from him, whether they are employed in the navy, army, or any other service; the imperial flag caunot be hoisted by any private subject. Hence it is that the flags which fly over the Chinese shipping at Canton on any gala day, are as various as the individual taste or local fashion of the proprietors. The pirates also adopted flags according to the general usage, for mutual recognition and designation. In the time of Turner's captivity, the whole body of ladrone vessels were under the command of five chiefs, independent of each other, whose divisions were distinguished by their several flags. The division by which he was captured, and which at that time was superior to any of the others, had a red triangular flag, with a white scolloped border. The second had a black triangular. flag with a white scolloped border. The third, a red square flag without any border. The fourth, a red triangular flag with a plain yellow border; and the fifth had a square flag of blue and white horizontally. But three years after, at the captivity of the second British officer, they were divided into six squadrons, distinguished by the red, yellow, green, blue, black, and white flags. Each division was formed into several squadrons, under inferior chiefs, who were responsible to the chief of division: at times the whole of the squadrons joined their forces, when danger threatened, or any important enterprise engaged their attention.

The nature of their depredations at this time was often witnessed by Turner, and is thus described in his interesting and minute narrative: "All vessels frequenting the coast of China are liable to be attacked by them, excepting such as by paying a tribute to one of the ladrone chiefs, have obtained a pass, which is respected, I believe by all the other divisions. The towns and villages upon the coast, which are not in the neighborhood of any fort, are equally subject to their depredations; and the inhabitants are for the most part glad to compound for their safety by paying a tribute. This tribute is collected from the villages semi-annually, from the boats annually." As a proof how far these passes are respected, it is stated, that the chief of a squadron, having detained and plundered a fishing boat that had a pass, was compelled by his superior chief to restore the boat and pay $500 damages. When a inerchant vessel is captured without resistance, and the crew is not suspected of having secreted any property, she only suffers plunder and detention; but if any resistance has been made, they generally murder some of the crew and cruelly treat the rest; such persons, and other prisoners who cannot or will not ransom themselves, are compelled to unite with the rovers, or suffer the torture which was frequently witnessed by both the English officers: "Being first stripped, the hands are tied behind the back, and a rope from the mast head is then fastened to their joined hands, by which they are raised three or four feet from deck, and several men flog them with a rod made of three twisted rattans, till they are apparently dead; they are then raised to the mast head and left hanging nearly an hour, when they are lowered down, and the punishment repeated till they yield or die." But when any of the imperial boats are taken, all hands are killed at once, except in cases

where they are reserved for more exquisite suffering.

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I saw," says our narrator, one man taken from a mandarin boat, nailed to the deck through his feet with large nails, then beaten with four rattans twisted together till he vomited blood; and after remaining some time in this state, he was taken ashore and cut to pieces." On another occasion, one of their prisonors "was fixed upright, his bowels cut open, and his heart taken out, which they afterwards soaked in spirits and ate. The dead body I saw myself." These atrocities threw such terror over the imperial fleet that they durst not assail these desperadoes, unless with decidedly superior force. All this tended to render the pirates more audacious, till in 1809, it might be almost truly said, the southern sea was their's.

The most distinguished chief of that day was Ching Yih, who had succeeded in combining in himself nearly the sole authority over all the flags. His predecessor in office and piratical dignity, Ching Tseih, once made a figure in the affairs of Cochinchina. In the times of the revolution in that country, when three brothers drove the king into China, and were in turn expelled by a younger brother of the king, the assistance of this Ching Tseih, then powerful by sea, had been invited by a son and minister of one of the rebels. He acceded to the request, and uniting with them regained a part of the country. But his pride and cruelty having created him enemies, he was driven from the country and killed. Ching Yih his kiusman then assumed his authority, but was several times beaten, and at length compelled to take entirely to the sea with one of the rebel ministers as subaltern chief under him. Then commenced his successful course of piracy; but his ambition rose with his fortune, "till he aspired," says our Chinese historian, "to no less than royal if not imperial power.' But happily in 1807, a typhon buried both himself and his projects in the Chinese sea. Then followed an event unprecedented in freebootery; a woman, the wife of the lost Ching Yih, assumed his authority, appointed her lieutenant, and continued the head of the several divisions. Though the name of the dreaded Chang Paou, her officer, was best known and sounded abroad, “yet," says the historian, “she was the prime mover and director of all." Under her finishing band the piratical code became a regular system, and some peculiar features in it may doubtless be ascribed to female influence. From the above cited narratives and from the native historian we will recite a few items. No private might go secretly on shore, under the severest penalties. Whenever any property was taken, it was registered and distributed in equal proportion to the ships; none could embezzle on pain of death. Whatever money was found in their prizes was carried to the chief of division, who gave two tenths to the captors, and reserved the remainder for common use. All provisions, stores, and ammunition procured from the country people, were to be honestly paid for on pain of death. The handsomest female captives were reserved for wives and concubines; a few were ransomed, and the most homely returned on shore: Promiscuous intercourse was strictly forbidden.

