Ch. III.] CHINESE POLICY IN FOEMOSA. 37 



Formosa is now opened up once more to western enter- 

 prise ; but in a very different manner from the time when the 

 Dutch philanthropists occupied it. It is stUl in the hands of ' 

 the Chinese, who reserve their monopolies of some of its 

 most important productions, such as sulphur, camphor, rice, 

 &c. By treaty, the ports of Ta-kau ia the south, and of 

 Tam-suy and Ke-lung in the north, are open to foreign 

 trade, and a few merchants have settled in these places. 

 The capital of the island, however, Tai-wan-foo, being 

 situated nearly three miles inland, up a muddy and shallow 

 river, is very unsuited for commerce or for residence, and 

 although our consul, Mr. Swinhoe, who has done much for 

 the zoology of the island during his residence in it, first 

 iplanted his consular flag here, he soon found it desirable to 

 remove it to Ta-kau. But stUl the resources of the country 

 are undeveloped, and it yet remains for some enterprising 

 nation to do justice to Formosa. Chinese policy only 

 stunts the growth of its commerce, and, dog-in-the-manger 

 like, most imperfectly and iasufficiently does that which 

 it will not allow any one else to share in, except at a 

 disadvantage. 



The western side of Formosa only is occupied by the 

 Cliinese. The eastern rises for the most part into a range 

 of lofty mountains, in the recesses of which still dwell the 

 aborigines, with here and there perhaps a small community 

 of Chinese, who are more or less in awe of their savage 

 neighbours. This side, too, is very rarely visited by Euro- 

 peans, being almost devoid of harbours, and the coast 

 inhospitable and dangerous. The only harbour, in fact, 

 upon the east coast is that of Sau-o bay, concerning which 

 more wiU be said in another chapter. 



This interesting region we were now approaching, with the 



