private feasts and formal dinners among the Chinese, are conducted in a similar manner. The former have been thus described by an eye-witness, who was present at an entertainment given to the last English embassy :- "The ambassador informed the gentlemen of his suite that he was going to perform the same salutation of respect, before the yellow screen, that he was accustomed to make to the vacant throne of his sovereign in the House of Lords. We were directed to keep our eyes on him, and do exactly as he did. A low solemn hymn, of not unpleasant melody, now commenced; and, at the voice of a crier, the two imperial legates fell prostrate three times, and each time thrice struck the floor with their foreheads: a cranio-verberative sound being audible, amidst the deep silence which prevailed around. The ambassador and his suite, standing up in the mean while, made nine profound bows.

"When the ceremony was over, the feast was brought in, and the theatrical entertainments commenced. The legates sat to the left, on an elevation of one step; and the ambassador and two commissioners on the same elevation to the right. The other Chinese grandees sat on the left, a little below the legates; and the gentlemen of the embassy to the right, below his lordship and the commissioners. The two lines thus faced each other down the room.

"As no chairs can be used where the emperor is present, or supposed to be so, the whole party sat cross-legged on cushions; but the mandarins, being accustomed to the posture, of course had the advantage. The tables were low in proportion; and when we were all seated, a number of

attendants placed on each table, holding only two guests, a large tray which fitted it, and contained a complete course, of which four in all were served. The first consisted of a rich soup; the second, of sixteen round and narrow dishes, containing salted meats and other relishes; the third, of eighteen basins of birds'-nests, sharks'-fins, deer-sinews, and other viands, supposed to be highly nourishing; the fourth, of twelve bowls of stews, immersed in a rich soup. The guests helped themselves with chopsticks, small spoons of porcelain, fashioned like a child's pap-boat, and four-pronged forks of silver, small and straight; and when they drank to each other, the warm wine was poured into little cups by the attendants, who at the same time bent on one knee.

"At the other end of the hall, where we sat, so as to be viewed by each person from his place, down the two ranges of tables, proceeded the stage performances. The music was wretched, and the occasional crash of gongs abominable. Some pyrotechnic monsters, breathing fire and smoke, were among the dramatis personæ; but the best part of the scene was the tumbling, really superior in its kind. The strength and activity of one man were particularly eminent."

At their great entertainments, the Chinese have a number of courses, beginning with those more digestible, and ending with rice and stews. They are noted gourmands, and their feasts often last several hours, whilst tea and liquors are served up in the intervals of the repast. If the party consists of the literati, they amuse themselves with riddles, after the manner of the ancient oriental and classical nations, and with reciting

poems and satirical verse. Amongst the lower classes, games of chance, consisting of throwing out some fingers, and letting the other party guess the number, similar to the Italian mora, are very common. At all times the Chinese are a cheerful people, but at their feasts they are jovial; they then talk and laugh, incessantly seeking to drown care in present enjoyment. At such seasons they may be likened to the ancient Epicureans, whose maxim was, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.” Their feasting, indeed, which begins in ceremony, generally ends in revelry and drunken

ness.

The great staff of life in China is rice, which is either eaten dry, or mixed with water, so as to resemble a soup. Out of rice they make their chief intoxicating liquor, which, when good, is something like strong whisky, both in its colourless appearance and its smoky flavour. Other vegetables are consumed, such as the sweet potatoe, Barbadoes millet, peas, beans, turnips, carrots, etc. Of their fruits, the orange, lichen, loquats, and mangoes are much in use, and of a very exquisite flavour. Their favourite animal food is pork, the taste for which is national and peculiar. There is a maxim prevalent among them, that " a scholar does not quit his books, nor a poor man his pigs." The pig is, in truth, universally reared about cottages, and its flesh is by far the commonest meat. The flesh of the bullock, sheep, deer, dog, cat, and horse is eaten, but, compared with that of swine, it is a rarity. Fish are eaten in great abundance, either fresh, dried, or salted; and they rear great quan

tities of ducks, and various species of fowl, for the table. The comprehensive principle on which Chinese diet is regulated, is, to eat every thing which can possibly give nourishment. But the greatest dainties consumed by the Chinese are brought from foreign countries. Among these, the edible bird's-nest, and the bicho-de-mer, or sea-slug, of which there are various kinds, occupy the first rank. Shark-fins, fish-maws, cow-sinews, and the points of stag-antlers, buffalo-hides, etc., are considered great dainties, on account of their gelatinous qualities. These are boiled down to a jelly, and eaten with a little seasoning.

The edible bird's-nest, so grateful to the Chinese palate, has been thus described by Earl in his voyages:-" The manufacturers of the nests are small swallows, which are supposed to collect the glutinous substance of which they are composed from the sea. The nests resemble small tea-saucers in form, the rim being about the size of that of a tumbler. The best, that is those collected before the eggs of the bird have been laid, are of a light red colour and nearly transparent, bearing almost a perfect resemblance to isinglass, except that they are rather more brittle. China is almost the only market for this delicacy, the nests being greatly in demand throughout the celestial empire, in consequence of their supposed nutritious qualities. They are of three different degrees of excellence, and the best kind is sold in China at nine shillings the ounce. When used for culinary purposes, they are dissolved in water, and made into a tasteless soup. I have eaten them several times at the tables of rich

Chinese, but they were not at all agreeable to the palate.'

Cookery among the Chinese is more like the French than the English. Their dishes are usually made, and vegetables are introduced into every preparation of meat. Generally speaking, their dishes are very palatable; but there are some which they esteem as delicacies, which would have few attractions for a European. Among these are the dishes made of the larvæ of the sphinx moth, and of a grub bred in the sugar-cane, which are much relished in China. Some of the articles eaten by the poor are truly disgusting; they refuse nothing; even rats, mice, and every kind of vermin are consumed without repugnance. It is probable, however, that poverty induces this habit, for the Chinese are by no means an unclean people in their diet. Travellers, indeed, give them the credit of being, in general, scrupulously nice in their food. Gutzlaff says, they are very clean in preparing it, and that they prefer high-seasoned dishes, salt meats, and vegetables to all other

viands.

AMUSEMENTS.

The Chinese, living in uninterrupted peace, and bearing no part in public transactions, relieve the dull monotony of their lives by games at once frivolous and puerile. This contrariety in the national character of the Chinese compared with that of Europeans, as well as other customs, has been thus noticed in a work printed at Macao: —“ On inquiring of the boatman in which direction Macao lay, I was answered in the west