1843] EXCURSION AT PA-TCHUNG-SAN. 75 



interpreter of the island and several minor officers, 

 attended by numerous coolies, swelled our party to at 

 least fifty persons. A little spice of independence, or 

 rather desire to inconvenience the inhabitants as little as 

 possible, induced us to commence our adventure as 

 pedestrians, but the second and following days found us 

 mounted on small sturdy ponies. At sunset the first 

 evening we advanced about five miles, and took up our 

 quarters for the night in a Joss House, or religious temple, 

 which had been prepared for us ; our companions, or 

 rather conductor, on this excursion, having begun by this 

 time to enter into the spirit of our operations, and 

 understand our wishes. The Chief or Interpreter, Kien 

 Anchee, a red-capped Mandarin from Loo-Choo, proved 

 to be a very intelligent, polished, as well as energetic 

 character, and certainly exerted himself in every way not 

 only to facilitate our movements, but also to secure our 

 comfort. He was seconded by another, Shanghai, who 

 from the knowledge he exhibited of the hydrographic 

 features of the islands, and his constant exertions in for- 

 warding my surveying duties, received the appellation of 

 Beaufort ; others obtained names adapted according to 

 their manifestations of ability, not omitting, however, 

 " Chesterfield ", the secretary to the Embassy. The 

 moment we were housed, the conducting authority, Kien 

 Anchee, despatched letters, as well as written orders, to 

 the surrounding outposts, to report, as we conceived, that 

 all was safe. During our examination of Pa-tchung- 

 san, which occupied us twenty-one days, the routine ob- 

 served daily was similar; we generally mounted our 

 horses after breakfast, or about 8 A.M., and by sunset 



