if the goods were retained the inhabitants would have remained with them, and those who had left the city would have returned. Can any one, having a knowledge of the Chinese love for property, doubt that such would have been the result?

A short time after the occupation, shops were opened, and poultry of the finest description were plentiful. Emissaries from the Ning-po authorities being in the town and observing this, threatened the remaining inhabitants with death, if they supplied the English. This ought to have been stopped, and every means taken to have discovered and punished these vile servants of the mandarins.

The seizure of the compradore, before spoken of, was a most severe blow, and caused, I may say, the whole of the aftersufferings to the troops. For as the inhabitants perceived that the English would not, or could not, force the Ning-po authorities to give him up, they lost all confidence, and forsook our neigbourhood, crowding into the interior of the island, or to Ning-po; and

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A NATIVE DECOYED.

when opportunities offered of inquiring why they did so, the answer was, "there is no security for life or property. We may be seized by the agents of our government, and lose our lives for traitorous intercourse." Thus we had only ourselves to thank for the sufferings the troops endured. A powerful demonstration or attack on Ning-po would, no doubt, have caused the release of the compradore, and made the authorities very cautious how they interfered with us at Chusan.

About this time a native employed by the British was decoyed out of the gate, and was immediately seized and carried off to Ning-po. This put the finishing stroke to our intercourse; the few remaining inhabitants fled the city; even the robbers were infected with the panic, and a Chinese was rarely to be seen in the street. It became impossible to obtain fresh provisions: no cocks or hens were to be seen in the neighbourhood of the city, and should one bird be heard to crow, he seldom crowed again.

The camp followers were all day fishing in the canals, surrounded by servants ready to

BEHAVIOUR OF THE TROOPS. 335

purchase the first bite; even the poor supply of vegetables had ceased.

The troops had behaved in the most exemplary way; but who can wonder if, under the temptation excited by hunger, irregularities were committed? or if an occasional peasant more venturous than his countrymen, when making for the town with poultry, was eased of it before he arrived at his journey's end? In this state things remained for some time, and when protective papers for houses and property were notified, only a few appeared to avail themselves of the offers held out to them.

It being advisable to move the 26th and 49th regiments into winter quarters, many houses in the city were appropriated to that purpose, the owners of which, in numerous cases, not appearing to claim their property, they were necessarily broken open and the contents sent to the temple of Confucius, where sales were occasionally held.

One great difficulty felt in our first intercourse with this island, was the little knowledge the natives had of silver. The tchen

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DEBASING THE COIN.

being their circulating medium, thousands of strings of them were carried off by the robbers before the soldiers became aware of their value. The inhabitants would at first not take silver, except the Carolus pillared dollar; and it was very long before they could be induced to receive the Mexican on any terms. I have, when paying for bullocks, seen them examine the dollars most minutely, only selecting those on which that king's effigy was represented with a small piece of armour on the shoulder.

When they became more familiar with our silver coin, I saw a man refuse to take a sovereign, preferring an English shilling: in fact, nothing like a gold coinage has existed in China for ages. So addicted are the Chinese to debasing the currency that even the tchen, which is of less value than a tenth of a penny, is counterfeited. They will take a dollar, cut off the stamp about the thickness of tinsel, and scrape out the inside until a mere shell of the same thickness is left; they then fill it up with copper, and neatly braze the stamp on. The most critical

examination of an unpractised eye will not easily discover the cheat. All the English houses employ shroffs, native Chinese, who readily detect a bad dollar; and as they are answerable for any that may be such after undergoing their examination, the English merchants are seldom sufferers by

base coin.

The temples or joss-houses of Ting-hai are amongst the finest in China. On entering the large and deep gateway of the great temple a colossal figure is seen seated on each side; the right-hand one being the warrior Chin-ky, while the one on the left is Chinloong, but a high railing prevents the curious from touching them. After examining these seated giants, you pass to a large open quadrangle, one side of which is appropriated to the dormitories of the priests, and the other consists of a long narrow apartment with altars before three of their gods, who occupy arm-chairs, having elegant lanterns suspended before them.

The first is an aged figure, with a long black beard, apparently sleeping; the coun

VOL. I.