China. ing the most abfurd stories concerning the miffionaries; as that they pluck out the eyes of their converts to construct telescopes with, &c. The literati, however, and the more fenfible part of the nation, hold them in the greatest contempt.

гоб Ridiculous We shall conclude this detail of the Chinese relifuperfti- gion with giving an account of one other fuperftition tion of the which feems peculiar to the nation. It is named fongfong-choui. choui, which fignifies wind and water. By this they mean the lucky or unlucky fituation of a houfe, bury ing-place, &c. If any imprudent perfon has built a houfe clofe to that of a Chinese, in fuch a manner that the angle formed by its roof flanks the wall or roof of the former houfe, the proprietor ever after lives in terror of utter ruin and deftruction from the malignant influence of that angle. An implacable hatred inftantly commences betwixt the two families, and often gives rife to a law-fuit, which furnishes matter of difcuffion for fome of the fuperior tribunals. If no redress can be had at law, however, the Chinese is then reduced to the neceflity of erecting, on the top of his house, an enormous image of a dragon, or fome other monster, with its mouth gaping towards the angle, and, as it were, threatening to fwallow it up; after which the apprehenfions of the proprietor begin to fubfide, and tranquillity is reftored to the family. In this manner the governor of Kien-tchang fecured himfelf from the influence of the church of the Jefuits, which, being built on an eminence, overlooked his palace. Not depending, however, entirely on the good offices of his tutelary dragon, he alfo took the wife precaution of altering his principal apartments, and raifing, at the diftance of 200 paces from the church, a kind of large facade three ftories high. But unluckily the death of his fucceffor was attributed to this facade; for the mandarin being attacked with a diforder in the breaft, which made him fpit up a white phlegm, this symptom was thought to be owing to the walls of the facade, which were very white, and which were forthwith painted black. The falutary precaution, however, happened to be taken too late; for the governor died notwithstanding the black colour of the walls.

107

tans in China.

"We should never have done (fays M. Grofier), were we to relate all the fuperftitious ideas of the Chinefe, refpecting the lucky and unlucky fituation of houfes, the quarter which doors ought to front, and the plan and day proper for constructing the stoves in which they cook their rice." But the object on which they employ their greatest care is the choice of the ground and fituation for a burying-place. Some quacks follow no other profeffion than that of pointing out hills and mountains which have an aspect favourable for works of that kind. When a Chinefe is perfuaded of the truth of fuch information, there is no fum which he would not give to be in poffeffion of the fortunate fpot. The greater part of the Chinese are of opinion that all the happiness and misfortunes of life depend upon the fong-choui.

A colony of Jews was established in China about Jews and Mahome- the year 206 B. C.; but they are now reduced to a fmall number of families at Cai-fong, the capital of the province of Honan. The Mahometans have multiplied much more than the Jews. It is above 600 years fince they firft entered the empire, where they

have formed different eftablishments. At first their China. number was augmented only by marriages; but for fome time paft they have been more particularly attentive to the extending of their fect and propagating their doctrine. The principal means employed for this purpofe are, to purchase a great number of chil dren brought up in idolatry, whom their poor parents are glad to part with; and thefe they circumcife, and afterwards inftruct in the principles of their religion. During the time of a famine which defolated the province of Chang-tong, they purchafed more than 10,000 of these children; for whom, when grown up, they procured wives, built houfes, and even formed whole villages of them. They are now become to numerous, that in the places where they refide they entirely exclude every inhabitant who does not believe in their prophet, and frequent a mofque.

