put to fea. The wind was favoura- ducheffa de Manfredonia, with whom ble, the Mediterranean calm, their fhe fixed her refidence, in compliance boatmen skilful; and notwithftand- with the ducheffa's with and her ing the distance between Palermo and own. Naples, they arrived at the latter place without encountering any accident, and in lefs time than they even hoped for; and Viola literally rewarded Stephano, whom the wifhed by no means to return at prefent to Sicily, left the vengeance of Leopold and Ambrofio fhould await him. Bernardo knew Naples well: he therefore conducted his lovely miftress and her beautiful companion to the villa di Manfredonia. The du Leopold was excommunicated, and banished the two Sicilies. Had there been fufficient proof for entering into a legal profecution against him for the murder of the archbishop, they could not have executed it, as he abfconded from Sicily the moment he learned to whofe protection the marchefa had flown. (To be continued.) 1 cheffa being eafy of accefs, our two The ducheffa was at this period in her feventy-fixth year, and was, as Clementina had heard, a moft extraordinary woman both in mind and frame. Her grandfon was then gone with a particular friend, conte di Elfridi, into Tufcany; her domeftic chaplain, father Rinaldo, fhe therefore employed to lay before his Neapolitan majefty the grievances his fair Sicilian fubjects complained of; and in due time the marchef's affairs were fecretly arranged in Sicily, and proper guardians appointed for her perton; one a Sicilian nobleman of worth and abilities; the other the January, 1808. Journal of a Voyage performed in the Indian Seas, to Madras, Bengal, China, &c. &c. in his Majefty's Ship Caroline, in the Years 1803-4-5- Communicated by an Officer of that Ship. (Continued from Page 415, July Magazine, 1807.) AS it is an established custom in the English China fhips, that the failors have three days liberty to go to Canton; and as they generally form parties of twenty or thirty at a time from one thip, many of whom contrive to be half feas over,' during the greater part of their leave; it may eafily be conceived, that a nunber of the most ludicrous scenes take place between the tars and Chinese; and in fact a day feldom paffes without our witneffing fome of these. Hog-lane, the general rendezvous of failors, and the Wapping of Canton, opens at the corner of the Britifh factory; and here Jack gets eafed of his dollars, and drunk into the bargain, very foon after his arrival; in fhort, to the debauched lives which the failors lead during thefe periods, and the confequent indirect debility induced thereby, may be afcribed in a great degree the fickness and mortality that prevail on board the China fhips at Wampon every season. Every China-man almoft in Hog- Janc lane goes by fome name that may attract the notice of the failors, as Jolly Jack, Bon Bobftay, Tom Bowline, &c. which he has painted on the outfide of his fhop; befides a number of advertisements, indited by tars, in the true national idiom and ftyle; which being copied by Fukki, and committed to the prefs, exhibit on each fide of the freet a Chinese edition of the moft ludicrous fpecimens of English literature, that are perhaps at prefent extant in any collection. It is hardly neceffary to remark here, that the English failors are moft completely duped and cheated by their Chinese friends, who have in general picked up a few fea terms, with which they lure them into their hops when paffing through the fireets. It is no fmall amufement to liften to the dialogues that fometimes take place between the tars and Chinese on these occafions; the former being generally half drunk while on fhore, and the latter being a very good-natured race of beings; the confequent relaxation which the failors feel gives play to all that fea wit and dry humour which characterise the British feamen, especially when in a foreign country. In the streets of Canton a cart or waggon is never feen, and even a horfe very rarely; one fometimes fees croffing the middle of a street, a flight of twelve or fourteen fteps afcending, on the top of which is a plane of three, four, or five yards in extent; thefe are the arches of camals, that run up under the streets from the river to the interior part of the city, on which are paffing and repaffing boats with merchandize, while thofe who are walking over them know nothing of the matter. package be large) are made faft to it, whilft other long pieces of bamboo pafs under thefe again in various directions, until they get a fufficient purchase, when they thoulder their burden and trot off with it like a fwarm of ants carrying away a cock roach. Individuals make their bundles faft to the extremities of a bamboo, the middle of which rests across their thoulders, and thus they move along at a good round pace, at every ftep crying out in an audible voice, Li Li or clear the way! which is a fpecies of mufic one is continually regaled with in the streets of Canton. The elafticity of the bamboo renders it much easier for a Chinefe to carry a heavy burden on his fhoulders, than the knots which the English porters ufe, could poffibly do; and befides they can go at a much quicker rate. Bales, and other packages of whatever fize, are carried on the shoulders of Chinefs by means of bamboos, fome of which (if the One