Borneo and the Indian Archipelago Part 10

(COREA.)

F. M. DELT.

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

The lower orders generally wear a felt hat, but of the same dimensions and shape. The hats of the mandarins are secured on their heads by strings of amber beads and large ivory b.a.l.l.s, and then pa.s.sed under the chin. Rank is denoted by the peac.o.c.k's feather in the hat. The army are distinguished by a tuft of red horsehair stuck in the crown. The respectable part of the inhabitants have several garments; the outer ones are of various colours, but the cut of them extends to all ranks. I can liken it to nothing but a long pinbefore, slit up in front, behind, and at the two sides. Under this they wear other garments, the texture and quality of which, as well as quant.i.ty, depend upon the wealth of the wearer. The sleeves of their dresses are wide and long. In spite of their thick mustachios and long flowing beards, they have the appearance of a very effeminate people.

One evening we saw a large turtle asleep as we pulled along the coast. A Sandwich Islander, belonging to the gig's crew, went in the water and turned him, holding him in this position till a rope was made fast to him, and he was secured. At night we landed on a small island, and we cooked our prize for our supper. I mention it as a proof of the man's dexterity.

Completed our survey of the Quelpart, and stood to the N. E. The next morning we found ourselves close to a labyrinth of islands, not laid down on any chart. The captain named the group after the ship; and, having in three days completed the survey of them, we stood further to the northward and eastward. It would be tedious to detail our surveying operations. We saw the main land of Corea, but did not go on sh.o.r.e; and our provisions getting low, we bore all for the southward. After calling again at Quelpart, where we remained a few days, we made sail for Nangasaki, a seaport town in the empire of j.a.pan.

We were some distance in the offing in sight of the town of Nangasaki, when several boats, gaily decorated with flags of various shades and colours, came out to meet the ship and accompany us to the anchorage.

One of them brought a letter, written in mingled Dutch and French, inquiring from whence and why we came. The bearer, who was a great man in authority, desired the captain to anchor immediately; but this the captain refused, telling him that he should anchor his ship when and where he pleased. We afterwards discovered that these were all government boats, and that they were always placed as a guard upon any ship which visited Nangasaki.

[Ill.u.s.tration: j.a.pANESE BOAT.]

The crews were all dressed alike, in chequered blue and white cotton dresses; the boats are propelled with sculls used as oars, the men keeping time to a monotonous song. Forts, or rather the ghosts of forts, appeared as if raised by magic; they were easily distinguished to be formed out of immense screens of coloured cotton, and they were surrounded by flags and pennons. Although not effective, their effect was good at a distance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: j.a.pANESE.

F. M. DELT.

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS

LONDON; LONGMAN & CO. 1848]

In the evening, a large a.s.sembly of the princ.i.p.al men visited the ship; they wore very loose jackets and trowsers. The jackets reached no lower than the hips, where they were confined by a silk or silver girdle, containing two swords, one somewhat larger than the other. The handles and sheaths of their swords were beautifully inlaid with copper, and j.a.panned in a very peculiar manner. They were very curious to know the name and use of every article which excited their attention, and we were much surprised at their display of so much theoretical knowledge. They particularly admired the touch-hole of our guns, which are fired with the detonating tube. The properties of the elevating screws were minutely examined; and we were inclined to believe that many of our visitors were artificers, sent on board to examine and make notes of every thing new.

The Samarang was the first British man-of-war which had visited Nagasaki since the Phaeton, in 1808. The day after our arrival the chiefs sent off a present of pigs, fowls, and vegetables, but would receive nothing in return.

I accompanied the master to a small island, to make observations.

Several of the great men desired us to return to the ship, but we refused. They appeared greatly annoyed, and drew their hands across their throats, intimating that their heads would be forfeited for their breach of duty. However, seeing that we were determined to remain, they made a virtue of necessity, and consoled themselves by examining our instruments. A laughable occurrence took place while we were on sh.o.r.e.