With regard to the manners of the Chinese, they bear no refemblance to thofe of any other nation; and, if we may believe their hiftorians, they are the fame at this day that they were 4000 years ago. The women are condemned almoft to perpetual imprifonment within the precincts of their own houfes, and are never feen even by their intended hufbands before marriage. He knows nothing of her looks or perfon, but from the account of fome female relation or confidant, who in fuch cafes acts the part of match-maker; though if impofed upon either with regard to her age or figure, he can have recourfe to a divorce. The fame matrons who negociate the marriage, alfo determine the fun which the intended husband must pay to the parents of the bride for in China a father does not give a dowry to his daughter; it is the husband who gives a dowry to the wife. When the day appointed for the marriage is arrived, the bride is placed in a chair or clofe palanquin, the key of which is committed to the care of a trufty domeftic, who must deliver it to none but the husband. The latter, richly dreffed, waits at his gate for the arrival of the proceffion. As foon as it approaches, the key is put into his hands; he eagerly opens the chair, and for the first time perceives his good or bad fortune. If he is contented with his now spouse, the bride defcends and enters the house, where the marriage is concluded by feafting and merriment as in other countries; but if the bridegroom is very much difappointed, he suddenly shuts the chair, and fends the bride home to her relations. To get rid of her in this manner, however, costs a fum equal to what he originally gave in dowry to obtain her.

The

The Chinese women, even of the first rank, feldom quit their apartment, which is fituated in the most retired part of the house, and in which they are fecluded from all fociety but that of their domeftics. book of ceremonies requires that there fhould be two apartments in every houfe; the exterior one for the hufband, the interior for the wife. They must even be feparated by a wall or wooden partition, the door of which is carefully guarded; nor is the husband at liberty to enter the wife's apartment, or the to quit it, without fufficient reafon. According to the fame book, the prattling and loquacity of a woman are reckoned fufficient grounds for a divorce. If this be founded in fact, the women of China are either unexampled for taciturnity, or elfe multitudes of divorces must be daily occurrences. A woman, however, cannot be divorced

103 Ceremo nies of marriage.

on

109

rated.

on any account, if the lofes her parents after marriage, or if the has worn three years mourning for the lofs of her husband, father, or mother.

A widow of any rank above the common, who has children, feldom enters a fecond time into the marriage ftate, though thofe of the ordinary rank generally do. The poorer fort are not at liberty to follow their own inclination, but are fold for the behoof of the parents of the deceafed. As foon as the bargain is concluded, a couple of porters bring a chair, which is guarded by a number of trusty people. In this the widow is fhut up, and thus conducted to her new husband.

"Mafters (fays M. Grofier), for the most part, are very defirous of promoting marriage among their flaves, whatever Mr Paw may fay; who, without any founda tion, has ventured boldly to affert the contrary. They have even very strong motives to induce them to encourage thefe marriages; the children produced by them. are still their flaves; and befides their becoming new property to them, the fathers and mothers are thus more ftrongly attached to their fervice."

Concubinage is tolerated in China, though not auConcubi thorized by any law. This privilege is granted only to age tole the emperor, the princes of the blood, and mandarins; and none but the emperor is permitted to have more than one. The common people generally avail themfelves of the toleration granted them in this respect, and will have two or three concubines if they can afford it. They are, however, careful to excufe themfelves as well as they can to their wives in this refpect, pretending only a defire to have many children, and a number of women to attend their wives. Others, defirous of having a male child, while perhaps their lawful wife cannot have any, take a concubine for this reafon only, and difmifs her as foon as their wishes are accomplished: they then permit her to marry whom the pleases, and frequently even provide a hufband for her themselves. Thefe concubines are almost all procured from two cities named Yang-tcheou and Sou-tcheou, where they are educated, and taught finging, dancing, mufic, and every accomplishment fuitable to women of quality, or which can render them agreeable and pleafing. The greatest part of them are purchased in other places, to be again difpofed of; and this is the principal branch of trade carried on by thefe two cities. Unlawful intrigues are seldom heard of in China. Whoever feduces the wife of another is punished with death; and the fame punishment is generally inflicted on the perfon who debauches a young woman.

110

Location

of children.

