This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1831. Excerpt: ... THE HISTORY OF THE CHINESE PIRATES. BOOK FIRST. There have been pirates from the oldest (1 r.) times in the eastern sea of Canton; they arose and disappeared alternately, but never were they so formidable as in the years of Keaking, at which time, being closely united together, it was indeed very difficult to destroy them. Their origin must be sought for in Annam.f In the This prince was declared Emperor on the 8th February 1796, by his father the Emperor Keen lung, who then retired from the management of public affairs.--Voyage of the Dutch Embassy to China, in 1794-5; London edition, I. 223. Kea king died on the 2d of September 1820, being sixty-one years of age. His second son ascended the Imperial throne six days after the death of his father; the years of his reign were first called Yuen hwuy, but soon changed to Taou kwang--Illustrious Reason. Indo-Chinese Gleaner, vol. iii. 41. t Annam (Chinese, An nan) comprehends the country of CochinChina and Tungking. There have been many disturbances in (; year fifty-six of Keen lung (1792), a certain Kwang ping yuen, joined by his two brothers, Kwang e and Kwang kw6, took Annam by force, (1 v0 and expelled its legitimate king Wei ke le. Le retired into the province Kwang se, and was made a general by our government. But his younger brother Fuh ying came in the sixth year of Kea king (1802) with an army from Siam and Laos,-f and killed Kwang ping in a great battle. The son of the usurper, called King shing, went on board a ship with the minister Yew kin meih, and Meih joined the pirates, Ching tsih, Tung hae pa, and others, who rambled about these seas at this time. The pirate Ching tsih was appointed a king's officer, under the name of master of the stables. King shing, relying on the force of his new allies...