It is all too flat, however, to be
picturesque. The three _yamuns_ at our feet, with their quaint towers,
grand old trees, flags, and the broad Pearl River on the other side of
the city, are the only elements of positive beauty in the landscape.
We soon descended the heights again, and, passing the Cantonese
Viceroy's _yamuns_ paid our promised visit to the French Consul. His
residence is, if possible, more quaint and beautiful than that of the
English representative. The trees are finer, especially one grand
avenue leading from the outer gates to the private apartments. We were
most kindly received, and shown a wonderful collection of embroideries
and china. It was a delightful visit, but we could not remain so long
as we wished, for we had to see the water clock. The tower in which it
stands is approached by a flight of steps, and was built between the
years A.D. 624 and 907; but it has been repaired, destroyed, and
repaired again, several times, having suffered in the bombardment of
the town by the allied fleets in 1857.
In the next street, Treasury Street (said to be the finest in Canton),
you can buy burning-sticks measured to mark the time. They are
extremely cheap, but perfectly accurate, and there seems little doubt
that they have been used by the Chinese for thousands of years before
the Christian era.
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