From the accounts we have of the education of children in China, one might be apt to conclude, that, in ftead of being the ignorant fuperftitious race already defcribed, they ought to be the most intelligent people in the world. The book of ceremonies directs the education of a child to commence as foon as it is born, and defcribes exactly the qualities which its nurfe ought to have. She muft fpeak little, adhere ftrictly to truth, have a mild temper, behave with affability to her equals, and with refpect to her fuperiors. The child is taught to ufe the right hand as foon as it can put its hand to its mouth, and then it is weaned. At fix years of age, if a male, he is taught the numbers moft in use, and made acquainted with the names of the principal parts of the world; at feven, he is fepa

rated from his fifters, and no longer allowed to eat with them, nor to fit down in their prefence; at eight, he is inftructed in the rules of good breeding and politenefs; at nine, he ftudies the kalendar; at ten, he is fent to a public school, where he learns to read, write, and caft accounts; from 13 to 15 he is taught mufic, and every thing that he fings confitts of moral precepts. It was formerly the cultom, that all the leffons defigned for the Chinele youth were in verfe; and it is to this day lamented, that the fame cuftom is not followed, as their education has fince been rendered much more difficult and laborious.

At the age of 15, the Chinefe boys are taught to handle the bow and arrow, and to mount on horfeback; at 20 they receive the first cap, if they are thought to deferve it, and are permitted to wear filk dreffes ornamented with furs; but before that period they are not allowed to wear any other thing than cotton.

Another method of initiating children into the principles of knowledge in this empire is, by felecting a number of characters expreffive of the most common objects, engraving or painting them separately on fome kind of fubitance, and, under the thing reprefented, putting the name, which points out to them the meaning of the word.

As the Chinese have no proper alphabet, they reprefent almost every thing by different characters. The labour of their youth, therefore, is intolerable; being obliged to study many thoufand characters, each of which has a diftinct and appropriate fignification. Some idea of their difficulties may be obtained from what we are told by F. Martini, who affures us, that he was under the neceffity of learning 60,000 differrent characters before he could read the Chinese authors with tolerable ease.

The book first put into the hands of the Chinese children is an abridgement, which points out what a child ought to learn, and the manner in which he fhould be taught. This volume is a collection of short fentences, confifting of three or four verfes each, all of which rhyme; and they are obliged to give an account in the evening of what they have learned in the day. After this elementary treatife, they put into their hands the four books which contain the doctrines of Confucius and Mencius. The fenfe and meaning of the work is never explained to them until they have got by heart all the characters, that is to fay, the words in the book; a method no doubt inconceivably difgufting, and calculated utterly to destroy the genius of a boy, if he has any. While they are getting these characters by heart, indeed, they are likewife employed in learning to form them with a pencil. For this purpofe they are furnished with large leaves of paper, on which are written or printed with red ink very big characters; and all they are required to do is to cover thofe red characters with black ink, and to follow exactly their fhape and figure; which infenfibly accuftoms them to form the different ftrokes. After this they are made to trace other characters, placed under the paper on which they write. These are black, and much fmaller than the other. It is a great advantage to the Chinese literati to be able to paint characters well; and on this account they beftow great pains in forming the hands of young people. This is of the utmost confequence to literary ftudents in the exami

nations

China. nations which they are obliged to undergo before they can be admitted to the first degree. Du Halde gives a remarkable inftance, viz. that " a candidate for degrees having, contrary to order, made ufe of an abbreviation in writing the character ma, which fignifies a horfe, had the mortification of feeing his compofition, though in other refpects excellent, rejected merely on that account; befides being feverely rallied by the mandarin, who told him a horfe could not walk unless he had all his legs.

111 Drets.

After the fcholar has made himself master of the characters, he is then allowed to compose: but the fubject of his compofition is pointed out to him only by one word. Competitions are likewife eftablished in China, but most of them are of a private nature. Twenty or thirty families, who are all of the fame name, and who confequently have only one hall for the names of their ancestors, agree among themfelves to fend their children twice a month to this hall in order to compofe. Each head of a family in turn gives the fubject of this literary conteft, and adjudges the prize; but this cofts him a dinner, which he must cause to be carried to the hall of competition. A fine of about tenpence is impofed on the parent of each scholar who abfents himself from this exercise.

