Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-05-09
a vERMONTER's TRIP HOUND THE
WORLD.
Leaves from DIR. Thayer's Journ"i
From Hong-Nong to Singapore.

|
r and are surrounded on all sides by high hills
As we looked upon the unrirpled surface
the little inland laLc where were floating a
rest 50 many ships. We could not realize lh'
, fact that only about twelve months ago tN
phoon reduced many vessels Ia pieces and deS
troyed ten thousand lives in this bay. The
city of Canton i beautifully situated upon Tho
dcclivity Of hill two thousand feet high, over
looking the bav. The dwellings of the English
residents are built upon terraces ihc bnnsel"W'
of the Chinese along the quay. Hong g-hoha
has one hundred and thirty thousand inhabit-
ant>, less than three thousand of whom are
whites. the balance being Chinese. The island
Is an English colony, government buildings
good. officers quarters and soldiers barracks "l
stone. with attractive parade grounds anu
pretty gardens. II is a noticeable fact thai
wherever British soldiers are Iuartcrcd. the
government provide well for their comfort
and i watchfill of their health. Col. Mosby
met Us at our landing. He seems To have en-
tered upon his duties AT the consulate IN good
earnest and with determination To discharge
them for the best Interests of the government
hc represents. We wish him success.
Canton. China, Feb 18th, 1N19.-Coilec, toast
and eggs for two, this morning, at six; coffee
poor. toast worse, eggs well enough but very
| >mall-whv should they not be, at twenty-five
cents Il hundred. | had. to-day. my first eN-
| percnce in being toted ON sedan char, borne
| on the shoulders of two bare-hcaded and bare
footed coolies. have been hauled about III a
| large baby carriage, irundled along on "neei-
| barrow, and have now bren " tier. tlter. tlrr-
| ed" along in a sedan chair. What next My
| sable bearers looked towards each other win
| 4 twinkle OF the eye, a. much aS 10 say, an
| extra fee for this globe trottcr." ON board the
| steamer Iwang. we made our way to the other
| side of the island of HOngkong and towards
| the mouth of Pearl River, which with the
| lanktSe are the two great streams which have
their origin not more than thirty miles from
each other eighteen hundred miles inland. On
our route from IIong-kOng 10 Canton, dis
tance of ninety miles, the scenery IN variety i
unsurpassed bv ANYTHING We have seen. except
through the passage of the inland sea of Japan
since We left home. Elevated hills, many "i
them deserving 10 be called mountains, border
the shores. islands innumcrable stand up from
the sea clothed in green. and cone-topred rocks,
four and five hundred feet high, crop out OF
The wafer. some of them single, Others in cu>-
ter> We passed several Chinese Notifications
~ impregnablc ~ a child's cobble house.
We saw several small hamlet>, some distance
from the shore. for partial security from
river pirates who infr>t these waters. Not
many miles before reaching Canton we passed
the site of an old town DESTROYED bY IRE not
MANY wears ago. -Four and >lN->lded paSodaS,
six and seven stories high. were still remaining.
which were mainly used for storing yaluableS
Tor protection against fire and pirates. ON ap-
pro tchlng the city what first attracts our At
tentiOn i the myriHd> of boats OF all sizes from
that of an ordinary canoe, covered IN part hy
canvass or bamboo mating, to those OF large
dimensions with upright sides and roofing,
caboratclv carved and silded. In the even
ing. for the want of hotel in the city OF Can
ton. we went aboard our steamer to sleep. II
Afforded me an opportunity Of observing the
house boats and the living freight on board oi
them. Upwards Of three hundred thousand |
persons 1--we on these boats. and are born. |
married and die. floating on the stream. Only |
year or two ago a typhoon destroyed up |
wards OF sixty thousand of these people, |
scattering their boat, in -plnle.s and covering |
the waters with floating dead. Men, women |
and children were gathered from the shores |
for many days afterwards. For the night |
these boats gather together in solid compact, |
81 that person could leap from the top of |
one 10 another for miles. As the central part |
OF them j. all that i covered, about one-ihird |
i, open To the weather in front. They have
a floor even with the railing, with trap
door TO it, communicating with a space below,
where they store their children for the night,
keep their fowls and such supplies of food and
extra clothing as they may possess. We saw
them preparing their evening meal. OF rice, a |
piece Of pork ~ large Is 4 lady'> thimblc or
dried hSh and 4 slice of turnip, over 4 furnace
the size of quart dish, ia which was 4 teacup- |
iul OF burnin" charcoal. We father,
mother and six children sitting on the floor
around pan containing the rice mixture, all
eating from it together with chop sticks. |
Strapped To the mothers back was the
Youngest of the brood, not larger than 4 kitten.
