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26 Jul 58 Peter Macao Mother 5, Hyde Park Place West ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Macao

26 July 1858

My dear Mother

You will perhaps not be impressed to see the present heading to my letter as I told you in my last that I should probably be over here for a short time after the departure of the mail & here I am.

It is of course under the presumption of bad health, an idea which I have myself far from propagated & which I in toto deny, for altho’ I was for some little time not exactly myself, still I have not been strictly speaking ill. A little change will however no doubt do me good.

Macao, altho’ about 50 miles from Hong Kong, is very different in climate. It is just as hot during the day time but the breeze is so beautifully cool & fresh – particularly in the morning & evening. That is quite delightful after Hong Kong. Here we get the wind blowing full upon us from the open sea. At Hong Kong it must, from whichever quarter it blows, cross the land & pick up heat first.

Macao is just like the sea side at home, only unfortunately so hot that in the day time you can only sit in some shady spot & read. A few minutes in the sun gives you a head ache & too much of it would probably produce fever & sickness. It is generally considered a very pretty place, so much so that I was rather disappointed, but then I am a griffin & only just fresh from all our pretty little seaport towns at home. I have never been in Portugal but I should certainly say it was a Portuguese town and all the old forts ruinous & neglected as they are certainly give it an antiquated peculiar aspect such as one would little expect in China.

The ‘Praya’ or Parade is a fine open broad walk along the shore at the end of which is a triangular open green space with rows of trees & stone seats with no backs & where the bands play twice a week. This of course is the grand resort, but as the seats – bad as they are – are all carefully seized by the lower orders & Parsees & moormen & Arabs & Jews & above all by the Chinese, the more wealthy portion of the inhabitants who paid for their erection are of course unable to avail themselves of them.

Macao swarms with all these Parsees & Easterns – all in a small way – for the rich ones go to Hong Kong & as to the Portuguese, Macao is far from a settlement of traders for it swarms with men of that nations, many in servile employments & many almost in a state of beggary. Then there is a very numerous portion of the inhabitants whose origin would be very difficult to trace – mixed Chinese & Portuguese & ns – many indeed say that there is a touch of the monkey in them. I have however never yet seen a tail.

We have a very nice house here – Mr Jardine’s private house. It is on the slope of the hill facing the sea & we get the full benefit of the sea breeze. It is always used for the honeymooners of all connected with our firm & perhaps in all China there is not a more suitable & pleasant house to pass the first few weeks of that happy state. Last year it witnessed two. If it could but find a voice to give utterance to all it has seen, what tales it might unfold!

All this is very agreeable. Now for disagreeables. On our arrival here we found all the Chinamen clearing out & the place to be attacked by 10,000 Chinese. Not the braves & ordinary Chinese, but it was expected to be a sort of general rising among the lower orders instigated by the Pirates for the sake of plunder. Every one is involved in a sort of Militia here in case of disturbance & these were all called out the first night to resist some expected attack which did come off, but not on the scale which is expected soon. That ‘soon’ – if ever – is presumed to be this evening as it is full moon, a time which like everything else with them, seems strange, & which is always chosen by them.

All the foreign inhabitants have offered their assistance. The Portuguese being compelled to serve in the Militia & Dawson (who came over with me) & I have been concerting means of escape as soon as we have each shot down our five men with our revolvers. There are only three of us in this enormous house & it would be impossible to defend it. The means of escape suggested are in my opinion just about as dangerous as the meeting one hundred Chinamen bent on our destruction in as much as we have to leap off the top of a crazy wall, some 14 feet on to the roof of a crazy house. Then, if we do not go thro’ the tiles, which is to be presumed we should, we have again to leap from the roof of this house down to the ground.

I think I shall go out thro’ the door which opens into a back street & fight my way tho’ this will be rather dangerous as there will probably be a large number of men told off to attack this house, knowing it to be that of the most wealthy man in China. This is what you may call coming over to Macao for pleasure & the benefit of one’s health.

All the ‘boys’, Compradors &c. nearly have gone. Dawson’s bolted yesterday. Davies’ (our 3rd friend, an awful fast customer at present living here as agent for the firm). Davies’s went two or three days ago. Mine asked leave for two or three hours yesterday & strangely came back again & so we are all dependant upon him & a man of colour we have borrowed from a ship.

