Peeps Into China; Or, The Missionary's Children

ys, from Hong-Kong to Macao, a pretty little sea-side place at the entrance o

ople resort thither from Canton for change of air and to enjoy the fresh sea-br

guese, a great many of the in

h to walk. Here, again, the houses were painted. In a pretty street close by the Grand Parade, protected on both sides by walls, the Grahams were shown houses whose windows used to have barriers

h red, the favourite colour. Most of the houses could boast of large rooms. Not very much commerce seem

garrison, were the principal sounds heard. It was interesting to visit Macao, because here, in its quiet prettiness, the poet Camoens, when banished, spent some of his lonely years, and wrote a great part of his epic poem "Lusiad;" and here also a French painter, named Chinnery, had produced som

CA

ut being offended by what he saw the Portuguese authorities doing in India, he wrote a satire about them, called "Follies in India," and made fun of the Viceroy. For doing this, he was banished to Macao in 1556, where he lived for six years, writing "The Lusiad." On being recalled, he was shipwrecked, and lost everything that he had in the world but this epic poem, which he held in one hand above the waves, while he swam to shore with the other; and after suffering many misfortunes

ry of epic pictures, in which all the great achievements of Portuguese heroism are represent

ant, stay at Macao, the

r eyes seemed to drown the rest of the sentence. However, as some very happy weeks had yet to be passed at Canton, neither she nor we must an

und to the Consulate, or Yamen, to await the ar

pretty garden, and on the other by a park, in which deer grazed. Both Sybil and Leonard thought the deer very pretty; and quite near to the Yamen w

er thought, when we examined our little ornamental pagodas

goda, being told to Leonard

H CONSULAT

they reached the top the Chinese were dreadfully angry, for two reasons: first, because they looked upon it as sacrilege; and secondly, because fr

, and the elder friend very kindly did not weary o

r house cal

s does consulate, the offic

e you he

ests and those, commercial and otherwise,

whom you have a pictur

have, for some time, been established between China and foreign countries. The Emperor Tau-Kwang, who came to the throne in 1820, thought so well of him that he made him one of his ministers. Later he became general of the Tartar garriso

ATE VICERO

, and as people on land go to market to buy vegetables and other food, so everything in this line, that they required, was brought, by boat, to them. Then, besides boats, there were floating islands, on which people lived, and these consisted of rafts of bamboos fastened together, with a thick bed of vegetable soil covering the rafts. Here the owners set up houses, cultivated rice-fields, and kept tame cattle and hogs. Swallows and pigeons here built their

if a storm came on, they would call out with fear. Those people who lived in river streets, where their houses were close against the river, often complained of the n

China had to obtain a license from Government. Some of these sailed two and two abreast, at a distance, from one another, of about three hundred feet, when a net was stretched f

E BOAT

LLAGE ON THE

tied into a little hole in the middle of the ship, like a large cistern, into which fresh water flows. The fishermen anchor their boats, and then lower their dip-nets into the water by means of these shears, which are made of bamboo, and attached to wooden platforms, resting on posts. Huts are sometimes erected near the dip-nets, so that the fishermen can

in the tanks, or wells, into which they are put, an

the stern of very many was an altar, concealed generally behind a sliding door, but which, night and morni

orshipped. Tien-How, Queen of Heaven, also called Ma-chu, and other names, is much worshipped by sailors, but each boat has its special guardian god. Incense is burnt night and morning at the bow

SE FI

er, and brother, returned home, from a ramble, very tired; "a dear little pagoda, seven storeys high, very near to the banks of the river, with mountains at the back and trees near to it, and a little

, of which her children never grew tired, so then she would

n the western branch the children found themselves surrounded by lovely mountain scenery. From Canton to Whampoa it was called the Pearl River; from Whampoa to Bocca Tigris, or Tiger's Mouth, Foo-mon;

r was almost entirely land-locked by high ranges of hills, and here they ask

eppel engaged in a memorable battle in 1857. The river divides the town of Fatchan into two equal parts. Then again they went so far that they could

BANKS OF THE

s of wonderfully-shaped mountains. Standing on one of these mountains, they had a capital view of the Temple of Polo-Hang and its surroundings, consisting of bare fields traversed by canals; and, at the foot of the mountains of thickets of bamboo, whose light, feathery branches swayed ge

all come from?

This was a scene calculated to leave

CANTO

of God," he sai

POLO-HANG

ybil wrote agai

, Janua

are often called joss-houses; this one was the Temple of Five Hundred Gods. Fancy five hundred gods! and these idols were all there, arranged in different lines. They all seemed to look different, a

r. Some of the priests are men who have committed great crimes, and have escape

ifferent positions. Some held beads, and a few wore crowns; I think they were disciples of Buddha

and he considers it a very good one) that you ought to know that this temple is said to have been founded about 520 years a.d., and to have been rebuilt in 17

THE FIVE HUNDR

arge as a penholder, which they hold between the thumb and first finger of the right hand. I can't eat with them at all, no

ic, and they never walk in the streets with them. Some of them think u

e sedan-chair of an official is covered with green cloth, and the fringe on the roof and window-curtains has to be green too. So much seems to go by rank in China. For the first three ranks, the tips of poles may be of brass, in the form of a drag

IAL'S PA

arriage or chair, and come in. As they pass through a door of the gate, the gentleman, to whom the house belongs asks the visitor to go first, but he always says 'No' until he has been asked three times, and then he walks first to the reception-hall, when the two stop again, and ask one another to go first. When they have come into the hall, father says, they

and soon afterwards the visitor gets up, and says, 'I want to take my leave.' They walk together to the grand entrance, but at every door-way the visitor has to bow, and ask his friend not to come any far

esent a tael of silver, about 2s. 8d., which he holds up with both his hands. Then he looks towards the north, kneels, and knocks his head twice upon the ground, when the master bows. The boy asks how his teacher's parents are, who also asks after the boy's. He then invites

y their masters. A rich man will have sometimes twenty or thirty slaves. People called 'go-betweens' generally buy them for the masters. We have very few servants of our own now, as we are on a visit. Mother's maid shows dear little Chu what to do. Female slaves a

se she cannot be bought or sold now: father made that agreement. I should not know nearly so much about the servants and slaves if I h

ricklayers, journeymen, and carpenters, waiting to be hired. The carpenters stand in a line

they will not allow any parcels even to be wrapped up in them. When all these scraps have been collected, they are burnt in a furnace, and the ashes are put into baskets, carried in procession, and emptied into a stream. Slips of paper are pasted on walls, telling p

G TO B

right to left, and all the writing consists of signs or characters. I cannot think how Chinese people understand either their writing or their conversation. One word will mean a number of things, and you know which word they mean by the sound of the voice

ity of Perfection.' Leonard and I are now going for a walk, with father, to

ets, in front of shrines; and before the shops lighted sticks, called 'joss-sticks,' are put at dawn and s

ign commerce, have European parts

your aff

l Gra

NESE