472 
VOYAGE TO THE 
CHAP. 
XVII. 
Mav, 
1827. 
mated to me that he thought it was a disagreeable practice to use a 
handkerchief and carry it about all day, and thought it would be better 
for us to adopt their custom of having a number of square pieces of 
paper in our pockets for this purpose, any one of which could be 
thrown away when it had been used. I did not at first think he was 
in earnest, and when I observed my guests pocket these pieces of paper, 
I sent for some handkerchiefs, but they declined using them, saying 
paper was much better. 
While we were at dinner a large junk which we had observed 
taking in a cargo the day before was towed out of the harbour by 
an immense number of boats, making the shores echo with her deep- 
toned gong. She grounded ofi:‘ the entrance of the harbour, but was 
soon got off, and placed outside the reefs. A more unwieldy ark 
scarcely ever put to sea, and when she rolled, her masts bent to that 
degree that the people on her deck seemed to be in imminent danger 
of their lives. She was decorated with flags of all sorts and sizes : 
at the fore there was hoisted the white flag of the emperor ; at the 
main, the Loo Choo colours, a triangular flag, red and yellow, with a 
white ball in it, denoting, I believe, a tributary state ; there were be- 
sides several others, and a great many mandarins’ flags upon staffs along 
the stern. Ching-oong-choo said she was the junk with tribute which 
was sent every second year from Loo Choo to F ochien. Her cargo be- 
fore it was stowed was placed upon the wharf in square piles, with small 
flags upon sticks, stuck here and there upon the bales of goods which 
were apparently done up in straw matting, for it was only with our 
telescopes that we were allowed to see this. 
After dinner was over, the mandarin went on shore and begged to 
have the pleasure of our company to dinner at Potsoong the next day ; 
but the rest of the company obtained permission to stay and enjoy a 
little more sackee, after which they pocketed the remains of the dessert 
as usual, and as a token of their friendship, they each threw down their 
pipe and tobacco-pouch and begged my acceptance of them, but as I 
knew these articles were valuable in Loo Choo, and conscious that with 
some of them it was only a matter of form, I declined accepting them. 
The next day it rained heavily, but An-yah came off to keep us 
