Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, May 29, 1909, Page 6

oy CHATER XI. ~ Arrival at Tien-tsin—Winter Amuse- ments Amongst Foréign Residents— Li Hung Chang—Visit to the Sev- enth Prince — The American Flag- staff—The Feast of Lanterns—— Racing—Picnic on the Pej-ho. 1 was looking forward with consid- erable anxiety as to how 1 would be received by the people of Tien-ts Hut I found that I had only been bor Towing trouble, for the going out of the old consul and the coming in of the mew was of such frequent occur- rence in Tien-tsin @ _ripple on the sur i #®@e setttement. In a very shoht time I eame to know the whole pepulation, # @nd likewise the whol¢ population came 0 know me, for I seemed to drop into their affection es naturally as an in- fant drops into his mother's lap; end nowhere else on earth, in my opinion, could be found a community, made Up as it was of 50 many different nation- alities, that made life so well worth diving. It really seemed like one hap- y family. About the first of Decem- Bi: "the #ei-ho freezes over, and then the fun commences. From that time until ‘about the first of March no one comes nd no one goes away. All business ceases except in the few re- #ail stores, and thrown upon their own yesources, the people give themselyes up to the enjoyment of everything in Bight, The gunboats of thres nations wre always on station there during the winter, and thelr officers assist mate- ially in making the cold months the most agreeable part of the year. Of course I am speaking now of things as they were in my time. Since then & devastating war has wrought a great | change In conditions. We had amateur dramatic perform- ances which would have done credit | to professionals. Balls, banquets and skating festivals, one or the other, if not all three, were daily events, and there never was any charge for ad- missfon to any entertainment. A na- tive band, taught by a German pro- gassor, furnished the music for all fes- tive occasions, but how the teaching was accomplished is a mystery to me to this day, whem the teacher could not speak a word of Chinese, nor the upils understand & word of German. But there they were, with a repertory ©of negro minstrel song and dance mu- sic, and very proud of their attain- ments. Soon after my arrival at Tien-tsin J was elected a member of the Tien- tsin club, which was the means of my forming an early acquaintance with gome of the best material in the set- tlement, but I seon learned that the other foreign consuls comsidered it dnfra dig, to be on familiar terms with the members of the club. Yet, as I had found them very nice gentlemen to associate with, I didn't permit the opinion of others to influence me, and as the consuls had to pass through the billlard room in _going to the li- brary of the club, thelr sense of offi- .clal propriety would sometimes be &hocked by seeing me a: the sidehoard dulging in a soclal glass with the ‘members. ~ Very soom, however, they yealized that miy way of doing things met with the hearty approval of every- body except the consuls, and they were not long In taking in the sitvation, and seeing the popularity that was coming to me. they gredually umbent, and apon discerning that as good men were engaged in mercantlle life as in displomacy, the whole social status of the settlement underwent a very pleas- ing change. ‘When winter came, an organization was formed embracing all the desir- able elements of the community, which was known as the Smoking Concert, its object being the glving of fiterary anl musical 'entertainments every Saturday night. The meetings were heid in the theater, which was part of the ciub bailding, and at the first ‘meeting, which was called to order by the British consul, 1 was elected president, and as taking an active part in an entertalnment was & new experience to nearly all pres- ent, T had to do the most of the en- tertaining myself. At the mext meet- ng I informed them that the first business in order would be to elect a presiding officer and they immediately proceeded to select me, and during' the three winters of my residence I had the honor of presiding over the or- ganization. Although at first it was difficult to get the members to respond to the Invitation to contribute to the entertainment by a song, a speech, or a recitat'on, when they had cnce made the effort they very soon develoved, and it was a revelation to themselves when they realized that they could stand upon their feet befors an au- dlence, and feeling perfectly self-pos- sessed; contribute to an enfertainment with credit to themselves. It was then that I discovered that the trouble of getting them on their feet at the be- ginning of a season gvas only equal- ed by that of keeping them off their feet at its close. A favorite song of the concert was known as the Swingle Waltz. The solo was by a German, Bnd when it came to the chorus; the entlemen at the several tables would ock arms and swinging togethe woud kesp