heart and soul into the spirit of a free trade, which nothing could prevent them from establishing. They have all kinds of craft along shore,the junks being from 20 to 500 tons; and they would come with their vessels to the commercial stations, bringing with them Chinese products to be exchanged for European and other products. The government has no power to prevent the people from trading even in the Canton river, and could not by any means interfere with a trade carried on at a short distance from the main. My opinion of establishing such stations for trade is, that it would be most advantageous, and would cause a very great increase of the foreign trade of China; but it would destroy the trade of the Hong merchants, and of the East India Company also, if Englishmen were not prevented from trading at the stations.

3. What in your opinion are the most proper places for such stations? On this point be so good as to furnish any information that you may think calculated to be of use.-On account of the unskilfulness of the Chinese as sailors it would be advisable to have more than one station, in order to keep up a trade with a great extent of coast. Suppose you had several stations; I would begin with one island, called Pulo Condore, in latitude about 8 deg. North, almost within sight of the coast of Cambodia; which island was settled by the English 130 years ago; but they

were cut off by the Macassar soldiers whom they employed. I have been close to this island and all round it. It is inhabited by a few fishermen. The anchorage and shelter are good; and I was assured by the people who came from the island to my ship, that there was plenty of good water there. The next situation would be one of the Great Ladrones, or Pirate Isles, near the mouth of the Canton river; and the best of these islands appear to me to be Neong-kong-oa, where there is good anchorage for a great number of ships, and plenty of water. This island, on the north side of the great Lema Channel, used to be inhabited by pirates of the most ferocious character. The Chinese government could not prevent a settlement from being formed there, nor interfere with the settlers afterwards. Another place for a station, at which a great trade would soon spring up, is one of the numerous islands in the neighbourhood of Amoy, in latitude 24 deg.: North. I have not visited this part of the coast; but from such charts as we have, and what I have heard from those who have sailed further north than Canton, I have not any doubt that several islands, well suited for the purpose, would be found in the neighbourhood of Amoy. most important place for a station is still further north, near the mouths of the great rivers; but of this part of the coast I know only that it has many islands; as may be said of the whole coast

The

of China, which is more studded with islands than any other coast in the world.

"Cette île, (Formosa) quoique située vis à vis la province de Fokien, et à trente lieues de la côte, n'etait pas soumise à l'empire de la Chine, qui n'a point la passion des conquêtes, et qui par une politique inhumaine et mal entendue, aime mieux laisser périr une partie de sa population que d'envoyer la surabondance de ses sujets dans des terres voisines. Ou trouva que Formose avait cent trente ou cent quarante lieues de tour. Ses habitans, à en juger par leurs mœurs et par leur figure, paraissaient descendus des Tartares de la partie la plus septentrionale de l'Asie. Vraisemblablement la Corée leur avait servi de chemin. Ils vivaient, la plupart, de pêche ou de chasse et allaient presque nus. Les Hollandais, après avoir pris sans obstacle toutes les lumières que la prudence exigent, jugèrent que le lieu le plus favorable pour un établissement étoit une petite le voisine de la grande. Ils trouvaient dans cette situation trois avantages considérables; une defense aisée, si la haine ou la jalousie cherchaient à les troubler; un port formé par les deux îles; la facilité davoir dans toutes les moussons une communication sûre avec la Chine. La nouvelle colonie se fortifiait insensiblement sans éclat, lorsqu'elle s'éleva tout d'un coup à une

prospérité qui étonna toute l'Asie. Ce fut à la conquête de la Chine par les Tartares qu'elle dut ce bonheur inespéré: ainsi les torrens engraissent les vallons de la substance des montagnes ravagées. Plus de cent mille Chinois, qui ne voulaient pas se soumettre au vainqueur, se réfugièrent à Formose. Ils y portèrent l'activité qui leur est particulière, la culture du riz et du sucre, et y attirèrent des vaisseaux sans nombre de leur nation. Bientôt l'ile devint le centre de toutes les liaisons que Java, Siam, les Philippines, la Chine, le Japon, et d'autres contrées voulurent former. EN PEU D'ANNÉES ELLE SE TROUVA LE PLUS GRAND MARCHÉ DE L'INDE."*

* The Abbé Raynal's Philosophical and Political History of the Establishments and Commerce of Europeans in the two Indies. Vol. i. p. 286. Paris Edition of Amable Costes & Co.

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NOTE IX.

SOME SOCIAL PECULIARITIES OF THE AMERICANS.

Peculiar state of religion-causes of superstition without bigotry or fanaticism-inquisitivenessrudeness of the backwoodsman-bigotry in patriotism-neglect of learning.

MOST English travellers in America hurt their credit for veracity by describing instances of the most violent religious phrenzy. In England, many people do not believe Mrs. Trollope's story of the" anxious benches": I do, not doubting either, but satisfied, that throughout the less populous parts of the union people often meet for the express purpose of working themselves into a state of superstitious madness. To overrate the crazy deings of a camp-meeting in the back woods would be impossible. Bodies writhing, arms swinging, legs dancing, eyes rolling; groans, shouts, howls and shrieks; men knocking their own heads against trees, and women tearing the clothes off each other's backs; the congregation frantic with fear of the devil and the preacher drunk with his own gibberish; it is all true, and of common occurrence. Captain Hall would say, it arises from the want of a spending class to set