The cutter was at anchor about ten yards from the beach. Two of the crew having an argument, one of them drew his bayonet, and made a lunge at the other in jest. Observing the natives looking on with amazement, and fancying that the men were engaged in deadly fray, it drew our attention to the scene. They no doubt came to the conclusion that we must be a desperate set of fellows, and killed one another upon the slightest provocation. At all events, this little incident appeared to have a very good effect, as the natives, who had continually been interfering with our observations, now left us, not wishing to be so near to people who were so p.r.o.ne to mischief.

During the whole night we were surrounded by a squadron of boats, which, with lanterns lighted, and drums beating, continually moved round the ship, to intercept any boat leaving it. The captain, finding that the suspicious character of the j.a.panese would prevent any thing like correct surveying, which was the princ.i.p.al object of his visit to Nagasaki, determined upon leaving this inhospitable sh.o.r.e of j.a.pan as soon as possible.

On Sunday the 6th, we weighed, and although the weather was unfavourable, contrived to work out of soundings until 3 P. M., when we made sail for Loo-Choo. At daylight we found ourselves abreast of a burning volcano. Dense clouds of smoke were issuing from a peaked island, about three miles distant. We soon afterwards landed upon an adjacent island, which, to our surprise, also began to smoke.

The day was sultry, and without a breath of air, so that in a short time, the atmosphere we were in became overpowering; at last a fresh breeze sprang up, and the disagreeable sensation wore off. The whole of the islands between Loo-Choo and j.a.pan appear to be volcanic, and at certain seasons of the year they break out in a similar manner to those which we saw. At noon the smoke from the large volcano became lurid; but whether this was the breaking out into flame, or from the rays of the sun pouring down upon the smoke, it was impossible to say, as we were then several miles off. During the whole of the following night we were becalmed, and during that time impelled, by a strong current, towards the volcanic island. Strange noises were heard, and large columns of smoke ascended from the crater, which, from there not being a breath of air, soon enveloped it from our sight. On the following day we again landed upon an island, some little distance to the southward of the volcano, which now vomited flames, ashes, and smoke, during the whole day. The master landed on another of these volcanic islands, but the showers of ashes and suffocating atmosphere soon drove him away.

The captain had finished his observations on the first island where we landed, and we prepared to return on board. Since the morning the swell had got up considerably, causing the surf to break heavily on the rocks.

However, the instruments were safely embarked in the boat; but while the captain was waiting for an opportunity to get in, a surf drove the boat on a shelving rock, and suddenly receding, her stern was dropped so low, while her bow remained fast, that she capsized. Although the officer and men in the boat had to swim for their lives, and were much bruised by being dashed against the rocks by the succeeding surf, fortunately no lives were lost; but all the instruments, to the value of about 150l., went to the bottom, and, no doubt, have since the accident very much puzzled the sharks as to their use, as they often had done the natives of those seas. A signal was hoisted on the summit of the island for the ship to send boats to a.s.sist, and, on their arrival, the gig was baled out, and by sunset we were again on board.

August 18th.--Exchanged numbers with her Majesty's ship Royalist, which was anch.o.r.ed in Napa Kiang harbour (Loo-Choo). At 3 P. M., we anch.o.r.ed alongside of her, impatiently expecting letters by her, and we were not a little depressed at being disappointed. Still we had one comfort, which was that, instead of having brought us, as we expected, three months' provisions, to enable us to continue our survey, she had only fourteen days' provisions for us, which was not more than sufficient to carry us back to Hong Kong. Many and various were the surmises that this recall and alteration of our planned employment gave us; the most prevailing one was that our orders from England were at Hong Kong.

Others supposed that the ship would be hove down, and subsequently condemned; but the rejoicing was universal at the idea that there would be some speedy end to our hardships and vexations.

