Pioneering in Formosa, etc

Front matter

PIONEERING IN FORMOSA 'So foolish was I and ignorant — Nevertheless I am continually with Thee ; Thou hast holden me by my right hand ' Ps. Ixxiii. 22, 23 ' Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great ' Ps. xviii. PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR Frontispiece Pioneering in Formosa RECOLLECTIONS OF ADVENTURES among MANDARINS, WRECKERS, & HEAD-HUNTING SAVAGES BY W. A. PICKERING, C.M.G. late protector of Chinese in the straits settlements WITH AN

Appendix

ON BRITISH POLICY AND INTERESTS IN CHINA AND THE FAR EAST AND ŒfoentB.fibt Illustrations FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR LONDON HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED 13 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET 1898 All rights reserved TO VICE-ADMIRAL LORD CHARLES T. M. SCOTT, C.B. AND THOSE MANY NAVAL OFFICERS WHO HAVE AT ALL TIMES AND IN SPITE OF MUCH DISCOURAGEMENT AIDED AND DEFENDED BRITISH ENTERPRISE IN CHINA AND THE FAR EAST THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF ' AULD LANG SYNE '

Preface

SINCE I BEGAN this descriptive account of Formosa, important changes have taken place in the Far East. Owing to the utter collapse of the Chinese army, Formosa, by the Treaty of Shimonoseki, has been handed over to the Japanese, who, after an interval of 300 years, have been able to re-occupy the island. There can be little doubt that the change of government will ultimately benefit the Japanese, the inhabitants of Formosa, and the civilised world generally, but hitherto the conquerors have not achieved any great results. This, however, cannot surprise anyone who is ac quainted with the real state of things. The Chinese governed the portion of the island under their control merely for the benefit of the officials, and in many parts of Formosa within the Chinese pale anarchy prevailed for generations.

However much the Chinese inhabitants may have been oppressed by their own mandarins, it is certain that they will not submit quietly even to just and good government, when exercised by a nation whom they have been accustomed to call ' dwarf slaves.' ' The Pekinese authorities must feel deeply the disgrace 1 ' 06-lo ' in the Fuh-kien, or ' Ainu ' in the court dialect. This epithet must be a relic of ancient times, before Japan was settled by its present in habitants, who perhaps came from the south. FORMOSA of surrender, and will doubtless intrigue amongst the two or three millions of their countrymen inhabiting the plains ; and the Hak-kas of the lower ranges, who have never really been amenable to any rule, will gladly keep up an opposi tion, under the guise of patriotism and loyalty to the ' Son of Heaven.' While there will be little difficulty with the semi civilised and the savage aborigines, only the severest measures will subdue the Chinese, and much allowance must be made if the Japanese have to inflict punishment which in these days, and amongst civilised people, would be termed barbarous.

At any rate, Great Britain might have spared the necessity of the danger, as since 1 860 she has had several opportunities of annexing Formosa, but has, with a culpable supineness, foregone the opportunity of possessing a fertile island and, in the Pescadores, a point of vantage for her fleet. It is of little use to cry over spilt milk, and our duty is to be alive to the present position of affairs in China. The population of this country have an immense stake in China and the Far East, and now, instead of, as in 1860, having nearly a monopoly of influence at Pekin, we are con fronted by the powerful opposition of Russia and France, combined with the jealousy of the Germans. The public journals daily contribute trustworthy news which show that, at every point where our expansion of empire for the vital interests of our people is concerned, Russia and France are ready to thwart us.

The Chinese Empire is sick unto death, and the inevitable partition cannot long be delayed. Unless England secures her proper share of the Celestial Empire, we shall not only lose the markets which are more and more absolutely

PREFACE.

IX essential for the very existence of the masses in the three kingdoms, but we shall also be endangering the safety of our colonies of Hong Kong, the Straits Settlements, and also our possessions in Burmah and the Malay Peninsula. In these countries and islands, the backbone of the population, the source of revenue and prosperity, are the Chinese, of whom in the Straits, Malay States, and Hong Kong we have, at a moderate estimate, three-quarters of a million adults, the majority of whom, leaving their families at home, are entirely at the mercy of the Powers which rule the Celestial Empire. Were England to neglect her duties, and allow the French and Russians to be paramount at Pekin, I feel certain that in case of war the Chinese of our colonies could be so manipulated, either by promises of favours or by threats of punishment to their families in China, that we should find it very difficult to keep down rebellion within, and at the same time defend our coaling stations and most valuable colonies from external attack.