time and sing enthusiasti cally the imposing chorus. There is no doubt that these smoking concerts wwere largely Instrumental in creating that cordial and companjonable sen- timent which made the forelgn set- timent of Tien-tsin the most desirable place to live in all the Orien The day after my becoming & full- fledged United States comsul and the representative of the greatest coun- try on earth (in my estimationy I made an official call on the Vice Hung (Chang at his yamen in Tie tsin city. When I came down. from bréakfast I saw a pony tethered to ‘one of the trees in the yard, “all sad- dled, dll bridled d I asked Chi- na boy whose it was. He said It was for him to ride to the viceroy's. At half past nine Mr. Maclay, the inter- preter, had two sedan chairs at the gate with four men for each, and_we entered. As I got in the men looked at me and grunted, thinking, no doubt, that they would earn their money in transporting such a load. When we started, ‘he China boy with his round- top hat and red tassel, and his top boots and flowing greer. rote, mountsd ®is pony and ook the lead in order to clear the way for official rank. I fol. lowed, and then came the interpreter, which constituted the imposing pro- gession, and notwithstanding that L “have taken part In many processio I have never filled so {mportant part as this one. a It was about two silés from the consulafe to the vice- “ An Experience of Eighty Years of Life. (BY B}JRGE TISDALE, BROMLEY.) The chairs were all stadonary and were ranged along on two sides of the rodm. ~All the furniture was exceed- inglly plain, being covered with Some red ~material resambling bombazine. On the floor was a Brussels carpet which lay all in ridges, as there had ‘been no attempt made to stretch i when it was put down. The two offi- clals who met us could speak very good English, so that we had quite a lively little chat while waiting for the viceroy. But hd kept us waiting only some seven or eight minutes. He p‘l:é mée through a complete catechis: asking many questions about my per- sonal affairs and my family which would have been the helght of impers tinence from a European, but which, according to Oriental etiquette, were the proper thing. He wanted to know all about the resources of Californja, the harbor protection of San Fran- cisco, the navy, and whether or mnot we were afraid of the French. The in- terview lasted about an hour and was very pleasant as well as quite satis- factory. On taking leave of the vice- roy saw us to the outer gate and bade us good-by very pieasantly. 1 think I may say that I enjoyed the personal regard of the late Li Hung Chang to an extent that w but few foreigners. From th our first meeting he took v to me, and ¥ am sure I did to him. His first question was to inquire my agé, al a point of great moment with the Chinese. When he found T five years older than he the favor- ession 1 had made seemed greatly. From that time ie only two men in the foreign set- e ent who were received by Li Huag Chang at any time without the for- mality of sending in a card were the British consul and myself. When General Grant was in China the vi roy manifested for him a strong 1g of kindness than he ever felt for any other foreigner. Grant re- | turned this fesling ane alwsys called | Li Hung Chang the greatest man of iceroy was a fine looking mau over six feet tall and unusually well proportioned. He wore a moustache and had a very pleasant face. He was a man of simple habits, despite his great wealth, and his yamen at Tien- tsin was a one-story buildng of clay, very modestly appointed. Harl LI most striking characteristics were his close observation and knowledge of men. He was looked up to by Chi- nese officials as the greatest man in China, and was a good friend to for- eigners. He was generous, and it coet m thousands of dollars every time he went to Peking. The poor would hold him,up at the very gates of the city. Of course he had faults and made mistakes, but he knew China couldn’t get along without him, and was reconciled to disgrace when he lcst his badges. China, in my opinion, ill mever have another Li.Hung Chang. ‘When sbout leaving Tien-tsin I went with my vice-consul to dine wth the viceroy. In speaking ofary being five years older than he, he inquired into my habits and wanted to know if I drank_much champagne. I said, “Not when I can get whiskey. which I much prefer.” This statment seemed to make a great impression on the vice- 10y. Two vears later T received a let- ter from my vice-consul, who had re- mafmed_there. saying that Li Hung Chang had taken to drinking whiskey I think that helped him make his last trip round the world. He never could have done it on champagne. return from my first visit we called on the taotal, who ranks next to the viceroy. Our reception there was about the same, only there was not so much slam- bang nor quité so many soldiers, nor did_we have to wait for an audience, @s the taotai stood at the gate and re- ceve