By John Lee Scott
Narrative of a up to date Imprisonment in China after the smash of the Kite (1841) is an autobiographical account, written by means of the service provider sailor John Lee Scott, of his 'shipwreck and next imprisonment within the Celestial Empire' in 1840, in the course of the First Anglo-Chinese or so-called 'Opium' warfare. In 8 chapters, Scott describes leaving South Shields within the Kite, 'a attractive brig of 281 lots' for Singapore as a way to 'carry shops to the British fleet destined for China'. Scott recounts how the Kite was once capsized on its option to bring offers to the British fleet dependent round Chusan, and the way he and different workforce individuals, after being washed up at the island of Ningpo, have been captured by means of the chinese language and held prisoner for 5 months. Scott's Narrative presents an enticing perception into British perceptions of the chinese language through the Anglo-Chinese conflicts of the 19th century.
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Example text
29 mills. By dusk, we arrived at a large town, where we had to change our boat; rather an awkward piece of business, as the guard would render us but little assistance, and, fettered as I was, I found it very difficult to crawl from one boat to the other. At last I managed it, and then lay down in the bottom of my new conveyance, the soldier taking the precaution of making my neckrope fast, so that I could not escape. About ten in the evening we arrived at another town, but, being late, everything here was perfectly quiet.
IN CHINA. 41 The Chinese ranged us in our cages in two lines, one on each side of the hall; and at the end of each line they placed one of the guns, with its muzzle towards us. When we were thus arranged, like beasts in a show, many well and richly-dressed people came to look at us; and none but the better sort seemed to be admitted, for, with the exception of the soldiers, there were no ragged people in the place. Our visitors were mostly dressed in fine light silks, beautifully worked with flowers and figures of different descriptions.
Our visitors were mostly dressed in fine light silks, beautifully worked with flowers and figures of different descriptions. All of them had fans, some of them prettily painted, and others plain. One or two of the men had enamelled watches, which they wore hanging to their girdles by a gold chain. We were treated pretty well by them, as they gave us fruit and cakes, and sent water to those who asked for it. We did not remain long in this hall, for our bearers again made their appearance, and mine, shouldering the cage, marched off, and I was once more exposed to the 42 RECENT IMPRISONMENT mercies of the mob; the soldiers, our guard, never making the slightest attempt to keep the people off.