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+Project Gutenberg's Trade and Travel in the Far East, by G. F. Davidson
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Trade and Travel in the Far East
+ or Recollections of twenty-one years passed in Java,
+ Singapore, Australia and China.
+
+Author: G. F. Davidson
+
+Release Date: October 24, 2008 [EBook #27014]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADE AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST ***
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ TRADE AND TRAVEL
+ IN THE
+ FAR EAST;
+
+ OR
+ RECOLLECTIONS OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS
+ PASSED IN
+ JAVA, SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA,
+ AND CHINA.
+
+
+ BY G. F. DAVIDSON.
+
+
+ LONDON:
+ MADDEN AND MALCOLM,
+ LEADENHALL STREET.
+ 1846.
+
+
+ LONDON:
+ PRINTED BY MADDEN AND MALCOLM,
+ 8 LEADENHALL STREET.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+The following pages were written to beguile the tediousness of a long
+voyage from Hong Kong to England, during the spring and summer of 1844.
+When I state, that the whole was written with the paper on my knee, for
+want of a desk, amid continual interruptions from three young children
+lacking amusement during their long confinement on ship-board, and with
+a perpetual liability to be pitched to leeward, paper and all,--I shall
+have said enough to bespeak from every good-natured reader a candid
+allowance for whatever defects may attach to the composition. It is
+necessary, however, that I should also premise, that the sketches are
+drawn entirely from memory, and that the incidents referred to in the
+earlier chapters, took place some twenty years ago. That my recollection
+may have proved treacherous on some minor points, is very possible; but,
+whatever may be the merits or demerits of the work in other respects, it
+contains, to the best of my knowledge and belief, nothing but truth in
+the strictest sense of that term; and, as imbodying the result of my own
+personal observations in the countries visited, it may possess an
+interest on that account, not always attaching to volumes of higher
+pretensions.
+
+My wanderings have been neither few nor short, and, perhaps, verify the
+old proverb, that a rolling stone gathers no moss. I have crossed the
+Ocean in forty different square-rigged vessels; have trod the plains of
+Hindostan, the wilds of Sumatra, and the mountains of Java; have
+strolled among the beautiful hills and dales of Singapore and Penang;
+have had many a gallop amid the forests and plains of Australia; have
+passed through the labyrinth of reefs forming Torres' Straits; and have
+visited the far-famed Celestial Empire. My first idea, in endeavouring
+to retrace my journeyings and adventures, was, that the personal
+narrative might serve to amuse a circle of private friends. But the
+notices relating to the openings for Trade in the Far East, and to the
+subject of Emigration, together with the free strictures upon the causes
+of the recent depression in our Australian colonies, will, I venture to
+hope, be not unacceptable to those who are interested in the extension
+of British commerce, and in the well-being of the rising communities
+which form an integral part of the mighty Empire now encircling the
+Globe.
+
+Some parts of the work refer to coming events as probable, which have
+since become matters of fact; but I have not deemed it necessary to
+suppress or to alter what I had written. I am more especially happy to
+find that my suggestions respecting Borneo have, to some extent, been
+anticipated; and that the important discovery of its coal-mines has been
+taken advantage of by Her Majesty's Government in the very way pointed
+out in observations written at sea fifteen months ago. Since my arrival
+in England, I have learned also, that the feasibility of the navigation
+of Torres' Straits from west to east, has struck others more competent
+to form a correct judgment than myself. Captain T. Blackwood, commander
+of Her Majesty's ship, Fly, at present employed in surveying the coast
+of New Holland, the Straits, and parts adjacent, has expressed his
+determination, after refitting at Singapore, to endeavour to enter the
+Pacific Ocean, during the north-west monsoon, by sailing through Torres'
+Straits from the westward. I trust that this enterprising Officer will
+succeed in the attempt, and thereby put beyond question the
+practicability of the passage; which would not only shorten the distance
+between Australia and our Indian territories, but contribute, more than
+any thing else could do, to facilitate the transit of the Overland Mail
+to Sydney. The Australians, I find, are still sanguinely bent upon
+discovering an overland route from the present frontiers of the Colony
+to Port Essington; but, although I heartily wish them success, my
+opinion, as expressed in the subsequent pages, remains unaltered.
+
+I observe, that the Singaporeans are already complaining of the
+decrease of the number of square-rigged vessels that have visited their
+port during the recent season, and of the falling-off of the
+Chinese-junk trade, which they correctly attribute to the opening of the
+trade with China; thereby verifying my predictions. I fear that they
+will have still greater cause for complaint before twelve months shall
+have rolled away. But the merchants of Singapore, it gives me pleasure
+to add, are taking advantage of the times, by entering upon the China
+trade, and seem determined not to suffer loss, if they can help it, by
+the effect of Sir Henry Pottinger's famous Treaty. This is as it should
+be.
+
+With these few remarks on the motives which have induced me to write and
+give to the world the following sketches, I now commit them to their
+fate; trusting that they may serve to beguile an hour, to some of my
+numerous friends in the different parts of the world they refer to, and
+that, to the reader unacquainted with those countries, they may prove
+both useful and entertaining. Before taking leave of the reader,
+however, I must apologize for an unfortunate error my printer has fallen
+into, (at p. 3 note), in misprinting the name of Mr. Mercus, one of the
+best men that ever ruled a Colony, whether Dutch or English. This name
+has been converted into Minns; and the error was not detected, till the
+sheet had passed through the press.
+
+As for the critics.--for any kind or friendly remarks they may make, I
+shall feel grateful; while any of a contrary nature will neither
+surprise nor displease me.
+
+
+ HULL, _January 1846_.
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS.
+
+
+ PREFACE P. i
+
+
+ CHAPTER I.
+
+ JAVA.
+
+ FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA--NARROW POLICY OF
+ THE GOVERNMENT--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND
+ NEIGHBOURHOOD--ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM--STATE
+ OF SOCIETY--CLIMATE AND SEASONS--TROPICAL FRUITS 1
+
+
+ CHAPTER II.
+
+ JAVA.
+
+ SAMARANG--A TIGER FIGHT--JAVA PONEYS--EXCURSION
+ TO SOLO--WILD SPORTS--DJOCKDJOCARTA--REMAINS OF
+ THE ANCIENT PALACE--IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS--EXPERIMENT
+ IN INDIGO-PLANTING--JAVANESE EXECUTION--A
+ PET BOA--ALLIGATORS--FOREST LABOUR--SLAVERY IN
+ JAVA--OPIUM-SMOKING--TEA--THE UPAS-TREE 16
+
+
+ CHAPTER III.
+
+ SINGAPORE.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE--CULTIVATION
+ OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-NUT--ROADS AND SCENERY--
+ MOTLEY POPULATION--EUROPEAN RESIDENTS--CHINESE
+ EMIGRANTS--KLINGS--SAMPAN-MEN--PLACES OF
+ WORSHIP--TIGERS 39
+
+
+ CHAPTER IV.
+
+ SINGAPORE.
+
+ TRADE OF SINGAPORE--CHINESE TRADERS--BUGIS
+ TRADERS--SIAMESE AND COCHIN CHINESE--ARAB
+ SMUGGLERS--BORNEO--TRADE WITH CALCUTTA--
+ COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS. 53
+
+
+ CHAPTER V.
+
+ DUTCH SETTLEMENTS.
+
+ DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO--ISLAND OF BANCA--
+ BENCOOLEN--PADANG--CHINESE SLAVE-TRADE--NATIVE
+ TRIBES OF SUMATRA--PEPPER TRADE 73
+
+
+ CHAPTER VI.
+
+ MALACCA AND PENANG 94
+
+
+ CHAPTER VII.
+
+ CALCUTTA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA--STATE OF SOCIETY--
+ MERCANTILE CHANGES--UNPLEASANT CLIMATE--SIGHTS
+ AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA--IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT
+ AND NAVIGATION--CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE--PILOT
+ SERVICE--CHARACTER OF THE BENGALEES--RIVER STEAMERS 101
+
+
+ CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY--PORT JACKSON--FIRST
+ IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED BY SYDNEY--THE PUBLIC-HOUSE
+ NUISANCE--SYDNEY JURIES--CATTLE-DEALERS--TOWN
+ IMPROVEMENTS--LAWYERS, DOCTORS, AND CLERGY 117
+
+
+ CHAPTER IX.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND--THE PATERSON DISTRICT--WINTER
+ SPORTS--THE KANGAROO--AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY--CONVICT
+ SERVANTS--BENEFIT OF ENFORCING AN OBSERVANCE OF
+ SUNDAY--THE HOT SEASON 128
+
+
+ CHAPTER X.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ BUSH-RANGERS--THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9--THE SETTLER'S
+ TROUBLES--ORNITHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA--ABORIGINAL
+ TRIBES 139
+
+
+ CHAPTER XI.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ THE HOT WINDS--PROJECTED MAIL-ROAD FROM SYDNEY
+ TO PORT ESSINGTON--SHEEP-FARMS--GRAZING IN
+ AUSTRALIA--HORSE-STOCK 155
+
+
+ CHAPTER XII.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CAUSES OF THE RECENT DISTRESSES--CONDUCT OF
+ THE BANKS--MANIA FOR SPECULATION--LONG-ACCOUNT
+ SYSTEM--BAD SEASONS 169
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIII.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY STILL EXISTING--HINTS
+ TO THE COLONISTS--FUTURE PROSPECTS 182
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIV.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CLASSES OF SOCIETY IN SYDNEY--DISAPPOINTMENT OF
+ EMIGRANTS--CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH AND BRITISH
+ EMIGRANTS--AVAILABLENESS OF CHINESE
+ LABOURERS--AUSTRALIAN COAL MONOPOLY--TORRES'
+ STRAITS THE BEST PASSAGE FOR STEAMERS--BOTANY
+ BAY--PASSAGE FROM SYDNEY TO BATAVIA 195
+
+
+ CHAPTER XV.
+
+ CHINA.
+
+ DESCRIPTION OF MACAO--ITS MONGREL POPULATION--
+ FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES--PIRACIES--COMPRADORE
+ SYSTEM--PAPUAN SLAVE-TRADE--MARKET OF MACAO--
+ NUISANCES--SIR HENRY POTTINGER'S REGULATION
+ DEFENDED--ILLIBERAL POLICY OF THE PORTUGUESE,
+ AND ITS RESULT--BOAT-GIRLS--BEGGARS--PICTURESQUE
+ SCENERY 216
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVI.
+
+ CHINA.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG--THE OPIUM
+ TRADE--IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE EVENT OF
+ A FRESH WAR--CHUSAN--HOW TO RAISE A REVENUE--
+ CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY--RAPID PROGRESS
+ OF THE SETTLEMENT--PICTURESQUE SCENERY--
+ MARKETS--SANATORY HINTS 237
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVII.
+
+ CHINA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CANTON--DESCRIPTION OF THE EUROPEAN
+ QUARTER--HOSTILE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE--COMMERCIAL
+ PROSPECTS OF CANTON--AMOY--FOO CHOW--NINGPO--
+ SHANG-HAE--MR. MEDHURST--RESULTS OF THE TREATY
+ WITH CHINA 266
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+ NECESSITY OF APPOINTING BRITISH CONSULS IN THE
+ SPANISH AND DUTCH COLONIES--NEW SETTLEMENT ON
+ THE WESTERN COAST OF BORNEO--IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
+ OF COAL ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST--CONCLUDING
+ REMARKS 287
+
+
+ APPENDIX I.
+
+ PLAN FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE CHINA MAILS
+ (_i. e._ THEIR CONVEYANCE FROM _SUEZ viā CEYLON_
+ TO _HONG KONG direct_) 303
+
+
+ APPENDIX II.
+
+ MEMORANDUM ON BORNEO, AND MR. BROOK'S SETTLEMENT
+ ON THAT ISLAND 305
+
+
+
+
+TRADE AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+JAVA.
+
+ FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA--NARROW POLICY OF
+ THE GOVERNMENT--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND
+ NEIGHBOURHOOD--ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM--STATE OF
+ SOCIETY--CLIMATE AND SEASONS--TROPICAL FRUITS.
+
+
+Early in the year 1823, I left England, quite a youngster, full of life
+and spirits, bound for that so-called grave of Europeans, Batavia. Of my
+passage out, I shall say nothing more, than that it lasted exactly five
+months, and was, in point of wind and weather, similar to nine-tenths of
+the voyages made to the same region.
+
+Well do I remember the 5th of October 1823, the day on which I first set
+foot on the lovely and magnificent island of Java. How bright were then
+my prospects, surrounded as I was with a circle of anxious friends, who
+were not only able, but willing also, to lend me a helping hand, and
+who now, alas! are, to a man, gone from me and all to whom they were
+dear. I was then prepared--I might say determined--to be pleased with
+every thing and every body. At this distance of time, I can scarcely
+remember what struck me most forcibly on landing; but I have a vivid
+recollection of being perfectly delighted with the drive, in a light
+airy carriage drawn by two spirited little Java poneys, from the wharf
+to the house of the friend with whom I was to take up my abode. The
+pluck with which those two little animals rattled us along quite
+astonished me; and the novel appearance of every thing that met the eye,
+so bewildered and delighted me, that I scarcely knew how to think,
+speak, or act.
+
+What a joyous place was Batavia in those days, with every body thriving,
+and the whole town alive and bustling with an active set of merchants
+from all parts of the world! The Dutch Government, at that time, pursued
+a more liberal system than they have of late adopted; and, instead of
+monopolizing the produce of the Island, sold it by public auction
+regularly every month. This plan naturally attracted purchasers from
+England, the Continent of Europe, and the United States of America, who
+brought with them good Spanish dollars to pay for what they purchased;
+so that silver money was as plentiful in Netherlands India, in those
+days, as copper doits have since become. The enlightened individual who
+now governs Java[1] and its dependencies, is, I have good reason to
+think, opposed to the monopolizing system pursued by his Government: his
+hands, however, are tied, and he can only remonstrate, while the
+merchants can but pray that his remonstrances may be duly weighed by his
+superiors. Java exports one million _peculs_[2] of coffee per annum, one
+million _peculs_ of rice, and one million _peculs_ of sugar; besides
+vast quantities of tin, pepper, hides, indigo, &c. Were its trade thrown
+open to fair competition, as formerly, it is as certain that His Majesty
+the King of the Netherlands would be a gainer, as that his adopting the
+more liberal system would give satisfaction to every mercantile man
+connected in any way with his East-Indian possessions. The experience of
+the last three years ought to have taught His Majesty this lesson; and
+we may hope he will take warning from the miserable result of his
+private speculations during that period.
+
+Batavia is not the unhealthy place it has been usually deemed. The city
+itself is certainly bad enough; but no European sleeps a single night in
+it out of a twelvemonth.
+
+ [Footnote 1: 1845. His Excellency Mr. Minns, since dead.]
+
+ [Footnote 2: A _pecul_ is a Chinese weight used all over the
+ Eastern Archipelago, and is equal to 133-1/3 lbs.
+ avoirdupoise.]
+
+From four to five o'clock every evening, the road leading from the town
+to the suburbs is thronged with vehicles of all descriptions, conveying
+the merchants from their counting-houses to their country or suburban
+residences, where they remain till nine o'clock the next morning. These
+country residences are delightfully situated to the south of Batavia,
+properly so called, extending inland over many square miles of country.
+Every one of them has a garden (called here a compound) of considerable
+extent, well stocked with plants, shrubs, and trees, which serve to give
+them a lively and elegant appearance, and to keep them moderately cool
+in the hottest weather. Servants' wages being very low here, every
+European of any respectability is enabled to keep up a sufficient
+establishment, and to repair to his office in his carriage or hooded
+gig, in which he may defy the sun. Many of them, particularly Dutchmen,
+have an imprudent practice of driving in an open carriage, with an
+umbrella held over their heads by a native servant standing on the
+foot-board behind his master.
+
+Having resided several years in the suburbs of Batavia, I have no
+hesitation in saying, that, with common prudence, eschewing _in toto_
+the vile habit of drinking gin and water whenever one feels thirsty,
+living generously but carefully, avoiding the sun's rays by always using
+a close or hooded carriage, and taking common precautions against wet
+feet and damp clothing, a man may live--and enjoy life, too--in
+Batavia, as long as he would in any other part of the world. Many people
+may think this a bold assertion; nevertheless, I make it without fear of
+contradiction from any one acquainted by experience with the country.
+
+One great and invaluable advantage over all our Eastern Colonies,
+Batavia, in common with every part of Java, possesses, in the facilities
+that exist for travelling from one part of the Island to another.
+Throughout Java, there are excellent roads, and on every road a post
+establishment is kept up; so that the traveller has only to apply to the
+post-master of Batavia, pointing out the road he wishes to travel, and
+to pay his money according to the number of miles: he obtains, with a
+passport, an order for four horses all along his intended line of route,
+and may perform the journey at his leisure, the horses, coachmen, &c.
+being at his command night or day, till he accomplishes the distance
+agreed for. Thus, a party going overland from Batavia to Samarang, a
+distance of three hundred miles, may either perform the journey in three
+days, or extend it to three weeks, should they wish to look about them,
+and to halt a day or two at various places as they go along. In no part
+of British India is there any thing approaching to such admirable and
+cheap facilities for travelling. And what an inestimable blessing they
+are to the Batavian invalid, who can thus, in a few hours, be
+transported, with perfect ease and comfort, into the cool and delightful
+mountainous regions of Java, where he may choose his climate, by fixing
+himself at a height varying from one thousand to seven thousand feet
+above the level of the sea! Java, from east to west and from north to
+south, is a favourite region with me, and, I believe, with every
+Englishman who ever visited it. Gin and brandy have killed five-sixths
+of all the Europeans who have died in Batavia within the last twenty
+years; but with pleasure I can add, that this destructive habit has
+almost entirely disappeared: hence the diminished number of deaths, and
+the more robust and ruddy appearance of the European inhabitants. The
+surrounding country is both salubrious and beautiful, rising gradually
+as you proceed inland, till you reach Buytenzorg, forty miles S.S.E. of
+Batavia, where the Governor-General of Netherlands India generally
+resides, in a splendid palace, surrounded with extensive and magnificent
+gardens. The climate is cool and pleasant, more particularly in the
+mornings and evenings, and the ground is kept moist by daily showers;
+for it is a singular fact, that scarcely a day in the year passes
+without a shower in this beautiful neighbourhood.
+
+Buytenzorg is a favourite resort of the merchants of Batavia, who take
+advantage of the facilities for travelling to visit it on the Saturday
+afternoon, remaining the whole of Sunday, and returning to town, and to
+the renewal of their labours, on the following morning. The scenery is
+magnificent; and the view (well known to every visiter) from the back
+verandah of the inn, is the finest that can be imagined. Standing on the
+steps of this verandah, you have, immediately under your foot, an
+extensive plain, thoroughly cultivated, sprinkled with villages, each
+village being surrounded with evergreen trees, and the whole almost
+encircled by a river. To the left of this valley rises an extensive and
+picturesque mountain, cultivated almost to the summit, and dotted here
+and there with villages and gentlemen's houses. Looking into the valley
+at early morn, you will see the lazy buffalo, driven by an equally
+indolent ploughman, dragging a Lilliputian plough through the slimy
+paddy-field; the lazy Javanese labourer going to his work in the field;
+the native women reaping, with the hand only, and stalk by stalk, the
+ripe paddy (rice) in one field, while those in the next are sowing the
+seed; the adjoining fields being covered with stubble, their crops
+having been reaped weeks before. Upon the declivity of the mountain is
+seen the stately coffee-tree, the plantations of which commence about
+1300 feet above the level of the sea, and proceed up the hill till they
+reach the height of 4000 feet. Nothing can be more beautiful than a
+full-grown coffee-plantation: the deep green foliage, the splendid
+bright-red berry, and the delicious shade afforded by the trees, render
+those spots altogether fit for princes; and princely lives their owners
+lead. One is always sure of a hearty welcome from these gentlemen, who
+are ever glad to see a stranger. They give him the best horse in the
+stable to ride, the best room in the house to occupy, and express regret
+when his visit is drawing to a close. I speak from experience, having
+put the hospitality of several of them to the test.
+
+During my first stay at Batavia, from 1823 to 1826, the celebrated Java
+war broke out, the so-called rebel army being headed by a native Chief
+of Djockdjocarta, named Diepo Nogoro. Shortly after the first outbreak,
+the then Governor-General, Baron Vander Capellen, called on all
+Europeans between the ages of sixteen and forty-five to serve in the
+_schuttery_, or militia. An infantry and a cavalry corps were formed,
+and I joined the latter, preferring a ride in the evening to a walk with
+a fourteen-pound musket over my shoulder. After a probation of pretty
+tight drilling, we became tolerable soldiers, on "nothing a day and
+finding ourselves," and had the good town of Batavia put under our
+charge, the regular troops being all sent away to the scene of war. As I
+do not intend to return to the subject, I may as well mention here,
+that the war lasted five years, and that it would have lasted five years
+longer, had Diepo Nogoro not been taken prisoner--I fear by treachery. I
+saw him landed at Batavia, in 1829, from the steamer which had brought
+him from Samarang. The Governor's carriage and aides-de-camp were at the
+wharf to receive him. In that carriage he was driven to gaol, whence he
+was banished no one knows whither; and he has never since been heard of.
+Such is the usual fate of Dutch prisoners of state! Diepo Nogoro
+deserved a better fate. He was a gallant soldier, and fought bravely.
+Poor fellow! how his countenance fell--as well it might--when he saw
+where the carriage drew up! He stopped short on putting his foot on the
+pavement, evidently unwilling to enter the gloomy-looking pile; cast an
+eager glance around; and, seeing there was no chance of escape, walked
+in. Several gentlemen followed, before the authorities had the door
+closed, and saw the fallen chief, with his _two wives_, consigned to two
+miserable-looking rooms. Java has been quite tranquil ever since.
+
+The society of Batavia, at the time I am referring to, was both choice
+and gay; and the influence of my good friends threw me at once into the
+midst of it. The Dutch and English inhabitants did not then (nor do they
+now) mix together so much as would, in my opinion, have been agreeable
+and mutually advantageous. A certain jealousy kept the two parties too
+much apart. Nevertheless, I have been present at many delightful parties
+in Dutch families, the pleasures of which were not a little heightened
+by the presence of some ten or a dozen charming Dutch girls. Charming
+and beautiful they certainly are while young; but, ere they reach
+thirty, a marvellous change comes over their appearance: the
+fair-haired, blue-eyed, laughing romp of eighteen has, in that short
+period of ten or twelve years, become transformed into a stout and
+rather elderly-looking matron, as unlike an English woman of the same
+age as one can well fancy. When I look back on those gay and pleasant
+parties, and think how few of the individuals who composed them are now
+alive, the reflection makes me sad. What a different class its English
+inhabitants of the present day are from those of 1823-1826! I may be
+prejudiced in favour of the former state of society; but, in giving the
+preference to it, I shall be borne out by any of the few survivers who
+knew Batavia at both periods. From 1823 to 1835, the Governor's parties
+were thronged with our countrymen and countrywomen. Let any one enter
+His Excellency's ball-room now-a-days, and he will not meet with more
+than one or two English of the old school, and not one of the new. The
+causes of this change are obvious: it arises from the different class of
+people that now come out from Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow,
+compared with the British merchant of former times, and from the total
+deficiency of the most common civility, on the part of our countrymen,
+towards the many highly respectable, agreeable, and intelligent Dutch
+families that form the society of the place. It is with pain I write
+this; but, as a citizen of the world, who has seen a good deal of life,
+in recording my sentiments on these matters, I cannot avoid telling the
+plain truth as it struck me from personal observation.
+
+The vicinity of Batavia affords the most beautiful drives; and hundreds
+of vehicles, from the handsome carriage and four of the Member of
+Council to the humble buggy of the merchant's clerk, may be seen every
+evening, from five till half-past six, that being the coolest and best
+time for taking out-of-door exercise. The roads are excellent, lined on
+both sides with trees, which keep them shaded and cool nearly all day.
+The scene is altogether gay, and affords a gratifying indication of the
+wealth and importance of this fine colony. By seven o'clock, the drives
+are deserted; and, immediately afterwards, lights may be seen glittering
+in every dwelling in the neighbourhood, while, in every second or third
+house, the passer-by may observe parties of pleasure assembling for the
+evening. The Dutch have adopted the social plan of exchanging friendly
+visits in the evening, avoiding our more formal ones of the morning. At
+these chance evening parties (if I may so term them), the company are
+entertained with music and cards, and other diversions; and should the
+visiter be too old to join the young folks in their gayety, he will find
+one or two of his own standing snugly seated in the far corner of the
+verandah, where he is sure to be supplied with a good cigar and the very
+best wine. These groupes are perfect pictures of comfort and content.
+With all his good qualities, however, "John Dutchman" is jealous of
+"John Bull," and cannot help shewing it, particularly in commercial
+matters. How short-sighted his policy is, in this point of view, it
+would be no difficult task to prove.
+
+The pleasantest months of the year, in Batavia, are, June, July, and
+August, when the sun is to the northward. I have frequently found a
+blanket necessary at this season: indeed, the nights, throughout Java,
+are generally sufficiently cool to allow the European to enjoy a
+refreshing sleep, after which he will find no difficulty in getting
+through a hot day. The public health is generally very good from May
+till September inclusive. In April and October, strangers, particularly
+the recently arrived European, are apt to suffer from colds and fever,
+caused, in a great measure, by the breaking-up of the monsoon, which
+takes place in those months. In November or December, the north-west
+monsoon brings on the rains, which certainly then come down in torrents,
+and render the city of Batavia a perfect charnel-house for those poor
+Natives and Chinese who are unfortunately compelled to remain in it. I
+have seen it entirely flooded with water, to the depth of four or five
+feet in some parts. The malaria occasioned by the deposit of slimy mud
+left all over the town by the water, on its retiring, causes sad havoc
+among the poorer Chinese and Malays, who reside in the lowest parts of
+the town, and inhabit wretched hovels. These floods seldom annoy the
+inhabitants of the suburbs; yet I well remember, in the season of 1828,
+a friend of mine lay down on a sofa and went to sleep, about eight
+o'clock in the evening: at three next morning, he awoke with the water
+just reaching his couch, much to his surprise and no small alarm, till,
+on becoming collected, he bethought him of the cause. The neighbouring
+river had risen, from mountain rains, whilst he was asleep, and had
+completely flooded his house, to the depth of eighteen inches, together
+with the garden and neighbourhood.
+
+I know no market, east of the Cape of Good Hope, better supplied with
+fruit than that of Batavia. Among the choicest, I would name the
+mangistan, the durian, and the pumaloe or shaddock. The first is unknown
+beyond eight degrees from the Equator, and is, perhaps, the best fruit
+with which nature has blessed the tropical regions. It is about the size
+of an orange, its rind of a dark purple, and its pulp divided into parts
+like the contents of an orange, as white as driven snow. Its taste I
+cannot attempt to describe, knowing nothing to which I can compare it.
+The best quality of the mangistan is its perfect harmlessness. The
+patient suffering from fever, liver complaint, consumption, or any of
+the numerous ills that flesh is heir to, may, with perfect impunity,
+cool his parched tongue with a dozen of this delightful fruit; and no
+one who has not been laid on a sick bed within the tropics, can
+appreciate this blessing. The rind, when dried, and made into tea, is an
+excellent tonic, and is often successfully used in cases of dysentery,
+by Native as well as European practitioners. The durian is a favourite
+fruit with most people who can overcome its smell, which certainly is no
+very easy matter. Natives of all classes are passionately fond of this
+fruit, and almost subsist on it when in plenty. Strange to say, goats,
+sheep, poultry, and even the royal tiger, eagerly devour the durian, of
+which I confess myself, notwithstanding the aforesaid smell, an admirer,
+in common with many of my countrymen. Its size is that of a cocoa-nut,
+husk and all; its rind is very thick, of a pale green colour, and
+covered with strong sharp thorns; its interior is divided into
+compartments, each of which contains three or four seeds about the size
+of a pullet's egg; these seeds are covered, to the thickness of a
+quarter of an inch, with a pale yellow pulp, which is the part eaten.
+The taste resembles, according to the description of those who like the
+fruit, that of a very rich custard, and, according to those who have
+never succeeded in overcoming their antipathy to the smell, that of a
+mixture of decayed eggs and garlic. This fruit cannot be eaten in large
+quantities with impunity by Europeans, being of a very heating nature.
+With me it never agreed; nor do I remember a single instance of its
+agreeing with my countrymen, when eaten freely. Half a one is as much as
+most people can manage at a time. The durian seeds, when roasted, make
+an excellent substitute for chestnuts.
+
+The shaddock of Java is a magnificent fruit, and surpasses those of any
+other country with which I am acquainted. In addition to these three
+prime fruits of Java, I may mention the pine-apple, soursop, rambutan,
+rose-apple, guava, dookoo, and sixty different kinds of plantain and
+banana. These, and many others, thrive and abound on this favoured
+island. With poultry, butchers' meat, fish, and vegetables, Batavia and
+Java generally are abundantly supplied; while the residents on its
+mountains may enjoy strawberries and cream in perfection.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+JAVA.
+
+ SAMARANG--A TIGER FIGHT--JAVA PONEYS--EXCURSION
+ TO SOLO--WILD SPORTS--DJOCKDJOCARTA--REMAINS OF
+ THE ANCIENT PALACE--IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS--EXPERIMENT
+ IN INDIGO-PLANTING--JAVANESE EXECUTION--A PET
+ BOA--ALLIGATORS--FOREST LABOUR--SLAVERY IN
+ JAVA--OPIUM-SMOKING--TEA--THE UPAS-TREE.
+
+
+Between three and four hundred miles eastward of Batavia, on the north
+coast of Java, is the small, neat, old-fashioned town of Samarang,
+which, when I visited it in 1824, was the residence of several English
+merchants: now, there is only a single one remaining, so completely has
+monopoly destroyed mercantile enterprise! The harbour is a safe one in
+the south-east monsoon, but the reverse when the north-west winds
+prevail. It is, however, constantly visited by European shipping, which
+take cargoes of coffee, sugar, rice, &c. &c., to all parts of Europe,
+Australia, Singapore, and China.
+
+The circumstance at this distance of time most clear and distinct in my
+memory, in connection with my first visit to Samarang, is a
+tiger-fight, which I will attempt to describe. The exhibition took place
+on an extensive plain near the town, just after daybreak. A square of
+men, armed with the native spear, was formed three deep, and one hundred
+yards across. Inside this square was placed a box resembling in shape a
+coffin, but much larger, containing a royal tiger fresh from his native
+forests, which had been brought to town the day previously for this
+express purpose. Imagine every thing ready, the square formed, the box
+in its centre, and a silent multitude looking on,--some perched on
+trees, some on the coach-boxes of the numerous carriages, others on
+horseback, and thousands on foot; whilst the native chief of the
+district, with his friends, and the European officials of the place,
+occupied a gay pavilion, placed in an advantageous situation for viewing
+the coming strife. A native Javan, in full dress, is now seen advancing
+into the square, followed by two coolies or porters, one carrying a
+bundle of straw, the other a lighted torch. The straw is thrown over the
+box, and the torch-bearer stands ready to set fire to it at the end
+where the tiger's head is, the box being too narrow to permit his
+turning round in it. The leading native then lifts a sliding door at the
+other extremity of the box, carefully covering the opening thus made
+with mats, to prevent the light from penetrating, and inducing his royal
+highness to back out too soon. This operation completed, the straw is
+set on fire. The native and his two coolies now retire slowly, keeping
+time to Javanese music as they make their way outside the square. By
+this time, the fire has got fair hold of the box, filling it with smoke,
+and the tiger begins his retreat, his berth becoming rather warm.
+Presently, his hind quarters appear issuing through the sliding doorway,
+its covering of mat readily yielding to the pressure: by degrees, his
+hind feet gain firm footing outside, and his whole body is soon
+displayed. On appearing, he seemed rather confused for a few seconds,
+and, laying himself quietly down, looked all round upon his foes, and
+gave a roar that made the welkin ring, and my young heart quake a
+little. He then rose, deliberately shook himself, turned towards the
+rising sun, set off first at a walk, then at a trot, which he gradually
+increased to a smart canter, till within a few yards of the points of
+the spears pointed at him; he then came to the charge, and made a spring
+that surprised me, and, I fancy, every one present. I am afraid to say
+how high he leaped, but he was on the _descent_ before a single spear
+touched him. This leap was evidently made with the intention of getting
+clear over the heads of the men and their spears too; and he most
+certainly would have accomplished it, had he not leaped too soon, and
+fallen within the square, the height of the spring being quite
+sufficient for the purpose. As it was, when on the descent, the spears
+of the six men nearest him being pointed at his breast, one of them
+inflicted a frightful wound. On reaching the ground, the noble beast
+struggled hard for his liberty; but, finding his efforts of no avail, he
+ultimately started off at full gallop to the opposite side of the
+square, where he renewed his exertions, though with less vigour than
+that displayed on his first attempt, and with no better success. He then
+galloped twice round the square, just at the point of the spears. Not a
+man advanced to touch him, it being the rule, that the tiger must come
+within the range of the spears before they can be used. He was
+ultimately killed while making a third attempt to escape; and thus ended
+the sport. His first charge was very brilliant and exciting; his second
+much less so; his third and last was very feeble.
+
+Immediately after the tiger's death, the same ceremonies were gone
+through with a leopard, who took the spear-men rather by surprise, and,
+instead of trying to leap over their heads, darted in under their
+spears, got among their feet, and effected his retreat, to the no small
+consternation of the surrounding multitude, who soon scattered in all
+directions. He was, however, pursued by the men he had baffled, and was
+killed under a bridge in the immediate neighbourhood.
+
+Tigers are frequently pitted by the native chiefs of Java against
+buffaloes, but I never was fortunate enough to witness one of those
+conflicts. The buffalo is generally the conqueror, and is sure to be so,
+if he succeeds in getting one fair butt at his adversary, whom he tosses
+in the air, and butts again on his fall. Occasionally, the tiger
+declines the combat altogether, when his tormentors rouse him by the
+application of lighted torches to the tenderest parts of his body: but
+even this extreme measure has been known to fail; in which case the
+terrified animal is withdrawn, and another is put forward in his place.
+These are cruel pastimes, though they may be thought not more so than
+dog-fighting and cock-fighting, which were formerly so much practised in
+Britain; and not so barbarous as a pugilistic combat between two hired
+brutes called prize-fighters.
+
+The society of Samarang is neither so extensive nor so attractive as
+that of Batavia: it is, however, a pleasant and healthy place,
+notwithstanding its proximity to an extensive swamp. Its safeguard
+against the malaria we might naturally look for in this situation, is
+the tide, which flows over the marsh twice a day, and keeps it sweet.
+
+During the Java war, a small volunteer corps of cavalry was formed here,
+the members of which, in their zeal, offered their services to join a
+party who were proceeding to Damak, (a small village about forty miles
+off,) to put down a body of armed rebels. Poor fellows! they went out in
+high spirits, but trusted too much to their unbroken horses, which took
+fright, and threw them into inextricable confusion on hearing the first
+volley. The sad consequences of this rash though gallant day's work,
+were, the death of seven young English gentlemen, all highly respected,
+and sincerely regretted by their countrymen. They were all personal
+friends of my own. I well remember the gloom which the intelligence cast
+over the society at Batavia.
+
+In and about Samarang may be collected any number of the beautiful Java
+poneys, animals unsurpassed for symmetry in any part of the world.[3]
+The work they perform is beyond belief. Ten miles an hour is the common
+rate of travelling post: four of them are generally used for this
+purpose, and the stages are from seven to nine miles, according to the
+nature of the country. When within half-a-mile of the first house where
+relays are kept, the native coachman cracks his long, unwieldy whip,
+which can be heard at a great distance. At this signal, the grooms
+harness the four poneys whose turn for work it is; and, by the time your
+carriage halts under the shed that crosses the road at every post-house,
+the fresh poneys are to be seen coming out of the stable, all ready for
+the next stage. Your attention is then attracted by a man with a stout
+bamboo, some eight feet long, in his hand, full of water, which he pours
+over the naves of the wheels, to cool them. By this time, the tired
+poneys are unhooked, the fresh ones put-to, and away rattles the
+carriage again with its delighted passengers. I know nothing more
+exciting and agreeable than a ramble amongst the mountains of this
+favoured isle, under the direction of the post establishment.
+
+ [Footnote 3: The Java poney in Her Majesty's stable at Windsor,
+ is certainly no fair specimen, being the worst-favoured brute
+ under the sun.]
+
+From Samarang, early in 1824, I posted with a friend to Solo and
+Djockdjocarta, the ancient seats of the Emperors and Sultans of this
+part of Java. They are now shorn of their splendour; but they still
+possess novelty enough to attract a stranger. On our route, we visited
+some beautiful coffee-plantations, and passed through the pretty and
+romantic-looking village of Salatiga.[4] We had a splendid view of the
+far-famed _Gunung Marapi_, or fire-mountain; and, on every side, we saw
+evidence of the thriving condition of this magnificent part of Java.
+
+At Solo, I was so fortunate as to be present at the then Emperor's
+marriage; a scene which brought painfully to mind the fallen state of
+the chiefs of this neighbourhood, by its being superintended by the
+Dutch Resident at the Court. There were three days' feasting, royal
+salutes from the imperial guard, Javanese music, and dancing girls in
+great numbers; but I found the whole affair very fatiguing. Fallen as
+was the Emperor's state at that time, it subsequently became much more
+reduced, in consequence of his having been found guilty of being
+secretly concerned in the late war or rebellion. He has long since
+followed his friend and coadjutor, Diepo Nogoro. A tool of the Dutch
+Government now reigns in his stead, who cannot even leave his house for
+twenty-four hours without permission from the Resident at his Court.
+
+ [Footnote 4: A name derived from the Malay words, _sallah_, "a
+ fault or crime," and _tiga_, the numeral "three"; consequently
+ meaning the "third fault." How this pretty spot came by such a
+ name, I never heard.]
+
+One day, I accompanied a party of friends to see the Emperor's tigers, a
+number of which animals he generally had ready for exhibitions similar
+to those already described. We found one very noble fellow confined in a
+house some fifteen feet square, formed of the trunks of cocoa-nut trees,
+placed about five inches apart. On looking through, we saw the tiger in
+the position usually chosen by a dog when he wants to warm his face at
+the fire. Hearing our approach, he stared us steadily in the face for
+about a minute, and then made a spring at us, so suddenly that he came
+with his whole force against the bars, before we had time to move a
+step. The shock shook the building, as well as our nerves, not a little,
+though we were of course scatheless.
+
+At Solo, I first tasted the Javanese "Findhorn haddock," which is, in
+fact, a trout caught in the beautiful Solo river. After being cleaned,
+it is wrapped up in a bundle of rice-straw, which is forthwith set on
+fire; and as soon as the straw is consumed, the fish is ready for
+eating, and really resembles in flavour its celebrated name-sake.
+
+In the neighbourhood of Solo, a bold sportsman may find game to his
+liking, and willing natives to guide him in his search after tigers,
+wild hogs, the huge boa, deer, snipe, and quail. In pursuit of the last,
+too many a fever is caught, through the imprudence of young men in
+staying out too late in the day, and in keeping on their wet and soiled
+clothes and shoes during their ride or drive home. A little attention to
+such apparent trifles would save many a valuable life. Deer and wild-hog
+are generally pursued and shot by a party armed with rifles, who post
+themselves along one side of a jungle, while a party of natives advance
+from the opposite, driving the game before them with long poles and
+shouting. Great care must be taken by the sportsman, on these occasions,
+not to fire too soon: if he fires into the jungle, he runs the risk of
+shooting one of the bush-beaters; if to the right or left, he may plant
+his bullet in the breast of one of his companions. He must reserve his
+fire till the game is fairly out of the bush, and in rear of the line of
+rifles, when he may turn round and deliver his charge. I recollect a
+fatal accident happening near Salatiga, through a gentleman's deviating
+from the strict rule, never to change your position when once placed by
+the leading sportsman. A party were out after hogs by moonlight, when
+one gentleman, thinking he heard a noise as of an approaching porker on
+his left, very imprudently got on his hands and knees to crawl round in
+the hope of getting the first shot. The sportsman stationed next to him
+got a glimpse of him on the path, and mistaking him in the uncertain
+light for a hog or other wild animal, fired his rifle without a moment's
+hesitation, and mortally wounded his unfortunate friend, who lived just
+long enough to acknowledge his error, and to beg that no blame might be
+attached to the individual who caused his death. Poor fellow! he paid
+dearly for his imprudence.
+
+Solo is protected by a small fort, which is always garrisoned by
+European troops, the Government not choosing to trust native soldiers in
+that part of the country. For this, no one can blame the Dutch; for the
+chiefs require looking after, and are apt to give trouble. While the
+Island was held by the British Government, a mutiny broke out at Solo
+among the Bengal sepoys: on its suppression, it was found they had been
+tampered with by these chiefs, and that numbers had been gained over to
+their cause.
+
+Nothing can exceed the hospitality of the Dutch inhabitants of this part
+of Java: their houses are always open to the stranger, of whom they
+think too much cannot be made. The Resident's establishment is a
+splendid one, and to his liberality and hospitality I can testify from
+personal experience. Indeed, our countrymen, in many parts that I could
+name, might, with great advantage to themselves and to travellers in
+their districts, take lessons from their Dutch brethren in office.
+
+From Solo, I went to Djockdjocarta, distant forty miles, in a gig. A
+kind friend having placed relays of horses on the road for me, I
+performed the journey with perfect ease, without the aid of a whip, in
+four hours. The poney I had the last stage, was the best little animal
+in harness I ever sat behind: he literally flew along the road. At one
+point, I came to a bridge, which, as I could see at some distance, had
+been broken, so as to render it impassable. While meditating how I was
+to get across the river, not knowing there was a ford in the
+neighbourhood, my poney, which had come the road in the morning to meet
+me, settled the question, by suddenly darting off, through a gap in the
+hedge at the road-side, down the river bank, at the top of his speed,
+and, before I could collect my scattered senses, was across the stream
+and up the opposite bank, to my no small surprise and pleasure. He was a
+noble little animal, of a mouse colour; and was originally purchased
+from a native dealer for twenty-eight guilders (about 2l. 6s. 8d.).
+
+At Djockdjocarta are to be seen many ancient residences of the Javanese
+Chiefs; amongst others, the celebrated _Cratan_ or palace, the taking of
+which, in 1812, cost General Gillespie a hard struggle. It is surrounded
+with a high wall, which encloses an area of exactly one square mile:
+outside the wall runs a deep, broad ditch. The place could offer but a
+feeble resistance against artillery, in which arm Gillespie was
+deficient when he attacked and took it. Another curious building is that
+in which the Sultans, in days of yore, used to keep their ladies: it is
+composed entirely of long narrow passages, with numerous small rooms on
+each side; each of which, in the days of their master's glory, was the
+residence, according to tradition, of a beautiful favourite. To prevent
+the escape of the ladies, or the intrusion of any gallants, the whole
+pile is surrounded with a canal, which used to be filled with
+alligators: the only entrance was by a subterranean passage beneath this
+canal, and which ran under it for its whole length. When I visited the
+place in 1824, the canal, passage, &c. were all in good order, though
+the latter was getting damp from neglect;--a proof that the masons and
+plasterers of Java, in old times, must have been very superior workmen.
+
+Djockdjocarta was the birth-place of Diepo Nogoro, and the scene of his
+earliest warlike movements against the Dutch. So unexpected and sudden
+was his first attack, that he caught the garrison napping, and had them
+within his grasp before they knew he was in the field.
+
+In the _Cratan_, the Sultan had, in 1824, three noble elephants, each
+kept under a separate shed. I went, with three other visitors, to see
+those animals; and we passed sometime amusing ourselves by giving them
+fruit and other dainties. We did not remark, however, that one of our
+friends had been for sometime teasing one of them, by offering him a
+plantain, and constantly withdrawing it just as the poor animal was
+laying hold of it with his trunk. We had not gone twenty yards from the
+spot, when the elephant's keeper approached, and gave him a couple of
+cocoa-nuts, (minus the husk, but with the shells,)--part of his daily
+food, I presume. The elephant took one of these, and, with a wicked look
+at the gentleman who had been teasing him, threw the nut at him with
+great force. Fortunately he missed his aim. The nut struck a post within
+six inches of the teaser's head, and was literally smashed: had it
+struck where doubtless it was meant to do, it would certainly have
+proved as fatal as an eighteen-pound shot. So much for teasing
+elephants. We beat a speedy retreat, not choosing to risk a second shot.
+
+Djockdjocarta can hardly be called a town; yet it is more than a
+village. The houses of the European inhabitants are much scattered, and
+many of them occupy very pretty situations. The climate is delicious;
+and exercise on horseback may be taken with impunity from six to nine
+A. M., and from three to seven P. M. It is not uncommon to see Europeans
+riding about during the intervening hours; but this is generally avoided
+by old residents.
+
+A successful attempt was made here, by a countryman of mine, in 1823, to
+grow indigo. The quantity produced was limited, but the quality was
+excellent; and, but for some vexatious regulations of the Government
+regarding the residence of foreigners in this part of Java, which drove
+the spirited individual alluded to from the neighbourhood, I have no
+doubt he would speedily have realized a handsome fortune. Since that
+period, indigo-planting has been carried on in various parts of Java to
+a large extent. The quantity produced annually is now about one million
+and a half of pounds; and the quality is such as to command the first
+prices in the continental markets. Indeed, the Bengal planters are
+becoming quite jealous of those of Java.
+
+Shortly before my arrival at Djockdjocarta, a daring house-robbery, by
+a band of Javanese, took place in the neighbourhood. Six of the robbers
+were afterwards caught, tried, convicted, condemned, and executed _ą la
+Javan_ on the scene of their crime: they were tied hands and feet to
+separate stakes, and _krissed_ by a native executioner, who performed
+his dreadful office so scientifically that his victims died without a
+groan. The cool indifference with which five of the unfortunates
+witnessed the execution of the first sufferer, and successively received
+the _kriss_ in their own bosoms, was quite surprising, and shewed with
+what stoical composure the Mohammedan fatalist can meet a violent death.
+
+The forests of Java are inhabited by the rhinoceros, tiger, black tiger,
+leopard, tiger-cat, boa-constrictor, and a variety of animals of milder
+natures. The elephant is not found in its wild state in these woods,
+though numerous in those of the neighbouring island. I am not aware of
+any other animal that may be called dangerous to man in these unrivalled
+forests; nor is there much to be apprehended from occasionally coming in
+contact with either of those above-named, though accidents happen now
+and then. I have known a carriage and four attacked on the main road
+between Batavia and Samarang, by a tiger, and one of the poneys killed
+by the fierce onset. This, however, is a rare occurrence, and can happen
+only when the tiger is hard pressed for food; which is seldom the case
+in the woods of Java, overrun as they are with deer, wild-hog, and other
+royal game. The boa is harmless to man, unless his path is crossed, when
+a speedy retreat is advisable. A friend of mine in Samarang once kept
+one of these monsters as a pet, and used to let him crawl all over the
+garden: it measured exactly nineteen feet. It was regularly fed twice a
+month, viz. on the 1st and the 15th. On the first day of the month, a
+moderate-sized goat was put into his house. The poor animal would
+scream, and exhibit every symptom of extreme terror, but was not kept
+long in suspense; for the snake, after eyeing his victim keenly, would
+spring on it with the rapidity of thought, coil three turns round the
+body, and in an instant every bone in the goat's skin was broken. The
+next process was, to stretch the carcass to as great a length as he
+could before uncoiling himself; then to lick it all over; and he
+commenced his feast by succeeding, after some severe exertion, in
+getting the goat's head within his mouth. In the course of twenty
+minutes, the whole animal was swallowed: the snake would then lie down,
+and remain perfectly dormant for three or four days. His lunch (as I may
+call it) on the fifteenth of the month, used to consist of a duck. This
+snake was given, in 1815, to Lord Amherst, on his return from China, and
+reached the Cape in safety: there it was over-fed to gratify the
+curious visitors, and died in consequence before the ship reached St.
+Helena.
+
+While on the subject of wild animals, I may mention a leopard that was
+kept by an English officer in Samarang, during our occupation of the
+Dutch colonies. This animal had its liberty, and used to run all over
+the house after its master. One morning, after breakfast, the officer
+was sitting smoking his hookah, with a book in his right-hand, and the
+hookah-snake in his left, when he felt a slight pain in the left hand,
+and, on attempting to raise it, was checked by a low angry growl from
+his pet leopard: on looking down, he saw the animal had been licking the
+back of his hand, and had by degrees drawn a little blood. The leopard
+would not suffer the removal of the hand, but continued licking it with
+great apparent relish, which did not much please his master; who, with
+great presence of mind, without attempting again to disturb the pet in
+his proceeding, called to his servant to bring him a pistol, with which
+he shot the animal dead on the spot. Such pets as snakes nineteen feet
+long and full-grown leopards are not to be trifled with. The largest
+snake I ever saw was twenty-five feet long, and eight inches in
+diameter. I have _heard_ of sixty-feet snakes, but cannot vouch for the
+truth of the tale.
+
+In my enumeration of animals dangerous to man, I omitted the alligator,
+which infests every river and muddy creek in Java, and grows to a very
+large size. At the mouth of the Batavia river, they are very numerous
+and dangerous, particularly to Europeans. It strikes one as
+extraordinary, to see the copper-coloured natives bathing in the river
+within view of a large alligator: they never seem to give the animal a
+thought, or to anticipate injury from his proximity. Yet, were a
+European to enter the water by the side of the natives, his minutes in
+this world would be few. I recollect an instance that occurred on the
+occasion of a party of troops embarking at Batavia for the eastward,
+during the Java war. The men had all gone off, with the exception of
+three sergeants, who were to follow in the ship's jolly-boat, which was
+waiting for them at the wharf: two of them stepped into the boat; but
+the third, in following, missed his footing, and fell with his leg in
+the water, and his body over the gunwale of the boat. In less than an
+instant, an alligator darted from under the wharf, and seized the
+unfortunate man by the leg, while his companions in the boat laid hold
+of his shoulders. The poor fellow called out to his friends, "Pull; hold
+on; don't let go"; but their utmost exertions were unavailing. The
+alligator proved the strongest, and carried off his prize. The scene was
+described to me by a bystander, who said, he could trace the monster's
+course all the way down the river with his victim in his immense mouth.
+
+The inhabitants of Java are, generally speaking, a quiet, tractable
+race, but rather lazy withal. The Dutch Government could never have made
+the Island produce half the quantity it now yields of either sugar,
+coffee, or rice, without a little wholesome coercion;--coercion that
+seemed somewhat tyrannical at first, but which has ultimately pleased
+all parties concerned, and done wonders for Java. If my memory serves
+me, it was in the time of Governor Vandenborch that this system of
+coercion commenced. The inhabitants of the villages, in various parts of
+the Island, were compelled by an armed force, when milder means had
+failed, to turn out at day-light, and labour in the fields planted
+either by Government itself or by Government contractors, which
+naturally caused a great deal of discontent; but, as the labourers were
+regularly paid in cash for their day's work every evening, they very
+soon became reconciled to a system that not only provided amply for
+their families, but gave them the means of indulging in their favourite
+pastime, gambling. To this vice, all classes are passionately addicted;
+and nothing is more common than to see a gang of coolies sit down in the
+middle of the road, and gamble for hours on the few pieces they may have
+just earned for having carried a heavy burthen a couple of miles. The
+inhabitants of the districts in which the coercion I speak of has been
+put in force, are now better satisfied with their rulers than ever they
+were before.
+
+The extent to which the growth of coffee and sugar has been carried, has
+rather checked that of rice, which has been twenty-five per cent. dearer
+the last fifteen years, than during the preceding twenty: it is,
+however, still cheap enough as an article of food, though the price is
+too high to compete, in the China or Singapore markets, with the produce
+of Lombok, Bally, Siam, or Cochin China.[5]
+
+ [Footnote 5: By the last overland papers from Singapore (Sept.
+ 1845), I observe, the Dutch Government has been importing rice
+ from Pondicherry to Java;--a proceeding quite unprecedented in
+ my time, and to be accounted for only by the extent to which
+ the cultivation of sugar, indigo, and coffee is carried, in
+ order to satisfy the constant demands on the colonies of the
+ Netherlands for money. To this cause may be added, however, the
+ occurrence of one or two dry seasons;--a rare phenomenon within
+ the tropics, and attributable, probably, in some degree, to the
+ vast extent of country recently cleared of forest and jungle to
+ make way for the plough. No policy can be so blind as that
+ which compels the poor Javanese to eat imported rice, while
+ living in a country capable of yielding food for all Europe.]
+
+Slavery still exists in Java, and every Dutch family has its domestic
+slaves. The law forbids the importation of fresh ones, and provides for
+the good treatment of those now in bondage. It also prohibits the
+slave-owner from separating a family; so that the wife and husband
+cannot be parted from each other, or from their children, except in the
+case of a crime having been committed by a member of the family. In that
+case, the guilty party is, on application to the chief magistrate, put
+up to auction, and sold to the highest bidder. This, however, is a rare
+occurrence, though I have witnessed such sales. The slaves, knowing well
+the consequence of an act of dishonesty, are cautious how they venture
+to trespass on the rights of _meum_ and _tuum_. I may safely say, I have
+never, in all my wanderings, seen a race of people better treated than
+the slaves of Java: they are well fed and well clothed; and adults of
+both sexes receive a monthly allowance of two guilders (3s. 4d.) under
+the name of pocket-money. This sum may seem small; but, when we take
+into consideration, that a free man can be hired for eight guilders per
+month in Batavia, and for six in the country, on which sum he has to
+feed and clothe himself and his wife and children, it will be
+sufficiently evident that the slave's allowance is ample, his master
+feeding and clothing him and his family. I object _in toto_ to slavery
+in any form; but I confess I do not think the slaves of Java would be
+benefitted, were their liberty given them to-morrow.
+
+The natives of Java are by no means free from that prevalent Eastern
+vice, or luxury, opium-smoking; and the Dutch Government derives an
+immense revenue from the article. I have, in various parts of the
+Eastern world, seen the evil effects of opium-smoking; but am decidedly
+of opinion, that those arising from gin-drinking in England, and from
+whisky-drinking in Ireland and Scotland, far exceed them. Let any
+unprejudiced European walk through the native towns of Java, Singapore,
+or China, and see if he can find a single drunken native. What he will
+meet with are, numbers of drunken English, Scotch, and Irish seamen,
+literally rolling in the gutters, intoxicated, not from opium, but from
+rum and other spirits sent all the way from England for the purpose of
+enabling her worthy sons to exhibit themselves to Chinese and other
+nations in this disgraceful light. That spirit-drinking at home is no
+excuse for opium-smoking abroad, I admit; but I would recommend the
+well-intentioned persons who have of late been raising such an outcry on
+the subject of opium, to begin at home, and attempt to reform their own
+countrymen: they may then come to China with a clear conscience, and
+preach reform to the poor opium-smoker.
+
+Among other improvements in Java, its rulers have lately turned their
+attention to the cultivation of tea, and with considerable success so
+far as regards the quality, I have no means of ascertaining the quantity
+of tea at present produced yearly; but have no doubt it will, before
+long, become an important article of export from the Island.
+
+Before quitting Java, I must say a word about the far-famed upas-tree.
+Such a tree certainly exists on the island; but the tales that are told
+of its poisoning the air for hundreds of yards round, so that birds dare
+not approach it, that vegetation is destroyed beneath its branches, and
+that man cannot come near it with impunity, are perfectly ridiculous. To
+prove their absurdity, a friend of mine climbed up a upas-tree, and
+passed two hours in its branches, where he took his lunch and smoked a
+cigar. The tree, however, does contain poison, and the natives extract
+the sap, with which they rub their spear and _kriss_ blades: wounds
+inflicted with blades thus anointed, are mortal. Such I believe to be
+the origin of the many fabulous stories that have passed from hand to
+hand, and from generation to generation, about the upas-tree of Java.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SINGAPORE.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE--CULTIVATION
+ OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-NUT--ROADS AND SCENERY--
+ MOTLEY POPULATION--EUROPEAN RESIDENTS--CHINESE
+ EMIGRANTS--KLINGS--SAMPAN-MEN--PLACES OF
+ WORSHIP--TIGERS.
+
+
+In the month of May 1824, I returned from my trip to the eastward, and
+was kept tightly at work in Batavia, till fate sent me wandering in July
+1826. Singapore was the first place I visited; and to it, therefore, I
+must devote the next few pages of these retrospective lucubrations.
+
+Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles deserved a great deal of credit and praise
+from the mercantile community of Britain, for having established this
+emporium of trade. A more lovely or better situation could not have been
+chosen; and its surprising prosperity has more than realized its
+founder's expectations, sanguine as they were. Since 1826, I have
+resided some considerable time in Singapore; have witnessed its progress
+towards its present nourishing condition; and am sufficiently well
+acquainted with its trade and its inhabitants to enable me to speak
+confidently respecting them. The Island itself, though only seventy-six
+miles from the Equator, enjoys a delightful climate, and is remarkable
+for salubrity. Its proximity to the Line secures frequent refreshing
+showers, and its foliage is in consequence always in the full bloom of
+summer. During an acquaintance with it of eighteen years, I have never
+known a drought of more than three weeks' duration. Its soil, with
+little tillage, produces the nutmeg, the clove, coffee, the cocoa-nut,
+the sugar-cane, the pepper-vine, gambia or terra japonica, and all the
+fruits common to Malacca and Java. The East-India Company's regulations
+regarding land checked, for a few years, the spirit of the
+agriculturist; but, within the last ten years, a few spirited and
+praiseworthy individuals have laid out considerable sums of money in
+nutmeg, coffee, sugar, and cocoa-nut plantations. It is a somewhat
+doubtful point, in my opinion, whether sugar or coffee plantations on
+this island will ever pay; but, of the nutmeg and cocoa-nut groves, I
+have the best opinion, and think their proprietors have a very fair
+chance of ultimately being well paid for their outlay. Of the nutmeg
+gardens, that of Dr. Oxley's is by far the finest on the island. This
+gentleman has spared neither trouble nor expense in bringing his plants
+forward, and has now five thousand of the very finest nutmeg-trees I
+ever saw. Nothing can be finer than their beautiful position, tasteful
+outlay, and luxuriant foliage. It is now eighteen months since I last
+saw those trees: they were then just coming into bearing; and they are
+now, I hope, paying their spirited proprietor for his monthly outlay at
+all events, though it may be a few years yet before they return him
+interest for his money, and adequate remuneration for his trouble.
+
+A plantation of ten or fifteen thousand cocoa-nut trees is a more
+valuable property than many people imagine. As soon as they come into
+bearing, which they do in five years from seed, they are worth
+three-quarters of a dollar each per annum net profit, after paying the
+labourers: thus, fifteen thousand of them will yield their proprietor
+10,250 dollars per annum, (_i. e._ at the moderate calculation of 4s. 2d.
+to the dollar, 2135l. 8s. 4d. sterling,) a sum that would cover all the
+outlay incurred during the five nonproductive years, and be a secure
+revenue to the owner of the estate for ever, provided that he is careful
+in replacing the old trees, as fast as they die, with new plants.
+
+My reasons for doubting the success of coffee-plantations in Singapore
+are, that there is not sufficient depth of soil for the tree, and that,
+if there were, labour is too high to enable the planters to compete with
+those of Java. As regards sugar, Singapore being a sugar-importing
+colony, its own produce pays, on being imported into England, 8s. per
+hundred-weight more duty than the produce of non-importing British
+colonies.[6] The high price of labour is also against the sugar-planter.
+An able-bodied labourer costs, in Singapore, four dollars per month,
+while the same man can be had in the mountains of Java for three
+guilders in money, and the value of two in rice. Thus, the Singapore
+planter pays more than double the rate of wages for his labour; and, as
+his lands are not so rich as his neighbour's, he stands, I fear, but a
+poor chance in the competition with him.
+
+ [Footnote 6: Since my arrival in England, an Act has been
+ passed, removing, in some measure, this bar to the prosperity
+ of the Singapore sugar-planter;--I allude to the recent
+ reduction in the duty on all sugars, excepting slave-grown. The
+ Singaporeans are naturally anxious to be allowed to send their
+ sugars to the English market on the same terms as their
+ brethren of Prince of Wales' Island have lately been permitted
+ to do. This they can hardly expect, however, while they
+ continue to be such large importers of Siam and other foreign
+ sugars as they are and always have been. To require them to
+ give up this foreign trade, would do them far more injury than
+ the granting of their planters' petition would benefit them.]
+
+To the eastward of the town of Singapore, extends a considerable plain,
+on which the sugar and cocoa-nut plantations stand. To the westward and
+inland of the town, the country consists almost entirely of hill and
+dale; and its aspect is very striking and picturesque. On many of these
+miniature (for they are but miniature) hills, stand pretty _bungalows_,
+surrounded with nutmeg and fruit trees: they are delightful residences,
+and have the very great advantage of cool nights, when the tired planter
+or merchant can enjoy a sound sleep after the fatigues of a hot day.
+
+A great deal has been done for Singapore by gangs of convicts from
+Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, who, under an experienced and able
+superintendent, have cut and made excellent roads, that now extend east,
+west, north, and south, for several miles. Cutting these roads has
+drained, and thereby rendered available, large tracts of land that were
+recently quite valueless: they also add much to the enjoyment of the
+Singaporean, by enabling him to extend his ride or drive of an evening.
+The scenery along the different roads consists of hills and dales,
+covered with the richest and most luxuriant foliage, with here and there
+a clearing, where some industrious China-man has squatted, in defiance
+of tigers and East-India Company's regulations. Now that land can be got
+on better terms than formerly, these clearings are being purchased by
+Europeans of the squatter,--whose prior right the Government always
+protects to the extent of a fair remuneration for his labour,--and are
+being turned into gardens or plantations. This drives back the
+squatter, who, like his brethren all over the world, is ever willing to
+sell and move further inland; thus materially increasing the extent of
+cleared land from year to year. The primeval jungles of Singapore are so
+thickly timbered and covered with underwood and large, tough creepers,
+that the man who undertakes to clear them has before him an Herculean
+task. According to the best information I could obtain, it requires a
+cash outlay of sixty dollars to clear a single acre; and even that large
+sum does not thoroughly stump it (_i. e._ clear off all the large roots
+and stumps of the larger trees) for the planting of coffee, nutmegs, or
+pepper. For these, however, this is less necessary, as the plants are
+placed at a considerable distance from each other: for sugar, it is very
+desirable to have every stump taken out.
+
+Swamps abound on the island: fortunately, they are all salt-water
+swamps, and flooded daily by the tide, which keeps them sweet, so that
+no one suffers from residing in their neighbourhood.
+
+A full description of the inhabitants of Singapore would fill a volume,
+they are of so many countries. Here may be seen, besides Europeans of
+different nations, and Americans, the Jew, the Armenian, the Persian,
+the Parsee, the Arab, the Bengalee, the Malabaree, the China-man, the
+Malay, the Javanese, the Siamese, the Cochin Chinese, with the native of
+Borneo, of Macassar, and of every island of the Eastern Archipelago;
+all in the costumes of their respective countries, and forming motley
+groupes that can nowhere be surpassed. With the exception of the
+Europeans, Americans, and Armenians, each class occupies a distinct
+quarter of the town, mixing but little with the rest, except in business
+hours, when one and all may be seen in eager converse on the
+all-important subject of money-making.
+
+Europeans generally live in garden-houses in the suburbs. The favourite
+situation is along the beach to the eastward of the town, from which the
+merchant has a full view of the harbour, as well as of both its
+entrances, and can see every vessel that comes or goes. Pleasant,
+however, as is this part of the suburbs, it is gradually being deserted
+for country situations, where the hot winds of July, August, and
+September are not so much felt, and where the nights are cooler than on
+the sea-shore. The houses generally occupied by these gentlemen, are
+large and roomy, with verandahs in front and rear, enclosed with
+Venetian blinds: these are kept shut from ten A. M. till four P. M., which
+darkens the house so much that a visiter can with difficulty see his
+host or hostess for two or three minutes after entering a room, till the
+pupils of his eyes, contracted by the glare on the road, expand, and
+enable him to distinguish objects. This custom keeps the house
+wonderfully cool, and is universally adopted by newcomers after the
+first few months of their residence. The Chinese occupy the next best
+part of the town, and many of them have built substantial and commodious
+houses. A portion of this class are the descendants of Chinese who
+settled at Malacca two hundred years ago: they have never been to China,
+and speak Malay much more fluently than they do their own language.
+Numbers of them keep their families at Malacca, having superstitious
+objections to a final removal far from the graves of their ancestors.
+The real Chinese emigrant looks on Singapore only as a temporary home,
+and invariably remits something every year, according to his means, to
+his aged parents, wife, or sisters. He usually consoles himself for his
+absence from his wife, by taking to himself another of the country he
+resides in: the offspring of this second marriage is always properly
+cared for on the father's return to China, where he probably takes the
+eldest boy to be educated.
+
+The Chinese junks bring annually to this part of the world, from six to
+eight thousand emigrants, ninety-nine-hundredths of whom land without a
+sixpence in the world beyond the clothes they stand in. The consequence
+of this is, that those who cannot succeed in obtaining immediate
+employment, take to thieving, from necessity; and some daring gang
+robberies are committed every year. They do not, however, long continue
+this mode of life; for the eight thousand new comers soon scatter, and
+find employment either on the Island, in the tin-mines of Banca, or on
+the Malayan peninsula.
+
+Ship-loads of these men have been sent to the Mauritius, where they have
+given general satisfaction; and no better class of emigrants could be
+found for the West Indies. A tight curb on a China-man will make him do
+a great deal of work: at the same time, he has spirit enough to resist
+real ill treatment. All the mechanics and house-builders, and many
+boatmen and fishermen of Singapore, are Chinese.
+
+Of the other inhabitants, the most numerous are the Malabarees, who are
+principally employed as shopkeepers, and are as knowing in the art of
+bargain-driving as any tradesmen of London or Paris. They generally go
+here under the denomination of "_Klings_," an appellation synonymous, in
+the Singapore vocabulary, with "scamp," to which I have no inclination
+to dispute their title. The boats employed to carry cargoes to and from
+the shipping in the harbour, are almost all manned by these _Klings_;
+and excellent boatmen they are. When pulling off a heavily-laden boat,
+they cheer their labour by a song, led, in general, by the steersman,
+the crew joining in chorus. They are a willing, hard-working race,
+though rather given to shut their eyes to the difference between _meum_
+and _tuum_. The original Malay inhabitants of this Island are now the
+most insignificant, both as to numbers and as to general utility, of the
+many races that are found on it. From this remark must be excepted,
+however, the _sampan_-men, who are of great service to the mercantile
+community. In their fast-sailing _sampans_ (a superior sort of canoe,
+peculiar to the place), they go out ten, fifteen, and even twenty miles,
+to meet any ship that may be signalized as approaching the harbour. They
+are usually employed to attend a ship during her stay here, few masters
+choosing to trust their crews on shore in boats. Of late years, reports
+have been in circulation of a suspected connection between the
+sampan-men and the Malay pirates in the neighbourhood; but I question
+their having any foundation in fact. Those Malay families whose young
+men are thus employed as _sampan_-men, are called _Orang-Laut_, or
+"People of the sea," from their living entirely afloat. The middle of
+the river just opposite the town of Singapore, is crowded with boats
+about twenty feet long by five wide, in which these poor people are
+born, live, and die. They are wretched abodes, but are preferred, from
+long custom I fancy, by their inhabitants, who, if they chose, could
+find room on shore to build huts that would cost less than these marine
+dwellings.
+
+Each different class of the inhabitants of the Island have their own
+place of worship. The English Church, built in 1836 by a contribution
+from the Government and a subscription among the European inhabitants,
+is a handsome building in a central situation, capable of holding four
+times as many people as are likely to be ever collected within it: it is
+neatly fitted up, but lacked a steeple, or even a belfry. This
+deficiency, however, is about to be supplied by a subscription raised at
+the suggestion of the Bishop of Calcutta, during his last official visit
+to this portion of his immense diocese.[7]
+
+ [Footnote 7: Since this was written, the Chapel has been much
+ improved, and an elegant steeple added to it. There seems to be
+ some fatality attaching to Clergymen at Singapore. The last
+ three incumbents, Messrs. Burn, Darrah, and White, all died
+ young, and of the same complaint, namely, diseased liver. My
+ own opinion is, that they were all three too strict adherents
+ to teetotalism. In warm climates, a moderate and rather liberal
+ allowance of wine, I believe to be absolutely necessary.]
+
+The Chinese pagoda is a splendid building, according to the celestial
+taste in such matters, and is really well worth seeing: the carving and
+general fitting-up of the interior are very beautiful, and substantial
+enough to make one believe they will last a thousand years, as the
+Chinese say they will. In the centre, the Queen of Heaven is seen decked
+forth in robes of the most superb figured satin, richly embroidered
+with gold; robes that the wealthiest dames of the proudest cities of
+Europe might envy, but the like to which they never can possess. Her
+Majesty was brought from China; and the owner of the junk in which she
+came, would not receive a penny as freight for the room she occupied. On
+her arrival in Singapore harbour, the whole Chinese population of the
+Island turned out to see her land, and paraded her through the town,
+with all the noise they could by any possibility extract from about a
+thousand gongs. The building in which she has taken up her quarters,
+cost 40,000 Spanish dollars, and does credit to the Chinese workmen of
+Singapore. One day, shortly after the building of this temple, I asked
+an intelligent and wealthy Chinese, how often he went to it. His answer,
+in broken English, ran thus: "Sometime one moon, sometime two moon.
+Suppose I want ask God for something, I go churchee. Suppose I no want
+ask any thing, what for I go?" On my asking whether he never went to
+return thanks for past favours, he seemed to think my question a very
+silly one, and said, "No use."
+
+The American Chapel is a remarkably neat little building. Besides these,
+there is no other place of worship in Singapore worthy of notice.
+
+Before quitting the subject of the inhabitants of this land of perpetual
+summer, I must mention one class which the others would gladly get rid
+of: I allude to the tigers of a large size which abound here, and which,
+having cleared the jungles of wild-hog and jackalls, and nearly so of
+deer, have lately commenced preying on man, to whom they have become a
+most formidable and dreaded foe. Were I to set down the number of
+unfortunate individuals who have, since 1839, been killed by these lords
+of the forests, I should scarcely expect to be credited. Let any one
+look over the newspapers of the Island for the last five or six years,
+and they will tell him a tale of horror that will make his blood freeze.
+Many of the more distant gambia-plantations have been deserted by their
+proprietors in consequence of the ravages of these monsters. Government,
+in the hope of remedying or mitigating the evil, offered a reward of one
+hundred dollars for every tiger brought in alive or dead; but so dense
+are the jungles in which they seek shelter, that their pursuers have
+hitherto been far from successful. One is brought in now and then, for
+which the captor receives his reward, and sells the flesh for some forty
+dollars more; for the reader must know, that the flesh of a tiger is
+readily purchased and eagerly eaten by the Chinese, under the notion
+that some of the courage of the animal will be thereby instilled into
+them. Some time before I left the Island, a Malay fell in with two tiger
+cubs in the woods, and captured one of them: next day, he went back,
+like a fool, alone, in search of the other, when the dam captured and
+made a meal of him; a lesson to his countrymen, which has effectually
+cured them of meddling with tiger-whelps. On another occasion, a
+China-man, having set a trap for tigers, took a walk out about midnight,
+to see if his plan had been successful. He paid dearly for his temerity,
+being carried off by some prowling monster; and his mangled body was
+found near the place a few days afterwards.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+SINGAPORE.
+
+ TRADE OF SINGAPORE--CHINESE TRADERS--BUGIS
+ TRADERS--SIAMESE AND COCHIN CHINESE--ARAB
+ SMUGGLERS--BORNEO--TRADE WITH CALCUTTA--
+ COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.
+
+
+The trade of Singapore has, until within the last three years, gone on
+increasing; but it has now, in the opinion of many people, reached its
+ultimatum. The harbour is visited regularly by native vessels from all
+the neighbouring islands, as well as from the Continent; and I shall
+proceed to notice the nature and value of their trade, respectively,
+class by class.
+
+And first as to the China junks. These unwieldy vessels visit the Island
+in numbers varying from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty
+per annum, their size ranging from fifty to five hundred tons: they are
+manned and navigated entirely by Chinese. They of course come with the
+monsoon, and reach Singapore in the months of January, February, and
+March. Their cargoes form a very material item in the trade of the
+place, and consist of tea, raw silk, camphor, Nankin (both yellow and
+blue), immense quantities of coarse earthenware, and supplies of all
+kinds for the myriads of Chinese that reside on this and the
+neighbouring islands. The season of their arrival is one of great
+activity in the Chinese bazaars, and gives an impulse to the trade of
+the importer of Manchester and Glasgow manufactures. Their commanders
+and supercargoes are cautious dealers, and usually sound the market well
+before disposing of their commodities. Sometimes, however, they
+overstand their market, and suffer by refusing the first offers made.
+This was particularly the case in the season of 1841, in the article of
+tea, which fell in price with every overland mail that came in, making
+these wary men rue their having declined the offers that had been made
+them previously. Most of them are opium-smokers; and their countrymen,
+with whom they deal, take care to keep them well supplied with this
+luxury, and obtain many a good bargain from them when under its
+influence.
+
+The export cargoes of this class of vessels consist principally of raw
+cotton, cotton yarn, cotton goods, opium, béche-de-mer or sea slug,
+pepper, tin, rattans, edible birds'-nests, deers' sinews, sharks' fins,
+fish maws, &c. Of the first three articles, they have of late taken
+annually the following quantities:--raw cotton, 20,000 bales of 300
+lbs. each; cotton goods, 50,000 pieces of 40 yards each; opium, 2000
+chests of 164 lbs. each; the aggregate value of which I put down, in
+round numbers, at two millions of dollars.
+
+Many of the small junks that arrive with the last of the north-east
+monsoon in April, are fast-sailing craft, and come expressly for opium,
+to pay for which they bring nothing but bullion: they take their
+departure early in May, and smuggle the drug into Canton by paying the
+usual bribe to the Mandarins. All the large junks have sailed on their
+return voyage by the end of June. Some few of them that waited in 1841
+till the middle of July, in the hope of getting opium cheaper than their
+neighbours who sailed earlier, encountered heavy gales in the Chinese
+sea; and one or two of them were lost with valuable cargoes. This lesson
+has not been lost upon their successors, who have since taken care to
+run no such risks. Advantage is taken of the opportunity afforded by the
+return of these junks, every season, by the Chinese residents, to make
+remittances to their families in China; and the masters of them are
+entrusted with their remittances, which usually consist of money,
+though, occasionally, rice and other useful articles are sent. The
+shipper pays the master a per-centage on the sum transmitted; and
+instances of fraud on the part of the latter are extremely rare. A boy
+about fourteen years of age whom I had as a servant in my house at
+Singapore, used to ask me for a month's wages in advance, to send to his
+mother in Macao. Hundreds of similar instances might be adduced. This is
+one of the bright traits in the Chinese character.
+
+The native traders next in importance to the Chinese, are the Bugis.
+These arrive in October and November, bringing in their uncouth-looking
+vessels, large quantities of coffee of very good quality, gold-dust,
+tortoise-shell, native clothes (celebrated all over the Archipelago for
+their durability), béche-de-mer, deer-sinews, rice, &c. They come from
+the different ports on the islands of Celebes, &c., but principally from
+Macassar. They are a shrewd race, but are no match for their Chinese
+competitors. On the arrival of a boat, her _hakoda_ (or commander) lands
+with nearly every man on board; and he may be seen walking all over the
+place for a few days before making any bargain. They are a troublesome
+set to deal with, and require the exercise of more patience than a
+European in these parts generally possesses. They are, however, always
+received with a hearty welcome by the Chinese of the Island, who,
+inviting them to be seated, immediately hand round the _siri-box_
+(betel-nut, arica leaf, &c.) among them; and over this universal luxury,
+they will sit and talk on business matters for hours, during which time
+it may be fairly calculated that both host and guests tell a lie per
+minute, without betraying by their countenances the slightest
+consciousness of having been thus engaged. This strange sort of
+preliminary negotiation goes on, probably, for a week; at the end of
+which the passer-by may see the contents of the different Bugis boats
+entering the Chinese shops or stores, as the case may be. On getting rid
+of his import cargo, the Bugis trader takes a few days more to rest and
+refresh himself, before he begins looking round for a return cargo,
+which usually consists of opium, iron, steel, cotton yarn, cotton goods,
+gold thread, &c. He seldom or never takes money away with him. On an
+average, two hundred of these boats come to Singapore in the fall of the
+year, each manned by about thirty men. Their crews are not allowed to
+land armed with the _kriss_ or any other weapon; a wise precaution, as
+they are rather too fond of having recourse to them in the event of any
+quarrel or misunderstanding with those with whom they deal.
+Notwithstanding this salutary regulation, I have witnessed serious
+disturbances, ending, on more than one occasion, in bloodshed, between
+these traders and the bazaar shopkeepers of Singapore. What I refer to
+occurred many years ago, however, and is not very likely to happen
+again, as the reins are kept much tighter over them than of yore. They
+are essentially a maritime people, and are not, as far as I have ever
+heard, addicted to piracy. They generally sail in small fleets, and are
+quite prepared to defend themselves against the common Malay pirate, who
+meets a stout resistance when he meddles with them. Like most, or, I may
+say, all the inhabitants of this part of the world, they deal more or
+less in slaves; and it would not be difficult to prove their having sold
+boys and girls in Singapore within these ten years, though I firmly
+believe that the disgraceful traffic has been put an entire stop to of
+late. These men visit, during the months in which the south-east monsoon
+prevails, Torres Straits, and the numerous islands in that
+neighbourhood, for the purpose of gathering béche-de-mer and
+tortoise-shell. They pick up, also, slaves from Papua (New Guinea), for
+whom they find a ready market in Celebes. Our settlement of Port
+Essington has long been a favourite resort of the Bugis trader; and were
+the Government to encourage Chinese and other settlers, by giving them
+grants of land, to establish themselves there, there can be no doubt
+that it would soon become a very important place, instead of a mere
+military station, or rather place of banishment, for some fifty royal
+marines. As for its being a refuge for shipwrecked seamen, I have never
+heard of an instance of a crew of the numerous vessels annually lost in
+Torres Straits seeking shelter there. This state of affairs would be
+altered, however, were the port thrown open to the commercial world. As
+it is, a shipwrecked crew landing there, might have to remain a
+twelvemonth for an opportunity to get away again; consequently, every
+seaman placed in that unfortunate position, pushes on in his open boat
+to the Dutch settlements on the island of Timor.
+
+Next in importance to the Bugis, I may rank the Siamese and Cochin
+Chinese traders, who arrive at Singapore during the north-east monsoon.
+The trade of these two countries used to be carried on entirely in junks
+peculiar to each of them respectively; but the state of things has been
+materially altered of late. The sovereigns of Siam and Cochin China have
+recently built and fitted-out several square-rigged vessels, those of
+Siam being commanded by Europeans, and manned by natives of that
+country. These vessels are the private property of the kings whose flags
+they bear, and are loaded on their account and at their risk. Their
+cargoes consist principally of sugar and rice, which find ready
+purchasers in Singapore. The sugar of Siam is of very superior quality,
+and is sent up in large quantities to Bombay, whence it finds its way up
+the Indus and the Persian Gulf. The rice of Siam is a superior article,
+and has of late been sent in considerable quantities to London. The
+grain is liable to the disadvantage of not keeping so well as that of
+Bengal or Java; but this fault might, I think, be obviated, partially at
+all events, by adopting the Calcutta plan of putting a pound or two of
+rice-dust and lime into each bag: this not only tends to preserve the
+rice, but repels the destructive weavil; a little black insect that
+makes its appearance in wheat and rice, in immense numbers, in those
+warm latitudes.
+
+The Cochin Chinese ships generally bring each four thousand _peculs_ of
+sugar, which is of three qualities; namely, sixteen hundred _peculs_ of
+first quality, the same quantity of second, and eight hundred _peculs_
+of the third sort. The first two are good articles, though not equal to
+the sugars of Siam. The cargoes of these ships are so carefully put up,
+that I have purchased and re-shipped them without opening or weighing
+more than five bags out of each hundred, and have never had cause to
+repent the confidence thus placed in the seller, who is an _employé_ of
+His Cochin Chinese Majesty. In addition to sugar and rice, the Siamese
+vessels bring gamboge and cocoa-nut oil of a superior quality: the
+former is bought up for the London and Continental markets, and the
+latter for consumption in the Straits' settlements. Notwithstanding the
+monopolizing system of the sovereigns of the two countries just
+mentioned, the trade by junks is still carried on to a limited extent:
+their cargo consists of the same articles as the kings' ships bring; and
+their owners make money in spite of monopoly and of the iron rod with
+which they are ruled.
+
+At the commencement of the rupture between Great Britain and China, His
+Siamese Majesty thought proper to follow the example of his Celestial
+Brother, and to interdict the trade in opium, which used to flourish in
+his dominions. His proclamation prohibiting the trade, came so suddenly
+upon the parties concerned in it, and took effect so immediately, that
+many of the opium-traders went into his capita of Bang-kok with their
+usual cargoes, in utter ignorance of what had taken place, and found
+their vessels seized, their cargoes confiscated, and themselves put in
+irons and thrown into prison, where they were kept till the interference
+of the Singapore Government procured their release as British subjects
+trading under the English flag. The restriction on this trade has not
+yet been removed (1844); nor is it likely to be, till the king finds
+himself in want of money, when he will be glad to allow his subjects to
+resume a traffic that yielded him a large revenue in former days.
+
+Siam produces teak timber of excellent quality, which can be had on very
+reasonable terms; and of this, the ship-builders of Singapore do not
+fail to take advantage. A portion of the Cochin Chinese trade is
+carried on in vessels so small and so frail, that it is astonishing that
+men can be found to navigate with them the dangerous Chinese Sea: they
+do not exceed thirty tons burthen. Being wholly unprovided with
+defensive weapons of any description, many of them are annually taken by
+the Malay pirates as soon as they make their appearance inside Point
+Romania, at the mouth of Singapore Strait. They are lateen-rigged with
+mat sails, are fast sailers, hold a good wind, and have a very pretty
+appearance when entering the harbour in fleets of fifteen or twenty
+sail.
+
+Singapore is annually visited by a large fleet of vessels from all parts
+of Java: the most important of these are what are commonly called Arab
+ships, that is, ships fitted out and owned by Arabs residing in Java.
+They carry the Dutch flag, are commanded by Arabs, and manned by
+Javanese. If fame does not belie them, these Arab commanders are
+notorious smugglers. This is certain; that they take goods from
+Singapore in exchange for the coffee, sugar, rice, &c., which they bring
+from Java, and that they give prices that would leave them no margin for
+profit, if His Netherlands Majesty's duties were paid on them. For this
+sort of illicit trade, the coast of Java offers many facilities in its
+numerous small rivers, with which the Arab ship-master is intimately
+acquainted. The article of opium, though strictly prohibited by the
+authorities of Java, is taken by the Arabs from Singapore in
+considerable quantities, notwithstanding the pains and penalties
+attached to its being found on board their vessels; and smuggled into
+Java the drug most undoubtedly is, let the Dutchmen boast of their spies
+and custom-house establishment as they will. These Arab ships are built
+of teak, ranging from one hundred and fifty to five hundred tons per
+register, and are altogether remarkably fine vessels.
+
+From the islands of Lombok and Bally, directly eastward of Java, the
+market of Singapore receives a large annual supply of rice of fair
+quality, a small quantity of coffee, and some coarse native cloths, to
+which I may add, a few good stout poneys. The boats from these islands
+resemble those from Celebes, and are sometimes classed among the Bugis
+traders: they carry back, as return cargoes, opium, muskets, copper
+cash, a little gold and silver thread, cotton yarn, and cotton
+manufactures. These islands have their own Rajahs and laws, but are
+narrowly watched and kept in check by their neighbours, the Dutch.
+
+Borneo, notwithstanding its vast extent and immense internal wealth, has
+but a limited external trade. Boats from Sambas, Pontianack, and Borneo
+Proper, visit Singapore every year, from May till October, and bring
+with them black pepper, Malay camphor, gold-dust, rattans, &c. Most
+wretched boats they are, and, according to the accounts given to me by
+their _hakodas_ (commanders), very difficult to keep afloat when laden.
+Little can be said in favour of the natives of the sea-coast of Borneo,
+which is, and has been for ages, the haunt of pirates. Many vessels,
+particularly native _proas_, have been plundered, and their crews
+murdered or carried into slavery, by the marauders of this inhospitable
+shore; and it is not twenty years since a visit to it was considered as
+highly dangerous even in a well-armed vessel. Whole fleets of piratical
+boats ascend from time to time the rivers of this island, and plunder
+the native villages, carrying off the females and children as slaves,
+murdering the adult males, and setting fire to the houses. The
+proceedings of these vagabonds have received some severe checks, of late
+years, from the operations of a spirited and enterprising individual,
+Mr. James Brooke, whose well-known zeal and activity are beyond all
+praise. An occasional visit also from one of Her Majesty's ships, has
+done much good; and the recent operations of Capt. Keppel of the Dido,
+gave them a check they will not soon get over. The ascertained existence
+of extensive veins of coal on the banks of the river of Borneo Proper,
+will render that neighbourhood of great importance, on the completion of
+the line of steam communication from Ceylon to Hong Kong, _viā_
+Singapore. I believe there is no doubt either as to the large quantity
+of coal to be had there, or as to its superior quality. But, upon the
+subject of Borneo, I shall have a few words more to say hereafter.
+
+The trade between Calcutta and the Straits' settlements, is both
+extensive and important. Vessels from the Hooghly visit Singapore
+throughout the year, bringing large supplies of raw cotton, Indian
+cotton goods, opium, wheat, &c. In return, they carry back vast
+quantities of gold-dust, tin, pepper, sago, gambia, and treasure. It is
+no unfrequent occurrence, to find the Singapore market pretty nearly
+cleared of the circulating medium after the departure of two or three
+clippers for the "City of Palaces." Indeed, treasure and gold-dust are,
+in nine cases out of ten, the only safe remittance from the Straits of
+Malacca to Calcutta; and those who remit in other modes, frequently
+sustain heavy losses, which not only affect the individuals concerned,
+but check the trade generally.
+
+I have now given a rapid view of the principal features of the native
+trade of Singapore, without pretending to give a perfect account of it.
+Before taking leave of this pretty little Island, I will add a few
+general remarks upon its condition and prospects. Its actual state, when
+I left it in 1842, was far from being as prosperous as I could wish. An
+emporium of the trade of the whole of the Eastern Archipelago, its
+aggregate imports and exports may be estimated, in round numbers, at
+three millions sterling per annum. Trade by barter is the system
+generally adopted; and notwithstanding long-continued exertions on the
+part of the European mercantile community to establish the cash system,
+their success has been so very partial, that nine-tenths of the
+remittances to Europe and India in return for goods consigned here for
+sale, are made in produce. Severe losses have been sustained here, from
+time to time, by the European mercantile firms, in consequence of their
+giving credit, to an almost unlimited extent, to Chinese and other
+dealers, many of them mere men of straw. During last year, these losses
+have amounted to very considerable sums. This has led to renewed and
+more strenuous exertions to establish a cash system, but, I fear, with
+indifferent success. The present state of the bazaars is very far from
+satisfactory: my last accounts state, that no one knows who can be
+trusted. The natural consequence of such a state of things is, a serious
+decrease in the amount of sales; and had it not been for the demand for
+Glasgow and Manchester manufactures, caused by the high price of those
+articles in China, the importers would have had four-fifths of their
+stocks left on hand.
+
+Of the state of the public health in Singapore, I am able to report
+most favourably. Let any one go there and see the European residents of
+sixteen and twenty years' standing, and he will be able to judge for
+himself. During an intimate acquaintance of eighteen years with this
+part of the world, I have never known any endemic disease to prevail;
+never heard of more than one European dying of cholera, or of more than
+three Europeans being attacked with that disease; never knew but one or
+two cases of liver-complaint in which the sufferers had not their own
+imprudence to thank for the attack; and, as far as my memory serves me,
+cannot reckon up two deaths among the European inhabitants in that long
+period. Some one may here whisper, "Look at the state of your Singapore
+burying-ground." My reply is, that it is filled by the death of numbers
+who have, from time to time, arrived from Calcutta and other parts of
+India in a dying state, and who would have died six months sooner, had
+they not come to breathe the pure air of Singapore. On this point, I
+boldly challenge contradiction.
+
+As to the commercial prospects of this Island, I have some misgivings.
+The recent establishment, by Her Majesty's Government, of the British
+colony of Hong Kong, and the opening of the northern ports on the coast
+of China, will, I fear, give its commerce a check: indeed, it seems
+inevitable that it should suffer from these causes. When we consider
+the vast importance of the Chinese junk-trade to Singapore, and take
+into account the cheaper rate we can supply them, now their ports are
+open, at their own doors, with every commodity they require from the
+Malay islands, the risk, trouble, and expense they will save by
+supplying their wants or disposing of their superfluities, in the
+harbours of Shang Hae, Ningpo, Foo Chow, or Amoy, instead of undertaking
+the long voyage to the Straits of Malacca for that purpose,--one is at a
+loss to conceive on what grounds the sanguine expectation can rest, that
+the opening of China will do Singapore no harm. Some of its merchants
+evidently share in my anticipation, as they have completed arrangements
+for forming establishments at Hong Kong, in order to avail themselves of
+the change they expect to take place in the course of the trade. It will
+not be this year, nor, probably, the next, that this change will take
+place; but, that it must ultimately come to pass, I can see no room to
+doubt.[8]
+
+ [Footnote 8: Sept. 1845.--Recent accounts from Singapore in
+ some measure confirm this view. It is noted, among other
+ things, that the quantity of tea imported by the Chinese junks
+ in the season of 1844-45 was only 6000 quarter-chests; whereas,
+ in that of 1843-44, the imports exceeded twenty times that
+ quantity. Camphor, however, continues to come in as large
+ quantities as ever. The opium trade again, has diminished
+ three-fourths; and my prediction that pepper &c. would be
+ carried to the northern ports of China in European vessels,
+ has been fulfilled, though, from this branch of commerce,
+ Singapore, or its merchants, will still derive benefit as
+ carriers. The Chinese of Singapore have taken up this trade
+ with great spirit, and will doubtless continue it.]
+
+In other branches of its trade, Singapore will, probably, not suffer so
+much from the late arrangements with China; but it will suffer more or
+less. It is extremely likely, that a large portion of the rice of Bally
+and Lombok, the pepper of Borneo, and the béche-de-mer of Celebes, will
+be carried direct to China in European vessels, instead of passing, as
+hitherto, through the hands of the Singapore merchants. Whenever a new
+mart is opened, there is no want of men, money, or ships to take
+advantage of it; and we can place pepper from Borneo, and rice from
+Bally, in any port on the coast of China, for less money, by carrying
+them there direct from the place of growth, than the Chinese can by
+carrying them from Singapore in their junks. These vessels only make one
+voyage in the year; whereas a square-rigged vessel can make three with
+ease; and it is on account of the greater service performed by the
+latter, that she can carry goods to market cheaper than a junk. I
+repeat, therefore, that I think the trade of Singapore has reached its
+maximum; and that the town has attained to its highest point of
+importance and prosperity. Indeed, it is at this moment rather
+over-built. A beautiful and healthy town, however, it is; and that it
+may not suffer materially or permanently from the causes above
+mentioned, but continue to prosper as formerly, is a wish that comes
+from the very bottom of my heart.
+
+Singapore is under a Governor, (who also rules over Malacca and Penang,)
+Resident Councillors, a Police Magistrate, and some half-dozen
+under-strappers. The establishment is altogether an economical one, and,
+on the whole, well conducted. It has, moreover, a Court of Justice, with
+civil, criminal, and Admiralty jurisdiction, which is presided over by a
+Recorder appointed by the Home Government. His authority also extends
+over the neighbouring settlements of Malacca and Penang. The Governor
+and three Resident Councillors are members of this court. In the absence
+of the Recorder, they can and do hold court, and, in extreme cases,
+carry into execution sentences of death passed on their own
+responsibility. The late Governor, the Honourable S. G. Bonham, held the
+post for many years, and left the Island with the good wishes of every
+inhabitant. To his credit and honour be it said, that, out of the many
+hundreds of civil cases tried and adjudicated by him, I never heard of
+one in which his decision was reversed, in the event of the parties
+petitioning for and obtaining a new trial from the Recorder. Such
+petitions, owing to the well-known love of litigation inherent in the
+Asiatic character, were very numerous; but, in nine cases out of ten,
+the Recorder saw no reason to grant a new trial; and the few who
+succeeded in obtaining new trials, would have been better off without
+them, as Mr. Bonham's verdict was always confirmed.
+
+Five, ten, fifteen years ago, the society of Singapore was much more
+agreeable than it is now. Not that the parties who composed it then,
+were more pleasant people than the present residents; but we met oftener
+in those days, and were more sociable when we did meet, and, perhaps,
+opened our doors to the stranger oftener than is practised at the
+present time. One is apt, however, to be biassed in favour of the times
+and the people that seemed to ourselves the most agreeable; I shall
+therefore say no more on this delicate subject.
+
+The revenue of Singapore is more than sufficient to pay its expenses: it
+arises principally from land-sales and land-tax; from farming out the
+privilege of retailing opium and spirits; from the rent paid for public
+markets; and from pawnbrokers' licenses. The sums derived from these
+sources are increasing every year.
+
+The local police are paid, and roads and bridges are maintained, from a
+fund raised by an assessed tax of eight per cent, on the annual value of
+fixed property. From this fund, Mr. Tom C---- withdraws a few thousand
+dollars occasionally, in order to build a new bridge or to make a new
+road; a proceeding that does not give entire satisfaction to the
+rate-payers, and is indeed hardly fair towards them, since the new
+bridges and roads render available large tracts of land that would
+otherwise be valueless, and for which Tom C----'s honourable masters
+obtain a handsome price in consequence. The inhabitants grumble at these
+proceedings, but can do no more, the sole and whole management of the
+fund in question being in the hands of the local Government.
+
+Singapore is a free port; and vessels of all kinds and from all nations
+come and go, without paying one penny to Government in any shape. All
+that is required of them is, to give in a list of the goods they either
+land or ship. This regulation is intended to enable the authorities to
+keep a correct statement of the trade of the place; but it is, I am
+sorry to add, often evaded by ship-masters and their consignees, who
+seem to think that no trade can be profitably conducted without a
+certain portion of mystery attaching to it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+DUTCH SETTLEMENTS.
+
+ DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO--ISLAND OF BANCA--
+ BENCOOLEN--PADANG--CHINESE SLAVE-TRADE--NATIVE
+ TRIBES OF SUMATRA--PEPPER TRADE.
+
+
+In September 1826, I visited China for the first time; but, having
+recently paid that country a much more extended visit, I shall reserve
+for a future chapter my observations upon Chinese affairs; and shall now
+proceed to give an account of some of the smaller Dutch colonies or
+settlements which I visited about this time.
+
+About forty miles to the eastward of Singapore, on the island of Bintang
+(Star), is Rhio, a small Dutch settlement, producing a large quantity of
+gambia and some thirty thousand _peculs_ of black pepper per annum. The
+bulk of the former article finds its way to Java, where it is
+extensively used for dying purposes. Nearly all the pepper is sent to
+Singapore in small trading-boats, and is bought up there for the London
+and Calcutta markets. My visit to Rhio lasted only thirty-six hours,
+during which time I was too busy to be able to look much about me; but
+I have since frequently sailed past the town, and through the beautiful
+strait of the same name, and can vouch for it, that the lovers of
+picturesque scenery will find objects in abundance to attract their
+attention. Shortly after entering Rhio straits from the southward, the
+navigator is completely land-locked, and appears to be sailing in a
+large lake, amid the richest possible scenery; nor can he discern the
+slightest appearance of an outlet from this fairy scene, till he is
+within half a mile of the west end of the island of Luborn, when, all at
+once, the view opens at that part which leads him into the straits of
+Singapore. Rhio has the character of being very healthy, and, from its
+soil and position, might be rendered productive. It is governed by a
+Dutch Resident, and protected by a small garrison and fleet. Of the
+activity of this little fleet against the neighbouring pirates, I am
+glad to be able to speak most favourably; and I am bound to add a word
+in testimony to its Commander's hospitality and kindness to shipwrecked
+British seamen, which have been frequently put to the test of late
+years, and have on more than one occasion called forth from the
+Singapore Chamber of Commerce a vote and letter of thanks.
+
+Shortly after the establishment of Singapore, the Dutch Government
+proclaimed Rhio a free port. This measure, fortunately for us, was
+adopted rather too late in the day to do any injury to the trade of Sir
+Stamford Raffles's pet settlement, or much good to its neighbour. It
+must be somewhat galling to the good folk of Rhio, to see some hundreds
+of vessels of all descriptions under the Dutch flag sail past their
+harbour every year, bound for Singapore, where they transact business to
+a large amount; favouring this port, probably, with a short visit on
+their return, for the purpose of purchasing a few hundred _peculs_ of
+gambia for the Java market.
+
+On the north-east point of Bintang, is a dangerous reef, on which the
+clipper-bark Sylph struck in 1835, and on which she lay for four months,
+defying the fury of the north-east monsoon and the heavy rolling swell
+from the Chinese Sea; thus proving beyond a doubt the great strength of
+a teak-built ship. An English ship in the same circumstances would not
+have held together a week; as was subsequently proved in the case of the
+Heber.
+
+Mintow (Muntok according to the Dutch) is the capital of the island of
+Banca, so long celebrated for its tin-mines. This is a poor town, and
+very unhealthy: it is situated on the west side of the island, and faces
+the straits of Banca, having the low, swampy shore of Sumatra opposite.
+When Banca was occupied in common with the other Dutch colonies by the
+British, it proved fatal to nearly the whole of the garrison. The Banca
+fever is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous diseases with which man is
+afflicted: those who are fortunate enough to recover from it, are
+subject for life to severe nervous attacks at the full and change of the
+moon. I well remember two gentlemen in Batavia, who could scarcely lift
+their hands to their heads at these periods, though twenty years had
+elapsed since they had had this terrible fever. The Dutch troops still
+continue to suffer severely from this cause; and to be sent to Banca
+from Java, is looked upon as the hardest lot that can befall a soldier.
+Its tin-mines continue to be very productive, and yield 60,000 _peculs_
+of pure metal per annum. From this source, the Dutch authorities derive
+a considerable revenue. They employ Chinese miners, to whom they pay six
+dollars for every _pecul_ of tin delivered on the coast in a pure state,
+which they sell readily in Java for sixteen dollars per _pecul_; thus
+getting ten dollars clear profit, less about half a dollar per _pecul_,
+which it costs to send the tin to Batavia for sale. As far as I know,
+Banca yields nothing else; and the rice eaten by the Chinese miners, is
+sent regularly from Java.
+
+The rivers on this island are infested by very large alligators, which,
+from the scarcity of food, become highly dangerous. Their hunger drives
+them sometimes to attack boats, as they are rowed up the rivers; and
+serious accidents occur from time to time in this way. I could tell one
+or two marvellous tales about the ferocity and bold attacks of these
+river-monsters, but refrain from doing so, lest they should lead the
+incredulous reader of these rambling sketches to doubt my veracity. The
+straits of Banca were at one time the resort of numerous Malay pirates:
+the activity of the Dutch cruisers has, however, rendered their once
+dangerous neighbourhood perfectly safe, so far as the attacks of these
+marauders are concerned. I have sailed many times through the straits of
+Sunda, Banca, Rhio, Dryan, Malacca, and Singapore, since 1823, and have
+known some few European vessels and many native proas taken; but, in all
+my voyages up and down, I never saw a boat or proa that I felt certain
+was a pirate. I have, indeed, seen many very suspicious-looking craft
+off Singin, and between that island and the north end of Banca; but, as
+they never molested us, I am willing to let their characters pass free,
+so far as I am concerned.
+
+The once thriving settlement of Bencoolen, (or Fort Marlborough,) which
+I visited at different times between 1828 and 1830, I found, even then,
+to have declined very seriously from its former prosperity. Previously
+to its transfer, in 1825, to the Dutch, great exertions were made to
+render this settlement important for its exportation of spices of all
+descriptions; and, so far as regards nutmegs, mace, and cloves, those
+exertions were eminently successful. Planters and others, however, soon
+found that, on the hauling down of the British flag, and the hoisting of
+the Dutch, their prospects underwent a very material change, arising
+from duties and other charges laid on the commerce of the place. Most of
+the capitalists retired with the British establishment, of which,
+indeed, they formed a part. A hard struggle was maintained by those
+planters who remained behind, but without success; and the place is now
+very little more than a station for a Dutch Assistant-Resident and a
+small garrison.
+
+Bencoolen harbour is a dangerous one, particularly during the prevalence
+of the boisterous north-west monsoon, which blows with such violence on
+this part of the west coast of Sumatra. Ships generally anchor close
+under the lee of Rat Island and reef, where they find smooth water,
+unless the weather is unusually severe. This anchorage is seven miles
+from the wharf where merchandise is landed, and considerable risk is
+occasionally incurred by the cargo boats in making good this short
+distance. In very stormy weather, ships and boats also are compelled to
+seek shelter in Pulo Bay; a vile, unhealthy place situated about twelve
+miles south-east of Rat Island, and surrounded with a low, swampy,
+agueish-looking country. The Siamese suffer severely in this harbour
+from fever and ague, and ship-masters are glad to leave it as soon as
+the weather moderates. In my time, there was a convenient covered wharf
+at Bencoolen for landing goods, but not a vestige now remains: it was
+originally built by the English, and the Dutch have not cared to
+preserve or replace it. In the present wretched state of the settlement,
+indeed, it is of trifling consequence, since little difficulty can be
+found by the few merchants from Java who from time to time visit
+Bencoolen, in landing the small quantities of goods they may have to
+dispose of.
+
+The climate of Bencoolen is the worst it has been my fortune to
+encounter since I left Europe. The land wind that sets in about seven
+P. M., is the most trying breeze I ever encountered. To sit in an open
+verandah when it is blowing, is quite out of the question; at least with
+impunity. I tried the experiment more than once, and never escaped
+without a severe seizure of trembling something like ague, within less
+than half an hour. The injurious effects of this land wind may be traced
+to the swamps between the hills in the vicinity of the town, which,
+unlike those of Singapore, are formed by fresh water, and are no better
+than stagnant puddles. In passing over these, the wind becomes of course
+charged with malaria, which it distributes in every house between it
+and the sea; and woe betide the European who fails to keep out of its
+way! Most places that I have visited, have a healthy, as well as an
+unhealthy season. Bencoolen is an exception to this rule, being
+unhealthy all the year through. Even vegetation suffers here from the
+south-east monsoon; and a nutmeg-plantation exposed to its dry, parching
+influence, has the appearance of a plantation of heather-brooms more
+than of any thing else.[9] The natives do not appear to suffer from the
+climate, but seem to be as healthy and long-lived as Asiatics generally.
+Of the character of these natives, I can say little that is favourable.
+They are indolent, proud, though poor, gamblers, vindictive, and far too
+ready with the knife on little or no provocation; they are very fond of
+dress, and not over scrupulous how they gratify this taste; for which
+purpose I have known them have recourse to theft, lying, robbery, and
+even murder. Had they one single spark of energy in their composition,
+they might be a thriving and contented people, possessing as they do a
+boundless extent of rich virgin soil, which they are too lazy to clear
+and cultivate. The place is overrun with a race of petty Rajahs and
+other nobles, who are a social pest, being poor, and yet too proud to
+strain a nerve to support themselves and their families. Sir Stamford
+Raffles succeeded in rousing the ambition of these men a little, by
+giving some of them commissions in the local corps, which gratified
+their taste for gay attire, and supplied them with a few hundred rupees
+per month to keep up a little state. From my sweeping reproach of the
+chiefs, I would except these _Radins_[10] with whom I have spent many
+pleasant evenings, and who really possessed gentleman-like feelings and
+tastes.
+
+ [Footnote 9: This remark applies to the side of the tree that
+ faces the south-east only. The north-west side is perfectly
+ healthy-looking and green, when its opposite is the very
+ picture of blight and decay.]
+
+ [Footnote 10: Radin, a noble next in rank, in the Malay world,
+ below a Rajah.]
+
+The transfer of this settlement to the Dutch (in exchange for Malacca)
+in 1825, was a severe blow and great disappointment to all the natives,
+both high and low. At a meeting of chiefs held at the Government house,
+at which the English and Dutch authorities were both present, for the
+purpose of completing the transfer, the senior Rajah rose to address the
+assembly, and spoke to the following effect:--"Against this transfer of
+my country I protest. Who is there possessed of authority to hand me and
+my countrymen, like so many cattle, over to the Dutch or to any other
+power? If the English are tired of us, let them go away; but I deny
+their right to hand us over to the Dutch. When the English first came
+here, they asked for and got a piece of land to build warehouses and
+dwelling-houses upon. That piece of land is still defined by its
+original stone wall, and is all they (the English) ever got from us. We
+were never conquered; and I now tell the English and Dutch gentlemen
+here assembled, that, had I the power, as I have the will, I would
+resist this transfer to the knife. I am, however, a poor man, have no
+soldiers to cope with yours, and must submit. God's will be done." This
+was a bold, straight-forward speech; but it was thrown away upon the
+callous ears of the hearers. Delivered in pure Malay, it sounded
+stronger than in this translation. The speaker was an old man, with
+whose power and will for mischief, in former days, the British had good
+cause to be acquainted.[11]
+
+ [Footnote 11: This chief will long be remembered in Bencoolen
+ for his reckless daring, when a desire of vengeance for any
+ insult, real or imaginary, stirred the devil within him. Many a
+ midnight murder was laid at his door, and with justice too, if
+ I am not very much mistaken. The last time I saw him, he was
+ very near his end, and spoke of his death as calmly and
+ tranquilly as if he had lived the purest life imaginable. He is
+ long since in his grave, and his family has sunk into
+ insignificance. I do not believe a more thorough villain ever
+ walked the earth.]
+
+The country round Bencoolen is, with the exception of the
+spice-plantations, covered with a thick forest. The soil is rich, and,
+as I have said, might be turned to good account, by means of a small
+portion of energy on the part of the natives. The forests abound with
+the tiger and the elephant. The former finds plenty of game to feed on,
+and, consequently, seldom molests man. It is not an unusual occurrence
+for a single tiger to attack a herd of cattle when grazing in the
+neighbourhood of their owner's grounds: singling out his intended
+victim, he pursues it to the last, without, in general, attempting to
+injure any of the rest As soon as the cattle see or smell the
+approaching tiger, they become quite wild, and run at their full speed
+towards their herdsman, whom they surround apparently for their own
+protection, and continue in great commotion, though without attempting
+to run, till their enemy is either driven away, or has succeeded in
+capturing one of their number. The elephant is here of a large size, and
+is occasionally caught in snares by the natives for the sake of his
+tusks, which I have seen weighing one hundred and twenty pounds each.
+This huge animal is not dangerous to man, unless his path is crossed,
+when, particularly if a single male one, he becomes a formidable
+neighbour. He is easily tamed; but the native here is too indolent to
+trouble himself with the task. The only one I ever saw made use of, was
+sent by the King of Acheen to Sir Stamford Raffles, and was, in my time,
+the property of my friend, Mr. Robert Bogle. Strange stories are told
+of the power, sagacity, and cunning of this monarch of the woods. Among
+other feats, the natives say, it is not uncommon for one elephant to lie
+down, and let another stand upon his back, in order that he may reach
+higher up a cocoa-nut tree, and have a better chance of pushing it down.
+I tell the tale as it was told to me, not caring to vouch for its truth.
+
+Bencoolen is occasionally visited by the hill tribes from the mountains
+in its neighbourhood: they come down in bands of ten, fifteen, or twenty
+men, bringing with them gold-dust to barter for opium. As neither rice
+nor cocoa-nuts grow in the elevated region inhabited by them, they
+usually bring also a few bags of potatoes to exchange for those
+luxuries. They are a hardy race of men, strongly built, of middle
+stature, and have very thick black beards; a singular feature in an
+inhabitant of this island. I am sorry to add, that they sometimes visit
+the coast for other and less legitimate purposes than barter; and that
+their kidnapping children to make slaves of, is no uncommon occurrence.
+Several instances of this kind took place in 1829, within my certain
+knowledge.
+
+I have frequently heard it said, "Go where you will, you are sure to
+find a rat and a Scotchman." My having visited Bencoolen enables me to
+contradict this aphorism; for I there found abundance of rats, one
+Englishman, and not a single Scot. I must confess, however, that this is
+the only place in which I have ever found the Englishman without the
+Scot.
+
+Cock-fighting is carried on to a great extent here, and is indulged in
+by the natives, high and low. On market-days, vast numbers of natives
+may be seen wending their way to the cock-pit attached to each market or
+bazaar, with one of the celebrated Malay game-cocks under their arms. At
+the pit, some hundreds of these birds may be seen in the hands of the
+fanciers, who weigh and examine them thoroughly before betting on them.
+As soon as the bets are arranged, the two birds first on the list are
+brought into the centre of the pit, and armed by their owners with a
+fearful spur about four inches long, of the shape of a scythe, and as
+sharp as a razor. The combat seldom lasts a minute, the first charge
+generally rendering one, and frequently both the combatants
+_hors-de-combat_, by inflicting on them mortal wounds. Then begins the
+most disgusting part of the scene. The owner of each bird takes him up,
+blows into his mouth and eyes, and uses every exertion to make the poor
+tortured victim give the last peck to his adversary. Failing this last
+peck, the battle is a drawn one. Bets are usually paid, particularly in
+the country, in gold dust, which is weighed out in small ivory
+steelyards kept for the purpose. The Dutch, with their usual policy,
+derive a revenue from every cock-pit within their boundary here. For my
+own part, I am not inclined to blame them, and think our revenue at all
+the three Straits' settlements might be materially increased, and the
+scamps of those places kept in better order, by having every
+gambling-house in them registered and subjected to a tax. To put a stop
+to gambling in any Asiatic town, is beyond the power of man; and the
+attempt to do so, only drives the gamester to the secret haunts where he
+may indulge his propensity, and where, I fear, too often he becomes a
+witness of, if not a participator in deeds of blood. As a grand juror in
+Singapore, I have had evidence enough of this.
+
+From Bencoolen, I proceeded to Padang, another Dutch settlement, about
+two hundred miles up the coast of Sumatra. Padang, as its name implies,
+is situated in a plain, and is a very few feet above the level of the
+sea; yet, it is a healthy place. It was once in possession of a
+considerable trade, but this has diminished of late years, in most
+articles, except coffee, of which I am told it now exports 60,000
+_peculs_ per annum. The harbour or anchorage is about five miles from
+the mouth of the small river on the banks of which the town stands, and
+is a dangerous one in boisterous weather, having little or no protection
+from the fury of the north-west monsoon. The trade from Java to this
+part of Sumatra, consists principally of rice, salt, native clothing,
+and a few supplies for the European and Chinese inhabitants of the
+place: in return, it sends coffee and pepper. There is a disgraceful
+traffic carried on between Padang and the island of Nias, a little
+further up the coast, by Chinese, who visit that island, and purchase
+hundreds of its inhabitants, for whom they find markets all along the
+coast. Those brought to Padang, are not, indeed, sold as slaves; but
+they are registered at the Resident's office, and held as bond-debtors
+for different terms of seven, fifteen, and even twenty years: during
+this servitude, they are treated as slaves, but are free at its
+expiration; they have also the option of buying their liberty in the
+meantime, if they can raise the means; and the proprietor is not at
+liberty to refuse a sum equivalent to the value of the unexpired term of
+service. This value is fixed thus: on the registering of a debtor, a
+certain sum is put down as his value or debt; say 400 rupees; of this
+sum, a certain proportion, say 20 rupees, is placed to his credit for
+every year he serves; so that, if he serves his master for five years,
+his debt is reduced to three hundred rupees; and this sum, the master is
+compelled to accept as the price of his liberation. If a debtor has a
+hard master, he is at liberty to induce another to buy his services; and
+the transfer cannot be declined, if the sum due is forthcoming. These
+Nias people are, men and women, a much fairer race than Malays, and
+speak a language of their own. Many of the men become expert carpenters,
+bricklayers, blacksmiths, &c., which enables them to earn money and
+purchase their freedom; and for such skilled artisans, the master can
+demand no more as the price of their freedom than the balance due upon
+their services. I have seen boat-loads of these poor creatures landed at
+Padang, consisting of old men, women, boys, girls, and mere infants,
+looking wretched enough, and marched off to the police-office to be
+registered and sold. This is a black spot in the Dutch administration of
+affairs in Sumatra.
+
+The proceedings of the Dutch on the coast of Sumatra, are a sore subject
+to the Singaporeans, as having interfered with their trade with the
+north-west coast of the island. By means of the extension of the Dutch
+posts from Padang into the interior, they compel the native to carry his
+coffee thither, instead of taking it, as formerly, down the Siak river,
+and thence to Singapore. This accounts, in a great degree, for the
+increase in the export of that berry from Padang, from thirty to sixty
+thousand _peculs_ per annum, between the year 1828 and 1838.
+
+Padang is very subject to frequent earthquakes, being surrounded with
+volcanic mountains. To look at its houses, one would think that a single
+shock would level the whole town. The best of them consist of a frame
+of wood, each post standing on a single stone, which is simply laid on
+the ground, not let into it; the vacancies between the posts and the
+cross-pieces of framework, are filled up with lath and plaster; and the
+roof is almost invariably of thatch. They resemble huge stools resting
+upon stones, to keep the legs from sinking into the earth, and look as
+if the first breeze would upset them. An earthquake shakes them, and
+makes them vibrate, but seldom or ever injures them; whereas a brick and
+mortar house, subjected to the same severe trial, would certainly give
+way, unless it were of very substantial workmanship. I have experienced
+several severe shocks of earthquakes, both here and at Bencoolen, and at
+first felt very much disposed to quit the house; but custom reconciles
+one to almost every thing, even to seeing your dwelling-house dancing,
+or "Jumping _Jim Crow_."
+
+Since the Dutch got possession of this part of Sumatra, they have almost
+constantly been at war with a neighbouring tribe of natives, who, from
+their fanatical zeal in the cause of the Mohammedan faith, have obtained
+the name of _Padres_; and the war is called the _Padre_ war. These men
+have occasioned the Government a vast deal of trouble, and cost it a
+mint of money, as well as many valuable lives. When beaten in the field,
+they suddenly disperse and retreat to their mountain fastnesses, where
+they remain to strengthen themselves, and watch their opportunity to
+make a fresh attack on the Dutch posts. In this manner they harass their
+opponents, and occasionally inflict upon them a very severe blow. I
+heard at Padang, that, when the country was ceded to the Dutch, in 1818,
+these _Padres_ had said, they would never submit to their power; and
+well have they kept their word.
+
+Sumatra, were it under a European power, and peopled as well as Java is,
+would soon rival that island. Its soil is, for the most part, equally
+fertile, and yields coffee, pepper, nutmegs, &c. Only a small portion of
+the territory is subject to the Dutch: the remainder is inhabited by
+various tribes, who speak different languages, and mix but little
+together. They are mostly an indolent people, and require driving by
+their chiefs to make them work for a day or two now and then. The
+comparatively small produce exported from this large and fertile island,
+is obtained almost entirely by forced labour.
+
+The pepper trade of the ports to the northward of Padang, has ceased to
+be a profitable one, and is now neglected. European shipmasters used to
+complain bitterly of the roguery practised upon them by the native
+dealers; but who taught the native his roguish tricks? Who introduced
+false weights? Who brought to the coast 56lb. weights with a screw in
+the bottom, which opened for the insertion of from ten to fifteen pounds
+of lead, _after their correctness had been tried by the native in
+comparison with his own weights_? Who made it a regular rule, in their
+transactions with the native dealer, to get 130 _catties_ of pepper to
+the _pecul_, thus cheating him of thirty per cent, of his property? I
+challenge contradiction, when I assert, that English and American
+shipmasters have for thirty years been addicted to all these dishonest
+practices. The cunning and deceit of the native traders, at the pepper
+ports of Sumatra, have been taught them by their Christian visiters, and
+forced upon them in self-defence. An acquaintance of mine, who had made
+some purchases from a native, went on shore next morning to receive the
+goods. When the pepper was being weighed, he told the native clerk, he
+was cheating. The man denied it, and told the party he lied. The
+European raised his fist, and threatened to chastise the native, who
+coolly put his hand on his ever-ready _kris_, and said, "Strike, sir."
+The raised hand dropped to its owner's side, and well it was that it did
+so; or the party would not have lived to tell the tale of his having
+threatened the clerk of a Sumatra Rajah. A large portion of the pepper
+used to be paid for in dollars; and it is a singular fact, that,
+notwithstanding the number imported in this way, no one ever saw a
+single dollar exported, or seems to know what becomes of them. It is
+generally supposed, that the Rajahs buy them, and that they often die
+without revealing where their treasure is deposited. Be this as it may,
+it is very difficult, under any circumstances, to extract a dollar from
+the chiefs of this coast.
+
+The trader in this part of the world, works hard for whatever he may
+earn, having to encounter much severe weather, and to go through a heavy
+surf every time he lands. Indeed, so heavy and dangerous is the surf,
+that few ships' boats are fit to go through it. The shipmaster generally
+rows to the back of it in his own boat, and obtains one from the shore
+to land in. Of this, the native does not fail to take advantage in the
+event of any dispute, knowing that his customer cannot leave the shore
+without a boat, to be had only through his influence; and it is no
+uncommon thing for the European to be detained all night, and made to
+settle accounts in the morning before going off. The coast of Sumatra,
+from Acheen Head to Flat Point,(its two extremes in this direction,) is
+a highly dangerous one, being iron-bound, with a heavy surf and many
+reefs off it. I envy not the man who has to make his voyage here against
+the north-west monsoon. The Dutch are extending their ports on the
+sea-board from Padang northward, and will ere long reach Acheen Head;
+when they will have a struggle, if the Acheenese people possess a
+moderate portion of their ancient gallantry and hatred of
+Europeans.[12]
+
+ [Footnote 12: Since my return home, I have seen an account of
+ the proceedings of two of Her Majesty's sloops on the coast of
+ Sumatra from Acheen eastward. Sir W. Parker, with his usual
+ promptitude, sent them there from Penang, to punish the
+ perpetrators of some acts of piracy lately committed on British
+ vessels. The service has been most effectually performed; and
+ the marauding native has been taught, that, distant as he may
+ be, punishment is the certain result of meddling with the flag
+ of England. The ships of war in and about the straits of
+ Malacca, would do much good to the commerce of their country by
+ an occasional visit to Acheen and the coast of Pedir. There is
+ nothing like the sight of a few eighteen-pounders for keeping
+ the domineering Malay Rajah in check.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+MALACCA AND PENANG.
+
+
+Malacca, which I first visited in 1829, and have repeatedly revisited,
+is completely shorn of its ancient glory, and is no longer of the
+slightest importance, either as a military position or as a trading
+mart. Penang, at one end of the Straits, and Singapore at the other,
+have destroyed its prosperity; and it is now a poverty-stricken place,
+with little or no trade. The town is built in the old Dutch fashion,
+each house with its out-offices forming a square with a yard in the
+centre. The Government offices are still held in the ancient
+Stadt-House, a venerable pile built by the worthy Dutch burghers some
+hundred and fifty years ago, and retaining to this day its ancient
+furniture of ebony, many pieces of which, by the way, have lately
+supplied patterns for modern sofas and other furniture. The European
+population is composed almost entirely of the civil servants of the
+Government and the military men, who reside principally in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the town, not liking their Malay neighbours well enough
+to feel inclined to spread far into the country. Some few attempts have
+been made, within the last fifteen years, to establish nutmeg and other
+plantations at Malacca; I fear, without much success. Not that the trees
+do not thrive, but that labour is scarce, owing to the prevailing
+indolence of the people in this part of the world. Moreover, occasional
+disturbances among the natives render a residence on the spot (without
+which little success can be expected) any thing but pleasant. The place
+is a burthen to the East-India Company, as its revenues do not pay half
+its expenses.
+
+The country round Malacca is mountainous, and covered with large timber.
+In its neighbourhood are several tin-mines, which yield a metal some
+twenty per cent. inferior to that of Banca. This tin finds its way, like
+every thing else in the Archipelago, to Singapore, where it has of late
+fetched only thirteen dollars and a half _per pecul_.
+
+There is a race of men at Malacca, who appear to be the descendants of
+some natives of Malabar who settled there a century ago, and Malay
+women; a bad breed certainly, and the men I speak of seem to possess all
+the _devilry_ of both races. Numbers of them visit Singapore from time
+to time, bringing among other things, thousands of the Malacca canes
+which are so much esteemed in England. They have other employments, if
+fame does not belie them, not quite so creditable to their characters.
+Here, also, may be found many descendants of the old Portuguese
+inhabitants, who have here, as elsewhere all over the East, degenerated
+sadly, and, but for their dress, could not be distinguished from the
+other natives, except that the latter are a much finer race. These
+Portuguese are, for the most part, wretchedly poor, and, apparently,
+will soon become extinct. Very few of the descendants of the old Dutch
+inhabitants are to be found here now: those still remaining are
+principally shopkeepers, and are much more respectable in every way than
+their Portuguese fellow subjects. Slavery, until lately, existed in a
+domestic form in Malacca; it has, however, been completely done away
+with through the representations and exertions of the late Governor, Mr.
+Bonham.
+
+Malacca forms a pretty picture from the sea, and, to the passer-by,
+seems an attractive spot: his disappointment, on landing, however, would
+be great, and few inducements to prolong his stay will be found,
+excepting the climate. This, to the invalid from Bengal, is a treat, on
+which I have heard many expatiate in glowing terms after their return,
+with renewed health, to Calcutta.
+
+Penang, or Prince of Wales Island, is, perhaps, the most beautiful of
+the three Straits settlements, though it is certainly not the most
+salubrious, being occasionally visited by a very severe fever, which, in
+my time, carried off many of the European inhabitants.[13]
+
+ [Footnote 13: At this moment, I cannot recal to recollection a
+ single existing resident of Penang who has not arrived there
+ since 1829. The Europeans of that time have all, or nearly all,
+ been removed by death.]
+
+Here, the nutmeg and the clove come to perfection; and the produce of
+Penang commands higher prices in the London market, than the spice of
+any other country with which I am acquainted. The estates of Mr. Brown
+are the finest on the Island; and the hospitality of their proprietor is
+unsurpassed. Of late years, the profits of spice-plantations have become
+somewhat precarious, as the supply in the European markets has exceeded
+the demand. This has turned the attention of several of the leading
+people on the Island to the sugar-cane, which thrives here well, and is
+now to be seen covering large tracts which very recently were lying
+waste. The sugar-planter here, however, labours under the same
+disadvantage, as to import-duty in England, as his brother planter of
+Singapore, which, if not altered, will mar his prospects. Strong
+representations on the subject have been made to the Bengal Government,
+and (I believe) to the Court of Directors, as yet without effect.
+
+The revenue of Penang is derived from the same sources as that of
+Singapore, but falls short of the annual expenses of the place. This may
+be accounted for by the falling off in its trade, and the decrease in
+its population, since the establishment of the last-named settlement. It
+still retains a considerable trade with Sumatra, the coast of
+Coromandel, and Calcutta, but its direct trade with England is almost
+entirely cut up. It is also the _dépōt_ for the tin collected at
+Junkseylon, and other places on the Malay coast immediately opposite.
+Altogether, however, the establishment of Singapore has very much
+injured Penang, and thinned its population, rendering its houses of
+little or no value, and giving to its streets a deserted appearance from
+which they will never recover.
+
+The plain on which the town stands, is bounded on two sides by the sea,
+and, beyond the town, is dotted over with pretty garden-houses: it is
+intersected in all directions by good roads, which are lined throughout
+with the prettiest of all hedges, composed of the dwarf bamboo. Beyond
+this plain, the country becomes hilly and covered with woods, except a
+spot here and there, where the spice-planter has made his clearing, and
+built his bungalow. On the tops of several of these hills, which are
+higher and more extensive than those of Singapore, may be seen bungalows
+for convalescents, approachable only by a bridle path, up which the
+stout little poneys of the Island carry bravely the health-seeking or
+pleasure-seeking party. These spots are delightful residences; and the
+climate is cool enough at night to make a blanket on the bed most
+welcome and comfortable, I have my doubts whether these are fit places
+for the invalid to resort to, particularly if his complaint be of a
+pulmonary nature. Immediately after sun-set, the hill top is enveloped
+in a dense fog, which makes every thing in the house feel damp, and
+which does not disappear till ten A. M. next day. It were worth while to
+ride up one of these hills, for the sole purpose of watching the
+clearing off of the fog in the morning: the visiter taking his stand in
+the verandah about nine A. M., and looking down, in the direction of the
+plain, on the dense mass of fog hanging over the town and suburbs, sees
+it by degrees clear away like a curtain slowly withdrawn, and the
+houses, roads, bridges, &c., appear below him as if springing up there
+by magic. Add to this, the fleet of shipping in the harbour, the
+opposite plains of Province Wellesley, and the distant mountains
+towering in the sky beyond, and a scene may be imagined, that can
+scarcely be described; at least, not by my feeble pen. When I first
+visited Penang, Province Wellesley was a wilderness, inhabited only by a
+thin Malay population and numerous tigers.[14] It now wears another and
+more pleasing aspect, large tracts of its fertile soil having been
+cleared and brought under cultivation. I know no better spot for the
+culture of sugar; and if it does not pay the planter here, those of
+Penang or Singapore have but a poor prospect.[15] Penang harbour is a
+very commodious and safe one, formed by the narrow strait between that
+island and the main land. Ships of three hundred tons may here lie
+within pistol-shot of the wharf in perfect safety. I have never seen the
+phosphoric light occasionally thrown out by salt-water, so brilliant as
+it is here. I recollect being very much struck with it, while sailing
+out of the harbour about eight o'clock P. M. We had a fresh breeze, and
+each tiny wave looked like a flash of very bright flame, while the
+ship's wake resembled the tail of a brilliant comet, more than any thing
+else. I leave the naturalist to account for this.
+
+ [Footnote 14: Although the jungles of Penang abound with
+ tigers, I have seldom heard of their preying on man, as they do
+ in the neighbouring settlement.]
+
+ [Footnote 15: Oct. 1845.--Penang has increased in importance
+ since the foregoing was written. Its sugar-planters have
+ continued their exertions with energy, sparing neither trouble
+ nor expense to make their plantations profitable investments.
+ It gives me much pleasure to be able to add, that their success
+ seems certain, and that their perseverance in petitioning
+ Government on the subject of duties, has at length been
+ rewarded, as it ought sooner to have been.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+CALCUTTA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA--STATE OF SOCIETY--
+ MERCANTILE CHANGES--UNPLEASANT CLIMATE--SIGHTS
+ AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA--IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT
+ AND NAVIGATION--CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE--PILOT
+ SERVICE--CHARACTER OF THE BENGALEES--RIVER STEAMERS.
+
+
+In 1829, I visited for the first time the far-famed city of Calcutta,
+and have since then paid it four visits. So much, however, has been
+written about the "City of Palaces," that it must be nearly as well
+known to the English reader as London itself; and I shall therefore say
+less respecting it.
+
+The feeling I experienced on first making the land at the mouth of the
+Hooghly, was extreme disappointment. To a stranger coming, as I did,
+from Java, Singapore, and Penang, nothing can have a more dreary and
+desolate appearance than the land about and below Kedgeree. The very
+sight is almost enough to bring on the ague; and the abominably filthy
+water of the holy stream heightens the feeling of disgust. From Kedgeree
+to Diamond Harbour, the view on the low banks of the river improves but
+little. Above Diamond Harbour, the river banks are somewhat higher,
+buildings are more numerous, and the country appears more cleared and
+brought under cultivation. On arriving at Garden Reach, the stranger may
+begin to imagine that not wholly without reason Calcutta has acquired
+the proud title of the "City of palaces." From the lower part of this
+Reach, on the right, the river bank is laid out in large gardens, each
+with a handsome mansion in its centre; and the whole scene speaks of
+opulence and splendour. Of late years, these magnificent residences have
+been much neglected, and what was once the most fashionable part of the
+suburbs, has been nearly deserted by the great folk. The reason assigned
+for this, is, that the river, in very wet seasons, overflows its banks,
+breeding malaria and fever, from which, at the time of my second visit,
+the inhabitants suffered not a little. For a year or two, these mansions
+stood empty; but, when I last saw them, in 1840, they were nearly all
+occupied by mercantile men, who find them pleasant retreats from the
+bustle of the city, and seem willing to brave the chance of fever. On
+approaching the head of Garden Reach, the stranger all at once beholds
+Fort William and the town of Calcutta spread out before him; and a
+splendid view it is. Should he arrive in the month of November or
+December, he will behold, perhaps, the finest fleet of merchant shipping
+the world could produce. Here are seen, besides the flag of Old England,
+those of America, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and Arabia. I must
+not forget to mention the floating taverns or large passenger ships,
+which carry home from twenty to forty passengers every voyage; and
+besides the fleet of large ships, the river presents steamers,
+pleasure-boats, and native craft of all sorts and sizes, from the gay
+_budgerow_, to the wretched and more than half rotten _dhingy_. The
+scene has, however, its drawbacks. The stranger is shocked and disgusted
+at the sight of some half-dozen dead bodies floating down the river, in
+all stages of decomposition, some with a vulture perched on them,
+gorging himself as he floats down the stream on his hideous raft.
+Government has placed people above the town, for the express purpose of
+sinking dead bodies and similar nuisances; but they have not succeeded
+in effecting their object The last time I went up the river, four human
+corpses passed my boat between Kradd's Dock and Colvin's Grant, a
+distance of two miles.
+
+Nothing strikes the stranger, on landing for the first time in Calcutta,
+so much as the extraordinary aggregation of palaces and mansions,
+ordinary dwelling-houses, warehouses, shops, bazaars, stables, huts, and
+hovels, all mingled together in glorious confusion, a few streets
+forming the only exception. This is a great eye-sore even to the old
+resident. I know no part of the world where society is divided into so
+many ranks and classes as it is here, nor where pride and pomp hold
+their heads higher. To hear some of the great ones of this city talk,
+you would think they had sprung from a long line of princely, or, at
+least, of noble ancestors. It is often observed, however, that they
+seldom or never mention their immediate progenitors, nor the whereabouts
+of their birth-place, which, in nine cases out of ten, would be found to
+be some humble cottage on the bank of a modest brook in England, or burn
+in Scotland. The more obscure or lowly their origin, the more difficult
+of access they are generally found. The real gentleman is easily
+discovered by his superior breeding and genuine urbanity.
+
+In former days, a young man arriving at Calcutta as a writer, had no
+difficulty in raising money by borrowing from some wealthy _circar_; and
+many of those very young men are still hampered with debts they can
+never pay: though high in office, and enjoying large salaries, they are
+tied to the country by their creditors, to whom they are obliged to give
+a large portion of their earnings. Times have now changed, and the
+native has learned from dear-bought experience, that the European is not
+always so worthy of confidence as he at one time thought him.
+
+When I first knew Calcutta, some half-dozen mercantile firms swayed the
+trade of the place, and carried every thing before them. Their influence
+with the monied natives was great, and their command of ready cash was
+proportionably large. This led them into all sorts of wild speculations,
+and ultimately proved their ruin, the whole of these houses having
+failed (if my memory does not deceive me) before the end of 1832. In
+spite of these failures, (which ruined hundreds of widows and orphans,)
+the confidence of the natives was not utterly shaken till very recently,
+when another batch of similar misfortunes took place, in which many of
+the old hands were concerned under new firms. This has entirely broken
+up the system, and scattered the commerce of Calcutta among numerous
+smaller establishments, setting the wits of the native capitalist to
+work to find other employment for his cash. Many of them have entered
+upon the opium trade, principally as speculators on the spot, who buy at
+the public sales, and re-sell at a small profit; preferring this to
+running the risk of the China market. Previously to the mercantile
+break-up just mentioned, the members of the leading firms were, with few
+exceptions, as exclusive in their society as the leading civilians:
+their fall has upset these lofty pretensions, and the mercantile society
+of the place is much improved in consequence.
+
+For the hospitality of Calcutta I cannot say much; nor do I know a place
+where a friendless stranger landing without good introductory letters,
+would meet with a more chilling reception. I do not speak from
+experience, having fortunately been properly provided with credentials;
+but I do not say it without good authority. Of the hospitality of the
+military gentlemen of the Presidency, and especially of the Dum Dum
+Artillery, I have pleasure in reporting more favourably. Calcutta has
+its theatre, its clubs, its races, and its fox-hounds. On the
+race-course may be seen some fine specimens of the Arab horse, small
+compared to the English racer, but unsurpassed for spirit and symmetry.
+Its amusements and attractions, however, are so outweighed by its
+wretched climate, that I would rather pass my days growing sugar in
+Singapore, than live amid all the splendour of this proud city.
+
+From April to October inclusive, the weather is oppressively hot, with a
+closeness in the atmosphere that renders respiration difficult, and
+existence, without a punkah, almost insupportable. I have sat for days
+suffering from the heat, and longing for sun-set in hope of relief which
+never came; for, even through the long night, the thermometer did not
+fall one degree. This extreme heat is occasionally relieved by a
+thunder-storm accompanied with a deluge of rain, which clears the
+atmosphere, cools the burning soil, and renders breathing an easy
+process. The European inhabitants have many ways of rendering the
+interior of their dwellings cooler than the external air; but, with all
+their means and appliances, they are generally terribly exhausted before
+bed-time comes. During this period, the European lady suffers more than
+the gentleman, and, by the time the cold weather approaches, looks
+haggard and woebegone. Children also suffer much during the summer. In
+November, the weather becomes cool, and people begin to think of balls
+and other gayeties. The winter, however, is not, in my opinion, a
+healthy season, as the bills of mortality will indicate. A heavy fog
+then settles over the city and neighbourhood every night, through which,
+at sun-rise, one can hardly see ten yards, producing not a bracing cold,
+but a chilling damp. This does not last all day, for the heat is severe
+from ten A. M. till three P. M., even in mid-winter. The lower class of
+natives suffer much, and great numbers die during this season of the
+year, as they are very careless, bathe in the river daily as usual, and
+are too poor to make any change in their dress, which is far from
+sufficient to protect them from the damp nights. The wealthier native
+wraps his shoulders in an ample cashmere shawl; but even he leaves his
+legs and the lower half of his person with only summer clothing.
+
+During the autumn, Calcutta is a very gay place, and makes up for its
+dullness during the summer. This is the season for horse-racing,
+hunting, shooting, and theatrical amusements, into which the numerous
+indigo-planters who come to town from their plantations about this time,
+enter with spirit, if the crops have been good and prices fair.
+
+Among the sights in and around Calcutta, I would recommend the visiter
+to make a point of seeing, the Mint, the native Bazaars, the Dum Dum
+Artillery Station, the Ishapoor Gunpowder Manufactory, and Mr.
+Wakefield's farm at Acra. I mention these as having been myself
+gratified with examining them. The Mint is, perhaps, the finest in the
+world. Captain (now Colonel) Forbes, who kindly shewed me over every
+part of it, said, I think, they could turn out 500,000 coins in
+twenty-four hours. In the different bazaars, the stranger will find the
+most extraordinary collection of commodities, Indian, European,
+American, Chinese, and of other countries, that he could ever have
+conceived. The zeal of the different vendors in crying up and bepraising
+their own goods at the expense of their neighbours, will amuse him,
+while he will feel not a little surprised at the cheapness of many
+European articles, such as crockery, millinery, hosiery, &c. &c. Should
+he be a military man, his visit to Dum Dum will delight him, that
+station being the head-quarters of the Bengal Artillery, and its
+officers are celebrated for their kindness and hospitality to
+strangers. With my visit to Ishapoor, I had every reason to be pleased.
+I not only saw the whole process of powder-manufacture on a very large
+scale, but met with a hearty welcome from Major Timbrel, of the
+Artillery, who at that time superintended the establishment. The river
+scenery near Ishapoor is much superior to what it is lower down; and a
+good view of the pretty town of Chinsurah,[16] on the opposite bank of
+the Hooghly, is commanded from Major Timbrel's verandah. Acra farm is
+situated some twelve or fifteen miles below Calcutta. I visited it as a
+stranger, while waiting in a ship for the flood tide; and its proprietor
+gave me a most hospitable reception. Mr. Wakefield has completely
+established the practicability of curing meat all through the year in
+this climate, so as to keep at sea for three years. He told me, he
+killed 25,000 hogs per annum; and, on my asking whether he suspended
+operations during the hot months, his reply was, "No, we go on at all
+seasons." I can vouch for the goodness of the hams, bacon, sausages,
+lard, &c. &c., which he exports, and shall be very glad if these remarks
+should lead a purchaser to his door. The muddy creeks near Acra farm
+swarm with alligators, (whether attracted by the smell of blood or not,
+I cannot say,) and they occasionally become very troublesome. The day
+before my visit, Mr. Wakefield had had a mortal combat with one sixteen
+feet long, which he succeeded in destroying single-handed, and had
+brought home in proof of his prowess.
+
+ [Footnote 16: Chinsurah was, until 1825, a Dutch settlement;
+ and we then obtained it and Malacca in exchange for
+ Bencoolen.]
+
+One of the most remarkable objects in or near Calcutta, is the
+celebrated Banian-tree in the East-India Company's Botanical Garden on
+the banks of the Hooghly, immediately opposite Garden Reach. This tree
+is, without exception, the most splendid vegetable production I ever
+saw: and its immense size and great age may be judged of, when I
+mention, that a friend in whom I place the utmost confidence told me, he
+measured the circumference of the space it shaded at noon-day, and found
+that, allowing eighteen inches square per man, there was sufficient room
+for eighteen thousand men to stand under the shade of this venerable
+patriarch of the forest. This could be effected, however, only by
+removing the many stems of the tree which now occupy nearly the whole
+space covered by the branches, and are so numerous and thick, that it is
+impossible to trace the parent one. It is a mighty tree, and worthy of
+the proud place it occupies in the first botanical garden in the world.
+
+What a wonderful change a few short years bring about in these days of
+improvement! When I first knew Calcutta, there was no such thing as an
+overland conveyance for letters; and, as for sending a ship to China
+against the monsoon, no one ever dreamed of it. The whole world is now a
+witness of the regularity of the monthly communication with England
+_viā_ the Red Sea; and the passage to and from China is made at all
+seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons and all other impediments.
+The spirited owner and commander of the barque, "Red Rover," has the
+credit of first shewing to the world, that the north-east monsoon in the
+Chinese Sea was to be conquered by perseverance in a small vessel: his
+success exceeded, I believe, his own sanguine expectations, and it is
+pleasing to add, that he was amply rewarded in a pecuniary point of view
+for his exertions. His example was soon followed by other parties
+connected with the opium-trade; and the communication between China,
+Calcutta, and Bombay is now regularly kept up all the year through, by
+as fine a fleet of clippers as ever rode the sea, commanded by men who
+appear to defy the weather. They make their passages in a wonderfully
+short period of time, and stand high in the opinion of the mercantile
+community of India. They are well paid, as they deserve to be, for the
+trying work they have to go through; and many of them have recently
+returned to their native country with comfortable, if not ample
+independencies.
+
+Another improvement of great importance to the trade of Calcutta, is the
+facility with which powerful steamers can now be procured, to tow ships
+up and down the Hooghly. Any one who has gone up and down this river,
+must be aware of the dangerous nature of its navigation, owing to the
+many mud banks, shifting sands, and very rapid current; and must be
+sensible of the comfort of having a powerful steamer towing ahead. The
+saving of time by leaving the port under steam, is immense. I remember,
+on one occasion, overtaking, in thirty-six hours from town, two ships
+that had left three weeks before us. The number of lives saved every
+year by these steamers, is beyond calculation. This is now so well
+understood, that passengers make a point of ascertaining whether a
+steamer is to be employed, before taking their passage in any ship; and
+the under-writers willingly contribute towards the expense thus
+incurred, considering themselves as repaid by the great saving in what
+is called "River Risk."
+
+I have heard many complaints against Dutch Custom-houses, but the
+Customs in Calcutta, I can state from my own knowledge, are far more
+troublesome and unreasonable. Go to any Dutch Custom-house in
+Netherlands India, and produce your invoice through some known agent;
+your goods will be cleared and passed without further trouble. At
+Calcutta, no man's word is taken, but every package landed or shipped
+must actually _pass through_ the Custom-house. Even opium purchased from
+Government, and delivered to the purchaser from a Government warehouse,
+is subjected to this annoying process. Surely the authorities might
+allow merchandize purchased from themselves, and delivered from their
+own premises, to be taken direct to the wharf, and put on board ship. A
+Custom-house officer might accompany the drug, if it was deemed
+necessary, and see it fairly afloat before leaving it. The present
+arrangement involves a useless waste of the merchant's time and trouble.
+
+The Semaphore established from Kedgeree to Calcutta, is of very great
+advantage to the shipping interest of the place. Any vessel getting on
+shore, or coming from sea in distress, can send intelligence of her
+situation to town in fifteen minutes, and have a steamer down to aid her
+in twelve hours.
