Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 826 Businessman's Report ([-])

On the ship, they first closed the gunpowder depot on the ship-it used a long strip of paper with words and numbers written in ink on it, and it was tightly attached to the door. If you want to open it, you must destroy the note.This note seems to have legal significance, because our Chinese sailors say that the note is stamped with some kind of seal of authority.

What surprised me the most was that they signed the closure date in Arabic numerals - which is really incomprehensible, and in the era of the birth of the Lord Jesus, obviously they are not ordinary Asian barbarians.

This method of confiscation was also adopted when they put all our weapons: from swords to matchlock guns, into the arsenal.For the cannon on the "Magdeburg", they used a special cork to block the fire door.

The Australians did not take our rigging.In addition, their seizure was completely symbolic. Compared with the Japanese's practice of confiscating all our weapons and gunpowder and dismantling the sail cables, it is obvious that the Australians are very confident in their own force.

The Australians then poured a potion—not wine or vinegar, but a cloudy white potion—everywhere except the cargo hold.We knew right away where their strange smell was coming from, it was this milky potion.It got our whole boat wet.Full of pungent smell.Some people feel dizzy and faint after smelling it.We had to run all over the deck to be safe from the smell.

After confirming that everything had been done according to their requirements, the officials boarded the ship again and issued us the necessary documents.According to this document, we can send people to buy various daily necessities at the pointed points of the pier during the mooring period.The customs officials informed us of the local tax rules and handed us a booklet listing the tax rates for all import and export commodities in Lingao.Such a convenient and open approach is eye-opening.

This is the most complete customs tax system I have ever seen, and each item of imported and exported goods has a dedicated tax rate.The tax rate of most commodities is not high. Here I have to say that among the commodities we ship, the tax rate of spices is on the high side. The Australians even charge a 24% import tax. Obviously Australians don’t like this commodity very much. Logs The tax rates on food, grain, linen and woolen cloth are extremely low, and grain and logs are even tax-free.

The customs officer asked me if I planned to sell all the goods on board at Lingao.I said: I came to Lingao just because of this.Then they unloaded the cargo on the "Magdeburg"-the cargo will be temporarily stored in a special warehouse on the dock until the transaction is completed-until the transaction is concluded-I have no objection to this.

The scene of unloading the cargo is very spectacular!Your Excellency, everyone present said that this was an unforgettable event in their lifetime.As I said before, they use cranes for loading and unloading, just like we do in The Hague and Amsterdam.But their huge cranes are so nimble and powerful that we are all fascinated.Although these cranes seem to be just a framework of iron beams and wooden columns.It works very solidly.

Your Excellency must still remember the cranes used on the docks in Amsterdam and other places. They are as huge as a building, but their lifting capacity is pitifully small.The three strong men in the squirrel cage ran with all their strength to lift the goods that can only be lifted by driving the crane. The Australians used the mysterious firepower machine to easily pick up the goods. The weight of the goods lifted at one time was ten times, or even twenty times.

Australians use several special devices to improve the efficiency of dispatch.It is similar to a huge fishing net, and the goods in packages: dozens of packages of rice and spices are put into net bags, and then lifted by a crane.The other was a huge pallet--they called it a pallet, which seemed to be an iron frame covered with thick planks.Logs, woolen fabrics, linen and other boxed goods are placed on this kind of plate and then hoisted. In order to prevent the goods from falling due to collisions during hoisting, a large net is tied on top of each time.

I have to admit that although this device is very simple and clear at a glance, it is meaningless to us because we do not have a crane capable of lifting such a weight.

The third device is the most bizarre.I don't know how to describe it to you.There is a kind of "track" on the stone trestle bridge, which looks very similar to a ladder laid down on the ground.It's just iron.The Australians use a train of vehicles on it.The wheels of the vehicle are fixed to iron bars - they can only roll along the iron bars.This is said to enable the vehicle to carry heavy loads.Most of the cars are flatbeds with no shelter on all sides.Many of the goods hoisted from the ship were put directly on the vehicle, and were pulled away when a column was full.

