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ST. GjEORGE’s PLACE, 
 
 HYDE PARK CORNER. 
 
"TEN THOUSAND CHINESE THINGS." 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE 
 
 CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 NOW EXHIBITING AT 
 
 SL GEORGE’S PLACE, HYDE PARK CORNER; 
 
 WITH CONDENSED ACCOUNTS 
 
 OF THE GENIUS, GOVERNMENT, HISTORV, LITERATURE, AGRICULTURE, ARTS, 
 TRADE, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND SOCIAL LIFE OF THE 
 PEOPLE OF THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE ; 
 
 BY WILLIAM B. LANGDON, L8Q., 
 
 CUHATOll OT THE ClUNESK CoLEEUTlON. 
 
 ONE IT UJS ORE D AND THIRTY -EO URTH THOUSAND. 
 
 L (J N D O N : 
 
 PilINTED FOR THE PROPRIETOR, 
 
 AND TO BE OBTAINED ONLY AT THE CHLNKSK COLLECTION, 
 
 TRICE ONE SHILLING. 
 
 MDCCC.XLIV. 
 
LONDON ; 
 
 VIEKTELLY BKOTHBRO AND CO., FKINTER8 AND ENGRAVERS, 
 PETERBOROUGH COURT, 13S FLEET STREET. 
 
€®MTEHT& 
 
 Page 
 
 Introduction 4 . ^ 0 
 
 General view of the Interior of the Saloon 17 
 
 Superb Chinese Screen. Chinese Temple and Colossal Idols 18 
 
 Statue of Confucius , 21 
 
 CASE I. 
 
 Mandarin of the first class and his Secretary, Mandarin of the second class. Mandai'in 
 of the sixth class. Two massive arm-chairs, covered with crimson drapery, richly 
 embroidered. Square table, handsomely carved, -with marble top. Specimens of crim- 
 son drapery, elegantly embroidered, hanging in front of the table. Cap stands and 
 various ornamental articles. Chinese maxims on the wall 22 
 
 CASE II. 
 
 Priest of Fuh or Buddha, in full canonicals. Priest of the Taou sect, in full dress. Gen- 
 tleman in complete mourning apparel. Servant of the above, also in mourning dress. 
 Chinese soldier with matchlock. Archer of the imperial army, of the Tartar Tribe 
 Circular Chinese shield, made of rattan. Vaiious military weapons on the wall .... 2d 
 
 CASE III. 
 
 Three literary gentlemen in summer costume. A servant handing a book Mandarin of the 
 fourth class. Servant A pair of Chinese book-cases. Silk scrolls on tlie wall 30 
 
 CASE IV. 
 
 Chinese lady of rank, with fan. Another lady preparing to smoke Another with guitar. 
 
 Two female domestics. Mother and boy of the middle class. Daughter of the above. 
 Chinese table handsomely carved, gilt, and painted. Specimen of citron, or finger 
 fruit [Citrus Sacodactylus). Superbly embroidered silk screen. Lanterns suspended 
 from the ceihng 34 
 
 CASE V. 
 
 Tragedian in splendid costume. Two juvenile actors, to perfonn the part of femde charac- 
 ters. Chinese juggler. Parasol used on state occasions. Magnificent specimen of 
 embroidered tapestry, and numerous specimens of theatrical caps on the wall. ........ 37 
 
 V CASE VI, 
 
 Itinerant barber at his avocation, with his whole apparatus. Itinerant shoemaker at his 
 work, with work-bench, basket, tools, lamp, &c. Travelling blacksmith, witli anvil, 
 furnace, bellows, &c. Chinese boatwoman, carrying a child on her back in the usual 
 mode. Another boatwoman, with pipe, mother of the above. On the wall several 
 specimens of bamboo hats and rush coats, worn by the lower classes in rainy weather. 
 Specimens of ploughs, harrows, axes, hoes, rakes, forks, shovels, spades, flails, mattocks, 
 
 &c., &c. These implements are, for the most part, simple and rude, and arc made 
 chiefly of wood, merely shod with iron. On the wall are also displayed two fi.sliing 
 nets, made of a peculiar kind of hemp ; also fishing scoops 42 
 
8 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 rage 
 
 CASK VII, 
 
 A Chinese gentleman in a sedan, borne by two servants. Servant in attendance with 
 lantern, &c. Chinese complimentary card 40 
 
 CASE VIII. 
 
 The Pavilion. Interior of a Chinese gentleman’s summer residence. Chinese formality 
 in paying and receiving visits. Description of a Chinese dinner, Numerous figures. 
 Furniture. Embroidered lanterns. Large porcelain jars on carved pedestals 51 
 
 CASES IX — X. 
 
 Lacquered ware and articles of vertfi 57 
 
 CASE XI. 
 
 Miscellaneous articles 62 
 
 CASES XII — XIII. 
 
 China-ware 65 
 
 CASE XIV. 
 
 Models of Chinese boats. Model of the “ Ta,” or pagoda, near Whampoa. A Chinese 
 “ Grand Chop,” or port clearance 70 
 
 CASE XV. 
 
 Models of Chinese summer-houses. Model of a domestic shrine, with gilt idols. Tablets 
 on the wall 73 
 
 CASE XVI. 
 
 A china-ware shop, completely furnished 75 
 
 CASE XVII. 
 
 A two-storied house, and silk-mercer’s establishment 75 
 
 CASE XVIII. 
 
 A model of a large flower-boat. Model of bridge at Fa tee. Double-handed swords. 
 
 Tobacco and opium pipes. Sporting implements, &c 78 
 
 Model of a machine for rai.sing water 81 
 
 CASE XVIII. A. 
 
 A model of a Chinese war-junk in ivory. A pair of state chairs, footstools, &c. Superbly 
 painted and gilt lanterns 82 
 
 CASE XIX. 
 
 Ornithology 82 
 
 CASE XX, 
 
 A superbly embroidered lantern, of large dimensions 83 
 
 Chinese cannon, taken at Chusan 83 
 
 CASES XXI — II. 
 
 Ornithology * 84 
 
 CASES XXIII — IV. 
 
 Conchology 85 
 
 CASE XXV. 
 
 Numerous articles of silver- ware, enamel, and carved ivory 86 
 
 CASE XXVI, 
 
 N umerous articles of verth 87 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 9 
 
 Page 
 
 CASE xxvir. 
 
 Sinai] nxticlss of fine porcehun 89 
 
 CASE XXVIIT. 
 
 Numerous aiticles of vertQ 90 
 
 CASE XXIX. 
 
 Small ai'ticles of fine porcelain 91 
 
 CASES XXX — I. 
 
 Specimens of silk and cotton manufacture, &c 92 
 
 CASES XXXII — III. 
 
 Music;al instniments and minerals 93 
 
 CASE XXXIV, 
 
 A set of joiners’ tools, &c 95 
 
 CASES XXXV VI VII VIII. 
 
 Specimens in natural history 95 
 
 CASE XXXIX. 
 
 Cutlery, castings, &c 90 
 
 CASE XL. 
 
 Chinese books, &c 97 
 
 CASE XLI, 
 
 A specimen of a dwarf tree. ICdible bird’s nest. Fruits, teas, rice, &c 98 
 
 CASE XLII. 
 
 Numerous specimens of Chinese slumner and winter caps 102 
 
 CASE XLIII. 
 
 Chinese shoes 102 
 
 CASES XLIV V. 
 
 Miscellaneous small porcelain articles 103 
 
 CASE XLVI. 
 
 Articles of vertfi, <fec 104 
 
 CASE XLVII. 
 
 Miscellaneous articles 106 
 
 CASE XLVIII. 
 
 A valuable “ Joo-ee,” and many specimens of fine carving 109 
 
 * CASES XLIX. & L, 
 
 Conchology 110 
 
 CASES LI — II. 
 
 Ornithology llO 
 
 CASE LIII. 
 
 Superbly embroidered military saddle, decorated candles, lanterns, Are., A'c 112 
 
 CASE nv. 
 
 Ornithology H‘2 
 
10 
 
 qpNTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 CASE LVI. 
 
 Model of a nine-storied pagoda, carved in gypsum 113 
 
 CASE LVII. 
 
 Entomology 113 
 
 CASES LVIII — IX. 
 
 Butterflies 113 
 
 CASE LX. ' 
 
 Specimens of preserved iish from the waters of China 113 
 
 Description of Chinese lanterns 113 
 
 Maxims on the entablature and other parts of the Saloon 114 
 
 Chinese maxims compared with the proverbs of Solomon 117 
 
 Paintings — General remarks on the Fine Arts in China 118 
 
 Management of Silk Worms described, No. 1028 to 1030 119 
 
 Portrait of the Tae Ho-shang, or High Priest of the temple at Honan 121 
 
 View of the Grand Canal. — Native Map of China 122 
 
 Description of the City of Canton 123 
 
 Feast of Lanterns described. — Portraits of Taou-Kwang, Emperor of China, and Howqua 126 
 
 View of Whampoa Reach and Village 128 
 
 Representation of an inundation of Rice Grounds. — Description of the Chinese Deluge . . 130 
 
 View of Chinese Pleasure Grounds.^ — Four views of a Funeral Procession, -with the rites 
 
 described; and a Chinese Sacrificial Prayer 131 
 
 A series of drawings upon the leaves of the Ficus JReligiosa . — Chinese floriculture (1140) 133 
 
 Trial scene in Consoo House described 134 
 
 Description of the temple at Honan 135 
 
 Cultivation of the tea plant 138 
 
 Viceroy of Canton in state chair and bearers 142 
 
 Painting of a marriage procession 143 
 
 Picture of the Bocca Tigris Chinese fiunitm-e 146 
 
 Great Wall of China described 148 
 
 View of Honan ^View of the landing and entance to the Fa-tee flower gardens. 
 
 Portrait of Newkooluh, late consort of Taou Kwang, Emperor of China 149 
 
 Portrait of Tingqua Ponkeiqua, a Hong merchant Entrance to the city of Pekin on the 
 
 west ^View of Macao 150 
 
 Poitraits of a celebrated Chinese beauty, and of a well known money broker in Canton. . 151 
 
 View of the Imperial Hall of Audience at Pekin. — Amiual military review 152 
 
 Chinese windows 153 
 
 Chinese topographical history of the city of Canton 153 
 
 General remarks on the Government and People of China 157 
 
 Foreign intercourse with China 157 
 

 IMTiaOBUJCTIOM, 
 
 At no period in the history of the world, has the attention of 
 civilised nations been so fully directed towards China, its early history 
 and modern position, as at the present moment. 
 
 The single fact, that that nation comprises within its limits a popu- 
 lation of three hundred and sixty millions of human beings, and that a 
 struggle has ensued between Great Britain and the Celestial Empire, 
 which may involve the mightiest results, both as regards commerce 
 and Christianity, is of itself sufficient to awaken the deepest degree of 
 interest in the mind, as well of the philanthropist as the philosopher. 
 These “latter days,” as they are sometimes called, are, in the prophetic 
 view of many, destined to be marked by events of most momentous 
 importance : events calculated no little to facilitate the onward and 
 
 upward march of civilisation, to penetrate with the light of knowledge 
 and science the darkest portions of the earth, to soften the roughness 
 of the savage, and subdue, into something like Christianity, the millions 
 and tens of millions of human beings, who have yet to experience the 
 beneficent influences of a religion that has for its handmaidens, Faith, 
 Hope, and Charity. With these views, and the long train of eagle 
 imaginings that are likely to be kindled in the sanguine and far-seeing 
 mind by anticipations of what may be, prompted in some sense by 
 what has already taken place, the aspect and destinies of China are 
 calculated to excite tlie most attentive and profound consideration. It 
 is a wonder, indeed, that a people so multitudinous, and an empire so 
 vast, should — for many ages, and amid the numerous vicissitudes and 
 conflicts that have prostrated thrones, revolutionised nations, and trod- 
 den, as it were, kingdoms into the dust — have experienced but little 
 
 B 
 
12 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 change, comparatively speaking, and existed from century to ceotury, 
 with scarcely a phasis observable upon its general and national charac- 
 teristics and surface. 
 
 But, we think we hear some devoted missionary to the great cause 
 of religious liberty and human happiness exclaim, that the doors of 
 a new empire are about to be opened ! A living light is about to flash 
 among the benighted millions, and the symbols and banners of the only 
 true God, are about to be planted in a soil and among a people who 
 are, in many respects, prepared for the reception of the sublime truths 
 of the Gospel. A new morning seems to break upon the religious 
 world — a new triumph is about to be hymned among the cherubim 
 and seraphim in the brighter region above us — another victory is to be 
 achieved by the cross of Calvary — an empire, vast and wonderful, and 
 hitherto barred from the general diffusion of missionary knowledge, is 
 about to be thrown open to all who are willing to take the Bible in 
 their hands, and engage in the delightful work of winning their fellow- 
 creatures to the true source of both temporal and eternal happiness. 
 These to some may appear wild expectations. But all, ay, all, may 
 be fully and speedily realised. In any event, however, the people of 
 China, their government, morals, manners, habits, customs, tastes, and 
 characteristics, are, at the present moment, worthy of especial study. 
 Hitherto, these have been measurably covered as with a veil ; the inner 
 traits of the nation, the minute peculiarities, the fashionable boudoir, the 
 literary coterie, and the domestic temples of this numerous people, have 
 been hidden from the eyes of European and American curiosity and 
 scrutiny. True, we have had valuable books from such pens as the 
 Abbe du Halde, Lord Macartney, the editor of Lord Amherst’s Em- 
 bassy, Davis, Morrison, Bridgman, Gutzlaff, and many other writers. 
 To these the literary and inquiring world are much indebted. But 
 the authors referred to have, for the most part, given the grand features 
 of the empire, the lofty objects, the leading traits ; while it remained 
 for an American gentleman, Mr. Nathan Dunn, of Philadelphia, to 
 enter more minutely into the costume, the manners, habits, science, 
 arts, trades, agriculture, and genius of this wonderful people. The 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 13 
 
 author of this hasty introduction, speaks from many years personal 
 knowledge of Mr. Dunn, in China, and in the United States. He was 
 intimately acquainted with him in both countries, as an extensive and 
 successful merchant, and knew that while he resided in China, for a 
 period of twelve years, his opportunities for collecting every information 
 were indeed extraordinary, and that they were abundantly improved by 
 patient research, indefatigable industry, tact, courtesy, and a degreee of 
 popularity amongst the Chinese, never surpassed in the history of any 
 foreigner. He was assisted, moreover, in his commendable labours by 
 Howqua, Tingqua, and other Hong merchants of considerable note; 
 and who, in this particular, seemed to rise above the prejudices of their 
 countrymen, and to take delight in imparting correct information. The 
 design, at first, was merely to collect a few rare specimens for his own 
 gratification ; but the appetite grew with what it fed upon, and thus we 
 may, without exaggeration, describe the result as the “ Chinese World in 
 Miniature.” We feel satisfied that the expectations of those who may 
 feel a desire to examine this Collection, to investigate its wonders, and 
 thus, in some sense, analyse the mental and moral qualities of the 
 Chinese ; to gather some knowledge of their idols, their temples, their 
 pagodas, their bridges, their arts,, their sciences, their manufactures, 
 their tastes, their fancies, their parlours, their drawing-rooms, their 
 clothes, their finery, their ornaments, their weapons of war, their vessels, 
 their dwellings, and the thousand et ceteras which make up their moving 
 and living world, will not be disappointed. One, indeed, is astonished 
 at the vast materials, the thousands of objects, which by years of patient 
 labour and unwearied effort, the enterprising proprietor of this Exhibi- 
 tion has collected. The mere catalogue, as will be seen by the extent 
 of this volume, forms quite a study of itself. And yet, to those who 
 really love to ponder on the results of ages of ingenuity and habit, espe- 
 cially among an exclusive peeple like the Chinese, this brief outline 
 will afford but an imperfect idea of the mass of materials, the variety 
 of specimens, the beauty, rarity, novelty, and extreme singularity that 
 are combined in this vast magazine of curiosities and wonders. A 
 single article will illustrate whole pages of written description, d'he 
 
14 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 visiter appears to have the living Chinese in the images before him, 
 and, with a little imagination, to be moving and living among them. 
 An hour passed with such curiosities will afford, even to the youthful 
 and careless of inquiry, a more definite and permanent idea of these 
 Tartar-governed millions than volumes of ordinary details. The eye 
 and the mind are both enlightened at one and the same moment ; and 
 thus, as it frequently happens, an individual to whom it would be im- 
 possible to convey a notion of a certain machine or piece of fancy-work, 
 by a written description, has a full and perfect impression of the entire 
 object at a single glance. As a means of education, this Collection is 
 invaluable. It teaches by things rather than words. The images are 
 visible and tangible, and, therefore, cannot be easily misunderstood. 
 What immense labour, for example, and what intricate details, would be 
 necessary to give an individual, who had never seen such an invention, 
 a correct idea of a ship in full sail. Yet, present the object to the eye, 
 and a look would at once suffice to elicit admiration, and impart a more 
 complete general knowledge than page upon page of the most minute 
 and elaborate composition. So with this Collection. Here we have 
 not one object, but thousands ; not a single production, but an empire, 
 with all its variety of light and shade, its experience, its mind, and the 
 results of both for four thousand years. Writers of the highest cha- 
 racter have been consulted in preparing this volume. It is designed 
 as a s-ort of mute guide ; and as the obseryer passes from scene to scene, 
 the interest may be varied from the eye to the mind, by, turning from 
 the object before him, to the history and description of that object. A 
 studious effort has been made to narrate nothing but facts, and thus to 
 impart correct information. All fiction and romance have been carefully 
 avoided ; and what is stated, has in no instance been committed to these 
 pages, unless on competent authority. At Philadelphia, the Collection 
 was visited by hundreds of thousands, and in every instance, it is be- 
 lieved, with entire satisfaction. Many persons passed hours, nay, 
 whole days in the room, and those who visited the Collection most 
 frequently, seemed more delighted with every new return. The pro- 
 prietor has been induced to transport it to England, at the suggestion 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 15 
 
 of many of the most influential, scientific, and learned persons of the 
 British metropolis and kingdom. He naturally feels a deep anxiety for 
 the favourable verdict of the intelligent and discerning upon his labours ; 
 and although by no mens solicitous for notoriety, or that noisy fame 
 which so frequently accompanies mere excitement and clamour, he 
 would be false to himself and to human nature, should he prove indif- 
 ferent to the kindly expressions of that valuable portion of society who 
 seek to make their fellow-creatures better, wiser, and happier. He has 
 devoted the flower of his life to this Collection, and has never hesitated 
 at expense. His effort in England has been to render, not only the 
 Collection, but the saloon in which it is exhibited, worthy of the visits 
 of the respectable of all classes. For this purpose he has built a spa- 
 cious edifice, and endeavoured to make it as suitable and commodious 
 as possible. But we must draw our hasty preface to a close. The 
 details which follow, enumerate and furnish outlines of the leading 
 objects of curiosity, taste, and skill -in the Chinese world. As we 
 remarked at the commencement, this wonderful people have latterly 
 excited more attention, especially among European nations, than at 
 any other period of their national existence. It may be, that a new 
 and a nobler destiny awaits them ; that light, knowledge, and Christian 
 civilisation, and a more liberal communion with the families of man in 
 other portions of the earth, are about to form an epoch in their career. 
 If so, who may foretel the result ? Who may predict what another 
 century will accomplish ? The imagination pauses at the thought, and 
 while we contemplate the wonders of steam, and the many other im- 
 provements, discoveries, and appliances of modern science, we are almost 
 tempted to doubt the impossibility of any change in the progress of 
 nations. But to the details of the Collection. We conclude this intro- 
 duction with a few remarks on Chinese history, as an appropriate preli- 
 minary to a study of “ matters and things” in the Celestial Empire. 
 
 The Chinese claim a national existence, coeval with the most remote 
 antiquity. Much that is recorded in their annals, however, is admitted 
 even by their own historians, to be doubtful ; while the authors of every 
 other nation who have written upon the subject, pronounce the earliest 
 
10 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SO called history of China as absolutely fabulous. Good authorities 
 name Full -he, who flourished about 2247 years before Christ, as the 
 first Emperor. Yaou, a virtuous sovereign, some centuries after, reigned 
 102 years. The empire then floated down the stream of time without 
 any extraordinary event or national convulsion, while the morals of the 
 people were greatly improved by the precepts and writings of their 
 great philosopher, Confucius, who was born 550 years B.C. In the 
 twelfth century of the Christian era, the Chinese used a paper currency, 
 founded on government security, being the earliest record we have of 
 paper money. It has, however, been long discontinued, and its place 
 supplied by the present metal coin, previously to which the shell of 
 the tortoise and pearl oyster were used as a circulating medium in 
 exchange for commodities, till about 200 years B.C,, when the tseen 
 above alluded to, was introduced, a description of which will be found 
 in the following pages. A.D. 1246, Marco Polo, a Venetian, visited 
 China, and shortly after, his brother joined him. They were received 
 with favour by the Imperial Sovereigns. Catholic, and particularly 
 Jesuit, missionaries, were afterwards permitted to reside in China for 
 several ages ; but were at length expelled on the pretext, real or 
 assumed, that they interfered with the government. In the thirteenth 
 century, China was invaded by Genghis Khan, who put millions to the 
 sword ; and the nation finally submitted to the Mongul Tartar sove- 
 reigns, A.D. 1280. In 1368, however, the Tartars were driven out, 
 and a native dynasty continued until 1644. In that year the Mwan- 
 cliow Tartars invaded the empire, and placed their chief upon the 
 thj^one, and the present monarch, Taou Kwang, is descended from that 
 successful warrior. The Portuguese were the first European traders to 
 China ; and they were soon followed by the British, French, American, 
 and other nations. 
 
DESCRIPTIVE 
 
 CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION. 
 
 GENERAL VIEW OE THE INTERIOR OF THE SALOON. 
 
 Note. — The visiter is requested to commence with the screen at the entrance, and then take the 
 large wall cases on the right hand in the order in ivhich they are numbered, comnLencing 
 with the temple. The paintings will he subsequently noticed by themselves. 
 
 The Chinese Collection is situated in St. George’s Place, Hyde 
 Park Corner. The exterior of the entrance to the building is in the 
 style of Chinese architecture, taken from a model of a summer-house 
 now in the Collection. 
 
 The apartment occupied by the Collection is 225 feet in length by 
 50 in width, with lofty ceilings, supported by numerous pillars. On 
 passing through the vestibule, the visiter finds himself, as it were, trans- 
 ported to a new world. It is China in miniature. The view is imposing 
 in the highest degree. The rich screen-work, elaborately carved and 
 gilt, at either end of the saloon, the many-shaped and varied-coloured 
 lanterns suspended throughout the entire ceiling ; the native paintings 
 which cover the walls ; the Chinese maxims adorning the columns and 
 entablatures ; the embroidered silks, gay with a hundred colours, and 
 tastefully displayed above the cases containing the figures, and the 
 multitude of smaller cases crowded with rare and interesting objects, 
 form a tout ensemble^ possessing a beauty entirely its own, and which 
 must be seen before it can be realised. 
 
18 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 SUPEEB CHINESE SCEEEN AT THE UPPEE END OE 
 THE SALOON. 
 
 This part of the saloon is almost entirely occupied with a rare and 
 admirable specimen of Chinese screen- work. It is of ample dimensions, 
 and is richly and tastefully gilded ; the portion of the wood-work not 
 covered with gold is painted of delicate green ; and the silk inserted in 
 the panels is as gay as it can be rendered by a profusion of exquisitely 
 executed paintings of the most delicate and magnificent Eastern 
 flowers. The whole view is redolent of the spirit and beauty of spring. 
 The drawings and colouring of the flowers are admirable, and shew the 
 perfection which has been attained in these branches of their art by 
 Chinese painters. Besides the floral delineation, there is also a row of 
 silk panels (if we may be allowed the expression), exhibiting views of 
 naval architecture, both curious and instructive. The whole is sur- 
 mounted by a richly carved and gilt fret-work of exquisite beauty and 
 design. 
 
 CHINESE TEMPLE AND COLOSSAL IDOLS. 
 
 The three colossal figures in this section of a religious temple are the 
 triad of Buddha San Paou Fiih — “ The Three precious Buddhas,” — ■ 
 “past, present, and to come.” At the right hand is seated, Me-lih- 
 Fuh — the first of the triad, whose reign is already past; in the centre 
 is Heen-tsae-Fuh — that person of Buddha who now reigns over the 
 world ; and at the left hand, We-lae-Fuh, whose reign is not yet come. 
 
 These figures are eleven feet in height, and are representations of 
 the divinities in the celebrated Honan Joss-house.”* 
 
 The attributes of Buddha are infinite, and he is worshipped in many 
 persons ; being sometimes male and sometimes female. 
 
 The principal religion of China is Buddhism or Boodhism, which also 
 prevails over Birmah, Siam, Ceylon, Japan, and Cochin-China. It is 
 stated by Ward, that Boodh, the founder of this religion, is described in 
 Burmese books to have been a son of the King of Benares, that he 
 flourished about 600 years B.C., and that he had, in various ages, 
 
 * Joss is a Chinese corruption of the Portuguese word “ Deos” and is by many 
 persons supposed to be a Chinese word for “ God or Spirit.” 
 
TllJi CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 19 
 
 ten incarnations. The Buddhists do not believe in a First Cause ; they 
 think matter eternal ; that every portion of animated existence has its 
 own rise, tendency, and destiny, in itself’^ that the condition of crea- 
 tures on earth is regulated by works of merit and demerit ; that works 
 of merit raise us to happiness and the world to prosperity ; while those 
 of vice and demerit degenerate the world, until the universe itself is 
 dissolved. They suppose a superior deity, raised to that rank by his 
 merit; but he is not governor of the world. To the present period 
 they assign five deities, four of whom have already appeared, the last being 
 Gandama or Boodh, whose pre-eminence continues 5000 years, 2384 of 
 which are gone by. At the end of his 5000 years, another saint will 
 obtain the supremacy. Six hundred millions of human souls are said to 
 be canonised with each deity, but Boodh, took only 24,000 of his com- 
 pany to heaven with him. The lowest estate is hell ; the next, souls in 
 the form of brutes ; and both these are states of punishment. The state 
 above is probationary — that of man ; and still above, degrees of honour 
 and happiness, up to deities and demi-gods, to which man, if found 
 worthy, ascends ; or, on the contrary, goes into the lower states of punish- 
 ment. The Buddhists believe there are four superior heavens ; below 
 these, twelve other heavens, with six other inferior heavens. After 
 these comes the earth ; then the world of snakes ; then thirty-two chief 
 hells, and one hundred and twenty hells of lesser torment. The Budd- 
 hists believe that persons who obtain a knowledge of things, past, present, 
 and to come, have the power of rendering themselves invisible, and are 
 ABSORBED into the Deity. Those who perform works of merit become 
 great among men, and are received into some of the heavens, in all of 
 which the enjoyments are sensual. But those who do evil go into a 
 hell proportioned to their crimes. They believe that at the end of a 
 “ Kulpu,” — a length of time too great for human calculation — the uni- 
 verse will be destroyed. Five commands are delivered to common 
 Buddhists — not to destroy animal life ; to avoid theft, adultery, false- 
 hood, and the use of spirituous liquors. Other commands, restraining 
 dress, luxury, &c., are given to the higher classes. They all consider 
 their adoration as paid to a being or beings of exalted merit — not to a 
 Creator, Priests worship daily in the temples, and are forbidden to 
 marry. Many of the Chinese consider the Grand Lama, as the highest 
 priest on earth. This pontifex maximus resides in Thibet, and the 
 Tartar population of China pay him homage. 
 
 Buddhism, though sometimes patronised by the Emperor of China, 
 and supported by large and numerous monasteries, is nevertheless but 
 little esteemed by men of letters. 
 
 The god “ Fiih,” so much revered in China, as the founder of a 
 religion introduced from India into the empire, in the first century of the 
 
20 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OE 
 
 Christian era, was miraculously born in Cashmere, 1027 B.C. He was 
 deified at thirty years of age, and his priests are called Lamas, Sang, 
 Talapoins, or Bonzes. He died at the age of seventy-nine, declaring to 
 his disciples, “ Know, then, that there is no other principle of all things, 
 but nothing. From nothing all things have sprung, and to nothing all 
 must return. There all our hopes must end.” Such is the atheistical 
 philosophy and belief of Fuh, whose followers recognise “the three 
 precious ones,” as the objects of their supreme worship — the past, the 
 present, and the future ; but the doctrines taught in his name are 
 divided into exoteric and esoteric — the former distinguishing actions into 
 good and evil, with rewards and punishments after death, and recog- 
 nising the five precepts or commands of Boodh, already noticed ; while 
 the latter teach the belief that all things sprang from nothing, and to 
 nothing all things will return ; but, in so returning, will be absorbed 
 into a pure essence, and become a part of the Deity. 
 
 The next principal divinity to the triad before alluded to is Chin-te, 
 a goddess represented with numerous arms, indicative of her power to 
 save. 
 
 The third, Kwan-yin, a merciful goddess, much spoken of, and fre- 
 quently represented. 
 
 The fourth, T’een-hw'a Shin-moo, the sacred mother, who super- 
 intends children afflicted with the small-pox. 
 
 The fifth, Hwuy-fiih Foo-jin, the patroness of childless women, and 
 worshipped by them. Always represented with a child in her arms. 
 
 The sixth, Tae-shin, the god of wealth ; together with other feigned 
 deities, presiding over individual, local, and national interests, to the 
 number of many thousands. The priests live in monasteries connected 
 with the temples of Fiih, practise celibacy, fast, pray for the souls of 
 the dead, use holy water, worship relics, and pray in a strange tongue. 
 In saying their prayers, or repeating passages from sacred books, they 
 count the “ Soo-choo,” which is the name of the beads worn by these 
 priests, and of which they have 108.* They consider also that the good 
 and bad actions of men are placed to their accounts as in mercantile 
 book-keeping — the good on the credit and the bad on the debtor side 
 of the page, which is finally balanced, and the persons whose names are 
 inscribed, admitted to happiness, or consigned to punishment, according 
 to the merits of their respective accounts current. 
 
 * These beads are also an ornament used by the reigning family, and by the 
 highest mandarins. They seem to have a reference to the 108 ceremonies mentioned 
 in Ward’s “Hindoo Mythology,” Vol. IL, page 260. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 21 
 
 CONFUCIUS, OE “KUNG-FOO-TSZE,” 
 
 THE MOST CELEBRATED CHINESE PHILOSOPHER. 
 
 Upon a pedestal on the floor of the temple stands a full-length 
 figure of the highly venerated Confucius. This figure was procured 
 from a temple consecrated to his memory, and is believed to be the 
 only correct portrait in Europe, 
 
 Confucius was born in the state Loo, now in the province of Shang- 
 tung, 551 years before Christ, and two years before the death of 
 Thales, one of the seven sages of Greece. He was contemporary with 
 the famous Pythagoras, and somewhat earlier than Socrates. From 
 his earliest age Confucius is said to have been indifferent to the 
 ordinary amusements of youth, and devoted to grave and serious 
 pursuits. He was the son of a statesman, the chief minister of his 
 native kingdom, and applied himself entirely to moral and political 
 science. The moral doctrines taught by this grave philosopher 
 have obtained in part the universal assent of mankind, as unsur- 
 passed in excellence, — “ To treat others according to the treatment 
 which they themselves would desire at their hands,” and, again, “ to 
 guard their secret thoughts,” as the springs of human action, were 
 among the prominent features taught by him. Confucius married at 
 the age of nineteen years, contenting himself with one wife, by whom 
 he had one son. Some time after he divorced her upon some pretence ; 
 but the true reason was, that, being freed from the cares of a family, he 
 might pursue his studies with greater application ; in effect, he made 
 such progress in various kinds of knowledge, that in a few years he 
 became the most learned doctor in the empire. Confucius died in the 
 seventy- third year of his age. The Chinese pay the greatest vene- 
 ration to the memory of this philosopher. He is considered as the 
 master and doctor of the empire. His works have so great authority, 
 that to make the least alteration in them would be punished as a crime. 
 Whenever any dispute arises in point of doctrine, a quotation out of 
 his works decides it at once, so that the most obstinate among the 
 learned are obliged to submit. His posterity are still in being, and 
 enjoy the greatest privileges, which have always subsisted whatever 
 revolutions have happened in the empire. In person Confucius was 
 tall and well-proportioned ; his air grave and majestic ; his complexion 
 olive ; his eyes large ; his nose a little ffat ; and his voice strong and 
 piercing. On the middle of liis forehead there was a swelling, or 
 kind of wen, which disfigured him a little, and caused his father to call 
 him, when a child, “ Keiih,” that is, “ Little Hill,” a name he some- 
 times gave himself out of modesty and humility. 
 
22 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 CASE lo 
 
 No. 1. Mandarin of the first class and his secretary. 
 
 2. Mandarin of the second class. 
 
 3. Another mandarin, of the sixth class. 
 
 Two massive arm-chairs, covered with crimson drapery richly 
 embroidered. 
 
 Square table, handsomely carved, with marble top. 
 
 Specimens of crimson drapery, elegantly embroidered, hanging 
 IN front of the table. 
 
 Cap stands and various ornamental articles. 
 
 Chinese maxims on the wall. 
 
 The principal figures in this case are three civil mandarins,* of the 
 first, second, and sixth grades, bearing the title “ Tajin” (“great and 
 distinguished men”), applicable to persons of the above class. The one 
 highest in rank is seated, with his head uncovered ; the others, with 
 their caps still on, are paying the customary respect to their superior, 
 previously to the occupancy of an adjoining chair. The former is upon 
 the left, this being the post of honour among the Chinese. A secretary 
 is in waiting behind the principal, with official documents in his hand. 
 The two dignitaries are attired in their state robes, which are literally 
 stiff with embroidery, a liberal proportion of which is wrought with gold 
 thread. The greater part of the splendour of their under dresses is 
 hidden from the eye of the visiter by the loose outward garment of dark 
 purple satin, called by the Chinese “ Pow-kwa,” to divest these figures 
 of which would give the visiter an incorrect representation of these per- 
 sonages as they invariably appear upon state occasions. Each has an 
 enormous bead necklace, extending below the waist in front, with a string 
 of “ chaou-choo,” or “ court beads,” attached to it at the hinder part of 
 the neck, which reaches down to the middle of the back. The caps are 
 dome-shaped, with the lower portion turned up, and forming a broad 
 rim, which is faced with black velvet. The top of the cap is surmounted 
 by a globular button or ball,'f' from which there depends a sufficient 
 quantity of crimson silk to cover the whole of the upper portion. The 
 
 * The word “ Mandarin,’' from the Portuguese, is significant with the Chinese 
 term “Kwan,” i.e., an officer of the government, whether civil or military. 
 
 f Called “ Maou-ting.” 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 23 
 
 material and colour of the crowning sphere indicates the rank of the 
 wearer. The cap is the most ceremonial appendage among the Chinese ; 
 with the ball on its conical top, as elsewhere remarked, it is a distinctive 
 mark of titular rank. As on most other occasions, their customs as to 
 covering the head are the very reverse of our own. We consider it a 
 mark of respect to uncover the head ; with them it would be a great 
 violation of decorum, unless among intimates, and with leave previously 
 asked. In warm weather, when friends interchange visits, and it is more 
 agreeable to be uncovered, the host says to his guest, “ Shing Kwan !” — 
 “ raise, or put off, the cap,” — after which the scruple no longer exists. 
 Besides this distinctive button, the removal of which by the Emperor would 
 be to degrade the person from all rank in the state, each grade of man- 
 darins has a characteristic badge, worn both upon the breast and the back. 
 This is a square piece of purple silk, covered with various embroidery. 
 Its centre is occupied with the figure of a bird, a dragon, or a tiger. The 
 rank of the officer is designated by the kind and colour of the central 
 figure. In the badges of the two mandarins (Nos. 1 & 2) for example, 
 the figure in each is a bird ; but in one it is white, and in the other blue. 
 The dress of a military officer is adorned with the figure of a tiger. It 
 may be as well here to remark, that at the imperial court, and on all 
 state occasions of pomp and ceremony, the figure of a dragon denotes the 
 Emperor, and that of a tiger his ministers. The articles of furniture in 
 this case are such as are usually seen in the houses of the higher classes. 
 The wood of which the chairs and table are made is of a hard grain, 
 resembling rosewood. It is called by the Chinese “ Muh-wang,” or 
 “ King of woods,” and is esteemed beyond all other trees. 
 
 It is deserving of remark that, with the exception of the Chinese, 
 chairs are not used by eastern nations. 
 
 On the wall are suspended a pair of silk scrolls, bearing the follow- 
 ing appropriate maxims :■ — “ A nation depends on faithful ministers for 
 its tranquillity.” “ Mens’ sons should rest on filial piety as their par- 
 ticular duty.” 
 
 The nobility of China are of two kinds, hereditary and official. The 
 former class is not numerous, nor greatly influential. It consists chiefly 
 of the relations of the Emperor, who are styled 'princes, and are bound 
 to live within the precincts of the imperial palace. The real nobility, 
 or aristocracy, of the country, are the mandarins. Of these there are 
 estimated to be, on the civil list of the empire, not less than fourteen 
 thousand. The mandarins are divided into nine ranks, or pin, each of 
 which is indicated by a double badge — the colour of the globe on the 
 apex of the cap, and the embroidery on the front and back of their 
 official robes. The colours employed are red, blue, crystal, white, and 
 gold; and these, with certain modifications of shade, serve to distinguish 
 
24 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 what are denominated “Kew pin,” «.e., “ the nine ranks,” into which all 
 persons possessing any rank in China are divided. The nominal rank, 
 and of course the distinctive costume, of any of the official grades, may 
 be purchased of the Emperor. The sum demanded for the distinction 
 is, however, proportionately large. Howqua, for instance, the richest of 
 the Hong merchants, whose likeness we have in the Collection, pur- 
 chased his nominal rank at the enormous price of 100,000 dollars. 
 
 Honours obtained by purchase, as in this instance, form a considerable 
 source of revenue to the government during the reign of some emperors. 
 
 Persons are selected for civil office in China with an almost exclu- 
 sive reference to their talents and education. Strange as it may seem, 
 there is probably no other country on the globe where cultivated talent 
 exercises its legitimate sway to an equal extent. Wealth, titular nobility, 
 and purchased rank have their influence, no doubt ; but, unless accom- 
 panied by personal merit, and, above all, by education, their power is 
 comparatively limited and feeble. The Emperor chooses for his officers 
 none but rnen of the highest attainments and most commanding abilities. 
 
 It is well known that the civil institutions of China claim to be 
 framed and fashioned upon the exact model of a wise family government. 
 The Emperor is invariably spoken of as the “ father of the nation the 
 viceroy of a province arrogates the same title in reference to his satrapy ; 
 a mandarin is regarded as holding a similar relation to the city which he 
 governs ; and even a military commander is the “ father” of his soldiers. 
 This idea, with its corresponding sentiments, is sedulously instilled into 
 every subject of the empire, from the earliest dawn of intellect, till its 
 powers are extinguished by death. The “ Book of Sacred Instructions,” 
 whose sixteen discourses are read to the people twice every moon, incul- 
 cates the doctrine again and again. “ In our general conduct,” it says, 
 “ not to be orderly is to fail in filial duty : in serving our sovereign, not 
 to be faithful, is to fail in filial duty ; in acting as a magistrate, not to 
 be careful is to fail in filial duty ; in the intercourse of friends, not to 
 be sincere, is to fail in filial duty ; in arms, and in war, not to be brave, 
 is to fail in filial duty.” 
 
 In fact, obedience to parents, filial piety, and duty to superiors, are 
 placed at the head of all moral excellence. 
 
 Mr. Davis observes, that fathers have virtually the power of life and 
 death over their children : for, if even they kill them designedly, they 
 are subject only to the chastisement of the bamboo and a year’s banish- 
 ment ; if struck by them, to no punishment at all. The penalty for 
 striking parents, or for cursing them, is death, as among the Hebrews. 
 (Exod. xxi.) It does not appear that this absolute power bestowed on 
 fathers is productive of evil ; the natural feeling being, on the wholej 
 a sufficient security against its abuse. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 25 
 
 CASE IIo 
 
 No. 4. Priest oe Fuh, or Buddha, in full canonicals, 
 
 5. Priest of the Taou sect, in full dress. 
 
 6*. Gentleman in complete mourning apparel. 
 
 7. Servant of the above, also in mourning dress. 
 
 8. Chinese soldier with matchlock. 
 
 9. Archer of the imperial army of the Tartar tribe. 
 
 Circular Chinese shield, made of rattan. 
 
 Various military weapons on the wall. 
 
 The two sects whose ministers are here represented, are, properly 
 speaking, the only religious sects in China. There is, indeed, a third— 
 the Confucian — but its doctrines constitute a system rather of philosophy 
 than of theology. It has no priesthood but the Emperor and his civil 
 mandarins, no modern temples, and no regular worship. 
 
 Having previously noticed the religion of Buddha, we subjoin the 
 following account of the Taou set, together with the philosophy of 
 Confucius. The Taou, or Rational religion, is indigenous in China. 
 
 This religio-philosophic sect is numerous, and consists of the fol- 
 lowers of the doctrine of Laou-Keun-tsze, who lived 560 B.C. The 
 founder of this system has been called the Epicurus of China ; and, in 
 some points, there would seem to be a resemblance between the doctrines 
 of the Chinese sage and the Grecian philosopher. 
 
 He inculcated a contempt for riches and honours, and all worldly 
 distinctions, and aimed, like Epicurus, at subduing every passion that 
 could interfere with personal tranquility and self- enjoyment. Accord- 
 ing to Mr. Davis, however, they could not even pretend to despise 
 death, and, therefore, studied magic and alchemy, in the hope of dis- 
 covering some elixir or other means of prolonging life. In this they 
 failed, of course. Some of the leaders of this sect are called “Doctors of 
 Reason,” and many of their tenets and traditions are of an extremely 
 fanciful and absurd character. 
 
 Many of the Chinese believe in fatalism ; while ghosts, spells, 
 charms, omens, talismans, and divination are quite common among 
 them ; besides many other branches of the occult sciences are practised, 
 as geomancy, chiromancy, fortune-telling, &c., by persons who exercise 
 great inliuence over their credulous countrymen. 
 
 Meanwhile the Confucians or followers of Confucius (Kung-foo- 
 tsze), the Chinese philosopher, who flourished about 500 B.C., teach 
 the practice of every moral virtue, and a deep veneration for God, or the 
 King of Heaven. The worship and the philosophg, rather than the 
 religion, of Confucius, is greatly patronised by persons of rank in China. 
 
2G 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 There are 1,560 temples dedicated to him, and 62,000 pigs and rabbits 
 annually sacrificed to his memory ; though his worship is also practised 
 without temples or priests, or indeed any form of external worship — 
 every one adoring the Supreme Being in the way he likes best. The 
 system of Confucius is the state religion. The Emperor is Pontifex 
 Maximus ; the mandarins form the only priesthood, and the whole body 
 of literati are its adherents. 
 
 The doctrines of the Confucians are embodied in nine classical or 
 sacred books, called “ The Four Books,” and “ The Five Canonical 
 Works.” These contain a complete body of rules, first, for the govern- 
 ment of one’s self, and the regulation of social intercourse ; secondly, for 
 the government of a family, and the education of a community ; and, 
 thirdly, for the government of an empire and the management of its 
 complex machinery. The sententious brevity of style that characterises 
 these celebrated productions, renders the meaning often obscure, and has 
 induced a mass of commentaries of formidable bulk ; but it cannot be 
 doubted that they contain many maxims just in sentiment, wise in policy, 
 and admirably suited to the genius of the people, — maxims which have 
 conferred merited immortality upon the memory of their author, and 
 done more for the stability of the empire than all other causes combined. 
 Confucius, however, avoided, almost entirely, strictly religious subjects. 
 Dr. Morrison says, that he admitted he did not understand much con- 
 cerning the gods ; and he adds, that his most celebrated commentator» 
 Choo-foo-tsze, affirmed that sufficient knowledge was not possessed to 
 say positively that they existed. 
 
 Thus, it will be seen, that the three religions of China are by no 
 means uniform ; and are much blended one with the other — that a 
 species of Epicurean philosophy prevails, that atheistical doctrines are 
 derived from Fuh, and that their idolatry is accompanied by the most 
 debasing, absurd, and superstitious bigotry, both in precept and practice, 
 notwithstanding the wholesome restraints and sound ethics inculcated in 
 the writings of Confucius. 
 
 And yet, on the other hand, it is but justice to admit that the Chinese, 
 with all the faults, metaphysical difficulties, contradictions and absurdi- 
 ties of their religions, have entirely divested their worship of the cruelties 
 and other abominations that deform the rites of the gods of Hindostan, 
 and add a still deeper dye to the crimes of idolatry. Their mythology 
 is perhaps quite as ridiculous as those of the Greeks and Romans, 
 though certainly not so offensive to good morals as some parts of those 
 systems. 
 
 No Sabbath is observed by the Chinese, nor is it intimated in their 
 divisions of time. It will, however, be interesting to the Christian world 
 to learn that by some of the Chinese our Saviour, Ya-soo, is ranked 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 27 
 
 among the number of the gods ; while all the better informed classes 
 consider Him as a just and perfect man. The Virgin Mary (Ma-le-ya, 
 or Maria) being placed by them in the same class. 
 
 The figure in this case, representing a mourner, is habited in coarse 
 sackcloth, the universal mourning apparel in China. The shoes are 
 white ; the hair and beard are permitted to grow unshaven ; and an odd 
 species of head-gear surmounts the cranium. He is attended by a ser- 
 vant, or “heel-attendant; the word being derived from Kan, the “heel 
 of the foot,” which they call “ the root of the foot. In this person’s hand 
 is carried a mourning lantern, of which the Chinese exhibit an abun- 
 dance in their funeral processions ; they are distinguished from all 
 others by the presence of the emblematic white. The full period of 
 mourning for a parent is three years, but this is commonly reduced in 
 practice to twenty-seven months ; a shorter period is allotted for other 
 relations. Three years must elapse after the death of a parent before a 
 child is permitted to marry ; and a similar period is allowed as a ces- 
 sation from holding office. 
 
 On the death of an emperor, his hundreds of millions of subjects 
 mourn for him as children do for their parent. All officers of govern- 
 ment take the ball and crimson silk from their caps. 
 
 The active principle of filial duty and affection before spoken of, is 
 aptly illustrated in the following idea : — “ to sleep upon straw, with a 
 sod for the pillow,” as the Chinese are taught to do when mourning 
 for their parents. 
 
 The soldier has on a huge pair of coarse blue nankeen trousers, and 
 a red tunic of the same, with white facings. The cap is of quilted nan- 
 keen, with the edge turned up, and a red knot at the top. More com- 
 monly, it is either of rattan or bamboo painted, being in a conical shape 
 and well suited to ward off a blow. He is armed with a rude matchlock, 
 the only kind of hand fire-arms known among the Chinese. These they 
 consider inferior weapons to the bow and arrow. They may, perhaps, 
 be so, considering their appearance and make. “ We occasionally,” says 
 Mr. Davis, “ saw specimens of the military who had the word yung — • 
 ‘ valour,’ inscribed on the breast.” This might be all very well, — but 
 when the same individuals turned round and displayed the identical word 
 inscribed on their hacks, the position seemed particularly unsuitable. 
 There is hung up on the wall a shield, constructed "of rattan turned 
 spirally round a centre, very similar in shape and appearance to our 
 circular basket lids. Besides the matchlock and shield, a variety of 
 weapons, offensive and defensive, are in use in China ; such as helmets, 
 bows and arrows, cross-bows, spears, javelins, pikes, halberds, double 
 and single swords, daggers, maces, a species of quilted armour of cloth 
 studded with metal buttons, &c. 
 
 c 
 
28 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 The standing army of the Celestial Empire numbers about 700,000 
 men, of whom 80,000 are Tartars, the rest native Chinese, with about 
 18,000 military mandarins of all grades. The principal officers of con- 
 fidence and trust are Tartars, of whom a proportion constitute the 
 cavalry. They receive a higher rate of pay for their services than their 
 Chinese fellow-soldiers. In the selection of both, none are chosen but 
 the healthy and robust, and a preference is given to the most sightly. 
 The pay and allowance of the soldiery exceed the usual earnings of the 
 common people ; hence it is, that to enlist into the “ Army of Heaven,” 
 insures to the recruit more of the comforts of life than he would other- 
 wise enjoy. The arms, accoutrements, and the upper garment, are 
 furnished by the Emperor to each soldier. The pay of a Chinese horse- 
 man is about three ounces and a third (heavier than European ounces) 
 of silver (three taels), with an allowance of fifteen measures or rations of 
 rice every lunar month. A Tartar horseman receives seven ounces of 
 silver, and twenty measures of rice for the same period. A Chinese foot- 
 soldier has one ounce and 6-10 of silver, and ten measures of rice ; and 
 a Tartar of the same rank receives two ounces of silver, and ten measures 
 of rice every moon. In addition to the regular pay and allowance thus 
 quoted, they receive donations from the Emperor on particular occa- 
 sions ; viz., when they marry, and also at the birth of male children. 
 At the death of their parents, they obtain “ a gift of consolation ; as do 
 their families when the soldiers themselves die. 
 
