Account of a Voyage of
Discovery to the West Coast of Corea, and the Great Loo-Choo
Island;
With an Appendix, Containing
Charts, and Various Hydrographical and Scientific Notices.
By
Captain Basil Hall,
Royal
Navy, F.R.S. Lond. & Edin.
Member
of The Asiatic Society Of Calcutta, of The Literary Society Of
Bombay, and of
The Society of Arts and Sciences at Batavia.
And
a Vocabulary of the Loo-Choo Language,
By
H.J. Clifford, Esq.
Lieutenant
Royal Navy.
London
John
Murray, Albemarle-Street.
1818.
Chapter
I.
H.M.S.
Alceste
and Lyra leave the
Yellow Sea on a
Voyage of Discovery—Sir James Hall's Group on the Coast of
Corea—Unsociable Character
of the Natives—Hutton's Island—Interesting geological
Structure—Anchor near the
Main Land—Corean Chiefs Visit—Objections made to Strangers
landing—Distress of
the Chief—His Character—Departure from Basil's Bay—Clusters of
Islands—Murray's
Sound—Deserted Corean Village—View from the Summit of a high
Peak—Interview
with the Coreans—Peculiarities of their
Character—Language—Erroneous
geographical Position of this Coast—Leave Corea.
The embassy to China, under
the Right Honourable Lord Amherst, left England in his Majesty's
frigate Alceste,
Captain Murray Maxwell, C.B., on
the 9th of February, 1816, and landed near the mouth of the
Pei-ho river, in
the Yellow Sea, on the 9th of August. Shortly afterwards the Alceste and Lyra sloop of war, which had accompanied the
embassy, proceeded to
the coast of Corea, the eastern boundary of the Yellow Sea; for
as these ships
were not required in China before the return of the Embassador
by land to
Canton, it was determined to devote the interval to an
examination of some
places in those seas, of which little or no precise information
then existed.
The following pages give the details of this voyage.
1st of September.—This
morning at daylight the land of Corea was seen in the eastern
quarter. Having
stood towards it, we were at nine o'clock near three high
islands, differing in
appearance from the country we had left, being wooded to the
top, and
cultivated in the lower parts, but not in horizontal terraces as
at the places
we had last visited in China. We proceeded to the southward of
the group, and
anchored in a fine bay at the distance of two or three miles
from the southern
island. Shortly after anchoring, a boat came from the shore with
five or six natives,
who stopped, when within fifty yards of the brig, and looking at
us with an air
of curiosity and distrust, paid no attention to the signs which
were made to
induce them to come alongside. They expressed no alarm when we
went to them in
our boat; and on our rowing towards the shore, followed us till
we landed near
a village. The inhabitants came in a body to meet us, forming an
odd
assemblage, different in many respects from any thing we had
seen; their colour
was a deep copper, and their appearance forbidding, and somewhat
savage. Some
men, who appeared to be superior to the rest, were distinguished
by a hat, the
brim of which was nearly three feet in diameter, and the crown,
which was about
nine inches high, and scarcely large enough to admit the top of
the head, was
shaped like a sugar-loaf with the end cut off. The texture of
this strange hat
is of a fine open work like the dragon-fly's wing; it appears to
be made of
horse-hair varnished over, and is fastened under the chin by a
band strung with
large beads, mostly black and white, but occasionally red or
yellow. Some of
the elderly men wore stiff gauze caps over their hair, which was
formed into a
high conical knot on the top of the head. Their dress consisted
of loose wide
trowsers, and a sort of frock reaching nearly to the knee, made
of a coarse
open grass cloth, and on their feet neat straw sandals. They
were of the middle
size, remarkably well made, and robust looking. At first they
expressed some
surprise on examining our clothes, but afterwards took very
little interest in
any thing belonging to us. Their chief anxiety was to get rid of
us as soon as
possible. This they expressed in a manner too obvious to be
mistaken; for, on
our wishing to enter the village, they first made motions for us
to go the
other way; and when we persevered, they took us rudely by the
arms and pushed
us off. Being very desirous to conciliate them, we shewed no
impatience at this
treatment; but our forbearance had no effect; and after a number
of vain
attempts to make ourselves understood, we went away not much
pleased at their
behaviour. A Chinese [1], who accompanied us, was of no use, for
he could not
read what the Coreans wrote for him, though in the Chinese
character; and of their
spoken language he did not understand a word.
On leaving these unsociable
villagers, we went to the top of the highest peak on the island,
the ascent
being easy by a winding foot-path. From this elevation we saw a
number of
islands to the eastward, and the main land at a great distance
beyond them. The
top of the hill being covered with soft grass and sweet-smelling
shrubs, and
the air, which had been of a suffocating heat below, being here
cool and
refreshing, we were tempted to sit down to our pic-nic dinner.
We returned by
the other side of the hill; but there being no path, and the
surface rocky and
steep, and covered with a thick brushwood, we were not a little
scratched and bruised
before we reached a road which runs along the north face of the
hill about
midway. By following this, we came to a spot from whence we were
enabled to
look down upon the village, without being ourselves perceived by
the natives.
The women, who had deserted the village on our landing, had now
returned; most
of them were beating rice in wooden mortars, and they had all
children tied on
their backs. On a sudden they quitted their work and ran off to
their huts,
like rabbits in a warren; and in a few minutes we saw one of the
ship's boats
row round the point of land adjacent to the village, which
explained the cause
of their alarm. After remaining for some time in expectation of
seeing the
women again, we came down to the village, which the natives now
permitted us to
pass through. On this occasion one of the gentlemen of our party
saw, for an
instant, a woman at no great distance, whose feet he declared
were of the
natural size, and not cramped as in China. The village consists
of forty houses
rudely constructed of reeds plaistered with mud, the roofs are
of all shapes,
and badly thatched with reeds and straw, tied down by straw
ropes. These huts
are not disposed in streets, but are scattered about without
order, and without
any neatness, or cleanliness, and the spaces between them are
occupied by piles
of dirt and pools of muddy water. The valley in which this
comfortless village is
situated is, however, pretty enough, though not wooded; the
hills forming it
are of an irregular shape, and covered at top with grass and
sweet-scented
flowers; the lower parts are cultivated with millet, buckwheat,
a kind of
French bean, and tobacco, which last grows in great quantity;
and here and
there is a young oak-tree.
We saw bullocks and
poultry, but the natives would not exchange them for our money,
or for any
thing we had to offer. They refused dollars when offered as a
present, and,
indeed, appeared to set no value upon any thing we shewed them,
except wine
glasses; but even these they were unwilling to receive. One of
the head men appeared
particularly pleased with a glass, which, after a good deal of
persuasion, he
accepted, but, in about five minutes after, he, and another man
to whom a
tumbler had been given, came back and insisted upon returning
the presents; and
then, without waiting for further persuasion, returned to the
village, leaving
with us only one man, who, as soon as all the rest were out of
sight, accepted
one of the glasses with much eagerness.
These people have a proud
sort of carriage, with an air of composure and indifference
about them, and an
absence of curiosity which struck us as being very remarkable.
Sometimes when
we succeeded, by dint of signs and drawings, in expressing the
nature of a
question, they treated it with derision and insolence. On one
occasion, being
anxious to buy a clumsy sort of rake made of reeds, which
appeared to me
curious, I succeeded in explaining my wish to the owner, one of
the lowest
class of villagers; he laughed at first good humouredly, but
immediately
afterwards seized the rake which was in my hand, and gave it a
rude push
towards me with a disdainful fling of the arm, accompanying this
gesticulation
by words, which seemed to imply a desire to give any thing upon
condition of
our going away. One man expressed the general wish for our
departure, by holding
up a piece of paper like a sail, and then blowing upon it in the
direction of
the wind, at the same time pointing to the ships, thereby
denoting that the
wind was fair, and that we had only to set sail and leave the
island. Several
of the people were marked with the small-pox. The children kept
out of our
reach at first, but before we went away, their fears had, in
some degree,
subsided, for the boys, who, from their feminine appearance,
were mistaken at
first for girls, accompanied us to some distance from the
village.
Captain Maxwell named these
islands Sir James Hall's group, in compliment to the President
of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh. They lie in longitude 124º 46' E. and
latitude 37º 50' N.
