personal chamberlain and 30 courtiers; besides 4 golden umbrellas,- emblem of royalty, and large real and landed estates.

Moulmein which is near the mouth of the Salwin river, and on the Gulf of Martaban, is surrounded by hilly islands; the town itself amounts to little, but from the base of its principal pagoda,-similar to the one described. in Rangoon, standing on a hill 300 feet high, is one of the most beautiful and expansive views of numbers of islands and knobs, the summits of which are crowned with Buddhist shrines.

A most interesting sight to us in Moulmein was that of from 60 to 70 immense elephants at work in the lumber yards and saw-mills carrying huge logs from the river, adjusting them properly under the saw to be cut; afterwards carrying the long timbers well balanced with their tusks and trunks, and piling them together at a distance beyond, using both head and feet to arrange them in exact uniformity; every action betokening their wonderful brute intelligence.

From here, sailing along the coast of British Burmah, we passed through the Merguin archipelago, many of whose islands not only abound in rich tin mines, but have rock caves in which are found the bird-nests that furnish the delicate and expensive soup so much prized by the Chi

nese.

At Penang a town of 50,000 inhabitants situ

ated on an island of the same name, off the coast of Lower Siam, we went ashore and spent the day visiting its bazaars, and driving two miles beyond the town to a lovely cascade nestled among the hills.

Two days later, we anchored at Malacca, a small town of no special importance, except as a stopping place for steamers on the Malacca coast; and the following day we steamed into Singapore harbor at the extreme south of the Malay Peninsula.

Singapore on an island at the south of Malacca, and only one degree from the Equator, is the capital of the English Strait Settlements. It has a population of 56,000, and abounds in beautiful gardens of tropical flowers and plants; and notwithstanding its proximity to the Equator, its seabreeze renders it more desirable for a residence

than other places further north. Here we remained several days to pass a warm New Year's, and to witness the out-door sports participated in by both the native and European population. From its fort, crowning the summit of a high hill, is obtained a magnificent view of the beautiful miniature harbor and adjacent islands.

On this peninsula, but more particularly in Siam, is found the white elephant which is more of a dirty pink color than white, a phenomenon supposed to be caused by disease-a species of leprosy; besides these, the rhinoceros, hippopota

mus and other wild animals abound; here also are seen birds of brilliant plumage and butterflies of gorgeous hues and unusual size, while in the forests are teak, eaglewood, gum-trees, guttapercha, bamboo, dye-woods, cardamom, vanilla, and all the spices of a tropical region.

CHAPTER XXXI.

SAIGON: CHINA SEA: CANTON: HONG-KONG: STRAITS OF FORMOSA: YELLOW SEA.

TAKING the French steamer from Singapore, a four days' sail brought us to Saigon, the French settlement in Cochin China, where our vessel remained two days unloading arms and provisions for the army in preparation for the threatened war in Tonquin between France and China.

Saigon located 40 miles from the mouth of the Saigon river, is a place of 90,000 inhabitants. It is in the midst of low rice-fields, where both heat and mosquitoes are almost intolerable, and is surrounded by several native villages of considerable size.

Tonquin, though a part of Anam, is under the protection of China; and its occupation by the French will not only give them possession of its

mines, but will enable them to penetrate into the interior of China.

Five days continuous travel over the dangerous China Sea, and along the coast of Anam, brought us to Hong-Kong, or Victoria, where we immediately took advantage of the night boat going up the Pearl River to Canton. The steamer, a small one, was manned by English officers, and the cabin was provided with fire-arms to be used in case of an uprising or attack from the Chinese. This occurrence is not an unusual thing, owing to the hatred of the natives to foreigners occasioned by difficulties with the English, which incited them to burn the European quarter, destroy mission churches, and threaten the lives of strangers who enter the city walls; a sentiment which is greatly aggravated by the present war in Tonquin.

Arriving at Canton early in the morning, we immediately sent for Ah Cum, a Chinese guide, to conduct us through the city: and procuring chairs, borne each on the shoulders of Chinamen,- the usual mode of conveyance, we set forth single file through the narrow streets on a tour of inspection.

Canton is the pride of China from its being the largest, best preserved, and most flourishing city of the Empire. It is situated on the Pearl river, 90 miles from Hong-Kong, and has a population of 1,300,000-60,000 of whom live in

boats on the river. The city is surrounded by walls 20 feet thick and 40 feet high, entered by 18 gates, while a large portion of it extends even beyond the walls. The interior of the city is divided into districts which are separated by gates that can be closed at an instant's warning in case of trouble.

We first visited that portion of Canton built on the island of Sha-Mien, where reside the consuls and foreign population; then crossed to the native city and passed through its crowded, narrow streets, which are from 4 to 8 feet in width, and often covered over above; these present a strange but rather picturesque appearance, from the array of board signs, ten feet in length, painted in characters in gold, black, and red — indicative of the name and occupation of the inmate or proprietor; they are hung perpendicularly and fastened only by a hook at the top, which in windy weather must render pedestrianism somewhat dangerous. While threading our way through these winding streets, we were followed by large crowds of excited Chinese who, by their threatening gestures and language, showed that we were not at all welcome in their midst, and decided us to make our tour of inspection a hasty one, as at each halt we made on quitting our chairs they pressed upon us more closely and in larger numbers than we found agreeable. The shops, bordering either side of the way, are