MOIIE OKUISING AFTER PIRATES. 351 



being not only saved, but provided for; but it is far 

 more likely that the child was put there to die, in the 

 usual way or custom of the country. 



During the time I was particularly employed in 

 looking after pirates — about eighteen or twenty months 

 — I took in all fifty-four junks, and about two hundred 

 prisoners. As for the number of guns, and people 

 liberated, I hardly know, not having kept any regular 

 hst. The guns were all of good manufacture, most being 

 made in England, the others in Germany or Belgium. 



At the time I speak of, Hong-Kong was a hot- 

 bed of piracy and villany. Chinamen generally, but 

 Cantonese particularly — and of aU Chinamen I suppose 

 there are no gxeater rascals — who had made their own 

 country too hot for them, congregated on this rocky 

 piece of English soil for protection. The Chinese 

 population was then about 115,000. Headmen of 

 pirate gangs resided there, and piratical junks anchored 

 with impunity in the harbour ; they used actually 

 to have the coolness to come to, and take up a 

 berth close to my gun-boat, but usually they remained 

 amongst their fellow-craft at the other end of the har- 

 bour. An English brig, or schooner, or the smallest, 

 most insignificant craft sailing under these vaunted 

 colours, on anchoring in this English port, was at once 