Entertaining these opinions, I shall be glad if the book I now venture to publish should conduce towards in teresting my fellow-countrymen in the affairs of the Far East. I have spent the greater part of my life amongst the Chinese, and am conversant not only with their dialects, but also with many of their customs and their mode of thought. Sir Robert Hart, who for many years has been the personification of the Chinese Government with rela tion to Europe, has borne testimony that I have enjoyed almost unique opportunities of becoming acquainted with the Chinese of all classes, races, and languages. In this connection, I would urge that the present time is most critical as regards our interests in China. Although the present Inspector-General of Customs has most loyally served the Chinese Imperial Government, FORMOSA X and although to him it is owing greatly that the Chinese Empire has been preserved from dissolution, yet at the same time Sir Robert Hart, I venture to declare, has done more than any British ambassador at Pekin to uphold our prestige.

There can be little doubt that, owing to ad vancing years, and also to the jealousy of his influence felt by Russia and France, Sir Robert's term of office must soon come to an end ; after that, affairs must become pre carious indeed. Any opportunity to assert our proper position in China, if now lost, will never be regained. Our diplomatists have never been able to cope with the strategy and finesse of Chinese statesmen, and what hope can we have (except in the inevitable gunboat) when the good counsels of Sir Robert Hart are wanting to the Chinese, and when, in addition to the astute members of the Tsung-li-yamen, we have the ministers of Russia and France working them as puppets to defeat British progress and commercial interests in that immense field of profit, the eighteen pro vinces of the Chinese Empire ?

Now or never is the time to change our policy of sending men to Pekin who can declare that they will never allow the interests of twenty-nine millions of people to out weigh those of three hundred millions, and to select the most capable men we have to be abroad at Pekin for the benefit of the English people who pay their salaries. Our plenipotentiaries should be supported by an overwhelming naval force in the China seas, so that, in case diplomacy fail, we may be able to assert, in et armis, that prepon derance of influence in the Far East which our necessities demand, and which we moreover deserve by having borne the burden and heat of the day in opening out China for the benefit of the whole world.

PREFACE.

XI Our treaty rights, and our immense interests in those parts of the empire still left to the Pekin Government — in terests which are so essential for the benefit of our working classes — depend entirely upon our being ready and willing to enforce them : whilst in those spheres under Russian, French, and German influence, our commercial freedom is subject to their will. It appears to me that, by means of Admiral Dewey's successes in the Philippines, Providence is affording our nation one more favourable opportunity. A cordial under standing between the United States, Japan, and Great Britain in the Far East would probably more than retrieve our past loss of prestige and commercial influence in China. It is sad for old China hands to witness the apathy of our countrymen upon such vital questions.

Englishmen cannot plead ignorance : during the past ten years the most experienced travellers and talented critics, such as Messrs. Colquhoun, Michie, Douglas, Norman, and the Times correspondent, Mr. Chirol, have written books, articles, and many warnings, showing the real state of things in the Far East, and the dangers imminent from neglect on our part to secure our just rights. I, in my small way, have done what I could ; and in the Appendix to this book I have reprinted all my warnings and prophecies for years past, which, I have some hope, may not have been written in vain. In conclusion, I would acknowledge the great assistance rendered by my collaborator, ' Mark Sale,' who has enabled me to bring this book before the public in a more accept able form than my own literary faculty would allow.

May 12, 1898. NOTE ON ORTHOGRAPHY OF PROPER NAMES All the vowels are pronounced as in Spanish and Italian, and each distinctly sounded. G always hard, as in Gertrude, Gilbert ; ch always as in church. ChJ K,' P,' T,' Ts' : these initials are all strongly aspirated. CONTENTS chapter pag e i. i enter the chinese imperial maritime Customs ! II. Life and Adventure at Foochow .... 9 III. Description of the Island of Formosa . . 24 IV. History of the Island 40 V. Religions of the Chinese Inhabitants . . 50 VI. The Aborigines and their Religions . . . 64 VII. The Progress of Christianity in Formosa. The Great Storm 76 VIII. Corruption and Rapacity of Chinese Officials 89 IX. My First Visit to the Savage Tribes of the Interior. The End of General Burgevine . 98 X. Cowardice and Pluck. Visit to the Savage Villages.