 A singular feature in regard to the military officers of China must 
 not be omitted. They are all subject to corporal punishment, and 
 very often experience it, together with the punishment of the cangue, or 
 moveable pillory, consisting of a heavy frame of wood, sometimes of a 
 hundred pounds in weight, according to the heinousness of the crime, 
 with holes for the head and hands. This parental allotment of a certain 
 quantum of flagellation and personal exposure, is occasionally the fate of 
 the highest officers, and must certainly be regarded as a very odd way 
 of improving their military character. 
 
 The archer represents a Tartar in the imperial army. The bow 
 and arrow appear to have been in use from the earliest period, and 
 are still used as weapons in the “ grand army.” The bow is made of 
 elastic wood and horn combined, with a string of silk strongly twisted 
 and wrought. The strength of Chinese bows is estimated by the weight 
 required to bend them, varying from about eighty to a hundred pounds. 
 The string, in shooting, is held behind an agate or stone ring on the right 
 thumb, the first joint of which is bent forward, and confined by the 
 middle joint of the forefinger being pressed upon it. The head of the 
 arrow is of a spear-like shape ; but others at the soldier’s side are of a 
 different construction, having a horn tube at the point, perforated with 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 29 
 
 holes, which, when discharged from the bow, produce a whistling sound 
 as they pass through the air — ^these are for amusement only. The 
 visiter will observe at his feet, a cross-bow of ancient make but simple 
 construction. The arrows used in this are short, and are dropped into 
 the small aperture to receive them, and discharged successively with the 
 greatest rapidity. 
 
 Archery has always, from very remote times, been held in high esti- 
 mation, and much cultivated by the Chinese. It is now, however, 
 looked upon rather as an elegant accomplishment for gentlemen and 
 military men, like fencing among some Europeans, than as a measure of 
 defence or offence in actual warfare, when recourse is had to fire-arms 
 and swords. The bow is used in the army, on board ship, and in gym- 
 nastic exercises. Practising archery on horseback is regarded as a high 
 attainment, and is described with care in Chinese books treating of 
 tactics. 
 
 If numbers were the evidence of strength, China, in a military point 
 of view, would be most formidable. Her exclusive system for so many 
 centuries, though it has no doubt saved her much blood and treasure, 
 has been the principal cause of her want of discipline and science in 
 modern tactics. Courage and personal bravery are seldom found when 
 these are wanting. Industry and cheerfulness are their characteristics ; 
 good materials for a government. Of artillery they know next to nothing. 
 They have no gun-carriages, their cannon being fixed immoveably in 
 one position. When the Sylph and Amherst sailed up the coast, the 
 Chinese soldiers threw up numerous mounds of earth, which they white- 
 washed to give them the appearance of tents. 
 
 The costume of the Chinese, as displayed in the figures of this Col- 
 lection, form an interesting subject of observation. The dress of every 
 grade of society in China is fixed by usage. Persons in the lower 
 classes wear coarse and dark-coloured fabrics ; while those who have 
 been more favoured in the accidents of birth and fortune, seek the grati- 
 fication of their taste in rich and costly silks, satins, furs, broadcloths, 
 and embroidery. There is a great variety in the dresses ; yet the 
 general model is not departed from, the usual articles being an under 
 vest, drawers, a long gown or pelisse buttoning in front, stockings, and 
 shoes. The shoes are singular ; generally of embroidered cloth, some- 
 times the uppers being of one colour, sometimes another. The lower 
 portion of the soles is leather made of hogs’ skins, while the intermediate 
 space, commonly about an inch in thickness, is filled up with bamboo 
 paper, with the edge painted white. They are quite light, notwith- 
 standing their clumsy appearance. The Chinese have no covering for 
 the hands like gloves ; the hands being protected by the length of the 
 sleeves, which terminate in a form well adapted for this purpose. The 
 
 r 2 
 
30 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF , 
 
 Chinese seem to have a great partiality for blue in their costume. Fre- 
 quently the whole garment is of this colour ; and even when such is not 
 the case, the collar, cuffs, and lower edges of the drawers are, for the 
 most part of the favourite hue. 
 
 The wealthier Chinese are extravagantly fond of showy dresses, and 
 a well-provided wardrobe is an object of great pride. Handsome gar- 
 ments often descend, as an heir- loom, from generation to generation, and 
 constitute the chief riches of a family. A deficiency of clean body-linei» 
 is not regarded as a calamity by a Chinaman. A fair outside is what he 
 mainly covets, being little heedful of either the quality or condition of 
 what is underneath. The change from a summer to a winter costume, 
 and vice versa^ is made simultaneously throughout an entire province, 
 the viceroy setting the example by assuming the cap appropriate to the 
 season. 
 
 There is, therefore, one great fault in Chinese costume, namely a 
 want of linen or white cotton — little of which is worn. Though their 
 garments of light silk will bear washing, they are not so cleanly as linen. 
 No sheets are used in their beds, and no cloths are spread upon their 
 tables. The skins of animals are used for winter apparel, particularly 
 lamb-skins from Tartary, some of which are of a very extravagant price, 
 and many of the Chinese furs are extremely handsome. 
 
 CASE IIIo 
 
 No. 10. Literary gentleman in summer costume. 
 
 11. Another gentleman, similarly attired. 
 
 12. Another gentleman, with a fan. 
 
 13. Servant handing a book. 
 
 14. Mandarin of the fourth class. 
 
 15. Servant. 
 
 A PAIR OF Chinese book-cases. 
 
 Silk scrolls on the wall. 
 
 This case contains a group of three literati in summer costume. Their 
 dresses, which are light and free, contrast advantageously with those tight 
 and high-collared garments with which fashion obliges us to encumber 
 ourselves. The dress of the figure on the right hand exposes an 
 embroidered pad or covering for the knee. These appear to have been 
 formerly worn on special occasions only, when having to kneel much at 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 31 
 
 the rites of sacrifice. Similar coverings are now commonly worn by 
 Chinese gentlemen, being always compelled to kneel in the presence of 
 the officers of government. This figure is represented as reading aloud 
 a translation of jEsop’s Fables. The visiter will observe, in the hand 
 of this philosopher, what he would naturally take for a smelling-bottle, 
 but which is really a receptacle for snuff. Tobacco in all the forms of 
 its preparation is extensively used ; transmuted into snuff, it is carried, 
 not in boxes, but in small bottles with stoppers, to which there is 
 attached a little spoon or shovel. With this they take out the pungent 
 dust, and place it upon the back of the left hand, near the lower joint 
 of the thumb, whence it is snuffed up the olfactories, there to perform 
 its titillating office. Tobacco is said to have been introduced with 
 the Yuen dynasty, A.D. 1300. 
 
 A part of the furniture of this case consists of a pair of Chinese 
 bookcases made of ebony, the panels and other parts of which are 
 beautifully carved and highly polished. The books are kept in the 
 lower section, where they are protected from dust by doors in front ; the 
 upper section is an open cabinet, divided into five unequal compart- 
 ments, set off by divers ornamental articles. The books are placed in 
 an horizontal position, and the titles are written on the end instead of 
 the back, each work of several volumes being preserved in an envelope 
 or case of blue nankeen or silk. 
 
 Between the book-cases are suspended on the wall, a pair of silk 
 scrolls bearing the following maxims : — “ The sages taught four things 
 • — letters — morality — fidelity — truth;” and “The highest pleasure is 
 not equal to the study of letters.” 
 
 The education and literature of the “ Celestial Empire,” form, 
 beyond comparison, the most interesting and instructive point of view 
 in which the Chinese can be contemplated. We cannot, indeed, praise 
 the hind of education practised in China. The studies are confined to 
 one unvaried routine, and to deviate in the smallest degree from the 
 prescribed track, would be regarded as something worse than mere 
 eccentricity. Science, properly speaking, is not cultivated at all. There 
 is no advancement, no thirsting after fresh achievements of knowledge, 
 no bold and prying investigations into the mysteries of nature. Che- 
 mistry, physiology, astronomy, and natural philosophy, are therefore at 
 a low ebb. The instruction given in their schools is almost wholly of a 
 moral and political complexion, being designed solely to teach the sub- 
 jects of the empire their duties. Within the allotted circle all are 
 educated, all must be educated. According to Mr. Davis, a statute 
 was in existence two thousand years ago, which required that every 
 town and village, down even to a few families, should have a common 
 school ; and one work, of a date anterior to the Christian era, speaks of 
 
32 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 the “ ancient system of instruction.” There are annual examinations in 
 the provinces, and triennial examinations at Pekin, which are resorted 
 to by throngs of ambitious students. At these examinations, all who 
 choose (excepting menial servants, their children, or grandchildren; 
 inferior police officers, called “ Ya-Yuh,” and theatricals) may attend. 
 These persons are also excluded from obtaining any of the above ranks. 
 The prohibition including menial servants, excludes a large number of 
 persons. If such a person, however, becomes wealthy, the law is often 
 evaded. To superintend the examinations, two persons, called “ Choo- 
 kaou,” are deputed from Pekin. 
 
 The present dynasty, which takes great pains in training a standing 
 army, has introduced a similar examination, and similar titles amongst 
 the military. 
 
 The whole empire is a university, a mighty laboratory of scholars. 
 The happy men who pass successfully through the several necessary 
 ordeals are honoured with distinctions. They are feasted at the 
 expense of the nation ; their names and victories are published 
 throughout the empire ; they are courted and caressed ; and they 
 become, ijpso facto, eligible to all the offices within the gift of the 
 sovereign. The most learned are appointed to the highest degree of 
 literary rank, the “Han-lin,”* or membership of the national college. 
 All this means that the Emperor may “ pluck out the true talent of the 
 land, and employ it in the administration of his government. The 
 fourteen thousand civil mandarins are, almost without exception, the 
 beaux esprits — the best scholars of the realm. 
 
 The highest literary graduate is entitled to wear a white stone 
 brought from India, called “ Chay hew,” on the cap, as a distinguishing 
 mark. The success of a literary examination is by them termed 
 “ plucking a branch of the fragrant olive,” denoting the attainment of 
 the rank of “ Keu-jin ; ” because that flower is in blossom in autumn, 
 when the examination occurs. Educated talent here enjoys its just 
 consideration. All other titles to respect, all other qualiflcations for 
 office, are held as nought compared with this. This, undoubtedly, 
 in connection with the rigid enforcement of the doctrine of respon- 
 sibility, is the true secret of the greatness and prosperity, the stability 
 and repose of the Celestial Empire. For, as Dr. Milne truly remarks, 
 they are the ambitious who generally overturn governments ; but in 
 China there is a road open to the ambitious, without the dreadful alter- 
 native of revolutionising the country. It is merely required of a man 
 that he should give some proof of the possession of superior abilities ; 
 certainly not an unreasonable requisition. 
 
 * The term “ Han-lin-yuen” (a college instituted in the time of Tang), signifies 
 ^^the Forest of Pencils.” 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 33 
 
 The Chinese are a reading people, and the number of their pub- 
 lished works is very considerable. In the departments of morals, 
 history, biography, the drama, poetry, and romance, there is no lack 
 of writings, “ such as they are.” The Chinese “ Materia Medica,” of 
 Le-she-chan, comprises forty octavo volumes. Of statistical works the 
 number is also very large. Their novels are said to be, many of them, 
 excellent pictures of the national manners. The plot is often complex, 
 the incidents natural, and the characters well sustained. China has 
 had, too, her Augustan age of poetry. It is remarkable that this 
 brilliant epoch in Chinese letters was during the eighth century of our 
 era, when almost the whole of Europe was sunk in gross ignorance 
 and barbarism. We subjoin a single specimen of Chinese poetry, in a 
 touching little piece, published in the second volume of the Royal Asiatic 
 Transactions, and written 3000 years ago. Besides the pleasure its 
 intrinsic beauty will afford, it offers a convincing proof of the substantial 
 identity of human feelings in all times and countries. The piece 
 bemoans the fate of a maiden, betrothed to an humbler rival, but com- 
 pelled to become the bride of a rich and powerful suitor ■ 
 
 1 . 
 
 The nest yon winged artist builds, 
 
 Some robber bird shall tear away ; 
 
 So yields her hopes the affianced maid, 
 
 Some wealthy lord’s reluctant prey. 
 
 2 . 
 
 The fluttering bird prepares a home, 
 
 In which the spoiler soon shall dwell ; 
 
 Forth goes the weeping bride, constrained, 
 
 A hundred cars the triumph swell. 
 
 3. 
 
 Mourn for the tiny architect, 
 
 A stronger bird hath ta’en its nest ; 
 
 Mourn for the hapless, stolen bride. 
 
 How vain the pomp to soothe her breast ! 
 
 In education, the Chinese glory is the inculcation of social and 
 political duties. Their teaching is chiefly by authority. Hence the 
 great use made of maxims. These are suspended upon the walls of 
 every apartment, where they are constantly seen and read from early 
 childhood to decrepid age. They say, “ Good sayings are like pearls 
 strung together : inscribe them on the walls of your dwelling, and 
 regard them night and day as wholesome admonitions.” 
 
 The fourth principal figure in this case, is a mandarin of the fourth 
 class, seated on a portable chair, called by the natives “ Ma cha.” 
 
34 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 The costume of this mandarin is far inferior to those of the two 
 principal figures in Case No. 1 ; his long silk petticoat is fastened round 
 the waist by means of a belt, which is united in front by a clasp. The 
 visiter will notice a variety of accoutrements attached to this belt, rather 
 military in their appearance, but not all so in reality. In fact, a 
 Chinese never goes armed, as the jealousy of the government has denied 
 the privilege of wearing arms to all except the soldiers on parade. The 
 appendages referred to are, therefore, altogether peaceful, such as a silk 
 fan-sheath, embroidered tobacco-pouches, &c. The cap is cone-shaped, 
 but not turned up at the edge ; having crimson silk, pendent from the 
 crowning ball. This is a summer cap. 
 
 This officer is attentively listening to the fable, and is apparently in 
 the full enjoyment of that calm and tranquil state of mind, which the 
 almost universal custom of smoking tobacco is thought to produce. The 
 servant is standing behind his superior, and presenting to him a red- 
 covered official document. He is attired in a gown and spencer of dark 
 nankeen, the common material of the dresses of the lower orders. 
 
 
 CASE IVo 
 
 No. 16. A Chinese lady of rank, with fan. 
 
 17. Another lady, preparing to smoke. 
 
 18. Another, with a guitar. 
 
 19 & 20. Two Female Domestics. 
 
 21 & 22. Mother and boy of the middle class. 
 
 23. Daughter of the above. 
 
 Chinese table, handsomely carved, gilt, and painted. 
 
 Specimen of citron, or finger fruit. {Citrus Sacodactylus.) 
 
 Superbly embroidered silk screen to door. 
 
 Lanterns suspended from the ceiling. 
 
 The fourth case introduces us to a group of Chinese beauties. We 
 have here three ladies of rank, in full costume. Their hair, which 
 is turned up on the back of the head in bunches, and fastened with two 
 bodkins crosswise, is gaily adorned with wreaths of flowers. There 
 is considerable variety in their dresses, but they are all of the richest 
 materials, and magnificiently embroidered. They are exceedingly modest 
 and becoming, concealing entirely the contour of the person. The ex- 
 posure which fashion allows to European and American ladies, would 
 be regarded by the Chinese women as a flagrant offence against true 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 35 
 
 modesty. The “ Golden water-lilies,” — “ Kin-leen,” as the small feet 
 are called, figure, we cannot say “ largely,” but interestingly, in these 
 fair ones. The hands are very delicate ; their eyebrows gracefully 
 arched ; their features regular and oval ; their noses too fiat for beauty ; 
 but the whole countenance, though rather pretty, and certainly not 
 unamiable, is deficient in strength of expression. Their occupations are 
 characteristic, one of them is fingering a guitar, another is smoking, 
 while the third is amusing herself with a fan. From the waist depends 
 the never absent tobacco-pouch, elegant in material, form,, and work- 
 manship. Each has three plain rings in either ear. The footstools upon 
 which their “ golden lilies” rest, are covered with embroidered silk. 
 
 This case also contains two female domestics. Nos. 19 & 20, with 
 feet of the natural size. One of them is bringing tea to her mistress, 
 in a cup with a saucer-like cover, having just entered through a door- 
 way, from the lintel of which hangs a superbly embroidered silk screen, 
 reaching down to the threshold, which is common in China. The usual 
 mode of making tea in China, is to place a few leaves in each cup, and 
 pour boiling water upon them. The cups are always provided with tops, 
 to preserve the delicate aroma of the tea, and the infusion is drank 
 without admixture of any kind. 
 
 The lanterns suspended from the ceiling of this and the adjoining 
 case (No. 5) are of a different character from those displayed in any 
 other part of the saloon. They are constructed of a light frame-work 
 of wire, and are covered with a thin gauze, glazed with the tenaceous 
 jelly, or glue, made from the Gigartina tenax, a marine fungus, brought to 
 China from the Indian Archipelago. These whimsical devices are gaily 
 painted, and represent fishes, birds, &c. 
 
 The women of China, as in all other countries not blessed with Chris- 
 tianity, occupy a rank in society far inferior to that of the men. Never- 
 theless, their place in the social scale is higher, their influence greater, 
 and their treatment better than can be affirmed of the sex in any 
 other Asiatic nation. Of school education the mass receive none, though 
 there are occasionally shining exceptions ; but Gutzlaff ascribes to them 
 the possession of a large share of common sense, and says that they 
 make devoted wives and tender mothers. 
 
 In the education of females, the first object of attention is their vir- 
 tue ; the second is their language ; the third is their deportment ; and 
 the fourth their appropriate employment. 
 
 The generality of Chinese ladies cannot boast of great beauty. They 
 make a free use of rouge, and this article is always among the presents 
 to a bride on the occasion of her nuptials. The distinguishing marks 
 of personal attraction among the Chinese, in a gentleman, are a large 
 person, inclining to corpulency, a full glossy face, and large pendent ears; 
 
36 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 the latter indicating high breeding and fortune. In females it is nearly 
 the reverse, delicate forms are in them highly esteemed, having slender 
 “ willow waists.” The eyes are termed “ silver seas the eye-brows are 
 frequently removed, and in their stead a delicately curved pencil line is 
 drawn, resembling the leaf of the willow “ Lew shoo,” which is consi- 
 dered beautiful, and used metaphorically for “ Pleasure.” Hence the 
 saying — “deceived and stupified by willows and flowers;” i.e, by 
 dissolute pleasures. In what circumstances the “ golden lilies,” the 
 highest of personal attractions, originated, is not known. It is said, 
 that it arose in the time of the Woo-tae, or five dynasties ; that Le-how- 
 choo ordered his concubine, Yaou, to bind her foot with silk, and cause 
 it to appear small, and in the shape of the new moon. The distortion 
 is produced by turning the toes under the soles of the feet at birth, and 
 confining them in that position by tight bandages, till their growth is 
 effectually checked. The bandaging is continued through life, and 
 the poor child suffers the most excruciating tortures. This is, no 
 doubt, an absurd, cruel, and wicked practice ; but those who dwell 
 in glass houses should not throw stones. It is not a whit worse, nay, 
 we maintain that it is less irrational and injurious, than the abomination 
 of tight lacing. No vital part is here attacked, no vital functions 
 disordered ; and on the score of taste, if the errors of Nature are to be 
 rectified, and her graceful lines and proportions improved, we see not 
 why the process of amendment may not be as reasonably applied to the 
 feet as to the waist. Almost every family in China, however poor, has 
 one daughter with the sitiall feet, else she could not become a first wife. 
 
 Head-dresses of natural and artificial flowers are always worn. No 
 woman is so poor as to neglect, or so aged as to give up adorning herself 
 in this manner. The culture of flowers for this purpose is a regular 
 occupation throughout the country. 
 
 The Chinese ladies, in dressing their hair, make use of shavings cut 
 from resinous wood, which being dipped in warm water the gum is 
 drawn out and diluted, and then by applying them to the hair, the form- 
 ation required is effected, as in the figures here represented. 
 
 Wives are distinguished from unmarried females, by the latter allow- 
 ing the hair near the forehead to hang down towards the eye-brows, as 
 in the figure of the young girls in this case, while the former have theirs 
 bound together upon the crown of the head. 
 
 Among the accomplishments of the Chinese ladies, music, painting 
 on silk, and embroidery, hold the chief places. The musical instruments 
 are various in kind and material, and a supply of them is held to be an 
 indispensable part of the furniture of a lady’s boudoir. Painting on 
 silk is a very common recreation ; and embroidery is an almost universal 
 accomplishment. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 37 
 
 CaVBE ¥. 
 
 No. 24. Tragedian in splendid costume. 
 
 25 & 26. Two juvenile actors, to perform the part of female 
 
 CHARACTERS. 
 
 27. Chinese juggler. 
 
 Parasol used on state occasions. 
 
 Magnificent specimen of embroidered tapestry. 
 
 Numerous specimens of theatrical caps on the wall. 
 
 In the fifth case we have a specimen of Chinese theatricals. There 
 are three figures of actors, an adult and two children, a Chinese juggler, 
 a gorgeous state parasol, a number of theatrical caps, and a sample of 
 embroidered tapestry. The costume of the Chinese stage is sufficiently 
 appropriate to the characters represented, and on most occasions ex- 
 tremely splendid. Gay silks and embroidery are lavished on the dresses 
 of the actors, and as most of the serious plays are historical, and for 
 obvious reasons do not touch on events that have occurred since the 
 Tartar conquest, the costume, as in the case of the tragedian here 
 represented, shews the ancient dress of China, which, in females, is 
 nearly the same now as ever ; but, as regards men, very different. 
 The splendour of Chinese theatrical wardrobes was remarked by 
 Ysbrandt Ides, the Russian ambassador, as long ago as 1692. The 
 dresses and adornments of the actors here represented, are of rich 
 materials, and elegantly wrought with gold thread. 
 
 Theatrical exhibitions are favourite amusements of the Chinese, 
 and, as among the ancient Greeks and Romans, they are chiefly, in 
 China, connected with religion. The estimation in which they are 
 held may be inferred from a single fact. The money expended upon 
 them in one year at Macao, a place where there are but few wealthy 
 Chinese, amounted to nearly seven thousand dollars. 
 
 It is remarkable that there are no regular theatres. The actors are 
 literally vagabonds, strolling about from city to city, and from province 
 to province. In Canton, for example, the inhabitants of a certain 
 quarter club together and make up a purse, with which a company is 
 engaged. A temporary theatre is erected, and the whole neighbour- 
 hood at liberty to attend. When the quid pro quo has been rendered 
 by the actors, they move off to another quarter, and the same thing is 
 repeated. It is customary to employ actors at private entertainments, 
 which are never considered complete without a theatrical exhibition. 
 Upon such occasions a list of plays is handed to the most distinguished 
 
38 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 guest, who selects whichever most accords with his fancy. The prin» 
 cipal inns and all large private establishments have a room expressly 
 for this purpose. Females are not allowed to appear upon the stage. 
 
 Visiters will perceive in the figure of the juggler, one of a large class 
 of persons, who obtain a precarious livelihood by an exhibition of feats 
 of dexterity and legerdemain. Jugglers are numerous in the streets of 
 Canton, and are as varied in caste as the different feats they perform. 
 The person here represented ranks high in his profession. On his head 
 is placed a porcelain jar, having a narrow mouth. This jar is so nicely 
 poised in an angular position, that the slightest movement of the jug- 
 gler’s head, or even the relaxation of a muscle, would cause a fall of the 
 fragile burthen. In the right hand of the artiste are several pieces 
 of bamboo, each about two feet in length. The main object to be 
 achieved by the juggler, is, while he is standing perfectly still, to throw 
 these pieces of bamboo to a great height with his left hand, in such a 
 direction that they all fall into the jar. This manoeuvre requires 
 immense practice and steadiness, both of the eye and hand. 
 
 The amusements of a people have ever been regarded as indications, 
 to a certain extent, of national character, denoting their boldness, sim- 
 plicity, or frivolity. Thus, the bull-fights of Spain, the boxing matches 
 and prize-fights of England, and the juggling and sports of China are 
 all in harmony with the chief but widely different traits of those nations 
 where they are adopted as recreations. With this view we proceed to 
 mention a few other exploits of the most adroit Chinese exhibiters to 
 the wondering crowd. A man produces from a basket the stuffed skin 
 of a rat ; this he exhibits to the multitude, and convinces them that it 
 is exactly what he represents it to be. By placing the throat of the 
 supposed animal between his finger and thumb, and pinching it, the 
 jaws of the rat are forced open, and so exactly will the juggler imitate 
 the squeak of a choking rat, that an observer, particularly if he be a 
 foreigner, will at once suspect that he has been deceived as to the want 
 of vitality in the apparently tortured animal before him. With a sin- 
 gularity and quickness of motion altogether admirable, the exhibiter 
 tosses it abojit his person, giving it the exact semblance of a rat endea- 
 vouring to escape from the fangs of the destroyer ; and at the same time 
 uttering such piercing and natural cries of distress, that the beholder is 
 at last only convinced of the man’s skill in ventriloquism by an exami- 
 nation of the inanimate skin. 
 
 The following scene occurred in the drawing-room of a foreign 
 resident at Canton. Two jugglers were introduced before the company 
 assembled ; after going through a number of surprising feats of skill 
 and agility, one of these men handed to the other a large china basin. 
 This basin, after a few flourishes above his head, and being turned 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 39 
 
 upside down, to convince the spectators that it was empty, the exhibiter 
 suddenly allowed to fall, but caught it before it reached the floor. 
 This movement brought him into a position resting upon his heels, the 
 basin being now hidden from view by the folds of his garment. In 
 that attitude he remained for a few seconds, with hands extended, but 
 in no way touching the baisin. With a sudden spring he stood up- 
 right, and displayed to the astonished spectators the basin filled to the 
 brim with pure clear water, and two gold fishes swimming in their 
 native element. 
 
 Another feat worthy of record, is one of a more exciting and thrilling 
 nature. To be impressed on the mind with full effect, it should be seen 
 under circumstances similar to those which attended the exhibition of 
 it to the relator. Passing a motley crowd of persons in a public square 
 near the foreign factories, the writer had his attention directed to a 
 man apparently haranguing the bystanders. Prompted by curiosity, 
 he soon found the performer to be a mean-looking person, who divested 
 himself of his outer clothing as far as the waist. Pie spread a small mat 
 upon the pavement, and taking a boy from the crowd, who was after- 
 wards discovered to be his confederate ; he placed him in the centre of 
 the rush mat. He then took from his basket a large butcher’s knife, 
 which he flourished over the head of the frightened boy, and with 
 dreadful threats sprang upon his victim. The boy was thrown down, 
 and the man knelt on him in such a manner as to secure his hands. 
 Whilst in this position, he forced back the head of the poor child, and 
 with the knife inflicted a severe gash upon his throat, from which the 
 blood instantly gushed in a torrent, flowing down the breast of the mur- 
 derer, and sprinkling the nearest spectators. The death-throes of the 
 poor sufferer were painful to behold ; frightful and convulsive in their 
 commencement, but diminishing with the loss of blood. The eye-balls 
 start — the muscles are seen to work — there are twitches of tlie fingers 
 — desperate efforts to free the confined arms — a change of colour in the 
 face to an ashy paleness — a fixed and glassy stare of the eyes — then a 
 long, last spasmodic heaving and contortion, and all is over ; the body 
 falls apparently a corpse ! 
 
 On witnessing such a strange and revolting scene, the first impulse 
 of the stranger, despite the surrounding crowd, was to seize the mur- 
 derous culprit, but from this he was prevented by the deafening shouts 
 of the applauding multitude, testifying their approbation of the dex- 
 terity of the performers, by a shower of “ cash.” It is almost super- 
 fluous to add, that the deception, aided by the admirable acting of the 
 boy, consisted in the construction of the blade and handle of the knife ; 
 so contrived, that by making a sawing motion on the throat of the boy, 
 to produce a stream of coloured liquid resembling blood, pumped out 
 
40 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 of the knife and handle. These and many other rare sights of the kind 
 are daily practised for the amusement of the idle crowd in the streets of 
 Canton. 
 
 But, however ingenious the deception of some of these persons may 
 appear, the jugglers from Nankin have a still higher reputation among 
 their own countrymen. Several of their feats of skill and daring are, 
 to the unitiated, truly astonishing, for instance. — Two men from Nan- 
 kin appear in the streets of Canton, the one places his back against a 
 stone wall or wooden fence ; the upper part of his person is divested of 
 clothing. His associate, armed with a large knife, retires to a distance, 
 say from 100 to 200 feet. At a given signal, the knife is thrown with 
 an unerring aim in the direction of the person opposite, to within a 
 hair’s breadth of his neck, immediately below his ear. With such cer- 
 tainty of success is the blow aimed, and so great is the confidence reposed 
 by the one in the skill of the other, that not the slightest uneasiness is 
 discernible in the features of him, whose life is a forfeit to the least 
 deviation on the part of the practitioner. This feat is again and again 
 performed, and with similar success, only varying the direction of the 
 knife to the opposite side of the neck of the exposed person, or to any 
 other point of proximity to the living target as the spectators may desire. 
 
 Another, and the last feat to be mentioned, is equally exciting. A 
 man is armed with an instrument, resembling a trident, or what is termed 
 by sailors, “grains;” to which formidable weapon is attached a long 
 handle of hard wood. The juggler, with surprising strength of arm, 
 throws this weapon perpendicularly into the air to a great height; as it 
 gains the greatest elevation, he measures with a practised eye and won- 
 derful precision the exact spot on which it will fall. To this point he 
 advances step by step ; in an instant the weapon descends with fearful 
 velocity, scraping the edges of some protruding part of his person ; 
 thus giving proof of a singular daring, and successful effort, which 
 surpasses in skill even the most celebrated rifle shots of the hunters of 
 Kentucky. 
 
 The large parasol in this case, beautifully enriched with embroidery 
 and gold thread, is one of those carried on state occasions by the 
 attendants of the officers of government. Parasols and umbrellas were 
 first mentioned in books published about A.D. 300. It is said, that 
 they took their rise from standards and banners waving loosely in the air. 
 
 Some notice of the other national amusements will not be out of 
 place here. The Chinese have fewer holidays than perhaps any other 
 people ; yet they have a number of festivals, which are enjoyed with a 
 keen relish. The chief of these is the Feast of the New Year, which 
 occurs on the first day of the first moon (about the middle of February), 
 a species of Saturnalia, when the whole empire abandons itself to a 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 41 
 
 frenzy of merriment. All labour is intermitted for several days ; public 
 business is suspended for forty days, that the prescribed ceremonies may 
 be duly observed with appropriate solemnity and etiquette ; servants 
 are dressed out in all the finery at their command ; visits of ceremony 
 and presents are interchanged among friends ; the rites of religion 
 are conducted with unusual pomp ; and, in short, gaiety and pleasure 
 are the reigning divinities. 
 
 On this day persons proceed from the temple with a lighted candle, 
 with the superstitious impression that if they succeed in reaching their 
 homes without extinguishing the light, that they will be prosperous 
 during the year. They are, however, apparently regardless of any 
 inauspicious omen, and will return to the temple again and again, to 
 relight their candles, and, as it were, to compel the fates to terminate 
 their labours by a more successful attempt. 
 
 The Feast of Lanterns, which occurs soon after this, is a general 
 illumination throughout the empire. The object seems to be to afford 
 an occasion for the display of ingenuity and taste in the construction 
 and mechanism of an infinite variety of lanterns. It is computed that, 
 upon this occasion, there are not less than 200,000,000 blazing at the 
 same time in different parts of the empire. The brilliancy of this beau- 
 tiful festival cannot be adequately conveyed to the mind or fancy of a 
 reader, even by the most glowing powers of description. 
 
 There are several agricultural festivals ; an annual trial of skill in 
 boat-racing ; a festival in honour of the dead ; and a sort of general 
 thanksgiving, a holiday highly enjoyed, which takes place in September, 
 at the commencement of the business year. 
 
 Gaming prevails among the lower orders, but so much infamy at- 
 taches to gamblers, that government officers and the more respectable of 
 the people are free from this taint. They have a saying, that “gambling 
 is allied to robbery.” Dominoes, cards, dice, and chess, are favourite 
 games. The venders of fruit often gamble with purchasers in the fol- 
 Ipwing manner : — A boy wishes a half-dozen oranges. The fruit and 
 half the price demanded for it are laid down together. Recourse is then 
 had to the dice-box. If the urchin throws the highest number, he 
 pockets his money again, and gets the fruit for nothing ; if the seller, he 
 in a like manner sweeps the stakes, and the disappointed gamester may 
 whistle for oranges, or try his fortune elsewhere. Quails are trained for 
 fighting, and also a species of cricket. Two of these insects are placed 
 in a bowl together, and irritated by a straw, when they attack each other 
 with great violence, though the combat does not usually end in the death 
 of either, but in the retreat of one. Hundreds of dollars are staked on 
 the result of these miniature conflicts, and large sums are often paid for 
 victorious warriors. The gamesters fight them for calces, but in their 
 
42 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 slang dialect, each cake is understood to mean a certain sum of money. 
 Fireworks, and the tricks of jugglers, tumblers, rope-dancers, &c., are 
 greatly relished. 
 
 Of out-door games, the most popular is kite flying. In this the 
 Chinese excel. They shew their superiority as well in the curious con- 
 struction of their kites, as in the height to which they make them mount. 
 By means of round holes, supplied with vibrating cords, their kites are 
 made to produce a loud humming noise, like that of a top. The ninth 
 day of the ninth moon is a holiday especially devoted to this national 
 pastime, on which day numbers may be seen repairing to the hills for the 
 purpose of kite-flying, which after amusing themselves with, they let fly 
 wherever the wind may carry them, and give their kites and cares at 
 once to the wind. 
 
 It is said that in ancient times, a kind of foot-ball was introduced 
 into “ the army of heaven ” as an exercise for the soldiers. A game at 
 shuttlecock, in which the feet serve as battledores, is also a favourite 
 “ field sport.” In Pekin, during the winter, skating, and other amuse- 
 ments on the ice, in which the Emperor takes a part, are among the 
 national exercises. 
 
 CASE VIo 
 
 No. 27. Itinerant barber at his avocation, with his whole apparatus. 
 
 28. Itinerant shoemaker, at his work, with work -bench, basket, 
 
 tools, lamp, &c. 
 
 29. Travelling blacksmith, with anvil, furnace, bellows, &c. 
 
 30. Chinese boatwoman, carrying a child on her back in the usual 
 
 mode. 
 
 31. Another boatwoman, with pipe, mother of the above. 
 
 On the loall are several specimens of bamboo hats and rush coats, ivorn by the lower classes 
 in rainy weather. 
 
 Specimens of ploughs, harrows, axes, .hoes, rakes, forks, shovels, spades, flails, mattocks, 
 4’C., These implements are, for the most part simple and rude. They are made 
 chiefly of wood, and merely shod with iron. On the wall are also displayed two fishing- 
 nets, made of a peculiar kind of hemp ; also fishing -scoops. 
 
 This case presents to the visiter’s observation some singular specimens 
 of Chinese life. We have in it an itinerant barber, shoemaker, and 
 blacksmith, and two boatwomen, one of whom is carrying an infant on 
 her back, The barbers in China are a numerous class. Every town is 
 thronged with them. According to their records, the number of the 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 43 
 
 fraternity in Canton, in 1834, was no less than 7,300. The reason of 
 this large number is, that, as the head, as well as the face is shaven, no 
 Chinaman ever shaves himself. The barbers are all ambulatory ; and 
 no one is allowed to discharge the duties of tonsor until he has obtained 
 a license ; each carries his shop on his back, and performs his opera- 
 tions tonsorial in the open street. The usual implements are a stool, 
 provided with a case of drawers, and a kind of tub, with a small char- 
 coal furnace, and a basin. We have the apparatus here complete. The 
 operation is generally performed in perfect silence, a fact meriting the 
 attention of our own practitioners in this line. The razor is a clumsy- 
 looking affair, but is said to shave sufficiently well. It is sharpened on 
 iron. No soap is used, the beard being softened, by the application of 
 hot water alone. The compensation is left entirely to the employer’s 
 generosity ; it is commonly from five to ten cash. In passing through 
 the streets of Canton the barbers employ a peculiar call to gain the at- 
 tention of the passing throng. The instrument used resembles a pair of 
 long iron tweezers, having the connecting part made thin and broad, so 
 that when twanged the tines will prolong the vibration. All trades in 
 China are licensed, and none but a licensed and acknowledged workman 
 can be employed. 
 
 The ambulatory shoemaker, with his rude tools and his enormous 
 spectacles, is a study for a painter. He carries with him, in a basket, 
 wherever he goes, all his implements, together with his whole stock in 
 trade. A fan and a pipe, without which it would almost seem a 
 Chinaman could not exist — complete his equipment. 
 
 The visiter will notice the novel manner in which our shoemaker’s 
 spectacles are kept in their place. This is effected by no greater ex- 
 penditure of ingenuity than is involved in passing a loop fastened to the 
 ends of the spectacles round each ear. They are sometimes retained in 
 their position by silver cords slung over the ears, to which small weights 
 are attached, to preserve the equilibrium. The glasses, or rather 
 crystals (for rock crystal, ground with the powder of corundum, supplies 
 the place of glass), are perfectly circular in shape, and of enormous 
 dimensions, which give the wearer a very sapient appearance. 
 
 By the side of the honest cobbler, we have an itinerant blacksmith, 
 — par nohile fratrum. He also, when inclined to try his fortune in a 
 new place, stows forge, bellows, anvil, tools, &c., into a basket, which 
 he slings over his shoulder, and thus takes up his line of march. This 
 figure, with the implements and appliances that surround it, will attract 
 special notice. The anvil, instead of having a flat surface, is slightly 
 rounded on the top, which causes the iron to extend more readily 
 under the hammer. The bellows are a hollow cylinder, with a piston 
 so contrived, that the blast produced by it is continuous ; with these • 
 
 D 
 
44 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 simple means he will repair cast-iron vessels when cracked, — an art, so 
 far as we know, not possessed by any other nation. 
 
 The female figures in this case represent a large class in China, viz., 
 the boatwomen. One of them has an infant on her back, who finds a 
 convenient handle to hold by in her long plaited queue. She carries also 
 a painted block of wood, resembling a gourd, which it is usual to attach 
 to the backs of young children who live in the boats, to prevent them 
 from sinking, in case of falling overboard, till help can be afforded. 
 
 The huge bamboo hats suspended on the wall of this case, deserve 
 to be noticed. The bamboo is as useful to the Chinese as the reindeer 
 is to the Laplander. Of this gigantic grass, or reed, there are 
 numerous varieties, and the uses to which it is applied are quite as 
 various. Hats, baskets, shields, umbrellas, ornamental furniture, 
 measures, ropes, paper, poles for scaffolding, temporary theatres, &e., 
 are constructed of bamboo. The young shoots are used for food, being 
 boiled, and sweetmeats are sometimes made of them. The small 
 branches serve as pipe-stems ; and for every purpose wherein strength, 
 combined with lightness, is required, they are admirably suited, being 
 formed on the same principle as the bones of birds. Farmers make 
 great use of the bamboo, many of their implements being formed of it ; 
 and a silicious concretion (tabasheer), found in the joints, is an item in 
 the Chinese materia medica. 
 
 The rush cloak upon the wall is made of the leaves of the bamboo, 
 to keep off the rain; called by the natives “So e,” “a garment of 
 leaves.” The poor wear a coarse kind ; government couriers use a 
 finer sort, which are compressed into a small compass when not worn. 
 Umbrellas also, made of reeds and bamboo leaves, are used in rainy 
 weather, and as a protection from the sun, by the keepers of stalls for 
 the sale of articles in the open air. 
 
 The most cursory account of the Celestial Empire, should include 
 some notice of its agriculture. Of all classes who labour with their 
 hands, the husbandman is there the most honoured, being accounted 
 second only to the literati of the realm. Nothing appears so strongly to 
 have aroused the wonder of the early missionaries to China, as the 
 agricultural skill of the natives ; and in nothing, perhaps, did they so 
 .much indulge in exaggeration, as in their accounts of it. But whatever 
 abatements truth may require to be made from their glowing de- 
 scriptions, there can hardly be a doubt that the Chinese manage to get 
 more out of an acre of ground than any other nation, the English alone 
 excepted. 
 
 It is stated on the authority of Amiot, that the cultivated lands of the 
 country amount to about 590,172,500 English acres. This immense 
 territory is divided into patches of a few acres each, generally owned by 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 45 
 
 the occupants. A rigid economy of soil is practised. With the exception 
 of the royal gardens at Pekin, no land in the empire is taken up with 
 parks and pleasure-grounds. Of meadows there are none : of pasture- 
 grounds, scarcely any. The few ruminating animals, scattered thinly over 
 the country, gather a scanty slibsistence, as best they may, on mountains 
 and marshes unfit for cultivation. As wheel-carriages are seldom used 
 but in the north, the highways are but a few feet wide, and nothing is 
 thrown away there. No fences are allowed to encumber the soil, no 
 hedges to prey upon its strength. Sepulchres are always on hills too 
 barren for cultivation, A narrow foot-path separates neighbouring farms, 
 and porcelain landmarks define more permanently their respective limits. 
 Even the sterile mountains are terraced into fertility, and glow with 
 ripening harvests, intermingled with the brilliant foliage of clustering 
 fruit trees. 
 
 But their economising of the soil is not more rigid than the methods 
 by which they seek to preserve or renovate its strength are new and 
 various. Necessity may here truly be said to have been the mother of 
 invention. Every conceivable substance, possessing any enriching 
 qualities, is here converted into a manure. Not only lime, ashes, dung 
 of animals, &c., but hair of all kinds, barber’s shavings, horns and bones 
 reduced to powder, soot, night-soil, the cakes that remain after the 
 expression of their vegetable oil, plaster of old kitchens, and all kinds of 
 vegetable and animal refuse, are among the substances used as manures. 
 These are all carefully collected and husbanded, being frequently kept 
 in cisterns constructed for the purpose, or in earthern vessels sunk in the 
 ground, where, covered with straw to prevent evaporation, and diluted 
 with a sufficient quantity of water, they are left to undergo the putre- 
 factive fermentation, after which they are applied to the land. 
 
 The Chinese understand well the enriching effect of frequent plough- 
 ings.^ Horses or oxen are rarely attached to their ploughs ; more 
 commonly a small species of buffalo ; and oftener still, men and women. 
 Frequently the plough is not used at all, the spade and hoe supplying 
 its place. In the irrigation of their lands, they display great ingenuity 
 and diligence. Their numerous rivers are here of essential utility. 
 
 In no country in the world is agriculture more encouraged, or 
 deemed more honourable than in China. Not only does the Emperor 
 himself plough a piece of land once a year, in public (in imitation of 
 Shin-nung, “ the divine husbandman”), but he is looked up to as pecu- 
 liarly the patron and father of those who cultivate the soil, and upon 
 him devolves a peculiar responsibility in invoking the gods, as wall be 
 
 * Sir Joseph Banks expresses liis surprise tliat this principle is not turned to 
 greater account by the Europeans. Bepeated ploughings arc almost the only 
 fertilising process known among the Hindoos. 
 
 D 2 
 
46 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 seen by tbe following prayer, offered up by the present Emperor, 
 Taou-Kwang, during the dearth of 1832. 
 
 “ I, the minister of heaven, am placed over mankind, and made 
 responsible for keeping the world in order, and tranquilising the people. 
 Unable as I am to sleep or eat with composure, scorched with grief, 
 and trembling with anxiety, still no genial and copious showers have 
 descended. I ask myself whether, in sacrificial services, I have been 
 remiss ; whether pride and prodigality have had a place in my heart, 
 springing up there unobserved ; whether, from length of time, I have 
 become careless in the affairs of government ; whether I have uttered 
 irreverent words and deserved reprehension ; whether perfect equity 
 has been attained in conferring rewards and inflicting punishments ; 
 whether, in raising mausoleums and laying out gardens, I have distressed 
 the people and wasted property ; whether, in the appointment of 
 officers, I have failed to obtain fit persons, and thereby rendered govern- 
 ment vexatious to the people ; whether the oppressed have found no 
 means of appeal ; whether the largesses conferred on the afflicted 
 southern provinces were properly applied, or the people left to die in 
 the ditches. Prostrate I beg imperial Heaven to pardon my ignorance 
 and dullness, and to grant me self-renovation ; for myriads of innocent 
 people are involved by me, a single man. My sins are so numerous, 
 that it is hopeless to escape their consequences. 
 
 ‘^Summer is past, and autumn arrived — to wait longer is im- 
 possible. Prostrate, I implore imperial Heaven to grant a gracious 
 deliverance.” 
 
 Rice is their staple grain. They always obtain two crops a year out 
 of their land ; sometimes three. When a third is not raised, the soil is 
 nevertheless again taxed in the production of pulse, greens, potatoes, 
 and other vegetables. Millet is extensively cultivated. Women labour 
 on the farms equally with the men. A stout and healthy wife is, 
 therefore, a great desideratum with a Chinaman, and the “ working 
 wives of Kiang-see” are said to be held in high estimation throughout 
 the provinces. 
 
 “ The rice grown by the Chinese,” observes Mr. Davis, “ is of a 
 much larger grain than that which is common in India, and consists 
 principally of two sorts, the white or fine, and the red or coarser kinds. 
 They have a great prejudice in favour of their own native produce ; 
 but, when it is scarce, are ready enough to purchase what comes from 
 abroad. The Canton government encourages the importation of foreign 
 ice, by exempting the ships which bring it from port-charges ; but 
 this advantage is, in a great measure, rendered nugatory by the dis- 
 honesty and exactions of the lower mandarins, who have sometimes 
 caused ships to proceed no further than Lintin, where the rice has been 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 47 
 
 sold to coasting jiinks. At other times, however, this mode of avoiding 
 a portion of the heavy expenses of the Canton river has occasioned an 
 importation of from 15,000 to 20,000 tons in ships of various nations — 
 a small quantity, after all, for the demands of an enormous population. 
 A considerable quantity of grain is used for fermented liquors and 
 for distillation. The mandarins are such bad political economists as 
 frequently to prohibit, when there are fears of scarcity, the appropriation 
 of grain to these purposes; being ^ignorant that, if really required 
 for food, the price would prevent its conversion to the other purpose : 
 and, above all, that such a use of it always maintains a surplus supply, 
 which may be resorted to in any case of extremity. The plough used 
 in rice cultivation is of the simplest construction. A sharp coulter, 
 or blade, in front of the share, is found needless, as the ground is 
 of a light loamy description, and they never have to cut through turf. 
 The plough is, in some parts of the country, drawn through the soil by 
 human strength ; in others by oxen, asses, and mules, yoked together 
 indiscriminately. The ploughshare terminates at the back in a curve, 
 which serves as a mould board to turn aside the earth. In the Canton 
 province the soil of the rice fields is ploughed by means of a small 
 buffalo, of a dark grey or slate colour, called by the Chinese “ shwiiy-new,” 
 “water-ox,” from its propensity for muddy shallows, where it wallows 
 in the mire, with habits more allied to some of the pachydermatous than 
 the ruminating tribes. When sufficient rains have fallen in spring to 
 allow the rice fields to be laid under water, they are subjected to the 
 plough in that condition, the buffalo and his driver wading through the 
 wet and slime up to their knees — an operation to which the “ water- 
 ox” is admirably fitted by nature. After this, a rake or harrow with a 
 single row of teeth, and frequently a man standing on it, is dragged 
 through the soil in order to break the lumps and clear the ground. 
 
