284 
THE TROPICAL AGRfCULTURIST. 
[October t, 1891. 
standing about:, and on this opened Ibe room whfre 
Mr. Howqua was. He ran to meet us, bcamirg. He 
was a liltle, wizened, yellow Chinaman, with high 
clioek bones, oblique ejes. a pig-tail, f.ud a little Bilk 
cap on his shaven crown. His dress was as plain as 
possible, with not a sign of wealth about. This sur- 
prised Us, for, in the street at least, the dress of the 
richer Chinese is rich ai\d tasteful. He fpoke ex- 
cellent Englisb, and not that dreadlul mixture called 
"Pigeon English" which seems the only mpdium of 
communication between Europeans and Ohiuese. As 
we were each introduced in turn, he bowed low, and 
c/n'«-c/(!«)iCf/ Chinese style. Then, in deference to our 
Western ideas of politeness, ho thook bands — rEthf-r 
a difficult proceeding, owing to the length of his fiijgor 
naila. To chin-din you close each Imnd fepavately, 
then, putting both togetlier at the chest, gently shake 
them up and down and say " chin chin.'' After all 
this ceremony had been gone through, we became 
conscious that another Chinaman, sitting on one of 
the great chairs, was looking at ug much in the Fame 
way as a child for the first time at the Zoo looks at 
a monkey. We looked at him, too, for he was a 
jjreat personage, no less than the mandarin and the 
Chief Secretary of the new Viceroy, It was his chair 
we bad seen outside. He was as different from our 
host as possible — tall and very stout, and magni- 
ficently dressed in brocade and furs, with the mandarin 
red button on the top of his bat and a heavy gold 
chain round bis neck. He spoke i-o Englith, but rose 
and chin-chinned with solemnity when he was in- 
troduced, while we made as deep a bow as we conld. 
As conversation went on he seemed quite content to 
sit and survey us. He may have seen Buglish women 
in the street, but it is very probable 'he had never 
met any before. 
The Deawikg Eoom. 
The large and lofty room w as furnished with tables, 
high fquare stools, coucbe', and arm chairs of heavy 
black wood, all elaborately carved. The conches as 
well as the chairs had cushio'ia of red silk, and were 
like old-fashioned settees. Ench couoh was divid(d 
into three, like a first class railway carriage, but tho 
padded arms of the carriage were here small tables. 
Some handsomolamps, of the slape seen in all Cbinese 
pictures, were hanging from the ceiling, and there 
were some ornaments which even our iurxperienced 
eyes recognised as of great value ; but on the wall 
were hanging some shabby photographs in still shab- 
bier gilt frames. The whole front of the room waa 
open to the dreary little court. The floor was of 
earth, and the effect was cold and cheerless. 
How TO Drink the Tea ! 
A servant brought the tea in handless cups of eg.T- 
shell china. Each cup, being supplied with its own 
pinch ( f tea, had a small taucer at the ton to keep 
back the leaves, and a large saucer at the bottom. 
The problem was how to get at the tea. We wished 
to take it correctly, according to the Chinese fashion, 
and show that we had at least a smattering of civi- 
lisation. No doubt the Chinese find it as objectionable 
to see any innovation on the established fa.shion of 
sipping tea ns wo do to see a man eating peas with 
his knife. So we watched the mandarin. Ho placed 
his thumb undtr the large saucer, his second finger 
above the small saucer, and, raising the cup and both 
saucers, contrived, by some sleight of hand, to empty 
his cup. This was too difficult for us. We gave it up. 
We removed tho small saucer. Even then it was 
difficult to convty tho beverage to one's lips, for, 
08 I said before, tlie cup was without a handle, and 
was moreover exceedingly hot. In spite of the absence 
of ,'iiigar and cream and tho number of tea leaves wo 
Bwallowftd, tho tea was delicious. On onr prai.sii.g it 
Jlr. Hoiv(|uo, presented each of ns with n silviT pn]|f'r- 
covcred jar of it to Uka away with us. ^Ve Earned 
afterwards thst this particular tea never reanhes Eng- 
Jaud. It is aU sent to Einbia, where it coate, in English 
money, over a guinea the pound. 