us and himself escorted us to the reception room. The taotai was a fat, jolly sort of fellow and seemed to enjoy our call very much, though all our conversation was carried on through an interpreter, as not one: of the officials spoke a word of English. Neither of them lived within the walls of Tien-tsin, and I could not blame them, for the first time that I pene- trated to a short distance I was glad to get out again. The city was one of the filthiest places I ever saw and the stench so horrible that I conclud- ed to defer my explorations until the weather became cold enough to freeze up the smells. After making all the prescribed offi- calls T discovered that I would be obliged to call on the Jadies, mission- airies and otherwise. They expected it as a matter of course, and I learned ihat one of my predecssors had made things unnecessarily disagreeable for himself and his family tanding upon his dignity and waiting to be called upon first, He saw no reason why the cutsoms 6f Tien-tsin shouid differ from those of his provincial vil- lage, but such things are as they are in this world, not as we would have them. When the present emperor came. to the throne, his father, Seventh Prince, had the Forbldden City, accordnee with the law, and in order that he should be provided for, he was appointed head of the army and navy. As he had never tification, it w to qualify him for his new duties he should v Port Arthur and at the same time witness the manceuvres of the Chinese fleet in the Gulf of Fichtli In order to reach Port -Arthur he would have to pass through Tien-tsin, and his person had always been re- garded as too sacred 10 be looked up- on by a forlgner, he had never seen one; nor had a foreigner ever seen % When he came to Tien-tsin i#t wou be as fhe guest of the Viceroy é Hung Chang, and when he left viceregal yamen it was unde that he would be carried in a c curtained chalr concealed frum the profane gaze of all outsiders. The prince, with' his bodyguard of Chi- nese soldiers, arrived’in Tien-tsin city and was duly received by the viceroy with all the honors befitting the oc- casion. Soon afterward a message was sent to all the foreign officials in the settlement to the offect that the Seventh Prince - would receive them at the Treaty Temple at ten o'clock on the following day. This startling announcament almost took the com- munity off its feet. However, at half past nine the cavalcade of officials in seday chairs, with gay outriders, was ready to move. Arriving at Tien-tsin city, we were obliged to pass through a long ling of Chinese soldiers, who came to & “present” with the quaint- est implements of war that I had ever seen. When we reached the Treaty Temple we were ushered into Yoy's residence, and those four .men did greatly sweat ere we reached our destination, wihle I was nearly frozen Our arrival was announced by a reg ular slam-bang of all sorts of noises, and at the entrance of the outer court we were received by two of the vice- roy's officials who escorted us through the two inter courts between files of Chinese soldlers, to the grand recep- tlon roow, which was about thirty feet.wide and forty feet long. The only decoration was a portrait of the viceroy somewhat larger, than life. With tha frame, T shonld think it was @ll of ten feet high by eight feet in Width. The portralt, which was paint~ ed In Paris, was a very excellent one. The reception room was an audience r'as well, and at one end was @ raised seat which the viceroy occu- #led when he presided at a couneil the waiting room with great ‘pomp, and the preliminary refreshments of tea and cakes were served, after which it was announced that we would be re- cefved in the order of senlority., That meant that the Russian consul $hould take the lead, with his vioe-consul, 1 following with my vice, Mr. Pethick. We were ushered into the presence of royalty, and there we beheld the Sev- enth Prince standing in the. center of the room with Li Hung, Chang on his left, the place of honor with the Chi- nese, and on his right a Manchu gen- eral. As we entered they all bowed most profoundly, and just as profound- ly we returned tie royal salute, The prince then began to propound a vol- ume of questions, all of which we an- swered to his entire satisfaction. Not having the fear of royalty in my heart, I thought 1 had as good a right to $1 talk to him as he had to talk to me, 80 when the prince had exhausted his list of inquiries ¥ addressed him- on my_own responsibility “Your . _excellency, and myself heartily congratulate you upon vour safe arrjval at Tien-tsin, and ourselves upon the honor and privilege of meeting you. We sincere- ly hope that your voyage to Port Ar- thur will be a pleasant one and that you will réturn to the imperial city well pleased with ail that you have seen and heard. They all seemed to wonder what ir. the world 1 was talking about, but when the interpreter had told them, their_faces lighted up with surprise and pleasure. 