428 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, i^c. 



LV. — Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 

 Mr. Swinhoe having been placed as Interpreter on the staff of 

 H.E. Sir Hope Grant (the Commander-in-chief of the Chinese 

 expedition), left Hongkong for the north in the steamer ' Light- 

 ning ' on the 9th of June last. He has favoured us with the 



following letter, dated — 



" At sea, June 16th, 1860. 



" We left Hongkong on the 9th of June. On the 12th it 

 blew so hard from the north that we were obliged to put into a 

 bay south of Lam-yit Island for shelter. We remained there 

 until the following morning. During our delay we went ashore ; 

 and I send you a sketch of my observations on the place. 



" The island of Lam-yit or South-sun, south of which we 

 anchored, is the largest of a group of islands not far from the 

 city of Hing-wha, on the Chinese coast of the Formosa channel. 

 It is about twelve miles in circumference, a muddy creek dividing 

 it nearly into two, and is bounded by a sandy beach and rocks 

 running into the sea. Ranges of hill occur on both sides, chiefly 

 formed, as on the opposite coast of China, of disintegrated 

 granite of hoary aspect, with occasional strips of clay. Natural 

 vegetation is extremely scanty ; and not a tree occurs ^on the 

 island, except a stunted peach or wild pear hidden in some 

 chasm in the hill-side. The little available portion of the flat 

 land is worked by the natives for agricultural purposes; and the 

 sandy soil, strengthened by human manure, is forced to yield 

 crops of rice, ground-nuts {Arachis hijpogcea), &c., in apparently 

 thriving condition. But it does not require much knowledge of 

 the coast of China to see that it is not upon the produce of the 

 fields that the natives depend for maintenance. They are nomi- 

 nally fishermen, but actually pirates ; and a filthier and more 

 squalid race I think I have seldom seen. Their dialect has a 

 few expressions in common with that of Amoy ; but the greater 

 part of it is distinct, and would probably be found nearer to that 

 of Hing-wha. We managed, however, to make ourselves under- 

 stood. 



" From the above description of the country, a large or im- 

 portant Avifauna would hardly be expected. I only noted the 

 following species : — 



