for its wealth and commerce; it is now quitè declined from.its
former fplendor, but is well known to the Europeans., as the
place where their ihips commonly anchor in their way inward,
and from being the refidence o f all the European factories, who
are obliged by the Cbinefe to quit Canton as foon as the ihips
Typju have left the river. About fix miles lower is the Typa, a harbor
for careening o f Ihips. Heie Commodore Artfon heaved down
the Centurion in January 1743, previous to the capture o f the
Manilla ihip on June 20th, old ftiie, Which eflablifhed the great
fortunes o f that lucky houfe.'
Bocca Tigris. T h e Hu-men, or Tigeri-gate, or the Eocca-tigris erf the Portér-
guefe, is the narrow pafs into that river, which ià not a mufket-
ihot over, and defended by two miferable batteries. Mr. Anfon
paffed them in his way to the Canton river. The poor pilot, who
reludtantly carried him through, and the mandarine who commanded
the forts, wefe moft feverely punifhed for what they
could not poffibly help; the commodore having threatened to
hang the pilot in cafe o f non-compliance. The poor mandarine
knew his own weaknefs. The real mouth o f the river is fome
miles below the Bocca, and has on one fide the I-jon’s tower,
or pâgoda. The river takes from thence a grand curvature
towards the weft. The anchoring) placé for the European
Ships is under the iile o f Wampoo, a few miles to th e eaft
o f E&ntOHi The approach into the bay, and thë amazing
view along the river, is fo graphically defcribed by my favorite
M. Le Poivre, that I cannot refill ufing the words of
that enchanting . author. “ On the .appearance o f land (fays
(t he) I perceived along the horizon a foreft o f malls, and foon
“ a f t e r
a -after an innumerable multitude o f boats, which coveted the
“ Surface; o f the water: thefe; were thoufands o f fifhermen,
“ whole kidqftry drew from-the deeps fubfiftence for numbers,
tf The land mow began, to rife to my .vieiv.f I advanced.to the
« mouth of the'river, ftill amidft crowds o f fiftiers, throwing
if out their fihes-on every fide. :I entered the river .of Kanton;
“ it as peopled like the land;;:its banks lined with Ships at an-
p\ehor);‘.a prodigious number o f fmall craft are continually
H gliding along in every direction, fome with fails, others with
“ oars, vanishing often Suddenly from the light, as they enter
“ the numberlfffs canals, dug with amazing labour acrofs ex-
“ tenfive plains, which they water and fertilize. Immenfe fields,
“ covered with all the glory of the harvest, with ftately villages
riling to the eye on every Side, adorn the remoter view, whillt
“ mountains, covered with verdure, cut into terraces, and Shaped
‘‘ into amphitheatres, form the back ground o f this nohle land-
“ fcape.”
T h e Cbinefe divide their cities into firft rate, fecond, and third.
The firft may be known by the addition o f foo, the fecond by
that o f tehoo, the third by that o f byen. Qyang-tchoo-foo, or
Canton, is chief among the firft, as it is fuppofed to contain a million
of inhabitants. Facban, a village a few miles higher, has
the fame number. This in fome meafure inclines us to think
that Voltaire's calculation is not very far out o f the way. The
land, and the very water is inhabited. Millions live in the Sam-
panes, or vefiels, placed on each fide o f the great rivers.
Thofe o f Canton alone may contain two hundred and twenty-
five thoufand inmates. Thoufands and thoufands dwell on the
e x a l t e d
C a n t o n ;
V e r t P o pu l o u s ,