CHAPTER I. Arrive at Hong-kong Excitement on the arrival of the mail Victoria Its trees and gardens Town of Mortality amongst the troops - Its cause A remedy suggested - Sail for Shanghae - Its importance as a place of trade New English town and shipping The gardens of the foreign residents. On the 14th of August, 1848, the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-ship "Braganza," in which I was a passenger, dropped her anchor in the Bay of Hong-kong, at nine o'clock in the evening. In a few seconds our decks were crowded with the inhabitants of the place, all anxious to meet their friends, or to hear the news from home. As I did not intend to go on shore until the following morning, I had sufficient leisure to survey the busy and exciting scene around me. Amongst the numerous boats which came off to us there were two which presented a most striking appearance. They were very long and narrow, and were each propelled by about fifty oars. They had been built by the English and American merchants B to convey the news to Canton on the arrival of the mail. The moment these boats received their despatches they started on their journey, and, as they belonged to opposition parties, each did its best to outstrip the other; and, as it was often a matter of considerable importance to get the earliest news, a large sum of money was distributed amongst the crew of the winning boat. The boatmen made a great noise; Chinamen like, all were talking, all were giving orders, for each had a stake in the winning of the race. At last the papers, letters, or whatever they had to take, were put on board, and off they started across the bay for the mouth of the Canton or "Pearl" river. They ploughed the water like two enormous centipedes, and, although they were going very fast, they were visible for some time in the clear moonlight. I watched them from the deck of the steamer until they were lost in the distance, but even then and for some time afterwards I could hear distinctly the quick splash of the oars and the noise of the boisterous crews. Steam has now invaded the quiet waters of the Pearl river, and these boats are numbered amongst the things that were. The noise and excitement connected with the arrival of the mail gradually subsided; those of our visitors who had been lucky enough to get hold of a 'Straits Times,' Home News,' or Times,' returned on shore to peruse it, while others hastened home to communicate to their friends the news they had been able to pick up from the officers or passen gers of the ship. By eleven o'clock at night all was perfectly quiet. Captain Potts and myself had our chairs taken up on deck, and we sat down to breathe the cool air and enjoy the scene by which we were surrounded. It was a clear moonlight night; such a night as one sees only in the sunny lands of the East. Those who have anchored in the Bay of Hong-kong by moonlight will agree with me that the scene at such a time is one of the grandest and most beautiful which can be imagined. On this evening the landlocked bay was smooth as glass, scarcely a breath of air fanned the water, and as the clear moonbeams played upon its surface it seemed covered with glittering gems. Numerous vessels, from all parts of the world, lay dotted around us, their dark hulls and tall masts looming large in the distance. The view was bounded on all sides by rugged and barren hills, and it required no great stretch of fancy to imagine oneself on a highland lake. The white town of Victoria was distinctly visible from where we lay, and very pretty it appeared in the moonlight. It is built along the southern shores of the bay, and in some places extends a considerable way up the side of the hill. The background of the picture consisted of a chain of rugged mountains, which are nearly two thousand feet above the level of the sea. Altogether the view was a charming one. When I went on shore the following morning I found a great change had taken place since 1845; many parts of the town, then bare, were now densely covered with houses. Our merchant-princes had built themselves houses not inferior to those in the far-famed "City of Palaces;" and the barracks for the troops were equally handsome and expensive, although unfortunately not equally healthy. And, last of all, a pretty English church was rising slowly on the hill side. An interest in gardening and planting had sprung up which promises to lead to most satisfactory results. When I was formerly in Hong-kong every one complained of the barren appearance of the island, and of the intense heat and glare of the sun. Officers in the army, and others who had been many years in the hotter parts of India, all agreed that there was a fierceness and oppressiveness in the sun's rays here which they had never experienced in any other part of the world. From 1843 to 1845 the mortality was very great; whole regiments were nearly swept away, and many of the Government officers and merchants shared the same fate. Various opinions were expressed regarding the cause which produced these great disasters; some said one thing and some another; almost all seemed to think that imperfect drainage had something to do with it, and a hue and cry was set up to have the island properly drained. But the island is a chain of mountains; there is very little flat ground anywhere upon it, and hence the water which flows from the sides of the hills gushes rapidly down towards the sea. Imperfect drainage, therefore, could have very little to do with its unhealthiness. |