THE STRAITS OF MALACCA

.INDO-CHINA AND CHINA OR

TEN YEARS' TRAVELS, ADVENTURES

AND RESIDENCE ABROAD

BY J. THOMSON, F.R.G.S. AUTI-IOR OF 'ILl.USTRATIONS OF CHINA A ND IT S PEOPLE '

. . ILLUSTRATED W ITH UPWARDS OF SIXTY WOOD ENGRAVINGS BY J . D. COOPER

FROM THE AUTH OR'S OWN SKET CHES AN D PHOTOGRApHS

LONDON SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, LOW, & SEARLE

CROWN BUILD LNCS, 188 FLEET STREET

r875

AIL 'I";g'/( I $ 1~ese1' ved

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE

The Straits of Malacca-The Dutch Operations at Acheen, in Sumatra -Penang; its Hills, Foliage, Flowers, and Fruit-The Klings, Malays, and Chinese of Penang-Occupations of the Chinese­The Chinaman abroad-A Descendant of the early Portuguese­Hospitality~A Snake at a Ball.

CHAPTER II.

A Visit to Quedah-Miden missing- The Rajah's Garden-Province Wellesley-Sugar and Tapioca Planting- Field Labour-A baffled Tiger-Wild Men-An Adventure in Province Wellesley. • 23

CHAPTER III.

Chinese Guilds; their Constitution and Influence-Emigration from China-A Plea for unrestricted F emilIe Emigration-The Perak Disturbances - Chinese Tin-mining - Malacca - Sinjrapore - Its Commerce and People-Stuffing an Alligator-The Horse-breaker -Chinese Burglars-Inland Scenery-A Foreign ResideI:\ce­Amusements-A Night in the Jungle-Casting Brazen Vessels-Jacoons. 44

CHAPTER 'IV.

Siam-The Menam River-Bangkok-Buddhist Temples-The King, Defender of his Faith-Missions-Buddhist Priests- The Priest in his Cell-The first King's Visit to the Wats-The Court of the Dead-Chinese Speculator investing in a Corpse-The Krum-mun-alongkot-An Inv6!ntor wanted-Taking the King's Portrait-The King describes the Tonsure Ceremony-The King's Request-ModOe of administering Justice-Gambling-Floating Hou~es-A Trip to Ayuthia-Creek·Life-Visit to Petchiburee . 78

x CONTEN7S.

CHAPTER V. PAGE

An Expedition to Cambodia- Bang Phra-kong Creek-Prairie on t1re- A Foreign Sailor- Wild River Scenery---Aqllatic Birds­Kabin-Kllt's Story to the Chief- A Storm in the Forest- The Cambodian Rllins- Their Magnitude- Siamrap-N akhon Wat­Its Symbolism- The Bas-reliefs and Inscriptions-The Hydra­headed Snake- The Ancient Capital, Penompinh-Tl:e King of Cambodia- Dinner a t the Palace-The wholc Hog- Overland to Kampllt-Pirates- Mahomet's Story- The Fossil Ship - The Voyage up the Gulf of Siam. lIS

CHAPTER VJ.

Saigon; its Harbollr- The Town- The Resident Foreign Com­munity- Cholon, the Chinese Town- Rivcr Dwellings- Customs of the Cochin Chinese- Chinese Traders- The Cochin Chinese Village of Choquan-The Sorcerer-Plaine des Tombeaux-·Petruski. . 164

CHAPTER . VII.

Hongkong-Description of th~ Island-The City of Victoria- Its present Condition- Its Foreign and Native Population- The MarKct-place- Hongkong Arti sts- Grog· shops- Tai-ping-shan­Expense of Living- A strange Adventurer- A Mormon M is­sionary.

CHAPTER VIII.

Snakes in Hongkong- A Typhoon- An Excursion up the North Branch of the Pearl River- Fatshan- The Fi lai-sz Monastery­The Mang-tsz-hap, or Blind Man's Pass-Rapids- Akum's Ambi­tion-The Kwanyin Cave-Harvest- From San-Shui to Fatshan in a Canoe-Canton- Gcivernor Yeh's Temple- A Tea Factory-

179

Spurious Tea- Making Tea-Shameen - Tea-tasting. . 212

CHAPTER IX.

