Page 124 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

110.

In the suburbs the streets were "generally crowded, and

presentLe27 a busy, bustling, animated appearance" much like

that of the Factory Square. Population density and its conse­

quent noise both amused and irritated American residents at

Canton. From sunrise to sunset, the Square and streets were

alive with a harsh cacophony of sounds. "Human voices of

harsh, drawling tones, cries of confined dogs and cats, screams

of roughly handled poultry, notes of feathered songsters, an

accompaniment of very unmusical instruments, all unite in this
' . t 11 16
unnarmonious concer . The Chinese who produced the noise

completely confounded Americans. In the streets the density of

people was oppressive. As one American noted, "It requires a

degree of courage and perseverence to thread the mazes of some

of these alleys, and emerge into air and space." The scene in

the streets was one of "myriads of human beings, hurrying this

way and that, carrying burdens, jostling each other. II An

American venturing here had to thread his way among the pushing

and shoving crowds, while "it is necessary for comfort and

cleanliness, to catch the warnings, and watch the motions of the

porters, who carrying all movable bodies upon their shoulders,

and constitute no inconsiderable portion of the moving multitude."

A roar of cries, shouts and chatter in an unintelligible language
17
" d h' im.
moreover surrounae

16w.
ines, A Peep at China, pp. 23-24. Abeel, Journal, p. 89.
17
Abeel, Journal, pp. 76-79. Tiffany, The Canton Chinese,
pp. 41-42. Tiffany also states that the foreign residents could
not tell one Chinese from another.