When we left Hong Kong they were all taking leave of our house there. By this time I daresay they all have to clean their own boots. I never abuse my boy like others do, but always treat him well. Now I am reaping the benefit of it. Last night Dawson who is in an awful frame of mind & wanted to go back as soon as we arrived, & myself, sat up some time in expectation of the attack as it was a beautiful clear night. However everything seemed so quiet & still that I could not bring myself to believe that we were on the eve of so serious an affair & I posted off to bed, much to his disgust & slept as soundly with my revolver under my pillow as I ever slept in my life. I believe he stopped up all night.

In the middle of the night there was a great noise and a Chinaman was heard most piteously crying in Chinese ‘not to cut his head off’. Dawson rushed frantically about but it turned out that the man was only dreaming of the attack & talking in his sleep. At any rate, it shows the truth of what we are every night expecting.

A captain of one of the vessels loading here was telling me yesterday that he went into one of the forts, examined the guns & found them full of water! This is the protection we may look for from the authorities. As for the Governor, they say he has a steamer with steam always up, so as to bolt at a moment’s notice. There is not a vessel of war in the harbour & none but gun boats would be any use as they could not get near enough in.

I have just heard an amusing anecdote of Canton. A gentleman there was living in a chop-boat as all merchants formerly used to do, but just now only for safety. In the middle of the night he was aroused by a grating noise & seizing his revolver he walked silently to ascertain the cause. Looking over the side he discovered a man totally unaware of his presence in the very act of scuttling the vessel. So he just levelled his revolver, resting it against the side of the boat & took a deliberate ‘pot’ at the man. But imagine his dismay, first one, then two, three, four, five, six – every barrel missed fire & the man, of course soon startled, just quietly paddled his boat away, put his fingers up his nose ‘in barbarian fashion’ & laughed at our friend. It is a strange fact that revolvers always miss fire here just when they are wanted.

There have been some severe attacks on Canton lately but I think the Chinamen find it no go. We have just heard that matters are likely to be arranged there, but merely on Chinese authority.

Hong Kong, 31st August*

Here I am in Hong Kong again. All the better I think for my short visit.

I sat down several times to write before, but was always prevented. The wonderful attack never came off tho’ even when I left the excitement was great as ever. Armed men & powder barrels & all sorts of things had been discovered in apparently empty houses & it was distinctly ascertained that proper arrangements had been made for a simultaneous attack on every house & the consequent murder of every ‘Barbarian Devil’.

All the Chinese that yet remained, stayed but to dispose of the remainder of their stock & with the exception of these, the lower orders, whom of course the Mandarins could not ‘squeeze’ the place was pretty well deserted. The term ‘squeeze’ I should tell you means to get money out of a man – to squeeze it out of him. Not to get it in a regular manner. For instance, if you offer a Chinaman half what he asks, he tells you you are squeezing him. A term which might astonish newcomers who do not comprehend the sense in which it is meant.

The Mandarins have ordered all Chinamen to leave our employ. If they do not, their families resident in China will be ‘squeezed’ – that is, probably everything will be confiscated & themselves maltreated. If they do, the Mandarins knowing them to be comparatively wealthy, as everyone in barbarian employ is supposed to be will equally ‘squeeze’ them of their well earned wealth. Just fancy Howgua, the great Chinese Merchant being compelled to leave Canton by the edict & then being squeezed out of 1,000,000 Dollars by Mr Hwang.

But to return to Macao. Well, I was so pleased with my ‘Boy’ for sticking to me that when one day he came & asked leave to go home for one day I at once accorded it. He has never appeared since !! The only thing that annoys me is that I was so foolish as not to owe him money. In some cases you see it as an advantage to be in debt. So here I am roughing it beautifully. I just brush off the dust from my boots with some of my dirty clothes & seize hold of any one to get me clean water. When my boy comes back, which he will in about a fortnight, I shall kick him out of the house & prefer to go on roughing it until the times will permit of my getting another.