We watched the movements ofthese specimens
of humanity, even 10 the packing of the Younger
ones WAY for the unpiiaary ,.. "Hrn we bear IN
exceeds twenty feet in length, by SIX
broad in i~ widest part, and besides MS
u.s. as the only place of residence Tor The
family, Is daily brought into service Tor The
trans -purtaiou of passengers and freight from
one plare 10 another. we can have something
Of an idea of the faculty possessed by them for
space. After daylight had lcltu,
We engaged boat with three women to scull
it through the city of boats, the Venice "t Can,
ton MANY of the larger boats are moorcd
together. side hy side Tor the night, on two
,iacs of an open space like = canal. The parts
of the boats not occupied with houses are 80
well adapted To each other aS 10 llnproNlNe
good sidewalks over which We walked long di>-
tanccS after alisEting from our bod>- We hid
an opportunity to observe many of the phases
of hinc~e life in the two hours we walked
along the floating sidewalks aud IN our boats
passed from one cluster 10 another ol The habit
tltiOn> of the Cclr-tiil~. The houses are All
open in front. and we had an unob>tructcd
view of " hat wa, transpirin@ within them.
MANY of them were deliberately furnished with
>llk and llma>h embroidered curtains. and |
urnlmcntcd with mirrors, framed IN rich
carvings of wood and IVORY. Elegant flower
pots of rare porcelain containing beautiful
fresh flowers were seen occupying the smallest
space that could he spared. We visited res
taurant> where single men not proprletor> "i
boats. were entertaining their lady ami gentle
men friends by invitation; places OF amil>r-
mrnt, where iuggler- perform their trick>,
and fortune tcllcr> make out individual
horoscopes: and music halls. where the gong
cymbal-, horn and tom-tom are played, az
10y 4 bell, whistle and chop >tlrk>-
a medley OF sounds without tune or time. |
While maL in. our WAY alun. one 81 the water
streets we met 4 mandarin IN his boat cross
in. 10 h- palace ON the opposite SIDE oil tht
hav The boat was brilliantly Illuminated 10y
Chinese lanterns OF all sizes, from that OF
pint cups To hos>head. exhibiting figures "l
the most ,rotcsque character, and of every
variety in color, casting shadows upon the
water ofcvrry shade in the prism. The halt
closed curtains of the door and ol the windows
were embroidered >llk sPangled WIN JrWel-:
The mandarin attendants iu the number ol
thirty or NOR. were. dressed IN white cotton |
mllslin trimmed with scarlet braid. Banners
of every DESCRIPTION, of many dr\ceN doiled |
with brilliant- ut every hue, attached 10 poles,
were projecting from all parts OF the boat. On |
the root OF his floating house was 'hinrSr
band complete. PLAYING the same tune to The |
sam. time or without regard To either, ~ has |
been our experience in all musical perform |
Iuc..- IN all places IN China
Tired of Sightseeing Tor the day, We return |
ed 10 our ship ami " turned in with the hopes ol |
sleep and rest. In that, We were disappointed. |
surrounded - Wr were 10 within a yard OF our |
steamer hy family boats, We were grretcd all |
through the night, with noises mdr-cribhhle, |
in which mingled loud talking IN an unknown |
tongue. the cries OF rhlldrcn,puackIns ol ducks. |
Growing OF cocks, >'uealing Of pigs, spli>hlng |
unknown instruments. How could we sleep !
~ soon a. the darkness ut night faded inlo the |
dawn Oi daylight we were on deck WIN the |
,.Npoctation oi finding, from typhOnn or |
an earthquake, complrt" dispersion ol The |
jewellers upon water and destruction of their |
hahitatiun~ bat instead thereof quiet rcicned |
supreme and the number OF boats had increased |
instead of diminished durin" the night We |
had seen them prepare for the night, ana pa |
urutlv waited To see them commence another |
,i,ty II was not long before there was sur |
anon. them, and like 81 many nests ol ans we |
saw them craw linz out from mysterious hnlt> |
u all Quarters ul the boat II seemed but |
q, few miuutp~ after lighted match was ap- I
uIicd tn an ounce, OF charcoal IN Then pocket |
iuruncr beneath 4 dish Of rice before we law ]
them pukiug the >tcamiug berry mo Their |
mouths with chop sticks. Breakfast over, |
children were washed, hv wcttlng M salt |
water and rubbing over them The same clnth /
used Tor di-h-wipins, door srruihnS and Tor |
many other purposes. in which a IA" = brought |
INTO r.,mi-ition, " hen there l. 4 large family |
uf children. The dressing OF them was short |
work, 4, q single garment Ot blue cotton like a |
trock i, al they wear. II took more time 10 |
prepare the Young ones III "A way I" guarantee |
ihcIn comparative safety daring the hhN. he |
tour years uld boy were provided With NE |
rr,.-rrycr, make Oi wood lIshcd across the |
back the rrccpcr~ were tied 10 some part ol The |
boat AMI the infants placed IN hag~ On their |
mothers back-. | have often seen mothers AT
WORK rowing "a boat, carrying baggage aud
heavy plo kagc- ut mcrchandi-" {" aud from
their hout- with infants not week old bound
tn their backs, and ~ have seen their ltilc
bcnd, Wingc about rouSuunni with their |
muthcr-' mo> cmcnt~, it has been a wonder I"
me why thcy do not drop OH have many
Times made passage Oh boats -culI.d hA
nnrhrr- with iuiint- u"d =" their backs.
without ,y.r having heard e thlncsr infant
,tA.
tNNlnN. hiuu, Feb. -, -
.hpuld like o,l,-crihc 10 You the sights "i
Canton lthr rar~ of thnnl, with t~ million
4. IL .,.I.. Ht. A tTItt-