28 CHARACTER OF THE CHINESE POPULATION. [Cuap. IL. 
dred strong, disappeared, as they came, in a most 
marvellous manner, and no one seemed to know 
whence they came or whither they went. Such 
attacks are fortunately now of rare occurrence. 
In all my wanderings on the island, and also 
on the main land hereabouts, I found the inha- 
bitants harmless and civil. I have visited their 
glens and their mountains, their villages and small 
towns, and from all the intercourse I have had 
with them, I am bound to give them this character. 
But perhaps the secret of all was, that I had no- 
thing for them to take, for I was always most care- 
ful not to have any thing valuable about me, and 
my clothes, after scrambling amongst the rocks and 
brushwood, were not very tempting even to a 
Chinaman. 
Since the island of Hong-kong has been ceded to 
England, the foreign population in it has been much 
changed. In former days there were only a few 
mercantile establishments, all known to each other, 
and generally most upright and honourable men. 
Now people from all countries, from England to 
Sydney, flock to the Celestial country, and form 
a very motley group. 
Viewed as a place of trade, I fear Hong-kong 
will be a failure. The great export and import 
trade of southern China must necessarily be carried 
on at Canton, as heretofore, there being at present, 
at least, no inducement to bring that trade to 
Hong-kong. It will, nevertheless, be a place of 
great importance to many of the merchants, more 
