CANTON BAZAAE, 293 



ashes in eight urns, each of tliese being put into a 

 separate compartment, one above the other, an altar 

 occupying the first storey, which, according to native 

 authority, is the origin of the nine-roofed pagoda. 



A walk through the streets of Canton presents 

 many objects of interest. At first I tried to get on 

 in a chair, which I soon abandoned, on account of the 

 narrowness of the passages and constant obstructions, 

 and took to my feet. For my ciceroni I had the 

 good luck to enlist an Englishman, who had for many 

 years been employed as collector of customs. He 

 first took me to some of the princijaal shops ; — to 

 Ho-ah-ching, famous for his ivory carvings, but most 

 of them modern, — in fact, old ivory, like old porcelain, 

 fetches a m^uch higher price in China than it does in 

 Europe : thence to Leen-ching, the best jeweller ; 

 here I especially admired some of the jjretty things 

 in jade stone, of green and milky-white, the former 

 is used for small ornaments, as earrings, which every 

 Chinawoman wears, mostly of a circular shape set in 

 gold, whilst the latter is made into a variety of 

 objects, from a tea-pot and fancy screens elaborately 

 carved down to a dice. Large objects are rare and 

 expensive. Jade possesses the virtue of an extraordin- 

 ary toughness, comparatively easy to work when 