+
+It would hardly be fair to leave Calcutta without saying a word in
+praise of the pilot service. The pilots here are paid by Government, and
+are a highly respectable body of men: they enter the service when very
+young, as volunteers, and rise by degrees to the rank of masters and
+branch pilots, the latter being the highest grade. Branch pilots
+generally command pilot brigs, which cruise off the mouth of the Hooghly
+for the purpose of supplying vessels that come from sea with pilots to
+take them up the river, and of taking the pilots out of ships bound to
+sea. Master pilots, mates, and second mates are engaged in taking
+vessels out and in, while the youngsters are employed in heaving the
+lead, and studying the navigation of the rivers. The whole service is
+remarkably well conducted. The work undergone by its members is very
+hard during the south-west monsoon; and they are generally short-lived.
+This may be easily accounted for, in such a climate, by their constant
+exposure to heat and rain, to say nothing of gales of wind and frequent
+sound duckings from the spray of the sea.
+
+The natives of Bengal are not favourites of mine: they are much given to
+lying and thieving, and are sad cowards. It is true, they are not
+pirates, like the Malays; but this is owing, I suspect, to want of
+courage, more than of inclination. A Malay servant, should his master
+threaten to strike him, will say: "Cut my pay, sir, or turn me away if I
+am in fault, but (emphatically) don't strike me." A Bengalee, under
+similar circumstances, would cringe under his master's feet, _salaam_ to
+the ground, beg to be whipped, but "Oh," would be his cry, "don't cut my
+pay, sir." Nothing used to annoy me so much as this excessive servility
+of the Bengalee servants: they will do any thing for _pice, pice_; that
+word being repeated by them at least ten times oftener than any other
+in their vocabulary. With all this, they are lazy, and require more
+looking after than any other servants I know. They certainly work for
+little pay, but that little is sufficient to supply their families with
+the necessaries of life, and to leave a trifle to put by, if the head of
+the family does not gamble. The palanquin-bearers are the most useful
+men to a stranger: for thirty-five rupees (3l. 10s.) he will get a
+palanquin and six men who will carry him all over the town, a whole
+month, for that trifling sum; they will take him out in an evening, wait
+patiently in the street till he is ready to return home, and be at his
+door by six the next morning, ready to obey his orders. The _circar_,
+too, is a useful character, but, generally, a sad scamp: he will conduct
+the stranger all over this vast city, shew him where any thing is to be
+had, pay his bills for him, and save him a world of trouble; which he
+makes answer his purpose by deducting one _pice_, or about two per cent,
+from every rupee you may order him to pay for you, and by charging a
+_moderate_ per-centage on what he may be commissioned to procure for
+"Master." It is astonishing how quickly these _circars_ find out when an
+old customer or "Master" returns to Calcutta. I have been visited by
+mine within an hour after reaching town. In one instance, I had come up
+the river in an express boat, and had arrived as soon as the mail; but,
+presently, in came Master's _circar_, bowing low, and "hoping Master
+has had a pleasant voyage, and made too much money."
+
+The mighty current of the sacred Ganges is now thoroughly conquered by
+all-powerful Steam; and the Indian officer ordered up the river to join
+his corps, can now perform in three weeks, the journey that, fifteen
+years ago, would have taken him as many months. Never having travelled
+in the river steamers, I can say nothing about the voyage; but, from
+their being constantly filled with passengers and cargo, I presume they
+give entire satisfaction. The fact of their carrying the European
+traveller so much more rapidly than the native boats can do, through the
+unhealthy Sunderbunds, is of itself sufficient to induce every wayfarer
+to take advantage of them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY--PORT JACKSON--FIRST
+ IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED BY SYDNEY--THE PUBLIC-HOUSE
+ NUISANCE--SYDNEY JURIES--CATTLE DEALERS--TOWN
+ IMPROVEMENTS--LAWYERS, DOCTORS, AND CLERGY.
+
+
+Circumstances induced me, in the early part of 1836, to proceed to New
+South Wales, where I passed three years; at the expiration of which I
+returned to the Straits in much better health than I had enjoyed for
+years before.
+
+The voyage from Singapore to Sydney, _viā_ Java Head and Bass's Straits,
+occupies generally from sixty to seventy days; a much longer period than
+it ought to do, considering the distance, but much time and space are
+lost in getting southward from Java Head. Crossing the south-east
+trade-wind, a ship makes nearly as much westing as she does southing,
+and of course has all the former to run back again on getting the
+westerly winds in the latitude of 38° to 40° south. We were unfortunate
+in this part of our voyage, and got no westerly winds till we reached
+the forty-first parallel of south latitude: from that point they took us
+to within a few miles of the entrance to Bass's Straits, where we met a
+strong easterly gale, which detained us several days. This was in March;
+and I would advise ships bound from India to New South Wales, in the
+month of January, February, or March, to go to the southward of Van
+Diemen's Land altogether: they will thus carry the strong westerly winds
+longer, avoid the easterly gales that blow during these months in Bass's
+Straits, and probably shorten their passage ten or twelve days. Up the
+bold and iron-bound shore of this mighty island, from its south-east
+promontory to the heads of Port Jackson, we ran with a strong southerly
+gale, and entered the most magnificent of harbours after a seventy days'
+passage.
+
+The entrance into Port Jackson is between two rocky heads, called, the
+North and South Head. As the former projects rather further into the
+Pacific than the latter, and somewhat overlaps it, the stranger would
+have some difficulty in finding his port, were it not for the
+light-house on the South Head; but, even with this guide, the
+inexperienced eye cannot perceive the entrance till right opposite it.
+We ran in with a heavy sea outside, and had scarcely got a ship's length
+inside the Heads, when we were in water as smooth as a mill-pond. The
+steep black rocks on our right looked fearfully near to us, but the
+water is deep close to them, and no difficulty is experienced in beating
+up to Sydney Cove, a distance of six miles. The only danger in the way
+is a shoal or reef, bearing the strange name of the "Sow and Pigs": on
+it, however, there is a light-vessel, so that it may be safely passed,
+even at night.
+
+Were all the fleets in the world congregated in Port Jackson, they would
+not half occupy it. From the Heads to a mile above Sydney Cove, there is
+a succession of beautiful bays, with deep water close to the rocks, and
+good anchorage in all directions. The scenery is magnificent, though, to
+an eye accustomed to that of Singapore, the green is not quite brilliant
+enough. A succession of hill and dale, with here and there a neat
+cottage perched on some rocky point, the soil clothed with trees, the
+waters of the many bays glistening in the sun, and the distant view of
+the heights and windmills beyond Sydney, form a picture that can
+scarcely be surpassed.
+
+On landing in Sydney, the traveller from India is ready to exclaim,
+Surely this is not a town some seventeen thousand miles from England!
+Every thing reminds him of home: he sees English servants, English
+tradesmen, English shops; in a word, a regular English town, with its
+inns and every thing conducted on the English principle. I took up my
+quarters with my family at the Pulteney Hotel, where we were made very
+comfortable, and found the terms moderate: the only thing that
+disappointed us was, the smallness of the bed-rooms. Sydney is a
+regularly built town, its spacious streets running at right angles with
+each other. The houses are well built, close to each other, with narrow
+fronts, and generally three stories high. Here we have George street,
+Prince's street, King street, Pitt street, Hyde Park, the Surrey
+Hills,--all recalling, by their appellations, the mother country. Hyde
+Park, though it comes far short of its namesake in London, is
+nevertheless a very pleasant spot for a promenade, being nicely shaded
+by trees planted during Sir R. Bourke's government, and is an ornament
+to the town. "Government Domain" is a piece of ground in the rear of the
+Governor's house, reserved by Government for a garden and
+pleasure-grounds: it is tastefully laid out, and intersected with
+numerous walks, which are open to the public; and many a pleasant party
+is formed by the industrious classes, who have only Sunday to spare for
+a little recreation in the open air. The Surrey Hills are being fast
+covered with gentlemen's houses, for which a better situation could
+scarcely be chosen. _Woolloomoolloo_, or Darlinghurst, as it is now
+called, is the favourite suburb, and boasts of many handsome mansions,
+each with its garden. Among these are the respective residences of the
+Chief-Justice, the Bishop of Australia, and other members of the _élite_
+of this metropolis. These houses all command a fine view of the harbour
+with its shipping and the surrounding scenery.
+
+Sydney has its theatre, its club-house, its stage and mail coaches,
+while steamers ply all about the harbour, and up and down the coast; an
+immense convenience to the inhabitants of the northern districts of the
+Colony. It has a large and well-supplied market, where the gardeners,
+farmers, &c. from the neighbourhood collect their produce for sale, and
+where, in good seasons, (that is, seasons in which rain has been
+abundant,) the housekeeper may procure supplies on reasonable terms.
+There is also, immediately outside the town, a hay and cattle market,
+where large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep are constantly for sale,
+and generally find ready buyers among the numerous emigrants who are
+daily landing on these shores.
+
+The greatest drawback upon the prosperity of the lower orders in Sydney,
+arises from the public-houses, of which there are some three hundred,
+nearly all filled, from morning to night, with men and women, too often
+spending the last penny they possess in the world. The magnitude of this
+evil may be estimated from the fact, that, in 1838, the revenue derived
+from ardent spirits and public-house licences amounted to the enormous
+sum of 110,000l. sterling. No stranger can take a walk through Sydney
+without remarking with astonishment the number of these nuisances; and
+the list of drunkards exhibited at the police every Monday morning, will
+increase his surprise and disgust. So enormous is this evil on the
+sabbath-day, that bands of constables patrole the streets for the
+purpose of clearing them of drunken men and women, whom they consign to
+the "lock-up." These constables, by the way, are extremely brutal in
+their manner of handling any unfortunate wight that may fall into their
+hands; and I have been frequently disgusted at their barbarity. What
+better conduct, however, can be expected from men, nine-tenths of whom
+either are or have been convicts? When I was at Sydney, the jail was a
+most wretched place, not half large enough for the many unfortunate
+beings it had occasionally to receive. A more commodious one has since
+been erected, with space enough to allow of the separate classification
+of debtors, highway robbers, bush-rangers, and felons, which could not
+be always attended to in the old building. The jail is cleared four
+times a year by holding criminal courts. The calendar is usually very
+heavy, and the crimes are generally of a heinous nature. The prisoner
+has the privilege of choosing whether he will be tried by a civil or by
+a military jury. Many prefer the latter, knowing that, whatever the
+verdict may be, it will be a conscientious one. The civil jury is
+generally composed of publicans, and is always chosen by the Sydney
+scamps, in the hope that a _chum_ or _pal_ may be found in the list,
+which is not unfrequently the case. The hardest task the
+Attorney-General has to perform, is, to get together a respectable jury.
+When it is composed of civilians, the prisoner is sure to challenge
+every respectable man in the box. By this means, he generally succeeds
+in getting twelve men sworn, of whom two or three are of the stamp he
+requires,--men that will, in vulgar phrase, "swear through a six-inch
+plank" to get him off. It is no uncommon case for Sydney jurors, on
+retiring to consider their verdict, to exclaim that their minds are made
+up, and that they will be d----d if they will give a verdict of guilty.
+Another source of trouble to all persons concerned with a court of
+justice here, is the extreme difficulty experienced in extracting truth
+from witnesses. It is almost impossible to conceive the effrontery with
+which nine-tenths of these men will swear any thing: they invariably
+prevaricate and contradict themselves when cross-examined, and are not
+unfrequently sent from the witness-box to prison, to take their trial
+for perjury. I remember, on one occasion, seeing a father, mother, and
+three grown-up daughters, who came into court to sustain a charge
+against a farmer for an assault on one of the daughters, committed for
+perjury, while the prisoner was released without a stain on his name.
+The crime of cattle-stealing, probably, comes oftener before the Judges
+of New South Wales than any other, particularly since the punishment for
+it has been changed from death to banishment for life. When death was
+the penalty, many graziers put up with their loss, rather than prosecute
+the offender: now, the cattle-stealer is shewn no mercy, from one end of
+the Colony to the other. The Judge has no discretionary power with this
+class of offenders, but, in the event of a verdict of guilty, must pass
+the sentence of banishment for life. If the prisoner came free to the
+colony, he is banished to Van Diemen's Land: if, on the other hand, he
+is an old convict, he is sent to rusticate for the remainder of his days
+on Norfolk Island. Whole droves of stolen cattle are, nevertheless,
+continually offered for sale in the neighbourhood of Sydney, and ready
+purchasers are found for them, the risk of being brought up as a
+receiver not being so great as might be supposed. The regular
+cattle-stealer has stations in the bush, where he collects his
+ill-gotten herds, defaces and alters their brands, and keeps them till
+the new brand has healed and assumed the usual appearance; he then
+boldly starts for market in open day, and, though he may be met by the
+former owners of the beasts he is driving, he fears nothing, proof of
+identity being a difficult task, when a P has been made into a B, and,
+perhaps, three or four other brands have been added.
+
+During the administration of Sir Richard Bourke, great improvements were
+made in the streets of Sydney, particularly in the direction of the
+different wharfs, from which the ascent used to be frightfully steep. To
+remedy this evil, and at the same time to improve the appearance of the
+town, Sir Richard cut away the brows of the ridges, and filled up the
+hollows with the rubbish. This proceeding caused a great outcry among
+those persons who had property where the cuttings took place, and whose
+dwellings, in some cases, were many feet above the new level of the
+street. In the course of time, these proprietors descended from their
+airy posts, knocked down their old unsightly tenements, cut down their
+ground to the proper level, and built new and more sightly houses; so
+that the Governor's proceedings have improved both the streets and the
+general appearance of the town, as well as enhanced the value of the
+property wherever the cuttings were made.
+
+Sydney abounds with doctors, lawyers, and parsons, all of whom thrive
+here. The lawyer especially reaps a rich harvest among a population
+notoriously fond of litigation, and prone to give cause for it in
+various ways. As usual, however, the supply has of late exceeded the
+demand; and the barristers do not now lounge in such stylish carriages
+as they were accustomed to be seen in some years ago. The medical men's
+harvest, a sickly season, is not a rare occurrence in Sydney, though the
+Colony generally is remarkable for its salubrity. The last summer I
+spent there, the deaths were very numerous, and cast a gloom over the
+place. Influenza and fevers were the prevailing complaints, and were
+probably attributable to the dry, hot winds prevalent at the time,
+together with the badness of the water in common use, and the
+intemperate habits of the people. The want of a supply of good water is
+much felt. Every house has its pump, but the water is not fit for any
+thing but washing, and is, for the most part, so hard, that soap will
+not dissolve in it. Government had commenced laying pipes to supply the
+town with this necessary article; but, when I left the Colony, they had
+not been brought nearer than to within a mile; and I have not heard of
+their being since carried any further. Water-carts go round, selling
+water at a penny or sometimes three halfpence per bucket, which is of a
+good quality.
+
+Previously to the arrival of Sir Richard Bourke, the clergy of the
+Church of England were the only persons in the Colony that were
+authorized to marry, to bury, or to christen. Sir Richard put an end to
+this extraordinary state of affairs, by his celebrated Church Act; and
+now, every one may be married by the minister of his own persuasion, and
+follow, in religious matters, the dictates of his conscience. Strange
+as it may appear, Sir Richard's proceedings in this matter gave great
+offence to the magnates of the Church of England; and the Archdeacon
+went home to remonstrate with Her Majesty's Government on the subject.
+His Reverence took nothing, however, by his motion, Lord Glenelg, the
+then Secretary for the Colonies, highly approving of all that had been
+done. But the Archdeacon returned to the Colony a Bishop, and, when I
+left it, was busily engaged in erecting a cathedral by public
+subscription.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND--THE PATERSON DISTRICT--WINTER
+ SPORTS--THE KANGAROO--AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY--CONVICT
+ SERVANTS--BENEFIT OF ENFORCING AN OBSERVANCE OF
+ SUNDAY--THE HOT SEASON.
+
+
+From Sydney, I proceeded northward, by steam, to Maitland, on the river
+Hunter, and thence up the country bordering on those pretty little
+rivers, the Paterson and the Allyn.
+
+Maitland puts a Scotchman in mind of the "lang toon of Kirkaldy,"
+consisting of merely one long street. From its situation, at the head of
+the navigation of the Hunter, and the centre of the very first
+agricultural district of New South Wales, it is likely to become a
+large, thriving, and important place. The country in the immediate
+neighbourhood is flat, and the soil rich, yielding most luxuriant crops
+of wheat and Indian corn.
+
+The season of 1838-39 was a poor one for the farmer: flour rose in
+price to 60s. the cwt.; and the quartern loaf, before I left the Colony,
+was selling as high as two shillings and eight-pence. This was a time to
+test the fertility of the soil round Maitland, as well as the benefit it
+derives from its proximity to the sea. During this summer, the whole
+district was favoured with occasional refreshing showers; its crops were
+forward, and the yield good; and while crops in the southern districts
+had failed from drought, the Hunter-river farmers were sending their
+surplus produce to Sydney for sale.
+
+The township of Maitland is divided into two towns or villages, called,
+East and West Maitland. The former has been fixed upon as the site of
+the town by Government, and the latter by the public, who have, as
+usual, shewn more wisdom in their choice than their masters have,
+inasmuch as they have planted their town within a few hundred yards of
+the head of the navigation; whereas the Government town is three miles
+further up the river, and is unapproachable by steamers, or even by
+small craft. The two, however, will be joined together ere long, (most
+likely they are by this time,) as they are rising rapidly into
+importance. For the beauty of the country between Maitland and the sea,
+I cannot say much: it used to remind me of Lower Bengal, being so very
+flat, and, in some places, so low as to be frequently flooded.
+
+Like the houses in almost all new towns, those in Maitland form a motley
+assemblage of buildings of all sizes, shapes, and colours. Many of the
+smaller and inferior ones were, however, disappearing, even in 1839; and
+more sightly as well as more commodious buildings were rising up in
+their place. The traveller will find comfortable accommodation at either
+the Union or the Rose Inn; and the charges are moderate. He will also
+have the advantage of meeting settlers from all parts of the
+neighbouring country, from whom he will readily obtain any information
+he may require. Frequent cattle-sales are held here; and the beasts are,
+without trouble or much expense, conveyed to Sydney by steam in twelve
+hours.
+
+The country from Maitland, going up the Paterson, is undulating and
+generally fertile; particularly the flat lands on the banks of the
+river. As you proceed towards the village of Paterson, you observe
+numerous prettily situated farm-houses with their smiling gardens in
+front, and fields of wheat between them and the river. At the village,
+the navigation of this little river ceases; and the country becomes more
+and more hilly as you proceed higher up: the banks of the river,
+however, maintain their high character for fertility all the way to its
+source, and many thriving establishments are seen as the traveller
+pursues his journey. This part of New South Wales, being so hilly, and
+consequently somewhat humid, does not answer the sheep-farmer's
+purposes; but the grazier finds his cattle and horses thrive well on
+these hills, and the agriculturist finds the valleys yield him excellent
+crops of tobacco, wheat, and maize. The first is becoming an article of
+great importance to the Paterson farmer, and has helped many of those
+gentlemen through the difficulties from which the Colony has been
+recently suffering.
+
+Land on the Upper Paterson was selling, in 1837, at 20s. per acre, in
+lots of six hundred and forty acres, of which not more than forty or
+fifty were arable land, the rest being what is called here, common bush
+land, thinly covered with trees, and affording tolerable pasture for
+cattle. Purchasers of land at the above-named rate, have, I believe,
+found their bargains profitable, notwithstanding the heavy expense they
+had to incur in clearing and fencing the arable portion of it, in
+addition to the outlay for a dwelling, out-offices, &c. The settler on a
+small farm of this description is almost sure to do well, if he is
+industrious, and provided that he keeps clear of that colonial pest, the
+public-house. He will have very hard work the first two years; but his
+returns will well repay him even in moderately favourable seasons,
+while, in good times, they will be very profitable. A neighbour of mine
+raised, in the season of 1837-38, on eighteen acres of fresh cleared
+land, a crop of tobacco, which he cured and manufactured into
+negro-head on the spot: it yielded one hundred and fifty kegs of 100lb.
+weight each; and the whole was sold at 1s. 4d. per pound, thus giving a
+total of 900l. This farmer had fifteen hands, who, in addition to the
+tobacco, enabled him to cultivate wheat and maize sufficient to supply
+the farm, and to leave 200l. worth for sale. The outlay for the twelve
+months, including every thing, did not exceed 350l.; and I have shewn
+the returns to have been 1100l. This slight sketch will afford an idea
+of what an industrious farmer may do in the Paterson district. As soon
+as he can collect a few pounds, they may be profitably invested in the
+purchase of some good cows, which will not only supply him and his
+family with butter and milk, but will pay well by their annual increase.
+In 1838, stock was worth, in this neighbourhood, as under:--Cows, 5l.;
+Fat Cattle, 7l. 10s.; Working Oxen, 10l.; Brood Mares, 40l.; good
+Roadsters, 40l.; Sheep,--Ewes, 2l., Wethers, 17s. 6d. Things have
+changed since that time: but more of this hereafter.
+
+During the three years I resided in Australia, I lived almost entirely
+on the banks of the Paterson, and the reader may therefore depend upon
+the correctness of my information regarding every thing in that
+neighbourhood. It bears a high character for the salubrity of its
+climate; and very justly so, according to my experience. Not a member of
+my establishment was ill the whole time we were there; nor do I
+recollect a serious case of illness among our neighbours. The winter is
+mild,--just cold enough to make a fire comfortable; while the fine
+frosty mornings do great good to one who has arrived from India. I used
+to enjoy them exceedingly, and invariably walked out before breakfast to
+breathe the fine clear air. The cold weather sets in in April, and
+continues till September. This is the season to enjoy a gallop in chase
+of that most extraordinary animal, the kangaroo. Notwithstanding that
+this part of the country is rather hilly, the hardy horses manage to
+carry their riders across it in safety. The river abounds with wild duck
+at this season, as well as with perch and a small fish here called
+herring, from its resemblance to that fish. The settler may thus not
+only find amusement for himself in shooting or fishing, but may make a
+very agreeable addition to his bush fare by his morning's ramble. The
+flesh of the kangaroo is literally good, for nothing: the tail makes
+very good soup, but the carcass of the full-grown animal is otherwise of
+no value to the European, though the native contrives to make an
+occasional meal of it. The young kangaroo of two or three months old,
+makes a tolerable substitute for jugged hare, and is frequently on the
+tables of the settlers. As population advances up the country, the
+kangaroo retires. I have, however, seen some hundreds of a large size
+in their native woods, skipping about, and bounding off on the approach
+of man. The notion, that a kangaroo makes use of his tail in leaping, is
+a mistaken one. I have watched them bounding along a plain, and could
+see distinctly that the tail never touched the ground. The female, when
+pursued, will retain its young one in the pouch with which nature has
+provided it, till very closely pressed by the dogs: it will then drop
+the little one, leave it to chance, and make off with increased speed. A
+full-grown male ("old man," the aboriginals call them) is more than a
+match for a single dog, and will frequently severely punish a couple of
+assailants before surrendering. These animals are easily tamed, and make
+very pretty pets in a garden. Speaking of a garden, we had an excellent
+orchard, which supplied us with abundance of apricots, peaches,
+nectarines, figs, green-gages, apples, pears, and oranges, while the
+garden furnished many a dish of strawberries: for gooseberries, the
+climate is not cold enough.
+
+In March and April, the farmer is busied in preparing his fields for
+wheat-sowing, which ought to be finished by the middle of May. Of this
+grain, the ground here yields a fair crop, though not equal to that
+usually reaped near Maitland: it is, however, generally more than
+sufficient for the use of the district, which may be called a
+grain-exporting one. Some farmers sow wheat on land from which they
+have just reaped a crop of Indian corn: this proves, I need scarcely
+say, in the long run, very bad economy. On a farm where wheat, corn, and
+tobacco are grown, there is always abundance of employment for old and
+young. Should field labour be suspended by the inclemency of the
+weather, or by any other cause, the farmer finds his servants full
+occupation in husking maize, threshing wheat, stripping, shifting, and
+curing tobacco. I used to keep my convict-labourers employed in light
+work, such as the above-mentioned, till ten o'clock at night: this I had
+no _right_ to exact; but my plan was, to keep a regular account current
+with every convict on the place, giving him credit so much for every
+extra hour he worked, and letting him know, every Saturday night, how
+much was due to him, which I allowed him to take out in any shape but
+money or spirits. Giving him the former, would have enabled him to
+procure the latter. It was generally taken out in tea and sugar; and I
+never had the slightest trouble in settling these little accounts. I had
+ten convicts assigned to me by Government; and I confess that I would
+rather have had those men than most of the free emigrants that came to
+the Colony. Over the convict, the master has great power, the knowledge
+of which on the part of the servant, with good treatment and a firm hand
+held over him, will make him do a great deal of work. The Government
+allowance of rations does not include tea, sugar, or tobacco; but most
+masters allow two ounces of the first and last, and one pound of the
+second per week; which not only makes the men contented, but gives the
+master more hold over them, as they stand in fear of his stopping the
+indulgence in the event of misconduct. From my own observation I should
+say, that nine-tenths of the misdoings amongst convict-servants, that
+one hears of in New South Wales, arises from bad masters. What, for
+instance, can be expected from men assigned to a drunkard, who not only
+drinks himself, but makes a point of inducing his servants, whether free
+or bond, to take out their earnings in rum, of which he has always a
+plentiful supply on hand? What from the servants of a master who neither
+pays any attention to the Sabbath himself, nor makes those under him
+observe it; who, on the slightest provocation, drags his men before the
+magistrate, and swears literally to any thing, to have them flogged; who
+never affords them the slightest indulgence, and whose whole aim is, to
+get the greatest possible quantity of work out of them for the smallest
+possible outlay? Nothing tends more directly to promote the good order
+of a farm, than mustering everybody on it at noon on Sunday, for the
+purpose of reading Divine service to them. Setting aside the moral
+benefit that this practice may be supposed to produce, it puts an
+effectual stop to distant wandering on that day. A man who has to appear
+cleanly dressed on Sunday at noon, cannot stray far from home either
+before or after that hour. On farms where this custom is not kept up,
+the convict starts at daylight for some haunt where spirits are to be
+had, to pay for which he has most probably robbed his master; there he
+spends the day in riot and ribaldry, and reels home about midnight in a
+state that renders him very unfit for resuming his work on Monday
+morning. The convict-servant soon finds out what sort of a master he has
+to deal with, and, to use their own slang, after trying it on for a bit,
+in nine cases out of ten, he yields to circumstances. Two of mine tried
+a few of their old pranks at starting; but a timely, though moderate
+application of "the cat," put an entire stop to them. It is, however,
+useless to say more on this subject, as the system of assigning servants
+to private individuals has been done away with by orders from the Home
+Government. The female convicts are much more difficult to manage than
+the men, and often set their masters at defiance: they are generally of
+the lowest and most wretched class of women.
+
+The summer sets in in October, and wheat harvest begins in November. The
+weather then becomes exceedingly hot, and the heat is occasionally
+increased by the hot winds that blow from the north-west. These
+generally (I speak of what I have observed on the Paterson) blow for
+three days successively, with considerable violence, and do no small
+injury to the farmer: they are very dry, make the lips crack, and the
+skin feel as if about to crack; and should they come across a field of
+wheat just shewing the ear, they would blight it to a certainty. After
+expending their force for three days, they are usually succeeded by a
+sharp southerly gale, which is frequently accompanied with rain, and
+soon makes every thing not actually blighted look green again. Though
+the sun, during summer, has, apparently, as much power as in India, I
+have never experienced any injurious effects from it, though frequently
+exposed to its rays all day, both on foot and on horseback. The European
+labourer works in the field here through the day, the same as in
+England, and does not seem to suffer from the heat. During the hot
+winds, indeed, he is liable to an almost unquenchable thirst, to relieve
+which, he may drink with perfect impunity a large quantity of sugar and
+water; but those who have recourse to water only, are sure to suffer for
+their imprudence, though not seriously.
+
+November and December are the busy months at sheep-stations, all hands
+being then employed in clipping the wool and preparing it for market.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ BUSH-RANGERS--THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9--THE SETTLER'S
+ TROUBLES--ORNITHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA--ABORIGINAL
+ TRIBES.
+
+
+On the Paterson, we were never troubled with those dangerous characters
+called in the Colony, Bush-rangers. I can give no reason for their
+avoiding this neighbourhood, but know that they did avoid it, and that
+none of the residents in the district ever gave them a thought. Other
+parts of the Colony are not so fortunate; and loud complaints are
+constantly being made, of want of protection against those daring
+marauders. They are runaway convicts, who take to the bush, either to
+get clear of hard masters, or from a love of old habits; and, now and
+then, they keep a whole county in a state of alarm. Frequent instances
+of their daring occurred during my residence in Australia, some of a
+ferocious character, while others tended more to excite laughter. Three
+of those scamps visited, at noon-day, a settler's house, and, coolly
+walking in, called for luncheon, and made themselves quite at home.
+While thus regaling themselves, they happened to see a violin hanging
+against the wall, and asked their _host_, whether he could play. On
+being answered in the affirmative, they made him strike up, while they
+danced to his music. When tired of this amusement, they helped
+themselves to whatever struck their fancy, and then went to the stable,
+picked out three of the best horses, leaving their own tired jades
+behind, and rode off. The master of the house was the only person at
+home at the time, and was unarmed; all his men were engaged in a distant
+field; and he was threatened with instant death, should he give the
+slightest alarm. Resistance, therefore, was impossible. Such
+depredations have latterly been much checked by the exertions of the
+mounted police. This very efficient body is composed of men drafted from
+Her Majesty's regiments stationed in the Colony, who are mounted and
+dressed at the expense of the local Government, and trained for their
+work. They patrole the country in all directions, and have captured and
+brought to justice many of the most desperate Bush-rangers, as well as
+given a check to the several organized bodies of cattle-stealers.
+
+Those parts of the Colony most distant from the capital, are, naturally,
+most annoyed by bad characters of all description; and many of the
+settlers trust to their own strength, more than to the police, to defend
+their property. A friend of mine residing in Wellington Valley, three
+hundred and fifty miles west of Sidney, used to arm himself and his
+groom, and sally out in search of any desperate character he might have
+heard of as being in the neighbourhood: he was more than once
+successful, and became quite a noted man among the Bush-ranging
+fraternity, who took good care to keep at a respectable distance from
+him. Were some other settlers blessed with as much nerve and courage as
+the gentleman I allude to, Bush-rangers would soon become less numerous.
+
+A settler's life in an agricultural district, is pleasant enough, but it
+has its drawbacks. A season of drought makes sad work in his fields, and
+among his flocks. In the season of 1838-39, water became so scarce, that
+many of the best pasture-lands in our neighbourhood were of necessity
+abandoned, and the sheep as well as cattle were kept down on the banks
+of the river, then reduced to a mere chain of pools, the intervening
+channel being quite dry. The herbage was completely eaten up, and the
+trees in many parts were cut down, in order that the hungry animals
+might eat the leaves. One of my neighbours, to save his flocks, turned
+them on his half-grown crop of wheat, by which means he saved some
+thousands of sheep, but lost his wheat. Tens of thousands of sheep and
+cattle, all over the country, died during this season; and grain crops
+failed everywhere, except on the banks of my three favourite rivers;
+namely, the Hunter, the Paterson, and the Allyn. There was scarcely a
+settler on either of these rivers, that had not a little to spare;
+while, in less favoured parts of the Colony, the farmer had to pay
+enormous prices for flour to feed his men; and the cart-hire came to
+nearly as much as the cost of the flour. I knew one gentleman who
+despatched from Sydney four drays loaded with stores for his stations
+near Bathurst, each dray drawn by seven oxen; and so great was the
+scarcity of water and fodder on the road, that only four of the poor
+animals reached their journey's end, the others having died on the road
+from sheer starvation. Flour rose during this season to 60l. per ton,
+and the quartern loaf in Sydney was sold at 3s. 4d.
+
+One of the greatest discomforts attendant upon a summer's residence in
+the bush of Australia, arises from the swarms of flies, large and small,
+that infest the house. The large blow-fly is a serious nuisance: many a
+good joint of meat they spoil, in spite of every precaution. These
+insects find their way everywhere, and destroy whatever they come near.
+In the dairy, the greatest care is necessary to prevent these pests from
+reaching the milk and butter, which they will taint in a second.
+Scarcely less of a plague than the swarms of flies, are the myriads of
+fleas which torment the tired farmer, and cheat him out of many an
+hour's sleep: these noisome disturbers are in the soil, and not all the
+care the best housewife can bestow, can diminish the number.
+
+While on the subject of the settler's troubles, I may mention, that the
+cockatoos annoy the farmer in Australia, as much as the crows do in
+England: they attack his wheat and maize when the grain is ripening, by
+hundreds; indeed, I may say, by thousands; and it requires a very active
+watchman to keep them from doing serious injury to the crop, not so much
+from the quantity they eat, as from what they destroy and scatter. These
+birds, which, by the bye, furnish an excellent dish that occasionally
+formed part of our dinner, are remarkably cunning: while the flock are
+busily feeding on the farmer's wheat, two of their number are left on
+some neighbouring trees to keep watch; these, on the approach of danger,
+give a loud, shrill scream, which at once puts the thieves to flight,
+and renders it very difficult for the sportsman to get a shot at one of
+them. Besides the common white red-crested cockatoo, the woods are the
+home of the black species; a rare bird, that I have never seen
+elsewhere. Those brought to Singapore by the Celebes traders, are a
+bastard species. On what they feed, I am not aware, never having seen
+them in the wheat or maize fields. During the winter months, neither
+white nor black cockatoos are to be seen; nor have I ever heard to what
+place they migrate. The bird-fancier might here make as beautiful a
+collection as I have ever seen. The different varieties of the parrot
+tribe are countless, and extremely pretty: the king-parrot, the lowrie,
+and the mountain parrot, are, perhaps, the most beautiful. Then, there
+is the pretty little diamond sparrow, so called from its size, its
+habits, resembling those of the common sparrow, and its plumage, which
+exhibits a diamond pattern of black, white, and blue. Of the hawk tribe,
+the varieties are numerous: the largest is the eagle-hawk, which now and
+then carries off a lamb from the flocks of careless shepherds. Were I an
+ornithologist, I might write a goodly volume on the birds of this
+country; but I must content myself with these few notices; not
+forgetting, however, to mention the stately black swan, a bird becoming
+every year more rare.
+
+We used frequently to be visited by tribes of the aboriginal inhabitants
+of this vast continent. They are, without exception, the most complete
+savages I have ever come across. They have no homes, no occupation
+beyond procuring food for the day, and think nothing of to-morrow, which
+they literally leave to take care of itself. They resist almost every
+attempt to induce them to labour, and, if clothed to-day by some good
+Samaritan, will, in all probability, appear naked at his door to-morrow,
+having given away their clothes to some convict, in exchange for a pound
+of flour or an ounce of tobacco. In their habits, they are literally
+wanderers on the face of the earth, shifting their camp from place to
+place as game grows scarce. In rainy weather, the only precaution I ever
+saw them take, with a view to protect themselves from wet, was the
+building a small hut, not much larger than a bee-hive, constructed of
+the boughs of trees, with a small aperture on one side, into which the
+"black-fellow"[17] thrusts his head and shoulders, and sleeps as sound
+as a top, his legs and the lower half of his body being exposed to wind
+and rain. In winter, they may be seen encamped round a fire after their
+day's hunting, all naked, and stretched on the ground, with their feet
+towards the fire; the men smoking, if they have any thing to smoke, and
+the wretched-looking women composing themselves to sleep in the same
+_natural_ state as their lords and masters.[18] They suffer much,
+occasionally, from hunger, and may then be induced to do a day's work
+about the farm, for which they will consider themselves well paid by a
+pound of flour and an ounce of tobacco each. This reward must not be
+given them, however, till their work is done: give it beforehand, and
+not a hand's turn will they do, but decamp at once to enjoy their
+dinner. As soon as they have eaten their bread, they light the pipes,
+and never cease smoking till their tobacco is finished. Some of the men
+are remarkably well made, and strong, able-bodied fellows. One who spent
+a week now and then in my kitchen, doing any thing the cook told him,
+for the promise of a supper, was a tall, good-looking fellow, named
+Jamie. They are one and all christened in the bush by any European they
+may ask for a name. A father applied to me one day for a name for his
+little boy, and I forthwith called him "Donald;" at which the old man
+and the rest of the tribe laughed heartily, saying, "All same your
+horse." I had then a pony called Donald. To resume: Jamie was frequently
+clothed by me, and was asked to sleep in the kitchen, or in one of the
+out-offices, but all to no purpose: his clothes, he never kept a week,
+and he invariably took his departure at sun-set to sleep in the open
+air. In our district, I believe, the blacks were harmless people; but,
+on the Upper Hunter, on Liverpool Plains, they have been not only very
+troublesome, but even dangerous neighbours. Many settlers have suffered
+severely from their depredations; and several shepherds and
+stock-keepers have been murdered by them. Would they content themselves
+with killing a single bullock or two or three sheep, when suffering from
+hunger, one might excuse them; but I have known twenty-five cows killed
+by a single tribe in one night, the fat and kidneys taken away, and the
+carcases left on the ground. This, to say the least of it, was a
+mischievous waste of property; and such proceedings naturally led the
+settlers to retaliate. The consequences were serious, and led to extreme
+measures, ending, in more than one instance, in bloodshed. There seems
+to be no room for doubt, that many of these poor creatures have been
+murdered by stock-keepers on the mere suspicion of being concerned in
+such crimes. This fact, however, does not justify the Government in
+offering a hundred pounds reward for the discovery of the offender, when
+a black happens to be murdered by a white, and only twenty-five pounds
+reward, when the murderer is black, and the victim white.
+
+ [Footnote 17: The name given to the aborigines in Australia.]
+
+ [Footnote 18: It is a singular fact, that the aboriginal
+ natives of New South Wales, as well as the cattle that roam at
+ large in its woods, invariably choose the top of a moderately
+ elevated hill to sleep on during the winter months. The reason
+ is, that the hills are _always_ warmer than the valleys, and
+ are consequently resorted to in winter; while the latter are
+ chosen in summer as camping-ground by man and beast. I have
+ often been surprised, when riding about the bush in winter, at
+ feeling a current of warm air on the top of a range of hills,
+ having myself just ascended from the neighbouring valley where
+ the breeze was chilling. These warm breezes on the hill tops
+ blow from the north-west, and may be nearly related to the
+ summer hot winds, cooled on reaching the latitude of 34° in the
+ winter season. Be that as it may, they are not strong enough to
+ warm the valleys, though their influence on the hills is very
+ agreeable to the traveller.]
+
+What would my fair countrywomen say to the "black-fellow's" mode of
+taking unto himself a wife? On making up his mind as to the object of
+his choice, he proceeds by night to the camping-ground of the _fair_
+one's tribe; searches her out among the sleeping beauties; deals her a
+blow on the head with his club, (to which an Irishman's shillelah is a
+twig,) and carries off the stunned and senseless wretch to his own camp.
+This ceremony makes them man and wife, and no further notice is taken of
+the affair. The different tribes are constantly at war: but I have never
+heard of any very serious consequences arising from their feuds. The day
+of battle is generally spent in painting themselves red, dancing the
+war-dance in presence of their foes, and, probably, exchanging a few
+spears towards its close. Their arms consist of spears, clubs, and the
+_boomerang_. The latter is a very extraordinary weapon, which they throw
+to a great distance, making it _return to the thrower_ when it has
+described its revolution, and probably hit some unfortunate wight on the
+head in its course through the air. This weapon is of hard wood, about
+three feet long, two inches broad, a quarter of an inch thick, and in
+the form of a crescent: it is thrown against the wind, and describes a
+circle in its course. The spear is of cane, hardened by fire at the
+end, and is thrown with great force and dexterity. No black who can by
+any means obtain a tomahawk, is ever without one, generally of English
+make: with this, they are very expert at felling trees, and, with its
+aid, will climb a tree which it would take two pair of arms to encircle.
+The "black-fellow" cuts a small notch about three feet from the ground;
+in this, he inserts the toe of one foot, holding on by one hand while he
+cuts another hole three feet further up to receive the other foot; and
+thus he proceeds till he reaches the top. The dead trees of Australia,
+which are all hollow, are a favourite resort of the opossum. In search
+of them, the black-fellow will ascend a tree in the manner just
+described; and there he will sit while his companions below dig under
+the roots, and light a fire, the smoke from which ascending the trunk of
+the tree, as a chimney, speedily dislodges the game. This is dexterously
+pounced upon by "blacky," the moment its head appears peeping from the
+aperture at the top of some of the branches. I have never known the
+tomahawk thrown by them, as it is by the Indian of America.
+
+My family was once thrown into considerable alarm by an ill-looking
+tribe of blacks who formed their camp immediately in front of our
+cottage: they were strangers, and had no business there. On making
+inquiries about them, I found that they came from a neighbouring
+district, and were endeavouring to evade the police, who were in search
+of them for the murder of an unfortunate shepherd. Not at all liking
+such neighbours, I took advantage of their absence, one day, when they
+were gone kangaroo-hunting, and set fire to their bee-hive huts. On
+their return at sun-set, they took the hint, and we saw no more of them.
+
+Among these tribes, it is a rule, that blood must be had for blood; and
+this leads them, when one of their number falls by the hand of a white
+man, to kill the first European they happen to meet, in retaliation. It
+would scarcely be reasonable to expect these ignorant savages to see the
+injustice of this proceeding; yet, it is hard, that an unoffending
+person like the shepherd above referred to should be slaughtered in
+revenge of the murder of a man he had never seen.
+
+The number of dialects, or apparently different languages, spoken by the
+aborigines of Australia, is very remarkable. Those residing in and about
+Sydney cannot converse with those on the Hunter, who, in their turn, are
+ignorant of the dialect spoken on Liverpool Plains; and this is the case
+throughout the Colony. When Sir Edward Parry was manager of the
+Australian Agricultural Company's affairs, he made a tour of inspection
+through its estates, taking with him some few black followers as guides.
+They were not fifty miles from their home, when, to Sir Edward's
+astonishment, he heard them speaking English to their countrymen of the
+districts through which they were passing. On inquiring the reason, he
+was told, that the two parties were entirely ignorant of each other's
+language.
+
+I never could make out the religious notions of these aboriginal tribes,
+further than that they believe in a future state. They do not appear to
+have much affection for their children, if one may judge from the way in
+which they treat them; yet, the mother bemoans the loss of one of her
+little ones very piteously, daubs her face and arms with lime in token
+of mourning, and spends many days in the neighbourhood of the grave. In
+common with all savage nations, the Australian blacks treat their women
+ill. These poor creatures get the worst of all their food, with the
+hardest of all their work; and are frequently very severely beaten by
+their hard and ruthless taskmasters. Degraded as are these aborigines
+generally, those in the immediate vicinity of Sydney are a more abject
+race than their more fortunate brethren who inhabit the distant parts of
+the Colony. This may be partly, if not wholly accounted for, by the
+facility with which at Sydney they can obtain ardent spirits, to procure
+which they will do almost any thing. I have never seen human beings
+elsewhere reduced to a state of such utter degradation and misery as
+these poor people exhibit. To shew how much they dislike any thing like
+labour, I may mention, that Government, on one occasion, set aside a
+piece of land for a tribe near Sydney, and had it cleared, tilled, and
+planted with maize for their use, exacting from them a promise that they
+would tend the growing corn, keep it clean, and gather the crop when
+ripe: they did neither the one nor the other, but, when called on to
+gather the grain that was to be their own, said, it was too much
+trouble. The result was, that the corn was plucked for them; and no
+further attempt was made to induce them to work.
+
+Several praiseworthy individuals have from time to time endeavoured to
+educate and civilize young boys of this unhappy race. One was sent to
+England, where he was kept at school till he was fifteen years of age;
+and he then returned to his native country. He had not been two days on
+shore in Sydney, when, meeting with some of his countrymen, he threw off
+his European clothing, and started for the bush, whence there was no
+getting him back.
+
+Like most savages, the natives are seldom if ever known to express
+surprise or astonishment under any circumstances. Shortly before leaving
+the Colony, I saw a native, early in the morning, standing on one of the
+heights overlooking the harbour of Sydney. On my asking what he was
+about, his reply was: "I belong big river (300 miles distant); first
+time come Sydney; come here see ship; _budgerie su_ (pleasant sight);
+never see ship or salt water before." This poor savage had come three
+hundred miles on foot, assisting a drover with a herd of cattle; he had
+never before seen either the sea or a ship in his life; and yet there he
+stood, looking at these, to him, most extraordinary objects, with a
+countenance as placid and unmoved as if they had been daily sights from
+his infancy. On questioning him, I could extract nothing further from
+him: he _would not_ allow that he was astonished, but simply repeated,
+"_budgerie su_." While idling away an hour one day in the criminal
+court, I saw an aboriginal black tried for murder. Nothing could exceed
+the perfect indifference that he exhibited throughout the whole scene.
+When called upon, through an interpreter, to plead guilty or not guilty,
+his reply was: "I did it because he (the deceased) stole my wife." He
+would not condescend to deny an act which he considered himself
+justified in committing. This plea of justification, the learned Judge
+directed to be taken as one of not guilty; and the result was, the
+prisoner's acquittal.
+
+Sir F. L. Mitchell, the Surveyor-General of New South Wales, in his
+admirable journal of his three celebrated expeditions into the interior
+of Australia, has described the aboriginal inhabitants of that portion
+of the country named by him, "Australia Felix," as a race of men
+altogether superior to those found in other parts of this continent.
+This race may, and probably will be found formidable neighbours for the
+first settlers to encounter. Their country, from the description given
+by its discoverer, must be a very fine one; and should it prove to be
+regularly refreshed by rain, it will be an invaluable addition to the
+Colony.
+
+The fate of the tribes I have been endeavouring to describe, is a
+melancholy one: they are fast disappearing from the face of the earth;
+and one or two more generations will, in all human probability, see the
+last of them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ THE HOT WINDS--PROJECTED MAIL-ROAD FROM SYDNEY
+ TO PORT ESSINGTON--SHEEP-FARMS--GRAZING IN
+ AUSTRALIA--HORSE-STOCK.
+
+
+I have often heard the question raised in Australia, Whence proceed the
+hot winds? Hitherto, this inquiry has not, to my knowledge, been
+satisfactorily answered. These winds invariably blow from the
+north-west; but the question is, Whence do they derive the heat they are
+charged with? In the months during which they prevail, the north-west
+monsoon is blowing in the Java sea, and thence all the way to Torres'
+Straits; and northerly winds are prevalent on the eastern coast of
+Australia. The weather in those seas, at that season, is wet and cold
+for the latitude; consequently, the north-west wind, when it first
+reaches the northern coast of Australia, is the reverse of a hot one:
+whence, then, the heat it brings with it to the thirty-fourth degree of
+south latitude? From Torres' Straits to this latitude, the distance is,
+in southing alone, fifteen hundred miles, twelve hundred of which are
+entirely unexplored. I have heard it suggested, that, in this space,
+may, and probably does exist, a great inland desert, the crossing of
+which heats and dries the wind. Whether such a desert does or does not
+exist, is a problem that may not be solved for many years to come;
+unless, indeed, the expedition now in contemplation, for the survey of
+the country in search of a practicable overland route from Sydney to
+Port Essington, should lead to its earlier solution. To this expedition,
+should it ever start, I wish every possible success, though I have my
+misgivings as to its favourable result, and question the soundness of
+the judgment that advises the undertaking at this time. Supposing the
+route should prove practicable simply as a mail line, is the Colony at
+present in circumstances to bear the expense of keeping it up? The
+object is, to have the overland Indian mail carried from Singapore by
+steam to Port Essington, thence to Sydney overland; the distance being,
+in round numbers, two thousand miles, three-fourths of the way through
+an uninhabited and unknown country. To keep up such a line, the outlay
+would be enormous, and would far exceed any return that could be
+expected for the next fifty years. The good folks of Sydney seem bent on
+trying it, however; and on being refused pecuniary aid from the
+Government, they resolved on carrying it through at their own expense;
+but they have since cooled in their ardour. At least, I have not heard
+of the money being forthcoming.[19]
+
+ [Footnote 19: The expedition just alluded to has never been
+ attempted; and I think very wisely. The great commercial crisis
+ under which the Colony of New South Wales, in common with all
+ the Australian Colonies, has been suffering of late, has given
+ the Colonists other and more pressing matters to think of; and
+ if they will take the advice of one who wishes them well, they
+ will look to some other route for quicker communication with
+ the Mother Country, than that _viā_ Port Essington.--October,
+ 1845.]
+
+I shall now proceed to offer a few observations upon sheep and
+sheep-stations. A sheep-station is, probably, the most desolate place at
+which a man could be sent to pass his time. Fancy three men in charge of
+one thousand sheep, which range over five square miles of country, of
+which five miles those three outcasts are literally the only
+inhabitants, and, strange as it may seem, seeing but little of each
+other. One is the watchman, who remains by the hut all day, shifts the
+folds, and sleeps between them at night, to protect their occupants from
+the prowling native dog: the other two are shepherds, who start every
+morning at daylight, in different directions, each in charge of his
+flock; they do not return to the hut till sun-down, when they are tired,
+weary, and eager for supper and bed. Thus, day after day, and month
+after month, pass in solitary wretchedness, relieved only on the
+Saturday for a couple of hours, when a man with the week's rations
+arrives at the station. These men live all the year round on salt beef
+and bread, the latter baked by themselves: they have no change either of
+diet, of employment, or of any thing else; for, be it known, a really
+good sheep-station in Australia yields nothing but grass and gum-trees,
+the soil being dry and poor. A shepherd on the hills of Scotland, who
+returns every night to his _bothie_, and finds a _warm_ supper cooked
+for him by some kind female hand, is a prince compared to the exile of
+Australia, who comes home tired and sleepy at sun-down, and may then
+either chop wood to cook his meal, or go supperless to bed, as suits his
+fancy. It is under these circumstances that those unhappy connections
+are formed with native women, the offspring from which are invariably
+killed by the mother. Against these connections, the present Governor
+has very properly set his face, and positively interdicted them.
+Although he may check, he cannot, however, do away with the evil; which
+leads not only to the murder of helpless infancy, but to bloodshed and
+wrangling between the whites and the blacks.
+
+Sheep, when I arrived in Australia in 1836, were in great request, and
+ewes with lambs at their feet were worth 30s. each, while wool was at
+2s. 2d. per pound. In 1837-38 and 1838-39, stock of every kind rose in
+price; and in the former year, I paid as high as 3l. per head for a
+flock of four hundred ewes with lambs five months old at their feet.
+This purchase was not a safe one; it was made when I knew but little of
+the value of stock, but acted under the advice of others, and when the
+colony was in the very midst of that wild career of mad speculation
+which has since worked so much misery to thousands. I suffered in common
+with many others who invested money in sheep at the same time, and who
+left the Colony. Nevertheless, I look upon sheep as one of the best
+descriptions of stock in which a man can speculate, provided that he
+keeps within reasonable bounds as to price. Good ewes purchased from
+20s. to 25s. per head, will, nine times out of ten, pay their proprietor
+from fifteen to twenty per cent, for his outlay. To do this, they must
+of course be properly tended, and be kept on what is here called, a good
+run, _i. e._ fine dry pasture on rather an elevated tract of country.
+The sheep-farmer ought to have a good homestead in an agricultural part
+of the Colony, (this, in my opinion, is indispensable to his success,)
+where he may grow grain sufficient not only to render him almost
+independent of bad seasons and high prices, but, generally, to give him
+a few hundred bushels of surplus wheat and maize with which to buy tea,
+sugar, and clothing. Hundreds of sheep-farmers have of late been ruined
+by having to purchase the actual necessaries for their stations on
+credit. Cash they had none, being unwilling to part with even their
+surplus stock at the miserably low prices alone obtainable.
+
+Another error that sheep-farmers fall into from time to time, is, the
+allowing their establishments to outgrow themselves, as it were, by not
+selling every year's surplus stock. I have known establishments become
+quite unmanageable from this cause, and have heard large proprietors
+frequently say, they were losers by holding so large a number of sheep:
+still, they went on in spite of their own better judgment, from year to
+year, without selling a single head of stock. This loss attendant upon
+overgrown establishments, arises as much from the difficulty of getting
+good and trustworthy servants, as from any other cause. The master's eye
+cannot be everywhere, and the overseer's is seldom to be trusted. Lazy
+shepherds keep sheep in till ten A. M. in place of turning them out at
+six. Idle watchmen shift the folds twice a week, instead of every day.
+Fifty other cases of this kind take place on a large sheep-farm, that
+never could occur on a small establishment. In damp weather, the
+watchman's neglecting to shift the folds, is sure to do harm. One of its
+first evil effects is to give the sheep toe-rot; a troublesome complaint
+that lames the animal, and is not easily got rid of. Then, a careless
+shepherd will allow his flock to stray on your neighbour's run, which
+may have been fed over by scabby sheep the day before. If no rain has
+fallen during the night, the disease is sure, in that case, to be caught
+by the trespassers, as I can testify from dear-bought experience. Scab,
+here, is a very different disease from what the sheep-farmer at home is
+acquainted with, and is much more difficult to cure. The remedies
+applied for it are severe, and of a kill-or-cure description: indeed, it
+requires a strong sheep to bear this application. Rubbing with tar, as
+practised in Scotland, has been found utterly useless.
+
+In advising sheep-farmers to have a good agricultural homestead, I am
+aware I am recommending what hundreds have not the power to obtain. As a
+general rule, however, it is a golden one; and I would adhere to it,
+even were I compelled to have three hundred miles between my stations
+and the homestead. Indeed, I have known those two establishments
+separated by two hundred miles.
+
+Since 1838-9, sheep have been sold in New South Wales as low as
+ninepence a head: this, however, was under very extraordinary
+circumstances, and is not likely to happen again; more especially since
+the proprietor has found out that, by slaughtering the animal, and
+boiling down the carcase, he can get 3s. 6d. for the tallow it yields.
+During the recent distresses, thousands of sheep have been disposed of
+in this way, the proprietors being so much reduced as to be literally
+unable either to pay or to feed men to look after their flocks. I know
+many parties who purchased sheep between the years 1837 and 1840, at the
+rates then current, at three years' credit, paying ten per cent, per
+annum for the indulgence, who, after keeping their purchases and their
+increase for three years, were compelled, when their acceptances became
+due, to sell off original stock, increase, and all, and then had not
+half enough to satisfy their creditor. This, as I said before, arose
+from peculiar circumstances, being caused by the prevailing panic. I
+shall advert again to this subject, in offering a few remarks upon the
+recent distresses and their causes.
+
+Now as to cattle. The English or Scotch grazier, who has his cattle
+brought home and housed every night, can have no idea of the sort of
+work his brother grazier in Australia has to go through. Here, the
+climate is so mild, that cattle are never housed, but wander in the bush
+from year's end to year's end. The proprietor of five hundred head of
+horned cattle, must command the run of five thousand acres of
+pasture-land, of fair quality, as the grass in the woods of Australia is
+so thin, that it takes three acres to feed a sheep, and ten for a
+bullock. He generally employs two men, called stock-keepers, to look
+after them: these are mounted, and ought to employ their time in riding
+over and roundabout their master's run, to see that his cattle do not
+stray, and that his grass is not trespassed on by others. This, however,
+is more than most of these gentry condescend to do, many of them
+preferring the company of cattle-stealers and other vagabonds, with whom
+they are frequently leagued; and if I may judge from the money I have
+seen in possession of stock-keepers, they share largely in the
+cattle-stealers' plunder. With the exception of some twenty cows and
+calves usually kept about the house, to give milk, which are called the
+milking herd, the grazier sees nothing of his herds but on muster-days,
+which occur twice a year. For some time previously to muster-day, the
+stock-keepers have been very busy drawing their herds by degrees as near
+the stock-yard as possible; and when the day arrives, the whole are
+driven into the yard to be inspected. All the yearlings are then
+branded, and fat bullocks are picked out for sale or slaughter. At this
+time, the stock-keeper and his horse have no sinecure; for the cattle
+they have to collect, are as wild, and nearly as swift as deer; so much
+so, that a cattle-hunt in Australia is nearly as much enjoyed by the
+young men as a fox-hunt in Old England. Some breeds of cattle are much
+more easily managed than others, being naturally quieter; but, generally
+speaking, the wild way in which the Australian herds are reared, makes
+them intractable and troublesome.
+
+In spite of all this thieving and trouble, however, cattle-stock is a
+good investment for money in ordinary times. In extraordinary times like
+the last year or two, no investment is safe, except to the man who can
+hold on till things mend. In 1838, cattle were worth from 3l. 10s. to
+5l. per head, for a herd consisting of cows, steers, and heifers from
+one to three years old, and calves under six months. Very superior herds
+were worth more; but I speak generally. Since that time, thousands of
+cattle have been killed and boiled down for their tallow. But times are
+mending, and this stock, like every other, is not likely to be again so
+unsaleable.
+
+It is of the greatest possible importance to a grazier, to have his
+herds near some place where there is communication by water with Sydney.
+In this respect, Hunter's river and Port Macquarie have the pre-eminence
+over the rest of the Colony. The possessor of fat cattle, in either of
+those districts, can at all times send them to market by steam, without
+their losing much flesh; whereas I knew in 1839, when fodder was so
+scarce, a man having three hundred head of beasts fit for the knife,
+running in Wellington valley, which, could he have got them into Sydney,
+would have brought 8l. per head ready cash, but which were utterly
+valueless to him, from the impossibility of driving them through a
+country almost bare of pasture. Had this man been on the banks of either
+of my favourite rivers, he could have turned his cattle into cash in
+three days.
+
+The wild way in which cattle are reared in Australia, makes the young
+steer a troublesome animal to break in for the plough; and then, the
+absurd system of turning all the working bullocks into the bush to feed
+after their day's work, adds very much to the farmer's cares. These
+bullocks are very cunning, and at daylight, when they well know the
+ploughman will be after them, invariably conceal themselves in some snug
+corner. I have had men out for hours, looking for a team of bullocks in
+this way, and have frequently been vexed to see them return as late as
+noon with only half the number.
+
+Were I again to turn Australian farmer, I would stable my working
+cattle, keep a man to take care of them, grow ten acres of Lucerne hay
+to feed them, save their manure, (an article almost universally thrown
+away in Australia,) get double work out of them, and have the
+satisfaction of seeing my ploughs going at regular hours, in place of
+being worried "from July to eternity," as Sam Slick says, by having to
+search for the cattle in the bush. It often struck me, that the
+Australian grazier loses a chance of making a good deal of money by
+neglecting his dairy produce. Had he a regular establishment in the
+bush where his herds run, to milk the cows and make butter and cheese,
+it would not only, in my opinion, pay well for the trouble, but would
+make his cattle much less wild. His having forty or fifty cows brought
+home every evening to milk, would not only make their calves quiet and
+tractable, but would also compel the stock-keeper to be more active,
+would keep him at his duty, and, I feel satisfied, would save the
+proprietor a great deal in the course of the year. The butter and cheese
+here are both of excellent quality, and might be made in large
+quantities; yet, both are regularly imported into Sydney from the
+Derwent (Van Diemen's Land) and Port Phillip; a state of things the
+settlers of New South Wales ought to be ashamed of.
+
+Many a fine cattle-run is rendered useless in dry seasons, by want of
+water. Nature has provided, all over the country, reservoirs (or tanks)
+for water, which are filled by every heavy rain; and their contents last
+a long time: still, in a very dry season, these fail; and many a thirsty
+bullock loses his life by tumbling, from excessive weakness, into one of
+those pits. Some parts of the country have no tanks, (or water-holes, as
+they are called,) except a few muddy puddles at the foot of the hills,
+and thus become unavailing sooner than other parts. This inconvenience
+might in a great measure be remedied, at trifling cost, by constructing
+dams at properly chosen places in the ravines or gulleys that intersect
+the hills from top to bottom, every two or three hundred yards. In one
+instance, I have seen this plan adopted with success. The owners of
+property between Sydney and Paramatta are compelled to make tanks, the
+water in the river being salt, and that procured by digging wells being
+very little better. Water, Water, is the cry, in dry seasons, all over
+this otherwise highly favoured country; and till the end of time, this
+want will prevent New South Wales from becoming a densely populated
+country.
+
+The horse-fancier may invest a few hundreds very profitably in the
+purchase of some really good brood mares. From these, he will not only
+draw a good return for his money, but will also derive a great deal of
+pleasant pastime in superintending the breaking-in of his colts and
+fillies. Horse-stock, like every other, has fallen much in price lately,
+but will doubtless recover itself when times improve. I am acquainted
+with more than one proprietor who has made no inconsiderable sum of
+money by rearing horses. There is a constant demand for them; and of
+late, a good market has been found in India for those suited for
+cavalry.
+
+Another profitable investment for money is to be found, in Sydney, in
+the way of mortgage. Ten and twelve per cent, is paid regularly, and
+security given of an undoubted character,--security that has not in one
+instance failed the mortgagee, even in the recent desperate times. Large
+sums may be invested in this way; and for the absent capitalist, it is
+the mode of investment I would recommend in preference to any other.
+Bank Shares used to be in great favour with monied men when I was in
+Australia. The holders have, however, had a severe lesson since then,
+having suffered seriously by some failures among those establishments.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CAUSES OF THE RECENT DISTRESSES--CONDUCT OF THE
+ BANKS--MANIA FOR SPECULATION--LONG-ACCOUNT
+ SYSTEM--BAD SEASONS.
+
+
+I will now proceed to offer a few remarks on the causes of the late
+terrible distresses in New South Wales, and on what I consider as the
+best means of preventing the recurrence of such lamentable scenes.
+
+The three main causes of those distresses were, undoubtedly:--
+
+ First, Harsh and illiberal conduct on the part of the Banks.
+
+ Secondly, A wild speculation-mania that took possession of the
+ entire population.
+
+ Thirdly, The system that had obtained, of giving long credit to
+ purchasers of stock, &c.
+
+While I look upon these three as the primary and principal causes of by
+far the greater part of the suffering the Colony has recently undergone,
+I must specify another, though certainly a secondary cause; namely, two
+successive bad seasons. This last cause is, I am aware, by many
+persons, regarded as the chief source of all their distresses and
+losses; but I think I can shew that those parties are wrong in this
+opinion, which springs from their anxiety to frame an excuse for their
+very imprudent speculations.
+
+In the first place, then, I accuse the Banks of harsh and illiberal
+conduct; and I will state my reasons for this charge.
+
+When I arrived in Sydney in 1836, the Banks, without exception, but more
+particularly the Commercial Bank (then under the management of a
+would-be shrewd Aberdonian), were doing every thing in their power to
+induce parties to open accounts with them. Bills for discount were
+eagerly sought after, and little attention was paid to the
+respectability of the names of either drawer or endorser. Cash-advances
+were publicly advertised by the Commercial Bank. Parties, to my certain
+knowledge, were stopped in the street by the Aberdonian just alluded to,
+who solicited their business with a very bland smile. In short, no stone
+was left unturned by these money-seekers to add to their half-yearly
+dividends. This system went on till the latter end of 1839. I need
+scarcely say, that this unbecoming and greedy canvassing for business,
+tempted many an unwary merchant and settler to venture beyond his depth,
+and ultimately led to ruin and a prison. The amount of money represented
+by absolutely valueless paper at this time, is quite beyond
+calculation. Renewals were a matter of course. Cash payments, even in
+part, were the reverse of common. Bank-directors overdrew their accounts
+with perfect impunity to a large amount; and the whole Colony seemed
+intoxicated with the fond notion that the Banks would never fail them,
+and that, in those fountains, they would at all times find a
+never-ending supply of "the needful." In the midst of this mad career,
+the day of reckoning came suddenly upon them. The Banks took the alarm:
+they began to think they had allowed the kite-flying system to go too
+far; and they commenced a system of unparalleled harshness and
+oppression towards their _gulls_. Cash advances were not merely stopped,
+but those previously made were called in. Renewals would no longer be
+accepted, even for half or a quarter of the amount due; and the
+unfortunate "kite-flier" was, in hundreds of cases, ruined by the very
+men who had in the most unprincipled manner led him into the mire, and
+then left him.
+
+The Banks now took up a position the very opposite of that hitherto
+occupied by them; and, instead of trusting everybody, put no faith in
+any one. This conduct ultimately recoiled upon themselves; their shares
+fell in value; some of them became bankrupt, while the others had a hard
+struggle to avoid that catastrophe; and the public lost all confidence
+in banks and bankers. The worst part of the tale remains to be told;
+namely, that many widows and orphans, whose all was invested in bank
+shares, were utterly ruined and reduced to destitution by the failures
+alluded to.
+
+I come now to the second main cause of Australian distress, viz. the
+speculation-mania that took possession of the entire population of this
+fine Colony. No one who did not witness the effects of this mania, can
+imagine to what an extent it was carried. Scarcely a day passed without
+one or more public auctions of stock of all descriptions; and not a sale
+took place, that was not crowded with eager purchasers. Many large
+stock-holders took advantage of the high prices obtained at those sales,
+to sell off, in the delusive hope that they would in this way be enabled
+to retire from active life, and perhaps to return to their native
+country. The terms offered at those public sales, were such as to induce
+many persons who never even dreamed of sheep or cattle farming, to enter
+the market and purchase to a large extent. These terms were, in general,
+something like the following:--
+
+ Ten per cent, on the fall of the hammer;
+
+ Thirty per cent, by bill at twelve months;
+
+ Thirty per cent, by bill at two years;
+
+ Thirty per cent, by bill at three years: these bills bearing
+ interest at ten per cent, per annum.
+
+I have seen tens of thousands of sheep and cattle sold in this way, many
+of the buyers being men who had never even seen one of the animals they
+were bidding for, and who knew literally nothing about the management of
+flocks and herds; being tempted to make the purchase by the long credit
+given. But, strange to say, many old settlers were led, with their eyes
+open, into extensive purchases at most exorbitant rates, thinking that
+nothing could check the career of splendid prosperity upon which the
+Colony was then supposed to have entered. How dearly those parties have
+paid for their folly, the world generally, and their creditors in
+particular, well know. Besides the numerous public sales of stock all
+over the Colony, and the large amount of property that changed hands on
+those occasions, many important private sales took place about the same
+time. There was not a sheep, cow, or horse in the Colony, too old or too
+bad to find a purchaser! Any thing would sell, provided only that _time_
+was given to find the money. Nothing could exceed the madness of the
+people, buying, selling, and exchanging accommodation-paper from end to
+end of the land. Then came the land-jobbers, a set of sharks who did
+great harm. It was a common practice with those jobbers, or rather
+robbers, to apply to the Surveyor-General's department, to have lots of
+land put up for sale, which they were aware that certain landed
+proprietors could never allow to fall into the hands of strangers, and
+then to go to the party whose estate the sale of the land in question
+would injure, and demand a bribe to stop their bidding against him. If
+this quietus was refused, these scamps would attend the sale, and bid
+the land up to some exorbitant price, knowing that their victim must be
+the buyer. Land once advertised by Government must be put up to auction;
+and the jobber's victim was obliged either to purchase, or to run the
+risk of having a stranger sit down as the proprietor of a few hundred
+acres in the midst of his thousands. Another class of scamps used to
+attend land-sales, who would conspire to keep down the prices of lots
+they wanted, by not bidding against each other, and by playing various
+other tricks, to the detriment of the revenue. The Attorney-General got
+hold of half a dozen of those gentry in 1839, and prosecuted them for
+conspiracy. He obtained a verdict of guilty against them, but assented
+to their petition for a new trial. Again they were convicted, and they
+were fined a hundred pounds each; the Court telling them, that the
+penalty would have been much heavier, had not the judge taken into
+consideration their humble petition for mercy, and the heavy expenses
+they had incurred in standing two trials.
+
+This system of selling by auction and by private sale, large herds of
+cattle and flocks of sheep at high prices, went on till some of the
+twelve-month's paper became due. Cash not being then forthcoming,
+renewals were asked for in many instances, which somewhat damped the
+ardour of speculation; but the wild career did not receive any very
+serious check, till the two-years' paper began to come into play. Very
+little cash could be got from the drawers, who were, in many cases,
+obliged to bring a large portion of their stock to the hammer, in order
+to meet their acceptances for thirty per cent, of the purchase money.
+This alarmed people. The price of stock began to fall; and, long before
+the three-years' paper became due, ewes that had cost the buyers 3l. per
+head, could be got for 7s. 6d.
+
+Thus, many a poor fellow, after labouring hard for three years to keep
+his flocks and their increase together, had to part with the whole, and
+still had not enough wherewith to satisfy his original creditors.
+Hundreds of instances of this kind might be specified, did I feel at
+liberty to publish names.
+
+As to the operation of the third main cause of the distress, the system
+that obtained, of giving long credit to purchasers of stock, the evils
+arising from this practice have been partly exposed in the foregoing
+remarks; but I will proceed to point out a few other evil consequences,
+as they occur to me. To begin with one that more than once came under my
+own notice; many persons of property, trusting to the long prices
+obtainable for stock of every description when sold on credit, and
+forgetting that there was absolutely no _cash price_ at the time, deemed
+themselves much richer men than they were in reality. Giving to their
+overseers the charge of their country residences, they took and
+furnished houses in Sydney for their families, set up their carriages,
+and commenced a style of living far beyond their means. This fact (the
+want of cash) came upon them the moment the first half-year's bills for
+rent, household supplies, &c., became due: these proved to the deluded
+settler, that, though he had flocks and herds, he had no money, nor
+could any be got, except at a sacrifice. To a man, they had to sell off
+and return to their estates, where dire necessity has since compelled
+them to remain, and where, I hope, renewed prosperity and common sense
+will induce them to stay.
+
+Another evil caused by the long-credit system, was its inducing many
+persons to purchase stock for the purpose of raising money upon it. This
+practice was carried to a ruinous extent, and caused immense distress in
+this way. A hundred head of cattle might be parted with to day, by a
+needy settler, say, at 3l. per head, six months' credit; the seller took
+the buyer's note of hand for the purchase money, 300l., which was
+immediately taken to the bank, and discounted; and the settler returned
+to his farm, satisfied that he had made a good sale of his beasts. The
+buyer, having no use for the cattle, re-sold them, taking the second
+buyer's note for the money, which, like that of the first, went at once
+to the bank. This transaction was frequently repeated six or eight
+times, before the cattle found a _bonā fide_ purchaser; and it was no
+uncommon thing, to find paper in the market to the amount of 1800l. or
+2000l., the only representative for which was the hundred head of cattle
+originally sold by the settler; the whole of the parties concerned
+being, with the exception of the first seller and the last buyer, mere
+men of straw. When the six months expired, not a single bill of the six
+or eight negotiated, was taken up, excepting, perhaps, the last one: all
+the others had to be renewed; and it was the forcing the payment of such
+bills, that ruined so many people, and ultimately shook the credit of
+every bank in Australia.
+
+The credit system also led many mercantile men into speculations which
+they never would have entered into under a wholesome system of trade.
+From these many serious losses resulted, which have led to ruinous
+failures. Any man with a hundred pounds in his pocket, could get credit
+for a thousand; and numbers of adventurers of all descriptions, taking
+advantage of the times, opened stylish shops well-filled with goods
+bought on credit, carried on a flourishing trade till within a few days
+of their bills falling due, and then decamped, leaving their
+unfortunate and silly creditors to get paid from the wreck of the stock
+left in the shop. I knew an auctioneer who played this nefarious trick,
+leaving his creditors _minus_ the enormous sum of 70,000l. He did not,
+however, long retain his ill-gotten wealth: how he got rid of it, I do
+not know; but I found him two years ago in Singapore, where he kept a
+small grog-shop, and lived in great wretchedness; and I have since met
+with him knocking about the streets of Macao, a disgrace to his country
+in a foreign settlement. The credit system ruined two thirds of the
+respectable auctioneers in Sydney, and upset the Australian Auction
+Company, absorbing every shilling of its paid-up capital.
+
+In addition to the evils inflicted on this Colony by these main causes,
+great losses were sustained by settlers through their becoming shippers
+of their own wool. At the time I speak of, wool was worth, in Sydney,
+from 2s. 1d. to 2s. 2d. per pound, and, in England, some 6d. or 8d.
+more. These high rates would not satisfy some settlers, who foolishly
+took an advance upon their clips, letting them go home on their own
+account, and at the risk of the agents of the parties who advanced the
+money in Sydney. In the meantime, wool fell in the English markets to
+1s. and 15d. per pound. The nett proceeds of the shipment did not nearly
+cover the advance made; and the hapless shipper, already in debt to his
+agent for supplies, and without a penny of cash at his command, was
+called upon to make good the difference, which he was unable to do. His
+agent, pressed by others, must press him; his flocks are brought to the
+hammer, and sold at the now ruinous current prices; and he becomes a
+bankrupt. Dozens of cases like this, occurred during the late wretched
+times.
+
+I come now to the consideration of the bad seasons of 1838-39 and
+1839-40. While I maintain that they were far from being the sole, or
+even the chief cause of distress, I allow that they added to it very
+materially. To shew that they were not the sole cause, I may mention,
+that, among my own personal friends in the Colony, not one who avoided
+speculation and putting his name on paper, has failed; while those who
+followed the stream have sunk, every one of them. During those years,
+every thing the unfortunate grazier had to sell, was cheap beyond all
+precedent; while every article he was compelled to purchase, was very
+dear. Tea, owing to the China war, rose from 5l. to 15l. per
+half-_pecul_ chest of hyson skin. Flour of the very coarsest description
+could not be had under from 30l. to 35l. per ton of two thousand pounds
+weight,--a colonial cheat, calling two thousand pounds a ton! Sugar and
+other necessaries were equally high; and many a poor settler who had
+never refused his hard-worked servants their tea, sugar, and tobacco,
+was compelled to stop those indulgences.
+
+To the working-classes in Sydney and other towns, the bad seasons were
+ruinous. Provisions were so dear, that many a father of a family found
+his earnings far from sufficient to provide food for his wife and
+children. Building was almost entirely put a stop to; and thus, hundreds
+of industrious men were thrown out of employment. To so serious an
+extent did this distress reach, that Government was called upon to
+afford pecuniary relief to the starving poor; a circumstance altogether
+unprecedented in Australian history.
+
+So low had these evils sunk the Colony and all its inhabitants, that
+failures of merchants and settlers continued to be of almost daily
+occurrence up to the end of the year 1843. No one durst push his
+neighbour for payment of debt: were such a thing attempted, an immediate
+surrender of his affairs to the official trustee of the Insolvent Court,
+was the consequence. Several of the first and oldest merchants in the
+Colony have sunk under the long-continued pressure; and, at the date of
+the last accounts, more failures were looked for. These, however, were
+expected as the result of old causes, not of new or recent transactions.
+
+Upon the whole, I am disposed to think, that Australia has seen its
+darkest day, and that things are likely soon to improve, if, indeed,
+they have not already mended. The price of stock was looking up; and
+ewes that had actually been sold as low as 9d. each, were worth 7s. 6d.
+Men of capital lately arrived from England with ready money, had
+commenced purchasing land and stock; and their operations had given an
+impetus to affairs in general, that could not fail to be beneficial.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY STILL EXISTING--HINTS TO
+ THE COLONISTS--FUTURE PROSPECTS.
+
+
+Notwithstanding the terrible shock from which Australia has been
+suffering ever since 1839, I still retain a high opinion of the Colony
+as an advantageous field for the employment of the spare capital of the
+mother country. The elements of prosperity still exist, and require only
+a little nursing in order to effect its recovery from the recent
+depression. The emigrant with a capital of three or four thousand
+pounds, must not, indeed, expect to make a fortune in a few years; but
+he may with perfect confidence look to make himself an independent man,
+at a much more rapid rate than he could by means of double that sum in
+England. If he is prudent, nurses his capital, sticks to his business as
+a settler, avoids _tempting_ bargains of things he has no use for, and,
+above all, refrains from obliging his neighbours with the occasional
+loan of his name to a bill, I see not what can by possibility prevent
+his succeeding in such a country, even allowing that every third season
+should prove one of drought. To the industrious farmer with a small
+capital of 500l. or 1000l., New South Wales offers a fine field: he can
+obtain a hundred acres of the finest arable land in the world on a
+clearing-lease, with two years free for the clearing, and three or five
+years more on a moderate rent. A capital even of 500l. will enable him
+to fence his land, build himself a _bush_-house and out-offices, and
+maintain his family for two years; by which time it will be hard indeed,
+if he has not land enough under crop to return him something handsome. I
+have known many settlers of this kind thrive, and many others "go to the
+wall:" the former had a small capital to start with, while the latter
+commenced upon credit for the very bread required for their families; a
+plan I never knew to succeed.
+
+Let but the settler stick to his business; the merchant be content with
+smaller profits than used to satisfy him, and cease giving long credit
+to all and everybody; let the banker be less grasping, and not quite so
+hard a creditor when he finds one of his customers in difficulties or
+reverses; let every one avoid speculations out of his strict line of
+business, and beware of accommodation-paper; and let the lower and
+middle classes avoid the public-house; and there is nothing to fear for
+Australia. It has had a severe lesson administered to it, that ought to
+be a warning to all its inhabitants for the future. I have no hesitation
+in saying, that nine-tenths of the evils from which the Colonists have
+suffered of late, have arisen from their own imprudence, and that these
+may be avoided in future by common caution, in spite of dry seasons and
+occasional failures of crops.
+
+Now that colonization is extending up the coast from Sydney northwards,
+and the inhabited parts of the Colony already approach the tropic of
+Capricorn, New South Wales ought, in a few years, to be a rice and
+sugar-growing country. The soil on the banks of the rivers in the
+neighbourhood of Moreton Bay, is, from all accounts, equal to any thing
+hitherto known in the Colony; and the climate is very highly spoken of.
+Should the winter there prove too long or too severe for sugar-growing,
+(I do not see why it should be so,) parties anxious to try the culture
+of the cane as a means of making money, must in that case just move a
+little further north. There is an extensive field to explore, before
+they reach Torres' Straits.
+
+That New South Wales will become an extensive wine-growing country, I
+conceive there is no room to doubt. Its vineyards are magnificent, in
+every sense of the word. I have visited several of them, and was struck
+with the abundance and variety of their produce. Two proprietors of my
+acquaintance have been for years in the practice of making wine of
+different sorts, but principally of the lighter kinds resembling the
+Rhenish. I can vouch for their being very palatable, particularly during
+the summer months. One of the gentlemen alluded to has also made very
+good port wine and brandy.
+
+The greatest drawback on the commerce of New South Wales, is the
+deficiency of exports, the balance of trade being greatly against the
+Colony. Its wool and oil are what merchants have hitherto principally
+depended upon, though other exports are now coming into play; viz.
+cedar-timber, hides, tallow, and salt provisions. Still, I do not think
+that, even with these additions, the merchants of the Colony can manage
+to make their exports equal in value to their imports; and were it not
+for the very considerable sums drawn for on the Home Government, by the
+military department, for the pay and provisions of the troops, necessity
+would compel the merchants of England to reduce their shipments to
+Australia. The great fall in the price of the principal colonial staple,
+wool, has added very materially to the difficulties arising out of this
+state of affairs, by reducing the value of remittances made in that
+article to one half of what it used to be. The quantity of wool
+increases, it is true, from year to year, but not to such an extent as
+to counterbalance the fall in price; and it must be borne in mind,
+that, as fast as the wool increases, so does the population, and
+consequently the amount of imports in the shape of supplies, which have
+all to be remitted for. Since the opening of the coast of China to the
+commerce of the world, (the result of our late struggle with that
+country,--a struggle so much condemned by those who were ignorant of the
+merits of the case,) the merchants of Sydney seem to have entertained
+the idea, that their trade will benefit by the change. No one would
+rejoice more than myself at their anticipations proving correct; but I
+confess my judgment differs from theirs; and if we may judge by the
+result of their trial shipments, which arrived prior to my leaving
+China, it is to be feared they will find, to their cost, that they have
+reckoned without their host. The Sydney merchants, from what I have
+heard, expect to find in China a market for horses, cattle, and sheep,
+coarse woollens, wine, and salt provisions. The first three have been
+tried, and the experiment has proved an utter failure: the horses were
+sent to Calcutta, not a purchaser being found for one of them in Hong
+Kong. Cattle are out of the question: they cannot be transported five
+thousand miles to undersell the Chinese butcher, who gives fifteen
+pounds of good beef for a dollar--about 3-1/2d. per pound. This price,
+the Sydney speculator cannot compete with, particularly as his beasts
+would certainly land in poor condition after so long a voyage, and
+either put him to the expense of fattening them, or compel him to sell
+at the low price of lean cattle. Sheep have also been tried by several
+ship-masters, and did not answer: the last lot that came, were
+slaughtered and sold in the market, the only way in which they could be
+got rid of, and which would not answer the purpose of a large importer.
+For coarse woollens, a market may certainly be found in China; but
+whether a profitable one, or not, to the Australian manufacturer, is, in
+my opinion, somewhat doubtful. Labour is so much cheaper in Britain than
+it is in Australia, that, I fear, the Sydney manufacturer would have but
+a poor chance, when his goods came into competition with those of
+Manchester, either in the Chinese or in any other market. Whatever kinds
+of goods may be required on the coast of China, will soon be supplied
+from Manchester and Glasgow at the lowest possible figure, the object of
+the manufacturers of those places being, I presume, a large trade with
+moderate profits; so moderate, indeed, as to leave the Sydney
+manufacturer no chance of competing with the means at the command of the
+British manufacturer. Australian wool, like Indian cotton, may be taken
+to England, be manufactured there, and sent out and sold in China, or
+anywhere else, for less money than it would cost the Sydney capitalist
+to produce the manufactured article. As to wine, it will be a long time
+before New South Wales has much to export; and the limited European
+population of China will not consume a sufficient quantity to be of
+importance to the Australian vine-grower. The Chinese cannot be counted
+upon as purchasers: they are not wine-drinkers, generally speaking; and
+the little they do consume, is manufactured to suit their own palates,
+in China.
+
+For salt provisions, there is a considerable demand in China, among the
+European shipping that visit its ports: they must, however, be cheaper
+in Sydney than they were in my time, to answer the purpose of even a
+remittance. The Americans bring to China excellent beef and pork, which
+they sell at ten and twelve dollars (about 42s. to 54s.) per barrel of
+two hundred pounds weight. If these prices will remunerate the Sydney
+shipper, he may try his luck as soon as he likes; but he must not send
+an inferior article: if he does, he will sink his capital. Cedar-timber
+has been tried recently, and has answered very well to a small extent:
+this, however, will last only till the town of Victoria on the island of
+Hong-Kong is completely built.
+
+By every fresh outlet for surplus stock that can be pointed out to the
+Australian grazier, we shall be rendering him a substantial service. Sir
+Robert Peel's new tariff will enable him to dispose of many a spare fat
+bullock. Of this opening he has already taken advantage, by sending
+trial shipments of salt beef to England.
+
+It appears to me, that the imports and exports of Australia ought to be
+much nearer a balance than they are. To bring about this desirable state
+of things, it will be requisite to reduce the amount of the imports,
+which may be effected by giving up the importation of hams, bacon,
+cheese, butter, tobacco, and, in a great measure, grain. To see a
+pastoral country like New South Wales importing butter and cheese, is an
+anomaly, and only proves the waste and carelessness of the owners of
+herds numerous enough to supply all Europe with dairy produce. The
+importation of hams and bacon is another absurdity and evidence of
+wasteful husbandry. I have seen fruit, barn-sweepings, butter-milk,
+bran, &c. &c. wasted about a farm in Australia, in quantities sufficient
+to feed and fatten a hundred pigs, which would have kept the
+establishment in meat for half the year. Indeed, it is a common saying
+in the Colony, that the waste on one of its farms, would make an English
+farmer's fortune. These may seem minor articles, but vast sums of money
+are annually paid for them to London dealers. Besides these, are
+imported, pickles, preserved fruits, sweetmeats, shoes, clothing, and a
+thousand other articles, every one of which might be as well and as
+economically made in the Colony, thereby saving thousands per annum. A
+coat or other article of dress can be made in Sydney as well and as
+cheap as in London; and though the cloth must be obtained from England,
+there is no reason that the London tailor should benefit by the making,
+when the Sydney one is in want of work, and is willing to work as cheap
+as his London brother. Employing colonial workmen would keep vast sums
+of money in the country, that now go out of it.
+
+Tobacco and snuff ought never to be imported, the Colony being quite
+equal to producing more than sufficient for its own consumption. The
+quality of colonial tobacco used to be complained of; but that objection
+no longer exists. Moreover, people who cannot complete their remittances
+for necessaries, have no right to be nice in their choice of luxuries. I
+am confident that I am within the mark, when I say, that 50,000l.
+sterling per annum are paid to Americans and others who import snuff and
+tobacco! This is a sum assuredly worth saving, and which the Colonists
+could easily save, by encouraging the growth and consumption of their
+own produce.
+
+After what I have written upon the subject of Australian agriculture, I
+may be thought to be making a bold assertion in saying, that the
+necessity for the importation of grain might, in a great measure, be
+done away with in Australia. Nevertheless, such is my opinion; and I
+will proceed to give my reasons. In the first place, there is a great
+waste of wheat, as well as of every thing else, on every farm in the
+Colony. There is no gleaning; and what with the bad and careless
+threshing and the ill-thatched and worse-built stacks, which admit the
+rain, whereby thousands of bushels of wheat are destroyed, the waste is
+beyond any one's conception who has not actually witnessed it. In the
+second place, there is not nearly so much wheat grown in Australia as
+there might and ought to be. A simple process of irrigation, such as the
+Chinese or the Javanese, the machinery for which would not cost 5l., and
+would employ only two men when in operation, applied to the wheat-fields
+in dry seasons once a month, would save many a crop. All, or nearly all
+the wheat in the Colony, is grown on the banks of rivers, which, though
+they cease to flow in a season of drought, have always water in the deep
+parts of the channel or "water-holes." It requires no argument to prove,
+that irrigation, in such situations, is a very simple matter. Two
+Javanese, by means of a long lever attached to a tall tree on the bank
+of a river, with a large bucket and string at one end, and a string to
+hoist up by at the other end, will keep a small stream of water running
+over and fertilizing the neighbouring paddy-fields all day long, without
+fatiguing themselves. The Chinese water-wheel is also a simple and cheap
+contrivance, and would throw up water enough, in two hours, to
+irrigate, or even to inundate a tobacco or wheat-field. All that is
+wanted, besides the labour of two men, is a series of wooden troughs to
+convey the water from the river bank to the highest part of the field,
+whence it is easily guided over the other parts. A little attention to
+irrigation might, in my humble opinion, very soon make New South Wales
+independent of imported wheat.
+
+Another means of doing away with the importation of grain and flour, may
+be found in paying more attention to the cultivation of maize. Large
+quantities of it are grown at present, but they might easily be
+doubled.[20] And here, irrigation would answer splendidly, the drills
+forming such convenient water-courses. Large as is the quantity of maize
+grown in Australia, it is not used as food for man;--why, I know not,
+but such is the fact;--and I have known a convict turn up his nose when
+offered corn-meal. Every one knows how extensively this article is used
+in America, and how wholesome a food it is. Were the Australian farmers
+firmly and unanimously to determine upon making their dependents take at
+least half their weekly allowance in maize-meal, in place of wheaten
+flour, the latter would soon become fond of it. There would then be an
+inducement to extend its cultivation; and the large sums of money
+annually remitted to Van Diemen's Land, Valparaiso, and Bengal, for
+wheat, would very shortly be reduced to a small cipher.
+
+ [Footnote 20: I do not mean to say, that irrigating an acre of
+ wheat or maize would double the yield of grain, but that double
+ the number of acres now under the plough would in a few years,
+ after the irrigating system had been fairly tried and found to
+ answer, be brought under cultivation. In the neighbourhood of
+ Bathurst, and in many other parts of the Colony where rain is
+ very uncertain, there are thousands of acres of alluvial land
+ lying waste, which, upon my plan, would yield tens of thousands
+ of bushels of wheat and maize.]
+
+To urge this most desirable object any further upon the Colonists of New
+South Wales, would be to insult their good sense. I will only express a
+wish that they may at once adopt measures to equalize their imports and
+exports, and that the few hints here thrown out to them, may be of use.
+
+The supply of tea and sugar to the Australian Colonies, has, on the
+whole, been a profitable trade to the parties engaged in it; but it has,
+of late, been overdone. The quality of the tea and sugar now sent to
+Sydney, is far superior to what it used to be; and the coarser sorts of
+both are going out of use; a clear proof that the population are
+improving in respectability. Formerly, nothing in the shape of either
+article was too bad to send out to Australia. Things have changed,
+however, and several speculators have been serious losers within the
+last three years, by sending goods that would have suited admirably six
+years ago. When I first went into the Bush, you might visit a dozen of
+the most respectable houses without being able to get any thing better
+than the most common hyson-skin tea and very dark moist sugar. A cup or
+two of the liquid made from these, would poison an old Indian; and I
+never ventured to drink it. A friend of mine, who absolutely dreaded
+being compelled to drink this stuff, used always to carry a paper of
+good black tea in his pocket, whenever he left his own house. He was in
+the right, though often laughed at. Mauritius sugar used to be the
+favourite at the time I speak of; but now, Manilla, Singapore, and
+Batavia are looked to for the supply of a better and cheaper article.
+From Manilla the Colonists import small supplies of coffee, chocolate,
+reed hats, and cheroots. Singapore and Batavia send them, in addition to
+sugar, quantities of rice, spices, Dutch gin, tea brought thither by
+Chinese junks, planks, &c. &c. Singapore sends also a ship or two
+annually to South Australia, Port Philip, and Van Diemen's Land.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CLASSES OF SOCIETY IN SYDNEY--DISAPPOINTMENT OF
+ EMIGRANTS--CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH AND BRITISH
+ EMIGRANTS--AVAILABLENESS OF CHINESE
+ LABOURERS--AUSTRALIAN COAL MONOPOLY--TORRES'
+ STRAITS THE BEST PASSAGE FOR STEAMERS--BOTANY
+ BAY--PASSAGE FROM SYDNEY TO BATAVIA.
+
+
+To obtain admission to good society in Sydney, when my family first
+arrived there, was no easy matter. Not that there was any lack of it in
+the place, but the residents were, very properly, shy of strangers,
+unless provided with testimonials as to their respectability.
+Fortunately for us, a kind friend in Singapore, who had been in New
+South Wales, and knew the value of the favour he was conferring,
+supplied us with a whole packet of introductory letters to the first
+families in the place; while we were further aided in the matter by my
+old friend, Thos. Macquoid, Esq., then Sheriff of the Colony. In a place
+like Sydney, where society is formed of such varied and extraordinary
+materials suspicion of strangers, on the part of the really respectable
+portion of the community, is natural enough; and those who have not been
+sufficiently wary in this respect, have had cause to regret their want
+of caution. The tide of emigration is now bringing numerous highly
+respectable families to Australia, as well as thousands of hard-working,
+honest labourers, while the importation of felons has ceased. This state
+of things will, in time, do away with the necessity for such extreme
+caution and mistrust. It will, however, take a number of years to clear
+the Colony of the half-reformed villain who still hankers after his old
+ways,--of the _emancipist_, whom the law looks upon as a reformed
+character, but whom experience has taught the world to look upon with a
+very different eye,--and of the convicts for life, who still amount to
+thousands. Until the Colony is pretty well weeded of such characters,
+society will not, and cannot, dismiss the suspicion with which it is now
+rendered necessary, by circumstances, to regard the unintroduced
+stranger.
+
+I found no lack of agreeable society, both male and female, in any part
+of New South Wales that I visited. In many instances, the conversation
+certainly turned rather too much upon sheep and cattle; but this ought
+to be excused, where ninety-nine hundredths earn their daily bread by
+means of those animals. In Sydney, we found the dinner and evening
+parties highly agreeable, and composed of elegant, accomplished, and
+intelligent persons of both sexes. What more can be said of any
+community? During the government of Sir Richard Bourke, an attempt was
+made by him to introduce into his own parties some emancipist families;
+and on one occasion, the grand-daughter of a late Sydney hangman
+actually made her appearance at a ball at Government-house. This fact
+being found out by the heads of families present, a representation was
+made to His Excellency through his aide-de-camp, and, after some show of
+opposition on the part of the Governor, a stop was put to it. I do not
+mean to say that, among the class called emancipists, consisting of
+persons who have been convicts, there may not be found men and women who
+have become thoroughly reformed and fit to adorn society. This, however,
+is the exception, not the rule. A large majority of the class in
+question are quite unfit for any company but that of a low pot-house.
+
+Some of the most stylish equipages in Sydney are the property of men who
+came to the Colony with fetters on their legs. In them may be seen, any
+and every day, gayly-dressed women, driving about the town, shopping and
+lounging away their idle mornings. Whether they are the wives,
+daughters, or mistresses of the owners of the carriages, it is difficult
+to tell; but the conclusion that every second one contains a mistress,
+would not be far from the truth. Such is the society the unwary stranger
+sometimes falls into, before he knows what he is about; nor does he
+become fully aware of the evil consequences of his imprudence, till he
+finds out with whom he has been associating, and that all access to the
+really respectable society of the place is closed against him. It is
+quite as requisite for a stranger arriving in Sydney to be on his guard
+as to his associates, as it is for residents to be careful whom they may
+admit into their families.
+
+There are many wealthy families in and near Sydney, whose heads came as
+convicts to the Colony. The days when such men could make rapid
+fortunes, are gone by; and the convict who looks for any thing of the
+kind now-a-days, will find himself wofully mistaken. There are too many
+respectable tradesmen in Sydney for ex-felons to have much chance; and
+the time when a shopkeeper would not condescend to take a piece of cloth
+off his shelf to satisfy a customer, but would point to a lot with his
+stick, and ask, "Which will you have?" has also gone by. Every attention
+is now shewn to customers by Sydney shopkeepers, some of whom are not a
+whit behind their London brethren in the art of recommending their
+wares.
+
+New South Wales had been for many years a British Colony, before any
+Israelites found their way thither as _free_ men; and I have heard,
+that it was the return of a Jewish convict with well-lined pockets, that
+first attracted their attention to his place of exile. Be this as it
+may, there are more Jews than enough in Sydney now; they are to be found
+in every quarter of the town; and certainly, they keep up their ancient
+character for perseverance in search of their idol, money. I do not
+think, however, that I ever came across a Jewish settler: why they seem
+to avoid that occupation, I know not.
+
+It is common, in Australia, to hear persons talk of the Colony as their
+adopted country, and so forth. No faith ought to be put in these
+declarations; nor do I believe there is a family in the Colony, who do
+not entertain some hope of once more seeing their native land. During
+the time that high prices were obtainable for stock, hundreds of
+settlers who were wont to talk of their adopted country, used every
+exertion to realize their property in order to return to England. Many
+succeeded, and actually left the Colony, rejoicing in the idea of once
+more planting their foot on British ground. The exceptions to this
+general rule, are to be found in the emancipist class; in the persons of
+notorious scamps who could not shew their face in respectable society in
+England, and who have sense enough to know that they are better off in
+the southern, than, by any chance, they could be in the northern
+hemisphere.
+
+From extensive experience, I am convinced, that a very large majority of
+emigrants are lamentably disappointed on reaching the shores of
+Australia. Not that I think they have cause for half the complaints they
+make; but they have received, before leaving home, such flattering
+representations of the good fortune that is in store for them, that
+their expectations are raised to a pitch far beyond the probable, and
+disappointment is the natural consequence. The tales told them prior to
+their embarkation, render them difficult to please on their arrival;
+they demand exorbitant wages, and more rations than they could possibly
+consume without waste; and the consequence of this is, that many of them
+remain weeks and months in Sydney, out of employment, living upon the
+little money brought from home, although, in the meantime, eligible
+offers may have been made them. This stay in Sydney not only empties the
+emigrant's pocket, but breeds idle habits, leading him to the
+public-house, where his last penny is soon extracted from him. Then
+comes want, with all the horrors of a starving wife and family; grown-up
+daughters are driven to prostitution; and the emigrant himself is
+ultimately compelled to accept any offer made him in his degraded state.
+This is no overdrawn or rare picture, as any one acquainted with the
+subject can testify. Emigrants that come to the Colony in what are
+called Government ships, and who are brought out at the public expense,
+are provided for on their arrival, till employment offers for them; but,
+the moment they are known to have refused a fair offer, Government aid
+ceases. Even that circumstance, however, has little or no effect upon
+the more stubborn of them, who abate or yield in their demands only when
+compelled by necessity. Many emigrants, from their fondness for a town
+life, refuse good offers of employment in the country. Great evils arise
+from this: one is, that it frequently happens, that Sydney is overrun
+with idle labourers in search of employment, while the settlers in the
+country are all crying out for help. To such a height had this evil
+risen, and to such distress were numbers of infatuated men reduced by
+remaining idle in town, that Government was recently applied to for its
+interference, and actually paid the expense of sending hundreds of men
+into the country, where they got immediate employment, which they might
+have had many months before, had they been reasonable in their demands.
+
+It is remarked all over the Colony, that the emigrants generally are
+very difficult to satisfy in the matter of rations; and that the man who
+had been the worst fed at home, was the most difficult to please abroad.
+An Irishman is generally found the chief grumbler here; a Scotchman
+ranks second; while an English peasant, who has all his life fared
+better than either, is found, in Australia, to be most easily satisfied.
+I do not attempt to explain or account for this; I have, however, not
+only frequently observed it, but have heard my neighbours make the same
+remark. I hired an Irish labourer and his wife, to whom I gave the
+following pay and rations:--22l. a year to the man; 12l. a year to his
+wife; weekly between the two, 14 lbs. of beef, 20 lbs. of flour, 3 lbs.
+of sugar, 6 oz. of tea, and 4 oz. of tobacco. With this allowance, for
+half of which thousands of families in England would be thankful, the
+couple were not satisfied, and actually complained that they had not
+enough to eat. It was summer time when they came to my farm; and they
+were warned, that the blow-flies would destroy their meat, if it was not
+covered up: they were too lazy, however, to take the slightest care of
+it; and, as I saw their second week's allowance lying on a table the day
+after it was served out, covered with a mass of blow-flies, I took them
+severely to task for their wanton waste and neglect. But it was of no
+avail. And this couple had lived upon potatoes and butter-milk all their
+lives! It is but just to add, that, on mentioning to a major in an Irish
+regiment, whom I subsequently met in China, the difficulty usually found
+in satisfying his countrymen in New South Wales, he expressed his
+astonishment, and remarked that the reverse was generally found to be
+the case with Irishmen in the army.
+
+Several ships with emigrants from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
+arrived at Sydney during the years 1838 and 1839. These people were, in
+general, unwilling to accept of employment in any shape, but preferred
+taking clearing-leases of small patches of land on their own account.
+This plan, many of them succeeded in carrying into execution, much to
+the disappointment and annoyance of the community at whose expense they
+had been brought to the Colony; and it was reasonably complained, that
+these men, in place of supplying the labour-market, as was intended,
+actually created an increased demand for labour, by requiring aid in
+their own operations before the first twelvemonth had passed over them.
+Be this as it may, they are a hard-working, industrious set of men; and
+whether their plans raise or depress wages, they have added materially
+to the quantity of grain grown in the colony.
+
+Now that we have a footing in China, I would draw the attention of the
+inhabitants of New South Wales to Hong Kong for an unlimited supply of
+cheap labour. There, by means of an agent on the spot, they may procure
+thousands of able-bodied labourers, who will go to Australia for five
+dollars (22s. 6d.) per month, with their food. This rate of pay is much
+lower than what is paid to European labourers; and the ration of rice
+for the China-man might be procured from Java, Bally, or Lombak, and
+laid down in Sydney at (or under) three halfpence per pound; which is as
+cheap as No. 3 flour in the most abundant seasons, and much cheaper than
+that article usually is. For field-work, the China-man is fully equal to
+the European labourer. I speak advisedly, having tried them together,
+side by side, for months at a time. In a recent Singapore paper I find
+it stated, that the Home Authorities have authorised an agent to treat
+for the transmission of Chinese labourers from the Straits' settlements
+to the West Indies; and, from my knowledge of those places, I have no
+doubt that thousands of men will be induced to avail themselves of this
+new market for their labour. Had New South Wales the same permission
+from Government, she might be equally, and probably more successful,
+because China-men always prefer emigrating to a country having frequent
+communication with their own. This advantage, New South Wales possesses
+over the West Indies, for as many as twenty or thirty vessels annually
+leave Sydney for China. There would be no difficulty in getting the
+Chinese labourer bound for five years, his pay to begin from the day he
+landed in Sydney, and his passage down to be paid by his employer. This
+last charge would add 30s. per annum to his wages; but even then, he
+would be the cheapest labourer within reach of the Australian farmer.
+Many gentlemen have turned their attention to Bengal for a supply of
+labour. The men procurable from that country, are not equal in physical
+strength to the China-men, nor are they to be had for lower pay. I had
+six Bengal Coolies in my employ in the Bush, and have no hesitation in
+saying, that three China-men would have done their work. The proper
+immigrant to obtain from Bengal, if the Colonists choose to apply to
+that part of the world, is the Pariah, the man of no caste, who will eat
+any thing, apply himself to any kind of work, even to the killing,
+curing, or eating a pig, and give far less trouble than any of the
+high-caste men. The best season for despatching ships with emigrants
+from China to New South Wales, is from November till February, both
+inclusive.
+
+A source of vast wealth will open to Australia on the expiration of the
+Agricultural Company's coal-monopoly. That body, on its establishment in
+the Colony, obtained the privilege of working coal for thirty years, to
+the exclusion of all others. The injustice of granting such a privilege
+to a Company who do not work more than one coal-mine, when there are
+literally thousands on the eastern coast of this Continent, is too
+obvious to require comment. Many landed proprietors who have rich veins
+of coal on their estates, are, under the present regulation, actually
+compelled to purchase the Agricultural Company's coal for the use of
+their own kitchens. It may well be imagined, that the money is paid with
+a very bad grace. Up to the time I left Sydney, the only coal-pit in
+operation was one at Newcastle, at the mouth of the river Hunter. From
+this source, an abundant supply of very fair quality was obtained, for
+which, if I mistake not, 12s. per ton was demanded at the pit's mouth.
+The Company's coal waggons descend the hill from the pit, by an inclined
+plane, on iron rails, the descending waggon dragging up the empty one.
+At the foot of this inclined plane, a wharf or jetty runs a little way
+into the sea, so that vessels of four or five hundred tons burthen can
+haul alongside, and have their cargoes shot by waggon-loads down their
+hatches. All this is as it should be; and when forty or fifty such pits
+are in full work, Australia may expect to reap some benefit from her
+mineral riches. The importance of a never-failing supply of coal in
+these days of steam travelling, is too evident to require a single word
+of remark.
+
+Talking of steam puts me in mind of the anxiety felt in Australia to
+secure the advantage of the Indian Overland Mail, and of a plan for
+effecting their object which I have frequently thought of. On the
+arrival of the mail at Port Essington, from Singapore, why should it not
+be sent to Sydney in a steamer by sea, _viā_ Captain King's _inner
+passage_ through Torres' Straits, instead of adopting the far more
+expensive and _uncertain_ overland route formerly mentioned? This may
+seem a bold, and, to most people, an extraordinary suggestion; the plan
+is, however, in my opinion, practicable at all seasons of the year,
+though more particularly so during the fine or south-east monsoon. I
+have sailed through Torres' Straits, and would not hesitate a moment to
+undertake to carry a powerful steamer from Port Essington to Sydney,
+through the admirably surveyed channel just mentioned. During the
+south-east monsoon, from April till September, the wind would be against
+her; but she would have the benefit of moderate and clear weather, and
+find no difficulty in seeing and evading every danger. In the north-west
+monsoon, the steamer would have a fair wind, but hazy weather, with
+frequent squalls to contend against. The thick weather would undoubtedly
+be a disadvantage, as it would render objects less easily
+distinguishable; but then, the strong north-west winds and squalls would
+knock up a heavy sea, which would make the water break on every reef,
+thereby rendering them easily both seen and _heard_ in the thickest
+weather. On the coast of Sumatra, I have heard the breakers seven miles
+off. Allowing that they can be heard half that distance, this would give
+a steamer plenty of time and space to keep clear of them. Running in
+the night would, of course, be out of the question in any season. It
+appears to me, that there is as much real danger in beating through the
+Palaware passage in November and December, which dozens of vessels do
+every year, as there possibly could be to a steamer in passing to and
+fro between Port Essington and Sydney, at any season of the year, by
+King's inner passage. The weather in the Palaware, during the months I
+have mentioned, is as thick and stormy as can well be imagined; and the
+reefs, shoals, and other perils of navigation are numerous enough. The
+best route for passengers proceeding to Australia from Suez, would be
+_viā_ Ceylon, whence a steamer would run down south-south-east to the
+fortieth parallel of south latitude in thirteen days, under steam: then
+she would get the prevailing strong westerly winds, which would take her
+under canvas to Hobart Town in ten or twelve days: let her stop two days
+there to take in coal and land passengers, and, in three days more, she
+would be in Sydney. By this route, the passenger for Sydney would find
+himself at his journey's end in sixty-three or sixty-five days from
+Southampton, while the mail _viā_ Marseilles would be of four days
+shorter date. I have my doubts, indeed, whether New South Wales is in a
+position to bear the expense of such a plan: it certainly could not be a
+profitable venture for years to come; and whether the Colonists would
+be willing to be so much per annum out of pocket, in the meantime,
+remains to be seen.
+
+In describing Port Jackson, I omitted to notice the neighbouring
+harbour, called Botany Bay, originally discovered by Captain Cook, and
+subsequently abandoned for its rival. It is a noble and beautiful bay,
+entered through a gap in the cliff facing the Pacific. This being much
+wider than that leading into Port Jackson, and the heads not overlapping
+each other in the least, Botany Bay is exposed to the fury of the
+easterly gales, which renders it, during their prevalence, an unsafe
+harbour. From its great width, I was induced to suppose that this evil
+might be obviated by ships seeking shelter behind the heads; but, on
+inquiry, I learned, that the depth of water does not admit of this: the
+water is shallow all round the bay, which compels vessels to anchor a
+considerable distance from the shore, and leaves them exposed to the
+eastward. In short, as a harbour, it will not bear comparison with Port
+Jackson. The name of Botany Bay was given to it from the very great
+variety and beauty of the native flowers found on its shores. I am not
+botanist enough to describe these flowers, but I noticed them with
+surprise and admiration. I saw nothing else, however, to attract any one
+to the neighbourhood: the soil is wretchedly poor, principally covered
+with scrub, and, with the exception of a few spots in the hollows,
+utterly valueless to the farmer. A few half-starved cows only, belonging
+to Sydney families, and called the town herd, may be seen picking up the
+poor and scanty herbage. In this neighbourhood, the Sydney hounds meet,
+and occasionally amuse their proprietors, by chasing a miserable "native
+dog" to death. The only buildings of any interest on the shores of this
+bay, are, the monument built by the French Government to the memory of
+the unfortunate La Perouse, and a solitary mill on the banks of a little
+stream that runs into it from the westward. How this mill is employed in
+such a lonely place, where no cultivation is to be seen, I cannot
+imagine, but should not wonder if a few pounds' weight of tobacco and
+gallons of spirits found their way into the Colony hereabout, without
+benefiting the revenue.
+
+In April 1839, I left the shores of Australia, with my family, bound for
+Batavia and Singapore _viā_ Torres' Straits. We had a fine run up the
+coast, and made the celebrated Barrier Reef on the morning of the
+fourteenth day after leaving Sydney. We were fortunate in finding a
+magnificent entrance into the Straits, in latitude 12° 18' South, and
+were fairly inside the barrier by nine A. M. This entrance, which is at
+least three miles wide, it is worth any ship's while to seek for: it may
+be known by two small rocks on the south side, as you enter, resembling
+hay-cocks in shape and size: we saw them three miles off, and they were
+the only objects visible above water, on the portion of the Barrier
+within our view. From our entrance, we had a fine run, and found nothing
+to stop us for a minute (during daylight), till clear of Booby Island at
+the western end of the Straits, which we passed at 10 A. M. on the
+seventeenth day from Sydney.
+
+These celebrated Straits pick up and destroy some half a dozen ships
+annually, and are so much dreaded by underwriters, that they refuse to
+insure loaded vessels through them. From my own observation, and what I
+have heard from others who have passed through Torres' Straits on
+various occasions, it appears to me, that a great proportion of this
+loss of property arises from carelessness on the part of ship-masters.
+The current in the Pacific Ocean runs very strong to the north-west in
+the neighbourhood of the Barrier; and this current is often forgotten or
+not sufficiently allowed for by ship-masters the night before they
+expect to make the reef. At sun-down, the night before we made it, we
+were eighty miles from it; we went under easy sail all night, and, from
+the distance _logged_ during the night, expected to make the reef at
+noon, having made all sail at daylight; instead of which, we came
+_suddenly_ on it at 8 A. M., thus having been thrown four hours out of
+our reckoning since sun-set the night before. Many ships, by not
+heaving-to at all, or not doing so in time, the night previous to making
+the reef, drift too far to the northward during the night, miss the
+passage they were endeavouring to make, and are compelled to run along
+the reef in search of another; for there is no getting back to the
+southward against wind and current. This neglect throws many a vessel up
+to the Murray Islands' passages, which are notoriously the most
+dangerous, and are now generally avoided by shipping. Then there is hazy
+weather occasionally in those parts, even in the finest months: during
+its continuance, no vessel ought to approach the Barrier, though many
+are imprudent enough to do so, and too frequently pay the penalty. In
+the Barrier, there are many gaps, called "horse-shoes," which, in thick
+weather, look like real entrances, the breakers at the bottom of them
+not being visible from the ship. I have known many vessels lost by
+taking a horse-shoe for a real entrance in hazy weather. Other vessels
+get wrecked from paying too little attention to the dangers that beset
+them, after getting safe through the Barrier. There are small patches of
+reef here and there, in the middle of the many channels that run between
+the main reefs: these pick up many vessels that might be saved, were a
+careful look-out kept on board. I could give instances of losses
+happening in each of these ways; but the careless have suffered so
+severely from their neglect, that I would not hurt them by naming the
+ships.
+
+We had a fine run to Batavia, where we arrived in thirty-one days from
+Sydney. A sail from Australia to any part of the Malayan Archipelago,
+during the south-east monsoon, is, perhaps, the pleasantest voyage a
+traveller could undertake: he has smooth water and a fair wind all the
+way, with a constant succession of magnificent scenery among the
+numerous islands of perpetual summer with which those seas are studded.
+
+I have heard many seamen talk lightly of the dangers of Torres' Straits
+and the Barrier Reef, and have known more than one of those
+over-confident gentry subsequently wrecked there. For my own part, I
+have a great awe of those dangers, and can vouch for some ship's crews
+having the same feeling. On our approach to the Barrier, our crew, which
+consisted of as rattle-pated a set as sailors usually are, were doubly
+active, obeyed every order with alacrity, and so quietly, that the fall
+of a pin might have been heard at any part of the ship. Some ships avoid
+entering the Barrier towards sun-set: this precaution is unnecessary, if
+they are sure that the entrance they are approaching is a true one.
+Although, outside the Barrier, there are no soundings at a hundred
+fathoms, a ship is not twice her own length _inside_ it, before she is
+in good anchorage with eighteen to twenty-five fathoms water. There, she
+may drop her anchor, and ride in perfect safety till daylight enables
+her to pursue her course. Were she to keep outside all night, the
+current would drift her to the northward, and compel her to seek a fresh
+entrance next day. The Barrier Reef extends from the coast of New
+Holland to that of Papua or New Guinea, with numerous gaps or entrances
+in it, which appear to be kept open by the current that, for six months
+in the year, runs through them from the Pacific to the Indian Seas, and
+in the contrary direction during the other six. Notwithstanding this
+current, however, I think it extremely probable, that the industrious
+coral insect, whose labours never cease within the Tropics, will, sooner
+or later, fill up the entire space, close Torres' Straits, and join
+those two mighty islands, between which the Barrier Reef, or, more
+properly, Reefs, now stand like a line of gigantic stepping-stones. The
+gaps in the Reef, in and about the ninth and tenth parallels of south
+latitude, are much narrower than those further south, some of them being
+not twenty yards wide; which looks as if, agreeably to my theory, the
+minute architect had commenced operations on the coast of Papua, and was
+gradually working his way southward. What a magnificent line for a
+rail-road this Reef will then make, with the boundless Pacific on one
+side, and the reefs and islands of the Straits on the other! What a
+splendid thoroughfare would this highway form to New Guinea, New
+Britain, New Ireland, and the countless islands in their immediate
+vicinity! But I shall be thought to be looking _rather too far_ into
+futurity.
+
+On our passage from Booby Island to the Java Sea, we passed through the
+Straits of Alas, which run between the Islands of Lombak and Sambawa.
+The scenery in these straits is very fine. On the left, you have Lombak
+Hill, 7000 feet high, sloping gradually from the peak to the sea, and
+covered with thick forest. On the right, is the coast of Sambawa,
+exhibiting the most extraordinary collection of sugar-loaf hills I ever
+saw: they look as if they had been dropped there at random in a shower.
+The whole collection would hardly be seen on the top of Lombak hill.
+Half this island was laid completely waste in 1816, by an eruption of
+one of its volcanic mountains: thousands of the inhabitants, with their
+cattle and poneys, were killed; and the effects are visible on the spot
+to this day. Sambawa is celebrated for its race of poneys, which are
+certainly very fine, spirited little animals. Hundreds of them are
+brought by the native boats every year to Batavia and Singapore, at both
+which places they meet with a ready market.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+CHINA.
+
+ DESCRIPTION OF MACAO--ITS MONGREL POPULATION--
+ FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES--PIRACIES--COMPRADORE
+ SYSTEM--PAPUAN SLAVE-TRADE--MARKET OF MACAO--
+ NUISANCES--SIR HENRY POTTINGER's REGULATION
+ DEFENDED--ILLIBERAL POLICY OF THE PORTUGUESE,
+ AND ITS RESULT--BOAT-GIRLS--BEGGARS--PICTURESQUE
+ SCENERY.
+
+
+I have referred, in a former chapter, to the occasion of my first visit
+to the Celestial Empire. My last visit took place shortly after Sir
+Henry Pottinger had brought the Chinese to terms, off the city of
+Nankin, and before the treaty had been ratified by the Sovereigns of
+both countries. My stay there was protracted till the ratification took
+place, the supplementary treaty published, and Her Majesty's Consuls
+stationed at each of the five ports, with the exception of Foo Chow. I
+had thus an opportunity of witnessing the first start of the free trade;
+of which I shall have a few words to say hereafter. I shall now begin
+with Macao. This once celebrated Portuguese settlement is built on two
+small hills of a peninsula about thirty-five miles below the Bocca
+Tigris, or mouth of the Canton river: it is irregularly built, the
+streets being very narrow and crooked, and, until very recently, badly
+paved with rough granite stones of all shapes, the corners generally
+pointing upwards, as if to teach the inhabitants to walk with caution.
+It possesses a healthy climate, though the summer is very hot, the
+thermometer ranging in the shade from 85° to 90°. Many of the houses
+occupied by the wealthier portion of the inhabitants, are large, airy,
+and convenient residences. Since the war with China broke out, Macao,
+which had greatly declined from its ancient importance, has thriven, and
+many of its citizens have become wealthy in consequence of the British
+trade to China being thrown by circumstances into its harbour. The local
+Government have taken advantage of the times, to improve the town, to
+re-pave the streets, to build a new and handsome Custom-house, and to
+make other improvements at John Bull's expense. The Portuguese
+inhabitants of Macao amount to about five thousand, not two hundred of
+whom are of pure European blood. The general population are, with few
+exceptions, of a mongrel breed; a mixture of Chinese, Portuguese, and
+Negroes, which it is difficult to describe. Nine-tenths of them are very
+poor, but all of them are very proud, and fond of show and dress.
+
+It is quite amusing to see the pompous strut of the men on a Sunday, as
+they walk to mass in their ill-made silk coats, with gold-headed sticks
+in hand. Both men and women are the worst-favoured race I ever saw:
+their flat, unmeaning countenances, small, lacklustre eyes, strong,
+upright, black hair, resembling hogs' bristles more than aught else, and
+yellow skins, form a _tout ensemble_ any thing but pleasing. The men
+adopt the European fashions. The ladies wear the mantilla; and the women
+of the poorer classes wear a petticoat and small jacket, generally of
+British chintz, with a mantilla of coarser material. The very poorest of
+them may be seen, on Sunday morning, going to mass in silk stockings.
+The wealthier Portuguese reside in large and comfortable houses, but the
+lower orders inhabit wretched hovels, and suffer very severely from
+sickness, particularly the small-pox; a scourge that carried off, during
+the winter and spring of 1842-3, one thousand people,--just a fifth of
+the whole Portuguese population. Their habits are idle and dirty. I am
+not aware, indeed, of ever having seen a more filthy town than Macao. No
+one seems to think that the streets were made for any other purpose than
+to serve as reservoirs for all the filth of the houses that line them.
+Heaps of abominable rubbish are seen here and there, which would be
+still more numerous, were it not for the occasional heavy rains, which
+wash down the steep streets, and carry off the accumulated masses to the
+sea. A few days before Christmas 1842, the town underwent a general
+sweeping; an event that did not take place again till that time
+twelvemonth. The other inhabitants of Macao are, Chinese, Negroes, and a
+few English and Americans. The Chinese here are nearly all of the lower
+orders, and, for the most part, are not over-scrupulous how they get
+their living: in proof of which I may mention, that four highway
+robberies, accompanied with violent assault, took place in the immediate
+neighbourhood, in open day, during the stay of six weeks which I made
+there in the autumn of 1842. The shopkeepers and boatmen are all
+Chinese; and among them may be found some as thorough-bred scoundrels as
+ever disgraced humanity. During the year 1843, the following crimes were
+perpetrated by Chinese in and about Macao: they were clearly brought
+home to them, and, in all probability, do not form a tenth of what might
+with justice be laid to their charge:--
+
+ 1. Mr. Sharpe's _lorcha_ (trading-boat), on her voyage from
+ Macao to Canton, was piratically attacked within ten miles of
+ the former place, and plundered of her cargo of opium; Mr.
+ Sharpe was murdered, and five of his crew; the rest, being
+ Chinese, were taken off by the pirates, (they subsequently
+ proved to be their associates,) and the _lorcha_ was burned.
+
+ 2. A _lorcha_ bound from Hong Kong to Macao, manned by Macao
+ Chinese, and loaded with spice and other valuable property, was
+ carried off by her crew, (who murdered an English doctor on
+ board,) the cargo plundered, and the vessel burned.
+
+ 3. Another _lorcha_, bound from Macao to Hong Kong, with a
+ general cargo and two passengers, was carried off in the same
+ way, plundered, and then burned: the unfortunate passengers
+ (two respectable young men; one an Irishman, named Clark, the
+ other from Shetland, a Mr. Clunis) were in like manner
+ murdered.
+
+ 4. A boat was sent off from Macao with a box of treasure
+ containing some 12,000 dollars, under the charge of a Parsee
+ clerk of the firm to whom the money belonged. They left the
+ shore at two P. M., and the ship they were bound to was at
+ anchor only five miles off. The non-appearance of the treasure
+ which was expected on board, caused the captain to go on shore
+ to make inquiries about five in the afternoon: his questions
+ alarmed the Parsee merchant, who had sent off the money and his
+ clerk at two. Strict inquiry was instituted, and the result
+ was, the certainty that the poor man had been murdered and
+ thrown overboard by the boat's crew, who made off with the
+ money.
+
+ 5. A boat was sent from a ship in the harbour called the
+ _Typa_, to one in the outer roads, to transship fourteen
+ chests of opium: the crew consisted of four Chinese and one
+ Lascar, with the second mate in charge. The opium was taken in,
+ and the boat started on her return to the _Typa_ about two P. M.
+ When about half way between the two harbours, the four Chinese
+ suddenly dropped their oars, seized the mate and Lascar,
+ stunned them with the boat's tiller, and threw them overboard:
+ their bodies were picked up next day, and gave the first
+ intimation of their fate. Two of the pirates were subsequently
+ caught and executed; but the property, worth 10,000 dollars,
+ was irretrievably lost.
+
+ 6. A British merchant in Macao sent an order off to his ship in
+ the _Typa_, to bring on shore, in the course of the day, a box
+ containing 6000 dollars: the money was put into a boat
+ belonging to the vessel at ten in the forenoon, and started for
+ the inner harbour, about an hour's pull. She was attacked by a
+ fast-pulling Chinese boat, when about half way between the ship
+ and the shore, and robbed of the dollars; but no violence was
+ offered to the crew, who were China-men. When this money was
+ being packed and put into the boat, some Chinese sailors on
+ board the ship were observed making signs as if to some one at
+ a distance: no notice was taken of this circumstance at the
+ time, though it was remarked upon when too late.
+
+I could enumerate other cases of a similar nature; but these six are
+sufficient for my present purpose.
+
+The Chinese servants in the employ of Europeans at Macao, Canton, and
+Hong Kong, are, without exception, the most consummate set of scamps it
+has ever been my fortune to encounter. Their whole study from morning to
+night and from night to morning, is, how to cheat their masters. There
+is not an article put upon the table, that is not charged at four times
+its value. If you keep a cow, or even a dozen cows, not one drop of milk
+can you obtain, more than barely enough for daily use; and should any
+attempts be made to punish either the cowkeeper or the head servant for
+their villany, ten to one that your cows are poisoned before another
+week passes over your head. This state of things might be, in a great
+measure, put a stop to, were masters to pay more attention to their
+domestic affairs; but most of the European merchants of China, being men
+of wealth, and engaged in mercantile transactions of great importance,
+deem such matters beneath their notice; and thus, the system goes on to
+the serious loss and inconvenience of less wealthy men. I knew one
+instance in which a housekeeper by perseverance reduced his market-bill
+from 150 dollars per month to 45 dollars; but the consequence was, that
+his servants to a man left him: he could obtain no good ones in their
+place, and was ultimately obliged to give in. As a set-off against this
+crying evil, I may mention the practice which prevails, of the
+_compradore_ (or head servant) becoming security for those under him,
+and finding security on his own part to a certain amount, varying
+according to circumstances; so that, if any of the under-servants steal
+the plate or any other property of their master's, the _compradore_, as
+a matter of course, makes good its value. The Negroes here, as in most
+other parts of the world where they are met with, are slaves, poorly
+fed, hard worked, and occasionally very severely flogged. Every house in
+Macao occupied by a man of any substance, has its slaves; and the
+Government is a large slave-holder. All the porters at the Custom-house
+and other public offices are slaves. These unfortunate creatures are
+brought from Papua by Portuguese vessels, which pay an annual visit to
+the settlements of their countrymen on the Island of Timor. How they are
+obtained from Papua, I am not aware; but that some hundreds of them are
+carried to Macao every season, and sold there, is a fact beyond
+contradiction. This abominable traffic received a check last season
+(1843) from the Java Government. It appears that a Portuguese barque
+called the _Margaretta_, the owner of which was a wealthy inhabitant of
+Macao, sailed from Timor for Macao in the month of September, with some
+fifty slaves on board, _all children under ten years of age_. Some
+accident compelled her to call at Batavia for repairs, where her master
+reported the children as having been sent by the authorities at Timor to
+Macao, to be brought up in the Roman-Catholic faith. The suspicions of
+the Dutch Authorities were, however, awakened, and the proceedings of
+the Portuguese ship-master were narrowly watched. A few days only had
+elapsed, when he was detected in endeavouring to sell two of the
+unfortunate infants to a Chinese for 500 guilders (42l.) each. This led
+to the examination of his bills of lading and other papers, when it was
+found, that the children had been regularly shipped and _manifested_ as
+slaves. The result was, the confiscation of ship and cargo, and the
+liberation of the young captives, who, I presume, (though I am not sure
+on the point,) were, as usual, apprenticed out as domestic servants to
+families in want of them. I gave the admiral on the China station full
+particulars of this event; and hope that he will cause a sharp look-out
+to be kept on the Portuguese vessels returning from Timor next autumn.
+
+The market of Macao is well supplied with game, butchers' meat, pork,
+poultry, fruit, and vegetables: all these might be had on very
+reasonable terms, if the Chinese seller were allowed his own way; but,
+before he reaches the market from his home, he is taxed and re-taxed by
+every petty rogue of a Mandarin whose station he may happen to pass on
+his way. On reaching the market, he is taxed again, and is compelled to
+sell to the general dealer, who squeezes him to the last _cash_, and
+re-sells at an exorbitant profit to the Englishman's _compradore_, who
+charges his master, on a moderate calculation, four times what he gave;
+so that, by the time the Englishman's dinner is on his table, it costs
+him no trifle. Game is plentiful only in winter, which sets in in
+November. Wild ducks, teal, pheasants, partridges, snipe, with an
+occasional deer, are to be had, all fat and in prime order, at this
+season. The Chinese bullock is a compact little animal, and, when
+fattened, yields remarkably good beef.
+
+Macao, like all Portuguese towns, is well stocked with priests; and were
+we to judge from the number of them who are seen parading the streets,
+as, also, from that of women constantly bending their steps church-ward,
+the inhabitants must be a very devout race. From seven in the morning
+till dusk, the streets are rarely free from church-going ladies; many of
+them followed by Negro slaves carrying their kneeling-rugs and
+prayer-books. One of the greatest nuisances in Macao is the perpetual
+ringing or tolling of church-bells, day and night: as soon as one stops,
+another begins; and the sleep-killing ding-dong is kept up at a rate
+that, in the warm nights of summer, is enough to drive a stranger
+frantic.
+
+Every house has a watchman, who goes his rounds from eight in the
+evening till daylight next morning, and, every half hour, beats a hollow
+bamboo with a heavy stick, making noise enough to disturb the soundest
+sleeper. This keeping a watchman is neither more nor less than paying
+black-mail. Any housekeeper who should seek to evade the imposition by
+doing without a guardian of the night, would infallibly be plundered in
+a week or two, the thieves being, most probably, conducted to his
+premises by some neighbour's watchman.
+
+The streets of Macao being narrow, rough, crooked, and, in general, very
+steep, wheel-carriages of any description are entirely unknown. Their
+place is supplied by sedan-chairs of Chinese make, carried by Chinese
+porters: these may be hired for a dollar per day, and are very
+convenient, either in wet or in extremely hot weather. The bearers, like
+those of their profession in England, are apt to impose upon strangers,
+who must be on their guard till they become acquainted with the ways of
+the place.
+
+Macao is infested with loathsome beggars, who scruple not to expose
+their ulcerated legs, arms, &c. for the purpose of exciting the
+charitable feelings of the passer-by. They make a point of stopping at
+the door of any shop in which they see a European, whose ears they
+immediately assail with the most discordant noise, by beating a hollow
+bamboo with a stick; a mode of annoyance which the law of China allows,
+and which is carried on in Macao; but, in the neighbouring British
+settlement, an entire stop has been put to it. This, they well know,
+will soon cause the shopkeeper to give them a _cash_[21] or two, or his
+customer to leave the premises. In China, no native can turn a beggar
+from his door, till he has given him something in the shape of charity:
+the merest trifle, however, is sufficient to authorize the forcible
+expulsion of the applicant. I have seen as little as a tea-spoonful of
+rice given on such occasions, when the sulky and grumbling mendicant
+took his reluctant departure towards the next door, where he would,
+perhaps, meet similar treatment with a repetition of "curses not loud,
+but deep."
+
+ [Footnote 21: One thousand of these make a dollar, so that the
+ value of one is less than a quarter of a farthing.]
+
+The Portuguese of Macao made a great ado on Sir Henry Pottinger's
+declaring their settlement, in as far as British subjects were
+concerned, part of the dominions of the Emperor of China: this, at first
+sight, appeared strange to many people besides the Macao citizens, but,
+when the subject received due consideration, Sir Henry was found to be
+quite correct in the view he had taken of it. Macao is _not_ a
+Portuguese settlement, in the proper sense of that word, but only a
+territory leased to that Power on certain terms, for which an annual
+tribute or rent is paid to this day. The Chinese laws are in force
+here; their Mandarins levy duties, and tax every article sold in its
+markets; its porters, boatmen, _compradores_, &c. require Chinese
+licenses, but not Portuguese: in short, the Chinese are lords of the
+manor, and the Portuguese are mere tenants, with leave to build forts,
+and to levy certain duties on the commerce of the place. Looking at the
+matter in this light, every unprejudiced person must admit, that Sir
+Henry Pottinger, in exercising the power vested in him by Her Majesty's
+Government, and in framing regulations for the wholesome restraint of
+Her Majesty's subjects visiting China, (some of whom, it may be
+remarked, are troublesome and very unruly characters,) was perfectly
+right in including the peninsula of Macao in the dominions of His
+Celestial Majesty. The Portuguese were very indignant; at least, they
+pretended to be so; but it never would have done, to allow British
+subjects, fleeing from their creditors or from justice, to have an
+asylum where they could safely evade the laws of their own country, at a
+foreign station scarcely forty miles from the new British settlement of
+Hong Kong.[22]
+
+ [Footnote 22: The present Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John
+ Davis, has gone even further than Sir Henry Pottinger, and has
+ given notice to the Authorities at Macao, that British subjects
+ are no longer amenable to their laws. This is as it should be,
+ and as it ought to have been a hundred years ago.]
+
+The trade of Macao was of very little importance, and its revenues never
+paid its expenses, till the late Chinese war broke out. Circumstances
+then drove the British merchants from Canton, and nearly the whole of
+them took up their abode in Macao, where they continued till the
+Portuguese Government was called upon by the Chinese to refuse them
+further protection. They were then compelled to seek shelter on board
+the shipping of their country, where many of them remained for nearly
+twelvemonths, till the course of events allowed of their returning to
+Macao. Their presence soon attracted hundreds of wealthy and respectable
+Chinese dealers, and quadrupled the trade of the place, as well as its
+revenue; which enabled the Portuguese Governor to make a handsome
+remittance to Lisbon, in place of drawing upon that city for some 40,000
+dollars annually, as he had hitherto been in the constant practice of
+doing, to rebuild many of the public edifices, and to improve the town
+generally, while it added much to the wealth and comfort of almost every
+woman and child in the place. This was a piece of good fortune the
+Portuguese of Macao most certainly did not deserve, their system, as
+regards foreign commerce, being as illiberal as can well be imagined.
+During the time they were reaping this rich harvest from British trade,
+British subjects were not permitted to land or ship a single package of
+goods nor to have their names entered in the Custom-house books. On the
+arrival of a ship with goods suited to the Macao market, the English
+consignee was obliged to employ a Portuguese citizen to enter and pass
+them through the Custom-house, before a package could be landed. The
+duties, also, were exorbitant; and, strange as it may appear, they even
+taxed money, which could not be imported without paying one per cent.
+duty. I have elsewhere seen an _export_ duty put on treasure; but the
+Macao Government is the only one I ever knew to impose any restrictions
+on the importation of a commodity which most Governments, as well as
+individuals, are generally anxious to receive, in unlimited quantity,
+without taxing those who bring it to them. No English vessel was allowed
+to enter their inner harbour: this privilege was reserved for Spaniards
+and Portuguese. On one occasion, a small British schooner of war was
+proceeding into this haven, her commander never imagining that the
+restriction put on the merchant vessels of his country could possibly
+extend to Her Britannic Majesty's pennant: he was mistaken, however, and
+the first battery he came near, threatened to fire into him. The threat
+was of course disregarded, and the little schooner, in defiance of
+Portuguese batteries, quietly pursued her way.
+
+How this state of things could be so long put up with by the British
+Government, it is hard to understand. When one considers that Portugal
+owes its very existence as a nation to England; that Macao, on more than
+one occasion, was saved from the fury of a Chinese army and rabble,
+during the late war, by British ships and men; that nine-tenths of the
+money that passes through its coffers, is English money; that Portuguese
+citizens visiting the different ports of British India, are free to come
+and go, land and ship their goods in their own names, hold houses and
+other fixed property, and act in all respects as British subjects, and
+as seemeth most for their own interest; when, I say, these facts are
+considered, one is utterly at a loss to conceive why Great Britain
+should suffer her subjects to be cramped in their mercantile pursuits by
+so very insignificant a power as Portugal. Now that it is too late, the
+Authorities of Macao have discovered their error, and mended their
+manners, by opening the inner harbour to British shipping, by allowing
+British merchants to land and ship goods in their own names, and by
+lowering the duties on several articles of British manufacture. These
+changes, which would have been accepted as boons two years before, were
+adopted only when the Portuguese found nearly every British merchant
+building warehouses and private dwellings in Hong Kong. Had they been
+made prior to the commencement of those buildings, I have good reasons
+for supposing, that many of them never would have been begun, their
+proprietors having a great dislike to the new British settlement on
+account of its reputed unhealthiness,--a reputation, I am sorry to say,
+it has too well sustained. Dozens of houses in Macao are already vacant;
+dozens more will be so before another six months shall elapse; hundreds
+of families who have depended on their house-rent and on money earned in
+other ways from British subjects for their daily bread, will be reduced
+to want; many of them will and must emigrate to Hong Kong; and Macao,
+with its streets of new houses, built in anticipation of the continued
+residence of foreign merchants, will sink into utter insignificance, and
+become as a place that has been, but is no more. Its Governor will again
+have to draw, for the means of paying the expenses of the place, on his
+Royal Mistress at Lisbon, who will then reap the well-merited reward of
+an illiberal and short-sighted policy.
+
+If a passenger, on his arrival at Macao, lands in the inner harbour, he
+has to pass his baggage through the Portuguese Custom-house, where it
+will be not only thoroughly examined, but also, very probably,
+plundered. A trunk of my own, which _I saw_ carried into this building
+along with several others, never came out again: its contents were
+valuable, and were much missed by my family. What became of them, I
+know not; but certain I am, that the Custom-house authorities of Macao
+made away with them. If the passenger chooses to land at the outer
+harbour, he encounters the _Chinese_ Custom-house, where he is charged
+so much for each package, in the shape of duty, and is allowed to pass
+on without bare-faced robbery. Some sixteen years ago, this Chinese
+Custom-house was in the practice of levying a dollar per package on a
+passenger's luggage, a similar sum on his wife, and on every female
+child, while the boys passed free. This does not tell to the credit of
+Chinese gallantry. Things are altered now, however; and ladies with
+their daughters are permitted to land without let or hinderance.
+
+When a foreign vessel anchors in Macao Roads, (a very exposed anchorage
+by the way,) she is speedily visited by three or four _compradores'_
+boats, which come out in search of employment, and with offers to supply
+the ship with fresh provisions, &c., during her stay. The _compradore_
+is a very useful fellow, but, in nine cases out of ten, a great rogue,
+who scruples not to swell out his bill against the ship by various means
+the reverse of fair. They all speak broken English. In moderate weather,
+they go twenty or thirty miles out to sea in quest of inward-bound
+vessels. The first time I went to China, we were boarded by a
+_compradore's_ boat previously to making the land. A fresh breeze was
+blowing at the time, before which the ship was going eight knots an
+hour: this, however, did not prevent the Chinese boatmen from dashing
+alongside in very smart style, hooking on by the fore-chains with their
+own rope, and disdaining the aid of a line thrown from the vessel to
+hang on by. Mr. _Compradore_ appeared on the poop, "_chin-chinning_,"
+while we strangers were looking with admiration at the activity of his
+men in the boat. The captain engaged him to attend the ship, on which he
+immediately started for Macao, and was alongside again by daylight next
+morning, with a most welcome supply of fresh beef, vegetables, &c. In
+the _compradore's_ boat, passengers can generally get a passage on
+shore, or, rather, to within a few hundred yards of the beach. The
+boatmen are afraid to approach nearer, on account of the Mandarins, who
+are apt to _squeeze_ them, if they are seen landing foreigners. The
+remaining distance is usually got over in small _tancea_, or
+ferry-boats, numbers of which ply about Macao in all directions,
+invariably guided by women, called, from their mode of life,
+"_Tancea-girls_." Poor things! They work hard for their daily bread,
+being constantly exposed to the sun in summer, and to cold in winter.
+They live in their boats, which, at night, are snugly covered up with a
+roof made of a bamboo frame, the interstices filled up with thick
+matting, and, in the whole course of their lives, never pass a night on
+shore. They are said to be of a peculiar race, and never intermarry
+with the real Chinese, who look down upon them with contempt.
+
+The scenery round Macao is striking, and some of the views are
+particularly so: that from the hill immediately behind the town, is
+perhaps the best. From this spot you have a bird's-eye view of the whole
+town, the beach, with its hundreds of large and small Chinese boats, on
+your left; further on, in the same direction, Macao Roads with the
+foreign shipping; while, beyond these, the islands of Lingting, Lantow,
+and numerous others of smaller size, are seen in the distance: to the
+right, you catch an occasional glimpse of the numerous rivers and arms
+of the sea, with numbers of picturesque Chinese boats gliding about,
+literally among the hills and dales; and, here and there, a Chinese
+village is seen, with its little patch of cultivation, its herds of
+buffaloes and pigs, and countless groupes of little Celestials. Casting
+your eye along this view from north to south, you come to the harbour
+called "_Typa_" in which there are generally some thirty or forty
+vessels at anchor, and which, though an arm of the sea, looks here like
+an inland lake. This view, on a clear day, would delight the painter,
+though it has one great deficiency, namely, the entire absence of trees.
+The hills in the neighbourhood, far and near, are completely bare. Such
+is Macao, a miserable, dirty, crowded town, rendered important for a
+while by its locality, but now fast sinking back into its native
+insignificance, owing to the gross stupidity of the Portuguese
+Authorities, more than to any other cause. Proceed we now to the new
+British settlement of Hong Kong.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CHINA.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG--THE OPIUM
+ TRADE--IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE EVENT OF
+ A FRESH WAR--CHUSAN--HOW TO RAISE A REVENUE--
+ CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY--RAPID PROGRESS
+ OF THE SETTLEMENT--PORTUGUESE PENURY--
+ MARKETS--SANATORY HINTS.
+
+
+Having spent twelve months in Hong Kong, I will now endeavour to give an
+impartial sketch of its situation as to trade, its importance in the
+event of another Chinese war, and of its climate, general appearance,
+and commercial progress.
+
+Situated as this island is at the mouth of the Canton river, and in the
+immediate neighbourhood of an immense trade, one can hardly question the
+prudence of the choice that fixed upon it for a British settlement. It
+has not yet (July 1844) been two years in our possession; and already
+its magnificent harbour is crowded with the ships of England, America,
+and other nations, while its warehouses on shore are filled with the
+manufactures of those countries, brought here direct from the places
+where they are produced, to be distributed to the different Chinese
+ports recently opened to the commerce of the world by the arms of Great
+Britain. Hundreds, nay, thousands of Chinese boatmen, fishermen,
+porters, bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, tailors,
+bakers, shopkeepers, &c., are already earning their bread here. Since
+the ratification of Sir Henry Pottinger's Treaty, and the confirmation
+of the cession of the Island as part and parcel of the dominions of
+Queen Victoria, many wealthy Chinese merchants have been making
+arrangements for the establishment of branch-houses here; and more than
+one of them had, previously to my departure last March, chartered
+British ships, and despatched them to the northern ports, loaded with
+British goods. As a _dépōt_ for goods intended for the Chinese market, I
+conceive the situation of Hong Kong to be unrivalled, and, in this
+single point of view, of great importance. On the arrival of a ship from
+London, Liverpool, or Glasgow, with a general cargo of British goods,
+the consignees unload them, and send the ship home again with tea or
+such other produce as they may have ready for her, storing and holding
+the goods in readiness for any opening that may present itself: such
+portion of them as may be suited for markets in the immediate vicinity,
+are either sold on the spot, or sent to Canton, while the rest is
+shipped off in fast-sailing vessels, kept for the purpose of making sure
+of their voyage against the monsoon, to Amoy, Chusan, and other ports to
+the northward.
+
+Great complaints used to be made at Canton and Macao, because goods
+could not be landed, unless they were sold, or the consignees chose to
+advance the duty, and let the articles lie till an opportunity of
+disposing of them occurred: in other words, the want of a bonding system
+was universally felt and complained of. The establishment of Hong Kong
+completely obviates this inconvenience, and enables the ship from Great
+Britain or elsewhere to dispose of her cargo in a few days after her
+arrival, and proceed home again, thus saving time, expense, and trouble
+to an incalculable extent.
+
+A decisive proof of the eligibility of Hong Kong as a place of trade,
+and of its importance in the eyes of the Chinese themselves, is afforded
+by the immense sums paid by some of them for ground on which to build
+_Hongs_, where they can deposit their goods with safety, beyond the
+reach of their grasping Mandarins. This advantage to a China-man is
+something so new, and so far beyond any thing he ever dreamed of
+enjoying, that I conceive the benefits likely to accrue from it to Hong
+Kong to be incalculable.
+
+Goods stored in Canton or Macao, the property of a China-man, were
+never safe in the event of their owner getting into trouble with the
+Chinese Authorities; and, if the property of foreigners, they could not
+be insured against fire, the risk arising from the universal
+carelessness of the Chinese, and the consequent very frequent occurrence
+of extensive conflagrations, being considered too great by the
+under-writers. Both these difficulties are completely obviated in Hong
+Kong; and every substantially built house and warehouse, together with
+the property in them, were insured against fire, previously to my
+quitting the Island. One China-man had, in March last, completed
+buildings for the storage of property collected from the different ports
+on the coast, on which upwards of 40,000 dollars had been laid out; and
+what is more, they were already well filled.
