broken legs, were feign to put up with plunging into the river at the risk of drowning! By this time the gentlemen of the factory were applied to; who quieted the sailors in a few minutes, and peace was completely restored. STREETS IN CANTON. In the streets of Canton a cart or waggon is never seen, and even a horse very rarely; one sometimes sees crossing the middle of a street, a flight of twelve or fourteen steps ascending, on the top of which is a plane of three, four, or five yards in extent; then the same number of descending steps: these are the arches of canals, that run up under the streets from the river to the interior part of the city, on which are passing and repassing boats with merchandize, while those who are walking over them know nothing of the matter. Bales, and other packages of whatever size, are carried on the shoulders of Chinese by means of bamboos, some of which (if the package be large) are made fast to it, while other long pieces of bamboo pass under these again in various directions, until they get a sufficient purchase, when they shoulder their burden and trot off with it like a swarm of ants carrying away a cockroach. Individuals make their bundles fast to the extremities of a bamboo, the middle of which rests across their shoulders, and thus they move along at a good round pace, at every step crying out in an audible voice, "Li! Li!" or clear the way; which is a species of music one is continually regaled with in the streets of Canton. The elasticity of the bamboo renders it much easier for a Chinese to carry a heavy burden on his shoulders, than the knots which the English porters use, could possibly do; and besides they can go at a much quicker rate. Öne sometimes meets with an inferior mandarin riding through the streets, but it is very seldom that any vehicle but the palankeen is to be seen. DRAMATIC REPRESENTATIONS. It is well known how passionately fond the Chinese are of dramatic representations; so much so, that a kind of annual tax is laid on the inhabitants of each principal street, and a house being pitched upon, a theatre is erected in front, one story high, decorated with the images of monstrous animals, such as flying dragons (a very favourite figure among the Chinese,) centaurs, and fierce-looking warriors, each having six or eight arms. Here the disciples of Roscius perform from morning till night, to the infinite gratification of the spectators, who are sometimes 1804. Dec. in crowds of three or four hundred, rendering the passage through 1804. the street extremely difficult. Though we often stood for hours Dec. observing them most minutely, we very seldom could make out either the story or plot. Indeed the Chinese taste for theatricals will not do them much credit; for however they may be polished otherwise, yet in this respect they smack very much of the rude and barbarous. Fantastic and strained gesticulations, turgid exclamations, forced and unnatural action, with gaudy and tinsel trappings, seem to be the principal objects of admiration on the Chinese stage! As for their music! (Apollo forgive me for disgracing the name!) it is so execrable, that I think the cries of jackals, the howling of wolves, the braying of asses, and caterwauling of cats (could they be united into one concert,) would form a divine symphony, when compared with the Chinese discord! This, however, is only to be understood of the plays publicly exhibited in the streets, for it is very different when these are acted in the private houses of gentlemen; where the music can be heard without pain, and the other parts of the drama afford infinite amusement to the European. The dramatis persone are all males, or males and emasculates: of this last circumstance, however, we could only judge by the voice, which, in many of them, had a good deal of the eunuch tenor. Whatever they are, so excessively fond are they of acting, that it is very common to see them faint away, through the strenuous exertions which they make to carry on the representation after their natural powers have been exhausted! A LARGE JOSS-HOUSE. Before describing one of their private plays, I cannot help giving a slight account of the celebrated Joss-house, and residence of the holy pigs, which is situated over the river, and nearly opposite to the factories; a place worth seeing by any European that visits Canton. Having got the Company's compredore to go with us, and explain any thing we wished, a party of us crossed the river in a small vessel, and proceeded through the suburbs on the other side until we came to the gate, on passing which, we observed a huge colossal gilt statue, on each side in a niche of the wall. The one on the right is in a fighting posture, with a frightful countenance; the other seems to be dispensing laws: the compredore told us they represented war and peace. The wall that surrounds this joss-house, or rather series of joss-houses, includes a space of several acres, throughout which are scattered a great number of temples, and other places of worship, which it is impossible for me to describe; as they are all different from each other, and filled with innumerable statues, altars, and symbols of religion, very curious to behold: through these edifices we rambled for several hours, and after all left a mumber of places unexplored. RESIDENCE OF THE HOLY PIGS. At length we came to the place where the sacred or holy pigs are lodged; it is a small square on the ground floor, kept very clean, with priests always at hand to attend on those elegant terrestrial deities! Except the venerable marks of hoary time, I could not perceive any thing in the countenances or figures of those objects of adoration, that entitled them to rank above their brothers in the sty of the poorest cottager! We asked the compredore if this was one of the sublime doctrines of Confucius? but he knew no more of Confucius, than he did of Oliver Cromwel. A CHINESE TREAT. It is customary for the cohong or government security merchants, to give frequent and very superb treats to the Europeans at Canton, especially the English, during the winter season when the ships are in China; at one of these I was once a guest, and so highly gratified, that I cannot help giving a sketch of it. One of the principal of these cohong merchants sent an invitation to the typan, the super-cargoes, officers of the men of war and India ships; and indeed to most