From a Sketch by Chinnery. Pub: by R. Bentley, London, 1834. T. Clark, sc.

Dutch & English portion of the European Factory at Canton.

WANDERINGS
IN
NEW SOUTH WALES,
BATAVIA, PEDIR COAST, SINGAPORE,
AND CHINA;
BEING
THE JOURNAL OF A NATURALIST
IN THOSE COUNTRIES, DURING 1832, 1833, AND 1834.

BY
GEORGE BENNETT, Esq. F.L.S.
FELLOW OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, &c.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.

LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
Publisher in Ordinary to his Majesty.
1834.

LONDON:
IBOTSON AND PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND.

CONTENTS
OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

[Page 243], line 19, after island, insert with passengers of the French nation.

WANDERINGS,
&c.

CHAPTER I.

Pedir coast—Treaty with the Acheenese—Anarchy—Syed Hussain’s claims—Trade in the Areka-nut—Visit to the Village of Gingham—Negociation for the restoration of a Penang brig—An amulet—Visit of the Rajahs to the Queen—Gingham—Trade of the coast.

It is stated, that during the life of the former rajah, Pedir was not a tributary district to the territory of Acheen, but commanded the whole line of coast to the eastward, and from that circumstance the Betel-nut coast, which extends to the eastward, and not to the westward of Pedir, received the name of the Pedir coast: the old rajah was also very expeditious in loading ships, and took the goods in barter from the traffickers at the fixed price, unless they were rated extravagantly high.

I had an opportunity of obtaining a copy of the treaty made with the Acheenese, by Sir Stamford Raffles, and ratified by the Marquis of Hastings, then Governor-General of India: it was executed at a village near Pedir, which was pointed out to me from the roadstead, the rajah of Acheen being at that time obliged to reside there, from political circumstances. I annex a copy of the treaty,[1] the origin of which is stated in the “Life and Public Services of Sir Stamford Raffles,” by his widow. (4to. 1830, pp. 396, 397.) And in a letter from Sir Stamford to Sir Robert Harry Inglis, he says the Acheen country “at one period attracted more attention in Europe than most eastern countries, but which has long declined in importance.” “For the last four years, (1819,) the country of Acheen had been a prey to disorder and anarchy. A rich merchant of Penang, Syed Hussain, patronized by the late Mr. Petrie, taking advantage of the unsettled state of the capital, set up claims to the sovereignty; and, having expended an immense sum in briberies and corruption, contrived, by means of his superior naval force, and the advantage of equipping his vessels from Penang, to command the trade of the Acheenese ports, and to invest one of his sons with the title of sultan. The Penang government, taking part with this side of the question, strongly recommended the support of it by the supreme government, and a force of a thousand men was actually applied for, with proper equipments, in order to establish the newly-created king thoroughly on his throne. Captain Coombs, a protégé of Mr. Petrie’s, and who had been employed as the agent of the Penang government, was in Bengal at the time of my arrival, and Lord Hastings asked my opinion. I had no hesitation in giving it, as far as it was then formed; and the supreme government was induced to pause. I was subsequently joined in a commission with Captain Coombs, for the purpose of finally adjusting the question.

“After my arrival at Penang, I was informed that Colonel Bannerman had protested against my interference at Acheen, and had written in such terms to the supreme government, that it was incumbent on me to await the answer. I complied with this request; and while the question was pending, proceeded to this place, (Singapore,) effected my object, and returned to Penang in time to receive the further instructions of the supreme government. These only tended to confirm what I had formerly received, and Captain Coombs and myself accordingly proceeded to Acheen. We remained there nearly seven weeks; during the early portion of which, we were directly opposed in our politics; but at length, after a paper war, which actually occupies above a thousand pages of the Company’s largest sized paper, he came round to my opinion, and was satisfied, that in justice and honour, there was but one course to pursue, namely, supporting the cause of the legitimate sovereign. The spurious claims set up by Syed Hussain were proved to be unfounded, and it was clear he had grossly deceived our government. We therefore concluded a treaty, and effected all the objects we required, namely, the right of having a resident and establishment at Acheen, and to exclude all foreign European nations from having a fixed habitation. All that we had then to do, was to require the governor of Penang to restrict Syed Hussain from further interference, and troops and equipments of course became unnecessary.

“I never had a more disagreeable duty, and consequently was highly satisfied to bring our mission to so desirable a conclusion. It was an object of great importance to take the right side of the question; and had our government been once committed on the other, and troops introduced, we should soon have been so deeply involved, that a worse than Candian war might have been apprehended. In a country like Acheen, by military operations, we had every thing to lose, and nothing to gain.”

It was discovered, when too late, by the supercargo, that the village of Pedir was the worst place on the coast to procure either a quick dispatch or a cheap cargo of the Areka-nut; for the rajah is obliged to treat with merchants, to supply the ship with the requisite quantity which has been agreed upon: the other European vessels had anchored at the village of “Gingham,” about eight or nine miles further to the eastward. At this place, the contracts are made with merchants, not with the rajah; and the merchants pay the rajah his dues. It is always best to contract with the merchants, who can supply it at a quicker and cheaper rate than the rajahs, who must themselves apply at last to the merchants; and the payment proceeding through the hands of the rajah, or his ministers, the latter take care that some remains behind for their special use; and, at the termination of the affair, the buyer will find that he is the loser, not the seller. Sawang, Tellisomoy, and other places on the coast, abound also in the Betel-nut.[2]

Another error which was fallen into by not being acquainted with the custom of the place, was purchasing the nut by the pecul instead of the laxar, by which much loss is sustained by the buyer. The luxur or laxar is in weight one pecul and thirty-five-hundredths of a pecul: it consists of ten thousand nuts, and from ten to twenty-five per cent., according to the bargain previously made, is given over, for nuts which may be rotten or otherwise damaged.

Several vessels, the Eleanor, Helen, Dania, (Denmark ship,) and Peru, were lying in Gingham roads, for cargoes of Areka-nut. I took an opportunity of visiting the village of Gingham, proceeding thither in the ship’s boat. The coast to the eastward still maintained the same picturesque character as about Pedir, except perhaps in some parts where it was more densely wooded with cocoa-nut and other trees close to the beach. We passed a cluster of palm-leaved thatched, bamboo huts, which was the village of Ilbu. The village of Gingham was not visible from the roadstead, being situated a short distance up a river, and hidden by the dense foliage of various kinds of trees growing about it. A short distance further to the eastward, a cluster of habitations formed the village of Buron; and Sawang (or, as called by the Malays, Putukurra) is several miles still further in the same direction.

I have before mentioned, that a Penang brig had been seized by the Acheenese grab, the Nacodar (or master) of which, having been accused of trading in arms and ammunition, with one of the rajahs upon the coast, at present at war with the ruler of Acheen: many of the commanders of vessels then on the coast were desirous of getting, if possible, the vessel returned. She was the property of several native merchants at Penang, and had been chartered by an English merchant there for the Pedir coast, first calling at the Maldive islands for a cargo of dried fish.

A brother of the Acheenese rajah, named Pungarang Ibrahim, a fine and handsome Malay, was on board the grab; and to him application was made for the restoration of the vessel. He had a very intelligent Malabar native as an interpreter, who spoke several European languages—English, French, Spanish, &c.—fluently. The question, whether or not the vessel was a legal prize to the Acheenese government, was discussed by the native party with considerable force and eloquence. The Nacodar was accused of having disposed of arms and ammunition, under British colours, to the rajah mudar of Sambalangang, against the treaty concluded between the British and Acheenese governments, the rajah of Sambalangang being at war with the king of Acheen; and one of the articles of the treaty states, that any British vessel supplying an enemy of the rajah of Acheen with arms and ammunition, is liable to confiscation; and upon this article of the treaty, it was contended that the brig was a legal capture. The Pungarang[3] Ibrahim then produced the original treaty, written in the Malay and English languages, duly signed by the governor-general of India, Sir Stamford Raffles, and Captain Coombs.

The Nacodar stated, in his defence, that he having given, and not sold, the arms and ammunition in question, the brig was not liable to the consequences of a breach of the treaty. The discussion concluded by the rajah declaring, that if the commanders would return in one or two hours, they should receive his final decision, as he would consult the old queen, who has much power, upon the subject. When the commanders returned on board the grab, the queen was present, who was a fine old lady, and received her European visitors in a very cordial manner. The subject relative to the vessel was then renewed: they were anxious to procure the nacodar, (who had sought refuge on board one of the ships,) and take him to Acheen, where, most probably, his life would be sacrificed; or the rajah offered to send him to Penang, in irons, to be tried by the authorities at that place, if any commanders of the vessels going to that port would take charge of him.

In the renewed discussion of the subject, the justice of the case appeared decidedly in favour of the rajah’s party, as it was now ascertained that a shot had been fired from the brig, which had killed a man on board the grab.

The rajah summed up his final decision to the following effect, through the medium of an interpreter:—“Let the native Nacodar be sent on board my vessel; I will not injure him; I will make a solemn engagement with you to that effect; but I intend sending him to the settlement of Penang in chains, there to be dealt with as the judges at that settlement may determine: if the man has not done wrong, why is he afraid to come on board? here are plenty of Europeans.” And thus concluded an address replete with excellent sense and sound discrimination—“I appeal to your English laws whether I have not decided justly, and according to the treaty solemnly ratified between the Sri Sultan Alla, Iddeen Jowhara, Allum, Shah, Sultan of Acheen, and the British government?”

One of the commanders, who afterwards asked the rajah to give up the vessel as a matter of courtesy, received the following sensible reply—“Would one of your men-of-war surrender a prize which had been proved a legal capture?” He then added, that the vessel should be taken to Acheen, and when there, if found by his brother, the rajah of Acheen, to be illegally seized, she should be returned forthwith to Penang, and the owners indemnified for her detention, and any damage she might have sustained while in their possession.[4]

The rajah is a fine and handsome young man, of very pleasing manners, and an intelligent countenance; his face was full, broad, and had the true Malay characteristics; he had upon his left arm a large seal, or amulet, of about two inches in diameter, upon the stone of which (called “Pungli” by the Malays) a sentence of the Koran was engraved; he said it was intended as a charm against his being injured; “so the Acheenese believe,” he added, but did not appear to place much faith himself in its supposed powers.

The different rajahs came on an appointed day from the different districts in the vicinity, to Pedir, to pay their respects to the old queen previous to her departing to Acheen in one of the men-of-war, which she did on the evening of the 20th of July, accompanied by the whole of the Acheenese fleet.

Accompanied by Captain M’Alister, I visited the village of “Gingham.” At the entrance of the river, a bar, (similar to, I believe, the whole of the rivers upon this coast,) on which usually rolls a heavy surf, rendering its entrance somewhat dangerous for boats; the river maintained a very winding course even to the village: a number of shrubs abounded in the water, and about the banks, among which were the Acanthus ilicifolia, and several others. The village of Gingham is situated about a mile distant from the entrance of the river; the thatched-houses, of which it is composed, were partially concealed by the graceful and elegant Bamboo, Eju, Cocoa, and Areka palms. Having landed and ranged about the village, I made inquiry of the native merchants, who were the Moormen of Hindostan, many of whom had been born in India, and others on the coast, respecting the trade of the place, which consists exclusively of the Betel-nut; they informed me that they contracted with the supercargoes of vessels[5] visiting the coast, paying to the rajah a certain tribute. The export is from forty to sixty thousand peculs annually, during the months of May, June, July, and some part of August. The total amount collected upon the coast, the greatest portion of which grows some distance inland, is computed at or about eighty or ninety thousand peculs.

The number of vessels, of all classes, freighted every year upon this coast during the season, varies, and depends a great deal upon their size; sometimes forty of all classes had been loaded, but when a large Bombay Indiaman comes and takes ten thousand peculs at one time, of course it occasions a scarcity for the smaller ones; in this case, therefore, although the number of vessels loaded is not so great, the quantity exported is pretty nearly the same.[6]

The cargo sent on board the ship in which I visited Pedir, came not from the Pedir district alone, but was brought (by contracts entered into by the rajah of Pedir, with the native merchants of those places) from Gingham, Sawang, &c., and of course at an increased price. I made inquiry, if a ship was brought next month, (August,) whether they could load her with Areka-nut, and what period of time they would take to deliver six thousand peculs on board. The reply was, that at this season a greater scarcity of nut prevailed than usual, on account of internal wars drawing away the men, and causing a scarcity of hands to collect and shell it; my informant, therefore, would not engage to deliver any next month, but the following May would engage to supply the quantity of six thousand peculs in a week, receiving dollars, cambrics, long cloths, opium, iron, &c., in exchange, and delivering the Areka-nut at one dollar the pecul; however, much depends on the agreement of price between the contracting parties at the time, and the greater or less demand for the European and other goods brought into the market.

There was an abundant supply of fish in the fish-market at Gingham, consisting of very large specimens of Acanthurus, or lancet-fish, Chœtodons, Cyprinus, several species of the Perch tribe, the Barracouta, Shark, as well as a number of others, varying in form, size, and colour; and it appeared from the collection exhibited, that abundance was taken upon the coast.

On the evening of the 23d of July, we sailed from “Pedir,” bound for Singapore and China, having six thousand and eight peculs of Areka-nut on board. The cargo was purchased for five thousand four hundred and forty Spanish dollars, forty peculs of iron, thirty kits of Swedish steel, thirty peculs of lead, and three chests of opium. Upon the iron a profit was gained upon the invoice prices of 77½ per cent.; upon the lead, 81½ per cent.; and upon the steel, 48 per cent. Upon the opium there was, as I have before mentioned, but very little profit; indeed, the price of a dollar and a-half per pecul was too high for this article; but, unfortunately, the speculation originated at Batavia, and being the first ship chartered for the purpose from thence, the parties were consequently ignorant of the people and country, and of the kind of merchandize most advantageous for barter. From the number of ships requiring nut at the same time, payment in dollars, and at an advanced price, is sometimes the only means of procuring a cargo, unless the vessel remained so long as to be ruinous to the speculators.[7]

CHAPTER II.

Arrive at Singapore, and sail for China—The Lemma Islands—Their inhabitants—Boats—Hong Kong Island—Dr. Abel’s visit to the shore—A pilot’s surprise—Cap, sing, Moon—Cum, sing, Moon—Outlaw ships—Trade in opium—Researches about the hills—Botanical productions—Macao—Its streets—Vain endeavours to open a trade with the Chinese ports—The Rev. C. Gutzlaff—Harbour of Macao—Jealousy of the Chinese government—Fruit—Wang, hee canes—The Casa garden—Cave of Camoens—Tributary verses to that poet.

After a long passage down the Straits of Malacca, we arrived at Singapore on the 19th of August, and sailed again on the 22d for China.

At daylight, on the 6th of September, we were off the “Lemma Islands,” having previously arrived in soundings on the 4th, and were frequently visited by Comprador boats seeking for employment. We took a pilot from one of them to direct us to “Cap, sing, Moon.” The Lemma Islands, like most of those about this part of the China coast, are bold, rugged, and but very scantily covered by vegetation; its geological structure is principally coarse granite, approaching to sienite, and quartz, which enters largely into their composition.[8] The inhabitants of these islands appear to be principally fishermen, and their boats animated the waters around to some distance, in great numbers: some were of very large size, being probably of sixty or seventy tons burden, and are inhabited by whole families; the clatter of women, squalling of children, and barking of dogs, could be heard in concert, when in beating to windward we came near any of them.

These slenderly constructed but admirable boats, with their large mat sails, some having one, two, or three masts, sail with rapidity: they would often lower a small awkward punt, and bring some fish on board for sale. The women worked hard, and one would be often seen with an infant at her back, with others running after, seeking her protection, whilst she assisted in the various occupations of the ship, in tacking and hauling the ropes. They all had a dark, wretched appearance, from the exposure to weather and hardships of many descriptions. When the weather is stormy, the vessels bring up under lee of one of the numerous islands, grouped about the coast. I have often seen them assembled, from twenty to fifty, for the night, under the lee of one of them, on the shore close to which, some small miserable thatched huts, containing numbers of wretched inmates, and small patches of cultivated land were visible.

On the 10th we were off Hong Kong Island. It is lofty, bold, and occasionally its barren appearance is diversified by the verdure of the ferns and other plants, which give some beauty to the huge piles of rocks, towering towards the heavens, in gently sloping as well as abrupt declivities. At one part a small cascade fell from the rocks above into the ocean abyss beneath, and other places bore the appearance of mountain torrents being formed during heavy rains.

Dr. Abel, who landed upon it, says, “I took advantage of the first watering boat to visit the shore, and made one of these mountains and the waterfall the principal objects of my visit. This mountain, the highest on the island, is, according to Captain Ross, who has measured it, about fifteen hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is composed of trap approaching to basalt in the compactness of its structure. In ascending it, I followed the course of a delightful stream, which rises near its summit, and found by its side a number of interesting plants. The general surface of the mountain, and indeed of every part of the island of Hong Kong, that I was able to visit, is remarkably barren, although in the distance it appears fertile, from a fern which I believe to be the Polypodium trichotomum of Kœmpfer, which supplies the place of other plants. I ascended about one thousand feet, and returned by a path which passed over a small hill, or rather mound, differing in structure from all the rocks in its neighbourhood, being composed of a very friable stone of a reddish white colour, much resembling disintegrated feltspar. On reaching the shore, I examined the rocks by the waterfall, where they are exposed in large surfaces, and found them composed of basaltic trap, exhibiting in some places a distinct stratification, in others a confused columnar arrangement. It is also divided into distinct, well-defined, rhomboidal masses, separated from each other by very obvious seams, in which I frequently found cubic crystals of iron pyrites.”[9]

The further progress of the ship was extremely tardy, from calms and adverse winds, so that we did not reach the Cap, sing, moon harbour, until the morning of the 12th, and then, from calms, could not enter it, but anchored outside. The Chinese pilot on board was but of little service, and he was quite surprised at the commander’s knowledge of the islands, depth of water, &c., until he found out that he derived it from the charts and Horsburgh’s Directory. It was quite amusing, when any difference of opinion existed between them, to hear the pilot, in a pet, declare, “You look at bookee, but you not alway savez a rightee; bookee wrong, you wrongee sometime.”

A greater or lesser number of different species of Libellula have been flying about the ship, ever since we have been in soundings; and it is said, that when a great number of these insects are seen flying about the ship, a northerly wind may be expected; but I seldom found the assertion borne out by the fact, except its happening four or five days after can be considered a corroboration.

