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.