Text
-a-
prosperity during the year.
We understand that the officers of
government suspend their labors for a month and hold this whole
peTiod as a festival.
The common people, however, are not able
to devote so much time, and they do not suspend their labors so
long, but return to them after a few days.
The temple stands.a $hort distance from the road in a
grove of trees by which it is partly hid.
We went up to it by
a narrow winding path, aID1dst cultivation.
.
The building is one
.
.§tory high composed of brick tastf'ully ornamented at the evesin front are two lions cut out of granite very formidable in
appearance, showing a distended mouth, teeth exposed and tongue
painted red· as though ready to devour and thirsting for blood.
Several,persons stood just
insid~
of the door and
about it, one of which appeared to be the Priest.
We were per-
mitted to enter, while a person held the horse on whfuch I rode,
who afterwards fastened him by the bridle to one of the formidable granite lions guarding before the door.
We did·notoi'
e.
course do reverftnce for we entered with our hats on.- The inside
of the room was about 20 by 15 feet. Near the centre of the room
was a large brass vase filled. with sand & ashes in which was a
long stick of wood- apparently sandal wood- the larger end resting in the vase, being on f'ire which had been enkindled at 4 ofck
in the morning just at the change of the, moon & commencement of
the· new year T and woula keep on'fire about 3 weeks, we were told.
The upper end of the stick rested on a framework above the stick
being in a leaning posture, a painted paper with characters on
it, being fastened to the front of the stick - &. josh sticks
buxning in the vase set around the burning end of this:, piece of
-9-
wood.-
A frame work like a door way was
: "1.:.' .
from the entrance into the house.
~laced
about 6 feet
This stood disconnected from
'every thi~'i; the room, except what was over head.- It seemed to
be the direct entrance to the altar+ which was about 6 or 8 feet
from the other end' of the room.was say 6 feet long-
3i
[fornDf
The altar stood on a plav &.
high & two broad. on this stood three
vases of different sizes filled with ashes, having each clusters
of lighted josh sticks burning, behind these was a row of small
painted candles burning - the color red.- back of the altar
against the wall of the room was a small curtained room; the curtains of which being drawn, was disclosed the image of a female
which the Priest called the Q.ueen of Heaven on which being exposed, an attendant began with one hand a ~eavy beating up a
large iron bell suspended at one side of the room, also with the
other upon a drum suspended by it.
This was a chin chin to the
I
Queen pf Heaven.- On each' side of the little curtained rooIi:!. in
the
e.-
re~esses
was an image,. one of a man with cluste:r;s of long
black hair to re~resent a beard' hanging from his face, the other
was the likeness of a woman.-
Smaller images, most of them gilt,
were standing near the curtains, before which were small vases
containing burning josh sticks, small china cups were standing
for use, when
~otions
of tea should be needed for the gods.
A
mass of highly fanciful gilt &. colored paper was placed on each
side of the
Q.ue~n
of
Heaven~-
this fancifUl mass had the appear-
ance of branches, as tho. designed to represent flowers.
In front of the altar, standing on the
~latform,
at
each side, and fronting each other were two images with the left
hand raised- the color of one was black- the other white- the
-10-
features most pnnatural & horrid - frightful doubtless designed
to be.
before these was burning a quantity of josh sticks- the
house was well perfumed with smoke, which was not very pleasant
to my olfactory nerves.- Overhead were hanging a great number of
paper lanterns fancifully p~inted of various sizes & shapeJrome
-
very largegold~n
over the doo1wa y
&
!
on each side were inscriptions in
letters on black painted wooden tablets- others also were
hanging in different parts of the room- one above the altar was
seen like a sign over
all about the sides of the room
a~shop-
were suspended strips of red & gilt paper with mottos also strips
of red silk with black letters as inscriptions. the design &
import of which
could not understand.
~e
dn the walls a profusion of paper & silk
There was hanging about
& .inscr~ptions,
fanciful
& grotesque.
The form of the building was something like the lines
below.-
Front
door
entrance
,
.~
11
11
1...
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~
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t)
,11
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.
yc...~e
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c7
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lY'~ # b 0 J'-{..~
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cf"'!
.
"'''''''-~r
.w:.~
I~\~
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-'.I,
Q
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"
A place on the right hand side of the entrance was occupied
for ezPosing bundles of josh sticks manufactured for sale- it had
the appearance of a little shO.p·, having a counter &c. - here also
place
they~their tea, which they offer freely to visitors~ We took some.
-11-
..
,"
.
The opposite cornerQ"r;;ip!l~':i' of the room
~he
eating for
thus
empl~yed
is' used
for a place of
imna:tes of the. ,temple.- When we left they were
&. we were 'invited to join them, a favor which we
.
declined •
. :S;ong KOng, Wednesdal, .JanYt 28th 1848.
,
'.
Today I, walked to. tlje store of' Jardine, :M8. the sori. &. Co.
_sit~ated
on
a
pier a little to the N. E. of Morrison Hill, and
more than a mile ,distant.
My object was to make inquiry respect-
ing Mr.Shillaberts plan of a voyage to the Sand. Islands. On
arriving at the Store &. finding ~. Matheson, I was gratified to
learn that Mr. Shi11aber was~to be found at the e~tablishment,
and tho. Mr. M. could give me no information himself respecting a
vessel f'or the islands he said I had better, see Mr. Shi1laber;
&.
a servant was called to show me to his room, Mr. Shil1aber being
unwell and confined to the house.-
I was directed to the room
where he was supposed to be; but did not finq. him ther.e.
I had
however the good suc'cess by inquiring at another. room, the door
of which was ajar, to be directed to the right room, where I
found Mr. S.-
He was in bed but. seemed glad to see me.
formed me of his purpose to send a vessel to the islands,
He in&.
would if he obtained one give me a passage.
Hong Kong. Thursday, J'any 29th 1846.
Took a walk to day to the seashore, following the path
by which I came up on my first
l~nding.
I wound around the hill
making quite a circuit, the road being so constructed as to make
a path of moderate steepness.a ship
~
At the foot of the hill there is
and a number of mechanics shops; but there were no
-12-
,
.-.;. ... ,
people at work, on account of the holy days.
I saw two ~hinese
\
si tting in. the yaxd who seemed to be engaged in a game of chan'ce
something like drafts.
I did not go very near them.-
I walked
l:s;'c..)
round to the right some distance along the 'beach;
It being low
A
water.I scrambled over the rocks, which are scattered along the
base of the hill.
I saw nothing interesting & retraced my steps
and ascended the hill in a slow walk.
Hong Kong, Friday, Jany 30> 1846.
A gentleman made a call upon Mr. Brown this morning,
who has recently arrived from. England with his family,
He is a
missionary designated for the Loo Choo islands, sent out by a new
.'
wllose
Soc. called
the Naval Missionary Soc . He is, a J'e~ by birthAP8l11e"
.,
or
is Bettleheim- Bettetheim.
He has a wife & two children, the
youngest of which was born on the passage.
be engaged as an infant school teacher.-
The. young lady is to
He is waiting for an
opportunity to go to his field of labor; but he does not know
when, nor in what form one may be presented.
In the meaa time he'
wishes to be occupied in acquiring the Chinese language.
The,
Loa Chooans do not speak the Chinese language; but like the .Tapanese, they use the character.
They are represented to be a very
mild and well disposed people.
HO'ng Kong, .Tany 31st 1846. Saturday.
I received a note this forenoon from Mr. Shillaber stating that he had chartered the 8chooner Audax which he should despatch in about ten days to the Sandwich Island's; but that the
Captain was unable to take passengers; adding that it would give
him great pleasure to forward any letters or parcels I might wish
to send to my family & friends in the Islands.
-13-
The information that I could not be accommQdated with a
passage made me
~or
a moment
~eel
quite sad and uncomfortable:for
..
