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Missionary Sketches, No. LXIX.—April, 1835.
CANTON.
This city, (usually designated by Chinese ‘‘ Kwang-tung Sang-ching ;’’ the capital
of the province of Kwang-tung,) is built on the north bank of the Choo-keang,
or Pearl River, about sixty miles from ‘‘ the great sea.’’ The foreign factories, where
the business of the merchants of Europe is transacted, (as represented in the outline of
the city in the preceding page,) are situated at a short distance from the south-west corner
of the city walls, in latitude 23° 7’ 10’ North, and in longitude 113° 14†30’ East of
Greenwich ; and about 3° 30†West of Peking.
According to the Chinese Repository, from which the substance of this account is
taken, on the north and north-east of the city, the country is hilly and mountainous, In
every other direction, a wide prospect is opened. The rivers and canals, which are
very numerous, abound with fish, and are covered with a great variety of boats. The
city itself, and suburbs, is not of great extent; and, though very populous, derives its
chief importance from its extensive domestic and foreign trade.
ANTIQUITY AND HISTORY OF THE CITY. The northern, which is much the largest,
Canton is one of the oldest cities in this 18 called the Old City; the southern, the
part of the empire. More than 4000 years New. The entire circuit, including both
ago, according to the Chinese classics, Yaou divisions, does not exceed six English miles.
commanded one of his ministers to repair The walls are composed partly of stone
to Nan-keaou, which included the site of and partly of brick; the former is chief-
the present city of Canton, to govern it and ly coarse sand-stone, forming the founda-
the surrounding country. During the Shang tion and lower part, and the arches of the
dynasty, which ended 1123, B.C., these ates; the latter are small, and of a soft
regions began to pay tribute to the empe- texture. They rise nearly perpendicularly,
rors of China; and, though improved in nd vary in height from 25 to 40, and in
the next dynasty, it is stated, that ‘some thickness from 20 to 25 feet. Fine whole-
of the tribes of the district, which then in- Some water is provided from several springs,
cluded Canton, brought for their tribute Which rise in the north of the city.
crabs and frogs, others snakes and crickets.†Bricks are generally used for the walls
In the beginning of the tenth century, Of the houses; perhaps three-fifths of the
the government was vested in the hands Whole city are built of this material ; of the
of a person created by the emperor ‘‘ king Temaining part, a very large proportion is
of Canton.†The punishments of crimi- constructed of mud. The Tartars in the
nals, such as fighting with wild beasts, Old City inhabit houses of the latter de-
roasting, boiling, and other barbarities, were scription. Windows are small, and rarely
so cruel, that the emperor, in the year 964, Supplied with glass; paper, mica, or shell
declared it to be his duty to rescue the taking its place. Chinese houses usually
people. Other emperors of the same dy- open towards the south. Few of those in
nasty, appear to have sought the welfare of | Canton, or of the temples, have more than
Canton. Dispensaries were established; one story; which is usually of the whole
but the state of the people may be learned height, without concealing the beams of
from the following, among other prohibi- the roof. Terraces are often built above
tions; ‘‘ the people are forbidden to kill the roofs; and, surrounded by a breast-
men to sacrifice to demons.†The founders Work, afford a pleasant retreat in the cool
of the succeeding dynasty, in 1279, devas- Of the day.
tated the whole of the southern country. rs
“The blood of the people slain flowed in MORELON DAMS WIDE ANTON:
sounding torrents.’’ The British trade with China, forms @
This city was one of the last that yielded very important item of the commerce of the
to the Tartar family ; the armies of which, world. In 1832, the whole number of ar-
after being frequently repulsed, entered the _ rivals, under the British flag, was 87; the
city by the aid of a traitorous Prefect, in larger proportion of which were from the
the year 1650. The destruction of pro- British Possessionsin India. In the seasons
perty and life was amazing; the slain being of 1832-3, the value of the goods thus im~
estimated at 700,000. ported was 22,304,753 dollars; and of i
exports of tea, silk, and other articles,
SO on Caan 18.339, 760 dollars. The American trade,
That part of Canton which is surround- which commenced shortly after the reyolu-
ed by a wall is built nearly in the form tionary war, is to rather more than one-
of a square, and is divided by another wall, third of this amount.
running from east to west, into two parts. The foreign factories are neat and com
Missionary Sketches, No. UXIX.—April, 1835.