On the following day we entered the “Cap, sing, moon,” for a short time: it is regarded as a safe and is certainly a picturesque harbour, but lately it has been left by many of the opium ships for another, by some considered a safer harbour, and called the “Cum, sing, moon,” formed by different islands, and the main land to the northward of Macao, and distant about eighteen miles from that settlement. The “Cap, sing, moon,” has some towering verdant mountains, with fertile valleys, and little thatched cottages of fishermen and others, peering through a thicket of foliage. This is contrasted at another part by barren hills, destitute of any beauty, excepting what may be scantily imparted by a few stunted shrubs or ferns.

Well may this be called a celestial empire, wherein moons and stars condescend to take up their local habitation. It is ludicrous to hear the inhabitants talking of having intercourse with the celestial people in the different moons, “Where did you come from last?” “I came from the other moon,” was a very common question and answer.

On the 14th of September we sailed over to the “Cum, sing, moon,”[10] and anchored at six o’clock, P.M.; this possessed far more extensive and picturesque beauties than the harbour we had left.[11] The entrance is, however, difficult, and even dangerous for strangers; yet, after having been once, the same person could easily take a ship in or out at any time without risk, taking advantage of the tides. From the land around this place not being so elevated as in the rival harbour, the gusts that descend from the gullies in stormy weather are not so violent, and a ship is consequently not so liable to drive as has been experienced during some severe typhoons, which occurred a short time previous to our arrival.

Many of those outlaw ships that trade in opium, (one of the most important, although prohibited, branches of commerce in the Chinese empire,) remain either in this harbour, or that of the “Cap, sing, moon,” during the season of the year that typhoons are expected, and anchor off the island of Lintin during the fine-weather months. One part of this trade in opium is carried on by the Chinese smuggling boats, which take it from the European receiving ships stationed here, or more properly speaking at “Lintin,” (this being merely a temporary place of refuge from typhoons).

By occasionally visiting the Hercules, one of the receiving ships for opium, I was able to observe, through the kindness of Mr. Parry, her chief officer, how this extensive and lucrative trade is conducted. The sales are effected in Canton by the European merchants, and orders sent down with the smuggling boats for the delivery of the opium from the different ships; the boats engaged in this occupation are armed with spears, shields, and even fire-arms, to repel any attack that may be made upon them by the mandarin guard-boats. They are also manned by a very brave and athletic crew; indeed Chinese fight very well one against the other, but cannot bring forward sufficient courage to face Europeans, except the advantages are overpowering on their side. These boats are provided with sails, in addition to a number of oars and rowers, and they pass through the water with inconceivable rapidity. The mandarin boats, having a weaker and less choice crew, can seldom or ever overtake them; this, however, may in part be explained from the fact of the guard-boats, (the revenue cutters,) sent by the Chinese government to cruize against smugglers, coming alongside for a supply of the prohibited drug, to smuggle it themselves into the heart of the Chinese empire. Any thing can be done by bribery in this country, and these boats are often employed for smuggling cassia, treasure, &c. on board European ships at Lintin, &c.; indeed every smuggling boat that takes opium from an opium ship, leaves a payment of one dollar on each chest for the mandarins, and on the opium returns being made up, the sum is regularly paid to them; each boat leaves also a kum, shaw, or present for the ship, of five dollars.

The chests of the drug are opened on board; the balls or cakes are taken out, and immediately deposited in small mat bags, brought by them for the purpose, and sown up; being in that way more convenient to smuggle than in large heavy chests. There are three kinds of opium usually sold in the English ships—the Malwa, Benares, and Patna; a fourth, the Turkey opium, is confined to American and other foreign vessels. The Patna opium is in balls, packed in partitioned cases, each chest containing forty balls. Old opium fetches a higher price than new; the former being solid, the latter soft and more liable to run. The old chests, so termed, are usually two years old when they come under that denomination. The Malwa opium is in rather flattened cakes. The prices of this drug of course fluctuate very much: the consumption in the Chinese Empire must be enormous, and is entirely—not the least extraordinary part of the affair—carried on by an illicit trade.[12]

The payments are usually made, if to any extent, in Sycee silver, which is taken by weight, no silver coinage being acknowledged by the Chinese government. The Chinese purchasers of the opium refine it by boiling, previous to using it for smoking: the mandarins, besides smoking, use it also in the form of tincture, usually carrying a small bottle containing it about them. The present Emperor of China has been described as being totally incapacitated from any business, through the excess to which he has carried the debilitating practice of opium smoking.

I took several opportunities of making herborisations about the hills in this harbour; and in so doing, fortunately, did not meet with any molestation from the inhabitants. On landing, usually upon a sandy beach, or rocks of granite, shell-fish, and other marine animals, were very scarce. The hills were covered, about the declivities, with a large quantity of shrubs and plants, and a variety of grasses: the summits were usually barren, and covered with sand. Two or three species of Melastoma were very abundant; and one species, the quinquenervia, was in full flower, being beautifully covered with a profusion of large rose-coloured blossoms, forming a contrast, by their brilliancy, to the dull, uninteresting character of the vegetation around.

Several of the fern tribe were also abundant, either by the borders of the rivulets, or strewed over the declivities and summits of the hills. Among them was the Gleichenia hermanni, Bluchnum, Polypodium, &c.; as well as a Ficus, bearing small red fruit, and other shrubs. In the valleys, or any little irrigated spots, the cultivation of rice was particularly attended to. The fruit of the Melastoma (for several of the shrubs were in fructification) yielded a dark bluish juice, on which several coleopterous insects fed. Two water snakes were caught upon the beach; one of a bright yellow over the head and neck, and of slender form. Among other botanical specimens collected was a Rhus, Flemingia, Rosa, Malva, Cereopsis, &c.

On the 1st of October I visited Macao. This ancient colony of the Portuguese, in China, has a very picturesque and romantic aspect on approaching it from the sea: it is situated upon a peninsula, and, from bearing some resemblance to a mallet, has received the name Macao, which in the Portuguese language signifies that instrument. The white houses, rising one above the other; the high mountains in the back-ground, and about it; the castle, and monasteries, perched on the elevated summits of some of the hills; the numerous sacred edifices, elevating themselves above the neighbouring houses, the most conspicuous objects in all Roman Catholic countries,—all contribute to the beauty of this little city: it seemed, both from the roadstead and on landing, a Portuguese town, to which the taste and wealth of our native land had been added, not the least cause of its neatness or beauty: it contains also very agreeable society, both for residents and strangers.

The streets of Macao are very narrow: this, however, affords shelter to the pedestrian from the fervent rays of the sun; they are likewise ill-paved and very steep, the houses rising from the Praya Grande on one side, and the inner harbour on the other, terrace upon terrace, and are constructed upon a very solid foundation of rock: the pavement consists of smooth and rough stones, without any attention having been given to their relative sizes; so that a person taking a short walk, may often expect to return with a strained ancle.

The private residences of the Europeans are very convenient, spacious, and more delightful for their interior accommodation, than for any exterior beauty.

Many vessels have been sent to the east coast of China, by enterprising merchants of Canton, to endeavour, if possible, to open a trade with some of the Chinese ports on that coast. A highly-talented gentleman, the Rev. C. Gutzlaff, with whom I had the gratification of forming an acquaintance, has often accompanied the vessels; but the result has been a very limited degree of success; the imbecility of the Chinese government has been fully ascertained; and during the last voyage, edicts were stuck about the village off which the vessel had anchored, stating that the foreign vessel had been driven away, while she still remained at anchor within sight of these very papers, endeavouring to carry on some traffic with the inhabitants; but, from the fear of the mandarins, it was effected but to a very limited extent. It is stated that the embassy of Lord Amherst is still mentioned by the Chinese, who say that it was fully expected, from the force he had with him, he would not have suffered himself to be driven away, but would have obliged the Chinese government to accede to any terms he chose to propose.

The gentleman I have before mentioned, the Rev. C. Gutzlaff, is well acquainted with several dialects of the Chinese language, which he speaks with such fluency, as to be, when disguised, taken for a Chinese: he studies mankind, and endeavours to spread the Christian religion in a truly missionary spirit, so as to conduce (which a pure religion necessarily must do) to the happiness of the people: he also endeavours to effect his benevolent purpose towards them, by distributing tracts relating to the sciences of astronomy, geography, &c. written in the Chinese language; endeavouring, by an admirable religious feeling of benevolence, to promote the welfare of the people by spreading a purer religion than they possess; at the same time cultivating their minds in other branches of knowledge, enabling them to receive more vividly the impressions of the divine Spirit. Would that all our missionaries followed the same plan! how inestimable, then, should I consider their cause!

The inner harbour of Macao is spacious, and capable of affording anchorage to a large number of ships, safely sheltered from every gale; but only twenty-five European vessels are permitted to anchor, and those only which belong to the Spanish or Portuguese nations; excepting in case of distress, when a ship of any other European power may require immediate repairs; but even then there is much trouble and difficulty in procuring the requisite permission: this proceeds from the usual jealousy of the Chinese government towards Europeans. Nearly two centuries ago, or perhaps more, permission was granted by the Chinese authorities for twenty-five foreign vessels of the Portuguese and Spanish nations to enter the harbour; and these are always regarded by this extraordinarily blinded people to be the very identical vessels which had at that time received the original indulgence from the imperial government.[13]

Fruit is neither particularly abundant nor excellent in this part of China; the great variety of oranges may be regarded the best, as also the elegant scarlet Lit, chi (Dimocarpus litchi). There is another fruit, of which also there are several varieties—it is a Diospyrus,—(the Diospyrus Kaki?[14]) or Chinese date plum. One of the varieties known by the Chinese under the name of Ngnow, sum, tzee, or bull’s heart Diospyrus—(Ngnow signifying bull; sum, heart; tzee, this particular fruit, the Diospyrus)—resembles, in external appearance, a Tomata, except in being of a larger size, and of a bright red colour: when divided, it is found to contain a yellowish semi-transparent pulp, not unlike a plum either in flavour or appearance, and contains several oblong brownish seeds. The outer skin has an astringent property, which discolours the steel of a knife when employed to divide the fruit, which is not at all requisite for the purpose. The other kind is much smaller, oval, about the size of a date; being similar to the former in colour; it is called by the Chinese Kai, sum, tzee, or fowl’s heart Diospyrus: in taste it closely resembles the mawkish sweetness of a ripe date. I had only an opportunity of seeing two of the varieties of this fruit, but there are several other kinds.[15] The flat peach, or “Peen to” (peen signifying flat, and to, peach) of the Chinese, is a variety of the peach, appearing, although in reality of a perfectly natural form, to have had its flatness produced by artificial means. The blossoms of the tree are double, but fertile. The fruit is described as being of an excellent flavour.

The canes, so much valued, and sold usually at a high price, and known by the name of the Wang, hee, (Wang signifying yellow, and hee, root,) are said to be the root of the narrow-leaved bamboo, which grows abundantly about Macao, forming very pretty hedges or inclosures: these are valuable and rare, on account of the sufficiently straight descending roots being difficult to procure; many trees must consequently be destroyed before those particular roots of the requisite length and straightness can be obtained. The roots of this bamboo are very troublesome when planted, more especially in a garden, from spreading so far, and so much towards the surface of the ground, as to tear up the paths, &c.

I visited, in company with Mr. Fearon, the Casa garden, in which is situated the principal object of my visit—“Camoens’ Cave;” celebrated as the spot where that distinguished poet wrote the poem of the Lusiad. It is not correct to call it a cave—it is merely masses of granite rocks piled one over the other in that extraordinary and romantic manner in which that kind of rock is so often seen grouped; and this forms a kind of archway, which has been denominated a cave. Delightfully surrounded by umbrageous trees, and shrubs overhanging the rocks, the seclusion of the spot might well have been chosen by one inclined to meditate and compose; where all the objects around him would not fail to excite the poetical imagination to a much higher degree than could possibly be effected in the hurry and bustle of society. A summer-house has been erected upon these granite masses.

Some beautiful Latin verses (which I hope to see engraved and placed on the spot) have been written by J. Davies, Esq., who having kindly favoured me with a copy, I with pleasure insert them.

In cavernam, ubi Camoens fertur
carmen egregium composuisse.

Hic, in remotis sol ubi rupibus

Frondes per altas molliùs incidit,

Fervebat in pulchram camænam

Ingenium Camöentis ardens:

Signum et Poëtæ marmore lucido

Spirabat olim, carminibus sacrum,

Parvumque, quod vivens amavit,

Effigie decorabat antrum:

Sed jam vetustas, aut manus impia

Prostravit, Eheu!—Triste Silentium

Regnare nunc solum videtur

Per scopulos, virides et umbras!

At fama nobis restat, at inclytum

Restat Poëtæ nomen, at ingenî

Stat carmen exemplum perenne

Ærea nec monumenta quærit!

Sic usque virtus vincit, ad ultimos

Perducta fines temporis, exitus

Spernens sepulchrorumque inane,

Marmoris ac celerem ruinam!

The Casa gardens, in which the cave is situated, are extensive, and have even now, in their neglected state, sufficient beauty to be regarded as the most retired, romantic, and beautiful spot in Macao.

CHAPTER III.

Museum at Macao—Mr. Beale’s splendid aviary and gardens—The Paradise bird—Natural history of this splendid creature—Anecdotes—Superb magpie—Loris—Description of the aviary.

A museum has been established at Macao, by the English residents, and even now contains an extensive and excellent collection of birds, beasts, weapons, fossils, &c. from all parts of the world. Several rooms are appropriated solely for this collection, having a person to take charge of them, and attend upon visitors. So little encouragement, however, is given to natural science, and the European merchants are so much absorbed in mercantile affairs, that, on the dissolution of the establishment of the Honourable East India Company, this excellent nucleus for an extensive, valuable, and, (with scientific arrangement,) useful collection, will no doubt be broken up and dispersed.

The great object of attraction at Macao, (together with the agreeable society of the English and American ladies, and the beautiful specimens of the fine arts to be seen in the painting room of the celebrated Chinnery,) is the splendid aviary and gardens of T. Beale, Esq. How pleasant it is to see this gentleman (now resident for upwards of forty years in China) devote his leisure moments to the care and delight of the elegant and brilliant productions of nature, both in the animal as well as in the vegetable kingdom. On entering the large doors, which open from a narrow lane, the ear is saluted by various noises proceeding from a number of caged birds, inhabiting the verandah of the dwelling. The peculiar notes of the Minas, the different screams of Loris, parrots, and parroquets, the twitting of the smaller birds, are variously heard vying with each other in loudness; the occasional caw of the ætherial Paradise Bird, or its resounding note of whock, whock, whock, is also heard. The attention of the visitor is diverted from the elegant plumage of the birds to the beautiful flowers of splendid tints in the garden before the verandah, or placed in pots upon the balcony. This garden proves attractive to the gay, but fickle butterflies that flit about the flowers, as well as to numerous wild birds. Individuals visiting Macao are eager to view these splendid natural objects; and the liberal owner readily affords this gratification to the stranger no less than to his friends.

The first, both for variety as well as the inconceivable delicacy of its plumage and tints, of which I intend to attempt a description, is that “aërial creature” of fairy form, decked in nature’s most delicate and beautiful colours, the Paradise Bird. This is the common or Great Bird of Paradise, the Paradisea apoda[16] of Linnæus, the P. major of Shaw. The length of the bird is usually two feet, measuring from the bill to the tip of the side feathers. The specimen in the possession of Mr. Beale, is a fine male, and was, at the time I beheld him, arrayed in his full and splendid plumage: he is enclosed in a large and roomy cage, so as not, by confinement, to injure in the slightest degree his delicate and elegant feathers.

This beautiful creature has been in Mr. Beale’s possession nine years, and was originally procured from the island of Bouro, (one of the Molucca group,) which is situated in about the latitude of 3° 30′ south, and longitude 126° 30′ east. It was presented to Mr. Beale by Mr. Bletterman.

In Valentin’s account of the Birds of Paradise, (quoted in Forrest’s Voyage to New Guinea, &c.) it is mentioned that the Portuguese first found these birds on the island of Gilolo, the Papua Islands, and New Guinea; and they were known by the name of Passaros da sol, i.e. birds of the sun. The inhabitants of Ternate call them Manuco dewata, the bird of God. The accounts of the bird having no legs, being constantly on the wing, and in the air, on which it lived, are of course perfectly fabulous: to support which account, however, the legs of the birds were always cut off, when the preserved specimens were offered for sale. Another reason for cutting off the legs is, that the birds are found to be more easily preserved without them; besides, that the Moors wanted the birds without legs, in order to put them, in their mock fights, on their helmets, as ornaments. The inhabitants of Aroo, however, have offered the birds for sale with legs these seventy or eighty years; and Pigafetta, shipmate of Ferdinand Magelhaens, who had often seen them, proved, about the year 1525, that they were not without legs. There are several species of these very elegant birds.

The Ternate people call them Burong Papua, or Papua birds; sometimes Manuco dewata, and likewise Soffu or Sioffu. The Amboyna natives call them Manu, key, aroo, the bird of the islands, Key and Aroo; because the natives of the two last places bring them for sale to Banda and Amboyna. At Aroo, the people call them Fanaan. Properly, these birds are not found in Key, which is fifty Dutch miles east of Banda; but they are found at the Aroo islands (lying fifteen Dutch miles further east than Key) during the westerly or dry monsoon, and they return to New Guinea as soon as the easterly or wet monsoon sets in. They come always in a flock of thirty or forty, and are led by a bird which the inhabitants of Aroo call the King, distinct from the Little King Bird of Paradise. This leader is black, with red spots, and constantly flies higher than the rest of the flock, which never forsake him, but settle as soon as he settles; a circumstance which occasions their ruin, when their king alights on the ground; whence they are not able to rise, on account of the singular structure and disposition of their plumage. They are likewise unable to fly with the wind, which would destroy their loose plumage, but take their flight constantly against it, cautious not to venture out in hard-blowing weather, inasmuch as a strong gale frequently obliges them to fall to the ground. It is also stated, that in Aroo, these birds settle on the highest trees, especially on a species of small-leaved Waringa trees, that bear red berries, on which they chiefly live. (Ficus Benjamina? Hort. Malab. 3. f. 55. Rumph. Amboyn. 3. f. 90.) The natives catch them with birdlime[17] and in nooses, or shoot them with blunt arrows; but though some are still alive, when they fall into their hands, the catchers kill them immediately; and often cut their legs off, draw the entrails, dry and fumigate them with sulphur, or smoke only.[18]

For the delicacy and harmony in the arrangement of the colours in this bird, as well as its remarkably light and delicate appearance, it may well be named the Bird of the Sun, or of Paradise, for it surpasses in beauty the whole of the feathered creation, appearing more like a celestial inhabitant than one of earth. Although the bird has been nine years in Mr. Beale’s aviary, yet it does not exhibit the appearance of age, but is lively and healthy.