I had been hoping to obtain a passage in the
vesse~
he might send.
-
In order to get" further information of his plans "I determined to
go directly to his office and see him.-
Mrs. Brown was kind
enough to order a servant to saddle 'a horse and accompany "me to
the store of Jardine, Matheson
I"rode
thit~er
&
Co. where Mr. S. was to be found.
and had an interview with Mr. S. who confirmed the
statement contained in his note, and set the matter at rest in
regard to a passage in that vessel, as he was intending to go
himself and his freight would completely fill the vessel,
whic~
had very small cabin accommodations.
Doubtless it is all for the
going with Mr.
S./ it
b~st
that I should fail of
is clearly a dispensa~ion of Godts providence 1
and I must wait for further light as to the path of duty.
As Mr. S. goes soon to Canton, he politely offered to
take charge of a letter to Dr. Bridgman.
to take in his cargo
&.
lie goes up in the
Auda~
will be back to this place in aboutlO
days; and then will be ready to commence his voyage to the Islands.
I ought to have mentioned under date of yesterday, that having
received an invitation
~rom
Sir John F. Davis, Gov.
o~
Hong Kong
to dine at the Government House at half past six otclock P. M. I
went thither at the hour appointed.-
I do not know whether I
have noticed the fact that I received from"Consul Gen. Miller a
letter of introduction to the Gov.
unable to see him at the time.
This I delivered but was
The invitation to dine was given
in consequence of. the letter, and accepted by me not because of
any love for entertainment or wish to. get acquainted with great
-14-
men, but because I had no good reason for refusing to accept, and
,.
I did not ~now but an acquaintance with the Go~* might be some
'.~
.
advantage to me hereafter.
The hour of
i
past 6 o'ck in tht evening seemed rather
unseasonable for dinner, nevert'he1ess this is the hour for the
grea t folks to dine at this place, as they wai t to get through
with all business, so as not to have any'interruption, and to be
able to sit a long time at table.
As the Gov~ House is distant from MOrrison Hill about
9ne mile & three quarters, coolies were obtained to carry me in
:B.s
Mrs.
~
chair,which cost me 50 cents.,i.e.25 cents to each carrier;
and is the second half dollar which I have paid for the same ob-
J"'~?
ject.
I arrived at the hour appointed and was directed by the
Sentinel walking in the lower entry to rooms in the first story,
to which I had access by an ample staircase of two flights of
:steps.
I met no one in the entry above"
but seeing a door open
and many persons in a room, after divesting myself of surtout and
~aying
down my hat in the entry, I made bold to enter.
The Govern-
ors Secretary whom I had seen before, stepped forward as I
enter-
ed 7 but gave me no introduction. - His Excellency I did not
know~
nor did I know any person in the room of whom there were 10 besides myself- all gentlemen.
ently land & naval officers.-
Several of them in uniform apparI was spoken to by a gentleman to
whom I mentioned my name, but who he was I did not know.,',
were standing and engaged in conversation with one another.
All
I
felt in an awkward position, in such an assembly without the least
acquaintance with any one,-
Pretty soon dinner was announced and
-15-
-che.
the company were invited to the table spread in
).
All took
..
s~ats-
nothing being said
t~
~adjoining
•....
room.
me: feeling however that I
was a guest, I went forward and took a vacant seat which happened
"
to be at the corner of the table, at the right hand of the gentle-
. man presiding at that . lan.q., ~;:the
being at the other.
·:4.0v~;-r.ssecretary in red uniform
. ~ .: ,:,: !.~\ ::~
Who of the Company was the Governor and
where he was seated I knew not.-
The gent. n at my left took
notice 9f me sufficient to make some conversation and helped me
to a slice of very nice beef, and not long afterwards proposed to
d·rink wine with me,
to himself.-
b~t
as I told him I never drank wine, he drank
The servants were very active iIi waiting on the
table, & as soon as the knife and fork of anyone was suspended,
it was the signal for removing the plate
&
the changes were not short of half a dozen.
supplying ano·ther, and
As the eating began
to close the. wine began to move around the table, and some I
thought helped themselves
plentifully~
Nearly opposite me sat a
portly officer - somewhat in years as I judged by his white
bushy head- this I rather suspected was the Go~ and I formed no
exalted opinion. of his courtesy: for I felt that I had not bee:p
well treated by the master of ceremonies-at least my host the
~r
Gov •.
I made some conversation with a naval officer at my
right hand - a
Gentle~an
across the table took notice enough of
me to propose a wine, to which I responded by touching
my
tumb~er
to.m~
lips
of beer.After two hours sitting at table the company rose, and
passed into the other room. I determined not to prolong my visit
much beyond nine o'ck, but still I wanted to pay my respects to
-i6-
.
.
the Gov: - at least I was desirous to ~ind out who he was.
hardly
kne~
subject •
.A.
I
how to bring this about, nor who to. address on the
gentleman condescended to enter into conversation with
me, who I perceived to be the one who had spoken to me soon aft.er
J
my entrance,
.
•
From some of his rematks I learned that he had been
long aCCI.uainted with China, and I began to conje'cturethat he was
the gentleman I wished to become aCCI.uainted with, and I was induced to enCI.uire whether I was not addressing Sir John F. Davis,
and I received for answer that I was: which quite relieved my embarrassment.
He made a few inquiries respecting the Islands,
which I answered; but he was not very curious to gain information,
and I was not disposed to be very talkative.
So as soon as I
thought it at all proper I excused myself and took my leave.-
It
was near 10 otck when I reached home, glad to have accomplished
my visit, but with no very high feelings of satisfaction with it.
'Nhen I go again I hope to be better pleased with the visit.Hong Kong, Sabbath, Feby 1st 1846.
I went to meeting this forenoon with the family, consisting of Mr. & Mrs. Brown, a daughter of 6 years of age & Mr.
Bonney.
~our
o~
We descended to the shore where a boat was in waiting,
the boys or the school and two
a
Chin~
men to row the boat
took their seats with the rest of us, and we were rowed over the
smooth surface of the harbor to the town side; passing many Chinese
boats either in motion or at anchor.
We landed at a sloping plat-
form amnng a number of boats huddled together.
Here we got out
and walked about 1/3 of a mile to the MBeting House- a
build~g
about as large as the Chapel at Honolulu, but only of one storyhaving pews on each side & slips in the middle.-
On a moments
-17-
~
,
afterthought I am of opinion that the house is larger than the
Chapel at Honolulu by about one quarter.-
It is a good building.
Mr. Brown preached to a small congregation mostly residents- a
~ter the Congregation had dis-Persed,
few Chinese were present.
'---"
the Lordfs Supper was administered, which is the practice once a
month.
There were 17 communic'ants - three Chinese two Bengalese
a man and his wife from Madras- four Americans- the rest English
& Scotch- one of them a Wesleyan Methodist- another a Baptist- one
a Congregationalist the others Presbyterians.
It gave me much
pleasure to commune with these Christians from different parts of
the world.There is at this place four houses of worship- Viz. Chap~
el for dissenters- one for Episcopalians, one for Roman'Catholics
and a Mohammedan Mosque.
There are also- Parsees- Natives of
Persia- who are worshippers of fire being the followers of Zoroaster.- I do not learn that they have any house of worship.
It was very painful to witness the entire disregard of
the Sabbath which exists at this place.
The Chinese fill the
streets carrying on every kind of business as on other days.Shops are open and fruit and other commodities are exposed for
sale.
We saw as we passed
~long.
sailors from ships scuffling-
,
foreigners walking- Chinese engaged in work- carrying burdensand waiting at the wharfs for'boat passengers.-
If these. things
~
take place in a Christian Colony what. is the state
pire
o~
the Em-
t f
Hong Kong: MOnday, Feby.2, 1846.