At eight o'clock in the
evening we weighed and stood to the southward, but as the coast
was quite
unknown, we kept rather off shore during the night, and in the
morning no land
was in sight. On the 2d we stood to the eastward, but not having
daylight
enough to get in with the coast, it became necessary to anchor
for the night,
though in deep water.
3d of September.—Having
reached nearly lat. 36-1/3 N. and long. 126 E. we sailed this
morning amongst a
range of islands extending as far as the eye could reach, both
to the southward
and northward, at the distance of six or seven leagues from the
main land. By
two o'clock we were close to the outer cluster of the islands,
and the passages
appearing clear between them, we sailed through and anchored
inside. While
passing one of these islands in the ships, at no great distance,
it looked so
curiously formed, that, on anchoring, we went in the boats to
examine its
structure more minutely [2]. While we were thus engaged, the
natives had
assembled in a crowd on the edge of the cliff above us; they did
not seem
pleased with our occupation of breaking their rocks, for, from
the moment we
landed, they never ceased to indicate by shouts, screams, and
all kinds of
gesticulations, that the sooner we quitted the island the
better; the cliff
being 200 feet high, and nearly perpendicular, it was fortunate
for us that
they confined themselves to signs and clamour, and did not think
of enforcing
their wishes by a shower of stones.
As soon as we had completed
our investigation of this spot, we went round in the boats to a
small bay where
there was good landing. Here we were met by the natives, who
addressed several
long speeches to us in a very loud tone of voice; to which we
replied in
English, that our wish was merely to look at the island, without
interfering with
any body; at the same time we proceeded up a foot-path to the
brow of a hill.
This the natives did not seem at all to relish, and they made
use of a sign which
was sufficiently expressive of their anxiety, though we could
not determine
exactly to whom it referred. They drew their fans across their
own throats, and
sometimes across ours, as if to signify that our going on would
lead to heads
being cut off; but whether they or we were to be the sufferers
was not
apparent. It was suggested by one of our party that they dreaded
being called
to account by their own chiefs for permitting us to land. All
these signs,
however, did not prevent our advancing till we had reached the
brow of the hill
to which the path led; from this place we had a view of a
village at the
distance of half a mile, of a much better appearance than that
above described.
Trees were interspersed among the houses, which were pleasantly
situated at the
bottom of a little cove, with fishing-boats at anchor near it.
We explained
readily enough that our wish was to go to the village, but it
was all in vain,
for their anxiety increased every moment, and we desisted from
any further
attempts to advance.
The dress of these people
is a loose white robe, cloth shoes, and a few wear the broad
hats before
described; by most the hair is tied in a high conical knot on
the top of the
head, but by others it is allowed to fly loose, so as to give
them a wild
appearance. Some confine the short hair by a small gauze band
with a star on
one side, forming, along with the top knot, rather a becoming
head-dress. Their
beards and whiskers which, apparently, had never been cut, and
their fans and
long tobacco-pipes, and their strange language and manners, gave
a grotesque
air to the whole group, which it is impossible to describe. They
crowded about
us, and, by repeated shouts, manifested their surprise at the
form and texture
of our clothes; but on a watch being shewn, they disregarded
every thing else,
and entreated to be allowed to examine it closely. It was
evidently the first
they had seen, and some of them while watching the second-hand,
looked as if
they thought it alive. From the watch they proceeded to examine
the seals and
keys; with the former they shewed themselves acquainted by
pressing them on
their hands, so as to cause an impression. Their attention was
drawn away from
the watch by our firing a musket, which made the whole party
fall back several
paces.
After amusing ourselves in
this manner for some time, we walked back to the boats, to the
great joy of the
natives, who encouraged us by all means to hasten our departure.
They took our
hands and helped us over the slippery stones on the beach; and,
on perceiving
one of the boats aground, several of them stript and jumped into
the water to
push her off. This gave us an opportunity of observing their
remarkable
symmetry and firmness of limb; yet, as their long hair was
allowed to flow
about their neck and shoulders, their appearance was truly
savage. During this visit
we saw no women; but the children came round us without shewing
any symptoms of
fear. The people, upon the whole, are more free, and not so
surly as our
acquaintance on Sir James Hall's group. They have a singular
custom of speaking
with a loud tone, amounting almost to a shout. Captain Maxwell
named this
island after Dr. Hutton the geologist.
4th of September.—During
all last night it remained perfectly calm. At nine o'clock in
the morning we
got under weigh with a fine sea breeze, and stood in for the
land, leaving on
either hand many well cultivated islands. The main land seems to
be populous,
from the number of large villages which we passed, and the
cultivation which
extends a considerable way up the mountains. Our object this
morning was to discover
some safe anchoring place in the main land, but we were obliged
to coast along
for a considerable distance before any opening appeared. About
three o'clock we
sailed round a point of land and discovered a bay, which, at
first sight,
promised shelter, but the water proved too shallow even for the
Lyra, and we anchored
far out in five
fathoms. The natives who had assembled in crowds on the point
shouted to us as
we passed, in seeming anger at our approaching so near. This bay
is about four
miles in diameter, and is skirted by large villages built
amongst trees, and
surrounded by cultivated districts, forming altogether a scene
of considerable
beauty.
As soon as the Alceste had anchored,
Captain Maxwell,
Mr. Clifford, and I, went towards the nearest village in the
bay. On
approaching the shore we observed a great bustle among the
inhabitants on the
shore, as well as in the boats at anchor off the village. The
people on the
beach hastily jumped into canoes, whilst those in the large
boats weighed the anchors,
and pulled out with such expedition, as to meet us in a body
before we were
near the landing-place. Every boat was crowded with people, and
ornamented with
numerous flags and streamers; but one of them being
distinguished by a large
blue umbrella, we steered towards it, on the supposition that
this was an
emblem of rank; in which opinion we were soon confirmed by the
sound of music,
which played only on board this boat. On coming closer, we saw a
fine
patriarchal figure seated under the umbrella; his full white
beard covered his
breast, and reached below his middle; his robe or mantle, which
was of blue
silk, and of an immense size, flowed about him in a magnificent
style. His
sword was suspended from his waist by a small belt, but the
insignia of his
office appeared to be a slender black rod tipped with silver,
about a foot and a
half long, with a small leather thong at one end, and a piece of
black crape
tied to the other: this he held in his hand. His hat exceeded in
breadth of
brim any thing we had yet met with, being, as we supposed,
nearly three feet
across.
As this was evidently the
chief of the party, we pulled alongside and got into his boat,
where he
received us with much politeness; but as he looked dissatisfied
at this
proceeding, we returned to our own boat, and there carried on
the conference.
While we were endeavouring to make ourselves understood, the
other boats
gradually separated, and began to form a circle round us.
Apprehending
treachery, we prepared our arms, and pushed off to a little
distance. The old
gentleman, perceiving this, looked about very innocently to
discover the cause
of our alarm; and at length being made aware by our signs of
what was the
matter, he commanded all the boats to go to the other side. We
now remained a considerable
time without being able to make ourselves understood; for the
Chinese whom we
had with us was quite ignorant of their language. We
endeavoured, by pointing
to the shore, to signify our desire to land, while the old
Chief, by similar
signs, expressed his wish to go to the ships. We accordingly
rowed to the Lyra,
which lay nearer to the shore than
the Alceste. When the
Chief's boat
was within ten yards of the brig, they let go their anchor, and
threw a rope on
board her, by which they drew the boat alongside in a very
seaman-like style.
The old man did not find it an easy matter to get up the ship's
side,
encumbered as he was with his splendid robes; he was no sooner
on board,
however, than we were crowded with the natives, who boarded us
on all sides.
