12 FIRST VIEW OF CHINA. [Cuar. IL 
CHAP. II. 
FIRST VIEW OF CHINA AND THE IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED. — 
CONTRASTED WITH JAVA. — LAND AT HONG-KONG. — DESCRIP- 
FROM THE TOPS OF MOUNTAINS. — CLIMATE. — BOTANY OF 
THE ISLAND.— FEW ANIMALS INDIGENOUS. — UNHEALTHINESS 
OF THE SETTLEMENT — ITS CAUSES. — CHARACTER OF THE 
CHINESE POPULATION. — MIXED CHARACTER OF FOREIGNERS. 
— REMARKS ON THE SETTLEMENT AS A PLACE OF TRADE. 
On the sixth of July, 1843, after a passage of four 
months from England, I had the first view of the 
shores of China: and although I had often heard of 
the bare and unproductive hills of this celebrated 
country, I certainly was not prepared to find them 
so barren as they really are. Viewed from the 
sea, they have everywhere a scorched appearance, 
with rocks of granite and red clay showing all over 
their surface: the trees are few, and stunted in their 
growth, being perfectly useless for any thing but 
fire-wood, the purpose to which they are generally 
applied in this part of the country. A kind of fir- 
tree (Pinus sinensis) seems to struggle hard for 
existence, and is found in great quantities all over 
the hill sides ; but, what with the barren nature 