The Ship Congaree remains still at thas port; but remDved her position this morning, part of my baggage remains still
on board, and I shall allow it to remain until providence shall
-:-18-
throw more light upon my future course than I yet have.
I feel
very anxious to know the way in which I should go; but I must
keep quiet and watch the indications of Providence.
The
Sch~ A~dax
."
which has been chartered by Mr. Shilla-
ber to go to the islands, sailed this morning to Whampoa-. near
-'
,
Canton- to take in her cargo.
which
co~es
There is a feeling of melancholly
over my mind, when I think of my
~istance
and the uncertainty of a passage to the islands.
to keep rn:y mind in peace.
from home,
I try, however
I did not come here to please myself.
'The monthly Concert is 'observed by the Christians in
this place.
There.was a meeting this evening in the Chapel; but
.' '-rs.
'
the distance was too great for roB to go. Mess
Brown & Bonney
attended.
The exercises were conducted by Mr. BettelheiIn'the
missionary for Loo Choo, who made an interesting address
ont~e
state 'of the Jews- (he is himself a converted .Jew.) His countrymen are strong in their belief that they shall be restored to
their own lan~iand in Jerusalem e~joy that peace, prosperity
and happiness so glowingly described in the language of prophecy.TheRev~
Mr; Gutzlaff made one of the prayers.Dr. Balfour a christian of the Free chh. of Scotland,
took tea with us and attended Mr. Brown to the MOn. Can.
He is
a man highly esteemed.
I walked to the beach t9Fay and saw.Chinamen occupied
in the manufacture of rope" formed QY twistlng'together narrow
strips of rattan.
It was de'signed probably for a cable to their
fishing boats, as I saw a length of rdpe, large enough for such
a purpose, lying upon the ground along the
w~lk,
being composed
of three strands of such rope' as the men were spinning out.-
-19-
There were six men employed on three strands, two on each strand.
At one end sat a man turning a 'crank attached to three spindles
-. ,
passing through a pie ce of" plank re'sting on the ground, a foot
a half wide and about four f"eet long.
~ach
&.
winding of rattan
was fastened to the end of a spindle, and as the man turned' slowly the crank the mass of rattan was twisted;
<luanti ty of. strips
o~
Each man had a
the material fastened to his side.
In one
hand he held the rope in its twisting state, and in the other he
held a number of the strips of" rattan which were being wound
into the bodY'of the rope as the crank went round the man every
now and then adding a new strip, which he took from the mass of"
spare
mate~ialdangling
at his side.
I had seen at the same place not many days before a
company of men at work upon a rattan
sail~
I have not examined
closely the material of who the Chinese sails are made, but I
think the SUbstance is very much·like the matting which covers
packages which come from China: which we have all seen.
of" the Chinese bGats is large in proportion to the
si~e
boat.
&.
The boats are very light in their structure
The sail
of the
exceedingly
boyan::t .
Hong Kong, Tuesday, 'Feby 3rd. 1846.
I walked today to the burying ground belonging to the
foreign community.
It is not far distant from the Morrison Edu-
cation Societyts buildings, and is -overlooked by the hill on
which they stand.
In front is a sightly brick wall about 7 feet
high crowned with a neat granite top or capping.
neat chapel buiU in the form of a
cross~
Within is a very
-Ithe front portion
of it being surmounted with a small'cross for ornament.
A gravel
-20-
walk
"in an irregular form surrounds the ground, which is bounded by
a steep hill', the ground i tsel! being sloping. There are a nUlIlber
of new graves in regular order and one or two open graves.
chinaman was digging a child f s grave,:
.A.
I saw one grave having an
ornamental granite slab, upon it with an inscription: this was
the only conspicuous grave in the enclosure.
Hong Kong, Thursday, Feby.5, 1846.
:festerday I .had a -call from Captain Doane, and an invitation in connection with the family of Mr. Brown, to .go this
day on board the Congaree.
He
i~
about to make a final arrange-
ment for his vessel, and is to know this day his probable desti-.
nation.
At half past 12 otck I left the house in company with
Mrs. Brown & daughter & Mr. Bonney and descended the hill to the
sea side, where Mr. Brown keeps a. boat, Mr. B. being occupied
with some mechanical work, did not accompany us.-
The boat having
been got ready br the spreading of an awning, we stepped in and -;;
smooth
were rowed about two miles to the ship.- The harbor being quite"
we had a pleasant row, the weather also being quite mild, made it
still more agreeable.
We round
Mrs~Doane
on board waiting to receive us, Cap.
Doane being on shore, but it was not long before we had his presence, accompani~d by Cap. Webber, of the Brig Wissahicon, 'a very
"
pleasant & said to be a pious man.
I learn from Cap. Doane that he has engaged to take a
[SI'rJ
cargo from Manilla, but will leave for Macao tomorrow for the purl,
pose of taking on board a passenger.
On his arrival at Manilla,
it· will be at his option to take a cargo for Amsterdam, or for the
-21-
U. S. A. but it seem2 probable from the price of freight that he
will go to. Europe, the probability for the U.· S. being very
small, as freight to the latter piace is only about 15 dolls pro
ton, while to .8..m.sterd,am he will get 21 dollars.-
The
ca~e
being
such, I have decided to leave the Congaree, and shall remove all
my baggage.
I am unwilling to·go to Manilla on an uncertainty,
and think it not expedient to pursue the voyage to Europe,as in
that case I should not reach the U. S. until September, and I might
be subjected t.o high expenses in Europe; to say the 1e ast, unnecessary detention·, and should be too late for my object.
After dinner my effects were all got on deck, and at
·5 otck they were put on board the boat in which we came, Mrs.
Brown & the re.st of the company being desirous to visit the ship
"Paul JonesTt recently from Boston they remained to go in Cap.
~
Webbers boat, and with him to call on board that ship.
I did not
think it expedient to accompany them; but took my seat in the boat
with my baggage; in order that I might have the care of it and
see that it was safely conveyed to the house.
Ho~g
Kong, Friday Feby 6th. 1846.
Both yesterday morning and this morning I have raised
bloody matter from my lungs; but_I have raised no fresh blood.
For
about two weeks I have had a cold, which has been accompanied with
cough and copious discharges from the nose.
I have felt too s9me
pain in the side; but my appetite is good, and my general health
is better than when I came on shore.
I am irresolute in regard to my course.
My habitual
feeling is to return to the islands and I should be glad to see
the way open to go.
My jUdgment, however, is as much in favor of
:-22-
a voyage to the U.S.A. as of an immediate return to the islands.
My duty must be determined by the indications of frovidence.
Matters are not as quiet at Canton as I could wish them to be in
order for a visit there; still I shall keep my eye on that move
and may decide ere long to go
UPj_
I should not wish to leave with-
out having seen Canton.
Towards evening I accompanied Mr. Bonney in a boat to
the opposite side of the harbor, which is about
t~o
miles dis-
tant.· We ·landed at a place where a company of workmen were occu-·
pied in .splitting gra,nite from the quarry.
Here lay scattered
about great quantities of slabs and oblong pieces of different
lengths & thiclrnesses some of them 15 or 16 feet long.
is performed by drilling
by
a~plying
~nto
The work
the solid rock a row of holes, and
pressure, the mass is· forced open.
The large masses
are. then subdivided or split, and pieces may be obtained of any
length or thiclrness.
It is much used
f~r
building in Hong Kong •
.
In one place the rock had been cut away until a depth was attained
·causing an influx of water underneath the soil from the sea.
I
was amused with the manner in which the water was bailed out.
