: our visit, which ensured a polite reception from his Excellency. We were borne in chairs along the streets to the ya-mun, or public office, in which the taou-tai was then residing. As we approached the large folding-doors, leading into the first of a number of spacious courts, a gong was struck, which was immediately answered by other gongs and a bell from within. At the same time a native piper commenced playing a noisy air, accompanied by a kind of cymbal, to do honour to us as we passed. As door opened within door, we saw signs of bustle and activity among the numerous attendants, till our sedan-chairs were set down on a pavement at the bottom of a little flight of steps leading into a vestibule. Here the great man, Ching-ta-jin, descended to welcome us; and after a good deal of bowing and other salutations, we were conducted to a reception-hall, where we were invited to take our seats. But preliminary matters of etiquette had to be settled, which occupied some time. The taou-tai would not occupy the highest seat on the left side, the place of honour; and the members of our little party affected like humility. One pressed the other, and tried to lead him into the uppermost seat, which gentle attempt the other as gently resisted. Under ordinary circumstances this would have been fatiguing; but in the excessive heat of the summer it was doubly irksome and matters were at last abruptly brought to a satisfactory adjustment by one of our party coolly occupying the highest seat, and thus terminating the debate. One of our friends was a fluent speaker of Chinese, and acted as our spokesman. The taou-tai's cap of authority, which was ornamented with the usual knob or button of a light blue colour, indicating his rank as being of the third of the nine orders of Mandarins, was now taken from his head, and handed to an attendant, who placed it in a conspicuous part of the room. Soon after, another servant came at his bidding to assist in removing his upper garment of blue silk; and as, notwithstanding the heat, we had paid his Excellency the compliment of appearing in woollen coats, we gladly availed ourselves of his invitation to put off the incumbrance, and sat during the rest of our visit in our shirt-sleeves. The room did not afford the signs of any great wealth in the proprietor, the furniture being simple and substantial, rather than elegant. A number of servants were standing outside, and sometimes, in their eagerness to see and listen, pressed around the door. A wave of the hand from their master once or twice seemed to remove them to a little distance on either side. But when he subsequently sat so as to have his back towards them, they quietly returned, and their number was increased by the addition of several others eager to satisfy their curiosity. After we had taken tea, the signs of preparation for a morning collation were apparent in the various dishes brought and set out on a table in the centre of the room. On the announcement being made that all was ready, the same ceremony and delay as to precedence took place. The taou-tai took his seat at the lowest end of the table. As our meal proceeded, he reverted to former topics, especially to our literary degrees. As I had been introduced as a literary teacher, he now inquired what literary degree in my own country I had attained. My friend very inconsiderately replied that I was the same as a tsin-sze, i. e. A Mandarin's Dinner Table. 413 the second of the four Chinese literary degrees, to which Ching-ta-jin had himself attained. The taou-tai then commenced congratulating me on the felicity of my lot in getting literary promotion at so early an age. He proceeded to take a strict survey of my physiognomy, and made some remarks on my personal appearance. At last, fortunately for our preservation of gravity, the conversation was led to the subject of literary examinations and degrees in China, on which he was very lengthened in his observations. "Meanwhile we endeavoured to do honour to the dishes, which in rapid succession were placed before us, our host helping us from each dish with the chop-sticks with which he himself was eating. A kind of spirit, distilled from rice, was poured out into small cups and saucers and placed before us. Deference had been paid to our foreign palates, and in addition to the usual routine of Chinese dainties, small slices of ham, beef, duck, and fowl were served on the table. Plovers' eggs, nuts, sweatmeats, formed also portions of our repast. Our host continually watched our saucers, and replenished them from time to time with what he deemed the choicest morsels. Once or twice we ventured to act on our choice, and to taste some of the unknown dishes; but we quickly came to the decision that it was better to trust to his selection. At last we were tired with the number of dishes, which one after another made their appearance. But it was to no purpose that he was informed that we had eaten a sufficient quantity. He begged to assure us that the repast would soon be over; and our apologies for occasioning him so much expense only made him insist more rigorously on our remaining till the end. During this time an animated discussion took place on the subject of foreign customs. He again reverted to the subject of my literary degree, and inquired my family name. This was altered to suit the Chinese sounds, and written Sze-mei. He then asked my personal name, which he tried in vain to pronounce, saying it took four Chinese characters