In the mean time, my boots will get very seedy & as for clothes why, I suppose I must lie in bed all day until the washermen are permitted by the Mandarins to come back. The position we are placed in is the most ridiculous thing in the world. There are just 3 ‘boys’ left but they I expect will be off in a day or so. Then if we want to wash ourselves, we must go out & take a salt water bath, grow beards for want of water to shave with, kill & cook our own food, as long as the supplies last. But even that will not be long as they too are stopped by order of the Mandarins.

I should tell you that the China Mail is the Government organ & therefore always places things in a favourable light. The ‘Friend of China’ is the one for exposés but I think the former such a much better written paper that I prefer to send it. Besides which, altho’ I don’t wish to frighten you, I am sorry to say that poor Davies who formed one of our Trio at Macao & who is conducting the business of the house there was struck by the sun the day before I left & when I last saw him was almost insensible. He is a very nice fellow – very fast & very careless, but with a good heart & a pleasant address. One evening after having been so bad that the Doctor feared the worst, he got up from his bed & with the blood still trickling from twelve leech bites on his temple, declared that he thought he would dress & go out to hear the band & come back to dinner at half past 7. Of course we were obliged to prevent him & smilingly asked him to look in the glass & see if he thought he could put his hat on. Mr Jardine went over directly he heard of his illness.

I forgot to tell you that some time ago, just as we began to fear the ‘Exodus’ which is now at its height, my boy came to me & asked me for some money ‘because his mother had died & he wanted to buy mourning’. ‘Englishman’ said he ‘puttee on black – Cheenaman puttee on blue’ which however strange it may seem to us is nevertheless true. White is the deepest mourning but it is only worn on particular occasions. A bright blue is deep mourning. Well, it was a very hard case to answer a boy of telling a falsehood if it really was true & altho’ I had my doubts, still after a time I told him he might get the money from the Comprador & in due course he put on grey shoes & started a bright blue end to his pigtail, for of course you are aware that a Chinaman’s pigtail is not half hair.

It never does to lose yr. temper with a Chinaman. Sarcasm & facetiousness is the great thing for they never lose their own tempers & of course would therefore get the better of you unless you came to blows. They are about as cool headed as they are cool. The excuse of the mother having died is a very common & a useful one. So much so that many boys have their mothers die constantly. I did not therefore believe the story but instead of getting in a rage I just quietly asked in the particular Canton dialect ‘Heigha – that number one curio thing – why for fue’non all that boy mother makee die’. But he was too sharp for me again. ‘My no savee’ he said ‘have got that sick pigeon (!) all man makee die one, two hour 20’. I don’t know whether you understand all this. The ‘sick pigeon’ (business) of course is cholera which really has been raging, at least in H.K. & Macao, tho’ I don’t know if it extended ‘inside China’ as they call it.

Yesterday my horse boy came to me for money – also two Chinese tradesmen with bills, but I don’t intend to pay any Chinamen any money until they are all properly settled again. It would be encouraging them to leave. My horse boy put it feelingly ‘Spose my no catchee money, how can pay (give) that horse chou chou’ (food). But I owe him 12 Dollars (£3) which is a nice little handle to hold on to him by. If he got the money the probability is that he would bolt & then the horse wouldn’t get any ‘chou chou’ at all.

Our old Comprador is the finest fellow. He is a miserable old rickety creature as ever was, whose legs seem to give way under him. He looks on in despair at all these doings but does not like to go himself & give up the good berth he has for I don’t believe any body would take such a rickety old creature again. So he vents his indignation in such dignified terms as to astonish every one. ‘Heigha heigha – number one bad man – that mandarin – my likee catchee he – my cuttee he head – my puttee one sword he heart – heigha number one bad man’ If the mandarin got hold of him, wouldn’t he squeeze him.

While we were in Macao, the ‘Actaeon’* & two gun boats were sent over to take care of the Portuguese & especially to capture a lot of piratical junks which were terrifying them very much & stopping all the supplies. There is no doubt that these men, altho’ pirates, are instigated by the Chinese authorities, or why should they cut off supplies. Well the vessels instead of suddenly appearing in the night & starting at day break after the Pirates, must needs come booming in about 7 o’clock one morning & commence firing away right & left, saluting. Of course the Portuguese answered it from the forts & what were the Pirates doing all this time. Why of course they were off like shots & when the gun boats started next morning after remaining 24 hours in harbour doing nothing, they were astonished that they couldn’t find any signs of Pirates. At last however they discovered that they had fallen back upon some place where there were at least 90 junks each containing 100 men & these they either did not think it safe to attack or perhaps the depth of water would not permit of it. Now a gun boat has been sent out to scour the coast & stick up notices that if any more pirates choose to infest any more places they shall all be ‘scragged’. What nonsense! As if these pirates don’t know that we Barbarians never deal in these wholesale massacres, like the wonderfully civilisedinhabitants of the Central Flowery Kingdom.

