Page 68 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

54.
Anunghoi and Tiger's Island. Passing under these forts and

their guns required total secrecy and silence to keep from

drawing the sentries' attention. Another peril on the dark

river was the possible attack by Chinese pirates. Sometimes

the pirates were even in collusion with the boatmen in charge

of t.he "fast-boats." Aside from physical danger there was

extreme discomfort just in staying hidden. Under the hatch

foreign passengers often were "infested & devoured by myriads

of centipedesEJ scorpions" and cockroaches, some "as big

as young crocidiles." Along with the vermin, they had to
contend with stultifying heat and "vile smells." After a

night of sleeplessness, if the boat met with no incident,

the foreigners reached Whampoa at dawn. From there they
13
could ride up to Canton in the open air.

Whampoa (Huang-pu or Yellow Anchorage), with its rows

of foreign vessels at anchor, was a splendid sight. The size

of the Company's East Indiamen, resembling naval frigates,

especially overwhelmed the Americans. At this point the river

widened, as the land on either side changed from high barren

cliffs to wide flat paddies of rice and sugar cane. In the

middle of the river lay Whampoa Island, Dane's Island and

French Island where lived the thousands of Chinese who

13
Letter, J. M. Forbes to A. Heard, Aug. 18, 1832,
Harvard Business School, Baker Library, Heard MSS. Gideon
Nye, jr., The Morning of My Life in China (Canton, 1873),
pp. 10-14. Letter, T. H. Cabot to E. Cabot, Aug. 24, 1834,
Massachusetts Historical Society, Samuel Cabot MSS. Cabot's
comment after finally arriving at Canton was, "I was pretty
done �- "