Account of a Voyage of Discovery Part 7

The religion of Loo-choo appears to be that of Fo, said to be introduced by the bodzes one thousand years ago[16]. We found great difficulty in discovering any thing precise on this subject from the natives; but from all that we could gather, religion does not appear to be made a matter of general instruction as in Europe, being left, as in China, to the priests. This we infer from the careless way in which the subject was at all times treated by the natives, and the ignorance which they professed of the forms and ceremonies used in the temples. The bodzes are not respected or esteemed in society; they are prevented from marrying, and are not allowed to eat meat: few people a.s.sociate with them, and even the children turn them into ridicule. On the occasion of the Loo-choo funeral service over the grave of the seaman, the bodzes stood behind, and were not called upon to officiate, the service being entirely performed by Jeeroo.

In the large temple we saw three gilt idols and various pictures; but with the exception of the funeral service just alluded to, we never met with any thing in the least degree resembling a religious ceremony. The bodzes kept the temple clean swept, and took care of the walks and hedges, and this appeared to be their only employment. It is fair to suppose, however, that the occupation of the temple by us may have caused a temporary cessation of their religious observances.

They have large tombs or cemeteries for their dead, being mostly of the Chinese form, viz. that of a horse-shoe. They are formed of stones and mortar, and are covered with a coat of cheenam, (sh.e.l.l lime), which is always kept nicely whitewashed and clean swept: some are more highly finished than others; their size varies from twenty to thirty feet in length, by twelve to fourteen broad. The coffin, when closed, is placed in the vault under the tomb, and is not touched for six or seven years, by which time the flesh is found to have separated and wasted away; the bones are then collected, and put into jars ranged in rows on the inside of the vault. Burning is never used at any stage of the proceedings, nor under any circ.u.mstances. In the course of time, when these vaults become crowded, the vases are removed to houses appropriated to their reception above ground: such must have been the building described by Mr. Clifford in the village near Port Melville. The lower orders, who cannot afford these expensive tombs, take advantage of hollow places in the rocks, which by a little a.s.sistance are made secure vaults. In the cliffs behind the village of Oonting, the galleries cut for the reception of the vases must have been the work of men possessed of power and authority. Not being fully aware what the Chinese customs are with respect to the dead, in ordinary cases, it is impossible for us to say how nearly they resemble those of Loo-choo, but there are certainly some points of resemblance.

From Mr. Clifford's notes on the Loo-choo inscriptions, I have extracted the following particulars.

"A number of carved stones, called by the natives Kawroo, were found at many places, particularly in the groves on the hill. The Kawroo is two feet long, by one wide, and one high; it is excavated a little on the upper part, on which an offering of rice is placed. On the sides of this stone are carved a variety of characters, denoting the rank of the person who makes the offering, as well as the object of his pet.i.tion, together with the date.

"Two of these inscriptions, copied at the time, have since been translated by a gentleman acquainted with the Chinese characters. The first gives an account of a man about to sail for China, in the reign of Kien Lung, the late monarch of that country; this person implores the divine aid in protecting him during his voyage. The other is dated in the twenty-first year of the reign of Kia-King, the present emperor of China, answering to the year 1816, in which we visited Loo-choo. This is an invocation to the deity for success in a literary pursuit.

"Two narrow strips of paper, with characters inscribed on them, which by consent of the natives were taken from a pillar in the temple, and which have since been translated, prove to be invocations, one to the supreme deity, and the other to the evil spirit. The first is on a slip of paper, two feet long, by two inches wide, and contains a supplication for pardon. The latter invocation begins by seven rows of the character symbolical of the Devil. In the upper line there are seven, and in the last one, so that a triangular page is formed of twenty-eight characters, each signifying the Devil; and the prayer itself is written in a narrow perpendicular line underneath; the whole inscription resembling in form a kite with a long tail attached to it."

Polygamy is not allowed in Loo-choo as in China, and the king, it appears, is the only person permitted by law to have concubines; they invariably spoke with horror of the Chinese practice, which allows a plurality of wives, and were much gratified on learning that the English customs in this respect were similar to those of Loo-choo. The women are not treated so well as we were led to expect from the mildness of character in the men, and their liberality of thinking in general. The upper cla.s.ses of women are confined a good deal to their houses, and the lower orders perform much of the hard work of husbandry. We saw them at a distance, in great numbers, carrying loads on their heads. Madera says that the women are not treated with much indulgence, being even restricted from using fans; and that when they are met out of doors by the men, they take no notice of one another, whatever may be the degree of relationship or intimacy subsisting between them. The perseverance with which they kept the women from our sight is curious, and leads us to conjecture that the general practice of the island is to seclude the women at all times. In this respect they differ from the j.a.panese, who are said to allow wives to every stranger. This degree of seclusion does not prevail in China, as we had opportunities of observing at several places never before visited by Europeans. The Chinese account quoted in the Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses, vol. 23, states that the young men and women marry on this island by choice, and not, as in China, by a contract made without any personal knowledge of each other.