Canton-Its general Appearance-Its Population-Streets-Shops­Mode of transacting Business-- Signboards-Work arid Wages­The Willow-pattern Bridge- Jllilin, Governor-General of the two Kwang-Clan Fights- Hak-kas- The Mystic Pills- Dwellings of the Poor-The Lo-bang-tang-Bllddhist Monastic Life- On board it Junk. . 242

CONTENTS. Xl

CHAPTER X. PAC!;:

The Charitable Institutions of China-Macao -Description of the Town - Its Inhabitants - Swatow - Fureign Settlentent - Chao­chow-fu- Swatow Fan-painters --Modellers- Chinese Art- Village W arfare-Amoy- The N ati v,e Quarter-Abodes of the Poor- In­fanticide - Manure-pits - Human Remains in J ars - Lekin-Romantic Scenery-Ku-Iang.su-The Foreign Settlement. 27 I

CHAPTER XL

T akow Harbour, Formosa-La-mah-kai--Difficulties of Naviga­tion- Tai-wan-fu-The Taotai-His Yamen-How to cancel a State Debt - The Dutch in 1661 - Sylvan Lanes - Medical Missiolls-A JOUl·ney to the Interior- Old WatercouFses-Broken Land- H ak-ka Settlers-Poah-be - Pepohoan Village - Baksa Valley-The name ' Isla Formosa'--A Long March- The Central Mountains- Bamboo Bridges-' Pau-ah-liau ' Village- The Phy­sician at Work- Ka-sall-po Village- A Wine-feast- Interior of a Hut-Pepohdan Dwellings-A Savage Dance - Savage Hunting-grounds- La-Iung Village-Lakoli Village- Return Journey. 300

CHAPTER XII.

The Japan'ese in Formosa-Cause of the Invasion-The River Min-Foochow Arsenal-Chinese Gun-boats -Foochow City and great Bridge-A City of the Dead-Its Inhabitants-Bcggars­Thieves- Lepers-Ku-shan Monastery-The Praying Bull-The Hermit- Tea Plantation on Paelillg Hills-Voyage up the Min­Shui-kow - An Up-country Farm- Captain Cheng and his Spouse-Yen-ping City-Sacrificing to the Dead-~hooting the Yen-ping Rapids-A Native Passenger-boat. 345

CHAPTER XII I.

Steam Traffic in the China Sea-In the W ake of a Typhoon­Shangbai- - N otes of its Early H is tory-Japanese Raids-Shanghai Foreign Settlement-Paul Sii, or ' Sti-kwang-ke '--Shanghai City -Ningpoo Native Soldiers-Snowy Valley-Thc Mountains­Azaleas-The Monastery of the Snowy Crevice-The Thousand Fathom Precipice-Buddhist Monks-The Yangtsze Kiang­Hankow-The Upper Yangtsze-Ichang-The Gorges- The Great T sing- tan Rapid- Mystic Mountain Lights-A D angerous Disaster Kwei-fu - Our Returll--Kiukiang-Nanking; its Arsenal- The Dcath of 'fsing·kwo·fan-Chinese Superstiti on 397

XII CONTENTS. /

CHAPTER XIV. PAG !.!:

Chefoo-The Foreign Settlement-the Yellow River-Silk-Its Pro­duction-Taku Forts-The Peiho River-Chinese Progress­Floods in Pei-chih-li-Their Effects-Tientsin-The Sisters Chapel Condition of the People--A Midnight Storm-Tung-chow-Peking - The Tartar and Chinese Divisions of the Metropolis -Its Roads, Shops, and People-The Foreign Hotel-Temple and Domestic Architecture-The Tsungli Yamen- Prince Kung, and the High Officers of the Empire- Literary Championship- The Confucian Temple ---:-The Observatory- Ancient Chinese.Instruments-Yang's House-Habits of the Ladies- Peking Enamelling--Yuen-Ming­Yuen- Remarkable Cenotaph- A Chinese Anny-Li-hung-chang The Inn of 'Patriotic Perfection '-The Great Wall- The M ing Tombs. . 469

APPENDIX.

THE ABORIGINAL DIALECTS OF FORMOSA 539

DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA OF SIAM, CO!..LECTED BY THE AUTHOR /

AND NAMED BY H. W. BATES, ESQ. F.L.S. &c. 545

TIlE STRAITS OF MALACCA,

INDO-CHINA AND CHINA.

CHAPTER I.

The Straits of Malacca-The Dutch Operations at Acheen, in Sumatra­Penang; its Hills, Foliage, Flowers, and Fruit- The Klings, Malays, and Chinese of Penang - Occupations of the Chinese - The Chinaman abroad-A Descendant of the early Portuguese-Hospitality-A Snake at a Ball.