Befides thefe private competitions, every ftudent is obliged to compete at least twice a-year under the infpection of an inferior mandarin of letters, ftyled Hiukouan. It frequently happens allo, that the mandarins of letters order thefe ftudents to be brought before them, to examine the progrefs they have made in their ftudies, to excite a fpirit of emulation among them, and make them give fuch application as may qualify them for any employment in the ftate. Even the governors of cities do not think it below their dignity to take this care upon themselves; ordering all thofe ftudents who refide near them to appear before their tribunal once a month: the author of the best compofition is honoured with a prize, and the governor treats all the candidates on the day of competition at his own expence. In every city, town and village in China, there are schoolmasters who teach such sciences as are known in that country. Parents poffeffed of a certain fortune provide mafters for their children, to attend and instruct them, to form their minds to virtue, and to initiate them in the rules of good breeding and the accustomed ceremonies, as well as to make them acquainted with the laws and hiftory, if their age will admit. Thefe mafters have for the most part attained to one or two degrees among the literati, and not unfrequently arrive at the firft employments of the ftate.

The education of the Chinese women is confined to giving them a tafte for folitude, and accuftoming them to modefty and filence; and, if their parents are rich, they are likewife inftructed in fuch accomplishments as may render them agreeable to the other fex.

There is little diftinction in China between the ordinary drefs of men and women. Rank and dignity are diftinguished by certain acceffary ornaments; and the perfon would be feverely chaftifed who fhould prefume to affume them without being properly authorized. The dress in general consists of a long veft which reaches to the ground. One part of this veft, viz. that on the left fide, folds over the other, and is faftened to the right by four or five fmall gold or filver but

tons, placed at a little distance from one another. The fleeves are wide towards the fhoulder, growing narrower as they approach the wrift, where they terminate in the form of a horfe fhoe, covering the hands entirely, and leaving nothing but the ends of the fingers to be feen. Round their middle they wear a large girdle of filk, the ends of which hang down to their knees. From this girdle is fufpended a fheath, containing a knife and two of thofe fmall sticks which they ufe as forks. Below this robe they wear a pair of drawers, in fummer made of linen, and in winter of fatin lined with fur, fometimes of cotton, and in fome of the northern provinces of fkins. These are fometimes covered with another pair of white taffety. Their shirts are always very fhort and wide, of different kinds of cloth, according to the feafon. Under thefe they wear a filk net to prevent it from adhering to the skin. In warm weather they have their necks always bare; when it is cold, they wear a collar made of filk and fable, or fox's kin, joined to their robe, which in winter is trimmed with sheep skin, or quilted with filk and cotton. That of people of quality is entirely lined with beautiful fable fkins brought from Tartary, or with the finest fox's skin, trimmed with fable; and in the fpring it is lined with ermine. Above their robe they wear alfo a kind of furtout with wide fleeves, but very fhort, which is lined in the fame manner. The emperor and princes of the blood only have a right to wear yellow; certain mandarins have liberty to wear fatin of a red ground, but only upon days of ceremony; in general they are clothed in black, blue, or violet. The common people are allowed to wear no other colours but blue or black; and their dress is always compofed of plain cotton cloth.

:

China

112

to cut off

their hair

Formerly the Chinese were at great pains to pre- Chinefe ferve their hair; but the Tartars, who fubdued them, obliged b compelled them to cut off the greater part of it, and to the Tart alter the form of their clothes after the Tartar fashion. This revolution in drefs was not effected without bloodfhed, though the conqueror at the fame time adopted in other refpects the laws, manners, and customs of the conquered people. Thus the Chinese are painted as if bald, but they are not fo naturally that fmall portion of hair which they preferve behind, or on the tops of their heads, is all that is now allowed them. This they wear very long, and plait like a tail. In fummer they wear a kind of cap shaped like an inverted cone, lined with fatin, and covered with ratan or cane very prettily wrought. The top terminates in a point, to which they fix a tuft of red hair, which fpreads over it, and covers it to the brim. This hair grows between the legs of a kind of cow, and is capable of taking any colour, especially a deep red. This ornament is much ufed, and any perfon who chooses may wear it.

