The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-03 00:00:00

F s, and hashes, most of. which were so excellent that
the genius Archmus, who, according to the fanciful Van
llclmont, keeps post in tl)' upper orifice, as a sort of
custom-house ewer to e stomach, to watch all contra-
bani food, must ceriaildy have found his occupation
gone, and declared for free trade on the occasion. •

Alter the birds'-nest soup, there were venison soup,
du:k soup, never-to-be-sufficiently-praised sharks: fin
soup, cheLnut soup, pork stew, a sort of vegetable pa'e;,
with gravy in a separate saucer, stag-sinew soup, shark-
skin soup, second only to his elder brother of the fin;
earth-nut ragout, a gelatine soup, made of the pith of
stag' horns macerated ; mushroom and chcsnut soup.
stewed ham sweetened with sugar or syriip, a stew f
bamboo shoots, another of fish-maws, esculents with
hot sauce, slices of hot cakes and cAd jam puffs; with
numerous other nondescript soups and stews, in largA
bowls placed in the centre of the table, of which vege-
tables, pigeons' eggs, and more especislly pork, seemed
to be component parts, showing Chinese cooks, like
Beaumont and Fletcher's, to be " thoroughly grounded
in the mysteries and hidden knowledge of all soups,
sauces, and salads whatsoever."

In such a labyrinth of novel dishes, even the most
piaetical gourmand might have been excused for feeling
a little at a lois ; and our entertainers seemed to appre-
ciate the circumstance, for when any particularly good
ME-SS came upon the table, they would put some upon
the plates of those near them ; and Keying, with the
must refined Chinese politeness, more than once took a
tit-bit from his own dish, and t onveyed it with his chop-
sticks to the honoured guests beside him.
Lest there might have been any one who could not
contrive to make a sumptuous dinner from such mate-
rials, there wer:2 in the centre of the table roast peacock,
pheasant, and ham ; and tea was several times served
to relieve this active " alimentary progression," never
dreamt of by Ude or Brillat Savarin.
It is worth while noting as a remarkable circumstance,
that, during the whole dinner, there was not a grain of
rice on the table, not even mixed with other food, though
almost all writers tell us it is never wanting at a Chinese
dinner of any sort. If, acc:rding to Sir John Davis,
the appearance of bowls of rice at such feasts is the sig-
nal ot• the repast approaching its termination, the party
on the present occasion must have broken up long before
the host was tired of his guests ; for the rice signal
was never given.

There was no lack of good wines, liqueurs, and man-
darin somshoo at dinner, nor were the Chinese unmind-
ful to do due honour to them by frequently pledging
their p uests ; and this soon came to be no light matter,
for they were never satisfied with a mere sip, bnt insisted
on bumpers every time, and that the glass should be
turned upon the table in proof of its having been ho-
nestly emptied. The effect upon themselves was scarcely
perceptible, though we remarked a formidable-looking
Tar opposite where we sat, who besides his share of
champagne and other wines, discussed the greater part
of a bottle of mareschino, and made serious inroads
up..n another of noyau. stroking his chin, and exclaim-
ing; " lloh !" at each glass.

The succession of s'o'ups must have occupied nearly
three hours, and when he at length came to a close,
Keying rose to dedicate a cup to the Queen of Heaven ;
and forthwith a series of low benches, covered with
crimson cloth, were ranged from one end of the room
to the other, and were speedily loaded with roast pig,
hams, fowls, and other substantial dishes, and before
each a cook or butcher (we could not tell which) sat
down a la Chinois, and, taking a knife like a cutlass,
commenced slicing it down, in defiance of the maxims of
the " Carver's Guide." grasping the joint with the left
hand, the long nails of which serve for both fork and
sp,-,on. The ceremony is intended as an acknowledg-
ment of the bounty of the Queen of Heaven, and is gone
through b; fore the guests to show them that, even after
the exuberance of dishes with which they have been
served, there is still enough and to spare. The sliced
meat was set upon the table, as were also cold mutton and
pork, none of which were eaten ; and then succeeded a
desert of fruits and preserves, with abundance of wine,
cordials, and samshoo.

The first toast was " The Queen of England and the
Emperor of China," which was drank with tremendous
applause, the Chinese being especially ♦ociferous, him-
zaing, clapping their hands, and beating the table in the
most approved English public-dinner fashion, the band
in the adjoining room striking up what we presume was
an appropriate air, but which sounded to our ears not
unlike a Highland pibroch.
A few other toasts followed, amongst the rest, " The
King of the French" and " The King of Sweden," each of
whom had a subject among the guests ; and Keying
then called upon the Governor for a song, as a condition
to giving one himself, which he afterwards did, and
very well, too, and joined lustily in the applause with
which it was received Pwang-tsye•shing gave us two
songs. The Emperor's son-in-law excused himself on
account of a hoarseness, brought on, doubtless, by the
unwonted exercise of his lungs during the visit ; and an
attendant Tartar, a descendant of Gengis-Khan, we
Here told, chanted a wild lilt, having many of the cha-
racteristics of an old Scottish or Irish air.

