in Geography, denotes a small district or country constituting a distinct government: such are the cantons of Switzerland.

Canton, Quang-tong, or Koanton, one of the southern provinces of China; bounded on the north-east by Fokien, on the north by Kiang-si, on the west by Quang-si and the kingdom of Tonking, and everywhere else by the sea. The country is diversified with hills and plains, and the soil in general so fertile that it produces two crops annually. Besides many of the fruits of Europe, and those common in other parts of the Indies, the province of Canton produces some peculiar to itself. Abundance of valuable aromatic woods is also to be met with in this province, as well as eagle wood, ebony, &c., and in the mineral kingdom the province furnishes gold, precious stones, tin, quicksilver, and copper. Silk and sugar are also cultivated here, and pearls are fished upon the coasts; so that every thing which can contribute to the pleasure or convenience of life is to be met with in Canton. "One begins (says F. Premare) to have an idea of China, on entering the river Canton. Both sides of it present large fields of rice which resemble green meadows, and extend beyond the reach of sight. They are intersected by an infinite number of small canals, in such a manner that the barks which pass and repass in them seem at a distance, while the water which carries them is concealed, to glide along the groats. Farther inland the country appears covered with trees, and cultivated along the valleys; and the whole scene is interlarded with villages, rural seats, and such a variety of delightful prospects, that one is never tired of viewing them, and regrets to be obliged to pass them so quickly.

All the coasts of this province abound with fish, and furnish vast numbers of crabs, oysters, and tortoises of an immense size. The inhabitants keep a prodigious number of tame ducks, which they hatch in ovens or dunghills, though it does not appear that they borrowed this custom from the Egyptians. The docility of these creatures exceeds what we should be apt at first to imagine. The inhabitants load a number of small barks with them, and carry them in flocks to feed on the sea shore, where they find shrimps and other animals proper for their nourishment. But though the ducks from the different barks are thus unavoidably mixed together in the daytime, they are easily collected by only beating on a basin, on which they immediately collect themselves into different flocks, and each returns to its proper bark.

In this province the Chinese have also a method of preserving not only the flesh of the ducks in such a manner that it loses nothing of its original flavour, but their eggs also. The latter operation is performed by covering the eggs with a coat of clay mixed with salt. When mixed in this manner, it seems that the salt has the property of penetrating through the pores of the shell, and thus impregnating the substance in the egg, which it could not do by simple solution in water.

Canton, though it suffered much in the Chinese wars, is at present one of the most flourishing provinces of the empire; and being at a great distance from court, its government is one of the most important. A great number of fortresses, many of which are cities, provided with numerous garrisons, have been built along the coasts for the suppression of pirates and robbers; for which purpose also a certain number of troops are kept properly posted in different parts of the province. It is divided into ten districts, which contain as many cities of the first class, and 84 of the second and third. The air in general is warm but healthy, healthy, and the people are very industrious. They possess in an eminent degree the talent of imitation; so that if they are only shown any European work, they can execute others like it with surprising exactness.

The most remarkable cities in the province besides Canton the capital are, 1. Chao-tcheou-fou, chiefly noted for a monastery of bonzes in its neighbourhood, to which the adjacent country belongs, and the origin of which is traced back for 800 or 900 years. It has under its jurisdiction six cities of the third class; near one of these grows a reed of which several instruments are made, which cannot be distinguished from real ebony. The air of Chao-tcheou-fou, however, is unhealthy; and great numbers of the inhabitants are carried off annually by contagious distempers, which prevail from the middle of October to the beginning of December. 2. Kao-tcheou-fou, situated in a delightful and plentiful country. In the neighbourhood is found a singular kind of stone much resembling marble, on which are natural representations of rivers, mountains, landscapes, and trees. These stones are cut into slabs, and made into tables, &c. Crabs are also caught on the coasts here, which very much resemble those of Europe; but, says M. Grolier, they have this singularity, that when taken out of the water, they become petrified without losing anything of their natural figure. 3. Kiun-tcheou-fou, the capital of the island of Hai-nan. See Hai-nan.

large, populous, and wealthy city of China, capital of the province of that name, stands on the banks of the river Taa, or great river, which, near the city, is wide and spacious. The wall of the city is pretty high, and about six or seven miles in circumference, though not more than one-third of the ground is occupied by buildings, the other parts being appropriated to pleasure grounds or to fish ponds. The country is extremely pleasant, and towards the east hilly, so as to command a beautiful prospect of the city and suburbs, the compass of which, together, is about ten miles.