 “ The rice is first of all sown in a small patch duly prepared and 
 flooded with water, and subsequently transplanted to the fields where 
 it is to grow. A short time previously to being sown the seed is im- 
 mersed in liquid manure, which promotes its future growth, and renders 
 it less liable to worms or insects. In two or three days after being 
 committed to the ground, the young shoots appear, of a beautiful light 
 green colour, and when they have reached a proper height, they are 
 removed to the fields which have been prepared for their reception. 
 The process of transplanting exhibits a division of labour that is per- 
 fect: one person takes up the shoots about six inches in length, and 
 hands them to another, who conveys them to their destination ; they 
 are there received by another party of labourers, standing ankle deep in 
 mud and water, some of whom dibble holes, into which they drop ,the 
 plants by sixes, while others follow to settle the earth about the roots ; 
 
48 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OE 
 
 the distances between these tufts being six or eight inches every way. 
 The field is then kept fiooded, according to its wants or to the circum- 
 stances of the season ; and any unusual deficiency of water is of course 
 fatal to a grain which, from its nature, the planters of South Carolina 
 call “ swamp seed.” 
 
 The fields are weeded and otherwise attended to between seed time 
 and harvest ; and when the rice, by turning yellow, is known to be nearly 
 ripe, the water is gradually drawn off*, so that by the end of June or 
 beginning of July, when it is time to reap, the fields are nearly dry. 
 
 The tufts of grain are cut singly near the ground, by means of a 
 species of sickle or crooked knife, and then carried off* in bundles or 
 sheaves to be thrashed. The floor employed for this purpose is of 
 hardened earth, either with or without an admixture of lime. The 
 grain has been said to be trodden out by cattle sometimes, but the most 
 usual implement for thrashing is the common European flail. They 
 have a winnowing machine precisely like ours, and this seems to be the 
 best evidence for the fact, that we borrowed this useful invention from 
 them.* To get rid of the tenacious husk of the rice, it is pounded in 
 stone mortars, of which the cone-shaped pestles are worked by horizontal 
 levers attached to them. A wheel moved by water turns a cylinder, to 
 whose circumference are attached cogs which, meeting the extremities 
 of the levers, strike them down alternately, and thus raise the pestles at 
 the other end ; a similar process is also effected by the feet. 
 
 For the second crop of rice the ground is immediately cleared of 
 the old stubble and roots, and laid again under water, fresh plants are 
 inserted as before, and the harvest is gathered in November, When 
 other grain is sown, it is not by broad cast, but the drill methody 
 with the view to economising the seed. One drill plough was observed 
 by Mr. Barrow diff*erent from the rest. “It consisted of two parallel 
 poles of wood, shod at the lower extremities with iron to open the fur- 
 rows ; these poles were placed upon wheels ; a small hopper was at- 
 tached to each pole, to drop the seed into the furrows, which were 
 covered with earth by a transverse piece of wood fixed behind, that 
 swept the surface of the ground.” The third annual crop obtained 
 from the land consists of pulse, greens, and other vegetables, gathered 
 during the dry and cold winter months. At this period the rice fields 
 near Macao produce an abundance of potatoes, peas, and cabbages, for 
 which the Chinese summer in that latitude would be too hot and rainy. 
 In lieu of a spade, they use a large heavy iron hoe, which is a more ex- 
 peditious but far less efficient instrument, as it barely turns the earth 
 
 . * A model was carried from China to Holland; and from Holland the first 
 specimen reached Leitli. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 49 
 
 to half the depth of the other. This hoe serves them instead of every 
 variety of tool, for weeding, trenching, digging, or whatever may be the 
 operation required.” The Chinese name for rice is “ Me,” when out 
 of the husk ; when boiled, “ Fan.” With them it is the “ staff of life.” 
 Notwithstanding the immensity of labour bestowed on the cultiva- 
 tion of the earth — and the Chinese agriculturists are like ants or bees 
 in respect to both their number and industry — it seems incapable of 
 sustaining the swarming population of the empire. Hence every har- 
 bour, lake, river, and stream of whatever description, are literally 
 thronged and darkened by fishermen, who’ resort to the most ingenious 
 and novel methods of alluring and entrapping their victims. Nor do 
 they forget or omit to take care that the waters be not, as it were, 
 depopulated, by these ceaseless ravages. They take the utmost pains 
 to collect the spawn of fishes, and to deposit it in convenient places for 
 breeding. 
 
 “ Such, is their toil, and such their busy pains, 
 
 As exercise the bees in flowery plains ; 
 
 When winter past, and summer, scarce begun, 
 
 Invites them forth to labour in the sun.” 
 
 On each side of this recess is suspended a tablet, one bearing the 
 inscription, “ If you would be rich, rear ihe five domestic animals, 
 viz., pigs, cows, sheep, fowls, dogs :” the other reads thus, — “ Labour 
 induces reflection, and reflection, virtue.” 
 
 mmd 
 
 CASE VII. 
 
 A Chinese gentleman in a sedan, cakiued uy two hearers. 
 
 Servant in attendance, with lantern. 
 
 Chinese complimentary card on the wall. 
 
 This case, in depth, is about the average width of the streets in 
 Canton, and is nearly filled by a sedan, in which the owner is comfort- 
 ably seated, while he is borne gently along by a couple of coolies. A 
 body servant is in attendance, who walks by the side of the lordly chair, 
 having in his right hand a lantern (Tang lung), such as is used when 
 walking out, without which no person can appear in the streets after 
 dark ; on it is inscribed the name and rank of the owner. The interior 
 
TjO 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 of the sedan is just large enough for the convenient reception of a 
 single occupant. Instead of panels, the sides are covered with a coloured 
 silk for lightness, and there is an additional covering of oil-cloth, to be 
 used in case of rain. Two bearers place the light elastic poles upon 
 their shoulders, and move, sometimes at considerable speed, with mea- 
 sured tread, and a very steady motion. The sedan looks like the very 
 home of comfort and repose. The illustrious Falstaff never took mine 
 ease in mine inn” more luxuriously than the rich Chinaman in his 
 vaunted sedan. This vehicle is much used by the wealthy, and affords 
 almost the only mode of lan^ travelling known, the horse being rarely, 
 though sometimes, employed. Wheel-carriages are but little used in 
 China, especially in the southern and eastern parts, and in the vicinity 
 of large rivers, where boats are made to serve in their stead. Private 
 gentlemen are allowed only two bearers ; the host of civil officers, four ; 
 viceroys, eight ; while the Emperor’s dignity requires sixteen. Man- 
 darins are preceded by men bearing pendent banners, with the inscrip- 
 tion — “ Tsin tow keu,” i. e., “ Clear the road” (See No. 1216) ; others 
 carry a hanging tablet “ Teaou pae,” setting forth the name and dignity 
 of the mandarin. Gongs are frequently sounded by the servants in at- 
 tendance, to give notice of the approach of civil officers and others, who 
 are distinguished by the number of strokes given at certain intervals. 
 
 The sedan chair (Keaou) has often been a bone of contention between 
 the foreign merchants and the native authorities. The former have, 
 again and again, demanded earnestly the privilege of using it ; the latter 
 have as vigorously resisted the demand, and hitherto with success. 
 
 CHINESE COMPLIMENTAEY CAED. 
 
 Upon the wall at the back of this case is suspended a complimentary 
 or valedictory card, or ticket, addressed to the owner of this Collection 
 upon his leaving China. It was presented by the Tae Ho-shang (abbot 
 or superior) of the temple Hae-chwang-sze, at Honan. The centre of 
 the card is a bright crimson, and the border is embellished with numerous 
 figures and devices. Its dimensions (thirteen feet in length, by eight 
 feet in width) are indicative of the esteem and respect which it is 
 intended to convey. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 51 
 
 CASE YIIIo 
 
 THE PAVILION. 
 
 The interiok of a Chinese gentleman’s summer residence. 
 
 Several figures, representing their mode of paying and receiving 
 
 VISITS. 
 
 Furniture. 
 
 Chinese lanterns. 
 
 Large porcelain jars, on carved pedestals. 
 
 This is a large apartment, forming the termination of the saloon, 
 from which it is separated hy what may be called a species of carved 
 net-work. The carving penetrates entirely through the wood {laurus 
 camphora, camphor wood,* called by the Chinese “ cheong muh”), and 
 represents figures of animals, birds, flowers, fruits, &c. The colours 
 of this open work are as gay, rich, and even gorgeous, as gilding and 
 paint can make them ; yet so skilfully are they disposed, so well do 
 they blend and harmonise, that their effect is altogether agreeable. 
 The room thus enclosed is a perfect fac-simile of an apartment in a 
 wealthy Chinaman’s dwelling. 
 
 In either opposite corner of the apartment is placed a large square 
 carved table of hard wood, with marble tops, and hangings of embroi- 
 dered velvet, on which a servant has placed some fruit for the refresh- 
 ment of the guests. On the right of these stands a long high table, 
 similar to our sideboards, for the reception of ornaments, upon which 
 rest ornamental stands and fruit. On each side of the apartment are 
 chairs of a corresponding style and make, alternately arranged with 
 small tea-stands, with a footstool for each chair, besides flower-pots, 
 cuspadors, porcelain seats, embroidered silk lanterns, &c., &c., while at 
 the extreme end of the apartment is an aperture in the wall, of an oval 
 form, surrounded with a carved and gilt fretwork, corresponding with 
 the exterior ; through this doorway is seen a perspective view of Chinese 
 scenery. Doorways of this description are common in China — and are 
 of different devices, some being circular, others oval, while some are in 
 the form of a mulberry leaf, with the stem resting upon the ground. 
 On each side of this entrance is a superb china vase, about seven feet 
 high, including the stand, which is also of hard wood, and richly carved. 
 They are of a size and beauty such as we rarely meet with in this 
 country. They are covered with a profusion of characteristic figures, 
 
 The camphor tree grows to a large size in tlio province of Kcang-BC. 
 
52 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CA^TALOGUE OF 
 
 among which the imperial dragon holds a distinguished place. In them 
 are placed a variety of their favourite flowers and a large fan of peacocks’ 
 feathers. 
 
 The walls are hung with a variety of decorations, chiefly long silken 
 scrolls, with maxims ; and the tables are covered with a profusion of 
 ornamental articles. 
 
 There are six figures in the pavilion, intended to represent the mode 
 of paying and receiving visits. Visiting is conducted by the Chinese 
 with great formality, blended with much urbanity. Tea and pipes are 
 always served on these occasions, and frequently sweetmeats or dried 
 fruits. The common mode of salutation is to join the closed hands, 
 and lift them twice or thrice towards the head, saying, “ Haou — tsing, 
 tsing ; ” that is, “ Are you well ? — Hail, Hail ! ” and, at other times, the 
 words “ Soo yang fang ming,” or, “I have heretofore thought with 
 veneration on your fragrant name the latter said to persons of whom 
 they have before heard, on first meeting them. 
 
 The ceremony attending an invitation to dinner is somewhat formal, 
 and may be interesting to many readers. The invitation is conveyed 
 some days before, by a crimson-coloured ticket, on which is inscribed 
 the time appointed, and the guest is entreated to bestow “the illumina- 
 tion of his presence.” At other times the phrase, “ I have prepared 
 pure tea, and wait for your company to converse.” 
 
 The following description of a Chinese dinner, from the pen of 
 Captain Laplace, of the French navy, although rather a long extract, is 
 given with so much of the characteristic vivacity of his countrymen, and 
 so well conveys the first impression of a scene not often witnessed by 
 Europeans, that it is introduced without further apology : — “ The first 
 course was laid out in a great number of saucers of painted porcelain, 
 and consisted of various relishes in a cold state, as salted earth-worms, 
 prepared and dried, but so cut up that I fortunately did not know what 
 they were until I had swallowed them ; salted or smoked fish, and ham, 
 both of them cut into extremely small slices ; besides which, there was 
 what they called Japan leather, a sort of darkish skin, hard and tough, 
 with a stroilg, and far from agreeable taste, which seemed to have been 
 macerated in water for some time. All these et cceteras, including 
 among the number a liquor which I recognised to be soy, made from a 
 Japan bean, and long since adopted by the wine drinkers of Europe, 
 to revive their faded appetites or taste, were used as seasoning to a 
 great number of stews which were contained in bowls, and succeeded 
 each other uninterruptedly. All the dishes, without exception, swam 
 in soup ; on one side figured pigeons’ eggs, cooked in gravy, together 
 with ducks and fowls cut very small, and immersed in a dark-coloured 
 sauce ; on the other, little balls made of sharks’ fins, eggs prepared by 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 53 
 
 heat (of which both the smell and taste seemed to us equally repulsive), 
 immense grubs, a peculiar kind of seafish, crabs, and pounded shrimps. 
 
 “ Seated at the right of our excellent Amphitryon, I was the object 
 of his whole attention ; but, nevertheless, found myself considerably at 
 a loss how to use the two little ivory sticks, tipped with silver, which, 
 together with a knife that had a long, narrow, and thin blade, formed 
 the whole of my eating apparatus. I had great difficulty in siezing my 
 prey in the midst of these several bowls filled with gravy ; in vain I tried 
 to hold, in imitation of my host, this substitute for a fork, between my 
 thumb and the two first fingers of the right hand ; for the chopsticks 
 slipped aside every moment, leaving behind them the unhappy little 
 morsel which I coveted. It is true that the master of the house came 
 to the relief of my inexperience (by which he was much entertained) 
 with his two instruments, the extremities of which, a few moments 
 before, had touched a mouth, whence age, and the use of snuff and 
 tobacco, had cruelly chased its good looks. However, I contrived to 
 eat, with tolerable propriety, a soup prepared from the famous birds’ 
 nests, in which the Chinese are such epicures. The substance thus 
 served up, is reduced into very thin filaments, transparent as isinglass, 
 and resembling vermicelli, with little or no taste. At first I was much 
 puzzled to find out how, with our chopsticks, we should be able to taste 
 of the various soups which composed the greater part of the dinner, and 
 had already called to mind the fable of the fox and the stork, when our 
 two Chinese entertainers, dipping at once into the bowls with the little 
 saucer placed at the side of each guest, shewed us how to get rid of 
 the difficulty.” (We confess we were never witness to this slovenly 
 ‘manoeuvre, as the Chinese tables are generally supplied with a species 
 of spoon, of silver or porcelain, sufficiently convenient in shape.) 
 
 “ To the younger guests, naturally lively, such a crowd of novelties 
 presented an inexhaustible fund of pleasantry ; and, though unintel- 
 ligible to the worthy Hong merchant and his brother, the jokes seemed 
 to delight them not at all the less. The wine, in the meantime, circu- 
 lated freely, and the toasts followed each other in rapid succession. 
 This liquor, which to my taste was by no means agreeable, is always 
 taken hot ; and in this state it approaches pretty nearly to Madeira in 
 colour, as well as a little in taste ; but it is not easy to get tipsy with it, 
 for in spite of the necessity of frequently attending to the invitations of 
 my host, this wine did not in the least affect my head. We drank it in 
 little gilt cups, having the shape of antique vases, with two handles 
 of perfect workmanship, and kept constantly filled by attendants holding 
 large silver vessels like coffee-pots. 
 
 “ After all these good things, served one upon the other, of which it 
 gave me pleasure to sec the last, succeeded the second course, which 
 
54 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 was preceded by a little ceremony, of which the object seemed to be a 
 trial of the guests’ appetites. Upon the edges of four bowls, arranged 
 in a square, three others were placed filled with stews, and surmounted 
 by an eighth, which thus formed the summit of a pyramid : and the 
 custom is to touch none of these although invited by the host. On the 
 refusal of the party the whole disappeared, and the table was covered 
 with articles in pastry and sugar ; in the midst of which was a salad 
 composed of the tender shoots of the bamboo, and some watery prepa- 
 rations, that exhaled a most disagreeable odour. 
 
 “ Up to this point, the relishes of which I first spoke had been 
 the sole accompaniment of all the successive ragouts ; they still served 
 to season the bowls of plain rice, which the attendants now, for the first 
 time, placed before each of the guests.” (It must be remembered that 
 this was a formal dinner ; rice forms a much more integral part of an 
 every-day meal.) 
 
 “ I regarded with an air of considerable embarrassment, the two 
 little sticks, with which, notwithstanding the experience acquired since 
 the commencement of the repast, it seemed very doubtful whether I 
 should be able to eat my rice, grain by grain, according to the belief of 
 Europeans regarding the Chinese custom. I theretore waited until my 
 host should begin, to follow his example, foreseeing that, on this new 
 occasion, some fresh discovery would serve to ^relieve us from the truly 
 ludicrous embarrassment which we all displayed ; in a word, our two 
 Chinese, cleverly joining the ends of their chop-sticks, plunged them 
 into the bowls of rice, held up to the mouth, which was opened to its 
 full extent, and thus easily shovelled in the rice, not by grains, but by 
 handfulls. Thus instructed, I might have followed their example ; but, 
 I preferred making up with the other delicacies for the few attractions 
 which, to my taste, had been displayed by the first course. The second 
 lasted a much shorter time ; the attendants cleared away everything. 
 Presently the table was strewed with flowers, which vied with each other 
 in brilliancy ; pretty baskets, filled with the same, were mixed with 
 plates which contained a vast variety of delicious sweetmeats as well as 
 cakes of which the forms were as ingenious as they were varied. Nap- 
 kins steeped in warm water, and flavoured with otto of roses, are 
 frequently handed to each guest by the servants in attendance. This 
 display of the productions of nature and art, was equally agreeable to 
 the eyes and the tastes of the guests. By the side of the yellow plain- 
 tain was seen the lichi^ of which the strong, rough, and bright crimson 
 skin defends a stone enveloped in a whitish pulp, which, for its fine 
 aromatic taste is superior to most of the tropical fruits ; when dried, it 
 forms an excellent provision for the winter. With these fruits of the 
 warm climates were mingled those of the temperate zone, brought at 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 55 
 
 some expense from the northern provinces, as walnuts, chesnuts, apples, 
 grapes, and Pekin pears ; which last, though their lively colour and 
 pleasant smell attracted the attention, proved to be tasteless, and even 
 retained all the harshness of wild fruit. 
 
 “ At length we adjourned to the next room to take tea, — the indis- 
 pensable commencement and close of all visits and ceremonies among 
 the Chinese. According to custom, the servants presented it in porce- 
 lain cups, each of which was covered with a saucer-like top, which con- 
 fines and prevents the aroma from evaporating. The boiling water had 
 been poured over a few of the leaves, collected at the bottom of the cup; 
 and the infusion, to which no sugar or cream is ever added in China, 
 exhaled a delicious fragrant odour, of which the best teas carried to 
 Europe can scarcely give an idea.” 
 
 Other visits of ceremony are conducted with much pomp and for- 
 mality. When a gentleman proceeds in his sedan to pay a visit his 
 attendants present his ticket at the gate, consisting of his name and 
 titles written down the middle of a folded sheet of vermillion-coloured 
 paper, ornamented with leaf-gold ; and sometimes there is enough paper 
 in one of these to extend across a room. According to the rank of the 
 parties, the visiter and his host begin bowing at stated distances ; but, 
 among equals, the ordinary mode of salutation is to join closed hands. 
 Only mandarins or official persons can be carried by four bearers, or 
 accompanied by a train of attendants. Soon after visiters are seated, 
 an attendant brings in porcelain cups with covers, with a small quantity 
 of fine tea-leaves in each, on which boiling water has been poured, and 
 the infusion is thus drunk without any other addition ; fruits are also 
 brought on beautifully japanned trays. In some Chinese apartments 
 there are broad couches, called “ kangs,” as large as a bed. In the 
 centre of these, small tables are placed, about a foot in height, intended 
 to rest the arm upon, or place tea-cups. On the conclusion of a visit 
 the host conducts his guest to his sedan. 
 
 Here terminate the cases that contain representations of men and 
 women, except those at the silk mercer’s shop at the commencement of 
 the saloon. The figures are modelled out of a peculiar species of clay, 
 admirably adapted for the purpose. They are highly creditable to the 
 taste and ingenuity of the Chinese, who, though not good sculptors, are 
 excellent modellers, and they afford specimens of a style of art altogether 
 novel to Europeans. The attentive observer will have noticed a re- 
 markable sameness of feature and expression running through the whole 
 collection, though all are accurate likenesses of originals, most of whom 
 are now living. High cheek-bones, flat noses, small black eyes, a yel- 
 lowish complexion, and a rather dull, heavy expression of countenance, 
 are the general characteristics. Chinese physical nature is said to be 
 
56 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 cast, as it were, in the same mould throughout the whole empire, not- 
 withstanding its various provinces differ so widely in soil and climate. 
 And this characteristic sameness extends to the mind as well as the 
 body. The phenomenon has been ingeniously explained by the author 
 of “ Egypt and Mahommed Ali,” who traces it to despotism as its 
 primary cause ; for he reasons that the multitude, all reduced to the 
 same level, urged by the same wants, engaged in the same pursuits, 
 actuated by the same passions, through a long succession of ages, neces- 
 sarily assimilate, both mentally and physically. 
 
 Corpulency in men, and small delicate taper fingers in women, are 
 much esteemed as indications of gentility. There is a goodly rotundity 
 of person in most of the figures in this Collection ; the attentive visiter 
 will be particularly struck with the characteristic smallness and delicacy 
 of the hands, but in some instances the nails are allowed to grow to a 
 length far beyond our ideas of what is either becoming or beautiful. 
 The carefully cultivated and well braided queues, so long in some instances 
 as almost to trail upon the ground, and affording admirable handles to 
 an antagonist in a passion, form a curious subject of observation. The 
 history of this singular appendage affords a remarkable illustration of 
 those revolutions which sometimes occur in national taste and manners. 
 Previously to the conquest of their country by the Tartars, the Chinese 
 permitted the hair to grow over the whole head. Shun Che, the first 
 of the Tartar emperors, issued an imperial edict, requiring the conquered 
 people to conform in this particular to the customs of their victors. So 
 stoutly was this decree at first resisted, that many of the nobles pre- 
 ferred death to obedience, and actually perished by command of the 
 conqueror. At the present day, however, the loss of this very badge 
 of servitude is considered one of the greatest calamities, scarcely less 
 dreaded than death itself. To be deprived of it is one of the most 
 opprobrious brands put upon convicts and criminals. Those to whom 
 nature has been sparing in respect to the natural covering of the head, 
 supply her deficiencies by the artificial introduction and intermingling of 
 other hair with their own, thus seeking to “ increase it to a reputably 
 fashioned size.” 
 
 The Chinese put faith in the external developments of the skull, and 
 are therefore, to a certain extent, phrenologists. They look for the 
 principal characteristics of a man in his forehead, and of a woman on 
 the back of the cranium. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 r>7 
 
 CASE IXo 
 
 LACQUERED WARE. 
 
 32 & 33. A pair of small folding screens with numerous marble panels, 
 on some of which are paintings of different subjects, the remain- 
 der being adorned with written sentences. 
 
 34. Curiously shaped root of a tree, on stand. 
 
 35 & 36. Carved sections of bamboo used for holding pencils. 
 
 37 & 38. Carved sections of bamboo. 
 
 39. Small steel-yard for domestic purposes. All articles in common 
 use in China are sold by weight, not excepting liquids, timber, 
 fruit, live-stock, &c. 
 
 40 & 41. A full tea-service of lacquered ware, of great beauty, and 
 of extreme lightness, forming part of the equipment of a man- 
 darin’s outfit when on an expedition. 
 
 The lacquered, or japanned ware of China is well known. All 
 substances that are dry and rigid, as woods, metals, and prepared paper, 
 admit of being japanned. The fine varnish used for this purpose is 
 obtained from a shrub, called Tseih-shoo {rlius vernix), from which it 
 distils like gum. It is poisonous in a liquid state, and hence great 
 caution is used both by those who gather and tliose who work in it, to 
 shield themselves from its noxious qualities. It is capable of receiving 
 all colours, though black is the most common. More than fifty coats of 
 varnish are sometimes laid on. 
 
 42. Lacquered case of singular form, to contain the above tea-service. 
 
 43. Beautiful painting on glass, in a stand of carved wood, highly 
 
 polished. 
 
 44. Ancient metallic mirror, used in China prior to the introduction of 
 
 glass. The back is here presented to the visiter, being orna- 
 mented with numerous hieroglyphical figures. The opposite 
 side is highly polished. 
 
 In many mirrors of this description is a property that has puzzled 
 the wise, and which is here worthy of notice. Holding the mirror in 
 the hand by a knob in the centre of the back, and reflecting the rays of 
 the sun from the polished surface, the exact representation of the raised 
 figures on the back of the mirror is distinctly reflected on a wall, or 
 other level surface. The probable solution to this difficulty is, that the 
 figures seen at the back, being of a harder metal than the plain parts, 
 are inserted into the softer metal ; and hence the figures produced 
 
58 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 in the rays of light, formed by the union (imperceptible to the eye) of 
 the two metals. In this way the union of iron and steel, as in 
 Sheffield cutlery, will explain the enigma familiarly. 
 
 45. Another stand of hard wood, supporting a beautiful specimen of 
 
 painted glass of singular execution. 
 
 46. Porcelain incense vessel, on carved stand, with cover and ornamented 
 
 handle. 
 
 47 & 48. Lacquered boxes with several compartments. 
 
 49. Mariner’s compass, called “ The Needle pointing to the South.” 
 
 50. Two lacquered boxes to contain dried fruits. 
 
 51. Four lacquered boxes for similar purposes. 
 
 52. Long lacquered case, in which rolls of silks are sent to friends and 
 
 newly-married acquaintances. 
 
 C -A. S IE X o 
 
 LACaUERED WARE AND ARTICLES OF VERTU. 
 
 53. Two embroidered cloth pillows for winter use. 
 
 64 & 55. Two lacquered boxes of different forms, having separate com- 
 partments, for travelling purposes, 
 
 56 & 57. Two lacquered boxes used for carrying presents, &c. They 
 are hung in a red net, composed of the fibres of a thistle, and 
 carried suspended from a bamboo thrown across the shoulder. 
 
 58 & 59. A pair of lacquered cases, made from a section of bamboo, 
 with painting of the parent tree in gold, &c. 
 
 60. Superb cabinet, from Soo-chow, in the province of Fokien, famous 
 for its manufactures of lacquered ware. So large a specimen 
 of this beautiful production of art is rarely to be found in 
 Canton, and is highly esteemed by the. Chinese, as approaching 
 nearest to the lacquered wares of Japan.. 
 
 61 & 62. Two lacquered cases, as Nos. 56 & 57. 
 
 63. A gentleman’s travelling wardrobe, of lacquered ware. 
 
 64. Embroidered winter pillow, as No. 53. 
 
 65. A pillow formed of the shavings of bamboo, covered with embossed 
 
 leather. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 59 
 
 66. A travelling case formed of pig’s hide, to contain a mandarin’s 
 
 summer cap. 
 
 67. Metallic cap-stand, in form of a tripod. 
 
 68. Bronzed copper hand-furnace, for keeping the fingers warm when 
 
 walking in the streets in cold weather, no gloves being ever 
 worn. The people of the north of China, as well as those of 
 Canton, make use of baskets containing embers, called “ Ho- 
 lung,” for a similar purpose. 
 
 69. Antique bronze tripod, with a monkey, in cornelian, for the handle. 
 
 70. Lamp, in general use, of white copper, commonly attached to the wall. 
 
 71. Ancient bronze vase. 
 
 72. Pewter vessel for holding the “ tsew-hing,” or hot wine, at dinners 
 
 and marriage entertainments. 
 
 73. Compass and sun-dial combined. The silk cord that supports the 
 
 lid of the box containing the compass, serves for the hand or 
 gnomon of the dial. 
 
 The Chinese have no clocks or watches of their own manufacture, 
 although both are in use among them ; and they exhibit great ingenuity 
 in imitating European watches, which are imported into China in 
 great numbers. Among the Chinese the day is divided, as by the 
 ancient Egyptians, into twelve parts only, consisting each of two Eu- 
 ropean hours ; the first beginning at eleven at night. 
 
 These portions of time are measured with tolerable accuracy by means 
 of a lighted taper, made from the pith of a particular tree, of which the 
 consumption by ignition is so regular, that, divided into twelve equal 
 parts, each continues burning during the twelfth part of the twenty-four 
 hours. 
 
 The gradual motion of sand, and the descent of liquids have been 
 likewise applied to the same purpose. 
 
 The Chinese often employ very awkward and laborious means for 
 effecting the several purposes desirable in society. To announce the 
 hour, even in Pekin, they have no better method than that of striking 
 with a mallet upon a large bell, a number of blows corresponding to that 
 of the hour, by a person who must wait and watch the progress of time, 
 as indicated by some of the methods just described. 
 
 A Chinese gentleman invariably wears a pair of watches of European 
 manufacture, one on each side his girdle, in an embroidered pocket ; if 
 questioned as to the meaning of this seeming extravagance, his reply is, 
 “ Suppose one make stop, the other walkee.” 
 
 74. Curious root of a tree, resembling birds. 
 
 75. A grotesque figure, carved from a section of the bamboo. 
 
 76. China incense vessel, in imitation of bronze. 
 
 77. Antique porcelain incense vessel. 
 
 E 
 
60 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 78. Lacquered box, for various uses. 
 
 79. Porcelain vessel, of singular device, to contain flowers. 
 
 80. Lacquered box, to contain sweetmeats. 
 
 81. A root having the form of a dog’s head, and the feet and tail of a 
 
 bird. 
 
 82 & 83. Two porcelain plates, on polished stands of hard wood. 
 
 84. A lacquered box, used in gaming. 
 
 85. Lacquered box, as No. 80. 
 
 86. Curious sun-dial and compass. 
 
 87. Box for holding writing pencils. The panels are of white marble, 
 
 bearing moral maxims. 
 
 88. Hand furnace of white copper, described in No. 68. 
 
 89 & 90. Two grotesque images in clay. 
 
 91. Carved section of bamboo, used as pencil -holder. 
 
 92 & 93. Two porcelain figures. 
 
 94. Lacquered box, containing several cakes of ink. 
 
 95 & 96. Two porcelain figures. 
 
 97. Another in clay. 
 
 98. Curious sun-dial and compass, as No. 86. 
 
 99. Lacquered case, inlaid with pearl shell, to contain cakes of ink. 
 
 100. China plate and stand. 
 
 101. Rack for joss-stick, which is generally burned in every house day 
 
 and night ; the drawers are to hold tobacco and tinder for pipes. 
 
 102. A red lacquered vessel for culinary purposes. 
 
 103 & 104. A small pair of painted marble tablets, on a polished stand 
 of hard wood. 
 
 105. Model of a Chinese coffin. 
 
 The slabs of wood are sometimes of enormous size, being frequently 
 of some domestic or foreign odoriferous wood, &c. In these huge 
 coffins, the dead are frequently kept many years above ground, from 
 superstitious motives, such as the selection of a fortunate spot for burial, 
 a particular season, &c. Cedar is the usual material ; the thickness of 
 the slabs according with the means of the purchaser. These planks are 
 selected with great care, and are brought home with music and feasting 
 during a person’s lifetime. The emperor prepares his coffin on the day 
 of his ascending the throne. The Chinese have an idea that to do so 
 prolongs life. The garments for a corpse are also prepared in the life- 
 time of the person for wdiom they are intended. In former days, 
 garments were presented to the friends of a deceased person, intended 
 to clothe the corpse ; in more modern usage, money is given instead of 
 clothing. From this practice arises the phrase “ Respectful contribu- 
 tion to the coffining,” which is written on the envelope of a small 
 present sent to the person who presides at the funeral ; a universal 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 ()1 
 
 practice. Ages ago, it was the custom to secure the lid of the coffin 
 by binding it with cords, when not nailed. The grave is termed “ the 
 eternal mansion.” The present law provides that the limits of a grave 
 shall extend seven cubits, within which space no other person has a 
 right to bury. 
 
 106. Swan-pan, or reckoning board, in universal use among the Chinese. 
 
 It consists of an oblong frame of wood, with a bar running length- 
 wise, forming two compartments ; through this bar, at right angles, are 
 usually placed seventeen (but sometimes more) small pins, having on 
 each seven balls ; five on one side and two on the other side of the bar. 
 
 Any ball in the larger compartment, being placed against the bar, is 
 called unity ; and on the left of this they increase, and on the right 
 they decrease by tenths, hundreds, &c. ; the corresponding balls, in the 
 smaller compartment, increase or decrease by fifths, fiftieths, &c. By 
 these means all numbers in the common transactions of business, in- 
 tegral or decimal, are computed with much ease and rapidity. 
 
 107, 108, & 109. Three small boxes, beautifully ornamented and lac- 
 
 quered, having several compartments in each. They are each 
 of a different shape, one being in the form of a butterfly, 
 another representing an open fan, and the third, that of a 
 mulberry leaf. 
 
 110. Lady’s writing-case, containing rouge, dice, swan-pan, snuff, 
 
 writing materials, looking-glass, &c., &c. 
 
 111. Cameo, in a stand of polished hard wood. 
 
 112. Lacquered tea-caddy, with white copper inside. 
 
 113. Four small marble idols. 
 
 114. Swan-pan, as No. 106. 
 
 115. Lacquered tub, for various uses. 
 
 116. Two walking-sticks, cut from the Chinese vine. The handle of 
 
 one of these is carved in the form of a bat, with outstretched 
 wings. The bat is the Chinese emblem of happiness. 
 
 117. A square red lacquered box, for various uses. \ 
 
 118. Lacquered stand for fruit. 
 
 119. A red lacquered box, in the form of a melon. 
 
 120. A richly veined marble tablet, on a stand of polished ebony. 
 
 121. Small case of drawers of iron wood, used by lapidaries. 
 
 122. A gentleman’s dressing case containing every requisite. 
 
 123. Another small lacquered box, in the form of a Chinese gentle- 
 
 man’s purse, having several smaller boxes in the interior. 
 
 124. Chinese compass and sun-dial, described in No. 73. 
 
 125. Ancient bronze incense vessel, with carved stand and cover of 
 
 polished wood, and handle of red coral. 
 
 126. Another of different form. 
 
 E 2 
 
02 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 127. A lacquered box containing Chinese water-colours. 
 
 128. Corresponding with No. 120. 
 
 129. A square lacquered box, for various purposes. 
 
 130. Lacquered circular box with handle, used in carrying fruit and 
 
 vegetables. 
 
 131. A box to contain trinkets, of singular form. 
 
 132. A richly ornamented box, to contain dried fruits. 
 
 133. Red lacquered fan case. 
 
 1 34. A Chinese merchant’s sign — suspended at the door post, or placed 
 
 in the interior of his shop. 
 
 135. Another of different form. 
 
 136. A fan case, as No. 133. 
 
 137. A richly ornamented lacquered case, of singular form, containing 
 
 smaller boxes for the reception of trinkets. 
 
 138. A gentleman’s dressing-case and looking-glass. 
 
 139. A pair of scales, very accurately adjusted, with a complete set of 
 
 weights. These are used in weighing specie. 
 
 140. Model of a bridge at Fo Shan, near Canton, built of granite, and 
 
 of excellent workmanship. 
 
 Bridges in the vicinity of the city are constructed for foot passengers, 
 though horses are sometimes taken over. Fo Shan is a village situated 
 a few miles to the S.W. of Canton, where most of the manufactories are 
 carried on, and is said to be as populous as Canton itself. 
 
 141. A pair of cuspadors of white metal. 
 
 142. Lacquered fan case of circular form. 
 
 CASE XIo 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. 
 
 143 to 148. Six specimens of carved bamboo roots. 
 
 This is a kind of ornament highly esteemed by the Chinese. The 
 more distorted the roots, and the more hideous the figures wrought 
 upon them, the greater is the pleasure they afford : 
 
 “ Gorgons, hydras, and chimeras dire — ’* 
 
 the wildest forms that nature has revealed, or imagination invented, 
 please best the superstitious fancy of this marvel-loving people. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 63 
 
 149. Metallic vessel, called “ Heang-loo,” to contain the ashes of joss- 
 
 stick (composed of powdered sandal- wood, &c.), consumed 
 before idols. On the face of this vessel is inscribed the cha- 
 racters “ Fuh Show,” “ happiness and long life.” 
 
 150. A pair of candlesticks to accompany the above. 
 
 151. Small clay model of Lob creek pagoda, on the Canton river. 
 
 152. A pair of cuspadors, or spittoons, formed of white metal. 
 
 153 to 155. Three specimens of carved bamboo roots, as described in 
 Nos. 143 to 148. 
 
 156. Vessel of a peculiar ware, resembling cast-iron in its appearance, 
 
 on a stand of the same material. 
 
 157. The head of an official staff or crozier, called “ Seih chang,” carried 
 
 in the hand by the head of the Buddha sect. 
 
 158. Ancient and beautiful yellow vase, on stand, ornamented with a 
 
 raised green dragon. A mythological emblem of the great 
 dragon attempting to swallow the moon ; believed by the 
 Chinese to be the cause of the eclipse of that nocturnal lumi- 
 nary. From this superstitious notion, whenever an eclipse 
 occurs, a tumult is raised by the natives with gongs, drums, 
 and other noisy instruments, to frighten away the imaginary 
 monster. 
 
 159. Porcelain pencil-holder. 
 
 1 60. Image of a beggar in clay. 
 
 161. Bronzed clay figure. 
 
 162. Two grotesque lions, on stands. 
 
 163. Specimen of China ware, on stand, resembling Wedgwood. 
 
 164. Ancient metallic mirror, on carved stand of hard wood. 
 
 165. Lamp, as 70. 
 
 166. A distorted root of the bamboo, resembling a man, &c. These 
 
 curious specimens are highly valued in China, and afford a 
 good example of the peculiar national tastes. 
 
 167. Two pillows formed of embossed leather. 
 
 168. Three Buddha idols. 
 
 169. Ancient bronze vase. 
 
 170. Coloured marble Buddha idol. 
 
 171. Specimen of sculpture in marble, with ebony stand. 
 
 172. Ancient bronze vase, as No, 169. 
 
 173 & 174. Two figures in papier machee, representing priests of Fiih. 
 
 175. China plate and stand. 
 
 176. An instrument used by Chinese watchmen, for the purpose of 
 
 giving alarm. It is an excavated block of wood, and when 
 struck by a piece of bamboo, produces a loud noise. On this 
 the night patrols repeat the hours. The whole night is divided 
 
64 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 into five watches, commencing at seven o’clock p.m., and are 
 sometimes announced by the gong, or a drum, or else as before 
 described. 
 
 177* Specimen of painted marble in frame and stand, placed on tables 
 as ornaments. 
 
 178. Metallic mirror, as No. 164. 
 
 179. Cameo in stand. 
 
 180. China vessel, with stand and cover, for incense. 
 
 181. Joss-bell and stand, used in temples, and accompanies No. 183. 
 
 182. Splendid cameo, presented to Mr. Dunn by Howqua, the Hong 
 
 merchant. This cameo is of extraordinary size. It represents 
 an extended landscape, including earth and sky, and embracing 
 various rural scenes and objects. 
 
 183. Bronzed incense vessel and stand, used in temples. 
 
 184. Ancient porcelain incense vessel, with wooden stand and cover. 
 
 185. Singular specimen of sculpture, in coloured marble. 
 
 186. Specimen of painted marble on stand, placed on tables as orna- 
 
 ments, as No. 177. 
 
 187. Common pillow of rattan. 
 
 188. Pillows used in summer, called “ Chin-tow;” the bamboo slats on 
 
 the top are elastic, and the general form of the pillow admits 
 of a free circulation of air. 
 
 189. Model of a bridge of one arch, near Canton. 
 
 190. Elastic pillow made of bamboo, and covered with glazed leather. 
 
 191. Wooden bellows, worked with a piston, and so constructed as to 
 
 produce a continuous blast. 
 
 In this horizontal box is placed a moveable door, so nicely fitted, 
 that when it is drawn back a vacuum is created in the interior, into 
 which the air rushing through an opening protected by a valve, pro- 
 duces a blast through an opposite aperture. 
 
 The same is produced when a door is pushed in an opposite direc- 
 tion ; the space within it being diminished, and the air compressed, a 
 part of it is forced out through the same aperture. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 65 
 
 CASE XIIo 
 
 CHINA-WARE.' 
 
 192 & 193. Flower-pots of a peculiar ware, resembling cast-iron. 
 
 ' 194 & 195. A pair of porcelain flower-pots. 
 
 196 & 197. Pair of beautiful flower-jars. 
 
 198. Square porcelain vase. 
 
 199. Sweatmeat vessel. 
 
 200. Porcelain drums for supporting the arms on couches. 
 
 201. Vases of various forms. 
 
 202. Porcelain flower-vase, on stand, with sentences in blue and gold 
 
 characters. 
 
 203. Very ancient square jar. 
 
 204 & 205. Two flower-jars of different forms. They are of ancient 
 make, and their surface is apparently cracked. This art is 
 produced in the burning, and is believed by the Chinese to be 
 extinct. 
 
 206 & 207. Two porcelain flower-jars. 
 
 208. A pair of yellow figured vases. 
 
 209. Porcelain bottle, for travelling purposes. 
 
 210. A beautifully enamelled yellow vase. 
 
 211 to 213. Three ancient porcelain figures, emblematical of the three 
 principal felicities so much esteemed by the Chinese, viz. : — 
 happiness (official employment or promotion), longevity, and 
 male children. 
 
 214. Vase from the interior, more than five hundred years old. As 
 the Chinese attach great veneration to antiques, its cost was 
 in proportion. 
 
 There is a prevalent idea among the Chinese, that antique vases 
 
 have the property of preserving flowers which are placed in them, fresh 
 
 and blooming for a long time. 
 
 215 & 216. A pair of beautifully painted porcelain jars. 
 
 217 & 218. Flower-vases of recent make. 
 
 219. Large ornamented vase, from Nankin. 
 
 220. Bottle-shaped jar, cracked in the burning, 
 
 221. An ornamented vase, on stand. 
 
 222. Ancient vase, on stand. 
 
 223 & 224, Pair of porcelain pipe-stands from Nankin : these are used 
 in the houses of the wealthy, and are placed near the doors ; 
 from these stands guests are supplied with pipes. 
 
 225. Flower- vase, with three orifices for one flower each. 
 
 226. Ancient and beautiful vase, ornamented with a lizard. 
 
66 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 227. Beautiful yellow vase, elegantly ornamented with raised figures. 
 
 228. Vase, cracked in the burning, of great beauty. 
 
 229. A large and richly ornamented vase, from Nankin. 
 
 230 & 231. A pair of rare and curious vases, from Nankin. This style 
 of decoration is peculiarly esteemed by the Chinese. 
 
 232 & 233. A pair of rare and curious vases, from Nankin, of modern 
 make. 
 
 234 & 235. Pair of porcelain sugar-jars, richly ornamented in blue and 
 gold. 
 
 236 & 237. A pair of vases, as Nos. 232, 233. 
 
 238. Ancient porcelain jar, discoloured by time. Its age is above three 
 
 hundred years. 
 
 239. Very elegant porcelain bowl, of enormous dimensions. 
 
 240. Four flower-pots of a peculiar ware resembling cast-iron. 
 
 241 & 242. A pair of octagon flower-pots, elegantly painted and gilt. 
 243 to 246. Four vases of different forms. 
 
 247. Porcelain vessel to contain rice. 
 
 248 & 249. A pair of fluted china garden pots and stands. 
 
 250 & 251. A pair of flower-pots and stands, superbly painted. 
 
 252 & 253. A pair of flower-pots and stands, of modern style. 
 
 254 & 255. Porcelain flower-jars in form of a cabbage (called by the 
 Chinese “pe-tsae,” or “white greens,” from the stalks of the 
 leaf being blanched). 
 
 256 & 257. Two beautiful china bowls, richly painted and gilt. 
 
 258, 259, & 260. Three beautiful china bowls of different devices. 
 
 261. A porcelain figure of a female deity. 
 
 262. Elegant porcelain candlestick. 
 
 263. Ancient porcelain vessel used to contain fans, feather brushes, &c. 
 264 & 265. Porcelain garden seats, richly painted; called by the 
 
 Chinese, “ Shih-koo,” or “ stone drum.” 
 
 266 & 267. Porcelain garden seats, of different form and style. 
 
 .CASE XIIIo 
 
 CHINA-WARE. 
 
 268. White porcelain vase. 
 
 269. Porcelain vase on stand. 
 
 270. Porcelain vase, in imitation of bronze, on stand. 
 
 271. Antique porcelain bottle on stand. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 67 
 
 272. A green flower- vase. 
 
 273 to 275. Three vases of different forms. 
 
 276. Three ancient Idols, in white porcelain. 
 
 277. Ancient and beautifully formed vase, ornamented with lizards. 
 
 278. Ancient white porcelain jar, exquisitely figured. 
 
 279. Porcelain jar of a beautiful colour. 
 
 280 & 281. Two porcelain landmarks, to designate the boundaries of 
 adjoining estates, upon which the owner’s name and the four 
 cardinal points (as enumerated by them, east, west, south, and 
 north) are inscribed upon the sides. 
 
 The lands of separate owners in China, are not divided, as with us, 
 by hedges, walls, or fences, but by a narrow pathway, and sometimes by 
 a ditch or drain ; and so great is their economy of cultivated soil, that 
 this custom appears to be universal in every part of China. 
 
 Upon the authority of Mr. Dunn, whose long residence in that 
 country afforded him every opportunity of gaining correct information ; 
 the clandestine, or violent removal of these landmarks, ensures to the 
 perpetrator the most signal punishment. 
 
 It is here especially worthy of remark, that this ancient usage, sanc- 
 tioned and protected by the laws of a heathen nation, should be so fully 
 confirmed and strengthened by holy writ. We have a corroboration of 
 this custom in Deuteronomy, xix., 14, “ Thou shalt not remove thy 
 neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inherit- 
 ance,” &c. ; and again in Proverbs, xxii., 28, “ Remove not the ancient 
 landmarks which thy fathers have set.” 
 
 282 & 283. A pair of beautifully painted and gilt jars. 
 
 284. Very ancient and beautiful square jar, on stand, from the 
 interior. 
 
 285 & 286. Garden seats. 
 
 287. A section of ornamental porcelain, intended as a coping to walls 
 and houses. 
 
 288 & 289. A pair of beautifully painted flower-pots. 
 
 290 & 291. A pair of blue flower-vases. 
 
 292 & 293. A pair of blue flower-vases, very beautiful on account of 
 the colour and glazing. 
 
 294 & 295. Two white and figured porcelain vases. 
 
 296. A variegated green porcelain flower-vase. 
 
 297. Ancient porcelain bottle, ornamented with lizards. 
 
 298. Beautifully painted vase, in stand. 
 
 299 & 300. A pair of richly ornamented vases. 
 
 301. A porcelain cuspador. 
 
 302 & 303. A pair of extremely rich flower-vases, ornamented with 
 lizards. 
 
68 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 304. Model of the famous porcelain pagoda at Nankin (formerly the 
 
 capital of the empire), as it originally appeared, being now 
 partially delapidated by age. 
 
 The original is merely roofed and faced with porcelain, and not, as 
 might be imagined from the name, constructed of that material. This 
 stately structure is about 200 feet in height. At the angles of the eaves 
 of each story are suspended brass bells, diminishing in size as they 
 approach the top, and put in motion by the wind. This custom appears 
 to have had some religious sanction, which time has long effaced. 
 Pagodas are generally supposed to have had a religious character. Sir 
 George Staunton, on the contrary, says, they are dedicated to several 
 uses in China, without specifying what, but none to religious worship. 
 
 305. Specimen of painting on porcelain, on stand. 
 
 306 & 307. Pair of very large rich vases, from Nankin. 
 
 308. Smaller vase, from Nankin. 
 
 309. Ornamental ancient vase, from Nankin. 
 
 310 & 311. A pair of exquisitely painted and gilt sugar-jars. 
 312&313. A pair of richly painted and gilt vases, of beautiful form. 
 314. Antique bottle-shaped vase, from the northern provinces. The 
 style and painting of this vase are greatly esteemed by the 
 Chinese. Its age is over three hundred years. 
 
