these our officers certainly found. The Lew Chewans pretend ignorance of
offensive weapons, and of such no open display is made by the people, hut
Dr. Bettelheim says that he has seen fire-arms in their possession, though
they seek to conceal them from strangers; and they are doubtless, by nature,
a paeific people. As to money, they know the value of gold and silver very
well, and they traffic for the Chinese i£ cash,” of which from twelve to fourteen
hundred are equivalent to the Spanish dollar. They are an eminently
shrewd people, and proved themselves to he somewhat “ smart ” in the matter
of exchange, when the disbursing officers of the squadron came to settle with
them the value of the “ cash.” They showed no reluctance to take our eagles
and half-eagles, though Captain Hall says they would not, in his day, touch
the British gold coins. They have, on the whole, many excellent natural
traits, and their worst vices are probably the result, in a great measure,
of the wretched system of government under which they live.
The officers of the squadron were, during the period of the visit, most
usefully and diligently employed in making hydrographic surveys, and the
results are all embodied in the charts which form part of the records of the
expedition. Boat exercise in the harbor formed also part of the occupation
of the several crews; while the marines were on shore, drilling under the
charge of their officers. These things indicated that the Commodore was
determined to have every department in the highest state of discipline, that
he might be prepared for any event.
On Saturday, the 4th of June, the party that had been sent to explore
the interior of the island returned in safety, and the result of their labors will
be found in the following chapter.