fometimes meets with an inferior mandarin riding through the streets, but it is very feldom that any vehicle but the palankeen is to be feen. It is well known how paffionately fond the Chinese are of dramatic reprefentations; fo much fo, that a kind of annual tax is laid on the inhabitants of each principal street, and a houfe being pitched upon, a theatre is erected in front, one ftory high, decorated with the images of monfrous animals, fuch as flying dragons, (a very favourite figure among the Chinefe,) centaurs, and fierce-looking warriors, each having fix or eight arms. Here the difciples of Rofcius perform from morning till night, to the infinite gratification of the spectators, who are fometimes in crowds of three or four hundred, rendering the paffage through the street extremely difficult. Though we often ftood for hours abferving them most minutely, we very feldom could make out either the flory or plot. Indeed the Chinese tale for theatricals will not do them much much credit for however they may be polished otherwife, yet in this refpect they fmack very much of the rude and barbarous. Fantaftic and ftrained gefticulations, turgid exclamations, forced and unnatural action, with gaudy and tinfel trappings, feem to be the principal objects of admiration on the Chinefe ftage! As for their mufic (Apollo forgive me for difgracing the name !) it is fo execrable, that I think the cries of jackals, the howling of wolves, the braying of affes, and caterwauling of cats, (could they be united into one concert) would form a divine fymphony, when compared with the Chinefe difcord! This, however, is only to be underftood of the plays publicly exhibited in the ftreets, for it is very different when thefe are acted in the private houses of gentlemen; where the mufic can be heard without pain, and the other parts of the drama afford infinite amufement to the Eu ropean. · M The dramatis perfonæ are all males, or males and emafculates; of this laft circumftance, however we could on ly judge by the voice, which, in many of them, had a good deal of the eunoch tenor. Whatever they are, fo exceffively fond are they of acting, that it is very common to fee them faint away, through the ftrenuous exertions which they make to carry on the representation after the natural powers have been exhausted. It is customary for the cohong or government fecurity-merchants, to give frequent and very fuperb treats to the Europeans at Canton, efpecially the English, during the winter feafon when the fhips are in China; at one of thefe I was once a guest, and fo highly gratified, that I cannot help giving a sketch of it. One of the principal of these cohong merchants fent an invitation to the typan, the fuper-cargoes, officers of the men of war and India fhips: and indeed to most of the European gentlemen of different nations then at Canton, to a dinger, at his houfe at feven in the evening. A little before the appointed hour, a few palankeens came to the factory to convey the typan and two or three others, which is looked upon as a compliment. It happened by chance that I got one of thefe vehicles; though before I was half way to the merchant's houfe, I heartily repented of the honour done me; for paffing through a narrow street at a confiderable diftance from the factories, fomething ftruck the palankeen fo violently that it was dashed to the ground on its broadfide, and myfelf very much tunned. I was not in a very pleafant fate of mind at this moment, as I expected to be robbed at leaft, and perhaps bambooed into the bargain. It muft, however, have been from fome accident, not defign; for the hearers inftantly thouldered the palankeen and trotted off, as if nothing had happened, fetting me fafe down at the gate of the houfe. Having paffed the outer gate we croffed a court, and entered through a door. into a large hall, on one fide of which was a very gaudy theatre, and on the other the tables fpread out for dinner. 4 Into the theatre opened feveral. doors for the actors, &c. and into that fide of the hall where the tables were laid, opened two or three doors that led into withdrawing-rooms, where other tables were laid, covered with various kinds of fweetmeats and preferves. Immediately after our entering, the actors commenced, and carried on the reprefentation in a much more chafte and animated ftyle, than any thing we had before witneffed of the kind at Canton: in fhort many of us fancied we could make out tolerably clear the thread or plot of the the drama; and they did not fo far outstep the modefty of nature,' but that we could fee plain enough with what paffions they were occafionally agitated. Their muúc, which confifted of a great variety of wind and fringed inftruments, was much less difcordant than what we had been accuftomed to hear at the plays reprefented in the ftreets; yet it was ftill devoid of the fmalleft pretention to harmony. As the Chinefe live moftly on hafhes, or at least have their meat cut into fmall pieces, thefe implements are very convenient for them to eat with; but for my own part, after tafting one of thefe meffes for curiofity's fake, with chopsticks, I deferted it, and applied myself to good beef, turkey, and hams, as being more congenial to the English palate.. The cohong merchant and a few of his relations gave us a very polite and hearty welcome, thewed