Through Formosa : an account of Japan's island colony 1923

Front matter

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INOHOL JO A

Preface

| es book, let me say at once, does not pretend

to be a record of thrilling adventures or of hairbreadth escapes; nor does it pretend to be a standard work on Formosa. It is the work of a passer-by, who does not profess to have an intimate and exhaustive knowledge of the country such as can be attained only after many years’ residence ; +t ig an account of a journey through a beautiful and fascinating, but little-known, island to which foreigners are not usually encouraged to go, an introduction to its romantic history, to its rich natural resources, and to the unhappy story of the fortunes of the brown people who dwell upon its jungle hills.

Thanks’ to the courtesy of the Government of Formosa I was privileged, during my visit to the island, to look through many windows which ordinarily would have been closed to the traveller, and by the light of my knowledge of other Eastern colonies T have tried to show how in thirty years the Japanese have succeeded, marvellously succeeded, in developing economically what was, when they first took possession of it, little more than a wilderness; and to show too how they have failed, for all their good intentions, in their attempt to settle and administer the native tribes, made intractable by centuries of tyranny and oppression.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the British Consul in Formosa, Mr. G. H. Phipps, who has not only

PE ,

8 PREFACE

— checked and verified the facts and figures given in these pages, but also given me the benefit of many valuable suggestions. The opinions expressed are my own, and for them I alone am responsible.

The photographs were taken by my wife, with the exception of those on pages 208 and 260, for permission to reproduce which I am indebted to Mr. R. de B. Layard and Mrs. J. B. Montgomery McGovern.

O. R.

Chapter I Approaching Formosa

How we came to visit Formosa—Departure from North Borneo— The Sourabaya Maru—We reach Hong Kong—Passport difficulties— Our frustrated shopping expedition—We sail at midnight for Formosa Arrival at Takao—Some account of Formosan geography—Area and position—The jungle hills of the east and the fertile plains of the west—Early history—Chinese intercourse—Dutch and Spanish settlements—Spaniards driven out by Dutch—Dutch surrender to Koxinga, the Chinese rebel chief—Formosa a dependency of China—The Japanese occupation . : ; F . : . pp. 15-44

CHAPTER It TAKAO: THE HARBOUR OF THE SOUTH

We are met by Mr. Koshimura, of the Foreign Section—He attaches himself as A.D.C.—Obstacles vanish—Takao harbour—I call on the Civil Governor—A stroll to a hill-top—An account of Takao—Visit to Akd Sugar Refinery—The sugar industry of Formosa—lIts progress under Japanese encouragement—Return to Takao—The ritual of card-giving—Government officials—Japanese methods of adminis- * tration ae ee ; f : pilaade ‘ . pp. 45-62

Chapter III Koxinga, The Rebel Chibf

We reach Tainan, the southern capital—The Japanese inn—Bathing difficulties—A night on the floor—A visit to the Governor’s palace— Koshimura takes us to the shrine of Koxinga—An account of Koxinga —The coming of the Dutch to Tainan—They build Forts Zeelandia and Provintia—Trade with China and Japan flourishes—Fears of Koxinga’s hostile intentions—Indifference of authorities at Batavia—Koxinga attacks—Fort Provintia surrenders—The siege and defence of Fort Zeelandia—Relief fleet under Caeuw arrives—Caeuw’s treachery—The surrender of the Dutch—Character of Koxinga ; . pp. 63-90

10 CONTENTS

Chapter IV Tainan : The Ancient Oapital

Visit to a girls’ school—Education in Formosa—Mission schools— — Fort Provintia—The lantern painter—Anping—Its former activities —The remains of Fort Zeelandia—Old British Consulate—Early — English trade—Salt-making—Salt a Government monopoly—A present from the Governor—We dine in Japanese fashion with Koshimura— — He tells a story—A stroll round the town—We startle the inhabitants. |

Chapter V The Wealth Of The Forests

We leave Tainan—Pleasant manners of Japanese innkeepers— — Koshimura settles expenses—Tipping in Japanese hotels—The Formosan Railway—Expansion by Japanese—Excellent baggage system— _ Kagi—-The timber industry—Conservation of forests—Wasteful methods of aborigines—The forests of Mount Ari—The Government — saw-mill—Lunch at the Kagi Club—A photograph taken under diffi- — culties . : ‘ . : i : pp. 113-125

