1 697-] CHINESE women's fret. 253 



Nation having that contempt for their Wives tliat they h»ok 

 upon them to be no better than Slaves, they being like 

 other Eastern ISTations extrnamly jealous. 



There were but three Women born in China, at Batavia 

 when I was there, so that the Chineses were at first oblig'd 

 to marry Javans,^ but their Families have so encreas'd since 

 that now they have enough Daughters for their Sons : These 

 People are exceedingly addicted to that abominable Sin 

 Sodom. At first they never endeavour'd to conceal it, and 

 when they were indicted for it, they answer'd it was an 

 innocent Action and what was allow'd them ; many of them 

 were nevertheless put to Death for it. 



Their Wives and Daughters are Invisible, at least they 

 are never seen, and they never go abroad : I never saw but 

 one during the whole year that I was at Batavia, and that 

 was in a House. The Men keep Javan and Negro Women 

 for Concubines, or make use of them when they meet them, 

 without much Ceremony. 



As the Smallness of the Women's Feet is one of their 

 greatest Perfections, and which most charms the Men, so 

 soon as born they put them into Iron Moulds which hinder 

 their Growth, so that when they go to walk they can hardly 

 keep themselves upon their Legs.- 



For six Months from the first day of the year they feast 

 and make merry, keeping a sort of Carnaval, which lasts 

 Day and Night. They then run up Theatres on which their 

 young People act a kind of Comedies, for which they have 

 odd Cloaths made on purpose : Their common subjects are 



1 Thorn writes : — " As no woman is allowed to be exported from 

 China, adventurers from that country intermarry with the Javanese 

 and Malays, or purchase slaves for their concubines and wives." {L. r., 

 p. 243.) 



2 The custom of compressing the feet of female children practised 

 by the Chinese is supposed to have originated in the desire to mark 

 the difference between the nomadic Tartar invaders and the native 

 patriotic, children of the soil. (Cf. Gray, vol. i, p. 233.) 



