Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-08-28
CHINA.
Continuation Of Captain George W. GINS
r TRIO from Hsnphis 70 ehlaa and
En- Roefe to ~Shanghai--A 6aIe---ArriYal at
Hoag Kosg--The $4,000 Fishermen
Of that Famous City. ~
Habits and Custsms Of the People Of Hoag
Keng...Chlaess Bank Shavers as Sharp
as those Of Memphis.

y To see and find out what we have
before briefly sketched, took us a
couple of days. In the meantime we
have transferred nearly all our
passengers to the braneheliBe going to
Shanghai, and on q bright afternoon,
in Jcompany with the America, OF
the same line, bound to California,
we steam down the bay and out to sea.
FThe waters are yet smooth, u pas
sengefs are few, the table still uneX-
ceptionable, and we kiss again the
dancing waves of the PACING with
pleasure. But we are in the region
of bOiSterOuS winds and changeable
weather, and are soon made aware OF
the fact. Before midnight u big
ship is hove-to on the northwest
quadrant Of a cyclone, called in the
China sea a typhoon, with the sea
feather white all about us, the wind
bowling, and the seas lashing against
her sides or surging up against her
guards and wheels, whilst she ham
mered back defiance with her huge
paddles. To the young aud Uery rO-
mantle sailor, with a romantic sweet
heart behind, this taste Of bOreas'
power is always a prolific theme.
But as the writer hereof is an old sail
or, who has weathered out scores of
gales at sea, and gets dreadfuliy and
uncomfortably sea-sick withal, rough
weather is to him anything but poetic.
1t is a bore and a cheat. 1t Obstructs
the speed of the vessel and prevents
the pleasurable enjoy ment of many
good dinners and breakfasts. So L
am always for smooth weather. The
4 90 r,of .h1Nf nnE n F. Aauvin~ coal man
was an egregious ass. Before daylight
the gale ha i subsidized and we had run
oui.ofth(s heavy swellsiOceasioned by 1t
and as1 was snugly slowed away in
my room during IFS hight, knew Of
its violence the next morning only
from bear-say, and the bad taste in
my mouth. However, a bottle Of
plain soda dashed with brandy 500
eorrects that, and we go ahead and
the typhoon is soon forgotten. We
pass through Van Dieman's straits
and an island in the sea, which is an
ever active volcano. L looked out
OF window before sunrise as We passed
near by it, and saw the wreaths of
smoke curling put from the crevices,
whilst the sizes of the cone looked
naked, barren and Gshy. 1t is quite a
tame fellow, seldom showing fame or
attempting mischief. is content to.
smoke ana smoke IN selfish quie-
tude. lsl3 ~ 81.
From the straits we shape our
course quartering across the China sea
to the east coast of Asia, which we
sight in a couple of days or therea-
bouts. We have burned up most Of
our cargo of coal since leaving Cali
fornia, have put some freight out at
Yokohama, and our big beast of a
ship begins to show more life. The
wind also is fresh and fayOring, and
we run as much as two hundr>1 and
sixty miles in twenty-four hours. We
are all impatient to see the "Flowery
KingdOmi" The first sight is by no
meens inviting-a rocky, arid, noun
famous coast, too much for Chinese
patience and industry to improve. A
Ismall rocky island, and an Oecssional
jung, is all that rewards our gaze for
| the first day. The next morning,
however, we wake early, for W. are
off a populouS port, and the sea is
alice with fishing crafts. 1t occurred
to me that l would attempt to count a
few acres of boats, but the breeze was
fresh. and they were all under way,
standing in shore, and / gave it up in
despair. We estimated three thou
sand boats in sight, with ten men on
each boat! Herew was thirty thousand
men fishing, double the number of
the male adult population of Mem
phis! and this but a m0iety of the peO-
Pile engaged in this business along the
whole cosst. Every boat looked to be
exactly the counterpart of every other
boat, and unless they have their
names on them, 1 should think it diff
ficult to disting uish one from another.
When fishing, two boats go together.
The netSare stretched from one to the
other, the sails are fiattened so as to
keep the boats from going ahead. and
they thus drift, catching the fish by
the giIls which attempt to force q pas
sage through the net.
But let us pass by all other objects
and get at once to our place of desti-
nation. Look uDon the map of China
and you will finu a small speck near
the mouth of the Canton river, called
Hong Kong. We are bound there.
1t islwithin the line of the tropics, is
an almost perfectly barren granite
mountain, rising out of the sea to the
hight of 1910 feet, with n or two
pleasant-lookng little valleys, the
principal of whieh-EIappy VALLEYS
used IS a burying ground and a race
course. The island is even miles
long and about three mikes wide. 1t
has two splendid Larbors, Victoria
and Aberdeen. The former is where
we are 10 go. But q it is universally
called Hong Kong, we will do the
same. The island was eeded to Great
Britain after the first Chinese war of
1913; hence il is a British colony we
are about to visit. 1t hes a British
Governor, Sir Richard Graves Mac
donnel, an executive council, courts,
officers, jails and policemen. Before
going further, the reader must accom-
pany me back home for a short time,
that an incident may be related, to
give an idea of what people, ordinari-
ly informed on other subjects, know
of the East. / held a small policy IN
the Carolina Life Insurance Company, |
prior to leaving home, and made APP
plication for permission to visit this
Hong Kong on business. The apDIi-
cation was denied, on the ground that
in case of sickness in this outlandish /
country, 1 would not be able to con-
verse with the residents, or make
known my wants or ailments. This
was the solemn decision OF a solemn.
and / doubt not, q learned committee.
Sonny policy went to the dogs. But,
knowing that theselife insurance peo1
pie were generally well informed
folks, / Yves certainly prepared TO find
things, to say the least, rOuqhI
1t was a bright, glorious morning,
October 9th, when we rounded a point
of the Ly-ee-moon pass, and Hong
Kong city came in view. There il is,
the wealthiest city Gifts population in
the universe, with more handsome, |
well built houses, public and private,
than one will see in the same space
elsewhere. The harbor is flu of ship
ping, and as we steam down the fair
way to our buoy, a good view is to be
had. The hulks of three old liners, /
and number of -mOdern-built steam
gunboats bear British colors. From
the Governors mansion, and from
barracks and batteries, the cross of st.
George and st. Andrew may also bel
seen. Thetown is built at the base Of
and up the northeast side Of the noun
tain, It has crept up, terrace after
terrace, street after street, until it
seems to be a quarter of the distance
to the summit. The first place we
pass Is the settlement of Jardine, Mat
thieson & Co., on the extreme right
flank of the town, with its superb OF
fees, wharfs and private dwellings
looking down out of e~Yergreens; not
to forget the Jardine hospital, second
to none on this continent. Jardine's
is called East Point. From
there to West Point the distance is (