Chekchú is important chiefly as a military station; good barracks have already been erected, for the accommodation of the troops stationed there. It has a few tens of poor Chinese houses, whose inhabitants gain their livelihood chiefly by fishing.

The island of Hongkong so far back as the Ming dynasty was owned by a respectable family by the name of Tang. When Káng. hí ordered the coast to be cleared of its inhabitants, the possession of Hongkong was abandoned. But when the emperor revoked his decree, the occupation of it was again resumed, and title-deeds granted, authenticated records of which, remain to this day in the offices of the chief magistrates of the districts of Sin-ngán and Tungkwán. The land tax for two centuries, and upwards, has been regularly paid by this family, its members being considered, by the emperor's government, as its true and rightful landlords.

By the treaty of Nanking the island was ceded to the British crown; and on the 5th day of April, in the sixth year of her majesty's reign, it was erected into a separate colony, to be known and designated as "The Colony of Hongkong." But in all this no provision seems to have been made by the Chinese government for the original proprietors of the soil, who are now making suit to the British government, humbly praying for remuneration. If correctly informed, some eight or ten thousand dollars have been paid for certain fields in Wangnái Chung and Súkon Pú-not to the members of the Tang family however, but to the persons occupying the soil, and claiming to be its true and rightful owners. Whether these are the true landlords or only tenants it is not our prerogative to determine. Those in authority no doubt will see well to it, that no injustice be allowed in this case.

Regarding the colonial government we have little to say. As residents, we have enjoyed all the protection and every immunity that could be expected. As eye witnesses, for three years, we have marked the progress of events, yet seldom commenting on them. We found here an efficient and economical magistracy; and on it, for a long time, nearly the whole of the executive labors de. volved. The organization of councils, courts, &c., has brought in some improvements; yet not a few desiderata, are still wanting Chusan no doubt would make the nucleus of a noble colony, and afford advantages far superior to Hongkong, in some respects; but we are not prepared to say that her majesty would have acted wisely or justly had she claimed that island instead of this. However, a better policy surely could have been devised for this than that which

has been developed. It has been indeed an experimental policy, and we can therefore easily overlook past errors. Were every legislative enactment, now extant, cast into oblivion, and a few plain and practicable ordinances introduced in their stead, no one we think would grieve thereat. As the legislative council is now constituted, we see not how it possibly can work well, and give satisfactory results. There may be good intention enough, and ability enough; but these cannot compensate for the absence of practical knowledge, experience, and local sympathy. In India, for years, it has been the practice of government to make public its proposed legislative acts; and in this way it has, by means of a free press and an enlightened community, brought to its aid much practical knowledge.

Regarding the supreme court we hardly dare hazard any opinion. Its leading members are able men, and have shown themselves worthy of the trust reposed in them. As friends of the Chinese, we should like to see this court provided with its learned Chinese advocates. We have occasionally attend its cessions, when Chinese have been at the bar; and we have there supposed the case reversed, and the Chinese made the language of the court, and the ablest sons of Han administering justice, and the foreigner seeking redress or laboring to make defense. Would the foreigner, in that case, be satisfied? Great care should be taken, in giving testimony, especially were life is concerned, that every word be faithfully translated; otherwise how can judge and jury decide rightly?

With the magistracy we have had good opportunity of being acquainted; and can bear testimony to the able manner in which case after case has been considered and decided. Sometimes we have heard complaints, but not against the magistrates. In them the Chinese have great confidence. It is false witnesses that they dread; as well they may. The present municipal police is excellent, and gives good security for life and property.

Our limits forbid us to remark in detai! on several topics deserving attention in this infant colony. It has now, we suppose, a population of 25,000 souls, including all classes, foreign and native : and of these more than 20,000 are Chinese. Among the latter there are a few respectable families, and it is high time that some more extensive plans of education were established for the benefit of those permanently residing on the island. The Morrision Education: Society has a strong claim to public patronage. Hitherto the institution has been sustained almost entirely by private liberality. It deserves munificent support both private and public, and aught to be greatly enlarged

We cannot close these notices without alluding to the dreadful mortality that has prevailed on the island. In the summers of 1842 and 1843, we visited some of the hospitals, or private rooms of the sick, almost daily; and have had considerable opportunity to witness the progress and effects of disease, and to ascertain its causes. The climate is evidently unhealthy; but is becoming less and less so, and may, for aught we see, be made as salubrious as that of any other place on the coast of China. The principal causes of sick. ness, we think, have been, first, exposure to the heat of the sun; secondly, excess in eating and drinking,-especially the latter; and thirdly, bad houses. Were exposure to the sun properly avoided, strict temperance maintained, and elevated and dry and well ventulated residences enjoyed, we should expect the sickness to decrease full nine-tenth.

ART. VI.

Journal kept by Mr. Gully and capt. Denham, during a captivity in China in the year 1842. Edited by a barrister. London, 1844.

ON or about the 13th of August, 1842, one hundred and ninetyseven men, late of the British vessels the Ann and Nerbudda, were placed on their knees near to each other, their feet in irons and their hands manacled behind their backs. This was on a wide plain just outside the gates of the capital of Formosa, and in the presence many thousands of Chinese. Those unfortunate men knew not for what purpose it was that they were brought from their prisons and thus made a public spectacle. In this state of suspense the executioners appeared, and with their heavy swords coolly proceeded in their mortal work. Their heads were all severed from their bodies; the former, placed in small baskets, were carried away to be exposed upon the sea-shore, while their bodies-one hundred and ninetyseven, were all thrown together into one common grave!

