Land was in sight, stretching out on either hand. On the port side was
the island of Sumatra; on the starboard, the north end of Java. The
_Bussorah Merchant_, with a light wind, was standing through the Straits
of Sunda. Mr Hooker walked the deck, in spite of the heat, rubbing his
hands with pleasure. He was now approaching the region he had long
desired to examine; and he was pleasing himself with the thoughts of the
wonders of Nature which would be revealed to his sight. Soon the
straits were passed, and numerous low-lying shores of various islands,
large and small, appeared in sight, covered with the richest vegetation,
which seemed to flourish under the fearful heat which oppressed the
spirits of us poor mortals who had come from so much cooler a region.
It had been hot when passing the tropics: it was hotter still now; for
no clouds overhead tempered the sun's rays. The pitch, as before, in
the sides and seams of the deck, melted and oozed out. The tar dropped
from the rigging, and none of us willingly touched any piece of metal
for fear of burning our fingers. Merlin wisely kept in the shade, and
the young ladies followed his example. I, however, being now stationed
in the mizzen-top, had to go aloft. I could not help often wishing, as
I looked down into the clear sea, that I might take a leap overboard,
and dive down into the depths below.
Singapore--that wonderful emporium of the commerce of the East,
established by the sagacious foresight of Sir Stamford Raffles--was now
reached. It was the first time our anchor had been dropped since we
quitted the Thames. The only land sighted till Sumatra and Java were
seen, was the small island of Tristan da Cunha.
"You see, my boy, the result of a sound knowledge of navigation,"
observed Mr Hooker to me. "But the captain has to thank the
astronomers, and the inventors and the manufacturers of his instruments,
or he could not have thus easily found his way half round the world, as
he has done. You see we depend upon each other; and that is what I want
to impress upon you. You may not have much scientific knowledge
yourself, but if you have observation, you can accurately note the
various phenomena you meet with, and give your descriptions to those who
will make good use of them. I had contemplated leaving the ship at
Singapore; but I have made up my mind to go with you to Japan, and then
to return in her to one of the ports in these Eastern islands which
Captain Davenport purposes visiting."
I was very glad to hear of Mr Hooker's determination, for I should have
been very sorry to have lost his society.
The town and island of Singapore exhibit a variety of Eastern races and
different religions and modes of life. The ruling class are of course
English, but the Chinese are the most numerous, and among them are found
many wealthy merchants, most of the mechanics and labourers, and also
agriculturalists. The sea-faring population are mostly Malays. There
are a good many Portuguese, who act as clerks and shop-keepers. There
are also Arabs and Klings of Western India, who are Mohammedans. There
are also Parsee merchants, while the grooms and washermen are mostly
Bengalees. These, with numerous Javanese sailors, as well as traders
from Celebes, Bali, and numerous other islands of the East, make up this
curiously mixed population. Then in the harbour are found men-of-war,
merchant vessels of numerous European nations, large numbers of Chinese
junks and Malay praus, with hundreds of little fishing and passenger
boats. Chinese josshouses, Indian temples, Mohammedan mosques, rise up
on either side with Christian churches. The warehouses are substantial,
the residences of the Europeans large and commodious, contrasting with
the long rows of queer little Malay and Chinese cottages, among which
are found Kling and Chinese bazaars, where everything can be bought,
from a reel of cotton to a sword or razor. Numberless vendors of
various articles throng the streets with water, fruit, vegetables, soup,
and a sort of jolly made of sea-weed. Here a man comes running along
with a pole, having a cooking apparatus on one end and a table on the
other, from which he will immediately furnish a meal of shell-fish,
vegetables, and rice at a small cost.
The island of Singapore is covered with a number of small hills, some
nearly 400 feet high, covered to the summits with forest trees. In
these forests the Chinese settlers are employed in cutting timber.
Tigers are very numerous on the island, as they have but a short
distance to cross over from the Malay peninsula, and frequently
wood-cutters are carried away by them.
I accompanied Mr Hooker several times on shore. The naturalist was
delighted with the great variety of beetles and other crawling creatures
which he was able to collect. We were struck by the enormous size of
the trees and the variety of large ferns, as well as the number of
climbing ratan palms. One day we were walking along, Mr Hooker being
in advance, when I saw him suddenly sink into the ground. I ran forward
to help my friend, who fortunately having a long pole in his hand, kept
hold of it.