 315 & 316. A pair of blue porcelain hexagon garden seats. 
 
 317 & 318. A pair of coloured garden seats. 
 
 319 & 320. A pair of porcelain garden seats, beautifully painted and 
 
 . gilt- 
 
 321 & 322. A pair of hexagon garden seats, beautifully painted and 
 gilt. 
 
 323. A blue and white porcelain vase. 
 
 324. A blue and white square vase, from Nankin. 
 
 325. Ancient painted circular flower-vase. 
 
 326 & 327. A pair of superb octagon flower-stands. 
 
 328 & 329. A pair of square flower-stands, beautifully painted. 
 
 330 & 331. A pair of richly painted porcelain cuspadors. 
 
 332. Blue and green flower-vase, a beautiful specimen of porcelain, from 
 
 Nankin. 
 
 333. Ancient bottle-shaped vase, from Nankin, age unknown. 
 
 334 & 335. A pair of beautifully painted vases, of modern make. 
 
 336. Curious flower-pot, with figures, &c., representing a beseiged 
 
 castle, in the interstices of which flowers are planted. 
 
 337 to 339. Three porcelain garden seats of various forms. 
 
 The poreelian manufacture undoubtedly had its origin in China, and 
 we must, therefore, hold ourselves indebted to the Chinese for all that 
 rich variety of useful and ornamental porcelain articles which load our 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 69 
 
 tables and adorn our parlours and cabinets. It was introduced to the 
 knowledge of Europeans by the famous Venetian traveller, Marco Polo. 
 The first furnace on record was in Keang-se, which dates as far back as 
 the commencement of the seventh century of our era. King-thi-chin, 
 a place near the Poyang lake, is now the most celebrated for this manu- 
 facture. The factories were commenced there about A.D. 1000, and 
 have increased to the number of several hundreds. Sir G. Staunton 
 says, that the flames which issue from them cause the place to appear 
 at night like a vast city enveloped in a general conflagration. The 
 spectacle is terrific and sublime. The furnaces give employment to 
 the male working portion of a population said to amount to a million. 
 The division of labour is carried to its acme. A tea-cup, from the time 
 it lies embedded in its native quarries, till it comes forth in perfection 
 from the furnace, passes through more than fifty different hands. The 
 painting alone is divided among half-a-dozen persons, one of whom 
 sketches the outline of a bird, another of a plant, a third of some other 
 figure, while a fourth fills in the colours. The brilliancy of their co- 
 louring has never been surpassed; but the designing can hardly be 
 corn-mended or admired. The reason probably is, that no higher wages 
 are paid to those who labour in this department of the manufacture? 
 than to those who perform the coarser operations. 
 
 It is perfectly obvious, from an inspection of the articles embraced 
 in this collection, that the excellence of the porcelain manufacture has 
 been on the decline for the last three centuries. The present deterio- 
 ration, as well as the high degree of perfection it had once attained, are 
 easily explained. The emperors who flourished about that period 
 encouraged the manufacture by munificent premiums on the most beau- 
 tiful specimens, and by large annual orders for the finer wares. A 
 premium of 15,000 teals, or more than 20,p00 dollars, was bestowed on 
 the manufacturer of the best specimen ; 10,000 teals on him who pro- 
 duced the second-best ; while third-rate excellence received a reward of 
 5000. The emperors no longer bestow any special encouragement, and 
 hence the decline of competition, and consequently of excellence. 
 
 The origin of the word porcelain, or 'porcellana, may not be generally 
 known. Marsden shews that it was applied by the Europeans to the 
 ware of China, from the resemblance of its finely polished surface to 
 that of the univalve shell so named ; while the shell itself derived its 
 appellation from the curved shape of its upper surface, which was thought 
 to resemble the raised back of a porcella^ or little hog. 
 
70 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 €Ag]E XIYo 
 
 CHINESE BOATS. 
 
 All the models of boats in this Collection have been made by 
 reducing the dimensions to the proper scale ; and in every particular, 
 even to the employment of the same descriptions of wood, the oars, 
 sculls, rudders, setting poles, cordage, &c., are fac-similes of those 
 actually in use. 
 
 340. Canal boat of the smaller size. 
 
 341. Another boat of the largest class, capable of carrying several hun- 
 
 dred tons. These boats are employed in transporting teas and 
 other merchandise on the canals and rivers. 
 
 342. A small family boat, called “ San-pan,” or “ Three-planks.” 
 
 Of this discription there are estimated to be upwards of 40,000 on 
 the Canton river, near the city, containing a population of more than 
 200,000 souls. These boats are regularly licensed by government. 
 The husband finds employment on shore, while the wife has charge of 
 the fioating domicile. These women seek a maintenance in carrying 
 passengers to the neighbouring places. The cleanliness of their boats is 
 remarkable. The late Dr. Morrison, speaking of this tribe of people 
 (Tan-hoo), who, at Canton, live entirely in boats, says, — “ They were 
 originally fishermen, who came from the south to Canton, and are con- 
 sidered a distinct race, whose origin cannot be traced. They seem to 
 have been named from the figure of their boats resembling an egg.” 
 These boats are from twelve to fifteen feet in length. Some of the old 
 accounts of Canton say, that “ on the river live many thousand souls, 
 who were never permitted to come on shore,” and these “ are descendants 
 of Tartars.” The people who live in boats originally came from the 
 south, and being a foreign race, were not permitted to dwell on shore : 
 but most of the distinctions between them and the rest of the people 
 were removed by the Emperor Keen-Lung, under the infiuence of 
 general principles of equity. 
 
 343. Chop boat, employed as a lighter in transporting cargoes up and 
 
 down the river, to and from foreign vessels at Whampoa. 
 
 344. A private gentleman’s family boat. In China, these fioating 
 
 domiciles on the rivers, and the sedan-chair on land, form 
 their principal means of conveyance. 
 
 345. Mandarin boat, or revenue cutter, for the prevention of smuggling. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 71 
 
 The immense variety of boats that literally crowd the waters of 
 China, may be divided into two classes ; those that have eyes and those 
 without them. To the former class belong the military and trading 
 junks, that navigate the great sea.” There is an exact representation 
 of one of these in a painting on the centre panel of the screen-work, 
 before noticed. They are nearly in the shape of a new moon, and as 
 clumsy craft as could well be contrived, having sterns at least thirty 
 feet above the water, and bows the third of that height. The Emperor 
 not only affords no encouragement to improvement, but actually dis- 
 courages it, in the exaction of foreign port-duties from junks constructed 
 on improved principles. These vessels have always a large eye painted 
 on each side of the bows. This usage had its origin probably in some 
 superstition. If a Chinese is questioned as to its cause, his reply is, — - 
 “ Have eye, can see ; can see, can savez : no have eye, no can see ; no 
 can see, no savez.” 
 
 The variety of craft used upon the inland waters of China is very 
 great. Of most of the different kinds we have models in the case before 
 us. These all appear well contrived for the purposes to which they are 
 applied, and are by no means destitute of beauty. They are provided 
 with bamboo sails, used only occasionally, and, as in almost every other 
 custom, contrary to our own, they reef their sails by reducing the lower 
 part of the sail instead of the upper, as with us. They are generally 
 propelled by sculling, a method which is made absolutely necessary by 
 the number of boats always in motion. The skill with which the 
 Chinese perform this operation, confirms the old proverb, that “ prac- 
 tice makes perfect ; ” for the boat is made to dart forward at a rapid 
 rate, and in a line as direct as any well managed sailing vessel could 
 pursue. The foreign sailors sometimes try their skill, but make a sorry 
 business of it. 
 
 The rudder of a junk is very large, compared with that of a ship ; 
 it takes the place in great measure of a keel in keeping the vessel to the 
 wind, and is managed by a tiller proportionably large ; it is hoisted by a 
 wheel in shallow water. The rudder itself has numerous rhomboidal 
 holes cut in it, from a notion that the eddying of the water through 
 them causes more resistance than a plain board. 
 
 A lively scene presents itself on their rivers, in the trial of strength 
 and skill in boat-racing. It occurs annually on the fifth day of the fifth 
 moon. The candidates for victory are numerous, and happy is he who 
 outstrips his competitors. On this day also, an ancient rite is performed 
 upon the surface of the river. A quantity of rice is bound up in a 
 certain leaf with silk cords of various colours, then boiled, and thrown 
 into the water as a sacrifice to the manes of Keih-yuen, a minister of 
 state, beloved by the people, who, having been falsely accused, drowned 
 
72 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 himself about 300 years B.C. The same observance continues to this 
 day, and is annually performed, accompanied by the amusement of 
 dragon boats, and beating of drums, intended to strike awe into the 
 evil spirits that may lurk about the river. 
 
 346. A model of a boat used on the canals near Pekin, for the conveyance 
 of grain, forming a part of the government revenue derived from 
 a tax on land. 
 
 It is especially appropriated for this purpose ; the Chinese 
 name is “ Tsaou*chuen.” Of these there are said to be no less 
 ' than 10,000 belonging to the government, independent of individual 
 owners. 
 
 Their average burthen, Mr. Davis remarks, is about 2,000 peculs, 
 or above a hundred tons ; but being flat-bottomed, and very high out of 
 the water, they have the appearance of a much greater capacity. The 
 total number annually unladen is nearly 50,000 ; they chiefly sail from 
 the southern provinces during the fourth moon, or about June, when the 
 monsoon is favourable, and return empty in the ninth moon, or November. 
 317. A Chinese port clearance, called “ Hung pae;” ‘‘ the red decla- 
 ration,” locally called “ the Grand Chop.” 
 
 This is an official passport from the viceroy and hoppo.* It states the 
 captain’s name, the tonnage and cargo of the vessel, and the compliance, 
 on the part of the former, with the customary port requisitions. It 
 requires the commander of the fort to allow the ship to pass unmolested, 
 and, in case of any accident befalling her anywhere on Chinese waters, 
 it enjoins upon the mandarins to render every aid in their power, free of 
 all charges. This must certainly be regarded as a liberal policy. Before 
 a chop can be obtained, the Hong merchant to whom the vessel has 
 been consigned, must certify to the proper officers that all the necessary 
 conditions have been complied with on the part of her officers, and that 
 no debts remain. 
 
 The following is the law with respect to shipwrecked foreigners, 
 given in the form of an imperial edict, dated the second year of Keen- 
 Lung, A.D. 1737:— 
 
 “ Along the whole extent of our coast, it continually happens that 
 foreign ships and people are driven on shore by gales of wind. It is 
 hereby ordered, that the governors and lieutenant-governors of pro- 
 vinces take the lead, and cause officers to be particularly attentive in 
 affording compassion ; that they employ the public money to bestow 
 food and raiment on the sufferers, and to refit their ships : after which, 
 that they cause their goods to be returned, and see that they are sent 
 home to their own country. This is done to manifest the extremely 
 
 The lioppo is the chief custom-house officer, or collector of the port. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 73 
 
 tender feelings of my imperial mind towards men from remote regions. 
 Take this order, and command it to be an everlasting law . — Respect 
 this.” 
 
 348. A model of the pagoda near Whampoa, of nine stories, and about 
 170 feet high. 
 
 The “Ta,” or pagodas, are very common in the interior of China; 
 they consist of three, five, seven, nine, and even thirteen stories. They 
 are generally placed on some eminence, and often on the tops of high 
 hills. Within they are hollow, have windows in each story, and often 
 a winding staircase leading to the top, contained in the wall of the 
 building. The name of the pagoda represented in this model is “ Chih 
 kang ta.” The second-bar pagoda (well known to all who have visited 
 Canton) is called “ Sze tzse yang ta.” “Pa chow ta” is a famous 
 pagoda, in the province of Canton, built about A.D. 1600 ; but that at 
 Nankin is at the head of these lasting monuments of ancient architecture. 
 They are of a religious character, and several still remain that are con- 
 nected with religious establishments. The dimensions of the latter at 
 Nankin are nearly 200 feet in height, with an octagonal ground-plan. 
 In niches at the sides of the spiral staircase are placed Buddha images. 
 
 CASE X¥o 
 
 MODELS OF CHINESE SUMMER-HOUSES. 
 
 349 & 350. Two models of summer-houses, of two stories each, usual 
 in the gardens of the wealthy, in the southern provinces of 
 China. 
 
 It is somevv^hat singular that the dwellings of the Chinese bear a 
 resemblance, in their plan and arrangements, to the remains of Roman 
 habitations discovered at Pompeii. 4'hey consist usually of a ground- 
 fioor,*' divided into several apartments within the dead wall that fronts 
 
 * When the Emperor Keen- Lung saw a perspective view of a street in Paris or 
 London, he observed that the territory must be very small whose inhabitants were 
 obliged to pile their houses to the clouds. In a poem on London, by a Chinese 
 visiter, it is stated — 
 
 “The houses are so lofty that you may pluck the stars.” 
 
74 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 the street, and lighted only by windows looking into the internal court- 
 yard. The principal room next the entrance serves to receive visiters, 
 as well as for eating ; and within are the more private apartments, the 
 doorways of which are screened by pendent curtains of embroidered 
 velvet, silk, or cotton. All houses of consequence are entered by a 
 triple gateway, consisting of one large door in the centre, with a smaller 
 one on each side. The central one is only opened for such guests as 
 arrive in sedans ; those who come on foot enter the side doors right and 
 left. Just within the gates is the covered court, in which the sedan- 
 chairs are placed. Some of the courts are surrounded with verandahs, 
 balconies, and colonnades displaying hundreds of pillars. On the 
 grounds attached to the mansions of the wealthy, are artificial ponds or 
 lakes, in which are cultivated their favourite lotus, or water-lily. In 
 the centre of the sheet of water is a temporary building, of elegant 
 design and workmanship, supported on piers, and occupied occasionally 
 as a place of refreshment, and these are frequently made use of for the 
 exhibition of private theatrical performances for the entertainment of 
 the guests. 
 
 351. A model of a one-story summer-house. 
 
 352. A model of a two-story summer-house, in the northern provinces, 
 
 of exquisite workmanship, and completely furnished. This 
 affords a good specimen of mother-of-pearl windows. The 
 summer-houses often stand in the midst of a sheet of water, 
 and are approached by bridges. 
 
 353. Bridge at Honan, near Canton, built of granite. 
 
 354. A domestic shrine, with three golden images, candlesticks, and 
 
 an incense burner. These are found in every house and boat 
 in China, and are of various sizes and devices, according to the 
 means of the occupants. 
 
 355. Two-storied summer-house, carved in gypsum. 
 
 On the wall are a pair of tablets, on which are maxims, very ingeni- 
 ously wrought in bamboo ; also birds, flowers, fruit, &c. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTiON, 
 
 CASIE XVIo 
 
 A CHINA-WARE SHOP. 
 
 A two-story house as seen in the streets of Canton. The lower 
 part is fitted up as a retail china shop, and affords a very correct repre- 
 sentation of a similar establishment in China. 
 
 In the front of the counter is a small niche, within which is a shrine 
 to Plutiis ; and by offering incense to it the tradesman hopes to get 
 rich ; very often the names of other divinities are inscribed in the niche 
 along with that of the god of wealth. On a pillar in front of the door, 
 hangs a small tablet, on which is inscribed, “Sang ne meen tsin,” 
 “ Priests and beggars are not allowed to enter here this is frequently 
 placed in a similar position, to prevent the intrusion of persons soliciting 
 charity. 
 
 For a general description of the streets of Canton, the visiter is re- 
 ferred to the remarks under the view of the city of Canton, No. 1042. 
 
 CASE XVIIo 
 
 A SILK MERCER’S ESTABLISHMENT. 
 
 The proprietor behind the counter, making calculations on his 
 
 COUNTING-BOARD 
 
 Clerk entering goods (on the left). 
 
 A purchaser in front of the counter. 
 
 Another purchaser examining a piece of black silk. 
 
 A Chinese gentleman smoking. 
 
 A SERVANT preparing BREAKFAST. 
 
 Another servant looking through the screen or summer door. 
 Circular table with breakfast furniture. 
 
 A blind beggar at the door asking alms. 
 
 We have here a representation of a silk mercer’s shop, as seen 
 in the streets of Canton, completely furnished. This house and 
 shop, is the same size as the one previously noticed, and has been 
 arranged so as to afford an exact idea of a Chinese retail establish- 
 ment, The scene which it offers to our view, is more life-like than 
 anything else in the Collection. Two purchasers have been placed 
 
 F 
 
76 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 at the counter, one of whom is scrutinising a piece of silk that lies 
 before him. The owner, behind the counter, is carelessly leaning 
 forward, and intent on casting an account on the “calculating dish;” 
 while his clerk is busy making entries in a book, in doing which he 
 shews the Chinese mode of holding a pencil, which is placed perpen- 
 dicularly between the thumb and all the fingers. It is customary with 
 the Chinese shopkeepers to eat their daily meals in their places of busi- 
 ness ; in the present instance a servant is preparing breakfast. The 
 Chinese are early risers ; they have a saying, “ who ever would effect 
 any affair must employ the morning.” In the present viceroy of 
 Canton may be found a striking instance of this habit ; he may be fre- 
 quently seen transacting business at four o’clock in the morning. 
 The Emperor also affords a similar example to the court. A circular, 
 eight-legged table, very similar to those used by our great-grandfathers, 
 is spread at the end of the shop. Among its furniture, the ivory chop- 
 sticks are the most novel. On the visiter’s left hand sits a gentleman 
 with a pipe, apparently a chance comer, “just dropped in” about meal- 
 time ; at the door a blind beggar stands, beating two bamboo sticks 
 against each other, an operation with which he continues to annoy all 
 whom he visits, till he is relieved by some trifling gratuity, usually a 
 single cash. A small covered tub filled with tea, with a few cups near 
 it,‘ stand on the counter, from which customers are always invited to 
 help themselves. On a small tablet, placed upon the sliding door in 
 front of the shelves, are inscribed the characters, “ Tih kae ta keih,” 
 “ Whenever opened, great success.” 
 
 The merchants and shopkeepers of Canton are prompt, active, 
 obliging, and able. They can do an immense deal of business in a 
 short time, and all without noise, bustle, or disorder. Their goods are 
 arranged in the most perfect manner, and nothing is ever out of its 
 place. These traits assimilate them to the more enterprising of the 
 western nations, and place them in prominent contrast with the rest of 
 the Asiatics. It is confidently asserted, by those who have had the best 
 opportunities of judging, that, as business men, they are in advance of 
 Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese merchants. 
 
 It may not be amiss to remark, in connection with commerce and 
 business generally in China, that both pawnbroking and banking are 
 common in the large cities. The usual pawnbroking establishments are 
 similar to those of Europe, but governed by very strict laws, to prevent 
 the extortion of illegal and exorbitant interest. The banks are called 
 “ money shops,” and resemble, in some measure, the private banks of 
 England, each “money shop” being owned by an individual or firm; 
 for there are no chartered or privileged banking companies allowed in 
 China. Both pawnbrokers and the proprietors of “ money shops” must 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 77 
 
 be licensed, and they are not permitted to receive a higher interest than 
 two per cent, on clothing, and three per cent, a month on other goods, 
 or thirty per cent, a year ; and three years are allowed for the redemption 
 of goods, at the expiration of which period unredeemed pledges are sold. 
 Collectors of revenue deposit their receipts in the “ money shops,” the 
 owners of which pay them to government, after deducting a liberal 
 allowance for waste (as authorised by law), in reducing the silver to the 
 quality of government syoee (standard),* Private individuals deposit 
 sums in the “ money shops,” and draw on them, interest being some- 
 times agreed upon on either side ; but the Chinese banks issue no notes 
 or money on their own responsibility. 
 
 ^ There is a variety of amusing inscriptions on the scrolls hung up in 
 the interior of some of the shops, which serve at the same time to mark 
 the thrifty habits of the traders. A few specimens are subjoined — ■ 
 “ Gossiping and long sitting injure business.” Former customers 
 have inspired caution — no credit given.” “ A small stream alwa}^s 
 flowing.” “Goods genuine, prices true.” “Trade circling like a 
 wheel,” &c. 
 
 The sight of the breakfast-table naturally induces a few observations 
 on the articles of food and drink used by this people. The wealthier 
 Chinese are much adicted to gastronomic pleasures, and are as delicate 
 in their taste as any other epicures ; but pinching poverty makes the 
 mass as little fastidious as can well be conceived. They make little use 
 of beef or mutton, owing to the scarcity of pasturage. Of animal food, 
 the most universal is pork. Their maxim is “ The scholar forsakes not 
 his books, nor the poor man his pig.” Immense quantities of fish are 
 consumed. Ducks are reared in immense numbers, and wild fowl, of 
 various species, are abundant. The flesh of dogs, cats, rats, and mice, 
 enters into the bill of fare of the Chinese poor. The larvae of the 
 sphinx-moth, and a grub bred in the sugar-cane, are much relished ; as 
 also sharks’ fins, the flesh of wild horses, the sea-slug, and a soup made 
 of a species of birds’-nests. At an imperial feast given to the last 
 British embassy, a soup concocted of mares’ milk and blood was among 
 the dishes. The horse flesh and mares’ milk are confined to the Tar- 
 tars, the birds’-nests used only at ceremonies, and the sea-slug but 
 seldom. 
 
 Of vegetables they have a large variety, the most common is the “ pe- 
 tsae,” or “ white cabbage,” so called from the leaf-stalks being blanched, 
 and resembles a turnip in its mode of growth. Immense quantities of 
 this vegetable are seen daily in their markets. It is prepard and sold 
 
 * The term “ se-sze,” or “ floss-silk,” is applied to the stnndnvd silver, as denoting 
 its fineness and purity, from whence comes the word “sycee.” 
 
 F 2 
 
78 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 in a salted state. Rice is the most esteemed and the most abundant. 
 This is the chief thing for which they wish and work. Certain sailors 
 once asked Gutzlaff whether the western barbarians used rice, and as 
 be was rather slow in replying, they exclaimed, “ O, the sterile regions 
 of barbarians, which produce not the necessaries of life ; strange that the 
 inhabitants have not long ago died of hunger!” 
 
 The Chinese are not at all accustomed to water-drinking, and drink 
 nothing cold. They distil from rice certain liquors resembling our beer, 
 wines, and whiskey, and a strong spirit called Samshoo,” which is 
 drunk warm in small cups, at their meals, undiluted by water. The 
 grape, though abundant, is not used for any such purpose. 
 
 The universal national beverage is tea. This is drank in unstinted 
 quantities by all classes of the ' people, from the self-stjded “Son of 
 Heaven,” to the occupant of the meanest hovel or san-pan. Though 
 the Chinese sometimes take three meals in a day ; yet tea, which they 
 drink at all hours, is never served up for them with the formalities of 
 the European tea-table. So enormous is the consumption of tea by the 
 natives, that M‘Cartney is of opinion that, if the whole foreign demand 
 should by some accident, suddenly cease, the price of the article would 
 not be materially affected. Many of the wealthier natives are exceed- 
 ingly fastidious in their taste, which they gratify by the use of teas 
 obtained at prices that would startle us by their enormity. It is, 
 however, only the very rich and the very luxurious who indulge in such 
 extravagance. 
 
 CAgE XYIIIo *• ■ 
 
 356. Model of a boat of the largest size, appropriated to pleasure 
 
 parties, called “ Hwa-chow,” i. e., “ a flower-boat,” and fre- 
 quently occupied by the wealthy classes in summer evenings. 
 
 357. Pair of swords, to be used by both hands, but having one sheath. 
 
 The object in using this weapon is to hamstring the enemy. 
 
 358. Numerous specimens of tobacco pipes, of singular forms and 
 
 devices. 
 
 359. Opium pipes. 
 
 The mode of using opium in China is by smoking. In preparing 
 the drug for use, it is made into a decoction resembling molasses, and is 
 vended clandestinely by the retailers, by w^eight, in small china vessels. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 79 
 
 The pipes used are generally of this form, the principle of construction 
 being the same in all. In smoking, the end of a fine wire is dipped into 
 the preparation ; it is then held over a small lamp ; and, lastly, inserted 
 into the small aperture of the bowl of the pipe, which is held in an 
 inverted position. The smoke is inhaled, and retained as long as pos- 
 sible by the person, in a reclining posture. The baneful effects of this 
 deleterious drug are set forth in a late memorial to the Emperor from 
 one of the censors, laying open the evil in all its enormity, and shewing 
 its prevalence among certain classes. 
 
 I have learned,” says he, “ that those who smoke opium, and 
 eventually become its victims, have a periodical longing for it, which 
 can only be assuaged by the application of the drug at the regular time. 
 If they cannot obtain it when that daily period arrives, their limbs 
 become debilitated, a discharge of rheum takes place, from the eyes and 
 nose, and they are altogether unequal to any exertion ; but with a few 
 whiffs, their spirits and strength are immediately restored in a surprising 
 manner. This opium becomes, to opium smokers, their very life ; and 
 when they are seized and brought before magistrates, they will sooner 
 suffer a severe chatisement than inform against those who sell it.” 
 
 “ I had the curiosity to visit the opium smoker in his heaven : and 
 certainly it is a most fearful sight, although, perhaps, not so degrading 
 to the eye as the drunkard from spirits, lowered to the level of the brute, 
 and v/allowing in his filth. The idiotic smile and death-like stupor, 
 however, of the opium debauchee, has something far more awful to the 
 gaze than the beastiality of the other. ^ The rooms 
 
 where they sit and smoke are surrounded by wooden couches with 
 places for the head to rest upon, and generally a side room is devoted 
 to gambling. The pipe is a reed of about an inch in diameter, and the 
 aperture in the bowl for the admission of the opium is not larger than a 
 pin’s head. The drug is prepared by boiling and evaporation to the 
 consistence of treacle, and a very small portion is sufficient to charge it, 
 one or two whiffs being the utmost that can be inhaled from a single 
 pipe, and the smoke is taken into the lungs as from the hookah in India. 
 On a beginner, one or two pipes will have an effect, but an old stager 
 will continue smoking for hours. At the head of each couch is placed 
 a small lamp, as fire must be held to the drug during the process of 
 inhaling ; and from the difficulty of filling and properly lighting the pipe, 
 there is generally a person who waits upon the smoker to perform the 
 office. A fev/ days of this fearful luxury, when taken to excess, will 
 give a pallid and haggard look to the face ; and a few months, or even 
 weeks, will change the strong and healthy man into little better than an 
 idiot skeleton. The pain they suffer when deprived of the drug, after 
 long habit, no language can explain ; and it is only when, to a certain 
 
80 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 degree, under its influence, that their faculties are alive. In the houses 
 devoted to their ruin, these infatuated people may be seen, at nine in 
 the evening, at all the different stages ; some entering half distracted to 
 feed the craving appetite they had been obliged to subdue during the 
 day ; others laughing and talking wildly under the effects of a first pipe, 
 whilst the couches around are filled with their different occupants, who 
 lie languid, with an idiotic smile upon their countenance, too much under 
 the influence of the drug to care for passing events, and fast merging to 
 the wished-for consummation. The last scene in this tragic play is ge- 
 nerally a room in the rear of the building, a species of dead-house, where 
 lie stretched those who have passed into the state of insensibility the 
 opium-smoker madly seeks — an emblem of the long sleep to which he 
 is blindly hurrying.” * 
 
 360. An ivory ball, containing seven concentric spheres, cut from a 
 
 solid block. 
 
 361. Bridge of five arches, at Fa- tee, built of granite. 
 
 The solid and substantial manner in which the stone bridges are 
 built, can hardly fail to interest the visiter of this Collection ; while the 
 style, buttresses, breakwaters, &c., will remind him of the modern 
 structures of London and of Europe generally. It is remarkable, that the 
 Chinese construct arches without key-stones, as will be seen on reference 
 to these models. The blocks of stone, or rather slabs, which form the 
 level of their bridges, are frequently fourteen feet long by four or five 
 in breadth ; how they manage to place them in their proper positions 
 seems extraordinary, as no machinery for the purpose has been found, 
 and the Chinese assert it is accomplished merely by manual labour. 
 
 362. Long duck-gun with matchlock, 
 
 363. Air-gun (wooden barrel). 
 
 364. Leaden balls for air-gun. 
 
 365. Small iron shot, used by sportsmen as a matter of economy. 
 
 366. Match rope. 
 
 367. Chinese gunpowder, called “ Ho~y6,” “ fire drug.” 
 
 Although the proportions of the ingredients in the composition of 
 this article by the Chinese are nearly the same as those used by us, yet 
 it is ascertained that the quality of the former is far inferior to our own ; 
 proberbly on account of the imperfect admixture and impurities of the 
 ingredients. Nitre is the natural and daily produce of China, and being 
 one of the chief ingredients in its manufacture, as Sir George Staunton 
 observes, “ accordingly, the knowledge of gunpowder seems to be coeval 
 with that of the most distant historic events.” 
 
 368. Powder (buffalo) horns. 
 
 * Davis, Vol. n., p. 409. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 81 
 
 369. Small priming-horn. 
 
 370. Specimens of biick, one of which was taken from the ancient 
 
 pagoda on Lob creek, 
 
 371. Specimens of the stones of which the bridge at Fa»tee is built, 
 
 CHINESE WATEB-WHEEL. 
 
 On the top of this case (No. XVIII). is placed a model of a Chinese 
 water-wheel, worked by men in a similar way to a treadmill, called 
 “ Shwuy chay.” Sir George Staunton says : 
 
 “ Most eastern nations seem to have been acquainted at an early 
 period with a machine for raising v/ater, which was, however, un- 
 known in Europe till the Saracens introduced it into Spain, in an 
 imperfect state and under a very awkward form, being little more than 
 whisps of hay tied to a rope, which turned upon a wheel ; one part of 
 which being immersed in the water, each whisp imbibed a portion of 
 that fluid, and discharged it at the upper surface of the wheel ; but the 
 Chinese pump consists of a hollow wooden trunk, divided in the inside 
 along the middle, by a board, into two compartments. Flat and square 
 pieces of wood, corresponding exactly to the dimensions of the cavity 
 of the trunk, are fixed to a chain which turns over a roller, or small 
 wheel, placed at each extremity of the trunk. The square pieces of 
 wood fixed to the chain, move with it round the rollers, and lift up a 
 volume of water equal to the dimensions of the hollow trunk, and are 
 therefore called the lifters. The power used in working this machine 
 is applicable in three different ways. If the machine be intended to 
 lift a great quantity of water, several sets of large wooden arms are 
 made to project from various parts of the lengthened axis of the rollers, 
 over which the chains and lifters turn. Those arms are shaped like the 
 letter T, and made round and smooth for the foot to rest upon. The 
 axis turns upon two upright pieces of wood, kept steady by a pole 
 stretched across them. The machine being -fixed, men treading upon 
 the projecting arms of the axis, and supporting themselves upon a beam 
 across the uprights, communicate a rotary motion to the chain, the lifters 
 attached to v/hich draw up a constant and copious stream of water. 
 This manner of working the chain-pump is applied to the purpose of 
 draining grounds, transferring water from one pond, or cistern, to an- 
 other, or raising it to small heights out of rivers or canals. Anotlier 
 method of working this machine is by yoking a buffalo, or other animal 
 to a large horizontal wheel, connected by cogs with the axis of the 
 rollers, over which the lifters turn. This mode was observed by the 
 present travellers only at Chiisaii. 
 
82 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 “ A small machine of this kind is worked merely by the hand, with 
 the assistance of a trundle and simple crank, such as are applied to a 
 common grindstone, and fixed to one end of the axis of the chain-pump. 
 This last method is general throughout the empire. Every labourer is 
 in possession of such a portable machine ; an implement to him not less 
 useful than a spade to an European peasant. 
 
 “ The making of these machines gives employment to a great num- 
 ber of artificers.” 
 
 CASE XTIIIo Ao 
 
 Contains a model of a Chinese war junk, elaborately carved in ivory. 
 This unique specimen affords an admirable illustration of an art in which 
 » the Chinese excel. 
 
 372. Chair of state, with footstool, elaborately carved and gilt, corre- 
 sponding with another on the opposite side. 
 
 The visiter’s especial attention is directed to a pair of magnificent 
 lanterns suspended from the ceiling, immediately above the chairs. 
 These lanterns are of exquisite workmanship and beauty, and from their 
 expensive character in China, are seen only in the halls of the most 
 wealthy ; it is believed these are the only pair of the same magnitude 
 and richness ever brought from China. 
 
 374. 
 
 375. 
 
 376. 
 
 377. 
 
 378. 
 
 379. 
 
 380. 
 
 381. 
 
 382. 
 
 383. 
 
 C A § E I X.0 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY. 
 
 Eupoclomus Nycthemerus .... Pencilled Pheasant. 
 
 Polyplectron Hardwickii Diamond Pheasant. 
 
 Polyplectron Hardwickii, female . Diamond Pheasant. 
 
 Thaumalea Picta Golden Pheasant. 
 
 Thaumalea Picta, female Golden Pheasant. 
 
 Paradisea Sanguinea Sanguine Bird of Paradise. 
 
 Paradisea Apoda Greater Bird of Paradise. 
 
 Cicinnurus Regius King Bird of Paradise. 
 
 Paradisea Apoda Greater Bird of Paradise. 
 
 Cygnopsis Cygnoides Swan Goose. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 83 
 
 CASE XXo 
 
 This case, with the one on the opposite side of the room, corre- 
 sponding with it, is about fifteen feet high, and is covered with an exact 
 facsimile of a Chinese roof, each corner of which terminates in a golden 
 dragon, from whose fiery mouth depends a bell, such as we see in draw- 
 ings and models of pagodas. The dragon is an imperial emblem in. 
 China, and this fact explains the frequency with which we see the figure 
 in their various works of art. It is the badge, or coat of arms, affixed to 
 the books and standard of the Emperor. This case contains, and is 
 nearly filled, by a superb lantern, used only upon occasions of state. 
 The lantern is about ten feet in height, and four feet in diameter at the 
 two extremities, the frame is richly carved and gilt, and is covered 
 with crimson and white silk, adorned with the most costly and beautiful 
 embroidery. The tassels and bead-work which depend from the bottom, 
 and form a projecting portion at each corner of the upper part, are in 
 keeping with the rest. There are no less than two hundred and fifty- 
 eight crimson silk tassels, pendent from various parts. In short, this 
 national lantern is as magnificent as carving, gilding, silks, embroidery, 
 and bead- work can make it. 
 
 The bottom of the case is covered with numerous specimens of fans, 
 articles in universal use. Gentlemen as well as ladies carry fans, not 
 laying them aside even in cold weather. The construction of this ap- 
 pendage to the dress of every Chinese, differs according to the sex by 
 whom it is used, those of the former being made to fold up, as with us, 
 whilst those of the latter are invariably flat and of fanciful shapes. 
 
 In the recess at the back of the case XX. is placed a Chinese can- 
 non, taken by the British during the present war, at the capture of 
 Chusan. 
 
 The literal translation of the inscription on the face is as follows 
 
 CHINESE GANNON. 
 
 Kea-king. 
 14th year. 
 
 “ Cannon Architects,” 
 (Founders) 
 
 Meih Wan Tseu 
 Le Yew Shing 
 Lan Wan Shing. 
 
 Kwei Ming Ching 
 
 “ Heavy” 
 (weight) 
 
 8th moon. 
 
 500 Catties. 
 
 placed. 
 
 (/. e., cast.) 
 
84 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 CASE XXIo 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY. 
 
 385. Piiasianus Torquatus .... Ring-necked Pheasant. 
 
 386. Phasianus Torquatus, female Ring-necked Pheasant. 
 
 387. Aix GalericLilata 
 
 Chinese Teal, or “ Mandarin Duck.” 
 
 This bird deserves especial notice, from the brilliancy of its plumage 
 and the singularity of its wings. Its disposition, too, is as remarkable 
 as its beauty. The female never mates a second time. An interesting 
 anecdote, illustrative of this fact, is related by Mr. Davis : — “ From a 
 pair of these birds in Mr. Beale’s aviary at Macao, the drake happened 
 one night to be stolen. The duck was perfectly inconsolable, like 
 Calypso after the departure of Ulysses. She retired into a corner, 
 neglected her food and person, refused all society, and rejected with 
 disdain the proffer of a second love. In a few days, the purloined duck 
 was recovered and brought back. The mutual demonstrations of joy 
 were excessive ; and, what is more singular, the true husband, as if in- 
 formed by his partner of what had happened in his absence, pounced 
 upon the would-be lover, tore out his eyes, and injured him so much 
 that he soon after died of his wounds.” 
 
 388. Oriolus Chineusis Chinese Oriole. 
 
 389. Arborophila Sphenura .... Wedge -tailed Arborophila. 
 
 390. Acridotheres Cristatellus . . Crested Grackle. 
 
 391. Lanius Erythronotus Rufous-backed Shrike. 
 
 392. Centropus Lark-heeled Cuckoo. 
 
 393. Ceryle varia Eastern-pied Kingfisher, 
 
 394. Gallinula Gularis Gular Gallinule. 
 
 395. Coturnix communis Common Quail. 
 
 396. Fuligula cristata Tufted Duck. 
 
 397. Python bivittatus . . . Chinese Boa Constrictor, and a wild Cat. 
 
 CASE XXIIo 
 
 398. Roll ulus cristatus 
 
 Crested Rouloul. 
 
 399. Rollulus cristatus, female . . Crested Rouloul. 
 
 400. Gall us Bankiva 
 
 Javanese Jungle Cock. 
 
 This bird is the original of the domestic fowl. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 8o 
 
 401. Galliis Baiikiva, female . . . Javanese Jungle Hen. 
 
 402. Turnix Piignax Fighting Turnix. 
 
 403. Acriclotheres lalla ..... White-faced Pastor. 
 
 404. Palceornis Bengalensis . . . Blossom-headed Parakeet. 
 
 405. Acridotheres Sericeiis . . . . Silky Starling. 
 
 40G. Haematornis Jocosus .... Jocose Bulbul. 
 
 407. Merops Philippinus Philippine Bee-eater. 
 
 408. Palceornis Torquatus .... Ring-necked Parakeet. 
 
 409. Amadina Punctularia .... Cowry Finch 
 
 410. Amadina Oryzivora .... Java Sparrow. 
 
 411. Amadina Oryzivora, female . Java Sparrow. 
 
 412. Pyrrliulauda Gingica .... Gingi Lark. 
 
 413. Merops viridis Green Bee-eater. 
 
 414. Acridotheres Malabaricus . . Malabar Crackle. 
 
 415. Palceornis Torquatus, female Ring-necked Parakeet. 
 
 416. Amadina Malacca Malacca Finch. 
 
 417. Hydrophasianus Sinensis . . Chinese Jackana. 
 
 418. Psittacus Sinensis ...... Chinese Parrot. 
 
 419. Anser Albifrons White-fronted Goose. 
 
 420. Phalacrocorax ........ Cormorant. 
 
 421. Maiiis Javauica ....... Javanese Manis. 
 
 422. Manis Javauica ....... Javanese Manis. 
 
 423. Xenia ............ Gull. 
 
 424. Rhyncliaspis Clypeata .... Shoveler. 
 
 OASES XXIII-iVo 
 
 CONCllOLOGY. 
 
 in these cases are numerous labelled specimens of shelis from the 
 China seas. 
 
86 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 CASIE XXTo 
 
 SILVER WARE, ENAMEL, &c. 
 
 429 & 430. A pair of elegantly chased silver tankards, to contain hot 
 wine. 
 
 These afford a good specimen of native skill in this particular art. 
 Wine is said to have been introduced in the time of Yu (the Chinese 
 Noah), who, after partaking of the luxury, banished the maker, and 
 prohibited its use, remarking that, “ in future ages nations would be 
 ruined by it.” 
 
 431. A basket, beautifully wrought and enamelled, in silver wire, to 
 contain flowers. 
 
 432 & 433. A pair of pearl oyster-shells, richly carved, on one of which 
 there is a bee, ingeniously wrought out of gold wire ; a novel 
 and brilliant imitation of that useful insect. 
 
 434. A small antique porcelain vessel ; a specimen of this art in its ear- 
 
 liest stage. 
 
 435. Grotesque bronze “ Lion-unicorn,” on a carved stand, used as an 
 
 incense-holder ; an ancient specimen. 
 
 The figures given of this animal by the Chinese difier very much. 
 It appears to be a mere creature of imagination. One drawing of it 
 partly resembles the fabled griffon of the Greeks ; a spinous fin upon 
 the back, a large horn upon the forehead, the claws and teeth of a lion, 
 with the skin of a tiger, are its usual outlines. 
 
 436. A small Buddha idol, on a stand. 
 
 437. Grotesque lion and whelps, in coloured marble, on a stand. 
 
 438. An ancient “ Cup of Alliance,” used by the bride and bridegroom 
 
 at the “ excellent ceremony” (of marriage) in mutual pledging 
 each other in a cup of wine. 
 
 439 & 440. A pair of beautifully carved figures, from the root of the 
 bamboo, and stands. 
 
 441, A beautiful specimen of sculpture of the lotus (nymphwa nelumho)^ 
 
 442. A snuff-bottle, in lacquered ware, a beautiful specimen from Soo- 
 
 chow. 
 
 443 & 444. A pair of very beautiful ornamental stands, with marble 
 tops, on which are two flower-baskets, ingeniously wrought 
 in silver wire. 
 
 445. Antique enamelled vessel, to contain hot wine at feasts, of which 
 
 the Chinese are remarkably fond. 
 
 446. Enamelled bottle-shape flower-vase. 
 
 447 to 449. Three angient metallic figures of Buddha, or Full. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 87 
 
 450 & 451, Two marble idols. 
 
 452. A very ancient metallic figure on a tortoise., used as an incense 
 
 bolder. 
 
 453. A superb set of ivory chess-men, exquisitely carved, on a lac- 
 
 quered board ; the ball at the bottom of each piece has in it 
 several concentric spheres, 
 
 454. Elegantly lacquered box to contain paper, &c. 
 
 455 & 456. Three lacquered boxes, beautitully inlaid with mother-of- 
 pearl. 
 
 457. An ivory ball, containing seventeen concentric spheres, each one 
 being carved with a different pattern. The average time con- 
 sumed in carving each ball is about one month. 
 
 
 CASE XXYIo 
 
 ARTICLES OF VERTU. 
 
 458. A gentleman’s pocket mirror, the back of which is of ivory, with 
 
 beautifully carved figures. 
 
 459. A gentleman’s pocket mirror, with back of sandal-wood, carved in 
 
 a similar manner. 
 
 460. Richly carved ivory case, to contain a gentleman’s snuff-bottle. 
 461 & 462. Odoriferous beads, covered with silk, usually suspended at 
 
 the neck of the outer coat or jacket of Chinese women when 
 full dressed. 
 
 463. A pair of embroidered tobacco-pouches. 
 
 464. Ornamental stand, with imitations of fruit in silver wire, beauti- 
 
 fully executed. 
 
 465. An ornamental stand, in which is an apparatus of silver, consisting 
 
 of a tongue-scraper, tooth-pick, and ear-pick : these are gene- 
 rally appended to the girdle of the dress, attached by a chain 
 of the same metal. 
 
 466. Beads of odoriferous wood, from the seed vessel of a plant, some- 
 
 times used as buttons. 
 
 467. A bronze buffalo, used as an incense vessel. 
 
 468. Small ornamental stand, with porcelain vessel. 
 
 469. A pair of beautifully painted porcelain jars. 
 
 470 & 471. Ornamental stands, with specimens of carving in ivory, of 
 men, cattle, birds, &c. 
 
88 
 
 BESCHirTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 472. Pair of chop-sticks and knife, in a case of sandal- wood. 
 
 473 to 475. Cups of pressed glass, in imitation of those cut out of 
 valuable stones. 
 
 These are used for wincj at entertainments, which is always drank 
 warm. The wealthy Chinese use small golden cups, having the shape 
 of an antique vase, with two handles, some being square ; and at dinner 
 they are kept constantly filled by attendants, holding large silver vessels 
 like coffee-pots. — (See Case XXY., No. 445.) The Chinese mode of 
 pledging is singular, but has, at the same time, some resemblance to 
 our own. The person who wishes to do this courtesy to one or more 
 guests, gives them notice by an attendant ; then, taking the full cup 
 with both hands, he lifts it to the level of his mouth, and after making 
 a particular motion with his head, he drinks off the contents ; he waits 
 until the other party has done the same, and finally repeats the first nod 
 of the head, holding the cup downward before him, to shew that it is 
 quite empty. It is a compliment in China to tell a man that his ability 
 to drink wine is great. 
 
 476. Hosary, composed of beads, from the stones of the Pimela of 
 
 Louriero, or Chinese olive, carved in imitation of the Shih 
 Pa Lo Han, or eighteen disciples of Buddha. 
 
 477. A porcelain snuff-bottle. 
 
 478. Ancient marble figure on stand. 
 
 479. Small metallic candlestick. 
 
 480. A beautiful white porcelain vessel on stand. 
 
 481. Carved mother-of-pearl ornament, attached to the neck of the 
 
 outer garment. 
 
 482. A signet or hand-seal, placed upon official documents, on the top 
 
 of which is a representation of a lion and whelp. 
 
 The national seal is called “ Se,” and is made of some precious stone 
 bearing the words “the gem of the imperial pencil of ten thousand 
 springs others are made of gold, silver, or copper ; some are square, 
 and others oblong, which varieties are intended to mark the difference 
 of rank. The box containing the official seal, is generally covered with 
 yellow cloth. Dr. Morrison says, the Chinese phrase “ Fung yin,” i. e., 
 “to shut up the seal,” implies to desist from the ordinary business of 
 the public courts in the last month of the year ; and “ to open out the 
 seal,” implies a recommencement of public business, after ending the 
 new year’s holidays, which continue from about the twentieth of the 
 twelfth moon to the twentieth of the first moon. 
 
 483. Glass-box for containing the red pigment used with seals. 
 
 484. Model of a mandarin’s couch, called “Kang,” which occasionally 
 
 answers for abed ; it is made of the wood “ Muh wang,” and 
 is richly carved. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 89 
 
 In the north of China, during the cold weather, these couches are 
 warmed by fire underneath. They were introduced by the Tartars. 
 In the centre of the seat is placed a small table, “ Kang chb tsze,” to 
 receive tea and other refreshments, whilst two persons sit one on each 
 side of it ; stools for the feet are placed in front. 
 
 485. Metallic incense vessel. 
 
 486 to 488. Three ornamented stands, in which are variegated marbles, 
 covered with sculptured hieroglyphics, and which are held by 
 the Chinese in religious veneration. 
 
 489. Small ornamental stand, with porcelain vessel. 
 
 490. Copper east of Buddha, w'orshipped by the religious sect in China, 
 
 on a stand of hard wmod. 
 
 491 . Beautiful specimen of variegated marble, with rude natural resem- 
 
 blances of birds and animals, in a richly carved frame. 
 
 492. Specimen of painting on glass, with an astrological device, in richly 
 
 carved frame. 
 
 CASE 2IXYII0 
 
 SMALL ARTICLES IN FINE PORCELAIN. 
 
 493. Three tea-pots and sundry cups. The inside is of porcelain, the 
 
 outside of white copper. 
 
 These afford a good specimen of a singular application of this metal, 
 being formed in a very puzzling manner over a porcelain vessel of the 
 same shape, which appears as an interior lining. The handles and 
 spouts are of the stone called to which the Chinese give the name 
 of “ yu.” The outsides of these tea-pots are covered with sentences, ex- 
 pressive of the excellencies of good tea. 
 
 494. Porcelain dish, in form of a leaf, with imitation fruit. 
 
 495. Porcelain snuff-bottle, of great beauty, with stopper of red corne- 
 
 lian, attached to which is a tortoise-shell spoon. 
 
 496. Perforated porcelain vessels, for sweet-scented flowers. 
 
 497 . Brown porcelain tea-pot, of singular form. 
 
 498. Another porcelain tea-pot, with maxims inscribed on it. 
 
 499. Very curious porcelain box, in form of a crab, with moveable eyes 
 
 and feet. 
 
 500. Singular and ancient tea-pot, having no lid. The tea is put in 
 
 at the bottom, and the orifice is then stopped, the object of 
 which is to prevent the escape of the aroma of the tea. 
 
90 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 501. Very small tea-pot of brown ware, and porcelain cup of very small 
 
 dimensions. 
 
