^5° 



Port of 

 Ta-wan. 



Natives or 

 Formosa. 



CHINA. 



cxpulfion, has been given at p. 122 of this volume, in my account 

 of their firft commerce in thefe parts with the empire of Ch'ma. 



The coafts oiFormoJa are rude, lofty, and rocky. The prin- 

 cipal port is that of Ta-wan, the fame with that which the Dutch 

 took poffeflion of. Near it is the capital city of the fame name; 

 unfortiiied, but garrifoned by ten thoufand Tartars^ and very 

 populous, to which theC/6w^^, who area commercial people, carry 

 on a prodigious trade. There are befides three other cities and 

 feveral villages, all inhabited by Cbinefe. The whole is remark- 

 ably fertile, produdive of grain, and all the fruits which the cor- 

 refpondcnt parts of China afford. As the whole of the ifland 

 was inhabited by a barbarous people, domeftic animals are in 

 fome degree fcarce. Oxen are in ufe for riding inflead of horfes ; 

 flags abound ; and among the wild animals, monkies ; but it 

 xloes not appear that tygers or beads of prey are known in any 

 part of Formofa. 



The ifland is divided from north to fouth by chains of lofty 

 and inaccefllble mountains. The greater part of the weftern fide 

 is inhabited by Cbinefe, the natives have the eaftern entirely 

 to themfelves ; thofe which continue on the weftern are not 

 better than fervants to the colonifts, except the inhabitants of 

 three out of the twelve diftridts formed by the Cbinefe, which 

 have revolted. The Formofans are a fine people, and of remark- 

 able fwiftnefs, which they attain by pradice, fo that they can 

 outrun a horfe at full fpeed. Their fliape is eafy and flender, 

 their complexions olive, and their hair fleek, and hanging over 

 their (houlders. In the fouthern part of the ifle they wear a 

 linen wrapped round the middle, and falling to the knees : in 



the 



