Eastern Reminiscences. 29 



pile dwellings, observing that all the native buildings are pile 

 dwellings, or modifications of them, and no doubt were first 

 invented as an expedient for raising houses in the water for pro- 

 tection ; but when the race which for generations had dwelt 

 surrounded by water took to living on dry land, the ancient pat- 

 tern of architecture was followed with slavish exactness. In 

 these houses what would seem almost an impossibility is never- 

 theless a fact. The ground floor is an addition to the first story; 

 the verandah serves an important purpose, inasmuch as it is the 

 representative of the platform originally intended for the inhabi- 

 tants to land on from their canoes. Mr. Mossley, who is a 

 great authority on such matters, points out the remarkable 

 resemblance of many of these pile dwellings to Swiss chalets. 

 In the Swiss chalet the basement, enclosed with stone walls, is 

 usually only a cattle stall. The first story is the dwelling-house, 

 and, as in the pile building, it is constructed of wood. It seems 

 possible that the chalet is the ancient lake-dwelling gone on 

 shore — like the Philipine pile dwelling — and that the sub- 

 structure of masonry represents the piles which formerly sup- 

 ported the inhabited portion of the house. There are similar 

 balconies in the chalets, representing possibly the platforms. 

 It seems probable that the idea of pile dwellings has in many 

 cases arisen through the escape of natives from enemies by 

 getting into a canoe or raft, and putting off from shore out of 

 harm's way. If the attacked had to stay in such a raft or 

 canoe for some time, they would anchor it in shallow water 

 with one or more poles, and hence might have easily been 

 derived the idea of a platform supported on poles. 



The lecturer next graphically described his voyage from 

 Manilla to Hong Kong, which was intensely disagreeable. His 

 first view of Hong Kong greatly surprised him, for somehow or 

 other he expected only a low-lying dirty city, entirely devoid of 

 interest, but in this he was mistaken. The curiously shaped 

 boats in the harbour are of great interest, and mostly manned 

 by the families of their owners. Many of these family boats 

 (sampans) are not over 20 feet in length, and some even shorter, 

 built with a low deck, so as not to have more than three feet head- 



