The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-12-10
CANTON REACHED
Unfamiliar SIGHTS And Sounds
AT The Boat Landing.
SCRAMBLE OF THE BOATWOMEN
First Ride In City Proper Just Be-
fore Dusk-Streets Unclean
And Crowded.
SCRAMBLE OF THE BOATWOMEN
Especial Correspondence


distance between the two places is
IS miles, and the time taken is Z or s
hours, depending on the state of the
wind and tide We came up in s
hours against strong north wind,
and low depth of water necessitating
our taking the longer of the two chan
nels up which foreign vessels may pass.
There is a third channel not available
as yet, and the second one has only
been used since 1891 On the channel
by which we reached the city, we pass
ed through three of the chain and
post barriers, which the Chinese Gov
eminent has placed across the river
to prevent foreign war vessels from
ascending, leaving only a narrow
opening which additional chains would
close at short notice. AS usual with
such business in China, more money
was subscribed and appropriated than
was expended; at least third sticking
fast to the obstructive barrier of off
cial greed.
Maps and encyclopedias are mislead-
ing in the description given of Hong
Kong as off the mouth of Pearl River.
We found Hong Kong to be only one
of a large group of islands lying along
the China coast, veritable archipelago
skirting the continent. 1t took us four
hours and half, at Is miles an hour,
to reach the opening of the river into
the sea; a point locally known as the
Tigers Mouth. Our boat, built of steel
after the model of the Hudson River
steamboats,, with compound engines,
walking beam, and paddle wheels, had
ample accommodations forward for
first class passengers, of whom there
were only seven. The better class of
Chinese occupied the saloon aft while
the multitude were housed below in
the main deck with the freight. A
stack of rifles with swords between,
and the label loaded" was not par
ticularly reassuring as to the safety
of travelling in China. The agent re-
fused to take specie as freight, saying
in my hearing, that he would not care
TO have it known that they had
treasure on board.
The voyage up the river was very
delightful. The cool October wind, not
at all chilly: the October haze yelling
in soft mistiness the outlines of distant
islands; the ever changing vistas of
land and sea; combined to make any
trip a series of charming views. The
granite hills. not rough and logged,
but rounded and smoothed, under the
disintegrating influences of sun and
rain and wind. formed the back
ground land-ward while sea-ward the
view was shut in by the hill sides of
the islands, barren of any vegetation
other than verdure enough to harmo-
nize in color with the reddish brown
and dull gray of the granite rocks
or opened out to wide eXpanse of
ocean. At first the water was so green
and so comparatively smooth as to
seem like turf, gradually it grew a
yellower green, f1ecked with the dark
shadows of the floating clouds above,
until we were in the channel of the
view. which was a muddy yellow in
color. The land was not low and one
marsh of rice fields, as / had supposed;
but the banks were of some height
five or six feet, and in many stretches
lined with granite masonry. Rice
fields there were, cultivated to the very
edge. One of the amusing sights was
the duck boat. here and there, with its
wide expanse. on either side, of roost-
ing place for the hundreds of ducks,
born and bred on these boats, taking
to the water for their grubbing hunt
hn MI
down; and returning to their home at
the call of their owner and care-taker.
We passed several "pagodas of good
luck" The Chinaman, economical in
his religion. as in every business of
life. rows out to some place where he
can see the pagoda, and rows back
again. assured that he has done his
part towards making life a success.
A fellow passenger, who though he
was a warden of the Church of
England, did not believe in foreign
missions, said that there was more
religion in China than in London, with
all the churches and chapels; and,
what was the use of trying to make
people change their religion? He
evidently had no such idea of religious
life as l had; and right relations to
the Heavenly Father, faith, love, joy
full service, did not enter into his con-
ception of religion, as its essential ele-
ments, but forms merely, expressive
Of human need.
We passed several Notifications, but
not a man was to be seen. The guns
were there; but the soldiers were on
the lists on which the officers drew
the monthly pay AS one Of the Chinese
officers said, China had a military
uniform, but not a soldier in it."
Such Notifications would not consti-
tute much of an obstacle in the way
of foreign war vessel with its equip
ment of modern artillery. The chief
difficulty is the shallowness of the
river. If u feet Of water had been re-
ported instead of IL feet inches, our
boat could have taken the shorter
channel and reached Canton at least
half an hour earlier. On the banks
of the river, on the edges of the paddy
fields. we noticed the familiar banana,