Text
-1-
"/" I!
."'
" I'
.-1,
LBoOk',:;<;4-'C,1[ojli g eto' China ,and the U. S. A •
•l845-46,",Con tiriued)
[Feb.24-Mar.20, "1846]",
Canton, Tuesday Feby 24th, 1846.
_Rave raised a Ii ttle blood to day and fel t more than
usual uneasiness in my side.
For the last week the pain in my
side has been more frequent and mamo! an acente nature than formerly.
Have closed a package to send to the islands by the hand
or Cap. Domini s; who having called I have this moment delivered it.
He has also kindly ofrered to take any little package which I may
have to send.
I understand there is to be a wedding shortly- Dr.
Ball is to be united to Miss Robertson.
Canton, Wednesday
y
Feby 25} 1846.
I retired at an early hour last night, having the night
before sat up lat.e to get my communications
fOT
home in a state
of readiness not being certain they would not be called for in the
morning.
fa.tigue~
Doubtless I exerted myself too much for I felt very much
when I retired and did no t rest well after going to bed.
My rest last night was comfortable, but notwithstanding I find
that my expectoration this morning is tinged with blood.
If I
-
were able I would attend to the request of
~W.
find some ric'e paintings and rice paper he has asked for
them by Cap. Domin1s.
try to
Dim0nd~and
&
send
- Did not succeed, and sent nothing.-.
Canton, Thursday Feby 26/46.
Dr. Parker having called to day made kind
in~uiries
respecting my health, and being informed of my having the two days
past expectorated some bloody matter from my lungs, he said he
would prepare me some pills to take on such occasions; which he
-2-
did, and sent them to the house.
The wedding of Dr. Ball in being united in marriage to
Miss Robertson took place this evening.
Miss R. is a Scotch lady-
nineteen years younger I understand than Dr. B.
She is the
slste~
of a Mrs. Marshall resident in Canton both of whom have for some
t~e
been living in Dr. Ballls· family.
At 6 oclock Dr. and Mrs. Bridgman,Mr.J. Bridgman &
myseif proceeded to the house of Dr. Ball, where various guests
had assembled together with an Episcopal Clergyman the Rev. Mr.
Steadman, the military Chaplain of the troops at Hong KOng who
had been sent for for the occasion.
As the bride and bridegroom
were of two nations it was arranged that the marriage ceremony
should be performed
fir~t by
the American Consul at his
and afterwards by the Chaplain at the English
Consulate~
res~dence
At a
quarter before 7 otck the company proceeded to the house of Mr •
.
Forbes the American Consul, the ladies being conveyed in chairs .
. We assembled in a large room. on the second floor.
A number of
persons were present besides those belonging to the missionary
fraterni ty.
these being besides Dr. Bridgman t s family and the.
family of Dr. Ball, Dr. & Mrs. Parker, Dr. &·Mrs. Devan (the ·wife
of Dr. D. is a daughter of my olu friend David Rale) and Mr.
Roberts, the two latter are Baptists.-
Commodore Bi'"ddle was one
of the· other nmn.Der. to whom. to,gether with the Consul I had the
honor of" being introduced • . Th·e, ·Consul is a noble looking man, his
lady
&;
two children were present these having recently arrived
from the U. S. in the ship Pau.l Jones, Captain Watkins who with
his lady were also of the company- Mr. Spooner also who
to take passage in that vessel for the U. S.
~
soon
-3-
All things being ready the persons to be married t.ook their
positions -
Dr~
Bridgman standing for bridets man and the eldest
daughter of Dr. Ball, for bride's
maid~
while the
Cona~l
appropriate manner performed the marriage ceremony_
offering the
p~yer
Dr. Parker
of the occasiqn.
Eram the American
Consul~te ~e
proceeded to that of the
English ConSUlate which is situated on the other
river,~--·
in an
s~de
of the
I am mistaken, it is on the same side of the river but
it was more convenient to go by water.-- having two boats in attend-
ance_ belonging to the
"Am.
Consul, we took our seats and were short-
lyon the side of the river near the Consulate to which we repaired.
Bere the marriage was performed by fur. steadman accCl:" ding to
Episcopal form in the presence ?f the ConSUl of Great Britain.
The ceremony being completed we returned as we had come, and the
invited guests, consisting of the Clergyman and the missionaries,
:repaired' to the house of Dr. Ball, where an en.tertainment was pro(SiC) .
vided. At the close~of the interview the Scriptures were read,
a hymn sung and a prayer by Dr. Devan offered up.
The atmosphere was. qUite cold and.I found it necessary
to wrap myself in rrIY. surtout
&
cloke.
I was also considerably
fatigued having to walk a longer distance than I had expected when
.'
I accepted the iny}ation. But I shall not regret being present,
if I
~xperience
no ill effects from the exertion and exposure.
Canton, Friday Feby. 27,1846.
The atmosphere con.tinues cold, and some rain has f'allen.
A
festival of the god of the hearth or house hold god has
been observed by the Chinese today.
An unusual din of crackers
has assailed our ears, the noise commenced early in the morning
-4-
which was quite an interruption to my quiet and at intervals it
has continued thrpugh the day.
The drums of the watchman too
were qUite annoying in the night my mind having been rather excited by the scenes of last evening and my rest was disturbed.
-This has been
a
cold
Canton, Saturday,
~aw
Feb~
day.
28th 1846.
s
The cold continues- or rather it seem~~ cold to me, though
the thermometer in the house has not stood lower than 58°
wind is from the northward and is attended with rain.
The
The sun
has scarcely appeared for the last three days; which makes things
to me wear a gloomy aspect.
I have a feeling like being out of
my proper place; but on reflection I do not- find any reason to
reproach myself for being where I am.
Had my own inclinations
been consulted I should not have been here; indeed could I have
had my own will I should not have been sick, and of course the
necessity for
leav~ng
Canton, Sabbath,
home would not have existed.
~~rch
1st 1846.
(Zd Sab. at C.)
The clouds have passed away and.the
[S111t]
suns/l
shines brightly,
giving a cheerful and pleasant appearance -to the face of nature.
the thermometer
standi~g
at about 59
a
in the morng. & 62° at noon _
_The sound 01' the mechanic's-hammer &. the din 01' business
assure us that we are in the midst of a people that
and fear not God neither'regard his commands.
do not know
The great mass do
not know that God requires the observance of one seventh of our
time for.religious purpose and those who have
regard it not.
hear~
of -the command
When will it be otherwise ?
At the usual hour we attended an English service at
the house of Dr. Parker, the same as last Sabbath.
Dr. Bridgman
-5-
. conducted the worship, but without reading any part of the Episcopal service.
He read a very interesting sermon from the National
Preacher by the Rev. Seth Mason.
.an
p.1s integr1 ty &. prosperity.
eign
l~nds
The subject- Joseph in Egyptexample for youth who go to for-
to maintain their integrity to be faithful in the dis-
charge of all their
d~ti~s
and to put their trust in the
God: granted Jacob more than he expected'.
his son was alive he said,-
ttr
Lord~
When he:3heard that
will go and see him. before I die."-·
And when'he had seen him he said, "Now let me die, since I have
.seen thy face, because thou art yet
aliyen~
Notwithstanding
thi's readiness of the patriarch to depart, God graciously prolonged his life seventeen years 'to witness his son t s prosperity
&. glory and to arrange the aitr.tairs of his family
p
When the tiIlle
drew near that he should die and Joseph came to see him attended
by his two sons, he said, ttl had not that. to see thy face, and
10, God hath showed me also thy seed." The Lord spare me also:
Amen.
I walked to "the house of Dr. Ball, with
a.,~iew
to im-
part religious instruction to the Sandwich Island female resident
in his family: but as I found none of the family at home I returned.
In. the evening the memoers of the di1'f"erent families
and a few others met at this house for a prayer meeting.
