Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-10-09
crow wown-aMEW. NEW

The last Union contains the following pea
SAINT information in regard to The American squau
ron on the Chinese station. The Chinese may
be great people; but we hope that Free Trace
will no, iamiarize us with their culinary irul's.
Their teas are deicious-nol SO their varieSa'eu
"tinner courses" But fashion s every lhing:
Interesting letters have been received from on
board the United States ship Vincenness, as la'e
| as the 5th May. All were well on board, ana we
are happy 10 find thai the alarming rnmoIs oil 'ie
ravaees Of disease ON board The squadron arc
unfounded The ship came down from w ham
poa to Macao about the 20lh April, and on the
2Sh one OF her officers writes lhat-"We are now
ready for sea, and will get under weigh SO soon
as the Commodore comes on board we are
bound for a cruise up the coast OF China 10 ia,
pan. and probably 10 Kamschatka. This WIN
be doing VIVA, no other American man-oi-war
has ever DONE We expect 10 be absent from
| this place about six months, when we VIII re-
turn, take in stores remain, probably, until ailer
China rev year. lat which time great excite
mens prevails and then we hope 10 sci SAL Tor
our native land, by way OF The Cape OF Good
Hope. In the mean lime, you will continue TO
/ direct to me al Canton until October, when hope
there will be no further occasion.
| 1.-THE excitement attending the claim OF enter
| ing the walls of Canton has died away. Some
weeks since, Sir ]. Davis had an interview with
keying al The Bogue, il is supposed on this sub
eoi; but, as yet, nothing has transpired. think
that Canton mob has very strong voice IN
the cabinet, and il will be some years yet before
there is free ingress and egress to ioreigneIs.-
Alter all, curiosity is The only thing 10 be graft.
fled; a n The shops and all The valuables that TO-
rrgneIs admire are already without The walls,
and cannot perceive any political or CONNER
cial advantages which will flow from privilege
10 which the Chinese seem TO have an invincible
repusDance. | have spent len days IN canton,
and had the qualification OF being invited TO
large Chinese dinner and sing song, which al
tended. The sing-song is theatrical ; men and
women dressed in the most splendid costumes,
covered with gold and silver, flourish about, BRAN
dishing sticks and swords, singing songs that you
cannot comprehend, accompanied all the time by
The gong and dozens Of other instruments little
less euphonious than the FIRST il that be possible.
| Ii seems 10 resemble the opera, but could not
form an idea Of the plot. Upon the whole, i, IS
both ludicrous and ridiculous; and one might be
| excited 10 Laughter, were il not for greater
sympathy for the sense of hearing than OF sighi.-
| The dinner was given almost exclusively 10 To-
reigners; and am told that il is The first thing OF
| The kind tina, has ever come OIL; and, as
| il may not be undressing, | will endeavor
| 10 give you description. The invitation (Which
/ eHCIOSt lUI lUuI pCiuS W OhihSSe III
| formed The guests that boats would be in waiting.
| So about o'clock several officers OF the Vim
cennes found ourselves al the foreign landing en-
| harked and were soon rowed over the ferry. On
| entering The hall, we were most deliberately "chin-
! chned," with gongs, and other noise making in
| slrumenls. We assembled 4 flight OF steps, and
were received by The heads Of the family. The
tables were arranged about the room after The
fashion of the French-lhat is, each table ac-
commodaed six persons. So soon as we were
sealed, the host came up 10 US, carrying in his
hand a metal teapot, filled with warm arrack la
liquor having very much The taste vi rum, and ex-
! clusively used by the higher classes oil Chinese.
| he filled our cups, holding about leaspoonlul,
which we were compelled 10 drink making al the
same time bow to our polite host. This done,
4 he tree so tar as we were concerned, Tor the
rest OF The evening Now commenced The dinner.
| There was an old resident merchant sitting by
/ me- and he gave me the NAMES of the dishes, or
| am sure should have never made them out. !
took down the courses, and will give them
TO you as they made their appearance. J.,
birds nest soup;2, pork fat, fried with potatoes;
3, hogs hoofs; mushroom, stewed; 5, bids
| nest salad 6, giblct soup; T. kitten hash; s,
| fried Irish potatoes; 9, rat hash 10, tea H.,
sharks fms; II, tried duck Is, dog stew; IA,
stewed chicken; Is, ham stew l6, pork stew !;
II, fried cucumbers; 10. pate of rats; l9, feline
ragoul 90, ham stewed with pork; 81, sucking
pig; %, snail pate; % snail soup. tasted The
first dish, and became so disguised that could
not proceed They were brought on, one dish al
a time in eyquisely beautiful china bowls, with
| a Top very much resembling a saucer, which
6led into The former--a the time the tables were
covered with variety of sweetmeals, Of which
watermelon seeds seemed 10 be the greatest favo-
rite We sal until | o'clock, when we were ush-
cred out with the same ceremonies with which
| we were introduced. The performances of the
| sing song continued during the whole dinner"
| nj lie u,..t ~ fhinps nf the kind
saw. II Of TWO slips of red pnpcrone appear
n 10 envelope The Other and ono of them covered with
| Chinese characters.