Chapter VI The Fertile Plains

Arrival at Taichu—Japanese gardens—Doing as Rome does—A | Japanese concert—We see the sights of Taichu—Lunch on an island © in the lake—We leave for Taihoku, the capital—Fertile country—The — rice-fields—Agriculture in Formosa—The land-laws—Tea-planting— _ Methods of preparing the leaf—Experimental stations—Tobacco— _ Indigo and other economic plants—Wealth of Formosa as an agricultural country alone. ‘ : : ‘ x - pp. 126-144

Chapter VII Taihoku : The Modern Oapital

We reach Taihoku—A gathering of officials—The Railway Hotel— — Comfortable quarters—The wrestler—I spend the next morning calling—The Government Offices—The Governor-General’s powers—De- — scription of Taihoku—Places of interest—Lack of shops—Japanese development of Formosa—Surprising changes in twenty-eight years— _ Contrast with conditions under Chinese régime—Gold, coal, and other minerals—Formosa a self-supporting colony—Comparison with State of North Borneo, ‘ ‘ - ; ; - pp. 145-166 —

CONTENTS 11 CHAPTER VIII

THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL’S DINNER-PARTY

The invitation to dinner with the Director-General—Our apprehensions—The British Consul and his wife—Our attractive hostess— Dinner served in Chinese fashion—Our host makes a speech in Japanese —The response—The question of Japan’s overspill—Japanese the most unwanted race in the world—An open door in North Borneo—Japanese modern life—The influence of the West—Where the Japanese fail

CHAPTER Ix CAMPHOR, OPIUM, AND TOBACCO

Visit to the Camphor Bureau—The camphor industry—Chinese methods improved by Japanese—Future prosperity depends on pacification of aborigines—The opium monopoly—Control of opium-smoking—Japanese efforts and their success—Comparison with opium regulations in British colonies—The tobacco monopoly—Success of the Government monopolies as a whole—The Taihoku prison—We leave Koshimura and visit Tamsui—Early Spanish occupation of Tamsui and Keelung—Spaniards surrender to Dutch—The British Consulate —A gardener’s paradise—A Japanese golf-course . pp. 184-212

Chapter X The Aborigines Of Formosa

We set out for the country of the ‘savages’ with Koshimura— Toyen—The push-car—Communications in hilly country—Journey to the mountains—Arrival at Kapanzan—The Government station— We put up at the rest-house—The school—Education of aborigines— A Japanized community—The aborigines of Formosa—A friendly people in olden days—Persecution by the Chinese—Their flesh sold in the public market—Japanese efforts to pacify aborigines—The guard-line—Electrified wire entanglements—Punitive expeditions— The problem still unsolved . ‘ ; ‘ : pp. 213-233

Chapter XI Where The Japanese Have Failed

We dine with Koshimura at the rest-house—An awkward moment —We meet some of the ‘tamed savages’ in full dress—We make friends—A Taiyal village—Striking similarities of language and custom between natives of Formosa and Borneo—Probability of their descent from a common stock—Failure of Japanese to bring natives

12 CONTENTS a under their influence—Some criticisms—Likelihood of methods success- — ful in Borneo being successful in Formosa—The individual more im- — portant than the system—The story of Goho-—Need for District —

Officers who can obtain personal influence over natives pp. 237-261

Chapter XII The End Of The Journey

Return to the plains—Koshimura goes sick—A call from Mr. Yoshi- — oka—Japan’s women pioneers—Koshimura recovers on drinking a bottle of sake—A visit to the garrison—Parting calis—We are ‘seen off’ from Taihoku—Departure from Keelung—The America Maru— —

The hero of Tsintau—Arrival at Kobe—Koshimura’s long arm—Last — reflections . : : : ‘ : ; . . pp. 262-271 BIBLIOGRAPHY . ; , : F : : . pp. 272-278

APPENDIX I: COMPARATIVE VOCABULARY OF MALAY, Murvut, AND ForMosAN LANGUAGES . ; . pp. 279-280

AppENDIx II: REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE, 1897-1922 pp. 280-281

Appenpix III: Irems or REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE,

AppenDix IV: Imports aNnp Exports, 1897-1922 . pp. 282-283 INDEX . ‘ ; Gia Re - : ; . pp. 285-288