The"
services were conducted by Dr. Parker and were adapted to the
mDnthly concert, it being the practice here probably to hold the
concert of prayer on the evening preceeding the 1st Monday of
the month.
Canton, Monday, March 2nd 1846.
As the Paul Jones is about to sail for the U. S.
I have"
-0-
written a letter to day to Mr. Hill, "With a view to send by _her~ -IF':
Nor~ i1,aT!!h 9t~. fJ idter rdl!rn:d j:CI an the nt:;.t p<1~ [here] wa~ -this day $e..n1 Tg ~ ve~/ to .
r
{-ae:"s"insort und.:;r,d,:o+e-Ma.:....... h 9th hQ..'" used a. 'bl:9:::TIlE at bottJm~s.tsad
,'fiis.,:;page ttnder date MaEeh:" 'lEit~ }
f
{
r:M
+o"'!Q\'"rc> .......
"nfl:IrTliPl~. All C-crnml(ni~t-r(l1fs ieaye.;).1-
0
C
~,,:-
~-
-.'
•
It cost me' an effort to wri te and probably to spend IIluch time at-
my desk is injurious.
But I do not feel reconciled to lay aside
entirely the use of the pen.
I am sorry however to find that my
letter failed af going by the Paul Jones, the boat conveying the
last communications having left for Whampoa, before my letter was
sent to the store of the Agents.
It is rainy again to day and the weather is cold & uncomfortable.
Canton, Tuesday, March 3rd 1846.
The weather continues rainy, cold and uncomfortable,and
I feel very little animation.
mants study most of the day~
I have set by the stove in Dr.BridgRead a pro~r sheet of the Chinese
Repository containing an article on the "Oregon Territory by the
Rev. Mr. Hines.
Have raised some blood and ate no dinner.
In the evening
~ilx.
Morse of the house of Oliphant
in, and talked about New York &.c.
&.
Co. called
News has also been recently
ree·t. from the U. S. and lntelligence"confuJ.dt t;:
of 1ir. s. W.
Wiliiams t arrival.
Canton, Wednesday, :March 4 1846 ..
The cold continues out-the rain has held up.
A party goes from Canton to visit the U. S.Ship ColumbusAll the Missionary ladies are of the party.
invited, but only Dr. & Mrs. Parker &. Dr.
and
went~
&.
I should say were
Mrs. Bridgman accepted
AS the vessel lies at the Bogue some 30 miles &. more
down taB river (40 miles is the distance) they will not probably
get back to night.
I addressed a note to Mes,sI'~ Wetmore
&.
Co. requesting
-7-
them to allow one of their boats to bring up the remainder of my
baggage from the Wissahickon;
.. .. :' ,
,-:~
~lSO
"'"
re~uasting
~o
him
deliver the same.
dropped a note to Cap. Webber
In the afternoon I called
at the house or Dr. Ball and had an opportunity of conversing
with Mahiai
th~
Sandwich Island female now under his care.
She
.' the manner 9f being blown off from the Sandgave me an account of
wich lsI ~:_s'.
She and six others, all the rest men, left Oahu in
a whale boat for Molokai.
.
On their way they fell in with a whal~g
ship, which they boarded, - the ship was on her way from Maui to
Oah.u.
il.i'ter stopping awhile they left again to proceed on their
way- the woman became sick & vomited - Kahui a chh. member of
Hanalei, Kauai, had the charge of the boat.
MOlokai
nex~
They expected to see
mDrning: but when morning came no land was in sight,
which produced great·perplexity. Kahui proposed to
pray~
She
says they had been seven days at sea when taken up by the Hopewell
and were in a suffering condition.
I fancy their falling in with the whaling ship was of
serlous disadvantage to them; as they must have been detained
~~~
and carried out of their way.
Mrs. Marshall goes tomorrow in the Steamer to liang Kong
t0~:·take
pie -
care of the School heretofore under the ca.:re of Mr. Gille·sShe will be accompanied from here by the Rev. Mr. Steedman.
H.er baggage was about being removed at the tiIDe of my going to
Dr. BallTs.
I have not felt very well,this
af~ernoon.
I have had a
chilliness and a swimming in the ABad and a little tendency to
fever.
I therefore retired early to rest, and had a bottle of
hot water provided for my feet.
-8-
Canton, Thursday March 5/46.
Though I retired early to bed last night and was very
comfortable in respect to warmth, yet I did not get very refreshing sleep, I,.'-.seemed to hear every blow or the watcblnan as they
began with one and went up to five in the morning watch. I feared
I should be sick te day, but I arose about the usual time and am
this day no worse than I was yesterday .tor which I desire to feel
thankfulness.
Dr. & Mrs. B. returned fram their excursion to the Bogue,
·which proved to
be
an agreeable one.-
They arrived at the
Colum.~
bus at about 5 P. M. and.they left at about 10 ot'ck: thus they
were out all night in the fast boat, and had rather a poor nightts
rest: but they felt themselves well rep8.id for this Ii ttle inc on(a>j
venience from having had aAopportunity of see~ng the noble vessel,
through all parts of which they were conducted.
It seemz that
Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Parker were the only,·ladies of the part-y.
The
ColUF~us
sails for Hong Kong: afterwards for Manila
and then returns here again.
&
Com. Biddle only goes to Hong Kong
retu:rns here & will hoist his broad
~fl-endent
on board ·the Vincennes
Monday, March 9th 1846.
~~g
. .-5 and 6 ·"viz i
..a;<.o.j
following
ff '}/. y
no~e
on Karch 9th
lstte= rgi'gTroQ
tc:
~gfe~s
~
lr
,. l:~
'-'G ..,c::..ee
.....
~
~
iveill on pages
gn the ,next roage 'I1a;s t.hi-s
sellt;. 1:;0 ,a Qe;seel tg ·"si1-'l'"to7l'3!'.rQYi .. E:cr1J. in g.
.".. "
to
··All
'·CoT'Etulications
-)
•.. ·:th." "
On Friday & Saturday I was confined to my bed in consequence of the cold which had been giving me trouble the two days
previous.
It was attended with some fever and a severo pain in
the head, also pain in the
l~bs
- swimming of the head-
t~~bling
-9-
and occasional chills.
Dr. Parker gave me a dose of aperient
medtclne a.l?-d doverTs powders at night"
gave me relief.
(this was on Friday); which
I had an unusual feeling of heaviness as though
a great weight was upon my body.
My mind too was under Jressuxe
though I endeavored to cast my care upon God, who I well knew
was perfectly accquainted with all my state.
r have been within the last three or four days severely'
affected with incubus, and it was found unusually difficult to
arouse
m~,
Indeed I do not recollect ever to have be,en in a state
from which it was so difficult to gain relief.
On the afternoon
of Sa tUI'day Mrs. Br idgman came in to my room and perceiving that I
was in dj:stress she endeavored to awake me, she made quite an effort but. wi thout e:ffett and then called her husband, who by using
more strength succeeded in arousing :m.e.
During this time I had
an indistinct idea of what was going on and began to apprehend
there was something serious in my situation and thought that perhaps death'might be approaching, and it became me to prepare to
leave this world.
In the night I was in the same state again, with
the exception that I heard terrifying noises and imagined frightful sights, and at last seemed about to be
overwhe~ed
beneath a
ma'ss of substance -wi th which the_walls of the :!;llace, in which I
seemed to be, had been thickly embedded and which was just caving
in & left me no hope of· escape.
seemed to be lost I
awo~e
3ust at the moment when all
and I obtained grateful relief and felt
disposed to' pr.aise the Lord that it was nothing more than a dream.
I was howe-ver in. real distress and no doubt gave indications
cr
it; for the next night being very much in the same state of distress Mr Bridgman (cousin to Dr. E.) came into my room and not with-
-10-
out a good deal or difficulty succeeded in awaking me.
be
The
Lo~d
that my sleep was not the sleep of death.
~raised
Dr. Parker visited me several times and has shown himself very kind and attentive.
