REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 173 
every word that was said with that provoking kind of expression on 
their countenances which bespoke the most extreme incredulity. We 
repeated our advice again and again, but got no answer but a loud 
horse-laugh, and their national maxim of No can do : Europe fashion 
no do in China. We left them as conceited as ever, and, no doubt, 
while they pitied us in their minds, laughed heartily at the circum¬ 
stance of a Europe fool-man being sent so far to talk foolishness. 
Howbeit, we had our reward in seeing so much of the open 
country. We passed through several villages, where we were objects 
of much curiosity to the women and children, who cautiously peeped 
from behind their doors (which are hung on hinges at the top), but 
shut them close while we passed. Their cottages were, however, 
remarkably clean and neat, and the inhabitants appeared in comfortable 
circumstances. But we had other objects to attend to. The country 
is pretty well wooded, especially near the villages, and consisted 
chiefly of Laurus cassia and sassafras, Sterculia platanifolia, 
Euphoria litchi and longana, Guarea grandifora, Averrhoa caram- 
bola, &c. But the most magnificent tree, both for its size and the rich 
colour of its flowers, which decorated all that part of the suburbs of 
Canton at that time (beginning of March), was the Eombax ceiha or 
silk-cotton-tree. The flowers, like many other Chinese plants, appear 
before the leaves, are about the size of a middling tulip, and of a bright 
scarlet colour. They are thickly set on the branches, so much so, that 
the trees, at the distance of half a mile, appear mantled in this con¬ 
spicuous colour. The tree, in the colour of its bark, size of bole, and 
ramification of the branches, resembles the largest walnut trees of this 
country. The timber is much used by the carpenters for various 
purposes, among others, that of making coffins, which are formed by the 
four rough slabs cut off by the pit-saw, and just nailed together again, 
head and foot pieces being afterwards added. We mention this, 
because on this excursion our path lay through a carpenter’s yard, 
where we saw many very large butts of this tree; and, immediately 
after, over a burying-ground, where we saw the recently-placed coffins 
only covered with a thin turf, which did not even confine the stench 
arising from the corrupting bodies. It is the custom, it seems, to 
expose the coffins for a certain number of days, after which they are 
removed to a square brick building in the middle of the burying-ground, 
and there, bodies and coffins together, consumed to ashes by fire. 
We passed a plantation of tea, which did not occupy more than an 
acre and a half of ground. It seemed a smaller leaved variety than 
either of those called green and bohea, known in this country. The 
ground was quite free from weeds, and the bushes were about four feet 
high, and planted at distances of about six feet apart. They were 