Some climbed up the rigging, so as to overlook the quarter-deck;
others got on
the poop, and a line was formed along the hammock netting from
one end of the
brig to the other. As the evening was fine, it was thought best
to entertain
the venerable Chief upon deck, rather than give him the trouble
of going down
to the cabin, which, indeed, we had reason to fear would prove
too small for
the party. Chairs were accordingly placed upon the deck; but the
Chief made
signs that he could not sit on a chair, nor would he consent for
a time to use
his mat, which was brought on board by one of his attendants. He
seemed
embarrassed and displeased, which we could not at the moment
account for,
though it has since occurred to us that he objected to the
publicity of the
conference. At length, however, he sat down on his mat, and
began talking with
great gravity and composure, without appearing in the smallest
degree sensible that
we did not understand a single word that he said. We of course
could not think
of interrupting him, and allowed him to talk on at his leisure;
but when his
discourse was concluded, he paused for our reply, which we made
with equal
gravity in English; upon this he betrayed great impatience at
his harangue
having been lost upon us, and supposing that we could, at all
events, read, he
called to his secretary, and began to dictate a letter. The
secretary sat down
before him with all due formality, and having rubbed his cake of
ink upon a
stone, drawn forth his pen, and arranged a long roll of paper
upon his knee,
began the writing, which was at length completed, partly from
the directions of
the Chief, and partly from his own ideas, as well as the
occasional suggestions
of the bystanders. The written part was then torn off from the
scroll and
handed to the Chief, who delivered it to me with the utmost
confidence of its
being understood: but his mortification and disappointment were
extreme on
perceiving that he had overrated our acquirements [3].
A debate now appeared to
take place between the Chief and his followers, as to the mode
of communicating
with us; meanwhile, as we ourselves were equally at a loss, we
became anxious
to relieve the old man's embarrassment, by shewing him all the
attention in our
power, and completely succeeded in putting him into a good
humour, by giving
him some cherry brandy, and distributing rum to his people.
While these attempts at
explanation were going on, the crowd of natives increased, and
their curiosity
became so great, that they pressed round us in a way nowise
agreeable. Some of
them roved about the ship, and appeared highly entertained with
every thing
they saw. The Chief himself, however, did not appear at ease,
but continued
giving directions to his officers and people about him with an
air of impatience.
He more than once ordered them all into their boats, but they
always returned
after a few minutes. One man persevered in climbing over the
hammocks, close to
the Chief, to see what was going on. The noise made to keep him
back attracted
the Chief's attention, who immediately gave orders to one of the
attendants for
his being taken away; it will be seen by and by what was his
fate.
The persons forming the
suite of the Chief were dressed nearly in the same manner as
himself, excepting
that their robes were white, and did not contain such a
profusion of cloth.
They wore the large hats and wide trowsers tied above the ancle,
with cotton
shoes turned up a little at the toe. The immediate attendants,
who seemed also
to be soldiers, were differently clothed: over a loose pink
frock with wide
sleeves, they have another which fits closer, and is without
sleeves, the
corners being tucked up, like the skirts of some military
uniforms. Their hat
is a broad flat cone made of thick grass, the under part being
embossed with
different coloured silks, and from a gilt ornament on the peak
there hangs a
tassel made of peacock's feathers, and another of hair dyed red:
some are armed
with bows and arrows, others with only a straight sword, having
no guard for
the hand. A coarse frock without sleeves, and trowsers, or
rather drawers,
covering the thigh, are worn by the lower orders.
It was nearly dark when the
Chief gave directions for preparing the boats, at the same time
calling to two
of his attendants to assist him to get on his legs. Each took an
arm, and in
this way succeeded in raising him up, which was no sooner
observed by the
people, than they jumped into their boats with the utmost
alacrity, and the
Chief, after many bows and salams, walked into his boat. This
did not give him
so much trouble as he had experienced on coming on board, for a
platform of gratings
and planks had been prepared for his accommodation during his
visit, an
attention with which he seemed much pleased. So far all seemed
well; but there
was still something amiss, for the old man, seated in state
under his umbrella,
remained alongside with his attendants ranged on the deck about
him, he and his
people preserving the most perfect silence, and making no signs
to explain his
wishes. We were greatly puzzled to discover what the old
gentleman wanted, till
at length it was suggested, that having paid us a visit, he
expected a similar
compliment in return. This idea was no sooner started, than we
proceeded to pay
our respects to him in his boat. He made signs for us to sit
down, honouring us
at the same with a corner of his own mat. When we were seated,
he looked about
as if in distress at having nothing to entertain us with, upon
which a bottle
of wine was sent for and given to him. He ordered an attendant
to pour it into
several bowls, and putting the bottle away, made signs for us to
drink, but
would not taste it himself till all of us had been served. He
was nowise
discomposed at being obliged to entertain his company at their
own expense; on
the contrary, he carried off the whole affair with so much
cheerfulness and
ease, as to make us suspect sometimes that he saw and enjoyed
the oddity of the
scene and circumstances, as fully as we did ourselves.
After sitting about ten
minutes, we left the Chief in great good humour, and returned on
board,
thinking, of course, that he would go straight to the shore; but
in this we
were much mistaken, for we had no sooner left him, than he
pushed off to the
distance of ten or twelve yards, and calling the other boats
round him, gave
orders for inflicting the discipline of the bamboo upon the
unfortunate
culprit, who had been ordered into confinement during the
conference. This
exhibition, which it was evidently intended we should witness,
had a very
ludicrous effect, for it followed so much in train with the rest
of the ceremony,
and was carried on with so much gravity and order, that it
looked like an
essential part of the etiquette. During the infliction of this
punishment, a
profound silence was observed by all the party, except by five
or six persons
immediately about the delinquent, whose cries they accompanied
by a sort of
song or yell at each blow of the bamboo. This speedy execution
of justice was,
no doubt, intended to impress us with high notions of Corean
discipline.
As it was now quite dark,
we did not expect the Chief to pay any more visits this evening;
but we
underrated his politeness, for the moment the above scene was
concluded, he
steered for the Alceste.
Captain Maxwell,
who during all the time had been on board the Lyra, hurried into his boat to be prepared to give
him a proper
reception in his ship, and had just time to change his jacket
for a coat and
epaulettes before the Chief arrived. After climbing up the
ship's side with
some difficulty, and being received in due form on the
quarter-deck, which was
lighted up, he was handed into the foremost cabin, where he was
met by Captain
Maxwell, and conducted to a seat in the after cabin. As he
declined sitting on
a chair, he was obliged to wait for his mat, and, in the
meantime, looked round
him in amaze at the magnificence of the apartments. The change
of dress made
him behave towards Captain Maxwell as to a perfect stranger; but
the moment he
recognised him, he appeared much amused with his mistake, and
his manners
became less reserved. He now turned about to see what was become
of his mat,
and was astonished to find himself alone with us in the cabin.
It was then
discovered that the sentry at the door, in repressing the crowd
of his
followers, had found it impossible to distinguish his more
immediate
attendants, and had therefore allowed nobody to pass.
The door being opened, the
mat-bearer and four of the principal people were called in by
the Chief; and
when we were all fairly seated on the deck, the secretary was
directed to
prepare a writing, which was dictated and delivered much in the
same manner as
before. Whether the presentation of a written paper was
considered by the Chief
as a necessary piece of etiquette, or whether he really had more
hopes of being
understood on this occasion than before, was quite uncertain;
but the mode
adopted by Captain Maxwell to undeceive him was conclusive. He
immediately
called for paper, and wrote upon it in English, "I do not
understand one
word that you say," and presented this paper in return, with all
the forms
and ceremonies that had been adopted towards himself. The Chief,
on receiving
it, examined the characters with great attention, and then made
signs that it
was wholly unintelligible, alternately looking at the paper and
at Captain
Maxwell with an inquiring air, and was only made sensible of the
awkward
dilemma in which we were placed, by observing Captain Maxwell
repeat all his
looks and gestures as equally applicable to the Corean writing
which he held in
his hand [4].
The Chief had now recourse
to signs, which he used ever afterwards. He was in great
spirits, and seemed
entertained with the efforts which were made to please him. He
asked to look at
a mirror which had caught his attention; when it was put into
his hands, he
seemed very well satisfied with the figure which it presented,
and continued
for some time pulling his beard from side to side with an air of
perfect
complacency. One of the attendants thought there could be no
harm in looking at
the mirror likewise, but the Chief was of a different opinion,
and no sooner observed
what he was doing, than he very angrily made him put down the
glass and leave
the cabin. The secretary too fell under his displeasure, and was
reprimanded
with much acrimony for overlooking our paper when we were
writing. Scarcely
five minutes elapsed, in short, during his stay, without his
finding some cause
of complaint against his people; but we could not determine
whether this arose
from mere captiousness, or was done to give us a higher notion
of his
consequence, because, in the intervals, he was all cheerfulness
and good
humour. He was offered tea and cherry brandy, which he took
along with us, and
appeared at his ease in every respect. We thought that he made
signs, implying
a wish for us to visit him on shore; to this we cheerfully
assented, and an arrangement
for landing in the morning was made accordingly by means of
similar signs, with
which the Chief appeared much pleased, and rose to go away.