We took every opportunity of interrogating them on this subject, but as the question was always evaded, we fear that their practice in this respect is not so praiseworthy as that account would make it appear.

Of their literature we could get but few satisfactory accounts; they say that they have few books in their own language, the greater number on the island being Chinese. The young men of rank are sometimes sent to China to be educated. Jeeroo had been there when a boy. None but the upper cla.s.ses understand the spoken Chinese, and the peasantry are in general ignorant both of the spoken and written Chinese language.

They appear to have no money, and from all we could see or hear, they are even ignorant of its use. Those, however, who have visited China cannot be so ill informed, and yet none of them set any value upon Spanish dollars, or upon any gold coins that we had. Though we were incessantly trying to make out from Madera and the others, what their medium of exchange was, we could never learn any thing distinct upon the subject, nor could they be made to comprehend our questions about money; a difficulty, it may be observed, which we should expect to meet with among people whose only mode of purchase was by barter. The only circ.u.mstance which came to our knowledge bearing at all upon this question, was during the time when the garden was under preparation for the reception of the Alceste's stores; it was then remarked that each of the labourers employed had a little piece of paper stuck in his hair, with a single character written on it; this naturally excited our curiosity, but the inquiries we were enabled to make at that early stage of our knowledge of the language, led to nothing conclusive. Afterwards, when our means in this respect were more ample, we could not recall the circ.u.mstance to the recollection of the chiefs. As these papers were called by the people wearing them, "hoonatee," and as "hoonee" means ship, Mr. Clifford has conjectured that they may have been written pa.s.ses to enable them to enter the gate on the ship's business.

We saw no arms of any kind, and the natives always declared that they had none. Their behaviour on seeing a musket fired certainly implied an ignorance of fire-arms. In a cottage at the north end of the island, we saw a spear which had the appearance of a warlike weapon, but we had every reason to believe that this was used for the sole purpose of catching fish, having seen others not very dissimilar actually employed in this way. They looked at our swords and cutla.s.ses, and at the Malay creeses and spears, with equal surprise, being apparently as little acquainted with the one as with the other. The chiefs carried little case knives in the folds of their robes, or in the girdle, and the lower orders had a larger knife, but these were always of some immediate practical utility, and were not worn for defence nor as ornaments. They denied having any knowledge of war either by experience or by tradition.

We never saw any punishment inflicted at Loo-choo: a tap with the fan, or an angry look, was the severest chastis.e.m.e.nt ever resorted to, as far as we could discover. In giving orders, the chiefs were mild though firm, and the people always obeyed with cheerfulness. There seemed to be great respect and confidence on the one hand, and much consideration and kind feeling on the other. In this particular, more than in any other that fell under our notice, Loo-choo differs from China, for in the latter country we saw none of this generous and friendly understanding between the upper and lower cla.s.ses.

One day when we were drinking tea and smoking pipes with the chiefs, on the top of the hill, a boy began to exhibit feats of tumbling before us; in a short time all eyes were turned towards him, and his modesty caused him to desist. We offered him b.u.t.tons and various things, but he would not resume his tumbling: we then asked Jeema to interfere; he did so, and told the youngster to go on; but he kept his seat, and Jeema became angry, or rather pretended to be so, yet the tumbler sat obstinately still. "Well," said Jeema to us, "what is to be done? It was for his own amus.e.m.e.nt that he began, and probably for his amus.e.m.e.nt he will do so again." The boy, when left alone, in a short time resumed his tumbling.

I mention this to shew Jeema's good sense in not forcing the boy to do that as a task, which he had begun as an amus.e.m.e.nt, and which he had discernment enough to know would be unpleasant for us to witness in any other way. By this treatment of their children, mutual cordiality and freedom of intercourse are encouraged. It was probably owing to this mode of education that the children became at once familiar with us. One day while I was employed sketching the village and trees near the bridge, a boy stopped near me, and without saying any thing, endeavoured to attract my notice by performing various gambols before me. I took no notice of him for some time, but at last looked up and smiled; upon which the boy cried out in perfectly good English, "How do you do? Very well, I thank you;" and ran off, quite delighted at having displayed his proficiency in English.

