CHAPTER V.
Leave Macao for Whampoa—Entrance to the Bocca Tigris—Country about Chuen, pee—Scene at Whampoa—Approach to Canton—The town and suburbs—The sailor’s coffee-shop—Selling by weight—Dwarf orange trees—The tea shrub—Visit to the celebrated Fa-tee gardens—Topics of conversation—Exaggeration—Rambles in the suburbs—The city-gate—Manufactories—Sandal-wood.
On the 16th of October I left Macao for the “Cum, sing, moon,” and the following morning sailed in the Lady Hayes, Captain Hector, for Whampoa, which afforded me an excellent opportunity of viewing the scenery of the river. We passed the island of Lintin, off which, (in the roadstead, on the north-west side,) a number of ships were lying at anchor. About ten P.M. we anchored off Chuen, pee, for the night. On the morning following, as soon as the tide was favourable, we were again under weigh, and about noon passed, with a light, but favourable breeze, the Bocca Tigris, and entered the river. This entrance to a very magnificent and extensive stream, is capable of being very strongly fortified. The Chinese have forts, mounting a great number of cannon, erected on each side of the passage: they excited some degree of interest in our minds, as being those silenced by the broadside of his Majesty’s ship Alceste, some years since; a triumph of British firmness over Chinese impudence.
The country about Chuen, pee had a picturesque appearance; but although we hear so much related about the Chinese cultivating every spot of land, not leaving even the most barren spots unoccupied, in few countries have I seen more land left waste, much of which has an appearance of fertility: the valleys certainly were cultivated, and had an animated and pleasing feature in the landscape from the vivid green of the numerous plantations of what seemed to be sugar-cane scattered about. But with this exception, and the neat cottages nearly buried in the foliage of the trees surrounding them, there was no interesting view: the elevated land was, principally bare, barren, and uncultivated.
On entering the river, the scenery was very pleasing; the banks were low, and, for the most part, under rice cultivation, which, still retaining its green tinge, imparted a luxuriant and animating beauty to the view. Small huts were scattered about, over which the graceful bamboo waved its towering stem; the high and wooded hills arose in the distance of the back ground of the landscape; and this, with boats passing about the intersecting canals of the paddy-fields, formed the principal feature of the country about the Canton river to Whampoa, where we arrived in the evening,[34] and left in a boat for Canton (a distance of twelve miles) on the following day.
The scene at Whampoa, with so large a number of shipping collected together, was remarkably animating; and at this season, there was a noble addition of most of the ships of the Honourable East India Company, the finest class of merchant-ships in the world. On proceeding from Whampoa to Canton, the banks of the river were flat, and cultivated with wooded hills in the distance, villages, pagodas,[35] which formed, in combination, some very interesting scenery. As we approached Canton, the bustle and multitude of boats increased upon the river: these boats contained whole families, who had been born and bred in them. They could often be seen containing the young sprawling infant, just able to walk, the new-born infant, and the aged grandmother, all reared in this confined space; but at the same time, the people wore an appearance of happiness and content upon their countenances, in spite of their squalid misery. They keep their boats, in a very neat and clean condition, which certainly confers some degree of credit upon the people. The flag-staffs and the noble pile of buildings, forming the factories of the different nations, appeared to our view; and, arriving soon after, I called upon and remained during my residence in Canton with my friend, Mr. Whiteman.
Canton is generally said to possess but little, in the confined spot allotted to the range of Europeans, to interest the stranger. This may be partially correct; but still the peculiar customs of the people and the range of the suburbs may afford many days of amusement, being novel, and unlike what is seen in any other country in the world. The range of factories or Hongs belonging to different nations, having flag-staffs, on which the national colours are hoisted from sunrise to sunset, are fine buildings, more especially those belonging to the English East India Company, which are of greater extent than the whole of the others. Several weeping willows are planted about the open space near the river, in front of the factories. The English and Dutch hongs have neat gardens, laid out for a promenade, in front of them; but the open space before most of the others forms the “quarter-deck,” where every evening the European residents take their limited walk.
The weather in front of the factories is usually at this season of the year sultry, but on entering the alleys of the hongs, cold currents of air are felt pouring down upon the just heated frame. A sudden atmospherical change very frequently occurs, which certainly cannot be regarded as conducive to health, but, on the contrary, must prove highly detrimental: from the little ill-effects experienced from this by the residents, all that can be said on the subject is, that they probably get habituated to the frequent vicissitudes. There are two broad paved streets,[36] filled with shops, in which every description of manufactured articles, both after European and China patterns, can be purchased. Here are contained a profusion of specimens of the arts, more particularly those of ivory, tortoiseshell, and lacquered ware,[37] tempting to the visitor, and which soon cause him to return from Canton very deficient in the dollars he had brought with him.
In front of one of the shops was a lacquered board, upon which, in golden letters, was the following attraction for Jack, who may be accidentally rolling by the shop:—“The Sailor’s Coffee Shop, Chan Lung, No. 10, New China Street, where all kinds of silks and teas are sold, and goods of every description for seamen. Sailors! you are invited to try this shop, where you will find honest dealing, and where you can have ready made coffee and tea, but no samshoo.” The rooms, for this purpose, were very neat, with small couches for honest and sober Jack to recline upon, some pamphlets and tracts to amuse his mind as he sipped the decoction of the Indian berry; the shop contained straw hats, various portraits, and coarse articles of Chinese manufacture, tempting him to purchase for his friends and acquaintances at home; and the owner appeared to be an intelligent man. Eatables are seen carried about the streets in great numbers, and of all descriptions. Dogs, cats, rats, living and dead; with fowls, ducks, and other kinds of poultry, as well as living eels, carp, &c. in buckets of water: the latter are fed and fattened in stews, and taken out for sale when considered in a sufficiently prime state; the fresh water fish are very insipid in taste.