"Quick, quick, Walter!" he shouted. "Help me out or I shall be
impaled."
Not without difficulty I got hold of his hand, and by main force dragged
him up. When at length on firm ground, the naturalist, after resting a
moment, pulled away a quantity of brushwood and disclosed a large pit.
On looking into it we found that it was formed with the top narrower
than the bottom, and in the centre was stuck a pointed stake. A person
falling in, had he escaped impalement, would have found it impossible,
unaided, to get out again.
"This is a tiger-pit," exclaimed Mr Hooker; "and a very effectual way
of catching a tiger should one attempt to cross it. I really believe
that I have narrowly escaped a fearful death; for see, had I gone
through, I should very probably have fallen on the stake."
After this, as we proceeded, we carefully avoided the spots covered over
by fallen brushwood, lest they should conceal pits of a similar
description. Still Mr Hooker was too eager a naturalist to give up his
search, and, aided by me, quickly filled his boxes and cases. Evening
was coming on, and we were thinking of returning, sorry to leave the
cool shade of the trees for the still hot, open ground, when we saw a
creature at no great distance moving through the jungle.
"What can that be?" I exclaimed.
"A tiger, and it will be as well to put a bullet into my gun in case he
should think fit to follow us. I am told that seldom a day passes that
an unfortunate Chinaman is not carried away by one of these beasts. I
am afraid they are too wary, like rats in England, to be caught in
traps, or there would not be so many of them in the island."
As we walked along I could not help looking over my shoulder every now
and then in expectation of seeing the tiger. Mr Hooker, too, kept his
gun ready for use in case we were pursued. We left the forest, however,
and took our way over the open, dry ground without again catching sight
of the tiger.
We got back to Singapore and returned on board that night, as the ship
was to sail the following morning. Emily turned pale when she heard the
account I gave her of the tiger, and all the party were greatly
interested in hearing the account of Mr Hooker's escape from the
tiger-pit.
The ship's course was now directly through the China Sea--a region in
which every variety of weather is encountered, from a dead calm to a
furious typhoon. The northern end of the Philippine Islands was sighted
on the starboard hand, and afterwards the Bashee Islands to the north of
them.
"There is a large island lies away there on our right hand, called
Formosa," said the captain. "The inhabitants are Chinese. They seem
even more cruel and treacherous than the rest of their countrymen. Not
long ago two vessels were wrecked, and their crews made prisoners. The
natives marched them off to their capital, somewhere in the middle of
the island, several days' journey from the coast, and there they kept
them prisoners for many months. Some were Englishmen, others Lascars,
to the number of forty or fifty. The lives of a few were saved, but
they cut off the heads of all the others, declaring they were those of
barbarians killed in warfare; and it is said that the chief officers who
commanded this massacre gained great credit, and many rewards for their
bravery. The others were carried away to Nangking, and were there going
to be killed; but the English expedition came out, and were just in time
to save their lives.--I don't like the Chinese," continued the captain.
"They are treacherous, conceited, inhospitable to strangers, grossly
superstitious, heartless, and cruel, though perhaps they may not be said
to be bloodthirsty. Their streets are dirty in the extreme, and their
houses are not much better. However, it cannot be denied that they are
very industrious and persevering, and that a Chinaman will make a living
where a man of another nation will starve."
Note. The English have now a settlement in Formosa.
"Perhaps, when we come to know them better, we may find exceptions to
this description," observed Mr Hooker. "Probably we shall discover
noble and high-minded men, according to the light that is in them, in
China as elsewhere. I do not know that all English towns are models of
cleanliness; and certainly, if left to the care of the ordinary
inhabitants, many would be found as bad as those in China."
At length the high land of the south end of Japan hove in sight. As the
ship stood on towards the harbour of Nagasaki, we were all eagerly
looking out on the beautiful scenery which presented itself. In many
parts the coast is bold, in other places it rises from the beach in
gentle hills covered with apparently impenetrable forests. The narrow
entrance to the harbour now appeared, between lofty overhanging hills
covered with rich vegetation. As Captain Davenport had been there
before, and the wind was fair, we stood boldly on till a pilot appeared,
when sail was shortened to allow him to come on board. On either side,
wherever the ground would allow it, the land seemed cultivated to the
summit of the highest hills. Here and there, however, the muzzles of
guns were seen protruding from amidst green shrubs and trees, ready to
destroy any unwelcome intruder.