The chiefs were generally accompanied by one or two of their sons, who took their places near them, and were always put forward when there was any thing curious to be seen. In this way they were encouraged to make themselves acquainted with every thing, and yet nothing could be more respectful or affectionate than they always were. Great pains were taken to form the manners of the children, and we never observed an instance of rudeness in any one of them, though they were as full of life and spirits as the wildest English school-boys. John the Chinaman afforded them much amus.e.m.e.nt: he was a great c.o.xcomb, and therefore fair game for the boys; they used to surround him and pretend to pull his long tail; but they never actually pulled it, but merely teazed him a little, and then ran away. These little traits seem worthy of notice, as they belong to a style of education quite different from what we had seen in China and some other eastern countries, where the children are made to look like men in miniature.

During our intercourse with these people, there did not occur one instance of theft. They were all permitted to come on board indiscriminately; to go into the cabins, store-rooms, and wherever they liked, unattended. At the temple the Alceste's stores of every kind were lying about, as well as the carpenter's and armourer's tools; and in the observatory, the instruments, books, and pencils were merely placed under cover; yet there was not a single article taken away, though many hundreds of people were daily admitted, and allowed to examine whatever they pleased. This degree of honesty is a feature which distinguishes the people of Loo-choo from the Chinese, as well as from the inhabitants of the islands in the South Sea and of the Malay Archipelago; among whom even fear, as was ascertained by Captain Cook and other voyagers, is altogether insufficient to prevent theft. At Loo-choo the people are considerably civilised; but they have few wants, and they appear to be perfectly contented. Honesty is perhaps the natural consequence of such a state of society.

We saw no musical instruments of any kind; they were, however, aware of their use. The natives almost all sing, and we heard several very sweet airs, princ.i.p.ally plaintive: they had many jovial drinking songs, one of which we wrote down from their singing; it was inscribed on a drinking cup, and is as follows:

"Ty'wack koo, tawshoo, shee kackoofing, "Chaw ung, itchee shaw, shooha neebooroo; "Ting shee, you byee, chee taroo shoo ninnee "Nooboo cadsee meesee carra shaw jeeroo "Shing coodee sackee oochee noo shing."

The Chinese characters on the drinking-cup were thus translated in China, "Tywack hoo[17], inspired by a jar of wine, writes an hundred pages of odes or verses without end. At the market town of Chaw-ung[18]

he entered a wine shop to sleep. The Emperor summoned him to appear; in his haste to obey the summons, he forgot to put on his neckcloth, and rushing into the royal presence, exclaimed, 'I am the wine-loving immortal.'"

The Loo-choo dress has been so frequently mentioned, that a brief notice, in recapitulation, will suffice in this place. Their loose robe was generally made of cotton, and of a great variety of colours. The robe of a grown up person was never flowered or printed over with figures, being generally of a uniform colour, though instances occurred of striped cloths being worn by the chiefs. This robe opened in front, but the edges overlapped, and were concealed by the folds, so as to render it difficult to say whether or not the robe was continued all round: the sleeves were about three feet wide: round the middle was bound a belt or girdle about four or five inches wide, always of a different colour from the dress, and in general richly ornamented with wrought silk and gold flowers. The folds of the robe overhang the belt, but not so much as to hide it: the whole of the dress folds easily, and has a graceful and picturesque appearance. The garments worn by the children were often gaudily printed with flowers. In rainy or cold weather, a sort of great coat was worn by the chiefs only, of thick blue cloth, b.u.t.toning in front over the robe, and tighter both in body and sleeves than the other. This cloth resembled the coa.r.s.e cloth used in China; and it looked like woollen manufacture, and may possibly have been originally brought from England. The sandals worn by all ranks were exactly the same; they were formed of straw wrought into a firm mat to fit the sole of the foot, smooth towards the foot, and ragged underneath: a stiff smooth band of straw, about as thick as one's little finger, pa.s.ses from that part of the sandal immediately under the ancle and over the lower part of the instep, so as to join the sandal at the opposite side; this is connected with the foremost part of the sandal by a short small straw cord which comes between the great toe and the next one. The upper cla.s.ses wore stockings of white cotton, not unlike our half stockings, except that they b.u.t.ton at the outside, and have a place like the finger of a glove for the great toe.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GENTLEMAN of LOO CHOO in his CLOAK.]

