Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-01-09
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Baltimore american
THE CHINESE AT CANTON--THE
CITY AND IT'S SHOPS.

What can this great commercial emporium,
this city of Canton, be compared to, in its
windings and intricacies, but to a spiders
web; and we luckless rovers but the insects
that rush heedlessly into the trap, and then
find our progress stopped on the outskirts, de-
barred alike from the groves and gardens a.
round, and from the central citadel of the be-
seiged, whose boundaries we invade! Plan
ted in the suburbs, we are told by friends that
we must not venture within the city walls,
and we naturally inquire why, and get on a
house-top with spy-glass TO stare at this wall,
differing not from others, and which is so
built over as scarcely to be seen. But one ap-
preaching Canton, perceives upon his right
three conspicuous hills, with a wall plainly
discernible running over their submits, and
they form the northern extremity of the city
boundary, guarded by Tartar station. Can
ton is in form nearly a parallelogram, laby-
rinth of blind alleys, paved with broad gran
tie stones; square after square is passed, and
still the front OF every house is a shop
Those devoted to the use OF the Chinese are
entirely open to the street; those alone where
foreigners deal are protected with doors. But
most of these lanes are guarded at night, and
great gates are closed SO that none can
pass.
L HC ollOpN Az uouullJ W OilS L-iSht nc
| lower appropriated to the immediate sale and
show Of goods; the upper, which is but partly
foored, having a narrow passage and ballus-
trade running around it, is devoted to unpack-
ed goods, or serves as a sleeping room.
From the of the streets the
shops would be very dark, were it not for a
window always made in the roof, admitting
light which the Chinese well know how to
increase or shade, suited to the goods they
show. A set of well fitted shelves is placed
behind the shopkeepor, and a row of chairs
usually appears on each side of the room. At
the indispensable counter, a Chinaman may
always be seen with his swungpan or calcu-
lating machine before him; this consists of a
| certain number of balls on wires set in a frame
and with which the most difficult computa-
ions are made by the Chinese with perfect
accuracy and great rapidly. A smooth stone
is also necessary for rubbing the commonly
called Indian ink used in writing, and brush
es are employed, held perpendicularly be-
tween the thumb and foreinger.
The Chinese are true philosophers; they
will not rise from table at meal times to serve
customers; they then shut too the little shop
doors. But we will violate, for once, their
rules, and enter Cheongshing's variety store
in New China street, just as the inmates are
sitting down to their breakfast. We observe
that several glass lanterns are hanging in va
rious parts of the shop; and that there are or
naments over the counter and in the upper
story of carved screen work, of which the
Chinese are very fond. We hear the sound
of something stewing, and presently a serv-
ant places a dozen bowls of rice and vegeta-
bles on the circular table in the middle Of the
shop, and Cheongshing, his sons and assist
ants sit down together and each one drawing
out a pair of ivory or wooden chopsticks,
seizes his bowl, and the battle begins. How
great is the error Of those who suppose that
a Chinaman eating rice contents himself by
picking it up grain by grain! Undoubtedly
he can do so, for those dexterous sticks held
by the two first fingers and thumb ofthe light
hand, seize upon the most slippery substance
with the unrelenting grippe of a swapping tur-
tie. But the bowl is generally kept near the
mouth, the head thrown back, the jaws ex-
tended to their fullest extent, and the nimbls
sticks shovel in the rice in a manner marvel
Gus to behold. All those tails are dangling
straight downwards, all those eyes appraised
IN ecstacy, as each mouth, for one moment
seems to contain a little hill of rice. Then
gurgling sound is heard, and the rice heaps
sink out of sight with the rapidity of light-
ming, and they all draw long breaths, and set
down their bowls slowly, and look into them
once more. Finally Cheongshing and the
party get up slowly, stare at us as if lust a.
ware of our presence, and seem quite really
to show their goods, and ask if we too have
taken breakfast In every shop is a little