A day or two after our arrival the captain and senior officers landed, to partake of a dinner given by one of the princ.i.p.al mandarins. They were well plied with soup, fish, fowls, and sam-schoo, being attended on by minor mandarins. After dinner they were escorted through the town, accompanied by a large concourse of natives, who were kept by the police at a respectful distance. One of the mult.i.tude forced his way to join the captain's party, but was forcibly ejected, and preparations made to bamboo him, when, to the captain's surprise, he discovered that the unfortunate culprit was our greatest friend and ally during our visit to the Madjicosima islands. He had been christened Beaufort by our officers, in consequence of his accurate knowledge of all the shoals, bays, deeps, &c. A word from the captain released him, and to the astonishment of the mob, the captain and officers shook him cordially by the hand, and made him walk in their company during the remainder of the day. We did not find out why Beaufort left Pa-tchsu-san, where he appeared to be one of the princ.i.p.al chiefs; while at Loo-Choo he appeared to have no rank whatever. August 21st.--Sailed for Loo-Choo, the Royalist in Company. After looking in at Pa-tschu-san, we made all sail for Hong Kong; but arriving off the island of Botel Tobago, we were annoyed with light airs and calms, varied with squalls and heavy rain.

For several days we were at the mercy of the current, until, at length, we sighted Batan, and steered towards it. The wind still continuing light, the captain went in the gig, which was my boat, on board of the Royalist; and we soon left the Samarang far behind. We landed about three o'clock, and were received by the padre, the governor and his lady being at San Carlos. The commander of the Royalist and two of his officers landed with us, and were much pleased with the hospitality of the old priest. In the course of the evening the governor and his lady returned from San Carlos; we adjourned to his house, where we pa.s.sed the evening. Several dances were performed by the native women; but we did not admire them--they shuffled with their feet, and threw their bodies into anything but graceful postures. At midnight we sat down to an excellent supper, and then returned on board of the Royalist. The following morning the ship was about three miles from the anchorage.

Bidding adieu to our hosts, we pulled on board, and made sail for Hong Kong.

September 8th.--It being calm, the ship's company were permitted to bathe. In a minute all those who could swim were in the water, playing about in every direction round the ship, and enjoying the luxury. While this continued, the man at the mast-head reported a shark close at hand. The word to come in quickly was given by the first lieutenant and all the officers. It required no second call--every one knew why, and swam to the ropes, which were thrown out in every direction. It was touch and go, as the saying is--one of the marines, who was last, was actually touched by the shark, who made at him; but before he could turn to bite, the fellow had jerked himself up out of his reach. It was very fortunate that the man at the mast-head kept so good a look-out, for generally they are more occupied with the gambols of the bathers than looking out for sharks. As it was, many of the swimmers were so unnerved that it was with difficulty they could get out of the danger.

After the men were on board again, the great object was to have revenge upon the animal who had thus put an end to the enjoyment. The shark-hook was baited with a piece of bull's hide, and the animal, who was still working up and down alongside the ship, hoping that he would still pick up a marine I presume, took the bait greedily, and was hauled on board. The axe was immediately at work at his tail, which was dismembered, and a score of knives plunged into his body, ripping him up in all directions. His eyes were picked out with fish-hooks and knives, and every indignity offered to him. He was then cut to pieces, and the quivering flesh thrown into the frying-pans, and eaten with a savage pleasure which we can imagine only to be felt by cannibals when devouring the flesh of their enemies. Certainly, if the cannibal nations have the same feeling towards their enemies which sailors have against sharks, I do not wonder at their adhering to this custom, for there was a savage delight in the eyes of every seaman in the ship as they a.s.sisted to cut to pieces and then devour the brute who would have devoured them. It was the madness of retaliation--an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

September 14th.--Arrived at Hong Kong, where we found the Castor, Vixen, and Espiegle. The next day the Agincourt, Daedalus, Vestal, and Wolverine, arrived from Borneo, having been engaged with the pirates of Maludu Bay. The squadron had suffered a loss of one officer and eighteen men killed, and about double the number wounded. This heavy loss was occasioned by their having to cut through a large boom which the pirates had thrown across the creek within half pistol shot of their forts. But the official reports of Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane have already been published, and I need not, therefore, enter into further particulars.

