*^S4 CITY OF (;anton. 



One hundred miles separate Hong-Kong from 

 (/anton, which fbi-ined a pleasant day's voyage on 

 board the American steamer, " Kiu-Kiang." Withhi 

 three or four houis from starting, we passed the old 

 escarped walls of Macao, now half in ruins, wliich 

 crown the surrouncHng hills, — rather a pretty bit of 

 scenery. Hence we started up the inlet giving access 

 to the broad Pei-Kyang river. Both shores are flat ; noi- 

 has the Whampoa harbour, higher up, where ships are 

 obliged to anchor, on account of the shallowness of the 

 river, any attraction to boast of. But as we ap- 

 proached the town of Canton in a clumsy boat, the 

 Chu-Kyang, or Pearl river, became alive with shipping; 

 its entire breadth was crammed with junks and large 

 covered boats, painted in bright colours, and mostly 

 rowed by women. Already here one gets a tolerable 

 idea of the denseness of the population of Canton, 

 vaguely given as a million souls. The river has the ap- 

 pearance of a floating town, and on landing and passing 

 through the Chinese quarter one felt alm.ost suffocated 

 by the crowd. 



The Europeans reside and have their store-houses, 

 by the Chinese called hongs, at Sha-Min, outside the 

 city wall, whei-e my letters of introduction secured me 

 a very kind reception. 



The city, divided by a wall and gates into the 