1 afterwards learned that T was the only one of the callers who said anything except to an- swer: the regular routine questions which ihe prince had propounded. The prince asked my age the thing, and_with a_twinkle in his eye Li Hung Chang told him before I had . chance fo answer. The prince said that 1 being an American he hoped our government would_ protect his people in my country. I-assured him that he could depend upon the pro- tection of our army and navy. It w: about the time of the Wyoming mas- sacres, and 1 noticed Li langhed at my answer He seemed to think it was sarcastic, The viceroy accompanied the prince to Port Arthur and remained with him during his visit. Upon their return the prince proceeded immediately to Peking but shortly afterward the vice roy gave a state dinner to which all the foreign; officials were Invited. During the ‘course of the rep: viceroy took occasion, to re 3 while on the steanfer the prince had said that of all the foreigners he had met none impressed him =o favorably as the American consul. and that the little speech he had made at the re- ception gave him more encouragement than anyfhing - he had experienced ince leaving Peking. natural modesty received a shock at this an- nouncement, but I hid my biv hind a lArge glass of champa passed through the ordeal in eafety In all that company of mixed nation- alities and heterogeneous inter: there was not an envious thought bored, and fo I found it throughout all my official life in the Orient. I seem- ed, somehow, unconsciously and with- out effort, to have gained the good wi and esteem of all with whom I asso- clated, whether officially or otherwise. Upon being placed in possession of the consulate T was surprised, and not my vice-consui he. ‘u little mortified to discover that the flagstaff was but a diminutive stick and unworthy of supporting the flag country. But I was told that jal ff_had been blown down, and_the present stick was_all that was lefl of the wreck. It had been placed in a corner of the roof of the veranda as the best that could be done, and it looked as if I would have to put up with it. But I happened to be dbwn at Taku one day where I came upon a spar of Oregon pine. T stepped Igngth through the weeds and found it about a hundred feet long and straight as an arrow. I was not long in hunting up ifs owner, who proved 1 be one of the Taku pilots. asked him about the spar, and he said he had taken it jn payment for a job_of pilotage from the captain of a Shin that came to Taku from Oregon loaded with- lumber, and that T could have it “or one dollar a foot. It meas- ured one hundred and ten feet, .and T closed the bargain, telling him-to come to me at the United States con- sulate at o n for his money. I then ordered it taken to the shipyard where I gave Instructions to have i fitted_ with topmast wire rigging and crosstrees. It was then the twenty- fifth day of June, and it must certain- Iy be finished @nd in place for the Fourth ‘of July. On_the morning of July second I saw from my veranda a long proces- sion of Chinamen coming up the road towargs the consulate, and I was won- deringhwihat all about. Lo, and behold! they were bearing on, their shoulders my new flagstaff. The Taku I pilot and the superintendent of the shipy h the procession, a E nee 1 soon had ‘4t in place. In about four hours’ time My Best Ads. are. Worn—Not Written we had the hole dug, the shears rais- ed, the guys placed, and the flagstaff raised and secured. There it stood in all its _grandeur,the most beautiful flagstafl in Northern China, and when the Star Spangled Banner waved from its lofty topmast head on Independence day— well, ¥ may have seen times when I felt prouder, but if €0 I do not re- member them. ‘When our work of raising the staft was over and all pronounced ship- shape, T made glad the hearts of the Chinamen by -an abundance of both solids and liquids, and then turned my attention to my other two guests, the pilot and the shipyard superintendent. The consulate was well equipped with the means, and if ever the raising of a flagstaff in any part of the world was 50 thoroughly and joyfully celebrated history has given no account of it. ‘When the Chinese celebrated the Feast of the Lanterns I secured three stout bamboo poles and fastened them together in the form of a. triangle, to which I attached lanterns in all their variety of color. At dark all the can- dles were lighted and the triangle hoisted up to the head of the flaffstaff, and the display was simply magnifi- cent. ft was seen and admired not only thfoughout the foreign “settle- ment, but the natives in Tien-tsin city went into perfect raptures on discov- ing it and afterwards thanked me heartily for thus honorine their na- tional Feast of Lanterns. Ohe word more about the flagstaff, The French consul, on passing, a day or two after it was in place, couldn’t believe that a staff of such lensth end so symmet- rical in its proportions could be of wood, but of