One incident is, perhaps, worthy of notice, as it shows the respect invariably paid by the British officers and seamen to a brave enemy, although a pirate. The colours from the pirates' fort had been twice shot away, when, to the surprise of the boat squadron, a native was seen to ascend, without regard to our fire, and nail the colours to the flagstaff. Instead of taking aim at him, he was enthusiastically cheered by the seamen; and, as if with one consent, the muskets were all dropped, and the firing discontinued until he had again got down under cover, and was safe. The boom being at length severed, the fort in a few minutes was in our possession. Our late first lieutenant, Mr. Heard, who had left our ship, in consequence of the treatment he received from the captain, was wounded in this attack. Mr. Wade was the first lieutenant who sailed from England in the Samarang, and who also left us, not being able to put up with the treatment he received. It is singular that poor Mr. Wade should be killed so soon after he left the ship, and that his successor, Mr. Heard, as soon as he also left us, should have been wounded. But these were not the only officers who had quitted the ship: Lieutenant Inglefield, who joined the ship as a.s.sistant-surveyor, was, like most of the other officers, soon under an arrest; and after having had a report spread against him that he was mad, he determined to leave the ship, and obtained his Admiralty discharge. The second master, appointed by the Admiralty as one of the a.s.sistant-surveyors, also left the ship, but was compelled to join again.

A court-martial was now held on board of the Castor, to inquire into the conduct of Lieutenant Heard (our late first lieutenant), during the time that he served under Sir Edward Belcher. The court-martial had been demanded by Lieutenant Heard, in consequence of Sir Edward Belcher having written a private letter to Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, accusing Mr. Heard of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The whole of the officers of the Samarang were subpoenaed, and there is no doubt what the result of the court-martial would have been; but the court was broken up on the plea that the charges were not _sufficiently specific_, as neither date nor circ.u.mstances were specified. Before the court broke up, however, they did so far justice to Lieutenant Heard, as to return his sword, and state that there was not the slightest stain upon his character, and that he was honourably acquitted. The reader may perhaps ask, why the court was dissolved? It was to save the honour of the cloth, that the court, composed of captains, came to that decision. Had the court-martial proceeded, what would it have proved?--that a superior officer had been guilty of slander, and had attempted by this means to ruin a most excellent officer. The court declared that the charges were not sufficiently specific. Surely, they were plain enough. Lieutenant Heard was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman--a charge sufficient to dismiss him the service, if it could have been proved. But let us reverse this case: suppose that Lieutenant Heard had thus slandered Sir Edward Belcher. Would the court of captains then have discovered that the charges were not sufficiently specific? Most certainly not. The trial would have proceeded, and the lieutenant, for making such false charges in a private letter, would have been dismissed with ignominy from the service.

November 1st.--Sailed from Hong Kong, after a detention of some days, in consequence of a row between Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane and our gallant captain; the admiral, as we understood, refusing to allow the Samarang to leave the port until Sir Edward Belcher had apologised for his insubordination towards him. After a detention of a few days, the apology was forced from Sir Edward Belcher, and we were permitted to get under weigh. Of course, I cannot exactly vouch for the correctness of this statement, but such was the _on dit_ of the day. On the second we experienced a heavy gale, and the Royalist, who was with us as a tender, parted company. After a weary beat of nineteen days, we arrived at Batan, the capital of the Bashee islands; but I have already described this place. We remained here eight days, anxiously expecting the Royalist, but she did not make her appearance, and we concluded that she must have received some injury in the gale, and had borne up for Manilla. We sailed for that place, and arrived there on the 2d of December. Our conjectures relative to the Royalist were correct: she was here at anchor, having crippled her foremast in the gale, so as to render it necessary for her to bear up for this port.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SALT SMUGGLERS.]

We had always enjoyed ourselves at this place. During our repeated visits we had made many acquaintances and friends, and it was with no small pleasure that we found that we were to remain here till the first day of the new year.