Here, I have to say that the most amazing thing happened-these vehicles did not use horses or manpower, they walked automatically after a sharp horn sound.There was a great debate among us as to what exactly powered the vehicles, and it seemed to us that the train weighed at least tens of thousands of pounds, and that even with horses many horses had to be used.Several soldiers and sailors swear they saw the devil pushing the cart behind - I doubt it.I think the Australians have mastered a certain mysterious power, which should be the same as the power that drives the crane, a fire machine.

After unloading, the customs officer gave us a list of the goods.At the same time, he reminded us: After paying import duties, all imported goods must first be purchased by Australians before we are allowed to sell them freely.Australians have no value in buying, and we cannot conduct any transactions with local aboriginals.

Another tax the Aussies impose on us is the mooring tax - their weights and measures have to be said here.They use a unit of length called the "meter".The Australians use a certain formula to calculate the "tonnage" of our ships based on the length and width of our ships.This is about a unit of weight or volume for Australians, and the mooring tax is charged per ton.

In general: Australian customs is the best customs I have ever seen.Promptly done and without extorting from us the customary fees in all ports.

Here I want to mention their officials. It is difficult to distinguish Australian officials from ordinary people in their clothes.They have the same short hair and wear the same blue, black and ecru outfits.This garment is short and narrow, somewhat like our fencing jackets.The clothes are center-opened and fastened to each other with buttons.There are generally four pockets on the jacket - this is the biggest difference between them and ordinary people.According to their regulations, this is the treatment only officials can enjoy.

I don't know what the specific purpose of the two chest pockets is, as the top pocket is pretty much just a piece of cloth fastened to the front breastplate.Officials are purely decorative except for holding a pen.They were all obeyed and respected by the people.They are commonly referred to as "cadres", just like "gentlemen" in our language.

The clothes of the officials are very simple, they don't wear silk or woolen cloth, they wear cotton or linen clothes.There are no gold and silver threads or embroidery decorations on the clothes, and the buttons are made of wood.It is really beyond our comprehension for the Australian government to let its officials dress the same as the most humble common people.

During the quarantine period, we have been loitering on the ship.The Australians sold us a lot of fresh food: there were all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and fish, but there was no supply of meat, eggs, and milk. Soldiers and sailors complained about this—we only had bacon on board, and everyone Hope to have fresh meat.For this reason, we asked the officials who came to inspect the Australians to buy some pigs and cattle, but the other party said that they could not meet our needs. After my repeated requests, they provided us with some chickens and geese - all of which were slaughtered. Understand,
Australians seem to be as lacking in meat as the Chinese.But even sailing off the coast of China, you can buy pigs, chickens, and sometimes cows for Spanish reals.During the quarantine period on the Lingao ship, no matter how much we paid, we could not buy a pig.Everyone was very dissatisfied with this.Luckily they also serve chicken and goose once a week.

The Aussies are very plentiful in the supply of alcohol, and they supply rum in large quantities, enough for sailors and soldiers to bathe in it, and a sweet and sour beer, which is hardly a It is a kind of wine, but because of its rich foam and cool taste, everyone loves to drink it-Australians call it "Kvass".They put kvass in big-bellied glass bottles, plug them with corks and seal them with iron wire and wax, soak them in seawater and drink them out, which is a refreshing drink.

Following your Excellency's instructions, Messrs. Gonzalez and Leibtrini and I are observing the situation in the port every day.The port they call Bopu is not very large, but because it faces a very narrow strait, there are many anchorages suitable for ships.Therefore, enough ships can be accommodated.We saw the battery at the end of the stone trestle - just as the brochure you gave us said.This fort is very tall, not so much a fort as a hill.But we can't judge whether there are cannons installed on it, and whether the cannons can shoot to the distance mentioned in the brochure-it's a restricted area, and you can't approach without special certificates.Gonzalez was skeptical that there were cannons on it.He thought that the position of the battery was too far inland, and that firing from above would take the shells more than a league in a straight line to the surface.It is hard to imagine a cannon capable of shooting so far.

(End of this chapter)