to partake of a dinner given by one of the principal mandarins. They
were well plied with soup, fish, fowls, and sam-schoo, being attended on
by minor mandarins. After dinner they were escorted through the town,
accompanied by a large concourse of natives, who were kept by the police
at a respectful distance. One of the multitude forced his way to join
the captain's party, but was forcibly ejected, and preparations made to
bamboo him, when, to the captain's surprise, he discovered that the
unfortunate culprit was our greatest friend and ally during our visit to
the Madjicosima islands. He had been christened Beaufort by our
officers, in consequence of his accurate knowledge of all the shoals,
bays, deeps, &c. A word from the captain released him, and to the
astonishment of the mob, the captain and officers shook him cordially by
the hand, and made him walk in their company during the remainder of the
day. We did not find out why Beaufort left Pa-tchsu-san, where he
appeared to be one of the principal chiefs; while at Loo-Choo he
appeared to have no rank whatever. August 21st.--Sailed for Loo-Choo,
the Royalist in Company. After looking in at Pa-tschu-san, we made all
sail for Hong Kong; but arriving off the island of Botel Tobago, we were
annoyed with light airs and calms, varied with squalls and heavy rain.
For several days we were at the mercy of the current, until, at length,
we sighted Batan, and steered towards it. The wind still continuing
light, the captain went in the gig, which was my boat, on board of the
Royalist; and we soon left the Samarang far behind. We landed about
three o'clock, and were received by the padre, the governor and his lady
being at San Carlos. The commander of the Royalist and two of his
officers landed with us, and were much pleased with the hospitality of
the old priest. In the course of the evening the governor and his lady
returned from San Carlos; we adjourned to his house, where we passed
the evening. Several dances were performed by the native women; but we
did not admire them--they shuffled with their feet, and threw their
bodies into anything but graceful postures. At midnight we sat down to
an excellent supper, and then returned on board of the Royalist. The
following morning the ship was about three miles from the anchorage.
Bidding adieu to our hosts, we pulled on board, and made sail for Hong
Kong.
September 8th.--It being calm, the ship's company were permitted to
bathe. In a minute all those who could swim were in the water, playing
about in every direction round the ship, and enjoying the luxury. While
this continued, the man at the mast-head reported a shark close at
hand. The word to come in quickly was given by the first lieutenant and
all the officers. It required no second call--every one knew why, and
swam to the ropes, which were thrown out in every direction. It was
touch and go, as the saying is--one of the marines, who was last, was
actually touched by the shark, who made at him; but before he could
turn to bite, the fellow had jerked himself up out of his reach. It was
very fortunate that the man at the mast-head kept so good a look-out,
for generally they are more occupied with the gambols of the bathers
than looking out for sharks. As it was, many of the swimmers were so
unnerved that it was with difficulty they could get out of the danger.
After the men were on board again, the great object was to have revenge
upon the animal who had thus put an end to the enjoyment. The
shark-hook was baited with a piece of bull's hide, and the animal, who
was still working up and down alongside the ship, hoping that he would
still pick up a marine I presume, took the bait greedily, and was
hauled on board. The axe was immediately at work at his tail, which was
dismembered, and a score of knives plunged into his body, ripping him
up in all directions. His eyes were picked out with fish-hooks and
knives, and every indignity offered to him. He was then cut to pieces,
and the quivering flesh thrown into the frying-pans, and eaten with a
savage pleasure which we can imagine only to be felt by cannibals when
devouring the flesh of their enemies. Certainly, if the cannibal
nations have the same feeling towards their enemies which sailors have
against sharks, I do not wonder at their adhering to this custom, for
there was a savage delight in the eyes of every seaman in the ship as
they assisted to cut to pieces and then devour the brute who would have
devoured them. It was the madness of retaliation--an eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth.
September 14th.--Arrived at Hong Kong, where we found the Castor, Vixen,
and Espiègle. The next day the Agincourt, Dædalus, Vestal, and
Wolverine, arrived from Borneo, having been engaged with the pirates of
Maludu Bay. The squadron had suffered a loss of one officer and eighteen
men killed, and about double the number wounded. This heavy loss was
occasioned by their having to cut through a large boom which the pirates
had thrown across the creek within half pistol shot of their forts. But
the official reports of Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane have already been
published, and I need not, therefore, enter into further particulars.