As the ship advanced the harbour widened out. On one side appeared the
beautiful little island of Pappenberg, so named by the Dutch, though the
Japanese call it Tacabooco. Its sides rise directly out of the water in
lofty precipitous cliffs, their summits crowned with dark luxuriant
cedars. It was to this island that a large number of the Japanese who
had been converted to Christianity by the celebrated Roman Catholic
missionary Xavier were carried when they refused to abjure the religion
they had adopted. Conducted up to the summits of the cliffs, they were
cast over the edge, bound hand and foot, at low water, meeting certain
death as they reached the rocks below. Here the mangled remains lay
till the tide coming in carried them off to sea. In late years many
hundred Christians were treated in a similar manner in Madagascar. We
looked with sad interest at the spot, having just before read an account
of the massacre.
The ship continued her progress up the inlet or gulf, which is four
miles long, till at length she came to an anchor off the town of
Nagasaki. On either side were towering cliffs, precipitous peaks with
green and shady groves below, amid which appeared prettily-painted
picturesque cottages, not altogether unlike those of Switzerland. Many
small bays were passed, in which were moored little boats, kept
scrupulously clean, though unpainted. The sails consisted of three
stripes of sailcloth or matting, united by a kind of lacework, thus
forming one whole sail for light winds. By unlacing one portion, the
sail can quickly be reduced in size. The boatmen, unlike the natives of
the places lately visited, were almost as fair as Europeans. They wore,
however, scarcely more clothing than their brethren in more southern
regions. A Japanese boat is moved by a scull in the stern, with which
she is steered when under sail--no oars being used: the passengers
always sit in the fore part.
As soon as the ship dropped her anchor the Japanese officials came on
board, one who spoke a little English acting as interpreter. They were
dressed in long flowing robes confined at the waist by a band wound
round the body, in which is suspended a case containing a pipe, a
tobacco-pouch, an ink-horn, and a small brush used when they write.
Over this is worn a transparent dark coat with a white mark on the arms
and back. On grand occasions public officials wear a similar dress of a
light fawn or dove tint. A person of the rank of a gentleman invariably
wears two swords stuck in his girdle. On sitting down he removes the
longest, and places it against some piece of furniture at his side; but
he never parts with the smaller one, which is kept sharp, and in
readiness to kill himself should any accusation of a crime, false or
true, be brought against him. The questions put to the captain having
been satisfactorily answered, we were informed that we might discharge
our cargo. The officers were then invited down into the cabin to
partake of cake and wine, which they seemed greatly to enjoy. They
then, bowing politely, took their departure, leaving one of their number
on board, who was to remain while the ship was anchored in the harbour.
Mr Hooker had a friend here, a merchant, who came on board to see him.
Emily and I were introduced; and he invited us, and Grace also, to come
and stay at his house with Mr Hooker, while the ship remained off the
place. The residence of the merchant was situated on a platform on the
side of a hill surrounded by trees, at a little distance from the town.
The house had broad verandahs, every door sliding backwards and forwards
in grooves, instead of opening and shutting in the ordinary fashion. In
the garden were quantities of lovely flowers, and it had a pond in the
centre. The pond was full of wonderfully large gold and silver fish,
which were always ready to exhibit their lovely tints when bits of bread
were thrown in to them. The girls especially were delighted with the
beauty of the wild flowers in the surrounding woods, many of them such
as would be valued in a garden in England. Surpassing all others,
however, were the camelia trees, some fully thirty feet high, their
lovely flowers shining out amid their dark-green foliage. We were told
that the camelia is so called in honour of a Spanish Jesuit--Camel--who
brought it to Europe, where it is known as the Camelia japonica. From
one kind, the oleifera, a large amount of oil is extracted, used in
Japan for domestic purposes. The beautiful _lotus_ also is common; the
Japanese using the root when young for food. When thoroughly boiled, it
is very palatable. Mr Hooker was well pleased with the cleanliness of
the streets; so superior in that respect to those of China. They are
nearly all paved in the centre, which is slightly raised, and have
drains running down close to the houses on either side. Thus all
impurities are carried away, and they soon become dry, even after the
heaviest shower of rain. Large plantations of tea exist in the
neighbourhood, the leaf being prepared in the Chinese fashion. The
trade in this article alone has greatly increased since the ports of the
country have been opened. I give a drawing of a Chinese tea-plantation,
which is very similar to those we saw in Japan. The house seen in the
sketch is the drying-house. The tea-plant is produced from seed which
is dropped into holes, several together, four inches deep and four feet
apart, in December. When the rain comes on, the plants spring up and
form bushes. In about three years they yield their first crop of
leaves. In about eight years they are cut down, that fresh shoots may
spring up. The leaves are gathered singly with great care--in three
gatherings: the first, when they just open; the last, when fully
expanded. When gathered, they are first partially dried in the sun, and
then placed on flat iron pans above furnaces in the drying-house. They
require frequent shifting and turning. When sufficiently dried, they
are removed with a shovel on to a mat or basket to cool, and then to a
table to be rolled. This process is repeated, and they are then sifted
and sorted. As far as we could learn, both black and green teas are the
produce of the same plant, but prepared in a somewhat different way.