+
+As a convenient and safe _dépōt_ for opium, (a trade, in my opinion,
+quite as legitimate and honourable as that in brandy, gin, and other
+spirits,) Hong Kong is admirably situated: the purchaser from the
+western ports, as well as from the northeastern, finds the distance he
+has to travel moderate, and, on his arrival, has no one to dread, no
+Mandarin daring to shew his face on shore. The ships that bring the drug
+from India, here find a safe and commodious harbour, where they can
+unload their cargoes in open day, without hinderance or molestation, and
+where they are not driven to the necessity of carrying on their
+operations in the dark. Were the opium-trade actually one of mere
+smuggling, I would be as ready as any one to condemn it, and to raise my
+voice against those concerned in it; but when one considers that not a
+hundredth part of the quantity sold annually is really smuggled,--that
+ninety-nine chests out of every hundred pay a heavy duty, (mis-called a
+bribe,)--that the Chinese Government derives from it indirectly, but not
+the less certainly, a very considerable revenue,--and finally, that
+large quantities of it are known to be consumed within the walls of the
+imperial palace at Pekin,--I confess I see no reason for the clamorous
+indignation with which this traffic has of late been assailed by
+European moralists. I have said, that the Chinese Government derives a
+considerable revenue from the opium trade; and I will prove it. A
+Mandarin who pays for his situation, and is left to make the most of it
+by squeezing the inhabitants of his district, will give a great deal
+more for an appointment where an extensive opium-trade is carried on,
+than he would for any other. Knowing the handsome sums paid by the
+dealers in the drug, to "make Mandarin shut eye," he hesitates not for a
+moment about paying his Imperial Master in proportion for the situation
+which puts him in the way of reaping so rich a harvest. What is more;
+his said Imperial Master knows perfectly well what makes the situations
+in certain districts so much coveted, and enables the parties to pay so
+high for them. Away, then, with all the mawkish cant about corrupting
+the morals and ruining the health of the Chinese by selling them poison!
+The Chinese are just as capable of taking care of themselves as their
+would-be guardians are; and as for their morals, many of them lead lives
+that might be copied with advantage to themselves and families, by
+thousands of gin-drinking Englishmen. China is decidedly an
+over-populated country. Opium-smoking checks the increase, and thereby
+does good; a view of the question not altogether unworthy of attention.
+Checking the increase of population in this way is, at all events,
+better than adopting the plan of drowning female infants; not an
+uncommon one in China.
+
+The importance of Hong Kong in the event of another Chinese war, (an
+event, in the opinion of many, not very improbable,) cannot, I conceive,
+for a moment be doubted. Should our merchants again be expelled from the
+ports of China, they will here find a safe asylum for their persons and
+property, while their ships may ride in the harbour under the protection
+of two or three of Her Majesty's ships in perfect security, in defiance
+of all the marine of China. Here also Her Majesty's Government may have
+_dépōts_ of military stores, provisions, coals, &c., all stored in
+perfect safety, in place of being kept, as they were during the late
+war, in transports hired at an enormous expense for the purpose. Now
+that passages along the coast of China are made, even by sailing
+vessels, at all seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons, a steamer
+sent from the seat of war (wherever it might be) to Hong Kong, would be
+sufficient, at any time, to procure ample supplies of money, ammunition,
+and other stores for the army, from India, if need be, in a few weeks.
+Every one at all acquainted with the inconvenience and expense suffered
+by the late Expedition for want of proper and regular supplies, will
+appreciate the value of the Island in this point of view. What was it
+that carried off so many of the Cameronians and Royal Irish stationed in
+Chusan during the first expedition to the North? Not the climate of that
+beautiful island, certainly; for the troops that have since occupied it,
+have been remarkably healthy; and I saw four hundred of them land at
+Hong Kong, _en route_ to England, much against their will, looking as
+rosy and stout as if they had just come from home! What occasioned the
+mortality among the troops, was, the want of a _dépōt_ from which they
+could obtain supplies to replace the putrid, ill-cured Calcutta beef and
+other unwholesome stores that were served out to convalescents, who died
+by hundreds for want of nourishing food to restore their exhausted
+frames.
+
+The diseases from which those unfortunate soldiers suffered, were
+originally contracted from improper food and bad accommodation; and all
+this took place on a Chinese island overrun with cattle, pigs, and
+poultry, and with the town of Ting Hae, deserted by nine-tenths of its
+inhabitants, under their feet. The Commander-in-Chief's over-scrupulous
+conscience would neither allow the cattle to be purchased, nor the empty
+houses in the town to be occupied by the sick and dying. No better
+stores were to be had nearer than Calcutta,--a six months' trip to and
+fro! So bad were the beef and pork, that I afterwards saw hundreds of
+casks of both sold by public auction at Singapore, for three quarters of
+a dollar (3s. 4-1/2d.) per cask. The meat was used for manure, and the
+barrels were used for firewood. The possession of Hong Kong will prevent
+the possible recurrence of any thing of this kind.
+
+I am not prepared to say that Chusan would not have been a better
+situation for a military _dépōt_ than Hong Kong. Her Majesty's
+Government, however, thought proper to prohibit the permanent occupation
+of the former, while that of the latter was sanctioned, so that we have
+now no choice. For mercantile purposes, the absolute and permanent
+possession of both these islands would have been highly advantageous.
+Chusan, I have never had the good fortune to visit, but have invariably
+heard it spoken of as a delightful place, in a high state of
+cultivation, possessing an extensive commerce, with fine harbours, and,
+lastly, with a numerous population already made acquainted with the
+difference between living under a free and enlightened Government and
+under that of a despot. These people (if one can credit even half of
+what one hears from them) are, one and all, anxious that Great Britain
+should retain their island, and seem to dread the day, now fast
+approaching, when, according to the Treaty, it must be evacuated by the
+British, consigning them again to the tender mercies of the Celestial
+Mandarins. Several English merchants have erected warehouses on Chusan,
+in the hope that it will ultimately be retained by Great Britain, or
+that the Chinese Authorities will not object to their remaining on the
+Island subsequently to its restoration to their Imperial Master. I hope
+that their expectations may not prove fallacious.
+
+Hong Kong is a free port, and, in my opinion, ought never to be
+otherwise than free. Let its harbour be a refuge for the shipping of all
+nations, and its stores will then be filled with their goods. I would
+not encumber the commerce of this Island with one single dollar of
+charges: no port-charges ought for a moment to be thought of; and, as
+for import and export duties, the most moderate charges of this kind
+would ruin the place. What brought Singapore forward so rapidly, was,
+the entire freedom of its trade. If Hong Kong is but treated in the same
+way, its progress will be, if possible, still more rapid than that of
+its sister settlement.
+
+A revenue more than sufficient to remunerate Government for the annual
+expenses of Hong Kong, may be raised on the spot, without hampering its
+commerce, by taxing the retail opium-trade, the retail spirit-trade,
+carriages and horses, licensed gambling-houses, rents from public
+markets, ground-rent on building and other lots, and an assessment on
+rents, say of five per cent. The revenue derived from such sources in
+Singapore, is cheerfully paid, and it more than pays the expenses of the
+place. That all the houses in which opium is smoked, spirits are drunk,
+and gambling is carried on, should be under a strict surveillance, is
+absolutely necessary. To check either the one or the other, is
+impossible; and, as they are legitimate objects for taxation, I see no
+reason why Government should not derive benefit from them. The
+opium-smoker and the rum-drinker pay as much for the indulgence of their
+appetites, under existing circumstances, as they would do, were the
+privilege of supplying them farmed out to individuals, who would be
+responsible to the Authorities for the good conduct of their
+establishments.
+
+I should advocate the suppression of gambling-houses _in toto_, did I
+not know the utter impossibility of effecting this among either a
+Chinese or a Malay population. As their existence, then, must be
+tolerated, and as they are, to my certain knowledge, the scene of
+robbery and murder, much more frequently than persons unacquainted with
+the criminal calendars in our Asiatic courts of justice suppose, I say,
+let them be registered, taxed, and made subject to the visits of the
+police at any hour of the night or day. By the means I have pointed out,
+a revenue amply sufficient for the purposes of the Hong Kong Government
+might be raised; and I should have no hesitation in undertaking to
+defray every fraction of its expenditure, had I the privilege of farming
+the opium-tax and the spirit-tax.
+
+Of the climate of Hong Kong, I have little that is favourable to report.
+Hitherto, it has been decidedly inimical to the European constitution;
+and hundreds of our countrymen are already buried there. Last summer
+(1843), from the first of August till the end of October, a very
+malignant fever raged among all ranks, and carried off soldiers,
+sailors, Government servants, mercantile men, and tradesmen. There were
+some peculiarities attendant upon this fever, however, which I shall
+mention, in the hope that my observations may lead future residents to
+be a little more careful of their health, than most of the present
+inhabitants have shewn themselves to be. In the first place, then, the
+fever, with few exceptions, was limited to particular localities.
+Secondly, not one European female died of it, and only two suffered from
+it severely. Thirdly, those who occupied spacious _upper-roomed_,
+well-aired houses, almost to a man escaped. Fourthly, those who exposed
+themselves to the sun, suffered most. And, lastly, the new comer from
+Europe was more subject to take this terrible fever, which the medical
+men characterize as a mixture of the yellow fever of the West and the
+bilious fever of the East Indies.
+
+A stranger landing in Hong Kong, particularly if coming from many parts
+of India, and acquainted generally with tropical countries and climates,
+would naturally, on hearing of its insalubrious climate, express
+surprise, since he could see no exciting cause. I have stated, that the
+fever attached itself to particular localities. These were, the eastern
+and western extremes of the town of Victoria. At the eastern end, to the
+eye the most delightful spot in or near the town, there are several
+patches of paddy-fields, situated in deep valleys between the hills, of
+limited extent, but which, under this climate, seem to generate malaria
+in quantities quite disproportionate to their size. In the morning,
+these valleys may be seen, from the middle of the town, completely
+filled with a dense fog, which rolls down from the neighbouring heights
+immediately after sun-set, settles upon them all night, and does not
+clear off till nine or ten o'clock in the morning. I know of no other
+reason why this neighbourhood should be unhealthy: that it proved so
+last summer, the number of its victims sufficiently testify. Of six
+gentlemen who took up their quarters here, five died; and the other had
+a very severe attack of fever, from which he ultimately recovered.[23]
+
+ [Footnote 23: Since these remarks were penned, another summer
+ has passed over Hong Kong. Sickness and death have again
+ prevailed there to an unusual extent, and the neighbourhood
+ just mentioned had its victims; amongst others, two English
+ ladies whose husbands I had cautioned, in March 1844,
+ respecting the spot they were taking their families to reside
+ upon. The last mail from the East continues the outcry against
+ the climate.]
+
+The land at the western extremity of the town is swampy, the grass, even
+on the declivities, being of a rank, spongy nature, and quite unfit for
+any thing. Here the Government built barracks, in which a detachment of
+Her Majesty's 55th regiment was for some time quartered: its ranks were
+decimated by fever, which latterly became so virulent, that the
+Authorities chartered shipping in the harbour, to receive the men still
+alive. Unfortunately, the poor fellows, being weakened from the effects
+of the summer, and having in all probability the seeds of disease in
+them before they embarked, died afloat in great numbers. It has been
+thought, that many lives might have been saved at West Point Barracks,
+had that building been raised off the ground so as to admit a free
+circulation of air _under_ the rooms. This, however, is but
+problematical, as the deaths at the other end of the town took place in
+two-storied houses.
+
+From what I observed at West Point, there appears to be a constant drain
+of water down the hills, about six inches under the surface of the soil.
+This water settles under improperly ventilated houses, rots the beams,
+and _throws up a crop of mildew in every room_, as I can testify from
+actual observation.
+
+That no European female has fallen a victim to this fever, is certainly
+a remarkable feature in its history; but it must be borne in mind, that
+there were no ladies residing in the immediate neighbourhood of the two
+localities just mentioned. Perhaps, the Morrison Education Hill may be
+an exception, where two families passed last summer. None of the females
+suffered a day's illness, though a young man living in the house, who
+was occasionally exposed to the sun, caught the fever and died.
+
+I have no doubt, (and I have heard others express a similar opinion,)
+that regular habits and non-exposure to the sun, are the principal
+causes to which those Europeans who have escaped illness when their
+friends and neighbours have sickened round them, owe their preservation.
+The occupants of spacious, two-storied, well-aired houses escaped, with
+only a single exception, in the case of a young man who probably
+brought on his illness by imprudent exposure to the sun for hours
+together, although he was repeatedly warned of the consequences. I know
+several instances of families passing last summer in houses of this
+description without any interruption of health. My own household was
+composed of two ladies, three children, myself, and a European female
+attendant: not one of us had an hour's illness during all the hot
+weather; yet we took no further care of ourselves than is customary with
+people who have resided for several years within the tropics.
+
+That exposure to the sun in that zone is uniformly prejudicial to the
+health of Europeans, does not admit of a question; but, in China, the
+sun's rays seem to exert a more injurious effect than in most other
+places I have visited. The residents in Hong Kong, it is true, were
+somewhat careless in the matter. Few, if any of them were provided with
+carriages or other conveyance to protect them from it when business
+called them abroad during the day; and it was quite common to see them
+moving about, on foot and on horseback, with no other precaution than an
+umbrella carried over the head, in spite of the daily examples of
+parties suffering from such imprudence.
+
+The number of European inhabitants in Hong Kong will this summer (1844)
+be trebled by the removal of most of the merchants from Macao; and the
+general health of the place will be anxiously watched. Should it prove
+as bad as last summer, (which God forbid,) it will drive many people
+away, and injure the settlement irreparably. The prejudicial effects of
+going into the sun might be avoided, almost entirely, even by men of
+business, were they to adopt the Calcutta system of note-writing. There,
+a merchant seldom or never moves from his office; and when he does, it
+is in a covered vehicle. Let the Hong Kong residents follow their
+example, and their numbers will not be thinned as they have hitherto
+been.
+
+That the European fresh from home, full-blooded, and in robust health,
+should be more liable to fever than his acclimated countrymen, is not to
+be wondered at; but many of the new comers might escape disease by
+common prudence. Confident in their strength of constitution, and
+wearied with a long confinement on ship-board, they sally forth, day by
+day, to take a walk, just as they would in England, heedless of the
+fierce luminary that is pouring his rays on their exposed heads, and
+bent only on amusement or variety. A week of such folly (to call it by
+no stronger name) has sufficed to bring many a youth to a premature
+grave.
+
+The weather begins to grow warm in China (I speak of Hong Kong, Macao,
+and Canton) about the middle of April; in June, it is oppressively hot;
+and during the following three months, which are the most unhealthy, the
+thermometer in the shade ranges from 85° to 90°. This is a degree of
+heat that ought not to be much felt by experienced Indians; and in Java,
+or in the Straits of Malacca, I should not complain of it; but there is
+a peculiarity, an oppressiveness, in the heat of China, that makes even
+respiration difficult, and excites such copious perspiration as to
+weaken the frame. In October, the weather becomes cooler, and, for the
+next five months, is sufficiently cold to render fires a comfort morning
+and evening; and occasionally during the whole day. Were it not for
+their winter, I know not what would become of the European residents in
+China: this season braces them up for the coming summer, and, in short,
+saves their lives.
+
+The progress made in Hong Kong since its occupation as a British Colony,
+is astonishing, and perhaps unsurpassed in the history of civilization.
+Owing to the peculiar features of the locality in which Victoria stands,
+that town has been extended along the beach, till it is now upward of
+four miles long, with three short streets extending a little way up the
+hills about its centre. The Queen's road extends along the beach the
+whole of this length, and has been cut with great labour and expense.
+The lots between this road and low-water mark are considered as the best
+for mercantile purposes, and are nearly all in the possession of
+mercantile men, who have built, in most cases, handsome warehouses with
+dwelling-houses above. There are, however, some exceptions, a portion of
+the ground being occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, who inhabit low
+ill-built houses, which, as ground with water-frontage becomes more
+valuable, will have to give way to better buildings, raised by a higher
+class, who will buy out the present occupants. The lots on the south
+side of Queen's Road are not so valuable as those opposite;
+nevertheless, they are nearly all in the possession of monied men, who
+will before long find it to their advantage to level the many wretched
+buildings that now disfigure the road, and to erect houses worthy of a
+town bearing the royal name.
+
+On my departure from the Island, building was going forward in all
+directions, notwithstanding the somewhat illiberal terms on which alone
+lots were obtainable; and I have no doubt that, by this time, many
+smiling cottages adorn the hills in and near the town, while more
+stately buildings rear their prouder elevation on the level below.
+
+House-rent, as might be expected, is very high, and will probably
+continue so for ten years to come. It took that time to reduce the rents
+in Singapore; and as I expect that Hong Kong will become a place of
+still greater trade, and attract a larger European population than the
+Straits' settlement, I see no reason that the owner of property in
+houses there should not look for a handsome return for his outlay for
+ten years, and for a fair remunerating price at the expiration of that
+time. Something like a hundred per cent. per annum has been got for the
+small houses occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, while twenty-five, thirty,
+and even forty per cent. is a common return for substantially-built
+warehouses.
+
+Some idea of the rapid progress which this settlement has made, may be
+formed by the reader, when I state, that one firm had laid out upwards
+of 40,000l. sterling in building, and was still laying out more, when I
+quitted it. This is, certainly, by far the largest expenditure that has
+been made by any single establishment: but many others have spent from
+6000l. to 10,000l. in a similar way; and the outlay by individuals on
+speculation, is by no means inconsiderable.
+
+The Chinese population of Victoria and the neighbourhood amounted, last
+January, to ten thousand souls; certainly not the choicest collection
+that could be wished, as the number of robberies that take place in and
+about the town sufficiently testify. This evil the magistrates were,
+however, doing their best to remedy; and some scores of idle vagabonds
+had been sent across the Channel dividing the Island from the main land
+of China. Some of the chiefs of the robber-gangs had been apprehended
+and set to work on the roads, in irons; a proceeding that alarmed their
+confederates not a little.[24]
+
+ [Footnote 24: An account of the capture of two of these scamps
+ was given to me by the chief magistrate, the day before I left
+ Victoria, and was to the following effect:--A China-man in the
+ pay of the police, though never seen by any magistrate, came to
+ the police compradore's house one evening, and said: "If you
+ will send two European constables to a certain spot (which he
+ named) at nine o'clock to night, I will shew them where they
+ will find two robber-chiefs smoking opium and looking over
+ their gains." This hint was immediately communicated to the
+ chief magistrate, who at once resolved to act upon it, and sent
+ the constables to the spot indicated. There, the spy met them,
+ masked, and made signs for them to be silent and follow him. He
+ guided them down past West Point upwards of a mile, when he
+ turned up the hill by a footpath, which, in half an hour,
+ brought the party to a small hut, through the crevices in the
+ wall of which a light was visible. To the door of this hut, the
+ guide significantly pointed, and instantly disappeared without
+ uttering a word. The constables took the hint, and burst the
+ door open, when they found what they had been led to expect;
+ two men smoking opium, the room almost full of European
+ clothing and other stolen property, quite sufficient to convict
+ the smokers of unfair play towards the late owners of it. These
+ men were of course secured; and the day I sailed from Hong
+ Kong, I saw them at work on the roads in irons. Their
+ apprehension caused a complete cessation of robberies for the
+ time being, the sight of the noted chiefs on the roads having
+ terrified their followers.]
+
+The general appearance of Hong Kong, from the sea, is picturesque and
+curious. That part of the Island on which the town is situated, is
+hilly, and, with the exception of the few paddy-fields already
+mentioned, presents no level space on which to build. The hills stretch
+completely down to the sea; and Queen's Road has been formed by cutting
+away their projecting spurs, throwing the earth into the sea in front,
+filling up the gaps on each side the spur, and thus forming a long strip
+of level. Above the level of Queen's Road, many terraces have been cut
+in the hills, upon which private dwellings have been perched; and to a
+person sailing into the harbour, these look suspended on the hill side,
+and inaccessible. To speak the truth, the approaches to them are not the
+most practicable; particularly in rainy weather, when, from the clayey
+nature of the soil, they become extremely slippery. Several
+water-courses descend from these hills, forming miniature ravines and a
+few water-falls, which have a pretty effect after a day's rain. They
+occasionally wash away an ill-built house; but this is the fault of the
+clumsy and foolish builders.
+
+Many of these hills are covered with a hard, tough, useless sort of
+whinstone, which adds considerably to the expense of building on them.
+Others are well stocked with granite, which the Chinese masons split
+very neatly into any shape, by driving innumerable wedges into the
+blocks. The adroitness with which they do this, is quite surprising. The
+China pine (or fir) grows all over Hong Kong; but the young trees no
+sooner attain the height of two or three feet, than they are cut down by
+the natives, and carried off in bundles to clean the bottoms of the
+countless boats that ply about the harbour. Thus, with one or two
+exceptions, these hills are quite bare, and, in winter more
+particularly, exhibit any thing but a lively spectacle. In summer, their
+green covering of coarse grass improves their appearance.
+
+The only thing that reconciles one to the site chosen for building the
+town of Victoria, is its beautiful harbour: in every other respect, the
+choice was decidedly bad. A more awkward place on which to erect a town,
+could not have been fixed upon; and its northern aspect adds, I suspect,
+to the unhealthiness of the place, as it exposes the town to the cold
+winds of winter, and completely shuts out the southerly breezes of
+summer, which are so much wanted to refresh the worn-out colonist There
+are situations in the Island much more eligible for a town, but their
+harbours are exposed, so that, when we consider how well the shipping
+are protected in Victoria bay, we feel disposed to allow that a better
+choice could not have been made under all the circumstances.
+
+The market of Hong Kong is well supplied with fish, flesh, and fowl,
+vegetables, fruit, and game; and those who choose to take the trouble of
+seeing to it themselves, may obtain supplies on reasonable terms: those
+who leave these matters to their servants, are of course robbed, and are
+apt, without making any inquiry, to come to the conclusion, that every
+thing here is dear. The retail price of every sort of provisions is
+pasted up on the market-gate, once a week, by authority of the
+magistrates, in Chinese and English characters; so that the exorbitant
+rates charged by _compradores_ may be easily detected and put a stop to.
+Chinese boats of all descriptions, sizes, and sorts may be hired at
+every wharf, at any hour from daylight till eight at night: their moving
+about after that hour, is prohibited by the Authorities, who had strong
+reason to suspect their being connected with the gangs of robbers that
+occasionally land from the opposite shore, commit some daring robbery,
+and disappear again before daylight.
+
+When the fleet of men of war and transports arrived here, from the
+North, in October 1842, the troops, amounting to upwards of fifteen
+thousand, were regularly supplied, during their stay in the harbour of
+Victoria, with fresh provisions, eggs, &c.; and no rise of prices took
+place. On the departure of the fleet, the daily supply was reduced by
+the Chinese to just sufficient for the consumption of the place. No
+portion of the supplies for the market is produced on the Island: the
+whole is brought from the innumerable creek and river-banks in the
+neighbourhood. It is to be hoped that this state of things will, before
+long, be altered, since, as matters now stand, the Cow Loon Authorities
+could, at any time, deprive the inhabitants of Hong Kong of their daily
+bread.
+
+American, French, and English Missionaries are already congregated in
+this infant settlement. The first have built a neat little chapel, where
+Divine service is performed every Sunday morning in the Presbyterian
+form, and, in the evening, in Chinese. The French Roman Catholics have
+built a stately and handsome chapel with a good dwelling-house attached
+to it: they have a large congregation among the Irish soldiery and the
+Portuguese from Macao. The English Missionaries had only just arrived
+with their establishment from Malacca, and, when I left the Island, had
+neither house nor chapel, but had commenced building. A chaplain of the
+Church of England had arrived, appointed by the Home Government: no
+English church, however, had even been commenced, and the congregation
+meet every Sunday in a neat house, where, if they escape fever during
+the summer, and colds and ague during the winter, they ought to deem
+themselves very fortunate.
+
+Grog-shops and other resorts for the depraved and idle, are already
+plentiful in Victoria. They are, however, all closed on Sunday; and the
+sailor ashore, on liberty on that day, is fain to content himself with a
+walk along the road, during which he may be heard muttering deep curses
+on the heads of those who framed this (according to his notion) unjust
+and tyrannical regulation.
+
+Before concluding my remarks on Hong Kong, I will add a few words on
+what I consider as the best means to be adopted with a view to render
+the settlement more healthy. Much must be done by the Government; and
+the rest may be left to the inhabitants themselves.
+
+In the first place, the paddy-fields at the east end of the town must be
+thoroughly drained, and the cultivation of paddy in the neighbourhood
+entirely stopped. Proclamations on this last subject had been published
+in March last. That the draining of these lands would decrease the
+quantity of malaria generated in the valleys, there can be no doubt;
+but, that it would entirely do away with it, I deem very problematical.
+At all events, it would not stop the volumes of fog that descend from
+the hill-tops at sun-set, and completely envelop the valleys and the
+houses. Draining, indeed, would do good, and ought to be tried at once.
+The owners of property in the neighbourhood were very sanguine as to the
+result of the experiment. More good, however, would be done in the way
+of purifying the air of these valleys, by entirely removing the small
+hill on which the Morrison Education buildings stand. The task, at first
+sight, may seem herculean; but is not so in reality. Thousands of men
+are to be hired in the villages on the opposite coast, who would gladly
+work for three dollars (13s. 6d.) per month. Were a couple of thousand
+of these put upon this job for a twelvemonth, there would not be much of
+the hill left. The pecuniary outlay would be considerable; but the
+returns would do much more than pay the interest on it. The base of the
+hill itself is of considerable extent; and the earth carried from its
+top, if thrown into the sea at its foot, would create a large level
+space for building, that would yield quit-rent enough to render the
+speculation (were the work undertaken by private individuals) a highly
+profitable one. This hill completely shuts up the largest of the
+paddy-growing valleys; and its removal would admit into it the easterly
+and northerly breezes, which might do more than any thing else towards
+preventing the descent of the fog. There are other hills, near the one
+alluded to, that might be levelled with great advantage to the
+neighbourhood, as well as to the parties who might undertake the task.
+In this case, there are individuals ready to execute the work on their
+own private account, who actually made offers to the Government on the
+subject; but their terms were rejected by the Authorities, and the hills
+remain in _statu quo_. The sea being very shallow at the base of these
+hills, the space filled up by cutting them down, would be very
+considerable, and the task by no means difficult. Sir Stamford Raffles
+removed one at Singapore, in size equal to the one known in Hong Kong
+as Leighton's Hill, without incurring a shilling of expense to his
+Government. To the parties who removed the soil, he gave the ground they
+had made, charging them the same quit-rent that others paid on the
+grants made to them.
+
+At West Point, draining seems to be the only plan that can be
+recommended to render the situation more salubrious. Neither there nor
+any where else in the Colony, is it safe to reside in houses having only
+a ground-floor. Of those who have done so, few have escaped the fever;
+and still fewer of those who caught it, recovered. Draining upon a large
+scale, is the part of the work I would leave to the Government: upon the
+inhabitants, I would impose the task of making proper sewers all over
+the town. The few that existed there last summer, were not simply a
+disgrace to every person connected with the place, but tended in no
+small degree to thin the population by the abominable effluvia they
+threw out. In the immediate vicinity of every house or shop belonging to
+the Chinese, might be seen a collection of impurities sufficient to
+create a pestilence anywhere, much more in a place with the thermometer
+frequently above 90° in the shade. The assessment of five per cent. on
+all rents, would create a fund sufficient to purify the town, to keep it
+clean, to provide a regular scavengers' establishment, and, moreover,
+to pay night watchmen to protect the property of its inhabitants from
+the gangs of robbers that infest the place. Were these suggestions
+carried out, if the citizens of Victoria were but careful to avoid the
+sun, and if not a few would but reduce by one-half their allowance of
+brandy-and-water and cigars, I will venture to predict, that the medical
+men of the place would have a comparative sinecure.
+
+Among other arrivals in Hong Kong during the year 1843, were some fifty
+or sixty emigrants from Sydney, (N. S. Wales,) consisting of mechanics
+of different descriptions. They alleged, that the bad times in Australia
+had driven them away. Poor fellows! I fear they have made a sad mistake
+in the change they have sought. Here, they will find times, for persons
+of their class, worse than those they have had to complain of, a climate
+to contend against, from which they have not the means of protecting
+themselves, and hundreds of Chinese artisans, who can afford to work for
+less than half what they can live upon. Most of them were badly housed;
+and it was to be feared, that the end of summer will see very many of
+their number in their graves.
+
+The colonists of New South Wales appear to hare formed the most
+extravagant ideas of the benefit they are to derive from the new
+settlement of Hong Kong. With the exception of salt provisions, I know
+of nothing they can send to the new settlement with even a chance of
+profit; and the prices of these must be lower than those ruling in
+Sydney by the last accounts, to yield a profit. Some small lots of
+timber have been found to answer; but the demand for this article will
+cease, when the buildings now in progress in Victoria shall have been
+completed. Cattle, horses, and sheep have been tried, and the experiment
+has proved an utter failure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+CHINA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CANTON--DESCRIPTION OF THE EUROPEAN
+ QUARTER--HOSTILE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE--COMMERCIAL
+ PROSPECTS OF CANTON--AMOY--FOO CHOW--NINGPO--
+ SHANG-HAE--MR. MEDHURST--RESULTS OF THE TREATY
+ WITH CHINA.
+
+
+The sail from Hong Kong to Canton is very interesting, particularly to a
+stranger. The numerous islands he passes, and the entirely new scenes
+that everywhere attract his eye, cannot fail to delight and amuse him.
+Here, the unwieldy Chinese junk; there, the fast-sailing Chinese
+passage-boat; now and then, the long snake-like opium-smuggler with his
+fifty oars; innumerable fishing-boats, all in pairs, with a drag-net
+extended from the one to the other; country boats of all descriptions
+passing to and fro, their crews all bent on money-getting, yet, never
+failing to cast a glance of mingled contempt and scorn at the "_Fan
+qui_"; the duck-boats on the river banks, their numerous tenants feeding
+in the adjacent rice-fields; a succession of little Chinese villages,
+with groupes of young Celestials staring at him with never-ending
+wonder; here and there, a tall pagoda rearing its lofty head high above
+the surrounding scenery, as if conscious of its great antiquity and of
+the sacred objects for which it was built; the Chinese husbandman with
+his one-handed plough, drawn by a single wild-looking buffalo; smiling
+cottages, surrounded with orange and other fruit-trees; the immense
+fleet of foreign ships anchored at Whampoa;--these and a thousand other
+objects, all equally strange and new, attract the attention of the
+stranger as he sails up the "Quang Tung" river. On nearing the city
+itself, he is still more astonished and pleased with the sights that
+literally confuse his ideas, making the whole scene to seem the creation
+of magic, rather than sober reality. Here, the river is absolutely
+crowded with junks and boats of all sorts and sizes, from the ferry-boat
+of six feet long, to the ferry-boat of a thousand tons burthen. Long
+rows of houses, inhabited principally by boat-builders and others
+connected with maritime affairs, and built on the river, line its right
+bank. Outside of these, are moored numerous flat-bottomed boats with
+high roofs: these come from the Interior with tea and other produce, and
+resemble what I fancy Noah's Ark must have been, more than any thing I
+have seen elsewhere. On the left bank, the shore is lined with boats
+unloading and loading cargoes, while the different landing-places are
+completely blocked up with ferry-boats seeking employment. The space in
+the centre of the river, is continually crowded with boats, junks, &c.
+proceeding up and down. The scene altogether is bewildering to the
+stranger. Busy as the scene is, which the Thames presents at London, its
+superior regularity and order, in my opinion, prevent its coming up to
+the scene I have just faintly traced, in the strange and excited
+feelings it calls up. Amidst all this, there is a constant clatter of
+tongues strongly recalling the confusion of Babel. A China-man never
+talks below his breath; and, if one may judge from the loud tones in
+which the whole community express their sentiments, whether in a house
+or shop or in the street, the only conclusion that can be come to is,
+that, in China, the word secret is not understood, or rather, that the
+idea corresponding to that word has no existence in their conceptions.
+
+Of the immense city itself, the home of a million of souls, what account
+can a traveller give, who has seen little more of it than the portion
+inhabited by foreigners? I must say a few words, however, about that
+part of it which I have seen.
+
+I begin with the foreign factories. These buildings stretch along the
+left bank of the river about three quarters of a mile, (or, rather, they
+did so, for one half of them have recently been destroyed by fire,) and
+extend back about two hundred yards. They are large, substantially
+built, and comfortable houses; but those situated behind the front row,
+must be (indeed I know they are) oppressively hot residences in the
+summer season. The space between the factories and the river, is
+reserved for a promenade, where foreigners may take a little recreation
+after their day's work. Although but a limited space, it is invaluable.
+Here, in the evening, may be seen Englishmen, Americans, Frenchmen,
+Spaniards, Dutchmen, Portuguese, Parsees, Moslem, and Hindoos; all
+enjoying the evening breeze, and talking over the affairs of the day or
+the news brought by the last overland mail, while a crowd of Chinese
+coolies surround the square, gaping with noisy wonder at the strangers
+attired in all the costumes of Europe and Asia. The streets principally
+resorted to by foreigners are, China Street (old and new) and
+Carpenter's Square. In the former, a very choice collection of Chinese
+articles may be purchased, either in the way of curiosities or of
+valuable merchandize. In Carpenter's Square, the new-comer may fit
+himself out with everlasting trunks, dressing-cases, &c.; or, if in
+search of furniture, he may here, in half an hour, furnish his house
+with well-made, substantial articles. The houses in these streets are
+all of two stories, with very narrow frontage, ground being valuable. A
+large quantity of timber is used in their construction, which renders
+any chance fire in this city so very destructive. The streets in Canton
+are all very narrow, most of those I have seen not exceeding six or
+seven feet in width: the two China Streets are probably twelve feet
+wide. The city does not cover half the space which a European one with
+the same population would do. Its streets, from their want of breadth,
+always appear, and indeed always are crowded; and the unwary passenger
+is very liable to get knocked down by some heavily laden porter running
+against him, if he does not keep a sharp look-out. Like Macao, it is
+infested with loathsome beggars, who are, if possible, still more
+clamorous in their demands for charity than those of that place. Here,
+the stranger will be surprised to see dogs, cats, and rats hawked about,
+dead and alive. I do not say that these animals form the daily food of
+the people of Canton, but they are daily and hourly hawked about its
+streets, and purchased by the poorer classes. The Canton market is,
+nevertheless, remarkably well supplied with the good things of this
+life; and the European who cannot live and be contented with the
+provisions procurable in it, must be hard to please. By nine o'clock at
+night, this huge city is perfectly quiet, and nine-tenths of its
+inhabitants are wrapped in sleep. At either end of each street is a
+gate, which is shut at that hour, and ingress or egress put a stop to
+for the night. This regulation, as may be supposed, is an excellent
+check upon night robbers, whose peregrinations can extend no further
+than the end of the street they live in. Another equally salutary
+regulation is that which makes the inhabitants of a street responsible
+for each other's good conduct. Thus, if A's servant steals any thing
+from B, A must make good the loss. Prowling being put a stop to during
+the night, I have seen robberies attempted and detected during the day;
+and I certainly never saw a poor thief treated elsewhere with such
+unrelenting cruelty. A China-man seems to have no mercy for a thief; nor
+is this feeling to be wondered at in an over-peopled country, where all
+have to work for their bread, and where idlers are sure to starve.
+During the winter, in Canton, the lower classes suffer severely from
+cold: they are poorly fed and worse clothed: and hundreds of them may be
+seen about the streets, shivering and looking the very picture of
+absolute wretchedness. Amongst these, a few old women may be seen
+sitting by the side of the streets, earning a scanty subsistence by
+mending and patching the clothes of people as poor as themselves. These
+poor women, having all undergone the barbarous operation of cramping the
+feet during infancy, are consequently unable to undertake any thing but
+sedentary employment to gain their bread. The very small size to which
+the feet of some of the Chinese females have been distorted by cramping
+them with bandages during the first six years of their lives, is almost
+beyond belief. I have seen a full-grown woman wearing shoes, and walking
+in them too, not more than 3-1/2 inches long. Their walk resembles that
+of a timid boy upon ice; it is necessarily slow; and, indeed, some of
+them require the aid of a staff in one hand, while they lean with the
+other on the shoulder of a female attendant. The smaller the eyes and
+feet of a Chinese beauty, the more she is admired. I once asked a
+respectable China-man, what he thought of this custom of cramping their
+daughters' feet: his reply was, "Very bad custom." On my inquiring
+further, whether he had any daughters, and whether their feet were
+treated in the same way, he answered in the affirmative, but asserted,
+that they had been subjected to the cruel ordeal by their mother,
+against his will. He added, that, in a China-man's house, where there
+were young girls, no peace could be had, night or day, for their cries,
+which lasted till they were six years old. He gave us a reason for the
+mother's insisting on her daughter's submitting to this long course of
+pain and suffering:--"Suppose _he_ no small foot, no man wantjee make
+_he_ number one wife." A respectable China-man, it appears, always
+chooses a small-footed woman for his principal wife, while, for Number
+two, three, and four, he contents himself with ladies whose feet are as
+nature made them, and who are consequently more able to make themselves
+useful in household matters.
+
+The inhabitants of Canton and its vicinity have displayed, since the
+war, more hostile feelings towards Englishmen, than those entertained by
+the natives of any of the northern ports. They still affect to believe,
+that Sir Hugh Gough durst not attack their city; and it is, perhaps, to
+be regretted, that he was hindered from shewing his strength on that
+occasion. Several riots and two extensive fires among the foreign
+factories, have taken place since that time; and it is the opinion of
+many persons, that, before long, Canton will require a lesson such as
+Amoy, Ning-po, and other places have received. That the first of the two
+fires alluded to was the work of incendiaries, there is no doubt; and so
+well satisfied were the native Authorities upon this point, that they
+made good the losses sustained by foreigners on the occasion.
+
+The proposal to grant land to foreigners in the neighbourhood of Canton,
+for the site of country residences, met with so energetic opposition
+from the natives, that the Authorities did not venture to carry the plan
+into execution. Inflammatory placards were posted all over the city,
+calling upon the people to protect their ancient rights, and
+threatening extermination to foreigners, and to the local Authorities
+themselves, in the event of their complying with the petition. It is
+probable, that the wealthy men and others connected with the commerce of
+Canton, felt that the arrangements then pending between Her Majesty's
+Government and that of their Imperial Master regarding the commerce of
+the two countries, would, if completed, affect their old privileges and
+monopoly; and that they adopted the measures above-mentioned in order to
+shew their displeasure. That their commerce will suffer in consequence
+of the arrangements since brought to an amicable conclusion, there can
+be no doubt; but it is not less certain, that Canton will continue to be
+the centre of an extensive trade. Its merchants must be content with a
+share of the loaf, in place of monopolizing, as heretofore, the whole.
+The days of Hong merchants and monopoly are at an end; and the benefits
+derived from Free-trade will shortly convince all but those connected
+with the late Hongs, that the changes recently effected in the relations
+of the Celestial Empire with other countries, are not deserving of the
+abuse that has been so abundantly lavished on them.
+
+The far-famed Bogue Forts, I observed, in passing up the river last
+March, to be rebuilt in the same clumsy style as that of the
+fortifications which Sir Gordon Bremmer knocked down. As a means of
+defending the river against any thing but Chinese junks, they are
+utterly useless; and one cannot help feeling surprised that so
+intelligent a people as the Chinese did not take a lesson from the
+perfect ease with which their forts were razed to the ground, and build
+their new ones on a better plan. The scenery at the Bogue is very
+pretty; and the forts, if of no other advantage, form a picturesque
+feature, viewed while sailing past them.
+
+Not having visited Amoy, Foo Chow, Ning-po, Chusan, or Shang-Hae, I am
+unable to give any description of those places. I can, however, state
+what I have heard about them, and give the mercantile reader some idea
+of their importance as places of trade.
+
+Short as is the time that these ports have been open to the commerce of
+Britain and other foreign nations, many cargoes of Indian cotton,
+different sorts of produce from Singapore and the islands of the Malayan
+Archipelago, manufactured goods, consisting of woollens, gray and white
+shirtings, chintz, &c., from Manchester and Glasgow, have been
+advantageously disposed of at one or another of them. Amoy has taken off
+several cargoes of Bengal and Bombay cotton, at prices considerably
+higher than those ruling at Canton. This branch of trade is likely to
+increase, and is one that will interfere with Canton to a considerable
+extent. As a residence, however, this place has a bad character in point
+of healthiness: at least, the troops, both European and Indian, suffered
+severely there from fever. They were stationed on the island of Koo
+Loong Soo, which is said to be more healthy than Amoy itself.
+
+None of our merchants had visited Foo Chow, up to the time of my
+departure from China; nor had a Consul been sent there; but this has, I
+presume, since taken place. The city has been described to me as large
+and populous, and the seat of a very extensive trade. It escaped the
+ravages of the late war; and its inhabitants may probably entertain a
+similar idea to that which possesses the people of Canton; namely, that
+we were afraid to attack them. Whether this notion will lead them to
+give Europeans an indifferent reception, or not, remains to be seen. Let
+us hope that they will act wisely in the matter, and not bring down
+vengeance on their own heads. Sir William Parker, by visiting their
+harbour in Her Majesty's ship Cornwallis, proved to them that they are
+not beyond the reach of European shipping, as they at one time thought.
+Some difficulty is experienced, I believe, in approaching Foo Chow,
+owing to the strength of the currents in the neighbourhood; but, as a
+seventy-four-gun ship has got over that difficulty, it is proved to be
+not an insurmountable one.
+
+Ning-po is also a large and wealthy city, admirably situated for trade,
+and surrounded with a beautiful country. It stands some forty miles from
+the sea, by the river, which is said to be navigable for ships of
+considerable burthen even beyond the town. The climate is salubrious,
+and the natives are quite awake to the benefits likely to arise from a
+free intercourse with Europeans. At this port, the first British vessel
+bound for the northern ports of China, from England direct, was loading,
+in March last, with tea and other Chinese produce. By how many hundreds
+she will ere long be followed, I leave the reader to imagine. It is said
+by those who have visited this port, that nothing can exceed the
+urbanity of the Chinese Authorities and merchants, or their anxiety to
+do all in their power to please and entertain European strangers. This,
+doubtless, in part arises from the severe lesson that was read them, on
+more than one occasion, by Sir Hugh Gough; a lesson which, it is hoped,
+they will long remember. An extensive and important trade is carried on
+between this place and Chusan, by which means our manufactures will find
+their way into that island, after its ports shall be closed against our
+shipping. Here, Russian manufacturers are met with; and a friend of mine
+informed me, that, in a Chinese shop at Ning-po, he purchased a few
+yards of superior Russian black broad cloth at the very cheap rate of
+two dollars and a-half (11s. 3d.) per yard. This price seems lower than
+that at which the British manufacturer could produce a similar article.
+Samples of the cloth have been sent to England, so that this question
+will soon be decided.
+
+Shang-Hae, the most northern of the five ports opened to foreign
+commerce, is, perhaps, the most important of the whole five. I have
+undoubted authority for asserting, that the number of Chinese junks, of
+more than a hundred tons burthen, that enter this port weekly, exceeds a
+thousand. The same authority speaks of the busy scene that this harbour
+daily presents, as quite beyond his powers of description. Many British,
+American, and other merchants have visited Shang-Hae since it became an
+open port; many cargoes of manufactures have been disposed of there; and
+already a considerable export trade on foreign account has commenced. A
+bold attempt was made by some influential and wealthy merchants from
+Canton, to prevent the mercantile men of the place from purchasing
+cargoes from the foreigners: in this, they succeeded for a time; and the
+Canton men were in hopes they should secure the northern trade for their
+own capital, as of yore; but they calculated beyond their mark. The
+Shang-Hae men listened to the tales that were told them, and kept aloof
+for some time, till they saw that the Europeans were quite determined
+not to leave their harbour without effecting sales. Suddenly they
+changed their minds, and said to the Canton men: "If the '_Fan-quis_'
+are such a wicked race, how comes it that you are so anxious to have
+their trade to yourselves?" In a week afterwards, every foreign vessel
+in the river was cleared of her cargo at remunerating prices.
+
+Shang-Hae is the principal port in the Empire for the export of raw
+silk. This fact is sufficient of itself to proclaim the vast importance
+of the place. The winter here, is described as being very severe; and
+the cold is said to be so intense, that hundreds of the very poorest
+sort of natives perish in the streets from its effect on their half-clad
+persons. The heat of summer is also intense; which renders the city
+unhealthy, situated as it is in a low, swampy country. Yet, I heard of
+no sickness among the Europeans who passed last summer there.
+
+The Missionaries have not been behind the merchants in occupying
+Shang-Hae; and Mr. Medhurst, so well known for his extensive knowledge
+of Chinese literature, had completed arrangements for removing his
+family thither in the early part of the present summer. He had
+previously visited the place, avowing the object of his visit, and had
+found no difficulty in procuring a commodious house, large enough for
+the comfortable accommodation of his family, as well as for a printing
+establishment, &c. Mr. Medhurst has been a personal friend of mine for
+these twenty years; and he will believe me when I say, that I heartily
+wish him all the success in his mission that he can wish for himself;
+but, of his success, I have my doubts.
+
+As to the benefits likely to accrue to the commerce of Great Britain
+from the Treaty lately concluded by Sir Henry Pottinger with the Chinese
+Government, I conceive there can be but one opinion, although the extent
+of those benefits is as yet uncertain. When I express an opinion, not
+penned in haste or without consideration, that the large quantities of
+grey shirtings, white ditto, chintz, cotton yarn, long ells, Spanish
+stripes, fine woollens, camlets, &c. now purchased of the British
+merchants by the Chinese, are likely, within the next three years, to be
+quadrupled, the manufacturers of my country will at once perceive what
+this celebrated Treaty is likely to accomplish for them.[25] We must,
+moreover, take into consideration, the extra tonnage that will be
+required to carry on this extended commerce; the number of seamen it
+will employ; the consequent increased demand for every description of
+stores taken to sea for the use of ships and men; the innumerable
+families that will thus be provided for; and the not improbable
+increased demand, over and above quadruple the present, for the goods
+named, when the new trade shall have had time thoroughly to develop
+itself. Nor must we overlook the benefit likely to result to British
+India, the cotton of which has hitherto been supplied to the Chinese
+_viā_ Canton: it will now be carried to their doors in British vessels,
+and sold to them at far cheaper rates than could have been afforded when
+sent in the former round-about way. Taking this view of the case, it
+stands to reason, that the demand will increase; and though the merchant
+of Bombay, Madras, or Calcutta may not make larger profits than
+heretofore, he will do a much larger business, employ double the number
+of men and ships, and enjoy the prospect of returning to his native
+country some few years sooner than he dreamed of under the old regime.
+
+ [Footnote 25: It must be borne in mind, that this was written
+ at sea, before I had any knowledge of the reception which Sir
+ Henry Pottinger's Treaty had met in Manchester and other
+ manufacturing towns. Their subsequent reception of Sir Henry
+ himself, proves how well satisfied they are with what he has
+ done for them; and the extent of last summer's exports to
+ China, demonstrates, beyond a doubt, that I was not far wrong
+ in my predictions.]
+
+A trade suddenly thrown open with three hundred millions of human
+beings, is not likely to be completely developed in three, four, or five
+years; and I conceive that I am within the mark, when I hold out
+encouragement to my countrymen to quadruple their shipments to China. In
+April, May, and June, 1843, before the five ports of China were
+officially opened to foreign trade, and when visiting them was
+precarious, an unusually large quantity of British and American
+manufactures was poured into the China market. Ship after ship arrived
+from the manufacturing districts, with full cargoes; and the universal
+cry was, "What is to be done with all these goods?" I can tell the
+public what became of them. They were sold almost as fast as they
+arrived. Many of them were purchased, for the northern ports, by
+speculators, who, to a man, did well with them. Prices not only kept up,
+in spite of the heavy import duties, but actually continued to advance
+till the end of the year, when they were twenty per cent. higher than
+when all the cry was, "What is to become of these goods?" This spirited
+demand for goods at Canton and Hong Kong, continued up to March last,
+when I sailed from China. Whether the supply sent out this season, has
+exceeded the demand, or not, I have no means of ascertaining, while
+writing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; but I have no fear as to
+the result of any shipments that may have been made.
+
+That the thanks of the mercantile world in general, and of its members
+in Great Britain in particular, are due to Sir Henry Pottinger for the
+very satisfactory conclusion to which he has brought the recent
+disturbances with China, and to Sir Hugh Gough and Sir William Parker
+for the gallant manner in which the warlike portion of the work was
+conducted, every unprejudiced man must allow. Though Sir Henry had not
+left China when I sailed, I presume that he will be in England before me
+_viā_ Egypt; and nothing would give me greater pleasure on my arrival,
+than to find that he had been rewarded by his Sovereign by being made
+"Earl Nankin." His career has been a brilliant one; and that he may live
+many years to enjoy the fruits of his exertions, must be the wish of all
+that are likely to benefit by them.[26]
+
+ [Footnote 26: No such honour has been paid to Sir Henry, though
+ his reception by his Sovereign, the Government, and the public,
+ has been such as must amply have gratified him and all his
+ friends.]
+
+Whether or not we are shortly to have another Chinese war, is a problem
+I do not pretend to be able to solve: there are various opinions on the
+subject; but my own is, that every thing depends on the foreigners
+themselves. If the Consuls and others sent by Government to the five
+trading ports are firm and resolute men, who will never suffer the
+slightest infringement of the Treaty by the Chinese, without an
+energetic remonstrance,--if the captains of ships of war stationed at
+the five ports are strict in maintaining order among the masters and
+crews of the shipping of their nation,--if mercantile men take care, on
+the one hand, to give no cause of complaint by smuggling or otherwise,
+to the Chinese Authorities, and, on the other hand, to put up with
+nothing from them that is not borne out by the terms of the Treaty;--in
+short, if foreigners generally (under which term I include every person
+not a Chinese) unite together and stand up for the Treaty, the whole
+Treaty, and nothing but the Treaty,--I see no reason to suppose that it
+may not work well, and for many years to come. On the other hand, if
+Consuls vacillate in their intercourse with the Chinese authorities,--if
+captains of ships of war permit irregularities in the conduct of
+merchant seamen,--and if foreign merchants condescend to injure their
+fair fame by smuggling, in place of submitting to the very moderate
+duties imposed upon their trade by the new Chinese tariff,--all and each
+of them must take the consequences of their conduct; and they may rest
+assured, that the Chinese will always be ready to seize with avidity the
+slightest opportunity afforded them for charging foreigners with a
+breach of the Treaty. We must hope that foreigners resorting to China
+for the purposes of trade, or merely as travellers in search of health
+or of strange sights, will be sufficiently aware of the importance that
+is sure to be attached to their conduct, to avoid giving the Chinese
+just cause of complaint. Should they be careful on this point, and
+should the amicable relations now existing between the two countries
+remain uninterrupted, it will not take many years to convince the
+intelligent Chinese, that intercourse with what they are pleased to term
+the Barbarian nations of the earth, is not to be despised.
+
+As for the result of another war, there cannot, I imagine, be two
+opinions. That Great Britain would be the victor, and the _gainer_ too,
+after a struggle of half a summer, is pretty certain; and that she would
+make the Chinese pay dearer for their temerity than they were made to do
+before, seems probable, and would be but just. The possession of Chusan
+and other eligible mercantile positions on the coast, would open fresh
+fields for the enterprise of our merchants, and for the employment of
+hundreds of seamen and others; and the fleet and army, after satisfying
+the Chinese that they were as able and as willing to fight as ever,
+might, with great advantage to their country, take a trip to Japan, and
+try to prevail on the ruler of that _terra incognita_ to open his ports
+to foreign commerce. I would tell the Emperor of Japan, You shall either
+be my friend or my foe. If the former, you must permit your subjects to
+trade with my people; and if the latter, you must try your strength with
+me. While there are tens of thousands of unemployed operatives in Great
+Britain, her rulers should omit no opportunity of extending her
+commerce; and their suffering the Japanese sullenly to exclude our
+shipping, while the Dutch enjoy the sole privilege of trading to their
+country, seems to me putting up with a state of things that ought not to
+exist.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+ NECESSITY OF APPOINTING BRITISH CONSULS IN THE
+ SPANISH AND DUTCH COLONIES--NEW SETTLEMENT ON
+ THE WESTERN COAST OF BORNEO--IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
+ OF COAL ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST--CONCLUDING
+ REMARKS.
+
+
+It appears to me, that British commerce in the East, requires somewhat
+more care and attention from the Authorities in the mother country, than
+they have hitherto bestowed upon it. The trade carried on by British
+subjects with the Philippines, Siam, and the Dutch Colonies, is both
+extensive and important; but, not unfrequently, it suffers interruption
+from the Government of those countries, to the serious loss and
+inconvenience of the parties concerned. That a Consul or other properly
+authorised functionary is required to watch over the interests of
+British merchants trading to Manilla, Bang-kok, Batavia, Samarang, and
+Sourabaya in Java, and Padang on the west coast of Sumatra, is evident
+to every person at all acquainted with the trade of those places; and I
+will add a few facts by way of satisfying those who may be doubtful on
+the point.
+
+In the first place, then, British subjects residing in, or shipping
+resorting to Manilla, are subject to the most arbitrary proceedings on
+the part of the Spanish Government,[27] who order merchants from the
+place, and ships from the harbour, at a day's notice, without ever
+condescending to state their reasons for such proceedings. It was only
+the other day that the British subjects residing in Manilla were, by an
+unlooked for and arbitrary order of the Governor, deprived of the
+professional aid of the medical practitioners of their own country then
+resident among them. These professional men were not, indeed, ordered to
+quit the place; but they were informed by an official proclamation, that
+no medical man would in future be permitted to practice in Manilla,
+unless in possession of a diploma from the college at Cadiz. This, of
+course, was equivalent to an order to quit, as no English physician
+could be expected to have such a document in his possession. A friend of
+mine, writing to me on this occasion, represents the act as tantamount
+to a sentence of death upon all foreigners resident in the Philippines.
+While Spanish surgeons are allowed to practice among their countrymen in
+British Colonies, such a state of things ought not for a moment to be
+suffered by the British Government.
+
+ [Footnote 27: This remark has recently been confirmed beyond
+ the possibility of denial, by the unjust and cruel sentence
+ passed by the Court of Justice in Manilla, on my esteemed
+ friend, Mr. Robert Diggles, who, after having been led into
+ great expense, and kept under the surveillance of the police
+ for nearly two years, has been tried as a criminal, and
+ sentenced to pay a fine of two thousand dollars, and banished
+ the Philippines for six years. And for what, does the reader
+ suppose? For kicking out of his house an impudent Spanish
+ tailor who had presented himself there during a ball given by
+ Mr. Diggles to Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker and
+ Major-General Lord Saltoun, during their visit to Manilla in
+ Her Majesty's ship Cornwallis.
+
+ From Lord Saltoun, on his return to Hong Kong, I received an
+ account of this matter; and Mr. Diggles also sent me the
+ particulars in writing. From the testimony thus tendered to me
+ by an eyewitness whose word cannot for a moment be doubted, and
+ by the party principally concerned, in whose word I also place
+ implicit confidence, I have no hesitation in making this public
+ declaration, that Mr. Diggles has been partially, cruelly,
+ unjustly, disgracefully, and tyrannically dealt with by the
+ Government of Manilla. A letter I received yesterday from
+ Singapore, gives room to hope that Mr. Diggles's banishment has
+ been remitted, which I should be glad to hear confirmed, though
+ it would be no adequate reparation for the injury he has
+ sustained.--Hull, 1st November 1845.]
+
+Next, as to Siam. It is well known to every person acquainted with the
+trade of that country, that its Sovereign, in defiance of all treaties,
+monopolizes, by unjust and tyrannical means, nine-tenths of the commerce
+of his dominions; that his agents watch for and seize every boat that
+approaches the capital with produce; that the produce so seized is
+carried to the King's warehouses; that he pays whatever price he
+pleases for the contents of the boat; that the produce so seized is very
+generally the property of other persons, (frequently British subjects,)
+who have advanced money to the planter on his growing crop; that British
+and other shipping resorting to Bang-kok for the purchase of produce,
+are compelled to buy from the King on his own terms, or to leave the
+port in ballast; and finally, that these proceedings are in direct
+opposition to the terms of an existing Treaty between Great Britain and
+Siam. A Consul at Bang-kok, and a visit twice a year from one of the
+ships of war cruizing in the China Sea and the Straits of Malacca, would
+put an entire stop to His Siamese Majesty's unwarrantable proceedings,
+as far as British subjects are concerned. Let Americans and others look
+after themselves.
+
+Ill the Dutch Colonies, also, I can testify from personal observation,
+the British merchant is very frequently dealt with not less arbitrarily.
+The Dutch Authorities are not content with prohibiting the importation
+into their Colonies of warlike stores and opium, (which they have an
+undoubted right to do,) but their regulations render a ship seizable,
+that enters their ports with either of those forbidden articles on
+board. This seems unreasonably hard and it puts the British merchant to
+expense an trouble oftener than may be supposed. A ship bound from
+London, Liverpool, or Glasgow, to Batavia and Singapore, (a very common
+destination,) dares not receive on board as freight, either a chest of
+Turkey opium, or a single Birmingham musket. If she does, she must give
+up all idea of calling at Batavia, where she would be immediately
+seized, for having such articles on board as cargo. Only four years ago,
+the British barque Acdazeer, bound from Bombay to China, with a cargo
+consisting of thirteen hundred chests of opium, was dismasted in a gale
+in the China Sea, and bore up for the port of Sourabaya, which she
+entered in distress, for the purpose of repairs, and for stores to
+enable her to prosecute her voyage. My memory does not serve me so as to
+enable me to state, whether the Acdazeer's visit to Java was before or
+after the promulgation of the law prohibiting ships with opium and
+warlike stores entering any of the ports of Netherlands India; but I
+think it was _before_ that regulation was made public. Be that as it
+may, the ship was in distress; and, as a matter of course, her Commander
+thought he was entering a friendly port. His astonishment may be
+conceived, when he was ordered by the Authorities to land all his cargo
+in the bonded stores, before the slightest assistance could be rendered
+to his vessel. What was to be done? Resistance was useless; and to
+prosecute his voyage with a disabled ship, impracticable. The cargo was
+accordingly landed, and the vessel's repairs were proceeded with. When
+these were finished, the Commander reported his being ready to receive
+his cargo on board again, and to proceed on his voyage; when he was
+told, that, before doing so, he must pay an _entrepōt_ duty of one per
+cent. on the whole value. This he was compelled to do; and it amounted
+to the very considerable sum of 1300l. All goods landed in bond (or
+_entrepōt_), in any of the ports of His Netherlands Majesty's
+East-Indian territories, are subject to a duty of one per cent. on being
+re-exported; but who ever heard of a ship that had put into harbour in
+distress, being _compelled_ to land her cargo, under the pretence that
+it was to prevent the possibility of any portion of it being smuggled,
+and of its commander being afterwards told, that, as the goods had gone
+into _entrepōt_, the duty must be paid?
+
+These facts may be sufficient to shew, that the appointment of Consuls
+at the different ports above named, is urgently needed as a protection
+to the British shipping visiting them. I have been told, that the
+Spanish and Dutch Governments have refused to receive or acknowledge
+Consuls in their Eastern possessions. If this is the case, the evil
+might be remedied by a note from Downing Street. The other ports of
+Netherlands India are, perhaps, not of sufficient importance, as regards
+English commerce, to authorise the expense of Consular appointments. If
+the opinion of so humble an individual as myself could be supposed to
+reach the ears of the British Premier, I would respectfully but
+earnestly call his attention to the foregoing remarks.
+
+Another subject to which I am anxious to call the attention of the
+British Government, is, the advantages presented by establishing
+settlements on the north-western and western coasts of the Island of
+Borneo. The proceedings of my friend Mr. Brook[28] at Sarawak on the
+western coast, having been made public, it is only necessary for me here
+to remark, that Mr. Brook has already paved the way for the advantageous
+settlement of a British Colony in his neighbourhood, and to express a
+wish that Her Majesty's Government may take advantage of his spirited
+and praiseworthy exertions, and reward him for them. The influence which
+he has obtained over the wild and intractable natives (as they have been
+hitherto deemed) of that part of Borneo, the service which he has
+rendered to the mercantile interests of his country by his exertions in
+the suppression of piracy, the numbers of people whom he has induced
+literally to turn their swords into ploughshares, and the quiet,
+unostentatious way in which all this, and more than all this, has been
+effected, are not less surprising than creditable to his abilities,
+perseverance, and public spirit.
+
+ [Footnote 28: See Appendix II.]
+
+The recent discovery of extensive veins of coal on the banks of the
+river of Borneo Proper, is my chief reason for calling public attention
+to the north-western coast of that island. The destruction by fire of
+the British ship Sultana, on her voyage from Bombay to China, and the
+subsequent imprisonment of Capt. Page, his wife, officers, passengers,
+and crew, by the Rajah of Borneo Proper, led to the discovery in
+question. The Singapore Government, on hearing of Capt. Page's
+captivity, sent a steamer to procure his release; and it was the captain
+of this steamer who discovered the coal, several tons of which he
+collected and used on board his vessel. He described them to me as being
+of excellent quality for steamers, and to be had in unlimited quantities
+by simply digging away the upper crust of the earth to the depth of six
+inches, under which the coals lie in masses. He was moreover informed,
+by the natives in the neighbourhood, (who, by-the-by, never use the
+coals, though they knew that they would burn, and called them "_Batu
+Api_" or fire-stones,) of the existence of much more extensive
+coal-veins a few miles further up the river. He had not time to visit
+the spot, but the natives assured him, that ships might be loaded from
+the surface. Of the depth or extent of the veins, they knew nothing; it
+is, however, more than probable, that, on the application of proper
+means, an unlimited supply of coals might be obtained. The importance
+of such a supply, now that Steam communication between Calcutta and
+Singapore has been established, and that the line will in all
+probability be shortly extended to China, requires no demonstration. In
+the event of a regular monthly overland mail being despatched from Hong
+Kong, to join the Calcutta line at Point de Galle[29] (Ceylon), it would
+not be out of the steamer's way, to touch and coal at Borneo: thence
+proceeding to Singapore, where she would not require coals, she would
+take in the mail, and proceed on her voyage. This plan would save the
+expense of forming a coal _dépōt_ at Singapore. All Her Majesty's
+steamers on the coast of China might be supplied with fuel from the same
+quarter, particularly as several empty ships go to China every season in
+search of freights homeward, which would gladly call at Borneo _en
+route_, and take in a cargo of coals, to be delivered at Hong Kong, at a
+moderate rate per ton. To establish this coal trade on a permanent
+footing, a treaty would require to be entered into with the Sultan of
+Borneo. This, I have no hesitation in saying, might be effected, and the
+requisite arrangements made with the Borneo Authorities by Mr. Brook,
+whose influence in that quarter is deservedly all-powerful. An
+establishment placed there, the chief or superintendent of which might
+be invested with Consular powers, would manage the coal business, and
+protect any unfortunate shipwrecked British seamen from ill treatment
+similar to that sustained by the captain and crew of the Sultana. So
+many vessels have from time to time disappeared and never been heard of,
+between Singapore and China, as to render it far from improbable, that
+there are numbers of British subjects now in confinement on the northern
+coasts of Borneo and Palawan. This probable or, at least, supposable
+case furnishes an additional argument in favour of placing some party,
+armed with power to protect such unfortunate persons, in some convenient
+spot in the neighbourhood. When I say, armed with power, I do not mean
+that arms should be put into the hands of those stationed to manage the
+coal-mines at Borneo, but that their superintendent should be empowered
+to use energetic language, and threats if need be, in the name of the
+British Government. The magic of a name is nowhere felt or understood
+more than among these same savages; in proof of which I may mention,
+that the Rajah of Borneo Proper gave up Capt. Page and his crew
+immediately on their being demanded in the name of the Governor of
+Singapore, though he had refused to listen for a moment to the proposals
+and demands previously conveyed by a well-armed schooner sent by Mr.
+Brook from Sarawak to treat for the release of the Sultana's people, on
+hearing of their captivity. Even His Majesty of Siam stands in awe of
+the British name; and I could tell instances of his having paid
+deference to a few lines from the Singapore Authorities.
+
+ [Footnote 29: 1846; now in full operation. Vide Appendix I. p.
+ 303.]
+
+The ships of war in these seas are too much in harbour; they might be
+far better employed in occasional visits to the different ports of
+Borneo, Palawan, the eastern coast of the Malayan Peninsula, Siam, and
+Cochin China. Visits to those countries twice or thrice a year, would
+not interfere in the slightest degree with their regular duty; it ought,
+indeed, to form part of it; and would be of incalculable value to
+British merchants. The Authorities of those different States, knowing
+that the visits of British ships of war were to be regular and frequent
+in future, would be cautious how they meddled with British subjects.
+With all the gasconade common to Orientals generally, the chiefs of the
+countries I have mentioned, are cowards at heart, tyrants as they are
+when opportunity offers; and they dread the sight of a ship of war in
+their harbours. No better check could be kept upon their conduct; and
+the plan proposed would not cost Great Britain a shilling, inasmuch as
+the ships required to carry it into execution, are in commission, and,
+as I said before, spend far too much time in port. Such a catastrophe
+as the loss of the Golconda, with four hundred souls on board, ought to
+be sufficient to call forth the utmost exertions on the part of our
+naval officers in the China Sea. This ship, a vessel of 800 tons,
+sailed from Singapore in September 1840 (or 1841), bound to China,
+with the head-quarters of the 37th Madras Native Infantry on board,
+and has never since been heard of. In my humble opinion, the China Sea
+and its coasts ought to have been thoroughly searched for any remains
+of this unfortunate ship, it being far from impossible, that some of
+her people may be in existence in Cochin China or on the neighbouring
+coasts or islands. When the unfortunate barque Fifeshire disappeared
+in the same mysterious way, on the same voyage, three of her men
+turned up from Cochin China, twelve months after she had been given up
+and paid for by the under-writers. No endeavour was made to trace the
+Golconda,--wherefore, let those explain, who had it in their power to
+cause due search to be made. Being unable to divine their reasons, I
+hope, for their own sakes, they were sufficient to quiet their own
+consciences.
+
+My wanderings are drawing near a close, and I have little more to say.
+On our passage down the China Sea, during the prevailing very light
+southerly winds of April, we exhausted a large portion of our fresh
+stock; and for replenishing it and our water we touched in Anjer Roads,
+of which, and the village of the same name, I shall now give a brief
+sketch.
+
+Nothing can be prettier than the sail into Anjer Roads from the
+northward, on a fine clear day. The scenery is equal to any thing I have
+ever seen. On your right, rises the high land of Sumatra, covered with
+wood to the very summit, and exhibiting all the different shades of
+green; on your left, are St. Nicholas Point and the high land of Java;
+while the two little isles called, "Cap and Button," add their minute
+features to the landscape. The land in this part of Java, though well
+wooded, is not covered with timber so thickly as the opposite coast of
+Sumatra; but, here and there, the scene is diversified by a clearing,
+where the Javanese may be seen at work in his rice-field, yam-patch,
+vegetable garden, or pinery. In front, the island of "Thwart-the-way"
+(well named, for it is right in mid-channel) relieves the eye from the
+glare of the sea; which, in these low latitudes, is a matter of some
+moment; while, further seaward, may be seen towering far above the
+surrounding objects, the islands of Pulo Bissie and Crockatooa, both
+visible from a great distance, and forming excellent land-marks for the
+mariner. On nearing the anchorage, the pretty little village of Anjer
+strikes the eye, its huts built in rows, and shaded by palms and other
+trees; the Dutch Resident's house, the fort, and the wharf, are all in
+view; and further back, about a mile from the sea, may be seen the tomb,
+erected by his shipmates, to the memory of Dr. ----, Assistant Surgeon
+of H. M. S. Alceste. The inscription informs the stranger, that Dr.
+---- died here on his return from China, after the wreck of the Alceste.
+This tomb was the first thing that attracted my attention when I landed
+at Anjer in 1823, and has ever since been an object of interest to me.
+Anjer is a very convenient place for ships bound from China or Singapore
+for Europe to touch at for supplies, although many ship-masters avoid it
+during the prevalence of the north-west monsoon, when it is a lee shore.
+I have anchored there at all seasons of the year, and never found any
+difficulty in getting out of the harbour; but others have been less
+fortunate, and have got among the rocks. Here, the natives come off to
+passing ships, and bring fowls at two rupees per dozen; (a rupee here is
+equal to 1s. 8d. sterling;) ducks at three rupees per dozen; good-sized
+turtle one dollar each; yams one dollar per _pecul_ of 133 lbs.; eggs
+one dollar per hundred; and other articles in proportion. They are very
+fond of visiting an English ship, as they generally get paid by her
+Commander in Spanish or other dollars; a coin held in universal
+estimation in those parts. In my frequent visits to Anjer, I have
+invariably met with a polite and hospitable reception from the Dutch
+Resident, (the chief Civil authority,) who has always been willing and
+ready to render any aid in his power to strangers.
+
+Anjer, with all its beauties of scenery, is said to be unhealthy in the
+rainy season, when the showers and thunder-storms are both frequent and
+heavy: its natives are a puny race, and its European inhabitants look
+pale and sickly; so that, I suppose, it deserves the doubtful reputation
+generally given to it. During my last ramble in the vicinity of Anjer, I
+observed some natives at work in a plantation of young plants which, at
+first sight, and from their being sheltered from the sun by tall,
+wild-cotton trees, I took for coffee. On inquiring of the overseer, and
+looking more closely at the plants, I found they were young
+cinnamon-trees. The attention of the Dutch Government has long been
+given to the cultivation of this spice; and, from the very healthy
+appearance of the plants just mentioned, I should think that the
+ultimate success of the undertaking was far from doubtful. It will not
+surprise me to see, before ten years have elapsed, Java rivalling Ceylon
+in cinnamon, as it is now competing with Bengal in indigo.
+
+The Strait of Sunda, in which Anjer is situated, is certainly a
+beautiful channel for ships to sail through in fine weather, though,
+from the strength of its currents, an uglier place in a dark, squally
+night could scarcely be found. It used to be notorious for Malay
+pirates, but has been, of late years, clear of those pests.
+
+Talking of pirates, I may mention my own good fortune in never having
+fallen in with any of the fraternity in the many voyages I have made in
+the lake-like seas of the Malayan or Eastern Archipelago. This, however,
+does not tend to prove their non-existence in even recent days.
+
+Having completed our stores at Anjer, we sailed with a fair wind about 3
+P. M. on the 14th May, and, next morning, were rolling about in a heavy
+sea off Java Head, (a bold and grand promontory forming the south-west
+corner of the Island,) where I bade adieu to my favourite sunny climes
+of the Far East.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX I.
+
+(See p. 295.)
+
+PLAN FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE CHINA MAILS (_i. e._ THEIR CONVEYANCE
+FROM _SUEZ_, viā _CEYLON_ TO _HONG KONG DIRECT_)
+
+SUBMITTED BY MR. HENRY WISE TO HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT SEPT. 14, 1843,
+ADOPTED JUNE 20, 1845, AND NOW IN ACTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL OPERATION.
+
+
+ ---------------+--------------------+------+-----+----------------------+
+ Proposed Route | | |Av. | Interval |
+ from Hong Kong | | |Rate | (days/hours) |
+ to London, and | Course. |Dist. |per | |
+ vice versā. | |Miles.|Hour,| und. | at | Total |
+ | | |Miles|weigh.|Anchor.| |
+ ---------------+--------------------+------+-----+------+-------+-------+
+ | | | | | | |
+ HONG KONG TO | | | | | | |
+ PULO LABUAN | S. 2° .18' E. | 1009 | 7 | 6/- | 1/12 | 7/12 |
+ | | | | | | |
+ PULO LABUAN | | | | | | |
+ TO SINGAPORE | S. 69° .23' W. | 707 | " | 4/6 | -/12 | 4/18 |
+ | | | | | | |
+ SINGAPORE |{S. 64° .48' W. 19}| | | | | |
+ TO MALACCA |{N. 51° .41' W. 103}| 122 | " | -/18 | -/6 | 1/- |
+ | | | | | | |
+ MALACCA | | | | | | |
+ TO PENANG | N. 30° .37' W. | 222 | " | 1/8 | -/16 | 2/- |
+ | | | | | | |
+ PENANG TO |{N. 82° .24' W. 303}| | | | | |
+ CEYLON[A] |{S. 89° .45' W. 916}| 1219 | " | 7/6 | 1/12 | 8/18 |
+ +--------------------+------+-----+------+-------+-------+
+ CEYLON | {As now performed by the Peninsula & Oriental} | |
+ TO ADEN | { Steam Navigation Company, detention of } | 11/- |
+ | { 2 days included. } | |
+ | | |
+ ADEN | | |
+ TO SUEZ | -- -- -- 2 -- | 8/- |
+ | | |
+ SUEZ TO | | |
+ ALEXANDRIA | -- -- all stoppages -- | 3/- |
+ | | |
+ ALEXANDRIA | | |
+ TO MALTA | -- -- -- -- | 4/- |
+ | | |
+ MALTA TO | {H.M. Post-Office} | |
+ MARSEILLES | -- -- { Packets } | 4/ |
+ | | |
+ MARSEILLES | {Regular course} | |
+ TO LONDON | -- -- { of Post } | 5/- |
+ | +-------+
+ {Total interval from HONG KONG to LONDON,} | |
+ { and vice versā, by the proposed Route} Days| 59/- |
+ | |
+ {Average interval of transmission of China Correspondence, } | |
+ { viā Calcutta and Bombay, during the last Twenty Overland} | 89/- |
+ { Mails, viz. from the 10th October 1841, to 6th May 1843 } | |
+ +-------+
+ Difference of Time in Favour of Proposed Route Days| 30/- |
+ ----------------------------------------------------------------+-------+
+
+ ---------------+-----------------------------------------+
+ Proposed Route | |
+ from Hong Kong | |
+ to London, and | Duties at Anchor. |
+ vice versā. | |
+ | |
+ ---------------+-----------------------------------------+
+ | |
+ HONG KONG TO | |
+ PULO LABUAN | To receive Coal.[B] |
+ | |
+ PULO LABUAN | |
+ TO SINGAPORE | To receive Coal, land & receive Mails. |
+ | |
+ SINGAPORE | |
+ TO MALACCA | To land & receive Mails. |
+ | |
+ MALACCA | |
+ TO PENANG | To receive Coal, land & receive Mails. |
+ | |
+ PENANG TO | |
+ CEYLON | Ditto Ditto |
+ ---------------+-----------------------------------------+
+
+ [Note A: Receiving at Ceylon, the Outward Overland Mail
+ from England, and returning therewith to China.]
+
+ [Note B: The Borneo Coal Mines would also serve to keep the
+ Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Penang Stations supplied with Fuel
+ for Steam Vessels carrying the Mails between Hong Kong and Suez
+ direct.
+
+
+MEM.--I have adopted an average rate of seven miles per hour as a fair
+estimate of the speed that well-appointed Steam Vessels, of moderate
+size and power, will be enabled to accomplish and maintain, throughout
+the proposed route, at all seasons of the year; for, during the whole
+distance from Penang to Aden, and _vice versā_, neither monsoon, from
+the course steered, becomes at any period a directly adverse wind; an
+advantage which the route hitherto observed does not possess. Assuming
+that the Honourable East-India Company continue the management of the
+Bombay line, and that the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
+Company are encouraged to render their operations more comprehensive, by
+the establishment of Branch Steamers between Ceylon and Singapore, to
+which latter Port Her Majesty's Steam Vessels on the China Station could
+convey the Mails from Hong Kong, this all-important object might,
+without difficulty, be attained. The advantages to the Straits'
+Settlements, consequent on the adoption of improved arrangements,
+require no comment; and the _practicability_ of effecting a very
+considerable acceleration of the communication with China, is evident
+from the simple fact, that the average interval which has occurred in
+the transmission of letters from China, by the last twenty Overland
+Mails, (irrespective of the unfortunate July Mail from Bombay,) exceeds
+the period occasionally occupied by fast-sailing ships, in accomplishing
+the voyage _viā_ the Cape of Good Hope.
+
+ HENRY WISE.
+
+ LONDON, Sept. 14, 1843.
+
+
+P.S.--Oct. 9, 1843.--The arrival at Suez, on the 16th ult., of the
+H. C. S. Akbar, in _forty-six_ days from Hong Kong, after accomplishing
+the passage down the China Seas, against the S.-W. monsoon,--unassisted
+also by any previously arranged facilities for coaling, exchange of
+Steamers at Aden, and other manifest advantages requisite for the proper
+execution of this important service,--confirms the correctness of my
+estimate for performing the voyage from Hong Kong to Suez, or _vice
+versā_, viz. _forty-three_ days, including stoppages.--H. W.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX II.
+
+MEMORANDUM ON BORNEO, AND MR. BROOK'S SETTLEMENT ON THAT ISLAND.
+
+
+Mr. Brook has no warmer admirer than myself; and I trust the territory
+of Sarawak, which has been ceded to him by the Sultan of Borneo, will
+eventually become a flourishing British Colony.
+
+The Government of this country cannot but be fully alive to the value of
+such a point on the north-west coast of Borneo with reference to the
+protection and security of the vast trade carried on by British subjects
+to and from China; not to mention the great intrinsic advantages of an
+establishment on one of the largest and most valuable islands in the
+world. Little or nothing is yet known of the interior of this vast
+country; but what we do know already with regard to several portions of
+its coast must lead us to the conclusion that it will one day become of
+infinite importance in a political as well as commercial point of view.
+There is reason to believe that it contains the most rich, varied, and
+extensive mineral deposits, and is capable of producing, in the
+greatest abundance, every variety of tropical production, including some
+that appear to be peculiar to its soil and climate. Protection from the
+complicated evils of piracy and oppression is alone wanting in order to
+stimulate the growth and industry of the population, and to give a new
+aspect to the face of this fertile region. The very fact of a British
+Settlement being established would exercise a most powerful influence in
+bringing together all the elements of a rapid civilization amongst a
+people at present the prey of ignorance, superstition, and oppression.
+Considering the smallness of the means at his disposal Mr. Brook has
+already done much: the seeds have been sown, and, up to a point,
+nourished by the force of his character; for their further development
+the influence of the British Government unreservedly exercised, but with
+due caution, is alone required.
+
+As one of the very best means of defence against riot or disturbance in
+a country like Sarawak, whether held by Queen Victoria or by my friend
+Brook, I would recommend the raising of a corps of Hill Rangers, to be
+composed of 400 or 500 natives of the country, in their native dress;
+distinguished from their countrymen simply by a belt thrown over the
+shoulder, with S. H. R.[30] on a brass plate in the middle of it, and a
+small sword by their side; the whole under a European captain, four
+lieutenants, and a dozen native _jimedars_. Ten guilders per month,
+allowed as pay to each man, would secure the choice of the population;
+and no force would equal them for the maintenance of peace in such a
+country. Sir Stamford Raffles tried a similar plan at Bencoolen, and
+found it answer admirably. I need say no more in its favour. No better
+man exists for raising and organizing such a corps, than Mr. Brook
+himself: witness his performances of a similar nature during the Burmese
+war. These Hill Rangers must be divided into companies, and should be
+stationed at convenient places throughout the country, to keep their
+eyes on evil-doers, and to act as police-men more than as soldiers.
+Their captain must be _locomotive_, and superintend the whole corps.
+
+ [Footnote 30: _i. e._ Sarawak Hill Rangers.]
+
+I will now proceed to state my ideas as to the way in which Mr. Brook
+can most profitably avail himself of the extensive territory of Sarawak.
+In the first place, he must have the whole District competently and
+correctly surveyed, and laid out in portions (not of square miles,
+New-South-Wales fashion, without any regard to natural boundaries, but)
+of different sizes according to the topographical features of the
+country. On the completion of this survey, the plan or map should be
+lithographed, to exhibit to parties intending to purchase or hold land.
+Mr. Brook should then publish in India his intentions, giving a sketch
+of the facilities he can offer, of the capabilities of the country, &c.
+&c. &c. Tenants will not suit him, in my opinion, so well as purchasers.
+The possession will be too unwieldy for him to hold, even as landlord: I
+speak from my experience in Java. The purchasers he wants, are men of
+capital, say from 5000l. to 10,000l. each, to whom he must give credit
+for the land, and leave them unhampered to carry on their operations.
+All lands fit for the growth of coffee or sugar must be worked by these
+capitalists on their own account: they must send to Java for experienced
+overseers, (Europeans,) to conduct the works; and to Bally, Lombok, or
+the Coromandel coast, for labourers. The natives of the former two are
+preferable, but, I fear, could not be obtained in sufficient numbers.
+Not a China-man should be employed on an estate of mine as a
+field-labourer, though the Chinese answer remarkably well, _under
+Europeans_, in sugar-mills. An experienced overseer from Java will point
+out to them the best lands for coffee and sugar, and the best modes of
+planting and rearing both. It is also a very good plan, to contract with
+a party to grow the cane, (the proprietor helping him with small
+advances,) which the landlord engages to take at so much per thousand
+when ripe, to be delivered at the mill door. The grower, in such cases,
+is generally a poor man, and require aid for the first year, to buy
+buffaloes, ploughs, and provisions. In Java, nine-tenths of the cane are
+produced in this way; and the landlord saves both risk and trouble by
+it. No cane, no pay, is the rule there; so that, although the mill-owner
+may lose his time in a bad season, he sacrifices no outlay. The Chinese
+cannot be trusted to _manufacture_ the sugar: they are conceited
+bunglers at that work, as stubborn as mules, and use too much lime, in
+spite of all one can say or do to prevent it. Coffee may also be planted
+by contract; though, in Java, where men can be got for three guilders
+per month and their rice, worth two guilders more, the plan is not
+generally adopted.
+
+A party purchasing land, ought to have it selected so as to have
+portions of it fit for coffee, sugar, and rice, and to try all three. In
+rice-cultivation, a different plan, however, must be pursued. In Java, a
+proprietor of rice-land encourages as many people to sit down on his
+property as he can possibly obtain; charges them no rent in money, but
+helps them each to build a hut; lends them money to buy two buffaloes;
+and gives them rations of rice and salt for the first twelve months;
+taking care, in the meantime, that the man, his wife, and his children
+are as busy as bees, planting and looking after a few rice-fields,--the
+more the better; seeing also, that the family do a fair day's work, and
+as much as they are well able to perform. From these fields, when
+harvest arrives, the squatter will pay his rent. And then is the time
+that the European overseer and his deputies require to have their eyes
+open, in order to see that fair play is dealt to the proprietor, who is
+entitled to one-fourth of the crop, by way of rent, delivered in bundles
+of paddy, at his barn-door, by the grower. The reaping and binding must
+be watched, and the bundles be counted on the field; otherwise the
+grower will, probably, carry more than his share to his own barn, in
+place of his master's. Now is the time, also, if the season has been a
+favourable one, to make the squatter pay off the whole, or a portion of
+his debt, for the advance made to him early in the year. If he gets well
+through the first year, he will, in all probability, take a liking to
+the place, and fix himself there for good. One of the very best plans
+for attaching Javanese to their residence on an estate, is, to see that
+lots of cocoa-nut and betel-nut trees are planted in every desirable
+locality. With half a dozen cocoa-nut trees, even in a bad season, a
+native family will manage tolerably well; and in all my wanderings among
+the Malayan islands, I never came to a place where even a single
+cocoa-nut was not current, like money, for its full value in rice.
+Another great advantage arising to the proprietor from rice-grounds
+well-occupied, is, that he is entitled, by immemorial custom, to the
+labour of every male on the estate one day in seven, in virtue of a sort
+of feudal law. A friend of mine in Java, on whose estate were fifteen
+thousand adults, seven thousand of whom were males, had thus the command
+of the labour of one thousand men per day _free_. On a new estate, these
+are the men to clear jungle, to make roads, to trim coffee-trees, and to
+take a turn with a hoe among the sugar-canes, when the hired labourers
+are busy at crop time, or when, from any other cause, labour may be
+scarce.
+
+Mr. Brook must take things leisurely. Let one capitalist be established
+with a fair prospect, and he will soon be followed by dozens, who will
+gradually creep into the forests, and make the place a second Java.
+Before these capitalists make their appearance, however, he must, by
+every means in his power, encourage squatters, and get them to work on
+patches of rice-land, here and there. Let him but treat those men
+kindly, help them through the first year, and set them fairly on their
+legs; they will then never leave the place.
+
+Touching the diamond and gold mines which Mr. Brook wants to work, I
+hardly know what to advise, but think that his best plan would be, to
+get my friend Tok Sing, or some other wealthy China-man in Singapore, to
+procure him "head men," whom he would _secure_, _i. e._ bind himself to
+make good any thing lost or stolen by them. This, of course, he would
+not do gratis; but his guarantee in such an undertaking would be
+invaluable: his wealth is very considerable, while his name and
+influence would be beyond calculation useful.
+
+Over every thing, Mr. Brook must himself keep a watchful eye; and, above
+all things, he must keep the peace. He must not attempt too much at
+first; but must raise his Rangers as they may be required; and, with his
+talent for such operations, a moderate share of patience and
+perseverance, and sufficient capital, all will go well, and he will meet
+with the complete success that he so richly merits.
+
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+WILLIAM WATTS, PRINTER, CROWN COURT, TEMPLE BAR.
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+
+Inconsistencies in the hyphenation of words preserved. (daylight,
+day-light; namesake, name-sake; Ninpo, Ning-po; roundabout, round-about;
+Shang Hae, Shang-hae; Shipmaster/s, ship-master/s; underwriters,
+under-writers)
+
+Units of Sterling currency "l.", "s." and "d." were italicised in
+the original text, except for two instances (probably typographical
+errors) on page 186 (3-1/2d. per pound) and page 206 (12s. per ton). In
+the plaintext version of this transcription, italic markup has not been
+added to Sterling currency units in order to reduce clutter and enhance
+readability.
+
+Table of Contents, Chapter V., "DUTCH SETTEMENTS" changed to "DUTCH
+SETTLEMENTS".
+
+Table of Contents, Chapter XVI., summary paragraph after Chapter
+Heading. In the table of contents, the third last phrase in the summary
+paragraph is "PICTURESQUE SCENERY" whereas in page 237 this phrase is
+replaced by "PORTUGUESE PENURY". The original text is retained in both
+cases.
+
+Table of Contents, Appendix I., page number changed from "299" to "303"
+to match page number at actual location.
+
+Table of Contents, Appendix II., page number changed from "391" to "305"
+to match page number at actual location.
+
+Pg. 64, "havet heir" changed to "have their". (have their own Rajahs)
+
+Footnote 8, "trad" changed to "trade". (The opium trade again, has
+diminished)
+
+Pg. 74, "testi-timony" changed to "testimony" (testimony to its
+Commander's)
+
+Pg. 88, inserted missing period. (balance due upon their services.)
+
+Pg. 96, "occa-onally" changed to "occasionally" (occasionally visited by
+a very severe fever)
+
+Pg. 134, inserted missing period. (called a grain-exporting one.)
+
+Pg. 196, "hundreths" changed to "hundredths". (ninety-nine hundredths)
+
+Pg. 219, added missing period. (the _lorcha_ was burned.)
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Trade and Travel in the Far East, by G. F. Davidson
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+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's Trade and Travel in the Far East, by G. F. Davidson
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Trade and Travel in the Far East
+ or Recollections of twenty-one years passed in Java,
+ Singapore, Australia and China.
+
+Author: G. F. Davidson
+
+Release Date: October 24, 2008 [EBook #27014]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADE AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST ***
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<h1><b>TRADE AND TRAVEL</b><br />
+<span class="tiny">IN THE</span><br />
+<b>FAR EAST;</b></h1>
+
+<p class="title"><small>OR</small><br />
+<b>RECOLLECTIONS OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS</b><br />
+<small>PASSED IN</small> <br />
+<big><b>JAVA, SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA,</b><br />
+<b>AND CHINA.</b></big></p>
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<p class="title"><big><b>BY G. F. DAVIDSON.</b></big></p>
+
+<hr class="hr4" />
+
+<p class="center"><small>LONDON:</small><br />
+MADDEN AND MALCOLM,<br />
+<small>LEADENHALL STREET.</small><br /></p>
+
+<hr class="hr5" />
+
+<p class="center">1846.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="center"><small>LONDON:</small></p>
+<hr class="hr5" />
+<p class="center"><small>PRINTED BY MADDEN AND MALCOLM,<br />
+8 LEADENHALL STREET.</small></p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<h2>PREFACE.</h2>
+
+<p>The following pages were written to beguile the tediousness of a long
+voyage from Hong Kong to England, during the spring and summer of 1844.
+When I state, that the whole was written with the paper on my knee, for
+want of a desk, amid continual interruptions from three young children
+lacking amusement during their long confinement on ship-board, and with
+a perpetual liability to be pitched to leeward, paper and all,&mdash;I shall
+have said enough to bespeak from every good-natured reader a candid
+allowance for whatever defects may attach to the composition. It is
+necessary, however, that I should also premise, that the sketches are
+drawn entirely from memory, and that the incidents referred to in the
+earlier chapters, took place some twenty years ago. That my recollection
+may have proved treacherous on some minor points, is very possible; but,
+whatever may be the merits or demerits of the work in other respects, it
+contains, to the best of my knowledge and belief, nothing but truth in
+the strictest sense of that term; and, as imbodying the result of my own
+personal observations in the countries visited,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a></span> it may possess an
+interest on that account, not always attaching to volumes of higher
+pretensions.</p>
+
+<p>My wanderings have been neither few nor short, and, perhaps, verify the
+old proverb, that a rolling stone gathers no moss. I have crossed the
+Ocean in forty different square-rigged vessels; have trod the plains of
+Hindostan, the wilds of Sumatra, and the mountains of Java; have
+strolled among the beautiful hills and dales of Singapore and Penang;
+have had many a gallop amid the forests and plains of Australia; have
+passed through the labyrinth of reefs forming Torres' Straits; and have
+visited the far-famed Celestial Empire. My first idea, in endeavouring
+to retrace my journeyings and adventures, was, that the personal
+narrative might serve to amuse a circle of private friends. But the
+notices relating to the openings for Trade in the Far East, and to the
+subject of Emigration, together with the free strictures upon the causes
+of the recent depression in our Australian colonies, will, I venture to
+hope, be not unacceptable to those who are interested in the extension
+of British commerce, and in the well-being of the rising communities
+which form an integral part of the mighty Empire now encircling the
+Globe.</p>
+
+<p>Some parts of the work refer to coming events as probable, which have
+since become matters of fact; but I have not deemed it necessary to
+suppress or to alter what I had written. I am more especially<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span> happy to
+find that my suggestions respecting Borneo have, to some extent, been
+anticipated; and that the important discovery of its coal-mines has been
+taken advantage of by Her Majesty's Government in the very way pointed
+out in observations written at sea fifteen months ago. Since my arrival
+in England, I have learned also, that the feasibility of the navigation
+of Torres' Straits from west to east, has struck others more competent
+to form a correct judgment than myself. Captain T. Blackwood, commander
+of Her Majesty's ship, Fly, at present employed in surveying the coast
+of New Holland, the Straits, and parts adjacent, has expressed his
+determination, after refitting at Singapore, to endeavour to enter the
+Pacific Ocean, during the north-west monsoon, by sailing through Torres'
+Straits from the westward. I trust that this enterprising Officer will
+succeed in the attempt, and thereby put beyond question the
+practicability of the passage; which would not only shorten the distance
+between Australia and our Indian territories, but contribute, more than
+any thing else could do, to facilitate the transit of the Overland Mail
+to Sydney. The Australians, I find, are still sanguinely bent upon
+discovering an overland route from the present frontiers of the Colony
+to Port Essington; but, although I heartily wish them success, my
+opinion, as expressed in the subsequent pages, remains unaltered.</p>
+
+<p>I observe, that the Singaporeans are already <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span>complaining of the
+decrease of the number of square-rigged vessels that have visited their
+port during the recent season, and of the falling-off of the
+Chinese-junk trade, which they correctly attribute to the opening of the
+trade with China; thereby verifying my predictions. I fear that they
+will have still greater cause for complaint before twelve months shall
+have rolled away. But the merchants of Singapore, it gives me pleasure
+to add, are taking advantage of the times, by entering upon the China
+trade, and seem determined not to suffer loss, if they can help it, by
+the effect of Sir Henry Pottinger's famous Treaty. This is as it should
+be.</p>
+
+<p>With these few remarks on the motives which have induced me to write and
+give to the world the following sketches, I now commit them to their
+fate; trusting that they may serve to beguile an hour, to some of my
+numerous friends in the different parts of the world they refer to, and
+that, to the reader unacquainted with those countries, they may prove
+both useful and entertaining. Before taking leave of the reader,
+however, I must apologize for an unfortunate error my printer has fallen
+into, (at p. 3 <a href="#Footnote_1_1">note</a>), in misprinting the name of Mr.
+Mercus, one of the best men that ever ruled a Colony, whether Dutch or
+English. This name has been converted into Minns; and the error was not
+detected, till the sheet had passed through the press.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span>As for the critics.&mdash;for any kind or friendly remarks they may make, I
+shall feel grateful; while any of a contrary nature will neither
+surprise nor displease me.</p>
+
+
+<p class="p3">HULL, <i>January 1846</i>.</p>
+
+
+<hr />
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<table border="0" width="80%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of Contents">
+
+<tr><td class="toc">PREFACE</td><td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_i"><small>P.</small>&nbsp;i</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_1">CHAPTER I.</a><br/>JAVA.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA&mdash;&#8203;NARROW POLICY OF
+THE GOVERNMENT&mdash;&#8203;DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND
+NEIGHBOURHOOD&mdash;&#8203;ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM&mdash;&#8203;STATE
+OF SOCIETY&mdash;&#8203;CLIMATE AND SEASONS&mdash;&#8203;TROPICAL FRUITS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_16">CHAPTER II.</a><br />JAVA.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">SAMARANG&mdash;&#8203;A TIGER FIGHT&mdash;&#8203;JAVA PONEYS&mdash;&#8203;EXCURSION
+TO SOLO&mdash;&#8203;WILD SPORTS&mdash;&#8203;DJOCKDJOCARTA&mdash;&#8203;REMAINS OF
+THE ANCIENT PALACE&mdash;&#8203;IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS&mdash;&#8203;EXPERIMENT
+IN INDIGO-PLANTING&mdash;&#8203;JAVANESE EXECUTION&mdash;&#8203;A
+PET BOA&mdash;&#8203;ALLIGATORS&mdash;&#8203;FOREST LABOUR&mdash;&#8203;SLAVERY IN
+JAVA&mdash;&#8203;OPIUM-SMOKING&mdash;&#8203;TEA&mdash;&#8203;THE UPAS-TREE</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_16">16</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_39">CHAPTER III.</a><br />SINGAPORE.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE&mdash;&#8203;CULTIVATION
+OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-NUT&mdash;&#8203;ROADS AND SCENERY&mdash;&#8203;MOTLEY
+POPULATION&mdash;&#8203;EUROPEAN RESIDENTS&mdash;&#8203;CHINESE
+EMIGRANTS&mdash;&#8203;KLINGS&mdash;&#8203;SAMPAN-MEN&mdash;&#8203;PLACES OF WORSHIP&mdash;&#8203;TIGERS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_53">CHAPTER IV.</a><br />SINGAPORE.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">TRADE OF SINGAPORE&mdash;&#8203;CHINESE TRADERS&mdash;&#8203;BUGIS TRADERS&mdash;&#8203;SIAMESE
+AND COCHIN CHINESE&mdash;&#8203;ARAB SMUGGLERS&mdash;&#8203;BORNEO&mdash;&#8203;TRADE
+WITH CALCUTTA&mdash;&#8203;COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_73">CHAPTER V.</a><br />DUTCH SETTLEMENTS.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO&mdash;&#8203;ISLAND OF BANCA&mdash;&#8203;BENCOOLEN&mdash;&#8203;PADANG&mdash;&#8203;CHINESE SLAVE-TRADE&mdash;&#8203;NATIVE
+TRIBES OF SUMATRA&mdash;&#8203;PEPPER TRADE</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_94">CHAPTER VI.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">MALACCA AND PENANG</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_94">94</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_101">CHAPTER VII.</a><br />CALCUTTA.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA&mdash;&#8203;STATE OF SOCIETY&mdash;&#8203;MERCANTILE
+CHANGES&mdash;&#8203;UNPLEASANT CLIMATE&mdash;&#8203;SIGHTS AT AND
+NEAR CALCUTTA&mdash;&#8203;IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT AND
+NAVIGATION&mdash;&#8203;CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE&mdash;&#8203;PILOT SERVICE&mdash;&#8203;CHARACTER
+OF THE BENGALEES&mdash;&#8203;RIVER STEAMERS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_101">101</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_117">CHAPTER VIII.</a><br />NEW SOUTH WALES.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY&mdash;&#8203;PORT JACKSON&mdash;&#8203;FIRST
+IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED BY SYDNEY&mdash;&#8203;THE PUBLIC-HOUSE
+NUISANCE&mdash;&#8203;SYDNEY JURIES&mdash;&#8203;CATTLE-DEALERS&mdash;&#8203;TOWN
+IMPROVEMENTS&mdash;&#8203;LAWYERS, DOCTORS, AND
+CLERGY</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_128">CHAPTER IX.</a><br />NEW SOUTH WALES.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND&mdash;&#8203;THE PATERSON DISTRICT&mdash;&#8203;WINTER
+SPORTS&mdash;&#8203;THE KANGAROO&mdash;&#8203;AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY&mdash;&#8203;CONVICT
+SERVANTS&mdash;&#8203;BENEFIT OF ENFORCING AN
+OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY&mdash;&#8203;THE HOT SEASON</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_139">CHAPTER X.</a><br />NEW SOUTH WALES.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">BUSH-RANGERS&mdash;&#8203;THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9&mdash;&#8203;THE SETTLER'S
+TROUBLES&mdash;&#8203;ORNITHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA&mdash;&#8203;ABORIGINAL
+TRIBES</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_139">139</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_155">CHAPTER XI.</a><br />NEW SOUTH WALES.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">THE HOT WINDS&mdash;&#8203;PROJECTED MAIL-ROAD FROM SYDNEY TO
+PORT ESSINGTON&mdash;&#8203;SHEEP-FARMS&mdash;&#8203;GRAZING IN
+AUSTRALIA&mdash;&#8203;HORSE-STOCK</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_155">155</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_169">CHAPTER XII.</a><br />NEW SOUTH WALES.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">CAUSES OF THE RECENT DISTRESSES&mdash;&#8203;CONDUCT OF THE
+BANKS&mdash;&#8203;MANIA FOR SPECULATION&mdash;&#8203;LONG-ACCOUNT
+SYSTEM&mdash;&#8203;BAD SEASONS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_182">CHAPTER XIII.</a><br />NEW SOUTH WALES.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY STILL EXISTING&mdash;&#8203;HINTS TO THE
+COLONISTS&mdash;&#8203;FUTURE PROSPECTS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_182">182</a></td></tr>
+
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_195">CHAPTER XIV.</a><br />NEW SOUTH WALES.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">CLASSES OF SOCIETY IN SYDNEY&mdash;&#8203;DISAPPOINTMENT OF
+EMIGRANTS&mdash;&#8203;CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH AND BRITISH
+EMIGRANTS&mdash;&#8203;AVAILABLENESS OF CHINESE
+LABOURERS&mdash;&#8203;AUSTRALIAN COAL MONOPOLY&mdash;&#8203;TORRES' STRAITS
+THE BEST PASSAGE FOR STEAMERS&mdash;&#8203;BOTANY BAY&mdash;&#8203;PASSAGE
+FROM SYDNEY TO BATAVIA</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_195">195</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_216">CHAPTER XV.</a><br />CHINA.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">DESCRIPTION OF MACAO&mdash;&#8203;ITS MONGREL
+POPULATION&mdash;&#8203;FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES&mdash;&#8203;PIRACIES&mdash;&#8203;COMPRADORE
+SYSTEM&mdash;&#8203;PAPUAN SLAVE-TRADE&mdash;&#8203;MARKET OF
+MACAO&mdash;&#8203;NUISANCES&mdash;&#8203;SIR HENRY POTTINGER'S REGULATION
+DEFENDED&mdash;&#8203;ILLIBERAL POLICY OF THE PORTUGUESE, AND
+ITS RESULT&mdash;&#8203;BOAT-GIRLS&mdash;&#8203;BEGGARS&mdash;&#8203;PICTURESQUE
+SCENERY</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_216">216</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_237">CHAPTER XVI.</a><br />CHINA.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG&mdash;&#8203;THE OPIUM
+TRADE&mdash;&#8203;IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE EVENT OF
+A FRESH WAR&mdash;&#8203;CHUSAN&mdash;&#8203;HOW TO RAISE A
+REVENUE&mdash;&#8203;CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY&mdash;&#8203;RAPID
+PROGRESS OF THE SETTLEMENT&mdash;&#8203;PICTURESQUE
+SCENERY&mdash;&#8203;MARKETS&mdash;&#8203;SANATORY HINTS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_237">237</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_266">CHAPTER XVII.</a><br />CHINA.</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">FIRST VIEW OF CANTON&mdash;&#8203;DESCRIPTION OF THE EUROPEAN
+QUARTER&mdash;&#8203;HOSTILE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE&mdash;&#8203;COMMERCIAL
+PROSPECTS OF CANTON&mdash;&#8203;AMOY&mdash;&#8203;FOO
+CHOW&mdash;&#8203;NINGPO&mdash;&#8203;SHANG-HAE&mdash;&#8203;MR. MEDHURST&mdash;&#8203;RESULTS OF
+THE TREATY WITH CHINA</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_266">266</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_287">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">NECESSITY OF APPOINTING BRITISH CONSULS IN THE
+SPANISH AND DUTCH COLONIES&mdash;&#8203;NEW SETTLEMENT ON
+THE WESTERN COAST OF BORNEO&mdash;&#8203;IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
+OF COAL ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST&mdash;&#8203;CONCLUDING
+REMARKS</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_287">287</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2" style="padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0em;">&mdash;&mdash;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2" style="padding-top: 0.5em;"><a href="#Page_303">APPENDIX I.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">PLAN FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE CHINA MAILS
+(<i>i.&nbsp;e.</i> <small>THEIR CONVEYANCE FROM</small> <i>SUEZ vi&acirc; CEYLON</i>
+<small>TO</small> <i>HONG KONG direct</i>)</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tochead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_305">APPENDIX II.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="toc">MEMORANDUM ON BORNEO, AND MR. BROOK'S SETTLEMENT<br />
+ON THAT ISLAND</td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_305">305</a></td></tr>
+
+</table>
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p>
+<h1 style="font-size: 160%;"><b>TRADE AND TRAVEL<br />
+<span class="tiny">IN THE</span><br />
+FAR EAST.</b></h1>
+
+<hr class="hr4" />
+
+<h2>CHAPTER I.<br />
+<small>JAVA.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA&mdash;&#8203;NARROW POLICY OF
+THE GOVERNMENT&mdash;&#8203;DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND
+NEIGHBOURHOOD&mdash;&#8203;ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM&mdash;&#8203;STATE OF
+SOCIETY&mdash;&#8203;CLIMATE AND SEASONS&mdash;&#8203;TROPICAL FRUITS.</p>
+
+<p>Early in the year 1823, I left England, quite a youngster, full of life
+and spirits, bound for that so-called grave of Europeans, Batavia. Of my
+passage out, I shall say nothing more, than that it lasted exactly five
+months, and was, in point of wind and weather, similar to nine-tenths of
+the voyages made to the same region.</p>
+
+<p>Well do I remember the 5th of October 1823, the day on which I first set
+foot on the lovely and magnificent island of Java. How bright were then
+my prospects, surrounded as I was with a circle of anxious friends, who
+were not only able, but willing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> also, to lend me a helping hand, and
+who now, alas! are, to a man, gone from me and all to whom they were
+dear. I was then prepared&mdash;I might say determined&mdash;to be pleased with
+every thing and every body. At this distance of time, I can scarcely
+remember what struck me most forcibly on landing; but I have a vivid
+recollection of being perfectly delighted with the drive, in a light
+airy carriage drawn by two spirited little Java poneys, from the wharf
+to the house of the friend with whom I was to take up my abode. The
+pluck with which those two little animals rattled us along quite
+astonished me; and the novel appearance of every thing that met the eye,
+so bewildered and delighted me, that I scarcely knew how to think,
+speak, or act.</p>
+
+<p>What a joyous place was Batavia in those days, with every body thriving,
+and the whole town alive and bustling with an active set of merchants
+from all parts of the world! The Dutch Government, at that time, pursued
+a more liberal system than they have of late adopted; and, instead of
+monopolizing the produce of the Island, sold it by public auction
+regularly every month. This plan naturally attracted purchasers from
+England, the Continent of Europe, and the United States of America, who
+brought with them good Spanish dollars to pay for what they purchased;
+so that silver money was as plentiful in Netherlands India, in those
+days, as copper doits have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span> since become. The enlightened individual who
+now governs Java<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> and its dependencies, is, I have good reason to
+think, opposed to the monopolizing system pursued by his Government: his
+hands, however, are tied, and he can only remonstrate, while the
+merchants can but pray that his remonstrances may be duly weighed by his
+superiors. Java exports one million <i>peculs</i><a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> of coffee per annum, one
+million <i>peculs</i> of rice, and one million <i>peculs</i> of sugar; besides
+vast quantities of tin, pepper, hides, indigo, &amp;c. Were its trade thrown
+open to fair competition, as formerly, it is as certain that His Majesty
+the King of the Netherlands would be a gainer, as that his adopting the
+more liberal system would give satisfaction to every mercantile man
+connected in any way with his East-Indian possessions. The experience of
+the last three years ought to have taught His Majesty this lesson; and
+we may hope he will take warning from the miserable result of his
+private speculations during that period.</p>
+
+<p>Batavia is not the unhealthy place it has been usually deemed. The city
+itself is certainly bad enough; but no European sleeps a single night in
+it out of a twelvemonth.</p>
+
+<p>From four to five o'clock every evening, the road<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> leading from the town
+to the suburbs is thronged with vehicles of all descriptions, conveying
+the merchants from their counting-houses to their country or suburban
+residences, where they remain till nine o'clock the next morning. These
+country residences are delightfully situated to the south of Batavia,
+properly so called, extending inland over many square miles of country.
+Every one of them has a garden (called here a compound) of considerable
+extent, well stocked with plants, shrubs, and trees, which serve to give
+them a lively and elegant appearance, and to keep them moderately cool
+in the hottest weather. Servants' wages being very low here, every
+European of any respectability is enabled to keep up a sufficient
+establishment, and to repair to his office in his carriage or hooded
+gig, in which he may defy the sun. Many of them, particularly Dutchmen,
+have an imprudent practice of driving in an open carriage, with an
+umbrella held over their heads by a native servant standing on the
+foot-board behind his master.</p>
+
+<p>Having resided several years in the suburbs of Batavia, I have no
+hesitation in saying, that, with common prudence, eschewing <i>in toto</i>
+the vile habit of drinking gin and water whenever one feels thirsty,
+living generously but carefully, avoiding the sun's rays by always using
+a close or hooded carriage, and taking common precautions against wet
+feet and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> damp clothing, a man may live&mdash;and enjoy life, too&mdash;in
+Batavia, as long as he would in any other part of the world. Many people
+may think this a bold assertion; nevertheless, I make it without fear of
+contradiction from any one acquainted by experience with the country.</p>
+
+<p>One great and invaluable advantage over all our Eastern Colonies,
+Batavia, in common with every part of Java, possesses, in the facilities
+that exist for travelling from one part of the Island to another.
+Throughout Java, there are excellent roads, and on every road a post
+establishment is kept up; so that the traveller has only to apply to the
+post-master of Batavia, pointing out the road he wishes to travel, and
+to pay his money according to the number of miles: he obtains, with a
+passport, an order for four horses all along his intended line of route,
+and may perform the journey at his leisure, the horses, coachmen, &amp;c.
+being at his command night or day, till he accomplishes the distance
+agreed for. Thus, a party going overland from Batavia to Samarang, a
+distance of three hundred miles, may either perform the journey in three
+days, or extend it to three weeks, should they wish to look about them,
+and to halt a day or two at various places as they go along. In no part
+of British India is there any thing approaching to such admirable and
+cheap facilities for travelling. And what an inestimable blessing they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>
+are to the Batavian invalid, who can thus, in a few hours, be
+transported, with perfect ease and comfort, into the cool and delightful
+mountainous regions of Java, where he may choose his climate, by fixing
+himself at a height varying from one thousand to seven thousand feet
+above the level of the sea! Java, from east to west and from north to
+south, is a favourite region with me, and, I believe, with every
+Englishman who ever visited it. Gin and brandy have killed five-sixths
+of all the Europeans who have died in Batavia within the last twenty
+years; but with pleasure I can add, that this destructive habit has
+almost entirely disappeared: hence the diminished number of deaths, and
+the more robust and ruddy appearance of the European inhabitants. The
+surrounding country is both salubrious and beautiful, rising gradually
+as you proceed inland, till you reach Buytenzorg, forty miles S.S.E. of
+Batavia, where the Governor-General of Netherlands India generally
+resides, in a splendid palace, surrounded with extensive and magnificent
+gardens. The climate is cool and pleasant, more particularly in the
+mornings and evenings, and the ground is kept moist by daily showers;
+for it is a singular fact, that scarcely a day in the year passes
+without a shower in this beautiful neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>Buytenzorg is a favourite resort of the merchants of Batavia, who take
+advantage of the facilities for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> travelling to visit it on the Saturday
+afternoon, remaining the whole of Sunday, and returning to town, and to
+the renewal of their labours, on the following morning. The scenery is
+magnificent; and the view (well known to every visiter) from the back
+verandah of the inn, is the finest that can be imagined. Standing on the
+steps of this verandah, you have, immediately under your foot, an
+extensive plain, thoroughly cultivated, sprinkled with villages, each
+village being surrounded with evergreen trees, and the whole almost
+encircled by a river. To the left of this valley rises an extensive and
+picturesque mountain, cultivated almost to the summit, and dotted here
+and there with villages and gentlemen's houses. Looking into the valley
+at early morn, you will see the lazy buffalo, driven by an equally
+indolent ploughman, dragging a Lilliputian plough through the slimy
+paddy-field; the lazy Javanese labourer going to his work in the field;
+the native women reaping, with the hand only, and stalk by stalk, the
+ripe paddy (rice) in one field, while those in the next are sowing the
+seed; the adjoining fields being covered with stubble, their crops
+having been reaped weeks before. Upon the declivity of the mountain is
+seen the stately coffee-tree, the plantations of which commence about
+1300 feet above the level of the sea, and proceed up the hill till they
+reach the height of 4000 feet. Nothing can be more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> beautiful than a
+full-grown coffee-plantation: the deep green foliage, the splendid
+bright-red berry, and the delicious shade afforded by the trees, render
+those spots altogether fit for princes; and princely lives their owners
+lead. One is always sure of a hearty welcome from these gentlemen, who
+are ever glad to see a stranger. They give him the best horse in the
+stable to ride, the best room in the house to occupy, and express regret
+when his visit is drawing to a close. I speak from experience, having
+put the hospitality of several of them to the test.</p>
+
+<p>During my first stay at Batavia, from 1823 to 1826, the celebrated Java
+war broke out, the so-called rebel army being headed by a native Chief
+of Djockdjocarta, named Diepo Nogoro. Shortly after the first outbreak,
+the then Governor-General, Baron Vander Capellen, called on all
+Europeans between the ages of sixteen and forty-five to serve in the
+<i>schuttery</i>, or militia. An infantry and a cavalry corps were formed,
+and I joined the latter, preferring a ride in the evening to a walk with
+a fourteen-pound musket over my shoulder. After a probation of pretty
+tight drilling, we became tolerable soldiers, on "nothing a day and
+finding ourselves," and had the good town of Batavia put under our
+charge, the regular troops being all sent away to the scene of war. As I
+do not intend to return to the subject,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> I may as well mention here,
+that the war lasted five years, and that it would have lasted five years
+longer, had Diepo Nogoro not been taken prisoner&mdash;I fear by treachery. I
+saw him landed at Batavia, in 1829, from the steamer which had brought
+him from Samarang. The Governor's carriage and aides-de-camp were at the
+wharf to receive him. In that carriage he was driven to gaol, whence he
+was banished no one knows whither; and he has never since been heard of.
+Such is the usual fate of Dutch prisoners of state! Diepo Nogoro
+deserved a better fate. He was a gallant soldier, and fought bravely.
+Poor fellow! how his countenance fell&mdash;as well it might&mdash;when he saw
+where the carriage drew up! He stopped short on putting his foot on the
+pavement, evidently unwilling to enter the gloomy-looking pile; cast an
+eager glance around; and, seeing there was no chance of escape, walked
+in. Several gentlemen followed, before the authorities had the door
+closed, and saw the fallen chief, with his <i>two wives</i>, consigned to two
+miserable-looking rooms. Java has been quite tranquil ever since.</p>
+
+<p>The society of Batavia, at the time I am referring to, was both choice
+and gay; and the influence of my good friends threw me at once into the
+midst of it. The Dutch and English inhabitants did not then (nor do they
+now) mix together so much as would, in my opinion, have been agreeable
+and mutually<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> advantageous. A certain jealousy kept the two parties too
+much apart. Nevertheless, I have been present at many delightful parties
+in Dutch families, the pleasures of which were not a little heightened
+by the presence of some ten or a dozen charming Dutch girls. Charming
+and beautiful they certainly are while young; but, ere they reach
+thirty, a marvellous change comes over their appearance: the
+fair-haired, blue-eyed, laughing romp of eighteen has, in that short
+period of ten or twelve years, become transformed into a stout and
+rather elderly-looking matron, as unlike an English woman of the same
+age as one can well fancy. When I look back on those gay and pleasant
+parties, and think how few of the individuals who composed them are now
+alive, the reflection makes me sad. What a different class its English
+inhabitants of the present day are from those of 1823-1826! I may be
+prejudiced in favour of the former state of society; but, in giving the
+preference to it, I shall be borne out by any of the few survivers who
+knew Batavia at both periods. From 1823 to 1835, the Governor's parties
+were thronged with our countrymen and countrywomen. Let any one enter
+His Excellency's ball-room now-a-days, and he will not meet with more
+than one or two English of the old school, and not one of the new. The
+causes of this change are obvious: it arises from the different class of
+people that now<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> come out from Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow,
+compared with the British merchant of former times, and from the total
+deficiency of the most common civility, on the part of our countrymen,
+towards the many highly respectable, agreeable, and intelligent Dutch
+families that form the society of the place. It is with pain I write
+this; but, as a citizen of the world, who has seen a good deal of life,
+in recording my sentiments on these matters, I cannot avoid telling the
+plain truth as it struck me from personal observation.</p>
+
+<p>The vicinity of Batavia affords the most beautiful drives; and hundreds
+of vehicles, from the handsome carriage and four of the Member of
+Council to the humble buggy of the merchant's clerk, may be seen every
+evening, from five till half-past six, that being the coolest and best
+time for taking out-of-door exercise. The roads are excellent, lined on
+both sides with trees, which keep them shaded and cool nearly all day.
+The scene is altogether gay, and affords a gratifying indication of the
+wealth and importance of this fine colony. By seven o'clock, the drives
+are deserted; and, immediately afterwards, lights may be seen glittering
+in every dwelling in the neighbourhood, while, in every second or third
+house, the passer-by may observe parties of pleasure assembling for the
+evening. The Dutch have adopted the social plan of exchanging friendly
+visits in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> evening, avoiding our more formal ones of the morning. At
+these chance evening parties (if I may so term them), the company are
+entertained with music and cards, and other diversions; and should the
+visiter be too old to join the young folks in their gayety, he will find
+one or two of his own standing snugly seated in the far corner of the
+verandah, where he is sure to be supplied with a good cigar and the very
+best wine. These groupes are perfect pictures of comfort and content.
+With all his good qualities, however, "John Dutchman" is jealous of
+"John Bull," and cannot help shewing it, particularly in commercial
+matters. How short-sighted his policy is, in this point of view, it
+would be no difficult task to prove.</p>
+
+<p>The pleasantest months of the year, in Batavia, are, June, July, and
+August, when the sun is to the northward. I have frequently found a
+blanket necessary at this season: indeed, the nights, throughout Java,
+are generally sufficiently cool to allow the European to enjoy a
+refreshing sleep, after which he will find no difficulty in getting
+through a hot day. The public health is generally very good from May
+till September inclusive. In April and October, strangers, particularly
+the recently arrived European, are apt to suffer from colds and fever,
+caused, in a great measure, by the breaking-up of the monsoon, which
+takes place in those months. In<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> November or December, the north-west
+monsoon brings on the rains, which certainly then come down in torrents,
+and render the city of Batavia a perfect charnel-house for those poor
+Natives and Chinese who are unfortunately compelled to remain in it. I
+have seen it entirely flooded with water, to the depth of four or five
+feet in some parts. The malaria occasioned by the deposit of slimy mud
+left all over the town by the water, on its retiring, causes sad havoc
+among the poorer Chinese and Malays, who reside in the lowest parts of
+the town, and inhabit wretched hovels. These floods seldom annoy the
+inhabitants of the suburbs; yet I well remember, in the season of 1828,
+a friend of mine lay down on a sofa and went to sleep, about eight
+o'clock in the evening: at three next morning, he awoke with the water
+just reaching his couch, much to his surprise and no small alarm, till,
+on becoming collected, he bethought him of the cause. The neighbouring
+river had risen, from mountain rains, whilst he was asleep, and had
+completely flooded his house, to the depth of eighteen inches, together
+with the garden and neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>I know no market, east of the Cape of Good Hope, better supplied with
+fruit than that of Batavia. Among the choicest, I would name the
+mangistan, the durian, and the pumaloe or shaddock. The first is unknown
+beyond eight degrees from the Equator, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> is, perhaps, the best fruit
+with which nature has blessed the tropical regions. It is about the size
+of an orange, its rind of a dark purple, and its pulp divided into parts
+like the contents of an orange, as white as driven snow. Its taste I
+cannot attempt to describe, knowing nothing to which I can compare it.
+The best quality of the mangistan is its perfect harmlessness. The
+patient suffering from fever, liver complaint, consumption, or any of
+the numerous ills that flesh is heir to, may, with perfect impunity,
+cool his parched tongue with a dozen of this delightful fruit; and no
+one who has not been laid on a sick bed within the tropics, can
+appreciate this blessing. The rind, when dried, and made into tea, is an
+excellent tonic, and is often successfully used in cases of dysentery,
+by Native as well as European practitioners. The durian is a favourite
+fruit with most people who can overcome its smell, which certainly is no
+very easy matter. Natives of all classes are passionately fond of this
+fruit, and almost subsist on it when in plenty. Strange to say, goats,
+sheep, poultry, and even the royal tiger, eagerly devour the durian, of
+which I confess myself, notwithstanding the aforesaid smell, an admirer,
+in common with many of my countrymen. Its size is that of a cocoa-nut,
+husk and all; its rind is very thick, of a pale green colour, and
+covered with strong sharp thorns; its interior is divided into
+compartments, each<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> of which contains three or four seeds about the size
+of a pullet's egg; these seeds are covered, to the thickness of a
+quarter of an inch, with a pale yellow pulp, which is the part eaten.
+The taste resembles, according to the description of those who like the
+fruit, that of a very rich custard, and, according to those who have
+never succeeded in overcoming their antipathy to the smell, that of a
+mixture of decayed eggs and garlic. This fruit cannot be eaten in large
+quantities with impunity by Europeans, being of a very heating nature.
+With me it never agreed; nor do I remember a single instance of its
+agreeing with my countrymen, when eaten freely. Half a one is as much as
+most people can manage at a time. The durian seeds, when roasted, make
+an excellent substitute for chestnuts.</p>
+
+<p>The shaddock of Java is a magnificent fruit, and surpasses those of any
+other country with which I am acquainted. In addition to these three
+prime fruits of Java, I may mention the pine-apple, soursop, rambutan,
+rose-apple, guava, dookoo, and sixty different kinds of plantain and
+banana. These, and many others, thrive and abound on this favoured
+island. With poultry, butchers' meat, fish, and vegetables, Batavia and
+Java generally are abundantly supplied; while the residents on its
+mountains may enjoy strawberries and cream in perfection.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> 1845. His Excellency Mr. Minns, since dead.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> A <i>pecul</i> is a Chinese weight used all over the Eastern
+Archipelago, and is equal to 133<span class="frac"><sup>1</sup>&#8260;<sub>3</sub></span> lbs. avoirdupoise.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER II.<br/>
+<small>JAVA.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+SAMARANG&mdash;&#8203;A TIGER FIGHT&mdash;&#8203;JAVA PONEYS&mdash;&#8203;EXCURSION
+TO SOLO&mdash;&#8203;WILD SPORTS&mdash;&#8203;DJOCKDJOCARTA&mdash;&#8203;REMAINS OF
+THE ANCIENT PALACE&mdash;&#8203;IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS&mdash;&#8203;EXPERIMENT
+IN INDIGO-PLANTING&mdash;&#8203;JAVANESE EXECUTION&mdash;&#8203;A PET
+BOA&mdash;&#8203;ALLIGATORS&mdash;&#8203;FOREST LABOUR&mdash;&#8203;SLAVERY IN
+JAVA&mdash;&#8203;OPIUM-&#8203;SMOKING&mdash;&#8203;TEA&mdash;&#8203;THE UPAS-TREE.
+</p>
+
+<p>Between three and four hundred miles eastward of Batavia, on the north
+coast of Java, is the small, neat, old-fashioned town of Samarang,
+which, when I visited it in 1824, was the residence of several English
+merchants: now, there is only a single one remaining, so completely has
+monopoly destroyed mercantile enterprise! The harbour is a safe one in
+the south-east monsoon, but the reverse when the north-west winds
+prevail. It is, however, constantly visited by European shipping, which
+take cargoes of coffee, sugar, rice, &amp;c. &amp;c., to all parts of Europe,
+Australia, Singapore, and China.</p>
+
+<p>The circumstance at this distance of time most clear and distinct in my
+memory, in connection with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> my first visit to Samarang, is a
+tiger-fight, which I will attempt to describe. The exhibition took place
+on an extensive plain near the town, just after daybreak. A square of
+men, armed with the native spear, was formed three deep, and one hundred
+yards across. Inside this square was placed a box resembling in shape a
+coffin, but much larger, containing a royal tiger fresh from his native
+forests, which had been brought to town the day previously for this
+express purpose. Imagine every thing ready, the square formed, the box
+in its centre, and a silent multitude looking on,&mdash;some perched on
+trees, some on the coach-boxes of the numerous carriages, others on
+horseback, and thousands on foot; whilst the native chief of the
+district, with his friends, and the European officials of the place,
+occupied a gay pavilion, placed in an advantageous situation for viewing
+the coming strife. A native Javan, in full dress, is now seen advancing
+into the square, followed by two coolies or porters, one carrying a
+bundle of straw, the other a lighted torch. The straw is thrown over the
+box, and the torch-bearer stands ready to set fire to it at the end
+where the tiger's head is, the box being too narrow to permit his
+turning round in it. The leading native then lifts a sliding door at the
+other extremity of the box, carefully covering the opening thus made
+with mats, to prevent the light from penetrating, and inducing his royal
+highness to back<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> out too soon. This operation completed, the straw is
+set on fire. The native and his two coolies now retire slowly, keeping
+time to Javanese music as they make their way outside the square. By
+this time, the fire has got fair hold of the box, filling it with smoke,
+and the tiger begins his retreat, his berth becoming rather warm.
+Presently, his hind quarters appear issuing through the sliding doorway,
+its covering of mat readily yielding to the pressure: by degrees, his
+hind feet gain firm footing outside, and his whole body is soon
+displayed. On appearing, he seemed rather confused for a few seconds,
+and, laying himself quietly down, looked all round upon his foes, and
+gave a roar that made the welkin ring, and my young heart quake a
+little. He then rose, deliberately shook himself, turned towards the
+rising sun, set off first at a walk, then at a trot, which he gradually
+increased to a smart canter, till within a few yards of the points of
+the spears pointed at him; he then came to the charge, and made a spring
+that surprised me, and, I fancy, every one present. I am afraid to say
+how high he leaped, but he was on the <i>descent</i> before a single spear
+touched him. This leap was evidently made with the intention of getting
+clear over the heads of the men and their spears too; and he most
+certainly would have accomplished it, had he not leaped too soon, and
+fallen within the square, the height of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> spring being quite
+sufficient for the purpose. As it was, when on the descent, the spears
+of the six men nearest him being pointed at his breast, one of them
+inflicted a frightful wound. On reaching the ground, the noble beast
+struggled hard for his liberty; but, finding his efforts of no avail, he
+ultimately started off at full gallop to the opposite side of the
+square, where he renewed his exertions, though with less vigour than
+that displayed on his first attempt, and with no better success. He then
+galloped twice round the square, just at the point of the spears. Not a
+man advanced to touch him, it being the rule, that the tiger must come
+within the range of the spears before they can be used. He was
+ultimately killed while making a third attempt to escape; and thus ended
+the sport. His first charge was very brilliant and exciting; his second
+much less so; his third and last was very feeble.</p>
+
+<p>Immediately after the tiger's death, the same ceremonies were gone
+through with a leopard, who took the spear-men rather by surprise, and,
+instead of trying to leap over their heads, darted in under their
+spears, got among their feet, and effected his retreat, to the no small
+consternation of the surrounding multitude, who soon scattered in all
+directions. He was, however, pursued by the men he had baffled, and was
+killed under a bridge in the immediate neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>Tigers are frequently pitted by the native chiefs of Java against
+buffaloes, but I never was fortunate enough to witness one of those
+conflicts. The buffalo is generally the conqueror, and is sure to be so,
+if he succeeds in getting one fair butt at his adversary, whom he tosses
+in the air, and butts again on his fall. Occasionally, the tiger
+declines the combat altogether, when his tormentors rouse him by the
+application of lighted torches to the tenderest parts of his body: but
+even this extreme measure has been known to fail; in which case the
+terrified animal is withdrawn, and another is put forward in his place.
+These are cruel pastimes, though they may be thought not more so than
+dog-fighting and cock-fighting, which were formerly so much practised in
+Britain; and not so barbarous as a pugilistic combat between two hired
+brutes called prize-fighters.</p>
+
+<p>The society of Samarang is neither so extensive nor so attractive as
+that of Batavia: it is, however, a pleasant and healthy place,
+notwithstanding its proximity to an extensive swamp. Its safeguard
+against the malaria we might naturally look for in this situation, is
+the tide, which flows over the marsh twice a day, and keeps it sweet.</p>
+
+<p>During the Java war, a small volunteer corps of cavalry was formed here,
+the members of which, in their zeal, offered their services to join a
+party who were proceeding to Damak, (a small village about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> forty miles
+off,) to put down a body of armed rebels. Poor fellows! they went out in
+high spirits, but trusted too much to their unbroken horses, which took
+fright, and threw them into inextricable confusion on hearing the first
+volley. The sad consequences of this rash though gallant day's work,
+were, the death of seven young English gentlemen, all highly respected,
+and sincerely regretted by their countrymen. They were all personal
+friends of my own. I well remember the gloom which the intelligence cast
+over the society at Batavia.</p>
+
+<p>In and about Samarang may be collected any number of the beautiful Java
+poneys, animals unsurpassed for symmetry in any part of the world.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a>
+The work they perform is beyond belief. Ten miles an hour is the common
+rate of travelling post: four of them are generally used for this
+purpose, and the stages are from seven to nine miles, according to the
+nature of the country. When within half-a-mile of the first house where
+relays are kept, the native coachman cracks his long, unwieldy whip,
+which can be heard at a great distance. At this signal, the grooms
+harness the four poneys whose turn for work it is; and, by the time your
+carriage halts under the shed that crosses the road at every post-house,
+the fresh poneys are to be seen coming out of the stable, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>all ready for
+the next stage. Your attention is then attracted by a man with a stout
+bamboo, some eight feet long, in his hand, full of water, which he pours
+over the naves of the wheels, to cool them. By this time, the tired
+poneys are unhooked, the fresh ones put-to, and away rattles the
+carriage again with its delighted passengers. I know nothing more
+exciting and agreeable than a ramble amongst the mountains of this
+favoured isle, under the direction of the post establishment.</p>
+
+<p>From Samarang, early in 1824, I posted with a friend to Solo and
+Djockdjocarta, the ancient seats of the Emperors and Sultans of this
+part of Java. They are now shorn of their splendour; but they still
+possess novelty enough to attract a stranger. On our route, we visited
+some beautiful coffee-plantations, and passed through the pretty and
+romantic-looking village of Salatiga.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> We had a splendid view of the
+far-famed <i>Gunung Marapi</i>, or fire-mountain; and, on every side, we saw
+evidence of the thriving condition of this magnificent part of Java.</p>
+
+<p>At Solo, I was so fortunate as to be present at the then Emperor's
+marriage; a scene which brought painfully to mind the fallen state of
+the chiefs of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>this neighbourhood, by its being superintended by the
+Dutch Resident at the Court. There were three days' feasting, royal
+salutes from the imperial guard, Javanese music, and dancing girls in
+great numbers; but I found the whole affair very fatiguing. Fallen as
+was the Emperor's state at that time, it subsequently became much more
+reduced, in consequence of his having been found guilty of being
+secretly concerned in the late war or rebellion. He has long since
+followed his friend and coadjutor, Diepo Nogoro. A tool of the Dutch
+Government now reigns in his stead, who cannot even leave his house for
+twenty-four hours without permission from the Resident at his Court.</p>
+
+<p>One day, I accompanied a party of friends to see the Emperor's tigers, a
+number of which animals he generally had ready for exhibitions similar
+to those already described. We found one very noble fellow confined in a
+house some fifteen feet square, formed of the trunks of cocoa-nut trees,
+placed about five inches apart. On looking through, we saw the tiger in
+the position usually chosen by a dog when he wants to warm his face at
+the fire. Hearing our approach, he stared us steadily in the face for
+about a minute, and then made a spring at us, so suddenly that he came
+with his whole force against the bars, before we had time to move a
+step. The shock shook the building, as well as our nerves, not a little,
+though we were of course scatheless.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>At Solo, I first tasted the Javanese "Findhorn haddock," which is, in
+fact, a trout caught in the beautiful Solo river. After being cleaned,
+it is wrapped up in a bundle of rice-straw, which is forthwith set on
+fire; and as soon as the straw is consumed, the fish is ready for
+eating, and really resembles in flavour its celebrated name-sake.</p>
+
+<p>In the neighbourhood of Solo, a bold sportsman may find game to his
+liking, and willing natives to guide him in his search after tigers,
+wild hogs, the huge boa, deer, snipe, and quail. In pursuit of the last,
+too many a fever is caught, through the imprudence of young men in
+staying out too late in the day, and in keeping on their wet and soiled
+clothes and shoes during their ride or drive home. A little attention to
+such apparent trifles would save many a valuable life. Deer and wild-hog
+are generally pursued and shot by a party armed with rifles, who post
+themselves along one side of a jungle, while a party of natives advance
+from the opposite, driving the game before them with long poles and
+shouting. Great care must be taken by the sportsman, on these occasions,
+not to fire too soon: if he fires into the jungle, he runs the risk of
+shooting one of the bush-beaters; if to the right or left, he may plant
+his bullet in the breast of one of his companions. He must reserve his
+fire till the game is fairly out of the bush, and in rear of the line of
+rifles, when he may<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> turn round and deliver his charge. I recollect a
+fatal accident happening near Salatiga, through a gentleman's deviating
+from the strict rule, never to change your position when once placed by
+the leading sportsman. A party were out after hogs by moonlight, when
+one gentleman, thinking he heard a noise as of an approaching porker on
+his left, very imprudently got on his hands and knees to crawl round in
+the hope of getting the first shot. The sportsman stationed next to him
+got a glimpse of him on the path, and mistaking him in the uncertain
+light for a hog or other wild animal, fired his rifle without a moment's
+hesitation, and mortally wounded his unfortunate friend, who lived just
+long enough to acknowledge his error, and to beg that no blame might be
+attached to the individual who caused his death. Poor fellow! he paid
+dearly for his imprudence.</p>
+
+<p>Solo is protected by a small fort, which is always garrisoned by
+European troops, the Government not choosing to trust native soldiers in
+that part of the country. For this, no one can blame the Dutch; for the
+chiefs require looking after, and are apt to give trouble. While the
+Island was held by the British Government, a mutiny broke out at Solo
+among the Bengal sepoys: on its suppression, it was found they had been
+tampered with by these chiefs,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> and that numbers had been gained over to
+their cause.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing can exceed the hospitality of the Dutch inhabitants of this part
+of Java: their houses are always open to the stranger, of whom they
+think too much cannot be made. The Resident's establishment is a
+splendid one, and to his liberality and hospitality I can testify from
+personal experience. Indeed, our countrymen, in many parts that I could
+name, might, with great advantage to themselves and to travellers in
+their districts, take lessons from their Dutch brethren in office.</p>
+
+<p>From Solo, I went to Djockdjocarta, distant forty miles, in a gig. A
+kind friend having placed relays of horses on the road for me, I
+performed the journey with perfect ease, without the aid of a whip, in
+four hours. The poney I had the last stage, was the best little animal
+in harness I ever sat behind: he literally flew along the road. At one
+point, I came to a bridge, which, as I could see at some distance, had
+been broken, so as to render it impassable. While meditating how I was
+to get across the river, not knowing there was a ford in the
+neighbourhood, my poney, which had come the road in the morning to meet
+me, settled the question, by suddenly darting off, through a gap in the
+hedge at the road-side, down the river bank, at the top of his speed,
+and, before I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> could collect my scattered senses, was across the stream
+and up the opposite bank, to my no small surprise and pleasure. He was a
+noble little animal, of a mouse colour; and was originally purchased
+from a native dealer for twenty-eight guilders (about 2<i>l.</i> 6<i>s.</i>
+8<i>d.</i>).</p>
+
+<p>At Djockdjocarta are to be seen many ancient residences of the Javanese
+Chiefs; amongst others, the celebrated <i>Cratan</i> or palace, the taking of
+which, in 1812, cost General Gillespie a hard struggle. It is surrounded
+with a high wall, which encloses an area of exactly one square mile:
+outside the wall runs a deep, broad ditch. The place could offer but a
+feeble resistance against artillery, in which arm Gillespie was
+deficient when he attacked and took it. Another curious building is that
+in which the Sultans, in days of yore, used to keep their ladies: it is
+composed entirely of long narrow passages, with numerous small rooms on
+each side; each of which, in the days of their master's glory, was the
+residence, according to tradition, of a beautiful favourite. To prevent
+the escape of the ladies, or the intrusion of any gallants, the whole
+pile is surrounded with a canal, which used to be filled with
+alligators: the only entrance was by a subterranean passage beneath this
+canal, and which ran under it for its whole length. When I visited the
+place in 1824, the canal, passage, &amp;c. were all in good order, though
+the latter was getting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> damp from neglect;&mdash;a proof that the masons and
+plasterers of Java, in old times, must have been very superior workmen.</p>
+
+<p>Djockdjocarta was the birth-place of Diepo Nogoro, and the scene of his
+earliest warlike movements against the Dutch. So unexpected and sudden
+was his first attack, that he caught the garrison napping, and had them
+within his grasp before they knew he was in the field.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>Cratan</i>, the Sultan had, in 1824, three noble elephants, each
+kept under a separate shed. I went, with three other visitors, to see
+those animals; and we passed sometime amusing ourselves by giving them
+fruit and other dainties. We did not remark, however, that one of our
+friends had been for sometime teasing one of them, by offering him a
+plantain, and constantly withdrawing it just as the poor animal was
+laying hold of it with his trunk. We had not gone twenty yards from the
+spot, when the elephant's keeper approached, and gave him a couple of
+cocoa-nuts, (minus the husk, but with the shells,)&mdash;part of his daily
+food, I presume. The elephant took one of these, and, with a wicked look
+at the gentleman who had been teasing him, threw the nut at him with
+great force. Fortunately he missed his aim. The nut struck a post within
+six inches of the teaser's head, and was literally smashed: had it
+struck where doubtless it was meant to do, it would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> certainly have
+proved as fatal as an eighteen-pound shot. So much for teasing
+elephants. We beat a speedy retreat, not choosing to risk a second shot.</p>
+
+<p>Djockdjocarta can hardly be called a town; yet it is more than a
+village. The houses of the European inhabitants are much scattered, and
+many of them occupy very pretty situations. The climate is delicious;
+and exercise on horseback may be taken with impunity from six to nine
+<small>A.&nbsp;M.</small>, and from three to seven <small>P.&nbsp;M.</small> It is not uncommon to see Europeans
+riding about during the intervening hours; but this is generally avoided
+by old residents.</p>
+
+<p>A successful attempt was made here, by a countryman of mine, in 1823, to
+grow indigo. The quantity produced was limited, but the quality was
+excellent; and, but for some vexatious regulations of the Government
+regarding the residence of foreigners in this part of Java, which drove
+the spirited individual alluded to from the neighbourhood, I have no
+doubt he would speedily have realized a handsome fortune. Since that
+period, indigo-planting has been carried on in various parts of Java to
+a large extent. The quantity produced annually is now about one million
+and a half of pounds; and the quality is such as to command the first
+prices in the continental markets. Indeed, the Bengal planters are
+becoming quite jealous of those of Java.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly before my arrival at Djockdjocarta, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> daring house-robbery, by
+a band of Javanese, took place in the neighbourhood. Six of the robbers
+were afterwards caught, tried, convicted, condemned, and executed <i>&agrave; la
+Javan</i> on the scene of their crime: they were tied hands and feet to
+separate stakes, and <i>krissed</i> by a native executioner, who performed
+his dreadful office so scientifically that his victims died without a
+groan. The cool indifference with which five of the unfortunates
+witnessed the execution of the first sufferer, and successively received
+the <i>kriss</i> in their own bosoms, was quite surprising, and shewed with
+what stoical composure the Mohammedan fatalist can meet a violent death.</p>
+
+<p>The forests of Java are inhabited by the rhinoceros, tiger, black tiger,
+leopard, tiger-cat, boa-constrictor, and a variety of animals of milder
+natures. The elephant is not found in its wild state in these woods,
+though numerous in those of the neighbouring island. I am not aware of
+any other animal that may be called dangerous to man in these unrivalled
+forests; nor is there much to be apprehended from occasionally coming in
+contact with either of those above-named, though accidents happen now
+and then. I have known a carriage and four attacked on the main road
+between Batavia and Samarang, by a tiger, and one of the poneys killed
+by the fierce onset. This, however, is a rare occurrence, and can happen
+only when the tiger is hard pressed for food;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> which is seldom the case
+in the woods of Java, overrun as they are with deer, wild-hog, and other
+royal game. The boa is harmless to man, unless his path is crossed, when
+a speedy retreat is advisable. A friend of mine in Samarang once kept
+one of these monsters as a pet, and used to let him crawl all over the
+garden: it measured exactly nineteen feet. It was regularly fed twice a
+month, viz. on the 1st and the 15th. On the first day of the month, a
+moderate-sized goat was put into his house. The poor animal would
+scream, and exhibit every symptom of extreme terror, but was not kept
+long in suspense; for the snake, after eyeing his victim keenly, would
+spring on it with the rapidity of thought, coil three turns round the
+body, and in an instant every bone in the goat's skin was broken. The
+next process was, to stretch the carcass to as great a length as he
+could before uncoiling himself; then to lick it all over; and he
+commenced his feast by succeeding, after some severe exertion, in
+getting the goat's head within his mouth. In the course of twenty
+minutes, the whole animal was swallowed: the snake would then lie down,
+and remain perfectly dormant for three or four days. His lunch (as I may
+call it) on the fifteenth of the month, used to consist of a duck. This
+snake was given, in 1815, to Lord Amherst, on his return from China, and
+reached the Cape in safety: there it was over-fed to gratify the
+curious<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> visitors, and died in consequence before the ship reached St.