of the European gentlemen of different nations then at Canton, to a dinner at his house at seven in the evening: a little before the appointed hour, a few palankeens came to the factory to convey the typan and three or four others, which is looked upon as a compliment. It happened by chance that I got one of those vehicles; though before I was half way to the merchant's house, I heartily repented of the honour done me; for passing through a narrow street at a considerable distance from the factories, something struck the palankeen so violently, that it was dashed to the ground on its broadside, and myself very much stunned. I was not in a very pleasant state of mind at this moment, as I expected to be robbed at least, and perhaps bambooed into the bargain! It must, however, have been from some accident, not design, for the bearers instantly shouldered the palankeen and trotted off, as if nothing had happened, setting me safe down at the gate of the house. Having passed the outer gate we crossed a court, and entered through a door into a large hall, on one side of which was a very gaudy theatre, and on the other the tables spread out for dinner. 1804. Dec. Into the theatre opened several doors for the actors, &c. and 1804. into that side of the hall where the tables were laid, opened two Dec. or three doors that led into withdrawing rooms, where other tables were laid, covered with various kinds of sweetmeats and preserves. Immediately after our entering, the actors commenced, and carried on the representation in a much more chaste and animated style, than any thing we had before witnessed of this kind at Canton; in short many of us fancied we could make out tolerably clear the thread or plot of the drama; and they did not so far overstep the modesty of nature," but that we could see plain enough with what passions they were occasionally agitated. Their music, which consisted of a great variety of wind and stringed instruments, was much less discordant than what we. had been accustomed to hear at the plays represented in the streets; yet it was still devoid of the smallest pretension to har mony. The cohong merchant and a few of his relations gave us a very polite and hearty welcome, shewed and explained every thing to us in the most kind manner imaginable; but the women were of course excluded: the male children, indeed, came out and dined with us, sitting on our knees, and eating off our plates with the utmost familiarity; boys of five, six, and eight years of age behaving with the utmost decorum, and as easy in their manners and deportment as the most accomplished courtiers! Before dinner we ranged ourselves in front of the theatre, and paid great attention to what was going on; at which the actors seemed highly delighted, and strained every nerve in order to exhibit to the greatest advantage. We were soon called to a more substantial entertainment; for by this time the tables groaned with a profusion of the most savoury viands, European as well as Chinese. They were interspersed in such a manner, that every person could help himself to dishes dressed à la mode de Londres, or à la mode de Canton, which ever be might prefer. It was ludicrous enough to see the aukward attempts which many of us made to imitate the Chinese, by eating with chopsticks; the Chinese themselves could scarcely maintain their gravity on these occasions. The chopsticks are formed of small pieces of ivory, or wood tipt with ivory, silver, &c. about eight or nine inches long, and nearly of the thickness of common black-lead pencils. A Chinaman holds a couple of these in the fingers of his right hand, like pens, and manages them so dexterously, that he can pick up a single grain of rice between their extremities with the greatest ease. 1 Dec. As the Chinese live mostly on hashes, or at least have their meat always cut into small pieces, these implements are very con- 1804. venient for them to eat with; but for my own part, after just tasting one of these messes for curiosity's sake, with chopsticks, I deserted it, and applied myself to good beef, turkey, and hams, as being more congenial to the English palate. There was the greatest profusion of the most excellent wines of every description; and as perhaps upwards of one hundred Europeans (besides Chinese) sat down to dinner, the novelty of the scenes around us, conspiring with the good cheer, did not fail to render this banquet a picture of hilarity and festivity. The idea of a large company assembled from various distant nations, and sitting down in this remote quarter of the globe to enjoy the social hour, could hardly fail to impress the mind with a sense of the inestimable advantages which society has derived from civilization and commerce! "The nobler works of peace "Hence bless mankind, and generous commerce binds The healths of their Majesties, Britannic and Chinese, were drunk with great glee; the Chinese drinking wine, in compliment to their guests: in general, however, they drink a liquor called samsoo; a very favourite beverage in this country. SAMSOO. This spirit is considered so deleterious to the European constitution, that when Men of War are sent with convoy from India to China, an order is generally inserted in the public orderbook of the ship, most strictly enjoining the captain and officers to use their most strenuous exertions in preventing the smallest quantity of samsoo coming on board, while the ship lies in China as it is found (says the order) to be "poison to the human frame." This is certainly a very wise precaution; and it is to be wished, that the same order were extended to the arrack of India; for, after all that is said of it, it is no more a poison than that kind of the latter drink which goes by the name of Paria Rack, especially when new. It is distilled from rice, as the arrack is; yet it has a somewhat different taste *. I have seen * Bontius, a Dutch physician, in a small treatise on Oriental Diseases, published in 1629, speaking of the Batavian Dysentery, says, "The principal cause of this disease, is the drinking an inflammatory liquor called arac, which the Chinese make of rice and the holothuria, or what we used to call quabbin or quallim, in Holland. These holothuria have so pungent a heat, that the touch of them ulcerates the skin, and raises vesicles. Happy were it for our sailors that they drank more moderately of this liquor: the plains |