Account of a voyage of discovery to the west coast of Corea, and the great Loo-Choo IslandHall, Basil
History
Account of a voyage of discovery to the west coast of Corea, and the great Loo-Choo Island
Hall, Basil
Korea -- Description and travel; Ryukyu Islands -- Description and travel
The Vocabulary is exclusively compiled by Mr. Clifford, who took the
greatest pains to collect words and sentences in common use; and though,
from the shortness of our stay, this part of the work is necessarily
incomplete, it is hoped that a future voyager will derive considerable
assistance from it, in his intercourse with the natives.
The drawings of scenery and costume were made by Mr. William Havell, the
eminent artist who accompanied the Embassy, from sketches taken on the
spot, by Mr. C.W. Browne, midshipman of the Alceste, and myself.
Nothing respecting the west side of Corea has hitherto been accurately
known to Europeans. The coast laid down in most Charts has been taken
from the celebrated map of the Jesuits, which is very correct in what
relates to China, but erroneous with respect to Corea. The Jesuits,
indeed, did not survey this country, but have inserted it in their map,
I believe, from Japanese authorities.
Captain Broughton in his voyage to the North Pacific Ocean visited the
South Coast of Corea, and his account of the inhabitants agrees with
ours in most particulars.
The same distinguished voyager visited the Great Loo-choo Island in
1797, after having been shipwrecked near Typinsan, one of its dependant
islands. He was at Napakiang for a few days, and his account of the
natives is highly interesting.
There is an article by Pere Gaubil, a missionary, on the subject of the
Loo-choo Islands, in the 23d vol. of the "Lettres Edifiantes et
Curieuses." It is a translation from the official report of a Chinese
embassador sent to Loo-choo by the Emperor Kang Hi; our opportunities,
however, were not sufficient to enable us to judge of the accuracy of
this curious memoir.
CONTENTS
NARRATIVE.
CHAPTER I.
H.M.S. Alceste and Lyra leave the Yellow Sea on a Voyage of
Discovery--Sir James Hall's Group on the Coast of Corea--Unsociable
Character of the Natives--Hutton's Island--Interesting geological
Structure--Anchor near the Main Land--Corean Chief's Visit--Objections
made to Strangers landing--Distress of the Chief--His
Character--Departure from Basil's Bay--Clusters of Islands--Murray's
Sound--Deserted Corean Village--View from the Summit of a high
Peak--Interview with the Coreans--Peculiarities of their
Character--Language--Erroneous geographical Position of this
Coast--Leave Corea Page 1
CHAPTER II.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account