There is a great to-do here because the Emperor has not signed the Treaty, but I cannot argue with the parties as I think it is clear that the Treaty ought to be ratified & then signed. They are trying very hard to bring the Canton people to terms but all to no purpose. They say ‘no savee that Umpla (Emperor) Treat-pigeon – savee jus’now fight pigeon’.

4 August – 1858

The grand proclamation has been sent out in a gun boat in order that copies may be every where placarded. The proclamation said that the everlasting peace was happily concluded between the two nations & that the Chinese authorities had no right to continue offensive operations. Amongst other matters, if they did not let our servants & Hong Kong-ites return we would make them. The very first place where our men landed to stake up the placards they were met with a heavy fire & obliged to bolt. So much for the proclamation & its results. The ‘Sampson’ with two gun boats has just arrived from the North & brings word that there is a Commissioner on his way to persuade Hwang. I wonder if it is true. If so, we are all right.

I have been trying to get a native or rather a n servant. Today I had an offer of a capital servant, but what do you think he had the conscience to ask – 12 Drs. a month & to be found in ‘grub’ as he called it. ‘Why, my good man’ I said ‘ do you know when I was living in Madras (???) what I paid my servant. Why 5 rupees a month’. The man was a Madrassee. 5 rupees would be 10s out of which native servants are expected to find themselves. He wanted 54s a month & to be found as well & in addition to this, I should have had to keep a coolie because it was not ‘custom in my country to bring master water to wash’.

A Chinese servant does everything & finds himself as well for $6 a month. I paid mine $7 but never again will I show consideration for a Chinaman. They have no conscience. No moral nor religious feeling. They are brought up & consider it a proof of shrewdness to utter falsehoods. Literally speaking they cannot be trusted. As long as it answers their purpose they are honest & in serving us as they do, they do it but for the dollars. If you treated a servant well & he had perhaps remained with you twenty years, he would leave you tomorrow without the slightest feeling of gratitude or affection. These two sentiments are alike unknown. They have no moral feeling – in fact they have no feeling at all.

6 August 1858

I had made arrangements for a n servant after some considerable trouble but as he had just come from ship-board he naturally looked rather seedy & I was induced to give him an advance to buy decent clothing. Of course therefore he has never made his appearance, so now I am in just the same position as before – only 5 dollars poorer. I was not green in giving him the money, but it was a rash speculation which turned out badly because it must be recollected that just now I am in China where every thing is strange.

The mail arrived this morning but no letter from you, nor by last either. If you only knew how miserable & heartrending it is to see others smiling & happy over their home news, I am sure you would not miss. I know I cannot expect you to write to all four every mail, but there is Mary. Why doesn’t she write – or any one – if it is but to hear from home. I certainly did get a letter from my Father but he said in the beginning that he had not intended writing only availed himself of a spare half hour. I also received some more Saturday Reviews from a Mr Blenkin for which please thank Sir Peter. Would it not be better to send them regularly ! as the subjects if stale lose the pith of the interest.

I have not seen Mr B yet but shall as soon as I can. Why not have sent the dog out to me by him, instead of making him a present of it. What became of the other one?

I was telling you about Chinese servants. We have only one left now & he like every one of them look quite astounded when asked if he was going. I heard from one of the other boys however that he is. Particularly as, he said ‘he mother belong my mother sister belong my country’ which meant to say that they were cousins & came from the same place.

There have however been one or two strange incidents connected with the Exodus. One boy who left sharp one morning because he said ‘my mother have write my no go chop chop’ has since been found in the establishment of another member of the firm at not a hundred yards from this. And this was a boy – a most promising young fellow of whom every one had the highest opinion – in fact he was generally allowed to be a prodigy & a most promising young fellow. But high & low, conscientious & moral feeling is unknown to them.

