3 48 Journal of Travel and Natural History 



officers. They crowded the sides of their junks to see the foreign 

 white-faced devils pass them, and saluted us with rough jests and 

 remarks upon our personal appearance, the reverse of compli- 

 mentary. As the setting sun was nearing the horizon, a pleasant 

 breeze sprang up, and it was most pleasant to sit on the deck 

 watching the river-banks and looking out for fresh novelties, as 

 each bend of the river was turned, whilst, our sail being hoisted, we 

 glided onward with easy and almost imperceptible motion. Some 

 conspicuous red mandarin poles soon denoted the neighbourhood 

 of a populous town, and we then passed Upper and Lower Kup- 

 Kow, an aristocratic locality, at some distance from the south river 

 bank, whilst in front of us lay the great manufacturing commercial 

 entrepot, the city of Fatshan. Although the breeze was favour- 

 able, we did not reach the canal which traverses this busy town 

 until after sunset. Business hours were over, and most of the 

 upper and middle-class citizens were sitting enjoying the evening 

 air with their wives and children in open summer houses and 

 verandahs overlooking the water. As long as it was light, the 

 quays, windows, and terraces were crowded with eager spectators, 

 who quickly assembled to see the unusual sight of European 

 travellers passing through their town. 



It soon grew dark, lights began to illumine the windows, 

 glazed with their oyster-shells, and quaint lanterns were shewn at 

 the various hongs. The clang of gongs and drums was heard from 

 a neighbouring joss-house, and from the flower-boats resounded 

 the high notes of the singing girls, accompanied by lutes, clarionets, 

 and other stringed and reed instruments ; the universally popular 

 " Jasmine flower " melody being often distinguishable. At seven 

 P.M. we came to anchor in mid-stream, just beyond the city, the 

 boatmen not being at all sure of what treatment we might receive 

 at the hands of the patriotic citizens of Fatshan. Next morning 

 we were on the move at 3 a.m., and we landed with our guns 

 about six o'clock at a place called Tsz-Tong. Here was a fine 

 broad-towing path, on an elevated solid bund or dyke, running 

 alongside the river as a defence against inundations. The course 

 of the stream is very tortuous, and the country still flat and dry, 

 with large patches of sugar cane, dry paddy fields, and acres for 

 miles together of mulberry bushes and cotton. A considerable 

 (luantity of silk is produced in this neighbourhood and further 

 south. Several miles to the north of us were sandstone hills of no 



