Diary

[Dec - in margin] We are sitting out of doors. The flowers are as gay as ever. Marigolds, Jacob's Coat, & all the palms & ferns are very interesting to me. On the peak we saw ageratums growing wild by the roadside. A very pretty wild sort morning glory that was a pretty mauve colour. We should get a map of the country roads & go out and see some of the spots about there. I bought a pretty nice pair of peper pots -- lotus? ? with the young leaf. Ronald came back pleased with himself. He bought 2 bamboo ? 2 Tang ? ... a plate five coloured plates 2 black ?, a blue & white incense burner, some embroidery. We will see them in the morning on Monday. 5. Went to church, a very poor service and no sermon. We all came home disappointed. We found the Roses taking luncheon here at a table in one dining room. They told us that this hotel was as good as theirs.

In fact our rooms were better but the food not so good. Attendance bad at both places. They pay 10 yen a day more than we do. Mrs Rose looked ill a bad cold. Later we went for a sail around the harbour in a steam launch. The place is very pretty when seen from the waterside, but I would hate to live in the East. We wanted Ronald to ask Mr Bassett to go with us but he never wants to take any trouble & left it until too late. Poor Ronald, he seldom wants to do what he is asked & is planning a most unhappy life for himself. God grant the boy may improve and not be so self-willed. I wonder what it all means, for he is so indifferent to our wishes & so thoughtless. It makes me feel so sorry, for he does not make the most of himself. Mrs Chill does not look up to the mark. The rest of the party went to the Happy Valley & saw the Cemetery. Mostly officers who fell in the Chinese war of 42 to 46. We were all very tired & went to bed early. Mr & Mrs Chill did not come to dinner & we

[6 - in margin] found them both ill in their room. Canton was too much for them. Gave them some of my soup and spent an hour with the Hartshorns. I like both and we will see them again I expect. Packed and got ready for Canton. We go tonight at 5 pm, sleeping on the boat & arriving at 6 o'clock on Tuesday morning. The Chills & Hartshorns had afternoon tea with us on our verandah. We then bid them good[bye]. Called on Mrs Rose & found Miss Rose had fever her temperature ran 102. They expect to carry her on board & Dr Chill will look after her as the hotel is not comfortable. Said good bye to the ?. George liked? just better than I expected what he had got at the sale. We will send them home in a camphor wood box as the chest are to be had here very good, about 4 feet long & 2 feet Dec| high will be the size. Cost 8 dollars gold. 7| Canton at 6 am. such an extraordinary ? the sampans just swarm about the steamer and lie close close side by side

touching each other, women manage a boat just as well as men, & the fact of a small baby strapped to his Mothers back does not interfere with her movements. Women work so hard in fact a large portion of these people live on the water. The average cost of living for a native citizen is from $1 to 3 per month. The food comprising rice fresh & salt fish duck & ? eggs and fruit. & the people look wonderfully well nourished. You are taken from your steamer in a sampan sent by the Sh? Hotel. We were fortunate enough to get Ah Aun Jr as our guide. He spoke English very well & was most interested in us as we were the first Canadians he had seen. He took Carter Hassan[?] on his celebrated trip & showed him the sights of this wonderful place. The Bertsells[?] were on the boat with[?] and Mr Rankin, also a passenger from Kobe. The hotel is on the island and this is divided into the English and French cou? . 2 bridges connect it with the city proper, both have a guard of soldiers and the

gates are kept closed they open it & allow you passage. Water gates also protect the island the harbour boats are not allowed to anchor on the island side [?] are posted all about - & no natives are allowed to live in this Part - a lovely sea walk & fine trees Make it a very delightful walk a mile in length. The Hotel kept by a Portuguese is clean & better than the Windsor at Hong Kong. We had a good Guide Au Auh? and we first saw the kingfishers work which is well done in small shops. The boys lose their sight early and after 40 years of age are blind The work is very cheap. We bought we got 2 pieces from there and went to the rice paper pictures. Canton does not strike me as being as dirty as I expected to find it but this is just after a heavy rain. We saw a great deal it seemed to us. The guide put Milly next Mr R? and ? George who had 4 bearers? We heard the ? ? often but