CALLAO, or according to Europeans, a small island in the Chinese sea, stretching in a north westerly dire( tion, along the coast of Cochinchina, about 3o miles Iron, the continent, and is nearly five miles long and two broad. Its eastern shore is rendered com pletely inaccessible by a continued range of overhang ing cliffs and immense rocks, which in some places rise perpendicularly out of the sea ; while the opposite aide of the island is cot crud with Nerdure, and indented with several small sandy bays, aflbrding safe and con venient stations for landing. These, however, are se parated from each other by steep and rugged ridges, which renders all communication between tilein by land extremely difficult.
At the bottom of one of the largest of these bays, is a fertile valley, containing about two hundred acres, where the ground rises gently towards the east, and is bounced on cacti side with lofty mountains, the highest of which is about 1500 feet above the level of the sea. This small but enchanting spot," says Mr Barrow, " is beautifully diversified with neat houses, temples, clumps of trees, small hillocks swelling from the plain, and richly decorated w ith shrubbery and trees of various kinds; among which the elegant areca, rising like a Corinthian column, is eminently. conspicuous." This is the only inhabited part of the island ; and the prin cipal village, which stands upon the margin of the beach, contains about 30 habitations. A ft W of the houses arc built of stone and roofed with tiles, but the rest are constructed entirely of bamboo, and have a very neat and cleanly appearance. About 30 others are scattered over the valley, behind each of which are enclosures of sugar canes, tobacco, and other vegetables ; at the head of the village is a house larger than any of the rest, which Mr Barrow supposed to.he the habitation of the
chief person of the island. It was divided into a num ber of apartments, and enclosed by a stone wall; and the approach to it was through a gateway between two stone pillars. On tile side of the hill behind the village, is a cave, accessible only by one path, through an irre gular range of rocks; and at its mouth is a small temple, which commands a view of the whole plain. This tem ple is open in front, with a colonnade before it of round wooden pillars, painted red and varnished. Several others of the same construction are dispersed up and down the valley. The inhabitants rear a few goats on the sides of the mountains, which are covered with luxu riant pasture ; and they water their rice fields by carry ing a small rivulet along the upper ridges of the vale, and conveying it through sluices, as occasion require:, to the grounds be:ow.
\Viten Mr Barrow visited this place, the principal inhabitants, terrified at the approach of a strange vessel, embark( d in their gal ties and I( ft t tie ism%1; and as none of Lis. people whom he met with could J.iderstand his Chinese interpreter, he was ol'kiged to have recourse to lueroglyphics, and to draw the figures of such articles as he wished to purchase. Poultry and flint, were immediately brought, for which he paid hi.•11 Inlet s, in order to iliate the good trill of the i hinders. See Barrow's Voyage to Coclanchina ; or, Staunton's 4ccount y an ltniba.qxy to China, vol. i. p. 366, &c. (1.)