Another boy who has been years with his master, a member of our establishment & the oldest resident in China, who merely from the liberal feelings of his master received higher wages than any other boy, who was constantly in receipt of ‘cumshaws’ or presents to say nothing of having silk dresses & all sorts of things given him at New Year. This boy of course received a letter from his mother saying that the Mandarins were going to cut her head off &c. & one morning gave notice & knocked off work.

We have since discovered that the boy has never left the place at all, but has all this time been living down below, cutting a great figure. I should tell you that all these beauties forfeit all moneys due to them. A Chinaman never lets such things interfere with intended arrangements.

8 August 1858

My n servant appeared at last & I don’t know what we should do without him. I think it is a great hit of mine & I am the only one who has a servant now, except the one previously mentioned who I believe takes his exit today.

Yesterday I had a great row with my horse boy. Some little time since he asked me for money declaring that he did not want to go home. ‘he no belong that country’ but as my other boy had told me the same, I determined not to be deceived again & so declined for the present giving him a cent ‘truly, truly, my no wanchee go home’ & he said it with such earnestness that I really believed him. Still however I declined paying him.

Yesterday he came to me & said he’d got the letter from the mother &c. & all that little history & he ‘werry sorry – he likee take care my pigeon, but jus’now he must go home likee – he chin chin my (thank me) pay that money’. ‘Not a cent’ I said ‘You told me you didn’t want to go home to try & get the money & bolt & now you may go – be off at once but not a cent shall you get’. Well he became very violent & noisy & by the bye Mr Jardine came down & wanted to know what was the matter.

So he ‘Kotowed’ (Salaamed) down to the ground & told his pitiful tale. How his mother’s head was going to be cut off if he didn’t go & how I wouldn’t pay him his wages. The finale was amusing. After the man’s fearful violent voice & manner ‘Don’t pay him a cash (1200th part of a dollar) said Mr Jardine in his quiet scotch accent. ‘Don’t pay him a cash if he goes’. In the evening the horse was round as usual. I have nothing much for him to steal. I was only afraid he might poison the horse.

Yesterday two European corpses without heads floated down the harbour, but I have heard nothing more of them or their history. The police were so dilatory that I believe they got out to sea & so were never recognised.

Julius says he understands he is to get £1,500 prize money. I think he may truly say, to use the pun attributed to Sir Colin, ‘Nemo fortunatus sum’ – ‘I’m in Luck now’.

Chas. Matthews appears not to have been so successful in his campaign. It appears he got a wife, against all promises of yore & with the wife he got a cowhiding* & that from the very same person from whom he got the lady. One might make a capital comedy out of the history & he would be able to perform it feelingly.

I think there is one thing I need scarcely to ask you to do & that is to take care of my letters, for they after all form a sort of journal which will someday amuse me much to look thro'.

Please do let me hear from some one at least every mail & if you have not commenced to send me out previous to the receipt of this, the newspapers, please to send me regularly or order some newsagents to do so – all the Illustrateds & Punches & such papers as have anything of interest to me in them. Otherwise it is just a chance if I see the papers & know what is going on.

Julius by this mail has 3 steps. From John I have not heard. You say the regt. is going to India but I have had lots of time to hear from him. I cannot make it out.

Give my love to Mary, a kiss to little Helen & remember me to all else

Your affect, Son

Peter G Laurie

* 31st August – He clearly meant 31st July

* Actaeon – Named after a character in Greek Myth who came to an unfortunate end after watching the goddess Artemis bathing, this HMS Actaeon served in the Far East from 1856-1860, taking part in various actions, including Canton, 1857

* Chas. Matthews – Charles James Matthews (1803-1878) English comedian and writer of comic sketches. Studied architecture but took over from his father as manager of the Adelphi Theatre. He married Elizabeth Lucia Vestris (née Bartolozzi) in 1838. They had unsuccessful stage productions in USA and London, before Matthews became bankrupt in 1852 and she died two years later. As an actor, he made a successful tour of USA and married Lizzie Davenport in 1858. They lived a productive and financially stable life together, performing in Australia, India and London. She died in 1899 and they are both buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

* Cowhiding – flogging with a cowhide whip