iron, and to satisty him- self came into the compound and when he found that his knife would pene- trate the staff he left the compound a wiser man. The racing season at Tien-tsin is an eveat that is always looked forward to with a lively interest and is heartily “enjoyed by the whole community. At twelve o'clock on tle days of the races every business house is_closed, and the whole settlement attends the races. After the first four or five races all adjourn to the tents and have tiffin. The first race that I attended, I took with me to tiffin the wife of the man- ager of the Hong Kong and Shanghal bank, and during-the repast Mr. Det- ring, the president of the Jockey club, and manager of the fmperial customs at Tien-tsin, delivered his opening ad- dress, and In the course of his speech he took occasion to say some very pleasapt things of the ladies and gen- tlemen present. When he had finish- ed and the applause had subsided, I sald to the lady who accompanied me: “Is no one going to respond to the nice things the president has said of o “Oh, no, indeed,” she replied, “no one but the president ever makes a speech.” And T saw by her manner that she was fearful that I might have the as- surance to respond, and she was so thoroughly , American, although her husband was a Scotchman, she was fearful that I would not be equal to the occasion, s I had not made a speech since I had been in Tien-tsin. 1 then said to Dr. Frazier, sitting op- posite, “Is no one goine to acknowl- edge the nice compliments the presi- as paid us?” he_said, “unless you-will” ‘Try me,” said L He arose, and in a few words intro- duced me, and when I rose up every- body seemed to wonder what 1 had got to say about It, but it didn't takg long to find out. AS mine was the) first speech of the kind they had ever heard.| they all listened with rapt attention from start to finish, and although I say it perhaps, who shoudn't say it, the speech was a regular corker, and when I sat down my. woman friend vas in a perfect rapture, and said he: “It it were anywhere else, I would hug yoy right around the neck.” “Oh, thank you,” sald I “That is certainly the warmest round of ap- plause I have received.” All of which is modestly submitted. One of tha most novel and enjoyable gvents of the winter of 1887 was_the Dicnic on the banks of the frozen Pei- ho. Quite a number of sleds were en- gdged and a party of ladies, gentle- men and chilaren from the foreigm set- ervative ! I want to interest those men who desire better tailoring. I know $12 Holbrook tailoring is better tailoring. For one thing, NO Holbrook coat will break in front after it is worn a short time, because each coat is made by the special method of inside’ construction. 'OPEN EVENINGS UNTIL 9 I have the largest stock in town, and every pattern is a new one. My fancy and plain blues are the best woolens that money can buy -are spun in the yarn and dyed in the wool before weaving. Besides the warranty of the manufacturers they carry my personal guarantee to stand the test'of sun and salt sea air and not to turn white at the edges. Made as desired by the customer, single or double-breasted, with or without vest. belt loops, etc. Permanent roll, $12, $15, $18. Pants, $3. At these figures we give you more value than any other house on earth. Over 1500 styles to select from. Every one the latest and best. $12 our Money Back If We Don’t Satisfy You. 2 | 'HOLBROOK TAILORING COMPANY. 140 MAIN STREET, NORWICH, CONN. tlement, together with officers from the naval vessels, started for the des- tiation of our expedition at about haif past nine in the morning. The sleds accommodated comfortably six per- sons, provided they brought theif own chalrs. The propelling force was fur- nished by a native who stood at the Tear end with a foot on each runmer and a spike-end pole between his feet. When fairly under way these-—sleds easily attain a speed of from cighteen to twenty miles an hour. Upon ar- riving at the appointed picnic ground there was not a human being in sight, but no sooner had we lighted our fires than a bevy of Chinese children came rushing into camp, Their curiosity to see and handle things was So an- noying that’one of the naval officers suggested starting them on a foot race across the river. After passing round the hat and collecting about eighty cash (eight cents) the boys were told the conditions of the con- test. They wera all to start together from the other of the river and the first one to reach our side was to receive fifteen cash, the second, ten cash, and the third, five cash, The | first’ race was run’ and the prizes awarded. But one little fellow fell into an opening of the ice and becom- ing thoroughly wet, he was given ten ‘cash. At the second race four other boys managed to. fall into the same opening and then ¢came to the stake- holder for their reward. But they had to wait, and after the third race, when the prizes had all been paid, the bal- ance of the cash was equaily