One incident is, perhaps, worthy of notice, as it shows the respect
invariably paid by the British officers and seamen to a brave enemy,
although a pirate. The colours from the pirates' fort had been twice
shot away, when, to the surprise of the boat squadron, a native was seen
to ascend, without regard to our fire, and nail the colours to the
flagstaff. Instead of taking aim at him, he was enthusiastically cheered
by the seamen; and, as if with one consent, the muskets were all
dropped, and the firing discontinued until he had again got down under
cover, and was safe. The boom being at length severed, the fort in a few
minutes was in our possession. Our late first lieutenant, Mr. Heard, who
had left our ship, in consequence of the treatment he received from the
captain, was wounded in this attack. Mr. Wade was the first lieutenant
who sailed from England in the Samarang, and who also left us, not being
able to put up with the treatment he received. It is singular that poor
Mr. Wade should be killed so soon after he left the ship, and that his
successor, Mr. Heard, as soon as he also left us, should have been
wounded. But these were not the only officers who had quitted the ship:
Lieutenant Inglefield, who joined the ship as assistant-surveyor, was,
like most of the other officers, soon under an arrest; and after having
had a report spread against him that he was mad, he determined to leave
the ship, and obtained his Admiralty discharge. The second master,
appointed by the Admiralty as one of the assistant-surveyors, also left
the ship, but was compelled to join again.
A court-martial was now held on board of the Castor, to inquire into the
conduct of Lieutenant Heard (our late first lieutenant), during the time
that he served under Sir Edward Belcher. The court-martial had been
demanded by Lieutenant Heard, in consequence of Sir Edward Belcher
having written a private letter to Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, accusing
Mr. Heard of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The whole of
the officers of the Samarang were subpoenaed, and there is no doubt
what the result of the court-martial would have been; but the court was
broken up on the plea that the charges were not _sufficiently specific_,
as neither date nor circumstances were specified. Before the court broke
up, however, they did so far justice to Lieutenant Heard, as to return
his sword, and state that there was not the slightest stain upon his
character, and that he was honourably acquitted. The reader may perhaps
ask, why the court was dissolved? It was to save the honour of the
cloth, that the court, composed of captains, came to that decision. Had
the court-martial proceeded, what would it have proved?--that a superior
officer had been guilty of slander, and had attempted by this means to
ruin a most excellent officer. The court declared that the charges were
not sufficiently specific. Surely, they were plain enough. Lieutenant
Heard was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman--a
charge sufficient to dismiss him the service, if it could have been
proved. But let us reverse this case: suppose that Lieutenant Heard had
thus slandered Sir Edward Belcher. Would the court of captains then have
discovered that the charges were not sufficiently specific? Most
certainly not. The trial would have proceeded, and the lieutenant, for
making such false charges in a private letter, would have been dismissed
with ignominy from the service.
November 1st.--Sailed from Hong Kong, after a detention of some days, in
consequence of a row between Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane and our gallant
captain; the admiral, as we understood, refusing to allow the Samarang
to leave the port until Sir Edward Belcher had apologised for his
insubordination towards him. After a detention of a few days, the
apology was forced from Sir Edward Belcher, and we were permitted to get
under weigh. Of course, I cannot exactly vouch for the correctness of
this statement, but such was the _on dit_ of the day. On the second we
experienced a heavy gale, and the Royalist, who was with us as a tender,
parted company. After a weary beat of nineteen days, we arrived at
Batan, the capital of the Bashee islands; but I have already described
this place. We remained here eight days, anxiously expecting the
Royalist, but she did not make her appearance, and we concluded that she
must have received some injury in the gale, and had borne up for
Manilla. We sailed for that place, and arrived there on the 2d of
December. Our conjectures relative to the Royalist were correct: she was
here at anchor, having crippled her foremast in the gale, so as to
render it necessary for her to bear up for this port.
[Illustration: SALT SMUGGLERS.]
