82 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



which is often heard at Occidental feasts. The 

 mandarin seemed quite a connoisseur in the various 

 dishes which appeared, and made (no doubt) appro- 

 priate remarks on them as they were placed on the 

 table. The only one I understood Avas said of a 

 preparation of fish "Ah ! this is what makes old men 

 young." I regret deeply not having secured the 

 receipt for making this invaluable compound. 



The emigration business in which my companion 

 was engaged was getting on well, though he became 

 too ill to take much active superintendence over his 

 agents. Numbers of labourers, with their families, en- 

 gaged to go to Demerara, and, as they were collected 

 in sufficient numbers, were forwarded to Hong-Kong. 

 It was always seen that they fully understood the 

 nature of the engagements into which they entered, and 

 were perfectly willing. There was no lack of coolies ; 

 the only difficulty was to get them to take their wives 

 and families, as it was necessary that a certain propor- 

 tion of them should be so provided. Most curious 

 ideas some of them had on the subject. A number 

 of women asked us once, with most extraordinary 

 simplicity, if it were true that when the emigrants 

 reached the West Indies they were cut open, and their 

 hearts and livers used for preparing opium 1 Poetically 

 speaking, this was not so bad, as opium does use up 

 the hearts and livers of a good many of the Chinese. 

 My companion, in reply, asked how, if he were en- 

 gaged in such a business, they could expect him to 



