690 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



houses : and the liousehold esta- 

 blisliment and equipage being in 

 common to both, if any part, as 

 the carriage for example, is pre- 

 viously employed by tlie one, the 

 other has to wait till it is disen- 

 gaged. Of this there is no doubt, 

 that if a quarrel ensues between an 

 Enghsh husband and wife, the 

 wife has to leave the house, and 

 seek her dinner either at her fa- 

 ther's, or a friend's ; whereas in 

 Asia, it is the husband that has to 

 go out ; for frequently the uten- 

 sils of cookery are not kept in the 

 male apartments. 



Fourth, *' The freedom, by 

 custom, of the Asiatic women 

 from assisting in the business of 

 the husband, or service of his 

 guests ;" whereas this is generally 

 the duty of European wives, whe- 

 ther their husbands be of a gen- 

 teel business, such as jewellery, 

 mercery, or perfumery, or the 

 more servile ones: I have seen 

 many rise from their dinner, to an- 

 swer the demands of a purchaser : 

 and although all these duties are 

 not required of the ladies, yet 

 some, especially the entertaining 

 the guests, carving and helping 

 the dishes at tabic, and making 

 the tea and coffee, are generally 

 performed by them. Now the 

 Asiatic ladies have no such duties 

 at all, but live in the manner be- 

 fore described. 



Fifth, " The greater deference 

 the Asiatic ladies find paid to their 

 humours, and a prescriptive right 

 of teazing their husbands by every 

 pretext," which is considered as 

 constituting an essential quality of 

 beauty ; for if a wife does not put 

 these in practice, but is submissive 

 to her husband's will in every 

 thing, her charms very soon lose 



their brilliancy in his eyes. Thus, 

 when a wife goes to visit her fa- 

 ther, she will not return to her 

 husband till he has come himself 

 several times to fetch her, and 

 been as often vexed by her break- 

 ing her promise ; and every day 

 when dinner is served, by pretend- 

 ing to be engaged at the time, she 

 keeps her husband waiting, and 

 does not come till the meat has 

 grown cold ; and in the same 

 manner at bed- time; — for return- 

 ing quickly from their father's 

 house is considered as a sign of 

 fondness for the husband, which, 

 in their opinion, looks very ill ; 

 and coming soon to dinner they 

 think betrays the disposition of a 

 hungry beggar. In these, and 

 such like, the husband has nothing 

 for it but patience ; nay, it ever 

 pleases him. I have known of 

 many beautiful women, constant 

 in their affection, and obedient to 

 their husbands night and day, 

 whom, for not having these quali- 

 ties, the husbands have quickly 

 tired of, and unjustly deserted, 

 for the sake of plain women who 

 possessed them. 



Sixth, *' The greater reliance 

 placed by the Asiatic husbands oa 

 their wives' virtue, both from law 

 and custom." For as to the Eu- 

 ropean ladies, although they can 

 go out of doors, and discourse with 

 strangers, yet this is not allowed 

 unless they have a trusty person 

 along with them, either of the 

 husband's or the father's ; and 

 sleeping out all night is absolutely 

 denied them, — contrary to the 

 way of the Asiatic ladies, who, 

 when they go to the house of a 

 lady of their acquaintance, though 

 their husbands be entire strangers, 

 are not attended by any person 