This
was by a bucket swung upon ropes held by two men standing opposite
to each other 15 to 20 feet apart: the buoket being in the cent~e
something· like this:
~
~
=0
persons elevated 6 or 8 feet above the water.
and the
The water. is reach-
ed by swinging the bueket and bending down so as to meet the water
with the open part. which 1s immediately filled, then with a jerk
it is raised, in which act it becomes upright, and is swung to
the place where it is to be emptied, and then with a sudden jerk
it is capsized, and drawn back to b.e filled
&
empti"ed again in
the same manner; the whole being done in a rew· seconds..
Two· per-
· -23-
sons in this way are able in the course of a hour to dislodge a
large quantity of water.
At no great distance from the quarry are cultivated
grounds and a small settlement which we visited.
Th~
are laid
out in beds .some hundreds 9f feet in length and 'sowed wi.th ·turnips, cabbages & lettuce, which grow well.
~here
were also sin-
gle rows of the. sweet potatoe growing; which did not look however very flourishing - A man was watering the beds by means of
two ·wooden water pots or buckets, each having a long wooden
snout.· The buckets .are carried by means of a yoke across the'
neck, the man running with a pretty quick step between the beds
wi th a stream pouring out watering two beds at the same time. The
beds were well wed & clean.
During my walk we visited a tomb: it seemed to be rather
ancient as the mason work was broken in some places: it was evidently the grave of a person of some consequence.
It consisted
of two parts -·being built on rising ground the upper part ,was
about four feet higher than the lower and in form was something
like two horse shoes, the bows opposite to each other having a
ste~
between, the lower circle being somewhat larger than the
upper: like the
"
We saw several graves, of' an inferior kind, looking
more like a s3ffill fire place than anything else.
On the 5th day
of April of every year the graves of the dead throughout the
empire are visited & offerings presented:.
Hong Kong Saturday
1
d any ?, 1846 . {Fe.bi .~
":"24-
The family having rec~ an
invitation from Cap •. Webber
of the Brig Wissahicsm to go on board and dine, they left home
about
~fCk
F.·M.
I had a particular invitation to accompany
,
them; but having experienced a sensation which I feared might be
an indication of raising blood, I thought it best to decline.
I
therefore staid at home alone, and occupied my time in writing.Mrs. B. gave orders to the cook to bake me a rice pudding, and
at. two oclock I ate my dinner which consisted of. one
. rice
pudding~
which was all I
~equired
dish~
the
and abundantly sufficient,
tho. the cook had left it in the oven until it was nearly
spoiled.:....
The family did not return till night.-
I have had no
further symptoms of raising blood; and I feel thankful to. God.
Hong Kong, Sabbath Feby.8th 1846.
I attended divine service at the "Union C;b.apel tt as it
is called, and heard Mr. Jarom preach from Gal.: 2 Chap. 17 v.
it was a good sermon- the congregation larger than it was last
..Sabbath.
I went in the boat with Mrs. Brown & daughter
of the scholars of the school.-
Mr. Bonney
stai~
Mr. Brown rode on
five
horseback~
at home in the morning but attended
the afternoon service, which is In Chinese and conducted
native~
~d
by
a
he also attended Episcopal service which takes place at
an earlier hour in the afternoon.
the Episcopal
Chapel~
There are two services at
One was conducted Vy the Colonial Chaplain,
Mr. Stanton, the other by the Military Chaplain Mr. Steadman.Hong Kong, Feby. 9 7 1846.
I feel in better health to day than usual. I have not
-25';'"
felt better since I left home.
I have now decided to go up to
Canton this week: it may be I shall go in a ttFast boat." Yesterdaj I got a note from Dr. Bridgman in which he invites me
to Canton.
kind~
He says nothing about disturbance or danger of it,
&. I conclude I shall be' in no danger of being incommoded, and I
can
re.
the~
find out the movements of the East India Squadron and
gain knowledge of their plans in regard to the islands.
I shall
therefore close my communications for the islands &. send them to
the store of .Jardine, Matheson &. Co. to go on board the .A.udax
when she arrives from Whampoa.
I do not find the Chinese, that is, those that I have
seen, so much above the Sandwich Islanders as I had expected to
find them.
Probably I have not had the best specimen presented
me of the inhabitants of this great Empire.
There are frequent
needful to guard the city.
~obberies
and private patrols are
It is said that all most every house
is guarded by persons employed ,by the owner or occupant the guard
walking round the house during the night.
Mr. Brown has a guard
of this kind conSisting of two persons paid 6 dollars pro mo.
but who also do other work besides watch at night.
once had their house broken
ope~
They have
by thieves who forced the door
and kindled a fire on the floor for light to aid them in their
depredation.
found.
The fire was made of cotton garments ,which they
Mr. &.'Mrs. Brown fled and concealed themselves but re-
ceived no injury.
This act of burglary occurred some time ago, at
a time when they had no guard.
The way to Canton &. other ports
is infested with ladrones - 1.e. robbers - and those who go in
boats arm themselves, I am told; but this I shall not do, trust-
-26-
ing in the God whose hand was upon :Ezra & his company:'
tt
to de-
liver them from the hand of the enemy and of such as lay in wait
by· the way. tt
Not long ago, it is since I came here, a party of
. '
:robbers made an attac'k u.pon some persons on the road leading to
another part of this island, both parties being Chinese.
The
ro.bbers wer-e worsted and one of them mortally: he was brought to
the
Ro~pital
which is on Morrison Hill and very near to the Ed-
ucation So.cietyfs buildings.
He was found by the police and
declared that he had been assailed by robbers and thus wounded
by them.
It· was found out afterwards that he was the robber. He
afterwards died of his wounds.'
breath was scarcely out of his
to be thrown into a grave.
I saw him at the hospital.
bod~
His
before it was hurried away
So summarily do the 6hinese perform
the· work of burying when the person dying has no friends.
And yet. there is n·othing which so holds the Chinese
mind in bondage as the veneration in which the graves of their
departed friends are held.
religion.
It seems to be interwoven with their
And they visit once a year the graves·& bring pres-
ents & burn incense before them.
I took out my watch
a~
of home,- of wife and children.
11 otck this morning and thought
It is 5 o'ck or nearly that
hour~
How are you occupied ?- Methinks you are this moment occupied
with the Catechism- the children are sitting in a circle and
answering the questions as put to them in succession by their dear
mother.
day.
I trust this
ser~
is not neglected any Sabbath
O! how highly favored are you my dear children, in hawing
parents that fear the Lord, and teach you your duty, and what
-2.7-
l
God requires of you.
~
have reason to bless God for having become
with the'ttAssemblyts Catechisms. tt
ac~uainted
And I have more occasion to
rejoice that I have gained a knowledge of the Bible.
It is this
knowledge that led me to be a 1l{issiop.ary; and now, when the heathen are before me, I see the difference which the knowledge and
obedience of Godts word makes between those who know & love the
true God and those who know him. no t.
I feel the strongest emotions of pity fo r the ignqrant .
dying heathen around me. And there are, it is thought, not less
than 360 million in this vast Empire; all of them ignorant of
the true God, & the worshippers of idols, without hope and without God in the world.
To all of my dear children I would say--to each one
thus tlRemember now tgy creator in the days of thy youth.rt
"Seek the Lord while He may be found. n
nlf thou seek him he
shall be found of thee; but if thou forsake him he will cast thee
off forever. tt
HObey your parents in the Lord. n
In conclusion, my dear children Be obedient to your dear mother - try to make her
....
-.
happy, nothing will oontribute more to do so than your good
behavior..., Kindness one to another- and obeying the oommand to
love one another Children love one another- Maria Jane, Martha Ann,
James Patton, Levi Tenny and Isabella.
I think of you every day & pray for you every day_
Good bye till I see you again.
Levi Chamberlain.
XC'2
prosperity during the year.
We understand that the officers of
government suspend their labors for a month and hold this whole
peTiod as a festival.
