.66

́a small berth about four feet square, where he stows his wife and family, the young ladrones." So great scarcity and distress were produced among the thousands of pirates by the orders of government to cut off all their supplies, that their atrocities at that time perpetrated on the peaceful people, were rather the vindictive effect of long exasperation. During our captivity," says Mr. G., we lived three weeks on caterpillars boiled with rice; in fact, there are very few creatures that they will not eat." And this account will appear less and less incredible in proportion to our acquaintance with the habits and means of living in time of scarcity among the Chinese poor. The pirates were much addicted to gambling, and spent their leisure hours at cards and smoking opium. Such of their captives as were unable to ransom themselves, and volunteers, sustained and increased their numbers. Frequently five, ten, and twenty men of this latter description arrived in one party; some were only vagabonds, but many of them, says Turner, were men of decent appearance, and some even brought money with them. Such were at first allowed to withdraw at pleasure, but latterly the chief refused to permit any to join him for a term less than eight or nine months.

Another curious, but not altogether singular trait of these lawless men, was their reverence for religious or superstitious rites. We find they were ready to ask counsel of their gods in reference to their murderous work, where and when they should rob and murder the innocent and helpless; and they were sincere enough to adhere to the supposed directions even to their loss. It is stated by Turner that the chief on consulting their gods on one occasion, was required to give up his own ship and take a smaller one, with which he complied. The prisoners who united with the pirates were required to go before the idols and swear in a prescribed form to fidelity. From Mr. G. we learn that on a time the fleet anchored before a town which was defended by four mud batteries, and during two days remained perfectly quiet. On the third day, the forts commenced and continued a brisk fire for several hours, while the ladrones returned not a shot, but weighed in the night and dropped down the river. The reason they gave for this procedure was, that the idols had not promised them success. They were very superstitious and consulted their gods on all occasions; if the omens were good, they would undertake the most daring enterprises. In their progress of desolation up the river of which we have spoken, from several small villages they received tribute of dollars, sugar and rice, with a few large pigs roasted whole as offerings to the idols. Every prisoner also on being ransomed, was obliged to present a pig or some fowls, which the priest offered with prayers; it remained before the idols a few hours and was then divided amongst the crew Does not this prove that a sense e of religion is innate in man, and is not wholly eradicated even from the bosoms of the most profligate and cruel? And does it not equally prove that vain man is ever ready to delude himself with the hope of the divine protection and guidance and favor, even in the prosecution of inhuman and detestable wickedness?

CH: REP: VOL. III.

12

In 1807, Mr. Turner estimated the number of vessels under all the piratical flags at 500, and the total of pirates at 25,000 men. But in 1809-10, when their power was at its greatest height, Mr. Glasspoole calculated their force to consist of 70,000 men, navigating 800 large vessels, and 1000 small ones, which included also their row-boats. These estimates appear not to have been ventured at random, but after a repeated enumeration of the six divisions so far as they could be reckoned by squadrons, and smaller detachments under the various flags. This number must also be understood to include all the open pirates which scoured the south and southeastern coasts of China at the time, and which were all under one or another of the flags.. By their numbers and the nature of the country adjacent, they were truly a formidable band; and although not endowed with that valor which characterizes many other desperadoes, yet they were not wholly destitute of courage. They often stood well under attacks from superior forces; yet this may not have been so much owing to their own courage as to the knowledge of their assailants' cowardice. For the ridiculous weakness of the Chinese navy is as well known as is its great numerical strength. There can be little or no just doubt that in point of numbers, the navy of this country has superiority over every other in the world. At the navyyard of this city alone, we have seen during the last autumn and winter not less than twelve or fifteen new men-of-war launched. The preceding year witnessed about the same number; yet none of these remain in port at the year's end, but they are all dispatched to their various stations as guard vessels, or cruisers against the pirates. These vessels are most of them of the smallest class, not exceeding perhaps six or eight guns each; yet the cheapness and dispatch with which they are built is unknown in other countries, and only exceeded by their imperfections. In point of speed, strength, safety, guns, powder, balls, men, officers, tactics and courage, (if indeed the two latter ought to have a name at all in China,) they are so vastly inferior to a modern ship of the line, that scarcely any amount of numbers can make them equal to one such foe.

