76 MEIA-CO-SHIMAH PEOPLE. [1843 



had reached some station to dine and sleep, prepared in 

 readiness for us ; and upon our expressing a wish to send 

 to the ship, a swift messenger was instantly despatched, 

 and returned with wonderful celerity, considering that he 

 was not unfrequently commissioned to bring bottles or 

 other articles requiring to be conveyed with care. 



The natives, or persons inhabiting the Me'ia-co-shimahs, 

 may be divided into three or more classes : first, the 

 Mandarins, who understand the Chinese written charac- 

 ters, and have either been educated at Loo-Choo, or 

 sent from thence charged with authority ; secondly, those 

 who are, probably, the first-class natives of these islands, 

 enjoying the second rank, and who appear to have 

 received some education, inasmuch as they write the 

 Loo-Choo characters, and in some instances understand 

 Chinese; thirdly, those who possess sufficient property 

 to entitle them to separate themselves from the working 

 classes or slaves ; of which class I assume the coolies to be. 



In the Pa-tchung-san group we were given to under- 

 stand that they had five yellow- and one red-capped Man- 

 darins, deputed from Tah-Lieu-Quiew, or great Lew- 

 Kew, who remain about five or more years; but at 

 Ty-pin-san they appeared to be in greater proportion. 



The two western islands of Pa-tchung-san and Koo- 

 kien-san, including the adjoining low islets, appear to 

 be under the government of a superior Mandarin, with 

 five of similar rank, as a council ; these are aided by 

 numerous chiefs, or men of property having the control 

 over the lower castes of labourers, &c., of which the bulk 

 of the population consists, confined to quadrangular 

 hamlets as if they either feared aggression or considered 