modious buildings. The limited plot of water; inundations of rivers, and windy
ground on which they stand is owned, storms, with incessant rain. Many thou-
as well as most of the factories, by the sands have been drowned, or crushed to
Hong Merchants. Each factory is divided death by falling houses, or have starved and
into three, four, or more houses. They perished in consequence of being without
are built either of brick or granite, and pre- shelter and without food. Afa’s house,
sent a substantial front; and with the fo- among the rest, was washed away. Indeed,
reign flags, Dutch, British, Swedish, Ame- _ throughout the whole of China, in the north
rican, French, and Danish, which wave by drought and scarcity, and in the south
over them, form a striking contrast with by rain and inundation, in some places by
the national banner and architecture of the | sword and spear, and in the Imperia) Ha-
celestial empire. rem, by the death of the Empress, there
AMOGED oO PORULARTOR has been a dread and a gloom diffused over
i ea the land. I sincerely pray that the afllic-
No inconsiderable part of the population tions of China may bring her to repen-
of Canton, live in boats. There are officers _ tance.â€
who regulate and control this part of the
inhabitants. Every boat is registered, and FIRST PROTESTANT MISSION TO CHINA.
it appears that the whole number on the ‘ 5
‘fie adjacent to the city, is 84,000. A bet attention of the Directors of the
very large majority are not more than 12 or London Mea Society, ag) 80 6
15 fect long, six broad, and so low, that a early period ofits history, directed to China.
person can scarcely stand up in them. ie. late Dr. Morrison, whose loss the
Whole families live in these boats; and in Christian Church has so recently been. cal-
coops lashed on the outside, they often rear led to deplore, ond whose bereaved widow
large broods of ducks and chickens, to sup- amid father lGBs CHC ren Wen she: exe Bea
ply the markets. of his elder son, are now in this country,
Respecting the population, therehas been WS MOwvuted to De the Brae syoele Ob bau
considerable diversity of opinion. 1,236,000 nO ane eo eaten ane oe peop
has been given as the probable number of The Jesuits, with all their zeal, aided y the
inhabitants in Canton. This number may SUBD ORY es ite Hignesy Gcgleuas mcg: suelo.
be far from the truth; but no one passing a of Europe, os the iriendabiip of the
through its streets, will think of its being rae os China imeelf, did not accom-
much less than 1,000,000. plish what Dr. Morrison and his devoted
fellow Missionary Dr. Milne, effected, in
BOeENy Cause au yaeilS RONG giving to the nations of China the entire
The inundations of 1833, by their fres yolume of Divine Revelation. Dr. Morri-
quent recurrence, and unparalleled height, son left England in January, 1807 ; and sail-
have produced the most distressing con- ing by way of America, reached Canton in
sequences. Boats plied for several days September following. On his arrival at Can-
through almost every street in the city and ton, he devoted himself to the study of the
suburbs of Canton. The force of the cur- language with intense application. Regarded
rent was so violent, that many native houses with suspicion by the natives, he confined
were thrown down, and the city gates could himself to his room, and for some time did
not be closed for several nights. In the not venture from his house. In February,
country above Canton, which has suffered 1809, he received an appointment in the
the most, embankments of stone and earth Honourable Company’s Factory ; which he
were broken down, and large portions of held, so long as the Company’s Factory con-
tice fields carried away. Most of theneigh- tinued, with advantage to his country, and
bouring country was rendered altogether credit to himself, yet without neglecting the
Wnproductive for the remainder of the year; great objects of his mission. He endea-
and the mulberry trees every where received youred, at an early period, to communicate
extensive injury, On the 5th and 6th of _ religious instructionin the Chinese language;
September, the tide was at the highest; being and continued these efforts on the sabbath,
/ feet high, at the eastern gates of the city. except under unavoidable interruptions, as
All business with the shipping was entirely long as his life was spared; though he could
stopped. The water did not return to its not preach to multitudes, he was permitted
ordinary level till the 16th of the same to address a few individuals in an inner
month. Industrious families became public apartment.
beggars ; and many an individual was left After he had been three years in China,
In one day, fatherless, childless, houseless, Dr. Morrison attempted the printing of
and destitute. part of the Scriptures,—the Acts of the
Referring to this fearful visitation, Dr. Apostles; and produced several smaller
Morrison observes, in a letter, dated 14th works, of a catechetical and devotional kind.
October, 1833: ‘* Awful calamities have These were all subservient to his great work,
this year befallen Canton Province from the translation of the Scriptures.
ee
Missionary Sketches, No, LXIX.—April, 1835.