The common people, however, are not able
to devote so much time, and they do not suspend their labors so
long, but return to them after a few days.
The temple stands.a $hort distance from the road in a
grove of trees by which it is partly hid.
We went up to it by
a narrow winding path, aID1dst cultivation.
.
The building is one
.
.§tory high composed of brick tastf'ully ornamented at the evesin front are two lions cut out of granite very formidable in
appearance, showing a distended mouth, teeth exposed and tongue
painted red· as though ready to devour and thirsting for blood.
Several,persons stood just
insid~
of the door and
about it, one of which appeared to be the Priest.
We were per-
mitted to enter, while a person held the horse on whfuch I rode,
who afterwards fastened him by the bridle to one of the formidable granite lions guarding before the door.
We did·notoi'
e.
course do reverftnce for we entered with our hats on.- The inside
of the room was about 20 by 15 feet. Near the centre of the room
was a large brass vase filled. with sand & ashes in which was a
long stick of wood- apparently sandal wood- the larger end resting in the vase, being on f'ire which had been enkindled at 4 ofck
in the morning just at the change of the, moon & commencement of
the· new year T and woula keep on'fire about 3 weeks, we were told.
The upper end of the stick rested on a framework above the stick
being in a leaning posture, a painted paper with characters on
it, being fastened to the front of the stick - &. josh sticks
buxning in the vase set around the burning end of this:, piece of
-9-
wood.-
A frame work like a door way was
: "1.:.' .
from the entrance into the house.
~laced
about 6 feet
This stood disconnected from
'every thi~'i; the room, except what was over head.- It seemed to
be the direct entrance to the altar+ which was about 6 or 8 feet
from the other end' of the room.was say 6 feet long-
3i
[fornDf
The altar stood on a plav &.
high & two broad. on this stood three
vases of different sizes filled with ashes, having each clusters
of lighted josh sticks burning, behind these was a row of small
painted candles burning - the color red.- back of the altar
against the wall of the room was a small curtained room; the curtains of which being drawn, was disclosed the image of a female
which the Priest called the Q.ueen of Heaven on which being exposed, an attendant began with one hand a ~eavy beating up a
large iron bell suspended at one side of the room, also with the
other upon a drum suspended by it.
This was a chin chin to the
I
Queen pf Heaven.- On each' side of the little curtained rooIi:!. in
the
e.-
re~esses
was an image,. one of a man with cluste:r;s of long
black hair to re~resent a beard' hanging from his face, the other
was the likeness of a woman.-
Smaller images, most of them gilt,
were standing near the curtains, before which were small vases
containing burning josh sticks, small china cups were standing
for use, when
~otions
of tea should be needed for the gods.
A
mass of highly fanciful gilt &. colored paper was placed on each
side of the
Q.ue~n
of
Heaven~-
this fancifUl mass had the appear-
ance of branches, as tho. designed to represent flowers.
In front of the altar, standing on the
~latform,
at
each side, and fronting each other were two images with the left
hand raised- the color of one was black- the other white- the
-10-
features most pnnatural & horrid - frightful doubtless designed
to be.
before these was burning a quantity of josh sticks- the
house was well perfumed with smoke, which was not very pleasant
to my olfactory nerves.- Overhead were hanging a great number of
paper lanterns fancifully p~inted of various sizes & shapeJrome
-
very largegold~n
over the doo1wa y
&
!
on each side were inscriptions in
letters on black painted wooden tablets- others also were
hanging in different parts of the room- one above the altar was
seen like a sign over
all about the sides of the room
a~shop-
were suspended strips of red & gilt paper with mottos also strips
of red silk with black letters as inscriptions. the design &
import of which
could not understand.
~e
dn the walls a profusion of paper & silk
There was hanging about
& .inscr~ptions,
fanciful
& grotesque.
The form of the building was something like the lines
below.-
Front
door
entrance
,
.~
11
11
1...
~
~
<:)
'J
t)
,11
1.1
.
yc...~e
I~
d
~
~
~
c7
lFc...~1L
lY'~ # b 0 J'-{..~
'
"""""'~
t>--W:""Q..)'
r-p
p
0
•
cf"'!
.
"'''''''-~r
.w:.~
I~\~
1~:r.~ J~
t
~~
-'.I,
Q
1
"
A place on the right hand side of the entrance was occupied
for ezPosing bundles of josh sticks manufactured for sale- it had
the appearance of a little shO.p·, having a counter &c. - here also
place
they~their tea, which they offer freely to visitors~ We took some.
-11-
..
,"
.
The opposite cornerQ"r;;ip!l~':i' of the room
~he
eating for
thus
empl~yed
is' used
for a place of
imna:tes of the. ,temple.- When we left they were
&. we were 'invited to join them, a favor which we
.
declined •
. :S;ong KOng, Wednesdal, .JanYt 28th 1848.
,
'.
Today I, walked to. tlje store of' Jardine, :M8. the sori. &. Co.
_sit~ated
on
a
pier a little to the N. E. of Morrison Hill, and
more than a mile ,distant.
My object was to make inquiry respect-
ing Mr.Shillaberts plan of a voyage to the Sand. Islands. On
arriving at the Store &. finding ~. Matheson, I was gratified to
learn that Mr. Shi11aber was~to be found at the e~tablishment,
and tho. Mr. M. could give me no information himself respecting a
vessel f'or the islands he said I had better, see Mr. Shi1laber;
&.
a servant was called to show me to his room, Mr. Shil1aber being
unwell and confined to the house.-
I was directed to the room
where he was supposed to be; but did not finq. him ther.e.
I had
however the good suc'cess by inquiring at another. room, the door
of which was ajar, to be directed to the right room, where I
found Mr. S.-
He was in bed but. seemed glad to see me.
formed me of his purpose to send a vessel to the islands,
He in&.
would if he obtained one give me a passage.
Hong Kong. Thursday, J'any 29th 1846.
Took a walk to day to the seashore, following the path
by which I came up on my first
l~nding.
I wound around the hill
making quite a circuit, the road being so constructed as to make
a path of moderate steepness.a ship
~
At the foot of the hill there is
and a number of mechanics shops; but there were no
-12-
,
.-.;. ... ,
people at work, on account of the holy days.
I saw two ~hinese
\
si tting in. the yaxd who seemed to be engaged in a game of chan'ce
something like drafts.
I did not go very near them.-
I walked
l:s;'c..)
round to the right some distance along the 'beach;
It being low
A
water.I scrambled over the rocks, which are scattered along the
base of the hill.
I saw nothing interesting & retraced my steps
and ascended the hill in a slow walk.
Hong Kong, Friday, Jany 30> 1846.
A gentleman made a call upon Mr. Brown this morning,
who has recently arrived from. England with his family,
He is a
missionary designated for the Loo Choo islands, sent out by a new
.'
wllose
Soc. called
the Naval Missionary Soc . He is, a J'e~ by birthAP8l11e"
.,
or
is Bettleheim- Bettetheim.
He has a wife & two children, the
youngest of which was born on the passage.
be engaged as an infant school teacher.-
The. young lady is to
He is waiting for an
opportunity to go to his field of labor; but he does not know
when, nor in what form one may be presented.
In the meaa time he'
wishes to be occupied in acquiring the Chinese language.
The,
Loa Chooans do not speak the Chinese language; but like the .Tapanese, they use the character.
They are represented to be a very
mild and well disposed people.
HO'ng Kong, .Tany 31st 1846. Saturday.
I received a note this forenoon from Mr. Shillaber stating that he had chartered the 8chooner Audax which he should despatch in about ten days to the Sandwich Island's; but that the
Captain was unable to take passengers; adding that it would give
him great pleasure to forward any letters or parcels I might wish
to send to my family & friends in the Islands.