Mrs. Bridgman has exhibited all
the kindness and. solicitude of a sister, leaving
nothi~g ~done
or said calculated to comfort. the mind and·irelieve the body.
La rd reward her.
I have been much troubled with cold
feet~
The
From
the time of my arrival in the China sea I have suffered frcmthis
one thing mDre perhaps than from ivery thing else of a simple
bodily kind.
i have
had to wrap my reet in my flannel drawers,
and there ha VB be en nigh ts when I ha V.B been kep t . awake hoUTs from
my utter inability to impart warmth to the lower extreilllties.
I
have had to draw up my feet and .press them to other parts of the
body,
~so
to hold first one foot and then the other in my hand
to cOITI.Iil.unicate warmth to them: and thus hardly have I succeeded •
.8..8
soon as Mrs. Bridgman learned what I endure from cold feet she
recommended bottles or
wa~
water to be placed at the feet at
night and ordered the servant to provide them: and during this time
of cold I have experienced much rel1er.from this remedy; which has
'.
proved effectual at night.
I have had very little_cough since this cold came on,
and have raised no blood.
The Lord 8eem2 to temper afflictions
to my condition: He does not lay more upon me than I am able to
bear.
When hemorrha.ge prevails then something else is withdrawn,
and when no
ap~earances
of hemorrhage disturb me, then something
else is sent to keep up rear.
This is all as it should be- and
perhaps it may be in answer to prayer; for I have prayed the Lord
.;,..,,1'1"1
~;;r .
that·he would drive foolishness
~~t·i~:~f"·')~
me: that he would
--
not withhold hois hand while ini'luity holds sway within.
matter of astonishment that I who
~
so unholy should be
-
-11-
I t is not
aftlic~ed;
but it is mat.ter of astonishment that I should hold out in rebell-
ion so long, that,blow upon blow should be inflicted to take away
, =-
sin, and -y:-et like a stubborn 'son I refuse to yield· to the ,Ghastisment of a father.
.
Som.etimes I am. disposed to say with Job: --(Jeb. ¥E~
20,21) HI haye sinned; What shall I do unto thee, 0 thou preBerver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that
I
am.
a burden .. to myself? And why dost thou not pardon' my trans-
gression and take away mine iniquity?"
Unbelief 1s probably the ruling sin in my heart. Unbelief and pride must be soul destroying 'sins.
-"
These are OLD sins;
they are mighty sins: like the strong man armed they keep the
palace.
It ever has and ever shall _be my prayer that the armour
of this strong man may be taken from him, that his armB may be
broken and that he may be beref.t of
a~l
his power, all his strengjlh-
all -his ability and spoiled and sent headlong to his own place.
Thus. the captive shall be delivered and songs of II" aises fill his
lips.
On Sabbath I arose after breakfast and sat up all day. I·
reclined in the early part of the evening and aro se to be IT" esent
at the evening prayer me-eting; which co:mm.enced at 8 o'clock and
was conducted by Mr.
ers present.
~a~es
Bridgman.
There were only a few strang-
Dr. Rapper, of the Presbyterian Board, from Macao,
preached in the morning at the house of Dr. Parker, He took dinner
with us this day (Monday)
Some months ago a
rob~e~was
made at this house of a con-
siderable amount of silver most of it the property of Mr. S. W.
-12-
Williams.
The thief was a domestic in the house he was soon howev-
er detected and the theft proved; but the property was not re-
covered.
It had been pawned, and redeemed by an accomplice from
the Pawn BrOker,.
The affair has been fen;:- nearly six months in the
hands of. the magistrates: it having at length become necessary
that the matter should be adjusted
a~
the magistrate goes out 'of
office, the thing has undergone a, thorough investigation and the
Mandarine in order to have 'the business settled
80
far as the owner
of the ]?roperty is concerned, has become responsible- to pay the
value of the s'ilver, amounting to 52 taels (a tae1 being
$1/1/3)-
though this sum does not make good the loss, as there was a table
cloth of value stolen;- yet the brethren thought it would be better
to take up with the worth or the silver - as such - than to exact
what was its real worth to the owners, the pay
comi~g
as it does
in the first instance from the Mandarine.
It is however believed that the thief will undergo further exa:m..ination, and that torture will be inflicted to make .him
disclose his accomplice; and that the accomplice which is thought
"-
to be some rIch comprj!dore will be pretty tho.roughlY squeezed- i.e.
in plain English - he will be made to pay the Mandarines a pretty
heavy sum- which will probably be his only alternative to get off
without being thoroughly exposed and punished - These Mandarines
knOW"i'.hOW
to do the
b~siness-
They would not become responsible
for the value of stolen property if they had not some good reason
to expect to be
re~~id.
In this case however the magistrates have
[000
been dilatoryj and by delaying they lost .the prospect .t.9 recovering the identical articles stolen.
Whereas had they prosecuted
the subject with vigor at the time the complaint was lodged with
-13-
them and while the thing was fresh there 1s little doubt that the
articles would have been recovered4
I have referred to Mr. Williams.
Dr. Bridgman has re-
cently obtained the information of his arrival in the U. S. but
knows nothing
of
the time when he will return.
he will be here by the time this year closes.
overland rout &
Vis~ted
lie hopes however
He went home by the
Egypt- Palestine & Europe, not however at
the expense of the Board. -.' Can ton, Tue sday, March 10 th 1846.
The weather 1s quite mild ~~ay- the thermometer is 66°
and seems to be rising.
I ascended to the top of the house. It
was only to step up a flight of stairs ascending from the entry
tsicJ
next to oursE-tting room; for we live in the upuer story of the
".
building, and I was upon the roof- a flight of tile steps reaching
from the srjlight near the eaves to the ridge where is a narrow
platform of tiling and three courses of steps on the other side
of the roof, affording a place to stand or sit, a frame work
being erected for security on the side of the scuttle.
Standing
on the roof of the house which is about as· elevated as any to be
seen around, I was able to overlook the whole
place~
There is
scarcely nothing to be seen, except in the distance, that is at
all engaging to the eye.
The roofs to the houses present the
same dark and monotonous aspect of tile blackened
~y
the weather-
(SIS;
little chlffiniesAand fraffi8 work in all directions for hanging out
clothes and articles to dry.
I saw articles hanging from high
racks probably pieces of silk or cottons which had been recently
died.
A number of these high racks or frames were in sight and
the articles hung to dry were of different colors - I saw some of
-14-
light blue: probably they are connect,ed with manufactories- or
dying establishments.
The extent of buildings is very great- and
within the compass of the city nothing is seen but roofs or at
least very little: else.
Where the city walls commence I could not
tell, and where the streets are it is eQually difficult to point
out.
I found it pleasant and a refreshment-to my spirits after
being for two or three weeks shut up to get
~
sight beyond the
range of the windows of 'my room.
It is my own fault that I have
not enjoyed the prospect before.
I had but to ascend to tl::e top
of the, house.
To the east we have the prospect of hills, a'nd the trees
beyond the range of the buildings are pleasant objects for the eyes
to rest upon.
And trees here and th,ere are to be seen giving some
variety to the
pros~ect,
which without it would be almost with-
out interest.
In the evening'the family visited at the house or Dr.
Parker an entertainment having been :pre:pared as a kind
celebration to honor the nuptials of Dr.
~all.
0
f marriage
Though evening it
was dinner, as the genteel hour or dining is six OT half arter six
o'clock.
course was
The entertainment was well served, and the number of
ample~
The guests were Dr & Mrs. Bridgman,
Bridgman, L. Chamberlain, Dr.
Devan and lady, Mr.
Ro~erts,
~
~IT.
J. G.
Mrs. Ball and two daughters, Dr.
Dr-. Rapper-
There was
~uite
as
much gayety as I should regard consistent with missionary gravity;
but as it was a marriage feast a little pleasantry might be justifiable ..
