Formosa

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 44, 13 May 1875, Page 7

Formosa

In 1524, or thereabouts, the Portuguese sighted a big-island off the coast of China, with high mountains, and with such lovely peeps of wooded- glen, aud sweet grassy valley, that they called it Formosa, the beautiful. After the: Portuguese came, the- Spanish ; then, in 1624, the Dutch founded a f'octory on the north coast j built a fort— Fort Zea- : land — and though themselves so secure in their position that they started missions to the aborigines, and translated' parts of the Bible into Formosan, That Mantchu-Tartar conquest, however, which gave China its present rulers, drove the Dutch out of Formosa Beaten on the mainland, a great number of Chinese (25,000 says the records) went across to Formosa. Perhaps the Chinese expected that the Tartars would disappear as quickly as they had come ; a 1 ; any rate, they thought Formosa a. handy place from which to Watch events. So they gave notice to the Dutch — "We want our island, and you must go, if you please." " We'll go," the Dutch said, and in 1662 the Chinese got all the island to themselves.; Since then the history of Formosa has-, been Uank. The aboriginies have-; mostly been gradually been pushed south and east, across the great range of volcanic mountains which cuts the. island in. two ; of course some of them! have been tamed by the Chinese, and a! good many of the latter have run wild,; burst away from ettquette, and man-; darians, and his excellency the. deputy; at Taj wau-fou, and taken to the mountains. Even the Chinamen sometimes! get restless. When : they dp so /at! home, as a ride -they turn pirates; buti as Formosa is- a poor place for pirates — ; for two" hundred miles at a stretch! there is not port of any kind-- a law- j less. Chinaman in .Formosa, takes not to; the sea, 'but, like Robin Hood, to the! good green wood ; and: very good the: greenwood is, as soon as you havej passed the foggy, marshy, plains, rich; with volcanic detritus, where some of the finest rice in the world is grown,! ,and whence; sugar is largely- exported toChina. But the island is coveted % more than one European poorer. Three! yekrs ago, the Gerfn&ns offered; the; Chinese government five million dollars; for it. There^ was. no. indemnity to pay: just them; so China - refused. But! after the next opium, j)r treaty-port, ori missionary war, the : emperor may per-; haps be compelled to sell. latelyItaly' has' beeri^ trying, ;ih a h'ftmbler| way, to, plant a "factory ; but hitherto; with little success.: — 'All the Year;

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