to write it. He made several ineffectual attempts to catch the sound George, changing it to Jih-ah-le-jih. At last, in despair of mastering the outlandish sounds, he ceased from the attempt, and, falling back into his large chair, gave a hearty prolonged laugh. Then he inquired of my friend respecting the koo-wan, or ancient classical literature of our country. This led to his being informed of the gradual improvement of our native tongue-the comparatively recent date of English literature-the stores of ancient learning imported from Greece and Rome -the prevalence of Latin as the general medium of communication between the literati of Europe-and the different races who successively peopled Britain. To all these topics he listened with attention, bringing frequent illustrations from similar events in the history of China. He afterwards inquired about some European country, by a name which we had never before heard. On our further listening to his pronunciation of the word, we discovered the name to be a strange combination of sounds, intended for Denmark. Afterwards the current of topics flowed to America and its twenty-six States; the separation of the United States from Britain in the last century; their common descent and language; their commercial rivalry and political emulation; the number of annual emigrants from Britain to America; the process of clearing away forests and preparing the soil for cultivation; the enterprising character of American merchants; and the political supremacy of Britain. He made some inquiries respecting the causes of emigration, and of the willingness of the British merchants to come to so distant a country as China. He continually responded, sometimes giving a hearty laugh, and not in the slightest degree affecting an appearance of gravity. He mentioned his having been formerly sent on a special mission by the Chinese Government to the country of Mongolia, and spoke of the cold temperature and the forests as probably resembling those of America. "At length, after many unavailing attempts to rise from the table, which he as often prevented, we were enabled to make preparations for our departure. During our stay of more than an hour, he showed us the usual marks of politeness and courtesy. As his jurisdiction extended over three of the eleven departments, into which the province of Che-keang is divided, he was an officer of some consequence, and ruled a territory as large as Scotland. He was apparently about fiftysix years of age, and his manners were commanding and graceful. În spite of our remonstrance, he insisted on accompanying us to our sedans, and we took our departure with the same ceremony, and amid the same noise of piping and gongs, as greeted us on our entrance." Throughout this populous and toiling empire, there is no seventh-day's rest or Sabbath bell to call the minds of the mul titude from their gross and worldly pursuits, and elevate them to Heaven. New-year's-day is observed as a holiday, and they have frequent festivals in honour of their ancestors, and of their idols, when feasts are spread out either in temples or in the streets, or in groves and gardens. The abundant viands, after being laid out and offered to the manes of their kindred, are then feasted on by the assembled company. Mr. Smith thus describes a new-year's festival at Amoy : "Jan. 26th.-This being the last day of the Chinese year, busy preparations were in progress for terminating business, for laying in a stock of provisions, and for celebrating the superstitious observances of the evening. In all directions companies of cooly-bearers might be seen carrying large packages of new-year presents to the friends of their master. In the various houses which we visited after sunset, the head of the establishment, attended by his sons or his partners, was to be observed balancing his mercantile accounts, and settling the debts of the year. So punctilious are the Chinese in the observance of this commendable practice, that they say they could not enjoy the festive occasion, nor sleep during the night, unless they had previously relieved their mind of this burden. The swan-pwan, or countingboard, was in constant use; and when the business seemed wellnigh terminated, and the books were about to be closed, a neighbour would New-Year's-Day Festival. 415 hurry into the shop, and pecuniary transactions would again for a season be renewed. While these important matters were in progress, the family were engaged in burning gilt paper, with the occasional discharge of fire-works, and in making preparations for the peculiar annual custom named huui loo, or "surrounding the furnace." This is performed by the members of each family sitting down to a substantial supper, with a pan of charcoal placed under the table in the centre of the party. The only explanation which they gave of this odd custom was, that fire is the most potent of the elements; and hence, probably, they derived a notion of its efficacy in averting evil, or in strengthening the bonds of family union. The women observed this custom in an inner room by themselves; while the master of the house, with his sons and his hired assistants, sat down in an outer room. In one of the families, in which we were invited to remain in order to view the detailed observances of the occasion, the proprietor, a man apparently of some little wealth, sat down with his assistants, his younger son, and two little grandsons. The eldest son, a youth of about nineteen, sat