distri- buted amongst the boys on condition they would all go to their homes immediately—and they went. In the meantime the feast had been prepar- ed and never have the banks of the Pei-ho witnessed & more delightful gathering than the genial, happy par- ty which partook it. The whole out- ing was one grand success, from stast to finish, and it was decided that from that time on the sled ride and the picnic on the Pel-ho should have a name and occupy a place amongst the winter entertainments of the foreign settlement of Tien-tsin. In the pic- ture we had taken on the ice are shown the tingchals, the piodza cool- fes, the house-boys and the picnick- ers. Among them were Mr. Stevens and Mr. Bostwick, officers of the Palos; Mr. McLish, professor in the Chinese _ military = school; George Forbes, Mr, Hgfc’h, Mr. Spooner and W. H. Forbes, gll of the firm of Hatch, Forbes & Co.; Mr. Bennett and Mr. Fulford of the British consulate, Mr. Mordhunt of the house of Cordes & Co.; Mr. Walker and Mr. Heason, pro- fessors in the Chinese naval school; Mr. Leith, Mr. Ballaup, Mrs, Heason, Miss Michie, whose father edited The Chinese Times; Elva Leith and Mrs. Leith, Mrs. Brenan, “Jockey” Bois and Mrs, W. H. Forbe: g CHAPTER XIl. English Sparrows—Chinese Fishers— The Monocacy and Palos—A Weep- ing Chinawoman—Mr. Leith's Fam- ous Tea—General Grant's Death— The Moving Day of the Goddess of Heaven—| See a Wonderful Sight on New Year's Morn. The Englisit sparrows in Tien-tsin had become so numerous-as' to have driven away all the song birds, and only the magpies had survived the siege. One bitter cold day, when the ground was covered with snow, hun- dreds of the sparrows had flocked to the trees in the compound, and I never saw such woe-begone looking birds as was that hungry flock. I am not over and above fond of English sparrows, but I took pity on them and seattered a large quantlty of crumbs on the porch, and no sooner had I lert the veranda than they all came swooping down from the trees and eagerly de- Voured every crumb in stght. 1 was %o well pelased with my efteit in re- lieving the hunger of those little birds. that three times every day during the balance of the winter I would scatter crumbs on tfe porch and blow a whistle, when the birds would come trom all parts of the settlement, know- ing that thelr food was waiting for them. But when their food _came on the trees and moist ground, they ceme to me no more. But the following winter, when 1 realized that their food must be getting short, I wondered if they would remember the whistle. 1 went out on the porch and blew Iit, and to my surprise they came flock- ing into the compound, and again 1 fed them through the winter, and not- withstanding that they were English sparrows, they were under the pro- tection of the American consulate during thefr winters. But my suc- cessor, knowing that it was not among his official duties to care for birds, neglected them, dnd they came mno more. Yet they wers cared for by the wife of the imperial commissioner of customs, and in my letters from her, after my return to San Franclsco, she often’ spoke of the birds, and so tame d they become that they would eat »m the table when set in the open T used to find it quite interesting to and on the bund of 4 morning and see the Chinese fish from the house- boats in which they live. The man of the boat stands on, the bow, throws over a net, and pulls the bow oar, as the boat drifts down the strong cur- rent. Then, after drifting for awhile he lays in his oar and hauls in the seine. The wife manages the boat with an oar-at the stern, and she not only steers the boat but sculls it alone against the strong tide., As a gen- eral thing the woman manages a sam- pan_better than the man can. The families live on the boats. Children are borh on them and are buried from them. The Monocacy was.the United States warship stationed at Tien-tsin dur- ing the winter of 1835. I found the officers _ ve: excellent + gentlemen, Their - free-and- manner, their self-possession and their soclal quali- ties were in such _striking contrast with those of the officer son the Eng- lish and French gunboats that the Americans gt once captured all the ladies and gentlemen in the settle- ment. And yet the officers of the oth- er guhboats were as favorably dis- posed toward the Monocacy officers as was the community, and the social re- lations on board all three ships were very harmonious and unusually friend- ly. On Christmas day quite a humber of us visited the Monocacy by invita- tiom of the captain and ward room offl- cers, to see th# decorations of the ship and the preparati the sailors had made_ for their Christmas dinner, as the Monocacy. men had Invited the sallors from the English and@ French gunboate to share their cheor. As there was more than'sixty of the Eng- lish and French sailors besides about & hundred of themselves, it certainly was a brave feast and a generous one To see the tables you would have fan- cied