, (which you are able to do in boats,) that you find a river of tolerable size flowing into it.
The great bay or harbour of Yin-lin-kan is by far the best of all those that were visited on this coast. There is fine anchorage in smooth water, perfectly protected from all winds; indeed, the sea outside cannot even be seen when you are fairly inside the bay. Several large fishing-junks, of the better kind, were at anchor there; and the shores were bold and picturesque.
Having found our way into what appeared to be the mouth of the lagoon, it was determined to stand in, if possible, to explore it further. The entrance was narrow, and the passage tortuous; but, by observing the character of the shores on either side, together with the varying shades of colour in the water, and with two good men in the chains, and one out on the jib-boom, the channel into it was found without much difficulty, the water being deeper than was expected. Fishing-stakes were seen in several places, so that it seemed probable that a town or village was not far off. The lagoon, or expanded river, was now found to turn round to the right, or westward, and several small junks were at anchor near a few huts upon the shore. The appearance of the country was very peculiar, looking very like a flooded valley, about half a mile in breadth, the shores rising up on either side with a rather steep ascent, but leaving some low ground at the edge of the lagoon.
The steamer continued to push her way on for about one mile and a half or two miles, through a shallow channel, until she had passed a double line of long fishing-stakes, one on either side. The water was now too shallow: to proceed further, and the tide was falling, so that it was necessary to retrace our steps into deeper water, where she anchored for the night.
On the following morning, at daylight, the weather being very unsettled and hazy, Captain Hall determined to take his cutter and pinnace, and proceed to the extremity of the lagoon, nearly a mile distant, in the hope of finding a river, or probably some town or village, not far off. The crews were well armed, in case of a surprise; and we also took our double-barrelled guns, in the hope of getting a shot or two at some game. As we approached the end of the lagoon, the water became very shallow, and the passage difficult to find. We saw what appeared to us to be deer and pheasant, in abundance, along the edge of the mountains, on either side; but time was too precious and the water too shallow, (it being quite low water,) to permit us to land where we most wished.
At length, after carefully searching for a considerable time, we found a distinct entrance to a river, nearly at the right hand corner at the end of the lagoon. It was not easy to make it out at first; as the banks, which were low, were thickly covered with mangrove shrubs. The country expanded into a broad, open valley, beyond which well-wooded hills could be seen on every side. Cocoa-nut trees were growing in abundance; and here and there we could descry, in the distance, small, rich, green spots of cultivated ground, which madeus think that we should find inhabitants not far off. We had no difficulty in ascending the river, but discovered no habitations or appearance of cultivation on its banks. The bare roots of the mangroves on either side, standing out exposed into the river, served to shew by their marks that the water sometimes stood much higher than it then was, and that floods occasionally took place.
At the distance of about two miles from the entrance, we came to a narrow, wooden-plank bridge, close to which were two small junks, or decked boats. One of our boats was sent higher up to explore; but the river was found divided by a small island, a little above the bridge, and the water was so shallow that the pinnace could not proceed without difficulty. Accordingly, having left a part of the men in charge of the boats at the bridge, and another party, consisting of an officer and six men, being ordered to follow at an interval of less than half an hour, Captain Hall and myself, accompanied by four men, well armed, set out to explore the country. We soon fell into a well-beaten, sandy cart-track, which surprised us not a little, as we had hitherto seen nothing of the kind in China. It has been already noticed that carts were found to be in use in the island of Formosa; and it was also known that they were to be met with in the northern parts of China, in the neighbourhood of Pekin.
After pursuing our way along this sandy track for about a mile, we entered a fine cocoa-tree wood, with several neat little cottages built in the midst of it; and presently we heard a creaking, or rather, squeaking noise, which seemed to be nearing us. It was soon found to proceed from three bullock-carts, rudely built of poles, covered round with matting, and drawn by buffaloes instead of bullocks. They had more the appearance of large bales of goods than of carts; the wheels were made of solid wood, and the axletree was fixed in the wheel, (as at Formosa,) but turned round under the body of the cart, causing a loud, squeaking noise at each revolution.
