The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-08-05

pay meut, he taxes eacn coin anu balances
it between two fingers and determines at
once its character for currency with un-
failing accuracy, and in about the same
time that the same amount of money could
be simply counted. This rapidity and ac-
curacy in detecting counterfeit coin never
fails to excite admiration in the visitor, and
this quality seems only possible to be ac-
quired to any degree of perfection by
native, for Notwithstanding the many years
of European occupation in the East, the
Shroff still remains at his post in the banks
and mercantile houses.
As for life in Hong Kong, apart from
the Punishment from home, it is very
charming and comfortable. Society is
made up of the members of the wealthy
foreign houses established here, the con-
sular, civil and the military and naval Off
cials. Since Hong Kong is Grown colony,
it is furnished with the usual establish
ment, a Governor, Council, etc., appointed
by the Queen, and, consequently, with
many of the accessories of Court ceremony.
An impression of European life in Hong
Kong is very much governed by the Pc
riod of the visitors residence, and whether
the hot or the cool season has been the one
selected as typical of life in this place. In
consequence, one often hears the island de-
scribed as very healthy, cool, full of inter
est, and the residents delightfully."- hospita-
BILE; while again, its unhealtfulness, the
enervating heat, the dullness, and the in
hospitality of the inhabitants cannot be too
strongly condemned. However, as pleas
ant as Hong Kong may be during the cool
season. with its cloudless skies, dry and
bracing air and cool nights, it can be radi-
cally different in the six or seven months
of summer, with the thermometer standing
at about 80 degrees, both night and day,
with heavy, soggy clouds overhanging the
town almost continually, making the peo-
pie limp, miserable and disinclined to do
anything but look forward to the cool SER
son. At these times devastating epidemics
are liable to occur, and, with the constant
sanitary precautions necessary, it is very
difficult to give cheerful account of life
at this point of the extreme East.
CANTON.
About ninety miles from Hong Kong,
along the Pearl river, is situated Canton,
the southern capital of China, and is
reached by large steamers such as are used
in our American rivers. The passage up
the river is rather uninteresting, the coun-
try shortly after leaving Hong Kong be-
coming level and monotonous, mainly rice
swamps, interspersed here and there with
occasional native villages. The principal
landmarks on the trip up are the Bogue
Forts, at the entrance of the Pearl river,
and few miles further on the town of
Whampoa. At this point the only inter
esting part Of the trip begins, for the river
With all its tributary streams is now alive
with boats of every description, requiring
the utmost skill on the part of the pilot to
thread his way through such an intricate
course,
Not much more interesting than the
lower part of the river is the first view one
obtains of the capital. 1t is built on a
perfectly fat plateau, almost surrounded
and hidden by wilderness of junks and
native boats of every description. Where
the city can be seen through the forests of
masts, it presents a very unimposing ap-
pearance, vast collection Of low and
mean-Iooking hnusea, topped off here and
there with few pagodas, six or seven
stories high, and much greater number
of pawnbrokers' "godowns.' These pawn
shops are conspicuous figures in the land
scape-large, square structures of stone or
brick, rising some distance above the gen
eral level of the roofs of all the houses.
These establishments are quite an institu-
ton in China, and 1t is not considered very
preiudicial to employ these brokers of the
three balls, many preferring to pay the
high rate of interest at these places rather
than go to the regular banks, while the
rich often make use of these towers for the
deposit of goods not in wear. There are
no other prominent buildings to relieve the
dreary monotony of fiat roofs; even the
temples are low and hidden until one gets
in their neighborhood, while the streets are
narrow and deRsely thronged. In con-
trast to the city itself is the island of
Shameen, the foreign concession, and the
residence of the European colony. This
was originally an unattractive mud fiat,
bnt through the energy and liberality of
the foreign residents it was reclaimed, the
grounds raised, handsome dwellings erected,
and gardens, shrubbery and flowers culti-
waited, altogether making about the only
attractive feature in the landscape about
Canton.
THE CITY OF BOATS.
One of the most interesting sights around
this place is the river population and its
city of boats. This floating city is esti-
mated to number something over 100000
people who recognize no other home than
these boats, and whose lives are spent from
birth upon the river; in fact, they are not
permitted to know any other habitation.
These boat homes are of different sizes and
of various shapes, the larger number being
so,,,.,,s ~, el;nrar heats the siza of an ordi-