We had always enjoyed ourselves at this place. During our repeated
visits we had made many acquaintances and friends, and it was with no
small pleasure that we found that we were to remain here till the first
day of the new year.
It is the custom at Manilla for the inhabitants to throw most of their
houses open on that day: any one may enter, and be sure of a hearty
welcome from the hospitable Spaniards. We anticipated great
pleasure,-and we did nothing but talk about it, as our last Christmas
Day had been a most dreary one, and we were delighted at the idea of
passing this one among hospitable and civilised people. The reader may
therefore imagine our disgust and vexation when, on the 23d, without our
having the least notice of his intention, the captain gave orders for
the anchor to be weighed, and ran the ship down to Caviti, a town about
seven miles distant. Caviti was deserted; all the inhabitants had gone
to Manilla to enjoy the holidays; not a soul remained to welcome us; but
if they had, it would have been of no good to us, as, on Christmas
morning, about two o'clock, we were almost all of us sent on shore to
take a set of magnetic observations, which were not completed until the
same hour on the following day. At the same time, to make "assurance
doubly sure" that we should have no pleasure on that day, leave was
stopped to all those remaining on board of the ship. I will not enter
further into this affair. All I shall say is, that Christmas Day, the
day of rejoicing, the day of good-will, was turned into one in which the
worst passions were roused, and in which "curses not loud but deep" were
levelled at the head of the man who, "dressed in a little brief
authority," took this opportunity of exercising the power entrusted to
him. After completing the observations, we moved further down the Bay,
and surveyed the shoals of St. Nicholas; after which we returned to
Manilla, where all gaiety had ceased.
Caviti was once a place of great importance, having been the capital of
Luzon, from whence the galleons conveyed the treasure to Spain. The
arsenal still remains, but in a very dilapidated state: we found the
artificers busily employed completing some gun-boats and small
schooners, which were intended to accompany the Esperanza, Spanish
frigate, in an expedition to an island off Borneo, where the Esperanza
had latterly sustained a defeat from the pirates who inhabited the
island.
At Caviti lie the remains of an old Spanish galleon, one of the few
which had the good fortune to escape Commodore Anson. The whole of one
side of the vessel is gone, and she is now fast falling to pieces, but
the Spaniards look upon her with great reverence. She is a relic of
their former grandeur; and I was informed by a Spanish gentleman that
she never would be broken up. I looked upon her, if not with reverence,
at least with sympathy; and as I made a sketch of her my thoughts
naturally turned to the rise and fall of empires, and I communed with
myself as to what would be the date in which England would be in the
same position as modern Spain, and fall back upon her former glories by
way of consolation for her actual decay.
[Illustration: SPANISH GALLEON.]
On our arrival at Manilla, whether it was that the captain thought that
we might too readily console ourselves for our Christmas disappointment,
or that he had heard (which I doubt not was the case) the expressions of
disgust which had been so universal, we found that all leave was
stopped. A few of us, not relishing this confinement without just cause,
made our appearance on shore in plain clothes; for we had become
reckless. We could but be turned out of the ship and out of the service:
we longed for the first most especially, and were not alarmed at the
prospect of the second. But although the captain was very willing to
oblige us with the latter as soon as he had done with us, upon the
paying off of the ship, he was not at all inclined to enter into our
views as to the former; for he knew that he never would get another
officer to join him. He therefore took all the work he could out of us
for the present, bottling up his indignation for a future opportunity.
We visited the cigar manufactory. About three thousand women are daily
employed in making and packing up the cigars. One party selects, cleans,
and moistens the leaf; a second cuts; a third rolls; another packs them;
and thus they are passed through a variety of hands before they are
completed. The best cheroots made here are sent to the royal family, and
are called Finas. No. 3. are the next best: of these there are two
kinds--one for consumption, another for exportation. The cheroots sold
in England under the name of Government Manillas are of inferior
quality. In consequence of the failure in the preceding tobacco crop,
cheroots were very scarce during the time we were at Manilla.
There is a fine lace sold at Manilla, called Pina-work. It is made by
the women of an island bearing that name, which is close to Luzon.
Although not so fine as some of the European manufactures, it fetches
very high prices in this country. There is not sufficient made for
exportation.