 These are not toys, as they are sometimes supposed to be, but are 
 used in making the finest and most expensive kinds of tea. Teas in 
 China are sold at prices varying from a few cents to several dollars 
 per catty the most costly kinds are never exported, as they would 
 not bear the exposure of a distant voyage. A small canister of pecu- 
 liarly fine tea accompanies the above. 
 
 502. Vessel to contain hot wine, “ tsew hing,” at dinners. 
 
 503. Perforated porcelain vessel, resembling an orange. 
 
 504. Very ancient tea-pot, but similar to the more modern, except in 
 
 the handle ; the outer surface being cracked in the burning. 
 505 & 506. Two porcelain bowls of great beauty. 
 
 507. A small portable furnace, made of a species of fire clay. 
 
 508. A vessel of clay, in common use, for the purpose of cooking rice. 
 
 509. A figured tile, used for paving court-yards. 
 
 510. A kettle made of clay, for boiling water. This vessel is, in general 
 
 use in China, and is of the least expensive kind ; the retail price 
 is about one farthing each. 
 
 CASE XXTIIIo 
 
 ARTICLES OF VERTU. 
 
 511. Lady’s silk embroidered tobacco-pouch. 
 
 512. Gentleman’s silk embroidered tobacco-pouch. 
 
 513. Ornamental stand, with grotesque sculptured human figure. 
 
 514. Mariner’s compass, called by the Chinese, “ The needle pointing 
 
 to the south.” 
 
 515. Gentleman’s embroidered pockets. 
 
 516 & 517. Buttons worn on mandarins’ caps to denote their rank. 
 518. Ancient Chinese coins of different reigns. The inscriptions on 
 them are in the antique seal character, which is a species of 
 black letter in China. There are few persons, even Chinese, 
 who are well versed in it. There are also the coins of the 
 Ta-Tsing, or present Tartar dynasty. 
 
 A catty is one pound and one- third. 
 
THE CHINESE COELECTION. 
 
 91 
 
 519. Pair of washed metallic rings, put on the arms of females when 
 
 young, and never taken off ; also, a washed metallic pin for 
 the hair. 
 
 520. Pair of spectacles of peculiar construction. 
 
 521. Model of a couch, the panels and seat of which are of marble. 
 
 522. Rings of the jade-stone, as 519. 
 
 523. Hair pins of the jade-stone. 
 
 524. Ladies’ ear-rings of coloured glass. 
 
 525. Pair of spectacles, with tortoise-shell frame and embroidered case. 
 
 526. Swan-pan, or calculating board. 
 
 527. Ornamental stand, with marble-top, on which is a plate of arti- 
 
 ficial fruit, and several coloured glass snuff-bottles. 
 
 528. Specimens of beautifully embossed lacquered Vv^are from Soochov/, 
 
 in which are a pair of ear-rings. 
 
 529. Stand with grotesque figure, and antique copper vessel in form of 
 
 a duck, used to contain water for diluting the Chinese ink. 
 
 530. Pallet and cover, for mixing ink. 
 
 531. Lady’s work-basket, ingeniously wrought in bamboo. 
 
 532. Stone medallions, with hieroglyphics, used as amulets or charms. 
 
 533. Pencil-holder, made of the bark of a tree. 
 
 534 & 535. Rosaries of coloured beads. 
 
 536. Mandarin’s girdle and clasp. 
 
 537. Porcelain plate and artificial fruit. 
 
 538. Winnowing machine, used in siftmg tea, having two spouts, to 
 
 ascertain the proportion of dust, called “ fung-kwei,” or “ wind 
 devil.” 
 
 539 & 540. Gentleman’s girdle. The ends are very ingeniously wrought 
 in braid, representing a basket of flowers. 
 
 541. A feather fan of the Chinese goose. 
 
 542. Another of the Argus pheasant. 
 
 CASE XXIXo 
 
 SMALL ARTICLES OF FINE PORCELAIN. 
 
 543. Beautifully enamelled vessel (on copper), to hold flowers. 
 
 544 & 545. Porcelain rice dishes. 
 
 546 & 547. A pair of rich porcelain vases, with figures inlaid with gold. 
 548. Very ancient porcelain vessel, to hold soy made from the Dolichos 
 Soja, There are large manufactories of soy at Honan. 
 
 G 
 
92 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 549. Curious small porcelain tea-pot. 
 
 550 & 551. Two finely painted porcelain tea-cups and covers, with 
 written sentences on each. These are of a superior kind, and 
 are designated “ egg-shell porcelain.” 
 
 552. Porcelain vessel, of beautiful texture, for holding rice or soup. 
 
 553. Enamelled tea-cup, cover, and stand ; curious, but rarely used. 
 
 554. Beautifully painted porcelain pencil- holder, on carved stand. 
 
 555. Eight richly painted porcelain cups, forming a set. 
 
 556 & 557. A pair of white porcelain jars, on which are paintings of 
 some of the highest mandarins in their state robes. 
 
 558. Small porcelain vessel, for liquors. 
 
 559 to 561. Three large dishes, being beautiful specimens of enamel 
 on copper. These are used at marriage entertainments of the 
 wealthy. 
 
 562 & 563. Two large China-ware tea-buckets, used by labourers, 
 &c., while engaged at their work. 
 
 SILK MANUFACTURES. 
 
 The different specimens of silk and other manufactures exhibited 
 in this case, and also in No. XXXI., are made expressly for native use, 
 the style and quality being peculiarly their own, and are not exported 
 as merchandise. 
 
 564. Coloured figured crapes, for spring and autumn wear. 
 
 565. Specimens of coloured satins, made near Canton. 
 
 566. Figured satin, used for lining, &c. ^ 
 
 567. Reels of coloured silk used for tying silk goods. 
 
 5 67 A. Tsatlee raw silk. 
 
 567B. Canton raw silk. 
 
 568. Light coloured silks, for summer wear. 
 
 569. Beautiful specimen of silk manufacture — a piece of coloured satin, 
 
 having two faces, the one crimson, and the other green. 
 
 570. Coloured silks, for linings. 
 
 571. Figured silk, for winter wear. 
 
 572. Figured silk, for edgings of garments. 
 
 573. Damask silk, for winter wear. 
 
 574. Figured summer silks. 
 
 575. Coloured silks, for gentlemen’s summer wear. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 9, 
 
 CASE XXXIo 
 
 SILK AND COTTON MANUFACTURES. 
 
 576. Specimens of silks, used principally for linings of winter dresses, and 
 
 sometimes forming part of the summer costume of the wealthy. 
 
 577. Specimens of grass-cloth, made of a species of hemp, much used 
 
 in China ; the coarser kind for the poorer orders, the finer for 
 the rich. This is a cooler article than the French cambric. 
 
 578. Cotton check, in extensive use in China, which, it will be seen, 
 
 bears a strong resemblance to our own manufacture. 
 
 579. Specimens of linen and cotton goods, used for bed covers. 
 
 580. Crimson cotton, for lining. 
 
 581. Black silk velvet, used for facing winter felt caps. 
 
 582 & 583. Silks, as 576. 
 
 584. Dyed grass-cloths. 
 
 585. Common brown cotton, resembling American manufacture — about 
 
 sixteen inches wide, and costs from four to five cents per yard. 
 
 586. Cotton musquito netting. 
 
 587. Coarsest kind of grass-cloth, used by the poorest classes, and 
 
 sometimes by the rich for mourning. 
 
 588. Striped baglapore, used for gentlemen’s summer dresses in China. 
 
 589. Dyed cottons for linings, 
 
 590. Damask striped silk, for edges of gentlemen’s dresses. 
 
 590A. Silk wadding, each sheet being the produce of one cocoon. 
 
 CASE XXXIIo 
 
 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 
 
 591. Chinese flute, called seaou. 
 
 592. Guitar, called san-heen. 
 
 593. Musical instrument, called heen-kin, strongly resembling the 
 
 harmonican ; the tones being remarkably clear and melodious. 
 The small slips of bamboo are used to strike the strings. 
 
 594. Guitar of ebony ; the ball is covered with part of a snake’s skin ; 
 
 the name in Chinese is woo-pa. 
 
 595. A wind instrument, called sang. The tones emitted by this 
 
 instrument are very similar to the music of the Scotch bagpipes. 
 
 596. Guitar, called “yue-kin,” or “ moon-lyre,” in allusion to its circular 
 
 form . 
 
 g2 
 
94 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 597. A kind of mnscal pipe. 
 
 598. Musical cups, a part of every Chinese band of music. 
 
 599. Musical instrument, cut out of a solid block, and hollow, giving a 
 
 peculiar sound when beaten with a stick. It is struck to mark 
 the intervals of the religious services in temples, &c., and to 
 beat time in music. 
 
 600. Violin, denominated ye-yin. 
 
 601. Guitar, called yih-pa, an instrument in very common use. 
 
 602. A species of harp, called chung. 
 
 603. Small gong, called lo-tseih. 
 
 604. Plates of hard wood on which time is beaten. They are also used 
 
 by beggars to produce a loud noise at shop doors, and thus 
 compel the inmates to bestow a small sum of money on them 
 in charity. The Chinese name is cha-pan. 
 
 605 & 606. Brass trumpets. 
 
 607. Trumpets. 
 
 608. A framework of metallic plates, each producing a different sound, 
 
 and struck with the small bamboo sticks. 
 
 609. Small cymbals. 
 
 610. Musical pipe, as 597. 
 
 611. Brass horns, that draw out as a telescope. 
 
 612. Kind of drum, called hwuy-koo. 
 
 The Chinese do not employ catgut in stringing their instruments, but 
 substitute silk and wire. Sounding-boards are not used. According to 
 Mr. Huttner, one of the attaches of Lord Macartney’s embassy, the gamut 
 of the Chinese is very imperfect. They have no knowledge of semi- 
 tones, counterpoint, or parts in music. Harmonies are never attempted : 
 whatever the number of performers, there is always one melody. 
 
 In the manufacture of musical instruments, they make use of a wood 
 called woo-tung. This tree is very remarkable. It is said to be so ex- 
 ceedingly regular in casting its leaves, that the natural fall of one is a 
 certain indication of autumn. 
 
 CAglE XXXIIIo 
 
 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, 
 
 613. Chinese gong, a musical instrument used in temples, and before 
 the mandarins, and at the private theatrical entertainments, 
 &c., &c., called “ Tung-loo.” The highly sonorous nature of 
 this instrument is attributed to a large proportion of tin in 
 combination with copper. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 95 
 
 614. Another gong, smaller than the above, but of louder sound. 
 
 615. Cymbals, called seaou-po. 
 
 616. A kind of kettle-drum, made of pig’s hide, on a stand. 
 
 617. Musical instruments used in temples, having the sound of a bell. 
 The two upper sections of this case contain numerous labelled 
 
 mineralogical specimens. 
 
 CASE XXXITo 
 
 JOINERS’ TOOLS, &c. 
 
 618. Specimens of wrought-iron nails, spikes, &c. 
 
 619. Three padlocks, of curious construction. 
 
 620. A carpenter’s marking-line, called “ Mih-tow-seen,” in the use 
 
 of which a black line is made instead of white, as with us. 
 
 621. A complete set of tools for working in ivory. 
 
 622. Small hand-saw, in the use of which a contrary motion is made 
 
 to our own ; the teeth being reversed the saw is drawn towards 
 the workman, and is always set at an angle from the back. 
 
 The compasses in use among the Chinese are without legs ; the 
 instrument consists of a straight stick, having a pin at each end ; ono 
 of which serves as a pivot, while the other, set at any given distance, 
 describes the circle. 
 
 In the middle and lower sections of this case is a complete set of 
 carpenters’ and joiners’ tools, from the rough jack-plane to the smallest 
 tools for the execution of the finest carving. In China the building of 
 a house and the beautiful embellishments are both executed by the 
 same workman. 
 
 CASES XXXV-VIo 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 These cases contain numerous specimens in natural liistory ; ser- 
 pents, lizards, toads, and lislies, some of which arc cxcectlingly small. 
 
96 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 CASES XXXTII-YIIIo 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 These cases also contain numerous specimens in natural history 
 from the Chinese waters. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 CASE XXXIXo 
 
 CUTLERY, CASTINGS, &c. 
 
 623. Implements used in splitting wood. 
 
 624. Cleavers used by butchers. 
 
 625 & 626. Tailors’ scissors, the blades of which are hollowed on the 
 inside. 
 
 627. A set of caponising instruments. 
 
 628. Portable anvil, carried by itinerant blacksmiths. 
 
 629. Sickles for rice, in which are teeth like a saw. 
 
 630. Knives for cutting leather. 
 
 631. Iron skewers for stringing fish. 
 
 632 & 634. Meat knives. 
 
 633. Reaping hook. 
 
 635. A wood cleaver. 
 
 636. Sickles for rice, 
 
 637 & 638. Wire baskets, to which are attached handles. These are 
 used to contain live charcoal to dry any particular article. 
 
 539 & 640. Large fish knives. 
 
 641. Steel rat trap, similar to the European. 
 
 642. Pestle and mortar. 
 
 643. Bricklayer’s trowel. 
 
 644. An iron shoe attached to hoes. 
 
 645. Cast-iron vessels, very thin, for cooking rice, and frying meat, &c. 
 
 646. Vessel of cast-iron, for various uses. 
 
 647. Rat-trap, of common but rude construction. 
 
 648. Stonecutters’ hammer. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 97 
 
 CASE XEo 
 
 CHINESE BOOKS. 
 
 649. Specimens of Chinese books, with the titles on the ends, shewing 
 
 the mode of binding, with the envelope. 
 
 650. Printing block of wood, resembling in its use our stereotype 
 
 plates. 
 
 All printing in China is executed from blocks of this kind, in the 
 following manner : — The printer holds in his hand what may be termed 
 a double brush, having one handle, — that below his hand is charged 
 with ink, with which he supplies the face of the characters engraved on 
 the block before him ; the paper, which is very thin, and somewhat 
 resembles what is termed by us silver paper, is next placed on the 
 block, and the dry brush is run over the surface, thereby completing 
 the impression. The operation is very quick, and from 2,000 to 3,000 
 may be taken off in a day by a single workman. From the paper 
 being so thin and transparent, it is printed on one side only, and each 
 printed sheet, consisting of two pages, is folded back at a dividing line, 
 given in the printing, bringing the unprinted or blank pages together. 
 The fold is therefore on the outer edge of the volume, contrary to our 
 mode, being stitched at the opposite margin. Under the dynasty Sung, 
 moveable characters made of clay, baked hard, were used, but the 
 printing by no means equalled the present mode. Many of the books 
 in this case have covers of Muh-wang wood. 
 
 651. Very small book, used as an amulet. Another of the same kind 
 
 is exhibited below, open. Books of this kind are sometimes 
 smuggled by the students at their examination, as likely to 
 escape detection from their small size, and are secreted in the 
 sleeve of their garment. 
 
 652. Buddhist book, filled with plates, representing their future pun- 
 
 ishments. Drawings of their punishments are frequently seen 
 in this and other countries, and are erroneously supposed to 
 represent those actually inflicted upon criminals by the Chinese 
 laws. 
 
 653. Book of manuscripts. 
 
 654 & 655. “ Lc Ke,” or “ Book of Rights and Ceremonies.” 
 
 656. Imperial temple dictionary. 
 
 657. Book of ancient seal characters. 
 
 658. Representations of the religious ceremonies of the Buddliists. 
 
 659. Book of architectural drawings, with silk margin, and wooden 
 
 covers. 
 
98 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 CASE XEIo 
 
 FRUITS, TEAS, &c., &c. 
 
 I. A specimen of a dwarf tree, for which the Chinese are so 
 celebrated. 
 
 The practice of dwarfing forest trees is common among the Chinese, 
 and is considered as a test of the gardener’s skill ; bamboos, cypresses, 
 orange, and a species of elm tree are thus treated ; and when well 
 stunted and distorted, these victims of fashion often bear extravagant 
 prices. The following is the mode as practised by the Chinese : — The 
 thick branch of a fruit tree is deprived of a ring of bark, and the place 
 covered round with a lump of rich loam. This is kept moist, and when 
 the radicles have pushed into the loam, the whole is taken off and placed 
 in a shallow pot. The branches most loaded with blossoms are selected, 
 and the abscission taking place when the fruit is nearly ripe, they are in 
 that state sold in flower-pots. When the dwarfing process is intended 
 to be in imitation of old forest trees, the branch which has pushed 
 radicles into the surrounding loam is separated from the tree, and planted 
 in a shallow earthenware flower-pot, of an oblong shape. The pot is 
 then filled with small lumps of alluvial clay, sufficient to supply a scanty 
 nourishment to the plant, and water is added in a regulated quantity. 
 The branches are repressed by cutting and burning, and bent into shapes 
 resembling those of an old forest tree in miniature. Roughness is pro- 
 duced in the bark by smearing it with sweet substances that attract 
 ants ; and the plant in time acquires the desired smallness of leaf, and 
 general stunted appearance. The elm is most frequently used for this 
 purpose : nor do the dwarfs require any further attention, when once 
 fashioned, than to have the young shoots kept down by clipping. 
 
 Trees of this description live to a considerable age ; this specimen 
 was brought from China while in full health, having been kept in the 
 same flower-pot upwards of fifty years. 
 
 II. Another tree of the same description, shewing the manner in 
 which the root is twisted, so as to afford as little nourishment to the 
 tree as possible, in order to obtain the required smallness of leaf. 
 
 III. Bird’s nest of a species of swallow peculiar to the Indian Islands, 
 Hirundo esculenta, well known as an important article of the commerce 
 of the Chinese, arising from their indulgence in this very whimsical 
 luxury. This specimen is in its natural state, as taken from the rocks. 
 
 IV. A part of the bird’s nest, as above, in an edible state. In this 
 state it is made into soup, and sold at a price that would startle some of 
 our own countrymen who are addicted to gastronomic pleasures. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 99 
 
 The natural history of the swallow from which these nests are taken 
 is not very accurately understood. 
 
 The esculent nest here seen is always the produce of the swallow 
 that builds in the caves of rocks, at a distance from the habitation of 
 man. The caves where these nests are found are frequently, but not 
 always, on the sea side. In Java, very productive caves are found at 
 least fifty miles from the sea. The quality, and consequently the price, 
 of the nests mainly depend upon the time they are taken from the 
 caves ; the finest kind being those that are taken from deep damp 
 caves, and such as are procured before ;the birds have laid their eggs. 
 The coarsest are those obtained after the young are fledged. 
 
 The most remarkable and productive caves in Java, are those of 
 Karang-bolang, in the province of Baglen, on the south coast of the 
 island. Here the caves are only to be approached by a perpendicular 
 descent of many hundred feet, by ladders of bamboo and rattan, over a 
 sea rolling violently against the rocks. When the mouth of the cavern 
 is attained, the perilous office of taking the nests must often be per- 
 formed by torch light, by penetrating into recessess of the rock where 
 the slightest slip would be instantly fatal to the adventurers, who see 
 nothing below them but the turbulent surf dashing among the chasms 
 of the rock. 
 
 V. Chinese, fruit, called Le-che {Dimo carpus), from the province 
 of Fokien. Of this fruit there are many varieties, arising chiefly from 
 situation, and the care bestowed on its cultivation. It is not found in 
 the northern provinces, but has been introduced into the Archipelago 
 from China. 
 
 VI. and VII. Two other varieties of Le-che. 
 
 VIII. Longans, or Lung yen (Dragon’s eye), so called from its 
 resemblance to the eye-ball, when divested of its shell. This is another 
 variety of the above fruit. 
 
 IX. Chinese olive {Cannarimri), This fruit has been so called, 
 merely from the colour and shape somewhat resembling that from the 
 Levant ; it is a very ordinary fruit, and is usually pickled. 
 
 A considerable portion of the food of the Chinese consists of fruit, 
 which is, at least in the southern parts of the empire, both cheap and 
 abundant. Fruit-stalls line the sides of the streets, and baskets full 
 fill the doorways of shops. The variety is not so great as in western 
 countries, where exotic fruits arc added to the indigenous ; nor is 
 the flavour of Chinese fruit, us a whole, equal to that of other lands, 
 where skill and science have combined to improve the productions of 
 nature. 
 
 I’he Chinese have no general name for the orange, each variety (of 
 which there are several) bearing a different name. This fruit is very 
 
100 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 abundant in the winter season, and species of the genus, especially the 
 citron and kin keuh, are Raised in pots as ornamental shrubs. 
 
 The peach is cultivated in China, though it is not usually allowed 
 to attain its full maturity on the tree. This practice of plucking fruits, 
 before they are fully ripe, is very common in China, and is often the 
 chief reason of their insipidity. The peach-tree is a great favourite with 
 the Chinese, and its budding leaves, opening flowers, and general beauty, 
 furnish abundant metaphors to their poets. The pears of China often 
 grow to a large size, but their flavour, as well as that of the apple, is far 
 inferior to the same fruit in England and elsewhere. 
 
 The quince and the papaw are both called “ tree-melon ; ” the former 
 bears another name, “ the fruit of ten thousand ages,” given to it from 
 its unwithering nature. 
 
 X. Chinese gas-light toys. These are a preparation of sandal-wood, 
 &c., one end being ignited, the gas is forced out through an aperture 
 in the opposite direction. 
 
 XI. Chinese tobacco ; in very general use among all classes, and is 
 smoked by ladies as well as gentlemen. Cigars are made of the tobacco 
 leaf rolled in paper, and so made use of ; but in making cigars for 
 foreigners, the leaf forms the wrapper as with us. 
 
 XII. Anomia Placenta, or pearl-shell, used by the Chinese as a 
 substitute for glass in windows (see No. 1341). 
 
 XIII. Very superior isinglass, used by the Chinese in soups and 
 made dishes, similar to our vermicelli. 
 
 XIV. Another kind, but inferior in quality. 
 
 XV. A packet of pounded rice in an envelope of parchment ; im- 
 ported into China from Japan, and used by the Chinese medicinally. 
 
 XVI. Specimen of flne black tea, locally called “ wheat-sheaves,” 
 from its form being similar to a sheaf of wheat. 
 
 The parcels of tea in this section of the case are of a very flne quality, 
 and such as are never exported as merchandise, but are sent as presents 
 by the Chinese merchants to their friends. 
 
 XVII. Specimen of the “ Tea-brick.” Accordingly to Timkowski 
 the usual medium of exchange in Tartary is tea, made up into the shape 
 of bricks, as here seen ; it is pressed into flat cakes while green, from 
 which it takes its name. 
 
 XVIII. Part of a similar brick as already described, though of a 
 different quality. 
 
 XIX. Specimen of flne black teas (as in XVI.), locally termed “ tea- 
 faggots ;” the quality is very flne and is always used as expressed above. 
 
 XX. Ball of black tea. 
 
 XXI. Another variety of black tea packed in small globular parcels 
 and esteemed for its quality. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTIONo 
 
 101 
 
 XXII. Another tea-brick, as before described. 
 
 XXIII. A different variety of black tea, packed in a singular form, 
 and enveloped in a dried leaf. 
 
 XXIV. Specimen of Chinese writing paper, with Chinese or 
 “ Indian” ink, a small slab, and writing pencil. 
 
 The materials used in the manufacture of paper in China are various. 
 The coarse yellow paper, used for wrapping parcels, is made from rice 
 straw. The finer kinds are composed of the inner bark of a species of 
 morus, as well as of silk and cotton, but generally of bamboo, as in the 
 specimen here exhibited. The sheets are usually three feet and a half in 
 length, and two in breadth. The fine paper used for letters is polished, 
 after sizing, by rubbing it with smooth stones. 
 
 The writing apparatus of a Chinese scholar consists of a square or 
 cake of ink, a small black slab of schistus or slate, polished smooth, with 
 a slight cavity at one end to hold water, a finely pointed hair pencil, and 
 a supply of water. These four articles, the ink, the slab, the pencil, and 
 the paper, are called “ the four precious implements ; ” a phrase indicative 
 of their high respect for letters. 
 
 XXV. A card of invitation to an entertainment given by Howqua, 
 on attaining his sixtieth year, addressed to the owner of this Collection. 
 The preparations for this banquet were of the most extensive character, 
 and the sumptuous entertainment lasted two weeks. The expense 
 incurred upon this occasion was nearly 200,000 dollars, or £40^000 
 sterling. 
 
 The literal translation is as follows : — “ On the seventeenth day, the 
 spring tea waits for the splendour of your presence. (I) most respect- 
 fully announce the felicitous season, and worshipfully invite you at six 
 o’clock.” 
 
 XXVI. A Chinese congratulatory letter and envelope. 
 
 XXVII. Chinese drugs, consisting chiefly of herbs and otlier sim- 
 ples, together with a native physician’s prescription. 
 
 The shop of an apothecary in Canton is said to contain, usually, not 
 less than three hundred medicines, yet the most intelligent Chinese 
 affirm that forty or fifty only are absolutely necessary in medical 
 practice. No license is required for engaging in the practice of medi- 
 cine in China ; but the physician must beware lest his nostrums fail to 
 have the desired effect. 
 
 The penal code of China provides against the attempts of mere 
 pretenders to the healing art, by the punishment of those who depart 
 from the established forms. In cases of mere ignorance, the empiric is 
 punished as a thief, for the property he has thus obtained ; but where 
 death ensues from wilful mismanagement of the physician, the punish- 
 ment is death by decapitation. 
 
102 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 C § IE XMIo 
 
 CHINESE SUMMER AND WINTER CAPS. 
 
 660. Black satin cap, worn by the Buddhist priests. 
 
 661 & 662. Summer caps, worn by private gentlemen. 
 
 663. Gentleman’s satin winter cap. 
 
 664. Embroidered canonical head-dress. 
 
 665. Winter caps, made of crape. 
 
 666. A gentleman’s cap, made of a sort of felt, and worn in winter, 
 
 called “ Maou-chen.” 
 
 667 & 668. Children’s embroidered caps. 
 
 669. A gentleman’s winter cap, made of crape and velvet. 
 
 670 & 671. A pair of gentlemen’s strong leather boots, for wet weather. 
 672 & 673. Ladies’ small leather boots for wet weather. 
 
 674. Ladies’ small leather shoes, with wooden soles. 
 
 675. Ladies’ leather boots of a small size. 
 
 676. Women’s leather shoes with wooden soles. 
 
 (DA'SIE XLIIIo 
 
 CHINESE SHOES. 
 
 677. Shoes for ladies having large feet, of which a great variety is 
 
 exhibited in this case. The lower part of the soles is formed 
 of dressed pig’s skin, the rest of compressed paper. 
 
 678. Shoes for ladies having small feet, called by the Chinese “kin- 
 
 leen,” “ golden lilies.” 
 
 679. Shoes for ladies, same as 677. 
 
 680 & 681. Children’s summer shoes. 
 
 682. Children’s shoes, the upper part made of grass. 
 
 683 & 684. Pair of ladies’ small shoes, the upper part made of grass. 
 
 685. Gentlemen’s shoes of various patterns. 
 
 686. Gentlemen’s shoes for wet weather, the upper part being of satin, 
 
 the lower of wood. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 103 
 
 CABE XlLITo 
 
 SMALL PORCELAIN ARTICLES. 
 
 687. A porcelain night-lamp. 
 
 688. A porcelain medicinal vessel. 
 
 689. A small porcelain flower-pot. 
 
 690 & 691. Two porcelain lamps, in common nse. 
 
 692. An ancient porcelain tea-pot. 
 
 693 to 695. Porcelain spoons and stands, in general nse. 
 
 696. A small porcelain medicinal vessel. 
 
 697. A porcelain tea-pot, for boat use, suspended by wires from eyes in 
 
 the upper part. 
 
 698. Several brown porcelain tea-pots, to which the Chinese are very 
 
 partial. 
 
 699. A porcelain medicinal vessel. 
 
 700 & 701. Two porcelain dishes divided into compartments for sweet- 
 meats. 
 
 702. Beautifully painted rice dish. 
 
 703 & 704. Two small white porcelain sweetmeat dishes. 
 
 705. A porcelain rice jar. 
 
 706 & 707. Two very richly painted hand-basins. 
 
 70S. A large flower-pot wdth raised figures, of a peculiar ware, resem- 
 bling bronze. 
 
 CABE XETo 
 
 SMALL PORCELAIN ARTICLES. 
 
 709 & 710. Two very beautiful porcelain plates, on the former of which 
 are written sentences, with various painted figures. 
 
 711. A small porcelain vessel, on which is painted a grotesque figure of 
 a “kwei.” 
 
 712 & 713. Two beautifully painted cups, with covers and stands, of 
 egg-shell china. 
 
 714 & 715. Two other cups, of a different pattern. 
 
 716 & 717. Two small porcelain tea-pots, on wdiich are painted several 
 figures and different maxims. 
 
 718 & 719. Tw^o elegantly painted plates, and various cups of the finest 
 porcelain. 
 
 720. A small and very ancient porcelain tea-pot. 
 
104 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 721 & 722. Two small porcelain plates, exquisitely painted. 
 
 723 & 724. A pair of beautifully painted flower-jars. 
 
 725 & 726. A pair of flower-pots, painted and gilt. 
 
 727 & 728. A pair of smaller flower-pots. 
 
 729 & 730. A pair of porcelain tea-cups with stands and covers, the 
 workmanship of which is of the most gorgeous description. 
 
 731. A porcelain flower-jar. 
 
 732. A porcelain vase, a style of ware highly esteemed by the Chinese. 
 The lower section of this case is entirely filled with porcelain ware 
 
 of the richest description. 
 
 CASE XEYEo 
 
 ARTICLES OF VERTU, &c. 
 
 733 & 734. Two silk girdles to confine the dress, which every gentle- 
 man in China wears. 
 
 735. A porcelain bowl, with a painting of the jungle fowl. 
 
 736. Very singular root of the bamboo, representing an old man 
 
 wrapped in his mantle. 
 
 737 & 738. Two small incense vessels in glass. 
 
 739. Singular carving of a horse with a scroll on his back. 
 
 740. Carved ivory stamp or seal, having several concentric spheres in 
 
 the handle. 
 
 741. Singular stone, having the appearance of a Chinese apple. 
 
 742. Wine cups of pressed glass, in imitation of stone. These are 
 
 formed of various shapes, frequently square, and are used at 
 feasts and marriage entertainments. 
 
 743. Ornamental stand, with bronze Buddha idol. 
 
 744. Ancient porcelain incense vessel on stand. 
 
 745. Small ebony boxes, inlaid with pearl shell, and containing flint, 
 
 steel, and punk. 
 
 746. Curious stone in form of a mango. 
 
 747. Several pairs of ivory “ chop sticks,” “ seang-choo made use of 
 
 by the Chinese in the place of a knife and fork, as with us. 
 
 748. A brown figured porcelain pencil-holder. 
 
 749. A vessel to contain water used with Indian ink, cut out of a stone 
 
 in form of fruit. 
 
 750. Ornamental stand and vessel. 
 
 751. A small metallic mirror, on carved stand. 
 
 752. Curious porcelain vessel. 
 
 753. A beautiful small incense vessel, on stand. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 105 
 
 754. Metallic mirror, as 751. 
 
 755. Antique porcelain vessel or cage, on stand, for containing sweet- 
 
 scented flowers, emitting an agreeable perfume. 
 
 756. A beautiful sculptured marble vase, having for its handle a 
 
 representation of a lion drinking from the vessel. 
 
 757. A gentleman’s embroidered watch-pocket. 
 
 758 & 759. A gentleman’s embroidered knee-pans, for protecting the 
 knee when kneeling before the mandarins. 
 
 760. Miniature painting of a Chinese lady, on ivory. 
 
 761 & 762. A pair of beautifully painted jars. 
 
 763. Ornamental rosewood stand, with amulets on the top. 
 
 Here also will be noticed several “ charm-books,” very small in size, 
 and containing virtuous sentences, which are supposed to keep off evil 
 spirits : these are carried about the person. The Chinese inscribe 
 v/ords and sentences on their girdles, and paste them on the lintels and 
 posts of their doors, not only as moral sayings worthy to be remembered 
 and practicably observed, but from the impression that they shall thereby 
 be protected from noxious diseases and calamities often inflicted by 
 invisible beings. 
 
 764. Beautiful fan for ladies’ use, made in part of peacocks’ feathers, 
 
 and in part of elegantly embroidered work. 
 
 765 & 766. A pair of gentleman’s tobacco-pouches. 
 
 767 to 769. Specimens of carving from the bamboo tree. 
 
 770. A lady’s fan, elegantly painted on silk, with ivory handle. 
 
 771 & 772. Gentleman’s shirts, worn next the skin in warm weather, 
 made of the twig of the bamboo tree. 
 
 773. Gentleman’s embroidered sash, with a pair of purses, carried at the 
 
 girdle of the wearer, for holding areca nuts, &c. 
 
 Purses,” says Sir George Staunton, “ are the ribbons of the Chinese 
 monarch, which he distributes as rewards of merit among his subjects ; 
 but his own purse (alluding to a similar present made to the page of the 
 British Ambassador) was deemed a mark of personal favour, av^cording 
 to the ideas of Eastern nations, among whom anything worn by the 
 person of the sovereign is prized beyond all other gifts.” The imperial 
 purse is of plaui yellow silk, with the figure of the five-clawed dragon 
 and some Tartar characters worked in it. 
 
 774. A gentleman’s fan, with embroidered case, and two crimson silk 
 
 sashes, as 773. 
 
 775 & 776. A pair of sandals, worn by coolies; the soles are made of 
 strips of loose leather, placed crossways. 
 
 777. A pair of sandals, being a piece of flat leather, with a loop for the 
 
 great toe, and springs for the heel. 
 
 778. A pair af sandals, made from rice straw. 
 
lOG 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 CASE XlLVIIo 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. 
 
 779. Ornamental stand, with gilt Buddha. 
 
 780. Small metallic vase, inlaid with silver. 
 
 781. Small copper box, of peculiar shape, to contain the lime which is 
 
 used for chewing with the nut of the areca palm, areca catechu, 
 and the betel leaf, piper hetel, used as a masticatory so univer- 
 sally throughout the East. 
 
 The habit of chewing this preparation has extended from the islands, 
 where the plant is found, to the continent of Asia, and is now used from 
 the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Most of that imported into China 
 comes from Java, Malacca, and Penang. The areca nut is the fruit of a 
 slender palm, not over six inches in diameter, and thirty feet high. The 
 nut resembles a nutmeg in shape, colour, and internal structure, but is a 
 little harder and larger, and is called betel nut from its being always 
 eaten in combination with the leaf of the betel pepper. The flavour of 
 the leaf is very peculiar, having an aromatic taste, and is a little 
 pungent. This vine requires a rich soil, and an abundance of water. 
 The tree on which it is supported, it is affirmed, affects the quality 
 and quantity of the produce. The preparation of the betel nut for 
 use is very simple. The nut is cut into slices, and wrapped in the 
 raw leaves, together with a quantity of quick-lime, composed of the 
 shells of small molluscm carefully calcined for this purpose, enough to 
 give it a flavour ; to the latter is added a mixture of a red colour. All 
 classes of people, male and female, are in the habit of chewing it. “It 
 sweetens the breath,” so say those who use it ; “ it rectifies and strengthens 
 the stomach, and preserves the teeth it gives the teeth, lips, and 
 gums, a dark red colour, which is esteemed a mark of beauty in propor- 
 tion to its deeper shade. Persons of rank carry it prepared for use in 
 splendid cases, suspended from their girdles. A present of one of these 
 cases is esteemed a mark of high favour and friendship, and is valued 
 accordingly. Poor people are contented with cases of simple construc- 
 tion, provided they contain the substance itself. In the streets and 
 thoroughfares of Canton, temporary stalls are erected for the sale of this 
 luxury, and the wayfarer may be refreshed, in the outlay of a single cash, 
 by a modicum of this preparation. 
 
 782. A grotesque lion (on a stand) of white porcelain. This kind of 
 
 porcelain is held in higher esteem by the Chinese than any 
 other. As a proof of this, it may be stated that the value of 
 this small lion in China was about four pounds sterling. 
 
TITE CllINKSE COLLECTION. 
 
 107 
 
 78J5. Vessel of white porcelain, for holding sweet-scented flowers, 
 representing a grotesque animal, the head of which is so formed 
 that it can be taken off. The flowers are placed in the body, 
 and the odour is exhaled through the mouth. 
 
 7H4. Figure of a camel, in white porcelain, with a dog on his back. 
 
 78.5. Paper weiglit, of hard stone, sculptured. 
 
 78(). Metallic pipe, from the province of Keang Nan ; the lower part'of 
 which is filled with water, and smoked on the principle of the 
 hookah of Bengal, &c. ; tobacco being used cut into very fine 
 shreds, and the pipe filled at every inhalation by a servant, who 
 stands behind tlie smoker. 
 
 78 7 & 788. Two curiously carved roots. 
 
 789. Specimen of beautifully embossed lacquered ware, from Soochow. 
 
 790. A grotesque jmrcelain dog. 
 
 791. Broad rings of jade stone (yu) worn upon the thumb by archers 
 
 in using the how, to prevent chafing. The value of these stone 
 rings depends upon their colour ; as much as five hundred dollars 
 has been given by a Chinese for one of a peculiar shade. 
 
 792. Combs, with maxims. 
 
 798. Small cases of coloured horse-hair, intended to hold sweet-scented 
 flowers, and carried in the hand. 
 
 794. Brush used by printers to apply the ink to the wooden blocks ; on 
 
 which is a smaller brush, made of vegetable fibres, and used for 
 various purposes. 
 
 795. Small boxes of stained wood, opening with a spring, and covered 
 
 with coloured straw, made at Fiih-chow, the capital of Fiih-keen 
 province. 
 
 796. Brushes used by house-painters, with the hair inserted deep into 
 
 the handles. When worn down, the wood is cut away to expose 
 the bristles, and the operation is repeated until the brush is 
 worn out. 
 
 797. Small pillows, used by the Chinese when reclining on any hard 
 
 substance. 
 
 798. Bair of spectacles, of curious construction. 
 
 799. 'robacco-pipe, as described in 789. 
 
 800. Writing pencils. The better kinds are protected by a brass case, 
 
 it being essential to have a fine point in writing. 
 
 801. A grotesque porcelain unicorn. 
 
 802. J^daborato piece of carving from the root of the bamboo, of very 
 
 extravagant device. 
 
 808. Small marble vase, formed from the cup of the flower of the 
 lotus. 
 
 804. liinbroidcred })ocket, worn by gentlemen. 
 
 II 
 
108 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 805. Silk bags, for tobacco, having a maxim embroidered on the side, 
 
 and attached to the pipe. 
 
 806. A tea-service of novel construction, used by government officers, 
 
 and forming part of their travelling apparatus. ' The cups and 
 saucers are of hard wood, lined and edged with white copper. 
 
 807. Chinese ivory puzzle. 
 
 808. Chinese gaming cards. They are of various sorts ; the most 
 
 ancient and elegant are called “ Teen-tsze-pae,” “ dotted cards.” 
 The dots have a reference to the stars. They were intro- 
 duced by the Emperor Seuen-ho ; and were originally called 
 “ Ya-pae,” “ bone or ivory tickets.” 
 
 809. A Chinese printed book of maxims. 
 
 810. Beautiful beads turned from fragments of the malachite, or 
 
 green copper ore, found near Nankin ; they are used in neck- 
 laces for mandarins. 
 
 811. Rosary, made of the seed, vessels of a plant. 
 
 812. An article made of copper, and used for the same purpose as our 
 
 flat irons. The smooth surface is here exhibited ; the body is 
 hollow, and receives the ignited coals. 
 
 813. Gentlemen’s embroidered memorandum case. 
 
 814. Gentlemen’s embroidered pockets. 
 
 815. Embroidered spectacle case. 
 
 816. Leather purses, used by the lower classes. 
 
 817. Leather (dog’s skin) tobacco pouch. 
 
 818. Painting brush, composed of dyed horse-hair. 
 
 819. A basket ingeniously worked in bamboo. 
 
 820. Ornamental stand with odoriferous matches, which are burned in 
 
 the houses of the Chinese day and night, and in sacrificing to 
 their divinities. 
 
 821. A brown porcelain incense vessel. 
 
 822. Model of a machine for pounding rice, sugar, &c. It is put in 
 
 operation by a coolie standing on the frame, and moving the 
 lever with one foot. ' 
 
 823 & 824. Ear them vessel in frame work of bamboo, used as hand- 
 furnaces at Canton and in the northern part of China during 
 cold weather, called “ Ho-lung.” 
 
 825. Model of a hand-mill for grinding rice, &c. 
 
 826. A porcelain drum, used as a rest for the arm. 
 
 827. Mosquito brushes. 
 
TTIE CITTNESF, COLLFCTION. 
 
 ](H) 
 
 €A§IE XILYIII. 
 
 SPECIMENS OF FINE CARVING, &c. 
 
 828. Coral bead necklace, worn by mandarins and gentlemen of rank. 
 
 829. Beautiful carved ornamental stand of hard wood, with a marble 
 
 image of Buddha in tlie centre, an inlaid metallic tripod on the 
 right, and a dormant lion on the left. 
 
 830. Curiously distorted root, which, by the assistance of a little art, 
 
 has the appearance of a bird. 
 
 831. Curious piece of sculpture, representing a bird attacked by a mon- 
 
 ster of the lizard species. 
 
 832. Marble figure and stand. 
 
 833. Marble pencil-rests. 
 
 834 & 835. A pair of ornamental barrel-shaped stands, the left hand one 
 supporting a metallic censer ; that on the right, a vessel with 
 shovel, &c., for arranging the ashes of the odoriferous matches. 
 
 836. An ornamental stand, on which is a superb carving, from the root 
 
 of a bamboo tree, representing a grotesque figure feeding a frog. 
 
 837. A small root of a tree on a stand, resembling a deer. 
 
 838. A travelling apparatus, containing a knife, and pair of chop-sticks, 
 
 with which every gentleman is provided. 
 
 839. Carved wooden figure and stand. 
 
 840. A very ancient white porcelain bottle-shaped vase, ornamented 
 
 with a lizard, water-lilies, and foliage, on a small stand of 
 carved polished wood. 
 
 841. Ancient metallic idol. 
 
 842. Curiously sculptured stone pencil-rests. 
 
 843. An ornamental stand, with bronze idols. 
 
 This specimen is supposed to be a thousand years old. It has been 
 elsewhere remarked that Buddhism was introduced into China from 
 India, about the first century of the Christian era ; and the idols here 
 exhibited are thought to have been of a very early importation into that 
 country. 
 
 844. “ Joo-ee,” a sort of staff or sceptre. 
 
 It is thus described by Mr. Davis : — this ornament which has some- 
 times, for want of a better name, been called a sceptre, is, in fact, an 
 emblem of amity and good-will, of a shape less bent than the letter S, 
 about eighteen inches in length, and cut from the jade or “yu,” stone. 
 It is called “'joo-ee,” “as you wish,” or as the phrase is, “ Sze Sze, 
 joo-ee,” i. e., “Everything according to your wish,” an expression of 
 good feeling towards a person, and is simply exchanged as a costly mark 
 of friendship ; but that it had a religious origin seems indicated by the 
 
 II 2 
 
no 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 sacred flower of the lotus (nymphcsa nelumho) beiug generally carved on 
 the superior end. Dr. Morrison also remarks that joo-ees v{ere carried 
 in the hands by ancient governors or princes of state, as the symbol of 
 authority ; the Emperor gave them as a badge or seal of his appoint- 
 ment. They are frequently of great value. 
 
 845 & 846. Ornamental stands, on which are carvings from the root of 
 the bamboo. 
 
 847. Ornamental stand, with ancient bronze lion. 
 
 848. Curious root on stand, exhibiting a bird. 
 
 849. Very ancient sculptured dog. 
 
 850. Polished cornelian in carved frame, intended to support a cake of ink. 
 851 to 855. Five beautiful carvings, on stands. 
 
 856 & 857. Two carved and polished barrel-shaped stands, on which 
 are very ancient and grotesque bronze lions, 
 
 858. Metallic figure, representing a female divinity on a recumbent 
 elephant. 
 
 859 & 860. A pair of very beautiful ornamental stands, with marble 
 tops, on which are grotesque sculptured figures, and elegantly 
 wrought baskets of bamboo. 
 
 861. Ornamental stand, with variegated marble top, on which is placed 
 a stone on a frame formed from the root of a tree. This is 
 covered with sculptured hieroglyphics, and is held by the 
 Chinese in religious veneration. 
 
 CASES XlLIAo ^ Ac 
 
 CONCHOLOGY. 
 
 These cases, with the opposite (XXIII. & XXIV.), are filled with 
 numerous labelled specimens of conchology. 
 
 CASE XIo 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY, &c. 
 
 862. Francolinus Perlatus .... Pearled Franc'olin. 
 
 863. Francolinus Perlatus .... Pearled Francolin. 
 
 864. Querquedula Falcaria .... Falcated Duck. 
 
 865. Manis Javanica Javanese Manis. 
 
 866. Coturnix Chinensis ..... Chinese Quail. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION^ 
 
 111 
 
 867. Lanius Chinensis Chinese Shrike. 
 
 868. lanthocincla Caiiora Crying Thrush. 
 
 869. Coccothraustes Melanurus . . Grey-necked Grosbeak. 
 
 870. Pyrgita Putilans ....... Ruddy Sparrow. 
 
 871. Pyrgita Rutilans, female . . . Ruddy Sparrow. 
 
 872. Psittacula Galgula Blue-crowned Parrot. 
 
 873. Psittacula Galgula, female . . Blue-crowned Parrot. 
 
 874. Melophus Lathami Latham’s Bunting. 
 
 875. Coccothraustes Melanurus . . Grey-necked Grosbeak, female. 
 
 876. Turdus Merula Common Blackbird. 
 
 877. Gallinula Chloropus Common Gallinule. 
 
 878. Gallinula Phoenicura . . . ; Red-tailed Gallinule, 
 
 879. Dafila Acuta Pintail Duck. 
 
 880. Caloenas Cruenta Red-breasted Pio-eon. 
 
 o 
 
 881. Hystrix Cristata Porcupine, 
 
 882. Paguma Larvatus Masked Paradoxure. 
 
 883. Viverra Indica Pallida .... Indian Civette or Rasse. 
 
 This animal yields the “ dedes,” a scent much esteemed by the Malay; 
 
 €AS]E ILIIo 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY, &c. 
 
 884. Q,uerquedula Formosa .... Baikal Teal. 
 
 885. Coturnix Communis Common Quail. 
 
 886. Anthus , Titlark. 
 
 887. Herodias Garzetta Little Egret. 
 
 888. Oriolus Chinensis Chinese Oriole. 
 
 889. Asio Brachyotus Short-eared Owl. 
 
 890. Halcyon Atricapilla Black-capped Kingfisher. 
 
 891. Copsychus Longirostris . . . Long-billed Copsychus. 
 
 892. Carduelis Sinica Chinese Goldfinch. 
 
 893. Melo])hus Lathami Latham’s Bunting. 
 
 894. Gallinula Phoenicura Red-tailed Gallinule. 
 
 895. Liothrix Sinensis ...... Chinese Liothrix. 
 
 896. Yunx Torquilla Wryneck. 
 
 897. Mareca Penelope Widgeon. 
 
 898. Querquedula Crecca Common Teal. 
 
 899. Viverra Zibetha Chinese Zibeth. 
 
 This animal yields the scent called “ zibeth.” 
 
 900. Helictes Moschata Musk Martin. 
 
 901. Paguma Larvatus Masked Paradoxure. 
 
112 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OE 
 
 CASE AIII. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. 
 
 902 & 903. Artificial candles, decorated with flowers made from the pith 
 of a plant, known in this country by the term “ rice-paper.” 
 These candles are used in temples in front of their idols, in the houses 
 of the wealthy, and in the celebration of the new year, a moveable feast, 
 which occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The 
 body or stem of the candle is of wood, and at the top, instead of wick, is 
 inserted a small brass receptacle for oil, as being more economical. 
 
 904. A military officer’s saddle, bridle, &c. It is one of the most ex- 
 
 pensive kind, and such as are but seldom seen. Those used by 
 inferior officers are generally of leather and nankeen. 
 
 905. A large porcelain dish on a stand, containing two specimens of 
 
 enamel, in imitation of the Pekin peaches. 
 