Capt. Denhain's and Mr. Roop's journals have already been noticed in our pages. See vol. XII. pp. 113, 235. Also some public documents, issued by sir Henry Pottinger, will be found in vol. XI. pp. 682, 683

Among that multitude murdered by the officers of the Chinese

government, on the plains of Formosa, there was a gallant young man who had been on board the Nemesis, and honorably distinguished himself at the taking of Ningpo. This was Mr. Robert Gully. He had been engaged in commercial pursuits, previously to joining the Nemesis, and was now, March Sth, 1842, embarking at Chusan, on board the Ann, to revisit his friends in Macao, "intending to return again in time to see Peking taken." We have carefully read his journal and letters, from that date till a fews days before his deathof which he probably had no intimation previously to being brought with the others to the field of blood. It is not our intention to dwell on the melancholy particulars of their imprisonment and death; we shall content ourselves with gleaning from the journal of Mr. Gully a few interesting particulars regarding the country and the people which he saw. And these we shall lay before our readers either in his or our own words, being careful always to exhibit the facts as they are stated in the journal. All the particulars of the wreck, &c., are already in the hands of our readers.

"March 14th. Shortly after breakfast we heard a noise outside, and saw spears and flags. Our guards told us we were going away. One of them called Mr. Roope aside, and took him up a ladder where he sung out to me for assistance. Captain Denham and myself went up to him and found the soldier trying to persuade Mr. Roope to go up stairs, and made motions for us not to go out to the mandarins. We went up to a small clean room, where the man wanted us to remain, but thinking it was only for the purpose of plunder that he wished to keep us, we determined to go with the rest. Perhaps the fellow had heard of our offer to the junkman and really meant well, but it was difficult to judge. We were then all taken before three mandarins, tickets put round our necks, and we marched under a strong escort of soldiers to a small walled town inland about three miles. The walls were of round stone and chunam. We passed from one end of the town to the other, where we were seated under the walls close to a mandarin's office for about half an hour, I suppose for the people to have a good look at us. We were then taken into the mandarin's premises and divided into two parties, the soldiers having previously told us we were going to be beheaded, which I should have believed if they had not overdone the thing by beginning to sharpen their swords on the stones. We were put into two cells about eight feet by seven each, in each of which were stowed twentyfive of us and three jailers or guards, the weather extremely cold, nothing to lay our heads on, and nothing but a sprinkling of straw to keep us from the damp bricks. The land on each side of the road was cultivated and rice growing, the fields were very small, and only divided by a low round embankment about one foot high. The villages appeared to be pretty, from their being surrounded by bainboo. Here, for the first time, I saw a wheeled

cart, but we had before noticed the marks of wheels on our first march. It was a very clumsy affair, drawn by a bullock. It was passing across the ploughed ground for no reason that I could see except that there was no other road. The wheels were composed of two solid pieces of wood joined together in the centre, with a hole which merely slipped on to the axle-tree and was confined by a linch-pin. The cart was of bamboo. The wheels made very curious gyrations in their passage through the mud. In the villages we were stared at by every body, women and all. The women were unaccountably plain even for Chinese women, both here and through all parts of the island I have seen, but they have a very pretty fashion of wearing natural flowers in their hair. On our road we passed several parties employed carrying the brig's guns in the same direction that we were traveling. Altogether, I think under other circumstances I should have enjoyed this trip much, but my feet were so painful with the sores of our former march that I could not. As it was, it was a great relief after the crowded granary, and I think did me good. 15th. Nothing of any moment occurred except that we were joined by the gunner and sea-cunnies, missing up to this time. They had been much better treated than ourselves, and had clothes given to them, though rather of a fantastic nature. The treatment may, perhaps, be partly attributed to their thinking the gunner to be some great man, from his having a mermaid marked on his arm, in the way common among sea-faring people. They partly labored under this mistake up to this present meeting. Both this day and the 16th we were crowded by visiters, who were a great nuiThe government people who came, all told the same lie,-that we were going to be sent away in a junk. One fellow took the trouble to draw me out one side to explain it more clearly. If we ever placed reliance in their words we were undeceived on the evening of the 17th, for we were then all taken before mandarins, ticketed, a fresh name given to each, and ornamented with handcuffs, we were placed in chairs and conveyed out of the town. We passed outside, and for some miles over a country tolerably cultivated. We were told in the villages we passed through that we were going to have our heads taken off. During the passage my bearers capsized my chair three times, which was occasioned by the slippery state of the footpath. I enjoyed this much more than the bearers, who got a good blowing up from the soldiers by whom we were attended every time it happened. At last they persuaded the nan who had charge of the key of my handcuffs to allow me to walk, which I agreed to do as long as the road continued soft. (The man with the key attended me all the way to Taiwan fú.) I was glad enough to take advantage of the permission to walk. I particularly observed that the soldiers in many instances carried a very superior kind of matchlock to any I had seen in China before, and they were kept in much better order. The barrels were cut outside, six square, and as well as the bore were quite snooth and bright. Some again were wretched-looking beings with rusty spears, shields and old caps, without any stiffening in the borders. These I conjectured were the militia, the others regulars. A short time after I observed wheat growing, but the crops were only small

8ance.