y in the morning to view the
mouth of the Si-Kiang, or Tigris, I found that we had already passed
it, and were a long way up the river. I saw it, however,
subsequently, on my return from Canton to Hong-Kong. The Si-Kiang,
which is one of the principal rivers of China, and which, at a short
distance before entering the sea, is eight nautical miles broad, is
so contracted by hills and rocks at its mouth, that it loses one
half of its breadth. The surrounding country is fine, and a few
fortifications on the summits of some of the hills, give it rather a
romantic appearance.

Near Hoo-man, or Whampoa, the stream divides into several branches;
that which flows to Canton being called the Pearl stream. Although
Whampoa of itself is an insignificant place, it is worthy of note,
as being the spot where, from the shallowness of the water, all
deeply laden ships are obliged to anchor.

Immense plantations of rice, skirted by bananas and other fruit-
trees, extend along the banks of the Pearl stream. The trees are
sometimes prettily arranged in alleys, but are planted far less for
ornament than for use. Rice always requires a great deal of
moisture, and the trees are planted in order to impart a greater
degree of solidity to the soil, and also to prevent the possibility
of its being washed away by the force of the stream. Pretty little
country houses of the genuine Chinese pattern, with their sloping,
pointed, indented roofs, and their coloured tiles inlaid with
different hues, were scattered here and there, under groups of shady
trees, while pagodas (called Tas) of various styles, and from three
to nine stories high, raised their heads on little eminences in the
neighbourhood of the villages, and attracted attention at a great
distance. A number of fortifications, which, however, look more
like roofless houses than anything else, protect the stream.

For miles below Canton, the villages follow one another in quick
succession. They are mostly composed of miserable huts, built for
the most part on piles driven into the river, and before them lie
innumerable boats, which also serve as dwellings.

The nearer we approached Canton, the busier became the scene on the
river, and the greater the number of ships and inhabited boats. I
saw some junks of most extraordinary shape, having poops that hung
far over the water, and provided with large windows and galleries,
and covered in with a roof, like a house. These vessels are