My Life at Taiwanfoo . . .113 XI. Adventures in the Vicinity of Taiwanfoo . 130 XII. Second Trip into the Interior . . . . 142 XIII. My Visit to the Ban-tau-lang Tribe . . 154 XIV. An exceptional Chinese Merchant. General Le Gendre to the Rescue FORMOSA CHAPTER PAGE XV. Wrecks and Wreckers 176 XVI. The Triumph of Diplomacy 194 XVII. The Beginning of the Camphor War . . 202 XVIII. Further Camphor Troubles. A real Ghost Story. The ultimate Triumph of the Tao-tai 220 XIX. My Farewell to Formosa 239 Appendix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Portrait of the Author Frontispiece Map of Formosa To face p. 24 Takao, South Side— Messrs. Elles & Co.'s House and Godowns „ 28 Fort Zelandia (built by the Dutch on their occupation of Formosa, 1630), Anping (Port of Taiwanfoo) „ 31 Inside City, Taiwanfoo „ 32 Taiwanfoo, part of City Wall .... „ 33 Documents in the Language of Civilised Aborigines, preserved from Time of Dutch Occupation, 1650 „ 41 Parade Ground, Taiwanfoo, where 187 British Subjects were Executed, 1842 .... „ 46 Granary where 187 British Subjects, ex Transports ' Annie ' and ' Nerbudda,' were Imprisoned before Execution, 1842— Taiwanfoo „ 47 Pepo-hoan Civilised Aborigines .... „ 64 Formosan Chinese ('Man'), Hok-lo . . . „ 66 The Great Storm „ 85 From a drawing by the A ut hor FORMOSA XVI Pepo-hoan and Chinese Group, Formosa . .

To face p. ico Anping (Port of Taiwanfoo), View of Old Dutch Fort, 1650 >, io5 H Mount Morrison, Formosa » 118 New Ground broken by Rain— Central Mountain Range „ 121 Bamboos, Formosa „ 132 Land Subsidence, Action of Subterranean Torrent between Kwan-te-bio and Bak-sa „ 142 A Pepo-hoan Fishing Party with Bows and Arrows „ 144 Aborigines, North Formosa ,,148 Camphor Dep6t, Go-ch'e „ 205 From a drawing by the A uthor The Scene of the Ghost ,,225 n From a drawing by the Author Tamsui (Treaty Port, North Formosa)— British Consulate ,,231 j» W. A. P., 1869 ,,232 >» British Consulate, Taiwanfoo .... ,,236 J1 PIONEERING IN FORMOSA

Chapter I

I ENTER THE CHINESE IMPERIAL MARITIME CUSTOMS In the year 1862 I was third mate on a Liverpool tea clipper lying off Pagoda Island, in the river Min, some nine miles below the City of Foochow. I was twenty two years of age, and I had been on the sea since the year 1856, when my indentures were signed,1 and I, a shivering lad, was handed over to work out a four years' apprentice ship on board one of the old Blackwall East Indiamen. Now, at twenty-two one is confident and sanguine as to one's ability to succeed in any and every line of life. I had by this time come to the conclusion that a sailor's life was but a dog's life even at the best. But, more than this, five or six years' voyaging between the many Ports of Burmah, Siam, China, and the Malay Archipelago had fascinated me with the glamour of the Orient, and I was eagerly longing for some opportunity to present itself which would open out for me a prosperous career amongst the people of the Far East.

Therefore when in Foochow River the Customs officer boarded us, and in him I recognised an old shipmate of my apprentice days, it 1 The Managing Clerk who signed as witness to my indentures, and who was beloved by all the apprentices for his kindness, still survives, I am delighted to hear, in the person of the respected founder of the well known shipping firm, Messrs. Gellatley, Hankey & Co. B FORMOSA occurred to me that the time had arrived ; and truly, as results proved, this unexpected meeting was the turning point of my fortunes. Poor old Johnston — so clever, and so futile, as far as his own interests were concerned. He had been a great favourite with the apprentices on board the old ' Lady McDonald,' and was a fine specimen of the shrewd, solidly educated, ' kindly Scot.' He was a thorough old-fashioned ' sailorman,' which implies a great deal.

