ai4 BAT A VI A. 
for the occasioji in China, narrow at top, low, and bulging 
out in the middle to a great width. These jars remain un- 
distm'bed, in. a certain corner of the house, for twentj-four 
hours ; at the end of which time, that is to say at nine in 
the evening, the hour when all the parties usually break up 
and return to their respective homes, the Chinese sampans or 
dirt boats begin to traverse the canals of the city. At the well 
known cry of these industrious collectoi's of dirt, the slaves 
from the opposite houses dart out with their loaded jars, and 
empty their contents in bulk into the boats. In this manner the 
Chinese scavengers, paddling in their sampans along the several 
canals, collect from house to house, for the use of their country- 
men who are the only gardeners, " the golden store." Such a 
custom, in such a climate, can be no less injurious to health 
than it is indecent and disgusting. But the Dutch appear to 
be as insensible of the one as they are reconciled to the other. 
If they happen to catch a passing breeze charged with the 
perfume of these jars, they coolly observe, " Daar hloeit de 
" foola nonas horas' — the nine o clock Jiower is just in blossom." 
The blooming of the nine o clock jiower is the signal for all 
parties fo disperse and betake themselves to their respective 
homes, where, after a smoking hot supper, which is always 
ready to receive them, they immediately retire to rest. The 
ill etfects that must necessarily result from such an intem- 
perate life as I have here described are, indeed, not less per- 
nicious than " poison .and pestilence.'' The natives are de- 
stroyed at an early period of life, and the new comers rarely 
get over what is called " the seasoning."' Those few that 
escape grow unwieldy and corpulent, but are soft, lax, and 
