120 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. VIIL 
striking appearance, but at other seasons the decayed 
leaves and flowers, and the stagnant and dirty water, 
are not at all ornamental to the houses which they 
surround. 
One of the most striking sights on the Canton river is 
the immense number of boats which are moored all 
along the shore, near the foreign factory. There are 
thousands of all kinds and. sizes, from the splendid 
flower-boat, as it is called, down to the small barber's 
boat, forming a large floating city, peopled by an im- 
mense number of human beings. In sailing up the river 
you may observe a very small boat, perhaps the smallest 
you ever saw, exposed on the water, being nothing more 
than a few planks fastened together. This is the barber's 
boat, who is going about, or rather swimming about, fol- 
lowing his daily avocation of shaving the heads and 
tickling the ears and eyes of the Chinamen. By the by, 
this same barber has much to answer for, for his practice 
has a most prejudicial effect upon the eyes and ears of 
his countrymen. He, however, works his little boat 
with great dexterity, and with his scull manages to pro- 
pel himself with ease and swiftness through the floating 
city of boats, larger and more powerful than his own. 
Then you see boats of various sizes, such as those at 
Macao and Hong-kong, covered over, divided into three 
compartments, and kept remarkably clean and neat. 
These are hired by either natives or foreigners for the 
purpose of going off to the large junks or other vessels 
moored out in the river, or for short excursions to the 
island of Honan, the Fa-Tee Gardens, or such places. The 
centre division of the boat forms a very neat little room, 