On the-part of the English guests, betides the Gover-
nor, songs were sung by the Major• General, the Chief
Justice, the lion. Frederick Bruce, and Mr. Shortrede.
The Chinese are fond of enlivening their entertain-
ments with shows and dramatic exhibitions, and most
authors speak of these as invariable accompaniments.
The present dinner was an exception, probably because
visits tl foreign Powers never kiving hem before dreamt
of in China, players form no part t f an ambassador's
retinue. However, a substitute was found in a game
which we do not remember ever inav:ng seen described.
The flowers (dahlias) were given to Keying, who first
began whirling them round his head, and then holding
them to his nose, gave one to the Governor and another
to the General, who were desired to hand them round
the table. In the meantime, a drum was kept beating
in the outer room, the performer, at random, making a
sudden stop ; and the person in whose hand he flower
then chanced to be found was required to quaff off a
bdinper of wine.
This sport, from the sort of esprit de patrie with which
it was kept up, created a good deal of amusement, the
Chinese being especially mindful to watch their victims,
and laughing good humoured!), when caught them-
selves.

In sporting phrase, the pace of the evening had been
uncommonly fast, and all " caroused potations pottle
deep ;" but whether it was the excellence of the drink,
or the counteracting effects of the rag nits, every one.
European and Chinese, seemed quite able to carry his
liquor discreetly,
The company broke up about eleven o'clock, Keying
and the rest of the Chinese accompanying their guests
down stairs, and taking leave of them at the door, both
appearing to be mutually satisfied with the meeting.
At half-past six next morning the minister embarked
on board the steamer for Canton, having previously em-
braced the Governor at the door of his residence, and
the General at the wharf, whither the Gallant Officer
accompanied the Imperial Commissioner.
A man so famous in the western world as Keying was,
of course, the observed of all obse, vers during his visit.
He is, we should suppose, of some 50 years of age, his
tall and majestic form being graced with manners at once
die.nified and courteous. His whole deportment, in short,
was that of a perfectly well-bred man of the world, and
but for his dress and language, he might have been taken
for a fine specimen of the old English gentleman of the
highest class. As we saw him on such public occasions,
his bland countenance was beaming with good-humoured
benevolence ; but it is of an intent ctual class, and lighted
up with a twinkling eye, which, as occasion demands,
would be equally expressive of penetrating shrewdness
as of social glee.

NOTES ON THE OUTRAM CON-

TROVERSY.

[From the Kurrachee Advertiser of the 4th of October,
1845.]

One of the greatest errors prevalent in reference to
the controversy beteen General W. Napier, and Colonel
Outram is that the General was the attacking party. A
great deal of sympathy has in consequence been accorded
to the Colonel on this account. He is supposed to be an
injured man merely fighting for his own ; a person at-
tacked who has a right to use any weapons within his
reach for his defence ; a person strove to be trod down,
and only seeking to upset an ungenerous foe. Such is
the most prevalent notion on this subject, but it is from
beginning to end the reverse of the truth. It was the
Governor of Sinde who was first attacked both by
Colonel Outram and his party ; and all that his brother
General William Napier has done has been to come
to the rescue of one who had neither time nor inclina-
tion to enter the fiel..3 of controversy himself. Having
stated my premises, I shall now proceed to adduce my
proofs, and those proofs will be best furnished by giving
a short account of the origin of the controversy. I defy
any one to disprove a tittle of what I shall assert ; and
I trust that those who read in search of truth, and not to
cavil in party spirit, will find how reverse of the part
attributed to him, Sir Charles Napier's conduct has
been.
It will be remembered by the public that, for reasons
with which the Governor of Sinde had nothing earthly
to do, but which, I have no doubt, Lord
borough will satisfactorily explain, if called on by
those competent to question him in the House to which
he belongs.
Colonel Outram was removed in October, 1542, from
the political management of Sinde, and the Governor
of Sande was placed in sole charge, both political and
military, of the province. In
consequencearg of this ar-
rangement he proceeded to Sukkur, and there relieved
Gol.mel, then Major Outram.
Unacquainted with the character of the Colonel ex-
cept from description, much of which was the Colonel's
own mouth, he felt a very high opinion of him for
generosity, as well as courage, and paid him the glowing
compliment which rang round India afterwards, and
perhaps as much as anything had the effect of bringing
Colonel Outram to the notice of the many, who being
distant from the scene cared little about Sinde or the
changes in its management, I should not allude to this
circumstance were it not to show the feeling the Go-
vernor was prepared to view him with ; a feeling which
even Colonel Outram's friends cannot deny was one
exaggerated, or to say the least of extreme partiality and
favour.

After this the Colonel returned to India, and being in
extreme Lisfavour with the Governor-General, had of
course nothing to look forward to but regimental duty,
a furlough, or such inferior staff employment as lay
within the patronage of the Commander-in-Chief, or
Governor of his own Presidency. The latter was but a
narrow field of hope, all appointments being filled, and
the more lucrative ones being generally in departments
where seniority must be attended to: a furlough, it was
understood, was not desirable, for the Colonel was not
believed to have money sufficient to live with much com-
fort at home, and it was not to be supposed that a re-
sidence there would much further his views, while the
influence of the G.>vernor-Go'neral was in the otherscale.
t,
Such was the statt, of affairs with Colonel
ofor r
tram,
when the Governor of Sinde found an opernpg.
lieving him from his embarrassments, au e-
tid bringing