with a light breeze, Took lunch at the Astor Hotel, the only one in town. It is small + meat served by an Englishman. The coinage in Swatow is confusing + unreliable. The Hong Kong money circulates at par, also Mexican Peso but the Chinese silver dollars are of various sorts + often at a discount as there is no uniform coinage backed by the government. The coinage is left to local banks for control. China shows much contrast to Japan. There are no small tiled roofed houses here but instead much diversity, the usual house being a European of several stories each with an overhanging porch. The women dress diversely also + looks of several different types of physique are to be seen. This applies to the men quill times were seen with queues, the hair being cropped short as in Japan.