The neck of this bird is of a beautiful and delicate canary yellow colour, blending gradually into the fine chocolate colour of the other parts of the body; the wings are very short, and of a chocolate colour. Underneath them, long, delicate, and gold-coloured feathers proceed from the sides in two beautiful and graceful tufts, extending far beyond the tail, which is also short, of a chocolate colour, with two very long shafts of the same hue proceeding from the urupigium. At the base of the mandibles the delicate plumage has during one time (according as the rays of light are thrown upon it) the appearance of fine black velvet, and at another a very dark green, which contrasts admirably with the bright emerald of the throat. There is nothing abrupt or gaudy in the plumage of this bird; the colours harmonize in the most elegant manner, and the chasteness does not fail of exciting our admiration. The mandibles are of a light blue; irides bright yellow; and the feet of a lilac tint.

This elegant creature has a light, playful, and graceful manner, with an arch and impudent look; dances about when a visitor approaches the cage, and seems delighted at being made an object of admiration: its notes are very peculiar, resembling the cawing of the raven, but its tones are by far more varied.[19] During four months of the year, from May to August, it moults. It washes itself regularly twice daily, and after having performed its ablutions, throws its delicate feathers up nearly over the head, the quills of which feathers have a peculiar structure, so as to enable the bird to effect this object. Its food, during confinement, is boiled rice, mixed up with soft egg, together with plantains, and living insects of the grasshopper tribe; these insects when thrown to him, the bird contrives to catch in its beak with great celerity; it will eat insects in a living state, but will not touch them when dead.

I observed the bird, previously to eating a grasshopper, given him in an entire or unmutilated state, place the insect upon the perch, keep it firmly fixed with the claws, and, divesting it of the legs, wings, &c., devour it, with the head always placed first. The servant who attends upon him to clean the cage, give him food, &c., strips off the legs, wings, &c., of the insects when alive, giving them to the bird as fast as he can devour them. It rarely alights upon the ground, and so proud is the creature of its elegant dress, that it never permits a soil to remain upon it, and it may frequently be seen spreading out its wings and feathers, and regarding its splendid self in every direction, to observe whether the whole of its plumage is in an unsullied condition. It does not suffer from the cold weather during the winter season at Macao, though exposing the elegant bird to the bleak northerly wind is always very particularly avoided. Mr. Beale is very desirous of procuring a living female specimen of this bird, to endeavour, if possible, to breed them in his aviary.[20]

The sounds uttered by this bird are very peculiar; that which appears to be a note of congratulation resembles somewhat the cawing of a raven, but changes to a varied scale in musical gradations, as he, hi, ho, haw, repeated rapidly and frequently, as lively and playfully he hops round and along his perch, descending to the second perch to be admired, and congratulate the stranger who has made a visit to inspect him; he frequently raises his voice, sending forth notes of such power as to be heard at a long distance, and as it would scarcely be supposed so delicate a bird could utter; these notes are whock, whock, whock, whock, uttered in a barking tone, the last being given in a low note as a conclusion.

A drawing of the bird, of the natural size, was made by a Chinese artist. This was taken one morning to the original, who paid a compliment to the artist, by considering it one of his own species. The bird advanced stedfastly towards the picture, uttering at the same time its cawing congratulatory notes; it did not appear excited by rage, but pecked gently at the representation, jumping about the perch, knocking its mandibles together with a clattering noise, and cleaning them against the perch, as if welcoming the arrival of a companion.

After the trial with the picture, a looking-glass was brought, to see what effect it would produce upon the bird, and the result was nearly the same; he regarded the reflection of himself most stedfastly in the mirror, never quitting it during the time it remained before him. When the glass was removed to the lower, from the upper perch, he instantly followed, but would not descend upon the floor of the cage when it was placed so low.

It seemed impatient, hopping about without withdrawing its gaze from the mirror, uttering the usual cawing notes, but with evident surprise that the reflected figure (or, as he seemed to regard it, his opponent) imitated so closely all his actions, and was as watchful as himself. There was, however, on his part, no indication of combativeness by any elevation of the feathers, nor was any irritation displayed at not being able to approach nearer to the supposed new comer from his own native land. His attention was directed to the mirror during the time it remained before him, but when removed he went quietly and composed himself upon the upper perch, as if nothing had excited him.

One of the best opportunities of seeing this splendid bird in all its beauty of action, as well as display of plumage, is early in the morning, when he makes his toilet; the beautiful sub-alar plumage is then thrown out and cleaned from any spot that may sully its purity, by being passed gently through the bill; the short, chocolate-coloured wings are extended to the utmost, and he keeps them in a steady flapping motion, as if in imitation of their use in flight, at the same time raising up the delicate long feathers over the back, which are spread in a chaste and elegant manner, floating like films in the ambient air. In this position the bird would remain for a short time, seemingly proud of its heavenly beauty, and in raptures of delight with its most enchanting self; it will then assume various attitudes, so as to regard its plumage in every direction.

I never yet beheld a soil on its feathers. After expanding the wings it would bring them together so as to conceal the head, then, bending it gracefully, it would inspect the state of its plumage underneath. This action is repeated in quick succession, uttering at the time its croaking notes; it then pecks and cleans its plumage in every part within reach, and throwing out the elegant and delicate tuft of feathers underneath the wings, seemingly with much care, and with not a little pride, they are cleaned in succession, if required, by throwing them abroad, elevating, and passing them in succession through the bill. Then, turning its back to the spectator, the actions above-mentioned are repeated, but not in so careful a manner; elevating its tail and long shaft feathers, it raises the delicate plumage of a similar character to the sub-alar, forming a beautiful dorsal crest, and, throwing its feathers up with much grace, appears as proud as a lady dressed in her full ball-dress. Having completed the toilet, he utters the usual cawing notes, at the same time looking archly at the spectators, as if ready to receive all the admiration that it considers its elegant form and display of plumage demands; it then takes exercise by hopping in a rapid, but graceful manner, from one end of the upper perch to the other, and descends suddenly upon the second perch, close to the bars of the cage, looking out for the grasshoppers, which it is accustomed to receive at this time.

Should any person place his finger into the cage the bird darts at it rapidly; if it is inserted and withdrawn quickly, the slightly-curved extremity of the upper mandible causes the intruder to receive a sharp peck, but if the finger is placed quietly in the cage, close to the beak of the animal, he grasps and thrusts it out, as if hinting that he dislikes its intrusion.

His prehensile power in the feet is very strong, and, still retaining his hold, the bird will turn himself round upon the perch. He delights to be sheltered from the glare of the sun, as that luminary is a great source of annoyance to him, if permitted to dart its fervent rays directly upon the cage. The iris frequently expanding and contracting, adds to the arch, wicked look of this animated bird, as he throws the head on one side to glance at visitors, uttering the cawing notes, or barking aloud, to the astonishment of the auditors, who regard the bird as being in a very great rage at something or other beyond their conception. Having concluded, he jumps down to the lower perch in search of donations of living grasshoppers, seemingly in the most happy and good-humoured manner.

The bird is not at all ravenous in its habits of feeding; but it eats rice leisurely, almost grain by grain. Should any of the insects thrown into his cage fall on the floor, he will not descend to them, appearing to be fearful that in so doing he should soil his delicate plumage; he therefore seldom or ever descends, except to perform his ablutions in the pan of water placed at the bottom of the cage expressly for his use.

Near the “Paradise Bird,” in another large cage, is the Superb Magpie, having all the thievish propensities, with the usual saucy manner of the tribe; its plumage is beautiful, the principal colour being in splendid purple markings; the bill is of an orange colour; like dogs and children, it seems fond of being noticed; it welcomes visitors by spreading its long and elegant tail, as well as by raising and showing off its pretty plumage to the best advantage, looking out sharply for insects, and, at the same time, uttering a peculiar noise which somewhat resembles that which is heard from a monkey in distress. When insects are given to this bird, he is not so particular as his neighbour, but devours them instantly entire, either dead or alive, looking immediately afterwards for another supply. The food given to it is boiled rice, grasshoppers, &c. Like others of its tribe, it is fond of pilfering and concealing whatever is heedlessly left in its way, and it can carry off. To speak phrenologically, its acquisitiveness is large, and conscientiousness small.

Several beautiful Loris, from the islands of the eastern Archipelago, clothed in brilliant and gaudy plumage, are in the collection. Among these are the Amboyna and Ternate Loris, called Kustoree in the language of the natives; the King parrot of New South Wales, (Platycercus scapulatus,) and others of the parrot tribe from different parts of the world. I observed an Indian ring-neck parroquet, with its breast, for the whole extent, bare of feathers; (in which state it has been for five years and upwards, and as the glands are destroyed they cannot be renewed; the loss of plumage was attributed originally to giving the creature salt meat;) its long tail is quite perfect. This ridiculous-looking, half-fledged production of the parrot tribe, gets upon and clings to the bars of its cage on any person approaching, and commences to exercise all its power of language to amuse the visitor. There are also some pretty Minas from Cochin China, who imitate, in their peculiar voice, not only all the sounds uttered by the birds around them, but also the various cries of the Chinese, when vending their wares about the streets; the imitation is strictly correct.

From the lower garden,—which is filled with choice flowering shrubs and plants,—an ascent of a flight of steps brings the visitor to another garden on a terrace, to which there is also an entrance from the upper rooms of the dwelling-house: here the large and magnificent aviary is situated. Both in external appearance, and internal arrangement, there is a display of much taste and elegance, and every arrangement calculated to ensure comfort to its numerous feathered inhabitants. The aviary is forty feet in length by twenty in breadth, and probably thirty or forty feet high; it is divided into two portions, having communications from one to the other, usually left open, but capable of being closed, if such a proceeding should be found necessary. It is situated on one side of the house, the windows of which look through the lattice-work into the aviary: the whole of the aviary, above and around, having a similar lattice work of fine wire, surmounted by a dome at one part of the summit. The whole construction displays much neatness and taste, as well as being admirably calculated for the object in view; the wood-work, between the wire-lattice, is very ornamental; the song of some of the birds, with the bustle and twittering of others, as they hop about, or take their flight from tree to tree, has a very animating and pleasing effect from the sitting-rooms of the house.

In the aviary large trees and various shrubs are planted for the convenience of the inhabitants: in the branches of the former, small baskets, as nests, are placed for those birds whose habits cause them to build in trees, and in those places many of the present inhabitants of the aviary have been born and reared. Near a tank, constantly filled with water, a quantity of artificial rock-work is constructed, forming an ornament to the aviary as well as a place of utility for the birds of that class who are accustomed to such situations when at liberty, and who breed in the crevices; every precaution is likewise taken around the aviary to prevent the ingress of rats, who, by getting in when it was first constructed, caused much destruction among the feathered tribe.

It may certainly be said, that all the pets look full of life, and happy and contented in their situation; they chirp, sing, wash, feed, are merry, and, having abundance of room, their plumage looks healthy and beautiful, so unlike the dirty ragged appearance they soon exhibit when kept in a close, confined place, which, in a short period, brings on disease, and eventually death. Here they can wash themselves every morning, and they appear always eager to perform their matinal ablutions; their unsullied plumage, the song or twitter of delight with which they reward their benefactor, show how happy and contented they are in their confinement.

In the aviary are separate cages, erected for the purpose of inclosing such of the males of any of the species, as may have their combative organs in too high a degree of excitement; the punishment for such troublesome characters is, therefore, in the first place, solitary confinement, and should they not be reformed under that treatment, they are finally dismissed the aviary as incorrigibles.

It is delightful to visit the aviary at a very early hour in the morning, when the whole of the inhabitants are in the greatest confusion, the servants busily engaged in cleaning the habitation, and giving supplies of food to the colony; the “plumy people” appear in the plenitude of happiness, hopping from branch to branch, or running along the ground, their little throats strain with harmony: the soft cooing of the numerous pigeon tribe is heard as well as the quacking sounds of the duck tribe, who are not gifted with any other more harmonious notes. It is at this time that we can also observe the querulous disposition of these animals. The males of one and the same kind, or of different species, endeavour to grasp all the supplies for themselves, unmindful of the wants of others, and will not permit their companions to perform their ablutions without molestation, although they may have themselves completed what they required. I often observed the mandarin ducks excite the drakes to attack other males or females of the same species, as well as any other kind of bird (not too powerful) in the aviary, against whom the lady may have taken a dislike from some cause or causes unknown to us: there always appears to be one pair, who exercise a tyranny over the others, not permitting them to wash, eat, or drink, unless at the pleasure of these little aristocrats.

As the shades of evening close in, the aviary is again in a bustle, the birds setting themselves in their various roosting places for the night, and keeping up a continual chattering, until the whole colony is buried in silence and hidden in darkness. The Paradise Bird then sits tranquilly upon his perch, and no more greets the stranger, but stares in stupid amazement at the late visit. The cages of this, and the other birds in the verandah, are very carefully covered up at night to protect them from cats, or any other midnight prowlers.

It once happened, during a total eclipse of the sun, as that luminary became overshadowed, the “feathered colony,” if not in a consternation at the event, was exceedingly puzzled at the rapid and unusual termination of the day, and all retired supperless to bed; they received, however, a second surprise at the briefness of the night, for before they could be well asleep, the cocks crowed at the reappearance of the luminary, and they again resumed their daily amusements and occupations.

CHAPTER IV.

Reeves’s pheasants—Golden pheasants—Silver pheasants—Blue pigeons—Stabbed-breast pigeons—Widow birds—The horned Tragopan—The mandarin teal—Conjugal fidelity—Nicobar pigeons—Peacock pheasants—Pink cockatoo—The Ounderou monkey—A Pitta—Mr. Beale’s gardens—Rare productions of the vegetable kingdom—Native drawings—Extortionate custom.

In the aviary, the beautiful Phasianus veneratus of Temminck; the P. Reevesii of Gray, now commonly known by the name of Reeves’s Pheasant, was seen: it is the Chee Kai[21] of the Chinese. The longest of the beautiful tail feathers of this bird are six feet in length, and are placed in the caps of the players, when acting military characters: this I observed at Canton, where some of the beautiful tail feathers (rather in a dirty condition, like the actors themselves, who, in their tawdry and dirty dresses, remind one of chimney-sweepers in London on May-day) were placed erect, on each side of their caps, as a decoration. The Chinese do not venerate this bird, as was first supposed, and which may have caused Temminck to bestow upon it the specific name of veneratus; but it is superstitiously believed that the blood of this bird is possessed of poisonous properties, and that the mandarins, when in expectation of losing their rank, and being suddenly put to death by order of the emperor, preserve some of it, in a dried state, upon a handkerchief, on sucking which they fall down and instantly expire. I heard the male of this bird, in the aviary, utter a very sweet, mild, and harmonious, whistling note, as it strutted about proudly, arrayed in its elegant plumage; occasionally approaching near the wires of its habitation, to let the visitors notice and admire him. The ends of the longest feathers of the tail in the living specimen were broken, although in this place of confinement there is much extent for his movements; but the feathers are too long ever to expect them to be preserved perfect in any confined place.

Mr. Beale first succeeded in procuring a living male specimen of this elegant bird in 1808, and kept it in a healthy state for thirteen years. After its death, he endeavoured to procure others, but did not succeed until the year 1831. Four specimens were brought, from the interior of China, to Mr. Beale’s aviary, and purchased for one hundred and thirty dollars. These specimens were those, I believe, subsequently taken to England by Mr. Reeves. A female of this elegant creature has not yet been procured, although large offers have been made for one. Much difficulty has been experienced in procuring from the Chinese, female birds of the Reeves’s or golden pheasants: many think it proceeds from a desire of preventing the birds being bred; but it may more correctly be attributable to the difficulty of persuading the Chinese that the females can at all be an object of attraction, or worthy of purchase, from being deficient in the brilliant plumage of the male birds; and it is probable that they misunderstand the person who requests females to be brought, and therefore male specimens are usually brought in place of them. A drawing of this bird was sent to England, by Mr. Beale, in 1804; and on the death, before mentioned, of the first living specimen ever seen by Europeans in China, it was stuffed, and presented to a gentleman belonging to the Dutch Factory at Canton, who expressed a great desire to send it to Holland, as it would materially favour his interest at home: it was, therefore, sent thither in 1817, or 1818, and was very probably the specimen from which Temminck’s description was given.

The golden, or painted pheasants, (Phasianus pictus,) now so well known even at home, are decked in elegant plumage: it can, however, be no compliment to their harmonious blending of colours, to call them painted, although the epithet may be considered very applicable to their general gaudy appearance. Their brilliant tints excite more admiration in vulgar minds than the delicate pencilling of the silver pheasant, or the less gaudy but more elegant tinting of plumage in the Reeves’s, or the ring-neck pheasants. The painted pheasant is called Kum, kai,[22] or Kin, kai, by the Chinese: the eggs of the bird are described as being white, with brown spots. These beautiful birds are brought from the districts of Che, Kien, and Keang, nan.

The male of this bird, when courting the female, or bullying the males, conceals the purple feathers of the wings with the golden feathers of the back, at the same time bringing those feathers, seen like a hood upon the back of the neck, forward, and concealing the bill; thus, on whatever side the object of attack or courtship may be, the hood is so brought as to hide all but the sharp, bright eye. The attitudes of this, as well as of others of the pheasant tribe, are invariably graceful, whether upon the ground, or perched upon the branches of a tree.

The silver, or pencilled pheasants, the Pah, haan of the Chinese, were in fine plumage; and among many other attractions in the collection, was the Wow, wow, or blue pigeon, of New South Wales, which has bred in the aviary. The present, full-grown and fine specimens of that bird, Mr. Beale told me, were the young of a pair originally brought from Australia. They were born and reared in the aviary, and the parents died a short time since. There were also several of the stabbed-breast pigeons, (Columba cruenta,) from Manilla, whose breasts exhibited the exact appearance of having received a wound; the feathers, for a short distance, seeming to be smeared with the blood which flowed from it. What could have caused this very extraordinary and exact resemblance?

Widow Birds are peculiar objects of attraction; they are of a diminutive size, and their flight and hopping motion, when jumping or flitting from branch to branch, reminded one of the unsettled disposition of widows in most countries. So rapid were their evolutions, that at times it was difficult for the eye to follow them. They had certainly a beautiful appearance, arrayed in their dark plumage, with a tinge of yellow over the male. The male of the widow-bird is like the female for four months of the year, about the spring season.

There is a species of Tringa, or Turnstone, which was lately brought by Captain Duran, who presented it to Mr. Beale: it was caught alive three hundred miles from the nearest land, in lat. 15° north, and 169° east longitude.