After dinner the party adjourned to the roof of the house-
-15-
an elevated position overlooking the promenade - a pleasant walk
in front of the foreign factories - and from which also an extensi~e
prospect of the river and the suburbs of Canton is enjoyed.
We lacked the beautiful light of the moon experienced at the
islands thro'ugh the transparent atmosphere Of those more favored
regions.
We had but a feeble light- the sky being overcast & the
atmosphere thick and hazy.
Our interview was closed with reading a Chapter in the
tSi~~
Bible singing and prayer.
,
Dr. Happer lead, and I was invited to
.tnake the closing prayer, which I offered up.
I have been invited to take my turn in leading the social
meetings: but I have not felt it my duty to consent, as my lungs
continue to be weak and I have cast myself upon the Providence of
God for recovery, I therefore think it incumbent
u~on
me to lise
the utmost caution in regard to every thing that would stand in
the way of my recovery.
Canton, Thursday, Mar. 12 1846.
Called 'upon Mr. Kinsman, who is of the house Wetmore &Co.,
and presented a letter from Commdssioner" Brown given me on leaying the islands.
Afterwards I walked in the Public Square or
promenade in front of the factories.
r~es
On the side next the facto-
a high wall separates it from the thoroughfare- towards the
£:"s/9 '
sea there is simply a
walls.
pallisad~
- the other two sides have high
The ground is laid out in walks - circular square and in
the fonn of parallelograms- the walks are wide and compact as granite, the work does not seem to be entirely finished - the part
towards the sea needs to be completed in the walks and the planting of" trees.
In my walk out
~fell
in with Mr. Toby and he info TInS me
-16- -
that he is thinking
chartering the Brig Wissah1ckon to go to
0 f
the islands; but it is not certaln that he will succeed as others
have made
applic~~ion
for the vessel.
The Captain also is de-
sirous to go to the U. States.
Frid~y,
(Canton,} March 13,1846.
Dined"at Dr. Ballts-
twith]
Before dinner walked outjDr.
&0 Mrs
Ball and his two daughters· into New China street with a view to
make some purchases.
Whenever we entered a shop,
th~
door was
immediately closed upon us to shut us from the observation of the
crowd, as the ladies attracted attention and a throng of gazers
immediately collected about the door..
We entered a half dozen oc
more store.s in pursuit of the articles ·we desired to purchase &.
every shop-Ill8.n closed his doors as .we entered.
however were but few.
Our purchases
The practice of asking a high price with
a view to abate is very general: so that the asking price is no
c~±terion
of the worth of the article.
There was however one
honorable exception to this dishonest and very unpleasant practice.
One of the shop-keepers I was assured could be depended on
as to the price of his goods; and I made a purchase of two shawls
a t a satisfactory price without asking for an abatement.
Q;icJ
"'rhe
shops seemed well supplied with goods and the keeps were poli te
& obliging.
purchases
We did not feel it necessary that we shOUld make
becaus~
the shop keepers.
we looked at the goods and gave some troubla to
I saw many fine things, particularly in the
laekered-ware Stores, which I should have been pleased to possess;
but it was necessary to restrain desire, not only for conscience
sake and want of means; but for want of opportunity to forward purchases to the islands.
I spent most of .the day at Dr. B.s and towards evening I
-17-
went out with the family for an excursion of a few miles upon the
river.
A pleasant covered boat WaS hired at the expense of 25 cents,
man?:ged by two men one in the bows and the other in the stern.
After having been rowed or rather s"kuf-led &. rowed the diStance perhaps of two miles among a multitude of craft moving in various
directions l we" landed at a place not thronged with inhabitants &.
made the circuit of a large pond or excavation something [likef} a
kala patch at the islands and not IDDre sightly or agreeable.
It
is probably used for the growing of rice, tho. there was no evidence of its having been recently worked.
On one side
at the bank-
that bordering on the river- was a row of stunt-ed peach trees, hav-
ing the young fruit hanging on the branches.
Canton Tuesday) March 17th 1846.
On Saturday morning I had a turn at bleeding trom the
lungs- the quantity raised being greater than I have raised at any
time since -I have been in China.
1. sent for ·Dr. Parker who pro-
vided medicine) told me to keep my chest in a elevated position by
raising my head with pillows} and to keep as still as possible.
He also prescribed a blister to be put upon my left breastj which
was applied Sabbath evening, with desirable effect.
These frequent occurrences of bleeding are very discouraging, and I am lead to inquire what the Lord would have me do.
I
understand Mr. Tobey has not succeeded in.obtaining the vessel for
the islands which he had in
~nd,
and it is doubtful whether he
obtains a vessel which will afford accoillillDdations for me.
From
what I can learn too respecting the destination of the Columbus it
is doubtful whether it is my duty to depend on her as a conveyance
to the islands, it being stated also that she may not reach the
islands before January.
Row many months I might be required to be
-18-
on board and in what circumstances I do not know.
Accommodations
in a ship of war at best would not be pleasant to me: my temner of
mind would not make a berth in such a vessel
congenial~
It is now
a query whether I ought not to reconsider the point of going to
the United States, and to settle the point as soon as possible in
order to avail myself of some vessel soon to go; as the season will
shortly be over, and
e~en
now I should be brought to midsummer
before I could reach the U. s.
Dr~
Parker thinks favorably of a
reconsiderat1,on of the subject says there have come to- hi'S knowi-
edge facts respecting the· Columbus which he did not know of when
I asked his advice before; and he does not think so favorably of
the opportunity as he did, though he has no doubt the
would be
dis~osed
Commo~ore
to make me comfortable and I should have excel-
lent medical advice.
He adYises me to keep my mind quiet and
kindly assures me he will prayerful look at the subject, and give
me his mature advice in regard to my course.
He says there are
two vessels to sail for the U. S. in the course of a fortnight and
he will make inquiries in regard to passage.
I feel that in reconsidering my case I am approaching a
point of great importance to myself and to my family, but still I
feel that nothing will be lost by enquiring for the path of duty.
If I am in it, I shall be sustained by the conviction of being in
the right way; and if I have to take another path how much soever
I may feel disappointment at the change, I shall have the assurance that the path of duty is the path of safety.
I would there-
fore cOmmQt my way to the Lord that he may direct my steps.
Canton, Thursday, March 19, 1846.
Dr. Parker
has given me his answer in regard to the
subject which I referred to his advice ,Viz. Whether in my present
;
,
I
./
. -19-
I
,:
state of health and prospects of a return to the islands he would
advise my waiting here for the Columbus or some other apportunity
or advise a passage to the U. S. by some of the vessels bound
thither.
lie says he has considered my case carefully and prayer-
fully and conferred wmth Dr. Bridgman, and he is prepared to advise me to seek· a passage to the U. S. peets for life he says.
be the termination
~hiS".
In regard to my pro,s-
It is impossible to' say what will
ot the disorder; it may take a turn to carry m.e
off soon and I may live ten years.
He thinks I shall continue to
bleed occasionally from the lunga as long as I live; and shall
need to exercise great caution. He recommends as medical advice
should
that I xni::r be prosecuting a voyage now with as little delay as
p08s1ble,'-
He seems to be q,u1te in favor on the whole that I
take the direction of the U. States: and this as' medical advice.
And. now I would say, "Cause me to know the way wherein
I should walkj for I 111ft up my soul unto thee. IT
Canton, Friday, March 20th 1846.
Before coming to an absolute deCision .in regard to a
voyage to the U. S. I had felt it desirable to know the prospects
of Mr. Tobey: His agents having informed Dr. Parker that there is
[obtaining a vesse11J
no prospect for Mr. t~~~to the . islands at present, and his advice
(i.e. Dr. P.s) being that I dismiss.all thought in'regard to his
plans, I have come to the conclusion to take passage to New York
in the Ship Lucas, Cap. Miller to sail early in April.
modations
The accom-
the Lucas are precisely like those of the Congaree:
for
and the Captain is accompanied by his wife - price ~ passage$300.o~
"/" I!