Their hair is of a jet black, and is kept glossy by juice expressed from a leaf. There is no variety in the fashion of dressing it; it is pulled tight up all round, and is formed at top into a compact knot, so as to conceal the crown of the head, which is shaved; through the knot are thrust two metal pins, one of which has a square point and flowered head consisting of six leaves or divisions: the other pin has one end sharp, and the other shaped like a scoop: the length of these pins is from four to six inches. We did not see the Prince's, as he remained covered during all the time of his visit; but the Chief of high rank, who visited the Alceste on the 23d of September, had the flowered end of one pin studded with precious stones. The higher orders wear, on state occasions, what they called a "hatchee-matchee," which is a kind of turban, apparently made by winding a broad band round a cylinder, in such a way, that a small segment of each fold is shewn at every turn, in front above, and behind below; this is effected by giving a slight diagonal direction to each fold. The lower orders occasionally tie a coloured cloth or handkerchief round the head; this they call "sadjee:"

next the body they wear a thin cotton dress. The men wear no ornaments through their flesh, nor are they tattooed: we saw, indeed, some fishermen who had fish spears marked on their arms, but this does not prevail generally. An etching of these marks is given by Mr. Clifford in the second part of the Vocabulary.

The cattle on this island, which are of a small black breed, are used exclusively for agricultural purposes. Hogs, goats, and poultry, with rice and a great variety of vegetables, form the food of the inhabitants: milk is never used. We saw no geese, so that those left by Captain Broughton most probably did not thrive. They have no sheep nor a.s.ses. Their horses are of a small slight make, and the natives are very fond of riding. We saw no carts or wheeled carriages of any kind, horses being used to carry loads; for this purpose the roads are numerous, and kept in excellent order, being from six to ten feet wide.

Their mode of dressing the ground is neat, and resembles the Chinese, particularly in manuring and irrigating it. This is most attended to where the sugar-cane is cultivated: they have, besides, tobacco, wheat, rice, Indian corn, millet, sweet potatoes, brinjals, and many other vegetables. The fields, which are nicely squared, have convenient walks on the raised banks running round each. Along the sides of the hills, and round the villages, the bamboo and rattan grow to a considerable size. The pine is the most conspicuous tree on the island, growing to a great height and size, which we infer from seeing canoes built with planks several feet wide; the trees, however, near the temple at Napakiang were not above ninety feet high, and from three to four in girt. The banyan-tree of India was seen at several places; the finest one overhung the small temple at Napakiang, which circ.u.mstance led to the enquiry whether, as in India, this tree is held sacred, but we could gain no information on this subject.

In a little plot of ground in the temple garden, Mr. Phillips, purser of the Alceste, sowed mustard-seed, peas, and a variety of other seeds, the natives taking his directions for their culture. Our total ignorance of botany prevented our making any observations on this subject while at Loo-choo; but to supply this deficiency, we collected specimens of every plant at the place. These were preserved between sheets of brown paper, and given afterwards to Mr. Abel, the naturalist of the emba.s.sy, in order to be arranged; but they were subsequently lost, along with the whole of that gentleman's collection.

Of their manufactures it is difficult to speak with certainty. By their own account the silks which they wear are Chinese, but the cotton cloths are made on this and the neighbouring islands; the printed patterns of these are not without elegance. We saw no weaving looms, but as we were only in a few houses, this is not surprising: the webs are thirty-six feet long, and fourteen inches broad. Tobacco-pipes and fans are made at Loo-choo; as well as the sepulchral vases, of which there is a manufactory at Napakiang, from whence they are exported to Oonting, and other parts of the island. Some of the pouches of the chiefs were made of cloth, which they say comes from China; it is exactly like our broad cloth. We tried in vain to learn what goods they send to China in exchange for silks: perhaps sulphur forms a part, which these islands are said to produce, as well as tin. From the number of vessels constantly sailing out and in, it appears that they must have some trade, but our enquiries on this and many other topics, though sedulously pursued, led to nothing satisfactory, owing probably rather to our ignorance of the language, than to any wish on their part to withhold information; because, on topics which had no reference to the royal family or the women, they in general spoke freely.

We had frequent opportunities of seeing their method of making salt, and an account of it may, perhaps, be interesting. Near the sea, large level fields are rolled or beat so as to have a hard surface. Over this is strewn a sort of sandy black earth, forming a coat about a quarter of an inch thick. Rakes and other implements are used to make it of a uniform thickness, but it is not pressed down. During the heat of the day, men are employed to bring water in tubs from the sea, which is sprinkled over these fields by means of a short scoop. The heat of the sun, in a short time, evaporates the water, and the salt is left in the sand, which is sc.r.a.ped up and put into raised receivers of masonry about six feet by four, and five deep. When the receiver is full of the sand, sea water is poured on the top, and this, in its way down, carries with it the salt left by evaporation. When it runs out below at a small hole, it is a very strong brine; this is reduced to salt by being boiled in vessels about three feet wide and one deep. The cakes resulting from this operation are an inch and a half in thickness.