I was, of course, very eager to learn all I could about the country; but
there seemed so much to learn, and so little time to learn it in, that I
was frequently almost in despair. The Japanese, although idolaters, and
very unlike Europeans, are evidently a very civilised people. They have
had for centuries their manners and customs unchanged, and their ideas
are peculiar, according to our notions. Soon after we arrived, our new
friend had to pay a visit to the Governor of Nagasaki. The heat was
great; but Mr Hooker begged that we might belong to the party. The
Japanese, like wise people, except in cases of necessity, do not leave
their cool houses during the heat of the day. The town appeared
therefore almost deserted. The main street is broad and clean, the
inhabitants being generally government officials and retainers of the
chiefs, called Daimios. At about every hundred yards there is a barrier
gate. These gates are closed every evening, when a light is suspended
from the beam above, or a paper lantern is hung from one of the side
posts.
As China and Japan had become civilised long before the mode of
constructing an arch was discovered, and the inhabitants of neither are
addicted to change, they still retain their original style of building
bridges; and I give a sketch of one we crossed on our way. It is
similar to those generally found in the country. Some of their gateways
are very curious; and though they make their bridges with vast slabs of
stone or long wooden rafters, they take the trouble of hewing out of the
rock huge circles, or segments of circles, which are afterwards put
together to form ornamental gateways to their pleasure-grounds.
At length our party arrived before a handsome flight of steps, with two
magnificent camphor-trees on either side. The gate at the top being
thrown open, we all entered the unpretending yet clean abode of the
governor. A few inferior officers were sitting or standing about in the
vestibule. They saluted us with a careless air, and one of them then
announced our arrival, when the vice-governor, or one of the principal
officers, came forward, and shaking hands, led us into another room.
Here the governor himself was seated. After the proper number of bows
had been made and returned, he requested to know the object of our
visit. While the merchant was explaining this we had time to look about
the room. All round it, with the exception of one side, which opened on
the garden, were suspended screens of white grass-cloth, with a design
which looked like a trefoil worked on them. Over it we caught sight of
several sparkling pairs of eyes--the sex of the owners could not be
doubted. In the garden was a pond in which water-lilies and other
aquatic plants grew, with the usual ornaments of temples and bridges,
artificial rocks being scattered about, and a considerable amount of
invention displayed in the arrangement. While speaking of flowers, I
must not forget the magnificent lily of Japan, which, in point of size,
must be similar I should think to those of Palestine pointed out by our
Lord when he said, "Consider the lilies of the field." But to return to
our visit.