 906. Lamp, carried on the shoulders of a bearer in marriage processions. 
 
 907. Lamp pole for the above. 
 
 908 & 909. Splendid specimens of embroidery, worked by men, as is 
 often the case in China. The Chinese excel all other nations 
 in the art of embroidery. 
 
 910&911. Two ornamented stands, and plates of fruit, modelled in clay, 
 912 & 913. Candles, as described in Nos. 902 & 903. 
 
 914 & 915. Ingeniously worked silk tassels, attached to bed-hangings. 
 
 916. On the bottom of this case is spread a Chinese carpet, being a 
 specimen of their few woollen manufactures. The pattern is 
 printed similar to our druggets. 
 
 From the ceiling of this case is suspended a state lantern, richly em- 
 broidered and decorated. 
 
 CABE EIYo 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY. 
 
 917. Argus Giganteus Argus Pheasant. 
 
 918. Turtur Suratensis ...... Surat Turtle Dove. 
 
 919. Acridotheres Tristis Paradise Grackle. 
 
 920. Turtur Suratensis Surat Turtle Dove. 
 
 92 1 . Argus Giganteus Argus Pheasant, female, 
 
 922. Paloeornis Malaccensis .... Mallacca Ring Parrakeet. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 113 
 
 State chair, as described in No. 372. 
 
 CASE EYE 
 
 CHINESE PAGODA. 
 
 A MODEL of a pagoda, seven stories high, beautifully carved from 
 gypsum. On the floor of each story is placed a gilt Buddha idol. 
 
 CASE EYIIo 
 
 ENTOMOLOGY. 
 
 Numerous specimens of insects. 
 
 CASES EYIII-IXo 
 
 Contain a variety of butterflies. 
 
 CASE EXo 
 
 Various specimens of fish from the waters of China, so prepared 
 and preserved as to need only their natural element to give them the 
 appearance of life. 
 
 CHINESE LANTEENS. 
 
 These depend from the ceiling in all parts of the saloon, and are of 
 almost every imaginable form and size. In scarcely anything do the 
 taste and ingenuity of the Chinese appear to better advantage than in 
 the manufacture of these curious and characteristic articles. They are 
 made of horn, silk, glass, paper, and sometimes of a netting of line 
 thread, overspread with a thick coating of varnish. The frame-work is 
 often carved in the richest manner ; the silk which covers it is elegantly 
 embroidered, or painted with landscapes representing nature in her gayest 
 
114 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OP 
 
 moods, and the various decorations lavished upon them are in a corre- 
 sponding style. As a national ornament peculiar to the Chinese, the 
 lantern does not give place to any similar display found in any other 
 country. 
 
 The partiality of the Chinese for lamps and lanterns, and the 
 general use of them, constitute a marked peculiarity in the customs 
 of the race. A late writer remarks, that a Chinaman and his lantern 
 seem wedded together, and the former is rarely found without the latter. 
 They are placed in the streets, temples, boats, &c., and are always to 
 be seen in the hands of pedestrians after dark. The same writer relates 
 the following amusing anecdote, as affording a striking and original 
 exemplification of both the power and habit of the national peculiarity 
 above referred to : — “ When Captain Maxwell passed the Bogue in the 
 Alceste frigate, aS' he came up with the battery of the A-nung-hoy, the 
 fort appeared well lighted, and a brisk cannonade was commenced upon 
 the ship. However, after the first broadside had been fired upon the 
 fortress, and when the vessel was scarcely half a musket-shot from it, 
 the whole place was deserted, and the embrasures were quickly 
 darkened. The Chinese were thoroughly frightened, and ran off with 
 a most edifying precipitation. At the same time, instead of concealing 
 their flight in the darkness of the night, each man seized his lantern, as 
 he had done a hundred times before, and clambered with it up the steep 
 side of the hill immediately behind the fort. The sight of so many 
 bald-pated soldiers, with their long queues dangling at their backs, each 
 with a great painted balloon in his hand, was extremely ludicrous, and 
 took away any slight inclination the marines might have had to get a 
 shot with their muskets at such excellent marks.” 
 
 The lamp oil in common use is extracted from the ground-nut, arachis 
 hypogoea, which grows luxuriantly in China. The same is used for 
 culinary purposes, and supplies almost entirely the place of butter. It 
 is said to be of a very good quality, burning freely, and with but little 
 smoke. 
 
 MAXIMS ON THE ENTABLATUKE AND OTHEE PAETS OE 
 THE SALOON. 
 
 “ Good sayings are like .pearls strung together : inscribe them on the walls of your dwelling, and 
 regard them night and day as wholesome admonitions ." — (Chinese Maxim.) 
 
 The “ excellent sayings” of the Chinese philosophers are held in the 
 highest veneration. In allusion to the precepts of Confucius, they speak 
 of them as “ The glory of ancient and modern times.” — He is termed, 
 “ The instructor of ten thousand ages,” and is styled by his followers, 
 “ The perfect Sage,” — “ Most Holy.” 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 115 
 
 Mencius, a disciple of Confucius, who figures largely in Chinese his- 
 tory, was the writer of that portion of “ The Four Books” which goes 
 by his name (B. C. 350) ; contemporary with Xenophon, Flerodotus, 
 and Socrates. 
 
 These maxims (Tuy-leen) are written on silk or paper, or carved on 
 wood, and are hung in pairs on the walls or pillars of dwellings and 
 temples as ornaments. In ancient times, before the invention of paper, 
 documents were written on slips of bamboo, on which characters were 
 inscribed with a pointed instrument ; a practice in use prior to the 
 invention of pencils and ink. 
 
 The visiter will observe that over the capital of each pillar is a piece 
 of carving of circular form, gilt, and painted Vermillion and green alter- 
 nately. There are ten of these on each side of the saloon. Each has 
 a Chinese character carved in the centre. The characters on the right, to 
 a person entering, form the following maxim : — “ Loo yaou che maleih : 
 jin kew keen jin sin.” The interpretation of which is, “ By a long journey 
 we know a horse’s strength ; ‘so length of days shews a man’s heart. 
 
 The characters on the opposite side of the room, commencing from 
 the lower end, form the following maxim ; — “ Kw^a teen puh na le : 
 le hia puh ching kwan.” The interpretation of which is, “ In a field of 
 melons, do not pull up your shoe : under a plum tree, do not adjust your 
 cap «.e., be careful of your actions under circumstances of suspicion. 
 
 Between these circular carvings are maxims placed horizontally, and 
 extending around the whole entablature. Asps customary in China, 
 the maxims here placed opposite each other ^are embellished exactly 
 alike, though the maxims themselves are not the same. It is unneces- 
 sary to give the interpretation of all these, as there are so many. A 
 few are subjoined as specimens : — 
 
 “ As the scream of the eagle is heard when she has passed over, so 
 a man’s name remains after his death.” 
 
 “ Though a tree be a thousand chang'|' in height, its leaves must fall 
 down, and return to its root.” 
 
 “ Following virtue is like ascending an eminence ; pursuing vice is like 
 rushing down a precipice.” 
 
 “ Man perishes in the pursuit of wealth, as a bird meets with destruc- 
 tion in search of its food.” 
 
 “ The cure of ignorance is study, as meat is that of hunger.” 
 
 “ Unsullied poverty is always happy; while impure wealth brings 
 with it many sorrows.” 
 
 “ Petty distinctions are injurious to rectitude; quibbling words violate 
 right reason.” 
 
 * The Cliinese call the heart the “ well in the centre.” 
 
 I A cluing is ten Chinese cubits, each fourteen and a half inches. 
 
116 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 “ Those who respect themselves will be honourable ; but he who 
 thinks lightly of himself will be held cheap by the world.” 
 
 “ It is equally criminal in the governor and the governed to violate 
 the laws.” 
 
 “ In learning, age and youth go for nothing ; the best informed takes 
 the precedence.” 
 
 “ Time flies like an arrow ; days and months like a weaver’s shuttle.” 
 
 “ In making a candle we seek for light ; in reading a book we seek 
 for reason : light to illuminate a dark chamber ; reason to enlighten 
 man’s heart.” 
 
 “ Let every man sweep the snow from before his own doors, and not 
 trouble himself about the frost on his neighbour’s tiles.” 
 
 “ In security do not forget danger ; in times of public tranquility do 
 not forget anarchy.” 
 
 By learning, the sons of the common people become public ministers ; 
 without learning, the sons of public ministers become mingled with the 
 mass of the people.” 
 
 “ A man by the cultivation of virtue, consults his own interest ; his 
 stores of wisdom and reflection are every day Ailing up.” 
 
 Confucius says, “ the capacity for knowledge of the inferior man is 
 small, and easily filled up ; the intelligence of the superior man is deep, 
 and not easily satisfied.” 
 
 “ Would you understand the character of the prince, examine his 
 ministers ; would you know the disposition of any man, look at his 
 companions ; would you know that of a father, look at his son.” 
 
 “ Those who have discharged their duties as children, will, in their 
 turn, have dutiful children of their own; the obstinate and untoward will 
 again produce offspring of the same character : to convince you, only 
 observe the , rain from the thatched roof, where drop follows drop 
 without the least variation.” 
 
 “ Virtue is the surest road to longevity ; but vice meets with an 
 early doom.” 
 
 The brief, sententious sayings of gifted men in all ages and nations, 
 have excited a powerful influence over the public mind ; and it must 
 be admitted that, in general, they contribute largely to promote social 
 comfort, propriety, morality, and correct judgment. Such are the 
 inspired proverbs of Solomon, v/hich will endure through all time. 
 Such, too, the fine old proverbs of England, Spain, and France, as well 
 as thousands of maxims of the people of Asia. -Indeed, the aphorisms 
 of a country may be quoted as indicating, in some measure, the genius, 
 sense, and mental characteristics of its inhabitants ; and we know of no 
 nobler monuments of ancient literature than the proverbs which have 
 been transmitted to us. How common — how almost necessary, both in 
 
THE CHIxNESE COLLECTION. 
 
 117 
 
 speaking and writing — is the introduction of some maxim hy way of 
 enforcing an argument or promoting a principle ! And many of the best 
 passages in the essays and other compositions of modern authors, will 
 often be found, on careful investigation, to contain the exact sentiments 
 of an old proverb, though perhaps somewhat elaborated, and clothed in 
 the costume of novel phraseology. The Chinese are celebrated, even 
 more than the Persians, Arabs, and Hindoos, for their aphorisms and 
 maxims. 
 
 We have elsewhere noticed the striking similarity that exists 
 between many ancient maxims of the Chinese, and the precepts found 
 
 in Holy Writ. We subjoin a 
 their temples and dwellings, and 
 passages of Scripture : — 
 
 CHINESE MAXIMS. 
 
 “ Virtue is the surest road to 
 longevity; but vice meets with an 
 early doom.” 
 
 “ Unsullied poverty is always 
 happy ; while impure wealth brings 
 with it many sorrows.” 
 
 “ The heart is the fountain of 
 life.” 
 
 “ Wine and good dinners make 
 abundance of friends ; but, in the 
 time of adversity, not one is to be 
 found.” 
 
 “ Honours come by diligence ; 
 riches spring from economy.” 
 
 “ If a man be not enlightened 
 from within, what lamp shall he 
 light ? If his intentions are not 
 upright, what prayers shall he re- 
 peat ?” 
 
 “ If you love your son, give him 
 plenty of the cudgel ; if you hate 
 your son, cram him with dain- 
 ties.” 
 
 “ The slow horse is fated to re- 
 ceive the lash : the worthless man 
 will ultimately get his deserts.” 
 
 of the moral aphorisms that adorn 
 will be found to harmonise with 
 
 PROVERBS OF SOLOMON. 
 
 “ The fear of the Lord prolongeth 
 days : but the years of the wicked 
 shall be shortened.” — Chap. x. 27. 
 
 “ Treasurers of wickedness profit 
 nothing ; but righteousness deli- 
 vereth from death.” — Chap. x. 2. 
 
 “ Out of the heart are the issues 
 of life.” — Chap. iv. 23. 
 
 “ Many will entreat the favour 
 of the prince ; and every man is a 
 friend to him that giveth gifts.” — 
 Chap. xix. 6. 
 
 “ The hand of the diligent shall 
 bear rule : but the slothful shall be 
 under tribute.” — Chap. xii. 24. 
 
 “ The sacrifice of the wicked is 
 abomination : how much more 
 
 when he bringeth it with a wicked 
 mind.” — Chap. xxi. 27. 
 
 “He that spare th his rod hateth 
 his son : but he that lovcth him 
 chasteneth him betimes.” — Chap, 
 xiii. 24. 
 
 “ A whip for the horse, a bridle 
 for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s 
 back.” — Chap. xxvi. 3. 
 
118 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OE 
 
 “ A virtuous woman is a source 
 of honour to her husband : a vicious 
 one causes him disgrace. ” 
 
 “ When mandarins are pure, the 
 people are happy.’* 
 
 “ A man without money is a 
 reptile : but with money a dra- 
 gon.” 
 
 “ Every blade of grass has its 
 share of the dews of heaven ; and 
 though the birds of the forest have 
 no garners, the wide world is all 
 before them.” 
 
 “ Wisdom, and virtue, and be- 
 nevolence, and rectitude, without 
 politeness, are imperfect.” 
 
 “ That which touches Vermillion 
 is reddened.” 
 
 “A virtuous woman is a crown 
 to her husband : but she that 
 
 maketh ashamed is as rottenness 
 in his bones.” — Chap. xii. 4. 
 
 “V/hen the righteous are in 
 authority, the people rejoice : but 
 when the wicked beareth rule, the 
 people mourn.” — Chap. xxix. 2. 
 
 “ The rich man’s wealth is his 
 strong city : the destruction of the 
 poor is their poverty.”-Chap. x. 15. 
 
 ‘‘Behold the fowls of the air; 
 for they sow not, neither do they 
 reap, nor gather into barns ; yet 
 your heavenly Father feedeth 
 them!” (Christ’s sermon on the 
 Mount.) — Matt. vi. 26. 
 
 “But the fruit of the Spirit is 
 love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
 gentleness, goodness, faith,” &c. — 
 Paul to the Galatians, v. 22. 
 
 “ Evil communications corrupt 
 good manners.” — 1st Paul to the 
 Corinthians, xv. 33. 
 
 vmmd 
 
 PAINTINGS. 
 
 [_The enumeration of Pictures in the Collection commences with No. 1000, lohich the visiter 
 will find on the left hand of the screen fronting the entrance to the Saloon. 
 
 It may he proper here to remark, that all Paintings and Drawings in this Collection are by 
 Chinese Artists exclusively. 
 
 The Fine Arts in China are undoubtedly far from having reached 
 the perfection that belongs to them in the enlightened nations of 
 Christendom ; yet an examination of the paintings in this Collection, will 
 satisfy every candid mind that great injustice has been done to Chinese 
 artists, in the notions hitherto entertained respecting their want of 
 ability and skill. They paint insects, birds, fishes, fruits, flowers, and 
 portraits, with great correctness and beauty ; and the brilliancy and 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 119 
 
 variety of their colours cannot be surpassed. They group with consi- 
 derable taste and effect ; and their perspective, a department of the art 
 in which they have been thought totally deficient, is often very good. 
 Light and shade they do not well understand, and they positively object 
 to the introduction of shadows in pictures. But in paintings for 
 foreigners, they endeavour to meet the ideas of their employers, by the 
 introduction of light and shadow. Barrow, as quoted by Davis, says 
 that, “ When several portraits by the best European artists, intended as 
 presents for the Emperor, were exposed to view, the mandarins, ob- 
 serving the variety of tints occasioned by the light and shade, asked 
 whether the originals had the two sides of different colours. They 
 considered the shadow of the nose as a great imperfection in the figure, 
 and some supposed it to have been placed there by accident.” 
 
 1000 to 1023. A series of coloured drawings (twenty-four in number), 
 representing the several stages of the black tea process, from 
 the plucking of the leaves to its final transportation, as practised 
 in Fokien, lying between the 27th and 28th degrees north lati- 
 tude, on the south-east declivities of a range of hills dividing 
 that province from Keang-se. 
 
 1024 to 1027. Four interior views of Ponkeiqua’s grounds at Honan. 
 1028 to 1030. These three drawings, with those on the opposite pillar 
 (Nos. 1333, 4, & 5), represent the rearing of the silk- worm as 
 conducted at Nankin, from the hatching of the silk-worm egg, 
 to the final weaving of the silk, together with the culture of the 
 mulberry tree. 
 
 Mr. Barrow, who observed the management of the trees and silk- 
 worms in Che-keang, confirms the usual Chinese accounts, by saying 
 that, “ The houses in which they are reared are placed generally in the 
 centre of each plantation, in order that they may be removed as far as 
 possible from every kind of noise ; experience having taught them that 
 a sudden shout, or bark of a dog, is destructive of the young worms. 
 A whole brood has sometimes perished by a thunder storm. ’ The 
 chambers are so contrived as to admit the use of artificial heat when 
 necessary. Great care is taken of the sheets of paper on which the 
 multitudes of eggs have' been laid by the silk-worm moths ; and the 
 hatching of their eggs is either retarded or advanced by the application 
 of cold or heat, according to circumstances, so as to time the simultaneous 
 exit of the young worms exactly to the period when the tender spring 
 leaves of the mulberry are most fit for their nourishment. 
 
 They proportion the food very exactly to the young worms by 
 weighing the leaves, which, in the first instance, are cut into small jiieces, 
 but afterwards, as the insects become larger, are given to them whole. 
 I'he greatest precautions are observed in regulating the temperature of 
 
120 
 
 DESCUIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 the apartments, and in keeping them clean, quiet, and free from smells. 
 The worms are fed upon a species of small hurdles of basket-work, 
 strewed with leaves, which are frequently shifted for the sake of clean- 
 liness, the insects readily moving off to a fresh hurdle, with new leaves, 
 as the scent attracts them. In proportion to their growth, room is 
 afforded them by increasing the number of these hurdles, the worms of 
 one being shifted to three, then to six, and so on, until they reach the 
 greatest size. 
 
 When the worms have cast their several skins, reached their greatest 
 size, and assumed a transparent yellowish colour, they are removed into 
 places divided into compartments, preparatory to their spinning. 
 
 In the course of a week after the commencement of spinning, the 
 silken cocoons are complete, and it now becomes necessary to take them 
 in hand before the pupae turn into moihs, which would immediately 
 bore their way out, and spoil the cocoons. When a certain number, 
 therefore, have been laid aside for the sake of future eggs, the pupae in 
 the bulk of the cocoons are killed, by being placed in jars, under layers 
 of salt and leaves, with a complete exclusion of air. They are subse- 
 quently placed in moderately warm water, which dissolves the glutinous 
 substance that binds the silk together, and the filament is wound off 
 upon reels. This is put up in bundles of a certain size and weight, 
 and either becomes an article of merchandise, under the name of “ raw 
 silk,” or is subjected to the loom, and manufactured into various stuffs, 
 for home or foreign consumption. Notwithstanding the apparent sim- 
 plicity of their looms, they will imitate exactly the newest and most 
 delicate pattern from England or France. The Chinese particularly 
 excel in the production of damasks and flowered satins. Their crape 
 has never yet been perfectly imitated ; and they make a species of 
 ivasliing silk, called at Canton porigee, which becomes softer as it is 
 longer used. 
 
 The two pursuits or professions, namely, husbandry and the silk 
 manufacture, the chief sources of food and clothing, form the subject of 
 the sixteen discourses to the people which are elsewhere noticed. It is 
 there observed that, “ from ancient times, the Son of Heaven himself 
 directed the plough ; the Empress planted the mulberry tree.” Thus 
 have these exalted personages, not above the practice of labour and 
 exertion, set an example to all under heaven, with a view of leading 
 millions of their subjects to attend to their essential interests. 
 
 In the work, published by imperial authority, called “ Illustrations 
 of Husbandry and Weaving,” under the latter head is detailed all the 
 operations connected with planting the mulberry, and gathering the 
 leaves, up to the final weaving of the silk. Besides the common 
 mulberry of China, which differs somewhat from that of Europe, they 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 121 
 
 occasionally, in feeding the worms, have recourse to a wild specimen of 
 the morns tribe, as well as to the leaves of another tree, supposed to be a 
 variety of ash. The principal object, in the cultivation of the mulberry 
 for feeding silk-worms, is to produce the greatest quantity of young and 
 healthy leaves, without fruit. For this reason, the trees are not allowed 
 to exceed a certain age and height. They are planted at a convenient 
 distance from each other, on the plan of a quincunx, and are said to be 
 in perfection in about three years. The mulberry tree for silk-worms 
 is chiefly cultivated in Che-keang, which province, together with the 
 only three others that produce fine silk, namely, Keang-nan, Hoo-pih, 
 and Sze-chuen, is crossed by the thirtieth parallel of latitude. Che- 
 keang is a fine alluvial country, intersected by numerous rivers and 
 canals, with a climate that corresponds pretty nearly to the same 
 latitude in the United States of America. The soil is manured with 
 mud, which is dug from the rivers, assisted with ashes or dung ; and 
 the spaces between the trees are generally planted with millet, pulse, or 
 other articles of food. The time for pruning the young trees, so as to 
 produce fine leafy shoots, is at the commencement of the year. About 
 four eyes are left on every shoot, and care is taken that the branches 
 are properly thinned, with a view to giving plenty of light and air to 
 the leaves. In gathering these, they make use of steps, or a ladder 
 with a prop, as the young trees cannot support a ladder, and would, 
 besides, be injured in their branches by the use of one. The trees, with 
 their foliage, are carefully watched, and the mischiefs of insects pre- 
 vented by the use of various applications, among which are some 
 essential oils. 
 
 . The j'^oung trees, of course, suffer by being stripped of their leaves, 
 which are the lungs of the plant, and this is an additional reason for 
 renewing them after a certain time. They endeavour, in part, to 
 counteract the evil effect by pruning and lopping the tree, so as to 
 diminish the wood when the leaves have been stripped ; and it is pro- 
 bable that a few leaves are left on. It is surprising, however, to observe 
 how soon a tree in those climates will recover its leaves in the summer 
 or autumn, after having been entirely stripped of them by a typhoon or 
 hurricane. Fresh plants are procured by cuttings or layers, or, some- 
 times, from seed. When the trees grow too old for the production of 
 the finest leaves, and shev/ a greater tendency to fruiting, they are either- 
 removed altogether, or cut and managed so as to produce fresh and 
 young branches. Th6y generally contrive to obtain three crops of 
 young leaves during the season. 
 
 1032. Portrait of the Tae ITo-shang, “harmony and elevation,” 
 the abbot or superior of the temple Ilae-chwang-sze, at 
 Honan. 
 
122 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 The rank of this distinguished Buddhist is indicated by the presence 
 of the Seih chang, a kind of official staff or crosier carried in the hand 
 by the head priest of this sect. 
 
 This truly amiable prelate was the personal friend of Mr. Dunn, and 
 contributed to the formation of this Collection by his influence and 
 exertion in procuring various specimens of vertu from the interior of 
 the empire, into which, it is well known, the peculiar policy of the 
 government of China forbids all foreigners to enter. 
 
 1033. View of the Grand Canal, where it is divided by an embankment 
 
 from the lake Po-yang. 
 
 The imperial canal was principally constructed by Koblai-Khan and 
 his immediate successors of the Yuen race, and extends from Tien-tsin, 
 near Pekin, to Hanchow-foo in Che-keang, being about six hundred 
 geographical miles, and is called by the Chinese, “ Yun-ho,” “ the river 
 for the transportation of grain.” 
 
 1034. Stands, with fruit, flowers, &c., on rice paper. 
 
 1035. Six drawings of native boats, on rice paper. 
 
 In the lower right hand section of this frame is represented a “ duck- 
 boat,” locally so called. Immense quantities of domesticated ducks are 
 reared by the Chinese, particularly those who live on the rivers. It 
 holds the same rank in the winged race that the pig occupies among 
 quadrupeds. The particular kind of boat appropriated to duck-rearing 
 in China, has a broad platform projecting over the water for the use of 
 the birds, who are also honoured with the most roomy apartments within 
 the boat itself. During the day they are allowed to have their freedom 
 on shore, seeking their food ; but they are trained to obey the call of a 
 whistle, and when at evening the signal is sounded, they instantly hasten 
 back from their wanderings. 
 
 1036. Landscape, with summer-houses. 
 
 1037 & 1038. Two drawings of the interior of gentlemen’s summer 
 residences in China. 
 
 1039. Twelve varieties in Chinese ornithology, beautifully painted on 
 rice ^aper. 
 
 This pithy substance, known in England by the term rice paper, 
 having the appearance of white velvet, is obtained from a malvaceous 
 plant. In the preparation for use, the stem of the plant is cut into small 
 pieces in a circular manner, and the cylinder rolled out, and flattened 
 into squares. The chief use to which it is applied is in making artificial 
 flowers ; pillows are made of it ; and of the cuttings, soles of shoes, on 
 account of its lightness. 
 
 1040 & 1044. Furniture and stands, &c. 
 
 1041. Native map of China. 
 
 The Chinese, unassisted by foreigners, have done very little in the 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 123 
 
 study of geography, or, as they term it, “ the records of the earth’s prin- 
 ciples.” Nor have they made much use of the knowledge brought from 
 abroad upon this subject. Geography is not with them regarded as a 
 branch of education ; and only a few even of their literati understand 
 the first principles of the science. 
 
 1042. View of the city of Canton. 
 
 A glance at this production will correct a prevalent error, respecting 
 the inability of Chinese painters to produce perspective. Though light 
 and shade are certainly a good deal neglected here, and the perspective 
 is not perfect, yet the picture is by no means deficient in this respect ; 
 and the drawings of individual objects are extremely accurate. The 
 point from which the view has been taken is the bank of the river 
 opposite Canton, directly in front of the foreign factories, which occupy 
 about one-half the canvass. The scene, particularly upon the surface of 
 the intervening river, is altogether novel, and highly characteristic. The 
 national boats, of which there is a very great variety, have all their 
 representatives here, from the gaudy flower-barge, in which large parties 
 are borne gaily over the waters, to the tiny sanpan, whose contracted 
 dimensions will admit only a single navigator. This part of the view is 
 peculiarly animating and interesting. The foreign factories occupy the 
 centre of the picture, and the English, French, and American ensigns 
 float above them. On each side of these is a view of a small portion of 
 Canton bordering upon the river ; but as the city is built upon low and 
 flat ground, almost the whole of it is invisible from our present point of 
 observation. 
 
 Canton stands upon the north bank of the Chookeang, or Pearl river, 
 about sixty miles inland from the “ great sea.” It is one of the oldest 
 cities in the southern provinces, and second in importance to no other 
 in the empire except Pekin, where the Emperor holds his court. It is 
 the great commercial emporium of China, and until the late treaty 
 formed between the two governments, was the only port where foreign 
 trade was permitted. Four other ports are now open to British enter- 
 prise, viz., Amoy, Foo-chow-foo, Ningpo, and Shang-hae. Flong Kong, 
 a small island on the coast, situated near Canton, has become a colony of 
 the British empire. Canton is not very large in extent, the whole cir- 
 cuit of the walls not exceeding probably six miles ; but it is densely 
 peopled, and the suburbs, including the river population, contain as 
 many inhabitants as the city proper. 
 
 The streets of Canton are very numerous, being more than six hun- 
 dred, Their names sound oddly to us, and have rather an ambitious 
 air. “Dragon-street,” “ Flying-dragon-stroet,” “Martial-dragon- 
 street,” “ Flower-street,” “ Golden-street,” “ Golden-flower-strcet,” 
 &c., are high-sounding enough ; but some of them, it is said, have 
 
 1 
 
124 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 names which would hardly bear to be translated for “ ears polite.” The 
 Rev. Mr. Bridgman states that they vary in width from two to sixteen 
 feet, and gives it as his opinion that the general average is from six to 
 eight feet. Mr. Dunn thinks this an over estimate by one or two feet. 
 They are all paved with large flag-stones, chiefly granite. Wheel 
 carriages are seldom used. Those who can aflbrd to ride are borne in 
 sedan chairs on the shoulders of coolies, and all heavy burdens are 
 carried by porters. The streets are generally crowded, and present a 
 busy, bustling, animated appearance. They all have gates at each end, 
 which are closed at night, and guarded by a sentinel. 
 
 The houses are but one story high. A few of them are of wood or 
 stone ; many, belonging to the poorer classes, of mud, and with but a 
 single apartment ; but the largest portion are of brick. The dwellings of 
 those in easy circumstances contain various well-furnished apartments, 
 the walls of which are generally ornamented with carving, pictures, 
 and various scrolls, inscribed with moral maxims from Confucius and 
 other sages. The houses of the wealthy are often furnished in a style 
 of great magnificence, and the occupants indulge in the most luxurious 
 habits. Official personages, however, for the most part set a com- 
 mendable example of simplicity and economy in their manner of living. 
 The doors have no plates to tell who the occupant of the mansion is, but 
 cylindrical lanterns are hung up by the sides of the gates of all houses of 
 consequence, with the names and titles of the owners inscribed, so as to 
 be read either by day or at night, when the lanterns are lighted. 
 
 Canton is a large manufacturing as well as commercial town, Mr. 
 Bridgman informs us that there are no less than 17,000 persons engaged 
 in weaving silk, and 50,000 in manufacturing cloths of all kinds ; that 
 there are 4,200 shoemakers ; and what will startle and astound every 
 one, that there is an army of barbers amounting to 7,300 ! The important 
 office of tonsor can be held only by license of government. Why the 
 number is so great, has already been explained. The manufacture of 
 books is extensively carried on in this city, but we are not in possession 
 of the exact statistics. “ Those likewise,” says Bridgman, “who work 
 in wood, brass, iron, stone, and various other materials, are numerous ; 
 and they who engage in each of these respective occupations, form, to a 
 certain degree, a separate community, and have each their own laws and 
 rules for the regulation of their business.” 
 
 Both operatives and tradesmen are very much in the habit of herding 
 together. Entire streets are devoted to the same kind of business. 
 There is even a street occupied almost exclusively by druggists, and is 
 thence called by the Fan-kweis, “ Doctor-street.” The signs, gaily 
 painted and lettered on each side, and hung out like tavern signs among 
 us, give the business streets a lively and brilliant appearance. 
 
THE CHINESE COELECTION. 
 
 125 
 
 The population of Canton is a difficult subject. No certain data exists 
 for an accurate estimate. The author above quoted enters into con- 
 jectures and calculations which give him a result of nearly a million and 
 a quarter, including the suburbs and river. It seems probable that this 
 estimate is considerably beyond the mark. The river population is an 
 interesting subject, to which we have already alluded. Besides Canton, 
 there are two other large cities in China, namely, Pekin (the capital), and 
 Nankin (the ancient capital). The population of the former, including 
 the village of Fo-shan, where the chief manufactures are carried on, and 
 which may be termed the Manchester of China, is variously estimated 
 at from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 ; and the latter is nowhere stated to 
 contain less than 1,000,000 of inhabitants. 
 
 The police of Canton is vigilant and very efficient. Besides those 
 who act in the capacity of constables, thief-takers, and jailers, and 
 constitute the regular police, there are many neighbourhoods, as well 
 as private individuals, that make arrangements for a constant nocturnal 
 watch. During the night, almost all the streets of the city are shut 
 up by gates at each end ; near one of which there is usually a guard- 
 house. The night-watches are distinguished by bells, or some similar 
 instruments, kept by the watchmen. In the winter months, when there 
 is great danger from fire as well as thieves, watch-towers are built on 
 bamboo poles, high above the roofs of the houses — thus constituting a 
 double watch. When thieves are discovered, or when a fire breaks out 
 in any part of the city, the alarm, by means of the watchmen, spreads 
 quickly from one extremity of the city to the other. When riotous 
 assemblies collect in the streets, they are, in most cases, speedily dis- 
 solved by a vigorous application of the bamboo or whip. Many, doubtless, 
 “ shove by justice,” and to the day of their deaths go unpunished; yet 
 the number who are arrested and brought to trial, annually, is very 
 great. So summary is the mode in which the objects of the police are 
 effected, that it is no light matter to be once in their hands. The 
 Chinese emphatically express their sense of this unfortunate condition, 
 by the popular phrase, “ the meat is on the chopping block.” Not 
 unfrequently, in minor cases, a man receives the punishment and again 
 goes free the same hour in which he commits the crime. The forms of 
 trial are simple ; there is no jury, jio pleading. The criminal kneels 
 before the magistrate, who hears the witnesses and passes sentence ; he 
 is then remanded to prison, or sent to the place of execution ; seldom 
 is he acquitted. When witnesses are wanting, he is sometimes tortured 
 until he gives evidence against himself. There are four jails in 
 Canton, which togetlier contain several hundred prisoners. The jail is com- 
 monly called “ te-yo,” “ hell,” or literally, “earth’s prison.” All capital 
 offenders suffer without the southern gates, near the river. Hundreds 
 
126 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 die there annually. When brought to the fatal spot, they are com- 
 pelled to kneel with their faces towards the Emperor’s court, and 
 bending forward in the attitude of submission and reverence, suddenly 
 expire beneath the sword of the executioner. 
 
 1043. Flowers, on rice-paper. 
 
 1045. Representation of the Feast of Lanterns, by moonlight. 
 
 This truly brilliant spectacle is annually observed on the 15th day 
 of the first moon, throughout the whole extent of “ the Great and Pure 
 Empire,” and is intended to propitiate the auspicious opening of the 
 new year. It is a grand display of an infinite variety of lanterns of 
 every conceivable shape and construction ; they are made of silk, paper, 
 mica, horn, glass, and pearl-shell ; some with very curious moving 
 figures revolving round the faint light that burns within them. Upon 
 this occasion, the houses, roofs, and boats, are illuminated, and many 
 thousands of singular devices are seen fioating upon the surface of the 
 water, giving the appearance of a river on fire. High poles are erected, 
 from the tops of which are suspended strings of lanterns of variegated 
 colours. Each person has a lantern in his hand, and the whole scene 
 is accompanied with the sounding of gongs, and the discharge of crackers 
 and other fireworks, for the manufacture of which the Chinese are so 
 famous. 
 
 1046. Flowers. 
 
 1047. Six paintings of boats, on rice-paper. 
 
 1048. Portrait of Taou-Kwang, the reigning Emperor of China, in state 
 
 costume ; on the opposite side is a corresponding portrait of his 
 late consort. The Emperor Taou-Kwang is a son of the late 
 Emperor Kea-King : born on the tenth of the eighth moon, 
 1781 ; and succeeded his father on the 24th of August, 1821, 
 in the 39th year of his age. 
 
 Taou-Kwang, “ Reason’s Glory,” is the Kwbhaou, or title, of the 
 reigning emperor, assumed by him on ascending the throne of China, in 
 compliance with an ancient custom of selecting an imperial title corre- 
 sponding with the prominent sentiments of his mind, and characteristic 
 of his future reign ; hence the above designation intimates, that during 
 his government the principles of reason and rectitude should be pre- 
 eminently illustrious. » 
 
 i In figure Taou-Kwang is said to be tall, thin, and of a dark com- 
 plexion. He is of a generous disposition, diligent, attentive to govern- 
 ment, and economical in his expenditure. He has also avoided, through 
 life, the vices to which his father and younger brothers were addicted. 
 
 1049. Portrait of Howqua, principal of the Co-Hong. 
 
 The word Hong (mandarin dialect, Hang), in Chinese, denotes a 
 large factory or mercantile building ; and Hong merchant, in common 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 127 
 
 use in the interior, means much the same as “ wholesale merchant,” in 
 contradistinction from those “ merchants,” as the Scotch call them, who 
 keep shops only. But the Hong merchants here referred to, are a 
 licensed company of wholesale merchants, authorised to deal exclusively 
 with the foreigners of Europe and America, and from the ports of Asia ; 
 or the foreigners who come from “ beyond seas ” to the port of Canton ; 
 and hence the proper appellation, “ Yang-hang-shang,” e., “sea or 
 ocean wholesale merchants.” 
 
 1050. Mandarin on horseback, bearing despatches from the Emperor. 
 
 The tardy movement of the officer here represented, contrasts 
 strongly with the pompous title of the imperial edicts, which 
 are said to be “luminous and swift as the rays of light.” 
 
 The ordinary rate of despatches is three hundred le * per day ; in 
 cases of great moment they are called “ fire despatches,” and are carried 
 five hundred le per day, arriving in Canton from the capital in twelve 
 or thirteen days. 
 
 The “ express office ” is supplied with a large number of couriers, 
 ready at all times for despatch. 
 
 There is no public post in China, except for the use of the govern- 
 ment, but there are numbers of well-known and trustworthy persons 
 who are employed as letter-carriers between towns and villages, and who 
 thus supply the absence of a regular post. There are sometimes places 
 appointed where letters can be left for the postman ; and he is not 
 unfrequently seen with a letter-bag on his back, marked with the place 
 of his destination, passing through the street and calling for letters. 
 The charge for postage is light ; between Canton and Macao, a distance 
 of about seventy miles, it will average, for single letters, about thirty 
 cash, or three halfpence. 
 
 The envelope containing the official document, as here represented, 
 is of the imperial yellow. 
 
 1051 & 1052. Flowers. 
 
 1053 & 1054. Baskets of flowers, beautifully painted. 
 
 1055. Portrait of Shonshing, an eminent merchant of Canton. 
 
 1056. View of Golden Island in the Yang-tsze Keang. This is the 
 
 largest river in China, and runs a course of 3,290 miles. Its 
 name denotes the “ Son of the Sea.” It bears about the 
 same proportion to the Thames, that the territory of China 
 bears to that of England and Scotland. The next great 
 Chinese river in magnitude is the llwang-ho, which is 3,040 
 miles in length. 
 
 * In statistical accounts of the empire, the relative distance of places is calculated 
 in le, 250 of which make a c^eographical degree. 
 
128 
 
 DESCRirXIVE CATALOGUE 01'’ 
 
 1057. Lady of rank, with small feet. 
 
 1058. Lady in walking dress, with small feet. 
 
 1 059. Lady’s boudoir and bedroom. 
 
 1060. Ladies at play. 
 
 1061 to 1064. Beautiful specimens of painting on glass. 
 
 1065 & 1066. Two river views. 
 
 1067 & 1068. Mandarins and ladies, superbly dressed, painted on rice- 
 paper. 
 
 1069 & 1070. Two drawings of the interior of gentlemen’s residences 
 in China. 
 
 1071. Variety of birds, &c., on rice-paper. 
 
 1072 & 1073. Baskets of flowers. 
 
 1074. Imperial chair of state, with screen, &c. The Emperor’s throne 
 
 is called “ the dragon’s seat;” and on state occasions, in the 
 hall of audience, is always placed facing the south. 
 
 1075. Two mandarins and ladies. 
 
 1076. Mandarin of the first class and wife, in full costume. 
 
 1077. Interior of temple. 
 
 1078. Outbuilding of Buddha temple at Honan, in which domestic 
 
 animals are kept ; as pigs, fowls, ducks, and geese, agreeably 
 to the leading doctrines of the sect, — that no animal should 
 be deprived of life. The devout send these animals to the 
 temple where they make or pay vows, to obtain favours from 
 superior beings, or return thanks for those received. 
 
 1079. Furniture. 
 
 1080 & 1081. Flowers. 
 
 1082. Furniture. 
 
 1083. Four drawings on rice-paper, representing mandarins and their 
 
 ladies. 
 
 1084. Tartar warrior and lady, richly dressed in winter costume. In 
 
 the latter person will be observed the absence of small feet, 
 which, in a Chinese lady of the same high rank, would have 
 been an indispensable accompaniment. The sharp pointed 
 boots of the ofiicer denote him to be a military man ; the 
 luxury of square toes, as elsewhere remarked, is denied to 
 the soldier. 
 
 1085 & 1086. Stands with ornaments, flowers, fruit, &c. 
 
 1087. A river scene and bridge. 
 
 1088. River view, with fort in the distance. 
 
 1089. Mandarins and ladies. 
 
 1090. View of Whampoa reach and village. 
 
 The point from which this view is taken is French island, a small 
 portion of which appears in the foreground. Supposing the visiter 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 129 
 
 to occupy this position, immediately before him is Whampoa reach, in 
 which several foreign vessels are riding at anchor, and Whampoa island, 
 with its walled town, plantations of rice, sugar-canes, &c., its orange 
 groves, and picture^ue and lofty pagoda crowning a distant eminence. 
 Beyond appear the winding channel called Junk river, the level coast, 
 and the far-off mountains that swell out, in undulating outline, to the 
 northward of Canton. The view represented in this picture is extensive 
 and beautiful, and the execution of the painting is creditable to the 
 skill of the artist. In the small town before us, the visiter will perceive 
 one or more square buildings, higher than the surrounding dwellings. 
 These are government storehouses for the reception of their staple com- 
 modity, rice. The government of China, with a liberal policy and 
 benevolent feeling for its millions of subjects, provides for any sudden 
 or accidental failing of the crops, by the establishment of public grana- 
 ries in each province, under the controul of certain officers, whose 
 duty it is, during a time of plenty, to purchase at the government cost 
 large supplies of rice, to be distributed to the poor at such prices as 
 circumstances may require. If the grain of the following year should 
 amount to an average crop, the stock on hand is sold at a price a little 
 lower than the first cost ; if the supply should be considerably short of 
 the demand, it is then sold to the poor at reduced prices ; but if the 
 famine should be severe, it is then supplied to the sufferers gratuitously. 
 All persons are strictly prohibited by the government from hoarding 
 grain. Public granaries seem to have existed in China from time im- 
 memorial, and they have assumed a variety of forms. Among the 
 Chinese, the practice of storing grain in the earth has long since 
 ceased. Whampoa reach, the southern channel, is the anchorage of 
 all foreign shipping : it is twelve miles from Canton. The cargoes 
 imported are here unladen, and taken up to the factories in a kind 
 of lighter, called “ chops and whatever is to be exported is brought 
 down in the same way. 
 
 1091. River view, with “chop-house,” for the examination of passports 
 
 and official documents. 
 
 1092. Water view, with bridge. 
 
 1093. Furniture and Maxims, 
 
 1094 & 1095. Ornamental stands, flowers, &c. 
 
 1096. Couch, fruit-stand, &c. 
 
 1 097. Two mandarins, with ladies. 
 
 1098. Tartar bearing the joo-ee. Mandarin and lady in state chairs, 
 
 with beautiful screens. 
 
 1009 & 1100. Two interior views of temples. 
 
 1101. Furniture. 
 
 1102 & 1103. Baskets of flowers. 
 
130 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 110-1. Furniture. 
 
 1105. Mandarins and their wives, in splendid costumes. 
 
 1106. Tartar warrior, fully equipped, with a lady richly dressed. The 
 
 latter is sitting on a rock-like stool, cross-legged, a customary 
 mode with the Tartars. 
 
 1107. Stands with ornaments. 
 
 1108. Stands with ornaments and fruits. 
 
 1109 & 1110, Two river scenes. 
 
 1111 & 1113. Two winter views in the north of China. 
 
 1112. View on Lob creek, near Whampoa. 
 
 1114. Representation of an inundation of rice grounds. 
 
 The frequent inundations that occur in the low grounds of China 
 may be attributed in part to the imperfect mode in which the banks of 
 many of their canals are constructed ; being nothing more substantial 
 than an embankment of soft mud, intermixed with layers of rushes. 
 
 The following interesting account of the Chinese deluge, which 
 occurred in the reign of the ancient Emperor Yaou, is translated from 
 the Shoo-king, and is here introduced from Professor Kidd’s late work 
 on China. According to the Chinese system of chronology, it happened 
 in the year of the world 1713, which is only fifty-seven years later than 
 the generally received date of the Deluge of Moses. 
 
 “ The Emperor Yaou said — ‘ Vast and destructive are the accumu- 
 lating waters, which have overflowed their banks ; they rise so high as to 
 cover the hills and overtop the loftiest mountains, while they are co- 
 extensive with the spacious concave of heaven. Alas ! for the mass of 
 the people ; who shall relieve them from their calamities V 
 
 “ All replied, ‘ Behold, Kwan !’ ‘ Ah, no ; it cannot be answered 
 his majesty; ‘ he opposes the commands of his superiors, and subverts 
 the nine classes of kindred.’ It was remarked b}’’ the ministers, ‘ That 
 is doubtful, try him ; perhaps he may succeed.’ The Emperor said, 
 
 ‘ Let him go, then; but be cautious!’ He was engaged nine years 
 without accomplishing his task, and eventually atoned for the failure by 
 his death. Yu, his son, was next employed, who perfected the great 
 work of removing the flood, and restoring order to the empire. 
 
 “ The following dialogue on the subject of his labours occurred 
 between Yu and his sovereign. The Emperor says, ‘ Approach the 
 imperial presence; you have abundant communications to make.’ Yu 
 worshipped, and said, ‘ May it please your majesty, how can 1 speak ? 
 My thoughts were unweariedly and incessantly employed day by day. 
 The deluge rose high, and spread wide as the spacious vault of heaven ; 
 buried the hills and covered the mountains with its waters, into which 
 the common people, astonished to stupefaction, sunk. I travelled on 
 dry land in a chariot, on water in a boat, in miry places on a sledge. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 131 
 
 and climbed the sides of hills by means of spikes in my shoes. I went 
 from mountain to mountain felling trees ; fed the people with raw food ; 
 formed a passage for the waters to the sea on every part of the empire, 
 by cutting nine distinct beds, and preparing channels to conduct them 
 to the rivers. The waters having subsided, I taught the people to 
 plough and sow, who, while the devastating effects of the flood continued, 
 were constrained to eat uncooked food. I urged them to barter such 
 things as they could spare, for others of which they stood in need. In 
 this way the people were fed, and ten thousand provinces restored to 
 order and prosperity.” 
 
 1115. Chinese pleasure-grounds. 
 
 1116 to 1119. Four views, representing a funeral procession. The 
 visiter will observe that the bier is carried in the rear, contrary 
 to the practice with us. The cemetery, which will be found 
 in the distance, is invariably on the south side of a hill too 
 barren for cultivation. 
 
 On the demise of a parent or elder relation among the Chinese, the 
 event is formally announced to all the branches of the family; each side 
 of the doors is distinguished by labels in white, which is the mourning 
 colour. Wealthy families place a board at the door, on which is written 
 the title, age, &c., of the deceased. The lineal descendants of the 
 deceased, clothed in coarse white cloth, with bandages of the same 
 round their heads, sit weeping round the corpse on the ground, the 
 women keeping up a dismal howl after the manner of the Irish. In the 
 meantime the friends of the deceased appear with white coverlets of 
 linen or silk, which are placed on the body; the eldest son, or next 
 lineal male descendant, supported on each side by relations, and bearing 
 in his hand a porcelain bowl containing two copper coins, now proceeds 
 to the river, or the nearest well, or the wet ditch of the city, to “ buy 
 water,” as it is termed. The ceremony must be performed by the 
 eldest son's son, in preference to the second son, and entitles him to a 
 double share of the property, which, in other respects, is divided equally 
 amongst the sons. The form of washing the face and body with this 
 water being completed, the deceased is dressed as in life, and laid in a 
 coffin, of which the planks are from four to six inches in thickness, and 
 the bottom strewed with quicklime. On being closed, it is made air- 
 tight by cement, being, besides, varnished on the inside and outside. A 
 tablet is then placed on it, bearing the name and titles of the deceased, 
 as they are afterwards to be cut on the tomb. 
 
 On the expiration of “ thrice-seven,” or twenty-one days, the funeral 
 procession takes place, the tablet being conveyed in a gilded sedan or 
 pavilion, with incense and offerings before it. It is accompanied by 
 music, closely resembling the Scottish bagpipe, with the continual 
 
132 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 repetition of three successive strokes on the drum. The children and 
 relations of both sexes follow in white, without much order or regularity, 
 and, upon reaching the grave, the ceremonies and oblations commence. 
 It being a part of their superstition, that money and garments must be 
 burnt for the use of the deceased in the world of spirits, these are, with 
 a wise economy, represented by tinsel paper. Presents are made by the 
 friends of the family, to defray the expenses incurred in the burial ; on 
 the envelope are written these words — “ Respectful contribution to the 
 coffining:” which are sent to the person who presides at the funeral. 
 This appears to be an universal practice. 
 