-13-
The information that I could not be accommQdated with a
passage made me
~or
a moment
~eel
quite sad and uncomfortable:for
..
I had been hoping to obtain a passage in the
vesse~
he might send.
-
In order to get" further information of his plans "I determined to
go directly to his office and see him.-
Mrs. Brown was kind
enough to order a servant to saddle 'a horse and accompany "me to
the store of Jardine, Matheson
I"rode
thit~er
&
Co. where Mr. S. was to be found.
and had an interview with Mr. S. who confirmed the
statement contained in his note, and set the matter at rest in
regard to a passage in that vessel, as he was intending to go
himself and his freight would completely fill the vessel,
whic~
had very small cabin accommodations.
Doubtless it is all for the
going with Mr.
S./ it
b~st
that I should fail of
is clearly a dispensa~ion of Godts providence 1
and I must wait for further light as to the path of duty.
As Mr. S. goes soon to Canton, he politely offered to
take charge of a letter to Dr. Bridgman.
to take in his cargo
&.
lie goes up in the
Auda~
will be back to this place in aboutlO
days; and then will be ready to commence his voyage to the Islands.
I ought to have mentioned under date of yesterday, that having
received an invitation
~rom
Sir John F. Davis, Gov.
o~
Hong Kong
to dine at the Government House at half past six otclock P. M. I
went thither at the hour appointed.-
I do not know whether I
have noticed the fact that I received from"Consul Gen. Miller a
letter of introduction to the Gov.
unable to see him at the time.
This I delivered but was
The invitation to dine was given
in consequence of. the letter, and accepted by me not because of
any love for entertainment or wish to. get acquainted with great
-14-
men, but because I had no good reason for refusing to accept, and
,.
I did not ~now but an acquaintance with the Go~* might be some
'.~
.
advantage to me hereafter.
The hour of
i
past 6 o'ck in tht evening seemed rather
unseasonable for dinner, nevert'he1ess this is the hour for the
grea t folks to dine at this place, as they wai t to get through
with all business, so as not to have any'interruption, and to be
able to sit a long time at table.
As the Gov~ House is distant from MOrrison Hill about
9ne mile & three quarters, coolies were obtained to carry me in
:B.s
Mrs.
~
chair,which cost me 50 cents.,i.e.25 cents to each carrier;
and is the second half dollar which I have paid for the same ob-
J"'~?
ject.
I arrived at the hour appointed and was directed by the
Sentinel walking in the lower entry to rooms in the first story,
to which I had access by an ample staircase of two flights of
:steps.
I met no one in the entry above"
but seeing a door open
and many persons in a room, after divesting myself of surtout and
~aying
down my hat in the entry, I made bold to enter.
The Govern-
ors Secretary whom I had seen before, stepped forward as I
enter-
ed 7 but gave me no introduction. - His Excellency I did not
know~
nor did I know any person in the room of whom there were 10 besides myself- all gentlemen.
ently land & naval officers.-
Several of them in uniform apparI was spoken to by a gentleman to
whom I mentioned my name, but who he was I did not know.,',
were standing and engaged in conversation with one another.
All
I
felt in an awkward position, in such an assembly without the least
acquaintance with any one,-
Pretty soon dinner was announced and
-15-
-che.
the company were invited to the table spread in
).
All took
..
s~ats-
nothing being said
t~
~adjoining
•....
room.
me: feeling however that I
was a guest, I went forward and took a vacant seat which happened
"
to be at the corner of the table, at the right hand of the gentle-
. man presiding at that . lan.q., ~;:the
being at the other.
·:4.0v~;-r.ssecretary in red uniform
. ~ .: ,:,: !.~\ ::~
Who of the Company was the Governor and
where he was seated I knew not.-
The gent. n at my left took
notice 9f me sufficient to make some conversation and helped me
to a slice of very nice beef, and not long afterwards proposed to
d·rink wine with me,
to himself.-
b~t
as I told him I never drank wine, he drank
The servants were very active iIi waiting on the
table, & as soon as the knife and fork of anyone was suspended,
it was the signal for removing the plate
&
the changes were not short of half a dozen.
supplying ano·ther, and
As the eating began
to close the. wine began to move around the table, and some I
thought helped themselves
plentifully~
Nearly opposite me sat a
portly officer - somewhat in years as I judged by his white
bushy head- this I rather suspected was the Go~ and I formed no
exalted opinion. of his courtesy: for I felt that I had not bee:p
well treated by the master of ceremonies-at least my host the
~r
Gov •.
I made some conversation with a naval officer at my
right hand - a
Gentle~an
across the table took notice enough of
me to propose a wine, to which I responded by touching
my
tumb~er
to.m~
lips
of beer.After two hours sitting at table the company rose, and
passed into the other room. I determined not to prolong my visit
much beyond nine o'ck, but still I wanted to pay my respects to
-i6-
.
.
the Gov: - at least I was desirous to ~ind out who he was.
hardly
kne~
subject •
.A.
I
how to bring this about, nor who to. address on the
gentleman condescended to enter into conversation with
me, who I perceived to be the one who had spoken to me soon aft.er
J
my entrance,
.
•
From some of his rematks I learned that he had been
long aCCI.uainted with China, and I began to conje'cturethat he was
the gentleman I wished to become aCCI.uainted with, and I was induced to enCI.uire whether I was not addressing Sir John F. Davis,
and I received for answer that I was: which quite relieved my embarrassment.
He made a few inquiries respecting the Islands,
which I answered; but he was not very curious to gain information,
and I was not disposed to be very talkative.
So as soon as I
thought it at all proper I excused myself and took my leave.-
It
was near 10 otck when I reached home, glad to have accomplished
my visit, but with no very high feelings of satisfaction with it.
'Nhen I go again I hope to be better pleased with the visit.Hong Kong, Sabbath, Feby 1st 1846.
I went to meeting this forenoon with the family, consisting of Mr. & Mrs. Brown, a daughter of 6 years of age & Mr.
Bonney.
~our
o~
We descended to the shore where a boat was in waiting,
the boys or the school and two
a
Chin~
men to row the boat
took their seats with the rest of us, and we were rowed over the
smooth surface of the harbor to the town side; passing many Chinese
boats either in motion or at anchor.
We landed at a sloping plat-
form amnng a number of boats huddled together.
Here we got out
and walked about 1/3 of a mile to the MBeting House- a
build~g
about as large as the Chapel at Honolulu, but only of one storyhaving pews on each side & slips in the middle.-
On a moments
-17-
~
,
afterthought I am of opinion that the house is larger than the
Chapel at Honolulu by about one quarter.-
It is a good building.
Mr. Brown preached to a small congregation mostly residents- a
~ter the Congregation had dis-Persed,
few Chinese were present.
'---"
the Lordfs Supper was administered, which is the practice once a
month.
There were 17 communic'ants - three Chinese two Bengalese
a man and his wife from Madras- four Americans- the rest English
& Scotch- one of them a Wesleyan Methodist- another a Baptist- one
a Congregationalist the others Presbyterians.
It gave me much
pleasure to commune with these Christians from different parts of
the world.There is at this place four houses of worship- Viz. Chap~
el for dissenters- one for Episcopalians, one for Roman'Catholics
and a Mohammedan Mosque.
There are also- Parsees- Natives of
Persia- who are worshippers of fire being the followers of Zoroaster.- I do not learn that they have any house of worship.
It was very painful to witness the entire disregard of
the Sabbath which exists at this place.
The Chinese fill the
streets carrying on every kind of business as on other days.Shops are open and fruit and other commodities are exposed for
sale.
We saw as we passed
~long.
sailors from ships scuffling-
,
foreigners walking- Chinese engaged in work- carrying burdensand waiting at the wharfs for'boat passengers.-
If these. things
~
take place in a Christian Colony what. is the state
pire
o~
the Em-
t f
Hong Kong: MOnday, Feby.2, 1846.