1.

We cannot here forbear alluding to the translation of our Chinese

historian by the orientalist, Charles Frederic Neumann, to which we are indebted for some of our extracts; in this he makes his author say: "No person shall debauch at his pleasure captive woɩnen; taken in the villages and open places, and brought on board a ship; he must first request the ship's purser for permission, and then go aside in the ship's hold." Most delicately said, and ingeniously translated! How much more spirited also, than simply to say with his author: "When captive women are brought on board, no one may debauch them; but their native places shall be ascertained and recorded, and a separate apartment assigned to them in the ship: any person secretly or violently approaching them shall suffer death."

men.

Under this systematic combination, the power and the depredations of the pirates extended so greatly, that orders caine from Pe king to the chief local officers to exterminate them—a thing much easier said than done in China. But such orders left the officers no other alternative than to lose their heads, or in 'some way or other to brush away this “foam of the sea," so much at least that a report of peace might be dispatched to court. For once it would 'appear that the government was really bent upon the execution of the command, and the whole prowess of the Chinese navy seems to have been exerted. In the first general engagement with the rovers; twenty-eight imperial junks surrendered in one battle, and the remaining twelve escaped by flight. In two succeeding encounters, the imperial fleet suffered defeat with the loss of twenty-four junks. But victory did not constantly follow the wrong side; for the great admiral Tseun proceeded against them with a hundred sail of all descriptions; from him the pirates escaped, but with a very great loss of vessels and But in the admiral's next attack, he lost the battle' and his fame together. The pirates assailed him in front and rear.""Then," says the historian; "out squadron was scattered, thrown into disorder; and cut to pieces; there was a tumult which teached the sky; each man fought for his life, and scarcely a hundred remained together. The squadron of the wife of Ching Yih overpowered us, by numbers; our lines were broken, and we lost fourteen ships." After another bat tle' with dubious event, at last an admiral was sent against them to conquer or die; but befriended by the numerous fishermen, the rovers surprised him at anchors and defeated him, with the loss of gfeat numbers of his men and twenty-five vessels. The admiral killed himself: After these repeated disasters the government devised another mode of warfare against the too powerful pirates, viz. to starve them, by cutting off all supplies of provisions. For this purpose all vessels in port were ordered to remain there, and those upon the coast to return immediately. It was in fact, a rigorous embargo: The consequence of this order was the perpetration of atrocious cruelties upon the helpless people on the coast and along the rivers, by the exaspe rated pirates. For they were now compelled to separate their forces into several squadrons to procure subsistence; the first tinder com mand of the female pirate the second, under her first lieutenant Paou; another, with Kwo Potae (O-po-tae), &c. It was at this time Il

CH REP VOL. II.

that they began to make their appearance in Macao roads, and the river of Canton. The governor of Kwangtung and Kwangse removed and lived at Macao for three months, aud according to our Portuguese authority, he resolved to propose a convention with the governor of Macao in order to raise a fleet, which should join the enperor's squadron and exterminate the common enemy. After deep consultation, they fixed upon certain terms of alliance, such as the following that six Portuguese vessels should be equipped, and unite with the imperial fleet in cruising between Canton and Macao for six months; that, the Chinese government contribute $0,000 taels.towards defraying the expenses;, aud last, and never, to be forgotten in the hour of Chinese need, that." after the extirpation of the freebooters, the ancient privileges of Macao should be revived.". The six ships were accordingly equipped with arms and 730 men,