The night on which we went on shore contrary to orders proved to be a
festival, and the city was illuminated. There is a variety in
illuminations all over the world, as those who have been to various
countries well know. The lower classes of Manilla construct animals of
all sorts, ships, &c. out of coloured paper--very good imitations of the
reality--and these they illuminate by putting candles within them. We
had amused ourselves with looking at the variety of objects exhibited
by the various whims of the illuminating parties, when, on passing
through a street, we observed a large illuminated pig--such a beauty! He
was standing at the door of a shop, and the owner was quite proud of our
unqualified admiration. We examined him very carefully, and at last we
unfortunately discovered that he was fixed on a board with four wheels.
Wheels naturally reminded us that they were vehicles of locomotion; the
pig could move--that was certain--and we decided that, if possible, pig
must go on board of the Samarang. This was agreed to, _nem. con._, by
all parties, with the exception of the owner, who was not summoned to
the consultation, which, I grant, was an omission. A ball of twine, some
fifty fathoms long, was purchased, and stretched along the street, so as
to give us a good start in case of a rescue. We manned it with all hands
except one, who was appointed to make it fast to the pig, which he
effected with great dexterity, and without being perceived. As soon as
he rejoined us, off we set, followed by pig, who galloped and capered
down the streets in capital style, preserving his equilibrium in a most
astonishing manner.
But the owner of the pig soon discovered his loss, and gave the signal
for the chase. As we passed the gates, the soldiers joined in the
pursuit, and a large mob followed; but pig beat them all, and arrived
safely at the hotel where we resided. Of course, the owner soon came in
to claim his property; but he was so nobly remunerated for his animal,
which became ours by purchase, that he went away jingling the money, and
agreeing with us that it was an excellent joke. We placed our pig in the
centre of the table, and passed our last night at Manilla in a most
agreeable manner.
[Illustration: NATIVES OF LUZON.
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]
We then sailed again for Caviti, which was now again inhabited. The
society is confined to the families of the civil and military officers
who are stationed there. Some of the villages in the vicinity of Caviti
are very picturesque: the bamboos planted on each side of the road meet
over head, and form shady lanes. The women at these villages were
handsomer than any I had seen at Luzon, and were dressed very
tastefully. A petticoat, reaching from the hips to between the knees and
ankles, a not too jealous boddice of light muslin, their long hair
flowing down their backs, and a neat straw hat, composed as graceful a
costume as I have ever witnessed. See two of these girls, both riding
one pony, taking eggs to Caviti, as they pass through the shady lanes,
and you cannot desire a more agreeable picture.
[Illustration: WATER CARRIERS--MANILLA.]
January 3rd.--From this day till the 20th of February we were surveying
various portions of the Phillippine group; but as there is nothing to
interest the reader, I shall pass over a dry catalogue of mostly
uninhabited islands. One of the islands was covered with cocoa-nut
trees. We found on it some Malays, who had come there on an annual
visit, and were loading their boats with the nuts. They were the rudest
of the Malay tribe we had yet seen. Every article in our possession
excited their cupidity, and they expressed their wonder and admiration
by clacking their tongues against the roofs of their mouths, and
emitting a very strange sound. A needle was valued by them at ten
cocoa-nuts, a button at five. For the value of a few shillings we filled
the ship with those highly esteemed fruit. On the 21st of February we
proceeded to Samboangan, a Spanish penal settlement at the south
extremity of Mindanao. The town, which is insignificant, is built on a
plain. Most of the houses are constructed of leaves and bamboo,
supported by stakes. The governor, however, and some of the most
respectable of the inhabitants, occupy neat little white-washed
cottages. There is a fine fort, in good condition, and mounting several
guns, which is garrisoned by about 400 Manilla troops.
The town is surrounded nearly by groves of cocoa-nut trees and bananas,
and the roads cut through them form pleasant shady walks. The plain on
which the town is built is well cultivated, and watered by a fine river.
It is bounded by a range of mountains, which separate the Spanish
possessions from the country inhabited by the warlike natives of the
interior. The people appear well-conditioned and industrious, and are
remarkably neat in their dress and persons. There are several gun boats
stationed here, which are employed to scour the coast of the pirates,
who are very numerous and formidable.
