the following evening, when there was a réchauffé larger scale of the previous dinner-party and dance. This terminated our Christmas gaiety; but musical parties are talked of for the beginning of February, when, being the Chinese New Year, H. hopes to have three weeks' holiday.

The year, I believe, was ushered in by our fellow Europeans with much firing of guns and sending up of rockets; but all these demonstrations were lost on the lazy people, who, plunged in the arms of Morpheus, heard none of them.

To-day we have had a great many visitors, it being the fashion here for every one to call or leave cards; which latter custom has been adopted by the Imperial Commissioner and some other Mandarins, from whom we received pretty, bright-coloured bits of paper on which were stamped the characters signifying their name. Of course the Chinese card of His Honour-Sûn was returned in due form.

We had also other proofs of regard for our

New Year from our Celestial neighbours in the arrival of the usual goose, capon, and two bottles of wine from the Yamûn; a cake from the Comprador, which, if not appreciated by ourselves, is highly so by the monkeys; and a large basket of mandarin oranges from the good old washerman. Of the latter delicious fruit there are quantities at this season, as well as of the firmer skinned orange, which grows more plentifully at Amoy. Indeed, the supply of fruit is very good here at most seasons. Besides oranges, there are the lychee, guava, lunyan, loquot, and various other species more or less eatable, which grow in this neighbourhood; while from the North we have peaches, grapes, and figs. From Amoy comes the pumelo (called shaddock in the West Indies), and from Formosa we receive frequent presents of pine-apples and mangos. All kinds of vegetables are also cultivated with great success at this time of year, which is the season of plenty as well as of coolness. Fish, too, there is in abundance, and game of varied kinds. Pheasants are sold for less than a dollar by the Compradors, and considerably cheaper by the hawkers who frequently bring them to the door. Wild duck, snipe, and quail are bought at a proportionably reasonable price. Partridges are to be had,

though not so plentiful, and woodcocks are but rarely seen. The business of Foo-Chow being confined almost exclusively to tea, which does not come into the market till about May, the merchants have little to do during winter: those, therefore, who are sportsmen find a congenial occupation for spare time in going up the river on shooting expeditions. The more enthusiastic often go to Shanghai and thence to the Grand Canal, where they find game both more abundant and in greater variety. We have lately had ocular demonstration that roe-deer exist farther north, by having received the present of part of one, from a friend at Shanghai.

Fishing in the river is carried on to a great extent by the use of Cormorants. These birds are grey, about the size of a large goose, and are trained to dive in search of the fish. When contumacious, they sometimes manage to swallow the little ones, but are prevented from making away in like manner with the large fish, by having a string tied loosely, or else a metal ring, round their neck. A well-trained bird, when he catches his prey, will at once swim towards his master, who, of course, goes to meet him, and when near enough, passes a net bag over the two and drags them on to his raft. The bird, if he has caught

a good fish, is rewarded with some food and allowed to rest for a time while his companions take their turn of work, for a fisherman has generally several birds with him.

Among the delicacies of the cool season, I must not forget to mention the small oysters for which Foo-Chow is remarkable, and which are grown in quantities on bamboos in the river.

LETTER X X V.

January 10th.

Hearing a sound which somewhat reminded me of my national "pipes," I looked out of the window and beheld a red and gilt chair preceded by a number of people playing on instruments made of bamboo, and in form resembling a flute, while others carried baskets, lanterns, and an umbrella. "Boy" informs me it was a "gentleman going to catchee wife!"

The catcheeing of a wife is as serious an affair in China as it is elsewhere, and accompanied by many more forms and ceremonies than in most countries, nor is the important matter of a trousseau regarded by the Chinese women with less interest than that of their western sisters.

There is, however, this difference between their customs and ours, that, except in the case of wealthy families, the wedding outfit is very generally paid for, principally, by presents received from the bridegroom's relations.

Marriages are often arranged while the bride and bridegroom are yet in their cradle, so that the parties most concerned have not much responsibility in the matter; but I am told that such engagements are rarely broken off. The whole system is very patriarchal-the sons marry young, generally when they are about eighteen, and take their wives home, where they are expected to work for their father and mother-in-law as daughters of the house. In the case of very poor parents having a female infant to dispose of,

she is sometimes handed over at once for a small consideration to the husband's family, and is then brought up along with her future lord and master. Both the betrothal and the marriage itself are attended with endless superstitious observances, and the day on which the latter takes place is decided with great attention to its being what is considered a lucky one.

Parents have another and shorter way of disposing of their overplus female children, when poor, and they see no prospect of being able to