As he often told me, it had been the hope of his parents that he might even ' wag his pow in a pu'pit,' and nothing but his devotion to the national beverage kept him ' before the mast ' ; other wise he was qualified to command a vessel. Having served ashore or afloat in most parts of the world, Johnston possessed an inexhaustible fund of anecdote, and we youngsters of the ' half-deck ' would listen breathlessly while he spun interminable yarns of adventure among South Sea cannibals, of revolutions in South America, or of the stern justice meted out by the ' Vigilance Com mittee ' in California. One of my old comrades died in command of a ' Castle Liner ' ; another, leaving the sea soon after his ' time was out,' has amassed a large fortune in the City ; while I thanks to an appreciative Government, am able to live ' at home at ease,' having had all that a man could crave of danger and adventure, and of wanderings in strange lands.

Old Johnston, who was chiefly instrumental in securing my success in life, after a few more years' service as ' tidewaiter,' ended his life far away from old Scotland, and was laid to rest on the barren shore of China. But in 1862 the end was not yet. Old Johnston had by some strange happenings drifted into the newly estab lished Imperial Maritime Customs, one of the institutions of New China which tend perhaps more than any other to bring her within the family of nations. He was I ENTER THE CHINESE CUSTOMS 3 enthusiastic on the subject of the advantages and emoluments of the Service. 'You must join us, my lad,' he declared. ' Why, bless my soul, with your know ledge of languages, and your adaptability, you'll go ahead like steam. Only learn the language and you'll soon be on the high road to fortune.

It is a sin that a young fellow like you should be living the life of a mere dog on board ship. What good are your brains to you here, I'd like to know ? Join us, my boy, and exchange your salt-junk and mouldy biscuit for fresh fish, flesh and fowl, all of the best ; your dreary midnight summons to " shift over stunsails," or to " close reef the topsails," for warm uninterrupted " nights in." Come ! take the goods the gods offer you, is my philosophy : Plato could have no better. Say you'll join us, and I'll manage the rest.' The offer was a tempting one. I was thoroughly dis enchanted as to the romance of the sea. I was already interested in the strange people of China — ' ever living backwards,' as it were, on the wisdom and the mandates of their ancestors. The difficulties of their language attracted me ; the climate seemed all I could wish.

I laid the matter before my Captain, who was also my friend ; his advice seemed wise, since it coincided with my inclinations. He interested himself with the Customs authorities, and gave me my discharge with a very favourable testimonial ; and I agreed to ' eat the Emperor's rice ' at a monthly salary amounting to about 15/. of English money. Such wealth dazzled me. Feeling profoundly that all was ' right with the world,' I entered on my duties with a light heart. It was about the year 1860 that, with the consent of the ambassadors of the European Powers, the ' Maritime Customs ' service at all the treaty ports in China had been placed under the supervision and control of Europeans paid by the Chinese Government. This new department was equally disliked by the Chinese local authorities and B FORMOSA 4 the European merchants.

The former, to their disgust, instead of being allowed to make large fortunes by pecula tion, saw the import and export duties collected honestly by Europeans, placed in a bank, and correct returns sent to the central Government at Pekin. The Europeans, instead of being able, by paying a round sum as a bribe to the Mandarins, to clear a vessel, and so escape the regular tariff duties, were now obliged to pay nearly as much on a single lighter of tea or silk as they would otherwise have done for the whole shipload. Since the days of which I am writing, the Chinese Maritime Customs Department, under the able manage ment of Sir Robert Hart— an Ulster man — has become one of the finest services in the world. It is the mainstay of China as far as import and export revenue is concerned, and has also been the chief means of maintaining peace between the Celestial Empire and the Western Powers.