NOI.SV DiKJ'I.AY OF JdVPJNILE Pltnl lOlUNOV . 
Ten being over, Mr, Howqua took ua to a room 
where seven of his sons (of ages, apparmtly, from 
nine to fii'teen) ench at a separate desk were learning 
their lesson?. They wern like miniature rnen, with 
their pigtails, and little silk cap=, and came forwsrd 
with expressionless faces to shake hands with us. 
To the mandiirin they bowed — almost to the ground 
— and he returned the salutation with profound cere- 
mony. At a word from their father they let us hear 
bow well they could read ; but: as they read all at 
the enme time, esch boy at the pitch of his voice, 
and as they were all (so far as we could make out) 
rep.dipg different words, the effect was romewbat 
ffartling. Then the grea* man took his departure, and 
v.'e were shown over the house. This was a crmplete 
puzzle to the uneducated Western mind. Privacy 
seemed to ba the last thing thought of. Comfort 
tliere was none. But the rooms were full of beautiful 
objects, carvings, vases, beaten work in gold and lilver 
and embroideries which must have been worth largo 
sumsofmcney. In one room was 
One op Mr. Howqtja's Wives 
with several maida in attendance. She was quite yonnjr, 
6ud might have been made of wood for all the interest 
Of expression there was in her face. As she chin- 
chviined she looked like a big mechanical toy. Her 
chcks were thiclily plastered with red and white paint, 
and her Lair, stiffened and ftuck out in the Chineso 
fashion, was adtrued wi<h a long gold pin. Aro'her 
room was Ufed as a private chapel, containing an altar, 
before which joss sticks were burning, and wss hung 
round with portraits of his ancestors. Mr. Howqua 
pointed out the portraits of his great-grandfather and 
graui.' -father, and there were others of much earlier 
date. But the great joy of out host's heart were two 
rooms furnished in European style — one as a dining- 
room, the other as a emoke-room. In the dininR-room 
the table was laid for dinner, and the sideboard was 
laden with different kinds of wine-glasses. Here, we 
are told, Sir. Howqua gave dinner parties to his Euro- 
pean friends. After we had seen through the whole 
p'aoe, our kind host insisted on our going to see his 
mother. She lived at a few minutes' distance, but in 
the same great enclosure— which might be called the 
grounds — belcnging to the Howqua Mansion. 
The Dowagek and Hee Dwelling. 
Her house was so like the houses seen in Chinese 
pictures that as we neared it we seem to be realising 
a dream. Built on the edge of a lake, which was 
covered with lotus leaves, it had little staircases, 
termcep, covered roofs, and wide verandahs, into 
which the whole front of the house opened. There, 
too, were fitting the Chinese ladies, with teacups and 
jars. Old Mrs. Howqua, who was very, very old, had 
probably been told that we were coming to see her, 
for she was seated in htate on alow chair placed on 
the verandah, with her women grouped behind her. 
She wore on her head a black velvet coif, very like 
the Mary Stuart cap, edged with pearls, and with one 
enormous pearl in the centre. Her tiny f.'ct, of which 
she seemed very proud, were just seen below the edge 
of her skirt, and those feet gave us quite a shock. 
Two days hefcrs I had bought a pair of CbincEe 
lady's shoes, but could not believe that any wosaan 
could wear such a small siza. Mrs. Howqua's shoes, 
however, were quite as small as those I bought, but 
it is probable that her feet were exceptionally smill. 
THE TEA TRADE AND THE DUTY, 
For the edification of those who like statistics, we 
supplement our remarks of last week on this subject 
with the full report of the Commissioners of Customs 
Ro for as it relates to tea. In the year 1890-91 the tea 
dntv was reduced from 6d i'o 4d a lb. It may be 
useful here to record tho steps by which the duty on 
this article has been reduced from between 23 to 33 
per lb. to its present rate of 4d. 
