Chap. III. 
CHIMOO BAY. 
33 
where no mortal arm could have rendered them any 
assistance. Two glazed plant-cases filled with plants 
from Amoy, which were on the deck, were dashed to 
pieces, and their contents, of course, completely de- 
stroyed. In the long voyage from England to China, 
even in rounding the celebrated " Cape of Storms," I 
never experienced such weather as I met with on the 
east coast of China, at the commencement of the north- 
east monsoon. After being three days in the storm, 
having only as much sail on the vessel as to steady her, 
the gale moderated a little, and we were able to hoist 
more sail, and make for the land, which proved to be a 
place called Chimoo, which was far below the point 
which we started from a week before. 
Chimoo Bay is about fifty miles north of Amoy. It 
has been an opium station for foreign ships for some 
years ; and here, even during the war, that trade was 
carried on in spite of the mandarins. The natives of the 
different towns on the shores of this bay are an inde- 
pendent and lawless race. An anecdote was related 
to me by one of the captains, which gives a fair idea 
how things are managed in this part of the country. 
Some of the opium merchants came on board one of ^ ' 
the ships in the bay, and requested the loan of some 
guns, for each of which they offered to deposit a large 
piece of Sycee silver, which was, of course, much more 
than its value ; and promised to return the guns in a 
day or two. When asked what they intended to do 
with them, they replied, that the mandarins and officers 
of government were expected shortly to levy the taxes, 
and that the people were determined not to pay. They 
c 3 