He had not got much beyond
the cabin-door, however, before the serenity of his temper was
once more
overturned. On passing the gun-room sky-light, he heard the
voices of some of
his people whom the officers had taken below, and who were
enjoying themselves
very merrily amongst their new acquaintance. The old Chief
looked down, and
observing them drinking and making a noise, he called to them in
a loud
passionate voice, which made them leave their glasses, and run
up the ladder in
great terror. From thence the alarm spread along the lower deck,
to the midshipmen's
berth, where another party was carousing. The grog and wine with
which they had
been entertained was too potent for this party, as they did not
seem to care
much for the old Chief, who, posting himself at the hatchway,
ascertained, by
personal examination, who the offenders were. On this occasion,
his little rod
of office was of much use; he pushed the people about with it to
make them
speak, and used it to turn them round, in order to discover
their faces. One
man watching his opportunity when the Chief was punching away at
somebody who
had just come up, slipped past and ran off; but the quick eye of
the old man
was not so easily deceived, and he set off in chase of him round
the quarter
deck. The man had an apron full of biscuit, which had been given
to him by the
midshipmen; this impeded his running, so that the Chief,
notwithstanding his
robes, at last came up with him; but while he was stirring him
up with his rod,
the fellow slipped his cargo of bread into a coil of rope, and
then went along
with the Chief quietly enough. The old man came back afterwards,
and found the
biscuit, which he pointed out to us, to shew that it had not
been taken away.
He continued for some time
at the hatchway, expecting more people; but finding none come
up, he went below
himself, to the main deck, and rummaged under the guns and round
the main-mast,
to discover whether any one was concealed; but finding no person
there, he came
again upon deck, and shortly after went into his boat.
On returning to the Lyra, we found a number
of boats
anchored round her, which looked as if they meant to keep strict
watch over us.
We went in our boat to one of them, where we found the crew
asleep. They seemed
to have had orders not to follow the Chief to the frigate, and
were here waiting
his return. On our pointing to the shore, and making signs that
the old man
with the long beard and large hat had landed, they began
immediately to get
their anchor up, and called to the other boats to do the same.
In a few minutes
they were all at work, and every person in the boats joined in
repeating the
two words "ho ya, ho ya," the effect of which, from a great many
voices, was not unpleasing.
The cable in these boats is
wound round a large reel or barrel; to the ends of which two
wheels with
handles are fitted, which enables a considerable number to apply
their strength
at the same moment. The anchor is made of a dark coloured, heavy
wood, with a
long shank and flukes, and a short stock crossing the former,
near the crown of
the anchor, and not at the end of the shank, as with us in
Europe. The mat sails
are divided into horizontal divisions by slender pieces of
bamboo. When not
under sail, the boats are moved by oars having a circular piece
of wood tied to
the end, and are steered by a large scull over the stern. The
bow is square
above, but rises from the water in a slope, making a small angle
with the
water, like the end of a coal barge, but overhanging more. The
planks are
fastened together by means of square tree-nails, which pass in a
slanting
direction through the plank, and not straight, as with us.
5th of September.—A
considerable bustle was observed on shore at daybreak this
morning; and shortly
afterwards, we saw the old Chief and his suite embark, and pull
towards us,
accompanied by a numerous fleet of smaller boats, all ornamented
with showy
flags, and crowded with people in gay and bright coloured
garments, forming,
upon the whole, a splendid and imposing scene. As the procession
moved slowly
along, the band in the Chief's boat struck up a lively, martial
sort of air, on
instruments similar to those we had heard last night; the tone
of which is not
unlike the drawling sound of the bagpipe, the bass or drone
being produced by a
long horn, and the squeaking sounds by four trumpets, two of
which have stops
in the middle, by which the notes are distinctly marked.
The Chief's visit was so
unexpectedly early, that we had not put things in order for his
reception,
before he was alongside: he came on board, however, and seemed
happy at being
allowed to walk about the decks, and examine every thing at his
leisure. When
the cabin was ready, and the Chief seemed to have satisfied
himself with
looking round the upper deck, he was asked to walk down; which
he complied with
as soon as he understood what was meant. But he found it no easy
matter to get
down the narrow hatchway, in which there was barely room for his
hat; but this
he would by no means take off. As he entered the cabin, his
robes and hat
completely filled the door-way; and when seated at the table,
(for he now made
no objection to a chair) he occupied no inconsiderable portion
of the whole
apartment. He sat here for some time, and examined every thing
in the cabin
with great attention, pointing with the little stick whenever he
saw any thing
which he wanted to look at more closely. In this way, the books,
globes,
glasses, &c. were put into his hands; and it was not a
little amusing to
see the old gentleman wheeling the globes round, and hunting
over the books for
pictures, like a child. A person of rank who accompanied the
Chief this
morning, was asked to the cabin along with him; and was no
sooner seated, than
we observed that he had a very sickly look; which circumstance
was the cause of
a curious mistake. It had been supposed that the Chief, during
last night's conference,
made allusions to some friend of his who was unwell; and
accordingly, in our
arrangements for the morning, it was proposed to take the
doctors of both ships
on shore, to visit him. As the Chief had himself come on board,
our plans for
landing were interrupted, and we ascribed this early visit to
his anxiety on
account of his friend's health.
It was therefore taken for
granted, that this sickly looking companion of the Chief, who,
some how or
other, got the title of the "Courtier," amongst us, was the
patient
alluded to last night; and no sooner were the first compliments
over in the
cabin, than the doctor was sent for to prescribe. On his being
introduced, the
Courtier was made to hold out his tongue, have his pulse felt,
and submit to
various interrogatories, the object of which the unfortunate man
could not
divine, particularly as there was nothing at all the matter with
him. He
submitted with so much patience to all these forms, and the
Chief looked on
with such grave propriety during all the examination, that they
evidently considered
the whole scene as a part of our ceremonial etiquette. When this
gentleman was
released from the doctor's hands, he began to examine the books
with the air of
a person who understands what he is about. He appeared desirous
of passing for
a literary character; and observing us hand the books about in a
careless
manner, ventured to ask for one, by drawing it towards himself
with a begging
look. As he happened to select a volume of the
Encyclopædia Britannica, I was
under the necessity of refusing; but offered in its stead a less
valuable,
though more showy book, which he accepted with much gratitude.
No return, of
course, had been looked for, and I was for a moment at a loss to
understand
what my friend meant, by slipping his fan into my hand, under
the table. He did
this in so mysterious a way, when the Chief was looking in
another direction,
that I saw it was his wish to conceal what he had done, and the
fan was sent
privately away. But unfortunately, my precaution was fruitless,
for a few
minutes afterwards, on finding the crowded cabin very hot, I
called for a fan,
and the servant, unconscious of the mischief he was doing,
brought the
Courtier's present; which no sooner met the old man's eye, than
he rose half
off his chair, and gave his unhappy companion such a look of
furious anger, as
made him tremble from top to toe: but he was soon pacified when
he saw that we
took an interest in the question, and the Courtier was allowed
to keep his
book.
After sitting half an hour,
and drinking a glass of Constantia, the old man proposed to go
upon deck. I
accordingly led the way, and had gone some steps up the ladder,
in advance,
before I perceived that he had stopped at the door of the
gun-room, where the
officers mess, and was looking in, with his usual curiosity. I
begged him to go
in, which he accordingly did, and entertained himself for some
time, with
looking over the different cabins of the officers. From having
observed the pleasure
which he took in the sight of any thing new, I was induced to
propose his going
round the lower deck, and he looked quite pleased when I pointed
along the
passage. The state hat, which had been resolutely kept on during
all this time,
notwithstanding its perpetual inconvenience to himself and every
one around
him, was here destined to come off; for after making two or
three attempts, he
found it impossible to get along and wear the hat too; and being
of a very
inquisitive disposition, he chose the degrading alternative of
being uncovered,
and his researches proceeded without interruption. Nothing
escaped the old man's
observation; whatever was shut or tied up, he requested to have
opened; and in
this way he rummaged the midshipmen's chests, and the sailors'
bags, all along
the lower deck. He looked into the holds, took the lid off the
boilers, and
turned every thing topsy-turvy. Seeing a cutlass tied to the
deck, overhead, he
took it down, and on drawing it from the scabbard, its lustre,
and the keenness
of its edge, surprised and delighted him so much, that I asked
him to accept
it. At first he seemed willing enough, but after holding a
consultation with
the Courtier for five minutes, he reluctantly put it back again.