."'
" I'
.-1,
LBoOk',:;<;4-'C,1[ojli g eto' China ,and the U. S. A •
•l845-46,",Con tiriued)
[Feb.24-Mar.20, "1846]",
Canton, Tuesday Feby 24th, 1846.
_Rave raised a Ii ttle blood to day and fel t more than
usual uneasiness in my side.
For the last week the pain in my
side has been more frequent and mamo! an acente nature than formerly.
Have closed a package to send to the islands by the hand
or Cap. Domini s; who having called I have this moment delivered it.
He has also kindly ofrered to take any little package which I may
have to send.
I understand there is to be a wedding shortly- Dr.
Ball is to be united to Miss Robertson.
Canton, Wednesday
y
Feby 25} 1846.
I retired at an early hour last night, having the night
before sat up lat.e to get my communications
fOT
home in a state
of readiness not being certain they would not be called for in the
morning.
fa.tigue~
Doubtless I exerted myself too much for I felt very much
when I retired and did no t rest well after going to bed.
My rest last night was comfortable, but notwithstanding I find
that my expectoration this morning is tinged with blood.
If I
-
were able I would attend to the request of
~W.
find some ric'e paintings and rice paper he has asked for
them by Cap. Domin1s.
try to
Dim0nd~and
&
send
- Did not succeed, and sent nothing.-.
Canton, Thursday Feby 26/46.
Dr. Parker having called to day made kind
in~uiries
respecting my health, and being informed of my having the two days
past expectorated some bloody matter from my lungs, he said he
would prepare me some pills to take on such occasions; which he
-2-
did, and sent them to the house.
The wedding of Dr. Ball in being united in marriage to
Miss Robertson took place this evening.
Miss R. is a Scotch lady-
nineteen years younger I understand than Dr. B.
She is the
slste~
of a Mrs. Marshall resident in Canton both of whom have for some
t~e
been living in Dr. Ballls· family.
At 6 oclock Dr. and Mrs. Bridgman,Mr.J. Bridgman &
myseif proceeded to the house of Dr. Ball, where various guests
had assembled together with an Episcopal Clergyman the Rev. Mr.
Steadman, the military Chaplain of the troops at Hong KOng who
had been sent for for the occasion.
As the bride and bridegroom
were of two nations it was arranged that the marriage ceremony
should be performed
fir~t by
the American Consul at his
and afterwards by the Chaplain at the English
Consulate~
res~dence
At a
quarter before 7 otck the company proceeded to the house of Mr •
.
Forbes the American Consul, the ladies being conveyed in chairs .
. We assembled in a large room. on the second floor.
A number of
persons were present besides those belonging to the missionary
fraterni ty.
these being besides Dr. Bridgman t s family and the.
family of Dr. Ball, Dr. & Mrs. Parker, Dr. &·Mrs. Devan (the ·wife
of Dr. D. is a daughter of my olu friend David Rale) and Mr.
Roberts, the two latter are Baptists.-
Commodore Bi'"ddle was one
of the· other nmn.Der. to whom. to,gether with the Consul I had the
honor of" being introduced • . Th·e, ·Consul is a noble looking man, his
lady
&;
two children were present these having recently arrived
from the U. S. in the ship Pau.l Jones, Captain Watkins who with
his lady were also of the company- Mr. Spooner also who
to take passage in that vessel for the U. S.
~
soon
-3-
All things being ready the persons to be married t.ook their
positions -
Dr~
Bridgman standing for bridets man and the eldest
daughter of Dr. Ball, for bride's
maid~
while the
Cona~l
appropriate manner performed the marriage ceremony_
offering the
p~yer
Dr. Parker
of the occasiqn.
Eram the American
Consul~te ~e
proceeded to that of the
English ConSUlate which is situated on the other
river,~--·
in an
s~de
of the
I am mistaken, it is on the same side of the river but
it was more convenient to go by water.-- having two boats in attend-
ance_ belonging to the
"Am.
Consul, we took our seats and were short-
lyon the side of the river near the Consulate to which we repaired.
Bere the marriage was performed by fur. steadman accCl:" ding to
Episcopal form in the presence ?f the ConSUl of Great Britain.
The ceremony being completed we returned as we had come, and the
invited guests, consisting of the Clergyman and the missionaries,
:repaired' to the house of Dr. Ball, where an en.tertainment was pro(SiC) .
vided. At the close~of the interview the Scriptures were read,
a hymn sung and a prayer by Dr. Devan offered up.
The atmosphere was. qUite cold and.I found it necessary
to wrap myself in rrIY. surtout
&
cloke.
I was also considerably
fatigued having to walk a longer distance than I had expected when
.'
I accepted the iny}ation. But I shall not regret being present,
if I
~xperience
no ill effects from the exertion and exposure.
Canton, Friday Feby. 27,1846.
The atmosphere con.tinues cold, and some rain has f'allen.
A
festival of the god of the hearth or house hold god has
been observed by the Chinese today.
An unusual din of crackers
has assailed our ears, the noise commenced early in the morning
-4-
which was quite an interruption to my quiet and at intervals it
has continued thrpugh the day.
The drums of the watchman too
were qUite annoying in the night my mind having been rather excited by the scenes of last evening and my rest was disturbed.
-This has been
a
cold
Canton, Saturday,
~aw
Feb~
day.
28th 1846.
s
The cold continues- or rather it seem~~ cold to me, though
the thermometer in the house has not stood lower than 58°
wind is from the northward and is attended with rain.
The
The sun
has scarcely appeared for the last three days; which makes things
to me wear a gloomy aspect.
I have a feeling like being out of
my proper place; but on reflection I do not- find any reason to
reproach myself for being where I am.
Had my own inclinations
been consulted I should not have been here; indeed could I have
had my own will I should not have been sick, and of course the
necessity for
leav~ng
Canton, Sabbath,
home would not have existed.
~~rch
1st 1846.
(Zd Sab. at C.)
The clouds have passed away and.the
[S111t]
suns/l
shines brightly,
giving a cheerful and pleasant appearance -to the face of nature.
the thermometer
standi~g
at about 59
a
in the morng. & 62° at noon _
_The sound 01' the mechanic's-hammer &. the din 01' business
assure us that we are in the midst of a people that
and fear not God neither'regard his commands.
do not know
The great mass do
not know that God requires the observance of one seventh of our
time for.religious purpose and those who have
regard it not.
hear~
of -the command
When will it be otherwise ?
At the usual hour we attended an English service at
the house of Dr. Parker, the same as last Sabbath.
Dr. Bridgman
-5-
. conducted the worship, but without reading any part of the Episcopal service.
He read a very interesting sermon from the National
Preacher by the Rev. Seth Mason.
.an
p.1s integr1 ty &. prosperity.
eign
l~nds
The subject- Joseph in Egyptexample for youth who go to for-
to maintain their integrity to be faithful in the dis-
charge of all their
d~ti~s
and to put their trust in the
God: granted Jacob more than he expected'.
his son was alive he said,-
ttr
Lord~
When he:3heard that
will go and see him. before I die."-·
And when'he had seen him he said, "Now let me die, since I have
.seen thy face, because thou art yet
aliyen~
Notwithstanding
thi's readiness of the patriarch to depart, God graciously prolonged his life seventeen years 'to witness his son t s prosperity
&. glory and to arrange the aitr.tairs of his family
p
When the tiIlle
drew near that he should die and Joseph came to see him attended
by his two sons, he said, ttl had not that. to see thy face, and
10, God hath showed me also thy seed." The Lord spare me also:
Amen.
I walked to "the house of Dr. Ball, with
a.,~iew
to im-
part religious instruction to the Sandwich Island female resident
in his family: but as I found none of the family at home I returned.
In. the evening the memoers of the di1'f"erent families
and a few others met at this house for a prayer meeting.
