Miscellaneous. 135 



phor wood) pottery, bricks, and cloth. Of all these the quantity found 

 was but inconsiderable, and neither their amount, variety, or the capa- 

 city of the warehouses induced the belief that the Sea-board trade of 

 Chusan was of any importance. 



Ice — should not be omitted in the enumeration of the articles which 

 bore the appearance of imports : seven or eight rather extensive ice- 

 houses were discovered on the island near the town of Ting-hae, though 

 one only was found to contain any of this valuable lnxury : in this the ice 

 was preserved in the most simple manner between layers of twisted 

 straw on a well drained stone floor, around which were mud walls of 

 great thickness surmounted by a roof of high pitch thickly thatched. 

 The use which the Chusan islanders and even the inhabitants of the 

 main make of ice appears to be confined almost exclusively to the 

 preservation of fish caught during the hottest months of the year. 



Three rather extensive timber yards, well stored with spars and 

 planks, were found in the Sea-port town, but as there appeared no in- 

 dications of any Junk building, or of any projected increase to the town, 

 it seems probable that the Port is used as a depot for the supply of the 

 article to southern ports. 



Climate. — Upon this point it is most difficult, under existing circum- 

 stances and impressions, to hazard an opinion, and as the Medical Of- 

 ficers now employed with the Force will doubtless ere this have re- 

 duced to the form of a report the numerous data which must have been 

 furnished to them in the course of their practice in the unfortunately 

 crowded hospitals, established in the island during the past year, it 

 may be rendered as unnecessary as it may be proved to be incorrect. 

 So general an impression appears however to have gone abroad regard- 

 ing the insalubrity of this most lovely island, and one which, though 

 founded on the deadly facts furnished by the sad reports of sickness and 

 death from the spot, I believe to be most ill-founded, that I cannot re- 

 frain from briefly stating here, that it is by no means shared by any, or 

 very few of those whose lot has taken them to Chusan in 1840 ; and 

 who I think will be found generally of opinion that with proper 

 treatment, both in diet, labour, and lodging, no more healthy or even 

 agreeable spot for European troops could be found (on the common 

 continent level) in the British possessions in the East. On the arrival 

 of the force there in the month of July, one of the hottest months in 

 that latitude, 86° was the maximum which the mercury in the thermo- 

 meter ranged to, in a tent at noon : in August the range was greater, 

 reaching 89° on some occasions, while on others it stood as low as 76°, 

 the mornings and evenings being agreeable, with a temperature of 72° 



