50.
But above and more important than those vehicles of opium and rice, ride the vessels of war. From the verandah of this bungalow we can count thirteen pennants. There lies the Calcutta, with her three tiers of guns and her greatness, those saucy little gunboats with their two long guns each - the Bustard, the Forester, the Haughty, the Opossum, and the Staunch, seen ready for any mischief. There is a French steamer also, and a French brig-of-war, flying their tri-colour; and the Yankee steamer San Jacinto, with her fifteen long guns, adds the stars and stripes to this display of warlike force.
439
"The Acorn, the Elk, and the Bittern, brigs-of-war; the Coromandel, the Fury, the Cruiser, the Hongkong, the Hornet, the Niger, and the Sir Charles Forbes, steamers; the Starling, gunboat, and the Sibylle, ship, are gone up the Canton river, whither, it is said, these gunboats will follow on Tuesday or Wednesday. Imperial junks have been discovered in several of the creeks, and a junk-hunt is imminent. Perhaps it may take place on Tuesday, which is the day fixed upon by the Governor to celebrate the Queen's birthday; perhaps it may be postponed until that day has been loyally honoured with more peaceful cheers. There are not wanting, however, people who shake their heads and say that junk hunting will be found a dangerous pastime; that the guns on board the Junks are as heavy as those on board the gunboats, and it is whispered that white faces have been seen through the port-holes.
Other extracts from Mr. Wingrove Cooke's articles on Hongkong in 1857-58 will be given to-morrow.
vast Cockroaches as big as mice, colossal spiders which fed on an outsize in flies, deadly King Cobras, and an abundance of huge rats.
All these flourished in Hongkong and made human life a burden in 1857-58, according to George Wingrove Cooke, special correspondent of The Times, who toured China during one of the bloodiest periods of the nation's history.
Mr. Cooke's articles in The Times were later collected and published in book form. On Saturday I reproduced some extracts from these articles and propose to follow this up to-day with a few more extracts, dealing with the flora and fauna of the island.
"I cannot report very favourably on the fauna or the flora," wrote Mr. Cooke. Ornamental trees grow very well when planted and nurtured and some flowers may be culled in a distant nook called the "Happy Valley", a spot hard bordering upon a wretched village and a squalid population; but the natural vegetation seems to be a coarse moss, eaten by no quadruped. At any rate I never saw any four-footed thing grazing upon the green mountain, which rises in full aspect of my window, and upon which, as the rains commence, I can see the torrents form. Sometimes there is a buffalo seen on the island, but he is usually on his way to the slaughter-house. A cow I never saw; yet there is milk. But that milk is used by few and shuddered at by many. Whence it comes is the darkest mystery of Hongkong economics. Very few people take milk except that which is sent out in tins.
50.
But above and more important than those vehicles
of opium and rice, ride the vessels of war. From the verandah of this bungalow we can count thirteen pennants. There lies the Calcutta, with her three tiers of guns and her greatness, those saucy little gunboats with their two long guns each - the Bustard, the Forester, the Haughty, the Opossum, and the Staunch, seen ready for any mischief. There is a French -steamer also, and a French brig-of-war, flying their tri-
colour; and the Yankee steamer San Jacinto,with her fifteen long guns, adds the stars and stripes to this display of warlike force.
439
"The Acorn, the Elk, and the Bitern, brigs-of-war ; the Coromandel, the Fury, the Cruiser, the Hongkong, the Hornet, the Niger, and the Sir Charles Forbes, steamers; the Starling, gunboat, and the Sibylle, ship, are gone up the Canton river, whither, it is said, these gunboats will follow on Tuesday or Wednesday. Imperial junks have been discovered in several of the creeks, and a junk-hunt is imminent. Perhaps it may take place on Tuesday, which is the day fixed upon by the Governor to celebrate the Queen's birthday; perhaps it may be postponed until that day has been loyally honoured with more peaceful cheers. There are not wanting, however, people who shake their heads and say that junk hunting will be found a dangerous pastime; that the guns on board the Junks are as heavy as those on board the gunboats, and it is whispered that white faces have been seen through the port- holes.
Bang Other extracts from Mr. Wingrove Cooke's articles on Hongkong in 1857-58 will be given to-morrow.
!
var tash Cockroaches as big as mice, colossal spiders which fed on an outsize in flies, deadly King Cobras, and an abundance of huge rats.
All these flourished in Hongkong and made human life a burden in 1857-58, according to George Wingrove Cooke, special correspondent of The Times, who toured China during one of the bloodiest periods of the nation's history.
Mr. Cooke's articles in The Times were later collected and published in book form. On Saturday I reproduced some extracts from these articles and propose to follow this up to-day with a few more extracts, dealing with the flora and faunna of the island.
.!
"I cannot report very favourably on the fauna or the flora," wrote Mr. Cooke. Ornamental trees grow very well when planted and nurtured and some flowers may be culled in a distant nook called the "Happy Valley", a spot hard bordering upon a wretched village and a squalid population; but the natural vegetation seems to be a coarse moss, eaten by no quadruped. At any rate I never saw any four-footed thing grazing upon the green mountain, which rises in full aspect of my window, and upon which, as the rains commence, I can see the torrents form. Sometimes there is a buffaló seen on the island, but he is usually on his way to the slaughter, house. A cow I never saw; yet there is milk. But that milk is used by few and shuddered at by many. Whence it comes is the darkest mystery of Hongkong economics. Very few people take milk except that which is sent out in tins.
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