 The form of the tombs, whether large or small, is exactly that of 
 a Greek O, which, if taken in the sense of “ the end,” is an odd acci- 
 dental coincidence. Those of the rich and great are sometimes very 
 large, and contain a considerable quantity of masonry, with figures of 
 animals in stone. The whole detail of sepulchral rites, with the senti- 
 ments of the Chinese concerning the dead, is contained in the drama of 
 “ An Heir in Old Age.” 
 
 After the interment, the tablet of the deceased is brought back in 
 procession, and, if the family be rich, it is placed in the “Hall of 
 Ancestors ;” if poor, in some part of the house, with incense before it. 
 Two periods in every year (the spring and autumn), are fixed for per- 
 forming the rites to the dead, but the first is the principal period, and 
 the only one commonly attended to. Unlike the generality of Chinese 
 festivals, which are regulated by the moon (and therefore moveable), 
 this is determined by the sun, and occurs annually 105 days after the 
 solstice, i. e., the 5th of April. About that time (for a day or two 
 before or after does not signify to them), the whole population of the 
 town is seen trooping out in parties to the hills, to repair and sweep 
 the tombs and make offerings, leaving behind them, on their return 
 home, long streamers of red and white paper, to mark the fulfilment of 
 their rites. Whole ranges of hills, sprinkled with tombs, may, at that 
 season, be seen covered with these testimonials of attention to the 
 departed, fluttering in the wind and sunshine. Small mounds of earth 
 may be observed behind a grave, with a tablet having “How-too-shin,” 
 inscribed upon it. This means a divinity, who is considered as a guardian 
 of the tomb. 
 
 PRAYER OEEERED AT AN ANCESTOR’S TOMB. 
 
 The following is the translation of a Sacrificial Prayer or "Tse^an,” read at the Tomb of an 
 
 Ancestor. 
 
 “ This thirteenth year of the reign of Taou-kwang (1833), the year 
 being Kwei-sze (the 30th year of the cycle), in the 2nd month of the 
 spring, after the new moon, the 16th day, at the happy Tsing-ming- 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 133 
 
 term — propriety requires that the spring sacrifice should be offered, the 
 grass mowed down, and the brambles cut away. 
 
 “ Reverently have we prepared pigs, sheep, fowls, and fresh hams, 
 seasonable vegetables, fruits, incense, rich wines, gold, silver, and pre- 
 cious things (i. e., tinsel papers) ; and venture to announce the same to 
 the soul of our great progenitor, the venerated Prince, 
 
 “ Behold ! man has progenitors and parents, as water has springs, 
 and trees have roots. When the roots strike deep, the branches are 
 abundant, the foliage rich, and forests are formed. When springs of 
 water are large and flow far, they enrich the soil and diffuse fragrance. 
 We look wishfully, and pray the souls in Hades to shelter and assist us, 
 their descendants, that we may be prosperous ; may age after age be 
 decked with badges of honour ; may long enjoy riches and rank ; may, 
 like the melon creeper and the cotton fibre, be continually happy, and 
 never extinct ; may, for myriads of ages, be illustrious spirits. Pros- 
 trate, we pray you to come to enjoy and view these sacrifices. With 
 sincerity these prayers are offered up.” 
 
 1120 to 1130. A series of drawings, in water-colours, upon the leaves 
 of the Ficus Religiosa. In the preparations of the leaf for the 
 artist, every part is carefully removed but the fibre, which has 
 the appearance of gauze. In this state figures are painted on 
 them, resembling some of their demi-gods. The leaves are 
 called “ poo-te-sha.” 
 
 1131 & 1132. Stands, fruits, &c. 
 
 1133. Furniture, &c, 
 
 1134. Two mandarins and ladies, superbly dressed. 
 
 1135. Mandarin of the highest class, and lady, splendidly attired. 
 
 These, with the couple 1084 & 1098, are Tartars also. 
 From the neck of the female is suspended a long kind of scarf 
 or handkerchief, customary with the Tartar ladies. Gentle- 
 men have a similar appendage at their girdle. 
 
 1136. Painting on glass. 
 
 1137 & 1138. Exterior views of temples. 
 
 1139. Furniture, maxims, &c. 
 
 1140. Basket of flowers, the most prominent being the Mow- tan, called 
 
 by the Chinese “ Hwa-wang,” “ king of flowers.” 
 
 1141. Basket of flowers. 
 
 1142. Chinese furniture. 
 
 1143. Mandarins and ladies, on rice-paper. 
 
 1144. Mandarin bearing the imperial dispatches, and lady. 
 
 1145. Paintings on glass. 
 
 1146 &: 1147. Ornamental stands, vases, fruits, &c. 
 
 1148 & 1149. Two river scenes. 
 
134 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 1150. The Ficus Religiosa, or Banian Tree, which sends down roots 
 
 from its branches, called by the Chinese “ Puh sze miih,” or 
 “ the immortal tree.” 
 
 1151. Winter piece. 
 
 1152. Chinese landscape. 
 
 1153. Gentleman’s summer retreat. 
 
 1154 to 1157. Female pastimes. 
 
 1158 to 1161. Specimens of Chinese fish, beautifully painted. 
 
 1162. View of the interior of the Consoo house, with the court in 
 session for the final decision of the charge of piracy, committed 
 by the crew of a Chinese junk on a French captain and sailors, 
 at a short distance from Macao. 
 
 The French ship Navigateur put into Cochin-China in distress. 
 Having disposed of her to the government, the captain, with his crew, 
 took passage for Macao in a Chinese junk, belonging to the province of 
 Fokien. Part of their valuables consisted of about 100,000 dollars in 
 specie. Four Chinese passengers bound for Macao, and one for Fiih-keen, 
 were also on board. This last apprised the Frenchmen, in the best way 
 he could, that the crew of the junk had entered into a conspiracy to take 
 their lives, and seize their treasure. He urged that an armed watch 
 should be kept. On making the Ladrone islands, the four Macao pas- 
 sengers left the junk. Here the Frenchmen believed themselves out of 
 danger, and, exhausted by sickness and long watching, yielded to a fatal 
 repose. They were all massacred but one, a youth of about nineteen 
 years of age, who escaped by leaping into the sea, after receiving several 
 wounds. A fishing boat picked him up, and landed him at Macao, 
 where information was given to the officers of government ; and the 
 crew of the junk, with their ill-gotten gains, were seized on arriving at 
 their port of destination at Fiih-keen. Having been found guilty by 
 the court in their own district, they were sent down to Canton by order 
 of the Emperor, to the “ gan cha.sze” (criminal judge), to be confronted 
 with the young French sailor. This trial is represented in the painting. 
 The prisoners were taken out of their cages, as seen in the foreground. 
 The Frenchman recognised seventeen out of the twenty-four ; but when 
 the passenger, who had been his friend, was brought in, the two eagerly 
 embraced each other ; which scene is also pourtrayed in the painting. An 
 explanation of this extraordinary act was made to the judge, and the man 
 forthwith set at liberty. A purse was made up for him by the Chinese 
 and foreigners, and he was soon on his way homeward. The seventeen 
 were decapitated in a few days, in the presence of the foreigners ; the 
 captain was put to a “ lingering death,” the punishment of traitors ; and 
 the stolen treasures were restored. 
 
 1863 & 1164. Ornamental stands, vases, flowers, &c. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 135 
 
 1165. Couch, fruit-stand, &c. 
 
 1166. Fruit, flowers, &c. (tea plant.) 
 
 1167. Military officer and lady. A Chinese soldier wears his sword 
 
 on the left side, but he draws it with the right hand turned 
 behind him. 
 
 1168. Portrait of a Chinese lady, on glass. 
 
 1169 & 1170. Views of various buildings, in one of which are dwarf 
 trees, for which the Chinese are so celebrated. 
 
 Almost every garden in China abounds in flower-pots, containing 
 stunted trees with full grown fruit. 
 
 1171 & 1172. Baskets of flowers, exquisitely coloured. 
 
 1173. Furniture and stands, &c. 
 
 1174. Drawings of fruit and flowers. 
 
 1175. Nobleman and his wife, in winter costume, the latter with a 
 
 hand-furnace used in the north of China. 
 
 1176. Flowers and insects, on white velvet. 
 
 1177 & 1178. Views of the exteriors of Buddha temples. 
 
 1179 & 1180. Paintings on “rice-paper,” representing the twelve stages 
 of the silk process, from the egg to the weaving of the silk. 
 
 1181. View of an apartment in Mowqua’s country-seat. 
 
 1182. Flowers. 
 
 1183. Table, Chinese candles, screen, &c. 
 
 1184. Exterior views of temples. 
 
 1185. An out-building attached to the temple of Honan. 
 
 1186. View of an apartment in Mowqua’s country-seat at Honan. 
 
 1187. Flowers. 
 
 1188. Lady of rank, in a sedan, carried by bearers. 
 
 1189. Mandarin in splendid costume. 
 
 1190. Lady of rank, in rich dress. 
 
 1191. Interior of the temple at Honan, with Buddha priests at worship. 
 A description of this celebrated temple may prove interesting to the 
 
 reader. The exterior of this temple — as much venerated by the Chinese 
 as that of Minerva was by the Athenians, or the edifice dedicated to 
 Jupiter Tonans was by the people of Rome — is by no means remarkable 
 in appearance. It is spacious and lofty, and constructed after the manner 
 of other large Chinese buildings, with outer and inner courts, porticoes 
 and passages, which conduct the followers of Buddha into the sacred pre- 
 sence of their gods, “ San paou Fiih,” “ the three precious Buddhas,” — 
 the “ past, present, and to come.” These are represented by colossal 
 gilt statues, in a sitting posture, nearly twenty feet in height, formed of 
 clay, and entirely covered with burnished gold. 
 
 The principal hall in which these are placed is very large, and sup- 
 ported by vermillion-coloured pillars, between which are suspended 
 
136 
 
 DESCRirTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 numerous lanterns — and on the shafts of two columns are inscriptions — 
 one denoting “the golden- coloured region;” the other, “the three 
 precious Buddhas.” 
 
 The temple is guarded from the intrusion of strangers, in the same 
 exclusive spirit that prompts the followers of the prophet to deny 
 Christians admission into the mosques of St. Sophia and Omar. It is 
 with difficulty that foreigners can enter within these hallowed walls. 
 The privileged few who have succeeded in so doing, have described the 
 sudden impression made upon their minds by the giant idols, as par- 
 taking of the sentiment of awe-— until the eye becoming accustomed to 
 their presence, they are very properly reduced by mental operation to 
 their true character — mere clay, false gods, and the senseless objects 
 of an absurd pagan worship. This is by no means a long process of the 
 mind : as the countenance of each idol is inexpressive of any particular 
 emotion, there is nothing to excite either terror or disgust. On looking 
 round the hall, the appearance of great numbers of Chinese priests 
 standing at equal distances from each other, attired in pontifical robes, 
 and with their hands clasped, in silent prayer and adoration, or chaunt- 
 ing evening service, together with the soft and tender — or rather the 
 “dim, religious light” of repose which fills the temple — is at once 
 striking and impressive. 
 
 Of this “joss-house,” or temple of the Buddha sect, the following is 
 the legend : — 
 
 “ The Hae-Chung-sze, or Honan Joss-house, was originally a garden, 
 belonging to Ko-kea, the family of Kd. A priest, named Che-Yuet, com- 
 menced a small temple to Buddha, some say about 800 years ago, under 
 the appellation ‘ Tseen-Tsew-Sze,’ ‘ the temple of a thousand autumns.’ 
 
 “ It remained an obscure place till the close of the late dynasty, about 
 the year A.D. 1600, when a priest of eminent devotion raised its 
 character ; and his pupil, or disciple, 0-tsze, by his superior talents and 
 sanctity, together with a concurrence of extraordinary circumstances, 
 raised the temple to its present magnificence and extent. 
 
 “ During the reign of Kang-he, the second of the reigning Tartar 
 dynasty, A.D. 1700, Canton province was not fully subjugated; and a 
 son-in-law of the Emperor’s, entitled ‘ Ping-nan- wang,’ ‘ king subjugator 
 of the south,’ reduced the whole to his father’s sway, and took up his 
 head-quarters in the Honan temple, according to Tartar and Chinese 
 usage. There were thirteen villages on the island, which he had orders 
 to exterminate for their opposition to the imperial forces. 
 
 “ Just before carrying into effect this command, the king, a blood- 
 thirsty man, cast his eyes on 0-tsze, a fat happy priest, and remarked, 
 that if he lived on vegetable diet, he could not be so fat — he must be a 
 hypocrite, and should be punished with death. He drew his sword to 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 137 
 
 execute, with his own arm, the sentence, but his arm suddenly stiftened, 
 and he was stopped from his purpose. That night a divine person 
 appeared to him in a dream, and assured him that 0-tsze was a holy 
 man, adding, ‘ You must not unjustly kill him.’ 
 
 “ Next morning the king presented himself before 0-tsze, confessed 
 his crime, and his arm was immediately restored. He then did obeisance 
 to the priest, and took him for his preceptor and guide, and morning 
 and evening the king waited on the priest as his servant. 
 
 “ The thirteen villages now heard of this miracle, and solicited the 
 priest to intercede in their behalf, that they might be rescued from the 
 sentence of extermination. The priest interceded, and the king listened 
 to him, answering thus — ‘ I have received an imperial order to exter- 
 minate these rebels ; but since you, my master, say they now submit, 
 be it so : however, I must send the troops round the country before 
 I can write to the Emperor. I will do so, and then beg that they 
 may be spared.’ This proceeding took place, and the Honan villages 
 were saved. 
 
 “ Their gratitude to the priest was unbounded ; and estates, and in- 
 cense, and money, were poured in upon him. The king also persuaded 
 his officers to make donations to the temple, and it became affluent from 
 that day. 
 
 “ At that time there was no ‘ Hall of the Celestial Kings and at the 
 outer gate was a pond belonging to a rich man who refused to sell it, 
 although 0-tsze offered him a large compensation. One day the king 
 was conversing with the priest, and said, ‘This temple is still deficient, 
 in having no hall for the celestial kings.’ The priest said, ‘ A terrestial 
 king, please your majesty, is the proper person to rear a pavilion to the 
 celestial kings.’ The king took the hint, and immediately seized upon 
 the rich man’s pond, who was now very glad to present it without any 
 compensation at all. The king commanded that the pavilion should be 
 finished in fifteen days : however, at the priest’s intercession, the work- 
 men were allowed one month to complete it ; and, by working night 
 and day, finished it in that time. 
 
 “The queen, being the Emperor’s daughter, hoped she would be 
 allowed to build a palace, covered with green tiles ; however, her father 
 would not permit her, and the tiles she had prepared were given to the 
 joss-house, to cover one of its pavilions; and hence it is sometimes 
 called ‘ the green- tiled temple.’ ” 
 
 It was in this temple or monastery, that Lord Amherst’s embassy 
 lodged during his lordship’s stay at Canton ; and as Honan faces 
 Canton, on the opposite bank of the river, many Chinese gentlemen 
 and merchants retire thither to their country villas, after the business of 
 the day is over. 
 
138 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 1192. Various sea shells, found on the coast of China, shewing their 
 molluscous inhabitants. 
 
 1193 & 1194. Interior of temples. 
 
 1195. Furniture and maxims, 
 
 1196. Flowers and fruit. In the left hand lower division of this frame 
 
 is a drawing of a species of citron, called by the Chinese, 
 “ Fuh-show,” “ the hand (of the god) Fuh.” The formation of 
 this fruit is a curious result of horticultural ingenuity practised 
 by the Chinese. Mr. Davis remarks, that “so entirely is 
 this strange production the result of art operating on nature, 
 that it does not appear a second time after the plant has been 
 purchased.” 
 
 1197. Mandarin, in a chair, with eight bearers and other attendants. 
 
 1198. Warrior, in full dress, with bow, quiver, &c. 
 
 1199. Mandarin, of the imperial household. 
 
 1200. Exterior of a Buddha temple at Honan. 
 
 1201. Painting on glass. 
 
 1202 & 1203. Exterior views of temples. 
 
 1204. Furniture, lamps, &c. 
 
 1205. Flowers and fruit. 
 
 1206. Lady of rank, in sedan, and bearers, &c. 
 
 1207. Mandarin of the first class, in fur dress. 
 
 1208. Lady, in walking habit. 
 
 1209. Second gate to the temple at Honan. 
 
 1210. Portrait of a lady, on glass. 
 
 1211 & 1212. Exterior views of various buildings, shewing the plans 
 and arrangements of the outer or fore court. 
 
 1213. Cabinet, table, &c. 
 
 1214. The first of a series of twelve coloured drawings, representing the 
 tea culture in the district of Keang-nan, situated at the north-west 
 extremity of a range of hills dividing that province from Che-keang, 
 between the 30th and 31st parallel of north latitude. This is a view of 
 the preparation of the ground for planting. For the information of the 
 reader upon the subject of tea, we cannot give a better description than 
 that contained in a work by John F. Davis, Esq., F.R.S., &c., late chief 
 of the British Factory at Canton, upon China and the Chinese ; the most 
 comprehensive and accurate account that has appeared in modern days. 
 — “The fineness and dearness of tea are determined by the tenderness 
 and smallness of the leaf when picked. The various descriptions of the 
 black diminish in quality and value as they are gathered later in the 
 season, until they reach the lowest kind, called by us Bohea, and by the 
 Chinese ‘ Ta-cha,’ ‘large tea,’ on account of the maturity and size of 
 the leaves. The early leaf buds in spring, being covered with a white 
 
DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 139 
 
 silky down, are gathered to make Pekoe, which is a corruption of the 
 Canton name, ‘ Pak-hoo,’ ‘white down.’ A few days’ longer growth 
 produce what is here styled, ‘ black-leaved Pekoe.’ The more fleshy 
 and matured leaves constitute Souchong ; as they grow larger and 
 coarser they form Congou ; and the last and latest picking is Bohea, 
 The tea farmers, who are small proprietors or cultivators, give the tea a 
 rough preparation, and then take it to the contractors, whose business it 
 is to adapt its further preparation to the existing nature of the demand. 
 The different kinds of tea may be considered in the ascending scale of 
 their value. 
 
 “ 1st. Bohea, vfliich, in England, is the name of a quality, has been 
 already stated to be, in China, the name of a district where various 
 kinds of black tea are produced. The coarse leaf brought under that 
 name to this country, is distinguished by containing a larger proportion 
 of the woody fibre than any other teas ; its infusion is of a darker colour, 
 and, as it has been more subjected to the action of fire, it keeps a longer 
 time without becoming musty than the finer sorts. Two kinds of Bohea 
 are brought from China : the lowest of these is manufactured on the 
 spot, and therefore called ‘ Canton Bohea,’ being a mixture of refuse 
 Congou with a coarse tea called Woping, the growth of the province. 
 The better kind of Bohea comes from the district of that name in Fokien ; 
 and, having been of late esteemed equally with the lower Congou teas, 
 has been packed in the same square chests, while the old Bohea package 
 is of an oblong shape. 
 
 “ 2nd. Congou, the next higher kind, is named from a corruption of 
 the Chinese ‘ Kung-foo,’ ‘ labour or assiduity.’ It formed for many 
 years the bulk of the East India Company’s cargoes ; but the quality 
 gradually fell off, in consequence of the partial abandonment of the old 
 system of annual contracts, by which the Chinese merchants were assured 
 of a remunerating price for the better sorts. The consumption of Bohea 
 in this country has of late years increased, to the diminution of Congou, 
 and the standard of the latter has been considerably lowered, A particular 
 variety, called ‘ Campoi,’ is so styled from a corruption of the original 
 name, ‘ Keen-pei,’ ‘ selection — choice ;’ but it has ceased to be prized 
 in this country from the absence of strength — a characteristic wdrich is 
 stated to be generally esteemed beyond delicacy or flavour. 
 
 “ 3rd. Souchong (Seaou-chung), ‘ small or scarce sort,’ is one of the 
 finest of the stronger black teas, with a leaf that is generally entire and 
 curly, but younger than in the coarser kinds. What is called ‘ Paou- 
 chung,’ or ‘Padre Tea,’ is packed in separate paper bundles, of about 
 half a pound each, and is so fine as to be used almost exclusively for 
 presents. It takes its name of Paou (or parcel) from the packages in 
 which it is contained, and its other name of Padre, as having been 
 
 K 
 
140 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 formerly grown by the priests at their small locations on the hills, and 
 given to the parties coming to worship. The finest kinds of Souchong 
 are sometimes scented with the flowers of the cloranthus inconsjpicuus 
 and gardenia jiorida ; and they cannot be obtained, even among the 
 Chinese, except at dear prices. A highly crisped and curled leaf, called 
 Sonchi, has lately grown into disrepute, and been much disused, in 
 consequence of being often found to contain a ferruginous dust ; which 
 was probably not intended as a fraud, but arose from the nature of the 
 ground where the tea had been carelessly and dirtily packed. 
 
 “ 4th. Pekoe being composed mainly of the young spring buds, the 
 gathering of these must, of course, be injurious in some degree to the 
 future produce of the shrub ; and this description of tea is accordingly 
 both dear and small in quantity. With a view to preserve the fineness 
 of flavour, the application of heat is very limited in drying the leaves ; 
 and hence it is, that Pekoe is more liable to injury from keeping than 
 any other sort of tea. There is a species of Pekoe made in the green 
 tea country from the young buds, in like manner with the black kind ; 
 but it is so little fired that the least damp spoils it ; and, for this reason, 
 as well as on account of its scarcity and high price, the Hyson-pekoe, 
 as some call it, has never been brought to England. The mandarins 
 send it in very small canisters to each other, or to their friends, as 
 presents. 
 
 “ Green teas may generally be divided into five denominations, which 
 are, 1, Twankay; 2, Hyson-skin; 3, Hyson; 4, Gunpowder; 5, 
 Young Hyson. Twankay tea has always formed the bulk of the green 
 teas imported into this country, being used by the retailers to mix with 
 the finer kinds. The leaf is older, and not so much twisted or rolled as 
 in the dearer descriptions : there is altogether less care and trouble 
 bestowed on its preparation. It is, in fact, the Bohea of green teas ; and 
 the quantity of it brought to England has fully equalled three-fourths 
 of the whole importation of green. Hyson-skin is so named from 
 the original Chinese term, in which the shin means the refuse, or 
 inferior portion of anything ; in allusion, perhaps, to the hide of an 
 animal, or the rind of fruit. In preparing the fine tea, called Hyson, all 
 those leaves that are of a coarser, yellower, and less twisted or rolled 
 appearance, are set apart, and sold as the refuse or ‘ skin tea,’ at a 
 much inferior price. The whole quantity, therefore, depends on, and 
 bears a proportion to, the whole quantity of Hyson manufactured, but 
 seldom exceeds two or three thousand chests in all. The wqrd Hyson 
 is corrupted from the Chinese name, which signifies ‘ flourishing 
 spring,’ this fine sort of tea being gathered in the early part of the 
 season. Every separate leaf is twisted and rolled by hand, and it 
 is on account of the extreme care and labour required in its preparation. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 141 
 
 that the best Hyson tea is so difficult to procure, and so expensive. 
 By way of keeping up its quality, the East India Company used to give 
 a premium for the two best lots annually presented to them for selection ; 
 and the tea merchants were stimulated to exertion, as much by the 
 credit of the thing as by the actual gain in price. Gunpowder, as it 
 is called, consists of the best rolled and roundest leaves, which gives it 
 that granular appearance whence it derives its name. For a similar 
 reason the Chinese call it ‘ Choo-cha,’ ‘ pearl tea.’ Young Hyson, 
 until it was spoiled by the large demands of late years, was a genuine, 
 delicate young leaf, called in the original language ‘ Yu-tseen,’ ‘ before 
 the rains.’ As it could not be fairly produced in any large quantities, 
 the call for a further supply was answered by cutting up and sifting 
 other green tea through sieves of a certain size ; and, as the Company’s 
 inspectors detected the imposture, it formed no part of their London 
 importations. But the above became still worse of late, for the coarsest 
 hlach tea-leaves have been cut up, and then coloured with a preparation, 
 so as to resemble the hue of green teas. 
 
 Nothing could be more ill-founded than the vulgar notion, once 
 prevalent in this country, that the colour of green tea was derived from 
 its being dried on plates of copper. No Chinese is allowed to have a 
 copper vessel, except as ornamental. Admitting that copper was the 
 metal on which they were placed, it does not at all follow that they 
 should assume such an appearance from the operation ; but the pans 
 really used on these occasions are of cast-iron, of a round or spherical 
 shape. Each of these pans is bricked in, over a small surface. A 
 quantity of fresh leaves are placed in the pan, after it has been suffi- 
 cently heated, and stirred rapidly round by the hand, to expose them 
 equally to the action of the heat, and, at the same time, prevent their 
 burning. After being a little curled by this drying operation, they are 
 taken out, and twisted or rolled by hand to assist the natural tendency; 
 and the process of curling is continued for a longer or shorter time, 
 according to the nature and quality of the tea. The hand seems to 
 have most to do in the case of green teas, and the fire in that of the 
 black. In the preparation of the finer teas, much Ccire and attention is 
 bestowed on the selection of the best leaves subsequent to drying ; 
 as in the separation of the Hyson from its shin^ or refuse — a business 
 which falls to the lot of women and children. The tea, when prepared, 
 is packed while warm, by the contractors, in chests and canisters. The 
 black teas are trodden down with the feet, to make them pack closer : 
 but the green tea-leaves would be crushed and broken by so rude a 
 process ; they are accordingly only shaken into chests. 
 
 1215. Second view* of the above tea process, representing labourers 
 sowing the seed. 
 
 K 2 
 
142 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 1216. The Tsung-tiih, or Viceroy of Canton, in a sedan, with eight 
 
 bearers and retinue. 
 
 As before observed, the number of bearers to each sedan is restricted 
 to the rank of the person. Only mandarins, or official persons, can 
 be carried by four bearers, or accompanied by a train of attendants. 
 These are marshalled in two files before the chair. One pair of these 
 myrmidons, carry gongs, on which they strike at regular intervals ; 
 another pair utter, likewise, at intervals, a long-drawn shout, or rather 
 yell, to denote the approach of the great man ; a third pair carry 
 chains (as in No. 1206), which they jingle in concert, being, in fact, 
 jailers or executioners, with high caps of iron wire, in which is stuck 
 a grey feather. Then come two fellows with the usual bamboo, or 
 bastinado ; and the cortege is made up by the servants and other 
 followers, some of whom carry red umbrellas of dignity ; others large red 
 boards, on which are inscribed, in gilt characters, the officer’s titles ; 
 and, generally, the motto addressed to the multitude, “Be still and 
 RETIRE BACK.” The populace, who meet such a procession, are not to 
 denote their respect in any other way than by standing aside, with their 
 arms hanging close to their sides, and their eyes on the ground. It is 
 only when called or taken before a tribunal that they are obliged to 
 kneel ; and these are occasions which most Chinese are not very willing 
 to seek. 
 
 1217. Furniture and maxims. 
 
 1218. Madarin, in splendid costume. 
 
 1219. Lady, in splendid costume, with large feet. 
 
 1220. First gateway to the temple at Honan. 
 
 1221. Painting on glass. 
 
 1222. View of a small Buddha temple. 
 
 1223. Exterior of a gentleman’s private dwelling. 
 
 1224. Furniture, &c. 
 
 1225. Third view of the Keang-nan tea process, representing the irri- 
 
 gation of the trees. 
 
 1226. Fourth view : women plucking the leaves. 
 
 1227. Lady of rank, in sedan, and bearers. 
 
 1228. Mandarin saluting. 
 
 1229. A Tartar lady, in summer dress. 
 
 1230. Vessel in a typhoon, “ ta fung,” or “ great wind.” 
 
 Violent storms are of frequent occurrence during a particular season 
 of the year, on the southern coast of China, and occasion a dreadful loss 
 of life, besides injury to the boats of the many thousand families who 
 reside upon the neighbouring waters of Canton. Chinese writers par- 
 ticularly mention a sea storm that blows from every point of the compass 
 on the coast of Canton. It occurs during the fifth and sixth moons of 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 143 
 
 the year, and is preceded by a coloured ring-like appearance, at first 
 small, but gradually increasing. This whirlwind is said to be entirely 
 unknown in the north of China. During the continuance of these de- 
 vastating storms, thunder is considered a symptom of the mitigation of 
 their fury. In the significant phraseology of the Chinese, lightning is 
 called “ the thunderer’s whip.” The superstitious notions of the Chinese 
 have been elsewhere spoken of. If a person in China has been killed 
 by lightning, he is denied the rights of burial which he would otherwise 
 have received. They consider it as the marked displeasure of God. 
 Confucius always rose and dressed himself when severe thunder storms 
 occurred at night, in order to pay respect to “ Teen-noo,” “ the wrath of 
 heaven.” 
 
 1231. River view. 
 
 1232. Another view, with official building for the examination of 
 
 passports. 
 
 1233 to 1238. Six frames, containing numerous drawings of Chinese 
 
 fishes, taken from nature. 
 
 1239. Painting of a marriage procession. 
 
 In the gay scene here represented, the bridegroom is returning from 
 the late home of the bride, who is carried in a richly carved and gilded 
 sedan appropriated to such occasions, and called “ PIwa-Keaou,” i. e., 
 “ flowered chair.” The supporters, in this case (four in number), are 
 regulated according to the rank of the parties. The bride is preceded 
 by a lengthened train of attendants, clad in garments of various colours. 
 There are not less than a dozen sedan chairs in the procession filled with 
 presents to the bride. These constitute her whole marriage dowry. The 
 persons composing the train are hired for the occasion. There are large 
 establishments in China, provided with men, chairs, and dresses, to be 
 hired out for escorts of this kind. The dresses and sedans range through 
 all the degrees of costliness and elegance. Articles of this kind, more or 
 less expensive, and a more or less numerous train of attendants, are em- 
 ployed, according to the rank and wealth of the parties to be united ; 
 Howqua, the rich Hong merchant, expended about 50,000 dollars on a 
 daughter’s wedding, including the bridal presents. Live geese are always 
 among the presents, and they are carried in the procession, being consi- 
 dered, apparently without any good foundation, patterns of concord and 
 fidelity in the married state. The beautiful mandarin duck, already 
 described, would be a. fitter emblem. When the bride reaches the resi- 
 dence of her lord, she is lifted by matrons over a pan of charcoal, — a 
 usage the exact import of which is not understood. Various ceremo- 
 nies follow, which end in the husband unveiling his bride, whom ho 
 now sees for the first time, and drinking with her the cup of alliance. 
 Marriage is termed “ the excellent ceremony,” and is promoted by every 
 
144 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 consideration that can act upon the, human mind. The national maxim 
 is, that “ there are three great acts of disregard to parents, and to die 
 without progeny is the chief.” The barrenness of a wife is therefore re- 
 garded as a great calamity, and is one of the seven grounds of a divorce 
 allowed to a Chinese husband, notwithstanding there would seem to be 
 an all-sufficient remedy in legal concubinage. The other causes of 
 separation are, disobedience to her parents, adultery, talkativeness, 
 thieving, ill-temper, and inveterate infirmities. 
 
 A lucky day for the marriage rites is considered important. On this 
 point recourse is had to astrology, and the horoscopes of the parties are 
 diligently compared. Sometimes the ceremony is postponed for months, 
 because the stars are not propitious. They have a saying, that “ mar- 
 riages are made (fixed) in a previous state of existence.” 
 
 Such superstitious notions and observances belong exclusively to no 
 particular age or country. In the “ Iphigenia” of Euripides, Clytemnestra 
 asks Agamemnon when their daughter shall wed. He replies, “ When 
 the orb of a fortunate moon shall arrive.” The spring in China is gene- 
 rally preferred for wedding, when the peach-tree is in blossom. This 
 circumstance is alluded to in a little poem in the “ Book of Odes,” thus 
 elegantly paraphrased by the accomplished Sir William Jones - 
 
 “ Sweet child of spring-, the garden’s queen, 
 
 Yon peach-tree charms the roving sight ; 
 
 Its fragrant leaves how richly green, 
 
 Its blossoms how divinely bright ! 
 
 So softly shines the beauteous bride, 
 
 By love and conscious virtue led, 
 
 O’er her new mansion to preside, 
 
 And placid joys around her shed.” 
 
 The presents, already noticed, are sent to the bride in the evening, 
 at which time the ceremony takes place ; hence a bride is compared to ' 
 the moon ; “ When the sun sets, the moon appears,” Another phrase, 
 in confirmation of this custom, “ When the pale moon goes forth, how 
 fine the appearance of a beautiful woman ! (bride.)” The desire for 
 male children is esteemed a virtue, and is incorporated in many of their 
 daily salutations ; thus, “ May you have an union, and abundance of the 
 three blessings,” i. e., “ Happiness, long life, and male children.^' To 
 obtain the latter, and to promote lineal descent, concubinage is often 
 resorted to ; but Chinese moralists do not allow a concubine to be taken 
 till after the age of forty, and when there is no hope of having male 
 issue by the wife. The former is less esteemed than the latter, and in 
 the Anglo-Chinese of the natives, is considered as “ number two wife,” 
 that is, inferior. At the marriage of a son, the ceremony of capping is 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 145 
 
 observed, “ kea-kwan.” In ancient times a bonnet made of cloth was 
 first placed upon his head ; next one of leather ; and lastly a nobleman’s 
 cap. The chief parts of this ceremony are yet continued, together with 
 a benediction pronounced over him. 
 
 Dr. Morrison says, in some provinces in China a public notice is 
 issued by wealthy parents to obtain a husband for their daughter ; this 
 is done by the affluent, who are unwilling to part with their child, and 
 who, therefore, bring the son-in-law into their own family, instead of 
 the usual practice of sending the daughter from home. 
 
 When women prove childless, they pay adoration to the goddess 
 Kwan-yin, a principal image in Buddhist temples, whose name means 
 “ heedful of prayers,” (ter vocata audit), and whose functions seem com- 
 pounded of those of Venus Genetrix and Lucina. There is, however, 
 the widest difference, in their estimation, between male and female 
 offspring ; the former are as eagerly desired as the latter are, generally, 
 deprecated. Sons are considered, in this country, where the power over 
 them is so absolute through life, as a sure support, as well as a probable 
 source of wealth or dignities, should they succeed in learning; but 
 the grand object is the perpetuation of the race, to continue the sa- 
 crifices at the family tombs. Without sons a man lives without honour 
 or satisfaction, and dies unhappy; and, as the only remedy, he is per- 
 mitted to adopt the sons of the younger brothers. Sometimes, how- 
 ever, the extreme desire of male offspring leads parents to suborn the 
 midwives to purchase a boy of some poor person, and substitute it for a 
 girl just born. This is termed “ tow lung hwan fung,” “ stealing a 
 dragon in exchange for a phoenix.” 
 
 In the event of the death of a young woman, under nineteen years 
 of age, a paper effigy is made by the parents, and the intended husband 
 receives the effigy home to his house, with the bridal rites ; he then 
 burns the effigy, and erects a tablet to her memory. This appears to 
 be the object of the parents of the deceased. 
 
 1240. View of Honan from the river. 
 
 1241. Rural scenery on the Canton river. 
 
 1242. View of the exterior of a temple. 
 
 1243. A gentleman’s residence. 
 
 1244. Furniture. 
 
 1245. Fifth view of the Keang-nan tea process: females twisting the 
 
 leaves, preparatory to firing. 
 
 124G. Sixth view as above. Females sorting leaves. 
 
 1247. Government officer, in a chair, carried by eight bearers. 
 
 1248. Furniture, maxims, &c. 
 
 1249. Mandarin, in summer dress. 
 
 1250. Lady with small feet, in summer dress. 
 
146 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 1251. View of Pinkoo, near Canton. 
 
 1252 & 1253. Exterior views of temples. 
 
 1254. Furniture. 
 
 1255. Seventh view of the Keang-nan tea process : coolies bringing in 
 
 the leaves from the trees. 
 
 1256. Eighth view as above : sifting and sorting the leaves. 
 
 1257. Mandarin, in winter dress, with bearers, &c. 
 
 1258. Mandarin, bearing imperial despatches in a yellow silk envelope 
 
 at his back. 
 
 1259. Lady of rank, with small feet. 
 
 1260. Bridge at Honan, near Canton. 
 
 1261. A musical party. 
 
 1262. Flowers from nature. 
 
 1263. Birds from life. 
 
 1264. Picture of the Bocca Tigris. 
 
 The Bocca Tigris, called by the Chinese “ the Tiger’s Gate,” or 
 “ Tiger’s Mouth,” is the entrance of the Canton river, and is so called 
 from the appearance of one of the islands in front of it. It is, as 
 described by Weddel, the first Englishman who approached it, “a 
 goodly inlet,” flanked on each side by mountains and fortresses : the 
 latter formidable, but owing to an entire want, on the part of the 
 Chinese, of a knowledge of gunnery, and to other causes, they are with- « 
 out any real efficiency. They have been repeatedly passed, without 
 difficulty, by English men-of-war. Vessels must shew their permits 
 here, before entering ; and are, therefore, required to anchor outside if 
 they reach the Bogue during the night. 
 
 1265. Flowers and fruit. 
 
 1266. Variety of birds, on rice-paper. 
 
 1267. Revenue cutters, in pursuit of smugglers. 
 
 1268. View of an engagement by moonlight, between revenue officers 
 
 and smugglers. 
 
 1269. Mandarin and lady. 
 
 1270. Mandarin and lady, superbly dressed. 
 
 1271. Chinese bedstead, furniture, &c. 
 
 Specimens of Chinese furniture are abundantly displayed in this Col- 
 lection ; the beds of the Chinese, in general, are composed of mats, 
 placed on two or three boards, laid on forms or benches, and covered 
 with a canopy, supported by bamboo sticks, of silk gauze or cotton cur- 
 tains, and a mosquito net in the summer. Various kinds of bamboo 
 pillows are also exhibited. 
 
 1272. Ninth view of the Keang-nan tea process : — preparation of samples. 
 
 1273. Tenth view as above: drying the leaves on plates of iron, and 
 
 not of copper, as is erroneously supposed. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 147 
 
 1274. A lady of rank, in sedan, with bearers, &c. 
 
 1275. Furniture. 
 
 1276. Mandarin of the first class, splendidly attired, v/earing the feather 
 
 with “ three eyes.” 
 
 The lordly appearance of this figure is expressed by the Chinese in 
 the phrase “Walks like a dragon, and paces like a tiger,” indicative of a 
 stately manner and bearing. 
 
 1277. Lady, superbly dressed. 
 
 1278. Scene near the second bar on the Canton river, with pagoda in 
 
 the distance. 
 
 1279. Warrior, with quiver, &c., and lady, seated on portable chairs. 
 
 1280. Mandarin and wife, in summer dresses. 
 
 1281. Imperial chair of state, with screen, &c. The Empress’s chair, 
 
 it will be observed, is equally as splendid as that described in 
 No. 1074, but is ornamented with carved peacocks, while the 
 former, representing the Emperor’s throne, has the imperial 
 dragon. 
 
 1282. Eleventh view of the Keang-nan tea process : arrival of the “ Cha 
 
 Kill” “ tea merchant” in the hill country for the purchase of 
 teas for foreign markets. 
 
 1283. Twelfth view as above: interior of a Hong merchant’s esta- 
 
 blishment at Canton, with coolies packing, weighing, and 
 despatching teas by lighters, for the foreign shipping at 
 Whampoa. 
 
 1284. The lady of the “ Tseang-keun,” a Tartar general (described in 
 
 No. 1306), with military attendants, &c. 
 
 1285. Warrior, in winter dress, with despatches or “ chop ” in his hand, 
 
 1286. Lady, in summer costume, smoking. 
 
 1287. Kiver view, with fort in the distance. 
 
 1288. River scenery, with fishing-boats, &c. 
 
 1289 to 1292. Four frames, containing numerous drawings of Cninese 
 lanterns, of various patterns and devices. 
 
 1293. River view, with a boat in a brisk gale. 
 
 1294. Rural scenery. 
 
 1295 & 1296. Two frames, with drawings on rice-paper of mandarins 
 and their ladies, superbly attired. 
 
 1297 & 1298. Two views in water-colours, representing the interior 
 of gentlemen’s country-seats, in one of which (1298) is 
 represented a specimen of their private theatrical entertain- 
 ments. 
 
 1299. Beautiful specimen of embroidery on satin. The art of em- 
 broidery, in which the Chinese excel, perhaps, all others, is 
 performed principally by men. 
 
148 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 1300 & 1301. Two Indian-ink drawings, representing a military review 
 by the Emperor. 
 
 1302. Imperial mandarin. 
 
 1303. Lady, superbly dressed. 
 
 1304. Portrait of Tingqua, merchant of Canton. 
 
 1305. Section of the Great Wall of China. 
 
 This vast barrier, separating China from Tartary, was built by Tsin, 
 the first universal monarch of China, about 200 years B.C., or rather 
 more than 2,000 from the present time. It is called by the Chinese 
 “ the City Wall, a thousand le in length.” It bounds the whole north 
 of China, along the frontiers of three provinces, extending from the 
 shores of the gulf of Pe-chele, 3| degrees east of Pekin, to Sening, 15 
 degrees west of that capital. The emperors of the Ming dynasty built 
 an additional inner wall near to Pekin, on the west, which may be per- 
 ceived on the map, enclosing a portion of the province between itself and 
 the old wall. From the eastern extremity of the Great Wall there is an 
 extensive stockade of wooden piles, enclosing the country of Mongden, 
 and this has, in some European maps, been erroneously represented as 
 a continuation of the solid barrier. (See native map of China, in this 
 Collection, No. 1041.) A particular examination of its structure was 
 made by the gentlemen of Lord Macartney’s embassy, who had the 
 good fortune to pass into Tartary by one of the most entire portions of 
 the wall. On its first approach, it is described as resembling a promi- 
 nent vein or ridge of quartz, standing out from mountains of gneiss or 
 granite. The continuance of this line over the mountain-tops arrested 
 the attention, and the form of a wall with battlements was soon dis- 
 tinctly discerned. It was carried over the ridges of the highest hills, 
 descended into the deepest valleys, crossed upon arches over rivers, and 
 was doubled in important passes, being moreover supplied with massive 
 towers or bastions at distances of about one hundred yards. One of the 
 most elevated ridges crossed by the wall was 5,000 feet above the level 
 of the sea. It far surpasses, in short, the sum total of all other works of 
 the kind, and proved a useful barrier until the power of Ghengis Khan 
 overthrew the empire of the Chinese. 
 
 1306. A Tartar general, “ Tseang-keun,” and suite, having the com- 
 
 mand of the garrison of a city ; its , defence being his particular 
 department. He is independent of generals outside the walls 
 of the city which he defends. 
 
 He has two adjutants attached to his command, as seen in the 
 drawing, called “ Too-tung,” who are distinguished by right and left, 
 from their taking the command of the left and right wings of the army. 
 The high official standing of the “ Tseang-keun” is denoted by the 
 figure of a tiger’s head embroidered on the breast of his outward dress. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION, 
 
 149 
 
 and the presence of the peacock’s feather with three eyes. He has eight 
 bearers to his sedan, when used, and the same number of attendants 
 follow in his train when on duty, as here represented. 
 
 1307 & 1308. Tartar noble and wife, in full costume. In the cap of 
 
 the former is placed a peacock’s feather. 
 
 This badge of dignity is granted by the Emperor, as a mark of 
 distinction ; it hangs pendent from the cap over the shoulders. The 
 rank of the wearer is known by having one, two, or three eyes on the 
 feather, and by a difference of colour ; this usage was never known in 
 China till the present dynasty. 
 
 1309. View of Honan, a village on the south side of Pearl river, over 
 
 against Canton. 
 
 This village is chiefly celebrated for its extensive and magnificent 
 temple of Buddha, the richest religious establishment in this part of the 
 empire. No part of the splendid structure is visible in the painting, 
 which is mainly interesting as affording the best view of river life in the 
 Collection. This is a mode of existence peculiar to the Chinese. The 
 people of other nations resort to the water for purposes of gain, warfare, 
 health, or pleasure, for a season, but they never cease to regard the 
 land as their natural and permanent dwelling-place. They would be 
 miserable if they believed themselves confined for life to floating habita- 
 tions, whatever temporary attractions these might possess. But millions 
 on millions of people in China are born, vegetate, and die, upon the 
 bosom of its numerous streams. They occasionally make a “ cruise on 
 shore,” but they return to the water as their natural home and element. 
 It is computed that there are not less than 40,000 dwelling boats within 
 the immediate neighbourhood of Canton. These are arranged in regular 
 streets, which are lighted up at night. Besides the boats used as habi- 
 tations, the river is covered with innumerable craft in perpetual motion ; 
 yet, such is the skill with which they are managed, and the peaceable- 
 ness of the boatmen, that jostlings rarely occur, and quarrels are almost 
 unknown. 
 
 1310. Drawings of native birds. 
 
 1311. View of the landing and entrance to the Fa-tee flower gardens, 
 
 situated a short distance above Canton, on the bank of the river. 
 
 They are principally owned by the Hong merchants of Canton, and 
 foreigners are allowed to visit them on certain days in each month. 
 These gardens are beautifully laid out, and afford much gratification and 
 relief to persons confined to the narrow limits to which all foreigners 
 are restricted at Canton. From these gardens the greater number of 
 those beautiful dwarf shrubs are procured that are so much esteemed. 
 
 1312. Portrait of Newkooluh, late consort of Taou Kwang, Emperor of 
 
 China. 
 
150 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 1313. Portrait of Tingqua Ponkeiqua, a Hong merchant. 
 
 1314. Entrance to the city of Pekin on the west. 
 
 Pekin has been the capital of the empire since the reign ofYung-lo 
 A. D. 1423, in the centre of which stands the imperial city, five miles in 
 circumference, enclosing within it the sacred city, which occupies a third 
 of its dimensions. The capital has nine gates, the number to correspond, 
 perhaps, to the nine divisions of the Chinese territory after the Deluge, 
 as before alluded to. 
 
 1315. Empress of China in a car, drawn by two horses, and attended by 
 
 female musicians. 
 
 1316. Flowers. 
 
 1317. Six boats, 8zc., on rice-paper. 
 
 1318. View of the great wall dividing China from Tartary. See 1305. 
 1319 to 1322. Four views of Chinese summer-houses, grounds, &c. 
 
 The Chinese have a great partiality to fish ponds and artificial lakes 
 attached to their country-houses and grounds. These are rendered 
 agreeable to the eye by the cultivation and growth of the water-lily. 
 1323. Picture of Macao. 
 
 This is by the same artist, and of the same dimensions, as the picture 
 of Canton, already described. It is a view of Macao, as it appears from 
 the harbour. The name of this port signifies “the entrance to the 
 bay.” It is situated in 22 deg. 11| sec. N. lat. ; and 13| deg. 13 sec. 
 E. long. The town is handsomely situated on a steep declivity, and 
 protected, as it were, in the rear by the mountain wall. One of the 
 neighbouring summits is crowned with a Portuguese church, which 
 shews like a fortress in the distance. The effect is imposing in 
 approaching by sea, as nearly the whole city is visible, and of a pre- 
 possessing appearance. Macao is a place of some importance ; and 
 interesting on several accounts. It belongs nominally to the Portu- 
 guese, to whom the privilege of building a town there was granted 
 about two hundred and fifty years ago, in consideration of services 
 rendered in clearing the Chinese waters of a desperate gang of pirates ; 
 but the government is really in the hands of the viceroy at Canton, and 
 there are regular Chinese officers of justice, government, and the customs. 
 The Portuguese, however, are governed by their own laws, to enforce 
 which they are allowed to employ their own officers. Flere all foreign 
 merchantmen, bound to Canton, have to procure a “ chop,” or permit to 
 pass the forts, and take on board an inside pilot. This is the utmost 
 limit to which European or American ladies are ever permitted to intrude 
 into the Celestial Empire. Most of the foreign merchants resident at 
 Canton rusticate at Macao during the summer months. Lintin, that 
 harbour of smugglers, lies to the right of the view contained in this 
 picture. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 151 
 
 1324. View of a gentleman’s summer residence and gardens. 
 
 1325 & 1326. Two drawings of the interior of gentlemen’s summer 
 residences in China. 
 