that they were mot only expect- ing the ships’ crews, but all the for- eigners in the settlement as well. Of course, all the guests could not dlne at the same time, and T believe they had arranged for three sets, sixty at a time. Those who were not eating dancea on deck to the music of the ship's band. I noticed amongst the good things on the table roast turkey, roast goose, chickens, pheasants, ducks, roast beef, confectienery of all kinds In great quantities, mince and squash _pies, with tea and_ coffee— nothing stronger. After we had seen all this the captain calied on hands on deck and asked me to address them. 1 was somewhat taken by surprise, hut it was_easy to talk to sailors, with whom 1 always feel at home. It took me about three minutes to finish my speech, and they seemed to enjoy it I compared- the dinners of the olden time, when I 'was a sajlor, with the Christmas dinner they had spread out on the lower deck, and told them that mn my day the sailor not only had no turkey but was lucky if he found en< fons in his lobscouse on Christmas day. The captains of my time took such 2004 oare of their eailors that they put dried apples in the plum duft for fear the seeds In the raising might set hard on the sailors’ stomachs. The Mono- cacy men gave me three cheers at the close of my speech, and right royal cheers they were. One of the sailors on the Monocaey was a clever artist, and designed and executed all the name cards and Menus for the cap- tain's and officers’ state dinners, e was a man of good family, with taient engush to have mads him name, fame and fortune ashors, but he had the uncontrollable appetite for strong drink, and was sent to eea to keep him out of the way of temptation. Captain Nelson and the officers of the Palos also made many friends during thelr season in Tien-tsin. Some of the Palos men were very good sing- ers, and as thers were some fine mu- sicians among the officers there was always plenty of music on board I was invited to tifin on the Palos one day chiefly because they were to have buckwheat cakes. They were very nice cakes, and I remember that while discussing them Mr. Stevens, the ex- ecutive officer of the ship, told meé a most interesting ghost story, en ex- périence of his own in a Newport cot- tage. The cottage was afterwards pulled down, as no one would live in ityand as Mr. Stevens vividly de- scribéd some of the incidents that oc- curred while he was living there I al- most forgot that I had come aboard ship to eat buckwheat cakes and not to listen to ghost stories. I remember reciting “Tacking Ship Oft Shore” on one occasion at a sailors’ tea party given by Mrs, Walker, one of the mis- slonaries, to the men of the Palos. I never regited it to an audience that so thoroughly appreciated its points as did those men-o'-war's men. When the news came that General Grant was dead It created a feeling of profound gloom in the settlement, as many had met him during his sojourn there, and all spoke of him with sen- timents of high regard and admir I had the flag of the consulate lowe |.ed to haif mast. The day before the ‘one appointed for the funeral 1 sent out circulars giving notice to the oth- er consuls that in token of respect to the generals memory the fug of the consulate would be hoistdl at halt mast. The other consulates were in- tending to do the same when it was discovered that the day was the em- peror’s birthday and for any flag to be flying half-mast on such an occasion would be to the superstitious mind of China a very bad omen. Consequently the fldgs all flew from the masthead. The first Chinawoman, that 1 had ever seen shed tears I encountered during my second year in China. I was sitting at my desk writing when 1 heard a distressing sort of a wail that I at first took for a China boy calling out his wares for sale, for in doing this they get out the most un- earthly $ounds fmaginable. But after hearing the doleful lament several times I found it too painful to endure, 0 I stepped out to the gate to have it stopped. I found the nofse pro- ceeded from an_elderly Chinawoman who seemied to be calling imploringly on some one who was nowhere in sig T inquired of the gatekeeper what ‘was the matter, and he said she had lost her little boy: that he had been lost six days, and the poor wom- an looked as f she had eaten nothing in all that time. Her garments show- ed her to be of the coolfe c At times she would weep as though her heart would break, like “Rachel weep- ing for her children and would not be comtorted for they were not.” How- ever, 1 gave tho gatekeeper twenty cents for her and told him to ask her it she would not go farther up the street. He gave her the coin and as it was more money than she often saw she took it and prostrated herself be- fore mo n token of gratitude. But I beard her for a long_ time afterward, still moaning up the $treet Mr. Leith, a Scotch gentleman mat- ried to an American lady, and resi- dent in Tien-tsin, told me of having