Horses can be obtained here in any quantity, but saddles and bridles are
scarce. Unfortunately, there is nothing so civilised here as an hotel,
so few vessels visiting the port. The little commerce that exists is
carried on by small schooners which run between this island and Manilla.
[Illustration: VIEW IN SAMBOANGAN.
(MINDANAO.)
F. M. DELT.
M. N. HANHART LITH. PRINTERS]
I have mentioned that this is the penal settlement of the Spanish
colonies. The prisoners are confined within the fort, and there is none
of that awe of restraint and doubtful position which you find in a place
where half the population consists of liberated convicts. It is a
flourishing and happy little colony. Many officers of an inferior grade
reside here, holding appointments either in the fort, gaol, or the gun
boats. These people and their wives are Mestichas (or half-breed), and
it is among them and their families that some of the prettiest women in
the Asiatic archipelago may be found.
Our first object after we were on shore was to procure horses, that we
might have a view of the country, as far as prudence would admit. We
were surprised at starting to find such fine roads, lined with gardens
and cottages, embowered in groves of cocoa-nut, bananas, and bamboos.
Where the road was not shaded, arches of wood were raised to protect
passengers from the heat of the sun. The whole country was alive with
natives, dressed in every variety of colour, and sledges drawn by water
buffaloes, carrying fruit, vegetables, and Indian corn. We put our
horses to a swift canter, and passed through many villages, all in
appearance as populous, as thriving, and as happy as Samboangan. At last
we arrived at an open plain, covered with cattle, and bounded by the
mountains in the distance. We remained some time admiring and sketching;
the inhabitants showed us every kindness, and were more courteous in
their demeanour than might be expected from their isolation from the
rest of the world.
On our return, we stopped at a little shop by the road side, close to
the town. It contained fruit, grain, and tobacco; but ascertaining that
coffee and chocolate could be had here, we ordered some of the latter,
which proved to be excellent, and moderate in price. This little shop,
for want of an hotel, became our principal rendezvous during our stay
here.
About nightfall, as we were strolling through the town, we were
attracted by the sounds of music in an adjoining street. We altered our
course accordingly, and on arrival at a large thatched house, perceived
through the open windows that it was filled with musicians and dancers.
We were immediately observed, and the owner of the house, in the most
courteous manner, and in tolerable English, requested us to enter, which
request we immediately complied with. We imagined that it was a ball,
perhaps a wedding; but what was our surprise on entering to see a table
in the middle of the room, on which was placed a dead child! It was
neatly dressed, and ornamented with flowers, looking more like a wax
doll than a corpse. The ball, we were informed, was given in honour of
its funeral. The dancing had not yet commenced, so we were in excellent
time. The master of the house was extremely polite, and requested that
we would consider ourselves at home. We took his advice, and immediately
separated, and paid our addresses to the ladies which most interested us
by their appearance. A great many of them were exceedingly pretty, and
they were dressed enchantingly. Their hair was drawn back, and collected
in a knot behind, their bosoms covered by a light muslin jacket with
short sleeves. A petticoat of many colours was sufficiently short to
disclose their naked feet, on which was a slipper of velvet, embroidered
with gold or silver lace. Two or three great gold ornaments completed
their costume. Add to this their sparkling black eyes, regular features,
and an air of naiveté--inseparable from Spanish girls, and you have some
idea of the witchery of the belles of Samboangan.
We were very soon on excellent terms, and the table with the dead child
being removed to a corner, the father and mother of the deceased opened
the ball with a slow waltz. This being concluded, we selected our
partners, and a livelier air being struck up, off we all went at a
splendid pace. The women waltzed well. The music was excellent. In the
first round all the ladies lost their slippers, which were without
heels; and in the second the pace became fearful, and the old house
shook under the active bounds and springs of some twenty or thirty
couples.
Spanish quadrilles succeeded the waltz, and then we had the country
dance. This latter is complicated, but very pretty, and, with the
assistance of our partners, in a short time we were quite _au fait_ to
its mysteries.