HOLMAN'S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.

THE leading subjects of the fourth and concluding volume of the blind traveller are China and Australasia: but—whether it be that the topic of his travels is beginning to pall. or that the routine mode of life which Chinese customs compelled the English residents to pursue at Canton furnished little solid material to collect, whilst the constant struggle with necessity which is going on in a new colony renders men indisposed to observe or to tell their observations—the interest of the book is not equal to the impor- tance of the countries of which it treats. There are pleasant personal anecdotes sprinkled throughout its pages, many of which are gratifying, as they bear testimony to the liberality and good

feeling of the human heart ; the opening and closing passag( s are touching from the author's allusions to his infirmity, and from

the cheerful and healthy spirit with which he bears it ; and there is a good deal of information (though not of a very new or striking kind) contained in the volume ; but, as a whole, it ap- pears to us the least animated and various of the four. The close of the third volume left the author at Calcutta; the opening of the last exhibits him sailing for Macao. On their was. they called at Penang ; where they found the ex-governor in the dumps, from the simultaneous loss of his wife and his place. At Macao and Canton Lieutenant. HOLMAN was received with the wonted hospitality ; and spent his time pleasantly enough, in visits, conversations, and small excursions within the limits (and sometimes beyond them) permitted to" barbarians" in the Celes- tial Empire. His next step was a voyage to Van Diemen's Land,— accomplished without any unusual occurrence ; and after a journey from Hobart Town to Launceston, he proceeded to Sidney. In New South. Wales he remained eleven months, per- forming frequent and distant excursions into the interior; of which he makes as much in description as it was possible for a blind traveller to make ; and finally lie returns direct to England. Of the Chinese authorities our author complains bitterly, and paints the whole people in very dark colours, for their corruption, insolence, cowardice, and immorality. Like many other persons whose valour surpasses their wisdom, he would act towards the Celestials with a strong hand, and trade per far et nefas. But this is not practicable without a war; war is not practicable with- out heavy expenses ; and the only result, if successful, would be to extend our overgrown Indian empire, and establish another settlement whose cost would dip greatly into the profits derived from it. How much easier, safer, cheaper, and honester, to follow the plan so often recommended in our columns—that of establish- ing a depot upon some of the islands in the Chinese Seas ? The prudence and feasibility of this scheme have also suggested them- selves to Lieutenant HOLMAN'S mind, from his observations on the spot. The alternative, however, with which he so coolly opens his proposal, is out of the question. Macao is a Portuguese settle- ment, and he might as well propose to "take possession" of Lisbon.

If Great Britain were to take possession of Macao, garrison it with native troops from Bengal, and declare it a free port, it would be one of the most flourishing places in the East. This might indeed be said of any island or tract of land in this neighbourhood which our nation might select as a territory ; for the Chinese are so fond of smuggling, that they would not hesitate to trade with foreigners, if they could be assured of receiving protection ; and there is no doubt that they would use all those arts of bribery with their own countrymen which would be necessary to promote their own ends, and which are so irresistible to the equivocal integrity of the Chinese. By these means, therefore, there is not a doubt that a very extensive and pro- ductive trade might be established with China, and very important advantages secured to the British nation. When these facts are so self-evident, it is won- derful that some measures have not yet been taken to secure the commerce and to protect the merchants from the insults and obstacles that are now so much complained of, as well as to lower the bullying and imperative tone which the Chinese at present think fit to adopt in all their mercantile transactions.

Here are a few anecdotes confirmative of the assertions in the preceding extract.

CHINESE SMUGGLING.

Notwithstanding there is a rigid prohibition against Chinese books being sold to foreigners, Professor Neumann found no difficulty in procuring all that he desired to obtain ; and to prevent their being seized on the way to the ship, he paid a stipulated suns for each case, to the Mandarin ; who betrayed the trust to his Government so openly, that he even sent some of his men to pack them at the Professor's lodgings.

There are two customhouse boats, called Hoppe boats, attached to every foreign vessel. The ostensible business of these boats is to examine every thing that is taken away or brought on board the ships ; but they also serve the more congenial purpose of smuggling things on board, or from the vessel to the shore. There is a regular understanding between the customhouse-officers and the smugglers to pay a certain sum for each venture ; and the customhouse-offi- cers in their turn bribe the Mandarin who is placed over them ; so that a com- plete system of fraud exists from the highest to the lowest grades of the authori- ties, and extends in various shapes even to the Emperor himself, who participates largely in the evasions of the law and of justice. Any thing can be purchased fur money in China. Such is the cupidity and adroitness of the Chinese in the art, if I may so term it, of smuggling, that they will undei take to cheat the revenue at all times for a stipulated percentage : and I have been told that some of the country ships from India have been known to have had half their cargoes smuggled on boatel at Whampoa.