sent his father-in-law in Maine a box of tea from Foo-chow. Merely as a joke he had the chest marked as tea from the emepror's tea garden. When the tea ‘arrived it was duly heralded in all the newspaperg that Mr. Leith had sent this extraordinary box of tea. When the news of the items in the papers came to Mr. Leith he was somewhat exercised about it, if the Chinese newspapers should gef hold of it, people would be wonderine why he was so highly privileged. As bhe told me the story, I showed him a San Franciaco Call I was reading, ir whick 1 ran across the item: “A retired ship captain in Camden, Me., Is luxuriating on tea raised in the garden of the em- peror of China” Mr. Leith cried: “The jig is up! My fame is secu One” of my interesting experiencés was & dluner at the Chingge of Mr. Woo, the compredore uf Messrs, Wilson & Co. Mr, and Mrs. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson and myself composed the foreign element of invited guests. We all left the tlement at a little after two o'clock and arrived at about three. The lacies being in chairs, the travel was nece essarlly slow for the ‘rikshas, and ar the weather was cold, i made the tri up to the city a not very comfortabl one. But on returning I let my boy *have his head” and he mnde the time In about twenty minutes. He was_pretty well used up when he gof to the consulate, and the extra boy t4 push, whom I always had when 1 wani to the eity, puffed and blowed like steam engine. They were both so glu that they did not have to keep wit the ladies’ chairs on the way back {h they just let themselves out, and how they got through the narrow, crowds ed streets of the city at the speed they dia without wrecking the whole busi- ness, will forever remain an ungolved mystery. I tried a couple of times to have them slow down, but they only misunderstood and each time tiey let out another link of speed, so I gave it up and was quite relieved when I found myself all together at the end of the adventure. There had been no serious danger, but such a ride is a trifle straining to the nerv : The dinner was all Chinese, birds nest soup, shirk fins and all the rest of the time-honosed dainties. I as usual, partook of everything, but’ thy ladies did not take kindly to some ol the dishes, the two above-named be- ing about all that they wouid taste. Mrs. \Wilson and Mrs._Anderson were invitéd to see Mrs. Woo, but we, of the other sex, could not, of course, be permitted to ‘look upon the wife of & well-to-do Chinese. The curlosity of Mrs. Woo and her five daughters heing somewhat excited om belng for the first time so close to forelgmers, they caused the ladies fo pass through an “ordeal, which, @ocording to . the account Mr. Wilson gave me next day from what his wife had told him, must bave been very funny. Nelther of the ladies told me anyt On another occasfon one of the Chi- nese officials at Tien-tsin invited a se- lected few of us to dinner, after which we wero regaled with a magic lantern exhibition, "It was & very ordinary affair, both the iamp .and ‘the slides, yet the taotai had paid two hundred &nd fifty dollars for it, o some one bad made a tlear profit of at least two hundred and thirty dollars out of that particular swindle. From what I saw of such trades in China it was easy to belleve that represnted the average margin of galn in such transaetions. One of the most interesting of the Chinese high festivals which occufSed during my residence was the occu- slor. of the removal of the Goddess of Heaven from one temple to another, a ceremony performed only once In twenty-five years. This idol s known as the Goddess of Junks and- genlus of mariners, es- pecially worshipped by all sea-faring Chinese. About & hundred years pre- vious the emperor, Chien Lung, hud visited Tien-tsin and witnessed the procession, and he was %o pleased with the manrer in which the ogcasfon was cbserved that he granted certain spe cial privileges. In econsequence, the affair attained an additional import- ancé in the eyes of the Chinese, and they came from all the region around to attend the. celebration. This is the only procession sanctioned by imperial edict, and all who take part in it are obliged to be of mandarin rank. Ij is copled In detail from the procession which attends the emperor himself wheén he goes outside the palace. The bearers of the goddess are rewarded by being permitted ever afterwurd to wéar yellow jackets — the imperial color. “The 1dol or statue represents a woman who, many hundreds of years 8go, became immortal through dream. Her father was the captain of & junk, and had gone to sea, taking Eer mothég and two brothers with him, While thé junk was away on one of Ler voyages the daughtep had & dream, in which she saw the junk founder at sea, and her father and mother and is the luul\r{ ht two brothers struggling In the water, She swam to them and taki brother in each hand, she secured hold on her father's clothing with her A teeth. At this § it the