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

NATIVES OF THE FormosaN Hits . : : Frontispiece FACING PAGH

Map oF Formosa : : ; ; : , “Tur ENTRANCE To Takao eineoek i : : ane THe LANTERN PAINTER ‘ fee : 2 . 48 Tar TemPLE DEDICATED TO CoNFUCIUS . : F je ae SALT-MAKING AT ANPING ; : : : : . 106 ‘BRED BY ASAMPAN OUTOFA RAFT’ ; . . 106 Tur TimMBER YARD, Kaai j ; : : L Aa Wi Tur StaiRWAY TO THE Mi . : 4 i ; Pee 6. Tur Rick SELLER : : : ; ae . 1380 Tue Lake or Taicuu Park . : : + ee . 130 Tur GovERNMENT OFfFices, TAIHOKU ; ate ala . 148 Tur PALACE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL : ‘ . 148 AStreetin TarwoKU . .. ; : ; : Age fay Toe Museum : . : ; ; ; P a kOZ Tur British ConsuLATE, TAMSUI . ; ; ; . 208 THE Tamsur River FROM THE CONSULATE : ; . 208 THE FERTILE VALLEY OF THE TAMSUI.. : : . 214 Our PusH-caR : A : ’ ; é Lee A WaysIpDe Potice STATION . ; : : ‘ . 216 KAPANZAN STATION ; : ; : : ; . 220 THe Formosan Hits . ; ; ‘ ; : . 220 TaIyAL WARRIORS Dee ahi eo ean Tue FRINGE OF THE SAVAGE eee g ; ; . 236 A TatyAL GRANDMOTHER : : ‘ j : . 238 Tor TatyaAL VILLAGE . ; i ; ; . . 240 SoME OFTHE INHABITANTS . ‘ ; ; ‘ . 240 A Group or Taryat ‘SavacsEs’. : : , . 260 AN OLD CHINESE GATEWAY IN TAIHOKU . : : . 260

23"

KEY MAR

JAPAN SEA ae

THROUGH FORMOSA

CHAPTER I How we came to visit Formosa—Departure from North Borneo

The Sourabaya Maru—We reach Hong Kong—Passport difficulties— - Our frustrated shopping expedition—We sail at midnight for Formosa _ Arrival at Takao—Some account of Formosan geography—Area and position—The jungle hills of the east and the fertile plains of the

_ west—KEarly history—Chinese intercourse—Dutch and Spanish settle- _ ments—Spaniards driven out by Dutch—Dutch surrender to Koxinga, the Chinese rebel chicf—Formosa a dependency of China—The

Japanese occupation.

§ 1 ** FY AM sent by the Governor-General to be your attaché,’

These words, uttered by a bowing and bespectacled Gfiicer in the black uniform of the Civil Service, greeted my wife and me as we steamed through the narrow portals of Takao, the southern harbour of Formosa. :

We were travelling to England from North Borneo by way of Japan and America. Even in the Far Hast few people know anything of Formosa, the island-colony of the Japanese, which lies in the

China Sea, two days’ steam north-east of Hong Kong and three south-west of Nagasaki. It is a land far from the beaten track of the tourist, nor has it yet been penetrated by the myrmidons of

Thomas Cook. The passing traveller is not en- 15 couraged, and, unless a foreigner visits the island under the auspices of the Government or speaks Japanese himself, he may well find his path beset with difficulties.

The opportunity of seeing Formosa had been placed in my way by my friend Mr. G. C. Irving, a senior officer of the British North Borneo Civil Service. In North Borneo there is an increasing colony of Japanese, the settlers being mostly of the better class, for Japanese labour, though it has been tried often enough, does not thrive in the tropics. There is a considerable number of them at Tawau, on the east coast, where they cultivate coconuts and rubber, the Kohara Estate owning the largest planted area under rubber in the State. Mr. Irving had been Resident of Tawau at one time, and while there not only had he been able to give the Japanese planters considerable assistance in his official capacity, but he had also found himself on terms of personal friendship with many of them. No people in the world are more eager to return a kindness than the Japanese, and when Mr. and Mrs. Irving were going home on leave, they received and accepted an invitation to visit Formosa as the guests of the Japanese Government. Mr. Irving’s account of the little-known country fired us with a desire to see it for ourselves, and when he suggested sending a letter of introduction to the Governor-General, in order that our way might be made easy, we gladly accepted his offer, although at\ the time we little realized how magical its effects would be. |

§ 2

As we were to have many inevitable changes on our journey home, we thought it would be as well to

THE SOURABAYA MARU 17

“take advantage of the Osaka Shosen Kaisha, a Japanese line whose boats, on the Japan-Java run, touch at Sandakan, the capital of North Borneo, and the Formosan ports, calling at Hong Kong on the way. Accordingly, against the advice of our friends, we booked our passages by the Sourabaya Maru. She was several days late, but in her own good time she dropped her anchor in Sandakan Harbour. As we surveyed her through field-glassegs one sunny morning from the veranda of our host’s bungalow, our hearts sank, She seemed the only unlovely thing in all that glorious bay, pansy-blue and locked with green jungle hills, She appeared to have no cargo, and her side below the plummet line showed a broad expanse of rusty red, like a flannel petticoat hanging below a dress of dingy black. She was ag gaunt as an Hastern fowl. People began to say:

‘“‘We told you so. You can’t possibly take your wife on a boat like that.’’

