CHAPTER II.
Arrive at Singapore, and sail for China—The Lemma Islands—Their inhabitants—Boats—Hong Kong Island—Dr. Abel’s visit to the shore—A pilot’s surprise—Cap, sing, Moon—Cum, sing, Moon—Outlaw ships—Trade in opium—Researches about the hills—Botanical productions—Macao—Its streets—Vain endeavours to open a trade with the Chinese ports—The Rev. C. Gutzlaff—Harbour of Macao—Jealousy of the Chinese government—Fruit—Wang, hee canes—The Casa garden—Cave of Camoens—Tributary verses to that poet.
After a long passage down the Straits of Malacca, we arrived at Singapore on the 19th of August, and sailed again on the 22d for China.
At daylight, on the 6th of September, we were off the “Lemma Islands,” having previously arrived in soundings on the 4th, and were frequently visited by Comprador boats seeking for employment. We took a pilot from one of them to direct us to “Cap, sing, Moon.” The Lemma Islands, like most of those about this part of the China coast, are bold, rugged, and but very scantily covered by vegetation; its geological structure is principally coarse granite, approaching to sienite, and quartz, which enters largely into their composition.[8] The inhabitants of these islands appear to be principally fishermen, and their boats animated the waters around to some distance, in great numbers: some were of very large size, being probably of sixty or seventy tons burden, and are inhabited by whole families; the clatter of women, squalling of children, and barking of dogs, could be heard in concert, when in beating to windward we came near any of them.
These slenderly constructed but admirable boats, with their large mat sails, some having one, two, or three masts, sail with rapidity: they would often lower a small awkward punt, and bring some fish on board for sale. The women worked hard, and one would be often seen with an infant at her back, with others running after, seeking her protection, whilst she assisted in the various occupations of the ship, in tacking and hauling the ropes. They all had a dark, wretched appearance, from the exposure to weather and hardships of many descriptions. When the weather is stormy, the vessels bring up under lee of one of the numerous islands, grouped about the coast. I have often seen them assembled, from twenty to fifty, for the night, under the lee of one of them, on the shore close to which, some small miserable thatched huts, containing numbers of wretched inmates, and small patches of cultivated land were visible.
On the 10th we were off Hong Kong Island. It is lofty, bold, and occasionally its barren appearance is diversified by the verdure of the ferns and other plants, which give some beauty to the huge piles of rocks, towering towards the heavens, in gently sloping as well as abrupt declivities. At one part a small cascade fell from the rocks above into the ocean abyss beneath, and other places bore the appearance of mountain torrents being formed during heavy rains.
Dr. Abel, who landed upon it, says, “I took advantage of the first watering boat to visit the shore, and made one of these mountains and the waterfall the principal objects of my visit. This mountain, the highest on the island, is, according to Captain Ross, who has measured it, about fifteen hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is composed of trap approaching to basalt in the compactness of its structure. In ascending it, I followed the course of a delightful stream, which rises near its summit, and found by its side a number of interesting plants. The general surface of the mountain, and indeed of every part of the island of Hong Kong, that I was able to visit, is remarkably barren, although in the distance it appears fertile, from a fern which I believe to be the Polypodium trichotomum of Kœmpfer, which supplies the place of other plants. I ascended about one thousand feet, and returned by a path which passed over a small hill, or rather mound, differing in structure from all the rocks in its neighbourhood, being composed of a very friable stone of a reddish white colour, much resembling disintegrated feltspar. On reaching the shore, I examined the rocks by the waterfall, where they are exposed in large surfaces, and found them composed of basaltic trap, exhibiting in some places a distinct stratification, in others a confused columnar arrangement. It is also divided into distinct, well-defined, rhomboidal masses, separated from each other by very obvious seams, in which I frequently found cubic crystals of iron pyrites.”[9]
The further progress of the ship was extremely tardy, from calms and adverse winds, so that we did not reach the Cap, sing, moon harbour, until the morning of the 12th, and then, from calms, could not enter it, but anchored outside. The Chinese pilot on board was but of little service, and he was quite surprised at the commander’s knowledge of the islands, depth of water, &c., until he found out that he derived it from the charts and Horsburgh’s Directory. It was quite amusing, when any difference of opinion existed between them, to hear the pilot, in a pet, declare, “You look at bookee, but you not alway savez a rightee; bookee wrong, you wrongee sometime.”
A greater or lesser number of different species of Libellula have been flying about the ship, ever since we have been in soundings; and it is said, that when a great number of these insects are seen flying about the ship, a northerly wind may be expected; but I seldom found the assertion borne out by the fact, except its happening four or five days after can be considered a corroboration.
On the following day we entered the “Cap, sing, moon,” for a short time: it is regarded as a safe and is certainly a picturesque harbour, but lately it has been left by many of the opium ships for another, by some considered a safer harbour, and called the “Cum, sing, moon,” formed by different islands, and the main land to the northward of Macao, and distant about eighteen miles from that settlement. The “Cap, sing, moon,” has some towering verdant mountains, with fertile valleys, and little thatched cottages of fishermen and others, peering through a thicket of foliage. This is contrasted at another part by barren hills, destitute of any beauty, excepting what may be scantily imparted by a few stunted shrubs or ferns.