gate of the Yamun, or official residence of the mandarin whose
jurisdiction extends over about half Canton, and who is called the
Naam-Hoi magistrate. Both sides of the road passing through this
square, and especially the open space in front of the gate which leads
into the courtyard of the Yamun, were crowded with unshaven, ragged,
forlorn, dirty wretches, heavily fettered round their ankles, and with
long heavy chains padlocked round their necks, attached, some to large
stones with holes in the centre, others to short thick bars of iron.
Two or three, into whose legs the ankle fetters had cut deep raw
grooves, were lying in a heap on a ragged mat in the corner; some were
sitting on stones, but most were standing or shifting their position
uneasily, dragging their weighty fetters about, making a jarring and
dismal clank with every movement.

These unfortunates are daily exposed thus to the scorn and contempt of
the passers-by as a punishment for small thefts. Of those who were
seated on stones or who were kneeling attempting to support themselves
on their hands, most wore square wooden collars of considerable size,
weighing thirty pounds each, round their necks. These cangues are so
constructed that it is impossible for their wearers to raise their
hands to their mouths for the purpose of feeding themselves, and it
seemed to be a choice pastime for small boys to tantalize these
criminals by placing food tied to the end of sticks just within reach
of their mouths, and then suddenly withdrawing them. Apart from the
weight of their fetters, and of the cangue in which they are thus
pilloried, these men suffer much from hunger and thirst. They are thus
punished for petty larcenies. Surely "the way of transgressors is
hard."

The bearers set me down at the gate of the Yamun among the festering