+Helena.</p>
+
+<p>While on the subject of wild animals, I may mention a leopard that was
+kept by an English officer in Samarang, during our occupation of the
+Dutch colonies. This animal had its liberty, and used to run all over
+the house after its master. One morning, after breakfast, the officer
+was sitting smoking his hookah, with a book in his right-hand, and the
+hookah-snake in his left, when he felt a slight pain in the left hand,
+and, on attempting to raise it, was checked by a low angry growl from
+his pet leopard: on looking down, he saw the animal had been licking the
+back of his hand, and had by degrees drawn a little blood. The leopard
+would not suffer the removal of the hand, but continued licking it with
+great apparent relish, which did not much please his master; who, with
+great presence of mind, without attempting again to disturb the pet in
+his proceeding, called to his servant to bring him a pistol, with which
+he shot the animal dead on the spot. Such pets as snakes nineteen feet
+long and full-grown leopards are not to be trifled with. The largest
+snake I ever saw was twenty-five feet long, and eight inches in
+diameter. I have <i>heard</i> of sixty-feet snakes, but cannot vouch for the
+truth of the tale.</p>
+
+<p>In my enumeration of animals dangerous to man, I omitted the alligator,
+which infests every river and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> muddy creek in Java, and grows to a very
+large size. At the mouth of the Batavia river, they are very numerous
+and dangerous, particularly to Europeans. It strikes one as
+extraordinary, to see the copper-coloured natives bathing in the river
+within view of a large alligator: they never seem to give the animal a
+thought, or to anticipate injury from his proximity. Yet, were a
+European to enter the water by the side of the natives, his minutes in
+this world would be few. I recollect an instance that occurred on the
+occasion of a party of troops embarking at Batavia for the eastward,
+during the Java war. The men had all gone off, with the exception of
+three sergeants, who were to follow in the ship's jolly-boat, which was
+waiting for them at the wharf: two of them stepped into the boat; but
+the third, in following, missed his footing, and fell with his leg in
+the water, and his body over the gunwale of the boat. In less than an
+instant, an alligator darted from under the wharf, and seized the
+unfortunate man by the leg, while his companions in the boat laid hold
+of his shoulders. The poor fellow called out to his friends, "Pull; hold
+on; don't let go"; but their utmost exertions were unavailing. The
+alligator proved the strongest, and carried off his prize. The scene was
+described to me by a bystander, who said, he could trace the monster's
+course all the way down the river with his victim in his immense mouth.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>The inhabitants of Java are, generally speaking, a quiet, tractable
+race, but rather lazy withal. The Dutch Government could never have made
+the Island produce half the quantity it now yields of either sugar,
+coffee, or rice, without a little wholesome coercion;&mdash;coercion that
+seemed somewhat tyrannical at first, but which has ultimately pleased
+all parties concerned, and done wonders for Java. If my memory serves
+me, it was in the time of Governor Vandenborch that this system of
+coercion commenced. The inhabitants of the villages, in various parts of
+the Island, were compelled by an armed force, when milder means had
+failed, to turn out at day-light, and labour in the fields planted
+either by Government itself or by Government contractors, which
+naturally caused a great deal of discontent; but, as the labourers were
+regularly paid in cash for their day's work every evening, they very
+soon became reconciled to a system that not only provided amply for
+their families, but gave them the means of indulging in their favourite
+pastime, gambling. To this vice, all classes are passionately addicted;
+and nothing is more common than to see a gang of coolies sit down in the
+middle of the road, and gamble for hours on the few pieces they may have
+just earned for having carried a heavy burthen a couple of miles. The
+inhabitants of the districts in which the coercion I speak of has<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> been
+put in force, are now better satisfied with their rulers than ever they
+were before.</p>
+
+<p>The extent to which the growth of coffee and sugar has been carried, has
+rather checked that of rice, which has been twenty-five per cent. dearer
+the last fifteen years, than during the preceding twenty: it is,
+however, still cheap enough as an article of food, though the price is
+too high to compete, in the China or Singapore markets, with the produce
+of Lombok, Bally, Siam, or Cochin China.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p>
+
+<p>Slavery still exists in Java, and every Dutch family has its domestic
+slaves. The law forbids the importation of fresh ones, and provides for
+the good treatment of those now in bondage. It also prohibits the
+slave-owner from separating a family; so that the wife and husband
+cannot be parted from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> each other, or from their children, except in the
+case of a crime having been committed by a member of the family. In that
+case, the guilty party is, on application to the chief magistrate, put
+up to auction, and sold to the highest bidder. This, however, is a rare
+occurrence, though I have witnessed such sales. The slaves, knowing well
+the consequence of an act of dishonesty, are cautious how they venture
+to trespass on the rights of <i>meum</i> and <i>tuum</i>. I may safely say, I have
+never, in all my wanderings, seen a race of people better treated than
+the slaves of Java: they are well fed and well clothed; and adults of
+both sexes receive a monthly allowance of two guilders (3<i>s.</i> 4<i>d.</i>)
+under the name of pocket-money. This sum may seem small; but, when we
+take into consideration, that a free man can be hired for eight guilders
+per month in Batavia, and for six in the country, on which sum he has to
+feed and clothe himself and his wife and children, it will be
+sufficiently evident that the slave's allowance is ample, his master
+feeding and clothing him and his family. I object <i>in toto</i> to slavery
+in any form; but I confess I do not think the slaves of Java would be
+benefitted, were their liberty given them to-morrow.</p>
+
+<p>The natives of Java are by no means free from that prevalent Eastern
+vice, or luxury, opium-smoking; and the Dutch Government derives an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+immense revenue from the article. I have, in various parts of the
+Eastern world, seen the evil effects of opium-smoking; but am decidedly
+of opinion, that those arising from gin-drinking in England, and from
+whisky-drinking in Ireland and Scotland, far exceed them. Let any
+unprejudiced European walk through the native towns of Java, Singapore,
+or China, and see if he can find a single drunken native. What he will
+meet with are, numbers of drunken English, Scotch, and Irish seamen,
+literally rolling in the gutters, intoxicated, not from opium, but from
+rum and other spirits sent all the way from England for the purpose of
+enabling her worthy sons to exhibit themselves to Chinese and other
+nations in this disgraceful light. That spirit-drinking at home is no
+excuse for opium-smoking abroad, I admit; but I would recommend the
+well-intentioned persons who have of late been raising such an outcry on
+the subject of opium, to begin at home, and attempt to reform their own
+countrymen: they may then come to China with a clear conscience, and
+preach reform to the poor opium-smoker.</p>
+
+<p>Among other improvements in Java, its rulers have lately turned their
+attention to the cultivation of tea, and with considerable success so
+far as regards the quality, I have no means of ascertaining the quantity
+of tea at present produced yearly; but have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> no doubt it will, before
+long, become an important article of export from the Island.</p>
+
+<p>Before quitting Java, I must say a word about the far-famed upas-tree.
+Such a tree certainly exists on the island; but the tales that are told
+of its poisoning the air for hundreds of yards round, so that birds dare
+not approach it, that vegetation is destroyed beneath its branches, and
+that man cannot come near it with impunity, are perfectly ridiculous. To
+prove their absurdity, a friend of mine climbed up a upas-tree, and
+passed two hours in its branches, where he took his lunch and smoked a
+cigar. The tree, however, does contain poison, and the natives extract
+the sap, with which they rub their spear and <i>kriss</i> blades: wounds
+inflicted with blades thus anointed, are mortal. Such I believe to be
+the origin of the many fabulous stories that have passed from hand to
+hand, and from generation to generation, about the upas-tree of Java.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The Java poney in Her Majesty's stable at Windsor, is
+certainly no fair specimen, being the worst-favoured brute under the
+sun.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> A name derived from the Malay words, <i>sallah</i>, "a fault or
+crime," and <i>tiga</i>, the numeral "three"; consequently meaning the "third
+fault." How this pretty spot came by such a name, I never heard.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> By the last overland papers from Singapore (Sept. 1845), I
+observe, the Dutch Government has been importing rice from Pondicherry
+to Java;&mdash;a proceeding quite unprecedented in my time, and to be
+accounted for only by the extent to which the cultivation of sugar,
+indigo, and coffee is carried, in order to satisfy the constant demands
+on the colonies of the Netherlands for money. To this cause may be
+added, however, the occurrence of one or two dry seasons;&mdash;a rare
+phenomenon within the tropics, and attributable, probably, in some
+degree, to the vast extent of country recently cleared of forest and
+jungle to make way for the plough. No policy can be so blind as that
+which compels the poor Javanese to eat imported rice, while living in a
+country capable of yielding food for all Europe.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER III.<br />
+<small>SINGAPORE.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE&mdash;&#8203;CULTIVATION
+OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-NUT&mdash;&#8203;ROADS AND SCENERY&mdash;&#8203;
+MOTLEY POPULATION&mdash;&#8203;EUROPEAN RESIDENTS&mdash;&#8203;CHINESE
+EMIGRANTS&mdash;&#8203;KLINGS&mdash;&#8203;SAMPAN-MEN&mdash;&#8203;PLACES OF
+WORSHIP&mdash;&#8203;TIGERS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>In the month of May 1824, I returned from my trip to the eastward, and
+was kept tightly at work in Batavia, till fate sent me wandering in July
+1826. Singapore was the first place I visited; and to it, therefore, I
+must devote the next few pages of these retrospective lucubrations.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles deserved a great deal of credit and praise
+from the mercantile community of Britain, for having established this
+emporium of trade. A more lovely or better situation could not have been
+chosen; and its surprising prosperity has more than realized its
+founder's expectations, sanguine as they were. Since 1826, I have
+resided some considerable time in Singapore; have witnessed its progress
+towards its present nourishing condition; and am sufficiently well
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>acquainted with its trade and its inhabitants to enable me to speak
+confidently respecting them. The Island itself, though only seventy-six
+miles from the Equator, enjoys a delightful climate, and is remarkable
+for salubrity. Its proximity to the Line secures frequent refreshing
+showers, and its foliage is in consequence always in the full bloom of
+summer. During an acquaintance with it of eighteen years, I have never
+known a drought of more than three weeks' duration. Its soil, with
+little tillage, produces the nutmeg, the clove, coffee, the cocoa-nut,
+the sugar-cane, the pepper-vine, gambia or terra japonica, and all the
+fruits common to Malacca and Java. The East-India Company's regulations
+regarding land checked, for a few years, the spirit of the
+agriculturist; but, within the last ten years, a few spirited and
+praiseworthy individuals have laid out considerable sums of money in
+nutmeg, coffee, sugar, and cocoa-nut plantations. It is a somewhat
+doubtful point, in my opinion, whether sugar or coffee plantations on
+this island will ever pay; but, of the nutmeg and cocoa-nut groves, I
+have the best opinion, and think their proprietors have a very fair
+chance of ultimately being well paid for their outlay. Of the nutmeg
+gardens, that of Dr. Oxley's is by far the finest on the island. This
+gentleman has spared neither trouble nor expense in bringing his plants
+forward, and has now five thousand of the very finest <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>nutmeg-trees I
+ever saw. Nothing can be finer than their beautiful position, tasteful
+outlay, and luxuriant foliage. It is now eighteen months since I last
+saw those trees: they were then just coming into bearing; and they are
+now, I hope, paying their spirited proprietor for his monthly outlay at
+all events, though it may be a few years yet before they return him
+interest for his money, and adequate remuneration for his trouble.</p>
+
+<p>A plantation of ten or fifteen thousand cocoa-nut trees is a more
+valuable property than many people imagine. As soon as they come into
+bearing, which they do in five years from seed, they are worth
+three-quarters of a dollar each per annum net profit, after paying the
+labourers: thus, fifteen thousand of them will yield their proprietor
+10,250 dollars per annum, (<i>i.&nbsp;e.</i> at the moderate calculation of 4<i>s.</i>
+2<i>d.</i> to the dollar, 2135<i>l.</i> 8<i>s.</i> 4<i>d.</i> sterling,) a sum that would
+cover all the outlay incurred during the five nonproductive years, and
+be a secure revenue to the owner of the estate for ever, provided that
+he is careful in replacing the old trees, as fast as they die, with new
+plants.</p>
+
+<p>My reasons for doubting the success of coffee-plantations in Singapore
+are, that there is not sufficient depth of soil for the tree, and that,
+if there were, labour is too high to enable the planters to compete with
+those of Java. As regards sugar, Singapore <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>being a sugar-importing
+colony, its own produce pays, on being imported into England, 8<i>s.</i> per
+hundred-weight more duty than the produce of non-importing British
+colonies.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> The high price of labour is also against the sugar-planter.
+An able-bodied labourer costs, in Singapore, four dollars per month,
+while the same man can be had in the mountains of Java for three
+guilders in money, and the value of two in rice. Thus, the Singapore
+planter pays more than double the rate of wages for his labour; and, as
+his lands are not so rich as his neighbour's, he stands, I fear, but a
+poor chance in the competition with him.</p>
+
+<p>To the eastward of the town of Singapore, extends a considerable plain,
+on which the sugar and cocoa-nut plantations stand. To the westward and
+inland of the town, the country consists almost entirely of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> hill and
+dale; and its aspect is very striking and picturesque. On many of these
+miniature (for they are but miniature) hills, stand pretty <i>bungalows</i>,
+surrounded with nutmeg and fruit trees: they are delightful residences,
+and have the very great advantage of cool nights, when the tired planter
+or merchant can enjoy a sound sleep after the fatigues of a hot day.</p>
+
+<p>A great deal has been done for Singapore by gangs of convicts from
+Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, who, under an experienced and able
+superintendent, have cut and made excellent roads, that now extend east,
+west, north, and south, for several miles. Cutting these roads has
+drained, and thereby rendered available, large tracts of land that were
+recently quite valueless: they also add much to the enjoyment of the
+Singaporean, by enabling him to extend his ride or drive of an evening.
+The scenery along the different roads consists of hills and dales,
+covered with the richest and most luxuriant foliage, with here and there
+a clearing, where some industrious China-man has squatted, in defiance
+of tigers and East-India Company's regulations. Now that land can be got
+on better terms than formerly, these clearings are being purchased by
+Europeans of the squatter,&mdash;whose prior right the Government always
+protects to the extent of a fair remuneration for his labour,&mdash;and are
+being turned into gardens or plantations.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> This drives back the
+squatter, who, like his brethren all over the world, is ever willing to
+sell and move further inland; thus materially increasing the extent of
+cleared land from year to year. The primeval jungles of Singapore are so
+thickly timbered and covered with underwood and large, tough creepers,
+that the man who undertakes to clear them has before him an Herculean
+task. According to the best information I could obtain, it requires a
+cash outlay of sixty dollars to clear a single acre; and even that large
+sum does not thoroughly stump it (<i>i.&nbsp;e.</i> clear off all the large roots
+and stumps of the larger trees) for the planting of coffee, nutmegs, or
+pepper. For these, however, this is less necessary, as the plants are
+placed at a considerable distance from each other: for sugar, it is very
+desirable to have every stump taken out.</p>
+
+<p>Swamps abound on the island: fortunately, they are all salt-water
+swamps, and flooded daily by the tide, which keeps them sweet, so that
+no one suffers from residing in their neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>A full description of the inhabitants of Singapore would fill a volume,
+they are of so many countries. Here may be seen, besides Europeans of
+different nations, and Americans, the Jew, the Armenian, the Persian,
+the Parsee, the Arab, the Bengalee, the Malabaree, the China-man, the
+Malay, the Javanese, the Siamese, the Cochin Chinese, with the native of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>Borneo, of Macassar, and of every island of the Eastern Archipelago;
+all in the costumes of their respective countries, and forming motley
+groupes that can nowhere be surpassed. With the exception of the
+Europeans, Americans, and Armenians, each class occupies a distinct
+quarter of the town, mixing but little with the rest, except in business
+hours, when one and all may be seen in eager converse on the
+all-important subject of money-making.</p>
+
+<p>Europeans generally live in garden-houses in the suburbs. The favourite
+situation is along the beach to the eastward of the town, from which the
+merchant has a full view of the harbour, as well as of both its
+entrances, and can see every vessel that comes or goes. Pleasant,
+however, as is this part of the suburbs, it is gradually being deserted
+for country situations, where the hot winds of July, August, and
+September are not so much felt, and where the nights are cooler than on
+the sea-shore. The houses generally occupied by these gentlemen, are
+large and roomy, with verandahs in front and rear, enclosed with
+Venetian blinds: these are kept shut from ten <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small> till four <small>P.&nbsp;M.</small>, which
+darkens the house so much that a visiter can with difficulty see his
+host or hostess for two or three minutes after entering a room, till the
+pupils of his eyes, contracted by the glare on the road, expand, and
+enable him to distinguish objects. This custom keeps the house
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>wonderfully cool, and is universally adopted by newcomers after the
+first few months of their residence. The Chinese occupy the next best
+part of the town, and many of them have built substantial and commodious
+houses. A portion of this class are the descendants of Chinese who
+settled at Malacca two hundred years ago: they have never been to China,
+and speak Malay much more fluently than they do their own language.
+Numbers of them keep their families at Malacca, having superstitious
+objections to a final removal far from the graves of their ancestors.
+The real Chinese emigrant looks on Singapore only as a temporary home,
+and invariably remits something every year, according to his means, to
+his aged parents, wife, or sisters. He usually consoles himself for his
+absence from his wife, by taking to himself another of the country he
+resides in: the offspring of this second marriage is always properly
+cared for on the father's return to China, where he probably takes the
+eldest boy to be educated.</p>
+
+<p>The Chinese junks bring annually to this part of the world, from six to
+eight thousand emigrants, ninety-nine-hundredths of whom land without a
+sixpence in the world beyond the clothes they stand in. The consequence
+of this is, that those who cannot succeed in obtaining immediate
+employment, take to thieving, from necessity; and some daring gang
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>robberies are committed every year. They do not, however, long continue
+this mode of life; for the eight thousand new comers soon scatter, and
+find employment either on the Island, in the tin-mines of Banca, or on
+the Malayan peninsula.</p>
+
+<p>Ship-loads of these men have been sent to the Mauritius, where they have
+given general satisfaction; and no better class of emigrants could be
+found for the West Indies. A tight curb on a China-man will make him do
+a great deal of work: at the same time, he has spirit enough to resist
+real ill treatment. All the mechanics and house-builders, and many
+boatmen and fishermen of Singapore, are Chinese.</p>
+
+<p>Of the other inhabitants, the most numerous are the Malabarees, who are
+principally employed as shopkeepers, and are as knowing in the art of
+bargain-driving as any tradesmen of London or Paris. They generally go
+here under the denomination of "<i>Klings</i>," an appellation synonymous, in
+the Singapore vocabulary, with "scamp," to which I have no inclination
+to dispute their title. The boats employed to carry cargoes to and from
+the shipping in the harbour, are almost all manned by these <i>Klings</i>;
+and excellent boatmen they are. When pulling off a heavily-laden boat,
+they cheer their labour by a song, led, in general, by the steersman,
+the crew joining in chorus. They are a willing, hard-working <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>race,
+though rather given to shut their eyes to the difference between <i>meum</i>
+and <i>tuum</i>. The original Malay inhabitants of this Island are now the
+most insignificant, both as to numbers and as to general utility, of the
+many races that are found on it. From this remark must be excepted,
+however, the <i>sampan</i>-men, who are of great service to the mercantile
+community. In their fast-sailing <i>sampans</i> (a superior sort of canoe,
+peculiar to the place), they go out ten, fifteen, and even twenty miles,
+to meet any ship that may be signalized as approaching the harbour. They
+are usually employed to attend a ship during her stay here, few masters
+choosing to trust their crews on shore in boats. Of late years, reports
+have been in circulation of a suspected connection between the
+sampan-men and the Malay pirates in the neighbourhood; but I question
+their having any foundation in fact. Those Malay families whose young
+men are thus employed as <i>sampan</i>-men, are called <i>Orang-Laut</i>, or
+"People of the sea," from their living entirely afloat. The middle of
+the river just opposite the town of Singapore, is crowded with boats
+about twenty feet long by five wide, in which these poor people are
+born, live, and die. They are wretched abodes, but are preferred, from
+long custom I fancy, by their inhabitants, who, if they chose, could
+find room on shore to build huts that would cost less than these marine
+dwellings.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>Each different class of the inhabitants of the Island have their own
+place of worship. The English Church, built in 1836 by a contribution
+from the Government and a subscription among the European inhabitants,
+is a handsome building in a central situation, capable of holding four
+times as many people as are likely to be ever collected within it: it is
+neatly fitted up, but lacked a steeple, or even a belfry. This
+deficiency, however, is about to be supplied by a subscription raised at
+the suggestion of the Bishop of Calcutta, during his last official visit
+to this portion of his immense diocese.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p>
+
+<p>The Chinese pagoda is a splendid building, according to the celestial
+taste in such matters, and is really well worth seeing: the carving and
+general fitting-up of the interior are very beautiful, and substantial
+enough to make one believe they will last a thousand years, as the
+Chinese say they will. In the centre, the Queen of Heaven is seen decked
+forth in robes of the most superb figured satin, richly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>embroidered
+with gold; robes that the wealthiest dames of the proudest cities of
+Europe might envy, but the like to which they never can possess. Her
+Majesty was brought from China; and the owner of the junk in which she
+came, would not receive a penny as freight for the room she occupied. On
+her arrival in Singapore harbour, the whole Chinese population of the
+Island turned out to see her land, and paraded her through the town,
+with all the noise they could by any possibility extract from about a
+thousand gongs. The building in which she has taken up her quarters,
+cost 40,000 Spanish dollars, and does credit to the Chinese workmen of
+Singapore. One day, shortly after the building of this temple, I asked
+an intelligent and wealthy Chinese, how often he went to it. His answer,
+in broken English, ran thus: "Sometime one moon, sometime two moon.
+Suppose I want ask God for something, I go churchee. Suppose I no want
+ask any thing, what for I go?" On my asking whether he never went to
+return thanks for past favours, he seemed to think my question a very
+silly one, and said, "No use."</p>
+
+<p>The American Chapel is a remarkably neat little building. Besides these,
+there is no other place of worship in Singapore worthy of notice.</p>
+
+<p>Before quitting the subject of the inhabitants of this land of perpetual
+summer, I must mention one class which the others would gladly get rid
+of: <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>I allude to the tigers of a large size which abound here, and which,
+having cleared the jungles of wild-hog and jackalls, and nearly so of
+deer, have lately commenced preying on man, to whom they have become a
+most formidable and dreaded foe. Were I to set down the number of
+unfortunate individuals who have, since 1839, been killed by these lords
+of the forests, I should scarcely expect to be credited. Let any one
+look over the newspapers of the Island for the last five or six years,
+and they will tell him a tale of horror that will make his blood freeze.
+Many of the more distant gambia-plantations have been deserted by their
+proprietors in consequence of the ravages of these monsters. Government,
+in the hope of remedying or mitigating the evil, offered a reward of one
+hundred dollars for every tiger brought in alive or dead; but so dense
+are the jungles in which they seek shelter, that their pursuers have
+hitherto been far from successful. One is brought in now and then, for
+which the captor receives his reward, and sells the flesh for some forty
+dollars more; for the reader must know, that the flesh of a tiger is
+readily purchased and eagerly eaten by the Chinese, under the notion
+that some of the courage of the animal will be thereby instilled into
+them. Some time before I left the Island, a Malay fell in with two tiger
+cubs in the woods, and captured one of them: next day, he went back,
+like a fool, alone,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> in search of the other, when the dam captured and
+made a meal of him; a lesson to his countrymen, which has effectually
+cured them of meddling with tiger-whelps. On another occasion, a
+China-man, having set a trap for tigers, took a walk out about midnight,
+to see if his plan had been successful. He paid dearly for his temerity,
+being carried off by some prowling monster; and his mangled body was
+found near the place a few days afterwards.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Since my arrival in England, an Act has been passed,
+removing, in some measure, this bar to the prosperity of the Singapore
+sugar-planter;&mdash;I allude to the recent reduction in the duty on all
+sugars, excepting slave-grown. The Singaporeans are naturally anxious to
+be allowed to send their sugars to the English market on the same terms
+as their brethren of Prince of Wales' Island have lately been permitted
+to do. This they can hardly expect, however, while they continue to be
+such large importers of Siam and other foreign sugars as they are and
+always have been. To require them to give up this foreign trade, would
+do them far more injury than the granting of their planters' petition
+would benefit them.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Since this was written, the Chapel has been much improved,
+and an elegant steeple added to it. There seems to be some fatality
+attaching to Clergymen at Singapore. The last three incumbents, Messrs.
+Burn, Darrah, and White, all died young, and of the same complaint,
+namely, diseased liver. My own opinion is, that they were all three too
+strict adherents to teetotalism. In warm climates, a moderate and rather
+liberal allowance of wine, I believe to be absolutely necessary.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV.<br />
+<small>SINGAPORE.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+TRADE OF SINGAPORE&mdash;&#8203;CHINESE TRADERS&mdash;&#8203;BUGIS
+TRADERS&mdash;&#8203;SIAMESE AND COCHIN CHINESE&mdash;&#8203;ARAB
+SMUGGLERS&mdash;&#8203;BORNEO&mdash;&#8203;TRADE WITH
+CALCUTTA&mdash;&#8203;COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>The trade of Singapore has, until within the last three years, gone on
+increasing; but it has now, in the opinion of many people, reached its
+ultimatum. The harbour is visited regularly by native vessels from all
+the neighbouring islands, as well as from the Continent; and I shall
+proceed to notice the nature and value of their trade, respectively,
+class by class.</p>
+
+<p>And first as to the China junks. These unwieldy vessels visit the Island
+in numbers varying from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty
+per annum, their size ranging from fifty to five hundred tons: they are
+manned and navigated entirely by Chinese. They of course come with the
+monsoon, and reach Singapore in the months of January, February, and
+March. Their cargoes form a very <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>material item in the trade of the
+place, and consist of tea, raw silk, camphor, Nankin (both yellow and
+blue), immense quantities of coarse earthenware, and supplies of all
+kinds for the myriads of Chinese that reside on this and the
+neighbouring islands. The season of their arrival is one of great
+activity in the Chinese bazaars, and gives an impulse to the trade of
+the importer of Manchester and Glasgow manufactures. Their commanders
+and supercargoes are cautious dealers, and usually sound the market well
+before disposing of their commodities. Sometimes, however, they
+overstand their market, and suffer by refusing the first offers made.
+This was particularly the case in the season of 1841, in the article of
+tea, which fell in price with every overland mail that came in, making
+these wary men rue their having declined the offers that had been made
+them previously. Most of them are opium-smokers; and their countrymen,
+with whom they deal, take care to keep them well supplied with this
+luxury, and obtain many a good bargain from them when under its
+influence.</p>
+
+<p>The export cargoes of this class of vessels consist principally of raw
+cotton, cotton yarn, cotton goods, opium, b&eacute;che-de-mer or sea slug,
+pepper, tin, rattans, edible birds'-nests, deers' sinews, sharks' fins,
+fish maws, &amp;c. Of the first three articles, they have of late taken
+annually the following quantities:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>&mdash;raw cotton, 20,000 bales of 300
+lbs. each; cotton goods, 50,000 pieces of 40 yards each; opium, 2000
+chests of 164 lbs. each; the aggregate value of which I put down, in
+round numbers, at two millions of dollars.</p>
+
+<p>Many of the small junks that arrive with the last of the north-east
+monsoon in April, are fast-sailing craft, and come expressly for opium,
+to pay for which they bring nothing but bullion: they take their
+departure early in May, and smuggle the drug into Canton by paying the
+usual bribe to the Mandarins. All the large junks have sailed on their
+return voyage by the end of June. Some few of them that waited in 1841
+till the middle of July, in the hope of getting opium cheaper than their
+neighbours who sailed earlier, encountered heavy gales in the Chinese
+sea; and one or two of them were lost with valuable cargoes. This lesson
+has not been lost upon their successors, who have since taken care to
+run no such risks. Advantage is taken of the opportunity afforded by the
+return of these junks, every season, by the Chinese residents, to make
+remittances to their families in China; and the masters of them are
+entrusted with their remittances, which usually consist of money,
+though, occasionally, rice and other useful articles are sent. The
+shipper pays the master a per-centage on the sum transmitted; and
+instances of fraud on the part of the latter are <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>extremely rare. A boy
+about fourteen years of age whom I had as a servant in my house at
+Singapore, used to ask me for a month's wages in advance, to send to his
+mother in Macao. Hundreds of similar instances might be adduced. This is
+one of the bright traits in the Chinese character.</p>
+
+<p>The native traders next in importance to the Chinese, are the Bugis.
+These arrive in October and November, bringing in their uncouth-looking
+vessels, large quantities of coffee of very good quality, gold-dust,
+tortoise-shell, native clothes (celebrated all over the Archipelago for
+their durability), b&eacute;che-de-mer, deer-sinews, rice, &amp;c. They come from
+the different ports on the islands of Celebes, &amp;c., but principally from
+Macassar. They are a shrewd race, but are no match for their Chinese
+competitors. On the arrival of a boat, her <i>hakoda</i> (or commander) lands
+with nearly every man on board; and he may be seen walking all over the
+place for a few days before making any bargain. They are a troublesome
+set to deal with, and require the exercise of more patience than a
+European in these parts generally possesses. They are, however, always
+received with a hearty welcome by the Chinese of the Island, who,
+inviting them to be seated, immediately hand round the <i>siri-box</i>
+(betel-nut, arica leaf, &amp;c.) among them; and over this universal luxury,
+they will sit and talk on business matters for hours, during which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>time
+it may be fairly calculated that both host and guests tell a lie per
+minute, without betraying by their countenances the slightest
+consciousness of having been thus engaged. This strange sort of
+preliminary negotiation goes on, probably, for a week; at the end of
+which the passer-by may see the contents of the different Bugis boats
+entering the Chinese shops or stores, as the case may be. On getting rid
+of his import cargo, the Bugis trader takes a few days more to rest and
+refresh himself, before he begins looking round for a return cargo,
+which usually consists of opium, iron, steel, cotton yarn, cotton goods,
+gold thread, &amp;c. He seldom or never takes money away with him. On an
+average, two hundred of these boats come to Singapore in the fall of the
+year, each manned by about thirty men. Their crews are not allowed to
+land armed with the <i>kriss</i> or any other weapon; a wise precaution, as
+they are rather too fond of having recourse to them in the event of any
+quarrel or misunderstanding with those with whom they deal.
+Notwithstanding this salutary regulation, I have witnessed serious
+disturbances, ending, on more than one occasion, in bloodshed, between
+these traders and the bazaar shopkeepers of Singapore. What I refer to
+occurred many years ago, however, and is not very likely to happen
+again, as the reins are kept much tighter over them than of yore. They
+are essentially a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>maritime people, and are not, as far as I have ever
+heard, addicted to piracy. They generally sail in small fleets, and are
+quite prepared to defend themselves against the common Malay pirate, who
+meets a stout resistance when he meddles with them. Like most, or, I may
+say, all the inhabitants of this part of the world, they deal more or
+less in slaves; and it would not be difficult to prove their having sold
+boys and girls in Singapore within these ten years, though I firmly
+believe that the disgraceful traffic has been put an entire stop to of
+late. These men visit, during the months in which the south-east monsoon
+prevails, Torres Straits, and the numerous islands in that
+neighbourhood, for the purpose of gathering b&eacute;che-de-mer and
+tortoise-shell. They pick up, also, slaves from Papua (New Guinea), for
+whom they find a ready market in Celebes. Our settlement of Port
+Essington has long been a favourite resort of the Bugis trader; and were
+the Government to encourage Chinese and other settlers, by giving them
+grants of land, to establish themselves there, there can be no doubt
+that it would soon become a very important place, instead of a mere
+military station, or rather place of banishment, for some fifty royal
+marines. As for its being a refuge for shipwrecked seamen, I have never
+heard of an instance of a crew of the numerous vessels annually lost in
+Torres Straits seeking shelter there. This <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>state of affairs would be
+altered, however, were the port thrown open to the commercial world. As
+it is, a shipwrecked crew landing there, might have to remain a
+twelvemonth for an opportunity to get away again; consequently, every
+seaman placed in that unfortunate position, pushes on in his open boat
+to the Dutch settlements on the island of Timor.</p>
+
+<p>Next in importance to the Bugis, I may rank the Siamese and Cochin
+Chinese traders, who arrive at Singapore during the north-east monsoon.
+The trade of these two countries used to be carried on entirely in junks
+peculiar to each of them respectively; but the state of things has been
+materially altered of late. The sovereigns of Siam and Cochin China have
+recently built and fitted-out several square-rigged vessels, those of
+Siam being commanded by Europeans, and manned by natives of that
+country. These vessels are the private property of the kings whose flags
+they bear, and are loaded on their account and at their risk. Their
+cargoes consist principally of sugar and rice, which find ready
+purchasers in Singapore. The sugar of Siam is of very superior quality,
+and is sent up in large quantities to Bombay, whence it finds its way up
+the Indus and the Persian Gulf. The rice of Siam is a superior article,
+and has of late been sent in considerable quantities to London. The
+grain is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>liable to the disadvantage of not keeping so well as that of
+Bengal or Java; but this fault might, I think, be obviated, partially at
+all events, by adopting the Calcutta plan of putting a pound or two of
+rice-dust and lime into each bag: this not only tends to preserve the
+rice, but repels the destructive weavil; a little black insect that
+makes its appearance in wheat and rice, in immense numbers, in those
+warm latitudes.</p>
+
+<p>The Cochin Chinese ships generally bring each four thousand <i>peculs</i> of
+sugar, which is of three qualities; namely, sixteen hundred <i>peculs</i> of
+first quality, the same quantity of second, and eight hundred <i>peculs</i>
+of the third sort. The first two are good articles, though not equal to
+the sugars of Siam. The cargoes of these ships are so carefully put up,
+that I have purchased and re-shipped them without opening or weighing
+more than five bags out of each hundred, and have never had cause to
+repent the confidence thus placed in the seller, who is an <i>employ&eacute;</i> of
+His Cochin Chinese Majesty. In addition to sugar and rice, the Siamese
+vessels bring gamboge and cocoa-nut oil of a superior quality: the
+former is bought up for the London and Continental markets, and the
+latter for consumption in the Straits' settlements. Notwithstanding the
+monopolizing system of the sovereigns of the two countries just
+mentioned, the trade by junks is still carried on to a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>limited extent:
+their cargo consists of the same articles as the kings' ships bring; and
+their owners make money in spite of monopoly and of the iron rod with
+which they are ruled.</p>
+
+<p>At the commencement of the rupture between Great Britain and China, His
+Siamese Majesty thought proper to follow the example of his Celestial
+Brother, and to interdict the trade in opium, which used to flourish in
+his dominions. His proclamation prohibiting the trade, came so suddenly
+upon the parties concerned in it, and took effect so immediately, that
+many of the opium-traders went into his capita of Bang-kok with their
+usual cargoes, in utter ignorance of what had taken place, and found
+their vessels seized, their cargoes confiscated, and themselves put in
+irons and thrown into prison, where they were kept till the interference
+of the Singapore Government procured their release as British subjects
+trading under the English flag. The restriction on this trade has not
+yet been removed (1844); nor is it likely to be, till the king finds
+himself in want of money, when he will be glad to allow his subjects to
+resume a traffic that yielded him a large revenue in former days.</p>
+
+<p>Siam produces teak timber of excellent quality, which can be had on very
+reasonable terms; and of this, the ship-builders of Singapore do not
+fail to take advantage. A portion of the Cochin Chinese <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>trade is
+carried on in vessels so small and so frail, that it is astonishing that
+men can be found to navigate with them the dangerous Chinese Sea: they
+do not exceed thirty tons burthen. Being wholly unprovided with
+defensive weapons of any description, many of them are annually taken by
+the Malay pirates as soon as they make their appearance inside Point
+Romania, at the mouth of Singapore Strait. They are lateen-rigged with
+mat sails, are fast sailers, hold a good wind, and have a very pretty
+appearance when entering the harbour in fleets of fifteen or twenty
+sail.</p>
+
+<p>Singapore is annually visited by a large fleet of vessels from all parts
+of Java: the most important of these are what are commonly called Arab
+ships, that is, ships fitted out and owned by Arabs residing in Java.
+They carry the Dutch flag, are commanded by Arabs, and manned by
+Javanese. If fame does not belie them, these Arab commanders are
+notorious smugglers. This is certain; that they take goods from
+Singapore in exchange for the coffee, sugar, rice, &amp;c., which they bring
+from Java, and that they give prices that would leave them no margin for
+profit, if His Netherlands Majesty's duties were paid on them. For this
+sort of illicit trade, the coast of Java offers many facilities in its
+numerous small rivers, with which the Arab ship-master is intimately
+acquainted. The article of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> opium, though strictly prohibited by the
+authorities of Java, is taken by the Arabs from Singapore in
+considerable quantities, notwithstanding the pains and penalties
+attached to its being found on board their vessels; and smuggled into
+Java the drug most undoubtedly is, let the Dutchmen boast of their spies
+and custom-house establishment as they will. These Arab ships are built
+of teak, ranging from one hundred and fifty to five hundred tons per
+register, and are altogether remarkably fine vessels.</p>
+
+<p>From the islands of Lombok and Bally, directly eastward of Java, the
+market of Singapore receives a large annual supply of rice of fair
+quality, a small quantity of coffee, and some coarse native cloths, to
+which I may add, a few good stout poneys. The boats from these islands
+resemble those from Celebes, and are sometimes classed among the Bugis
+traders: they carry back, as return cargoes, opium, muskets, copper
+cash, a little gold and silver thread, cotton yarn, and cotton
+manufactures. These islands have their own Rajahs and laws, but are
+narrowly watched and kept in check by their neighbours, the Dutch.</p>
+
+<p>Borneo, notwithstanding its vast extent and immense internal wealth, has
+but a limited external trade. Boats from Sambas, Pontianack, and Borneo
+Proper, visit Singapore every year, from May till<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> October, and bring
+with them black pepper, Malay camphor, gold-dust, rattans, &amp;c. Most
+wretched boats they are, and, according to the accounts given to me by
+their <i>hakodas</i> (commanders), very difficult to keep afloat when laden.
+Little can be said in favour of the natives of the sea-coast of Borneo,
+which is, and has been for ages, the haunt of pirates. Many vessels,
+particularly native <i>proas</i>, have been plundered, and their crews
+murdered or carried into slavery, by the marauders of this inhospitable
+shore; and it is not twenty years since a visit to it was considered as
+highly dangerous even in a well-armed vessel. Whole fleets of piratical
+boats ascend from time to time the rivers of this island, and plunder
+the native villages, carrying off the females and children as slaves,
+murdering the adult males, and setting fire to the houses. The
+proceedings of these vagabonds have received some severe checks, of late
+years, from the operations of a spirited and enterprising individual,
+Mr. James Brooke, whose well-known zeal and activity are beyond all
+praise. An occasional visit also from one of Her Majesty's ships, has
+done much good; and the recent operations of Capt. Keppel of the Dido,
+gave them a check they will not soon get over. The ascertained existence
+of extensive veins of coal on the banks of the river of Borneo Proper,
+will render that neighbourhood of great importance, on the completion of
+the line of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> steam communication from Ceylon to Hong Kong, <i>vi&acirc;</i>
+Singapore. I believe there is no doubt either as to the large quantity
+of coal to be had there, or as to its superior quality. But, upon the
+subject of Borneo, I shall have a few words more to say hereafter.</p>
+
+<p>The trade between Calcutta and the Straits' settlements, is both
+extensive and important. Vessels from the Hooghly visit Singapore
+throughout the year, bringing large supplies of raw cotton, Indian
+cotton goods, opium, wheat, &amp;c. In return, they carry back vast
+quantities of gold-dust, tin, pepper, sago, gambia, and treasure. It is
+no unfrequent occurrence, to find the Singapore market pretty nearly
+cleared of the circulating medium after the departure of two or three
+clippers for the "City of Palaces." Indeed, treasure and gold-dust are,
+in nine cases out of ten, the only safe remittance from the Straits of
+Malacca to Calcutta; and those who remit in other modes, frequently
+sustain heavy losses, which not only affect the individuals concerned,
+but check the trade generally.</p>
+
+<p>I have now given a rapid view of the principal features of the native
+trade of Singapore, without pretending to give a perfect account of it.
+Before taking leave of this pretty little Island, I will add a few
+general remarks upon its condition and prospects. Its actual state, when
+I left it in 1842, was far from being as prosperous as I could wish. An<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+emporium of the trade of the whole of the Eastern Archipelago, its
+aggregate imports and exports may be estimated, in round numbers, at
+three millions sterling per annum. Trade by barter is the system
+generally adopted; and notwithstanding long-continued exertions on the
+part of the European mercantile community to establish the cash system,
+their success has been so very partial, that nine-tenths of the
+remittances to Europe and India in return for goods consigned here for
+sale, are made in produce. Severe losses have been sustained here, from
+time to time, by the European mercantile firms, in consequence of their
+giving credit, to an almost unlimited extent, to Chinese and other
+dealers, many of them mere men of straw. During last year, these losses
+have amounted to very considerable sums. This has led to renewed and
+more strenuous exertions to establish a cash system, but, I fear, with
+indifferent success. The present state of the bazaars is very far from
+satisfactory: my last accounts state, that no one knows who can be
+trusted. The natural consequence of such a state of things is, a serious
+decrease in the amount of sales; and had it not been for the demand for
+Glasgow and Manchester manufactures, caused by the high price of those
+articles in China, the importers would have had four-fifths of their
+stocks left on hand.</p>
+
+<p>Of the state of the public health in Singapore, I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> am able to report
+most favourably. Let any one go there and see the European residents of
+sixteen and twenty years' standing, and he will be able to judge for
+himself. During an intimate acquaintance of eighteen years with this
+part of the world, I have never known any endemic disease to prevail;
+never heard of more than one European dying of cholera, or of more than
+three Europeans being attacked with that disease; never knew but one or
+two cases of liver-complaint in which the sufferers had not their own
+imprudence to thank for the attack; and, as far as my memory serves me,
+cannot reckon up two deaths among the European inhabitants in that long
+period. Some one may here whisper, "Look at the state of your Singapore
+burying-ground." My reply is, that it is filled by the death of numbers
+who have, from time to time, arrived from Calcutta and other parts of
+India in a dying state, and who would have died six months sooner, had
+they not come to breathe the pure air of Singapore. On this point, I
+boldly challenge contradiction.</p>
+
+<p>As to the commercial prospects of this Island, I have some misgivings.
+The recent establishment, by Her Majesty's Government, of the British
+colony of Hong Kong, and the opening of the northern ports on the coast
+of China, will, I fear, give its commerce a check: indeed, it seems
+inevitable that it should suffer from these causes. When we consider<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
+the vast importance of the Chinese junk-trade to Singapore, and take
+into account the cheaper rate we can supply them, now their ports are
+open, at their own doors, with every commodity they require from the
+Malay islands, the risk, trouble, and expense they will save by
+supplying their wants or disposing of their superfluities, in the
+harbours of Shang Hae, Ningpo, Foo Chow, or Amoy, instead of undertaking
+the long voyage to the Straits of Malacca for that purpose,&mdash;one is at a
+loss to conceive on what grounds the sanguine expectation can rest, that
+the opening of China will do Singapore no harm. Some of its merchants
+evidently share in my anticipation, as they have completed arrangements
+for forming establishments at Hong Kong, in order to avail themselves of
+the change they expect to take place in the course of the trade. It will
+not be this year, nor, probably, the next, that this change will take
+place; but, that it must ultimately come to pass, I can see no room to
+doubt.<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>In other branches of its trade, Singapore will, probably, not suffer so
+much from the late arrangements with China; but it will suffer more or
+less. It is extremely likely, that a large portion of the rice of Bally
+and Lombok, the pepper of Borneo, and the b&eacute;che-de-mer of Celebes, will
+be carried direct to China in European vessels, instead of passing, as
+hitherto, through the hands of the Singapore merchants. Whenever a new
+mart is opened, there is no want of men, money, or ships to take
+advantage of it; and we can place pepper from Borneo, and rice from
+Bally, in any port on the coast of China, for less money, by carrying
+them there direct from the place of growth, than the Chinese can by
+carrying them from Singapore in their junks. These vessels only make one
+voyage in the year; whereas a square-rigged vessel can make three with
+ease; and it is on account of the greater service performed by the
+latter, that she can carry goods to market cheaper than a junk. I
+repeat, therefore, that I think the trade of Singapore has reached its
+maximum; and that the town has attained to its highest point of
+importance and prosperity. Indeed, it is at this moment rather
+over-built. A beautiful and healthy town, however, it <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>is; and that it
+may not suffer materially or permanently from the causes above
+mentioned, but continue to prosper as formerly, is a wish that comes
+from the very bottom of my heart.</p>
+
+<p>Singapore is under a Governor, (who also rules over Malacca and Penang,)
+Resident Councillors, a Police Magistrate, and some half-dozen
+under-strappers. The establishment is altogether an economical one, and,
+on the whole, well conducted. It has, moreover, a Court of Justice, with
+civil, criminal, and Admiralty jurisdiction, which is presided over by a
+Recorder appointed by the Home Government. His authority also extends
+over the neighbouring settlements of Malacca and Penang. The Governor
+and three Resident Councillors are members of this court. In the absence
+of the Recorder, they can and do hold court, and, in extreme cases,
+carry into execution sentences of death passed on their own
+responsibility. The late Governor, the Honourable S. G. Bonham, held the
+post for many years, and left the Island with the good wishes of every
+inhabitant. To his credit and honour be it said, that, out of the many
+hundreds of civil cases tried and adjudicated by him, I never heard of
+one in which his decision was reversed, in the event of the parties
+petitioning for and obtaining a new trial from the Recorder. Such
+petitions, owing to the well-known love of litigation inherent in the
+Asiatic character, were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> very numerous; but, in nine cases out of ten,
+the Recorder saw no reason to grant a new trial; and the few who
+succeeded in obtaining new trials, would have been better off without
+them, as Mr. Bonham's verdict was always confirmed.</p>
+
+<p>Five, ten, fifteen years ago, the society of Singapore was much more
+agreeable than it is now. Not that the parties who composed it then,
+were more pleasant people than the present residents; but we met oftener
+in those days, and were more sociable when we did meet, and, perhaps,
+opened our doors to the stranger oftener than is practised at the
+present time. One is apt, however, to be biassed in favour of the times
+and the people that seemed to ourselves the most agreeable; I shall
+therefore say no more on this delicate subject.</p>
+
+<p>The revenue of Singapore is more than sufficient to pay its expenses: it
+arises principally from land-sales and land-tax; from farming out the
+privilege of retailing opium and spirits; from the rent paid for public
+markets; and from pawnbrokers' licenses. The sums derived from these
+sources are increasing every year.</p>
+
+<p>The local police are paid, and roads and bridges are maintained, from a
+fund raised by an assessed tax of eight per cent, on the annual value of
+fixed property. From this fund, Mr. Tom C&mdash;&mdash; withdraws a few thousand
+dollars occasionally, in order<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> to build a new bridge or to make a new
+road; a proceeding that does not give entire satisfaction to the
+rate-payers, and is indeed hardly fair towards them, since the new
+bridges and roads render available large tracts of land that would
+otherwise be valueless, and for which Tom C&mdash;&mdash;'s honourable masters
+obtain a handsome price in consequence. The inhabitants grumble at these
+proceedings, but can do no more, the sole and whole management of the
+fund in question being in the hands of the local Government.</p>
+
+<p>Singapore is a free port; and vessels of all kinds and from all nations
+come and go, without paying one penny to Government in any shape. All
+that is required of them is, to give in a list of the goods they either
+land or ship. This regulation is intended to enable the authorities to
+keep a correct statement of the trade of the place; but it is, I am
+sorry to add, often evaded by ship-masters and their consignees, who
+seem to think that no trade can be profitably conducted without a
+certain portion of mystery attaching to it.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> <i>Sept. 1845.</i>&mdash;Recent accounts from Singapore in some measure
+confirm this view. It is noted, among other things, that the quantity of
+tea imported by the Chinese junks in the season of 1844-45 was only 6000
+quarter-chests; whereas, in that of 1843-44, the imports exceeded twenty
+times that quantity. Camphor, however, continues to come in as large
+quantities as ever. The opium trade again, has diminished three-fourths;
+and my prediction that pepper &amp;c. would be carried to the northern ports
+of China in European vessels, has been fulfilled, though, from this
+branch of commerce, Singapore, or its merchants, will still derive
+benefit as carriers. The Chinese of Singapore have taken up this trade
+with great spirit, and will doubtless continue it.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER V.<br />
+<small>DUTCH SETTLEMENTS.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO&mdash;&#8203;ISLAND OF BANCA&mdash;&#8203;
+BENCOOLEN&mdash;&#8203;PADANG&mdash;&#8203;CHINESE SLAVE-&#8203;TRADE&mdash;&#8203;NATIVE
+TRIBES OF SUMATRA&mdash;&#8203;PEPPER TRADE.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>In September 1826, I visited China for the first time; but, having
+recently paid that country a much more extended visit, I shall reserve
+for a future chapter my observations upon Chinese affairs; and shall now
+proceed to give an account of some of the smaller Dutch colonies or
+settlements which I visited about this time.</p>
+
+<p>About forty miles to the eastward of Singapore, on the island of Bintang
+(Star), is Rhio, a small Dutch settlement, producing a large quantity of
+gambia and some thirty thousand <i>peculs</i> of black pepper per annum. The
+bulk of the former article finds its way to Java, where it is
+extensively used for dying purposes. Nearly all the pepper is sent to
+Singapore in small trading-boats, and is bought up there for the London
+and Calcutta markets. My visit to Rhio lasted only thirty-six hours,
+during<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> which time I was too busy to be able to look much about me; but
+I have since frequently sailed past the town, and through the beautiful
+strait of the same name, and can vouch for it, that the lovers of
+picturesque scenery will find objects in abundance to attract their
+attention. Shortly after entering Rhio straits from the southward, the
+navigator is completely land-locked, and appears to be sailing in a
+large lake, amid the richest possible scenery; nor can he discern the
+slightest appearance of an outlet from this fairy scene, till he is
+within half a mile of the west end of the island of Luborn, when, all at
+once, the view opens at that part which leads him into the straits of
+Singapore. Rhio has the character of being very healthy, and, from its
+soil and position, might be rendered productive. It is governed by a
+Dutch Resident, and protected by a small garrison and fleet. Of the
+activity of this little fleet against the neighbouring pirates, I am
+glad to be able to speak most favourably; and I am bound to add a word
+in testimony to its Commander's hospitality and kindness to shipwrecked
+British seamen, which have been frequently put to the test of late
+years, and have on more than one occasion called forth from the
+Singapore Chamber of Commerce a vote and letter of thanks.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after the establishment of Singapore, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> Dutch Government
+proclaimed Rhio a free port. This measure, fortunately for us, was
+adopted rather too late in the day to do any injury to the trade of Sir
+Stamford Raffles's pet settlement, or much good to its neighbour. It
+must be somewhat galling to the good folk of Rhio, to see some hundreds
+of vessels of all descriptions under the Dutch flag sail past their
+harbour every year, bound for Singapore, where they transact business to
+a large amount; favouring this port, probably, with a short visit on
+their return, for the purpose of purchasing a few hundred <i>peculs</i> of
+gambia for the Java market.</p>
+
+<p>On the north-east point of Bintang, is a dangerous reef, on which the
+clipper-bark Sylph struck in 1835, and on which she lay for four months,
+defying the fury of the north-east monsoon and the heavy rolling swell
+from the Chinese Sea; thus proving beyond a doubt the great strength of
+a teak-built ship. An English ship in the same circumstances would not
+have held together a week; as was subsequently proved in the case of the
+Heber.</p>
+
+<p>Mintow (Muntok according to the Dutch) is the capital of the island of
+Banca, so long celebrated for its tin-mines. This is a poor town, and
+very unhealthy: it is situated on the west side of the island, and faces
+the straits of Banca, having the low, swampy shore of Sumatra opposite.
+When Banca was occupied in common with the other Dutch<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> colonies by the
+British, it proved fatal to nearly the whole of the garrison. The Banca
+fever is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous diseases with which man is
+afflicted: those who are fortunate enough to recover from it, are
+subject for life to severe nervous attacks at the full and change of the
+moon. I well remember two gentlemen in Batavia, who could scarcely lift
+their hands to their heads at these periods, though twenty years had
+elapsed since they had had this terrible fever. The Dutch troops still
+continue to suffer severely from this cause; and to be sent to Banca
+from Java, is looked upon as the hardest lot that can befall a soldier.
+Its tin-mines continue to be very productive, and yield 60,000 <i>peculs</i>
+of pure metal per annum. From this source, the Dutch authorities derive
+a considerable revenue. They employ Chinese miners, to whom they pay six
+dollars for every <i>pecul</i> of tin delivered on the coast in a pure state,
+which they sell readily in Java for sixteen dollars per <i>pecul</i>; thus
+getting ten dollars clear profit, less about half a dollar per <i>pecul</i>,
+which it costs to send the tin to Batavia for sale. As far as I know,
+Banca yields nothing else; and the rice eaten by the Chinese miners, is
+sent regularly from Java.</p>
+
+<p>The rivers on this island are infested by very large alligators, which,
+from the scarcity of food, become highly dangerous. Their hunger drives<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+them sometimes to attack boats, as they are rowed up the rivers; and
+serious accidents occur from time to time in this way. I could tell one
+or two marvellous tales about the ferocity and bold attacks of these
+river-monsters, but refrain from doing so, lest they should lead the
+incredulous reader of these rambling sketches to doubt my veracity. The
+straits of Banca were at one time the resort of numerous Malay pirates:
+the activity of the Dutch cruisers has, however, rendered their once
+dangerous neighbourhood perfectly safe, so far as the attacks of these
+marauders are concerned. I have sailed many times through the straits of
+Sunda, Banca, Rhio, Dryan, Malacca, and Singapore, since 1823, and have
+known some few European vessels and many native proas taken; but, in all
+my voyages up and down, I never saw a boat or proa that I felt certain
+was a pirate. I have, indeed, seen many very suspicious-looking craft
+off Singin, and between that island and the north end of Banca; but, as
+they never molested us, I am willing to let their characters pass free,
+so far as I am concerned.</p>
+
+<p>The once thriving settlement of Bencoolen, (or Fort Marlborough,) which
+I visited at different times between 1828 and 1830, I found, even then,
+to have declined very seriously from its former prosperity. Previously
+to its transfer, in 1825, to the Dutch, great exertions were made to
+render this settlement <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>important for its exportation of spices of all
+descriptions; and, so far as regards nutmegs, mace, and cloves, those
+exertions were eminently successful. Planters and others, however, soon
+found that, on the hauling down of the British flag, and the hoisting of
+the Dutch, their prospects underwent a very material change, arising
+from duties and other charges laid on the commerce of the place. Most of
+the capitalists retired with the British establishment, of which,
+indeed, they formed a part. A hard struggle was maintained by those
+planters who remained behind, but without success; and the place is now
+very little more than a station for a Dutch Assistant-Resident and a
+small garrison.</p>
+
+<p>Bencoolen harbour is a dangerous one, particularly during the prevalence
+of the boisterous north-west monsoon, which blows with such violence on
+this part of the west coast of Sumatra. Ships generally anchor close
+under the lee of Rat Island and reef, where they find smooth water,
+unless the weather is unusually severe. This anchorage is seven miles
+from the wharf where merchandise is landed, and considerable risk is
+occasionally incurred by the cargo boats in making good this short
+distance. In very stormy weather, ships and boats also are compelled to
+seek shelter in Pulo Bay; a vile, unhealthy place situated about twelve
+miles south-east of Rat Island, and surrounded with a low, swampy,
+agueish-<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>looking country. The Siamese suffer severely in this harbour
+from fever and ague, and ship-masters are glad to leave it as soon as
+the weather moderates. In my time, there was a convenient covered wharf
+at Bencoolen for landing goods, but not a vestige now remains: it was
+originally built by the English, and the Dutch have not cared to
+preserve or replace it. In the present wretched state of the settlement,
+indeed, it is of trifling consequence, since little difficulty can be
+found by the few merchants from Java who from time to time visit
+Bencoolen, in landing the small quantities of goods they may have to
+dispose of.</p>
+
+<p>The climate of Bencoolen is the worst it has been my fortune to
+encounter since I left Europe. The land wind that sets in about seven
+<small>P.&nbsp;M.</small>, is the most trying breeze I ever encountered. To sit in an open
+verandah when it is blowing, is quite out of the question; at least with
+impunity. I tried the experiment more than once, and never escaped
+without a severe seizure of trembling something like ague, within less
+than half an hour. The injurious effects of this land wind may be traced
+to the swamps between the hills in the vicinity of the town, which,
+unlike those of Singapore, are formed by fresh water, and are no better
+than stagnant puddles. In passing over these, the wind becomes of course
+charged with malaria, which it distributes in every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> house between it
+and the sea; and woe betide the European who fails to keep out of its
+way! Most places that I have visited, have a healthy, as well as an
+unhealthy season. Bencoolen is an exception to this rule, being
+unhealthy all the year through. Even vegetation suffers here from the
+south-east monsoon; and a nutmeg-plantation exposed to its dry, parching
+influence, has the appearance of a plantation of heather-brooms more
+than of any thing else.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> The natives do not appear to suffer from the
+climate, but seem to be as healthy and long-lived as Asiatics generally.
+Of the character of these natives, I can say little that is favourable.
+They are indolent, proud, though poor, gamblers, vindictive, and far too
+ready with the knife on little or no provocation; they are very fond of
+dress, and not over scrupulous how they gratify this taste; for which
+purpose I have known them have recourse to theft, lying, robbery, and
+even murder. Had they one single spark of energy in their composition,
+they might be a thriving and contented people, possessing as they do a
+boundless extent of rich virgin soil, which they are too lazy to clear
+and cultivate. The place is overrun with a race of petty Rajahs and
+other nobles,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>
+who are a social pest, being poor, and yet too proud to
+strain a nerve to support themselves and their families. Sir Stamford
+Raffles succeeded in rousing the ambition of these men a little, by
+giving some of them commissions in the local corps, which gratified
+their taste for gay attire, and supplied them with a few hundred rupees
+per month to keep up a little state. From my sweeping reproach of the
+chiefs, I would except these <i>Radins</i>,<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> with whom I have spent many
+pleasant evenings, and who really possessed gentleman-like feelings and
+tastes.</p>
+
+<p>The transfer of this settlement to the Dutch (in exchange for Malacca)
+in 1825, was a severe blow and great disappointment to all the natives,
+both high and low. At a meeting of chiefs held at the Government house,
+at which the English and Dutch authorities were both present, for the
+purpose of completing the transfer, the senior Rajah rose to address the
+assembly, and spoke to the following effect:&mdash;"Against this transfer of
+my country I protest. Who is there possessed of authority to hand me and
+my countrymen, like so many cattle, over to the Dutch or to any other
+power? If the English are tired of us, let them go away; but I deny
+their right to hand us over to the Dutch. When the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>English first came
+here, they asked for and got a piece of land to build warehouses and
+dwelling-houses upon. That piece of land is still defined by its
+original stone wall, and is all they (the English) ever got from us. We
+were never conquered; and I now tell the English and Dutch gentlemen
+here assembled, that, had I the power, as I have the will, I would
+resist this transfer to the knife. I am, however, a poor man, have no
+soldiers to cope with yours, and must submit. God's will be done." This
+was a bold, straight-forward speech; but it was thrown away upon the
+callous ears of the hearers. Delivered in pure Malay, it sounded
+stronger than in this translation. The speaker was an old man, with
+whose power and will for mischief, in former days, the British had good
+cause to be acquainted.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p>
+
+<p>The country round Bencoolen is, with the exception of the
+spice-plantations, covered with a thick forest. The soil is rich, and,
+as I have said, might <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>be turned to good account, by means of a small
+portion of energy on the part of the natives. The forests abound with
+the tiger and the elephant. The former finds plenty of game to feed on,
+and, consequently, seldom molests man. It is not an unusual occurrence
+for a single tiger to attack a herd of cattle when grazing in the
+neighbourhood of their owner's grounds: singling out his intended
+victim, he pursues it to the last, without, in general, attempting to
+injure any of the rest As soon as the cattle see or <i>smell</i> the
+approaching tiger, they become quite wild, and run at their full speed
+towards their herdsman, whom they surround apparently for their own
+protection, and continue in great commotion, though without attempting
+to run, till their enemy is either driven away, or has succeeded in
+capturing one of their number. The elephant is here of a large size, and
+is occasionally caught in snares by the natives for the sake of his
+tusks, which I have seen weighing one hundred and twenty pounds each.
+This huge animal is not dangerous to man, unless his path is crossed,
+when, particularly if a single male one, he becomes a formidable
+neighbour. He is easily tamed; but the native here is too indolent to
+trouble himself with the task. The only one I ever saw made use of, was
+sent by the King of Acheen to Sir Stamford Raffles, and was, in my time,
+the property of my friend, Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> Robert Bogle. Strange stories are told
+of the power, sagacity, and cunning of this monarch of the woods. Among
+other feats, the natives say, it is not uncommon for one elephant to lie
+down, and let another stand upon his back, in order that he may reach
+higher up a cocoa-nut tree, and have a better chance of pushing it down.
+I tell the tale as it was told to me, not caring to vouch for its truth.</p>
+
+<p>Bencoolen is occasionally visited by the hill tribes from the mountains
+in its neighbourhood: they come down in bands of ten, fifteen, or twenty
+men, bringing with them gold-dust to barter for opium. As neither rice
+nor cocoa-nuts grow in the elevated region inhabited by them, they
+usually bring also a few bags of potatoes to exchange for those
+luxuries. They are a hardy race of men, strongly built, of middle
+stature, and have very thick black beards; a singular feature in an
+inhabitant of this island. I am sorry to add, that they sometimes visit
+the coast for other and less legitimate purposes than barter; and that
+their kidnapping children to make slaves of, is no uncommon occurrence.
+Several instances of this kind took place in 1829, within my certain
+knowledge.</p>
+
+<p>I have frequently heard it said, "Go where you will, you are sure to
+find a rat and a Scotchman." My having visited Bencoolen enables me to
+contradict this aphorism; for I there found abundance of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> rats, one
+Englishman, and not a single Scot. I must confess, however, that this is
+the only place in which I have ever found the Englishman without the
+Scot.</p>
+
+<p>Cock-fighting is carried on to a great extent here, and is indulged in
+by the natives, high and low. On market-days, vast numbers of natives
+may be seen wending their way to the cock-pit attached to each market or
+bazaar, with one of the celebrated Malay game-cocks under their arms. At
+the pit, some hundreds of these birds may be seen in the hands of the
+fanciers, who weigh and examine them thoroughly before betting on them.
+As soon as the bets are arranged, the two birds first on the list are
+brought into the centre of the pit, and armed by their owners with a
+fearful spur about four inches long, of the shape of a scythe, and as
+sharp as a razor. The combat seldom lasts a minute, the first charge
+generally rendering one, and frequently both the combatants
+<i>hors-de-combat</i>, by inflicting on them mortal wounds. Then begins the
+most disgusting part of the scene. The owner of each bird takes him up,
+blows into his mouth and eyes, and uses every exertion to make the poor
+tortured victim give the last peck to his adversary. Failing this last
+peck, the battle is a drawn one. Bets are usually paid, particularly in
+the country, in gold dust, which is weighed out in small ivory
+steelyards kept for the purpose.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> The Dutch, with their usual policy,
+derive a revenue from every cock-pit within their boundary here. For my
+own part, I am not inclined to blame them, and think our revenue at all
+the three Straits' settlements might be materially increased, and the
+scamps of those places kept in better order, by having every
+gambling-house in them registered and subjected to a tax. To put a stop
+to gambling in any Asiatic town, is beyond the power of man; and the
+attempt to do so, only drives the gamester to the secret haunts where he
+may indulge his propensity, and where, I fear, too often he becomes a
+witness of, if not a participator in deeds of blood. As a grand juror in
+Singapore, I have had evidence enough of this.</p>
+
+<p>From Bencoolen, I proceeded to Padang, another Dutch settlement, about
+two hundred miles up the coast of Sumatra. Padang, as its name implies,
+is situated in a plain, and is a very few feet above the level of the
+sea; yet, it is a healthy place. It was once in possession of a
+considerable trade, but this has diminished of late years, in most
+articles, except coffee, of which I am told it now exports 60,000
+<i>peculs</i> per annum. The harbour or anchorage is about five miles from
+the mouth of the small river on the banks of which the town stands, and
+is a dangerous one in boisterous weather, having little or no protection
+from the fury of the north-west monsoon. The trade from Java to this
+part of Sumatra, consists<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> principally of rice, salt, native clothing,
+and a few supplies for the European and Chinese inhabitants of the
+place: in return, it sends coffee and pepper. There is a disgraceful
+traffic carried on between Padang and the island of Nias, a little
+further up the coast, by Chinese, who visit that island, and purchase
+hundreds of its inhabitants, for whom they find markets all along the
+coast. Those brought to Padang, are not, indeed, sold as slaves; but
+they are registered at the Resident's office, and held as bond-debtors
+for different terms of seven, fifteen, and even twenty years: during
+this servitude, they are treated as slaves, but are free at its
+expiration; they have also the option of buying their liberty in the
+meantime, if they can raise the means; and the proprietor is not at
+liberty to refuse a sum equivalent to the value of the unexpired term of
+service. This value is fixed thus: on the registering of a debtor, a
+certain sum is put down as his value or debt; say 400 rupees; of this
+sum, a certain proportion, say 20 rupees, is placed to his credit for
+every year he serves; so that, if he serves his master for five years,
+his debt is reduced to three hundred rupees; and this sum, the master is
+compelled to accept as the price of his liberation. If a debtor has a
+hard master, he is at liberty to induce another to buy his services; and
+the transfer cannot be declined, if the sum due is forthcoming. These
+Nias people are,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> men and women, a much fairer race than Malays, and
+speak a language of their own. Many of the men become expert carpenters,
+bricklayers, blacksmiths, &amp;c., which enables them to earn money and
+purchase their freedom; and for such skilled artisans, the master can
+demand no more as the price of their freedom than the balance due upon
+their services. I have seen boat-loads of these poor creatures landed at
+Padang, consisting of old men, women, boys, girls, and mere infants,
+looking wretched enough, and marched off to the police-office to be
+registered and sold. This is a black spot in the Dutch administration of
+affairs in Sumatra.</p>
+
+<p>The proceedings of the Dutch on the coast of Sumatra, are a sore subject
+to the Singaporeans, as having interfered with their trade with the
+north-west coast of the island. By means of the extension of the Dutch
+posts from Padang into the interior, they compel the native to carry his
+coffee thither, instead of taking it, as formerly, down the Siak river,
+and thence to Singapore. This accounts, in a great degree, for the
+increase in the export of that berry from Padang, from thirty to sixty
+thousand <i>peculs</i> per annum, between the year 1828 and 1838.</p>
+
+<p>Padang is very subject to frequent earthquakes, being surrounded with
+volcanic mountains. To look at its houses, one would think that a single
+shock<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> would level the whole town. The best of them consist of a frame
+of wood, each post standing on a single stone, which is simply laid on
+the ground, not let into it; the vacancies between the posts and the
+cross-pieces of framework, are filled up with lath and plaster; and the
+roof is almost invariably of thatch. They resemble huge stools resting
+upon stones, to keep the legs from sinking into the earth, and look as
+if the first breeze would upset them. An earthquake shakes them, and
+makes them vibrate, but seldom or ever injures them; whereas a brick and
+mortar house, subjected to the same severe trial, would certainly give
+way, unless it were of very substantial workmanship. I have experienced
+several severe shocks of earthquakes, both here and at Bencoolen, and at
+first felt very much disposed to quit the house; but custom reconciles
+one to almost every thing, even to seeing your dwelling-house dancing,
+or "Jumping <i>Jim Crow</i>."</p>
+
+<p>Since the Dutch got possession of this part of Sumatra, they have almost
+constantly been at war with a neighbouring tribe of natives, who, from
+their fanatical zeal in the cause of the Mohammedan faith, have obtained
+the name of <i>Padres</i>; and the war is called the <i>Padre</i> war. These men
+have occasioned the Government a vast deal of trouble, and cost it a
+mint of money, as well as many valuable lives. When beaten in the field,
+they suddenly disperse<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> and retreat to their mountain fastnesses, where
+they remain to strengthen themselves, and watch their opportunity to
+make a fresh attack on the Dutch posts. In this manner they harass their
+opponents, and occasionally inflict upon them a very severe blow. I
+heard at Padang, that, when the country was ceded to the Dutch, in 1818,
+these <i>Padres</i> had said, they would never submit to their power; and
+well have they kept their word.</p>
+
+<p>Sumatra, were it under a European power, and peopled as well as Java is,
+would soon rival that island. Its soil is, for the most part, equally
+fertile, and yields coffee, pepper, nutmegs, &amp;c. Only a small portion of
+the territory is subject to the Dutch: the remainder is inhabited by
+various tribes, who speak different languages, and mix but little
+together. They are mostly an indolent people, and require driving by
+their chiefs to make them work for a day or two now and then. The
+comparatively small produce exported from this large and fertile island,
+is obtained almost entirely by forced labour.</p>
+
+<p>The pepper trade of the ports to the northward of Padang, has ceased to
+be a profitable one, and is now neglected. European shipmasters used to
+complain bitterly of the roguery practised upon them by the native
+dealers; but who taught the native his roguish tricks? Who introduced
+false weights? Who brought<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> to the coast 56lb. weights with a screw in
+the bottom, which opened for the insertion of from ten to fifteen pounds
+of lead, <i>after their correctness had been tried by the native in
+comparison with his own weights</i>? Who made it a regular rule, in their
+transactions with the native dealer, to get 130 <i>catties</i> of pepper to
+the <i>pecul</i>, thus cheating him of thirty per cent, of his property? I
+challenge contradiction, when I assert, that English and American
+shipmasters have for thirty years been addicted to all these dishonest
+practices. The cunning and deceit of the native traders, at the pepper
+ports of Sumatra, have been taught them by their Christian visiters, and
+forced upon them in self-defence. An acquaintance of mine, who had made
+some purchases from a native, went on shore next morning to receive the
+goods. When the pepper was being weighed, he told the native clerk, he
+was cheating. The man denied it, and told the party he lied. The
+European raised his fist, and threatened to chastise the native, who
+coolly put his hand on his ever-ready <i>kris</i>, and said, "Strike, sir."
+The raised hand dropped to its owner's side, and well it was that it did
+so; or the party would not have lived to tell the tale of his having
+threatened the clerk of a Sumatra Rajah. A large portion of the pepper
+used to be paid for in dollars; and it is a singular fact, that,
+notwithstanding the number imported in this way, no one ever saw a
+single dollar exported, or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> seems to know what becomes of them. It is
+generally supposed, that the Rajahs buy them, and that they often die
+without revealing where their treasure is deposited. Be this as it may,
+it is very difficult, under any circumstances, to extract a dollar from
+the chiefs of this coast.</p>
+
+<p>The trader in this part of the world, works hard for whatever he may
+earn, having to encounter much severe weather, and to go through a heavy
+surf every time he lands. Indeed, so heavy and dangerous is the surf,
+that few ships' boats are fit to go through it. The shipmaster generally
+rows to the back of it in his own boat, and obtains one from the shore
+to land in. Of this, the native does not fail to take advantage in the
+event of any dispute, knowing that his customer cannot leave the shore
+without a boat, to be had only through his influence; and it is no
+uncommon thing for the European to be detained all night, and made to
+settle accounts in the morning before going off. The coast of Sumatra,
+from Acheen Head to Flat Point,(its two extremes in this direction,) is
+a highly dangerous one, being iron-bound, with a heavy surf and many
+reefs off it. I envy not the man who has to make his voyage here against
+the north-west monsoon. The Dutch are extending their ports on the
+sea-board from Padang northward, and will ere long reach Acheen Head;
+when they will have a struggle, if the Acheenese people possess a
+moderate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> portion of their ancient gallantry and hatred of
+Europeans.<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> This remark applies to the side of the tree that faces the
+south-east only. The north-west side is perfectly healthy-looking and
+green, when its opposite is the very picture of blight and decay.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Radin, a noble next in rank, in the Malay world, below a
+Rajah.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> This chief will long be remembered in Bencoolen for his
+reckless daring, when a desire of vengeance for any insult, real or
+imaginary, stirred the devil within him. Many a midnight murder was laid
+at his door, and with justice too, if I am not very much mistaken. The
+last time I saw him, he was very near his end, and spoke of his death as
+calmly and tranquilly as if he had lived the purest life imaginable. He
+is long since in his grave, and his family has sunk into insignificance.
+I do not believe a more thorough villain ever walked the earth.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Since my return home, I have seen an account of the
+proceedings of two of Her Majesty's sloops on the coast of Sumatra from
+Acheen eastward. Sir W. Parker, with his usual promptitude, sent them
+there from Penang, to punish the perpetrators of some acts of piracy
+lately committed on British vessels. The service has been most
+effectually performed; and the marauding native has been taught, that,
+distant as he may be, punishment is the certain result of meddling with
+the flag of England. The ships of war in and about the straits of
+Malacca, would do much good to the commerce of their country by an
+occasional visit to Acheen and the coast of Pedir. There is nothing like
+the sight of a few eighteen-pounders for keeping the domineering Malay
+Rajah in check.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI.<br />
+<small>MALACCA AND PENANG.</small></h2>
+
+
+<p style="margin-top: 2em;">Malacca, which I first visited in 1829, and have repeatedly revisited,
+is completely shorn of its ancient glory, and is no longer of the
+slightest importance, either as a military position or as a trading
+mart. Penang, at one end of the Straits, and Singapore at the other,
+have destroyed its prosperity; and it is now a poverty-stricken place,
+with little or no trade. The town is built in the old Dutch fashion,
+each house with its out-offices forming a square with a yard in the
+centre. The Government offices are still held in the ancient
+Stadt-House, a venerable pile built by the worthy Dutch burghers some
+hundred and fifty years ago, and retaining to this day its ancient
+furniture of ebony, many pieces of which, by the way, have lately
+supplied patterns for modern sofas and other furniture. The European
+population is composed almost entirely of the civil servants of the
+Government and the military men, who reside principally in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the town, not liking their Malay neighbours well enough
+to feel<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> inclined to spread far into the country. Some few attempts have
+been made, within the last fifteen years, to establish nutmeg and other
+plantations at Malacca; I fear, without much success. Not that the trees
+do not thrive, but that labour is scarce, owing to the prevailing
+indolence of the people in this part of the world. Moreover, occasional
+disturbances among the natives render a residence on the spot (without
+which little success can be expected) any thing but pleasant. The place
+is a burthen to the East-India Company, as its revenues do not pay half
+its expenses.</p>
+
+<p>The country round Malacca is mountainous, and covered with large timber.
+In its neighbourhood are several tin-mines, which yield a metal some
+twenty per cent. inferior to that of Banca. This tin finds its way, like
+every thing else in the Archipelago, to Singapore, where it has of late
+fetched only thirteen dollars and a half <i>per pecul</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There is a race of men at Malacca, who appear to be the descendants of
+some natives of Malabar who settled there a century ago, and Malay
+women; a bad breed certainly, and the men I speak of seem to possess all
+the <i>devilry</i> of both races. Numbers of them visit Singapore from time
+to time, bringing among other things, thousands of the Malacca canes
+which are so much esteemed in England. They have other employments, if
+fame does not belie them, not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> quite so creditable to their characters.
+Here, also, may be found many descendants of the old Portuguese
+inhabitants, who have here, as elsewhere all over the East, degenerated
+sadly, and, but for their dress, could not be distinguished from the
+other natives, except that the latter are a much finer race. These
+Portuguese are, for the most part, wretchedly poor, and, apparently,
+will soon become extinct. Very few of the descendants of the old Dutch
+inhabitants are to be found here now: those still remaining are
+principally shopkeepers, and are much more respectable in every way than
+their Portuguese fellow subjects. Slavery, until lately, existed in a
+domestic form in Malacca; it has, however, been completely done away
+with through the representations and exertions of the late Governor, Mr.
+Bonham.</p>
+
+<p>Malacca forms a pretty picture from the sea, and, to the passer-by,
+seems an attractive spot: his disappointment, on landing, however, would
+be great, and few inducements to prolong his stay will be found,
+excepting the climate. This, to the invalid from Bengal, is a treat, on
+which I have heard many expatiate in glowing terms after their return,
+with renewed health, to Calcutta.</p>
+
+<p>Penang, or Prince of Wales Island, is, perhaps, the most beautiful of
+the three Straits settlements, though it is certainly not the most
+salubrious, being occasionally visited by a very severe fever, which, in
+my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> time, carried off many of the European inhabitants.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></p>
+
+<p>Here, the nutmeg and the clove come to perfection; and the produce of
+Penang commands higher prices in the London market, than the spice of
+any other country with which I am acquainted. The estates of Mr. Brown
+are the finest on the Island; and the hospitality of their proprietor is
+unsurpassed. Of late years, the profits of spice-plantations have become
+somewhat precarious, as the supply in the European markets has exceeded
+the demand. This has turned the attention of several of the leading
+people on the Island to the sugar-cane, which thrives here well, and is
+now to be seen covering large tracts which very recently were lying
+waste. The sugar-planter here, however, labours under the same
+disadvantage, as to import-duty in England, as his brother planter of
+Singapore, which, if not altered, will mar his prospects. Strong
+representations on the subject have been made to the Bengal Government,
+and (I believe) to the Court of Directors, as yet without effect.</p>
+
+<p>The revenue of Penang is derived from the same sources as that of
+Singapore, but falls short of the annual expenses of the place. This may
+be accounted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> for by the falling off in its trade, and the decrease in
+its population, since the establishment of the last-named settlement. It
+still retains a considerable trade with Sumatra, the coast of
+Coromandel, and Calcutta, but its direct trade with England is almost
+entirely cut up. It is also the <i>d&eacute;p&ocirc;t</i> for the tin collected at
+Junkseylon, and other places on the Malay coast immediately opposite.
+Altogether, however, the establishment of Singapore has very much
+injured Penang, and thinned its population, rendering its houses of
+little or no value, and giving to its streets a deserted appearance from
+which they will never recover.</p>
+
+<p>The plain on which the town stands, is bounded on two sides by the sea,
+and, beyond the town, is dotted over with pretty garden-houses: it is
+intersected in all directions by good roads, which are lined throughout
+with the prettiest of all hedges, composed of the dwarf bamboo. Beyond
+this plain, the country becomes hilly and covered with woods, except a
+spot here and there, where the spice-planter has made his clearing, and
+built his bungalow. On the tops of several of these hills, which are
+higher and more extensive than those of Singapore, may be seen bungalows
+for convalescents, approachable only by a bridle path, up which the
+stout little poneys of the Island carry bravely the health-seeking or
+pleasure-seeking party. These spots are delightful residences;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> and the
+climate is cool enough at night to make a blanket on the bed most
+welcome and comfortable, I have my doubts whether these are fit places
+for the invalid to resort to, particularly if his complaint be of a
+pulmonary nature. Immediately after sun-set, the hill top is enveloped
+in a dense fog, which makes every thing in the house feel damp, and
+which does not disappear till ten <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small> next day. It were worth while to
+ride up one of these hills, for the sole purpose of watching the
+clearing off of the fog in the morning: the visiter taking his stand in
+the verandah about nine <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small>, and looking down, in the direction of the
+plain, on the dense mass of fog hanging over the town and suburbs, sees
+it by degrees clear away like a curtain slowly withdrawn, and the
+houses, roads, bridges, &amp;c., appear below him as if springing up there
+by magic. Add to this, the fleet of shipping in the harbour, the
+opposite plains of Province Wellesley, and the distant mountains
+towering in the sky beyond, and a scene may be imagined, that can
+scarcely be described; at least, not by my feeble pen. When I first
+visited Penang, Province Wellesley was a wilderness, inhabited only by a
+thin Malay population and numerous tigers.<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> It now wears another and
+more pleasing aspect, large tracts of its fertile <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>soil having been
+cleared and brought under cultivation. I know no better spot for the
+culture of sugar; and if it does not pay the planter here, those of
+Penang or Singapore have but a poor prospect.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> Penang harbour is a
+very commodious and safe one, formed by the narrow strait between that
+island and the main land. Ships of three hundred tons may here lie
+within pistol-shot of the wharf in perfect safety. I have never seen the
+phosphoric light occasionally thrown out by salt-water, so brilliant as
+it is here. I recollect being very much struck with it, while sailing
+out of the harbour about eight o'clock <small>P.&nbsp;M.</small> We had a fresh breeze, and
+each tiny wave looked like a flash of very bright flame, while the
+ship's wake resembled the tail of a brilliant comet, more than any thing
+else. I leave the naturalist to account for this.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> At this moment, I cannot recal to recollection a single
+existing resident of Penang who has not arrived there since 1829. The
+Europeans of that time have all, or nearly all, been removed by death.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> Although the jungles of Penang abound with tigers, I have
+seldom heard of their preying on man, as they do in the neighbouring
+settlement.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Oct. 1845.&mdash;Penang has increased in importance since the
+foregoing was written. Its sugar-planters have continued their exertions
+with energy, sparing neither trouble nor expense to make their
+plantations profitable investments. It gives me much pleasure to be able
+to add, that their success seems certain, and that their perseverance in
+petitioning Government on the subject of duties, has at length been
+rewarded, as it ought sooner to have been.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII.<br />
+<small>CALCUTTA.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA&mdash;&#8203;STATE OF SOCIETY&mdash;&#8203;
+MERCANTILE CHANGES&mdash;&#8203;UNPLEASANT CLIMATE&mdash;&#8203;SIGHTS
+AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA&mdash;&#8203;IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT
+AND NAVIGATION&mdash;&#8203;CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE&mdash;&#8203;PILOT
+SERVICE&mdash;&#8203;CHARACTER OF THE BENGALEES&mdash;&#8203;RIVER
+STEAMERS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>In 1829, I visited for the first time the far-famed city of Calcutta,
+and have since then paid it four visits. So much, however, has been
+written about the "City of Palaces," that it must be nearly as well
+known to the English reader as London itself; and I shall therefore say
+less respecting it.</p>
+
+<p>The feeling I experienced on first making the land at the mouth of the
+Hooghly, was extreme disappointment. To a stranger coming, as I did,
+from Java, Singapore, and Penang, nothing can have a more dreary and
+desolate appearance than the land about and below Kedgeree. The very
+sight is almost enough to bring on the ague; and the abominably filthy
+water of the holy stream heightens the feeling of disgust. From Kedgeree
+to Diamond<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> Harbour, the view on the low banks of the river improves but
+little. Above Diamond Harbour, the river banks are somewhat higher,
+buildings are more numerous, and the country appears more cleared and
+brought under cultivation. On arriving at Garden Reach, the stranger may
+begin to imagine that not wholly without reason Calcutta has acquired
+the proud title of the "City of palaces." From the lower part of this
+Reach, on the right, the river bank is laid out in large gardens, each
+with a handsome mansion in its centre; and the whole scene speaks of
+opulence and splendour. Of late years, these magnificent residences have
+been much neglected, and what was once the most fashionable part of the
+suburbs, has been nearly deserted by the great folk. The reason assigned
+for this, is, that the river, in very wet seasons, overflows its banks,
+breeding malaria and fever, from which, at the time of my second visit,
+the inhabitants suffered not a little. For a year or two, these mansions
+stood empty; but, when I last saw them, in 1840, they were nearly all
+occupied by mercantile men, who find them pleasant retreats from the
+bustle of the city, and seem willing to brave the chance of fever. On
+approaching the head of Garden Reach, the stranger all at once beholds
+Fort William and the town of Calcutta spread out before him; and a
+splendid view it is. Should he arrive in the month of November or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>
+December, he will behold, perhaps, the finest fleet of merchant shipping
+the world could produce. Here are seen, besides the flag of Old England,
+those of America, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and Arabia. I must
+not forget to mention the floating taverns or large passenger ships,
+which carry home from twenty to forty passengers every voyage; and
+besides the fleet of large ships, the river presents steamers,
+pleasure-boats, and native craft of all sorts and sizes, from the gay
+<i>budgerow</i>, to the wretched and more than half rotten <i>dhingy</i>. The
+scene has, however, its drawbacks. The stranger is shocked and disgusted
+at the sight of some half-dozen dead bodies floating down the river, in
+all stages of decomposition, some with a vulture perched on them,
+gorging himself as he floats down the stream on his hideous raft.
+Government has placed people above the town, for the express purpose of
+sinking dead bodies and similar nuisances; but they have not succeeded
+in effecting their object The last time I went up the river, four human
+corpses passed my boat between Kradd's Dock and Colvin's Grant, a
+distance of two miles.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing strikes the stranger, on landing for the first time in Calcutta,
+so much as the extraordinary aggregation of palaces and mansions,
+ordinary dwelling-houses, warehouses, shops, bazaars, stables, huts, and
+hovels, all mingled together in glorious confusion,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> a few streets
+forming the only exception. This is a great eye-sore even to the old
+resident. I know no part of the world where society is divided into so
+many ranks and classes as it is here, nor where pride and pomp hold
+their heads higher. To hear some of the great ones of this city talk,
+you would think they had sprung from a long line of princely, or, at
+least, of noble ancestors. It is often observed, however, that they
+seldom or never mention their immediate progenitors, nor the whereabouts
+of their birth-place, which, in nine cases out of ten, would be found to
+be some humble cottage on the bank of a modest brook in England, or burn
+in Scotland. The more obscure or lowly their origin, the more difficult
+of access they are generally found. The real gentleman is easily
+discovered by his superior breeding and genuine urbanity.</p>
+
+<p>In former days, a young man arriving at Calcutta as a writer, had no
+difficulty in raising money by borrowing from some wealthy <i>circar</i>; and
+many of those very young men are still hampered with debts they can
+never pay: though high in office, and enjoying large salaries, they are
+tied to the country by their creditors, to whom they are obliged to give
+a large portion of their earnings. Times have now changed, and the
+native has learned from dear-bought experience, that the European is not
+always so worthy of confidence as he at one time thought him.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>When I first knew Calcutta, some half-dozen mercantile firms swayed the
+trade of the place, and carried every thing before them. Their influence
+with the monied natives was great, and their command of ready cash was
+proportionably large. This led them into all sorts of wild speculations,
+and ultimately proved their ruin, the whole of these houses having
+failed (if my memory does not deceive me) before the end of 1832. In
+spite of these failures, (which ruined hundreds of widows and orphans,)
+the confidence of the natives was not utterly shaken till very recently,
+when another batch of similar misfortunes took place, in which many of
+the old hands were concerned under new firms. This has entirely broken
+up the system, and scattered the commerce of Calcutta among numerous
+smaller establishments, setting the wits of the native capitalist to
+work to find other employment for his cash. Many of them have entered
+upon the opium trade, principally as speculators on the spot, who buy at
+the public sales, and re-sell at a small profit; preferring this to
+running the risk of the China market. Previously to the mercantile
+break-up just mentioned, the members of the leading firms were, with few
+exceptions, as exclusive in their society as the leading civilians:
+their fall has upset these lofty pretensions, and the mercantile society
+of the place is much improved in consequence.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>For the hospitality of Calcutta I cannot say much; nor do I know a place
+where a friendless stranger landing without good introductory letters,
+would meet with a more chilling reception. I do not speak from
+experience, having fortunately been properly provided with credentials;
+but I do not say it without good authority. Of the hospitality of the
+military gentlemen of the Presidency, and especially of the Dum Dum
+Artillery, I have pleasure in reporting more favourably. Calcutta has
+its theatre, its clubs, its races, and its fox-hounds. On the
+race-course may be seen some fine specimens of the Arab horse, small
+compared to the English racer, but unsurpassed for spirit and symmetry.
+Its amusements and attractions, however, are so outweighed by its
+wretched climate, that I would rather pass my days growing sugar in
+Singapore, than live amid all the splendour of this proud city.</p>
+
+<p>From April to October inclusive, the weather is oppressively hot, with a
+closeness in the atmosphere that renders respiration difficult, and
+existence, without a punkah, almost insupportable. I have sat for days
+suffering from the heat, and longing for sun-set in hope of relief which
+never came; for, even through the long night, the thermometer did not
+fall one degree. This extreme heat is occasionally relieved by a
+thunder-storm accompanied with a deluge of rain, which clears the
+atmosphere, cools the burning soil,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> and renders breathing an easy
+process. The European inhabitants have many ways of rendering the
+interior of their dwellings cooler than the external air; but, with all
+their means and appliances, they are generally terribly exhausted before
+bed-time comes. During this period, the European lady suffers more than
+the gentleman, and, by the time the cold weather approaches, looks
+haggard and woebegone. Children also suffer much during the summer. In
+November, the weather becomes cool, and people begin to think of balls
+and other gayeties. The winter, however, is not, in my opinion, a
+healthy season, as the bills of mortality will indicate. A heavy fog
+then settles over the city and neighbourhood every night, through which,
+at sun-rise, one can hardly see ten yards, producing not a bracing cold,
+but a chilling damp. This does not last all day, for the heat is severe
+from ten <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small> till three <small>P.&nbsp;M.</small>, even in mid-winter. The lower class of
+natives suffer much, and great numbers die during this season of the
+year, as they are very careless, bathe in the river daily as usual, and
+are too poor to make any change in their dress, which is far from
+sufficient to protect them from the damp nights. The wealthier native
+wraps his shoulders in an ample cashmere shawl; but even he leaves his
+legs and the lower half of his person with only summer clothing.</p>
+
+<p>During the autumn, Calcutta is a very gay place,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> and makes up for its
+dullness during the summer. This is the season for horse-racing,
+hunting, shooting, and theatrical amusements, into which the numerous
+indigo-planters who come to town from their plantations about this time,
+enter with spirit, if the crops have been good and prices fair.</p>
+
+<p>Among the sights in and around Calcutta, I would recommend the visiter
+to make a point of seeing, the Mint, the native Bazaars, the Dum Dum
+Artillery Station, the Ishapoor Gunpowder Manufactory, and Mr.
+Wakefield's farm at Acra. I mention these as having been myself
+gratified with examining them. The Mint is, perhaps, the finest in the
+world. Captain (now Colonel) Forbes, who kindly shewed me over every
+part of it, said, I think, they could turn out 500,000 coins in
+twenty-four hours. In the different bazaars, the stranger will find the
+most extraordinary collection of commodities, Indian, European,
+American, Chinese, and of other countries, that he could ever have
+conceived. The zeal of the different vendors in crying up and bepraising
+their own goods at the expense of their neighbours, will amuse him,
+while he will feel not a little surprised at the cheapness of many
+European articles, such as crockery, millinery, hosiery, &amp;c. &amp;c. Should
+he be a military man, his visit to Dum Dum will delight him, that
+station being the head-quarters of the Bengal Artillery, and its
+officers are celebrated for their kindness<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> and hospitality to
+strangers. With my visit to Ishapoor, I had every reason to be pleased.
+I not only saw the whole process of powder-manufacture on a very large
+scale, but met with a hearty welcome from Major Timbrel, of the
+Artillery, who at that time superintended the establishment. The river
+scenery near Ishapoor is much superior to what it is lower down; and a
+good view of the pretty town of Chinsurah,<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> on the opposite bank of
+the Hooghly, is commanded from Major Timbrel's verandah. Acra farm is
+situated some twelve or fifteen miles below Calcutta. I visited it as a
+stranger, while waiting in a ship for the flood tide; and its proprietor
+gave me a most hospitable reception. Mr. Wakefield has completely
+established the practicability of curing meat all through the year in
+this climate, so as to keep at sea for three years. He told me, he
+killed 25,000 hogs per annum; and, on my asking whether he suspended
+operations during the hot months, his reply was, "No, we go on at all
+seasons." I can vouch for the goodness of the hams, bacon, sausages,
+lard, &amp;c. &amp;c., which he exports, and shall be very glad if these remarks
+should lead a purchaser to his door. The muddy creeks near Acra farm
+swarm with alligators,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
+(whether attracted by the smell of blood or not,
+I cannot say,) and they occasionally become very troublesome. The day
+before my visit, Mr. Wakefield had had a mortal combat with one sixteen
+feet long, which he succeeded in destroying single-handed, and had
+brought home in proof of his prowess.</p>
+
+<p>One of the most remarkable objects in or near Calcutta, is the
+celebrated Banian-tree in the East-India Company's Botanical Garden on
+the banks of the Hooghly, immediately opposite Garden Reach. This tree
+is, without exception, the most splendid vegetable production I ever
+saw: and its immense size and great age may be judged of, when I
+mention, that a friend in whom I place the utmost confidence told me, he
+measured the circumference of the space it shaded at noon-day, and found
+that, allowing eighteen inches square per man, there was sufficient room
+for eighteen thousand men to stand under the shade of this venerable
+patriarch of the forest. This could be effected, however, only by
+removing the many stems of the tree which now occupy nearly the whole
+space covered by the branches, and are so numerous and thick, that it is
+impossible to trace the parent one. It is a mighty tree, and worthy of
+the proud place it occupies in the first botanical garden in the world.</p>
+
+<p>What a wonderful change a few short years bring about in these days of
+improvement! When I first<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> knew Calcutta, there was no such thing as an
+overland conveyance for letters; and, as for sending a ship to China
+against the monsoon, no one ever dreamed of it. The whole world is now a
+witness of the regularity of the monthly communication with England
+<i>vi&acirc;</i> the Red Sea; and the passage to and from China is made at all
+seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons and all other impediments.
+The spirited owner and commander of the barque, "Red Rover," has the
+credit of first shewing to the world, that the north-east monsoon in the
+Chinese Sea was to be conquered by perseverance in a small vessel: his
+success exceeded, I believe, his own sanguine expectations, and it is
+pleasing to add, that he was amply rewarded in a pecuniary point of view
+for his exertions. His example was soon followed by other parties
+connected with the opium-trade; and the communication between China,
+Calcutta, and Bombay is now regularly kept up all the year through, by
+as fine a fleet of clippers as ever rode the sea, commanded by men who
+appear to defy the weather. They make their passages in a wonderfully
+short period of time, and stand high in the opinion of the mercantile
+community of India. They are well paid, as they deserve to be, for the
+trying work they have to go through; and many of them have recently
+returned to their native country with comfortable, if not ample
+independencies.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>Another improvement of great importance to the trade of Calcutta, is the
+facility with which powerful steamers can now be procured, to tow ships
+up and down the Hooghly. Any one who has gone up and down this river,
+must be aware of the dangerous nature of its navigation, owing to the
+many mud banks, shifting sands, and very rapid current; and must be
+sensible of the comfort of having a powerful steamer towing ahead. The
+saving of time by leaving the port under steam, is immense. I remember,
+on one occasion, overtaking, in thirty-six hours from town, two ships
+that had left three weeks before us. The number of lives saved every
+year by these steamers, is beyond calculation. This is now so well
+understood, that passengers make a point of ascertaining whether a
+steamer is to be employed, before taking their passage in any ship; and
+the under-writers willingly contribute towards the expense thus
+incurred, considering themselves as repaid by the great saving in what
+is called "River Risk."</p>
+
+<p>I have heard many complaints against Dutch Custom-houses, but the
+Customs in Calcutta, I can state from my own knowledge, are far more
+troublesome and unreasonable. Go to any Dutch Custom-house in
+Netherlands India, and produce your invoice through some known agent;
+your goods will be cleared and passed without further trouble. At<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
+Calcutta, no man's word is taken, but every package landed or shipped
+must actually <i>pass through</i> the Custom-house. Even opium purchased from
+Government, and delivered to the purchaser from a Government warehouse,
+is subjected to this annoying process. Surely the authorities might
+allow merchandize purchased from themselves, and delivered from their
+own premises, to be taken direct to the wharf, and put on board ship. A
+Custom-house officer might accompany the drug, if it was deemed
+necessary, and see it fairly afloat before leaving it. The present
+arrangement involves a useless waste of the merchant's time and trouble.</p>
+
+<p>The Semaphore established from Kedgeree to Calcutta, is of very great
+advantage to the shipping interest of the place. Any vessel getting on
+shore, or coming from sea in distress, can send intelligence of her
+situation to town in fifteen minutes, and have a steamer down to aid her
+in twelve hours.</p>
+
+<p>It would hardly be fair to leave Calcutta without saying a word in
+praise of the pilot service. The pilots here are paid by Government, and
+are a highly respectable body of men: they enter the service when very
+young, as volunteers, and rise by degrees to the rank of masters and
+branch pilots, the latter being the highest grade. Branch pilots
+generally command pilot brigs, which cruise off the mouth of the Hooghly
+for the purpose of supplying vessels<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> that come from sea with pilots to
+take them up the river, and of taking the pilots out of ships bound to
+sea. Master pilots, mates, and second mates are engaged in taking
+vessels out and in, while the youngsters are employed in heaving the
+lead, and studying the navigation of the rivers. The whole service is
+remarkably well conducted. The work undergone by its members is very
+hard during the south-west monsoon; and they are generally short-lived.
+This may be easily accounted for, in such a climate, by their constant
+exposure to heat and rain, to say nothing of gales of wind and frequent
+sound duckings from the spray of the sea.</p>
+
+<p>The natives of Bengal are not favourites of mine: they are much given to
+lying and thieving, and are sad cowards. It is true, they are not
+pirates, like the Malays; but this is owing, I suspect, to want of
+courage, more than of inclination. A Malay servant, should his master
+threaten to strike him, will say: "Cut my pay, sir, or turn me away if I
+am in fault, but (emphatically) don't strike me." A Bengalee, under
+similar circumstances, would cringe under his master's feet, <i>salaam</i> to
+the ground, beg to be whipped, but "Oh," would be his cry, "don't cut my
+pay, sir." Nothing used to annoy me so much as this excessive servility
+of the Bengalee servants: they will do any thing for <i>pice, pice</i>; that
+word being repeated by them at least ten times oftener<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> than any other
+in their vocabulary. With all this, they are lazy, and require more
+looking after than any other servants I know. They certainly work for
+little pay, but that little is sufficient to supply their families with
+the necessaries of life, and to leave a trifle to put by, if the head of
+the family does not gamble. The palanquin-bearers are the most useful
+men to a stranger: for thirty-five rupees (3<i>l.</i> 10<i>s.</i>) he will get a
+palanquin and six men who will carry him all over the town, a whole
+month, for that trifling sum; they will take him out in an evening, wait
+patiently in the street till he is ready to return home, and be at his
+door by six the next morning, ready to obey his orders. The <i>circar</i>,
+too, is a useful character, but, generally, a sad scamp: he will conduct
+the stranger all over this vast city, shew him where any thing is to be
+had, pay his bills for him, and save him a world of trouble; which he
+makes answer his purpose by deducting one <i>pice</i>, or about two per cent,
+from every rupee you may order him to pay for you, and by charging a
+<i>moderate</i> per-centage on what he may be commissioned to procure for
+"Master." It is astonishing how quickly these <i>circars</i> find out when an
+old customer or "Master" returns to Calcutta. I have been visited by
+mine within an hour after reaching town. In one instance, I had come up
+the river in an express boat, and had arrived as soon as the mail; but,
+presently, in came Master's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> <i>circar</i>, bowing low, and "hoping Master
+has had a pleasant voyage, and made too much money."</p>
+
+<p>The mighty current of the sacred Ganges is now thoroughly conquered by
+all-powerful Steam; and the Indian officer ordered up the river to join
+his corps, can now perform in three weeks, the journey that, fifteen
+years ago, would have taken him as many months. Never having travelled
+in the river steamers, I can say nothing about the voyage; but, from
+their being constantly filled with passengers and cargo, I presume they
+give entire satisfaction. The fact of their carrying the European
+traveller so much more rapidly than the native boats can do, through the
+unhealthy Sunderbunds, is of itself sufficient to induce every wayfarer
+to take advantage of them.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> Chinsurah was, until 1825, a Dutch settlement; and we then
+obtained it and Malacca in exchange for Bencoolen.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII.<br />
+<small>NEW SOUTH WALES.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY&mdash;&#8203;PORT JACKSON&mdash;&#8203;
+FIRST IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED BY SYDNEY&mdash;&#8203;THE
+PUBLIC-&#8203;HOUSE NUISANCE&mdash;&#8203;SYDNEY JURIES&mdash;&#8203;CATTLE
+DEALERS&mdash;&#8203;TOWN IMPROVEMENTS&mdash;&#8203;LAWYERS, DOCTORS,
+AND CLERGY.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>Circumstances induced me, in the early part of 1836, to proceed to New
+South Wales, where I passed three years; at the expiration of which I
+returned to the Straits in much better health than I had enjoyed for
+years before.</p>
+
+<p>The voyage from Singapore to Sydney, <i>vi&acirc;</i> Java Head and Bass's Straits,
+occupies generally from sixty to seventy days; a much longer period than
+it ought to do, considering the distance, but much time and space are
+lost in getting southward from Java Head. Crossing the south-east
+trade-wind, a ship makes nearly as much westing as she does southing,
+and of course has all the former to run back again on getting the
+westerly winds in the latitude of 38&deg; to 40&deg; south. We were unfortunate
+in this part<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> of our voyage, and got no westerly winds till we reached
+the forty-first parallel of south latitude: from that point they took us
+to within a few miles of the entrance to Bass's Straits, where we met a
+strong easterly gale, which detained us several days. This was in March;
+and I would advise ships bound from India to New South Wales, in the
+month of January, February, or March, to go to the southward of Van
+Diemen's Land altogether: they will thus carry the strong westerly winds
+longer, avoid the easterly gales that blow during these months in Bass's
+Straits, and probably shorten their passage ten or twelve days. Up the
+bold and iron-bound shore of this mighty island, from its south-east
+promontory to the heads of Port Jackson, we ran with a strong southerly
+gale, and entered the most magnificent of harbours after a seventy days'
+passage.</p>
+
+<p>The entrance into Port Jackson is between two rocky heads, called, the
+North and South Head. As the former projects rather further into the
+Pacific than the latter, and somewhat overlaps it, the stranger would
+have some difficulty in finding his port, were it not for the
+light-house on the South Head; but, even with this guide, the
+inexperienced eye cannot perceive the entrance till right opposite it.
+We ran in with a heavy sea outside, and had scarcely got a ship's length
+inside the Heads, when we were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> in water as smooth as a mill-pond. The
+steep black rocks on our right looked fearfully near to us, but the
+water is deep close to them, and no difficulty is experienced in beating
+up to Sydney Cove, a distance of six miles. The only danger in the way
+is a shoal or reef, bearing the strange name of the "Sow and Pigs": on
+it, however, there is a light-vessel, so that it may be safely passed,
+even at night.</p>
+
+<p>Were all the fleets in the world congregated in Port Jackson, they would
+not half occupy it. From the Heads to a mile above Sydney Cove, there is
+a succession of beautiful bays, with deep water close to the rocks, and
+good anchorage in all directions. The scenery is magnificent, though, to
+an eye accustomed to that of Singapore, the green is not quite brilliant
+enough. A succession of hill and dale, with here and there a neat
+cottage perched on some rocky point, the soil clothed with trees, the
+waters of the many bays glistening in the sun, and the distant view of
+the heights and windmills beyond Sydney, form a picture that can
+scarcely be surpassed.</p>
+
+<p>On landing in Sydney, the traveller from India is ready to exclaim,
+Surely this is not a town some seventeen thousand miles from England!
+Every thing reminds him of home: he sees English servants, English
+tradesmen, English shops; in a word, a regular English town, with its
+inns and every thing conducted on the English principle. I took up my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>
+quarters with my family at the Pulteney Hotel, where we were made very
+comfortable, and found the terms moderate: the only thing that
+disappointed us was, the smallness of the bed-rooms. Sydney is a
+regularly built town, its spacious streets running at right angles with
+each other. The houses are well built, close to each other, with narrow
+fronts, and generally three stories high. Here we have George street,
+Prince's street, King street, Pitt street, Hyde Park, the Surrey Hills,&mdash;all
+recalling, by their appellations, the mother country. Hyde Park,
+though it comes far short of its namesake in London, is nevertheless a
+very pleasant spot for a promenade, being nicely shaded by trees planted
+during Sir R. Bourke's government, and is an ornament to the town.
+"Government Domain" is a piece of ground in the rear of the Governor's
+house, reserved by Government for a garden and pleasure-grounds: it is
+tastefully laid out, and intersected with numerous walks, which are open
+to the public; and many a pleasant party is formed by the industrious
+classes, who have only Sunday to spare for a little recreation in the
+open air. The Surrey Hills are being fast covered with gentlemen's
+houses, for which a better situation could scarcely be chosen.
+<i>Woolloomoolloo</i>, or Darlinghurst, as it is now called, is the favourite
+suburb, and boasts of many handsome mansions, each with its garden.
+Among these are the respective residences of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> Chief-Justice, the
+Bishop of Australia, and other members of the <i>&eacute;lite</i> of this
+metropolis. These houses all command a fine view of the harbour with its
+shipping and the surrounding scenery.</p>
+
+<p>Sydney has its theatre, its club-house, its stage and mail coaches,
+while steamers ply all about the harbour, and up and down the coast; an
+immense convenience to the inhabitants of the northern districts of the
+Colony. It has a large and well-supplied market, where the gardeners,
+farmers, &amp;c. from the neighbourhood collect their produce for sale, and
+where, in good seasons, (that is, seasons in which rain has been
+abundant,) the housekeeper may procure supplies on reasonable terms.
+There is also, immediately outside the town, a hay and cattle market,
+where large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep are constantly for sale,
+and generally find ready buyers among the numerous emigrants who are
+daily landing on these shores.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest drawback upon the prosperity of the lower orders in Sydney,
+arises from the public-houses, of which there are some three hundred,
+nearly all filled, from morning to night, with men and women, too often
+spending the last penny they possess in the world. The magnitude of this
+evil may be estimated from the fact, that, in 1838, the revenue derived
+from ardent spirits and public-house licences amounted to the enormous
+sum of 110,000<i>l.</i><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> sterling. No stranger can take a walk through Sydney
+without remarking with astonishment the number of these nuisances; and
+the list of drunkards exhibited at the police every Monday morning, will
+increase his surprise and disgust. So enormous is this evil on the
+sabbath-day, that bands of constables patrole the streets for the
+purpose of clearing them of drunken men and women, whom they consign to
+the "lock-up." These constables, by the way, are extremely brutal in
+their manner of handling any unfortunate wight that may fall into their
+hands; and I have been frequently disgusted at their barbarity. What
+better conduct, however, can be expected from men, nine-tenths of whom
+either are or have been convicts? When I was at Sydney, the jail was a
+most wretched place, not half large enough for the many unfortunate
+beings it had occasionally to receive. A more commodious one has since
+been erected, with space enough to allow of the separate classification
+of debtors, highway robbers, bush-rangers, and felons, which could not
+be always attended to in the old building. The jail is cleared four
+times a year by holding criminal courts. The calendar is usually very
+heavy, and the crimes are generally of a heinous nature. The prisoner
+has the privilege of choosing whether he will be tried by a civil or by
+a military jury. Many prefer the latter, knowing that, whatever the
+verdict may be, it will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> be a conscientious one. The civil jury is
+generally composed of publicans, and is always chosen by the Sydney
+scamps, in the hope that a <i>chum</i> or <i>pal</i> may be found in the list, which
+is not unfrequently the case. The hardest task the Attorney-General has
+to perform, is, to get together a respectable jury. When it is composed
+of civilians, the prisoner is sure to challenge every respectable man in
+the box. By this means, he generally succeeds in getting twelve men
+sworn, of whom two or three are of the stamp he requires,&mdash;men that will,
+in vulgar phrase, "swear through a six-inch plank" to get him off. It is
+no uncommon case for Sydney jurors, on retiring to consider their
+verdict, to exclaim that their minds are made up, and that they will be
+d&mdash;&mdash;d if they will give a verdict of guilty. Another source of trouble
+to all persons concerned with a court of justice here, is the extreme
+difficulty experienced in extracting truth from witnesses. It is almost
+impossible to conceive the effrontery with which nine-tenths of these
+men will swear any thing: they invariably prevaricate and contradict
+themselves when cross-examined, and are not unfrequently sent from the
+witness-box to prison, to take their trial for perjury. I remember, on
+one occasion, seeing a father, mother, and three grown-up daughters, who
+came into court to sustain a charge against a farmer for an assault on
+one of the daughters, committed for perjury, while the prisoner was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+released without a stain on his name. The crime of cattle-stealing,
+probably, comes oftener before the Judges of New South Wales than any
+other, particularly since the punishment for it has been changed from
+death to banishment for life. When death was the penalty, many graziers
+put up with their loss, rather than prosecute the offender: now, the
+cattle-stealer is shewn no mercy, from one end of the Colony to the
+other. The Judge has no discretionary power with this class of
+offenders, but, in the event of a verdict of guilty, must pass the
+sentence of banishment for life. If the prisoner came free to the
+colony, he is banished to Van Diemen's Land: if, on the other hand, he
+is an old convict, he is sent to rusticate for the remainder of his days
+on Norfolk Island. Whole droves of stolen cattle are, nevertheless,
+continually offered for sale in the neighbourhood of Sydney, and ready
+purchasers are found for them, the risk of being brought up as a
+receiver not being so great as might be supposed. The regular
+cattle-stealer has stations in the bush, where he collects his
+ill-gotten herds, defaces and alters their brands, and keeps them till
+the new brand has healed and assumed the usual appearance; he then
+boldly starts for market in open day, and, though he may be met by the
+former owners of the beasts he is driving, he fears nothing, proof of
+identity being a difficult task, when a P has been made into a B, and,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
+perhaps, three or four other brands have been added.</p>
+
+<p>During the administration of Sir Richard Bourke, great improvements were
+made in the streets of Sydney, particularly in the direction of the
+different wharfs, from which the ascent used to be frightfully steep. To
+remedy this evil, and at the same time to improve the appearance of the
+town, Sir Richard cut away the brows of the ridges, and filled up the
+hollows with the rubbish. This proceeding caused a great outcry among
+those persons who had property where the cuttings took place, and whose
+dwellings, in some cases, were many feet above the new level of the
+street. In the course of time, these proprietors descended from their
+airy posts, knocked down their old unsightly tenements, cut down their
+ground to the proper level, and built new and more sightly houses; so
+that the Governor's proceedings have improved both the streets and the
+general appearance of the town, as well as enhanced the value of the
+property wherever the cuttings were made.</p>
+
+<p>Sydney abounds with doctors, lawyers, and parsons, all of whom thrive
+here. The lawyer especially reaps a rich harvest among a population
+notoriously fond of litigation, and prone to give cause for it in
+various ways. As usual, however, the supply has of late exceeded the
+demand; and the barristers do not now lounge in such stylish carriages<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
+as they were accustomed to be seen in some years ago. The medical men's
+harvest, a sickly season, is not a rare occurrence in Sydney, though the
+Colony generally is remarkable for its salubrity. The last summer I
+spent there, the deaths were very numerous, and cast a gloom over the
+place. Influenza and fevers were the prevailing complaints, and were
+probably attributable to the dry, hot winds prevalent at the time,
+together with the badness of the water in common use, and the
+intemperate habits of the people. The want of a supply of good water is
+much felt. Every house has its pump, but the water is not fit for any
+thing but washing, and is, for the most part, so hard, that soap will
+not dissolve in it. Government had commenced laying pipes to supply the
+town with this necessary article; but, when I left the Colony, they had
+not been brought nearer than to within a mile; and I have not heard of
+their being since carried any further. Water-carts go round, selling
+water at a penny or sometimes three halfpence per bucket, which is of a
+good quality.</p>
+
+<p>Previously to the arrival of Sir Richard Bourke, the clergy of the
+Church of England were the only persons in the Colony that were
+authorized to marry, to bury, or to christen. Sir Richard put an end to
+this extraordinary state of affairs, by his celebrated Church Act; and
+now, every one may be married by the minister of his own persuasion, and
+follow, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> religious matters, the dictates of his conscience. Strange
+as it may appear, Sir Richard's proceedings in this matter gave great
+offence to the magnates of the Church of England; and the Archdeacon
+went home to remonstrate with Her Majesty's Government on the subject.
+His Reverence took nothing, however, by his motion, Lord Glenelg, the
+then Secretary for the Colonies, highly approving of all that had been
+done. But the Archdeacon returned to the Colony a Bishop, and, when I
+left it, was busily engaged in erecting a cathedral by public
+subscription.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX.<br />
+<small>NEW SOUTH WALES.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND&mdash;&#8203;THE PATERSON DISTRICT&mdash;&#8203;WINTER
+SPORTS&mdash;&#8203;THE KANGAROO&mdash;&#8203;AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY&mdash;&#8203;CONVICT
+SERVANTS&mdash;&#8203;BENEFIT OF ENFORCING AN OBSERVANCE
+OF SUNDAY&mdash;&#8203;THE HOT SEASON.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>From Sydney, I proceeded northward, by steam, to Maitland, on the river
+Hunter, and thence up the country bordering on those pretty little
+rivers, the Paterson and the Allyn.</p>
+
+<p>Maitland puts a Scotchman in mind of the "lang toon of Kirkaldy,"
+consisting of merely one long street. From its situation, at the head of
+the navigation of the Hunter, and the centre of the very first
+agricultural district of New South Wales, it is likely to become a
+large, thriving, and important place. The country in the immediate
+neighbourhood is flat, and the soil rich, yielding most luxuriant crops
+of wheat and Indian corn.</p>
+
+<p>The season of 1838-39 was a poor one for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> farmer: flour rose in
+price to 60<i>s.</i> the cwt.; and the quartern loaf, before I left the
+Colony, was selling as high as two shillings and eight-pence. This was a
+time to test the fertility of the soil round Maitland, as well as the
+benefit it derives from its proximity to the sea. During this summer,
+the whole district was favoured with occasional refreshing showers; its
+crops were forward, and the yield good; and while crops in the southern
+districts had failed from drought, the Hunter-river farmers were sending
+their surplus produce to Sydney for sale.</p>
+
+<p>The township of Maitland is divided into two towns or villages, called,
+East and West Maitland. The former has been fixed upon as the site of
+the town by Government, and the latter by the public, who have, as
+usual, shewn more wisdom in their choice than their masters have,
+inasmuch as they have planted their town within a few hundred yards of
+the head of the navigation; whereas the Government town is three miles
+further up the river, and is unapproachable by steamers, or even by
+small craft. The two, however, will be joined together ere long, (most
+likely they are by this time,) as they are rising rapidly into
+importance. For the beauty of the country between Maitland and the sea,
+I cannot say much: it used to remind me of Lower Bengal, being so very
+flat, and, in some places, so low as to be frequently flooded.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>Like the houses in almost all new towns, those in Maitland form a motley
+assemblage of buildings of all sizes, shapes, and colours. Many of the
+smaller and inferior ones were, however, disappearing, even in 1839; and
+more sightly as well as more commodious buildings were rising up in
+their place. The traveller will find comfortable accommodation at either
+the Union or the Rose Inn; and the charges are moderate. He will also
+have the advantage of meeting settlers from all parts of the
+neighbouring country, from whom he will readily obtain any information
+he may require. Frequent cattle-sales are held here; and the beasts are,
+without trouble or much expense, conveyed to Sydney by steam in twelve
+hours.</p>
+
+<p>The country from Maitland, going up the Paterson, is undulating and
+generally fertile; particularly the flat lands on the banks of the
+river. As you proceed towards the village of Paterson, you observe
+numerous prettily situated farm-houses with their smiling gardens in
+front, and fields of wheat between them and the river. At the village,
+the navigation of this little river ceases; and the country becomes more
+and more hilly as you proceed higher up: the banks of the river,
+however, maintain their high character for fertility all the way to its
+source, and many thriving establishments are seen as the traveller
+pursues his journey. This part of New South<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> Wales, being so hilly, and
+consequently somewhat humid, does not answer the sheep-farmer's
+purposes; but the grazier finds his cattle and horses thrive well on
+these hills, and the agriculturist finds the valleys yield him excellent
+crops of tobacco, wheat, and maize. The first is becoming an article of
+great importance to the Paterson farmer, and has helped many of those
+gentlemen through the difficulties from which the Colony has been
+recently suffering.</p>
+
+<p>Land on the Upper Paterson was selling, in 1837, at 20<i>s.</i> per acre, in
+lots of six hundred and forty acres, of which not more than forty or
+fifty were arable land, the rest being what is called here, common bush
+land, thinly covered with trees, and affording tolerable pasture for
+cattle. Purchasers of land at the above-named rate, have, I believe,
+found their bargains profitable, notwithstanding the heavy expense they
+had to incur in clearing and fencing the arable portion of it, in
+addition to the outlay for a dwelling, out-offices, &amp;c. The settler on a
+small farm of this description is almost sure to do well, if he is
+industrious, and provided that he keeps clear of that colonial pest, the
+public-house. He will have very hard work the first two years; but his
+returns will well repay him even in moderately favourable seasons,
+while, in good times, they will be very profitable. A neighbour of mine
+raised, in the season of 1837-38, on eighteen acres of fresh cleared
+land, a crop of tobacco, which he cured<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> and manufactured into
+negro-head on the spot: it yielded one hundred and fifty kegs of 100lb.
+weight each; and the whole was sold at 1<i>s.</i> 4<i>d.</i> per pound, thus
+giving a total of 900<i>l.</i> This farmer had fifteen hands, who, in
+addition to the tobacco, enabled him to cultivate wheat and maize
+sufficient to supply the farm, and to leave 200<i>l.</i> worth for sale. The
+outlay for the twelve months, including every thing, did not exceed
+350<i>l.</i>; and I have shewn the returns to have been 1100<i>l.</i> This slight
+sketch will afford an idea of what an industrious farmer may do in the
+Paterson district. As soon as he can collect a few pounds, they may be
+profitably invested in the purchase of some good cows, which will not
+only supply him and his family with butter and milk, but will pay well
+by their annual increase. In 1838, stock was worth, in this
+neighbourhood, as under:&mdash;Cows, 5<i>l.</i>; Fat Cattle, 7<i>l.</i> 10<i>s.</i>; Working
+Oxen, 10<i>l.</i>; Brood Mares, 40<i>l.</i>; good Roadsters, 40<i>l.</i>; Sheep,&mdash;Ewes,
+2<i>l.</i>, Wethers, 17<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> Things have changed since that time: but
+more of this hereafter.</p>
+
+<p>During the three years I resided in Australia, I lived almost entirely
+on the banks of the Paterson, and the reader may therefore depend upon
+the correctness of my information regarding every thing in that
+neighbourhood. It bears a high character for the salubrity of its
+climate; and very justly so, according to my experience. Not a member of
+my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> establishment was ill the whole time we were there; nor do I
+recollect a serious case of illness among our neighbours. The winter is
+mild,&mdash;just cold enough to make a fire comfortable; while the fine frosty
+mornings do great good to one who has arrived from India. I used to
+enjoy them exceedingly, and invariably walked out before breakfast to
+breathe the fine clear air. The cold weather sets in in April, and
+continues till September. This is the season to enjoy a gallop in chase
+of that most extraordinary animal, the kangaroo. Notwithstanding that
+this part of the country is rather hilly, the hardy horses manage to
+carry their riders across it in safety. The river abounds with wild duck
+at this season, as well as with perch and a small fish here called
+herring, from its resemblance to that fish. The settler may thus not
+only find amusement for himself in shooting or fishing, but may make a
+very agreeable addition to his bush fare by his morning's ramble. The
+flesh of the kangaroo is literally good, for nothing: the tail makes
+very good soup, but the carcass of the full-grown animal is otherwise of
+no value to the European, though the native contrives to make an
+occasional meal of it. The young kangaroo of two or three months old,
+makes a tolerable substitute for jugged hare, and is frequently on the
+tables of the settlers. As population advances up the country, the
+kangaroo retires. I have, however, seen some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> hundreds of a large size
+in their native woods, skipping about, and bounding off on the approach
+of man. The notion, that a kangaroo makes use of his tail in leaping, is
+a mistaken one. I have watched them bounding along a plain, and could
+see distinctly that the tail never touched the ground. The female, when
+pursued, will retain its young one in the pouch with which nature has
+provided it, till very closely pressed by the dogs: it will then drop
+the little one, leave it to chance, and make off with increased speed. A
+full-grown male ("old man," the aboriginals call them) is more than a
+match for a single dog, and will frequently severely punish a couple of
+assailants before surrendering. These animals are easily tamed, and make
+very pretty pets in a garden. Speaking of a garden, we had an excellent
+orchard, which supplied us with abundance of apricots, peaches,
+nectarines, figs, green-gages, apples, pears, and oranges, while the
+garden furnished many a dish of strawberries: for gooseberries, the
+climate is not cold enough.</p>
+
+<p>In March and April, the farmer is busied in preparing his fields for
+wheat-sowing, which ought to be finished by the middle of May. Of this
+grain, the ground here yields a fair crop, though not equal to that
+usually reaped near Maitland: it is, however, generally more than
+sufficient for the use of the district, which may be called a
+grain-exporting one. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>Some farmers sow wheat on land from which they
+have just reaped a crop of Indian corn: this proves, I need scarcely
+say, in the long run, very bad economy. On a farm where wheat, corn, and
+tobacco are grown, there is always abundance of employment for old and
+young. Should field labour be suspended by the inclemency of the
+weather, or by any other cause, the farmer finds his servants full
+occupation in husking maize, threshing wheat, stripping, shifting, and
+curing tobacco. I used to keep my convict-labourers employed in light
+work, such as the above-mentioned, till ten o'clock at night: this I had
+no <i>right</i> to exact; but my plan was, to keep a regular account current
+with every convict on the place, giving him credit so much for every
+extra hour he worked, and letting him know, every Saturday night, how
+much was due to him, which I allowed him to take out in any shape but
+money or spirits. Giving him the former, would have enabled him to
+procure the latter. It was generally taken out in tea and sugar; and I
+never had the slightest trouble in settling these little accounts. I had
+ten convicts assigned to me by Government; and I confess that I would
+rather have had those men than most of the free emigrants that came to
+the Colony. Over the convict, the master has great power, the knowledge
+of which on the part of the servant, with good treatment and a firm hand
+held over him, will make him do a great deal of work.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> The Government
+allowance of rations does not include tea, sugar, or tobacco; but most
+masters allow two ounces of the first and last, and one pound of the
+second per week; which not only makes the men contented, but gives the
+master more hold over them, as they stand in fear of his stopping the
+indulgence in the event of misconduct. From my own observation I should
+say, that nine-tenths of the misdoings amongst convict-servants, that
+one hears of in New South Wales, arises from bad masters. What, for
+instance, can be expected from men assigned to a drunkard, who not only
+drinks himself, but makes a point of inducing his servants, whether free
+or bond, to take out their earnings in rum, of which he has always a
+plentiful supply on hand? What from the servants of a master who neither
+pays any attention to the Sabbath himself, nor makes those under him
+observe it; who, on the slightest provocation, drags his men before the
+magistrate, and swears literally to any thing, to have them flogged; who
+never affords them the slightest indulgence, and whose whole aim is, to
+get the greatest possible quantity of work out of them for the smallest
+possible outlay? Nothing tends more directly to promote the good order
+of a farm, than mustering everybody on it at noon on Sunday, for the
+purpose of reading Divine service to them. Setting aside the moral
+benefit that this practice may be supposed to produce,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> it puts an
+effectual stop to distant wandering on that day. A man who has to appear
+cleanly dressed on Sunday at noon, cannot stray far from home either
+before or after that hour. On farms where this custom is not kept up,
+the convict starts at daylight for some haunt where spirits are to be
+had, to pay for which he has most probably robbed his master; there he
+spends the day in riot and ribaldry, and reels home about midnight in a
+state that renders him very unfit for resuming his work on Monday
+morning. The convict-servant soon finds out what sort of a master he has
+to deal with, and, to use their own slang, after trying it on for a bit,
+in nine cases out of ten, he yields to circumstances. Two of mine tried
+a few of their old pranks at starting; but a timely, though moderate
+application of "the cat," put an entire stop to them. It is, however,
+useless to say more on this subject, as the system of assigning servants
+to private individuals has been done away with by orders from the Home
+Government. The female convicts are much more difficult to manage than
+the men, and often set their masters at defiance: they are generally of
+the lowest and most wretched class of women.</p>
+
+<p>The summer sets in in October, and wheat harvest begins in November. The
+weather then becomes exceedingly hot, and the heat is occasionally
+increased by the hot winds that blow from the north-<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>west. These
+generally (I speak of what I have observed on the Paterson) blow for
+three days successively, with considerable violence, and do no small
+injury to the farmer: they are very dry, make the lips crack, and the
+skin feel as if about to crack; and should they come across a field of
+wheat just shewing the ear, they would blight it to a certainty. After
+expending their force for three days, they are usually succeeded by a
+sharp southerly gale, which is frequently accompanied with rain, and
+soon makes every thing not actually blighted look green again. Though
+the sun, during summer, has, apparently, as much power as in India, I
+have never experienced any injurious effects from it, though frequently
+exposed to its rays all day, both on foot and on horseback. The European
+labourer works in the field here through the day, the same as in
+England, and does not seem to suffer from the heat. During the hot
+winds, indeed, he is liable to an almost unquenchable thirst, to relieve
+which, he may drink with perfect impunity a large quantity of sugar and
+water; but those who have recourse to water only, are sure to suffer for
+their imprudence, though not seriously.</p>
+
+<p>November and December are the busy months at sheep-stations, all hands
+being then employed in clipping the wool and preparing it for market.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER X.<br />
+<small>NEW SOUTH WALES.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+BUSH-RANGERS&mdash;&#8203;THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9&mdash;&#8203;THE SETTLER'S
+TROUBLES&mdash;&#8203;ORNITHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA&mdash;&#8203;ABORIGINAL
+TRIBES.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>On the Paterson, we were never troubled with those dangerous characters
+called in the Colony, Bush-rangers. I can give no reason for their
+avoiding this neighbourhood, but know that they did avoid it, and that
+none of the residents in the district ever gave them a thought. Other
+parts of the Colony are not so fortunate; and loud complaints are
+constantly being made, of want of protection against those daring
+marauders. They are runaway convicts, who take to the bush, either to
+get clear of hard masters, or from a love of old habits; and, now and
+then, they keep a whole county in a state of alarm. Frequent instances
+of their daring occurred during my residence in Australia, some of a
+ferocious character, while others tended more to excite laughter. Three
+of those scamps visited, at noon-day,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> a settler's house, and, coolly
+walking in, called for luncheon, and made themselves quite at home.
+While thus regaling themselves, they happened to see a violin hanging
+against the wall, and asked their <i>host</i>, whether he could play. On being
+answered in the affirmative, they made him strike up, while they danced
+to his music. When tired of this amusement, they helped themselves to
+whatever struck their fancy, and then went to the stable, picked out
+three of the best horses, leaving their own tired jades behind, and rode
+off. The master of the house was the only person at home at the time,
+and was unarmed; all his men were engaged in a distant field; and he was
+threatened with instant death, should he give the slightest alarm.
+Resistance, therefore, was impossible. Such depredations have latterly
+been much checked by the exertions of the mounted police. This very
+efficient body is composed of men drafted from Her Majesty's regiments
+stationed in the Colony, who are mounted and dressed at the expense of
+the local Government, and trained for their work. They patrole the
+country in all directions, and have captured and brought to justice many
+of the most desperate Bush-rangers, as well as given a check to the
+several organized bodies of cattle-stealers.</p>
+
+<p>Those parts of the Colony most distant from the capital, are, naturally,
+most annoyed by bad characters<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> of all description; and many of the
+settlers trust to their own strength, more than to the police, to defend
+their property. A friend of mine residing in Wellington Valley, three
+hundred and fifty miles west of Sidney, used to arm himself and his
+groom, and sally out in search of any desperate character he might have
+heard of as being in the neighbourhood: he was more than once
+successful, and became quite a noted man among the Bush-ranging
+fraternity, who took good care to keep at a respectable distance from
+him. Were some other settlers blessed with as much nerve and courage as
+the gentleman I allude to, Bush-rangers would soon become less numerous.</p>
+
+<p>A settler's life in an agricultural district, is pleasant enough, but it
+has its drawbacks. A season of drought makes sad work in his fields, and
+among his flocks. In the season of 1838-39, water became so scarce, that
+many of the best pasture-lands in our neighbourhood were of necessity
+abandoned, and the sheep as well as cattle were kept down on the banks
+of the river, then reduced to a mere chain of pools, the intervening
+channel being quite dry. The herbage was completely eaten up, and the
+trees in many parts were cut down, in order that the hungry animals
+might eat the leaves. One of my neighbours, to save his flocks, turned
+them on his half-grown crop of wheat, by which means he saved some
+thousands<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> of sheep, but lost his wheat. Tens of thousands of sheep and
+cattle, all over the country, died during this season; and grain crops
+failed everywhere, except on the banks of my three favourite rivers;
+namely, the Hunter, the Paterson, and the Allyn. There was scarcely a
+settler on either of these rivers, that had not a little to spare;
+while, in less favoured parts of the Colony, the farmer had to pay
+enormous prices for flour to feed his men; and the cart-hire came to
+nearly as much as the cost of the flour. I knew one gentleman who
+despatched from Sydney four drays loaded with stores for his stations
+near Bathurst, each dray drawn by seven oxen; and so great was the
+scarcity of water and fodder on the road, that only four of the poor
+animals reached their journey's end, the others having died on the road
+from sheer starvation. Flour rose during this season to 60<i>l.</i> per ton,
+and the quartern loaf in Sydney was sold at 3<i>s.</i> 4<i>d.</i></p>
+
+<p>One of the greatest discomforts attendant upon a summer's residence in
+the bush of Australia, arises from the swarms of flies, large and small,
+that infest the house. The large blow-fly is a serious nuisance: many a
+good joint of meat they spoil, in spite of every precaution. These
+insects find their way everywhere, and destroy whatever they come near.
+In the dairy, the greatest care is necessary to prevent these pests from
+reaching the milk and butter, which they will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> taint in a second.
+Scarcely less of a plague than the swarms of flies, are the myriads of
+fleas which torment the tired farmer, and cheat him out of many an
+hour's sleep: these noisome disturbers are in the soil, and not all the
+care the best housewife can bestow, can diminish the number.</p>
+
+<p>While on the subject of the settler's troubles, I may mention, that the
+cockatoos annoy the farmer in Australia, as much as the crows do in
+England: they attack his wheat and maize when the grain is ripening, by
+hundreds; indeed, I may say, by thousands; and it requires a very active
+watchman to keep them from doing serious injury to the crop, not so much
+from the quantity they eat, as from what they destroy and scatter. These
+birds, which, by the bye, furnish an excellent dish that occasionally
+formed part of our dinner, are remarkably cunning: while the flock are
+busily feeding on the farmer's wheat, two of their number are left on
+some neighbouring trees to keep watch; these, on the approach of danger,
+give a loud, shrill scream, which at once puts the thieves to flight,
+and renders it very difficult for the sportsman to get a shot at one of
+them. Besides the common white red-crested cockatoo, the woods are the
+home of the black species; a rare bird, that I have never seen
+elsewhere. Those brought to Singapore by the Celebes traders, are a
+bastard species. On what they feed, I am not aware, never<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> having seen
+them in the wheat or maize fields. During the winter months, neither
+white nor black cockatoos are to be seen; nor have I ever heard to what
+place they migrate. The bird-fancier might here make as beautiful a
+collection as I have ever seen. The different varieties of the parrot
+tribe are countless, and extremely pretty: the king-parrot, the lowrie,
+and the mountain parrot, are, perhaps, the most beautiful. Then, there
+is the pretty little diamond sparrow, so called from its size, its
+habits, resembling those of the common sparrow, and its plumage, which
+exhibits a diamond pattern of black, white, and blue. Of the hawk tribe,
+the varieties are numerous: the largest is the eagle-hawk, which now and
+then carries off a lamb from the flocks of careless shepherds. Were I an
+ornithologist, I might write a goodly volume on the birds of this
+country; but I must content myself with these few notices; not
+forgetting, however, to mention the stately black swan, a bird becoming
+every year more rare.</p>
+
+<p>We used frequently to be visited by tribes of the aboriginal inhabitants
+of this vast continent. They are, without exception, the most complete
+savages I have ever come across. They have no homes, no occupation
+beyond procuring food for the day, and think nothing of to-morrow, which
+they literally leave to take care of itself. They resist almost every
+attempt to induce them to labour, and, if clothed to-day by some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> good
+Samaritan, will, in all probability, appear naked at his door to-morrow,
+having given away their clothes to some convict, in exchange for a pound
+of flour or an ounce of tobacco. In their habits, they are literally
+wanderers on the face of the earth, shifting their camp from place to
+place as game grows scarce. In rainy weather, the only precaution I ever
+saw them take, with a view to protect themselves from wet, was the
+building a small hut, not much larger than a bee-hive, constructed of
+the boughs of trees, with a small aperture on one side, into which the
+"black-fellow"<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> thrusts his head and shoulders, and sleeps as sound
+as a top, his legs and the lower half of his body being exposed to wind
+and rain. In winter, they may be seen encamped round a fire after their
+day's hunting, all naked, and stretched on the ground, with their feet
+towards the fire; the men smoking, if they have any thing to smoke, and
+the wretched-looking women composing themselves to sleep in the same
+<i>natural</i> state as their lords and masters.<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> They suffer much,
+occasionally, from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+hunger, and may then be induced to do a day's work
+about the farm, for which they will consider themselves well paid by a
+pound of flour and an ounce of tobacco each. This reward must not be
+given them, however, till their work is done: give it beforehand, and
+not a hand's turn will they do, but decamp at once to enjoy their
+dinner. As soon as they have eaten their bread, they light the pipes,
+and never cease smoking till their tobacco is finished. Some of the men
+are remarkably well made, and strong, able-bodied fellows. One who spent
+a week now and then in my kitchen, doing any thing the cook told him,
+for the promise of a supper, was a tall, good-looking fellow, named
+Jamie. They are one and all christened in the bush by any European they
+may ask for a name. A father applied to me one day for a name for his
+little boy, and I forthwith called him "Donald;" at which the old man
+and the rest of the tribe laughed heartily, saying, "All same your
+horse." I had then a pony called Donald. To<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> resume: Jamie was frequently
+clothed by me, and was asked to sleep in the kitchen, or in one of the
+out-offices, but all to no purpose: his clothes, he never kept a week,
+and he invariably took his departure at sun-set to sleep in the open
+air. In our district, I believe, the blacks were harmless people; but,
+on the Upper Hunter, on Liverpool Plains, they have been not only very
+troublesome, but even dangerous neighbours. Many settlers have suffered
+severely from their depredations; and several shepherds and
+stock-keepers have been murdered by them. Would they content themselves
+with killing a single bullock or two or three sheep, when suffering from
+hunger, one might excuse them; but I have known twenty-five cows killed
+by a single tribe in one night, the fat and kidneys taken away, and the
+carcases left on the ground. This, to say the least of it, was a
+mischievous waste of property; and such proceedings naturally led the
+settlers to retaliate. The consequences were serious, and led to extreme
+measures, ending, in more than one instance, in bloodshed. There seems
+to be no room for doubt, that many of these poor creatures have been
+murdered by stock-keepers on the mere suspicion of being concerned in
+such crimes. This fact, however, does not justify the Government in
+offering a hundred pounds reward for the discovery of the offender, when
+a black happens to be murdered by a white,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> and only twenty-five pounds
+reward, when the murderer is black, and the victim white.</p>
+
+<p>What would my fair countrywomen say to the "black-fellow's" mode of
+taking unto himself a wife? On making up his mind as to the object of
+his choice, he proceeds by night to the camping-ground of the <i>fair</i>
+one's tribe; searches her out among the sleeping beauties; deals her a
+blow on the head with his club, (to which an Irishman's shillelah is a
+twig,) and carries off the stunned and senseless wretch to his own camp.
+This ceremony makes them man and wife, and no further notice is taken of
+the affair. The different tribes are constantly at war: but I have never
+heard of any very serious consequences arising from their feuds. The day
+of battle is generally spent in painting themselves red, dancing the
+war-dance in presence of their foes, and, probably, exchanging a few
+spears towards its close. Their arms consist of spears, clubs, and the
+<i>boomerang</i>. The latter is a very extraordinary weapon, which they throw
+to a great distance, making it <i>return to the thrower</i> when it has
+described its revolution, and probably hit some unfortunate wight on the
+head in its course through the air. This weapon is of hard wood, about
+three feet long, two inches broad, a quarter of an inch thick, and in
+the form of a crescent: it is thrown against the wind, and describes a
+circle in its course. The spear is of cane,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> hardened by fire at the
+end, and is thrown with great force and dexterity. No black who can by
+any means obtain a tomahawk, is ever without one, generally of English
+make: with this, they are very expert at felling trees, and, with its
+aid, will climb a tree which it would take two pair of arms to encircle.
+The "black-fellow" cuts a small notch about three feet from the ground;
+in this, he inserts the toe of one foot, holding on by one hand while he
+cuts another hole three feet further up to receive the other foot; and
+thus he proceeds till he reaches the top. The dead trees of Australia,
+which are all hollow, are a favourite resort of the opossum. In search
+of them, the black-fellow will ascend a tree in the manner just
+described; and there he will sit while his companions below dig under
+the roots, and light a fire, the smoke from which ascending the trunk of
+the tree, as a chimney, speedily dislodges the game. This is dexterously
+pounced upon by "blacky," the moment its head appears peeping from the
+aperture at the top of some of the branches. I have never known the
+tomahawk thrown by them, as it is by the Indian of America.</p>
+
+<p>My family was once thrown into considerable alarm by an ill-looking
+tribe of blacks who formed their camp immediately in front of our
+cottage: they were strangers, and had no business there. On making
+inquiries about them, I found that they came<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> from a neighbouring
+district, and were endeavouring to evade the police, who were in search
+of them for the murder of an unfortunate shepherd. Not at all liking
+such neighbours, I took advantage of their absence, one day, when they
+were gone kangaroo-hunting, and set fire to their bee-hive huts. On
+their return at sun-set, they took the hint, and we saw no more of them.</p>
+
+<p>Among these tribes, it is a rule, that blood must be had for blood; and
+this leads them, when one of their number falls by the hand of a white
+man, to kill the first European they happen to meet, in retaliation. It
+would scarcely be reasonable to expect these ignorant savages to see the
+injustice of this proceeding; yet, it is hard, that an unoffending
+person like the shepherd above referred to should be slaughtered in
+revenge of the murder of a man he had never seen.</p>
+
+<p>The number of dialects, or apparently different languages, spoken by the
+aborigines of Australia, is very remarkable. Those residing in and about
+Sydney cannot converse with those on the Hunter, who, in their turn, are
+ignorant of the dialect spoken on Liverpool Plains; and this is the case
+throughout the Colony. When Sir Edward Parry was manager of the
+Australian Agricultural Company's affairs, he made a tour of inspection
+through its estates, taking with him some few black followers as guides.
+They<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> were not fifty miles from their home, when, to Sir Edward's
+astonishment, he heard them speaking English to their countrymen of the
+districts through which they were passing. On inquiring the reason, he
+was told, that the two parties were entirely ignorant of each other's
+language.</p>
+
+<p>I never could make out the religious notions of these aboriginal tribes,
+further than that they believe in a future state. They do not appear to
+have much affection for their children, if one may judge from the way in
+which they treat them; yet, the mother bemoans the loss of one of her
+little ones very piteously, daubs her face and arms with lime in token
+of mourning, and spends many days in the neighbourhood of the grave. In
+common with all savage nations, the Australian blacks treat their women
+ill. These poor creatures get the worst of all their food, with the
+hardest of all their work; and are frequently very severely beaten by
+their hard and ruthless taskmasters. Degraded as are these aborigines
+generally, those in the immediate vicinity of Sydney are a more abject
+race than their more fortunate brethren who inhabit the distant parts of
+the Colony. This may be partly, if not wholly accounted for, by the
+facility with which at Sydney they can obtain ardent spirits, to procure
+which they will do almost any thing. I have never seen human beings
+elsewhere reduced to a state of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> such utter degradation and misery as
+these poor people exhibit. To shew how much they dislike any thing like
+labour, I may mention, that Government, on one occasion, set aside a
+piece of land for a tribe near Sydney, and had it cleared, tilled, and
+planted with maize for their use, exacting from them a promise that they
+would tend the growing corn, keep it clean, and gather the crop when
+ripe: they did neither the one nor the other, but, when called on to
+gather the grain that was to be their own, said, it was too much
+trouble. The result was, that the corn was plucked for them; and no
+further attempt was made to induce them to work.</p>
+
+<p>Several praiseworthy individuals have from time to time endeavoured to
+educate and civilize young boys of this unhappy race. One was sent to
+England, where he was kept at school till he was fifteen years of age;
+and he then returned to his native country. He had not been two days on
+shore in Sydney, when, meeting with some of his countrymen, he threw off
+his European clothing, and started for the bush, whence there was no
+getting him back.</p>
+
+<p>Like most savages, the natives are seldom if ever known to express
+surprise or astonishment under any circumstances. Shortly before leaving
+the Colony, I saw a native, early in the morning, standing on one of the
+heights overlooking the harbour of Sydney. On my asking what he was
+about, his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> reply was: "I belong big river (300 miles distant); first
+time come Sydney; come here see ship; <i>budgerie su</i> (pleasant sight);
+never see ship or salt water before." This poor savage had come three
+hundred miles on foot, assisting a drover with a herd of cattle; he had
+never before seen either the sea or a ship in his life; and yet there he
+stood, looking at these, to him, most extraordinary objects, with a
+countenance as placid and unmoved as if they had been daily sights from
+his infancy. On questioning him, I could extract nothing further from
+him: he <i>would not</i> allow that he was astonished, but simply repeated,
+"<i>budgerie su</i>." While idling away an hour one day in the criminal
+court, I saw an aboriginal black tried for murder. Nothing could exceed
+the perfect indifference that he exhibited throughout the whole scene.
+When called upon, through an interpreter, to plead guilty or not guilty,
+his reply was: "I did it because he (the deceased) stole my wife." He
+would not condescend to deny an act which he considered himself
+justified in committing. This plea of justification, the learned Judge
+directed to be taken as one of not guilty; and the result was, the
+prisoner's acquittal.</p>
+
+<p>Sir F. L. Mitchell, the Surveyor-General of New South Wales, in his
+admirable journal of his three celebrated expeditions into the interior
+of Australia, has described the aboriginal inhabitants of that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>portion
+of the country named by him, "Australia Felix," as a race of men
+altogether superior to those found in other parts of this continent.