Another beautiful bird, which merits some notice, is that elegant creature, the Tragopan satyrus, or horned Tragopan: it is the Tû, Xoû, Nieu, of the Chinese, and may receive an appropriate English name in the Medallion Pheasant, from a beautiful membrane of resplendent colours, (more or less brilliant, according to the excitement the bird may be in at the time,) which is displayed or contracted at the will of the animal; at which time its purple horns are also elevated: this appearance is usually observed during the months of January to March, when courting the female. In the contracted state it has merely the appearance of a purple skin under the lower mandible, and sometimes there is not the slightest indication of the existence of any membrane in that situation. The colours are most brilliant, being principally purple, with bright red and green spots; they are vivid and dazzling, varying, as in the wattle of the turkey-cock, according to the greater or lesser degree of passion exhibited by the bird. It is supposed, and no doubt correctly, that it is only to be found in the male specimens of this bird, for a female has not yet been seen. This beautiful appendage is never perceived to descend, excepting during the spring months or pairing season of the year. The birds in Mr. Beale’s aviary were procured from the Yun-nan province, bordering upon the country of Thibet: he has not, however, succeeded in his endeavours to obtain females of this elegant bird. I have coloured drawings of this bird in my possession, correctly executed by a Chinese artist.[23]

The Mandarin Teal, or Een-yêong of the Chinese, is also much and justly admired. The plumage of the drake is remarkably elegant, that of the female plain and undecorated. The male bird, however, during four months of the year, that is, from May to August, changes its beautiful plumage, and bears a close resemblance, at that time, to the female. This change is not confined solely to the tints of the feathers, but extends even to the epidermis of the mandibles. This bird, unlike the tribe, generally roosts in elevated situations, upon trees, high rocks, or over the windows of the aviary. These little creatures are regarded by the Chinese as emblems of conjugal fidelity, and are usually carried about in their marriage processions.

The following curious instance of fidelity was mentioned to me, as having occurred in the instance of two birds of this species:—A drake was stolen one night, with some other birds, from Mr. Beale’s aviary; the beautiful male was alone taken; the poor duck, in spite of her quacks during the distressing scene, was left behind. The morning following the loss of her husband the female was seen in a most disconsolate condition; brooding in secret sorrow, she remained in a retired part of the aviary, pondering over the severe loss she had just sustained.

Whilst she was thus delivering her soul to grief, a gay, prim drake, who had not long before lost his dear duck, which had been accidentally killed, trimmed his beautiful feathers, and, appearing quite handsome, pitying the forlorn condition of the bereaved, waddled towards her; and, after devoting much of his time and all his attention to the unfortunate female, he offered her his protection, and made a thousand promises to treat her with more kindness and attention than her dear, dear, lost drake; she, however, refused all his offers, having made, in audible quacks, a solemn vow to live and die a widow, if her mate did not return. From the day she met with her loss, she neglected her usual avocations; her plumage became ragged and dirty; she was regardless of her appearance; forsook her food, and usual scenes of delight, where she loved to roam with him, now absent, and to excite his brave spirit to drive away all the rivals that might attempt even to approach them. But those fleeting hours of enjoyment had passed, perhaps never to return; and no consolation that could be offered by any of her tribe had the least effect. Every endeavour was made to recover the lost bird, as it was not expected that the beautiful creature would be killed.

Some time had elapsed after the loss, when a person, accidentally passing a hut, overheard some Chinese of the lower class conversing together; he understood sufficient of their language to find out that they said, “It would be a pity to kill so handsome a bird.”—“How, then,” said another, “can we dispose of it?” The hut was noted, as it was immediately suspected that the lost Mandarin drake was the subject of the conversation. A servant was sent, and, after some trouble, recovered the long-lost drake by paying four dollars for him. He was then brought back to the aviary in one of the usual cane cages.

As soon as the bird recognized the aviary, he expressed his joy by quacking vehemently and flapping his wings. An interval of three weeks had elapsed since he was taken away by force; but when the forlorn duck heard the note of her lost husband, she quacked, even to screaming, with ecstacy, and flew as far as she could in the aviary to greet him on his restoration. Being let out from the cage, the drake immediately entered the aviary—the unfortunate couple were again united; they quacked, crossed necks, bathed together, and then are supposed to have related all their mutual hopes and fears during the long separation.

One word more on the unfortunate widower, who kindly offered consolation to the duck when overwhelmed with grief: she in a most ungrateful manner informed her drake of the impudent and gallant proposals he made to her during his absence;—it is merely supposition that she did so; but at all events the result was, that the recovered drake attacked the other, the day subsequent to his return, pecked his eyes out, and inflicted on him so many other injuries, as to occasion his death in a few days. Thus did this unfortunate drake meet with a premature and violent death for his kindness and attention to a disconsolate lady. It may perhaps be correctly written on a tablet over his grave—“A victim to conjugal fidelity.”

Several of the beautiful Nicobar pigeons are also in the aviary, and are usually seen perched upon the trees, even upon the loftiest branches. They build their rude nests and rear their young upon trees, similar to all the pigeon tribe. They usually come down to feed upon the ground, but return to their elevated situation to repose during the night and most part of the day. Their plumage is of a splendid bronze, and their shape most graceful; but the long loose plumage pending from the breast, which they seem to delight in ruffling out, in some degree conceals their beauteous form, as seen in others of the tribe who have a smoother and more delicate plumage. These birds inhabit Sumatra, Nicobar, and other islands forming the eastern archipelago.[24]

Two elegant peacock pheasants from Cochin China; the jungle cock and hen from Java; the bright scarlet cardinal; the crested partridge from the Malay peninsula; the pretty and delicate Java sparrows; several of the Chinese water-fowl; and numerous doves, adorn and enliven this interesting place.[25]

A beautiful pink cockatoo, from the eastern islands, attached to a hanging perch, is placed near the aviary; and a large, elegant Persian cat, with fur of a most delicate silky texture, is seen attached by a long string to a tree. The docile creature reposes during the fine sunny weather upon the grass-plot in front of the aviary. The two latter are removed into the house at night, and placed in the garden during fine and serene weather.

Upon a large tree, also, on the terrace, near the aviary, is a fine female specimen of the Ounderou monkey of Ceylon (Simia silenus et leonina, Gm.) The fur of the animal is black, with a large white mane falling over on each side of the head. This specimen is nearly two feet high, but does not walk in the erect position. A house is placed for it in the branches of the tree, and the animal is secured by a chain, with a moveable ring, passing round a lofty bamboo, which communicates with the tree; so that Jenny, as the creature is called, can ascend or descend from the tree, and range for a certain extent through the branches, or for a short distance over the ground, when she descends. She is not readily attracted by strangers, unless they excite her alimentiveness by displaying some food. Her appearance is very ludicrous,—the black physiognomy peering through the huge white mane, when she is seen peeping from her kennel in the tree, exercising her secretiveness by pretending, when called, not to notice or understand, while, in reality, her attention is directed towards the person who may be addressing her. But, let some fruit be displayed—rapid as thought she slides down the bamboo, and is close to the object of attraction. Do not imagine, stranger, that you are the object of attraction—as in the plenitude of your vanity you might;—no, she is paying a devoted attention to your donations of oranges or plantains, which having attained, she will soon forsake your society to enjoy the proceeds of her efforts upon the branches of the tree, far removed from your reach.

One morning, when I was visiting Mr. Beale, a bird had been just received, which was purchased in Canton from a Mantchow Tartar: it was a Pitta, and supposed to be the P. brachyura of Gould, figured in his splendid illustrations of the birds of the Himalaya mountains; but, from the red abdomen and vent, it appeared to accord more with the species called P. erythrogastra of Temminck; it was in excellent condition, very tame, feeding on insects, boiled rice, &c. This specimen was mentioned as having been procured from Tartary; but the habitat of the first species is usually stated in our works on Natural History to be Ceylon and the Himalayas, and the second the Philippine islands.

Much care is required when the aviary is painted, to prevent the birds being injured, not alone from their pecking it, but, from getting the paint upon their feathers, as they eat it when cleaning their soiled plumage; the aviary is therefore painted as seldom as possible, and, when done, the interior of the painted part is lined with mats, until thoroughly dry.

The gardens around the dwelling-house display the taste of Mr. Beale, (in spite of the frequent destructive effects of the typhoons,) in arrangement, as well as choice of rare and valuable productions of the vegetable kingdom. Among others may be mentioned the Laurus Cassia, or China cinnamon, the leaves of which, and every part of the tree, yield, on being broken or rubbed, a most powerful and agreeable fragrance. Here also is a beautiful species of Nauclea, of the elevation of sixty or seventy feet, and a circumference of two feet; it was of straight growth, covered by a profusion of beautiful flowers in corymbs, and was branchy only at or near the summit. There were also some young trees of Cookea punctata, which bears the fruit called Whampee by the Chinese, and another species of the same genus from Manilla, which differed, however, materially from the preceding, from the foliage having a very strong taste and smell of aniseed: from this peculiarity it has been named Cookea anisetta.

Besides a multitude of the Chrysanthemum indica of different brilliant hues, in which China is so prolific, both for the number, size, and beauty of the varieties, Mr. Beale has a low shrubby species from Japan, which bears a profusion of small dark-red flowers. I saw a beautiful drawing of one of the plants in full bloom, but the plant itself, at the time of my departure from Macao, had not entirely expanded its flowers.[26] There is a flourishing plant of the single Japanese Caucus,[27] numerous varieties of the beautiful Chinese Camellias, several species of Bauhinias from India, and the Black Chilly plant also from India. The fruit of this latter plant, before attaining maturity, is perfectly black, or rather, as a true black does not exist in the vegetable kingdom, a purplish black, but when ripe it becomes red; the stem, &c. of the plant has also a dark tinge. Two species of Annona, indigenous to China, and removed from its wild state in the vicinity of Macao to this garden, particularly attracted my notice; one is probably an undescribed species; it is found growing upon the hills near Macao. The tree was now both in fruit and flower, the latter being very fragrant; the Chinese name it the Hill Annona, or, in their language, Shan, Ying, Chāo; the other species is the A. uncata, called by the Chinese, Ying, Chāo.

In a pond in the garden are some beautiful specimens of the Golden Carp, (Cyprinus auratus, Linn.) which inhabits the lakes of southern China; the tail has a trifid form, the anal fins become double, and they appear subject to several variations, which, when depicted in drawings, has caused many to regard them as merely specimens, proceeding from the imagination of the artist. At night the ponds are covered with a gauze frame, to preserve the finned creatures from nocturnal enemies; but with all the precautions used, the kingfishers sometimes capture them, and many had received injury, although they escaped from those depredators.

A number of the Chinese varieties of oranges are in the garden, including the Citrus nobilis, or Mandarin orange, and numerous others.[28]

There were also several plants of a species of Lycopodium, planted in pots, and kept well watered; it is an elegant species, rising from a stalk of about five inches in height, having on the summit its peculiar foliage, sometimes expanded and sometimes closed. This is a very ornamental plant; it resembles the species given me at Manilla, which I was told had been procured from Mexico, where it is found growing upon the rocks; and although kept for years in a dried state, revives and expands its foliage when placed in the water.[29]

There is a plantain-tree frequently seen growing in the gardens, which is called Fāā, tsieu, or red flowering plantain, by the Chinese. The anthers appear fertile, but it is said not to produce fruit; the flower proceeds from the centre of the upper part of the stem, growing erect, the scapes being of a crimson colour, frequently tipped with yellow: this plant has a very ornamental appearance in the gardens. I remarked also, in several of the plants, that many of the scapes become partially changed to floral leaflets, and the others remain in their original state.

The roots, or rather the creeping stem of the Lien, wha, of the Chinese, (Nelumbium speciosum,) are seen carried about for sale in the streets of Macao and Canton, as well as in large quantities in the bazaars. Although highly esteemed by the Chinese, I do not admire it as an esculent vegetable, being of a soft, pappy, and tasteless flavour; the only gratification derived from it is found in the growth of the plant and elegance of its blossom. According to Dr. Abel, the Chinese cultivate and prize it above all other plants. “This splendid flower,” he says, “celebrated for its beauty by the Chinese poets, and ranked for its virtues among the plants which, according to Chinese theology, enter into the beverage of immortality, flourished in the greatest vigour in the gardens of Tung, chow. Its tulip-like blossoms of many petals, tinted with the most delicate pink, hung over its fan-like leaves, floated on the surface of the water, or rising on long footstalks, of unequal height, bent them into elegant curves, and shaded with graceful festoons the plants beneath. Near Yuen-Ming-Yuen, and under the walls of Pekin,” continues Dr. Abel, “I saw it covering, with pink and yellow blossoms, large tracts of land, and could sympathise with the enthusiasm of the Chinese bards, who have sung of the delight of moonlight excursions on rivers, covered with the flowering Lien, wha. Its seeds, in size and form, like a small acorn without its cup, are eaten green, or dried as nuts, and are often preserved as sweetmeats; they have a nut-like flower. Its roots, sometimes as thick as the arm, of a pale green without, and whitish within, in a raw state, are eaten as fruit, being juicy, and of a sweetish and refreshing flavour, and when boiled are served as vegetables. The leaves are said to possess a strengthening quality; the seed vessel to cure the colic, to facilitate parturition, and to counteract the effects of poison.”[30]

The Arachis hypogæa, or ground nuts, are sold in great abundance in the bazaars, and about the streets of Macao and Canton, and are much eaten by the Chinese, who also extract an oil from the seeds for a variety of purposes.

Mr. Beale presented me with drawings by a Chinese artist, of the plants from which the pith, used in the manufacture of that kind of paper known to Europeans under the denomination of rice-paper, and that from which the fibre used in the manufacture of the grass-cloth is procured. I suspect that the fibre used for the Manilla senimaya, or grass-cloth, is not produced from the Musa textilis, as is commonly supposed, which point has not, although often asserted by writers, been actually decided; it is more probably produced from a plant similar to that used by the Chinese, which is Corchorus, probably capsularis.

The following engraving is from the Chinese drawing.

The pith plant is procured from Oan, nāām, near the province of See, chuen, and is named, in the language of the country, Toong Shue,[31] and the following representation may convey some idea of the shrub, and assist persons visiting China to procure, if possible, specimens in flower or fructification.

CORCHORUS CAPSULARIS.

The grass-cloth plant is produced in great abundance, both in a wild and cultivated state, in the provinces of Fo, kien, and Che, kien, and is named by the Chinese Māā, Shūe.[32]

TOONG SHUE.

That curious plant, the Nepenthes distillatoria, or monkey-cup of the Malays, is occasionally found abundant near running streams, upon the islands in the vicinity of Macao; the Chinese name it the pig-basket grass, (Chu, long, tzo,[33]) from the appendages or pitchers of the leaves having, when placed horizontally, some resemblance to the form of the baskets in which the pigs are carried to market. The Chinese avail themselves of the well-known obstinacy of these animals, and by that means succeed in getting the beast into the narrow conveyance; by placing the head of the animal close to the entrance of the basket, and pulling the creature by the tail, it enters immediately.

The dwarf trees are certainly one of the curiosities of the vegetable kingdom in China, being a joint production of nature and art: they are very small, placed in pots of various kinds, upon the backs of earthenware buffaloes, frogs, towers, and rock-work, which constitutes the Chinese taste in what these people would be pleased to term “ornamental gardening.” The plants have all the growth and appearance of an antiquated tree, but of an exceedingly diminutive size. Elms, bamboos, and other trees, are treated in this manner, and are abundant in the nursery gardens about Macao and Canton: they are produced from young healthy branches, selected from a large tree, which, being decorticated and covered with a mixture of clay and chopped straw, as soon as they give out roots, are cut off and transplanted: the branches are then tied in the various forms required, so as to oblige them to grow in particular positions; and many other methods are adopted to confine and prevent the spreading of the root; the stems, or perhaps they might then be termed trunks, are smeared with sugar, and holes are bored in them, in which sugar is also placed to attract the ants, who, eating about it, give the trunk an appearance of age. I saw at Mr. Beale’s a number of dwarf trees, which have been in his possession nearly forty years; and the only operation performed to keep them in that peculiar and curious state, is to clip the sprigs that may sprout out too luxuriantly.

There is an infamous custom existing at Macao, obliging Europeans, arriving or taking their departure in Chinese boats, to pay several dollars to the mandarins. Great blame is certainly attached to the imbecility of the Portuguese government, for permitting such proceedings to take place in their city, and not far distant from the house of the governors. It has been said, “if strangers will resist the demand, the governor will support them.” This is a miserable system of legislation, and can only be construed into a fear of the Chinese by the Macao government, which I really believe is the truth. Strangers arriving are beset by these pug-nosed, pig’s-eyed followers of the mandarins, and find they are absolutely forced to comply with their demands, except they choose to be bullied and severely beaten by a multitude, which has often taken place when resistance has been made to their demands. Why, if the governor has the power, does he not overthrow the chop-house into the sea, and by such active measures put a stop to the tax altogether? It is certainly disagreeable, after a long voyage, with ladies under your charge, to be bullied by these scoundrels, very probably some Portuguese soldiers and residents looking on at the same time without offering any assistance. It is not demanded of strangers at Canton: why, therefore, is it at Macao? A demand also is made separately for ladies landing; and should a refusal take place, the unfortunate Chinese boatmen are squeezed, to satisfy the cupidity of the mandarins, or the ladies insulted. Passengers and goods landing in European boats are exempt from this imposition, as well as on embarking; so that the tax is confined to Europeans embarking or arriving in Chinese boats.

CHAPTER V.

Leave Macao for Whampoa—Entrance to the Bocca Tigris—Country about Chuen, pee—Scene at Whampoa—Approach to Canton—The town and suburbs—The sailor’s coffee-shop—Selling by weight—Dwarf orange trees—The tea shrub—Visit to the celebrated Fa-tee gardens—Topics of conversation—Exaggeration—Rambles in the suburbs—The city-gate—Manufactories—Sandal-wood.

On the 16th of October I left Macao for the “Cum, sing, moon,” and the following morning sailed in the Lady Hayes, Captain Hector, for Whampoa, which afforded me an excellent opportunity of viewing the scenery of the river. We passed the island of Lintin, off which, (in the roadstead, on the north-west side,) a number of ships were lying at anchor. About ten P.M. we anchored off Chuen, pee, for the night. On the morning following, as soon as the tide was favourable, we were again under weigh, and about noon passed, with a light, but favourable breeze, the Bocca Tigris, and entered the river. This entrance to a very magnificent and extensive stream, is capable of being very strongly fortified. The Chinese have forts, mounting a great number of cannon, erected on each side of the passage: they excited some degree of interest in our minds, as being those silenced by the broadside of his Majesty’s ship Alceste, some years since; a triumph of British firmness over Chinese impudence.

