CHAPTER SEVEN.
WE ENTER THE EASTERN SEAS.
Land was in sight, stretching out on either hand. On the port side wasthe island of Sumatra; on the starboard, the north end of Java. The_Bussorah Merchant_, with a light wind, was standing through the Straitsof Sunda. Mr Hooker walked the deck, in spite of the heat, rubbing hishands with pleasure. He was now approaching the region he had longdesired to examine; and he was pleasing himself with the thoughts of thewonders of Nature which would be revealed to his sight. Soon thestraits 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 thespirits 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; forno clouds overhead tempered the sun's rays. The pitch, as before, inthe sides and seams of the deck, melted and oozed out. The tar droppedfrom the rigging, and none of us willingly touched any piece of metalfor fear of burning our fingers. Merlin wisely kept in the shade, andthe young ladies followed his example. I, however, being now stationedin the mizzen-top, had to go aloft. I could not help often wishing, asI 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 nowreached. It was the first time our anchor had been dropped since wequitted the Thames. The only land sighted till Sumatra and Java wereseen, 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 theastronomers, and the inventors and the manufacturers of his instruments,or he could not have thus easily found his way half round the world, ashe has done. You see we depend upon each other; and that is what I wantto impress upon you. You may not have much scientific knowledgeyourself, but if you have observation, you can accurately note thevarious phenomena you meet with, and give your descriptions to those whowill make good use of them. I had contemplated leaving the ship atSingapore; but I have made up my mind to go with you to Japan, and thento return in her to one of the ports in these Eastern islands whichCaptain Davenport purposes visiting."
I was very glad to hear of Mr Hooker's determination, for I should havebeen very sorry to have lost his society.
The town and island of Singapore exhibit a variety of Eastern races anddifferent religions and modes of life. The ruling class are of courseEnglish, but the Chinese are the most numerous, and among them are foundmany wealthy merchants, most of the mechanics and labourers, and alsoagriculturalists. The sea-faring population are mostly Malays. Thereare a good many Portuguese, who act as clerks and shop-keepers. Thereare also Arabs and Klings of Western India, who are Mohammedans. Thereare also Parsee merchants, while the grooms and washermen are mostlyBengalees. These, with numerous Javanese sailors, as well as tradersfrom Celebes, Bali, and numerous other islands of the East, make up thiscuriously mixed population. Then in the harbour are found men-of-war,merchant vessels of numerous European nations, large numbers of Chinesejunks and Malay praus, with hundreds of little fishing and passengerboats. Chinese josshouses, Indian temples, Mohammedan mosques, rise upon either side with Christian churches. The warehouses are substantial,the residences of the Europeans large and commodious, contrasting withthe long rows of queer little Malay and Chinese cottages, among whichare found Kling and Chinese bazaars, where everything can be bought,from a reel of cotton to a sword or razor. Numberless vendors ofvarious articles throng the streets with water, fruit, vegetables, soup,and a sort of jolly made of sea-weed. Here a man comes running alongwith a pole, having a cooking apparatus on one end and a table on theother, 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, somenearly 400 feet high, covered to the summits with forest trees. Inthese forests the Chinese settlers are employed in cutting timber.Tigers are very numerous on the island, as they have but a shortdistance to cross over from the Malay peninsula, and frequentlywood-cutters are carried away by them.
I accompanied Mr Hooker several times on shore. The naturalist wasdelighted with the great variety of beetles and other crawling creatureswhich he was able to collect. We were struck by the enormous size ofthe trees and the variety of large ferns, as well as the number ofclimbing ratan palms. One day we were walking along, Mr Hooker beingin advance, when I saw him suddenly sink into the ground. I ran forwardto help my friend, who fortunately having a long pole in his hand, kepthold of it.
"Quick, quick, Walter!" he shouted. "Help me out or I shall beimpaled."
Not without difficulty I got hold of his hand, and by main force draggedhim up. When at length on firm ground, the naturalist, after resting amoment, pulled away a quantity of brushwood and disclosed a large pit.On looking into it we found that it was formed with the top narrowerthan the bottom, and in the centre was stuck a pointed stake. A personfalling 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 wayof catching a tiger should one attempt to cross it. I really believethat I have narrowly escaped a fearful death; for see, had I gonethrough, I should very probably have fallen on the stake."
