In 1852 or 1853 he was found as a cast away as a small baby, drifting on a small raft in the China Sea. He was taken in and brought up by a sea captain named Robson.
一八五二或五三年間，他是漂流在中國海上的棄嬰，被一位叫羅勃遜的船長收留，在船上帶大。