ed, he should
proceed for England. The officer then desired an account of what men,
guns, and ammunition were on board, a list of all which he said was
to be sent to the government of Canton. But when these articles were
repeated to him, particularly when he was told that there were in the
Centurion four hundred firelocks, and between three and four hundred
barrels of powder, he shrugged up his shoulders, and seemed to be
terrified with the bare recital, saying, that no ships ever came into
Canton river armed in that manner; adding, that he durst not set down
the whole of this force, lest it should too much alarm the regency.
After he had finished his enquiries, and was preparing to depart, he
desired to leave the two custom-house officers behind him; on which
the commodore told him, that though as a man of war he was prohibited
from trading, and had nothing to do with customs or duties of any
kind, yet, for the satisfaction of the Chinese, he would permit two
of their people to be left on board, who might themselves be witnesses
how punctually he should comply with his instructions. The officer
seemed amazed when Mr Anson mentioned being exempted from all duties,
and told him, that the emperor's duty must be paid by all ships
that came into his ports: And it is supposed, that on this occasion,
private directions were given by him to the Chinese pilot, not to
carry the commodore through the Bocca Tigris; which makes it necessary
more particularly to describe that entrance.

The Bocca Tigris is a narrow passage, little more than musquet-shot
over, formed by two points of land, on each of which there is a fort,
that on the starboard-side being a battery on the water's edge, with
eighteen embrasures, but where there were no more than twelve iron
cannon mounted, seeming to be four or six pounders; the fort on the
larboard-side is a large castle, resembling those old buildings
which here in England we often find distinguished by that name; it is
situated on a high rock, and did not appear to be furnished with more
than eight or ten cannon, none of which were supposed to exceed six
pounders. These are the defences which secure the river of Canton;
and which the Chinese (extremely defective in all military skill) have
imagined were sufficient to prevent any enemy from forcing his way
through.

But it is obvious, from the description of these forts, that they
could have given no obstruction to Mr Anson's passage, even if they