It has studded the coast of China with splendid lighthouses, and on its security China has been able to negotiate and punctually pay interest upon loans in Europe. The official residence of the Imperial Maritime Customs staff at Pagoda Island was at that time an old hulk, the ' Spartan,' moored in the River Min, it being a more desirable residence both on the score of hygiene and safety than a house on shore. We were a queer cosmopolitan set ; almost every nationality was represented, more or less worthily, amongst us. There were subjects of most of the States which now compose the German Empire, with excitable little Spaniards and Portuguese ; Chinese, with their pigeon- English ; Frenchmen who cried ' Vive I'Empereur,' and who a few years later, in 1 870, roared ' La Marseillaise ' with equal fervour ; Irish-American Fenians, who spent their evenings in poring over maps of the 'distressful country ' apportioned as she should be, and studying Gaelic that they might be ready for the halcyon time when the I ENTER THE CHINESE CUSTOMS 5 usurper should be ousted and they should rule, the rightful lords of peasantry and pigs.

All the day long, as the vessels lay anchored in the river, we tidewaiters boarded them and kept tally of their imports and exports, being treated hospitably by most of the captains, but strictly boycotted by a few. In every spare moment I set myself to master the language. I began to pick up colloquial Chinese in the local dialect. ' What call you this, and that ? ' was my constant query to every Celestial who would reply, until I could chatter to them in their own tongue, and they slapped me on the back in their astonishment, declaring as a pro found compliment that I was ' not a barbarian, but a man.' Then, as time went on, I began to study the written character. The hieroglyphics upon the sides of the tea chests and bales were my spelling books ; my enthusiasm grew with my difficulties.

I waited with most sanguine hopes for quick promotion as a reward of my exertions. Fortune came at last in the shape of the Assistant Inspector-General of Customs, Mr. Robert Hart, who visited our station in a coasting steamer which I boarded on arrival. Mr. Hart was endeavouring with but indifferent success to make one of the Chinese boatmen comprehend his instructions to take his luggage to the ' Spartan.' I was pacing up and down the deck within earshot, and, when Mr. Hart's patience was giving out, I stepped forward, raising my cap, and gave the desired commands to the bewildered Chinese in his own particular dialect. It was well. The Inspector-General turned an observing eye upon me. ' Who are you ?' he inquired sharply. ' A tidewaiter, at your service, sir,' I replied. ' Who taught you Chinese ? ' ' I picked it up myself since I joined the Service.' ' How long is that ago ? ' ' Five months, sir.' FORMOSA ' Five months ! ' His pocket-book came out.

He wrote down my name. He would not forget me when he returned to headquarters. I was jubilant. At twenty-two one credits the world with a long memory for one's peculiar merits. I felt my fortune was as good as made. But I knew that, however useful the local patois might be, if I wished to merit pro motion I must acquire the Mandarin or court dialect of Chinese. Wherefore, one-fourth of my salary henceforth went to hire a native instructor. I redoubled my efforts, and spouted forth Pekinese even in my sleep. Some of my comrades were so interested in my progress that one day, they, with me, forced themselves into the District Magistrate's Yamen at the town of Min-ngan, in order to prove whether my Pekinese was genuine. Luckily for us the Mandarin was delighted with the polite phrases I had learned from my Manchu teacher, and treated us very hospitably ; otherwise we might have paid dearly for our impertinence.

But my Fenian brethren looked upon me with distrust. Such wiles to court the favour of the detested powers that be were alien to their creed. I was going over to the ranks of the oppressor and the tyrant. But the days went by, and no sign came from head quarters. At last I took my courage in both hands and sent a Chinese letter to the Commissioner of Customs, Baron de Meritens. He was graciously interested ; Mr. Hart confirmed my account of myself ; a grant came to pay the salary of my instructor, and I was most kindly encouraged to persevere by all means in my studies. At the end of the following year Mr. Maxwell, the Commissioner of Customs for Formosa, selected me to accompany him to that island, where he was engaged in establishing custom houses in the southern ports ; and I, eager to put my newly acquired knowledge to practical use, gladly accepted the duty.

