156 VOYAGE TO THE 



inquiries, which he had been ordered to make, such 

 as the dimensions of the ship, the time we had been 

 from England, Canton, &c., and lastly, what weather we 

 had experienced, as he said Loo Choo had been visited 

 by a violent tyfoong in April, which unroofed the 

 houses and did much other mischief. 



The permission to land was immediately taken ad- 

 vanta2;e of by several of the officers, who went to 

 Potsoong, and were received in a very polite manner 

 by a great concourse of spectators, who conducted 

 them to the house in which Sir Murray Maxwell and 

 his officers had been entertained ; and regaled them 

 with (tsha) tea, and (amasa) sw^et cakes. Some of 

 the party, instead of entering the house, strolled in- 

 land to botanize, and to look at the country ; but 

 they had not proceeded far before two or three per- 

 sons ran towards them, and intimated that their com- 

 pany was expected at the house where the other offi- 

 cers were assem])led drinking tea, and were waiting 

 for them. This was the Loo Choo polite manner of 

 preventing their proceeding inland, or of making 

 themselves acquainted with the country ; and thus, 

 whenever any parties landed afterwards, they were 

 shown to this house, where there was always tea 

 ready prepared, and kept boiling in a kettle, inclosed 

 in a neatly japanned wooden case; there were also 

 trays of charcoal for lighting pipes, and a box to 

 receive the ashes when they were done with : the 

 natives endeavoured, by every possible means, to 

 engage their attention at this place, by putting a 

 thousand inquiries, offering pipes, and pressing them 

 to smoke, and to drink tsha, which was always poured 

 out in small cups, and drank without milk or sugar, 

 which, as it was quite new, and not of the best kind, 



