CANTON.
CANTON, CHINA, Nov. 21, 1889.
From Hong-Kong we sailed on the 21st inst. at 8 A.M., for this city, by
the fine English steamer _Hankow_, Captain Lloyd, and arrived at 2.30
P.M.
There being but one hotel here, the Oriental, and that a very poor one
at that, we made use of the English passenger boats as hotels during our
stay, and found them excellent in all ways; large, clean rooms and table
very fine, including all kinds of wines and beer furnished gratis, and
wood-cock, and snipe every day.
Leaving the beautiful harbor of Hong-Kong, with its immense
fortifications, we passed into the Canton River, a mile or two wide for
many miles from its mouth, and having high mountains on each side,
covered with green trees and grass. There were great fortifications all
along, armed with big Krupp guns. We saw large numbers of the national
boats, called _sampans_, and many village, houses, and tents.
As we approached Canton the river narrowed to about a thousand feet, and
I was able to closely observe the country. Banana trees lined the shores
for many miles, sugar-cane and rice fields stretched as far as I could
see. Scattered all along the country and in the city big brick buildings
one hundred feet square and six stories high were very prominent. These
were pawnbrokers' establishments.
As we approached the city, the largest building seen was a Catholic
cathedral, with two great towers; a splendid edifice, but not yet
finished.
We had an excellent lunch on the steamer, and then went in sedan chairs
to call on Mr. Charles Seymour, the United States Consul, and his wife.
After being kindly entertained in their beautiful residence, we returned
to the boat, and spent the remainder of the day and evening watching the
wonderful life on the river.
There was a ferry-house near, and I learned that the cost of ferrying
across the river was one fifth of a cent, and that a howling swell
could have a boat alone for one and a half cents.
After a good dinner at seven, and a good night's sleep, we all took
sedan chairs, three men to each chair, the conductor ahead with the
native guide, Ah Cum, a fine-looking Chinese gentleman with finger nails
two inches long, and the entire day was spent in sight-seeing.
All the streets of the city are from four to ten feet wide, no
sidewalks, and are paved with granite blocks a foot wide and six feet
long. The houses all have shops in front. We did not see one private
house in the city outside of the foreign settlements. The buildings are
mostly two stories high, built of brick, and the stores have no glass or
other fronts; all open to the street.
The streets are crowded with an immense mass of men, women, and
children, nearly all with no clothing above their hips, and as our men
pushed their way along, yelling and screaming, the people would stop,
crowd around us with wonder, but were never impolite.
We passed along many miles of streets, lined with stores of all kinds,
the butchers' shops displaying dead rats hanging up, and once I saw the
carcass of a large dog with the hair scalded off lying on the butcher's
table ready to be cut up for customers.
It has rained here for two days, and the streets are very dirty and
bad-smelling. There is no system of sewerage, no horses or draft
animals. Every thing, including all kinds of sewerage and slops and
building materials, is carried along by men, women, and children.
Frequently there were such masses of people going and coming that
traffic would be clogged, and we had much difficulty in getting through.
To write of all the extraordinary things I have seen to-day would
require a big book, and I can therefore only mention that we went to a
flour mill and saw them grinding wheat by stones forced around by blind
oxen, just as they used to do in Bible times in Palestine.
We went into a jail and saw poor wretches in irons with wooden collars
around their necks; and on the street two of them were in the stocks,
their hands and feet confined. The court-house was near, and some of our
party attended a trial which had been progressing for some days. The
wife of the judge saw there were ladies in the party, and invited them
into an interior room and entertained them with tea.
The prisoner was accused of forging the deed of a house and land
belonging to one of his wives, and selling her furniture, all valued at
two thousand dollars. Several witnesses proved that all this was so, and
the wife appeared with her marriage certificate. At the moment when our
party arrived, the prisoner was on the stand. He denied that he was
married to the woman or had ever sold any of her property. The judge was
very angry, and said to the prisoner that he was the greatest liar in
China, and ordered that he should be punished with 150 blows with a
bamboo stick, then and there. He was thrown down, and held by several
men, while another struck the blows with great severity on his bare
back, causing the poor wretch to yell with agony, so that he could be
heard far out on the street, as well as in the interior room, where the
ladies were drinking tea. After fifty blows had been given, the man was
asked to confess, but he refused and was given fifty more; and the
native guide said that he would no doubt have his head cut off in a few
days. We saw on our route a beautiful club-house, and a clock two
hundred years old, made to go by water. Lunch was served in a splendid
seven-story pagoda on a hill outside of the city wall, from the top of
which we looked down upon one section of the city and an immense
cemetery. A part of this was devoted to rich men's tombs, all above
ground, the peculiarities of which were that the coffins were all in
sight. After lunch we were again rushed through the crowded streets,
stopping at many shops, some of the party purchasing largely of silks,
satins, crockery, and curios; and at six we returned to the boat, a very
much instructed but fatigued party.
In the evening I was greatly interested in watching what was going on in
the family boats, called _sampans_, which were anchored between our boat
and the shore. I counted from the steamer 164 of them, with their sterns
towards us. Each boat had a kerosene-oil stove, and in a frying-pan they
were preparing their suppers, which consisted apparently of rice. I
noticed that when the woman who was stirring the food wished to moisten
it, she dipped water from the river, in which was floating all the filth
of the great city. Each member of the family had a bowl which he dipped
into the food, and proceeded to eat with chopsticks.
There are many thousand of such boats on the river, the only homes of
their occupants.
We spent another day in Canton, going about in sedan chairs, steamers,
and _sampans_, and saw many places and objects of interest; but two days
have been quite enough for this city, and I was glad to get aboard the
fine steamer _Honam_, Captain Febor, which left at 5.30 P.M., and
arrived at Hong-Kong at 1 A.M., we all going directly to the rooms
retained for us at the hotel. Here I had the pleasure of meeting a lady
from New York, Mrs. R. H. L. Townsend, who is making a tour around the
world, accompanied by another lady, and has accomplished the trip thus
far without trouble, being everywhere received with distinguished
consideration.