The streets are long, and most of them narrow and irregular, but well paved with large stones, and, for the most part, kept exceedingly clean.  The houses are built of brick, one story high, having generally two or three courts backward, in which are the warehouses for merchandise, and, in the houses within the city, the apartments for the women.  A very few of the meanest sort are built of wood.

The houses belonging to the European factors are built on an handsome quay, with a regular facade of two stories toward the river, and disposed within, partly after the European, and partly after the Chinese manner.  Adjoining to these are a number of houses belonging to the Chinese, and hired out to the commanders of ships and merchants, who make an occasional stay.  As no European is allowed to bring his wife to Canton, the English supercargoes live together at a common table, which is kept by the company, and have each a separate apartment, consisting of three or four rooms.  The time of their residence seldom exceeds eight months annually; and as they are pretty constantly employed, during that time, in the service of the company, they may submit with the less regret to the restraints they are kept under.  They very rarely pay any visits within the walls of Canton, except on public occasions.  Indeed, nothing gave me so unfavourable an idea of the character of the Chinese, as to find, that, amongst so many persons of liberal minds and amiable manners, some of whom have resided in that country for near fifteen years together, they have never formed any friendship or social connection.  As soon as the last ship quits Wampu, they are all obliged to retire to Macao; but, as a proof of the excellent police of the country, they leave all the money they possess in specie behind them, which, I was told, sometimes amounted to one hundred thousand pounds sterling, and for which they had no other security than the seals of the merchants of the hong, the viceroy, and mandarins.

During my stay at Canton, I was carried, by one of the English gentlemen, to visit a person of the first consequence in the place.  We were received in a long room or gallery, at the upper end of which stood a table, with a large chair behind it, and a row of chairs extending from it on each side down the room.  Being previously instructed, that the point of civility consisted in remaining as long unseated as possible, I readily acquitted myself of this piece of etiquette; after which we were entertained with tea and some preserved and fresh fruits.  Our host was very fat, with a heavy dull countenance, and of great gravity in his deportment.  He spoke a little broken English and Portuguese; and, after we had taken our refreshment, he carried us about his house and garden; and having shewed us all the improvements he was making, we took our leave.

Having procured an account of the price of provisions at Canton, as settled for the year 1780, which the reader will find at the end of this section, I have only to observe, that the different articles are supposed to be the best of the kind; and that the natives purchase the same for nearly one-third less than the price, which, in the list, is fixed only for strangers.