and explained every thing to us in the moft kind manner imaginable; but the women were of courfe excluded; the male children, indeed, came out and dined with us, fitting on our knees and eating off our plates with the utmoft familiarity; boys of five, fix, and eight years of age behaving with the utmoft decorum, and as There was the greateft profufion of the most excellent wines of every defcription; and as perhaps upwards of one hundred Europeans (befides Chinefe) fat down to dinner, the novelty of the fcenes around us, con fpiring with the good cheer, did not eafy in their manner and deportment fail to render this banquet a picture as the most accomplished courtiers!of hilarity and feftivity. of the thicknes of common black- Before dinner we ranged ourselves in front of the theatre, and paid great attention to what was going on; at which the actors feemed highly delighted, and trained every nerve in order to exhibit to the greatest ad vantage. We were foon called to a more fubftantial entertainment, for by this time the tables groaned with a profufion of the most favery viands, European as well as Chinele. They were interfperfed in fuch a manner, that every perfon could help himfelf to difhes dreffed à la mode de Londres, or à la mode de Canton, whichever he might prefer.. It was ludicrous enough to fee the aukward attempts which many of us made to imitate the Chinefe, by eating with chopsticks; the Chinese themfelves could fcarcely maintain their gravity on thefe occafions. The idea of a large company affembled from various diftant nations, and fitting down in this remote quar-. ter cf the globe to enjoy the focial hour, could hardly fail to imprefs the mind with a fcene of the ineftimable advantages which fociety has derived from civilization and commerce! The chopiticks are formed of fmall pieces of ivory, filver, &c. about eight or nine inches long and nearly The healths of their majefties, Britannic and Chinefe, were drank, with great giee; the Chinese drinking wine, in compliment to their guetis in general, however, they drink a fpirituous liquor called famfoo; 2. very favourite beverage in this coun-, trv. I here for the first time, among a variety of other various luxuries, tafted the famous birds'-neft foup, fo much efteemed in China, it is faid they pay an equal weight of filver for, the nets; and it forms a contiderable, branch of commerce. It is the nett of a fmall bird that breeds among the cliffs and rocks of the Philippine and other other eastern ifles. It is faid, the Camire; an American Tale. (Continued from page 607, October Magazine, 1807.) Maldonado embraced him, warmly applauded his noble refolution, and confirmed him in the unthaken principle of always facrificing his dearest intereft, his moft ardent defires, to the moft rigid duty. Our paffions,' faid he, have an end, our interefts change, PEDRERAS was not of a character eafily to be gained over; his long experience, and the many deal ings he had been concerned in, had but virtue never changes. At all rendered him fubile and fufpicious, times, and in all parts, the carefully While liftening to Maldonado, he recompences those who suffer in her reflected that Camire belonged to the caufe; the confoles them, the invi nation of Guaranis, in whofe coun- rogates, makes them enjoy mild and try he had heard there were nume- pleafing reflections, furrounds them Tous gold-mines; and concluded, with veneration and efteem, attends that it was from them our hero would them in the hour of death, and then derive his riches, and without thew- takes her abode on the tomb infcrib ing any reluctance at bestowing his ed with the name which she caufed to niece on the newly converted Chrif- be refpected. The virtuous beings, tian, he faid, holy father, the inte- bleffed by every worthy heart, excite reft of Spain is the only one which tears of tendernefs, regret, and admioccupies my thoughts; I have no de- ration.' fire of increafing my own fortune, but my moft ardent with is to be ufeful to my country. Your adopted fon may aflift me in this project: let him guide my people to a gold-mine, and my niece fhall be his.' ( This propofal rendered Maldonado thoughtful be, however made Pe dieras repeat the promife he had juft made; and thinking that the governor could not revoke his word, he returned home and repeated that anfwer to the youthful Guarani. When Camire had heard the whole, his head fell on his breast, and his eyes were dimned with tears. Ah! my father,' faid he defpondingly, Angelina can never be mine on these terms. To comply with the governor's withes, I must make known to him roads of which the Spaniards are totally ignorant; and it is on this ignorance alone that depends the fecurity of my brethren. Shall I then be the traitor who will conduct a fierce band of executioners in the midst of my countrymen to annihilate them? No, my father; you would hate, you would defpife your fon; and how could I exift deprived of your cfteem?' Deep fighs agitated the unhappy Camire's breaft, while liftening to the jefuit. Irrevocably determined never to betray his countrymen to obtain Angelina, his only alternative was to attempt to conquer his ill-fated paffion: he from that moment endeavoured to avoid her with as much care as he before fought to meet her; he |
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