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124 
keens‘came to the factory to convey the 
typan and three or four others, which is 
looked upen as a compliment. 
It happened by chance that I got one 
of those vehicles; though before I was 
half way to the merchant’s house, [ hear- 
tily repented of the honour done me; 
for passing through a narrow street at a 
considerable distance from the factories, 
something struck the palankeen so vio- 
Jently, that it was dashed to the ground 
on its broadside, and myself very much 
~ stunned, 
I was not in a very pleasant state of 
mind at this moment, as Ll expected to be 
robbed at least, and perhaps bambooed. 
into the bargain. 
It must, however, have been from some 
accident, not design; for the bearers in- 
stantly shouldered the palankeen and 
trotted off, as if nothing had happened, 
Setting me safe down at the gate of the 
house. Having passed the outer gate we 
crossed"a court, and entered through a 
door into a large hall, on one side of which 
was a very gaudy theatre, and on the 
other the tables spread out for dinner. 
Into the theatre opened several doors 
for the actors, &c. and into that side of 
the hall where the tables were laid, open- 
ed two or three doors that led into with- 
drawing rooms, where other tables were 
laid, covered with various kinds of sweet- 
meats and preserves. 
Immediately after our entering, the ac- 
tors commenced, and carried on the re- 
presentation in a much more chaste and 
animated style, than any thing we had 
before witnessed of this kind at Canton: 
in short many of us fancied we could 
make out tolerably clear the thread or 
plot of the drama; and they did not so 
far “ overstep the modesty of nature,” 
but that we could see plain enough with 
what passions they were occasionally agi- 
tated. 0 
Their music, which consisted of a great 
variety of wind and stringed instruments, 
was much less discordant than what we 
had been accustomed to hear at the plays 
represented in the streets; yet it was 
still devoid of the smallest pretension to 
harmony. 
The cohong-merchant and a few of his 
relations gave us a very polite and hearty 
“welcome, shewed and explained every 
thing to us in the most kind manner ima- 
ginable; but the women were of course 
excluded; the male children, indeed, 
came out and dined with us, sitting on 
our knees, and eating off our plates with 
the utmost familiarity; boys of five, six, 
Journal of a Voyage in the Indian Seas, 
(Sept. 1, 
and eight years of age behaving with the 
utmost decorum, and as easy in their 
manners and deportment as the most ace 
complished courtiers ! iss 
Before} dinner we ranged ourselves in 
front of the theatre, and paid great atten- 
tion to what was going on; at which the 
actors seemed highly delighted, and 
strained exery nerve in order to exhibit 
to the greatest advantage. 
We were soon called to a more sub- 
stantial entertainment; for by this time 
the tables groaned with a profusion of the 
most savoury viands, European as well as 
Chinese. They were interspersed im 
such a manner, that every person could 
help himself to dishes dressed @ la mode 
de Londres, or d,lo mode de Canton, which- 
ever he might prefer, 
It was !udicrous enough to see the auk= 
ward attempts which many of us made 
to imitate the Chinese, by eating with 
chopsticks; the Chinese themselves could 
scarcely maintain their gravity on these 
Oceasions. 
The chopsticks are formed of small 
pieces of ivory, silver, &c. about eight or 
nine inches long and nearly of the thick- 
ness of common black-lead pencils. A 
Chinaman holds a couple of these in the 
fingers of his right hand, like pens, and 
manages them so dexterously, that he 
can pick up a single grain of rice be- 
tween their extremities with thé greatest 
ease. yaa 
As the Chinese live mostly on hashes, 
or at least have their meat always cut into 
small piece, these implements are very 
convenient for them to eat with; but for 
my own part, after just tasting one of 
these messes for curiosity’s sake, with 
chopsticks, I deserted it, and applied my- 
self to good beef, turkey, and hams, as 
being more congeniai to the English pa- 
late. 
There ‘was the greatest profusion of 
the most excellent wines of every de- 
scription; and as perhaps upwards of one 
hundred Europeans (besides Chinese) sat 
down to dinner, the novelty of the scenes 
around us, conspiring with the good 
cheer, did not fail to render this banquet 
a picture of hilarity and festivity. 
The idea of a large company assem- 
bled from various distant nations, and 
sitting down in this remote quarter of the 
globe to enjoy the social hour, could 
hardly fail to impress the mind with a- 
sense of the inestimable advantages which 
society has derived from civilization and 
commerce! 
The healths of their majesties, Bri- 
tannic @ 
Kabat eet ty 7 
a 
