“ AA"e further bog you to inform us of her departure, that we may
with evidence before us report tlie same to government.
“ AA"e write on purpose about this matter alone, and send our compliments,
wishing you well in every respect.
“ To the chiefs; “ W e the merchants;
Mr. Fraser, AVooshowchang, (Howqua’s son),
Mr. Toone, and others.”
Mr. Plowden.”
The officers of the factory were arvai-e of the ground upon which
the Chinese founded their appeal, it being understood, I believe, that a
vessel of war is not to enter the Chinese territory except for the purpose
of protecting their own trading ships. At the same time they
were sufficiently acquainted with the Chinese style of writing to know
that this was only a common remonstrance, however strong the language
used might appear, and they amicably arranged the business
until near the time of our departure, when another letter arrived, to
which they were able to give a satisfactory answer by our moving out
of the Typa.
As our object was to procure the stores we required, and to proceed
to sea as quickly as possible, our movements were not in any way
influenced by this order of the Hoppo; and had it not been necessary
to proceed to Canton to ascertain what was in the market there, we
should have sailed before this despatch reached its destination. It appeared
that we had arrived at an unfortunate period, as there were
very few naval stores in the place, and the Chinese were either so
dilatory, or so indifferent about delivering some that had been bargained
for in Canton, that we were obliged to sail without them. AA"e, however,
procured sufficient supplies to enable us to prosecute the voyage, and
on the 30th of April took our departure.
During our stay at Macao we received the greatest attention from
the officers of the Company’s establishment, who politely gave us apartments
in their houses, and in every way forwarded our wishes; and
I am happy to join in the thanks expressed in my officers’ journals for
the hospitality we all experienced.
Soon after our arrival in the Typa, a febrile OOUIl C l l tc i U l l i CiiJA.cvx *** -------- - d L- ' tendency wast n ex- CHAP.
perienced throughout the ship, and before we sailed almost every officer
and seaman on board was affected with a cold and cough, which m some
cases threatened aneumonia; but the officers who resided in the town
were free from complaint until they returned to the ship. The probable
causes of this were the humid state of the air, the cold heavy
dews at night, and the oppressively hot weather during the day, added
to the currents of air which made their way between the islands into
the Typa, where the atmosphere, penned in on all sides by hills,
was otherwise excessively close. On this account I think the Typa
very objectionable, and should recommend the anchorage off Cabreta
Point in preference.
By a plan of the Typa, which we contrived to make during our visit,
it appears that the depth of water is diminishing in the harbour, and
that in some parts of the channel there is not more than ten feet and
a half at low water spring tides ; the rise of the tide at this time being
seven feet one inch. The channel has shifted since the surveys of
Captains King and Heywood, and new land-inarks for entering, which
I have given in my Appendix, are become necessary.
On leaving Macao we hoped that the S. AA". monsoon would set in,
and carry us expeditiously to the northward; instead of this, however,
we were driven down upon the island of Leuconia in the parallel of
17° 16' N . where we perceived the coast at a great distance. Here it
fell calm, and the weather, which had been increasing in temperature
since our departure from Macao, became oppressively hot, the tlievnio-
nieter sometimes standing at 89° in the shade, and the mean height for
the d.ay being 85°, 7 of Fahrenheit. . , , + ■
About tbis time we saw several splendid meteors, which left trains
of sparks as they descended. On the 6th a parhelion was visible at
21° 50' on the south side of the sun, when about 2° of altitude, and as
we passed Orange Island we felt a sudden shock, accompanied hy a
momentary gust of wind which threatened the masts: the sky at this
time was cpiite clear and cloudless.
On the 7th we saw the south Bashee Islands, celebrated as one of
1827.