I ENTER THE CHINESE CUSTOMS 7 So, in 1863, custom houses were established at the ports Tamsui, Kilung, and Takao, where some years before the great houses of Jardine and Dent had esta blished themselves and were carrying on trade under difficulties. I remained at Takao, as tidewaiter at the Customs there, until I had become conversant with the vernacular as spoken in Formosa ; and in 1865 I was placed in charge of the Customs at Anping, the port of Taiwanfoo, the capital. Shortly after my arrival at Takao I found opportunities of visiting the savage aborigines in the interior, and in my official duties at Taiwanfoo I became acquainted with many of the Chinese officials. In 1867 I received what I considered a very advan tageous offer to take charge of the Taiwanfoo branch of an English firm — Messrs. McPhail & Co. (subsequently Messrs. Elles & Co.), who were carrying on the business formerly belonging to Messrs. Jardine and Dent.

I gladly availed myself of this opportunity to be in the employ of my own countrymen rather than in the service of the Chinese Government. Thus it came to pass that I settled in Formosa, where my Chinese studies proved to be of considerable service to me in many strange ways ; where I was destined to probe deeply into the unfathomable nature of the wily Celestial ; and where it was my fortune to have adventure in plenty by land and sea, and peace infinitesimal, for nearly seven long years. My new employers placed horses and servants at my disposal, encouraging me to travel into the interior, both amongst the Chinese settlers and the aboriginal tribes, in order to find out the resources of the country and to ascertain the facilities for trade. I thus daily increased my knowledge of the languages and habits of the people, and was enabled to explore many districts and make acquain- FORMOSA tance with tribes of Chinese, Sek-hoans, and savages hitherto unvisited by Europeans.

I remained in Formosa until the end of 1870, when I was invalided home, and during my stay in England I received the appointment of Chinese Interpreter to the Government of the Straits Settlements. In 1877 I was gazetted Protector of Chinese for the Colony, which post I occupied until the year 1890, when I retired from the colonial service on pension. With these prefatory details, I will proceed to give a brief account of this interesting and but little known island, its history, its people and their religion, and some of the adventures which befell me during my residence in Formosa.

Chapter II Life And Adventure At Foochow

It was in the middle of 1863 that Mr. Maxwell was appointed Commissioner of Customs for the island of Formosa, under the Foochow Commissioner. Baron de Meritens desired Mr. Maxwell to employ the remainder of his stay in Foochow in searching all the ports and creeks between Foochow and Ningpo, for the purpose of seizing all European vessels found harbouring in them, it being well known that a flourishing illicit trade was carried on in defiance of treaty obligations. For this scrutiny of the coast, the Customs authorities had chartered a diminutive steamer called the ' Mercury,' which, in spite of her Liliputian size, had been brought out round the Cape by her daring owner and captain. Our chief-tidewaiter, with a posse of Irish-American subordinates, was told off to accompany Mr. Maxwell upon his expedition round the coast, while I was included in the party on account of my knowledge of the local dialect, which would be useful for the purpose of com municating with the fishermen of the coast, in order to obtain information from them as to the whereabouts of possible delinquent vessels.

Thus one brilliant morning we steamed forth, bound for Nam-kuan and the Samsa Inlet, some seventy miles north of the river Min. The Captain was evidently filled with the greatest pride and belief in the capabilities of his ship ; we were all young fellows glad of this pleasant break in the monotony of our life as tidewaiters ; the weather was FORMOSA 10 superb ; and we all anticipated a pleasant picnic, with the additional excitement of capturing possible prizes. Alas, for our bright visions ! Soon after leaving the river a strong breeze arose. The sky clouded, and heavy seas began to break over our frail craft. To crown all, at this crisis our machinery broke down, and the little ' Mer cury ' drifted unmanageable in the trough of the waves. We were all bundled down below and the hatches battened down above us, which is not an agreeable experi ence, giving one much the sensation of a trapped rat, without the chance of a swim for life.

Meanwhile the violence of the waves increased. Things looked pretty desperate ; but providentially the sailors contrived to rig up a rag of a sail, and by taking cunning advantage of the wind we were able to scud under the lee of an island, where, when the elements abated, the engine was patched up sufficiently to take us back to Foochow. A week or two later, when all deficiencies in our boat's machinery had been made good, we sallied forth again. Upon this occasion no untoward events frustrated our plans. The weather continued fine, and we were able to search the two ports, without, however, dropping upon any smugglers. We boarded some fishing boats, whose crews volunteered the information that there were several barbarian vessels anchored in the port of Wen-Chou, further to the northward.