though not least, a worthy, a friendly, and a happy race of people.

Many of these islanders displayed a spirit of intelligence and genius, which seemed the more extraordinary, considering the confined circle in which they live; such confinement being almost universally found to be productive of narrowness of mind. Our friends here were an exception to the general rule.-Maddera Cosyong, one of our most constant and intimate friends, acquired such proficiency in the English language, in the course of a few weeks, as to make himself tolerably understood. He evidently came on board, in the first instance, as a spy upon our conduct, before they were satisfied that we meant no harm; and no man was ever better adapted for this duty; for, as his conciliatory and pleasing manner won upon all hearts, he had therefore a natural access every where; and, had “ stratagems or schemes" existed, he of all others was the most likely to have discovered them.

Not assuming his proper character, (which was that of a man of some dis

tinction), until his mind was satisfied about us, and then doing so with frankness, is a proof that such were his original motives. To acquire our tongue, he marked the sound of any English word for the most familiar articles of the table, or terms of conversation, and noted them in symbols of his own language, with their signification, which enabled him, with slight reference to his vocabulary, to manage without having recourse to the interpreter. If he happened to be walking on shore with any of the officers, he would not lose the sound or meaning of a word because he had not his book with him, but scratched it on the leaf of a tree, and transcribed it at his leisure. His first attempt to connect a sentence was rather sudden and unexpected. Rising to go away one evening after his usual lesson, he slowly articulated, “You

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give me good wine,-I tank you,—I go "shore."--He delighted in receiving information, and his remarks were always pertinent. The map of the world, with the track of the ship across the various oceans from England to Lewchew, with the

different intervening continents and islands were pointed out and explained to him, which he, as well as others, seemed to trace with peculiar care, and at last, in a great degree, to comprehend, although the subject was, in the first instance, entirely new to them, for they certainly had no idea of the vast extent or figure of the globe. He was gay or serious, as occasion required, but was always respectable; and of Maddera it might be truly said, that he was a gentleman, not formed upon this model, or according to that rule, but " stamped as "such by the sovereign hand of Nature.”

They all seemed to be gifted with a sort of politeness which had the fairest claim to be termed natural; for there was nothing constrained-nothing stiff or studied in it.

Captain Maxwell having one day invited a party to dine with him, the health of the king of Lewchew was drank in a bumper: -one of them, immediately addressing himself with much warmth and feeling to the interpreter, desired him to state how much they felt gratified by such a compliment; that they would take care to tell it

to every body when they went on shore; and proposed, at the same time, a bumper to the king of the Engelees. A Chinese mandarin, under the like circumstances, would, most probably, have chin-chinned (that is, clenched his fists) as usual; he would have snivelled and grinned the established number of times, and bowed his head in slavish submission to the bare mention of his tyrant's name; but it never would have occurred to him to have given, in his turn, the health of the sovereign of England.

This superiority of manner brought to our recollection the boorishness of the Chinese near the Pei-ho. Certain mandarins, who were not of sufficient button to be entertained in the company of the embassador, were invited to dine with the officers; and some of them, after gnawing the leg of a fowl, would without any ceremony thrust the remains of it into any other dish near them; and, instead of fol

* Their rank is denoted by the colour and quality of the buttons or balls upon their caps.

lowing our example, (as the Lewchewans uniformly did), in pouring out the wine into glasses, or, indeed, in any way accommodating themselves to our style, they would take up, with both hands the decanter, and, applying it to their greasy mouths, thereby secure the exclusive possession of that bottle.

These islanders are represented as being remarkable for their honesty and adherence to truth, and to this character they appear to be fully entitled. The chiefs informed us that there was little probability of their stealing any thing; but, as iron implements were a great temptation, they begged that none might be left carelessly about.Although, however, the rope machinery and many other articles remained for weeks unguarded on the beach, and their opportunities on board were numberless, yet not one theft occurred during the whole of our sojourn among them.

That proud and haughty feeling of national superiority, so strongly existing among the common class of British scamen, which induces them to hold all foreigners cheap,