340 VOYAGE OF THE POTOMAC. [May, 
that this ilhcit trade is still carried on. The local revenue officers 
are generally bribed by the Chinese merchants, so that no trouble 
is apprehended from that quarter. 
Soon after the arrival of the Potomac, the commodore caused 
to be procured a small schooner, of about thirty tons, for the use 
of the frigate during her stay. She was called the Sylph, being 
one of that class of vessels which ply between Macao and Canton. 
In this he embarked, with a party of his officers, to make a visit 
to Canton, while the duty of watering the ship was going on at 
Lintin. This often tedious operation was soon performed at this 
time by the aid of some large Chinese junks, procured for the 
purpose of bringing off the water. They were only occupied 
three days in this service ; after which, the interval previous to the 
frigate's departure was employed in seeing whatever was per- 
mitted to be examined and inspected by the extraordinary people 
who inhabit this celebrated region. 
The Island of Lintin is generally barren, being formed of 
masses of granite rock, piled one upon another ; the low grounds, 
however, are not unproductive, and are laid out in rice-fields and 
vegetable patches. It contains several small villages ; but the 
principal one is on the west side of the island, in view of the 
anchorage ; consisting of a few miserably constructed bamboo 
huts, which are tenanted by still more miserable looking fisher- 
men, boatmen, or cultivators of the little rice-fields. The interior 
of these habitations, if they deserve so respectable a name, are 
most wretchedly filthy ; and destitute, according to our ideas of 
comfort, of every convenience of life. The first visit of our offi- 
cers was met by a cold reception ; the women 'flying from them 
with terror, and the men motioning the strangers to begone, and 
not to approach their dwellings. These symptoms of inhospi- 
tality and distrust, so marked at first, gradually wore off, however, 
iiad our countrymen were suffered to ramble about without much 
restramt. 
Here, for the first time, they witnessed the incredible small feet 
of the Chinese females, while in other parts of the same island 
there were none such to be seen. A small present to the mother 
of one of these suffering objects of torture, procured permission 
to examine it ; and it seemed almost incredible how any human 
heing could endure such torture — such mutilation. The child 
