Slowly did they float through the darkness
of the night, appearing like the work of fairy hands. Sometimes
they stopped, when high flames, fed with holy perfumed paper,
flickered upwards to the sky.
Perfumed paper, which must be bought from the priests, is burnt at
every opportunity, and very frequently beforehand, after every
prayer. From the trade in this paper the greater portion of the
priests' income is derived.
On several occasions, accompanied by Herr von Carlowitz, I took
short walks in the streets near the factory. I found the greater
pleasure in examining the beautiful articles of Chinese manufacture,
which I could here do at my leisure, as the shops were not so open
as those I saw during my excursion round the walls of Canton, but
had doors and windows like our own, so that I could walk in and be
protected from the pressure of the crowd. The streets, also, in
this quarter were somewhat broader, well paved, and protected with
mats or planks to keep off the burning heat of the sun.
In the neighbourhood of the factory, namely in Fousch-an, where most
of the manufactories are situated, a great many places may be
reached by water, as the streets, like those in Venice, are
intersected by canals.