The Ship Congaree remains still at thas port; but remDved her position this morning, part of my baggage remains still
on board, and I shall allow it to remain until providence shall
-:-18-
throw more light upon my future course than I yet have.
I feel
very anxious to know the way in which I should go; but I must
keep quiet and watch the indications of Providence.
The
Sch~ A~dax
."
which has been chartered by Mr. Shilla-
ber to go to the islands, sailed this morning to Whampoa-. near
-'
,
Canton- to take in her cargo.
which
co~es
There is a feeling of melancholly
over my mind, when I think of my
~istance
and the uncertainty of a passage to the islands.
to keep rn:y mind in peace.
from home,
I try, however
I did not come here to please myself.
'The monthly Concert is 'observed by the Christians in
this place.
There.was a meeting this evening in the Chapel; but
.' '-rs.
'
the distance was too great for roB to go. Mess
Brown & Bonney
attended.
The exercises were conducted by Mr. BettelheiIn'the
missionary for Loo Choo, who made an interesting address
ont~e
state 'of the Jews- (he is himself a converted .Jew.) His countrymen are strong in their belief that they shall be restored to
their own lan~iand in Jerusalem e~joy that peace, prosperity
and happiness so glowingly described in the language of prophecy.TheRev~
Mr; Gutzlaff made one of the prayers.Dr. Balfour a christian of the Free chh. of Scotland,
took tea with us and attended Mr. Brown to the MOn. Can.
He is
a man highly esteemed.
I walked to the beach t9Fay and saw.Chinamen occupied
in the manufacture of rope" formed QY twistlng'together narrow
strips of rattan.
It was de'signed probably for a cable to their
fishing boats, as I saw a length of rdpe, large enough for such
a purpose, lying upon the ground along the
w~lk,
being composed
of three strands of such rope' as the men were spinning out.-
-19-
There were six men employed on three strands, two on each strand.
At one end sat a man turning a 'crank attached to three spindles
-. ,
passing through a pie ce of" plank re'sting on the ground, a foot
a half wide and about four f"eet long.
~ach
&.
winding of rattan
was fastened to the end of a spindle, and as the man turned' slowly the crank the mass of rattan was twisted;
<luanti ty of. strips
o~
Each man had a
the material fastened to his side.
In one
hand he held the rope in its twisting state, and in the other he
held a number of the strips of" rattan which were being wound
into the bodY'of the rope as the crank went round the man every
now and then adding a new strip, which he took from the mass of"
spare
mate~ialdangling
at his side.
I had seen at the same place not many days before a
company of men at work upon a rattan
sail~
I have not examined
closely the material of who the Chinese sails are made, but I
think the SUbstance is very much·like the matting which covers
packages which come from China: which we have all seen.
of" the Chinese bGats is large in proportion to the
si~e
boat.
&.
The boats are very light in their structure
The sail
of the
exceedingly
boyan::t .
Hong Kong, Tuesday, 'Feby 3rd. 1846.
I walked today to the burying ground belonging to the
foreign community.
It is not far distant from the Morrison Edu-
cation Societyts buildings, and is -overlooked by the hill on
which they stand.
In front is a sightly brick wall about 7 feet
high crowned with a neat granite top or capping.
neat chapel buiU in the form of a
cross~
Within is a very
-Ithe front portion
of it being surmounted with a small'cross for ornament.
A gravel
-20-
walk
"in an irregular form surrounds the ground, which is bounded by
a steep hill', the ground i tsel! being sloping. There are a nUlIlber
of new graves in regular order and one or two open graves.
chinaman was digging a child f s grave,:
.A.
I saw one grave having an
ornamental granite slab, upon it with an inscription: this was
the only conspicuous grave in the enclosure.
Hong Kong, Thursday, Feby.5, 1846.
:festerday I .had a -call from Captain Doane, and an invitation in connection with the family of Mr. Brown, to .go this
day on board the Congaree.
He
i~
about to make a final arrange-
ment for his vessel, and is to know this day his probable desti-.
nation.
At half past 12 otck I left the house in company with
Mrs. Brown & daughter & Mr. Bonney and descended the hill to the
sea side, where Mr. Brown keeps a. boat, Mr. B. being occupied
with some mechanical work, did not accompany us.-
The boat having
been got ready br the spreading of an awning, we stepped in and -;;
smooth
were rowed about two miles to the ship.- The harbor being quite"
we had a pleasant row, the weather also being quite mild, made it
still more agreeable.
We round
Mrs~Doane
on board waiting to receive us, Cap.
Doane being on shore, but it was not long before we had his presence, accompani~d by Cap. Webber, of the Brig Wissahicon, 'a very
"
pleasant & said to be a pious man.
I learn from Cap. Doane that he has engaged to take a
[SI'rJ
cargo from Manilla, but will leave for Macao tomorrow for the purl,
pose of taking on board a passenger.
On his arrival at Manilla,
it· will be at his option to take a cargo for Amsterdam, or for the
-21-
U. S. A. but it seem2 probable from the price of freight that he
will go to. Europe, the probability for the U.· S. being very
small, as freight to the latter piace is only about 15 dolls pro
ton, while to .8..m.sterd,am he will get 21 dollars.-
The
ca~e
being
such, I have decided to leave the Congaree, and shall remove all
my baggage.
I am unwilling to·go to Manilla on an uncertainty,
and think it not expedient to pursue the voyage to Europe,as in
that case I should not reach the U. S. until September, and I might
be subjected t.o high expenses in Europe; to say the 1e ast, unnecessary detention·, and should be too late for my object.
After dinner my effects were all got on deck, and at
·5 otck they were put on board the boat in which we came, Mrs.
Brown & the re.st of the company being desirous to visit the ship
"Paul JonesTt recently from Boston they remained to go in Cap.
~
Webbers boat, and with him to call on board that ship.
I did not
think it expedient to accompany them; but took my seat in the boat
with my baggage; in order that I might have the care of it and
see that it was safely conveyed to the house.
Ho~g
Kong, Friday Feby 6th. 1846.
Both yesterday morning and this morning I have raised
bloody matter from my lungs; but_I have raised no fresh blood.
For
about two weeks I have had a cold, which has been accompanied with
cough and copious discharges from the nose.
I have felt too s9me
pain in the side; but my appetite is good, and my general health
is better than when I came on shore.
I am irresolute in regard to my course.
My habitual
feeling is to return to the islands and I should be glad to see
the way open to go.
My jUdgment, however, is as much in favor of
:-22-
a voyage to the U.S.A. as of an immediate return to the islands.
My duty must be determined by the indications of frovidence.
Matters are not as quiet at Canton as I could wish them to be in
order for a visit there; still I shall keep my eye on that move
and may decide ere long to go
UPj_
I should not wish to leave with-
out having seen Canton.
Towards evening I accompanied Mr. Bonney in a boat to
the opposite side of the harbor, which is about
t~o
miles dis-
tant.· We ·landed at a place where a company of workmen were occu-·
pied in .splitting gra,nite from the quarry.
Here lay scattered
about great quantities of slabs and oblong pieces of different
lengths & thiclrnesses some of them 15 or 16 feet long.
is performed by drilling
by
a~plying
~nto
The work
the solid rock a row of holes, and
pressure, the mass is· forced open.
The large masses
are. then subdivided or split, and pieces may be obtained of any
length or thiclrness.
It is much used
f~r
building in Hong Kong •
.
In one place the rock had been cut away until a depth was attained
·causing an influx of water underneath the soil from the sea.
I
was amused with the manner in which the water was bailed out.