After the official interview was over, tea, pipes, and cake were served,
with a variety of other dishes. The great man's wife having expressed a
desire to see the strangers, we were introduced to her. She was a very
handsome person; her hair, jet-black, ornamented with amber and
tortoise-shell combs, with a large quantity of hair on the top mixed
with flowers and ribbons. Her costume was magnificent--sky-blue crape,
embroidered with gold and silver, and a profusion of flowers. It was
lined with a bright scarlet silk wadding, which formed a train on the
ground. Only a part, however, was visible, as the silken belt round the
waist allowed it only very slightly to open. She wore a very broad
sash, also of black silk, tied behind in an immense knot. The sleeves
of her dress reached only to the elbow. She had no other ornaments; and
her feet were encased in white cotton socks. Alas! however, her skin
was completely covered with rice-powder, damped, so that it might the
better adhere. Her eyebrows were shaven, as those of all married ladies
are. Her lips were dyed of a bright red colour, and her teeth were
black and polished as ebony. Yet we could judge of what she would have
been by her exquisitely-chiselled nose, and black expressive eyes. We
saw also several of her children, the younger ones dressed in crape of
various colours, the others dressed much as their mother; but their
teeth were beautifully white, their eyebrows unshorn; and very pretty
little creatures they were. We remained for another repast, which
commenced by the servants bringing in, and placing before each person on
the table, which was eighteen inches high, a handsome gold and black
lacquered cup and saucer, with a pair of chop-sticks. Some very nice
chicken soup, with vegetables, were in the cup. After this came a
similar bowl, containing venison, duck, and sweet jelly, all mixed up
together. We found it very difficult eating with the chop-sticks, and
Emily and Grace could not help looking up every now and then and
laughing at each other as they made the attempt. We managed better with
some harder things, such as fish. The last dish contained boiled
chestnuts, peeled. This was placed in the centre of the table, so that
each person could help himself.
The lady afterwards came to pay a return visit to our friend's wife.
She and her elder children arrived each in a _norimon_. This is a sort
of litter slung to a bamboo pole, each end of which is carried on a
man's shoulder. A cushion is placed at the bottom, so as to come up at
one end for the back, at the other for the knees; and the person sits
crouched up in rather an awkward position. There is a flat covering, on
which the lady's slippers, fan, smoking apparatus, and other articles
are carried. The bearers have each a pole, on which they can rest the
norimon.
The ladies, I should say, are great smokers, though their pipes are
small and their tobacco of a delicate description.
I need not describe the entertainment our friends gave their guests, as
it was similar in many respects to that of the Japanese, though with
certain English dishes. Each of their attendants, when they set out on
their return, lighted a paper lantern, which is universally carried
after dusk in all the towns of Japan.
The Japanese appear to be very fond of their children, and very
indulgent. In our excursions we often stopped and looked into the
cottages, which were invariably neat and clean in the extreme. I
remember one day hearing youthful voices, and looking in, we saw a
couple of children seated by the side of their father on a cushion on
the floor. One of them apparently was ill, and the other was pouring
out some physic from a bottle into a bowl to give to it. The expression
on their countenances amused us. The little invalid was turning away
his head, unwilling to take the potion; while the other seemed to be
entreating that he might not have too much of it. It was a family
picture, however, which gave us a very fair idea of the terms on which
parents and their children exist.
Generally speaking, the women of Japan are as fair as many Europeans,
and were it not for their peculiar sandals, which give them an awkward
manner in walking, they would be graceful. Their hair is bound up into
thick masses at the back of the head, through which a number of gold and
silver or ivory arrows are placed, much in the manner of the peasant
girls in some parts of Germany. The unmarried women have good eyebrows
and beautiful teeth; but when they marry they blacken their teeth and
shave off their eyebrows, to show their affection for their husbands,
and that they no longer wish to win the admiration of others. The men
have a curious way of saluting each other, passing their hands down the
knee and leg, when they give a strong inhalation indicative of pleasure;
and it is curious to hear these whistling sounds going on while people
are paying each other compliments. When women of the same rank meet,
they bend nearly double, and remain in the same position some time in
conversation, occasionally giving a bob for every compliment that is
paid. When they get up to go away, the same bobbing and bowing goes on
for some time. When an inferior meets a superior, the former makes a
low bow till the fingers almost touch the ground. Both sexes, both at
home and abroad, go with the head uncovered, and to protect them from
the sun they use large fans or paper umbrellas. The military, however,
wear hats.
The Japanese are fond of field-sports, and the nobles go out shooting on
their estates much in the same way that gentlemen in England do on
theirs. They, as do the Chinese, also hunt game with hawks and falcons.
The birds are trained much as they were in England in former days, when
the gentle craft, as it was called, was fashionable among the nobles and
gentry of the land. The accompanying drawing, which was given to me to
put into my journal, gives a good idea of the Chinese way of hunting
with the falcon.