The buildings of Canton are in general low, consisting of one story and a ground floor, which is covered with earth or red tiles in order to keep it cool; but the houses of the most respectable merchants and mandarins are comparatively lofty and well built. In different parts of the city and suburbs are joss houses or temples, in which are placed the images worshipped by the Chinese: before whom are placed, at particular seasons, a vast variety of sweetmeats, oranges, great plenty of food ready dressed, and also incense, which is kept perpetually burning.

The streets of Canton are long and narrow, paved with flat stones, adorned at intervals with triumphal arches, which have a pleasing effect, and much crowded with people. On both sides are shops as in London, appropriated to the sale of different commodities; and a kind of awning is extended from house to house, which prevents the sun's rays from incomming either inhabitants or passengers. At the end of every street is a barrier, which, with the gates of the city, is shut in the evening. In China Street, which is pretty long and considerably wider than the rest, reside merchants; whose trade, so far as respects china, lacquered ware, fans, &c., is wholly confined to Europeans. Most of them speak the foreign languages tolerably well, or at least sufficiently intelligible to transact business. Besides these merchants, there is a company of twelve or thirteen, called the Cohong; who have an exclusive right by appointment from authority to purchase the cargoes from the different ships, and also to supply them with teas, raw silks, &c., in return. The establishment of the Cohong, though injurious to private trade, is admirably well adapted for the security of the different companies with which they traffic; because each individual becomes a guarantee for the whole; so that if one fail, the others consider themselves as responsible.

In Canton there are no carriages; all burdens are carried by porters across their shoulders on bamboos; as are also the principal people in sedan chairs, and the ladies always. The streets of Canton may be traversed from morning till evening without seeing a woman, those excepted who are Tartars, and even these but very seldom.

On the wharf of the river, which is commodious and pleasant, stand the factories of the different European nations, viz., the Dutch, French, Swedes, Danes, English, &c. In those reside the supercargoes belonging to their respective companies, who are appointed to dispose of the cargoes brought to market; to supply the ships with others from Europe in return; and, during their absence, to contract with the merchants for such articles as may be judged necessary for the next fleet. Between the residents of the factories the most perfect cordiality subsists; in each a common and splendid table is kept at the company's expense, and visits are reciprocally exchanged; so that nothing is wanting to make residence at Canton agreeable to an European, but the pleasure naturally resulting from the society of women.

The side of the river next the city is covered with boats, which form a kind of town or streets, in which live the poorer sort of the Chinese, or rather the descendants of the Tartars. Some of the men come on shore in the morning to their respective employments, and in those sampans, or boats which are not stationary, the women and also the men carry passengers from place to place in the same manner as is done by wherries on the Thames. On this river live many thousand souls who never were permitted to come on shore; whose only habitation is their boat; in which they eat, drink, sleep, carry on many occupations, keep ducks, &c., and occasionally a hog.

The manufactures of Canton are principally carried on in the suburbs; though it has been frequently supposed that they were confined to the city; and this, by some writers, has been given as a reason why Europeans are not permitted to enter within the gates. But this is a mistake; and perhaps the true reason for this very singular restraint is, that the houses in which they keep their women are chiefly within the city.

At Wampo, a large commodious place for anchorage, and which is about 12 or 14 miles from Canton, the European vessels lie and unload their cargoes, which are transmitted by lighters to the factories; and by the same conveyance receive their respective freights. Between this place and the city are three hoppo, or customhouses, at which the boats passing and repassing are obliged to stop, and undergo with their passengers an examination, in order to prevent smuggling. The lighters just mentioned, and also the captain's pinnace, are, however, excepted; the former having proper officers on board for the purpose, and the latter being narrowly watched and examined at the landing.

The weather at Canton is, in summer, extremely hot; and in the months of December, January, and February, cold: the country is nevertheless pleasant and healthful, abounding with all the necessaries and delicacies of life, which may be procured on terms much cheaper than in Europe. The number of inhabitants has been estimated at one million; but later calculations have made the number considerably less. N. Lat. 23° 30'. E. Long. 113° 20'.