near us, attending to our wants, but without partaking of the feast himself. Every minute he was on his legs, attending to the beckoning motions of his father, on whom he waited without the least appearance of its being esteemed unusual. At one time he brought a spoon, or a pair of chop-sticks; at another time he fetched a paper-napkin for his father's use, or re-filled his glass with samshoo. The old gentleman, after a short time, became silent and drowsy. But the rest of the party meanwhile increased in mirth, as they rapidly consumed the good fare placed before them. The conversation became increasingly animated, and some of the women soon entered at the further end, and joined in the subjects of amusement. These were the secondary wives of the household, the proper wife and the daughters-in-law being never permitted to mingle in the free unrestrained conversation with strangers, which is sometimes allowed in the inferior class of female domestics. Great civility was shown to us, but we declined to partake of the feast. It was very melancholy to witness the habit of reckless lying, which manifested itself so frequently in their replies; both the old man and the son showing not the least compunction or sense of shame in telling flagrant falsehoods whenever it suited their purpose. In reply to our question about one of the women present, the old man said, first, that she was an acquaintance; then, shortly after, that she was a daughter-in-law; and, at last, the plain truth came out, that she was one of his secondary wives. Not the slightest jealousy appeared to be cherished in regard to the latter class of wives, though the mistress of the family did not once make her appearance. This lower class of women are generally purchased from poor parents as domestic servants, with the liberty of degrading them to the rank of inferior wives, which practice is generally prevalent, and is considered, even by their sages, to be strictly in accordance with moral rectitude, if the proper wife has given birth to no son. The offspring of both classes of wives are considered legitimate, although the sons of concubines, in inheriting the patrimony, receive only half as much as the son of the proper wife, or mistress of the household, "The supper being ended, they next prepared for burning the small wooden frames of the lamps, which are generally kept burning day and night in the dark interior of their houses. From the ashes which remain, they profess to derive means of ascertaining the exact period of the rainy and dry seasons of the coming year; the knowledge of which is very important in a land where famine often exposes so many thousands to the danger of starvation, from the destruction of their crops. Three little frames of lamps were brought, and placed ready for lighting on the pavement. The eldest son went forth into the street, and discharged some crackers, to drive away the evil spirits, while some of the domestics folded up about a bushel of gold and silver paper into the shape of lumps of silver. The eldest son returned and set fire to the materials, and in about ten minutes the whole was consumed to ashes. The live embers were then carefully distributed into twelve little heaps, answering to the twelve months of the year. They were then anxiously watched, the heap which first burned out showing the most rainy month, and that which last burnt out indicating the month in which there would be most sunshine and least rain. Par ticular attention was directed to the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh months, as the rain, if excessive in those months, would cause mildew and blight of the harvest. Acclamations of joy arose, as the second heap first died out, and predicted the greatest quantity of rain in the month when it would be most seasonable and least injurious. The fifth month was to be clear weather and without rain. The sixth and seventh heaps, as the partially-consumed embers were left half red-hot and half black, denoted that there would be partly fine and partly rainy weather in the corresponding months. The result of the experiment seemed to give the assembled party great satisfaction, which was only slightly interrupted by our asking whether the next neighbour's heaps of consumed embers would coincide in the favourable prediction. To this they replied by begging us to mark the result in the course of the year; and also by saying, that they had nothing to do with their neighbour's house. The samshoo now passed around, and we left them to prolong their festivities for an hour or two, when they retired to rest, till the booming of the midnight watch-gun roused them from their slumbers, and they hastily rose to offer each other their new-year's congratulations, and to renew their feasting. "The next morning the city authorities commemorated the newyear, by assembling in a body, at dawn of day, and going forth in procession to an imperial temple in the suburb outside the north gate. There they made nine ko-tow, or knockings of the head on the ground before a large yellow screen, which, for the occasion, occupied the place of imperial royalty. This custom is renewed also on the emperor's birth-day, and denotes the most decided act of submission. It was this ceremony which the imperial officers tried in vain to extort from former British ambassadors, as a token of vassalage." That entire seclusion of females from all intercourse with strangers, which former accounts led us to believe in, appear to |