484 
VOYAGE TO THE 
(^AP. feeling, and minuteness. These descriptions, though they have been 
a little overdrawn froin the impulse of grateful recollections, from the 
May, ignorance in which the authors were kept by the cautious inhabitants, 
and from their desire to avoid giving offence, by pushing their inquiries 
as far as was necessary to enable them to form a correct judgment 
upon many things, are, upon the whole, very complete representations 
of the people. 
The supposition that the inhabitants of Loo Choo possessed no 
weapons, offensive or otherwise, naturally excited surprise in England, 
and the circumstance became one of our chief objects of inquiry. I 
cannot say the result of the investigation was as satisfactory as 1 could 
have wished, as we never saw any weapon whatever in use, or other- 
wise, in the island ; and the supposition of their existence rests 
entirely upon the authority of the natives, and upon circumstantial 
evidence. I’he mandarin Ching-oong-choo, and several other persons, 
declared there w^ere both cannon and muskets in the island; and An-yah 
distinctly stated there were twenty-six of the former distributed among 
their junks *. We were disposed to believe this statement, from seeing 
the fishermen, and all classes at Napa, so familiar with the use and 
exercise of our cannon, and particularly so from their appreciatino- the 
improvement of the flint-lock upon that of the match-lock, which 1 
understood from the natives to be in use in Loo Choo ; and unless they 
possessed these locks it is difficult to imagine from whence they could 
a e derived their knowledge. T. he figures drawn upon the panels 
of the joshouse, seated upon broadswords and bows and arrows, may be 
adduced as further evidence of their possessing weapons ; and this is 
materially strengthened by the fact of their harbour being defended 
by three square stone forts, one on each side of the entrance, and the 
other upon a small island, so situated within the harbour, that it would 
present a raking fire to a vessel entering the port ; and these forts 
having a number of loop-holes in them, and a platform and parapet 
formed above with stone steps leading up to it in several places. 'This 
platform wnuld not have been w'ide enough for our cannon, it is true ; 
Tliere were none on board the junk which sailed for China. 