+This race may, and probably will be found formidable neighbours for the
+first settlers to encounter. Their country, from the description given
+by its discoverer, must be a very fine one; and should it prove to be
+regularly refreshed by rain, it will be an invaluable addition to the
+Colony.</p>
+
+<p>The fate of the tribes I have been endeavouring to describe, is a
+melancholy one: they are fast disappearing from the face of the earth;
+and one or two more generations will, in all human probability, see the
+last of them.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> The name given to the aborigines in Australia.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> It is a singular fact, that the aboriginal natives of New
+South Wales, as well as the cattle that roam at large in its woods,
+invariably choose the top of a moderately elevated hill to sleep on
+during the winter months. The reason is, that the hills are <i>always</i>
+warmer than the valleys, and are consequently resorted to in winter;
+while the latter are chosen in summer as camping-ground by man and
+beast. I have often been surprised, when riding about the bush in
+winter, at feeling a current of warm air on the top of a range of hills,
+having myself just ascended from the neighbouring valley where the
+breeze was chilling. These warm breezes on the hill tops blow from the
+north-west, and may be nearly related to the summer hot winds, cooled on
+reaching the latitude of 34&deg; in the winter season. Be that as it may,
+they are not strong enough to warm the valleys, though their influence
+on the hills is very agreeable to the traveller.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XI.<br />
+<small>NEW SOUTH WALES.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+THE HOT WINDS&mdash;&#8203;PROJECTED MAIL-&#8203;ROAD FROM SYDNEY TO
+PORT ESSINGTON&mdash;&#8203;SHEEP-&#8203;FARMS&mdash;&#8203;GRAZING IN
+AUSTRALIA&mdash;&#8203;HORSE-STOCK.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>I have often heard the question raised in Australia, Whence proceed the
+hot winds? Hitherto, this inquiry has not, to my knowledge, been
+satisfactorily answered. These winds invariably blow from the
+north-west; but the question is, Whence do they derive the heat they are
+charged with? In the months during which they prevail, the north-west
+monsoon is blowing in the Java sea, and thence all the way to Torres'
+Straits; and northerly winds are prevalent on the eastern coast of
+Australia. The weather in those seas, at that season, is wet and cold
+for the latitude; consequently, the north-west wind, when it first
+reaches the northern coast of Australia, is the reverse of a hot one:
+whence, then, the heat it brings with it to the thirty-fourth degree of
+south latitude? From Torres' Straits to this latitude, the distance is,
+in southing alone, fifteen hundred miles, twelve<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> hundred of which are
+entirely unexplored. I have heard it suggested, that, in this space,
+may, and probably does exist, a great inland desert, the crossing of
+which heats and dries the wind. Whether such a desert does or does not
+exist, is a problem that may not be solved for many years to come;
+unless, indeed, the expedition now in contemplation, for the survey of
+the country in search of a practicable overland route from Sydney to
+Port Essington, should lead to its earlier solution. To this expedition,
+should it ever start, I wish every possible success, though I have my
+misgivings as to its favourable result, and question the soundness of
+the judgment that advises the undertaking at this time. Supposing the
+route should prove practicable simply as a mail line, is the Colony at
+present in circumstances to bear the expense of keeping it up? The
+object is, to have the overland Indian mail carried from Singapore by
+steam to Port Essington, thence to Sydney overland; the distance being,
+in round numbers, two thousand miles, three-fourths of the way through
+an uninhabited and unknown country. To keep up such a line, the outlay
+would be enormous, and would far exceed any return that could be
+expected for the next fifty years. The good folks of Sydney seem bent on
+trying it, however; and on being refused pecuniary aid from the
+Government, they resolved on carrying it through at their own<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> expense;
+but they have since cooled in their ardour. At least, I have not heard
+of the money being forthcoming.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></p>
+
+<p>I shall now proceed to offer a few observations upon sheep and
+sheep-stations. A sheep-station is, probably, the most desolate place at
+which a man could be sent to pass his time. Fancy three men in charge of
+one thousand sheep, which range over five square miles of country, of
+which five miles those three outcasts are literally the only
+inhabitants, and, strange as it may seem, seeing but little of each
+other. One is the watchman, who remains by the hut all day, shifts the
+folds, and sleeps between them at night, to protect their occupants from
+the prowling native dog: the other two are shepherds, who start every
+morning at daylight, in different directions, each in charge of his
+flock; they do not return to the hut till sun-down, when they are tired,
+weary, and eager for supper and bed. Thus, day after day, and month
+after month, pass in solitary <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>wretchedness, relieved only on the
+Saturday for a couple of hours, when a man with the week's rations
+arrives at the station. These men live all the year round on salt beef
+and bread, the latter baked by themselves: they have no change either of
+diet, of employment, or of any thing else; for, be it known, a really
+good sheep-station in Australia yields nothing but grass and gum-trees,
+the soil being dry and poor. A shepherd on the hills of Scotland, who
+returns every night to his <i>bothie</i>, and finds a <i>warm</i> supper cooked for him
+by some kind female hand, is a prince compared to the exile of
+Australia, who comes home tired and sleepy at sun-down, and may then
+either chop wood to cook his meal, or go supperless to bed, as suits his
+fancy. It is under these circumstances that those unhappy connections
+are formed with native women, the offspring from which are invariably
+killed by the mother. Against these connections, the present Governor
+has very properly set his face, and positively interdicted them.
+Although he may check, he cannot, however, do away with the evil; which
+leads not only to the murder of helpless infancy, but to bloodshed and
+wrangling between the whites and the blacks.</p>
+
+
+
+<p>Sheep, when I arrived in Australia in 1836, were in great request, and
+ewes with lambs at their feet were worth 30<i>s.</i> each, while wool was at
+2<i>s.</i> 2<i>d.</i> per pound. In 1837-38 and 1838-39, stock of every kind<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> rose
+in price; and in the former year, I paid as high as 3<i>l.</i> per head for a
+flock of four hundred ewes with lambs five months old at their feet.
+This purchase was not a safe one; it was made when I knew but little of
+the value of stock, but acted under the advice of others, and when the
+colony was in the very midst of that wild career of mad speculation
+which has since worked so much misery to thousands. I suffered in common
+with many others who invested money in sheep at the same time, and who
+left the Colony. Nevertheless, I look upon sheep as one of the best
+descriptions of stock in which a man can speculate, provided that he
+keeps within reasonable bounds as to price. Good ewes purchased from
+20<i>s.</i> to 25<i>s.</i> per head, will, nine times out of ten, pay their
+proprietor from fifteen to twenty per cent, for his outlay. To do this,
+they must of course be properly tended, and be kept on what is here
+called, a good run, <i>i.&nbsp;e.</i> fine dry pasture on rather an elevated tract
+of country. The sheep-farmer ought to have a good homestead in an
+agricultural part of the Colony, (this, in my opinion, is indispensable
+to his success,) where he may grow grain sufficient not only to render
+him almost independent of bad seasons and high prices, but, generally,
+to give him a few hundred bushels of surplus wheat and maize with which
+to buy tea, sugar, and clothing. Hundreds of sheep-farmers have of late
+been ruined by having to purchase the actual<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> necessaries for their
+stations on credit. Cash they had none, being unwilling to part with
+even their surplus stock at the miserably low prices alone obtainable.</p>
+
+<p>Another error that sheep-farmers fall into from time to time, is, the
+allowing their establishments to outgrow themselves, as it were, by not
+selling every year's surplus stock. I have known establishments become
+quite unmanageable from this cause, and have heard large proprietors
+frequently say, they were losers by holding so large a number of sheep:
+still, they went on in spite of their own better judgment, from year to
+year, without selling a single head of stock. This loss attendant upon
+overgrown establishments, arises as much from the difficulty of getting
+good and trustworthy servants, as from any other cause. The master's eye
+cannot be everywhere, and the overseer's is seldom to be trusted. Lazy
+shepherds keep sheep in till ten <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small> in place of turning them out at
+six. Idle watchmen shift the folds twice a week, instead of every day.
+Fifty other cases of this kind take place on a large sheep-farm, that
+never could occur on a small establishment. In damp weather, the
+watchman's neglecting to shift the folds, is sure to do harm. One of its
+first evil effects is to give the sheep toe-rot; a troublesome complaint
+that lames the animal, and is not easily got rid of. Then, a careless
+shepherd will allow his flock to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> stray on your neighbour's run, which
+may have been fed over by scabby sheep the day before. If no rain has
+fallen during the night, the disease is sure, in that case, to be caught
+by the trespassers, as I can testify from dear-bought experience. Scab,
+here, is a very different disease from what the sheep-farmer at home is
+acquainted with, and is much more difficult to cure. The remedies
+applied for it are severe, and of a kill-or-cure description: indeed, it
+requires a strong sheep to bear this application. Rubbing with tar, as
+practised in Scotland, has been found utterly useless.</p>
+
+<p>In advising sheep-farmers to have a good agricultural homestead, I am
+aware I am recommending what hundreds have not the power to obtain. As a
+general rule, however, it is a golden one; and I would adhere to it,
+even were I compelled to have three hundred miles between my stations
+and the homestead. Indeed, I have known those two establishments
+separated by two hundred miles.</p>
+
+<p>Since 1838-9, sheep have been sold in New South Wales as low as
+ninepence a head: this, however, was under very extraordinary
+circumstances, and is not likely to happen again; more especially since
+the proprietor has found out that, by slaughtering the animal, and
+boiling down the carcase, he can get 3<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> for the tallow it
+yields. During the recent distresses, thousands of sheep have been
+disposed of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> in this way, the proprietors being so much reduced as to be
+literally unable either to pay or to feed men to look after their
+flocks. I know many parties who purchased sheep between the years 1837
+and 1840, at the rates then current, at three years' credit, paying ten
+per cent, per annum for the indulgence, who, after keeping their
+purchases and their increase for three years, were compelled, when their
+acceptances became due, to sell off original stock, increase, and all,
+and then had not half enough to satisfy their creditor. This, as I said
+before, arose from peculiar circumstances, being caused by the
+prevailing panic. I shall advert again to this subject, in offering a
+few remarks upon the recent distresses and their causes.</p>
+
+<p>Now as to cattle. The English or Scotch grazier, who has his cattle
+brought home and housed every night, can have no idea of the sort of
+work his brother grazier in Australia has to go through. Here, the
+climate is so mild, that cattle are never housed, but wander in the bush
+from year's end to year's end. The proprietor of five hundred head of
+horned cattle, must command the run of five thousand acres of
+pasture-land, of fair quality, as the grass in the woods of Australia is
+so thin, that it takes three acres to feed a sheep, and ten for a
+bullock. He generally employs two men, called stock-keepers, to look
+after them: these are mounted, and ought to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> employ their time in riding
+over and roundabout their master's run, to see that his cattle do not
+stray, and that his grass is not trespassed on by others. This, however,
+is more than most of these gentry condescend to do, many of them
+preferring the company of cattle-stealers and other vagabonds, with whom
+they are frequently leagued; and if I may judge from the money I have
+seen in possession of stock-keepers, they share largely in the
+cattle-stealers' plunder. With the exception of some twenty cows and
+calves usually kept about the house, to give milk, which are called the
+milking herd, the grazier sees nothing of his herds but on muster-days,
+which occur twice a year. For some time previously to muster-day, the
+stock-keepers have been very busy drawing their herds by degrees as near
+the stock-yard as possible; and when the day arrives, the whole are
+driven into the yard to be inspected. All the yearlings are then
+branded, and fat bullocks are picked out for sale or slaughter. At this
+time, the stock-keeper and his horse have no sinecure; for the cattle
+they have to collect, are as wild, and nearly as swift as deer; so much
+so, that a cattle-hunt in Australia is nearly as much enjoyed by the
+young men as a fox-hunt in Old England. Some breeds of cattle are much
+more easily managed than others, being naturally quieter; but, generally
+speaking, the wild way in which the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> Australian herds are reared, makes
+them intractable and troublesome.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of all this thieving and trouble, however, cattle-stock is a
+good investment for money in ordinary times. In extraordinary times like
+the last year or two, no investment is safe, except to the man who can
+hold on till things mend. In 1838, cattle were worth from 3<i>l.</i> 10<i>s.</i>
+to 5<i>l.</i> per head, for a herd consisting of cows, steers, and heifers
+from one to three years old, and calves under six months. Very superior
+herds were worth more; but I speak generally. Since that time, thousands
+of cattle have been killed and boiled down for their tallow. But times
+are mending, and this stock, like every other, is not likely to be again
+so unsaleable.</p>
+
+<p>It is of the greatest possible importance to a grazier, to have his
+herds near some place where there is communication by water with Sydney.
+In this respect, Hunter's river and Port Macquarie have the pre-eminence
+over the rest of the Colony. The possessor of fat cattle, in either of
+those districts, can at all times send them to market by steam, without
+their losing much flesh; whereas I knew in 1839, when fodder was so
+scarce, a man having three hundred head of beasts fit for the knife,
+running in Wellington valley, which, could he have got them into Sydney,
+would have brought 8<i>l.</i> per head ready<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> cash, but which were utterly
+valueless to him, from the impossibility of driving them through a
+country almost bare of pasture. Had this man been on the banks of either
+of my favourite rivers, he could have turned his cattle into cash in
+three days.</p>
+
+<p>The wild way in which cattle are reared in Australia, makes the young
+steer a troublesome animal to break in for the plough; and then, the
+absurd system of turning all the working bullocks into the bush to feed
+after their day's work, adds very much to the farmer's cares. These
+bullocks are very cunning, and at daylight, when they well know the
+ploughman will be after them, invariably conceal themselves in some snug
+corner. I have had men out for hours, looking for a team of bullocks in
+this way, and have frequently been vexed to see them return as late as
+noon with only half the number.</p>
+
+<p>Were I again to turn Australian farmer, I would stable my working
+cattle, keep a man to take care of them, grow ten acres of Lucerne hay
+to feed them, save their manure, (an article almost universally thrown
+away in Australia,) get double work out of them, and have the
+satisfaction of seeing my ploughs going at regular hours, in place of
+being worried "from July to eternity," as Sam Slick says, by having to
+search for the cattle in the bush. It often struck me, that the
+Australian grazier loses a chance of making a good deal of money by
+neglecting his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> dairy produce. Had he a regular establishment in the
+bush where his herds run, to milk the cows and make butter and cheese,
+it would not only, in my opinion, pay well for the trouble, but would
+make his cattle much less wild. His having forty or fifty cows brought
+home every evening to milk, would not only make their calves quiet and
+tractable, but would also compel the stock-keeper to be more active,
+would keep him at his duty, and, I feel satisfied, would save the
+proprietor a great deal in the course of the year. The butter and cheese
+here are both of excellent quality, and might be made in large
+quantities; yet, both are regularly imported into Sydney from the
+Derwent (Van Diemen's Land) and Port Phillip; a state of things the
+settlers of New South Wales ought to be ashamed of.</p>
+
+<p>Many a fine cattle-run is rendered useless in dry seasons, by want of
+water. Nature has provided, all over the country, reservoirs (or tanks)
+for water, which are filled by every heavy rain; and their contents last
+a long time: still, in a very dry season, these fail; and many a thirsty
+bullock loses his life by tumbling, from excessive weakness, into one of
+those pits. Some parts of the country have no tanks, (or water-holes, as
+they are called,) except a few muddy puddles at the foot of the hills,
+and thus become unavailing sooner than other parts. This inconvenience
+might in a great measure be remedied,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> at trifling cost, by constructing
+dams at properly chosen places in the ravines or gulleys that intersect
+the hills from top to bottom, every two or three hundred yards. In one
+instance, I have seen this plan adopted with success. The owners of
+property between Sydney and Paramatta are compelled to make tanks, the
+water in the river being salt, and that procured by digging wells being
+very little better. Water, Water, is the cry, in dry seasons, all over
+this otherwise highly favoured country; and till the end of time, this
+want will prevent New South Wales from becoming a densely populated
+country.</p>
+
+<p>The horse-fancier may invest a few hundreds very profitably in the
+purchase of some really good brood mares. From these, he will not only
+draw a good return for his money, but will also derive a great deal of
+pleasant pastime in superintending the breaking-in of his colts and
+fillies. Horse-stock, like every other, has fallen much in price lately,
+but will doubtless recover itself when times improve. I am acquainted
+with more than one proprietor who has made no inconsiderable sum of
+money by rearing horses. There is a constant demand for them; and of
+late, a good market has been found in India for those suited for
+cavalry.</p>
+
+<p>Another profitable investment for money is to be found, in Sydney, in
+the way of mortgage. Ten and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> twelve per cent, is paid regularly, and
+security given of an undoubted character,&mdash;security that has not in one
+instance failed the mortgagee, even in the recent desperate times. Large
+sums may be invested in this way; and for the absent capitalist, it is
+the mode of investment I would recommend in preference to any other.
+Bank Shares used to be in great favour with monied men when I was in
+Australia. The holders have, however, had a severe lesson since then,
+having suffered seriously by some failures among those establishments.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> The expedition just alluded to has never been attempted;
+and I think very wisely. The great commercial crisis under which the
+Colony of New South Wales, in common with all the Australian Colonies,
+has been suffering of late, has given the Colonists other and more
+pressing matters to think of; and if they will take the advice of one
+who wishes them well, they will look to some other route for quicker
+communication with the Mother Country, than that <i>vi&acirc;</i> Port
+Essington.&mdash;October, 1845.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XII.<br />
+<small>NEW SOUTH WALES.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+CAUSES OF THE RECENT DISTRESSES&mdash;&#8203;CONDUCT OF THE
+BANKS&mdash;&#8203;MANIA FOR SPECULATION&mdash;&#8203;LONG-&#8203;ACCOUNT
+SYSTEM&mdash;&#8203;BAD SEASONS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>I will now proceed to offer a few remarks on the causes of the late
+terrible distresses in New South Wales, and on what I consider as the
+best means of preventing the recurrence of such lamentable scenes.</p>
+
+<p>The three main causes of those distresses were, undoubtedly:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="indent">
+<p>First, Harsh and illiberal conduct on the part of the Banks.</p>
+
+<p>Secondly, A wild speculation-mania that took possession of the entire
+population.</p>
+
+<p>Thirdly, The system that had obtained, of giving long credit to
+purchasers of stock, &amp;c.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>While I look upon these three as the primary and principal causes of by
+far the greater part of the suffering the Colony has recently undergone,
+I must specify another, though certainly a secondary cause; namely, two
+successive bad seasons. This last cause<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> is, I am aware, by many
+persons, regarded as the chief source of all their distresses and
+losses; but I think I can shew that those parties are wrong in this
+opinion, which springs from their anxiety to frame an excuse for their
+very imprudent speculations.</p>
+
+<p>In the first place, then, I accuse the Banks of harsh and illiberal
+conduct; and I will state my reasons for this charge.</p>
+
+<p>When I arrived in Sydney in 1836, the Banks, without exception, but more
+particularly the Commercial Bank (then under the management of a
+would-be shrewd Aberdonian), were doing every thing in their power to
+induce parties to open accounts with them. Bills for discount were
+eagerly sought after, and little attention was paid to the
+respectability of the names of either drawer or endorser. Cash-advances
+were publicly advertised by the Commercial Bank. Parties, to my certain
+knowledge, were stopped in the street by the Aberdonian just alluded to,
+who solicited their business with a very bland smile. In short, no stone
+was left unturned by these money-seekers to add to their half-yearly
+dividends. This system went on till the latter end of 1839. I need
+scarcely say, that this unbecoming and greedy canvassing for business,
+tempted many an unwary merchant and settler to venture beyond his depth,
+and ultimately led to ruin and a prison. The amount of money represented
+by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> absolutely valueless paper at this time, is quite beyond
+calculation. Renewals were a matter of course. Cash payments, even in
+part, were the reverse of common. Bank-directors overdrew their accounts
+with perfect impunity to a large amount; and the whole Colony seemed
+intoxicated with the fond notion that the Banks would never fail them,
+and that, in those fountains, they would at all times find a
+never-ending supply of "the needful." In the midst of this mad career,
+the day of reckoning came suddenly upon them. The Banks took the alarm:
+they began to think they had allowed the kite-flying system to go too
+far; and they commenced a system of unparalleled harshness and
+oppression towards their <i>gulls</i>. Cash advances were not merely stopped,
+but those previously made were called in. Renewals would no longer be
+accepted, even for half or a quarter of the amount due; and the
+unfortunate "kite-flier" was, in hundreds of cases, ruined by the very
+men who had in the most unprincipled manner led him into the mire, and
+then left him.</p>
+
+<p>The Banks now took up a position the very opposite of that hitherto
+occupied by them; and, instead of trusting everybody, put no faith in
+any one. This conduct ultimately recoiled upon themselves; their shares
+fell in value; some of them became bankrupt, while the others had a hard
+struggle to avoid that catastrophe; and the public lost all confidence
+in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> banks and bankers. The worst part of the tale remains to be told;
+namely, that many widows and orphans, whose all was invested in bank
+shares, were utterly ruined and reduced to destitution by the failures
+alluded to.</p>
+
+<p>I come now to the second main cause of Australian distress, viz. the
+speculation-mania that took possession of the entire population of this
+fine Colony. No one who did not witness the effects of this mania, can
+imagine to what an extent it was carried. Scarcely a day passed without
+one or more public auctions of stock of all descriptions; and not a sale
+took place, that was not crowded with eager purchasers. Many large
+stock-holders took advantage of the high prices obtained at those sales,
+to sell off, in the delusive hope that they would in this way be enabled
+to retire from active life, and perhaps to return to their native
+country. The terms offered at those public sales, were such as to induce
+many persons who never even dreamed of sheep or cattle farming, to enter
+the market and purchase to a large extent. These terms were, in general,
+something like the following:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="indent">
+<p>Ten per cent, on the fall of the hammer;</p>
+
+<p>Thirty per cent, by bill at twelve months;</p>
+
+<p>Thirty per cent, by bill at two years;</p>
+
+<p>Thirty per cent, by bill at three years: these bills bearing interest at
+ten per cent, per annum.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>I have seen tens of thousands of sheep and cattle sold in this way, many
+of the buyers being men who had never even seen one of the animals they
+were bidding for, and who knew literally nothing about the management of
+flocks and herds; being tempted to make the purchase by the long credit
+given. But, strange to say, many old settlers were led, with their eyes
+open, into extensive purchases at most exorbitant rates, thinking that
+nothing could check the career of splendid prosperity upon which the
+Colony was then supposed to have entered. How dearly those parties have
+paid for their folly, the world generally, and their creditors in
+particular, well know. Besides the numerous public sales of stock all
+over the Colony, and the large amount of property that changed hands on
+those occasions, many important private sales took place about the same
+time. There was not a sheep, cow, or horse in the Colony, too old or too
+bad to find a purchaser! Any thing would sell, provided only that <i>time</i>
+was given to find the money. Nothing could exceed the madness of the
+people, buying, selling, and exchanging accommodation-paper from end to
+end of the land. Then came the land-jobbers, a set of sharks who did
+great harm. It was a common practice with those jobbers, or rather
+robbers, to apply to the Surveyor-General's department, to have lots of
+land put up for sale, which they were aware that certain landed
+proprietors could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> never allow to fall into the hands of strangers, and
+then to go to the party whose estate the sale of the land in question
+would injure, and demand a bribe to stop their bidding against him. If
+this quietus was refused, these scamps would attend the sale, and bid
+the land up to some exorbitant price, knowing that their victim must be
+the buyer. Land once advertised by Government must be put up to auction;
+and the jobber's victim was obliged either to purchase, or to run the
+risk of having a stranger sit down as the proprietor of a few hundred
+acres in the midst of his thousands. Another class of scamps used to
+attend land-sales, who would conspire to keep down the prices of lots
+they wanted, by not bidding against each other, and by playing various
+other tricks, to the detriment of the revenue. The Attorney-General got
+hold of half a dozen of those gentry in 1839, and prosecuted them for
+conspiracy. He obtained a verdict of guilty against them, but assented
+to their petition for a new trial. Again they were convicted, and they
+were fined a hundred pounds each; the Court telling them, that the
+penalty would have been much heavier, had not the judge taken into
+consideration their humble petition for mercy, and the heavy expenses
+they had incurred in standing two trials.</p>
+
+<p>This system of selling by auction and by private sale, large herds of
+cattle and flocks of sheep at high prices, went on till some of the
+twelve-month's paper<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> became due. Cash not being then forthcoming,
+renewals were asked for in many instances, which somewhat damped the
+ardour of speculation; but the wild career did not receive any very
+serious check, till the two-years' paper began to come into play. Very
+little cash could be got from the drawers, who were, in many cases,
+obliged to bring a large portion of their stock to the hammer, in order
+to meet their acceptances for thirty per cent, of the purchase money.
+This alarmed people. The price of stock began to fall; and, long before
+the three-years' paper became due, ewes that had cost the buyers 3<i>l.</i>
+per head, could be got for 7<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i></p>
+
+<p>Thus, many a poor fellow, after labouring hard for three years to keep
+his flocks and their increase together, had to part with the whole, and
+still had not enough wherewith to satisfy his original creditors.
+Hundreds of instances of this kind might be specified, did I feel at
+liberty to publish names.</p>
+
+<p>As to the operation of the third main cause of the distress, the system
+that obtained, of giving long credit to purchasers of stock, the evils
+arising from this practice have been partly exposed in the foregoing
+remarks; but I will proceed to point out a few other evil consequences,
+as they occur to me. To begin with one that more than once came under my
+own notice; many persons of property, trusting to the long prices
+obtainable for stock of every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> description when sold on credit, and
+forgetting that there was absolutely no <i>cash price</i> at the time, deemed
+themselves much richer men than they were in reality. Giving to their
+overseers the charge of their country residences, they took and
+furnished houses in Sydney for their families, set up their carriages,
+and commenced a style of living far beyond their means. This fact (the
+want of cash) came upon them the moment the first half-year's bills for
+rent, household supplies, &amp;c., became due: these proved to the deluded
+settler, that, though he had flocks and herds, he had no money, nor
+could any be got, except at a sacrifice. To a man, they had to sell off
+and return to their estates, where dire necessity has since compelled
+them to remain, and where, I hope, renewed prosperity and common sense
+will induce them to stay.</p>
+
+<p>Another evil caused by the long-credit system, was its inducing many
+persons to purchase stock for the purpose of raising money upon it. This
+practice was carried to a ruinous extent, and caused immense distress in
+this way. A hundred head of cattle might be parted with to day, by a
+needy settler, say, at 3<i>l.</i> per head, six months' credit; the seller
+took the buyer's note of hand for the purchase money, 300<i>l.</i>, which was
+immediately taken to the bank, and discounted; and the settler returned
+to his farm, satisfied that he had made a good sale of his beasts. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+buyer, having no use for the cattle, re-sold them, taking the second
+buyer's note for the money, which, like that of the first, went at once
+to the bank. This transaction was frequently repeated six or eight
+times, before the cattle found a <i>bon&acirc; fide</i> purchaser; and it was no
+uncommon thing, to find paper in the market to the amount of 1800<i>l.</i> or
+2000<i>l.</i>, the only representative for which was the hundred head of
+cattle originally sold by the settler; the whole of the parties
+concerned being, with the exception of the first seller and the last
+buyer, mere men of straw. When the six months expired, not a single bill
+of the six or eight negotiated, was taken up, excepting, perhaps, the
+last one: all the others had to be renewed; and it was the forcing the
+payment of such bills, that ruined so many people, and ultimately shook
+the credit of every bank in Australia.</p>
+
+<p>The credit system also led many mercantile men into speculations which
+they never would have entered into under a wholesome system of trade.
+From these many serious losses resulted, which have led to ruinous
+failures. Any man with a hundred pounds in his pocket, could get credit
+for a thousand; and numbers of adventurers of all descriptions, taking
+advantage of the times, opened stylish shops well-filled with goods
+bought on credit, carried on a flourishing trade till within a few days
+of their bills falling due, and then decamped, leaving their
+unfortunate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> and silly creditors to get paid from the wreck of the stock
+left in the shop. I knew an auctioneer who played this nefarious trick,
+leaving his creditors <i>minus</i> the enormous sum of 70,000<i>l.</i> He did not,
+however, long retain his ill-gotten wealth: how he got rid of it, I do
+not know; but I found him two years ago in Singapore, where he kept a
+small grog-shop, and lived in great wretchedness; and I have since met
+with him knocking about the streets of Macao, a disgrace to his country
+in a foreign settlement. The credit system ruined two thirds of the
+respectable auctioneers in Sydney, and upset the Australian Auction
+Company, absorbing every shilling of its paid-up capital.</p>
+
+<p>In addition to the evils inflicted on this Colony by these main causes,
+great losses were sustained by settlers through their becoming shippers
+of their own wool. At the time I speak of, wool was worth, in Sydney,
+from 2<i>s.</i> 1<i>d.</i> to 2<i>s.</i> 2<i>d.</i> per pound, and, in England, some 6<i>d.</i>
+or 8<i>d.</i> more. These high rates would not satisfy some settlers, who
+foolishly took an advance upon their clips, letting them go home on
+their own account, and at the risk of the agents of the parties who
+advanced the money in Sydney. In the meantime, wool fell in the English
+markets to 1<i>s.</i> and 15<i>d.</i> per pound. The nett proceeds of the shipment
+did not nearly cover the advance made; and the hapless shipper, already
+in debt to his agent for supplies, and without a penny of cash at his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
+command, was called upon to make good the difference, which he was
+unable to do. His agent, pressed by others, must press him; his flocks
+are brought to the hammer, and sold at the now ruinous current prices;
+and he becomes a bankrupt. Dozens of cases like this, occurred during
+the late wretched times.</p>
+
+<p>I come now to the consideration of the bad seasons of 1838-39 and
+1839-40. While I maintain that they were far from being the sole, or
+even the chief cause of distress, I allow that they added to it very
+materially. To shew that they were not the sole cause, I may mention,
+that, among my own personal friends in the Colony, not one who avoided
+speculation and putting his name on paper, has failed; while those who
+followed the stream have sunk, every one of them. During those years,
+every thing the unfortunate grazier had to sell, was cheap beyond all
+precedent; while every article he was compelled to purchase, was very
+dear. Tea, owing to the China war, rose from 5<i>l.</i> to 15<i>l.</i> per
+half-<i>pecul</i> chest of hyson skin. Flour of the very coarsest description
+could not be had under from 30<i>l.</i> to 35<i>l.</i> per ton of two thousand
+pounds weight,&mdash;a colonial cheat, calling two thousand pounds a ton!
+Sugar and other necessaries were equally high; and many a poor settler
+who had never refused his hard-worked servants their tea, sugar, and
+tobacco, was compelled to stop those indulgences.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>To the working-classes in Sydney and other towns, the bad seasons were
+ruinous. Provisions were so dear, that many a father of a family found
+his earnings far from sufficient to provide food for his wife and
+children. Building was almost entirely put a stop to; and thus, hundreds
+of industrious men were thrown out of employment. To so serious an
+extent did this distress reach, that Government was called upon to
+afford pecuniary relief to the starving poor; a circumstance altogether
+unprecedented in Australian history.</p>
+
+<p>So low had these evils sunk the Colony and all its inhabitants, that
+failures of merchants and settlers continued to be of almost daily
+occurrence up to the end of the year 1843. No one durst push his
+neighbour for payment of debt: were such a thing attempted, an immediate
+surrender of his affairs to the official trustee of the Insolvent Court,
+was the consequence. Several of the first and oldest merchants in the
+Colony have sunk under the long-continued pressure; and, at the date of
+the last accounts, more failures were looked for. These, however, were
+expected as the result of old causes, not of new or recent transactions.</p>
+
+<p>Upon the whole, I am disposed to think, that Australia has seen its
+darkest day, and that things are likely soon to improve, if, indeed,
+they have not already mended. The price of stock was looking<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> up; and
+ewes that had actually been sold as low as 9<i>d.</i> each, were worth 7<i>s.</i>
+6<i>d.</i> Men of capital lately arrived from England with ready money, had
+commenced purchasing land and stock; and their operations had given an
+impetus to affairs in general, that could not fail to be beneficial.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII.<br />
+<small>NEW SOUTH WALES.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY STILL EXISTING&mdash;&#8203;HINTS TO
+THE COLONISTS&mdash;&#8203;FUTURE PROSPECTS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the terrible shock from which Australia has been
+suffering ever since 1839, I still retain a high opinion of the Colony
+as an advantageous field for the employment of the spare capital of the
+mother country. The elements of prosperity still exist, and require only
+a little nursing in order to effect its recovery from the recent
+depression. The emigrant with a capital of three or four thousand
+pounds, must not, indeed, expect to make a fortune in a few years; but
+he may with perfect confidence look to make himself an independent man,
+at a much more rapid rate than he could by means of double that sum in
+England. If he is prudent, nurses his capital, sticks to his business as
+a settler, avoids <i>tempting</i> bargains of things he has no use for, and,
+above all, refrains from obliging his neighbours with the occasional
+loan of his name to a bill, I see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> not what can by possibility prevent
+his succeeding in such a country, even allowing that every third season
+should prove one of drought. To the industrious farmer with a small
+capital of 500<i>l.</i> or 1000<i>l.</i>, New South Wales offers a fine field: he
+can obtain a hundred acres of the finest arable land in the world on a
+clearing-lease, with two years free for the clearing, and three or five
+years more on a moderate rent. A capital even of 500<i>l.</i> will enable him
+to fence his land, build himself a <i>bush</i>-house and out-offices, and
+maintain his family for two years; by which time it will be hard indeed,
+if he has not land enough under crop to return him something handsome. I
+have known many settlers of this kind thrive, and many others "go to the
+wall:" the former had a small capital to start with, while the latter
+commenced upon credit for the very bread required for their families; a
+plan I never knew to succeed.</p>
+
+<p>Let but the settler stick to his business; the merchant be content with
+smaller profits than used to satisfy him, and cease giving long credit
+to all and everybody; let the banker be less grasping, and not quite so
+hard a creditor when he finds one of his customers in difficulties or
+reverses; let every one avoid speculations out of his strict line of
+business, and beware of accommodation-paper; and let the lower and
+middle classes avoid the public-house; and there is nothing to fear for
+Australia. It has<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> had a severe lesson administered to it, that ought to
+be a warning to all its inhabitants for the future. I have no hesitation
+in saying, that nine-tenths of the evils from which the Colonists have
+suffered of late, have arisen from their own imprudence, and that these
+may be avoided in future by common caution, in spite of dry seasons and
+occasional failures of crops.</p>
+
+<p>Now that colonization is extending up the coast from Sydney northwards,
+and the inhabited parts of the Colony already approach the tropic of
+Capricorn, New South Wales ought, in a few years, to be a rice and
+sugar-growing country. The soil on the banks of the rivers in the
+neighbourhood of Moreton Bay, is, from all accounts, equal to any thing
+hitherto known in the Colony; and the climate is very highly spoken of.
+Should the winter there prove too long or too severe for sugar-growing,
+(I do not see why it should be so,) parties anxious to try the culture
+of the cane as a means of making money, must in that case just move a
+little further north. There is an extensive field to explore, before
+they reach Torres' Straits.</p>
+
+<p>That New South Wales will become an extensive wine-growing country, I
+conceive there is no room to doubt. Its vineyards are magnificent, in
+every sense of the word. I have visited several of them, and was struck
+with the abundance and variety of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> their produce. Two proprietors of my
+acquaintance have been for years in the practice of making wine of
+different sorts, but principally of the lighter kinds resembling the
+Rhenish. I can vouch for their being very palatable, particularly during
+the summer months. One of the gentlemen alluded to has also made very
+good port wine and brandy.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest drawback on the commerce of New South Wales, is the
+deficiency of exports, the balance of trade being greatly against the
+Colony. Its wool and oil are what merchants have hitherto principally
+depended upon, though other exports are now coming into play; viz.
+cedar-timber, hides, tallow, and salt provisions. Still, I do not think
+that, even with these additions, the merchants of the Colony can manage
+to make their exports equal in value to their imports; and were it not
+for the very considerable sums drawn for on the Home Government, by the
+military department, for the pay and provisions of the troops, necessity
+would compel the merchants of England to reduce their shipments to
+Australia. The great fall in the price of the principal colonial staple,
+wool, has added very materially to the difficulties arising out of this
+state of affairs, by reducing the value of remittances made in that
+article to one half of what it used to be. The quantity of wool
+increases, it is true, from year to year, but not to such an extent as
+to counterbalance the fall in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> price; and it must be borne in mind,
+that, as fast as the wool increases, so does the population, and
+consequently the amount of imports in the shape of supplies, which have
+all to be remitted for. Since the opening of the coast of China to the
+commerce of the world, (the result of our late struggle with that
+country,&mdash;a struggle so much condemned by those who were ignorant of the
+merits of the case,) the merchants of Sydney seem to have entertained
+the idea, that their trade will benefit by the change. No one would
+rejoice more than myself at their anticipations proving correct; but I
+confess my judgment differs from theirs; and if we may judge by the
+result of their trial shipments, which arrived prior to my leaving
+China, it is to be feared they will find, to their cost, that they have
+reckoned without their host. The Sydney merchants, from what I have
+heard, expect to find in China a market for horses, cattle, and sheep,
+coarse woollens, wine, and salt provisions. The first three have been
+tried, and the experiment has proved an utter failure: the horses were
+sent to Calcutta, not a purchaser being found for one of them in Hong
+Kong. Cattle are out of the question: they cannot be transported five
+thousand miles to undersell the Chinese butcher, who gives fifteen
+pounds of good beef for a dollar&mdash;about 3<span class="frac"><sup>1</sup>&#8260;<sub>2</sub></span><i>d.</i> per pound. This price, the
+Sydney speculator cannot compete with, particularly as his beasts would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>
+certainly land in poor condition after so long a voyage, and either put
+him to the expense of fattening them, or compel him to sell at the low
+price of lean cattle. Sheep have also been tried by several
+ship-masters, and did not answer: the last lot that came, were
+slaughtered and sold in the market, the only way in which they could be
+got rid of, and which would not answer the purpose of a large importer.
+For coarse woollens, a market may certainly be found in China; but
+whether a profitable one, or not, to the Australian manufacturer, is, in
+my opinion, somewhat doubtful. Labour is so much cheaper in Britain than
+it is in Australia, that, I fear, the Sydney manufacturer would have but
+a poor chance, when his goods came into competition with those of
+Manchester, either in the Chinese or in any other market. Whatever kinds
+of goods may be required on the coast of China, will soon be supplied
+from Manchester and Glasgow at the lowest possible figure, the object of
+the manufacturers of those places being, I presume, a large trade with
+moderate profits; so moderate, indeed, as to leave the Sydney
+manufacturer no chance of competing with the means at the command of the
+British manufacturer. Australian wool, like Indian cotton, may be taken
+to England, be manufactured there, and sent out and sold in China, or
+anywhere else, for less money than it would cost the Sydney capitalist
+to produce the manufactured article. As<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> to wine, it will be a long time
+before New South Wales has much to export; and the limited European
+population of China will not consume a sufficient quantity to be of
+importance to the Australian vine-grower. The Chinese cannot be counted
+upon as purchasers: they are not wine-drinkers, generally speaking; and
+the little they do consume, is manufactured to suit their own palates,
+in China.</p>
+
+<p>For salt provisions, there is a considerable demand in China, among the
+European shipping that visit its ports: they must, however, be cheaper
+in Sydney than they were in my time, to answer the purpose of even a
+remittance. The Americans bring to China excellent beef and pork, which
+they sell at ten and twelve dollars (about 42<i>s.</i> to 54<i>s.</i>) per barrel
+of two hundred pounds weight. If these prices will remunerate the Sydney
+shipper, he may try his luck as soon as he likes; but he must not send
+an inferior article: if he does, he will sink his capital. Cedar-timber
+has been tried recently, and has answered very well to a small extent:
+this, however, will last only till the town of Victoria on the island of
+Hong-Kong is completely built.</p>
+
+<p>By every fresh outlet for surplus stock that can be pointed out to the
+Australian grazier, we shall be rendering him a substantial service. Sir
+Robert Peel's new tariff will enable him to dispose of many a spare fat
+bullock. Of this opening he has already<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> taken advantage, by sending
+trial shipments of salt beef to England.</p>
+
+<p>It appears to me, that the imports and exports of Australia ought to be
+much nearer a balance than they are. To bring about this desirable state
+of things, it will be requisite to reduce the amount of the imports,
+which may be effected by giving up the importation of hams, bacon,
+cheese, butter, tobacco, and, in a great measure, grain. To see a
+pastoral country like New South Wales importing butter and cheese, is an
+anomaly, and only proves the waste and carelessness of the owners of
+herds numerous enough to supply all Europe with dairy produce. The
+importation of hams and bacon is another absurdity and evidence of
+wasteful husbandry. I have seen fruit, barn-sweepings, butter-milk,
+bran, &amp;c. &amp;c. wasted about a farm in Australia, in quantities sufficient
+to feed and fatten a hundred pigs, which would have kept the
+establishment in meat for half the year. Indeed, it is a common saying
+in the Colony, that the waste on one of its farms, would make an English
+farmer's fortune. These may seem minor articles, but vast sums of money
+are annually paid for them to London dealers. Besides these, are
+imported, pickles, preserved fruits, sweetmeats, shoes, clothing, and a
+thousand other articles, every one of which might be as well and as
+economically made in the Colony, thereby saving thousands per annum.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> A
+coat or other article of dress can be made in Sydney as well and as
+cheap as in London; and though the cloth must be obtained from England,
+there is no reason that the London tailor should benefit by the making,
+when the Sydney one is in want of work, and is willing to work as cheap
+as his London brother. Employing colonial workmen would keep vast sums
+of money in the country, that now go out of it.</p>
+
+<p>Tobacco and snuff ought never to be imported, the Colony being quite
+equal to producing more than sufficient for its own consumption. The
+quality of colonial tobacco used to be complained of; but that objection
+no longer exists. Moreover, people who cannot complete their remittances
+for necessaries, have no right to be nice in their choice of luxuries. I
+am confident that I am within the mark, when I say, that 50,000<i>l.</i>
+sterling per annum are paid to Americans and others who import snuff and
+tobacco! This is a sum assuredly worth saving, and which the Colonists
+could easily save, by encouraging the growth and consumption of their
+own produce.</p>
+
+<p>After what I have written upon the subject of Australian agriculture, I
+may be thought to be making a bold assertion in saying, that the
+necessity for the importation of grain might, in a great measure, be
+done away with in Australia. Nevertheless, such is my opinion; and I
+will proceed to give my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> reasons. In the first place, there is a great
+waste of wheat, as well as of every thing else, on every farm in the
+Colony. There is no gleaning; and what with the bad and careless
+threshing and the ill-thatched and worse-built stacks, which admit the
+rain, whereby thousands of bushels of wheat are destroyed, the waste is
+beyond any one's conception who has not actually witnessed it. In the
+second place, there is not nearly so much wheat grown in Australia as
+there might and ought to be. A simple process of irrigation, such as the
+Chinese or the Javanese, the machinery for which would not cost 5<i>l.</i>,
+and would employ only two men when in operation, applied to the
+wheat-fields in dry seasons once a month, would save many a crop. All,
+or nearly all the wheat in the Colony, is grown on the banks of rivers,
+which, though they cease to flow in a season of drought, have always
+water in the deep parts of the channel or "water-holes." It requires no
+argument to prove, that irrigation, in such situations, is a very simple
+matter. Two Javanese, by means of a long lever attached to a tall tree
+on the bank of a river, with a large bucket and string at one end, and a
+string to hoist up by at the other end, will keep a small stream of
+water running over and fertilizing the neighbouring paddy-fields all day
+long, without fatiguing themselves. The Chinese water-wheel is also a
+simple and cheap contrivance, and would throw<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> up water enough, in two
+hours, to irrigate, or even to inundate a tobacco or wheat-field. All
+that is wanted, besides the labour of two men, is a series of wooden
+troughs to convey the water from the river bank to the highest part of
+the field, whence it is easily guided over the other parts. A little
+attention to irrigation might, in my humble opinion, very soon make New
+South Wales independent of imported wheat.</p>
+
+<p>Another means of doing away with the importation of grain and flour, may
+be found in paying more attention to the cultivation of maize. Large
+quantities of it are grown at present, but they might easily be
+doubled.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> And here, irrigation would answer splendidly, the drills
+forming such convenient water-courses. Large as is the quantity of maize
+grown in Australia, it is not used as food for man;&mdash;why, I know not,
+but such is the fact;&mdash;and I have known a convict turn up his nose when
+offered corn-meal.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> Every one knows how extensively this article is used
+in America, and how wholesome a food it is. Were the Australian farmers
+firmly and unanimously to determine upon making their dependents take at
+least half their weekly allowance in maize-meal, in place of wheaten
+flour, the latter would soon become fond of it. There would then be an
+inducement to extend its cultivation; and the large sums of money
+annually remitted to Van Diemen's Land, Valparaiso, and Bengal, for
+wheat, would very shortly be reduced to a small cipher.</p>
+
+<p>To urge this most desirable object any further upon the Colonists of New
+South Wales, would be to insult their good sense. I will only express a
+wish that they may at once adopt measures to equalize their imports and
+exports, and that the few hints here thrown out to them, may be of use.</p>
+
+<p>The supply of tea and sugar to the Australian Colonies, has, on the
+whole, been a profitable trade to the parties engaged in it; but it has,
+of late, been overdone. The quality of the tea and sugar now sent to
+Sydney, is far superior to what it used to be; and the coarser sorts of
+both are going out of use; a clear proof that the population are
+improving in respectability. Formerly, nothing in the shape of either
+article was too bad to send out to Australia. Things have changed,
+however, and several speculators have been serious losers within the
+last three years, by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> sending goods that would have suited admirably six
+years ago. When I first went into the Bush, you might visit a dozen of
+the most respectable houses without being able to get any thing better
+than the most common hyson-skin tea and very dark moist sugar. A cup or
+two of the liquid made from these, would poison an old Indian; and I
+never ventured to drink it. A friend of mine, who absolutely dreaded
+being compelled to drink this stuff, used always to carry a paper of
+good black tea in his pocket, whenever he left his own house. He was in
+the right, though often laughed at. Mauritius sugar used to be the
+favourite at the time I speak of; but now, Manilla, Singapore, and
+Batavia are looked to for the supply of a better and cheaper article.
+From Manilla the Colonists import small supplies of coffee, chocolate,
+reed hats, and cheroots. Singapore and Batavia send them, in addition to
+sugar, quantities of rice, spices, Dutch gin, tea brought thither by
+Chinese junks, planks, &amp;c. &amp;c. Singapore sends also a ship or two
+annually to South Australia, Port Philip, and Van Diemen's Land.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> I do not mean to say, that irrigating an acre of wheat or
+maize would double the yield of grain, but that double the number of
+acres now under the plough would in a few years, after the irrigating
+system had been fairly tried and found to answer, be brought under
+cultivation. In the neighbourhood of Bathurst, and in many other parts
+of the Colony where rain is very uncertain, there are thousands of acres
+of alluvial land lying waste, which, upon my plan, would yield tens of
+thousands of bushels of wheat and maize.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV.<br />
+<small>NEW SOUTH WALES.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+CLASSES OF SOCIETY IN SYDNEY&mdash;&#8203;DISAPPOINTMENT OF
+EMIGRANTS&mdash;&#8203;CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH AND BRITISH
+EMIGRANTS&mdash;&#8203;AVAILABLENESS OF CHINESE
+LABOURERS&mdash;&#8203;AUSTRALIAN COAL MONOPOLY&mdash;&#8203;TORRES'
+STRAITS THE BEST PASSAGE FOR STEAMERS&mdash;&#8203;BOTANY
+BAY&mdash;&#8203;PASSAGE FROM SYDNEY TO BATAVIA.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>To obtain admission to good society in Sydney, when my family first
+arrived there, was no easy matter. Not that there was any lack of it in
+the place, but the residents were, very properly, shy of strangers,
+unless provided with testimonials as to their respectability.
+Fortunately for us, a kind friend in Singapore, who had been in New
+South Wales, and knew the value of the favour he was conferring,
+supplied us with a whole packet of introductory letters to the first
+families in the place; while we were further aided in the matter by my
+old friend, Thos. Macquoid, Esq., then Sheriff of the Colony. In a place
+like Sydney, where society is formed of such varied and extraordinary
+materials<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> suspicion of strangers, on the part of the really respectable
+portion of the community, is natural enough; and those who have not been
+sufficiently wary in this respect, have had cause to regret their want
+of caution. The tide of emigration is now bringing numerous highly
+respectable families to Australia, as well as thousands of hard-working,
+honest labourers, while the importation of felons has ceased. This state
+of things will, in time, do away with the necessity for such extreme
+caution and mistrust. It will, however, take a number of years to clear
+the Colony of the half-reformed villain who still hankers after his old
+ways,&mdash;of the <i>emancipist</i>, whom the law looks upon as a reformed
+character, but whom experience has taught the world to look upon with a
+very different eye,&mdash;and of the convicts for life, who still amount to
+thousands. Until the Colony is pretty well weeded of such characters,
+society will not, and cannot, dismiss the suspicion with which it is now
+rendered necessary, by circumstances, to regard the unintroduced
+stranger.</p>
+
+<p>I found no lack of agreeable society, both male and female, in any part
+of New South Wales that I visited. In many instances, the conversation
+certainly turned rather too much upon sheep and cattle; but this ought
+to be excused, where ninety-nine hundredths earn their daily bread by
+means of those animals. In Sydney, we found the dinner and evening
+parties<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> highly agreeable, and composed of elegant, accomplished, and
+intelligent persons of both sexes. What more can be said of any
+community? During the government of Sir Richard Bourke, an attempt was
+made by him to introduce into his own parties some emancipist families;
+and on one occasion, the grand-daughter of a late Sydney hangman
+actually made her appearance at a ball at Government-house. This fact
+being found out by the heads of families present, a representation was
+made to His Excellency through his aide-de-camp, and, after some show of
+opposition on the part of the Governor, a stop was put to it. I do not
+mean to say that, among the class called emancipists, consisting of
+persons who have been convicts, there may not be found men and women who
+have become thoroughly reformed and fit to adorn society. This, however,
+is the exception, not the rule. A large majority of the class in
+question are quite unfit for any company but that of a low pot-house.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the most stylish equipages in Sydney are the property of men who
+came to the Colony with fetters on their legs. In them may be seen, any
+and every day, gayly-dressed women, driving about the town, shopping and
+lounging away their idle mornings. Whether they are the wives,
+daughters, or mistresses of the owners of the carriages, it is difficult
+to tell; but the conclusion that every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> second one contains a mistress,
+would not be far from the truth. Such is the society the unwary stranger
+sometimes falls into, before he knows what he is about; nor does he
+become fully aware of the evil consequences of his imprudence, till he
+finds out with whom he has been associating, and that all access to the
+really respectable society of the place is closed against him. It is
+quite as requisite for a stranger arriving in Sydney to be on his guard
+as to his associates, as it is for residents to be careful whom they may
+admit into their families.</p>
+
+<p>There are many wealthy families in and near Sydney, whose heads came as
+convicts to the Colony. The days when such men could make rapid
+fortunes, are gone by; and the convict who looks for any thing of the
+kind now-a-days, will find himself wofully mistaken. There are too many
+respectable tradesmen in Sydney for ex-felons to have much chance; and
+the time when a shopkeeper would not condescend to take a piece of cloth
+off his shelf to satisfy a customer, but would point to a lot with his
+stick, and ask, "Which will you have?" has also gone by. Every attention
+is now shewn to customers by Sydney shopkeepers, some of whom are not a
+whit behind their London brethren in the art of recommending their
+wares.</p>
+
+<p>New South Wales had been for many years a British Colony, before any
+Israelites found their way<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> thither as <i>free</i> men; and I have heard, that
+it was the return of a Jewish convict with well-lined pockets, that
+first attracted their attention to his place of exile. Be this as it
+may, there are more Jews than enough in Sydney now; they are to be found
+in every quarter of the town; and certainly, they keep up their ancient
+character for perseverance in search of their idol, money. I do not
+think, however, that I ever came across a Jewish settler: why they seem
+to avoid that occupation, I know not.</p>
+
+<p>It is common, in Australia, to hear persons talk of the Colony as their
+adopted country, and so forth. No faith ought to be put in these
+declarations; nor do I believe there is a family in the Colony, who do
+not entertain some hope of once more seeing their native land. During
+the time that high prices were obtainable for stock, hundreds of
+settlers who were wont to talk of their adopted country, used every
+exertion to realize their property in order to return to England. Many
+succeeded, and actually left the Colony, rejoicing in the idea of once
+more planting their foot on British ground. The exceptions to this
+general rule, are to be found in the emancipist class; in the persons of
+notorious scamps who could not shew their face in respectable society in
+England, and who have sense enough to know that they are better off in
+the southern, than, by any chance, they could be in the northern
+hemisphere.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>From extensive experience, I am convinced, that a very large majority of
+emigrants are lamentably disappointed on reaching the shores of
+Australia. Not that I think they have cause for half the complaints they
+make; but they have received, before leaving home, such flattering
+representations of the good fortune that is in store for them, that
+their expectations are raised to a pitch far beyond the probable, and
+disappointment is the natural consequence. The tales told them prior to
+their embarkation, render them difficult to please on their arrival;
+they demand exorbitant wages, and more rations than they could possibly
+consume without waste; and the consequence of this is, that many of them
+remain weeks and months in Sydney, out of employment, living upon the
+little money brought from home, although, in the meantime, eligible
+offers may have been made them. This stay in Sydney not only empties the
+emigrant's pocket, but breeds idle habits, leading him to the
+public-house, where his last penny is soon extracted from him. Then
+comes want, with all the horrors of a starving wife and family; grown-up
+daughters are driven to prostitution; and the emigrant himself is
+ultimately compelled to accept any offer made him in his degraded state.
+This is no overdrawn or rare picture, as any one acquainted with the
+subject can testify. Emigrants that come to the Colony in what are
+called<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> Government ships, and who are brought out at the public expense,
+are provided for on their arrival, till employment offers for them; but,
+the moment they are known to have refused a fair offer, Government aid
+ceases. Even that circumstance, however, has little or no effect upon
+the more stubborn of them, who abate or yield in their demands only when
+compelled by necessity. Many emigrants, from their fondness for a town
+life, refuse good offers of employment in the country. Great evils arise
+from this: one is, that it frequently happens, that Sydney is overrun
+with idle labourers in search of employment, while the settlers in the
+country are all crying out for help. To such a height had this evil
+risen, and to such distress were numbers of infatuated men reduced by
+remaining idle in town, that Government was recently applied to for its
+interference, and actually paid the expense of sending hundreds of men
+into the country, where they got immediate employment, which they might
+have had many months before, had they been reasonable in their demands.</p>
+
+<p>It is remarked all over the Colony, that the emigrants generally are
+very difficult to satisfy in the matter of rations; and that the man who
+had been the worst fed at home, was the most difficult to please abroad.
+An Irishman is generally found the chief grumbler here; a Scotchman
+ranks second; while an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> English peasant, who has all his life fared
+better than either, is found, in Australia, to be most easily satisfied.
+I do not attempt to explain or account for this; I have, however, not
+only frequently observed it, but have heard my neighbours make the same
+remark. I hired an Irish labourer and his wife, to whom I gave the
+following pay and rations:&mdash;22<i>l.</i> a year to the man; 12<i>l.</i> a year to
+his wife; weekly between the two, 14 lbs. of beef, 20 lbs. of flour, 3
+lbs. of sugar, 6 oz. of tea, and 4 oz. of tobacco. With this allowance,
+for half of which thousands of families in England would be thankful,
+the couple were not satisfied, and actually complained that they had not
+enough to eat. It was summer time when they came to my farm; and they
+were warned, that the blow-flies would destroy their meat, if it was not
+covered up: they were too lazy, however, to take the slightest care of
+it; and, as I saw their second week's allowance lying on a table the day
+after it was served out, covered with a mass of blow-flies, I took them
+severely to task for their wanton waste and neglect. But it was of no
+avail. And this couple had lived upon potatoes and butter-milk all their
+lives! It is but just to add, that, on mentioning to a major in an Irish
+regiment, whom I subsequently met in China, the difficulty usually found
+in satisfying his countrymen in New South Wales, he expressed his
+astonishment, and remarked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> that the reverse was generally found to be
+the case with Irishmen in the army.</p>
+
+<p>Several ships with emigrants from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
+arrived at Sydney during the years 1838 and 1839. These people were, in
+general, unwilling to accept of employment in any shape, but preferred
+taking clearing-leases of small patches of land on their own account.
+This plan, many of them succeeded in carrying into execution, much to
+the disappointment and annoyance of the community at whose expense they
+had been brought to the Colony; and it was reasonably complained, that
+these men, in place of supplying the labour-market, as was intended,
+actually created an increased demand for labour, by requiring aid in
+their own operations before the first twelvemonth had passed over them.
+Be this as it may, they are a hard-working, industrious set of men; and
+whether their plans raise or depress wages, they have added materially
+to the quantity of grain grown in the colony.</p>
+
+<p>Now that we have a footing in China, I would draw the attention of the
+inhabitants of New South Wales to Hong Kong for an unlimited supply of
+cheap labour. There, by means of an agent on the spot, they may procure
+thousands of able-bodied labourers, who will go to Australia for five
+dollars (22<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i>) per month, with their food. This rate of pay is
+much lower than what is paid to European<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> labourers; and the ration of
+rice for the China-man might be procured from Java, Bally, or Lombak,
+and laid down in Sydney at (or under) three halfpence per pound; which
+is as cheap as No. 3 flour in the most abundant seasons, and much
+cheaper than that article usually is. For field-work, the China-man is
+fully equal to the European labourer. I speak advisedly, having tried
+them together, side by side, for months at a time. In a recent Singapore
+paper I find it stated, that the Home Authorities have authorised an
+agent to treat for the transmission of Chinese labourers from the
+Straits' settlements to the West Indies; and, from my knowledge of those
+places, I have no doubt that thousands of men will be induced to avail
+themselves of this new market for their labour. Had New South Wales the
+same permission from Government, she might be equally, and probably more
+successful, because China-men always prefer emigrating to a country
+having frequent communication with their own. This advantage, New South
+Wales possesses over the West Indies, for as many as twenty or thirty
+vessels annually leave Sydney for China. There would be no difficulty in
+getting the Chinese labourer bound for five years, his pay to begin from
+the day he landed in Sydney, and his passage down to be paid by his
+employer. This last charge would add 30<i>s.</i> per annum to his wages; but
+even then, he would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> be the cheapest labourer within reach of the
+Australian farmer. Many gentlemen have turned their attention to Bengal
+for a supply of labour. The men procurable from that country, are not
+equal in physical strength to the China-men, nor are they to be had for
+lower pay. I had six Bengal Coolies in my employ in the Bush, and have
+no hesitation in saying, that three China-men would have done their
+work. The proper immigrant to obtain from Bengal, if the Colonists
+choose to apply to that part of the world, is the Pariah, the man of no
+caste, who will eat any thing, apply himself to any kind of work, even
+to the killing, curing, or eating a pig, and give far less trouble than
+any of the high-caste men. The best season for despatching ships with
+emigrants from China to New South Wales, is from November till February,
+both inclusive.</p>
+
+<p>A source of vast wealth will open to Australia on the expiration of the
+Agricultural Company's coal-monopoly. That body, on its establishment in
+the Colony, obtained the privilege of working coal for thirty years, to
+the exclusion of all others. The injustice of granting such a privilege
+to a Company who do not work more than one coal-mine, when there are
+literally thousands on the eastern coast of this Continent, is too
+obvious to require comment. Many landed proprietors who have rich veins
+of coal on their estates, are, under the present<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> regulation, actually
+compelled to purchase the Agricultural Company's coal for the use of
+their own kitchens. It may well be imagined, that the money is paid with
+a very bad grace. Up to the time I left Sydney, the only coal-pit in
+operation was one at Newcastle, at the mouth of the river Hunter. From
+this source, an abundant supply of very fair quality was obtained, for
+which, if I mistake not, 12<i>s.</i> per ton was demanded at the pit's mouth.
+The Company's coal waggons descend the hill from the pit, by an inclined
+plane, on iron rails, the descending waggon dragging up the empty one.
+At the foot of this inclined plane, a wharf or jetty runs a little way
+into the sea, so that vessels of four or five hundred tons burthen can
+haul alongside, and have their cargoes shot by waggon-loads down their
+hatches. All this is as it should be; and when forty or fifty such pits
+are in full work, Australia may expect to reap some benefit from her
+mineral riches. The importance of a never-failing supply of coal in
+these days of steam travelling, is too evident to require a single word
+of remark.</p>
+
+<p>Talking of steam puts me in mind of the anxiety felt in Australia to
+secure the advantage of the Indian Overland Mail, and of a plan for
+effecting their object which I have frequently thought of. On the
+arrival of the mail at Port Essington, from Singapore, why should it not
+be sent to Sydney in a steamer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> by sea, <i>vi&acirc;</i> Captain King's <i>inner
+passage</i> through Torres' Straits, instead of adopting the far more
+expensive and <i>uncertain</i> overland route formerly mentioned? This may
+seem a bold, and, to most people, an extraordinary suggestion; the plan
+is, however, in my opinion, practicable at all seasons of the year,
+though more particularly so during the fine or south-east monsoon. I
+have sailed through Torres' Straits, and would not hesitate a moment to
+undertake to carry a powerful steamer from Port Essington to Sydney,
+through the admirably surveyed channel just mentioned. During the
+south-east monsoon, from April till September, the wind would be against
+her; but she would have the benefit of moderate and clear weather, and
+find no difficulty in seeing and evading every danger. In the north-west
+monsoon, the steamer would have a fair wind, but hazy weather, with
+frequent squalls to contend against. The thick weather would undoubtedly
+be a disadvantage, as it would render objects less easily
+distinguishable; but then, the strong north-west winds and squalls would
+knock up a heavy sea, which would make the water break on every reef,
+thereby rendering them easily both seen and <i>heard</i> in the thickest
+weather. On the coast of Sumatra, I have heard the breakers seven miles
+off. Allowing that they can be heard half that distance, this would give
+a steamer plenty of time and space to keep clear of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> them. Running in
+the night would, of course, be out of the question in any season. It
+appears to me, that there is as much real danger in beating through the
+Palaware passage in November and December, which dozens of vessels do
+every year, as there possibly could be to a steamer in passing to and
+fro between Port Essington and Sydney, at any season of the year, by
+King's inner passage. The weather in the Palaware, during the months I
+have mentioned, is as thick and stormy as can well be imagined; and the
+reefs, shoals, and other perils of navigation are numerous enough. The
+best route for passengers proceeding to Australia from Suez, would be
+<i>vi&acirc;</i> Ceylon, whence a steamer would run down south-south-east to the
+fortieth parallel of south latitude in thirteen days, under steam: then
+she would get the prevailing strong westerly winds, which would take her
+under canvas to Hobart Town in ten or twelve days: let her stop two days
+there to take in coal and land passengers, and, in three days more, she
+would be in Sydney. By this route, the passenger for Sydney would find
+himself at his journey's end in sixty-three or sixty-five days from
+Southampton, while the mail <i>vi&acirc;</i> Marseilles would be of four days
+shorter date. I have my doubts, indeed, whether New South Wales is in a
+position to bear the expense of such a plan: it certainly could not be a
+profitable venture for years to come; and whether the Colonists<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> would
+be willing to be so much per annum out of pocket, in the meantime,
+remains to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>In describing Port Jackson, I omitted to notice the neighbouring
+harbour, called Botany Bay, originally discovered by Captain Cook, and
+subsequently abandoned for its rival. It is a noble and beautiful bay,
+entered through a gap in the cliff facing the Pacific. This being much
+wider than that leading into Port Jackson, and the heads not overlapping
+each other in the least, Botany Bay is exposed to the fury of the
+easterly gales, which renders it, during their prevalence, an unsafe
+harbour. From its great width, I was induced to suppose that this evil
+might be obviated by ships seeking shelter behind the heads; but, on
+inquiry, I learned, that the depth of water does not admit of this: the
+water is shallow all round the bay, which compels vessels to anchor a
+considerable distance from the shore, and leaves them exposed to the
+eastward. In short, as a harbour, it will not bear comparison with Port
+Jackson. The name of Botany Bay was given to it from the very great
+variety and beauty of the native flowers found on its shores. I am not
+botanist enough to describe these flowers, but I noticed them with
+surprise and admiration. I saw nothing else, however, to attract any one
+to the neighbourhood: the soil is wretchedly poor, principally covered
+with scrub, and, with the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> exception of a few spots in the hollows,
+utterly valueless to the farmer. A few half-starved cows only, belonging
+to Sydney families, and called the town herd, may be seen picking up the
+poor and scanty herbage. In this neighbourhood, the Sydney hounds meet,
+and occasionally amuse their proprietors, by chasing a miserable "native
+dog" to death. The only buildings of any interest on the shores of this
+bay, are, the monument built by the French Government to the memory of
+the unfortunate La Perouse, and a solitary mill on the banks of a little
+stream that runs into it from the westward. How this mill is employed in
+such a lonely place, where no cultivation is to be seen, I cannot
+imagine, but should not wonder if a few pounds' weight of tobacco and
+gallons of spirits found their way into the Colony hereabout, without
+benefiting the revenue.</p>
+
+<p>In April 1839, I left the shores of Australia, with my family, bound for
+Batavia and Singapore <i>vi&acirc;</i> Torres' Straits. We had a fine run up the
+coast, and made the celebrated Barrier Reef on the morning of the
+fourteenth day after leaving Sydney. We were fortunate in finding a
+magnificent entrance into the Straits, in latitude 12&deg; 18' South, and
+were fairly inside the barrier by nine <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small> This entrance, which is at
+least three miles wide, it is worth any ship's while to seek for: it may
+be known by two small<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> rocks on the south side, as you enter, resembling
+hay-cocks in shape and size: we saw them three miles off, and they were
+the only objects visible above water, on the portion of the Barrier
+within our view. From our entrance, we had a fine run, and found nothing
+to stop us for a minute (during daylight), till clear of Booby Island at
+the western end of the Straits, which we passed at 10 <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small> on the
+seventeenth day from Sydney.</p>
+
+<p>These celebrated Straits pick up and destroy some half a dozen ships
+annually, and are so much dreaded by underwriters, that they refuse to
+insure loaded vessels through them. From my own observation, and what I
+have heard from others who have passed through Torres' Straits on
+various occasions, it appears to me, that a great proportion of this
+loss of property arises from carelessness on the part of ship-masters.
+The current in the Pacific Ocean runs very strong to the north-west in
+the neighbourhood of the Barrier; and this current is often forgotten or
+not sufficiently allowed for by ship-masters the night before they
+expect to make the reef. At sun-down, the night before we made it, we
+were eighty miles from it; we went under easy sail all night, and, from
+the distance <i>logged</i> during the night, expected to make the reef at
+noon, having made all sail at daylight; instead of which, we came
+<i>suddenly</i> on it at 8 <small>A.&nbsp;M.</small>, thus having been thrown four hours out of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>
+our reckoning since sun-set the night before. Many ships, by not
+heaving-to at all, or not doing so in time, the night previous to making
+the reef, drift too far to the northward during the night, miss the
+passage they were endeavouring to make, and are compelled to run along
+the reef in search of another; for there is no getting back to the
+southward against wind and current. This neglect throws many a vessel up
+to the Murray Islands' passages, which are notoriously the most
+dangerous, and are now generally avoided by shipping. Then there is hazy
+weather occasionally in those parts, even in the finest months: during
+its continuance, no vessel ought to approach the Barrier, though many
+are imprudent enough to do so, and too frequently pay the penalty. In
+the Barrier, there are many gaps, called "horse-shoes," which, in thick
+weather, look like real entrances, the breakers at the bottom of them
+not being visible from the ship. I have known many vessels lost by
+taking a horse-shoe for a real entrance in hazy weather. Other vessels
+get wrecked from paying too little attention to the dangers that beset
+them, after getting safe through the Barrier. There are small patches of
+reef here and there, in the middle of the many channels that run between
+the main reefs: these pick up many vessels that might be saved, were a
+careful look-out kept on board. I could give instances of losses
+happening in each of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> these ways; but the careless have suffered so
+severely from their neglect, that I would not hurt them by naming the
+ships.</p>
+
+<p>We had a fine run to Batavia, where we arrived in thirty-one days from
+Sydney. A sail from Australia to any part of the Malayan Archipelago,
+during the south-east monsoon, is, perhaps, the pleasantest voyage a
+traveller could undertake: he has smooth water and a fair wind all the
+way, with a constant succession of magnificent scenery among the
+numerous islands of perpetual summer with which those seas are studded.</p>
+
+<p>I have heard many seamen talk lightly of the dangers of Torres' Straits
+and the Barrier Reef, and have known more than one of those
+over-confident gentry subsequently wrecked there. For my own part, I
+have a great awe of those dangers, and can vouch for some ship's crews
+having the same feeling. On our approach to the Barrier, our crew, which
+consisted of as rattle-pated a set as sailors usually are, were doubly
+active, obeyed every order with alacrity, and so quietly, that the fall
+of a pin might have been heard at any part of the ship. Some ships avoid
+entering the Barrier towards sun-set: this precaution is unnecessary, if
+they are sure that the entrance they are approaching is a true one.
+Although, outside the Barrier, there are no soundings at a hundred
+fathoms, a ship is not twice her own length <i>inside</i> it,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> before she is
+in good anchorage with eighteen to twenty-five fathoms water. There, she
+may drop her anchor, and ride in perfect safety till daylight enables
+her to pursue her course. Were she to keep outside all night, the
+current would drift her to the northward, and compel her to seek a fresh
+entrance next day. The Barrier Reef extends from the coast of New
+Holland to that of Papua or New Guinea, with numerous gaps or entrances
+in it, which appear to be kept open by the current that, for six months
+in the year, runs through them from the Pacific to the Indian Seas, and
+in the contrary direction during the other six. Notwithstanding this
+current, however, I think it extremely probable, that the industrious
+coral insect, whose labours never cease within the Tropics, will, sooner
+or later, fill up the entire space, close Torres' Straits, and join
+those two mighty islands, between which the Barrier Reef, or, more
+properly, Reefs, now stand like a line of gigantic stepping-stones. The
+gaps in the Reef, in and about the ninth and tenth parallels of south
+latitude, are much narrower than those further south, some of them being
+not twenty yards wide; which looks as if, agreeably to my theory, the
+minute architect had commenced operations on the coast of Papua, and was
+gradually working his way southward. What a magnificent line for a
+rail-road this Reef will then make, with the boundless Pacific on one
+side, and the reefs and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> islands of the Straits on the other! What a
+splendid thoroughfare would this highway form to New Guinea, New
+Britain, New Ireland, and the countless islands in their immediate
+vicinity! But I shall be thought to be looking <i>rather too far</i> into
+futurity.</p>
+
+<p>On our passage from Booby Island to the Java Sea, we passed through the
+Straits of Alas, which run between the Islands of Lombak and Sambawa.
+The scenery in these straits is very fine. On the left, you have Lombak
+Hill, 7000 feet high, sloping gradually from the peak to the sea, and
+covered with thick forest. On the right, is the coast of Sambawa,
+exhibiting the most extraordinary collection of sugar-loaf hills I ever
+saw: they look as if they had been dropped there at random in a shower.
+The whole collection would hardly be seen on the top of Lombak hill.
+Half this island was laid completely waste in 1816, by an eruption of
+one of its volcanic mountains: thousands of the inhabitants, with their
+cattle and poneys, were killed; and the effects are visible on the spot
+to this day. Sambawa is celebrated for its race of poneys, which are
+certainly very fine, spirited little animals. Hundreds of them are
+brought by the native boats every year to Batavia and Singapore, at both
+which places they meet with a ready market.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XV.<br />
+<small>CHINA.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+DESCRIPTION OF MACAO&mdash;&#8203;ITS MONGREL POPULATION&mdash;&#8203;
+FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES&mdash;&#8203;PIRACIES&mdash;&#8203;COMPRADORE
+SYSTEM&mdash;&#8203;PAPUAN SLAVE-TRADE&mdash;&#8203;MARKET OF MACAO&mdash;&#8203;
+NUISANCES&mdash;&#8203;SIR HENRY POTTINGER'S REGULATION
+DEFENDED&mdash;&#8203;ILLIBERAL POLICY OF THE PORTUGUESE,
+AND ITS RESULT&mdash;&#8203;BOAT-GIRLS&mdash;&#8203;BEGGARS&mdash;&#8203;PICTURESQUE
+SCENERY.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>I have referred, in a former chapter, to the occasion of my first visit
+to the Celestial Empire. My last visit took place shortly after Sir
+Henry Pottinger had brought the Chinese to terms, off the city of
+Nankin, and before the treaty had been ratified by the Sovereigns of
+both countries. My stay there was protracted till the ratification took
+place, the supplementary treaty published, and Her Majesty's Consuls
+stationed at each of the five ports, with the exception of Foo Chow. I
+had thus an opportunity of witnessing the first start of the free trade;
+of which I shall have a few words to say hereafter. I shall now begin
+with Macao. This once celebrated Portuguese<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> settlement is built on two
+small hills of a peninsula about thirty-five miles below the Bocca
+Tigris, or mouth of the Canton river: it is irregularly built, the
+streets being very narrow and crooked, and, until very recently, badly
+paved with rough granite stones of all shapes, the corners generally
+pointing upwards, as if to teach the inhabitants to walk with caution.
+It possesses a healthy climate, though the summer is very hot, the
+thermometer ranging in the shade from 85&deg; to 90&deg;. Many of the houses
+occupied by the wealthier portion of the inhabitants, are large, airy,
+and convenient residences. Since the war with China broke out, Macao,
+which had greatly declined from its ancient importance, has thriven, and
+many of its citizens have become wealthy in consequence of the British
+trade to China being thrown by circumstances into its harbour. The local
+Government have taken advantage of the times, to improve the town, to
+re-pave the streets, to build a new and handsome Custom-house, and to
+make other improvements at John Bull's expense. The Portuguese
+inhabitants of Macao amount to about five thousand, not two hundred of
+whom are of pure European blood. The general population are, with few
+exceptions, of a mongrel breed; a mixture of Chinese, Portuguese, and
+Negroes, which it is difficult to describe. Nine-tenths of them are very
+poor, but all of them are very proud, and fond of show and dress.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>It is quite amusing to see the pompous strut of the men on a Sunday, as
+they walk to mass in their ill-made silk coats, with gold-headed sticks
+in hand. Both men and women are the worst-favoured race I ever saw:
+their flat, unmeaning countenances, small, lacklustre eyes, strong,
+upright, black hair, resembling hogs' bristles more than aught else, and
+yellow skins, form a <i>tout ensemble</i> any thing but pleasing. The men adopt
+the European fashions. The ladies wear the mantilla; and the women of
+the poorer classes wear a petticoat and small jacket, generally of
+British chintz, with a mantilla of coarser material. The very poorest of
+them may be seen, on Sunday morning, going to mass in silk stockings.
+The wealthier Portuguese reside in large and comfortable houses, but the
+lower orders inhabit wretched hovels, and suffer very severely from
+sickness, particularly the small-pox; a scourge that carried off, during
+the winter and spring of 1842-3, one thousand people,&mdash;just a fifth of
+the whole Portuguese population. Their habits are idle and dirty. I am
+not aware, indeed, of ever having seen a more filthy town than Macao. No
+one seems to think that the streets were made for any other purpose than
+to serve as reservoirs for all the filth of the houses that line them.
+Heaps of abominable rubbish are seen here and there, which would be
+still more numerous, were it not for the occasional heavy rains, which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span>
+wash down the steep streets, and carry off the accumulated masses to the
+sea. A few days before Christmas 1842, the town underwent a general
+sweeping; an event that did not take place again till that time
+twelvemonth. The other inhabitants of Macao are, Chinese, Negroes, and a
+few English and Americans. The Chinese here are nearly all of the lower
+orders, and, for the most part, are not over-scrupulous how they get
+their living: in proof of which I may mention, that four highway
+robberies, accompanied with violent assault, took place in the immediate
+neighbourhood, in open day, during the stay of six weeks which I made
+there in the autumn of 1842. The shopkeepers and boatmen are all
+Chinese; and among them may be found some as thorough-bred scoundrels as
+ever disgraced humanity. During the year 1843, the following crimes were
+perpetrated by Chinese in and about Macao: they were clearly brought
+home to them, and, in all probability, do not form a tenth of what might
+with justice be laid to their charge:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="indent">
+<p>1. Mr. Sharpe's <i>lorcha</i> (trading-boat), on her voyage from Macao to
+Canton, was piratically attacked within ten miles of the former place,
+and plundered of her cargo of opium; Mr. Sharpe was murdered, and five
+of his crew; the rest, being Chinese, were taken off by the pirates,
+(they subsequently proved to be their associates,) and the <i>lorcha</i> was
+burned.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span>2. A <i>lorcha</i> bound from Hong Kong to Macao, manned by Macao Chinese,
+and loaded with spice and other valuable property, was carried off by
+her crew, (who murdered an English doctor on board,) the cargo
+plundered, and the vessel burned.</p>
+
+<p>3. Another <i>lorcha</i>, bound from Macao to Hong Kong, with a general cargo
+and two passengers, was carried off in the same way, plundered, and then
+burned: the unfortunate passengers (two respectable young men; one an
+Irishman, named Clark, the other from Shetland, a Mr. Clunis) were in
+like manner murdered.</p>
+
+<p>4. A boat was sent off from Macao with a box of treasure containing some
+12,000 dollars, under the charge of a Parsee clerk of the firm to whom
+the money belonged. They left the shore at two <small>P.&nbsp;M.</small>, and the ship they
+were bound to was at anchor only five miles off. The non-appearance of
+the treasure which was expected on board, caused the captain to go on
+shore to make inquiries about five in the afternoon: his questions
+alarmed the Parsee merchant, who had sent off the money and his clerk at
+two. Strict inquiry was instituted, and the result was, the certainty
+that the poor man had been murdered and thrown overboard by the boat's
+crew, who made off with the money.</p>
+
+<p>5. A boat was sent from a ship in the harbour called the <i>Typa</i>, to one
+in the outer roads, to trans-ship<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> fourteen chests of opium: the crew
+consisted of four Chinese and one Lascar, with the second mate in
+charge. The opium was taken in, and the boat started on her return to
+the <i>Typa</i> about two <small>P.&nbsp;M.</small> When about half way between the two harbours,
+the four Chinese suddenly dropped their oars, seized the mate and
+Lascar, stunned them with the boat's tiller, and threw them overboard:
+their bodies were picked up next day, and gave the first intimation of
+their fate. Two of the pirates were subsequently caught and executed;
+but the property, worth 10,000 dollars, was irretrievably lost.</p>
+
+<p>6. A British merchant in Macao sent an order off to his ship in the
+<i>Typa</i>, to bring on shore, in the course of the day, a box containing
+6000 dollars: the money was put into a boat belonging to the vessel at
+ten in the forenoon, and started for the inner harbour, about an hour's
+pull. She was attacked by a fast-pulling Chinese boat, when about half
+way between the ship and the shore, and robbed of the dollars; but no
+violence was offered to the crew, who were China-men. When this money
+was being packed and put into the boat, some Chinese sailors on board
+the ship were observed making signs as if to some one at a distance: no
+notice was taken of this circumstance at the time, though it was
+remarked upon when too late.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>I could enumerate other cases of a similar nature;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> but these six are
+sufficient for my present purpose.</p>
+
+<p>The Chinese servants in the employ of Europeans at Macao, Canton, and
+Hong Kong, are, without exception, the most consummate set of scamps it
+has ever been my fortune to encounter. Their whole study from morning to
+night and from night to morning, is, how to cheat their masters. There
+is not an article put upon the table, that is not charged at four times
+its value. If you keep a cow, or even a dozen cows, not one drop of milk
+can you obtain, more than barely enough for daily use; and should any
+attempts be made to punish either the cowkeeper or the head servant for
+their villany, ten to one that your cows are poisoned before another
+week passes over your head. This state of things might be, in a great
+measure, put a stop to, were masters to pay more attention to their
+domestic affairs; but most of the European merchants of China, being men
+of wealth, and engaged in mercantile transactions of great importance,
+deem such matters beneath their notice; and thus, the system goes on to
+the serious loss and inconvenience of less wealthy men. I knew one
+instance in which a housekeeper by perseverance reduced his market-bill
+from 150 dollars per month to 45 dollars; but the consequence was, that
+his servants to a man left him: he could obtain no good ones in their
+place, and was ultimately obliged to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> give in. As a set-off against this
+crying evil, I may mention the practice which prevails, of the
+<i>compradore</i> (or head servant) becoming security for those under him,
+and finding security on his own part to a certain amount, varying
+according to circumstances; so that, if any of the under-servants steal
+the plate or any other property of their master's, the <i>compradore</i>, as
+a matter of course, makes good its value. The Negroes here, as in most
+other parts of the world where they are met with, are slaves, poorly
+fed, hard worked, and occasionally very severely flogged. Every house in
+Macao occupied by a man of any substance, has its slaves; and the
+Government is a large slave-holder. All the porters at the Custom-house
+and other public offices are slaves. These unfortunate creatures are
+brought from Papua by Portuguese vessels, which pay an annual visit to
+the settlements of their countrymen on the Island of Timor. How they are
+obtained from Papua, I am not aware; but that some hundreds of them are
+carried to Macao every season, and sold there, is a fact beyond
+contradiction. This abominable traffic received a check last season
+(1843) from the Java Government. It appears that a Portuguese barque
+called the <i>Margaretta</i>, the owner of which was a wealthy inhabitant of
+Macao, sailed from Timor for Macao in the month of September, with some
+fifty slaves on board, <i>all children under ten years of age</i>.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> Some
+accident compelled her to call at Batavia for repairs, where her master
+reported the children as having been sent by the authorities at Timor to
+Macao, to be brought up in the Roman-Catholic faith. The suspicions of
+the Dutch Authorities were, however, awakened, and the proceedings of
+the Portuguese ship-master were narrowly watched. A few days only had
+elapsed, when he was detected in endeavouring to sell two of the
+unfortunate infants to a Chinese for 500 guilders (42<i>l.</i>) each. This
+led to the examination of his bills of lading and other papers, when it
+was found, that the children had been regularly shipped and <i>manifested</i>
+as slaves. The result was, the confiscation of ship and cargo, and the
+liberation of the young captives, who, I presume, (though I am not sure
+on the point,) were, as usual, apprenticed out as domestic servants to
+families in want of them. I gave the admiral on the China station full
+particulars of this event; and hope that he will cause a sharp look-out
+to be kept on the Portuguese vessels returning from Timor next autumn.</p>
+
+<p>The market of Macao is well supplied with game, butchers' meat, pork,
+poultry, fruit, and vegetables: all these might be had on very
+reasonable terms, if the Chinese seller were allowed his own way; but,
+before he reaches the market from his home, he is taxed and re-taxed by
+every petty rogue of a Mandarin<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> whose station he may happen to pass on
+his way. On reaching the market, he is taxed again, and is compelled to
+sell to the general dealer, who squeezes him to the last <i>cash</i>, and
+re-sells at an exorbitant profit to the Englishman's <i>compradore</i>, who
+charges his master, on a moderate calculation, four times what he gave;
+so that, by the time the Englishman's dinner is on his table, it costs
+him no trifle. Game is plentiful only in winter, which sets in in
+November. Wild ducks, teal, pheasants, partridges, snipe, with an
+occasional deer, are to be had, all fat and in prime order, at this
+season. The Chinese bullock is a compact little animal, and, when
+fattened, yields remarkably good beef.</p>
+
+<p>Macao, like all Portuguese towns, is well stocked with priests; and were
+we to judge from the number of them who are seen parading the streets,
+as, also, from that of women constantly bending their steps church-ward,
+the inhabitants must be a very devout race. From seven in the morning
+till dusk, the streets are rarely free from church-going ladies; many of
+them followed by Negro slaves carrying their kneeling-rugs and
+prayer-books. One of the greatest nuisances in Macao is the perpetual
+ringing or tolling of church-bells, day and night: as soon as one stops,
+another begins; and the sleep-killing ding-dong is kept up at a rate
+that, in the warm nights of summer, is enough to drive a stranger
+frantic.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span>Every house has a watchman, who goes his rounds from eight in the
+evening till daylight next morning, and, every half hour, beats a hollow
+bamboo with a heavy stick, making noise enough to disturb the soundest
+sleeper. This keeping a watchman is neither more nor less than paying
+black-mail. Any housekeeper who should seek to evade the imposition by
+doing without a guardian of the night, would infallibly be plundered in
+a week or two, the thieves being, most probably, conducted to his
+premises by some neighbour's watchman.</p>
+
+<p>The streets of Macao being narrow, rough, crooked, and, in general, very
+steep, wheel-carriages of any description are entirely unknown. Their
+place is supplied by sedan-chairs of Chinese make, carried by Chinese
+porters: these may be hired for a dollar per day, and are very
+convenient, either in wet or in extremely hot weather. The bearers, like
+those of their profession in England, are apt to impose upon strangers,
+who must be on their guard till they become acquainted with the ways of
+the place.</p>
+
+<p>Macao is infested with loathsome beggars, who scruple not to expose
+their ulcerated legs, arms, &amp;c. for the purpose of exciting the
+charitable feelings of the passer-by. They make a point of stopping at
+the door of any shop in which they see a European, whose ears they
+immediately assail with the most discordant noise, by beating a hollow
+bamboo with a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> stick; a mode of annoyance which the law of China allows,
+and which is carried on in Macao; but, in the neighbouring British
+settlement, an entire stop has been put to it. This, they well know,
+will soon cause the shopkeeper to give them a <i>cash</i><a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> or two, or his
+customer to leave the premises. In China, no native can turn a beggar
+from his door, till he has given him something in the shape of charity:
+the merest trifle, however, is sufficient to authorize the forcible
+expulsion of the applicant. I have seen as little as a tea-spoonful of
+rice given on such occasions, when the sulky and grumbling mendicant
+took his reluctant departure towards the next door, where he would,
+perhaps, meet similar treatment with a repetition of "curses not loud,
+but deep."</p>
+
+<p>The Portuguese of Macao made a great ado on Sir Henry Pottinger's
+declaring their settlement, in as far as British subjects were
+concerned, part of the dominions of the Emperor of China: this, at first
+sight, appeared strange to many people besides the Macao citizens, but,
+when the subject received due consideration, Sir Henry was found to be
+quite correct in the view he had taken of it. Macao is <i>not</i> a Portuguese
+settlement, in the proper sense of that word, but only a territory
+leased to that Power on certain terms, for which an annual tribute or
+rent is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span>paid to this day. The Chinese laws are in force here; their
+Mandarins levy duties, and tax every article sold in its markets; its
+porters, boatmen, <i>compradores</i>, &amp;c. require Chinese licenses, but not
+Portuguese: in short, the Chinese are lords of the manor, and the
+Portuguese are mere tenants, with leave to build forts, and to levy
+certain duties on the commerce of the place. Looking at the matter in
+this light, every unprejudiced person must admit, that Sir Henry
+Pottinger, in exercising the power vested in him by Her Majesty's
+Government, and in framing regulations for the wholesome restraint of
+Her Majesty's subjects visiting China, (some of whom, it may be
+remarked, are troublesome and very unruly characters,) was perfectly
+right in including the peninsula of Macao in the dominions of His
+Celestial Majesty. The Portuguese were very indignant; at least, they
+pretended to be so; but it never would have done, to allow British
+subjects, fleeing from their creditors or from justice, to have an
+asylum where they could safely evade the laws of their own country, at a
+foreign station scarcely forty miles from the new British settlement of
+Hong Kong.<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a></p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span>The trade of Macao was of very little importance, and its revenues never
+paid its expenses, till the late Chinese war broke out. Circumstances
+then drove the British merchants from Canton, and nearly the whole of
+them took up their abode in Macao, where they continued till the
+Portuguese Government was called upon by the Chinese to refuse them
+further protection. They were then compelled to seek shelter on board
+the shipping of their country, where many of them remained for nearly
+twelvemonths, till the course of events allowed of their returning to
+Macao. Their presence soon attracted hundreds of wealthy and respectable
+Chinese dealers, and quadrupled the trade of the place, as well as its
+revenue; which enabled the Portuguese Governor to make a handsome
+remittance to Lisbon, in place of drawing upon that city for some 40,000
+dollars annually, as he had hitherto been in the constant practice of
+doing, to rebuild many of the public edifices, and to improve the town
+generally, while it added much to the wealth and comfort of almost every
+woman and child in the place. This was a piece of good fortune the
+Portuguese of Macao most certainly did not deserve, their system, as
+regards foreign commerce, being as illiberal as can well be imagined.
+During the time they were reaping this rich harvest from British trade,
+British subjects were not permitted to land or ship a single package of
+goods<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> nor to have their names entered in the Custom-house books. On the
+arrival of a ship with goods suited to the Macao market, the English
+consignee was obliged to employ a Portuguese citizen to enter and pass
+them through the Custom-house, before a package could be landed. The
+duties, also, were exorbitant; and, strange as it may appear, they even
+taxed money, which could not be imported without paying one per cent.
+duty. I have elsewhere seen an <i>export</i> duty put on treasure; but the
+Macao Government is the only one I ever knew to impose any restrictions
+on the importation of a commodity which most Governments, as well as
+individuals, are generally anxious to receive, in unlimited quantity,
+without taxing those who bring it to them. No English vessel was allowed
+to enter their inner harbour: this privilege was reserved for Spaniards
+and Portuguese. On one occasion, a small British schooner of war was
+proceeding into this haven, her commander never imagining that the
+restriction put on the merchant vessels of his country could possibly
+extend to Her Britannic Majesty's pennant: he was mistaken, however, and
+the first battery he came near, threatened to fire into him. The threat
+was of course disregarded, and the little schooner, in defiance of
+Portuguese batteries, quietly pursued her way.</p>
+
+<p>How this state of things could be so long put up<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> with by the British
+Government, it is hard to understand. When one considers that Portugal
+owes its very existence as a nation to England; that Macao, on more than
+one occasion, was saved from the fury of a Chinese army and rabble,
+during the late war, by British ships and men; that nine-tenths of the
+money that passes through its coffers, is English money; that Portuguese
+citizens visiting the different ports of British India, are free to come
+and go, land and ship their goods in their own names, hold houses and
+other fixed property, and act in all respects as British subjects, and
+as seemeth most for their own interest; when, I say, these facts are
+considered, one is utterly at a loss to conceive why Great Britain
+should suffer her subjects to be cramped in their mercantile pursuits by
+so very insignificant a power as Portugal. Now that it is too late, the
+Authorities of Macao have discovered their error, and mended their
+manners, by opening the inner harbour to British shipping, by allowing
+British merchants to land and ship goods in their own names, and by
+lowering the duties on several articles of British manufacture. These
+changes, which would have been accepted as boons two years before, were
+adopted only when the Portuguese found nearly every British merchant
+building warehouses and private dwellings in Hong Kong. Had they been
+made prior to the commencement of those<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> buildings, I have good reasons
+for supposing, that many of them never would have been begun, their
+proprietors having a great dislike to the new British settlement on
+account of its reputed unhealthiness,&mdash;a reputation, I am sorry to say,
+it has too well sustained. Dozens of houses in Macao are already vacant;
+dozens more will be so before another six months shall elapse; hundreds
+of families who have depended on their house-rent and on money earned in
+other ways from British subjects for their daily bread, will be reduced
+to want; many of them will and must emigrate to Hong Kong; and Macao,
+with its streets of new houses, built in anticipation of the continued
+residence of foreign merchants, will sink into utter insignificance, and
+become as a place that has been, but is no more. Its Governor will again
+have to draw, for the means of paying the expenses of the place, on his
+Royal Mistress at Lisbon, who will then reap the well-merited reward of
+an illiberal and short-sighted policy.</p>
+
+<p>If a passenger, on his arrival at Macao, lands in the inner harbour, he
+has to pass his baggage through the Portuguese Custom-house, where it
+will be not only thoroughly examined, but also, very probably,
+plundered. A trunk of my own, which <i>I saw</i> carried into this building
+along with several others, never came out again: its contents were
+valuable, and were much missed by my family. What became of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> them, I
+know not; but certain I am, that the Custom-house authorities of Macao
+made away with them. If the passenger chooses to land at the outer
+harbour, he encounters the <i>Chinese</i> Custom-house, where he is charged
+so much for each package, in the shape of duty, and is allowed to pass
+on without bare-faced robbery. Some sixteen years ago, this Chinese
+Custom-house was in the practice of levying a dollar per package on a
+passenger's luggage, a similar sum on his wife, and on every female
+child, while the boys passed free. This does not tell to the credit of
+Chinese gallantry. Things are altered now, however; and ladies with
+their daughters are permitted to land without let or hinderance.</p>
+
+<p>When a foreign vessel anchors in Macao Roads, (a very exposed anchorage
+by the way,) she is speedily visited by three or four <i>compradores'</i>
+boats, which come out in search of employment, and with offers to supply
+the ship with fresh provisions, &amp;c., during her stay. The <i>compradore</i>
+is a very useful fellow, but, in nine cases out of ten, a great rogue,
+who scruples not to swell out his bill against the ship by various means
+the reverse of fair. They all speak broken English. In moderate weather,
+they go twenty or thirty miles out to sea in quest of inward-bound
+vessels. The first time I went to China, we were boarded by a
+<i>compradore's</i> boat previously to making the land. A fresh breeze was
+blowing at the time, before which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> the ship was going eight knots an
+hour: this, however, did not prevent the Chinese boatmen from dashing
+alongside in very smart style, hooking on by the fore-chains with their
+own rope, and disdaining the aid of a line thrown from the vessel to
+hang on by. Mr. <i>Compradore</i> appeared on the poop, "<i>chin-chinning</i>,"
+while we strangers were looking with admiration at the activity of his
+men in the boat. The captain engaged him to attend the ship, on which he
+immediately started for Macao, and was alongside again by daylight next
+morning, with a most welcome supply of fresh beef, vegetables, &amp;c. In
+the <i>compradore's</i> boat, passengers can generally get a passage on
+shore, or, rather, to within a few hundred yards of the beach. The
+boatmen are afraid to approach nearer, on account of the Mandarins, who
+are apt to <i>squeeze</i> them, if they are seen landing foreigners. The
+remaining distance is usually got over in small <i>tancea</i>, or
+ferry-boats, numbers of which ply about Macao in all directions,
+invariably guided by women, called, from their mode of life,
+"<i>Tancea-girls</i>." Poor things! They work hard for their daily bread,
+being constantly exposed to the sun in summer, and to cold in winter.
+They live in their boats, which, at night, are snugly covered up with a
+roof made of a bamboo frame, the interstices filled up with thick
+matting, and, in the whole course of their lives, never pass a night on
+shore. They are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> said to be of a peculiar race, and never intermarry
+with the real Chinese, who look down upon them with contempt.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery round Macao is striking, and some of the views are
+particularly so: that from the hill immediately behind the town, is
+perhaps the best. From this spot you have a bird's-eye view of the whole
+town, the beach, with its hundreds of large and small Chinese boats, on
+your left; further on, in the same direction, Macao Roads with the
+foreign shipping; while, beyond these, the islands of Lingting, Lantow,
+and numerous others of smaller size, are seen in the distance: to the
+right, you catch an occasional glimpse of the numerous rivers and arms
+of the sea, with numbers of picturesque Chinese boats gliding about,
+literally among the hills and dales; and, here and there, a Chinese
+village is seen, with its little patch of cultivation, its herds of
+buffaloes and pigs, and countless groupes of little Celestials. Casting
+your eye along this view from north to south, you come to the harbour
+called "<i>Typa</i>" in which there are generally some thirty or forty
+vessels at anchor, and which, though an arm of the sea, looks here like
+an inland lake. This view, on a clear day, would delight the painter,
+though it has one great deficiency, namely, the entire absence of trees.
+The hills in the neighbourhood, far and near, are completely bare. Such
+is Macao, a miserable,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> dirty, crowded town, rendered important for a
+while by its locality, but now fast sinking back into its native
+insignificance, owing to the gross stupidity of the Portuguese
+Authorities, more than to any other cause. Proceed we now to the new
+British settlement of Hong Kong.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> One thousand of these make a dollar, so that the value of
+one is less than a quarter of a farthing.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> The present Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John Davis, has
+gone even further than Sir Henry Pottinger, and has given notice to the
+Authorities at Macao, that British subjects are no longer amenable to
+their laws. This is as it should be, and as it ought to have been a
+hundred years ago.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI.<br />
+<small>CHINA.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG&mdash;&#8203;THE OPIUM
+TRADE&mdash;&#8203;IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE
+EVENT OF A FRESH WAR&mdash;&#8203;CHUSAN&mdash;&#8203;HOW TO RAISE A
+REVENUE&mdash;&#8203;CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY&mdash;&#8203;RAPID
+PROGRESS OF THE SETTLEMENT&mdash;&#8203;PORTUGUESE
+PENURY&mdash;&#8203;MARKETS&mdash;&#8203;SANATORY HINTS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>Having spent twelve months in Hong Kong, I will now endeavour to give an
+impartial sketch of its situation as to trade, its importance in the
+event of another Chinese war, and of its climate, general appearance,
+and commercial progress.</p>
+
+<p>Situated as this island is at the mouth of the Canton river, and in the
+immediate neighbourhood of an immense trade, one can hardly question the
+prudence of the choice that fixed upon it for a British settlement. It
+has not yet (July 1844) been two years in our possession; and already
+its magnificent harbour is crowded with the ships of England, America,
+and other nations, while its warehouses<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> on shore are filled with the
+manufactures of those countries, brought here direct from the places
+where they are produced, to be distributed to the different Chinese
+ports recently opened to the commerce of the world by the arms of Great
+Britain. Hundreds, nay, thousands of Chinese boatmen, fishermen,
+porters, bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, tailors,
+bakers, shopkeepers, &amp;c., are already earning their bread here. Since
+the ratification of Sir Henry Pottinger's Treaty, and the confirmation
+of the cession of the Island as part and parcel of the dominions of
+Queen Victoria, many wealthy Chinese merchants have been making
+arrangements for the establishment of branch-houses here; and more than
+one of them had, previously to my departure last March, chartered
+British ships, and despatched them to the northern ports, loaded with
+British goods. As a <i>d&eacute;p&ocirc;t</i> for goods intended for the Chinese market, I
+conceive the situation of Hong Kong to be unrivalled, and, in this
+single point of view, of great importance. On the arrival of a ship from
+London, Liverpool, or Glasgow, with a general cargo of British goods,
+the consignees unload them, and send the ship home again with tea or
+such other produce as they may have ready for her, storing and holding
+the goods in readiness for any opening that may present itself: such
+portion of them as may be suited for markets in the immediate vicinity,
+are either sold on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> spot, or sent to Canton, while the rest is
+shipped off in fast-sailing vessels, kept for the purpose of making sure
+of their voyage against the monsoon, to Amoy, Chusan, and other ports to
+the northward.</p>
+
+<p>Great complaints used to be made at Canton and Macao, because goods
+could not be landed, unless they were sold, or the consignees chose to
+advance the duty, and let the articles lie till an opportunity of
+disposing of them occurred: in other words, the want of a bonding system
+was universally felt and complained of. The establishment of Hong Kong
+completely obviates this inconvenience, and enables the ship from Great
+Britain or elsewhere to dispose of her cargo in a few days after her
+arrival, and proceed home again, thus saving time, expense, and trouble
+to an incalculable extent.</p>
+
+<p>A decisive proof of the eligibility of Hong Kong as a place of trade,
+and of its importance in the eyes of the Chinese themselves, is afforded
+by the immense sums paid by some of them for ground on which to build
+<i>Hongs</i>, where they can deposit their goods with safety, beyond the
+reach of their grasping Mandarins. This advantage to a China-man is
+something so new, and so far beyond any thing he ever dreamed of
+enjoying, that I conceive the benefits likely to accrue from it to Hong
+Kong to be incalculable.</p>
+
+<p>Goods stored in Canton or Macao, the property of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> a China-man, were
+never safe in the event of their owner getting into trouble with the
+Chinese Authorities; and, if the property of foreigners, they could not
+be insured against fire, the risk arising from the universal
+carelessness of the Chinese, and the consequent very frequent occurrence
+of extensive conflagrations, being considered too great by the
+under-writers. Both these difficulties are completely obviated in Hong
+Kong; and every substantially built house and warehouse, together with
+the property in them, were insured against fire, previously to my
+quitting the Island. One China-man had, in March last, completed
+buildings for the storage of property collected from the different ports
+on the coast, on which upwards of 40,000 dollars had been laid out; and
+what is more, they were already well filled.</p>
+
+<p>As a convenient and safe <i>d&eacute;p&ocirc;t</i> for opium, (a trade, in my opinion,
+quite as legitimate and honourable as that in brandy, gin, and other
+spirits,) Hong Kong is admirably situated: the purchaser from the
+western ports, as well as from the northeastern, finds the distance he
+has to travel moderate, and, on his arrival, has no one to dread, no
+Mandarin daring to shew his face on shore. The ships that bring the drug
+from India, here find a safe and commodious harbour, where they can
+unload their cargoes in open day, without hinderance or molestation, and
+where they are not driven to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> necessity of carrying on their
+operations in the dark. Were the opium-trade actually one of mere
+smuggling, I would be as ready as any one to condemn it, and to raise my
+voice against those concerned in it; but when one considers that not a
+hundredth part of the quantity sold annually is really smuggled,&mdash;that
+ninety-nine chests out of every hundred pay a heavy duty, (mis-called a
+bribe,)&mdash;that the Chinese Government derives from it indirectly, but not
+the less certainly, a very considerable revenue,&mdash;and finally, that
+large quantities of it are known to be consumed within the walls of the
+imperial palace at Pekin,&mdash;I confess I see no reason for the clamorous
+indignation with which this traffic has of late been assailed by
+European moralists. I have said, that the Chinese Government derives a
+considerable revenue from the opium trade; and I will prove it. A
+Mandarin who pays for his situation, and is left to make the most of it
+by squeezing the inhabitants of his district, will give a great deal
+more for an appointment where an extensive opium-trade is carried on,
+than he would for any other. Knowing the handsome sums paid by the
+dealers in the drug, to "make Mandarin shut eye," he hesitates not for a
+moment about paying his Imperial Master in proportion for the situation
+which puts him in the way of reaping so rich a harvest. What is more;
+his said Imperial Master knows perfectly well what<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> makes the situations
+in certain districts so much coveted, and enables the parties to pay so
+high for them. Away, then, with all the mawkish cant about corrupting
+the morals and ruining the health of the Chinese by selling them poison!
+The Chinese are just as capable of taking care of themselves as their
+would-be guardians are; and as for their morals, many of them lead lives
+that might be copied with advantage to themselves and families, by
+thousands of gin-drinking Englishmen. China is decidedly an
+over-populated country. Opium-smoking checks the increase, and thereby
+does good; a view of the question not altogether unworthy of attention.
+Checking the increase of population in this way is, at all events,
+better than adopting the plan of drowning female infants; not an
+uncommon one in China.</p>
+
+<p>The importance of Hong Kong in the event of another Chinese war, (an
+event, in the opinion of many, not very improbable,) cannot, I conceive,
+for a moment be doubted. Should our merchants again be expelled from the
+ports of China, they will here find a safe asylum for their persons and
+property, while their ships may ride in the harbour under the protection
+of two or three of Her Majesty's ships in perfect security, in defiance
+of all the marine of China. Here also Her Majesty's Government may have
+<i>d&eacute;p&ocirc;ts</i> of military stores, provisions, coals, &amp;c., all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> stored in
+perfect safety, in place of being kept, as they were during the late
+war, in transports hired at an enormous expense for the purpose. Now
+that passages along the coast of China are made, even by sailing
+vessels, at all seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons, a steamer
+sent from the seat of war (wherever it might be) to Hong Kong, would be
+sufficient, at any time, to procure ample supplies of money, ammunition,
+and other stores for the army, from India, if need be, in a few weeks.
+Every one at all acquainted with the inconvenience and expense suffered
+by the late Expedition for want of proper and regular supplies, will
+appreciate the value of the Island in this point of view. What was it
+that carried off so many of the Cameronians and Royal Irish stationed in
+Chusan during the first expedition to the North? Not the climate of that
+beautiful island, certainly; for the troops that have since occupied it,
+have been remarkably healthy; and I saw four hundred of them land at
+Hong Kong, <i>en route</i> to England, much against their will, looking as
+rosy and stout as if they had just come from home! What occasioned the
+mortality among the troops, was, the want of a <i>d&eacute;p&ocirc;t</i> from which they
+could obtain supplies to replace the putrid, ill-cured Calcutta beef and
+other unwholesome stores that were served out to convalescents, who died
+by hundreds for want of nourishing food to restore their exhausted
+frames.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span>The diseases from which those unfortunate soldiers suffered, were
+originally contracted from improper food and bad accommodation; and all
+this took place on a Chinese island overrun with cattle, pigs, and
+poultry, and with the town of Ting Hae, deserted by nine-tenths of its
+inhabitants, under their feet. The Commander-in-Chief's over-scrupulous
+conscience would neither allow the cattle to be purchased, nor the empty
+houses in the town to be occupied by the sick and dying. No better
+stores were to be had nearer than Calcutta,&mdash;a six months' trip to and
+fro! So bad were the beef and pork, that I afterwards saw hundreds of
+casks of both sold by public auction at Singapore, for three quarters of
+a dollar (3<i>s.</i> 4<span class="frac"><sup>1</sup>&#8260;<sub>2</sub></span><i>d.</i>) per cask. The meat was used for manure, and the
+barrels were used for firewood. The possession of Hong Kong will prevent
+the possible recurrence of any thing of this kind.</p>
+
+<p>I am not prepared to say that Chusan would not have been a better
+situation for a military <i>d&eacute;p&ocirc;t</i> than Hong Kong. Her Majesty's
+Government, however, thought proper to prohibit the permanent occupation
+of the former, while that of the latter was sanctioned, so that we have
+now no choice. For mercantile purposes, the absolute and permanent
+possession of both these islands would have been highly advantageous.
+Chusan, I have never had the good fortune to visit, but have invariably
+heard it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> spoken of as a delightful place, in a high state of
+cultivation, possessing an extensive commerce, with fine harbours, and,
+lastly, with a numerous population already made acquainted with the
+difference between living under a free and enlightened Government and
+under that of a despot. These people (if one can credit even half of
+what one hears from them) are, one and all, anxious that Great Britain
+should retain their island, and seem to dread the day, now fast
+approaching, when, according to the Treaty, it must be evacuated by the
+British, consigning them again to the tender mercies of the Celestial
+Mandarins. Several English merchants have erected warehouses on Chusan,
+in the hope that it will ultimately be retained by Great Britain, or
+that the Chinese Authorities will not object to their remaining on the
+Island subsequently to its restoration to their Imperial Master. I hope
+that their expectations may not prove fallacious.</p>
+
+<p>Hong Kong is a free port, and, in my opinion, ought never to be
+otherwise than free. Let its harbour be a refuge for the shipping of all
+nations, and its stores will then be filled with their goods. I would
+not encumber the commerce of this Island with one single dollar of
+charges: no port-charges ought for a moment to be thought of; and, as
+for import and export duties, the most moderate charges of this kind
+would ruin the place. What brought<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> Singapore forward so rapidly, was,
+the entire freedom of its trade. If Hong Kong is but treated in the same
+way, its progress will be, if possible, still more rapid than that of
+its sister settlement.</p>
+
+<p>A revenue more than sufficient to remunerate Government for the annual
+expenses of Hong Kong, may be raised on the spot, without hampering its
+commerce, by taxing the retail opium-trade, the retail spirit-trade,
+carriages and horses, licensed gambling-houses, rents from public
+markets, ground-rent on building and other lots, and an assessment on
+rents, say of five per cent. The revenue derived from such sources in
+Singapore, is cheerfully paid, and it more than pays the expenses of the
+place. That all the houses in which opium is smoked, spirits are drunk,
+and gambling is carried on, should be under a strict surveillance, is
+absolutely necessary. To check either the one or the other, is
+impossible; and, as they are legitimate objects for taxation, I see no
+reason why Government should not derive benefit from them. The
+opium-smoker and the rum-drinker pay as much for the indulgence of their
+appetites, under existing circumstances, as they would do, were the
+privilege of supplying them farmed out to individuals, who would be
+responsible to the Authorities for the good conduct of their
+establishments.</p>
+
+<p>I should advocate the suppression of gambling-houses <i>in toto</i>, did I
+not know the utter impossibility<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> of effecting this among either a
+Chinese or a Malay population. As their existence, then, must be
+tolerated, and as they are, to my certain knowledge, the scene of
+robbery and murder, much more frequently than persons unacquainted with
+the criminal calendars in our Asiatic courts of justice suppose, I say,
+let them be registered, taxed, and made subject to the visits of the
+police at any hour of the night or day. By the means I have pointed out,
+a revenue amply sufficient for the purposes of the Hong Kong Government
+might be raised; and I should have no hesitation in undertaking to
+defray every fraction of its expenditure, had I the privilege of farming
+the opium-tax and the spirit-tax.</p>
+
+<p>Of the climate of Hong Kong, I have little that is favourable to report.
+Hitherto, it has been decidedly inimical to the European constitution;
+and hundreds of our countrymen are already buried there. Last summer
+(1843), from the first of August till the end of October, a very
+malignant fever raged among all ranks, and carried off soldiers,
+sailors, Government servants, mercantile men, and tradesmen. There were
+some peculiarities attendant upon this fever, however, which I shall
+mention, in the hope that my observations may lead future residents to
+be a little more careful of their health, than most of the present
+inhabitants have shewn themselves to be. In the first place, then, the
+fever, with few exceptions,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> was limited to particular localities.
+Secondly, not one European female died of it, and only two suffered from
+it severely. Thirdly, those who occupied spacious <i>upper-roomed</i>,
+well-aired houses, almost to a man escaped. Fourthly, those who exposed
+themselves to the sun, suffered most. And, lastly, the new comer from
+Europe was more subject to take this terrible fever, which the medical
+men characterize as a mixture of the yellow fever of the West and the
+bilious fever of the East Indies.</p>
+
+<p>A stranger landing in Hong Kong, particularly if coming from many parts
+of India, and acquainted generally with tropical countries and climates,
+would naturally, on hearing of its insalubrious climate, express
+surprise, since he could see no exciting cause. I have stated, that the
+fever attached itself to particular localities. These were, the eastern
+and western extremes of the town of Victoria. At the eastern end, to the
+eye the most delightful spot in or near the town, there are several
+patches of paddy-fields, situated in deep valleys between the hills, of
+limited extent, but which, under this climate, seem to generate malaria
+in quantities quite disproportionate to their size. In the morning,
+these valleys may be seen, from the middle of the town, completely
+filled with a dense fog, which rolls down from the neighbouring heights
+immediately after sun-set, settles upon them all night, and does not
+clear off till nine<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> or ten o'clock in the morning. I know of no other
+reason why this neighbourhood should be unhealthy: that it proved so
+last summer, the number of its victims sufficiently testify. Of six
+gentlemen who took up their quarters here, five died; and the other had
+a very severe attack of fever, from which he ultimately recovered.<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a></p>
+
+<p>The land at the western extremity of the town is swampy, the grass, even
+on the declivities, being of a rank, spongy nature, and quite unfit for
+any thing. Here the Government built barracks, in which a detachment of
+Her Majesty's 55th regiment was for some time quartered: its ranks were
+decimated by fever, which latterly became so virulent, that the
+Authorities chartered shipping in the harbour, to receive the men still
+alive. Unfortunately, the poor fellows, being weakened from the effects
+of the summer, and having in all probability the seeds of disease in
+them before they embarked, died afloat in great numbers. It has been
+thought, that many lives might have been saved at West Point Barracks,
+had that building been raised off the ground so as to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span>admit a free
+circulation of air <i>under</i> the rooms. This, however, is but problematical,
+as the deaths at the other end of the town took place in two-storied
+houses.</p>
+
+<p>From what I observed at West Point, there appears to be a constant drain
+of water down the hills, about six inches under the surface of the soil.
+This water settles under improperly ventilated houses, rots the beams,
+and <i>throws up a crop of mildew in every room</i>, as I can testify from
+actual observation.</p>
+
+<p>That no European female has fallen a victim to this fever, is certainly
+a remarkable feature in its history; but it must be borne in mind, that
+there were no ladies residing in the immediate neighbourhood of the two
+localities just mentioned. Perhaps, the Morrison Education Hill may be
+an exception, where two families passed last summer. None of the females
+suffered a day's illness, though a young man living in the house, who
+was occasionally exposed to the sun, caught the fever and died.</p>
+
+<p>I have no doubt, (and I have heard others express a similar opinion,)
+that regular habits and non-exposure to the sun, are the principal
+causes to which those Europeans who have escaped illness when their
+friends and neighbours have sickened round them, owe their preservation.
+The occupants of spacious, two-storied, well-aired houses escaped, with
+only a single exception, in the case of a young man who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> probably
+brought on his illness by imprudent exposure to the sun for hours
+together, although he was repeatedly warned of the consequences. I know
+several instances of families passing last summer in houses of this
+description without any interruption of health. My own household was
+composed of two ladies, three children, myself, and a European female
+attendant: not one of us had an hour's illness during all the hot
+weather; yet we took no further care of ourselves than is customary with
+people who have resided for several years within the tropics.</p>
+
+<p>That exposure to the sun in that zone is uniformly prejudicial to the
+health of Europeans, does not admit of a question; but, in China, the
+sun's rays seem to exert a more injurious effect than in most other
+places I have visited. The residents in Hong Kong, it is true, were
+somewhat careless in the matter. Few, if any of them were provided with
+carriages or other conveyance to protect them from it when business
+called them abroad during the day; and it was quite common to see them
+moving about, on foot and on horseback, with no other precaution than an
+umbrella carried over the head, in spite of the daily examples of
+parties suffering from such imprudence.</p>
+
+<p>The number of European inhabitants in Hong Kong will this summer (1844)
+be trebled by the removal of most of the merchants from Macao; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> the
+general health of the place will be anxiously watched. Should it prove
+as bad as last summer, (which God forbid,) it will drive many people
+away, and injure the settlement irreparably. The prejudicial effects of
+going into the sun might be avoided, almost entirely, even by men of
+business, were they to adopt the Calcutta system of note-writing. There,
+a merchant seldom or never moves from his office; and when he does, it
+is in a covered vehicle. Let the Hong Kong residents follow their
+example, and their numbers will not be thinned as they have hitherto
+been.</p>
+
+<p>That the European fresh from home, full-blooded, and in robust health,
+should be more liable to fever than his acclimated countrymen, is not to
+be wondered at; but many of the new comers might escape disease by
+common prudence. Confident in their strength of constitution, and
+wearied with a long confinement on ship-board, they sally forth, day by
+day, to take a walk, just as they would in England, heedless of the
+fierce luminary that is pouring his rays on their exposed heads, and
+bent only on amusement or variety. A week of such folly (to call it by
+no stronger name) has sufficed to bring many a youth to a premature
+grave.</p>
+
+<p>The weather begins to grow warm in China (I speak of Hong Kong, Macao,
+and Canton) about the middle of April; in June, it is oppressively hot;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span>
+and during the following three months, which are the most unhealthy, the
+thermometer in the shade ranges from 85&deg; to 90&deg;. This is a degree of
+heat that ought not to be much felt by experienced Indians; and in Java,
+or in the Straits of Malacca, I should not complain of it; but there is
+a peculiarity, an oppressiveness, in the heat of China, that makes even
+respiration difficult, and excites such copious perspiration as to
+weaken the frame. In October, the weather becomes cooler, and, for the
+next five months, is sufficiently cold to render fires a comfort morning
+and evening; and occasionally during the whole day. Were it not for
+their winter, I know not what would become of the European residents in
+China: this season braces them up for the coming summer, and, in short,
+saves their lives.</p>
+
+<p>The progress made in Hong Kong since its occupation as a British Colony,
+is astonishing, and perhaps unsurpassed in the history of civilization.
+Owing to the peculiar features of the locality in which Victoria stands,
+that town has been extended along the beach, till it is now upward of
+four miles long, with three short streets extending a little way up the
+hills about its centre. The Queen's road extends along the beach the
+whole of this length, and has been cut with great labour and expense.
+The lots between this road and low-water mark are considered as the best
+for mercantile purposes, and are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> nearly all in the possession of
+mercantile men, who have built, in most cases, handsome warehouses with
+dwelling-houses above. There are, however, some exceptions, a portion of
+the ground being occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, who inhabit low
+ill-built houses, which, as ground with water-frontage becomes more
+valuable, will have to give way to better buildings, raised by a higher
+class, who will buy out the present occupants. The lots on the south
+side of Queen's Road are not so valuable as those opposite;
+nevertheless, they are nearly all in the possession of monied men, who
+will before long find it to their advantage to level the many wretched
+buildings that now disfigure the road, and to erect houses worthy of a
+town bearing the royal name.</p>
+
+<p>On my departure from the Island, building was going forward in all
+directions, notwithstanding the somewhat illiberal terms on which alone
+lots were obtainable; and I have no doubt that, by this time, many
+smiling cottages adorn the hills in and near the town, while more
+stately buildings rear their prouder elevation on the level below.</p>
+
+<p>House-rent, as might be expected, is very high, and will probably
+continue so for ten years to come. It took that time to reduce the rents
+in Singapore; and as I expect that Hong Kong will become a place of
+still greater trade, and attract a larger European population than the
+Straits' settlement, I see no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> reason that the owner of property in
+houses there should not look for a handsome return for his outlay for
+ten years, and for a fair remunerating price at the expiration of that
+time. Something like a hundred per cent. per annum has been got for the
+small houses occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, while twenty-five, thirty,
+and even forty per cent. is a common return for substantially-built
+warehouses.</p>
+
+<p>Some idea of the rapid progress which this settlement has made, may be
+formed by the reader, when I state, that one firm had laid out upwards
+of 40,000<i>l.</i> sterling in building, and was still laying out more, when
+I quitted it. This is, certainly, by far the largest expenditure that
+has been made by any single establishment: but many others have spent
+from 6000<i>l.</i> to 10,000<i>l.</i> in a similar way; and the outlay by
+individuals on speculation, is by no means inconsiderable.</p>
+
+<p>The Chinese population of Victoria and the neighbourhood amounted, last
+January, to ten thousand souls; certainly not the choicest collection
+that could be wished, as the number of robberies that take place in and
+about the town sufficiently testify. This evil the magistrates were,
+however, doing their best to remedy; and some scores of idle vagabonds
+had been sent across the Channel dividing the Island from the main land
+of China. Some of the chiefs of the robber-gangs had been apprehended
+and set to work<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> on the roads, in irons; a proceeding that alarmed their
+confederates not a little.<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p>
+
+<p>The general appearance of Hong Kong, from the sea, is picturesque and
+curious. That part of the Island on which the town is situated, is
+hilly, and, with the exception of the few paddy-fields already
+mentioned, presents no level space on which to build. The hills stretch
+completely down to the sea; and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span>Queen's Road has been formed by cutting
+away their projecting spurs, throwing the earth into the sea in front,
+filling up the gaps on each side the spur, and thus forming a long strip
+of level. Above the level of Queen's Road, many terraces have been cut
+in the hills, upon which private dwellings have been perched; and to a
+person sailing into the harbour, these look suspended on the hill side,
+and inaccessible. To speak the truth, the approaches to them are not the
+most practicable; particularly in rainy weather, when, from the clayey
+nature of the soil, they become extremely slippery. Several
+water-courses descend from these hills, forming miniature ravines and a
+few water-falls, which have a pretty effect after a day's rain. They
+occasionally wash away an ill-built house; but this is the fault of the
+clumsy and foolish builders.</p>
+
+<p>Many of these hills are covered with a hard, tough, useless sort of
+whinstone, which adds considerably to the expense of building on them.
+Others are well stocked with granite, which the Chinese masons split
+very neatly into any shape, by driving innumerable wedges into the
+blocks. The adroitness with which they do this, is quite surprising. The
+China pine (or fir) grows all over Hong Kong; but the young trees no
+sooner attain the height of two or three feet, than they are cut down by
+the natives, and carried off in bundles to clean the bottoms of the
+countless<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> boats that ply about the harbour. Thus, with one or two
+exceptions, these hills are quite bare, and, in winter more
+particularly, exhibit any thing but a lively spectacle. In summer, their
+green covering of coarse grass improves their appearance.</p>
+
+<p>The only thing that reconciles one to the site chosen for building the
+town of Victoria, is its beautiful harbour: in every other respect, the
+choice was decidedly bad. A more awkward place on which to erect a town,
+could not have been fixed upon; and its northern aspect adds, I suspect,
+to the unhealthiness of the place, as it exposes the town to the cold
+winds of winter, and completely shuts out the southerly breezes of
+summer, which are so much wanted to refresh the worn-out colonist There
+are situations in the Island much more eligible for a town, but their
+harbours are exposed, so that, when we consider how well the shipping
+are protected in Victoria bay, we feel disposed to allow that a better
+choice could not have been made under all the circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>The market of Hong Kong is well supplied with fish, flesh, and fowl,
+vegetables, fruit, and game; and those who choose to take the trouble of
+seeing to it themselves, may obtain supplies on reasonable terms: those
+who leave these matters to their servants, are of course robbed, and are
+apt, without making any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> inquiry, to come to the conclusion, that every
+thing here is dear. The retail price of every sort of provisions is
+pasted up on the market-gate, once a week, by authority of the
+magistrates, in Chinese and English characters; so that the exorbitant
+rates charged by <i>compradores</i> may be easily detected and put a stop to.
+Chinese boats of all descriptions, sizes, and sorts may be hired at
+every wharf, at any hour from daylight till eight at night: their moving
+about after that hour, is prohibited by the Authorities, who had strong
+reason to suspect their being connected with the gangs of robbers that
+occasionally land from the opposite shore, commit some daring robbery,
+and disappear again before daylight.</p>
+
+<p>When the fleet of men of war and transports arrived here, from the
+North, in October 1842, the troops, amounting to upwards of fifteen
+thousand, were regularly supplied, during their stay in the harbour of
+Victoria, with fresh provisions, eggs, &amp;c.; and no rise of prices took
+place. On the departure of the fleet, the daily supply was reduced by
+the Chinese to just sufficient for the consumption of the place. No
+portion of the supplies for the market is produced on the Island: the
+whole is brought from the innumerable creek and river-banks in the
+neighbourhood. It is to be hoped that this state of things will, before
+long, be altered, since, as matters now stand, the Cow Loon Authorities
+could,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> at any time, deprive the inhabitants of Hong Kong of their daily
+bread.</p>
+
+<p>American, French, and English Missionaries are already congregated in
+this infant settlement. The first have built a neat little chapel, where
+Divine service is performed every Sunday morning in the Presbyterian
+form, and, in the evening, in Chinese. The French Roman Catholics have
+built a stately and handsome chapel with a good dwelling-house attached
+to it: they have a large congregation among the Irish soldiery and the
+Portuguese from Macao. The English Missionaries had only just arrived
+with their establishment from Malacca, and, when I left the Island, had
+neither house nor chapel, but had commenced building. A chaplain of the
+Church of England had arrived, appointed by the Home Government: no
+English church, however, had even been commenced, and the congregation
+meet every Sunday in a neat house, where, if they escape fever during
+the summer, and colds and ague during the winter, they ought to deem
+themselves very fortunate.</p>
+
+<p>Grog-shops and other resorts for the depraved and idle, are already
+plentiful in Victoria. They are, however, all closed on Sunday; and the
+sailor ashore, on liberty on that day, is fain to content himself with a
+walk along the road, during which he may be heard muttering deep curses
+on the heads of those<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> who framed this (according to his notion) unjust
+and tyrannical regulation.</p>
+
+<p>Before concluding my remarks on Hong Kong, I will add a few words on
+what I consider as the best means to be adopted with a view to render
+the settlement more healthy. Much must be done by the Government; and
+the rest may be left to the inhabitants themselves.</p>
+
+<p>In the first place, the paddy-fields at the east end of the town must be
+thoroughly drained, and the cultivation of paddy in the neighbourhood
+entirely stopped. Proclamations on this last subject had been published
+in March last. That the draining of these lands would decrease the
+quantity of malaria generated in the valleys, there can be no doubt;
+but, that it would entirely do away with it, I deem very problematical.
+At all events, it would not stop the volumes of fog that descend from
+the hill-tops at sun-set, and completely envelop the valleys and the
+houses. Draining, indeed, would do good, and ought to be tried at once.
+The owners of property in the neighbourhood were very sanguine as to the
+result of the experiment. More good, however, would be done in the way
+of purifying the air of these valleys, by entirely removing the small
+hill on which the Morrison Education buildings stand. The task, at first
+sight, may seem herculean; but is not so in reality. Thousands of men
+are to be hired in the villages on the opposite<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> coast, who would gladly
+work for three dollars (13<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i>) per month. Were a couple of
+thousand of these put upon this job for a twelvemonth, there would not
+be much of the hill left. The pecuniary outlay would be considerable;
+but the returns would do much more than pay the interest on it. The base
+of the hill itself is of considerable extent; and the earth carried from
+its top, if thrown into the sea at its foot, would create a large level
+space for building, that would yield quit-rent enough to render the
+speculation (were the work undertaken by private individuals) a highly
+profitable one. This hill completely shuts up the largest of the
+paddy-growing valleys; and its removal would admit into it the easterly
+and northerly breezes, which might do more than any thing else towards
+preventing the descent of the fog. There are other hills, near the one
+alluded to, that might be levelled with great advantage to the
+neighbourhood, as well as to the parties who might undertake the task.
+In this case, there are individuals ready to execute the work on their
+own private account, who actually made offers to the Government on the
+subject; but their terms were rejected by the Authorities, and the hills
+remain in <i>statu quo</i>. The sea being very shallow at the base of these
+hills, the space filled up by cutting them down, would be very
+considerable, and the task by no means difficult. Sir Stamford Raffles
+removed one at Singapore, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> size equal to the one known in Hong Kong
+as Leighton's Hill, without incurring a shilling of expense to his
+Government. To the parties who removed the soil, he gave the ground they
+had made, charging them the same quit-rent that others paid on the
+grants made to them.</p>
+
+<p>At West Point, draining seems to be the only plan that can be
+recommended to render the situation more salubrious. Neither there nor
+any where else in the Colony, is it safe to reside in houses having only
+a ground-floor. Of those who have done so, few have escaped the fever;
+and still fewer of those who caught it, recovered. Draining upon a large
+scale, is the part of the work I would leave to the Government: upon the
+inhabitants, I would impose the task of making proper sewers all over
+the town. The few that existed there last summer, were not simply a
+disgrace to every person connected with the place, but tended in no
+small degree to thin the population by the abominable effluvia they
+threw out. In the immediate vicinity of every house or shop belonging to
+the Chinese, might be seen a collection of impurities sufficient to
+create a pestilence anywhere, much more in a place with the thermometer
+frequently above 90&deg; in the shade. The assessment of five per cent. on
+all rents, would create a fund sufficient to purify the town, to keep it
+clean, to provide a regular scavengers' establishment, and,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> moreover,
+to pay night watchmen to protect the property of its inhabitants from
+the gangs of robbers that infest the place. Were these suggestions
+carried out, if the citizens of Victoria were but careful to avoid the
+sun, and if not a few would but reduce by one-half their allowance of
+brandy-and-water and cigars, I will venture to predict, that the medical
+men of the place would have a comparative sinecure.</p>
+
+<p>Among other arrivals in Hong Kong during the year 1843, were some fifty
+or sixty emigrants from Sydney, (N. S. Wales,) consisting of mechanics
+of different descriptions. They alleged, that the bad times in Australia
+had driven them away. Poor fellows! I fear they have made a sad mistake
+in the change they have sought. Here, they will find times, for persons
+of their class, worse than those they have had to complain of, a climate
+to contend against, from which they have not the means of protecting
+themselves, and hundreds of Chinese artisans, who can afford to work for
+less than half what they can live upon. Most of them were badly housed;
+and it was to be feared, that the end of summer will see very many of
+their number in their graves.</p>
+
+<p>The colonists of New South Wales appear to hare formed the most
+extravagant ideas of the benefit they are to derive from the new
+settlement of Hong<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> Kong. With the exception of salt provisions, I know
+of nothing they can send to the new settlement with even a chance of
+profit; and the prices of these must be lower than those ruling in
+Sydney by the last accounts, to yield a profit. Some small lots of
+timber have been found to answer; but the demand for this article will
+cease, when the buildings now in progress in Victoria shall have been
+completed. Cattle, horses, and sheep have been tried, and the experiment
+has proved an utter failure.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> Since these remarks were penned, another summer has passed
+over Hong Kong. Sickness and death have again prevailed there to an
+unusual extent, and the neighbourhood just mentioned had its victims;
+amongst others, two English ladies whose husbands I had cautioned, in
+March 1844, respecting the spot they were taking their families to
+reside upon. The last mail from the East continues the outcry against
+the climate.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> An account of the capture of two of these scamps was given
+to me by the chief magistrate, the day before I left Victoria, and was
+to the following effect:&mdash;A China-man in the pay of the police, though
+never seen by any magistrate, came to the police compradore's house one
+evening, and said: "If you will send two European constables to a
+certain spot (which he named) at nine o'clock to night, I will shew them
+where they will find two robber-chiefs smoking opium and looking over
+their gains." This hint was immediately communicated to the chief
+magistrate, who at once resolved to act upon it, and sent the constables
+to the spot indicated. There, the spy met them, masked, and made signs
+for them to be silent and follow him. He guided them down past West
+Point upwards of a mile, when he turned up the hill by a footpath,
+which, in half an hour, brought the party to a small hut, through the
+crevices in the wall of which a light was visible. To the door of this
+hut, the guide significantly pointed, and instantly disappeared without
+uttering a word. The constables took the hint, and burst the door open,
+when they found what they had been led to expect; two men smoking opium,
+the room almost full of European clothing and other stolen property,
+quite sufficient to convict the smokers of unfair play towards the late
+owners of it. These men were of course secured; and the day I sailed
+from Hong Kong, I saw them at work on the roads in irons. Their
+apprehension caused a complete cessation of robberies for the time
+being, the sight of the noted chiefs on the roads having terrified their
+followers.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII.<br />
+<small>CHINA.</small></h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+FIRST VIEW OF CANTON&mdash;&#8203;DESCRIPTION OF THE EUROPEAN
+QUARTER&mdash;&#8203;HOSTILE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE&mdash;&#8203;COMMERCIAL
+PROSPECTS OF CANTON&mdash;&#8203;AMOY&mdash;&#8203;FOO CHOW&mdash;&#8203;NINGPO&mdash;&#8203;
+SHANG-HAE&mdash;&#8203;MR. MEDHURST&mdash;&#8203;RESULTS OF THE TREATY
+WITH CHINA.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>The sail from Hong Kong to Canton is very interesting, particularly to a
+stranger. The numerous islands he passes, and the entirely new scenes
+that everywhere attract his eye, cannot fail to delight and amuse him.
+Here, the unwieldy Chinese junk; there, the fast-sailing Chinese
+passage-boat; now and then, the long snake-like opium-smuggler with his
+fifty oars; innumerable fishing-boats, all in pairs, with a drag-net
+extended from the one to the other; country boats of all descriptions
+passing to and fro, their crews all bent on money-getting, yet, never
+failing to cast a glance of mingled contempt and scorn at the "<i>Fan
+qui</i>"; the duck-boats on the river banks, their numerous tenants feeding
+in the adjacent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> rice-fields; a succession of little Chinese villages,
+with groupes of young Celestials staring at him with never-ending
+wonder; here and there, a tall pagoda rearing its lofty head high above
+the surrounding scenery, as if conscious of its great antiquity and of
+the sacred objects for which it was built; the Chinese husbandman with
+his one-handed plough, drawn by a single wild-looking buffalo; smiling
+cottages, surrounded with orange and other fruit-trees; the immense
+fleet of foreign ships anchored at Whampoa;&mdash;these and a thousand other
+objects, all equally strange and new, attract the attention of the
+stranger as he sails up the "Quang Tung" river. On nearing the city
+itself, he is still more astonished and pleased with the sights that
+literally confuse his ideas, making the whole scene to seem the creation
+of magic, rather than sober reality. Here, the river is absolutely
+crowded with junks and boats of all sorts and sizes, from the ferry-boat
+of six feet long, to the ferry-boat of a thousand tons burthen. Long
+rows of houses, inhabited principally by boat-builders and others
+connected with maritime affairs, and built on the river, line its right
+bank. Outside of these, are moored numerous flat-bottomed boats with
+high roofs: these come from the Interior with tea and other produce, and
+resemble what I fancy Noah's Ark must have been, more than any thing I
+have seen elsewhere. On the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span>left bank, the shore is lined with boats
+unloading and loading cargoes, while the different landing-places are
+completely blocked up with ferry-boats seeking employment. The space in
+the centre of the river, is continually crowded with boats, junks, &amp;c.
+proceeding up and down. The scene altogether is bewildering to the
+stranger. Busy as the scene is, which the Thames presents at London, its
+superior regularity and order, in my opinion, prevent its coming up to
+the scene I have just faintly traced, in the strange and excited
+feelings it calls up. Amidst all this, there is a constant clatter of
+tongues strongly recalling the confusion of Babel. A China-man never
+talks below his breath; and, if one may judge from the loud tones in
+which the whole community express their sentiments, whether in a house
+or shop or in the street, the only conclusion that can be come to is,
+that, in China, the word secret is not understood, or rather, that the
+idea corresponding to that word has no existence in their conceptions.</p>
+
+<p>Of the immense city itself, the home of a million of souls, what account
+can a traveller give, who has seen little more of it than the portion
+inhabited by foreigners? I must say a few words, however, about that
+part of it which I have seen.</p>
+
+<p>I begin with the foreign factories. These buildings stretch along the
+left bank of the river about three quarters of a mile, (or, rather, they
+did so, for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span>one half of them have recently been destroyed by fire,) and
+extend back about two hundred yards. They are large, substantially
+built, and comfortable houses; but those situated behind the front row,
+must be (indeed I know they are) oppressively hot residences in the
+summer season. The space between the factories and the river, is
+reserved for a promenade, where foreigners may take a little recreation
+after their day's work. Although but a limited space, it is invaluable.
+Here, in the evening, may be seen Englishmen, Americans, Frenchmen,
+Spaniards, Dutchmen, Portuguese, Parsees, Moslem, and Hindoos; all
+enjoying the evening breeze, and talking over the affairs of the day or
+the news brought by the last overland mail, while a crowd of Chinese
+coolies surround the square, gaping with noisy wonder at the strangers
+attired in all the costumes of Europe and Asia. The streets principally
+resorted to by foreigners are, China Street (old and new) and
+Carpenter's Square. In the former, a very choice collection of Chinese
+articles may be purchased, either in the way of curiosities or of
+valuable merchandize. In Carpenter's Square, the new-comer may fit
+himself out with everlasting trunks, dressing-cases, &amp;c.; or, if in
+search of furniture, he may here, in half an hour, furnish his house
+with well-made, substantial articles. The houses in these streets are
+all of two stories, with very narrow frontage, ground<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> being valuable. A
+large quantity of timber is used in their construction, which renders
+any chance fire in this city so very destructive. The streets in Canton
+are all very narrow, most of those I have seen not exceeding six or
+seven feet in width: the two China Streets are probably twelve feet
+wide. The city does not cover half the space which a European one with
+the same population would do. Its streets, from their want of breadth,
+always appear, and indeed always are crowded; and the unwary passenger
+is very liable to get knocked down by some heavily laden porter running
+against him, if he does not keep a sharp look-out. Like Macao, it is
+infested with loathsome beggars, who are, if possible, still more
+clamorous in their demands for charity than those of that place. Here,
+the stranger will be surprised to see dogs, cats, and rats hawked about,
+dead and alive. I do not say that these animals form the daily food of
+the people of Canton, but they are daily and hourly hawked about its
+streets, and purchased by the poorer classes. The Canton market is,
+nevertheless, remarkably well supplied with the good things of this
+life; and the European who cannot live and be contented with the
+provisions procurable in it, must be hard to please. By nine o'clock at
+night, this huge city is perfectly quiet, and nine-tenths of its
+inhabitants are wrapped in sleep. At either end of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> each street is a
+gate, which is shut at that hour, and ingress or egress put a stop to
+for the night. This regulation, as may be supposed, is an excellent
+check upon night robbers, whose peregrinations can extend no further
+than the end of the street they live in. Another equally salutary
+regulation is that which makes the inhabitants of a street responsible
+for each other's good conduct. Thus, if A's servant steals any thing
+from B, A must make good the loss. Prowling being put a stop to during
+the night, I have seen robberies attempted and detected during the day;
+and I certainly never saw a poor thief treated elsewhere with such
+unrelenting cruelty. A China-man seems to have no mercy for a thief; nor
+is this feeling to be wondered at in an over-peopled country, where all
+have to work for their bread, and where idlers are sure to starve.
+During the winter, in Canton, the lower classes suffer severely from
+cold: they are poorly fed and worse clothed: and hundreds of them may be
+seen about the streets, shivering and looking the very picture of
+absolute wretchedness. Amongst these, a few old women may be seen
+sitting by the side of the streets, earning a scanty subsistence by
+mending and patching the clothes of people as poor as themselves. These
+poor women, having all undergone the barbarous operation of cramping the
+feet during infancy, are consequently unable to undertake any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> thing but
+sedentary employment to gain their bread. The very small size to which
+the feet of some of the Chinese females have been distorted by cramping
+them with bandages during the first six years of their lives, is almost
+beyond belief. I have seen a full-grown woman wearing shoes, and walking
+in them too, not more than 3<span class="frac"><sup>1</sup>&#8260;<sub>2</sub></span> inches long. Their walk resembles that of
+a timid boy upon ice; it is necessarily slow; and, indeed, some of them
+require the aid of a staff in one hand, while they lean with the other
+on the shoulder of a female attendant. The smaller the eyes and feet of
+a Chinese beauty, the more she is admired. I once asked a respectable
+China-man, what he thought of this custom of cramping their daughters'
+feet: his reply was, "Very bad custom." On my inquiring further, whether
+he had any daughters, and whether their feet were treated in the same
+way, he answered in the affirmative, but asserted, that they had been
+subjected to the cruel ordeal by their mother, against his will. He
+added, that, in a China-man's house, where there were young girls, no
+peace could be had, night or day, for their cries, which lasted till
+they were six years old. He gave us a reason for the mother's insisting
+on her daughter's submitting to this long course of pain and
+suffering:&mdash;"Suppose <i>he</i> no small foot, no man wantjee make <i>he</i> number
+one wife." A respectable China-man, it appears, always chooses a
+small-footed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> woman for his principal wife, while, for Number two,
+three, and four, he contents himself with ladies whose feet are as
+nature made them, and who are consequently more able to make themselves
+useful in household matters.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of Canton and its vicinity have displayed, since the
+war, more hostile feelings towards Englishmen, than those entertained by
+the natives of any of the northern ports. They still affect to believe,
+that Sir Hugh Gough durst not attack their city; and it is, perhaps, to
+be regretted, that he was hindered from shewing his strength on that
+occasion. Several riots and two extensive fires among the foreign
+factories, have taken place since that time; and it is the opinion of
+many persons, that, before long, Canton will require a lesson such as
+Amoy, Ning-po, and other places have received. That the first of the two
+fires alluded to was the work of incendiaries, there is no doubt; and so
+well satisfied were the native Authorities upon this point, that they
+made good the losses sustained by foreigners on the occasion.</p>
+
+<p>The proposal to grant land to foreigners in the neighbourhood of Canton,
+for the site of country residences, met with so energetic opposition
+from the natives, that the Authorities did not venture to carry the plan
+into execution. Inflammatory placards were posted all over the city,
+calling upon the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> people to protect their ancient rights, and
+threatening extermination to foreigners, and to the local Authorities
+themselves, in the event of their complying with the petition. It is
+probable, that the wealthy men and others connected with the commerce of
+Canton, felt that the arrangements then pending between Her Majesty's
+Government and that of their Imperial Master regarding the commerce of
+the two countries, would, if completed, affect their old privileges and
+monopoly; and that they adopted the measures above-mentioned in order to
+shew their displeasure. That their commerce will suffer in consequence
+of the arrangements since brought to an amicable conclusion, there can
+be no doubt; but it is not less certain, that Canton will continue to be
+the centre of an extensive trade. Its merchants must be content with a
+share of the loaf, in place of monopolizing, as heretofore, the whole.
