The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-16 00:00:00

ENING' EDITION.

THE ISLAND OF HONG-KONG.

Dr. Clarke Abel, in his Narrative of
.a Journey to
China, gives the following account of this island :—Sail-
• with the Amherst Embassy in this
island
squadron,
:orngthe evening of the 12,th of June, weighed, and stood
for Hong-Kong, which is one of the Ladrone Islands,
cistant from the great Lemma 16 miles in a N.E.
direction.
Looking, from the deck of the Alceste early on the
following morning, I found that we were in a scund
formed by so:ne small islands, by which it was land-
locked in every direction, and of which :Hong-kong is
the principa'. As rcen from the ship this island was
chiefly remarkable for its high conical mountains, rising
in the centre, and for a Leautiful cascade, which rolled
over a floe blue rock into the sea. I took advantage of
the first watering-boat to visit the shore, and made one
of these mountains and the waterfad the principal ob-
jects of my visit.
This mountain, the highest on the island, is, ac-
cording to Captain Ross, who has measured it,
about fifteen hundred feet above the level of the
sea, and is composed of trap, approaching to basalt
in the compactness of its structure. In ascends
ing, it, I followed the course of a delightful stream,
which rises bear its summit, and found by its side a
number of interesting plants. The general surface
of she mountain, and iedaed every part of the island
of Hong-kong that I was able to visit, is remarkably
barren, although in the distance it eppears fertile.
I was unable to reach the summit of the mountain,
in consequence of the excessive heat, which, at
eight o'clock in the morning, raised the thermo-
• meter in the shade to 83 degrees, whilst the sun's
1 ays, to which I necessarily capered myself, darted
through an unclouded atmosphere with an almost
intolerable efface, - and raised the quicksilver to
120 degrees. I ascended about 1,000 feet,
and returned by a path which passed over
a small hill, or rather mound, diffsring in structure
from all the rocks in its neighbourhood, being com-
posed of a very friable stone of reddish white colour
much resembling disintegrated felspar.
Its scenery is composed of barren rocks, deep ravines,
and mountain torrent?, but presents few characters of
a very picturesque description. Of its inhabitants,
none were seen but some poor and weather-beaten
fishermen, spreading their nets, and drying the produce
cf their toils on the rocks which supported their miser-
able mud huts. Its cultivation corresponded with the
apparent state and number of its population. Patches
of rice, small plantations of yarns, and a little buck-
wheat, were all their visible means of vegetable support.
The typhoons, which sweep over the island at this
season, are sometimes tremendous.
The height of the barometer varied very little
during our stay at Hong-Kong, but the thermometer
and hygrometer underwent frequent changes.
The most ancient Spanish geographers speak meanly
of Hong-kong, in common with the other islands of the
cluster. It produces, however, they allow, fruits, salad,
and a variety of wholesome herbs, in fair quantity ;
but that it has no beasts, and of birds only one kind.
The inhabitants were few and miserable ; but they ale!
peered, it their original stock may be guessed at, to be
of the same stock as the Philippines.
(By the Author of " Thc Chinese as they Are."
The Wall of Hong-kong is about ten miles in
length, and nearly that distance in its greatest breadth.
It is of an irregular shape, and withdraws into two or
three half sheltered harbours on the southern side. But
that which is, by way of emphasis, the Harbour of
Kong, is formed by this island as it stretches in length
from cast to west, and the main land of China. This
is a magnificent harbour in extent and diversity of out-
line, securely sheltered by lofty hills, and well deserves
that distinction which has been given to it. The ships
usually anchor in about ten fathoms water, but there
is a deep bight in the mainland, receding about two
miles and a half towards the north, which is about a
mile and a half, or somewhat more, in breadth, where
the depth of water varies from three to five fathoms.
As this inner harbour, as we may call it for the sake of
clearness and perspicuity, is completely landlocked, it
resembles a beautiful lake, surrounded by many a ridgy
height and some towering peaks of steep and rugged as-
cent. At the top of this inner harbour stands the vil-
lage of Ceroloon, which recently gained some celebrity
by a skirmish between Captain Elliot and the Chinese
cruisers, but which 'was been long known to naval men
by the great civility and kindness of its inhabitants to-
wards the foreigner. From the harbour of Hong-kong
there is a passage to the eastward about half a mile in
breadth, where in some places there is twenty-five
fathoms water; but as this course is rather intricate,
and requires a variety of winds to make it an easy
one, ships proceeding to the north prefer a sweep
round the island of Hong-kong, and drcpping down the
Lama channel to steer southward and eastward till
they emerge into the China sea. The harbour of
Hong-kong is famed among foreign residents in China
for its extreme healthiness ; and many a sojourner at
Macao, after trying what medicine and exercise could
do for hint there, has at length repaired to Hong-kong
• and found what he had so long sought for in vain. 'rho
writer of these remarks, while at the place last men-
tioned in the spring of 1838, made full proof of physic,
diet, rest, and light excursions, but discovered that he
