Chapter VIII: Letter VIII: Canton, (China,) Nov. 28, 1831

MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,‑‑The _sailors_, or those who live constantly on the water, ought to be mentioned as a distinct class. They are, indeed, a very numerous people; and, so far as I know, they are no way inferior, or worse than those belonging to the _five_ classes, of which I have already given you some account. Like the seamen of Europe and America, they have been very wrongly neglected. The rivers of China are very numerous, and several of them are very broad, beautiful and majestic. The canals, also, are numerous. And, besides a number of lakes, the country, for an immense distance on the east, and south‑east, is washed by the waves of the Pacific Ocean,‑‑forming along the coast a great number of bays and harbors. On all these waters, vast multitudes of human beings are born, and live, and die;‑‑having, many of them while they live, no home but a boat, or a ship, and when they die, no winding sheet and grave but the waters.

On the north bank of one of these rivers, stand the city and suburbs of Canton. The river varies in its breath. At this place, I should think it about forty or fifty rods wide. In another letter, I may tell you something about Canton. I will only state here, that the buildings extend quite down to the river: and in many places, even the ground has been built out beyond the former bank, and in some places much farther than in others, which makes many nooks and corners. These, and indeed, a considerable part of the river, for three or four miles, seem to be almost covered with boats; which are of various descriptions, and in all, probably amount to not less than forty or fifty thousand.

The _tanka_ boats are the smallest and most numerous. Tanks means an _egg‑house_, and the boats are so called because they resemble an egg floating on the water. The smallest of these boats are not more than twelve or fifteen feet long, about six broad, and so high, that a person can stand up in them. Their covering is very light, and can be easily adjusted to the state of the weather. Whole families live in these boats; and often besides a good number of children, raise broods of ducks and chickens, which they lash on the outside of the boats in coops.

_Ferry‑boats_ differ from the tanks, only by being a little longer and narrower, and not quite so high. There is a ferry right opposite to the place where I live. Four hundred dollars are paid for it annually; and the ferry‑men, or rather _women_, who row and scull the boats, usually carry eight persons at a time, and each person's fare is _eight cash_, of which about eight hundred make a dollar. The scull is a kind of long oar, balanced on a pivot close to one side of the stern of the boat. This "they make use of as the fish does of his tail, thrusting it out, and pulling it to them again, without ever lifting it above water. By this oar, worked in this manner, not only the ferry‑boats, but other, and much larger boats, are urged forward to the greatest possible advantage.

It would require a large book to give you a full account of all the different kinds of boats, and ships, and the people that live in them.

Hundreds of _passage‑boats_ to Canton, come and go daily. These are something like the ferry‑boats, only they are much larger:‑‑some of them are thirty， forty, or even fifty or more feet in length. They are furnished with one very large mat sail; also with oars, sculls, poles and ropes. When there is no wind, and the water is shallow, the boats are pushed along with the poles; or, if they are close along the bank of a river or canal, ropes are tied to the top of the mast, and the men going on the shore drag the boats along like horses. The number of sailors, or _water‑hands_, the Chinese call them, vary according to the size of the boats‑‑say from ten to twenty, and upwards; and the number of passengers, from ten to one hundred, and upwards.

The _canal‑boats_ are large, fine, noble boats, and often carry immense burdens. Numbers of these may always be seen on the river at Canton. They are usually propelled by the same means, and in the same way, that the passage‑boats are.

There are also many _smuggling‑boats_, and government _cruisers_. The smuggling boats carry prohibited goods, and such articles as opium. This is an unlawful and wicked business. The cruisers, or _soldier‑boats_, as the Chinese call them, are pretty well manned; but not much feared, even by the smugglers, whom they are commanded to seize, and destroy. Indeed, the men of the cruisers will often take bribes, and so let the smugglers pass; and not only so, but they will themselves, also, engage in the same wicked business.

Dragon‑boats, so named from their appearance, are seen annually, on the 17th of June. They are brought out to celebrate a kind of festival; the story about the origin, and object of which, I have not time to tell you. These boats are, sometimes, one hundred feet long, made to resemble a great snake on the water. Well supplied with drums, and gongs, and flags, and men with paddles, they make a curious figure.

The _duck‑boats_, which are about the size of the large ferry‑boats, having balanced on each side a large square pen, or coop, containing several hundreds of ducks, are very curious objects. By letting down a kind of trap‑door, the ducks are let out, every day, to get their food, and play in the water, and, sometimes, along the shore; and at night, they all come back and are driven into the boats. Thousands of ducks are raised in this way for the market.

The Chinese have, also, many large vessels, some of which are _soldier‑ship_, and others are _merchant‑ships_. Most of these are very rude indeed, and usually furnished with wooden anchors, and a helm or rudder of most monstrous size, awkwardly constructed. The number of men in these vessels varies from forty or fifty to three hundred and upwards. These merchant‑ships are those alluded to in a former letter, which go to Singapore, Batavia, &c., and are usually called _junks_.

The _fishing‑boats_ are the last I can mention. They are very numerous, and of almost every size and description. When beholding the occupants of these boats, I have often been reminded of the _fishermen_ of Galilee, whom our blessed Saviour taught, and chose to be his apostles. But, alas, for all these poor sailors, and fishermen! no man cares for their souls. Like brutes they live, like brutes they die.

Again, dear children, I bid you adieu! and remain your true friend,
E.C.B.

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