The country about Chuen, pee had a picturesque appearance; but although we hear so much related about the Chinese cultivating every spot of land, not leaving even the most barren spots unoccupied, in few countries have I seen more land left waste, much of which has an appearance of fertility: the valleys certainly were cultivated, and had an animated and pleasing feature in the landscape from the vivid green of the numerous plantations of what seemed to be sugar-cane scattered about. But with this exception, and the neat cottages nearly buried in the foliage of the trees surrounding them, there was no interesting view: the elevated land was, principally bare, barren, and uncultivated.

On entering the river, the scenery was very pleasing; the banks were low, and, for the most part, under rice cultivation, which, still retaining its green tinge, imparted a luxuriant and animating beauty to the view. Small huts were scattered about, over which the graceful bamboo waved its towering stem; the high and wooded hills arose in the distance of the back ground of the landscape; and this, with boats passing about the intersecting canals of the paddy-fields, formed the principal feature of the country about the Canton river to Whampoa, where we arrived in the evening,[34] and left in a boat for Canton (a distance of twelve miles) on the following day.

The scene at Whampoa, with so large a number of shipping collected together, was remarkably animating; and at this season, there was a noble addition of most of the ships of the Honourable East India Company, the finest class of merchant-ships in the world. On proceeding from Whampoa to Canton, the banks of the river were flat, and cultivated with wooded hills in the distance, villages, pagodas,[35] which formed, in combination, some very interesting scenery. As we approached Canton, the bustle and multitude of boats increased upon the river: these boats contained whole families, who had been born and bred in them. They could often be seen containing the young sprawling infant, just able to walk, the new-born infant, and the aged grandmother, all reared in this confined space; but at the same time, the people wore an appearance of happiness and content upon their countenances, in spite of their squalid misery. They keep their boats, in a very neat and clean condition, which certainly confers some degree of credit upon the people. The flag-staffs and the noble pile of buildings, forming the factories of the different nations, appeared to our view; and, arriving soon after, I called upon and remained during my residence in Canton with my friend, Mr. Whiteman.

Canton is generally said to possess but little, in the confined spot allotted to the range of Europeans, to interest the stranger. This may be partially correct; but still the peculiar customs of the people and the range of the suburbs may afford many days of amusement, being novel, and unlike what is seen in any other country in the world. The range of factories or Hongs belonging to different nations, having flag-staffs, on which the national colours are hoisted from sunrise to sunset, are fine buildings, more especially those belonging to the English East India Company, which are of greater extent than the whole of the others. Several weeping willows are planted about the open space near the river, in front of the factories. The English and Dutch hongs have neat gardens, laid out for a promenade, in front of them; but the open space before most of the others forms the “quarter-deck,” where every evening the European residents take their limited walk.

The weather in front of the factories is usually at this season of the year sultry, but on entering the alleys of the hongs, cold currents of air are felt pouring down upon the just heated frame. A sudden atmospherical change very frequently occurs, which certainly cannot be regarded as conducive to health, but, on the contrary, must prove highly detrimental: from the little ill-effects experienced from this by the residents, all that can be said on the subject is, that they probably get habituated to the frequent vicissitudes. There are two broad paved streets,[36] filled with shops, in which every description of manufactured articles, both after European and China patterns, can be purchased. Here are contained a profusion of specimens of the arts, more particularly those of ivory, tortoiseshell, and lacquered ware,[37] tempting to the visitor, and which soon cause him to return from Canton very deficient in the dollars he had brought with him.

In front of one of the shops was a lacquered board, upon which, in golden letters, was the following attraction for Jack, who may be accidentally rolling by the shop:—“The Sailor’s Coffee Shop, Chan Lung, No. 10, New China Street, where all kinds of silks and teas are sold, and goods of every description for seamen. Sailors! you are invited to try this shop, where you will find honest dealing, and where you can have ready made coffee and tea, but no samshoo.” The rooms, for this purpose, were very neat, with small couches for honest and sober Jack to recline upon, some pamphlets and tracts to amuse his mind as he sipped the decoction of the Indian berry; the shop contained straw hats, various portraits, and coarse articles of Chinese manufacture, tempting him to purchase for his friends and acquaintances at home; and the owner appeared to be an intelligent man. Eatables are seen carried about the streets in great numbers, and of all descriptions. Dogs, cats, rats, living and dead; with fowls, ducks, and other kinds of poultry, as well as living eels, carp, &c. in buckets of water: the latter are fed and fattened in stews, and taken out for sale when considered in a sufficiently prime state; the fresh water fish are very insipid in taste.

Every thing living or dead, organic or inorganic, is sold by weight in this celestial country, whether it be fruit or ballast stones, oil or vegetables, living dogs or pigs, cats or poultry, they are all purchased by the catty. The dogs and pussies are highly esteemed by the Chinese, who convert them into delicious (according to their organs of taste) bow-wow soup, and rich pussy broth. A Chinese does not appear to have any idea of measurement, for one was asked whether we should have much wind—“Yes, plenty catties of wind, by, by, come;” and when some gentlemen were taking observations of the sun, the Chinese observed upon them, that “they were weighing the sun.” Eating shops are very numerous in the suburbs of Canton, containing an immense number of made dishes, and decorated also with enormous fat pigs, varnished over, and pendent from different parts of the shops, together with varnished ducks and geese; the latter birds are also dried and pressed, and then have a curious appearance.

One evening I visited the celebrated Fa, tee gardens, which are situated a short distance up the river, and on the opposite side to that upon which Canton is situated. On visiting these nursery gardens I certainly expected to have seen a splendid collection of Chinese plants and flowers, but I was sadly disappointed; the worst nursery garden in any of the provincial towns in Great Britain, was far, very far beyond any of these, both in size, extent, display of flowering plants and shrubs, even of the boasted flowers of China themselves. In how many of the greenhouses at home are not the Azaleas, Cammelias, Chrysanthemum, Hibiscus, &c. seen in large and beautiful varieties, flourishing in the highest state of perfection? Yes, and equal to (except in a few novel varieties, which have not yet survived the voyage home) the boasted display in these wretched places, called “flower gardens.”

A board at the entrance of one of them has the following attractive notice painted upon it in English:—“Aching has for sale, fruit trees, flowering plants, and seeds of all kinds: Fa, tee gardens, No. 2.” The gardens merely contained some varieties of the Chrysanthemum, small trees of the Finger Citron, with that curious fruit tied upon them to look as if they were growing from the tree; and a number of dwarf orange trees of different varieties, laden with green and ripe fruit.

The Chinese procure the dwarf orange trees, laden with fruit, by selecting a branch of a larger tree upon which there may be a good supply of fruit: the cuticle being detached from one part of the branch, is plastered over with a mixture of clay and straw, until roots are given out, when the branch is cut off, planted in a pot, and thus forms a dwarf tree laden with fruit. Other means are adopted to give the trunk and bark an appearance of age, and these, with the dwarf bamboos and other trees, must certainly be regarded as the principal Chinese vegetable curiosities. As far as gardening, or laying out a garden is concerned, these people possess any thing but the idea of beauty or true taste, neither being in the least degree attended to in the arrangement of their gardens; every thing bears the semblance of being stiff, awkward, and perfectly unnatural. To distort nature a Chinese seems to consider the attainment of perfection.

At these gardens the different species and varieties of the tea shrub, both in seeds and young plants, can be procured. According to Chinese botany there exist many varieties as well as species of the tea shrub. The quality of the tea does not only depend upon the mode in which it is prepared, but also upon the soil where it is cultivated. They make a very minute distinction about the hills where the tea is grown, in the same manner as we do in regard to the vine. The Kwang Keun, fang pao, a work on Chinese botany, in forty volumes, treats largely upon the subject, and mentions every hill where good tea grows. Fokien province is the richest tea territory; but it grows more or less in all the provinces, except the northern ones. There are many species mentioned, which had never come under the notice of Europeans, and their flavour is highly extolled. The writer of this work largely expatiates upon the wonderful qualities possessed by some trees, with all the vanity of a Chinese. He treats upon the modes in which the tea shrub is cultivated, and the crop gathered; but he possesses too much learning to be a good botanist, and quotes continually verses and the sayings of the ancients to embellish the subject. There is certainly, in the whole, more learning than good sense. He also treats upon how the seed is to be sown, how the leaves of the tea shrub ought to be prepared, and in what manner the shrub is to be pruned in order that it should produce luxuriant foliage. He also enters upon minute details, how the tea leaf is to be plucked, and afterwards dried and packed. Though the subject is trivial, it would require some study to make this work intelligible to Europeans.

The Rev. C. Gutzlaff, having looked over this botanical work in the Chinese language, favoured me with the above brief opinion on it.

The Cycas revoluta (Fung, maee, cho, of the Chinese) was planted in pots, and from being so generally seen about the dwellings of the people, I should consider was a favourite with them; a number of dwarf elms, bamboos, and other trees, with a number of varieties of Hibiscus, Althæa, were Malva, were all these celebrated gardens contained.

The principal topics of conversation, as the space in front of the factories is traversed over and over again by the foreigners, are opium, Areka-nut, (erroneously called betel-nut,) pepper, rattans, and cotton. The different reports that have been set in motion, (gaining as they proceed from mouth to mouth during the day,) are discussed early in the morning: true, or untrue, is immaterial; every body credits them, and they serve pour passer le temps. If one person meets another, a cool bow of acknowledgment is made, and he passes on his way; or he may be doomed to run the gauntlet, if any important event has been started, with every one he meets, at the corner of every hong, at the risk of being scorched by the sun, or, if taken under shelter, exposed to a chilling blast: as the day advances, he will find the tale increased to such an extent, that the person who heard it in the morning would hardly recognize the bantling by the evening: the three black crows is a mere trifle to some of their inventions: one relates mutinies happening on board an Indiaman, of the existence of which even the commander was ignorant: a slight illness of a lady at Macao, by the time it reaches her husband at Canton, by passing from individual to individual, becomes a dangerous state, if not her actual decease; and at the time the intelligence is communicated to her afflicted husband, she is probably attending one of the gay evening conversational parties at Macao, in which one derives exceeding enjoyment, hearing the ladies “discourse most eloquent music,” and mildly pass over the personal defects or mental faults of each other. One may very naturally therefore ask, “if anything has been invented this morning?” and if accuracy is requisite, how the news arrived, whose authority, &c.

One person happened to say casually, of a long-missing ship, “Perhaps she has been dismasted, and put into Manilla, and that may account for her detention:” in the evening, a report was in circulation, and believed, that accounts had that day been received of the missing ship having safely arrived at Manilla, but that she had lost all her masts. It is therefore dangerous to make an observation; for should it not at first be deemed sufficiently important, it will soon be increased, both in intricacy and consequence, as it passes the daily course. Any person, then, who may visit China, will show his wisdom by preserving silence as much as possible, and he will be lauded by some for the space of a few days; then he will rise in importance, and every body will buzz and talk the most extraordinary things about him; he will be a mystery, and all the residents will be delighted with him, for he will listen tranquilly, and in much of the conversation he will hear far more than he will in any way be inclined to believe. The trifling or casual passing observations are usually—“What news?” “None.” “Fine weather?”—“Yes.” “Warm?” “Yes, exceedingly sultry.” “Is opium getting up?”—“Have not heard. No arrivals?” “None! Good morning.”

Taking rambles over the narrow streets of the suburbs of Canton, filled with elegant shops, strictly Chinese, with the various gilded signs, I witnessed a very novel and agreeable sight to a stranger: every thing assumed a different appearance to that seen in any other country: the narrow and crowded streets, hardly afford a passage for two persons abreast, and the constant passing and repassing of porters with their burdens, bawling out to clear the way, is annoying to passengers. The shops are fitted up in an elegant style, and are, in many of the streets, exceedingly spacious: the shoemakers’ shops are filled with shoes, from those of the small-footed woman decorated in a most tasteful and fanciful manner, to the larger ones of the long-footed race. The shops of tailors, sign-painters, apothecaries, book and paper sellers, glass-blowers, &c. are numerous; and eating-shops, filled with all kinds of birds and beasts, cooked in their peculiar manner, and afterwards varnished; and poulterers’ shops, with living and dead poultry of all descriptions, were in some of the streets very abundant.

On arriving at the large or principal gate leading into the city, strangers are not permitted to pass: there are also smaller wicket-gates, leading into the city, at other parts, at which persons are stationed to prevent foreigners from passing: several mandarins would occasionally be seen carried in their chairs, as well as some of the superior class of Chinese small-eyed beauties borne in a kind of sedan, upon the shoulders of coolies. On entering any of the shops, to see the process of manufacturing, every attention was paid us by the Chinese: one that attracted our attention, was the melting and manufacturing the lead into thin plates, for lining tea-caddies, chests, &c. This is effected by throwing rapidly the molten lead between two flat stones, upon the inner surfaces of each of which paper was placed, pasted by its edges upon the stone: as soon as the lead was thrown in, the upper stone fell immediately upon the lower; (the process is very simple;) the upper stone is then taken off, and the sheet of lead removed. Their method of glass-blowing, cotton-cleaning, and spangle-manufactory, were also seen; and we were readily permitted to view the various processes employed without any interruption. A walk about the streets of the suburbs I always found full of interest, as throwing much light upon the peculiar customs and manufactures of these extraordinary and industrious people.

It is well known that sandal-wood is esteemed by Europeans, on account of its being a valuable article of merchandize to China: the Chinese are particular, however, in their choice of the wood; they prefer it when the pieces are about the diameter of the arm,[38] straight, smooth, of a dark colour, with a faint and agreeable smell, not the rank odour that some of the wood possesses. The yellow wood is inferior in the market; and the very light yellow and white woods are too young, and almost, if not totally, unsaleable. The Chinese name for it, is Tan-heong; (Taan, or Tan, being the name given to that particular tree; and Heong, scented wood;) and it sells from two and a half to twenty dollars the pecul, according to the quality of the wood. The usual size of the wood, as an article of commerce in China, is of a diameter of four or six inches, and a length of three or four feet; from eight to twelve pieces of wood of that size usually weighing a pecul. A piece of sandal-wood, of the size just mentioned, is considered the most acceptable offering that a person can carry in his hand to present to the idols in the temples: the large pieces are the votive offering of a rich person, to burn on particular occasions, such for instance as at the commencement of the new year; small pieces are then abundantly sold about the streets, for the lower class of people to purchase, for burning before the deities. “The Canton people,” said a Chinese merchant, “do not burn so much sandal-wood as those of the northern provinces, as in the latter superstition reigns to a greater extent than in the former.”[39]

In the plantations of this tree, belonging to the Honourable East India Company, upon the Coromandel coasts, it is not permitted to attain a large size, but is cut down when of a growth and quality calculated to render it available for the China market. The wood is rasped by the Chinese, made into pastiles, and in that form burnt before the idols: the oil is said to be expressed from the wood, and also to be extracted by boiling or distillation. Sandal-wood oil is highly esteemed, by some persons, in herpetic eruptions.

The sandal-wood tree, (Sántalum) is placed in the natural order Santalàceæ, class Tetrándria, order Monogynia. There are several species, but all have not wood possessed of fragrance. Of those from which the scented wood is procured I am acquainted with three species: two have been described, one the Sántalum myrtifòlium, found on the coast of Coromandel; and S. Freycinetiànum, found at the Sandwich Islands; the other, an undescribed species, at the New Hebrides group; the latter appearing to have an affinity to that found on the Coromandel shores.

The native names of the sandal-wood, in some of the countries where it is found indigenous, are as follow:—

Among the Malays, Jeendana. New Hebrides: Island of Erromanga, Nassau; Island of Tanna, Nebissi; Island of Annatom, Narti, niat. The Marquesa group, Bua ahi. The Island of Oparo, Turi, turi. At the Island of Tahiti (where it has been found on the mountains, but is very scarce) and Eimeo, Ahi. On the Malabar coast, Chandana cotte. In the Island of Timor, Aikamenil. In the Island of Amboyna, Ayasru. At the Fidji group, Iarsé. At the Sandwich Islands, Iliahi.

Different varieties of the sandal-wood are likewise found in India, Eastern Archipelago, (more particularly in the islands to the eastward,) the Marquesas, Fidji, New Hebrides groups, &c.; the Island of Juan Fernandez; and have been occasionally found on the high mountains of Tahiti, Eimeo, and Raivavae, or High Island. Mr. Crawford observes, (Indian Archipelago, vol. i. p. 419, 420,) respecting sandal-wood, that it is “a native of the Indian islands, and is found of three varieties, white, yellow, and red; the two first being most esteemed. From Java and Madura, eastward, it is scattered in small quantities throughout the different islands, improving in quantity and quality as we move to the east, until we reach Timor, whence the best and largest supply is obtained.” And he observes:—“In the western countries, where it either does not exist at all, or exists in small quantity and of bad quality; it is universally known by the Sanscrit name of Chandana, from whence it may be fair to infer, that its use was taught by the Hindûs when they propagated their religion, in the ceremonies of which it is frequently employed.”

The sandal-wood tree is most usually found in hilly districts and rocky situations; and, when growing on low land, is of a degenerated quality. This latter circumstance is known to the Chinese; for, at Singapore, a Chinese merchant observed, that the sandal-wood found growing on the rocky mountains contains the greatest quantity of oil, and is of more value than that which grows in low situations and rich soil, as the latter is found to have degenerated. On asking him from whence he derived his information, he stated, “from Chinese books.” At the Friendly Islands they use the wood for scenting their cocoa-nut oil, and a piece of the wood is considered a valuable present by the chiefs; they procure it occasionally from the Fidji Islands, and call it Ahi Fidji. The tree will not thrive at Tongatabu. The species found at the island of Erromanga (New Hebrides) has ovate, entire, smooth, petioled leaves, of a light-green colour above, whitish and distinctly veined underneath; some of the leaves varied by being pointed. It is a tree of irregular and slow growth; it attains the height of about eight feet without, and thirty feet with branches, and about two feet in diameter. I always remarked, however, that after attaining a moderate size, it was invariably found rotten in the heart. Sandal-wood is very heavy, sinks in water, and the part of the tree which contains the essential oil (according to Cartheuser, one pound of the wood will yield two drachms of the oil) on which the agreeable odour depends, is the heart, the other portions of the tree being destitute of any fragrance: this portion is surrounded by a lighter wood of some thickness, denominated the sap, which is carefully removed from the heart-wood. Sandal-wood is sold by weight, and varies in price, according to the size and quality, from three to twenty dollars and upwards the pecul (one hundred and thirty-three pounds.) When young, the wood has a whitish colour, and possesses but little fragrance; as it increases in age it becomes of a yellowish colour, and when old of a brownish red colour, and at that period is most valued, from containing the greatest quantity of that essential oil on which its fragrance depends. It is considered that the wood is never attacked by insects: this opinion is erroneous, as I have seen the nidus of some species formed in it.

