Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 524

506

Kulangsu and Amoy,

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which it was supposed was about to be made -intimations of such a movement having some days previously been given to the English. However, it was soon discovered that a gang of robbers had made their entrance into Amoy, seizing and carrying off some of the poor people and their effects. The attack of these robbers on Amoy was repeated on the 17th, there being no Chinese or other authorities to defend the city, or to keep the people in order.

Soon after this, advantage was taken of the presence of a steamer to make an examination of the vicioty in search of soldiers or other means of offense. This trip is thus noticed in the journal.

"May 31st. To-day, at the nvitation of the naval senior officer, capt. Chads, I accompanied himself and others in the iron steamer Medusa in the direc-

tion of Tung-án [5] (or Tang-w"a) the chief town of the district in

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which Ainoy is situated. Our course lay east of north. We had the island of Amoy on the right during the greater part of the distance. For a few miles up, the hills wore the same rugged barren aspect, which is so common on the southern coast of Cluna, but fertility and cultivation grew upon us as we ad- vanced; the mountains on the east became hills, and these were adorned with fields. The villages were numerous at intervals; many of them were in- dicated in the distance by large groves of trees; want of trees, however, made the landscape look naked. Well-sweeps were scattered over the cultivated hills, affording evidence of the need and the means of irrigation.

“Many villages seemed to have turned out en masse to see the strange object as she passed, the people darkening the hills and tops of the rocks, and men, women, and children gazing at us as we passed. The steamer drew only 14 feet, and we went up probably seventeen miles before grounding, when we took to the boats, and proceeded two or three miles further; but the tide being out, this took us only two or three miles short of Táng-w1a. On our return, we saw Chinese boats going up another passage, but they also ground- ed and had to wait for the tide, on the top of which the steamer could have reached the district town, and probably also vessels of 16 feet draft of water, so great is the rise of the tide.

“We landed at one of the villages near Táng-w1á, where the crowd of spec- tators was the greatest. Some of them recognized me, and hearing me speak were very civil. The narrow, crooked lanes of the village, together with the crowd, embarrassed our progress, and we soon returned to the boats. On the whole way, we saw no warlike preparations, not a soldier nor an armed per- son of any sort; one or two dismantled forts were passed. The day was de- lightful, and all enjoyed the excursion; no injury was inflicted on any one, and no indications were noticed that any fire-rafts or munitions of war were preparing for an attack upon us.”

On the 7th June, Mr. Boone returned to Kúlángsú, accompanied by Mrs. Boone and their two children, Rev. Mr. and Mrs. McBryde and their infant child, ard W. H. Cumming, M. n. to engage in Chris. tan bors with Mr. Abeck