+The days of Hong merchants and monopoly are at an end; and the benefits
+derived from Free-trade will shortly convince all but those connected
+with the late Hongs, that the changes recently effected in the relations
+of the Celestial Empire with other countries, are not deserving of the
+abuse that has been so abundantly lavished on them.</p>
+
+<p>The far-famed Bogue Forts, I observed, in passing up the river last
+March, to be rebuilt in the same clumsy style as that of the
+fortifications which Sir<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> Gordon Bremmer knocked down. As a means of
+defending the river against any thing but Chinese junks, they are
+utterly useless; and one cannot help feeling surprised that so
+intelligent a people as the Chinese did not take a lesson from the
+perfect ease with which their forts were razed to the ground, and build
+their new ones on a better plan. The scenery at the Bogue is very
+pretty; and the forts, if of no other advantage, form a picturesque
+feature, viewed while sailing past them.</p>
+
+<p>Not having visited Amoy, Foo Chow, Ning-po, Chusan, or Shang-Hae, I am
+unable to give any description of those places. I can, however, state
+what I have heard about them, and give the mercantile reader some idea
+of their importance as places of trade.</p>
+
+<p>Short as is the time that these ports have been open to the commerce of
+Britain and other foreign nations, many cargoes of Indian cotton,
+different sorts of produce from Singapore and the islands of the Malayan
+Archipelago, manufactured goods, consisting of woollens, gray and white
+shirtings, chintz, &amp;c., from Manchester and Glasgow, have been
+advantageously disposed of at one or another of them. Amoy has taken off
+several cargoes of Bengal and Bombay cotton, at prices considerably
+higher than those ruling at Canton. This branch of trade is likely to
+increase, and is one that will interfere with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> Canton to a considerable
+extent. As a residence, however, this place has a bad character in point
+of healthiness: at least, the troops, both European and Indian, suffered
+severely there from fever. They were stationed on the island of Koo
+Loong Soo, which is said to be more healthy than Amoy itself.</p>
+
+<p>None of our merchants had visited Foo Chow, up to the time of my
+departure from China; nor had a Consul been sent there; but this has, I
+presume, since taken place. The city has been described to me as large
+and populous, and the seat of a very extensive trade. It escaped the
+ravages of the late war; and its inhabitants may probably entertain a
+similar idea to that which possesses the people of Canton; namely, that
+we were afraid to attack them. Whether this notion will lead them to
+give Europeans an indifferent reception, or not, remains to be seen. Let
+us hope that they will act wisely in the matter, and not bring down
+vengeance on their own heads. Sir William Parker, by visiting their
+harbour in Her Majesty's ship Cornwallis, proved to them that they are
+not beyond the reach of European shipping, as they at one time thought.
+Some difficulty is experienced, I believe, in approaching Foo Chow,
+owing to the strength of the currents in the neighbourhood; but, as a
+seventy-four-gun ship has got over that difficulty, it is proved to be
+not an insurmountable one.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span>Ning-po is also a large and wealthy city, admirably situated for trade,
+and surrounded with a beautiful country. It stands some forty miles from
+the sea, by the river, which is said to be navigable for ships of
+considerable burthen even beyond the town. The climate is salubrious,
+and the natives are quite awake to the benefits likely to arise from a
+free intercourse with Europeans. At this port, the first British vessel
+bound for the northern ports of China, from England direct, was loading,
+in March last, with tea and other Chinese produce. By how many hundreds
+she will ere long be followed, I leave the reader to imagine. It is said
+by those who have visited this port, that nothing can exceed the
+urbanity of the Chinese Authorities and merchants, or their anxiety to
+do all in their power to please and entertain European strangers. This,
+doubtless, in part arises from the severe lesson that was read them, on
+more than one occasion, by Sir Hugh Gough; a lesson which, it is hoped,
+they will long remember. An extensive and important trade is carried on
+between this place and Chusan, by which means our manufactures will find
+their way into that island, after its ports shall be closed against our
+shipping. Here, Russian manufacturers are met with; and a friend of mine
+informed me, that, in a Chinese shop at Ning-po, he purchased a few
+yards of superior Russian black broad cloth at the very cheap rate of
+two dollars and a-half (11<i>s.</i> 3<i>d.</i>)<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> per yard. This price seems lower
+than that at which the British manufacturer could produce a similar
+article. Samples of the cloth have been sent to England, so that this
+question will soon be decided.</p>
+
+<p>Shang-Hae, the most northern of the five ports opened to foreign
+commerce, is, perhaps, the most important of the whole five. I have
+undoubted authority for asserting, that the number of Chinese junks, of
+more than a hundred tons burthen, that enter this port weekly, exceeds a
+thousand. The same authority speaks of the busy scene that this harbour
+daily presents, as quite beyond his powers of description. Many British,
+American, and other merchants have visited Shang-Hae since it became an
+open port; many cargoes of manufactures have been disposed of there; and
+already a considerable export trade on foreign account has commenced. A
+bold attempt was made by some influential and wealthy merchants from
+Canton, to prevent the mercantile men of the place from purchasing
+cargoes from the foreigners: in this, they succeeded for a time; and the
+Canton men were in hopes they should secure the northern trade for their
+own capital, as of yore; but they calculated beyond their mark. The
+Shang-Hae men listened to the tales that were told them, and kept aloof
+for some time, till they saw that the Europeans were quite determined
+not to leave their harbour without effecting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span> sales. Suddenly they
+changed their minds, and said to the Canton men: "If the '<i>Fan-quis</i>'
+are such a wicked race, how comes it that you are so anxious to have
+their trade to yourselves?" In a week afterwards, every foreign vessel
+in the river was cleared of her cargo at remunerating prices.</p>
+
+<p>Shang-Hae is the principal port in the Empire for the export of raw
+silk. This fact is sufficient of itself to proclaim the vast importance
+of the place. The winter here, is described as being very severe; and
+the cold is said to be so intense, that hundreds of the very poorest
+sort of natives perish in the streets from its effect on their half-clad
+persons. The heat of summer is also intense; which renders the city
+unhealthy, situated as it is in a low, swampy country. Yet, I heard of
+no sickness among the Europeans who passed last summer there.</p>
+
+<p>The Missionaries have not been behind the merchants in occupying
+Shang-Hae; and Mr. Medhurst, so well known for his extensive knowledge
+of Chinese literature, had completed arrangements for removing his
+family thither in the early part of the present summer. He had
+previously visited the place, avowing the object of his visit, and had
+found no difficulty in procuring a commodious house, large enough for
+the comfortable accommodation of his family, as well as for a printing
+establishment, &amp;c. Mr. Medhurst has been a personal friend of mine for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span>
+these twenty years; and he will believe me when I say, that I heartily
+wish him all the success in his mission that he can wish for himself;
+but, of his success, I have my doubts.</p>
+
+<p>As to the benefits likely to accrue to the commerce of Great Britain
+from the Treaty lately concluded by Sir Henry Pottinger with the Chinese
+Government, I conceive there can be but one opinion, although the extent
+of those benefits is as yet uncertain. When I express an opinion, not
+penned in haste or without consideration, that the large quantities of
+grey shirtings, white ditto, chintz, cotton yarn, long ells, Spanish
+stripes, fine woollens, camlets, &amp;c. now purchased of the British
+merchants by the Chinese, are likely, within the next three years, to be
+quadrupled, the manufacturers of my country will at once perceive what
+this celebrated Treaty is likely to accomplish for them.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> We must,
+moreover, take into consideration, the extra tonnage that will be
+required to carry on this extended commerce; the number of seamen it
+will employ; the consequent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> increased demand for every description of
+stores taken to sea for the use of ships and men; the innumerable
+families that will thus be provided for; and the not improbable
+increased demand, over and above quadruple the present, for the goods
+named, when the new trade shall have had time thoroughly to develop
+itself. Nor must we overlook the benefit likely to result to British
+India, the cotton of which has hitherto been supplied to the Chinese
+<i>vi&acirc;</i> Canton: it will now be carried to their doors in British vessels,
+and sold to them at far cheaper rates than could have been afforded when
+sent in the former round-about way. Taking this view of the case, it
+stands to reason, that the demand will increase; and though the merchant
+of Bombay, Madras, or Calcutta may not make larger profits than
+heretofore, he will do a much larger business, employ double the number
+of men and ships, and enjoy the prospect of returning to his native
+country some few years sooner than he dreamed of under the old regime.</p>
+
+<p>A trade suddenly thrown open with three hundred millions of human
+beings, is not likely to be completely developed in three, four, or five
+years; and I conceive that I am within the mark, when I hold out
+encouragement to my countrymen to quadruple their shipments to China. In
+April, May, and June, 1843, before the five ports of China were
+officially opened to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span> foreign trade, and when visiting them was
+precarious, an unusually large quantity of British and American
+manufactures was poured into the China market. Ship after ship arrived
+from the manufacturing districts, with full cargoes; and the universal
+cry was, "What is to be done with all these goods?" I can tell the
+public what became of them. They were sold almost as fast as they
+arrived. Many of them were purchased, for the northern ports, by
+speculators, who, to a man, did well with them. Prices not only kept up,
+in spite of the heavy import duties, but actually continued to advance
+till the end of the year, when they were twenty per cent. higher than
+when all the cry was, "What is to become of these goods?" This spirited
+demand for goods at Canton and Hong Kong, continued up to March last,
+when I sailed from China. Whether the supply sent out this season, has
+exceeded the demand, or not, I have no means of ascertaining, while
+writing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; but I have no fear as to
+the result of any shipments that may have been made.</p>
+
+<p>That the thanks of the mercantile world in general, and of its members
+in Great Britain in particular, are due to Sir Henry Pottinger for the
+very satisfactory conclusion to which he has brought the recent
+disturbances with China, and to Sir Hugh Gough and Sir William Parker
+for the gallant<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> manner in which the warlike portion of the work was
+conducted, every unprejudiced man must allow. Though Sir Henry had not
+left China when I sailed, I presume that he will be in England before me
+<i>vi&acirc;</i> Egypt; and nothing would give me greater pleasure on my arrival,
+than to find that he had been rewarded by his Sovereign by being made
+"Earl Nankin." His career has been a brilliant one; and that he may live
+many years to enjoy the fruits of his exertions, must be the wish of all
+that are likely to benefit by them.<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a></p>
+
+<p>Whether or not we are shortly to have another Chinese war, is a problem
+I do not pretend to be able to solve: there are various opinions on the
+subject; but my own is, that every thing depends on the foreigners
+themselves. If the Consuls and others sent by Government to the five
+trading ports are firm and resolute men, who will never suffer the
+slightest infringement of the Treaty by the Chinese, without an
+energetic remonstrance,&mdash;if the captains of ships of war stationed at the
+five ports are strict in maintaining order among the masters and crews
+of the shipping of their nation,&mdash;if mercantile men take care, on the one
+hand, to give no cause of complaint<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> by smuggling or otherwise, to the
+Chinese Authorities, and, on the other hand, to put up with nothing from
+them that is not borne out by the terms of the Treaty;&mdash;in short, if
+foreigners generally (under which term I include every person not a
+Chinese) unite together and stand up for the Treaty, the whole Treaty,
+and nothing but the Treaty,&mdash;I see no reason to suppose that it may not
+work well, and for many years to come. On the other hand, if Consuls
+vacillate in their intercourse with the Chinese authorities,&mdash;if captains
+of ships of war permit irregularities in the conduct of merchant seamen,&mdash;and
+if foreign merchants condescend to injure their fair fame by
+smuggling, in place of submitting to the very moderate duties imposed
+upon their trade by the new Chinese tariff,&mdash;all and each of them must
+take the consequences of their conduct; and they may rest assured, that
+the Chinese will always be ready to seize with avidity the slightest
+opportunity afforded them for charging foreigners with a breach of the
+Treaty. We must hope that foreigners resorting to China for the purposes
+of trade, or merely as travellers in search of health or of strange
+sights, will be sufficiently aware of the importance that is sure to be
+attached to their conduct, to avoid giving the Chinese just cause of
+complaint. Should they be careful on this point, and should the amicable
+relations now existing between <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span>the two countries remain uninterrupted,
+it will not take many years to convince the intelligent Chinese, that
+intercourse with what they are pleased to term the Barbarian nations of
+the earth, is not to be despised.</p>
+
+<p>As for the result of another war, there cannot, I imagine, be two
+opinions. That Great Britain would be the victor, and the <i>gainer</i> too,
+after a struggle of half a summer, is pretty certain; and that she would
+make the Chinese pay dearer for their temerity than they were made to do
+before, seems probable, and would be but just. The possession of Chusan
+and other eligible mercantile positions on the coast, would open fresh
+fields for the enterprise of our merchants, and for the employment of
+hundreds of seamen and others; and the fleet and army, after satisfying
+the Chinese that they were as able and as willing to fight as ever,
+might, with great advantage to their country, take a trip to Japan, and
+try to prevail on the ruler of that <i>terra incognita</i> to open his ports
+to foreign commerce. I would tell the Emperor of Japan, You shall either
+be my friend or my foe. If the former, you must permit your subjects to
+trade with my people; and if the latter, you must try your strength with
+me. While there are tens of thousands of unemployed operatives in Great
+Britain, her rulers should omit no opportunity of extending her
+commerce; and their suffering the Japanese sullenly to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span> exclude our
+shipping, while the Dutch enjoy the sole privilege of trading to their
+country, seems to me putting up with a state of things that ought not to
+exist.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> It must be borne in mind, that this was written at sea,
+before I had any knowledge of the reception which Sir Henry Pottinger's
+Treaty had met in Manchester and other manufacturing towns. Their
+subsequent reception of Sir Henry himself, proves how well satisfied
+they are with what he has done for them; and the extent of last summer's
+exports to China, demonstrates, beyond a doubt, that I was not far wrong
+in my predictions.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> No such honour has been paid to Sir Henry, though his
+reception by his Sovereign, the Government, and the public, has been
+such as must amply have gratified him and all his friends.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2>
+
+<p class="summary">
+NECESSITY OF APPOINTING BRITISH CONSULS IN THE
+SPANISH AND DUTCH COLONIES&mdash;&#8203;NEW SETTLEMENT ON
+THE WESTERN COAST OF BORNEO&mdash;&#8203;IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
+OF COAL ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST&mdash;&#8203;CONCLUDING
+REMARKS.
+</p>
+
+<p>It appears to me, that British commerce in the East, requires somewhat
+more care and attention from the Authorities in the mother country, than
+they have hitherto bestowed upon it. The trade carried on by British
+subjects with the Philippines, Siam, and the Dutch Colonies, is both
+extensive and important; but, not unfrequently, it suffers interruption
+from the Government of those countries, to the serious loss and
+inconvenience of the parties concerned. That a Consul or other properly
+authorised functionary is required to watch over the interests of
+British merchants trading to Manilla, Bang-kok, Batavia, Samarang, and
+Sourabaya in Java, and Padang on the west coast of Sumatra, is evident
+to every person at all acquainted with the trade of those places; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span> I
+will add a few facts by way of satisfying those who may be doubtful on
+the point.</p>
+
+<p>In the first place, then, British subjects residing in, or shipping
+resorting to Manilla, are subject to the most arbitrary proceedings on
+the part of the Spanish Government,<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> who order merchants from the
+place, and ships from the harbour, at a day's notice, without ever
+condescending to state their reasons for such <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span>proceedings. It was only
+the other day that the British subjects residing in Manilla were, by an
+unlooked for and arbitrary order of the Governor, deprived of the
+professional aid of the medical practitioners of their own country then
+resident among them. These professional men were not, indeed, ordered to
+quit the place; but they were informed by an official proclamation, that
+no medical man would in future be permitted to practice in Manilla,
+unless in possession of a diploma from the college at Cadiz. This, of
+course, was equivalent to an order to quit, as no English physician
+could be expected to have such a document in his possession. A friend of
+mine, writing to me on this occasion, represents the act as tantamount
+to a sentence of death upon all foreigners resident in the Philippines.
+While Spanish surgeons are allowed to practice among their countrymen in
+British Colonies, such a state of things ought not for a moment to be
+suffered by the British Government.</p>
+
+<p>Next, as to Siam. It is well known to every person acquainted with the
+trade of that country, that its Sovereign, in defiance of all treaties,
+monopolizes, by unjust and tyrannical means, nine-tenths of the commerce
+of his dominions; that his agents watch for and seize every boat that
+approaches the capital with produce; that the produce so seized is
+carried to the King's warehouses; that he pays whatever price he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span>
+pleases for the contents of the boat; that the produce so seized is very
+generally the property of other persons, (frequently British subjects,)
+who have advanced money to the planter on his growing crop; that British
+and other shipping resorting to Bang-kok for the purchase of produce,
+are compelled to buy from the King on his own terms, or to leave the
+port in ballast; and finally, that these proceedings are in direct
+opposition to the terms of an existing Treaty between Great Britain and
+Siam. A Consul at Bang-kok, and a visit twice a year from one of the
+ships of war cruizing in the China Sea and the Straits of Malacca, would
+put an entire stop to His Siamese Majesty's unwarrantable proceedings,
+as far as British subjects are concerned. Let Americans and others look
+after themselves.</p>
+
+<p>In the Dutch Colonies, also, I can testify from personal observation,
+the British merchant is very frequently dealt with not less arbitrarily.
+The Dutch Authorities are not content with prohibiting the importation
+into their Colonies of warlike stores and opium, (which they have an
+undoubted right to do,) but their regulations render a ship seizable,
+that enters their ports with either of those forbidden articles on
+board. This seems unreasonably hard and it puts the British merchant to
+expense an trouble oftener than may be supposed. A ship bound from
+London, Liverpool, or Glasgow, to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> Batavia and Singapore, (a very common
+destination,) dares not receive on board as freight, either a chest of
+Turkey opium, or a single Birmingham musket. If she does, she must give
+up all idea of calling at Batavia, where she would be immediately
+seized, for having such articles on board as cargo. Only four years ago,
+the British barque Acdazeer, bound from Bombay to China, with a cargo
+consisting of thirteen hundred chests of opium, was dismasted in a gale
+in the China Sea, and bore up for the port of Sourabaya, which she
+entered in distress, for the purpose of repairs, and for stores to
+enable her to prosecute her voyage. My memory does not serve me so as to
+enable me to state, whether the Acdazeer's visit to Java was before or
+after the promulgation of the law prohibiting ships with opium and
+warlike stores entering any of the ports of Netherlands India; but I
+think it was <i>before</i> that regulation was made public. Be that as it may,
+the ship was in distress; and, as a matter of course, her Commander
+thought he was entering a friendly port. His astonishment may be
+conceived, when he was ordered by the Authorities to land all his cargo
+in the bonded stores, before the slightest assistance could be rendered
+to his vessel. What was to be done? Resistance was useless; and to
+prosecute his voyage with a disabled ship, impracticable. The cargo was
+accordingly landed, and the vessel's repairs were proceeded with. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span>When
+these were finished, the Commander reported his being ready to receive
+his cargo on board again, and to proceed on his voyage; when he was
+told, that, before doing so, he must pay an <i>entrep&ocirc;t</i> duty of one per
+cent. on the whole value. This he was compelled to do; and it amounted
+to the very considerable sum of 1300<i>l.</i> All goods landed in bond (or
+<i>entrep&ocirc;t</i>), in any of the ports of His Netherlands Majesty's
+East-Indian territories, are subject to a duty of one per cent. on being
+re-exported; but who ever heard of a ship that had put into harbour in
+distress, being <i>compelled</i> to land her cargo, under the pretence that it
+was to prevent the possibility of any portion of it being smuggled, and
+of its commander being afterwards told, that, as the goods had gone into
+<i>entrep&ocirc;t</i>, the duty must be paid?</p>
+
+<p>These facts may be sufficient to shew, that the appointment of Consuls
+at the different ports above named, is urgently needed as a protection
+to the British shipping visiting them. I have been told, that the
+Spanish and Dutch Governments have refused to receive or acknowledge
+Consuls in their Eastern possessions. If this is the case, the evil
+might be remedied by a note from Downing Street. The other ports of
+Netherlands India are, perhaps, not of sufficient importance, as regards
+English commerce, to authorise the expense of Consular appointments. If
+the opinion of so humble an individual<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span> as myself could be supposed to
+reach the ears of the British Premier, I would respectfully but
+earnestly call his attention to the foregoing remarks.</p>
+
+<p>Another subject to which I am anxious to call the attention of the
+British Government, is, the advantages presented by establishing
+settlements on the north-western and western coasts of the Island of
+Borneo. The proceedings of my friend Mr. Brook<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> at Sarawak on the
+western coast, having been made public, it is only necessary for me here
+to remark, that Mr. Brook has already paved the way for the advantageous
+settlement of a British Colony in his neighbourhood, and to express a
+wish that Her Majesty's Government may take advantage of his spirited
+and praiseworthy exertions, and reward him for them. The influence which
+he has obtained over the wild and intractable natives (as they have been
+hitherto deemed) of that part of Borneo, the service which he has
+rendered to the mercantile interests of his country by his exertions in
+the suppression of piracy, the numbers of people whom he has induced
+literally to turn their swords into ploughshares, and the quiet,
+unostentatious way in which all this, and more than all this, has been
+effected, are not less surprising than creditable to his abilities,
+perseverance, and public spirit.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span>The recent discovery of extensive veins of coal on the banks of the
+river of Borneo Proper, is my chief reason for calling public attention
+to the north-western coast of that island. The destruction by fire of
+the British ship Sultana, on her voyage from Bombay to China, and the
+subsequent imprisonment of Capt. Page, his wife, officers, passengers,
+and crew, by the Rajah of Borneo Proper, led to the discovery in
+question. The Singapore Government, on hearing of Capt. Page's
+captivity, sent a steamer to procure his release; and it was the captain
+of this steamer who discovered the coal, several tons of which he
+collected and used on board his vessel. He described them to me as being
+of excellent quality for steamers, and to be had in unlimited quantities
+by simply digging away the upper crust of the earth to the depth of six
+inches, under which the coals lie in masses. He was moreover informed,
+by the natives in the neighbourhood, (who, by-the-by, never use the
+coals, though they knew that they would burn, and called them "<i>Batu
+Api</i>" or fire-stones,) of the existence of much more extensive
+coal-veins a few miles further up the river. He had not time to visit
+the spot, but the natives assured him, that ships might be loaded from
+the surface. Of the depth or extent of the veins, they knew nothing; it
+is, however, more than probable, that, on the application of proper
+means, an unlimited supply of coals might be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span> obtained. The importance
+of such a supply, now that Steam communication between Calcutta and
+Singapore has been established, and that the line will in all
+probability be shortly extended to China, requires no demonstration. In
+the event of a regular monthly overland mail being despatched from Hong
+Kong, to join the Calcutta line at Point de Galle<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> (Ceylon), it would
+not be out of the steamer's way, to touch and coal at Borneo: thence
+proceeding to Singapore, where she would not require coals, she would
+take in the mail, and proceed on her voyage. This plan would save the
+expense of forming a coal <i>d&eacute;p&ocirc;t</i> at Singapore. All Her Majesty's
+steamers on the coast of China might be supplied with fuel from the same
+quarter, particularly as several empty ships go to China every season in
+search of freights homeward, which would gladly call at Borneo <i>en
+route</i>, and take in a cargo of coals, to be delivered at Hong Kong, at a
+moderate rate per ton. To establish this coal trade on a permanent
+footing, a treaty would require to be entered into with the Sultan of
+Borneo. This, I have no hesitation in saying, might be effected, and the
+requisite arrangements made with the Borneo Authorities by Mr. Brook,
+whose influence in that quarter is deservedly all-powerful. An
+establishment <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span>placed there, the chief or superintendent of which might
+be invested with Consular powers, would manage the coal business, and
+protect any unfortunate shipwrecked British seamen from ill treatment
+similar to that sustained by the captain and crew of the Sultana. So
+many vessels have from time to time disappeared and never been heard of,
+between Singapore and China, as to render it far from improbable, that
+there are numbers of British subjects now in confinement on the northern
+coasts of Borneo and Palawan. This probable or, at least, supposable
+case furnishes an additional argument in favour of placing some party,
+armed with power to protect such unfortunate persons, in some convenient
+spot in the neighbourhood. When I say, armed with power, I do not mean
+that arms should be put into the hands of those stationed to manage the
+coal-mines at Borneo, but that their superintendent should be empowered
+to use energetic language, and threats if need be, in the name of the
+British Government. The magic of a name is nowhere felt or understood
+more than among these same savages; in proof of which I may mention,
+that the Rajah of Borneo Proper gave up Capt. Page and his crew
+immediately on their being demanded in the name of the Governor of
+Singapore, though he had refused to listen for a moment to the proposals
+and demands previously conveyed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span> by a well-armed schooner sent by Mr.
+Brook from Sarawak to treat for the release of the Sultana's people, on
+hearing of their captivity. Even His Majesty of Siam stands in awe of
+the British name; and I could tell instances of his having paid
+deference to a few lines from the Singapore Authorities.</p>
+
+<p>The ships of war in these seas are too much in harbour; they might be
+far better employed in occasional visits to the different ports of
+Borneo, Palawan, the eastern coast of the Malayan Peninsula, Siam, and
+Cochin China. Visits to those countries twice or thrice a year, would
+not interfere in the slightest degree with their regular duty; it ought,
+indeed, to form part of it; and would be of incalculable value to
+British merchants. The Authorities of those different States, knowing
+that the visits of British ships of war were to be regular and frequent
+in future, would be cautious how they meddled with British subjects.
+With all the gasconade common to Orientals generally, the chiefs of the
+countries I have mentioned, are cowards at heart, tyrants as they are
+when opportunity offers; and they dread the sight of a ship of war in
+their harbours. No better check could be kept upon their conduct; and
+the plan proposed would not cost Great Britain a shilling, inasmuch as
+the ships required to carry it into execution, are in commission, and,
+as I said before, spend<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span> far too much time in port. Such a catastrophe
+as the loss of the Golconda, with four hundred souls on board, ought to
+be sufficient to call forth the utmost exertions on the part of our
+naval officers in the China Sea. This ship, a vessel of 800 tons, sailed
+from Singapore in September 1840 (or 1841), bound to China, with the
+head-quarters of the 37th Madras Native Infantry on board, and has never
+since been heard of. In my humble opinion, the China Sea and its coasts
+ought to have been thoroughly searched for any remains of this
+unfortunate ship, it being far from impossible, that some of her people
+may be in existence in Cochin China or on the neighbouring coasts or
+islands. When the unfortunate barque Fifeshire disappeared in the same
+mysterious way, on the same voyage, three of her men turned up from
+Cochin China, twelve months after she had been given up and paid for by
+the under-writers. No endeavour was made to trace the Golconda,&mdash;wherefore,
+let those explain, who had it in their power to cause due
+search to be made. Being unable to divine their reasons, I hope, for
+their own sakes, they were sufficient to quiet their own consciences.</p>
+
+<p>My wanderings are drawing near a close, and I have little more to say.
+On our passage down the China Sea, during the prevailing very light
+southerly winds of April, we exhausted a large portion of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> our fresh
+stock; and for replenishing it and our water we touched in Anjer Roads,
+of which, and the village of the same name, I shall now give a brief
+sketch.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing can be prettier than the sail into Anjer Roads from the
+northward, on a fine clear day. The scenery is equal to any thing I have
+ever seen. On your right, rises the high land of Sumatra, covered with
+wood to the very summit, and exhibiting all the different shades of
+green; on your left, are St. Nicholas Point and the high land of Java;
+while the two little isles called, "Cap and Button," add their minute
+features to the landscape. The land in this part of Java, though well
+wooded, is not covered with timber so thickly as the opposite coast of
+Sumatra; but, here and there, the scene is diversified by a clearing,
+where the Javanese may be seen at work in his rice-field, yam-patch,
+vegetable garden, or pinery. In front, the island of "Thwart-the-way"
+(well named, for it is right in mid-channel) relieves the eye from the
+glare of the sea; which, in these low latitudes, is a matter of some
+moment; while, further seaward, may be seen towering far above the
+surrounding objects, the islands of Pulo Bissie and Crockatooa, both
+visible from a great distance, and forming excellent land-marks for the
+mariner. On nearing the anchorage, the pretty little village of Anjer
+strikes the eye, its huts built in rows, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span> shaded by palms and other
+trees; the Dutch Resident's house, the fort, and the wharf, are all in
+view; and further back, about a mile from the sea, may be seen the tomb,
+erected by his shipmates, to the memory of Dr. &mdash;&mdash;, Assistant Surgeon
+of H. M. S. Alceste. The inscription informs the stranger, that Dr. &mdash;&mdash;
+died here on his return from China, after the wreck of the Alceste. This
+tomb was the first thing that attracted my attention when I landed at
+Anjer in 1823, and has ever since been an object of interest to me.
+Anjer is a very convenient place for ships bound from China or Singapore
+for Europe to touch at for supplies, although many ship-masters avoid it
+during the prevalence of the north-west monsoon, when it is a lee shore.
+I have anchored there at all seasons of the year, and never found any
+difficulty in getting out of the harbour; but others have been less
+fortunate, and have got among the rocks. Here, the natives come off to
+passing ships, and bring fowls at two rupees per dozen; (a rupee here is
+equal to 1<i>s.</i> 8<i>d.</i> sterling;) ducks at three rupees per dozen;
+good-sized turtle one dollar each; yams one dollar per <i>pecul</i> of 133
+lbs.; eggs one dollar per hundred; and other articles in proportion.
+They are very fond of visiting an English ship, as they generally get
+paid by her Commander in Spanish or other dollars; a coin held in
+universal estimation in those parts. In my frequent visits to Anjer,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span> I
+have invariably met with a polite and hospitable reception from the
+Dutch Resident, (the chief Civil authority,) who has always been willing
+and ready to render any aid in his power to strangers.</p>
+
+<p>Anjer, with all its beauties of scenery, is said to be unhealthy in the
+rainy season, when the showers and thunder-storms are both frequent and
+heavy: its natives are a puny race, and its European inhabitants look
+pale and sickly; so that, I suppose, it deserves the doubtful reputation
+generally given to it. During my last ramble in the vicinity of Anjer, I
+observed some natives at work in a plantation of young plants which, at
+first sight, and from their being sheltered from the sun by tall,
+wild-cotton trees, I took for coffee. On inquiring of the overseer, and
+looking more closely at the plants, I found they were young
+cinnamon-trees. The attention of the Dutch Government has long been
+given to the cultivation of this spice; and, from the very healthy
+appearance of the plants just mentioned, I should think that the
+ultimate success of the undertaking was far from doubtful. It will not
+surprise me to see, before ten years have elapsed, Java rivalling Ceylon
+in cinnamon, as it is now competing with Bengal in indigo.</p>
+
+<p>The Strait of Sunda, in which Anjer is situated, is certainly a
+beautiful channel for ships to sail through in fine weather, though,
+from the strength of its<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span> currents, an uglier place in a dark, squally
+night could scarcely be found. It used to be notorious for Malay
+pirates, but has been, of late years, clear of those pests.</p>
+
+<p>Talking of pirates, I may mention my own good fortune in never having
+fallen in with any of the fraternity in the many voyages I have made in
+the lake-like seas of the Malayan or Eastern Archipelago. This, however,
+does not tend to prove their non-existence in even recent days.</p>
+
+<p>Having completed our stores at Anjer, we sailed with a fair wind about 3
+<small>P.&nbsp;M.</small> on the 14th May, and, next morning, were rolling about in a heavy
+sea off Java Head, (a bold and grand promontory forming the south-west
+corner of the Island,) where I bade adieu to my favourite sunny climes
+of the Far East.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> This remark has recently been confirmed beyond the
+possibility of denial, by the unjust and cruel sentence passed by the
+Court of Justice in Manilla, on my esteemed friend, Mr. Robert Diggles,
+who, after having been led into great expense, and kept under the
+surveillance of the police for nearly two years, has been tried as a
+criminal, and sentenced to pay a fine of two thousand dollars, and
+banished the Philippines for six years. And for what, does the reader
+suppose? For kicking out of his house an impudent Spanish tailor who had
+presented himself there during a ball given by Mr. Diggles to
+Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker and Major-General Lord Saltoun, during
+their visit to Manilla in Her Majesty's ship Cornwallis.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From Lord Saltoun, on his return to Hong Kong, I received an account of
+this matter; and Mr. Diggles also sent me the particulars in writing.
+From the testimony thus tendered to me by an eyewitness whose word
+cannot for a moment be doubted, and by the party principally concerned,
+in whose word I also place implicit confidence, I have no hesitation in
+making this public declaration, that Mr. Diggles has been partially,
+cruelly, unjustly, disgracefully, and tyrannically dealt with by the
+Government of Manilla. A letter I received yesterday from Singapore,
+gives room to hope that Mr. Diggles's banishment has been remitted,
+which I should be glad to hear confirmed, though it would be no adequate
+reparation for the injury he has sustained.&mdash;Hull, 1st November 1845.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a>See <a href="#Page_305">Appendix II</a>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> 1846; now in full operation. Vide <a href="#Page_303">Appendix I. p. 303</a>.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span></p>
+<h2>APPENDIX I.</h2>
+
+<p class="center">(<i>See</i> <a href="#Page_295">p. 295</a>.)</p>
+
+<p class="center"><big><b>PLAN FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE CHINA MAILS (<i>i.&nbsp;e.</i> THEIR CONVEYANCE
+FROM <i>SUEZ</i>, vi&acirc; <i>CEYLON</i> TO <i>HONG KONG DIRECT</i>)</b></big></p>
+
+<p class="center"><small>SUBMITTED BY MR. HENRY WISE TO HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT SEPT. 14, 1843,
+ADOPTED JUNE 20, 1845, AND NOW IN ACTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL OPERATION.</small></p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<table class="boxed" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="10" summary="Table of Contents">
+
+<tr>
+<td colspan="3" rowspan="2" class="tdc brd bb">Proposed Route from Hong Kong to London, and <i>vice versā</i>.</td>
+<td colspan="5" rowspan="2" class="tdc br bb">Course.</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br bb">Dist. Miles.</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd bb">Av. Rate per Hour, Miles.</td>
+<td colspan="2" class="tdc brd bb">Interval und. weigh.</td>
+<td colspan="2" class="tdc brd bb">Interval at Anchor.</td>
+<td colspan="2" class="tdc brd bb">Total Interval.</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc bb">Duties at Anchor.</td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdc br bb">Days.</td>
+<td class="tdc brd bb">Hrs.</td>
+<td class="tdc br bb">Days.</td>
+<td class="tdc brd bb">Hrs.</td>
+<td class="tdc br bb">Days.</td>
+<td class="tdc brd bb">Hrs.</td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">HONG KONG</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td><td class="tdl brd">PULO LABUAN</td>
+<td></td><td></td><td class="tdl">S.&nbsp;&nbsp;2°&nbsp;.18'&nbsp;E.</td><td></td><td class="br"></td>
+<td class="tdc br">1009</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">7</td>
+<td class="tdc br">6</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc br">1</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">12</td>
+<td class="tdc br">7</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">12</td>
+<td class="tdl">To&nbsp;receive&nbsp;Coal.<a name="FNanchor_B" id="FNanchor_B"></a><a href="#Footnote_B" class="fnanchor2">[B]</a></td></tr>
+
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">PULO LABUAN</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">SINGAPORE</td>
+<td></td><td></td><td class="tdl">S.&nbsp;69°&nbsp;.23'&nbsp;W.</td><td></td><td class="br"></td>
+<td class="tdc br">&nbsp;707</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">"</td>
+<td class="tdc br">4</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&nbsp;6</td>
+<td class="tdc br">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">12</td>
+<td class="tdc br">4</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">18</td>
+<td style="vertical-align: top;" class="tdl">To receive Coal, land &amp; receive Mails.</td></tr>
+
+
+<tr><td rowspan="2" class="tdl">SINGAPORE</td><td rowspan="2" class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td rowspan="2" class="tdl brd">MALACCA</td>
+<td style="padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" rowspan="2">&ndash;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bl bt">&nbsp;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="tdl">S.&nbsp;64°&nbsp;.48'&nbsp;W.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bt br">&nbsp;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" rowspan="2" class="br">&ndash;</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">&nbsp;122</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">"</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">&mdash;</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">18</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">&mdash;</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">&nbsp;6</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">1</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: top;" class="tdl">To land &amp; receive Mails.</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bl bb">&nbsp;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="tdl">N.&nbsp;51°&nbsp;.41'&nbsp;W.&nbsp;103</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bb br">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">MALACCA</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">PENANG</td>
+<td></td><td></td><td class="tdl">N.&nbsp;30°&nbsp;.37'&nbsp;W.</td><td></td><td class="br"></td>
+<td class="tdc br">&nbsp;222</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">"</td>
+<td class="tdc br">1</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&nbsp;8</td>
+<td class="tdc br">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">16</td>
+<td class="tdc br">2</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td style="vertical-align: top;" class="tdl">To receive Coal, land &amp; receive Mails.</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td rowspan="2" class="tdl">PENANG</td><td rowspan="2" class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td rowspan="2" class="tdl brd">CEYLON<a name="FNanchor_A" id="FNanchor_A"></a><a href="#Footnote_A" class="fnanchor2">[A]</a></td>
+<td style="padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" rowspan="2">&ndash;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bl bt">&nbsp;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="tdl">N.&nbsp;82°&nbsp;.24'&nbsp;W.&nbsp;&nbsp;303</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bt br">&nbsp;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" rowspan="2" class="br">&ndash;</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">&nbsp;1219</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">"</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">7</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">&nbsp;6</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">1</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">12</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc br">8</td>
+<td rowspan="2" class="tdc brd">18</td>
+<td rowspan="2" style="vertical-align: top;" class="tdl">Ditto. Ditto.</td></tr>
+
+<tr><td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bl bb">&nbsp;</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="tdl">S.&nbsp;89°&nbsp;.45'&nbsp;W.&nbsp;916</td>
+<td style="padding-left: 0em; padding-right: 0em; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 0em;" class="bb br">&nbsp;</td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr><td colspan="3" class="tdl brd">&nbsp;</td>
+<td></td><td></td><td class="tdl"></td><td></td><td class="br"></td>
+<td class="tdc br"></td>
+<td class="tdc brd"></td>
+<td class="tdc br"></td>
+<td class="tdc brd"></td>
+<td class="tdc br"></td>
+<td class="tdc brd"></td>
+<td class="tdc br"></td>
+<td class="tdc brd"></td>
+<td class="tdl"></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">CEYLON</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">ADEN</td>
+<td colspan="11" class="tdl bt brd">As now performed by the Peninsula &amp; Oriental Steam
+Navigation Company, detention of 2 days included.</td>
+<td class="tdc br">11</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">ADEN</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">SUEZ</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc">2</td>
+<td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc brd"></td>
+<td class="tdc br">8</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">SUEZ</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">ALEX&shy;ANDRIA</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">all stoppages</td>
+<td class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc brd"></td>
+<td class="tdc br">3</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">ALEX&shy;ANDRIA</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">MALTA</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td class="tdc brd"></td>
+<td class="tdc br">4</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">MALTA</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">MARSEILLES</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="5" class="tdc brd">H.M. Post-Office Packets</td>
+<td class="tdc br">4</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">MARSEILLES</td><td class="tdc"><small>TO</small></td>
+ <td class="tdl brd">LONDON</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="3" class="tdc">&mdash;</td>
+<td colspan="5" class="tdc brd">Regular course of Post</td>
+<td style="padding-bottom: 1em;" class="tdc br">5</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr><td colspan="13" class="tdl">Total interval from HONG KONG to LONDON,
+and <i>vice versā</i>, by the proposed Route</td>
+<td class="tdr brd">Days</td>
+<td class="tdc bt br">59</td>
+<td class="tdc bt brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr><td colspan="13" class="tdl">Average interval of transmission of China
+Correspondence, <i>viā</i> Calcutta and Bombay, during the last Twenty
+Overland Mails, viz. from the 10th October 1841, to 6th May 1843
+</td>
+<td class="tdr brd">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdc br">89</td>
+<td class="tdc brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr><td colspan="13" class="tdc">Difference of Time in Favour of
+Proposed Route
+</td>
+<td class="tdr brd">Days</td>
+<td class="tdc bt br">30</td>
+<td class="tdc bt brd">&mdash;</td>
+<td></td>
+</tr>
+
+</table>
+
+<div style="font-size: 80%;" class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A" id="Footnote_A"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A"><span class="label"><small>[A]</small></span></a>
+Receiving at Ceylon, the Outward Overland Mail from England, and returning therewith to China.
+</p></div>
+
+<div style="font-size: 80%;" class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B" id="Footnote_B"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B"><span class="label"><small>[B]</small></span></a>
+The Borneo Coal Mines would also serve to keep the Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Penang Stations
+supplied with Fuel for Steam Vessels carrying the Mails between Hong Kong and Suez direct.
+</p></div>
+
+<p style="margin-top: 3em;"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span><span class="smcap">Mem.</span>&mdash;I have adopted an average rate of seven miles per hour as a fair
+estimate of the speed that well-appointed Steam Vessels, of moderate
+size and power, will be enabled to accomplish and maintain, throughout
+the proposed route, at all seasons of the year; for, during the whole
+distance from Penang to Aden, and <i>vice vers&acirc;</i>, neither monsoon, from
+the course steered, becomes at any period a directly adverse wind; an
+advantage which the route hitherto observed does not possess. Assuming
+that the Honourable East-India Company continue the management of the
+Bombay line, and that the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
+Company are encouraged to render their operations more comprehensive, by
+the establishment of Branch Steamers between Ceylon and Singapore, to
+which latter Port Her Majesty's Steam Vessels on the China Station could
+convey the Mails from Hong Kong, this all-important object might,
+without difficulty, be attained. The advantages to the Straits'
+Settlements, consequent on the adoption of improved arrangements,
+require no comment; and the <i>practicability</i> of effecting a very
+considerable acceleration of the communication with China, is evident
+from the simple fact, that the average interval which has occurred in
+the transmission of letters from China, by the last twenty Overland
+Mails, (irrespective of the unfortunate July Mail from Bombay,) exceeds
+the period occasionally occupied by fast-sailing ships, in accomplishing
+the voyage <i>vi&acirc;</i> the Cape of Good Hope.</p>
+
+<p class="sigblock"><span class="smcap">Henry Wise.</span></p>
+
+<p style="margin-top: 1.5em;"><span class="smcap">London</span>, Sept. 14, 1843.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>P.S.&mdash;Oct. 9, 1843.&mdash;The arrival at Suez, on the 16th ult., of the H. C.
+S. Akbar, in <i>forty-six</i> days from Hong Kong, after accomplishing the
+passage down the China Seas, against the S.-W. monsoon,&mdash;unassisted also
+by any previously arranged facilities for coaling, exchange of Steamers
+at Aden, and other manifest advantages requisite for the proper
+execution of this important service,&mdash;confirms the correctness of my
+estimate for performing the voyage from Hong Kong to Suez, or <i>vice
+vers&acirc;</i>, viz. <i>forty-three</i> days, including stoppages.&mdash;H. W.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span></p>
+<h2>APPENDIX II.</h2>
+
+<hr style="margin-top: 1.5em;" class="hr5" />
+
+<p style="margin-top: 1.5em;" class="center"><big><b>MEMORANDUM ON BORNEO, AND MR. BROOK'S SETTLEMENT ON THAT ISLAND.</b></big></p>
+
+
+<p>Mr. Brook has no warmer admirer than myself; and I trust the territory
+of Sarawak, which has been ceded to him by the Sultan of Borneo, will
+eventually become a flourishing British Colony.</p>
+
+<p>The Government of this country cannot but be fully alive to the value of
+such a point on the north-west coast of Borneo with reference to the
+protection and security of the vast trade carried on by British subjects
+to and from China; not to mention the great intrinsic advantages of an
+establishment on one of the largest and most valuable islands in the
+world. Little or nothing is yet known of the interior of this vast
+country; but what we do know already with regard to several portions of
+its coast must lead us to the conclusion that it will one day become of
+infinite importance in a political as well as commercial point of view.
+There is reason to believe that it contains the most rich, varied, and
+extensive mineral deposits, and is capable of producing,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span> in the
+greatest abundance, every variety of tropical production, including some
+that appear to be peculiar to its soil and climate. Protection from the
+complicated evils of piracy and oppression is alone wanting in order to
+stimulate the growth and industry of the population, and to give a new
+aspect to the face of this fertile region. The very fact of a British
+Settlement being established would exercise a most powerful influence in
+bringing together all the elements of a rapid civilization amongst a
+people at present the prey of ignorance, superstition, and oppression.
+Considering the smallness of the means at his disposal Mr. Brook has
+already done much: the seeds have been sown, and, up to a point,
+nourished by the force of his character; for their further development
+the influence of the British Government unreservedly exercised, but with
+due caution, is alone required.</p>
+
+<p>As one of the very best means of defence against riot or disturbance in
+a country like Sarawak, whether held by Queen Victoria or by my friend
+Brook, I would recommend the raising of a corps of Hill Rangers, to be
+composed of 400 or 500 natives of the country, in their native dress;
+distinguished from their countrymen simply by a belt thrown over the
+shoulder, with S. H. R.<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> on a brass plate in the middle <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span>of it, and a
+small sword by their side; the whole under a European captain, four
+lieutenants, and a dozen native <i>jimedars</i>. Ten guilders per month,
+allowed as pay to each man, would secure the choice of the population;
+and no force would equal them for the maintenance of peace in such a
+country. Sir Stamford Raffles tried a similar plan at Bencoolen, and
+found it answer admirably. I need say no more in its favour. No better
+man exists for raising and organizing such a corps, than Mr. Brook
+himself: witness his performances of a similar nature during the Burmese
+war. These Hill Rangers must be divided into companies, and should be
+stationed at convenient places throughout the country, to keep their
+eyes on evil-doers, and to act as police-men more than as soldiers.
+Their captain must be <i>locomotive</i>, and superintend the whole corps.</p>
+
+<p>I will now proceed to state my ideas as to the way in which Mr. Brook
+can most profitably avail himself of the extensive territory of Sarawak.
+In the first place, he must have the whole District competently and
+correctly surveyed, and laid out in portions (not of square miles,
+New-South-Wales fashion, without any regard to natural boundaries, but)
+of different sizes according to the topographical features of the
+country. On the completion of this survey, the plan or map should be
+lithographed, to exhibit to parties intending to purchase or hold<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span> land.
+Mr. Brook should then publish in India his intentions, giving a sketch
+of the facilities he can offer, of the capabilities of the country, &amp;c.
+&amp;c. &amp;c. Tenants will not suit him, in my opinion, so well as purchasers.
+The possession will be too unwieldy for him to hold, even as landlord: I
+speak from my experience in Java. The purchasers he wants, are men of
+capital, say from 5000<i>l.</i> to 10,000<i>l</i>. each, to whom he must give
+credit for the land, and leave them unhampered to carry on their
+operations. All lands fit for the growth of coffee or sugar must be
+worked by these capitalists on their own account: they must send to Java
+for experienced overseers, (Europeans,) to conduct the works; and to
+Bally, Lombok, or the Coromandel coast, for labourers. The natives of
+the former two are preferable, but, I fear, could not be obtained in
+sufficient numbers. Not a China-man should be employed on an estate of
+mine as a field-labourer, though the Chinese answer remarkably well,
+<i>under Europeans</i>, in sugar-mills. An experienced overseer from Java
+will point out to them the best lands for coffee and sugar, and the best
+modes of planting and rearing both. It is also a very good plan, to
+contract with a party to grow the cane, (the proprietor helping him with
+small advances,) which the landlord engages to take at so much per
+thousand when ripe, to be delivered at the mill door. The grower,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span> in
+such cases, is generally a poor man, and require aid for the first year,
+to buy buffaloes, ploughs, and provisions. In Java, nine-tenths of the
+cane are produced in this way; and the landlord saves both risk and
+trouble by it. No cane, no pay, is the rule there; so that, although the
+mill-owner may lose his time in a bad season, he sacrifices no outlay.
+The Chinese cannot be trusted to <i>manufacture</i> the sugar: they are
+conceited bunglers at that work, as stubborn as mules, and use too much
+lime, in spite of all one can say or do to prevent it. Coffee may also
+be planted by contract; though, in Java, where men can be got for three
+guilders per month and their rice, worth two guilders more, the plan is
+not generally adopted.</p>
+
+<p>A party purchasing land, ought to have it selected so as to have
+portions of it fit for coffee, sugar, and rice, and to try all three. In
+rice-cultivation, a different plan, however, must be pursued. In Java, a
+proprietor of rice-land encourages as many people to sit down on his
+property as he can possibly obtain; charges them no rent in money, but
+helps them each to build a hut; lends them money to buy two buffaloes;
+and gives them rations of rice and salt for the first twelve months;
+taking care, in the meantime, that the man, his wife, and his children
+are as busy as bees, planting and looking after a few rice-fields,&mdash;the
+more the better; seeing also, that the family do a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> fair day's work, and
+as much as they are well able to perform. From these fields, when
+harvest arrives, the squatter will pay his rent. And then is the time
+that the European overseer and his deputies require to have their eyes
+open, in order to see that fair play is dealt to the proprietor, who is
+entitled to one-fourth of the crop, by way of rent, delivered in bundles
+of paddy, at his barn-door, by the grower. The reaping and binding must
+be watched, and the bundles be counted on the field; otherwise the
+grower will, probably, carry more than his share to his own barn, in
+place of his master's. Now is the time, also, if the season has been a
+favourable one, to make the squatter pay off the whole, or a portion of
+his debt, for the advance made to him early in the year. If he gets well
+through the first year, he will, in all probability, take a liking to
+the place, and fix himself there for good. One of the very best plans
+for attaching Javanese to their residence on an estate, is, to see that
+lots of cocoa-nut and betel-nut trees are planted in every desirable
+locality. With half a dozen cocoa-nut trees, even in a bad season, a
+native family will manage tolerably well; and in all my wanderings among
+the Malayan islands, I never came to a place where even a single
+cocoa-nut was not current, like money, for its full value in rice.
+Another great advantage arising to the proprietor from rice-grounds
+well-occupied, is, that he is entitled, by immemorial<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span> custom, to the
+labour of every male on the estate one day in seven, in virtue of a sort
+of feudal law. A friend of mine in Java, on whose estate were fifteen
+thousand adults, seven thousand of whom were males, had thus the command
+of the labour of one thousand men per day <i>free</i>. On a new estate, these
+are the men to clear jungle, to make roads, to trim coffee-trees, and to
+take a turn with a hoe among the sugar-canes, when the hired labourers
+are busy at crop time, or when, from any other cause, labour may be
+scarce.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Brook must take things leisurely. Let one capitalist be established
+with a fair prospect, and he will soon be followed by dozens, who will
+gradually creep into the forests, and make the place a second Java.
+Before these capitalists make their appearance, however, he must, by
+every means in his power, encourage squatters, and get them to work on
+patches of rice-land, here and there. Let him but treat those men
+kindly, help them through the first year, and set them fairly on their
+legs; they will then never leave the place.</p>
+
+<p>Touching the diamond and gold mines which Mr. Brook wants to work, I
+hardly know what to advise, but think that his best plan would be, to
+get my friend Tok Sing, or some other wealthy China-man in Singapore, to
+procure him "head men," whom he would <i>secure</i>, <i>i. e.</i> bind himself to
+make good any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span> thing lost or stolen by them. This, of course, he would
+not do gratis; but his guarantee in such an undertaking would be
+invaluable: his wealth is very considerable, while his name and
+influence would be beyond calculation useful.</p>
+
+<p>Over every thing, Mr. Brook must himself keep a watchful eye; and, above
+all things, he must keep the peace. He must not attempt too much at
+first; but must raise his Rangers as they may be required; and, with his
+talent for such operations, a moderate share of patience and
+perseverance, and sufficient capital, all will go well, and he will meet
+with the complete success that he so richly merits.</p>
+
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+<p class="center"><b>FOOTNOTES:</b></p>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a><i>i.&nbsp;e.</i> Sarawak Hill Rangers.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="center">THE END.</p>
+
+<hr class="hr2" />
+
+<p class="center">WILLIAM WATTS, PRINTER, CROWN COURT, TEMPLE BAR.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="tnote">
+
+<p class="center"><b>Transcriber's Notes:</b></p>
+
+<p>Inconsistencies in the hyphenation of words preserved. (daylight, day-light; namesake, name-sake;
+Ninpo, Ning-po; roundabout, round-about; Shang Hae, Shang-hae; Shipmaster/s, ship-master/s; underwriters,
+under-writers)</p>
+
+<p>Table of Contents, Chapter V., "DUTCH SETTEMENTS" changed to "DUTCH SETTLEMENTS".</p>
+
+<p>Table of Contents, Chapter XVI., summary paragraph after Chapter Heading. In the table of contents,
+the third last phrase in the summary paragraph is "PICTURESQUE SCENERY" whereas
+in page 237 this phrase is replaced by "PORTUGUESE PENURY". The original text is
+retained in both cases.</p>
+
+<p>Table of Contents, Appendix I., page number changed from "299" to "303" to match
+page number at actual location.
+</p>
+
+<p>Table of Contents, Appendix II., page number changed from "391" to "305" to match
+page number at actual location.
+</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 64, "havet heir" changed to "have their". (have their own Rajahs)</p>
+
+<p>Footnote 8, "trad" changed to "trade". (The opium trade again, has diminished)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 74, "testi-timony" changed to "testimony" (testimony to its Commander's)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 88, inserted missing period. (balance due upon their services.)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 96, "occa-onally" changed to "occasionally" (occasionally visited by a very severe fever)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 134, inserted missing period. (called a grain-exporting one.)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 186, unit of currency "d." not italicised in the original, possibly a typographical error. Marked up in italics in order to
+conform to dominant style in the rest of the text. (about 3<span class="frac"><sup>1</sup>&#8260;<sub>2</sub></span><i>d.</i> per pound.)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 196, "hundreths" changed to "hundredths". (ninety-nine hundredths)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 206, unit of currency "s." not italicised in the original, possibly a typographical error. Marked up in italics in order to
+conform to dominant style in the rest of the text. (12<i>s.</i> per ton)</p>
+
+<p>Pg. 219, added missing period. (the <i>lorcha</i> was burned.)</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
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+</pre>
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+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg's Trade and Travel in the Far East, by G. F. Davidson
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Trade and Travel in the Far East
+ or Recollections of twenty-one years passed in Java,
+ Singapore, Australia and China.
+
+Author: G. F. Davidson
+
+Release Date: October 24, 2008 [EBook #27014]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADE AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST ***
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ TRADE AND TRAVEL
+ IN THE
+ FAR EAST;
+
+ OR
+ RECOLLECTIONS OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS
+ PASSED IN
+ JAVA, SINGAPORE, AUSTRALIA,
+ AND CHINA.
+
+
+ BY G. F. DAVIDSON.
+
+
+ LONDON:
+ MADDEN AND MALCOLM,
+ LEADENHALL STREET.
+ 1846.
+
+
+ LONDON:
+ PRINTED BY MADDEN AND MALCOLM,
+ 8 LEADENHALL STREET.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+The following pages were written to beguile the tediousness of a long
+voyage from Hong Kong to England, during the spring and summer of 1844.
+When I state, that the whole was written with the paper on my knee, for
+want of a desk, amid continual interruptions from three young children
+lacking amusement during their long confinement on ship-board, and with
+a perpetual liability to be pitched to leeward, paper and all,--I shall
+have said enough to bespeak from every good-natured reader a candid
+allowance for whatever defects may attach to the composition. It is
+necessary, however, that I should also premise, that the sketches are
+drawn entirely from memory, and that the incidents referred to in the
+earlier chapters, took place some twenty years ago. That my recollection
+may have proved treacherous on some minor points, is very possible; but,
+whatever may be the merits or demerits of the work in other respects, it
+contains, to the best of my knowledge and belief, nothing but truth in
+the strictest sense of that term; and, as imbodying the result of my own
+personal observations in the countries visited, it may possess an
+interest on that account, not always attaching to volumes of higher
+pretensions.
+
+My wanderings have been neither few nor short, and, perhaps, verify the
+old proverb, that a rolling stone gathers no moss. I have crossed the
+Ocean in forty different square-rigged vessels; have trod the plains of
+Hindostan, the wilds of Sumatra, and the mountains of Java; have
+strolled among the beautiful hills and dales of Singapore and Penang;
+have had many a gallop amid the forests and plains of Australia; have
+passed through the labyrinth of reefs forming Torres' Straits; and have
+visited the far-famed Celestial Empire. My first idea, in endeavouring
+to retrace my journeyings and adventures, was, that the personal
+narrative might serve to amuse a circle of private friends. But the
+notices relating to the openings for Trade in the Far East, and to the
+subject of Emigration, together with the free strictures upon the causes
+of the recent depression in our Australian colonies, will, I venture to
+hope, be not unacceptable to those who are interested in the extension
+of British commerce, and in the well-being of the rising communities
+which form an integral part of the mighty Empire now encircling the
+Globe.
+
+Some parts of the work refer to coming events as probable, which have
+since become matters of fact; but I have not deemed it necessary to
+suppress or to alter what I had written. I am more especially happy to
+find that my suggestions respecting Borneo have, to some extent, been
+anticipated; and that the important discovery of its coal-mines has been
+taken advantage of by Her Majesty's Government in the very way pointed
+out in observations written at sea fifteen months ago. Since my arrival
+in England, I have learned also, that the feasibility of the navigation
+of Torres' Straits from west to east, has struck others more competent
+to form a correct judgment than myself. Captain T. Blackwood, commander
+of Her Majesty's ship, Fly, at present employed in surveying the coast
+of New Holland, the Straits, and parts adjacent, has expressed his
+determination, after refitting at Singapore, to endeavour to enter the
+Pacific Ocean, during the north-west monsoon, by sailing through Torres'
+Straits from the westward. I trust that this enterprising Officer will
+succeed in the attempt, and thereby put beyond question the
+practicability of the passage; which would not only shorten the distance
+between Australia and our Indian territories, but contribute, more than
+any thing else could do, to facilitate the transit of the Overland Mail
+to Sydney. The Australians, I find, are still sanguinely bent upon
+discovering an overland route from the present frontiers of the Colony
+to Port Essington; but, although I heartily wish them success, my
+opinion, as expressed in the subsequent pages, remains unaltered.
+
+I observe, that the Singaporeans are already complaining of the
+decrease of the number of square-rigged vessels that have visited their
+port during the recent season, and of the falling-off of the
+Chinese-junk trade, which they correctly attribute to the opening of the
+trade with China; thereby verifying my predictions. I fear that they
+will have still greater cause for complaint before twelve months shall
+have rolled away. But the merchants of Singapore, it gives me pleasure
+to add, are taking advantage of the times, by entering upon the China
+trade, and seem determined not to suffer loss, if they can help it, by
+the effect of Sir Henry Pottinger's famous Treaty. This is as it should
+be.
+
+With these few remarks on the motives which have induced me to write and
+give to the world the following sketches, I now commit them to their
+fate; trusting that they may serve to beguile an hour, to some of my
+numerous friends in the different parts of the world they refer to, and
+that, to the reader unacquainted with those countries, they may prove
+both useful and entertaining. Before taking leave of the reader,
+however, I must apologize for an unfortunate error my printer has fallen
+into, (at p. 3 note), in misprinting the name of Mr. Mercus, one of the
+best men that ever ruled a Colony, whether Dutch or English. This name
+has been converted into Minns; and the error was not detected, till the
+sheet had passed through the press.
+
+As for the critics.--for any kind or friendly remarks they may make, I
+shall feel grateful; while any of a contrary nature will neither
+surprise nor displease me.
+
+
+ HULL, _January 1846_.
+
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS.
+
+
+ PREFACE P. i
+
+
+ CHAPTER I.
+
+ JAVA.
+
+ FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA--NARROW POLICY OF
+ THE GOVERNMENT--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND
+ NEIGHBOURHOOD--ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM--STATE
+ OF SOCIETY--CLIMATE AND SEASONS--TROPICAL FRUITS 1
+
+
+ CHAPTER II.
+
+ JAVA.
+
+ SAMARANG--A TIGER FIGHT--JAVA PONEYS--EXCURSION
+ TO SOLO--WILD SPORTS--DJOCKDJOCARTA--REMAINS OF
+ THE ANCIENT PALACE--IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS--EXPERIMENT
+ IN INDIGO-PLANTING--JAVANESE EXECUTION--A
+ PET BOA--ALLIGATORS--FOREST LABOUR--SLAVERY IN
+ JAVA--OPIUM-SMOKING--TEA--THE UPAS-TREE 16
+
+
+ CHAPTER III.
+
+ SINGAPORE.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE--CULTIVATION
+ OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-NUT--ROADS AND SCENERY--
+ MOTLEY POPULATION--EUROPEAN RESIDENTS--CHINESE
+ EMIGRANTS--KLINGS--SAMPAN-MEN--PLACES OF
+ WORSHIP--TIGERS 39
+
+
+ CHAPTER IV.
+
+ SINGAPORE.
+
+ TRADE OF SINGAPORE--CHINESE TRADERS--BUGIS
+ TRADERS--SIAMESE AND COCHIN CHINESE--ARAB
+ SMUGGLERS--BORNEO--TRADE WITH CALCUTTA--
+ COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS. 53
+
+
+ CHAPTER V.
+
+ DUTCH SETTLEMENTS.
+
+ DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO--ISLAND OF BANCA--
+ BENCOOLEN--PADANG--CHINESE SLAVE-TRADE--NATIVE
+ TRIBES OF SUMATRA--PEPPER TRADE 73
+
+
+ CHAPTER VI.
+
+ MALACCA AND PENANG 94
+
+
+ CHAPTER VII.
+
+ CALCUTTA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA--STATE OF SOCIETY--
+ MERCANTILE CHANGES--UNPLEASANT CLIMATE--SIGHTS
+ AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA--IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT
+ AND NAVIGATION--CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE--PILOT
+ SERVICE--CHARACTER OF THE BENGALEES--RIVER STEAMERS 101
+
+
+ CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY--PORT JACKSON--FIRST
+ IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED BY SYDNEY--THE PUBLIC-HOUSE
+ NUISANCE--SYDNEY JURIES--CATTLE-DEALERS--TOWN
+ IMPROVEMENTS--LAWYERS, DOCTORS, AND CLERGY 117
+
+
+ CHAPTER IX.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND--THE PATERSON DISTRICT--WINTER
+ SPORTS--THE KANGAROO--AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY--CONVICT
+ SERVANTS--BENEFIT OF ENFORCING AN OBSERVANCE OF
+ SUNDAY--THE HOT SEASON 128
+
+
+ CHAPTER X.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ BUSH-RANGERS--THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9--THE SETTLER'S
+ TROUBLES--ORNITHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA--ABORIGINAL
+ TRIBES 139
+
+
+ CHAPTER XI.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ THE HOT WINDS--PROJECTED MAIL-ROAD FROM SYDNEY
+ TO PORT ESSINGTON--SHEEP-FARMS--GRAZING IN
+ AUSTRALIA--HORSE-STOCK 155
+
+
+ CHAPTER XII.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CAUSES OF THE RECENT DISTRESSES--CONDUCT OF
+ THE BANKS--MANIA FOR SPECULATION--LONG-ACCOUNT
+ SYSTEM--BAD SEASONS 169
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIII.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY STILL EXISTING--HINTS
+ TO THE COLONISTS--FUTURE PROSPECTS 182
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIV.
+
+ NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CLASSES OF SOCIETY IN SYDNEY--DISAPPOINTMENT OF
+ EMIGRANTS--CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH AND BRITISH
+ EMIGRANTS--AVAILABLENESS OF CHINESE
+ LABOURERS--AUSTRALIAN COAL MONOPOLY--TORRES'
+ STRAITS THE BEST PASSAGE FOR STEAMERS--BOTANY
+ BAY--PASSAGE FROM SYDNEY TO BATAVIA 195
+
+
+ CHAPTER XV.
+
+ CHINA.
+
+ DESCRIPTION OF MACAO--ITS MONGREL POPULATION--
+ FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES--PIRACIES--COMPRADORE
+ SYSTEM--PAPUAN SLAVE-TRADE--MARKET OF MACAO--
+ NUISANCES--SIR HENRY POTTINGER'S REGULATION
+ DEFENDED--ILLIBERAL POLICY OF THE PORTUGUESE,
+ AND ITS RESULT--BOAT-GIRLS--BEGGARS--PICTURESQUE
+ SCENERY 216
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVI.
+
+ CHINA.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG--THE OPIUM
+ TRADE--IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE EVENT OF
+ A FRESH WAR--CHUSAN--HOW TO RAISE A REVENUE--
+ CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY--RAPID PROGRESS
+ OF THE SETTLEMENT--PICTURESQUE SCENERY--
+ MARKETS--SANATORY HINTS 237
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVII.
+
+ CHINA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CANTON--DESCRIPTION OF THE EUROPEAN
+ QUARTER--HOSTILE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE--COMMERCIAL
+ PROSPECTS OF CANTON--AMOY--FOO CHOW--NINGPO--
+ SHANG-HAE--MR. MEDHURST--RESULTS OF THE TREATY
+ WITH CHINA 266
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+ NECESSITY OF APPOINTING BRITISH CONSULS IN THE
+ SPANISH AND DUTCH COLONIES--NEW SETTLEMENT ON
+ THE WESTERN COAST OF BORNEO--IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
+ OF COAL ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST--CONCLUDING
+ REMARKS 287
+
+
+ APPENDIX I.
+
+ PLAN FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE CHINA MAILS
+ (_i. e._ THEIR CONVEYANCE FROM _SUEZ via CEYLON_
+ TO _HONG KONG direct_) 303
+
+
+ APPENDIX II.
+
+ MEMORANDUM ON BORNEO, AND MR. BROOK'S SETTLEMENT
+ ON THAT ISLAND 305
+
+
+
+
+TRADE AND TRAVEL IN THE FAR EAST.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+JAVA.
+
+ FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF BATAVIA--NARROW POLICY OF
+ THE GOVERNMENT--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN AND
+ NEIGHBOURHOOD--ROADS AND POSTING SYSTEM--STATE OF
+ SOCIETY--CLIMATE AND SEASONS--TROPICAL FRUITS.
+
+
+Early in the year 1823, I left England, quite a youngster, full of life
+and spirits, bound for that so-called grave of Europeans, Batavia. Of my
+passage out, I shall say nothing more, than that it lasted exactly five
+months, and was, in point of wind and weather, similar to nine-tenths of
+the voyages made to the same region.
+
+Well do I remember the 5th of October 1823, the day on which I first set
+foot on the lovely and magnificent island of Java. How bright were then
+my prospects, surrounded as I was with a circle of anxious friends, who
+were not only able, but willing also, to lend me a helping hand, and
+who now, alas! are, to a man, gone from me and all to whom they were
+dear. I was then prepared--I might say determined--to be pleased with
+every thing and every body. At this distance of time, I can scarcely
+remember what struck me most forcibly on landing; but I have a vivid
+recollection of being perfectly delighted with the drive, in a light
+airy carriage drawn by two spirited little Java poneys, from the wharf
+to the house of the friend with whom I was to take up my abode. The
+pluck with which those two little animals rattled us along quite
+astonished me; and the novel appearance of every thing that met the eye,
+so bewildered and delighted me, that I scarcely knew how to think,
+speak, or act.
+
+What a joyous place was Batavia in those days, with every body thriving,
+and the whole town alive and bustling with an active set of merchants
+from all parts of the world! The Dutch Government, at that time, pursued
+a more liberal system than they have of late adopted; and, instead of
+monopolizing the produce of the Island, sold it by public auction
+regularly every month. This plan naturally attracted purchasers from
+England, the Continent of Europe, and the United States of America, who
+brought with them good Spanish dollars to pay for what they purchased;
+so that silver money was as plentiful in Netherlands India, in those
+days, as copper doits have since become. The enlightened individual who
+now governs Java[1] and its dependencies, is, I have good reason to
+think, opposed to the monopolizing system pursued by his Government: his
+hands, however, are tied, and he can only remonstrate, while the
+merchants can but pray that his remonstrances may be duly weighed by his
+superiors. Java exports one million _peculs_[2] of coffee per annum, one
+million _peculs_ of rice, and one million _peculs_ of sugar; besides
+vast quantities of tin, pepper, hides, indigo, &c. Were its trade thrown
+open to fair competition, as formerly, it is as certain that His Majesty
+the King of the Netherlands would be a gainer, as that his adopting the
+more liberal system would give satisfaction to every mercantile man
+connected in any way with his East-Indian possessions. The experience of
+the last three years ought to have taught His Majesty this lesson; and
+we may hope he will take warning from the miserable result of his
+private speculations during that period.
+
+Batavia is not the unhealthy place it has been usually deemed. The city
+itself is certainly bad enough; but no European sleeps a single night in
+it out of a twelvemonth.
+
+ [Footnote 1: 1845. His Excellency Mr. Minns, since dead.]
+
+ [Footnote 2: A _pecul_ is a Chinese weight used all over the
+ Eastern Archipelago, and is equal to 133-1/3 lbs.
+ avoirdupoise.]
+
+From four to five o'clock every evening, the road leading from the town
+to the suburbs is thronged with vehicles of all descriptions, conveying
+the merchants from their counting-houses to their country or suburban
+residences, where they remain till nine o'clock the next morning. These
+country residences are delightfully situated to the south of Batavia,
+properly so called, extending inland over many square miles of country.
+Every one of them has a garden (called here a compound) of considerable
+extent, well stocked with plants, shrubs, and trees, which serve to give
+them a lively and elegant appearance, and to keep them moderately cool
+in the hottest weather. Servants' wages being very low here, every
+European of any respectability is enabled to keep up a sufficient
+establishment, and to repair to his office in his carriage or hooded
+gig, in which he may defy the sun. Many of them, particularly Dutchmen,
+have an imprudent practice of driving in an open carriage, with an
+umbrella held over their heads by a native servant standing on the
+foot-board behind his master.
+
+Having resided several years in the suburbs of Batavia, I have no
+hesitation in saying, that, with common prudence, eschewing _in toto_
+the vile habit of drinking gin and water whenever one feels thirsty,
+living generously but carefully, avoiding the sun's rays by always using
+a close or hooded carriage, and taking common precautions against wet
+feet and damp clothing, a man may live--and enjoy life, too--in
+Batavia, as long as he would in any other part of the world. Many people
+may think this a bold assertion; nevertheless, I make it without fear of
+contradiction from any one acquainted by experience with the country.
+
+One great and invaluable advantage over all our Eastern Colonies,
+Batavia, in common with every part of Java, possesses, in the facilities
+that exist for travelling from one part of the Island to another.
+Throughout Java, there are excellent roads, and on every road a post
+establishment is kept up; so that the traveller has only to apply to the
+post-master of Batavia, pointing out the road he wishes to travel, and
+to pay his money according to the number of miles: he obtains, with a
+passport, an order for four horses all along his intended line of route,
+and may perform the journey at his leisure, the horses, coachmen, &c.
+being at his command night or day, till he accomplishes the distance
+agreed for. Thus, a party going overland from Batavia to Samarang, a
+distance of three hundred miles, may either perform the journey in three
+days, or extend it to three weeks, should they wish to look about them,
+and to halt a day or two at various places as they go along. In no part
+of British India is there any thing approaching to such admirable and
+cheap facilities for travelling. And what an inestimable blessing they
+are to the Batavian invalid, who can thus, in a few hours, be
+transported, with perfect ease and comfort, into the cool and delightful
+mountainous regions of Java, where he may choose his climate, by fixing
+himself at a height varying from one thousand to seven thousand feet
+above the level of the sea! Java, from east to west and from north to
+south, is a favourite region with me, and, I believe, with every
+Englishman who ever visited it. Gin and brandy have killed five-sixths
+of all the Europeans who have died in Batavia within the last twenty
+years; but with pleasure I can add, that this destructive habit has
+almost entirely disappeared: hence the diminished number of deaths, and
+the more robust and ruddy appearance of the European inhabitants. The
+surrounding country is both salubrious and beautiful, rising gradually
+as you proceed inland, till you reach Buytenzorg, forty miles S.S.E. of
+Batavia, where the Governor-General of Netherlands India generally
+resides, in a splendid palace, surrounded with extensive and magnificent
+gardens. The climate is cool and pleasant, more particularly in the
+mornings and evenings, and the ground is kept moist by daily showers;
+for it is a singular fact, that scarcely a day in the year passes
+without a shower in this beautiful neighbourhood.
+
+Buytenzorg is a favourite resort of the merchants of Batavia, who take
+advantage of the facilities for travelling to visit it on the Saturday
+afternoon, remaining the whole of Sunday, and returning to town, and to
+the renewal of their labours, on the following morning. The scenery is
+magnificent; and the view (well known to every visiter) from the back
+verandah of the inn, is the finest that can be imagined. Standing on the
+steps of this verandah, you have, immediately under your foot, an
+extensive plain, thoroughly cultivated, sprinkled with villages, each
+village being surrounded with evergreen trees, and the whole almost
+encircled by a river. To the left of this valley rises an extensive and
+picturesque mountain, cultivated almost to the summit, and dotted here
+and there with villages and gentlemen's houses. Looking into the valley
+at early morn, you will see the lazy buffalo, driven by an equally
+indolent ploughman, dragging a Lilliputian plough through the slimy
+paddy-field; the lazy Javanese labourer going to his work in the field;
+the native women reaping, with the hand only, and stalk by stalk, the
+ripe paddy (rice) in one field, while those in the next are sowing the
+seed; the adjoining fields being covered with stubble, their crops
+having been reaped weeks before. Upon the declivity of the mountain is
+seen the stately coffee-tree, the plantations of which commence about
+1300 feet above the level of the sea, and proceed up the hill till they
+reach the height of 4000 feet. Nothing can be more beautiful than a
+full-grown coffee-plantation: the deep green foliage, the splendid
+bright-red berry, and the delicious shade afforded by the trees, render
+those spots altogether fit for princes; and princely lives their owners
+lead. One is always sure of a hearty welcome from these gentlemen, who
+are ever glad to see a stranger. They give him the best horse in the
+stable to ride, the best room in the house to occupy, and express regret
+when his visit is drawing to a close. I speak from experience, having
+put the hospitality of several of them to the test.
+
+During my first stay at Batavia, from 1823 to 1826, the celebrated Java
+war broke out, the so-called rebel army being headed by a native Chief
+of Djockdjocarta, named Diepo Nogoro. Shortly after the first outbreak,
+the then Governor-General, Baron Vander Capellen, called on all
+Europeans between the ages of sixteen and forty-five to serve in the
+_schuttery_, or militia. An infantry and a cavalry corps were formed,
+and I joined the latter, preferring a ride in the evening to a walk with
+a fourteen-pound musket over my shoulder. After a probation of pretty
+tight drilling, we became tolerable soldiers, on "nothing a day and
+finding ourselves," and had the good town of Batavia put under our
+charge, the regular troops being all sent away to the scene of war. As I
+do not intend to return to the subject, I may as well mention here,
+that the war lasted five years, and that it would have lasted five years
+longer, had Diepo Nogoro not been taken prisoner--I fear by treachery. I
+saw him landed at Batavia, in 1829, from the steamer which had brought
+him from Samarang. The Governor's carriage and aides-de-camp were at the
+wharf to receive him. In that carriage he was driven to gaol, whence he
+was banished no one knows whither; and he has never since been heard of.
+Such is the usual fate of Dutch prisoners of state! Diepo Nogoro
+deserved a better fate. He was a gallant soldier, and fought bravely.
+Poor fellow! how his countenance fell--as well it might--when he saw
+where the carriage drew up! He stopped short on putting his foot on the
+pavement, evidently unwilling to enter the gloomy-looking pile; cast an
+eager glance around; and, seeing there was no chance of escape, walked
+in. Several gentlemen followed, before the authorities had the door
+closed, and saw the fallen chief, with his _two wives_, consigned to two
+miserable-looking rooms. Java has been quite tranquil ever since.
+
+The society of Batavia, at the time I am referring to, was both choice
+and gay; and the influence of my good friends threw me at once into the
+midst of it. The Dutch and English inhabitants did not then (nor do they
+now) mix together so much as would, in my opinion, have been agreeable
+and mutually advantageous. A certain jealousy kept the two parties too
+much apart. Nevertheless, I have been present at many delightful parties
+in Dutch families, the pleasures of which were not a little heightened
+by the presence of some ten or a dozen charming Dutch girls. Charming
+and beautiful they certainly are while young; but, ere they reach
+thirty, a marvellous change comes over their appearance: the
+fair-haired, blue-eyed, laughing romp of eighteen has, in that short
+period of ten or twelve years, become transformed into a stout and
+rather elderly-looking matron, as unlike an English woman of the same
+age as one can well fancy. When I look back on those gay and pleasant
+parties, and think how few of the individuals who composed them are now
+alive, the reflection makes me sad. What a different class its English
+inhabitants of the present day are from those of 1823-1826! I may be
+prejudiced in favour of the former state of society; but, in giving the
+preference to it, I shall be borne out by any of the few survivers who
+knew Batavia at both periods. From 1823 to 1835, the Governor's parties
+were thronged with our countrymen and countrywomen. Let any one enter
+His Excellency's ball-room now-a-days, and he will not meet with more
+than one or two English of the old school, and not one of the new. The
+causes of this change are obvious: it arises from the different class of
+people that now come out from Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow,
+compared with the British merchant of former times, and from the total
+deficiency of the most common civility, on the part of our countrymen,
+towards the many highly respectable, agreeable, and intelligent Dutch
+families that form the society of the place. It is with pain I write
+this; but, as a citizen of the world, who has seen a good deal of life,
+in recording my sentiments on these matters, I cannot avoid telling the
+plain truth as it struck me from personal observation.
+
+The vicinity of Batavia affords the most beautiful drives; and hundreds
+of vehicles, from the handsome carriage and four of the Member of
+Council to the humble buggy of the merchant's clerk, may be seen every
+evening, from five till half-past six, that being the coolest and best
+time for taking out-of-door exercise. The roads are excellent, lined on
+both sides with trees, which keep them shaded and cool nearly all day.
+The scene is altogether gay, and affords a gratifying indication of the
+wealth and importance of this fine colony. By seven o'clock, the drives
+are deserted; and, immediately afterwards, lights may be seen glittering
+in every dwelling in the neighbourhood, while, in every second or third
+house, the passer-by may observe parties of pleasure assembling for the
+evening. The Dutch have adopted the social plan of exchanging friendly
+visits in the evening, avoiding our more formal ones of the morning. At
+these chance evening parties (if I may so term them), the company are
+entertained with music and cards, and other diversions; and should the
+visiter be too old to join the young folks in their gayety, he will find
+one or two of his own standing snugly seated in the far corner of the
+verandah, where he is sure to be supplied with a good cigar and the very
+best wine. These groupes are perfect pictures of comfort and content.
+With all his good qualities, however, "John Dutchman" is jealous of
+"John Bull," and cannot help shewing it, particularly in commercial
+matters. How short-sighted his policy is, in this point of view, it
+would be no difficult task to prove.
+
+The pleasantest months of the year, in Batavia, are, June, July, and
+August, when the sun is to the northward. I have frequently found a
+blanket necessary at this season: indeed, the nights, throughout Java,
+are generally sufficiently cool to allow the European to enjoy a
+refreshing sleep, after which he will find no difficulty in getting
+through a hot day. The public health is generally very good from May
+till September inclusive. In April and October, strangers, particularly
+the recently arrived European, are apt to suffer from colds and fever,
+caused, in a great measure, by the breaking-up of the monsoon, which
+takes place in those months. In November or December, the north-west
+monsoon brings on the rains, which certainly then come down in torrents,
+and render the city of Batavia a perfect charnel-house for those poor
+Natives and Chinese who are unfortunately compelled to remain in it. I
+have seen it entirely flooded with water, to the depth of four or five
+feet in some parts. The malaria occasioned by the deposit of slimy mud
+left all over the town by the water, on its retiring, causes sad havoc
+among the poorer Chinese and Malays, who reside in the lowest parts of
+the town, and inhabit wretched hovels. These floods seldom annoy the
+inhabitants of the suburbs; yet I well remember, in the season of 1828,
+a friend of mine lay down on a sofa and went to sleep, about eight
+o'clock in the evening: at three next morning, he awoke with the water
+just reaching his couch, much to his surprise and no small alarm, till,
+on becoming collected, he bethought him of the cause. The neighbouring
+river had risen, from mountain rains, whilst he was asleep, and had
+completely flooded his house, to the depth of eighteen inches, together
+with the garden and neighbourhood.
+
+I know no market, east of the Cape of Good Hope, better supplied with
+fruit than that of Batavia. Among the choicest, I would name the
+mangistan, the durian, and the pumaloe or shaddock. The first is unknown
+beyond eight degrees from the Equator, and is, perhaps, the best fruit
+with which nature has blessed the tropical regions. It is about the size
+of an orange, its rind of a dark purple, and its pulp divided into parts
+like the contents of an orange, as white as driven snow. Its taste I
+cannot attempt to describe, knowing nothing to which I can compare it.
+The best quality of the mangistan is its perfect harmlessness. The
+patient suffering from fever, liver complaint, consumption, or any of
+the numerous ills that flesh is heir to, may, with perfect impunity,
+cool his parched tongue with a dozen of this delightful fruit; and no
+one who has not been laid on a sick bed within the tropics, can
+appreciate this blessing. The rind, when dried, and made into tea, is an
+excellent tonic, and is often successfully used in cases of dysentery,
+by Native as well as European practitioners. The durian is a favourite
+fruit with most people who can overcome its smell, which certainly is no
+very easy matter. Natives of all classes are passionately fond of this
+fruit, and almost subsist on it when in plenty. Strange to say, goats,
+sheep, poultry, and even the royal tiger, eagerly devour the durian, of
+which I confess myself, notwithstanding the aforesaid smell, an admirer,
+in common with many of my countrymen. Its size is that of a cocoa-nut,
+husk and all; its rind is very thick, of a pale green colour, and
+covered with strong sharp thorns; its interior is divided into
+compartments, each of which contains three or four seeds about the size
+of a pullet's egg; these seeds are covered, to the thickness of a
+quarter of an inch, with a pale yellow pulp, which is the part eaten.
+The taste resembles, according to the description of those who like the
+fruit, that of a very rich custard, and, according to those who have
+never succeeded in overcoming their antipathy to the smell, that of a
+mixture of decayed eggs and garlic. This fruit cannot be eaten in large
+quantities with impunity by Europeans, being of a very heating nature.
+With me it never agreed; nor do I remember a single instance of its
+agreeing with my countrymen, when eaten freely. Half a one is as much as
+most people can manage at a time. The durian seeds, when roasted, make
+an excellent substitute for chestnuts.
+
+The shaddock of Java is a magnificent fruit, and surpasses those of any
+other country with which I am acquainted. In addition to these three
+prime fruits of Java, I may mention the pine-apple, soursop, rambutan,
+rose-apple, guava, dookoo, and sixty different kinds of plantain and
+banana. These, and many others, thrive and abound on this favoured
+island. With poultry, butchers' meat, fish, and vegetables, Batavia and
+Java generally are abundantly supplied; while the residents on its
+mountains may enjoy strawberries and cream in perfection.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+JAVA.
+
+ SAMARANG--A TIGER FIGHT--JAVA PONEYS--EXCURSION
+ TO SOLO--WILD SPORTS--DJOCKDJOCARTA--REMAINS OF
+ THE ANCIENT PALACE--IMPERIAL ELEPHANTS--EXPERIMENT
+ IN INDIGO-PLANTING--JAVANESE EXECUTION--A PET
+ BOA--ALLIGATORS--FOREST LABOUR--SLAVERY IN
+ JAVA--OPIUM-SMOKING--TEA--THE UPAS-TREE.
+
+
+Between three and four hundred miles eastward of Batavia, on the north
+coast of Java, is the small, neat, old-fashioned town of Samarang,
+which, when I visited it in 1824, was the residence of several English
+merchants: now, there is only a single one remaining, so completely has
+monopoly destroyed mercantile enterprise! The harbour is a safe one in
+the south-east monsoon, but the reverse when the north-west winds
+prevail. It is, however, constantly visited by European shipping, which
+take cargoes of coffee, sugar, rice, &c. &c., to all parts of Europe,
+Australia, Singapore, and China.
+
+The circumstance at this distance of time most clear and distinct in my
+memory, in connection with my first visit to Samarang, is a
+tiger-fight, which I will attempt to describe. The exhibition took place
+on an extensive plain near the town, just after daybreak. A square of
+men, armed with the native spear, was formed three deep, and one hundred
+yards across. Inside this square was placed a box resembling in shape a
+coffin, but much larger, containing a royal tiger fresh from his native
+forests, which had been brought to town the day previously for this
+express purpose. Imagine every thing ready, the square formed, the box
+in its centre, and a silent multitude looking on,--some perched on
+trees, some on the coach-boxes of the numerous carriages, others on
+horseback, and thousands on foot; whilst the native chief of the
+district, with his friends, and the European officials of the place,
+occupied a gay pavilion, placed in an advantageous situation for viewing
+the coming strife. A native Javan, in full dress, is now seen advancing
+into the square, followed by two coolies or porters, one carrying a
+bundle of straw, the other a lighted torch. The straw is thrown over the
+box, and the torch-bearer stands ready to set fire to it at the end
+where the tiger's head is, the box being too narrow to permit his
+turning round in it. The leading native then lifts a sliding door at the
+other extremity of the box, carefully covering the opening thus made
+with mats, to prevent the light from penetrating, and inducing his royal
+highness to back out too soon. This operation completed, the straw is
+set on fire. The native and his two coolies now retire slowly, keeping
+time to Javanese music as they make their way outside the square. By
+this time, the fire has got fair hold of the box, filling it with smoke,
+and the tiger begins his retreat, his berth becoming rather warm.
+Presently, his hind quarters appear issuing through the sliding doorway,
+its covering of mat readily yielding to the pressure: by degrees, his
+hind feet gain firm footing outside, and his whole body is soon
+displayed. On appearing, he seemed rather confused for a few seconds,
+and, laying himself quietly down, looked all round upon his foes, and
+gave a roar that made the welkin ring, and my young heart quake a
+little. He then rose, deliberately shook himself, turned towards the
+rising sun, set off first at a walk, then at a trot, which he gradually
+increased to a smart canter, till within a few yards of the points of
+the spears pointed at him; he then came to the charge, and made a spring
+that surprised me, and, I fancy, every one present. I am afraid to say
+how high he leaped, but he was on the _descent_ before a single spear
+touched him. This leap was evidently made with the intention of getting
+clear over the heads of the men and their spears too; and he most
+certainly would have accomplished it, had he not leaped too soon, and
+fallen within the square, the height of the spring being quite
+sufficient for the purpose. As it was, when on the descent, the spears
+of the six men nearest him being pointed at his breast, one of them
+inflicted a frightful wound. On reaching the ground, the noble beast
+struggled hard for his liberty; but, finding his efforts of no avail, he
+ultimately started off at full gallop to the opposite side of the
+square, where he renewed his exertions, though with less vigour than
+that displayed on his first attempt, and with no better success. He then
+galloped twice round the square, just at the point of the spears. Not a
+man advanced to touch him, it being the rule, that the tiger must come
+within the range of the spears before they can be used. He was
+ultimately killed while making a third attempt to escape; and thus ended
+the sport. His first charge was very brilliant and exciting; his second
+much less so; his third and last was very feeble.
+
+Immediately after the tiger's death, the same ceremonies were gone
+through with a leopard, who took the spear-men rather by surprise, and,
+instead of trying to leap over their heads, darted in under their
+spears, got among their feet, and effected his retreat, to the no small
+consternation of the surrounding multitude, who soon scattered in all
+directions. He was, however, pursued by the men he had baffled, and was
+killed under a bridge in the immediate neighbourhood.
+
+Tigers are frequently pitted by the native chiefs of Java against
+buffaloes, but I never was fortunate enough to witness one of those
+conflicts. The buffalo is generally the conqueror, and is sure to be so,
+if he succeeds in getting one fair butt at his adversary, whom he tosses
+in the air, and butts again on his fall. Occasionally, the tiger
+declines the combat altogether, when his tormentors rouse him by the
+application of lighted torches to the tenderest parts of his body: but
+even this extreme measure has been known to fail; in which case the
+terrified animal is withdrawn, and another is put forward in his place.
+These are cruel pastimes, though they may be thought not more so than
+dog-fighting and cock-fighting, which were formerly so much practised in
+Britain; and not so barbarous as a pugilistic combat between two hired
+brutes called prize-fighters.
+
+The society of Samarang is neither so extensive nor so attractive as
+that of Batavia: it is, however, a pleasant and healthy place,
+notwithstanding its proximity to an extensive swamp. Its safeguard
+against the malaria we might naturally look for in this situation, is
+the tide, which flows over the marsh twice a day, and keeps it sweet.
+
+During the Java war, a small volunteer corps of cavalry was formed here,
+the members of which, in their zeal, offered their services to join a
+party who were proceeding to Damak, (a small village about forty miles
+off,) to put down a body of armed rebels. Poor fellows! they went out in
+high spirits, but trusted too much to their unbroken horses, which took
+fright, and threw them into inextricable confusion on hearing the first
+volley. The sad consequences of this rash though gallant day's work,
+were, the death of seven young English gentlemen, all highly respected,
+and sincerely regretted by their countrymen. They were all personal
+friends of my own. I well remember the gloom which the intelligence cast
+over the society at Batavia.
+
+In and about Samarang may be collected any number of the beautiful Java
+poneys, animals unsurpassed for symmetry in any part of the world.[3]
+The work they perform is beyond belief. Ten miles an hour is the common
+rate of travelling post: four of them are generally used for this
+purpose, and the stages are from seven to nine miles, according to the
+nature of the country. When within half-a-mile of the first house where
+relays are kept, the native coachman cracks his long, unwieldy whip,
+which can be heard at a great distance. At this signal, the grooms
+harness the four poneys whose turn for work it is; and, by the time your
+carriage halts under the shed that crosses the road at every post-house,
+the fresh poneys are to be seen coming out of the stable, all ready for
+the next stage. Your attention is then attracted by a man with a stout
+bamboo, some eight feet long, in his hand, full of water, which he pours
+over the naves of the wheels, to cool them. By this time, the tired
+poneys are unhooked, the fresh ones put-to, and away rattles the
+carriage again with its delighted passengers. I know nothing more
+exciting and agreeable than a ramble amongst the mountains of this
+favoured isle, under the direction of the post establishment.
+
+ [Footnote 3: The Java poney in Her Majesty's stable at Windsor,
+ is certainly no fair specimen, being the worst-favoured brute
+ under the sun.]
+
+From Samarang, early in 1824, I posted with a friend to Solo and
+Djockdjocarta, the ancient seats of the Emperors and Sultans of this
+part of Java. They are now shorn of their splendour; but they still
+possess novelty enough to attract a stranger. On our route, we visited
+some beautiful coffee-plantations, and passed through the pretty and
+romantic-looking village of Salatiga.[4] We had a splendid view of the
+far-famed _Gunung Marapi_, or fire-mountain; and, on every side, we saw
+evidence of the thriving condition of this magnificent part of Java.
+
+At Solo, I was so fortunate as to be present at the then Emperor's
+marriage; a scene which brought painfully to mind the fallen state of
+the chiefs of this neighbourhood, by its being superintended by the
+Dutch Resident at the Court. There were three days' feasting, royal
+salutes from the imperial guard, Javanese music, and dancing girls in
+great numbers; but I found the whole affair very fatiguing. Fallen as
+was the Emperor's state at that time, it subsequently became much more
+reduced, in consequence of his having been found guilty of being
+secretly concerned in the late war or rebellion. He has long since
+followed his friend and coadjutor, Diepo Nogoro. A tool of the Dutch
+Government now reigns in his stead, who cannot even leave his house for
+twenty-four hours without permission from the Resident at his Court.
+
+ [Footnote 4: A name derived from the Malay words, _sallah_, "a
+ fault or crime," and _tiga_, the numeral "three"; consequently
+ meaning the "third fault." How this pretty spot came by such a
+ name, I never heard.]
+
+One day, I accompanied a party of friends to see the Emperor's tigers, a
+number of which animals he generally had ready for exhibitions similar
+to those already described. We found one very noble fellow confined in a
+house some fifteen feet square, formed of the trunks of cocoa-nut trees,
+placed about five inches apart. On looking through, we saw the tiger in
+the position usually chosen by a dog when he wants to warm his face at
+the fire. Hearing our approach, he stared us steadily in the face for
+about a minute, and then made a spring at us, so suddenly that he came
+with his whole force against the bars, before we had time to move a
+step. The shock shook the building, as well as our nerves, not a little,
+though we were of course scatheless.
+
+At Solo, I first tasted the Javanese "Findhorn haddock," which is, in
+fact, a trout caught in the beautiful Solo river. After being cleaned,
+it is wrapped up in a bundle of rice-straw, which is forthwith set on
+fire; and as soon as the straw is consumed, the fish is ready for
+eating, and really resembles in flavour its celebrated name-sake.
+
+In the neighbourhood of Solo, a bold sportsman may find game to his
+liking, and willing natives to guide him in his search after tigers,
+wild hogs, the huge boa, deer, snipe, and quail. In pursuit of the last,
+too many a fever is caught, through the imprudence of young men in
+staying out too late in the day, and in keeping on their wet and soiled
+clothes and shoes during their ride or drive home. A little attention to
+such apparent trifles would save many a valuable life. Deer and wild-hog
+are generally pursued and shot by a party armed with rifles, who post
+themselves along one side of a jungle, while a party of natives advance
+from the opposite, driving the game before them with long poles and
+shouting. Great care must be taken by the sportsman, on these occasions,
+not to fire too soon: if he fires into the jungle, he runs the risk of
+shooting one of the bush-beaters; if to the right or left, he may plant
+his bullet in the breast of one of his companions. He must reserve his
+fire till the game is fairly out of the bush, and in rear of the line of
+rifles, when he may turn round and deliver his charge. I recollect a
+fatal accident happening near Salatiga, through a gentleman's deviating
+from the strict rule, never to change your position when once placed by
+the leading sportsman. A party were out after hogs by moonlight, when
+one gentleman, thinking he heard a noise as of an approaching porker on
+his left, very imprudently got on his hands and knees to crawl round in
+the hope of getting the first shot. The sportsman stationed next to him
+got a glimpse of him on the path, and mistaking him in the uncertain
+light for a hog or other wild animal, fired his rifle without a moment's
+hesitation, and mortally wounded his unfortunate friend, who lived just
+long enough to acknowledge his error, and to beg that no blame might be
+attached to the individual who caused his death. Poor fellow! he paid
+dearly for his imprudence.
+
+Solo is protected by a small fort, which is always garrisoned by
+European troops, the Government not choosing to trust native soldiers in
+that part of the country. For this, no one can blame the Dutch; for the
+chiefs require looking after, and are apt to give trouble. While the
+Island was held by the British Government, a mutiny broke out at Solo
+among the Bengal sepoys: on its suppression, it was found they had been
+tampered with by these chiefs, and that numbers had been gained over to
+their cause.
+
+Nothing can exceed the hospitality of the Dutch inhabitants of this part
+of Java: their houses are always open to the stranger, of whom they
+think too much cannot be made. The Resident's establishment is a
+splendid one, and to his liberality and hospitality I can testify from
+personal experience. Indeed, our countrymen, in many parts that I could
+name, might, with great advantage to themselves and to travellers in
+their districts, take lessons from their Dutch brethren in office.
+
+From Solo, I went to Djockdjocarta, distant forty miles, in a gig. A
+kind friend having placed relays of horses on the road for me, I
+performed the journey with perfect ease, without the aid of a whip, in
+four hours. The poney I had the last stage, was the best little animal
+in harness I ever sat behind: he literally flew along the road. At one
+point, I came to a bridge, which, as I could see at some distance, had
+been broken, so as to render it impassable. While meditating how I was
+to get across the river, not knowing there was a ford in the
+neighbourhood, my poney, which had come the road in the morning to meet
+me, settled the question, by suddenly darting off, through a gap in the
+hedge at the road-side, down the river bank, at the top of his speed,
+and, before I could collect my scattered senses, was across the stream
+and up the opposite bank, to my no small surprise and pleasure. He was a
+noble little animal, of a mouse colour; and was originally purchased
+from a native dealer for twenty-eight guilders (about 2l. 6s. 8d.).
+
+At Djockdjocarta are to be seen many ancient residences of the Javanese
+Chiefs; amongst others, the celebrated _Cratan_ or palace, the taking of
+which, in 1812, cost General Gillespie a hard struggle. It is surrounded
+with a high wall, which encloses an area of exactly one square mile:
+outside the wall runs a deep, broad ditch. The place could offer but a
+feeble resistance against artillery, in which arm Gillespie was
+deficient when he attacked and took it. Another curious building is that
+in which the Sultans, in days of yore, used to keep their ladies: it is
+composed entirely of long narrow passages, with numerous small rooms on
+each side; each of which, in the days of their master's glory, was the
+residence, according to tradition, of a beautiful favourite. To prevent
+the escape of the ladies, or the intrusion of any gallants, the whole
+pile is surrounded with a canal, which used to be filled with
+alligators: the only entrance was by a subterranean passage beneath this
+canal, and which ran under it for its whole length. When I visited the
+place in 1824, the canal, passage, &c. were all in good order, though
+the latter was getting damp from neglect;--a proof that the masons and
+plasterers of Java, in old times, must have been very superior workmen.
+
+Djockdjocarta was the birth-place of Diepo Nogoro, and the scene of his
+earliest warlike movements against the Dutch. So unexpected and sudden
+was his first attack, that he caught the garrison napping, and had them
+within his grasp before they knew he was in the field.
+
+In the _Cratan_, the Sultan had, in 1824, three noble elephants, each
+kept under a separate shed. I went, with three other visitors, to see
+those animals; and we passed sometime amusing ourselves by giving them
+fruit and other dainties. We did not remark, however, that one of our
+friends had been for sometime teasing one of them, by offering him a
+plantain, and constantly withdrawing it just as the poor animal was
+laying hold of it with his trunk. We had not gone twenty yards from the
+spot, when the elephant's keeper approached, and gave him a couple of
+cocoa-nuts, (minus the husk, but with the shells,)--part of his daily
+food, I presume. The elephant took one of these, and, with a wicked look
+at the gentleman who had been teasing him, threw the nut at him with
+great force. Fortunately he missed his aim. The nut struck a post within
+six inches of the teaser's head, and was literally smashed: had it
+struck where doubtless it was meant to do, it would certainly have
+proved as fatal as an eighteen-pound shot. So much for teasing
+elephants. We beat a speedy retreat, not choosing to risk a second shot.
+
+Djockdjocarta can hardly be called a town; yet it is more than a
+village. The houses of the European inhabitants are much scattered, and
+many of them occupy very pretty situations. The climate is delicious;
+and exercise on horseback may be taken with impunity from six to nine
+A. M., and from three to seven P. M. It is not uncommon to see Europeans
+riding about during the intervening hours; but this is generally avoided
+by old residents.
+
+A successful attempt was made here, by a countryman of mine, in 1823, to
+grow indigo. The quantity produced was limited, but the quality was
+excellent; and, but for some vexatious regulations of the Government
+regarding the residence of foreigners in this part of Java, which drove
+the spirited individual alluded to from the neighbourhood, I have no
+doubt he would speedily have realized a handsome fortune. Since that
+period, indigo-planting has been carried on in various parts of Java to
+a large extent. The quantity produced annually is now about one million
+and a half of pounds; and the quality is such as to command the first
+prices in the continental markets. Indeed, the Bengal planters are
+becoming quite jealous of those of Java.
+
+Shortly before my arrival at Djockdjocarta, a daring house-robbery, by
+a band of Javanese, took place in the neighbourhood. Six of the robbers
+were afterwards caught, tried, convicted, condemned, and executed _a la
+Javan_ on the scene of their crime: they were tied hands and feet to
+separate stakes, and _krissed_ by a native executioner, who performed
+his dreadful office so scientifically that his victims died without a
+groan. The cool indifference with which five of the unfortunates
+witnessed the execution of the first sufferer, and successively received
+the _kriss_ in their own bosoms, was quite surprising, and shewed with
+what stoical composure the Mohammedan fatalist can meet a violent death.
+
+The forests of Java are inhabited by the rhinoceros, tiger, black tiger,
+leopard, tiger-cat, boa-constrictor, and a variety of animals of milder
+natures. The elephant is not found in its wild state in these woods,
+though numerous in those of the neighbouring island. I am not aware of
+any other animal that may be called dangerous to man in these unrivalled
+forests; nor is there much to be apprehended from occasionally coming in
+contact with either of those above-named, though accidents happen now
+and then. I have known a carriage and four attacked on the main road
+between Batavia and Samarang, by a tiger, and one of the poneys killed
+by the fierce onset. This, however, is a rare occurrence, and can happen
+only when the tiger is hard pressed for food; which is seldom the case
+in the woods of Java, overrun as they are with deer, wild-hog, and other
+royal game. The boa is harmless to man, unless his path is crossed, when
+a speedy retreat is advisable. A friend of mine in Samarang once kept
+one of these monsters as a pet, and used to let him crawl all over the
+garden: it measured exactly nineteen feet. It was regularly fed twice a
+month, viz. on the 1st and the 15th. On the first day of the month, a
+moderate-sized goat was put into his house. The poor animal would
+scream, and exhibit every symptom of extreme terror, but was not kept
+long in suspense; for the snake, after eyeing his victim keenly, would
+spring on it with the rapidity of thought, coil three turns round the
+body, and in an instant every bone in the goat's skin was broken. The
+next process was, to stretch the carcass to as great a length as he
+could before uncoiling himself; then to lick it all over; and he
+commenced his feast by succeeding, after some severe exertion, in
+getting the goat's head within his mouth. In the course of twenty
+minutes, the whole animal was swallowed: the snake would then lie down,
+and remain perfectly dormant for three or four days. His lunch (as I may
+call it) on the fifteenth of the month, used to consist of a duck. This
+snake was given, in 1815, to Lord Amherst, on his return from China, and
+reached the Cape in safety: there it was over-fed to gratify the
+curious visitors, and died in consequence before the ship reached St.
+Helena.
+
+While on the subject of wild animals, I may mention a leopard that was
+kept by an English officer in Samarang, during our occupation of the
+Dutch colonies. This animal had its liberty, and used to run all over
+the house after its master. One morning, after breakfast, the officer
+was sitting smoking his hookah, with a book in his right-hand, and the
+hookah-snake in his left, when he felt a slight pain in the left hand,
+and, on attempting to raise it, was checked by a low angry growl from
+his pet leopard: on looking down, he saw the animal had been licking the
+back of his hand, and had by degrees drawn a little blood. The leopard
+would not suffer the removal of the hand, but continued licking it with
+great apparent relish, which did not much please his master; who, with
+great presence of mind, without attempting again to disturb the pet in
+his proceeding, called to his servant to bring him a pistol, with which
+he shot the animal dead on the spot. Such pets as snakes nineteen feet
+long and full-grown leopards are not to be trifled with. The largest
+snake I ever saw was twenty-five feet long, and eight inches in
+diameter. I have _heard_ of sixty-feet snakes, but cannot vouch for the
+truth of the tale.
+
+In my enumeration of animals dangerous to man, I omitted the alligator,
+which infests every river and muddy creek in Java, and grows to a very
+large size. At the mouth of the Batavia river, they are very numerous
+and dangerous, particularly to Europeans. It strikes one as
+extraordinary, to see the copper-coloured natives bathing in the river
+within view of a large alligator: they never seem to give the animal a
+thought, or to anticipate injury from his proximity. Yet, were a
+European to enter the water by the side of the natives, his minutes in
+this world would be few. I recollect an instance that occurred on the
+occasion of a party of troops embarking at Batavia for the eastward,
+during the Java war. The men had all gone off, with the exception of
+three sergeants, who were to follow in the ship's jolly-boat, which was
+waiting for them at the wharf: two of them stepped into the boat; but
+the third, in following, missed his footing, and fell with his leg in
+the water, and his body over the gunwale of the boat. In less than an
+instant, an alligator darted from under the wharf, and seized the
+unfortunate man by the leg, while his companions in the boat laid hold
+of his shoulders. The poor fellow called out to his friends, "Pull; hold
+on; don't let go"; but their utmost exertions were unavailing. The
+alligator proved the strongest, and carried off his prize. The scene was
+described to me by a bystander, who said, he could trace the monster's
+course all the way down the river with his victim in his immense mouth.
+
+The inhabitants of Java are, generally speaking, a quiet, tractable
+race, but rather lazy withal. The Dutch Government could never have made
+the Island produce half the quantity it now yields of either sugar,
+coffee, or rice, without a little wholesome coercion;--coercion that
+seemed somewhat tyrannical at first, but which has ultimately pleased
+all parties concerned, and done wonders for Java. If my memory serves
+me, it was in the time of Governor Vandenborch that this system of
+coercion commenced. The inhabitants of the villages, in various parts of
+the Island, were compelled by an armed force, when milder means had
+failed, to turn out at day-light, and labour in the fields planted
+either by Government itself or by Government contractors, which
+naturally caused a great deal of discontent; but, as the labourers were
+regularly paid in cash for their day's work every evening, they very
+soon became reconciled to a system that not only provided amply for
+their families, but gave them the means of indulging in their favourite
+pastime, gambling. To this vice, all classes are passionately addicted;
+and nothing is more common than to see a gang of coolies sit down in the
+middle of the road, and gamble for hours on the few pieces they may have
+just earned for having carried a heavy burthen a couple of miles. The
+inhabitants of the districts in which the coercion I speak of has been
+put in force, are now better satisfied with their rulers than ever they
+were before.
+
+The extent to which the growth of coffee and sugar has been carried, has
+rather checked that of rice, which has been twenty-five per cent. dearer
+the last fifteen years, than during the preceding twenty: it is,
+however, still cheap enough as an article of food, though the price is
+too high to compete, in the China or Singapore markets, with the produce
+of Lombok, Bally, Siam, or Cochin China.[5]
+
+ [Footnote 5: By the last overland papers from Singapore (Sept.
+ 1845), I observe, the Dutch Government has been importing rice
+ from Pondicherry to Java;--a proceeding quite unprecedented in
+ my time, and to be accounted for only by the extent to which
+ the cultivation of sugar, indigo, and coffee is carried, in
+ order to satisfy the constant demands on the colonies of the
+ Netherlands for money. To this cause may be added, however, the
+ occurrence of one or two dry seasons;--a rare phenomenon within
+ the tropics, and attributable, probably, in some degree, to the
+ vast extent of country recently cleared of forest and jungle to
+ make way for the plough. No policy can be so blind as that
+ which compels the poor Javanese to eat imported rice, while
+ living in a country capable of yielding food for all Europe.]
+
+Slavery still exists in Java, and every Dutch family has its domestic
+slaves. The law forbids the importation of fresh ones, and provides for
+the good treatment of those now in bondage. It also prohibits the
+slave-owner from separating a family; so that the wife and husband
+cannot be parted from each other, or from their children, except in the
+case of a crime having been committed by a member of the family. In that
+case, the guilty party is, on application to the chief magistrate, put
+up to auction, and sold to the highest bidder. This, however, is a rare
+occurrence, though I have witnessed such sales. The slaves, knowing well
+the consequence of an act of dishonesty, are cautious how they venture
+to trespass on the rights of _meum_ and _tuum_. I may safely say, I have
+never, in all my wanderings, seen a race of people better treated than
+the slaves of Java: they are well fed and well clothed; and adults of
+both sexes receive a monthly allowance of two guilders (3s. 4d.) under
+the name of pocket-money. This sum may seem small; but, when we take
+into consideration, that a free man can be hired for eight guilders per
+month in Batavia, and for six in the country, on which sum he has to
+feed and clothe himself and his wife and children, it will be
+sufficiently evident that the slave's allowance is ample, his master
+feeding and clothing him and his family. I object _in toto_ to slavery
+in any form; but I confess I do not think the slaves of Java would be
+benefitted, were their liberty given them to-morrow.
+
+The natives of Java are by no means free from that prevalent Eastern
+vice, or luxury, opium-smoking; and the Dutch Government derives an
+immense revenue from the article. I have, in various parts of the
+Eastern world, seen the evil effects of opium-smoking; but am decidedly
+of opinion, that those arising from gin-drinking in England, and from
+whisky-drinking in Ireland and Scotland, far exceed them. Let any
+unprejudiced European walk through the native towns of Java, Singapore,
+or China, and see if he can find a single drunken native. What he will
+meet with are, numbers of drunken English, Scotch, and Irish seamen,
+literally rolling in the gutters, intoxicated, not from opium, but from
+rum and other spirits sent all the way from England for the purpose of
+enabling her worthy sons to exhibit themselves to Chinese and other
+nations in this disgraceful light. That spirit-drinking at home is no
+excuse for opium-smoking abroad, I admit; but I would recommend the
+well-intentioned persons who have of late been raising such an outcry on
+the subject of opium, to begin at home, and attempt to reform their own
+countrymen: they may then come to China with a clear conscience, and
+preach reform to the poor opium-smoker.
+
+Among other improvements in Java, its rulers have lately turned their
+attention to the cultivation of tea, and with considerable success so
+far as regards the quality, I have no means of ascertaining the quantity
+of tea at present produced yearly; but have no doubt it will, before
+long, become an important article of export from the Island.
+
+Before quitting Java, I must say a word about the far-famed upas-tree.
+Such a tree certainly exists on the island; but the tales that are told
+of its poisoning the air for hundreds of yards round, so that birds dare
+not approach it, that vegetation is destroyed beneath its branches, and
+that man cannot come near it with impunity, are perfectly ridiculous. To
+prove their absurdity, a friend of mine climbed up a upas-tree, and
+passed two hours in its branches, where he took his lunch and smoked a
+cigar. The tree, however, does contain poison, and the natives extract
+the sap, with which they rub their spear and _kriss_ blades: wounds
+inflicted with blades thus anointed, are mortal. Such I believe to be
+the origin of the many fabulous stories that have passed from hand to
+hand, and from generation to generation, about the upas-tree of Java.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SINGAPORE.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF SINGAPORE--CULTIVATION
+ OF THE NUTMEG AND COCOA-NUT--ROADS AND SCENERY--
+ MOTLEY POPULATION--EUROPEAN RESIDENTS--CHINESE
+ EMIGRANTS--KLINGS--SAMPAN-MEN--PLACES OF
+ WORSHIP--TIGERS.
+
+
+In the month of May 1824, I returned from my trip to the eastward, and
+was kept tightly at work in Batavia, till fate sent me wandering in July
+1826. Singapore was the first place I visited; and to it, therefore, I
+must devote the next few pages of these retrospective lucubrations.
+
+Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles deserved a great deal of credit and praise
+from the mercantile community of Britain, for having established this
+emporium of trade. A more lovely or better situation could not have been
+chosen; and its surprising prosperity has more than realized its
+founder's expectations, sanguine as they were. Since 1826, I have
+resided some considerable time in Singapore; have witnessed its progress
+towards its present nourishing condition; and am sufficiently well
+acquainted with its trade and its inhabitants to enable me to speak
+confidently respecting them. The Island itself, though only seventy-six
+miles from the Equator, enjoys a delightful climate, and is remarkable
+for salubrity. Its proximity to the Line secures frequent refreshing
+showers, and its foliage is in consequence always in the full bloom of
+summer. During an acquaintance with it of eighteen years, I have never
+known a drought of more than three weeks' duration. Its soil, with
+little tillage, produces the nutmeg, the clove, coffee, the cocoa-nut,
+the sugar-cane, the pepper-vine, gambia or terra japonica, and all the
+fruits common to Malacca and Java. The East-India Company's regulations
+regarding land checked, for a few years, the spirit of the
+agriculturist; but, within the last ten years, a few spirited and
+praiseworthy individuals have laid out considerable sums of money in
+nutmeg, coffee, sugar, and cocoa-nut plantations. It is a somewhat
+doubtful point, in my opinion, whether sugar or coffee plantations on
+this island will ever pay; but, of the nutmeg and cocoa-nut groves, I
+have the best opinion, and think their proprietors have a very fair
+chance of ultimately being well paid for their outlay. Of the nutmeg
+gardens, that of Dr. Oxley's is by far the finest on the island. This
+gentleman has spared neither trouble nor expense in bringing his plants
+forward, and has now five thousand of the very finest nutmeg-trees I
+ever saw. Nothing can be finer than their beautiful position, tasteful
+outlay, and luxuriant foliage. It is now eighteen months since I last
+saw those trees: they were then just coming into bearing; and they are
+now, I hope, paying their spirited proprietor for his monthly outlay at
+all events, though it may be a few years yet before they return him
+interest for his money, and adequate remuneration for his trouble.
+
+A plantation of ten or fifteen thousand cocoa-nut trees is a more
+valuable property than many people imagine. As soon as they come into
+bearing, which they do in five years from seed, they are worth
+three-quarters of a dollar each per annum net profit, after paying the
+labourers: thus, fifteen thousand of them will yield their proprietor
+10,250 dollars per annum, (_i. e._ at the moderate calculation of 4s. 2d.
+to the dollar, 2135l. 8s. 4d. sterling,) a sum that would cover all the
+outlay incurred during the five nonproductive years, and be a secure
+revenue to the owner of the estate for ever, provided that he is careful
+in replacing the old trees, as fast as they die, with new plants.
+
+My reasons for doubting the success of coffee-plantations in Singapore
+are, that there is not sufficient depth of soil for the tree, and that,
+if there were, labour is too high to enable the planters to compete with
+those of Java. As regards sugar, Singapore being a sugar-importing
+colony, its own produce pays, on being imported into England, 8s. per
+hundred-weight more duty than the produce of non-importing British
+colonies.[6] The high price of labour is also against the sugar-planter.
+An able-bodied labourer costs, in Singapore, four dollars per month,
+while the same man can be had in the mountains of Java for three
+guilders in money, and the value of two in rice. Thus, the Singapore
+planter pays more than double the rate of wages for his labour; and, as
+his lands are not so rich as his neighbour's, he stands, I fear, but a
+poor chance in the competition with him.
+
+ [Footnote 6: Since my arrival in England, an Act has been
+ passed, removing, in some measure, this bar to the prosperity
+ of the Singapore sugar-planter;--I allude to the recent
+ reduction in the duty on all sugars, excepting slave-grown. The
+ Singaporeans are naturally anxious to be allowed to send their
+ sugars to the English market on the same terms as their
+ brethren of Prince of Wales' Island have lately been permitted
+ to do. This they can hardly expect, however, while they
+ continue to be such large importers of Siam and other foreign
+ sugars as they are and always have been. To require them to
+ give up this foreign trade, would do them far more injury than
+ the granting of their planters' petition would benefit them.]
+
+To the eastward of the town of Singapore, extends a considerable plain,
+on which the sugar and cocoa-nut plantations stand. To the westward and
+inland of the town, the country consists almost entirely of hill and
+dale; and its aspect is very striking and picturesque. On many of these
+miniature (for they are but miniature) hills, stand pretty _bungalows_,
+surrounded with nutmeg and fruit trees: they are delightful residences,
+and have the very great advantage of cool nights, when the tired planter
+or merchant can enjoy a sound sleep after the fatigues of a hot day.
+
+A great deal has been done for Singapore by gangs of convicts from
+Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, who, under an experienced and able
+superintendent, have cut and made excellent roads, that now extend east,
+west, north, and south, for several miles. Cutting these roads has
+drained, and thereby rendered available, large tracts of land that were
+recently quite valueless: they also add much to the enjoyment of the
+Singaporean, by enabling him to extend his ride or drive of an evening.
+The scenery along the different roads consists of hills and dales,
+covered with the richest and most luxuriant foliage, with here and there
+a clearing, where some industrious China-man has squatted, in defiance
+of tigers and East-India Company's regulations. Now that land can be got
+on better terms than formerly, these clearings are being purchased by
+Europeans of the squatter,--whose prior right the Government always
+protects to the extent of a fair remuneration for his labour,--and are
+being turned into gardens or plantations. This drives back the
+squatter, who, like his brethren all over the world, is ever willing to
+sell and move further inland; thus materially increasing the extent of
+cleared land from year to year. The primeval jungles of Singapore are so
+thickly timbered and covered with underwood and large, tough creepers,
+that the man who undertakes to clear them has before him an Herculean
+task. According to the best information I could obtain, it requires a
+cash outlay of sixty dollars to clear a single acre; and even that large
+sum does not thoroughly stump it (_i. e._ clear off all the large roots
+and stumps of the larger trees) for the planting of coffee, nutmegs, or
+pepper. For these, however, this is less necessary, as the plants are
+placed at a considerable distance from each other: for sugar, it is very
+desirable to have every stump taken out.
+
+Swamps abound on the island: fortunately, they are all salt-water
+swamps, and flooded daily by the tide, which keeps them sweet, so that
+no one suffers from residing in their neighbourhood.
+
+A full description of the inhabitants of Singapore would fill a volume,
+they are of so many countries. Here may be seen, besides Europeans of
+different nations, and Americans, the Jew, the Armenian, the Persian,
+the Parsee, the Arab, the Bengalee, the Malabaree, the China-man, the
+Malay, the Javanese, the Siamese, the Cochin Chinese, with the native of
+Borneo, of Macassar, and of every island of the Eastern Archipelago;
+all in the costumes of their respective countries, and forming motley
+groupes that can nowhere be surpassed. With the exception of the
+Europeans, Americans, and Armenians, each class occupies a distinct
+quarter of the town, mixing but little with the rest, except in business
+hours, when one and all may be seen in eager converse on the
+all-important subject of money-making.
+
+Europeans generally live in garden-houses in the suburbs. The favourite
+situation is along the beach to the eastward of the town, from which the
+merchant has a full view of the harbour, as well as of both its
+entrances, and can see every vessel that comes or goes. Pleasant,
+however, as is this part of the suburbs, it is gradually being deserted
+for country situations, where the hot winds of July, August, and
+September are not so much felt, and where the nights are cooler than on
+the sea-shore. The houses generally occupied by these gentlemen, are
+large and roomy, with verandahs in front and rear, enclosed with
+Venetian blinds: these are kept shut from ten A. M. till four P. M., which
+darkens the house so much that a visiter can with difficulty see his
+host or hostess for two or three minutes after entering a room, till the
+pupils of his eyes, contracted by the glare on the road, expand, and
+enable him to distinguish objects. This custom keeps the house
+wonderfully cool, and is universally adopted by newcomers after the
+first few months of their residence. The Chinese occupy the next best
+part of the town, and many of them have built substantial and commodious
+houses. A portion of this class are the descendants of Chinese who
+settled at Malacca two hundred years ago: they have never been to China,
+and speak Malay much more fluently than they do their own language.
+Numbers of them keep their families at Malacca, having superstitious
+objections to a final removal far from the graves of their ancestors.
+The real Chinese emigrant looks on Singapore only as a temporary home,
+and invariably remits something every year, according to his means, to
+his aged parents, wife, or sisters. He usually consoles himself for his
+absence from his wife, by taking to himself another of the country he
+resides in: the offspring of this second marriage is always properly
+cared for on the father's return to China, where he probably takes the
+eldest boy to be educated.
+
+The Chinese junks bring annually to this part of the world, from six to
+eight thousand emigrants, ninety-nine-hundredths of whom land without a
+sixpence in the world beyond the clothes they stand in. The consequence
+of this is, that those who cannot succeed in obtaining immediate
+employment, take to thieving, from necessity; and some daring gang
+robberies are committed every year. They do not, however, long continue
+this mode of life; for the eight thousand new comers soon scatter, and
+find employment either on the Island, in the tin-mines of Banca, or on
+the Malayan peninsula.
+
+Ship-loads of these men have been sent to the Mauritius, where they have
+given general satisfaction; and no better class of emigrants could be
+found for the West Indies. A tight curb on a China-man will make him do
+a great deal of work: at the same time, he has spirit enough to resist
+real ill treatment. All the mechanics and house-builders, and many
+boatmen and fishermen of Singapore, are Chinese.
+
+Of the other inhabitants, the most numerous are the Malabarees, who are
+principally employed as shopkeepers, and are as knowing in the art of
+bargain-driving as any tradesmen of London or Paris. They generally go
+here under the denomination of "_Klings_," an appellation synonymous, in
+the Singapore vocabulary, with "scamp," to which I have no inclination
+to dispute their title. The boats employed to carry cargoes to and from
+the shipping in the harbour, are almost all manned by these _Klings_;
+and excellent boatmen they are. When pulling off a heavily-laden boat,
+they cheer their labour by a song, led, in general, by the steersman,
+the crew joining in chorus. They are a willing, hard-working race,
+though rather given to shut their eyes to the difference between _meum_
+and _tuum_. The original Malay inhabitants of this Island are now the
+most insignificant, both as to numbers and as to general utility, of the
+many races that are found on it. From this remark must be excepted,
+however, the _sampan_-men, who are of great service to the mercantile
+community. In their fast-sailing _sampans_ (a superior sort of canoe,
+peculiar to the place), they go out ten, fifteen, and even twenty miles,
+to meet any ship that may be signalized as approaching the harbour. They
+are usually employed to attend a ship during her stay here, few masters
+choosing to trust their crews on shore in boats. Of late years, reports
+have been in circulation of a suspected connection between the
+sampan-men and the Malay pirates in the neighbourhood; but I question
+their having any foundation in fact. Those Malay families whose young
+men are thus employed as _sampan_-men, are called _Orang-Laut_, or
+"People of the sea," from their living entirely afloat. The middle of
+the river just opposite the town of Singapore, is crowded with boats
+about twenty feet long by five wide, in which these poor people are
+born, live, and die. They are wretched abodes, but are preferred, from
+long custom I fancy, by their inhabitants, who, if they chose, could
+find room on shore to build huts that would cost less than these marine
+dwellings.
+
+Each different class of the inhabitants of the Island have their own
+place of worship. The English Church, built in 1836 by a contribution
+from the Government and a subscription among the European inhabitants,
+is a handsome building in a central situation, capable of holding four
+times as many people as are likely to be ever collected within it: it is
+neatly fitted up, but lacked a steeple, or even a belfry. This
+deficiency, however, is about to be supplied by a subscription raised at
+the suggestion of the Bishop of Calcutta, during his last official visit
+to this portion of his immense diocese.[7]
+
+ [Footnote 7: Since this was written, the Chapel has been much
+ improved, and an elegant steeple added to it. There seems to be
+ some fatality attaching to Clergymen at Singapore. The last
+ three incumbents, Messrs. Burn, Darrah, and White, all died
+ young, and of the same complaint, namely, diseased liver. My
+ own opinion is, that they were all three too strict adherents
+ to teetotalism. In warm climates, a moderate and rather liberal
+ allowance of wine, I believe to be absolutely necessary.]
+
+The Chinese pagoda is a splendid building, according to the celestial
+taste in such matters, and is really well worth seeing: the carving and
+general fitting-up of the interior are very beautiful, and substantial
+enough to make one believe they will last a thousand years, as the
+Chinese say they will. In the centre, the Queen of Heaven is seen decked
+forth in robes of the most superb figured satin, richly embroidered
+with gold; robes that the wealthiest dames of the proudest cities of
+Europe might envy, but the like to which they never can possess. Her
+Majesty was brought from China; and the owner of the junk in which she
+came, would not receive a penny as freight for the room she occupied. On
+her arrival in Singapore harbour, the whole Chinese population of the
+Island turned out to see her land, and paraded her through the town,
+with all the noise they could by any possibility extract from about a
+thousand gongs. The building in which she has taken up her quarters,
+cost 40,000 Spanish dollars, and does credit to the Chinese workmen of
+Singapore. One day, shortly after the building of this temple, I asked
+an intelligent and wealthy Chinese, how often he went to it. His answer,
+in broken English, ran thus: "Sometime one moon, sometime two moon.
+Suppose I want ask God for something, I go churchee. Suppose I no want
+ask any thing, what for I go?" On my asking whether he never went to
+return thanks for past favours, he seemed to think my question a very
+silly one, and said, "No use."
+
+The American Chapel is a remarkably neat little building. Besides these,
+there is no other place of worship in Singapore worthy of notice.
+
+Before quitting the subject of the inhabitants of this land of perpetual
+summer, I must mention one class which the others would gladly get rid
+of: I allude to the tigers of a large size which abound here, and which,
+having cleared the jungles of wild-hog and jackalls, and nearly so of
+deer, have lately commenced preying on man, to whom they have become a
+most formidable and dreaded foe. Were I to set down the number of
+unfortunate individuals who have, since 1839, been killed by these lords
+of the forests, I should scarcely expect to be credited. Let any one
+look over the newspapers of the Island for the last five or six years,
+and they will tell him a tale of horror that will make his blood freeze.
+Many of the more distant gambia-plantations have been deserted by their
+proprietors in consequence of the ravages of these monsters. Government,
+in the hope of remedying or mitigating the evil, offered a reward of one
+hundred dollars for every tiger brought in alive or dead; but so dense
+are the jungles in which they seek shelter, that their pursuers have
+hitherto been far from successful. One is brought in now and then, for
+which the captor receives his reward, and sells the flesh for some forty
+dollars more; for the reader must know, that the flesh of a tiger is
+readily purchased and eagerly eaten by the Chinese, under the notion
+that some of the courage of the animal will be thereby instilled into
+them. Some time before I left the Island, a Malay fell in with two tiger
+cubs in the woods, and captured one of them: next day, he went back,
+like a fool, alone, in search of the other, when the dam captured and
+made a meal of him; a lesson to his countrymen, which has effectually
+cured them of meddling with tiger-whelps. On another occasion, a
+China-man, having set a trap for tigers, took a walk out about midnight,
+to see if his plan had been successful. He paid dearly for his temerity,
+being carried off by some prowling monster; and his mangled body was
+found near the place a few days afterwards.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+SINGAPORE.
+
+ TRADE OF SINGAPORE--CHINESE TRADERS--BUGIS
+ TRADERS--SIAMESE AND COCHIN CHINESE--ARAB
+ SMUGGLERS--BORNEO--TRADE WITH CALCUTTA--
+ COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.
+
+
+The trade of Singapore has, until within the last three years, gone on
+increasing; but it has now, in the opinion of many people, reached its
+ultimatum. The harbour is visited regularly by native vessels from all
+the neighbouring islands, as well as from the Continent; and I shall
+proceed to notice the nature and value of their trade, respectively,
+class by class.
+
+And first as to the China junks. These unwieldy vessels visit the Island
+in numbers varying from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty
+per annum, their size ranging from fifty to five hundred tons: they are
+manned and navigated entirely by Chinese. They of course come with the
+monsoon, and reach Singapore in the months of January, February, and
+March. Their cargoes form a very material item in the trade of the
+place, and consist of tea, raw silk, camphor, Nankin (both yellow and
+blue), immense quantities of coarse earthenware, and supplies of all
+kinds for the myriads of Chinese that reside on this and the
+neighbouring islands. The season of their arrival is one of great
+activity in the Chinese bazaars, and gives an impulse to the trade of
+the importer of Manchester and Glasgow manufactures. Their commanders
+and supercargoes are cautious dealers, and usually sound the market well
+before disposing of their commodities. Sometimes, however, they
+overstand their market, and suffer by refusing the first offers made.
+This was particularly the case in the season of 1841, in the article of
+tea, which fell in price with every overland mail that came in, making
+these wary men rue their having declined the offers that had been made
+them previously. Most of them are opium-smokers; and their countrymen,
+with whom they deal, take care to keep them well supplied with this
+luxury, and obtain many a good bargain from them when under its
+influence.
+
+The export cargoes of this class of vessels consist principally of raw
+cotton, cotton yarn, cotton goods, opium, beche-de-mer or sea slug,
+pepper, tin, rattans, edible birds'-nests, deers' sinews, sharks' fins,
+fish maws, &c. Of the first three articles, they have of late taken
+annually the following quantities:--raw cotton, 20,000 bales of 300
+lbs. each; cotton goods, 50,000 pieces of 40 yards each; opium, 2000
+chests of 164 lbs. each; the aggregate value of which I put down, in
+round numbers, at two millions of dollars.
+
+Many of the small junks that arrive with the last of the north-east
+monsoon in April, are fast-sailing craft, and come expressly for opium,
+to pay for which they bring nothing but bullion: they take their
+departure early in May, and smuggle the drug into Canton by paying the
+usual bribe to the Mandarins. All the large junks have sailed on their
+return voyage by the end of June. Some few of them that waited in 1841
+till the middle of July, in the hope of getting opium cheaper than their
+neighbours who sailed earlier, encountered heavy gales in the Chinese
+sea; and one or two of them were lost with valuable cargoes. This lesson
+has not been lost upon their successors, who have since taken care to
+run no such risks. Advantage is taken of the opportunity afforded by the
+return of these junks, every season, by the Chinese residents, to make
+remittances to their families in China; and the masters of them are
+entrusted with their remittances, which usually consist of money,
+though, occasionally, rice and other useful articles are sent. The
+shipper pays the master a per-centage on the sum transmitted; and
+instances of fraud on the part of the latter are extremely rare. A boy
+about fourteen years of age whom I had as a servant in my house at
+Singapore, used to ask me for a month's wages in advance, to send to his
+mother in Macao. Hundreds of similar instances might be adduced. This is
+one of the bright traits in the Chinese character.
+
+The native traders next in importance to the Chinese, are the Bugis.
+These arrive in October and November, bringing in their uncouth-looking
+vessels, large quantities of coffee of very good quality, gold-dust,
+tortoise-shell, native clothes (celebrated all over the Archipelago for
+their durability), beche-de-mer, deer-sinews, rice, &c. They come from
+the different ports on the islands of Celebes, &c., but principally from
+Macassar. They are a shrewd race, but are no match for their Chinese
+competitors. On the arrival of a boat, her _hakoda_ (or commander) lands
+with nearly every man on board; and he may be seen walking all over the
+place for a few days before making any bargain. They are a troublesome
+set to deal with, and require the exercise of more patience than a
+European in these parts generally possesses. They are, however, always
+received with a hearty welcome by the Chinese of the Island, who,
+inviting them to be seated, immediately hand round the _siri-box_
+(betel-nut, arica leaf, &c.) among them; and over this universal luxury,
+they will sit and talk on business matters for hours, during which time
+it may be fairly calculated that both host and guests tell a lie per
+minute, without betraying by their countenances the slightest
+consciousness of having been thus engaged. This strange sort of
+preliminary negotiation goes on, probably, for a week; at the end of
+which the passer-by may see the contents of the different Bugis boats
+entering the Chinese shops or stores, as the case may be. On getting rid
+of his import cargo, the Bugis trader takes a few days more to rest and
+refresh himself, before he begins looking round for a return cargo,
+which usually consists of opium, iron, steel, cotton yarn, cotton goods,
+gold thread, &c. He seldom or never takes money away with him. On an
+average, two hundred of these boats come to Singapore in the fall of the
+year, each manned by about thirty men. Their crews are not allowed to
+land armed with the _kriss_ or any other weapon; a wise precaution, as
+they are rather too fond of having recourse to them in the event of any
+quarrel or misunderstanding with those with whom they deal.
+Notwithstanding this salutary regulation, I have witnessed serious
+disturbances, ending, on more than one occasion, in bloodshed, between
+these traders and the bazaar shopkeepers of Singapore. What I refer to
+occurred many years ago, however, and is not very likely to happen
+again, as the reins are kept much tighter over them than of yore. They
+are essentially a maritime people, and are not, as far as I have ever
+heard, addicted to piracy. They generally sail in small fleets, and are
+quite prepared to defend themselves against the common Malay pirate, who
+meets a stout resistance when he meddles with them. Like most, or, I may
+say, all the inhabitants of this part of the world, they deal more or
+less in slaves; and it would not be difficult to prove their having sold
+boys and girls in Singapore within these ten years, though I firmly
+believe that the disgraceful traffic has been put an entire stop to of
+late. These men visit, during the months in which the south-east monsoon
+prevails, Torres Straits, and the numerous islands in that
+neighbourhood, for the purpose of gathering beche-de-mer and
+tortoise-shell. They pick up, also, slaves from Papua (New Guinea), for
+whom they find a ready market in Celebes. Our settlement of Port
+Essington has long been a favourite resort of the Bugis trader; and were
+the Government to encourage Chinese and other settlers, by giving them
+grants of land, to establish themselves there, there can be no doubt
+that it would soon become a very important place, instead of a mere
+military station, or rather place of banishment, for some fifty royal
+marines. As for its being a refuge for shipwrecked seamen, I have never
+heard of an instance of a crew of the numerous vessels annually lost in
+Torres Straits seeking shelter there. This state of affairs would be
+altered, however, were the port thrown open to the commercial world. As
+it is, a shipwrecked crew landing there, might have to remain a
+twelvemonth for an opportunity to get away again; consequently, every
+seaman placed in that unfortunate position, pushes on in his open boat
+to the Dutch settlements on the island of Timor.
+
+Next in importance to the Bugis, I may rank the Siamese and Cochin
+Chinese traders, who arrive at Singapore during the north-east monsoon.
+The trade of these two countries used to be carried on entirely in junks
+peculiar to each of them respectively; but the state of things has been
+materially altered of late. The sovereigns of Siam and Cochin China have
+recently built and fitted-out several square-rigged vessels, those of
+Siam being commanded by Europeans, and manned by natives of that
+country. These vessels are the private property of the kings whose flags
+they bear, and are loaded on their account and at their risk. Their
+cargoes consist principally of sugar and rice, which find ready
+purchasers in Singapore. The sugar of Siam is of very superior quality,
+and is sent up in large quantities to Bombay, whence it finds its way up
+the Indus and the Persian Gulf. The rice of Siam is a superior article,
+and has of late been sent in considerable quantities to London. The
+grain is liable to the disadvantage of not keeping so well as that of
+Bengal or Java; but this fault might, I think, be obviated, partially at
+all events, by adopting the Calcutta plan of putting a pound or two of
+rice-dust and lime into each bag: this not only tends to preserve the
+rice, but repels the destructive weavil; a little black insect that
+makes its appearance in wheat and rice, in immense numbers, in those
+warm latitudes.
+
+The Cochin Chinese ships generally bring each four thousand _peculs_ of
+sugar, which is of three qualities; namely, sixteen hundred _peculs_ of
+first quality, the same quantity of second, and eight hundred _peculs_
+of the third sort. The first two are good articles, though not equal to
+the sugars of Siam. The cargoes of these ships are so carefully put up,
+that I have purchased and re-shipped them without opening or weighing
+more than five bags out of each hundred, and have never had cause to
+repent the confidence thus placed in the seller, who is an _employe_ of
+His Cochin Chinese Majesty. In addition to sugar and rice, the Siamese
+vessels bring gamboge and cocoa-nut oil of a superior quality: the
+former is bought up for the London and Continental markets, and the
+latter for consumption in the Straits' settlements. Notwithstanding the
+monopolizing system of the sovereigns of the two countries just
+mentioned, the trade by junks is still carried on to a limited extent:
+their cargo consists of the same articles as the kings' ships bring; and
+their owners make money in spite of monopoly and of the iron rod with
+which they are ruled.
+
+At the commencement of the rupture between Great Britain and China, His
+Siamese Majesty thought proper to follow the example of his Celestial
+Brother, and to interdict the trade in opium, which used to flourish in
+his dominions. His proclamation prohibiting the trade, came so suddenly
+upon the parties concerned in it, and took effect so immediately, that
+many of the opium-traders went into his capita of Bang-kok with their
+usual cargoes, in utter ignorance of what had taken place, and found
+their vessels seized, their cargoes confiscated, and themselves put in
+irons and thrown into prison, where they were kept till the interference
+of the Singapore Government procured their release as British subjects
+trading under the English flag. The restriction on this trade has not
+yet been removed (1844); nor is it likely to be, till the king finds
+himself in want of money, when he will be glad to allow his subjects to
+resume a traffic that yielded him a large revenue in former days.
+
+Siam produces teak timber of excellent quality, which can be had on very
+reasonable terms; and of this, the ship-builders of Singapore do not
+fail to take advantage. A portion of the Cochin Chinese trade is
+carried on in vessels so small and so frail, that it is astonishing that
+men can be found to navigate with them the dangerous Chinese Sea: they
+do not exceed thirty tons burthen. Being wholly unprovided with
+defensive weapons of any description, many of them are annually taken by
+the Malay pirates as soon as they make their appearance inside Point
+Romania, at the mouth of Singapore Strait. They are lateen-rigged with
+mat sails, are fast sailers, hold a good wind, and have a very pretty
+appearance when entering the harbour in fleets of fifteen or twenty
+sail.
+
+Singapore is annually visited by a large fleet of vessels from all parts
+of Java: the most important of these are what are commonly called Arab
+ships, that is, ships fitted out and owned by Arabs residing in Java.
+They carry the Dutch flag, are commanded by Arabs, and manned by
+Javanese. If fame does not belie them, these Arab commanders are
+notorious smugglers. This is certain; that they take goods from
+Singapore in exchange for the coffee, sugar, rice, &c., which they bring
+from Java, and that they give prices that would leave them no margin for
+profit, if His Netherlands Majesty's duties were paid on them. For this
+sort of illicit trade, the coast of Java offers many facilities in its
+numerous small rivers, with which the Arab ship-master is intimately
+acquainted. The article of opium, though strictly prohibited by the
+authorities of Java, is taken by the Arabs from Singapore in
+considerable quantities, notwithstanding the pains and penalties
+attached to its being found on board their vessels; and smuggled into
+Java the drug most undoubtedly is, let the Dutchmen boast of their spies
+and custom-house establishment as they will. These Arab ships are built
+of teak, ranging from one hundred and fifty to five hundred tons per
+register, and are altogether remarkably fine vessels.
+
+From the islands of Lombok and Bally, directly eastward of Java, the
+market of Singapore receives a large annual supply of rice of fair
+quality, a small quantity of coffee, and some coarse native cloths, to
+which I may add, a few good stout poneys. The boats from these islands
+resemble those from Celebes, and are sometimes classed among the Bugis
+traders: they carry back, as return cargoes, opium, muskets, copper
+cash, a little gold and silver thread, cotton yarn, and cotton
+manufactures. These islands have their own Rajahs and laws, but are
+narrowly watched and kept in check by their neighbours, the Dutch.
+
+Borneo, notwithstanding its vast extent and immense internal wealth, has
+but a limited external trade. Boats from Sambas, Pontianack, and Borneo
+Proper, visit Singapore every year, from May till October, and bring
+with them black pepper, Malay camphor, gold-dust, rattans, &c. Most
+wretched boats they are, and, according to the accounts given to me by
+their _hakodas_ (commanders), very difficult to keep afloat when laden.
+Little can be said in favour of the natives of the sea-coast of Borneo,
+which is, and has been for ages, the haunt of pirates. Many vessels,
+particularly native _proas_, have been plundered, and their crews
+murdered or carried into slavery, by the marauders of this inhospitable
+shore; and it is not twenty years since a visit to it was considered as
+highly dangerous even in a well-armed vessel. Whole fleets of piratical
+boats ascend from time to time the rivers of this island, and plunder
+the native villages, carrying off the females and children as slaves,
+murdering the adult males, and setting fire to the houses. The
+proceedings of these vagabonds have received some severe checks, of late
+years, from the operations of a spirited and enterprising individual,
+Mr. James Brooke, whose well-known zeal and activity are beyond all
+praise. An occasional visit also from one of Her Majesty's ships, has
+done much good; and the recent operations of Capt. Keppel of the Dido,
+gave them a check they will not soon get over. The ascertained existence
+of extensive veins of coal on the banks of the river of Borneo Proper,
+will render that neighbourhood of great importance, on the completion of
+the line of steam communication from Ceylon to Hong Kong, _via_
+Singapore. I believe there is no doubt either as to the large quantity
+of coal to be had there, or as to its superior quality. But, upon the
+subject of Borneo, I shall have a few words more to say hereafter.
+
+The trade between Calcutta and the Straits' settlements, is both
+extensive and important. Vessels from the Hooghly visit Singapore
+throughout the year, bringing large supplies of raw cotton, Indian
+cotton goods, opium, wheat, &c. In return, they carry back vast
+quantities of gold-dust, tin, pepper, sago, gambia, and treasure. It is
+no unfrequent occurrence, to find the Singapore market pretty nearly
+cleared of the circulating medium after the departure of two or three
+clippers for the "City of Palaces." Indeed, treasure and gold-dust are,
+in nine cases out of ten, the only safe remittance from the Straits of
+Malacca to Calcutta; and those who remit in other modes, frequently
+sustain heavy losses, which not only affect the individuals concerned,
+but check the trade generally.
+
+I have now given a rapid view of the principal features of the native
+trade of Singapore, without pretending to give a perfect account of it.
+Before taking leave of this pretty little Island, I will add a few
+general remarks upon its condition and prospects. Its actual state, when
+I left it in 1842, was far from being as prosperous as I could wish. An
+emporium of the trade of the whole of the Eastern Archipelago, its
+aggregate imports and exports may be estimated, in round numbers, at
+three millions sterling per annum. Trade by barter is the system
+generally adopted; and notwithstanding long-continued exertions on the
+part of the European mercantile community to establish the cash system,
+their success has been so very partial, that nine-tenths of the
+remittances to Europe and India in return for goods consigned here for
+sale, are made in produce. Severe losses have been sustained here, from
+time to time, by the European mercantile firms, in consequence of their
+giving credit, to an almost unlimited extent, to Chinese and other
+dealers, many of them mere men of straw. During last year, these losses
+have amounted to very considerable sums. This has led to renewed and
+more strenuous exertions to establish a cash system, but, I fear, with
+indifferent success. The present state of the bazaars is very far from
+satisfactory: my last accounts state, that no one knows who can be
+trusted. The natural consequence of such a state of things is, a serious
+decrease in the amount of sales; and had it not been for the demand for
+Glasgow and Manchester manufactures, caused by the high price of those
+articles in China, the importers would have had four-fifths of their
+stocks left on hand.
