WE had no fooner paffed the fummit of the high mountain Me-lin, and entered the province of Quan-tung, or Canton, than a very fenfible difference was perceived in the conduct of the inhabitants. Hitherto the Embaffy had met with the greateft: refpect and civility from all claffes of the natives, but now even the peafantry ran out of their houfes, as we paffed, and bawled after us Queitze-fan-quei, which, in their language, are opprobrious and contemptuous expreffions, fignifying foreign devils, imps; epithets that are beftowed by the enlightened Chinefe on all foreigners. It was obvious, that the haughty and infolent manner in which all Europeans refiding at, or trading to, the port of Canton are treated, had extended itfelf to the northern frontier of the province, but it had not croffed the mountain Me-lin; the natives of Kiang-fee being a quiet, civil, and inoffenfive people. In Quan-tung the farther we advanced, the more rude and infolent they became. A timely rebuke, however, given to the governor of Nau-fheun-foo by Van-ta-gin, for applying the above-mentioned opporbrious epithets to the Britifh Embaffy, had a good effect on the Canton officers, who were now to be our conductors through their province.

This contempt of foreigners is not confined to the upper ranks, or men in office, but pervades the very loweft clafs who, whilft they make no fcruple of entering into the fervice of foreign merchants refiding in the country, and accepting the moft menial employments under them, performing the duties of their feveral offices with diligence, punctuality, and fidelity, affect, at the fame time, to defpife their employers, and to confider them as placed, in the fcale of human beings, many degrees below them.