My wife, however, had her own views on the subject, and (in our innocence) we replied:

‘‘ Anyhow, it’s only four days... we can pig it for four days.’’

At that time the Chinese coolies in North Borneo had instituted a boycott on Japanese ships; consequently the cargo had to be worked by natives. It was said that on a previous visit of the Sourabaya the captain, exasperated by the behaviour of a Chinese coolie, had exacted punishment by the simple expedient of dropping the offender overboard, and to avoid the possibility of retaliation or other unpleasantness the ship on this occasion lay out in the harbour instead of coming alongside the wharf. We were due to sail at eight in the evening, so we embarked at seven. The boat was so high out of the water that the steps from the launch to her iron 2 deck seemed as unending as the rungs of Jacob’

ladder, and as we watched our heavy boxes being dragged up by coolies, at every moment we expected to see them topple over and plunge into the phosphorescent waters of the harbour. We found that our cabin was a fair size, though the portholes obviously had not been opened for weeks, and the saloon, though small, looked cosy. Our spirits began to rise. I discovered a steward and ordered whisky and soda for the friends who had come to see us off. Then the first blow fell. There was no whisky. Not because either the captain or the company had leanings towards the Anti-Saloon League, but merely because it had not occurred to the purser to order any. However, there was Japanese Bei and we had to be content with that.

Having said last good-byes to our friends and watched them clamber hesitatingly down the ship’s steps, I made a few inquiries about dinner. Then came the second blow. There was no dinner. It had been served and eaten at 5.30. After a little gentle persuasion the steward brought us some bread and cold meat, but as the boat did not sail till midnight, we regretted that we had not dined with our hosts on shore.

Before turning in we went on deck to take a last look at Sandakan. The lights of the houses glimmered on the hillside; across the harbour came faintly the sound of a praiennnene playing a record of Chinese music, rasping as the calls of a flock of seagulls; below us the phosphorescent water, lapping the Sourabaya’s side, flickered with green fire. Ags we leant over the rail we felt a few regrets at leaving the jungle country we had come to love, but the thrill that was in our hearts made them seem of small account. We were bound for Home, that ever- desired ee ee eres a

KUDAT CHAIRS 19

‘haven of the wanderer—particularly when it is far away. Their native heath always has the glamour of the unattainable for the exiles, although those ‘who sigh the loudest for England when they are in the tropics are often the same people who wonder how anyone can live in the place after they have ‘been home three months.

The only place to git in the Sowrabaya, apart from ‘the iron decks, was on the captain’s bridge, and here, ‘next morning, we made ourselves comfortable in the ‘Kudat chairs we had brought with us. The Kudat chair is a kind of super deck chair, with a foot-rest and convenient holes for glasses in its wooden arms; ‘unfolding it is good exercise, and, once adjusted, no better chair of its kind exists. It was originated by a Chinese carpenter in Kudat, the old capital of N orth Borneo, and is now exported to all parts of ‘the East. We intended to take ours to England and ‘pictured ourselves spending many a pleasant hour in them under a shady tree in the garden; but having got them as far as San Francisco, we found that it was going to cost us twenty dollars eold—rather more than they had cost—to get them across America, so we basely abandoned them in the Customs, where they went to swell the army of less superior companions in distress discarded by other travellers. The Sowrabaya’s bath was a quaint arrangement; it was always kept full of water, which did away with the necessity of turning on taps or letting water run away. The first time my wife went for a bath the steward appeared doubtful whether there was anyone inside (the bathroom-door had no lock) and solved matters by peering through the keyhole. After that, having perhaps more prudish ideas on such matters than the Japanese, we hung our dressing-gowns over the door once we were within.

ere 20 APPROACHING FORMOSA ‘

We found that we were the only European passengers. All the Japanese were very polite; some spoke indifferent English, others none at all. Those who fancied the so-called European food fed with us; they were all noisy eaters, and most of them had as much success with their knives and forks ag I have with chopsticks. Those who preferred their own diet had a Japanese meal after us, except at the 5.30 dinner, when a kind of compromise between the two was produced. We found dining at 5.30 a little trying, but fortified ourselves with biscuits before going to bed, doing our best to make each other believe that it was good for us to get out of the conventional rut of 8 o’clock dinner for a while. After all, our great-grandfathers had dined somewhere about the same time, although they certainly had a bottle of port each to console themselves with —a more stimulating beverage than Asahi beer.