Several teams of buffaloes were passed, dragging timber down to the river-side, which must be found in abundance in this neighbourhood, and of good quality; an important consideration for ships driven into the bay of Yin-lin-kan by stress of weather.
We soon emerged into a fine, level, grassy plain; upon which, at intervals, clusters of shrubs and young trees were passed. Small green parroquets seemed to be very numerous. The soil, however, was poor and sandy; but the mountains which bounded the plain, or expanded valley, were coveredwith wood; while, lower down towards the river, (or what appeared to us to be its probable course,) grass-lands and paddy-fields varied the landscape. We were surprised, however, at seeing so few people; and, compared with China Proper, the country appeared to us very thinly populated.
The autumnal tints were still fresh upon the foliage, although it was past Christmas-day; and the variety of the trees, and the peculiar conical shape of some of the mountains, thickly covered with wood to their very summits, combined to give additional interest and novelty to the character of the country. Perhaps it struck us the more forcibly, from beingdifferentfrom anything we had recently seen in China Proper. It was curious to notice the gradations of verdure according to the height above the valley. At the bottom, everything was brown and autumnal, at the top, it was all green and youthful, while between the two were all the intermediate stages. Here again we thought we could distinguish deer and pheasants in the woods along the mountain sides.
Gradually the plain became contracted, and we entered a regular sort of narrow cart-road, overhung with trees, and cut at least two feet below the surface, as if the better to give protection from the sun's rays. This soon led us to some rich paddy-fields, in the neighbourhood of a village, around which were gardens planted with the sweet potato and other vegetables, and apparently cultivated with great care. The village, or rather hamlet, was very inconsiderable; and we passed on without halting, in the hope of reaching some town of consequence. The valley continued to get narrower, and our road was now sheltered with trees.
A walk of about four miles further brought us to another considerable village, where we halted for an hour, and took refreshment in a large public tea-shop. The villagers crowded good-humouredly round us, and betrayed little fear, although we were all well armed. We only saw two reallypoorpeople amongst them, and they looked as if they were just let out of prison. As usual, our dress, appearance, arms, and every little trifle we carried about us, attracted great attention and curiosity. They had probably never seen Europeans before; and when we fired off a musket to please them, their astonishment was indeed great. Their wants were few, and the necessaries of life appeared easily obtained; there were some decent shops in the village, and, as usual, plenty of people who could read and write.
Altogether the whole appearance of the country gave one the idea of a newly-colonized spot. We saw no goats or cows,but plenty of capital pigs and poultry. We still thought that there might be some considerable town not far off; and by the help of a small vocabulary, written in Chinese, (which of course they were able toread,) we ascertained that there was one some miles off, the direction of which was pointed out to us. After some hesitation, we determined to proceed; and at length we reached the extremity of the valley, where there was merely a footpath, running sometimes between low hills, at other times through a dense scrub, until at length we crossed the bed of a river, with a fine rocky bottom and a rapid stream. Here we halted, to refresh ourselves with a cool draught, when suddenly a whole posse of people descended the hill on the other side, and began to cross the river; some were carried in sedan-chairs, (mandarins, probably,) some were led with chains round their necks, while others had chains round their legs; there were also several attendants; and one great man rode on horseback. They had almost reached the middle of the river before they observed us, and naturally looked somewhat alarmed at our appearance. We saluted them, and then passed on.
Our road now lay among hills, and the ground was broken and tiresome. We ascended one hill, which was paved all the way with large rough stones, and we concluded wemustbe near the town we were in search of; and the novelty of the adventure stimulated us to go on, although the heat was great, and we had still the whole distance to travel back again. We now ascended a steep eminence a little out of the road, from which we obtained a magnificent view of the country, with a fine plain just beyond the hills, bounded by the sea in the distance. We could see no town, but there could be little doubt that it lay somewhere in the beautiful plain beneath us.
Having regained the principal path, we proceeded some way further along the side of a wooded mountain, until we reached an inn by the road side. Here again we got tea, and smoked our cigars, on perfect good terms with the Chinese, our fellow-travellers. A consultation was now held. It seemed probable that the town we were attempting to reach was that of Lychew, upon the sea-coast, about ten or twelve miles from the capital of the island. The day was already far advanced, and we had still about twelve miles to get back again to our boats. Moreover, we thought it very likely that by returning at once we should meet the sedan chairs empty, and the horse without its rider, returning to the town, after having escorted their prisoners, and thus we should manage to get ourselvescarriedback to our boat. We determined, therefore, not to proceedfurther, although we much longed to descend into the valley beyond.
