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produce to our eastern ports if they could do so in safety. The rulers of some of the islands encourage the pirates, and carry on a profitable trade with them in the merchandize they plunder. Sir James Brooke proposed to make these chiefs responsible for the actions of their subjects. To keep the piratical tribes in order, he required only a steamboat of 100 tons 'burthen, drawing little water and well armed, the cost of which he estimated at £4,000 or £5,000 a year. This was many years ago, and we are now in a position to do much more than supply one steamer. We have a whole fleet of ships of the line, frigates, sloops, and gunboats in China, which will soon be released from employment. What better use could some of the smaller and swifter vessels be put to than the suppression of the evil that has so long harassed eastern trade? Were piracy suppressed commerce would increase rapidly among the islands. When Sir James Brooke arrived in Sarawak the population was small and unsettled in a few years it consisted of 60,000 peaceable, industrious people. When he began his career the trade of the place was represented by a few miserable prahus: in 1852 it had increased to 25,000 tons. The same result would be seen in the case of all the islands were trading pursuits rendered safe by sufficient protection on the part of a European power.

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It might be advisable to establish a naval station on one of the islands and to have a number of steam gunboats constantly cruising about. Operations should not be confined to destroying the pirates on the open sea, but their haunts on land should be discovered, and their settlements burnt. This would strike at the root of the evil, and is the only way of effecting any good.

On the coast of China, happily, the well disposed Chinese are not only aware of the evil but are themselves anxious to extirpate it, as appears by the late proceedings of Commodore Woo on that coast. Such accounts as this may not now be so frequent since this mandarin has taken the business in band:

We remember hearing of the ship Rajah of Sarawak, Captain Giles, of Swansea, being attacked by pirates in June last, in the Canton River. The Rajah of Sarawak was bound from Calcutta for Whampoa. The particulars of the attack are thus described in & letter from Captain Giles to his friends:-"The ship was attacked by pirates coming up the river. We however beat them off without losing one of our men, but killed eight of the pirates. There were forty men in the pirate proa, thirty-two of whom made their escape, though their boat sank before reaching the shore from the effect of our 9lb. grape." And, again, lately it is stated that an American named Meredith, engaged in his lorcha in escorting some merchant junks, has been taken by pirates near Wanchew, and is held to ransom for 4,000 dollars. The United States gunboat Saginaw has left Hong Kong to try and liberate him. Another distressing case of piracy appears in the following:

The French schooner Christian (late Kate Darling), Besse, of ninety tons, from Hong Kong, chartered to convey stores to the troops at

the Peiho, on the 1st of November fell in with a fleet of piratical junks near the mouth of the Wang-chew River, by which she was attacked and taken. The crew was composed of the master, mate, the master's son-a lad of about fifteen, three or four Manila men, and six Chinese, all of whom were murdered by the pirates with the exception of the lad, who saved his life by swimming on shore. The poor boy's father was killed while in the act of trying to save his son from the hands of these merciless scoundrels, who were spearing him; during the confusion he swam on shore, and was fed by some fishermen for four days, when the British lorcha Hong Kong took him out of a fishing boat and brought him on. The poor boy was handed over to the British Consulate, and will it is presumed be sent on to Shanghae.

The retribution of Commodore Woo has been terrible. He seems to have considered most of the river population as pirates, and would render such services as were recently rendered by H.M.S. Nimrod no longer necessary. A letter from Fuhchau of the 23rd November

says:

The whole community here, native and foreign, has been thrown into a state of great excitement during the last few days, the cause and progress of which I shall try to give you as briefly as I can. You are already aware that for some years past a feud has existed between Cantonese and Chinchewite sailors and lorchamen. This broke out afresh during June of this current year, and in a more formidable form than it had previously assumed. By a wily policy the warlike lorchas, numbering some twenty-eight, were enticed to leave this river. As soon as this was managed, the local authorities determined hereafter to confine all Canton lorchas and West Coast boats to the anchorage at Quantow, about ten or twelve miles below the Pagoda station.