 1327. Stands with fruit, flowers, &c., on rice-paper. 
 
 1328. Six boats, on rice-paper. 
 
 1329. Portrait of a celebrated Chinese beauty. 
 
 1330. Portrait of a well known money-broker in Canton. 
 
 This description of men are exceedingly numerous, and are of various 
 standing in their line of business. The smaller dealers confine them- 
 selves principally to the purchase and sale of their copper coin, called 
 by Europeans “ cash,” by natives “ tseen,” which is the only coin of the 
 Chinese, They are thin and circular, and nearly an inch in diameter? 
 having a square hole in the centre, for the convenience of tying them 
 together, with a raised edge both around the outside and the hole. 
 Those now in use have the name of the emperor in whose reign they 
 were cast stamped upon them, with the words “ tung paou,” “ precious 
 circulating medium.” Notwithstanding their trifling value, they are 
 much adulterated with spelter ; yet, on account of their convenience in 
 paying small sums and for common use, they generally bear a premium, 
 and are the thousandth part of a tael.* The use of the silver coin, 
 however, appears to be increasing among the Chinese, as by recent 
 accounts we learn that silver dollars have been made in Fiih-keen and 
 other places, contrary to the laws of the empire. In his journal, Mr. 
 Lindsay says, “At Fuh-chow, dollars are not defaced by stamping as at 
 Canton. The ingots are of quite a different description from those in 
 use in Canton, but of excellent quality.” When the dollar first comes 
 into the possession of a Chinese, he gives it a stamp, or chop, thus 
 extracting a small portion of the metal ; receiving the same usage from 
 each hand it passes through, it is reduced from its coinage value to that 
 of merely its weight. The possessor of this clipped money, finding the 
 bulk inconvenient, melts it down into the form of sycee silver, a species 
 more easy to stow than if it was in the former coin, in which 1,000 
 drilled dollars might not exceed the value of 200. The sycee silver is 
 more valuable than any other, on account of its containing portions of 
 gold dust. It is generally in the form of a canoe, with a stamp in the 
 centre. In ancient times, the shells of the tortoise and pearl oyster 
 were used as a circulating medium in the exchange for commodities, till 
 about 200 years B.C., when the “cash” noticed above was introduced. 
 Under the Sung dynasty, in the reign of Shaou-hing (A.D. 1170), a 
 kind of paper money or bank-note was issued of various amounts. 
 Officers were appointed by the government everywhere to receive and 
 
 * A tael is about a dollar and a third. 
 
152 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 issue tliem . They were to be renewed within seven years, and about 
 one and a half per cent, was deducted by the government for the ex- 
 penses of their issue. A scarcity of copper coin is assigned as one 
 reason ; and another is the want of money to pay the army, which led 
 to this scheme to entice the merchant with the convenience of it. The 
 terms, “Flower-edged money,” “ Foreign-faced money,” and “ Devil’s- 
 head money,” all express the Spanish dollar. 
 
 1331. The exterior view of the Imperial Hall of Audience, at Pekin. 
 
 Yellow tiles are an imperial emblem, and are used only on the 
 Emperor’s palaces and the temples of Confucius. 
 
 ' 1332. Emperor of China borne by sixteen officers. 
 
 1333 to 1335. These drawings are the continuation of the rearing of 
 the silk-worm and culture of the mulberry-tree, as practised at 
 Nankin, and correspond with the Nos. 1028-9-30, placed on 
 the face of the opposite pillar. 
 
 1336 to 1339. Four paintings in oil, representing the annual military 
 review which takes place about the new year, near the 
 “ Teen-how-shan,” or “ Queen of Heaven’s Hill,” in the 
 vicinity of Canton. 
 
 “ In the almost total absence of actual warfare,” says Mr. Davis, 
 “ the Chinese soldiers are periodically exercised by their commanders. 
 Their field-days consist in tumultuous and disorderly marches in the train 
 of their mandarins, or in sham fights, which are conducted (like their 
 theatrical performances) with the din of gongs and other noisy instru- 
 ments. To this is joined some practice in drawing the bow, and in the 
 use of the sword. Their reviews consist partly in the examination of 
 their matchlocks, their swords, and arrows ; and, when they have any, 
 of their helmets or padded armour. As far as our experience went in 
 the embassy, their offensive arms were always in a wretched condition. 
 The greater number of soldiers are at liberty to follow some trade or 
 occupation, as they are, in fact, a mere militia periodically called out. 
 Exceptions occur only among the Tartar troops, and those Chinese who 
 are employed as a standing police or guard. So far from there being 
 any necessity to enrol soldiers by compulsion, or by bounty money, the 
 profession is eagerly sought after as a favour, and as an addition to the 
 person’s means of livelihood. The only occupation of the Chinese 
 army, with very few exceptions, since the Tartar conquest, has been to 
 overawe popular revolts, and keep the people in order. The board at 
 Pekin, called the “ Ping-poo,” or “ military tribunal,” has controul 
 chiefly over the armed police of the empire ; that is, the Chinese, as 
 distinguished from the Tartar troops. It has couriers always ready to 
 be despatched to the provinces, and to convey its secret orders. Ban- 
 ditti and malefactors of every kind are traced out with almost unerring 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 153 
 
 certitude, and all experience bears testimony to the extreme efficacy of 
 the police of the country. 
 
 In these paintings will be observed numerous shields in the hands of 
 the soldiery, of hideous devices, similar to those lately taken from the 
 Chinese, and now placed in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. The design 
 is evidently to strike their opponents with terror and affright. 
 
 1340. A theatrical representation by moonlight. For information on 
 
 this subject the visiter is referred to the remarks made in 
 page 36. 
 
 1341. Specimens of Chinese windows. 
 
 The substance used for transmitting the light is Anomia Placenta. 
 A variety of other materials are employed for the same purpose, as mica, 
 horn, paper, silk-gauze, &c. Glass windows are seldom seen. There 
 is a frame-work in front of the translucent substance, dividing it into 
 small panes of various shapes. This is the general style of Chinese 
 windows, but the passion of the people for variety leads them to adopt 
 an endless diversity of patterns. 
 
 CHINESE TOPOGEAPHICAL HISTOEY 
 
 OB' THE 
 
 CITY OF CANTON. 
 
 The Chinese Topographical annalists say, that 2230 years ante- 
 cedent to the Christian era, the region now called Kwang-tung (Canton), 
 was noticed in ancient records, under the names Kaou-che, Nan-kaou, 
 Nan-ee, Pa-yue, and Yue. 
 
 Tsin-che, the first universal Chinese monarch, about two centuries 
 before our era, pushed his conquests to the south of the Alei-ling 
 mountain, that bounds Canton on the north, through which a pass was 
 subsequently cut in the eighth century. 
 
 This military conquerer, “ Tsin-che-hwang,” i. e., “ Tsin, the first 
 Emperor,” put “ Pih,” “ shining white, or resplendent,” on the top of 
 the character “ Wang,” “ a king,” in order to make a new title for 
 himself, meaning “ the glorious king,” and which, in the poverty of 
 European phrase, is translated Emperor ; and who, to prove his title to 
 the designation “ Che,” “ the first” — the “ beginning,” burnt all the 
 ancient records he could find, and buried alive the readers of books. 
 This conqueror called Canton, “ Nan-hae,” the Southern Sea ” a name 
 
154 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 which is yet retained for the principal Heen, or district, in the province. 
 From that period till the Sung dynasty, about A.D. 1000, Canton un- 
 derwent many revolutions, and was variously designated. 
 
 Tsin-che-hwang’s successor, Urh-hwang-te-she, sent to it 15,000 
 unmarried women ; and nearly four hundred years afterwards it was 
 called “ Kwei-lin-tseang-kwan,” “the region of cassia forests, and ele- 
 phants.” At the time above mentioned (A.D. 1000), whilst the court 
 resided at Nan-king (or, in the provincial dialect, Nam-king), Canton, or 
 Ling-nan (as it was then called), was considered one of the worst places 
 of banishment for refractory statesmen. To go “south of the moun- 
 tain,” as Ling-nan signified, was deemed certain death. 
 
 The present name of Canton, viz., Kwang-tung, was not adopted 
 till the Mwan-chow, or Tartar dynasty, founded by the grandson of 
 Ghengis-Khan. Even till the Ming-chaou, which expelled the Tartars, 
 and was in its turn expelled by those Tartars who now fill the throne of 
 China, Canton was not called a Sang, or province, but a Tow or Loo, a 
 “way or road.” And then, first, about A.D. 1397, the metropolis was 
 called by its present name, Kwang-chow-foo : previously to that time it 
 was called Kwang-chow-loo. Under the Emperor Kow-te, of the Han 
 dynasty, a self-made king, who held his court at Pun-yu, the modern 
 Whampoa district, called the Canton region by a name he thought 
 applicable to himself, “Nan-mow,” “the southern warrior.” 
 
 The Emperor Kow-te confirmed his title, and the King Ya-kung 
 “ offered tribute ” to his liege lord. Under the same djmasty, a king of 
 Man-yue, as Fokien was then called, made war upon Canton, and lost 
 his life. By the interference of the Emperor, peace was restored ; but 
 he soon afterwards sent his own troops to subject “ Nan-man,” “ the 
 southern barbarians,” as the people of Canton were called by him. 
 
 A.D. 415, the pirate Loo-swan attacked and took possession of 
 Canton after a hundred days’ fighting. 
 
 In 419, the people of Canton sent, as tribute to Woo-tee, “the 
 Martial Monarch,” a piece of fine cloth. But the hardy warrior was so 
 displeased at its luxurious softness, that he rejected it, and issued a 
 mandate, forbidding the people of the south ever to make any more 
 such fine cloth. 
 
 In 654, King-chow (or the island of Hainan) was first occupied, by 
 the order of the second emperor of the Tang dynasty. 
 
 About 703, “ she-pih,” “ trading vessels,” began to introduce “ rare 
 commodities,” extraordinary or curious manufactures. 
 
 The ensuing year was remarkable for the governor, Sung-ying, 
 “first teaching the people to burn earthenware.” 
 
 And in 705 a statesman, called Chung-kow-ling, cut the famous, pass 
 through the Mei-ling mountain, to faciliate the intercourse between 
 Canton and the northern parts of the empire. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 1 5.5 
 
 It is further remarked, to the credit of this statesman, that when, on 
 the Emperor Yuen Tsung’s “ Tseen Tsew,” “ thousand autumns,” i, e., 
 his birth-day, all the courtiers were presenting “ornamental mirrors,” 
 Chung-kow-ling offered a book in five volumes, which he had composed, 
 to shew “the causes of the rise and fall of former dynasties;” and this 
 work he called, “a golden birth-day mirror.” 
 
 In 795, a general, who commanded in Canton, wrote to court, stating 
 that the trading vessels had all deserted Canton and repaired to An-nam, 
 Cochin-China ; and he added, that he wished to send a sort of consul 
 thither. 
 
 Some of the ministers were in favour of the measure, but the im- 
 perial will was determined in opposition to it, by the opinion of one who 
 argued to this effect ; — “ Multitudes of trading vessels have heretofore 
 flocked to Canton ; if they have all at once deserted it, and repaired 
 to Cochin-China, it must have either been from extortions being insup- 
 - portable, or from some failure in affording proper inducements. When 
 a gem spoils in its case, who is to blame but the keeper of it ? If the 
 pearl be fled to other regions, how is it to be propelled back again ?” 
 The Shoo-king classic says, “Do not prize too much strange commo- 
 dities, and persons will come from remote parts.” 
 
 The spirit engendered by this sentiment is in unison with the general 
 temper of the Chinese, inclining to the idea of affecting indifference 
 in obtaining what they most desire. The Chinese studiously repress 
 curiosity. 
 
 This same year those in power were forbidden, by imperial authority, 
 to take by force the sons and daughters of peaceable subjects to make 
 slaves of them ; which prohibition implies the previous existence of the 
 unjust and cruel slave trade. 
 
 In 897, the Cochin-Chinese made war upon Canton by land ; and a 
 public-spirited man obtained great credit for building large vessels to 
 bring grain from Fiih-keen province. 
 
 After the fall of the Tang dynasty (in allusion to which the Chinese 
 of the present day call themselves “ Tang-Yin,” “a man of Tang”), there 
 were five short dynasties of from ten to twenty years’ duration each ; 
 in Chinese history called the “ Woo-tae,” “ five generations.” To the 
 first of these, in 904, Canton sent tribute of gold, silver, rhinoceros’ 
 horns, ivory, and other valuable commodities, to the amount of five 
 millions of taels. The principal person concerned, viz., Low-heen, was, 
 in consequence, created King of Canton, under the title “ Nan-hae- 
 wang,” “ King of the southern sea.” 
 
 The court of Canton is represented at this time as cruel and extra- 
 vagant in an extreme degree ; — criminals were boiled, roasted, and 
 flayed, and thrown on spikes, and forced to fight with tigers and ele- 
 
 L 
 
156 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 pliants ! The horrid tale shocked the founder of the most learned 
 Chinese dynasty, viz., that of Sung (A.D. 964), and he exclaimed, “ It 
 is my duty to deliver the people of this region.” A prodigy was seen 
 by the people of Canton, “ all the stars flowed to the north,” and the 
 ensuing year they obtained peace and tranquility, 
 
 At this period Canton appears to have been m a very barbarous state ; 
 and, in the estimation of the government, was excessively addicted to 
 sorcery and superstition. Hence (A.D, 980) government “ prohibited 
 the superstitious practices on the south of the mountain,” and threw 
 down their “ superstitious temples.” Yin (superstitious) usually de- 
 notes “lewd,” — whether lewdness formed a part of their rites is not 
 certain. 
 
 Another prohibition was, — not to “ kill men to sacrifice to demons.” 
 Thus it appears that not more than 800 years ago human sacrifices 
 were offered in China ; and report says that, even to the present day, 
 the makers of porcelain purchase a child which they devote to be burnt 
 in a new made furnace. At the period now referred to, witches and 
 wizards were prohibited ; and dispensaries of medicine were established 
 to relieve the sufferers from the noxious damp diseases, much spoken of 
 in the history of that period. The Sung dynasty, at its commencement, 
 appears to have studied much the welfare of Canton. It forbade expe- 
 ditions against Cochin-China, reprobating the idea of distressing the 
 people from a mere covetous desire of useless territory. It caused the 
 city of Canton to be walled in ; and when the Cochin- Chinese pillaged 
 the western side of the province, they did not venture to lay siege to 
 Canton. 
 
 It was subsequently harassed by internal rebellions, and by attacks 
 from contending dynasties. In the first Tartar conquest it suffered 
 much ; and their historians dare not yet tell what it suffered in the con- 
 quest made by the reigning family. Tradition says that two-thirds of 
 the inhabitants perished. 
 
 About 1397, “ Ho-tsaug,” “ burning funeral rites” were prohibited ; 
 i. e.f burning the corpse instead of interring it. This is, however, the 
 present practice of the Buddha priests in China. The same authority 
 also forbade the use of the terms created by the preceding Tartar dynasty, 
 viz., “ Gods of the west, east, and north seas” — retaining only the “ God 
 of the southern sea.” 
 
 About A.D. 1500, the pirates of Canton joined with the Japanese 
 pirates, and committed depredations on the coast ; and frequent insur- 
 rections are recorded, some of which lasted for ten years at a time, 
 which, together with banditti of robbers, must have greatly distressed 
 the peaceable inhabitants. It was in these troublesome times, during 
 the reign of Kea-tsing, who ascended the throne in 1520, that Europeans 
 first visited China by sea. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 157 
 
 Chinese annalists close by saying, that during the last years of the 
 Ming dynasty, when anarchy generally prevailed, the sufferings of the 
 people were inexpressible ; but the temporary blaze of an expiring flame 
 naturally precedes its eternal extinction ; and the flame of discord blazed 
 awhile, till the rising Tartar family that now reigns extinguished it for 
 ever, and introduced a never-ending tranquility ! 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS 
 
 ^ ON THE 
 
 GOVEENMENT AND PEOPLE OE CPIINA. 
 
 The Chinese government is, nominally at least, patriarchal. The 
 authority of a parent over his children is the type of the imperial rule. 
 The Emperor claims to be the father of his subjects, exercising an influ- 
 ence over the minds of his people in the promotion of virtue and the 
 encouragement of talent. The Chinese have a saying — “ A prince is 
 like a vessel, the people like water ; the water is moulded by the shape 
 of the vessel.” 
 
 As such, the Emperor exercises supreme, absolute, unchecked 
 power over more than one-third of the human race. He has but to sign 
 the decree, and any one of three hundred and fifty millions of human 
 beings is instantly deprived of rank, possessions, liberty, or life itself. 
 This is a stupendous system, a phenomenon unmatched in the annals of 
 time, and worthy to engage the profound attention of statesmen and 
 philosophers. The subjects of the Macedonian were but as a handful 
 compared with the teeming millions of Eastern Asia ; the Roman empire, 
 when at its widest extent, numbered not more than one-third of the 
 present population of China ; and the throne of the Caesars was, in the 
 power it conferred uj^on its occupant, but as a child’s elevation in com- 
 parison with that on which the Tartar sits. Even the British empire, 
 vast as it is, and extending into all regions of the globe, does not contain 
 more than one hundred and eighty- one millions of souls. We can but 
 glance at a few of the details of this system, and the causes which have 
 given it stability. 
 
 At the head of the system stands, of course, the Emperor. Ilis titles 
 are, the “ Son of Heaven,” and the “ Ten Thousand Years.” In 
 an official document received by the Governor-General of Bengal from 
 the general of the Chinese forces, the Emperor is styled, “The Flower 
 
158 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 OF THE IMPERIAL RACE, THE SUN OF THE FIRMAMENT OF HONOUR, THE 
 RESPLENDENT GEM IN THE CROWN AND THRONE OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Territories.” Of this august personage it was said by a Tartar, 
 overpowered by the glories of the Emperor (A.D. 1060), — “The 
 sovereign of China is a manifestation of the sun in the Heavens.” 
 
 Ubiquity is considered as among his attributes ; temples are erected 
 to him in every part of the empire ; and he is worshipped as a god. Yet 
 he sometimes styles himself “ the imperfect man,” and his ordinary dress 
 is far from splendid. While the grand mandarins that compose his court, 
 glitter in gold and diamonds, he appears in a plain and simple garb. 
 Nevertheless, no means are omitted to keep up the ^prestige of his majesty. 
 The outer gate of the imperial palace cannot be passed by any person 
 whatsoever, in a carriage or on horseback. There is a road between 
 Pekin and the Emperor’s summer residence in Tartary, wide, smooth, 
 level, and always cleanly swept, on which no one but himself is permitted 
 to travel. At the palace, a paved walk leads to the principal hall of 
 audience, which is never pressed but by imperial feet. Despatches from 
 the Emperor are received in the provinces with prostrations and the 
 burning of incense. Sir George Staunton records an instance of the 
 august dread with which the Chinese regard their sovereign in the 
 following anecdote : — “ In the beginning of this journey,” says he, 
 “ one of the ambassador’s guards died of a surfeit, as was supposed, of 
 fruit. His death happened in one of the Emperor’s palaces ; but such 
 is the extraordinary delicacy of the people in everything relating to 
 their dread sovereign, that it was contrary to rule to have allowed 
 any person to breathe his last within the imperial precincts. The 
 conductors, therefore, of the ambassador, directed the corpse of this 
 European to be carried from thence in a sedan, as if still alive ; and 
 his death was announced at some distance upon the road.” The suc- 
 cession is at the absolute disposal of the Emperor. Instances have 
 occurred, though they are rare, in which persons not connected with the 
 imperial family have been named. The immediate assistants of the 
 Emperor are — 
 
 I. The Nuy-kd. This is the great council of state. The chief 
 councillors are four, two Tartars and two Chinese. Besides these 
 there are several others of inferior rank, who, in conjunction with them, 
 constitute the council. Almost all the members of the Nuy-ko are 
 selected from the imperial college of the Hanlin. 
 
 II. The Keun-ke-ta-chin. This is a body of privy-councillors. 
 
 HI. The Lull-poo, or six boards for conducting the details of public 
 
 business. They are, — 
 
 1. The Board of Appointments, having cognisance of the con- 
 duct of all civil officers. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 159 
 
 2. The Board of Revenue, whose duties extend to all fiscal 
 
 matters. 
 
 3. The Board of Rites and Ceremonies, which keeps watch 
 
 and ward over the public morals, and has controul over the 
 
 fashions in China. 
 
 4. The Military Board, charged with the affairs of the army 
 
 and navy. 
 
 5. The Supreme Court of Criminal Jurisdiction. 
 
 6. The Board of Public Works. 
 
 IV. The Le-fan-yuen, or Office for Foreign Affairs. Its duties 
 embrace all the external relations of the empire. The members of the 
 Le-fan-yuen are always Mongol or Mwan-chow Tartars. 
 
 V. The Too-cha-yuen. This is a body of censors, forty or fifty in 
 number. They are sent into different parts of the empire as imperial 
 inspectors, which means spies. By an ancient custom, they are at 
 liberty to give any advice to their master without the hazard of losing 
 their life ; but blunt honesty is not often relished by the great from any 
 quarter, and unpalatable remonstrances have sometimes cost their 
 authors the favour in which they had before basked. 
 
 The provinces are governed each by a chief magistrate, entitled Foo- 
 yuen, or two together are under the government of a Tsung-tuh, who 
 has Foo-yuens under him. Canton and Kwang-se are subject to a Tsung- 
 tuh, called by Europeans, the Viceroy of Canton. The governors of 
 the provinces have, subordinate to them, an army of civil magistrates 
 amounting to fourteen thousand. No individual is permitted to hold 
 office in the province where he was born ; and public functionaries in- 
 terchange places periodically, to prevent the formation of a too intimate 
 connection with the people under their government. A quarterly publi- 
 cation is made, by authority, of the name, birth-place, &c., of every 
 official person in the empire ; and once in three years a report is sent up 
 to the Board of Official Appointments, by the Foo-yuen of each pro- 
 vince, containing the names of all the officers in his government, and a 
 full statement concerning their conduct and character, received from the 
 immediate superiors of each. Every officer is held to a strict respon- 
 sibility for the good behaviour and fidelity of all who are under him. 
 Letters are held in higher esteem than arms, and the civil officers of 
 course outrank the military. This may be set down to their credit, as 
 it is certainly a mark of social advancement. 
 
 No man in China inherits office, nor does hereditary rank enjoy 
 much consideration or influence. This fact is placed in a strong light 
 by the following anecdote, related by Sir George Staunton, secretary to 
 Lord Macartney’s embassy. Among the presents for the Emjieror was 
 a volume of portraits of the British nobility. That the inspection of 
 
160 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 them might be more satisfactory to his majesty, a mandarin was em- 
 ployed to mark, in Chinese characters, on the margin, the names and 
 rank of the persons represented. When he came to the print of an 
 English duke, from a portrait taken in childhood, and was told that the 
 original was a “ Ta-jin,” or “ great man,” of very high rank, he had so 
 little conception of a child’s being qualified, by hereditary right, to be 
 possessed of such a dignity, that he gave a look of surprise, and laying 
 down his pencil exclaimed, that he could not venture to describe him 
 in that manner, for the Emperor knew very well how to distinguish 
 a great man from a boy. 
 
 The penal code of China is an interesting subject. If we go upon 
 the principle of judging the tree by its fruits, and look at this code in 
 connection with its results, we shall be compelled to allow that it is 
 wisely framed and efficiently administered. It is lucidly arranged under 
 six principal divisions, corresponding to the six boards before described. 
 It is not needful to enumerate the several heads of chapters embraced 
 in these divisions. The principal defects of the code, in the opinion of 
 Mr. Davis, are — 
 
 “1. A constant meddling with those relative duties which had 
 better be left to other sanctions than positive laws. 
 
 “ 2. A minute attention to trifles, contrary to the European 
 maxim, ‘ de minimis non curat lexd 
 
 “ 3. An occasional indulgence in those vague generalities, by 
 which the benefits of a written code are in a great measure 
 annulled. 
 
 “ A prominent feature of the Chinese criminal law is the marked and 
 unrelenting severity with which it punishes treason, not only in the 
 person of the traitor, but in those of his unoffending offspring, even the 
 suckling at the breast. The whole are cut off at one fell blow ! It is 
 impossible to read the recital of some of these punishments, so abhor- 
 rent to humanity and justice, without a sentiment of indignation as well 
 as of sympathy.” - 
 
 The most common instrument of punishment is the bamboo, the 
 dimensions of which are exactly defined. The number of blows, attached 
 gradatim with such precision to every individual offence, answers the 
 purpose of a scale or measurement of the degrees of crime ; and this 
 punishment being often commutable for fine or otherwise, the apparent 
 quantity of flagellation is of course greater than the real. The next 
 punishment is the “ kea,” or cangue, which has been called the wooden 
 collar, being a species of walking pillory, in which the prisoner is paraded, 
 with his offence inscribed. It is sometimes worn for a month together, 
 and as the hand cannot be put to the mouth, the wearer must be fed by 
 others. After this comes banishment to some place in China, and 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 K)1 
 
 then exile beyond the Chinese frontier, either for a term of years or for 
 life. There are three kinds of capita] punishment, — strangulation, 
 decollation, and for treason, “ ling che,” “ a disgraceful and lingering 
 death,” styled by Europeans, cutting into ten thousand pieces. The 
 punishment of this latter offence against the state is extended to the 
 whole members of the traitor’s family ; hence arises the phrase, — “To 
 grub up the roots of trees,” said in reference to, and in defence of, the 
 custom of executing the whole of the family of the traitor, so that none 
 are left. 
 
 A debtor who does not discharge the claims of his creditors, after 
 the expiration of a certain specified period, becomes liable to the 
 bamboo. “ A man may sell himself in China,” says Sir George 
 Staunton, “in certain cases, such as to discharge a debt to the crown, 
 or to assist a father in distress, or if a father be dead, to bury him in 
 due form.” 
 
 If his conduct in servitude should be unimpeachable, he is entitled 
 to his liberty at the end of twenty years. If otherwise, he continues a 
 slave for life, as do his children, if he had included them in the original 
 agreement. The Emperor’s debtors, if fraudulently such, are strangled ; 
 if merely by misfortunes, their wives and children, and property of every 
 kind, are sold ; and they are sent themselves to the new settlement in 
 Tartary. The interests of the Emperor are always made the first object. 
 No property can be secure against his claims. 
 
 We will close this very brief notice of the Chinese criminal law, 
 with the following testimony of an able writer in the “ Edinburgh 
 Review.” He says: — “The most remarkable thing in this code is its 
 great reasonableness, clearness, and consistency ; the business-like 
 brevity and directness of the various provisions, and the plainness and 
 moderation of the language in which they are expressed. It is a clear, 
 concise, and distinct series of enactments, savouring throughout of 
 practical judgment and European good sense. When we turn from the 
 ravings of the Zendavesta, or the Puranas, to the tone of sense and of 
 business of this Chinese code, we seem to be passing from darkness to 
 light — from the drivellings of dotage, to the exercise of an improved 
 understanding : and, redundant and minute as these laws are in many 
 particulars, we scarcely know any European code that is at once so 
 copious and so consistent, or that is nearly so free from intricacy, 
 bigotry, and fiction.” 
 
 It is generally supposed that the Chinese claim to have authentic 
 annals extending back to a date anterior to the period usually assigned 
 to the creation of the world. This, however, is an erroneous supposi- 
 tion. It is true that they have a fabulous history which pretends 
 to relate events occurring we know not how many thousand ages ago ; 
 
162 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 but intelligent Chinese scholars consider and admit this to be a pure 
 invention. They claim, indeed, a high antiquity, and there can be no 
 doubt that the claim is well founded. 
 
 In speaking of their national institutions, they allude to their anti- 
 quity, as of “ ages numerous as the small particles of dust of which the 
 world is made.” 
 
 It is probable, that Alexander might have spared his tears, and 
 saved himself the perpetration of an egregious folly, had he known that, 
 far beyond the Ganges, there lay an empire vaster and mightier than 
 any with whose power he had grappled ; — an empire flourishing in the 
 arts of civilised life, and destined to survive, in a green and vigorous 
 old age, long after the last vestiges of his ill-gotten power had disap- 
 peared from the earth. 
 
 A full development of the causes which have given strength and 
 stability to the Chinese empire, which have matured and perpetuated its 
 institutions, v/ould be an interesting and instructive labour. We cannot 
 pretend to attempt it, but may, in passing, throw out a few hints upon 
 the subject. There can be no doubt, that the sea and the mountain 
 barriers by which China is surrounded, the unwarlike character of her 
 neighbours, her almost total isolation from the rest of the world, her 
 vigilant police, the eligibility of all classes to the trusts and dignities of 
 office, and the rigid system of responsibility enforced upon her officers, 
 have all had their share in the result. But these causes are insufficient 
 to explain the phenomenon. The most powerful agent, beyond all 
 question, is the education of her people. We speak here, not so much of 
 the education received in schools, as of that which consists in an early, 
 constant, vigorous, and efficient training of the disposition, manners, 
 judgment, and habits, both of thought and conduct. This most efficient 
 department of education is almost wholly overlooked and neglected by 
 us ; but it seems to be well understood and faithfully attended to by the 
 Chinese. With us, instruction is the chief part of education, with them 
 training ; let the wise judge between the wisdom of the .two methods. 
 The sentiments held to be appropriate to man in society are imbibed 
 with the milk of infancy, and iterated and reiterated through the whole 
 subsequent life ; the manners considered becoming in adults are 
 sedulously imparted in childhood ; the habits regarded as conducive to 
 individual advancement, social happiness, national repose and prosperity, 
 are cultivated v/ith the utmost diligence ; and, in short, the whole chan- 
 nel of thought and feeling for each generation is scooped out by that 
 which preceded it, and the stream always fills but rarely overflows its 
 embankments. The greatest pains are taken to acquaint the people with 
 their personal and political duties, wherein they again set us an example 
 worthy of imitation. “ Our rights,” is a phrase in everybody’s mouth. 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 163 
 
 but our duties engage but a comparatively small share of our thoughts. 
 Volumes are written on the former where pages are on the latter. The 
 sixteen discourses of the Emperor Yun-Ching, on the sixteen sacred 
 institutes of Kang-he, the most accomplished and virtuous of Chinese 
 sovereigns, are read twice every moon to the whole empire. On the 1st 
 and 15th of every moon, or the new and full moon, the principal officers 
 of the province assemble in the hall, and listen to a preacher mounted on 
 a table, who rehearses, memoriter, a section of the Shing-yu, first in 
 Chinese, and next in the Tartar language for the benefit of the soldiers 
 who attend. We subjoin the texts of these discourses as curious, and 
 at the same time highly illustrative of Chinese character. 
 
 “1. Be strenuous in filial piety and fraternal respect, that you may 
 thus duly perform the social duties. — 2. Be firmly attached to your 
 kindred and parentage, that your union and concord may be conspicuous. 
 — 3. Agree with your countrymen and neighbours, in order that dis- 
 putes and litigation may be prevented. — 4. Attend to your farms and 
 mulberry trees, that you may have sufficient food and clothing. — 5. 
 Observe moderation and economy, that your property may not be 
 wasted. — 6. Extend your schools of instruction, that learning may be 
 duly cultivated. — 7. Reject all false doctrines, in order that you may 
 duly honour true learning. — 8. Declare the laws and their penalties, for 
 a warning to the foolish and ignorant. — 9. Let humility and propriety 
 of behaviour be duly manifested, for the preservation of good habits and 
 laudable customs. — 10. Attend each to your proper employments, that 
 the people may be fixed in their purposes. — 11. Attend to the education 
 of youth, in order to guard them from doing evil. — 12. Abstain from 
 false accusing, that the good and honest may be in safety. — 13. Dissuade 
 from the concealment of deserters, that others be not involved in their 
 guilt. — 14. Duly pay your taxes and customs, to spare the necessity of 
 enforcing them, — 15. Let the tithings and hundreds unite, for the sup- 
 pression of thieves and robbers. — 16. Reconcile animosities, that your 
 lives be not lightly hazarded.” 
 
 The discourses founded on these excellent maxims are clear, direct, 
 and simple in their style, and are characterised by vigorous thought and 
 practical sense. They might be adopted as a model for didactic com- 
 positions. The imperial pen deals summarily and rather cavalierly 
 with the ministers of the Buddhist and Taou sects. We offer a few 
 specimens from the “Book of Sacred Instructions. The curious will 
 find them interesting; : — 
 
 “ This filial piety is a doctrine from heaven ; the consummation of 
 earthly justice is the grand principle of action among mankind. The 
 man who knows not piety to parents, can surely not have considered the 
 affectionate hearts of parents towards their children. When still infants 
 
164 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 in arms, hungry, they could not feed themselves ; cold, they could not 
 clothe themselves ; but they had then parents who watched the sounds 
 of their voice, and studied the traits of their countenance ; who were 
 joyful when they smiled ; afflicted when they wept ; who followed 
 them, step by step, when they moved ; who, when they were sick or in 
 pain, refused food and sleep on their account. Thus were they nursed 
 and educated until they grew up to manhood.” — “ Formerly, in the 
 family of Chang-kung-tze, nine generations lived together under the 
 same roof. In the family of Chang-she of Kang-chow seven hundred 
 partook of the same daily repast. Thus ought all those who are of 
 the same name to bear in rememberance their common ancestry and 
 parentage.” — “ Economy should, therefore, be held in estimation. A 
 store is like a stream of water, and moderation and economy are like 
 the dams which confine it. If the course of the water is not stopped 
 by the dam, the water will be constantly running out, and the channel 
 at length will be dry. If the use of the store is not restricted by 
 moderation and economy, it will be consumed without stint, and at 
 length will be wholly exhausted.” — “Wisdom should precede, and 
 letters follow.” — “ He who pretends to profound learning, without re- 
 garding first himself and his own duties, fame indeed he may acquire, 
 but when he is examined he will be found to possess no solidity.” — - 
 “These wandering and mendicant sectaries'* are glad to disguise their 
 views, because of the corruption of their practices. Their chief pursuit 
 is to diffuse false auguries, and omens of good and bad fortune ; and 
 they thus make a livelihood by the sale of their idle tales and vain 
 predictions. At first they go no further than to delude the people out 
 of their money, to enrich themselves, but, by degrees, they lead the 
 people of both sexes to meet indecorously together ; f and burning 
 incense, they initiate them into their sect. Husbandmen and artizans 
 desert their respective callings, and flock after these vain and deceitful 
 talkers.” 
 
 Such, then, is the spirit of the constitution, laws, and education of 
 China. The conclusion of the whole matter, the grand results secured, 
 are a stable throne, a country enjoying an extraordinary degree of 
 internal quiet, a population mild, peaceful, obedient, cheerful and 
 industrious, and a perpetuity of national existence unequalled in the 
 world’s history. 
 
 The population of China has been variously estimated. Lord 
 Macartney states the number of inhabitants at 333,000,000 ; Dr. 
 Morrison’s son at 360,000,000. It is well known that the learned 
 
 * The Taou and Buddhist priests. 
 
 f In many temples may be seen a tablet, placed in a conspicuous situation, with 
 the following injunction ; — “ Men and women pray separate.” 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 165 
 
 doctor’s own estimate was only 150,000,000, but he stated to Mr. 
 Dunn, two years before his death, that he was then convinced that the 
 highest number ever given did not exceed the true one. Wherever 
 the truth may lie, it is certain that every part of the empire teems with 
 life. The whole policy of the government, and all the tendencies of 
 the empire that can at all bear upon the matter, are in favour of mul- 
 tiplication. Children are obliged to provide for the old age of their 
 parents ; and the want of offspring, to pay the customary honours at 
 the family tombs and in the “ Hall of Ancestors,” is considered the most 
 grievous of calamities. These considerations are vigorous stimulants 
 to marriage, and, coming in aid of the natural instincts of the race, 
 leave fewer bachelors and maids in China than in any other country on 
 the globe. The owners of slaves, who do not procure husbands for 
 their females, are liable to prosecution. Three generations, and more, 
 often live under the same roof, and eat at the same board ; a system of 
 clubbing which, by diminishing the expense of living, tends strongly to 
 an increase of population. Again, the laws of the empire, and all the 
 prejudices and sentiments of the people, are against emigration, vdiich 
 prevents that drainage by means of wdiich other civilised and trading 
 nations are relieved of their surplus inhabitants. 
 
 The government of so extensive an empire, swarming with its hun- 
 dreds of millions, must be an expensive affair. Du Halde, 'apparently 
 however without the means of exact accuracy, sets down the total 
 expenses of the imperial government in the round sum of 200,000,000 
 teals, or considerably over £50,000,000, of which only 10,000,000 
 reach Pekin, the balance being expended in the provinces. The sources 
 whence these monies come, are, a land tax, for vdiich the landowners, 
 not the tenants, are responsible ; a tax on salt, which is a government 
 monopoly ; certain revenues derived from tea and alum, which are also 
 monopolies to a limited extent ; taxes on the transit of goods within the 
 empire ; and customs on imports and exports. The government at this 
 moment appears to be hard pressed for means ; and the difficulty of 
 fixing upon modes of increasing the revenue, is a pretty clear indication 
 that there are practical checks to the exercise of imperial authority 
 vdiich it is not thought prudent to disregard. 
 
 In whatever else a difference of opinion may exist respecting the 
 Chinese, all must agree that they are an original people. Their marked 
 peculiarities in manners and customs, the frame-work and administration 
 of their government, the idiosyncrasy of their education and educational 
 institutions, and their modes and implements of agricultural and mecha- 
 nical labour, — all proclaim their originality beyond doubt or cavil. 
 Whoever attentively examines this collection of Chinese curiosities 
 which this volume but briefly describes, will need no further proof of the 
 
166 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 
 ingenuity of the Chinese in arts and manufactures. In several branches 
 of labour, both agricultural and mechanical, which evidently originated 
 with themselves, they have never been surpassed ; and in some, they are 
 unequalled by any other people. Without any claims to be considered 
 a scientific nation, the various contrivances by which they economise 
 labour, and force nature to become their handmaid, are many of them 
 equally simple, ingenious, and efficient. 
 
 The three inventions and discoveries which, in their results, have 
 (previously to the invention of steam) contributed more powerfully than 
 all other causes combined to give to modern society its peculiar form 
 and fashioning, and which are destined instrumentally to carry forward, 
 in connection with steam-power, to its utmost limit of perfection, the 
 civilisation of the human race, first started into being in the Celestial 
 Empire ; and, whatever mortification the statement may inflict upon our 
 vanity, there is much reason to suppose that those who, throughout 
 Christendom, are generally considered as the inventors of the art of 
 printing, the composition of gunpowder, and the magnetic needle and 
 mariner’s compass, received their first promptings, and had their genius 
 quickened into activity, by information flowing through different chan- 
 nels from the springs of Eastern Asia. 
 
 FOEEIGI^ lETEECOUESE WITH CHIEA. 
 
 The ancients may be said to have had no knowledge of China; for, 
 though a few scattered gleams appear to have reached them from that 
 remote region, and one or two feeble efforts were made to obtain infor- 
 mation concerning its inhabitants, they were not sufficient to produce any 
 practical results. Yet, when Home was still an infant, and the Grecian 
 philosophy among the things to be, China had produced a sage, second 
 only, in the long catalogue of heathen philosophers, to the illustrious 
 and pure-minded Socrates. 
 
 Some Nestorians appear to have introduced Christianity into China, 
 in the year 635, but the world is indebted to them for no account of the 
 country, either in its physical or moral aspect. Two Arabians, in the 
 ninth century, visited and described it with considerable fulness. Much 
 contained in their itineraries is applicable to the Chinese of the present 
 day. Commercial relations of some importance existed then, and subse- 
 quently, between China and Arabia. The Chinese appear to have 
 sought, in those early ages, commercial liaisons with several of the neigh- 
 bouring nations. Carpini, the first Catholic missionary to China, was 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 107 
 
 sent thither in 1246. He was kindly received, and sent back with a 
 friendly letter. Another missionary was sent in 1253, who met with a 
 like reception. About the same time the two Polos, Nicholas and 
 Matthew, reached the court of the Mongol conqueror, Coblai-Khan, by 
 whom they were most graciously received, and, at their departure, invited 
 to return. They accordingly, in 1274, went back, taking young Marco 
 with them. This young man became a great favourite with the Khan, 
 and resided at his court seventeen years. He was the first European 
 who gave the world an account of China. His book was long consi- 
 dered little more than a pleasant romance, but has since been proved 
 to be remarkably faithful and accurate. Its glowing pictures kindled 
 the imagination of the young Columbus, and fed for years his soaring 
 hopes. 
 
 The next Catholic missionary to China was Corvino. He went to 
 Pekin, was kindly received by the Emperor, built a church by imperial 
 permission, and baptised several thousand converts. The missions con- 
 tinued to flourish, and the missionaries were unmolested in their labours, 
 till they began to meddle with the government, and thus became poli- 
 tically obnoxious. 
 
 The Portuguese were the first Europeans who traded to China. 
 They made their appearance there early in the sixteenth century ; and 
 were followed by the Spaniards, Dutch, French, &c. The Russians 
 have an overland commerce with China, but are not allowed to use 
 ships. Their dealings are restricted to the frontier station at Kiackta, 
 in Tartary. The earliest attempt made by the English to establish a 
 trade with China, was under Elizabeth, in 1596. The three ships, 
 fitted out for this purpose, were all wrecked on their outward voyage. 
 About forty years later, a somewhat more successful effort was made by 
 a fleet under the command of Captain Weddel ; but the main object 
 was defeated through the jealousy and misrepresentations of the “ Por- 
 tingals.” Numerous attempts followed, with various success ; but it 
 was not until the beginning of the last century that permission was 
 obtained for establishing a factory, and the trade fixed upon a permanent 
 basis. 
 
 The first American vessel that went on a trading voyage to China, 
 sailed from New York, in 1784; but so rapidly did the trade thus 
 opened increase, that in 1789, there were fifteen American vessels at 
 Canton ; a larger number than from any other country, except Great 
 Britain. During twenty-eight years, between 1805 and 1833 inclusive, 
 the whole number of arrivals of American vessels at the port of Can- 
 ton, was 896, giving an annual average of 32. The total estimated 
 measurement tonnage of these vessels was 500,000, averaging, there- 
 fore, 17,857 per annum. The entire value of the China trade, during 
 
1G8 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OE 
 
 the above-mentioned period, may be stated, in round numbers, at 
 
 150.000. 000 dollars, or over £5,250,000 sterling yearly ; rather more 
 than £1,000,000 of this sum have been paid in dollars and bills of 
 exchange.. The bulk of the trade is in teas. Of these, twelve kinds 
 are known to the foreign commerce, six of black, and as many of green. 
 A great variety of other articles enter into the trade, but they form a 
 comparatively unimportant part of it. Opium is the chief import into 
 China. 
 
 Mr. Bridgman, in his “ Description of Canton,” estimates the whole 
 number of vessels employed in the China trade, belonging to all the 
 different nations, at 140. “ But the trade,” he adds, “has always been 
 
 carried on under circumstances peculiar to itself. It is secured by no 
 commercial treaties ; it is regulated by no stipulated rules. Mandates 
 and edicts not a few there are on record ; but they all emanate from one 
 party ; still the trade lives, and, by that imperial favour which extends 
 to the ‘ four seas,’ flourishes, and enjoys no small degree of protection.” 
 
 The foreign commerce with China, the land trade carried on by the 
 Russians alone excepted, is restricted to the five ports already alluded 
 to, of which Canton forms the principal, and is conducted, so far as the 
 Chinese themselves are concerned, by a body of licensed traders, called 
 “ Hong merchants.” This body is called the Co-hong, and its mem- 
 bers pay roundly for the privilege of entering it. It is not a joint stock 
 company ; each Hong enjoys his individual gains, yet the whole Co-hong 
 is made responsible for the debts of every member, so far as they consist 
 of government dues and obligations to foreigners. These merchants 
 generally amass large fortunes, and live like princes. Howqua, the pre- 
 sent head of the Co-hong, is supposed to be one of the richest commoners 
 in the world. His annual expenses exceed £100,000. 
 
 The factories at Canton, as the warehouse and residences of the 
 foreign merchants are called, are built on a plot of ground, in part 
 reclaimed from the river, having not more than 660 feet of frontage, 
 with about 1000 feet of depth. Within these narrow limits is conducted 
 the whole foreign trade of the Celestial Empire, amounting to from 
 
 30.000. 000 to 40,000,000 dollars annually. The factories are all of 
 granite or brick, and present a handsoiiie and substantial front. The 
 ground on which they stand, as also most of the buildings themselves, 
 are owned by the Hong merchants. 
 
 The Chinese have been, repeatedly, denounced in terms savouring 
 little of Christian forbearance and charity. In their business transac- 
 tions, they have been presented to our imagination as a nation of cheats ; 
 in their bearing towards foreigners, as scornful and repulsive to the last 
 degree of supercilious self-complacency ; and in their own social rela- 
 tions, as bereft of every noble sentiment and generous sympathy. The 
 
THE CHINESE COLLECTION. 
 
 169 
 
 policy, heretofore of excluding foreign traders from all but a single port 
 of the empire, has been made the subject of the most acrimonious 
 denunciations. Far be it from us to enter the lists in defence of this 
 policy ; nor will we take up the proffered gauntlet on the general 
 question of Chinese respectability and worth. But truth and justice 
 are suitors at the bar, and demand a few words in explanation of one 
 or two points, which seem not to be generally understood. We have 
 already seen that this people, at an early day, sought commercial con^ 
 nections with various of the neighbouring nations ; that the Arabians 
 traded freely with them wherever they pleased ; that the earliest Euro- 
 pean visiters were received with marked kindness, and treated with 
 extraordinary hospitality ; and that the Catholic missionaries had free 
 admission to ail parts, and made and baptised converts without let or 
 hinderance. These zealous and able sectaries were frequently promoted 
 to the highest dignities of the empire. They founded churches at their 
 will ; and hundreds of thousands of Chinese were, nominally at least, 
 through their exertions, converted to the Christian faith. They con- 
 tinued in favour till they indiscreetly began to tamper with government 
 affairs, and attempted to undermine the ancient institutions of the realm. 
 No restrictions of place were imposed upon those western merchants 
 who first frequented the shores of China. Every port was open to their 
 enterprise, and they were not required to confine their dealings to 
 any defined spot, or particular class of merchants. But the burning 
 jealousies and fierce wranglings perpetually kept up between the sub- 
 jects of the different European governments that sought to share in the 
 rich gains of the China trade, roused the suspicions of the Chinese, and 
 inspired no very favourable opinion of their character. The abominable 
 arts to which the foreigners in former times, under the temptations of a 
 base cupidity, resorted to injure each other, w^ould seem almost to justify 
 the epithet “ Fan-kweis,” or “foreign demons,” applied to them by the 
 natives. These circumstances, together with various positive abuses of 
 the liberties of trade at first freely granted, caused the government to 
 commence at length the w'ork of abridging the privileges of foreigners, 
 and the result appears in the rigid system of restrictions lately enforced. 
 
 If European and American traders may fairly blame the illiberality 
 of the Chinese, these have certainly just ground of complaint against 
 them in the illegal practices to which their cupidity tempts them. 
 Fifteen to twenty millions worth of opium has been for years, in defiance 
 of the laws and known wishes of the government, annually emptied upon 
 the shores of China by Christian merchants ! 
 
 Alas for missionary effort, so long as the grasping avarice of the 
 countries whence the missionaries come, sets at naught every Christian 
 obligation before the very eyes of the people whom it is sought to con- 
 
170 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 
 
 vert! Most devoutly do we long for the auspicious day, when the pure 
 religion of Jesus shall shed its sacred influences on every human being : 
 but we believe it will not come till the principles of that religion shall 
 take a firmer hold upon the affections of those who profess to enjoy it, 
 and rear a mightier embankment around their sordid and stormy pas- 
 sions. When the missionary shall find an auxiliary in the stainless life 
 of every compatriot who visits the scene of his labours, for purposes of 
 pleasure or of gain, — when he can point not only to the pure maxims 
 and sublime doctrines proclaimed by the Founder of his faith, but to the 
 clustering graces that adorn its professors, — then indeed will the day 
 dawn, and the day-star of the millennium arise upon the world ! 
 
 Vizetelly Brothers & Co., Printers, Peterborough Court, 135 Fleet Street.