It surprised us that, considering we were without doubt the first Europeans who had been seen in that part of the country, the people shewed not the slightest rudeness or troublesome curiosity. They all seemed much more taken up with the appearance of one of the black Kroomen, who attended us, than with the Europeans.
After proceeding two or three miles on our way back, we fortunately met the sedan-chairs and the horse returning. We soon made them halt, and tried to come to terms for them to carry us all the way down to our boats. Captain Hall mounted the horse without any ceremony; but the poor fellows who had charge of it cried so lustily, and from their manner made us believe that they would be so terribly punished, that at last they were allowed to proceed unmolested.
Next came a grand dispute about the sedan-chairs, rickety old things made of bamboo; but we soon got into them, (there were only two,) and held out a dollar; but between fear and disinclination to the job, the men set us down, and left us in the lurch. However, as we kept possession of the chairs, we had the best of the bargain, though it was not a very pleasant prospect for us to sit there until it should please the men to carry us on. At length, after some deliberation among themselves, they agreed to carry us for a dollar each, and away we went, greatly enjoying the fun.
On reaching the village at which we had before halted, they set us down again in order to rest themselves, and tried every means to persuade us to alight, and take some tea; but we were rather too old travellers to be taken in by such tricks, and continued to keep possession of our chairs. At length, finding they could not get rid of us, they made up their minds to carry us on the whole way, and trotted off nimbly enough. The easy, measured step of the Chinese bearers, who carry the poles upon their shoulders, one on either side, with a cross piece joining them together, and resting upon the back of the neck, is by no means disagreeable; and considering the rudeness of the construction of the chairs, we were surprised that the motion was so pleasant.
Presently we fell in with the other party which had been desired to follow us, and received a very good account of the civility they had met with from the people. Indeed, they stated that they had overtaken a respectable-looking Chinaman on horseback, as they were marching along, who, seeing a young midshipman of the party, among so many stout men,very gallantly dismounted, and offered him the use of his horse; intimating by his manner and gestures that he was too young to walk so far. This little piece of attention was the more remarkable as horses are seldom used by the Chinese, and are usually only found in the hands either of people of rank or of great wealth. On reaching a road which branched off to the left, the polite gentleman resumed his horse and disappeared.
At length we reached the beautiful cocoa-nut wood near the river, and refreshed ourselves with the milk of the fresh nuts, under the shade of the trees, which were here growing to a very great height.
Having regained our boats, we found a number of Chinese collected round them, but no violence or insult had been offered; indeed, the peasants had brought down fowls and ducks for sale.
It was now almost sunset, and the tide was just beginning to turn, so that we descended the river rapidly, and, as we emerged from it into the lagoon, it was christened Hall's River, with our last glass of cherry-brandy, a little of which we had taken with us for the journey.
As it was still nearly high-water, the appearance of the lagoon was much more striking than it had been in the morning, and we could see plenty of game coming out of the woods, to feed upon the little green patches at the foot of the hills. But not a single human habitation could be discovered. We soon reached the steamer again, and instantly getting under way, proceeded out of the lagoon, or Inner Harbour, as it is called upon the Admiralty chart.
It should here be remarked, that the entrance to the outer harbour orbasinof Yin-lin-kan, as laid down in the chart, is much toe broad and the bay too open; at least, such is the impression from what we remember of the verymoderatebreadth of the entrance, and of the appearance of the basin when inside of it. There was a heavy swell outside, the result of the strong breezes which had prevailed for several preceding days.
