in the province of Fo-kien in China, form an archipelago between the port of Emou and the island of Formosa. A Chinese garrison is kept here, with one of those mandarins who are called lite-rati, whose principal employment is to watch the trading vessels which pass from China to Formosa, or from Formosa to China.

As these islands are only sand-banks or rocks, the inhabitants are obliged to import every necessary of life; neither shrubs nor bushes are seen upon them; all their ornament consists of one solitary tree. The harbour is good, and sheltered from every wind; it has from 20 to 25 feet depth of water. Although it is an uncultivated and uninhabited island, it is absolutely necessary for the preservation of Formosa, which has no part capable of receiving vessels that draw above eight feet of water.