494 Voyage of the Novara. 



their own residences, and, seated in a rocking-chair on the 

 delicious verandah, to recall all the peculiarities of the enter- 

 tainment at which they had been present. 



The rites of hospitality to strangers were not, however, 

 limited in fulfilment to Ta-ki, since the various consuls settled 

 at Shanghai, as well as several of the English, American, and 

 German merchants, invited the members of the Expedition to 

 dinner-parties given in their honour, each vying with the 

 rest in refined courtesy. An especially pleasant memory 

 attaches to one indication of this feeling, the spontaneous 

 offering of a number of Germans to our commander and his 

 associates. We were sitting in the house of Mr. James Hogg, 

 the Hanseatic Consul, when from the garden there suddenly 

 arose a serenade of men's voices, singing German melodies. 

 Surprised and deeply affected, the entire company rose from 

 table and strolled into the garden, but the sercnaders were 

 concealed behind a group of trees, and as they withdrew, sing- 

 ing, the last cadence of a thrilling patriotic song was heard 

 melting in the distance ! 



The Germans already constitute a by no means inconsider- 

 able portion of the foreign community of China, and it is 

 painful to observe what slender encouragement and support 

 their energy and industry have as yet met with from the 

 various governments of Germany. The number of Bremen 

 ships which visited the harbour of Shanghai has of late years 

 equalled that of the United States, and would be very greatly 

 increased if the German mercantile community and the 