+
+Of the state of the public health in Singapore, I am able to report
+most favourably. Let any one go there and see the European residents of
+sixteen and twenty years' standing, and he will be able to judge for
+himself. During an intimate acquaintance of eighteen years with this
+part of the world, I have never known any endemic disease to prevail;
+never heard of more than one European dying of cholera, or of more than
+three Europeans being attacked with that disease; never knew but one or
+two cases of liver-complaint in which the sufferers had not their own
+imprudence to thank for the attack; and, as far as my memory serves me,
+cannot reckon up two deaths among the European inhabitants in that long
+period. Some one may here whisper, "Look at the state of your Singapore
+burying-ground." My reply is, that it is filled by the death of numbers
+who have, from time to time, arrived from Calcutta and other parts of
+India in a dying state, and who would have died six months sooner, had
+they not come to breathe the pure air of Singapore. On this point, I
+boldly challenge contradiction.
+
+As to the commercial prospects of this Island, I have some misgivings.
+The recent establishment, by Her Majesty's Government, of the British
+colony of Hong Kong, and the opening of the northern ports on the coast
+of China, will, I fear, give its commerce a check: indeed, it seems
+inevitable that it should suffer from these causes. When we consider
+the vast importance of the Chinese junk-trade to Singapore, and take
+into account the cheaper rate we can supply them, now their ports are
+open, at their own doors, with every commodity they require from the
+Malay islands, the risk, trouble, and expense they will save by
+supplying their wants or disposing of their superfluities, in the
+harbours of Shang Hae, Ningpo, Foo Chow, or Amoy, instead of undertaking
+the long voyage to the Straits of Malacca for that purpose,--one is at a
+loss to conceive on what grounds the sanguine expectation can rest, that
+the opening of China will do Singapore no harm. Some of its merchants
+evidently share in my anticipation, as they have completed arrangements
+for forming establishments at Hong Kong, in order to avail themselves of
+the change they expect to take place in the course of the trade. It will
+not be this year, nor, probably, the next, that this change will take
+place; but, that it must ultimately come to pass, I can see no room to
+doubt.[8]
+
+ [Footnote 8: Sept. 1845.--Recent accounts from Singapore in
+ some measure confirm this view. It is noted, among other
+ things, that the quantity of tea imported by the Chinese junks
+ in the season of 1844-45 was only 6000 quarter-chests; whereas,
+ in that of 1843-44, the imports exceeded twenty times that
+ quantity. Camphor, however, continues to come in as large
+ quantities as ever. The opium trade again, has diminished
+ three-fourths; and my prediction that pepper &c. would be
+ carried to the northern ports of China in European vessels,
+ has been fulfilled, though, from this branch of commerce,
+ Singapore, or its merchants, will still derive benefit as
+ carriers. The Chinese of Singapore have taken up this trade
+ with great spirit, and will doubtless continue it.]
+
+In other branches of its trade, Singapore will, probably, not suffer so
+much from the late arrangements with China; but it will suffer more or
+less. It is extremely likely, that a large portion of the rice of Bally
+and Lombok, the pepper of Borneo, and the beche-de-mer of Celebes, will
+be carried direct to China in European vessels, instead of passing, as
+hitherto, through the hands of the Singapore merchants. Whenever a new
+mart is opened, there is no want of men, money, or ships to take
+advantage of it; and we can place pepper from Borneo, and rice from
+Bally, in any port on the coast of China, for less money, by carrying
+them there direct from the place of growth, than the Chinese can by
+carrying them from Singapore in their junks. These vessels only make one
+voyage in the year; whereas a square-rigged vessel can make three with
+ease; and it is on account of the greater service performed by the
+latter, that she can carry goods to market cheaper than a junk. I
+repeat, therefore, that I think the trade of Singapore has reached its
+maximum; and that the town has attained to its highest point of
+importance and prosperity. Indeed, it is at this moment rather
+over-built. A beautiful and healthy town, however, it is; and that it
+may not suffer materially or permanently from the causes above
+mentioned, but continue to prosper as formerly, is a wish that comes
+from the very bottom of my heart.
+
+Singapore is under a Governor, (who also rules over Malacca and Penang,)
+Resident Councillors, a Police Magistrate, and some half-dozen
+under-strappers. The establishment is altogether an economical one, and,
+on the whole, well conducted. It has, moreover, a Court of Justice, with
+civil, criminal, and Admiralty jurisdiction, which is presided over by a
+Recorder appointed by the Home Government. His authority also extends
+over the neighbouring settlements of Malacca and Penang. The Governor
+and three Resident Councillors are members of this court. In the absence
+of the Recorder, they can and do hold court, and, in extreme cases,
+carry into execution sentences of death passed on their own
+responsibility. The late Governor, the Honourable S. G. Bonham, held the
+post for many years, and left the Island with the good wishes of every
+inhabitant. To his credit and honour be it said, that, out of the many
+hundreds of civil cases tried and adjudicated by him, I never heard of
+one in which his decision was reversed, in the event of the parties
+petitioning for and obtaining a new trial from the Recorder. Such
+petitions, owing to the well-known love of litigation inherent in the
+Asiatic character, were very numerous; but, in nine cases out of ten,
+the Recorder saw no reason to grant a new trial; and the few who
+succeeded in obtaining new trials, would have been better off without
+them, as Mr. Bonham's verdict was always confirmed.
+
+Five, ten, fifteen years ago, the society of Singapore was much more
+agreeable than it is now. Not that the parties who composed it then,
+were more pleasant people than the present residents; but we met oftener
+in those days, and were more sociable when we did meet, and, perhaps,
+opened our doors to the stranger oftener than is practised at the
+present time. One is apt, however, to be biassed in favour of the times
+and the people that seemed to ourselves the most agreeable; I shall
+therefore say no more on this delicate subject.
+
+The revenue of Singapore is more than sufficient to pay its expenses: it
+arises principally from land-sales and land-tax; from farming out the
+privilege of retailing opium and spirits; from the rent paid for public
+markets; and from pawnbrokers' licenses. The sums derived from these
+sources are increasing every year.
+
+The local police are paid, and roads and bridges are maintained, from a
+fund raised by an assessed tax of eight per cent, on the annual value of
+fixed property. From this fund, Mr. Tom C---- withdraws a few thousand
+dollars occasionally, in order to build a new bridge or to make a new
+road; a proceeding that does not give entire satisfaction to the
+rate-payers, and is indeed hardly fair towards them, since the new
+bridges and roads render available large tracts of land that would
+otherwise be valueless, and for which Tom C----'s honourable masters
+obtain a handsome price in consequence. The inhabitants grumble at these
+proceedings, but can do no more, the sole and whole management of the
+fund in question being in the hands of the local Government.
+
+Singapore is a free port; and vessels of all kinds and from all nations
+come and go, without paying one penny to Government in any shape. All
+that is required of them is, to give in a list of the goods they either
+land or ship. This regulation is intended to enable the authorities to
+keep a correct statement of the trade of the place; but it is, I am
+sorry to add, often evaded by ship-masters and their consignees, who
+seem to think that no trade can be profitably conducted without a
+certain portion of mystery attaching to it.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+DUTCH SETTLEMENTS.
+
+ DUTCH SETTLEMENT OF RHIO--ISLAND OF BANCA--
+ BENCOOLEN--PADANG--CHINESE SLAVE-TRADE--NATIVE
+ TRIBES OF SUMATRA--PEPPER TRADE.
+
+
+In September 1826, I visited China for the first time; but, having
+recently paid that country a much more extended visit, I shall reserve
+for a future chapter my observations upon Chinese affairs; and shall now
+proceed to give an account of some of the smaller Dutch colonies or
+settlements which I visited about this time.
+
+About forty miles to the eastward of Singapore, on the island of Bintang
+(Star), is Rhio, a small Dutch settlement, producing a large quantity of
+gambia and some thirty thousand _peculs_ of black pepper per annum. The
+bulk of the former article finds its way to Java, where it is
+extensively used for dying purposes. Nearly all the pepper is sent to
+Singapore in small trading-boats, and is bought up there for the London
+and Calcutta markets. My visit to Rhio lasted only thirty-six hours,
+during which time I was too busy to be able to look much about me; but
+I have since frequently sailed past the town, and through the beautiful
+strait of the same name, and can vouch for it, that the lovers of
+picturesque scenery will find objects in abundance to attract their
+attention. Shortly after entering Rhio straits from the southward, the
+navigator is completely land-locked, and appears to be sailing in a
+large lake, amid the richest possible scenery; nor can he discern the
+slightest appearance of an outlet from this fairy scene, till he is
+within half a mile of the west end of the island of Luborn, when, all at
+once, the view opens at that part which leads him into the straits of
+Singapore. Rhio has the character of being very healthy, and, from its
+soil and position, might be rendered productive. It is governed by a
+Dutch Resident, and protected by a small garrison and fleet. Of the
+activity of this little fleet against the neighbouring pirates, I am
+glad to be able to speak most favourably; and I am bound to add a word
+in testimony to its Commander's hospitality and kindness to shipwrecked
+British seamen, which have been frequently put to the test of late
+years, and have on more than one occasion called forth from the
+Singapore Chamber of Commerce a vote and letter of thanks.
+
+Shortly after the establishment of Singapore, the Dutch Government
+proclaimed Rhio a free port. This measure, fortunately for us, was
+adopted rather too late in the day to do any injury to the trade of Sir
+Stamford Raffles's pet settlement, or much good to its neighbour. It
+must be somewhat galling to the good folk of Rhio, to see some hundreds
+of vessels of all descriptions under the Dutch flag sail past their
+harbour every year, bound for Singapore, where they transact business to
+a large amount; favouring this port, probably, with a short visit on
+their return, for the purpose of purchasing a few hundred _peculs_ of
+gambia for the Java market.
+
+On the north-east point of Bintang, is a dangerous reef, on which the
+clipper-bark Sylph struck in 1835, and on which she lay for four months,
+defying the fury of the north-east monsoon and the heavy rolling swell
+from the Chinese Sea; thus proving beyond a doubt the great strength of
+a teak-built ship. An English ship in the same circumstances would not
+have held together a week; as was subsequently proved in the case of the
+Heber.
+
+Mintow (Muntok according to the Dutch) is the capital of the island of
+Banca, so long celebrated for its tin-mines. This is a poor town, and
+very unhealthy: it is situated on the west side of the island, and faces
+the straits of Banca, having the low, swampy shore of Sumatra opposite.
+When Banca was occupied in common with the other Dutch colonies by the
+British, it proved fatal to nearly the whole of the garrison. The Banca
+fever is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous diseases with which man is
+afflicted: those who are fortunate enough to recover from it, are
+subject for life to severe nervous attacks at the full and change of the
+moon. I well remember two gentlemen in Batavia, who could scarcely lift
+their hands to their heads at these periods, though twenty years had
+elapsed since they had had this terrible fever. The Dutch troops still
+continue to suffer severely from this cause; and to be sent to Banca
+from Java, is looked upon as the hardest lot that can befall a soldier.
+Its tin-mines continue to be very productive, and yield 60,000 _peculs_
+of pure metal per annum. From this source, the Dutch authorities derive
+a considerable revenue. They employ Chinese miners, to whom they pay six
+dollars for every _pecul_ of tin delivered on the coast in a pure state,
+which they sell readily in Java for sixteen dollars per _pecul_; thus
+getting ten dollars clear profit, less about half a dollar per _pecul_,
+which it costs to send the tin to Batavia for sale. As far as I know,
+Banca yields nothing else; and the rice eaten by the Chinese miners, is
+sent regularly from Java.
+
+The rivers on this island are infested by very large alligators, which,
+from the scarcity of food, become highly dangerous. Their hunger drives
+them sometimes to attack boats, as they are rowed up the rivers; and
+serious accidents occur from time to time in this way. I could tell one
+or two marvellous tales about the ferocity and bold attacks of these
+river-monsters, but refrain from doing so, lest they should lead the
+incredulous reader of these rambling sketches to doubt my veracity. The
+straits of Banca were at one time the resort of numerous Malay pirates:
+the activity of the Dutch cruisers has, however, rendered their once
+dangerous neighbourhood perfectly safe, so far as the attacks of these
+marauders are concerned. I have sailed many times through the straits of
+Sunda, Banca, Rhio, Dryan, Malacca, and Singapore, since 1823, and have
+known some few European vessels and many native proas taken; but, in all
+my voyages up and down, I never saw a boat or proa that I felt certain
+was a pirate. I have, indeed, seen many very suspicious-looking craft
+off Singin, and between that island and the north end of Banca; but, as
+they never molested us, I am willing to let their characters pass free,
+so far as I am concerned.
+
+The once thriving settlement of Bencoolen, (or Fort Marlborough,) which
+I visited at different times between 1828 and 1830, I found, even then,
+to have declined very seriously from its former prosperity. Previously
+to its transfer, in 1825, to the Dutch, great exertions were made to
+render this settlement important for its exportation of spices of all
+descriptions; and, so far as regards nutmegs, mace, and cloves, those
+exertions were eminently successful. Planters and others, however, soon
+found that, on the hauling down of the British flag, and the hoisting of
+the Dutch, their prospects underwent a very material change, arising
+from duties and other charges laid on the commerce of the place. Most of
+the capitalists retired with the British establishment, of which,
+indeed, they formed a part. A hard struggle was maintained by those
+planters who remained behind, but without success; and the place is now
+very little more than a station for a Dutch Assistant-Resident and a
+small garrison.
+
+Bencoolen harbour is a dangerous one, particularly during the prevalence
+of the boisterous north-west monsoon, which blows with such violence on
+this part of the west coast of Sumatra. Ships generally anchor close
+under the lee of Rat Island and reef, where they find smooth water,
+unless the weather is unusually severe. This anchorage is seven miles
+from the wharf where merchandise is landed, and considerable risk is
+occasionally incurred by the cargo boats in making good this short
+distance. In very stormy weather, ships and boats also are compelled to
+seek shelter in Pulo Bay; a vile, unhealthy place situated about twelve
+miles south-east of Rat Island, and surrounded with a low, swampy,
+agueish-looking country. The Siamese suffer severely in this harbour
+from fever and ague, and ship-masters are glad to leave it as soon as
+the weather moderates. In my time, there was a convenient covered wharf
+at Bencoolen for landing goods, but not a vestige now remains: it was
+originally built by the English, and the Dutch have not cared to
+preserve or replace it. In the present wretched state of the settlement,
+indeed, it is of trifling consequence, since little difficulty can be
+found by the few merchants from Java who from time to time visit
+Bencoolen, in landing the small quantities of goods they may have to
+dispose of.
+
+The climate of Bencoolen is the worst it has been my fortune to
+encounter since I left Europe. The land wind that sets in about seven
+P. M., is the most trying breeze I ever encountered. To sit in an open
+verandah when it is blowing, is quite out of the question; at least with
+impunity. I tried the experiment more than once, and never escaped
+without a severe seizure of trembling something like ague, within less
+than half an hour. The injurious effects of this land wind may be traced
+to the swamps between the hills in the vicinity of the town, which,
+unlike those of Singapore, are formed by fresh water, and are no better
+than stagnant puddles. In passing over these, the wind becomes of course
+charged with malaria, which it distributes in every house between it
+and the sea; and woe betide the European who fails to keep out of its
+way! Most places that I have visited, have a healthy, as well as an
+unhealthy season. Bencoolen is an exception to this rule, being
+unhealthy all the year through. Even vegetation suffers here from the
+south-east monsoon; and a nutmeg-plantation exposed to its dry, parching
+influence, has the appearance of a plantation of heather-brooms more
+than of any thing else.[9] The natives do not appear to suffer from the
+climate, but seem to be as healthy and long-lived as Asiatics generally.
+Of the character of these natives, I can say little that is favourable.
+They are indolent, proud, though poor, gamblers, vindictive, and far too
+ready with the knife on little or no provocation; they are very fond of
+dress, and not over scrupulous how they gratify this taste; for which
+purpose I have known them have recourse to theft, lying, robbery, and
+even murder. Had they one single spark of energy in their composition,
+they might be a thriving and contented people, possessing as they do a
+boundless extent of rich virgin soil, which they are too lazy to clear
+and cultivate. The place is overrun with a race of petty Rajahs and
+other nobles, who are a social pest, being poor, and yet too proud to
+strain a nerve to support themselves and their families. Sir Stamford
+Raffles succeeded in rousing the ambition of these men a little, by
+giving some of them commissions in the local corps, which gratified
+their taste for gay attire, and supplied them with a few hundred rupees
+per month to keep up a little state. From my sweeping reproach of the
+chiefs, I would except these _Radins_[10] with whom I have spent many
+pleasant evenings, and who really possessed gentleman-like feelings and
+tastes.
+
+ [Footnote 9: This remark applies to the side of the tree that
+ faces the south-east only. The north-west side is perfectly
+ healthy-looking and green, when its opposite is the very
+ picture of blight and decay.]
+
+ [Footnote 10: Radin, a noble next in rank, in the Malay world,
+ below a Rajah.]
+
+The transfer of this settlement to the Dutch (in exchange for Malacca)
+in 1825, was a severe blow and great disappointment to all the natives,
+both high and low. At a meeting of chiefs held at the Government house,
+at which the English and Dutch authorities were both present, for the
+purpose of completing the transfer, the senior Rajah rose to address the
+assembly, and spoke to the following effect:--"Against this transfer of
+my country I protest. Who is there possessed of authority to hand me and
+my countrymen, like so many cattle, over to the Dutch or to any other
+power? If the English are tired of us, let them go away; but I deny
+their right to hand us over to the Dutch. When the English first came
+here, they asked for and got a piece of land to build warehouses and
+dwelling-houses upon. That piece of land is still defined by its
+original stone wall, and is all they (the English) ever got from us. We
+were never conquered; and I now tell the English and Dutch gentlemen
+here assembled, that, had I the power, as I have the will, I would
+resist this transfer to the knife. I am, however, a poor man, have no
+soldiers to cope with yours, and must submit. God's will be done." This
+was a bold, straight-forward speech; but it was thrown away upon the
+callous ears of the hearers. Delivered in pure Malay, it sounded
+stronger than in this translation. The speaker was an old man, with
+whose power and will for mischief, in former days, the British had good
+cause to be acquainted.[11]
+
+ [Footnote 11: This chief will long be remembered in Bencoolen
+ for his reckless daring, when a desire of vengeance for any
+ insult, real or imaginary, stirred the devil within him. Many a
+ midnight murder was laid at his door, and with justice too, if
+ I am not very much mistaken. The last time I saw him, he was
+ very near his end, and spoke of his death as calmly and
+ tranquilly as if he had lived the purest life imaginable. He is
+ long since in his grave, and his family has sunk into
+ insignificance. I do not believe a more thorough villain ever
+ walked the earth.]
+
+The country round Bencoolen is, with the exception of the
+spice-plantations, covered with a thick forest. The soil is rich, and,
+as I have said, might be turned to good account, by means of a small
+portion of energy on the part of the natives. The forests abound with
+the tiger and the elephant. The former finds plenty of game to feed on,
+and, consequently, seldom molests man. It is not an unusual occurrence
+for a single tiger to attack a herd of cattle when grazing in the
+neighbourhood of their owner's grounds: singling out his intended
+victim, he pursues it to the last, without, in general, attempting to
+injure any of the rest As soon as the cattle see or smell the
+approaching tiger, they become quite wild, and run at their full speed
+towards their herdsman, whom they surround apparently for their own
+protection, and continue in great commotion, though without attempting
+to run, till their enemy is either driven away, or has succeeded in
+capturing one of their number. The elephant is here of a large size, and
+is occasionally caught in snares by the natives for the sake of his
+tusks, which I have seen weighing one hundred and twenty pounds each.
+This huge animal is not dangerous to man, unless his path is crossed,
+when, particularly if a single male one, he becomes a formidable
+neighbour. He is easily tamed; but the native here is too indolent to
+trouble himself with the task. The only one I ever saw made use of, was
+sent by the King of Acheen to Sir Stamford Raffles, and was, in my time,
+the property of my friend, Mr. Robert Bogle. Strange stories are told
+of the power, sagacity, and cunning of this monarch of the woods. Among
+other feats, the natives say, it is not uncommon for one elephant to lie
+down, and let another stand upon his back, in order that he may reach
+higher up a cocoa-nut tree, and have a better chance of pushing it down.
+I tell the tale as it was told to me, not caring to vouch for its truth.
+
+Bencoolen is occasionally visited by the hill tribes from the mountains
+in its neighbourhood: they come down in bands of ten, fifteen, or twenty
+men, bringing with them gold-dust to barter for opium. As neither rice
+nor cocoa-nuts grow in the elevated region inhabited by them, they
+usually bring also a few bags of potatoes to exchange for those
+luxuries. They are a hardy race of men, strongly built, of middle
+stature, and have very thick black beards; a singular feature in an
+inhabitant of this island. I am sorry to add, that they sometimes visit
+the coast for other and less legitimate purposes than barter; and that
+their kidnapping children to make slaves of, is no uncommon occurrence.
+Several instances of this kind took place in 1829, within my certain
+knowledge.
+
+I have frequently heard it said, "Go where you will, you are sure to
+find a rat and a Scotchman." My having visited Bencoolen enables me to
+contradict this aphorism; for I there found abundance of rats, one
+Englishman, and not a single Scot. I must confess, however, that this is
+the only place in which I have ever found the Englishman without the
+Scot.
+
+Cock-fighting is carried on to a great extent here, and is indulged in
+by the natives, high and low. On market-days, vast numbers of natives
+may be seen wending their way to the cock-pit attached to each market or
+bazaar, with one of the celebrated Malay game-cocks under their arms. At
+the pit, some hundreds of these birds may be seen in the hands of the
+fanciers, who weigh and examine them thoroughly before betting on them.
+As soon as the bets are arranged, the two birds first on the list are
+brought into the centre of the pit, and armed by their owners with a
+fearful spur about four inches long, of the shape of a scythe, and as
+sharp as a razor. The combat seldom lasts a minute, the first charge
+generally rendering one, and frequently both the combatants
+_hors-de-combat_, by inflicting on them mortal wounds. Then begins the
+most disgusting part of the scene. The owner of each bird takes him up,
+blows into his mouth and eyes, and uses every exertion to make the poor
+tortured victim give the last peck to his adversary. Failing this last
+peck, the battle is a drawn one. Bets are usually paid, particularly in
+the country, in gold dust, which is weighed out in small ivory
+steelyards kept for the purpose. The Dutch, with their usual policy,
+derive a revenue from every cock-pit within their boundary here. For my
+own part, I am not inclined to blame them, and think our revenue at all
+the three Straits' settlements might be materially increased, and the
+scamps of those places kept in better order, by having every
+gambling-house in them registered and subjected to a tax. To put a stop
+to gambling in any Asiatic town, is beyond the power of man; and the
+attempt to do so, only drives the gamester to the secret haunts where he
+may indulge his propensity, and where, I fear, too often he becomes a
+witness of, if not a participator in deeds of blood. As a grand juror in
+Singapore, I have had evidence enough of this.
+
+From Bencoolen, I proceeded to Padang, another Dutch settlement, about
+two hundred miles up the coast of Sumatra. Padang, as its name implies,
+is situated in a plain, and is a very few feet above the level of the
+sea; yet, it is a healthy place. It was once in possession of a
+considerable trade, but this has diminished of late years, in most
+articles, except coffee, of which I am told it now exports 60,000
+_peculs_ per annum. The harbour or anchorage is about five miles from
+the mouth of the small river on the banks of which the town stands, and
+is a dangerous one in boisterous weather, having little or no protection
+from the fury of the north-west monsoon. The trade from Java to this
+part of Sumatra, consists principally of rice, salt, native clothing,
+and a few supplies for the European and Chinese inhabitants of the
+place: in return, it sends coffee and pepper. There is a disgraceful
+traffic carried on between Padang and the island of Nias, a little
+further up the coast, by Chinese, who visit that island, and purchase
+hundreds of its inhabitants, for whom they find markets all along the
+coast. Those brought to Padang, are not, indeed, sold as slaves; but
+they are registered at the Resident's office, and held as bond-debtors
+for different terms of seven, fifteen, and even twenty years: during
+this servitude, they are treated as slaves, but are free at its
+expiration; they have also the option of buying their liberty in the
+meantime, if they can raise the means; and the proprietor is not at
+liberty to refuse a sum equivalent to the value of the unexpired term of
+service. This value is fixed thus: on the registering of a debtor, a
+certain sum is put down as his value or debt; say 400 rupees; of this
+sum, a certain proportion, say 20 rupees, is placed to his credit for
+every year he serves; so that, if he serves his master for five years,
+his debt is reduced to three hundred rupees; and this sum, the master is
+compelled to accept as the price of his liberation. If a debtor has a
+hard master, he is at liberty to induce another to buy his services; and
+the transfer cannot be declined, if the sum due is forthcoming. These
+Nias people are, men and women, a much fairer race than Malays, and
+speak a language of their own. Many of the men become expert carpenters,
+bricklayers, blacksmiths, &c., which enables them to earn money and
+purchase their freedom; and for such skilled artisans, the master can
+demand no more as the price of their freedom than the balance due upon
+their services. I have seen boat-loads of these poor creatures landed at
+Padang, consisting of old men, women, boys, girls, and mere infants,
+looking wretched enough, and marched off to the police-office to be
+registered and sold. This is a black spot in the Dutch administration of
+affairs in Sumatra.
+
+The proceedings of the Dutch on the coast of Sumatra, are a sore subject
+to the Singaporeans, as having interfered with their trade with the
+north-west coast of the island. By means of the extension of the Dutch
+posts from Padang into the interior, they compel the native to carry his
+coffee thither, instead of taking it, as formerly, down the Siak river,
+and thence to Singapore. This accounts, in a great degree, for the
+increase in the export of that berry from Padang, from thirty to sixty
+thousand _peculs_ per annum, between the year 1828 and 1838.
+
+Padang is very subject to frequent earthquakes, being surrounded with
+volcanic mountains. To look at its houses, one would think that a single
+shock would level the whole town. The best of them consist of a frame
+of wood, each post standing on a single stone, which is simply laid on
+the ground, not let into it; the vacancies between the posts and the
+cross-pieces of framework, are filled up with lath and plaster; and the
+roof is almost invariably of thatch. They resemble huge stools resting
+upon stones, to keep the legs from sinking into the earth, and look as
+if the first breeze would upset them. An earthquake shakes them, and
+makes them vibrate, but seldom or ever injures them; whereas a brick and
+mortar house, subjected to the same severe trial, would certainly give
+way, unless it were of very substantial workmanship. I have experienced
+several severe shocks of earthquakes, both here and at Bencoolen, and at
+first felt very much disposed to quit the house; but custom reconciles
+one to almost every thing, even to seeing your dwelling-house dancing,
+or "Jumping _Jim Crow_."
+
+Since the Dutch got possession of this part of Sumatra, they have almost
+constantly been at war with a neighbouring tribe of natives, who, from
+their fanatical zeal in the cause of the Mohammedan faith, have obtained
+the name of _Padres_; and the war is called the _Padre_ war. These men
+have occasioned the Government a vast deal of trouble, and cost it a
+mint of money, as well as many valuable lives. When beaten in the field,
+they suddenly disperse and retreat to their mountain fastnesses, where
+they remain to strengthen themselves, and watch their opportunity to
+make a fresh attack on the Dutch posts. In this manner they harass their
+opponents, and occasionally inflict upon them a very severe blow. I
+heard at Padang, that, when the country was ceded to the Dutch, in 1818,
+these _Padres_ had said, they would never submit to their power; and
+well have they kept their word.
+
+Sumatra, were it under a European power, and peopled as well as Java is,
+would soon rival that island. Its soil is, for the most part, equally
+fertile, and yields coffee, pepper, nutmegs, &c. Only a small portion of
+the territory is subject to the Dutch: the remainder is inhabited by
+various tribes, who speak different languages, and mix but little
+together. They are mostly an indolent people, and require driving by
+their chiefs to make them work for a day or two now and then. The
+comparatively small produce exported from this large and fertile island,
+is obtained almost entirely by forced labour.
+
+The pepper trade of the ports to the northward of Padang, has ceased to
+be a profitable one, and is now neglected. European shipmasters used to
+complain bitterly of the roguery practised upon them by the native
+dealers; but who taught the native his roguish tricks? Who introduced
+false weights? Who brought to the coast 56lb. weights with a screw in
+the bottom, which opened for the insertion of from ten to fifteen pounds
+of lead, _after their correctness had been tried by the native in
+comparison with his own weights_? Who made it a regular rule, in their
+transactions with the native dealer, to get 130 _catties_ of pepper to
+the _pecul_, thus cheating him of thirty per cent, of his property? I
+challenge contradiction, when I assert, that English and American
+shipmasters have for thirty years been addicted to all these dishonest
+practices. The cunning and deceit of the native traders, at the pepper
+ports of Sumatra, have been taught them by their Christian visiters, and
+forced upon them in self-defence. An acquaintance of mine, who had made
+some purchases from a native, went on shore next morning to receive the
+goods. When the pepper was being weighed, he told the native clerk, he
+was cheating. The man denied it, and told the party he lied. The
+European raised his fist, and threatened to chastise the native, who
+coolly put his hand on his ever-ready _kris_, and said, "Strike, sir."
+The raised hand dropped to its owner's side, and well it was that it did
+so; or the party would not have lived to tell the tale of his having
+threatened the clerk of a Sumatra Rajah. A large portion of the pepper
+used to be paid for in dollars; and it is a singular fact, that,
+notwithstanding the number imported in this way, no one ever saw a
+single dollar exported, or seems to know what becomes of them. It is
+generally supposed, that the Rajahs buy them, and that they often die
+without revealing where their treasure is deposited. Be this as it may,
+it is very difficult, under any circumstances, to extract a dollar from
+the chiefs of this coast.
+
+The trader in this part of the world, works hard for whatever he may
+earn, having to encounter much severe weather, and to go through a heavy
+surf every time he lands. Indeed, so heavy and dangerous is the surf,
+that few ships' boats are fit to go through it. The shipmaster generally
+rows to the back of it in his own boat, and obtains one from the shore
+to land in. Of this, the native does not fail to take advantage in the
+event of any dispute, knowing that his customer cannot leave the shore
+without a boat, to be had only through his influence; and it is no
+uncommon thing for the European to be detained all night, and made to
+settle accounts in the morning before going off. The coast of Sumatra,
+from Acheen Head to Flat Point,(its two extremes in this direction,) is
+a highly dangerous one, being iron-bound, with a heavy surf and many
+reefs off it. I envy not the man who has to make his voyage here against
+the north-west monsoon. The Dutch are extending their ports on the
+sea-board from Padang northward, and will ere long reach Acheen Head;
+when they will have a struggle, if the Acheenese people possess a
+moderate portion of their ancient gallantry and hatred of
+Europeans.[12]
+
+ [Footnote 12: Since my return home, I have seen an account of
+ the proceedings of two of Her Majesty's sloops on the coast of
+ Sumatra from Acheen eastward. Sir W. Parker, with his usual
+ promptitude, sent them there from Penang, to punish the
+ perpetrators of some acts of piracy lately committed on British
+ vessels. The service has been most effectually performed; and
+ the marauding native has been taught, that, distant as he may
+ be, punishment is the certain result of meddling with the flag
+ of England. The ships of war in and about the straits of
+ Malacca, would do much good to the commerce of their country by
+ an occasional visit to Acheen and the coast of Pedir. There is
+ nothing like the sight of a few eighteen-pounders for keeping
+ the domineering Malay Rajah in check.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+MALACCA AND PENANG.
+
+
+Malacca, which I first visited in 1829, and have repeatedly revisited,
+is completely shorn of its ancient glory, and is no longer of the
+slightest importance, either as a military position or as a trading
+mart. Penang, at one end of the Straits, and Singapore at the other,
+have destroyed its prosperity; and it is now a poverty-stricken place,
+with little or no trade. The town is built in the old Dutch fashion,
+each house with its out-offices forming a square with a yard in the
+centre. The Government offices are still held in the ancient
+Stadt-House, a venerable pile built by the worthy Dutch burghers some
+hundred and fifty years ago, and retaining to this day its ancient
+furniture of ebony, many pieces of which, by the way, have lately
+supplied patterns for modern sofas and other furniture. The European
+population is composed almost entirely of the civil servants of the
+Government and the military men, who reside principally in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the town, not liking their Malay neighbours well enough
+to feel inclined to spread far into the country. Some few attempts have
+been made, within the last fifteen years, to establish nutmeg and other
+plantations at Malacca; I fear, without much success. Not that the trees
+do not thrive, but that labour is scarce, owing to the prevailing
+indolence of the people in this part of the world. Moreover, occasional
+disturbances among the natives render a residence on the spot (without
+which little success can be expected) any thing but pleasant. The place
+is a burthen to the East-India Company, as its revenues do not pay half
+its expenses.
+
+The country round Malacca is mountainous, and covered with large timber.
+In its neighbourhood are several tin-mines, which yield a metal some
+twenty per cent. inferior to that of Banca. This tin finds its way, like
+every thing else in the Archipelago, to Singapore, where it has of late
+fetched only thirteen dollars and a half _per pecul_.
+
+There is a race of men at Malacca, who appear to be the descendants of
+some natives of Malabar who settled there a century ago, and Malay
+women; a bad breed certainly, and the men I speak of seem to possess all
+the _devilry_ of both races. Numbers of them visit Singapore from time
+to time, bringing among other things, thousands of the Malacca canes
+which are so much esteemed in England. They have other employments, if
+fame does not belie them, not quite so creditable to their characters.
+Here, also, may be found many descendants of the old Portuguese
+inhabitants, who have here, as elsewhere all over the East, degenerated
+sadly, and, but for their dress, could not be distinguished from the
+other natives, except that the latter are a much finer race. These
+Portuguese are, for the most part, wretchedly poor, and, apparently,
+will soon become extinct. Very few of the descendants of the old Dutch
+inhabitants are to be found here now: those still remaining are
+principally shopkeepers, and are much more respectable in every way than
+their Portuguese fellow subjects. Slavery, until lately, existed in a
+domestic form in Malacca; it has, however, been completely done away
+with through the representations and exertions of the late Governor, Mr.
+Bonham.
+
+Malacca forms a pretty picture from the sea, and, to the passer-by,
+seems an attractive spot: his disappointment, on landing, however, would
+be great, and few inducements to prolong his stay will be found,
+excepting the climate. This, to the invalid from Bengal, is a treat, on
+which I have heard many expatiate in glowing terms after their return,
+with renewed health, to Calcutta.
+
+Penang, or Prince of Wales Island, is, perhaps, the most beautiful of
+the three Straits settlements, though it is certainly not the most
+salubrious, being occasionally visited by a very severe fever, which, in
+my time, carried off many of the European inhabitants.[13]
+
+ [Footnote 13: At this moment, I cannot recal to recollection a
+ single existing resident of Penang who has not arrived there
+ since 1829. The Europeans of that time have all, or nearly all,
+ been removed by death.]
+
+Here, the nutmeg and the clove come to perfection; and the produce of
+Penang commands higher prices in the London market, than the spice of
+any other country with which I am acquainted. The estates of Mr. Brown
+are the finest on the Island; and the hospitality of their proprietor is
+unsurpassed. Of late years, the profits of spice-plantations have become
+somewhat precarious, as the supply in the European markets has exceeded
+the demand. This has turned the attention of several of the leading
+people on the Island to the sugar-cane, which thrives here well, and is
+now to be seen covering large tracts which very recently were lying
+waste. The sugar-planter here, however, labours under the same
+disadvantage, as to import-duty in England, as his brother planter of
+Singapore, which, if not altered, will mar his prospects. Strong
+representations on the subject have been made to the Bengal Government,
+and (I believe) to the Court of Directors, as yet without effect.
+
+The revenue of Penang is derived from the same sources as that of
+Singapore, but falls short of the annual expenses of the place. This may
+be accounted for by the falling off in its trade, and the decrease in
+its population, since the establishment of the last-named settlement. It
+still retains a considerable trade with Sumatra, the coast of
+Coromandel, and Calcutta, but its direct trade with England is almost
+entirely cut up. It is also the _depot_ for the tin collected at
+Junkseylon, and other places on the Malay coast immediately opposite.
+Altogether, however, the establishment of Singapore has very much
+injured Penang, and thinned its population, rendering its houses of
+little or no value, and giving to its streets a deserted appearance from
+which they will never recover.
+
+The plain on which the town stands, is bounded on two sides by the sea,
+and, beyond the town, is dotted over with pretty garden-houses: it is
+intersected in all directions by good roads, which are lined throughout
+with the prettiest of all hedges, composed of the dwarf bamboo. Beyond
+this plain, the country becomes hilly and covered with woods, except a
+spot here and there, where the spice-planter has made his clearing, and
+built his bungalow. On the tops of several of these hills, which are
+higher and more extensive than those of Singapore, may be seen bungalows
+for convalescents, approachable only by a bridle path, up which the
+stout little poneys of the Island carry bravely the health-seeking or
+pleasure-seeking party. These spots are delightful residences; and the
+climate is cool enough at night to make a blanket on the bed most
+welcome and comfortable, I have my doubts whether these are fit places
+for the invalid to resort to, particularly if his complaint be of a
+pulmonary nature. Immediately after sun-set, the hill top is enveloped
+in a dense fog, which makes every thing in the house feel damp, and
+which does not disappear till ten A. M. next day. It were worth while to
+ride up one of these hills, for the sole purpose of watching the
+clearing off of the fog in the morning: the visiter taking his stand in
+the verandah about nine A. M., and looking down, in the direction of the
+plain, on the dense mass of fog hanging over the town and suburbs, sees
+it by degrees clear away like a curtain slowly withdrawn, and the
+houses, roads, bridges, &c., appear below him as if springing up there
+by magic. Add to this, the fleet of shipping in the harbour, the
+opposite plains of Province Wellesley, and the distant mountains
+towering in the sky beyond, and a scene may be imagined, that can
+scarcely be described; at least, not by my feeble pen. When I first
+visited Penang, Province Wellesley was a wilderness, inhabited only by a
+thin Malay population and numerous tigers.[14] It now wears another and
+more pleasing aspect, large tracts of its fertile soil having been
+cleared and brought under cultivation. I know no better spot for the
+culture of sugar; and if it does not pay the planter here, those of
+Penang or Singapore have but a poor prospect.[15] Penang harbour is a
+very commodious and safe one, formed by the narrow strait between that
+island and the main land. Ships of three hundred tons may here lie
+within pistol-shot of the wharf in perfect safety. I have never seen the
+phosphoric light occasionally thrown out by salt-water, so brilliant as
+it is here. I recollect being very much struck with it, while sailing
+out of the harbour about eight o'clock P. M. We had a fresh breeze, and
+each tiny wave looked like a flash of very bright flame, while the
+ship's wake resembled the tail of a brilliant comet, more than any thing
+else. I leave the naturalist to account for this.
+
+ [Footnote 14: Although the jungles of Penang abound with
+ tigers, I have seldom heard of their preying on man, as they do
+ in the neighbouring settlement.]
+
+ [Footnote 15: Oct. 1845.--Penang has increased in importance
+ since the foregoing was written. Its sugar-planters have
+ continued their exertions with energy, sparing neither trouble
+ nor expense to make their plantations profitable investments.
+ It gives me much pleasure to be able to add, that their success
+ seems certain, and that their perseverance in petitioning
+ Government on the subject of duties, has at length been
+ rewarded, as it ought sooner to have been.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+CALCUTTA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CALCUTTA--STATE OF SOCIETY--
+ MERCANTILE CHANGES--UNPLEASANT CLIMATE--SIGHTS
+ AT AND NEAR CALCUTTA--IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSIT
+ AND NAVIGATION--CUSTOM-HOUSE NUISANCE--PILOT
+ SERVICE--CHARACTER OF THE BENGALEES--RIVER STEAMERS.
+
+
+In 1829, I visited for the first time the far-famed city of Calcutta,
+and have since then paid it four visits. So much, however, has been
+written about the "City of Palaces," that it must be nearly as well
+known to the English reader as London itself; and I shall therefore say
+less respecting it.
+
+The feeling I experienced on first making the land at the mouth of the
+Hooghly, was extreme disappointment. To a stranger coming, as I did,
+from Java, Singapore, and Penang, nothing can have a more dreary and
+desolate appearance than the land about and below Kedgeree. The very
+sight is almost enough to bring on the ague; and the abominably filthy
+water of the holy stream heightens the feeling of disgust. From Kedgeree
+to Diamond Harbour, the view on the low banks of the river improves but
+little. Above Diamond Harbour, the river banks are somewhat higher,
+buildings are more numerous, and the country appears more cleared and
+brought under cultivation. On arriving at Garden Reach, the stranger may
+begin to imagine that not wholly without reason Calcutta has acquired
+the proud title of the "City of palaces." From the lower part of this
+Reach, on the right, the river bank is laid out in large gardens, each
+with a handsome mansion in its centre; and the whole scene speaks of
+opulence and splendour. Of late years, these magnificent residences have
+been much neglected, and what was once the most fashionable part of the
+suburbs, has been nearly deserted by the great folk. The reason assigned
+for this, is, that the river, in very wet seasons, overflows its banks,
+breeding malaria and fever, from which, at the time of my second visit,
+the inhabitants suffered not a little. For a year or two, these mansions
+stood empty; but, when I last saw them, in 1840, they were nearly all
+occupied by mercantile men, who find them pleasant retreats from the
+bustle of the city, and seem willing to brave the chance of fever. On
+approaching the head of Garden Reach, the stranger all at once beholds
+Fort William and the town of Calcutta spread out before him; and a
+splendid view it is. Should he arrive in the month of November or
+December, he will behold, perhaps, the finest fleet of merchant shipping
+the world could produce. Here are seen, besides the flag of Old England,
+those of America, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and Arabia. I must
+not forget to mention the floating taverns or large passenger ships,
+which carry home from twenty to forty passengers every voyage; and
+besides the fleet of large ships, the river presents steamers,
+pleasure-boats, and native craft of all sorts and sizes, from the gay
+_budgerow_, to the wretched and more than half rotten _dhingy_. The
+scene has, however, its drawbacks. The stranger is shocked and disgusted
+at the sight of some half-dozen dead bodies floating down the river, in
+all stages of decomposition, some with a vulture perched on them,
+gorging himself as he floats down the stream on his hideous raft.
+Government has placed people above the town, for the express purpose of
+sinking dead bodies and similar nuisances; but they have not succeeded
+in effecting their object The last time I went up the river, four human
+corpses passed my boat between Kradd's Dock and Colvin's Grant, a
+distance of two miles.
+
+Nothing strikes the stranger, on landing for the first time in Calcutta,
+so much as the extraordinary aggregation of palaces and mansions,
+ordinary dwelling-houses, warehouses, shops, bazaars, stables, huts, and
+hovels, all mingled together in glorious confusion, a few streets
+forming the only exception. This is a great eye-sore even to the old
+resident. I know no part of the world where society is divided into so
+many ranks and classes as it is here, nor where pride and pomp hold
+their heads higher. To hear some of the great ones of this city talk,
+you would think they had sprung from a long line of princely, or, at
+least, of noble ancestors. It is often observed, however, that they
+seldom or never mention their immediate progenitors, nor the whereabouts
+of their birth-place, which, in nine cases out of ten, would be found to
+be some humble cottage on the bank of a modest brook in England, or burn
+in Scotland. The more obscure or lowly their origin, the more difficult
+of access they are generally found. The real gentleman is easily
+discovered by his superior breeding and genuine urbanity.
+
+In former days, a young man arriving at Calcutta as a writer, had no
+difficulty in raising money by borrowing from some wealthy _circar_; and
+many of those very young men are still hampered with debts they can
+never pay: though high in office, and enjoying large salaries, they are
+tied to the country by their creditors, to whom they are obliged to give
+a large portion of their earnings. Times have now changed, and the
+native has learned from dear-bought experience, that the European is not
+always so worthy of confidence as he at one time thought him.
+
+When I first knew Calcutta, some half-dozen mercantile firms swayed the
+trade of the place, and carried every thing before them. Their influence
+with the monied natives was great, and their command of ready cash was
+proportionably large. This led them into all sorts of wild speculations,
+and ultimately proved their ruin, the whole of these houses having
+failed (if my memory does not deceive me) before the end of 1832. In
+spite of these failures, (which ruined hundreds of widows and orphans,)
+the confidence of the natives was not utterly shaken till very recently,
+when another batch of similar misfortunes took place, in which many of
+the old hands were concerned under new firms. This has entirely broken
+up the system, and scattered the commerce of Calcutta among numerous
+smaller establishments, setting the wits of the native capitalist to
+work to find other employment for his cash. Many of them have entered
+upon the opium trade, principally as speculators on the spot, who buy at
+the public sales, and re-sell at a small profit; preferring this to
+running the risk of the China market. Previously to the mercantile
+break-up just mentioned, the members of the leading firms were, with few
+exceptions, as exclusive in their society as the leading civilians:
+their fall has upset these lofty pretensions, and the mercantile society
+of the place is much improved in consequence.
+
+For the hospitality of Calcutta I cannot say much; nor do I know a place
+where a friendless stranger landing without good introductory letters,
+would meet with a more chilling reception. I do not speak from
+experience, having fortunately been properly provided with credentials;
+but I do not say it without good authority. Of the hospitality of the
+military gentlemen of the Presidency, and especially of the Dum Dum
+Artillery, I have pleasure in reporting more favourably. Calcutta has
+its theatre, its clubs, its races, and its fox-hounds. On the
+race-course may be seen some fine specimens of the Arab horse, small
+compared to the English racer, but unsurpassed for spirit and symmetry.
+Its amusements and attractions, however, are so outweighed by its
+wretched climate, that I would rather pass my days growing sugar in
+Singapore, than live amid all the splendour of this proud city.
+
+From April to October inclusive, the weather is oppressively hot, with a
+closeness in the atmosphere that renders respiration difficult, and
+existence, without a punkah, almost insupportable. I have sat for days
+suffering from the heat, and longing for sun-set in hope of relief which
+never came; for, even through the long night, the thermometer did not
+fall one degree. This extreme heat is occasionally relieved by a
+thunder-storm accompanied with a deluge of rain, which clears the
+atmosphere, cools the burning soil, and renders breathing an easy
+process. The European inhabitants have many ways of rendering the
+interior of their dwellings cooler than the external air; but, with all
+their means and appliances, they are generally terribly exhausted before
+bed-time comes. During this period, the European lady suffers more than
+the gentleman, and, by the time the cold weather approaches, looks
+haggard and woebegone. Children also suffer much during the summer. In
+November, the weather becomes cool, and people begin to think of balls
+and other gayeties. The winter, however, is not, in my opinion, a
+healthy season, as the bills of mortality will indicate. A heavy fog
+then settles over the city and neighbourhood every night, through which,
+at sun-rise, one can hardly see ten yards, producing not a bracing cold,
+but a chilling damp. This does not last all day, for the heat is severe
+from ten A. M. till three P. M., even in mid-winter. The lower class of
+natives suffer much, and great numbers die during this season of the
+year, as they are very careless, bathe in the river daily as usual, and
+are too poor to make any change in their dress, which is far from
+sufficient to protect them from the damp nights. The wealthier native
+wraps his shoulders in an ample cashmere shawl; but even he leaves his
+legs and the lower half of his person with only summer clothing.
+
+During the autumn, Calcutta is a very gay place, and makes up for its
+dullness during the summer. This is the season for horse-racing,
+hunting, shooting, and theatrical amusements, into which the numerous
+indigo-planters who come to town from their plantations about this time,
+enter with spirit, if the crops have been good and prices fair.
+
+Among the sights in and around Calcutta, I would recommend the visiter
+to make a point of seeing, the Mint, the native Bazaars, the Dum Dum
+Artillery Station, the Ishapoor Gunpowder Manufactory, and Mr.
+Wakefield's farm at Acra. I mention these as having been myself
+gratified with examining them. The Mint is, perhaps, the finest in the
+world. Captain (now Colonel) Forbes, who kindly shewed me over every
+part of it, said, I think, they could turn out 500,000 coins in
+twenty-four hours. In the different bazaars, the stranger will find the
+most extraordinary collection of commodities, Indian, European,
+American, Chinese, and of other countries, that he could ever have
+conceived. The zeal of the different vendors in crying up and bepraising
+their own goods at the expense of their neighbours, will amuse him,
+while he will feel not a little surprised at the cheapness of many
+European articles, such as crockery, millinery, hosiery, &c. &c. Should
+he be a military man, his visit to Dum Dum will delight him, that
+station being the head-quarters of the Bengal Artillery, and its
+officers are celebrated for their kindness and hospitality to
+strangers. With my visit to Ishapoor, I had every reason to be pleased.
+I not only saw the whole process of powder-manufacture on a very large
+scale, but met with a hearty welcome from Major Timbrel, of the
+Artillery, who at that time superintended the establishment. The river
+scenery near Ishapoor is much superior to what it is lower down; and a
+good view of the pretty town of Chinsurah,[16] on the opposite bank of
+the Hooghly, is commanded from Major Timbrel's verandah. Acra farm is
+situated some twelve or fifteen miles below Calcutta. I visited it as a
+stranger, while waiting in a ship for the flood tide; and its proprietor
+gave me a most hospitable reception. Mr. Wakefield has completely
+established the practicability of curing meat all through the year in
+this climate, so as to keep at sea for three years. He told me, he
+killed 25,000 hogs per annum; and, on my asking whether he suspended
+operations during the hot months, his reply was, "No, we go on at all
+seasons." I can vouch for the goodness of the hams, bacon, sausages,
+lard, &c. &c., which he exports, and shall be very glad if these remarks
+should lead a purchaser to his door. The muddy creeks near Acra farm
+swarm with alligators, (whether attracted by the smell of blood or not,
+I cannot say,) and they occasionally become very troublesome. The day
+before my visit, Mr. Wakefield had had a mortal combat with one sixteen
+feet long, which he succeeded in destroying single-handed, and had
+brought home in proof of his prowess.
+
+ [Footnote 16: Chinsurah was, until 1825, a Dutch settlement;
+ and we then obtained it and Malacca in exchange for
+ Bencoolen.]
+
+One of the most remarkable objects in or near Calcutta, is the
+celebrated Banian-tree in the East-India Company's Botanical Garden on
+the banks of the Hooghly, immediately opposite Garden Reach. This tree
+is, without exception, the most splendid vegetable production I ever
+saw: and its immense size and great age may be judged of, when I
+mention, that a friend in whom I place the utmost confidence told me, he
+measured the circumference of the space it shaded at noon-day, and found
+that, allowing eighteen inches square per man, there was sufficient room
+for eighteen thousand men to stand under the shade of this venerable
+patriarch of the forest. This could be effected, however, only by
+removing the many stems of the tree which now occupy nearly the whole
+space covered by the branches, and are so numerous and thick, that it is
+impossible to trace the parent one. It is a mighty tree, and worthy of
+the proud place it occupies in the first botanical garden in the world.
+
+What a wonderful change a few short years bring about in these days of
+improvement! When I first knew Calcutta, there was no such thing as an
+overland conveyance for letters; and, as for sending a ship to China
+against the monsoon, no one ever dreamed of it. The whole world is now a
+witness of the regularity of the monthly communication with England
+_via_ the Red Sea; and the passage to and from China is made at all
+seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons and all other impediments.
+The spirited owner and commander of the barque, "Red Rover," has the
+credit of first shewing to the world, that the north-east monsoon in the
+Chinese Sea was to be conquered by perseverance in a small vessel: his
+success exceeded, I believe, his own sanguine expectations, and it is
+pleasing to add, that he was amply rewarded in a pecuniary point of view
+for his exertions. His example was soon followed by other parties
+connected with the opium-trade; and the communication between China,
+Calcutta, and Bombay is now regularly kept up all the year through, by
+as fine a fleet of clippers as ever rode the sea, commanded by men who
+appear to defy the weather. They make their passages in a wonderfully
+short period of time, and stand high in the opinion of the mercantile
+community of India. They are well paid, as they deserve to be, for the
+trying work they have to go through; and many of them have recently
+returned to their native country with comfortable, if not ample
+independencies.
+
+Another improvement of great importance to the trade of Calcutta, is the
+facility with which powerful steamers can now be procured, to tow ships
+up and down the Hooghly. Any one who has gone up and down this river,
+must be aware of the dangerous nature of its navigation, owing to the
+many mud banks, shifting sands, and very rapid current; and must be
+sensible of the comfort of having a powerful steamer towing ahead. The
+saving of time by leaving the port under steam, is immense. I remember,
+on one occasion, overtaking, in thirty-six hours from town, two ships
+that had left three weeks before us. The number of lives saved every
+year by these steamers, is beyond calculation. This is now so well
+understood, that passengers make a point of ascertaining whether a
+steamer is to be employed, before taking their passage in any ship; and
+the under-writers willingly contribute towards the expense thus
+incurred, considering themselves as repaid by the great saving in what
+is called "River Risk."
+
+I have heard many complaints against Dutch Custom-houses, but the
+Customs in Calcutta, I can state from my own knowledge, are far more
+troublesome and unreasonable. Go to any Dutch Custom-house in
+Netherlands India, and produce your invoice through some known agent;
+your goods will be cleared and passed without further trouble. At
+Calcutta, no man's word is taken, but every package landed or shipped
+must actually _pass through_ the Custom-house. Even opium purchased from
+Government, and delivered to the purchaser from a Government warehouse,
+is subjected to this annoying process. Surely the authorities might
+allow merchandize purchased from themselves, and delivered from their
+own premises, to be taken direct to the wharf, and put on board ship. A
+Custom-house officer might accompany the drug, if it was deemed
+necessary, and see it fairly afloat before leaving it. The present
+arrangement involves a useless waste of the merchant's time and trouble.
+
+The Semaphore established from Kedgeree to Calcutta, is of very great
+advantage to the shipping interest of the place. Any vessel getting on
+shore, or coming from sea in distress, can send intelligence of her
+situation to town in fifteen minutes, and have a steamer down to aid her
+in twelve hours.
+
+It would hardly be fair to leave Calcutta without saying a word in
+praise of the pilot service. The pilots here are paid by Government, and
+are a highly respectable body of men: they enter the service when very
+young, as volunteers, and rise by degrees to the rank of masters and
+branch pilots, the latter being the highest grade. Branch pilots
+generally command pilot brigs, which cruise off the mouth of the Hooghly
+for the purpose of supplying vessels that come from sea with pilots to
+take them up the river, and of taking the pilots out of ships bound to
+sea. Master pilots, mates, and second mates are engaged in taking
+vessels out and in, while the youngsters are employed in heaving the
+lead, and studying the navigation of the rivers. The whole service is
+remarkably well conducted. The work undergone by its members is very
+hard during the south-west monsoon; and they are generally short-lived.
+This may be easily accounted for, in such a climate, by their constant
+exposure to heat and rain, to say nothing of gales of wind and frequent
+sound duckings from the spray of the sea.
+
+The natives of Bengal are not favourites of mine: they are much given to
+lying and thieving, and are sad cowards. It is true, they are not
+pirates, like the Malays; but this is owing, I suspect, to want of
+courage, more than of inclination. A Malay servant, should his master
+threaten to strike him, will say: "Cut my pay, sir, or turn me away if I
+am in fault, but (emphatically) don't strike me." A Bengalee, under
+similar circumstances, would cringe under his master's feet, _salaam_ to
+the ground, beg to be whipped, but "Oh," would be his cry, "don't cut my
+pay, sir." Nothing used to annoy me so much as this excessive servility
+of the Bengalee servants: they will do any thing for _pice, pice_; that
+word being repeated by them at least ten times oftener than any other
+in their vocabulary. With all this, they are lazy, and require more
+looking after than any other servants I know. They certainly work for
+little pay, but that little is sufficient to supply their families with
+the necessaries of life, and to leave a trifle to put by, if the head of
+the family does not gamble. The palanquin-bearers are the most useful
+men to a stranger: for thirty-five rupees (3l. 10s.) he will get a
+palanquin and six men who will carry him all over the town, a whole
+month, for that trifling sum; they will take him out in an evening, wait
+patiently in the street till he is ready to return home, and be at his
+door by six the next morning, ready to obey his orders. The _circar_,
+too, is a useful character, but, generally, a sad scamp: he will conduct
+the stranger all over this vast city, shew him where any thing is to be
+had, pay his bills for him, and save him a world of trouble; which he
+makes answer his purpose by deducting one _pice_, or about two per cent,
+from every rupee you may order him to pay for you, and by charging a
+_moderate_ per-centage on what he may be commissioned to procure for
+"Master." It is astonishing how quickly these _circars_ find out when an
+old customer or "Master" returns to Calcutta. I have been visited by
+mine within an hour after reaching town. In one instance, I had come up
+the river in an express boat, and had arrived as soon as the mail; but,
+presently, in came Master's _circar_, bowing low, and "hoping Master
+has had a pleasant voyage, and made too much money."
+
+The mighty current of the sacred Ganges is now thoroughly conquered by
+all-powerful Steam; and the Indian officer ordered up the river to join
+his corps, can now perform in three weeks, the journey that, fifteen
+years ago, would have taken him as many months. Never having travelled
+in the river steamers, I can say nothing about the voyage; but, from
+their being constantly filled with passengers and cargo, I presume they
+give entire satisfaction. The fact of their carrying the European
+traveller so much more rapidly than the native boats can do, through the
+unhealthy Sunderbunds, is of itself sufficient to induce every wayfarer
+to take advantage of them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ VOYAGE FROM SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY--PORT JACKSON--FIRST
+ IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED BY SYDNEY--THE PUBLIC-HOUSE
+ NUISANCE--SYDNEY JURIES--CATTLE DEALERS--TOWN
+ IMPROVEMENTS--LAWYERS, DOCTORS, AND CLERGY.
+
+
+Circumstances induced me, in the early part of 1836, to proceed to New
+South Wales, where I passed three years; at the expiration of which I
+returned to the Straits in much better health than I had enjoyed for
+years before.
+
+The voyage from Singapore to Sydney, _via_ Java Head and Bass's Straits,
+occupies generally from sixty to seventy days; a much longer period than
+it ought to do, considering the distance, but much time and space are
+lost in getting southward from Java Head. Crossing the south-east
+trade-wind, a ship makes nearly as much westing as she does southing,
+and of course has all the former to run back again on getting the
+westerly winds in the latitude of 38 deg. to 40 deg. south. We were unfortunate
+in this part of our voyage, and got no westerly winds till we reached
+the forty-first parallel of south latitude: from that point they took us
+to within a few miles of the entrance to Bass's Straits, where we met a
+strong easterly gale, which detained us several days. This was in March;
+and I would advise ships bound from India to New South Wales, in the
+month of January, February, or March, to go to the southward of Van
+Diemen's Land altogether: they will thus carry the strong westerly winds
+longer, avoid the easterly gales that blow during these months in Bass's
+Straits, and probably shorten their passage ten or twelve days. Up the
+bold and iron-bound shore of this mighty island, from its south-east
+promontory to the heads of Port Jackson, we ran with a strong southerly
+gale, and entered the most magnificent of harbours after a seventy days'
+passage.
+
+The entrance into Port Jackson is between two rocky heads, called, the
+North and South Head. As the former projects rather further into the
+Pacific than the latter, and somewhat overlaps it, the stranger would
+have some difficulty in finding his port, were it not for the
+light-house on the South Head; but, even with this guide, the
+inexperienced eye cannot perceive the entrance till right opposite it.
+We ran in with a heavy sea outside, and had scarcely got a ship's length
+inside the Heads, when we were in water as smooth as a mill-pond. The
+steep black rocks on our right looked fearfully near to us, but the
+water is deep close to them, and no difficulty is experienced in beating
+up to Sydney Cove, a distance of six miles. The only danger in the way
+is a shoal or reef, bearing the strange name of the "Sow and Pigs": on
+it, however, there is a light-vessel, so that it may be safely passed,
+even at night.
+
+Were all the fleets in the world congregated in Port Jackson, they would
+not half occupy it. From the Heads to a mile above Sydney Cove, there is
+a succession of beautiful bays, with deep water close to the rocks, and
+good anchorage in all directions. The scenery is magnificent, though, to
+an eye accustomed to that of Singapore, the green is not quite brilliant
+enough. A succession of hill and dale, with here and there a neat
+cottage perched on some rocky point, the soil clothed with trees, the
+waters of the many bays glistening in the sun, and the distant view of
+the heights and windmills beyond Sydney, form a picture that can
+scarcely be surpassed.
+
+On landing in Sydney, the traveller from India is ready to exclaim,
+Surely this is not a town some seventeen thousand miles from England!
+Every thing reminds him of home: he sees English servants, English
+tradesmen, English shops; in a word, a regular English town, with its
+inns and every thing conducted on the English principle. I took up my
+quarters with my family at the Pulteney Hotel, where we were made very
+comfortable, and found the terms moderate: the only thing that
+disappointed us was, the smallness of the bed-rooms. Sydney is a
+regularly built town, its spacious streets running at right angles with
+each other. The houses are well built, close to each other, with narrow
+fronts, and generally three stories high. Here we have George street,
+Prince's street, King street, Pitt street, Hyde Park, the Surrey
+Hills,--all recalling, by their appellations, the mother country. Hyde
+Park, though it comes far short of its namesake in London, is
+nevertheless a very pleasant spot for a promenade, being nicely shaded
+by trees planted during Sir R. Bourke's government, and is an ornament
+to the town. "Government Domain" is a piece of ground in the rear of the
+Governor's house, reserved by Government for a garden and
+pleasure-grounds: it is tastefully laid out, and intersected with
+numerous walks, which are open to the public; and many a pleasant party
+is formed by the industrious classes, who have only Sunday to spare for
+a little recreation in the open air. The Surrey Hills are being fast
+covered with gentlemen's houses, for which a better situation could
+scarcely be chosen. _Woolloomoolloo_, or Darlinghurst, as it is now
+called, is the favourite suburb, and boasts of many handsome mansions,
+each with its garden. Among these are the respective residences of the
+Chief-Justice, the Bishop of Australia, and other members of the _elite_
+of this metropolis. These houses all command a fine view of the harbour
+with its shipping and the surrounding scenery.
+
+Sydney has its theatre, its club-house, its stage and mail coaches,
+while steamers ply all about the harbour, and up and down the coast; an
+immense convenience to the inhabitants of the northern districts of the
+Colony. It has a large and well-supplied market, where the gardeners,
+farmers, &c. from the neighbourhood collect their produce for sale, and
+where, in good seasons, (that is, seasons in which rain has been
+abundant,) the housekeeper may procure supplies on reasonable terms.
+There is also, immediately outside the town, a hay and cattle market,
+where large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep are constantly for sale,
+and generally find ready buyers among the numerous emigrants who are
+daily landing on these shores.
+
+The greatest drawback upon the prosperity of the lower orders in Sydney,
+arises from the public-houses, of which there are some three hundred,
+nearly all filled, from morning to night, with men and women, too often
+spending the last penny they possess in the world. The magnitude of this
+evil may be estimated from the fact, that, in 1838, the revenue derived
+from ardent spirits and public-house licences amounted to the enormous
+sum of 110,000l. sterling. No stranger can take a walk through Sydney
+without remarking with astonishment the number of these nuisances; and
+the list of drunkards exhibited at the police every Monday morning, will
+increase his surprise and disgust. So enormous is this evil on the
+sabbath-day, that bands of constables patrole the streets for the
+purpose of clearing them of drunken men and women, whom they consign to
+the "lock-up." These constables, by the way, are extremely brutal in
+their manner of handling any unfortunate wight that may fall into their
+hands; and I have been frequently disgusted at their barbarity. What
+better conduct, however, can be expected from men, nine-tenths of whom
+either are or have been convicts? When I was at Sydney, the jail was a
+most wretched place, not half large enough for the many unfortunate
+beings it had occasionally to receive. A more commodious one has since
+been erected, with space enough to allow of the separate classification
+of debtors, highway robbers, bush-rangers, and felons, which could not
+be always attended to in the old building. The jail is cleared four
+times a year by holding criminal courts. The calendar is usually very
+heavy, and the crimes are generally of a heinous nature. The prisoner
+has the privilege of choosing whether he will be tried by a civil or by
+a military jury. Many prefer the latter, knowing that, whatever the
+verdict may be, it will be a conscientious one. The civil jury is
+generally composed of publicans, and is always chosen by the Sydney
+scamps, in the hope that a _chum_ or _pal_ may be found in the list,
+which is not unfrequently the case. The hardest task the
+Attorney-General has to perform, is, to get together a respectable jury.
+When it is composed of civilians, the prisoner is sure to challenge
+every respectable man in the box. By this means, he generally succeeds
+in getting twelve men sworn, of whom two or three are of the stamp he
+requires,--men that will, in vulgar phrase, "swear through a six-inch
+plank" to get him off. It is no uncommon case for Sydney jurors, on
+retiring to consider their verdict, to exclaim that their minds are made
+up, and that they will be d----d if they will give a verdict of guilty.
+Another source of trouble to all persons concerned with a court of
+justice here, is the extreme difficulty experienced in extracting truth
+from witnesses. It is almost impossible to conceive the effrontery with
+which nine-tenths of these men will swear any thing: they invariably
+prevaricate and contradict themselves when cross-examined, and are not
+unfrequently sent from the witness-box to prison, to take their trial
+for perjury. I remember, on one occasion, seeing a father, mother, and
+three grown-up daughters, who came into court to sustain a charge
+against a farmer for an assault on one of the daughters, committed for
+perjury, while the prisoner was released without a stain on his name.
+The crime of cattle-stealing, probably, comes oftener before the Judges
+of New South Wales than any other, particularly since the punishment for
+it has been changed from death to banishment for life. When death was
+the penalty, many graziers put up with their loss, rather than prosecute
+the offender: now, the cattle-stealer is shewn no mercy, from one end of
+the Colony to the other. The Judge has no discretionary power with this
+class of offenders, but, in the event of a verdict of guilty, must pass
+the sentence of banishment for life. If the prisoner came free to the
+colony, he is banished to Van Diemen's Land: if, on the other hand, he
+is an old convict, he is sent to rusticate for the remainder of his days
+on Norfolk Island. Whole droves of stolen cattle are, nevertheless,
+continually offered for sale in the neighbourhood of Sydney, and ready
+purchasers are found for them, the risk of being brought up as a
+receiver not being so great as might be supposed. The regular
+cattle-stealer has stations in the bush, where he collects his
+ill-gotten herds, defaces and alters their brands, and keeps them till
+the new brand has healed and assumed the usual appearance; he then
+boldly starts for market in open day, and, though he may be met by the
+former owners of the beasts he is driving, he fears nothing, proof of
+identity being a difficult task, when a P has been made into a B, and,
+perhaps, three or four other brands have been added.
+
+During the administration of Sir Richard Bourke, great improvements were
+made in the streets of Sydney, particularly in the direction of the
+different wharfs, from which the ascent used to be frightfully steep. To
+remedy this evil, and at the same time to improve the appearance of the
+town, Sir Richard cut away the brows of the ridges, and filled up the
+hollows with the rubbish. This proceeding caused a great outcry among
+those persons who had property where the cuttings took place, and whose
+dwellings, in some cases, were many feet above the new level of the
+street. In the course of time, these proprietors descended from their
+airy posts, knocked down their old unsightly tenements, cut down their
+ground to the proper level, and built new and more sightly houses; so
+that the Governor's proceedings have improved both the streets and the
+general appearance of the town, as well as enhanced the value of the
+property wherever the cuttings were made.
+
+Sydney abounds with doctors, lawyers, and parsons, all of whom thrive
+here. The lawyer especially reaps a rich harvest among a population
+notoriously fond of litigation, and prone to give cause for it in
+various ways. As usual, however, the supply has of late exceeded the
+demand; and the barristers do not now lounge in such stylish carriages
+as they were accustomed to be seen in some years ago. The medical men's
+harvest, a sickly season, is not a rare occurrence in Sydney, though the
+Colony generally is remarkable for its salubrity. The last summer I
+spent there, the deaths were very numerous, and cast a gloom over the
+place. Influenza and fevers were the prevailing complaints, and were
+probably attributable to the dry, hot winds prevalent at the time,
+together with the badness of the water in common use, and the
+intemperate habits of the people. The want of a supply of good water is
+much felt. Every house has its pump, but the water is not fit for any
+thing but washing, and is, for the most part, so hard, that soap will
+not dissolve in it. Government had commenced laying pipes to supply the
+town with this necessary article; but, when I left the Colony, they had
+not been brought nearer than to within a mile; and I have not heard of
+their being since carried any further. Water-carts go round, selling
+water at a penny or sometimes three halfpence per bucket, which is of a
+good quality.
+
+Previously to the arrival of Sir Richard Bourke, the clergy of the
+Church of England were the only persons in the Colony that were
+authorized to marry, to bury, or to christen. Sir Richard put an end to
+this extraordinary state of affairs, by his celebrated Church Act; and
+now, every one may be married by the minister of his own persuasion, and
+follow, in religious matters, the dictates of his conscience. Strange
+as it may appear, Sir Richard's proceedings in this matter gave great
+offence to the magnates of the Church of England; and the Archdeacon
+went home to remonstrate with Her Majesty's Government on the subject.
+His Reverence took nothing, however, by his motion, Lord Glenelg, the
+then Secretary for the Colonies, highly approving of all that had been
+done. But the Archdeacon returned to the Colony a Bishop, and, when I
+left it, was busily engaged in erecting a cathedral by public
+subscription.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ TOWNSHIP OF MAITLAND--THE PATERSON DISTRICT--WINTER
+ SPORTS--THE KANGAROO--AUSTRALIAN HUSBANDRY--CONVICT
+ SERVANTS--BENEFIT OF ENFORCING AN OBSERVANCE OF
+ SUNDAY--THE HOT SEASON.
+
+
+From Sydney, I proceeded northward, by steam, to Maitland, on the river
+Hunter, and thence up the country bordering on those pretty little
+rivers, the Paterson and the Allyn.
+
+Maitland puts a Scotchman in mind of the "lang toon of Kirkaldy,"
+consisting of merely one long street. From its situation, at the head of
+the navigation of the Hunter, and the centre of the very first
+agricultural district of New South Wales, it is likely to become a
+large, thriving, and important place. The country in the immediate
+neighbourhood is flat, and the soil rich, yielding most luxuriant crops
+of wheat and Indian corn.
+
+The season of 1838-39 was a poor one for the farmer: flour rose in
+price to 60s. the cwt.; and the quartern loaf, before I left the Colony,
+was selling as high as two shillings and eight-pence. This was a time to
+test the fertility of the soil round Maitland, as well as the benefit it
+derives from its proximity to the sea. During this summer, the whole
+district was favoured with occasional refreshing showers; its crops were
+forward, and the yield good; and while crops in the southern districts
+had failed from drought, the Hunter-river farmers were sending their
+surplus produce to Sydney for sale.
+
+The township of Maitland is divided into two towns or villages, called,
+East and West Maitland. The former has been fixed upon as the site of
+the town by Government, and the latter by the public, who have, as
+usual, shewn more wisdom in their choice than their masters have,
+inasmuch as they have planted their town within a few hundred yards of
+the head of the navigation; whereas the Government town is three miles
+further up the river, and is unapproachable by steamers, or even by
+small craft. The two, however, will be joined together ere long, (most
+likely they are by this time,) as they are rising rapidly into
+importance. For the beauty of the country between Maitland and the sea,
+I cannot say much: it used to remind me of Lower Bengal, being so very
+flat, and, in some places, so low as to be frequently flooded.
+
+Like the houses in almost all new towns, those in Maitland form a motley
+assemblage of buildings of all sizes, shapes, and colours. Many of the
+smaller and inferior ones were, however, disappearing, even in 1839; and
+more sightly as well as more commodious buildings were rising up in
+their place. The traveller will find comfortable accommodation at either
+the Union or the Rose Inn; and the charges are moderate. He will also
+have the advantage of meeting settlers from all parts of the
+neighbouring country, from whom he will readily obtain any information
+he may require. Frequent cattle-sales are held here; and the beasts are,
+without trouble or much expense, conveyed to Sydney by steam in twelve
+hours.
+
+The country from Maitland, going up the Paterson, is undulating and
+generally fertile; particularly the flat lands on the banks of the
+river. As you proceed towards the village of Paterson, you observe
+numerous prettily situated farm-houses with their smiling gardens in
+front, and fields of wheat between them and the river. At the village,
+the navigation of this little river ceases; and the country becomes more
+and more hilly as you proceed higher up: the banks of the river,
+however, maintain their high character for fertility all the way to its
+source, and many thriving establishments are seen as the traveller
+pursues his journey. This part of New South Wales, being so hilly, and
+consequently somewhat humid, does not answer the sheep-farmer's
+purposes; but the grazier finds his cattle and horses thrive well on
+these hills, and the agriculturist finds the valleys yield him excellent
+crops of tobacco, wheat, and maize. The first is becoming an article of
+great importance to the Paterson farmer, and has helped many of those
+gentlemen through the difficulties from which the Colony has been
+recently suffering.
+
+Land on the Upper Paterson was selling, in 1837, at 20s. per acre, in
+lots of six hundred and forty acres, of which not more than forty or
+fifty were arable land, the rest being what is called here, common bush
+land, thinly covered with trees, and affording tolerable pasture for
+cattle. Purchasers of land at the above-named rate, have, I believe,
+found their bargains profitable, notwithstanding the heavy expense they
+had to incur in clearing and fencing the arable portion of it, in
+addition to the outlay for a dwelling, out-offices, &c. The settler on a
+small farm of this description is almost sure to do well, if he is
+industrious, and provided that he keeps clear of that colonial pest, the
+public-house. He will have very hard work the first two years; but his
+returns will well repay him even in moderately favourable seasons,
+while, in good times, they will be very profitable. A neighbour of mine
+raised, in the season of 1837-38, on eighteen acres of fresh cleared
+land, a crop of tobacco, which he cured and manufactured into
+negro-head on the spot: it yielded one hundred and fifty kegs of 100lb.
+weight each; and the whole was sold at 1s. 4d. per pound, thus giving a
+total of 900l. This farmer had fifteen hands, who, in addition to the
+tobacco, enabled him to cultivate wheat and maize sufficient to supply
+the farm, and to leave 200l. worth for sale. The outlay for the twelve
+months, including every thing, did not exceed 350l.; and I have shewn
+the returns to have been 1100l. This slight sketch will afford an idea
+of what an industrious farmer may do in the Paterson district. As soon
+as he can collect a few pounds, they may be profitably invested in the
+purchase of some good cows, which will not only supply him and his
+family with butter and milk, but will pay well by their annual increase.
+In 1838, stock was worth, in this neighbourhood, as under:--Cows, 5l.;
+Fat Cattle, 7l. 10s.; Working Oxen, 10l.; Brood Mares, 40l.; good
+Roadsters, 40l.; Sheep,--Ewes, 2l., Wethers, 17s. 6d. Things have
+changed since that time: but more of this hereafter.
+
+During the three years I resided in Australia, I lived almost entirely
+on the banks of the Paterson, and the reader may therefore depend upon
+the correctness of my information regarding every thing in that
+neighbourhood. It bears a high character for the salubrity of its
+climate; and very justly so, according to my experience. Not a member of
+my establishment was ill the whole time we were there; nor do I
+recollect a serious case of illness among our neighbours. The winter is
+mild,--just cold enough to make a fire comfortable; while the fine
+frosty mornings do great good to one who has arrived from India. I used
+to enjoy them exceedingly, and invariably walked out before breakfast to
+breathe the fine clear air. The cold weather sets in in April, and
+continues till September. This is the season to enjoy a gallop in chase
+of that most extraordinary animal, the kangaroo. Notwithstanding that
+this part of the country is rather hilly, the hardy horses manage to
+carry their riders across it in safety. The river abounds with wild duck
+at this season, as well as with perch and a small fish here called
+herring, from its resemblance to that fish. The settler may thus not
+only find amusement for himself in shooting or fishing, but may make a
+very agreeable addition to his bush fare by his morning's ramble. The
+flesh of the kangaroo is literally good, for nothing: the tail makes
+very good soup, but the carcass of the full-grown animal is otherwise of
+no value to the European, though the native contrives to make an
+occasional meal of it. The young kangaroo of two or three months old,
+makes a tolerable substitute for jugged hare, and is frequently on the
+tables of the settlers. As population advances up the country, the
+kangaroo retires. I have, however, seen some hundreds of a large size
+in their native woods, skipping about, and bounding off on the approach
+of man. The notion, that a kangaroo makes use of his tail in leaping, is
+a mistaken one. I have watched them bounding along a plain, and could
+see distinctly that the tail never touched the ground. The female, when
+pursued, will retain its young one in the pouch with which nature has
+provided it, till very closely pressed by the dogs: it will then drop
+the little one, leave it to chance, and make off with increased speed. A
+full-grown male ("old man," the aboriginals call them) is more than a
+match for a single dog, and will frequently severely punish a couple of
+assailants before surrendering. These animals are easily tamed, and make
+very pretty pets in a garden. Speaking of a garden, we had an excellent
+orchard, which supplied us with abundance of apricots, peaches,
+nectarines, figs, green-gages, apples, pears, and oranges, while the
+garden furnished many a dish of strawberries: for gooseberries, the
+climate is not cold enough.
+
+In March and April, the farmer is busied in preparing his fields for
+wheat-sowing, which ought to be finished by the middle of May. Of this
+grain, the ground here yields a fair crop, though not equal to that
+usually reaped near Maitland: it is, however, generally more than
+sufficient for the use of the district, which may be called a
+grain-exporting one. Some farmers sow wheat on land from which they
+have just reaped a crop of Indian corn: this proves, I need scarcely
+say, in the long run, very bad economy. On a farm where wheat, corn, and
+tobacco are grown, there is always abundance of employment for old and
+young. Should field labour be suspended by the inclemency of the
+weather, or by any other cause, the farmer finds his servants full
+occupation in husking maize, threshing wheat, stripping, shifting, and
+curing tobacco. I used to keep my convict-labourers employed in light
+work, such as the above-mentioned, till ten o'clock at night: this I had
+no _right_ to exact; but my plan was, to keep a regular account current
+with every convict on the place, giving him credit so much for every
+extra hour he worked, and letting him know, every Saturday night, how
+much was due to him, which I allowed him to take out in any shape but
+money or spirits. Giving him the former, would have enabled him to
+procure the latter. It was generally taken out in tea and sugar; and I
+never had the slightest trouble in settling these little accounts. I had
+ten convicts assigned to me by Government; and I confess that I would
+rather have had those men than most of the free emigrants that came to
+the Colony. Over the convict, the master has great power, the knowledge
+of which on the part of the servant, with good treatment and a firm hand
+held over him, will make him do a great deal of work. The Government
+allowance of rations does not include tea, sugar, or tobacco; but most
+masters allow two ounces of the first and last, and one pound of the
+second per week; which not only makes the men contented, but gives the
+master more hold over them, as they stand in fear of his stopping the
+indulgence in the event of misconduct. From my own observation I should
+say, that nine-tenths of the misdoings amongst convict-servants, that
+one hears of in New South Wales, arises from bad masters. What, for
+instance, can be expected from men assigned to a drunkard, who not only
+drinks himself, but makes a point of inducing his servants, whether free
+or bond, to take out their earnings in rum, of which he has always a
+plentiful supply on hand? What from the servants of a master who neither
+pays any attention to the Sabbath himself, nor makes those under him
+observe it; who, on the slightest provocation, drags his men before the
+magistrate, and swears literally to any thing, to have them flogged; who
+never affords them the slightest indulgence, and whose whole aim is, to
+get the greatest possible quantity of work out of them for the smallest
+possible outlay? Nothing tends more directly to promote the good order
+of a farm, than mustering everybody on it at noon on Sunday, for the
+purpose of reading Divine service to them. Setting aside the moral
+benefit that this practice may be supposed to produce, it puts an
+effectual stop to distant wandering on that day. A man who has to appear
+cleanly dressed on Sunday at noon, cannot stray far from home either
+before or after that hour. On farms where this custom is not kept up,
+the convict starts at daylight for some haunt where spirits are to be
+had, to pay for which he has most probably robbed his master; there he
+spends the day in riot and ribaldry, and reels home about midnight in a
+state that renders him very unfit for resuming his work on Monday
+morning. The convict-servant soon finds out what sort of a master he has
+to deal with, and, to use their own slang, after trying it on for a bit,
+in nine cases out of ten, he yields to circumstances. Two of mine tried
+a few of their old pranks at starting; but a timely, though moderate
+application of "the cat," put an entire stop to them. It is, however,
+useless to say more on this subject, as the system of assigning servants
+to private individuals has been done away with by orders from the Home
+Government. The female convicts are much more difficult to manage than
+the men, and often set their masters at defiance: they are generally of
+the lowest and most wretched class of women.
+
+The summer sets in in October, and wheat harvest begins in November. The
+weather then becomes exceedingly hot, and the heat is occasionally
+increased by the hot winds that blow from the north-west. These
+generally (I speak of what I have observed on the Paterson) blow for
+three days successively, with considerable violence, and do no small
+injury to the farmer: they are very dry, make the lips crack, and the
+skin feel as if about to crack; and should they come across a field of
+wheat just shewing the ear, they would blight it to a certainty. After
+expending their force for three days, they are usually succeeded by a
+sharp southerly gale, which is frequently accompanied with rain, and
+soon makes every thing not actually blighted look green again. Though
+the sun, during summer, has, apparently, as much power as in India, I
+have never experienced any injurious effects from it, though frequently
+exposed to its rays all day, both on foot and on horseback. The European
+labourer works in the field here through the day, the same as in
+England, and does not seem to suffer from the heat. During the hot
+winds, indeed, he is liable to an almost unquenchable thirst, to relieve
+which, he may drink with perfect impunity a large quantity of sugar and
+water; but those who have recourse to water only, are sure to suffer for
+their imprudence, though not seriously.
+
+November and December are the busy months at sheep-stations, all hands
+being then employed in clipping the wool and preparing it for market.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ BUSH-RANGERS--THE DROUGHT OF 1838-9--THE SETTLER'S
+ TROUBLES--ORNITHOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA--ABORIGINAL
+ TRIBES.
+
+
+On the Paterson, we were never troubled with those dangerous characters
+called in the Colony, Bush-rangers. I can give no reason for their
+avoiding this neighbourhood, but know that they did avoid it, and that
+none of the residents in the district ever gave them a thought. Other
+parts of the Colony are not so fortunate; and loud complaints are
+constantly being made, of want of protection against those daring
+marauders. They are runaway convicts, who take to the bush, either to
+get clear of hard masters, or from a love of old habits; and, now and
+then, they keep a whole county in a state of alarm. Frequent instances
+of their daring occurred during my residence in Australia, some of a
+ferocious character, while others tended more to excite laughter. Three
+of those scamps visited, at noon-day, a settler's house, and, coolly
+walking in, called for luncheon, and made themselves quite at home.
+While thus regaling themselves, they happened to see a violin hanging
+against the wall, and asked their _host_, whether he could play. On
+being answered in the affirmative, they made him strike up, while they
+danced to his music. When tired of this amusement, they helped
+themselves to whatever struck their fancy, and then went to the stable,
+picked out three of the best horses, leaving their own tired jades
+behind, and rode off. The master of the house was the only person at
+home at the time, and was unarmed; all his men were engaged in a distant
+field; and he was threatened with instant death, should he give the
+slightest alarm. Resistance, therefore, was impossible. Such
+depredations have latterly been much checked by the exertions of the
+mounted police. This very efficient body is composed of men drafted from
+Her Majesty's regiments stationed in the Colony, who are mounted and
+dressed at the expense of the local Government, and trained for their
+work. They patrole the country in all directions, and have captured and
+brought to justice many of the most desperate Bush-rangers, as well as
+given a check to the several organized bodies of cattle-stealers.
+
+Those parts of the Colony most distant from the capital, are, naturally,
+most annoyed by bad characters of all description; and many of the
+settlers trust to their own strength, more than to the police, to defend
+their property. A friend of mine residing in Wellington Valley, three
+hundred and fifty miles west of Sidney, used to arm himself and his
+groom, and sally out in search of any desperate character he might have
+heard of as being in the neighbourhood: he was more than once
+successful, and became quite a noted man among the Bush-ranging
+fraternity, who took good care to keep at a respectable distance from
+him. Were some other settlers blessed with as much nerve and courage as
+the gentleman I allude to, Bush-rangers would soon become less numerous.
+
+A settler's life in an agricultural district, is pleasant enough, but it
+has its drawbacks. A season of drought makes sad work in his fields, and
+among his flocks. In the season of 1838-39, water became so scarce, that
+many of the best pasture-lands in our neighbourhood were of necessity
+abandoned, and the sheep as well as cattle were kept down on the banks
+of the river, then reduced to a mere chain of pools, the intervening
+channel being quite dry. The herbage was completely eaten up, and the
+trees in many parts were cut down, in order that the hungry animals
+might eat the leaves. One of my neighbours, to save his flocks, turned
+them on his half-grown crop of wheat, by which means he saved some
+thousands of sheep, but lost his wheat. Tens of thousands of sheep and
+cattle, all over the country, died during this season; and grain crops
+failed everywhere, except on the banks of my three favourite rivers;
+namely, the Hunter, the Paterson, and the Allyn. There was scarcely a
+settler on either of these rivers, that had not a little to spare;
+while, in less favoured parts of the Colony, the farmer had to pay
+enormous prices for flour to feed his men; and the cart-hire came to
+nearly as much as the cost of the flour. I knew one gentleman who
+despatched from Sydney four drays loaded with stores for his stations
+near Bathurst, each dray drawn by seven oxen; and so great was the
+scarcity of water and fodder on the road, that only four of the poor
+animals reached their journey's end, the others having died on the road
+from sheer starvation. Flour rose during this season to 60l. per ton,
+and the quartern loaf in Sydney was sold at 3s. 4d.
+
+One of the greatest discomforts attendant upon a summer's residence in
+the bush of Australia, arises from the swarms of flies, large and small,
+that infest the house. The large blow-fly is a serious nuisance: many a
+good joint of meat they spoil, in spite of every precaution. These
+insects find their way everywhere, and destroy whatever they come near.
+In the dairy, the greatest care is necessary to prevent these pests from
+reaching the milk and butter, which they will taint in a second.
+Scarcely less of a plague than the swarms of flies, are the myriads of
+fleas which torment the tired farmer, and cheat him out of many an
+hour's sleep: these noisome disturbers are in the soil, and not all the
+care the best housewife can bestow, can diminish the number.
+
+While on the subject of the settler's troubles, I may mention, that the
+cockatoos annoy the farmer in Australia, as much as the crows do in
+England: they attack his wheat and maize when the grain is ripening, by
+hundreds; indeed, I may say, by thousands; and it requires a very active
+watchman to keep them from doing serious injury to the crop, not so much
+from the quantity they eat, as from what they destroy and scatter. These
+birds, which, by the bye, furnish an excellent dish that occasionally
+formed part of our dinner, are remarkably cunning: while the flock are
+busily feeding on the farmer's wheat, two of their number are left on
+some neighbouring trees to keep watch; these, on the approach of danger,
+give a loud, shrill scream, which at once puts the thieves to flight,
+and renders it very difficult for the sportsman to get a shot at one of
+them. Besides the common white red-crested cockatoo, the woods are the
+home of the black species; a rare bird, that I have never seen
+elsewhere. Those brought to Singapore by the Celebes traders, are a
+bastard species. On what they feed, I am not aware, never having seen
+them in the wheat or maize fields. During the winter months, neither
+white nor black cockatoos are to be seen; nor have I ever heard to what
+place they migrate. The bird-fancier might here make as beautiful a
+collection as I have ever seen. The different varieties of the parrot
+tribe are countless, and extremely pretty: the king-parrot, the lowrie,
+and the mountain parrot, are, perhaps, the most beautiful. Then, there
+is the pretty little diamond sparrow, so called from its size, its
+habits, resembling those of the common sparrow, and its plumage, which
+exhibits a diamond pattern of black, white, and blue. Of the hawk tribe,
+the varieties are numerous: the largest is the eagle-hawk, which now and
+then carries off a lamb from the flocks of careless shepherds. Were I an
+ornithologist, I might write a goodly volume on the birds of this
+country; but I must content myself with these few notices; not
+forgetting, however, to mention the stately black swan, a bird becoming
+every year more rare.
+
+We used frequently to be visited by tribes of the aboriginal inhabitants
+of this vast continent. They are, without exception, the most complete
+savages I have ever come across. They have no homes, no occupation
+beyond procuring food for the day, and think nothing of to-morrow, which
+they literally leave to take care of itself. They resist almost every
+attempt to induce them to labour, and, if clothed to-day by some good
+Samaritan, will, in all probability, appear naked at his door to-morrow,
+having given away their clothes to some convict, in exchange for a pound
+of flour or an ounce of tobacco. In their habits, they are literally
+wanderers on the face of the earth, shifting their camp from place to
+place as game grows scarce. In rainy weather, the only precaution I ever
+saw them take, with a view to protect themselves from wet, was the
+building a small hut, not much larger than a bee-hive, constructed of
+the boughs of trees, with a small aperture on one side, into which the
+"black-fellow"[17] thrusts his head and shoulders, and sleeps as sound
+as a top, his legs and the lower half of his body being exposed to wind
+and rain. In winter, they may be seen encamped round a fire after their
+day's hunting, all naked, and stretched on the ground, with their feet
+towards the fire; the men smoking, if they have any thing to smoke, and
+the wretched-looking women composing themselves to sleep in the same
+_natural_ state as their lords and masters.[18] They suffer much,
+occasionally, from hunger, and may then be induced to do a day's work
+about the farm, for which they will consider themselves well paid by a
+pound of flour and an ounce of tobacco each. This reward must not be
+given them, however, till their work is done: give it beforehand, and
+not a hand's turn will they do, but decamp at once to enjoy their
+dinner. As soon as they have eaten their bread, they light the pipes,
+and never cease smoking till their tobacco is finished. Some of the men
+are remarkably well made, and strong, able-bodied fellows. One who spent
+a week now and then in my kitchen, doing any thing the cook told him,
+for the promise of a supper, was a tall, good-looking fellow, named
+Jamie. They are one and all christened in the bush by any European they
+may ask for a name. A father applied to me one day for a name for his
+little boy, and I forthwith called him "Donald;" at which the old man
+and the rest of the tribe laughed heartily, saying, "All same your
+horse." I had then a pony called Donald. To resume: Jamie was frequently
+clothed by me, and was asked to sleep in the kitchen, or in one of the
+out-offices, but all to no purpose: his clothes, he never kept a week,
+and he invariably took his departure at sun-set to sleep in the open
+air. In our district, I believe, the blacks were harmless people; but,
+on the Upper Hunter, on Liverpool Plains, they have been not only very
+troublesome, but even dangerous neighbours. Many settlers have suffered
+severely from their depredations; and several shepherds and
+stock-keepers have been murdered by them. Would they content themselves
+with killing a single bullock or two or three sheep, when suffering from
+hunger, one might excuse them; but I have known twenty-five cows killed
+by a single tribe in one night, the fat and kidneys taken away, and the
+carcases left on the ground. This, to say the least of it, was a
+mischievous waste of property; and such proceedings naturally led the
+settlers to retaliate. The consequences were serious, and led to extreme
+measures, ending, in more than one instance, in bloodshed. There seems
+to be no room for doubt, that many of these poor creatures have been
+murdered by stock-keepers on the mere suspicion of being concerned in
+such crimes. This fact, however, does not justify the Government in
+offering a hundred pounds reward for the discovery of the offender, when
+a black happens to be murdered by a white, and only twenty-five pounds
+reward, when the murderer is black, and the victim white.
+
+ [Footnote 17: The name given to the aborigines in Australia.]
+
+ [Footnote 18: It is a singular fact, that the aboriginal
+ natives of New South Wales, as well as the cattle that roam at
+ large in its woods, invariably choose the top of a moderately
+ elevated hill to sleep on during the winter months. The reason
+ is, that the hills are _always_ warmer than the valleys, and
+ are consequently resorted to in winter; while the latter are
+ chosen in summer as camping-ground by man and beast. I have
+ often been surprised, when riding about the bush in winter, at
+ feeling a current of warm air on the top of a range of hills,
+ having myself just ascended from the neighbouring valley where
+ the breeze was chilling. These warm breezes on the hill tops
+ blow from the north-west, and may be nearly related to the
+ summer hot winds, cooled on reaching the latitude of 34 deg. in the
+ winter season. Be that as it may, they are not strong enough to
+ warm the valleys, though their influence on the hills is very
+ agreeable to the traveller.]
+
+What would my fair countrywomen say to the "black-fellow's" mode of
+taking unto himself a wife? On making up his mind as to the object of
+his choice, he proceeds by night to the camping-ground of the _fair_
+one's tribe; searches her out among the sleeping beauties; deals her a
+blow on the head with his club, (to which an Irishman's shillelah is a
+twig,) and carries off the stunned and senseless wretch to his own camp.
+This ceremony makes them man and wife, and no further notice is taken of
+the affair. The different tribes are constantly at war: but I have never
+heard of any very serious consequences arising from their feuds. The day
+of battle is generally spent in painting themselves red, dancing the
+war-dance in presence of their foes, and, probably, exchanging a few
+spears towards its close. Their arms consist of spears, clubs, and the
+_boomerang_. The latter is a very extraordinary weapon, which they throw
+to a great distance, making it _return to the thrower_ when it has
+described its revolution, and probably hit some unfortunate wight on the
+head in its course through the air. This weapon is of hard wood, about
+three feet long, two inches broad, a quarter of an inch thick, and in
+the form of a crescent: it is thrown against the wind, and describes a
+circle in its course. The spear is of cane, hardened by fire at the
+end, and is thrown with great force and dexterity. No black who can by
+any means obtain a tomahawk, is ever without one, generally of English
+make: with this, they are very expert at felling trees, and, with its
+aid, will climb a tree which it would take two pair of arms to encircle.
+The "black-fellow" cuts a small notch about three feet from the ground;
+in this, he inserts the toe of one foot, holding on by one hand while he
+cuts another hole three feet further up to receive the other foot; and
+thus he proceeds till he reaches the top. The dead trees of Australia,
+which are all hollow, are a favourite resort of the opossum. In search
+of them, the black-fellow will ascend a tree in the manner just
+described; and there he will sit while his companions below dig under
+the roots, and light a fire, the smoke from which ascending the trunk of
+the tree, as a chimney, speedily dislodges the game. This is dexterously
+pounced upon by "blacky," the moment its head appears peeping from the
+aperture at the top of some of the branches. I have never known the
+tomahawk thrown by them, as it is by the Indian of America.
+
+My family was once thrown into considerable alarm by an ill-looking
+tribe of blacks who formed their camp immediately in front of our
+cottage: they were strangers, and had no business there. On making
+inquiries about them, I found that they came from a neighbouring
+district, and were endeavouring to evade the police, who were in search
+of them for the murder of an unfortunate shepherd. Not at all liking
+such neighbours, I took advantage of their absence, one day, when they
+were gone kangaroo-hunting, and set fire to their bee-hive huts. On
+their return at sun-set, they took the hint, and we saw no more of them.
+
+Among these tribes, it is a rule, that blood must be had for blood; and
+this leads them, when one of their number falls by the hand of a white
+man, to kill the first European they happen to meet, in retaliation. It
+would scarcely be reasonable to expect these ignorant savages to see the
+injustice of this proceeding; yet, it is hard, that an unoffending
+person like the shepherd above referred to should be slaughtered in
+revenge of the murder of a man he had never seen.
+
+The number of dialects, or apparently different languages, spoken by the
+aborigines of Australia, is very remarkable. Those residing in and about
+Sydney cannot converse with those on the Hunter, who, in their turn, are
+ignorant of the dialect spoken on Liverpool Plains; and this is the case
+throughout the Colony. When Sir Edward Parry was manager of the
+Australian Agricultural Company's affairs, he made a tour of inspection
+through its estates, taking with him some few black followers as guides.
+They were not fifty miles from their home, when, to Sir Edward's
+astonishment, he heard them speaking English to their countrymen of the
+districts through which they were passing. On inquiring the reason, he
+was told, that the two parties were entirely ignorant of each other's
+language.
+
+I never could make out the religious notions of these aboriginal tribes,
+further than that they believe in a future state. They do not appear to
+have much affection for their children, if one may judge from the way in
+which they treat them; yet, the mother bemoans the loss of one of her
+little ones very piteously, daubs her face and arms with lime in token
+of mourning, and spends many days in the neighbourhood of the grave. In
+common with all savage nations, the Australian blacks treat their women
+ill. These poor creatures get the worst of all their food, with the
+hardest of all their work; and are frequently very severely beaten by
+their hard and ruthless taskmasters. Degraded as are these aborigines
+generally, those in the immediate vicinity of Sydney are a more abject
+race than their more fortunate brethren who inhabit the distant parts of
+the Colony. This may be partly, if not wholly accounted for, by the
+facility with which at Sydney they can obtain ardent spirits, to procure
+which they will do almost any thing. I have never seen human beings
+elsewhere reduced to a state of such utter degradation and misery as
+these poor people exhibit. To shew how much they dislike any thing like
+labour, I may mention, that Government, on one occasion, set aside a
+piece of land for a tribe near Sydney, and had it cleared, tilled, and
+planted with maize for their use, exacting from them a promise that they
+would tend the growing corn, keep it clean, and gather the crop when
+ripe: they did neither the one nor the other, but, when called on to
+gather the grain that was to be their own, said, it was too much
+trouble. The result was, that the corn was plucked for them; and no
+further attempt was made to induce them to work.
+
+Several praiseworthy individuals have from time to time endeavoured to
+educate and civilize young boys of this unhappy race. One was sent to
+England, where he was kept at school till he was fifteen years of age;
+and he then returned to his native country. He had not been two days on
+shore in Sydney, when, meeting with some of his countrymen, he threw off
+his European clothing, and started for the bush, whence there was no
+getting him back.
+
+Like most savages, the natives are seldom if ever known to express
+surprise or astonishment under any circumstances. Shortly before leaving
+the Colony, I saw a native, early in the morning, standing on one of the
+heights overlooking the harbour of Sydney. On my asking what he was
+about, his reply was: "I belong big river (300 miles distant); first
+time come Sydney; come here see ship; _budgerie su_ (pleasant sight);
+never see ship or salt water before." This poor savage had come three
+hundred miles on foot, assisting a drover with a herd of cattle; he had
+never before seen either the sea or a ship in his life; and yet there he
+stood, looking at these, to him, most extraordinary objects, with a
+countenance as placid and unmoved as if they had been daily sights from
+his infancy. On questioning him, I could extract nothing further from
+him: he _would not_ allow that he was astonished, but simply repeated,
+"_budgerie su_." While idling away an hour one day in the criminal
+court, I saw an aboriginal black tried for murder. Nothing could exceed
+the perfect indifference that he exhibited throughout the whole scene.
+When called upon, through an interpreter, to plead guilty or not guilty,
+his reply was: "I did it because he (the deceased) stole my wife." He
+would not condescend to deny an act which he considered himself
+justified in committing. This plea of justification, the learned Judge
+directed to be taken as one of not guilty; and the result was, the
+prisoner's acquittal.
+
+Sir F. L. Mitchell, the Surveyor-General of New South Wales, in his
+admirable journal of his three celebrated expeditions into the interior
+of Australia, has described the aboriginal inhabitants of that portion
+of the country named by him, "Australia Felix," as a race of men
+altogether superior to those found in other parts of this continent.
+This race may, and probably will be found formidable neighbours for the
+first settlers to encounter. Their country, from the description given
+by its discoverer, must be a very fine one; and should it prove to be
+regularly refreshed by rain, it will be an invaluable addition to the
+Colony.
+
+The fate of the tribes I have been endeavouring to describe, is a
+melancholy one: they are fast disappearing from the face of the earth;
+and one or two more generations will, in all human probability, see the
+last of them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ THE HOT WINDS--PROJECTED MAIL-ROAD FROM SYDNEY
+ TO PORT ESSINGTON--SHEEP-FARMS--GRAZING IN
+ AUSTRALIA--HORSE-STOCK.
+
+
+I have often heard the question raised in Australia, Whence proceed the
+hot winds? Hitherto, this inquiry has not, to my knowledge, been
+satisfactorily answered. These winds invariably blow from the
+north-west; but the question is, Whence do they derive the heat they are
+charged with? In the months during which they prevail, the north-west
+monsoon is blowing in the Java sea, and thence all the way to Torres'
+Straits; and northerly winds are prevalent on the eastern coast of
+Australia. The weather in those seas, at that season, is wet and cold
+for the latitude; consequently, the north-west wind, when it first
+reaches the northern coast of Australia, is the reverse of a hot one:
+whence, then, the heat it brings with it to the thirty-fourth degree of
+south latitude? From Torres' Straits to this latitude, the distance is,
+in southing alone, fifteen hundred miles, twelve hundred of which are
+entirely unexplored. I have heard it suggested, that, in this space,
+may, and probably does exist, a great inland desert, the crossing of
+which heats and dries the wind. Whether such a desert does or does not
+exist, is a problem that may not be solved for many years to come;
+unless, indeed, the expedition now in contemplation, for the survey of
+the country in search of a practicable overland route from Sydney to
+Port Essington, should lead to its earlier solution. To this expedition,
+should it ever start, I wish every possible success, though I have my
+misgivings as to its favourable result, and question the soundness of
+the judgment that advises the undertaking at this time. Supposing the
+route should prove practicable simply as a mail line, is the Colony at
+present in circumstances to bear the expense of keeping it up? The
+object is, to have the overland Indian mail carried from Singapore by
+steam to Port Essington, thence to Sydney overland; the distance being,
+in round numbers, two thousand miles, three-fourths of the way through
+an uninhabited and unknown country. To keep up such a line, the outlay
+would be enormous, and would far exceed any return that could be
+expected for the next fifty years. The good folks of Sydney seem bent on
+trying it, however; and on being refused pecuniary aid from the
+Government, they resolved on carrying it through at their own expense;
+but they have since cooled in their ardour. At least, I have not heard
+of the money being forthcoming.[19]
+
+ [Footnote 19: The expedition just alluded to has never been
+ attempted; and I think very wisely. The great commercial crisis
+ under which the Colony of New South Wales, in common with all
+ the Australian Colonies, has been suffering of late, has given
+ the Colonists other and more pressing matters to think of; and
+ if they will take the advice of one who wishes them well, they
+ will look to some other route for quicker communication with
+ the Mother Country, than that _via_ Port Essington.--October,
+ 1845.]
+
+I shall now proceed to offer a few observations upon sheep and
+sheep-stations. A sheep-station is, probably, the most desolate place at
+which a man could be sent to pass his time. Fancy three men in charge of
+one thousand sheep, which range over five square miles of country, of
+which five miles those three outcasts are literally the only
+inhabitants, and, strange as it may seem, seeing but little of each
+other. One is the watchman, who remains by the hut all day, shifts the
+folds, and sleeps between them at night, to protect their occupants from
+the prowling native dog: the other two are shepherds, who start every
+morning at daylight, in different directions, each in charge of his
+flock; they do not return to the hut till sun-down, when they are tired,
+weary, and eager for supper and bed. Thus, day after day, and month
+after month, pass in solitary wretchedness, relieved only on the
+Saturday for a couple of hours, when a man with the week's rations
+arrives at the station. These men live all the year round on salt beef
+and bread, the latter baked by themselves: they have no change either of
+diet, of employment, or of any thing else; for, be it known, a really
+good sheep-station in Australia yields nothing but grass and gum-trees,
+the soil being dry and poor. A shepherd on the hills of Scotland, who
+returns every night to his _bothie_, and finds a _warm_ supper cooked
+for him by some kind female hand, is a prince compared to the exile of
+Australia, who comes home tired and sleepy at sun-down, and may then
+either chop wood to cook his meal, or go supperless to bed, as suits his
+fancy. It is under these circumstances that those unhappy connections
+are formed with native women, the offspring from which are invariably
+killed by the mother. Against these connections, the present Governor
+has very properly set his face, and positively interdicted them.
+Although he may check, he cannot, however, do away with the evil; which
+leads not only to the murder of helpless infancy, but to bloodshed and
+wrangling between the whites and the blacks.
+
+Sheep, when I arrived in Australia in 1836, were in great request, and
+ewes with lambs at their feet were worth 30s. each, while wool was at
+2s. 2d. per pound. In 1837-38 and 1838-39, stock of every kind rose in
+price; and in the former year, I paid as high as 3l. per head for a
+flock of four hundred ewes with lambs five months old at their feet.
+This purchase was not a safe one; it was made when I knew but little of
+the value of stock, but acted under the advice of others, and when the
+colony was in the very midst of that wild career of mad speculation
+which has since worked so much misery to thousands. I suffered in common
+with many others who invested money in sheep at the same time, and who
+left the Colony. Nevertheless, I look upon sheep as one of the best
+descriptions of stock in which a man can speculate, provided that he
+keeps within reasonable bounds as to price. Good ewes purchased from
+20s. to 25s. per head, will, nine times out of ten, pay their proprietor
+from fifteen to twenty per cent, for his outlay. To do this, they must
+of course be properly tended, and be kept on what is here called, a good
+run, _i. e._ fine dry pasture on rather an elevated tract of country.
+The sheep-farmer ought to have a good homestead in an agricultural part
+of the Colony, (this, in my opinion, is indispensable to his success,)
+where he may grow grain sufficient not only to render him almost
+independent of bad seasons and high prices, but, generally, to give him
+a few hundred bushels of surplus wheat and maize with which to buy tea,
+sugar, and clothing. Hundreds of sheep-farmers have of late been ruined
+by having to purchase the actual necessaries for their stations on
+credit. Cash they had none, being unwilling to part with even their
+surplus stock at the miserably low prices alone obtainable.
+
+Another error that sheep-farmers fall into from time to time, is, the
+allowing their establishments to outgrow themselves, as it were, by not
+selling every year's surplus stock. I have known establishments become
+quite unmanageable from this cause, and have heard large proprietors
+frequently say, they were losers by holding so large a number of sheep:
+still, they went on in spite of their own better judgment, from year to
+year, without selling a single head of stock. This loss attendant upon
+overgrown establishments, arises as much from the difficulty of getting
+good and trustworthy servants, as from any other cause. The master's eye
+cannot be everywhere, and the overseer's is seldom to be trusted. Lazy
+shepherds keep sheep in till ten A. M. in place of turning them out at
+six. Idle watchmen shift the folds twice a week, instead of every day.
+Fifty other cases of this kind take place on a large sheep-farm, that
+never could occur on a small establishment. In damp weather, the
+watchman's neglecting to shift the folds, is sure to do harm. One of its
+first evil effects is to give the sheep toe-rot; a troublesome complaint
+that lames the animal, and is not easily got rid of. Then, a careless
+shepherd will allow his flock to stray on your neighbour's run, which
+may have been fed over by scabby sheep the day before. If no rain has
+fallen during the night, the disease is sure, in that case, to be caught
+by the trespassers, as I can testify from dear-bought experience. Scab,
+here, is a very different disease from what the sheep-farmer at home is
+acquainted with, and is much more difficult to cure. The remedies
+applied for it are severe, and of a kill-or-cure description: indeed, it
+requires a strong sheep to bear this application. Rubbing with tar, as
+practised in Scotland, has been found utterly useless.
+
+In advising sheep-farmers to have a good agricultural homestead, I am
+aware I am recommending what hundreds have not the power to obtain. As a
+general rule, however, it is a golden one; and I would adhere to it,
+even were I compelled to have three hundred miles between my stations
+and the homestead. Indeed, I have known those two establishments
+separated by two hundred miles.
+
+Since 1838-9, sheep have been sold in New South Wales as low as
+ninepence a head: this, however, was under very extraordinary
+circumstances, and is not likely to happen again; more especially since
+the proprietor has found out that, by slaughtering the animal, and
+boiling down the carcase, he can get 3s. 6d. for the tallow it yields.
+During the recent distresses, thousands of sheep have been disposed of
+in this way, the proprietors being so much reduced as to be literally
+unable either to pay or to feed men to look after their flocks. I know
+many parties who purchased sheep between the years 1837 and 1840, at the
+rates then current, at three years' credit, paying ten per cent, per
+annum for the indulgence, who, after keeping their purchases and their
+increase for three years, were compelled, when their acceptances became
+due, to sell off original stock, increase, and all, and then had not
+half enough to satisfy their creditor. This, as I said before, arose
+from peculiar circumstances, being caused by the prevailing panic. I
+shall advert again to this subject, in offering a few remarks upon the
+recent distresses and their causes.
+
+Now as to cattle. The English or Scotch grazier, who has his cattle
+brought home and housed every night, can have no idea of the sort of
+work his brother grazier in Australia has to go through. Here, the
+climate is so mild, that cattle are never housed, but wander in the bush
+from year's end to year's end. The proprietor of five hundred head of
+horned cattle, must command the run of five thousand acres of
+pasture-land, of fair quality, as the grass in the woods of Australia is
+so thin, that it takes three acres to feed a sheep, and ten for a
+bullock. He generally employs two men, called stock-keepers, to look
+after them: these are mounted, and ought to employ their time in riding
+over and roundabout their master's run, to see that his cattle do not
+stray, and that his grass is not trespassed on by others. This, however,
+is more than most of these gentry condescend to do, many of them
+preferring the company of cattle-stealers and other vagabonds, with whom
+they are frequently leagued; and if I may judge from the money I have
+seen in possession of stock-keepers, they share largely in the
+cattle-stealers' plunder. With the exception of some twenty cows and
+calves usually kept about the house, to give milk, which are called the
+milking herd, the grazier sees nothing of his herds but on muster-days,
+which occur twice a year. For some time previously to muster-day, the
+stock-keepers have been very busy drawing their herds by degrees as near
+the stock-yard as possible; and when the day arrives, the whole are
+driven into the yard to be inspected. All the yearlings are then
+branded, and fat bullocks are picked out for sale or slaughter. At this
+time, the stock-keeper and his horse have no sinecure; for the cattle
+they have to collect, are as wild, and nearly as swift as deer; so much
+so, that a cattle-hunt in Australia is nearly as much enjoyed by the
+young men as a fox-hunt in Old England. Some breeds of cattle are much
+more easily managed than others, being naturally quieter; but, generally
+speaking, the wild way in which the Australian herds are reared, makes
+them intractable and troublesome.
+
+In spite of all this thieving and trouble, however, cattle-stock is a
+good investment for money in ordinary times. In extraordinary times like
+the last year or two, no investment is safe, except to the man who can
+hold on till things mend. In 1838, cattle were worth from 3l. 10s. to
+5l. per head, for a herd consisting of cows, steers, and heifers from
+one to three years old, and calves under six months. Very superior herds
+were worth more; but I speak generally. Since that time, thousands of
+cattle have been killed and boiled down for their tallow. But times are
+mending, and this stock, like every other, is not likely to be again so
+unsaleable.
+
+It is of the greatest possible importance to a grazier, to have his
+herds near some place where there is communication by water with Sydney.
+In this respect, Hunter's river and Port Macquarie have the pre-eminence
+over the rest of the Colony. The possessor of fat cattle, in either of
+those districts, can at all times send them to market by steam, without
+their losing much flesh; whereas I knew in 1839, when fodder was so
+scarce, a man having three hundred head of beasts fit for the knife,
+running in Wellington valley, which, could he have got them into Sydney,
+would have brought 8l. per head ready cash, but which were utterly
+valueless to him, from the impossibility of driving them through a
+country almost bare of pasture. Had this man been on the banks of either
+of my favourite rivers, he could have turned his cattle into cash in
+three days.
+
+The wild way in which cattle are reared in Australia, makes the young
+steer a troublesome animal to break in for the plough; and then, the
+absurd system of turning all the working bullocks into the bush to feed
+after their day's work, adds very much to the farmer's cares. These
+bullocks are very cunning, and at daylight, when they well know the
+ploughman will be after them, invariably conceal themselves in some snug
+corner. I have had men out for hours, looking for a team of bullocks in
+this way, and have frequently been vexed to see them return as late as
+noon with only half the number.
+
+Were I again to turn Australian farmer, I would stable my working
+cattle, keep a man to take care of them, grow ten acres of Lucerne hay
+to feed them, save their manure, (an article almost universally thrown
+away in Australia,) get double work out of them, and have the
+satisfaction of seeing my ploughs going at regular hours, in place of
+being worried "from July to eternity," as Sam Slick says, by having to
+search for the cattle in the bush. It often struck me, that the
+Australian grazier loses a chance of making a good deal of money by
+neglecting his dairy produce. Had he a regular establishment in the
+bush where his herds run, to milk the cows and make butter and cheese,
+it would not only, in my opinion, pay well for the trouble, but would
+make his cattle much less wild. His having forty or fifty cows brought
+home every evening to milk, would not only make their calves quiet and
+tractable, but would also compel the stock-keeper to be more active,
+would keep him at his duty, and, I feel satisfied, would save the
+proprietor a great deal in the course of the year. The butter and cheese
+here are both of excellent quality, and might be made in large
+quantities; yet, both are regularly imported into Sydney from the
+Derwent (Van Diemen's Land) and Port Phillip; a state of things the
+settlers of New South Wales ought to be ashamed of.
+
+Many a fine cattle-run is rendered useless in dry seasons, by want of
+water. Nature has provided, all over the country, reservoirs (or tanks)
+for water, which are filled by every heavy rain; and their contents last
+a long time: still, in a very dry season, these fail; and many a thirsty
+bullock loses his life by tumbling, from excessive weakness, into one of
+those pits. Some parts of the country have no tanks, (or water-holes, as
+they are called,) except a few muddy puddles at the foot of the hills,
+and thus become unavailing sooner than other parts. This inconvenience
+might in a great measure be remedied, at trifling cost, by constructing
+dams at properly chosen places in the ravines or gulleys that intersect
+the hills from top to bottom, every two or three hundred yards. In one
+instance, I have seen this plan adopted with success. The owners of
+property between Sydney and Paramatta are compelled to make tanks, the
+water in the river being salt, and that procured by digging wells being
+very little better. Water, Water, is the cry, in dry seasons, all over
+this otherwise highly favoured country; and till the end of time, this
+want will prevent New South Wales from becoming a densely populated
+country.
+
+The horse-fancier may invest a few hundreds very profitably in the
+purchase of some really good brood mares. From these, he will not only
+draw a good return for his money, but will also derive a great deal of
+pleasant pastime in superintending the breaking-in of his colts and
+fillies. Horse-stock, like every other, has fallen much in price lately,
+but will doubtless recover itself when times improve. I am acquainted
+with more than one proprietor who has made no inconsiderable sum of
+money by rearing horses. There is a constant demand for them; and of
+late, a good market has been found in India for those suited for
+cavalry.
+
+Another profitable investment for money is to be found, in Sydney, in
+the way of mortgage. Ten and twelve per cent, is paid regularly, and
+security given of an undoubted character,--security that has not in one
+instance failed the mortgagee, even in the recent desperate times. Large
+sums may be invested in this way; and for the absent capitalist, it is
+the mode of investment I would recommend in preference to any other.
+Bank Shares used to be in great favour with monied men when I was in
+Australia. The holders have, however, had a severe lesson since then,
+having suffered seriously by some failures among those establishments.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CAUSES OF THE RECENT DISTRESSES--CONDUCT OF THE
+ BANKS--MANIA FOR SPECULATION--LONG-ACCOUNT
+ SYSTEM--BAD SEASONS.
+
+
+I will now proceed to offer a few remarks on the causes of the late
+terrible distresses in New South Wales, and on what I consider as the
+best means of preventing the recurrence of such lamentable scenes.
+
+The three main causes of those distresses were, undoubtedly:--
+
+ First, Harsh and illiberal conduct on the part of the Banks.
+
+ Secondly, A wild speculation-mania that took possession of the
+ entire population.
+
+ Thirdly, The system that had obtained, of giving long credit to
+ purchasers of stock, &c.
+
+While I look upon these three as the primary and principal causes of by
+far the greater part of the suffering the Colony has recently undergone,
+I must specify another, though certainly a secondary cause; namely, two
+successive bad seasons. This last cause is, I am aware, by many
+persons, regarded as the chief source of all their distresses and
+losses; but I think I can shew that those parties are wrong in this
+opinion, which springs from their anxiety to frame an excuse for their
+very imprudent speculations.
+
+In the first place, then, I accuse the Banks of harsh and illiberal
+conduct; and I will state my reasons for this charge.
+
+When I arrived in Sydney in 1836, the Banks, without exception, but more
+particularly the Commercial Bank (then under the management of a
+would-be shrewd Aberdonian), were doing every thing in their power to
+induce parties to open accounts with them. Bills for discount were
+eagerly sought after, and little attention was paid to the
+respectability of the names of either drawer or endorser. Cash-advances
+were publicly advertised by the Commercial Bank. Parties, to my certain
+knowledge, were stopped in the street by the Aberdonian just alluded to,
+who solicited their business with a very bland smile. In short, no stone
+was left unturned by these money-seekers to add to their half-yearly
+dividends. This system went on till the latter end of 1839. I need
+scarcely say, that this unbecoming and greedy canvassing for business,
+tempted many an unwary merchant and settler to venture beyond his depth,
+and ultimately led to ruin and a prison. The amount of money represented
+by absolutely valueless paper at this time, is quite beyond
+calculation. Renewals were a matter of course. Cash payments, even in
+part, were the reverse of common. Bank-directors overdrew their accounts
+with perfect impunity to a large amount; and the whole Colony seemed
+intoxicated with the fond notion that the Banks would never fail them,
+and that, in those fountains, they would at all times find a
+never-ending supply of "the needful." In the midst of this mad career,
+the day of reckoning came suddenly upon them. The Banks took the alarm:
+they began to think they had allowed the kite-flying system to go too
+far; and they commenced a system of unparalleled harshness and
+oppression towards their _gulls_. Cash advances were not merely stopped,
+but those previously made were called in. Renewals would no longer be
+accepted, even for half or a quarter of the amount due; and the
+unfortunate "kite-flier" was, in hundreds of cases, ruined by the very
+men who had in the most unprincipled manner led him into the mire, and
+then left him.
+
+The Banks now took up a position the very opposite of that hitherto
+occupied by them; and, instead of trusting everybody, put no faith in
+any one. This conduct ultimately recoiled upon themselves; their shares
+fell in value; some of them became bankrupt, while the others had a hard
+struggle to avoid that catastrophe; and the public lost all confidence
+in banks and bankers. The worst part of the tale remains to be told;
+namely, that many widows and orphans, whose all was invested in bank
+shares, were utterly ruined and reduced to destitution by the failures
+alluded to.
+
+I come now to the second main cause of Australian distress, viz. the
+speculation-mania that took possession of the entire population of this
+fine Colony. No one who did not witness the effects of this mania, can
+imagine to what an extent it was carried. Scarcely a day passed without
+one or more public auctions of stock of all descriptions; and not a sale
+took place, that was not crowded with eager purchasers. Many large
+stock-holders took advantage of the high prices obtained at those sales,
+to sell off, in the delusive hope that they would in this way be enabled
+to retire from active life, and perhaps to return to their native
+country. The terms offered at those public sales, were such as to induce
+many persons who never even dreamed of sheep or cattle farming, to enter
+the market and purchase to a large extent. These terms were, in general,
+something like the following:--
+
+ Ten per cent, on the fall of the hammer;
+
+ Thirty per cent, by bill at twelve months;
+
+ Thirty per cent, by bill at two years;
+
+ Thirty per cent, by bill at three years: these bills bearing
+ interest at ten per cent, per annum.
+
+I have seen tens of thousands of sheep and cattle sold in this way, many
+of the buyers being men who had never even seen one of the animals they
+were bidding for, and who knew literally nothing about the management of
+flocks and herds; being tempted to make the purchase by the long credit
+given. But, strange to say, many old settlers were led, with their eyes
+open, into extensive purchases at most exorbitant rates, thinking that
+nothing could check the career of splendid prosperity upon which the
+Colony was then supposed to have entered. How dearly those parties have
+paid for their folly, the world generally, and their creditors in
+particular, well know. Besides the numerous public sales of stock all
+over the Colony, and the large amount of property that changed hands on
+those occasions, many important private sales took place about the same
+time. There was not a sheep, cow, or horse in the Colony, too old or too
+bad to find a purchaser! Any thing would sell, provided only that _time_
+was given to find the money. Nothing could exceed the madness of the
+people, buying, selling, and exchanging accommodation-paper from end to
+end of the land. Then came the land-jobbers, a set of sharks who did
+great harm. It was a common practice with those jobbers, or rather
+robbers, to apply to the Surveyor-General's department, to have lots of
+land put up for sale, which they were aware that certain landed
+proprietors could never allow to fall into the hands of strangers, and
+then to go to the party whose estate the sale of the land in question
+would injure, and demand a bribe to stop their bidding against him. If
+this quietus was refused, these scamps would attend the sale, and bid
+the land up to some exorbitant price, knowing that their victim must be
+the buyer. Land once advertised by Government must be put up to auction;
+and the jobber's victim was obliged either to purchase, or to run the
+risk of having a stranger sit down as the proprietor of a few hundred
+acres in the midst of his thousands. Another class of scamps used to
+attend land-sales, who would conspire to keep down the prices of lots
+they wanted, by not bidding against each other, and by playing various
+other tricks, to the detriment of the revenue. The Attorney-General got
+hold of half a dozen of those gentry in 1839, and prosecuted them for
+conspiracy. He obtained a verdict of guilty against them, but assented
+to their petition for a new trial. Again they were convicted, and they
+were fined a hundred pounds each; the Court telling them, that the
+penalty would have been much heavier, had not the judge taken into
+consideration their humble petition for mercy, and the heavy expenses
+they had incurred in standing two trials.
+
+This system of selling by auction and by private sale, large herds of
+cattle and flocks of sheep at high prices, went on till some of the
+twelve-month's paper became due. Cash not being then forthcoming,
+renewals were asked for in many instances, which somewhat damped the
+ardour of speculation; but the wild career did not receive any very
+serious check, till the two-years' paper began to come into play. Very
+little cash could be got from the drawers, who were, in many cases,
+obliged to bring a large portion of their stock to the hammer, in order
+to meet their acceptances for thirty per cent, of the purchase money.
+This alarmed people. The price of stock began to fall; and, long before
+the three-years' paper became due, ewes that had cost the buyers 3l. per
+head, could be got for 7s. 6d.
+
+Thus, many a poor fellow, after labouring hard for three years to keep
+his flocks and their increase together, had to part with the whole, and
+still had not enough wherewith to satisfy his original creditors.
+Hundreds of instances of this kind might be specified, did I feel at
+liberty to publish names.
+
+As to the operation of the third main cause of the distress, the system
+that obtained, of giving long credit to purchasers of stock, the evils
+arising from this practice have been partly exposed in the foregoing
+remarks; but I will proceed to point out a few other evil consequences,
+as they occur to me. To begin with one that more than once came under my
+own notice; many persons of property, trusting to the long prices
+obtainable for stock of every description when sold on credit, and
+forgetting that there was absolutely no _cash price_ at the time, deemed
+themselves much richer men than they were in reality. Giving to their
+overseers the charge of their country residences, they took and
+furnished houses in Sydney for their families, set up their carriages,
+and commenced a style of living far beyond their means. This fact (the
+want of cash) came upon them the moment the first half-year's bills for
+rent, household supplies, &c., became due: these proved to the deluded
+settler, that, though he had flocks and herds, he had no money, nor
+could any be got, except at a sacrifice. To a man, they had to sell off
+and return to their estates, where dire necessity has since compelled
+them to remain, and where, I hope, renewed prosperity and common sense
+will induce them to stay.
+
+Another evil caused by the long-credit system, was its inducing many
+persons to purchase stock for the purpose of raising money upon it. This
+practice was carried to a ruinous extent, and caused immense distress in
+this way. A hundred head of cattle might be parted with to day, by a
+needy settler, say, at 3l. per head, six months' credit; the seller took
+the buyer's note of hand for the purchase money, 300l., which was
+immediately taken to the bank, and discounted; and the settler returned
+to his farm, satisfied that he had made a good sale of his beasts. The
+buyer, having no use for the cattle, re-sold them, taking the second
+buyer's note for the money, which, like that of the first, went at once
+to the bank. This transaction was frequently repeated six or eight
+times, before the cattle found a _bona fide_ purchaser; and it was no
+uncommon thing, to find paper in the market to the amount of 1800l. or
+2000l., the only representative for which was the hundred head of cattle
+originally sold by the settler; the whole of the parties concerned
+being, with the exception of the first seller and the last buyer, mere
+men of straw. When the six months expired, not a single bill of the six
+or eight negotiated, was taken up, excepting, perhaps, the last one: all
+the others had to be renewed; and it was the forcing the payment of such
+bills, that ruined so many people, and ultimately shook the credit of
+every bank in Australia.
+
+The credit system also led many mercantile men into speculations which
+they never would have entered into under a wholesome system of trade.
+From these many serious losses resulted, which have led to ruinous
+failures. Any man with a hundred pounds in his pocket, could get credit
+for a thousand; and numbers of adventurers of all descriptions, taking
+advantage of the times, opened stylish shops well-filled with goods
+bought on credit, carried on a flourishing trade till within a few days
+of their bills falling due, and then decamped, leaving their
+unfortunate and silly creditors to get paid from the wreck of the stock
+left in the shop. I knew an auctioneer who played this nefarious trick,
+leaving his creditors _minus_ the enormous sum of 70,000l. He did not,
+however, long retain his ill-gotten wealth: how he got rid of it, I do
+not know; but I found him two years ago in Singapore, where he kept a
+small grog-shop, and lived in great wretchedness; and I have since met
+with him knocking about the streets of Macao, a disgrace to his country
+in a foreign settlement. The credit system ruined two thirds of the
+respectable auctioneers in Sydney, and upset the Australian Auction
+Company, absorbing every shilling of its paid-up capital.
+
+In addition to the evils inflicted on this Colony by these main causes,
+great losses were sustained by settlers through their becoming shippers
+of their own wool. At the time I speak of, wool was worth, in Sydney,
+from 2s. 1d. to 2s. 2d. per pound, and, in England, some 6d. or 8d.
+more. These high rates would not satisfy some settlers, who foolishly
+took an advance upon their clips, letting them go home on their own
+account, and at the risk of the agents of the parties who advanced the
+money in Sydney. In the meantime, wool fell in the English markets to
+1s. and 15d. per pound. The nett proceeds of the shipment did not nearly
+cover the advance made; and the hapless shipper, already in debt to his
+agent for supplies, and without a penny of cash at his command, was
+called upon to make good the difference, which he was unable to do. His
+agent, pressed by others, must press him; his flocks are brought to the
+hammer, and sold at the now ruinous current prices; and he becomes a
+bankrupt. Dozens of cases like this, occurred during the late wretched
+times.
+
+I come now to the consideration of the bad seasons of 1838-39 and
+1839-40. While I maintain that they were far from being the sole, or
+even the chief cause of distress, I allow that they added to it very
+materially. To shew that they were not the sole cause, I may mention,
+that, among my own personal friends in the Colony, not one who avoided
+speculation and putting his name on paper, has failed; while those who
+followed the stream have sunk, every one of them. During those years,
+every thing the unfortunate grazier had to sell, was cheap beyond all
+precedent; while every article he was compelled to purchase, was very
+dear. Tea, owing to the China war, rose from 5l. to 15l. per
+half-_pecul_ chest of hyson skin. Flour of the very coarsest description
+could not be had under from 30l. to 35l. per ton of two thousand pounds
+weight,--a colonial cheat, calling two thousand pounds a ton! Sugar and
+other necessaries were equally high; and many a poor settler who had
+never refused his hard-worked servants their tea, sugar, and tobacco,
+was compelled to stop those indulgences.
+
+To the working-classes in Sydney and other towns, the bad seasons were
+ruinous. Provisions were so dear, that many a father of a family found
+his earnings far from sufficient to provide food for his wife and
+children. Building was almost entirely put a stop to; and thus, hundreds
+of industrious men were thrown out of employment. To so serious an
+extent did this distress reach, that Government was called upon to
+afford pecuniary relief to the starving poor; a circumstance altogether
+unprecedented in Australian history.
+
+So low had these evils sunk the Colony and all its inhabitants, that
+failures of merchants and settlers continued to be of almost daily
+occurrence up to the end of the year 1843. No one durst push his
+neighbour for payment of debt: were such a thing attempted, an immediate
+surrender of his affairs to the official trustee of the Insolvent Court,
+was the consequence. Several of the first and oldest merchants in the
+Colony have sunk under the long-continued pressure; and, at the date of
+the last accounts, more failures were looked for. These, however, were
+expected as the result of old causes, not of new or recent transactions.
+
+Upon the whole, I am disposed to think, that Australia has seen its
+darkest day, and that things are likely soon to improve, if, indeed,
+they have not already mended. The price of stock was looking up; and
+ewes that had actually been sold as low as 9d. each, were worth 7s. 6d.
+Men of capital lately arrived from England with ready money, had
+commenced purchasing land and stock; and their operations had given an
+impetus to affairs in general, that could not fail to be beneficial.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY STILL EXISTING--HINTS TO
+ THE COLONISTS--FUTURE PROSPECTS.
+
+
+Notwithstanding the terrible shock from which Australia has been
+suffering ever since 1839, I still retain a high opinion of the Colony
+as an advantageous field for the employment of the spare capital of the
+mother country. The elements of prosperity still exist, and require only
+a little nursing in order to effect its recovery from the recent
+depression. The emigrant with a capital of three or four thousand
+pounds, must not, indeed, expect to make a fortune in a few years; but
+he may with perfect confidence look to make himself an independent man,
+at a much more rapid rate than he could by means of double that sum in
+England. If he is prudent, nurses his capital, sticks to his business as
+a settler, avoids _tempting_ bargains of things he has no use for, and,
+above all, refrains from obliging his neighbours with the occasional
+loan of his name to a bill, I see not what can by possibility prevent
+his succeeding in such a country, even allowing that every third season
+should prove one of drought. To the industrious farmer with a small
+capital of 500l. or 1000l., New South Wales offers a fine field: he can
+obtain a hundred acres of the finest arable land in the world on a
+clearing-lease, with two years free for the clearing, and three or five
+years more on a moderate rent. A capital even of 500l. will enable him
+to fence his land, build himself a _bush_-house and out-offices, and
+maintain his family for two years; by which time it will be hard indeed,
+if he has not land enough under crop to return him something handsome. I
+have known many settlers of this kind thrive, and many others "go to the
+wall:" the former had a small capital to start with, while the latter
+commenced upon credit for the very bread required for their families; a
+plan I never knew to succeed.
+
+Let but the settler stick to his business; the merchant be content with
+smaller profits than used to satisfy him, and cease giving long credit
+to all and everybody; let the banker be less grasping, and not quite so
+hard a creditor when he finds one of his customers in difficulties or
+reverses; let every one avoid speculations out of his strict line of
+business, and beware of accommodation-paper; and let the lower and
+middle classes avoid the public-house; and there is nothing to fear for
+Australia. It has had a severe lesson administered to it, that ought to
+be a warning to all its inhabitants for the future. I have no hesitation
+in saying, that nine-tenths of the evils from which the Colonists have
+suffered of late, have arisen from their own imprudence, and that these
+may be avoided in future by common caution, in spite of dry seasons and
+occasional failures of crops.
+
+Now that colonization is extending up the coast from Sydney northwards,
+and the inhabited parts of the Colony already approach the tropic of
+Capricorn, New South Wales ought, in a few years, to be a rice and
+sugar-growing country. The soil on the banks of the rivers in the
+neighbourhood of Moreton Bay, is, from all accounts, equal to any thing
+hitherto known in the Colony; and the climate is very highly spoken of.
+Should the winter there prove too long or too severe for sugar-growing,
+(I do not see why it should be so,) parties anxious to try the culture
+of the cane as a means of making money, must in that case just move a
+little further north. There is an extensive field to explore, before
+they reach Torres' Straits.
+
+That New South Wales will become an extensive wine-growing country, I
+conceive there is no room to doubt. Its vineyards are magnificent, in
+every sense of the word. I have visited several of them, and was struck
+with the abundance and variety of their produce. Two proprietors of my
+acquaintance have been for years in the practice of making wine of
+different sorts, but principally of the lighter kinds resembling the
+Rhenish. I can vouch for their being very palatable, particularly during
+the summer months. One of the gentlemen alluded to has also made very
+good port wine and brandy.
+
+The greatest drawback on the commerce of New South Wales, is the
+deficiency of exports, the balance of trade being greatly against the
+Colony. Its wool and oil are what merchants have hitherto principally
+depended upon, though other exports are now coming into play; viz.
+cedar-timber, hides, tallow, and salt provisions. Still, I do not think
+that, even with these additions, the merchants of the Colony can manage
+to make their exports equal in value to their imports; and were it not
+for the very considerable sums drawn for on the Home Government, by the
+military department, for the pay and provisions of the troops, necessity
+would compel the merchants of England to reduce their shipments to
+Australia. The great fall in the price of the principal colonial staple,
+wool, has added very materially to the difficulties arising out of this
+state of affairs, by reducing the value of remittances made in that
+article to one half of what it used to be. The quantity of wool
+increases, it is true, from year to year, but not to such an extent as
+to counterbalance the fall in price; and it must be borne in mind,
+that, as fast as the wool increases, so does the population, and
+consequently the amount of imports in the shape of supplies, which have
+all to be remitted for. Since the opening of the coast of China to the
+commerce of the world, (the result of our late struggle with that
+country,--a struggle so much condemned by those who were ignorant of the
+merits of the case,) the merchants of Sydney seem to have entertained
+the idea, that their trade will benefit by the change. No one would
+rejoice more than myself at their anticipations proving correct; but I
+confess my judgment differs from theirs; and if we may judge by the
+result of their trial shipments, which arrived prior to my leaving
+China, it is to be feared they will find, to their cost, that they have
+reckoned without their host. The Sydney merchants, from what I have
+heard, expect to find in China a market for horses, cattle, and sheep,
+coarse woollens, wine, and salt provisions. The first three have been
+tried, and the experiment has proved an utter failure: the horses were
+sent to Calcutta, not a purchaser being found for one of them in Hong
+Kong. Cattle are out of the question: they cannot be transported five
+thousand miles to undersell the Chinese butcher, who gives fifteen
+pounds of good beef for a dollar--about 3-1/2d. per pound. This price,
+the Sydney speculator cannot compete with, particularly as his beasts
+would certainly land in poor condition after so long a voyage, and
+either put him to the expense of fattening them, or compel him to sell
+at the low price of lean cattle. Sheep have also been tried by several
+ship-masters, and did not answer: the last lot that came, were
+slaughtered and sold in the market, the only way in which they could be
+got rid of, and which would not answer the purpose of a large importer.
+For coarse woollens, a market may certainly be found in China; but
+whether a profitable one, or not, to the Australian manufacturer, is, in
+my opinion, somewhat doubtful. Labour is so much cheaper in Britain than
+it is in Australia, that, I fear, the Sydney manufacturer would have but
+a poor chance, when his goods came into competition with those of
+Manchester, either in the Chinese or in any other market. Whatever kinds
+of goods may be required on the coast of China, will soon be supplied
+from Manchester and Glasgow at the lowest possible figure, the object of
+the manufacturers of those places being, I presume, a large trade with
+moderate profits; so moderate, indeed, as to leave the Sydney
+manufacturer no chance of competing with the means at the command of the
+British manufacturer. Australian wool, like Indian cotton, may be taken
+to England, be manufactured there, and sent out and sold in China, or
+anywhere else, for less money than it would cost the Sydney capitalist
+to produce the manufactured article. As to wine, it will be a long time
+before New South Wales has much to export; and the limited European
+population of China will not consume a sufficient quantity to be of
+importance to the Australian vine-grower. The Chinese cannot be counted
+upon as purchasers: they are not wine-drinkers, generally speaking; and
+the little they do consume, is manufactured to suit their own palates,
+in China.
+
+For salt provisions, there is a considerable demand in China, among the
+European shipping that visit its ports: they must, however, be cheaper
+in Sydney than they were in my time, to answer the purpose of even a
+remittance. The Americans bring to China excellent beef and pork, which
+they sell at ten and twelve dollars (about 42s. to 54s.) per barrel of
+two hundred pounds weight. If these prices will remunerate the Sydney
+shipper, he may try his luck as soon as he likes; but he must not send
+an inferior article: if he does, he will sink his capital. Cedar-timber
+has been tried recently, and has answered very well to a small extent:
+this, however, will last only till the town of Victoria on the island of
+Hong-Kong is completely built.
+
+By every fresh outlet for surplus stock that can be pointed out to the
+Australian grazier, we shall be rendering him a substantial service. Sir
+Robert Peel's new tariff will enable him to dispose of many a spare fat
+bullock. Of this opening he has already taken advantage, by sending
+trial shipments of salt beef to England.
+
+It appears to me, that the imports and exports of Australia ought to be
+much nearer a balance than they are. To bring about this desirable state
+of things, it will be requisite to reduce the amount of the imports,
+which may be effected by giving up the importation of hams, bacon,
+cheese, butter, tobacco, and, in a great measure, grain. To see a
+pastoral country like New South Wales importing butter and cheese, is an
+anomaly, and only proves the waste and carelessness of the owners of
+herds numerous enough to supply all Europe with dairy produce. The
+importation of hams and bacon is another absurdity and evidence of
+wasteful husbandry. I have seen fruit, barn-sweepings, butter-milk,
+bran, &c. &c. wasted about a farm in Australia, in quantities sufficient
+to feed and fatten a hundred pigs, which would have kept the
+establishment in meat for half the year. Indeed, it is a common saying
+in the Colony, that the waste on one of its farms, would make an English
+farmer's fortune. These may seem minor articles, but vast sums of money
+are annually paid for them to London dealers. Besides these, are
+imported, pickles, preserved fruits, sweetmeats, shoes, clothing, and a
+thousand other articles, every one of which might be as well and as
+economically made in the Colony, thereby saving thousands per annum. A
+coat or other article of dress can be made in Sydney as well and as
+cheap as in London; and though the cloth must be obtained from England,
+there is no reason that the London tailor should benefit by the making,
+when the Sydney one is in want of work, and is willing to work as cheap
+as his London brother. Employing colonial workmen would keep vast sums
+of money in the country, that now go out of it.
+
+Tobacco and snuff ought never to be imported, the Colony being quite
+equal to producing more than sufficient for its own consumption. The
+quality of colonial tobacco used to be complained of; but that objection
+no longer exists. Moreover, people who cannot complete their remittances
+for necessaries, have no right to be nice in their choice of luxuries. I
+am confident that I am within the mark, when I say, that 50,000l.
+sterling per annum are paid to Americans and others who import snuff and
+tobacco! This is a sum assuredly worth saving, and which the Colonists
+could easily save, by encouraging the growth and consumption of their
+own produce.
+
+After what I have written upon the subject of Australian agriculture, I
+may be thought to be making a bold assertion in saying, that the
+necessity for the importation of grain might, in a great measure, be
+done away with in Australia. Nevertheless, such is my opinion; and I
+will proceed to give my reasons. In the first place, there is a great
+waste of wheat, as well as of every thing else, on every farm in the
+Colony. There is no gleaning; and what with the bad and careless
+threshing and the ill-thatched and worse-built stacks, which admit the
+rain, whereby thousands of bushels of wheat are destroyed, the waste is
+beyond any one's conception who has not actually witnessed it. In the
+second place, there is not nearly so much wheat grown in Australia as
+there might and ought to be. A simple process of irrigation, such as the
+Chinese or the Javanese, the machinery for which would not cost 5l., and
+would employ only two men when in operation, applied to the wheat-fields
+in dry seasons once a month, would save many a crop. All, or nearly all
+the wheat in the Colony, is grown on the banks of rivers, which, though
+they cease to flow in a season of drought, have always water in the deep
+parts of the channel or "water-holes." It requires no argument to prove,
+that irrigation, in such situations, is a very simple matter. Two
+Javanese, by means of a long lever attached to a tall tree on the bank
+of a river, with a large bucket and string at one end, and a string to
+hoist up by at the other end, will keep a small stream of water running
+over and fertilizing the neighbouring paddy-fields all day long, without
+fatiguing themselves. The Chinese water-wheel is also a simple and cheap
+contrivance, and would throw up water enough, in two hours, to
+irrigate, or even to inundate a tobacco or wheat-field. All that is
+wanted, besides the labour of two men, is a series of wooden troughs to
+convey the water from the river bank to the highest part of the field,
+whence it is easily guided over the other parts. A little attention to
+irrigation might, in my humble opinion, very soon make New South Wales
+independent of imported wheat.
+
+Another means of doing away with the importation of grain and flour, may
+be found in paying more attention to the cultivation of maize. Large
+quantities of it are grown at present, but they might easily be
+doubled.[20] And here, irrigation would answer splendidly, the drills
+forming such convenient water-courses. Large as is the quantity of maize
+grown in Australia, it is not used as food for man;--why, I know not,
+but such is the fact;--and I have known a convict turn up his nose when
+offered corn-meal. Every one knows how extensively this article is used
+in America, and how wholesome a food it is. Were the Australian farmers
+firmly and unanimously to determine upon making their dependents take at
+least half their weekly allowance in maize-meal, in place of wheaten
+flour, the latter would soon become fond of it. There would then be an
+inducement to extend its cultivation; and the large sums of money
+annually remitted to Van Diemen's Land, Valparaiso, and Bengal, for
+wheat, would very shortly be reduced to a small cipher.
+
+ [Footnote 20: I do not mean to say, that irrigating an acre of
+ wheat or maize would double the yield of grain, but that double
+ the number of acres now under the plough would in a few years,
+ after the irrigating system had been fairly tried and found to
+ answer, be brought under cultivation. In the neighbourhood of
+ Bathurst, and in many other parts of the Colony where rain is
+ very uncertain, there are thousands of acres of alluvial land
+ lying waste, which, upon my plan, would yield tens of thousands
+ of bushels of wheat and maize.]