The"
services were conducted by Dr. Parker and were adapted to the
mDnthly concert, it being the practice here probably to hold the
concert of prayer on the evening preceeding the 1st Monday of
the month.
Canton, Monday, March 2nd 1846.
As the Paul Jones is about to sail for the U. S.
I have"
-0-
written a letter to day to Mr. Hill, "With a view to send by _her~ -IF':
Nor~ i1,aT!!h 9t~. fJ idter rdl!rn:d j:CI an the nt:;.t p<1~ [here] wa~ -this day $e..n1 Tg ~ ve~/ to .
r
{-ae:"s"insort und.:;r,d,:o+e-Ma.:....... h 9th hQ..'" used a. 'bl:9:::TIlE at bottJm~s.tsad
,'fiis.,:;page ttnder date MaEeh:" 'lEit~ }
f
{
r:M
+o"'!Q\'"rc> .......
"nfl:IrTliPl~. All C-crnml(ni~t-r(l1fs ieaye.;).1-
0
C
~,,:-
~-
-.'
•
It cost me' an effort to wri te and probably to spend IIluch time at-
my desk is injurious.
But I do not feel reconciled to lay aside
entirely the use of the pen.
I am sorry however to find that my
letter failed af going by the Paul Jones, the boat conveying the
last communications having left for Whampoa, before my letter was
sent to the store of the Agents.
It is rainy again to day and the weather is cold & uncomfortable.
Canton, Tuesday, March 3rd 1846.
The weather continues rainy, cold and uncomfortable,and
I feel very little animation.
mants study most of the day~
I have set by the stove in Dr.BridgRead a pro~r sheet of the Chinese
Repository containing an article on the "Oregon Territory by the
Rev. Mr. Hines.
Have raised some blood and ate no dinner.
In the evening
~ilx.
Morse of the house of Oliphant
in, and talked about New York &.c.
&.
Co. called
News has also been recently
ree·t. from the U. S. and lntelligence"confuJ.dt t;:
of 1ir. s. W.
Wiliiams t arrival.
Canton, Wednesday, :March 4 1846 ..
The cold continues out-the rain has held up.
A party goes from Canton to visit the U. S.Ship ColumbusAll the Missionary ladies are of the party.
invited, but only Dr. & Mrs. Parker &. Dr.
and
went~
&.
I should say were
Mrs. Bridgman accepted
AS the vessel lies at the Bogue some 30 miles &. more
down taB river (40 miles is the distance) they will not probably
get back to night.
I addressed a note to Mes,sI'~ Wetmore
&.
Co. requesting
-7-
them to allow one of their boats to bring up the remainder of my
baggage from the Wissahickon;
.. .. :' ,
,-:~
~lSO
"'"
re~uasting
~o
him
deliver the same.
dropped a note to Cap. Webber
In the afternoon I called
at the house or Dr. Ball and had an opportunity of conversing
with Mahiai
th~
Sandwich Island female now under his care.
She
.' the manner 9f being blown off from the Sandgave me an account of
wich lsI ~:_s'.
She and six others, all the rest men, left Oahu in
a whale boat for Molokai.
.
On their way they fell in with a whal~g
ship, which they boarded, - the ship was on her way from Maui to
Oah.u.
il.i'ter stopping awhile they left again to proceed on their
way- the woman became sick & vomited - Kahui a chh. member of
Hanalei, Kauai, had the charge of the boat.
MOlokai
nex~
They expected to see
mDrning: but when morning came no land was in sight,
which produced great·perplexity. Kahui proposed to
pray~
She
says they had been seven days at sea when taken up by the Hopewell
and were in a suffering condition.
I fancy their falling in with the whaling ship was of
serlous disadvantage to them; as they must have been detained
~~~
and carried out of their way.
Mrs. Marshall goes tomorrow in the Steamer to liang Kong
t0~:·take
pie -
care of the School heretofore under the ca.:re of Mr. Gille·sShe will be accompanied from here by the Rev. Mr. Steedman.
H.er baggage was about being removed at the tiIDe of my going to
Dr. BallTs.
I have not felt very well,this
af~ernoon.
I have had a
chilliness and a swimming in the ABad and a little tendency to
fever.
I therefore retired early to rest, and had a bottle of
hot water provided for my feet.
-8-
Canton, Thursday March 5/46.
Though I retired early to bed last night and was very
comfortable in respect to warmth, yet I did not get very refreshing sleep, I,.'-.seemed to hear every blow or the watcblnan as they
began with one and went up to five in the morning watch. I feared
I should be sick te day, but I arose about the usual time and am
this day no worse than I was yesterday .tor which I desire to feel
thankfulness.
Dr. & Mrs. B. returned fram their excursion to the Bogue,
·which proved to
be
an agreeable one.-
They arrived at the
Colum.~
bus at about 5 P. M. and.they left at about 10 ot'ck: thus they
were out all night in the fast boat, and had rather a poor nightts
rest: but they felt themselves well rep8.id for this Ii ttle inc on(a>j
venience from having had aAopportunity of see~ng the noble vessel,
through all parts of which they were conducted.
It seemz that
Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Parker were the only,·ladies of the part-y.
The
ColUF~us
sails for Hong Kong: afterwards for Manila
and then returns here again.
&
Com. Biddle only goes to Hong Kong
retu:rns here & will hoist his broad
~fl-endent
on board ·the Vincennes
Monday, March 9th 1846.
~~g
. .-5 and 6 ·"viz i
..a;<.o.j
following
ff '}/. y
no~e
on Karch 9th
lstte= rgi'gTroQ
tc:
~gfe~s
~
lr
,. l:~
'-'G ..,c::..ee
.....
~
~
iveill on pages
gn the ,next roage 'I1a;s t.hi-s
sellt;. 1:;0 ,a Qe;seel tg ·"si1-'l'"to7l'3!'.rQYi .. E:cr1J. in g.
.".. "
to
··All
'·CoT'Etulications
-)
•.. ·:th." "
On Friday & Saturday I was confined to my bed in consequence of the cold which had been giving me trouble the two days
previous.
It was attended with some fever and a severo pain in
the head, also pain in the
l~bs
- swimming of the head-
t~~bling
-9-
and occasional chills.
Dr. Parker gave me a dose of aperient
medtclne a.l?-d doverTs powders at night"
gave me relief.
(this was on Friday); which
I had an unusual feeling of heaviness as though
a great weight was upon my body.
My mind too was under Jressuxe
though I endeavored to cast my care upon God, who I well knew
was perfectly accquainted with all my state.
r have been within the last three or four days severely'
affected with incubus, and it was found unusually difficult to
arouse
m~,
Indeed I do not recollect ever to have be,en in a state
from which it was so difficult to gain relief.
On the afternoon
of Sa tUI'day Mrs. Br idgman came in to my room and perceiving that I
was in dj:stress she endeavored to awake me, she made quite an effort but. wi thout e:ffett and then called her husband, who by using
more strength succeeded in arousing :m.e.
During this time I had
an indistinct idea of what was going on and began to apprehend
there was something serious in my situation and thought that perhaps death'might be approaching, and it became me to prepare to
leave this world.
In the night I was in the same state again, with
the exception that I heard terrifying noises and imagined frightful sights, and at last seemed about to be
overwhe~ed
beneath a
ma'ss of substance -wi th which the_walls of the :!;llace, in which I
seemed to be, had been thickly embedded and which was just caving
in & left me no hope of· escape.
seemed to be lost I
awo~e
3ust at the moment when all
and I obtained grateful relief and felt
disposed to' pr.aise the Lord that it was nothing more than a dream.
I was howe-ver in. real distress and no doubt gave indications
cr
it; for the next night being very much in the same state of distress Mr Bridgman (cousin to Dr. E.) came into my room and not with-
-10-
out a good deal or difficulty succeeded in awaking me.
be
The
Lo~d
that my sleep was not the sleep of death.
~raised
Dr. Parker visited me several times and has shown himself very kind and attentive.
