Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-02-20

good swimmers aboard. But we got through
all right. in some mysterious way.
These river Chinese are almost different
race of people from those on the land. They
very seldom go ashore, and never intermarry
with the land-lubbers, there being penalty
for such an act. The sailing craft were all
provided with single huge sail of bamboo
Sometimes huge hulk would be passed
which q score or more of men we're labori
ously trying to propel With oars. AS we got
into the vicinity of the city the motion of the
boat was perceptibly slackened.
It will be remembered that it was the
wharf of the steamer Hankow that was burn
ed in the riot. This wharf has never been
rebuilt, and so the steamer drops anchor, and
discharges her load by the abominable Sam
pan process. AS we neared the spot where
it Is customary to moor the boat, the Sam
pans gathered about MS like vultures. Long
pixies reached out and clutched every part of
the vessel even before she stopped.
Frequently it would be impossible
to overcome the inertia of a stationary
ssmpan by this process and then ropes were
thrown ON board and wound about any i'm
movable article that was handy AS fast a.
an attachment was effected, the occupants
would swarm abroad. Soon the entire out
line of the Hankow was encircled by q
surging, seething mass of boats. and such a
screaming, pushing, pulling and squeezing l
hope never again to witness, even in a hor
rible nightmare.
Occasionally, not satisfied with her posi-
ton, the wheels of the Hankow would be
started, and then perhaps a score of these
strange looking barnacles would be tossed
high on the boiling waters, disengaged from
the steamer and sent back several hundred
feet, to the great distress of the occupants
AT one such time I saw q woman, who had
osen sitting on the roof of her queer looking
home, fall clear to the deck about ten feeI
below, and assumed the same attitude which
she would have assume had she purposed
sitting down, while great wave added to her
discontinue by giving her good ducking
On most of the boa s somebody seemed to b.
ready with a wide board to keep out the bulk
of the water at such critical times.
Selecting sampan which was manned CD
by four women. I managed at length. after
considerable hunting and one embarrassing
mistake, to reach the family with whom
had an invitation to stop. The search was
however, in giving me quite an
idea of the Canton barbor We were buffet
ed about, sometimes caught in a blockade of
strange looking craft, uutil I was devoutly
when touched terra firma. Among
the most interesting sights to me was a COL
lection of huge wooden foats made of in
tersecting Stats of wood SO as to resemble
bird cages fifteen or twenty feet in cubical
measurement. Pointing to them 1 asked my
fair crew what they were for. keep out
men of war;" said the one who could speak
the best ''pigeon :" "Chinaman see French
man coming, he fill with big stones and sink
across river. Then French boat no can
come" All, exactly. 1 had noticed how
sven our Eght-drawipg steamer had scraped
su the bottom, padding the mud to the sur
facs and L could readily believe the war
ships of q hostile feet might have trouble in
riding over these hidden baskets of granite
Tho Shamsen was guarded by two English,
fW0 Fr6neh German and American
men of-war. It was very beautiful spot
Around the entire island. which is made
ground, was granite retaining wall, making
a splendid place for a promenade. one mile
and third in extent The characteristic
tree, which is also the characteristic tree of
Hong Kong and all southern China, proved
to be the bastard banyan, from the boughs
of which dropped long mossy rootlets. These
trees we're Of brilliant green, and the rustic
benches underneath their shade looked most
inviting Here and there on this artificial
bnnd o foreigner might be seen sitting.
Watching the intensely Interesting and ever
shifting harbor scenes In an open Llace a
company of men from the American war
ship Essex were engaged in our great nation
al game, base ball This impressed me as a
goodly sight, for it was the first time 1 had
seen base ball played since leaving America
Cricket and lawn tennis are the great games
throughout the Orient, since English forms
of amusement dominate Several times I
have been called upon to tell what this
thing is that the American papers call base
ball and about which they make SO much
fuss"
Looking st the stately houses and offices of
stone which remain standing on the Sha-
meen, 1 could not help contrasting them
with the miserable huts and sheds of the ma
tive Cantonese suburbs, which stretch along
the river on both sides for several miles
But the ruins-the palaces of the Canton
foreign merchants, of which only mighty
walls and cbimneys were left standinR-what
sadly eloquent tes imonials they we're to the
stath of that Canton mob of last Septem-
bar Most of the houses were "looted" by
the rabbie before being burned, but the most
valuable things-the libraries, private cabi-
nsts of euriosities and expensive furniture
we're regarded as useless By the marauders
and persisted in the flames. Several spacious
matsheds have been erected on the island. in
which those who were turned out of home
are now living, while others have gone to
Hong Kong.
Besid the gunboats which now guard the
spot there are five hundred native soldiers
stationed on the island Iron gates have
been erected at the two bridges which lead
across the canal to the mainland and these
approaches are especially guarded These
soldiers. detailed by the Chinese government
fnr this work, seem to have the confidence of
the foreigners, and would doubtless make an
effort to protect the latter III of another
riot-at least if the mob was not too power
full. They live in tents which spread
around the edge of the shore which is toward
the mainland. There is no system of drill
ing. They simply sit around on the grass
from morning till night, leading an easy kind
of life. Their muskets are kept stacked in
side of the tents
The two granite bridges in question are
gay with large flags attached to bamboo
POLES, and they project ten or fifteen feet
apart The flags are mostl> red or white,
with huge Chinese characters upon them.
I was impressed with the warlike aspect of
the native shipping in the harbor. Every
old junk which we passed seemed to be load
ed down with cannon. Sometimes these
we're very rusty, and we're lying about pro
miscuouslY among the goods constituting the
cargo, some even being upside down. Then
again there were great many really respect
able gunboats belonging to the Chinese navy.
Most of these were small, but they looked
we'll kept and are, can see, just the thing
for warfare in this shallow river Other
military preparations were manifestly in
progress ON every side. 1t Is claimed that
10 900 troops have been sent down to Canton
and vicinity from the north. 1t IS hard to
test the accuracy of this claim, but it is Ger
tain that several thousand nave UeeH EeCoiNou
here. These men are some of them located
at the Bogue forts, some ct Whampoa, and
many are quartered in this city. Each
ward in the city has also been called upon
to furnish its quota, and it is safe to say
that there is a very considerable available
army in this vicinity.
To certain extent things are quiet in Can
ton. No attacks are made upon the foreign
quarters, and foreigners are unmolested ex-
cept when they get off away from the gun
boats Then it is a chance whether they are
stoned or simply hooted at as they pass by.
People go inside of the walls of the naive
city, but it is always done with great cautio n
If one goes in sedan chair, he directs his
ser wants to walk right along, turning neither
to the right nor to the left. This business
like way usually prevents the accumulation
of mob. and aside from the epithet Flank
wei" (foreign deviD, which is hurled at you,
you are not interfered with.
Going on the walls of the city, formerly
favorite promenade with tourists, IS now
quite forbidden. To appear so publicly
would be to invite the wrath of the hol pol
loi, and few people care to become so con.
spicuous a target for the natives. These
walls are about twenty five feet wide by for
ty high Soldiers are stationed on top of
them and find their aerial barracks quite
There are sixteen gates and
two water ways leading into the city, which
are all closed at ten O'Clock at night. This