+
+To urge this most desirable object any further upon the Colonists of New
+South Wales, would be to insult their good sense. I will only express a
+wish that they may at once adopt measures to equalize their imports and
+exports, and that the few hints here thrown out to them, may be of use.
+
+The supply of tea and sugar to the Australian Colonies, has, on the
+whole, been a profitable trade to the parties engaged in it; but it has,
+of late, been overdone. The quality of the tea and sugar now sent to
+Sydney, is far superior to what it used to be; and the coarser sorts of
+both are going out of use; a clear proof that the population are
+improving in respectability. Formerly, nothing in the shape of either
+article was too bad to send out to Australia. Things have changed,
+however, and several speculators have been serious losers within the
+last three years, by sending goods that would have suited admirably six
+years ago. When I first went into the Bush, you might visit a dozen of
+the most respectable houses without being able to get any thing better
+than the most common hyson-skin tea and very dark moist sugar. A cup or
+two of the liquid made from these, would poison an old Indian; and I
+never ventured to drink it. A friend of mine, who absolutely dreaded
+being compelled to drink this stuff, used always to carry a paper of
+good black tea in his pocket, whenever he left his own house. He was in
+the right, though often laughed at. Mauritius sugar used to be the
+favourite at the time I speak of; but now, Manilla, Singapore, and
+Batavia are looked to for the supply of a better and cheaper article.
+From Manilla the Colonists import small supplies of coffee, chocolate,
+reed hats, and cheroots. Singapore and Batavia send them, in addition to
+sugar, quantities of rice, spices, Dutch gin, tea brought thither by
+Chinese junks, planks, &c. &c. Singapore sends also a ship or two
+annually to South Australia, Port Philip, and Van Diemen's Land.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+ CLASSES OF SOCIETY IN SYDNEY--DISAPPOINTMENT OF
+ EMIGRANTS--CHARACTERISTICS OF IRISH AND BRITISH
+ EMIGRANTS--AVAILABLENESS OF CHINESE
+ LABOURERS--AUSTRALIAN COAL MONOPOLY--TORRES'
+ STRAITS THE BEST PASSAGE FOR STEAMERS--BOTANY
+ BAY--PASSAGE FROM SYDNEY TO BATAVIA.
+
+
+To obtain admission to good society in Sydney, when my family first
+arrived there, was no easy matter. Not that there was any lack of it in
+the place, but the residents were, very properly, shy of strangers,
+unless provided with testimonials as to their respectability.
+Fortunately for us, a kind friend in Singapore, who had been in New
+South Wales, and knew the value of the favour he was conferring,
+supplied us with a whole packet of introductory letters to the first
+families in the place; while we were further aided in the matter by my
+old friend, Thos. Macquoid, Esq., then Sheriff of the Colony. In a place
+like Sydney, where society is formed of such varied and extraordinary
+materials suspicion of strangers, on the part of the really respectable
+portion of the community, is natural enough; and those who have not been
+sufficiently wary in this respect, have had cause to regret their want
+of caution. The tide of emigration is now bringing numerous highly
+respectable families to Australia, as well as thousands of hard-working,
+honest labourers, while the importation of felons has ceased. This state
+of things will, in time, do away with the necessity for such extreme
+caution and mistrust. It will, however, take a number of years to clear
+the Colony of the half-reformed villain who still hankers after his old
+ways,--of the _emancipist_, whom the law looks upon as a reformed
+character, but whom experience has taught the world to look upon with a
+very different eye,--and of the convicts for life, who still amount to
+thousands. Until the Colony is pretty well weeded of such characters,
+society will not, and cannot, dismiss the suspicion with which it is now
+rendered necessary, by circumstances, to regard the unintroduced
+stranger.
+
+I found no lack of agreeable society, both male and female, in any part
+of New South Wales that I visited. In many instances, the conversation
+certainly turned rather too much upon sheep and cattle; but this ought
+to be excused, where ninety-nine hundredths earn their daily bread by
+means of those animals. In Sydney, we found the dinner and evening
+parties highly agreeable, and composed of elegant, accomplished, and
+intelligent persons of both sexes. What more can be said of any
+community? During the government of Sir Richard Bourke, an attempt was
+made by him to introduce into his own parties some emancipist families;
+and on one occasion, the grand-daughter of a late Sydney hangman
+actually made her appearance at a ball at Government-house. This fact
+being found out by the heads of families present, a representation was
+made to His Excellency through his aide-de-camp, and, after some show of
+opposition on the part of the Governor, a stop was put to it. I do not
+mean to say that, among the class called emancipists, consisting of
+persons who have been convicts, there may not be found men and women who
+have become thoroughly reformed and fit to adorn society. This, however,
+is the exception, not the rule. A large majority of the class in
+question are quite unfit for any company but that of a low pot-house.
+
+Some of the most stylish equipages in Sydney are the property of men who
+came to the Colony with fetters on their legs. In them may be seen, any
+and every day, gayly-dressed women, driving about the town, shopping and
+lounging away their idle mornings. Whether they are the wives,
+daughters, or mistresses of the owners of the carriages, it is difficult
+to tell; but the conclusion that every second one contains a mistress,
+would not be far from the truth. Such is the society the unwary stranger
+sometimes falls into, before he knows what he is about; nor does he
+become fully aware of the evil consequences of his imprudence, till he
+finds out with whom he has been associating, and that all access to the
+really respectable society of the place is closed against him. It is
+quite as requisite for a stranger arriving in Sydney to be on his guard
+as to his associates, as it is for residents to be careful whom they may
+admit into their families.
+
+There are many wealthy families in and near Sydney, whose heads came as
+convicts to the Colony. The days when such men could make rapid
+fortunes, are gone by; and the convict who looks for any thing of the
+kind now-a-days, will find himself wofully mistaken. There are too many
+respectable tradesmen in Sydney for ex-felons to have much chance; and
+the time when a shopkeeper would not condescend to take a piece of cloth
+off his shelf to satisfy a customer, but would point to a lot with his
+stick, and ask, "Which will you have?" has also gone by. Every attention
+is now shewn to customers by Sydney shopkeepers, some of whom are not a
+whit behind their London brethren in the art of recommending their
+wares.
+
+New South Wales had been for many years a British Colony, before any
+Israelites found their way thither as _free_ men; and I have heard,
+that it was the return of a Jewish convict with well-lined pockets, that
+first attracted their attention to his place of exile. Be this as it
+may, there are more Jews than enough in Sydney now; they are to be found
+in every quarter of the town; and certainly, they keep up their ancient
+character for perseverance in search of their idol, money. I do not
+think, however, that I ever came across a Jewish settler: why they seem
+to avoid that occupation, I know not.
+
+It is common, in Australia, to hear persons talk of the Colony as their
+adopted country, and so forth. No faith ought to be put in these
+declarations; nor do I believe there is a family in the Colony, who do
+not entertain some hope of once more seeing their native land. During
+the time that high prices were obtainable for stock, hundreds of
+settlers who were wont to talk of their adopted country, used every
+exertion to realize their property in order to return to England. Many
+succeeded, and actually left the Colony, rejoicing in the idea of once
+more planting their foot on British ground. The exceptions to this
+general rule, are to be found in the emancipist class; in the persons of
+notorious scamps who could not shew their face in respectable society in
+England, and who have sense enough to know that they are better off in
+the southern, than, by any chance, they could be in the northern
+hemisphere.
+
+From extensive experience, I am convinced, that a very large majority of
+emigrants are lamentably disappointed on reaching the shores of
+Australia. Not that I think they have cause for half the complaints they
+make; but they have received, before leaving home, such flattering
+representations of the good fortune that is in store for them, that
+their expectations are raised to a pitch far beyond the probable, and
+disappointment is the natural consequence. The tales told them prior to
+their embarkation, render them difficult to please on their arrival;
+they demand exorbitant wages, and more rations than they could possibly
+consume without waste; and the consequence of this is, that many of them
+remain weeks and months in Sydney, out of employment, living upon the
+little money brought from home, although, in the meantime, eligible
+offers may have been made them. This stay in Sydney not only empties the
+emigrant's pocket, but breeds idle habits, leading him to the
+public-house, where his last penny is soon extracted from him. Then
+comes want, with all the horrors of a starving wife and family; grown-up
+daughters are driven to prostitution; and the emigrant himself is
+ultimately compelled to accept any offer made him in his degraded state.
+This is no overdrawn or rare picture, as any one acquainted with the
+subject can testify. Emigrants that come to the Colony in what are
+called Government ships, and who are brought out at the public expense,
+are provided for on their arrival, till employment offers for them; but,
+the moment they are known to have refused a fair offer, Government aid
+ceases. Even that circumstance, however, has little or no effect upon
+the more stubborn of them, who abate or yield in their demands only when
+compelled by necessity. Many emigrants, from their fondness for a town
+life, refuse good offers of employment in the country. Great evils arise
+from this: one is, that it frequently happens, that Sydney is overrun
+with idle labourers in search of employment, while the settlers in the
+country are all crying out for help. To such a height had this evil
+risen, and to such distress were numbers of infatuated men reduced by
+remaining idle in town, that Government was recently applied to for its
+interference, and actually paid the expense of sending hundreds of men
+into the country, where they got immediate employment, which they might
+have had many months before, had they been reasonable in their demands.
+
+It is remarked all over the Colony, that the emigrants generally are
+very difficult to satisfy in the matter of rations; and that the man who
+had been the worst fed at home, was the most difficult to please abroad.
+An Irishman is generally found the chief grumbler here; a Scotchman
+ranks second; while an English peasant, who has all his life fared
+better than either, is found, in Australia, to be most easily satisfied.
+I do not attempt to explain or account for this; I have, however, not
+only frequently observed it, but have heard my neighbours make the same
+remark. I hired an Irish labourer and his wife, to whom I gave the
+following pay and rations:--22l. a year to the man; 12l. a year to his
+wife; weekly between the two, 14 lbs. of beef, 20 lbs. of flour, 3 lbs.
+of sugar, 6 oz. of tea, and 4 oz. of tobacco. With this allowance, for
+half of which thousands of families in England would be thankful, the
+couple were not satisfied, and actually complained that they had not
+enough to eat. It was summer time when they came to my farm; and they
+were warned, that the blow-flies would destroy their meat, if it was not
+covered up: they were too lazy, however, to take the slightest care of
+it; and, as I saw their second week's allowance lying on a table the day
+after it was served out, covered with a mass of blow-flies, I took them
+severely to task for their wanton waste and neglect. But it was of no
+avail. And this couple had lived upon potatoes and butter-milk all their
+lives! It is but just to add, that, on mentioning to a major in an Irish
+regiment, whom I subsequently met in China, the difficulty usually found
+in satisfying his countrymen in New South Wales, he expressed his
+astonishment, and remarked that the reverse was generally found to be
+the case with Irishmen in the army.
+
+Several ships with emigrants from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland,
+arrived at Sydney during the years 1838 and 1839. These people were, in
+general, unwilling to accept of employment in any shape, but preferred
+taking clearing-leases of small patches of land on their own account.
+This plan, many of them succeeded in carrying into execution, much to
+the disappointment and annoyance of the community at whose expense they
+had been brought to the Colony; and it was reasonably complained, that
+these men, in place of supplying the labour-market, as was intended,
+actually created an increased demand for labour, by requiring aid in
+their own operations before the first twelvemonth had passed over them.
+Be this as it may, they are a hard-working, industrious set of men; and
+whether their plans raise or depress wages, they have added materially
+to the quantity of grain grown in the colony.
+
+Now that we have a footing in China, I would draw the attention of the
+inhabitants of New South Wales to Hong Kong for an unlimited supply of
+cheap labour. There, by means of an agent on the spot, they may procure
+thousands of able-bodied labourers, who will go to Australia for five
+dollars (22s. 6d.) per month, with their food. This rate of pay is much
+lower than what is paid to European labourers; and the ration of rice
+for the China-man might be procured from Java, Bally, or Lombak, and
+laid down in Sydney at (or under) three halfpence per pound; which is as
+cheap as No. 3 flour in the most abundant seasons, and much cheaper than
+that article usually is. For field-work, the China-man is fully equal to
+the European labourer. I speak advisedly, having tried them together,
+side by side, for months at a time. In a recent Singapore paper I find
+it stated, that the Home Authorities have authorised an agent to treat
+for the transmission of Chinese labourers from the Straits' settlements
+to the West Indies; and, from my knowledge of those places, I have no
+doubt that thousands of men will be induced to avail themselves of this
+new market for their labour. Had New South Wales the same permission
+from Government, she might be equally, and probably more successful,
+because China-men always prefer emigrating to a country having frequent
+communication with their own. This advantage, New South Wales possesses
+over the West Indies, for as many as twenty or thirty vessels annually
+leave Sydney for China. There would be no difficulty in getting the
+Chinese labourer bound for five years, his pay to begin from the day he
+landed in Sydney, and his passage down to be paid by his employer. This
+last charge would add 30s. per annum to his wages; but even then, he
+would be the cheapest labourer within reach of the Australian farmer.
+Many gentlemen have turned their attention to Bengal for a supply of
+labour. The men procurable from that country, are not equal in physical
+strength to the China-men, nor are they to be had for lower pay. I had
+six Bengal Coolies in my employ in the Bush, and have no hesitation in
+saying, that three China-men would have done their work. The proper
+immigrant to obtain from Bengal, if the Colonists choose to apply to
+that part of the world, is the Pariah, the man of no caste, who will eat
+any thing, apply himself to any kind of work, even to the killing,
+curing, or eating a pig, and give far less trouble than any of the
+high-caste men. The best season for despatching ships with emigrants
+from China to New South Wales, is from November till February, both
+inclusive.
+
+A source of vast wealth will open to Australia on the expiration of the
+Agricultural Company's coal-monopoly. That body, on its establishment in
+the Colony, obtained the privilege of working coal for thirty years, to
+the exclusion of all others. The injustice of granting such a privilege
+to a Company who do not work more than one coal-mine, when there are
+literally thousands on the eastern coast of this Continent, is too
+obvious to require comment. Many landed proprietors who have rich veins
+of coal on their estates, are, under the present regulation, actually
+compelled to purchase the Agricultural Company's coal for the use of
+their own kitchens. It may well be imagined, that the money is paid with
+a very bad grace. Up to the time I left Sydney, the only coal-pit in
+operation was one at Newcastle, at the mouth of the river Hunter. From
+this source, an abundant supply of very fair quality was obtained, for
+which, if I mistake not, 12s. per ton was demanded at the pit's mouth.
+The Company's coal waggons descend the hill from the pit, by an inclined
+plane, on iron rails, the descending waggon dragging up the empty one.
+At the foot of this inclined plane, a wharf or jetty runs a little way
+into the sea, so that vessels of four or five hundred tons burthen can
+haul alongside, and have their cargoes shot by waggon-loads down their
+hatches. All this is as it should be; and when forty or fifty such pits
+are in full work, Australia may expect to reap some benefit from her
+mineral riches. The importance of a never-failing supply of coal in
+these days of steam travelling, is too evident to require a single word
+of remark.
+
+Talking of steam puts me in mind of the anxiety felt in Australia to
+secure the advantage of the Indian Overland Mail, and of a plan for
+effecting their object which I have frequently thought of. On the
+arrival of the mail at Port Essington, from Singapore, why should it not
+be sent to Sydney in a steamer by sea, _via_ Captain King's _inner
+passage_ through Torres' Straits, instead of adopting the far more
+expensive and _uncertain_ overland route formerly mentioned? This may
+seem a bold, and, to most people, an extraordinary suggestion; the plan
+is, however, in my opinion, practicable at all seasons of the year,
+though more particularly so during the fine or south-east monsoon. I
+have sailed through Torres' Straits, and would not hesitate a moment to
+undertake to carry a powerful steamer from Port Essington to Sydney,
+through the admirably surveyed channel just mentioned. During the
+south-east monsoon, from April till September, the wind would be against
+her; but she would have the benefit of moderate and clear weather, and
+find no difficulty in seeing and evading every danger. In the north-west
+monsoon, the steamer would have a fair wind, but hazy weather, with
+frequent squalls to contend against. The thick weather would undoubtedly
+be a disadvantage, as it would render objects less easily
+distinguishable; but then, the strong north-west winds and squalls would
+knock up a heavy sea, which would make the water break on every reef,
+thereby rendering them easily both seen and _heard_ in the thickest
+weather. On the coast of Sumatra, I have heard the breakers seven miles
+off. Allowing that they can be heard half that distance, this would give
+a steamer plenty of time and space to keep clear of them. Running in
+the night would, of course, be out of the question in any season. It
+appears to me, that there is as much real danger in beating through the
+Palaware passage in November and December, which dozens of vessels do
+every year, as there possibly could be to a steamer in passing to and
+fro between Port Essington and Sydney, at any season of the year, by
+King's inner passage. The weather in the Palaware, during the months I
+have mentioned, is as thick and stormy as can well be imagined; and the
+reefs, shoals, and other perils of navigation are numerous enough. The
+best route for passengers proceeding to Australia from Suez, would be
+_via_ Ceylon, whence a steamer would run down south-south-east to the
+fortieth parallel of south latitude in thirteen days, under steam: then
+she would get the prevailing strong westerly winds, which would take her
+under canvas to Hobart Town in ten or twelve days: let her stop two days
+there to take in coal and land passengers, and, in three days more, she
+would be in Sydney. By this route, the passenger for Sydney would find
+himself at his journey's end in sixty-three or sixty-five days from
+Southampton, while the mail _via_ Marseilles would be of four days
+shorter date. I have my doubts, indeed, whether New South Wales is in a
+position to bear the expense of such a plan: it certainly could not be a
+profitable venture for years to come; and whether the Colonists would
+be willing to be so much per annum out of pocket, in the meantime,
+remains to be seen.
+
+In describing Port Jackson, I omitted to notice the neighbouring
+harbour, called Botany Bay, originally discovered by Captain Cook, and
+subsequently abandoned for its rival. It is a noble and beautiful bay,
+entered through a gap in the cliff facing the Pacific. This being much
+wider than that leading into Port Jackson, and the heads not overlapping
+each other in the least, Botany Bay is exposed to the fury of the
+easterly gales, which renders it, during their prevalence, an unsafe
+harbour. From its great width, I was induced to suppose that this evil
+might be obviated by ships seeking shelter behind the heads; but, on
+inquiry, I learned, that the depth of water does not admit of this: the
+water is shallow all round the bay, which compels vessels to anchor a
+considerable distance from the shore, and leaves them exposed to the
+eastward. In short, as a harbour, it will not bear comparison with Port
+Jackson. The name of Botany Bay was given to it from the very great
+variety and beauty of the native flowers found on its shores. I am not
+botanist enough to describe these flowers, but I noticed them with
+surprise and admiration. I saw nothing else, however, to attract any one
+to the neighbourhood: the soil is wretchedly poor, principally covered
+with scrub, and, with the exception of a few spots in the hollows,
+utterly valueless to the farmer. A few half-starved cows only, belonging
+to Sydney families, and called the town herd, may be seen picking up the
+poor and scanty herbage. In this neighbourhood, the Sydney hounds meet,
+and occasionally amuse their proprietors, by chasing a miserable "native
+dog" to death. The only buildings of any interest on the shores of this
+bay, are, the monument built by the French Government to the memory of
+the unfortunate La Perouse, and a solitary mill on the banks of a little
+stream that runs into it from the westward. How this mill is employed in
+such a lonely place, where no cultivation is to be seen, I cannot
+imagine, but should not wonder if a few pounds' weight of tobacco and
+gallons of spirits found their way into the Colony hereabout, without
+benefiting the revenue.
+
+In April 1839, I left the shores of Australia, with my family, bound for
+Batavia and Singapore _via_ Torres' Straits. We had a fine run up the
+coast, and made the celebrated Barrier Reef on the morning of the
+fourteenth day after leaving Sydney. We were fortunate in finding a
+magnificent entrance into the Straits, in latitude 12 deg. 18' South, and
+were fairly inside the barrier by nine A. M. This entrance, which is at
+least three miles wide, it is worth any ship's while to seek for: it may
+be known by two small rocks on the south side, as you enter, resembling
+hay-cocks in shape and size: we saw them three miles off, and they were
+the only objects visible above water, on the portion of the Barrier
+within our view. From our entrance, we had a fine run, and found nothing
+to stop us for a minute (during daylight), till clear of Booby Island at
+the western end of the Straits, which we passed at 10 A. M. on the
+seventeenth day from Sydney.
+
+These celebrated Straits pick up and destroy some half a dozen ships
+annually, and are so much dreaded by underwriters, that they refuse to
+insure loaded vessels through them. From my own observation, and what I
+have heard from others who have passed through Torres' Straits on
+various occasions, it appears to me, that a great proportion of this
+loss of property arises from carelessness on the part of ship-masters.
+The current in the Pacific Ocean runs very strong to the north-west in
+the neighbourhood of the Barrier; and this current is often forgotten or
+not sufficiently allowed for by ship-masters the night before they
+expect to make the reef. At sun-down, the night before we made it, we
+were eighty miles from it; we went under easy sail all night, and, from
+the distance _logged_ during the night, expected to make the reef at
+noon, having made all sail at daylight; instead of which, we came
+_suddenly_ on it at 8 A. M., thus having been thrown four hours out of
+our reckoning since sun-set the night before. Many ships, by not
+heaving-to at all, or not doing so in time, the night previous to making
+the reef, drift too far to the northward during the night, miss the
+passage they were endeavouring to make, and are compelled to run along
+the reef in search of another; for there is no getting back to the
+southward against wind and current. This neglect throws many a vessel up
+to the Murray Islands' passages, which are notoriously the most
+dangerous, and are now generally avoided by shipping. Then there is hazy
+weather occasionally in those parts, even in the finest months: during
+its continuance, no vessel ought to approach the Barrier, though many
+are imprudent enough to do so, and too frequently pay the penalty. In
+the Barrier, there are many gaps, called "horse-shoes," which, in thick
+weather, look like real entrances, the breakers at the bottom of them
+not being visible from the ship. I have known many vessels lost by
+taking a horse-shoe for a real entrance in hazy weather. Other vessels
+get wrecked from paying too little attention to the dangers that beset
+them, after getting safe through the Barrier. There are small patches of
+reef here and there, in the middle of the many channels that run between
+the main reefs: these pick up many vessels that might be saved, were a
+careful look-out kept on board. I could give instances of losses
+happening in each of these ways; but the careless have suffered so
+severely from their neglect, that I would not hurt them by naming the
+ships.
+
+We had a fine run to Batavia, where we arrived in thirty-one days from
+Sydney. A sail from Australia to any part of the Malayan Archipelago,
+during the south-east monsoon, is, perhaps, the pleasantest voyage a
+traveller could undertake: he has smooth water and a fair wind all the
+way, with a constant succession of magnificent scenery among the
+numerous islands of perpetual summer with which those seas are studded.
+
+I have heard many seamen talk lightly of the dangers of Torres' Straits
+and the Barrier Reef, and have known more than one of those
+over-confident gentry subsequently wrecked there. For my own part, I
+have a great awe of those dangers, and can vouch for some ship's crews
+having the same feeling. On our approach to the Barrier, our crew, which
+consisted of as rattle-pated a set as sailors usually are, were doubly
+active, obeyed every order with alacrity, and so quietly, that the fall
+of a pin might have been heard at any part of the ship. Some ships avoid
+entering the Barrier towards sun-set: this precaution is unnecessary, if
+they are sure that the entrance they are approaching is a true one.
+Although, outside the Barrier, there are no soundings at a hundred
+fathoms, a ship is not twice her own length _inside_ it, before she is
+in good anchorage with eighteen to twenty-five fathoms water. There, she
+may drop her anchor, and ride in perfect safety till daylight enables
+her to pursue her course. Were she to keep outside all night, the
+current would drift her to the northward, and compel her to seek a fresh
+entrance next day. The Barrier Reef extends from the coast of New
+Holland to that of Papua or New Guinea, with numerous gaps or entrances
+in it, which appear to be kept open by the current that, for six months
+in the year, runs through them from the Pacific to the Indian Seas, and
+in the contrary direction during the other six. Notwithstanding this
+current, however, I think it extremely probable, that the industrious
+coral insect, whose labours never cease within the Tropics, will, sooner
+or later, fill up the entire space, close Torres' Straits, and join
+those two mighty islands, between which the Barrier Reef, or, more
+properly, Reefs, now stand like a line of gigantic stepping-stones. The
+gaps in the Reef, in and about the ninth and tenth parallels of south
+latitude, are much narrower than those further south, some of them being
+not twenty yards wide; which looks as if, agreeably to my theory, the
+minute architect had commenced operations on the coast of Papua, and was
+gradually working his way southward. What a magnificent line for a
+rail-road this Reef will then make, with the boundless Pacific on one
+side, and the reefs and islands of the Straits on the other! What a
+splendid thoroughfare would this highway form to New Guinea, New
+Britain, New Ireland, and the countless islands in their immediate
+vicinity! But I shall be thought to be looking _rather too far_ into
+futurity.
+
+On our passage from Booby Island to the Java Sea, we passed through the
+Straits of Alas, which run between the Islands of Lombak and Sambawa.
+The scenery in these straits is very fine. On the left, you have Lombak
+Hill, 7000 feet high, sloping gradually from the peak to the sea, and
+covered with thick forest. On the right, is the coast of Sambawa,
+exhibiting the most extraordinary collection of sugar-loaf hills I ever
+saw: they look as if they had been dropped there at random in a shower.
+The whole collection would hardly be seen on the top of Lombak hill.
+Half this island was laid completely waste in 1816, by an eruption of
+one of its volcanic mountains: thousands of the inhabitants, with their
+cattle and poneys, were killed; and the effects are visible on the spot
+to this day. Sambawa is celebrated for its race of poneys, which are
+certainly very fine, spirited little animals. Hundreds of them are
+brought by the native boats every year to Batavia and Singapore, at both
+which places they meet with a ready market.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+CHINA.
+
+ DESCRIPTION OF MACAO--ITS MONGREL POPULATION--
+ FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES--PIRACIES--COMPRADORE
+ SYSTEM--PAPUAN SLAVE-TRADE--MARKET OF MACAO--
+ NUISANCES--SIR HENRY POTTINGER's REGULATION
+ DEFENDED--ILLIBERAL POLICY OF THE PORTUGUESE,
+ AND ITS RESULT--BOAT-GIRLS--BEGGARS--PICTURESQUE
+ SCENERY.
+
+
+I have referred, in a former chapter, to the occasion of my first visit
+to the Celestial Empire. My last visit took place shortly after Sir
+Henry Pottinger had brought the Chinese to terms, off the city of
+Nankin, and before the treaty had been ratified by the Sovereigns of
+both countries. My stay there was protracted till the ratification took
+place, the supplementary treaty published, and Her Majesty's Consuls
+stationed at each of the five ports, with the exception of Foo Chow. I
+had thus an opportunity of witnessing the first start of the free trade;
+of which I shall have a few words to say hereafter. I shall now begin
+with Macao. This once celebrated Portuguese settlement is built on two
+small hills of a peninsula about thirty-five miles below the Bocca
+Tigris, or mouth of the Canton river: it is irregularly built, the
+streets being very narrow and crooked, and, until very recently, badly
+paved with rough granite stones of all shapes, the corners generally
+pointing upwards, as if to teach the inhabitants to walk with caution.
+It possesses a healthy climate, though the summer is very hot, the
+thermometer ranging in the shade from 85 deg. to 90 deg.. Many of the houses
+occupied by the wealthier portion of the inhabitants, are large, airy,
+and convenient residences. Since the war with China broke out, Macao,
+which had greatly declined from its ancient importance, has thriven, and
+many of its citizens have become wealthy in consequence of the British
+trade to China being thrown by circumstances into its harbour. The local
+Government have taken advantage of the times, to improve the town, to
+re-pave the streets, to build a new and handsome Custom-house, and to
+make other improvements at John Bull's expense. The Portuguese
+inhabitants of Macao amount to about five thousand, not two hundred of
+whom are of pure European blood. The general population are, with few
+exceptions, of a mongrel breed; a mixture of Chinese, Portuguese, and
+Negroes, which it is difficult to describe. Nine-tenths of them are very
+poor, but all of them are very proud, and fond of show and dress.
+
+It is quite amusing to see the pompous strut of the men on a Sunday, as
+they walk to mass in their ill-made silk coats, with gold-headed sticks
+in hand. Both men and women are the worst-favoured race I ever saw:
+their flat, unmeaning countenances, small, lacklustre eyes, strong,
+upright, black hair, resembling hogs' bristles more than aught else, and
+yellow skins, form a _tout ensemble_ any thing but pleasing. The men
+adopt the European fashions. The ladies wear the mantilla; and the women
+of the poorer classes wear a petticoat and small jacket, generally of
+British chintz, with a mantilla of coarser material. The very poorest of
+them may be seen, on Sunday morning, going to mass in silk stockings.
+The wealthier Portuguese reside in large and comfortable houses, but the
+lower orders inhabit wretched hovels, and suffer very severely from
+sickness, particularly the small-pox; a scourge that carried off, during
+the winter and spring of 1842-3, one thousand people,--just a fifth of
+the whole Portuguese population. Their habits are idle and dirty. I am
+not aware, indeed, of ever having seen a more filthy town than Macao. No
+one seems to think that the streets were made for any other purpose than
+to serve as reservoirs for all the filth of the houses that line them.
+Heaps of abominable rubbish are seen here and there, which would be
+still more numerous, were it not for the occasional heavy rains, which
+wash down the steep streets, and carry off the accumulated masses to the
+sea. A few days before Christmas 1842, the town underwent a general
+sweeping; an event that did not take place again till that time
+twelvemonth. The other inhabitants of Macao are, Chinese, Negroes, and a
+few English and Americans. The Chinese here are nearly all of the lower
+orders, and, for the most part, are not over-scrupulous how they get
+their living: in proof of which I may mention, that four highway
+robberies, accompanied with violent assault, took place in the immediate
+neighbourhood, in open day, during the stay of six weeks which I made
+there in the autumn of 1842. The shopkeepers and boatmen are all
+Chinese; and among them may be found some as thorough-bred scoundrels as
+ever disgraced humanity. During the year 1843, the following crimes were
+perpetrated by Chinese in and about Macao: they were clearly brought
+home to them, and, in all probability, do not form a tenth of what might
+with justice be laid to their charge:--
+
+ 1. Mr. Sharpe's _lorcha_ (trading-boat), on her voyage from
+ Macao to Canton, was piratically attacked within ten miles of
+ the former place, and plundered of her cargo of opium; Mr.
+ Sharpe was murdered, and five of his crew; the rest, being
+ Chinese, were taken off by the pirates, (they subsequently
+ proved to be their associates,) and the _lorcha_ was burned.
+
+ 2. A _lorcha_ bound from Hong Kong to Macao, manned by Macao
+ Chinese, and loaded with spice and other valuable property, was
+ carried off by her crew, (who murdered an English doctor on
+ board,) the cargo plundered, and the vessel burned.
+
+ 3. Another _lorcha_, bound from Macao to Hong Kong, with a
+ general cargo and two passengers, was carried off in the same
+ way, plundered, and then burned: the unfortunate passengers
+ (two respectable young men; one an Irishman, named Clark, the
+ other from Shetland, a Mr. Clunis) were in like manner
+ murdered.
+
+ 4. A boat was sent off from Macao with a box of treasure
+ containing some 12,000 dollars, under the charge of a Parsee
+ clerk of the firm to whom the money belonged. They left the
+ shore at two P. M., and the ship they were bound to was at
+ anchor only five miles off. The non-appearance of the treasure
+ which was expected on board, caused the captain to go on shore
+ to make inquiries about five in the afternoon: his questions
+ alarmed the Parsee merchant, who had sent off the money and his
+ clerk at two. Strict inquiry was instituted, and the result
+ was, the certainty that the poor man had been murdered and
+ thrown overboard by the boat's crew, who made off with the
+ money.
+
+ 5. A boat was sent from a ship in the harbour called the
+ _Typa_, to one in the outer roads, to transship fourteen
+ chests of opium: the crew consisted of four Chinese and one
+ Lascar, with the second mate in charge. The opium was taken in,
+ and the boat started on her return to the _Typa_ about two P. M.
+ When about half way between the two harbours, the four Chinese
+ suddenly dropped their oars, seized the mate and Lascar,
+ stunned them with the boat's tiller, and threw them overboard:
+ their bodies were picked up next day, and gave the first
+ intimation of their fate. Two of the pirates were subsequently
+ caught and executed; but the property, worth 10,000 dollars,
+ was irretrievably lost.
+
+ 6. A British merchant in Macao sent an order off to his ship in
+ the _Typa_, to bring on shore, in the course of the day, a box
+ containing 6000 dollars: the money was put into a boat
+ belonging to the vessel at ten in the forenoon, and started for
+ the inner harbour, about an hour's pull. She was attacked by a
+ fast-pulling Chinese boat, when about half way between the ship
+ and the shore, and robbed of the dollars; but no violence was
+ offered to the crew, who were China-men. When this money was
+ being packed and put into the boat, some Chinese sailors on
+ board the ship were observed making signs as if to some one at
+ a distance: no notice was taken of this circumstance at the
+ time, though it was remarked upon when too late.
+
+I could enumerate other cases of a similar nature; but these six are
+sufficient for my present purpose.
+
+The Chinese servants in the employ of Europeans at Macao, Canton, and
+Hong Kong, are, without exception, the most consummate set of scamps it
+has ever been my fortune to encounter. Their whole study from morning to
+night and from night to morning, is, how to cheat their masters. There
+is not an article put upon the table, that is not charged at four times
+its value. If you keep a cow, or even a dozen cows, not one drop of milk
+can you obtain, more than barely enough for daily use; and should any
+attempts be made to punish either the cowkeeper or the head servant for
+their villany, ten to one that your cows are poisoned before another
+week passes over your head. This state of things might be, in a great
+measure, put a stop to, were masters to pay more attention to their
+domestic affairs; but most of the European merchants of China, being men
+of wealth, and engaged in mercantile transactions of great importance,
+deem such matters beneath their notice; and thus, the system goes on to
+the serious loss and inconvenience of less wealthy men. I knew one
+instance in which a housekeeper by perseverance reduced his market-bill
+from 150 dollars per month to 45 dollars; but the consequence was, that
+his servants to a man left him: he could obtain no good ones in their
+place, and was ultimately obliged to give in. As a set-off against this
+crying evil, I may mention the practice which prevails, of the
+_compradore_ (or head servant) becoming security for those under him,
+and finding security on his own part to a certain amount, varying
+according to circumstances; so that, if any of the under-servants steal
+the plate or any other property of their master's, the _compradore_, as
+a matter of course, makes good its value. The Negroes here, as in most
+other parts of the world where they are met with, are slaves, poorly
+fed, hard worked, and occasionally very severely flogged. Every house in
+Macao occupied by a man of any substance, has its slaves; and the
+Government is a large slave-holder. All the porters at the Custom-house
+and other public offices are slaves. These unfortunate creatures are
+brought from Papua by Portuguese vessels, which pay an annual visit to
+the settlements of their countrymen on the Island of Timor. How they are
+obtained from Papua, I am not aware; but that some hundreds of them are
+carried to Macao every season, and sold there, is a fact beyond
+contradiction. This abominable traffic received a check last season
+(1843) from the Java Government. It appears that a Portuguese barque
+called the _Margaretta_, the owner of which was a wealthy inhabitant of
+Macao, sailed from Timor for Macao in the month of September, with some
+fifty slaves on board, _all children under ten years of age_. Some
+accident compelled her to call at Batavia for repairs, where her master
+reported the children as having been sent by the authorities at Timor to
+Macao, to be brought up in the Roman-Catholic faith. The suspicions of
+the Dutch Authorities were, however, awakened, and the proceedings of
+the Portuguese ship-master were narrowly watched. A few days only had
+elapsed, when he was detected in endeavouring to sell two of the
+unfortunate infants to a Chinese for 500 guilders (42l.) each. This led
+to the examination of his bills of lading and other papers, when it was
+found, that the children had been regularly shipped and _manifested_ as
+slaves. The result was, the confiscation of ship and cargo, and the
+liberation of the young captives, who, I presume, (though I am not sure
+on the point,) were, as usual, apprenticed out as domestic servants to
+families in want of them. I gave the admiral on the China station full
+particulars of this event; and hope that he will cause a sharp look-out
+to be kept on the Portuguese vessels returning from Timor next autumn.
+
+The market of Macao is well supplied with game, butchers' meat, pork,
+poultry, fruit, and vegetables: all these might be had on very
+reasonable terms, if the Chinese seller were allowed his own way; but,
+before he reaches the market from his home, he is taxed and re-taxed by
+every petty rogue of a Mandarin whose station he may happen to pass on
+his way. On reaching the market, he is taxed again, and is compelled to
+sell to the general dealer, who squeezes him to the last _cash_, and
+re-sells at an exorbitant profit to the Englishman's _compradore_, who
+charges his master, on a moderate calculation, four times what he gave;
+so that, by the time the Englishman's dinner is on his table, it costs
+him no trifle. Game is plentiful only in winter, which sets in in
+November. Wild ducks, teal, pheasants, partridges, snipe, with an
+occasional deer, are to be had, all fat and in prime order, at this
+season. The Chinese bullock is a compact little animal, and, when
+fattened, yields remarkably good beef.
+
+Macao, like all Portuguese towns, is well stocked with priests; and were
+we to judge from the number of them who are seen parading the streets,
+as, also, from that of women constantly bending their steps church-ward,
+the inhabitants must be a very devout race. From seven in the morning
+till dusk, the streets are rarely free from church-going ladies; many of
+them followed by Negro slaves carrying their kneeling-rugs and
+prayer-books. One of the greatest nuisances in Macao is the perpetual
+ringing or tolling of church-bells, day and night: as soon as one stops,
+another begins; and the sleep-killing ding-dong is kept up at a rate
+that, in the warm nights of summer, is enough to drive a stranger
+frantic.
+
+Every house has a watchman, who goes his rounds from eight in the
+evening till daylight next morning, and, every half hour, beats a hollow
+bamboo with a heavy stick, making noise enough to disturb the soundest
+sleeper. This keeping a watchman is neither more nor less than paying
+black-mail. Any housekeeper who should seek to evade the imposition by
+doing without a guardian of the night, would infallibly be plundered in
+a week or two, the thieves being, most probably, conducted to his
+premises by some neighbour's watchman.
+
+The streets of Macao being narrow, rough, crooked, and, in general, very
+steep, wheel-carriages of any description are entirely unknown. Their
+place is supplied by sedan-chairs of Chinese make, carried by Chinese
+porters: these may be hired for a dollar per day, and are very
+convenient, either in wet or in extremely hot weather. The bearers, like
+those of their profession in England, are apt to impose upon strangers,
+who must be on their guard till they become acquainted with the ways of
+the place.
+
+Macao is infested with loathsome beggars, who scruple not to expose
+their ulcerated legs, arms, &c. for the purpose of exciting the
+charitable feelings of the passer-by. They make a point of stopping at
+the door of any shop in which they see a European, whose ears they
+immediately assail with the most discordant noise, by beating a hollow
+bamboo with a stick; a mode of annoyance which the law of China allows,
+and which is carried on in Macao; but, in the neighbouring British
+settlement, an entire stop has been put to it. This, they well know,
+will soon cause the shopkeeper to give them a _cash_[21] or two, or his
+customer to leave the premises. In China, no native can turn a beggar
+from his door, till he has given him something in the shape of charity:
+the merest trifle, however, is sufficient to authorize the forcible
+expulsion of the applicant. I have seen as little as a tea-spoonful of
+rice given on such occasions, when the sulky and grumbling mendicant
+took his reluctant departure towards the next door, where he would,
+perhaps, meet similar treatment with a repetition of "curses not loud,
+but deep."
+
+ [Footnote 21: One thousand of these make a dollar, so that the
+ value of one is less than a quarter of a farthing.]
+
+The Portuguese of Macao made a great ado on Sir Henry Pottinger's
+declaring their settlement, in as far as British subjects were
+concerned, part of the dominions of the Emperor of China: this, at first
+sight, appeared strange to many people besides the Macao citizens, but,
+when the subject received due consideration, Sir Henry was found to be
+quite correct in the view he had taken of it. Macao is _not_ a
+Portuguese settlement, in the proper sense of that word, but only a
+territory leased to that Power on certain terms, for which an annual
+tribute or rent is paid to this day. The Chinese laws are in force
+here; their Mandarins levy duties, and tax every article sold in its
+markets; its porters, boatmen, _compradores_, &c. require Chinese
+licenses, but not Portuguese: in short, the Chinese are lords of the
+manor, and the Portuguese are mere tenants, with leave to build forts,
+and to levy certain duties on the commerce of the place. Looking at the
+matter in this light, every unprejudiced person must admit, that Sir
+Henry Pottinger, in exercising the power vested in him by Her Majesty's
+Government, and in framing regulations for the wholesome restraint of
+Her Majesty's subjects visiting China, (some of whom, it may be
+remarked, are troublesome and very unruly characters,) was perfectly
+right in including the peninsula of Macao in the dominions of His
+Celestial Majesty. The Portuguese were very indignant; at least, they
+pretended to be so; but it never would have done, to allow British
+subjects, fleeing from their creditors or from justice, to have an
+asylum where they could safely evade the laws of their own country, at a
+foreign station scarcely forty miles from the new British settlement of
+Hong Kong.[22]
+
+ [Footnote 22: The present Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John
+ Davis, has gone even further than Sir Henry Pottinger, and has
+ given notice to the Authorities at Macao, that British subjects
+ are no longer amenable to their laws. This is as it should be,
+ and as it ought to have been a hundred years ago.]
+
+The trade of Macao was of very little importance, and its revenues never
+paid its expenses, till the late Chinese war broke out. Circumstances
+then drove the British merchants from Canton, and nearly the whole of
+them took up their abode in Macao, where they continued till the
+Portuguese Government was called upon by the Chinese to refuse them
+further protection. They were then compelled to seek shelter on board
+the shipping of their country, where many of them remained for nearly
+twelvemonths, till the course of events allowed of their returning to
+Macao. Their presence soon attracted hundreds of wealthy and respectable
+Chinese dealers, and quadrupled the trade of the place, as well as its
+revenue; which enabled the Portuguese Governor to make a handsome
+remittance to Lisbon, in place of drawing upon that city for some 40,000
+dollars annually, as he had hitherto been in the constant practice of
+doing, to rebuild many of the public edifices, and to improve the town
+generally, while it added much to the wealth and comfort of almost every
+woman and child in the place. This was a piece of good fortune the
+Portuguese of Macao most certainly did not deserve, their system, as
+regards foreign commerce, being as illiberal as can well be imagined.
+During the time they were reaping this rich harvest from British trade,
+British subjects were not permitted to land or ship a single package of
+goods nor to have their names entered in the Custom-house books. On the
+arrival of a ship with goods suited to the Macao market, the English
+consignee was obliged to employ a Portuguese citizen to enter and pass
+them through the Custom-house, before a package could be landed. The
+duties, also, were exorbitant; and, strange as it may appear, they even
+taxed money, which could not be imported without paying one per cent.
+duty. I have elsewhere seen an _export_ duty put on treasure; but the
+Macao Government is the only one I ever knew to impose any restrictions
+on the importation of a commodity which most Governments, as well as
+individuals, are generally anxious to receive, in unlimited quantity,
+without taxing those who bring it to them. No English vessel was allowed
+to enter their inner harbour: this privilege was reserved for Spaniards
+and Portuguese. On one occasion, a small British schooner of war was
+proceeding into this haven, her commander never imagining that the
+restriction put on the merchant vessels of his country could possibly
+extend to Her Britannic Majesty's pennant: he was mistaken, however, and
+the first battery he came near, threatened to fire into him. The threat
+was of course disregarded, and the little schooner, in defiance of
+Portuguese batteries, quietly pursued her way.
+
+How this state of things could be so long put up with by the British
+Government, it is hard to understand. When one considers that Portugal
+owes its very existence as a nation to England; that Macao, on more than
+one occasion, was saved from the fury of a Chinese army and rabble,
+during the late war, by British ships and men; that nine-tenths of the
+money that passes through its coffers, is English money; that Portuguese
+citizens visiting the different ports of British India, are free to come
+and go, land and ship their goods in their own names, hold houses and
+other fixed property, and act in all respects as British subjects, and
+as seemeth most for their own interest; when, I say, these facts are
+considered, one is utterly at a loss to conceive why Great Britain
+should suffer her subjects to be cramped in their mercantile pursuits by
+so very insignificant a power as Portugal. Now that it is too late, the
+Authorities of Macao have discovered their error, and mended their
+manners, by opening the inner harbour to British shipping, by allowing
+British merchants to land and ship goods in their own names, and by
+lowering the duties on several articles of British manufacture. These
+changes, which would have been accepted as boons two years before, were
+adopted only when the Portuguese found nearly every British merchant
+building warehouses and private dwellings in Hong Kong. Had they been
+made prior to the commencement of those buildings, I have good reasons
+for supposing, that many of them never would have been begun, their
+proprietors having a great dislike to the new British settlement on
+account of its reputed unhealthiness,--a reputation, I am sorry to say,
+it has too well sustained. Dozens of houses in Macao are already vacant;
+dozens more will be so before another six months shall elapse; hundreds
+of families who have depended on their house-rent and on money earned in
+other ways from British subjects for their daily bread, will be reduced
+to want; many of them will and must emigrate to Hong Kong; and Macao,
+with its streets of new houses, built in anticipation of the continued
+residence of foreign merchants, will sink into utter insignificance, and
+become as a place that has been, but is no more. Its Governor will again
+have to draw, for the means of paying the expenses of the place, on his
+Royal Mistress at Lisbon, who will then reap the well-merited reward of
+an illiberal and short-sighted policy.
+
+If a passenger, on his arrival at Macao, lands in the inner harbour, he
+has to pass his baggage through the Portuguese Custom-house, where it
+will be not only thoroughly examined, but also, very probably,
+plundered. A trunk of my own, which _I saw_ carried into this building
+along with several others, never came out again: its contents were
+valuable, and were much missed by my family. What became of them, I
+know not; but certain I am, that the Custom-house authorities of Macao
+made away with them. If the passenger chooses to land at the outer
+harbour, he encounters the _Chinese_ Custom-house, where he is charged
+so much for each package, in the shape of duty, and is allowed to pass
+on without bare-faced robbery. Some sixteen years ago, this Chinese
+Custom-house was in the practice of levying a dollar per package on a
+passenger's luggage, a similar sum on his wife, and on every female
+child, while the boys passed free. This does not tell to the credit of
+Chinese gallantry. Things are altered now, however; and ladies with
+their daughters are permitted to land without let or hinderance.
+
+When a foreign vessel anchors in Macao Roads, (a very exposed anchorage
+by the way,) she is speedily visited by three or four _compradores'_
+boats, which come out in search of employment, and with offers to supply
+the ship with fresh provisions, &c., during her stay. The _compradore_
+is a very useful fellow, but, in nine cases out of ten, a great rogue,
+who scruples not to swell out his bill against the ship by various means
+the reverse of fair. They all speak broken English. In moderate weather,
+they go twenty or thirty miles out to sea in quest of inward-bound
+vessels. The first time I went to China, we were boarded by a
+_compradore's_ boat previously to making the land. A fresh breeze was
+blowing at the time, before which the ship was going eight knots an
+hour: this, however, did not prevent the Chinese boatmen from dashing
+alongside in very smart style, hooking on by the fore-chains with their
+own rope, and disdaining the aid of a line thrown from the vessel to
+hang on by. Mr. _Compradore_ appeared on the poop, "_chin-chinning_,"
+while we strangers were looking with admiration at the activity of his
+men in the boat. The captain engaged him to attend the ship, on which he
+immediately started for Macao, and was alongside again by daylight next
+morning, with a most welcome supply of fresh beef, vegetables, &c. In
+the _compradore's_ boat, passengers can generally get a passage on
+shore, or, rather, to within a few hundred yards of the beach. The
+boatmen are afraid to approach nearer, on account of the Mandarins, who
+are apt to _squeeze_ them, if they are seen landing foreigners. The
+remaining distance is usually got over in small _tancea_, or
+ferry-boats, numbers of which ply about Macao in all directions,
+invariably guided by women, called, from their mode of life,
+"_Tancea-girls_." Poor things! They work hard for their daily bread,
+being constantly exposed to the sun in summer, and to cold in winter.
+They live in their boats, which, at night, are snugly covered up with a
+roof made of a bamboo frame, the interstices filled up with thick
+matting, and, in the whole course of their lives, never pass a night on
+shore. They are said to be of a peculiar race, and never intermarry
+with the real Chinese, who look down upon them with contempt.
+
+The scenery round Macao is striking, and some of the views are
+particularly so: that from the hill immediately behind the town, is
+perhaps the best. From this spot you have a bird's-eye view of the whole
+town, the beach, with its hundreds of large and small Chinese boats, on
+your left; further on, in the same direction, Macao Roads with the
+foreign shipping; while, beyond these, the islands of Lingting, Lantow,
+and numerous others of smaller size, are seen in the distance: to the
+right, you catch an occasional glimpse of the numerous rivers and arms
+of the sea, with numbers of picturesque Chinese boats gliding about,
+literally among the hills and dales; and, here and there, a Chinese
+village is seen, with its little patch of cultivation, its herds of
+buffaloes and pigs, and countless groupes of little Celestials. Casting
+your eye along this view from north to south, you come to the harbour
+called "_Typa_" in which there are generally some thirty or forty
+vessels at anchor, and which, though an arm of the sea, looks here like
+an inland lake. This view, on a clear day, would delight the painter,
+though it has one great deficiency, namely, the entire absence of trees.
+The hills in the neighbourhood, far and near, are completely bare. Such
+is Macao, a miserable, dirty, crowded town, rendered important for a
+while by its locality, but now fast sinking back into its native
+insignificance, owing to the gross stupidity of the Portuguese
+Authorities, more than to any other cause. Proceed we now to the new
+British settlement of Hong Kong.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CHINA.
+
+ ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION OF HONG KONG--THE OPIUM
+ TRADE--IMPORTANCE OF THE STATION IN THE EVENT OF
+ A FRESH WAR--CHUSAN--HOW TO RAISE A REVENUE--
+ CAUSES OF ALLEGED INSALUBRITY--RAPID PROGRESS
+ OF THE SETTLEMENT--PORTUGUESE PENURY--
+ MARKETS--SANATORY HINTS.
+
+
+Having spent twelve months in Hong Kong, I will now endeavour to give an
+impartial sketch of its situation as to trade, its importance in the
+event of another Chinese war, and of its climate, general appearance,
+and commercial progress.
+
+Situated as this island is at the mouth of the Canton river, and in the
+immediate neighbourhood of an immense trade, one can hardly question the
+prudence of the choice that fixed upon it for a British settlement. It
+has not yet (July 1844) been two years in our possession; and already
+its magnificent harbour is crowded with the ships of England, America,
+and other nations, while its warehouses on shore are filled with the
+manufactures of those countries, brought here direct from the places
+where they are produced, to be distributed to the different Chinese
+ports recently opened to the commerce of the world by the arms of Great
+Britain. Hundreds, nay, thousands of Chinese boatmen, fishermen,
+porters, bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, tailors,
+bakers, shopkeepers, &c., are already earning their bread here. Since
+the ratification of Sir Henry Pottinger's Treaty, and the confirmation
+of the cession of the Island as part and parcel of the dominions of
+Queen Victoria, many wealthy Chinese merchants have been making
+arrangements for the establishment of branch-houses here; and more than
+one of them had, previously to my departure last March, chartered
+British ships, and despatched them to the northern ports, loaded with
+British goods. As a _depot_ for goods intended for the Chinese market, I
+conceive the situation of Hong Kong to be unrivalled, and, in this
+single point of view, of great importance. On the arrival of a ship from
+London, Liverpool, or Glasgow, with a general cargo of British goods,
+the consignees unload them, and send the ship home again with tea or
+such other produce as they may have ready for her, storing and holding
+the goods in readiness for any opening that may present itself: such
+portion of them as may be suited for markets in the immediate vicinity,
+are either sold on the spot, or sent to Canton, while the rest is
+shipped off in fast-sailing vessels, kept for the purpose of making sure
+of their voyage against the monsoon, to Amoy, Chusan, and other ports to
+the northward.
+
+Great complaints used to be made at Canton and Macao, because goods
+could not be landed, unless they were sold, or the consignees chose to
+advance the duty, and let the articles lie till an opportunity of
+disposing of them occurred: in other words, the want of a bonding system
+was universally felt and complained of. The establishment of Hong Kong
+completely obviates this inconvenience, and enables the ship from Great
+Britain or elsewhere to dispose of her cargo in a few days after her
+arrival, and proceed home again, thus saving time, expense, and trouble
+to an incalculable extent.
+
+A decisive proof of the eligibility of Hong Kong as a place of trade,
+and of its importance in the eyes of the Chinese themselves, is afforded
+by the immense sums paid by some of them for ground on which to build
+_Hongs_, where they can deposit their goods with safety, beyond the
+reach of their grasping Mandarins. This advantage to a China-man is
+something so new, and so far beyond any thing he ever dreamed of
+enjoying, that I conceive the benefits likely to accrue from it to Hong
+Kong to be incalculable.
+
+Goods stored in Canton or Macao, the property of a China-man, were
+never safe in the event of their owner getting into trouble with the
+Chinese Authorities; and, if the property of foreigners, they could not
+be insured against fire, the risk arising from the universal
+carelessness of the Chinese, and the consequent very frequent occurrence
+of extensive conflagrations, being considered too great by the
+under-writers. Both these difficulties are completely obviated in Hong
+Kong; and every substantially built house and warehouse, together with
+the property in them, were insured against fire, previously to my
+quitting the Island. One China-man had, in March last, completed
+buildings for the storage of property collected from the different ports
+on the coast, on which upwards of 40,000 dollars had been laid out; and
+what is more, they were already well filled.
+
+As a convenient and safe _depot_ for opium, (a trade, in my opinion,
+quite as legitimate and honourable as that in brandy, gin, and other
+spirits,) Hong Kong is admirably situated: the purchaser from the
+western ports, as well as from the northeastern, finds the distance he
+has to travel moderate, and, on his arrival, has no one to dread, no
+Mandarin daring to shew his face on shore. The ships that bring the drug
+from India, here find a safe and commodious harbour, where they can
+unload their cargoes in open day, without hinderance or molestation, and
+where they are not driven to the necessity of carrying on their
+operations in the dark. Were the opium-trade actually one of mere
+smuggling, I would be as ready as any one to condemn it, and to raise my
+voice against those concerned in it; but when one considers that not a
+hundredth part of the quantity sold annually is really smuggled,--that
+ninety-nine chests out of every hundred pay a heavy duty, (mis-called a
+bribe,)--that the Chinese Government derives from it indirectly, but not
+the less certainly, a very considerable revenue,--and finally, that
+large quantities of it are known to be consumed within the walls of the
+imperial palace at Pekin,--I confess I see no reason for the clamorous
+indignation with which this traffic has of late been assailed by
+European moralists. I have said, that the Chinese Government derives a
+considerable revenue from the opium trade; and I will prove it. A
+Mandarin who pays for his situation, and is left to make the most of it
+by squeezing the inhabitants of his district, will give a great deal
+more for an appointment where an extensive opium-trade is carried on,
+than he would for any other. Knowing the handsome sums paid by the
+dealers in the drug, to "make Mandarin shut eye," he hesitates not for a
+moment about paying his Imperial Master in proportion for the situation
+which puts him in the way of reaping so rich a harvest. What is more;
+his said Imperial Master knows perfectly well what makes the situations
+in certain districts so much coveted, and enables the parties to pay so
+high for them. Away, then, with all the mawkish cant about corrupting
+the morals and ruining the health of the Chinese by selling them poison!
+The Chinese are just as capable of taking care of themselves as their
+would-be guardians are; and as for their morals, many of them lead lives
+that might be copied with advantage to themselves and families, by
+thousands of gin-drinking Englishmen. China is decidedly an
+over-populated country. Opium-smoking checks the increase, and thereby
+does good; a view of the question not altogether unworthy of attention.
+Checking the increase of population in this way is, at all events,
+better than adopting the plan of drowning female infants; not an
+uncommon one in China.
+
+The importance of Hong Kong in the event of another Chinese war, (an
+event, in the opinion of many, not very improbable,) cannot, I conceive,
+for a moment be doubted. Should our merchants again be expelled from the
+ports of China, they will here find a safe asylum for their persons and
+property, while their ships may ride in the harbour under the protection
+of two or three of Her Majesty's ships in perfect security, in defiance
+of all the marine of China. Here also Her Majesty's Government may have
+_depots_ of military stores, provisions, coals, &c., all stored in
+perfect safety, in place of being kept, as they were during the late
+war, in transports hired at an enormous expense for the purpose. Now
+that passages along the coast of China are made, even by sailing
+vessels, at all seasons of the year, in defiance of monsoons, a steamer
+sent from the seat of war (wherever it might be) to Hong Kong, would be
+sufficient, at any time, to procure ample supplies of money, ammunition,
+and other stores for the army, from India, if need be, in a few weeks.
+Every one at all acquainted with the inconvenience and expense suffered
+by the late Expedition for want of proper and regular supplies, will
+appreciate the value of the Island in this point of view. What was it
+that carried off so many of the Cameronians and Royal Irish stationed in
+Chusan during the first expedition to the North? Not the climate of that
+beautiful island, certainly; for the troops that have since occupied it,
+have been remarkably healthy; and I saw four hundred of them land at
+Hong Kong, _en route_ to England, much against their will, looking as
+rosy and stout as if they had just come from home! What occasioned the
+mortality among the troops, was, the want of a _depot_ from which they
+could obtain supplies to replace the putrid, ill-cured Calcutta beef and
+other unwholesome stores that were served out to convalescents, who died
+by hundreds for want of nourishing food to restore their exhausted
+frames.
+
+The diseases from which those unfortunate soldiers suffered, were
+originally contracted from improper food and bad accommodation; and all
+this took place on a Chinese island overrun with cattle, pigs, and
+poultry, and with the town of Ting Hae, deserted by nine-tenths of its
+inhabitants, under their feet. The Commander-in-Chief's over-scrupulous
+conscience would neither allow the cattle to be purchased, nor the empty
+houses in the town to be occupied by the sick and dying. No better
+stores were to be had nearer than Calcutta,--a six months' trip to and
+fro! So bad were the beef and pork, that I afterwards saw hundreds of
+casks of both sold by public auction at Singapore, for three quarters of
+a dollar (3s. 4-1/2d.) per cask. The meat was used for manure, and the
+barrels were used for firewood. The possession of Hong Kong will prevent
+the possible recurrence of any thing of this kind.
+
+I am not prepared to say that Chusan would not have been a better
+situation for a military _depot_ than Hong Kong. Her Majesty's
+Government, however, thought proper to prohibit the permanent occupation
+of the former, while that of the latter was sanctioned, so that we have
+now no choice. For mercantile purposes, the absolute and permanent
+possession of both these islands would have been highly advantageous.
+Chusan, I have never had the good fortune to visit, but have invariably
+heard it spoken of as a delightful place, in a high state of
+cultivation, possessing an extensive commerce, with fine harbours, and,
+lastly, with a numerous population already made acquainted with the
+difference between living under a free and enlightened Government and
+under that of a despot. These people (if one can credit even half of
+what one hears from them) are, one and all, anxious that Great Britain
+should retain their island, and seem to dread the day, now fast
+approaching, when, according to the Treaty, it must be evacuated by the
+British, consigning them again to the tender mercies of the Celestial
+Mandarins. Several English merchants have erected warehouses on Chusan,
+in the hope that it will ultimately be retained by Great Britain, or
+that the Chinese Authorities will not object to their remaining on the
+Island subsequently to its restoration to their Imperial Master. I hope
+that their expectations may not prove fallacious.
+
+Hong Kong is a free port, and, in my opinion, ought never to be
+otherwise than free. Let its harbour be a refuge for the shipping of all
+nations, and its stores will then be filled with their goods. I would
+not encumber the commerce of this Island with one single dollar of
+charges: no port-charges ought for a moment to be thought of; and, as
+for import and export duties, the most moderate charges of this kind
+would ruin the place. What brought Singapore forward so rapidly, was,
+the entire freedom of its trade. If Hong Kong is but treated in the same
+way, its progress will be, if possible, still more rapid than that of
+its sister settlement.
+
+A revenue more than sufficient to remunerate Government for the annual
+expenses of Hong Kong, may be raised on the spot, without hampering its
+commerce, by taxing the retail opium-trade, the retail spirit-trade,
+carriages and horses, licensed gambling-houses, rents from public
+markets, ground-rent on building and other lots, and an assessment on
+rents, say of five per cent. The revenue derived from such sources in
+Singapore, is cheerfully paid, and it more than pays the expenses of the
+place. That all the houses in which opium is smoked, spirits are drunk,
+and gambling is carried on, should be under a strict surveillance, is
+absolutely necessary. To check either the one or the other, is
+impossible; and, as they are legitimate objects for taxation, I see no
+reason why Government should not derive benefit from them. The
+opium-smoker and the rum-drinker pay as much for the indulgence of their
+appetites, under existing circumstances, as they would do, were the
+privilege of supplying them farmed out to individuals, who would be
+responsible to the Authorities for the good conduct of their
+establishments.
+
+I should advocate the suppression of gambling-houses _in toto_, did I
+not know the utter impossibility of effecting this among either a
+Chinese or a Malay population. As their existence, then, must be
+tolerated, and as they are, to my certain knowledge, the scene of
+robbery and murder, much more frequently than persons unacquainted with
+the criminal calendars in our Asiatic courts of justice suppose, I say,
+let them be registered, taxed, and made subject to the visits of the
+police at any hour of the night or day. By the means I have pointed out,
+a revenue amply sufficient for the purposes of the Hong Kong Government
+might be raised; and I should have no hesitation in undertaking to
+defray every fraction of its expenditure, had I the privilege of farming
+the opium-tax and the spirit-tax.
+
+Of the climate of Hong Kong, I have little that is favourable to report.
+Hitherto, it has been decidedly inimical to the European constitution;
+and hundreds of our countrymen are already buried there. Last summer
+(1843), from the first of August till the end of October, a very
+malignant fever raged among all ranks, and carried off soldiers,
+sailors, Government servants, mercantile men, and tradesmen. There were
+some peculiarities attendant upon this fever, however, which I shall
+mention, in the hope that my observations may lead future residents to
+be a little more careful of their health, than most of the present
+inhabitants have shewn themselves to be. In the first place, then, the
+fever, with few exceptions, was limited to particular localities.
+Secondly, not one European female died of it, and only two suffered from
+it severely. Thirdly, those who occupied spacious _upper-roomed_,
+well-aired houses, almost to a man escaped. Fourthly, those who exposed
+themselves to the sun, suffered most. And, lastly, the new comer from
+Europe was more subject to take this terrible fever, which the medical
+men characterize as a mixture of the yellow fever of the West and the
+bilious fever of the East Indies.
+
+A stranger landing in Hong Kong, particularly if coming from many parts
+of India, and acquainted generally with tropical countries and climates,
+would naturally, on hearing of its insalubrious climate, express
+surprise, since he could see no exciting cause. I have stated, that the
+fever attached itself to particular localities. These were, the eastern
+and western extremes of the town of Victoria. At the eastern end, to the
+eye the most delightful spot in or near the town, there are several
+patches of paddy-fields, situated in deep valleys between the hills, of
+limited extent, but which, under this climate, seem to generate malaria
+in quantities quite disproportionate to their size. In the morning,
+these valleys may be seen, from the middle of the town, completely
+filled with a dense fog, which rolls down from the neighbouring heights
+immediately after sun-set, settles upon them all night, and does not
+clear off till nine or ten o'clock in the morning. I know of no other
+reason why this neighbourhood should be unhealthy: that it proved so
+last summer, the number of its victims sufficiently testify. Of six
+gentlemen who took up their quarters here, five died; and the other had
+a very severe attack of fever, from which he ultimately recovered.[23]
+
+ [Footnote 23: Since these remarks were penned, another summer
+ has passed over Hong Kong. Sickness and death have again
+ prevailed there to an unusual extent, and the neighbourhood
+ just mentioned had its victims; amongst others, two English
+ ladies whose husbands I had cautioned, in March 1844,
+ respecting the spot they were taking their families to reside
+ upon. The last mail from the East continues the outcry against
+ the climate.]
+
+The land at the western extremity of the town is swampy, the grass, even
+on the declivities, being of a rank, spongy nature, and quite unfit for
+any thing. Here the Government built barracks, in which a detachment of
+Her Majesty's 55th regiment was for some time quartered: its ranks were
+decimated by fever, which latterly became so virulent, that the
+Authorities chartered shipping in the harbour, to receive the men still
+alive. Unfortunately, the poor fellows, being weakened from the effects
+of the summer, and having in all probability the seeds of disease in
+them before they embarked, died afloat in great numbers. It has been
+thought, that many lives might have been saved at West Point Barracks,
+had that building been raised off the ground so as to admit a free
+circulation of air _under_ the rooms. This, however, is but
+problematical, as the deaths at the other end of the town took place in
+two-storied houses.
+
+From what I observed at West Point, there appears to be a constant drain
+of water down the hills, about six inches under the surface of the soil.
+This water settles under improperly ventilated houses, rots the beams,
+and _throws up a crop of mildew in every room_, as I can testify from
+actual observation.
+
+That no European female has fallen a victim to this fever, is certainly
+a remarkable feature in its history; but it must be borne in mind, that
+there were no ladies residing in the immediate neighbourhood of the two
+localities just mentioned. Perhaps, the Morrison Education Hill may be
+an exception, where two families passed last summer. None of the females
+suffered a day's illness, though a young man living in the house, who
+was occasionally exposed to the sun, caught the fever and died.
+
+I have no doubt, (and I have heard others express a similar opinion,)
+that regular habits and non-exposure to the sun, are the principal
+causes to which those Europeans who have escaped illness when their
+friends and neighbours have sickened round them, owe their preservation.
+The occupants of spacious, two-storied, well-aired houses escaped, with
+only a single exception, in the case of a young man who probably
+brought on his illness by imprudent exposure to the sun for hours
+together, although he was repeatedly warned of the consequences. I know
+several instances of families passing last summer in houses of this
+description without any interruption of health. My own household was
+composed of two ladies, three children, myself, and a European female
+attendant: not one of us had an hour's illness during all the hot
+weather; yet we took no further care of ourselves than is customary with
+people who have resided for several years within the tropics.
+
+That exposure to the sun in that zone is uniformly prejudicial to the
+health of Europeans, does not admit of a question; but, in China, the
+sun's rays seem to exert a more injurious effect than in most other
+places I have visited. The residents in Hong Kong, it is true, were
+somewhat careless in the matter. Few, if any of them were provided with
+carriages or other conveyance to protect them from it when business
+called them abroad during the day; and it was quite common to see them
+moving about, on foot and on horseback, with no other precaution than an
+umbrella carried over the head, in spite of the daily examples of
+parties suffering from such imprudence.
+
+The number of European inhabitants in Hong Kong will this summer (1844)
+be trebled by the removal of most of the merchants from Macao; and the
+general health of the place will be anxiously watched. Should it prove
+as bad as last summer, (which God forbid,) it will drive many people
+away, and injure the settlement irreparably. The prejudicial effects of
+going into the sun might be avoided, almost entirely, even by men of
+business, were they to adopt the Calcutta system of note-writing. There,
+a merchant seldom or never moves from his office; and when he does, it
+is in a covered vehicle. Let the Hong Kong residents follow their
+example, and their numbers will not be thinned as they have hitherto
+been.
+
+That the European fresh from home, full-blooded, and in robust health,
+should be more liable to fever than his acclimated countrymen, is not to
+be wondered at; but many of the new comers might escape disease by
+common prudence. Confident in their strength of constitution, and
+wearied with a long confinement on ship-board, they sally forth, day by
+day, to take a walk, just as they would in England, heedless of the
+fierce luminary that is pouring his rays on their exposed heads, and
+bent only on amusement or variety. A week of such folly (to call it by
+no stronger name) has sufficed to bring many a youth to a premature
+grave.
+
+The weather begins to grow warm in China (I speak of Hong Kong, Macao,
+and Canton) about the middle of April; in June, it is oppressively hot;
+and during the following three months, which are the most unhealthy, the
+thermometer in the shade ranges from 85 deg. to 90 deg.. This is a degree of
+heat that ought not to be much felt by experienced Indians; and in Java,
+or in the Straits of Malacca, I should not complain of it; but there is
+a peculiarity, an oppressiveness, in the heat of China, that makes even
+respiration difficult, and excites such copious perspiration as to
+weaken the frame. In October, the weather becomes cooler, and, for the
+next five months, is sufficiently cold to render fires a comfort morning
+and evening; and occasionally during the whole day. Were it not for
+their winter, I know not what would become of the European residents in
+China: this season braces them up for the coming summer, and, in short,
+saves their lives.
+
+The progress made in Hong Kong since its occupation as a British Colony,
+is astonishing, and perhaps unsurpassed in the history of civilization.
+Owing to the peculiar features of the locality in which Victoria stands,
+that town has been extended along the beach, till it is now upward of
+four miles long, with three short streets extending a little way up the
+hills about its centre. The Queen's road extends along the beach the
+whole of this length, and has been cut with great labour and expense.
+The lots between this road and low-water mark are considered as the best
+for mercantile purposes, and are nearly all in the possession of
+mercantile men, who have built, in most cases, handsome warehouses with
+dwelling-houses above. There are, however, some exceptions, a portion of
+the ground being occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, who inhabit low
+ill-built houses, which, as ground with water-frontage becomes more
+valuable, will have to give way to better buildings, raised by a higher
+class, who will buy out the present occupants. The lots on the south
+side of Queen's Road are not so valuable as those opposite;
+nevertheless, they are nearly all in the possession of monied men, who
+will before long find it to their advantage to level the many wretched
+buildings that now disfigure the road, and to erect houses worthy of a
+town bearing the royal name.
+
+On my departure from the Island, building was going forward in all
+directions, notwithstanding the somewhat illiberal terms on which alone
+lots were obtainable; and I have no doubt that, by this time, many
+smiling cottages adorn the hills in and near the town, while more
+stately buildings rear their prouder elevation on the level below.
+
+House-rent, as might be expected, is very high, and will probably
+continue so for ten years to come. It took that time to reduce the rents
+in Singapore; and as I expect that Hong Kong will become a place of
+still greater trade, and attract a larger European population than the
+Straits' settlement, I see no reason that the owner of property in
+houses there should not look for a handsome return for his outlay for
+ten years, and for a fair remunerating price at the expiration of that
+time. Something like a hundred per cent. per annum has been got for the
+small houses occupied by Chinese shopkeepers, while twenty-five, thirty,
+and even forty per cent. is a common return for substantially-built
+warehouses.
+
+Some idea of the rapid progress which this settlement has made, may be
+formed by the reader, when I state, that one firm had laid out upwards
+of 40,000l. sterling in building, and was still laying out more, when I
+quitted it. This is, certainly, by far the largest expenditure that has
+been made by any single establishment: but many others have spent from
+6000l. to 10,000l. in a similar way; and the outlay by individuals on
+speculation, is by no means inconsiderable.
+
+The Chinese population of Victoria and the neighbourhood amounted, last
+January, to ten thousand souls; certainly not the choicest collection
+that could be wished, as the number of robberies that take place in and
+about the town sufficiently testify. This evil the magistrates were,
+however, doing their best to remedy; and some scores of idle vagabonds
+had been sent across the Channel dividing the Island from the main land
+of China. Some of the chiefs of the robber-gangs had been apprehended
+and set to work on the roads, in irons; a proceeding that alarmed their
+confederates not a little.[24]
+
+ [Footnote 24: An account of the capture of two of these scamps
+ was given to me by the chief magistrate, the day before I left
+ Victoria, and was to the following effect:--A China-man in the
+ pay of the police, though never seen by any magistrate, came to
+ the police compradore's house one evening, and said: "If you
+ will send two European constables to a certain spot (which he
+ named) at nine o'clock to night, I will shew them where they
+ will find two robber-chiefs smoking opium and looking over
+ their gains." This hint was immediately communicated to the
+ chief magistrate, who at once resolved to act upon it, and sent
+ the constables to the spot indicated. There, the spy met them,
+ masked, and made signs for them to be silent and follow him. He
+ guided them down past West Point upwards of a mile, when he
+ turned up the hill by a footpath, which, in half an hour,
+ brought the party to a small hut, through the crevices in the
+ wall of which a light was visible. To the door of this hut, the
+ guide significantly pointed, and instantly disappeared without
+ uttering a word. The constables took the hint, and burst the
+ door open, when they found what they had been led to expect;
+ two men smoking opium, the room almost full of European
+ clothing and other stolen property, quite sufficient to convict
+ the smokers of unfair play towards the late owners of it. These
+ men were of course secured; and the day I sailed from Hong
+ Kong, I saw them at work on the roads in irons. Their
+ apprehension caused a complete cessation of robberies for the
+ time being, the sight of the noted chiefs on the roads having
+ terrified their followers.]
+
+The general appearance of Hong Kong, from the sea, is picturesque and
+curious. That part of the Island on which the town is situated, is
+hilly, and, with the exception of the few paddy-fields already
+mentioned, presents no level space on which to build. The hills stretch
+completely down to the sea; and Queen's Road has been formed by cutting
+away their projecting spurs, throwing the earth into the sea in front,
+filling up the gaps on each side the spur, and thus forming a long strip
+of level. Above the level of Queen's Road, many terraces have been cut
+in the hills, upon which private dwellings have been perched; and to a
+person sailing into the harbour, these look suspended on the hill side,
+and inaccessible. To speak the truth, the approaches to them are not the
+most practicable; particularly in rainy weather, when, from the clayey
+nature of the soil, they become extremely slippery. Several
+water-courses descend from these hills, forming miniature ravines and a
+few water-falls, which have a pretty effect after a day's rain. They
+occasionally wash away an ill-built house; but this is the fault of the
+clumsy and foolish builders.
+
+Many of these hills are covered with a hard, tough, useless sort of
+whinstone, which adds considerably to the expense of building on them.
+Others are well stocked with granite, which the Chinese masons split
+very neatly into any shape, by driving innumerable wedges into the
+blocks. The adroitness with which they do this, is quite surprising. The
+China pine (or fir) grows all over Hong Kong; but the young trees no
+sooner attain the height of two or three feet, than they are cut down by
+the natives, and carried off in bundles to clean the bottoms of the
+countless boats that ply about the harbour. Thus, with one or two
+exceptions, these hills are quite bare, and, in winter more
+particularly, exhibit any thing but a lively spectacle. In summer, their
+green covering of coarse grass improves their appearance.
+
+The only thing that reconciles one to the site chosen for building the
+town of Victoria, is its beautiful harbour: in every other respect, the
+choice was decidedly bad. A more awkward place on which to erect a town,
+could not have been fixed upon; and its northern aspect adds, I suspect,
+to the unhealthiness of the place, as it exposes the town to the cold
+winds of winter, and completely shuts out the southerly breezes of
+summer, which are so much wanted to refresh the worn-out colonist There
+are situations in the Island much more eligible for a town, but their
+harbours are exposed, so that, when we consider how well the shipping
+are protected in Victoria bay, we feel disposed to allow that a better
+choice could not have been made under all the circumstances.
+
+The market of Hong Kong is well supplied with fish, flesh, and fowl,
+vegetables, fruit, and game; and those who choose to take the trouble of
+seeing to it themselves, may obtain supplies on reasonable terms: those
+who leave these matters to their servants, are of course robbed, and are
+apt, without making any inquiry, to come to the conclusion, that every
+thing here is dear. The retail price of every sort of provisions is
+pasted up on the market-gate, once a week, by authority of the
+magistrates, in Chinese and English characters; so that the exorbitant
+rates charged by _compradores_ may be easily detected and put a stop to.
+Chinese boats of all descriptions, sizes, and sorts may be hired at
+every wharf, at any hour from daylight till eight at night: their moving
+about after that hour, is prohibited by the Authorities, who had strong
+reason to suspect their being connected with the gangs of robbers that
+occasionally land from the opposite shore, commit some daring robbery,
+and disappear again before daylight.
+
+When the fleet of men of war and transports arrived here, from the
+North, in October 1842, the troops, amounting to upwards of fifteen
+thousand, were regularly supplied, during their stay in the harbour of
+Victoria, with fresh provisions, eggs, &c.; and no rise of prices took
+place. On the departure of the fleet, the daily supply was reduced by
+the Chinese to just sufficient for the consumption of the place. No
+portion of the supplies for the market is produced on the Island: the
+whole is brought from the innumerable creek and river-banks in the
+neighbourhood. It is to be hoped that this state of things will, before
+long, be altered, since, as matters now stand, the Cow Loon Authorities
+could, at any time, deprive the inhabitants of Hong Kong of their daily
+bread.
+
+American, French, and English Missionaries are already congregated in
+this infant settlement. The first have built a neat little chapel, where
+Divine service is performed every Sunday morning in the Presbyterian
+form, and, in the evening, in Chinese. The French Roman Catholics have
+built a stately and handsome chapel with a good dwelling-house attached
+to it: they have a large congregation among the Irish soldiery and the
+Portuguese from Macao. The English Missionaries had only just arrived
+with their establishment from Malacca, and, when I left the Island, had
+neither house nor chapel, but had commenced building. A chaplain of the
+Church of England had arrived, appointed by the Home Government: no
+English church, however, had even been commenced, and the congregation
+meet every Sunday in a neat house, where, if they escape fever during
+the summer, and colds and ague during the winter, they ought to deem
+themselves very fortunate.
+
+Grog-shops and other resorts for the depraved and idle, are already
+plentiful in Victoria. They are, however, all closed on Sunday; and the
+sailor ashore, on liberty on that day, is fain to content himself with a
+walk along the road, during which he may be heard muttering deep curses
+on the heads of those who framed this (according to his notion) unjust
+and tyrannical regulation.
+
+Before concluding my remarks on Hong Kong, I will add a few words on
+what I consider as the best means to be adopted with a view to render
+the settlement more healthy. Much must be done by the Government; and
+the rest may be left to the inhabitants themselves.
+
+In the first place, the paddy-fields at the east end of the town must be
+thoroughly drained, and the cultivation of paddy in the neighbourhood
+entirely stopped. Proclamations on this last subject had been published
+in March last. That the draining of these lands would decrease the
+quantity of malaria generated in the valleys, there can be no doubt;
+but, that it would entirely do away with it, I deem very problematical.
+At all events, it would not stop the volumes of fog that descend from
+the hill-tops at sun-set, and completely envelop the valleys and the
+houses. Draining, indeed, would do good, and ought to be tried at once.
+The owners of property in the neighbourhood were very sanguine as to the
+result of the experiment. More good, however, would be done in the way
+of purifying the air of these valleys, by entirely removing the small
+hill on which the Morrison Education buildings stand. The task, at first
+sight, may seem herculean; but is not so in reality. Thousands of men
+are to be hired in the villages on the opposite coast, who would gladly
+work for three dollars (13s. 6d.) per month. Were a couple of thousand
+of these put upon this job for a twelvemonth, there would not be much of
+the hill left. The pecuniary outlay would be considerable; but the
+returns would do much more than pay the interest on it. The base of the
+hill itself is of considerable extent; and the earth carried from its
+top, if thrown into the sea at its foot, would create a large level
+space for building, that would yield quit-rent enough to render the
+speculation (were the work undertaken by private individuals) a highly
+profitable one. This hill completely shuts up the largest of the
+paddy-growing valleys; and its removal would admit into it the easterly
+and northerly breezes, which might do more than any thing else towards
+preventing the descent of the fog. There are other hills, near the one
+alluded to, that might be levelled with great advantage to the
+neighbourhood, as well as to the parties who might undertake the task.
+In this case, there are individuals ready to execute the work on their
+own private account, who actually made offers to the Government on the
+subject; but their terms were rejected by the Authorities, and the hills
+remain in _statu quo_. The sea being very shallow at the base of these
+hills, the space filled up by cutting them down, would be very
+considerable, and the task by no means difficult. Sir Stamford Raffles
+removed one at Singapore, in size equal to the one known in Hong Kong
+as Leighton's Hill, without incurring a shilling of expense to his
+Government. To the parties who removed the soil, he gave the ground they
+had made, charging them the same quit-rent that others paid on the
+grants made to them.
+
+At West Point, draining seems to be the only plan that can be
+recommended to render the situation more salubrious. Neither there nor
+any where else in the Colony, is it safe to reside in houses having only
+a ground-floor. Of those who have done so, few have escaped the fever;
+and still fewer of those who caught it, recovered. Draining upon a large
+scale, is the part of the work I would leave to the Government: upon the
+inhabitants, I would impose the task of making proper sewers all over
+the town. The few that existed there last summer, were not simply a
+disgrace to every person connected with the place, but tended in no
+small degree to thin the population by the abominable effluvia they
+threw out. In the immediate vicinity of every house or shop belonging to
+the Chinese, might be seen a collection of impurities sufficient to
+create a pestilence anywhere, much more in a place with the thermometer
+frequently above 90 deg. in the shade. The assessment of five per cent. on
+all rents, would create a fund sufficient to purify the town, to keep it
+clean, to provide a regular scavengers' establishment, and, moreover,
+to pay night watchmen to protect the property of its inhabitants from
+the gangs of robbers that infest the place. Were these suggestions
+carried out, if the citizens of Victoria were but careful to avoid the
+sun, and if not a few would but reduce by one-half their allowance of
+brandy-and-water and cigars, I will venture to predict, that the medical
+men of the place would have a comparative sinecure.
+
+Among other arrivals in Hong Kong during the year 1843, were some fifty
+or sixty emigrants from Sydney, (N. S. Wales,) consisting of mechanics
+of different descriptions. They alleged, that the bad times in Australia
+had driven them away. Poor fellows! I fear they have made a sad mistake
+in the change they have sought. Here, they will find times, for persons
+of their class, worse than those they have had to complain of, a climate
+to contend against, from which they have not the means of protecting
+themselves, and hundreds of Chinese artisans, who can afford to work for
+less than half what they can live upon. Most of them were badly housed;
+and it was to be feared, that the end of summer will see very many of
+their number in their graves.
+
+The colonists of New South Wales appear to hare formed the most
+extravagant ideas of the benefit they are to derive from the new
+settlement of Hong Kong. With the exception of salt provisions, I know
+of nothing they can send to the new settlement with even a chance of
+profit; and the prices of these must be lower than those ruling in
+Sydney by the last accounts, to yield a profit. Some small lots of
+timber have been found to answer; but the demand for this article will
+cease, when the buildings now in progress in Victoria shall have been
+completed. Cattle, horses, and sheep have been tried, and the experiment
+has proved an utter failure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+CHINA.
+
+ FIRST VIEW OF CANTON--DESCRIPTION OF THE EUROPEAN
+ QUARTER--HOSTILE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE--COMMERCIAL
+ PROSPECTS OF CANTON--AMOY--FOO CHOW--NINGPO--
+ SHANG-HAE--MR. MEDHURST--RESULTS OF THE TREATY
+ WITH CHINA.
+
+
+The sail from Hong Kong to Canton is very interesting, particularly to a
+stranger. The numerous islands he passes, and the entirely new scenes
+that everywhere attract his eye, cannot fail to delight and amuse him.
+Here, the unwieldy Chinese junk; there, the fast-sailing Chinese
+passage-boat; now and then, the long snake-like opium-smuggler with his
+fifty oars; innumerable fishing-boats, all in pairs, with a drag-net
+extended from the one to the other; country boats of all descriptions
+passing to and fro, their crews all bent on money-getting, yet, never
+failing to cast a glance of mingled contempt and scorn at the "_Fan
+qui_"; the duck-boats on the river banks, their numerous tenants feeding
+in the adjacent rice-fields; a succession of little Chinese villages,
+with groupes of young Celestials staring at him with never-ending
+wonder; here and there, a tall pagoda rearing its lofty head high above
+the surrounding scenery, as if conscious of its great antiquity and of
+the sacred objects for which it was built; the Chinese husbandman with
+his one-handed plough, drawn by a single wild-looking buffalo; smiling
+cottages, surrounded with orange and other fruit-trees; the immense
+fleet of foreign ships anchored at Whampoa;--these and a thousand other
+objects, all equally strange and new, attract the attention of the
+stranger as he sails up the "Quang Tung" river. On nearing the city
+itself, he is still more astonished and pleased with the sights that
+literally confuse his ideas, making the whole scene to seem the creation
+of magic, rather than sober reality. Here, the river is absolutely
+crowded with junks and boats of all sorts and sizes, from the ferry-boat
+of six feet long, to the ferry-boat of a thousand tons burthen. Long
+rows of houses, inhabited principally by boat-builders and others
+connected with maritime affairs, and built on the river, line its right
+bank. Outside of these, are moored numerous flat-bottomed boats with
+high roofs: these come from the Interior with tea and other produce, and
+resemble what I fancy Noah's Ark must have been, more than any thing I
+have seen elsewhere. On the left bank, the shore is lined with boats
+unloading and loading cargoes, while the different landing-places are
+completely blocked up with ferry-boats seeking employment. The space in
+the centre of the river, is continually crowded with boats, junks, &c.
+proceeding up and down. The scene altogether is bewildering to the
+stranger. Busy as the scene is, which the Thames presents at London, its
+superior regularity and order, in my opinion, prevent its coming up to
+the scene I have just faintly traced, in the strange and excited
+feelings it calls up. Amidst all this, there is a constant clatter of
+tongues strongly recalling the confusion of Babel. A China-man never
+talks below his breath; and, if one may judge from the loud tones in
+which the whole community express their sentiments, whether in a house
+or shop or in the street, the only conclusion that can be come to is,
+that, in China, the word secret is not understood, or rather, that the
+idea corresponding to that word has no existence in their conceptions.
+
+Of the immense city itself, the home of a million of souls, what account
+can a traveller give, who has seen little more of it than the portion
+inhabited by foreigners? I must say a few words, however, about that
+part of it which I have seen.
+
+I begin with the foreign factories. These buildings stretch along the
+left bank of the river about three quarters of a mile, (or, rather, they
+did so, for one half of them have recently been destroyed by fire,) and
+extend back about two hundred yards. They are large, substantially
+built, and comfortable houses; but those situated behind the front row,
+must be (indeed I know they are) oppressively hot residences in the
+summer season. The space between the factories and the river, is
+reserved for a promenade, where foreigners may take a little recreation
+after their day's work. Although but a limited space, it is invaluable.
+Here, in the evening, may be seen Englishmen, Americans, Frenchmen,
+Spaniards, Dutchmen, Portuguese, Parsees, Moslem, and Hindoos; all
+enjoying the evening breeze, and talking over the affairs of the day or
+the news brought by the last overland mail, while a crowd of Chinese
+coolies surround the square, gaping with noisy wonder at the strangers
+attired in all the costumes of Europe and Asia. The streets principally
+resorted to by foreigners are, China Street (old and new) and
+Carpenter's Square. In the former, a very choice collection of Chinese
+articles may be purchased, either in the way of curiosities or of
+valuable merchandize. In Carpenter's Square, the new-comer may fit
+himself out with everlasting trunks, dressing-cases, &c.; or, if in
+search of furniture, he may here, in half an hour, furnish his house
+with well-made, substantial articles. The houses in these streets are
+all of two stories, with very narrow frontage, ground being valuable. A
+large quantity of timber is used in their construction, which renders
+any chance fire in this city so very destructive. The streets in Canton
+are all very narrow, most of those I have seen not exceeding six or
+seven feet in width: the two China Streets are probably twelve feet
+wide. The city does not cover half the space which a European one with
+the same population would do. Its streets, from their want of breadth,
+always appear, and indeed always are crowded; and the unwary passenger
+is very liable to get knocked down by some heavily laden porter running
+against him, if he does not keep a sharp look-out. Like Macao, it is
+infested with loathsome beggars, who are, if possible, still more
+clamorous in their demands for charity than those of that place. Here,
+the stranger will be surprised to see dogs, cats, and rats hawked about,
+dead and alive. I do not say that these animals form the daily food of
+the people of Canton, but they are daily and hourly hawked about its
+streets, and purchased by the poorer classes. The Canton market is,
+nevertheless, remarkably well supplied with the good things of this
+life; and the European who cannot live and be contented with the
+provisions procurable in it, must be hard to please. By nine o'clock at
+night, this huge city is perfectly quiet, and nine-tenths of its
+inhabitants are wrapped in sleep. At either end of each street is a
+gate, which is shut at that hour, and ingress or egress put a stop to
+for the night. This regulation, as may be supposed, is an excellent
+check upon night robbers, whose peregrinations can extend no further
+than the end of the street they live in. Another equally salutary
+regulation is that which makes the inhabitants of a street responsible
+for each other's good conduct. Thus, if A's servant steals any thing
+from B, A must make good the loss. Prowling being put a stop to during
+the night, I have seen robberies attempted and detected during the day;
+and I certainly never saw a poor thief treated elsewhere with such
+unrelenting cruelty. A China-man seems to have no mercy for a thief; nor
+is this feeling to be wondered at in an over-peopled country, where all
+have to work for their bread, and where idlers are sure to starve.
+During the winter, in Canton, the lower classes suffer severely from
+cold: they are poorly fed and worse clothed: and hundreds of them may be
+seen about the streets, shivering and looking the very picture of
+absolute wretchedness. Amongst these, a few old women may be seen
+sitting by the side of the streets, earning a scanty subsistence by
+mending and patching the clothes of people as poor as themselves. These
+poor women, having all undergone the barbarous operation of cramping the
+feet during infancy, are consequently unable to undertake any thing but
+sedentary employment to gain their bread. The very small size to which
+the feet of some of the Chinese females have been distorted by cramping
+them with bandages during the first six years of their lives, is almost
+beyond belief. I have seen a full-grown woman wearing shoes, and walking
+in them too, not more than 3-1/2 inches long. Their walk resembles that
+of a timid boy upon ice; it is necessarily slow; and, indeed, some of
+them require the aid of a staff in one hand, while they lean with the
+other on the shoulder of a female attendant. The smaller the eyes and
+feet of a Chinese beauty, the more she is admired. I once asked a
+respectable China-man, what he thought of this custom of cramping their
+daughters' feet: his reply was, "Very bad custom." On my inquiring
+further, whether he had any daughters, and whether their feet were
+treated in the same way, he answered in the affirmative, but asserted,
+that they had been subjected to the cruel ordeal by their mother,
+against his will. He added, that, in a China-man's house, where there
+were young girls, no peace could be had, night or day, for their cries,
+which lasted till they were six years old. He gave us a reason for the
+mother's insisting on her daughter's submitting to this long course of
+pain and suffering:--"Suppose _he_ no small foot, no man wantjee make
+_he_ number one wife." A respectable China-man, it appears, always
+chooses a small-footed woman for his principal wife, while, for Number
+two, three, and four, he contents himself with ladies whose feet are as
+nature made them, and who are consequently more able to make themselves
+useful in household matters.
+
+The inhabitants of Canton and its vicinity have displayed, since the
+war, more hostile feelings towards Englishmen, than those entertained by
+the natives of any of the northern ports. They still affect to believe,
+that Sir Hugh Gough durst not attack their city; and it is, perhaps, to
+be regretted, that he was hindered from shewing his strength on that
+occasion. Several riots and two extensive fires among the foreign
+factories, have taken place since that time; and it is the opinion of
+many persons, that, before long, Canton will require a lesson such as
+Amoy, Ning-po, and other places have received. That the first of the two
+fires alluded to was the work of incendiaries, there is no doubt; and so
+well satisfied were the native Authorities upon this point, that they
+made good the losses sustained by foreigners on the occasion.
+
+The proposal to grant land to foreigners in the neighbourhood of Canton,
+for the site of country residences, met with so energetic opposition
+from the natives, that the Authorities did not venture to carry the plan
+into execution. Inflammatory placards were posted all over the city,
+calling upon the people to protect their ancient rights, and
+threatening extermination to foreigners, and to the local Authorities
+themselves, in the event of their complying with the petition. It is
+probable, that the wealthy men and others connected with the commerce of
+Canton, felt that the arrangements then pending between Her Majesty's
+Government and that of their Imperial Master regarding the commerce of
+the two countries, would, if completed, affect their old privileges and
+monopoly; and that they adopted the measures above-mentioned in order to
+shew their displeasure. That their commerce will suffer in consequence
+of the arrangements since brought to an amicable conclusion, there can
+be no doubt; but it is not less certain, that Canton will continue to be
+the centre of an extensive trade. Its merchants must be content with a
+share of the loaf, in place of monopolizing, as heretofore, the whole.
+The days of Hong merchants and monopoly are at an end; and the benefits
+derived from Free-trade will shortly convince all but those connected
+with the late Hongs, that the changes recently effected in the relations
+of the Celestial Empire with other countries, are not deserving of the
+abuse that has been so abundantly lavished on them.
+
+The far-famed Bogue Forts, I observed, in passing up the river last
+March, to be rebuilt in the same clumsy style as that of the
+fortifications which Sir Gordon Bremmer knocked down. As a means of
+defending the river against any thing but Chinese junks, they are
+utterly useless; and one cannot help feeling surprised that so
+intelligent a people as the Chinese did not take a lesson from the
+perfect ease with which their forts were razed to the ground, and build
+their new ones on a better plan. The scenery at the Bogue is very
+pretty; and the forts, if of no other advantage, form a picturesque
+feature, viewed while sailing past them.
+
+Not having visited Amoy, Foo Chow, Ning-po, Chusan, or Shang-Hae, I am
+unable to give any description of those places. I can, however, state
+what I have heard about them, and give the mercantile reader some idea
+of their importance as places of trade.
+
+Short as is the time that these ports have been open to the commerce of
+Britain and other foreign nations, many cargoes of Indian cotton,
+different sorts of produce from Singapore and the islands of the Malayan
+Archipelago, manufactured goods, consisting of woollens, gray and white
+shirtings, chintz, &c., from Manchester and Glasgow, have been
+advantageously disposed of at one or another of them. Amoy has taken off
+several cargoes of Bengal and Bombay cotton, at prices considerably
+higher than those ruling at Canton. This branch of trade is likely to
+increase, and is one that will interfere with Canton to a considerable
+extent. As a residence, however, this place has a bad character in point
+of healthiness: at least, the troops, both European and Indian, suffered
+severely there from fever. They were stationed on the island of Koo
+Loong Soo, which is said to be more healthy than Amoy itself.
+
+None of our merchants had visited Foo Chow, up to the time of my
+departure from China; nor had a Consul been sent there; but this has, I
+presume, since taken place. The city has been described to me as large
+and populous, and the seat of a very extensive trade. It escaped the
+ravages of the late war; and its inhabitants may probably entertain a
+similar idea to that which possesses the people of Canton; namely, that
+we were afraid to attack them. Whether this notion will lead them to
+give Europeans an indifferent reception, or not, remains to be seen. Let
+us hope that they will act wisely in the matter, and not bring down
+vengeance on their own heads. Sir William Parker, by visiting their
+harbour in Her Majesty's ship Cornwallis, proved to them that they are
+not beyond the reach of European shipping, as they at one time thought.
+Some difficulty is experienced, I believe, in approaching Foo Chow,
+owing to the strength of the currents in the neighbourhood; but, as a
+seventy-four-gun ship has got over that difficulty, it is proved to be
+not an insurmountable one.
+
+Ning-po is also a large and wealthy city, admirably situated for trade,
+and surrounded with a beautiful country. It stands some forty miles from
+the sea, by the river, which is said to be navigable for ships of
+considerable burthen even beyond the town. The climate is salubrious,
+and the natives are quite awake to the benefits likely to arise from a
+free intercourse with Europeans. At this port, the first British vessel
+bound for the northern ports of China, from England direct, was loading,
+in March last, with tea and other Chinese produce. By how many hundreds
+she will ere long be followed, I leave the reader to imagine. It is said
+by those who have visited this port, that nothing can exceed the
+urbanity of the Chinese Authorities and merchants, or their anxiety to
+do all in their power to please and entertain European strangers. This,
+doubtless, in part arises from the severe lesson that was read them, on
+more than one occasion, by Sir Hugh Gough; a lesson which, it is hoped,
+they will long remember. An extensive and important trade is carried on
+between this place and Chusan, by which means our manufactures will find
+their way into that island, after its ports shall be closed against our
+shipping. Here, Russian manufacturers are met with; and a friend of mine
+informed me, that, in a Chinese shop at Ning-po, he purchased a few
+yards of superior Russian black broad cloth at the very cheap rate of
+two dollars and a-half (11s. 3d.) per yard. This price seems lower than
+that at which the British manufacturer could produce a similar article.
+Samples of the cloth have been sent to England, so that this question
+will soon be decided.
+
+Shang-Hae, the most northern of the five ports opened to foreign
+commerce, is, perhaps, the most important of the whole five. I have
+undoubted authority for asserting, that the number of Chinese junks, of
+more than a hundred tons burthen, that enter this port weekly, exceeds a
+thousand. The same authority speaks of the busy scene that this harbour
+daily presents, as quite beyond his powers of description. Many British,
+American, and other merchants have visited Shang-Hae since it became an
+open port; many cargoes of manufactures have been disposed of there; and
+already a considerable export trade on foreign account has commenced. A
+bold attempt was made by some influential and wealthy merchants from
+Canton, to prevent the mercantile men of the place from purchasing
+cargoes from the foreigners: in this, they succeeded for a time; and the
+Canton men were in hopes they should secure the northern trade for their
+own capital, as of yore; but they calculated beyond their mark. The
+Shang-Hae men listened to the tales that were told them, and kept aloof
+for some time, till they saw that the Europeans were quite determined
+not to leave their harbour without effecting sales. Suddenly they
+changed their minds, and said to the Canton men: "If the '_Fan-quis_'
+are such a wicked race, how comes it that you are so anxious to have
+their trade to yourselves?" In a week afterwards, every foreign vessel
+in the river was cleared of her cargo at remunerating prices.
+
+Shang-Hae is the principal port in the Empire for the export of raw
+silk. This fact is sufficient of itself to proclaim the vast importance
+of the place. The winter here, is described as being very severe; and
+the cold is said to be so intense, that hundreds of the very poorest
+sort of natives perish in the streets from its effect on their half-clad
+persons. The heat of summer is also intense; which renders the city
+unhealthy, situated as it is in a low, swampy country. Yet, I heard of
+no sickness among the Europeans who passed last summer there.
+
+The Missionaries have not been behind the merchants in occupying
+Shang-Hae; and Mr. Medhurst, so well known for his extensive knowledge
+of Chinese literature, had completed arrangements for removing his
+family thither in the early part of the present summer. He had
+previously visited the place, avowing the object of his visit, and had
+found no difficulty in procuring a commodious house, large enough for
+the comfortable accommodation of his family, as well as for a printing
+establishment, &c. Mr. Medhurst has been a personal friend of mine for
+these twenty years; and he will believe me when I say, that I heartily
+wish him all the success in his mission that he can wish for himself;
+but, of his success, I have my doubts.
+
+As to the benefits likely to accrue to the commerce of Great Britain
+from the Treaty lately concluded by Sir Henry Pottinger with the Chinese
+Government, I conceive there can be but one opinion, although the extent
+of those benefits is as yet uncertain. When I express an opinion, not
+penned in haste or without consideration, that the large quantities of
+grey shirtings, white ditto, chintz, cotton yarn, long ells, Spanish
+stripes, fine woollens, camlets, &c. now purchased of the British
+merchants by the Chinese, are likely, within the next three years, to be
+quadrupled, the manufacturers of my country will at once perceive what
+this celebrated Treaty is likely to accomplish for them.[25] We must,
+moreover, take into consideration, the extra tonnage that will be
+required to carry on this extended commerce; the number of seamen it
+will employ; the consequent increased demand for every description of
+stores taken to sea for the use of ships and men; the innumerable
+families that will thus be provided for; and the not improbable
+increased demand, over and above quadruple the present, for the goods
+named, when the new trade shall have had time thoroughly to develop
+itself. Nor must we overlook the benefit likely to result to British
+India, the cotton of which has hitherto been supplied to the Chinese
+_via_ Canton: it will now be carried to their doors in British vessels,
+and sold to them at far cheaper rates than could have been afforded when
+sent in the former round-about way. Taking this view of the case, it
+stands to reason, that the demand will increase; and though the merchant
+of Bombay, Madras, or Calcutta may not make larger profits than
+heretofore, he will do a much larger business, employ double the number
+of men and ships, and enjoy the prospect of returning to his native
+country some few years sooner than he dreamed of under the old regime.
+
+ [Footnote 25: It must be borne in mind, that this was written
+ at sea, before I had any knowledge of the reception which Sir
+ Henry Pottinger's Treaty had met in Manchester and other
+ manufacturing towns. Their subsequent reception of Sir Henry
+ himself, proves how well satisfied they are with what he has
+ done for them; and the extent of last summer's exports to
+ China, demonstrates, beyond a doubt, that I was not far wrong
+ in my predictions.]
+
+A trade suddenly thrown open with three hundred millions of human
+beings, is not likely to be completely developed in three, four, or five
+years; and I conceive that I am within the mark, when I hold out
+encouragement to my countrymen to quadruple their shipments to China. In
+April, May, and June, 1843, before the five ports of China were
+officially opened to foreign trade, and when visiting them was
+precarious, an unusually large quantity of British and American
+manufactures was poured into the China market. Ship after ship arrived
+from the manufacturing districts, with full cargoes; and the universal
+cry was, "What is to be done with all these goods?" I can tell the
+public what became of them. They were sold almost as fast as they
+arrived. Many of them were purchased, for the northern ports, by
+speculators, who, to a man, did well with them. Prices not only kept up,
+in spite of the heavy import duties, but actually continued to advance
+till the end of the year, when they were twenty per cent. higher than
+when all the cry was, "What is to become of these goods?" This spirited
+demand for goods at Canton and Hong Kong, continued up to March last,
+when I sailed from China. Whether the supply sent out this season, has
+exceeded the demand, or not, I have no means of ascertaining, while
+writing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; but I have no fear as to
+the result of any shipments that may have been made.
+
+That the thanks of the mercantile world in general, and of its members
+in Great Britain in particular, are due to Sir Henry Pottinger for the
+very satisfactory conclusion to which he has brought the recent
+disturbances with China, and to Sir Hugh Gough and Sir William Parker
+for the gallant manner in which the warlike portion of the work was
+conducted, every unprejudiced man must allow. Though Sir Henry had not
+left China when I sailed, I presume that he will be in England before me
+_via_ Egypt; and nothing would give me greater pleasure on my arrival,
+than to find that he had been rewarded by his Sovereign by being made
+"Earl Nankin." His career has been a brilliant one; and that he may live
+many years to enjoy the fruits of his exertions, must be the wish of all
+that are likely to benefit by them.[26]
+
+ [Footnote 26: No such honour has been paid to Sir Henry, though
+ his reception by his Sovereign, the Government, and the public,
+ has been such as must amply have gratified him and all his
+ friends.]
+
+Whether or not we are shortly to have another Chinese war, is a problem
+I do not pretend to be able to solve: there are various opinions on the
+subject; but my own is, that every thing depends on the foreigners
+themselves. If the Consuls and others sent by Government to the five
+trading ports are firm and resolute men, who will never suffer the
+slightest infringement of the Treaty by the Chinese, without an
+energetic remonstrance,--if the captains of ships of war stationed at
+the five ports are strict in maintaining order among the masters and
+crews of the shipping of their nation,--if mercantile men take care, on
+the one hand, to give no cause of complaint by smuggling or otherwise,
+to the Chinese Authorities, and, on the other hand, to put up with
+nothing from them that is not borne out by the terms of the Treaty;--in
+short, if foreigners generally (under which term I include every person
+not a Chinese) unite together and stand up for the Treaty, the whole
+Treaty, and nothing but the Treaty,--I see no reason to suppose that it
+may not work well, and for many years to come. On the other hand, if
+Consuls vacillate in their intercourse with the Chinese authorities,--if
+captains of ships of war permit irregularities in the conduct of
+merchant seamen,--and if foreign merchants condescend to injure their
+fair fame by smuggling, in place of submitting to the very moderate
+duties imposed upon their trade by the new Chinese tariff,--all and each
+of them must take the consequences of their conduct; and they may rest
+assured, that the Chinese will always be ready to seize with avidity the
+slightest opportunity afforded them for charging foreigners with a
+breach of the Treaty. We must hope that foreigners resorting to China
+for the purposes of trade, or merely as travellers in search of health
+or of strange sights, will be sufficiently aware of the importance that
+is sure to be attached to their conduct, to avoid giving the Chinese
+just cause of complaint. Should they be careful on this point, and
+should the amicable relations now existing between the two countries
+remain uninterrupted, it will not take many years to convince the
+intelligent Chinese, that intercourse with what they are pleased to term
+the Barbarian nations of the earth, is not to be despised.
+
+As for the result of another war, there cannot, I imagine, be two
+opinions. That Great Britain would be the victor, and the _gainer_ too,
+after a struggle of half a summer, is pretty certain; and that she would
+make the Chinese pay dearer for their temerity than they were made to do
+before, seems probable, and would be but just. The possession of Chusan
+and other eligible mercantile positions on the coast, would open fresh
+fields for the enterprise of our merchants, and for the employment of
+hundreds of seamen and others; and the fleet and army, after satisfying
+the Chinese that they were as able and as willing to fight as ever,
+might, with great advantage to their country, take a trip to Japan, and
+try to prevail on the ruler of that _terra incognita_ to open his ports
+to foreign commerce. I would tell the Emperor of Japan, You shall either
+be my friend or my foe. If the former, you must permit your subjects to
+trade with my people; and if the latter, you must try your strength with
+me. While there are tens of thousands of unemployed operatives in Great
+Britain, her rulers should omit no opportunity of extending her
+commerce; and their suffering the Japanese sullenly to exclude our
+shipping, while the Dutch enjoy the sole privilege of trading to their
+country, seems to me putting up with a state of things that ought not to
+exist.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+ NECESSITY OF APPOINTING BRITISH CONSULS IN THE
+ SPANISH AND DUTCH COLONIES--NEW SETTLEMENT ON
+ THE WESTERN COAST OF BORNEO--IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
+ OF COAL ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST--CONCLUDING
+ REMARKS.
+
+
+It appears to me, that British commerce in the East, requires somewhat
+more care and attention from the Authorities in the mother country, than
+they have hitherto bestowed upon it. The trade carried on by British
+subjects with the Philippines, Siam, and the Dutch Colonies, is both
+extensive and important; but, not unfrequently, it suffers interruption
+from the Government of those countries, to the serious loss and
+inconvenience of the parties concerned. That a Consul or other properly
+authorised functionary is required to watch over the interests of
+British merchants trading to Manilla, Bang-kok, Batavia, Samarang, and
+Sourabaya in Java, and Padang on the west coast of Sumatra, is evident
+to every person at all acquainted with the trade of those places; and I
+will add a few facts by way of satisfying those who may be doubtful on
+the point.
+
+In the first place, then, British subjects residing in, or shipping
+resorting to Manilla, are subject to the most arbitrary proceedings on
+the part of the Spanish Government,[27] who order merchants from the
+place, and ships from the harbour, at a day's notice, without ever
+condescending to state their reasons for such proceedings. It was only
+the other day that the British subjects residing in Manilla were, by an
+unlooked for and arbitrary order of the Governor, deprived of the
+professional aid of the medical practitioners of their own country then
+resident among them. These professional men were not, indeed, ordered to
+quit the place; but they were informed by an official proclamation, that
+no medical man would in future be permitted to practice in Manilla,
+unless in possession of a diploma from the college at Cadiz. This, of
+course, was equivalent to an order to quit, as no English physician
+could be expected to have such a document in his possession. A friend of
+mine, writing to me on this occasion, represents the act as tantamount
+to a sentence of death upon all foreigners resident in the Philippines.
+While Spanish surgeons are allowed to practice among their countrymen in
+British Colonies, such a state of things ought not for a moment to be
+suffered by the British Government.
+
+ [Footnote 27: This remark has recently been confirmed beyond
+ the possibility of denial, by the unjust and cruel sentence
+ passed by the Court of Justice in Manilla, on my esteemed
+ friend, Mr. Robert Diggles, who, after having been led into
+ great expense, and kept under the surveillance of the police
+ for nearly two years, has been tried as a criminal, and
+ sentenced to pay a fine of two thousand dollars, and banished
+ the Philippines for six years. And for what, does the reader
+ suppose? For kicking out of his house an impudent Spanish
+ tailor who had presented himself there during a ball given by
+ Mr. Diggles to Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker and
+ Major-General Lord Saltoun, during their visit to Manilla in
+ Her Majesty's ship Cornwallis.
+
+ From Lord Saltoun, on his return to Hong Kong, I received an
+ account of this matter; and Mr. Diggles also sent me the
+ particulars in writing. From the testimony thus tendered to me
+ by an eyewitness whose word cannot for a moment be doubted, and
+ by the party principally concerned, in whose word I also place
+ implicit confidence, I have no hesitation in making this public
+ declaration, that Mr. Diggles has been partially, cruelly,
+ unjustly, disgracefully, and tyrannically dealt with by the
+ Government of Manilla. A letter I received yesterday from
+ Singapore, gives room to hope that Mr. Diggles's banishment has
+ been remitted, which I should be glad to hear confirmed, though
+ it would be no adequate reparation for the injury he has
+ sustained.--Hull, 1st November 1845.]
+
+Next, as to Siam. It is well known to every person acquainted with the
+trade of that country, that its Sovereign, in defiance of all treaties,
+monopolizes, by unjust and tyrannical means, nine-tenths of the commerce
+of his dominions; that his agents watch for and seize every boat that
+approaches the capital with produce; that the produce so seized is
+carried to the King's warehouses; that he pays whatever price he
+pleases for the contents of the boat; that the produce so seized is very
+generally the property of other persons, (frequently British subjects,)
+who have advanced money to the planter on his growing crop; that British
+and other shipping resorting to Bang-kok for the purchase of produce,
+are compelled to buy from the King on his own terms, or to leave the
+port in ballast; and finally, that these proceedings are in direct
+opposition to the terms of an existing Treaty between Great Britain and
+Siam. A Consul at Bang-kok, and a visit twice a year from one of the
+ships of war cruizing in the China Sea and the Straits of Malacca, would
+put an entire stop to His Siamese Majesty's unwarrantable proceedings,
+as far as British subjects are concerned. Let Americans and others look
+after themselves.
+
+Ill the Dutch Colonies, also, I can testify from personal observation,
+the British merchant is very frequently dealt with not less arbitrarily.
+The Dutch Authorities are not content with prohibiting the importation
+into their Colonies of warlike stores and opium, (which they have an
+undoubted right to do,) but their regulations render a ship seizable,
+that enters their ports with either of those forbidden articles on
+board. This seems unreasonably hard and it puts the British merchant to
+expense an trouble oftener than may be supposed. A ship bound from
+London, Liverpool, or Glasgow, to Batavia and Singapore, (a very common
+destination,) dares not receive on board as freight, either a chest of
+Turkey opium, or a single Birmingham musket. If she does, she must give
+up all idea of calling at Batavia, where she would be immediately
+seized, for having such articles on board as cargo. Only four years ago,
+the British barque Acdazeer, bound from Bombay to China, with a cargo
+consisting of thirteen hundred chests of opium, was dismasted in a gale
+in the China Sea, and bore up for the port of Sourabaya, which she
+entered in distress, for the purpose of repairs, and for stores to
+enable her to prosecute her voyage. My memory does not serve me so as to
+enable me to state, whether the Acdazeer's visit to Java was before or
+after the promulgation of the law prohibiting ships with opium and
+warlike stores entering any of the ports of Netherlands India; but I
+think it was _before_ that regulation was made public. Be that as it
+may, the ship was in distress; and, as a matter of course, her Commander
+thought he was entering a friendly port. His astonishment may be
+conceived, when he was ordered by the Authorities to land all his cargo
+in the bonded stores, before the slightest assistance could be rendered
+to his vessel. What was to be done? Resistance was useless; and to
+prosecute his voyage with a disabled ship, impracticable. The cargo was
+accordingly landed, and the vessel's repairs were proceeded with. When
+these were finished, the Commander reported his being ready to receive
+his cargo on board again, and to proceed on his voyage; when he was
+told, that, before doing so, he must pay an _entrepot_ duty of one per
+cent. on the whole value. This he was compelled to do; and it amounted
+to the very considerable sum of 1300l. All goods landed in bond (or
+_entrepot_), in any of the ports of His Netherlands Majesty's
+East-Indian territories, are subject to a duty of one per cent. on being
+re-exported; but who ever heard of a ship that had put into harbour in
+distress, being _compelled_ to land her cargo, under the pretence that
+it was to prevent the possibility of any portion of it being smuggled,
+and of its commander being afterwards told, that, as the goods had gone
+into _entrepot_, the duty must be paid?
+
+These facts may be sufficient to shew, that the appointment of Consuls
+at the different ports above named, is urgently needed as a protection
+to the British shipping visiting them. I have been told, that the
+Spanish and Dutch Governments have refused to receive or acknowledge
+Consuls in their Eastern possessions. If this is the case, the evil
+might be remedied by a note from Downing Street. The other ports of
+Netherlands India are, perhaps, not of sufficient importance, as regards
+English commerce, to authorise the expense of Consular appointments. If
+the opinion of so humble an individual as myself could be supposed to
+reach the ears of the British Premier, I would respectfully but
+earnestly call his attention to the foregoing remarks.
+
+Another subject to which I am anxious to call the attention of the
+British Government, is, the advantages presented by establishing
+settlements on the north-western and western coasts of the Island of
+Borneo. The proceedings of my friend Mr. Brook[28] at Sarawak on the
+western coast, having been made public, it is only necessary for me here
+to remark, that Mr. Brook has already paved the way for the advantageous
+settlement of a British Colony in his neighbourhood, and to express a
+wish that Her Majesty's Government may take advantage of his spirited
+and praiseworthy exertions, and reward him for them. The influence which
+he has obtained over the wild and intractable natives (as they have been
+hitherto deemed) of that part of Borneo, the service which he has
+rendered to the mercantile interests of his country by his exertions in
+the suppression of piracy, the numbers of people whom he has induced
+literally to turn their swords into ploughshares, and the quiet,
+unostentatious way in which all this, and more than all this, has been
+effected, are not less surprising than creditable to his abilities,
+perseverance, and public spirit.
+
+ [Footnote 28: See Appendix II.]
+
+The recent discovery of extensive veins of coal on the banks of the
+river of Borneo Proper, is my chief reason for calling public attention
+to the north-western coast of that island. The destruction by fire of
+the British ship Sultana, on her voyage from Bombay to China, and the
+subsequent imprisonment of Capt. Page, his wife, officers, passengers,
+and crew, by the Rajah of Borneo Proper, led to the discovery in
+question. The Singapore Government, on hearing of Capt. Page's
+captivity, sent a steamer to procure his release; and it was the captain
+of this steamer who discovered the coal, several tons of which he
+collected and used on board his vessel. He described them to me as being
+of excellent quality for steamers, and to be had in unlimited quantities
+by simply digging away the upper crust of the earth to the depth of six
+inches, under which the coals lie in masses. He was moreover informed,
+by the natives in the neighbourhood, (who, by-the-by, never use the
+coals, though they knew that they would burn, and called them "_Batu
+Api_" or fire-stones,) of the existence of much more extensive
+coal-veins a few miles further up the river. He had not time to visit
+the spot, but the natives assured him, that ships might be loaded from
+the surface. Of the depth or extent of the veins, they knew nothing; it
+is, however, more than probable, that, on the application of proper
+means, an unlimited supply of coals might be obtained. The importance
+of such a supply, now that Steam communication between Calcutta and
+Singapore has been established, and that the line will in all
+probability be shortly extended to China, requires no demonstration. In
+the event of a regular monthly overland mail being despatched from Hong
+Kong, to join the Calcutta line at Point de Galle[29] (Ceylon), it would
+not be out of the steamer's way, to touch and coal at Borneo: thence
+proceeding to Singapore, where she would not require coals, she would
+take in the mail, and proceed on her voyage. This plan would save the
+expense of forming a coal _depot_ at Singapore. All Her Majesty's
+steamers on the coast of China might be supplied with fuel from the same
+quarter, particularly as several empty ships go to China every season in
+search of freights homeward, which would gladly call at Borneo _en
+route_, and take in a cargo of coals, to be delivered at Hong Kong, at a
+moderate rate per ton. To establish this coal trade on a permanent
+footing, a treaty would require to be entered into with the Sultan of
+Borneo. This, I have no hesitation in saying, might be effected, and the
+requisite arrangements made with the Borneo Authorities by Mr. Brook,
+whose influence in that quarter is deservedly all-powerful. An
+establishment placed there, the chief or superintendent of which might
+be invested with Consular powers, would manage the coal business, and
+protect any unfortunate shipwrecked British seamen from ill treatment
+similar to that sustained by the captain and crew of the Sultana. So
+many vessels have from time to time disappeared and never been heard of,
+between Singapore and China, as to render it far from improbable, that
+there are numbers of British subjects now in confinement on the northern
+coasts of Borneo and Palawan. This probable or, at least, supposable
+case furnishes an additional argument in favour of placing some party,
+armed with power to protect such unfortunate persons, in some convenient
+spot in the neighbourhood. When I say, armed with power, I do not mean
+that arms should be put into the hands of those stationed to manage the
+coal-mines at Borneo, but that their superintendent should be empowered
+to use energetic language, and threats if need be, in the name of the
+British Government. The magic of a name is nowhere felt or understood
+more than among these same savages; in proof of which I may mention,
+that the Rajah of Borneo Proper gave up Capt. Page and his crew
+immediately on their being demanded in the name of the Governor of
+Singapore, though he had refused to listen for a moment to the proposals
+and demands previously conveyed by a well-armed schooner sent by Mr.
+Brook from Sarawak to treat for the release of the Sultana's people, on
+hearing of their captivity. Even His Majesty of Siam stands in awe of
+the British name; and I could tell instances of his having paid
+deference to a few lines from the Singapore Authorities.
+
+ [Footnote 29: 1846; now in full operation. Vide Appendix I. p.
+ 303.]
+
+The ships of war in these seas are too much in harbour; they might be
+far better employed in occasional visits to the different ports of
+Borneo, Palawan, the eastern coast of the Malayan Peninsula, Siam, and
+Cochin China. Visits to those countries twice or thrice a year, would
+not interfere in the slightest degree with their regular duty; it ought,
+indeed, to form part of it; and would be of incalculable value to
+British merchants. The Authorities of those different States, knowing
+that the visits of British ships of war were to be regular and frequent
+in future, would be cautious how they meddled with British subjects.
+With all the gasconade common to Orientals generally, the chiefs of the
+countries I have mentioned, are cowards at heart, tyrants as they are
+when opportunity offers; and they dread the sight of a ship of war in
+their harbours. No better check could be kept upon their conduct; and
+the plan proposed would not cost Great Britain a shilling, inasmuch as
+the ships required to carry it into execution, are in commission, and,
+as I said before, spend far too much time in port. Such a catastrophe
+as the loss of the Golconda, with four hundred souls on board, ought to
+be sufficient to call forth the utmost exertions on the part of our
+naval officers in the China Sea. This ship, a vessel of 800 tons,
+sailed from Singapore in September 1840 (or 1841), bound to China,
+with the head-quarters of the 37th Madras Native Infantry on board,
+and has never since been heard of. In my humble opinion, the China Sea
+and its coasts ought to have been thoroughly searched for any remains
+of this unfortunate ship, it being far from impossible, that some of
+her people may be in existence in Cochin China or on the neighbouring
+coasts or islands. When the unfortunate barque Fifeshire disappeared
+in the same mysterious way, on the same voyage, three of her men
+turned up from Cochin China, twelve months after she had been given up
+and paid for by the under-writers. No endeavour was made to trace the
+Golconda,--wherefore, let those explain, who had it in their power to
+cause due search to be made. Being unable to divine their reasons, I
+hope, for their own sakes, they were sufficient to quiet their own
+consciences.
+
+My wanderings are drawing near a close, and I have little more to say.
+On our passage down the China Sea, during the prevailing very light
+southerly winds of April, we exhausted a large portion of our fresh
+stock; and for replenishing it and our water we touched in Anjer Roads,
+of which, and the village of the same name, I shall now give a brief
+sketch.
+
+Nothing can be prettier than the sail into Anjer Roads from the
+northward, on a fine clear day. The scenery is equal to any thing I have
+ever seen. On your right, rises the high land of Sumatra, covered with
+wood to the very summit, and exhibiting all the different shades of
+green; on your left, are St. Nicholas Point and the high land of Java;
+while the two little isles called, "Cap and Button," add their minute
+features to the landscape. The land in this part of Java, though well
+wooded, is not covered with timber so thickly as the opposite coast of
+Sumatra; but, here and there, the scene is diversified by a clearing,
+where the Javanese may be seen at work in his rice-field, yam-patch,
+vegetable garden, or pinery. In front, the island of "Thwart-the-way"
+(well named, for it is right in mid-channel) relieves the eye from the
+glare of the sea; which, in these low latitudes, is a matter of some
+moment; while, further seaward, may be seen towering far above the
+surrounding objects, the islands of Pulo Bissie and Crockatooa, both
+visible from a great distance, and forming excellent land-marks for the
+mariner. On nearing the anchorage, the pretty little village of Anjer
+strikes the eye, its huts built in rows, and shaded by palms and other
+trees; the Dutch Resident's house, the fort, and the wharf, are all in
+view; and further back, about a mile from the sea, may be seen the tomb,
+erected by his shipmates, to the memory of Dr. ----, Assistant Surgeon
+of H. M. S. Alceste. The inscription informs the stranger, that Dr.
+---- died here on his return from China, after the wreck of the Alceste.
+This tomb was the first thing that attracted my attention when I landed
+at Anjer in 1823, and has ever since been an object of interest to me.
+Anjer is a very convenient place for ships bound from China or Singapore
+for Europe to touch at for supplies, although many ship-masters avoid it
+during the prevalence of the north-west monsoon, when it is a lee shore.
+I have anchored there at all seasons of the year, and never found any
+difficulty in getting out of the harbour; but others have been less
+fortunate, and have got among the rocks. Here, the natives come off to
+passing ships, and bring fowls at two rupees per dozen; (a rupee here is
+equal to 1s. 8d. sterling;) ducks at three rupees per dozen; good-sized
+turtle one dollar each; yams one dollar per _pecul_ of 133 lbs.; eggs
+one dollar per hundred; and other articles in proportion. They are very
+fond of visiting an English ship, as they generally get paid by her
+Commander in Spanish or other dollars; a coin held in universal
+estimation in those parts. In my frequent visits to Anjer, I have
+invariably met with a polite and hospitable reception from the Dutch
+Resident, (the chief Civil authority,) who has always been willing and
+ready to render any aid in his power to strangers.
+
+Anjer, with all its beauties of scenery, is said to be unhealthy in the
+rainy season, when the showers and thunder-storms are both frequent and
+heavy: its natives are a puny race, and its European inhabitants look
+pale and sickly; so that, I suppose, it deserves the doubtful reputation
+generally given to it. During my last ramble in the vicinity of Anjer, I
+observed some natives at work in a plantation of young plants which, at
+first sight, and from their being sheltered from the sun by tall,
+wild-cotton trees, I took for coffee. On inquiring of the overseer, and
+looking more closely at the plants, I found they were young
+cinnamon-trees. The attention of the Dutch Government has long been
+given to the cultivation of this spice; and, from the very healthy
+appearance of the plants just mentioned, I should think that the
+ultimate success of the undertaking was far from doubtful. It will not
+surprise me to see, before ten years have elapsed, Java rivalling Ceylon
+in cinnamon, as it is now competing with Bengal in indigo.
+
+The Strait of Sunda, in which Anjer is situated, is certainly a
+beautiful channel for ships to sail through in fine weather, though,
+from the strength of its currents, an uglier place in a dark, squally
+night could scarcely be found. It used to be notorious for Malay
+pirates, but has been, of late years, clear of those pests.
+
+Talking of pirates, I may mention my own good fortune in never having
+fallen in with any of the fraternity in the many voyages I have made in
+the lake-like seas of the Malayan or Eastern Archipelago. This, however,
+does not tend to prove their non-existence in even recent days.
+
+Having completed our stores at Anjer, we sailed with a fair wind about 3
+P. M. on the 14th May, and, next morning, were rolling about in a heavy
+sea off Java Head, (a bold and grand promontory forming the south-west
+corner of the Island,) where I bade adieu to my favourite sunny climes
+of the Far East.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX I.
+
+(See p. 295.)
+
+PLAN FOR THE ACCELERATION OF THE CHINA MAILS (_i. e._ THEIR CONVEYANCE
+FROM _SUEZ_, via _CEYLON_ TO _HONG KONG DIRECT_)
+
+SUBMITTED BY MR. HENRY WISE TO HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT SEPT. 14, 1843,
+ADOPTED JUNE 20, 1845, AND NOW IN ACTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL OPERATION.
+
+
+ ---------------+--------------------+------+-----+----------------------+
+ Proposed Route | | |Av. | Interval |
+ from Hong Kong | | |Rate | (days/hours) |
+ to London, and | Course. |Dist. |per | |
+ vice versa. | |Miles.|Hour,| und. | at | Total |
+ | | |Miles|weigh.|Anchor.| |
+ ---------------+--------------------+------+-----+------+-------+-------+
+ | | | | | | |
+ HONG KONG TO | | | | | | |
+ PULO LABUAN | S. 2 deg. .18' E. | 1009 | 7 | 6/- | 1/12 | 7/12 |
+ | | | | | | |
+ PULO LABUAN | | | | | | |
+ TO SINGAPORE | S. 69 deg. .23' W. | 707 | " | 4/6 | -/12 | 4/18 |
+ | | | | | | |
+ SINGAPORE |{S. 64 deg. .48' W. 19}| | | | | |
+ TO MALACCA |{N. 51 deg. .41' W. 103}| 122 | " | -/18 | -/6 | 1/- |
+ | | | | | | |
+ MALACCA | | | | | | |
+ TO PENANG | N. 30 deg. .37' W. | 222 | " | 1/8 | -/16 | 2/- |
+ | | | | | | |
+ PENANG TO |{N. 82 deg. .24' W. 303}| | | | | |
+ CEYLON[A] |{S. 89 deg. .45' W. 916}| 1219 | " | 7/6 | 1/12 | 8/18 |
+ +--------------------+------+-----+------+-------+-------+
+ CEYLON | {As now performed by the Peninsula & Oriental} | |
+ TO ADEN | { Steam Navigation Company, detention of } | 11/- |
+ | { 2 days included. } | |
+ | | |
+ ADEN | | |
+ TO SUEZ | -- -- -- 2 -- | 8/- |
+ | | |
+ SUEZ TO | | |
+ ALEXANDRIA | -- -- all stoppages -- | 3/- |
+ | | |
+ ALEXANDRIA | | |
+ TO MALTA | -- -- -- -- | 4/- |
+ | | |
+ MALTA TO | {H.M. Post-Office} | |
+ MARSEILLES | -- -- { Packets } | 4/ |
+ | | |
+ MARSEILLES | {Regular course} | |
+ TO LONDON | -- -- { of Post } | 5/- |
+ | +-------+
+ {Total interval from HONG KONG to LONDON,} | |
+ { and vice versa, by the proposed Route} Days| 59/- |
+ | |
+ {Average interval of transmission of China Correspondence, } | |
+ { via Calcutta and Bombay, during the last Twenty Overland} | 89/- |
+ { Mails, viz. from the 10th October 1841, to 6th May 1843 } | |
+ +-------+
+ Difference of Time in Favour of Proposed Route Days| 30/- |
+ ----------------------------------------------------------------+-------+
+
+ ---------------+-----------------------------------------+
+ Proposed Route | |
+ from Hong Kong | |
+ to London, and | Duties at Anchor. |
+ vice versa. | |
+ | |
+ ---------------+-----------------------------------------+
+ | |
+ HONG KONG TO | |
+ PULO LABUAN | To receive Coal.[B] |
+ | |
+ PULO LABUAN | |
+ TO SINGAPORE | To receive Coal, land & receive Mails. |
+ | |
+ SINGAPORE | |
+ TO MALACCA | To land & receive Mails. |
+ | |
+ MALACCA | |
+ TO PENANG | To receive Coal, land & receive Mails. |
+ | |
+ PENANG TO | |
+ CEYLON | Ditto Ditto |
+ ---------------+-----------------------------------------+
+
+ [Note A: Receiving at Ceylon, the Outward Overland Mail
+ from England, and returning therewith to China.]
+
+ [Note B: The Borneo Coal Mines would also serve to keep the
+ Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Penang Stations supplied with Fuel
+ for Steam Vessels carrying the Mails between Hong Kong and Suez
+ direct.
+
+
+MEM.--I have adopted an average rate of seven miles per hour as a fair
+estimate of the speed that well-appointed Steam Vessels, of moderate
+size and power, will be enabled to accomplish and maintain, throughout
+the proposed route, at all seasons of the year; for, during the whole
+distance from Penang to Aden, and _vice versa_, neither monsoon, from
+the course steered, becomes at any period a directly adverse wind; an
+advantage which the route hitherto observed does not possess. Assuming
+that the Honourable East-India Company continue the management of the
+Bombay line, and that the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
+Company are encouraged to render their operations more comprehensive, by
+the establishment of Branch Steamers between Ceylon and Singapore, to
+which latter Port Her Majesty's Steam Vessels on the China Station could
+convey the Mails from Hong Kong, this all-important object might,
+without difficulty, be attained. The advantages to the Straits'
+Settlements, consequent on the adoption of improved arrangements,
+require no comment; and the _practicability_ of effecting a very
+considerable acceleration of the communication with China, is evident
+from the simple fact, that the average interval which has occurred in
+the transmission of letters from China, by the last twenty Overland
+Mails, (irrespective of the unfortunate July Mail from Bombay,) exceeds
+the period occasionally occupied by fast-sailing ships, in accomplishing
+the voyage _via_ the Cape of Good Hope.
+
+ HENRY WISE.
+
+ LONDON, Sept. 14, 1843.
+
+
+P.S.--Oct. 9, 1843.--The arrival at Suez, on the 16th ult., of the
+H. C. S. Akbar, in _forty-six_ days from Hong Kong, after accomplishing
+the passage down the China Seas, against the S.-W. monsoon,--unassisted
+also by any previously arranged facilities for coaling, exchange of
+Steamers at Aden, and other manifest advantages requisite for the proper
+execution of this important service,--confirms the correctness of my
+estimate for performing the voyage from Hong Kong to Suez, or _vice
+versa_, viz. _forty-three_ days, including stoppages.--H. W.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX II.
+
+MEMORANDUM ON BORNEO, AND MR. BROOK'S SETTLEMENT ON THAT ISLAND.
+
+
+Mr. Brook has no warmer admirer than myself; and I trust the territory
+of Sarawak, which has been ceded to him by the Sultan of Borneo, will
+eventually become a flourishing British Colony.
+
+The Government of this country cannot but be fully alive to the value of
+such a point on the north-west coast of Borneo with reference to the
+protection and security of the vast trade carried on by British subjects
+to and from China; not to mention the great intrinsic advantages of an
+establishment on one of the largest and most valuable islands in the
+world. Little or nothing is yet known of the interior of this vast
+country; but what we do know already with regard to several portions of
+its coast must lead us to the conclusion that it will one day become of
+infinite importance in a political as well as commercial point of view.
+There is reason to believe that it contains the most rich, varied, and
+extensive mineral deposits, and is capable of producing, in the
+greatest abundance, every variety of tropical production, including some
+that appear to be peculiar to its soil and climate. Protection from the
+complicated evils of piracy and oppression is alone wanting in order to
+stimulate the growth and industry of the population, and to give a new
+aspect to the face of this fertile region. The very fact of a British
+Settlement being established would exercise a most powerful influence in
+bringing together all the elements of a rapid civilization amongst a
+people at present the prey of ignorance, superstition, and oppression.
+Considering the smallness of the means at his disposal Mr. Brook has
+already done much: the seeds have been sown, and, up to a point,
+nourished by the force of his character; for their further development
+the influence of the British Government unreservedly exercised, but with
+due caution, is alone required.
+
+As one of the very best means of defence against riot or disturbance in
+a country like Sarawak, whether held by Queen Victoria or by my friend
+Brook, I would recommend the raising of a corps of Hill Rangers, to be
+composed of 400 or 500 natives of the country, in their native dress;
+distinguished from their countrymen simply by a belt thrown over the
+shoulder, with S. H. R.[30] on a brass plate in the middle of it, and a
+small sword by their side; the whole under a European captain, four
+lieutenants, and a dozen native _jimedars_. Ten guilders per month,
+allowed as pay to each man, would secure the choice of the population;
+and no force would equal them for the maintenance of peace in such a
+country. Sir Stamford Raffles tried a similar plan at Bencoolen, and
+found it answer admirably. I need say no more in its favour. No better
+man exists for raising and organizing such a corps, than Mr. Brook
+himself: witness his performances of a similar nature during the Burmese
+war. These Hill Rangers must be divided into companies, and should be
+stationed at convenient places throughout the country, to keep their
+eyes on evil-doers, and to act as police-men more than as soldiers.
+Their captain must be _locomotive_, and superintend the whole corps.
+
+ [Footnote 30: _i. e._ Sarawak Hill Rangers.]
+
+I will now proceed to state my ideas as to the way in which Mr. Brook
+can most profitably avail himself of the extensive territory of Sarawak.
+In the first place, he must have the whole District competently and
+correctly surveyed, and laid out in portions (not of square miles,
+New-South-Wales fashion, without any regard to natural boundaries, but)
+of different sizes according to the topographical features of the
+country. On the completion of this survey, the plan or map should be
+lithographed, to exhibit to parties intending to purchase or hold land.
+Mr. Brook should then publish in India his intentions, giving a sketch
+of the facilities he can offer, of the capabilities of the country, &c.
+&c. &c. Tenants will not suit him, in my opinion, so well as purchasers.
+The possession will be too unwieldy for him to hold, even as landlord: I
+speak from my experience in Java. The purchasers he wants, are men of
+capital, say from 5000l. to 10,000l. each, to whom he must give credit
+for the land, and leave them unhampered to carry on their operations.
+All lands fit for the growth of coffee or sugar must be worked by these
+capitalists on their own account: they must send to Java for experienced
+overseers, (Europeans,) to conduct the works; and to Bally, Lombok, or
+the Coromandel coast, for labourers. The natives of the former two are
+preferable, but, I fear, could not be obtained in sufficient numbers.
+Not a China-man should be employed on an estate of mine as a
+field-labourer, though the Chinese answer remarkably well, _under
+Europeans_, in sugar-mills. An experienced overseer from Java will point
+out to them the best lands for coffee and sugar, and the best modes of
+planting and rearing both. It is also a very good plan, to contract with
+a party to grow the cane, (the proprietor helping him with small
+advances,) which the landlord engages to take at so much per thousand
+when ripe, to be delivered at the mill door. The grower, in such cases,
+is generally a poor man, and require aid for the first year, to buy
+buffaloes, ploughs, and provisions. In Java, nine-tenths of the cane are
+produced in this way; and the landlord saves both risk and trouble by
+it. No cane, no pay, is the rule there; so that, although the mill-owner
+may lose his time in a bad season, he sacrifices no outlay. The Chinese
+cannot be trusted to _manufacture_ the sugar: they are conceited
+bunglers at that work, as stubborn as mules, and use too much lime, in
+spite of all one can say or do to prevent it. Coffee may also be planted
+by contract; though, in Java, where men can be got for three guilders
+per month and their rice, worth two guilders more, the plan is not
+generally adopted.
+
+A party purchasing land, ought to have it selected so as to have
+portions of it fit for coffee, sugar, and rice, and to try all three. In
+rice-cultivation, a different plan, however, must be pursued. In Java, a
+proprietor of rice-land encourages as many people to sit down on his
+property as he can possibly obtain; charges them no rent in money, but
+helps them each to build a hut; lends them money to buy two buffaloes;
+and gives them rations of rice and salt for the first twelve months;
+taking care, in the meantime, that the man, his wife, and his children
+are as busy as bees, planting and looking after a few rice-fields,--the
+more the better; seeing also, that the family do a fair day's work, and
+as much as they are well able to perform. From these fields, when
+harvest arrives, the squatter will pay his rent. And then is the time
+that the European overseer and his deputies require to have their eyes
+open, in order to see that fair play is dealt to the proprietor, who is
+entitled to one-fourth of the crop, by way of rent, delivered in bundles
+of paddy, at his barn-door, by the grower. The reaping and binding must
+be watched, and the bundles be counted on the field; otherwise the
+grower will, probably, carry more than his share to his own barn, in
+place of his master's. Now is the time, also, if the season has been a
+favourable one, to make the squatter pay off the whole, or a portion of
+his debt, for the advance made to him early in the year. If he gets well
+through the first year, he will, in all probability, take a liking to
+the place, and fix himself there for good. One of the very best plans
+for attaching Javanese to their residence on an estate, is, to see that
+lots of cocoa-nut and betel-nut trees are planted in every desirable
+locality. With half a dozen cocoa-nut trees, even in a bad season, a
+native family will manage tolerably well; and in all my wanderings among
+the Malayan islands, I never came to a place where even a single
+cocoa-nut was not current, like money, for its full value in rice.
+Another great advantage arising to the proprietor from rice-grounds
+well-occupied, is, that he is entitled, by immemorial custom, to the
+labour of every male on the estate one day in seven, in virtue of a sort
+of feudal law. A friend of mine in Java, on whose estate were fifteen
+thousand adults, seven thousand of whom were males, had thus the command
+of the labour of one thousand men per day _free_. On a new estate, these
+are the men to clear jungle, to make roads, to trim coffee-trees, and to
+take a turn with a hoe among the sugar-canes, when the hired labourers
+are busy at crop time, or when, from any other cause, labour may be
+scarce.
+
+Mr. Brook must take things leisurely. Let one capitalist be established
+with a fair prospect, and he will soon be followed by dozens, who will
+gradually creep into the forests, and make the place a second Java.
+Before these capitalists make their appearance, however, he must, by
+every means in his power, encourage squatters, and get them to work on
+patches of rice-land, here and there. Let him but treat those men
+kindly, help them through the first year, and set them fairly on their
+legs; they will then never leave the place.
+
+Touching the diamond and gold mines which Mr. Brook wants to work, I
+hardly know what to advise, but think that his best plan would be, to
+get my friend Tok Sing, or some other wealthy China-man in Singapore, to
+procure him "head men," whom he would _secure_, _i. e._ bind himself to
+make good any thing lost or stolen by them. This, of course, he would
+not do gratis; but his guarantee in such an undertaking would be
+invaluable: his wealth is very considerable, while his name and
+influence would be beyond calculation useful.
+
+Over every thing, Mr. Brook must himself keep a watchful eye; and, above
+all things, he must keep the peace. He must not attempt too much at
+first; but must raise his Rangers as they may be required; and, with his
+talent for such operations, a moderate share of patience and
+perseverance, and sufficient capital, all will go well, and he will meet
+with the complete success that he so richly merits.
+
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+WILLIAM WATTS, PRINTER, CROWN COURT, TEMPLE BAR.
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+
+Inconsistencies in the hyphenation of words preserved. (daylight,
+day-light; namesake, name-sake; Ninpo, Ning-po; roundabout, round-about;
+Shang Hae, Shang-hae; Shipmaster/s, ship-master/s; underwriters,
+under-writers)
+
+Units of Sterling currency "l.", "s." and "d." were italicised in
+the original text, except for two instances (probably typographical
+errors) on page 186 (3-1/2d. per pound) and page 206 (12s. per ton). In
+the plaintext version of this transcription, italic markup has not been
+added to Sterling currency units in order to reduce clutter and enhance
+readability.
+
+Table of Contents, Chapter V., "DUTCH SETTEMENTS" changed to "DUTCH
+SETTLEMENTS".
+
+Table of Contents, Chapter XVI., summary paragraph after Chapter
+Heading. In the table of contents, the third last phrase in the summary
+paragraph is "PICTURESQUE SCENERY" whereas in page 237 this phrase is
+replaced by "PORTUGUESE PENURY". The original text is retained in both
+cases.
+
+Table of Contents, Appendix I., page number changed from "299" to "303"
+to match page number at actual location.
+
+Table of Contents, Appendix II., page number changed from "391" to "305"
+to match page number at actual location.
+
+Pg. 64, "havet heir" changed to "have their". (have their own Rajahs)
+
+Footnote 8, "trad" changed to "trade". (The opium trade again, has
+diminished)
+
+Pg. 74, "testi-timony" changed to "testimony" (testimony to its
+Commander's)
+
+Pg. 88, inserted missing period. (balance due upon their services.)
+
+Pg. 96, "occa-onally" changed to "occasionally" (occasionally visited by
+a very severe fever)
+
+Pg. 134, inserted missing period. (called a grain-exporting one.)
+
+Pg. 196, "hundreths" changed to "hundredths". (ninety-nine hundredths)
+
+Pg. 219, added missing period. (the _lorcha_ was burned.)
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Trade and Travel in the Far East, by G. F. Davidson
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