At the Sandwich Islands, the tree is named Iliahi, or Lauhala, signifying sweet wood, (lau, wood; hala, sweet,) and when young the tree is here of very elegant growth. At Wouhala (island of Oahu) I observed numbers of the young trees, some of which were covered by a profusion of beautiful flowers of a dark-red colour: the flowers, however, are often observed to differ in colour on the same tree, and even on the same stalk; they grow in clusters, some having the corolla externally of a dark-red colour, and internally of a dull yellow; others having it entirely of a dark-red, and others again have the corolla partly red and white externally; the young leaves are of a dark-red colour, and give an elegant appearance to the tree. This was not observed in the species found at the island of Erromanga; indeed, the species found at the Sandwich Islands had a more handsome appearance in its growth than that at Erromanga. At the Sandwich Islands, two varieties of the wood are observed by the natives, depending, however, only on the age of the tree; the young or white wood is called lau, keo, keo; (lau, wood; keo, keo, white;) and the red wood, lau, hula, hula; (lau, wood; hula, hula, red.) As before stated, the wood, when taken from a young tree, is white, containing but a small quantity of oil; as the tree increases in growth, the wood becomes of a yellowish colour, and the oldest and best is of a brownish red colour:[40] the different varieties of the wood depend, therefore, on the age of the tree, and are of three kinds, white, yellow, and red, of which the yellow and red (from containing the largest quantity of oil) are most esteemed in the Chinese market, where the wood is principally used, the expressed oil being mixed with pastiles, and burned before their idols in the temples, as I have before mentioned.

Indigenous to the Sandwich Islands is a species of Myóporum, (M. tenuifòlium,) the heart of which is fragrant; and, from having been mistaken for sandal-wood, has received the name of spurious sandal-wood from Europeans, and is called Naiho, or Naihio, by the natives. The heart contains a quantity of essential oil; but the fragrance is not so agreeable as that derived from the sandal-wood, and for that reason it is not esteemed in the Chinese market; the heart is also surrounded by a lighter wood, termed the sap, as in the sandal-wood tree. An instance of the resemblance this bears to the sandal-wood, so as to deceive a common observer, occurred during my visit to the island of Oahu, (Sandwich Islands,) in December, 1829. Two large pieces of the Naiho, deprived of the sap, were collected for me, and had been placed in the yard of a mercantile gentleman previously to my taking them on board. At this time there was some sandal-wood, of small size, weighing in the yard, to be sent on board an American ship about to sail for Canton. The supercargo, who was superintending the weighing, seeing these pieces, mistook them for sandal-wood; and, anxious to secure two such large pieces among the small kind which he had purchased, placed them in the scales, and they were sent on board with the rest, the person engaged in weighing being also ignorant of the difference. This circumstance was not discovered until some time after the ship had sailed: engaged in other pursuits, I had for some time forgotten my wood; but on inquiring for it, its disappearance was accounted for, after some time, by the cause just related. I was informed that a cargo of this wood was taken by an American ship to Canton; and, on its arrival there, it was only considered fit for fire-wood.

The name of a “spurious sandal-wood” is a source of alarm to those who, engaged in purchasing sandal-wood, are not able to judge of the difference, or have only known the “spurious kind” by name. An instance of this occurred under my own observation. A vessel arrived from the New Hebrides group at the Bay of Islands, (New Zealand,) in July, 1829, having on board some sandal-wood. This was purchased by the commander of a ship lying at that place; he had heard of the existence of a spurious kind when at the Sandwich Islands, but never having seen it, was unable to judge of the difference. When the sandal-wood came on board, it was found to consist of the white, yellow, and red varieties, having been procured from trees of different ages; that which was of a whitish colour, and had less fragrance than the other wood, was considered immediately to be what he had heard of as spurious wood, and was rejected, much to the annoyance of the owner, who declared it was all sandal-wood. This supposed spurious kind was laid aside, and was finally delivered to the cook for fire-wood; and, when burning, it diffused a delightful fragrance over the ship. Some of it was landed amongst the fire-wood from the same ship, at the Sandwich Islands, much to the surprise of some of the merchants, who thought that sandal-wood must be very common on board when it was used as fire-wood.

The Naiho (Myóporum tenuifòlium) attains the height of fifteen to twenty feet, and a circumference of three or four feet: the scented wood differs, according to the age of the tree, from a light-yellow to a reddish colour; the tree is branchy.

CHAPTER VI.

Visit to the Temple of Honan—Colossal figures—The priesthood—Votive offerings—Mummery—Holy pigs—Their corpulency—The hall of the factory—Duck-boats—Alabaster—Chinese snake—Leave Canton and return to Macao—Visit the Lappa Island—Hill-pines—Mass of granite rocks—Their sonorous qualities—Tanka-boats—Chinese burial-grounds—Cassilhas Bay—Manufacture of ropes—Portuguese ladies at Macao—Origin of that name—Another temple near Macao.

I visited one evening the Temple of Honan, situated a short distance on the opposite side of the river to that on which the factories are built. Having crossed, with my companions, in a boat, we proceeded a little way down the river, and landed at a dirty causeway near some timber-yards, in which a quantity of fir-timber, of China, of various dimensions, was piled with an extreme degree of regularity. The entrance to the temple or temples, and extensive grounds about them, was close to the landing place; and passing some miserable fruit and eating stalls adjoining, we noticed a large, clean, open space, planted with trees, and having in the centre a broad pavement of granite, kept very clean. The quietness that reigned within formed a pleasing retreat from the noise and bustle without.

This paved way brought us to the first portico; here we beheld, on huge granite pedestals, a colossal figure on each side, placed there to guard the entrance to the Temple of Buddha; the one on the right in entering is the warrior Chin, ke, and on the left is Ching, Lung.[41] After passing these terrific, colossal guards, we entered another somewhat similar court to the first, also planted with trees, and a granite foot-path, which led to one of the temples. At this time the priesthood were assembled, worshipping, chanting, striking gongs, arranged in rows, and frequently performing the ko-tow, in adoration of their gilded, senseless deity, of which a number of small and colossal figures, of the god Buddha, decorated a very handsome temple.

The priesthood performed their devotions by themselves, for there was not a Chinese present at the worship; indeed the Chinese seem to have but little regard for religion; they visit the temples early in the morning to make their offerings before the idols, and perform the usual religious ceremonies at sunset, but apparently more as a custom, than from any sincere religious devotion. I have seen the parents visit the temples at an early hour in the morning, bringing their family to adore the idols with them, each carrying tapers and offerings. The ceremony of prostration, &c. was gone through in so mechanical a manner, as to leave but little or no doubt in the mind of the spectator, that it was observed rather as a custom descended to them from their forefathers, than as arising from any sense of religious feeling towards a superior and benevolent Deity.

During a visit I made in company with Mr. Fearon to that picturesque and beautiful temple,[42] which is a subject of so much admiration, from its romantic situation, to all persons visiting Macao;[43] a parent came with a lad six or seven years old, and a tottering infant, with offerings, which being arranged in one of the small temples before the idol, the father performed the ceremony of prostration; the lad followed the example of his parent seemingly as a matter of course; the young, unexpanded mind of the infant did not understand the meaning of it, but stared at us, and then at its parent; the silence that prevailed corresponded with the solemnity that reigned in this sacred, romantic spot. I could not avoid reflecting at the time, that this infant would be brought to go mechanically through the pagan worship, to gaze on the tinsel and gaudiness of the temple and the gilded figure, before its mind had dawned; it would awake in fetters, and follow implicitly the custom of its forefathers, satisfied with their blind superstition and pagan ignorance.

I must apologize for thus digressing, and return to the chanting priests in the temple, who, with shaven crowns, and arrayed in the yellow robes of the priests of Buddha, appeared to go through the mummery with devotion. They had the lowering look of bigotry, which constant habit had at last legibly written upon their countenances. The priests were evidently, in characteristic features, a distinct race from the Chinese, and came at the introduction of the Boodha religion into China, from some other parts of Asia, probably the Birmah empire.

As soon as the mummery had ceased, the priests all flocked out of the temple, adjourned to their respective rooms, divested themselves of their official robes, and the senseless figures were left to themselves, with some lamps burning before them; and the silence of the temple was a type of that portentous spectre, superstition. Another large and handsomely-adorned temple was situated beyond this, as well as numerous others, of smaller size, within the inclosure, all kept in a very neat and clean state.

Being soon satiated with the sight of gilded gods, and fanatical priests, mingled with all the gaudy paraphernalia of superstition, we adjourned to view the fat pigs which saluted us by their effluvia some time before we attained their dwelling,—where we beheld them luxuriating in a bed of filth, having nothing to do but undergo the laborious occupations of eating, drinking, sleeping, and getting fat: before them were sacred buckets, which had been probably filled with food, but were now empty. They were enormously fat, and seven or eight in number. Some persons informed me that they were kept until they died suffocated with fat; but others said that they formed an annual sacrifice to the gods, during the grand festivals. These huge, filthy creatures, are so gross as to cause the mouths of the Chinese who behold them to water with delight, in anticipation of the splendid dishes their carcases would afford, to gratify their mortal appetites, exciting deep regret that they are to be devoted as ideal feasts only for immortals.

After wandering over this extensive inclosure, in which we met with no hindrance or molestation, I returned to Canton much gratified by the visit.

The hall of the factory of the Honorable East India Company, as well as the whole range of buildings, is very elegant. At one end of the large room in the building is a magnificent portrait of his late majesty George the Fourth, by Sir Thomas Lawrence; and opposite to it, an accurate full-length portrait of Lord Amherst, by the same artist. On ascending to the terrace, above the building, a beautiful panoramic view of the city of Canton is obtained. The winding river crowded with boats; numerous pagodas, as far as the eye could reach; a fine view of Whampoa, and some of the shipping; the number of paddy fields in the vicinity; interspersed with habitations and plantations, with hills in the distance,—formed a scene both novel and interesting. I afterwards visited, in company with my friend, Mr. Whiteman, the extensive tea hongs of Kingqua, and other of the hong merchants, which are well worthy the notice of a stranger.

Among the Chinese novelties to be seen in the vicinity of Canton, but more especially about Whampoa, are the duck-boats, used as residences for the owners and their families, as well as for their numerous feathered charge. The fledged bipeds inhabit the hold of the boat, and the human bipeds, or keepers, the upper accommodations of the vessel. These boats are most abundant about the rice-fields, near the river, soon after the harvest has been gathered in, as at that time the broad-billed animals glean the fields, and have a better prospect of a supply of food than at any other period. The owner of the boat moves it about from place to place, according to the opportunities that may be offered to him of feeding his flock.

On the arrival of the boat at the appointed spot, or one considered proper for feeding the quacking tribe, a signal of a whistle causes the flock to waddle in regular order from their domicile across the board placed for their accommodation, and then rambling about undergo the process of feeding. When it is considered by their keeper that they have gorged sufficiently, another signal is made for the return of the birds: immediately upon hearing it, they congregate and re-enter the boat. The first duck that enters is rewarded with some paddy, the last is whipped for being dilatory; so that it is ludicrous to see the last birds (knowing by sad experience the fate that awaits them) making efforts en masse to fly over the back of the others, to escape the chastisement inflicted upon the ultimate duck.

A large quantity of a kind of alabaster or gypsum is brought down from the northward in large junks to Canton; it is called in the Chinese language Shek, oo, and is used by them, as well as by Europeans, in a pulverized state, as a dentifrice: it is also employed and highly esteemed by the Chinese as a tisan, for the purpose of allaying the ardent thirst in fevers, and is considered by them nourishing as well as cooling. It is pulverized and used in the adulteration of powdered sugar-candy, to which it bears in appearance a very close resemblance; indeed, it is (except by the taste) not easy to distinguish one from the other.

Dr. Cox presented me with a specimen in spirits of a very venomous snake, which is not uncommon in China; this one had some time since bitten a Chinese servant in the Dutch Hong, and occasioned his death in a few hours. The head of the reptile in this specimen had been cut off by the Chinese who first arrived to the assistance of the wounded man, who having bruised it, had applied it as a poultice to the bitten part; from which a query may arise, whether the poison mingled with the mashed head, being applied to the bitten part, may not have served to hasten the fatal termination.

This venomous reptile is called white and black snake, from its colours; by the Chinese, Pak, y, hak, (pak signifying white, and hak, black). The largest size it has been seen to attain, has been three feet. The colour of the reptile is a bluish white, with black, circular, broad rings, around the body. The head (which I had an opportunity of examining in another and unmutilated specimen) was broad, flattened, with ten broad scales upon the upper and lateral parts; and around the body, from one extremity to the other, there were forty-nine circular rings. The length of my specimen is nearly three feet.

The Chinese, just mentioned as having been bitten by this reptile, was described to me as being a stout, robust, and healthy man. The part of his body wounded, was on and about the little toe. He was bitten at eleven P.M., and in the space of an hour was quite senseless. Before this, he described the pain as ascending rapidly up the body. It appears that when first bitten, he thought his assailant was a rat, and, kicking the reptile, he was rebitten; and, altogether, was wounded three times: he expired a little before four A.M. This snake is said to be used by the Chinese as a medicine, being dried, pulverized, and administered as an internal remedy. During floods, these reptiles are very commonly seen about the houses, coming from the creeks up the drains into the kitchens: they very probably inhabit marshy places, and are often brought down during the freshes of the river, among the weeds, rushes, &c., and at that time may be descried sporting and swimming about the multitude of boats in the river. They are killed in numbers by the boatmen. During the late floods which prevailed at Canton, a number of these venomous reptiles were destroyed.[44]

I availed myself of the kind offer of Mr. Davis, and left Canton with him at daylight of the 28th of October, in the Company’s yacht for Macao, where, after a long, but agreeable passage, we arrived on the evening of the next day.

During my further stay at Macao, I visited one evening, in company with Mr. Davis, a place called the Lappa,[45] situated on the opposite side of the peninsula, upon which the city of Macao is erected, in the inner harbour. The lofty hills have a barren and uninteresting appearance; and there is nothing attractive in the aspect of that part of the country, until, on landing, a pathway leads to a delightful, picturesque, and fertile valley, smiling with the cultivated plantations of rice, yams, sweet potatoes, and interspersed by rural cottages, peeping through a dense crowd of bamboo, pandanus, and plantain trees. Near the beach was a cluster of wretched-looking huts; but the features of the country, both in its natural state, as well as improved by art, were pleasing as we advanced further up this pretty, sheltered valley.

The declivities of some of the hills on the inner or sheltered side towards the valley, were covered by the Hill pines, or Shan, tchong[46] of the Chinese, the Pinus sinensis of botanists, of which I collected a few specimens in a state of fructification. Rivulets meandering through the valley, irrigate and fertilize the soil; and their banks are covered with a profusion of wild plants, a number of ferns, Myrtus tomentosa, Sida, Urtica, Melastoma quinquenervia, (or Kai, chee, neem, of the Chinese,) and a multitude of others. From the cultivated, we came upon a wilder, more stony, and less beautiful part of the valley, among scattered masses of granite rocks, about which a wild and profuse vegetation was lavished.

At one part, my attention was directed to a mass of granite rocks, appearing as if they had been huddled together by some convulsion of nature, and many of them were found to be moveable, when trodden upon. Some of these were described as being sonorous; and as they were regarded as one of the Macao lions, they were of course well worth seeing, if it was only for the pleasure of relating to every one that you had seen them. The first, and by far the most sonorous, was partially excavated underneath; and by striking it upon the upper part, a deep sound like that of a church bell was produced. The battered appearance of the stone above, bore several proofs of how many visitors had made this lion roar. Many of the other rocks were also sonorous, but not so loud as the first; and from their situations, (although moveable when trodden upon,) it could not be seen whether they were naturally excavated similar to the preceding. The Lappa is a place to which the residents of Macao resort, forming pic-nic parties for the purposes of enjoying a change of scene in their limited place of residence, and deriving a gratification from the natural and cultivated beauties of this pretty valley.

We returned late in a Tanka boat. These boats, from their bearing some resemblance to a section of an egg, are called egg-boats, or egg people boats; tan signifying an egg, and ka, people: they are principally navigated by women. The egg-boat people, both males and females, are only permitted to intermarry among themselves. Some of the females have often a little claim to personal beauty.

The Chinese burial-grounds are never inclosed, and are usually seen situated on the slopes of the hills. The graves never being opened a second time, the burial-grounds take up a large quantity of land. I believe the handsome and extensive vaults are sometimes re-opened for the interment of a second corpse: the graves of the poorer class have merely a headstone, upon which Chinese characters are engraved, giving the name, family, &c. of the individual, whose mortal clay reposes beneath.

One of the promenades in the vicinity of Macao, is to a sandy bay, called Cassilha’s Bay,[47] in which there was nothing to excite interest, having merely barren hills about it, and a distant view of islands. The only benefit derived from a visit to it, is the exercise of walking.

I remarked some Chinese one morning near Macao engaged in making some very durable ropes from rattan: the process of manufacture was but little different from that of hemp. The rattans were split longitudinally, soaked, and attached to a wheel, which one person was keeping in motion, whilst another was binding the split rattans together, adding others to the length from a quantity he carried around his waist, until the required length of the rope was completed.

The Portuguese ladies at Macao are, for the most part, possessed of but few attractions. The dark-eyed, beautiful damsels, the destroyers of so many hearts in Lisbon, are here seldom to be met with. The lower class may be seen covered by their mantilla, walking at a funereal pace to mass or confession; the only duties for which a Portuguese female considers it worth while to take exercise. The higher class are carried from one street to another by negroes, in clumsy and tawdry palankeens.

I have before observed that Macao signifies in the Portuguese language a mallet, and the name has been given to it from the resemblance of the peninsula to that instrument; the sandy isthmus which runs out, connecting the elevated spot upon which Macao has been erected to the main land, resembles the handle. At the distance of about half-way across this sandy neck of land the Chinese barrier is erected, beyond which no European is suffered to pass.

