334 DAVIS ON CANTON AND HONGKONG, [April 27, 1857. 



find, by ' The Times,' that his Eoyal Highness the Commander-in- 

 Chief had himself addressed very seriously on this subject a corps 

 of artillery at Woolwich previous to their embarkation. There is 

 not only the inherent mischief of these unwholesome Chinese 

 spirits (bad enough in themselves), but the additional danger of 

 their being poisoned. 



Quitting Hongkong, we may now proceed along the coast to the 

 new ports in succession, where it is to be hoped the peacefully 

 trading inhabitants (so different from the Cantonese) may not be 

 disturbed by war, as most of them had plenty of it on the former 

 occasion. If they can only experience our moderation for a time, 

 they may perhaps at last get rid of the idea which in China attaches 

 everywhere to an Englishman, viz. that of a hipes implumis who 

 goes about surveying and map-making, with a view to ultimate 

 occupation. 



Leaving Hongkong, we proceed about 260 miles N.E. to Amoy, 

 the first of the four new ports, and the first which felt the force of 

 an armament in 1841. Here an immense range of stone-wall had 

 been erected and mounted with cannon for our reception; but 

 though the lower-deck guns of the Liners had little effect on it, the 

 place w^as easily taken by escalade on the left flank of the wall. 

 The harbour of Amoy and approach to it are extremely commodious 

 for trade, which can be carried on close to the shipping. The small 

 island of Koolangsoo forms the south of the harbour, and was 

 retained by us, together with Chusan, as a guarantee for the pay- 

 ment of the indemnity ; but on account of its extreme insignificance 

 and the unhealthiness of our troops there, I was authorized to give 

 it up to the Chinese government, according to instructions from 

 home, before the expiration of the full period. Here are some 

 curious vestiges of our former intercourse with China, in the shape 

 of tombstones in an extraordinary state of preservation. The chief 

 objection to Amoy as a place of commerce is the small trading 

 capital of the native merchants. They have but few exports ; and 

 the imports which find most favour there are not our manufactures, 

 but the productions of the Malay archipelago, which go under the 

 name of Straits produce. The people of this province of Fokien 

 are the most maritime of the Chinese population. Their voyages 

 have long taken them to the islands of the above-named archipelago, 

 where they need seldom be out of sight of land, and where they 

 have familiarized themselves to the commerce of that region. 



About 150 geographical miles to the north of Amoy lies Foo- 

 chow-foo, the next of the new ports. This place escaped a visita- 

 tion from the expedition in 1841, and would have been all the 



