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and treated to a cup of the best Suchong tea. The girls all fled on our approach to a back room. [?] English gentleman & I ventured to the back Room but on our approach they nearly all ran on to the top of the boat. However a few of the shyest having hid behind curtains were surrounded by us two. They were beautifully dressed in fine embroidered silks the poor [crossed out: devils] angels trembled violently whilst the Fan Gui's were looking at them. All Chinese girls paint to excess their lips are as red as coral whilst their skins are whitened almost as white as snow with pearl powder. their cheeks are tinged with crimson. altogether I think there are some very pretty girls if not beautiful ones in Canton. The town of Boats in Canton is a Curiosity in its self. These are 80,000 boats in Canton river. They are ranged in rows streets are regularly made between them in these boats are shop of all kinds. The laws of China will neither allow these river people to live on shore nor intermarry with those who do. Tis said that the River or Boat town contains 800 000 inhabitants when the English took Canton they landed above the town marched around the west side and occupied the high lands immediately in the rear of Canton. There are some beautiful gargens [sic] near Canton with fountains artificial lakes &c. one of these lake which I saw was covered in a beautiful manner with the flowering lotus and was an enchanting sight, there are no factories of Porcelain in Canton but they have some very Intensive glass factories. One of the curiosities near Canton is the rafts with their thousands ducks. it is astonishing what a discipline there is amongst them they have all learned to feed themselves and obey a call almost as redily [sic] as a human being. Many of the fishermen train hawks to fish for them This is another thing that astonishes everyone these hawks will fly off a mile or two take a fish and return immediately to their masters boat. The European factories are above the town. The houses in Canton are built of blue bricks and usually not more than one story high, the red clay of China burns blue, In Canton are several large pagods some of them in fact all of them are 9 stories high this I believe refers to some religious ages. The Jos houses in Canton are gaudily dress'd off and show such a quantity of finery and such curious workmanship that they are well worth visiting. Canton River is only about ½ mile wide at Canton but it is a very long river and is quite deep. The River Yantse Kiang or the son of the sea is a very large deep and wide river. it is nearly as large as the Mississippi.