was growing weaker, instead of improving, under this
treatment. Just at the time when trope began to give
place to despair, au American Captain invited him to
take a trip to Hong-kong ; the invitation was ac-
cepted, and after a lapse of a fortnight he was so in-
vigorated by the breeze s of that delectable place, that
he went to Canton and worked through a summer of
unusual sultriness. Thus much may be said in re-
ference to the healthiness of this piece of newly-acquired
territory.-
The island of Hong-kong may be described as a huge
pile of ragged hills, which here and there start up into
precipitous peaks. It is barren and intractable in its
aspect, especially when compared with those rich scenes
which meet the eye in the Straits of Sunda. But this
barrenness is relative, for the slopes are covered with a
hardy kind of grass, except in spots where the soil has
been sifted by an avalanche or the rock broken into an
escarpment by volcanic action. The naked and unpro-
ductive character of the hills in the southern parts of
China the writer had been led to ascribe to the meagre
and hungry nature of the soil, as the rock from which
it is produced is a hard sort of granite, yielding but
little clay ss a material for the sub-soil ; when,
however, he visited Hong-kong, and found it mainly
composed of trap, in which clay is abundant, he began
to noel it necessary to modify the opinion which he had
formerly entertained. The barren aspect assumed by
the projecting points amt angles of Hong-kong, or rather
tae want of trees to clothe and decorate them, must
be arcribed to the north-cast wind, which blows with
such aks e.i and tat rig edge, that few trees, save the
Pinus Linens's, which reserno,es our Scotch fir, can en-
dure it. This pine, though very abundant upon
many parts of Hcang Shaw, the island cf which the
peed ,sula of Macao farms a hart, is not p'entiful
in 1 pasts of Ilosig-Iton, and semis to shun the
ghee: ng aides of that island. If, however, those
parts which first offer thernwlvea to the ken of the sea-
tiring man from afar, ale uninviting because the wind
,s adverse to vegetation, we ought to look for something
better in quarters defended fromhs
disappointed,
influence ; and
g
in this expectation we shal not
hi l
hills.
forlf thewe
valleys exhibit a beautiful contrast' tothhe
.e southern. side
land, for e.iample, at the cascade on
up abotu
of the island, alter climbing
crustou end
ledges of trap, covered with a curious -whsiTetyfeetover
spit :eto a diversity of configurations, we find
in a leturiant and romantic vale, sometimes wallet; in
with steep sides, at others expanding into little ied(l'in
for the cultivation of rice and regets'eles. In o resi•
these vales, about two miles, from the waterfall, wpame;
with a small village, where the inhabitants are ,t,,,.;",
their appearance, which is no great marvel,. •;moo it is
erminerce, and not agriculture, unless (gaol by
em.
memo, which makes a people rich.
The author of these remarks. flurried by this village
with the best speed he w
I eve time to trace th "as master of, that he might
e stream o water to its sources,
r nd get a view of° the other side of the island from the
summit of the, ridge. Tuis stream separated into two
branches, rAtcb of which ran towards a high peak. His
.
caste did not allow him *.o form a proper estimate of
the number of inhale.wints who called this village ther
Itnle, as he mil afterwards surprised to see a large
group of fetweles descending from the hills, whither
they
N o ullaa
-been either to cut grass or to till sonic fa-
respot amid the varieties of hill and dole. Few
Europeans would prefer a residence in this valley, but
It• "'lid f'acrlA a most delightful place for an excursion.
If a bend
istarted
would from Hong-kong harbour early in the
t morning,reachr even eight thisv.l'eyintie to
.allow
the passengers six
o
upon the shore, hours for a plc tic
s and thenreturn by the time the sun
had descended
below the verge of tho a estern horizon.
In a withdrawing nook-, inwl'at we may call, iii the
landsman's phrase, the further corner of the harbour of
Hong-kong, there i 3 a small delta and a very charming
valley, in which the former terminates. On this delta,
fairly " cmbosomed in tufted trees," :.tends a small
village, inhabited by persons who arc not wealthy, but
tot so poor but that sonic had delicacies which had
been brought from Macao, and to which they bade the
writer a most hearty welcome. Several of them could
read, and a man, to whom a copy of the New Testament
Ives given, seemed to be a person of intelligence, though
Lis daily cares were parted between his fishery and his
equilateral triangle,
farm. This shelter is randy an
each side being about one-fourth of a mile in length.
It terminates in a very pleasant del, where shrubs and
plants grow in great profwaion. After passing about a
mile along this dell we find ourselves in a bread valley
'leaked
rvitiby hills, adorn whose sombre aad glistening
gip ' sate water fall; in refreshing streams. Here we
with dwelling-lisuses and outhuildira s for the
r.-.-wage of grain. It is all entirely rural in ' i 163 :16pC C. t 3,
.'s ,
.. •••''._.:'', ' 1 exhibits the counterparts of grange and Irma in ad-
s . Ass.W.llgAture. Ti c writer found the villagers kind acid izqui-
-4
toe, teoueli at the first they
fer° 0 • 1
sw were very much surprised
1 -.vs sae, the utusual, if not the first, appearance of an Eu-
, that valley. Ties delta and the valley beyond
,dsgs ;gee Irs .An in
. -
ea ' ICWODI . nreve les . d • i 1 . ,
y ewe.) e country reweencee for the
21 ' i -1(04, rue;s tit Hong-kong harbour. It may be remarked,