ENTERTAINMENT AT THE REGENT 's HOUSE. 191 



and his three companions rose, advanced a few steps, and hewed profoundly. The Commodore 

 and all the officers rose and howed in return, hut without precisely understanding what the 

 homage of the Lew Chewans particularly meant ; they wei'e determined, however, not to he 

 outdone in the outward symbols of civility. 



The Commodore then tendered to the regent such articles as he might need or desired to 

 possess, provided he had them on hoard any of the ships, adding that it would give him pleasure 

 to supply them. Hereupon, the four dignitaries rose again, advanced, and howed as hefore. 

 The interview was becoming rather uninteresting, and it was quite plain that the magnates of 

 Lew Chew were, from some cause or other, not quite at their ease. 



After about an hour the regent rose and proposed that the Commodore should visit him now, 

 at his own house. This was alike intelligible and agreeable, and the procession was formed and 

 marched to the street where it had been invited to enter on its way to the palace. The house of 

 the regent was spacious, consisting of a central hall, with wings open to the court-yard, from 

 which it was separated by a narrow verandah only. The floor was covered with fine matting. 

 It was at once apparent that most hospitable preparations had here been made for the entertain- 

 ment of the American visitors. Four tables were set in the central apartment, and three in 

 each of the wings, and these were covered with a most bountiful collation. Immediately on 

 entering the guests were desired to seat themselves, the Commodore, with Captains Buchanan 

 and Adams, occupying the highest table on the right hand, and the regent and his associates 

 the one opposite on the left. A pair of chop-sticks was placed at each corner of every table ; in 

 the centre was an earthen pot filled with saJcee, (the intoxicating drink made by the Lew 

 Chewans,) surrounded with four acorn cups, four large, coarse China cups, with clumsy spoons 

 of the same material, and four teacups. On each table were dishes to the number of some 

 twenty, of various sizes and shapes, and the exact basis of some of which no American knoweth 

 to this day; possibly it was pig. Of the dishes, however, which were familiar to western appre- 

 hension there were sliced boiled eggs, which had been dyed crimson, fish made into rolls and 

 boiled in fat, pieces of cold baked fish, slices of hog's liver, sugar candy, cucumbers, mustard, 

 salted raddish tops, and fragments of lean pork, fried. Cups of tea were first handed round ; 

 these were followed by very small cups of sakee, which had the taste of French liqueur. Small 

 bamboo sticks, sharpened at one end, and which some of the guests mistook for toothpicks, were 

 furnished, to be used as forks in taking balls of meat and dough from the soup, which made the 

 first course. Soup constituted also the next seven courses of the twelve, whereof the repast 

 consisted. The other four were gingerbread, salad made of bean sprouts and young onion tops, 

 a basket of what appeared to be some dark red fruit, but proved to be artificial balls composed 

 of a thin dough rind covering a sugary pulp, and a delicious mixture compounded of beaten eggs 

 and a slender white root with an aromatic taste. 



Novel as was this hill of fare, the gentlemen of the expedition endeavored, with true courtesy, 

 to do honor to the repast, and at the end of the twelfth course respectfully took leave, though they 

 were assured there were twelve more to come. The number of the courses indicated the desire 

 to do our countrymen a double share of honor, inasmuch as twelve is the prescribed number for 

 a royal entertainment. The Lew Chewans, far removed as they are from the conventionalities 

 of western civilization, seemed, notwithstanding, to understand very well the habit of drinking 

 toasts and giving sentiments, and, indeed, were ready enough to drink on private account, 

 without any stately formality, as the sakee circulated freely during the eight courses of soup. 