IN 1862 the Suez Canal was yet unfinished, and esti­mated by many a more than doubtful undertaking. The joining of the two seas by a navigable channel, cut through a vast desert of shifting sand, people set down as the fond scheme of a visionary enthusiast; and so when I first quitted England I had to leave M. de Lesseps still carving out his fame in the sands of Egypt, and to follow the old route overland. But I need not pause to detail my experiences over one of the beaten tracks of modern tourists; nor can I even venture to describe Galle, with its hills and palms, and its cinnamon groves, as this part of Ceylon is on the highway to India, and therefore already well known. Had health per­mitted me, on first returning to England in 1865, it was my intention to have penetrated to the centre of the i~land, in order to explore its ancient Hindoo or Buddhist stone buildings, and to compare them with the magnifi-

13

2 I N D O-CHINA AND CHTNA.

cent remains of the cities, temples, and palaces I had just visited in the heart of Cambodia. This proj ect I was unable to carry out, so that my experiences in Ceylon are confined to the narrow limits of Galle harbour and to the adjacent hills- such indeed as fall to the lot of all who travel by the steamers of the Peninsular and Orien­tal line. I must therefore invit~ my reader to accom­pany me still further eastward, to the Malayan Islands and the niainland of Indo-China, where I spent some years of my life, before I can hope to introduce him to people or places with which he may be still unfamiliar.

A voyage to a distant land, even under the most favourable circumstances, has always seemed to me long and tedious. W eary of watching the expanse of placid sea, and the fun and flirtation carried on beneath the white awning of one of the finest steamers afloat, the words 'Land on the starboard bow!' fell gratefully on the ears of the outward-bound passengers. N ovels were thrown down, and games of cards, chess, and quoits abandoned; while a dozen telescopes and fi eld­glasses scanned a faint and disappointing line on the southern horizon; that is Acheen H ead, and (it may be only in fancy) the breeze off the land comes laden with a tropic perfume from the rich Sumatran coast. A cheen is the point where the Dutch, with their pon- . derOlIs and sluggish movements, have struck a new blow at the power of the Malays. They have left the wound open and lace~ated , but will no doubt return to lop off a fresh slice of territory at a more convenient season.

That Dutch rule in Java has been productive of mutual benefit to the island and to H olland-more e~­pecially to the latter-no one will be inclined to dispute;

THE STRAITS OF ii/ALA CCA. 3

nor need we doubt that the same desirable result will follow the occupation of the recently subdued provinces which are being added, slowly but surely, to the Dutch dominions in the Malayan islands. At the same time, unless our treaty rights in these regions are carefully guarded, our peaceful and profitable trading relations with those islands may suffer, as they have done, more than once, during the earlier period of our intercourse with the native states in this quarter of the globe. One would imag ine t~o, that Acheen was a most important point to fall into the hands of a foreign power, standing as it does at the north-western extremity of Sumatra, and forming, so to speak, one of the pillars of the west­ern gate of the Straits of Malacca. I therefore doubt whether any power, more for~idable and less friendly than the Dutch, would have been permitted or en­couraged to annex this territory.

Steaming eastward through the Straits, we are soon within view of Penang: a very small, but at the same time, important and productive island, and the first British possession we reach in the Straits.

A strikingly picturesque place is Penang, with its belt of bright yellow sand and its crown of luxuriant tropical vegetation; forming, too, a sort of sanitorium for our settlements in this quarter, and having a rich alluvial plain which, not many years ago, was an im­penetrable jungle, but now is a perfect garden of cultivation. The shaded paths on the wooded hills, which rise over 2,000 feet above the sea, lead to the most charming retreats in the world; to bungalows nestling among rocks and foliage, and to cascades where clear cool water falls into natural basins of granite beneath. There residents may bathe beneath

B 2

4 INDO-CHINA AND CHINA.

canopies of palms and tree-ferns; while, so balmy is the climate amid these hill-dwellings, that the lightest costumes may be at all times worn.

Many of the lower spurs of the Penang hills, and the valleys which divide them, have been cleared, and planted with cocoa, areca palms, nutmegs, and a great variety of fruit-trees; small patches of the siri vine and sugar-cane are also to be found. In such places there is a deeper and richer soil than on the plains below, while on the summit of the highest hill the temperature is low enough to allow the cultivation of European vegetables and flowers. On ascending the hill to the government bungalow, nothing amid the profusion and variety of palms, flowering shrubs, or tangled jungle, so much impressed me as the stately beauty of the tree-ferns, growing to perfection about 1,600

feet above the plain. This tree-fern rears its bare, finely-marked stem from IS to 20 feet high above the underwood, and then curling its delicate fronds upward, outward, and in graceful arches, spreads a leafy canopy of the most tender green foliage, which it drops in a multitude of quivering points at · a distance of eight or ten feet round the parent stalk.

It will hardly be credited, by those who have never visited a hill country in the tropics, that soon after sunrise the noise of awakening beetles and tree-loving insects is so great as to drown the bellowing of a bull, or the roar of a tiger a few paces off. . The sound re­sembles most nearly the metallic whirr of a hundred Bradford looms. One beetle in particular, known to the natives as the' trumpeter,' busies himself all day long in producing a booming noise with his wings. I have cautiously approached a tree on which I knew a