Narrative of the Voyages and Services of the Nemesis from 1840 to 1843: And of the Combined Naval and Military Operations in China: Comprising a Complete Account of the Colony of Hong-Kong and Remarks on the Character & Habits of the Chinese. Second EditionHall, W. H. (William Hutcheon), Sir
History
Narrative of the Voyages and Services of the Nemesis from 1840 to 1843: And of the Combined Naval and Military Operations in China: Comprising a Complete Account of the Colony of Hong-Kong and Remarks on the Character & Habits of the Chinese. Second Edition
Hall, W. H. (William Hutcheon), Sir
China -- History -- Opium War, 1840-1842; Hong Kong (China); Hong Kong (China) -- History; Nemesis (Steamer)
It was only a few months before the arrival of the Nemesis that some
of the events which have been recorded had occurred. The Sultan Alloué
was still in extreme danger; and another letter was addressed by him
to the governor of the Mauritius, only about five months previously.
It appears to have been remarkably well written, and contains some
ingenious observations which, as being written by a young Moorish
prince, the ruler of an island in a remote corner of the globe, under
circumstances of great difficulty, it may be worth while to dwell upon
it for a moment.
He thanks his excellency the governor of the Mauritius for the kindness
he had shewn to the young men, whom he admits to be distantly related
to him; but shrewdly remarks that their "clandestine departure from
Johanna, contrary to his express orders, and during the night, had
given him reason to suppose that they were not quite so friendly
disposed towards him as they wished his excellency to believe: and
that he feared the object of their journey had been a pecuniary
speculation upon the governor's goodness and British hospitality." He
proceeds to express his thanks for being apprised that persons had
entertained political correspondence with English authorities without
his knowledge or consent; and adds, that, although he fully concurs in
his excellency's opinion with regard to the age and experience of his
uncle, Seyd Abbas, still there are many others in Johanna who possess
the same qualities, and whose attachment and loyalty he had _never had
occasion to doubt_.
The suspicion here betrayed is self-evident, and sufficiently
delicately expressed. The picture he then draws of the state of his
country is a pitiable one for a prince himself to be obliged to
depict--"The town burnt; the country ravaged; all our cattle killed by
the chief, Raymanytek, aided by natives of Mohilla, under his orders."
He distinctly intimates that the rebel chief was receiving "assistance
from the French;" and, although he does not state reasonable grounds
for the assertion, the statement is not altogether an improbable
one, considering that the abolition of slavery in the Mauritius had
roused the feeling of the French population against us and our allies:
and, moreover, slavery was still in existence in the neighbouring
island of Bourbon, where strong feelings against the English had been
undisguisedly avowed; while, at the same time, the difficulty of
procuring fresh slaves had greatly raised their price.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account