172 VOYAGE TO THE 



lives. She was decorated with flags of all sorts and 

 sizes : at the fore there was hoisted the white flag of 

 the emperor ; at the main, the Loo Choo colours, a 

 triangular flag, red and yellow, with a white ball in it, 

 denoting, I believe, a tributary state ; there were be- 

 sides several others, and a great many mandarins' flags 

 upon staffs along the stern. Ching-oong-choo said 

 she was the junk with tribute which was sent every 

 second year from Loo Choo to Fochien. Her cargo, 

 before it was stow^ed, was placed upon the wharf in 

 square piles, with small flags upon sticks, stuck here 

 and there upon the bales of goods, which were appa- 

 rently done up in straw matting ; for it was only with 

 our telescopes that we were allowed to see this. 



After dinner was over, the mandarin went on shore, 

 and begged to have the pleasure of our company to 

 dinner at Potsoong the next day ; but the rest of the 

 company obtained permission to stay and enjoy a little 

 more sackee, after which they pocketed the remains 

 of the dessert as usual, and as a token of their friend- 

 ship, they each threw down their pipe and tobacco- 

 pouch, and begged my acceptance of them ; but as I 

 knew these articles were valuable in Loo Choo, and 

 was conscious that with some of them it was only a 

 matter of form, I declined accepting them. 



The next day it rained heavily, but An-yah came off 

 to keep us to our engagement, saying the mandarin 

 was at Potsoong in readiness to receive us ; we ac- 

 cordingly went, and were met at the landing-place by 

 Jeema and a great crowd of Loo Chooans, with um- 

 brellas, who accompanied us to the house, where we were 

 received by the mandarin in a most cordial and friend- 

 ly manner. For convenience both apartments were 

 thrown into one, by the removal of shifting panels, and 



