the streets secure from molestation. How
this friendly intercourse changed for the
worse, and what turn matters have since
taken, we need not tell. The course of
affairs has very often brought Canton into
the public mind. The city has a most familiar
name. What is it like?

It is built on the north bank of the Choo
këang, or Pearl-river, about sixty miles from
the sea. The Chinese consider Hoomun (the
Bogue or Bocca Tigris) as the mouth of this
river, and the entrance to their inner waters.
Whampoa, the anchorage of Canton, is seven
miles from the city, which is situated in a
rich and diversified country. A very great
many rivers and channels run through it;
all teeming with a numberless spawn of
ships and vessels of all sorts and sizes,
from the lofty, lumbering war-junk to the
boats used for fishing and duck-breeding.
On the north and north-east of the town
are hills and mountains; but, in all other
directions, a large prospect is before you.
Southward, as far as you can see, you behold
water, which covers about the eighth part
of the whole surface. The plain is clothed
with gardens and rice-fields, and only here
and there small hills, or groves of trees,
break up into the smoothness of the surface.

Canton is said to owe its origin to this
authentic fact: Five genii, clothed in
garments of five different colours, and riding on
rams of five different colours, met at the
capital; each of the rams bore in his mouth
a stalk of grain having six ears, and
presented them to the people of the district, to
whom the genii thus spake: Yuen tsze hwan
hwae, yung woo kwang ke; which means, May
famine and death never visit your markets.
Having uttered these words, the five genii
immediately disappeared, and the five rams
were changed into stone. They are to be
seen to this day in one of the city gates,
called the Gate of the Five Genii; in the
neighbourhood of which stands a temple of the same
name. From this legend the city is also called
"the city of genii," or, " the city of grain."

Always unruly, the people of the south
rose in rebellion, two hundred and fifty years
before our Christian era; and the famous
emperor, Tsin Chehwang, sent no less than
five hundred thousand men against them.
These soldiers behaved exceedingly well,
for during three years they neither
relaxed their discipline nor put off their armour;
but they met with a bad end; for the rebels,
driven to fury by hunger, attacked and
cut up the imperial forces in so dreadful a
manner, that the blood flowed "several tens
of le," or Chinese miles.

With India, the people of China had, in
very early times, a considerable commerce;
and Canton, favoured by its southern situation,
profited largely by it. Manufactures
there must have been more advanced than in
other parts of China; for in the year of our
Lord five hundred and forty-three, the people
of Canton sent to Woote, "the martial
monarch," a very fine piece of cloth as tribute,
which, by its luxurious softness, so worried
the skin of this rough warrior, that he
forbade the further manufacture of it. It was,
however, not until one thousand two hundred
and fifty years ago that there was any regular
market at Canton for foreign commerce. The
then reigning emperor of the Tang dynasty
appointed an imperial commissioner to
receive the fixed duties; and Canton gained so
much importance, that Chang Kewling,
eleven hundred and fifty years ago, ordered
the famous pass to be cut through the
Meiling, to facilitate intercourse between
this opulent city and the northern provinces.
Curious manufactures began to be
introduced, and merchant vessels crowded in the
waters of Canton. But, for some reason,
merchants became disgusted with the city,
and removed, ninety years later, to Annam
(Cochin China). Enmity then sprang up
between Annam and Canton; and history
records many wars, especially one at the end
of the ninth century, when the Cochin
Chinese came by land, and Canton was several
times plundered by them; but the Cantonese
soon paid them back. The first emperors of
the Sung dynasty forbade expeditions against
Cochin China, " reprobating the idea of
distressing the people from a mere covetous
desire of gaining useless territory."
However, for the protection of Canton against its
neighbours, the city was enclosed, eight
hundred years ago, within a wall of about two
English miles in circumference, which cost
fifty thousand taëls, or about seventeen
thousand pounds.

After the fall of the Tang dynasty, China
had been disturbed by five families, who, during
fifty-three years, fought like unicorns and
lions for the crown. To one of these families
Canton sent tribute of gold, silver, ivory, and
other costly things, worth no less than five
millions of taëls. Therewith the emperor
was so much pleased, that he created the
chief promoter of the subscription, Lew Yen,
king of Canton, under the title of Nanhaewang,
" king of the southern sea." This new
king, however, was not liberal of charity
towards his people. " Criminals were boiled
alive like lobsters, roasted, flayed, and thrown
on spikes; or forced to fight with elephants
and tigers." Canton seems to have been at this
time a kind of Sodom or Gomorrah; for the
first emperors of the Sung dynasty, who cared
much about the welfare of this city, issued
many edicts, which bear witness of the
luxury and wickedness of the inhabitants.
Witches and wizards were prohibited;
sorcery was interdicted; and the temples, which
had been built for the practice of superstitious
rites, were thrown down by order of
government. The people were forbidden
also, to kill men to sacrifice to demons;
and to relieve the sufferers from the noxious
diseases which were prevalent, dispensaries