As he went along,
he took samples of every thing that he could easily put into his
sleeve, which
served him instead of a sack; so that when he came upon deck, he
was pretty
well loaded, and looked about with the satisfaction of a
school-boy, on having
visited a show for the first time in his life.
Whilst we were below, one
of the natives had been busily employed in taking the dimensions
of the ship
with a string, and another person was engaged under him, taking
an account of
the guns, shot, and rigging, all which details he wrote down;
but not being
able to ascertain, himself, the exact number of people on board,
he had
recourse to me for the information; this I communicated by
opening eight times
the fingers of both hands. The only part of the ship to which he
had not free
access was the cabin under the poop, and from which he felt much
annoyed at being
excluded: but when told that a gentleman was shaving there, he
shewed himself
quite satisfied with the explanation, and waited patiently until
the door was
opened to him.
The old gentleman and his
followers appearing anxious to see a shot fired, an eighteen
pound carronade
was loaded before them, and discharged with the muzzle so much
depressed, that
the shot struck the water close to us, and then rose and fell
eight or ten
times, to the great entertainment and surprise of the whole
party. In the mean
time, Captain Maxwell had come on board, and breakfast being
ready, we prevailed
upon the Chief to sit down with us. He ate heartily of our
hashes, and of every
thing else that was put before him, using a knife, fork, and
spoon, which he
now saw, probably, for the first time in his life, not only
without
awkwardness, but to such good purpose, that he declined
exchanging them for
Chinese chopsticks, which were provided for him. In fact, he was
so determined
to adopt our customs in every respect, that when the tea was
offered to him in
the Chinese way, he looked to the right and left, and seeing
ours differently
prepared, held up his cup to the servant, for milk and sugar,
which being given
to him, the old gentleman remained perfectly satisfied.
The politeness and ease
with which he accommodated himself to the habits of people so
different from
himself, were truly admirable; and when it is considered, that
hitherto, in all
probability, he was ignorant even of our existence, his
propriety of manners
should seem to point, not only to high rank in society, but to
imply also a
degree of civilization in that society, not confirmed by other
circumstances.
Be this as it may, the incident is curious, as shewing, that
however different
the state of society may be in different countries, the forms of
politeness are
much alike in all. This polished character was very well
sustained by the old
Chief; as he was pleased with our attempts to oblige him, and
whatever we
seemed to care about, he immediately took an interest in. He was
very
inquisitive, and was always highly gratified when he discovered
the use of any
thing which had puzzled him at first. But there was no idle
surprise, no
extravagant bursts of admiration, and he certainly would be
considered a man of
good breeding, and keen observation, in any part of the world.
Towards his own
people, indeed, he was harsh and impatient at all times; but
this may have
arisen from his anxiety that no offence should be given to us by
the other
natives, whom he might know were less delicate and considerate
than himself,
and therefore required constant control.
When breakfast was over,
and the old man once more upon deck, we endeavoured to signify
to him that we
meant to land, according to our engagement yesterday evening;
but this he
either did not, or would not comprehend; for whenever we pointed
towards the
shore, he directed our attention to the frigate. At length he
got into his
boat, pushed off, and was making for the Alceste,
when Captain Maxwell followed in his boat, and drawing up
alongside of him,
tried to prevail upon him to accompany us to the village: the
Chief shook his
head by way of disapprobation, and turning towards his
attendants, entered into
a discussion with them, which terminated by the Courtier and
himself stepping
into Captain Maxwell's boat.
We ascribed this measure to
a desire on the Chief's part to show publicly that he had not
himself invited
us on shore, and had only acceded to our request to land. We had
not proceeded
far before the Chief repented of his ready compliance, and tried
to persuade us
to return; but finding the ordinary signs of no avail, he held
his head down
and drew his hand across his throat, as if his head was to be
cut off. It was
now our turn not to comprehend signs, and thinking it would be
idle to lose so
favourable an opportunity, spared no pains to reconcile the old
man to our
landing. In this, however, we did not succeed, for, as we
approached the shore,
his anxiety increased, and he frequently drew his hand across
his neck, as if
to shew that he would lose his head if we persisted. We again
tried to
re-assure him, by explaining that we had no intention of going
near the
village, but merely desired to walk about for a short time, and
then to go to
the frigate to dine. He was of course included in this
invitation; but his only
answer consisted in pointing to us and making signs of eating,
and then drawing
his hand across his throat; by which he was understood to mean,
that it might
be very well for us to talk of eating, but, for his part, he was
taken up with
the danger of losing his head. We could not but laugh at this,
as we had no
notion of any such apprehension being well grounded; and, in a
short time,
landed at the distance of half a mile from the village.
The old man was lifted out
of the boat by several of his people, and we were amazed to
find, when they set
him down, that he was in tears, and looking altogether very
unhappy. In a few
minutes a crowd, consisting of more than a hundred people,
assembled round us,
and we began to think we should pay dearly for our curiosity.
But the poor old
man had no thoughts of vengeance, and was no better pleased with
the crowd than
we were; for turning to his soldiers, he desired them to
disperse the mob, which
they did in a moment by pelting them with great stones. The
Chief now began
crying violently, and turning towards the village walked away,
leaning his head
on the shoulder of one of his people. As he went along, he not
only sobbed and
wept, but every now and then bellowed aloud. We had been nowise
prepared for
such a scene, and were extremely sorry for having pushed matters
to this
extremity. It had never occurred to us that the old Chief's head
was really in
danger; and even now we could not satisfy ourselves whether he
was sincere, or
merely acting in order to prevail on us to retire. The perfect
tranquillity,
nay even cheerfulness of the Courtier, who staid with us all
this time, puzzled
us extremely: nor could we account for the indifference of the
other attendants,
who looked on with as much composure as if such scenes were
every day
occurrences. But at all events, it was necessary before
proceeding any further,
that the old man should be pacified; and in order to effect
this, we sat down
on the beach, upon which he turned about and came crying back
again. He seated
himself by us, and waited very patiently whilst we remonstrated
on the
unreasonableness of his conduct, and contrasted the reception he
had met with
from us, with his present unaccountable behaviour. This was
expressed by a dumb
show acting of all that had taken place since we came to anchor
in the bay; and
these signs we thought might be intelligible to the Chief,
because they were so
to all of us, although no words were used. The signs used by
different nations,
however, are often dissimilar when the same thing is to be
expressed: and it
happened frequently with us that all attempts at explanation
failed, on both
sides, though the signs used appeared to be understood by all
the people of the
same nation with the person making the signs.
The old man made a long
speech in reply; in the course which the beheading sign was
frequently
repeated. It is curious that he invariably held his hands
towards his throat
after he had gone through this motion, and appeared to wash his
hands in his
blood: probably he did this in imitation of some ceremony used
at executions.
Upon one occasion the Chief
endeavoured to explain something to us which had a reference to
a period of two
days; this he did by pointing to the sun, making a motion twice
from east to
west, and, at the end of each time, closing his eyes as if
asleep. This sign
was variously interpreted: some believed it to mean that in two
days his head
would be taken off: others imagined that in two days a
communication might be made
to his government, and that orders for our reception would be
transmitted.
Whatever might have been meant by this particular sign, it seems
very probable
that some general instructions were in force along the whole of
this coast by
which the treatment of strangers is regulated. The promptitude
with which we
were met at this place, where, perhaps, no ship ever was before,
and the
pertinacity with which our landing was opposed, seem to imply an
extraordinary
degree of vigilance and jealousy on the part of the government.
We expressed a desire to
eat and drink, in the hopes of working on the old man's
hospitality, and,
perhaps, inducing him to entertain us in his house; but he made
no motion
towards the village, and merely sent off a servant for some
water and a few
small cockles. When this sorry fare was laid on the beach, the
old gentleman
made signs for us to begin; but we did not choose to be pleased
either with the
entertainment itself, or with the place and manner in which it
had been served.
We explained to him that the proper place to eat was in a house,
and not on a
wet dirty beach; he made no offer, however, of any other; but
leaning his head pensively
on his hands, seemed entirely resigned to his fate.