After this, as we proceeded, we carefully avoided the spots covered overby fallen brushwood, lest they should conceal pits of a similardescription. Still Mr Hooker was too eager a naturalist to give up hissearch, and, aided by me, quickly filled his boxes and cases. Eveningwas coming on, and we were thinking of returning, sorry to leave thecool shade of the trees for the still hot, open ground, when we saw acreature 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 heshould think fit to follow us. I am told that seldom a day passes thatan unfortunate Chinaman is not carried away by one of these beasts. Iam afraid they are too wary, like rats in England, to be caught intraps, 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 nowand then in expectation of seeing the tiger. Mr Hooker, too, kept hisgun 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 sightof the tiger.
We got back to Singapore and returned on board that night, as the shipwas to sail the following morning. Emily turned pale when she heard theaccount I gave her of the tiger, and all the party were greatlyinterested in hearing the account of Mr Hooker's escape from thetiger-pit.
The ship's course was now directly through the China Sea--a region inwhich every variety of weather is encountered, from a dead calm to afurious typhoon. The northern end of the Philippine Islands was sightedon the starboard hand, and afterwards the Bashee Islands to the north ofthem.
"There is a large island lies away there on our right hand, calledFormosa," said the captain. "The inhabitants are Chinese. They seemeven more cruel and treacherous than the rest of their countrymen. Notlong ago two vessels were wrecked, and their crews made prisoners. Thenatives marched them off to their capital, somewhere in the middle ofthe island, several days' journey from the coast, and there they keptthem prisoners for many months. Some were Englishmen, others Lascars,to the number of forty or fifty. The lives of a few were saved, butthey cut off the heads of all the others, declaring they were those ofbarbarians killed in warfare; and it is said that the chief officers whocommanded this massacre gained great credit, and many rewards for theirbravery. The others were carried away to Nangking, and were there goingto be killed; but the English expedition came out, and were just in timeto save their lives.--I don't like the Chinese," continued the captain."They are treacherous, conceited, inhos
pitable to strangers, grosslysuperstitious, heartless, and cruel, though perhaps they may not be saidto be bloodthirsty. Their streets are dirty in the extreme, and theirhouses are not much better. However, it cannot be denied that they arevery industrious and persevering, and that a Chinaman will make a livingwhere 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 tothis description," observed Mr Hooker. "Probably we shall discovernoble and high-minded men, according to the light that is in them, inChina as elsewhere. I do not know that all English towns are models ofcleanliness; and certainly, if left to the care of the ordinaryinhabitants, 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 theship stood on towards the harbour of Nagasaki, we were all eagerlylooking out on the beautiful scenery which presented itself. In manyparts the coast is bold, in other places it rises from the beach ingentle hills covered with apparently impenetrable forests. The narrowentrance to the harbour now appeared, between lofty overhanging hillscovered with rich vegetation. As Captain Davenport had been therebefore, 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 thesummit of the highest hills. Here and there, however, the muzzles ofguns were seen protruding from amidst green shrubs and trees, ready todestroy any unwelcome intruder.
As the ship advanced the harbour widened out. On one side appeared thebeautiful little island of Pappenberg, so named by the Dutch, though theJapanese call it Tacabooco. Its sides rise directly out of the water inlofty precipitous cliffs, their summits crowned with dark luxuriantcedars. It was to this island that a large number of the Japanese whohad been converted to Christianity by the celebrated Roman Catholicmissionary Xavier were carried when they refused to abjure the religionthey had adopted. Conducted up to the summits of the cliffs, they werecast over the edge, bound hand and foot, at low water, meeting certaindeath as they reached the rocks below. Here the mangled remains laytill the tide coming in carried them off to sea. In late years manyhundred Christians were treated in a similar manner in Madagascar. Welooked with sad interest at the spot, having just before read an accountof the massacre.
The ship continued her progress up the inlet or gulf, which is fourmiles long, till at length she came to an anchor off the town ofNagasaki. On either side were towering cliffs, precipitous peaks withgreen and shady groves below, amid which appeared prettily-paintedpicturesque cottages, not altogether unlike those of Switzerland. Manysmall bays were passed, in which were moored little boats, keptscrupulously clean, though unpainted. The sails consisted of threestripes of sailcloth or matting, united by a kind of lacework, thusforming one whole sail for light winds. By unlacing one portion, thesail can quickly be reduced in size. The boatmen, unlike the natives ofthe places lately visited, were almost as fair as Europeans. They wore,however, scarcely more clothing than their brethren in more southernregions. A Japanese boat is moved by a scull in the stern, with whichshe is steered when under sail--no oars being used: the passengersalways sit in the fore part.
