Unhappily, however, they all fell victims to the fanaticism of the Chinese: they were most barbarously murdered.
There was now no trip of any distance left but one round the walls of the town of Canton, {108} properly so called.

This, too, I was shortly enabled to undertake through the kindness of our good friend the missionary, who offered to come as guide to Herr von Carlowitz and myself, under the condition, however, that I should put on male attire.

No woman had ever yet ventured to make this trip, and he thought that I ought not to venture in my own dress; I complied with his wish, therefore, and one fine morning early we set out.
For some distance our road lay through narrow streets or alleys paved with large flags.

In a small niche somewhere in the front of every house, we saw little altars from one to three feet high, before which, as it was yet early, the night lamps were still burning.

An immense quantity of oil is unnecessarily consumed in keeping up this religious custom.