960 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



" The first of the new year in 

 China, and a fi-w succeeding dSys, 

 are the only holidnys, properly 

 speaking, that are observed by the 

 workins^ part of the eommunity. 

 Oil these days the poorest peasant 

 Flakes a point of procuring new 

 clothing for himself and liis family; 

 they pay their visit to fritnids and 

 relations, interchange civilities and 

 compliments, make and receive pre- 

 sents ; and the oihcers of govern- 

 ment and the higher ranks give 

 feasts and entertainments. But even 

 in those feasts there is nothing bears 

 the resemblance of conviviality. The 

 guests never partake together of the 

 »!aine service of dishes, but each has 

 frequently his separate table ; some- 

 times two, but never more than 

 four sit at the same table ; and their 

 eyes must constantly be kept upon 

 the master of the feast, to ^vatch all 

 his motions, and to observe every 

 morsel he pu(s into his month, and 

 every time lie lilts the cup to his 

 lips ; for the Chinese of good breed- 

 ing can neither eat nor drink with- 

 out a particular ceremony, to which 

 the guests must pay attention. If 

 a person invited should from sick- 

 ness or any accident be prevented 

 from ful filling his engagement, the 

 portion of the dinner that was in- 

 tended to be placed on his table is 

 sent in procession to his own house ; 

 a custom that strongly points out 

 the very little notion they entertain 

 of the social pleasures of the table. 

 It is customary to send after each 

 guest the reiiiains of his dinner.- — 

 Whenever in the course of our jour- 

 ney we visited a governor or viceroy 

 of a province, we generally found 

 him at the heiid of a range of tables, 

 coveried witli a multitude of dishes, 

 which invarial)ly' were marched af- 

 ter us to the yachts. MartiaL if I 



mistake not, has some allusion to a 

 similar custom among the Romans. 

 Each carried his own napkin to a 

 feast, which being filled Avith the 

 remains of the entertainment, was 

 sent home by a slave ; but this ap- 

 pears to have been done more out 

 of compliment to the host, to shew 

 the great esteem in which they held 

 his cheer, than for the sake of the 

 viands ; for the Romaas loved con- 

 viviality. 



" The Chinese, also, like the Egyp- 

 tians, as exemplified in the enor- 

 mous mess which Joseph gave to 

 little Benjamin above the rest of his 

 brothers, testify on all occasions, 

 that they consider the measure of a 

 man's stomach to depend more upon 

 the rank of its owner, than either 

 his bulk or appetite. The embassa- 

 dors allowance was at least five 

 times as big as that of any person 

 in his suite. In this particular, 

 however, these nations are not sin- 

 gular, neither in ancient nor in mo- 

 dern times. The kings of S])arta, 

 and, indeed, every Grecian hero, 

 were always supposed to cat twice 

 the quantity of a common soldier ; 

 and the only diircrcnccr with regard 

 to our heroes of the present day, 

 consists in their being enabled to 

 convert quantity into quality, an 

 advantage for which they are not a 

 little indebted to the invention of 

 money, into which all other articles 

 can be commuted. 



" AVhatever may be the occasion 

 of bringing together a few idlers, 

 they seldom part without trying 

 their luck at some game of chance, 

 for which a Chinese is never unpre- 

 pared. He rarely goes abroad with- 

 out a pack of cards in his pocket, 

 or a pair of dice. Both of these, 

 like almost every thlrig else in the 

 country, arc different from similar [ 



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