I found the purser an amusing character, with a passionate admiration for the writings of Lafeadio Hearn, and had long conversations with him at meals, The second evening, seeing ‘Hamburg steak’ upon the menu, by way of a feeble joke I suggested ‘Yokohama steak’ as a fitting substitute. The purser appeared to find this a tremendous Jest, roared with laughter and said several times, ‘‘Very curious, very curious.’’? The next night we had ‘Victory steak,’ a tactful alteration which avoided showing favouritism either to Great Britain or J apan. J

The skipper, a stocky little man with an enormous | chest and slits of eyes, made up in politeness what. he lacked in knowledge of English. He resembled an amiable and very active bear, and by the way he and his minions scuttled about the bridge, especially © when performing the noonday ritual of taking the position of the sun, one might have thought that we

J

AN OCEAN TORTOISE 21 were in imminent danger of striking a coral reef. He seemed to be a rigid economist in the matter of coal, for I have never travelled in a slower boat. She was an ocean tortoise, only not so steady, for she reeled like a bottle in the water. One rather stormy day when we had left the lee of the Phillippine Islands she only managed an average of 4:9 knots an hour, with the result that it took us seven days instead of four to reach Hong Kong.

§ 3

The captain had assured us that we should arrive by midday. That meant that we should have the whole afternoon to transact our business and a night ashore. As it was, the Sourabaya weakened when she was getting up to the green, and it was not until 0 p.m. that we came to anchor in that noble harbour which, with its Peak rising steeply above the water, always reminds me of Gibraltar and is as full of movement as Trafalgar Square.

I had sent a wireless message to the Hong Kong Hotel for accommodation, and after we had packed a suit-case in readiness for going ashore we leant over the side bubbling with excitement at the prospect of seeing civilization once more. Only those who have spent many months in a jungle country know what it means to come among shops and traffic and comfortable hotels again. We made all kinds of plans. It was the day we had been looking forward to for weeks. We hadn’t had the chance of spending any money for ages. We would have an orgy of shopping. I had only visited Hong Kong previously as a bachelor, but I was able to assure my wife that there were hat-shops. Also there were other shops where one could buy all manner of pleasant things. I called to mind one with ties, collars, shirts, and socks, of which I stood badly in need. A good shop. Not quite so good as those of the Burlington Arcade, perhaps, but good enough to replenish one’s wardrobe for the voyage home, Then there was the passport to be wise by the Japanese Consul, none such existing in North Borneo. There were the tickets for the voyage 4 America and onwards to be collected. Most im portant of all, there was money to be obtained from the bank, for North Borneo notes are at a discount in any country except their own. We thought of all these things with a sense of delightful anticipation. There was a cold tang in the air that was exhilarating. We began to feel that we were almost home.

We watched a launch with the 0.8.K. flag threading its way towards us through the crowd of vessels. She ran alongside and the agent, a Japanese, came up. The launch was followed by a fussy little motorboat bringing the police authorities. Then came the shattering of all our dreams. : i

We were to sail at midnight.

‘*Let’s pack our junk and get off the beastly boat,” said I bitterly, feeling like a small boy who had been cheated out of a party. ‘‘We can get another on to Formosa in a couple of days.’’ q

But even this was not to be, for the agent handed me a message from the Hong Kong Hotel to say that every room was full. We learnt from the cheery Police Inspector who looked at our passport that there was no accommodation to be had in any hotel in the colony. Thereupon I suggested to the agent that the Sowrabaya was so late already that she might just as well stay till noon next day. As well might I have tried to argue with the Nelson Colum :