In 1813 the Rey. Dr. Milne joined Dr. American Missionaries early in this year,
Morrison in the Mission; and, in the fol- | Dr. Morrison was partly relieved from his
lowing year, the New Testament was finished, | English labours on the Sabbath.
revised, and, by the liberal aid of the Bri-
tish and Foreign Bible Society, an edition RETROSPECT OF THE FIRST TWENTY-FIVE
of 2000 copies printed, beside several thou- YEARS OF THE MISSION IN CHINA.
sands of tracts and catechisms. Under date of September 4th, in the
BAPTISM OF THE FIRST CONVERT. ie 1832, Dr. Morrison thus writes :—
ae : wenty-five years have this day elapsed
In 1812, Tsae-a-ko, a Chinese, was pri- since the first Protestant Missionary ar-
vately baptised by Dr. Morrison. He main- yived in China—alone, amid strangers,
tained until his death, which occurred four Ye has continued to the present time,
years afterwards, a holy and consistent life. and can rejoice in what God has wrought.
A life of Christ, by Dr. Milne, was printed ‘The difficulties of the language have been
at Canton in 1815. In 1816, Dr. Morrison overcome. Dictionaries, grammars, and
visited Peking, in the suit of Lord Amherst, vocabularies have been printed; and it is
whom he accompanied asinterpreter. Dur- pot likely that Chinese will ever again be
ing his absence his Chinese and English ghandoned. The Holy Scriptures, prayer
dialogues were printed by a gentleman con- hooks, and tracts have been publish-
nected with the British factory. In 1817, ed; and the Society’s Chinese presses at
Dr, Milne visited China; and the season Malacca and Java have sent forth millions
spent with his beloved companions was em- of pages. At the college at the former
ployed in consultation respecting their fu- place, scores of Chinese youths have re-
ture labours, and in arranging the transla- Geived a Christian education. There are
tion of the Old Testament, a part of which ative Christians who preach the gospel,
was executed by Dr. Milne. Dr. Morrison and go from house to house. Amid many
published his view of China for philological geaths and disasters, the work has gathered
purposes, designed to assist in the study of strength from year to year. Missionary
the language: and in the succeeding year, voyages have been performed, and the Chi-
completed a translation of the morning and ese sought out at various places, to the very
evening prayers of the Church of England, walls of Peking. Some tracts have reached
together with the Psalter. In 1819, he andhave been read by the Emperor himself.’’
published Miscellaneous Essays on religious During 1833, Dr. Morrison, though much
subjects. indisposed, continued his service in Chinese
COMPLETION OF THE BIBLE AND CHINESE twice, and in English once, on the Lord’s
DICTIONARY, day ; and in his latest accounts he mentions
On the 23rd of November, 1819, the the continuance of the patient and perse-
translation of the whole of the Scriptures vering labours of his native assistants, an-
was completed. During the season of hisre- other of whom was then engaged in print-
sidence at Macao, in 1820, he deliveredare- ing.
gular course of theological instruction to a Such is the outline of the labours of that
few natives. In the early part of 1822, Dr. devoted servant of Christ, who has long been
Morrison brought to a close his Englishand _ as the morning star in the moral horizon of
Chinese dictionary, the most valuable aid to China; and such are some of the results of
the study of the language which has ever _ his influence and efforts, which, by the divine
been given to European scholars, blessing, he was favoured to witness before
Between the years 1824 and 1826, Dr. _ his departure, which took place on the lst
Morrison visited his native country,and on of August, 1834.
the first Sabbath after his return to China, in The Directors would intreat the prayers
September of the latter year, he resumed his of the Christian church for the son of their
accustomed labours. He has since pre- departed friend, and for the preservation,
pared and published several valuable Chinese steadfastness, and continued success of the
works. Leang-afabas continued tolabourin small but devoted band of native Christians,
Canton and the adjacent country. Besides each of whom, to the number of about ten,
being the instrument of spiritual good to is more orless employed in the dispensation
his countrymen by conversation, he has con- _of the gospel; and also, that suitable agents
tinued the preparation of suitable books maybe raised up by the Great Head of the
against idolatory; which, Dr. Morrison church, to carry forward wisely and efli-
states, are executed in a way which no ciently that work which their departed bro-
European couldequal. By the arrivaloftwo ther was honoured to commence. |
Each person who subscribes to the Missionary Society One Penny per week, or more, is entitled to one of
the Quarterly Sketches. Application to be made to the Seeretaries of the Auxiliary Missionary So- |
ciely, ur Association of the district or neighbourhood, who are requested to transmit their orders, with the
name of the conveyance by which they are to be forwarded, to Rev.John Arundel, Home-Secretary, Mis-
sion-house, Austin Friars, London. :
Lonvon: Priated by W. fyLeR, lyy-Lane, St. Paul's,
b
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