The case was now utterly
hopeless; and after an ineffectual attempt to cheer him up, we
went on board,
as the last, and indeed only favour we could grant him. Thus we
quitted this
inhospitable shore, after a stay of not quite an hour, in which
time we had
never been twenty yards from our own boats. We saw the village,
however, to
some advantage; it is neatly built, and very pleasantly situated
under fine
trees, in a valley cultivated like a garden, in small square
patches.
It was now determined to
prosecute the voyage to the southward, and the Lyra was accordingly ordered to proceed as usual
to sound the
passages a-head of the frigate, but had not gone far before the
Alceste, still at
anchor, was observed
to be surrounded with boats. In about an hour she weighed and
stood to sea.
Captain Maxwell had received another visit from the old Chief,
whose appearance
was described as being quite altered; his sprightliness and
curiosity all gone,
and his easy unceremonious manner exchanged for cold and stately
civility: he
looked embarrassed and unhappy, as it appeared, from an
apprehension of having offended
Captain Maxwell. When this was discovered, no pains were spared
to convince him
that, in this respect, there was not the slightest cause for
uneasiness. He
would not accept any presents, but appeared much relieved by the
unexpected
kindness with which he was received, and before he went away,
was restored, in
some degree, to his wonted spirits. When looking over the books
in the cabin,
he was a good deal taken with the appearance of a Bible, but
when offered to him
he declined it, though with such evident reluctance, that it was
again shewn to
him just as he was pushing off in his boat, and he now received
it with every
appearance of gratitude, and took his leave in a manner quite
friendly.
We quitted this bay without
much regret. The old Chief, indeed, with his flowing beard, and
pompous array,
and engaging manners, had made a strong impression upon us all;
but his
pitiable and childish distress, whatever might have been the
cause, took away
from the respect with which we were otherwise disposed to regard
him: yet this
circumstance, though it makes the picture less finished, serves
to give it
additional interest; whilst every thing ridiculous in the old
man's character
is lost in the painful uncertainty which hangs over his fate.
From this bay we steered
amongst the islands, during all the 6th and 7th, to the S.W.
before the natives
were met with again; we saw them indeed, but never got near
enough to converse
with them. They were frequently observed seated in groups
watching us on the
islands which we passed. We saw several fishing-boats, with a
crew of about a
dozen men, crowded on a sort of poop. At a little distance these
boats appeared
to be formed of two vessels lashed together. This appearance we
believe to be
caused by their having an outrigger on one side, on which their
oars, sails,
and masts are piled, in order probably to keep the boat clear
when they are at
anchor fishing. Their mast is lowered down and hoisted up by
means of a strong
tackle from the mast-head to the stern, as in the barges on the
Thames.
We threaded our way for
upwards of a hundred miles amongst islands which lie in immense
clusters in
every direction. At first we thought of counting them, and even
attempted to
note their places on the charts which we were making of this
coast, but their
great number completely baffled these endeavours. They vary in
size, from a few
hundred yards in length to five or six miles, and are of all
shapes. From the
mast-head other groups were perceived lying one behind the other
to the east
and south as far as the eye could reach. Frequently above a
hundred islands were
in sight from deck at one moment. The sea being quite smooth,
the weather fine,
and many of the islands wooded and cultivated in the valleys,
the scene was at
all times lively, and was rendered still more interesting by our
rapid passage
along the coast, by which the appearances about us were
perpetually changing.
Of this coast we had no charts possessing the slightest
pretensions to
accuracy, none of the places at which we touched being laid down
within sixty
miles of their proper places. Only a few islands are noticed in
any map;
whereas the coast, for near two hundred miles, is completely
studded with them,
to the distance of fifteen or twenty leagues from the main land.
These inaccuracies
in the charts naturally gave a very high degree of interest to
this part of the
voyage; yet the navigation being at all times uncertain, and
often dangerous,
considerable anxiety necessarily mingled itself with the
satisfaction produced
by so new and splendid a scene. We always anchored during the
night, or when
the tides, which were very rapid, prevented our proceeding in
the deliberate
manner absolutely required by the nature of the circumstances.
An instance of
the necessity of these precautions occurred on the 7th of
September, at four o'clock
in the afternoon, when, it being quite calm, we were drifting
along with the
tide, which suddenly shifted and carried us rapidly towards a
reef of rocks,
which was invisible till the strong rippling of the water shewed
us our danger:
we let go the anchor immediately, but the jerk was so great, as
to break the Lyra's
cable. A second anchor, however,
brought her up at a sufficient distance from the reef.
As soon as the tide
slacked, a boat was dispatched to examine the anchorage on the
other side of an
island near us. The officer landed about sunset, and from the
top of the island
could discover a village on the other side, on the shores of a
fine large bay.
He afterwards sounded the anchorage, and found it of a
convenient depth. On his
way back he landed near the village, but though it was bright
moonlight he saw
none of the inhabitants.
8th of September.—About
noon we weighed and sailed round the north end of the island,
which had been
visited last night. The Alceste
anchored nearly in the middle between the two islands which form
the anchorage;
but as the Lyra draws
less water, she
was placed as close off the village as was safe, being then
about a quarter of
a mile from the beach. At this distance, by means of a telescope
fixed on a
table on the poop, we were enabled to see what was going on in
the village,
while the people were unconscious of being observed. Mr.
Clifford, who was too unwell
to land with Captain Maxwell and myself, placed himself at the
glass, and made
many observations which must otherwise have escaped notice.
At first the only
inhabitants visible were seated on the top of the hill watching
us, the village
itself being quite deserted; but shortly after our anchoring,
the inhabitants
began to assemble from different parts of the island. Of these
several were
women, some of whom had children on their backs, and others
carried them in
their arms. They looked stout, were fairer in complexion than
the men, and were
dressed in a long white robe, loose and open in front, with a
petticoat of the
same colour reaching a little below the knees; their hair was
tied in a large
knot behind; a small piece of white cloth was thrown loosely
over the head to protect
them from the rays of the sun. Some women were engaged in
husking rice in a
mortar with a wooden beater; these had no dress above the waist.
The men and
boys were seen carrying loads on a wooden frame hooked to the
shoulders.
In a square flat place near
the village a number of women and children were employed
winnowing corn by
pouring it from a height, so that the husks blew away.
Fishing-nets were spread
to dry on most of the houses. We landed about five o'clock, and
found in the
village only two men, who obstinately remained at one place
without speaking,
and looking anxious that we should go away; they refused the
buttons which we
offered them, and resisted our persuasions to accompany us to
the upper part of
the village, which we were anxious they should do, to shew that
we had no intention
of hurting any thing, but merely to look about us. We went on
alone, and on
reaching a deserted house thought it a good opportunity to
examine it. Before
the door, on a neat clean level space, enclosed by a hedge
covered with a
sweet-scented white flower, we found several heaps of corn and
straw, and
several of the wooden mortars in which the rice is pounded, also
a number of
vessels, some filled with water and others with rice. Cooking
utensils were
lying about, and a number of fishing lines coiled neatly in
baskets, and split
fish spread out to dry on the top of little corn ricks on one
side of the
court. The inside was dark and uncomfortable; the mud floor was
full of hollow
places; the walls were black with soot, and every thing looked
dirty. On the
left of the entrance two large metal boilers, twenty inches
deep, were sunk in
the brickwork, the upper part being about a foot above the
floor. The fire-place
was between the boilers, and on the hot embers lay three split
fish. On the
wall opposite to the fire were shelves, having a number of cups,
basons, and
cooking utensils, principally of coarse stone ware, and some few
of a sort of
bell-metal. The number of inhabitants in one house must be
considerable, if we
can form an estimate from the quantity of their dishes and
vessels. There were
three neat small pieces of furniture on one of the shelves, the
use of which we
could not discover; they were made of wood, elegantly carved and
varnished,
with a round top about a foot in diameter, and four legs a foot
and a half
long. The roof was well constructed, the rafters being mortised
into the ends
of the horizontal beams, and tied to the middle by a
perpendicular beam or
King-Post. Over the rafters is laid a net-work of rods, to which
the thatch is
tied. There was no chimney to this house, and only one window
made of slender
bars of wood, forming square spaces three inches by two, covered
by a thin
semi-transparent paper defended by the roof, which extends so
far beyond the
wall as to shelter it not only from the rain but from the sun.
