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REPORT ON
The constant garden cropping-the deep green of the large rice plains, and the cultivation climbing the hills-give great beauty to the scenery. And at early morn, the singing of the birds in the groves; the murmuring rivulets through the vallies; and the fresh breeze from the mountains, enhance the charms of the landscape, and renovate the health of the debilitated resident of a tropical climate.
An
Were Chusan a British colony, its hills and vales would be adorned by charming villas, rich orchards, and luxuriant pasturages. English town, with all the advantages of modern civilization, would become an example to the Chinese; and in the improvement of our own position, we should materially aid in the social advancement of the imitative nation contiguous to our shores.
Tinghae city, in length from north to south about 1200 feet, and in breadth about 1000, is surrounded by a stone wall of two miles and three-quarters in length, nearly fifteen feet in height, thirteen feet in thickness, surmounted by a strong brick parapet of four feet and a half high, and two feet thick, with small embrasures for matchlocks or arrows. The gateways, four in number, east, west, north, and south, are double, and placed zigzag as in India. walls are strong square bastions well placed. At the western side of At intervals around the the city the wall ascends a steep mound, now called the Cameronian Hill (the 26th Regiment being encamped there after our first attack on the island); part of this hill is therefore included within the city bounds. A canal (see map), thirty-three feet wide by three deep, runs parallel to the city wall, about thirty yards distant, except Cameronian Hill, and enters near the south gate. the city walls is covered with rice fields, almost continually under water, The level space at each side of and of difficult passage to an invading force. The flat country around is a succession of rice fields, bordered with the lofty Barbadian millet, which rises ten feet in height.
The city of Tinghae is extensive, and, like all Chinese towns, the streets are narrow (about twelve to fourteen feet), irregular, and flagged with large slabs of different kinds of stone. covered drain, which communicates with a canal. For a Chinese city. Almost every street has a it is kept extremely clean; the houses are generally of one story, but the tenements of the richer classes are very extensive, and form three sides of a square, with a lofty wall in front. Sometimes there are two or three inner courts. The shops are numerous, and there is a minute division of employment. In many respects there is a resemblance to the tradesmen of Europe; persons of the same trade frequently con- gregate in the same street or neighbourhood. The shops have a long and broad counter, effectually separating the purchasers from the shop- men, with a money-till at one end; there are neatly-labelled drawers, or commodious shelves, and back warehouses for the careful disposition of the goods; a reel of twine hangs from the ceiling, close to wrapping- paper cut of various sizes ready for use. hanging partly on the outside, are various articles of such goods as may In front of the shop, or attract the notice of customers, with the prices affixed on labels, in some instances in such characters as are only known to the shopmen. Everything is sold by weight. Silversmiths in Tinghae now make spoons, forks, goblets, branch can- The artizans are extremely expert. dlesticks, and various other articles of domestic use. The tailors are
CHUSAN.
excellent and cheap workmen, and to the English, are known by their respective cognomens of Stultz, Nugee, &c. The supply of every
article of provision, including meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruit, groceries, &c., is most abundant, and not one-half the price of very inferior articles at Hong Kong, where, indeed, it is often impossible to get beef or mutton of any description. Let but an European want be known in Chusan, and it will be very extraordinary if it be not supplied by a Chinaman. A European or Indian soldier is stationed at each gate of the city, but no difficulty is interposed, and no tax levied on perfect freedom of ingress or egress to or from the city. Many of the European officers, including that distinguished soldier, Brigadier Camp- bell, the Commandant of Chusan, reside in various parts of the city, perfectly isolated from each other, and with as much confidence and security as if they were residing in an English town. 2nd Madras Native Infantry are quartered in the city, and their place A part of the d'armes is a remarkable temple, filled with numerous human figures, of full size, admirably carved in wood, painted, and representing the human countenance and form in every expression and attitude of passion and affection-of grief and joy, of sensibility and intelligence. I have seen nothing equal to the artistic skill and true taste exhibited in this temple in any other part in China. The inhabitants do not seem to take umbrage at its occupation by our troops, who scrupulously preserve it from injury.
Her Majesty's 18th Regiment are quartered outside the city, in some two-storied houses which face the sea close to an extensive bund or embankment, which was erected with marvellous rapidity during the period which intervened between our first and second occupation of the island in 1840-1. This bund extends for nearly three miles along the sea front of Tinghae and Chusan harbour, and forms a fortified earth wall, pierced at short and regular intervals for cannon; and during our second attack on the island, about 150 pieces of artillery of various calibre (many of them however unserviceable) were placed in the embrasures. The bund now forms an excellent promenade for the gar- rison. The parade of the 18th Regiment is large, dry, level, and in the midst of the barracks, officers' quarters, commissariat and naval stores. Contiguous to the parade our Government have built an excel- lent two-storied hospital facing the sea, at an expense of about 10,000 dollars. The European artillery are quartered in comfortable barracks on Joss-House Hill (see map), where a few guns command the whole harbour, the city, and the surrounding plain.
Geology-Chusan appears to have been upheaved by a submarine convulsion, or to have been left dry by the receding ocean. phyritic clay-stone, assuming in some places a columnar and in others A por- a laminated structure, appears to constitute the main portion of the island occasionally a compact porphyritic stone of coarse conglomerate, capable of being split into large slabs, or formed into pillars, is found and quarried for various purposes. The soil in the valleys is a rich, dark, alluvial mould. There is no limestone on the island. None of the rotten granite found at Hong Kong or Amoy, and which yields such a deleterious gas, is perceivable at Chusan. About the centre of the island, and at a height of 700 feet, our surveyors found the com-