Mrs. Bridgman has exhibited all
the kindness and. solicitude of a sister, leaving
nothi~g ~done
or said calculated to comfort. the mind and·irelieve the body.
La rd reward her.
I have been much troubled with cold
feet~
The
From
the time of my arrival in the China sea I have suffered frcmthis
one thing mDre perhaps than from ivery thing else of a simple
bodily kind.
i have
had to wrap my reet in my flannel drawers,
and there ha VB be en nigh ts when I ha V.B been kep t . awake hoUTs from
my utter inability to impart warmth to the lower extreilllties.
I
have had to draw up my feet and .press them to other parts of the
body,
~so
to hold first one foot and then the other in my hand
to cOITI.Iil.unicate warmth to them: and thus hardly have I succeeded •
.8..8
soon as Mrs. Bridgman learned what I endure from cold feet she
recommended bottles or
wa~
water to be placed at the feet at
night and ordered the servant to provide them: and during this time
of cold I have experienced much rel1er.from this remedy; which has
'.
proved effectual at night.
I have had very little_cough since this cold came on,
and have raised no blood.
The Lord 8eem2 to temper afflictions
to my condition: He does not lay more upon me than I am able to
bear.
When hemorrha.ge prevails then something else is withdrawn,
and when no
ap~earances
of hemorrhage disturb me, then something
else is sent to keep up rear.
This is all as it should be- and
perhaps it may be in answer to prayer; for I have prayed the Lord
.;,..,,1'1"1
~;;r .
that·he would drive foolishness
~~t·i~:~f"·')~
me: that he would
--
not withhold hois hand while ini'luity holds sway within.
matter of astonishment that I who
~
so unholy should be
-
-11-
I t is not
aftlic~ed;
but it is mat.ter of astonishment that I should hold out in rebell-
ion so long, that,blow upon blow should be inflicted to take away
, =-
sin, and -y:-et like a stubborn 'son I refuse to yield· to the ,Ghastisment of a father.
.
Som.etimes I am. disposed to say with Job: --(Jeb. ¥E~
20,21) HI haye sinned; What shall I do unto thee, 0 thou preBerver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that
I
am.
a burden .. to myself? And why dost thou not pardon' my trans-
gression and take away mine iniquity?"
Unbelief 1s probably the ruling sin in my heart. Unbelief and pride must be soul destroying 'sins.
-"
These are OLD sins;
they are mighty sins: like the strong man armed they keep the
palace.
It ever has and ever shall _be my prayer that the armour
of this strong man may be taken from him, that his armB may be
broken and that he may be beref.t of
a~l
his power, all his strengjlh-
all -his ability and spoiled and sent headlong to his own place.
Thus. the captive shall be delivered and songs of II" aises fill his
lips.
On Sabbath I arose after breakfast and sat up all day. I·
reclined in the early part of the evening and aro se to be IT" esent
at the evening prayer me-eting; which co:mm.enced at 8 o'clock and
was conducted by Mr.
ers present.
~a~es
Bridgman.
There were only a few strang-
Dr. Rapper, of the Presbyterian Board, from Macao,
preached in the morning at the house of Dr. Parker, He took dinner
with us this day (Monday)
Some months ago a
rob~e~was
made at this house of a con-
siderable amount of silver most of it the property of Mr. S. W.
-12-
Williams.
The thief was a domestic in the house he was soon howev-
er detected and the theft proved; but the property was not re-
covered.
It had been pawned, and redeemed by an accomplice from
the Pawn BrOker,.
The affair has been fen;:- nearly six months in the
hands of. the magistrates: it having at length become necessary
that the matter should be adjusted
a~
the magistrate goes out 'of
office, the thing has undergone a, thorough investigation and the
Mandarine in order to have 'the business settled
80
far as the owner
of the ]?roperty is concerned, has become responsible- to pay the
value of the s'ilver, amounting to 52 taels (a tae1 being
$1/1/3)-
though this sum does not make good the loss, as there was a table
cloth of value stolen;- yet the brethren thought it would be better
to take up with the worth or the silver - as such - than to exact
what was its real worth to the owners, the pay
comi~g
as it does
in the first instance from the Mandarine.
It is however believed that the thief will undergo further exa:m..ination, and that torture will be inflicted to make .him
disclose his accomplice; and that the accomplice which is thought
"-
to be some rIch comprj!dore will be pretty tho.roughlY squeezed- i.e.
in plain English - he will be made to pay the Mandarines a pretty
heavy sum- which will probably be his only alternative to get off
without being thoroughly exposed and punished - These Mandarines
knOW"i'.hOW
to do the
b~siness-
They would not become responsible
for the value of stolen property if they had not some good reason
to expect to be
re~~id.
In this case however the magistrates have
[000
been dilatoryj and by delaying they lost .the prospect .t.9 recovering the identical articles stolen.
Whereas had they prosecuted
the subject with vigor at the time the complaint was lodged with
-13-
them and while the thing was fresh there 1s little doubt that the
articles would have been recovered4
I have referred to Mr. Williams.
Dr. Bridgman has re-
cently obtained the information of his arrival in the U. S. but
knows nothing
of
the time when he will return.
he will be here by the time this year closes.
overland rout &
Vis~ted
lie hopes however
He went home by the
Egypt- Palestine & Europe, not however at
the expense of the Board. -.' Can ton, Tue sday, March 10 th 1846.
The weather 1s quite mild ~~ay- the thermometer is 66°
and seems to be rising.
I ascended to the top of the house. It
was only to step up a flight of stairs ascending from the entry
tsicJ
next to oursE-tting room; for we live in the upuer story of the
".
building, and I was upon the roof- a flight of tile steps reaching
from the srjlight near the eaves to the ridge where is a narrow
platform of tiling and three courses of steps on the other side
of the roof, affording a place to stand or sit, a frame work
being erected for security on the side of the scuttle.
Standing
on the roof of the house which is about as· elevated as any to be
seen around, I was able to overlook the whole
place~
There is
scarcely nothing to be seen, except in the distance, that is at
all engaging to the eye.
The roofs to the houses present the
same dark and monotonous aspect of tile blackened
~y
the weather-
(SIS;
little chlffiniesAand fraffi8 work in all directions for hanging out
clothes and articles to dry.
I saw articles hanging from high
racks probably pieces of silk or cottons which had been recently
died.
A number of these high racks or frames were in sight and
the articles hung to dry were of different colors - I saw some of
-14-
light blue: probably they are connect,ed with manufactories- or
dying establishments.
The extent of buildings is very great- and
within the compass of the city nothing is seen but roofs or at
least very little: else.
Where the city walls commence I could not
tell, and where the streets are it is eQually difficult to point
out.
I found it pleasant and a refreshment-to my spirits after
being for two or three weeks shut up to get
~
sight beyond the
range of the windows of 'my room.
It is my own fault that I have
not enjoyed the prospect before.
I had but to ascend to tl::e top
of the, house.
To the east we have the prospect of hills, a'nd the trees
beyond the range of the buildings are pleasant objects for the eyes
to rest upon.
And trees here and th,ere are to be seen giving some
variety to the
pros~ect,
which without it would be almost with-
out interest.
In the evening'the family visited at the house or Dr.
Parker an entertainment having been :pre:pared as a kind
celebration to honor the nuptials of Dr.
~all.
0
f marriage
Though evening it
was dinner, as the genteel hour or dining is six OT half arter six
o'clock.
course was
The entertainment was well served, and the number of
ample~
The guests were Dr & Mrs. Bridgman,
Bridgman, L. Chamberlain, Dr.
Devan and lady, Mr.
Ro~erts,
~
~IT.
J. G.
Mrs. Ball and two daughters, Dr.
Dr-. Rapper-
There was
~uite
as
much gayety as I should regard consistent with missionary gravity;
but as it was a marriage feast a little pleasantry might be justifiable ..