As soon as the ship dropped her anchor the Japanese officials came onboard, one who spoke a little English acting as interpreter. They weredressed in long flowing robes confined at the waist by a band woundround the body, in which is suspended a case containing a pipe, atobacco-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 armsand back. On grand occasions public officials wear a similar dress of alight fawn or dove tint. A person of the rank of a gentleman invariablywears two swords stuck in his girdle. On sitting down he removes thelongest, and places it against some piece of furniture at his side; buthe never parts with the smaller one, which is kept sharp, and inreadiness to kill himself should any accusation of a crime, false ortrue, be brought against him. The questions put to the captain havingbeen satisfactorily answered, we were informed that we might dischargeour cargo. The officers were then invited down into the cabin topartake of cake and wine, which they seemed greatly to enjoy. Theythen, bowing politely, took their departure, leaving one of their numberon 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 comeand stay at his house with Mr Hooker, while the ship remained off theplace. The residence of the merchant was situated on a platform on theside of a hill surrounded by trees, at a little distance from the town.The house had broad verandahs, every door sliding backwards and forwardsin grooves, instead of opening and shutting in the ordinary fashion. Inthe garden were quantities of lovely flowers, and it had a pond in thecentre. The pond was full of wonderfully large gold and silver fish,which were always ready to exhibit their lovely tints when bits of breadwere thrown in to them. The girls especially were delighted with thebeauty of the wild flowers in the surrounding woods, many of them suchas would be valued in a garden in England. Surpassing all others,however, were the camelia trees, some fully thirty feet high, theirlovely flowers shining out amid their dark-green foliage. We were toldthat the camelia is so called in honour of a Spanish Jesuit--Camel--whobrought it to Europe, where it is known as the Camelia japonica. Fromone kind, the oleifera, a large amount of oil is extracted, used inJapan for domestic purposes. The beautiful _lotus_ also is common; theJapanese using the root when young for food. When thoroughly boiled, itis very palatable. Mr Hooker was well pleased with the cleanliness ofthe streets; so superior in that respect to those of China. They arenearly all paved in the centre, which is slightly raised, and havedrains running down close to the houses on either side. Thus allimpurities are carried away, and they soon become dry, even after theheaviest shower of rain. Large plantations of tea exist in theneighbourhood, the leaf being prepared in the Chinese fashion. Thetrade in this article alone has greatly increased since the ports of thecountry 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 thesketch is the drying-house. The tea-plant is produced from seed whichis dropped into holes, several together, four inches deep and four feetapart, in December. When the rain comes on, the plants spring up andform bushes. In about three years they yield their first crop ofleaves. In about eight years they are cut down, that fresh shoots mayspring up. The leaves are gathered singly with great care--in threegatherings: the first, when they just open; the last, when fullyexpanded. When gathered, they are first partially dried in the sun, andthen placed on flat iron pans above furnaces in the drying-house. Theyrequire frequent shifting and turning. When sufficiently dried, theyare removed with a shovel on to a mat or basket to cool, and then to atable to be rolled. This process is repeated, and they are then siftedand sorted. As far as we could learn, both black and green teas are theproduce 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; butthere seemed so much to learn, and so little time to learn it in, that Iwas frequently almost in despair. The Japanese, although idolaters, andvery unlike Europeans, are evidently a very civilised people. They havehad for centuries their manners and customs unchanged, and their ideasare peculiar, according to our notions. Soon after we arrived, our newfriend had to pay a visit to the Governor of Nagasaki. The heat wasgreat; but Mr Hooker begged that we might belong to the party. TheJapanese, like wise people, except in cases of necessity, do not leavetheir cool houses during the heat of the day. The town appearedtherefore almost deserted. The main street is broad and clean, theinhabitants being generally government officials and retainers of thechiefs, called Daimios. At about every hundred yards there is a barriergate. These gates are closed every evening, when a light is suspe
ndedfrom the beam above, or a paper lantern is hung from one of the sideposts.
