TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 169 



The island of Formosa is divided from north to south by a chain of mountains 

 that cuts the island in two. On the western side live the Chinese, who passing 

 from the opposite coast of Fuh-kien, have gradually driven away the aborigines to the 

 eastern side ; some barter is kept up betvveen these two parties, but they are generally 

 in a state of hostility, and constant vigilance is required on the part of the Chinese 

 to guard against the attacks of the natives, and this interferes very much with their 

 intercourse. The natives are governed by their own chiefs, who keep up a kind of 

 government. The occupations are tilling the ground, working in the mines in the 

 mountains, weaving coarse cloth, fishing, and washing the sand of certain districts 

 for gold. 



The Aurelia Popyrifera, from the pith of which rice paper is made, grows in For- 

 mosa. These native tribes also inhabit the mountain districts of the island of Hai- 

 nan. The Chinese live on the eastern coast,' where they have large fishing stations, 

 for the supply of Southern China with salt fish ; and the natives dwell by themselves 

 on the western side, and maintain their independence and separation from the in- 

 truders on their coast. 



The mountainous regions of the Nan-ling and Mei-ling between Kwang-si and 

 Kwei- chau give lodgment to many clans of these aborigines, who are called Miau- 

 tsze, or " children of the soil," which they no doubt are. It is singular that any of 

 these people should have maintained their independence so long and not been com- 

 pelled to submit to Chinese rule, surrounded as they are by the Chinese people. 

 This race presents so many physical points of difference to the Chinese, as to lead 

 me to infer that they are a more ancient people than the latter, and the aborigines 

 of Southern China. They are smaller in size and stature than the Chinese, have 

 shorter necks, and their features are more angular. The degree of civilization they 

 have obtained is much below that of the Chinese. It b not known what language 

 they speak, but the names given to the parts of the body and the common articles 

 about their boats, by some boatmen who visited Canton some years since, showed 

 that it was evidently not Chinese. 



r l here are about forty tribes of these Miau-tsze scattered over the mountains of 

 Kwang-tung, Kwang si, Hu-nan, and Kwei-chau, speaking several dialects, and dif- 

 fering among themselves in their customs, government, and dress. The Chinese 

 government keep troops at the foot of the mountains to restrain these tribes, who, 

 though often hostile, are on the whole inclined to live at peace, but resist every attempt 

 to penetrate into their fortresses. The tribes are often at strife among themselves, 

 which becomes a source of safety to the Chinese, who are ill able to resist these hardy 

 mountaineers. It would appear that the race called the Chinese people, spreading 

 over the magnificent country they had found, drove back the Miau-tzse or "sons of 

 the soil," those on the coast taking refuge on the islands of Formosa and Hainan, 

 while those to the westward sought their homes among the mountains in their 

 neighbourhood ; and there they have remained a separate people, divided into various 

 tribes, ruled over by governors or chiefs of their own ; the larger number of these 

 Miau-tsze have maintained their independence, but some have taken office in the 

 Imperial army, and have associated themselves with the Chinese. Various opinions 

 are entertained as to the religious doctrines of these Miau-tsze, who appear not to 

 be wholly idolaters; some of the tribes have a tradition of a Supreme God, who 

 created the world, but their knowledge is very indistinct and imperfect. The chief 

 source of information about these people is deiived from a series of coloured draw- 

 ings ; one of the most perfect of such series that has been obtained was exhibited 

 in the Section ; the drawings were evidently taken by some Chinese traveller who 

 visited the mountain tribes. Each drawing illustrates one of the tribes, and presents 

 a group of the people in some characteristic occupation or amusement, and is accom- 

 panied by a short description of the tribe to which it refers. 



These people are interesting from the fact that they must have a variety of ancient 

 customs among them, and also because they are the sons of freedom ; and however 

 great may be the difference between us and them, they have a certain affinity with 

 us, and may some day bid us a hearty welcome to the land of their forefathers. 

 They are dispersed over the mountains cf Southern and Central China, and live in 

 a changeable state of relationship to the Chinese around them; sometimes they fight 

 in open war, at others they rob and plunder, and sometimes they buy and sell. 



