British Consuls at Chung-king 139 



inimitable, Spence, and Hosie, have all earned the thanks of 

 their countrymen for their arduous labours in collecting 

 original facts in this field. At the time of my arrival, Mr. 

 Hosie was away in Kwei-chow (the province lying to the 

 south-east), and the consular office was in charge of H.M. 

 " Writer," Mr. Mai, or, to call him by his title, Mai-sze-yeh. 

 The consular Ya-men is situated in the upper town, and 

 consists of a substantial modern Chinese courtyard building. 

 Mr. Mai, who received me when I called, is a native of 

 Yiinnan, and a Mahometan ("Hui-hui"). He has visited 

 Singapore, and is consequently familiar with the barbarian 

 " Chi," or restlessness, which so astonishes and worries the 

 untravelled Chinese. He therefore responded to my multi- 

 farious inquiries, and introduced me to Mr. Tung, or Tung- 

 Loa-yeh, an owner of coal-mines, who wishes me to import 

 foreign pumping machinery for him. These all breakfasted 

 with me at the hospitable table of my host, Mr. Hsing-hsi- 

 tang. The upper and business classes in China take but two 

 meals a day — ^breakfast at ten, and dinner at five; late 

 people, however, as the merchants mostly are (much 

 business being transacted at night over the opium-pipe), 

 have a supper in addition. I accepted an invitation from 

 Tung to visit him at his country house to-morrow, and stay 

 over a day or two. I witnessed from the steps of our hong, 

 an elaborate Buddhist procession, which occupied over half 

 an hour passing the door. The numerous tableaux vivants 

 represented various fairy legends, each composed of a group 

 of four boys gorgeously dressed, and borne on a platform 

 supported on bamboo poles, and carried on the shoulders 

 of two men. Children dressed up as sages, with flowing 

 white beards, followed in the procession on horseback — all 

 pretty conceits, and novel to me. 



In the afternoon I called on Dr. Wheeler, D.D., to whom 