We will close this account by a word relative to piracy since the great pacification of 1810. Chow Feiheung the conjurer, whose mediation had been used in treating with Paou the chief pirate, was afterwards ornamented by imperial order, with a peacock's feather, and acted many years as a Chinese officer of Macao. He was a great opium eater and opium smuggler, and died miserably. The famous widow of Ching Yih still lives in this city; she is near, sixty years of age, and leads a life of peace, so far as is consistent with keeping an infamous gambling house. The ten thousands of poor wretches who were thus disbanded, were neither annihilated, nor subdued, nor provided thereby with future support beyond their present ill gotten means: and though there has been no such confederacy of pirates subsequent to that event, yet their names and their deeds and their wants continued; and frequent distresses have occasioned frequent piracies. To the present time depredations continue; especially near

Hainan and Fuhkeën. Europeans, who have recently visited the eastern maritime parts of China, have several times been in villages whose inhabitants resort to robbery and piracy, when their other means, if any, of subsistence fail them. In times of scarcity, robberies are frequent, even between this city and Macao. Before the Chinese new year's day, when money is in especial demand, they venture up to this city, and even prowl as land pirates about it, and in its streets; a native friend last winter told us the instances were so frequent of persons being carried off by them for the sake of ransom, that no man could feel himself safe alone in the streets after nine o'clock at night. There are one or more places on this river of so infamous memory, that every Chinese boatman, if the dusk of evening fall around him near that spot, passes with quick and silent-stroke and many a fearful look behind him.

ART. IV. Natural history of China; attention paid to it by the Jesuits, subsequently by Osbeck and others, and by the British embassies; want of information at the present time; notices of the geology of the vicinity of Lintin and Canton.

Before entering upon the examination of the geological features of the country in the vicinity of Canton, it may be proper to take a brief survey of what has been done towards advancing the knowledge of the natural history of China. An empire, embracing within its limits all temperatures and every diversity of soil, must necessarily present a great variety of scenery and productions. Extensive investigation is consequently wanted to ascertain the general outlines of the several branches of its natural history, and patient research to enable us to judge of the actual importance of each. To acquire a correct knowledge of the geology of this country, and of the minerals which are found in its strata, and to exhibit the botany and zoology of China and the modes of agriculture among its inhabitants, together with other collateral branches of inquiry, are subjects so interesting. and useful that they cannot fail to excite the attention of those, who, while they care for the welfare of their own species, delight to contemplate the handiworks of their Creator.

The Jesuits were the first Europeans, except Marco Polo, who made any investigation in this field. For nearly two centuries, these men resided in China, and in the course of their attempts to establish themselves here, they traveled extensively throughout all the provinces. During the reign of Kanghe, a period of sixty-one years, they were permitted to investigate every thing they deemed worthy of notice, and the voluminous works they left, bear testimony to their diligence. Missions were established in all the principal cities and they were ably conducted by men who were well versed in literature, and in the arts and sciences, and who would not have suffered by com

parison with the best scholars of Europe. And what might we expect to find in their works, concerning the natural history of China? Judging by their success in other departments, as topography, history, &c., we might reasonably hope for full and faithful narrations of the vegetable and animal productions and also of the agriculture. Concerning some of the more remarkable productions, as bamboo, tea, &c., we have details of such length as to tire the reader. They were not the men who would let any thing pass by them, which could adorn their pages, or excite the wonder of readers in other countries. But what do we find on perusing their accounts? So far as those descriptions are mere translations of native authors, the defects are not to be charged to the Jesuits. They wished to tell all they could concerning China, and in their desire so to do, recorded many things, which further research would have convinced them were not facts. These exaggerated statements have conspired to create ideal notions of the character, polity, and country of the Chinese, which future travelers, we apprehend, will find erroneous. Among all their remarks on natural history, we do not find a single continued narration of facts, which the author asserts as having come under his own eyes. There was no Linnæus or Cuvier who would be satisfied with faithfully recording the results of his own observation. If such had been the case, the united labors of these fathers' would have presented rich materials, for compiling a work on the natural history of China, but which must now be reserved for others....

