THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



43; 



A Chinefe houfe, undoubtedly, occupies more fpace than '779- 

 is ufually taken up by houfes in Europe : but the proportion 

 fuggefted by M. Sonnerat, of four or five to one, certainly 

 goes much beyond the truth. To this mould be added, that 

 a great many houfes, in the fuburbs of Canton, are occu- 

 pied, for commercial purpofes only, by merchants and rich 

 tradefmen, whofe families live intirely within the city. On 

 the other hand, a Chinefe family appears to confiit, on an 

 average, of more perfons than an European. A Mandarine, 

 according to his rank and fubftance, has from five to twenty 

 wives. A merchant, from three to five. One of this clafs 

 at Canton, had, indeed, twenty-five wives, and thirty-fix 

 children ; but this was mentioned to me as a very extraor- 

 dinary inftance. An opulent tradefman has ufually two; 

 and the lower clafs of people very rarely more than one. 

 Their fervants are at leait double in number to thofe em- 

 ployed by perfons of the fame condition in Europe. If, 

 then, we fuppofe a Chinefe family one-third larger, and an 

 European houfe two-thirds lefs, than each other, a Chinefe 

 city will contain only half the number of inhabitants con- 

 tained in a European town of the fame fize. Acccording to> 

 thefe data, the city and fuburbs of Canton may probably 

 contain about one hundred and fifty thoufand. 



With refpect to the number of inhabited Sampanes, I found 

 different opinions were entertained ; but none placing them 

 lower than forty thoufand. They are moored in rows clofe 

 to each other, with a narrow pafTage, at intervals, for the 

 boats to pafs up and down the river. As the Tygris, at Can- 

 ton, is fomewhat wider than the Thames, at London ; and 

 the whole river is covered in this manner for the extent of 

 at lead a mile ; this account of their number does not ap- 

 pear to me, in the leaft, exaggerated ; and if it be allowed, 



Vol. III. ? K the 