Canton, John, an ingenious natural philosopher, was born at Stroud, in Gloucestershire, in 1718; and was placed, when young, under the care of a Mr Davis of the same place, a very able mathematician, with whom, before he had attained the age of nine years, he had gone through both vulgar and decimal arithmetic. He then proceeded to the mathematics, and particularly to algebra and astronomy, wherein he had made a considerable progress, when his father took him from school, and put him to learn his own business, which was that of a broad-cloth weaver. This circumstance was not able to damp his zeal for the acquisition of knowledge. All his leisure time was devoted to the assiduous cultivation of astronomical science; and, by the help of the Caroline tables annexed to "Wing's Astronomy," he computed eclipses of the moon and other phenomena. His acquaintance with that science he applied likewise to the constructing of several kinds of dials. But the studies of our young philosopher being frequently pursued to very late hours, his father, fearing that they would injure his health, forbade him the use of a candle in his chamber any longer than for the purpose of going to bed, and would himself often see that his injunction was obeyed. The son's thirst of knowledge was, however, so great, that it made him attempt to evade the prohibition, and to find means of secreting his light till the family had retired to rest, when he rose to prosecute undisturbed his favourite pursuits. It was during this prohibition, and at these hours, that he computed, and cut upon stone, with no better an instrument than a common knife, the lines of a large upright sun dial, on which, besides the hour of the day, was shown the rising of the sun, his place in the ecliptic, and some other particulars. When this was finished, and made known to his father, he permitted it to be placed before the front of his house, where it excited the admiration of several gentlemen in the neighbourhood, and introduced young Mr Canton to their acquaintance, which was followed by the offer of the use of their libraries. In the library of one of these gentlemen, he found "Martin's Philosophical Grammar," which was the first book that gave him a taste for natural philosophy. In the possession of another gentleman, a few miles from Stroud, he first saw a pair of globes; an object that afforded him uncommon pleasure, from the great ease with which he could solve those problems he had hitherto been accustomed to compute. The dial was beautified a few years ago at the expense of the gentlemen at Stroud, several of whom had been his schoolfellows, and who continued fill to regard it as a very distinguished performance.

Among other persons with whom he became acquainted in early life, was the late reverend and ingenious Dr Henry Miles of Tooting, a learned and respectable member of the Royal Society, and of approved eminence in natural knowledge. This gentleman perceiving that Mr Canton possessed abilities too promising to be confined within the narrow limits of a country town, prevailed on his father to permit him to come to London. Accordingly he arrived at the metropolis March 4, 1737, and resided with Dr Miles at Tooting till the 6th of May following; when he articled himself for the term of five years, as a clerk to Mr Samuel Watkins, master of the academy in Spital-square. In this situation, his ingenuity, diligence, and good conduct, were so well displayed, that on the expiration of his clerkship in May 1742, he was taken into partnership with Mr Watkins for three years; which gentleman he afterwards succeeded in Spital-square, and there continued during his whole life. In 1744, he married Penelope, the eldest daughter of Mr Thomas Colbrooke, and niece to James Colbrooke, Esq. banker in London.

Towards the end of 1745, electricity, which seems early to have engaged Mr Canton's notice, received a very capital improvement by the discovery of the famous Leyden Phial. This event turned the thoughts of most of the philosophers of Europe to that branch of natural philosophy; and our author, who was one of the first to repeat and to pursue the experiment, found his affluency and attention rewarded by many capital discoveries. Towards the end of 1749, he was concerned with his friend, the late Mr Benjamin Robins, in making experiments in order to determine to what height rockets may be made to ascend, and at what distance their light may be seen. In 1750 was read at the Royal Society Mr Canton's "Method of making artificial magnets, without the use of, and yet far superior to, any natural ones." This paper procured him the honour of being elected a member of the society, and the present of their gold medal. The same year he was complimented with the degree of M.A. by the university of Aberdeen; and, in 1751, was chosen one of the council of the Royal Society.

