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are very frail concerns and would soon be disabled in and action from the recoil of their own guns. They have guns there whose calabre [sic] is 13 inch carrying a ball weighing 275 to 300 lbs. The [sic] appear to be China made guns from the thickness of metal &c. They have but little knowledge of the [crossed out: manner and] quantity of [crossed out: loading] powder. in these guns they use about 50 lbs of powder when about 15 would be quite as much as they would burn, during [crossed out: the nights of] our stay at the Bogue we continually heared during the night the deep sonorous sound of a gong which was answered by gongs from each for it was a melancholy sound it was like the [?lotting?] of some distant church bell. We anchored in Blenheim Reach 15 miles from Canton. The river banks is on both sides very low near the water and are covere with rice fields. At every bend of the river is a strong for on every hill a Pagoda and in every nook is a village. whilst the rivr swarms with boats and rivr craft on each side of the river is a bank or levee