As China and Japan had become civilised long before the mode ofconstructing an arch was discovered, and the inhabitants of neither areaddicted to change, they still retain their original style of buildingbridges; and I give a sketch of one we crossed on our way. It issimilar to those generally found in the country. Some of their gatewaysare very curious; and though they make their bridges with vast slabs ofstone or long wooden rafters, they take the trouble of hewing out of therock huge circles, or segments of circles, which are afterwards puttogether to form ornamental gateways to their pleasure-grounds.
At length our party arrived before a handsome flight of steps, with twomagnificent camphor-trees on either side. The gate at the top beingthrown open, we all entered the unpretending yet clean abode of thegovernor. A few inferior officers were sitting or standing about in thevestibule. They saluted us with a careless air, and one of them thenannounced our arrival, when the vice-governor, or one of the principalofficers, came forward, and shaking hands, led us into another room.Here the governor himself was seated. After the proper number of bowshad been made and returned, he requested to know the object of ourvisit. While the merchant was explaining this we had time to look aboutthe room. All round it, with the exception of one side, which opened onthe garden, were suspended screens of white grass-cloth, with a designwhich looked like a trefoil worked on them. Over it we caught sight ofseveral sparkling pairs of eyes--the sex of the owners could not bedoubted. In the garden was a pond in which water-lilies and otheraquatic plants grew, with the usual ornaments of temples and bridges,artificial rocks being scattered about, and a considerable amount ofinvention displayed in the arrangement. While speaking of flowers, Imust 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 ourLord when he said, "Consider the lilies of the field." But to return toour 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 adesire to see the strangers, we were introduced to her. She was a veryhandsome person; her hair, jet-black, ornamented with amber andtortoise-shell combs, with a large quantity of hair on the top mixedwith flowers and ribbons. Her costume was magnificent--sky-blue crape,embroidered with gold and silver, and a profusion of flowers. It waslined with a bright scarlet silk wadding, which formed a train on theground. Only a part, however, was visible, as the silken belt round thewaist allowed it only very slightly to open. She wore a very broadsash, also of black silk, tied behind in an immense knot. The sleevesof her dress reached only to the elbow. She had no other ornaments; andher feet were encased in white cotton socks. Alas! however, her skinwas completely covered with rice-powder, damped, so that it might thebetter adhere. Her eyebrows were shaven, as those of all married ladiesare. Her lips were dyed of a bright red colour, and her teeth wereblack and polished as ebony. Yet we could judge of what she would havebeen by her exquisitely-chiselled nose, and black expressive eyes. Wesaw also several of her children, the younger ones dressed in crape ofvarious colours, the others dressed much as their mother; but theirteeth were beautifully white, their eyebrows unshorn; and very prettylittle creatures they were. We remained for another repast, whichcommenced by the servants bringing in, and placing before each person onthe table, which was eighteen inches high, a handsome gold and blacklacquered cup and saucer, with a pair of chop-sticks. Some very nicechicken soup, with vegetables, were in the cup. After this came asimilar bowl, containing venison, duck, and sweet jelly, all mixed uptogether. We found it very difficult eating with the chop-sticks, andEmily and Grace could not help looking up every now and then andlaughing at each other as they made the attempt. We managed better withsome harder things, such as fish. The last dish contained boiledchestnuts, peeled. This was placed in the centre of the table, so thateach 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 sortof litter slung to a bamboo pole, each end of which is carried on aman's shoulder. A cushion is placed at the bottom, so as to come up atone end for the back, at the other for the knees; and the person sitscrouched up in rather an awkward position. There is a flat covering, onwhich the lady's slippers, fan, smoking apparatus, and other articlesare carried. The bearers have each a pole, on which they can rest thenorimon.
The ladies, I should say, are great smokers, though their pipes aresmall and their tobacco of a delicate description.
I need not describe the entertainment our friends gave their guests, asit was similar in many respects to that of the Japanese, though withcertain English dishes. Each of their attendants, when they set out ontheir return, lighted a paper lantern, which is universally carriedafter dusk in all the towns of Japan.
