aptain to run alongside his ship and view it, on our return.
He came in the boat with us, and took us on board, where he showed
us everything himself: the sight, however, was not a particularly
attractive one. The crew looked very rough and wild; they were all
dressed in a most slovenly and dirty manner, so that it was utterly
impossible to distinguish the officers from the common men. The
vessel mounted twelve guns and sixty-eight hands.

The captain set before us Portuguese wine and English beer, and the
evening was far advanced before we reached home.

The longest trip that can be made from Canton is one twenty miles up
the Pearl stream, and Mr. Agassiz was kind enough to procure me this
pleasure. He hired a good boat, which he furnished abundantly with
eatables and drinkables, and invited a missionary, who had made the
trip several times, Herr von Carlowitz, and myself. The company of
a missionary is as yet by far the safest escort in China. These
gentlemen speak the language; they become gradually acquainted with
the people, and travel about, with hardly any obstacle to speak of,
all round the vicinity of Canton.

About a week before we had decided on going, a few young gentlemen
had endeavoured to make the same excursion, but had been fired upon
from one of the fortresses that lie on the banks of the river, and
compelled to turn back half-way. When we approached the fortress in
question, the crew of our boat refused to proceed any further, until
we had almost employed violence to make them do so. We also were
fired into, but fortunately not until we were more than half past
the fortress. Having escaped the danger, we pursued our course
without further interruption, landed at several hamlets, visited the
so-called Herren Pagoda, and took a good view of everything that was
to be seen. The scenery all round was charming, and displayed to
our view large plains with rice, sugar, and tea-plantations,
picturesque clumps of trees, lovely hills, and more elevated
mountain ranges rising in the distance. On the declivities of the
hills, we beheld a number of graves, which were marked by single,
upright stones.

The Herren Pagoda has three stories, with a pointed roof, and is
distinguished for its external sculpture. It has no balconies
outside, but, instead of this, a triple wreath of leaves round each
story. In the first and second story, to which access is gained by
more than usually narrow stairs, are so