Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-13
AN ORIENTAL CITY.
\ Relic ofthe Past, with Nothing of
the Nineteenth Century About IL.

y Relic ofthe Past, with Nothing of
the Nineteenth Century About II.
From, the Cosmopolitan.
am sure that Canton is the queerest,
the most wonderful, and bewildering old
city under the sun. IL certainly has more
strange sights to the square yard than
any other city l ever saw, and | am will
ling to back ii against all the rest. Even
nov, when | try TO recall the strange
scenes and sounds encountered on that
memorable visit. it makes my eyes acne
aud my brain whIrl, just as it did then.
Well well, well! What a wonderful
old city it is! How bewidermg, and how
interesting at every step! This is no
more like the Chinese quarter of Hong
koug than an old bill is like new silver
dollar. How very, very different from
wp0t we had expected tos9e! Compared
with the substantial newness and Euro
peanness of Hong Kong this is q verita-
bic fossil. a relic Of the past, with nothing
Of the nineteenth century about 1t save
the European quarter and the steamer on
the river. The city is all on the ground,
or a the most, it will not average more
IAN a story and half in height. Where
rthe shops are thIckest each square is an
unbrOken succession of wide dOorways;
tor of every shop the whole end next to
the street takes out boldly. From one
stree corner to the next there is only sue
caseiOn OF open-ended rooms aud parti.
ton walls, with dark, narrow passages
thrown in here and there. There is no
architecture visible, for the houses are SO
mmed together that it is Impossible to
SIN lie our any one in particular without
climbing on the roof to see how much it
covers.
II This is not streetin Wonderland it
mig ht as well be. 1t is only about eight
ieCt wide, and many are less. The caves
OF The houses on each side project quarter
or a third of the way across the street,
and tue remaining third in the middle is
very often loosely covered over with
boards placed crOsswise When the sun
is shining the streets are light enough.
but in rainy or cloudy weather they are
very dark and gloomy, and the peculiar
twilight effect only adds another element
Of strangeness to the scene. Thank good
mss, the streets are well paved with
smooth, granite flagstOnes, one foot by
t r e, and, being kept very clean, there
is no mud to plod through, even when it
rams. Pedestrianism is the order of the
dsv. There are no carriages, carts, drays,
big freight wagons, Omnibuses, or street
cars to run over you, if you fail to get
out Ot the way, for all the freight is car
red by c0olies.
Now and then. however, your wool
gathering is disturbed by stir and loud
shouting little way down the street,
and you see the crowd parting to right
aud lett. Then you know there is a sedan
cnair coming and you take shelter
behind a signhoard, or In a friendly door
way, or flatten yourself against wall
until the peripatetic nuisance has gone
bv. But the streets are so narrow that
chairs are not very often used. They move
| too slowly; 1t takes too much shouting to
/ clear the way, aud when two meet in a
narrow thorou ghfare one has to be side
! tracked before the other can get by. The
use of the chair, therefore, is confined to
lazy merchants and officers. weak
women, and swell Europeans. For my
pnrt, | would not do Canton in a sedan
chair if l could have a whole SET for moth
ing.
Butthere IL one drawback to pedestrian
ism. AS you pass along you are Obliged
to be on the alert to keep from comm z
into collision with half-naked coolies,
carrying all sorts of loads. All loads are
carried in the same way; everv school.
boy knows 1t, so | will nOts stop to de.
scribe it. No matter where you go, you
can be certain that every few minutes
one Of these coolies will come putting aud
shutting along at a dog trOt, shouting
every few steps those in front ot him
to ''clear the track" his load springinC
mp and down, and his bamboo lathee
/ creakIng rhy.hmcaily at every step.