It cannot but be sickly in Hong-Kong in the summer season, and without entering into explanations of the cause, I merely state the fact, that during the summer of 1850, more than one-third of Her Majesty's fifty-ninth regiment were cut off by diseases incident to the climate. And the remark of an officer attached to Her Majesty's service, that it was a fine place for _death vacancies_, has more truth than poetry in it, I trow.
We were fêted and feasted here to our heart's content. Among those who were most forward to do us honor, I must mention our own Consul, and Mr. Burd, Consul of the Swedish government. These gentlemen, who did us so much good, need hardly blush for this publicity of their deeds.
The officers of the Hastings gave a grand ball, to which our officers were invited, whilst the "Heralds" proved by their kind attentions that their cruise in the hyperborean regions of the North, had in nowise chilled the warm current of their hearts.
A pic-nic had been gotten up for the eighteenth of December, but the arrival of the mail on that day prevented many from attending, who would otherwise have been glad to have explored the island in pleasant company. As we only waited for our letters, as soon as they were received we were forced to bid a reluctant adieu to hospitable Hong-Kong.
China--Limited opportunities--The Chinese nation compared with others--Its antiquity--Magnitude of territory and practicability of laws--Supposed origin of the Chinese-- Fables of their early writers--Explanation of their exaggerations--Foundation of the Empire--Chinese traditions compared with sacred history--Similarity of events--Wise men of the East--Introduction of Buddhism--Arts and Sciences-- The Magnetic Needle--Discovery of Gunpowder--Origin of the name--China--Che-Hwang-te, King of Tsin--Parallel between him and Napoleon--Religion--Confucius--The Taouists-- Buddhism--A Buddhist's idea of Heaven.
A chapter descriptive of China may not inappropriately fill up a period, during which I was ill and convalescent at Macào; although, for a person situated as I was, the attempt to describe the character of a people, covering such an extensive portion of the globe (having only had a peep at them through a few of their outermost ports, and these considerably Europeanized), is somewhat like the efforts of one to give an idea of Saint Peter's at Rome, after a single glimpse through its portals.