on, that four highway
robberies, accompanied with violent assault, took place in the immediate
neighbourhood, in open day, during the stay of six weeks which I made
there in the autumn of 1842. The shopkeepers and boatmen are all
Chinese; and among them may be found some as thorough-bred scoundrels as
ever disgraced humanity. During the year 1843, the following crimes were
perpetrated by Chinese in and about Macao: they were clearly brought
home to them, and, in all probability, do not form a tenth of what might
with justice be laid to their charge:--

1. Mr. Sharpe's _lorcha_ (trading-boat), on her voyage from
Macao to Canton, was piratically attacked within ten miles of
the former place, and plundered of her cargo of opium; Mr.
Sharpe was murdered, and five of his crew; the rest, being
Chinese, were taken off by the pirates, (they subsequently
proved to be their associates,) and the _lorcha_ was burned.

2. A _lorcha_ bound from Hong Kong to Macao, manned by Macao
Chinese, and loaded with spice and other valuable property, was
carried off by her crew, (who murdered an English doctor on
board,) the cargo plundered, and the vessel burned.

3. Another _lorcha_, bound from Macao to Hong Kong, with a
general cargo and two passengers, was carried off in the same
way, plundered, and then burned: the unfortunate passengers
(two respectable young men; one an Irishman, named Clark, the
other from Shetland, a Mr. Clunis) were in like manner
murdered.

4. A boat was sent off from Macao with a box of treasure
containing some 12,000 dollars, under the charge of a Parsee
clerk of the firm to whom the money belonged. They left the
shore at two P. M., and the ship they were bound to was at
anchor only five miles off. The non-appearance of the treasure
which was expected on board, caused the captain to go on shore
to make inquiries about five in the afternoon: his questions
alarmed the Parsee merchant, who had sent off the money and his
clerk at two. Strict inquiry was instituted, and the result
was, the certainty that the poor man had been murdered and
thrown overboard by the boat's crew, who made off with the
money.

5. A boat was sent from a ship in the harbour called the
_Typa_, to one in the outer roads, to transship fourteen
chests of opium: the crew consisted of four Chinese and one
Lascar, with