To carry out this resolution a large body of native militia and marines were collected, chiefly from Quemoy and Amoy, several war junks and armed pullaway boats were fitted up, and the entire force was put under the command of Commodore Woo, a brave and fierce fellow, dreaded by his own clan as a man of war, and hated by Cantonese as a savage villain. The chief duty of this newly elected hero was to put down piracy in any form on the river or along the coast, and likewise to see that no Canton lorchas were admitted up the river, they being regarded as part and parcel with pirates. Of course Canton lorchas could not brook this, and combining with West Coast boats and all other pirates, they have had collected outside a formidable fleet to annoy, defy, and, if possible, defeat this newly appointed navy in our Min River.

Commodore Woo has been on the watch, fully anticipating the move that this outside foe would make to bolt past his station and ascend the river in a body. They attempted this on the 19th, but found their match in the commodore. Then sailed past his guard-post eight, some say ten, Canton lorchas and tymoons; others hanging on

outside in case this detachment succeeded. They were attacked by the mandarin force: three were burnt, two ran up to take refuge at the Pagoda anchorage, and the rest made out to sea as fast as they could. The remainder of that day was occupied in pursuing and capturing the fugitive pirates who had escaped on shore.

Next morning (20th) the mandarin armed boats were in pursuit of the two boats that had escaped up the river. They came up with them about noon, lying in shore at the Pagoda. They were attacked. Their crews dashed into the stream to swim ashore, and while floating on the water, some forty or fifty were speared and shot,—a fine sight for foreign seamen and residents!

Early in the morning of the 21st it was evident, from the packed throngs on the great bridge and the hubbub around, that something strange and novel and exciting had occurred. About nine o'clock some of the mandarin war boats had come up with two prizes and 200 captured pirates. The latter they commenced to land, each man under the guard of at least four Chinese, bearing drawn swords, spears, matchlocks, or sporting gay flags. The captives were in a terrible plight, stripped and naked, hands tied with awful tightness behind their backs, and feet scarcely able to walk, while they were driven along with the most barbarous savageness. Eight or ten had been beheaded on their way up the river, and two or three just as they were shoved on shore, for showing fight and reluctance to move on. The heads of these unfortunates were slung on poles and swung before the eyes of the remainder, as a token of what awaited them very shortly.

When all had been landed, they were marched across the bridge to the northern end, and on the way, as if to gratify the public gaze, the heads of four were deliberately chopped off, and their corpses flung into the river below. But we were surprised at seeing, when it was supposed all had crossed the bridge, a large band of captives returning post haste. They were stowed away again on board these war junks, bound and tied with double fury, several hands and tails tied together. No mercy was shown to any. A boy of ten was pushed in with a naked sword over his head. An aged wretch failed to creep back to his boat, and was flung on board to expire as he best could. Almost all had their wrists so tightly tied that the flesh was eaten into; and the spectacle brought vividly to mind the tortures inflicted on our countrymen in the North, over whose cruel fate there is no one that does not mourn.

These armed boats, with a cargo of 170 Canton pirates, shoved off to go to back to Quantow, to have them decapitated there, the remaining thirty having been carried on to the North gate execution grounds. On this announcement the thick crowds moved away, and the thronged streets and bridges were cleared. But that mandarin move was found after all to be a dodge. At nine o'clock the crowds had been thickening, and it began to be apprehended that the large Canton population here might rise and attempt the rescue of their countrymen, who

were treated before their very eyes so mercilessly and brutally. The manoeuvre succeeded in thinning the streets, and at a signal the boats were moored back to their position as in the morning. The unfortunate victims were at once landed, and, with the same guard, they were hastened along a street of two miles in length at double quick time to the parade ground outside the South gate.

Here, at three o'clock, some of the principal officials were seated at a tribunal which, without trial or mercy, was to hurry 150 of their fellows into eternity. The work was short: one after the other the whole lot was beheaded, and in half an hour the judges, troops, and staring mobs were dispersed. Among the captives there were two youths of ten and twelve: for one of them seven merchants advanced their guarantee, and he was saved; the other died unheeded and uncaring under the executioner's knife. The executioners, of whom there were several, vied to see who could do the largest amount of work, one succeeding in cutting off sixty-three heads, for which he would receive what he would consider a handsome douceur, as 500 cash is given for each caput.

