Chang-ling, the great hero of Cashgar, has memorialized his majesty, and informed him, that, during the late attack of the rebels on that city, they endeavored to inundate it by cutting a channel and entering the course of the adjoining river; but the Lung-shin, (Dragon-god,) who presides over rivers and seas, prevented the design from being effected. For this “_divine manifestation_” in favour of the imperial cause, the emperor has ordered a _new title_ to be given to the god, a _new temple_ to be built, and a _new tablet_ to _adorn_ it. Slavery, in China, presents its worst features; the children of the slaves are born slaves; and the children of free masters enjoy their rights over them throughout all generations. There have been cases in which the masters have become poor, and allowed their slaves to go and provide for themselves; they have become rich, but being again found by their masters, the latter have seized all the property. There are slaves of another class, who are not bought outright, but with the condition that they may be redeemed. Good masters admit the claim, when made agreeably to contract; but bad ones use every expedient to prevent the claim of redemption. CHAPTER XII. CLIMATE OF CANTON AND MACAO--METEOROLOGICAL AVERAGES--DEPARTURE FROM CANTON FOR MACAO AND LINTING--MACAO--POPULATION--SUPERSTITIOUS CEREMONY. [Sidenote: CLIMATE.] The coast of China being similarly situated to that of the United States, having a vast continent stretching from the south and northwest to the northeast, possesses a climate nearly of the same character and temperature. From the gulf of Tung-hing to the vicinity of Canton, it may well be compared to the coast stretching from the Mississippi to North Carolina, and the coast extending from Canton to that of Tartary, to the states from North Carolina to Maine. The climate of Peking is salubrious, and like that of the middle and northern states of the union. The water is frozen from December until March. Violent storms occur in the spring; the heat in summer is great, and the autumnal months of September, October and November are the most pleasant part of the year. But my principal object is to delineate the climate of Canton and Macao, which lie between the latitudes of twenty-two and twenty-three north; the statement is copied from the Canton Register. I have added thereto several tables of meteorological averages. Canton is regarded by the Chinese, as one of the most unhealthy portions of their country, yet it is a more healthy climate than that of most other places, situated in the same degree of latitude. The weather during the month of January, is dry, cold, and bracing, differing but little, if at all, from the two preceding months, November and December. The wind blows generally from the north, occasionally inclining to northeast or northwest. Any change to the south, causes considerable variation in the temperature of the atmosphere.