The mandarins and literati wear a cap of the fame form as the foregoing, only it is lined with red fatin, and covered on the outfide with white. A large tuft of the finest red filk is fixed over it, which is fuffered to hang down or wave with the wind. People of diftinction generally ufe the common cap when they mount on horfeback or during bad weather; being better calculated to keep off rain, and fhelter those who wear it from the rays of the fun. For winter they have another cap bordered with fable, ermine, or

China fox's fkin, and ornamented with a tuft of filk like the former. In these fur-trimmings they are very curious, fometimes expending 40 or 50 ounces of filver upon them.

grow. So prevalent is the force of cuftom, however, China. that as the child grows up the voluntarily fubmits to new tortures, in order to accomplish the purpofe more effectually. Thus the Chinese women are deprived almost entirely of the use of their feet; and are scarce able to walk, in the moft awkward hobbling manner, for the shortest space. The fhoe of a full grown Chinese woman will frequently not exceed fix inches.

The Chinese people of rank never go abroad without boots made of fatin or fome other filk, and fometimes of cotton, but always dyed. They have neither heel nor top, and are made to fit the foot with the greatest exactness. When they travel on horfeback, however, they have others made of the skin of a cow or horfe made very pliable. Their boot-stockings are of filk ftuff, quilted and lined with cotton, reaching above the top of their boot, and ornamented with a border of velvet or cloth. In fummer they wear a cooler kind, and in their houfes a fort of flippers made of filk ftuff. The common people are contented with black flippers made of cotton cloth. The fan is alfo a neceffary appendage of the Chinese drefs, and is reckoned equally neceffary with the boots.

The drefs of the women confifts of a long robe quite clofe at top, and long enough to cover even their toes, with fleeves fo long that they could hang down upon the ground, did they not take care to tuck them up; but their hands are feldom feen. The colour of their dreffes is entirely arbitrary, but black and violet are generally chofen by thofe advanced in life. The young ladies, like thofe of Europe, make use of paint to give a bloom to their complexions; but this, though not the fame with the kind used in Europe, agrees with it in the effect of foon wrinkling the skin. Their general head-drefs confifts in arranging their hair in feveral curls, among which are interspersed small tufts of gold or filver flowers. According to Du Halde, fome of -them ornament their heads with the image of a fabulous bird, concerning which many stories are told. This is made of copper or filver gilt, its wings extended and lying pretty clofe to the head-drefs, embracing the upper part of their temples, while the long spreading tail forms a kind of plume on the top of the head. Its body is directly over the head, and the neck and bill hang down, the former being joined to the body by a concealed hinge, in order that it may play freely, and move about on the least motion of the head. The whole bird adheres to the head by means of the claws, which are fixed in the hair.

Ladies of quality fometimes wear feveral of these birds made up into a fingle ornament, the workmanship of which is very expenfive. Young ladies wear alfo a crown made of pasteboard, the fore part of which rifes in a point above the forehead, and is covered with jewels. The rest of the head is decorated with natural or artificial flowers, among which fmall diamond pins are interfperfed. The head-drefs of the ordinary clafs of women, especially when they are advanced in years, confifts only of a piece of very fine filk wrapped round their heads. Adeuf. All authors agree, that an abfurd custom prevails throughout China, of confining the feet of female inthefants in fuch a manner that they are never allowed to grow to near their full fize. The fmallnefs of their feet is accounted fuch a valuable beauty, that the Chinefe women never think they can pay too dear for it. As foon therefore as a female infant is born, the nurfe wraps up its feet in very tight bandages; and this torture must be endured until their feet have ceafed to VOL. VI. Part I.