Commodore Woo, the hero of the day, went to the tribunal with a blue button, but returned to his fleet with a red one, honoured and applauded by all his co-mandarins. But it is to be feared "the end is not yet." The effect at present of beheading more than 200 bandits in a few hours may be severe in overawing the natives of this place, and may perhaps check some of the smaller pirates outside. But will it frighten the Canton desperadoes?

The foregoing narrative reminds us of the bloodthirsty Governor Yeh, who was taken captive to Calcutta by us from Canton. But this part of the Chinese character has been described by the author of Twelve Years in China, who says, under the head of

Chinese Views of Death.-There is nothing in the Chinese character more striking than the apathy with which they undergo afflictions, or the resignation with which they bear them. There is so much elasticity in their disposition that the most opposite changes in their condition produce but little effect. A coolie can admirably ape the dignity of the mandarin when promoted, and a disgraced official or ruined merchant who formerly had lived in luxury appears little to regret the change he has undergone. There is no fear of death amongst them, though they have a character for cowardice. It is true they have the relics of the dead constantly before their eyes. The country is covered with graves, and in many places about Shanghae the coffins are openly exposed in the fields. They are even kept in the houses till a propitious day arrives for the burial, months passing by sometimes before the body is removed. When the coffin is decayed, the bones are carefully gathered; and in a country walk one very often comes upon jars containing "potted ancestors." Money is saved for the purpose of a coffin, and is put by till ready for use. The first time I saw this was in a little cottage near Shanghae. There was an old cob-webbed coffin in the corner; I asked a young lad why

it was there; he quietly pointed with his thumb over his shoulder to his grandmother, standing close by, and said it was for her; she was very old, and was nearly wearing out the coffin before she was put into it. At funerals females are hired to do the "inconsolable grief" parts of the performance. It seems very ridiculous that such a custom should be kept up when it is known by everybody that the mourners howl for hire. They certainly work hard for their money, and their piteous moans would be heartrending if they were real.

ISLE REUNION,-Late Bourbon,-Indian Ocean.
(Concluded from page 123).

The Bazaar.

This market, peculiar to St. Denis or nearly so, is situated at the end of the street called the Grand Chemin, which runs horizontally or level through the midst of the town. It is entered by a wooden gate and a single door, a precaution in favour of putting down any disturbance. That forms the façade of this building, closed everywhere by walls, against which some wooden houses lean, being occupied by butchers and bakers, &c. The ground is divided into small squares, carefully defined by a rough embankment of pebbles raised a few inches above the surface of the ground, and separated from each other by little narrow pathways for passengers.

The middle of each of these squares, taken at an annual rent for the benefit of the town, is occupied by a Negro and Negress, surrounded by all kinds of produce from different parts of the island. Like me you would no doubt be astonished at seeing all the most beautiful tropical fruits lying about here in utter confusion. And if you were to see them on their trees, you would be no less struck with admiration at the beautiful mango and its superb girandoles of flowers, along with its fruit, which by good management is varied without end; the orange, also, with its balmy flowers and delicious scent; but the orange would not eclipse its companions the vencassaye, the mandarine, the pamplemouse, even more esteemed and quite as delicious. Nor should the Jam Rosa be forgotten, with its spherical shaped fruit, which rivals the perfume of the rose and the flavour of the pomegranate.

But we will leave these for the heterogeneous population which crowds into the Bazaar. A picture of this would represent the prevailing hues varying between those of ivory black and the sienna brown, although here and there might be seen the fairer forms of some young mulattoes, and these, too, with pretty smiling faces: accustomed to the Bazaar, they all resort here morning and evening, more for the sake of seeing and being seen than for the purpose of buying provisions. Thus the gallant and early voyager, the enter

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