The houses we visited were very curious. They are chiefly of unpainted
wood; even the outsides are formed of sliding panels. There is
generally an inside lining at a distance of about six feet or so, the
space forming a sort of balcony. All the rooms are formed in the same
way, with sliding panels. The windows are composed of oiled paper,
fastened to neat frames with a glue which water cannot melt. The panels
which divide the chambers are ornamented with paintings of various
animals--tortoises, cranes, butterflies, and wonderfully unreal
monsters. Mats, about half an inch thick, cover the floors. In the
centre is a square place for a wood fire, when a _brazero_ is not used.
No chairs or tables are employed in ordinary houses, as the inhabitants
sit on the mats round their trays at dinner or when drinking tea; and at
night, mattresses are spread on the floor, covered with cotton, crape,
or silk. The day garment is then thrown off, and a wadded dressing-gown
put on for the night. The Japanese pillow is a little lacquered box
with drawers in it, in which the ladies keep various small articles for
their toilet--paper, hair-arrows, pins, etcetera. In the top of this
curious box is a concavity with a little cushion wrapped in clean paper,
and on this the back of the head is rested. Thus their head-dresses are
not tumbled at night. The inhabitants of the Fiji Islands use a similar
pillow for the same object of preventing their elaborately-dressed hair
from being disarranged. The Japanese, however, only sleep for a short
period at a time, as they have the custom of having trays with
sweetmeats by their bed-sides, which they eat occasionally; or they take
a few whiffs from their pipes, their tobacco-boxes, with live embers,
and other necessaries for smoking, being always at hand.
They are very cleanly in their habits, bathing-houses being everywhere
found; but it struck us as very odd to see men, women, and children
bathing together. Sometimes as we passed a house we saw the master or
mistress seated in a tub, up to the neck in water. The men, except when
they wear gala costume, are very simply dressed: their sandals are of
straw, and they use a plain fan of white paper and bamboo. They,
however, possess fine dresses, which are kept in their richly-ornamented
lacquered chests. They live chiefly on fish and rice, with various
vegetables, vermicelli, eggs, sea-weed, while cakes and sweetmeats vary
their diet. Tea, sugar-water, saki, are their chief beverages.
Their paper is one of the most interesting articles which they
manufacture. Some, of a thick sort, is made of bamboo and oil. This is
used for umbrellas, and water-proof coats, coverings for palanquins and
boxes, etcetera. The finer sort is made from the bark of the
mulberry-tree--the _Morus papyfira_--such as is used in Tahiti and other
South Sea islands. It is employed instead of a pocket-handkerchief for
blowing the nose, wiping the fingers, and wrapping up articles. Every
person has a long sleeve pocket filled with it. Printing is very
general, and all sorts of works are produced. Books are printed from
wooden blocks on a particularly fine silken paper, on one side only, the
blank sides being gummed together. The lacquer work is very fine. They
also manufacture silks, and crapes, and linen, and cotton cloth, which,
though coarse, is very soft. Many fruits of temperate and tropical
climes are grown. The lacquer-tree--the _Rhus vernix_--which is used in
the well-known lacquer work, is a handsome tree. The leaf is something
like that of the beech, but broader. The lacquer is drawn from its
milky sap and mixed with the oil of the _bignonia_. The camphor-tree--
the _Laurus camphora_--is another very fine tree, with red and black
berries. The camphor comes from it in white fragrant drops, which, when
they harden, require but slight purifying to give them the appearance
which the camphor we see in England presents. Everywhere we met with
the tea-tree or tea-plant. It is as common in Japan as our privet or
hawthorn. Japanese money is very thin. Some of the coins are oblong,
some square, and others round. The chief circulating coins are of
copper or iron. The workmen are very skilful: they manufacture cutlery
and sword-blades to perfection. They show great skill also in gold and
silver work. Their mirrors are of bronze, the reflecting surface being
of silver, and polished, the back and handle ornamented with various
devices. Everything, indeed, that a Japanese artisan produces, exhibits
a neatness and elegance which speaks well for the taste of the people.