In 1752, our philosopher was so fortunate as to be the first person in England, who, by attracting the electric fire from the clouds during a thunder storm, verified Dr Franklin's hypothesis of the similarity of lightning and electricity. Next year, his paper entitled, "Electrical Experiments, with an attempt to account for their several Phenomena," was read at the Royal Society. In the same paper Mr Canton mentioned his having discovered by a great number of experiments, that some clouds were in a positive, and some in a negative, state of electricity. Dr Franklin, much about the same time, made the like discovery in America. This circumstance, together with our author's constant defence of the doctor's hypothesis, induced that excellent philosopher, immediately on his arrival in England, to pay Mr Canton a visit, and gave rise to a friendship which ever after continued without interruption or diminution. In the "Lady's Diary, for 1756," our author answered the prize question that had been proposed in the preceding year. The ques- CANTON was, "How can what we call the shooting of stars be best accounted for; what is the substance of this phenomenon; and in what state of the atmosphere doth it most frequently show itself?" The solution, though anonymous, was so satisfactory to his friend, Mr Thomas Simpson, who then conducted that work, that he sent Mr Canton the prize, accompanied with a note, in which he said, he was sure that he was not mistaken in the author of it, as no one besides, that he knew of, could have answered the question. Our philosopher's next communication to the public, was a letter in the "Gentleman's Magazine, for September 1759," on the electrical properties of the tourmaline, in which the laws of that wonderful stone are laid down in a very concise and elegant manner. On December 13, in the same year, was read at the Royal Society, "An attempt to account for the regular diurnal variation of the Horizontal Magnetic Needle; and also for its irregular variation at the time of an Aurora Borealis." A complete year's observations of the diurnal variations of the needle are annexed to the paper. On Nov. 5, 1761, our author communicated to the Royal Society an account of the Transit of Venus, June 6, 1761, observed in Spital-square. Mr Canton's next communication to the Society, was a letter addressed to Dr Benjamin Franklin, and read Feb. 4, 1762; containing some remarks on Mr Delaval's electrical experiments. On Dec. 16, in the same year, another curious addition was made by him to philosophical knowledge, in a paper entitled, "Experiments to prove that water is not incompreffible." These experiments are a complete refutation of the famous Florentine experiments, which so many philosophers have mentioned as a proof of the incompreffibility of water. On St Andrew's day, 1763, our author was the third time elected one of the council of the Royal Society; and on Nov. 8, in the following year, were read before that learned body, his farther "Experiments and observations on the compressibility of water, and some other fluids." The establishment of this fact, in opposition to the received opinion, formed on the hasty decision of the Florentine Academy, was thought to be deserving of the society's gold medal. It was accordingly moved for in the council of 1764; and after several invidious delays, which terminated much to the honour of Mr Canton, it was presented to him Nov. 30, 1766.

The next communication of our ingenious author to the Royal Society, which we shall take notice of in this place, was on Dec. 22, 1763, being "An easy method of making a Phosphorus that will imbibe and emit light like the Bolognian stone; with experiments and observations." When he first showed to Dr Franklin the instantaneous light acquired by some of this phosphorus from the near discharge of an electrified bottle, the doctor immediately exclaimed, "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light." The dean and chapter of St Paul's having, in a letter to the president, dated March 5, 1769, requested the opinion of the Royal Society relative to the best and most effectual method of fixing electrical conductors to preserve that cathedral from damage by lightning, Mr Canton was one of the committee appointed to take the letter into consideration, and to report their opinion upon it. The gentlemen joined with him in this business were, Dr Watson, Dr Franklin, Mr Delaval, and Mr Wilton. Their report was made on the 8th of June following; and the mode recommended by them has been carried into execution. The last paper of our author's, which was read before the Royal Society, was on Dec. 21, 1769; and contained "Experiments to prove that the Luminousness of the Sea arises from the putrefaction of its animal substances." In the account now given of his communications to the public, we have chiefly confined ourselves to such as were the most important, and which threw new and distinguished light on various objects in the philosophical world. Besides these he wrote a number of papers both in earlier and in later life, which appeared in several different publications, and particularly in the Gentleman's Magazine.

The close and sedentary life of Mr Canton, arising from an unremitting attention to the duties of his profession, and to the prosecution of his philosophical inquiries and experiments, probably contributed to shorten his days. The disorder into which he fell, and which carried him off, was a drophy. His death happened on March 22, 1772, in the 54th year of his age.