The morning previous to my departure from Macao, I visited another Chinese temple, situated near the sandy isthmus. It had nothing to recommend it for picturesque or romantic beauty; its interior was more extensive than the one I had previously visited. Passing through the temple, numerous granite rocks were scattered about the brow of a hill in their natural state, and upon many of them were Chinese inscriptions, probably moral sentences, which the Chinese are so fond of teaching, but never trouble themselves about practising. Near the road side, and upon the summit of the hill, on the brow of which the inscriptions on the granite rocks just mentioned were remarked, were several small cone-shaped buildings, resembling somewhat the eastern Linguams. For what purpose they had been erected, I could not gain any information; there were three a short distance apart, close to the road side, and another of large size situated in a very conspicuous spot upon the summit of a hill. The Linguams, if they may be so named, are rather more than five feet high, and constructed of brick plastered over; in one the plaster had fallen off, leaving the brick exposed, evidently showing that not much attention was paid to them. At the base of the cone was a small square hole. The one situated upon the lofty summit of a hill, looked like a white conical land-mark; I did not ascend to examine it.

CHAPTER VII.

The jesuits’ church and college of San José—The gardens—Sail from Macao for Singapore—Pass Pedro Blanco—Island of Singapore—The town—Treaty for the cession of the island to the British—Hills—Salubrity of the settlement—European burial-ground—Vicinity of the settlement—Government hill—Grand prospect—Commercial prosperity—New roads.

I visited also the jesuits’ church and college of San José. On entering the gate a high flight of granite steps leads up to the church; and, turning off to the right, on gaining the ascent, takes the visitor to the door, which leads him into those portions of the building devoted to the college residences of the professors, &c.; in a long room were some small but well-executed paintings of Portuguese famed in days of yore. Among others the poet Camoens, and Alvares, the discoverer of the Brazils, could be recognized. The college was founded for a certain number of Chinese students, who were to study the Latin and Portuguese languages, so as to prepare them to proceed as missionaries into the interior provinces. They were sent to the provinces of Quang, ton, Quang, shee, and Fookien; this class was paid by the Macao Portuguese government; they were limited to ten, and the expense, defrayed by government, was twelve rupees a month to the padres, for which they were to provide the scholars with food, raiment, and lodging. Portuguese students are now admitted upon the foundation, the expenses being paid by the parents, which amount to eight dollars a month, the scholars having board and lodging, but providing themselves with clothing. The number of these is not limited; they are instructed in Latin, Portuguese, Chinese, writing, and other branches of education: the establishment of the church, &c. is supported by the government.

The gardens attached to the establishment are kept in a very neat order, but present little attraction in flowers, either for butterflies or botanists. Among a number of vegetables under cultivation in one of the gardens was the Pe, tsai, (Pe, white; tsai, vegetable,) or kind of cabbage, used in large quantities, and held in high estimation by the Chinese.

The gardens attached to this institution were planted upon terraces; in them a species of Althæa with blue flowers, as well as another species bearing very large and splendid yellow blossoms; several large and apparently old trees of the Ficus religiosa, and lofty Plumeria; that beautiful species of Dracæna with dark red foliage and stem; Crotons, with variegated foliage, imparting beauty to the gardens, were all particularly worthy of notice.

The church had nothing attractive in its internal decorations, being fitted up in the usual tawdry style of Roman Catholic churches, without elegance or taste.

On the 13th of November I sailed from Macao for Singapore, with fine weather, and the wind from north-east to east-north-east. On the 19th, Cape Varella was seen at noon, bearing north-west about thirty miles distant, and with continued breezes from the north-east and north-north-east: saw Pulo Sapata at noon of the 20th, the bearing being west half-south, about eighteen miles distant. On the 22nd, after squally weather, a hawk was for several mornings seen about the ship, occasioning the fowls to make a great noise at his presence; we were then in latitude 6° 34′ north, and longitude 106° 28′ east. On the 24th at noon, Pulo Aor was in sight, bearing south-west half-west; Pulo Pisang, west by south; Pulo Tinian, west half-north by compass. All these islands were elevated, and densely wooded.

On the 26th we passed Pedro Blanco, a reef of rocks some distance above the water, and situated in about the centre of the straits; a large number of birds, apparently terns, were about them. I had much doubt in my mind, whether the white appearance of the upper surface of these rocks was the effect of the dung of birds, but rather conjectured, in the absence of ocular proof, that it was of a calcareous nature. Observing a group of rocks not far distant from the settlement of Singapore, exhibiting the same white appearance on the surface above water as the Pedro Blanco, I determined to visit them for the purpose of examining their structure; on the evening of the day on which I observed it, I went out in a boat with some friends, but a very heavy swell prevented the attainment of my object at this time. The Malays in the boat, when they heard what I wished to ascertain, declared it to be produced by the first-mentioned cause; but on the following morning I succeeded in getting upon it, when my previously formed opinion was confirmed, by finding the upper surface calcareous, at some parts more or less discoloured. The formation of the rock was secondary, being of a red sandstone, and in many specimens, which I broke off, I observed a very minute line of sandstone, running through the calcareous substance; although other parts of this rock were also calcareous, yet they had not a white appearance, from being covered and discoloured by marine conferva and minute crustaceous animals, to such an extent as to entirely lose their white appearance unless broken; and the marine animals being constantly in the other rocks washed by the sea, which the high and white rock was not, caused a still further increase of marine weeds, &c. upon them. I collected some excellent specimens, showing the two different strata very distinctly.

About ten P.M. of the 26th, we anchored in Singapore roads; and upon the following day I landed and took up my residence, during my stay at the settlement, with my friend Mr. Boustead.

The island of Singapore,[48] at the part on which the settlement has been formed, has a very picturesque and beautiful appearance, when seen from the ships at anchor in the roads; and does not prove less attractive to the stranger on landing: the government hill, with its neat bungalow and flag-staff, forms a prominent feature in the view; and the undulating character of the land, with the thickly-timbered country in the distance, imparts a pleasing variety. Who can regard this settlement, so very recently established, yet now become a place of importance by the enterprise of British merchants, (almost unaided by any assistance from government,) without feeling how just the conclusion is, that commerce can elevate the most barren and unproductive spot to a place of high importance? Look at the magnificent private mansions, warehouses, and the extent of commerce, showing the present and increasing wealth of this rising settlement. The town is erected upon the banks of a salt-water creek, more commonly named the Singapore river: one side contains the warehouses, offices, stores, &c. of the merchants and shopkeepers, as well as the native streets, bazaars, &c. Opposite to it is an extensive plain, adorned by several elegant mansions; and beyond the Kampong Glam,[49] and Malay town, with the residence of the sultan of Johore and his followers: from him the island was purchased by the British government, for which he still receives the annual pension which had been stipulated at the time. Close to the creek, which has received the more dignified appellation of the “Singapore river,” wharfs extend from and opposite to the offices and warehouses of the merchants. The two most extensive and splendid buildings are those recently erected by Messrs. Armstrong and Gemmil. The Commercial Square contains some very good buildings, used as offices, shops, and residences; the most conspicuous of which, for elegance, is the building used as offices and warehouses by the firm of Rawson, Holdsworth, and Co. The river, at the lower part of the settlement, always presents an animated scene, from the arrival and departure of native boats, with fruit, vegetables, and live stock, as well as from the number of neat sampans plying for hire, or attending upon the commanders of vessels, who employ them, in this sultry climate, in preference to exposing their crews to a tropical sun: many native boats lie waiting or delivering cargoes of the various productions of the fertile islands in the vicinity. At night, the flickering and brilliant lights from the numerous boats upon the river, make an animated appearance.

Rains are frequent at Singapore throughout the year, but more especially during the months of November, December, and January. The principal buildings are constructed of bricks, and roofed with red tiles; but many of the Chinese dwellings and shops are constructed of wood. The roads in the town, and also in the vicinity of the settlement, are excellent, being of a mixture of sand with a clay iron ore, which make very durable roads. The markets at Singapore are well supplied with all kinds of provision, vegetables, and fruit; and considering how little the island in itself produces, and that the supplies are brought from Malacca and the neighbouring islands, are sold at a very cheap rate. The population of the settlement of Singapore consists of nearly twenty thousand, exclusive of the troops and convicts, (the troops being about five hundred, and the convicts eight hundred in number,) the majority of which is formed by the Chinese.

Comparative Statement of the Census taken on the 1st January, 1833.

Singapore Chronicle, Feb. 7, 1833.

Respecting the first settlement of Singapore: “In the first agreement,” says Crawford, “with the native chief, the arrangement amounted to little more than a permission for the formation of a British factory and establishment, along two miles of the northern shore, and inland to the extent of the point-blank range of a cannon-shot. There was, in reality, no territorial cession giving a legal right of legislation. The only law which could have existed was the Malay code. The native chief was considered to be the proprietor of the land, even within the bounds of the British factory; and he was to be entitled, in perpetuity, to one half of such duties of customs as might hereafter be levied at the port. In the progress of the settlement, these arrangements were of course found highly inconvenient and embarrassing, and were annulled by the treaty I am about to describe.

“The island of Singapore belonged to the Malayan principality of Johore, a state which probably was never of much consequence, and for the last century had been of none at all. Sultan Mahomet, the last prince, died about the year 1810, leaving no legitimate issue. No prince of his family assumed the throne in immediate succession to him, and the country was dismembered among his principal officers. The Bind hara (treasurer or first minister) took to himself the territory of Pahang, on the eastern coast of the Malay peninsula, and is now commonly designated rajah of that place. The Tumangung, or chief judge, seized upon the corresponding territory, on the western side, with the adjacent islands. This is the person from whom we received the first grant of our factory. He informed me,” continues Crawford, “that he had settled in Singapore for the first time, in 1811, a few months before our expedition passed through the harbour, on its route to the capture of Java.

“Sultan Mahomet had two illegitimate sons, who were competitors for the throne, but the claims of neither were attended to, and they continued in a state of vagrancy and poverty until the Dutch and English governments, for their own purposes, thought it necessary to patronize respectively one of the parties. One of them, now acknowledged Sultan of Johore, and who still resides in the island, came over to it a short time after our first occupation, and was, in due course, placed upon our pension list. It was with this individual, and the inferior chief already named, that a treaty for the cession of the island was concluded in August, 1824. They received for the sovereignty and fee-simple of the island, as well as of all the seas, straits, and islands lying within ten miles of its coasts, the sum of sixty thousand Spanish dollars, with an annuity of twenty-four thousand Spanish dollars during their natural lives; and it was farther guaranteed that they or their successors should receive a donation of thirty-five thousand Spanish dollars, should they be desirous at any time of quitting the British territory and retiring into their own dominions. Other articles of the treaty provided that neither party should interfere in the domestic quarrels of the other; that their highnesses should receive at all times an asylum and a hospitable reception at Singapore, should they be distressed in their own dominions; and that slavery, under whatever name or modification, should have no existence within the British territories.

“This last subject had been a source of great annoyance, both to the native chiefs and to the local administration. Their highnesses claimed as slaves, not only their own retainers, but every Malay, coming from whatever part of the state of Johore. Their followers, where every one else was free, and labour well rewarded, were naturally impatient of this assumption; and the disputes which arose were the frequent cause of serious difficulties, both in maintaining the peace of the settlement, and in the administration of justice. At present slavery is totally unknown in the island, for the treaty emancipated even the retainers of the native chiefs.”[50]

I have quoted the foregoing extract to serve as an explanation of the first treaty, and to show how the possession of the island was permanently obtained by the British, which will be interesting to the many who may not have had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the circumstances.

Besides the Government-hill, which rises in picturesque beauty behind the plain, upon which the settlement has been formed, there is an elevated hill to the westward, known by the name of Blackan Mattee,[51] on which there is a signal station, removed from St. John’s Island. There are other elevated hills clothed with lofty timber trees, and rising inland, which bestow a picturesque character upon the scenery of the coast; many of the trees are found, on a nearer view, to be curious in their growth, and some of them valuable for their timber; on their elevated summits, ferns of the genera Achrosticum, Asplenium, &c., or several parasitical Orchideous plants, are seen growing in profusion.

The settlement and island of Singapore is considered very salubrious. The small-pox, however, has lately been committing great and deadly ravages among the native residents; of these, however, there were none upon whom vaccination had been performed. Many have been surprised at the healthy state of Singapore as a residence, when it is so near the equator, and the town surrounded by swamps, and even built upon a swamp; but I have had occasion to remark more than once, that when the swamps result from salt-water creeks, the miasmata producing fever are not generated, as from freshwater marshes, which usually abound in a very profuse and rank vegetation; and Singapore may be said to be entirely destitute of rivers, the absence of which, however, is compensated by numerous salt-water creeks about the coasts, some of them extending inland for the distance of several miles. There is no deficiency, however, of good fresh water, which is procured from rivulets and springs, abundant about the island.

The European burial-ground is situated in rather a conspicuous spot, on a part of the declivity of the Government-hill; one part, is planted with bamboos, which have a tasteful appearance, and the gloomy nature of the spot would be diminished if the fence of these trees was continued the whole way round the cemetery.

On riding or driving in the vicinity of the settlement, the character of the country and soil appears well calculated for the cultivation of coffee, sugar,[52] cotton, pepper, and other tropical productions, as well as of the vine. But most of the land is permitted to continue in a state of primitive jungle, industry and cultivation having been checked by the enormous quit-rents imposed upon the purchasers, or tenants of land, by the government. Until this ill-judged and ill-advised measure is changed, the cultivation of this beautiful island, now for the most part covered by a continued forest, cannot advance.

At this season but few flowers decorated the jungles, or sides of the roads; the one most commonly seen was the Melastoma, or Singapore rose, it principally animated the country by its blossoms, and charmed the eye, fatigued by continually gazing on the green foliage without variety, although it gratified no other sense.

A pleasant evening drive, or promenade, is obtained upon the winding road leading to the Government-hill, which passes close by what was formerly, and even still retains the name of, the Botanic or Experimental Garden. Many of the hedges on this road are formed by an elegant small leaved bamboo, with its pendent branches drooping in graceful tufts, the tree itself not attaining the elevation usual with other more useful but less ornamental species: this bamboo forms a very beautiful, as well as compact fence. On attaining the gentle and gradual rise of the hill, the view that expands itself is both extensive and grand; embracing a wide portion of this splendid island, and causing feelings of regret in the mind of the spectator, that so much fertile land should be permitted to lie waste. Turning our eyes in another direction from the gloomy mass of forest scenery and undulating land, extending to the horizon, a more animated and pleasing scene is spread before us. Neat white houses and elegant mansions are seen on the open plain, or peeping above the dense vegetation when constructed upon a gentle rising hill. As far as the eye can reach over the tranquil waters, small wooded islands stud the ocean, and more distant, land indistinctly appears. The river, or creek, is animated by numerous native boats of all classes, passing and repassing, engaged in various occupations, or lying tranquilly at rest, like the sea-bird upon the waters, after its toil is over.

In the roadstead the commercial prosperity of the settlement is indicated by the large number of ships of all classes, that there repose at anchor upon the bosom of the green waters, conveying merchandize to supply the wants of nations far distant. Flags of various European and eastern nations float in the breeze. The peculiar Cochin Chinese, Siamese, and Chinese junks, as well as the Bugis, and other prows, clustered together, animate the waters by their presence, showing to what a state of commercial prosperity this juvenile settlement has already attained. Long may it remain, still increasing, nor have its bright hopes crushed by party spirit or misgovernment, and may it one day cause the tide of civilization to flow over the immense extent of wilderness, inhabited by savage tribes, known to us only as the Malayan peninsula: such a day will doubtless appear—civilization, commerce, and religion, hand in hand, will be diffused amongst these uncultivated people, for nothing is invincible to perseverance and industry.

Excellent roads are forming in the vicinity of the settlement, and there is one commenced to extend directly across the island. The road-gangs are composed of convicts from India, and the plans are under the able superintendence of Mr. Coleman, the colonial architect.

CHAPTER VIII.

Description of an Ungka ape—His habits—Anecdotes of him—His death—Dissection.

Objects of natural history are frequently brought in a great variety by the proas from the different islands of the Eastern Archipelago. Prepared birds of paradise, and living Loris, pink cockatoos, and occasionally the magnificent, Crowned or Dampier’s pigeons, as well as Rhinoceros birds, may be often purchased. An orang-utan was lately brought from Borneo to Singapore, by a commander of a vessel, who sold it for seventy-five dollars.

During a visit to Singapore, in 1830, I procured, through the kindness of E. Boustead, Esq., a male specimen of the Ungka ape, (Hylobates syndactyla.) The animal had been recently brought by a Malay lad, in a proa, from the Menangkabau country, in the interior of Sumatra. The Malays at Singapore always called the creature Ungka; but I observe, in the Linnean Transactions, it is called by Sir Stamford Raffles, Siamang, and the Ungka is therein described as a different animal; the same as that under the name of Onko, in the splendid work on the Mammalia, (vols. v. and vi.) by F. Cuvier. The natives, however, at Singapore denied this being the Siamang, at the same time stating that the Siamang resembled it in form, but differed in having the eyebrows and hair around the face of a white colour.

The Hylobates syndactyla is described and figured also in Dr. Horsfield’s Zoology of Java, but the engraving does not give a correct idea of the animal, nor have I as yet seen one that does. Three beautiful drawings were taken for me, from the specimen I possessed, after its death, in different positions; and having preserved the skeleton in the skin, its general appearance was more natural than stuffed specimens usually are; they were executed by the able pencil of Charles Landseer, Esq.

On board the ship Sophia, during the passage to England, ample opportunities were afforded me to study this singularly interesting little animal. Its measurement was as follows:—From the os calcis to the vertex of the head, two feet four inches; span of the arms, four feet; length of the arm, from the axilla to the termination of the fore-finger, one foot ten and a half inches; length of the leg, from the groin to the os calcis, eleven inches; length from the xiphoid or ensiform cartilage to the crest of the pubis, seven and a half inches.

The teeth are twelve in each jaw; four incisors, two canine, and six molares. In the upper jaw, the canine were placed widely apart from the last incisor, giving an appearance as if a tooth was deficient: this circumstance did not occur in the lower jaw. The teeth were in a very bad condition. In colour, the animal was of a beautiful jet black, being covered with coarse hair over the whole body. The face has no hair, except on the sides, as whiskers, and the hair stands forward from the forehead over the eyes: there is very little beard. The skin of the face is black; the arms are very long, the radius and ulna being of greater length than the os humeri: the hair on the arms runs in one direction, viz. downwards; that on the fore-arm, upwards; the hands are long and narrow, fingers long and tapering; thumb short, not reaching farther than the first joint of the fore-finger; the palms of the hands and soles of the feet are bare and black; the legs are short, in proportion to the arms and body; the feet are long, prehensile, and, when the animal is in a sitting posture, are turned inwards, and the toes are usually bent. The first and second toes are united (except at the last joint) by a membrane. From this circumstance, the animal has derived its specific name. He invariably walks in the erect posture, when on a level surface; and then the arms either hang down, enabling him sometimes to assist himself with his knuckles; or, what is more usual, he keeps his arms uplifted, in nearly an erect position, with the hands pendent, ready to seize a rope, and climb up on the approach of danger, or on the obtrusion of strangers. He walks rather quick in the erect posture, but with a waddling gait, and is soon run down if, whilst pursued, he has no opportunity of escaping by climbing.