The Japanese appear to be very fond of their children, and veryindulgent. In our excursions we often stopped and looked into thecottages, which were invariably neat and clean in the extreme. Iremember one day hearing youthful voices, and looking in, we saw acouple of children seated by the side of their father on a cushion onthe floor. One of them apparently was ill, and the other was pouringout some physic from a bottle into a bowl to give to it. The expressionon their countenances amused us. The little invalid was turning awayhis head, unwilling to take the potion; while the other seemed to beentreating that he might not have too much of it. It was a familypicture, however, which gave us a very fair idea of the terms on whichparents 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 awkwardmanner in walking, they would be graceful. Their hair is bound up intothick masses at the back of the head, through which a number of gold andsilver or ivory arrows are placed, much in the manner of the peasantgirls in some parts of Germany. The unmarried women have good eyebrowsand beautiful teeth; but when they marry they blacken their teeth andshave off their eyebrows, to show their affection for their husbands,and that they no longer wish to win the admiration of others. The menhave a curious way of saluting each other, passing their hands down theknee and leg, when they give a strong inhalation indicative of pleasure;and it is curious to hear these whistling sounds going on while peopleare paying each other compliments. When women of the same rank meet,they bend nearly double, and remain in the same position some time inconversation, occasionally giving a bob for every compliment that ispaid. When they get up to go away, the same bobbing and bowing goes onfor some time. When an inferior meets a superior, the former makes alow bow till the fingers almost touch the ground. Both sexes, both athome and abroad, go with the head uncovered, and to protect them fromthe 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 ontheir estates much in the same way that gentlemen in England do ontheirs. 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, whenthe gentle craft, as it was called, was fashionable among the nobles andgentry of the land. The accompanying drawing, which was given to me toput into my journal, gives a good idea of the Chinese way of huntingwith the falcon.
The houses we visited were very curious. They are chiefly of unpaintedwood; even the outsides are formed of sliding panels. There isgenerally an inside lining at a distance of about six feet or so, thespace forming a sort of balcony. All the rooms are formed in the sameway, with sliding panels. The windows are composed of oiled paper,fastened to neat frames with a glue which water cannot melt. The panelswhich divide the chambers are ornamented with paintings of variousanimals--tortoises, cranes, butterflies, and wonderfully unrealmonsters. Mats, about half an inch thick, cover the floors. In thecentre is a square place for a wood fire, when a _brazero_ is not used.No chairs or tables are empl
oyed in ordinary houses, as the inhabitantssit on the mats round their trays at dinner or when drinking tea; and atnight, mattresses are spread on the floor, covered with cotton, crape,or silk. The day garment is then thrown off, and a wadded dressing-gownput on for the night. The Japanese pillow is a little lacquered boxwith drawers in it, in which the ladies keep various small articles fortheir toilet--paper, hair-arrows, pins, etcetera. In the top of thiscurious 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 arenot tumbled at night. The inhabitants of the Fiji Islands use a similarpillow for the same object of preventing their elaborately-dressed hairfrom being disarranged. The Japanese, however, only sleep for a shortperiod at a time, as they have the custom of having trays withsweetmeats by their bed-sides, which they eat occasionally; or they takea 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 everywherefound; but it struck us as very odd to see men, women, and childrenbathing together. Sometimes as we passed a house we saw the master ormistress seated in a tub, up to the neck in water. The men, except whenthey wear gala costume, are very simply dressed: their sandals are ofstraw, and they use a plain fan of white paper and bamboo. They,however, possess fine dresses, which are kept in their richly-ornamentedlacquered chests. They live chiefly on fish and rice, with variousvegetables, vermicelli, eggs, sea-weed, while cakes and sweetmeats varytheir diet. Tea, sugar-water, saki, are their chief beverages.
