Let the texts speak for themselves:
Preface: "In May, 1844, I sailed in the barque Pioneer for Canton, and after a tedious passage arrived at Macao on the 22d of September following...We at once went to Canton...I determined to come in actual contact with the people, instead of remaining in the hongs and obtaining all my information from the numerous books which had been written on the Celestials." (p. vii)
"Voyages are proverbially tedious, even from the days of Columbus, and every commercial traveller who now-a-days embarks in a Liverpool packet, never fails to inform his friends or the reading world in general." (p. 2)
In Java, the proprietors of the mansion of a fort, "a very large, good-natured lady" "was quite alone in the little village...she had no female friend. She wished to hear the latest news from America, and told how much she had been amused, a few weeks previous, by hearing a genuine down-easter repeat some of his queer Yankee yarns. We sent on board for our spare books, for which she was very grateful." (p. 8)
In the English party in Java, "[t]here were two missionaries from Oxford, going to enlighten the Chinese on the thirty-nine articles, and two or three young merchants, going to win golden opinions among the Hongs of Canton." (p. 9)
"Their printing is done by means of wooden blocks, with the characters upon the surface, and the paper used, being thin, it is printed on one side only, and the fold is on the outer edge, sot aht the leaves do not have to be cut. Their books sell for a very small sum, and may vie in cheapness with the professedly cheap editions of the United Staes, for all those millions of people enjoy the pleasure of literature." (p. 87)
"One little [Chinese] boy if nt acqyaubtabce was quite remarkable for his matter-of-fact views; he had a little shop in China street, and I never sawy any one else in it. He employed himself in making paper blank books, and ruling them very neatly for the foreign merchants. He also made envelopes of approved form, and frequently came to the hongs for orders." (p. 193)
"Books are extremely cheap in China, and the 'sing song' books, as they are called, are more lively and entertaining than most others. All the plays represented can be found in print, and a complete collection would outnumber the British drama." (p. 211)
"He [the European visitor] has few newspapers to look into for local information; a straggling copy of the Bombay TImes comes along now and then, and he finds nothing in the Hong Kong Gazette except advertisements, and the fact that another ship has come into harbor. Canton, indeed, is the most stupid place in the East Indies; a stranger can only be interested in the native population, and the foreign resident only in business." (p. 213)
"The English and Americans are not the only representatives of foreign nations to be seen in that little oasis. There are Turks, Arabs, Jews and Parsees...the Parsees are the most remarkable of any of the races to be seen in Canton. They are as singular as the Chinese themselves, and as exclusive...are acknowledged to be the most accomplished merchants in Asia...they have no idea of devoting themselves to business so keenly as they do without some amusement. The give feasts and drink wine, and cheer vociferously, and are a jolly set. Their dress is peculiar, in summer a white robe fitting closely to the back and arms, with wide pantaloons of the same, or of red or blue. In the cold season they have dark colored coats cut in the same fashion, and edged with red cord. Their hair is shaved in part, leaving it growing at the temples, and all wear the most enormous moustaches, which may often be seen as one walks behind them...Many of them speak English well, and all are very courteous in their manners." (p. 244-246)
"The shops in Hong Kong are of the most wretched order, there being no rich natives on the island, and the Europeans being supplied from several shops kept by English, and in which the wares of London are retailed at enormous profits. But the ravening wolves most successful in Hong Kong are the hotel keepers." (p. 261)
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