We had a great deal of fine scenery in the excursions we made. There
are dense forests, and lofty mountains covered almost to their summits
with trees. No country has ever been subject to a more absolute
despotism than that which exists in Japan. There are two emperors--the
_Mikado_, who is the religious chief of the empire, the head of the
Sintoo religion; and the _Tykoon_, or _Siokoon_, who is the temporal
emperor, and the real source of all political power. His residence is
at Yedo. He has under him various great princes or chiefs, many of whom
are very powerful. Then there are noblemen of different ranks, who are
chiefly employed as officers under the crown, or governors of imperial
domains. Next to them are the Sintoo and Buddhist priests, the latter
of whom are under a vow of celibacy. The soldiers come after the
priests in rank. Their dress is very similar to that of civilians, but
they wear the embroidered badge of their respective chiefs. The fifth
class consist of medical men and literati, as also inferior government
officers. They are allowed, however, to wear swords and trousers.
Below them again are the merchants, who are despised by the superior
ranks, and are never allowed to wear swords. Mechanics rank the seventh
class, and the eighth and last is composed of farmers, serfs, and the
servants or feudal retainers.
I might mention many more things concerning Japan, but I should occupy
too much space, and I am anxious to give an account of the adventures we
ultimately encountered. We had enjoyed our visit so much to this
strange and beautiful country, that we were sorry when the time came for
quitting it, though we were about to visit still stranger and less known
regions. Bidding our kind friends farewell, we returned on board the
_Bussorah Merchant_. The next morning, having gone through the usual
formalities, we sailed down the magnificent harbour of Nagasaki and
steered a course for the Philippine Islands. Nothing of importance
occurred during this part of our voyage.
The next port we touched at was Manilla, the capital of the Philippine
Islands, which belong to Spain. On approaching the anchorage we passed
the naval arsenal of Caveti, situated in the bay about nine miles south
of the capital. Having come to an anchor, Mr Hooker invited us to
accompany him on a visit to Caveti. It cannot boast much of its present
glory, but it contained a curiosity--a Spanish galleon--probably one of
the last in existence, then rotting in the basin. We gazed with
interest at the high, ornamented, carved stern with its great lanterns,
its bow adorned in the same manner with carved work. We wondered how
such cumbersome-looking craft could get through with safety the long
voyages they performed. Returning to the ship in the cool of the
evening, we rowed up to Manilla, which is well situated at the mouth of
the river Pasig. This river runs down from a number of lakes, one
beyond another, the nearest of which is about three leagues eastward of
the city. We spent that night on shore at a hotel, and the following
day accompanied Mr Hooker on an expedition to the lakes. We engaged a
curious canoe paddled by Indians, who sat in the bow and stern, while we
occupied the centre. Part of this was covered over with mats, supported
on arched bamboos, which sheltered us at night from the dews, and in the
day-time from the sun. On either side of the river were the country
houses and gardens of the inhabitants. The river was very muddy and the
scenery not particularly interesting, so that we began to be somewhat
disappointed. It was growing dark when we approached the entrance to
the lakes. Sleep then overcame us, but our canoe-men continued paddling
on at a slow pace during the night.
When we awoke in the morning we found ourselves in a scene so totally
different that it seemed almost like enchantment. The mountains came
sloping down from the sky to the very water's edge, while numberless
picturesque Indian villages, built of the very useful bamboo, lined the
shores. Earthquakes prevailing in this region, has prevented the people
erecting any lofty edifices, while a bamboo hut will stand any amount of
shaking without being brought to the ground. By a hurricane, however,
they are easily overthrown. Over the wide expanse of water, which was
blue and clear like that of the ocean, fish of various sorts were rising
to the surface, as if to look out for the appearance of the glorious sun
over the mountain tops. As we pulled on, passing lofty headlands, or
winding our way amid groups of islands, fresh expanses of the lake
opened out before us. On the level spots, cornfields waved with grain,
surrounded by cocoa-nut trees, affording shelter from the noonday sun.
Numerous canoes were passing, with their white sails shining brightly
over the blue expanse.
We landed at the head of the lake, into which other rivers ran, opening
up a communication with the far-off parts of the island. Advancing, we
passed through some shady lanes, bordered by hedges of bamboo, the
graceful tops of which bent inwards, forming a complete arch overhead.
In a little time we reached a neat village, the houses, with thatched
roofs, looking clean and well-built. All, however, we learned, "is not
gold that glitters." We were advised not to proceed much further, as a
body of banditti were said to be lurking in the neighbourhood, composed
of deserters from the army and native Indians, and they would have
considered us a rich prize. Probably they would have murdered us for
the money we had about our persons, or for our clothes; or they might
have adopted the more civilised plan, followed in Greece and Italy, of
demanding a ransom.