It is the custom at Manilla for the inhabitants to throw most of their houses open on that day: any one may enter, and be sure of a hearty welcome from the hospitable Spaniards. We antic.i.p.ated great pleasure,-and we did nothing but talk about it, as our last Christmas Day had been a most dreary one, and we were delighted at the idea of pa.s.sing this one among hospitable and civilised people. The reader may therefore imagine our disgust and vexation when, on the 23d, without our having the least notice of his intention, the captain gave orders for the anchor to be weighed, and ran the ship down to Caviti, a town about seven miles distant. Caviti was deserted; all the inhabitants had gone to Manilla to enjoy the holidays; not a soul remained to welcome us; but if they had, it would have been of no good to us, as, on Christmas morning, about two o'clock, we were almost all of us sent on sh.o.r.e to take a set of magnetic observations, which were not completed until the same hour on the following day. At the same time, to make "a.s.surance doubly sure" that we should have no pleasure on that day, leave was stopped to all those remaining on board of the ship. I will not enter further into this affair. All I shall say is, that Christmas Day, the day of rejoicing, the day of good-will, was turned into one in which the worst pa.s.sions were roused, and in which "curses not loud but deep" were levelled at the head of the man who, "dressed in a little brief authority," took this opportunity of exercising the power entrusted to him. After completing the observations, we moved further down the Bay, and surveyed the shoals of St. Nicholas; after which we returned to Manilla, where all gaiety had ceased.

Caviti was once a place of great importance, having been the capital of Luzon, from whence the galleons conveyed the treasure to Spain. The a.r.s.enal still remains, but in a very dilapidated state: we found the artificers busily employed completing some gun-boats and small schooners, which were intended to accompany the Esperanza, Spanish frigate, in an expedition to an island off Borneo, where the Esperanza had latterly sustained a defeat from the pirates who inhabited the island.

At Caviti lie the remains of an old Spanish galleon, one of the few which had the good fortune to escape Commodore Anson. The whole of one side of the vessel is gone, and she is now fast falling to pieces, but the Spaniards look upon her with great reverence. She is a relic of their former grandeur; and I was informed by a Spanish gentleman that she never would be broken up. I looked upon her, if not with reverence, at least with sympathy; and as I made a sketch of her my thoughts naturally turned to the rise and fall of empires, and I communed with myself as to what would be the date in which England would be in the same position as modern Spain, and fall back upon her former glories by way of consolation for her actual decay.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPANISH GALLEON.]

On our arrival at Manilla, whether it was that the captain thought that we might too readily console ourselves for our Christmas disappointment, or that he had heard (which I doubt not was the case) the expressions of disgust which had been so universal, we found that all leave was stopped. A few of us, not relishing this confinement without just cause, made our appearance on sh.o.r.e in plain clothes; for we had become reckless. We could but be turned out of the ship and out of the service: we longed for the first most especially, and were not alarmed at the prospect of the second. But although the captain was very willing to oblige us with the latter as soon as he had done with us, upon the paying off of the ship, he was not at all inclined to enter into our views as to the former; for he knew that he never would get another officer to join him. He therefore took all the work he could out of us for the present, bottling up his indignation for a future opportunity.

We visited the cigar manufactory. About three thousand women are daily employed in making and packing up the cigars. One party selects, cleans, and moistens the leaf; a second cuts; a third rolls; another packs them; and thus they are pa.s.sed through a variety of hands before they are completed. The best cheroots made here are sent to the royal family, and are called Finas. No. 3. are the next best: of these there are two kinds--one for consumption, another for exportation. The cheroots sold in England under the name of Government Manillas are of inferior quality. In consequence of the failure in the preceding tobacco crop, cheroots were very scarce during the time we were at Manilla.

There is a fine lace sold at Manilla, called Pina-work. It is made by the women of an island bearing that name, which is close to Luzon.

