The Hongs at Canton shortly before the fire of 1822; The Hongs at Canton during the Great Fire of 1822; and The Hongs at Canton after the Great Fire of 1822

'On November 1, 1822, in a cake shop outside the city wall, north of the factories, a baker set off a fire accidentally while he was melting sugar. In the narrow streets, fanned by strong winds, the fire spread rapidly through the city, destroying thousands of shops. The foreign merchants could not obtain enough water for their fire engines, and the Chinese viceroy did not allow them to destroy local houses to create a firebreak, but Chinese and foreigners together formed bucket brigades. They saved some of their woolen goods, but the vulnerable shops on Hog Lane quickly ignited, destroying nearly all of the factories. The flames were so fierce that the merchants and their staffs had to flee from the land onto their boats into the river. The greatest losers in the fire, however, were the Chinese shopkeepers and hong merchants, most of whose warehouses were destroyed.' (P.C. Perdue, Rise & Fall of the Canton Trade System - III Canton & Hong Kong, MIT, Boston, 2009)

The present three pictures provide a detailed record of the factories on the eve of the fire, the progress of the fire and the abandonment of the factories on the evening of 1 November 1822, and the aftermath of the burnt-out Hongs (seven thousand Chinese shops and all the factories were destroyed), the fire still smouldering, troops on guard on the waterfront and the Western merchants still taking refuge on the river.
The second and third pictures possibly by a different hand than the first view which precedes them.