year, in defiance of monsoons, a steamer
sent from the seat of war (wherever it might be) to Hong Kong, would be
sufficient, at any time, to procure ample supplies of money, ammunition,
and other stores for the army, from India, if need be, in a few weeks.
Every one at all acquainted with the inconvenience and expense suffered
by the late Expedition for want of proper and regular supplies, will
appreciate the value of the Island in this point of view. What was it
that carried off so many of the Cameronians and Royal Irish stationed in
Chusan during the first expedition to the North? Not the climate of that
beautiful island, certainly; for the troops that have since occupied it,
have been remarkably healthy; and I saw four hundred of them land at
Hong Kong, _en route_ to England, much against their will, looking as
rosy and stout as if they had just come from home! What occasioned the
mortality among the troops, was, the want of a _depot_ from which they
could obtain supplies to replace the putrid, ill-cured Calcutta beef and
other unwholesome stores that were served out to convalescents, who died
by hundreds for want of nourishing food to restore their exhausted
frames.

The diseases from which those unfortunate soldiers suffered, were
originally contracted from improper food and bad accommodation; and all
this took place on a Chinese island overrun with cattle, pigs, and
poultry, and with the town of Ting Hae, deserted by nine-tenths of its
inhabitants, under their feet. The Commander-in-Chief's over-scrupulous
conscience would neither allow the cattle to be purchased, nor the empty
houses in the town to be occupied by the sick and dying. No better
stores were to be had nearer than Calcutta,--a six months' trip to and
fro! So bad were the beef and pork, that I afterwards saw hundreds of
casks of both sold by public auction at Singapore, for three quarters of
a dollar (3s. 4-1/2d.) per cask. The meat was used for manure, and the
barrels were used for firewood. The possession of Hong Kong will prevent
the possible recurrence of any thing of this kind.

I am not prepared to say that Chusan would not have been a better
situation for a military _depot_ than Hong Kong. Her Majesty's
Government, however, thought proper to prohibit the permanent occupation
of the former, while that of the latter was sanctioned, so that we have
now no choice. For mercantile purposes, the absolute and permanent
possession of both these islands