We now stood across the Gulf of Tonquin, towards the coast of Cochin-China, which we kept in sight all the way down. On the 29th we ran into the large and beautiful basin, called by Horsburgh, Phuyen Harbour, in latitude 18° 23' N., with a view to ascertain its character and capabilities, which could be done with very little detention. The importance of an accurate knowledge of the best harbours for ships to run into, in the China Sea, in case of need, cannot be overratednow that there is every probability of a great increase in the number of merchant ships passing up and down. The great Phuyen Basin, which in fact containsthreeexcellent harbours, is accurately described by Horsburgh. We steamed round it in all directions, and were struck with its beauty, and the perfect shelter it affords. The soundings were very regular, from twelve, to five and a quarter, and four and a half fathoms. The Buoy Rock, which is the only danger, is distinctly seen above water, at ebb-tide, looking precisely like what its name indicates. As we came out again at high-water, it was found covered. It lies about half way up the first or outer harbour, at the distance of half to one-third of a mile from the northern shore.
Just at the entrance to this harbour, near its southern shore, stands the high, abrupt, rocky island, called Nest Island, which, although there is deep water close in, on either side, has a coral reef running out from its western extremity. The three harbours are, first, Xuandai, on the southern shore, round Nest Island; next, Vunglam, on the north-western side, about a mile and a half further up; and lastly, Vungchao, at the end of the basin.
Nothing can exceed the beauty and security of the spot, shut in on all sides, like a large lake, the shores being bold and mountainous, but not much wooded. Further inland, to the westward, the country appeared fertile and well cultivated, but not laid out in terraces along the hill sides, as in most parts of China-Proper, but divided into small fields with hedgerows round them, putting one very much in mind of some parts of England.
We were disappointed in not finding a town of some size along the shores of the basin; but, as the soil is there generally poor, while there was evidently a rich valley a little in the rear to the westward, we concluded that it was probably situated in that more favoured spot. There were however two hamlets, one on either side of the extremity of the bay, situated in the midst of a fine cocoa-nut wood; and in a little bay in the east corner we found a very extensive burial-ground, with a number of large tombs, and a small chapel. We could learn nothing of its history, but concluded that it was the cemetery for wealthy people belonging to some town not far distant. We landed, and rambled among the curious tombs, different in appearance from those either of the Chinese or the Malays. There were a few fishermen's huts in the neighbourhood, but the people were poor and ill-clothed, and their features far from prepossessing. The men were small in stature, and inevery respect an inferior-looking people to the inhabitants of Hainan.
A vast number of large, well-built fishing-boats were sailing about the great basin, built very sharp at both ends, and of great length. They carry an enormous sail, very broad, but not high, cut square, but yet not like a lug-sail. It was made of a strong kind of grass cloth. As this powerful sail must of course endanger the safety of their long narrow boat, they adopt a curious mode of counterbalancing it, so as to keep the boat upright. A long straight stout spar is run out to windward from the middle of the vessel, and upon this three or four men (more or less according to the strength of the wind) crawl out, and sit upon the extremity, dangling their legs over the water in a manner not to be envied. From long habit, they sit there very contentedly, for a length of time, almost entirely naked, and appear to think that no other kind of ballast is needed. If the wind were suddenly to change, they would probably get a ducking, by their own weight bearing down the boat, with such a lever. But, as the monsoon blows pretty regularly here, they are not afraid of sudden changes. If they have occasion to put about, the men all come in first, and then rig out the spar upon the opposite side, crawling out upon it again as before.
Two or three better kind of vessels were seen, differently rigged, something like our lattine-rig, and they looked and sailed remarkably well. The people did not appear at all afraid of the steamer, although they looked on in evident wonder, as she moved so steadily through the harbour.
The same afternoon, we pursued our voyage; and on the 5th of January, the Nemesis steamed into Singapore, decorated with a number of Chinese flags, and was cheered by several of the transports as she passed. The next day, nearly all the rest of the squadron set sail again, leaving the Nemesis to follow, as soon as her fuel was completed.
On the evening of the 12th, the Nemesis again pursued her voyage; and on the 14th, at daylight, anchored in the shallow open bay of Malacca. The view of the town and coast from the bay is striking; there is aMalay lookabout it, and much less of the European character than in Singapore. There is a rich flat belt of country along the coast, thickly covered with cocoa-nut trees; while a hill adjoining the town, upon which there is the ruin of a church, with a flag-staff, and a saluting battery, forms a marked point in the prospect.