pre

The Chinese ufe white as the colour proper for mourning; and though a fon cannot wear this while his father and mother are alive, he can ufe no other for three years after their death; and ever afterwards his clothes must be of one colour. The law has forbidden the use of filks and furs to children: and has even prescribed the time when they are firft to wear a сар. This is put upon their heads by the mafter of ceremonies himfelf, who addreffes them in the following manner: "Confider that you now receive the drefs of those who have attained to maturity, and that you ceafe to be children; renounce, therefore, all childifh thoughts and inclinations, affume a grave and ferious deportment, apply with refolution to the study of virtue and wifdom, and endeavour to merit a long and happy life." and happy life." "This ceremony (fays M. Grofier), which may appear trifling, is attended with the happieft effects. The Chinese give a kind of importance to every thing which can inspire youth with a taste for morality and a love of good order. It might be useful to mankind at every fixed epocha of their lives to remind them of those new duties impofed by each fucceffive change; but, by uniting the folemnity of a public ceremony to this inftruction, it will make a deeper impreffion, and remain much longer imprinted on their memories."

114

outnefs of

Nothing can appear more irksome to an European Excoflive than the multitude of ceremonies used on all occafions ceremoniby the Chinese. An invitation to an entertainment is the Chinot fuppofed to be given with fincerity until it has nefe. been renewed three or four times in writing. A card is fent on the evening before the entertainment, another on the morning of the appointed day, and a third when every thing is prepared and the guests ready to fit down to the table. The master of the house always introduces his guests into the hall, where he falutes them one after another. He then orders wine to be brought him in a fmall cup made of filver, porcelain, or precious wood, and placed upon a fmall varnished falver. He lays hold of it with both his hands, makes a bow to all the furrounding guests, and advances towards the fore part of the hall, which generally looks into a large court. He there raises his eyes and the cup towards heaven; after which he pours the wine on the ground. He afterwards pours fome wine into a filver or porcelain cup, makes a bow to the most confiderable perfon in company, and then goes to place the cup on the table before him; for in China every guest has a table for himself. The perfon for whom he intends this honour, however, generally faves him the trouble of placing the cup; calls for wine in his turn, and offers to place the cup on the master's table, who endeavours to prevent him, with a thousand apologies and compliments according to the rules of Chinefe politeness. A fuperior domeftic conducts the principal guest to an elbow-chair covered with rich flowered filk, where the stranger again begins his com E

pliments,

China. pliments, and begs to be excused from fitting in fuch an honourable feat, which nevertheless he accepts of; and all the rest of the guests do the fame, otherwise the ceremonial would be gone through with each of them. The entertainment is concluded by fome theatrical reprefentations, accompanied with the mufic of the country; which, however, would give but little pleasure to an European. Befides the guests, a certain number of people are admitted into the court in order to behold these theatrical reprefentations; and even the women are allowed to view them through a wicket, contrived fo that they may behold them without being feen themselves.

The entertainments of the Chinese are begun, not by eating, but by drinking; and the liquor they drink must always be pure wine. The intendant, or maitre d'hotel, falling down on one knee, firft invites the guefts to take a glafs; on which each of them lays hold with both hands of that which is placed before him, raising it as high as his forehead, then bringing it lower down than the table, and at last putting it to his mouth they all drink together, and very flowly, taking three or four draughts. While they are drink ing, the dishes on each of the tables are removed, and others brought in. Each of the guests has twentyfour fet before him in fucceffion; all of them fat, and in the form of ragouts. They never ufe knives in their repafts; and two fmall pointed fticks, ornamented with ivory or filver, ferve them inftead of forks. They never begin to eat, however, until they are invited by the maitre d'hotel; and the fame ceremony must be gone through every time they are going to take a cup of wine, or begin a new dish. Towards the middle of the entertainment the foup is brought in, accompanied with small loaves or meat pies. These they take up with their small sticks, fteep them in the foup, and eat them without waiting for any fignal, or being obliged to keep time with the reft of the guests. The entertainment, however, continues in other refpects with the utmoft formality until tea is brought in; after which they retire from table and amuse themselves in another hall, or in the garden, for a short time, until the deffert be brought in. This, like the entertainment itself, confifts of 24 dishes, which are made up of sweetmeats, fruits differently prepared, hams and falted ducks which have been baked or dried in the fun, with fhell and other kinds of fifh. The fame ceremonies which preceded the repast are now renewed, and every one fits down at the fame place he occupied before. Larger cups are then brought in, and the mafter invites the guests to drink more freely.

