Southern Baptist Missionary Journal, July 1848

SOUTHERN BAPTIST " ? MISSIONARY JOURNAL. VOL. III. JULY, 1S4S. NO. 2. ЗЗоагЪ of .foreign illusions, EicijmoniJ, l)a. . (Elifna. CANTON MISSION. Journal of brother George Pearcy. Saturday, Dec. 6th, 1847. — -This afternoon walked out to see the ruins of the fire that occurred two nights ago. Found all quiet there. Many workmen engaged in putting up bricks and clearing away the rubbish. Scarcely was anything to be seen but heaps of bricks and broken walls. The ruins are far more extensive t rnn I expected. ’Tis said more than three hundred shops were burnt Much merchan¬ dise of various kinds must have been destroyed. Whether many will suf¬ fer 1 cannot say, bat fear they must, as profits in most shops are small and labor exceedingly cheap. I suppose several acres are in ruins. Saw a man in the ruins lying stretched on his back burnt to death. He was black, though a Chinaman, and had been charred. There he had laid for two days, and when I saw him, nothing was thrown over him. Whether this neglect arises from a want of the feelings of hu¬ manity or from a superstitious fear of touching a corpse, and especially one of a man that had come to his end in any unusual manner, I am not prepared to determine, but I in¬ cline to the belief that the latter is more nearly the reason. I recollect seeing some few months ago some boatmen apparently in much trouble to avoid a floating corpse of a man who had been drowned. They 4 seemed to fear greatly that it would come in contact with their boats. To avoid this they pushed it away with poles as it was borne down against them by a strong tide. Be¬ ing unable in this way to avoid it, they raised their anchors, for they were fastened together in a long tow and were lying stationary. With much trouble they at length made way for the floating terror to pass them. Dec. 5. — Wishing to know more of the S. W. region of the western suburbs, I went out this noon with Hue Seen Shang, taking with us scriptures. He seemed much afraid to go in that direction, because, he says, Chinamen there are more en¬ raged against foreigners than in any other part of Canton. The English landed near there, and marched their forces through that region to the north of the city in 1842, when they drove the Chinese to capitulate for peace. I think the general impres¬ sion too among foreigners is that it is not safe to go into that region. Still I was determined to go and see what the settlement was. We walked the street running parallel with the wall and near the N. W. corner, running beyond the city, and circling round to the northern gate, a distance of from two to three miles. On our way we stopped at several shops in which the weaving of beautiful figured silks was carried on, and gave books. In a temple we stopped, gave a few books — and were invited to seats. The assistant