have been acoustomed to read, and pictures of whioh served to amuse us in
our childhood.
But the sketches of imaginative boyhood were, in this as in so many
other instanoes, dispelled by the sober realities of matnrer years. There was
nothing of all this beautiful pioture of crowded and happy life. There
were, indeed, boats and people, pagodas and cottages, bridges and trees;
but there were also filth and noise, poverty and misery, lying and roguery,
and, in short, anything but a pioture of quiet content and Aroadian simplicity.
On the visit of the Commodore to Canton, hp, together with several of
his officers, was accommodated at the house of Mr. Forbes, the oonsul of the
United States, and the head of the firm of Russell & Co. Mr. Forbes was
absent at the time, but the hospitalities of his establishment were most
freely dispensed by one of his partners, Mr. Spooner. So well known was
this establishment, and so highly appreciated were its proprietors by the
Chinese, that all that was necessary in making a purchase in the oity, was
simply to direct the shopkeeper to send the article to the house of Mr.
Forbes, and there never was any hesitation in assenting at once. The same
may be said indeed of all the American houses, with respect both to hospitality
and the confidence of the Chinese.
The comparatively small space occupied by the foreigners on the river
side is, notwithstanding its limited extent, quite a pleasant spot. The whole
quarter contains but about four acres. The foreign merchants ocoupy the
large buildings in the rear as places of business and abode, while the front,
which includes a half of the whole area, is beautifully laid out as a garden,
with an English church in the centre, and the flags of different nations floating
from tall poles planted in various spots. The grounds are arranged with
walks, and ornamented with shrubbery and flowering plants, presenting a
delightful resort in the freshness of the morning or the cool of the evening.
The stranger is struck with the peculiar aspect of the place, when on one
side, in proximity to low, dingy, Chinese houses, buildings of European
structure rise to the height of three or four stories, while on the other, the
river is densely populous with the inhabited boats. The foreigners term
their residences and places of business factories, but the natives designate
them as ffongSj which is the usual Chinese word for a commercial establish-
ment or warehouse.
. Although there are but few of the larger or publio buildings in the
foreign quarter, which is but a suburb of the city, there are all the ordinary
varieties of streets, houses, and bazaars. Foreigners generally confine their
visits to that part adjacent to the garden before mentioned, through whioh
Old and New China streets run.
The only hotel in the place, frequented by Europeans and Americans, is
near the latter street, and is quite inferior. I t is (as has been intimated)