Of the population of this island we know nothing satisfactory: the natives invariably pleaded ignorance themselves; and as we had no precise data, our estimates were made at random, and as they never agreed with each other, they are not worthy of notice. From the south point of this island, to five or six miles north of Napakiang, an extent of sixteen or eighteen miles, the country is highly cultivated, and is almost entirely covered with villages. All round Port Melville too there are populous villages, but the north, north-east and eastern places are thinly peopled, and not cultivated to any extent. We saw nothing like poverty or distress of any kind: every person that we met seemed contented and happy. We saw no deformed people, nor any who bore indications of disease, except a few who were marked with the small-pox.

The style of living of those with whom we a.s.sociated is generous and free; their custom of carrying about their dinner in boxes, and making little pic-nic parties, is peculiarly striking, and they appeared fully sensible of the advantage of bringing people together in this way, and expressed much satisfaction at the ready way in which we fell into a custom from which all formality was dismissed. They shewed, moreover, a good deal of discernment, and could adapt themselves to the character of the particular persons they happened to be in company with, in a manner very remarkable; but this was evidently the result not of cunning, but of correct feelings, and of a polite habit of thinking.

Of their manners, little need be added here to what every page of the narrative will show. It ought to be particularly noticed, however, that they are an exceedingly timorous people, and naturally suspicious of foreigners. A stranger visiting Loo-choo ought therefore to keep these features of their character constantly in mind. By imitating Captain Maxwell's wise plan of treating the natives with gentleness and kindness, and shewing every consideration for their peculiarities, he will stand the best chance of gaining their good-will and confidence.

But if he should betray any impatience, or be at all harsh in treating with them, he may rest a.s.sured that he will lose much time, and in all probability fail at last in his attempts to establish an unreserved and friendly intercourse.

As Loo-choo, however, lies quite out of the track of trading ships, and does not appear to produce any thing of value itself, and as the inhabitants seem indifferent about foreign commodities, and if they wished to possess them are without money to make purchases, it is not probable that this island will be soon revisited.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BRIDGE AT NAPAKIANG.]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 11: We first discovered the meaning of this word by hearing one of the natives apply it to the castle on the chess board: he used the same term when drawings of towers and castles were shewn to him.]

[Footnote 12: The literal translation of the card is "Loo-choo nation, extender of laws, Great Person (called Ko), Heang, bows his head and worships," (the common visiting expression among the Chinese.) It ought to be remarked, that the Prince's name is placed on one corner of the card, which is the most respectful mode that can be used, according to Chinese usage.]

[Footnote 13: See Broughton's Voyage, Book II. Chap. 2. for a very interesting account of the natives of Typinsan, who appear to resemble the people of the Great Loo-choo Island. In Book II. Chap. 3. Captain Broughton gives an account of his visit to Napachan. He was received by the inhabitants with great kindness; they supplied his wants, but objected to his landing, and sent back to the schooner some of the officers who had been sent on sh.o.r.e to examine the town. We found Captain Broughton's account of the people quite accurate.]

[Footnote 14: At Manilla we found that the Great Loo-choo Island was known only by name. There appeared to be no intercourse between the two places.]

[Footnote 15: LIST OF SUPPLIES RECEIVED AT LOO-CHOO BY H.M. SHIPS.

|Alceste. | Lyra. | Bullocks | 19 | 8 | Pigs | 23 | 10 | Goats | 15 | 7 | Fowls | *216 | 102 |*Not including Fish | 29 | 12 |extra supplies Eggs | 920 | 455 |to the officers.

Bags of sweet potatoes | *59 | 27 |*Not including Squashes | 34 | 14 |ditto.

Jars of Samchoo, each containing about | | | fifteen gallons | 6 | 3 | Baskets of oranges | 9 | 4 | Bundles of gingerbread | 8 | 3 | -----------Onions | 16 | 8 | -----------Radishes | 30 | 12 | -----------Celery | 12 | 5 | -----------Garlick | 8 | 4 | -----------Candles | 7 | 3 | -----------Wood | 16 | 8 | Pumpkins | 60 | 30 | Baskets of vermicelli | 7 | 3 | Boxes of sugar | 2 | 1 | Rolls of printed linen | 14 | 7 | Bundles of paper | 6 | 3 | ]

[Footnote 16: See Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses, vol. 23.]

[Footnote 17: A man celebrated in the Tung dynasty for his convivial disposition: he is known in China by the name of Jai-pe.]

[Footnote 18: The town of Chang-ngan in China, near the Great Wall.]

APPENDIX:

CONTAINING

CHARTS