The appearance of Canton, as approached by the river, is low, squalid, and uninviting. The most conspicuous objects are the watch-towers upon the city walls, and the pagodas, which tower above all other buildings. The houses are mostly of one story, and stretch along the river for more than four miles. Those built nearest the water rest on piles which are driven into the sand; and these, with the lower parts of the city, are subject to inundations. Far out into the river, and along the banks, the water was nearly covered with boats of various colors and sizes. The largest and most conspicuous were the Flower and Mandarin boats,--these being, as a general thing, highly ornamented with carvings and gildings, and, being painted in brilliant colors, made a very showy appearance. There was also a long and narrow little craft called the Snake-boat, which is much used in towing larger vessels when they have to stem the tide. Near the city we passed one of these having a Mandarin-boat in tow. Some of the foreigners at Canton have a pleasure-boat called the _Matrimonial_, which, luxurious in its appointments, is finely arranged to meet the necessities of a warm climate. Our countryman, Mr. G----, the Commissioner of the Imperial Customs, had one of these, which he kindly placed at our disposal whenever we were in the city; and all our boating, when visiting the places of interest upon the river, was done in it. The spacious cabin, which was furnished with divans and pillows, was also enclosed with Venetian blinds, which were so arranged as to be readily removed if the sun was obscured, or when at evening we visited the Macao Passage, in order to enjoy the cooling influence of the southwest monsoon. In the middle of the river, nearly where the boat-life is the most animated, there is a little green island, called by the Chinese “Eastern Sea-fish Pearl,” but by foreigners “Dutch Folly,”--which, with its fine old trees, and few oddly fantastic Chinese buildings, adds greatly to the picture of busy life.