The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1846-03-10

are great many anecdotes told of him.
Ii is said that gentleman, lately arrived
in China, wished much to meet him, and
at length, being presented, began rather
formal speech about the pleasure oil see
ing him. Honqua was always ready for
business, and in the midst Of his har-
angue cut him short with, "Hab got price
current!" The visitor at Canton, can Of
ten tell Honqua's Buildings and Hongs
from their superior neatness and regulari-
ty, every thing that he owned looks as if
1t belonged to Inethodical, systematic
merchant. But one of his buildings,
fort on the river below Canton, has been
undermined by the currentand destroyed: !:
1t stood upon point of land where the
river forks, and, during the British inva-
sion, the Chinese threw stones into the
stream at both passages, to prevent the
foreigners ascending. The current thus
pent up swept over the point. undermin-
ing the fort, which, in short time was ut
terly carried away. The wealth of Hon.
| qua made him a conspicuous mark for the
rapacity of .mandarins, and he was, accor-
ding to an expressive term, well squeez-
ed by them, and his credulity was played
upon by priests. So much importance
is attached to the rites of burial ID Chiua,
that priests are often employed to look
for sacred place of interment, and Hon
qua being anxious that his fathers bones
should repose in holy ground, paid the
/ priests for many years to search for the
required spot. OF course these worthy
ministers were bafled in their search from
year TO year, as long as there was any
chance that Honqua would paw In this
manner for more than twenty years the
ashes Of the Hong merchants father were
above ground, and the old man in his turn
is still unburied.
One of the most beautiful of the Amer
lean traders has been named after him;
some Of our fenest vessels are in the
China trade, and certainly there can be
produced no more tasteful specimens of
naval architecture than such ships as
Honqua, Montauk, Paul Jones and Rain
bow.
And with all his wealth and influence,
Honqua had less power than the lowest
Mandarin. lie had the privilege OF the
State dress alone, for in China wealth is
no avenue TO power, and is always sub
ordinate to talent. Any person, who, by
merit, had risen from the lowest grade,
had better chance of filling the highest
Offices of the Empire than Honqua by
the aid Of money only.
The business of all these hongs is con-
Quoted through men called pursers, who
are in fact foremen. They act between
the Chinese and the foreigners; they bring
in the accounts 10 the shipping houses,
and receive orders for cargo. The same
system prevails among the shops, and
sometimes a stranger finds out that the old
gentleman sitting in one corner Of the
shop smoking his pipe, is not a visitor, as
he supposes, but actual proprietor, and
that the lively, busting fellow who sells,
is only next to head man. In each Of the
foreign houses, also, there is a purser, or
as he is called, compradore, who in fact
keeps house, is responsible for the good
conduct of the servants, receives and pays
money, &c. For this he receives no COM
pensaiion from the house, but, having his
eye teeth cut, understands how to make
the situation lucrative. One of the best
known of the Canton pursers is Punhoy-
quas, and he goes by the English title of
Fat-boy, and answers to the name readily.
He is quite an amusing character, very
sociabIe with foreigners, and never refu-
ses glass of wine if he happens to come
in about dinner time. But give Fat-boy
an order for tea, to have a certain quantity
putup in small boxes within acertain time.
and it is done even al shorter notice
than the limit.
Go to the Hong shortly after the order
has been given, aud numbers of workmen
are employed for you-some in bringing
in the small boxes, others shaking in the
tea, and Z SET of men are employed in
making the leaden canisters that fit into
the chests. They have wooden forms
before them of the size of the required
canister; one takes up sheet Of thin lead
and bends il into the shape on the form,
then he passes it to another, who joins
the edges with little hot lead, and such
numbers work that the thing is soon done.
Then there are others securing the rat
tans. and pasting the labels, on which are
printed the name of the ship, Of the tea
merchant, of the Canton forwarding
house, also the initials of the purchasing
house, and the number of the lot. These
papers are printed rapidly, for they are
cut by one set of hands to the proper size
for the use of the others who stamp them.
The names OF the Chinese merchant,
of the tba, and Of the Canton houses are
stereotypcd. and only the initials, the
ships name and number are to be CUT
These are carved on blocks of wood, and
the whole fastened in frame. Then, in
little space Just large enough for work,