672
so honest and able a character that his observations deserve great weight. In para. 30, he says that it is known of the seaboard, in the populous cities of Hong Kong, that coolies are Chinese men who are found willing to emigrate, but they come almost altogether from the interior of China. If to the populous cities he had added the country bordering on the rivers - the only highways of the Country - his views would have been in closer accord with my own. Most of these have travelled, and have not much to do with emaciated and starved populations such as he describes.
Such, nevertheless, are, and with my own knowledge and with Mr. Gutzlaff's observations before me, I must admit they do exist in part of the country removed from water communication – but it is still questionable whether this misery is the result of natural increase of population or of those clan fights which have afforded such rich harvests to the Macao Cooly Brokers - harvests which made it the interest of dominant factions to prolong the contest until years passed away, leaving violence freed, the chronic state of the Country, and Cooly dealing the habitual occupation of the stronger parties.
In paragraphs 8, 60 & 70 inclusive, he expresses his conviction that Emigration is beneficial to China, and acknowledges that it has been much abused. Though I do not unhesitatingly agree with his premises, there can be no doubt that a properly