women generally. A few junks were in sight; and they had
seen several of them among the islands which form an archipelago at the
mouth of Canton River, extending some distance up the stream.

"There are a number of hotels here with English names," said the captain
at dinner; "but I shall not trouble you to take a vote on the question
of going to one of them, for we shall not remain here long, not more
than one day. Our steamers can go up to Canton; but I think we had
better go up in one of the regular steamers, not Chinese."

After breakfast the next morning, the first thing in order was to ascend
the promontory for the view it would afford. But they could not walk up,
it was so difficult and tiresome. Before they left the ship the American
consul visited her, and proffered his assistance to the tourists; for he
had read about the ships in the papers of some of the ports they had
visited.

This gentleman was very kind and very polite, and while he was on board
the party from the Blanche came to the ship in the steam-launch. He was
introduced to everybody, and advised the travellers to take Chinese
sampans for their visit to the shore, for the novelty of the thing. The
water around the ship was covered with them, and a sufficient number of
them were taken to accommodate the party. "The colonel," as the consul
was generally called, talked "pidgin" English, which is practically a
dialect in itself, to the boat-women.

The captain, Mrs. Belgrave, the colonel, and a few others went in the
first sampan, and the lady was pleased with the women in charge of the
craft; and several children were in a coop at the stern. The price of
the craft was ten cents for half an hour. In a few minutes they were
landed at the town; and then a crowd of coolies, as the laborers are
called here, surrounded the party with sedans and rickshaws, and all
were anxious for a job. The passengers waited till all the company had
landed, and then took sedans or rickshaws for the Hong-Kong Hotel.

It required twenty of them to accommodate the party. The commander and
the consul went into the hotel; and a lunch, or tiffin as it is called
here as in India, was ordered for the tourists at one o'clock. Then the
colonel instructed the coolies where to go, and the procession started
for a round in the city. The buildings are constructed of granite, which
is the material of the surrounding heights, the dwellings with
verandas.

"How is the weather here, Col