284 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. XVII. 
walk this distance ; nor was it necessary to make the 
attempt, for chairmen surrounded us in great numbers, 
and were as determined on putting us into their chairs 
as a London conductor is to have passengers for his 
omnibus. We wiUingly yielded to their solicitations, 
and got into chairs and set off for the consular residence. 
The people here had seen but few foreigners, and were 
particularly impertinent and annoying. Hundreds fol- 
lowed us and crowded round the chairs ; " Quang-yan^^a, 
quang-yan^a,'' — their term for foreigners — was rung in 
our ears from all sides, and frequently other appellations 
of a much worse signification. Our Chinese servants, 
who walked by our side, were attacked and reviled for 
having any connection with us. In one of the streets 
the water was so deep that I was obliged to stand up on 
the seat of the chair, and even then it reached my feet- 
Here the crowd became very abusive, and commenced 
throwing water over us. At first our servants bore this 
treatment pretty well ; but their patience was at last 
exhausted, and they turned upon the assailants. The 
scene was now both amusing and disagreeable. Luckily 
I happened to be a little in advance, and was therefore 
pretty well out of the mel^e ; but Captain Freeman 
came in for his full share of it, and was completely 
soaked through. When we got within the city walls we 
were not molested further, owing, I suppose, to the 
greater strength of the police. 
The city is walled and fortified upon the same plan as 
Ning-po and Shanghae, and is at least eight or nine 
miles in circumference. At various points on the wallsj 
as well as above the gates, guard-houses are erected, 
