286 MACAO. 



appearance of the streets, and paid my humble tribute to 

 the famous Cave of Camoens. I shall therefore, after 

 briefly alluding to its appearance, from the water, proceed 

 on to the Bashee Group. Macao offers a somewhat in- 

 teresting sight when seen from the anchorage in the 

 roads ; the heights of the mountains, Charil, and Milan, 

 are crowded with forts and hermitages, and stretching 

 along the water, the broad quay, or landing-place, (Praya 

 grande,) shows a row of neat and airy houses. Two 

 churches, and numerous monasteries of Capuchin, Augus- 

 tin, and Dominican Monks, and one female convent, that 

 of St. Clare, (rather curiously dedicated to the Conception 

 of the Mother of God) ornament the city, and relieve the 

 monotony of Chinese Bazaars, &c. The greater part of 

 the population consists of " Mesticos," or a mixture of 

 Chinese, Malay, and Portuguese. 



On the 2nd of November, 1843, we left Macao roads, 

 and on the 12th, arrived at Batan, where we remained 

 till the 27th, and partially surveyed the group. Since 

 that, several other visits, in February, 1844, in March, 

 1845, and in May and November of the same year, have 

 enabled me to make a few observations, which may not 

 be unacceptable or uninteresting. I remember on one 

 occasion, being very much amused at a wedding-feast at 

 which I was present, and as it exhibits a few peculiarities 

 of the habits of these Islanders, I shall shortly describe it. 

 The marriage-feast consisted of raw pork, finely chopped 

 up, Yams, and Sweet-Potatoes, not omitting large quan- 

 tities of their national beverage, the abominable Bashee. 

 The ground was their table, their plates were torn from 

 the Arum and Banana, " cujus folia instar patinae natura 



