Chapter 29 History of the Voyage and Operations of the Nemesis

History of the Voyage and Operations of the Nemesis "Nemesis", formerly translated as "Namixis", is an ironclad ship of the British Navy. During the Opium War, he participated in the battle against the Qing Dynasty and was also anchored in Hong Kong, so there are many stories in the book about At that time, before the British army landed on Hong Kong Island, and the situation of the menarche of occupation of Hong Kong.original title of the book It is Narrvative of the Voyages and Services of the Nemesis.author It was WD Bernard, published in London in 1844, in two volumes.

The part about Hong Kong is in the twenty-fourth to twenty-sixth chapters of this book.Recorded in these three chapters Yes, it's all about Hong Kong. The Nemesis was an ironclad steamer built in India, with a displacement of six hundred and thirty tons.because Because it is an armored steamship, although the tonnage is not large, the naval warships at that time were still dominated by multi-storey sailboats. Lord, so the Nemesis is regarded as a weapon for long-range combat, and it carried British ships in the Opium War The army fought deep into the Yangtze River and reached Nanjing.

Bellard, the author of this book, participated in the battle with the ship.This book was written by the captain of the "Nemesis" I provide information, including the ship's voyage log, official documents, and the personal experiences of the soldiers on board. for his adoption.Therefore, this book not only contains some rare information about the early days of Hong Kong Island, but also It is also an important reference material for the study of the Opium War. Regarding the narrative of early Hong Kong, the author quotes the 1816 English Amishde, the goodwill ambassador sent by China to visit the Qing Dynasty, went to Tianjin by sea from England by boat.

Records of ground berths in Hong Kong waters.At that time, the battleship on which Amersad was boarded was parked in the ocean outside Laowanshan. According to the scheduled plan, we are waiting for a group of China passers-by from Macau, such as Si Dangdong and Mr. Morrison. Join him as the attache and interpreter of the envoy, so as to go to Tianjin together.In this record there was a promise The meeting point of the two sides is called "Hong Kong Waterway", and said that there are many beautiful and mountainous islands nearby, One of the main islands is called "Hong Kong" and so on.

The date of this record is July 10, 1816.1816 was the twenty-first year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty In 2000, there were still more than 20 years before the Opium War, but there were already Hong Kong envoys' voyage records. The name of Hong Kong shows that attention has been paid to Hong Kong Island at this time. Attached to this book is a complete map of Hong Kong Island in 1842, surveyed by British Naval Surveyor Bell Well, he was one of the first British officers to occupy Hong Kong Island.This map is approximately the time when he measured Hong Kong's water Dao, thus becoming the first map drawn by the British after the occupation of Hong Kong Island (in "Southern

Before the signing of the Treaty of Beijing).According to Sha Ya in his book "The Birth, Childhood and Adulthood of Hong Kong" Li said that the complete map of Hong Kong Island surveyed and drawn by Belkur is the earliest map of Hong Kong Island. There is already the city of Victoria, and the location of several important buildings on the island at that time is noted.the island The heights of several peaks are also noted, but these figures have been more accurately measured later, The proof is not quite right. This is a hatched monochrome map on an inch by mile scale with many errors in

It seems particularly interesting today.For example, the location of Wong Nai Chung is placed on the map near Sogan Po today. Nearby, a mile away from the original location of Wong Nai Chung. Also, the area around today's Jardine's Warehouse, which was later called Dongjiao, is called "Suddenly" on this map. Dichenjiao". Aberdeen has not yet inscribed the English name of "Aberdeen", so it is still called "Aberdeen" on the map. Paiwan", this is an ancient local name. As for the English pinyin of the names of most villages and harbors on the island, it is also very similar to the spelling commonly used today.

different. Regarding the desolation and unhealthy climate of Hong Kong Island in the early days of its development, the author of this book has discussed In the three chapters of the book, some interesting information that is less known has been provided.He said that at the time it was thought that In addition to the deep-water harbor for boats to moor, the small island has convenient water access at both ends of the harbor. Apart from Tao, there is nothing good about it.Therefore, at that time, many British businessmen advocated giving up Hong Kong Island and occupying it. Lantau Island.However, because the entire island of Lantau Island is too large, it is difficult to defend in case of an enemy attack, and

In terms of climate, specialty products, and fresh water supply, its shortcomings are similar to those of Hong Kong Island, but Hong Kong Island has In view of its small size and easier defense, it was decided to continue to occupy it. Regarding the natural state of the island in its early years, the author of this book cites earlier (1816) to The records of the British navigators who visited the island said that the island lacked trees, but the ferns on the hillside It grows very lush.It is also said that there are a large number of rice fields in the Wong Nai Chung area. When the "Revenge" was anchored in Hong Kong Harbor, it encountered a hurricane. Captain Hal once

There are very detailed records in Cheng's diary and his personal diary, and the author of this book, Bellard, quotes them one by one. used. "History of the Voyage and Operations of the Nemesis" was published in 1844, more than 120 years ago. Needless to say, it is not easy to read this book now.