After dinner the party adjourned to the roof of the house-
-15-
an elevated position overlooking the promenade - a pleasant walk
in front of the foreign factories - and from which also an extensi~e
prospect of the river and the suburbs of Canton is enjoyed.
We lacked the beautiful light of the moon experienced at the
islands thro'ugh the transparent atmosphere Of those more favored
regions.
We had but a feeble light- the sky being overcast & the
atmosphere thick and hazy.
Our interview was closed with reading a Chapter in the
tSi~~
Bible singing and prayer.
,
Dr. Happer lead, and I was invited to
.tnake the closing prayer, which I offered up.
I have been invited to take my turn in leading the social
meetings: but I have not felt it my duty to consent, as my lungs
continue to be weak and I have cast myself upon the Providence of
God for recovery, I therefore think it incumbent
u~on
me to lise
the utmost caution in regard to every thing that would stand in
the way of my recovery.
Canton, Thursday, Mar. 12 1846.
Called 'upon Mr. Kinsman, who is of the house Wetmore &Co.,
and presented a letter from Commdssioner" Brown given me on leaying the islands.
Afterwards I walked in the Public Square or
promenade in front of the factories.
r~es
On the side next the facto-
a high wall separates it from the thoroughfare- towards the
£:"s/9 '
sea there is simply a
walls.
pallisad~
- the other two sides have high
The ground is laid out in walks - circular square and in
the fonn of parallelograms- the walks are wide and compact as granite, the work does not seem to be entirely finished - the part
towards the sea needs to be completed in the walks and the planting of" trees.
In my walk out
~fell
in with Mr. Toby and he info TInS me
-16- -
that he is thinking
chartering the Brig Wissah1ckon to go to
0 f
the islands; but it is not certaln that he will succeed as others
have made
applic~~ion
for the vessel.
The Captain also is de-
sirous to go to the U. States.
Frid~y,
(Canton,} March 13,1846.
Dined"at Dr. Ballts-
twith]
Before dinner walked outjDr.
&0 Mrs
Ball and his two daughters· into New China street with a view to
make some purchases.
Whenever we entered a shop,
th~
door was
immediately closed upon us to shut us from the observation of the
crowd, as the ladies attracted attention and a throng of gazers
immediately collected about the door..
We entered a half dozen oc
more store.s in pursuit of the articles ·we desired to purchase &.
every shop-Ill8.n closed his doors as .we entered.
however were but few.
Our purchases
The practice of asking a high price with
a view to abate is very general: so that the asking price is no
c~±terion
of the worth of the article.
There was however one
honorable exception to this dishonest and very unpleasant practice.
One of the shop-keepers I was assured could be depended on
as to the price of his goods; and I made a purchase of two shawls
a t a satisfactory price without asking for an abatement.
Q;icJ
"'rhe
shops seemed well supplied with goods and the keeps were poli te
& obliging.
purchases
We did not feel it necessary that we shOUld make
becaus~
the shop keepers.
we looked at the goods and gave some troubla to
I saw many fine things, particularly in the
laekered-ware Stores, which I should have been pleased to possess;
but it was necessary to restrain desire, not only for conscience
sake and want of means; but for want of opportunity to forward purchases to the islands.
I spent most of .the day at Dr. B.s and towards evening I
-17-
went out with the family for an excursion of a few miles upon the
river.
A pleasant covered boat WaS hired at the expense of 25 cents,
man?:ged by two men one in the bows and the other in the stern.
After having been rowed or rather s"kuf-led &. rowed the diStance perhaps of two miles among a multitude of craft moving in various
directions l we" landed at a place not thronged with inhabitants &.
made the circuit of a large pond or excavation something [likef} a
kala patch at the islands and not IDDre sightly or agreeable.
It
is probably used for the growing of rice, tho. there was no evidence of its having been recently worked.
On one side
at the bank-
that bordering on the river- was a row of stunt-ed peach trees, hav-
ing the young fruit hanging on the branches.
Canton Tuesday) March 17th 1846.
On Saturday morning I had a turn at bleeding trom the
lungs- the quantity raised being greater than I have raised at any
time since -I have been in China.
1. sent for ·Dr. Parker who pro-
vided medicine) told me to keep my chest in a elevated position by
raising my head with pillows} and to keep as still as possible.
He also prescribed a blister to be put upon my left breastj which
was applied Sabbath evening, with desirable effect.
These frequent occurrences of bleeding are very discouraging, and I am lead to inquire what the Lord would have me do.
I
understand Mr. Tobey has not succeeded in.obtaining the vessel for
the islands which he had in
~nd,
and it is doubtful whether he
obtains a vessel which will afford accoillillDdations for me.
From
what I can learn too respecting the destination of the Columbus it
is doubtful whether it is my duty to depend on her as a conveyance
to the islands, it being stated also that she may not reach the
islands before January.
Row many months I might be required to be
-18-
on board and in what circumstances I do not know.
Accommodations
in a ship of war at best would not be pleasant to me: my temner of
mind would not make a berth in such a vessel
congenial~
It is now
a query whether I ought not to reconsider the point of going to
the United States, and to settle the point as soon as possible in
order to avail myself of some vessel soon to go; as the season will
shortly be over, and
e~en
now I should be brought to midsummer
before I could reach the U. s.
Dr~
Parker thinks favorably of a
reconsiderat1,on of the subject says there have come to- hi'S knowi-
edge facts respecting the· Columbus which he did not know of when
I asked his advice before; and he does not think so favorably of
the opportunity as he did, though he has no doubt the
would be
dis~osed
Commo~ore
to make me comfortable and I should have excel-
lent medical advice.
He adYises me to keep my mind quiet and
kindly assures me he will prayerful look at the subject, and give
me his mature advice in regard to my course.
He says there are
two vessels to sail for the U. S. in the course of a fortnight and
he will make inquiries in regard to passage.
I feel that in reconsidering my case I am approaching a
point of great importance to myself and to my family, but still I
feel that nothing will be lost by enquiring for the path of duty.
If I am in it, I shall be sustained by the conviction of being in
the right way; and if I have to take another path how much soever
I may feel disappointment at the change, I shall have the assurance that the path of duty is the path of safety.
I would there-
fore cOmmQt my way to the Lord that he may direct my steps.
Canton, Thursday, March 19, 1846.
Dr. Parker
has given me his answer in regard to the
subject which I referred to his advice ,Viz. Whether in my present
;
,
I
./
. -19-
I
,:
state of health and prospects of a return to the islands he would
advise my waiting here for the Columbus or some other apportunity
or advise a passage to the U. S. by some of the vessels bound
thither.
lie says he has considered my case carefully and prayer-
fully and conferred wmth Dr. Bridgman, and he is prepared to advise me to seek· a passage to the U. S. peets for life he says.
be the termination
~hiS".
In regard to my pro,s-
It is impossible to' say what will
ot the disorder; it may take a turn to carry m.e
off soon and I may live ten years.
He thinks I shall continue to
bleed occasionally from the lunga as long as I live; and shall
need to exercise great caution. He recommends as medical advice
should
that I xni::r be prosecuting a voyage now with as little delay as
p08s1ble,'-
He seems to be q,u1te in favor on the whole that I
take the direction of the U. States: and this as' medical advice.
And. now I would say, "Cause me to know the way wherein
I should walkj for I 111ft up my soul unto thee. IT
Canton, Friday, March 20th 1846.
Before coming to an absolute deCision .in regard to a
voyage to the U. S. I had felt it desirable to know the prospects
of Mr. Tobey: His agents having informed Dr. Parker that there is
[obtaining a vesse11J
no prospect for Mr. t~~~to the . islands at present, and his advice
(i.e. Dr. P.s) being that I dismiss.all thought in'regard to his
plans, I have come to the conclusion to take passage to New York
in the Ship Lucas, Cap. Miller to sail early in April.
modations
The accom-
the Lucas are precisely like those of the Congaree:
for
and the Captain is accompanied by his wife - price ~ passage$300.o~