SHATTERED HOPES 23

He had his instructions. An agent always has. So there was nothing for it but to put the suit-case sadly back into the cabin and to go ashore in the launch, intent on making the best of the few hours we had. As we had feared, by the time we landed all the shops we wanted were shut; the shipping office was shut; the bank was shut; the Consul had long departed. It was very trying. Our shopping expedition could wait, but we had very little money, and, as I knew well, the Japanese officials are the last people in the world to overlook any irregularities in the papers of itinerant foreigners. The agent did his best for us. He rang up the Consul at his house and at the Japanese Club, but without finding him. Finally, at my urgent request and because I think he wanted to get off to his dinner, he gave us a document written in Japanese, explaining the position; with this I hoped to be able to pacify the outraged Japanese officials. | Our spirits were wilting like boiled collars at a tropical dinner-party, but outside the agent’s office the bustle of the traffic, the lighted streets, and the atmosphere of civilization revived them. We found a chemist who by a lucky chance sold chocolates, and we laid in a store to keep away the pangs of hunger that were wont to assail us between 5.30 dinner and 8.30 breakfast. A packet of Mothersill’s seasick cure was also considered a judicious investment. I have been twice round the world and pride myself (though not, I hope, aggressively) on never having been ill; nevertheless I always make a point of carrying with me a packet of Mothersill’s pink and brown capsules. As the old lady who always made a point of bobbing at the mention of the Evil One said, ‘‘You never know.’’? But I often wonder what would happen if, groping in the dark, you were to take two capsules of the same colour instead of one of pink and one of brown. A solemn thought. I suppose the best plan would be to send a wireless message to Mr. Mothersill to ask him what to do about it. 4

Having spent as much as we dared at the chymist 8 (he was such a godsend to us that he really deserves — to be spelt with a ‘y’), we made our way to the Hong a Kong Hotel, There we found an unsigned cable : : from Formosa which appeared to come from an authoritative source. It was thus quaintly worded: —

‘“Saw Irving’s letter welcome your visit. Kindly — wire when arrive here.”’ : ‘i

It did not bode very well for the ease with which conversation would be carried on in Formosa, but it. 2 sounded extremely hospitable and was answered : forthwith. 4

Feeling a little more braced with life, we dined in a the grill-room of the Hong Kong Hotel. It would a need a Newnham-Davis to do justice to that meal. ‘ To my mind the Hong Kong Hotel ig the best in the — whole of the Far Hast, but in any case one’s first 3 dinner after one has come out of the wilds is a thing to be remembered. It is symbolical of g0 much; it — stands for all that one is, for all that one has been ' trained to be. However gladly one escapes from mY civilization into the Jungle, one is always glad to get x back again, just as a dog who howls to get out of his kennel in the morning is glad to go into it again at night. Things taste so much better—physically and mentally—when one has missed them for a little; a % platitude many people do not realize or they would _ not become the creatures of habit they do. The ~ Shaded lights, the gleaming tables—snowy islands glittering with glass and silver—the soft music, the _ murmurous buzz of conversation and the snatches of — laughter, cheery men in boiled shirts and white ties, —

THE CASE OF WILLIAM JONES = 25 women in pretty frocks: it all seems so much more attractive the first night one comes back to it than it does when one can have it every night of one’s life. At least it did to me that evening, even though, until the bill came all my mind, like King Arthur’s, was ‘clouded with a doubt’ as to whether J had the wherewithal to pay.

I can imagine only one thing worse than discovering one hasn’t enough money to pay for a dinner after one has had it, and that is making the same discovery beforehand. And it is a thing that may so easily happen to anyone. From long-ago days when I was reading Common Law the leading case of R. v. William Jones has always stuck in my mind. Mr. Jones had, to put it briefly, entered a restaurant, and ordered and eaten an excellent dinner, whereupon it transpired that he was without resources of any description. He was promptly given in charge by an unsympathetic manager and was subsequently convicted for obtaining credit by false pretences. My sympathies have always been with William Jones, and if I had been in Court when he left the dock I should have murmured, ‘‘There, but for the grace of God, goes me.’’ As it was, on this particular night the memory of his little trouble rather spoilt the taste of the iced pudding. However, when the bill came I found, to my great relief, that it was not so violent as I had feared it might be, and out of sheer joy at not having to leave a good cigarette-case in pawn, I gave a handsome and quite unnecessary tip to the head waiter as a thank-offering to the fates.

After dinner we took a walk along Queen’s Road, fluttering, as ever, with Chinese street-signs and golden with lighted shops full of wares so strange that it seemed extraordinary that anyone should ever want to buy them. Then, regretfully, we caught the launch back to the Sourabaya. tasoaene.” for there were so many things in Hong Kong to have done and seen: the Funicular Railway, that draws you almost perpendicularly to the Peak; the sight | from the Peak when once you reach the summit, either in daylight when the ships and the harbour . are spread out far beneath you like toys upon a pond, or at night when the lights gleam as close together as sequins on an eastern scarf; Happy Valley, home of concentrated sport; walks to Deepwater Bay across the hills; mysterious Chinese bys : ways to explore, and—yes, shone