Most of the
houses had a sort of raised verandah under the eaves, about a
foot or more above
the ground, extending from the door on either hand to the end of
the house;
these places were neatly levelled, and must afford a cool seat.
The walls of
the houses are from six to eight feet high, and from fourteen to
twenty feet
long; the top of the roof being about fourteen. The walls are of
stone and mud,
the door moves on the bar, which forms one of its sides; this
bar is prolonged,
and works in holes in the beam above, and a stone below. There
was a back door
to the house which we examined. On opening this we found a bare
bank of earth
as high as the house, at the distance of three feet from the
walls, and a hedge
rising still higher on the top; this effectually excluded all
light.
This minute survey of the
house being completed, we returned to our friends, who seemed in
some measure
re-assured. We tried to prevail upon them to accompany us in our
walk, in hopes
that the rest of the cottagers might be induced to return when
they saw how
peaceably we were disposed. Captain Maxwell used every sign he
could think of
to no purpose, and tired at length of these attempts, took hold
of the oldest man's
hand, drew it through his arm, and walked off with him. I
followed his example
with the other; and this familiarity amused the natives, who now
accompanied us
in perfect good humour. The ease and apparent indifference with
which they
walked along with us was curious, and had so little of
awkwardness in it, that
one might have supposed it to be the fashion of Corea to walk
arm in arm.
Having reached the house which we had before examined, we sat
down in the
verandah, and made signs that we wished to smoke a pipe with
them. In the
meantime a boat was observed to come to the landing-place; the
crew quitted her
and came towards us at a rapid pace. The quick manner of these
people, so
different from the ordinary behaviour of the Coreans we had
seen, made us
apprehend that some violence was meditated; but in this we were
mistaken, for
they sat down with us, gave us their pipes to smoke, and laughed
immoderately
at some of our words: we took the hint from them, and laughed
heartily whenever
we observed that any thing good had been said amongst them; this
was well
received, and proved afterwards a good mode of introduction.
Their curiosity was
strongly excited by our clothing, which they examined minutely;
they wished to
see some parts of our dress taken off, and in order to gratify
them they were
allowed to have our coats, shoes, stockings, hats, &c. They
were more
struck with the stockings than with any thing else, frequently
shouting
"Hota! Hota!" This word, which is pronounced with a strong
aspiration, was noted down in our list as the Corean word for
stockings; but it
was found afterwards to be an expression of approbation, applied
indiscriminately to whatever they consider remarkably good.
After sitting some
time with these people, and smoking several pipes with them, we
gave up all
hopes of seeing the villagers return while we were there, and as
the night was
falling we proposed taking a short walk with our friends, and
then going on
board. But as soon as they saw us go up the hill instead of
returning to the boat,
they became very uneasy, and wanted us to turn back. As we had
reason, however,
to conjecture that the women and children were on the other side
of the hill,
we went on in the expectation of getting a sight of them before
dark. This the
Coreans prevented by following us with shouts wherever we went,
so as to give
warning of our approach. The women and children probably
retreated before us to
a ravine on the north side of the island, for when we approached
it the Coreans
became more anxious than ever for our return; and one man seeing
us still
advance, took hold of my arm and gave it a sharp pinch. I turned
round and exclaimed,
"Patience, Sir!" He drew back on observing my displeasure, and a
moment after called out himself, "Patience, Sir!" The others
hearing
this caught the words too, and nothing was heard for some time
amongst them but
"Patience, Sir," pronounced in every instance with perfect
propriety.
They seemed surprised themselves on discovering powers of
imitation hitherto in
all probability unexercised. This incident brought us better
acquainted, and we
remained on the top of the hill teaching them English words till
it was dark.
They were certainly entertained with our instructions, but
nevertheless shewed
much more satisfaction in attending us down hill again to our
boats. Before
going on board we invited them to come to the ship next day,
which one of the party
was supposed to comprehend: he first made preparations for going
to bed, then
closed his eyes, hung his head on his hand, and snored very
properly; after a
time he opened his eyes, started and looked about him, then laid
his hands on
Captain Maxwell's shoulders with an air of welcome. This was
interpreted by
some into a wish for our departure till the morning, and by
others that he
himself would visit us at daylight. As he never came on board,
and received us
on landing next day with any thing but welcome, probably both
guesses were
wrong: of one thing there was no doubt, his anxiety to get rid
of us; and his
signs may have meant that it was time for all honest people to
be in bed.
9th of September.—At
sunrise we landed at the same village, and found it deserted as
before. We left
it and made for the highest peak on the island, accompanied by a
few of the
Coreans, who did not interfere with us till about halfway up,
when on our
entering a grove of fir trees, with the appearance of which we
had been struck,
one of the Coreans objected; we went on, however, and upon
reaching the stump
of an old tree the Corean fell on his knees, bowed his head to
the ground, and
as he raised it again held his hands closed and pressed together
towards the
stump. This had very much the air of a stratagem to dissuade us
from going
further in that direction, where the women probably were
concealed. Admitting
this to have been the motive, it is curious that he should have
supposed such a
shew of religious form calculated to restrain us. It is further
remarkable as
being the only circumstance which we have seen on this coast
implying a
knowledge of religion or religious ceremony. There are here no
temples, idols,
nor tombs, whereas in China, villages much smaller than these of
Corea have
them in every corner. The other Coreans took no notice of the
stump, and the
man who was prostrating himself before it finding that his
behaviour produced nothing
but a number of questions from us concerning the nature of the
tree, got on his
legs and walked sulkily away. In the course of our walk we saw
six bullocks of
a small breed and very fat, but which the Coreans were not to be
tempted to
sell by any thing which we had to give them. Dogs were the only
quadrupeds
besides that we saw. There were pigeons, hawks, and eagles, but
few small
birds. Crows were as numerous here as in every other part of the
world. We
returned on board to breakfast, and afterwards set out on an
excursion to the
top of a high island lying some leagues to the south-east of us.
On our way we
landed, and observed the sun's meridian altitude with an
artificial horizon, by
which we ascertained the latitude to be 34º 22' 39" north,
the longitude
by the mean of two chronometers is 126º 2' 45" east.
We passed, for the distance
of five miles, amongst islands, all, except the very smallest,
inhabited. The
villages are built in the valleys, where the houses are nearly
hid by trees and
hedges. The sides of the hills are cultivated with millet and a
species of
bean; and in the numerous small gardens near the villages, we
saw a great
variety of plants.
As the peaked island which
we had undertaken to climb was steep, and covered with a long
coarse grass, it
cost us a tiresome scramble to gain the top, which is about six
hundred feet
above the level of the sea. The main land of Corea is just
discernible in the
north-east and east, from this elevation; but it commands a
splendid view of
the islands, lying in thick clusters, as far as the eye can
reach, from
north-west quite round by east to south. We endeavoured to count
them. One
person, by reckoning only such as were obviously separate
islands, made their
number one hundred and twenty. Two other gentlemen, by
estimating the numbers
in each connected cluster, made severally, one hundred and
thirty-six, and one
hundred and seventy; a difference, which at once shews the
difficulty of
speaking with precision on this subject. But when it is
considered, that from
one spot, which though considerably elevated, was not centrical,
one hundred
and twenty islands could be counted, and that our course for
upwards of one
hundred miles had been amongst islands no less crowded than
these, some idea
may be formed of this great Archipelago.
After enjoying this scene
for some time, we went down on the other side of the peak, which
is much less
steep. We found the boat's crew preparing dinner for us, under
some trees,
close to a well of cool water. The village to which the well
belonged not being
many yards off, we proceeded to explore it, and found it
deserted by all except
an old woman and a man. The woman, seated on a pile of stones,
in the middle of
the village, took no notice of us as we passed; and indeed, she
was herself so
very homely, as to occupy but little of our attention. The man
was seated at
the door of a cottage, making a straw sandal: on our entering
his inclosure, he
looked up for an instant, and immediately resumed his work, with
as much
composure as if we had been a party of the villagers. A button
was offered to
him, which he accepted without scruple: he agreed, with equal
readiness, to
exchange his unfinished sandal for another button, which having
carelessly put
away, in a bag lying near him, he took some straw and
re-commenced his
business, without seeming to notice that we were rummaging his
house. He is the
only Corean we have met with, who has not shewn some slight
symptoms of curiosity:
indeed, he seemed totally indifferent about our staying or
going, or about what
we were doing in his house; and we left him without knowing
whether to ascribe
his apathy to fear, or to absolute stupidity.