In considering the merits and demerits of these writers, however, we must remember, that they lived in an age when the public taste was satisfied with nothing but tales almost beyond the bounds of belief. Their accounts are not more improbable that what we find in Buffon; and these men flourished long before his time. Besides.it was for their interest to portray this country in as favorable an aspect as possible: their situation was such as required all the aid that interesting description could bring. The want of any well digested work on. natural history, also presented itself as a serious obstacle against pursuing the science in a useful way.. If observations were made, how. could they be compared with previous ones, and their relative importance ascertained? This was a hindrance, of which we can hardly have a full conception in the present advanced state of the science. With the want of books the precarious tenure of the establishment of the Jesuits here, may also be adduced as a reason why so few turued their attention to such subjects. Liable every moment to be driven out of the country, the leaders would naturally bend all their energies to secure that which had already been gained and leave others to narrate what was seen. The erroneous ideas concerning the natural history of this country, which have become current among the great mass of readers in the west, is a serious evil, and one which has been occasioned chiefly by the exaggerated statements of these early writers, Every author for the last century, who wished to write concerning China, needed only to open the volumes of the Jesuits, and long descriptions on every subject met his eye. These he wrought into his own

phraseology, and spared not to enlarge or reduce them to suit his own convenience. The consequence is that the same thoughts being presented in many lights and by authors of reputation, are received as accredited truths. An instance of this is found in Malte-Brun's geography, who says on the authority of a member of the Dutch embassy, "that the Chinese farmer yokes his wife and ass together, at the plough;" and this is said in such a manner as to convey the idea that it is a common occurrence; while the instances of such brutality are as rare in China as in Persia or India or any other country in the same state of civilization. Concerning the accounts of the Jesuits in general, we may observe, that when they are satisfactorily proved or disproved, and the truth sifted from the rubbish which surrounds them, they will be found to contain much valuable information. But until they have been carefully compared with renewed investigations, they must be cautiously received.

We will now proceed from the works of the Jesuits, which for the most part were written before the eighteenth century, to consider what has been done by more recent observers. In 1750, Peter Osbeck came to China as chaplain to a Swedish East Indiaman, and made some discoveries in the vicinity of Canton. He was a disciple of Linnæus, and had imbibed his master's love for the works of nature. The freedom allowed to foreigners at that time, enabled him to extend his researches in this hitherto unexplored field to a considerable distance round the city. He collected many plauts in the vicinity of Canton and the anchorage at Whampoa. The remembrance of his zeal and success was perpetuated by Linnæus in the Osbeckia Chinensis; and a friend and assistant was also remembered in the Torenia Asiatica. These we believe are the only instances of any persons who came to China for only a single season, that improved the opportunity to extend the knowledge of its natural history. Other ports, as Shanghae and Amoy were once open to foreigners, but the desire for gain was then so strong as to engross all the time of those who visited them..

From the time of Osbeck till the embassy under Macartney in 1793, we read of none who explored these wide fields. No Tournefort or Pursh was found who would willingly endure the fatigues, and dangers of visiting China from a love of natural history. The embassy under lord Macartney was provided with competent naturalists, and the advantages enjoyed were many; yet the results do not appear to have been considerable. In a journey from Teëntsin to Jěho (Zliehol), and then through Peking to Canton, abundance of opportunities must have been presented to enlarge our knowledge of this country, But the same causes which wil! retard future laborers hindered the rc-. searches of the members of this embassy; the jealousy of the Chinese government prevented them from examining most of the interesting objects which came in their way, while traveling through the country. The works of Staunton and Barrow however contain many valuable. notices of the natural history of China. And if the. embassy did not open a more favorable trade to its projectors, it enabled us to form more,