184 A COLLECTING TRIP 
Chinese mandarin and commissioner of customs. He 
was going to Woo Chow and we went up with him. 
His predecessor at the customs port is with us now; 
he is a very interesting Frenchman Tennant by name, 
who has been twenty-seven years in the employ of the 
Chinese government and knows China like a book. The 
scenery is beautiful along the river and we succeeded 
in obtaining some good photographs. I spent a lot of 
time in Hong Kong getting prints made, so that when 
we get home we can show you something without 
waiting for the work to be done in America. We have 
a fine set, although not all have been finished as yet. 
This has been a very fine passage of three and a 
half days over what is usually a very rough sea. We 
shall stay only a few days in Shanghai and then pro- 
ceed to Pekin, which should be a very interesting place 
— and then for Japan and home. We ought to be 
home on July 13th, unless I can get a room on an 
earlier boat. You can have no idea of the rush of 
people traveling over here now and, of course, as the 
boats have not the accommodations the Atlantic boats 
have, the pressure 1s correspondingly greater. For the 
boat which sails on June 29th from Japan every room 
was taken some time ago, but we have a very good 
room reserved on the Mongolia, which sails on July 
13th. The China sails between these dates, but it is 
a small ship and also full, unless by chance a room 
should be given up; we shall take the one we are sure 
of. Continually telegraphing for accommodations is a 
great nuisance, as you can never tell but you may 
like a place and be compelled to run away and leave 
it in order to fill your reservations. I have no strange 
things to tell; everything and every one is very wel) 