This
was by a bucket swung upon ropes held by two men standing opposite
to each other 15 to 20 feet apart: the buoket being in the cent~e
something· like this:
~
~
=0
persons elevated 6 or 8 feet above the water.
and the
The water. is reach-
ed by swinging the bueket and bending down so as to meet the water
with the open part. which 1s immediately filled, then with a jerk
it is raised, in which act it becomes upright, and is swung to
the place where it is to be emptied, and then with a sudden jerk
it is capsized, and drawn back to b.e filled
&
empti"ed again in
the same manner; the whole being done in a rew· seconds..
Two· per-
· -23-
sons in this way are able in the course of a hour to dislodge a
large quantity of water.
At no great distance from the quarry are cultivated
grounds and a small settlement which we visited.
Th~
are laid
out in beds .some hundreds 9f feet in length and 'sowed wi.th ·turnips, cabbages & lettuce, which grow well.
~here
were also sin-
gle rows of the. sweet potatoe growing; which did not look however very flourishing - A man was watering the beds by means of
two ·wooden water pots or buckets, each having a long wooden
snout.· The buckets .are carried by means of a yoke across the'
neck, the man running with a pretty quick step between the beds
wi th a stream pouring out watering two beds at the same time. The
beds were well wed & clean.
During my walk we visited a tomb: it seemed to be rather
ancient as the mason work was broken in some places: it was evidently the grave of a person of some consequence.
It consisted
of two parts -·being built on rising ground the upper part ,was
about four feet higher than the lower and in form was something
like two horse shoes, the bows opposite to each other having a
ste~
between, the lower circle being somewhat larger than the
upper: like the
"
We saw several graves, of' an inferior kind, looking
more like a s3ffill fire place than anything else.
On the 5th day
of April of every year the graves of the dead throughout the
empire are visited & offerings presented:.
Hong Kong Saturday
1
d any ?, 1846 . {Fe.bi .~
":"24-
The family having rec~ an
invitation from Cap •. Webber
of the Brig Wissahicsm to go on board and dine, they left home
about
~fCk
F.·M.
I had a particular invitation to accompany
,
them; but having experienced a sensation which I feared might be
an indication of raising blood, I thought it best to decline.
I
therefore staid at home alone, and occupied my time in writing.Mrs. B. gave orders to the cook to bake me a rice pudding, and
at. two oclock I ate my dinner which consisted of. one
. rice
pudding~
which was all I
~equired
dish~
the
and abundantly sufficient,
tho. the cook had left it in the oven until it was nearly
spoiled.:....
The family did not return till night.-
I have had no
further symptoms of raising blood; and I feel thankful to. God.
Hong Kong, Sabbath Feby.8th 1846.
I attended divine service at the "Union C;b.apel tt as it
is called, and heard Mr. Jarom preach from Gal.: 2 Chap. 17 v.
it was a good sermon- the congregation larger than it was last
..Sabbath.
I went in the boat with Mrs. Brown & daughter
of the scholars of the school.-
Mr. Bonney
stai~
Mr. Brown rode on
five
horseback~
at home in the morning but attended
the afternoon service, which is In Chinese and conducted
native~
~d
by
a
he also attended Episcopal service which takes place at
an earlier hour in the afternoon.
the Episcopal
Chapel~
There are two services at
One was conducted Vy the Colonial Chaplain,
Mr. Stanton, the other by the Military Chaplain Mr. Steadman.Hong Kong, Feby. 9 7 1846.
I feel in better health to day than usual. I have not
-25';'"
felt better since I left home.
I have now decided to go up to
Canton this week: it may be I shall go in a ttFast boat." Yesterdaj I got a note from Dr. Bridgman in which he invites me
to Canton.
kind~
He says nothing about disturbance or danger of it,
&. I conclude I shall be' in no danger of being incommoded, and I
can
re.
the~
find out the movements of the East India Squadron and
gain knowledge of their plans in regard to the islands.
I shall
therefore close my communications for the islands &. send them to
the store of .Jardine, Matheson &. Co. to go on board the .A.udax
when she arrives from Whampoa.
I do not find the Chinese, that is, those that I have
seen, so much above the Sandwich Islanders as I had expected to
find them.
Probably I have not had the best specimen presented
me of the inhabitants of this great Empire.
There are frequent
needful to guard the city.
~obberies
and private patrols are
It is said that all most every house
is guarded by persons employed ,by the owner or occupant the guard
walking round the house during the night.
Mr. Brown has a guard
of this kind conSisting of two persons paid 6 dollars pro mo.
but who also do other work besides watch at night.
once had their house broken
ope~
They have
by thieves who forced the door
and kindled a fire on the floor for light to aid them in their
depredation.
found.
The fire was made of cotton garments ,which they
Mr. &.'Mrs. Brown fled and concealed themselves but re-
ceived no injury.
This act of burglary occurred some time ago, at
a time when they had no guard.
The way to Canton &. other ports
is infested with ladrones - 1.e. robbers - and those who go in
boats arm themselves, I am told; but this I shall not do, trust-
-26-
ing in the God whose hand was upon :Ezra & his company:'
tt
to de-
liver them from the hand of the enemy and of such as lay in wait
by· the way. tt
Not long ago, it is since I came here, a party of
. '
:robbers made an attac'k u.pon some persons on the road leading to
another part of this island, both parties being Chinese.
The
ro.bbers wer-e worsted and one of them mortally: he was brought to
the
Ro~pital
which is on Morrison Hill and very near to the Ed-
ucation So.cietyfs buildings.
He was found by the police and
declared that he had been assailed by robbers and thus wounded
by them.
It· was found out afterwards that he was the robber. He
afterwards died of his wounds.'
breath was scarcely out of his
to be thrown into a grave.
I saw him at the hospital.
bod~
His
before it was hurried away
So summarily do the 6hinese perform
the· work of burying when the person dying has no friends.
And yet. there is n·othing which so holds the Chinese
mind in bondage as the veneration in which the graves of their
departed friends are held.
religion.
It seems to be interwoven with their
And they visit once a year the graves·& bring pres-
ents & burn incense before them.
I took out my watch
a~
of home,- of wife and children.
11 otck this morning and thought
It is 5 o'ck or nearly that
hour~
How are you occupied ?- Methinks you are this moment occupied
with the Catechism- the children are sitting in a circle and
answering the questions as put to them in succession by their dear
mother.
day.
I trust this
ser~
is not neglected any Sabbath
O! how highly favored are you my dear children, in hawing
parents that fear the Lord, and teach you your duty, and what
-2.7-
l
God requires of you.
~
have reason to bless God for having become
with the'ttAssemblyts Catechisms. tt
ac~uainted
And I have more occasion to
rejoice that I have gained a knowledge of the Bible.
It is this
knowledge that led me to be a 1l{issiop.ary; and now, when the heathen are before me, I see the difference which the knowledge and
obedience of Godts word makes between those who know & love the
true God and those who know him. no t.
I feel the strongest emotions of pity fo r the ignqrant .
dying heathen around me. And there are, it is thought, not less
than 360 million in this vast Empire; all of them ignorant of
the true God, & the worshippers of idols, without hope and without God in the world.
To all of my dear children I would say--to each one
thus tlRemember now tgy creator in the days of thy youth.rt
"Seek the Lord while He may be found. n
nlf thou seek him he
shall be found of thee; but if thou forsake him he will cast thee
off forever. tt
HObey your parents in the Lord. n
In conclusion, my dear children Be obedient to your dear mother - try to make her
....
-.
happy, nothing will oontribute more to do so than your good
behavior..., Kindness one to another- and obeying the oommand to
love one another Children love one another- Maria Jane, Martha Ann,
James Patton, Levi Tenny and Isabella.
I think of you every day & pray for you every day_
Good bye till I see you again.
Levi Chamberlain.
XC'2