IMPORTANCE OF FOREIGN TRADE TO CHINA.

The Government authorities affect, upon all occasions, to treat the foreign trade with contempt, though its beneficial results ale sufficiently palpable from the large proportion of the revenue which is derived from Canton, and also the facility of its collection: thousands of the labouring classes pour into this city annually from the neighbouring provinces, and find a ready subsistence for themselves and families through- the various channels of that intercourse they pretend to despise. When our trade was stopped at the end of 1829, the people became so clamorous for its renewal, that the Local Government were obliged to accede to their wishes. And again, still more recently, I mean when the angry correspondence was going on relating to Lord Napier's arrival in Canton without the Hoppo's pass, among the many edicts that were issued by the Go- vernor, there was one forbidding all outside merchants from trading with foreigners. This prohibition affected the interest of so many persons, that a great mob assembled at the Governor's gate to petition for the removal of the grievance; which request was speedily complied with.

The other parts of the volume do not afford an entire subject for illustration; so we will pick out independent passages for ex- tract.

SOMETHING MORE THAN A PRACTICAL JOKE.

In treacherous conduct, however, it must be admitted, the bush-rangers were far surpassed by the convict-servants; who, among other cruelties, have been known to practise the following murderous trick upon the natives, when they have confidingly mixed with our people in the out-stations. They have pro- duced a brace of pistols, one of which was loaded and the other not; then taking the unloaded one, would apply it to their ear, and after pulling the trigger, would laugh most heartily, as if the act were attended with peculiar gratification. A simple native would be thus induced to make a similar esperiment with the loaded pistol ; the natural consequence of which was, that he mould blow out his own braius !

COLONIAL GOVERNMENT OF COLONEL ARTHUR.

I accompanied Mr. Walsh to the Cataract of the South Esk, about • mile froin the town. The inhabitants are obliged to send hither for the water they use for domestic purposes, that in the river being quite brackish. I wag in- formed that some families were at an expense of :10/, a year for having the water they require brought to them in carts. The difficulty of procuring it has ren- dered the labours of that useful class, washerwomen, rather expensive; as they must either submit to the cost of procuring it, or the inconvenience of repairing to the Cataract, where they make fires, and wash and dry their cl, gam on the spot. The latter plan is most generally adopted. Their charges are live shilliugs per dozen ; while at Hobart Town they are but three. Vs star might be conveyed from the Cataract in pipes all over the town, with the greatest facility ; and I was told that the inhabitants volunteered to form a company, and raise the money fur that purpose, as well as for building a bridge over the North Esk, in the direction of the road to George Town. The Colo- nial Government, however, for some unaccountable reason, withheld their per- inis.sion to carry the said improvements into effect : thus the inhabitants of Hobart Town and Launceston, which are both situated in the immediate vici- nity of a flume river, suffer serious inconvenience hom the want of this necessary article, through the lack of proper attention on the part of the authorities.

HONESTY OF THE WORLD.

With respect to drawing bills, I may generally observe, that I never enter- tained any suspicion in such transactions, and have never been deceived. But I always acted with caution, applying only to respectable merchants or bankers; and such was my confidence in their integrity, that I hail no hesitation in suf- fering them to draw the bills that were to be made payable to themselves, fre- quently signing them when there was no third party present: nor can I recall a single instance in which any person attempted to take advantage of the confi- dence I reposed in them, either in the receipt, payment, or exchange of monies. In making bargains or estimating the quality of articles by their prices, when- ever I depended on my own judgment, I do not remember that I ever had any reason to be tliosatisfied ; nor do I think that in such matters I was more im-

posed upon than I should have been if I had had my sight. 0* Notwithstanding I have travelled so much in foreign countries, and had so extensive an intercourse with strangers, I think I can safely eay that I have not been more deceived or suffered greater losses in money transactions than any of my countrymen. Thank God! I have not found sufficient cause to arm myself with suspicion ; for, although there are despicable characters in every country, who would not hesitate to take advantage of others, I am happy to think that human nature is not so bail as she is generally portrayed, and that there is at least one redeeming quality, which is acknowledged to exist even in the worst charac- ters—a reluctance to practise deceit or treachery on the afflicted as they might be tempted to do on those who were capable of protecting themselves. On the whole, I have much more reason to be grateful to mankind than to complain of any uncharitableness.

It will be seen that Lieutenant HOLMAN, like Dr. Wissosr, very considerably limits the extent of "the World." A voyage which reached no further than Canton and Van Diemen's Land can by no means he entitled to the dignity of a circumnavigation. "Round the World" is indeed a taking and comprehensive title; but in an exact science like geography, more regard should be paid to correctness than to a phrase.