The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-08-17

| attend the funeral or some friend. he
host brought US steaming cups of tea, or
rather tea-stew, very strong and invigora-
ting, and crisp sort of cake, seasoned
with pork and sugar. Some of the Chi
nese entered into conversation with Mr.
! Bonney, in a good humored, friendly
way, but one young dandy stretched him
self upon the bench beside our table, and
INDUCED in some contemptuous remarks
on foreigners. | was we'll satisfied to be
ignorant of the language, for bis manner
was so insolent that could not have re-
piled with the same mildness and pru-
dence as my companion.
! The suburbs ROW ceased, and the open,
cultivated country reached to the foot of
the city wall. To the eastward extended
a fertile plain, dotted with villages as far
as the White Cloud Hills, whose barren
SUBMITS arose in the distance. We kept
on. up little valley, to some springs
under a hill on the northern side of the
city, which supply the only good water to
be had They gush up, strong and abun-
dant, from the bottom of the dell, which
was crowded with water carriers, going to
and from the gates The hill is crowned
with fort, which completely commands
the city. 1t was taken without difficulty
by Lord Cough, during the English war,
and every preparation was made to open
bombardment, when the ransom Of S.
000,000 rendered By the Chinese mer-
chants, was offered and accepted. There
is now a small garrison within It, but the
sentinel who stood at the entrance hastily
ratreated within the walls as we approach
ed, and did not make his appearance
again until after we had left
The view from the fort is very fine, ia
king in the whole of Canton, the course
of the Pearl River from Whampoa to the
mountainous region in the west, the White
Cloud Hills, and the rich delta of tue
river, stretching away to the Bocca Tigris.
The mountains which surround this wide
landscape are bleak and barren, and con-
qrast strongly with the garden-like beauty
of the plain. The broad arms Of the river,
dotted with boats and junks, the many
villages, half-hidden among groves Of
fruit trees, the lofty pagodas that rise
here and there from tie banks, and the
crowded city itself directly under the eye
the central point which unitcs the iu-
terest of all these scattered objects-com-
bine to form panorama unique but
thoroughly Chinese in its character, and
atfordiug as good type Of Chinese scene
~ as is readily accessible to foreigners.
The northern part of Canton rests upon
the side of hill, whose summit IS crown
ed b. a great square, red temple, four
stories high. \ slender pagoda, toward
the river, is the only other prominent
architectural object. About one third of
the space of the wall is taken up with
gardens, We did not remain long upon
the hill, which is in bad repute on account
of the robberies committed in its vicinity.
After descending to a little village, and
passing several wet fields of lotus and the
taroplant, we came again into the filth
and crowds Of the outer city, and finally
reached our starting-p0int, after an ab-
scnce Of three hours.
The Feast Of Lanterns Gas it IS called,
though incorrectly by foreianers) is being
celebrated here at present, but with much
less splcndor than usual, on account of
the disturbed state Of society. The flow
er-boats on the river are all abiaze with
lamps, and the shops in the streets gaily
illuminated There are also "sinE-songs'
Theatrical performances discordant in
struments of noise, and other sources Of
Chinese pleasure, bat the whole display
is irregular, barbaric and utterly devoid
Of grand effect. When | think of the
fiery mosques Of ConStantiDople, and the
cannon-thunders Of the Night of Predes-
tination, the Feast Of Lanterns seems
farce in comparison.
| have been much interested in a visit
to DIR. Parker's Chinese Hospital. Some
idea Of the good accomplished by this in
stitution may be gathered from the fact
that since its establishment more than
forty-nine thousand persons have been
admitted Dr. Parker, himself, is one of
the most accomplished surgeons of our
day; his gallery of portraits, exhibiting
the tumors which he has removed. and
the collection of stones which illustrate
his skill in Hthotomy, would be treasures
to the Museum of a Medical College
His operations in lithotomy, especially,
have been remarkably successful, as he
has lost but t0la out of, | believe, thirty
two patients
l am at present enjoying the hospitaii
ty of Mr.. Gideon Nye, Jr., to whose taste
for art we are indebted for the finest col
lection of paintings by the Old masters,
which had ever been brought to America.
| leave Tomorrow for the long homcward
voyage, yia the Cape of Good Hope, and
this is my last night on Chinese soil, You
may have rightly conjectured that | am
not partial to China, but this much |
must admit it is the very best country
in the world--t0 hGre. b. Il.
An old pensioner got tipsy and noisy,
when person jocularly disposed, asked
him what he did for living! He replied
that he "sucked bottle part Of the
time. and the United States Treasury the