rearing it, they have a pond in almost every
garden. The flower measures about six inches
in diameter. It is white, but sometimes, though
very seldom, of a pale pink hue. The seeds
resemble in size and taste those of the hazelnut:
the roots, when cooked, are said to have
the flavour of artichokes. Upwards of a
hundred Bonzes live in the Temple of Honan.
Their ordinary dress differs in no way from
that worn by other Chinese, from whom they
are distinguished only by having their heads
completely shaven.

I made a visit to the Half-Way Pagoda, so
named by the English because it is situated
half-way between Canton and Whampoa. We
went by a boat up the Pearl River. The pagoda
stands on a mound of earth, in the vicinity of
a village, and is surrounded by immense rice
fields. It has nine stories, and is one hundred
and seventy feet high. Its circumference is
not very considerable, and does not materially
diminish from the lower part upwards. This
pagoda is one of the most celebrated in China;
but it has long ceased to be used. The
interior was totally dismantled; no trace of
images or any other ornaments remaining.
There is no flooring between the different
stories, so that when looking upwards from the
ground in the interior, the eye uninterruptedly
scans the pointed summit of the structure.
On the outside, each story is marked by a
small gallery without balustrades. These
galleries are reached by steep flights of steps,
and are extremely difficult of access. They are
curiously inlaid with coloured tiles, placed
lozenge-wise, one over another, the point
of each tile projecting about four inches
beyond the one below it. When viewed from
a distance, this appears like some kind of open
work; and from the brilliant hues and delicate
fabric of the tiles the whole might be mistaken
for a mass of porcelain.

Whilst we were viewing the pagoda, some
of the people from the neighbouring village
collected around us, and, as they seemed to
be very harmless and peaceable, we thought
we might venture to take a peep at them in
their own little settlement. Accordingly, we
wended our way to the village. It consisted
of a cluster of small houses, or rather huts,
built of brick, and externally presenting no
peculiarity except their flat roofs. The rooms
had no ceiling—the external roof of the house
serving for that purpose; the flooring was of
stamped earth, and bamboo mats formed the
partition walls between the rooms. These
houses contained but few articles of furniture,
and were exceedingly dirty. In the middle
of the village there were several small temples,
and before the image of the principal deity
dingy lamps were lighted. I was much
struck by the vast quantity of poultry
collected in front of all the huts. The chickens
were so numerous that it was difficult to
avoid trampling on them as we passed along.
Here, as in Egypt, hatching is effected by
artificial heat.

I had long been desirous of seeing the
celebrated wall of the city of Canton, and, by
good luck, I was enabled to surmount the
obstacles which seemed to render the gratification
of this wish impossible. Herr Von
Carlowitz engaged a missionary to accompany
us on this expedition. Missionaries, I may
mention, are the best possible escorts and
guides for travellers in China. They speak
the language of the country, make friendly
acquaintance with the people, and, in
consequence, enjoy the privilege of going about
without danger or interruption. The good
missionary whom Herr Von Carlowitz had
engaged, expressed his readiness to escort
us on the wished-for excursion, on condition
that I would disguise myself in male attire.
Hitherto, no woman had ventured on the
expedition, and I was assured that even I, who
had ventured so much, could not undertake
it with safety. I speedily provided myself
with the requisite disguise, and thus equipped,
set out early one morning.

We walked a long way through narrow
streets, paved with broad stones. In front
of every house we observed a niche, within
which there was a little altar two or three
feet in height; and as it was not yet broad
day, the night lamps were still alight. This
lamp-burning rite of the Chinese religion must
occasion an inconceivable consumption of oil!
Gradually the shops began to be opened.
They were merely little square rooms,
without front walls. The goods were
displayed partly in open drawers, and partly on
tables, behind which the shopkeepers usually
sat, engaged at their work. From one
corner of the shop a narrow flight of steps
leads to the upper part of the house, which is
the dwelling-place of the family.

Here, as in the cities of Turkey, particular
streets are appropriated to particular trades
and professions; one is occupied exclusively
by glass-vendors, another by silk-mercers,
and so on. In one of the streets of Canton,
in which all the doctors reside, the only shops
are those of apothecaries; for in China the
functions of physician and apothecary are
exercised by one and the same individual.
The shops in which provisions are sold are
very elegantly arranged; and these are all
in one street. Between the houses there are
frequently small temples, which no way
differ in style from the adjoining buildings.
The gods are confined to the lower stories of
these temples; and all the space above is
appropriated to the use of mortals.

As the day advanced, I found the streets
exceedingly crowded and busy, especially
those containing the shops in which
provisions were sold. Women and young girls
of the lower class were hurrying to and fro,
making their marketings, much in the same
way as in the cities of Europe. They were
all unveiled, and many of them waddled like
ducks; for the practice of crippling female
feet is not exclusively confined to the higher