ggg CHINESE FESTIVALS D II AGON*. 



on if nothing is quickly offered. Their religion en- 

 joins that ihe) shull live on the alms ofthe pious vo- 

 tary ; but they are forbidden Id take money, or to 

 look a woman in the face— two things which it is 

 doubtful if they adhere to. The hi^h priest of Siam 

 occasionally sends them wholesome- admonitions. 

 There is only one priest and two or three Nen or 

 Booddhist students in Province Wellesley, and no tem- 

 ple of note of the present day. i observe that Captain 

 13 eg hie, in a late Work, has been misinformed on this 

 point; although his work embraces many valuable facts 

 Which but for bis diligence might have never emerged 

 from their musty repositories. 



But of all the classes of society here, the Chinese 

 have the gceate*t number of festivals, or rather per- 

 haps, keep the l reaiest number. Their profusion on 

 such occasions also far exceeds that of ul her natives. 

 This they are enabled to afford by means of their 

 Congsi* orChibs. In each, an elder is yearly elected by 

 ballot ; and the image of the peculiar tutelar divinity, 

 or deified sa<re of the Contrsi. js retained in the house 

 Of the elder. The grand procession of the Diyong, 

 m hicb is the representation of the tfreat snake or dra- 

 gon, in 1N2(K cost, it was said, atony with its atten- 

 dant ceremonies several thousands of dollars. The 

 object was to expel the cholera which was then 

 raging in FeOftogv The representation of the snake 

 was formed oi' oiled and coloured paper with 

 lanterns inside. It seemed upwards of two hun- 

 dred feet in ien-th, and was carried by a lance 

 party of Chinese. Notwithstanding all this ex- 

 pense, the snake-^od was not propitious ; the cho- 

 lera swept on; and the Chinese were so mortified at 

 the failure, that they were ashamed to bury their 

 d-ad, and sunk them in the channel of the bar bout 

 at night. 