Their paper is one of the most interesting articles which theymanufacture. Some, of a thick sort, is made of bamboo and oil. This isused for umbrellas, and water-proof coats, coverings for palanquins andboxes, etcetera. The finer sort is made from the bark of themulberry-tree--the _Morus papyfira_--such as is used in Tahiti and otherSouth Sea islands. It is employed instead of a pocket-handkerchief forblowing the nose, wiping the fingers, and wrapping up articles. Everyperson has a long sleeve pocket filled with it. Printing is verygeneral, and all sorts of works are produced. Books are printed fromwooden blocks on a particularly fine silken paper, on one side only, theblank sides being gummed together. The lacquer work is very fine. Theyalso manufacture silks, and crapes, and linen, and cotton cloth, which,though coarse, is very soft. Many fruits of temperate and tropicalclimes are grown. The lacquer-tree--the _Rhus vernix_--which is used inthe well-known lacquer work, is a handsome tree. The leaf is somethinglike that of the beech, but broader. The lacquer is drawn from itsmilky sap and mixed with the oil of the _bignonia_. The camphor-tree--the _Laurus camphora_--is another very fine tree, with red and blackberries. The camphor comes from it in white fragrant drops, which, whenthey harden, require but slight purifying to give them the appearancewhich the camphor we see in England presents. Everywhere we met withthe tea-tree or tea-plant. It is as common in Japan as our privet orhawthorn. Japanese money is very thin. Some of the coins are oblong,some square, and others round. The chief circulating coins are ofcopper or iron. The workmen are very skilful: they manufacture cutleryand sword-blades to perfection. They show great skill also in gold andsilver work. Their mirrors are of bronze, the reflecting surface beingof silver, and polished, the back and handle ornamented with variousdevices. Everything, indeed, that a Japanese artisan produces, exhibitsa 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. Thereare dense forests, and lofty mountains covered almost to their summitswith trees. No country has ever been subject to a more absolutedespotism than that which exists in Japan. There are two emperors--the_Mikado_, who is the religious chief of the empire, the head of theSintoo religion; and the _Tykoon_, or _Siokoon_, who is the temporalemperor, and the real source of all political power. His residence isat Yedo. He has under him various great princes or chiefs, many of whomare very powerful. Then there are noblemen of different ranks, who arechiefly employed as officers under the crown, or governors of imperialdomains. Next to them are the Sintoo and Buddhist priests, the latterof whom are under a vow of celibacy. The soldiers come after thepriests in rank. Their dress is very similar to that of civilians, butthey wear the embroidered badge of their respective chiefs. The fifthclass consist of medical men and literati, as also inferior governmentofficers. They are allowed, however, to wear swords and trousers.Below them again are the merchants, who are despised by the superiorranks, and are never allowed to wear swords. Mechanics rank the seventhclass, and the eighth and last is composed of farmers, serfs, and theservants or feudal retainers.
I might mention many more things concerning Japan, but I should occupytoo much space, and I am anxious to give an account of the adventures weultimately encountered. We had enjoyed our visit so much to thisstrange and beautiful country, that we were sorry when the time came forquitting it, though we were about to visit still stranger and less knownregions. Bidding our kind friends farewell, we returned on board the_Bussorah Merchant_. The next morning, having gone through the usualformalities, we sailed down the magnificent harbour of Nagasaki andsteered a course for the Philippine Islands. Nothing of importanceoccurred during this part of our voyage.
The next port we touched at was Manilla, the capital of the PhilippineIslands, which belong to Spain. On approaching the anchorage we passedthe naval arsenal of Caveti, situated in the bay about nine miles southof the capital. Having come to an anchor, Mr Hooker invited us toaccompany him on a visit to Caveti. It cannot boast much of its presentglory, but it contained a curiosity--a Spanish galleon--probably one ofthe last in existence, then rotting in the basin. We gazed withinterest at the high, ornamented, carved stern with its great lanterns,its bow adorned in the same manner with carved work. We wondered howsuch cumbersome-looking craft could get through with safety the longvoyages they performed. Returning to the ship in the cool of theevening, we rowed up to Manilla, which is well situated at the mouth ofthe river Pasig. This river runs down from a number of lakes, onebeyond another, the nearest of which is about three leagues eastward ofthe city. We spent that night on shore at a hotel, and the followingday accompanied Mr Hooker on an expedition to the lakes. We engaged acurious canoe paddled by Indians, who sat in the bow and stern, while weoccupied the centre. Part of this was covered over with mats, supportedon arched bamboos, which sheltered us at night from the dews, and in theday-time from the sun. On either side of the river were the countryhouses and gardens of the inhabitants. The river was very muddy and thescenery not particularly interesting, so that we began to be somewhatdisappointed. It was growing dark when we approached the entrance tothe lakes. Sleep then overcame us, but our canoe-men continued paddlingon at a slow pace during the night.
