REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 149 
characters. Their charge was one dollar per box, for rubbish not worth 
one farthing, consisting of rape, radish; amaranthus, &c., and which 
these regular traders had had by them perhaps for many previous 
years. Our despising such bargains; and exposing such impositions, we 
hope ruined the trade of those panders to the gullibility of Europeans* 
We were very much confined in our perambulations about Canton, 
by the systematic jealousy of the Chinese authorities. We saw none 
of their nurseries; but; by*special favour of some of the Security Mer¬ 
chants, we were; in company with themselves, allowed to visit some of 
their finest gardens ;—that of Monqua, in the southern suburb, and 
the large garden and palace of Shykinqua , on the north side of the 
river. The latter was almost a public resort for Europeans while we 
were there, as it was getting ready for the reception of Lord Macartney 
and suite, as his residence while at Canton. 
The style of Chinese gardening, like all their other arts, is peculiar; 
they have no idea of spacious landscape; there is a littleness in all 
their designs; they have a desire for a small part of every the grandest 
features of nature: lakes, where a mackarel would be puzzled to turn; 
rocks which a man may carry away under his arm; aged trees fifteen 
inches high; and thick forests of pines composed of equisetum. Of 
whatever extent the ground may be, it is all divided into little squares, 
parallelograms, or irregular areas of a few square yards or perches. 
These compartments are surrounded by low brick walls, having a fiat 
coping, on which are placed flowering plants, in fine glazed porcelain 
pots. The paths are often composed of fiat stones, not two of which 
are on the same level, if near together. A great deal of trellis-work 
are in the gardens, either appearing like the remains of former fences, or 
as coverings of naked walls. If a ditch or artificial hollow be in the 
garden, it must be crossed by a semi-circular arch of four or five feet 
span. Their little tanks of water are not considered beautiful until 
they are completely covered with ducks’-meat (Lemna); in short, 
there are so many childish freaks which constitute the beauty of a 
Chinese garden, that it is astonishing so clever and civilised a people 
can be gratified with such puerile efforts of unnatural taste. As far, 
however, as their collections of flowering plants decorate a garden, 
the assemblage is enchanting. Their Magnolias, Bombaces, Azaleas, 
Camellias, Ixoras, Paeonias, &c., not to mention the great variety of 
herbaceous and aquatic plants natural to the country, are indeed mag¬ 
nificent ; indeed one of the finest traits of the Chinese character is their 
fondness for flowers. 
ft 
( To be continued .) 