On returning from the
village, we saw a party of the natives assembled on a rising
ground near us;
they were invited, by signs, to join us at dinner, but they kept
their places
unmoved. While we were at dinner, the sailors, who had been
rambling about,
joined the natives, and in a few minutes became very good
friends with them;
the natives giving up their pipes, and the sailors in return
supplying them
with tobacco. We have frequently remarked during this voyage,
that the sailors
make acquaintance with the natives much sooner than the
officers. This seems the
natural effect of the difference in our manners. On meeting with
natives, we
feel so anxious to conciliate, and to avoid giving offence, that
our behaviour,
thus guarded and circumspect, has an air of restraint about it,
which may
produce distrust and apprehension on their part; whilst, on the
other hand, Jack,
who is not only unreflecting and inoffensive himself, but never
suspects that
others can possibly misconstrue his perfect good-will and
unaffected frankness,
has an easy, disengaged manner, which at once invites confidence
and
familiarity.
In about an hour after we
had sat down, one of the natives hastily rose, and without
appearing to
deliberate, but as if actuated by a sudden impulse, strode
rapidly down to us,
and in the most unceremonious way possible, presented his
lighted pipe for us
to smoke. We received him as kindly as we could, and prevailed
upon him to take
a glass of wine; which he had no sooner drank off, than he
roared out,
"Hota! Hota!"
This exclamation brought
the rest down, who seating themselves by us, drank freely, and
became very cheerful
and communicative, telling us the Corean names of every thing we
pointed to,
and asking, in return, the English names for our clothes.[5] But
though the
wine made these people far more sociable than any we had yet
seen, they never
forgot the principal object of their thoughts, and suggested,
every now and
then, by pointing to our boats, the propriety of our going away.
After sunset, they
became very impatient and uneasy at our stay; but when at length
we yielded to
their entreaties, the whole party accompanied us to the water's
side, and took
leave with the most lively marks of satisfaction at our
departure.
10th of September.—This
morning, about ten o'clock, we got under weigh, and stood to the
southward. By
sunset we were clear of all the islands, and could just
distinguish the island
of Quelpaert in the south-east quarter.
The shortness of our stay
on this coast, and the difficulty we experienced in
communicating with the
inhabitants, will account for the scanty and disjointed nature
of the information
obtained. A future voyager would do well to be accompanied by a
person who can
write the Chinese character, and should have full leisure to
overcome, by
patient management, the distrust of strangers evinced by this
unsociable
people.
A chart of our track along
this coast is subjoined to this work, in the hope that it may
prove useful to a
future voyager. As it was constructed under circumstances of
great haste, it is
necessarily incomplete; yet it will probably be found more
accurate than any
maps or charts hitherto published.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote
1: A servant of the embassy, left behind by accident at the
Pei-ho river.]
[Footnote
2: We found the north-east end composed of a fine-grained
granite; the middle
of the island of a brittle micaceous schistus of a deep blue
colour; the strata
are nearly horizontal, but dip a little to the S.W. This body of
strata is cut
across by a granite dyke, at some places forty feet wide, at
others not above
ten; the strata in the vicinity of the dyke are broken and bent
in a remarkable
manner; this dislocation and contortion does not extend far from
the walls of
the dyke, but veins of granite branch out from it to a great
distance, varying
in width from three feet to the hundredth part of an inch: the
dyke is visible
from the top of the cliff to the water's edge, but does not
re-appear on the
corresponding cliff of an island opposite to it, though distant
only thirty
yards. This island is composed of the same schistus, and is cut
in a vertical
direction by a whin dyke, four feet wide, the planes of whose
sides lie N.E.
and S.W., being at right angles to those of the great granite
dyke in the
neighbourhood, which run S.E. and N.W. The strata contiguous to
the whin dyke
are a good deal twisted and broken, but not in the same degree
as at their
contact with the granite dyke.
The whin dyke is formed of
five layers or sets of prisms laid across in the usual way.
Beyond the small
island cut by the whin dyke, at the distance of only forty or
fifty feet, we
came to an island rising abruptly out of the sea, and presenting
a high rugged
cliff of breccia, fronting that on which the granite dyke is so
conspicuous:
the junction of this rock with the schistus cut by the granite
and the whin
would have been interesting; but although we must have been at
times within a few
yards of it, the actual contact was every where hid by the sea.
The whole of the S.W. end
of this island is formed of breccia, being an assemblage of
angular and
water-worn pieces of schistus, quartz, and some other rocks, the
whole having
the appearance of a great shingle beach. The fragments of the
schistus in this
rock are similar to that which forms the cliff first spoken of.
The theory which presented
itself to us on the spot was, that the great mass of strata
which forms the
centre of the island was formerly at the bottom of the ocean;
and that the
western part, which is now a firm breccia, had been a beach
shingle produced by
the action of the waves on the strata: the granite which forms
the eastern end
of the island had been forced into its present situation from
beneath the
strata, with sufficient violence to dislocate and contort the
beds nearest to
it, and to inject the liquid granite into the rents formed by
the heaving
action of the strata as they were raised up. It is natural to
suppose that the ragged
edges of the strata forming the sides of these cracks would be
subjected to a
grinding action, from which the strata more remote might be
exempted; and in
this way we may account for the extraordinary twisting, and
separation of
masses along the whole course of the granite dyke. In the dyke,
as well as in
the veins which branch from it, there are numerous islands of
schistus. That
this last was softened, seems to follow from the frequent
instances which occur
of its being bent back upon itself without producing cracks. The
same heat,
propagated by the melted granite in the neighbourhood, may also
be supposed to
have reduced the shingle beach to a state of semifusion by the
aid of some flux
contained in the sand scattered amongst it. We could not
discover any
circumstance by which the relative antiquity of the two dykes
mentioned above,
could be ascertained.]
[Footnote 3: Note on the
peculiar character of the written language in that quarter of
the globe.
In China, Japan, Corea, and
the islands in the adjacent seas, the spoken languages are
different from one
another; the written language, on the contrary, is the same in
all. Thus a
native of China is unintelligible to a Corean or Japanese, while
he is
speaking, but they mutually understand one another when their
thoughts are
expressed in writing. The cause of this may be thus explained.
We in Europe
form an idea in the mind, and this we express by certain sounds,
which differ
in different countries; these sounds are committed to writing by
means of the
letters of the alphabet, which are only symbols of sounds, and,
consequently, a
writing in Europe is unintelligible to every one who is ignorant
of the spoken
language in which it happens to be written. The Chinese and the
other natives
in these seas have, on the contrary, no alphabet; no symbols of
sounds; their
ideas are committed to writing at once without the intervention
of sound, and
their characters may therefore be called symbols of ideas. Now,
as the same
characters are adopted in all these countries to express the
same ideas, it is
clear that their writings will be perfectly intelligible to each
other,
although their spoken languages may be quite incomprehensible.
The case of the Roman
numerals in Europe furnishes a ready illustration of this
symbolical language.
There is nothing in the symbols 1, 2, 3, &c. by which their
pronunciation
can be ascertained when presented to the eye, yet they
communicate meaning
independent of sound, and are respectively intelligible to the
inhabitants of
the different countries of Europe; while, at the same time, the
sounds by which
a native of one country distinguishes the written symbols 1, 2,
3, &c. are unintelligible
to all the rest.
The knowledge of writing is
supposed to be very generally diffused over the countries using
what is called
the Chinese character, and, as probably none but the lowest
vulgar are ignorant
of it, the surprise of these people on discovering our inability
to read their
papers is very natural. The case, we may imagine, had never
occurred to them
before, and it was highly interesting to watch the effect which
so novel an incident
produced. At first they appeared to doubt the fact of our
ignorance, and shewed
some symptoms of impatience; but this opinion did not last long,
and they
remained completely puzzled, looking at each other with an odd
expression of
surprise.]
[Footnote 4: This paper,
presented by the Corean Chief, has been translated by Mr.
Morrison at Canton,
and is as follows: "Persons, of what land--of what nation (are
you)? On
account of what business do you come hither? In the ship are
there any literary
men who thoroughly understand, and can explain what is
written?"]