"Oh, but they would not dare to attack Englishmen!" observed Emily.
"I am not so sure of that, young lady," answered Mr Hooker. "They
would probably make very little distinction between Englishmen and
Spaniards, except, perhaps, that they might demand a higher ransom; and
though it might be very romantic to be carried off among those
mountains, and kept there till Captain Davenport could pay the required
sum, I am afraid that none of us would find it very pleasant. However,
as `discretion is the best part of valour,' we will keep near our canoe,
and make the best of our way, with the favourable breeze now blowing,
back to the City of Cheroots."
As we afterwards glided over the calm water, we saw some huge objects
resting on a sand-bank. They looked like logs of wood; but as we came
near, one of them began to move, and presently a huge pair of jaws were
opened, as if the monster--for it was an alligator--was taking a yawn
after his siesta.
The principal inhabitants of the capital are Spaniards or their
descendants. The officers of the army are also Europeans. The rank and
file, amounting to about eight thousand men, are natives. The
aboriginal inhabitants are called Tagals. They are somewhat idle,
though a good-natured, pleasure-loving race; are nominally Roman
Catholics, but very superstitious and insincere. Their houses are
formed of bamboo raised on piles, the interior covered by mats, on which
the whole family sleep, with a mosquito curtain over them. The
ornaments in their houses are generally a figure of the Virgin Mary, a
crucifix, and their favourite game-cock. The men wear a pair of
trousers of cotton or grass-cloth, with a shirt worn outside them,
generally of striped silk or cotton, embroidered at the bosom.
Cock-fighting is their chief amusement, as it is, indeed, among most of
the people in all parts of the archipelago. It is a brutal sport, if
sport it can be called. These people seem to treat their birds better
than they do their wives; and so great is their passion for this
abominable proceeding, that they will cheat and pilfer and commit all
sorts of crimes in order to indulge it.
We visited a manufactory of cheroots, for which Manilla is celebrated.
We were told that four thousand women, and half that number of men, were
employed in this manufactory alone, while in the neighbourhood as many
as nine thousand women and seven thousand men find employment in
producing cigars. This will give you some idea of the immense amount of
tobacco consumed in various parts of the world, as, of course, only a
comparatively small quantity comes from Manilla. As we entered the
building, our ears were almost deafened by the noise made by some
hundreds of women seated on the floor, and hammering the tobacco leaves
on a block with a mallet, to polish them for the outside leaf of cigars.
In other rooms they were employed in rolling them up into the proper
shape. Tobacco is a strict monopoly, and great care is taken, when the
harvest is being gathered, to prevent any being carried off by the
people. The leaves, when picked, are first placed undercover in heaps
to ferment, then sorted into five classes, according to their size, and
suspended in a current of air to dry. From the plantations it is sent
under an escort to the factories round Manilla. It is there wet with
water, or sometimes rum and vinegar, and made up as we first saw it,
into rough cigars, and afterwards rolled into a more perfect form, and
finished by another set of women. The refuse is made into cigarettes.
Nearly the whole population--men, women, and children--smoke.
We saw the sugar-cane growing. Coffee also is almost wild, and large
quantities of rice are exported to China. The cocoa-palm and the
bamboo, as well as cacao, beans, indigo, silk, and cotton are produced.
We were shown a species of banana, called abaca, the finer filaments of
which, mixed with silk, are manufactured into native cloth. A rougher
sort, called Manilla hemp, is made into rope, which, with the raw
material, is largely exported. The most curious manufacture we saw,
however, was that from the pine-apple leaf, which produces a fibre so
fine and light, that the weaving operation must be carried on under
water, as the least current of air will break it. The Tagal girls work
it into handkerchiefs, which they richly embroider. These are greatly
valued. A more substantial manufacture is produced from the thicker
fibres, for dress pieces, which are also considered of great value. We
saw also some beautiful mats made from strips of bamboo, and leaves of
various trees, used for boat-sails, beds, or carpets. The hats and
cigar-cases of Manilla are also of a beautiful style of manufacture.
Although I might have written a more interesting account of the country,
I prefer giving this brief extract from my journal, that I may have more
space to narrate the numerous adventures through which we afterwards
passed.