Thefe entertainments begin towards evening, and never end till midnight. A fmall fum of money is given to the domeftics; when every one of the guests goes home in a chair preceded by feveral fervants, who carry large lanthorns of oiled paper, on which are infcribed the quality, and fometimes the name, of the mafter. Without fuch an attendance they would be taken up by the guard; and the day following they never fail to return a card of thanks to the officer.

Their method of drinking tea is not like that of other nations. A fmall quantity of bohea, fufficient to tinge the water and render it palatable (for they

drink no green), is taken in the morning, and thrown China, into a veffel adapted to the number in family. This ftands till milk-warm; in which state it is kept the whole day, and a cup drank now and then without fugar or milk, in order to exhilarate the spirits when exhaufted by fatigue: and if a stranger call by accident, or a vifitor by appointment, the first thing prefented, after the ufual ceremonies of meeting, is a very small pipe filled with tobacco of their own growth, and a cup of the tea already mentioned, or of fome fresh made of better quality, together with fweetmeats, &c. Tea is the daily beverage in China, and is drank by all ranks of people.

Some change has been made in the ceremonial of the Chinese by the Tartar conqueft, and fome new difhes alfo introduced by the fame means; and here M. Grofier obferves, that the Tartars are much better cooks than the Chinese. All their dishes are highly feafoned; and by a variation in the proportions of their fpiceries, they are able to form a variety of dishes out of the fame materials. None of their viands,. however, are more esteemed than ftags finews, and the nefts of a particular species of birds, which have the property of giving a moft agreeable relish to whatever is mixed with them. Other dishes are introduced at these repafts, which would be accounted very difagreeable with us; fuch as the fleth of wild horses, the paws of a bear, and the feet of feveral wild animals. The greater part of thefe provifions are brought preferved in falt from Siam, Camboya, and Tartary.

115

The wines of China have no refemblance to ours Chinese either in tafte or quality, being procured from rice, wines. and not from the vine. A particular kind of rice is employed for making them, and the grain is fteeped for 20 or 30 days in water, into which ingredients of a different nature are fucceffively thrown: they afterwards boil it; and as foon as it becomes diffolved by the heat, it immediately ferments, and throws up a vaporous fcum not unlike new wine. A very pure liquor is found under this fcum, which is drawn off and put into veffels well glazed: From the remaining leys an inflammable fpirit is made, little inferior, and fometimes even fuperior, to the European. Another kind of wine is used by the Chinese, or rather Tartars, called lamb wine. It is very strong, and has a difagreeable fmell; and the fame may be believed of a kind of fpirit diftilled from the flesh of sheep; though this laft is fometimes used by the emperors.

These entertainments exceed the bounds of ordinary repafts; the Chinefe being naturally fober, and thofe in eafy circumstances living chiefly on pork; for which reafon a great number of hogs are bred in the country. Their flesh is much eafier of digeftion, and more agreeable to the tafte, than thofe of Europe. The Chinese hams are in high eftimation. The common people live very poorly; being fatisfied, in time of fcarcity, with the flesh of dogs, horfes, cats, and rats, which laft are fold publicly in the streets.

116

There are feveral public festivals annually celebrated Publici in China. One is that already mentioned, in which tivals. the emperor tills the ground with his own hands. This is alfo celebrated on the fame day throughout the empire. In the morning the governor of every city comes

forth