Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat / In the U. S. Sloop-of-war Peacock, David Geisinger, Commander, During the Years 1832-3-4

by Edmund Roberts

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
	PAGE
Sailing from Boston; Arrival at St. Jago; Description; Exports; Great Drought; Fogo; Fortifications; Sailing for Brazil; Description of the Coast; Harbour of Rio and Distant Views; the City; Public Garden; Boto Fogo; Botanic Garden; Population; Public Buildings; Senate and House of Representatives	[13]
CHAPTER II.
Sailing from Montevideo; Description of the Island of Tristan D’Acunha; St. Pauls; Engano; Arrival at Bencoolen and Description	[29]
CHAPTER III.
Sailing from Bencoolen; Arrival at Crokatoa and Forsaken Islands; Scenery; Beautiful Submarine Garden; British Frigate; Arrival at Angier; Sailing from Angier; Bay and City of Manila; Buildings; Population; Provisions; Labour	[39]
CHAPTER IV.
Manila, continued; Calzada; Sea-Cucumber; Cigar-Factory at Binondo; Exports; Duties; Weights and Currency; Exchange; Imports; Luzon; Cavité; Hurricane; Lago de Bria; Pina; Indian and Buffalo; Visits to the Alcade	[51]
CHAPTER V.
Departure from Manila: Cholera; Cape Bolina; Chinese Vessels; Pilot; Macao; Linting, Village; Whampoa; Jos Houses; Sacrifice; Arrival at Canton; River and Boats; Description of Canton; Great Idol Temple; Legend of the Jos House; Religious Ceremonies; Minor Temples	[63]
CHAPTER VI.
Budhism; Tombs of Ancestors; Ceremonies; Origin of Tumuli or Tombs; Sacrifices to Confucius; Pan-Hwny-Pan; Infanticide; Charitable Institutions; Government Gratuities	[75]
CHAPTER VII.
Description of Canton; Sacking of the City; Place of Honour; Mourning; Compass; Materials for Buildings; Houses; Principal Offices; Duties and Penalties of Governor; Fires; Governor’s Salary; Division of Power	[89]
CHAPTER VIII.
Literary Institutions of China; Examinations; Schools; Teachers; School-room Ceremonies; Colleges; Domestic Commerce; Population of the Provinces; Imports; Exports	[109]
CHAPTER IX.
Early Commerce of China; American Trade; Hong-Merchants; Translators; Linguists; Foreign Factories; Style of Living; Manufactories and Trade; Physicians; Egg-Boats; Manufacturers; Mechanics; Population of Canton	[123]
CHAPTER X.
Weights and Measures; Money Weights; Commercial Weights; Opium; Opium-Smokers; Mantchou Dynasty	[135]
CHAPTER XI.
Death; Ceremonies of Imperial Mourning; Population of the Chinese Empire; Knock-head Ceremony; Beggars; Cat and Dog Market; Dr. B. and the China-man; Barbers; Dress of the Chinese; the Dragon God; Slavery	[147]
CHAPTER XII.
Climate of Canton and Macao; Meteorological Averages; Departure from Canton for Macao and Linting; Macao; Population; Superstitious Ceremony	[162]
CHAPTER XIII.
Sailing from Linting to Vung-Lam Harbour, in the Province of Fooyan, or Phuyen; Government of Shundai; Assistant Keeper of Vung-lam; Letters to the King of Cochin-China; Catholic Priest; Deputies from Shundai	[171]
CHAPTER XIV.
Present of a Feast to the Embassy; Description of Arrangement; Deputies of Hué; Extraordinary Demands—Refusal to Forward Despatches to the Emperor; Letter of the Envoy to the Minister of Commerce; President’s Letter; Unconditional Requirements of the Deputies	[189]
CHAPTER XV.
Suspension of Intercourse; Failure of Mission; Departure of Embassy from Vung-Lam Bay; Envoy’s Titles; Mode of Husking Rice; Tombs of the Dead; Fishing Boats; Absence of Priests and Temples; Superstitions; Wild Animals; Mandarins’ House; Mode of taking Leave; Government of Cochin-China; Grades of Rank	[213]
CHAPTER XVI.
Passage from Cochin-China to the Gulf of Siam; Arrival at the Mouth of the River Menam; Packnam; Procession to the Government-House; Reception; Governor; Siamese Temples; Interview with the Siamese Foreign Minister; Prima Donna; Feats of Strength; Siamese Females; Fire at Bang-kok; White Elephants; Embalming; Shaving-head Ceremony and Feast; Fox-bats	[227]
CHAPTER XVII.
Presentation at the Palace of Bang-kok; Description; Royal Elephant; White Elephants; King of Siam; Great Temple of Guatama; City of Bang-kok; Temple of Wat-chan-tong, and Figure of Budha; Banyan Tree; Fire-feeders; Missionaries	[253]
CHAPTER XVIII.
Chinese Junks; Mechanic Arts of Siam; Amusements; Dancing Snakes; Annual Oath of Allegiance; Description of the Capital; Embassy from Cochin-China; Education in Siam; Palace	[271]
CHAPTER XIX.
Procession to the Funeral Pile of Wang-na, or Second King; Origin of Budhism in Siam; Sommona Kodom; Atheistical Principles of Budhism; Budhist Commandments; History of Siam; Government; Titles of the King; Officers of the Government	[289]
CHAPTER XX.
Ancient Laws of Siam; Legal Oaths; Punishment for Debt; Divorces; Population of Siam; Stature and Complexion of the Siamese; Division of Time; Boundaries and Possessions of Siam; Marine of Siam; Imports; Inland Trade; Currency; Treaty of Commerce; Table of Exports	[305]
CHAPTER XXI.
Departure from Bang-kok for Singapore; Singapore; Commerce; Bugis; Maritime Laws; Departure from Singapore; Straits of Gaspar; Island of Java; Population of Java; Clothing; Dying; Stamping; Fruits; Birds	[319]
CHAPTER XXII.
Batavia; Burying-Grounds; Servants’ Wages; Academy of Arts; Departure from Batavia; Arrival at Angier; Departure from Angier; Red Sea; Arrival at Mocha; Turkie Ben Al Mas; Palace of Mocha; Currency at Mocha; Transparent Stone; Colour of the Red Sea	[336]
CHAPTER XXIII.
Departure from the Red Sea; Cape Rosselgate; Arrival at Muscat; Blind Beggars; Fin-back Whales; Bedouin Arabs; Pearl Islanders; Arab Houses; Currency of Muscat; Naval Force of Muscat	[351]
CHAPTER XXIV.
Departure from Muscat; Arrival at Quintangony and Mozambique; Exports from Mozambique; Imports; Departure from Mozambique; Arrival at Table Bay; Cape of Good Hope	[365]
CHAPTER XXV.
Algoa Bay; Imports; Population of the Cape of Good Hope; Public Institutions; Newspapers; Departure from the Cape; Arrival at Rio Janeiro; Departure from Rio Janeiro; Arrival at Boston Harbour; Statistical Table	[386]
APPENDIX.
Various Documents connected with the Work	[403]

EMBASSY TO THE EAST.