When we awoke in the morning we found ourselves in a scene so totallydifferent that it seemed almost like enchantment. The mountains camesloping down from the sky to the very water's edge, while numberlesspicturesque Indian villages, built of the very useful bamboo, lined theshores. Earthquakes prevailing in this region, has prevented the peopleerecting any lofty edifices, while a bamboo hut will stand any amount ofshaking without being brought to the ground. By a hurricane, however,they are easily overthrown. Over the wide expanse of water, which wasblue and clear like that of the ocean, fish of various sorts were risingto the surface, as if to look out for the appearance of the glorious sunover the mountain tops. As we pulled on, passing lofty headlands, orwinding our way amid groups of islands, fresh expanses of the lakeopened 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 brightlyover the blue expanse.
We landed at the head of the lake, into which other rivers ran, openingup a communication with the far-off parts of the island. Advancing, wepassed through some shady lanes, bordered by hedges of bamboo, thegraceful tops of whi
ch bent inwards, forming a complete arch overhead.In a little time we reached a neat village, the houses, with thatchedroofs, looking clean and well-built. All, however, we learned, "is notgold that glitters." We were advised not to proceed much further, as abody of banditti were said to be lurking in the neighbourhood, composedof deserters from the army and native Indians, and they would haveconsidered us a rich prize. Probably they would have murdered us forthe money we had about our persons, or for our clothes; or they mighthave adopted the more civilised plan, followed in Greece and Italy, ofdemanding 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. "Theywould probably make very little distinction between Englishmen andSpaniards, except, perhaps, that they might demand a higher ransom; andthough it might be very romantic to be carried off among thosemountains, and kept there till Captain Davenport could pay the requiredsum, 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 objectsresting on a sand-bank. They looked like logs of wood; but as we camenear, one of them began to move, and presently a huge pair of jaws wereopened, as if the monster--for it was an alligator--was taking a yawnafter his siesta.
The principal inhabitants of the capital are Spaniards or theirdescendants. The officers of the army are also Europeans. The rank andfile, amounting to about eight thousand men, are natives. Theaboriginal inhabitants are called Tagals. They are somewhat idle,though a good-natured, pleasure-loving race; are nominally RomanCatholics, but very superstitious and insincere. Their houses areformed of bamboo raised on piles, the interior covered by mats, on whichthe whole family sleep, with a mosquito curtain over them. Theornaments in their houses are generally a figure of the Virgin Mary, acrucifix, and their favourite game-cock. The men wear a pair oftrousers 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 ofthe people in all parts of the archipelago. It is a brutal sport, ifsport it can be called. These people seem to treat their birds betterthan they do their wives; and so great is their passion for thisabominable proceeding, that they will cheat and pilfer and commit allsorts 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, wereemployed in this manufactory alone, while in the neighbourhood as manyas nine thousand women and seven thousand men find employment inproducing cigars. This will give you some idea of the immense amount oftobacco consumed in various parts of the world, as, of course, only acomparatively small quantity comes from Manilla. As we entered thebuilding, our ears were almost deafened by the noise made by somehundreds of women seated on the floor, and hammering the tobacco leaveson 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 propershape. Tobacco is a strict monopoly, and great care is taken, when theharvest is being gathered, to prevent any being carried off by thepeople. The leaves, when picked, are first placed undercover in heapsto ferment, then sorted into five classes, according to their size, andsuspended in a current of air to dry. From the plantations it is sentunder an escort to the factories round Manilla. It is there wet withwater, or sometimes rum and vinegar, and made up as we first saw it,into rough cigars, and afterwards rolled into a more perfect form, andfinished 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 largequantities of rice are exported to China. The cocoa-palm and thebamboo, as well as cacao, beans, indigo, silk, and cotton are produced.We were shown a species of banana, called abaca, the finer filaments ofwhich, mixed with silk, are manufactured into native cloth. A roughersort, called Manilla hemp, is made into rope, which, with the rawmaterial, is largely exported. The most curious manufacture we saw,however, was that from the pine-apple leaf, which produces a fibre sofine and light, that the weaving operation must be carried on underwater, as the least current of air will break it. The Tagal girls workit into handkerchiefs, which they richly embroider. These are greatlyvalued. A more substantial manufacture is produced from the thickerfibres, for dress pieces, which are also considered of great value. Wesaw also some beautiful mats made from strips of bamboo, and leaves ofvarious trees, used for boat-sails, beds, or carpets. The hats andcigar-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 morespace to narrate the numerous adventures through which we afterwardspassed.
In the Eastern Seas Page 7
