ClIAP. VIII. 
CANTON RIVER DESCRIBED. 
117 
pretty houses or huts, surrounded by a few trees and 
shrubs. In sailing amongst these islands one is apt to 
think that, in the retirement of such places, far removed 
from the vicious world and the "busy hum of men/' the 
inhabitants must, indeed, be happy and innocent, having 
their few wants abundantly supplied by the rice which 
grows luxuriantly around their dwellings, and by the 
never-failing supply of excellent fish, which are easily 
caught in the sea. But these dreams of happiness 
and innocence are soon dispelled — these quiet villages 
abound with pirates, who frequently commit acts of 
the most cold-blooded cruelty, and render the passage 
between Hong-kong, Canton, and Macao, an alarming 
and dangerous affair. Lorchas, and other small vessels, 
with valuable cargoes on board, are frequently attacked, 
the crew and passengers murdered, and the vessels dis- 
abled or destroyed. 
A few hours' sail, with a fair wind and tide, brought 
me in sight of the celebrated Bocca Tigris, the entrance 
to the Canton river. The forts destroyed during the 
war had been rebuilt on a more extensive scale ; and, if 
manned with English soldiers, no hostile fleet in the 
world could pass them without being blown to pieces. I 
fancy, however, that the Chinese, although they have 
had a lesson in the art of war which will make them 
more difficult to conquer in future, would still, with all 
their forts, afford but a feeble resistance against the 
military and naval tactics of the English and other 
civilised nations of the West. 
Inside the Bogue the river widens very much, and 
presents the appearance of an inland sea. The view 