Everything at Malacca distinctly indicates the "tempora mutantur" of by-gone days; the dull stillness of the town,the mixture of Dutch countenances, modified by long descent in a tropical country, thefallen-offlook of the public buildings, point out the little value which is set upon Malacca in the present day. The kind attentions of the governor, however, induced us to pay a short visit a few miles into the interior, where we obtained a splendid view of a fine, rich, well-wooded, and well-watered country. We were evidently in the favoured regions of the spice plantations.
We had just arrived in time to disturb a nest of Malay pirates who had landed the day before, and had robbed one of the neighbouring villages, killing or wounding several of the inhabitants. The steamer's boats were immediately sent away manned and armed, at the governor's request, and accompanied by a large hired boat, carrying a strong body of police. A search-warrant had been obtained for the purpose of examining two or three small junks which had recently come into the bay, but nothing suspicious was found on board. The boats then pulled off towards two islands several miles distant, where it was thought the pirates might lie concealed; but nothing was discovered. The matter was then left entirely in the hands of the police, and the steamer's boats returned.
The same evening we again pursued our voyage towards Penang, or Prince of Wales's Island, the so-called gem of the eastern seas. Our course was taken as close along shore as was possible; and instead of passing through the narrow channels between the sands in the middle of the straits, we pushed through the Calam Strait, just above the Parcellar Hill, and found the passage broad and safe, the shores on both sides being bold and well wooded.
On the 17th, we reached the truly beautiful island of Penang, a spot which becomes the more striking the oftener it is seen, and anchored in a small sandy bay close to the fort, inside the Dido, 20, under the command of the Honourable Captain Keppel. Enough has already been said of this lovely spot in the early part of this work. Its clean and regular town, its excellent roads, beautiful villas, and rich plantations of spices of all kinds, and of cocoa-nuts, added to the picturesque beauties of the landscape on every side, cannot be forgotten by any who have visited them.
The hospitality and good feeling of the inhabitants of Penang cannot be exceeded. There is a considerable population of Chinese upon the island, (in addition to Malays, Indians, and Europeans,) who, besides being excellent mechanics, enter largely into the cultivation of spice trees, and often become not only honest and useful tenants, but actualproprietors of small plantations. It is worth remembering, that from its geographical position, there is not half an hour's difference in the rising and setting of the sun at Penang throughout the whole year.
There is one curiosity in natural history very common on this island which I had never seen elsewhere—viz., the trumpet beetle. Although not large itself it has a long trumpet-shaped proboscis, or kind of feeler, from which it emits so loud and long a sound, among the woods by the mountain's sides, that you can scarcely believe that any insect could possibly send forth such a tone. It gave one more the idea of the sound which a bird might utter, such, for instance, as that of the bell-bird, or the whip-bird, or the laughing jackass (vernacularly called) met with in New South Wales.
One of the largest trees on record is to be found at Penang. It is one hundred and thirty feet high to thefirst branch, and thirty-six feet round in the largest part.
After a few days' detention at Penang, to complete some necessary repairs and to take in coal, we bade adieu, with many regrets, to that lovely island, and coasted along all the way towards the entrance of the Moulmein river, at the mouth of which we found the Endymion at anchor, having Sir Hugh Gough and staff on board. Having delivered the despatches and letter-bags, we proceeded up the river in charge of a pilot, for the purpose of getting coal. The river was found broader and deeper than had been expected, well wooded on both sides; indeed, a great quantity of valuable timber is exported from Moulmein, and large ships are built there extremely well and cheap. The H.C. steamer Tenasserim was built in this river after the model of The Queen, built in England, and has answered extremely well.
Two of H.M. brigs were at anchor off the town, besides two small vessels and gun-boats belonging to the East India Company. Moulmein was garrisoned by a force of about 4000 men, including one European regiment. It is the frontier town of Burmah, on its southern side, lying just opposite Martaban, where it was said the Burmese had collected a large army just before we made peace with China; probably with no friendly feeling towards us. The town itself is in its infancy, but has made great progress within the last few years. There is a magnificent view of the surrounding country, and of the river both above and below, and also of the distant town of Martaban, from the top of a high conical hill, upon which are several curious temples built after the Burmese fashion. The town must be considered rather as a large frontier militarystation than as a place of trade, and the soil is generally poor and sandy.