On the foot are five toes, the great toe being placed like the thumb of the hand: the form of the foot is somewhat similar to that of the hand, having an equal prehensile power; the great toe has a capability of much extension outwards, which enlarges the surface of the foot when the animal walks. The toes are short; the great toe is the longest. The eyes are close together, with the irides of a hazel colour; the upper eyelids have lashes, the lower have none. The nose is confluent with the face, except at the nostrils, which are a little elevated. The mouth large, ears small, resembling the human, except in being deficient in the pendent lobe. He has nails on the fingers and toes, and has hard tubercles on the tuberosities of the ischium, but is destitute of a tail or even the rudiment of one.

His food is various: he preferred vegetable diet, as rice, plantains, &c., and was ravenously fond of carrots, of which we had some quantity preserved on board. Although, when at dinner, he would behave well, not intruding his paw into our plates, having “acquired politeness,” as Jack would say, by being on board, yet, when the carrots appeared, all his decorum was lost, in his eager desire for them; and it required some exertion to keep him from attacking them “with tooth and paw,” unmindful whether we wished it or not, and against all the laws and regulations of the table. A piece of carrot would draw him from one end of the table to the other, over which he would walk, without disturbing a single article, although the ship was rolling at the time; so admirably can these animals balance themselves. This is well seen when they play about the rigging of a ship at sea: often, when springing from rope to rope, have I expected to see him buffeting the waves, and as often did I find that all my fears were groundless.

He would drink tea, coffee, or chocolate, but neither wine nor spirits. Of animal food, he prefers fowl; but a lizard having been caught on board, it was placed before him, when he seized the reptile instantly in his paw, and greedily devoured it. He was also very fond of sweetmeats, such as jams, jellies, dates, &c.; and no child with the “sweetest tooth” ever evinced more delight after “bons bons” than did this little creature. Some manilla sweet cakes that were on board he was always eager to procure, and would not unfrequently enter the cabin in which they were kept, and endeavour to lift up the cover of the jar: he was not less fond of onions, although their acridity caused him to sneeze and loll out his tongue: when he took one, he used to put it into his mouth, and immediately eat it with great rapidity.

The first instance I observed of his attachment to liberty, was soon after he had been presented to me by Mr. Boustead. On entering the yard in which he was tied up, one morning, I was not well pleased at observing him busily engaged in removing his belt, to which the cord or chain was fixed, (which, as I afterwards understood, had been loosened on purpose,) at the same time whining, and uttering a peculiar squeaking noise. As soon as he had succeeded in procuring his liberty, he walked, in his usual erect posture, towards some Malays, who were standing near the place; and, after hugging the legs of several of the party, without, however, permitting them to take him in their arms, he went to a Malay lad, who seemed to be the object of his search; for, on meeting with him, he immediately climbed into his arms; and hugged him closely, having an expression, in both the look and manner, of gratification at being once again in the arms of him, who I now understood was his former master. When this lad sold the animal to Mr. Boustead, he was tied up in the courtyard of that gentleman’s house, and his screams to get loose used to be a great annoyance to residents in the vicinity. Several times he effected his escape, and would then make for the water-side, the Malay lad being usually on board the proa, in which he had arrived from the Sumatra. He was never re-taken until, having reached the water, he could proceed no farther. The day previous to sailing, I sent him on board. As the lad that originally brought him could not be found, a Malay servant to Mr. Boustead was deputed to take charge of him. The animal was a little troublesome at first, but afterwards became quiet in the boat. On arriving on board, he soon managed to make his escape, rewarding his conductor with a bite, as a parting remembrance, and ascended the rigging with such agility as to excite the astonishment and admiration of the crew. As the evening approached, the animal came down on the deck, and was readily secured. We found, however, in a day or two, that he was so docile when at liberty, and so very much irritated at being confined, that he was permitted to range about the deck or rigging. We sailed from Singapore for England with him, on the 18th of November 1830.

He usually, (on first coming on board,) after taking exercise about the rigging, retired to rest at sunset, on the maintop, coming on deck regularly at daylight. This continued until our arrival off the Cape, when experiencing a lower temperature, he expressed an eager desire to be taken to my arms, and to be permitted to pass the night in my cabin, for which he evinced such a decided partiality, that, on the return of warm weather, he would not retire to the maintop, but seemed to have a determination to stay where he thought himself the most comfortable, and which I, at last, after much crying and solicitation from him, permitted.

He was not able to take up small objects with facility, on account of the disproportion of the size of the thumb to the fingers. The metacarpal bone of the thumb has the mobility of a first joint. The form of both the feet and hands gives a great prehensile power, fitted for the woods or forests, the natural habitat of these animals, where it must be almost an impossibility to capture an adult of the species alive.

Under the throat is a large black pouch, a continuation of the common integument, very thinly covered with hair, and not very visible when undistended. It has a corrugated appearance, extending from the under part of the chin to the throat, is attached as low down as the upper part of the sternum, and it is also attached above to the symphysis of the lower jaw. The use of this pouch has been a subject of much speculation: having the animal for some time with me, sleeping in the same apartment, I might be able to form some opinion on the subject. Its use is certainly not well known, though it is not improbable that it may be an appendage to the organ of voice. For often when irritated, I have observed him inflate the pouch, uttering at the same time a hollow barking noise,[53] for the production of which the rushing of the air into the sac was evidently an adjunct. The inflation of the pouch was not, however, confined to anger; for when pleased he would purse the mouth, drive the air with an audible noise into the sac; when yawning, it was also inflated; and in all instances, (except when excited by anger,) he would gradually empty the sac, as if he derived a pleasure from it. When the sac has been distended, I have often pressed on it, and forced the air contained within it into the mouth, the animal not evincing at the time any sign of its being an annoyance to him. When uttering the barking noise, the pouch is not inflated to the same extent as when he yawns. It has been stated in an American publication, that the use of the air sac is for a swimming bladder. It may be said in refutation, (if the assertion is not too absurd to refute,) that Ungka never evinced any partiality for swimming, although provided with such an apparatus; but one day, thinking that a washing would be beneficial to the beast’s coat, I placed him in a large tub of water: he was much frightened at his situation, and soon began to display a marked hydrophobic symptom, but not the least attempt was made to inflate the pouch, although he was frequently submersed. This animal is destitute of cheek pouches as a reservoir for food.

When sleeping, he lies along, either on the side or back, resting the head on the hands, and is always desirous of retiring to rest at sunset; it was at this time he would approach me uncalled for, making a peculiar begging, chirping noise; an indication that he wished to be taken into the cabin to be put to bed. Before I admitted him into my cabin, after having firmly stood against his piteous beseeching tones and cries, he would go up the rigging and take up his reposing place for the night in the maintop. He would often (I suppose from his approximation to civilization) indulge in bed some time after sunrise, and frequently when I awoke I have seen him lying on his back, his long arms stretched out, and, with eyes open, appearing as if buried in deep reflection. At sunset, when he was desirous of retiring to rest, he would approach his friends, uttering his peculiar chirping note, a beseeching sound, begging to be taken into their arms; his request once acceded to, he was as adhesive as Sinbad’s old man of the sea; any attempt to remove him being followed by violent screams. He could not endure disappointment, and, like the human species, was always better pleased when he had his own way; when refused or disappointed at anything, he would display the freaks of temper of a spoiled child; lie on the deck, roll about, throw his arms and legs in various attitudes and directions, dash every thing aside that might be within his reach, walk hurriedly, repeat the same scene over and over again, and utter the guttural notes of ra, ra; the employment of coercive measures during the paroxysms reduced him in a short period to a system of obedience, and the violence of his temper by such means became in some degree checked. Often has he reminded me of that pest to society, a spoiled child, who may justly be defined as papa’s pride, mamma’s darling, the visitor’s terror, and an annoyance to all the living animals, men and maid-servants, dogs, cats, &c. in the house that it might be inhabiting.

When he came, at sunset, to be taken into my arms, and was refused, he would fall into a paroxysm of rage; but finding that unsuccessful, and unattended to, he would mount the rigging, and hanging over that part of the deck on which I was walking, would suddenly drop himself into my arms.[54]

The sounds he uttered were various: when pleased at a recognition of his friends, he would utter a peculiar squeaking, chirping note; when irritated, a hollow, barking noise was produced; but when very angry, and frightened, or when chastised, the loud guttural sounds of ra, ra, ra, invariably followed. When I approached him for the first time in the morning, he greeted me with his chirping notes, advancing his face at the same time, as if intended for the purpose of salutation; but I did not feel desirous of trying the experiment, as I knew these animals were not in the habit of kissing, and I well knew they were in the habit of biting.

His look was grave, and manner mild, and he was deficient in those mischievous tricks so peculiar to the monkey tribe in general. In only one instance did I experience any mischief from him, and that was in his meddling with my inkstand: he seemed to have an extraordinary penchant for the black fluid—would drink the ink, (by placing his finger in the inkstand, and then sucking it,) and suck the pens, whenever an opportunity offered of gratifying this morbid propensity: his black coat did not suffer from his dabbling in ink, unlike many of the human species, who suffer both in constitution and apparel from meddling too much with it.

There was a degree of intelligence in the animal, beyond what is usually termed common instinct. These little miniatures of men,[55] (as they are satirically termed,) are said to possess more sagacity than other animals, and to be a close connecting link between the “powerful lord of the creation,” and creatures of an inferior genus. If it be true, as I have heard asserted, that intelligence is written in legible characters on the os frontis of the monkey tribe, I beg to add, that mischief and cunning also beam in their eye.

One instance of a very close approximation to, if it may not be considered absolutely an exercise of, the reasoning faculty, occurred in this animal. Once or twice I lectured him on taking away my soap continually from the washing-place, which he would remove, for his amusement, from that place, and leave it about the cabin. One morning I was writing, the ape being present in the cabin, when casting my eyes towards him, I saw the little fellow taking the soap. I watched him, without his perceiving that I did so; and he occasionally would cast a furtive glance towards the place where I sat. I pretended to write; he seeing me busily occupied, took the soap, and moved away with it in his paw. When he had walked half the length of the cabin, I spoke quietly, without frightening him. The instant he found I saw him, he walked back again, and deposited the soap nearly in the same place from whence he had taken it. There was certainly something more than instinct in that action: he evidently betrayed a consciousness of having done wrong, both by his first and last actions;—and what is reason if that is not an exercise of it?

When he walks in the erect posture, he turns the leg and foot outwards, which occasions him to have a waddling gait and to seem bow-legged. He would pace the deck, being held by his long arm; and then had a resemblance to a child just learning to step. The limbs, from their muscular and strong prehensile power, render the animal a fit inhabitant for the forest; enabling him to spring from tree to tree with an agility that we have frequently witnessed him display about the rigging of the ship: he would pass down the backstays, sometimes hanging by his hands, at others walking down them in the erect posture, like a rope-dancer, balancing himself by his long arms; or he would spring from one rope at a great distance to another, or would drop from one above to another below.

Being aware of his inability to escape pursuit, when running on a level surface, his first object, when about to make an attack, was to secure a rope, and swing towards the object he was desirous of attacking; if defeated, he eluded pursuit by climbing out of reach.

He has an awkward manner of drinking, by which the liquid is much wasted: he first applies his lips to the liquid, throwing the head up, which in some degree may be attributed to the prominency of the lower jaw: and if the vessel in which the liquid is contained should be shallow, he dips the paw into it, and holding it over the mouth, lets the liquid drop in. I never observed him lap with the tongue when drinking; but when tea or coffee was given to him, the lingual organ was carefully protruded for the purpose of ascertaining its temperature. This display of caution was not confined to this species of ape, as I know of several others which will do the same, when hot tea or coffee is given to them; shaking their sapient head violently, if they are heated by the liquid; but still, undeterred, will wait patiently until the hot liquid becomes sufficiently cool for bibulary purposes.

He soon knew the name of Ungka, which had been given to him, and would readily come to those to whom he was attached when called by that name. His mildness of disposition and playfulness of manner made him a universal favourite with all on board.

He was playful, but preferred children to adults. He became particularly attached to a little Papuan child (Elau, a native of Erromanga, one of the New Hebrides group,) who was on board, and whom it is not improbable he may have in some degree considered as having an affinity to his species. They were often seen sitting near the capstan, the animal with his long arm round her neck, lovingly eating biscuit together.

She would lead him about by his long arms, like an elder leading a younger child: and it was the height of the grotesque to witness him running round the capstan, pursued by, or pursuing, the child. He would waddle along, in the erect posture, at a rapid pace, sometimes aiding himself by his knuckles; but when fatigued, he would spring aside, seize hold of the first rope he came to, and, ascending a short distance, regard himself as safe from pursuit.

In a playful manner he would roll on deck with the child, as if in a mock combat, pushing with his feet, (in which action he possessed great muscular power,) entwining his long arms around her, and pretending to bite; or, seizing a rope, he would swing towards her, and, when efforts were made to seize him, would elude the grasp by swinging away; or he would, by way of changing the plan of attack, drop suddenly on her from the ropes aloft, and then engage in various playful antics. He would play in a similar manner with adults; but finding them usually too strong and rough for him, he preferred children, giving up his games with them, if any adults joined in the sports at the same time.

If, however, an attempt was made by the child to play with him, when he had no inclination, or after he had sustained some disappointment, he usually made a slight impression with his teeth on her arm, just sufficient to act as a warning, or a sharp hint, that no liberties were to be taken with his person; or, as the child would say, “Ungka no like play now.” Not unfrequently, a string being tied to his leg, the child would amuse herself by dragging the patient animal about the deck: this he would good-naturedly bear for some time, thinking, perhaps, it amused his little playmate; but finding it last longer than he expected, he became tired of that fun, in which he had no share, except in being the sufferer; he would then make endeavours to disengage himself and retire. If he found his efforts fruitless, he would quietly walk up to the child, make an impression with his teeth, in a ratio of hardness according to his treatment: that hint soon terminated the sport, and procured him his liberty.

There were also on board the ship several small monkeys, with whom Ungka was desirous of forming interesting conversaziones, to introduce a social character among the race, wile away the tedious hours, which pass but tardily in a ship, and dissipate the monotony of the voyage: to this the little monkeys would not accede; they treated him as an outcast, and all cordially united to repel the approaches of the “little man in black,” by chattering, and various other hostile movements peculiar to them.

Ungka, thus repelled in his kind endeavours to establish something like sociality amongst them, determined in his own mind to annoy and punish them for their impudence; so, the next time they united, as before, in a body, on his approach, he watched the opportunity, and when one was off his guard, seized a rope, and, swinging towards him, caught him by the tail, and hauled away upon it, much to the annoyance of the owner, who had no idea that such a retaliation was to take place; he continued pulling upon it, as if determined to detach it, until the agility and desperation of the monkey, at being so treated, obliged him to relinquish his hold. But it not unfrequently happened that he made his way up the rigging, dragging the monkey by the tail after him, and thus made him follow his course most unwillingly. If in his ascent he required both hands, he would pass the tail of his captive into the prehensile power of his foot. It was the most grotesque scene imaginable, and will long remain in the remembrance of those who witnessed it, and was performed by Ungka with the most perfect gravity of countenance, whilst the poor suffering monkey grinned, chattered, twisted about, making the most strenuous endeavours to escape from his opponent’s grasp. His countenance, at all times a figure of fun, now had terror added to it, increasing the delineation of beauty; and when the poor beast had been dragged some distance up the rigging, Ungka, tired of his labour, would suddenly let go his hold on the tail, when it would require some skill on the part of the monkey to seize a rope, to prevent his receiving a compound fracture by a rapid descent on deck. Ungka, having himself no caudal extremity, knew well that he was perfectly free from any retaliation on the part of his opponents.

As this mode of treatment was far from being either amusing or instructive to the monkeys, they assembled together in an executive council, where it was determined, that in future the “big black stranger,” who did not accord with them in proportions, and who demeaned himself by walking erect, wearing no tail, and was in several other respects guilty of unmonkey-like conduct, should be for the future avoided and treated with contempt; and should he again think proper to assault any of the body, they should all unite, and punish him for his violent conduct. Ungka, when again he made any attempt to renew his amusement of pulling tails, met with such a warm reception from all the little creatures assembled, that he found it necessary to give up tale bearing, and devote himself to other pursuits. He had, however, such an inclination to draw out tales, that being obliged from “peculiar circumstances” to relinquish those of the monkeys, he cultivated the friendship of a little clean pig that ran about the deck, and, taking his tail in hand, endeavoured, by frequent pulling, to reduce it from a curled to a straight form; but all his efforts were in vain, although piggy did not express any ill-feeling at his kind endeavours.

When dinner was announced by the steward, and the captain and officers assembled in the cuddy, then Ungka, considering himself as also one of the mess, would be seen bending his steps towards the cuddy, and entering took his station, on a corner of the table, between the captain and myself; there he remained waiting for his share of the food, considering that we were all in duty and humanity bound to supply him with a sufficiency of provender. When from any of his ludicrous actions at table we all burst out in loud laughter, he would vent his indignation at being made the subject of ridicule, by uttering his peculiar hollow barking noise, at the same time inflating the air sac, and regarding the persons laughing with a most serious look, until they had ceased, when he would quietly resume his dinner.

The animal had an utter dislike to confinement, and was of such a social disposition as always to prefer company, to being left alone: when shut up his rage was very violent, throwing every thing about that was lying near, or that he could move, in his place of confinement, but becoming perfectly quiet when released. When the animal was standing with his back towards the spectator, his being tail-less, and standing erect, gave him the appearance of a little black hairy man; and such an object might easily have been regarded by the superstitious as one of the infernal imps.

When he walks, to use a nautical phrase, “he sways the body,” and stepping at once on the whole of the under surface of the foot, occasions a pattering noise, like that which is heard when a duck, or any aquatic bird, walks on the deck of a ship.

When the weather is cold, he may be seen huddled together, loses all his lively and playful manner, sleeping much during the day, and giving up all kind of exercise. Like the Lascars, who, as long as the weather is hot, are capable of any duty, but when they arrive in a northern climate, exposed to the bleak winds, they sink into a state of inaction, from which it is almost impossible to rouse them; and many perish, as much from the want of exercise as from the effects of climate.[56] The return of warm weather imparted life to the animal, his activity returned, his spirits revived, and his gambols and sportive gaiety were resumed.