་

Such was the posture of affairs, when Mr. Glasspoole, the second British officer to whom we have alluded, unfortunately fell into the hands of these pirates. He was an, officer, in the company's ship, Marquis of Ely, and we understand is still living in England. For the extracts from his narrative we are indebted to a recent publication, entitled, Lives and Exploits of Robbers, and Banditti. Mr. G. left his ship about twelve miles from Macao, to proceed thither for a pilot; but the ship meanwhile, having weighed anchor, on his return, he could not reach her in consequence of thick and squally weather. "Our boat," says that gentleman,. " was very leaky, without a compass, anchor, or provisions, drifting fast on a lee shore, surrounded with dangerous rocks, and inhabited by the most barbarous pirates." After three whole days of suffering,, on the fourth morning they fell in with a large, fleet of pirates by whom they were captured. "About twenty savage, looking villains," says Mr. Glasspoole, "leaped on board of us; they were armed with a short sword in either hand, one of which they laid upon our necks, and pointed the other to our breasts, keeping their eyes fixed on their officer, waiting his signal to cut or desist. Seeing us incapable of making any resistance, the officer sheathed his sword, and the others immediately followed his example." Mr. Glasspoole was then brought before the chief of the division, who was seated on deck in a large chair, dressed in purple silk, wearing a black turban. On ascertaining that he was an English officer, the chief ordered him to write to his captain, that "if he did not send a hundred thousand dollars for our ransom, in. ten, days, he would put us all to death." In another interview, the chief, assumed a milder tone and said, "if our captain would lend him $70,000 till he, returned from his cruise up the river, he would repay him, aud send us all to Macao. After vain expostulation I accordingly, wrote." They were made captives on September 22, 1809, nearly three years subsequent to the captivity of Mr. Turner...

"At daylight next morning," continues our narrator, "the fleet, amounting to above, 500 sail of different sizes, weighed to proceed on their intended cruise up the rivers, to levy contributions on the towns and villages. It is impossible to describe my feelings at this critical

time; having received no answers to my letters, and the fleet being under way to sail hundreds of miles up a country never visited by Europeans, there to remain probably many months, which would render all opportunities of negotiating for our enlargement totally ineffectual; for the only method of communication is by boats that have a pass from the ladrones, and they dare not venture above twenty miles from Macao, being obliged to come and go in the night, to avoid the mandarins; and if they are detected in having any intercourse with the ladrones, they are immediately put to death, and all their relations, though innocent, share in the punishment. Wednesday, the 26th of September, at daylight, we passed in sight of our own ships at anchor under the island of Chuenpe; the chief then called nie, pointed to the ships, and told the interpteter to tell us to look at them, for we should never see them again. About noon we entered a river to the westward of the Bogue, (the mouth of the Canton river), three or four miles from the entrance. We passed a large town, situated on the side of a beautiful hill, and which is tributary to the ladrones ; the inhabitants saluted them with gongs as they passed."

In this passage up the river, the pirates committed various robberies, levied contributions on towns which submitted to them, or which they could not destroy, and thus proceeded in their destructive work. One instance, as a specimen of many similar atrocities, we quote entire.

"October the 1st, the fleet weighed in the night, dropped by the tide up the river, and anchored very quietly before a town surrounded by a thick wood. Early in the morning the ladrones assembled in row-boats and landed, then gave a shout, and rushed into the town sword in hand. The inhabitants fled to the adjacent hills, in numbers apparently superior to the ladrones. It was a most melancholy sight to see the women in tears, clasping their infants in their arms, and imploring mercy for them from those brutal robbers. The old and the sick who were unable to fly or make resistance, were either made prisoners or most inhumanly butchered; the boats continued passing and repassing from the junks to the shore in quick succession, laden with booty, and the men besmeared with blood. Two hundred and fifty women and several children were made prisoners and sent on board different vessels. They were unable to escape with the men, owing to the abominable custom of cramping their feet. Twenty of these poor women were put on board the vessel I was in; they were hauled on board by the hair and treated in a most savage manner. When the chief came on board, he questioned them respecting the circumstances of their friends, and demanded ransoms accordingly, from six thousand to six hundred dollars each. He ordered them a berth on deck, at the after part of the vessel, where they had nothing to shelter them from the heat of the day, the cold of night, or the heavy rains. The town being plundered of every thing valuable, it was set on fire, and reduced to ashes by the morning." Here they remained three days, and then and on their return, about one hundred of the women were ransomed; the remainder were offered for sale