By the kindness of the Governor, who politely lent us some of the Commissariat elephants, we were enabled to make an excursion to see the very remarkable caves, distant about fifteen miles from the town. We had to ascend the river in a boat, for some miles, when we landed on the opposite side, where the elephants were in readiness for us. The sun was excessively hot, so that umbrellas were necessary. As elephant-riding was quite new to us, and the animals themselves, moreover, were only accustomed to carry heavy burdens, it was no easy matter to mount them at all, even when they had knelt down. At last, however, we contrived to scramble up by the tail, making use of it as a rope.
After a ride of seven or eight miles, we came to several isolated wooded rocks of great height, standing up on the surface of an extensive plain, unbroken by any other objects. They were covered more or less with wood, from the base to the summit, the trees growing to a great height among the crags, in a manner which made you wonder how the soil in which they grew could have come there. The caverns were very large and deep, showing a beautiful stalactitic formation. The effect was extremely beautiful, when lighted up with blue lights, putting one very much in mind of the blue grotto on the island of Capri, in the bay of Naples; indeed, you could fancy that the sea had only recently retired from these caverns, so fresh was the appearance of their walls. In the cooler part of the evening, we returned to our boats, and soon reached Moulmein again.
On the following day, having completed the necessary quantity of coal, we descended the river, and steered our course direct for Calcutta, which we reached on the 6th of February. We passed a great many of our old friends, the transports, waiting for tugs to tow them up, and arrived off Fort William, just at the most fashionable hour for the promenade along the river side. The steamer was decorated with numerous Chinese flags, and several officers had come up from on board the transports, who were anxiously looking out for their friends upon the banks. Having passed quite up above the fort, among all the shipping, we returned down towards the principal landing-place, attracting the attention and curiosity of thousands, who were collected to look at the Nemesis, of which they had heard so much. A salute was fired, which was returned by the fort; and there at length quietly lay the Nemesis, resting from all her toils.
Of Calcutta, the City of Palaces, and of the kindness and hospitality of its inhabitants, little need be said. Great honours were done to those who had fought for their country, in China and Affghanistan; and balls, dinners, illuminations, and fêtes of all kinds, were the order of the day.
The last service performed by the Nemesis, under her old commander, was to convey Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Gough and his staff up the river to Barrackpore, to review the garrison stationed there; including the remnant of the Bengal Volunteers recently returned. It was an excursion of duty, but in reality not less one of pleasure.
We may now bid adieu to the Nemesis. Sufficient evidence has been given of the vast utility of iron steamers ofmoderatesize, in service upon an enemy's coast. The danger which some have apprehended from the rusting of the rivets by which the iron plates are fastened together, or from theirstarting, through the concussions to which the vessel may be liable, was proved to be almost totally unfounded. The corrosion of her bottom can be prevented to a great extent, by constantly painting it with red lead—an operation which is much facilitated by the ease and safety with which a flat-bottomed iron vessel can be laid ashore. It must not be forgotten, however, that barnacles adhere more readily and firmly to an iron vessel, than they do to one coppered over.
At Calcutta, the Nemesis was docked and examined, before being sent round to Bombay for a thorough repair. She was pronounced to be in a perfectly fit state to perform the voyage, without risk; and she ultimately arrived safely at Bombay, under the command of Lieutenant Fell, I.N., who carried her successfully through the intricate passage between Ceylon and the mainland. At Bombay, the Nemesis was docked; and the following extract of a letter, dated Bombay, June 19, 1843, will surprise those who are unacquainted with the durability of iron steamers:—"The Nemesis has been for some time past in our docks, and I have carefully examined her. She displays, in no small degree, the advantages of iron. Her bottom bears the marks of having been repeatedly ashore; the plates are deeply indented in many places, in one or two to the extent of several inches. She has evidently been in contact with sharp rocks, and one part of her keel-plate is bent sharp up, in such a way as I could not believe thatcoldiron could bear; indeed, unless the iron had been extremely good, I am sure it would not have stood it without injury. Her bottom is not nearly as much corroded as I expected to have found it, and she is as tight as a bottle."