Although not so fine as some of the European manufactures, it fetches very high prices in this country. There is not sufficient made for exportation.

The night on which we went on sh.o.r.e contrary to orders proved to be a festival, and the city was illuminated. There is a variety in illuminations all over the world, as those who have been to various countries well know. The lower cla.s.ses of Manilla construct animals of all sorts, ships, &c. out of coloured paper--very good imitations of the reality--and these they illuminate by putting candles within them. We had amused ourselves with looking at the variety of objects exhibited by the various whims of the illuminating parties, when, on pa.s.sing through a street, we observed a large illuminated pig--such a beauty! He was standing at the door of a shop, and the owner was quite proud of our unqualified admiration. We examined him very carefully, and at last we unfortunately discovered that he was fixed on a board with four wheels.

Wheels naturally reminded us that they were vehicles of locomotion; the pig could move--that was certain--and we decided that, if possible, pig must go on board of the Samarang. This was agreed to, _nem. con._, by all parties, with the exception of the owner, who was not summoned to the consultation, which, I grant, was an omission. A ball of twine, some fifty fathoms long, was purchased, and stretched along the street, so as to give us a good start in case of a rescue. We manned it with all hands except one, who was appointed to make it fast to the pig, which he effected with great dexterity, and without being perceived. As soon as he rejoined us, off we set, followed by pig, who galloped and capered down the streets in capital style, preserving his equilibrium in a most astonishing manner.

But the owner of the pig soon discovered his loss, and gave the signal for the chase. As we pa.s.sed the gates, the soldiers joined in the pursuit, and a large mob followed; but pig beat them all, and arrived safely at the hotel where we resided. Of course, the owner soon came in to claim his property; but he was so n.o.bly remunerated for his animal, which became ours by purchase, that he went away jingling the money, and agreeing with us that it was an excellent joke. We placed our pig in the centre of the table, and pa.s.sed our last night at Manilla in a most agreeable manner.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NATIVES OF LUZON.

F. M. DELT.

M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]

We then sailed again for Caviti, which was now again inhabited. The society is confined to the families of the civil and military officers who are stationed there. Some of the villages in the vicinity of Caviti are very picturesque: the bamboos planted on each side of the road meet over head, and form shady lanes. The women at these villages were handsomer than any I had seen at Luzon, and were dressed very tastefully. A petticoat, reaching from the hips to between the knees and ankles, a not too jealous boddice of light muslin, their long hair flowing down their backs, and a neat straw hat, composed as graceful a costume as I have ever witnessed. See two of these girls, both riding one pony, taking eggs to Caviti, as they pa.s.s through the shady lanes, and you cannot desire a more agreeable picture.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WATER CARRIERS--MANILLA.]

January 3rd.--From this day till the 20th of February we were surveying various portions of the Phillippine group; but as there is nothing to interest the reader, I shall pa.s.s over a dry catalogue of mostly uninhabited islands. One of the islands was covered with cocoa-nut trees. We found on it some Malays, who had come there on an annual visit, and were loading their boats with the nuts. They were the rudest of the Malay tribe we had yet seen. Every article in our possession excited their cupidity, and they expressed their wonder and admiration by clacking their tongues against the roofs of their mouths, and emitting a very strange sound. A needle was valued by them at ten cocoa-nuts, a b.u.t.ton at five. For the value of a few shillings we filled the ship with those highly esteemed fruit. On the 21st of February we proceeded to Samboangan, a Spanish penal settlement at the south extremity of Mindanao. The town, which is insignificant, is built on a plain. Most of the houses are constructed of leaves and bamboo, supported by stakes. The governor, however, and some of the most respectable of the inhabitants, occupy neat little white-washed cottages. There is a fine fort, in good condition, and mounting several guns, which is garrisoned by about 400 Manilla troops.

The town is surrounded nearly by groves of cocoa-nut trees and bananas, and the roads cut through them form pleasant shady walks. The plain on which the town is built is well cultivated, and watered by a fine river.